[Mp3] Levi/Werstler: “Noxious Vermin, My Friend”

Guitarists Eyal Levi and Emil Werstler took a break from their primary project, Atlanta-based death metal outfit Daath, to drop a shred record called Avalanche Of Worms earlier this year. One of the things I dislike most about metal music is how rigidly metal bands adhere to certain concepts of the genre, and Daath is no exception. Which is why I love Avalanche Of Worms so much, because Levi/Werstler completely break free of the genre limitations that have previously confined them and just let loose. Listening to the record, it’s obvious they needed an outlet like this to showcase the wide range of musical prowess they command, because Avalanche Of Worms contains a bit of magic that sets it apart from most cold, mechanical shred records I’ve heard before. The album is bolstered by a complimenting supporting cast around the duo that includes Sean Reinart (Cynic) and Eric Guenther (From Exile). Here’s the opening track of the sprawling sonic journey:

Levi/Werstler: “Noxious Vermin, My Friend”

Buy Avalanche Of Worms
Levi/Werstler website

The Quest For The Best Albums Of 2008 Is Almost Over

I had the best of intentions to finish all of my 2008 lists before the new year, but it looks like I ran out of time. I’m much more worried about being thorough than being timely so it is ok. I still have a few more scientific calculations to make before I can unveil my final list, and I’m going to be observing New Years celebrations for the next few days, so i would expect to drop it in about a week. There probably won’t be much going on around the site next week other than that as I will need a few days to reload and refuel for another year of serious blogging. But, 2009′s bar has already been set extremely high with the new Animal Collective album Meriweather Post Pavilion available on vinyl Tuesday and Atlanta outfit Nomen Novum‘s first full-length, November, now available digitally. Expect a lot of slurping on those two albums when I return, plus I’ll talk about some of the good 2008 records that I discovered late that just missed the cut. Also, it is getting close to a month since I have been to a concert, so it is time for total live show coverage to return. Here are a few mp3s from some of the albums that made my EP list that i never posted about until now:

Experimental Dental School : Jane Doe Loves Me
High Places : The Storm
Moscow Olympics : What Is Left Unsaid
Abe Vigoda : The Garden
Cynic : Evolutionary Sleeper

Have a happy 2009!!!

Ohmpark’s Top 20 Best EPs/Short-Length Albums Of 2008

I decided to do something a little experimental this year with my best EP list. When I was comparing very short “full-length” albums to longer albums on my best LP list, I kept wanting to hold the time duration against the shorter album. Also, it seems the difference between EPs and LPs can be a bit arbitrary sometimes, so I decided to just draw a line completely based on album length to split up my best album lists. This list, then, is the best of all albums less than 35 minutes, regardless of what the record is labeled. I’m happy with the end result, as I’m able to really highlight some extremely worthwhile briefer albums and it made the competition on this list a lot tighter. When you really think about it, any classic album this short feels like it is in a different weight class. I want to give an honorable mention to Cynic‘s Traced In Air, Parade‘s Ghosts, and Mount Eerie with Julie Dorion and Fred Squire‘s Lost Wisdom because all three were awesome, but here are the 20 best albums under 35 minutes:

Click here to read the entire post…