FatherAlabaster

Meanwhile my son will yell at me for listening to a podcast with "inappropriate language"... testing boundaries in his own way.

I couldn't have finished it if it wasn't already 90% there. Still a shitty experience. Came out sounding alright though. I'm just really glad I didn't have to do any vocals with my ear plugged up, that would have been intolerable. I'm in the middle of a vocal recording now, and really hoping I can avoid a brush with The Plague v3.02 or whatever revision my area is currently on. At least wait till I'm done, dammit. Mild cases, quick recoveries, and cold beers all around.

Rush - Grace Under Pressure ...tappity bazow.

I had to finish up a mix with one ear completely blocked a few years ago. It sucks. I was astonished when I saw the size of the wax gobbets they dug out of my ears.

King Crimson - Beat ...squee boop.

Enslaved - Eld Negativa (CAN) - s/t ...no fucking around (or, I guess, all fucking around, depending on your perspective). I love newer Gorguts but can't help but think about what this would have turned into if not for Steeve's untimely death.

Pagan's Mind - Infinity Divine ...ummm, bippity boppity boo.

"Recall", oil on canvas, 22x28". Finished today. Not quite as "refined" as some of the others but I like where it's at right now.

Opeth - Still Life

Death - Human Opeth - Morningrise Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse

I really really dig a lot of stuff from that scene, but if I had to pick my favorite Finndeath album (not "the best" or "the coolest"), I'd be hard pressed to choose between Nespithe and The Karelian Isthmus. Karelian was one of the first death metal albums I had as a teenager and it's stayed up there for me ever since, safe to say it's in my bones. Nespithe was a later discovery but I've never heard anything quite like it, headbangable and memorable even with the weirdly chopped-up rhythms and jerky tempo shifts. Phlegethon wins my vote for unsung heroes, they were doing some unique shit, but they also weren't as well realized.

Demilich... well, I guess I can kind of remotely understand not liking them, which is weird, but they play such a good set that it might be worth seeing them anyway. They were (are?) playing at St Vitus soon, too, which sucks more for me to miss because I almost could have made it happen. Used to be able to walk there. Argh.

Last few: Meshuggah - Immutable ...first time (finally) getting all the way through, and it's fun; there are some intriguing moments that go beyond the usual schtick. Hats off to Meshuggah for developing that schtick in the first place, regardless of how tiresome it gets. Not so immutable after all. Opeth - Ghost Reveries Opeth - Deliverance

This one's great, maybe not up to the heights of The Gallery but it's held up well for me.

Demons & Wizards - s/t Crimson Glory - Transcendence Darkthrone - Plaguewielder Darkthrone - Ravishing Grimness