WHAT I'VE BEEN JAMMING: JAN 2024

NOFX - the Decline: 18 minutes may not be an eyebrow-raising song length for a heavy metal band, but for a hardcore punk band that has had as many ups and downs as the world’s most neck-whipping roller coaster, it’s easy to be skeptical that it won’t outstay its welcome, as many believe NOFX itself has. However, this 1999 single is easily NOFX’s magnum opus, and considering the band have finally announced their impending breakup, it both has and will never be topped in the 25 years since. What keeps this jaded anthem from growing stale and repetitive? Fat Mike’s stellar bass lines, a lack of their typical crude humor, and varied tempos and instrumentation that while never goes anywhere completely unexpected, is interesting enough to keep you on your toes. So long, NOFX, and thanks for the Decline.

Gatecreeper - Emptiness: The second longest song on this list, clocking in at a perfectly reasonable 11 minutes, Emptiness is the best doom metal song I’ve ever heard, and it’s not even from a doom metal band. Gatecreeper, hailing from the arid deserts of Arizona, has a reputation as one of the best modern old school death metal bands, but they weren’t content to have mastery of just one genre under their belt. Their 2021 surprise EP, An Unexpected Reality, starts with seven songs of blisteringly fast metal that isn’t quite death, isn’t quite thrash, and isn’t quite grind, but is undeniably catchy and brutal. But it’s Emptiness, the final track, that blew me away three years ago, and still blows me away today. It’s a slow, crushing track that’s saturated with dread and despair, building ever upwards over thick breakdowns and submerged melodies until finally spilling over to glorious catharsis, then fading back into those dreadful depths. It’s powerful stuff, and would have easily have been my song of the year, if there wasn’t competition from the absolute mad geniuses in Archspire and First Fragment.

Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties - In Lieu of Flowers: This song just dropped Friday, and I can’t get enough of it. It’s their first song in a fair while, and Soupy once again proves he’s the undisputed master of writing painfully earnest, heartfelt songs about healing. While their music is ostensibly about the fictional Aaron West and his road to recovery, there’s no denying the truth that it’s grounded in. I was initially surprised, then immediately blown away by the song’s fusion of emo and americana. It’s a triumphant return for one of the scene’s most iconic side projects, and I can’t wait for the rest of the album, especially since the entire thing was recorded with a 16-piece band according to the post they made announcing it. While their music is sonically different from The Wonder Years, veering more into folk rock territory than the mature pop punk they’re famous for, it’s absolutely required listening for fans.

Moonlight Sorcery - To Withhold the Day: Moonlight Sorcery are a band I recently discovered from a “best of 2023” list via BrooklynVegan, and I’m so glad I discovered them. They’re a Finnish black metal band, but this isn’t the lo-fi or harsh sound you’re expecting. They’re easily the most melodic and symphonic black metal band I’ve heard, and they effortlessly blend the discordant, chilling textures of the genre with a dark, catchy, and triumphant atmosphere that at times almost has a power metal bent. Their lyrics bounce back and forth between English and Finnish, and while they of course have the misanthropic and mythological elements found in most bands of this nature, they’re a bit tamer, and a bit more fantastical. Truly a band to keep your eye on, and one I’d recommend for metalheads that don’t particularly like black metal, as it just might change your mind.

Slugdge - Crop Killer: It would be easy to write Slugdge off as just another substanceless gimmick band by looking at the song titles alone, like “Lettuce Prey,” “The Sound of Mucus”, and “Slimewave Zero.” But you’d be sorely mistaken, and missing out on one of the most underrated metal bands of all time. They chose the name Slugdge as a joke after seeing so many sludge metal bands being themed around animals, and created a slug god complete with mythology and lore that they write all their songs around. But don’t be fooled, these guys are anything but unserious. They write haunting and cinematic metal that borrows elements from sludge (obviously), death, black, and progressive metal, and have a sound that’s not quite like anything else out there. Crop Killer is one of their best, who sets the mood right from the beginning with a nauseating 15/8 time signature and a tapped bass riff that’s meant to be disorienting. The mix of clean and harsh vocals really elevates it as well, and makes them stand out from the pack.

Full of Hell, Nothing - Rose Tinted World: I’m pretty sure I talked about the Full of Hell and Nothing grindcore/shoegaze collab a week or so ago, but I just have to bring up this song. The first half is a wall of distortion and beautiful fuzz that’s both punishing and melodic, before the second half takes you to an entirely different place. Radio hosts and weather reports slightly overlap each other as static rises in the background, before enveloping the listener entirely in a muddy mess of screeches and ambient noise. Truly must be heard to be believed, and if I ever did shrooms, I’m absolutely listening to this song on them.

Green Day - One-Eyed Bastard: I haven’t listened to much Green Day in recent years; the last record I ever listened to in full was 21st Century Breakdown, which I purchased at Hot Topic when I was, what, 13? It wasn’t a bad album, and had some great moments, but it was a far cry from their punkier days with albums like Dookie and Nimrod, and didn’t have the same spark that American Idiot had that made it an instant classic of a rock opera. None of the singles released from Uno/Dos/Tres or whatever came after really appealed to me, and I no longer had any interest in paying attention to what they were doing now, especially when I could always listen to their old stuff whenever I wanted. But I’m keeping my eye on this next record, because the singles have been surprisingly listenable, and One-Eyed Bastard is my favorite of the lot. They’re definitely no longer the kids who pelted their audience with mud at Woodstock, at least not sonically, but there’s plenty of value here, with a catchy riff and all the charm and rebellious spirit I’ve been missing from them. Only time will tell if this album earns a proud spot among their legacy, but I’m oddly optimistic.