Once upon a time, In Flames would have written a song like ‘Overlord.’ The second track on ‘Embodiment Of The Divine’ is a full on assault of duelling guitars, exquisite melodies and gruff vocals, played with the over-caffeinated excitement the Swedes possessed in their younger days. It’s a hugely enjoyable track and exactly the kind of thing that would have cropped up in the track-listing for ‘Colony’ or ‘Clayman.’
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Monk has written several times in these pages of the unifying force which music had in the Troubles-ravaged Northern Ireland of the late Seventies and early Eighties, helping to bring together teenagers from opposite sides of the fence who all shared one common interest – and that was the music which was appealing to all of them. One of the strongest musical forces was the punk movement, which was particularly strong in this particular corner of the Überverse in that period – which is, as its title suggests, reflected in this about-to-be released three-disc compilation set. It takes its name from the first in a trilogy of documentaries by the US-born film-maker John T Davis which chronicled the emergence of the Northern Irish “alternative” scene, as it more trendily came to be described.
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Chosen by DJ Monk Despite the ongoing lockdown in many parts of the Überverse, we are still...
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Storming out of the Canadian Midwest like rampaging bulls, In/Vertigo deliver a sound that could be ripped straight from the back-alley dives of Los Angeles rather than the wide-open prairies of the northern plains. But, then, every city has its seedy underground, and these four young(ish) hallions from Calgary certainly have more than enough grime and gunk on their cowboy boots, and inside their skintight jeans, to blend seamlessly into the groove anywhere from Soho to the Strip.
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We must admit, it’s been a weird week at ÜRHQ. First of all, DQ decided to fuck off to the south of Spain at barely a few hours’ notice, just because she can do such things, you understand. Then, one of Monk’s favourite bands released possibly the worst, if not definitely the most disappointing, album of their career. And then this highly unusual and definitely “out there” album landed in the boss’ inbox…. Yes, it’s been a weird week, and if this had arrived a few days earlier it most definitely would have served as its soundtrack rather than that of its reflection…
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