I remember hearing "Bloodlust" for the first time. It was the band's second album and it totally blew me away. Filthy psychedelic fuzzed-out doom - like something out of a 70's B-Horror movie with lots of effects and occult twisted lyrics. It was like I had been waiting forever for this sound.
Since then the Cambridge guys have released 5 studio albums and countless singles.
So it was about time for the first live album, which has now been released with "Slaughter on first Avenue"!
Recorded during two gigs (2019 & 2022) at "First Avenue" in Minneapolis, the whole thing starts with the announcement:
"Tonight you will be subject to a full-scale audio attack that will begin shortly. There will be no pause until we... dismissed. The group will show no mercy and will likely not communicate with you. There will be no dynamic and your expectations will be completely ignored. It will all sound the same".
Fortunately, this turns out to be a lie, because here the band offers 14 songs, across all albums and shows what makes them so special!
From the early classics like "I'll Cut You Down" and "Ritual Knife" to the heavier songs like "Pusher Man" from the Night Creeper album to the newer stuff like "I See Through You" and "Shockwave City". No fan wishes should remain unfulfilled here.
The sound is raw and unpolished, superbly produced and still full of live flair.
Despite no chatter with the audience, no chat with the audience, no playful interludes, just pure psychedelic doom with lots of Black Sabbath vibes, John Lennon on acid-like vocals, a mean version of The Kinks with the dirty sound of the early Electric Wizard albums .
"Slaughter On.." is just fun because it really sounds live and not like a lot of live albums these days that sound like they were recorded in the studio. What more could you wish for... except maybe seeing the band in the front row and straining your neck muscles.
Full Tracklist:
01. I See Through You
02. Waiting For Blood
03. Death's Door
04. Shockwave City
05. Thirteen Candles
06. Dead Eyes Of London
07. Pusher Man
08. Ritual Knife
09. Slow Death
10. Crystel Spiders
11. Blood Runner
12. Desert Ceremony
13. I'll Cut You Down
14. No Return
- Helge Neumann
