Reuben

I was initially a bit dubious about this lot. They originally hailed from near where I grew up, and it simply didn't seem possible that anything good could come from Aldershot.

So I was a bit of a late starter, which is my loss really. Whilst their contemporaries (Hundred Reasons et al) got whisked up by major labels and put out big records to critical acclaim, Reuben carried on slogging away at the toilet circuit, putting out singles on indie labels, and writing bloody good songs.

By the time they'd brought out their third (and for now final) full length, I was discovering that I'd missed out on a good few years of fantastic music. No needless complication, no showboating musicianship, no trendy haircuts... just great songs, written and played with real passion, by three guys that love music.

Website: http://www.wordsfromreuben.com/splash/uni/

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/wordsfromreuben

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuben_(band)

Helms Alee

The "noise" tag seems a slightly unfair one to apply to this lot. Whilst the guttural hollering and big scuzzy riffs of frontman Ben Verellen's former outfit Harkonen are clearly in evidence, it really only tells half the story.

Because amidst the chaos there's something else altogether. Shimmering guitars, equal parts delicate and sinister, add an unexpected dimension to proceedings; as too do the occasional female vocals and meandering, almost psychedelic song structures. But instead of taking it in turns, as is so often the norm, all these different elements intertwine and meld together, and awesome noise happen.

Maybe that's the tag they deserve. Awesome noise.

Website: nope.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/helmsaleemusic

Wikipedia: nope.

Curl Up And Die

These guys are/were from Las Vegas, and the fear and loathing kind of shows through.

The first thing that strikes you about their music (and by strike, I do mean like with a blunt heavy object) is the sheer unrelenting savagery of it. And in the early days, this was arguably the only real move they had; they were just another math/metalcore band, with a sound somewhere between Botch and Converge.

Wind forward a few years, and at first it seems like little has changed; the face-peeling brutality is still very much in evidence.

But there's an added dimension to the music. Slow bits, the occasional melody. And reading the lyrics (because there's no way you can understand the vocals) reveals the misanthropy, despair, depression and isolation at the heart of everything they do. And you realise that its been there all along, hidden behind a façade of guttural screams, chainsaw riffs, and funny song titles that make you think it's all just a bit of fun.

Or maybe it is all a bit of fun, and they really are just a hardcore band from Nevada. Here's a rough-as-fuck video of one of their last performances.

Come on. We're waving the white flag.

Come on. We're calling in sick.

I don't want to be a part of anything.

That ever feels like this.

Website: http://www.revelationrecords.com/bands/show/87

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/curlupanddie

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curl_Up_and_Die

Million Dead

The alternative music press was making lots of good noises about these guys a few years ago; but every time I heard something by them I was left feeling distinctly underwhelmed. Then they split up, almost certainly as a reaction to my continuing apathy.

Thanks then to James (a fellow wage-slave from The Big Gay Department Store), who encouraged me to give them another go by copying both their albums for me in exchange for a copy of the majority of the Fugazi back catalogue. I like tape-swapping, even if it is done using those shiny round disc-like tapes.

Turns out that the songs I'd heard were just a bit lame, and the rest of the time they sound more like this.

Frontman Frank Turner is now a well established and relatively successful solo folk-punk troubadour; drummer Ben Dawson plays in the mighty Palehorse (as he did whilst in Million Dead, in fact). Actually, he plays drums for a lot of bands. The other two are doing other stuff, presumably.

Website: http://www.milliondead.org/

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/amilliondead

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_dead

Crippled Black Phoenix

What a miserable bunch of bastards. Crippled Black Phoenix are cobbled together out of bits of Electric Wizard, Mogwai, and some other bunch of people. Which doesn't really give you an idea of what to expect, but when you hear their prog-doom-folk "endtime ballads" it does all make some kind of sense.

They released their second record at some point earlier this year, which I haven't listened to yet; so I'm looking forward to hearing it all live when the UK tour kicks off at The Croft next week.

Website: http://www.crippledblackphoenix.com/

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/crippledblackphoenix

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crippled_Black_Phoenix

Faith No More

Man, I used to dig these guys back in the day ("the day" being around the early nineties). Then I kind of forgot about them for a bit, and so they broke up. But I sneakily started listening to them again, and so now a good few years later they seem to have reformed. Huzzah!

One of the things that makes Faith No More so terribly splendid is the diversity in their music, and the ease with which they drift from one style of music to another; all the while still sounding like the same band, making it sound bloody great and not like it's just some humorous diversion.

A lot of it has to be to do with Mike Patton's vocal. The man has a distinctive and frankly incredible voice; even if it isn't immediately apparent on early efforts, such as here on Epic.

They did a confusing, but cool, cover of Easy not long after...

...and then just started doing whatever the fuck they wanted. Good for them.

In all honesty, I'm not sure how I feel about this "re-union". I'm sure I read somewhere that Mr Patton wasn't interested unless they were going to push forwards and do something different... as it is they seem to have mostly been doing the festival circuit, playing a "greatest hits" kind of set.

Fuck it. What's it got to do with me anyway? All the old records are still cool (apart from Angel Dust, that's a bit ropey), and I'm sure that if they do put out anything new it'll be wicked.

Website: http://www.fnm.com/

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/faithnomore

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_no_more

3 stages of pain

These northern noisemongers weren't around for too long. They formed in 2001, and by 2005 they had gone out in a blaze of apathy.

The two records they made in that time were bloody brilliant if you like that sort of thing; which presumably most people didn't. But if you like savage hardcore sprinkled with a bit of melody, the occasional prog-ish tendency and some almighty grooves, then click below for choice cuts from each of their releases; debut effort With Chaos In Her Wake...

Conflict Of Self Interest

Southern Bullet

Forget The Lies, This Is How We Operate

18 Wheeler

...and follow up Black Heart Blues.

Dirty White Shoes

Black Heart Blues

Jesus Gonna Make My Dyin' Bed

Am An Yeller

Website: http://www.undergroove.co.uk/bands/3sp.aspx

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/3stagesofpain

Wikipedia: ain't none