Album of the week

Oh yeah, and Johnny Cash too. Man, our boy Dennis Hall41 is such a massive fan of American music and alt-country, I honestly thought he was already right at home here 😁

I've been drowning in catch-up work at the office for the last few weeks—but I think I'll finally be through the woods in about a week. Honestly, the panic attacks are hitting hard. In this headspace, I literally can't bring myself to listen to anything new. I only feel okay staying in my comfort zone with stuff I already know; for instance, I could barely even stomach listening to Homegrown.

Ever wonder why Depeche Mode has been such a massive influence on basically every rock and metal band out there? We're talking everyone from Deftones and Tool to Nine Inch Nails and beyond. It’s wild. There was even this one groupie bragging on social media about how she spent an erotic, romantic night with Trent Reznor, only to catch him singing these exact lyrics while he was in the shower:
“ … Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I want to get lost in your synth pop
And drift away”
…

Gerald Jackson48 said:Does anyone else ever stop to think about how Depeche Mode served as such a massive blueprint for an entire spectrum of rock and metal bands, ranging from Deftones and Tool over to Nine Inch Nails and beyond... Or even that story about some groupie bragging on social media about catching Trent Reznor singing those specific lyrics under the shower after an erotic night together: “ … Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I want to get lost in your synth pop
And drift away”
…

Sure, but the lead singer of Dubriv is a literal dwarf. 😁

Mark Cruz15 said:Yeah, but the singer in Dubriv is just a little guy. 😁

Trends come and go, but Depeche Mode has been the standard for four decades now.

It’s not even close. 😁

I can't stand Depeche Mode or Dubriv, so I might as well just cast my vote for Neil Young or whatever my own suggestion happens to be.☕

Here’s my selection for the masses.
A bit selfish, I guess—but hey, what can you do?
I’ve still got some leftovers from previous rounds, but I’ve been constantly on the move lately—so I need something smooth yet high-energy. Plus, I like to take a more studious approach to this thread—reading up on the album and really digging into the lyrics. 😁

Check out the scoreboard 👋 It's been 24 hours, so I'm calling on our new album nominator to go ahead and start a fresh thread once everything's ready to go 😉

Eh, looks like I'm late to the party. 😢

I actually wanted to throw my vote toward Johnny Cash, since he’d probably hit the spot right after listening to Depeche Mode,
but I don't know what happened—I honestly thought we had until the end of Friday to vote...

The thread will be up a bit later tonight. The person who suggested it is still stuck at work. 😁

Seriously, if there are more than four albums involved, why even bother waiting? I can't set up the poll any other way than by how many days it's been since it was posted. And honestly, why make things so complicated? 😛

Gerald Jackson48 said:A new thread should be up later tonight—the person who suggested it is still stuck at work. 😁

Man, sounds like one heck of a job... ☕ 😬 But hey, no biggie, it’s not like everyone is rushing to listen to this stuff right this second anyway...

I think I've listened to it already, but I really want to give it another spin before I sit down to write out my thoughts. That's just how it is.

It’s Thursday, which means it's time for suggestions! Let's not go overboard though... just 4 or 5 good ones so we can get straight to the poll.

My pick: Stone Temple Pilots - Core (1992)



Tracklist
Dead & Bloated 5:10
Sex Type Thing 3:38
Wicked Garden 4:06
No Memory 1:20
Sin 6:05
Naked Sunday 3:49
Creep 5:34
Piece Of Pie 5:24
Plush 5:14
Wet My Bed 1:37
Crackerman 3:14
Where The River Goes

Crypt Sermon – The Ruins of Fading Light (2019)

Crypt Sermon return with their highly anticipated The Ruins of Fading Light! Following up on their massive 2015 debut, Out of the Garden, this new record feels like a deep dive into existential dread, all wrapped up in these haunting, ancient vibes from some forgotten dark age... The songwriting really digs into the friction between faith and blood, survival and ego, life and everything we lose along the way. You've got these massive, crushing riffs clashing against these quiet, lonely acoustic passages, pushing the boundaries of what epic doom and heavy metal can actually be. Even as Crypt Sermon march onward, there’s this persistent, heavy feeling hanging over everything, like they're telling us, "We're doomed." Once again, we have the expertise of Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Eternal Champion, Sumerlands, and more) handling the recording, mixing, and mastering over at Creep Records.

Tracklist

1. The Ninth Templar (Black Candle Flam) 05:05
2. Key of Solomon 05:54
3. Our Reverend's Grave 07:09
4. Epochal Vestiges 01:49
5. Christ is dead 06:39
6. The Snake Handler 09:11
7. Oath of Exile 01:46
8. Enslave The Heathens 01:16
9. Beneath The Torchfire Glare 07:23
10. The Ruins of Fading Light 08:51

Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996)

Here’s my pick. I’m still waiting on the first vote 😁

Swans - White Light from the Mouth of Infinity

Tracklist 1. "Better Than You" 5:51
2. "Power and Sacrifice" 5:37
3. "You Know Nothing" 5:46
4. "Song for Dead Time" 5:24
5. "Will We Survive" 6:51
6. "Love Will Save You" 6:06
7. "Failure" 6:20
8. "Song for the Sun" 5:03
9. "Miracle of Love" 6:43
10. "When She Breathes" 5:03
11. "Why Are We Alive?" 5:29
12. "The Most Unfortunate Lie" 5:02

Eh, Jason Mendoza beat me to it... but if I can jump in, maybe I'd suggest Children of God (1987) by the early Swans, just a thought...
It has this clear, naturally cooling effect—it actually helps with this heat! Plus, it's only a few minutes longer than the last suggestion. 🎉

I’ll be a gentleman here and just let this one be about Swans. I’ve always been a massive fan of early Swans—way before the album I mentioned earlier—so honestly, I don't really care how it shakes out.

I absolutely love blasting Filth or Cop when I'm, say, nursing a massive hangover; there's something about how beautifully abrasive they are that just cuts right through the fog.

I’d personally go with David Thomas Broughton and The Complete Guide to Insufficiency.

.

That album dropped way back in 2005—it still sounds just as fresh today, even fifteen years later.

Suggestions received and noted. Poll coming soon! 👍
Also, I'm stoked about the Swans news—glad it wasn't you guys... honestly, in a few weeks, I might just throw Great Annihilator into the mix. 😁

Alright, it’s that time again! We’re picking our new Album of the Week 👍

The Gallup poll stays open for 24 hours, so keep that in mind 😉