Newsgroups: bit.listserv.allmusic
Date:         Fri, 14 Aug 1992 09:52:35 CDT
From:         Lee=Jenkins%Factory=Sup%Mfg=Hou@BANGATE.COMPAQ.COM
Subject:      re: thunk
X-To:         wotan!AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU!ALLMUSIC@twisto.eng.hou.compaq.com

if you're just getting your feet wet in metal and find that you like it, you
might like to try trouble's _psalm 9_.  the music is exhilerating.  the vinyl
had 9 tracks, and the cd has an extra -- a (very good) cover of cream's _tales
of brave ulysses_.  (have you heard these guys, bob?)

the guitar harmonies are what will grab your attention first.  they put a lot
of attention into how the guitars work together to create a mood, a context
for the song.  it's like a trademark.  we used to have a metal radio
station here in town, and i turned it on one day and heard a song i'd never
heard before, and ten or fifteen seconds into it i knew it was trouble.  their
style is distinctive but not predictable.

there's an instrumental on _psalm 9_ called _endtime_ that is simply a
pleasure garden for your ears and mind.  there's a part where the time (which
is 4/4) seems to shift half a beat -- you know, the offbeat is suddenly the
downbeat -- and then by the end of the phrase it has shifted back again.

now, a bit of a warning: ministry or ac/dc they aren't!  the music is
definitely driven with power chords and a solid (non THUNK) beat, but the
guitars are playing melodies, too, trading off phrases and supporting each
other as they go.  (i don't mean some fancy solo in a pre-fab arrangement).

another warning: they have a release called _run to the light_ which i bought
several years ago, and was sorely disappointed.  it's just plain silly.
however, there was another recording between _psalm 9_ and _run_ that was
pretty good, but i don't have a copy and don't even know its name (help
anyone?).  i also have a new one, a self-titled cd on the def american
recordings label (they used to be on metal blade, i think).  the new one is
really good, too, but the style is different.  it's metal, but it's the
slower, more pink floyd kind of thing.  i reccomend this one, too.


btw, trying to define the difference between hard rock and heavy metal is just
chasing your tail.  usually when people say hard rock, they mean metal, but
they want to avoid the stigma that goes with the label.  hard rock is
something that a person in their 20's or 30's or older can listen to and still
be socially acceptable.  heavy metal is for brainless teenagers with a minimum
wage job whose only concerns in life are getting stoned and getting laid.  if
labels in general are subjective, these labels are twice as much so.

lee

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