I get why people like well produced music, I like it to, especially the older I get, I appreciate the time and effort that goes into making a recording that packs the right punch, that captures the skill of the musicians and their subtle signatures in their playing, that has just that right balance of studio wizardry and live playing, and that sounds good on any system you play it on. But dammit, I also just love that raw hurricane that is grindcore, that hyper mess of riffs and blastbeats, the unintelligible lyrics, and the rawer the better. When I got into grindcore in the mid 90's, I loved those old basement shows, and demos from bands that seemed to be playing in their own basements around a single cheap microphone. And while I get older and my tastes evolve, I still have room for hearing that feedback drenched tsunami played as loud as possible.
So this old live recording of EXTREME NOISE TERROR really hits the spot. I don't know anything about the specific show at the time I'm posting this, perhaps someone will share a memory or any knowledge they have about it. But it's short, it's fast, and it's pissed. If that sounds good to you, then here ya go! - DH
EXTREME NOISE TERROR - August 12th, 1986 Nacton, UK
I'm gonna keep this short because it's a busy day today for me, and because I don't really know a lot about this band. Of course I am familiar with GBH, you can't like punk and have not come across this band, but I know some people really love them, and I just never connected with their music like that. However, I have a set, and it sounds pretty damn good. This is probably the most GBH I've ever listened to and perhaps this will be what cracks that nut wide open. If you already like GBH, and haven't heard this, then I hope this is a good treat for ya. No idea of the venue, if anyone knows, or has a flyer even, share in the comments! - DH
"London fucking England, we are High On fucking Fire!" I love that intro, I crack a smile whenever I hear it. HIGH ON FIRE were on tour with Mastodon in the UK towards the end of 2005, at the end of a year of touring in support of their latest record at the time, "Blessed Black Wings". This was the era of the band with the mighty Joe Preston on bass, before Jeff Matz was in the band, and I thought that was so wicked that Joe was in the band. He just has so much tone, it doesn't really show up in this recording as much as it did live. Joe was pretty much the opposite of Matt and Dez at the time, so I wasn't surprised when Joe left the band. But man, that record he did with them rules, still a top HoF record for me.
In 2005 my wife and I took a vacation out to the UK, and decided to follow the High On Fire / Mastodon tour, with us taking trains between cities and doing some sight seeing in the day, and then the shows at night. We brought some cameras and audio gear, just what we could carry in our backpacks, and caught a fair chunk of the tour in some form. In London we set up the microtrack I had to the board, and caught the board mix. The problem with HoF board recordings is that Matt is so loud on stage, he's not run through the PA as much as vocals or drums are. Using Izotope I was able to boost the guitars up in the mix, and it sounds a lot better now. However in the first few songs, Matt's vocal mic would short out occasionally. It gets resolved, but just so you know why the vocals would drop out in a few spots. Anyhoo, enjoy the High On Fire! - DH
HIGH ON FIRE - December 5th, 2005 @ Scala, London, UK
I don't know what I was thinking posting this, haha. It's a very muffled sounding soundboard. I think I tried to help it via Izotope but gave up. I mean, I've listened to far worse sounding things I suppose, so whatever. It's classic Crucifix in the UK in 1984. So it's absolutely worth posting even if it's muddy sounding. Check it out if you like the band, though for those who are less familiar with the band I'd probably suggest just checking out their album "Dehumanization" or their EPs. - DH
EDIT : listening to this again, and it's obvious this tape runs really fast. I'll try slowing down the recording and reuploading it, but that's gonna take some time. I'd suggest holding off on downloading this for now. Sorry 'bout that.
CRUCIFIX - March 9th, 1984 @ Vale Social Club, Nottingham, UK
Got a nice raw soundboard recording from EXTREME NOISE TERROR live in Leeds in 1986. An absolute awesome time to be playing ugly fast music because there were so many wicked bands that were active at this time. If anyone has a flyer for this show, hook up a pic, I'll add it here!
- DH
EXTREME NOISE TERROR - April 16th, 1986 @ Adam & Eve's, Leeds, UK
