The last issue of Propermag pointed me towards this northern electronics duo The Chanteuse & The Crippled Claw. The elven-like voice of Candie Payne is accompanied by the electronic-soundscapes of Adrian Flanagan to form a somehow folk-inspired, magical pop-track. Or the perfect soundtrack for the coming days of spring. “Are You One” is available via iTunes or on 7″ vinyl. The music-video has a fantastic, surreal aesthetic that one simply has to love.

“…block by block, taking it all back, the youth’s immersed in poison – turn the tide, counterattack. Violence against violence, let the roundups begin. A firestorm to purify the bane that society drowns in”.

Though this song is almost 20 years old it still makes me just want to break shit and go beserk – everytime I listen to it. In a positive way.

I discovered Earth Crisis back in 1996 I think, when I bought a copy of “Gomorrah’s Season Ends” at a Battery and Damnation A.D. show. I got a dub of “Destroy The Machines” earlier, but “Gomorrah’s…” really sparked my interest in the band. They were a major influence from then on, music-wise, but, more important, when it comes to the straight-edge- and vegan/vegetarian-lifestyle. They were among the first to really combine the sonic violence and intensity of extreme-metal with a hardcore-attitude. And all the controversy that surrounded them, the militance, were very appealing at that time and had me researching for more bands of such nature (and there were plenty in the mid to late 90ies).

With their first 7″ “All Out War”, released in 1992, they were way ahaed of the time. Their first full-length “Destroy The Machines” suffered from an indifferent, bottom-heavy production which makes it hard to catch all the details. “Gomorrah’s Season Ends” is EC on their creative peak. They were lightyears ahaed of all the “chugga-chugga” bands back then, with their complex compositions, the layers of sound, the production. My favourite release however, is their second 7″ “Firestorm”, released in 1993. For me it’s like the blueprint of what was to come in the later 90ies. They already show the ability to write rather complex songs, they develop a lot of the major motives and aesthetics … and with just four songs it’s 100% pure aggression from start to end.

I somehow lost the interest in their post-”Gomorrah’s…” musical output, but the material on the first two 7″es and the two albums are monuments. They perfectly capture the atmosphere and attitude of the 90ies vegan-sxe-scene, dark, gritty, aggressive and apocalyptic.

We sometimes used to cover “All Out War” (back to back with some old Strife-tune) back then and in 99% of the shows it was total chaos and rampage as soon as the first chords were struck and kids climbed on the stage, piled up, grabbed the mic and just went completely nuts.

Earth Crisis are currently recording a new album which is about to be released in 2011. Check their facebook-page for more info.

is about to drop in February already.

… fellow Lodgers!

Photographer Bill Ray grabbed his chance to ride with the Hells Angels for a couple of weekends back in 1965. LIFE Magazine just launched a gallery with unreleased photos taken by Bill Ray back then.

Yes, today is the official Coffee-Day here in Germany. Time to celebrate and drink some extra cups of joe. Hooray!

“From every dingy basement on every dingy street,
every dragging handclap over every dragging beat,
that’s just the beat of time – the beat that must go on,
if you’ve been trying for years we already heard your song.”

“Death Or Glory” – The Clash

Had a week off work just recently and to kick off the coming days of leisure my girlfriend and me grabbed a couple of friends and spent a whole day in the beautiful woods of the “Lüneburger Heide“. Though I am not really a “country-boy” or something I love those walks in the woods. It smells good, it’s quite and peaceful and the woods of that region just have that certain atmosphere that makes it really easy to relax and forget about the bullshit in the world. Just take a step off the pathways into the green and you are in a whole other world.

Plus it’s the time of the year for mushrooms, so of course I took some baskets and knives and ambitions to collect a nice supper with me … which I miserably failed at. Just like last year. And the year before. And the year before the year before. My girlfriend says I am still lacking the “eye for mushrooms”. Blah!!! Fortunately the parents in law brought home about a ton of boletus some days before which they shared with us. Anyway, next year I am going to hunt down those little f*ckers myself. Listen you boletus, you chanterelle: you can hide, but you cannot run!

The photo of my only find that day was taken by my buddy Gordon. Thanks pal.

Well, try to tell it to this guy…