Atom Bomb, Baybee

SACRILEGE (UK) - Turn Back Trilobite (1989)


I make no bones about it: "Turn Back Trilobite" is my favorite Sacrilege album. It took years for it to cement its place in my heart-- in fact, I absolutely despised it until about five years ago. Certainly it was a shock to the earholes-- I mean, here I was thinking it would be an extension of the powerful, progressive thrash they'd began tinkering with on 1987's "Within the Prophecy"; instead it's ...a doom metal album. And not a fake doom album-- full-on Candlemass-style doom packed with melodrama and grandeur (or "fairytale metal" as Erich would call it).

I think a lotta my initial difficulty with it stemmed from thee lovely Lynda "Tam" Simpson's vox-- her voice sounds flat and uninspired until you allow yourself to succumb to the epic song structures and crushing riffs that surround it. Now, I can't imagine another singer alive or dead that could tackle this material with more verve or emotional intensity. "Father Time (Beneath the Gaze)" is filled with jarring stop/start riffage that tugs ya in several directions at once-- recalling Confessor's experiments in technique-driven doom on "Condemned." Though it could use a less clandestine chorus, Tam's impassioned tenor manages to keep it from tumbling into the atmosphere for the sake of atmosphere abyss. "Into the Sea of Tranquility" is where she truly shines, 12 minutes of Pure Majesty. Axe-master Damian Thompson slowly unravels an ominous barrage of Iommian power chords that veer off into melancholy acoustic interludes while Tam croons, coos and barks with results both bombastic and heartbreaking... a tour de force, by any measure.

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SCIENTISTS (AUS) - The Human Jukebox (1984-86)


As much as I love the fact that the Beasts of Bourbon are still unleashing killer slabs of scuzzy R&R, I can't help but miss the loopy idiosyncrasies of their founder/guitarist, Mr. Kim Salmon. The bloodcurdling gobs of sculpted noise, the murder-obsessed lyrics... that intangible weirdness they so embodied in days past departed with him. Of course, it took many years of slugging it out in Western Australia's remote capitol, Perth, to realize that vision. He is widely considered Perth's first punker, having formed the Cheap Nasties in 1976 (sadly unrecorded), and from there on to a slot with the Exterminators (also sans recordings). The Scientists began as a Kinks-inspired, power pop outfit in 1978; but since that is not the version of the band I'm presenting to y'all, you can read all about the incestuous memberships that included luminaries from other legendary Aussie bands (Hoodoo Gurus, Victims, Johnny's etc) here.

What we got here is the --at least to me-- classic version of the band featuring Salmon (vox/guitar), Boris Sudjovic (bass), Tony Thewlis (lead guitar) and Brett Rixon (drums first 9 tracks; replaced by Phil Hertz and Nick Combe). This is the lineup that took the Cramps' reverb-soaked deconstruction of trash culture and fused it with the stark minimalism of Suicide while tossing away any self-indulgent tendencies of either; then filtered the final product through Australian swamp water. This collection combines their "You Get What You Deserve" EP and the "Human Jukebox" mini-album.

There's no shortage of clueless "hip" types that'll try'n blame these guys for the grunge movement-- don't listen to 'em. After a quick spin of "Atom Bomb Baby" you'll know the likes of Mark Lanegan or Kurt Cobain coulda never torn themselves away from their self-conscious navel-gazing long enough to rock so righteously. This is music made outta pure desperation: four young thugs with no money in their pockets and violence in their hearts.

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