Wreck Your World

To celebrate its upcoming re-re-release on Southern Lord (you gotta check it out - 2xLP with loads of extra schwag for the über-fans) I thought I'd post the record that started it all, Excel's 1987 thrash metal debut Split Image. Being my favorite band from the late 80's Venice, CA/Suicidal Records musical rebellion much has already been written on this blog about Excel so I'll try not to obtusely repeat myself; needless to say such time-weary tunes as "Your Life, My Life," the title track and "Wreck Your World" are still some of my favorite songs to this day. Ever. Out of every fusion/crossover/thrash/speed metal band I've ever heard, these consistently rise to the top. I skip nearly 95% of the shit that plays via my iPod's shuffle but these will always get a full play. And not to say the rest of the album is bad at all - it's actually awesome. "The Joke's On You" is absolutely killer and I fucking love "Social Security" - especially while I was a 14-year old register jockey at the local Grand Union 25 years ago. Who knows what the newly remastered cuts will sound like, to be honest it gets no better than this weary, scratchy, well-played slab of vinyl (emblazoned with yet another incredible Michael Seiff cover to boot) which I still own to this very day. Enjoy.

I Laugh... At You!

Look Up.....

1985 was a transitional year for SoCal thrashcore. Suicidal Tendencies had really taken over the scene after their eponymous 1983 debut and had started their own label (Suicidal Records, 'natch) to which they attracted a bunch of local acts, many associated with ST lead singer Mike Muir. The label's first release was the appropriately named Welcome To Venice compilation LP featuring local acts Suicidal, No Mercy, Excel, Beowülf and Los Cycos. In the same way N.W.A. would champion Compton a few years later - Venice, CA was the ST stomping ground and would stay the headquarters for the LA thrash movement until it was eaten alive by grunge in the early 90's. The comp is notable simply that it contains probably the weakest early material by all of the bands on it (save for Suicidal who I think shot their wad with the first album and never recovered) - as well as the fact that nearly every band sounds exactly the same. Now this could be because Muir was the singer for two of them or the fact that they were trading band members like fucking dominoes or it could just be coincidence. Suicidal's solo entry "Look Up..... (The Boys Are Back)" showcases the near-final transition of a once amazing hardcore band into the pretty tame thrash outfit they would become on '87's flaccid Join The Army. Beowülf do their Motörhead thing satisfactorily, No Mercy belt out a couple tracks with original singer Kevin Guercio (Muir would take the vocal reigns for the band's 1987 full-length debut) - their song "War Machine" would eventually be retooled into "Crazy But Proud" on the Widespread LP. Los Cycos were basically the original ST lineup with a new rhythm guitarist and No Mercy's drummer. Their song "It's Not Easy" probably sounds familiar because ST re-recorded it for their Feel Like Shit... joke of a record years later. It is such a sad song when regarding the talent behind it - really shows what Amery Smith brought to ST's old sound... But I digress, wrapping up the album are a solid three tracks by 'Genocide fave Excel. Not their best stuff by far but still great - I dig the instrumental "Enforcer" the most. In short, Welcome To Venice is a perfect snapshot of a long gone era; 30 minutes of an amazingly specific crossover thrash sound that went as fast as it came.

The Boys Are Back

Mo' Ex-Excel

Just a quickie post here - a couple extra lost tunes from the band of the hour - SoCal's defunct My Head. Two tracks that appeared on Suicidal Tendencies' 2001 compilation Friends & Family 2 as well as one that made it onto another obscure Infectious Grooves album as a "bonus EP" track. Enjoy.

The Beard

 
Currently watching: Morel Orel Volume 3

Currently listening to: Beautiful Mother Vanilla

Don't Waste My Time

Sadly forgotten debut by Excel veterans Adam Siegel (guitar) and Greg Saenz (drums) came too late in a music world being quickly overtaken by nü metal and fucking Sublime. Taking a cue from the way-ahead-of-its-time prog thrash that was The Joke's On You, Siegel added a nice touch of funk, psychedelia and even grunge ("I Don't Want Nothing" really has a Nirvana flavor to it) to their only album, 1996's Endless Bummer. Fans of 311, Chili Peppers, Fishbone and that type of shtick will easily find something to like with My Head - solid riffs with a lighter metal groove to it. Just bad timing - too late to ride the Faith No More funk metal wave and too early to ride the Incubus funk metal wave (ugh... did I just write that?) Now here's your chance to catch up. Enjoy.

Killer Hair

 
Currently watching: Eating Raoul

Currently listening to: Ween Caesar

Blaze Some Hate

Trolling the internet the other night for some random shit to listen to I stumbled upon the amazing Chuch Of Zer which I have actually visited before, only with much less time on my hands. To my surprise he had a few live shows by 'Genocide fave Excel ripe for the downloading. I thought I'd return the favor and upload those with a few of the rarities I have from this incredibly underrated SoCal thrash/post-metal/prog-metal band. Starting off are three demos from their earliest inception, Chaotic Noise. Featuring founders Dan Clements (vocals) and Adam Siegel (guitars) the band spit out some quality thrashcore throughout 1984; finally recruiting a new bassist and drummer by the end of the year and "starting fresh" as Excel. Quality is so-so but what can you expect from early 80's cassette rips, y'know? I am missing one of the songs from Demo I titled "You Don't Mean A Thing" - if anyone out there has it please hook me up! Next up is 1986's Refuse To Quit demo - some of which can be heard on the re-release of their Caroline debut Split Image. Three great live shows are next: Live 1985, Live 1986 and Live 1987. Pretty good quality (considering) and a real treat to hear such the band mature from year to year in front of those crazy SoCal crowds. By 1987 the show was pretty much the Split Image album and it is awesome to hear those songs played fast and fresh. Wrapping up the uploads are some pieces/parts of the obscure Third Album Demo from 1991. Evidently the band recorded an album's worth of material for what was intended to be a third release before Adam Siegel quit to join Infectious Grooves (don't even get me started on that shitheap...). Information on songs is spotty, while some of them ended up on The Joke's On You re-release CD, I stumbled upon a few unlisted ones: "Puppet Tear" and "Rewind". Solid stuff from a band whose end came way too soon (interestingly, none of the demo stuff made it to their legit third album Seeking Refuge). I close by happily reporting as of January 2012 the band's classic lineup has seemingly reformed to play some shows. Hopefully some new material is not too far away!

Currently watching: Tideland

Currently listening to: Post Mortem Message From The Dead

SoCal Thrashcore

 

As a 13-year old NJ suburbanite back in the day, it was really cool to feel like you had the "inside scoop" on up-and-coming hardcore bands from all the way out in sunny California. When Suicidal Tendencies debuted their eponymous Suicidal Records for 1987's Join The Army, a bunch of bands jumped on the label, including No Mercy, Los Cycos and Beowülf. All were pioneers of the newly forming Southern California thrash/metal sound, had incredible album covers drawn by Micheal Seiff, and most had some connection to Mike Muir (lead singer of ST). One of these was a hardcore outfit from Venice called Excel. Their first album, Split Image (1987), is a classic slab of 80's metal but their sophomore effort, The Joke's On You is a much more interesting album. If I may be so bold as to date myself, I remember buying this cassette waiting in line for The Who (!) reunion tickets (a good show at Philly's now-demolished Veterans Stadium) all morning at a mall in Rockaway, NJ. Wow, the days before the internet, huh? I was so excited, popped the tape into the 8-track converter in my Cadillac Seville on the way home and..... fuck. What the hell is this shit? Where's the Split Image sound? A cover of Sting's "Message In A Bottle"? Fuck this. And so the album stayed pretty much unplayed for nearly a decade. Welcome to the new millennium, I picked it up as a cheap used CD and WOW, what a mistake I made. Massively ahead of its time, The Joke's On You is one of the most creative albums I've ever heard. It is all over the place, packed with almost 50 songs worth of riffs and chord changes, making it a real precursor to math-metal (though not nearly as lame). Just good grooves and breakdowns in a progressive thrash vein. Vocals are mixed a tad high but that's a small criticism of a great album. And yeah, you gotta deal with the Sting cover but whatever. Interestingly, the band debated bringing legal action against Metallica in 1991 for stealing their riffs on "Enter Sandman" - you'll know the song when you hear it. Enjoy!

P.S. for even more obscure Excel, check out Seeking Refuge, their weird '95 stoner metal "comeback" album...

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