Tucker & Dale vs Evil

Tucker and Dale, two simple-minded but sweet textbook hillbillies from West Virginia, are headed to their vacation cabin in the woods. On the way there they meet a bunch of snooty college kids who suspect them to be murderers because of their lumberjack physique, and what was supposed to be a peaceful trip involving some good ol’ beer drinkin’ and fishin’ turns into a series of misunderstood situations with side-(and skull)-splitting consequences.

With a premise like this, what can really go wrong? After my standard initial doubts had worn off, which didn’t take longer than about 3 minutes, it became clear that my answer would be a resonating “nothing.” Tucker and Dale vs Evil takes the awesome cake in every aspect. It intelligently pokes fun at the backwoods horror trope and subverts all the stereotypes associated with it, the acting, with Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine in the lead roles, is excellent, the writing is extraordinary, and it includes funny references and homages to, among others, the “groovy” scene from Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness.

Comparisons are inevitable here, so we’ll get the most prevalent one out of the way right now: this picture makes Shaun of the Dead look mediocre at best, and I love the latter as much as the next person. But I don’t like measuring two great cinematic works against each other, so I’ll just say that you can think of Tucker and Dale vs Evil as the Canadian pendant to Shaun of the Dead, which, in my opinion, is a near perfect parody of the zombie genre, whereas I can’t imagine a more spot-on parodic dissection of the American horror/slasher genre than Tucker and Dale.

What I adore most about this film is the love and passion that so clearly went into making it. Director and co-writer Eli Craig had been trying to get it made for a couple of years before he succeeded, and accordingly, the final product glows from within in a way that you just can’t fake. It’s witty, it’s fun, it’s tirelessly entertaining, and to top it all off, it actually has one or two things of substance to say about hackneyed stereotypes. It’s a full-scale victory, and it deserves much more recognition than it got.

Do not watch the trailer before picking up the movie, though, as it takes the punch out of too many surprises. Just trust me, a voice on the Internet, and buy it. If it doesn’t elicit at least one wholehearted, from-the-stomach laugh out of you, you’re free to ask me for a refund and send me hate emails for the rest of my life.

Eyehategod – In The Name Of Suffering

The recent passing of Eyehategod’s drummer extraordinaire Joey Lacaze has had me revisiting all of their full-length releases from the very beginnings to the latest one this week. On this first occasion of writing for El Gore, I’m going to address one of my personal favorites from all of their musical productions, and also the one we could consider as their “first”: In the Name of Suffering.

For those of you who aren’t avid listeners of anything that has to do with sludge, stoner or doom, this band and album might not exactly appeal to your senses. Hell, I’d even advise people with sensitive brain cells to stay the fuck away from it, given the risk of severe irreparable trauma. But for listeners who thrive off of listening to music of this caliber, such as myself, this one is without question an incredible dose of vein-induced raw, ton-weighting, atmospheric misanthropic loudness, with lyrics ranging from themes such as drug abuse, self-hatred, depression and suicide to misery and murder. Straight from the beginning, with hymns of sludge like “Depress”, “Man Is Too Ignorant to Exist”, “Run It into the Ground”, the brutally hilarious “Godsong” (with the guest sampled quotes of Charles Manson) to the ending, and the one I think is my personal favorite, “Left to Starve”.

In the Name of Suffering is one of the few albums out there in the extreme music world that is, for lack of a better description, authentic, original, and scary for some. Their entire style and set up leaves the listener convinced that what they are hearing is real, regardless of whether or not they like it. It’s made clear that it’s not just a group of people trying to be extreme or shocking for the sake of it. From the swamps of Louisiana and the dark corners of New Orleans, it’s legitimate piss and vinegar coming straight to your melting ears.

This very first brew made Eyehategod pioneers of heavy music, and the release itself became one of the first of its kind, and certainly an essential pillar within the family. It’s the sort of album that can, and should be appreciated for how it has influenced the genre and paved the way for a number of solid albums. It’s certainly a genre-defining release. Influencing what came after, and a testimony to how Eyehategod would only get better with posterior albums.

Highly recommended to fans of sludge, doom, stoner or drone metal in general.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOi2Eg2yYKY]

This review was written by our new freelancer Victor!

Deap Vally – Sistrionix

One drum kit, one guitar, two ladies and eleven tracks that make one thing pretty damn clear: this band has way more cojones than The Black Keys, not to speak of virtuous and filigree songs. But let’s put aside comparisons to more or less boring two man garage rock and have a listen to Deap Vally and their debut album Sistrionix.

As you guessed, Deap Vally are another rock duo trying to squeeze as much energy as it is possible with only two instruments and one’s own voice. Voice is the perfect cue to describe one great feature of this debut long player: the vocals relentlessly bang somewhere between sex, rock, soul and the 21st century version of Janis Joplin. The overall dirty garage rock production rounds up the energy of Sistrionix.

Nearly all the songs are more or less in mid tempo, but nevertheless, there is always an impression of running wild with 100 miles an hour. The two ladies unstoppably stamp through those eleven songs full of cheeky blues and garage rock, telling you not to come too near, or you may regret it. The songs serve head bangers as well as hip movers, combining groove and pure energy, one of those tasks many other two man or women bands miserably fail. I’d say, together with Indian Handcrafts’ Civil Disobedience For Losers, Sistrionix is the hardest rock duo performance since Death From Above 1979 and their extraordinary You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine.

So, all you ladies out there, be brave and show us more of your rock, and all you boys, be prepared to be potential groupies, this women definitely have the power to show you which way the cat jumps!

Asking Alexandria – From Death To Destiny


I am a person that is very fond of routine and I dislike sudden major changes in my life, while that might be considered a strength or a weakness depending on your personal attitude, I am absolutely in favor of change, read evolution, in music. There is nothing I like more than a band stepping out of their comfort zone and writing an album that sounds, almost, nothing like their previous endeavors. Earlier this year Bring Me The Horizon did a phenomenal job in that domain, and now it’s the turn of another rather influential band of the genre to do the same. If you haven’t guessed by the cover, I’m talking about Asking Alexandria who recently released their third record From Death To Destiny.

While the twelve songs do still bare the signature AA sound, they are so different from especially the debut record, Stand Up And Scream, that I was wondering whether there had been a mix-up in the pressing. After the intro which, fun fact, features soundbites from the singer’s drunk escapades at one of their early concerts, you are confronted with very melodic riffing and singing. While there is still the typical “chug-chug” stuff, the songs just sound way more mature and structured.

It goes further than that however, because so far my description might as well be of their second album Reckless & Relentless. Personally, the entire forty-seven minutes remind me of eighties rock and heavy metal in many and more passages with a healthy dose of metalcore. If I had to describe it in one, alas made-up, word I’d say: rock-core. To fans of the first hour this mix will certainly seem strange at first, but if you give it a chance to seep in, you might come to same conclusion as me: this is what Asking Alexandria should sound like.

Another aspect, that seems to be a trend this year, is that the vocals (and lyrics) have vastly improved in comparison to previous works. Singer Danny Worsnop damaged his vocal chords in late 2012 and subsequently went through rigorous vocal training, resulting in a noticeable change of his screams and growls. His clean vocals on the other hand sound very similar to before but simply better executed. Again, the “new” heavy vocals might scare some people off at first but they fit the music perfectly.

As a closing statement I can only say that this album is definitely the band’s musically soundest release and while they have strayed far from their original sound, it is the best thing that could have happened since these days only the daring bands can survive. And trust me: these guys will survive for a long time. Check out the band’s Facebook page and give the song below a listen; I picked a non-single track on purpose to better illustrate what I mean.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92gKGj-9aUI]

Trash Monday LXXXIII

First time I saw this video during my holidays I was confused. And I still am. What’s the hidden message of this piece of art? A flaming romance in the middle of the Yosemite? Friendship between women? Suicidal thoughts on top of a cliff? Maybe everything combined? Try and figure it out!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIbXvaE39wM&noredirect=1]

Quando le donne avevano la coda (When Women Had Tails)

Quando le donne avevano la coda (1970) is an oldschool softporn comedy (what a surprise) by the Italian director Pasquale Festa Campanile and stars the beautiful Senta Berger, Frank Wolff and Giuliano Gemma. (The spaghetti western fans among you remember the latter two.) Another, more famous participant is beyond doubt the Italian composer and conductor Ennio Morricone who is responsible for the soundtrack. But sadly, none of these people can contribute anything useful or rescuing to this boring and tediously unfunny story.

To be honest with you, the only reason I finished this movie was because of Senta Berger, and this not because of her acting but simply because of her appearance. In the end I just could have stared at a photograph of her and I would have been spared an immature backwood/neanderthal movie by a director who seized and lifted the subject of sexuality onto a prepubescent toilet humor level. I do not know how the original dialogues are constructed but the German dubbing is an effrontery and it is absolutely no wonder that Senta Berger refused to synchronize her own role as a protest. I absolutely do understand her but after reconsidering the premise of the movie I also wonder what Miss Berger was expecting as she should have been aware that she walks through the picture lightly clad and offers her body to a leader of a gang of imbeciles in order to prevent being eaten by them. Ulli, the leader, enjoys the sex and it doesn’t last long before the other members of the tribe find out about the new “game” and want to participate. What you experience next is probably the first almost-gang-rape-softporn scene in movie history.

Quando le donne avevano la coda isn’t worth the money and this says it all as my copy cost 2 euros. I wasn’t expecting much but even my low expectations were belied. I witnessed Germans who were funnier than this film and there is nothing less funny than Germans (sorry guys). Furthermore I really do not understand how this movie can be labelled softporn as there is more sex in nowadays’ children’s afternoon programme (which is nothing we should be proud of) than in this film. Do me a favour and save your money and time. Next!

Jagwar Ma – Howlin

Is it right to review an album that’s been out for a while now? Don’t think I should feel bad about it as I’m not working for NME or another hype machine. The three blokes from Jagwar Ma have been in the game since 2011 but their first LP Howlin has only been available in Europe since June this year and it quickly got my attention, to be quite honest.

The music can be described as a mix between Django Django and Tame Impala. Not that the latter do have something to do with electronic music but I personally tend to classify Jagwar Ma‘s music as slightly dreamy, yet hypnotic even if it’s dance music, in first instance. Maybe it’s too “soft” to be considered as psychedelic but it somehow totally stimulates my hypothalamus, which is a good thing.

The Throw, for example, is the best proof that Jagwar Ma isn’t just a typical electronic act. If first starts with a decent drum loop, reverb-loaded vocals, guitars and loads of other samples just to burst into some kind of dancy tune in the likes of Chk Chk Chk (a.k.a. !!!) or LCD Soundsystem. Four keeps the pace up and should be on every party playlist or whatever kids call it these days.

My favorite song is still Man I Need, not because it’s some kind of stomper or something alike, but it sounds like a perfect POP song (yes, pop music can be enjoyable sometimes). So does That Loneliness as it sounds like if The Beach Boys and The Beatles had a child. A dangerous comparison, I reckon, but the songwriting has these retro references and a feel good vibe with enjoyable melodies. This is obviously due to the production which used a lot of pan gimmicky in addition with shitloads of effects and samples coming out of nowhere, plunging the listener into a motley dreamworld making it irresistible to stand still and not to dance at all. Some call it Madchester but I don’t feel this music as a revival of that genre with the exception of The Throw which could be from that era, to be honest.

These blokes definitely haven’t re-invented the wheel but Howlin surely is a solid release and a pleasant surprise. You should give it a go and see them on stage anytime soon!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vU6a7Haw78]

Kraton – World Eater


September is going to be an interesting month for the Luxembourgish metal scene since there will finally be two new long-awaited releases. The first one being Kraton‘s second demo World Eater! After their first demo Ker, which was released in late 2011, the band has focussed on playing shows and writing new material. Let me just say upfront: the wait was worth the while!

For those that don’t know what the quintet does, allow me to quote the band “our music is a blend of Death, Doom and Black Metal and everything else that fits our idea of creating a dark, gritty and organic sound”. In many cases when a band writes something like that, and you listen to their stuff…it sounds nothing like the description. Such is not the case with Kraton, since their music does indeed cover the above-mentioned elements in a very refreshing manner.

The one thing that I had a hard time believing, but which is indeed true, is that the five songs have been recorded in a DIY live setup with all instruments being played simultaneously and the vocals recorded on top at a later point. My disbelief is easily explained: it sounds mindbogglingly amazing. Every single instrument can easily be distinguished in the mayhem that is World Eater, and sounds better than some professionally produced studio recording that I’ve come across. A special, albeit slightly sexist, mention to their female drummer who puts many of her male compatriots to shame with her precise play.

Obviously I can’t finish this review without losing a few words about the, in my opinion, driving force behind Kraton: Boerdi, the voice of Luxembourg. My partner in crime, Luc, praised his vocal work before and I can’t do anything else but add another layer of applause on top of it. The guy’s timbre is impossible to mistake and his vocal range is nothing short of incredible, which he proves gloriously during these twenty-three minutes. On top of that, you should have no problems figuring out the lyrics after, at the latest, the second listen-through since his perfectly articulated growls and screams are a blessing to the death metal community.

To sum things up, I’d claim that this record is not to be missed by death/black/doom metal fans or metal fans in general. Pay the band a visit on their Facebook page and get your first impressions from the song below. If you want to hear (and get your hands on) the new demo, you should go to Café All In in Luxembourg-City this Friday, where the band is hosting a listening/release party. See you there!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJLqLaDgblA]

Trash Monday LXXXII


The title and the lyrics just sum up anything I could possibly write here. Stupid comments about similarities of this guy with any writer of El Gore will be punished by a romantic weekend with Mister Chainmale.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_SRJHsjHhk]