OK, here's a weird one, somewhat related to the last post. Virtual Reality was a one-off band featuring members of Doom playing a vastly different brand of music. Really only "punk" in the widest sense - based on who was in the band and the lyrical content, VR sounded like an amalgamation of Black Sabbath and the KLF. Definitely "rock" meets techno or hip hop.... It's strange and hard to describe and has to be heard. A product of the times, for sure. This one came out on Flat Earth and Belgium's Genet records in 1995 and is their only release. Several of these tracks found their way onto compilations - "Mind Pollution 2" for instance, but these 10 tracks make up their entire discography as far as I know. Varying from groovy beats and heavy riffs to techno based tracks and white-boy rap, these guys certainly pushed the envelope of the 90s punk and HC scene. A distinct record and one that any Doom fan should hear for the novelty alone.
finally!!!
ReplyDeleteThis record is one of the best kept secrets of Stoner Rock! In fact i should dismiss a bit: theres one techno track that has no place in the whole record. Also theres a rap-metal track (i hate nu metal and rap metal) but the track is fairly decent and thought provoking. The rest of the record and i mean 90% is pure melodic stoner metal a must for any fan of early QOTSA/early Monster Magnet! Groovy riff rock with lots of good ideas for a stoner band. I took notice of them back in 1993-94 with their demo on the punk/crust tape trading circuit plus the split 7" with Neuthrone (which sludge/doom fans should know as the first incarnation of Thee Plague of Gentlemen). This is highly recomended for any stonerhead, any doomhead and any heavy rock fan in general. This is a very subvalued and ignored band because back in the day most of the Doom fans (the band not the genre) were not open tomore rocking stuff and releasing a record through these labels would never reach a different audience. This is before QOTSA and the similarities are evident. They were not catching a bandwagon, this stuff was far from popular in 1992 when they started! In fact was more underground trhan Crust punk! Hope someday someone will reissue this. As for me,ive got the originals. Stay Heavy!
ReplyDeletewww.bloodandironrecords.com