Revocation, "Fracked"

I was glad to see Governor Cuomo move to ban fracking in New York today, with state health commissioner Howard Zucker noting that the health risks wouldn't be worth the gas and jobs. However, I was disappointed that the announcement didn't contain a single quote from Revocation's "Fracked."



Death metal lyrics are often useless, and usually incomprehensible even when they're good (see Misery Index and Pig Destroyer.) But "Fracked" ranks with Metallica's "Blackened," Testament's "Greenhouse Effect" and the entire Gojira discography as one of metal's sharpest odes to environmentalism. The lyrics are blunt but avoid the self-importance that undermines too many environmental crusaders' arguments. And even the less direct stanzas ("unearthing the crypts"--perhaps a Suffocation reference?) sound killer laid over Dave Davidson's progressions.

Jesus Rides Beside Me

Jesus Rides Beside Me

1. Mississippi Fred McDowell, "Jesus is on the Mainline"
2. Kanye West, "Jesus Walks"
3. Depeche Mode, "Personal Jesus"
4. Soundgarden, "Jesus Christ Pose"
5. Big Star, "Jesus Christ"
6. The Vaselines, "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam"
7. Spaceman 3, "Walkin' with Jesus"
8. Violent Femmes, "Jesus Walking on the Water"
9. Stevie Wonder, "Jesus Children of America"
10. Suffocation, "Jesus Wept"
11. Ministry, "Jesus Built My Hotrod"
12. Homer Quincy Smith, "I Want Jesus to Talk with Me"
13. Al Green, "Jesus is Waiting"
14. Tom Waits, "Jesus Gonna Be Here"
15. Minutemen, "Jesus and Tequila"
16. Wilco, "Jesus, Etc."
17. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, "Jesus Met the Woman at the Well"
18. ZZ Top, "Jesus Just Left Chicago"
19. Slayer, "Jesus Saves"
20. King Missile, "Jesus Was Way Cool"
21. The Velvet Underground, "Jesus"
22. Sam Cooke, "Jesus Gave Me Water"

Enough awesomeness to offset an entire month of "The Little Drummer Boy."

Song of the Day: Suffocation, "Infecting the Crypts"

Sad to read that one of the original death metal singers, Frank Mullen, is indicating that he'll be retiring form Suffocation. Sure, their best albums were in the '90s, but Mullen's statement, like drummer Mike Smith's earlier this year, seems more like a glum response to the fact that nobody can make a living playing death metal these days. With apologies to Terrance Hobbs, there's no reason to see the band without Mullen or Smith.

My introduction to Suffocation came after college. They weren't as ubiquitous among Virginia metalheads as they are in New York. When I finally heard Effigy of the Forgotten, its Slayer-like tempos and raw production resonated far more than the symphonic and goth metal that my friends were playing for me. Check out "Infecting the Crypts" below, from a time when Roadrunner was an underground label.