If pure musicianship is the guiding criterion, Altered States are arguably one of the greatest guitar/bass/drums trios in the history of rock, which may strike some as an overstatement but the evidence is there for anyone willing to seek out the band's Japanese label releases. The trio's music draws from a wide range of influences including... [+] Read More

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Of all the artists in Japan's thriving noise-music community, the Boredoms undoubtedly had the most fun. Although their maniacally extreme cacophony was by no means accessible listening, it was underpinned by a gleeful sense of humor that helped them find a limited (but still surprisingly wide) audience among alternative rockers. A typical... [+] Read More

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A solo vehicle for guitarist/vocalist Steven Wray Lobdell, the Davis Redford Triad created some of the most unusual sounds to emanate from Portland, Oregon during the late-1990s. With Lobdell laying down sonic waves of distortion on electric guitar, the group radiated with the sounds of modern psychedelia. The group's debut album, Mystical Path... [+] Read More

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Japanese guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist Keiji Haino had been a prominent figure in the Tokyo underground since the mid-'70s before forming this incredible group that stands as one of Japan's most inventive and extraordinary and powerful groups of the era. Their work draws on noise,rock, free improvisation, and psychedelia, yet... [+] Read More

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Any sci-fi fan with long memories probably remembers those 1970's DAW paperback editions of Michael Moorcock's sword-and-sorcery novels, with their images of heavily armored, very muscular warriors, carrying large swords and standing against eerie land- and starscapes. Take that imagery, throw in some terminology and names seemingly lifted from... [+] Read More

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