Search - Amebix :: Arise Plus Two

Excellent stuff -- a classic

Oliver Sheppard | US | 06/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There's nary a bad song on this one. The other reviews, "a music fan from san francisco" (below) got it right: this is a classic album, and it holds up well. Have you ever wondered what early Black Sabbath, "Black Metal"-era Venom, and "Overkill"-era Motorhead might sound like, had they come from the punk scene? Now's your chance! ALmost every song on here is a galloping, dugga-dugga- chubb-chubb, chunka chunka guitar fest, but with punk sensibilities. Amebix applied their morbid motif to deeper social concerns: state oppression, the cruelty of wage slavery, the need to "arise and get off your knees," and were influenced as much by anarchist philosophy as by evil metal. Excellent!Amebix's influence is hard to overestimate, too. Almost all modern hardcore bands worth hearing bear their mark. The late 80's "crossover" hc era, which saw metal and punk combine to give the world thrash, New York hardcore, and the like, were all preceded by Amebix's effortless punk/metal mix. Other dark hc bands, like NEUROSIS, RORSCHACH, NAUSEA, WORLD BURNS TO DEATH, and modern crust like DOOM, MISERY, and others, pay homage to Amebix in nearly every song. While AMebix tackled deep issues about the human (social) condition, they would also indulge a bit in the horror genre, as "Axeman" testifies (one of the better tracks on the album, too). Amebix have broad, cross-category appeal, and their influence is sure to only grow as time goes on."

The Heaviest non metal band ever

Patrick | Devon Uk though Dutch from origin | 06/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Amebix was a collective of no nonsense rowdies from the south west of England. As a bunch of Anarchistic warriors they roamed the land and even went overseas where they gained a good following in the former East Block states and The Netherlands where I encountered them. Their music is best described as a crossover from bands like Motorhead and Venom with Disscharge, The Exploited, Disorder and even a bit of the Cure thrown in. I know for a fact that they were a huge inspiration for the 2nd wave of British Heavy Metal and also to gave a kick up the backside of the punkscene who were sinking into new wave mode to easily. Get Of Your Knees, Get Up Stand Up their battle cry."

At first, I hated it...

Zelie Nic | Pittsburgh | 03/11/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I mail-ordered this record + 7" more than a decade ago from Alternative Tentacles. My friend recomended it to me and I had $8 to toss, so I picked it up. I put it on when I got home and I hated it... I htink I listened through "The Axeman" and I read the notes where Spider(?) is going on about Nietzche and how it relates to some song the played... I forget which. I put the record back on the rack and figured I'd hock it sometime... but I never did.



For whatever reason, I gave it a second chance the other week. I still theink "Axeman" is stupid, but songs like "Arise" and "Right to Ride" are pretty good. It's not a bad album... If you're a punker who's into Fang and Flipper, then check out Amebix. Amebix is like the aforementioned bands minus the humour."