Lee Altomare Mix

photo by Matthew Melnick 

it was 5 years ago today that my best friend Lee Altomare passed away. with everything that we did together; writing songs, playing shows, traveling... i think what i miss the most is hanging out in his basement and listening to music. sometimes it was an old favorite, sometimes a new discovery, sometimes something he totally forgot he had down there (he had a formidable collection). much of it would serve to inspire our writing, but a lot of the time it was just good songs that we enjoyed (or background music for our bitching about the state of pro-wrestling or what a piece of shit the Watchmen movie was to be).

anyway, i took the liberty of compiling songs that remind me the most of Lee. bands that he loved (Celtic Frost, Bolt Thrower), bands that he was friends with (Deathcycle, Disassociate), bands that i think he liked just to see the look on people's faces (No Doubt), stuff he would randomly start singing in my car for some reason (King Diamond), shit from movies we couldn't shut up about (Goodfellas, Bad Lieutenant)  and a few 90s hip-hop tracks that served as a cool down after practice/shows. 33 tracks, one for each year of his life.

i miss him everyday.

Lee Mix d/l

the history of RAINCOATER: Lost Porn Doom from the early 90s

RAINCOATER existed from 1989 through about 1995. after several demos they recorded and released their sole album, Blue Extreme, in 1992. though their sound was something of a blend between SLEEP and early PARADISE LOST, they transgressed from the themes most prevalent in doom music at the time (suicide, drug use, Lovecraftian mythology), opting to explore images and ideas common with the more perverted strains of brutal death metal, early PE groups like WHITEHOUSE, SUTCLIFFE JUGEND, and the sort of imagery associated with John Zorn's NAKED CITY project. there were also heavy references to various European exploitation films/film makers and transgressive/decadent literature.

 on the track "Lifeless Head Wreathed in Flowers", the band began incorporating sinister synth elements into the sound. it is believed that this would've been the direction they would've headed on the follow-up to Blue Extreme; the deleted album Born Pregnant, which frontman/guitarist Richey Walker promised would be the most depraved and twisted release not only the group would ever produce, but the genre itself would ever produce. only one song ever made it to the public; a demo entitled "Salo Diorama", a near 1/2 hour long track that mixed bong rattling doom, eviscerating PE, and throbbing synth, coupled with samples rumored to be derived from a genuine snuff flim Walker had obtained during his travels to the Philippines. no lyrics were ever made available to the public, but what could be discerned from listening to Walker's performance detail the rape and murder of small children in lurid, graphic detail that brought to mind the works of Peter Sotos; and author Walker had recently discovered.. this proved to be too much for the other members and Walker was ex-communicated from the group.

Without the driving force of Walker (who wrote all the lyrics and roughly 90% of the music), RAINCOATER fell in line with what other bands in the genre were doing, and were lost in the shuffle. They dissolved and all their recording seemed to remain lost. though copies of Blue Extreme still appear on various blogs and auction sites, it is more often then not a bootleg of a 4th-5th generation tape dub, which by either some stroke of luck or genius of design, serves only to enhance the scorched earth prurience of the record's atmosphere. let's hope one of the more adventurous metal labels out there will soon provide a complete remastered discography.

until then, the closest you'll get is on the upcoming split release between Helmsplitter and The Communion on Horror Pain Gore Death Productions, where the Raincoater track "Gallstone Seedbed" will be covered by The Communion.