Buried deep within the extraterrestrial soil of Acheron (LV-426) lies a relic of epic and utterly brutal proportions. The beacon that originally drew the Nostromo and its crew to said planetoid did not originate from the derelict alien ship, as we have been led to believe by the suits over at Weyland-Yutani. Nope. This is something far more sinister. It was by sheer coincidence that Ripley and her ill-fated crew stumbled upon the malevolent perfection that is the Xenomorph.
It's only through years of subversive efforts that Dank Slams can reveal to you today the contents of that vestige. Be forewarned that contained within are the literal soundtracks to the Endoparasitoid species known as the Xenomorph XX121. What you are about to hear ended the Engineers.
With a dig-site that is far too vast to be fully unearthed all at once, we give you the very best of alien/space themed slam…
NECROEXOPHILIA – FRANTIC VISIONS OF A XENOGOD (2104)
The epitome of alien/space themed slam. That cover art says it all. Even more interesting, these reptilian, shape-shifting 'guys' claim to be from New Mexico. Hmmmmm…
XENOMORPHIC CONTAMINATION – COLONIZED FROM THE INSIDE (2016)
From the hive-mind of vocalist Davide Billia (Antropofagus, Beheaded, Hour of Penance, Septycal Gorge) comes this Italian two-piece. Their latest masterpiece, Colonized From The Inside, starts with a fitting intro, reminding one of an alien-themed summer blockbuster. Though definitely slam-y, this thing is also quite progressive, with the technicality reaching biomech-like heights (think Geiger).
EXTREMELY ROTTEN – GROTESQUE ACTS OF HUMANITY (2013)
What starts as a Defeated Sanity-like old-school, brutal death metal album quickly transforms into slam album for the ages! The vocals and pacing take on a Suffocation-esque vibe for the first third of the album. Then, out of nowhere, it shifts into Cuff-like territory (those creepy as fuck interstellar Pepe The Frog vocals). Cover art? Yep, on point.
CUFF – INTERSTELLAR DEVIANCE (2015)
One cannot forget to mention Canada's Cuff when discussing alien/space themed slam. These guys have been drifting through the vast reaches of the universe since 2005. In fact, they are so fucking far gone, that there is no return…. they had to call it quits! For those who frequent this column, you'll know we covered their swansong a few weeks back, a total of six new tracks divided between two split albums, which will be released soon. In the meantime, take a peek at this video for the song "Abducted And Explored" from their Best-Of album from a few years back. Not much is left to the imagination here…
GRAVITATIONAL DISTORTION – THE VOID BETWEEN WORLDS (2015)
If it were all well and good to judge a book by its cover, then Canada's Gravitational Distortion, and their debut album, entitled The Void Between Worlds, would be the book every Professor of Astrophysics would hand out to students on day one of classes. This thing is rife with cosmologically titled songs, such as "Exospheric Decompostion", "Crushing Interstellar Solitude", and "Imploding Planetary Masses". Break out your trusty pocket-protector, your best scientific calculator, and dig in like the goddamn slam-lovin, lonely nerd that you are!
WORMED – KRIGHSU (2016)
Wormed are, without doubt, the fine wine of alien/space slam, though, the guys would be quick correct you on that 'slam' descriptor – preferring instead to be labelled brutal tech death. Even so, the slams exist, just in a far more polished, professional state than we have come to expect of the average slam band. Beyond the incredibly well constructed compositions, Wormed have concocted a narrative that gives franchises like Alien a run for its money.
