R.E.X Music - Can You Dig It? III
From what I can remember, this compilation disc just showed up in the mail one day. I think it had something to do with a Christian music magazine subscription that we had. Wherever it came from, I'm just glad that it did. It introduced me to heavier music at a time when I didn't have access to most of the “secular” alternatives. It contained a blend of artists ranging from pop-rock (flemming & John) to industrial (Circle of Dust, Klank) to death metal (Living Sacrifice).
It was on constant rotation for quite a while, and I spent quite a good amount of time trying to hunt down physical copies of some of these albums. I never found a copy of the Flemming & John record, or The Choir. I enjoyed Sixpence None the Richer, but not enough to go find a copy. I distinctly remember being almost uncomfortable, listening to Living Sacrifice and Klank. Metallica was one thing, but these were something different altogether. Blast beats and Cookie Monster vocals were a new experience.
I was instantly taken with Circle of Dust and Argyle Park. I loved the fullness of the production with all the sound design, samples and programmed drums, along with great scooped guitar sound. I was playing bass guitar at that time and had a Sovtek tube bass head with a Fender 2 x 15 cabinet. I used to run a line from my stereo into my bass amp and play Misanthrope and Dissolved through it so that I could feel the sub bass in a way that our normal speakers couldn’t handle. It was magic.
And I never really got into hardcore music, but Six Feet Deep was a band that I listened to for quite a few years after this introduction. It was angry in a way that really resonated with my teenage brain. I never got a copy of the album that Struggle was on, but I did get The Road Less Traveled, which was their next release. That's one I'll probably talk about later.
I remember that it was very early into getting access to a CD player, so being able to jump back and listen to a song again or skip around was really great. I listened to this disc to the point where it started to get those little decaying pot marks that made the disc skip.
I’m so grateful for these kinds of compilation discs. They were a doorway into so many bands that stayed with me that I still listen to today. If this compilation showed up in your mailbox, I’d love to hear your experience with it.
I managed to hunt down all the original tracks and put together a playlist: