The Members of Landmine Marathon Talk About Their Top 5 Most Influential Albums

Landmine Marathon are a killer band, and they were actually the first band labeled "grind" that I heard. This blog might not even exist without them! I thought it would be cool if the members of Landmine Marathon did a list of the top 5 albums that influenced them the most. So here are 4/5 of Landmine Marathon's lists! Buy their new album Gallows here

~Andrew

Matt Martinez(Bass)

Metallica - Kill Em All
I first heard this record around 1986 and immediately I decided that I wanted to play bass. The bass was distorted, fat and angry but such a driving force in the songs. The songs were some of the fastest that I had ever heard at the time. When the track “(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth” came on and I heard “bass solo, take one” my mind was completely blown.

Earache Records-Grindcrusher Comp
So after years of thinking that Metallica was the fastest, most brutal band around, I saw Napalm Death’s video for “Suffer the Children”. I was instantly sold. This was the sound that was in my head and I needed more. My instinct was to investigate the label which put out this harsh amalgamation of metal and punk. I found that they had just released a compilation with Napalm Death and a lot of similar bands. This was my first exposure to Bolt Thrower, Repulsion, Heresy, Nocturnus, Morbid Angel and many more. This was the beginning of a love affair that has still not died out. I have owned this comp on cassette, cd, and a few years ago a good friend gave me a copy of the vinyl version with the bonus Napalm Death/Electrohippies split 7”.

Crossed Out - Discography
I do not know if I first heard Crossed out on their split with Drop Dead, or their split with Man is the Bastard, but when I heard them my first thought that this is the most angry, violent and scary band I had ever heard. Their music is a sonic beatdown, totally powerful and too the point! Words are not minced with this band. Crossed out can do no wrong in my book!

Melvins - Lysol
The Melvins have been a huge influence on me. One of the loudest, heaviest bands ever, their mix of short and fast songs and long and slow songs made me an instant fan. I am not sure if I have a favorite record from them. Ozma/ Gluey Porch Treatments was my first Melvins purchase and is still a favorite to this day. There is something about Joe Preston’s bass playing and tone that always brings me back to Lysol. Their renditions of Alice Cooper and Flipper tunes make the songs viable Melvins songs.

Man is the Bastard - Thoughtless
Eric Wood is one of my favorite people first and foremost, but also a very influential musician. All of his projects have removed any trend based pretenses and created something unique and powerful. Thoughtless is my favorite Man is the Bastard albums through and through. Their best recording and the songs are just punishing with tons of heart.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dylan Thomas(Guitar)

Cryptopsy - None So Vile
This was one of the first truly "extreme metal" albums I heard growing up as a youngster and it influenced me greatly. Monster guitar riffs, sinister bass, gruesome vocals (a la Lord Worm) and of course some of the most creative death metal drumming I've ever heard compliments of Flo Mounier. The word brutal is thrown around a lot these days, but these guys defined brutal for me.

Morbid Angel - Covenant
It's common knowledge that all early Morbid Angel albums are badass. Covenant is my favorite though because it seems to contain a certain energy...the band seemed to have tapped into some dark creative force at the time. That creeping tapping riff in the song World of Shit (The Promised Land) is still to this day the most evil guitar riff I've ever heard.

Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Iron Maiden is hands down my favorite metal band of all time. When I first watched my friends "Live After Death" VHS my life changed forever. The video is them playing Long Beach Arena on the World Slavery Tour..showcasing songs off of Powerslave so naturally that was the first one I bought. Every song on Powerslave has it's own identity and kicks more ass than the last. Just listen to Rime of the Ancient Mariner...truly epic. Eddy lives!

Slayer - Show No Mercy
I honestly can't recall the first time I heard Slayer. However, I clearly remember hearing Show No Mercy for the first time sophomore year in high school. I couldn't believe how fucking rad it was AND that it came out in 1983! The opening lyrics of the album say it all, "Blasting our way through the boundaries of hell. No one can stop us tonight!". These guys were changing the game and had some of the sickest riffs ever on this album. Also, i have to give props to Slayer for staying true all these years.

Mercyful Fate - Melissa
The first time I ever heard King Diamond singing I was mesmerized. The guy is in a league of his own. The satanic lyrical themes instantly drew me in but it was the music that really grabbed me. The riffs on this album are so rad...and evil. There is so much groove throughout this album and so many great songs. When writing my guitar solos for our new album, "Gallows" I ONLY listened to Mercyful Fate & King Diamond for inspiration. All hail The King.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ryan Butler(Guitar)

Discharge - Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing
D Beat extraordinaire. This album is probably the influence for half of the riffs I write for Landmine. The original Hardcore band. So good and so angry. This along with pre Rollins Black Flag and the first Minor Threat EP probably top the list of my early 80's punk pile.

Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast
This was one of the first metal albums I ever got and I got it right when it came out. To this day, Adrian Smith and Dave Murray's solos are the biggest influence on my lead playing.

Napalm Death - From Enslavement To Obliteration
Another one I got right when it came out and this was really the first thing I'd heard that was this extreme. It knocked me off my feet and still blows me away with how ridiculous it is. The original sticker quote on it still makes me laugh. "You don't get to where we've gotten today sounding like Napalm Death" - Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, this one was definitely a life changer.

Carcass - Necroticism
I got this in the $5.99 bin at the mall in the early 90's. I had the other stuff on vinyl, but had slacked on getting this one and heard a few people say it was too clean. I loved it, though. The riffs were so catchy, but still really brutal. Over the the next ten years or so, this record, along with Left Hand Path, became a huge part of my rhythm playing. I've borrowed so many ideas from this record over the years.

Rorschach - Protestant
This was probably the biggest game changer for me ever. This record came out about two years after completely delving into hardcore after so many years of listening to mostly metal. And this was a crazy crossover of hardcore and metal like I'd never heard before. Charles vocals were so beyond what they were on Remain Sedate and it literally sounded like choking on glass. Now, this sound is totally normal, but these guys remain the kings and this is still my favorite record of all time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Andy York(Drums)

Uriah Heep - Demons and Wizards
One of the most underrated rock bands of all time; I give credit to Uriah Heep for pointing me in the right musical direction when I was a small child. I remember being probably somewhere around 6 years old going through my father’s cassette tapes in efforts to find out what sort of music I’d like when I came across the “Demons and Wizards” album. The name of the album is what drew my attention to it. So I would regularly sneak the tape into my bedroom, listen to it from front to back, and go into my own world as it played. That was the beginning of rock n’ roll for me, and to this day I still love that album and regard it as an all-time favorite.

Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark
Another “gateway album” for me, this album opened the doors to extreme underground metal when I was young. In grade school a friend of mine’s older brother had a tape which he had “Under the Sign…” recorded on. Hearing it for the first time was an experience I have not had with any other album since. It was a sound I had never heard prior, and, to me, it was the most evil sounding tunes I ever heard at that point. That moment definitely marked the start of the long road of underground “devil’s music” to come for me in the years that have led to where I am now. Bathory still remains one of my absolute favorite metal bands and “Under the Sign of the Black Mark” has continued to be my favorite Bathory record.

Iron Maiden - Powerslave
My favorite Maiden album! It’s also the second album with Nicko McBrain on drums. McBrain is #1 of the two figures in rock/metal that made me decide I wanted to play drums in a metal band, and “Powerslave” was the album that did it for me. Plus, this album starts off with some of the best riffs of British heavy metal history in “Aces High”! It’s Very hard for me to narrow it down to just one of Maiden’s albums, but if I had to I’d have to say “Powerslave” is their perfect piece.

Motorhead - Ace of Spades
There’s no way I’m making a “Top 5 List” and not including Motorhead. Trying to narrow it down to the single most influential Motorhead album for me is about as hard as trying to successfully “rub one out” to the Trinity Broadcasting Network; it’s borderline impossible… Not that I would know. Anyway, Phil Taylor is #2 of the two most influential drummers for me. His dynamic and raw style is absolutely a direct influence on my own drumming. With that being said, I’m gonna go with the “popular album” on this one and say that the “Ace of Spades” album is my favorite and, in my opinion, most influential Motorhead album. I feel it showcases Motorhead with its best lineup (Lemmy, Clarke, and Taylor) at the top of their game and shows all other rock n’ roll of that time how it’s done right.

Venom - Black Metal
Last, but certainly not least, is Venom. To me, “Black Metal” is one of the best underground metal albums ever written. It’s raw, harsh, ugly, relentless, evil, and has the right attitude about all of it. After hearing it for the first time I still remember thinking to myself that it was everything I wanted from metal all in one band. (Plus, back when I was that young I was sold on almost anything with satanic imagery and guitar solos). From the opening riff of “Black Metal” down to the final note of “At War With Satan” this record will always remain one of the best in my book.