J. J. Anselmi

Last updated

J.J. Anselmi (born 1985) is an American writer and musician. He's the author of the novel The Dirt in Our Skin and three books of nonfiction: Out Here on Our Own: An Oral History of an American Boomtown; Doomed to Fail: The Incredibly Loud History of Doom, Sludge, and Post-metal; [1] and Heavy: A Memoir of Wyoming, BMX, Drugs, and Heavy Fucking Music. Anselmi's writing has been featured in VICE , The A.V. Club , and other popular venues. He was recruited by Sepultura to write the liner notes for the band's 2017 reissue of the classic album, Chaos A.D . In addition to writing, Anselmi is an active metal musician. [2] [3]

Contents

Life and work

J.J. Anselmi was born in Rock Springs, Wyoming in 1985. After graduating from high school in 2004, he dropped out of college. Two years later, he returned to school and earned his BA in English from the University of Colorado, Denver in 2010, and his MFA in Creative Nonfiction from California State University, Fresno in 2014. Anselmi's music writing has appeared in Revolver, Decibel, VICE, The A.V. Club, CVLT Nation, and Invisible Oranges. In addition to heavy metal, [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Anselmi is known for writing about the high suicide rate in Wyoming, [9] [10] BMX subculture, [11] tattoo removal, and self-destruction. [12] As a drummer, Anselmi has played in In the Company of Serpents, Former Worlds, and Drainage. [13]

Books

Discography (drums)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Down (band)</span> American heavy metal band

Down is an American heavy metal supergroup that formed in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1991. The current lineup consists of vocalist Phil Anselmo, drummer Jimmy Bower, guitarists Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein (Crowbar), and bassist Pat Bruders (Goatwhore).

Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres. Both the music and the lyrics are intended to evoke a sense of despair, dread, and impending doom. The genre is strongly influenced by the early work of Black Sabbath, who formed a prototype for doom metal. During the first half of the 1980s, a number of bands such as Witchfinder General and Pagan Altar from England, American bands Pentagram, Saint Vitus, the Obsessed, Trouble, and Cirith Ungol, and Swedish band Candlemass defined doom metal as a distinct genre. Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Trouble and Candlemass have been referred to as "the Big Four of Doom Metal".

Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual transgression".

Sludge metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that combines elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. The genre generally includes slow tempos, tuned down guitars and nihilistic lyrics discussing poverty, drug addiction and pollution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric Wizard</span> British metal band

Electric Wizard are an English stoner/doom metal band from Dorset. The band formed in 1993 and have recorded nine studio albums, two of which have been considered genre landmarks: Come My Fanatics… (1997) and Dopethrone (2000). Electric Wizard's brand of doom metal incorporates stoner and sludge traits, with lyrics focusing on the occult, witchcraft, H. P. Lovecraft, horror films and cannabis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neurosis (band)</span> American post-metal band

Neurosis is an American post-metal band from Oakland, California. It was formed in 1985 by guitarist Scott Kelly, bassist Dave Edwardson, and drummer Jason Roeder, initially as a hardcore punk band. Chad Salter joined as a second guitarist and appeared on the band's 1987 debut Pain of Mind and then Steve Von Till replaced him in 1989. The following year, the lineup further expanded to include a keyboardist and a visual artist. Beginning with their third album Souls at Zero (1992), Neurosis transformed their hardcore sound by incorporating diverse influences including doom metal and industrial music, becoming a major force in the emergence of the post-metal and sludge metal genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Discharge (band)</span> English punk band

Discharge are an English hardcore punk band formed in 1977 in Stoke-on-Trent, England. The band is known for influencing several sub-genres of extreme music and their songs have been covered by some of the biggest names in heavy metal and other genres. The musical sub-genre of D-beat is named after Discharge and the band's distinctive drumbeat.

<i>NOLA</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Down

NOLA is the debut studio album by American sludge metal band Down, released on September 19, 1995, by EastWest Records. The title is the abbreviation for New Orleans (NO), Louisiana (LA).

<i>Dopethrone</i> 2000 studio album by Electric Wizard

Dopethrone is the third studio album by British metal band Electric Wizard, released on 25 September 2000 by Rise Above Records. Following the release and tour of their previous studio album Come My Fanatics... (1997), the group was asked by Rise Above owner Lee Dorrian to create a follow-up. Vocalist and guitarist Jus Oborn has stated that drug issues and other personal problems led to the production of Dopethrone being a "difficult process". The group entered Chuckalumba Studios in May 2000 with only three tracks written: "Dopethrone", "Funeralopolis", and "We Hate You". The album was recorded in three days. Oborn, who wrote all of the album's lyrics, spoke of H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard as influences in his own writing while the group disagreed during the mixing sessions about how the overall record should sound. The music on the album has been described as both doom metal and stoner rock, with influences of British groups like Black Sabbath and Motörhead.

<i>Come My Fanatics…</i> 1997 studio album by Electric Wizard

Come My Fanatics… is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Electric Wizard. The album was released in January 1997 on Rise Above Records and was produced by Rolf Startin, Mike Hurst and band member Jus Oborn. It was the group's follow-up to their eponymous album Electric Wizard. Oborn described the release as a reaction to the music on the earlier album, which he had felt was not as heavy as he wanted the group to sound. The songs on Come My Fanatics… were described by Lee Dorrian, Rise Above Records owner, as breaking from the traditional doom metal style, with an unpolished and chaotic approach.

Post-metal is a music genre rooted in heavy metal but exploring approaches beyond metal conventions. It emerged in the 1990s with bands such as Neurosis and Godflesh, who transformed metal texture through experimental composition. In a way similar to the predecessor genres post-rock and post-hardcore, post-metal offsets the darkness and intensity of extreme metal with an emphasis on atmosphere, emotion, and even "revelation", developing an expansive but introspective sound variously imbued with elements of ambient, noise, psychedelic, progressive, and classical music, and often shoegaze and art rock. Songs are typically long, with loose and layered structures that discard the verse–chorus form in favor of crescendos and repeating themes. The sound centres on guitars and drums, while any vocals are usually screamed or growled and resemble an additional instrument.

<i>Through Silver in Blood</i> 1996 studio album by Neurosis

Through Silver in Blood is the fifth album from the American post-metal band Neurosis. The album was released on April 2, 1996, and was their first record to be released through Relapse Records. The album was reissued in July 2009 on the band's own label, Neurot Recordings. Since its release, Through Silver in Blood has been recognized not only as the band's critical and popular peak, but as one of the sources of post-metal and as one of the best metal albums of all time.

Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sleep.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monarch (French band)</span>

Monarch was a French doom metal band from Bayonne, formed in 2002.

<i>Luminiferous</i> 2015 studio album by High on Fire

Luminiferous is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band High on Fire, released on June 23, 2015, through Entertainment One Music. The album was produced by Kurt Ballou who handled production on the band's previous release, De Vermis Mysteriis (2012).

<i>Forever</i> (Code Orange album) 2017 studio album by Code Orange

Forever is the third studio album by the American hardcore punk band Code Orange and its first on a major label, Roadrunner Records, following a stint on the indie label Deathwish Inc. It was released on January 13, 2017.

<i>The Sciences</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Sleep

The Sciences is the fourth studio album by American stoner/doom metal band Sleep. The album was released with little warning on April 20, 2018, through Third Man Records. It was the band's first full-length album since Dopesmoker (2003), on which the song "Sonic Titan" appeared as a live bonus track.

<i>Our Raw Heart</i> 2018 studio album by YOB

Our Raw Heart is the eighth studio album by American doom metal band YOB. It was released June 8, 2018, by Relapse Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gimme Radio</span> Internet radio in San Francisco

Gimme Radio was an Internet radio and online store established in June 2017. It was based in San Francisco, California and was founded as an advertising-free service. Gimme broadcast heavy metal music 24/7 and among its DJs were Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, Lamb of God's Randy Blythe and Amon Amarth's Johan Hegg.

References

  1. "J.J. Anselmi’s Doomed to Fail tells a sludgy story". Treblezine, by Michael Pementel, March 17, 2020.
  2. "Eras Incarnate: How FORMER WORLDS' Current and Prior Members Built Their Sci-Fi Sludge Debut, Iterations of Time". Metal Injection. 2020-01-29. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  3. "Crucial Listening #52: J.J. Anselmi | ATTN:Magazine". www.attnmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  4. Oct. 3, Nathan Martin; Now, 2016 From the print edition Like Tweet Email Print Subscribe Donate (2016-10-03). "Inside Wyoming's rough, tough underground". www.hcn.org. Retrieved 2020-07-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. "Read an Exclusive Excerpt from 'Doomed to Fail' and an Interview With Author JJ Anselmi". Decibel Magazine. 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  6. "How Melvins Invented Sludge: "Ugly Spawn of Punk and Metal"". Revolver. 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  7. J.J, Anselmi. "Doomed To Fail: The Incredibly Loud History of Doom, Sludge, and Post-Metal". Library Journal. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  8. astralnoize (2020-03-25). "Doomed To Fail: J.J. Anselmi on Sabbath Lies, Problematic Bands and the Importance of Chronicling Metal" . Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  9. "Life Inside an American Mining Boomtown on the Brink of Decline". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  10. "Staff Picks: BMX, BBQ, Brutes". The Paris Review. 2016-01-08. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  11. "DigBMX - PRINT MATTERS: Heavy – A Memoir of Wyoming, BMX, Drugs, and Heavy Fucking Music". Dig BMX. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  12. Martin, Nathan. "A New Memoir Shows Two Different Sides Of Underground Rock Springs". www.wyomingpublicmedia.org. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  13. "67: Doomed to Fail Author JJ Anselmi - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-07-27.