THE THIRD OF THE STORMS: SEMI-RELEVANT RECORD REVIEWS BY AND FOR THOSE
WHO FREQUENTLY CAN’T SEE THE FOREST FOR A BLADE OF GRASS AT THE FOOT
OF ONE OF THE TREES.

Forward, delete, repost, or rewrite as you see fit.  Just don't
include my e-mail address or full name.  No crediting necessary or
desired.

If anything stated is flat-out wrong (i.e., “Hey Brad, Pek is from
Belgium but you identify them as being from Minnesota” and not “Hey
Brad, you say Dehumanizer rules but that record actually totally
sucks”), please let me know and I will correct the error.

There are no links, downloads, or label contacts, just text.  If you
aren’t willing to actively seek something out on your own, you don’t
deserve to hear it (let alone have it).

I offer the following for Lou, for Kevin, for those who have traded
with me over the years, and for you.

Hail Autopsy.

************************


***NEWS***

Volume 6 took far, far longer than anticipated to piece together.  No
excuse, really.  It has just plain been busy.  Perhaps I have already
mentioned this.

I am now sending TTotS out to 100 people...thanks again to everyone
for the interest.  Chrissy, you were #100 so you get some sort of
prize at some point.  Ellie, you were #1.  No prize, but you can tell
people you’re #1 if you want.


***CORRECTIONS FROM VOLUME 5***

I somehow managed to get Jason's role in Atomizer entirely mixed up.
From the man himself: "I was never the drummer in Atomizer, but the
vocalist/bass player and then the vocalist/bass/guitarist for the
final offering."  Sorry about that!


***FRAGMENTS OF REVIEWS***

“Rainbow Warrior” from Bleak House (GBR; 1981): Given Lar’s extensive
collection of NWOBHM records, the band’s history of “borrowing”
liberally from other bands, and James’ cryptic admission in Guitar
World magazine (January 14, 2009), it’s hard to believe that Metallica
didn’t rip off the guitar intro here for “Welcome Home (Sanitarium).”
I suppose it is of no matter.  This represents the perfect crossing of
Pentagram and Witchfinder General (or Horse or Bolder Damn and Pagan
Altar), pulling equally from mid-‘70s downer rock and early-‘80s
NWOBHM.  The vocals align more clearly with the former (esp. the
harmonizations), the guitar with the latter.  The resulting
juxtaposition of gloom and all-out rock mandates top volume total
bangout.

“A Corpse without a Soul” from Mercyful Fate (DNK; 1981/demo version):
The track starts out with a classic NWOBHM-style riff (kind of reminds
me of some of the Dutch stuff from the time as well; e.g., Martyr,
Revenge).  After the verse there’s a short bridge, everything drops
out, and the intro riff kicks in again.  You expect it to cycle
through in the same manner as what you previously heard, but right in
the middle of the riff the chord progression changes from heavy metal
to hard rock.  Just as you realize what happened they go right back
into the verse.  The altered riff sticks in your head, but is only
repeated once again near the end of the song.  So great.

“Aullido Sepulcral” from Astaroth (COL; 1987): I was blasting the tape
on my way to work today at about 8:30 am when an odd thought suddenly
popped in my head: "There is a very good chance that I am the only
person in the world listening to this right now."  I suppose that
could be said for any number of records I listen to throughout the
day, but for some reason it made me love this one all the more.

“Red Wine Spills Out of the White Skull of Jesus” from Necros Christos
(GER; 2004): Far be it from me to engage in pointless hyperbole, but
this may very well be one of the best death metal tracks of the
decade.  The melodies involved are a bit more accessible than I
typically prefer, but that allows for clear harmonization, focused
pummeling, and unwavering dedication to purpose.  It bleeds blasphemic
loathing.

“Pure Blood” from Goatmoon (FIN; 2004): I need to look up the lyrics
for this one, but it seems awfully strange to write a song about “pure
blood” using the most nasty, primitive, and blown out approach
possible.  It has all the forethought of those folks who tattoo “white
power” on their faces or who wear American flag underwear.  Anyway,
not since Darkthrone’s “A Blaze in the Northern Sky” has a cowbell
been rocked this hard within a black metal context.

“Lightnin’ Strikes Again” from Dokken (USA; 1985): I first bought
“Under Lock and Key” when I was 12 or 13 from the 95-cent lp bin at
Northstar.  After school we’d walk from 76th Street over to 63rd to
obsessively paw through the vinyl and cassettes (there were no cds
back then…it was a glorious time).  In retrospect, it was pretty
incredible some of the stuff we found in that allowance-depleting
95-cent bin…from Budgie to Napalm Death to Humble Pie to Tank and
Accept and so on.  Anyway, this record always makes me think of those
days.  This particular track makes me think of all sorts of other
great things as well.  The intro riff is straight NWOBHM.  The
succeeding lead-in is fully “British Steel”-era Priest.  The verse
chording and rhythm structure are directly parallel to “Let the Day
Begin” from Samhain.  The verse vocals carry slight, subtle undertones
of Dio and even a sliver of Mercyful Fate.  All in all, it’s fucking
awesome.  And all that falls before the solo.  Trade off solos shoot
back and forth, one harmonizing off the last note (or harmonic or
whammy bar ride) of the other.  It’s an amazing display.  Then you
remember that it’s just one guitarist.  Fuck.  I must have listened to
this track 25 times in the past two days.


***REVIEWS***

The Bastard Noise (USA; 2010)-A Culture of Monsters
Beneath the quietly gurgling expanse of Trinidadian tar, the
Trogotronic monstrosity lies…at rest, at wait.  Torpid, yet
sentient…patient, yet expectant.  Nourished by the dreams of what was
and what inevitably will be.  Its Skullspirit resides amongst the
dying glimmer of a thousand stars, endlessly traveling the curiosities
and vacancies of dark space.  Vector to vector, plane to plane.
Observing, recording, collecting.  Versed in the nuances of
inconsequence and perspective.  It transmits this awareness via
angular anti-frequencies through the void, through the
exo-thermo-meso-strato-troposphere, through the industry-tainted air,
and through the layers upon layers of petrol sludge.  The behemoth
receives, and reflects.  For it knows of those who walk above.  It
considers its awareness against their non-awareness, its inflicted
humility against their afflicting hubris.  Such thoughts breed
palpable disgust.  Rich and pure.  On this it feeds.  And feeds.  A
final transmission arrives…a spoken invocation and an implied
invective.  The Skull rides the connotations and skitters freely
amongst the denotations.  It threads the “O”s, twines the “T”s, and
dangles from the “G”s.  It dances amongst the consonants and vowels.
Not with joy, but with the insuppressible vibration of expectation…the
childlike quake of long-deferred anticipation.  Invective merges the
body and soul…imbuing every last cell within with directive: The time
has come to arise.  The eruption is grotesque.  Thick ropes of
bass-sludge heft up and up…traversing the skies and occluding the sun.
 At apex, they fragment into a veritable universe of splatter-spheres…
the various globes seizing shafts of light and redirecting them with
perverse Will as the worlds fall amongst worlds back to
Earth…pummeling the ground and splashing into smaller, lesser moons.
The monolith roars and rasps, spittle coagulating and rolling in
racing packs down the descents of the upstretched viscosity.  Humanity
stands with mouths agape.  It shall catch it in the face this
time…burning black filth filling gluttonous throats from bottom to
top.  Final thoughts express preference for a kinder death…a
be-heading perhaps.  The stickyhot disturbance summons legions of
insectoids.  They chirp and buzz in odd harmony…intoxicated by the wet
stench and enticed by the peeks of pink flesh enveloped within.  Some
drink from puffy exposures and flee.  Others linger and are overtaken
by the phlegmy waves and falling droplets.  Yet nature offers some
respect for her own…their structures will be preserved for future
pestilence to uncover.  The findings may not be understood, but they
will be recognized.  The bastard flesh shall have no such memoriam, as
the seekers perish alongside the sought.  Pioneers such as ELP and Yes
glimpsed such globulous convulsions, but failed to fully understand
the severity of the implications within.  This is not progression, but
annihilation.  Brought from within.  A culture of monsters breeds a
monster of culture.  Created, fed, and finally made manifest.

DAI (CZE; 1989)-Demo ‘89
Oh man.  You know I love “The Advent,” but this is IT.  Like taking
everything great about that lp and then releasing it under grim, nasty
unproduction values.  The result feels feral and unstable.  Primitive
death metal that thrashes about with a rabid glare.  Killing at will
with speed metal aggression.  Brooding amidst bloodshed with death
rock pensiveness.  Vocals are growled, snarled, and relatively
sparse…the Czech tongue forging a commanding projection of disgust.
The twin guitar attack is effective and pointed.  Roughly
pre-meditated and semi-coordinated.  It feels angular at
times…frequently sour.  Something in that approach reminds me of a
less-competent mix of “Killing Technology” and later-‘80s Kreator.
It’s technical in a sense, but is not weighted down by technicality
nor precision.  Notes are missed and the guitarists are clearly
operating on slightly mis-synchronized clocks.  Their combined tone is
brash and prickly, recalling the sonic thorniness of the Blessed Death
demo.  The treble cuts and punctures…its rough-ground edges sparkle in
the shifting misalignments of oblique rotation.  Drums are
rudimentary.  Little more than snare and kick drum are heard, the
latter often thudding along with double-bass momentum.  It adds a
layer of low-end that would otherwise have been lacking due to the
barely-audible bass.  As a whole, the demo pummels and shreds with
true “Death Metal” (the song, that is) spirit.  In doing so, it
exhales an acrid darkness.  Pungent and pugnacious.

Power from Hell (BRA; 2004)-The True Metal
It seems odd for a band that took its namesake from the record title
of a seminal crossover punk-thrash band (which was released on a punk
label, Pusmort) to call its lp “The True Metal.”  Even more so once
you put the record on and find that they do indeed play punkish
first-wave black metal.  What does any of this have to do with “true
metal”?  It’s kind of confusing.  But, as is often the case, that’s
not a criticism but more of a curiosity.  The record itself is great.
The production is raw and distant, dark and nasty.  I very, very much
like the demo feel that it evokes.  Drums are clear and upfront and
are played with tight, straightforward speed.  The approach is basic
and utilitarian and serves its purpose perfectly.  It also coaxes out
a raging punk/rock feel from the rest of the instrumentation that
might otherwise have been lost or understated.  Vocals are retched in
a Cronos-plus-Tom G. manner (including the well-placed guttural
punctuations) and are coated with heavy delay.  The echoes bounce off
the drums and scatter across the room as new words are introduced
(with their own respective delays in tow).  The guitar has a rough
edge which cuts through the mix like a hacksaw.  Riffs are solid
old-style, but occasionally alternate with ragged,
slightly-more-modern speedpicking.  I can’t hear any bass at all.
This might be an issue elsewhere, but here it doesn’t even seem to
matter as the aggression of the twin-guitar attack more than
compensates.  The end result is a rudimentary composite of the best of
the early material from the classics: Venom, Hellhammer, Bathory,
Onslaught, Motorhead, Bulldozer.  The spirit is bound to the 1981-1985
period with a tenacity that is rarely achieved by modern bands.  I
suppose it’s debatable as to whether such degenerate nastiness
represents “true metal,” but it’s unquestionably awesome.  Well done.

Nord ‘N’ Commander (RUS; 2004)-Hermeneutics
This is stunning.  The question is not “is it bad?”  Rather, it’s
something more along the lines of “how can this possibly be this bad?”
 I can only describe it as a mix of “Satan Macht Frei”-era Blackdeath,
Fanisk, and “Dauði Baldrs”-era Burzum.  All combined with ELO.  For
those not familiar, that is a truly horrifying and entirely
bewildering thought and one that should not be pondered for more than
a moment or two at a time.  It involves upfront programmed rhythms
(with note-based emphases), misguided folk passages, Casiotone
keyboards, expansively orchestrated awkwardness, occasional clean
vocals, fundamentally confused ideologies, direct-to-computer
recording, English as a second (or third) language, and a tenuous
connection with black metal.  The guitar is thin in tone…generally
fizzing like soda or buzzing like a mosquito.  Certain notes are
either poorly chosen, missed, or played out of tune.  There are
intentional drum-machine fills.  The flute playing is fucking
relentless.  Probably the most unbelievable moments on the album are
in the final two tracks, both of which are covers (Death’s “Crystal
Mountain” and Manowar’s “Brothers of Metal”).  The tracks are listed
as “tributes” (there’s also one to Burzum), but it’s difficult to see
how any sort of respect is being offered nor influence taken.  Neither
of the tracks has guitar…all riffs, leads, and solos are played on a
mildly distorted keyboard.  I mean, really?  Manowar without guitars
or drums?  My guess is that the guitarist maxed-out his playing
ability with the “War” cover and had to be replaced by keyboards for
the remaining two covers.  I think it’s fair to assume that Ross the
Boss would snap these two twigs in half for this kind of disgrace (and
that’s saying a lot given his firsthand experience in tarnishing the
name of Manowar).  The result is nearly indescribable.  Like Anton
Maiden gone completely awry.  Or Atom and His Package doing “ironic”
metal covers while wearing his “ironic” mid-years Overkill shirt.  The
rest of the album is no less confusing.  Lyrics alternate (within
song) between Russian, German, and English.  Most have a
pseudo-esoteric feel of sorts.  There are vague references to elder
ceremonies, jnana yoga, apocalyptic endpoints, astral projection, and
“pure blood.”  There are also sampled “Heil Hitler” crowd chants and
what appears to be sword fighting.  I think that the following verse
best captures the spirit of the release:

       It seems, that the brain is being dismembered
       Through the stain, which has curdled in Space.
       I’m sure its our illusion at present.
       This world is choking on our Race.

So where does this sort of deeply privileged, outworldly knowledge and
understanding originate?  How might Vadimir and Alex have drawn from
the endless fount of universal epigenesis and tasted the everflowing
wisdom and poetic harmony within?  Maybe they are adepts of the
highest order who successfully projected themselves past the
Coltranes, past Eric Wood, and into the purity of universal
consciousness…and in doing so have brought back a clear, impeccably
articulated vision of what lies beyond?  Maybe they are actually
recently-risen members of the ancient Aryan race who have chosen for
reasons far above and beyond our comprehension (and that established
by Bulwer-Lytton, Blavatsky, etc.) to channel their
infinitely-powerful vril through simplistic, drum machine-based
quasi-metal?  Or maybe they are just two teenagers with a whole lot of
bad ideas, no musical or common sense, and a desperate need to
validate their uninformed, isolationist worldviews?  Perhaps we shall
never know.

Hellish Crossfire (GER; 2010)-Bloodrust Scythe
Ripping late-80s thrash executed via modern production values.  Not
retro-goofball thrash, but thrash played by folks who obviously have a
working knowledge and understanding of the classics.  Kind of reminds
me of Hypnosia or the first Dekapitator in that way.  As expected,
there’s plenty of German influence.  You can clearly hear plenty of
Assassin and Darkness, but also early Living Death and Iron Angel
(which is, of course, where they took their name from).  It makes for
a good blend of aggression and hard rock bangout…especially when
combined with a bit of Sodom punkishness (those particular moments
kind of remind me of Evil Army).  I can’t say there’s anything overly
remarkable about it, but I can’t say that’s a problem either.  Well
worth blasting at a summer barbecue.

Vyebidevochkuvzhopu (RUS; 2008)-80 Minutes of Decay
I’m not sure I entirely agree with the title of this one.  Haters’
“Drunk on Decay” cd is 80 minutes of decay (literally)…this is more
like “80 minutes of psycho-physiological degeneration after failing to
take prescribed meds and self-medicating with others” or “80 minutes
of confused and unfocused rage after drinking copious amounts of
Robotussin.”  It is a total mess through and through…all captured at
blow-out levels on what I assume was a handheld tape recorder.
Needless to say, it’s kind of difficult to make sense of.  So let’s
focus on what we know: There are multiple people involved.  There is a
lot of talking in Russian.  There are drums and guitar in the room and
the guitar is definitely plugged in to something.  There is some sort
of cause for shrieking.  And that is all we know.  The rest is left to
speculation.  Maybe they locked themselves in a small room with a
feral child and then recorded themselves chasing it about…all the
while swinging a live guitar and throwing drum kit components at it?
Or perhaps they put contact mics all over a car and drove it right
through Nord ‘N’ Commander’s practice space…mid rehearsal?
Repeatedly?  Who knows, but it is most certainly a “dis-ass-terrr.”
There are elements of classic noisecore, but it goes so far beyond in
terms of extremity and persistence…almost like “noisenoisecore.”  Or
simply “noise,” I suppose.  Great (and pleasantly unnerving) in small
doses, but I’m going to go ahead and say that this was probably a
whole lot more interesting to watch live than to listen to as a full
80-minute recording.  What with the blood and burning amps and all.

Sectarium (CUB; 1993)-God’s Wrath
Death metal perfection, as far as I’m concerned…mostly because there
isn’t a “perfect” element to it.  Every single aspect of the release
is decayed, deteriorated, or derailed in one way or another.  Its
belly is ripe with rot.  Vocals are deep-wretched…as if to disgorge
the malignancy within for the sole purpose of regorgement.  The
undying need of the bestial dead.  This brings Reifert to mind, as
well as the vomiting of entrails as depicted in “The Gates of Hell.”
Blow-out levels further indicate an impending gastrointestinal
release.  Round, clean bass presses against the back of the
throat…encouraging the gag reflex whilst draping uncomfortable warmth
over the face.  The guitar alternates between ragged speedpicking and
doomy heft, the former pointing to influences from the south
(Sarcofago, Reencarnation, Holocausto, Nekromantie), the latter
indicating a firm knowledge of the north (Autopsy, Impetigo).  Walk
up/walk down leads direct a second finger at Autopsy.  The tone is
muddied, thick, and slightly distant…perhaps occluded within the
confines of a shallow grave.  It shudders like a low-speed
buzzsaw…teeth befouled with coagulated blood and droptuned waste.  In
contrast, the solos hold a biting edge…and an unexpectedly tight grasp
on blues scales.  They ascend ambitiously, but frequently stumble and
fall.  Crumbling hard rock, perhaps.  Amongst the scree, the drums
express varying levels of mental degradation.  They pummel and clang
forcibly yet unevenly, desperately chasing want without a clear
understanding of purpose.  There is value in that, here at least.
Occasionally the focus pulls away from the horrid immediacy of the
grue and allows a more objective perspective.  The corpus resides on
the outskirts of a lesser-traveled path…away from prying eye and
loosened tongue, yet exposed to the elements of the tropics.  Gifted
to their whims.  Sweaty condensation glistens over tumefied curves and
diffused reflections of surrounding flora emerge in the sun-grasped
slicks.  There is beauty in the hues of decomposition.  Still life,
stilled life, still lifeless…a flower of flesh and blood amongst the
moist flesh and blood of botanical embrace.  Morose acoustic passages
quietly explain this curiosity using understated terms.
Appropriately, the release ends in gasps of wind and bursts of
thunder.  For Nature does not like a mess (exquisite as it may be),
and the streetcleaners are dispatched in force.

Hour of 13 (USA; 2010)-The Ritualist
It has been a while since I’ve heard some solid, traditional doom.
Funeral Circle and Warning come to mind but not a whole lot else
(admittedly, I probably haven’t been searching as hard as I should).
The sound here is an effective mix of digital clarity and analogue
warmth.  Like Pagan Altar and Dio-era Sabbath viewed through a
contemporary lens.  It offers great doom riffs and harmonized leads,
well-presented clean vocals (perhaps somewhere in between Ozzy and
Terry Jones/Pagan Altar), and engaged drumming (i.e., actively
involved without being overspoken).  The bass plays a basic supportive
role and feels somewhat uninvolved in consequence, but perhaps a more
dynamic role is not necessary due to the upfront efforts of the
complimentary and self-referring guitars.  Overall, the various pieces
coalesce as they should and other unexpected intangibles add to the
whole in interesting ways.  For example, the vocal inflections on the
first track reminded me very much of something else.  I obsessed over
it for about ten minutes before I was finally able to place it: He
appropriated the verse structure of “Until the Living Flesh is Burned”
from Death in June.  It’s so close that the words are almost
interchangeable…there’s no way it’s a coincidence.  I certainly don’t
blame him (I have planned to cover that track for years)…it just took
me by surprise.  And I like little curiosities like that.  Also
surprising is the amount of hard rock technique in the guitar.
Something about the verse riffing in the third track reminds me of
Dokken (I think it’s in the harmonic?).  Maybe even Stryper.  The
fourth song has touches of Ratt and early Motley Crue.  This is not a
criticism by any stretch…I love all of that stuff.  It could also very
well be attributable to the more melodic elements of NWOBHM and ‘70s
hard rock (e.g., Wishbone Ash).  Embedded here, it recalls some of the
more hard rock moments of “Dehumanizer” and “Psalm 9.”  In doing so,
the record has a much more dynamic and varied feel than one would
typically expect to find within the narrow confines of the style.  It
makes the band immediately identifiable, but without pushing it out of
the subgenre that created it.  I very much appreciate this.  Really
well done.

Grain Belt (USA; 2010)-self titled
Uncompromising harsh wall of junk noise Minneapolis.  Nothing more,
and certainly nothing less.  Three live sets are captured here, each
ranging from 15 to 20 minutes in duration.  Every single moment is
uncaring, unforgiving, and unrelenting.  Saturated with abrasion,
friction, and resistance.  Lacerated with sheet metal, chains, and
broken glass.  Potency runneth over, and aggrieves all that it comes
in contact with.  Stains of rusty pain.  The listener has no choice
but to stand and take it, or to flee.  Some of us accept the
former…and ask only that the volume be increased.  Few follow.  A
given person’s response could certainly provide interesting comment on
matters of character and perspective.  Equally interesting thoughts on
character and perspective could be inferred of those who willfully and
enthusiastically choose to inflict such unpleasant choices upon
others.  Surely it is a fascinating world we live in.  Where are
Jacopetti and Prosperi to document this?

Hellward (CHN; 2006)-Heavy Fvckn Black
This is simply amazing.  Old-style black metal that doesn’t sound like
every other old-style black metal band out there (kind of in the
manner of the Barbatos demos).  The foundation is clear: Bathory,
Hellhammer, Mercyful Fate, Sabat, and Venom.  The approach is
established: Thin, aggressive guitars, clean bass, punkish drumming,
and wretched vocals.  It’s what they do with the foundation and the
approach that makes it amazing.  The guitars are raw and angry.  They
alternate between a metal buzz and a gain-distorted clang.  Solos are
highly competent and blown out with some sort of overdrive and the
occasional wah (not in a bad way).  The mix of tones lends a dynamic
feel to the tracks.  This feel is further amplified by the interaction
between the two guitars.  They converge for power and diverge for
harmonization.  This is, of course, what twin guitars should do.  In
this case though, they effectively encourage the best in each
other…both stylistically and tonally.  The riffing has touches of
later-‘80s thrash, but primarily seems to based in first wave black
metal and ‘82-‘86 speed metal.  The latter is what really brings out
the character of the release.  Those early ‘80s speed metal riffs add
historical rooting and genuine rock.  Their melodies are powerful and
clearly planned without sounding conventional.  The interesting note
choices (and the interesting harmonization of these notes) recall
early Megadeth.  Heavy fvckn black for sure.  Vocals are high and off
the back of the throat (much like Quorthon on the first three Bathory
lps).  He incorporates occasional (relatively) clean singing (which I
am pretty into for the most part) and intermittent King Diamond
falsetto wails (which I am super-into).  There are also a few gang
back-ups (later-‘80s thrash style) that I could have done without.
The drums are standard and well-done.  I’m almost certain they’re
programmed, and if so it’s done in a way that does not draw attention
to them nor undermine the old spirit of the release.  Similarly, the
bass adds where it should and asks nothing more in return.  I should
note, the ninth track is an unusual acoustic piece.  It’s very dark
and very gloomy and in some ways reminds me of 17 Seconds-era Cure.
Or perhaps Krieg’s cover of “Venus in Furs.”  It took a minute to
adjust to, but I then found myself quite taken by it.  All in all, a
great release.  It’s not so often you find this kind of material
coming out of China.  I’m definitely excited to hear more.

Todesstoss (GER; 2010)-Abwegnis 121
I feel like I have been a pretty good sport about the “look at me I’m
crazyoooooooahhhooooosoooocraaaaaazydidanyonenoticeI’mcraaazyooooooooohhh”
vocal style, but this is really pushing my tolerance.  It doesn’t have
the derangement of early Bethlehem, the sincerity of Silencer, the
self-destructive spirit of Mad Max-era Lust, the introspective
depravity of Kyla, or any such substance.  It just plain sounds like
an atonal, warbling 13-year old girl doing karaoke at the mall.  Or a
performance artist being weird for the sake of being weird by using
semi-established conventions that aren’t actually all that weird
anymore.  It’s unfortunate, as the underlying music has any number of
interesting characteristics to it.  Unlistenable.

Aquam Igni (PER; 2008)-El Libro del Vulgar y los Siete Sabios Alchemyc
Bizarre Overtures
A very unusual release in all respects.  The first thing I noticed is
that there’s something purposeful about the odd arrangement of tracks.
 Without the cover art it’s hard to say why that might be.  There are
9 musical tracks, followed by 8 silence tracks…each of which is 13
seconds long.  There are then another 9 musical tracks (which appear
to be instrumental versions of everything in the first set), this time
succeeded by 9 silence tracks of 13 seconds each.  One musical track
completes the record…as if to account for the missing ninth from the
first period of silence.  I don’t know what any of that means, but
it’s certainly intriguing.  The tracks themselves are almost beyond
words.  Sinister-yet-lush electronic soundscapes, deprecated by layers
of angry, accusatory vocals.  The voices are unsettling.  At the
foreground is a throaty rasp…disgusted, deranged, and clearly
motivated.  It in many ways resembles the high vocals of Dystopia.  A
deeper moan follows each expulsion of the rasp like a lingering
shadow.  The former carries heavy delay, the latter reverb.  Other
whispers emerge and recede.  The layers draw expansively across rich
surges of synth and sparse electronic rhythm.  Broken samples are
interjected at will and contribute greatly to the instability of the
vocal admonishment.  There is an incredible amount of darkness within.
 Interestingly, the hostile, terrifying darkness of the full tracks
gives way to a more morose and introspective darkness once the vocals
are removed.  The remnants are entirely solid on their own.  They
could quite easily be imagined as an active backing to an Argento or
Romero film, or could serve as the perfect soundtrack for reading
Harlan Ellison tales late into the night.  Part of me wants to hear
more and more of this sort of malaise, but a greater, more rational
part is entirely appreciative that such sounds are so scant and must
be cherished as such.  An amazing release, through and through.

Blood of Kingu (UKR; 2010)-Sun in the House of the Scorpion
Hard to believe it has been three years since the previous lp came
out.  I did like that record, but found portions of it to be
disappointingly outside of my interests (e.g., the traditional
instrumentals, the flat production).  This record, on the other hand,
rules.  I don’t know if there was a shift in members or perspective or
what, but the change is drastic.  This is total Eastern European
occultist power.  A thundering, intricately composed behemoth.  The
most striking change from the previous material is the vocals.  The
“walking dead” approach that I liked so much on the first record is
almost entirely absent.  Instead, the main vocals are a guttural roar
that is very similar to Hate Forest at their best (i.e., Those Who
Came Before Us).  Human, though questionably so.  The dead now follow
this commander’s lead and their voices subtly emerge and recede in the
background…sometimes moaning in ambient despair, other times offering
blacktongued incantations.  The blatant (arguably forced) traditional
instrumentation previously isolated between tracks has now been subtly
enmeshed into the fabric of the songs.  This can be found both in the
melodies and in the instruments used.  I very much like what they’ve
done here.  It successfully brings two worlds together, instead of
merely juxtaposing the two.  These traditional elements are relatively
minimal, though.  The focus of this release is pummeling advance
backed by crafted, epic harmony.  Drums lead with distinct
personality…clear, articulate, and at the front of the mix.  Guitars
intertwine in serpentine embrace.  Raging and revealing.  Bass
surfaces and submerges, offering triune harmonizations and forward
momentum.  The final track blasts and drones.  The hands of the dead
finally reach and constrict upon the throat of the commander.  A
tempered rasp results.  He fends off their claws in rabid bursts, but
the dead hold a deep-sourced hatred for the living that cannot be
countered by the latter…most of whom typically exist in a state of
general indifference towards the former until directly faced with
them.  The end comes with no surprise.  The dead shall dead remain,
and the living shall dead become.

Tortured Hooker (USA; 2010)-An Offender’s MO can Change…
Whoa.  Lo-fi noisecore of the lowest fidelity.  I don’t think that I
would be exaggerating to say that this sounds like if Shit Dogs of War
recorded a set on a faulty tape deck (that kept cutting in and out)
while riding in an open-doored boxcar that they hopped out of
Baltimore.  And there may or may not be a bumfight in the middle of
it.  I suppose there are some similarities with Vyebidevochkuvzhopu,
but the sudden cuts add a certain potency and derangement that the
former doesn’t quite capture over the long run.  The chopped up sound
leaves a scattered mess of seemingly random blasts of violence.  No
riffs.  No structured drums.  Just whirring, blurring, pummeling,
shouting, and caterwauling.  As far as I’m concerned, that’s exactly
how this style should be played.  Or non-played.

Encoffination (USA; 2010)-Ritual Ascension Beyond Flesh demo
When I first bought this I made the mistake of not listening overly
carefully when the person from the distro told me the band name.  All
I knew was that she had confirmed that the style was in-line with
Incantation’s Golgotha years and the logo was a blatant reworking of
the Incantation logo (in a pretty half-hearted fashion, to be honest).
 Good enough for me.  A couple hours later, I showed the tape to
Henry.  He appeared intrigued and asked what the band was called.  I
then realized I had no idea.  We spent a good 10 minutes trying to
decipher the logo.  The band name was also placed on the j-card spine,
but the decayed illuminated letter font was equally as difficult to
read as the logo.  It got to the point where it was a little
distressing…I mean, I’ve been reading these logos for the past 20-some
years.  Was I slipping?  I guess my point is that if you see a demo
(they also have a 7” out) with what appears to be the Incantation logo
but is not, it is probably this and you should definitely pick it up.
The demo clearly pulls from the doomiest of the Golgotha era.  There
is an emphasis on sludgy slowness.  Not lethargic, but restrained by
high viscosity.  Tracks shudder and crumble, stained with the
penetrating blackness of murky waste.  My only complaint is that the
drums seem a bit low in the mix.  It’s good as it is, but could likely
be made even better by allowing them to cut through.  Doing so might
give further definition to the muddy structure and enhance the mobile
inertia of the monstrosity.  Great, otherwise.  I hope they make
longsleeve shirts.

Kill (SWE; 2007)-Inverted Funeral
Basic, raw old-style black metal.  It takes a few tracks to settle in,
but once it’s on it is definitely on.  Lots of mid-tempo Hellhammering
mixed with speedy pursuits.  Nothing is clean, but everything is
clear.  The riffing offers fists and middle fingers…little is left
in-between.  Harmonizing is subtle, yet effective.  I’ve been
listening to a lot of Goat Tyrant lately and this strikes me as
satisfying in a similar way.  Blodulv and Pest (FIN) also come to
mind.  With touches of “Panzerfaust”-era Darkthrone and “The
Return”-era Bathory.  Possibly some Treblinka in there as well.  It
evokes high-contrast, black and white images of blood, spikes, and
blasphemy.  Filth and violence.  Need anything more be said?

Morbid Goat Fornicator (CHL; 2009)-Nuclear Vaticano
This release has a lot going in its favor: Amazing band name with a
way over the top logo (not unlike the Atomic Nuclear Desolation
Productions logo…I’m pretty sure this is a project from the guy behind
that label)…jagged cut and paste layout…Blasphemy-style pictures with
lots of chains, bullets, and knives…long, semi-coherent song titles
and liner notes that read like something out of an Impiety demo or an
order confirmation letter from Devil’s Arts Productions.  The approach
is basically Blasphemy through angry South American eyes.  Bestial
blasting.  Delayed, guttural vocals with vacuum-on-reverse belches.
Muddy low-end.  All good, made even better by bleak intros and outros
which effectively break up the warblasts.  The noise pieces are
roughly composed and have the feel of a Xeroxed cut and paste flier.
An unstable, sinister spirit resides within (the first intro, “Goat
Invasion,” is downright amazing).  My only complaint is that the
musical portions of the release sound very two-dimensional and thin:
flat guitar and flat vocals over flat drums.  It stands in contrast to
the depth expressed by the noise interludes (and for some reason
sounds lower in volume than said pieces).  I’m not sure what the
solution is.  Blowing out the drum tone Blazebirth style?  Layering
noise or feedback over the songs themselves?  Turning up and
distorting the Four Strings of Sodomy (aka “bass”)?  Adding extra
vocal tracks and running them all through a Turbo Distortion pedal?
Sending all recordings to Deiphago for mixing assistance?  All I know
is that this band is called Morbid Goat Fornicator and it just plain
doesn’t sound like it.  Maybe “Morbid Goat” or “Goat Forn,” but not
“Morbid Goat Fornicator.”  I like this a lot, but I want to hear it
destroy.

Jonah Quizz (SWE; 2009)-Anthology 1980-1982
Sweet Scandinavian hard rock heavy metal in all its glory.  There’s a
strong NWOBHM feel to it all, but also a whole lot of introspective
moodiness that most of the NWOBHM bands seemed to dispose of for the
sake of all-out-rock.  There are also plenty of hard rock elements and
even a slight punk feel from time to time.  Comparisons with
Sarcofagus (FIN) seem fair in that sense.  I definitely hear the
occasional Mercyful Fate flourish (in the guitars and the vocals), and
I wouldn’t be surprised if they took in a decent amount of Brats
influence as well.  The twin guitar harmonized leads may have been
colored in concept by these sources, but in sound seem more closely
aligned with early Wishbone Ash or Maiden (esp. when backed by a
Harris-style bass gallop).  The riffing shifts seamlessly and
effortlessly between hard rock and heavy metal, not unlike Accept,
Loudness, or H-Bomb.  I’m a big fan of this approach but I could
definitely see it as not being “metal” enough for some folks.  The
vocals have a slightly desperate edge to them…one that I associate
more with ‘80s pop and rock than heavy metal…but they work well.  Plus
they’re sung in Swedish, thereby adding a unique dimension.  All in
all, great stuff.

Svaty Vincent (CZE; 1991)-Tancete na Hrobech!
You don't come across records like this too often.  Clearly and
undeniably visionary, yet completely opaque as to what the vision is
and where it came from.  The album is Czech, but it sounds equally
like something that might have come out of the Italian ‘80s Satanic
underground or the furthest fringes of early-‘70s horror-prog.  Gruff
spoken and shouted vocals (the latter not too far off from Wood's Man
is the Bastard roar, at times) carry meandering bass and key lines
along a linear path that would otherwise have been lost (or abandoned)
entirely.  Feedback, random guitar solos, samples, and noise skitter
and scatter across the path at unexpected times.  The occasional use
of pitchshifted high vocals evokes images of the Newcleus gone totally
awry…at first laughable, but then progressively unsettling as you
realize he's dead serious.  There are times that the mood of the music
is significantly more salient than the music itself…a counterintuitive
feat in itself.  There are other times that one has no idea what is
going on.  At all.  Or why.  Why is there a Casio-based dance track in
the middle of all of this?  I don't know.  I don't need to know.
Portions of this record could appropriately serve as soundtrack for
“Mister Digital.”  I think that says a lot.  I think it also speaks to
the limited appeal of this kind of release.  There aren't too many
people who genuinely appreciate the early demos from Mortuary Drape,
the "Lost in the Cosmic Void" lp from Pi Corp, the "Animals" lp from
Dwarr, the "In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum" lp from Jacula, the
noise-supported spoken word pieces from Man is the Bastard, the early
demos from Root and Master's Hammer, the Rev. Kriss Hades in general,
or the early solo works of Paul Chain…let alone all of these things at
once.  Pretty amazing.

Körperwelter (SWE/USA; 2008)-Avatars of Rape and Rage
Ah, the newest collaborative project from Nordvargr (Nordvargr, Vargr,
Goatvargr, Malvargr, Muskel, MZ.412, Folkstorm, etc.).  I await his
records with eager anticipation, and this one is no exception.  For
this release, he combined efforts with Leech of Navicon Torture
Technologies.  It appears that each contributor recorded his
respective portion in his native country over the past six years and
the pieces were then merged into a seamless whole.  I would place the
result somewhere along the lines of Muskel or the less distort-beat
oriented Goatvargr (if you need some sort of Nordvargr reference
point).  Searing atmospherics are punctuated by decidedly industrial
elements.  Looped "rhythms" spit and writhe, their assertions
corroborated by surging walls of rumbling noise.  Vocals wail and
screech in the distance at first, but become more present (though
still sparse), less desperate, and more urgent as the tracks progress.
 The record also seems to adopt an increasingly sinister,
meanspirited, and erratic tone and approach as it advances.  But this
only goes so far.  As is frequently the case, malicious erraticism
leads to dysfunction that ultimately ends in malfunction.  A breaking
point is breached well into the final track and the recording
splinters both literally and figuratively into barely-coherent shards,
leaving only the frayed ends of sanity and a blank stare.  Great
stuff.  As a side note, the distro I bought the album from made a
somewhat cryptic note about "controversial" artwork within the inner
folds of the digipack.  Maybe I'm becoming disturbingly jaded (getting
the "Hated Perversions" comp on Freak Animal at the same time probably
didn't help), but I don't really see anything overly shocking here.
It's a series of cartoonish drawings (by Jonathan Canady) that depict
an S&M session-turned-murder in a style reminiscent of Optic Nerve,
Ghost World, and maybe even Adult Swim.  I don't think that the
explicit, deliberate violence of the drawings suits the simmering
hostility and shattered sanity of the release at all.  They strike me
more as something that would go on a Meatshits or Fornicator record.
I don't care for them in this context, but I do like that he handwrote
a lot of the text in Away-style lettering.  Can't go wrong with that.

Sanguis Imperem (USA; 2008)-The Stagnation of Centuries
Fuck yes.  Marching boots set the foundation for a marching beat which
then takes on a series of soured chords.  A doomed riff arises, and
just as one prepares for a slow-motion dirge the whole thing explodes
into wild blasting and ravaging vocals.  Lots of thick, low
speedpicking and blast-to-mid-tempo change-ups follow.  Vocals range
from guttural to the occasional sub-gutteral, with mid-to-high
Deicide-style background rasps added for emphasis.  Parts remind me of
a more dynamic Incantation, or perhaps what it might sound like if
Revenge focused on playing droptuned 1991-era, US-style death metal.
Other parts strike me in a similar way as Darkness Eternal or
Manias/Sale Sangre.  Modern, yet sourced from ancient wells.  The end
result holds a tremendous amount of power.

Alttari (FIN; 2007)-Demo 2/MMVI
This one took a couple tracks to get into.  It's certainly raw and
poorly recorded, but that's usually fine by me.  I think the initial
issue I had is that the first song uses a progression very similar to
that of "Transylvanian Hunger."  The notes aren't exactly the same,
but it alternates between single-note-within-fast-strumming and
chording in a similar manner.  Not bad, but not inspiring either.  As
the tracks progress, more use is made of dual mid-to-high range
flutter strumming.  This is where I really started to take interest.
Whereas the use of riffing (throughout the demo…not just the first
track) is generally pretty bland, the use of harmonized guitar lines
is actually quite good and there are definitely a number of great
parts (some of which remind me of the Toil demos for some reason).
They're not well played, but as a less-than-competent guitar player
myself I can certainly appreciate the effort.  The vocals are pretty
stock, but definitely suitable and salient.  The drums on the other
hand are near-entirely buried (the snare punches through from time to
time, though).  It could be an incredible drummer playing intricate
rhythms the likes of which we've never heard, or it could just be a
recording of some guy going patapatapatapatapata with his fingers on
the edge of a desk.  Hard to say.  I still like this a lot, though.
When it's on, it's on.

Regnum (GER; 2006)-Weil Alles Einst Zerbrechen Muss
Regnum play the style of melancholic, doomy black metal that kind of
saturated the subgenre once bands like Xasthur and Nortt started to
receive attention by larger labels.  The vocals are distant and
cavernous.  The guitars are trebly in tone and swirling and melodic in
execution.  The drums are sparse and plodding, distant and ambivalent.
 The early-90s shoegazer influence is in full effect.  All of the
ingredients are present for just another generic bleak metal band.  So
why are they immediately identifiable in sound?  Why do I listen to
them repeatedly, despite being burnt out on the general style?  The
bass.  It's ridiculous.  It's loud, solid, and roundly robust.  Its
weight bears momentum and not only pushes harmony, but imposes it.
It's unlike anything I've ever heard within black metal (when combined
with the above-noted elements, that is…Ride for Revenge definitely
take a similar approach to bass but without those other parts).  It
sounds like the band took their demo, gave it to King Tubby and
Scientist, and said "give it the '81 treatment" with the end result
being para-dub bass lines that mirror some of the darker parts of
"Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires" or
"Scientist Meets the Space Invaders."  Pretty great.

Unaussprechlichen Kulten (CHL; 2008)-People of the Monolith
This had me from the first soured chord.  Doomy, harmonized
twin-guitar…gratuitous pickslides…prominent guttural vocals backed by
inhuman croaks…there was no way I wasn’t going to be into this.  The
second track hits hard and recenters everything with a quick death
metal pace.  Lots of blasting…sometimes in drawn-out linear form,
sometimes in off-kilter lurches.  Either way, there is a definite
emphasis on the pounding (as opposed to technical flourishes).  The
guitars mimic this at their own discretion and on their own respective
schedules.  Speedpicking picks up and leaves off unexpectedly, as
unusual (and usual) harmonies form, interact, and abort.  Sometimes
the guitars synchronize their attack, other times they simultaneously
engage different tactics (e.g., ringing out chords and guitar lines
over palm muting).  I very much like the effect.  Morbid Angel
influence is clear, with other parts reminding me of Demilich, Wormed,
Transgressor, and some of the others who willfully convolute their
rhythmic phrasing.  I wish there was a bit more doom riffing (as
they’re clearly very good at it), but quickly forget this with the
onset of each track.  The early-90s death metal spirit is
overwhelmingly present.  My only complaint is that it’s a little too
clean for my tastes.  The sound is perfectly suitable, but I tend to
prefer muddied “Onward to Golgotha” production for this kind of
material.  Also (unless I’m mishearing), the intro (once it kicks in)
and Track 8 are exactly the same.  Not as a riff reprise or something
along those lines…exactly the same.  It’s strange, but doesn’t really
bother me as it’s a badass track (it reminds me of Kommand of the
Blade played at half speed, actually) and it’s short (1:30).  Great
record.