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*** Remember when I said the next volume of The Third of the Storms wouldn’t take as long to come out? I don’t. It was too long ago. ***CORRECTIONS FROM VOLUME 7*** The artwork used on the cover of the Prosanctus Inferi lp is from Francis Bacon. I am slightly ashamed to have missed that. Thanks to GRK and Eric for pointing it out. The “Reflections” lp from “Twenty Sixty Six and Then” was incorrectly identified as the “And Then” lp from “Twenty Sixty Six.” That was my best guess based on the cover, and Ilkka informed me of the error. Thanks man. The “Total Fucking Satan Worship” demo from Razor Freak is from 2001, not 2010. That was a typo on my part. Thanks to Lou for catching it. ***FRAGMENTS OF REVIEWS*** “Cause There's Another” from Moxy (CAN; 1976): I love that this track cannot decide if it’s going to be an all-out proto-metal rocker or a more laid back classic rock tune. Right from the start it seems like it’s going to be the former, with metal riffing that could have come right off of “Sad Wings of Destiny.” Just as that settles in, the tone shifts drastically and it’s suddenly an uptempo Allman Brothers jaunt. Softer melodies, soaring leads, and acoustic overdubs. Still rocking, but in a way different manner. The vocals come in with a bit of a Bad Company feel and it becomes clear that yes, this is indeed the vocalist who later went on to sing for Loverboy (which is not a bad thing, in this case). Just as you start to wonder if the intro riffing really happened or not, the chorus kicks in. It’s driven by punchy, hard-edged rock n’ roll chording that draws directly from KISS. Unbelievably catchy. The cycle repeats and right when you expect the chorus to drop back into another melodic lead it goes in another direction entirely: A heavy James Gang jam/solo bridge. One more chorus leads into a bass breakdown that could have been taken right off a Stooges lp. The proto-metal riffing from the beginning resurfaces. This time around it is slightly tempered by some great 70s rock soloing. End verdict? It’s a rocker. Multifaceted, but a rocker through and through. So awesome. I really wish WHQG would play more stuff like this. “Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark)” from Immortal (NOR; 1995): “Battles in the North” is easily my most favorite Immortal record, but for some reason I tend to forget to listen to it. Receiving 20” of snow in an 8-hour period several months back served as an effective reminder to bring it back into rotation and I have been playing it nearly every day since. The final track represents everything I love about the record. It captures the blasting winds, the trudging through snowdrifts, the pensive reflection while glimpsing through bare spots of frosted windows. I don’t know why I never noticed it before, but it almost seems like this track in particular set the foundation for some of Kaldrad’s later-‘90s projects…most notably (and obviously), Raven Dark. “Lay Down a Lot” from Soggy (FRA; 1980): Sometimes you hear a song and can say little more than “whoa.” Such is the case here. Is it punk? Is it metal? Hard to say. There’s only one riff. Palm-muted and full of brash metal crunch. It could easily have come off of a mid-years Suicidal Tendencies lp. At the same time, the bass is bouncing all over the place in classic rock n’ roll style and is backed by solid hard rock drumming. The vocals, on the other hand, loll and slur in the best Iggy/Stooges way possible. Moaning, gasping, wailing, exhaling. He takes it so far out I dare say there are moments reminiscent of Sakevi/GISM. So many bands want to play this style, but no one does it like this. Amazing. “V” from The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud (AUT; 1995): Intentionally or not, Lou managed to spark an obsession with these folks. This track represents everything that drew me in to the project. Dark and sinister, yet buoyant and confident. Ritualistic and martial, yet personal and iconoclastic. Edgy and uneasy, yet lulling and mesmerizing. A determined circle loops over and over again. Embellishments emerge, contribute, and recede. Some reappear, others do not. They add commentary and depth, but do not distract from the main theme. There’s a certain beauty to it all, amidst the horror. “Death by fire is purification, death by fire to save heretics. Death by fire is victimization, death by fire to feed maverics.” “Parental Guidance” from Judas Priest (GBR; 1987; Priest…Live! Version): I know it’s a completely unpopular and barely-justifiable opinion, but I love this song. Especially the live version…it has a certain energy to it that the studio track simply doesn’t capture. That said, it’s hard to speculate as to exactly what they were thinking with this one. It’s like they consulted with Poison and Loudness, and then commissioned KK Downing’s 14-year old nephew to write the lyrics. I first heard it when I was 13, so I suppose it made complete sense at the time (especially given that it was released at the height of the PMRC’s influence). It was an anthem, you might say. Nearly 25 years later and it still is. For me, at least. As a side note, I just noticed that on the cover there are actually only two hands in the crowd. It looks like five, but closer examination reveals that one hand image is repeated twice and the other three times with slight adjustments (e.g., extra shading, removal of a visible thumb). So…yeah. Now you know. “Kaptain America” from Dark Star (GBR; 1981): Yes, yes, yes. This had me from the first chord. Heavy metal tinged hard rock that sounds like it should have come out in 1978. The guitar is thick and seething…too angry for rock, but perfect for metal. The vocals are in the upper-mid range and have a slightly lackadaisical feel to them that at times reminds me very much of Witchfinder General. There are touches of NWOBHM, but primarily from an “On through the Night” perspective. Other tracks on the record bring in some KISS and Bad Company sass along with some Yes and Boston expansiveness, but this track remains focused on the riff and the rock-out. So great. Watch out for the Rock Brigade. ***REVIEWS*** Negative Plane (USA; 2011)-Stained Glass Revelations One of my all-time favorite films is “La Campana del Infierno” (aka “A Bell from Hell”; 1973). It’s exceptionally grim and bitter, even when interrupted by moments of absurdity or warped by spells of simmering lunacy. The plot scatters here and there, with some points serving as foreshadowing and others as false leads and dead end paths. One of the key threads, of course, involves the town’s newly commissioned church bell, its journey from the foundry to its future home, and its function (and reappropriation) once in place. The bell surfaces time and time again like a secondary character, sometimes the center of focus and other times obscured within the activity of the background. Much of the same can be said of this release. From what I understand, Nameless Void was highly inspired by the bells of New York City…their haunting toll…wafting through the cracks and crevasses of the crumbling city under the pale of the moon. One can practically hear their words: “PACO CRUENTOS.” “CONSOLO VIVA.” “DAEMONES ANGO.” Like the tinkling of Saint Antony’s chime, they pacify the minds, soothe the spirits, and dispossess the souls of the human swineherd. They caress the subsconscious…dark and light elements alike. Metaphysical reassurance via resonance. The immediate presence of the bells is relatively sparse once the first track ends, but, like on a cool dark night, the spirit of their reverberations persists throughout. Reflections are glimpsed in unexpected places…in the periphery, in chance patterns, in seemingly inconsequential afterthoughts and undertones. These multi-sourced layers shift and align, creating a stunning depth of synthesis. Black metal collaborates with death rock, which affiliates with dark prog. Kraut rock is consulted, as appropriate. The rigid, time-worn sequences of bells beckon to the unbounded structures of jazz…begging them to share stories of their free-spirited pursuits. The newly-formed whole is developed and extrapolated. Delay washes across the guitars as melodies snake and burrow. Chunks of rhythm are threaded and strung tightly together. The weaving guitars build and cascade, circle and peal. They ensnare. “Trøndertun”-era Thorns comes to mind (and “Grymyrk,” to a lesser extent). Their tone shifts…sometimes a warm-yet-stern classic metal voice, other times a rich and clean vibrato that would very much be at home on a Roy Orbison recording (the latter reminds one of Nameless Void’s other project, Occultation, which draws purely from apocalyptic ‘60s psyche-folk). In doing so, dimensions of character are added. Intonations of motif. But there are other voices as well. The bass is clean and robust with just enough attack to make its contributions articulate and confident. It has a tremendous amount of autonomy, moving as far from or as close to the guitars as need be to color the atmosphere or establish the mood. The effort is rhythmic, but frequently feels textural. The lines of notes ripple, with some antinodes matching the drums, others pairing with the guitars, and the rest floating through space like balls from a juggler’s hands. The drums have a similarly multi-faceted role. They primarily alternate between mid-tempo rock beats and fast metal rhythms, but all the while they incorporate odd flourishes and a jazz-like looseness. It creates an unusual space where even the black metal blasting feels like it has more in common with the proto-blastbeat of ELP (see “The Barbarian”; 1971) than anything from the second-wave Norse heritage or beyond. Cymbals splash and skitter. They smooth out harder beats and fragment linear ones. The vocals do this as well. Frequently they carry more straightforward rhythm than either the drums or the bass. Other times they punctuate, and trigger aberrant paths. These tangential trails depart and reconnect. The song structures are rich and expansive in consequence, and carry a narrative quality. Such efforts invoke “The Filemnice Occultist,” as well as other dark works such as Mortuary Drape’s “Tolling 13 Knell,” Necromass’s “Mysteria Mystica Zofiriana,” and Root’s “Zjeveni.” Lesser influence is drawn from Exorcist (“Nightmare Theatre”), ancient Greece (e.g., “Vampiric Rituals”-era Necromantia), and Death SS/Paul Chain in general. Like these masterpieces, brooding interludes flow in and out and offer understated perspective on the proceedings. Soft swells of illuminating darkness. A morose piano and organ instrumental ascends and falls, rumbling with soul and hints of blues. The result very much recalls the style of Diamanda Galas…one can practically hear her voice shuddering in the background. The organ assumes full responsibility later on and leads the listener through a sinister recessional (perhaps an offering to the malign spirits that haunted Italy, Greece, and Czechoslovakia throughout the late-‘70s and ‘80s). As it progresses, it increasingly reflects the rolling peal of the bells that initially called the ritual to order. The final track concludes with a brief choral benediction. Appropriately, their final note appears to coincide with the first note of the first bell of the first track. The circle completes. Point A can only lead to Point A, and will always lead to Point A. For enlightenment is found neither here nor there, but in the depth of exploration in between. Necros Christos (DEU; 2011)-Doom of the Occult Consider the following words from LaVey: “One’s personal delvings can be considered occult in the true sense of the term only if they remain outside the pale of supernormal faddism. The would-be innovator asks, ‘If I cannot find food for thought in source material akin to my interests, where then?’ The answer is found in the analogy that one does not ‘find’ one’s self. One creates one’s self. Magical power is accrued by reading unlikely books, employing unlikely situations, and extracting unlikely ingredients, then utilizing these elements for what would be considered ‘occult’ ends. After one has observed the results of such creative unions, what was originally considered ‘unlikely’ will be seen as the most easily understandable methodology.” Like him or not, the point is brilliant. Power is accrued and amplified via visionary integration, not disciplined regurgitation. The lp at hand joins two seemingly unrelated realms: Death metal and classical Middle Eastern instrumentation. I use the term “joins” loosely because though they are conceptually and thematically enmeshed, they are musically and aesthetically distinct. Chunked side by side. Sonically and thematically blocked out into respective “songs,” “gates,” and “temples.” In doing so, they are juxtaposed. Each realm is perfectly represented (the competency in each is undeniable), but one does not speak to the other. One does not enrich or embolden the other. One does not evoke nor synergize anything within the other. One does not empathize with the other. Only the differences are highlighted, making the death metal more blunt (portions of it remind me a lot of Belial, esp. with the rhythmic pummeling and the somewhat pasted-on Slayer solos) and the Middle Eastern instrumentation more exotic. Perhaps that is the intent. To push the weak-minded off the path by placing Vale of Siddim and The Ra Al Dee Experience under one esoteric banner. Those who can suspend the differences and maintain sight of the overarching concept will get it. Those who can’t, won’t. And those who just discovered the band a few years ago won’t care either way because they will pretend to like it no matter what. I see the creativity here, but it still feels superficially forced. The result reminds me very much of the first Blood of Kingu lp. Similar Middle Eastern instrumentation was used to punctuate raw black metal under a similar concept. It was interesting and intriguing, but ultimately unsatisfying. The integrated concept needed to be reified under an integrated aesthetic. It wasn’t until the second lp that “this world” and “that world” became “one world.” A dark and mysterious world in which traditional melodies were subtly invoked and novel instruments manipulated by the foul mouth and unclean hands of black metal. Conversely, the flailing, frequently undisciplined hands of black metal were clasped solidly against the ancient, patient, and time-worn palms of Asiatic occultism. In consequence, the conceptual clouds overhead darkened, precipitated, and poured their fury upon it all…saturating it with a catholic blackness. Staff became snake, for such is surely as it had always been. The key is that the Gestalt was expanded and inflated through understated, reciprocating contributions and linkages, not overstated distinctions. The expository must taste humility. The new Negative Plane is a perfect example of this. I like this new Necros Christos record, but there is so much to be done. One brave step must be followed by another. True power demands synthesis. In ideology, word, and deed. I’ll stick with the demos and the early splits in the meantime. Voqkrre (FRA; 2009)-Palans in Pestilens A nasty little release, to be sure. It draws singularly from the most dank of the structured Les Legions Noires projects (e.g., Susvourtre, Vzakpre, Brenoritvrezorkre). At first I was thinking that the guitar was purposefully untuned, but it seems to become more coherent by the third track. As such, I’m guessing that a lot of the chording is simply nonsensical. The result is sour and unpleasant. Miserable and sneering…alternating between a plucky cleantone and dirty, underdriven distortion. It feels wrong, and it is clear that it is intended to evoke this sensation. The bass is clean and round. It meanders sullenly. Head down, self aware. Drums are raw, dry, and entirely appropriate. The vocals are also suitable, if not a little cartoonish. I would perhaps have lowered them in the mix, smeared them with a thicker layer of reverb, or both. Regardless, it all comes together well. I’m pleased to see bands like this and Vetala maintaining the past from the shadows of the present. It’s not for everyone (really it’s for almost no one), but the few will find what they need here. Encoffination (USA; 2010)-Ritual Ascension Beyond Flesh Yes, I know I already reviewed this once. I bought the cassette version over a year back at the Maryland Deathfest and the cd version did not come out until quite some time later. At that point I accidentally re-bought it, thinking it was a new full-length. It admittedly took a couple times through before I realized that they were not recycling samples but rather that I was listening to the same record I already had. Anyway, given the recent repeated listens, the new layout, and the not-particularly-deep previous review, I decided to review it again. It has been a long-running belief of mine that shorthaired folk not only should not play death metal, but that they cannot play death metal. Everyone (other than Jason) rolls their eyes when I say it, but the stereotype almost always bears out…any time a band is over 50% shorthair there’s a 95% chance they will play cleaner, tidier, less dense, less droptuned metal. There is also a far greater chance that hardcore-tinged vocals will be involved. I don’t know why that is exactly…I suppose there are a number of factors responsible. For one, it could be the lack of constant social disapproval. Minor as that may sound, it does shape a person’s worldview over the years. It could also be an inability to truly understand the concepts of dirt and overgrowth (both of which are central to death metal). By growing out one’s hair, one essentially becomes the construct that he or she then translates into musical form. Or, maybe it’s something as simple as the inability to physically flail hair. Like the lessened momentum throws off the riffing or something. Who knows. But whereas the first point (“should not”) is still debatable, I may have to cede the second point (“cannot”). These two coldnecks have managed to create one of the sickest and most vile recordings of the last few years. As noted in the first review, the Incantation influence is unashamed and worn with pride. Aside from the logo (which is the Incantation logo rearranged) and the similar feel of the song titles (“Miasma of Rotten Serenity” vs. “The Abolishment of Immaculate Serenity”), the overall musical approach draws strongly from the Pillard years of Incantation. Churning, murky waste. “Charnel pollution,” as Clark Ashton Smith might say. The atmosphere circles and spirals slowly, blackened whirlpools pulling one down. The person who sold me the cassette described the band as “pure Golgotha,” but the more I listen to it the more I feel like it uses “The Abolishment…” as its foundation. The doomed spirit is strongest there. I also hear the similar, speedpicked approaches of both Accidental Suicide and Disciples of Mockery. I could be mistaken, but the drums feel a bit more present in the mix than they were on the tape. Not overwhelmingly so, but enough to allow them to fully serve their purpose. This is very much appreciated, as they felt a little stifled on the tape and opened it up to the classic “muddle instead of music” critique. Samples filter in and out…most from classic films and religious recordings. I typically am highly supportive of the use of samples, but am uncertain as to how much I like the film-based ones chosen here. The substance is more than appropriate…it’s the delivery that doesn’t feel like it matches with the rest of the recording. They have an “old horror” character to them…likely coming from the 1950s or 1960s. Their dramatic, proper tone feels forced when lain against the chunks of sickness they are meant to connect. It’s a minor point, though. The final track has some morose acoustic guitar mixed in. I like the feel of it…it doesn’t have the classical guitar orientation of Necros Christos, but reminds me of their use of acoustic guitar nonetheless. Wisps of cool-damp air within the oppressive atmosphere of the crypt. As a side note, the inner art includes a striking high-contrast picture of the two band members flanking an obscure tombstone that several hours of research revealed is located in a small town in Texas. I can’t determine the significance. Maybe Ms. Blackwell’s history includes more nefarious details than those offered in her obituary? Maybe she’s a relative? Maybe the monument (with its surrounding wrought iron fence) just looked cool? I suppose it doesn’t matter. I like such curiosities should they exist, but am also satisfied to accept a photograph on its own face-value merit. In this case, that is that it is a perfectly done example of the classic early-‘90s death metal cemetery pose. And these sorts of efforts should be encouraged whenever possible. Law of the Rope (USA; 2010)-Unmarked Graves The dark, doomed intro effectively establishes the mood of the record. A thick, viscous, and richly textured bassline is pulled from a concert bass while an accusatory voice scolds and rasps. The voice at first sounds in control via its dominance, but quickly reveals itself to be out of control or only in control of matters with no grounding in reality; deranged. Synth lines swell and surge amidst the ranting. Feedback and choral implements lull and sway. Suddenly the release explodes. Blasting semi-organic mechanical drums are drenched in fizzed-out guitar. The tone is saturated with effervescence and impressionist character. Soft and suffocating. The vocals are relentless. Human, yet feral. Screeching, chortling, shouting, ranting, wailing. The insane pig-squealing in the middle of the fourth track is truly unsettling (made even more so by the seemingly-reversed rhythm track underneath). The effort recalls Disjecta Membrae, though more bestial and less visceral and vomit-soaked. Certain conventions for “derangement” in black metal have developed over the past 10 or so years, but this feels removed from all of that. It seems to draw from Silencer at times (esp. the guitar tone and some of the more brooding passages), but there is much more to it. The tracks feel like they have a fragile orchestration to them. Not one that objectively makes sense, but one that is subjectively coherent to those involved. At its most straightforward, the record recalls Domini Inferi (NDL; esp. with the programmed blasting). At its most convoluted, it evokes the spirit (though not necessarily sound) of Urfaust. There are portions of this record that are unlike anything that I have ever heard before. I am entirely impressed and very much look forward to hearing more. Book of Sand (USA; 2010)-How Beautiful to Walk Free Against better judgment, I recently watched Aites and Ewell’s 2008 black metal documentary “Until the Light Takes Us.” Terrence had said there were a few good moments mixed in, but that well, I would have to see for myself. I knew what he was implying, and he was right. It was garbage. That said, there was one understated moment of lucidity in the film that really struck me. Not because it was some sort of major, never-before-pondered revelation, but rather because it was interesting to see one of the integral founders acknowledge it verbally. Fenriz was describing his intense dislike for what he termed “third world art.” It was his position that because such populations live in constant want, their art necessarily reflects this. It is brighter, shinier, and larger than life…an objectification of the unboundedly rich colors and flavors of dreams. He referenced the work of Frida Kahlo in particular (or at least he tried to…he couldn’t remember her name), an artist known for her use of bold colors and rich hues. He stated that he preferred the product of the “comfortable” first world. The whims and whiles of the privileged and satiated. Misguided as it was (he knows better…the exceedingly dark and filthy ‘80s output of Central America, Eastern Europe, and Pacific Asia serving as an effective counterpoint), it was fascinating to hear this vocalized. If we take him at his word, it frames second wave Norse black metal not as “PURE NORSK BLACK METAL,” “BLACKENED SATANIC DEVOTION,” or anything of the sort. Rather, it points to the by-product of “TOTAL BORED DECADENCE.” A D’Essentes-like pursuit of reactionary folly to its absurd endpoint. Twenty years later, what is the result? Hundreds and hundreds of iterations of comfortable artists emulating the already-executed idiosyncratic pursuits of other comfortable artists? A subculture so focused on bejeweling the shell of the tortoise that it doesn’t even realize (or care) that the living creature within has withered and died? It’s an interesting question. Perhaps it doesn’t matter at all. I only mention it because this release brings such thoughts to mind. It reminds me of an empty shell, embellished to extremity by people who probably should know better. Reinterpreted convention upon misinterpreted convention. An Xth generation replication of what was, but with no concept or understanding of the life which once existed within. Nor any awareness that the obsessive focus on exogeny snuffed said substance in the first place. Black Cilice (FIN; 2009)-Under Satanic Philosophy demo Black Cilice have been an obsession of sorts for a while now. Maybe it’s the obscured, mysterious feel? The no-fi recording approach? The cold detatchment? Probably all of the above. The sound here is not quite as removed as the “Tomb of Endless Curses” demo, but it’s still detached enough to render the demo 90% non-musical. “Music” is being played, of course, it’s just that the listener is not given the opportunity to perceive it. Consequently, any sense of control or understanding is diminished and squelched. It is like looking through a window that is frosted on the outside…there’s nothing you can do but try to make out what you can. There are certain parallels with some of the Evil material (esp. “Revenge of Iron and Thunder”) in that way. The construction is similar. The drums form one wall of cymbal-based treble hiss. The guitars wail a second wall of feedback; nearly noteless. The vocals cycle upon themselves, resonate, and form a third overtone wall that frequently redlines and blurs everything else out. The result is simply blinding, textured noise…interrupted occasionally by crumbling and tumbling transitions. I suppose it’s arguable that there’s more nihilism than Satanism in the philosophy. Great, regardless. Azazel/Goatmoon (FIN/FIN; 2011)-split Here we have the first new tracks from Azazel in 15 years. I wasn’t overly taken by them then, so I wasn’t sure what to expect now. Well, it fucking rules. Potent and aggressive. Hellhammering crashes into blasting. Classic Finnish style (e.g., Clandestine Blaze, Pest, Uncreation’s Dawn), yet unique enough to be identifiable. Especially in the vocals, which are a gruff, twisted retch that in some ways bring Dr. Fe’s early work in Root to mind. The recording is unbelievably full-sounding. Not full of clarity and richness…full of disease and decay. Bursting. Layers of feedback, snarling distortion, and ungrounded hum. An internal sickness exposed. Disgust inflicted. Fucking hell. So good. On the other hand, I’m not sure what to say about Goatmoon. As far as I’m concerned, “Death Before Dishonour” is one of the most perfect examples of blown-out black metal filth ever recorded (despite their boneheaded lifelover politics). “Finnish Steel Storm” didn’t impress me as much, but certainly wasn’t bad. Then I heard their split with Ride for Revenge. Not so good. The Xenophobic Ejaculation split? Not good either. Dead Reptile Shrine? Even worse. And finally I saw the footage of them playing live at Hammer Open Air. That’s where my interest in the band died cold. It was secondhand embarrassing to watch…a mishmash of every stupid stereotype that makes black metal a nonthreatening joke to outsiders. Sadly, the material at hand does nothing to counter this. I recognize three of the tracks as re-recorded versions of “Black Metal Winter,” “Blackgoatworship,” and “Pure Blood” from “Death Before Dishonour.” All of the nastiness and rawness has been stripped away. Everything is left clear and bright, shiny and cheaply contrived. It feels (and is) foolish as a result. Kind of like playing an outdoor rock festival in goofy corpsepaint in the mid-day sun. Milquetoast garbage. And a striking contrast to the explosion of true filth on the other side. Rhinocervs (USA; 2010)-RH 01 demo I wanted to hate this, in part because of the exceedingly dumb name and in part because I’m pretty sure he is (they are?) behind or closely aligned with a distro that all-but ripped me off (Vukub Kaquix). No such luck. This is undeniably awesome. The recording is exactly as I like it. Raw and blown out, yet full in a manner that only a hand-held tape deck placed in the center of the practice space can capture. A distinct feeling of “in the room” immediacy results. For the most part, there’s nothing particularly groundbreaking about the structure or approach of the tracks…they’re just really well done. Great mix (clear, audible), great riffs, great harmonized speedpicking, great drumming (utilitarian and powerful), great vocals (lower mid-range). The one element that really does stand out though is the bass. It’s full, proud, and almost overwhelming. Maybe a bit like Arphaxat, though there were no guitars involved there. I don’t know if this was intentional or if it was simply an artifact of the recording technique. Either way, its massive presence is pretty unconventional for black metal. It doesn’t harmonize with the guitars…the guitars harmonize with it. Sheets of flutterstrumming blanket its whims. Sometimes it’s blunt in a percussive fashion (like in the beginning of the first track where it almost sounds like a massive bass drum in the background), other times it’s more fluid and verbose. It all comes together in a highly engaging way. Great stuff. Custodian/Gnawed (USA/USA; 2010)-Loathsome Total Midwest violence. The rhythm strikes like shotgun blasts against a sheet metal wall. Each slug penetrates, causing the whole to shudder and reverberate…leaving a splash of splayed metal as its exit wound. Piles of scrap metal are elevated and then dropped. Bulldozers plow over and spread the waste. Crumpling and twisting the remnants. Throughout, vocals accuse and berate. At times distant and cavernous, at times direct and focused. Immediate…warbling with disgust. They represent the moment where one becomes so consumed with rage that he or she cannot even fathom how he or she arrived at such a state, and cannot see any hope of de-escalation. The moment is sustained…protracted into a tense layer of shimmering hate. This is easily one of the best collaborative splits I have heard in ages. The strengths of each artist are amplified to the point that the synergistic potency threatens to tear apart the very fibre of the release. It’s as true today as it was when Drop Bass said it in the early-90s: Do not fuck with the Midwest. Alo Girl (ITA; 2010)-Catharsis ep Either my hearing is not refined enough to pick up on the nuances or this is nothing more than 15 minutes of barely-manipulated Italian static. It is lulling and oddly comforting in a white noise generator kind of way, but certainly not cathartic in any sense of the word. Nor interesting. Nice packaging by Joe/Small Doses, though. Horrid Cross (USA; 2009)-Demo II Now this is what I’ve been needing as of late. Degenerate black metal punk filth in the most horrid state of decay. Uncontrolled, undisciplined hatred. Standing side-by-side in the blow-out zone with Bilskirnir (“Vorväter” or “For Victory We Ride”), early Goatmoon (“Death Before Dishonor”), Ødelegger (“The End of Tides”), Holocaustus, and some of the others. Unlike the aforementioned, there does not appear to be any attempt to elevate or inflate the conceptual or ideological foundation to anything more than the garbage it stands in. At the same time, it doesn’t include the stylistic pandering of Dishammer (who are otherwise great) and the like. It simply is what it simply is. Raging audio expulsion. I fully appreciate that. This makes Grinning Death’s Head, Sump, Raspberry Bulbs, White Medal, and any number of the others sound silly by comparison. Kärsimysnäytelmä! (FIN; 2009)-self titled I really wanted to like this one. It’s some sort of Finnish black metal/noise hybrid which may or may not involve Bizarre Uproar personnel. It would seem that if anyone were going to blend the two realms correctly and effectively, it’d be the Finnish. Clandestine Blaze plus Grunt? Torturium plus STROM.ec? Satanic Warmaster plus The True Werwolf? How amazing would any of those be? Unfortunately, that’s not really how it worked out here. I would say this is more like Dead Reptile Shrine plus Xenophobic Ejaculation. The noise is dulled, muddied, and relatively sparse. It meanders aimlessly and generally sounds like unprepared improvisation. Lots of subtle scraping and metallic feedback. The black metal is awkward and jumbled. It plods along, stumbling unnecessarily. Confusing itself by trying to force inappropriate riffs into incompatible rhythms. It’s not bad, but it’s not striking either. It all feels tired. And tired tracks dragged out between 6 and 12 minutes are tiresome. There are moments that are dead-on, but those are few and far between. Not what I need. The One (GRC; 2008)-I, Master When Lou mentioned that this was Greek by way of the UK, I wasn’t sure what to think. I am not particularly fond of English black metal. I don’t know why…it just tends to be underwhelming. So I didn’t know if the project would pull from there, the Greek, or some combination of the two. Turns out it’s really none of the above. It has a certain accessibility to it, though without any sort of pandering or overreliance on convention. I suppose I expected some accessibility due to the Greek origins, but the accessibility doesn’t feel particularly Greek. It’s more like crossing the calculated advance of Inquisition with the breadth and power of Hate Forest. One cannot help but be drawn in. The approach to riffing in particular reminds me very much of Inquisition. Solid, driving chords that play the heaving momentum of the low strings against the uneasy ringing of the high strings in an alternating fashion. The result is a very full sound in which one guitar mimics the presence of two guitars. The vocals also contain hints of Dagon (esp. in the low croaking), but I may very well be projecting due to the riffing. They’re far more dynamic and far less death-centered. Attila might be a better reference point, particularly because of the range and instability. They have a similar protracted release that pulls across the verses and then explodes into clean bombast, accelerates into a howling wail, or degenerates into choking malaise. Frequent layering (perhaps like recent-years Krieg) amplifies the unsettling feel. Drums are full and right up front. They pummel, but also carry a decent amount of rock in the mid-tempo…not unlike early Carpathian Forest (e.g., “Morbid Fascination of Death”). The bass is generally utilitarian and pushes the weight of the drums and the riffs exactly as it should. From time to time it goes above and beyond and contributes active harmony. The release shifts in pace, but always has a forward-leaning momentum that carries through until the final track. At this point, the advance ceases and a synth-based space-ritual of sorts ensues and concludes the record. It’s not as kinetic as 88mm (to further tie in Dagon)…maybe more along the lines of the less-subtle Suuri Shamaani pieces. I’m honestly kind of surprised this record hasn’t received more attention. It’s exceptionally well-crafted, powerfully recorded, and tremendously interesting. Highly recommended. Satanhartalt (GBR; 2010)-Hæðenfolc demo The first track is definitely a bit tedious, but beyond that this is great. To me, at least. Ultra, ultra primitive black “metal” noise that makes even Ildjarn sound like Opeth. Drums, distorted vocals, and either a bass or a droptuned guitar with high-gauge strings. Nothing more. It’s not really music…it’s just an ugly, feral expulsion. Long, brooding passages punctuated by eruptions of muddy violence. VON is a clear influence. There’s certainly some LLN acridity. For some reason the doomy dirges bring The Body to mind…or maybe even some of the more pensive Corrupted moments. The last track almost sounds like “Pink Flag”-era Wire played at half speed. Very strange, and not unlike Malveillance covering the Ramones in feel. The recording also includes a first (as far as I’ve heard) in terms of don’t-give-a-fuck recording values: About halfway into the last quiet/reflective section his cell phone starts ringing and he just lets it ring and ring until it goes to voicemail. This is where we’re at, folks. I guess that’s pretty amazing, in some respect. Sickness (USA; 2002)-I Have Become the Disease that Made Me What is so striking about the noise here is that there are no redundancies. No repeated sounds, no stylistic motifs, no revisited structures. It’s as if a tapestry is being woven and unfurled in front of you. Ornate, excruciatingly detailed. You focus in because every moment holds its own beauty and meaning. But as you widen your perspective, you realize that there no patterns are being formed. There is nothing but the beginning, the end, and any given moment in between. It’s disorienting, so you focus back in to regain some semblance of control. The display is dizzying. Blown out rumble is spun into sheets of robotic delay which is torn into chunks of squelch. Handfuls of crumbled static are scattered over the top, while searing feedback hisses and squeals from below. Then above. Then all around. The transitions are jarring. The cuts are quick and painful. They shatter and stutter, hopping from right to left. The channels work in harmony at times, but other times are delayed from one to the next or are entirely independent in content. The manipulation is masterful. The result feels like standing in the eye of a hurricane…sonic waste whipping by…always changing as the storm picks up new fodder and spits it out. As a whole, the release is surprisingly engaging, fully potent, and incredibly harsh. Nice work. De Magia Veterum (NDL; 2011)-The Divine Antithesis From what I understand, this is a side project of someone or other from Gnaw their Tongues. Based on that alone, you know it’s going to be nasty, raw, and demented. And so it is. Programmed drums blast in textural bursts. Guitars shred and noodle…sour chords and note progressions tied together with abstract noise and nonsensical flailing. My guess is that Discordance Axis was a central influence here. The vocals are pushed to the point of damage. One can clearly see the influences of experimental noise, technical grind, and black metal, but you know what this sounds a lot like? End-stage Puritan (or maybe Three Studies for a Crucifixion circa 1999). There’s a significant difference though. Puritan (and Three Studies) had vision and soul. The discordant convulsions were representative of something larger. That’s not apparent here. It feels like extremity for the sake of extremity. A shadow without base form. Or Dillinger Escape Plan making an attempt at a raw black metal lp. No thanks. Dead Times/TRTRKMMR (USA/USA; 2011)-split (Dead Times as described by TRTRKMMR) Dead times. The dead past. But what is the past? One hundred years ago? One second ago? It is all the same. Dead. Other than the elusive moment of now, that which is commonly regarded as “present” is little more than an accumulation of expiration…a kingdom of corpses. We exist primarily as spectres, arrogantly haunting the dead present with pitiable naivety and punishable indignance. Basking in residual essence. It seeps through our memory world. Staining and discoloring all within. Anything not directly experienced is further illusory. Our memories of others’ memories. The objective is a lie. So what is there to do when all is dead? Perhaps Cioran stated it best: "True, without it we are committed to an infinity of dead ends. But even when we know that nothing leads anywhere, that the universe is only a by-product of our gloom, why should we sacrifice this pleasure of tottering and of splitting our skulls against heaven and earth?" And that is what we shall do. Bombastic rhythms pummel and shudder. Solid, merciless. They point to the hardest of the Wax Trax, but without the sterility, minimalism, and marked adherence to 1980s synth convention. This foundation is draped in blankets of sonic decay and detritus. Not continuous deterioration, but rather a dispersion of discreet variables. Thousands upon thousands of quarter-inch steel cubes, poured into flows…stacked into monoliths…strung onto threads…scattered into nonsensical disarray. Feedback and transmogrifying synths add shape and texture to the digital coalescences and fragmentations, while retched vocals provide the motives (both ulterior and express). Curious melodies surface and recede. Playful and sinister. Asahara smiles, for he knows the deceptive power that lies within such efforts. In the dead times nothing is permanent, nor unalterable. Any story can be retold differently or repeated incorrectly and a new past formed. Any element can be seized at any moment and manipulated…irrecoverably changed. Until it is changed again, that is. That is not a bell. That is a representation of a bell, which has now been ruptured and twisted into non-bell. Now it is a wailing soul. Now it never was any of the above. Nothing may be taken for granted. Samples…words and sounds made captive during even deader times…are snatched and crumpled. Bastardized. Stretched, distorted. Pounded into molecular decimate, and then cast off…pushing the limits of P-Orridge’s splinter test. Their spirits waft amongst the digital all within the void of null. Ghastly adumbrations thread the zeros and spiral the ones. Surely such cannot be? But it is. Your faith lies in disavowal. Let the splitting of heads commence. (TRTRKMMR as described by Dead Times) TRTRKMMR evades definition. Not confined merely to the dismissal of genre and classification, this material turns wholly at the discriminate whim of its singular craftsman, and no other. Eschewing paltry public fixations of extreme music, TRTRKMMR personifies its antithesis - the discipline of meticulous, private labor. Splicing, adjusting, trimming, scrapping, reworking. The entirely analog recording, cut-up loops, samples and feedback all place TRTRKMMR within the continuum of abstract electronic noise, but here it is refigured within convulsive rhythms structured by the playback of disfigured LPs and further punctured by guitar and utterly caustic humanoid vocals. The document shudders with violence and terror, interwoven with passages of organo-mechanical pulsations, flutters and colored static, torn throughout by eviscerating feedback. The results of this process don't merely illustrate the forms of concrete, industrial sound, but in the best tradition of the pioneers (John Cage, Throbbing Gristle, Masami Akita) they embody it and expand its parameters. It hisses and sputters oil, crumbles, then turbines are pushed to maximum - at times it resembles a pouring of molten lead, in others like razors through fog. Corrupted bass hits stumble over each other unevenly, abruptly disintegrate and reconstitute within throbbing progressions, building and collapsing simultaneously. Pounding and chainsawing guitars channel damaged Metal, but again - there is no safe home for this material. TRTRKMMR exists within idiosyncratic process and uncompromised pursuit of vocation. Salivating Lamb (FRA; 2010)-The Words that Form His Name demo Tremendous thanks to Jesse for passing this on to me. Despite his knowledgeable praise, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d be into it. There was something off about the artwork. I think it came down to the writing and drawing style. Whereas many black and death metal logos are seemingly unintelligibly scrawled, there is a subtle-yet-clear sense of order within the best of them. It’s kind of like tagging. You can instantly tell the difference between a writer and a toy…one has a restraint and dexterity that the other does not (and oftentimes cannot) have. It is manifested in the proportions, the end points, the linearity, the control over curves, the embellishments, and the understanding and sincerity of purpose. In the case of the current demo, the writing is scrawled in what is supposed to appear an “evil” manner. To me, it kind of comes across as unpracticed and presumptuous…similar to what punk and hardcore kids pretending to be “metal” frequently come up with (see: Job for a Cowboy logo). Anyway, I suppose that’s neither here nor there. The point is mostly just that I was more than a little bit skeptical. Fortunately and not unexpectedly, Jesse was right and I was wrong. This is great stuff. An effective blend of harsh noise, death atmosphere, black metal, and doom. I don’t have a wide range of reference points for this style, as there really isn’t a whole lot of it out there. Gnaw their Tongues, Aderlating, and Nekrasov definitely share a number of similarities. FFA, too. Less directly, “Filth”-era SWANS and Halo probably bear some responsibility. From what I understand, there’s some sort of Austrasian Goat connection here so perhaps that shaped the sound as well (I have never heard them). Regardless, the demo brings everything together nicely (well, “nicely”). It flows in and out of structure. Large expanses of dismal drone unfold and are then stomped upon. The intensity varies accordingly as the hostility is projected and then retracted. At its most violent, percussive blasting (with a strong assault rifle character) underlies layers of feedback and vomited vocals. I am unsure as to whether the rhythm tracks involve a drum kit, a drum machine, or some combination of the two. It feels inhuman, regardless. Overall, I would say the release weighs more heavily into the abstract. I personally would have preferred to have seen the structured punishment take precedence, but that is merely a preference and not a criticism. It is clear that the path taken was carefully planned and meticulously crafted. I can very much appreciate that. Raspberry Bulbs (USA; 2011)-Nature Tries Again I don’t get it. Weak, painfully simplistic 90s-sounding garage-rockish punk that people have incorrectly labeled “black metal” because someone or other from Bone Awl is or was involved. Totally impotent. Enjoy your prize, record nerds. Ash Borer (USA; 2011)-self titled It’s unusual (and pleasing) to see black metal presented on such an epic scale. The three songs unfold over a full 40 minutes…shifting from doomy riffing to ragged blasting to introspective harmonizing. Surprisingly (20-minute song lengths are inherently difficult to manage), it remains engaging throughout. Clearly there is vision within. The approach recalls Weakling, and for some reason makes me think of Woodsmoke and the Pacific Northwest. The Nature-derived name and something about the harmonic approach point to this as well. The guitar tone is excellent. Raw, yet thick. It thins out for the highs, but maintains shuddering heft for the lows. The distortion has a crumbling quality to it (esp. in the mid-range) that scatters dirt and particulate across the face of the recording. The twin guitars harmonize effectively…one pushed into the right channel, the other left. Their notes tumble and cascade. Over and under, side by side. Sometimes in an aggressive and avalanche-like manner, other times in a more brooding or pensive way. In the latter cases, the delay evokes a rich roundness that reminds me slightly of Godspeed! You Black Emperor. With shades of early Sonic Youth. Drums are dry, organic, and very present in the mix. Right where they should be. They pummel and blast with a slightly loose character. The vocals are tortured and cavernous. Somewhere in between a protracted back-of-the-throat shout and a howl. They have a certain sadness to them…accepted and comfortable. Less depressive and more melancholy. I’m unable to discern bass…it’s either integrated to the point of obscurity or not present at all. Either way is fine. A larger presence would only be distracting. Everything feels crafted. Layered and shaped. It creates a sense of complex narration and multifaceted expression. Certain elements passed down word-for-word through the oral tradition, others molded, interpreted, and re-purposed with creative eye and modern tongue. Very impressive. Gate to Gate (USA; 2005)-I Turn Black Keys Seems like everyone wants to try their hand at “blackened noise” these days. In this instance, we have members of Wolf Eyes and Hive Mind collaborating towards that end (a number of years back). The result is quite good. “Blackened,” though? Not so much. I would argue that it takes more than using McCoy/Ancestors style lettering and slapping a pentagram on the front to truly blacken the noise. To be fair, the “blackened noise” sticker may very well have been a marketing afterthought by the label. Regardless, I think that a more interesting conceptual direction (in terms of layout and artwork) would have been to follow all the way through with the John Bellairs orientation referenced in one of the song titles (“House with the Clock in its Walls”). Bellairs’ work was curious, mysterious, and sinister. Not “blackened” per se, but grimly unsettling. That is more the feel I get from the sounds within and I think it would have been neat if the rest of the release reflected that…maybe with Gorey artwork or something similar. Muddy grumblings are punctuated by sheared off shanks of treble. These slices are then sharpened and honed, sometimes slowly and deliberately on Arkansas stone and sometimes hurriedly and loose-handedly on grinding wheel. Oscillated tones sputter and warble to the point of squibbled nonsense. Junknoise crashes and clatters. Digital delay smears it all in wide strokes of robotic indifference. There is subtle laughter…not malicious but certainly not joyous. Anticipatory, perhaps. Obscured shouting and mumbling colors and texturizes the background. Certain elements remind me of the Finnish (e.g., Cloama, STROM.ec at its least vocal), but the material certainly has an identity of its own. I personally wouldn’t call it blackened noise, but it’s a great release nonetheless. Stellar Winter (SWE; 2008)-The Sunwheel demo What a fucking disaster this one is. When the first sound on a release comes from a flute (and it’s not a Herbie Mann lp, as he rules), you know you’re in trouble. This one starts with a cheerful folkish melody, backed by some limp sounding keys. The melody loops and loops again. From there, the guitar sets in. The nastiness of the tone is almost unbelievable (i.e., to Fresh Blueberry Pancake proportions), and is truly admirable in that respect. It struggles to keep up with the looping flute and chases it around awkwardly for a couple iterations. That, my friends, is when the drum machine kicks in. A straightforward, robotic Casio “rock” beat drives the instrumental at an uptempo pace for the remainder of its four minutes. The flutist takes a much-needed break sometime in the middle while the guitar continues on, unchanging, for a full minute and a half. The second track features further fumbling keyboard work and plenty more flute. It’s a slower march, the middle portion introducing rasped, back-of-the-throat vocals with a strong muppet quality to them. The final track is a single pop-punk riff repeated mercilessly for four minutes. The programming underneath shifts around, but otherwise there is no variation to the instrumental. It sounds like the theme to an after-school special. I’m kind of at a loss for this one. Three one-riff, four-minute-plus tracks? Incompetently played and subject to unrestrained, unapologetic fluting? It’s kind of amazing. How did this possibly make it from some bedroom in Sweden to my home? Shouldn’t it have been stopped, refused, or swatted down at some point in between? It’s like a less-ambitious, Swedish Nord ‘N’ Commander. Need any more words be wasted? Black Funeral (USA; 2010)-Vukolak I tend to forget to listen to Black Funeral. Not for any particular reason…I just do. It then takes releases like this one to remind me to go back and revisit the previous records. This is everything I want to listen to right now. It has a vision and a potency of execution that I’m not seeing a lot of these days. A haunting, vampyric intro establishes the mood. It draws you in. Closer, closer. Just as you peer over the edge of the coffin and into the darkness, you are mercilessly slashed across the face with an outburst of searing guitar trebletone. It feels white-hot…sizzling with angry energy. Vocals arise. The high end is blown out here as well (via distortion), and the extensive digital delay provides an unsettling metallic undertone. They howl and wail in exacerbated raggedness. In the midst, the guitars interact frenetically. They carry the harmonic character of early Ulver (“Nattens Madrigal”), but with far less discipline. The result is more visceral, more uncertain, and more deranged. The pick is raked against the strings. Sometimes forming chords and lines of speedpicked notes, other times reduced to nothing more than uneven, chortling slides. Drums are a dry, dead offering of thumps and clangs. Sinister interludes heighten the tension. A couple of the more raging points remind me of Nyogthaeblisz, but otherwise it has a very clear character of its own. And it’s an ugly, unbelievably nasty mess. The blackest of the black filth. Underlying feedback, untuned toms, slightly off-time transitions, disjointed structures. Sometimes multiple wrongs can indeed make a right. 5:45 (DEU; 2008)-Notwehr Along with Stellar Winter, here we have another potential entry into the UINSQM (Utterly Incompetent National Socialist Quasi-Metal) sub-subgenre. I don’t know why I find myself so fascinated by this stuff. It’s so unbelievably misguided I suppose it’s hard to look away from. Kind of like Christian pop music. Anyway, this is not the unmitigated disaster of Nord ‘N’ Commander, Armatus, or Stellar Winter, but when it’s bad it’s really bad. The first track (after the noisy intro) sets the tone. An insecure guitar riff is slopped over a halting, Graveland-ish drum machine march. The programming is questionable at best and it is frequently difficult to tell if it is offering a rhythm or just sputtering out an accumulation of hits. The vocals also recall Graveland and have a good, back-of-the-throat croaking quality to them. They are not as cartoonish as Darken in his earlier years and actually work quite well here. In fact, the combination would not be the worst…if it weren’t for the bass. It’s very clean, very present, and has to be at least a half second off-time. It pukes twang all over the place and leaves the track sounding stumbling-drunk and discombobulated. I know quite well that it can be tricky to play with a drum machine…none of the visual cues are present…but really, IT’S BASICALLY A METRONOME. It’s always going to be dead accurate. There’s no guessing involved. And if you fall off time, you simply restart it and record everything all over again. It’s not like you’re going to wear the machine’s arms out with a hundred takes. Anyway, the bass player mysteriously and mercifully disappears (or gets turned down) after the first track and the remaining material feels slightly more coherent in consequence. The Graveland influence fades a bit and it starts to remind me in many ways of Luftwaffe Raid (esp. “Paradox”), but without the self-aware charm (or the Nazi zombies). I should note that there’s some unfortunate keyboard work added in on a semi-regular basis. It’s generally unobtrusive. Some tracks, however, suffer greatly. “Holodreams” includes not only keyboard emphases on the rhythm (unforgivable), but also a soaring keyline that is more fitting for a Tears for Fears song than anything even remotely associated with metal. I don’t know what else to say. There’s quite a bit of risk involved in creating this kind of material (the logo includes a sunwheel and the band name “magically” adds up to 14) in Germany and sending it out of the country, no? I can’t help but find it laughable to picture the bassist sitting in jail, thinking back on this record, and saying “man, that was totally worth it.” Euthanizer (USA; 2010)-Permanent Damage demo Ten short, nearly interchangeable bursts of blown-out filth. Each is based around an angular three-to-four chord punk riff. Vocals side more with what qualifies these days as “black metal” than they do with punk or hardcore. The end result doesn’t sound Japanese, but there are certainly some similarities with the 1984 approach. I like it. That said, I see no reason I’d go out of my way to listen to it. Goatmoon (FIN; 2010)-Hard Evidence: Illegal Live Activities I’m not going to say that you shouldn’t play live if you can’t play your songs competently. I’m more guilty of that than just about anyone. But I will say this: If you can’t play your songs competently, you absolutely should not release a live record of you playing your songs incompetently. Let alone one with an inept Skrewdriver cover. For fuck’s sake. When did common sense become so uncommon? Coven (USA; 1987)-Worship New Gods “The gods made Men…Men made Steel.” Man, this is great. Doomed heavy metal of an epic scale that few have attempted and even fewer have achieved. Not to say that Coven even come close to achieving this as the record is far from perfect (e.g., weak sounding guitars, a few stumbles, off-tune singing), but the attempt is both admirable and appreciated. The first track reminds me of “Land of Mystery” era Black Hole (especially the Vitus-influenced guitars), but from there the record adopts a significant amount of punk influence that Black Hole never touched. The punk feel is definitely enhanced by the general use of power chording and the surprising lack of guitar leads (it’s almost like they recorded them but forgot to add them into the final mix). At its punkest, the record reminds me very much of later-mid-years TSOL (right down to the slight Danzig vocal inflections and unashamed use of brooding ballads) and occasionally mid-to-later-years Bad Brains. Dark and moody while still assertive and driving with a whole lot of vocal “whoooooooaaaaaaooooohhhhhs.” It’s an odd mix when brought into contact with the epic heavy metal (the fifth track has a great Candlemass-style breakdown in the midst of what feels more like punk riffing) but the result is mildly synergistic, rather than the oil and water reaction one might expect. Meti Bhuvah (RUS; 2008)-self titled Basic, but ripping. Not exactly what I expected (it sounds more Finnish than Russian), but no complaints as they do it well. The great, old-style riffs and general rawness place it in the realm of Ildjarn, Vordr, Hammer, Stella Polaris, Bone Awl, and so on. I love this stuff and can listen to it for hours on end, but would be hard-pressed to elaborate any further. I guess that's kind of the point. Villains (USA; 2009)-Lifecode of Decadence Well, it appears that Villains have taken me to task for my review of their previous lp. At that point I was admittedly not yet won over, though I liked the direction they appeared to be heading. I later had a lengthy, thoroughly enjoyable exchange with Teeth regarding Villains and his other project, Pollution (it’s always great to discuss music with folks who appreciate the primal, fistbanging mania factor of metal, but also obsess over the details and how these seeming trivialities contribute to and shape the whole). Two key points came out of it all: Zoetrope rules and the new Villains lp was going to “melt my mind.” I was well aware of the former point (I first saw them at the Milwaukee Metalfest when I was 15 and was so taken by them that I made my own Zoetrope shirt with a permanent marker…needless to say, it did not go over well at school), but the latter left me both curious and intrigued. Now that I have it in my hands I am pleased to report that overall, I like this record. It draws solidly from the big names of first-wave black and speed metal (e.g., Bathory, Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Voivod, Hellhammer, Dark Angel), but equally so from the underrated and the relatively lesser known (e.g., Bulldozer, Sextrash, Poison [GER], Slaughter [CAN], Fingernails, Zoetrope, Sarcofago, Blessed Death). It’s a well-crafted blend, with enough innovation and idiosyncrasy to keep it fresh and interesting (as “fresh” as metal that deals in filth and sleaze can be, that is). The vocals are similar to the previous release, but I’m now hearing more layering with Lino essentially backing himself up with distant, hard-panned rasps and whispers. I’ve long argued that more bands should do this. Lino has also really tweaked the Araya/Doty wail that he brought over from The Dying Light. It now carries a slightly more deranged tone that is more in line with the South American take on the wail (e.g., Sarcofago, or, more recently, Goat Semen), but what pushes it over the top is that he now merges it into a sinister, King Diamond style falsetto. I love that the clearly identifiable components come together to create a unique whole. The guitars shred, with the lead ripping into its first solo no more than one second into the first track. The rhythm guitar is warm and relatively full (complimented nicely by the solid, organic drums and the thick, grounding basslines), whereas the solos have a slightly-fuzzed-yet-incisive tone that cuts through the tracks like a dirty knife in the hands of a skilled butcher. In doing so, the bludgeoning rage of the record is trimmed slightly and is left leaner and arguably more effective in its hostility. Outside of a few errant vocal punctuations, the only thing that I really do not like about this record is the third track (“The Headless Excruciator”). I can’t make sense of it and it seems to detract from the dark, filthy spirit of the rest of the record. I’m not sure how to describe it…it’s based around a basic punk drumbeat and a basic punk riff, but really goes all over the place. In some ways it reminds me of a “Seminal Vampire”-era Abscess track (or something Darkthrone might have done recently) with a disjointed Mercyful Fate tangent forced in the middle. Portions of the vocals recall Slaughter (especially with the punk drums and the distinctive last-syllable emphases) and perhaps “Hatröss”-era Voivod, but there are also some oddly-placed King Diamond wails and hard-panned talking. It feels kind of jumbled, and at times has a goofy, outtake feel. I admit it grows on you, but I kind of wish it was at the end of the record or not present at all. Disforterror (BRA; 2007)-2007 promo It has been surprising just how many releases I’ve heard lately where the band name is completely and entirely removed from the style the band plays. In this case, I was expecting some raw, raging Brazilian-obsessed-with-Scandinavian D-beat along the lines of Besthoven. Once again, I’m completely wrong. It’s dense (though not in the heavy, droptuned sense), dynamic, and chaotic death metal. The vocals are guttural, but fiercely projected. The guitars are highly frantic and slash jaggedly across the mid and high ranges. Perhaps rooted in Morbid Angel (or Morbid Angel channeled through Krisiun) and some of the sicker Brazilian DEATHrash (e.g., Expulser, Headhunter DC, Insulter, Impurity), but crossed with a kinetic dissonance used by bands like Dawn of Azazel and Portal. The result is quite potent. Genocide (DEU; 2007)-Apocalyptic Visions This record is pretty great. It’s aggressive, yet tight and disciplined. Creative, yet firmly rooted. It draws solidly from modern black metal, but also from primal sources (Hellhammer in particular) and punk. The vocals remind me of Hiatus and I can’t help but hear ‘90s Profane Existence metallic crust when some of the more straightforward punk drumming kicks in (the sixth track actually sounds a whole lot like early Decrepit). I’m not overly into the drumming during these parts, but it’s otherwise excellent. Clear and well-played. The guitars are really good as well. They have a nice solid tone that captures the full range, but still allows subtleties (e.g., the fluttering of the fast strumming) to surface. The riffing is great (familiar but not stock), and the guitars harmonize effectively. The bass is a few steps into the background, but is noticeably-yet-humbly present during tertiary harmonizations. It’s a good mix, and I’ve been listening to this quite a bit as a result. Grimorium Verum (ECU; 2008)-self titled Man, this is some good stuff. Something about it hints to its South American origins (beyond the Spanish vocals, that is), but most of it seems to draw from US speed, old-school death, and thrash. The tone and the style of the bulk of the guitars kind of remind me of No Mercy, with a good ripping treble/solid bass balance and lots of palm muted speed chugging. I'm sure that some of this is inspired by the thicker Brazilian thrash like Chakal and Mutilator. Possessed as well. I like that the two guitars are widely panned. For the most part, they play the same riffs so it sounds cool when one goes to solo and suddenly the elements split way into the left and right. The vocals are generally in the mid-range (they kind of remind me of Filth of Mankind, actually), but he dips down into the low end for a couple tracks. The former sound great, while the latter sound a little strained and end up being unnecessarily monotonous. A minor complaint, though. The rest is great. Geistus (USA; 2006)-self titled demo I can’t say I was expecting much based on the cover. It reminds me of an unfortunate style of RAMBO-related artwork that oversaturated Philadelphia show fliers in the mid-‘00s. I took a look inside and it turns out the drawing was done by Ross Sewage. Interesting. Anyway, the demo is a bit tricky to pin down. It really seems to shift form as it progresses, but without changing overall sound. The first couple tracks are very cavernous and have a bit of an LLN feel to them. The vocals are WAY delayed and cycle over themselves nicely. Riffing is decidedly more metal-based than most black metal, but never loses the dark spirit. The latter tracks seem to have more death metal influence. I may be imagining things after noticing the Ross Sewage connection, but the last track is vaguely reminiscent of Exhumed (maybe like a demo version of one of the “Gore Metal” tracks). I then noticed that the two sets of tracks were recorded in two separate sessions over two separate years. Makes sense. The recording is murky through and through, though. I’m not sure if that was intentional or if the demos just weren’t dubbed all that well when they were first made. It doesn’t really add anything to the release, and there are definitely parts where I wish I had a clearer idea of what is going on (particularly when the guitar and the relentless drumming come together). From what I understand, members are also in Yob and Middian. Morne (USA; 2008)-Demo 2008 There was no way this was not going to be good, if not great. Members of Grief, Disrupt, and Filth of Mankind uniting to further the cause and intent of Amebix, Deviated Instinct, Antisect, Axegrinder, and so on. The band clearly approaches this from the solid foundation set by Filth of Mankind on "The Final Chapter" lp. The song structures are similar. The Graveland-like atmospheric keys are interchangeable and serve similar purpose. Some of the chord progressions and riffing cadences are identical. The key differences are in the vocals and the guitar tone. The vocals are decidedly more punk than Filth of Mankind. Whereas the latter had a gruff, hostile, near-guttural roar (not unlike Brujeria, actually), the former is more of a classic low shout. The guitar tone is also more punk, or (perhaps more accurately) less metal. Still thick and distorted, but not metal-dense. Outside of the Filth of Mankind framework, any number of other direct influences are apparent. "Twilight Burns" fully rips a couple riffs straight out of "A Closing Irony" from Sacrilege. It works very nicely. The pace picks up from time to time, and when it does the songs seem to pull more from heavy, modern Swedish hardcore (e.g., Wolfbrigade, Genocide SS, recent Skitsystem) and less from anything English or Polish. This is easily where the demo is at its weakest. Aside from the fact that I hate the style, there's too much of that shit out there and we simply don't need more. Maybe it's just the Disrupt element shining through. I kind of wish that instead of speeding up, they had furthered the Sacrilege influence and slowed it down "Turn Back Trilobite" style. Other than that minor complaint, the demo is pretty awesome (cheers to Ned for sending a copy over!). As an aside, "Seams" has a verse that repeats the phrase "something to live for" a number of times. It should bring a smile to the face of anyone who has seen "American Movie." Angel Reaper (HUN; 1989)-Végzet Utolér demo Up until this point, the only Angel Reaper material I had was the 1992 "Exhumált Világ" demo. Lou sent me a copy years ago and I've been obsessed ever since. The band represents everything I love about ancient Eastern European black metal. Nasty, raw, simple, and serious in intent. When put into a social context involving government suppression and censorship, it makes its existence all the more incredible. These were not nowadays upper middle class kids making melancholy "black" metal on their computers…these were folks who faced and often accepted persecution and jail time not only for making this filth but for intending to make it in the first place. This demo is from 1989 and was released a few years before the "Exhumált Világ" demo. It's just as raw and haphazardly urgent, but has perhaps a bit more punk/oi in it both in terms of melody and execution. I am not overly familiar with Hungarian culture, but some of the melodies seem to have a traditional or even nationalistic feel to them. I prefer the succeeding demo because of its slightly more ragged and hostile edge, but this is fucking great. Vorkuta (HUN; 2006)-Morbid Audial Plaguestorm demo You know, I realize there's nothing much involved in reversing a track and throwing it on the record as an "evil" intro but I still love it every time. In this case the inversion twists in the wind for just long enough to establish intentions before the demo reverts back to forward and drops straight into the black filth. It's a very simple, bare, unproduced sound (e.g., Tudor, early Root). No reverb, no blown-out distortion, no technical prowess, no "hidden" or "buried" instruments, no nothing. Just distilled black fucking metal. Exactly what I've come to know, love, and in many ways expect from the Eastern European underground. Plus there's a badass cover of "The Hordes of Nebulah." Kozeljnik (SER; 2008)-Sigil Rust Solid, well-played Eastern European black metal. I haven't been listening to a whole lot of stuff like this lately, so even though there's nothing in particular about it that strikes me it really sounds good right now. Nice to hear up-front, highly proficient drumming for a change. The vocals are mid-range and drawled out in a manner not unlike Attila in his more stable moments. The guitar lines are good and interact effectively in a slightly unorthodox manner. It's all well-recorded, without sounding "produced." The more I listen, the more I like it. Unremarkable, yet fully satisfying. Ride for Revenge/Bizarre Uproar (FIN/FIN; 2008)-split This split release had an incredible amount of potential that it did not actualize. I was envisioning a collaborative effort, where Bizarre Uproar's oppressive wall of sound was tipped over onto Ride for Revenge's scummy, rolling basslines with the end result being a linearly mobile monstrosity. Instead, the two sides went with the conventional split approach and created their own individual tracks (which overlap a little bit during crossfades). Still great (you certainly can't go wrong with either of these projects on their own), but not exactly the synergistic sonic terror I'd hoped for. Kraken Duumvirate (FIN; 2008)-From the Dying Soil to the Eternal Sea ep Very melancholy and subdued. Slow, cold, plodding drum machine rhythms with echoing, circular guitar lines and torn, cavernous vocals. The general approach is basic and the melodies are relatively stock for this kind of bleak metal, but they incorporate a number of elements that supplement the thin atmosphere. Swells of bowed bass strings, unobtrusive keys, and other undefined sounds enter and exit the tracks and ebb and flow within. The song structures and the recording values create a distinct feeling of distance and detachment, but the other parts serve to draw the listener back in with an odd, empathetic warmth. It's an interesting approach, and I doubt I'd have been quite as taken by the release if they hadn't utilized this juxtaposition of constructs. Werewolf Jerusalem (USA; 2007)-Masked Spider of the First A variety of harsh walls of noise, from compressed winds of white noise to highly nuanced, friction static to circular distortions. The density and general relentlessness of these kinds of noise can easily lead one to hear it all as one solid track or channel, but what I like about this release is that there are multiple points where the harsh noise is retracted and it becomes very clear that there were more subtle layers present underneath the wall all along. And once these layers are revealed, they remain apparent when the wall is reinstituted. The level of dynamics in the noise manipulation varies, but appears to increase towards the latter half of the release. It is a worthwhile auditory challenge, to be sure. DAI (CZE; 1993)-The Advent Good to finally have a quality copy of this classic. Mandatory early-90s Czech death metal played in the style that most of the rest of the world was playing in the late-80s. Doomy riffs surround thrashy ones. Low vocals throughout. Very subtle atmospheric keys. Comparisons with Torr are fair where thrash is involved, but DAI are more death metal centered so "In the Shade of Darkness" era Amon (CZE) might be a better comparison. Regardless, this is excellent, dark, old-school death metal. Black Sabbath (ENG; 1992)-Dehumanizer I hadn't listened to this lp in ages (probably 18 or 19 years!), but then recently found a dollar cassette copy at the bookstore and haven't been able to get it out of the tape deck since. It's just plain badass, and I'm ashamed to have forgotten this. The drums are organic and thundering in a way that few albums manage to capture (KISS' "Creatures of the Night" and Zeppelin's "Physical Graffiti" come to mind). Dio sounds genuinely angry, even when the lyrical material is arguably weak (TV crimes?). The riffing is a bit more hard rock than heavy metal, but it's powerful and snarling in tone. In many ways, the record reminds me of some of the more recent Candlemass releases (specifically, the self titled and “King of the Grey Islands”). Powerful in both substance and presentation. Plus, the cover looks like something New Renaissance could have put on a Blood Feast lp in 1986. Can't argue with that.