Saturday, December 11, 2010

Urfaust – Geist ist Teufel re-issue (Terratur Possessions 2009)


I can’t get this damn album out of my head!!!!! I’ve only had it a few months, but the primitive and drunken necromantic ritualistic sounds on tracks like “Drundenfss” and “Auszug Aller todlich seinene krafte” really infect you like a brain mutating virus. I’ma long running fan of the left-field black metal stuff like Hammer of Hate Records releases, Bestial burst (Ride for Revenge), Dead Reptile Shrine, Dormant, Blood of the Black Owl, Circle of Ouroborus,etc. ,but this one hooked me the most and still leaves me confused as to why I love it so damn much.

“Drundenfss” is genuinely raw/grim occultic and yet the vocals sound almost like some folk song about ghosts or a curse, the sound is like an old shortwave radio transmission from the 1920’s-1940’s and the clean vocals have a nice pagan tone that really makes the track sophisticated and haunting. You just feel something cult and ominous although there is a slight feel of being a drinking song here.

“Auszug Aller todlich seinene krafte” is this folklike occultist jig being done by some guy with serious delusions and/or highly intoxicated, it reminds me of my parents Celtic folksong records but with me listening to them on something wicked!!!!! The vocals are awesome, they have a great tone, almost clean and the way he belts them out like a drunken folksong being sung in a cave is amazing!!!! You really do have to hear this one to understand it and once you do you’ll flip for it just like I did I’m sure. I wish I knew the lyrics so I could sing along with it because I get this one stuck in my head and bang out the rhythms for days afterward.

The album come to a close with two untitled tracks of dark cinematic atmospheres sort of similar to black ambient or neo-classical stuff like something on Cold Meat Industry (In Slaughter Natives),Cold Spring, Steinklang/Ahnstern.

This release is another one for those old macabre/horror films, put it on loud and sit in the dark watching weird macabre images in black and white and you’ll get why this thing is so damn great!!!! I had to review it because it needs to be heard and they have a new LP/CD, Der Freiwillige Bettler” out on Van Records which I’ll be reviewing when I get it in the next few weeks. If you’re a huge collector of EPs, vinyl, demos, and cassettes then grab up their back catalog, it’s totally worth it.

Band info/audio samples:
http://www.myspace.com/urfaustfans

Thursday, December 9, 2010

PanzerBastard - Centurion EP (PATAC Records 2010)


All that I can really say here is “DAMN!!!!!”, this is some heavy and great hardcore/crust/metal noise!!!!! Whether your poison is death/crust/grind/sludge this one will quench you need for brutality and one hell of a violent drunken rage soundtrack. While working on a new album, touring with other diabolical acts like Hellbastard these guys also manage to throw in two undeniably worthy covers of Celtic Frost ( “I Won’t Dance” and “The Usurper”), so if the mention of CF gets to you like it does for me… check this band out for sure!!!! There’s enough Crowbar, Dead Kennedy’s, and Celtic Frost here to spread the plague for millions of years so crank it loud and tear the place apart.

Band contact/info/audio samples:
http://www.myspace.com/panzerbastard

Hellbastard – Eco-War EP (Selfmadegod/PATAC Records 2010)


I’m no stranger to this UK crust metal band and am really glad to see and HEAR that they are still in the works and as filthy and ballistic as ever!!!!! I really enjoyed their The Need to Kill… album (2009) and can feel the fury on this release that smolders that last release into minute ash as these veterans are louder and nastier than ever after about 26 years or so since they began making socially conscious noise. Those who have a serious craving for chugging artillery fire riffs and battery, a punk as fuck DIY aesthetic, and love melodic and bulldozing heavy metal will be completely devastated at what these boys are doing now!!!!!! This EP rips!!!!!! Classic crust meets thrash and pure metal Armageddon!!!!!

Band info/contact/audio samples:
http://www.myspace.com/rippercrust

Svartsyn – Wrath Upon the Earth (Agonia Records 2011)


Here comes another malicious savage album from the Agonia roster that continues in the trend of pushing the boundaries of melody infused aggression in black metal. The best way to describe this one is to say that if you were drunk to the point of being two breaths away form being able to inflate a hot air balloon on your own and somehow got caught in hurricane. If that analogy doesn’t make your head spin and stomach do somersaults than just wait until you hear the album!!!!!!!! It’s “OOOH Shit!!!!!” from start to finish like one hell of a monster thrill ride that might take time to recover form before you can walk again. The riffs encircle around you like demonic buzzards ready to rip the flesh off your bones and the drums sound out the rhythm march of damnation and despair, it’s really wicked!!!!!! This thing will set you on fire and you’ll be begging for more gasoline!!!!!

Band info/Contact/Audio Samples:
http://www.myspace.com/svartsynband

Minotaur - Power of Darkness (I Hate Records 2010)


Finally….I new thrash release that isn’t NEW!!!!!! For those out there who share my nostalgic love for: Sodom, Kreator, Destruction, Darkness…Teutonic 80’s thrash, will have to get their clutches on this one. After 22 years this Panzerbeast of old school angst, blistering leads, cataclysmic percussion, and rhythms that whip your ass bare of all flesh with an iron whip is properly re-released.

This is PURE FUCKING METAL CHAOS!!!!!!!! And as usual I Hate captures my attention and admiration with another solid release this year. Like old school death metal, this thrash style is vicious and I’m drawn to it like a newly paroled convict to a cheap F#$% and this one is absolutely worth the wait!!!! I don’t see this one leaving my player anytime soon and I might even crank it at work and piss people off or start a party, we’ll see (I’m betting on the latter because this stuff is contagious and nasty too).

Band contact/audio samples:
http://www.minotaur-thrasher.de
http://www.myspace.com/minotaurthrashers

purchasing and album info:
http://www.ihate.se

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Horned Almighty – Necro Spirituals (Candlelight 2011)


I’ve been a fan of these Danish shits since I picked up their split with Sargeist some time ago and have to say that a lot has changed since that vile and raw little Moribund split was released. For one the production on this one is amped up, but not enough to ruin the vulgar and treble tones of the metallic guitar buzzing, and they are out of the cave and fully unloading rounds into everything they can get a bullet into. The Celtic Frost/raw crusty black metal is still present, only instead of a militia it’s a full -blown cavalry!!!!!

http://www.myspace.com/hornedlamighty

Grave Desecrator – Insult (Hells Headbangers 2011)


These days it’s hard to buy an album based on label alone, but as with every circumstance there’s an exception and that exception for me in terms of black/death/extreme metal is HHR. This Brazillian oldschool heretical blackened death beast lays in the desecrated blood soaked ground between early Sepultura, Incantation and Sarcofago. There’s a great crusty old school flare (Celtic Frost/Hellhammer) in the rhythms that kicks up the sacrificial tone of this virgin mutilating blood bath of an album that is sure to make heads turn, bang…and roll. This is absolutely essential for the old school horde, in fact I wholly recommend Gravehill alongside this one for a belligerent and bestial headbang. The riffs swirl around you like a tornado!!!!!! You can even hear and feel classic Morbid Angel in tracks like “Stained by Blood” complete with severing leads and brutal shreds!!!!!

Sample this rip fest@ http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/gravedesecrator/

Eastern Front - Blood on Snow (Candlelight Records 2011)


This English black metal onslaught is as brutal and intense as their cover art is. There’s something unique about this band in the sound that is haunting and elusive, it’s just a simple synth behind the crusty and in-your-face aggression these guys bring forth, and some of the guitar work, but it really does something to this whole album to make it a bit creepy without being raw and grim. With all of the talent coming out right now it really takes something to stand out and even the subtleties on albums like this one make all the fucking difference. There’s some sad atmospheres of post war death and loss, cold snow covered barren trenches, and troops moving in the near distance. There’s even some death metal gutteral growls here and there to add the sense of a battalion approaching, this release really shows a lot of diversity but still remaining a classic and raw black metal band paying as much homage to Gorgoroth, Marduk. Immortal, Bathory then anything avant-garde. Definitely check into this band, in fact the album is produced by Andy La Rocques…

Band info:
www.wartornblackmetal.com
www.myspace.com/easternfrontuk

Drug Honkey - Death Dub (Diabolical Conquest Records)


I’ve been craving my old Ministry/Pailhead/1000 Homo DJs stuff starting two nights ago and after cranking The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste and the many EP’s form the great side projects of Al Jourgenson, I remembered that this one had crossed my path and perfectly fits Ministry or old Wax Trax bands doing raw early death metal sludge. It’s raw death industrial breeding with Eyehategod (?) or something in that ballpark, and really cool. Absolutely for fans of ultra low end sludge tremors like early Earth(non-drone), Rakhim, Fleshpress, with some Abscess zombie/horror vocals run through deep effects and a rumbling swamp rhythm raw and black like a 3rd degree burn still oozing and steaming. Fuck…I don’t even know what the hell this is but it grooves and bludgeons with the weight of its leaden riffs until your skull bursts, so definitely check the link below for this one!!!!!

http://www.myspace.com/drughonkey

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Impiety – Worshippers of the Seventh Tyranny (Agonia Records 2011)


This 7th release from doom black death metal barbarians is a 40 minute epic war track that storms over you like a galloping horde of 10 million iron horses!!!!! Seriously, this one has EVERYTHING!!!!!!!! Bestial, unforgiving, relentless, debauched and violent…what more could you ask for, or want for that matter? The vocals are also spoken word crust/nuclear fallout doom themed, in fact it reminds me of the awesome Dead Neon cassette that I just reviewed, cool shit!!!!!

Set for release on February 15, 2011 and ready to scorch the heavens and the Earth, you won’t want to miss this one and judging from the noise and awesome cover art, you CAN’T miss it!!!!!

http://www.myspace.com/impietyofficial

Wooden Stake/Druid Lord - Split 7"



Wooden Stake is a classic horror occult doom fiend’s greatest holiday gift that is sure to please everyone with the sultry and esoteric female vocals that sort of remind me of the less martial Dead Can Dance vocals over some stomping raw doom thunder ( DCD is on my playlist these last few nights so it struck the righ chord with me). The atmosphere is haunting and easily could be mistaken by the novice as a field recording of a modern day black mass. Just in time for the winter Solstice, grab one of these QUICKLY and rejoice in your doomy pagan spirits. This band is one of my top new finds and will become yet another of my doom obsessions. This duo has several awesome releases coming soon including a split with the amazing Blizaro on Razorback so don’t pass up on this one!!!!

Wooden Stake: http://www.myspace.com/woodenstakedeath



Druid Lord is Florida based death doom act similar to the brilliant Acid Witch, but just as brilliant in their own unique way. Having just reviewed this monster bands debut, Hymns For the Wicked (HPGD), this split couldn’t have come at a better time. For fans of Coffins, Acid Witch, Autopsy, Ramesses, Winter, doom metal, and classic horror films!!!! I can’t get enough of this stuff, but then again…what am I not obsessing over in terms of heavy essentials? DO NOT PASS ON THIS ONE, their debut, or any ACID WITCH…they are limited and once they are gone you’ll regret not picking it up as I have with the first AW!!!!!


Druid Lord: http://www.myspace.com/druidlordz

Veneficum – In tranquil Absurd (Self-Release 2010)


I’ve been a fan of this Chicago based symphonic Black metal band since there brilliant “Dysphoria” album and when they came to me with this one I was totally humbled and excited. After about 6 years in the making this recent release is not only as intense and majestic as their debut, but even more. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that this release is the exact reason why I loved this stuff beginning with “In the Nightside Eclipse”, “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas”, “Dark Medieval Times”, “Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism”, and “In Abhorrence Dementia”. The amount of atmosphere and brute force, not to mention evil, that can be captured in black metal is undeniable as these bands and newer acts like Veneficum continue to drop the bomb on the listener with their storm of metallic fury that we have come to expect from this style.

The album opens up with “The Return” featuring some haunting female vocals and chugging riffs that conjure up sensations of intense and chaotic bouts of struggle. Bands like Veneficum continue in the post Emperor era to prove that symphonic black metal can still be belligerent and annihilating to the senses through a battering ram arsenal of percussion, scathing fury, and dense atmospheres of black holes and parallel universe philosophies that’ll make your head spin as your mind tries to wrap around each piece of this audio puzzle. In Tranquil Absurd, to me is the sound of the cosmos and the dark universe that surrounds us as each tiny piece leads us further mentally and literally into unknown realms both mysterious and possibly treacherous. The entire album is a cinematic, lucid journey that is chaotic and at times celestial (?), you have to experience to understand it.

You definitely don’t want to miss this one:
http://www.myspace.com/veneficum

Fester – Winter of Sin re-issue (Abyss Records 2010)


Fester is a wet dream for a doomy death fanatic like myself and this classic release from back in 1992 is being necromanced to unleash its raw venomous curse yet again. There’s the rawness of Autopsy and Winter and a bit of Darkthrone and Celtic Frost to freeze the blood in your veins, but overall Fester is its own beast with its own sound and feel and comes highly recommended for those who like their metal raw and filthy as much as I do. There’s a good balance between doom death and frosty classic Nordic old school black metal to savor here so definitely pick this thing up.

Band Contact and Audio Samples:
http://www.myspace.com/festernorway

Purchasing:
http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/