Hypsiphrone – And the Void shall Pierce Their Eyes (Black Plague Records)

Flat out, this is some serious disturbed, perverted, sadistic and psychotic shit!!!!! I have yet to have been seriously convinced of someone being able to convey their experience of inflicting something so terrifying in audio that it could honestly be a Freudian slip of their sociopathic homicidal delusions taken beyond the point of a half conscious dream state and into a complete conscious revisitation of their past crimes, complete with all the vibrant memories right down to smells.

Part post-industrial prison raped black metal (Abruptum, Gnaw Their Tongues, some Nekrasov), depraved dark ambient and diseased neo-classical (Megaptera, In Slaughter Natives, BDN), and just sadistic and bizarre psychotic percussive violence,  there’s absolutely no getting around the criminally insane and malevolent filth perpetrated on this album.

“Cornucopia Sabatti” is a deranged ambient audio fantasy of a woman being attacked and mutilated in a swift and spontaneous moment of inhuman savagery. You hear the rain, the thunder, the clanking rusty metal, the snapping of bones, the screams of pain form the victim and then the hallucinations of psychedelic bouts of memories of echoing screams and bell tones amidst a thick scum layer of electronic distortion. Even writing this makes me uncomfortable, as this is some seriously graphic and realistic soundtrack to an abstract serial killer film. So if you’re looking for a mindfuck, then this one is an essential!!!! You’ve probably never heard anything quite like this!!!!

“Resurgence of Mors Sexualis” is like a Ride For Revenge, diesel-doom throbbing black metal experimental shit storm, with some Militaristic post-industrial flare (sounds like In Slaughter Natives and Brighter Death Now with a freight train or subway train screeching along the tracks in the background), and a continual audio clip realistic to the point of possibly being from an actual documentary on necrophilia as it continually talks about “fantasizing…rehearsing fantasies…having sex with a corpse causing (some sort of) erection …”.

Hopefully by now you are either: buying this one (link at the bottom); vomiting in violent convulsions as you shiver and spasm because your skin is literally crawling off your bones like a horde of roaches from being so digusted; or reaping in your own deviant fantasies from the description.

And if you still aren’t convinced, “Epiphony Written in Blood” is the female spoken word confessions of her majesty, the sadist behind the treacherous tales unfolded for our enlightenment. It’s like Countess Bathory speaks through a medium and divulges her true and uncensored story.

Seriously though, if you’re really looking for something that’ll absolutely spontaneously erupt one source of your bodily fluids (be it sweat, urine, spit, vomit….), this is that masterful  a piece of conscious rotting paraphanalia that WILL do the job. This album could even potentially be banned somewhere for driving someone completely insane or scaring them into having a stroke. Horror and twisted minds MUST feed their need with Hypsiphrone!!!!

Limited to 500 copies too!!!!!

Absolutely essential for fans of: Sewer Goddess, Ride For Revenge, Welter in Thy Blood, Abruptum, Dead reptile Shrine, Havohej, Profanantica, and anything else mentioned in the review.

http://malignantrecords.com/

http://www.myspace.com/hypsiphrone

Black Plague is a sub-label of Malignant Records

Lutomysl – S/T (WOHRT)

This solo act from Ukraine, once known as Profane Solitude, brings some substance to melodic back metal that never goes into shoe-gaze but does have a skeletal feel and emotional grasp on the listener like the cold hand of death. The guitar work is really great, it shows a ideal balance between the trebly arpeggio black metal riffing style, thick and full distorted chords, and speed blending with melody but never delving into anything technical or out of bounds. It sounds as though Lutomysl has several guitarists working at once to create the density and drowning substance in the songs, and the solo/melodic work also shows promise. Regardless of mixing, or how it was all put together (which is awesome) the guy still had to create each piece and have it fit with the others, and the result is a flowing stream of frosted frustration and isolation that somehow feels separate from the river of self proclaimed misanthropic muck that brings insult to the reality of what others genuinely have done.

Order from: 

http://wohrtrecords-store.com/

Medo – Materia Negra (War Productions CD)

Medo is definitely psychedelic occult and ritualistic black metal, in fact the entire album as a whole is like listening to a long lost soundtrack for an occult LSD induced/influenced horror film from the 60’s or 70’s. There’s definitely even some essence of Argento/Bava felt in the shorter clean spoken ritual tracks like “Medium”, “Por Tras da porta de ferro”, and “O verdugo”; each of which sound like audio clips from scenes in an actual film.

“Trabalho de Magia Negra” and “You Will Never Burn all Witches” feature

gruff and raspy gutteral spoken word incantations and some howling occult moans creating a disturbing and pretty freaked out Acid trip/murder cult vibe that’s unique and sure to intrigue any listener (even if they’re some non-suspecting bystander like people at my work). Also throughout these songs is this psychedelic and esoteric whistling melody in the background that makes the songs play out like the soundtrack to a scene in a supernatural horror film involving a desert, hallucinogenics, sadistic orgies and more than likely zombies and possibly even aliens.

“O Misterio Da Nau Da Morte” continues with some of the sci-fi and acid flare off and on but the spoken Portuguese clean vocals remind me here a bit of Paul Chain and the Italian horror/doom/prog sound/style. Even some of the guitar chords and riffs/chords are almost classic doomy/horror/occult, like the wailing guitar leads toward the end of the track as the vocalist finally goes completely insane.

“Almas Penundas” returns to the raspy and gritty dusty vocals and more traditional black metal chords and structure, but can’t help but to throw in some solid leads and develops a bit of a crude and classic thrash vibe in the process.

Medo is a rare and lucky find, they convey the perfect blend of melodic yet grim and basic black metal, thrash, and even pscyhedelic styles to give one of the most genuine portrayals of psychedelic black metal and capture the classic horror film genre in sound and atmosphere.

“Por Tras da porta de ferro” can be heard here:

http://www.war-productions.org/cd_releases.html

Official site:

http://www.myspace.com/medofantasmasis

Order from:

http://www.war-productions.org/

Alastor – Demon attack (War Productions )

This Portuguese label is one of the coolest finds I’ve had in years!!!!! They either re-issue classic and essential bands like Bleeding Fist’s Devil’s Ferox, or release limited runs of brutal shit like Devastator’s Conjuring Evil, or bring to light the venomous and vulgar sounds from the caverns of the Portuguese metal underground (all aggressive styles too): Medo, Decayed, Alastor…., and as with Bleeding Fist and Devastator, this is another classic 80’s era gut-ripping chainsaw of blackened thrash  that could easily cause Armageddon and at the very same time, block the return of any God/s and the unification of souls with their Earthly shells through potentially “matter” obliterating decibels of classic melodic thrash metal with an absolutely nasty aftertaste of biker speed and brawling energy for those not accustomed to it.

“Necromante” immediately slits the throat with a switchblade razor of an opening guitar shriek up the neck and follows through with tremors of bass drum blasts and bass guitar muscle that tramples the listener in a frenzy of inhuman “Necromante” shouts!!!!!!! There’s also a nice solo in the middle for those who still like their metal in traditional and shredding form. The bass alone on this track when played at the right volume could out “bomb” a rave!!!! I mean, seriously, this band has the right amount of artillery needed to induce a human body to involuntarily explode into a flood of blood and meat like a fire hydrant gone berserk, just listening to “As Portas Do Inferno”, “Fogo e Sangue”, or “Pura Devastacao” alone will convince a mixed jury to vote “guilty”.

Songs like “Hino Funebre” and “Red Hot” tend more toward a brutalized classic metal structure and sound then the rest of the album, thus adding a nice versatility of sound and dynamics. Then we come to the obliterating full-on classic melodic thrash assaults reminding me of say, Razor and Kreator (and Sodom of course, well represented on tracks like: “Through the Gates”, ”Sacrifice to Satan”, “Hell on Earth” and most of the first half of the album actually. I also cannot forget the leads on here, they really do tear through your viscera like a blunt knife through a block of ice making it impossible to escape the experience without suffering any physical damage from the jabbing !!!!! The raspy vox fit the aggression of the stampede that is the band behind them and altogether the two combine as a legitimate Death March of unfathomable force!!!! What the Hell else could you want?

These guys have been doing this since 1988, so definitely show some support and enjoy the mania:

http://www.war-productions.org/cd_releases.html

http://www.myspace.com/alastorportugal

Malepeste - S/T Cassette (WOHRT Records 2011)

Malepeste is French black metal that has that swampy diesel motor powered, down-tuned rumble of distortion with croaky vocals that instantly bring to mind old Mayhem and Inquisition. With this sound and bands like Malepeste continuing to brew their own toxic elixir with it, it’s becoming so difficult to avoid being entranced and subsequently bastardized into the warped and diabolical sounds and the artists mindsets!!!! The sound of Malepeste overall is as skuzzy as a run down subway urinal at one of the worst stops in the city that hasn’t been cleaned in 50+ years: it’s all sorts of green fuzzy stuff crawling, bits of black tar, urine stench and yellow-brown scum crust rings, mildew, cockroaches, and decaying rat shit.

“Such a Prayer for Evil” is 110% croaky vocals with occasional wolfish howls thrown in, together with some of the angular and abstract rhythms and structures of Deathspell Omega circa Fas… through Si Monumentum…, and then on top of all that the entire song is completely saturated in some sort of demonic fungal grime and muck that makes it ugly and oozing like a plague in it’s viral larvae form. There are moments of bleak atmospheres and esoteric hymns, done without symphonic assistance to keep it organic and haunting, but don’t get too comfortable as those are trampled over by the outbursts of mechanized guitar fuzz that covers everything like a black oil drizzle disguised as a fog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr-edXpogdg&feature=related

“Black Scream” really boasts some balls in the “oomph” rumbles of rhythm guitar and low-end bombing riffs that literally break through unexpectedly during a more melodic and spacious place in the song as a literal “OOMPH”, drums and all. It reminds me of a bit of old black thrash mastery with a massive bulldozer across the jaw punch behind it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KjfXK20dOI&feature=related

“Soul Rapist” reminds me of old Sodom (Obsessed By Cruelty and In the Sign of Evil) with the venomous spit gurgling reptilian vocals that include spur of the moment incantations that literally are soaked in reverb with out effects (!), it’s like a fiery cyclone of demonic obsessions, possessions and a slaughtering rhythm frenzy in this song!!!! The ups and downs, spaces for breathing and esoteric/ancient/cryptic moods amidst vehement murderous rituals make this an intense and harrowing listen as one truly feels they are becoming a part of a society that goes beyond secret and unruly.

“The Feast” is another swampy “OOMPHY” bomb raid of distortion, violent riffs, angular and sharp guitar work and a category 7 storm of hate and fury. The song starts out with a razorlike, jagged arpeggiated theme that very soon after, bursts into the thrust and maniacal beast that is Malpeste, but there’s also this sort of doomy bass/guitar rhythm that comes in between the intro theme and the rotten meat feast of this apocalyptic and horrid tale (probably of cannibalism by hedonistic ritual to consume the weak in their entirety. Seriously evil and filthy stuff here, it really does feel like it covers the listener in some sort of black reptilian phlegm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YFh4IY-_RM&feature=related

This is occult black metal in the reptilian, swampy, sludgey, maniacal, raw, defleshing, morbid, heinous, and horror fueled vain. So fans of: the real Mayhem, early to great Deathspell Omega, Inquisition, Gravewurm, Profanatica, Cultes Des Ghoules, and Beherit will want this ugly and gruesome phlegmy black plague.

Available on a very limited cassette run so grab this one asap.

http://www.wohrtrecords.com/p/blog-page.html

http://www.myspace.com/malepeste