It's a short release (as many demos are), clocking in at a mere 20 minutes, but it's a great introduction to Blasphemy and bestial metal if you haven't heard it yet.
ARTIST: BLASPHEMY
ALBUM: BLOOD UPON THE ALTAR (DEMO 1989)
GENRE: BLACK METAL
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Blasphemy - Blood Upon the Altar (Demo 1989)
Blood Upon the Altar is the very first release from one of the most highly regarded black metal bands to ever come out of Canada -- if not the entirety of North America! The precursor to war metal and bestial [black/death] metal, Blasphemy play raw, fast black metal that also happens to have amazing atmosphere. Their full-length album, Fallen Angel of Doom usually receives the most attention, but BUtA is not to be ignored. Compared to FAOD, it's much less atmospheric and focused on speed, aggression and power. It's also the birthplace of the most heavily covered black metal songs (next to VON or possibly Bathory, I can't think of a track more covered than "Ritual") of all time.
It's a short release (as many demos are), clocking in at a mere 20 minutes, but it's a great introduction to Blasphemy and bestial metal if you haven't heard it yet.
It's a short release (as many demos are), clocking in at a mere 20 minutes, but it's a great introduction to Blasphemy and bestial metal if you haven't heard it yet.
Nuclear Desecration - Desecrated Temple of Impurity
So around the time this album came out, metal was up to it's eardrums in bestial metal. Things seem to be slowly refocusing to a more "traditionally satanic" style, but there's still a LOT of bestial metal coming out -- a lot of it not particularly memorable or good. For those that may not know, the term 'bestial' is usually used to describe black or death metal that's considerably rawer than the traditional style -- less technique, more speed, noise and distortion. Lyrical themes also tend to be focused on satanism, goats, the impending nuklear holocaust, or all three. Moving on though...
Despite coming out during an influx bestial metal, Nuclear Desecration's full-length album is quite fantastic. It's a really good, solid example of what quality bestial black metal should sound like. Even though it's technically generic in the sense that it fits exactly what bestial black metal is supposed to sound like to a T, it ends up being more of a benchmark album than anything else.. You've got everything: goats, gasmasks, impending nuklear destruction, noize, satan, BLACK FUCKING METAL!
It's unfortunate that they were only around a couple of years, because they'd probably be right up there with bands like Blasphemophagher and Proclamation in terms of notoriety if they continued to produce material as good as this. Ah well. Enjoy!
Despite coming out during an influx bestial metal, Nuclear Desecration's full-length album is quite fantastic. It's a really good, solid example of what quality bestial black metal should sound like. Even though it's technically generic in the sense that it fits exactly what bestial black metal is supposed to sound like to a T, it ends up being more of a benchmark album than anything else.. You've got everything: goats, gasmasks, impending nuklear destruction, noize, satan, BLACK FUCKING METAL!
It's unfortunate that they were only around a couple of years, because they'd probably be right up there with bands like Blasphemophagher and Proclamation in terms of notoriety if they continued to produce material as good as this. Ah well. Enjoy!
ARTIST: NUCLEAR DESECRATION
ALBUM: DESECRATED TEMPLE OF IMPURITY
GENRE: BESTIAL BLACK/DEATH METAL
Baxaxaxa - Hellfire (Demo 1992)
Baxaxaxa was an extremely short-lived (like a year or two) side-project from members of Ungod. They play raw black metal, and while it isn't necessarily in the same vein as LLN material, it definitely bares some similarities. It's a little more focused on riffs/speed and a little less on atmosphere than this style of black metal normally would be. Both Ungod and Baxaxaxa play some really solid straight up black metal, and I'll probably get around to posting the Ungod full-length shortly. Enjoy!
ARTIST: BAXAXAXA
ALBUM: HELLFIRE (DEMO 1992)
GENRE: BLACK METAL
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Violent Force - Malevolent Assault of Tomorrow
Violent Force were a German thrash metal band. They released a handful of demos, with their work culminating in the 1987 full-length, Malevolent Assault of Tomorrow. If you've heard German thrash metal before, you have a good idea of what to expect: fast as hell, harsh vokills, total beer soaked madness! And if you don't...well, you're in for a treat! In terms of representing "the best of German thrash," I wouldn't put Violent Force at the top of the list, but they'd definitely be mentioned.
Similar to a lot of late 80s thrash metal (at least when you start listening to boatloads of it like me), it's the type of album that sounds generic if you're not really paying attention to what's going on, and requires a bit more "active listening." There's actually some really talented musicianship and songwriting going on here, it's just unfortunate that this type of music was INCREDIBLY popular/over done at this time period, so it was easy to get left in the dust (kind of like bestial metal nowadays, *cough* *cough*).
Anyways, metal-archives says they're active again, so maybe we'll hear from them again soon. The mediafire link for this album is below. Enjoy!
Similar to a lot of late 80s thrash metal (at least when you start listening to boatloads of it like me), it's the type of album that sounds generic if you're not really paying attention to what's going on, and requires a bit more "active listening." There's actually some really talented musicianship and songwriting going on here, it's just unfortunate that this type of music was INCREDIBLY popular/over done at this time period, so it was easy to get left in the dust (kind of like bestial metal nowadays, *cough* *cough*).
Anyways, metal-archives says they're active again, so maybe we'll hear from them again soon. The mediafire link for this album is below. Enjoy!
ARTIST: VIOLENT FORCE
ALBUM: MALEVOLENT ASSAULT OF TOMORROW
GENRE: THRASH METAL
Master - S/T (1990)
Master are an American death metal band (though they've relocated to the Czech Republic) that don't get nearly the credit they deserve. Despite sounding more like something that would've come out in the late 1980s, their 1990 self-titled album is an awesome piece of fast, thrashing death metal. I've heard there's some really interesting history to this band, but unfortunately I'm not the person to educate the masses on it.
Really, if you're a fan of old-school American or thrash (reminds me of Darkness Descends-era Dark Angel or Altars of Madness-era Morbid Angel), I imagine you'll be into this. Enjoy!
Really, if you're a fan of old-school American or thrash (reminds me of Darkness Descends-era Dark Angel or Altars of Madness-era Morbid Angel), I imagine you'll be into this. Enjoy!
ARTIST: MASTER
ALBUM: S/T 1990
GENRE: DEATH METAL
Radioactive Vomit - Witchblood (Demo 2012)
Radioactive Vomit is a black metal band from Vancouver, BC, Canada. There's not a whole lot to say about these guys other than they play a wicked blend of noisy black metal with d-beat influences, and Witchblood is their second demo tape. It's really wicked, and I hope to hear an EP or full-length from these guys soon! Original tape rip by VONFROST, whose blog you can find here.
ARTIST: RADIOACTIVE VOMIT
ALBUM: WITCHBLOOD (DEMO 2012)
GENRE: BLACK METAL
Friday, July 13, 2012
Gospel of the Horns - The Satanist's Dream (Demo 1994)
The Satanist's Dream is the very first release by Aussie black/thrashers Gospel of the Horns. guess the original label that put this band out completely stabbed the band in the back by releasing a a shoddy product, completely with a picture of an entirely different band on the label. I'm not sure if the band even received any money for it, as the band has asked fans not to buy that particular edition of the demo. Fortunately for metalheads, Kneel Before the Master's Throne records gave it the "diehard" vinyl treatment in 2009. I believe they're sold out of the release, but you might be able to snag it in a trade or get it on ebay or some shit if you /really/ want it.
But moving on! This demo is some great Celtic Frost/Hellhammer worship. It sounds great for a demo, and while it doesn't give you that much of an idea of the band's sound to come, it's nonetheless a ton of fun to listen to. Even though it's a very "simple" sounding album in terms of composition, it's well-played and apparent that the musicians are all proficient at their various instruments. This demo showcases the black metal side of the band more than later releases, and comes highly recommended from myself. A great demo from a great band. Enjoy!
But moving on! This demo is some great Celtic Frost/Hellhammer worship. It sounds great for a demo, and while it doesn't give you that much of an idea of the band's sound to come, it's nonetheless a ton of fun to listen to. Even though it's a very "simple" sounding album in terms of composition, it's well-played and apparent that the musicians are all proficient at their various instruments. This demo showcases the black metal side of the band more than later releases, and comes highly recommended from myself. A great demo from a great band. Enjoy!
ARTIST: GOSPEL OF THE HORNS
ALBUM: THE SATANIST'S DREAM (DEMO 1994)
GENRE: BLACK/THRASH METAL
Grenade - The Howling Damned
Grenade were a black/thrash metal band from Sydney, NSW, Australia. They never got as far as a lot other bands in the Australian scene, but they're still well regarded among those who remember them. Probably the most forgettable part of their material is the vocals to be honest -- they're not bad, but they tend to fade into the guitars (which, luckily for them, are really good!) If you enjoy black/thrash metal, you'll definitely like this album. However, if you're not already, this probably won't be the album to make or break the bank. It certainly SOUNDS like Aussie black/thrash, and I wouldn't go as far to say that Grenade are mediocre -- just don't expect anything particularly groundbreaking here.
The Howling Damned is not actually a full-length, but a compilation of all their previous material. Some of the members have gone on to perform in the black/thrash project Innsmouth, whom I'm sure I will post about here soon, because they're also fantastic!
The Howling Damned is not actually a full-length, but a compilation of all their previous material. Some of the members have gone on to perform in the black/thrash project Innsmouth, whom I'm sure I will post about here soon, because they're also fantastic!
ARTIST: GRENADE
ALBUM: THE HOWLING DAMNED
GENRE: BLACK/THRASH METAL
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Gospel of the Horns - Realm of the Damned
Gospel of the Horns are one of the best black/thrash bands, ever. Hailing from Australia, they've been putting out amazing metal since the release of their 1994 demo, The Satanist's Dream. They produced two full-length albums before disbanding around 2008-2009 (though they've recently gotten back together): A Call to Arms and Realm of the Damned. They're both magnificient albums, but I've always found RotD to be the stronger album.
Everything about it just works. The production, the riffs, the musicianship....it's just a great metal album, and probably one of the strongest albums to come out the Australian metal scene -- which is saying A LOT, when you factor how strong the black/thrash/death scene is down there. If you're a fan of any of the Australian metal bands -- Destroyer 666, Sadistik Exekution, Vomitor etc. and you haven't heard this album yet, GET ON THAT SHIT!!!
Gospel of the Horns were defunct for a while, but they've recently reunited to play gigs and release some new music -- their new EP, Ceremonial Conjuration, came out in June on Invictus Productions.
Everything about it just works. The production, the riffs, the musicianship....it's just a great metal album, and probably one of the strongest albums to come out the Australian metal scene -- which is saying A LOT, when you factor how strong the black/thrash/death scene is down there. If you're a fan of any of the Australian metal bands -- Destroyer 666, Sadistik Exekution, Vomitor etc. and you haven't heard this album yet, GET ON THAT SHIT!!!
Gospel of the Horns were defunct for a while, but they've recently reunited to play gigs and release some new music -- their new EP, Ceremonial Conjuration, came out in June on Invictus Productions.
ARTIST: GOSPEL OF THE HORNS
ALBUM: REALM OF THE DAMNED
GENRE: BLACK/THRASH METAL
Hail Spirit Noir - Pneuma
Their first and only release, Hail Spirit Noir is an incredibly strange album. It combines the Greek black metal sound (think Rotting Christ and Necromantia in terms of "higher" guitars, etc) with unconventional song structures and keyboard parts that sound more like they belong in a doom metal album than here. Strangely enough though, it all works. It's an incredibly haunting and atmospheric album, and I wouldn't recommend it to black metal fans unless you're up for something strange. There's not a whole lot to say about this album other than that: I've included a YouTube video below which captures the band's sound/imagery quite well. Enjoy!
ARTIST: HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
ALBUM: PNEUMA
GENRE: AVANT-GARDE/BLACK METAL
Toxic Holocaust - Critical Mass (Demo 2002)
Although Toxic Holocaust's sound has changed pretty dramatically since their signing to Relapse Records/Release of Conjuration, TH plays a mix of black/thrash metal. TH was originally a one-man project until An Overdose Of Death... in 2008, and Joel Grind would simply recruit musicians to allow him to go on tour/do live gigs. Inspired by the 'old masters' like Onslaught, Bathory and Slayer, Toxic Holocaust -- while nothing spectacular -- up until Hell On Earth is some awesome, catchy, black/thrash metal.
Critical Mass is the second Toxic Holocaust demo, and contains many of the songs that would go to be on Evil Never Dies. The songs that didn't make it to END tend to be extremely short and fast punk songs, and they work quite well. It's interesting to hear samples of the crust-punk direction that Toxic Holocaust could've taken -- not to mention they're decent tunes. The sound quality is actually quite decent here, and it's probably one of the best TH recordings out there.
ARTIST: TOXIC HOLOCAUST
ALBUM: CRITICAL MASS (DEMO 2002)
GENRE: BLACK/THRASH METAL
Friday, July 6, 2012
Hirilorn - Legends of Evil and Eternal Death
I feel like a lot of people seek out this band hoping to hear some really raw/kvlt DsO material. In reality, Hirilorn are a very different band thematically and musically -- not sharing much with DsO other than the same members and subgenre of metal. Hirilorn is the name of a tree used as a prison in Lord of the Rings -- that fact alone sets the tone for the type of music Hirilorn play. Their sole LP, Legends of Evil and Eternal Death contains only 5 songs, but each of them clocks in at over 10 minutes long. However, don't let this steer you away! It contains some fantastic black metal that's heavily saturated in the 1990s European BM sound prevailing of the time, in addition to some fantastic musicianship. While it's heavily atmospheric in the same way that DsO are, it's much more technically melodic (I find DsO's atmosphere to be much more "chaotic" in contrast).
If you're a fan of the 1990s-era European black metal bands (i.e. Darkthrone, Mayhem etc.), I imagine you'll like this. If you're a big DsO fan, approach this with an open mind and you may find yourself pleasantly surprised.
ARTIST: HIRILORN
ALBUM: LEGENDS OF EVIL AND ETERNAL DEATH
GENRE: BLACK METAL
Sodom - Persecution Mania
Persecution Mania is the second album by German black/thrash legends Sodom. For those who don't know them, Sodom have been cranking out awesome black/thrash music
since the 1980s, and are considered one of the founders of the
black/thrash genre. If you're on this blog, you probably know that Sodom certainly live up to their name (and likely already have this album on your computer). But, I only realized last night that this was one of the albums that I never bothered to put back on my laptop after it crashed a couple of years back, and man am I glad I did!
Although In The Sign of Evil is extremely raw and catchy, I really don't care for Obssessed By Cruelty. I've heard that the European press is better than the North American version, but despite multiple listens, I just can't stand it. It's not that they're bad musicians on that album, it's more so that they play together really poorly: it sounds more like a first jam session/first take for the album than a finished product. Persecution Mania does NOT have this problem whatsoever: the musicianship is awesome, the timing is awesome, the production is awesome, the lyrical themes are awesome...it's dark enough for black metal fans, fast enough for thrash metal fans...hell, even if you don't like black/thrash metal as a genre, you'll probably still enjoy this if you're into exclusively thrash or black metal. Definitely essential listening, and comes highly recommended. Enjoy!
Although In The Sign of Evil is extremely raw and catchy, I really don't care for Obssessed By Cruelty. I've heard that the European press is better than the North American version, but despite multiple listens, I just can't stand it. It's not that they're bad musicians on that album, it's more so that they play together really poorly: it sounds more like a first jam session/first take for the album than a finished product. Persecution Mania does NOT have this problem whatsoever: the musicianship is awesome, the timing is awesome, the production is awesome, the lyrical themes are awesome...it's dark enough for black metal fans, fast enough for thrash metal fans...hell, even if you don't like black/thrash metal as a genre, you'll probably still enjoy this if you're into exclusively thrash or black metal. Definitely essential listening, and comes highly recommended. Enjoy!
ARTIST: SODOM
ALBUM: PERSECUTION MANIA
GENRE: BLACK/THRASH METAL
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Dysmenorrheic Hemorrhage - A Tapeology of Grevious Tramuas 1999 - 2006
Dysmenorrheic Hemorrhage were a one man crustgore band -- essentially sounding like classic crust (i.e. Extreme Noise Terror-type stuff) with pitchshifted vocals. If you like goregrind or crust, you're in for a real treat as DH bring you the best of both worlds. The drums are programmed, which kinda bums me out for crust, but surprisingly it's overall not that noticeable -- minus a track here and there with a drum intro. Not a whole lot else to say about this other than this release contains their entire discography (obviously), and it's pretty substantial, clocking in around 70+ tracks long. You can read an interesting interview with Kyle of DH at The Noise Corner here.
ARTIST: DYSMENORRHEIC HEMORRHAGE
ALBUM: A TAPEOLOGY OF GREVIOUS TRAUMAS 1999 - 2006
GENRE: CRUSTGORE/GOREGRIND
Proxy - Demo 2012
Rising from the ashes of Inepsy, Proxy is an up and coming crust n' roll act from Montreal. Unlike Inepsy which leaned towards the heavy metal side of things (particularly on later releases), Proxy are much more "traditional punk" sounding. Due to the lineup and over similarity in lyrical themes, if you liked Inepsy, you'll probably like Proxy. And if you didn't like Inepsy, you should still give this demo a shot -- a lot of the old school 80s punk influences shine through here and it's worth a listen! Cheers.
P.S: Not sure if this applies to the Proxy demo, but you can order the Truncheons demo here!
P.S: Not sure if this applies to the Proxy demo, but you can order the Truncheons demo here!
ARTIST: PROXY
ALBUM: DEMO 2012
GENRE: CRUST 'N ROLL/UK82
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