Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Fallen Christ - Abduction Ritual (1995) + Demos

Ahh, Fallen Christ. The NY-based blackened death metal quartet who played some of the most incomprehensibly evil, iniquitous, and downright sadistic death metal ever committed to tape. If you are unfamiliar with the mighty Fallen Christ, just imagine what it would sound like if you took Abominations of Desolation -era Morbid Angel, fused it with the relentless, bestial, and barbaric nature of Blasphemy's war hymns, and gave it a mangled, yet technical flair ala Insanity (US), though while completely staying in its own realm. Just take a couple of moments to think how malicious of a beast that would be. Now imagine it sixty feet taller and bearing dozens of monstrous tentacles, contorting and violently flailing about, obliterating everything within their reach, all the while, the very same city which they are destroying is also being engulfed by a continuous torrent of ultramafic lava, though this tentacled, monolothic creature remains unharmed due to how fucking badass it is. Pretty beastly, right?

What I have here for you are the two demos from '92 and '93, as well as their full-length, which was released in '95. The recording quality on both demos is rather crude, but it's nothing us underground fiends can't handle. The production Abduction Ritual is great, however. It has a very disorienting and swampy feel to it and really draws you in to the unique realm of hyperspeed, Satanic death metal this band was brewing. It really highlights the demented, mangled riffing this band employs 90% of the time. Like I said, this is some truly fucked up stuff.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Mortify (Gre) - 1990 - Dizziness of the Occult (Demo)

Dizziness of the Occult is the first recording by the obscure Greek black metal band, Mortify. Although it certainly is not anything incredibly special, that is not to say that it isn’t a more-than-decent listen, nor is it unworthy of the thirteen minutes of your time spent listening to it a couple times through.

The production is expectantly muddy and lo-fi, and there is an overtly noticeable amount of tape hiss, but that could also be from generations-old tape dubs. Either way, it’s still not overbearing to the point where the music is just buried in it, as you can still get a good idea of what was going on. Also, the fact that the leveling and mixing isn’t too bad or disproportionate doesn’t hurt either.

The demo’s strongpoint is definitely in the songwriting department. When you look at each song structurally, you see more of a death metal influence rather then the simplicity often found in black metal. But when listening to the music itself, it is undeniably black metal in execution, just with a death metal edge. They mix the tempos up quite a bit, ranging from mid-tempo chugs, triplets, and a palm mutes (not in a groove metal fashion, of course) to faster blasting sections. But each tempo is contrasted with another opposing one coming after it, keeping each song moving along at a decent pace that will hold your interest.

Musicianship wise, they could be tighter, however their sloppiness is far from overbearing. This mostly comes out in the transitions from one section into another, but this does not occur consistently enough to sink the whole ship, and their knack for songwriting certainly makes up for it. If you can handle a bit of metallic slop, then this surely should not be a big deal to you.

One of the cool things about this demo is the fact that not only does the drummer take care of vocal duties, which is always a respectable feat (assuming it’s done correctly), but he also contributes a lot to the more atmospheric sections, where they utilize synthesizers and even bongos on the beginning of “The Occult”. He’s also not a bad drummer, nor a bad vocalist, making the whole drummer/vocalist situation work perfectly. The riffing is a great permutation of death metal with a black metal touch, mostly in the chromatic, higher-note sections. It actually reminds me a bit of Profanatica, though only in the sense that the slower, chugging sections stick to a primitive death metal feel while the tremolo sections have a down-tuned black metal sound, creating the same sort of black/death contrast Profanatica's riffing is/was known for.

Overall, all departments work well with one another, and each element is arranged nicely. However, rarely does it give you that “something special” feeling, thus rendering this a decent listen, but nothing too special. I definitely recommend it to anyone into ancient black/death, but don’t expect another Abhorer, Fallen Christ, or Mystifier.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Katedra - 1989 - Mors Ultima Ratio LP

Greetings my fellow old-school metal addicted brethren. I am proud to say Lizards & Beans is back for real this time, and what I have for you here is a very special LP from an underrated act hailing from Lithuania, the mighty Katedra.

Maybe it's the location? I'm not quite sure, but for some reason this band seems to be highly overlooked, which is odd considering how fucking awesome their debut album is, Mors Ultima Ratio. Their second outing is supposedly just as good, though I have yet to hear it. Anyway, what we have here is a very exciting blend of traditional heavy metal, 80's power metal with plenty of progressive elements, fantastic riffing and song composition, melodic chops, tight musicianship, and an atmosphere that, when it comes to comparisons, leaves me at a loss for words.

This truly is an incredible album. The vocals are soaring and powerful, and are definitely one of the album's most notable traits. They are sung in their native Lithuanian tongue, which, to me, always gives albums a more majestic feel (partly why I love all those great Czech bands so much). The vocalist also seems to be keen on what I call the "King Diamond" effect, which consists of more than one vocal track going at once, one maybe doing a falsetto scream and the other bellowing in a lower voice, but always with great conviction, or maybe two falsettos during a nice harmony with no lyrics. The guitars never seem to run out of steam, as they just seamlessly pump out riff after riff of non-stop melodic-yet-pummeling riff fests with some very impressive lead work and dual-harmonies. The drumming is tight and far from redundant, with some great tom use during the bridge and soloing sections.

If you dig classic, swords-n-steel, skullfucking METAL, there is no way you won't like this.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Samhain (Ger) (Pre-Deathrow) - 1986 - Eternal Death (Demo)

What I have here for you all is a mighty fine piece of German thrash metal history, this time in the form of a demo released in 1986 by the band Samhain, who would later become Deathrow and release some of the finest German thrash LPs the 80's ever saw.

This demo is no exception to their legacy, and expectantly falls much more into the Satan's Gift LP-era type sound, rather then the more prog-oriented approach they took to thrash later on. This means you should expect nothing but relentless, mind-warping, noisy-as-all-hell Teutonic thrash done in the vein of the mid-80's classics.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Ween - Live 1990-02-02 Trenton, NJ + 1994-10-23 Boston, MA

What I have here is yet another awesome God Ween Satan-era live recording of a show that was played at the City Gardens, in Trenton, NJ. It's fairly short, but a great recording nonetheless, and with a setlist comprised of only tracks from the mighty God Ween Satan. The sound is also fantastic for a 19-year old live tape, and it captures the early Ween experience very well.



The second offering of this post is a live 1994 recording from a show in Boston, and let me tell you it's quite the gem. This show documents Ween at the start of their post- live duo days and playing as quartet, with the phenomenal Claude Coleman on drumsand Dave Deiwitz on bass. This show in particular was a fantastic performance. This addition to the band really went a long way for their live performances, allowing them much more time to venture off into awesome improvisational sections. It was not uncommon for them to drag at least one or two songs a set to twenty+ minutes. Now, generally I like it when bands get creative and improvise in an on-the-spot manner for extended periods of time, but there are some bands who just approach this in a very dull and bland manner. Ween do not have this problem, and this can be seen multiple times throughout the set, particularly on "Don't Sweat It", "Take Me Away", "Raggaejunkiejew", "Vallejo", and of course the ultimate live classic that has managed to appear on a every other setlistt for the past twnety years, "LYLMP", stretched out for only 12 minutes this time, but what great fucking 12 minutes it is.


The recording quality on this puppy isn't exactly the greatest, but I actually like the grainy sound the tape gave the recording. And despite its rawness, the leveling makes it perfectly listenable in my opinion. After all, this is Ween we're talking about. Not to mention it's from 1994, shortly after the incarnation of the what would become 4/5 of the future live line-up, and at this point they were already skilled in the field of improvisation, as well as just sounding very tight as a band altogether.

More rare and live Ween to come...

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Ween - Live 1991-03-21 New Brunswick, NJ + 1992 WTSR Radio Show

What I have here are two more rare live Ween recordings, back from their duo-performance early-90s days. The first to go is a live show back from 1991 in Brunswick, NJ and much like the 1989 Trenton show, is absolutely essential for all Ween fans to hear.

The setlist on the 1991 show really couldn't be better. It's got a good selection of tracks from The Pod, which was released that same year, as well as ones from God Ween Satan. It also has four unreleased songs that were played frequently during live shows back then but never made it to any of the albums, such as "The Wind", "Seconds", "Weed Whore", and "Cover it With Gas and Set it on Fire", plus one of the first recordings of the song "Tastes Good on the Bun", which wasn't officially released until 2005's Shinola came out. The sound quality itself is also pretty damn good considering it's an eighteen-year old soundboard tape. The show also shows them experimenting more with vocal effects during a live setting rather then just on the albums, making the brownasphere that much stronger.


The second present I have for my fellow worshippers of Boognish is a 1992 radio show for a station in New Jersey, WTSR, and it is by far one of Ween's brownest moments to date. For pretty much the whole show, both Gener and Deaner's vocals have been put through an Electro-Harmonix distortion pedal, giving everything else a very druggy tinge to it. It's also just awesome to hear Gene go falsetto-crazy and taking advantage of the manipulation distortion can do to a voice. But both Deaner and Gener seemed to be in freak-out mode that night, and most of songs feature some sort of erratic freakout from one of the two, or sometimes even both.

The setlist is great, consisting mostly of songs from Pure Guava, but with some nice unreleased songs as well, such as "Shalom Absalom" and "Mountain Dew", both of which have some note-worthy soloing and improvising from Deaner, and a funny cover of Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way". The recording quality itself is very clear, and the DAT, guitar, and vocals can all be heard clearly. All together, I'd say this is one of the finest ancient Ween relics I have ever come across.

More rare and live Ween to come...

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Ween - 1989 Live In Trenton, NJ

I don't think I've mentioned this on Lizards & Beans, as it has just never really come up, but I am a huge Ween fan, and have been for quite some time.Although La Cucaracha and White Pepper had some questionable moments, I'd say Ween are pretty much a perfect band, and I worship almost everything they've done throughout their 25-year existence. Everything from their freewheeling 80's tapes back from when they were no older then sixteen, to the 1990-1993 4-track brown-era, to their later, more heavily produced post-mid-90's material is just awesome. Leave all your preconcieved notions that Ween are nothing but a joke band behind, as they have proven throughout the years that just because a band can incorporate humour into their music doesn't necessarily make them nothing but a novelty group.

What I have here is an awesome, brown-as-shit live recording circa 1989, one year before their official debut release, the mighty God Ween Satan, released on Twin/Tone. Aside from "Seconds" and "Gladiola Heartbreaker", the whole set is made up entirely of songs from the aforementioned debut masterpiece, so this is pretty much essential for all Ween fans to hear at least one.

The tape itself doesn't sound half-bad either, especially considering it was sitting in a dusty box for about 20 years. Now expectantly, there is some tape hiss, but not enough to bring down the recording, and other then that it's completely fine. Papa Gener's vocals are right up there but without becoming overbearing, and Deaner's dirty, fuzzed-out guitar is also right where it should be and actually sounds pretty great. As all Ween fans know, they played as a duo up until around 1994, meaning the live line up consisted of Gener on vocals, Deaner on guitar, and a DAT tape deck, playing pre-recorded drum and bass tracks for the respective song being played.

To all of those unfamiliar with the music of Ween, outside of maybe "Push Th' Little Daisies", then I suggest starting out on any the following recordings:
God Ween Satan: The Oneness (1990)
The Pod (1991)
Pure Guava (1992)
The Mollusk (1997)
Quebec (2003)
Shinola (2005)

After you check out at least one of those albums, God Ween Satan or The Mollusk in particular, then give this show a download. But if you're already familiar with the Brown world of Ween, then by all means download this immediately.

Enjoy.


















More rare and live Ween to come...

NME - Unholy Death LP (1986) + Machine of War (1985 Demo)

N.M.E. are by far one of the most underrated black metal pioneers of the 80's. Although they are pretty well known to a lot of people who seek out obscure stuff of the 80's, they still are more then deserving of a much bigger level of recognition for their contribution to the sound that became what black metal would turn into around 1986.

N.M.E.'s sound was an awesome, sludgy-as-shit form of black metal that took more influence from Hellhammer and Venom then their more thrash-oriented black metal brethren of the time, such as Obsessed-era Sodom, Bulldozer, and Tormentor (Hun). The production on the Unholy Death LP captures this perfectly, with it's chunky, meaty bass, reverb-drenched guitar, pummeling drums, and Brian Llapitan's snarly, Cronos-meets-Tom Warrior-like vocals, all coming together as one devastatingly sluggish black metal monstrosity with enough force to demolish the Great Wall of China with nothing but a flick of the wrist. The Machine of War demo captures the band in a slightly muddier fashion, but the muddiness actually suits band's ugly way of playing adequately enough to make it perfectly listenable, especially considering it's a demo tape from 1985, of which I assume wasn't recorded with the biggest of budgets.

Enjoy these two fantastic recordings from one of black metal's finest pioneering bands of the 80's, the mighty N.M.E.!

Machine of War Demo
Unholy Death LP

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Vötaag - 2009 - The Golden Pileus

Vötaag is the newest addition to the Avant Brown Collective (Residual Cod, Saturated Goat Trumpet, Tim Allen, Lactation, etc). I guess I'd consider it my "solo" project, but there are a couple songs that feature contributions from other Collective members. It is kind of a continuation of past projects (Birdsloth, Tujjuuuuujujjuufet) mixed with the freeform, improvised nature of the Avant Brown Collective's recordings. It's a combination of sound collages, rhythmic freak outs, brain-boiling psychedelia, Brötzmann-esque brass and woodwind squeals and honks, noisy mindfucks, and other forms of Brown. If you enjoyed my fake Beherit leak, or the Residual Cod and Saturated Goat Trumpet recordings, you'll probably like this. If you're not familiar with any of those, then imagine a mixture of Borbetomagus, Zappa's Lumpy Gravy, Albert Ayler, Sunburned Hand of the Man, and the Nihilist Spasm Band.

Seven songs, 44-minute running time.
1. Oryx Labiosus (Goat with Larger Lips)
2. Mustachioed
3. The Golden Pileus
4. Alexander Baxter
5. Avocado (or Lack Thereof)
6. Toad Merchant
7. Those Brown Things are Moving


Artwork by Alex Shenkan
Recorded and mixed at Brown Sound Studios, between 12/08 and 6/09
Vocals, mandolin and keyboard on "Mustachioed" by Karissa Lawrence, Mark Dingman, and Steve Axberg.
Additional percussion on "Those Brown Things..." by Richie DiGorgio and Mark Dingman

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Black Wax Classics Series: #1 - Sodom - 1986 - Obsessed by Cruelty LP

I decided that I'm going to start occasionally posting some of my own vinyl rips of well-known classics for people like myself who just enjoy the sound of a nice LP rip, regardless of how much more shiny a CD may sound. Obviously these posts will be completely meaningless to some of you, but to those who do in fact like vinyl rips and worship the respective album being posted, I recommend giving it a try.

The first one in this series is none other then the first Sodom LP, 1986's Obsessed by Cruelty. For people like me, who love semi-sloppy, primal old school metal, it doesn’t get much better than Obsessed by Cruelty. Some complain about the shitty production and mixing, others complain about the band’s at-the-time lack of musical efficiency, but both of which are things that I welcome with open arms. In my eyes, I would not want this LP any other way. The guitar could be louder, but I think its lowness in the mix actually adds to the chaotic, thrashing cacophony the band was going for. Over the years, it has really grown on me, and I’m very glad it finally did and it now sits as my favorite Sodom release (with the EP coming in not too far from behind).

The complaints regarding the production mostly come from the mixing department, as the recording itself actually has a pretty clear sounds that could have been indubitably put to full use given the proper mixing job. This has grown to really not bother me though, as the music more then makes up for it, and to me, the rawness and primitive nature of it works to the band’s advantage. The vocals, although not as buried as some people may have you believe, are still fairly low in the mix, but are definitely loud enough to remain audible, no matter what was going on with the music. The guitar has only one track, which is panned to the right, while the bass is on the left. Both have pretty warm tones and aren’t as crunchy as on the preceding EP, but this is not necessarily a bad thing, as both are powerful enough to do the riffs justice. The drums hold the most power and prominence in the mix, which is actually something that tends to bother me as well as most others in a lot cases, as you may have gathered. However, here, I do not find this to be an issue, and in fact, I like it this way. So if your ears have been tainted and pussified by today’s digital, crystal clarity, then this album’s production will without a doubt irritate you to no end, but I’m perfectly okay with that, because in that case, you probably shouldn’t be listening to classics like this anyway (though I think Behemoth may suit you well).

Obsessed by Cruelty marks the band’s transition from pure, early black metal to a more relentless and ripping black/thrash-oriented sound (emphasis on the thrash part). But this new sound didn’t necessarily mean the band had completely outgrown the messy, blackened slop that helped make the In The Sign of Evil so great. While their writing skills had developed far beyond the basic three or four riff songs that the EP saw, their playing skills had not quite caught up with that level development, making Obsessed by Cruelty a well-written yet sloppy affair. The balance between the two works out well enough to make it one of those albums where when you think about it, it just would not be the same if it were being played with high musical prowess. This comes out the most during the faster sections, where at times the drums and bass may be a tad bit ahead of the guitar, or the other way around. The guitar never ventures too far off though, as it does always find its way back home quickly after getting off track. In this sense, the guitar being low in the mix is not necessarily a bad thing, and in the end probably saves more irritation for the modern-metal kiddies who can’t handle a little sloppiness then the production already does for those who need everything polished, pristine, and squeaky clean.

By the time Sodom began recording this album, Tom Angelripper’s vocals had shifted from a much raspier, high-pitched, croak-like shriek, which was just radiating with menacing evil, to a more mid-range, semi-growled-yet-intelligible recitation that a lot of the time didn’t follow any particular rhythm. Not a bad way, though, he just sort of demonically rambles over vicious, ripping blackened thrash metal, and it works very, very well.

The riffing had certainly gone through some modifications over the two-year span between the EP and this, setting the Hellhamemer-like simplicity to the side and replacing it with, a more thrash-oriented and varied style riffing, ultimately giving it the thrashier sheen the band was going for. That is not to say the occasional ‘In the Sign’-type black metal riff doesn’t pop up every once in a while, because it does, and they actually do a great job of carrying some of that into their newfound thrash riffing. The guitar tone is relatively thin, but not overly so, and its punch is still felt through the excellent riffing. The bass is thick and ugly, and has a very deep tone, which sounds especially awesome during the slow sections (the beginning of the title track is a perfect example). I’d say Mr. Chris Witchhunter, the drummer, did a damn fine job on here. I mean, at this point he was no virtuoso by any means, but sloppily yet surely, he kept it together as he pounded and pummeled away on those poor skins of his. Like the rest of the band, he really was at his best during the slower sections, where he could add texture with well-placed fills and different snare patterns.

In my eyes, Sodom’s first LP, the almighty Obsessed by Cruelty, is a damn fine piece of black/thrash. I’d go as far as to say it’s easily one of the best albums of its kind from that era, ranking it up there with Necrodeath’s ‘Into the Macabre’ and NME’s ‘Unholy Death’. Everything from the sleeve artwork, to the broken English lyrics, to the music itself, and yes, even the production, is awesome, and all live up to the standards it takes to deem an old 80’s black/death/thrash recording a classic.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Taranis (Pol) - 1992 - Obscurity (Demo)

There have been many bands strongly influenced by the likes of early Samael and Hellhammer, but few had taken it to this extreme and pulled it off as well as these Polish madmen. This band specialized in creating heavily doom-laden black metal, sounding like the hideous lovechild of the two aforementioned bands.

The production on here is not what you would expect from a 1992 black metal demo. It's one of those cases where there is a perfect balance of rawness and clarity, with the end result being the most fitting way to capture what the band was going for. Although the music itself is far from original, it is still very well done in the sense that they achieved what they originally set out to do: worship the altar of the mighty Samael and Hellhammer. Basically, what they did was take Samael's favoring of slower, blackened doom-oriented tempos and riffs and combined it with Hellhammer's simplicity in both some of riffs as well as the song structures. However, that is not to say it is nearly as primal or primitive as the Hellhammer demos, it just shares some strong aesthetic similarities.

I'd like to thank Mr. Wraith from the Dunkelheit blog for hooking me up with a nice 320 kbps rip of this bad boy. I will be posting the band's 1995 album, Faust, in the near future, so keep checking back for that.


Also, it's the summer time (happy summer, everybody), meaning school is over and I now have much more time on hands to update this more frequently then I have been over the course of the school year.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Tormentor (Hun) - 1988 - Anno Domini

This is the single greatest black metal album of all time. I really mean that. I wholeheartedly feel Anno Domini is the very pinnacle of the entire genre, and I was very pleased to see a request to post a high quality rip of it, because now I finally have an excuse to do so.

Most of the rips I've heard elsewhere didn't sound quite up to par, probably because they were most likely from the first non-demo reissue that came out in '95, which was just a master of a dubbed copy of the tape. This is a rip from the later reissue, the one with a better master and an overall richer sound.

But I digress... now back to how awesome this album is. Each song is its own entity, and the variety found on here is pretty astonishing. With some bands, this can lead to inconsistency and failed experiments that have the potential to really bring an album down. Tormentor never had that problem. Whether they are playing relentless, thrashing black fury as seen on "Heaven" and "Trance", eerie, atmospheric mid-tempo songs such as the epic "Elisabeth Bathory", or brilliant arrangements that are schizophrenically on the verge of technicality as seen on the two "Tormentor" songs - it always works, and it works well. Everything they did was done with 100% conviction and executed with blackened, evil precision.

The fact that they were all actually pretty damn good at their respective instruments didn't hurt either, and it goes without saying that Attila's vocals are just out of this world. And I mean that literally. They don't sound like they come from a living human being. More like a demonic alien-banshee with a thick Hungarian accent. Some say De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas was his finest achievement. Others claim his work with Sunn O))) contains his most captivating performances, but I strongly, strongly, disagree. Anno Domini most definitely contains his best performance in all of his career, and as eerie and chilling as they are on De Mysteriis, or how much they add to Sunn O)))'s already-hypnotic tendencies, neither compare to the maniacal brilliance seen on this here masterpiece.

Every element that makes up Anno Domini all point to one thing: the highest level of black metal preeminence possible. Yes, the ultimate black metal album.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Necrovore - 1987 - Divus De Mortuus (high quality rip)

It has been a while since my last update, and for that I apologize. However, I can make it up to you. What I have here is a HIGH quality rip of Necrovore's legendary Divus De Mortuus demo. This little piece of death metal history is not only remembered for its extreme historical significance, but also for its sheer relentless fury.

Everything about it just fucking rules. Pretty much every riff is memorable, as the way they weave abrassive chromaticity with heaviness and brutality is just stellar. Accompanying these excellent riffs is John DePlachett's maniacal vomit-soaked vocals, which at the time was easily one of the most ferocious vocal performances metal had ever seen. The drumming, done by Scott Staffney, is equally as vicious, and does a fine, albeit somewhat sloppy, job, and really beats the shit out of those skins.

So here it is, a damn nice high quality rip of the mighty Divus De Mortuus, converted directly from lossless to 320 kbps. It surpasses any other rip I've heard before, and definitely smears shit all over that Unreleased Evil bootleg that just came out.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Törr - 1992 - Chípni o kus dál

To continue where I left off with the Debustrol demo LP, here is another black/thrash gem from the Czech Republic, and from none other then the almighty Törr, a band that I've made painfully obvious that I absolutely worship. Anyone who liked the other Törr material and hasn't heard this one yet will most definitely not be disappointed.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Hellspawn (Bra) - 1993 - Unholy Ancient Masters 7" + More Reviews

Hellspawn were a very short-lived Brazilian band who only, to my knowledge at least, released this one 7", which is a shame because it's a damn fine slab of death metal. The music itself isn't anything mindblowing by any means, but it's still some well played death metal and actually has more US death metal influences then Brazilian ones.

I also wrote some more reviews. Here they are:
Abhorer - Zygotical Sabbatory Anabapt
Almighty Sathanas - Spit on Virgin
Gorguts - And Then Comes Lividity
Insanity (US) - 1985 Demo
Messiah (Che) - Powertrash
Mutation (Sgp) - Malignant Existence
Rippikoulu - Musta Seremonia
Witches Hammer - Stretching Into Infinity

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Looking for the following Polish demos...

192 kbps rips or higher of the following Polish demos would be highly appreciated:

Slaughter - Into the Darkness (1989)
Betrayer - Necronomical Exmortis (1992)
Lastwar - Skazani Na Zaglade (1990)
Prosecutor - Krew Czarnej Ziemi (1992)
Armagedon - Czas Przetrwania (1989)
Armagedon - Dead Condemnation (1990)
Slashing Death - All demos
DDT - both demos

Thank you.

Messiah (Che) - 2004 - Powertrash Demo (1985) /The Infernal Thrashing Demo (1986)

First of all, I'd like to thank the kind gentlemen who helped me obtain quality rips of these beasts. Thank you, good sir!

Messiah were a Swiss band that played vicious death/thrash throughout the 80's, but would develop a far more flat-out death metal-oriented sound once the 90's came around. Personally, and this seems to be the general opinion as well, their 80's material surpasses the 90's stuff by miles, and these two demos are good examples as to why (but 1986's Hymn to Abramelin is really their masterpiece).

Both demos differ quite a bit from eachother. Powertrash, although it is an awesome demo, is much more underdeveloped in terms of songwriting, as well as musicianship, and has more a Hellhammer type sound then the ripping death/thrash they would develop a year later. It's actually amazing how much they improved in such a short amount of time. And by the time they got around to recording their first LP, Hymn to Abramelin, which is one of my favorite albums of all time, they had become masters of the craft and made history.

I had to use megaupload because the file size exceeds 100 MB's, but is it me or has megaupload gotten pretty damn fast and efficient (aside from those irritating spam protector code things)?


Monday, April 27, 2009

Some More Reviews






















This drawing was done by the amazing artist, Milovan Novakovic, who has done logos and album art for bands such as Miasmal, Witchcurse, Iguman and a lot of others. He's also done a lot of logos for labels and zines. He's pretty god damn good. Check more of his stuff out here.

Anyway, I have some more reviews here for those interested.
Abhorer - Rumpus of the Undead
Bestial Raids - Order of Doom
Melvins - Eggnog
Necros Christos - Grave Damnation
Nocturnal Blood - True Spirit of Old...
Root - Zjevení

Enjoy.

Blasphemy - 1990 - Fallen Angel of Doom

I have gotten a couple requests recently asking for a rip of Blasphemy's 1990 masterpiece, Fallen Angel of Doom, at a higher bitrate then what has supposedly been circulating around the net, so here is a 320 kbps rip of it.

Fallen Angel of Doom is one of the most bestial assaults ever recorded, and has influenced a countless amount of other bands and musicians. It was also one of the pathways to what would become the entire bestial black/death genre. It is often hailed as a classic, and rightfully so, as it truly was a groundbreaking album, and the material contained on it really exceeds its praise. Some complain about the band's lack of musicianship and monotony, which is understandable, but not liking Blasphemy for those reasons is essentially the same as not liking bananas because they don't taste enough like apples. Blasphemy's goal was not to make music that was accessible and easy to take in, it was to take the feelings of total annihiliation, evil, and warfare and put it in the form of music, which is precisely what they did, and they did it perfectly. All the extremities that were present in metal at the time were pushed much further then they ever had been, and thus, new terrain had been explored but has never since successfully touched.











Saturday, April 18, 2009

Debustrol - 1988 - Vyznání Smrti Demo LP

All hail Czechoslovakia! What we have here is yet another gem from the ancient Czech underground, this time from the once-really-good band, Debustrol. This demo is their best recording, and it is an excellent permutation of thrash and 80's black metal. But like country mates Törr and Tudor, this simple, basic formula is given its own unique features that really sets it apart from a lot of other bands who were doing the black/thrash thing at the time. Some of the riffs on here also share that wild, schizophrenic feeling portrayed by the mighy Assesor's twisted guitar work, but with more of a blackened feel and not as atonal. The production is surprisingly excellent considering the fact that it was recorded in the basement of a car factory, using what sounds like was fairly decent equipment and a tape recorder. On top of that, as if the situation wasn't already difficult enough, the band had a 4 P.M. deadline, so everything that was used was from a first or second take. The music itself is intense, ripping black/thrash with vocals delivered in Czech, which is always awesome (I don't know of any other languages that are able to use and pronounce 3 consonents in a row).

I also have to mention the outro, it's great! 50 seconds of the band screaming, blowing harmonicas and whistles, grunting and just freaking out. Much better then any of those synth intros/outros that you always hear.

I can't recommend this enough. It is a great piece of Czech metal history, and I promise that you will dig it, especially my fellow worshipers of that country's excellent contributions to the world of metal. Here's another quality vinyl rip, converted from lossless to 320 kbps.

Enjoy.



















Also, I updated the link to the Exorcist (Pol) demo. Everyone who missed it needs to download it RIGHT NOW. Seriously.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Tormentor (Hun) - 1987 - The 7th Day of Doom

What we have here is a fully remastered and partially restored version of Tormentor's legendary 7Th Day of Doom demo, all thanks to a kind gentlemen who likes to go by "A.O.R.". What this A.O.R. fellow did is truly incredible, you would never have guessed that this was from a tape source.

This demo is, in my eyes, one of the greatest black metal recordings of all time. Like the LP that followed, it was an incredibly original take on the late 80's black metal sound, drawing influences from a number of different sub-genres and combining them all to create the most evil sounding music ever committed to tape. All of the elements that made the 1988 masterpiece, Anno Domini, so great are here, and are just as strong. The masterful song writing with tons of mind melting leads, Attila's morbid screams, tight musicianship, and an overall sense of perfection that is never lost.

This is a brilliant recording with a brilliant remastering job, and you simply need this.
And I thought this was funny:
File size: 106.66 MB
Yet another awesome thing about this recording.

Thank You All

I would like to thank everyone who has helped me out with my want list, you all have been very helpful. I actually got high quality rips of everything I put on there (aside from the Goatvomit demo, which I finally came across on my own).

And the above picture is Ween's 1991 masterpiece, The Pod. I just thought I'd post a picture because I'm proud to own a copy.

And if anyone ever has a request for an album, please feel free to email me. And most of the requests I've gotten so far will be filled, just give me some time.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Sorcery (Swe) - Ancient Creation (1988) + Unholy Crusade (1989)

Sorcery are indubitably one of the most overlooked and underrated bands from Sweden's 80's/early 90's death metal scene. Their recording career spanned over the course of 5 years ('87 to '91) in which they recorded 3 demos, a 7" and an LP.

By the time Sorcery had gotten around to recording their second demo, 1988's Ancient Creation, they still had a sound that was somewhat planted in a Repulsion-like death/grind sound. Although it is definitely different from Swedish death metal sound that would develop shortly later, this demo is still a great recording. It shows the band at the more pummeling and bestial stage in their development. The riffing and song structures were more simplistic and it is just overall much more raw. Anyone into the Repulsion/early Fatal (US) death/grind sound will definitely dig it. The production is absolutely wretched and caked in filth. Each instrument is heard separately, but each one is just so soaked in sludge that it turns it all into one large bombardment of chaotic and primal fury.

Unholy Crusade, released 1 year later, shows the band at a more developed stage in their sound. The musicianship had gotten tighter, the songwriting had gotten a bit more intricate, and their style had progressed more towards what the classic Swedish sound would. It is hard to believe a band could change their sound this drastically within a year of the previous recording. One of the significant changes on Unholy Domain is the tuning of the guitar and bass. Both are at a much lower register then they were on Ancient Creation, which makes the demo sound as if it has been saturated in thick, bubbling sludge. The drums just contribute to the overall oozy feel by giving this recording an overall much slower and mid-paced sound. The dismal and obscure atmosphere of the demo comes from the production job and the occasional use of synths, both are significant factors in bringing it closer to what would become the glorious Swedish sound.

I will be uploading the 7" and LP within the next week or so, so keep checking back.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Mystifier - 1991 - Aleister Crowley (Demo LP)

Here is another vinyl rip of one of the LPs included in the magnificent Baphometic Goat Worship box set. This time, it is Mystifier's second demo, and last recording before the mighty Wicca, the Aleister Crowley demo. At this point, Mystifier's sound had matured since the debut demo in song writing technique as well as lyrically. However, in terms of production, the sound on this demo isn't up to par with the debut demo or the The Evil Escension Returns 7" released a year prior. But it's still early Mystifier, and you really can't go wrong with that, so it's definitely worth a listen.

Enjoy.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Psychic Possessor - 1988 - Toxin Diffusion

Yes, more excellent death/thrash from Brazil. After Vulcano's indomitable 1986 masterpiece, Bloody Vengeance, guitarist Zé Flávio and two other Brazilian thrash maniacs started a band called Ritual, then changed the name and recorded a demo in 1987 called Zombie Night. After that demo, they went on to record their debut LP, Toxin Diffusion, in 1988.

Toxin Diffusion
is an underrated Brazilian gem that must be heard by all.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Want list

Here are a few things I am looking for. Help me out. And of course, please, nothing under 192 kbps. If it is a decent VBR and it dips a little under, then so be it, I can deal. But if it's below 160 kbps, then don't bother (but I appreciate you looking anyway). I'm keeping it short for now.

Messiah (Che) - 1985 - Powertrash Demo
Messiah (Che) - 1985 - The Infernal Thrashing Demo (both of these were released on one CD in 2004 by Iron Pegasus if that helps at all)
Tormentor - 1987 - 7th Day of Doom Demo
Fallen Christ - 1995 - Abduction Ritual (taken care of)
All pre-Ritual Master's Hammer demos
Any pre-Scream Bloody Gore Death/Mantas demos other then the live 1984 one I posted (Taken care of, nevermind.)
Goatvomit - Carnal Blasphemy Demo (the only one I can find is at 160kbps. This demo was also released as a split with Kratornas if that helps.)

I'd prefer if you contacted me by email in case I miss a comment, which happens from time to time.

And if you were wondering why I posted a picture of Joe Preston, it's because he's kind of the man. Here is another.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Residual Cod - 2008 - The Man Who Collected Hats Tape

Residual Cod is another one of my bands, and The Man Who Collected Hats is our most recent recording. I would go as far as to say that this is definitely our brownest achievement yet. In fact, it is SO brown that its almost black; a level of brownness that has not been attained by anyone in years.

Each one of these songs is a cacophonous freeform freak out, with a smidgen of coherency brought forth by the use of dynamics and restraint. But here, coherency is hardly a concern. The only planning put into this recording was when we set up the large number of different instruments, noisemakers and various objects used for percussion around the room and placed the microphones accordingly. We then pressed "record" on the 4-track tape recorder, and let all brown break loose.

Imagine what a terrible mixture of No-Neck Blues Band, Borbetomagus, Nihilist Spasm Band, Machine Gun-era Peter Brötzmann and Sunburned Hand of the Man would sound like if they were all thrown into a giant lawnmower at the same time and were later reconstructed in a nonsensical fashion and forced to record 47 minutes worth of abrassive, freaked out, acid-fried insanity. That should hopefully give you a general idea of what to expect before forcing yourself to endure the brownness contained herein.

1. So... I Heard You Play Squash... (7:56)
2. Toad Smuggler (14:41)
3. Brown Flamingo (5:39)
4. The Man Who Collected Hats (18:54)

The lineup on The Man Who Collected Hats is as follows:
Me (Paul) - Saxophone, clarinet, guitar, Korg, banjo, additional percussion
Mark - Casio, kazoo, additional percussion, mandolin, trumpet
Richie - Clarinet and Lead percussion (which consisted of drums, weights, street signs, amplified whammy bongos, a deflating balloon, a stepping stool, lobster pots, a ladle, brownie pans, metallic trash cans, etc., all of which are played with some nice A7's.)

This really is as brown as it gets. You have been warned.

Enjoy.

Artwork by Alex Shenkan.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Masacre (Col) - 1991 - Requiem

This album is easy to find on other blogs, but the only rips I've seen have been at shitty bitrates. After I did some digging, I found a rip at an acceptable VBR (200 - 280kbps), and I thought I might share it with my fellow low bitrate haters, and for all those who are just not familiar with the band.

Masacre are a Columbian death metal band who have been around since 1988 and, slowly but surely, are still releasing quality death metal. After some successful demos, they went on to release their first official recording, the classic Ola De Violencia EP in 1991. Later that year, they released their first LP, Requiem. This album is a viciously ripping piece of death metal that continues where the EP left off. The only thing wrong with the album is the thin guitar tone, but in this case, it's an easy thing to get over, because everything else compensates for it perfectly.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Nocturnal Blood - 2008 - True Spirit of Old... (Demo)

Ever since the bestial black/death genre had its sudden, and greatly successful, reemergence, there has been an array of different bands from all over the world, all sticking to the general aesthetics put in place by the genre’s forefathers - Blasphemy, Abhorer, Beherit, Sarcofago, Archgoat, etc. Like all forms of music, some bands are far superior to their other contemporaries, and this more-than-promising demo is a clear indicator that Nocturnal Blood are, and probably will remain, one of these bands who plainly stick out amongst the rest. Although this demo has enough of the defining characteristics to deem this black/death metal, it certainly has enough of its own characteristics to set it apart from a lot of other black/death metal bands.

While a lot of these black/death bands draw lots of influence from the savage and relentless nature of bands such as Bestial Warlust and Blasphemy, Nocturnal Blood seem to draw a lot elements from the eeriness and ethereality on Beherit’s Drawing Down the Moon, Demoncy’s Joined In Darkness and Von’s Satanic Blood. One big element that is carried throughout both bands though is the Hellhammer influence, which is ALWAYS a good thing, no matter what kind of metal it is. A lot of the demo is fairly mid-paced and very simplistic, but these are in no way undermining factors, as they actually help a lot with the ritual-like atmosphere.

In terms of production, this demo is almost perfect. The one and only flaw is that the drums are a bit too far in the background, which is a real shame because this Nocturnal Ghoul fellow really knows his way around a drum set better then some of the other black/death drummers. When he plays fast, he does it with pummeling force and precision, and when he plays slow, he takes that precision and applies it to playing ploddingly and heavily. He does not try anything fancy as it is not necessary here, but he also does not need to in order to make his talent more than apparent. The heavy reverb added to the drums also adds a dark and cavernous aura to them, which is yet another reason why I wish they could have just been a tad louder.

The guitars are a double tracked thick wall of down-tuned sludge, which, like the drums, have been soaked in reverb and let out to dry a little bit, just enough to prevent it from being overbearing. The sluggish, more lethargic riffs remind me of Archgoat’s slower sections – simple, effective, and damn heavy. These work as a fluent contrast to the fast, tremolo-picked riffs that are interspersed throughout the demo. The bass follows the guitars playing mostly root notes and with a gritty, chunky tone, and has been soaked in the appropriate amount of reverb to match the other instruments.

One of the greatest highlights of the demo is without a doubt the putrid and nauseatingly vile vocal work of Nocturnal Blood’s one and only member, Nocturnal Ghoul. He mostly sticks to a demonic growl, which in that sense is similar to his vocal work in his former band, Nuclear Desecration (who sadly broke up a couple months ago, but this demo is better anyway). But that is really the only similarity between the two styles. On here, he growls in more of an eerie, chilling manner, as opposed to his more relentless and bestial delivery in Nuclear Desecration. The end result of this change is far more suiting for this sound, and he pulls it off perfectly.

Nocturnal Ghoul has mastered this style of black/death metal and has really made it his own. Personally, I like this demo more then his work with Nuclear Desecration, which is saying A LOT considering how great Desecrated Temple of Impurity was. The way he makes all these elements intertwine with one another creates an atmosphere like no other, and I eagerly wait for what lies ahead for Nocturnal Blood.

Here is a 320kbps tape rip. HIGHLY fucking recommended.

Enjoy.

Some Reviews

Here are some reviews I've written recently for Metal Archives for anyone who may be interested.

Apolion's Genocide - Olupicsid Nu A Anedro Sathanas
Blasphemophagher - Nuclear Empire of Apocalypse
Blasphemophagher/Necroholocaust - Triumph of Abominations (split 7")
Cadaver (Nor) - Hallucinating Anxiety
Cultes Des Ghoules - Häxan
Mortuary Drape - Into the Drape/Mourn Path LP
Mystifier - Tormenting the Holy Trinity (Demo)
Poison (Ger) - Into the Abyss (Demo)

Currently working on some more as I type this. Enjoy.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Sarcofagus - 1980 - Cycle of Life

Sarcofagus were the very first heavy metal band from Finland to officially release an album (or maybe to even exist?). And yet, for some extraordinarily bizarre reason, they are still hardly ever mentioned when the topic of Finnish metal is brought up. I am completely oblivious as to why, not only because of their historical importance in the Finnish metal scene, but also because their first two LPs are just simply brilliant.
What you will find here is outstanding heavy metal that gives other early 80's metal heroes such as Angel Witch and Manilla Road a run for their money.

The song "Feed Me" is also something of note. Where the hell did that come from? Completely awesome.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Electrocution - 1993 - Inside the Unreal + 1992 - Remains Demo


Inside the Unreal is an absolutely essential album for all fans of old death metal. Why this album is not more well known is beyond me, but those who do know it, will often tell you the same thing that I just did. The band's superlative songwriting skills shine in every track and keep you interested throughout the entire 37 minutes. There really is not a dull moment in sight. This is the sort of death metal that has a strong hypnotic effect to it, similar in that sense to Sororicide's The Entity or Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness. Obviously, all these albums are drastically different styles of death metal, but they all have the same mesmerizing quality to them, created partly by the production, but also the way the notes are arranged. Listen to all these albums back to back and you will see what I mean.

I also included the 1992 Remains demo, which is a good peek at what would come next.



If anyone has any of their other demos on any format, please send me an
email.

Enjoy.

Inside the Unreal LP
Remains (Demo)

**I fixed the link. My bad.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Mystifier - 1990 - The Evil Ascension Returns EP

This is the second Mystifier recording, and is the only non-demo release that came out before Wicca. The Evil Ascension Returns was originally released as a 7" in 1990 on Maniac Records, and was later pressed on a 12" along with some live tracks for the Baphometic Goat Worship box set. The early versions of both of the songs on this recording were also on the first demo but under different names - "Ancient Prediction" = "Mystifier" and "Sign of the Unholy Cross" = "Christian Proscription". Not only are the song titles different, but both songs are reworked in a way that adds a bit more variety in the sound and gives the songs dynamics, especially in the drum department, utilizing cymbols other then the hi-hat. As one would assume, the sound quality and production value is also much better then the first demo, which is definitely a plus.

I didn't include the live tracks because I am low on hard drive space and won't be getting a new 500 GB hard drive for another couple weeks. I will rip them and post them once I get it. But you need to download this anyway, for it is an essential piece of the Mystifier legacy, and needs to be heard by all.

Enjoy.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Burnt Hills - 2007 - Cloud Nine

I have decided to start occasionally posting other forms of music on here other then metal. I'm not saying metal does not have plenty of variety in it, because it does, and anyone who listens to the genre can attest to that, but there are a lot of other bands that I would like to share with you all that are far from metal. Don't worry though, I will still be posting just as much metal as before, and this non-metal stuff will just be an addition.

Anyway, this album is amazing. Burnt Hills are a fairly new band who specialize in psychedelic, cacophonous and percussive-heavy noise jams, soaked in bong water and oozing with lysergia. The best thing about the album, and all other Burnt Hills material, is the drums. They use the twin drum bamboozlement effect, where both drummers are keeping the rhythm consistently precise throughout the album. Really, I can't stress enough how amazing these drums are. Imagine a 4-armed Dale Crover, using two of his arms to play pulsing tribal beats and the other two for the double cymbal effect. Aside from how awesome a four armed Dale Crover would be, imagine him replacing his odd but exact style he used in the Melvins with a much more groove oriented psychedelic pummeling. That hopefully should give you a general idea of what these drums sound like, because they are THAT good. From beginning to end, the multiple drummers lock into an infectious groove and are stopped by nothing. The album's highlight, by far, is the drumming. AMAZING.

Guided by the pulsing, double drummer rhythm section are the guitars. A total of 7 people contribute guitar during this session, 2 or 3 playing at one time, and 5 out of the 7 alternate between the drums and guitar throughout the song. Staying in sync with one another is not a concern for these guys. Each guitarist goes on their own trip of improvised madness and all of which work really well off eachother for the whole album. The bass is prominent in the mix and adds the required low end for a full sound, and like the guitars, it also strays from the other musicians, just adding to the already tripped out madness that is Cloud Nine.

The end result of all these elements when put together is an infectious and absolutely mind melting psychedelic noise freak out, and I highly advise everyone into psychedelic and experimental music to check it out. And seriously, for my fellow drummers, I could not recommend this any more.

One of Mediafire's only flaw is that it has a limit of 100 MB limit for non-member users, so I uploaded the album on megaupload and sendspace instead.

Enjoy.

megaupload
sendspace