Lizards & Beans

Ghost (Swe) - 2010 - Opus Eponymous

2010-10-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

It's finally here! The full-length debut from Sweden's Satanic doom-rocking, hooded henchmen. The album art bares a striking resemblance to the movie poster of the 1979 film (originally TV series), Salem's Lot, which I actually have a screen shot of over there on the right somewhere, but anywho...

I'm planning a big, full-on review for this one, so to save some time, I'm just going to leave you with the link to the album, as well as a link to the Rise Above website where you can buy it. Those in the US might want to wait until some US distributors are carrying it though. Also, the vinyl hasn't been released yet, so you could wait for that too if that's your thing. I usually wait for the vinyl myself, but couldn't help myself and just ordered the CD.

Anyway, from the first couple of listen-overs, it's everything I was expecting. Definitely a perfect embodiment of that late 70's proto-metal/occult hard rock sound but totally menacing, and doesn't get all "OMG so totally vintage!" like so many bands end up falling victim to. Kind of ironic that one of the best metal releases of 2010 sounds like it was recorded 30 years ago, but it's also not very surprising considering the state metal is currently in. Those who worshipped the shit out of the Elizabeth 7" and demo will not be disappointed.

Enjoy.
Buy it too, you cheap bastards.

Fallen Christ - Abduction Ritual (1995) + Demos

2010-10-13T15:43:00.001-07:00

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.

Enjoy.

Ghost (Swe) - Elizabeth 7" + Demo 2010

2010-09-13T22:42:00.001-07:00

Ghost are an exceptionally awesome, new band from Sweden, who play early 80's-styled heavy/doom metal. Though clearly inspired by the likes of Witchfinder General, Cirith Ungol, Cloven Hoof, Pentagram, Black Hole (Ita), etc., they infuse plenty of their own ideas and Satanic themes, creating their own sound that delves farther beyond the general confines that many of today's doom bands feel the need to stick to.

Under their belt thus far, they have a three-track demo, a 7" EP that came out on Iron Pegasus back in June, and a full-length due in October, which is to be released on Rise Above Rec. Needless to say, it's going to be mindblowingly great, as the Elizabeth 7" is honestly one of the most interesting metal recordings I've ever heard. And the demo, though lacking a bit of the atmosphere they achieved on the EP (which is understandable), is still an excellent offering of early 80's occult-themed, heavy doom metal! Seriously, if someone put on that demo for me and told me that it was some long-lost, obscure doom gem from 1982, I would have no second thoughts about it. It's amazing how sinister and menacing they manage to sound while retaining such a restrained vibe.

I have both the demo and 7" compressed in one folder. Keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming LP, Opus Eponymous, due out October 18th!! It's going to be a sizzler.

Enjoy.

And how fucking great is this logo?! This band is PERFECT.

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

2010-09-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

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.

Enjoy.

Katedra - 1989 - Mors Ultima Ratio LP

2010-09-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

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.

Enjoy.

New blog

2010-02-17T22:46:00.000-08:00

Here.

Don't worry, I'll be getting back to this one eventually.

A little something I made...

2009-09-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

(click for a bigger, better-quality version)

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

2009-09-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

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.

Enjoy.

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

2009-07-27T04:42:00.000-07:00

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.

Trenton, 1990

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.

Boston, 1994

More rare and live Ween to come...

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

2009-07-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

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.

New Brunswick, NJ, 1991

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.

WTSR Radio Show, 1992

More rare and live Ween to come...

Ween - 1989 Live In Trenton, NJ

2009-07-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-07-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

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

Vötaag - 2009 - The Golden Pileus

2009-07-01T17:18:00.000-07:00

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

Enjoy.

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

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

2009-06-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

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.

Enjoy.

Taranis (Pol) - 1992 - Obscurity (Demo)

2009-06-22T03:27:00.000-07:00

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.

Enjoy.

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.

Tormentor (Hun) - 1988 - Anno Domini

2009-06-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

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.

Enjoy.

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

2009-05-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

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.

Enjoy.

Törr - 1992 - Chípni o kus dál

2009-05-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

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.

Enjoy.

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

2009-05-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

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

Enjoy.

Looking for the following Polish demos...

2009-05-02T11:25:00.001-07:00

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)

2009-05-02T11:24:00.001-07:00

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)?

Enjoy.

Some More Reviews

2009-04-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

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.

Enjoy.

Debustrol - 1988 - Vyznání Smrti Demo LP

2009-04-18T06:44:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2009-04-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

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.

Enjoy.

And I thought this was funny:
File size: 106.66 MB
Yet another awesome thing about this recording.

Thank You All

2009-04-13T04:28:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2009-04-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

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.

Enjoy.

Mystifier - 1991 - Aleister Crowley (Demo LP)

2009-03-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

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.

Psychic Possessor - 1988 - Toxin Diffusion

2009-03-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

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.

Enjoy.

Want list

2009-03-05T18:43:00.001-08:00

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.

Residual Cod - 2008 - The Man Who Collected Hats Tape

2009-03-03T18:41:00.000-08:00

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.

Masacre (Col) - 1991 - Requiem

2009-03-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

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.

Enjoy.

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

2009-02-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-24T15:17:00.000-08:00

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.

Sarcofagus - 1980 - Cycle of Life

2009-02-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

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.

Enjoy.

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

2009-02-18T12:26:00.000-08:00

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.

Mystifier - 1990 - The Evil Ascension Returns EP

2009-02-16T10:49:00.000-08:00

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.

Burnt Hills - 2007 - Cloud Nine

2009-02-15T08:15:00.001-08:00

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

Drakar - 1990 - Let Draka LP

2009-02-13T17:54:00.000-08:00

Here is yet another obscure gem from Czechoslovakia. I think I have made it abundantly clear that I feel the aforementioned country has given us metal fans some of the greatest and most unique forms of metal that have ever emerged from the genre.

This LP from the obscure thrash band Drakar is no exception to my claim, as this is a great album with some really unique touches to it. Like country mates Assessor, the two guitarists utilize the higher end of the fret board, resulting in some really twisted riffs, topped off with some nicely executed drumming and unique vocals that use a number of different approaches. One of the many things I love about a lot of other Czech bands along with this one is that most of them write their lyrics in their native language, which really adds an extraordinary amount of character to the music and gives it a certain trait that you won't find anywhere else. Plus, it's just an overall interesting language.

All fans of Czech metal need this.

Enjoy.

Rippikoulu - 1993 - Musta Seremonia Demo

2009-02-11T03:39:00.000-08:00

I like this demo a lot. It's definitely one of my favorite demos to have come out of Finland. Rippikoulu were a death metal band who, like country mates Purtenance, incorporated a good amount of sluggish DOOOOM elements and created something truly dark and dismal. Additionally, one of the other techniques they used to create such a feeling of impending doom is what bands like Autopsy and Incantation were doing at the time, which is while one guitar plays a chilling lead, the other keeps the low end brutality in tact by continuing to play the underlying riff.

I definitely recommend this to anyone into the old, filthy Finnish death metal sound, or anyone who just dug the Purtenance stuff, seeing as there are some similarities in sound. But despite the similarities, both bands still have enough other distinct characteristics that make it easy to differentiate one from the other.

Enjoy.

Dead (US) - 1986 - Musical Abortions

2009-02-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

This demo is the rawest piece of early, primitive death metal I have ever heard, and when I say raw, I mean really, really raw. The sound on here is extremely harsh and noisy, similar in both production value and primitive aggression found on the early 80's Repulsion/Genocide tapes or the early Death/Mantas tapes. The only difference is that this was released a couple years after the aforementioned bands started releasing their first demos. It's definitely a good listen for anyone into the early/mid 80's knuckle dragging cavemen death metal sound. I certainly dig it.

Enjoy.

Bestial Raids - 2003 - Rehearsal Tape #2

2009-02-09T14:17:00.000-08:00

This is pretty self explanatory. It's a pretty good sounding rehearsal that definitely has an audible and clear enough sound. I'd recommend it to anyone already familiar with the band. If you're not familiar with the band, then get their Order of Doom demo I uploaded, and then download this, because I truly believe it's really some of the best black/death metal being made right now. It's even got a Blasphemy cover, which I usually find interesting because I like to hear other people's take on Blasphemy's unique sound.

Enjoy.

Sextrash - 1990 - Sexual Carnage

2009-02-09T13:32:00.000-08:00

Sexual Carnage is often cited as one of the best albums from the80's/early 90's Brazilian scene, and it is definitely worthy of its praise. You'll find links to it on a lot of other blogs, but all the ones I downloaded before purchasing this had shitty bitrates, and I don't know if another one has surfaced with a decent bitrate.

I know it's frustrating when you look everywhere and can't find an album at a good bitrate while not owning a copy, so here is my own 320 kbps rip of it.

Enjoy.

I can also upload a .FLAC rip if anyone is interested. I just want to know before I do it because I am low on hard drive space and I would need to make a second copy of it on my computer.

Doom Snake Cult - 1992 - Love Sorrow Doom

2009-01-31T07:32:00.000-08:00

Post #2 of today. I am trying to make up for going two weeks without an update.

Do not let the name Love Sorrow Doom fool you. This is in no way romantic goth shit. If you noticed, the album title, if put into the form of an acronym, is L.S.D., which was the band's intention, and a very fitting name for this album. What we have here is a twisted permutation of sluggish death/doom and psychedelic, bizarre weirdness, featuring Goatlord (US) vocalist Ace Still.

Enjoy.

Demigod (Fin) - 1991 - Unholy Domain Demo + 1990 Rehearsal Demo

2009-01-31T07:03:00.000-08:00

This is Demigod's 1991 demo, Unholy Domain, and it easily the filthiest thing they've ever done. It's a good look into what would later become the band who released one of the greatest death metal albums of all time, Slumber of Sullen Eyes. Highly recommended. I added their 1990 Rehearsal demo tape as well.

Unholy Domain
1990 Rehearsal Tape

Apocalypse Command - 2007 - Abyss Fiend of Darkness 7"

2009-01-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

Apocalypse Command. The name fits the band perfectly. With only one release under their belt they have proved to be one of the strongest bands to have come out in the past 10 years. This is 12 minutes of pure apocalyptic savagery that just obliterates everything in its path. What Angelcorpse guitarist Gene Palubicki offers here is a masterfully assembled form black/death that combines the relentless and bestial nature of Blasphemy and Bestial Warlust with the songwriting skills of Angelcorpse. This is an excellent release and I can not wait for the next release from these guys.

Enjoy.

Beherit - 2008 - New Studio Tracks

2009-01-10T13:14:00.000-08:00

Yes! The rumors are true! The morbid black metal Gods BEHERIT have returned from the grave and are now in the studio recording a new album. At first, I was skeptical whether or not this was a good thing, and whether or not they could churn out anything remotely as good as The Oath of Black Blood or Drawing Down the Moon ever again, but after hearing these tracks, my skepticism has ceased. What I have here is 3 new studio tracks, two of which are new songs ("The Lord Diabolus Returns" and "Malus Ultionis") and the other one being a rendition of the old song "Morbid Gods", all of which are killer. This is some of the best black metal to have ever come out since the demise of the mighty Beherit.

Enjoy.

Purtenance - 1992 - Member of Immortal Damnation

2008-12-30T14:01:00.000-08:00

A while back I posted the Purtenance Avulsion demo, an excellent slice of masterful Finnish death metal. After the release of that demo, the band dropped the "Avulsion" from the band name and released a 7" called Crown Waits the Immortal in 1991, which I still have yet to obtain a copy of (some fucker on ebay beat me by $1 in in the last minute of the auction). And after that was released, they unleashed their magnum opus, one of my favorite pieces of Finnish death metal, Member of Immortal Damnation, in 1992. They took all the elements that made that demo so great, such as the well crafted song writing, the chunky Euro-death riffing, the perfectly placed sluggish doom sections and blood soaked production, and cranked it up a few notches.

This is an excellent death metal album. As I said, it's one of my favorites to ever come out of Finland. Enjoy.

Apolion's Genocide - 1993 - Olupicsid Nu A Anedro Sathanas Demo

2008-12-18T18:59:00.000-08:00

Apolion's Genocide were a Columbian black metal band who, despite being around for 7 years (or more), only released 3 demos. This is the only one I've heard, but I've been told that the other two do not compare, but that also isn't saying too much considering how incredible this demo is.

The music on Olupicsid Nu A Anedro Sathanas is very atmospheric and haunting black metal, somewhat similar to the first two Samael albums. But like I said, only somewhat. This demo really stands on its own in terms of uniqueness. For the most part, this demo is pretty doom-paced but of course it is completely and undeniably black metal, with it the atmosphere created by the cold and chilling guitars, creepy bass, double tracked vocals (one a higher black metal rasp and another a death growl), excellent use of organ synths and crawling drums (although that is not an uncommon quality found in doom metal). It may not sound like anything mind-blowing, which is really why you need to hear this for yourself.

This demo will surely possess you as it did to me, and that is a promise. Download, download, download.

Enjoy.

Brainstorm (Ukr) - 1995 - Brainstorm 7"

2008-12-16T15:29:00.001-08:00

Brainstorm are an obscure Ukrainian band who played some REALLY bizarre death metal/ritual music (for lack of a better term). I really can't even describe it. It is just so dark and ritualistic. I advise those who partake in the consumption of good mind-altering substances to do so before listening to this one.

Enjoy.

Doombringer - 2008 - Primeval Sorcery (Demo)

2008-12-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

Doombringer is a side project of the Polish black/death masterminds Bestial Raids, along with the excellent Cultes Des Ghoules. But with Doombringer they get rid of the black metal influences and create some damn good death metal in the vein of the ancients. I really think these guys can do no wrong. Utter filth!

Enjoy.

Mystifier - 1989 - Tormenting the Holy Trinity Demo LP

2008-12-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

Ever since last wednesday when I got the fantastic Mystifier 1989-1993 Baphometic Goat Worship boxset that was just put by NWN, I have been listening to nothing but Mystifier, and this demo in particular.

Tormenting the Holy Trinity is my second favorite Mystifier recording (Göetia being the first), and the reasons why are plain and simple. This demo definitely shows them at their rawest and most bestial stage and is pretty much the epitome of all things unholy and evil. Everything is extremely fast without ever getting old, and even at the first stage of their progression to the masterpieces that would follow for the next 4 years, they still had song writing skills that were above a lot of other black/death metal contemperaries, as well as more interesting lyrics then the average band of that era. But of course the lyrics are nothing compared to what was to follow on later releases, where they began to discuss things such as the occult and dark literature.

Highly fucking recommended, along with the rest of the boxset. Download and buy!

Enjoy.

Tudor - 1990 & 1991 - Zombie demo & Skeletor demo

2008-12-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

Tudor are a Czechoslovakian band who used to play some REALLY excellent black metal, as shown on these two demos. Like the majority of 80's/early 90's Czechoslovakian black metal, Tudor had a unique sound not really resembling too many other bands of that time period. Instead of just conforming to what was going on in Norway at the time, which is what a lot of bands started to do in the early 1990's, they followed down the path that was created by all the great black metal acts of the 80's in the sense that they drew a lot of influence from thrash and speed metal, but still added their own brand of wickedness to the mix and pumped out some truly awesome black metal.

What you will hear on these two demos is crude and unrefined thrashy black metal of the highest order. The overall production and sound is not terrible, but still pretty raw, but the music well makes up for it. Like I said before, this is some truly excellent stuff. Highly, highly recommended.

If anyone has a rip of tape-only Bloody Mary album or can make me a copy, please contact me at pbschofield@gmail.com.

Zombie
Skeletor

Enjoy.

Eternal Darkness (Swe) - 1992 - Twilight in the Wilderness (unreleased MLP)

2008-11-27T22:25:00.000-08:00

Eternal Darkness played some excellent and bludgeoning Swedish doom/death. I already posted their 7" simply titled Doomed, and if you liked that then you surely will like this. Twilight In The Wilderness was never released to due to label complications and was forgotten about until the label Morbid Wrath released a compilation that included some of the songs from this recording, but not all of them. But this version that I'm posting does contain all the songs, which I think everyone would prefer. It is an impeccable take on the whole death/doom genre was thriving in the early 90's, but done with that unmistakable Swedish atmosphere and delivery. Highly recommended.

And now here it is. Enjoy.

Hellias - 2007 - Night of Damnation 12''

2008-11-22T23:28:00.000-08:00

This great reissue done by the superb Nuclear War Now! Productions includes the 1988 Noc Potepienia EP on side A, and an excellent live recording from 1989 on side B.

In the 80s, Poland's metal scene was full of unique and interesting bands with their own sounds, and Hellias were no exception. They were a rather goofy looking bunch, but they played some of the most sinister thrash metal you'll ever hear.

One of the things I love about these two recordings is the guitar tones that both guitarists attain. It's not very often that you hear great fuzz tones in thrash metal. Usually bands go for a crunchy and a straight forward distorted sound, which works fine, but it's just refreshing to hear a great fuzz tone. But what difference would a great guitar tone make without killer riffing to accompany it? Well that is not the case here whatsoever. The riffing here is very creative and unique and never repeats itself. I love it when bands favor the higher notes with this kind of metal, and that is exactly what Hellias do. The drumming is more straight forward, but it gets the job done and it's not as if this band's music really requires anything too technical or flashy. And now on to the vocals. The vocals are really what gives this band the evil atmosphere that is evoked while listening to this. They sound like an early proto-black metal but with more snarl. They are extremely well done.

This is just one of the many great NWN! Prod. reissues and I highly recommend it to all fans of thrash metal, and just fans of metal in general. There is nothing here to not like. So here is my own vinyl rip of the LP. Enjoy.

Your comments are always appreciated.

Vulcano - 1986 - Bloody Vengeance (my own 320 kbps rip)

2008-11-22T23:00:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry for my lack of posts this week. I'm going to try and make it up to you all by posting a few different things at once.

Vulcano's Bloody Vengeance is a well known Brazilian death/thrash/black metal classic, and rightfully so. This album is the epitome of all things bestial and evil, and to this day it still has not been topped. I'm not going to go into detail as to why, because you just have to hear it for yourself.

This album isn't hard to find, but the only rip I've seen of this online is at a 128kbps shitrate (how the fuck do the original rippers think it sounds okay?). Even if there is one at 192, I still thought those who don't own the album would appreciate my 320 kbps rip.

So here it is. Enjoy.

Savage Death - 1985 - Mass Genocide Demo

2008-11-15T09:08:00.000-08:00

This is a vicious demo from one of the US death metal pioneers, Savage Death. Aside from the opening riff of the first song sounding almost exactly like that of the opening riff in Death's "Infernal Death", this band didn't sound like too many other bands in 1985.

So here is the cult classic, Mass Genocide. Enjoy.

Sinoath - Demos

2008-11-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

Forged In Blood (1991)

Sinoath were an Italian band that formed in 1990, and played a truly haunting and atmospheric mixture of black metal, death metal and doom metal and strangely never received much attention. Part of their distinct sound comes from the excellent use of keyboards. Instead of overdoing it and making it sound cheesy, they use the keyboards to give the songs more dynamics and to add emphasis to the bone chilling segments.

This is some highly recommended dark and eerie black/death/doom metal. Enjoy.

Still In The Grey Dying (1993)

Reencarnacion (Col) - 1988 - 888 Metal

2008-11-04T06:06:00.000-08:00

Reencarnacion are a band from Columbia who have been around since 1986 and, despite some inevitable line up changes and a brief hiatus, are still together. 888 Metal is their first LP that has gained a massive cult following and has been reissued 3 different times, the last being by the almighty Nuclear War Now! Productions (as seen in the picture I took).

At the time of these recordings, Reencarnacion played a very raw form of black/thrash, but had some additional weird and unique aspects to their music as well. A lot of the music on 888 Metal is very fast, and the riffing is overall pretty simplistic, but the way they execute it with their unorthodox song structures accompanied by the occasional bursting out of the black/thrash madness with some all out bizarreness. They have some mid paced sections, and they do change the tempo up quite a bit, but the slowed down sections are still equally as aggressive as the rapid ones. There are certain parts that are just plain weird, which is one of the things that makes this album so atypical, and is one of my favorite things about this album. One song in particular where you will find a good example of this uncanny bizarreness is the last song, "Reencarnacion (II parte)", where they throw in some dissonant violin, acoustic guitar and strange vocal segments, all interwoven into their signature off kilter song structures.

This album took a couple listens to really sink in and grow on me, but it was well worth the effort and it eventually became one of my favorite black/thrash albums of the 80s, which seems to be the case for a lot of other people. So if you don't dig this at first, try giving it a couple more shots, but I'm sure it will click right away for some of you.

Enjoy.

Death - 1984 - Live In Tampa 11/9/84 Tape

2008-11-02T08:35:00.000-08:00

This is a great sounding live recording from 1984, back when Death were clearly still heavily influenced by Venom, but had begun developing that great early proto-death sound. It was recorded when they were called Mantas, but they had changed the name to Death by the time it was released. It has some early versions of songs that would later appear on the Death's first and finest offering, 1987's Scream Bloody Gore, such as "Evil Dead" and "Beyond the Unholy Grave", as well as a lot of songs that never made it onto any official Death albums and would only be seen on other demos, plus a cover of Venom's "Poison".

The musicianship, as expected, is pretty sloppy in some places, but personally I think it just adds to the overall sound. It continues on the path Venom had paved for all early extreme metal bands, where you don't have to be a virtuoso musician in order to make some groundbreaking and brutal metal.

This is an excellent recording and a good look into the first stages of what would become the US death metal scene. Enjoy.

*NOTE: If anyone has any other pre-Scream Bloody Gore recordings at 192kbps or higher please contact me on here or email me at SaturatedGoatTrumpet@gmail.com

Diocletian - 2005 - Demo I

2008-10-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

Diocletian, hailing from New Zealand, play bestial black/death metal in the Blasphemy/Bestial Warlust/Archgoat vein and they do it damn well. They are definitely one of the best current bands in this genre.

Here is a rip from my own copy of the tape. Enjoy.

Mourning (Hol) - 1992 - Greetings from Hell

2008-10-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

So I'm back from my two week trip to Florida with no internet, and this album was getting played pretty frequently throughout the trip. It's an obscure piece of death/doom from Holland, home to other classic death/doom acts such as Semptiternal Deathreign, Delirium and Asphyx. Great stuff.

Enjoy.

Purtenance Avulsion - 1991 - Demo

2008-10-12T15:48:00.001-07:00

Purtenance Avulsion released one demo under this name before shortening it to just Purtenance, where they released and EP and a full length (both are also very good). The music on this demo is very solid, well written death metal with nice transitions between the face paced death metal sections and the sludgier doom sections. The production is also pretty good for a demo which is always a plus.

Enjoy.

Celtic Frost - 7/10/86 Cleveland + Onslaught (UK) - 1984 Rehearsal

2008-10-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a live Celtic Frost recording from 1986 and an Onslaught rehearsal from 1984 (a double whammy!).

As expected, the Celtic Frost recording has a rough sound to it but you can still hear what's going on and it's just nice to hear a live recording back from when they were a great band. The Onslaught rehearsal also has a rough sound to it, but that is expected considering it was probably recorded on a boombox. For those who don't know or just are not familiar with early Onslaught, Onslaught started out playing a crust/punk proto-thrash sound, not too far off from Sodom's early demos, Hellhammer, and Impostor (Nor).

So here they are - nice, rare and raw for ya. Enjoy.

Celtic Frost - Live 7/10/86

Onslaught - 1984 Rehearsal

Autopsy Torment - Orgy With The Dead 12'' LP

2008-10-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

This here is the first Autopsy Torment full length. Like their other material, this is old school death metal that is more on the simplistic side. Those familiar with this band will know what to expect. It stays mostly mid tempo throughout the album, but the way it all gets delivered is what keeps it from getting boring. One of the things I love most about this band is Devil Lee Rot's sickening vocals. He sounds like he is choking on vomit while singing along to his favorite Bathory album after gargling some shards of glass. They really are that vile. And I can't think of any band that would be more appropriate to lay those sickening vocals upon other then the mighty Autopsy Torment.

Enjoy.

Toxodeth - 1988 - Phantasms Demo

2008-10-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

This is the 1988 demo from Mexican death metal band Toxodeth. I actually ripped this from the LP released in 2006 by Utterly Somber Creations. I'm not going to post pictures of the LP because, like all of those Utterly Somber demo compilations, the layout is absolutely horrendous (seriously, what the fuck are they thinking?). Anyway, this is a great demo. These guys were only 17-18 years old at the time and were one of the first bands on the small Mexican death metal scene. They went on to release 2 LPs, and I will upload one of them (1989's Mysteries About Life and Death) sometime in the near future once I get around to ripping it to my computer.

Here it is. Enjoy.

Wormphlegm - 2006 - Tomb of the Ancient King 12'' LP

2008-09-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

This is NOT that godawful vinyl-to-128kbps rip that was TRANSCODED to a high VBR by some retard that you will find everywhere else on the internet. I wouldn't do that to you. This is my own vinyl rip.

Anyway, Wormphlegm are a terrific band. They make crawling, filthy, torturous DOOM that can't really be compared to anything I've ever heard before. Some people consider this band "funeral doom", but don't let that fool you. This is in no way that horrible, drum machine, trendy garbage that is often found with most other funeral doom bands these days. Actually, this band sounds more like something some Finnish death metal heads recorded while on opium and acid in 1992 more than anything else.

This is some really wretched doom metal, drenched in layers of filth and vomit. It moves along at an excruciatingly slow pace that rarely picks up, but never gets old. The guitars and bass are very down tuned and drone along while a chilling lead glides above them to keep things interesting and to create a very eerie atmosphere. Both compliment eachother perfectly and fit in perfectly with the guttural growls and piercing high pitched screeches. All of this is backed up by very, very slow, plodding drums that make Saint Vitus's Armando Acosta sound like Mike Browning.

Part 1
Part 2

Enjoy.

Death Vomit - 1993 - Death Vomit

2008-09-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

Death Vomit were a short lived Russian death metal band who released this full length LP and a live tape. I haven't heard the live tape, but this LP is pretty damn good. It's not really anything out of the ordinary nor is it unique, but who cares? The riffing and the rhythm section are both pretty tight and the vocals sound a bit like Luc Lemay on Obscura, but not really as airy.

So like I said, this album isn't anything out of the ordinary, but it's still good. It has a pretty funny album cover too.

Enjoy.

Saram - 2007 - Sinners (compilation)

2008-09-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

Saram are a band from Peru who used to play blackened doom metal, but later started to play with a more black/thrash sound. This disc compiles recordings from 1992 to 1998, which is before they started weaving thrash into their sound. The sound quality varies pretty much from track to track, some worse then others, but the music itself is consistently good blackened doom metal that makes great use of synths. The band also has members from the Peruvian metal hordes Goat Semen and Anal Vomit (ridiculous names, but great music). As usual, this is a rip from my own copy of the disc. Enjoy.

Part 1
Part 2

Mortuary Drape - Into The Drape/Mourn Path LP

2008-09-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

This is the compilation LP that was put out by Iron Tyrant Records in 2007, which contains both the 1992 Into The Drape EP and the 1996 Mourn Path EP. Mortuary Drape play remarkably occult sounding black metal (or as they call it, "evil necromantical black metal"), and create an atmosphere that makes it almost seem as though you are attending an actual Black Mass. I put both of these EPs on my "15 Favorite Black Metal Releases of All Time" list.

I ripped this from my own copy of the LP.

So here it is, in all of its evil glory. Enjoy.

Saturated Goat Trumpet - 2008 - The Goat Trumpet Placenta Tape

2008-09-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

Saturated Goat Trumpet is one of my bands, and although it isn't metal, I still thought I'd post it anyway. We play a style of music we like to call "Avant-Brown Music". I guess it could be described as a mixture of Sonny Sharrock's Monkey Pockie Boo, Acid Mothers Temple and The Nihilist Spasm Band, but much, much browner. Each song has a general theme instrumental-wise and we just build off of it for the rest of the song.

This is our first recording and was recorded on a Tascam Porta 03 4-track tape recorder, with analog equipment, some nice mics and a decent mixer.

The line up is as follows:
Karissa Lawrence - Vibrato vocal insanity and kazoo
Marcus Dingman - Mandolin, plastic recorder and keyboard
Paul Schofield (me) - Clarinet squeals and honks, keyboard, drums/other means of percussion

The tape cover was drawn by Alex Shenkan.

Please listen with an open mind and enjoy.

666 (pre-Törr) - 1983 - Nekrofilie demo

2008-09-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

(Yes, I do not really understand this picture either, but I couldn't find a cover scan of the demo, so this is what I have to use.)

Anyway, 666 were Törr before they were called Törr. This demo is supposedly from 1983 (but it might have actually been recorded in 1985), which shows that by the time these guys were in their first recording stages, they already knew exactly what they wanted to do, and they did it well. Nekrofilie contains 4 songs and 1 intro (sorry, I can't find the last song). Two of which would later appear on Törr's brilliant first demo, 1987's Witchhammer, as well as the Armageddon LP and the Kladivo na Carodejuice LP. The one that didn't, the title track, is a 17 minute blackened proto-thrash epic, with plenty of different parts to keep things moving along at a nice pace, preventing any sort of boredom from sinking in.

This is a nice, raw document of the early stages of what would become the mighty Törr and is recommended to those who are already familiar with their music. However, if you are a newcomer to their music, then I suggest starting out with any of the pre-Made in Hell LPs or the Witchhammer demo.

Enjoy.

Ignivomous - 2007 - Path of Attrition 12'' MLP

2008-09-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

Ignivomous! The modern kings of dark and dismal old school death metal, following in the footsteps of classic acts such as Incantation, Depravity (Fin) and Demigod (Fin), but adding their own unique flavors, making them more than just a worship band. This is the vinyl reissue put out by NWN! Productions of the band's demo.

Enjoy.

Hadez - 1993 - Aquelarre

2008-09-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

Now THIS is some well written black/death metal. Being a fan of Blasphemy and the like, I obviously have no problem with ruthless, hyperspeed assaults, but it is definitely refreshing to hear some stuff with the same amount of fury and aggression but with more variation in the song writing. This band not only incorporates crawling doom passages into their bestial, blasphemous offerings, but they also throw in some chilling lead work, kind of like Swedish black/thrashers Nifelheim, as well as some occasional dissonance. The riffing as a whole is just top notch and flows perfectly within the construction of the songs. They remind me of Abhorer in that way. The sickening double tracked vocals that come in during the doom passages are also something of note. They are really one of the highlights of the album. His growls are great, as well as his higher pitched screams. SO fucking good. I can't stress enough how great this album is. A true masterpiece.

Enough of my stupid babbling. This is some excellent Peruvian black/death metal. Listen and enjoy.

Once again, I apologize for my lack of posts this week. AP classes are a bitch.

Mercyful Fate - Live 1982 - Copenhagen After Midnight LP

2008-09-06T07:59:00.000-07:00

I got this bootleg of a live 1982 Mercyful Fate recording fairly recently and I enjoy it quite a bit, despite my hatred for shitty picture discs (I actually enjoy LISTENING to my records). The set list is great, although since it's from 1982 there is no Don't Break the Oath material. But of course it's not too big of a problem due to their first two releases are both masterpieces as well. As far as picture discs go, the sound is pretty good. A little muddy, but what do you expect? One disappointment I did have though was King's vocals cracking a couple times during "Black Funeral", one of my favorite Fate songs. Other then that, this is a great recording. It also has the song "Return of the Vampire", the previously unreleased track that didn't make it to the first two LPs.

Here is my own vinyl rip. Enjoy.
Part 1
Part 2

And sorry for my lack of daily updates like what I was doing in the summer. School has started up again so I don't have time to do it everyday.

Necrosanct - 1993 - Desolate

2008-09-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

Like Necrosanct's previous effort, the mighty Incarnate LP, Desolate delivers relentless death metal that does not let up for a second. Although this is not quite as good as Incarnate, it's still Necrosanct, so you know you're in for some bestial and fast death metal that carries on the ferocious nature of Incarnate, making this worthy of more than just one listen. The production is not as raw as Incarnate but is still pretty raw sounding.

This is a 320 kbps rip from my own copy of the CD. Enjoy.

Expulser - 1992 - The Unholy One

2008-09-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

Expulser's The Unholy One is another great piece old school Brazilian metal. This is mostly fast paced death metal with a good amount of thrash influence. But unlike some other Brazilian classics such as Bloody Vengenace, Campo De Exterminio, Morbid Visions, and Immortal Force, this came out in '92, when the death metal sound had already been established and most of it's thrash characteristics had been altered. The material from the split with Brutal Distortion is also on this disc, which has more of an 80s death/thrash Holocausto type sound.

Enjoy.

Törr - 1990 - Armageddon LP

2008-08-31T06:07:00.000-07:00

Armageddon is the very first Törr album, the brilliant black/thrash/speed metal masters from the Czech Republic. Although this album came out in 1990, it sounds like it could have been recorded between 1984 and 1988, when black metal was at it's peak and still had a lot of thrash and speed metal characteristics. And that isn't just because some of the songs were on demos made in the 80's, because all of their best material (everything before Made In Hell) has that great 80's black metal sound.

Like all of pre- Made in Hell era Törr, this album shows an incredible amount diversity between song styles which is one of the many things that makes this band so great. Some songs are at a slower pace such as "Žal" and the title track, while there are other songs that are all out rapid black/thrash assaults. But those aren't the only two sounds on the album. That would be a bit too one dimensional for the mighty Törr. The majority of the songs on here are made up of great non-repetitive riffs that make band's ability to write some great, versatile songs very clear. The diversity within the songs is also due to the vocalists (Vlasta and Ota) wide range of vocal styles, which can change section by section a number of times within just one song, as well as Radek Sladký's simple but effective, varied drumming.

This album is one of the best albums to have ever come of the black metal scene. Here is my own rip of it. Enjoy.

Upsidedown Cross - 1993 - Evilution

2008-08-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Upsidedown Cross have been one of my favorite bands for a long time. Evilution is one of the most demented and fucked up albums I've ever heard. Musically it is a unique mixture of sludgey doom metal, psychedelic and noise. All this insanity is accompanied by the sleazy vocals of Larry Lifeless, ex-vocalist of Kilslug and who is also involved in the bands Angry Hate and Adolf Satan (both are great names). And when I say this is demented doom, I mean this is REALLY demented.

They started in the late 80's, released a self titled LP in 1991 (which I will upload when I rip it from my vinyl), released this album in 1993, and an EP in 1994. Then in 2002 they re-formed and recorded a song for a split 7" with the hilarious sludge band Sloth (US). I'll upload the EP and split 7" sometime in the future as well.

Here is my own 320kbps CD rip of the album. The only thing that sucks about Evilution is that it never got the proper vinyl treatment. Just tape and CD. Enjoy anyway.

Part 1
Part 2

Obscurity (Swe) - 1986 - Ovations of Death demo

2008-08-29T04:44:00.000-07:00

Obscurity were pretty much the first band in Sweden to release a death metal demo. But this is not your usual Swedish death metal. Ovations of Death contains a really raw and primitive early death metal sound, kind of like the Poison (Ger) demos. Obscurity were not quite on the playing level as bands like Nihilist and Sorcery, which may be why they are so overlooked.

This is great if you're into ugly, early forms of death metal. Enjoy.

Leprocy - 1988 - Brutal Occupation demo

2008-08-29T04:37:00.000-07:00

Leprocy were a Canadian thrash band who released 3 demos. They played a hybrid of dirty thrash with elements of power and traditional heavy metal. This band clearly had what it takes to make some killer thrash, and it's a shame they never recorded an LP, although this demo kind of makes up for it.

Enjoy.

Violent Dirge - 1993 - Elapse

2008-08-28T05:37:00.000-07:00

What we have here is some pretty technical death metal. But don't let the term "technical" scare you away because this is far from the modern day "tech. death" bullshit from utterly terrible bands like Cephilac Carnage and Beneath the Breakdowns (aka Beneath the Massacre). The death metal on this recording is unadulterated and raw technical death metal full of outstanding riffs, flailing solos and Luc Lemay-esque vocals. The drums are also great because they manage to come off as sounding less intricate then the riffing, but without undermining the music and technicality at all.

The production is pretty dirty, which I like a lot. If I had to make a stylistic comparison, it would be more to bands like Insanity that blended eccentric, technical riffing with more straight forward old school death metal sections rather than Atheist, Hellwitch or later Gorguts. Those bands had more complex arrangements and would stay in the "technical" vein throughout whole songs (not that that's bad. I love those bands).

Here it is. Enjoy.

Transmetal - 1988 - Muerto en la Cruz LP

2008-08-27T05:54:00.000-07:00

Excellent deathly thrash metal from Mexico. It's a really great album.

Enjoy.

Mutilator (Fra) - 1987 - Omens of a Dark Fate demo

2008-08-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

The French band Mutilator released one demo under that name before changing their name to Mutilated. The music here is pretty different from the first Mutilated demo, Psychodeath Lunatics. It is more of a bestial form of death/thrash, and in terms of speed and overall relentlessness, this demo is even more extreme then the demos being put out by Massacra and Agressor in '87. Although this is not the all-out death metal assault of Psychodeath Lunatics, it is still an awesome demo and had somewhat of a building block role in the French extreme metal scene.

Enjoy.

Deteriorate - 1993 - Rotting In Hell LP

2008-08-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

This is one of the most brutal and ferocious death metal albums to have ever come out of the US. If you thought John Tardy and Chris Reifert sounded demented, just wait until you hear Jack Gannon. And the music is just as grotesque as the vocals. This is an underrated essential.

Enjoy.

Törr - Witchhammer 2xLP set

2008-08-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

I already uploaded the first LP from this double LP set which had the 1987 Witchhammer demo on it. Now here is the 2nd one, Kladivo na èarodìjnice as well as the first LP but with a new link.

I have already made it quite apparent that I worship this band and why (these recordings especially), so I don't really feel the need to go into detail about why these are essential listenings for anyone into black/speed metal, or just metal in general.

Here are my own vinyl rips of both LPs. Enjoy.

Witchhamer demo LP
Kladivo na èarodìjnice LP

Assesor - 1990 - Invaze LP

2008-08-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

Assesor's one and only release, Invaze, is an excellent, unique slab of Czech death/thrash. The overall feel of the album is very unrefined and aggressive, but also kind of strange in some parts (all of which, are very good things).

Song structure wise, Assesor keep things very interesting with an unorthodox way of doing things, even by death and thrash metal standards. The vocals are penetrating, ruthless high-pitched rasps, which work perfectly because the guitars tend to stay on the higher end of the fretboard (that, or they just aren't that down-tuned), and move along viciously, one excellent riff after another. And when I say the riffing is excellent, I mean flawless and well thought out tremolo picked frenzies with a bit of weirdness and dissonance thrown in. The bass, which follows the guitar nicely, has a pretty cool clunky sound to it, but not in an irritating "funk metal" manner. The drums are also noteworthy for following along nicely during the oddly-timed sections and remain interesting without getting technical.

This is an excellent, underrated Czech metal gem. It is another perfect example of the versatility and originality that was once present in metal. You definitely won't find albums like this being made anymore.

Here is a nice vinyl rip. Enjoy.

Mutilated (Fra) - Psychodeath Lunatics + Resurrected bootleg LP

2008-08-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

Mutilated were a very influential and important band to the French metal scene. Before the release of Mutilated's 1988 demo, Psychodeath Lunatics, there really was no death metal scene in France. Yes, France had their share of extreme bands such as Agressor, Loudblast and Massacra, that sounded too brutal to just be called "thrash metal", but these bands still had strong thrash metal characteristics. It wasn't until Mutilated (originally called Mutilator) came around that the distinct barrier between death and thrash metal was put in place, influencing oodles of other bands to follow.

This bootleg LP put out by Vodoo Evil Rec. contains the legendary 1988 Psychodeath Luntatics demo and the 1991 Resurrected demo. Although Resurrected is excellent, (other then that god damn snare drum), the 1988 demo is what really shines. It's just a shame that it is so short.

This is a rip from my own copy of the LP. Enjoy.

Wyzard - 1984 - Knights of Metal EP

2008-08-23T04:39:00.000-07:00

Wyzard were a US power metal band who's only release was this EP. Knights of Metal is 20 minutes of well executed, badass power metal from 1984. This is the Perris Records CD reissue with the "Breaking the Spell" bonus tracks, which sounds like it may be a demo recording.

Enjoy.

Eternal Darkness (Swe) - 1992 - Doomed 7'' EP

2008-08-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

Eternal Darkness were a death doom metal band from Sweden, the most prominent country for dark, dismal, death metal. The atmosphere of this EP is very gloomy and obscure. It is full of haunting melodies soaked in reverb and delay, overlapping crushing doom riffs with that classic Swedish guitar sound. The drums and bass plod along lethargically beneath all of it and of course are done perfectly.

This is not your run of the mill, weepy goth, homo-erotic death doom that seems to be so popular these days. The music contained on the Doomed EP is devastatingly heavy and sluggish death metal of the highest order.

Enjoy.

Witches Hammer - 2005 - Stretching Into Infinity LP

2008-08-22T05:50:00.001-07:00

Witches Hammer were a Canadian band that played some exceptionally evil thrash metal. This compilation LP was put out by NWN! Prod. in 2005 and contains the 1987 Mortalas MLP and another previously unreleased MLP.

Enjoy.

Sororicide - 1991 - The Entity LP

2008-08-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

It's gems like Sororicide's The Entity that make me the avid death metal junkie that I am. To the outsider, death metal may seem like it was a genre with no room for uniqueness or creativity, which is understandable considering how atrocious and generic it collectively has become. But those who care enough to dig into the genre and look for those albums that really stick out amongst the rest know what a great form of music it once was. The Entity is really one of those unqiue, stand out albums. It may be partially due to the fact that the band was from Iceland, so it is not like they had a lot of local influences. They just played and wrote the way they naturally felt they should.

One of the things I really love about this album is the use of dissonance and the bizarre melodies and counter melodies sprinkled throughout. It really adds to the intensity of the slower sections. The riffing and song writing in general are just spectacular. The bass mostly follows along with the guitars, but sometimes will go off into its own dissonant riff while a discordant guitar melody is overlapping, which is another unique feature. The vocals are a gut-wrenching mid range growl and are just as powerful and eerie as everything else about this album. Everything is just perfect.

This album is a highly original and unique masterpiece. It is one of my all time favorite death metal albums. Enjoy.

DOWNLOAD

Törr - 1991 - Institut Klinické Smrti LP

2008-08-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

Törr were are amazing band, and Institut Klinické Smrti is a perfect example why. They have a number of different, distinct sounds and are by no means a one dimensional band. Essentially all their sounds boil down to a blending of thrash metal and early black metal, but like I said, they had a lot different methods to play it and would change it up pretty much from song to song. You would never hear them recycling ideas.

This album showcases the band's amazing ability to write some brilliant blackened thrash metal. The vocals are harsher then what you hear on the on the 80's demo material but they also change from song to song. The riffing and song structures for the most part are also not as simplistic as the earlier stuff. This band really has a unique sound (or sounds) and will never be matched or reproduced, even though Nifelheim (Swe) do a pretty good job of showing how big of fans they are of this band through their music. But even then, they still can't do it the same way the mighty Törr can.

DOWNLOAD

Necrovation - 2004 - Chants of Grim Death 7'' EP

2008-08-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

Pure, unadulterated, filthy, rotten, old school Swedish death metal. Necrovation are a new band playing death metal in the vein of their country's classic acts such as Merciless, Nihilist, Carnage, Centinex etc. They even cover Merciless's "Pure Hate" from their legendary debut LP.

This EP has more of a rotten and menacing sound to it rather then the dark, brooding atmosphere of their LP, which isn't a bad thing by any means, it is just a whole different sound. The production is nice and ugly with layers of grime on top of the already putrid music, making everything about this recording absolutely perfect.

I really recommend this to everyone. This band is really living up to the legacy of old Swedish death metal scene. It is a rip from my own copy of the 7''. Enjoy.

DOWNLOAD

Bloodbath (Ser) - 1989 - Toxic Death (demo)

2008-08-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

Not much is really known about the Serbian band Bloodbath other then the fact that the drummer is now in some stupid "hardcore raggae" band. However, despite their unwarranted obscurity, what is known is that they produced some sickening death/thrash metal that reminds me of a mixture of Massacra (Fra) and Necrovore. The production is crunchy and lo-fi, but still perfectly audible. And the music, as stated before, is some excellent deathly thrash metal. Download and enjoy.

DOWNLOAD

Airwolf - 1988 - Victory Bells LP

2008-08-19T09:04:00.001-07:00

Airwolf's 1988 Victory Bells was the only release from this obscure German band. This is some quality, epic power metal back from the days when power metal didn't suck and had some substance to it.
Enjoy.

DOWNLOAD

Necrosanct - 1992 - Incarnate LP

2008-08-18T06:29:00.001-07:00

I LOVE THIS ALBUM. Necrosanct are an obscure death metal band from the UK that released a demo and 3 albums, this being the 2nd. This LP is a pummeling, devastating death metal masterpiece that has remained in the depths of obscurity for far too long. This album is just oozing with malevolence and uncomprismised brutality and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking for raw and relentless death metal mayhem. This description sounds pretty cliche but there is really no other way to describe this album.

This is my own rip from my copy of the LP. Enjoy.

DOWNLOAD

Order from Chaos - 1990 - Will to Power 7'' EP

2008-08-16T05:47:00.001-07:00

This is the first official release from the legendary band Order from Chaos. I don't feel the need to write one of my shitty mini-reviews because you know what to expect. Great song writing, good musicianship and just an overall sense of perfection, like everything they ever released.

DOWNLOAD

Nuclear Desecration - 2008 - Desecrated Temple of Impurity

2008-08-16T05:19:00.000-07:00

Note: This is not the 128kbps shitrate that is circulating on soulseek, nor is it the "192" kbps TRANSCODE. It is my own 320 kbps CD rip.

There is a whole slew of new bands playing excellent, sinister old school black and death metal, but stuff THIS evil is hard to come by.

Nuclear Desecration play black/death metal in the vein of Blasphemy, Archgoat, Bestial Warlust etc., but incorporate a lot more tempo changes then the aforementioned bands, making the music a bit more death metal oriented at times. But don't get me wrong, each section is just as pummeling as the next, but there is just more variation in the writing. They can go from relentless Bestial Warlust blasting, to trudging Hellhammer rhythms to Profanatica type riffing in just one song.

This is a very promising album, and I am really anxious to get more material from this excellent band.

Here is my own 320kbps CD rip. Download, enjoy, then buy.

DOWNLOAD

Bestial Raids - 2004 - Order of Doom 7'' EP

2008-08-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

Bestial Raids are a fairly new band playing bestial black/death in the vein of Blasphemy, Beherit, Proclamation etc. This is their Order of Doom demo pressed on 7'' by the mighty NWN! Productions.

This recording has a very filthy, raw sound to it, which is exactly what this genre calls for.

This is ripped from my own copy. Enjoy.

DOWNLOAD