Decayed: The Oath of Heathen Blood (2019)

Of course Decayed released an album last year.  It would be weird if they did not release an album.  Decayed is an incredibly prolific band, one of the most prolific bands that I try to track down.  And so, when I hear of a new Decayed album, I try to track it down.  I somehow missed their 2018 album though.

Decayed is unapologetically old-school in their approach to black metal.  Even though this album was released in 2019, it has the feel of something 25 years older.  Being from neither Norway nor Sweden, it is unsurprising to hear that Decayed exhibits characteristics of both scenes, as well as a little bit of Tormentor for good measure.  Their sound is both darkly atmospheric as well as crushingly intense.  This is raw and primitive black metal which has eschewed the evolution the genre has undergone in the last quarter century.

The album has a number of highlights, including the epic title track and the creepy, crawling "Grave Desecrators".  But seriously, each song on this thing is terrific.  One thing that Decayed has managed to do this time around is create an album that feels like a coherent work rather than a collection of songs.  This has not been the case on a few of the band's other albums, but has been an improvement in recent years and really perfected this time around.

This is honestly one of my favorite Decayed albums so far, and I have heard several of them.  The band has really played to their strengths on this release.  I still have several albums to track down, but it is hard to imagine one being better than this one.

Nergal: Νύκτα γεμάτη θάματα - νύκτα σπαρμένη μάγια (2017)

Don't ask, I don't know. 

No, Nergal has nothing to do with the lead singer of Polish black metal legends Behemoth.  This Nergal is even better than that.  There are certain regional scenes that grab my attention right away due to past experiences.  Of course there is German thrash, Stockholm death metal, the Australian black/thrash/death metal bands.  And then there is one that has yet to steer me wrong.  That would be the Greek Hellenic black metal scene.  This is where Nergal fits in.  And as you will soon see, I went a bit nuts recently on this scene.

Nergal is not one of the more recognizable names in the Hellenic black metal scene.  They are not nearly as well known as groups like Rotting Christ, Thou Art Lord, Kawir or Varathron, among others.  But that does not mean they are not as impressive.  This was my first exposure to Nergal and I was quite taken with it.

The music has an epic feel to it, common for the scene.  It is filled with majestic, sweeping keyboard melodies and biting tremolo riffs.  Nergal is capable of some truly dynamic passages, slowing things down before having a riff come crashing through to mix things up.  Other times, they are fast and furious.  Most of all, the album has an eerie, occult sound to it, as if to listen to it is to summon a demon. 

I love the Hellenic black metal scene, and this album is a very good, if not quite classic, example of it.  I am just getting started on a new look at the scene.  The next few weeks will feature a number of Hellenic black metal releases.  I am getting off on the right foot.

Goatpenis: Inhumanization (2004)

Some time ago I reviewed a live album by Goatpenis, and I will decline to make fun of their name this time around.  I have always felt that live albums were not really the best introductions to bands, because there is often a fairly significant difference between how a band sounds live and how they sound in a recording studio.  In this case, there were a couple of issues that I had with the production in particular.  As it turns out, that live album was pretty damn close to how Goatpenis sounds in a recording studio.  Weird.

This is the Brazilian band's first full-length album and it is every bit as raw and violent as I would have expected based on the live recording.  The album kicks off with a message dealing with the first experiment with a hydrogen bomb.  From there we are off and running.  The songs are full of unbridled aggression with rampaging riffs and pounding drums.  Everything is furious and savage, with no time for such trivial things as melody and subtlety. 

Oddly, some of the issues that I had that I thought were just production issues on the live release are present here as well.  For one, the bass is really buried in the mix.  There is very little bottom end at all.  Secondly, the vocals still have kind of a weird muffled echo sound to them.  They take a little getting used to.  The final issue with the release is one that was not present on the live action, and that is the over-reliance on samples prior to the songs.  Each song starts off with a sample from what sounds mostly like war movies.  Each of these samples lasts far longer than one would expect and it kind of kills any momentum the band is building.  It makes it kind of difficult to really get into the album.

I was surprised at just how much this release sounds like the live recording.  I am still trying to decide how I really feel about this band.  I like the albums I have heard from them, but I still find myself somewhat disappointed. 

Sadistic Intent: Conflict Within (1989)

When I was in high school, I bought an issue of Metal Maniacs magazine.  I remember poring over the magazine and considering how to track down some of the releases.  I remember that there was a way to order some of the Sadistic Intent demos in it, and man, I really wish I had done so at the time, because they are damn hard to come by now.

Next to Hellhammer, Sadistic Intent is probably one the most famous extreme metal bands who never actually released a full-length album.  The band was formed by the Cortez brothers, Bay on bass and vocals and Rick on guitars, after Possessed disbanded.  The band has been active sporadically and still releases material to this day, but no full-lengths.

This demo is the band's second and their first true demo, their first was a rehearsal technically.  The demo founds a band who is raw and intense, yet polished to the point that it is clear that the band has had considerable experience.  The release basically picks up where Possessed dropped off after The Eyes of Horror.  It is a more defined death metal sound, but still sounds thrashy in places.  This was released in 1989 after all, death metal was not quite its own genre at this point in time.

The production is actually quite impressive on this release, particularly for an early demo by a band.  The instruments are clear and shine through clearly.  What results is a very impressive demo.  It is still shocking that Sadistic Intent never put out a full-length.  It would have been a classic.

Communion: Demo II (2013)

I am not sure why I am doing a review of a one-song demo.  Especially when that song is just over four minutes in length, making this an extremely short release and a likewise short review.  But then, this demo has been sent to me twice now, once as a mini-CD (no joke, the thing is about three inches in diameter) and then as a cassette.  So here we are.

Communion is a Chilean black/thrash metal band.  Chile has produced some damn good metal bands, such as Thornafire and Apostasy.  So at least I had a pretty good feeling about what they would sound like.  The music here is incredibly fast and intense, with speed-picking tremolo riffs and blast-beating drumming.  The vocals are harsh.  Overall, the band sounds very similar to a combination of early Sabbat and early Deströyer 666, complete with blazing solo. 

Unfortunately, as I said, there is just one song on this release, so while it is an impressive song, it is much too short to get much out of.  I may have to check out one of the longer releases. 

Volahn: Aq'Ab'Al (2014)

Somehow I keep coming to these small regional scenes years after their peak.  Volahn is a member of the Black Twilight Circle, which is kind of the California version of France's Les Légions Noires.  Black Twilight Circle is an association of bands in the Southern California area, many of which have members in common, and generally play some form of black metal.  There is generally some type of Central American indigenous aesthetic or lyrical content.  The scene was most active in the early to mid 2010's.  And somehow I am just now hearing about it.  Damn.

Volahn is a one-man black metal project and the alias of Eduardo Ramirez, who is also involved in the Black Twilight Circle bands Axeman, Acualli, Blue Hummingbird on the Left, Dolorvotre, Kuxan Suum and others.  He is one of the primary members of the scene.  Volahn appears to be his primary band. 

The music here is chaotic, to put it mildly.  It is not as if it is particularly heavy or anything like that, but there is not much structure to it.  The lead guitar in particular seems to have gone rogue and is often in its own world playing something completely unrelated to what the rest of the instruments are playing.  This would be a problem if the sound was not as intriguing as it is.  The leads are often quite beautiful and the occasional acoustic interludes shine through as well.  There is a sense of melancholy and sadness that underlies the otherwise extreme sound.

This is still clearly a black metal release and much of the music is fast and intense.  The chaos inherent in instruments playing out of synch with each other adds to the intensity as the whole release feels anxious and on edge.  There are very few moments to stop and take stock of the proceedings before being bashed in the head again.  The album leaves the listener breathless and bewildered when it is all said and done.  A truly memorable experience.

This is my first exposure to the Black Twilight Circle, but it will not be my last, as will be seen in the coming weeks.  This was an exceptional introduction to what was once a vibrant scene.  I was anxious to explore it further and would.  This album is a highlight from the scene.

Cryptopsy: Whisper Supremacy (1998)

I have talked before about my reservations about checking out anything by Cryptopsy that did not feature Lord Worm on vocals.  I got into the band through Blasphemy Made Flesh followed by None So Vile, two absolute classics in the brutal death metal genre.  I simply could not fathom anything by the band being worthwhile without Lord Worm's guttural, gurgling vocal style.  And so it took a long time before I checked out anything without him.  Now that I have, I have decided to go back to the Mike DiSalvo era, which many death metal fans claim is even better than the Lord Worm era. 

This album is considered a classic by a great many people.  I do love the cover art, and always have.  It is easy to see why this album is so highly regarded.  Even though the band is mostly the same, apart from the vocal change, it is clear that the musicianship has improved by leaps and bounds.  No longer content with being incredibly brutal for brutality's sake, there is more of a method to the madness. 

Cryptopsy has always been a fairly technical band, but the technicality has really taken a step forward here.  Flo Mounier is one of the most virtuosic drummers this side of Tomas Haake, and it shows on this release.  The band has also added a second guitarist and two complement each other well.  It allows for a more dynamic sound and more solos.  Overall, this is a cleaner, more technically-proficient sound, but not lacking in brutality.

I do have to discuss the vocals, because that was the number one reason that I had not checked out this album before.  DiSalvo's vocal style is intense and his growls work well with the brutality of the instrumentation, though they are nowhere near as savage and ferocious as Lord Worm's.  I will say, it is much easier to tell what DiSalvo is saying, I am not sure Lord Worm was saying half of what the lyric sheets said he was, while DiSalvo's growls are actually comprehensible.  Still, I do prefer Lord Worm. 

This is a damn good album.  I still do not think it comes close to Cryptopsy's first two albums, though I do think I prefer it to Lord Worm's comeback album Once was Not.  So, maybe third favorite Cryptopsy album?  That sounds about right.

Total Hate: Throne Behind a Black Veil (2019)

It was not all that long ago that I thought that German black metal was kind of a rare beast.  Since that time, it seems I have come across a number of very good German black metal bands, including Imha Tarikat, Bethlehem and Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, among others.  Total Hate is another such band.

As one would expect from a band called Total Hate, this is absolutely filthy and angry, hateful black metal.  It is mostly mid-paced, riff-based black metal in the vein of groups like Mayhem and Darkthrone.  The production is crisp and clean on this, allowing the riffs and each of the instruments to be heard clearly.  That is a rare thing in black metal. 

The only real issue with the album is that it is not the most original of albums.  It is a bit derivative of groups that have come before and does not really have its own voice.  That is not generally a problem when the music is as good as this one though.  And there are some damn good songs on this release.

This release by Total Hate is am impressive release of old school black metal.  This album would have been a classic if it came out in the mid 1990's.  Unfortunately, in 2019, it's a decent release but, by no means groundbreaking.

Witch Vomit: Buried Deep in a Bottomless Grave (2019)

I have mentioned a few times how great the year 2019 was for death metal.  A lot of great death metal albums were released, and of course a death metal album took my top spot for the year.  There were a lot of albums that I loved that just missed the cut too.  This was one of those albums.

Witch Vomit is yet another one of those terrific Portland, Oregon bands.  Man, I need to move to Portland.  They started out as a two-piece project but quickly became a full band.  I previously had heard their 2017 EP Poisoned Blood, which I absolutely loved.

This album is a very fast and filthy album at less than half an hour in length, but Witch Vomit packs a lot of grimy, disgusting riffs into that half hour.  This is true filth-ridden, nasty death metal at its most viscous and rotten.  With churning riffs and sepulchral vocals, there is absolutely nothing pretty on display here.  And I absolutely love the sample from John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness, an underrated horror masterpiece that fits in perfectly with this album.

Witch Vomit narrowly missed my Top 10 in 2019, but with another album like this one soon, they could easily make it in.  I loved this release.

King Diamond: Conspiracy (1989)

I am slowly working towards having all of the Mercyful Fate/King Diamond albums.  I have added probably five or six in the last year after previously just having the truly legendary albums like Melissa and Abigail.  There were a few more in my collection than that, I am just using those two as examples.

I really have no idea what to say about the music on a King Diamond album at this point.  It is fucking fantastic, as usual.  This album has a lot of great riffs and solos as Andy LaRocque and Pete Blakk form a truly exceptional guitar duo.  King's vocals are extremely powerful on this album as well.  He seems to have hit his prime by the time this album came around, with full control of his soaring falsetto to go along with his deeper wails.  One definitely knows what to expect from the music on a King Diamond album, and thus far, there has never been a real disappointment.

Where I can spend some time is talking about the story on the album.  Conspiracy is the sequel story to "Them", which was the story of a fictionalized King and his mentally ill grandmother who communicates with the dead.  Along the way, his sister dies mysteriously.  This album finds King returning to his grandmother's house in an effort to claim his inheritance, but his mother is plotting against him to claim the house herself.  It is a compelling story and I do wonder why no one has decided to make a film about any of the King Diamond or Mercyful Fate concept albums.

King Diamond never disappoints and this is actually one of the better albums from a musical standpoint, which really is saying something.  I am continuing on in my efforts to obtain the albums from this metal legend. 

Lizzy Borden: Master of Disguise (1989)

Lizzy Borden is a glam band that produced some obviously metal material.  By and large, they did not fit in with groups like Poison, Bon Jovi or Cinderella, despite the heavy makeup.  Their sound fits in much better with a group like W.A.S.P. or Twisted Sister.  The band is named after the notorious axe-murderer and their appropriately-named song "Give 'Em the Axe" is a terrific anthem for them.

Master of Disguise is a loose concept album about a sadistic sexual deviant with a taste for blood.  The songs all tell a story, and the lyrics generally come across quite well.  It is essentially a slasher movie set to music, and that is by and large something that Lizzy Borden does quite well.

Unfortunately, the music on this album does not hold up as well as some of the other albums Lizzy Borden has released.  I do not like it nearly as much as Visual Lies for instance.  The band has seemingly decided to tone their sound down somewhat in order to potentially fit in better with the groups that I mentioned in the first paragraph.  The songs are clearly metal, but they are generally much slower, with more emphasis on the vocals, while the riffing takes a back seat.  I would say this album more closely resembles a group like Nitro than the earlier comparison to W.A.S.P., who to me is the standard bearer for metal with a glam influence.  Songs like "Love is a Crime", while being one of the heavier songs on the album, would not feel out of place on an album by Whitesnake.

This album did not do a lot for me.  It is still catchy as hell and I still believe Lizzy Borden is a very underrated band and an example of glam metal done right.  However, the band has produced better albums.  This one just seems to be trying to hard for mainstream success.

Omen: The Curse (1986)

Omen is an early example of what has come to be known as U.S. power metal.  This is a style that is very distinct from the European style, particularly the so-called "flower metal" style that has risen primarily in the Scandinavian countries.  Think Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius and others like that.  The American style is more focused on riffs and aggression, though it is obviously not close to thrash metal. 

Prior to this album, I had only heard Omen's debut album, Battle Cry.  This is the band's third album.  I have liked everything I have heard from the band, but given their underground cult status, their material is not easy to come by, no matter what format it is in, and can be pricey.  So it is not often I come across one of their albums.

The band's lyrics often deal with fantasy epic material, such as on "Teeth of the Hydra" and "Bounty Hunter".  Their sound is melodic, yet heavy, with doom-laden riffs that are played at a much faster pace.  Think Trouble on speed.  There are some slower tracks, keeping some variety in the release.  Vocalist J.D. Kimball has a rich tenor that he uses to terrific effect and matches well with the soaring solos herein. 

Omen fits in well with the early U.S. power metal scene, sounding similar to groups like Manilla Road, and even Manowar.  Their sound is melodic, yet powerful, and it is clear why this band was so influential on the burgeoning genre.  Unfortunately, vocalist Kimball would leave the band after this album and they were in for some rough years.  But their early work is terrific.

Transmetal: Burial at Sea (1992)

How the hell am I just now hearing about this band?  Transmetal is a Mexican thrash/death metal band who has been around since the mid 1980's and still continues pumping out music now.  They have also been incredibly prolific at various points in their career.  They have released an astounding 24 albums in their career and this album was one of two released in 1992 alone.  That is damn impressive.  The three constant members of the band are brothers, something, which is also impressive considering how long the band has lasted.  My brothers and I would have never been able to pull something like this off.

This album, much like everything else Transmetal has released, flew under the radar.  That seems to be the case about most of their material because all told they only have three total reviews on their Metal Archives page.  That is a damn shame because this album would have fit in quite well with the thrash metal scene as it was in the early 1990's.  I am talking about the progressive song structures and experimental riffing style.  It is not an overly aggressive sound, though there are some crushing riffs at times.  Think a less technical version of Heathen for an example.

The musicianship on the album is very impressive and the band is not content to write standard song progressions.  Riffs tend to drop out of nowhere and solos occur seemingly randomly.  But there is a method to the madness and the album actually manages to flow quite well.  The vocals have some unusual effect where they sound somewhat muffled and echoing. 

This album appears to be the first English-language album from Transmetal.  Unfortunately, it still failed to gain much of a following.  But this album is pretty damn good and I need to look into more of the band's catalog.  I certainly will after this release.

Fetid Zombie: Death Covenant (2019)

Readers of my Top 5 EPs of 2019 post already know how I feel about this release.  It made the #2 spot for the year, which is not terribly surprising given how I feel about this band in general.  I discovered Fetid Zombie, the unashamedly retro death metal project of renowned metal artist Mark Riddick, a couple of years ago.  There are a ton of demos, EPs and splits released by the project and I pick up every single one I see.  So when this EP (the band's only 2019 release) dropped, I had to grab it.

I do not know whether the name of the release, which references two legendary death metal bands (Death and Morbid Angel, via their third album title, Covenant) is intentional or not.  It may as well be, because a more apt description of the music than a combination of early Death (think Scream Bloody Gore) and Morbid Angel could not be made.  This is an EP of four tracks of gleefully old-school death metal.  Riddick's voice even sounds more and more like Chuck Schuldiner this time around. 

One of the most interesting aspects of each Fetid Zombie release is what guest stars appear.  Since Riddick does artwork for so many bands, he has seemingly made a lot of friends in the business who jump at the opportunity to appear on his project.  This time around, Malcolm Pugh of tech death mavens Inferi, James Malone of Arsis, and Carcass/Arch Enemy legend Michael Amott all provide solos.  And those solos are fantastic, it is almost possible to tell just who is who.

Fetid Zombie has yet to disappoint me.  This release is as good as anything else the band has ever done, while seemingly paying tribute to two giants in the genre.  More people should be listening to Fetid Zombie.

Onslaught: Power from Hell (1985)

Onslaught has had a lot of different styles over the years.  Starting out life as a hardcore punk band, they later morphed into Slayer-like thrash metal band, then going in a more progressive thrash direction when Grim Reaper legend Steve Grimmett briefly joined the band.  They then split up and re-formed a few years later with Sy Keeler back behind the mic. 

During this time period, Onslaught released a number of should-be classic metal albums, yet remained very much in the underground, rarely capturing much attention.  This is a shame because Onslaught is probably one of the best thrash metal bands from England, ever.  I would put them behind only Sabbat, and a little ahead of Xentrix.

This album is Onslaught's debut, and the band is firmly in the thrash metal portion of their career.  Blackened thrash is perhaps a decent description, fitting in well with the sounds of Bathory and Sodom at the time.  And the Show No Mercy Slayer-isms come through loud and clear as well.  The album is a fast-paced tour-de-force of rampaging riffs, pounding drums and gritty vocals.  And the album does a damn fine job of capturing an effectively evil atmosphere.  And again with that I must bring up the similarities to early Slayer. 

Onslaught is a criminally underrated band who has released a number of great albums over the years.  Their debut is one of those releases and should be held up as a classic of the fledgling thrash metal scene.  The fact that it is not is a damn shame.

Tyrant: Legions of the Dead (1985)

I have covered Tyrant somewhat recently.  At least I know I have in the last year or so.  That album was their 1987 underrated classic Too Late to Pray, which was the band's second album.  It was also their last album before reuniting a decade later.  I guess it is time to get a look at their debut and see how it measures up.

Tyrant unfortunately did not last terribly long.  They released just two albums, split up, got back together a decade later to release another album and have been quiet since.  That is a shame since they had a sound that fit in really well with the metal scene at the time.  And no, I am not referring to the hair bands.  They have a sound not unlike groups like Omen, true heavy metal bands with melody and power. 

This album does not quite match up to their second album, it finds a band still working on finding their sound.  As a result it is a little bit more of a derivative album, sounding very much like the band's influences in the NWOBHM and, a lot of Judas Priest.  Vocalist Glen May has that soaring howl that Rob Halford is renowned for down pat.  There are hints of the darker, more malevolent sound that they would later have, particularly on the climax of "The Battle of Armageddon", but these moments, while tantalizing, are fleeting.

This album does not really do enough to stand out, but it does provide an interesting preview of what Tyrant would later be capable of performing.  It is a good example of true 1980's American metal.  But Tyrant would do much better things later.  Their second album is much better, but this is a good album nonetheless.

Urn: Iron Will of Power (2019)

Okay, how the hell could I not jump at an album with a cover that looks like that?  Urn is a blackened thrash metal band from Finland that I am somehow just now hearing about, even though they released their debut full-length album way back in 2001.  And any time a band's sound gets compared to Deströyer 666, I am on top of it.

The album kicks off on a high note with the raging opener "Downfall of Idols".  After a short melodic intro, it lurches into high gear before the singer shouts "On your knees!" and we are off and running.  Urn's sound is caustic and hostile, built on speed and ugly riffs.  It is a primitive and animalistic sound, and yes it does call to mind Deströyer 666's Cold Steel, though it never quite reaches the same heights that album did.

The songs here are catchy and energetic, with some great hooks to keep interest going and spell-binding solos.  The instrumentation is tight and balanced without any instruments overshadowing the others.  Songwriting is a strength of Urn's.  "Funeral Oath" is particularly impressive as the song builds into an absolute frenzy that refuses to wane.  There are moments where the band slows things down, such as the instrumental interlude "Gates to Hyboria", which keeps the album from being one-dimensional. 

I am not sure Urn is quite up to the same level of quality as a group like Deströyer 666 honestly.  This is a very good album, but not to that level.  I would place them at the same level as a group like Bewitched though and that band is probably a more accurate comparison anyway.  I am a big fan of this style of metal and Urn is a very good example of it.  This is a worthy release.

Black Serpent: Shadowside Devilcosm (2017)

Black Serpent is an Australian band that is essentially a one-man project.  The primary band member Nightcraft Serpentaxe (may or may not be his real name) performs all of the vocals and guitar duties and brings in session drummers.  I picked up this album as a throw-in when I bought the Mythic album from yesterday.

I did not know much about this project before getting the album, but I figured an Australian black/death metal band is sure to be at least somewhat interesting.  That is the case here, although I would argue that the band is more of a death metal band that happens to be somewhat melodic a la Amon Amarth or Apophis.  Apophis is probably the best comparison I can draw here, not to say that this is as impressive as that band, but the music is very similar.  The listener is hit with a barrage of riffs and melodies that work to get the blood pumping.  The vocals are generally just grunted, but that can work out with certain bands.  It would be nice to have a little more variety in this one, but it is not really a problem.

This is a generally entertaining release, but it does not do enough to stand out.  It kind of lacks the memorable quality of similar bands, even though it holds attention while it is on.  Black Serpent is kind of an off-and-on project, having released two EPs in 2008 and then this one nine years later.  It is difficult to say when a new release may be coming.

Mythic: Anthology (1998)

This release is a reissue of a compilation of Mythic's two demos and EP that were released in the early 1990's.  Mythic is a bit of a cult band, having released no actual full-length albums but being largely revered by the metal underground regardless.  Those two demos and EP are the only things released by the band while they were active, and they are extremely hard to find, which is why it is such a good thing that they were collected together here.

Mythic was likely one of the first, if not the first, all-female extreme metal bands.  Two of the members were previously in Derkéta, another cult band, and formed Mythic after the band broke up.  Since the three members of Mythic had all been in other bands before, it is no surprise that the band sounds like they have been together for years.  There is some improvement in songwriting as the release continues, which makes sense given the nature of the release.

The sound of Mythic is based around the mighty Hellhammer, with a little bit of Cianide thrown in for good measure.  It is deliberately-paced, grinding and doomy death metal with crushing riffs.  The drumming is top-notch and is the most impressive element of the band's sound.  The vocals are delivered in a harsh, caustic bark that fits in well with the early death metal vocals of the time.

There is a good reason for Mythic's cult status in the metal underground.  They released three extremely impressive offerings.  Unfortunately, we will never see a full-length from the band.  That is a bit of a missed opportunity.

Panic: Rotten Church (1987)

When I was first listening to this band, the thought occurred to me that this band sounded a lot like groups that were straddling the line between thrash metal and the fledgling death metal sound.  In particular I thought they sounded a lot like a combination between Possessed and Morbid Visions-era Sepultura.  I kind of liked their retro sound.  Then, upon exploring more information about the album, I determined that it actually came out in 1987 and this band would have been active at the same time as that shift in sound.  Well, there you go.

This is a short, sharp album that unfortunately went under the radar when it was released and is getting a reissue now when it might be better received.  The songs are mostly fast-paced, with a ton of riffs.  The thing I like most is the impressively meaty production.  Unlike other South American albums from the time period (looking at you Cogumelo Records), there is a lot of bottom end here and it is otherwise crisp and clear.  And the best thing about this is how well the bass can be heard, because it is doing some damn interesting things, particularly on "Empire of Violence".

I like this album even more now that I know it was released in 1987.  It means that the band was living the kind of metal they were playing rather than trying to capture a moment in time.  The album fits in well with some of the other, more well-known extreme metal albums from South America of the time period.  It is a shame Panic is not better-known.

Sarcófago: Rotting (1989)

Hmm, I am not really sure why I have not talked much about Sarcófago on this blog.  I have mentioned albums in passing, even had a couple of posts where I talked about their legendary debut I.N.R.I., but I have never actually reviewed one of their albums before.  This seems like an oversight.

Well, today I will be covering the 1989 EP that was at once the follow-up to I.N.R.I. and a turning point for the band.  The band is partly famous for being the group Wagner Antichrist (probably not his real name) created after leaving Sepultura.  He was Sepultura's first singer, though he never appeared on any recordings. 

This album marks a step forward musically by the band.  Where I.N.R.I. was characterized by its raw and primal aggression and fairly simple songwriting, Rotting is a push by the band to expand their musical boundaries.  It is still filthy and grimy blackened thrash metal, but there are more progressive song structures and blazing lead guitar lines with some melody and solos this time around.  Almost every song on this release is over six minutes in length progressing through a number of movements to keep things from getting stale.  None of the songs on the prior release reached that length.  The vocals have not changed, still maintaining that psychotic rasp that they had on the prior release.

Sarcófago has taken a step forward musically on this album, while retaining some of the twisted aggression that marked their debut album.  This EP is still essential to fully grasping the Brazilian extreme metal scene, but less so than the debut. 

Midnight: No Mercy for Mayhem (2014)

Tons of bands are playing this style of metal.  I am referring to the kind of filthy blackened speed metal influenced by groups like Venom, Motörhead, early Sodom and early Bathory.  Groups like Toxic Holocaust have taken the lead with Witchtrap and others following suit.  Midnight has been playing this retro style since the band's inception as the side project of Boulder's Athenar since the early 2000's.

After almost a decade of producing just demos, EPs and splits, Midnight finally released its first full-length album in 2011.  This was followed up by this album three years later.  This album is filled with the kind of high-octane, whiskey-infused, down and dirty speed metal that Midnight has been cultivating for years.  The album is full of slimy, punk-infused riffs and Athenar's booze-fueled croaking vocals.  The lyrical content runs the gamut between sleazy and evil, and sometimes both.

The highlight of the album is the surprisingly melodic title cut.  It proves that Midnight is not a one-trick pony, and Athenar is just as capable of writing a slow-burning, melodic track as the fast-paced, grimy songs. 

Midnight was a perfect example of a Hells Headbangers band, combining punk with dirty speed metal.  With their recent move to Metal Blade Records, the band appears poised to attract a larger following.  It will be interesting to see the results of that move.  As long as Midnight continues releasing albums like this, it could result in  pushing Toxic Holocaust for the top of the heap of this kind of metal.

Drudkh: Microcosmos (2009)

Here is another band it seems like I have been reviewing a lot lately.  Drudkh is of course a Ukrainian black metal band whose sound tends toward the atmospheric side of black metal, instead of the more aggressive sound. 

This is not one of the albums that is typically mentioned when people talk about Drudkh.  Usually the first four or five albums are the ones most often referenced, and in particular, Blood in Our Wells.  The band had settled into a general sound by the time this, their seventh full-length, rolled around.  So this album does not really stand out much from the rest of the band's material.  That in no way is a bad thing, because Drudkh basically do what they do best on this album: atmospheric black metal that feels like the soundtrack to the fall.

The four true songs here are lengthy, lasting on average about ten minutes and they are generally built around a couple of sections.  The songwriting has gotten more complex on this release though and the bass has taken some huge strides to become a leading instrument in the riffing.  And there are some truly impressive guitar solos on this release as well that sound like traditional metal solos.  By and large, this album does make an impact, even though it is somewhat forgotten when looking at the band's career.

This is another quality release from a band that has made a career of them.  It does not quite rise to the level of some of the band's earlier releases, but it stands out amongst some of the band's mid-period releases.  I am still working my way through the Drudkh catalog, but this is a damn good album.

Drowning the Light: An Alignment of Dead Stars (2009)

Ho-hum.  Another Drowning the Light review.  This is the last one for a little while at least.  For those who really enjoy the Drowning the Light reviews, I'm sorry.

Despite the name of this album, this is a surprisingly upbeat-sounding Drowning the Light.  That is not really a thing I could explain well, but it does seem to be true.  It starts off fairly normally, with the somber introduction "Distant Autumn Rain", but it quickly becomes clear that this is not any normal Drowning the Light release. 

Most of the songs feature faster-paced riffs and are performed in major chords.  This is unusual for this band.  Then there is "Drinking the Sacrament of Eternity (Revenge of the Impaler)" with its decidedly punk-sounding riff.  Seriously, there is not much difference between it and the riff to The Offspring's "The Kids Aren't Alright" and yes I did just reference The Offspring in a fucking Drowning the Light review.  Deal with it.

It is sort of amazing how a band like Drowning the Light, who releases SO much material manages to make each release stand out in its own way.  That is the sign of a truly talented band.  I do not how highly I would rank this album among the Drowning the Light releases I have heard.  It is certainly not higher than yesterday's album, but it is up there.

Drowning the Light: From the Abyss (2015)

It has been two whole days since I reviewed a Drowning the Light album.  It is about damn time I dust off another one.  Tracing Drowning the Light's evolution is a bit of a tricky thing, mostly due to the massive amount of releases the band has put out.  That is fairly common for a band that is so prolific.  But at some point, the band ceased being a simplistic Burzum clone and that shines through on this release. 

Part of what makes this particular release stand out, particularly among the couple of Drowning the Light releases I have reviewed on this blog, is the fact that at this point the band is not a one-man project.  Azgorh brought on an individual named Balam who chips in songwriting and plays the guitars.  Balam is a more accomplished guitarist than Azgorh, which shows in the increased quality of the leads and riffs, and the songs themselves have evolved to be more complex.  This is evident from the very beginning with the incredible opening riff to "Drink the Blood of the Sun (Varcolaci Awakens)". 

The band continues to use keyboard melodies effectively.  Those melodies give the sound a sort of medieval flavor that has long been a staple and leads to comparisons to early Satyricon and Summoning.  With the cavernous, dungeon-esque atmosphere and the keyboard melodies it is easy to see why the band has been called "medieval black metal".

Drowning the Light has evolved by leaps and bounds on this release.  I suspect the reasoning for it is the personnel changes, suddenly it is no longer dictated by just one person.  But what has resulted is a massively improved sound, and this is coming from someone that actually likes their previous offerings.  This is easily one of the best Drowning the Light albums, and that is really saying something.

Diabolical Masquerade: Nightwork (1998)

Diabolical Masquerade is the one-man project of Anders Nyström, aka Blakkheim, who was one of the founding members of the gloomy Katatonia as well as Swedish death supergroup Bloodbath.  Diabolical Masquerade is a much more ambitious project, one in which Blakkheim has really been able to spread his creative wings. 

I have previously heard Diabolical Masquerade's Death's Design album, the last of the band's releases to date.  That album was extremely odd.  For one, there was the fact that there were 61 tracks on the album, for a 43 minute long album, but the tracks come together to form one epic song, telling a story similar to the storyline of the Final Destination movies, death stalking people and all.  So it was definitely an intriguing release.  Despite that, I never managed to get any more of the band's releases.

This album is much more straightforward than Death's Design, though that is not to say it is anything close to a standard black metal album.  It is a keyboard-heavy, melodic black metal release.  The keyboard sections have a decidedly gothic flourish to them, combining with the dark atmosphere and ghastly vocals to create a very eerie and spooky-sounding album.  There are occasional spoken word interludes, snippets of a conversation between a woman speaking to a deity she initially thinks is God.  It responds by saying "Do I look like God to you?" 

Next to Death's Design, this is a downright normal album.  But it is still significantly different than most of the rest of the black metal scene by comparison.  Blakkheim masterfully evokes a dark and foreboding atmosphere throughout the album, yet writes some insanely catchy riffs at the same time.  What results is an avante garde take on black metal that captures attention and never lets go.  It tells a story much like the other Diabolical Masquerade album I have heard, but in more of a traditional way.  I think I actually prefer this one to Death's Design, though for much different reasons.

Drowning the Light: To the End of Time (2007)

Today, I am back with another Drowning the Light album review.  Just like the subject of yesterday's post, this album was released in 2007.  It is actually the band's fourth full-length and was released just before yesterday's album.  But again, there are some profound differences between this album and the one from yesterday that makes it stand out.

This album may just be the most darkly romantic-sounding raw black metal album I have ever heard.  Now I do not want to make it sound like this makes it a happy album, very fucking far from it in fact.  It is an ugly kind of romance.  Dark, filthy and disgusting.  There are moments of light, of hope where Drowning the Light sounds like they are channeling The Cure through their much more emphatic Burzum influence, but then the darkness overtakes them, leaving with a shamble of broken hope.

The lyrics certainly follow along with this lack of hope.  Featuring song titles like "The Obscene Rite of Possession" and "Severing All Ties to this Mortal World", it is clear the songwriter is in a pretty dark place.  And of course the vocals themselves greatly contrast with the music, taking on a horrifically ugly rasp that is sheer madness compared with the relative levity of some of the music.

This is one of the more memorable Drowning the Light albums, taking on a tone that is unusual for the genre.  And for that, it is also one of the better ones, one I would recommend for someone interested in checking out the band.

Drowning the Light: Of Celtic Blood & Satanic Pride (2007)

I have covered Drowning the Light a few times on this blog, so I am not going to get too much into their history here.  I first heard about the band from watching Youtube videos of people talking about their music collections and one such Youtuber was a huge fan of the band.  I checked it out and became a big fan myself.  Drowning the Light is truly one of the better Burzum-influenced, raw black metal bands out there.

This release is the fifth full-length Drowning the Light album and came during a particularly prolific year for main-man Azgorh, as four of those full-lengths came out that same year.  He also released several demos and splits.  With that kind of output, it would be understandable, if not excuseable, for the quality of the album to be a little low.  That is not the case here however. 

This is not one of the absolute best Drowning the Light releases I have heard, but it is quite good nonetheless.  It is a bit more emotional with some darker melodies running through it and some much more somber moments.  It is not as furiously angry as some of the other works and can be quite spell-binding at times.  It is also one of the shorter full-length Drowning the Light albums, meaning that it does not overstay its welcome, which is a bit of a problem for some other groups in the genre. 

The production is not great on the album, with the drums a little too high in the mix.  This is a fairly normal thing for this type of black metal though so it is certainly not unexpected.  Still, I wonder what it would sound like a little cleaner.

This is yet another great release from Drowning the Light.  It is a bit more on the somber end of things, but that helps it stand out somewhat from the massive number of other releases from the band.  This is unlikely to be the first album I go to when I want to listen to them, but it won't be the last one either.

Top 10 Albums of 2019

I am just doing a Top Ten list this year because I have been much better about posting reviews.  All of the 2019 releases I have heard have been, or will soon be, reviewed on this blog.  Most of the Top Ten have been reviewed previously, but there are a few.  2019 was an exceptional year for death metal in particular, and that is reflected on my list, which features five death metal releases, and easily could have included several others that were knocking at the door.  

BLOOD INCANTATION: HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE HUMAN RACE

One of the most hyped albums of the year is this release from a band that has been making big waves for years.  It is absolutely worth the hype.  This is an incredible release that expands the boundaries of death metal.  The members are extremely talented, and it shows throughout the release.  Blood Incantation's days in the shadow of the underground are numbered.

DREAM TRÖLL: SECOND TO NONE

I discovered this band this year and quickly added all of their releases I could find.  The band took a step to another level on last year's EP and they built on that with this release.  This album features some of the catchiest metal songs of the year in "Chrome Skull Viper" and "Steel Winged Warrior".  Those songs are pure earworms and will stay in the head for days after hearing the album.  It drags a bit toward the end, but it is a damn good album that blends metal and AOR seemlessly.

SYNTELEIA: ENDING OF THE UNKNOWN PATH

The debut album of the year comes from a surprising group.  Synteleia is a Greek black metal band that follows in the vein of groups like Rotting Christ, Thou Art Lord, Varathron and Kawir, but with a decidedly more brutal sound.  The sound is mysterious and evil and recaptures the spirit of the late 90's Hellenic black metal scene.  In a year when Rotting Christ released a new album, it is surprising that another Greek black metal band was able to outdo the masters.

GAAHLS WYRD: GASTIR - GHOSTS INVITED

Legendary former Gorgoroth vocalist Gaahl has formed year another new band and this is a great album, despite being so eclectic.  There are a lot of things going on on this album, but it all comes together to form an absolutely incredible album that is not to be missed.  There are moments when the old Gorgoroth sound rears its ugly head, but the most moments are those that the band takes a completely new direction.  It may actually be the best thing Gaahl has recorded.

TOMB MOLD: PLANETARY CLAIRVOYANCE

Tomb Mold built up their reputation playing a brutal and grimy brand of death metal that focused on the Dark Souls and Bloodborne video games.  With their 2019 release, they moved on from that subject into more of a general cosmic horror direction.  Along the way, they perfected their cavernous, disgusting sound and released one hell of an album.  

DEVIL MASTER: SATAN SPITS ON CHILDREN OF LIGHT

An early favorite album, this one held on for quite a long time before a rash of fantastic late-year releases finally overtook it.  Devil Master's sound is the most original of the year, combining d-beat punk with black metal and tossing in some surf-rock-esque guitar solos, and then throwing them all together into an energetic sound that is evil, yet fun as hell.  There are some damn catchy songs here too.  Great album.

COFFIN ROT: A MONUMENT TO THE DEAD

Coffin Rot is another band that has been making some waves in the underground for a couple of years as the alter ego of stoner doom metal band Tar Pit.  Coffin Rot's first full-length is a massively brutal exercise in modern death metal focusing on the kinds of things that made the genre so terrifying for so many years early in its history.  It does not reinvent the wheel, but it does leave a lasting impact.  An absolute must for death metal fans.

ALCEST: SPIRITUAL INSTINCT

I never thought I would enjoy an Alcest album.  I stayed away from the band due to their high status among hipster metalheads and their shoegaze influence.  But after hearing single "Sapphire", I was blown away.  This is a little more black metal-oriented than some of their most recent albums, but it is a breathtakingly beautiful album through all of the darkness.  

CLOAK: THE BURNING DAWN

After seeing Cloak opening for Uada, I was blown away and had to track down their stuff.  Their combination of black metal with southern rock and doom metal elements works incredibly well, quite surprisingly.  Sort of a combination between Corrosion of Conformity, Tribulation and Watain.  Above all else, this album is infectious.  And they also do an amazing live show.

CATTLE DECAPITATION: DEATH ATLAS

Cattle Decapitation have been trending toward this possibility for some time now.  They have been improving on each album since Karma.Bloody.Karma and what was once a tongue-in-cheek lyrical subject matter of animals taking their revenge on humanity has become a pounding, in-your-face warning about the end of the world if the environmental issues are not addressed.  But more than that is the fact that the band has progressed so far beyond just a death/grind band.  They have become melodic and progressive in ways that have pushed their sound into new and exciting directions.  Every track on this album is amazing and the band have truly created their masterpiece.  It is also my Album of the Year.

Top 5 EPs/Demos/Splits of 2019

I am going to get these lists out earlier than normal.  I am starting off with the Top Five non-full-length albums.  These are either demos, EPs or splits.  I did not hear a ton of these this year, but there were more than enough to come up with a Top Five.  Some of these have yet to appear in review form, but will appear later.

EFFIGY: MCMXCII: DARKEST DAY

Initially forming in 1992, Effigy recently reunited and finally released their first recorded material in 2019.  I guess good things do come to those who wait because this thing is fantastic.  The band does an excellent job at sounding like early 90's death metal greats like Death, primarily because they were around at the same time.  If you enjoy bands like Death, this is for you.

AGGRAVATED NUISANCE: DEADLY FORCES

With Power Trip and Municipal Waste being able to recapture the sound of 1980's crossover/thrash metal, there are bound to be at least a few bands hopping on that sound.  Aggravated Nuisance is one such band.  In a very short time, Aggravated Nuisance makes a damn good first impression.  If crossover is to make a comeback, it needs groups like this to pave the way.

MUNICIPAL WASTE: THE LAST RAGER

Well, the masters in the renewed crossover sound make an appearance here as well.  I have only recently gotten into Municipal Waste, but have enjoyed everything I have heard so far and this EP is no exception.  It is a very short release, but captures everything that the band have come to be known for, fast-paced, furious riffs and shouted vocals.  Municipal Waste has built a lengthy career and this EP shows why.

FETID ZOMBIE: DEATH COVENANT

Of course Fetid Zombie is going to make it on this list somewhere.  I have become a giant fan of artist Mark Riddick's retro death metal project since the first time I heard them and have made getting as much of their stuff as possible a priority.  This one is a four-track EP that features guest guitar solos from Malcolm Pugh (Inferi), James Malone (Arsis) and the legendary Michael Amott (Arch Enemy, Carcass).  Fetid Zombie always releases quality music and this is no exception.

MONARQUE: JUSQU'A LA MORT

Here it is, the best EP of 2019 as decided by me.  Monarque is a Canadian black metal band from Quebec that has been absent for some time but has come roaring back in 2019.  The album cover caught my eye, but the absolutely incredible music kept me coming back.  Atmospheric and powerful, this is a perfect example of why the Quebec black metal scene is one of the most underrated in the world right now.  This was the first release I had heard from Monarque, but I quickly picked up as many other releases as I could as soon as I heard this.  Simply incredible.  The full review is coming soon.

Drudkh: Лебединий шлях (The Swan Road) (2005)

Yes, I am back to another Drudkh album.  This is the fourth album I have reviewed, and there are more to come.  I recently purchased a box set containing the first four Drudkh albums, this despite the fact that I already had three of them.  I do not really know why I did that.  It was my first chance to get this album I suppose. 

This is Drudkh's third album and probably the most overlooked of their first several albums, though I really do not know why.  I really like this album, despite the fact that it does not produce the same kind of atmosphere of their other releases like Autumn Aurora or Blood in Our Wells.  It is in some ways a much more straightforward black metal album.  There are several tracks that have minimal folk melodies and progress like standard, albeit lengthy, black metal tracks.  Songs like "Blood" showcase the band's black metal foundation.  The band has also expanded their musical abilities, particularly through the guitar solos on "Glare of 1768".

That is not to say the folk elements are absent this time around.  There is a lengthy folk-influenced lead-in in the first track and an acoustic section in the aforementioned "Glare of 1768".  The final track is a rather superfluous one, featuring acoustic guitars and folk singing.  It is okay for what it is but it does drag on a little too long.

This album finds Drudkh working on expanding their horizons, drifting into a more musically complex sound, but at the expense of some of what made their earlier albums (and later ones) so captivating.  That being said, it is still a tremendously impressive release, it just pales in comparison to some of their better work.