Sunday, March 17, 2024

Black metal documentation: 1993

“Well, it’s only Rotting Christ I am in contact with. I don’t give a reeking shit about other bands, I only concentrate on Impaled Nazarene. Like any other label, Osmose has some cool and good bands, but most of them are just crap! Osmose Productions was the first label to realize black metal was the new trend!”

Interview with Mika (Impaled Nazarene), featured on Putrefying Mass from the Netherlands (2nd issue, circulated in 1993).



  • Abruptum - Obscuritatem Advoco Amplectère Me | Complete garbage. They never scared anyone with such childish edginess. [0.5 out of 5 - Worthless]
  • Absu - Barathrum: V.I.T.R.I.O.L. | I can’t get behind the female vocals here, but it’s unique and a nice blend of black and death metal. Certainly furious at times and with a fantastic front cover. [3.5 out of 5 - Great]
  • Beherit - Drawing Down the Moon | Overvalued, pretentious release that tries to hide its tediousness but fails. Despite the praise, I was never sold with this mediocrity. [2.5 out of 5 - Average]
  • Blasphemy - Gods of War | I was never a big fan of this band, but respect them for the importance and the raw approach. Great album. [3.5 out of 5 - Great]
  • Burzum - Det som engang var | Slowly growing from the earlier recordings. Essential. [4 out of 5 - Excellent]
  • Christ Agony - Unholyunion | Needs multiple listens, very solid and engaging. Wonderful debut.
  • Countess - The Gospel of the Horned One | Definitely one of the lowest points of the genre at the time. Surrounded by masterpieces, there is no reason to go into this except for archival purposes. [1 out of 5 - Really poor]
  • Darkthrone - Under a Funeral Moon | One of the few instances of absolute pure black metal excellence. [5 out of 5 - Masterpiece]
  • Decayed - The Conjuration of the Southern Circle | Often overlooked gem. Cold and violent, with tense evil synths. [3.5 out of 5 - Great]
  • Dissection - The Somberlain | Perfection. The only thing that can be noted is that it is not as good as the next. [4.5 out of 5 - Brilliant]
  • Havohej - Dethrone the Son of God | Laughable cover but ultra raw and hateful music. Appreciate this more than the early Profanatica records. Truly blasphemous. [3.5 out of 5 - Great]
  • Immortal - Pure Holocaust | Not a single skippable moment in this. Unparalleled and one of a kind, an example of superb black metal sound. [5 out of 5 - Masterpiece]
  • Impaled Nazarene - Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz… | Raw but doesn’t do much, from a long-living GG Alin of black metal. [2.5 out of 5 - Average]
  • Impaled Nazarene - Ugra-Karma | Mika still can’t sing, but the primal character of the album is clear and appreciated. Nice synths, dull lyrics. [3 out of 5 - Good]
  • Impurity - The Lamb's Fury | Quite raw, with characteristic whispering vocals and repetitive rough riffs in the vein of Archgoat or Profanatica. [3 out of 5 - Good]
  • Marduk - Those of the Unlight | Their righteous turn to black metal after a death metal experimentation. Energetic and full of attacking melodies and intense vocals, but not without its flaws. [3.5 out of 5 - Great]
  • Mystifier - Göetia | Even better than the debut. One of the best albums of the early years, a must that should be owned by every black metal listener. [4 out of 5 - Excellent]
  • Necromantia - Crossing the Fiery Path | Excellent cover. Not their strongest material at the time, aching from filler moments. [2.5 out of 5 - Average]
  • Necrophobic - The Nocturnal Silence | Wholesome and focused debut. They took off later on, here there was still some underground spirit present. [3 out of 5 - Good]
  • Resuscitator - Iniciation | Filthy black / death metal released on Wild Rags Records, it looks great but several tracks are quite flat. At times, it stays slow for too long. [2 out of 5 - Below Average]
  • Rotting Christ - Thy Mighty Contract | Should be placed in the pantheon of bands for the genre. Spectacular debut. [4.5 out of 5 - Brilliant]
  • Satyricon - Dark Medieval Times | If you are not captivated by the sound and the compositions of this record, you don’t like black metal. [4.5 out of 5 - Brilliant]
  • Sigh - Scorn Defeat | Truly unique compositions, with almost theatrical delivery. Exquisite keyboards and melodies, while maintaining clear 90’s second wave character. Essential. [4 out of 5 - Excellent]
  • Unanimated - In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead | Half of it has great riffs, at times there’s some unnecessary segments. Goofy front cover, it’s okay but nothing special. [3 out of 5 - Good]
  • Ungod - Circle of the Seven Infernal Pacts | A little bit forgettable, but decent and aesthetically fitting as a whole. Indifferent but not deplorable. [2.5 out of 5 - Average]
  • Varathron - His Majesty at the Swamp | Awesome Greek black metal, one of the peaks from the country, which (among a few others) set the tone and the sound for many bands to follow. [4 out of 5 - Excellent]

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Darkspace - Dark Space -II (2024)

It's been 10 years since the last Darkspace album and we almost forgot about them. In the meantime, we did get Paysage d'Hiver full length albums from Wintherr though, which is pretty groundbreaking for people aware of the specific project.

I have to say, the case of Darkspace is one of a kind and if you get behind it, you don't dislike anything from them, as the direction and the concept is quite specific and never going to change. Not to mention, these are the only people that are worth of acquiring the label of "cosmic black metal". Many have tried, all have failed except Darkspace.

Things have been quiet, the Swiss brand name returns in the usual enigmatic manner, after an almost experimental album in 2014 that didn't win me over. My opinion that Dark Space III is by far their best has not changed, and it is the same with Dark Space -II.

There's not the usual approach here, Darkspace explores some distant funeral doom in the way Elysian Blaze does, focuses 100% on building the atmosphere, and the idea of a riff is splintered.

Apart from a quite long introduction of almost eight minutes, the one piece in Dark Space -II makes you happy the band is back, but that's it. These 47 minutes of music are enjoyable, maybe with too much meandering but all the haunting presence of Darskpace is quite strong.

It is objectively a great album, but maybe a slight disappointment considering what they are capable of doing. Insta-purchage without a question, and a nice return after a decade, making 2024 a little bit "darker".

Let the vastness of space consume you. [3.5 out of 5 - Great]

Bern, Switzerland | Season of Mist

Track listing:

1. Dark -2.-2

Total runtime | 00:47:12

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Napalm Death - Scum (1987)

It can be argued that the first grindcore or goregrind was created by accident. Much like the first album of Carcass, which was a thunder-in-a-bottle kind of blunder, I almost feel the same about how much all over the place the debut of Napalm Death is. 

Scum is a timeless classic for extreme metal by now, but imagine casually browsing your local record store and stumbling upon this back then. 

I almost felt the same happiness when I found this on LP at a completely neutral store around here, but of course it's not ever near the first presses. My copy (still great) is the 2022 re-release from Earache Records "from original tapes" as they say.

Clocking in at just over half an hour, the album is a whirlwind of aggression, with songs averaging less than a minute in length. Yet within these fleeting moments, Napalm Death manages to distill a potent brew of anger, disillusionment, and social commentary.

The album's lyrics tackle themes of political corruption, environmental destruction, and social injustice with unflinching honesty and unbridled fury.

Beyond its lyrical content, Scum also serves as a rallying cry for the disaffected and marginalized. Its DIY ethos and anti-establishment ethos resonated deeply with the burgeoning punk and metal scenes of the late '80s, inspiring countless bands to embrace a similar spirit of defiance and autonomy.

Its raw aggression, socio-political commentary, and uncompromising ethos have cemented its place as a classic of extreme music, ensuring its enduring legacy in the pantheon of metal history.

Also, it has the shortest track ever recorded, with a Guiness World Record. Well done!

Monday, February 05, 2024

Condemned - Realms of the Ungodly (2011)

I was a lot more into that stuff back in 2010 - 2011, and then Realms of the Ungodly was one of my more frequent listens weekly, which I remember I preferred a lot to their debut too. 
 
The sound is thick but not super polished and generally, it's quite heavy and dark album compared to average gory / slam brutal death metal. It goes a bit in the direction of early Disgorge thematically, but the music is significantly less effective compared to the other San Diego giants. 
 
Artwork and titles are fantastic, it wouldn't hurt for it to be a bit faster sometimes, but the necessary brutality and seriousness is maintained throughout. 
 
Compared to other brutal death metal bands at the time, I would draw some slight references towards maybe Disentomb of the same era. The guitars and vocals are decent enough for me, but the non-existent band is a problem and could add some magnitude to this if it was present. 
 
Any time bands like that go for a bit more hateful lyrics rather than just pure gore, I am happy. However, Condemned today sound a bit of a letdown to me, thinking what this could have been. 
 
My younger self would not agree, but I still wouldn't bash and discard the record. There's definitely a lot worse out there. [3 out of 5 - Good]

San Diego, California, US | Unique Leader Records

Track listing:

1. Eirgmos.. Aidios...
2. Ere the Dark Sovereign
3. Baptismal Incineration upon Simonists
4. Catharsis of Human Impurity
5. Embodied in Elms of Eternal Misery
6. Realms of the Ungodly
7. Forged Within Lecherous Offerings
8. The Divine Order of Babylon
9. Manipulated for Servitude
10. Submerged unto Phlegethon

Total runtime | 00:32:54

Friday, February 02, 2024

Lamp of Murmuur - Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism (2020)

One of the problems with the modern scene is how saturated it is across all genres, but the fact that someone points it out again is in itself saturation. Stop making new bands.

Looking at a bleached black and white cover, with stapled titles in thorny fonts and a dude in corpse paint, makes me sigh instantly nowadays. Romanticism? There goes another mellow project that's into gothic rock, post-punk and no energy trying to put me to sleep. Lamp of Murmuur is none of all things. 

Their demos leading to this full length were all amazing. The music here is catchy, memorable and harsh. The Dead Can Dance cover is great. Finally, here is a project that managed to pull of the melodic / raw black metal trick properly, and this result is quite an achievement. 

Pretty epic album, with long tracks full of fantastic material for your ears and your friends. It will also help you not think of their latest release. Recommended. [4 out of 5 - Excellent]

Los Angeles, California, US | Self-released

Track listing:

1. Of Infernal Passion and Aberrations
2. Bathing in Cascades of Caustic Hypnotism
3. Gazing Towards the Hallways of a Peaceless Mind
4. The Scent of Torture, Conquering All
5. Chalice of Oniric Perversions
6. Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism
7. The Stars Caress Me as My Flesh Becomes One With the Eternal Night
8. In The Wake Of Adversity (Dead Can Dance cover)

Total runtime | 00:47:29

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Brodequin - Festival of Death (2001)

Since a new Brodequin album has been announced, which already may be one of the happiest pieces of news of the year, we gladly dive back to their back catalog of excruciatingly brutal early 00’s albums. 

While I think nothing can beat Instruments of Torture for me, as it has the catchiest and filthiest tracks, they kept ripping and banging for all their albums, including the follow-up Festival of Death in 2001. 

When I think of the peak of brutal death metal, I think of an era up to 2005, and bands like Brodequin, Disgorge, MorticianPyaemia and so forth. This is the stuff that is sincerely heavy, without being ridiculous or pretentious, or even abusing slams / grooves / overplayed hardcore with gutturals. 

Ugliness is the word of the day, and Festival of Death is for the ears that have the capability to acquire it. 

Definitely one of the most intense records I have ever listened to, just a thick, big, 700 kg bear mauling your face. Festival of Death straightens the soul. Hopefully the new one is as sick. Listen to their other stuff too. [4.5 out of 5 - Brilliant]

Knoxville, Tennessee, US | Unmatched Brutality Records

Track listing:

1. Mazzatello
2. Judas Cradle
3. Trial by Ordeal
4. Torches of Nero
5. Vivum Excoriari
6. Lake of the Dead
7. Blood of the Martyr
8. Gilles De Rais
9. Flow of Maggots
10. Bronze Bowl
11. Auto De Fa

Total runtime | 00:30:53

Monday, January 29, 2024

Marduk - Nightwing (1998)

Marduk’s first part of the Blood Fire Death trilogy, a three album tribute to Bathory’s monumental album with the same name released in 1988, had the theme of vampirism and “blood” in general.

While already having fairly amazing albums in their catalog, the band added yet another really solid work to the mix, which I get the feeling is a bit overshadowed by other works. Still, it is essential when thinking of the first era of the band, and has all the characteristic thunderous riffing and landmark vocals from Legion, the harsh atmosphere and the overall fast paced, norsecore body of work. 

Marduk always put one or two slower tracks in every album since and these exist in Nightwing too, for the case of this album they are also highlights (unlike in others). The lyrics are great and the concept fits them a lot, maybe even more than the obsession with warlike topics and machinery. 

Nonetheless, “Bloodtide”, “Slay the Nazarene”, the self-titled and “Kaziklu Bey (The Lord Impaler)” are bangers. On the other side, “Dreams of Blood and Iron” and “Deme Quaden Thyrane” are more atmospheric and add the needed flavor. [3.5 out of 5 - Great]

Norrköping, Sweden | Osmose Productions

Track listing:

1. Preludium
2. Bloodtide (XXX)
3. Of Hell's Fire
4. Slay the Nazarene
5. Nightwing
6. Dreams of Blood and Iron
7. Dracole Wayda
8. Kaziklu Bay (The Lord Impaler)
9. Deme Quaden Thyrane
10. Anno Domini 1476

Total runtime | 00:47:30

Friday, January 26, 2024

Pessimist - Slaughtering the Faithful (2002)

I would not say that I like this band’s debut that much but it’s been a while since I listened to it. However, their last album Slaughtering the Faithful from 2002 is a very decent mix of some Morbid Angel / Deicide riffing and vocals, also sharing elements of Diabolic or later mid-era Broken Hope, with strongly anti-religious lyrics and no breaks through the album except a short acoustic introduction. Drums are a bit repetitive and funnily sounding, but if you’re into aggressive, hateful death metal that pulls no punches, Slaughtering the Faithful is definitely for you. The great cover, titles and logo also help nurture the sensitive taste buds of the pure death metal fan, and Pessimist definitely succeed in being a band that you know only if you’re truly into it. I don’t think the tracks themselves are impressive, but in a way everything is consistent, even though some more memorability would work in their favor. Some great solos too (e.g. in “Stripped of Immortality”). Approved. [3.5 out of 5 - Great]

California, United States | Lost Disciple Records
Website | Listen
 
Track listing:

1. Requiem
2. Baptized in Blasphemy
3. Summoned to Suffer
4. Embodiment of Impurity
5. Slaughtering the Faithful
6. Infernal Abyss
7. Metempsychosis
8. Resurrected Torment
9. Stripped of Immortality


Total runtime | 00: 35:31

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Brutal Truth - Sounds of the Animal Kingdom (1997)

It’s unfortunate to say this since this album has maybe one of my favourite grindcore related openers ever, which is a phrase that I find myself repeating in my head when I generally listen to suboptimal music: still not loud enough, still not fast enough… As much as Brutal Truth is not your typical band of the genre, and Sounds of the Animal Kingdom was definitely another bold creation, it’s a bit all over the place, with damaged production and not nearly as good as the first two masterpieces from the band. The 22-minute mayhem at the end was kinda unnecessary and numerous tracks are skippable, yet there’s a few really amazing riffs and sections around, but you have to find them. I dig the Marvel-like cover, the title and the first three tracks. Then it’s a hit or miss. [2.5 out of 5 - Average]

Release: September 23rd, 1997
Label: Relapse Records