Daniel's Forum Replies
Deranged - "Architects of Perversions" E.P. (1994)
Sweden's Deranged were one of a whole slew of bands that I picked up on during a period of intense exploratory activity that took place in the first half of the 1990's when I would vigorously chase down anything that might fall into the category of the early "brutal death metal" sound. Deranged would be brought to my attention by one of my overseas tape traders who sent me a cassette that included their 1993 "...The Confessions Continues" 7" single as well as this E.P. which would represent the band's first release of any significance. I don't recall much about the experience now & haven't returned to either release over the many years since but I did end up exploring Deranged' first five full-length albums during the next couple of decades & have enjoyed all of them to varying degrees, particularly 1998's "High on Blood" sophomore record which has ended up being my go-to Deranged release & has received a number of revisits over the years. The "Architects of Perversions" E.P. has generally been positively received by fans as far as I've seen though so I thought I'd give it another chance to impress me this week.
Deranged would appear to have followed a fairly similar path to my own as far as influences go which has seen me being a little more open to their sound than I might otherwise have been. Cannibal Corpse's first few early 90's releases would appear to be their primary influence here & that sits pretty comfortably with me given the impact that those records had on me & my own band Neuropath at the time. There's also a goregrind influence at play that's worth mentioning though too, even if it's more of a secondary component than a primary one. The production job is suitably raw & brutal while front man Per Gyllenbäck sports a similar ultra-deep & unintelligible death grunt to Chris Barnes & is highly effective at his task too, becoming the clear focal point of the release with his gore-soaked lyrics. Conversely, drummer Rikard Wermén represents the obvious weakness for Deranged, mainly in the execution of his blast beats where he struggles to maintain speed & precision. This sees the Swedes sounding a little looser than I'd like at times.
The E.P. initially grabbed my attention off the back of the first two songs (i.e. the title track & "Coagulated Seminal Fluids") which are both pretty enjoyable & represented the more brutal side of Deranged's sound at the time. Unfortunately, the quality level drops off significantly after that with none of the remaining three tracks offering me much in the way of appeal. The short one-minute goregrind piece "Stairway to Hell" is the weakest inclusion but neither "Hammer Cottered Rectum" nor closer "Rigid Anatomy Art" manage to muster as much in the way of savagery as the earlier material, instead being presented in a more conventional death metal format that doesn't suit Deranged as well as those first couple of tracks. I wouldn't say that there's anything all that terrible here but there's also nothing that really gets my blood pumping, even during the first half of the E.P.
It's interesting that I'd go on to follow Deranged's 1995-2002 albums off the back of the poorly titled "Architects of Perversions" because it hasn't exactly set my world on fire here & I don't recall it doing so back in the day either. I guess I was just desperate for as much brutality as I could find in my extreme metal at the time & the Swedes fit the bill fairly well. After giving this E.P. some time to connect with me this week, I'd suggest that you skip it & move on to Deranged's late 90's records as they're a bit stronger than this one in my opinion.
For fans of Avulsed, Insision & early Cannibal Corpse.
3/5
Ben, please add Melbourne crossover thrash outfit Vicious Circle.
Ben, please add Aussie outfit Spiderbait.
They split up after their sophomore album but reformed around 2010 & I believe are still playing the occasional show. I think I might need to select one of their records for next month’s The Pit feature release actually.
Depression - "Ultra Hard Core Mega Heavy Punk Metal Thrash" (1987)
The last couple of months have seen me making a significant discovery when it comes to the history of Australian extreme metal. While I’ve always been aware of Melbourne hardcore punk outfit Depression through their 1988 sophomore album “Thrash Till Death: Studio Tapes” which is widely known as being a crossover thrash release, I had no idea that Depression had actually spent a lot more time dabbling with thrash metal prior to that time. In fact, I now firmly believe that these guys were the very first Australian extreme metal band & count myself as a big fan of a number of their earlier releases, much more so than some of this countries other more talked about 80’s thrash treasures too. 1985’s self-titled debut album would show the first signs of a crossover into metal but it would be the “Australia, Australia” E.P. from later that year that would see them finally committing to a hybrid sound & with great success too. The “Big Brother” single from the following year would continue down that path before the release of this live album in 1987, a record that would see Depression moving on from their earlier incarnation with renewed vision. I’ll be fucked if it’s not another great record from these guys too actually, which is saying a lot from a dude that doesn’t usually dig a lot of hardcore punk.
Depression had taken on a slightly different lineup for the “Big Brother” single. Original front man Spike had moved on by that point with guitarist Smeer (also of Melbourne hardcore punk outfit Gash) taking on the vocal duties. Spike’s delivery was a little more gruff & masculine while Spike brought more of a screamy, rabid & psychotic element to the band that I slightly prefer, although both do a pretty decent job of it so there’s not a huge reason to want to take sides. Drummer Sham Littleman (Nothing Sacred/Hobbs Angel of Death/Non Compos Mentis) had also been replaced by Darren Antoci (Persecution) & it would be this lineup that would produce 1987’s “Ultra Hard Core Mega Heavy Punk Metal Thrash” live album at Depression’s first live show in around two years. They make an excellent fist of it too with the production doing the band a lot of favours & highlighting Depression’s amazing energy & electricity very well.
Depression were a very talented group of musicians for a snotty bunch of punks with Smeer being the clear focal point. The influence of metal on his guitar technique is clear for all to see here & he proves that he’s more than capable of shredding along with the best of them in a stellar performance that seems to easily achieve the riotous cacophony of hardcore while also drawing upon the more disciplined & precise techniques employed in thrash metal. The fact that he does all of this while also doing an excellent job at delivering the vocals is a testament to his drive & skill. Admittedly, Depression steer well clear of the debut album so one gets the feeling that the song-writing was all tailored to the idea of a Smeer-led trio. Boy, do they do a good job at it though as there’s a searing lightning bolt of hardcore adrenaline running right down the centre of this set. Bassist Liddy holds his own during Smeer’s guitar solos & clearly knew his role very well as he never overplays his hand.
The tracklisting contains thirteen songs in its 34-minute run time & is generally very consistent. I’d suggest that the short duration is actually a positive here as the record never overstays its welcome & is well positioned to command back-to-back listens. The material generally jumps between hardcore punk & crossover thrash in roughly equal measure but there are a couple of more traditional punk rock songs included in “Money” & “Out of Touch”. I’m not much of a fan of the less aggressive brand of punk music but “Out of Touch” is pretty decent. “Money”, on the other hand, tends to grate on me a bit & I’d suggest that it’s the only failure amongst this lot. The more appealing material clearly comes in the form of the faster & less restrained numbers (at least it does for me) with Depression proving themselves to be a formidable unit when they drop their shackles & simply go for broke. Despite still possessing a general tongue-in-cheek attitude though, one gets the feeling that Smeer & co. took themselves fairly seriously as artists so there’s been quite a bit of time put into ensuring that their live show came across as a tight, professional & universally coherent performance.
If you don’t mind a bit of hardcore in your metal then Depression might just be the hidden gem that you’ve been looking for. I certainly can’t imagine why they’ve been so overlooked for all these years. I’d suggest that the “Australia, Australia” E.P. is still my pick for their best release to the time but “Ultra Hard Core Mega Heavy Punk Metal Thrash” is definitely another must-own release for those with their feet in both camps & it should come into the discussion when talking about Australia’s best early thrash releases too.
For fans of D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies & Discharge.
4/5
Misery - "Insidious" E.P. (1994)
I recently spent some time revisiting the 1993 “A Necessary Evil” debut album from Aussie death metallers Misery & it wasted no time in reminding me as to why it was such an influential & motivational release for myself & my Neuropath band mates back at the time of release. That record went a long way to proving that a local band could compete with the rest of the world & was a very solid example of the early 90’s death metal sound that saw me immediately counting myself as an enthusiastic fan of the Brisbane five-piece. So, when Misery released their second proper release in 1994’s “Insidious” E.P. I found myself leaping in with both feet & with the expectation of another highly professional & invariably entertaining death metal experience, a hope that was fulfilled in generous measure by the four songs it contained.
“Insidious” sports a very impressive production job for a local death metal release, once again having been recorded at Red Zeds in Brisbane. It saw Misery returning with a slightly altered lineup to the one that had impressed me so much with “A Necessary Evil”. Original front man Darren Goulding (Manticore) had departed & been replaced by the relatively unknown Moises Contreras, a move that concerned me given that I very much enjoyed Goulding’s contribution to the debut. I need not have worried too much though because Contreras makes a great fist of his opportunity here. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have known there’d been any lineup change at all to honest because he takes a very similar approach to his predecessor with his imposing growl being one of the highlights of the release. The other major talking point for the E.P. can be found in Misery’s trademark pacing which sees them staying predominantly in the slow-to-mid tempo range but showcasing a wonderful understanding of dynamics & structure to create tension. The listener rarely feels that they’re being battered into submission. It’s more a feeling of being engulfed as dark, cavernous walls slowly close in on you. I really enjoy that experience & feel that it showcases the musical maturity of these young dudes really well. The use of pitch-shifting effects on the lead guitar work & subtle keyboards to add some additional atmosphere are further examples of that & are universally successful in their undertaking, as are the professionally executed intros & outros which work to further accentuate the eerie, unnerving backdrop the band were crafting with their song-writing.
The four songs included are all well worth hearing in what is another very consistent release from a band that seemed far too professional to produce anything sub-par at this point in their musical journey. The clear highlight for me is the wonderful “Torn” which I regard as being Misery’s finest work to the time & was subsequently made into a video that’s gone on to become somewhat of a cult classic. The opening stanza of “Torn” sees Misery’s sound taking on it’s most compelling form with all of the things the band have become known for combining to give me chills down my spine. The start of opening track “Seeds of Doubt” achieved similar levels of dark death metal glory to be honest but the rest of the song couldn’t quite maintain them, seeing it finishing as a solid inclusion more than an elite level example of the genre. Closer “Innocent Torture” is also very strong but I do feel that “Venganza del” sees the quality level dropping just a touch from the rest of the material, even if I do still enjoy it quite a bit.
“Insidious” shows clear evidence that Misery had been paying attention to what was going on around them in the global death metal scene as it saw them building on their early success with a slightly more polished & professional sound that continued to impress the underground. While I really enjoyed “A Necessary Evil”, I feel that “Insidious” is slightly stronger again, potentially off the back of “Torn” which was the genuine highlight that the debut had been missing. Contreras would make his exit from the Misery story at this point, never to be heard from again as far as I’m aware, but Misery would continue to make high quality death metal for some time yet. In fact, I believe they are still playing shows today after recently reforming & that can’t be a bad thing as far as I’m concerned. I may not be quite the fan boy I was back in the day but I can still appreciate well-made death metal when I hear it & this is certainly a fine example of that.
For fans of Innsmouth, Abramelin & Psychrist.
4/5
Ben, please add Melbourne’s Christbait.
Ben, please add Aussie metalcore act Mindsnare.
I’m very much the opposite to be honest. I came to Maiden through “Somewhere in Time”, “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” & “Live After Death” before heading back to their esrlier work & I have to admit that the Dianno albums always seemed to be a step down (a couple of steps down in some cases) from the Dickinson ones for me personally. In fact, the only Dianno record that I regard as being essential is the “Maiden Japan” E.P. & I consider “Killers” to be the least impressive of Maiden’s 80’s full-lengths. I guess the huge variety in opinions on what Maiden’s best & worst records are is the strongest representation of just how consistent & relevant they were during their prime.
My top ten Dianno-fronted Iron Maiden songs:
01. Killers (Maiden Japan live version)
02. Phantom of the Opera
03. Prowler
04. Wrathchild
05. Remember Tomorrow
06. Running Free
07. Strange World
08. Another Life
09. Murders in the Rue Morgue
10. Iron Maiden (The Soundhouse Tapes version)
Top five Dianno releases:
1. Maiden Japan E.P.
2. Iron Maiden
3. Killers
4. Live!! +One E.P.
5. The Soundhouse Tapes E.P.
Rampage - "Rampage" demo (1987)
The self-titled second demo tape from Melbourne's Rampage is another one that I've always struggled with a bit. The two songs traverse a number of different genres from power metal to progressive metal to more up-tempo speed metal & thrash metal but overall I'd probably describe it as sitting between power metal & thrash metal. The higher register vocals are pretty ordinary but I do appreciate the fairly expansive instrumentation. It just doesn't seem to come together nicely in the end though & I find that I enjoy this one a touch less than the "Acid Storm" demo.
For fans of Bezerker, Tyrus & Midas Touch.
3/5
Nazxul - "Nazxul" demo (1994)
I picked this demo tape up at the time of release & absolutely loved it. Nazxul were a mysterious Sydney outfit that no one knew much about at the time but their dark & intense blackened death metal sound was right up my alley with the consistent bludgeoning of drummer Steve Hughes' (Mortal Sin/Sadistik Exekution/Slaughter Lord) blast beats & the evil extremity of bassist Dalibor Backović's (Ichor) vocal delivery providing clear highlights over the fuzzy down-tuned guitar hum of Adrian Henderson (Ichor/Pestilential Shadows) & Lachlan Mitchell. The use of keyboards is more subtle than it would be on some of Nazxul's later releases & I find it to be very well timed, adding to the atmosphere in just the right measure. This is a vicious example of the blackened death metal sound that deserves far more attention than it's ever received in my opinion. It's also a fine example of what the early-to-mid 1990's tape trading scene had to offer.
For fans of Pestilential Shadows, Anatomy & Kommodus.
4.5/5
That is a truly unique top ten Andi. I love the honesty & individualism.
Depression - "Big Brother" single (1986)
The Melbourne hardcore act returned with their finest work yet, a short three-song affair that I hadn’t heard previously that once again highlights their defection to crossover thrash with some tight metal guitar work from Smeer. The opening track "Have a Look" is my favourite inclusion & is probably the thrashiest number with the title track hovering between crossover & hardcore & closer "Du-pres-shun" being more of an early example of the metalcore sound. It's all worth hearing as usual & these guys have been tragically overlooked in terms of their importance to the development of extreme metal in this country.
For fans of D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies & S.O.D.
4/5
Manticore - "Burrowers" demo (1994)
The second demo tape from Aussie death metallers Manticore made a significant impact on me at the time. These country boys were an awesome live act which led to me purchasing this cassette at one of their shows & giving it plenty of repeat listens that year. It contains a very fast & noticeably thrashy brand of death metal with excellent death growls & a crap-tonne of energy. All three songs are worthy of your time although opening track "Mask" & the excellent cover version of Slayer's "Raining Blood" are the clear highlights with "Of No Consequence" being merely a decent way to fill the gap between them.
For fans of Misery, Deicide & classic Slayer.
4/5
Here's my newly created Top Ten Metal Releases of 1993 list which clearly shows the impact that the now thriving doom/death subgenre was having on me at the time:
01. diSEMBOWELMENT - "Transcending Into The Peripheral"
02. My Dying Bride - "Turn Loose The Swans"
03. My Dying Bride - "The Thrash of Naked Limbs" E.P.
04. Anathema - "Serenades"
05. Death - "Individual Thought Patterns"
06. Dream Theater - "Live at the Marquee" E.P.
07. Morbid Angel - "Covenant"
08. Cynic - "Focus"
09. Burzum - "Det som engag var"
10. Gorguts - "The Erosion of Sanity"
Mayhem - "Live in Leipzig" (1993)
There’s probably not too many battle-hardened extreme metallers out there that would admit to this but I’ve never rated Norwegian black metal superstars Mayhem’s 1980’s releases. I genuinely can’t stand the 1986 “Pure Fucking Armageddon” demo while 1987’s Deathcrush” E.P. does very little for me either. It wasn’t until a 19 year-old Swedish kid by the name of Per Yngvie Ohlin (aka Dead) left his home country & his own band Morbid to join Mayhem in 1988 that I feel things started to go in the right direction. The arrival of drumming phenomenon Hellhammer would also make for a greatly improved offering & this is noticeably evident on Mayhem’s first & only proper release with their classic lineup in the 1993 live album “Live in Leipzig”, a recording that I picked up on CD shortly after it was released. All of a sudden Mayhem seemed quite a bit more exciting, having finally pulled together a more cohesive sound that would get under my skin in a creepy & noticeably more musically accomplished way. It wouldn’t be long before I would pick up “De Mysteriis dom Sathanas” on CD too & then the black metal landscape would change significantly almost overnight. Looking back, I’ve always regarded the “Live in Leipzig” release as being more important than it is classic. Let’s revisit it now to see if that opinion has any factual basis or not.
“Live in Leipzig” was recorded at a legendary show in Germany on 26th November 1990 at the Eiskeller Club & was originally intended as a live demo which the band would distribute themselves. The show has become synonymous with the birth of the black metal scene in Germany with most of the key personnel having been in attendance. The tracklisting includes material drawn from both the “Pure Fucking Armageddon” demo tape & the “Deathcrush” E.P. as well as four songs that would eventually end up on Mayhem’s genre-defining debut album “De Mysteriis dom Sathanas” in 1994. The show also represents the coming of age for Dead & for black metal in general as it’s really pretty amazing to think that this material was recorded a full eight months before Darkthrone would start recording their classic “A Blaze in the Northern Sky” sophomore album which is widely regarded as the release that kicked off the Second Wave of Black Metal in Norway. On the evidence of “Live in Leipzig”, one would have to suggest that Mayhem were a seriously major influence on that release as well as all of the other early Norwegian records that would follow too.
The sound production on “Live in Leipzig” isn’t exactly crystal clear. In fact, it’s rough as guts & one gets the feeling that this was intentional as there’s been no attempt made to smoothen out any of the rough edges. Guitarist Euronymous & bassist Necrobutcher’s tones are absolutely filthy & remind me a lot of my tape trading days given that they have that raw, uncontrolled rehearsal tape feel to them while losing nothing in the way of power. Necrobutcher’s bass tone is particularly immense, smothered in a thick layer of distortion. The technical skills of the various band members aren’t exactly virtuosic though. While Euronymous appears to have already mastered to art of tremolo-picking, his guitar solos are an absolute mess & showcase very little in the way of theoretical understanding or technique. Hellhammer’s drumming is still relatively immature by his lofty standards too & he would improve remarkably by the time he recorded “De Mysteriis dom Sathanas” a couple of years later. It’s Dead that’s the main attraction here though with his vocals giving each track a vastly different identity to their studio counterparts. His delivery is utterly savage & cold as fuck, the very essence of what it means to front a black metal act in one of the defining performances for the genre as a whole.
Despite, not being a fan of Mayhem’s early studio recordings, “Live in Leipzig” sees Mayhem breathing new life into the majority of the older material with only opener “Deathcrush” failing to interest me. While they may never threaten to achieve classic status, "Carnage", “Chainsaw Gutsfuck” & “Pure Fucking Armageddon” are massively improved from their studio versions, particularly the latter which has benefitted greatly from the involvement of Hellhammer. It’s clearly the newer material that’s where the highest quality meat can be found on these bones though with “Funeral Fog”, Mayhem’s notorious signature track “Freezing Moon” & the wonderful “Pagan Fears” (my personal favourite) reaching stratospheric levels of appeal for an impressionable teenage version of myself. The 80's material is noticeably more thrash-inspired than the newer stuff which already contained all of the signature calling cards of the modern black metal sound, a fact that's quite significant when remembering that the show was recorded more than a year before the Second Wave would eventually kick off.
While some of the early material included might not necessarily be all that ambitious by the lofty standards the Second Wave would set about reaching over the coming years, “Live in Leipzig” was still an incredibly important record for the Norwegian scene. It may not sound as polished as we’ve come to expect from a modern black metal live performance over the many decades since but boy does it have some fire & brimstone going on. Just listen to Euronymous’ guitar sound & tell me this bloke doesn’t know what it means to be a black metal musician. I’ve returned to “Live in Leipzig” many times over the years & can now categorically refute any claims that it has built its following more on hype than on genuine merit. That’s simply not the case & there can be no denying the impact that Mayhem had on virtually every young band that would explode out of their homeland over the next few years.
For fans of Gorgoroth, Darkthrone & 1349.
4/5
Rampage - "Acid Storm" demo (1986)
The debut release from another Melbourne thrash metal act that I was aware of in my youth. This time a trio that went on to a little more of significance but which I always struggled with. This demo tape is well produced for the time with the sound sitting somewhere between Iron Maiden style heavy metal & "Show No Mercy"-era Slayer. The performances are a little patchy but you can already hear that Rampage were quite ambitious from a compositional point of view. The vocals of front man George Mitrov are noticeably pitchy at times which doesn't help things but there's a little bit to interest me in the instrumentation. Bassist Dave Frew has also been involved with fellow Melbourne thrashers Tyrus & Hobbs Angel of Death over the years.
For fans of Bezerker, Tyrus & Midas Touch.
3/5
Non Compos Mentis - "You're Next Punk" demo (1986)
This is another early Aussie extreme metal release that I had floating around my collection in my early tape trading days & which used to get pulled out at the drunken after parties I used to attend at older metalheads & band members homes during the early 90's. It's essentially a side project from Nothing Sacred members Karl Monara (Hobbs Angel of Death) & drummer Sham Littleman (Depression/Hobbs Angel of Death) & sees the duo having a bit of fun with a number of different genres. Opener "The Ballad of Phil Gresik" is an excellent way to begin proceedings & sits in the sludge metal space. The next two tracks "Kidney Punches" & "NCM" are up-tempo thrash metal numbers that are what the demo is ultimately known for. "Excreter" sounds very much like the NWOBHM while instrumental closer is a well-executed & enjoyable take on epic doom metal. Overall, it feels kinda like a combination of early Melbourne thrash metal acts like Renegade & more traditional heavy metal like Iron Maiden, very much in the same way as the two band members' main band Nothing Sacred. The main stumbling block is the ridiculous high-pitched vocal performance on some of these tunes which sounds half like an attempt at King Diamond & half like a complete piss-take. This ultimately ruins the release for me to be perfectly honest & I can't imagine why the duo thought it was a good idea.
For fans of Renegade, Nothing Sacred & Hobbs Angel of Death.
3/5
Toadliquor - "Feel My Hate - The Power Is the Weight - R.I.P. Cain" (1993)
I'd not heard much about Californian five-piece Toadliquor before now. They've kind of existed on their own underground plane for the last few decades, always steering well clear of the mass popularity contest that is the commercial metal scene in the United States. Hell, they've always flatly refused to release their most popular record (i.e. this one) on CD, instead choosing to offer it up on vinyl only which should tell you a little bit about the band themselves who have largely remained fairly anonymous with none of the five members being associated with other acts. But people seem to have picked up on Toadliquor fairly organically over the years & we now see their 1993 debut album "Feel My Hate - The Power Is the Weight - R.I.P. Cain" being held up as a minor classic in some parts of the more well-informed metal demographic. As you all well & truly know by now, I need to know why in these cases so this week I've decided to explore Toadliquor for the very first time to see what the hell all the buzz is about. I'm glad I did too because it's a very rewarding record indeed.
"Feel My Hate - The Power Is the Weight - R.I.P. Cain" is a 42-minute album that includes seven songs with all of them being well & truly worth your time. It's an unapologetically sludge metal record too it has to be said. Other websites like Metal Archives & RateYourMusic will always award releases like this one a dual tag with doom metal but, in reality, there's really no need to if you have any idea as to what the sludge genre is all about it because it inherently implies the inclusion of doom tempos & riffs. As with a lot of good doom metal though, there's no necessity for Toadliquor to reinvent any wheels as far as their sound goes because good doom riffs are timeless & Toadliquor are too in many respects because this album could just as easily have been released today as 31 years ago. There are loads of bands that sound like this but very few deliver their product with this level of conviction. It's interesting that some RYMers are tending to reach for drone metal secondaries for this release though. Just where they're finding those associations is beyond me as I simply don't see it.
I wouldn't say that Toadliquor's sound is quite as dark, drug-fueled & desolate as an Eyehategod whose highly regarded sophomore album I reviewed only yesterday but I would suggest that it's slightly more consistent in its overall heaviness & I tend to favour it over "Take as Needed for Pain" for that reason, particularly given that it doesn't revert to groovier stoner metal riffs like Eyehategod have a tendency to do. The most significant & divisive element of their sound though is quite clearly the vocals of front man Rex whose delivery comes in the form of a tortured howl more than a masculine hardcore grunt or psychotic scream. I have to say that I do struggle with him a little bit at times & I can't deny that his inclusion has limited just how high my rating has the potential to go because I can't deny that Toadliquor would have been much better served with a more traditional sludge metal vocalist. Perhaps they wouldn't have been able to separate themselves from the huge swarming mass of American sludge bands if they had of gone that way though as Rex is certainly the main talking point when discussing the album. I just wish he didn't sound as phoned-in as he does at times because the effort doesn't always seem to be there.
The tracklisting is brilliantly consistent with the instrumentalists all having a fantastic understanding of the sludge metal medium & of dynamics in general. It's really very hard to pick out highlights as every song has excellent instrumentation with Rex's contribution tending to hold me back from being able to claim many of them as genuine classics. I do think that the crushingly immense heaviness of "Fratricide: A Requiem" manages to overcome those limitations & I can see it going on to become a genre favourite for me in the future. Outside of that, I'd probably suggest that the two tracks that precede it in "Gnaw" & & "Charred" make for an excellent trio that represent somewhat of a sweet spot for the album overall. The rest of the record isn't much different though & if you like one Toadliquor song then you'll no doubt dig everything they bludgeon you with here. Be warned though, this record isn't for the faint-hearted or the casual sludge listener. It's a wall-to-wall sludge-a-thon.
"Feel My Hate - The Power Is the Weight - R.I.P. Cain" was a very easy one to come up with a rating for really. I clearly couldn't afford it an elite score as Rex's vocals simply don't leave that as an available option but, at the same time, the instrumentation is so well written & executed that it was never going to score less than four stars either. I feel that I can easily see a) why Toadliquor as so highly regarded in underground circles & b) why they've never managed to break out of those circles for more mainstream appeal. They're very much a sludge band for sludge fanatics only &, thankfully, I just happen to be one of those so this has been a very worthwhile experience that I'd recommend to others who fall into that category.
For fans of Meth Drinker, Nightstick & Grief.
4/5
Eyehategod - "Take As Needed For Pain" (1993)
It's been just over two years since I finally decided to take the plunge with New Orleans sludge metal phenomenon Eyehategod through their very solid 1996 third album "Dopesick". I found that I really enjoyed their drug-fueled, desolation-inducing brand of sludge at the time & wondered why it'd taken me so long to get them given their stature in the scene, even if some of the more groovy stoner inspired moments weren't particularly to my taste. I subsequently added Eyehategod's other supposed classic in 1993's "Take as Needed for Pain" to my to-do list but it's probably more of a reflection of just how greedy I am for quality metal to find that it's taken me this long for that investigation to actually come to fruition. I'm glad it has though as the effort was certainly paid off.
After reading my review of "Dopesick", I've almost decided that there's no need to review "Take as Needed for Pain" given just how similarly I feel about it. In fact, that review perfectly describes what I've been thinking of writing for this one so I'd suggest that "Dopesick" was very much "Take as Needed for Pain Part II". There's nothing particularly fresh or new about Eyehategod's second full-length either though. It's simply a highly effective sneak-peak into the mind of a down & out drug addict, living in redneck America with a level of pent-up anger that would seem ready to explode into violence at any moment. What we have here is some crushingly heavy sludge metal riffs of pure doom, taking the occasional groovy stoner metal direction to break up the misery, & with a super-pissed & vicious front man who does his very best to make sure that your attention doesn't deviate from the horrifying human car crash he's describing in great detail.
As expected, I'm nowhere near as big a fan of the stoner parts as I am the remainder of the album but I can accept that this element is a part of Eyehategod's identity & move on to the more attractive (yet equally repulsive) darker shit, even if my scoring has been capped a little as I don't think I could consider my more elite ratings for a record like this one where none of the twelve tracks reach classic status for me. There are a couple of moments across the fifty minute run time where the album temporarily loses my interest too with the more stoner-inspired "Sister Fucker (Part I)" not being to my taste & closing tape music interlude "Laugh It Off" being pretty much a waste of space. It's hard to pick out the highlight tracks from this lot as the stronger moments tend to have a lot in common with each other but, if pushed, I'd probably mention songs like opener "Blank" (my personal favourite), "Shop Lift" & the bravely-titled "White Nigger". There's a clear correlation between the increase in stoner & my scoring dropping off a touch though which I could have told you would be a problem.
It's really very hard to pick a winner between Eyehategod's two most widely celebrated album "Take as Needed for Pain" & "Dopesick" as there's nothing between them as far as I can see. Perhaps the fact that I've now spent a fair bit of time with "Dopesick" is seeing me just leaning towards it by the slightest of margins but if you enjoy one then you'll no doubt really dig the other too. Is this the pinnacle of the sludge movement? Nah... I don't think so personally but I'll be damned if it's not a worthwhile exercise in general discomfort & depravity though. As will all good sludge metal, the world that Eyehategod depict isn't a pleasant one but there's a twisted part of my brain that craves this sort of misery. Perhaps my wife is right & I've simply taken too many drugs in my life. Personally, I'd suggest that I haven't taken enough of the good ones but that's just me. Regardless, all druggy sludge metal devotees will likely want to ensure that they acquaint themselves with "Take as Needed for Pain" as it's a high-quality & undeniably important release for the genre.
For fans of Acid Bath, Iron Monkey & Crowbar.
4/5
Slaughter Lord - "Rehearsal Demo 86" (1986)
I used to have this underground recording on the same cassette as the Sydney death/thrashers first demo tape, their 1987 "Taste of Blood" demo & their split E.P. with Morbid Angel during my tape trading days. Contrary to popular opinion, this is not the rehearsal material that was included on the "Thrash 'Til Death 86-87" compilation. It's much rawer & was recorded with a much lower sound quality which makes it a difficult listen for those with no tape trading experience. Honestly, even I struggle with it a bit & proto-war metal classic "Die By Power" is really the only track that manages to overcome the shocking handheld-tape-player aesthetic. Bassist Tony Noel had taken over the vocal duties from original front man Colin Butcher by this stage which gives the release a slightly more deathly feel than the first demo while Anton Vazquez (Sadistik Exekution) had stepped in to temporarily take the place of Sandy Vahdani (Sadistik Exekution). The thrashier feel of their earlier songs takes a little bit away from the more intense later tracks but I really enjoy the chaotic guitar solos of Mick Burke (Mortal Sin/Sadistik Exekution) & Vazquez. I'd recommend sticking with the compilation though as it provides you with all the Slaughter Lord material you'll ever need.
For fans of Order From Chaos, Poison (GER) & Sadistik Exekution.
2.5/5
Gorguts - "The Erosion of Sanity" (1993)
Warning! Warning! Fucking monster influence alert! Immense masses of fanboyism will likely ensue in the paragraphs that follow ladies & gentlemen! You see, I was already a big fan of Canada's Gorguts when their 1993 sophomore album "The Erosion of Sanity" landed on the shelves. I'd purchased their 1991 debut "Considered Dead" on CD a year or two earlier & it had left me thoroughly impressed, perhaps not with the originality in Gorguts' sound as that release wasn't exactly groundbreaking however its execution was top notch & it showcased an outstanding pedigree in classic death metal. By 1993 though, I'd become obsessed with the more brutal end of the genre & had also developed a fascination with the more technically proficient bands in the scene so it came as a wonderful surprise to hear my brand-new copy of Gorguts second full-length upping the ante in both departments. "The Erosion of Sanity" would go on to play a major role in the direction of my own band Neuropath over the next few years so it's always maintained a special place in my heart. This week I decided to give it a more critical investigation than I'd ever done before in order to see where it rightfully should sit in the star-studded Gorguts back-catalogue.
While "Considered Dead" was extremely proficient at what it attempted & delivered a very solid meat-&-potatoes brand of death metal, I don't think I ever thought of it as any sort of classic as it simply came a little too late in the game for that with the bands & records it was trying to emulate already having produced the elite releases for its old-school death metal sound & occasionally even doing it better too. "The Erosion of Sanity" saw Gorguts taking a new direction though. The early Death influence that dominated "Considered Dead" had been replaced by a more modern & sophisticated compositional approach that was much closer to Death's "Human" than it was Chuck Schuldiner's earlier works while the riff structures had been boosted by a significant amount of complexity & technicality, not to mention having been beefed up by the influence of brutal death metal pioneers Suffocation whose debut album "Effigy of the Forgotten" had clearly been in high rotation in the Gorguts rehearsal studio. This time the band had opted not to record at Florida's legendary Morrisound Studios with its equally notorious producer Scott Burns, instead staying home in Quebec where they worked with Englishman Steve Harris (no, not that one) who had previously worked with extreme metal bands like Acid Reign, Lawnmower Deth, Fear Factory & Bolt Thrower which has resulted in a seriously chunky & quite dense production job that perfectly highlights Gorguts' strengths, even if it can leave things sounding a little samey if you're not paying close attention.
Gorguts' had maintained the same lineup that produced "Considered Dead" which certainly helped their cause but, as we now know, it's always been guitarist Luc Lemay's (Negativa) project & his vocals are a major highlight on "The Erosion of Sanity", with his raspy growl rearing up into monstrous territory quite regualarly. Lemay provides the song-writing with the touch of added savagery that was needed to give Gorguts more of an edge & it works very well over the more ambitious instrumentation which sees the album easily managing to differentiate itself from its more than acceptable older sibling. The musicianship on display is nothing short of dazzling at times & I particularly enjoy the bass performance of Eric Giguere who shows himself to be leaps & bounds ahead of most of his contemporaries, buoyed by a nice mix that helps to isolate his basslines from the controlled chaos that surrounds them. There's a spider-fingered feel to the way Gorguts have constructed many of the riffs that leaves me with no doubt whatsoever of the influence of Suffocation, only these lads opt to deliver their assault with more subtlety, if not much more in the way of dynamics.
The tracklisting is particularly consistent with all eight songs showing themselves to offer plenty on the way of thick, heavily palm-muted yet still highly technical death metal riffage. The A side is completely without blemish & leaves the listener with little option but to claim Gorguts as a new member of the tier one death metal players. There are a couple of tracks included on the B side that aren't quite at that level (see "Hideous Infirmity" & closer "Dormant Misery") but the other six songs are simply ooze of class & a feel that's undeniably classic. If I was forced to pick favourites I'd have to go for the first three songs with the title track being perhaps my pick of the bunch.
The Gorguts back catalogue sits amongst the strongest in all of death metal in my opinon so "The Erosion of Sanity" was always gonna have stiff competition in that regard but I'm thrilled to have discovered that it's lost none of its charm over the three decades since I first purchased my CD. Sadly, I'd suggest that it's no longer my absolute favourite Gorguts record though. I think that honour would now have to go to 2013's magnificent comeback album "Colored Sands" while I'd also suggest that I'd place 2001's "From Wisdom to Hate" release slightly ahead of "The Erosion of Sanity" these days. That's not to say that this is not still a classic technical death metal record though & one of the rare tech death releases that has a legitimate claim to the tag too, rather than simply being a mistagged progressive death metal record. After the experience of this weeks revisit, I have no hesitation in claiming that every The Horde member worth their zombie film collection should treat "The Erosion of Sanity" as essential listening.
For fans of Death, Suffocation & Cryptopsy.
4.5/5
Massive Appendage - "Demo 1986" (1986)
Now, leading on from the speculation about the Tyrus demo potentially being the earliest example of conventional Aussie thrash metal, I thought I'd revisit the earliest recording from Sydney's massive Appendage which my gut tells me is probably the release that deserves the honour of being known as the very first given that it saw the light of day on 21st March 1986. These guys aren't talked about half as much as the early Melbourne bands like Renegade, Tyrus & Nothing Sacred but they were a seminal act in my local town & are connected to a number of other important Sydney bands. Three of the four band members who contributed to this demo were a part of a heavy/glam metal band called King's Cross who put out one of the earliest releases in Australian metal history in 1984's "Gimme" E.P. before falling into the hands of the thrash metal demons & changing their musical direction.
Massive Appendage was very much a novelty act with humour being a big part of their appeal. Their major lyrical theme was sex & it was presented in a pimple-faced teenage way that reeks of someone that's still yet to lose their virginity. The vocals of guitarist Big Bird (King's Cross/Fester Fanatics) were very ordinary at this point & it's really the guitar solos of Bird & his brother Jed Starr (King's Cross/Fester Fanatics/Killing Time) that are the highlight of the release, being particularly accomplished in comparison to the music around them. The four songs include three tracks that would go on to be re-recorded for Massive Appendage's seminal debut album "The Severed Erection" later that year with awful closer "Beefcake City" dropping by the wayside in the interum. This release starts off well with the enjoyable thrasher "Ejeculator" & we then see things descend a little more with each track. I'm guessing that the first two songs "Ejaculator" & "A.N.A.L. Spices" were the most recently written of the four included as the other two songs (i.e. "Auntie Claire" & "Beefcake City") are very much thrash/heavy metal hybrids that hint at the band still being in transition from their heavy metal roots with King's Cross. Despite a lot of the riffs reminding me quite a bit of Anthrax, there's not quite enough quality to keep me interested here which is perhaps why Massive Appendage aren't spoken of as often as Tyrus when it comes to the earliest Aussie thrashers. Massive Appendage would go on to morph into legendary Sydney thrash metal outfit Fester Fanatics not too long after the release of "The Severed Erection", perhaps in order to escape the childish sex themes of their previous band. "The Severed Erection" is definitely worth checking out but I'd suggest leaving the demo alone as it was pretty touch & go as to whether I'd go with a lower score on this one.
For fans of Fester Fanatics, Addictive & Anthrax.
3/5
Emperor - "Emperor" E.P. (1993)
As with Enslaved's "Hordanes Land" E.P. that I reviewed only yesterday, the first proper release from Norwegian symphonic black metal gods Emperor would represent my earliest encounter with them & would come off the back of my having purchased the split CD that included both releases some time towards the end of 1993. You may recall me mentioning that I owned an original copy of Emperor's "Wrath of the Tyrant" demo tape from 1992 but that purchase wouldn't come about until 1994 & was off the back of my having gained a great deal of enjoyment out of the "Emperor" E.P. first. I can still recall my first impressions of Emperor whose sound differed from the rest of the Norwegian scene in several ways, at least it did by the time this E.P. was recorded as you can already hear elements of the symphonic black metal sound they'd pioneer creeping into their sonic arsenal here as well as hints at their later progressive tendencies. I remember being struck by just how classically-inspired their compositional work seemed & how they managed to use melody so well i.e. without losing the inherent darkness that was required for good black metal to work. There was no doubt a romantic element to it that borrowed from the great gothic art of the ages too. It's time to reassess the E.P. with fresh ears now though. Let's see if it's stood up to the test of time.
The "Emperor" E.P. contains just the four tracks & spans just over twenty minutes in duration. I've always loved the cover artwork which went a long way to seeing me purchase the Emperor/Enslaved split CD to begin with to be honest. It's so simple yet so effective as the blood red logo stands out boldly against the black & white imagery which is nothing short of spooky & represents the majesty of the music contains very well. The band entered Studio S to record the E.P. in December 1992 & I believe this may have been their first time in a studio as the "Wrath of the Tyrant" demo was a home 4-track recording as far as I'm aware. It's interesting that Emperor elected to produce the record themselves then actually but perhaps they couldn't afford to engage a proper producer at the time. The result of those sessions sounds stereotypically Norwegian though which may or may not have been intentional. They achieved that classic higher register guitar tone with all of the bass & mid-range frequencies having been removed, although I do have to admit that I would have liked the guitars to have been higher in the mix. The vocals are also quite low in the mix which would become something of a trademark for Emperor & for a lot of black metal in general as it allows them to appear more otherworldly, almost like they're the cries some sort of demonic entity from the very bowels of Hell itself. The bass & drums are more up-front while the keyboards play a prominent role which would become the key to Emperor's identity over the next few years. In fact, while it may be easy to criticize the fact that the guitars sit a little behind the keyboards & allow them to play the role of the protagonist, it's also worth noting the influence that this had on black metal in general with a huge array of bands appearing who used the guitars in more of a textural way while the symphonics played the starring role.
Emperor's lineup had changed a little from the "Wrath of the Tyrant" demo tape. Samoth (Scum/The Wretched End/Arcturus/Gorgoroth/Satyricon/Thou Shalt Suffer/Zyklon/Zyklon-B) had swapped instruments from drums to guitar which was a positive move as he was hardly a superstar behind the kit & it allowed the band to recruit a more talented performer in the infamous Faust (Blood Tsunami/Djevel/Aborym/Thorns) who would stay with Emperor until his arrest for murder a few months after the release of the EP. By that stage he'd already had the chance to record the stunning "In The Nightside Eclipse" album which would ensure his place in extreme metal folklore. While indulging in the sophistication & creativity of this release it's fairly easy to forget that Emperor were just a bunch of 17 & 18 year olds at the time it was recorded. Just let that sink in for a minute because it's pretty amazing when you take into account the groundbreaking sound they'd created. Love it or hate it, Emperor's sound, even at this early stage, sounds like no one else that came before them & set the tone for an entire strand of the black metal movement that would never manage to equal them in all the years since. Less surprising perhaps is the wide-reaching impact that the various members have had on the international metal scene, particularly front man Ihsahn (Thou Shalt Suffer/Hardingrock/Peccatum/Zyklon-B) who was the clear band leader & mastermind behind Emperor from an extraordinarily young age (note: he was just 17 years old here). Even bassist Mortiis (Cîntecele Diavolui/Fata Morgana/Vond) has gone on to become somewhat of a genre leader for his electronic work under several different guises.
The tracklisting on "Emperor" is generally very solid. "Night of the Graveless Souls" & "Wrath of the Tyrant", that originally appeared on the demo tape, have been revisited here, the former offering a similar level of appeal to the original but the latter sounding significantly improved & possibly representing my favourite cut on the release. The two new songs would both be re-recorded for the classic "In The Nightside Eclipse" debut album only months after this recording & are noticeably more symphonic & expansive with the creativity having been taken to another level. "I Am The Black Wizards" has gone on to become arguably the band's calling card & is probably my favourite track from the album. Here it's a little more restrained & suffers from the wishy washy production job in comparison to the album version with its huge wall of sound. Ihsahn's vocals drift in & out of focus a bit here & I think his delivery would be improved for the album too but this is still a fantastic black metal tune. "Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times" is an incredibly ambitious piece of work for 1993 too with a number of more progressive passages presented throughout its run time, a concept that Emperor would expand on much more thoroughly in the years to come. The use of keyboards is clearly becoming more prominent with each new song. Personally, I prefer the more straight-forward "Wrath of the Tyrant" (the song, not the release) in this format but things would change once Emperor had received the immense, overblown production job they deserved on "In The Nightside Eclipse". "Night of the Graveless Souls" is the weaker of the four songs quite clearly as it suffers from a bit of cheese in the violin flourishes it attempts but I still quite like it.
Looking back now, I can't say that I regard "Emperor" as an elite black metal release & I didn't do at the time either but there can be no denying its importance to what was to come, not just to the black metal scene but also to me personally as a young fella. Despite it being entirely appropriate for the record itself, I do feel like the production job lets Emperor down a bit here as the material isn't as in-your-face as it should probably have been but it's easy to say that in retrospect now that we're so accustomed to the greater potential some of the songs were afforded on "In The Nightside Eclipse". Unlike Enslaved's "Hordanes Land" with its utterly spectacular opening track, I don't think that any of the four pieces included here have managed to reach classic status for me though which has surprised me a little. For that reason, I do tend to place "Emperor" slightly behind "Hordanes Land" which is in direct contrast to most people I've spoken to about it over the years. Emperor would very quickly surpass their fellow Norwegians with their next release though & it would subsequently see me holding them aloft as the absolute pinnacle of the subgenre they'd created, even a full three decades later. Hell, I was only forced to throw away my "In The Nightside Eclipse" long-sleeve recently after it had developed so many holes that I was embarrassed to wear it any more & I experienced physical pain while separating with it. It's needless to say that "Emperor" should be in every black metal fan's collection because it's simply assumed knowledge at this point.
For fans of Enslaved, Abigor & Satyricon.
4/5
Note: This also leaves me with a solid 4-star rating for the Emperor/Enslaved split CD release which received so much play-time from me as a kid.
This nomination has been passed.
This nomination has been passed.
Here are two that I'll definitely be checking out over the coming months:
Nachtmystium - "Blight Privilege" [US black metal]
Paysage d'Hiver - "Die Berge" [Swiss atmospheric black metal]
The Body - "The Crying Out of Things"
This Arizona-based drone metal act seems to put out a new release or collaboration every second week these days. Another one that I've had mixed experiences with so I might watch from afar & see what the hype's like before exploring this album.
Solstafir - "Hin helga kvöl"
The eighth full-length from these Icelandic post-metallers. I've had mixed experiences with them over the years & haven't heard anything they've done since 2011's "Svartir Sandar" so I might play it by ear with this one.
Massacre - "Necrolution"
The fifth album from old school death metal heroes Massacre. I haven't enjoyed anything they've done since 1992's "Inhuman Condition" E.P. so I'm not holding out too much hope for this one. Will probably check it out for old time's sake anyway though.
The new Blood Incantation documentary film.
Just listened through to the remainder of the list while cleaning up this morning. It's one seriously power metal-heavy list this month so if that's your bag then you're in for a treat. If not, then you may struggle a bit.
Condemned? - "Humanoid or Biomechanoid?" (1986)
The debut album from an underground hardcore punk band from Melbourne, Australia that's often linked to crossover thrash. Hint: There's very little metal here. It's really just the title track that qualifies. It's also a pretty crap record to tell you the truth & has no place in our database.
Slaughter Lord - "Demo 1986" (1986)
As I mentioned in the above Tyrus review, there were a number of early Aussie extreme metal artists that were referred to in hushed terms as the founding fathers of the extreme metal movement in this country during my formative years but Sydney's Slaughter Lord are perhaps the one that's achieved the most global notoriety, despite never having produced a proper release. All of their fame comes off the back of their early demos with a number of high-profile international artists like Fenriz, Bathory, Morbid Angel & At The Gates having been open about the influence these young thrashers had on them during the middle of the 1980's. They also represent the earliest Australian dalliance with the death metal genre with this release being the very first, despite still being more closely aligned with brutal thrash from an instrumental point of view.
Slaughter Lord's first demo tape is a three-song affair featuring a five-piece lineup that differs from their more classic "Taste of Blood" one in that they have a dedicated vocalist in Colin Butcher who would only appear on this release. Opening track "Destructor" is more of a conventional thrash metal tune in the vein of the Teutonic scene, especially Kreator with Butcher sounding quite similar to Mille Petrozza. His vocals get noticeably more deathly on the other two tracks "Onslaught" & "Slaughtered Corpse" though which leaves them feeling more like death/thrash. The opener is the clear highlight in my opinion & the only song that I connect with much. The other two suffer from sloppy performances & a lack of any sort of production. You can certainly hear the potential here as the band clearly know how to create chaotic underground thrash glory but are yet to find their feet by bringing all of the individual elements together smoothly.
As seminal as Slaughter Lord are to the Aussie extreme metal scene, I've never really appreciated this first demo tape, despite hearing it in a number of pretty suitable environments alongside some fairly committed devotees. Slaughter Lord would go on to improve significantly before "Taste of Blood" though which is a much more important recording in my opinion. It's certainly interesting to hear the early roots of Mick Burke (Mortal Sin), Sandy Vahdani (Sadistik Exekution) & drummer Steve Hughes (Mortal Sin/Nazxul/Sadistik Exekution) though as they'd all go on to play such important roles in Australian metal folklore.
For fans of Order From Chaos, Poison (GER) & Sadistik Exekution.
3/5
Enslaved - "Hordanes Land" E.P. (1993)
The Norwegian Second Wave of Black Metal hit my teenage life like a tonne of bricks back in 1992. I'd already been a fan of First Wave black metal bands like Bathory, Hellhammer & Sarcofago for some time by that stage but the likes of Darkthrone & Burzum took my fascination with the dark majesty of this sound to an all-new level that compared favourably with my metal genre of choice at time i.e. death metal. I'd soon find myself seeking out the more underground material the black metal scene had to offer & in large quantities too, locking myself away in a completely blackened bedroom with my headphones on while fantasizing about life in an icy forest of trolls. This would be the time that I'd discover the now legendary Enslaved after I picked up their split CD with fellow Norwegian superstars Emperor in late 1993, a release that only increased my appetite for this style of music. Before long I would find myself seeking out Enslaved's early demo recordings in order to further quench my thirst but it would be the "Hordanes Land" E.P. that represented the band's coming of age as artists & would signal the start of their rise to the top of the black metal ranks. I've revisited it many times over the years but this will be the first time I've attempted to rate or review this release which I know so well after all this time.
The "Hordanes Land" E.P. is a three-song affair that spans just over half an hour with each track being of significant length. It was recorded during September & October of 1992 at Lydloftet, Ølen with the assistance of a trio of producers in Reinhardt Toresen, K. B. Bjørkhaug & K. Ulland, none of which had made a name for themselves prior to this release. The result of those sessions is instantly recognizable as the classic Norwegian black metal sound though & it puts Enslaved in the discussion as far as the earlier protagonists of the Norwegian movement. Enslaved's lineup was only a trio at the time but the three pieces they'd produce were all very ambitious & expansive for a group of young musicians, none of them having reached their nineteenth birthday at the time with guitarist Ivar Bjørnson (Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik/Borknagar/Mysticum/Trinacria) amazingly being just fourteen when "Hordanes Land" was recorded. The title of the E.P., which is taken from the old Norwegian language, can be translated as "Land of the Hordes" & is a very good depiction of the adventure & majesty that can be found within.
The early Enslaved sound in much less progressive than the one they'd go on to create in later years but was still highly sophisticated for the early black metal movement with the song structures all taking a number of turns in a variety of different directions. There are a few drastic changes that can feel a little jerky at times but it's not a major issue. The epic thirteen-minute opening track "Slaget i skogen bortenfor" is by far the most significant of the three inclusions & was comfortably my favourite song on the split CD with Emperor that received such regular play time with me as a late teenager. In fact, it's the reason that I've always held the Enslaved side of that split CD in slightly higher regard than the Emperor one, despite it being of a similar quality in many respects. I adore the blasting drums of Trym (Emperor/Zyklon) & their combination with bassist Grutle Kjellson's tortured shrieks & Bjørnson's wonderful use of keyboards was highly influential at the time. It's also a feature of the split release with Emperor employing a similar approach on their self-titled. The use of acoustic guitars gives this track an organic feel that simply oozes of the cold Norwegian landscape of snow-covered forests & leaves an accurate depiction of just how influential Enslaved were on how the Second Wave sound developed over the coming years. It's not a huge stretch to be able to predict the more progressive leanings that Enslaved would take with their sound in the future given just how ambitious this early material was for such an immature trio of kids. The other two pieces are a touch less expansive but are still as overt in their creativity. The second track "Allfǫðr Oðinn" appeared on Enslaved's 1992 "Yggdrasill" demo tape where I quite liked it but here we see it being taken to another level. The early part of the song sounds noticeably less sophisticated & epic than "Slaget i skogen bortenfor" but at the two-minute mark the band hit on a classic Norwegian tremolo-picked melodic guitar theme that takes things into the stratosphere &, in doing so, predicts so many of the great black metal that was to come over the remainder of the decade. The song-writing is a little patchy but this theme alone plays such a significant role in the way the song plays out that it single-handedly manages to drag "Allfǫðr Oðinn" into very solid territory. The ten-minute closer "Balfǫr" is comfortably the weaker of the three inclusions in my opinion although I do still enjoy it. The use of keyboards is a little cheesier on this one & it's a little more melodic & a touch less dark than the other two pieces too although the use of acoustic guitar is very effective & things ramp up significantly when Trym gets his blast beats on.
Perhaps "Hordanes Land" doesn't represent the peak of Enslaved's creative journey but it was still very much their coming of age as artists & is especially impressive when you consider the relative immaturity of the three musicians involved. I'm particularly amazed at the scope of musicality that's been drawn out of Bjørnson here as his contribution often sounds incredibly mature for a child of just fourteen years old. It's really no wonder that we'd see him pushing Enslaved into my progressive territories in the future as he still had a whole world of musical exploration ahead of him. It's interesting to ponder on how he came to have such a strong understanding of the black metal ethos at such a young age too. I'd imagine that he must have had some older & fairly well-informed influences around him during the previous few years. Enslaved would return with their debut album "Vikingligr veldi" the following year, a release that I still regard as their finest black metal work to this day, but "Hordanes Land" really wasn't all that far behind when you look at it in the modern day. I'm not sure that I've ever regarded Enslaved as a tier one black metal producer but this is a damn fine first-up effort nonetheless & should be an essential inclusion in any black metal fans collection.
For fans of Helheim, Emperor & early Borknagar.
4/5
I'm a big fan of the "Non seriam" album. I bought the CD upon release & thought it was a big step up from "Thy Mighty Contract". It's still my favourite Rotting Christ release to this day actually.
Tyrus - "Rats Will Have Their Feast" (2012)
Short-lived Melbourne thrash metal outfit Tyrus may never have recorded a proper album with their entire discography amounting to just a couple of short & obscure demoes but they still managed to cement their place in Australian metal folklore, mainly due to the role they played in the creation of the local thrash scene but also because of their association with other early Melbourne metal bands like Hobbs Angel of Death, Fair Warning, Depression & Mass Confusion who they shared members with. When I first took my first tentative steps out into the Sydney extreme metal scene in the very early 1990's, I would quickly find that there was an underground subculture that held aloft widely unknown artists (many from other states) as dark overlords of our chosen field & Tyrus would be mentioned in whispers as one of the founding fathers. In the years that followed I would repeatedly hear those lone Tyrus recordings at drunken after-parties at older metalheads homes so they would them become very much ingrained in my youth, perhaps more than they ever had a right to from a quality perspective. It's been many years since I've revisited them now but the discovery of this compilation of all of Tyrus' studio recordings has lured me in to see how they've held up an incredible 38 years later.
"Rats Will Have Their Feast" draws together the four songs from the self-titled 1986 Tyrus demo tape & the title track from the "Liar" single from the same year in a short nineteen-minute recap of the band's short three-year career. These appeared very early on the Aussie extreme metal story & I'd argue that if Depression's 1985 crossover thrash effort "Australia, Australia" E.P. is the very first Australian thrash metal release then the "Tyrus" demo tape may well be the first conventional thrash one although that's open for debate as there are other seminal recordings from 1986 floating around & it's impossible to know exactly when each hit the streets. Personally, I've always thought of the 1986 demo tape from Sydney's Massive Appendage as ground zero for Aussie thrash metal as we know it dropped in March 1986 but there were other players like Tyrus, Slaughter Lord & Non Compos Mentis whose demo recordings from that year may well have been released earlier. It's just a little hard to say.
The sound quality of the two recordings differs greatly with the demo tape sounding vastly superior. In fact, the demo sports a really good production job for a demo from the time actually with all of the instruments being presented in complete clarity & being well balanced. "Liar", on the other hand, sounds a lot softer & a touch flat in comparison with the guitars being slightly muted & further back in the mix. Tyrus' riff construction is super-basic for thrash & one gets the feeling that band leader Peter Hobbs (Hobbs Angel of Death) had essentially borrowed them from the "Baby's First Thrash Riff" children's hardcover. There's something about the songwriting that gives these simple mosh pit tunes some added weight though, in much the same way as the great Celtic Frost material managed to overcome a similar trait. The performances are very tight & well integrated which certainly helps with plenty of space left in the songs thanks to an element of restraint having been taken with the arrangements. This is naive, youthful metal music for people that live & die by the genre & I just happen to be one of them which helps greatly in the appeal of a release like this one which seems to take the speed metal-infused sound of the earliest thrash records like Metallica's "Kill 'Em All" & Slayer's "Show No Mercy" & blends it with the influence of the classic Venom material.
The material drawn from the "Tyrus" demo is of a very similar standard with all four songs being enjoyable. There's a fair bit of variety in tempo across the tracklisting which keeps things interesting with even the slower numbers like "Crucifixion" & "Shrine of Satan" maintaining a solid footing in thrash thanks to their dark feel & evil lyrical themes. Hobbs sounds quite angry here, much more so than on "Liar" where you can be forgiven for thinking it's a completely different person because he sounds nothing alike, & you can very easily detect the impact of Venom's Cronos on his approach. Opening track "Bubonic Plague" reminds me heavily of Slayer's "The Final Command" & I don't think that's a coincidence although the guitar solo section may well have been lifted straight off of "Kill 'Em All". The speed metal influence is very noticeable on "Liar" & I get the feeling that it may have been recorded prior to the demo but it's hard to say for sure. It's certainly not as successful as the demo material & is the clear weak point of the release. "Cold Steel Warm Death" possesses a similar speed metal backbone & (along with "Shrine of Satan") sounds a little more raw & abrasive than the first two songs taken from the cassette thanks to some variation in the production between tracks.
While "Rats Will Have Their Feast" may not make for essential listening for the average international thrasher, it does offer a rare insight into the earliest attempts at emulating the thrash metal sound that had taken the world by storm a few years earlier. The fact that it took that long is really a testament to just how isolated Australia was from the rest of the world in a pre-internet era. These recordings will always hold strong nostalgic appeal for someone like myself who spent many late nights & early mornings raising their drunken metal claws to the sky to this material but it's actually held up pretty well by modern day standards too thanks to some pretty decent songwriting & a reasonably good sound quality so you could do a lot worse than to check it out.
For fans of Rampage, Renegade & Hobbs Angel of Death.
3.5/5
Here's my review:
Popular Swedish black metallers Watain first came to my attention around fifteen years ago through their 2003 sophomore album "Casus Luciferi", an experience that I really enjoyed which saw me venturing either side of it to indulge in the band's first & third albums in 2000's "Rabid Death's Curse" & 2007's "Sworn to the Dark". The latter offered me a similar level of appeal to "Casus Luciferi" & saw my interest in Watain being well & truly maintained while their debut album "Rabid Death's Curse" delivered a milder brand of entertainment which didn't encourage me to seek out repeat visits. Watain have very much lost their way with me since that time with the 2010's not treating them very well at all. Even my couple of live experiences have been fairly lacklustre to tell you the truth but things started to look up again with 2022's "The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain" seventh album which was their best work in a long time. It's been eons since I heard the Swede's first-up effort though & this month's feature release nomination would seem like as good a time as any to reassess the merits of Watain's early sound.
The production job on "Rabid Death's Curse" isn't amazing. I guess it's nothing out of the ordinary by black metal standards but Håkan Jonsson's drum sound is terribly lacklustre while bassist Erik Danielsson's vocals could probably have been better highlighted. It took me a listen or two to get used to but I eventually found myself coming to terms with it. This is a different sounding Watain to the one that most fans have flocked to anyway though as it's much less melodic & entirely more traditional in its take on the classic black metal sound. You won't find too many dalliances with Dissection-style melodics here as there are relatively few risks taken on "Rabid Death's Curse", so much so that I'd argue that most of us would likely not have come across this release if it had sported a different band moniker on the front cover. Most of this material goes for broke on the higher tempo blasting with much less time afforded to eerie atmospherics. There's a clear tendency to want to portray themselves as being "evil" too & it's easy to see that Watain were still fairly young & immature at this early stage with the band all still sitting within an age bracket of 18-20.
The biggest obstacle that I faced with "Rabid Death's Curse" can be found in the drumming of Jonsson. He clearly seems to fancy himself as a Marduk-style blaster but his ability to deliver on that concept falls noticeably short of the mark with his blast beats being very messy indeed. This flaw takes a lot of the gloss off of those sections & leaves me with the clear understanding that early Watain were at their best when they showed more restraint by slowing things down a touch. Guitarists Pelle Forsberg & C. Blom produce some more than acceptable black metal riffs here although they aren't always terribly original in how they go about creating them. You see, Watain were a little late to the table to get away with producing an album that sounds this familiar with the Scandinavian scene having well & truly peaked during the middle of the previous decade. Still... there's something about the classic black metal model that lends itself to well produced emulation, isn't there?
"Rabid Death's Curse" is essentially a flat line when it comes to quality & consistency with all eight tracks included sitting at pretty much the same standard. This leaves the listener with a tough task when trying to identify favourites amongst this lot as there are no clear highlights. In saying that though, there are no creative failures to speak of either so I've found myself enjoying the whole album, at least once I'd found a way past my issues with the blast beats. If I had to pick a few of the stronger songs then I'd probably go for opener "The Limb Crucifix", "Life Dethroned" & "On Horns Impaled" but I could just as easily have selected any of the other five songs too given how closely they sit to each other.
Despite the consistency in the tracklisting, there's can be no denying that Watain were not a top tier act at this stage of their evolution. In fact, I'd suggest that they sat smack-bang in the middle of the third tier which is where I place most of the artists that give me mild enjoyment without commanding much in the way of replay value. The Swedes would quickly improve on that position over the course of their next two full-lengths but I'd still suggest that "Rabid Death's Curse" was an acceptable first-up effort for a young band that was still discovering their own capabilities. It may not make any sort of bold creative statement but it does showcase an understanding for the genre from an aesthetic point of view with the atmosphere being suitably dark & grim & the song-writing being attractive enough to keep me engaged. The band would return much better for the run in three years time, this time having dropped guitarist Blom for a new three-piece lineup, & would begin their attempts at global domination with what I consider to be their best record, so one gets the feeling that "Rabid Death's Curse" was an essential stepping-stone in that process. It's just not necessarily an essential one for your average black metal listener, even if I think it's definitely worth a spin or three.
For fans of Valkyrja, Mayhem & Ondskapt.
3.5/5
Here's my review:
Finnish funeral doom metal masters Shape of Despair are an artist that I'm very much indebted to my brother Ben for having helped me discover many years ago now & I've followed them with interest ever since. I believe it was 2001's classic "Angels of Distress" that was the first of their releases to grace my ears & it made a significant impact on me at the time. That would have been around 2009 & I'm pretty sure that I've given all of Shape of Despairs proper releases a crack since then, along with their 1998 demo "Alone in the Mist". It's a credit to the band that literally all of these recordings were of a high quality but that somehow hasn't translated into a slew of high ratings from me at the Academy because I'm shockingly still yet to commit to an informed rating or review of any Shape of Despair release until today. Now would seem to be as a good a time as any though & what better way to begin than with a record that I've always felt would probably end up being one of my favourites in 2015's outstanding "Monotony Fields" fourth full-length.
With a lot of funeral doom metal, I find that my mood can play a role in my enjoyment of the music but that doesn't seem to be the case with Shape of Despair's stronger work. Their sound seems to transcend the limitations of the genre in many ways & you won't find a better example of that than with "Monotony Fields" which is ironically one of the least monotonous funeral doom releases you're gonna find. The word "atmospheric" is bandied around the metal scene far too often in my opinion but it would seem to be totally appropriate for Shape of Despair with the influence of genuine ambient music adding an additional layer of depth & emotional engagement. The glistening production job of Max Kostermaa beautifully highlights the depth & substance in this music too with the guitar tone being thick & full & the synthesizers washing over the listener with elegance & class so things never sound too dreary or repetitive. Both of the vocal styles of new male vocalist Henri Koivula (Throes of Dawn) are ridiculously effective with his ultra-deep growls proving to be truly cavernous while his cleans represent some of the highlights of an otherwise already stupendous creative effort. Female vocalist Natalie Koskinen (i.e. the ex-wife of former front man Pasi Koskinen) is used more sparingly but chimes in at the perfect moment to provide further melodic highlights to an already impressive soundscape the effortlessly pulls on my heart-strings, so much so that I felt close to tears at one point during this revisit which is no small feat these days.
The first half of the album is utterly stunning with three of the opening four songs (i.e. "Reaching the Innermost", the title track & "The Distant Dream of Life") sitting amongst the greatest metal music I've ever heard in my life. The re-recording of the title track from 2010's "Written in my Scars" E.P. (a bonus track on some releases) is equally as impressive & is a magical way to close out the release. The remainder of the material is all of premium quality too though with only "Withdrawn" failing to see me reaching for my more elite scores. This is funeral doom with hooks & they're as beautiful as you'll find in extreme metal with the keyboards of guitarist Jarno Salomaa playing a starring role throughout. As a long-time fan of ambient music, it's rare that you'll see that genre represented in such an accurate form on a metal record. It's also unusual to hear metal guitarists playing with such restraint in the interest of constructing more subtle yet fully realised atmospheric masterpieces. Shape of Despair just seem to have an incredible understanding of their chosen craft & the sound that they've created here amounts to significantly more than the parts that make it up.
I can't gush enough over "Monotony Fields" to be honest. It deserves a lot more attention than it's received over the years as it's often overlooked in favour of Shape of Despair's earlier works but is clearly playing in the same space in terms of class & quality. It's a rarified air that only the untouchable Esoteric have managed to reach with any sort of consistency & one that leaves me wondering how I could have left it so long to put pen to paper about an act that I've long admired. This is essential funeral doom metal that should be on every The Fallen member's playlist this month.
For fans of Doom:VS, Colosseum & Ea.
4.5/5
Here's my review:
I came to Norway's Extol fairly late in the game to be honest. By the time they first hit the underground in the late 1990's I was already heading for the exit door as far as metal music went & I wouldn't find myself returning to the scene until around 2009 which is when I first heard their 2000 sophomore album "Undeceived". It left quite an impression on me & received a lot of replays over the coming years & that experience would lead me to head back & explore Extol's 1998 debut album "Burial" & 1999 "Mesmerized" E.P., as well as to look forward to their 2003 "Synergy" third album which is the topic of discussion today. I don't recall revisiting "Synergy" over the many years since as it's generally been "Undeceived" that I reach for when I've looked for an Extol fix but Ben's introduction of the band's 2005 fourth album "The Blueprint Dives" to me a couple of years ago revitalized my interest in the band. I hadn't checked out that album before & it really hit the spot for me, despite it seeing Extol finally breaking free of the chains that tied them to their early extreme metal roots. It's been quite a while since I crossed paths with "Synergy" now, around fifteen years to be exact, but I held vague memories of it being a pretty decent release so this month's The Pit feature release nomination was most welcome.
Wow! "Synergy" jumps straight out of the gates with amazing complexity. It's one SERIOUSLY technical record performed by some incredibly ambitious & undeniably talented musicians. Extol's death metal roots had been completely cast aside by this stage in their evolution with the general consensus being that "Synergy" is a progressive tech thrash record. Look, there are certainly some thrash influences on display (i.e. Coroner, Believer, etc.) with three or four of the songs containing enough of a thrash component to justify the tag but the record is much better suited to a lone progressive metal tag when taken holistically as its scope is far more wide-reaching than the thrash metal genre allows for. The vocals of front man Peter Espevoll are quite raspy & a touch blackened, sitting somewhere between Meshuggah's Jens Kidman & a black metal shriek most of the time which is well suited to the occasional forays into tremolo-picked black metal territory. The links to Christianity are unfortunate but, in truth, they play very little role in the way the album plays out if you don't actively seek out the lyrics. The guitar solos of Christer Espevoll (Azusa/Benea Reach) & Ole Børud (Fleshkiller/Schaliach) are a real highlight & show both of them to be well on top of their chosen craft with a high level of sophistication displayed in the way they construct their leads. I can only imagine it must have taken drummer David Husvik (Azusa) a very long time to learn this material as it's heavily weighted towards unusual time signatures & polyrhythms. He does a splendid job of it though if you ask me.
The tracklisting on "Synergy" is very consistent with no weak songs being included to tarnish the overall impression left by the album. The high level of complexity does make it challenging for any of the numbers to really stand out from the rest as genuine classics but the struggle to balance out technical wizardry with ear-catching hooks is not isolated to Extol. It's been a perennial issue for ultra-progressive bands like this one over the years & if there's one area that Extol probably needed to improve a touch then that's it. Thankfully, we'd see them do a better job at it with 2005's "The Blueprint Dives" album which did contain a couple of true gems. If I had to pick favourites amongst this lot then I'd have to go with opener "Grace for Succession", "26 Miles From Marathon" &, my pick of the bunch, the thrashy "Paradigms". The quality does dip just a touch towards the end of the album with both the folk pop piece "Aperture" & thrashy closer "Nihilism 2002" being more acceptable than they are impressive but it's hard to complain as neither are exactly filler either. You get the feeling that Extol were likely beyond producing filler at this point in their careers given the strong grip that each member has on their chops & musical vision. Peter Espevoll's vocals can sound a touch one-dimensional at times & one gets the feeling that a more interesting clean singer may have been able to take the album to the next level.
I'm pleased to advise that "Synergy" is another high-quality & quite challenging release from an excellent metal band that sits very comfortably just behind "The Blueprint Dives" as an holistic package. It's actually surprised me a bit as I hadn't given it quite as much credit when I first encountered it back in the day. Perhaps it's not the most appropriate selection for a The Pit feature release given that it seems to be more closely affiliated with The Infinite but it's certainly exciting enough to encourage the thrashers out there when it hits on some of its higher tempos.
For fans of Believer, Azusa & Lengsel.
4/5
Sadly the inclusion of "Blood Empress" has reminded me how much the newest Unleash The Archers has bounced off of me. Just not a fan of their new direction, it's a whole lot of nothing to me.
I tend to agree although there are a couple of great tracks included.
Seriously, how much do both Attick Demons & Aria sound like (read: clone) Iron Maiden?! It's particularly evident when there's a Maiden track included within close proximity too. I've always loved Maiden's "Public Enema Number One" too. I reckon it's a bit of an underrated gem in their back catalogue. That Aria song is really solid too & I've been really digging the Rage one lately. Can't say the same about the Heir Apparent track which I didn't enjoy much when I reviewed that album. The Witchfinder General track isn't really my bag either come to think of it.
Edge of Sanity – “Blood of My Enemies” (from “The Spectral Sorrows”, 1993)
Looks like you switched the October & November nominations Xephyr so I’ll just go with this one for November please.