Daniel's Forum Replies
Certainly Sonny. I'd be happy to take anywhere up to forty minutes given that there's only the two of us (i.e. Vinny & I) contributing to The Fallen playlists at present.
This nomination has now been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
Misery - "A Necessary Evil" (1993)
In the early days of my death metal band Neuropath, the five of us thought we were kinda out on our own a lot of the time because the Australian extreme metal scene didn't really have anything like us at the time. Although there were other death metal bands scattered around the country, there didn't seem to be any that were dedicated to focusing on the more pure & overtly brutal end of the death metal spectrum in quite the same way that we were. My discovery of Brisbane five-piece Misery definitely threw a cat amongst the pigeons though as it showed us that it was possible for a local act to produce a full-length album that could compete with the Americans in terms of quality. They may not have fallen into that "brutal death metal" camp that we seemed to be so eagerly embraced by but their sound certainly sat right in the middle of the death metal pool in an unapologetic fashion that I found enormous appeal in. I hadn't heard of Misery prior to picking up their 1993 debut album "A Necessary Evil" on CD from my local record store shortly after release but they very quickly became a regular contributor to Neuropath gatherings. I can still vividly recall my first time seeing Misery play live at a tiny inner city venue actually, the five of us all stumbling out of the back of a bong smoke-filled van with Deicide music blaring. Misery were bloody good that night too & that experience would only work to drive our hunger to create a similar storyline with our own recording career. Since that time, I've always held "A Necessary Evil" in very high regard & have followed Misery across the course of their career, having headed back to their early 90's demo days & explored all of their subsequent albums & singles. I also think it would be fair to say that I experienced a sensation not unlike fanboyism when I discovered that Neuropath would be sharing the pages of the latest edition of "Devoured Death" 'zine with the band too & the pleasure I drew from that unexpected experience has led me to pull out Misery's debut for a long-overdue revisit.
The first thing worth mentioning in any discussion around "A Necessary Evil" is the excellent cover art which was likely the reason I first picked up the CD in the first place. The image & logo are extremely death metal & give the listener a pretty reasonable idea of what they can expect to hear inside. The ten tracks included were a collection of material that had been pulled together over the two-year period since the band's inception in 1991, six of which had appeared on Misery's early demo tapes "Sorting of the Insects" & "Astern Diabolus". In fact, the versions of "Septic Octopus" & "I Endure" (my personal favourite) that appear here were taken directly from the "Astern Diabolis" demo. The production job is thick & chunky & played a major role in highlighting all of the things that were great about Misery at the time. It also allowed them to be compared with the thriving international market because, unlike many Australian releases of the time, "A Necessary Evil" didn't sound inferior or demo-quality in any way. Front man Darren Goulding's vocal delivery was truly monstrous but didn't really sound like anyone else in particular either so, when combined with the weight of Misery's swampy down-tuned death metal riffage & eerie lead guitar melodics, Misery presented the listener sound that already owned its own unique identity.
One of the other strengths of "A Necessary Evil" was its consistency. There's not a dud to be found in this lot with the vast majority of the record sitting very much in the realm of the healthy second tier US death metal pool so it's a little disappointing that Misery never managed to break out of their home country a little more than they did. "Body Farm" (which was a re-recording of an early song from the "Sorting of the Insects" demo) sees things descending just a touch from the rest of the material but it's still an enjoyable inclusion nonetheless. The lack of any genuine death metal classics is probably the biggest reason that I never considered one of my more elite scores for "A Necessary Evil", despite the impact it may have had on me personally. Perhaps a touch more brutality might have seen that turning around as Misery generally steered clear of blast beats, focusing more on creating a graveyard atmosphere at mid-tempo which was a feat that they were no doubt very accomplished at.
I've really enjoyed my step back in time with this album this week. It's brought back some wonderful memories of an incredible time in my life which was full of musical discovery. Is "A Necessary Evil" worthy of its glorified position as an Aussie metal classic? Well, yeah... I think it is. I don't think it ever really reaches similar creative peaks to the Death's or Morbid Angel's of the world but the kudos it's earnt for opening up the local scene to the idea that an Aussie act can compete on an international level can't be denied. This record comes highly recommended from this ol' death metal tragic.
For fans of Innsmouth, Abramelin & Psychrist.
4/5
There's really only the one metal tune on Scorpions' 1980 seventh album "Animal Magnetism" which is the closing title track. The rest is about as hard rock as hard rock gets.
This nomination has been posted in the Hall of judgement:
I've passed the nominations for the "Armamentarium" & "Omnicide: Creation Unleashed" albums uncontested & have raised a Hall of Judgement submission for "Let the Tempest Come".
I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.
I've passed these two nominations uncontested Andi.
I started listening to this playlist while playing with my one year old daughter last night. The Eternal Champion song is a great way to kick off the list. I fucking love the Anthem track. It's one of my most played heavy metal songs this year. I'm very familiar with the Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force & Blind Guardian inclusions & quite like both of them too.
Katatonia - "Jhva Elohim Meth... the Revival" E.P. (1993)
I believe Swedish doom/death duo Katatonia's earliest work was another one that I picked up from Neuropath vocalist Mark Wangmann during the very early stages of the band with me having borrowed Mark's CD copy of "Jhva Elohim Meth... the Revival" & ripping it for my own private listening. This likely would have been towards the back end of 1993 & I hadn't heard of Katatonia before. I recall finding the material to show a fair bit of promise although the performances were a little more primitive than I'd generally accept. I don't think I was aware of the fact that this release was only ever intended to be a demo until a couple of years later but there was definitely enough quality there to see me giving "Jhva Elohim Meth... the Revival" a few listens & returning to it on the odd occasion over the next couple of years too. I'd pick up a dubbed copy of Katatonia's debut album "Dance of December Souls" from the tape trading scene shortly afterwards & would find a similar level of enjoyment there, although it's fair to say that I never fully committed to Katatonia until I picked up their "For Funerals to Come..." E.P. on CD in 1995. Katatonia would go on to much bigger & brighter things after that & have released records that mean a lot to me over the years. It's been decades since I last heard their initial "Jhva Elohim Meth... the Revival" release though so I thought I'd see how it sounds a good half a lifetime later.
"Jhva Elohim Meth... the Revival" offers five tracks across a seventeen-minute run time with the two pieces that bookend the release being high quality folk & ambient intro/outro style numbers. I really enjoy these two tracks & feel that they actually feel a lot more professional than some of the metal tunes included here which has me wondering if they might have been produced from outside of the band but I can't see any evidence of it online so perhaps not. The three metal songs traverse a variety of quality levels & you can easily see Katatonia defining their sound from track to track. By far the most significant piece is the seven minute "Without God" which was re-recorded for the "Dance of December Souls" album shortly afterwards. Here we see guitarist/bassist Anders Nyström's (Bloodbath/Bewitched/Diabolical Masquerade) talent for creating wonderfully engaging guitar melodies & harmonies in full effect even though he was still only seventeen years of age at the time. This element would become Katatonia's calling card in the coming years but it's surprising just how well defined it already was on this early version of "Without God" & I think I actually prefer this more primitive version over the re-recorded one that can be found on the debut full-length. The other two proper songs are less significant with "Palace of Frost" failing to capture me & containing a few fairly cringy moments, particularly the drastically out of key melodic guitar section. "The Northern Silence" fairs much better & is a reasonably enjoyable (yet still pretty inessential) example of the early Katatonia sound. Renkse's drumming isn't the most accomplished you'll ever hear on this record & is arguably the weak point of the release with his timing leaving a little bit to be desired at times. Interestingly, legendary metal producer/musician Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity/Odyssey/Witherscape/Bloodbath/Infestdead/Karaboudjan/Pan.Thy.Monium/Ribspreader) contributes the keyboards & clean vocals on this record & is also responsible for the production job which is more than acceptable for a demo recording.
I don't believe I ever heard Katatonia's earlier rehearsal tapes, the first of which was reported to be a crude black metal affair. You can still easily hear the duo's black metal roots on "Jhva Elohim Meth... the Revival" too though, so much so that I'm tempted to label this E.P.'s sound as blackened doom/death as the black metal component seems to be significant enough to warrant it, particularly on "The Northern Silence". In fact, I'd probably go so far as to suggest that this release sounds like a combination of "Gothic"-period Paradise Lost & Rotting Christ's "Non serviam" sophomore album. The howled vocals of front man Jonas Renkse (later of Bloodbath & October Tide) definitely possess blackened elements while there are a number of genuine tremolo-picked black metal riffs included too. It's the doomier & more melodic parts of the E.P. that are the most engaging part of the release though & I'm not surprised that Katatonia ended up committing to that sound moving forwards.
To be open & transparent, I've never rated the "Dance of December Souls" album as highly as most doom/death fans seem to. I certainly find it to be pretty enjoyable but it's never seemed like anything particularly remarkable to me either & I actually don't see it as a noticeable step up from in quality from "Jhva Elohim Meth... the Revival". In fact, on the evidence of this revisit I'm going to suggest that I might even favour the E.P. just slightly over the debut album which I know will probably surprise a few people but neither record can compete with Katatonia's later material as far as I'm concerned. That's not to say that "Jhva Elohim Meth... the Revival" isn't worth a few listens for fans of the genre though because it certainly is. I'd just suggest keeping a little bit of perspective when going about it.
For fans of "Gothic"-era Paradise Lost, early Anathema & Rotting Christ's "Non serviam" album.
3.5/5
Nice one Ben. I was all over this record in June when I was selecting filler tracks for the July "The Fallen" playlist so I'm pumped to give it a big more attention.
Nice selection Karl. I haven't encountered Commander previously.
August 2024
01. Solitude Aeturnus – “Beyond…” (from “Beyond the Crimson Horizon”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
02. Cathedral – “Frozen Rapture” (from “Soul Sacrifice” E.P., 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
03. Tiamat – “Undressed” (from “Clouds”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
04. Death SS – “Terror” (from “…In Death of Steve Sylvester”, 1988)
05. Sacrilege – “Father Time” (from “Turn Back Trilobite”, 1989)
06. Ash – “Midnight Witch” (from “Midnight Witch” single, 1971)
07. Flower Travellin’ Band – “Satori Part I” (from “Satori”, 1971)
08. Bongzilla – “Cannonbongs (The Ballad of Burnt Reynolds as Lamented by Gentleman Dixie Dave Collins)” (from “Dab City”, 2023)
09. Dystopia – “Sanctity” (from “Human=Garbage” E.P., 1994) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
10. Ten Ton Slug – “Mogore the Unkind” (from “Colossal Oppressor”, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
11. Burning Witch – “Warning Signs” (from “Crippled Lucifer”, 1998) [Submitted by Daniel]
12. The Sins of Thy Beloved – “The Flame Wrath” (from “Perpetual Desolation”, 2000)
13. Shape of Despair – “Angel of Distress” (from “Angel of Distress”, 2001) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
14. My Dying Bride – “Gather Me Up Forever” (from “The Thrash of Naked Limbs” E.P., 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]
15. meth. – “Compulsion” (from “SHAME”, 2024)
16. Triptykon – “Goetia” (from “Eparistera Daimones”, 2010) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
17. diSEMBOWELMENT – “The Tree of Life & Death” (from “Dusk” E.P., 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
August 2024
01. Severe Torture – “Tear All The Flesh Off The Earth” (from “Torn Form The Jaws Of Death”, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
02. Incantation – “Shadows of the Ancient Empire” (from “Diabolical Conquest”, 1998) [Submitted by Karl]
03. Napalm Death – “I Abstain” (from “Utopia Banished”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
04. Mortification – “Scrolls of the Megilloth” (from “Scrolls of the Megilloth”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
05. Séance – “Fornever Laid to Rest” (from “Fornever Laid to Rest”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
06. Sorrow – “Unjustified Reluctance” (from “Hatred & Disgust”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
07. Messiah – “For Those Who Will Fall” (from “Rotten Perish”, 1992) [Submitted by Karl]
08. Amorphis – “The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu” (from “The Karelian Isthmus”, 1992) [Submitted by Karl]
09. Autopsy – “Dead Hole” (from “Fiend For Blood” E.P., 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
10. Death – “God of Thunder” (bonus track from “Human”, 1991) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
11. Morgoth – “Pits of Utumno” (from “The Eternal Fall” E.P., 1990) [Submitted by Karl]
12. Entombed – “Dusk” (from “Stranger Aeons” E.P., 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
13. Grenadier – “Plight of the Naath” (from “Trumpets Blare in Blazing Glory”, 2022) [Submitted by Karl]
14. Grave – “Morbid Way to Die” (from “You’ll Never See”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
15. Solstice – “Netherworld” (from “Solstice”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
16. Decrepit Birth – “Symbiosis” (from “Polarity”, 2010) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
17. Nocturnus – “Mummified” (from “Nocturnus” E.P., 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]
18. Embodyment – “Breed” (from “Embrace the Eternal”, 1998) [Submitted by Daniel]
19. Coffin Mulch – “Into The Blood” (from “Spectral Intercession”, 2023) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
20. Obituary – “Internal Bleeding” (from “Slowly We Rot”, 1989) [Submitted by Karl]
21. Dismember – “Soon to Be Dead” (from “Pieces” E.P., 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
22. Gatecreeper – “Masterpiece of Chaos” (from “Dark Superstition”, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
23. Gravesend – “Streets of Destitution” (from “Gowanus Death Stomp”, 2023) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
24. Kronos – “Infernal Worm Fields” (from “Colossal Titan Strife”, 2003) [Submitted by Karl]
25. Ulcerate – “To Flow Through Ashen Hearts” (from “Cutting the Throat of God”, 2024) [Submitted by Karl]
26. Sanguisugabogg – “Mortal Admonishment” (from “Homicidal Ecstasy”, 2023) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
27. Pathology – “Archon” (from “Unholy Descent”, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
28. Amputated – “Infanticidal Dysmorphia” (from “Dissect, Molest, Ingest”, 2014) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
Nice one gents. I think this will amount to another very strong playlist indeed. The August one is an absolute stormer!
Beherit - "Drawing Down the Moon" (1993)
I've had a very long & stormy relationship with seminal Finnish black metal exponents Beherit's 1993's "Drawing Down The Moon" debut album over the years. It first came to my attention through the tape trading scene of the time (along with Beherit's three demo tapes & "Dawn of Satan's Millennium" E.P.) & I have to admit that I struggled with it initially. In fact, I can vividly recall conversations with Ben where we questioned the value of Beherit in general but recent months have seen me giving a second chance to many releases that I'd previously cast aside, often finding that their value became apparent with a little dedicated attention, & that's certainly been the case with this release which I now see as somewhat of an artistic triumph. Sure, Beherit may have some obvious failings that would have seen me tossing them in the "none of my business" bin with great vigor in my youth but closer attention has shown that the youngsters embraced those failings & have somehow managed to present them as positive characteristics of what is one of the more unique releases of its time.
Beherit's early demos & E.P.'s have gone on to be claimed as having been highly influential on the young war metal scene that had begun to boil away following the release of the Blasphemy records but its inaccurate to say that "Drawing Down The Moon" has much to do with war metal. This is more of an ultra-primitive take on black metal in my opinion with the lo-fi, demo-quality production job & loose performances seemingly having been intentionally embraced in order to contribute to a very deliberate result. There are certainly moments where the band take things too far & end up making a mess of things (see "Down There..." & "Werewolf, Semen & Blood") but when they manage to nail the sound they're going for it can honestly make for some of purest black metal you're likely to find. Many of these moments involve repetition & a more restrained tempo that lures the listener into almost a trance-like state with simple First Wave-inspired riffs working to give the music an authenticity that I find hard to resist as an old-school extreme metal fan.
The production job is obviously an obstacle for many metalheads but I find it to be kinda endearing these days to be honest. Nuclear Holocausto Vengeance's guitars are clearly too low in the mix but this failing is made up for by Black Jesus' huge bass sound that might as well be a heavily down-tuned guitar & when the two combine for a doomy Celtic Frost-influenced riff I find myself struggling not to jump on the train. I can easily see the influence that Beherit have had on countryment Archgoat in that respect actually. Nuclear Holocausto Vengeance's whispery vocal delivery is also a major talking point for some punters & there's no doubt that they're too high in the mix but I don't agree that they sound childish or immature. To my ears, they sound positively evil most of the time & are one of the highlights of the album. There's an unbridled insanity to them that really gets to me & it suits the primitive instrumentation really well. Are the performances loose? Sure, but it's not as extreme as it's made out to be. I mean, these guys were almost virtuosos compared to early Sodom & no one seems to mind with records like "In the Sign of Evil", do they?
At the end of the day, a record like "Drawing Down The Moon" will always be divisive but I get the impression that it was always intended to be. It was made for a limited demographic of hardcore extreme metal fans that are obsessed with the more underground side of the scene & I'm pleased to see that I can still play in that space after all these years. The ritualistic aspect of the album offers me genuine appeal too with the ambient interludes (like the wonderful "Nuclear Girl" which I utterly adore) playing a major role in the overall package & the artistic component being more important than any level of precision or structure. The brilliant closer "Lord of Shadows & Goldenwood" is a clear example of this & sits amongst my very favourite metal tracks of the period with its trio of different atmospheres combining to create a transcendent ending to a record that can be described as much more of an "experience" than your average black metal release. Love it or hate it, every fan of underground black metal owes it to themselves to at least have an awareness of "Drawing Down The Moon".
For fans of Archgoat, Von & Mystifier.
4/5
Sure Vinny. Adjusted list below:
THE FALLEN: Daniel, Ben
THE GATEWAY: Saxy, Andi
THE GUARDIANS: Xephyr, Karl
THE HORDE: Karl, Vinny, Ben, Daniel
THE INFINITE: Andi, Xephyr, Saxy
THE NORTH: Ben, Karl, Xephyr, Daniel
THE PIT: Vinny, Ben, Daniel
THE REVOLUTION: Daniel, Andi
THE SPHERE: Andi, Daniel
Here are the feature releases nomination owners for September:
THE FALLEN: Daniel, Ben
THE GATEWAY: Saxy, Andi
THE GUARDIANS: Xephyr, Karl
THE HORDE: Karl, Ben, Daniel
THE INFINITE: Andi, Xephyr, Saxy
THE NORTH: Ben, Karl, Xephyr, Daniel
THE PIT: Ben, Daniel
THE REVOLUTION: Daniel, Andi
THE SPHERE: Andi, Daniel
I've removed irunak James-Lee as he didn't get his initial August nomination in & seems to have disappeared.
PainKiller – “Buried Secrets” (from “Buried Secrets”, 1992)
Embodyment – “Swine” (from “Embrace The Eternal”, 1998)
Anthrax – “C₁₁ H₁₇ N₂ O₂ S Na” (from “Sound of White Noise”, 1993)
Cavalera – “Inquisition Symphony” (from “Schizophrenia”, 2024)
Tourniquet – “Dysfunctional Domicile” (from “Psycho Surgery”, 1991)
Blut aus Nord – “Elevation” (from “Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With The Stars”, 2009)
Aetheria Conscientia – “The Blossoming” (from “The Blossoming”, 2024)
Absu – “Infinite & Profane Thrones” (from “Barathrum: V.I.T.R.I.O.L.”, 1993)
Impaled Nazarene – “I Al Purg Vompo: My Blessing (The Beginning Of The End)” (from “Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz…”, 1993)
Havohej – “Fucking of Sacred Assholes” (from “Dethrone the Son of God”, 1993)
Given that irunak James-Lee has disappeared, the limit will move back to forty minutes each.
Obituary – “Rotting Ways” (from “The End Complete”, 1992)
Amorphis – “The Pilgrimage” (from “The Karelian Isthmus”, 1992)
Gorefest – “State of Mind” (from “False”, 1992)
Sinister – “Compulsory Resignation” (from “Cross The Styx”, 1992)
Infester – “Darkness Unveiled” (from “Darkness Unveiled” demo, 1992)
Unholy Redeemer – “Halo of Flies” (from “A Fever To Dethrone All Kings” demo, 2023)
Civerous – “Maze Envy” (from “Maze Envy”, 2024)
Carcass – “Tools of the Trade” (from “Tools of the Trade” E.P., 1992)
Annihilator - "Bats in the Belfry" (from "Set The World On Fire", 1993)
Mr. Bungle - "Squeeze Me Macaroni" (from "Mr. Bungle", 1991)
Tourniquet – “Officium Defunctorum” (from “Psycho Surgery”, 1991)
Edge of Sanity – “When All Is Said” (from “Unorthodox”, 1992)
Katatonia – “Without God” (from “Jvha Elohim Meth… The Revival” E.P., 1993)
Vinny, feel free to nominate up to 60 minutes this month as irunak James-Lee appears to have gone missing in action.
Havohej - "Dethrone the Son of God" (1993)
When I recently took a detailed look at the 1993 releases I needed to fill historical rating gaps for, the debut album from New York black metallers Havohej was definitely one of the less appealing records to appear in the list. It was the release that first made me aware of the US solo act shortly after it was released but I could vaguely recall finding it to be a pretty flat experience at the time & I honestly haven't felt the need to revisit it since, despite having investigated a few of Havohej's subsequent releases over the years. "Dethrone the Son of God" seems to have developed somewhat of a cult following over the years though so I thought it was worth taking another look at it, if only to satisfy my obsessive urge for completism.
Havohej (or "Jehovah" backwards) is the solo project of Profanatica front man & drummer Paul Ledney (also formerly of US death metal legends Incantation) who handles all of the instruments on this release with the help of Profanatica guitarist John Gelso. The cover artwork is the first obstacle that you'll need to overcome as it challenges for the worst in black metal history. The music contained within is certainly better than the artwork would have you believe but is still nothing to write home about. It's a very short album with its fifteen tracks racing past in just 28 minutes. There's a strong death metal influence evident with some songs containing what are essentially death metal riffs but Ledney's blackened snarl invariably sees me wanting to tie the record to black metal nonetheless. The level of musicianship isn't fantastic but then I don't think that's the point of a release like this one which seems to be targeted more at your kvlt black metal elitist demographic than anyone else. In fact, the beginning & end of some of the tracks leave the impression of a tape recorder having been triggered to start recording a track in mid performance, not unlike some of Darkthrone's recording techniques at the time.
"Dethrone the Son of God" kicks off in reasonable fashion with the first few tracks all being more than acceptable but the quality levels start to become pretty inconsistent from that point on. I wouldn't say that any of the metal numbers are terrible but there are four or five that sound pretty flat & do very little for me. I enjoy the sections of the album that see Havohej slowing things down a bit to create an eerie atmosphere that's similar to Mayhem's more down-tempo passages like the legendary climax of "Freezing Moon". The big elephant in the room is the closing title track though which sees Ledney screaming a succession of immature blasphemic obscenities in acapella, a task that leaves him sounding incredibly naive & silly, even for a still very young US black metal scene. It kinda sums up Havohej's debut really as there's not an ounce of sophistication about it. It's all very obvious & purely surface level which leaves the listener with the option to simply take it or leave it. Personally, I think I'm gonna have to go with the latter but can appreciate the dark atmosphere of the stronger material (see "Raping of Angels Part II" & album highlight "Fucking of Sacred Assholes" which literally only uses a single note but manages to draw me in through some well placed rhythmic variations).
For fans of Profanatica, Demoncy & Bestial Summoning.
3/5
Resurrection - "Embalmed Existence" (1993)
I picked up the 1993 debut album from Florida death metallers Resurrection very early in my tape trading days & it made a pretty big impact on me too, triggering many return visits over the years & a general fondness that's seen me often wondering why these guys didn't amount to more than they did. "Embalmed Existence" is a rip-roaring extreme metal record of high-quality with Resurrection presenting a very professional & appealing sound that's benefitted from a trademark Scott Burns production job at the legendary Morrisound Studios as well as a typically dark & eerie Dan Seagrave album cover. So, why didn't it manage to achieve a stronger level of notoriety than it did? Well, I think some of that comes down to the inclusion of many spoken-word interludes that I personally find to add something to the album but many people simply find to be annoying. I can't understand it to be honest. I think they give "Embalmed Existence" its own unique character.
While Resurrection may not be the most brutal of US death metal bands, there's a cohesion to their attack that easily makes up for the lack of blast-beats. I particularly enjoy the contribution of drummer Alex Marquez (Solstice/Cephalic Carnage/Demolition Hammer/Malevolent Creation) who ties the instrumentation together with great precision, giving some of the simpler sections a little more meat than they might otherwise have had. Resurrection's weakness is definitely in the vocal department though with front man Paul Degoyler's whispery death growls lacking a bit of depth. While revisiting the album this week I got the distinct feeling that Degoyler was one of the guitarists because it seemed like all of his vocal parts were strategically positioned over some pretty simple riff structures, giving me the impression that he wasn't the most skilled of multi-taskers. I was surprised to discover later on that Paul is a dedicated grunter as it seemed so obvious to me but I guess I shouldn't make assumptions.
"Embalmed Existence" kicks off in stellar fashion with opener "Disembodied" being a classic example of the Florida death metal sound. My personal favourite "Pure Be Damned" comes a lot later in the piece & sees Resurrection playing in spaces that only the very top tier of the genre have any right to be. The remainder of the tracklisting is generally very solid with only the seriously misguided cover version of KISS' "War Machine" that ends the record being a throwaway. Resurrection tend to take two very clearly defined directions here. On the one hand you have the more brutal influence of Malevolent Creation which is probably where I see most of the stronger moments residing & on the other you have the more crushing & slower tempo power chords riffs of Obituary. Perhaps those influences are a little too blatant at times but I'm a big fan of both bands & there are enough unique elements to Resurrection's sound to give them their own identity regardless, particularly those interesting interludes which never overstay their welcome.
This revisit has once again proven to me that Resurrection were very unlucky not to receive a lot more attention than they did. Perhaps the slightly weaker vocal contribution is the main reason for that? it's hard to say but they were a more than capable band with a classy sound that fits right inside my wheelhouse & was probably a bit of an influence of the early Neuropath material too given how much time I spent with "Embalmed Existence". I think most of our The Horde members should find a fair bit to like here.
For fans of Malevolent Creation, Obituary & Morta Skuld.
4/5
Here's my updated Top Ten War Metal Releases of All Time list after deciding that Impaled Nazarene's debut album was worthy of a dual tag with conventional black metal which sees Revenge's "Behold.Total.Rejection" album dropping out:
01. Infernal Coil - "Within a World Forgotten" (2018)
02. Teitanblood - "The Baneful Choir" (2019)
03. Teitanblood - "Death" (2014)
04. Impaled Nazarene - "Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz..." (1993)
05. Damaar - "Triumph Through Spears of Sacrilege" (2007)
06. Archgoat - "Whore of Bethlehem" (2006)
07. Bestial Warlust - "Blood & Valour" (1995)
08. Conqueror - "War Cult Supremacy" (1999)
09. Blasphemy - "Blood Upon The Altar" demo (1989)
10. Archgoat - "The Light-Devouring Darkness" (2009)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/216
That would be because Ben has the release date pegged at 30th July 1984.
Ben, any particular reason for that?
As much as I hate to break the current 666 post count on this thread, I've been dying to tell you about our next release to qualify as a genuine metal record in the 1980 "Invasion" debut album from Kansas trio Manilla Road. It sees the band taking a very different route to the epic heavy metal they'd make their calling card through the middle of the decade with heavy psych playing just as strong a role as heavy metal does here but the album has still managed to achieve a healthy 48% metal ratio which is easily enough to see it justifying its position in our list.
Here's a link to the list as it stands now:
Edge of Sanity - "Unorthodox" (1992)
I found myself in an interesting position after revisiting the 1991 "Nothing But Death Remains" debut album from Swedish death metallers Edge of Sanity last week. It probably shouldn't have been all that much of a surprise given my well-documented struggles with the more melodic end of the extreme metal spectrum but I discovered that I slightly preferred Edge of Sanity's rawer & more traditional first-up death metal effort over their more highly celebrated classics like 1994's "Purgatory Afterglow" & 1996's "Crimson", a position that puts me largely out on my own from what I've seen over the years. This left me wondering whether perhaps some of the albums in between might challenge for top honours though as I'd certainly been across all of the Edge of Sanity back catalogue during my tape trading days & remember those releases quite fondly too. One of my old tape traders (who also happened to be the bassist in Aussie doom/death band Elysium who I spent some time with) held the Swedes up as his very favourite band so I was always kept abreast of where Edge of Sanity were at, sometimes to the extent of force-feeding me if I'm being honest. Perhaps this has something to do with me not having returned to 1992's generally well received "Unorthodox" sophomore album since the late 1990's but it's time to fill the glaring gap in my ratings for what has gone on to become one of the more important bands in the whole Swedish death metal phenomenon.
Rightly or wrongly, "Nothing But Death Remains" hadn't exactly set the world on fire from a critical or commercial point of view but Edge of Sanity didn't lose hope, returning to the same studio they'd become comfortable with during the recording of their debut full-length (i.e. Montezuma Recordings in Stockholm) to knock out their second full-length effort. This time though, it seems that the band &/or executive producer Börje Forsberg (the father of black metal legend Quorthon) decided that Edge of Sanity would be best served by giving in to the lure of the popular BOSS HM-2 Heavy Metal pedal worshipping sound that bands like Entombed & Dismember had made Sweden's calling card over the previous couple of years. Personally, I can't say that I've ever favoured that sound over the one popularized by the Americans but I can't deny that it works for Edge of Sanity here, giving them a brighter & more vibrant sound that better highlights the slightly more melodic & expansive arrangements we find on "Unorthodox".
Once again, I feel that Dan Swanö's powerful death growls are probably the best thing about this record as he regularly reminds me of Morbid Angel's Dave Vincent with his tone losing none of its menace despite maintaining clear intelligibility. Where "Nothing But Death Remains" generally traversed some fairly commonly taken creative routes though, "Unorthodox" sees Edge of Sanity starting to take a few risks by expanding their repertoire & even hinting at the progressive edge of the two "Crimson" releases. Does it all work? Well, yeah it does but, by the same account, it rarely finds me reaching for superlatives. There's no doubt that "Unorthodox" is a slightly more consistent record than the debut was with none of the ambitious fourteen tracks failing to offer some level of appeal but I can't say that too many of them really get my blood pumping either. It's only really the one-off attempt at doom/death in excellent closer "When All Is Said" that sees me placing Edge of Sanity into that second tier space with the rest of the album simply coming across as a decent example of the signature Swedish death metal sound more than anything else. The generous 57-minute run time was perhaps a little ambitious for a conventional death metal release too & I think Edge of Sanity might have needed to have taken the progressive component further still if they were to maintain my full attention for that sort of period.
Despite its musical direction moving a little further away from my wheelhouse than that of "Nothing But Death Remains", I'd still suggest that "Unorthodox" has a slight advantage over its elder sibling as its class & consistency see me placing just above the debut in the band's overall pecking order. As scandalous as this might sound, this also sees it sitting above Edge of Sanity's more highly regarded mid-90's albums too which likely has more to do with my struggles with the melodic death metal subgenre than it is anything to do with the quality contained on each release. This does beg the question as to where the Swede's 1993 third album "The Spectral Sorrows" sits in the grand scheme of things & I intend to answer that question in the coming weeks. Until then though, I can't see "Unorthodox" disappointing too many fans of the classic Swedish death metal sound but I'd be surprised to see it topping too many charts all the same.
For fans of Dismember, Entombed & Bloodbath.
3.5/5
I don't care what people say, Def Leppard have no right to a place in metal circles in my opinion. I really enjoy some of their albums of course but the fact is that they've never produced a record that contained enough metal to qualify in my opinion so it leaves me bemused that they're generally thought to be one of the main players in the NWOBHM. There are a few tracks that crossover into metal territory included on their debut album "On Through The Night" but not nearly enough for a primary tag.
Tourniquet - "Psycho Surgery" (1991)
Unlike Believer's 1990 "Sanity Obscure" album which I reviewed a couple of days ago, I definitely know that I first discovered Los Angeles thrash metallers Tourniquet through a copy of their 1991 sophomore album "Psycho Surgery" which Ben had borrowed from one of his Christian mates who was trying to prove to him that Christians could be metal too. I think it's fair to say that I was skeptical about the whole concept initially but, by the time I'd gotten through my first spin of this high-quality thrash metal record, I had to admit to myself that I'd been converted (to Tourniquet, not to religious fairy tales). I don't think I told Ben at the time because, you know... I was a dark & evil death metal master & all... but the experience saw me secretly seeking out Tourniquet's equally impressive debut album "Stop The Bleeding" & following them on to their third record "Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance" which wasn't too bad either. I've even gone so far as to investigate a couple of their releases from the 21st Century since my return to metal in 2009 & this all stems from the impression left that day in Ben's bedroom all those years ago. I've actually returned to Tourniquet's first two albums quite often over the years but have never given any of Tourniquet's releases the dedicated attention required to justify a Metal Academy review until now & I've been interested to see how "Psycho Surgery" would stack up in the modern day.
It's always baffled me that Tourniquet didn't manage to break out of the underground a little more as they were clearly a very talented bunch of dudes & you can easily hear that on "Psycho Surgery". I can only guess that it's the religious aspect that's turned people off a bit & I can understand that as the lyrics do get a bit preachy at times. Thankfully I'm able to switch that element off because I've never been one to place too much emphasis on lyrical themes. The musicianship is the real highlight here though with the lead guitar work of Gary Lenaire being the standout performance. This dude has some major chops & knows just how to use them too. In fact, he could stand toe to toe with some of the elite performers of his craft if I'm being honest & never fails to impress me. The vocals of Guy Ritter are pretty cool too as he has quite a versatile range of tones & deliveries, sometimes sounding a fair bit like Overkill's Bobby Ellsworth & then running very close to Dave Mustaine territory during some of the spoken word-ish sections. The production job can sound a little wishy washy during some parts of the album but the instrumentation maintains a level of class throughout & never sits still for too long with Tourniquet showing off a wide array of influences.
"Psycho Surgery" kicks off in classic thrash metal form with a couple of mosh pit friendly numbers but things get a little more interesting when progressive metal outing "Viento Borrascoso (Devastating Wind)" enters the fold. It's a sound that Tourniquet do very well & would explore further on records like "Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm" & "Antiseptic Bloodbath" later in their career. "Broken Chromosomes" also explores that more progressive direction & does a reasonable job at it too. Rap metal experiment "Spineless" is probably the track that stands out the most in the tracklisting & not in a good way either but monster doom metal closer "Officium Defunctorum" more than makes up for that creative failure & challenges the wonderfully catchy thrash metal anthem "Dysfunctional Domicile" for my favourite song on the album. The forty minute run time is well suited to Tourniquet's sound & I think the plethora of different sounds keeps things really interesting with even "Spineless" conatining a couple of great riffs.
Don't let the whole Christian thing turn you off because Tourniquet are worthy of any diehard thrasher's attention in my opinion & if you do happen to be a Christian then "Psycho Surgery" should be considered to be essential listening. I'm not across their entire back catalogue but "Psycho Surgery" is one of the better releases from the five that I've heard with all of them being at least worth a few listens. It's been a while since I heard it now but I think the debut "Stop the Bleeding" might just slightly pip "Psycho Surgery" for my favourite Tourniquet release overall but there's very little between their first three & I'm yet to experience a Tourniquet release that was likely to disappoint.
For fans of Deliverance, Believer & Megadeth.
4/5
Edge of Sanity - "Nothing But Death Remains" (1991)
Swedish melodic death metal establishment Edge of Sanity first came to my attention through metal radio programming back in the very early 1990's off the back of their 1991 debut album "Nothing But Death Remains" which is a very different prospect to the one that saw them completely blowing up off the back of their 1996 fifth album "Crimson". You see, Edge of Sanity began life in much the same way as many of their Swedish peers i.e. as a far more conventional death metal band that took its earliest steps over ground that was already well trodden. Not being much of melodeath fan myself, I have to admit that this idea holds a stronger appeal for me than it may to many others so this week's revisit of "Nothing But Death Remains" has only proven something that I already strongly suspected. Yep, I actually prefer Edge of Sanity's rawer early works over their widely celebrated mid-1990's material.
While "Nothing But Death Remains" may have a fairly tinny production job by today's standards, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary for a young band at the time & there was already a class to Edge of Sanity's compositions that defied this record's status as an early 90's debut. The boys hadn't adopted the signature BOSS HM-2 pedal driven Entombed/Dismember wall of sound as yet but they certainly sounded like they had already spent a bit of time paying their dues as the musicianship is all solid & the song-writing offers enough variation to keep me interested. The tracklisting is quite consistent with only the disappointing second track "Human Aberration" failing to meet an acceptable standard. I really enjoy the use of guitar harmonies but the Dave Vincent-ish vocals of band leader Dan Swanö are probably the highlight of the record for me personally. There's a graveyard atmosphere that Edge of Sanity rarely achieved again here &, despite the fact that "Nothing But Death Remains" is hardly essential listening for the average death metal listener, it's far from the misfire that many fans of the Swede's later material would have you believe it is.
For fans of Bloodbath, Uncanny & early Hypocrisy.
3.5/5
I just watched my 3000th movie. I'll post a review here tomorrow out of excitement.
That reminds me, I submitted my 1,000th Metal Academy review a week ago. That seems almost impossible on paper but apparently I’ve managed to accomplish it somehow. I wonder how many of them were actually helpful or have even been read?
Believer - "Sanity Obscure" (1990)
There's a bit of a gap in my ability to remember how I first came across Pennsylvania technical thrash metallers Believer. I've always been of the belief that they were brought to my attention by my brother Ben after he borrowed a copy of Believer's 1990 sophomore album "Sanity Obscure" from one of his Christian mates but Ben has recently denied having any exposure to the band so I suspect that I might have picked up a dubbed copy from one of the kids in the year above me at school. Regardless of how it came about though, I remember being pleasantly surprised by what I heard as the idea of a Christian extreme metal band seemed like somewhat of a contradiction but Believer appeared to be a seriously capable outfit. The experience would see me going back & checking out Believer's 1989 debut album "Extraction From Mortality" & following them with interest in the future although I think that appeal tailed off a bit after their 2009 comeback album "Gabriel" failed to connect with me & I haven't as yet given their 2011 follow-up an airing. There's little doubt that "Sanity Obscure" was some of the band's best material though so please join me as I revisit it for the first time since the 1990's.
The first thing you'll notice about "Sanity Obscure" is the savage, metal-as-fuck production job which really appeals to me. I simply adore the ultra-distorted guitar tone which gives the riffs additional incisiveness & weight. It reminds me very much of Exodus & Exhorder, both whose guitar tones play a major role in their appeal for me personally. The song-writing on the early part of the album is super-complex though too, making Believer a band that's genuinely deserving of the tech thrash tag. That complexity does tail off a little as the album progresses though so I feel that a dual tag with conventional thrash metal is probably more accurate on this occasion. The vocals & instrumentation both showcase a clear Coroner influence which can't be a bad thing but the album is noticeably top-heavy so the quality level starts to become very inconsistent across the back end of the record. "Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)" sees Believer incorporating orchestral instrumentation & classical female vocals in what can only be described as a highly ambitious attempt at symphonic thrash metal. It doesn't work in my opinion which is a real shame after such a strong A side that included a genuine progressive/technical thrash classic in the brilliant "Nonpoint". Things get worse though with closing number "Like A Song" being a terribly misguided attempt at a heavy metal/US power metal anthem that sees guitarist & front man Kurt Bachman making a real meal of some more emotive vocals. These two creative failures leave an unfortunate stain on what is otherwise a very high-quality tech thrash effort.
Look, there's still a lot to like about "Sanity Obscure" & I can definitely see why I found it so appealing in the first place. It's just that it makes for a far better source for playlist inclusions than a full album as there's such a drastic disparity in quality between those two duds & the remainder of the album which is all very solid indeed. Unfortunately, "Sanity Obscure" isn't even available on Spotify so I don't even have the option to include the better songs in our playlists available to me. Sadly, I feel like this was a missed opportunity for Believer as all of the components were here to create a timeless record but they've somehow managed to let their own ambitions get the better of them. Still... anyone who harbors any doubts about the validity of the Christian metal band need only listen to a large chunk of this record & I can assure you that you'll have your position swiftly turned around. Sure... there are some preachy lyrics on offer here but I find that I can easily ignore them & get with listening to a particularly classy & technically accomplished group of young thrashers.
For fans of Coroner, Extol & Seventh Angel.
3.5/5
Hypocrisy - "Osculum Obscenum" (1993)
I first became exposed to Swedish death metallers Hypocrisy through their 1992 debut album "Penetralia" after noticing a cassette copy floating around Neuropath front man Mark Wangmann's house in early 1993 & I have to admit that I quite enjoyed it too although I wouldn't suggest that it's essential listening by any means. My recent revisit to that particular record has proven that I probably gave it a little more attention than it deserved at the time though because I seemed to recall most of the song-writing pretty vividly. I'd subsequently pick up a dubbed copy of Hypocrisy's sophomore album "Osculum Obscenum" through one of my metal connections shortly afterwards & found it to offer a very similar level of reward although I can't say that I can recall this material anywhere near as much as "Penetralia" which is an indicator that I moved on from it fairly quickly. This is perhaps not all that surprising when you consider that "Osculum Obscenum" is basically more of the same brand of meat-&-potatoes death metal that Hypocrisy had dished up on their earlier effort with the limited technical skills that tainted my view of "Penetralia" still being on full display here. The riff construction is pretty standard for a third tier death metal player while the drumming & lead guitar work showcase a level of naivety that the band was still yet to overcome. I find the poorly executed blast beats to be a bit of a distraction as poor old Lars Szöke simply can't keep them in time for more than a couple of bars so they end up resembling a train crash by the end of those sections due to his lack of endurance. There's no doubt that Hypocrisy knew a good hook when they heard one though so there's still plenty to enjoy here.
Although "Osculum Obscenum" is of a pretty similar standard to "Penetralia", I do tend to favour the debut just slightly over it. "Penetralia" definitely contained a couple more highlight tracks than "Osculum Obscenum" but it also fell flat a little more regularly so there's a bit of give & take there. At the end of the day though, the fact that I can recall the songs from "Penetralia" more vividly than those from their follow-up is the telling factor in me placing "Osculum Obscenum" slightly behind "Penetralia" in respect to the overall Hypocrisy back catalogue. The band would go on to produce better records than both of these crude early works but I'd suggest that both are still worth a few spins for the any self-respecting Swedish death metal devotee.
For fans of Bloodbath, Dismember & early Edge of Sanity.
3.5/5
That depends if you’d rather take the opinions of four randoms from a website that has repeatedly proven its inadequacies in this department over your own brother’s informed position which generally reflects your own & comes from almost four decades of experience, doesn’t it? It also depends on whether you care for Xmas presents or not.
Ben, please add Vatreni poljubac's 1980 third album "To je ono pravo" under the Heavy Metal (Conventional) subgenre.
The 1980 third album "To je ono pravo" from Bosnia-Herzegovina hard rock outfit Vatreni Poljubac contains about 43% metal tracks so qualifies for inclusion in our list behind their sophomore record "Recept za Rock 'n' Roll".
The same cannot be said of the 1980 "Greatest Hits Vol. 1" debut album from London Oi! group Cockney Rejects which is pure punk other than one short heavy metal number.
Skeleton of God - "Urine Garden" E.P. (1993)
Colorado four-piece Skeleton of God are another band that I sought out back in my tape trading days in my quest for ever more extreme forms of metal with their debut E.P. "Urine Garden" receiving quite a few plays back in the day. The Skeleton of God sound could be described as a quite technical, avant-garde & progressive take on the brutal death metal model although these guys were clearly still finding their sound so some tracks are definitely more unusual than others. You can't deny the ambition from such a young group of dudes but I do have to admit that I prefer the conventional material like highlight track "10 Second Infinity" over the more intentionally weird inclusions (see the opening title track for example). The way Skeleton of God construct their riffs is quite unique though & this attribute gives the band their edge, along with the gutteral vocals of guitarist Jeff Kahn which are very effective. It's a real shame that the production job isn't adequate for this type of release though as I feel it may have picked up more of an underground reputation with a cleaner & more powerful sound.
For fans of Human Remains, Wicked Innocence & Embrionic Death.
3.5/5
I checked out the 1980 "Glorious Road" fifth album from Japan's Bow Wow yesterday. There's definitely a bit of heavy metal there but not enough for a primary tag. It's more of a hard rock/power pop record in my opinion.
Impaled Nazarene - "Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz..." (1993)
The early Finnish black metal scene was a particularly dark place to be back in the early 1990's. For one reason or another they had a habit of producing some of the most raw & evil examples of the black metal type known to man at the time with artists like Beherit, Archgoat, Belial, The Lord Diabolus & Black Crucifixion all pushing a darker & more blasphemous sound than that of their neighbours. Impaled Nazarene fit into that environment very comfortably & arguably could only have come about because of the activity around them. I first picked up a copy of their debut album "Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz..." in a tiny record store called Rock 'n' Roll Warehouse which was located in the famous George Street Cinema complex in the Sydney CBD very shortly after it was released. I had a close relationship with the guy that worked behind the counter & he generally kept me abreast of releases that would fit my taste profile. On this occasion he implored me to purchase Impaled Nazarene's debut album, saying that it was one of the most savage example of the black metal sound he'd yet had the pleasure of hearing. I eagerly complied with his request & ran home to find that he wasn't wrong. It was hard to take the Fins seriously though as it seemed on the surface that much of their image was tongue-in-cheek & that element always saw me struggling to fully commit, despite seeing a lot of positives in the Impaled Nazarene sound. It wouldn't stop me from purchasing their next two full-lengths on release though & I've continued to keep abreast of each subsequent record over the years, if only to see my curiosity being kept in check.
The week saw me giving "Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz..." a few spins for the first time in years & finding that I could still recall almost the entire run time which is a strong sign that I gave it thrashing back in the day. Looking back now, I find it hard to understand why Impaled Nazarene weren't dragged in under the war metal banner that so many of their countrymen were because there's as much war metal on offer as their is genuine black metal in my opinion. You've got the gratuitous Satanic references, the grindcore influence, the death metal production... Hell, you've even got a three minute orgy of demonic bestiality & if that's not a war metal trait then I don't know what is. If you put aside the blatant attempts to stir up attention through obviously antagonistic lyrical content & imagery though, there's actually a lot to like about the band's sound. While it may be very basic, it's also super-tight with the performances all being spot on. I particularly enjoy the solid drumming of Kimmo Luttinen as they offer an impressive amount of power & control while the vocals of his brother Mika are viciously confronting.
"Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz..." kicks off in very strong form but unfortunately the B side sees the quality levels dropping a touch.That flaw wasn't enough to see me dropping my rating below an impressive four star rating though & I feel that the Impaled Nazarene sound is probably a little better suited to my current taste profile than it was the one I was still building as a seventeen year old when I first encountered it. This has left me wondering whether I might see some of their other early releases like "Ugra-Karma" achieving similar scores so a revisit is certainly on the cards there. If you're able to accept a black metal release that doesn't take itself overly seriously yet still manages to conjure up a bestial blasphemy of blasting blackened war metal then you may want to give "Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz..." a few spins. Just don't expect to find anything terribly deep as the Impaled Nazarene model is similar to the classic punk rock aesthetic they're influenced by i.e. it's simple, in-your-face & a little immature & snotty.
For fans of Sadistik Exekution, Impiety & Belial.
4/5
Testament - "Return to the Apocalyptic City" E.P. (1993)
Ben & I had been pretty big fans of Californian thrash metallers Testament for a good four years by the time this six-track live release hit the streets in 1993. I'd enjoyed all of their records up until that time but the last couple had seen the impressive quality levels of the first three Testament albums dipping a touch so I wouldn't say that I was busting to get my hands on their next record but I still found myself parting ways with my hard-earned cash for this little live release as soon as I noticed it's ball-tearing cover artwork sitting on the record store shelf. "Return to the Apocalyptic City" offers four live tracks which were recorded at a recent show at the Los Angeles Palladium as well as a studio cut from the sessions for 1988's "The New Order" album & a shortened version of "Return To Serenity" from Testament's latest record "The Ritual". All of this material is entertaining, particularly the live versions of "Over the Wall", "So Many Lies" & "Disciples of the Watch". My favourite inclusion is the studio cut "Reign of Terror" though which is the fastest & thrashiest number on offer & had been popping up in Testament live sets since way back in 1984 when they were still known as Legacy. The performances are all strong, particularly the guitar solos of Glen Alvelais & Alex Skolnick which are a real highlight. The production is also much better than the awful sound quality Testament had to contend with on their only previous live release in 1987's "Live at Eindhoven" E.P. which gives "Return to the Apocalyptic City" a clear edge over that record in my opinion. This one should definitely interest most Bay Area thrash fans, even if its format makes it fairly inessential in the grand scheme of things.
For fans of Metallica, Exodus & Megadeth.
4/5
Mortem - "Amputator" (1993)
I picked up the 1993 "Amputator" debut album from Russian death metal outfit Mortem through the mid-90's tape trading scene &, looking back now, probably gave it a little more attention than it warranted at the time, mainly because I was thoroughly obsessed with the early brutal death metal sound & had a tendency to lap up anything that fell into that space. The first few albums from US death metal legends Cannibal Corpse were a pretty major influence on the early work of my own death metal band Neuropath & it's very obvious that they were on Mortem too as "Amputator" is nothing short of complete plagiarism in many regards. The production job is pretty awful but the song-writing is extremely consistent which allows the music to overcome that flaw, at least for those of us that were used to listening to ultra-raw demos at the time. The musicianship is pretty good with all of the arrangements being reasonably accomplished for such a young band but it's the ultra-deep death growls that are the highlight of this super-underground record that's largely been lost in time. The shredding guitar solos are also one of the better elements & I'd suggest showcase a bit of a Deicide influence too. I've enjoyed this revisit but I can't say that "Amputator" should be essential listening. I'd also suggest that the brutal death metal tags are a little ambitious as this sounds more like conventional death metal to my ears, at least by today's standards.
For fans of Cannibal Corpse, Mortal Decay & Disastrous Murmur.
3.5/5
Blood Duster - "Fisting the Dead" E.P. (1993)
The debut release from a legendary Melbourne band that I saw play live many times back in the 1990's. It includes 25 tracks across 19 minutes, eight of them being hilarious intros that have been borrowed from D grade horror films like "Bad Taste". This music is not meant to be taken too seriously but boy is it entertaining. Early Blood Duster offered a well-constructed & produced sound that took the blast-beat driven goregrind of early Carcass & combined it with the groovy death 'n' roll riffs of post-1991 Pungent Stench. The use of double-kick in the blast-beats leaves a little bit to be desired by today's standards but we didn't notice it all that much back in the day. The song-titles & lyrics are as over the top as you'd expect from a goregrind act with ditties like "Vulgar Taste (Of A Rotten Cunt)", "Knee Deep in Menstrual Blood (The Bleeding Bitch Returns)" & "Blood Fart" being some of the better ones. Throw this one on a drunken party with your mates & press the "repeat" button cause it's all over in a flash.
For fans of Macabre, Pungent Stench & early Carcass.
3.5/5
Absu - "Barathrum: V.I.T.R.I.O.L." (1993)
I've always quite enjoyed the down-tuned early Immolation death metal meets Darkthrone black metal feel of this album. It's got a dark & evil atmosphere & the production really reminds me of my tape-trading days in the late 80s/early 90s. Proscriptor's drumming is probably the highlight for me. I'm not too keen on the female vocal stuff & the keyboards are very primitive but I dig the raw brutality of this record. It may be my favourite Absu release actually.
3.5/5