Scumfeast Zine Blog

BLACK SABBATH - Heaven and Hell LP review

2009-04-11T21:34:00.001-07:00

BLACK SABBATH - Heaven and Hell LP
label: Warner Brothers Records
released: 1980
track listing:
1. Neon Knights
2. Children of the Sea
3. Lady Evil
4. Heaven and Hell
5. Wishing Well
6. Die Young
7. Walk Away
8. Lonely Is the Word

COMMENTS:

"Sing me a song, you're a singer. Do me a wrong, you're a bringer of evil"

No shit there I was in April 1980 just getting home from school (high school that is). I turn on the radio and the DJ announces that at 7 PM they will debut a song off the new BLACK SABBATH LP, Heaven and Hell. By then I had already known that Ronnie James Dio had taken over vocals after Ozzy was given the boot. Hell everybody who was a SABBATH fan knew it and was waiting to hear what would come next. I have to admit that as a SABBATH fan I couldn't see anyone else taking over for Ozzy. And I was also a huge RAINBOW fan as well so I knew Dio was a great vocalist. But it's fuckin SABBATH, the band I grew up with and who I saw on their Never Say Die tour. So 7 PM rolls around and the DJ lets us all hear the new SABBATH by playing "Neon Nights". The world changed that night and war was declared though out the SABBATH fan-dom. For me the old SABBATH of the 1970s was gone not to be forgotten but never to be repeated. This was the rebirth of SABBATH with a slightly different edge which was perfect for ushering in the new decade.

"Well if it seems to be real, it's illusion"

Heaven and Hell was definitely a departure for SABBATH. Their last few albums were layered with too much Jazz influence and Progressive touches. This one was the return to the Doom sound but with out the Satanic elements. You could also add in some Pop elements courtesy of Dio's song writing talents. Songs like “Lady Evil” and “Wishing Well” were very radio friendly cuts. Were as songs like “Neon Knights" and “Die Young” are the power house cuts that just rip. The title song and "Children of the Sea" were anthems to us back in 1980. The two final cuts "Walk Away" and "Lonely Is the Word" are similar to RAINBOW in Hard Rock style especially Tony Iommi's guitar solo on the latter. Speaking of which the musicianship by Iommi, Butler and Ward is exceptional plus there's the added keyboards by seminal SABBATH member Geoff Nichols.

"You've got to bleed for the dancer"

Looking at this song by song you just have to agree it's a masterpiece in Metal history. "Neon Knights" is an explosive opening cut that immediately lets you know this was not old doom and gloom SABBATH. This was NWOBHM at it's best. That opening riff and Dio's vocals cutting in plus the solo from Hell from Iommi. It's one of the greatest songs to open a record with. "Neon Nights" was the "Paranoid" for the Dio era of SABBATH. "Children of the Sea" is where the band as a whole really shine as far as collaboration. It's the song that resulted from the first jam session the three remaining SABBATH members made with Dio. Iommi and Butler are both brilliant on here along with Ward's drumming. Not as frantic as earlier SABBATH material but definitely mature sounding. Of course it's Dio's lyrics and vocals which make the song. He throws in the fantasy lyrics and the song's structure is something SABBATH had never did before to such greatness. "Lady Evil" is Butler's song on which he shows his bass playing prowess. Next of course is the title track and one of many great all time Metal anthems. It's got that powerful opening riff that's unforgettable, a great solo, Dio's melodic vocals and a climatic ending. "Wishing Well" is radio friendly hit material for SABBATH. It's about as close to a Pop love song that the band could ever produce. "Die Young" is where Iommi does his best solo work on the release. In fact the whole cut is Iommi soloing. Plus Geoff Nichols' keyboard work adds so much to the song in it's opening and midway break. Unfortunately "Die Young" never crossed over well live because Iommi couldn't solo through it without screwing up the rhythm. I speak from personal experience from seeing SABBATH on the Black & Blue tour with BLUE OYSTER CULT back then. "Walk Away" is another cut where Butler's bass playing shines. Also it always reminded me of something KISS did during their 70's heyday. It's definitely a rocker with that background chorus singing "Oh Wo"! Finally there's "Lonely Is the Word" the fantasy ballad of the release. Another Iommi solo ala Richie Blackmore maybe added with Geoff Nichols synth work it's an epic track. Unfortunately alot of people seem to skip this song. They shouldn't in my not so fuckin humble opinion because as it slowly fades away you realize that this release is a timeless classic.

"They say that life's a carousel. Spinning fast, you've got to ride it well. The world is full of Kings and Queens. Who blind your eyes and steal your dreams. It's Heaven and Hell, oh well."

Earlier on I said the war had started. Yeah because not only were some old SABBATH fans against this release but Ozzy's first solo record came out a few weeks later. To be fare to Ozzy his first two solo releases were excellent as was the follow-up to this one, Mob Rules. I did see a huge difference between the end result of both artists. Ozzy went onto becoming a MTV Metal icon while the Dio era SABBATH became legendary especially since it was short lived. Plus more modern day Extreme Metal musicians from genres like Doom, Power Metal and Progressive cite this release and not Ozzy's as being a huge influence on them. Plus to add to the legend we now have Heaven and Hell, the band with Dio, Iommi, Butler and Appice coming out with a new release and touring. Ozzy and his wife Sharon are
busy with a new TV show.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Well as always I'm gonna tell ya to get this one but if not then I say pick up 2007's BLACK SABBATH The Dio Years compilation CD. It contains songs from this release plus songs from Mob Rules, Dehumanizer, Live Evil and three newer cuts which I thought were pretty decent. Then if your budgit can afford it there's the Rules of Hell box set which is a five-CD set from Rhino Records which features re-mastered versions of all four Dio-era BLACK SABBATH albums, Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, Live Evil and Dehumanizer in a deluxe package with new liner notes.

WEBSITES:

http://www.heavenandhelllive.com/

DEEP PURPLE - In Rock LP review

2009-04-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

DEEP PURPLE - In Rock LP
label: Warner Brothers Records
released: 1970
track listing:
1. Speed King
2. Bloodsucker
3. Child in Time
4. Flight of the Rat
5. Into the Fire
6. Living Wreck
7. Hard Lovin' Man

There 1972 release "Machine Head" put them into the history of Hard Fuckin Rock but it was with this release that defined the 1970's as the decade of "heavy". One thing that has always pissed me off whenever I see some revisionist history of Metal on TV, is how DEEP PURPLE gets thrown aside as just a footnote. Their album "Machine Head" taking center stage as if it was their whole career. "Machine Head" is of course a fantastic release but without "In Rock" it would never have been. Also the same can be said about the four releases which preceded "In Rock". And this is why "In Rock" is an Essential release to me and almost all of my friends who love Extreme Music. Black Sabbath definitely created what we all know as Metal. Deep Purple simply added some flair to the mix, that being the keyboards.

My appreciation for this record steps from also appreciating the Mark 1 lineup's releases (Shades of Deep Purple, The Book of Taliesyn, and Deep Purple) Please note that I'm not mentioning Deep Purple's fourth LP "In Concerto" for a reason, because it was an experimental failure for them. What makes "In Rock" so great is that the core of the band (guitarist RICHIE BLACKMORE, keyboardist JON LORD and drummer IAN PAICE) took the better hard rocking elements from their early stuff and pushed it to the next level. With the addition of ROGER GLOVER on bass, the "rockin" factor was set but it would have to be IAN GILLAN on vocals that would push Deep Purple pass the stage of just a "pop" rock band. When I listen to cuts like "Hard Lovin Man" or "Flight of the Rat", the band's late sixties sound shines through. And although their previous singer ROD EVANS was a capable blues oriented vocalist and would go onto form the band CAPTAIN BEYOND. The simple fact is that IAN GILLAN had a much better vocal range to push the songs to a higher intensity level. Also I'd say that IAN GILLAN was the greatest Metal vocalist of the early to mid-seventies. For all of you doubters check out "Speed King" or "Child in Time" for examples of vocal prowess.

But probably the most important aspect of "In Rock" is how RICHIE BLACMORE and JON LORD literally created the guitar/keyboard duel. These two incredible musicians battled one another for musical prominence with each song and yet melded together to be a cohesive unit. Listening to "Bloodsucker" is their best representation of guitar and keyboard mastery. It's simply a complement to one another's prowess with their instruments. Of course this is further evident on the song "Child in Time". Much is given to IAN GILLEN's vocal ability and range on that cut but it's the Gothic-like keyboards from LORD and BLACKMORE's fret shredding guitar licks which make that song a classic which gets onto their "Best of" releases.

My good friend James At 15, singer for the band KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS, says that this is Deep Purple's best LP ever. And he should know since he has the reissue CD with the extra tracks on it. I must agree with him simply because this release introduced the 1970s to Hard Fuckin Rock along with Black Sabbath's first LP. While all the losers were listening to Led Zep play post hippie bullshit. The insane ones were blasting "In Rock" and we are still doing it today.

The Official DEEP PURPLE website:

www.deeppurple.com/

GODFLESH - Streetcleaner Review

2009-04-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

GODFLESH - Streetcleaner
label: Earache Records
released: 1989
track listing:
1. Like Rats
2. Christbait Rising
3. Pulp
4. Dreams Long Dead
5. Head Dirt
6. Devastator/Mighty Trust Krusher
7. Life Is Easy
8. Streetcleaner
9. Locust Furnace

"Corruption in the goat herd. Flesh crumbles in the real world."

It was at a small club in Raleigh, North Carolina either late 89 or early 90 that I witnessed the apocalypse put to music. The club was called the Brewery which is still around today but unfortunately has a reputation for putting on alot of "emo/screamo" band shows. But with an exception to that rule of late which I won't go into at this time. But anyways years ago it was a great place for seeing new and exciting bands whatever the genre. And that's the place where I saw GODFLESH destroy my world of preconceived notions of what Metal was and what it could be.
At the time no one locally knew who GODFLESH were nor did anyone in my group of friends care. They were on the bill with NAPALM DEATH and that's who we were all there to see. Be that as it may when someone screamed, "They're starting", we all finished our parking lot drinking and headed inside for what we all would never forget.

"Now feel this truth. Misuser, Death Dealer, Abuser, Motherfucker."

I was in awe of the whole performance. Guitarist and Bass with no drummer( albeit a drum machine which was referred to as "The Machine") but the sound was as if the world was about to die. The music GODFLESH was playing was so apocalyptic that I wondered if there was still a civilization outside of the club once they were through. Obviously there was or I wouldn't be writing this thing and telling you how much of a release this is for it to be included in the Essentials. But not all around me were convinced that GODFLESH were the end of it all or just the beginning of the torture. One mohawked fuck complained that they were too slow to "pit" too. Then again that joker liked Rap Metal. Another one in her vampire costume complained about GODFLESH being not "hardcore" enough and that they didn't have a drummer. She also hated the fog machine used by NAPALM DEATH during their performance. Personally I think the girl should have stayed home reading her Anne Rice vampire chronicles then come out to a show like this one. Then again the most critical are always the most anal but never take it that way. I personally was in awe and still am today.

"I didn't hear voices."

Years later my peers would latch onto bands like SKINNY PUPPY and MINISTRY for their dose of "Industro-Metal" only because they were pussies to start with. I still have my copy of Streetcleaner on cassette which I bought a week after the show. Yeah I spent too much on beer to buy a record or T-shirt that night. And I still have that cassette copy today which I'm listening to right fuckin now, "Christbait Rising" is still a great song to start your day off with. Although I've lived with people who could not get through their days unless I blasted "Locust Furnace" or the opening cut, "Like Rats". Fortunately those were people who missed the show but were turned onto GODFLESH from my repeated playings of that cassette tape at the time.

"You breed like rats".

To love Streetcleaner is to embrace insanity in a way that offends humanity. The music on here is a total offense to the human race and that's why I, and many others, like it so much. Has anyone reading this not shot up dope to "Head Dirt"? Ok not me because I've never done heroin (seriously I have not and never will, well not up in my veins). But seriously if you were walking into a room where everyone was shooting up, would you expect to hear "Head Dirt" or "Sweet Home Alabama"? Then again maybe I should've changed that to PANTERA but be that as it may. Not that I have anything against trailer parks or the individuals who blast PANTERA in them and think that they are so fuckin metal. But I don't believe you're playing GODFLESH right now. "Streetcleaner" is like the landlord who wakes you up from a four day gin binge demanding the rent. Ah yes memories as I drink my roommate's last beer with GODFLESH blasting in the background at 2 AM. Will my neighbors be pissed off ?

"You Taught Me And Now You Slay Me"

Justin Broadrick, guitar and vocals, was a genius of sorts when he put this music together. Streetcleaner is horrific in ever facet even the cover artwork with the mass cruxcifictions under a sky in flames. Unfortunately I could never get into any other GODFLESH releases and the same goes for newest band JESU. As much as Broadrick channeled his own anger into Streetcleaner is the same for my own obsession with it. To me it's a milemarker in the category of Extreme Metal and definitely an essential.

"Don't hold me back. This is my own hell".

The Official GODFLESH website:

www.godflesh.com/

BLACK SABBATH - BLACK SABBATH LP review

2009-04-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

BLACK SABBATH - BLACK SABBATH LP
label: Warner Bros. Records
released: 1970
track listing:
1. Black Sabbath
2. The Wizard
3. Behind the Wall of Sleep
4. N.I.B.
5. Evil Woman
6. Sleeping Village
7. Warning
8. Wicked World

It was in March of 1974 a few days after my eleventh birthday and there I stood in the Music Dept. of the local Two Guys store. Two Guys was an old Department Store back in the 1970s. K-Mart would be it's modern equivalent. In one hand I held this LP and in the other I held their Paranoid LP. I only had five dollars in my pocket which meant I could only buy one LP so the decision was daunting to say the least. I was familiar with some of the songs off of the Paranoid LP, "Iron Man", "War Pigs and the title cut. But it was the LP cover of BLACK SABBATH's debut which had me captivated. "What is this that stands before me". Years later when I had a strobe light I'd turned it on and dropped the needle down on this LP. The effect was mind boggling. Then there was the time years later I was at home alone tripping. A thunderstorm was rolling through so I put this LP on. The thunder and lightning going on outside my bedroom window coincided with the record as the opening song commenced. What a fuckin trip! That wall of noise blasting out from the speakers provided by Iomni, Butler and Ward. Then slowing things down so Ozzy's vocals could paint a picture of horror. "My name is Lucifer please take my hand" indeed.

BLACK SABBATH created Metal as we all know it today. I know there are those who believe that BLUE CHEER's first LP Vincebus Eruptum was the first true Heavy Metal release. But I disagree since BLUE CHEER were 3 hippies who just turned up the volume on one release then went back to being hippies. While BLACK SABBATH released a slew of great LPs continuously throughout their whole career. Besides what's more Metal sounding, "The Wizard" or "Summertime Blues"? One reason for this blatant Rock history revisionism is that certain American Rock Scribes let their prejudices slip into their writings. Their elitist attitudes would not allow them to believe that four working class stiffs from Birmingham, England had the gifts to create a musical phenomenon which has lasted all these years. Secondly these American Rock Scribes/Snobs were hippies themselves or atleast former "Summer of Love" types who hated BLACK SABBATH in the first place. Don't get me wrong, BLUE CHEER's first LP and parts of their second one is some great music. They deserve their recognized place in Rock's history but BLUE CHEER were basically a second tier blues rock band. What BLACK SABBATH did was to create something completely new and unheard of at that time in history. The band turned simple Blues Rock into a force that the hippydom critics could not nor could never understand. It was the sound of DOOM.

Nowadays whenever a band creates something decent or new sounding. A dozen other bands will jump on their bandwagon and try to follow along in their footsteps by copying their sound and style. But in the Seventies, no one tried to copy BLACK SABBATH. That wouldn't happen until the mid-80s. Another important note, the next three follow-up releases would garner the band more historical respect. The Paranoid LP had the three AOR radio hits. Master of Reality would become the template for future Doom, Sludge and Stoner Rock bands. And the Volume 4 LP would simply be considered the band's masterpiece from the Ozzy era. Still it was this release that reached out of the darkness and dragged the listener into it

I know many of you reading this are probably thinking "Dude I've got it on CD ( or a best of compilation ) but have you really placed yourself into that position of witnessing those flames getting higher and higher? Yeah I've got two Best of SABBATH discs too but there's just a certain wicked pleasure by listening to this one from beginning to end. Even though I know this release in my sleep. I still feel that sense of foreboding or maybe even a sense of fear. Because the music comes across as evil and I'm alone as it blasts from my speakers. It's almost as if I've sent out a beacon and I'm waiting for someone or something to appear.

The Official BLACK SABBATH website:

www.black-sabbath.com/

VENOM - Black Metal review

2009-03-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

VENOM - Black Metal
label: Neat Records
released: 1982
track listing:
1. Black Metal
2. To Hell And Back
3. Buried Alive
4. Raise The Dead
5. Teacher's Pet
6. Leave Me In Hell
7. Sacrifice
8. Heaven's On Fire
9. Countess Bathory
10. Don't Burn The Witch
11. At War With Satan (Preview)

My two closest friends, Slayer Doug and James At 15 (both members of the band KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS) are the two biggest VENOM fans I know. Their band also does a killer version of "Bloodlust" to boot. But compared to them I am not worthy to write about VENOM let alone this important release. But I will try my best at the task at hand.

Rock History has been filled with stories on how a band releases a record which is trashed by mainstream music critics but is devoured by music fans who actually know what they want and like. BLACK SABBATH's first Lp suffered the critical attack but fans never gave a shit. GRAND FUNK RAILROAD also went through the critical backlash for the first half of their music career. While at the same time they were selling millions of albums and packing concert stadiums. So when VENOM released this their sophomore LP in 1982 the critics of the mainstream rock media called it horrible. But Metal fans thought otherwise because they didn't just eat it up. These fans went at it like a pack of starving wild animals. "Black Metal" was the perfect metal album at the perfect time to come out. The music on here was fast, ugly and evil in all matter of things. But the most important aspect of this LP is that it laid down the foundation for the three most important music genres in Extreme Metal. They are Thrash, Death and Black Metal.

"LAY DOWN YOUR SOUL TO THE GODS OF ROCK & ROLL"

What manner of mayhem does this release bring to the Scumfeast Metal Essentials' list? It brings a whole hell of alot. A tribute to a lady who bathed in the blood of virgins, "Countess Bathory". The title song that opens this release is like a call to arms to the legions of darkness, "Black Metal". The horrific tale of a man being buried alive, "Buried Alive". The warrior's saga of bravery, triumph and victory, "To Hell And Back". An adolescent wet dream come true, "Teacher's Pet". And the reaping reward for Metal's final victory, "Heaven's On Fire". But those are just a few choice cuts I've used to showcase a release that was overshadowed by other Metal LPs of the same year. In 1982 JUDAS PRIEST were the biggest Metal band on the planet with IRON MAIDEN slowly catching up. But ask any Extreme Metal maniac what their favorite release from 1982 was and they'll give you a thunderous roar with the words, "Black Metal by VENOM"!

You have to remember that Mantas (guitars), Abaddon (drums) and Cronos (bass & vocals) were not out to reinvent Metal. They were simply taking the Metal influences of the past and punching them up to the next level. Prior to VENOM, the only band around that was making ugly music to the underground masses were MOTORHEAD. So VENOM just added a dose of Satanic blasphemy and melodrama to a worn template of Metal. Although years later Cronos would admit that all the Satanic imagery was just for entertainment value. It definitely would go onto influence the next bunch of alienated young people just waiting in the wings. But that's for another review.

My version of this classic is the 2002 Sanctuary CD reissue with nine extra bonus tracks. I know I'm speaking to the faithful here. But if I were to turn anyone onto VENOM then this is where I'd start them off with. As one of the VENOM faithful chimed in to me once. The "In League With Satan" best of double CD is ok. But to truly experience VENOM you need to get all of their early releases. How could I argue with a VENOM fanatic?

The Official VENOM website:

www.venomslegions.com/

IRON MAIDEN - The Number of the Beast LP review

2009-03-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

IRON MAIDEN - The Number of the Beast LP
label: Columbia
released: 1982
track listing:
1. Invaders
2. Children of the Damned
3. The Prisoner
4. 22 Acacia Avenue
5. The Number of the Beast
6. Run to the Hills
7. Gangland
8. Total Eclipse
9. Hallowed Be Thy Name

"LET HIM WHO HATH UNDERSTANDING RECKON THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST FOR IT IS A HUMAN NUMBER, IT'S NUMBER IS SIX HUNDRED AND SIXTY SIX"

There's been so much said about this release that I won't bore you with rehashed information. I'll just keep it personal as best as I can. My introduction to IRON MAIDEN began when a friend of mine played their 1980 debut LP for me. IRON MAIDEN's first LP actually blew me away since it was a fresh sound that carried bits of past Metal greatness. The duel guitar attack was a byproduct of PRIEST but this bunch was taking it to a new direction. I actually liked Paul Di'Anno's vocals, when he was singing since the musicianship overpowered each song. Then came their Killers LP which I also went apeshit for. Yeah more of that same intricate yet surging power. But not everyone I knew was happy with IRON MAIDEN. You had plenty of older folks who looked at them more like a Punk/Metal outfit, atleast where I lived. It was 1981 and these people already had enough changes they could handle. OZZY had gone solo, SABBATH was being fronted by Ronnie James Dio and AC/DC's Back in Black LP, with Brian Johnson on vocals, was still being played continuously on the radio a year after it's release. These people were still trying to catch up with the older bands changing. They were not yet ready for this New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

Then I read some short article in a music magazine (either Circus or Creem) that reported IRON MAIDEN had parted ways with singer Paul Di'Anno and was working/recording with Bruce Dickinson from the band SAMSON. I immediately ran through my albums because I knew I had a compilation LP with SAMSON on it and I did. After checking that out it was whatever up until I finally got my copy of this LP. Things changed after that.

For me, The Number of the Beast LP was like listening to SABBATH's first LP all over again. It felt like I was doing something illegal or evil. The subject matter on this release was intriguing and of course the cover artwork was beyond anything of it's time. Plus the musicianship by bassist Steve Harris, and guitarists Adrian Smith and Dave Murray was phenomenal. This was more than kick fuckin ass rock. IRON MAIDEN were "intelligent metal" for people who could hear the difference. This was the record that pushed us all from the back alleys and into the fore-front. Of course this release would be the pinnacle for IRON MAIDEN. I never thought the releases which followed could hold a candle to it. Sure they were good but they could never match the brilliance of this one.

The title track is definitely one of 80's Metal's best anthems. You can just envision legions of fans raising their horned fists in salute and screaming, "Six, Six, Six, The Number of the Beast"! Then there's "Run To The Hills" which actually was released as a single prior to the LP in order to give fans a taste. There's "Hallowed Be Thy Name", a tale of a condemned man waiting to be hung. It's a cut that most likely led to the use of the term "epic" in Metal. But I could go on and on. How important is this LP is clear when you see that IRON MAIDEN's live set, on this 2008 tour, contains three of these cuts. Nuff Said.

The Official IRON MAIDEN website :

www.ironmaiden.com/

JUDAS PRIEST - Sad Wings of Destiny LP review

2009-03-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

JUDAS PRIEST - Sad Wings of Destiny LP
label: Gull Records (reissued on CBS Records soon afterward)
released: 1976
track listing:
1. Prelude
2. Tyrant
3. Genocide
4. Epitaph
5. Island of Damnation
6. Victim of Changes
7. The Ripper
8. Dreamer Deceiver
9. Deceiver

To me, and maybe a few other insightful music fans, there are four eras of JUDAS PRIEST. You have the first era or the Heavy era which this release is from. My first time seeing PRIEST was during this era on their Hell Bent For Leather tour. Then there's the second or Pop era which starts with their British Steel LP and ends with the Turbo LP. 1990's Painkiller LP is an anomaly that I and probably alot of PRIEST fans have no idea where that one came from. The third era was their years when Tim Ripper Owens took over vocals. We won't discuss those years. And the fourth and final era of PRIEST started in 2003 when Rob Halford returned and continues to this day. Now fans vary on their favorite eras depending on the time when they first truly got into the band. For me it starts here with PRIEST's second LP.

Sad Wings of Destiny was the record that changed the course of Metal in the 70s. The early genre giants were burning out by the time of this release. DEEP PURPLE were ended since Richie Blackmore left to pursue something better. More on that one another time. SABBATH's drug problems had finally taken there toll and the band's creative juices. There were some other Hard Rock/Heavy Metal bands making a damm racket at the time. But it was PRIEST who laid the concrete and paved the road. With this release came the entrance of the twin lead guitar line-up. Every band that followed who had a duel guitar line-up owed their souls to Glen Tipton and K.K. Downing. Just blast "Tyrant", "The Ripper" and of course "Genocide". Rob Halford introduced the world to the Heavy Metal scream. How many future Metal vocalists honed their pipes singing along to "Victim of Changes"? Face the facts, BLACK SABBATH created the Metal genre other bands followed and then came JUDAS PRIEST. They were the ones who honed it to a sharpness that spawned the next generation of Metallers.

Another important thing about this release's early popularity is that it was embraced by a new younger generation of music lovers. You could almost call it an underground cult classic. In the late seventies the major market AOR (Album Oriented Rock) FM radio stations were fairly conservative. To be played in their music rotation meant you had to have a hit single of sorts. This was especially true where I lived. The first time I heard JUDAS PRIEST on the local radio station was when their British Steel LP came out. If you wanted to hear PRIEST before that then you either heard it at a cool friend's house and then bought your own copy. So to gain popularity the band toured and not only in the major US market cities but also in smaller cities and towns. I saw PRIEST three times from 1978 to 1980. And each time the place they played in held five hundred people or less. Nowadays PRIEST won't play a venue unless the capacity in five to ten thousand. Also back in the late 70s the people packing these auditoriums and halls were the kids. We were also the ones who bought the records by all these obscure, at that time, Metal bands who actually came to our town to play. Yeah it's called support. In school all of my cool friends owned records by PRIEST. By the way I didn't get my first copy of Sad Wings of Destiny until 1977. But after that I picked up every JUDAS PRIEST release religiously up until Defenders of the Faith. After that release my love for PRIEST faltered a little as with a lot of popular Metal at that time. Be that as it may, Sad Wings of Destiny will always stand the test of time.

The Official JUDAS PRIEST website:

www.judaspriest.com/

MAYHEM - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas CD review

2009-03-30T21:40:00.000-07:00

MAYHEM - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas CD
label: Deathlike Silence Records
released: 1994
track listing:
1. Funeral Fog
2. Freezing Moon
3. Cursed In Eternity
4. Pagan Fears
5. Life Eternal
6. From The Dark Past
7. Buried By Time And Dust
8. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

COMMENTS:

One of the most amazing things about De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (Lord Satan's Secret Rites) other than the music is the history behind it. After years of writing the songs, re-tweaking the riffs and watching all of his fellow Norwegian Black Metal brethren (DARKTHRONE, EMPEROR, IMMORTAL, etc.) release full length LPs. All of whom by the way came after MAYHEM. Oystein Aarseth aka: Euronymous gathered together this horde of evil and entered the studio in 1993. Technically it wasn't really MAYHEM that recorded this masterpiece. Singer Dead had committed suicide and bassist Necrobutcher quit the band. So with Hellhammer as the last remaining band member on drums, Euronymous brought in BURZUM mastermind and future murderer of Euronymous, Varg Vikernes, as session bassist, Attila Csihar from the band TORMENTOR to take care of vocals and Blackthorn to add additional guitar. You would think that with a room full of these egos the work on the music would take a back seat. Surprisingly the end product would turn the Black Metal music scene on it's head. Think about it, there are many early 90s Black Metal bands that have influenced the current crop of corpse painted heathens. Sometimes these newer bands are out right copycats. But can you name any who've been copying this? There are plenty who ripoff the Deathcrush era MAYHEM. As of this writing I can't but I'm sure someone can name drop a band name better than I.

The greatness of this essential Black Metal release lies with two distinct contributions. The first is simply Attila's vocals. The man's voice box is located in his bowels. When the words spring forth from his lips they've traveled through a series of horrific twists and turns. He growls with a true demonic presence. His operatic tones are like wails from the long suffering dead. Previous vocalist, Dead, could not have pulled off such tones which contain melodic and harsh varieties. Dead was a great screamer while Attila is a vocalist who added so much atmosphere and vocal variety to the release. If you take the songs from the Live In Leipzig LP that were redone on here for example, you can hear similarities. But in an interview I once read, Attila admits to not trying to copy Dead's vocal style on purpose. Personally I think that was a wise choice. Also I just can't hear Dead doing many of the other songs on this release. What I think is the major problem with the Dead versus Attila idea is that some people refuse to recognize one important variable. Dead was of the old era which musically contained alot of Thrash elements. It was fucking raw and exciting. Dead was the perfect vocalist for that but he died. Euronymous had moved on from it to explore new territory for his Black Metal vision.

Months ago I came across an article which complained about Attila's vocals on this release. The writer also stated that it was a huge mistake to have him on this album and that the band should've waited for someone else to fill Dead's shoes. Preferably one who sounded more like Dead. I could not disagree more and the writer of that article is clueless. Euronymous picked Attila to do the vocals. He obviously had time to listen to the tapes after each recording session. If he had a problem then the project would of been put on the back burner again. This was his baby to live or kill. Euronymous wanted these recordings to be his vision of Black Metal. To complain or second guess his decisions fifteen years later is ignorant.

Which brings us to the second important part of this release is obviously Euronymous. His guitar work on here is definitely riff-centric but surpassing what had become generic within the Black Metal music scene at the time. At times it's almost thunderous which matches perfectly with Attila's vocals. Also they're more complex than what your average Black Metal band of today is doing. His subtle changes to the older songs, "Funeral Fog", "Freezing Moon", "Pagan Fears" and "Buried By Time and Dust", are evident. His guitar playing is slowed down to a Death/Doom crawl at times letting the songs gather energy until the final conquest.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

I'd like to point out that MAYHEM is just one of a few unique bands in Metal who have had the opportunity to survive tragedy and move on with multiple line-ups. There are three important and distinct eras of MAYHEM all containing different lead singers. By claiming that De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is an essential Extreme Metal release does not take away from the early recorded output by the line-up with Dead on vocals. Nor does it take away from the time when Maniac returned to take back vocal duties. (Please note that I don't consider the Ordo Ad Chao line-up to be really new, but it is good.) To continually argue over who's better, who's best does a disservice to the band and the memories of their long dead band members. And frankly I really think the people doing the loudest complaining are pathetic since they were all still in diapers when this was released. But don't worry since Live in Leipzig will find it's way onto the SCUMFEAST METAL ESSENTIALS sooner or later.

WEBSITES:

http://www.thetruemayhem.com/
http://www.mayhem.ontheweb.nl/
http://www.season-of-mist.com/
http://www.myspace.com/officialmayhem

MERCYFUL FATE - Melissa CD review

2009-03-30T21:36:00.000-07:00

MERCYFUL FATE - Melissa CD
label: Roadrunner Records
released: 1983
track listing:
1. Evil
2. Curse of the Pharaohs
3. Into the Coven
4. At the Sound of the Demon Bell
5. Black Funeral
6. Satan's Fall
7. Melissa

COMMENTS:

Can you say "Heavy Metal Scream"? Yeah we all know Rob Halford of JUDAS PRIEST perfected that one. But King Diamond, vocalist/lyricist for Denmark's MERCYFUL FATE made the "scream" evil. Plus Hank Sherman and Michael Denner took the twin guitar line-up perfected by PRIEST and MAIDEN to the next level. The song "Evil" is an almost flawless piece of music. The guitar work is excellent. If you were to list twenty of the greatest Metal songs of all time then it would be on it. And I'm not talking about those VH-1 bullshit lists either people. MERCYFUL FATE was real Metal that took the NWOBHM style to another level which would go onto influence Black Metal. "Into the Coven" starts out as a cool melodic piece but then explodes into a Metal riff which decapitates. "Satan's Fall" is eleven minutes of Hell and suitable for poisoning the minds of unsuspecting children.

MERCYFUL FATE didn't just slam you up against the wall with pentagrams and goat heads. Their music was very intricate at times going beyond the musicianship of their more famous mainstream counterparts. But the band would never equal their success. MERCYFUL FATE would always be kings of the underground realm of Metal. At least for their short time in existence. Personally I don't have a problem with that. King Diamond was not a phony when it came to his belief in LaVeyan brand of Satanism. Although their imagery was in place to shock, their music was intelligently written.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

In 2005 Roadrunner Records released a remastered 25th anniversary edition CD and DVD package. The CD has seven more tracks (demo versions and BBC sessions) and the DVD has some cool concert footage. If you claim to like Metal at all then MERCYFUL FATE's Melissa should be in your music collection along with the follow-up release, Don't Break The Oath.

WEBSITES:

http://www.covenworldwide.org/

CELTIC FROST - Morbid Tales CD review

2009-03-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

CELTIC FROST - Morbid Tales CD
label: Noise International (CD reissue on Sanctuary Records)
released: 1984
track listing:
1. Human (Intro)
2. Into The Crypts Of Rays
3. Visions Of Mortality
4. Dethroned Emperor
5. Morbid Tales
6. Procreation (Of The Wicked)
7. Return To The Eve
8. Danse Macabre
9. Nocturnal Fear

Emperor's return EP (bonus reissue tracks)
10. Circle Of The Tyrants
11. Visual Agression
12. Suicidal Winds

COMMENTS:

When it comes to the History of Extreme Metal it seems that the revisionists are in control. When I was doing some extra research for this piece I checked out a few reviews of Morbid Tales. I just wanted to make sure not to be repeating the same tired cliches. What I did find completely surprised me. I read a few reviews slagging this release. Stranger still was that the opinion pieces were posted just a few years ago. Worse yet was that they were written by people whose musical experiences/tastes were based on the here and now. I'm not being a hypocrite or trying to discourage anyone from writing about past music. But at least have some sense to judge it from the perspective of the time it was released and not by modern standards. Now with that said let's really get evil, mean and nasty.

CELTIC FROST are/were one of the original four horseman of the apocalypse when it comes to influencing Black Metal. The other three of course are VENOM, MERCYFUL FATE and BATHORY. The key word here is "influencing" because the band incorporated so much into their music that they've been called Thrash and even proto-Death Metal, whatever. Let's just say that in 1984/85 this Swiss band came out of nowhere and freaked the fuck out of Metalheads. And back then Metal needed a swift kick in the ass. Actually they didn't really come out of nowhere. Tom G. Warrior (guitars/vocals) and Martin Eric Ain (bass) were both in the band HELLHAMMER, which was heavily influenced by England's VENOM. HELLHAMMER evolved into CELTIC FROST. But in 1984 the bands who were part of the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) scene were losing their steam. Well IRON MAIDEN still had an album left in em but Thrash was starting it's takeover the Metal world. And in the midst of Thrash's rise in popularity along came up other bands who leaned more on the occult/satanic side. The time was right for CELTIC FROST to enter the fray. And although they would always be considered a second tier act in the mainstream Metal scene of the 80s. In the Underground scene they were on top.

You wanna get someone's attention then place an insane intro on your release. All cool Extreme Metal bands have atleast one release with a cool intro. Morbid Tales has a cool intro simply titled "Human" but no one can agree on what it really is. The sound of some loser falling into the pits of Hell? The cries of demons rising from those same pits? A Swiss church choir high on acid and recorded in a fucking bathroom? Sure I could read an interview with the band and get the truth but that would ruin the experience of when I first heard it. Of course we know what it really is and after forty one seconds of it we get "Into the Crypt of Rays". Your introduction to CELTIC FROST begins with a Thrashed out intro then moves onto a mid-song breakdown. Then it speeds back to Thrash, adds a guitar solo, then speeds off to the pit. What's funny is that's exactly what Hardcore sounded like. It's raw, primitive and what people in the underground wanted. When you're listening to the title cut and staring at the cover,a heptagram centered with a skull and spears extending forth. You are overcome with this feeling of rebellious aggression. The whole basis of Extreme music is to grab you by the senses and invoke emotions like anger, misery, pain, and hatred. Yes it's all primal and it's good for what ails ya.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Anyone who claims to like Extreme Metal and doesn't have a copy of this close at hand to play at a moment's notice is a douchebag. I like all the cuts on here even "Danse Macabre" which isn't really a song. It's just spoken word screaming and chants. Plus the three extra tracks on the reissued CD are great. Unfortunately as of Sept. 8th, 2008 the band has called it quits.

WEBSITES:

www.celticfrost.com/
www.myspace.com/celticfrost

MOTORHEAD - Bomber LP review

2009-03-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

MOTORHEAD - Bomber LP
label: Bronze Records
released: 1979
track listing:
1. Dead Men Tell No Tales
2. Lawman
3. Sweet Revenge
4. Sharpshooter
5. Poison
6. Stone Dead Forever
7. All the Aces
8. Step Down
9. Talking Head
10. Bomber

COMMENTS:

How do you get a room full of MOTORHEAD fans to fight each other? Ask them which is the best MOTORHEAD LP. Once again I believe it all falls on which one you got into first. Sure Overkill was a raw introduction and Ace of Spades placed them into Rock's history books. But I got Bomber first although a year after it came out. And even to this day when I'm in need of a MOTORHEAD beating. I will always reach for this one which I now have on CD with the extra bonus tracks. Now there's something else important to note. Obviously if a vote was taken then more people would choose Ace of Spades as the band's best record. And by no reason am I saying it's not. But the fact is that the title cut is MOTORHEAD's most famous and familiar song to date. It's the first cut on two Best of releases I also have. It's the one MOTORHEAD song that everyone loves. But it would not have come about without Bomber preceding it.

This was my first MOTORHEAD record and the main reason for liking it so much is simple. I had never heard them before but friends told me to check them out. So when I got home and dropped the needle down on the vinyl. The sound which emanated from the stereo speakers was absolutely nothing I had heard before. I was already getting into alot of Punk Rock at the time, the New York and English scene stuff. But what was on the stereo was beyond that. This was the new sound of Hard Fuckin Rock, raw and punishing. "Dead Men Tell No Tales" basically attacks the listener with Lemmy's bass riffage, Fast Eddie Clark's firery lead guitar and of course Phil Taylor's maniacal drumming. Listening to MOTORHEAD in 1980 for me was like someone in the 1950s hearing their first Rock n Roll record and going "Holy Fuckin Shit"! "Lawman" comes next and it's here when Lemmy's distinctive dirty bass sound hits you. Plus the vocals because up to this point in time Hard Rock singers had somewhat of a decent voice. Here was Lemmy basically rasping out the melody on the slower tunes. "Sweet Revenge" follows the same suit. Plus the all too obvious references to the American Wild West run through this LP. The opening cut, "Lawman", "Sharpshooter, with it's bass and guitar rhythm smashing up against your noggin. Then there's "All the Aces" and "Stone Dead Forever" which also invoke images of cowboys, card games and guns. The dirty bass riff which opens "Stone Dead Forever" is probably the second most famous song with a bass riff opening ever. Can you name the first? Yeah Lemmy, much like the WHO's John Entwistle, turned the bass from a background rhythm section instrument into a fuckin weapon of mass destruction. He plays the bass with more of a style suited for lead and rhythm guitarists. On some songs he's using an eight string bass, so there you go.

If "Ace of Spades" is the band's signature hard rockin song of all time then the title cut of this LP is their second. Literally it's the sound of a bomber attack. It's as if MOTORHEAD has declared war on you the listerner and you'll never forget it. But the one thing this release is famous for is that it features the first (and last time) Fast Eddie Clark sings on a song. "Stepdown" is a total raunchy blues metal cut that doesn't fit the freewheeling frenzy of other songs on Bomber. It sticks out like a rusty bent nail but then that's the beauty of it. Plus it gives Clarke a chance to really let loose. Yes this LP was brutal in all respects and sure what would follow topped it. But to sit back and turn up the volume, especially the bass, to "Stone Dead Forever", "All the Aces" or the title cut. It's MOTORHEAD-DAMAGE!

I'll go far enough to say this, MOTORHEAD reinvented Hard Fuckin Rock n Roll to and for the masses. Their music appealed to Punks and Metalheads, which at the time was a first for genre crossover appeal. Another point for me personally is that I'm one of "those" people who only likes the Lemmy, Fast Eddie and Phil era. I could never really get into their post Fast Eddie releases. Sure the original three piece line-up was a volatile bunch but then their music showed that in spades.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

All of MOTORHEAD's early work is essential. There's plenty of "best of" crap out now but forget them. Buy all the early stuff.

WEBSITES:

http://www.imotorhead.com/
http://www.myspace.com/motorhead
http://www.motorhead.ru/

EMPEROR - In The Nightside Eclipse CD review

2009-03-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

EMPEROR - In The Nightside Eclipse CD
label: Candlelight Records
released: 1994
track listing:
1. Intro/Into the Infinity of Thoughts
2. The Burning Shadows of Silence
3. Cosmic Keys to my Creations and Times
4. Beyond the Great Vast Forest
5. Towards the Pantheon
6. The Majesty of the Nightsky
7. I Am the Black Wizards
8. Inno a Satana

Bonustracks (Re-Release 2004)
9. A Fine Day To Die (Bathory Cover)
10. Gypsy (Mercyful Fate Cover)

COMMENTS:

If someone were to ask me about Symphonic Black Metal and what band or release they should pick up I'd point to this one first. This is where Symphonic Black Metal began. The band's previous work, which is now available on CD, was the raw early Black Metal sound. Some people still call it "troo" Black Metal and yes it's great on it's own level. The follow-up to this, Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, simply continued the theme which was started on here with some added progression. But then that question would never come up atleast not at the present time. All one needs to do is listen to the latest new wave of Symphonic USBM (United States Black Metal) bands. This release has become the influential template for the majority of them. Now paying homage to early Norwegian Black Metal is one thing. But just copying someone elses ideas because you lack any of your own is lazy. That's a sad commentary to the present state of Black Metal in my own country. There will always be copycats who pop into the scene for a while and then disappear. It's happened before in the late 90s. But those who are true to what they believe in will always outlast the sheep.

It also gives credence to the greatness of this release. And it was created in a subtle way by just a simple line-up change and adding symphonic keyboards to their sound. They already had the cold hearted malice within them. So progressing from simple hatred to calculated evil was not hard to do. This was the band's full length debut and to many in the Black Metal underground (The only people who matter) it's considered to be the absolute greatest Black Metal release of all time. I'm not here to debate that point. This is all about why In The Nightside Eclipse is an essential and the four key elements which have made it so.

The first is the guitar playing, after some foreboding moments of the opening intro, the fast riffs kick into gear and never stop till this thing is done. The most amazing as well as disturbing guitar sounds ever in Black Metal. The second is Faust's relentless but varying blast beats. The sound he's giving off in the percussion is vicious. Third are the keyboards played by Ihsahn that serve varying purposes. At times they are used as an electronic chorus to add a haunting background. Other times like a brush in the hand of a painter creating cold and grim looking landscapes. Finally there's Ihsahn's raspy vocals which are more like agonized screams of some beast from another world.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

In The Nightside Eclipse is simply a masterpiece of audio violence and discontent. It leaves the listener suspended in a wasteland of emotional and spiritual disgust. Try as you might to vomit such inner demons from within. Once this release has embedded itself into your psyche there's no release. The talon-ed six fingered hand of some infernal creature has taken hold of your senses. There is no escape.

WEBSITES:

http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com
http://www.emperorhorde.com/
http://www.myspace.com/emperorhorde

SLAYER - Reign In Blood CD review

2009-03-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

SLAYER - Reign In Blood CD
label: American Recordings
released: 1986
track listing:
1. Angel Of Death
2. Piece By Piece
3. Necrophobic
4. Altar Of Sacrifice
5. Jesus Saves
6. Criminally Insane
7. Reborn
8. Epidemic
9. Postmortem
10. Raining Blood
Bonus tracks
11. Aggressive Perfector (Remix)
12. Criminally Insane (Remix)

COMMENTS:

ENTER TO THE REALM OF SATAN!

In the Spring of 1987 I took a ride to the store to buy beer and entered to the realm of Satan. I had just permanently moved to Raleigh, North Carolina and was still in the process of meeting people. One new friend, Sparger, volunteered to drive me to buy beer on a Saturday afternoon. We were partying at someone's house at the time, I forgot who's house or apartment we were at, but a beer run was needed. So I took the mission and Sparger was driving. Once inside his car Sparger was fumbling with a bunch of cassette tapes and asked if I had any requests. I told him that I didn't care. So Sparger slapped in a tape and off we went. A few seconds passed by and then I got my first taste of the song "Angel of Death". I scream over the volume to ask who he was playing. And I witnessed the old cliche that we all talk about for the first time. Sparger takes one hand off the wheel to give me the horned fist and screams "SLAYEEER DUDE"!

Not too long ago I was reading an article on this new THRASH Revival we're seeing these days. The author was discussing bands of the past and considered this release to be overrated in it's influence on the Metal scene of today. He thought METALLICA's Master of Puppets to be the greatest Thrash release of all time. I'd like to hang that author by the balls with one of Kerry King's guitar strings. Reign In Blood had all the elements together which made it the all time greatest Thrash release ever. Dave Lombardo brought about pummeling drum skills that set the fast pace. The twin guitar assault by Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, their simple yet clean soloing set the world of Metal on fire. Tony Araya's every man straight forward singing style became the signature of the Thrash vocalist. And of course the lyrical content blew people away. No time before were lyrics this blasphemous towards organized religion by any band. Many bands prior to this merely skirted the ideas of Satanism. But SLAYER embraced it and a few years down the road another Metal genre would do the same reeking some havoc of it's own.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

To say Reign In Blood is not the greatest Thrash release of all time is like saying Kirk Hammett of METALLICA is not gay. Personally I was never the type of fan who lived and breathed SLAYER. But I always knew it was the greatest Thrash release of all time. I used to have it on vinyl years ago. Nowadays I have it on CD but I've also got about 10 different homemade compilation cassettes with various songs from Reign In Blood on them. Of course you have this on vinyl or dink. So pull it out now and play it.

WEBSITES:

http://www.slayer.net/
http://www.myspace.com/slayer

DARKTHRONE - A Blaze in the Northern Sky CD review

2009-03-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

DARKTHRONE - A Blaze in the Northern Sky CD
label: Peaceville Records
released: 1992 (Reissued and remastered in 2003 as a digipak featuring a video interview clip)
track listing:
1. Kathaarian Life Code
2. In the Shadow of the Horns
3. Paragon Belial
4. Where Cold Winds Blow
5. A Blaze in the Northern Sky
6. The Pagan Winter

COMMENTS:

Last night the temperature outside dropped to a brisk 30 degrees. I loved it and thought it would be a perfect time to drag this one out for a blast. My appreciation for Black Metal in general stems from an inner hatred and disgust for many things in this world. While I might not be able to release my inner demons for eventually incarceration purposes. I can listen to music which screams hatred with every riff, drumbeat and harsh vocal. Like many people my introduction to this band came through their Transylvanian Hunger release. That CD is a masterpiece in atmospheric terror. But for those with sensitive dispositions it can be a tough introduction into the depraved world of Black Metal. I on the other hand must have ice in my veins because I think it's one great release.

But I'm here to write about A Blaze in the Northern Sky. This was DARKTHRONE's second album but it was their first Black Metal release and it was also their transition from a Death Metal band into a Black one. It's a cold, cruel, and miserable release, heavily influenced by the likes of HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST and early BATHORY. The production is drowned in a vat of fuzz. The guitars have been turned into taser-like devices of torture. Nocturno's vocals sound like emanations from a possessed throat cancer patient who's been restrained for his own safety. The bass playing is somewhat audible. Fenriz sounds like he's drumming with two clubs. And with all that said I still consider it a brilliant piece of work.

After the eerie sounding opening which sounds like a walk down a corridor of no return with Gregorian chants backed up with Fenriz's thundering club-like pounding, the release opens with "Kathaarian Life Code". The song kicks in like walking into a room unexpectedly while some sadistic ritual is being performed. I wish I had a dime for every time that's happened to me. "Kathaarian Life Code" is a lengthy song but there's enough tempo changes that feel like you're being pummeled by wooden clubs. At times it's sludgey doom creeping out from some hellish pit. Then it erupts into a blastbeat nightmare. This is followed by one of my favorite cut on here, "In the Shadow of the Horns". A mid-paced tune that has an hypnotic pattern to the riffs until it turns violent and ugly passed the halfway point. Some atmospheric acoustic guitar is over-dubbed onto the end giving the song an interesting climax. I like to hear this first thing in the morning so it sticks with me all day.

"Paragon Belial" is a wall of unholy noise and a song with enough doom overtones to punish people with. "Where Cold Winds Blow" is another extreme favorite cut on here. Besides the subject matter alone to me it's like a cold hand welcoming me into "their world". It's also that breakaway point on the album where the first wave of Black Metal is left behind and we are introduced to the Second Wave forever. It's a faster cut than the previous ones which also contains some spleen cutting solos by Nocturno. His vocals are even more sadistic. The title track follows it up with the same pattern as before. A furious assault to start with and then slowing things down just enough to balance your sanity on the head of a pin. But that's only until Nocturno screams "The next thousand years are OURS!" The minds of the weak are ruined beyond repair at this point. Only the strong ones will survive what comes next.The final cut "The Pagan Winter" drops you into a cold desolate landscape of no return. The release ends as it began with a walk out the corridor filled with Gregorian chants and pounding drums.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Seriously once you've gone through A Blaze in the Northern Sky there is no turning back to your safe and sedate pathetic little world. You either join or suffer. After I've listened to this I find myself totally disgusted with people. Primarily those who thrive on drama and needyness to survive. I'd like to drop them all into a pit with this and see how long it would take for them to slit their wrists for real. It's not the music which conjures up these thoughts. They've been their forever and the music simply un-clutters the mind so to think clearly.

WEBSITES:

http://www.darkthrone.no

http://www.myspace.com/officialdarkthrone

DESTROYER 666 - Unchain the Wolves CD review

2009-03-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

DESTROYER 666 - Unchain the Wolves CD
label: 1997
released: Modern Invasion Music
track listing:
1. Genesis to Genocide
2. Australian and Anti-christ
3. Satan's Hammer
4. Tyranny of the Inevitable
5. Six Curses from a Spiritual Wasteland
6. Rome Wasn't Destroyed in a Day/Unchain the Wolves
7. Damnations Pride
8. Outward to Arktoga

COMMENTS:

Some of you are probably wondering why choose this one as an essential over a BESTIAL WARLUST release. DESTROYER 666 was never intended to be a serious full time band. It was simply going to be a side project for K.K. Warslut to kick out some Thrash driven cuts. Fortunately he continued on and made a full time band that's still with us today. So in the future you might see something about Blood & Valour. But for now we'll place K.K. Warslut's post BESTIAL WARLUST band's second full length in the Scumfeast Metal Essentials file. For me the choice is easy because this release is a perfect example of Australian Extreme Metal. It's the best DESTROYER 666 release of their few to choose from career. Although the jury vote might have to be retaken because of a supposed release in 2009. It's also a prime example of what Blackened Thrash is all about. Strangely enough it reminds me of BATHORY in the sense that the sound on Unchain the Wolves is both savage and epic. This is especially true after listening to the first song "Genesis To Genocide" with it's tolling bell, howling wind sample and eerie syth opening. Then the guitars kick
in and it becomes this hypnotic Black Metal epic lasting just over ten minutes in length. I love how the guitar solos on "Genesis To Genocide" seem to walk in from a backroom like an uninvited guest. They're very melodic in style and yet convey power. It's really an anthem for anyone who is willing to embrace the dark side of the Extreme Metal realm. The lyrics are calling to the listener, "What if we called in the dead of night? Would you leave your woman and fight? Would you join us?" I already have my friend.

The following cut, "Australian and Anti-christ" has this great opening sample of a crowd screaming "Confess Confess" to which K.K. Warslut screams back "Fuck You Fuck You". Not as good as Barbara Steele's comeback in the horror movie classic Black Sunday but it does suffice. This is a great full on Thrash number simple powerful and spewing of political incorrectness and Satanic philosophy. Plus it has a catchy as all hell chorus. "Satan's Hammer" is another speedfreak number with some haunting soloing in it's early moments. The damm riff driven brutality, the hatred, the pulverizing heavy as fuck metal sound. It makes you want to grab hold of Satan's Hammer and pound some loser's head in with it. And I do know some well deserving individuals in need of some pounding but then don't we all. "Tyranny of the Inevitable" kind of has this haunting Western sound quality. I can imagine them playing this at some ghost town in the outback of Australia. The cut is paced slowly but still an epic masterpiece none the less."Six Curses from a Spiritual Wasteland" is another Thrash favored number perfect for banging one's head to. The title song is another long epic number and it's also my favorite cut on here. How could I not
go insane when you hear lyrics like "Summon the werewolf blood! Summon the wolves to war! UNCHAIN THE WOLVES, UNCHAIN THE WOLVES, UNCHAIN THE WOLVES! SET THEM FUCKING WILD"! The song is fantastic. The same with the following cuts "Damnations Pride" and "Outward to Arktoga".

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Unchain the Wolves represents a balance of all Extreme Metal genres and yet it still
holds true to the Blackened Thrash side. It's a call to arms for anyone with a strong dark side. It was reissued in 2005 so it's easy to find.

WEBSITES:

http://www.destroyer666.net/
http://www.myspace.com/destroyer666band
http://www.season-of-mist.com

RAINBOW - Rising LP/CD review

2009-03-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

RAINBOW - Rising LP/CD
label: Polydor Records
released: 1976
track listing:
1. Tarot Woman
2. Run With The Wolf
3. Starstruck
4. Do You Close Your Eyes
5. Stargazer
6. A Light In The Black

Of the three Dio-era Rainbow studio releases this one, the second, will always be my
favorite and definitely an essential when it comes to medieval inspired epic metal. It also proved to the music world at the time that Blackmore could create greatness without DEEP PURPLE. In fact Rising was light years better than the last two DEEP PURPLE releases that Blackmore appeared on, Burn and Stormbringer. And the post Blackmore DEEP PURPLE LP, Come Taste The Band was simply a fuckin joke. Even Blackmore's first solo/RAINBOW release, Richie Blackmore's Rainbow, was better than that piece of garbage. And I'm a huge DEEP PURPLE fan. Rising also contained the best RAINBOW line-up of all their career. Consisting of Dio on vocals, Blackmore on guitar, Jimmy Bain on bass, Tony Carey on keyboards, and Cozy Powell on drums, this line-up would go on a world tour in 76 in support for this release.

All six cuts on Rising are incredible. "Tarot Woman" opens with swirling synthesizer
passage provided by keyboardist Tony Cary. Blackmore takes over afterwards with typical blistering riffs. And of course Dio's vocals shine through this whole rocker. "Run With The Wolf" is a signature Blackmore bluesy cut reminiscent of his DEEP PURPLE Mark II line-up days. "Starstruck" is also in the same vein and tells the true story of a stalker in Blackmore's life. "Do You Close Your Eyes" is considered by many as the album's lone throwaway track. I disagree of course since it contains a strong powerful vocal performance by Dio. In fact each band member's performance combines together as a unit on this track more than other. As opposed to the others which give time to each in order to perform a solo.

Of course this album will always be known for it's two over eight minute long tracks
which close it. First off "Stargazer" is the LP's masterpiece and shows off the classical elements this line-up had in hand. Cary's spacey syths, Powells powerful drum solos, Blackmore and Bain's guitars cranking in and of course Dio's majestic vocals. The song is flawless and contains one of Blackmore's longest and elegant solos put to tape. For it's time the production and arrangements on here were perfectly in sync. Cary's keyboard playing sets this otherworldly atmosphere while Blackmore bends notes to soaring degrees. Near the end Dio sings "I see a rainbow rising" and chills just run right through you. Whenever you listen to this it becomes debatable which LP showed off Dio's talents better as a vocalist, this or BLACK SABBATH's Heaven and Hell.

The final climax of Rising is "A Light In The Black", a rousing number which contains the best guitar/keyboards duel since Blackmore's DEEP PURPLE days. In fact the song is so reminiscent of DEEP PURPLE. It's as if Blackmore is telling his former band mates to stick it. I'm sure he did it many times but on here it's a recorded slap in the face. And speaking of slaps whenever I read or hear someone attack "Power Metal" I think of this LP. For all intensive purposes this era of RAINBOW is the beginning influence on the genre. Years later other bands like SAXON and MANOWAR would really define it. But the early beginnings were paved on Rising.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

I know there are a few "Best of RAINBOW" releases out there for people to pick up. I've got one from 1981 the double LP compilation on Polydor Records. But your best bet will always be to get this original in all it's glory on vinyl or disc. It's also been remastered on CD and you can find it cheap over the internet if you look for it. For all of you true collectors I've also got this on CD titled RAINBOW Rising Rough Mix Bootleg. It's a recording put to CD which was directly copied from the original pre-mixed tapes that belonged to drummer Cozy Powell. It's exactly the same as the original but you can hear a few missteps in the openings of two songs. Plus "StargazerI don't want to talk about my RAINBOW live at Budokan 1976 double CD boot, which is slightly different than the official On Stage live LP from 1977. Oh did I mention it? Sorry about that atleast I didn't mention that I first saw RAINBOW during their 1978 Long Live Rock and Roll tour in 1978. I saw them a few years later during their Joe Lynn Turner pop faze too with RIOT and the SCORPIANS (doing Blackout). RAINBOW did do "Smoke on the Water".

WEBSITES:

Sorry to say this but there are no RAINBOW official band sites but here's a treat for ya.

MORBID ANGEL - Altars of Madness CD review

2009-03-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

MORBID ANGEL - Altars of Madness CD
label: Earache Records
released: 1989
track listing:
1. Immortal Rites 4.04
2. Suffocation 3.15
3. Visions from the Dark Side 4.10
4. Maze of Torment 4.25
5. Lord of all Fevers & Plague 3.26
6. Chapel of Ghouls 4.57
7. Bleed for the Devil 2.23
8. Damnation 4.10
9. Blasphemy 3.32
10. Evil Spells 4.12
11. Maze of Torment (Remix) 4.24
12. Chapel of Ghouls (Remix) 4.56
13. Blasphemy (Remix) 3.22

COMMENTS:

Altars of Madness is the most important release in the history of Death Metal. Not many bands can have that said about their full length debut. But in MORBID ANGEL's case it comes easy. There are many things about Altars of Madness which makes it an essential for anyone into Extreme Metal. First off there's the production/sound quality which by today's white washed standards would in all intensive purposes be considered crap. The sound on Altars of Madness is simply "unclean". Most people won't understand that but the extreme ones do. It's completely heathen in it's approach to sound and style. Complete unadulterated filth and we love it. The raw unpolished quality is what makes this extreme. Can you just imagine the faces of the unaware when this onslaught was turned on them?

"What is that", they ask?

Another important part are the vocals by bassist David Vincent which are unmatched in their terrifying hatred of everything. Vincent's vocals are simply inhuman sounding. The guy was possessed during the recording session. Listen to his voice on "Bleed for the Devil". It's as if he's singing in the first person not just reciting lyrics he'd written. That's freaky and I don't care how much Black Metal you've numbed yourself with. Vincent is the Devil on Altars of Madness.

"What is that", they ask?

What more could be said about the demonic guitar duo of Richard Brunelle and Trey
Azagthoth? The riffs/rhythms on here are monsters running wild amongst the sheep. The solos are fiery meteors raining down upon the unshielded fools. On "Chapel of Ghouls" the solos sound like unleashed flaming bats on the attack. The rhythms are haunting like actual zombies are rising up. You can't run because they have you by the ankles.

"What is that", they ask?

Pete Sandoval was a sadist when it came to the drumming on here. Be it the steady pounded rhythms or the torturing blastbeats the guy was getting off on inflicting pain. All through this album here was this mad man delivering S&M styled beatings without any "safe words" to be uttered.

"What is that", they ask?

You really wanna know what that is? It's your end, fuck face!

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Like I said earlier, this is the most important Death Metal release of all time. If
you've grown tired of it or are one of these pussy boy, indie rock, snobs who only likes Death Metal that has progressed from what they consider it's "neanderthal" beginnings.

WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU EVEN READING THIS LOSER? GET OUT!

WEBSITES:

http://www.morbidangel.com/
http://www.myspace.com/morbidangelofficial

ARCH ENEMY - Wages of Sin CD review

2009-03-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

ARCH ENEMY - Wages of Sin CD
label: Century Media Records
released: 2001
track listing:
1. Enemy Within
2. Burning Angel
3. Heart Of Darkness
4. Ravenous
5. Savage Messiah
6. Dead Bury Their Dead
7. Web Of Lies
8. The First Deadly Sin
9. Behind The Smile
10. Snow Bound
11. Shadows And Dust

COMMENTS:

Wages of Sin might start off with some nice piano on the opening cut "Enemy Within". But by the one minute twenty-five second mark, after the guitars have burst forth. The face and sound of Death Metal, Swedish Melodic Death Metal, would change forever. You would have to be a misogynist, a homosexual or a complete utter fool (aka: a disgruntled AT THE GATES fan) to disregard the fact of what happens at that 1:25 minute mark on this CD. Because it's there that Angela Gossow enters into the picture and things would never be the same afterwards.

We all know the story. Arch Enemy was brought together in 1995 by guitarist Michael Amott after his previous band, CARCASS split up. He already had his stoner rock band SPIRITUAL BEGGERS but wanted something a little more on the Death Metal side of the musical spectrum. The original bunch of musicians that accompanied Michael Amott were his brother Christopher Amott (guitar), Daniel Erlandsson (drums), and ex-CARNAGE vocalist Johan Liiva. In 1996 this band released their debut album Black Earth. As the years passed there were some line-up changes and more releases. In 1999 their Burning Bridges release garnered the band high praise but for Michael Amott it wasn't enough. The one major problem was Johan Liiva who was not willing to go all out as a participant in the band. Despite what some modern day eager young assassins of musical revisionism would have you believe, the guy was not into doing long tours. So out went Liiva and in came a replacement who surprisingly became the German blonde Angela Gossow. Like I said earlier, things changed.

ARCH ENEMY were already a good Melodic Death Metal band displaying fast yet intricate guitar work by the brothers Amott. Along with that you had the very impressive drumming by Daniel Erlandsson. So with Angela Gossow on vocals they became a great band which over the past few years has only gotten better which each release. But it all started here on a release where at first people didn't believe it was a woman doing the vocals. Even today I've played ARCH ENEMY to people not in the know and they have a hard time believing it. Once they realize it they are intrigued by the whole band's sound. Gossow's vocals whether it's her guttural growls, raspy screams or that sinister semi-whisper were far more exciting than the man she replaced. Sound-wise this release was not much of a jump away from their previous work. The music on Wages of Sin was all written before Gossow joined the band with the exception of some lyrics. But still with her vocals this release really twisted the traditional Gothenburg sound. Which by this time was pretty
boring and in need of some excitement. Some people were happy with the repetitive circle jerk sound which was bleeding out of post Slaughter of the Soul Gothenburg. Thankfully ARCH ENEMY were ready to expand.

Wages of Sin is far from being a pure Swedish Melodic Death Metal release which to me is a good thing. At times it comes off like Thrash with excellent soloing by the brothers Amott. There's also some NWOBM influence (IRON MAIDEN especially) in the melodies/solos that threw some Melodic Death Metal purists back in the day. Actually they're still thrown by it and I refer you back to my first paragraph for an explanation why. Gossow's ability to use varied vocal styles, while still keeping things harsh, was also a needed change. And yet it never once went to the pathetic examples of today. I'm talking about this modern day singing with death growl vocals on one verse then switching to normal vocals for the next one. The bottom-line here is that Wages of Sin is/was/and will always be a release that still kicked ass. Strangely enough there are some that still cry about being kicked in the face. WELL GOOD!

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Yeah well what more can I say. This is a Metal album for people who actually like Metal. One thing I mentioned earlier is that each of the band's following releases did get better and better. That's true I'm even a huge fan of their last one Rise of the Tyrant. To me all of the Johan Liiva versus Angela Gossow shit is childish. To still cry like a baby about it all these years later proves one thing. You're a ignorant loser. Michael Amott did something you are incapable of doing, taking a huge chance to be successful at your craft. The past few years have proven him right and all of the detractors so miserably wrong. What is it like to be miserably wrong all the time? Could someone please explain how it feels because I sure as hell wouldn't know.

WEBSITES:
http://www.archenemy.net
http://www.myspace.com/archenemy

SCUMFEAST ESSENTIALS SERIES: KISS - Alive LP

2009-03-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

THE SCUMFEAST METAL PAST ESSENTIALS SERIES

THE ESSENTIALS ARE RELEASES THAT HAVE TRULY LEFT MARKS OR SCARS ON MY LIFE. AND STILL TODAY I CAN PLAY WITHOUT EVER BEING BORED BUT STILL KEEP ME EXCITED AS IF I'M PLAYING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME. THEY'RE FROM THE VARIOUS METAL GENRES AND OF YEARS PASSED. SO TAKE A TRIP DOWN MY MEMORY LANE AND HOPEFULLY REMIND YOU OF YOUR OWN.

WOLF,EDITOR

SCUMFEAST ESSENTIALS SERIES: KISS - Alive LP

THE FOLLOWING ESSENTIALS SERIES REVIEW WAS WRITTEN BY SPECIAL GUEST JAMES AT 15 (vocalist for the band KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS, Zombie Movie Actor and Business Owner of BUTTONS MADE FOR YOU.

KISS - Alive CD/Double LP
label: Casablanca Records
released: 1975
track listing:
CD/LP 1

1. Deuce
2. Strutter
3. Got To Choose
4. Hotter Than Hell
5. Firehouse
6. Nothin' To Lose
7. C'mon And Love Me
8. Parasite
9. She

CD/LP 2

1. Watchin' You
2. 1000,000 Years
3. Black Diamond
4. Rock Bottom
5. Cold Gin
6. Rock And Roll All Nite
7. Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll

COMMENTS:

When Wolf told me he was gonna write up something about this classic. I Had to get off my ass and write something myself. KISS Alive ! 1975 ??? Well a lot has been said by a lot of people about this album. There’s no telling how many lifelong rock n roll freaks out there got there start by buying this album as a kid. First some facts most already know, Certainly all KISS fans know. Really its still needs to be said in case there’s somebody too young or too caught up in other music to know. it’s a legendary story. After 3 albums 3 years of relentless touring the USA. KISS was headlining arenas in the Midwest and east coast. And a strong live act as well in the theaters & smaller stadiums of the south. The West coast tours were doing well too in spite of attempted sabotage by dirty promoters like Bill Graham. KISS was relentless. They recorded quickly & cheaply on the run as they cris-crossed the states playing show after show. But there was one huge problem. After three albums there was not even a hint of a radio hit. Zero airplay. Critics hated the band. Other bands feared them. Record labels make their money selling records . That’s done by getting a hit on the radio. At least in those days that was the deal. Its amazing that the band could sell out the same stadiums Led Zeppelin did, yet not get a hit on the radio? Well it all changed with the release of this album.

Originally released just to buy time with the record label to get the boys back in the studio to record another studio LP. Within weeks of its release it was shooting up the charts and KISS even had a genuine radio hit, "Rock N Roll all Night"! A perfect slice of hard fast raw sing along rock n roll heaven. A anthem for the millions of 1970s stoned to the bone hardworking denim & leather long haired don’t care about your hippie shit just wanna have fun so fuck you American Youth of the time. This song is still heard on radio stations everywhere everyday today! I for one hope they never stop. KISS has continually encored with it over the years. Every night somewhere I’m sure countless bands cover it in clubs. I myself have sang it with 5 different bands. Strippers everywhere swing their naked bodies round that shiny pole to this song in every strip club I ever went to, How about you? But hey that’s just one song off the album. The rest of the songs? Again timeless classics. Live ! Very live , Raw exciting pounding heavy rude crude sloppy at times. Just listening to this endless visuals run through my head. Blood, Fire ,Sweat, huge amps, huge lights, screams from the band and crowd. Guitars were smashed. Lights blinded the audience. Bombs deafened them. Groupies were fucked , arenas were trashed & millions of t shirts were sold! Ha Ha Ha true fucking Genius.

The one two punch of "Deuce" & "Strutter" start the album off again setting the standard in powerhouse rock n roll live albums & shows. Then it slows down just a hair for "Got To Choose" & "Hotter Then Hell". But hey in those days that really was not slow. In fact in 1975 you gotta realize this album & performance was considered quite shocking outrageous & heavy. Few other acts of the time even came close. Make no mistake about it KISS more then any other probably. But not to forget other 70s heavy metal ghouls like BLACK SABBATH & ALICE COOPER. If not for these bands the extreme metal of today would not exist period. The sleazy Paul Stanley lyrics of "Firehouse"! Along with Genes fire blowing antics! Something that I myself never grew out of. Back then it was new. It was a truly shocking insane statement taking rock n roll performance to the circus or taking the circus to rock n roll? Whatever I’m glad they did it. Its pure fun. Back to raw fast pounding primal Rock N Roll with "Nothin To Loose" & "Come On And Love Me"! Again kiddies how many times I gotta say it? This is Rock N Roll ! This is way more impressive then your 8th generation black metal hate mommy band or your oh so me against the world til I die punk band. Don’t Believe me just ask your girlfriend or any girl that would actually talk to you. Better yet talk to somebody that actually does and has always had a love affair with rock n roll! Somebody that has put in some suffering and heartache just to stay true to it. Like Me! Or Wolf .

KISS Alive is Rock N Roll ! Gene Simmons fucking 5000 groupies & selling anything he can stamp a KISS logo on is Rock N Roll and also American Dream as fuck so eat shit true metal then thou, punk as fuck and indie rock faggots You suck ! KISS Rules and you need no more proof then this album ! Say its not metal ?? Say what??? Then what the fuck is "Parasite"? What is "100,000 Years"??? & what in the hell is "Black Motherfucking Diamond" ??? This song This performance never fails to make me cum & cum hard ! Like Rock N Roll All Night & Party Everyday "Black Diamond" the beginning , The Song! The guitar smashing bombs blowing lights flashing ending is the bombastic blueprint for extreme metal live shows. Thrash metal, Grunge, power metal & streetwise sleaze its all here in one fucking song! "Cold Gin"? Yep gotta hand it to Ace who wrote this one. You know what its all about BOOZE ! Don’t know about you. But I can relate at times. The album cover ? Oh my god again it sets the standard for double live greatness 70s style. The pictures the letters This album , The quintessential; 70s Double live album, The quintessential KISS album.

The first books of the rock n roll bible that I believe in. Yeah before KISS ALICE COOPER had makeup & stage shows. KISS took note, DEEP PURPLE, SABBATH, The WHO, had excessive volume & guitar smashing, KISS took note, The BEATLES had classic songwriting and strong individual members, KISS took note. The ROLLING STONES had a evil, sexual, sleazy dark side and rock n roll anthems KISS took note! KISS combined many of the best elements of what was at the time considered extreme and excessive creating something truly insane that lasts to this day. Sure a lot has changed with KISS , Genes reality show & cheesy self promotion . Endless marketing gimmicks. Paul’s art tour . The farewell tour that never ended. The fake Ace & Peter ! Still ya gotta give it to these guys. Even now every once and awhile what they were then still shows up in what they are now. 70s excess ?? Yeah we all heard the stories of 70s rock n roll excess. KISS was right there with the best of em. Stories of Gene & Paul Hollywood models & TV stars , Group sex in the recording studio Ladies Room ! Boozing & Drugging? Look no further then Ace Frehley & Peter Criss! Endless stories of hotel smashing, $1000 Champagne bottles & free cocaine for the buddies from the old neighborhood ! Peter Criss & his gold plated 357 Revolver blowing up TV screens that showed his supermodel girlfriend ! Genes Polaroid’s and Paul Stanley? A true Rock N Roll great. 100% Performer who NEVER lets the fans down. Great singer, Just you try to sing like that I dare ya! Songwriter ! I hate to keep saying to this day but yeah fag I’m telling ya. To this day the 59 Year old Paul Stanley struts his stuff across the stage and screams his guts out while dressed in black leather, spandex, Makeup & 7in heels! All while playing guitar & endless bombs going off! Can your ass do that boy???

Part of the mystic of the time was nobody new who they really were behind the makeup. But when the makeup came off. The amazing thing was. The mystic of it all became the fact that to some major extent these guys really were who they were on stage! Yeah Gene really was and really is a evil sleazy SOB! Paul Really is a rock n roll Romeo dating supermodels and living the life. Ace really was a spaced out freak that got off on playing guitar & boozing & Peter Criss? Well yeah the sensitive side of KISS yet at the same time violent and unpredictable. All of them Neighborhood guys from working class poor families. Guys that loved Rock N roll from childhood and dreamed of making the big-time. While struggling the same hardships most of their fans endured. While LED ZEPPLIN, ERIC CLAPTON, BOB DYLAN & the like played shows in NYC & fancy stages world wide. KISS played 50s era hockey arenas in towns like Evansville Indiana, Allentown PA & Jersey City ! KISS saw the virtuoso musicians of the time and were not impressed. They impressed themselves ! And that’s how rock n roll should be! On KISS ALIVE it all paid off. The American dream of working hard, taking no shit and pushing it to the limit came true. The underdogs became the heroes and legends were born. So there ya go KISS Alive possibly the greatest live album ever. Certainly in the top ten in my book.

Please understand I believe rock n roll is more important live. Therefore I rate live albums higher then any studio album. Simply put I like live albums better. All my favorite albums ever are live albums. Wanna know what they are? Here’s the short list TED NUGENT - Double Live Gonzo, RAMONES - Its Alive, KISS - Alive 2, CHEAP TRICK - Live at Budokon and many others but hey we ain’t talking about them. We are talking about KISS ALIVE ! Yeah the first one, asshole. In all its Live & Loud, Raw & Rude, sleazy & bombastic glory! Its gospel fool, I tell ya. So are there any weak points to it at all??? Well just a minor complaint but I have never been big on long drum solos so yeah that’s really my only real complaint. I guess theres always gonna be songs from the first three studio Lps that I wished were recorded live. But ya know that shits minor. This album represents a classic & typical live KISS show from 1975. Really check out the video on KISSology 1 that’s what they did & how they did it! So ya can’t have em all.

So now. YOU reading this? What does this mean to you? Well it could mean several things.

#1. If you call yourself a true Rocker and don’t own or love this album now you find out you’re a poser and your given chance to correct that.

#2 If your younger and just didn’t know? Well fair enough now ya know go out and get it soon. If you just don’t know much about KISS then this is probably the best place to start. So Start !

#3 If Ya just don’t like KISS then fair enough. No big deal we are all entitled to our own opinions & it’s a free country. But don’t you dare try to tell me anything about real rock n roll or metal history. Cause that’s a opinion that gives clear indication that YOUR FULL OF SHIT !

#4 If you’re a total Jackass and consider what I’m saying not to be true. Then go check out your lame indie rock, extreme metal worms & poser punk gayness. You just suck all around and I waste enough time in my life dealing with assholes I have to deal with through work, life, neighborhood, etc. I don’t Have to deal with you. Please remove yourself from my general sphere of existence.

You Wanted the Best & You Got The Best ! KISS Mutherfucker Believe It !

RECOMMENDATIONS

KISS ALIVE 1975-2000

What we have here is a fine box set consisting of the classic KISS Alive & KISS Alive 2 albums remastered along with bonus songs, Plus the KISS Alive 3 album from 1993 (non-makeup KISS) You also get KISS Alive , The Millennium concert from the 2000 Farwell tour that ended up not ending ha ha ha. 4 great Cds plus a 78 page booklet full of cool pictures and insight about the albums from the people who worked for & with KISS on the albums at the time. Plus tons of words from the band members themselves. Everybody already knows KISS Alive & KISS Alive 2 are two of the greatest albums live or otherwise by any band anywhere anytime by now. If you don’t know that. Go get those albums NOW! If you still don’t believe me, Well you’re a fool with no taste in real rock n roll. I hate to be that harsh but its just the way it is. KISS Alive was the album that really made KISS a household name. Its considered to be their very best. Even mainstream trendy egghead rock critics who hate KISS have to begrudgingly give KISS credit for kicking ass on this one. it’s a classic live 70s metal/glam/hard rock album! Its got it all. Over the top rock anthems, Shocking (at the time) lyrics & between song banter. Drum solos, guitar solos, bombastic drawn out song endings (where you can actually hear the explosions) Everything is timed out just right to keep you interested and stay with the album start to finish. Remastered version is not really any different. Just sounds a little better cranked really loud. Gene Simmons himself admits they started playing better, recording better and spending more money in general after this. Playing the rock star and losing track of some of the KISS magic. In all its raw, primitive, loud, rude glory this was the beginning and end of the real KISS. Not to say KISS was not still the greatest band ever after KISS Alive.

Three near perfect studio albums and stadium packing tours later KISS released KISS Alive 2. Another unstoppable over the top glam/hard rock/ heavy metal classic. No songs from the first live album are repeated. Only songs from the Destroyer, Rock N Roll Over & Love Gun releases are featured live. Side 4 was 5 new studio songs from the time. Not the best KISS songs ever but damn good for sure. "All American Man", "Rocket Ride" & "Larger Then Life" are certainly KISS classics. The live stuff is just as great as the first live album. Sometimes I think its better then KISS Alive others I consider it equal. And occasionally I prefer Alive still. Bottom line is I would not consider ever not having this album in my collection. After Alive 2 KISS fell into total rock star delusions and started experimenting with disco, pop, prog rock & finally came back to the heavy anthem arena metal stuff that made em famous to begin with. Even so it’s a shame there is no live album to document the Dynasty, Unmasked, Elder, and Creatures Of The Night LP Years. Would have been interesting. There are some bootlegs floating around but that’s another review.

After Creatures, KISS took off the makeup and put out 6 albums and toured relentlessly the entire time. Lots of people make fun of the non makeup KISS years and albums. But I can tell ya having those albums and seeing em on those tours. They were still one of the greatest live acts ever. After Peter Criss & Ace Frehley, quit the band. Then the gifted but troubled Vinnie Vincent had to be fired. Gene & Paul took the opportunity to hire better both technically & professionally musicians Eric Carr on drums. & Bruce Kulick on lead guitar. Both very talented and willing to let Gene & Paul lead the band in everyway. The resulting albums were often pretty much formula arena pop anthem metal that bands like KISS had actually started & perfected in the 70s. Usually one Paul Stanley power ballad, A couple sleazy Gene Simmons metal songs, And the rest Gene & Paul sing along anthems. Live there was always still tons of fire , bombs, lights and elaborate stages. Many of these albums sold as good as any other KISS album at first. But none ever really had the staying power of the original KISS classics. Not sure what was going on with the boys when KISS Alive 3 was originally released. At first it was supposed to be a double album, All songs not on Alive 1 & 2. But in the end it was recorded 1993 on the Revenge tour. Great album but its just not Alive 1 or 2. Still there are some classic moments . "Creatures of The Night", "Unholy" & "God Gave Rock N Roll to You" w/ "The Star Spangled Banner". Die hard KISS freaks love it , Most casual KISS fans like it if they give it a chance. For many people it was always hard to get past the fact that Ace & Peter were gone. As was the makeup. Me too. But if you saw them in those days and had the albums. Then you know they were still a very very good heavy metal / hard rock band. Live KISS never ever was anything less then the best.

The final disc in the box is KISS Alive the Millennium concert. This was originally supposed to be called KISS Alive 4 , It was also supposed to be the final KISS concert. But then the farewell tour went on and on. And Peter & Ace left yet again. Eric Singer & Tommy Thayer were brought in to replace em. And KISS Symphony Alive 4 was released instead. Anyway KISS Alive Millennium concert is one of the last shows with the original lineup. it’s a great show tons of KISS classics. Its interesting to hear Ace & Peter performing later Kiss classics "Heavens On Fire" & "Lick It Up". There is also a few cool live versions of songs from the KISS reunion album Psycho Circus - Ace’s "Into The Void" & the title track. Good stuff that should have gotten more attention when it was released. All and all. If you love KISS Alive 1 & 2 this is well worth it. You get the remastered versions of both those albums as well as two more great Kiss discs & a great 72 page booklet full of rare photos and commentary. All for about the same price it would cost you to buy the first two KISS Alives separately on CD. The choice is clear. Found anywhere rock n roll is sold!

KISS Alive 4 Symphony

Well Well My My. What a strange slice of KISStory we have here. After the idea behind KISS Alive 4 Farewell concert album was scraped Peter Criss again came back into the band. A tour of Australia was planned and a performance with Australia’s world renowned Melbourne Symphony Orchestra & children’s choir was planned. A strange move for KISS indeed! Still KISS has always done things a little different. They were not the first rock band to do this type of thing. But certainly the first band of their kind to do it. And as usual KISS does things on a way bigger scale then other bands so This performance was to be recorded for a double live album / DVD and the orchestra was to be dressed in full KISS makeup as well as a special stage show and 3 level stage designed just for this show. Anyway to see the DVD all I can say is incredible! Like any live KISS show its quite entertaining . The added effect of a full symphony orchestra & children’s choir in full KISS makeup is a sight to see.

Now the album? Well as a KISS live album ? Its different of course. Double CD the first CD consist of Act 1 & 2 . Act one is a quick warm up set of 6 KISS Classics "Deuce", "Strutter, Let Me go Rock N roll, Lick It Up, Dr Love, Psycho Circus performed live without the Orchestra just as KISS does best. Sounding as great as ever the CD is worth buying for these 6 songs alone. Next up things get weird Act 2 KISS performs acoustic with the Melbourne Symphony ensemble. The classic Beth, Paul Stanley’s early 90s hit Forever, early KISS Klassic Going Blind ! Then from the Unmasked LP Sure Know Something & Shandi ! This album was mostly hated by US KISS fans (including myself) But in Australia it was their biggest selling record and these songs are very important to the average Australian KISS fan. I gotta say here live I like em ok. Going Blind here is very great , a great song anyway and its very cool to hear them pull it out live after all these years. On to disc 2 The full performance of KISS with the full orchestra. Tons of the Klassics like Do Ya love Me, Black Diamond, Detroit Rock City , God Of Thunder, Love Gun , Great Expectations, of course Rock N Roll All-night and a few others. Surprisingly it all works well. Sounds great. Of course I prefer as well as most fans the originals done the way they were originally done. Of course! But hey this is a different thing and very cool in its own right. Can’t have steak for every meal right? Maybe even now with this recording fans of symphonic type metal can more appreciate the glory of KISS. All in All its still not KISS Alive 1 or 2. But its not supposed to be. This is still KISS. Its still great. But it’s a different time & place. Different band really. You gotta give em credit for continuing to explore different ideas as a band after all these years. As always with KISS the focus is on the live show, The exciting bombastic performance. That’s something I truly adore about this band. KISS Alive 4 Symphony ! Recommended !!!!

KISS Unplugged

Not much I wanna say about this one. I’m only reviewing it because I’m reviewing the KISS live albums. 15 KISS songs live & acoustic? Not how most of us wanna hear KISS at all. At the time this was recorded a lot of bands were doing this. It was a popular MTV show. Always looking for the opportunity to be on TV of course KISS had to jump in with both feet. How did it work? Not bad. Hey a lot of these songs are just good songs. Good songwriting tends to shine through in a situation like this. Once again proving that behind all the hype, The show, The volume & excess KISS were actually great songwriters. "I Still Love You", "Plaster Caster", "Comin Home", "Every time I look At You", Great stuff. Another important note on this cd. Was it signaled the return of Ace & Peter into the band fulltime. So yeah if you’re a KISS Completist. Or a fan of classic rock done acoustically then it’s a great album worth buying. If not ? Well don’t feel left out or compelled to seek this out. Another weird page in KISStory folks !

WEBSITES:

http://www.kissonline.com/

JAMES AT 15 can be reached at:
http://myspace.com/jamesat15

BUTTONS MADE FOR YOU is at:
http://myspace.com/but

The official KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS band site is at:
http://myspace.com/kiffknowledgeisforfools

SCUMFEAST METAL's REVIEWS for FEB. 09 (late)

2009-03-03T19:25:00.001-08:00

SCUMFEAST METAL's REVIEWS for FEB. 09 (late)

THE FOLLOWING REVIEWS APPEAR BELOW AS FOLLOWS

16 - Bridges To Burn CD

ALESTORM - Leviathan mini-CD

ANAEL - From Arcane Fires CD

ARTEP - Black War CD

CATTLE DECAPITATION - The Harvest Floor CD

HELLVETO - Neoheresy CD

ISOLE - Silent Ruins CD

MOROSE VITALITY - Black Dawn of a Dead Planet CD

NEFASTUS DIES - Interlude 2009 Promo

RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER- Living for Death Destroying the Rest CD

SERPENTCULT - Weight of Light CD

TANKARD - Thirst CD

PAGE DOWN TO READ THEM ALL

16 - Bridges To Burn CD review

2009-03-03T19:21:00.000-08:00

16 - Bridges To Burn CD
Relapse Records

I remember seeing 16 open up for EYEHATEGOD a long fuckin time ago. Now that was a Sludge Fest of huge proportions. Since then I never kept up with the band or the genre. The Stoner Rock generation which followed had it's moments as well as other Sludge/Doom bands. Although I can't help but grimace for the offshoot Metal style they spawned which I hatefully refer to as "groove metal". Now for those of you who are still fans of 16 and have been waiting patiently the past six years for something. Your wait was worth it so enjoy because on this, their "comeback" release, 16 haven't changed one bit. Albeit the title, Bridges To Burn, might throw some off. This is sludgey doom with plenty of grooves, breakdowns, and Bobby Ferry's signature thick riffs. Cris Jerue packs plenty of Hardcore anger in his vocal delivery. Given that it has been six years he probably has alot to scream about. And lyrically his mood hasn't changed one bit either. I thought these guys were from California home of fun and sun. Oh yeah now it's the home of budget deficits and smog. Anyway this twelve cut sludgefest of 2009 will most likely grab the attention of those who have been gnawing on the nuts of DOWN and CROWBAR for the past few years.

www.relapse.com

ALESTORM - Leviathan mini-CD review

2009-03-03T19:17:00.000-08:00

ALESTORM - Leviathan mini-CD
Napalm Records

Well Yo Ho Ho & a bottle of rum everyone's favorite Scottish Pirate Metal band is back with a four song CDEP. Actually this was supposed to come out last year. Oh well there's no telling time with pirates especially drunk ones. If you're familiar with their full lengther Captain Morgan's Revenge (and frankly whose not?) then what you have here is more of the same. “with a hi hi ho and a hi hi hey" I'll be hearing atleast one or two of these booze inspired gems when ALESTORM lands into my town as part of the Pagan Knights Tour in a few weeks. For those of you not familiar with ALESTORM they're Heavy Metal pirates, part of the new Battle Metal band ranks. A guilty pleasure for your's truly here only because they have a mix of fast chorus laden catchy songs. They also add a touch of Scottish Folk influence to their sound.

www.napalmrecords.com

ANAEL - From Arcane Fires CD review

2009-03-03T19:11:00.000-08:00

ANAEL - From Arcane Fires CD
Paragon Records

I'll let the children have fun with the band name, for me it's all about the music. Once in a while I like to listen to Black Metal that spares no expense when delivering a sound that's part dance to the holocaust and part atmospheric pondering. That's what this German band has done on this their third full length. These days you have plenty of witless fucks who would call this "thinking man's" Black Metal. I find that insulting since all Black Metal makes you think. And when those thoughts turn into actions those casual witless fucks get nervous. Fortunately for them the seven cuts on From Arcane Fires are the midway point in the balance between thought and action. I find that to be the most diabolical place of all. ANAEL bring that out with long epic sounding broods like the opener "Devil's Tongues" and "Song of the Moth". On a whole this release has me "thinking" impending doom is on it's way. I continually replay "All Souls' Night" and smile like a devious child. Moments are filled with crushing destructive force only to slow down in order to gaze upon the wrath. There's a beauty to all of this be it the harshness of the vocals which at times sound like screams echoing across a wasteland. The guitar riffs pack raw punishment along with melodic contemplation. I can't help but think this fits into the niche between early ENSLAVED and PRIMORDIAL. Although I'm not saying ANAEL takes something from either. On the contrary, ANAEL are the missing link between those two great bands.

www.paragonrecords.org

ARTEP - Black War CD review

2009-03-03T18:56:00.000-08:00

ARTEP - Black War CD
self released three song promo

Symphonic Black Metal has taken it's fair share of criticism in the Metal Media over the past few years. I'll be one to admit that the lion's share of that criticism was deserved. What was once an interesting sub-genre that infused orchestral keyboard movements into harsh melodic Black Metal has gone stale. The new school acts are putting out releases with over the top production but lackluster songwriting. Their main emphasis seems to be more on the showbiz aspects than their craft. They cater to the Hot Topic "goth" customer base instead of Extreme Metal fans. I'm part of the Black Metal fanbase that believes like WATAIN frontman, Erik Danielsson, in that for someone to create evil music one first needs to BE EVIL. If you wanna take the showbiz route and garner your fifteen minutes of fame, then fine. But don't get all defensive when others point out your directions/intentions to Extreme Metal fans. Also for the critics, don't dump on the genre as a whole just because of a few bad clowns. You might miss out on a surprise release like this one.

ARTEP are from Canada and this three song mini CD is just a tap on the shoulder from a hand who's forearm is wrapped in a spiked gauntlet. Their full length, Thy Will Be Done On Earth As Is Done In Hell, will be out soon enough. So if this promo dink misses you then check out their sites and be prepared for something worthy. I've been blasting this for a few weeks now and I believe ARTEP are the band which will change alot of minds. As with well done Symphonic Black Metal bands of the past their sound paints a landscape for you to enter at your own risk of course. The atmosphere here is bleak, horrific and absolutely evil. The high useage of keyboards/synths is what carries their sound as opposed to the guitars. There's a constant sense of foreboding Gothic quality Doom within the songs on here. The opening and title cut, "Black War" is a flawless example of this quality. The second cut,"Antichrist", combines all the instrumentation to the pinnacle of perfection. Heavy riffs combined with the harsh shrieking vocals and letting the keyboards carry the melody along a firebrand. It's the most powerful cut on here and I'm hoping to hear more like it on their future full length.

The final song Eye of the Serpent/Oko Hada reminds me of modern day DIMMU BORGIR with it's heavy reliance on the symphonic element plus it's shifting from aggressive to softer tones. Still this three song dink had me wanting more. Like I said earlier, ARTEP gives this genre hope for fans wanting something to tear into. I'm betting when they play live all the strange ones will crowd up to the front of the stage. Songs like these are worth selling your soul for. But they're not good for selling footwear and other clothing accessories to, if you know what I mean. And I bet you do!

http://www.artep.com/

CATTLE DECAPITATION - The Harvest Floor CD review

2009-03-03T18:50:00.000-08:00

CATTLE DECAPITATION - The Harvest Floor CD
Metal Blade Records

I find it ironic that I had a steak for dinner tonight before sitting down to review this. CATTLE DECAPITATION's brand of Death Grind is predictably boring enough but it's their pro-animal/anti-human lyrics which really make me feel brutalized. Then again they have Jarboe from the SWANS, who always reminds me of Grand Ma Ma from the Adams Family TV Show, adding guest vocals on the title track. Believe it or not it's the only cut on here that's not boring. The rest of which combines their love of blast beat Grind mixed into an almost melodic Death Metal template. There's even some Progressive moments like a cello player on the final cut. All of which is headache inducing not because of the sound but because of their lack of excitement. They must think adding a few extra non-traditional Death Grind elements to this is equal to seasoning a piece of meat before placing it on the grill. Unfortunately the whole thing is overcooked, burnt actually.

Although CATTLE DECAPITATION's social/political idealism might appeal to the PETA cultists their music won't. I'm envisioning some mohawked kid with an animal liberation patch on his leather jacket. That's not irony either it's the pathetic truth. The only thing appealing about The Harvest Floor is the cover artwork. Humans being corralled into a slaughter-house is always thought provoking. Although my thoughts about it will not be what the band has in mind. When I look at the cover I'm thinking they're all far left wackos being slaughtered wholesale by the masters who they willingly gave into. Maybe Al Gore is inside wielding the executioner's hammer because we all know he likes his meat. I wonder if this will be banned in China because they kill people over there and sell their organs over the Internet. Much like depressive shoegazing Doom is for people to give into their thoughts of suicide. I wonder how CATTLE DECAPITATION can sustain a fan base since the idea behind the music is self-loathing disgust for being an evil human creature. I wonder what these cabbage heads think is more humane, eating a hamburger or letting cattle starve to death.

www.metalblade.com

HELLVETO - Neoheresy CD review

2009-03-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

HELLVETO - Neoheresy CD
Pulverised Records

The other day I got an email from a friend asking since February is Black History month here in the states was it also Black Metal History month. Obviously I replied back that no it wasn't. Black Metal History cannot be contained within a month, especially a short one like February. Black Metal History is year round and the studying never ends. Case in point here with this Polish band HELLVETO, which is actually a one man project created by L.O.M. He's responsible for the vocals and all instruments plus he's been doing HELLVETO since 1995. Better still he's also had other one man projects like BLAKAGIR, SARKEL and WINDS OF GARDEN. So there's what I mean about history people.

It's unfortunate that I'm only reviewing this now since it came out in Dec. 08. Because it could have easily found it's way on my end of year best of listings. Neoheresy can best be described as part Pagan Black Metal and part Progressive because of the orchestral moments on here. All of which creates this over the top epic sound that's inviting to listeners who value interesting musical compositions. This is also a release that you simply can't run through fast. With each spin you'll catch something you've missed during a previous listen. For those who like their Black Metal to jump out of the speakers and KILL. This will not be your type of release unless you give it a chance which I did. The sound on most of Neoheresy is like being poisoned slowly. There's a relaxed atmosphere throughout but with sudden jolts of painful agony. There's multiple mood shifts within all six cuts. The vocals are kept in the background and yet scream out from afar. So it's not as if they're buried plus L.O.M. sounds human rather then....well a fucking demon. Guitars are very melodic especially when teamed up with the keyboards. All in all an intriguing release for anyone smart enough to give it a chance.

www.pulverised.net/

ISOLE - Silent Ruins CD review

2009-03-03T18:38:00.000-08:00

ISOLE - Silent Ruins CD
Napalm Records

I said their last release dragged more ass than an alligator. That was a complement. I know all you Doomsters who still have a half living brain can comprehend sarcasm. Now when it comes to Doom Metal these Swedes are serious. Even their myspace page is a slow download. ISOLE keep with the despair side of epic sounding Doom Metal with traditional style vocals, tunes that are melancholy and an overall feeling of misery. Yeah this CD is not one to break out at a party unless you've poisoned the punch. There's a concept album thing going on here which just adds to the sadness. Silent Ruins is the band's fourth full length and their absolute best so far. Supposedly this is part one of a trilogy so don't off yourself just yet. Personally I think the only thing sadder than this would be to work at a hospital ward for terminally ill patients and they're all your relatives. Oh yeah now that's sad like this release but then again with this band it's a good thing. Most bands who try this route usually end up sounding dull but ISOLE seem to hold your attention throughout. Be aware that once you hit the play button you'll be sucked in until it ends.

www.napalmrecords.com

MOROSE VITALITY - Black Dawn of a Dead Planet CD review

2009-03-03T18:33:00.000-08:00

MOROSE VITALITY - Black Dawn of a Dead Planet CD
Self Released Promo

Raleigh, North Carolina is not a city known for producing alot of Death Grind bands. There's plenty of everything else you might want musically. Plus there's alot of also-rans acts who spend more time trying to ape whatever flavor of the moment is going on. And I'm mostly talking about the Extreme Metal/Music scene because I just don't give a fuck about anything else right now. But Death Grind or atleast some interesting brutal sounding Death Metal seems to have left us alone like an ugly virgin begging to be ravaged. So when a band like MOROSE VITALITY comes along you lift up your head to take notice. Hopefully before they chop it off and use it as a stage prop during one of their shows. When I first saw them play last year I didn't witness any severing of heads. I did see a few people (pussies) backing up slowly from the stage at the Volume 11 Tavern. I moved up for a closer view.

MOROSE VITALITY are not re-writing the book of brutal sounding Death Metal. In fact their sound is a cadre of past genre greats thrust into a meat grinder. What comes out is this maggot infested, putrid, flesh-like substance that you dine on raw. Everything you like about the genre is here. Vocals consist of typical cookie monster growls to tortured screaming as if an impaling contest was going on. The rhythm section can best described as an artillery battalion conducting a live fire exercise. On this six song promo they're firing for effect, placing every strike into the kill zone. As a former military man I can say that surgical strikes are fun. But bombing a target to the point where it makes the lunar landscape look like a garden paradise is much better. It's good for morale too. Finally the guitar work on here is murderous. No wonder panic stricken people were running away from the stage like scattering lambs. There's a fuckin butcher with a six string machine gun out to slaughter them. Imagine if this fearsome foursome should team up with Erik Rutan for a month in a studio someday in the future. Can you just picture the carnage? I can, I have visions!

www.myspace.com/morosevitalityband

NEFASTUS DIES - Interlude 2009 Promo review

2009-03-03T18:28:00.001-08:00

NEFASTUS DIES - Interlude 2009 Promo
Self Released and Distributed

I give these guys credit for releasing this as a "free download only" mp3 type promo. They've seen the future and the new marketing of music. Actually it's an old idea retro-fitted for the Internet. I'm from the era of seven inch singles which were released as teasers of a band's full length LP. They usually contained a "hit" song on the A-Side and a halfway decent cut on the B-Side. If you liked the songs then you would buy the full length. Sure you can hear a band's material on their website(s) but it's not CD quality. These two mp3s are and will definitely keep their fans happy until the release of their next full length. It's also a smart way to garner new fans of which I'm slowly becoming one.

As far as the music goes there are no "hit" songs to speak of thankfully. Extreme Music doesn't need hits, thank you. Although I will say that NEFASTUS DIES' music is definitely intriguing to the point of which I must now check out their previous release, Urban Cancer. That's probably the point of handing this out to people for free. Here's our stuff check it out because we know you'll like it. Although according to some more reading this two song release is part of the band's showcasing of an evolution between what they've previously done and what's next. Either way it would be worth it to check out everything anyways.

There's this cool twin guitar melody riffing going on in the song "Choking on Nostalgia". It walks that fine razor blade width of a line between Melodic Death and Black Metal. And as always, those who walk that line give up some blood. Vocals are like the final gasps from a tormented throat cancer victim with some spoken word parts thrown in to break the pattern. "Failed Suicide Attempt" is pretty much the same with the exception of some eclectic time signature percussion in between the blastbeats. Whatever comes next from Montreal, Quebec's NEFASTUS DIES I can say it will not be easy for some music critic to pigeon-hole. But it will be epic and interesting to say the least. I'll take a guess now and say it will have some OPETH/ENSLAVED influence. You can check these songs out at their website.

http://www.myspace.com/nefastusdies

RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER- Living for Death Destroying the Rest CD review

2009-03-03T18:04:00.000-08:00

RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER- Living for Death Destroying the Rest CD
Relapse Records

Once I found out this band was from Hostile City USA (aka: PHILADELPHIA, PA). Then I could understand the anger and malice pouring out from this CD. Yeah this was a surprise to say the least. From their name and of course the record label, I was expecting this to be Death Grind. Thankfully it wasn't, instead it's some bonafide 80s style Hardcore Thrash. Actually this leans more into Punk/Hardcore territory than Metal but has definite crossover appeal. Back during the years 89 to 91 I must have seen or heard dozens of bands doing this stuff. I still have some cassettes in a box somewhere. So I'm glad to hear a band that's obviously part of the Thrash Revival doing something like this instead of more West Coast Thrash redux. Not that there's anything wrong with that either but lets keep mixing it up people. I'll take a guess that their vocalist is a fan of old New York Hardcore. He has that gruff pissed off real guy vocal delivery. He's not trying to sound all evil, just pissed. Musicianship is decent since they're not beholden to the 8o's template. There's lots of influences running through these cuts. I can't believe it's 2009 and I'm about to call this "perfect music for slam dancing" but that's what it is.

www.relapse.com

SERPENTCULT - Weight of Light CD review

2009-03-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

SERPENTCULT - Weight of Light CD
Rise Above Records

This Belgium band's brand of Doom Metal might not sound original, then again are there any who are? But what they do bring to the table as far as a vocalist is. While the boys toy with slower ways to hump the corpses of SABBATH and CELTIC FROST. The vocals are handled by Michelle Nocon, yeah a female singer in a Doom band. Now don't get all excited as if this was the second coming of THORR'S HAMMER, because it's not. Michelle Nocon's vocal style is more high pitched operatic which does add an element of surprise to these tracks. Well when they guys let her wail that is. That's the only bad thing about this debut release. Her talent is wasted away only getting bit shots at taking these tracks and running with em. Some of the better numbers are not as Doom laden like opener “New World Order” or “Red Dawn”. Of the eight tracks on here these two are more upbeat in speed like watching a turtle and a snail race. For Doom purists there's plenty more to watch grass grow to like my favorite, “Screams From the Deep”. "Awaken the Kraken" and "Arkanum" will have you doing the stoned out genuflect head bobbing. On that latter mentioned cut Michelle Nocon's vocals don't kick in until the song is almost over with. Yeah well I say pick this one up, enjoy it and hopefully next time they'll better themselves. There's so much potential for SERPENTCULT to take back the Doom genre from the hipster scum.

www.riseaboverecords.com

TANKARD - Thirst CD review

2009-03-03T17:56:00.000-08:00

TANKARD - Thirst CD
AFM Records

This German Thrash band has been around since the fucking 80s and after listening to this I doubt they're ready to call it quits. Why should they since it's fairly easy to write songs about farting "Myevilfart" or foot fetishes "Sexy Feet Under". But what they've always been famous for are songs about partying like on "Stay Thirsty". TANKARD are typical anthem infused Thrash for the pub crowd. They're not really serious except maybe when they toss out a cut like "Octane Warriors". Which is a little late for the Mad Max/Mel Gibson worshipping crowd don't you think? Then again all that drinking has an effect on your memory. They don't even know what year it is. Alright that's not true since they released their Best Case Scenario best of compilation CD in 2007. It was their way of celebrating 25 years in beers. They won't quit to their livers explode.

www.afm-records.de/

OBITUARY - Cause of Death CD

2009-02-21T23:18:00.000-08:00

OBITUARY - Cause of Death CD
label: Roadrunner Records
released: 1990
track listing:
1. Infected
2. Body Bag
3. Chopped in Half
4. Circle of the Tyrants (Celtic Frost cover)
5. Dying
6. Find the Arise
7. Cause of Death
8. Memories Remain
9. Turned Inside Out

COMMENTS:

I'm sure there will be those with differing opinions on my choice for an Essential OBITUARY release. You have those who stand by Slowly We Rot and this one. Plus there's the crowd who will just say fuck it, buy the Anthology or the newer Best of CD. I'm choosing Cause of Death because when compared to Slowly We Rot you can hear how the band's sound really developed into something more menacing as far as Death Metal went in 1990. I also think this one was their most powerful release never to have been redone. It was their milestone which I'm sure the band doesn't want to hear either. Don't get me wrong because I like all of their career spanning material. Frozen In Time is a perennial favorite of mine. I considered it the fuckin best Death Metal release of 2005 and 2007's Xecutioner's Return wasn't too shabby either. But Cause of Death was the release that separated OBITUARY from their Death Metal contemporaries and set them on a path that few have tied to follow. Look at the genre today and count how many modern day bands (aka: clones) are heavily influenced by DEATH, MORBID ANGEL, DEICIDE or CANNIBAL CORPSE. Don't let your head explode in the process. Most who've tried to follow in the footsteps of OBITUARY have failed miserably and moved onto easier genre driven styles of Metal. Those being the crappy ones which we don't recognize at Scumfeast Metal.

On Cause of Death the band bettered themselves by not only sounding like sixteen tons of mechanized death roaring down the highway of agony. But the atmosphere left behind in their wake was still decimating to any survivors who made it through the initial onslaught. That designation belongs to the riffs of Trevor Peres and John Tardy's vocals.
I'm sure people will scream, "What about James Murphy's solos, dude?" OK sure, the man is a guitar god of Death Metal shredding but there's more to the genre than that. And right now my name is being cursed all over the Decibel magazine blog. Well fuck them because when it comes to OBITUARY it's all about the riffs and the vocals. Trevor Peres' sick, in a good way, guitar tone became the band's trademark. John Tardy's vocals were sinister which changed from the more maniac style from Slowly We Rot. On here he sounds like someone in the throes of death. Hey I can take the "cookie monster" Death Metal vocal style just so far. Tardy actually sings which is why, along with OBITUARY, the majority of Death Metal I like has someone actually singing instead of just (Choose One: grunting, belching, or mouth-farting) like a fuckin sickly wounded beast. And every song on here he's singing about death, with the exception of the CELTIC FROST cover, "Circle of the Tyrants". By the way only OBITUARY can do CELTIC FROST cover justice. They're still doing it with 2008's Left it Die CD/EP on which they cover CELTIC FROST's "Dethroned Emperor".

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Bow down to what I say because OBITUARY are the heaviest Death Metal band there ever was, is and shall always be. Yes I know many of you out there like to be "brutalized" when it comes to your Death Metal. What makes this release great is that not only do you painmongers get a full fledged beatdown. But you can also extend the carnage with others by joining up to let the rampage on streets. Why hurt yourself all the time when you can bring the pain onto others. You know I have a few friends who don't care for Death Metal in general. Like I said, a few, but when they hear OBITUARY they like em alot. It's Heavy Fuckin Metal!

WEBSITES:

http://www.obituary.cc/

http://myspace.com/obituary

BATHORY - Hammerheart CD

2009-02-21T23:10:00.000-08:00

BATHORY - Hammerheart CD
label: Noise Records Originally released as a gatefold LP.
released: 1990/Re-issued by Black Mark Production in 1993.
track listing:
1. Shores in Flame
2. Valhalla
3. Baptised in Fire and Ice
4. Father to Son
5. Song to Hall up High
6. Home of Once Brave
7. One Rode to Asa Bay
8. Outro

COMMENTS:

In the opening cut, "Shores in Flame", right after the chorus Ouorton screams the word "Fire" then breaks out into this incredible guitar solo. It's the battle sequence where the men from the North are attacking a city. Some people seem to lack the understanding of this great song. They consider it too "classic metalish" for such a pioneer of Black Metal. I can understand their problem since they're obviously taken by early period BATHORY. They still crave the Satanic stuff. Hammerheart was the second installment of Quorton's 'Asatru trilogy' which started with another essential release, Blood Fire Death in 1988 and ends with Twilight of the Gods which was released in 1991. For those of you who normally refer to this as BATHORY's Viking Metal phase, I'll explain. The word 'Asatru' is the modern term for the revival of the Nordic/Teutonic religious beliefs. And although Blood Fire Death is a great release in it's own right. This one really emphasised the whole 'Asatru' ideals not only by the music but the cover art as well, a painting of a Viking burial ceremony.

The songs on Hammerheart are longer more epic sounding then on previous releases and are based on slow, repetitive guitar riffs. Ouorton's vocals are magnificent in that they're filled with gut-wrenching passion. The two most evident emotions being displayed are anger and pride. The background choral vocals are layed so thick it's as if he had a band of ancient warriors on hand to contribute. Then there's the various effects thrown in to make Hammerheart more authentic. "Shores in Flame" opens with the sound of waves crashing on shore. The beginning of "Father to Son" has the sound of a lite footed runner going through a peaceful (?) village. You can even hear a blacksmith's iron being pounded upon, the barking of dogs, a woman's scream and the crying of a new-born baby. Quorthon obviously paid close attention to detail when it came to the sound effects. It's those additions which make Hammerheart the template for all Viking Pagan Folk influenced bands who followed.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Believe it or not there are those in the Metal community who saw this release as the beginning of BATHORY's downward spiral. They cite the first three releases as the band's greatest work and that Blood Fire Death was the triumph but also sent signals of the end. Obviously I disagree with these critics for a variety of reasons. The first three BATHORY releases all carry that lo-fi VENOM style Thrash element. The seeds of Black Metal as it is referred to were planted with them. I think those releases are excellent. But Ouorthon obviously saw that style as limiting to his future musical inspiration. Blood Fire Death was his last serious foray with that style but laid the groundwork for this one. Quorthon saw his ancestral heritage with the Vikings of the Nordland as something more in sync to him than B-movie horror or faux-satanism. I have no problem listening to either era of BATHORY and so should you. But to those who are too far gone in their pig ignorance to enjoy this. It's your loss and everyone else's gain.

WEBSITES:

http://www.bathory.se
http://www.myspace.com/bathoryofficial

SLUGNUT - All The Splendor and Rot CD

2009-02-21T22:59:00.000-08:00

SLUGNUT - All The Splendor and Rot CD
label: Self Released
released: 2004
track listing:

1. Livid
2. Blue Wall
3. Smear
4. Red, White, and Who?
5. Placenta Diablo
6. Squirty
7. Aggressive Front
8. Revoked
9. Stranger Image
10. Gut Feeling
11. All the Splendor and Rot
12. Road Rage
13. Cornerbag
14. Lash

COMMENTS:

When the history of North Carolina Music is written by honest people and not the revisionists. There will be a page or two featuring SLUGNUT. To me they are the Unsung Heroes of North Carolina Metal. No they didn't get a chance to open up for METALLICA on tour. But if they did then they would've gave em a reason to see a shrink. No they were not nominated for a Grammy or an award on MTV. They were too busy playing some club and driving fans into a fuckin frenzy. Hey look I'm not trying to make this into a "Could've, Should've, Would've" type commentary. I believe TESTAMENT still owns that one. All I'm trying to say is that SLUGNUT were musical equals to anyone who somehow made a bigger name for themselves from the state of North Carolina. They've just recently called it a day after over a decade of decibel destruction. I was at their last show and it was not a fuckin swansong by no means. In fact it was the fuckin opposite, a celebration of great fuckin Metal, from a band that were like the working class heroes of the Extreme Metal Scene.

This release is their best example of what Extreme Metal was all about. The band themselves would always tag themselves as Thrash. But to me they were too exciting to be pigeon-holed into only one genre. In fact it was in this three piece line-up that SLUGNUT really surpassed mediocre genre limitations. Maybe this is what Thrash was supposed to have evolved into instead of the thing which I refer to always as "crap". It's 2009 and the Thrash Revival is in full swing. Bands today are going back to copying their heroes of the 80s, which I don't have a problem with. But if you listen to this CD you'll hear the sound that didn't go Nu-Metal or Groove Metal that alot of Thrash influenced bands did move onto. SLUGNUT simply took things to a level which made their music infectious and accessible to all types of Extreme Music fans. Every song on this CD contains a twist that's equal to a neck breaking. I definitely have my favorites like "Placenta Diablo", my favorite song of there's of all time, "Smear" which is pure Punk/Hardcore, "Aggressive Front" which has more life threatening twists than being lost in a funhouse on fire and "Revoked" is more Hardcore/Thrash fury to smash your body into another like-minded individual. Ah fuck it, every song on here is a classic.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

2008 marked the end of SLUGNUT as far as a full time band. Bassist Nate has moved to Florida. Guitarist Keith has a new band H.o.w. and runs a successful rock club in Raleigh, NC called Volume 11 Tavern. Drummer Jason plays for a few other bands including KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS. I was fortunate enough to catch some of their final shows and they didn't burn out in the end. It was quite the opposite in fact. SLUGNUT simply kicked the audience's ass one last time. All The Splendor and Rot is an essential for real fans of NC Metal. But it's also an important release for Thrash fans, Punks or Metalheads, who crave innovation within the genre that's not bogus.

WEBSITES:

http://www.slugnut.com
http://www.myspace.com/slugnut

ALLEGIANCE - Blodornsoffer CD

2009-02-21T22:47:00.000-08:00

ALLEGIANCE - Blodornsoffer CD
label: No Fashion Records
released: 1997
track listing:
1. Intåg
2. Med svärd i hand
3. Likbål
4. En svunnen tid
5. Heimdal
6. Yggdrasil
7. Korpen skall leda oss
8. Blodörnsoffer
9. Blot
10. Uttåg

COMMENTS:

All three major Extremes of Swedish Metal rolled into one evil fuckin monster. I'm talking Black, Death and Viking themes which on here are a complete menace to the human race. This here is a forgotten gem to most fans of Extreme Metal (unless you're a MARDUK fan) for obvious reasons. Their band members had prior convictions, new members popping in and out and only playing a few shows in their homeland. Their early demo days (1989 to 1994) were more Death Metal but their three full length releases, Hymm Till Hangagud in 1996, this one in 1997 and Vrede in 1999 all with No Fashion Records. These three releases were like monuments left for future generations of Extreme Metal fans. But for the Scumfeast Metal Essential Series we're going to pay attention to this one.

Blodornsoffer is the Viking warrior coming at you with two battle axes. In one hand is furious Black Metal and in the other one it's more of a melodic element. One is for berserker like slashing and the other is used when a powerful crushing blow is needed. I can't help but point out the obvious that here we are twelve years after this was released. Playing this I can hear a hundred or more modern day Black/Viking/Pagan Folk type bands within these songs. Sure BATHORY is a major influence on modern day bands as they were with ALLEGIANCE. But ALLEGIANCE was a major influence if not the template for what we now call Black/Viking Metal. All the cuts on here are memorable if not all out epic in sound and fury. The guitar playing is the major element through out whether it's these dominating brutal riffs or melodic passages. The drumming is also a major standout. The production on here helps keep all musicianship in equal standing. Yeah the bass is not hidden in the mix. Vocals also excellent, totally harsh with passion that bleeds out.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

For all fans of Black/Viking Metal it's time you hear the forefathers of the genre. Yes I do have a song from this release on the Scumfeast Metal myspace site. "Blot" which is my favorite song.

http://www.myspace.com/allegiance666

http://www.t-d-g.net/

STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH - Speak English or Die CD

2009-02-21T15:18:00.000-08:00

STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH - Speak English or Die CD
label: Megaforce Records
released: 1985
track listing:

1. March of the S.O.D.
2. Sargent 'D' & The S.O.D.
3. Kill Yourself
4. Milano Mosh
5. Speak English or Die
6. United Forces
7. Chromatic Death
8. Pi Alpha Nu
9. Anti-Procrastination Song
10. What's That Noise
11. Freddy Krueger 02:33
12. Milk
13. Pre-Menstrual Princess Blues
14. Pussy Whipped
15. Fist Banging Mania
16. No Turning Back
17. Fuck the Middle East
18. Douche Crew
19. Hey Gordy!
20. Ballad of Jimi Hendrix
21. Diamonds and Rust (extended version)

COMMENTS:

One of the best aspects of doing the Scumfeast Metal Essentials Series is that there are no music snobs hovering around with their critical noses in the air. That's why we can get away with adding this Thrash/Hardcore gem to the Essentials without having to slap any crybabies. For me I learned about this one by mere chance of someone elses disliking of it. A person I knew gave the original cassette version of this to me thinking I'd like it better then he did. He was right and as I'm writing this that same cassette is here on my desk. It's probably a collector's item by now. Speak English or Die is that certain release that "some" people will denounce publically but secretly love. Back when this came out there were plenty of losers complaining about how politically incorrect the lyrics were. To Extreme Metal fans that's a plus. Another thing is that we can call Speak English or Die better than anything ANTHRAX ever did or was part of. Oh can't you hear the screams of those people saying, "Well Among the Living has a few good cuts." Yeah well ah, no it doesn't, in fact everything about ANTHRAX is shit. Their guitarist, Scott Ian, might've came up with STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH as nothing more than a side project to
fill boredom. But it became a cult favorite whether he wanted it to or not. Over the
years I've met more people who love this release but hate ANTHRAX than the opposite. Then again that also shows I have better taste in people and don't associate with wiggers.

As far as the music on this release, I'll admit that it's not criteria for a true
Scumfeast Metal Essential. The fact is that most of the material on here is filler. You have a few seconds long tracks like "The Ballad of Jimi Hendrix", "What's That Noise" and "Hey Gordy" which are just killing time. These can be forgiven since the remainder cuts are the meat & potatoes which we all really crave. "Sargent D & the SOD", "Kill Yourself", "United Forces", "Freddy Krueger", "Pi Alpha Nu" and the title cut with it's chorus "You always make us wait. You're the ones we hate. You can't communicate. Speak English Or Die". Nothing wrong with that now is there if you have a sense of humor, and trust me WE DO! But you can't begrudge the excellent sound from this release. The guitar is dirty and metallic, the drumming is very simple yet powerful and the bass is thunderously loud. When have you heard bass playing like this from a late 80's release? Then there's Billy Milano's vocals which are basically hardcore in style. He did sing for a New York Hardcore band, the PSYCHOS, prior to this. He made the less than serious lyrics better especially with the intense music.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

While I'm happy with my cassette and CD versions you may want more. So there's a Platinum Edition CD which came out in 2000 and a 20th Anniversary Edition CD from 2005. Both packages contain 12 bonus tracks which were recorded live in Tokyo from a 1999 show.

WEBSITES:

http://www.sgt-d.com/

KATATONIA - Dance of the December Souls CD

2009-02-21T14:52:00.000-08:00

KATATONIA - Dance of the December Souls CD
label: No Fashion Records
released: 1993
track listing:

1. Seven Dreaming Souls
2. Gateways of Bereavement
3. In Silence Enshrined
4. Without God
5. Elohim Meth
6. Velvet Thorns (of Drynwhyl)
7. Tomb of Insomnia
8. Dancing December

COMMENTS:

Nowadays this band is about as Metal as DEPECHE MODE. But there was a time when these Swedes mixed together Blackened Death Metal and Doom with great results. Their early fans ranged from Metalheads, Death Punks and intelligent college radio DJs who would throw this on so they could leave the booth and go out to get high. Speaking of weed, KATATONIA's music weeded out the fashionistas because their sound was hauntingly bleak and miserable. Not even blackened clothes whores were into that much suicidal drama put to music. They might actually off themselves by accident once "Tomb of Insomnia" came on. Out of this band's huge recorded catalog, Dance of the December Souls is their only essential release for a few decent reasons.

This was the band's first full length release and they poured everything they had into it including blood, sweat and singer Jonas Renske's vocal chords. That's why Doom purists consider this to be the band's true essence recorded once and then forever lost. Renske would never again have this type of tortured and harsh of a vocal performance on the releases that followed. This is a subject that has spawned much debate on whether it was the main reason for KATATONIA's style moving onto a more Goth-Rock/Progressive/Indie Crap sound. Whatever the case it's on this release where Renske laid down a career defining performance. One that influenced a bunch of followers who liked their Doom agonizing but not life ending like the more SABBATH influenced Funeral Doom. Musically it's simply cold depressive guitar harmonies, power chords, despairing synths, basically played drums and the tortured vocals. The ingredients sound simple and unexciting to say the least. But placed together along with a solid, not slick, production it's definitely a powerful effort. I especially like it with the volume set HIGH.

All of the tracks on here, even the instrumental fillers, “Elohim Meth” and “Dancing
December”, are standouts. But there are a couple which should be on any Doom Metal fan's homemade compilation. "Without God" is like misery in schizophrenia. With Renske screaming the lines, "Your fucking god is dead and shall forever be!" and "A dawn without your fucking god!" Then there's "Gateways of Bereavement" which is blackened torture on a device of medieval origin. And last but not least "Tomb of Insomnia" is this huge monolith of stone falling upon you. All thirteen fucking plus minutes of crushing hopelessness. It's the basis of this whole dark and miserable release, unending pain, unending Doom. Misery is bliss when it comes to Dance of the December Souls. Even the title could be a euphemism for the winter holiday blues. This release is the best fifty three minutes of suffering you'll ever enjoy.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Like I said earlier this first KATATONIA full length is the only one that's truly
extreme. Each newer release which they produced saw them progressing into a really boring Goth Metal act. I wouldn't feed their new stuff to cattle ready for slaughter.

WEBSITES:

http://www.katatonia.com

http://www.myspace.com/katatonia

ROT GUT LIKKER Interview

2009-02-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

WHAT DO WHISKEY, EXTREME MUSIC & SATAN ALL HAVE IN COMMON?

ROT GUT LIKKER

Intro and interview by mr. wolf

North Carolina's ROT GUT LIKKER are not satisfied with your typical Extreme Music Genre terms. What they do is best charactorized as "Shreditizations for Satan". I found that term on their website describing one of their live photos. The Scumfeast Metal staff was in Fayetteville, NC one night weeks ago to see our friends ANTISEEN. But our biggest surprise of the night was seeing ROT GUT LIKKER who were one of two opening bands. For the first time ever all three zine staff members came to a unanimous agreement, "Holy Fuckin Shit They're Fuckin Great".

Next up came a review of their Uncle Satan's Straight Whiskey CD which also received a resounding "Hell Fuckin Yeah" from the three of us. One thing you've gotta understand about us here at Scumfeast Metal. We've seen and heard almost everything and anything. We're not jaded since we see and here alot of great bands. But every once in a while we see or hear a band that literally jumps out at ya. In ROT GUT LIKKER's case, it's like a crazed drunken metal dude wielding a broken Jack Daniels' bottle and screaming "Hail Fuckin Satan"! I believe we'll take this one seriously.

So I sent the band a few questions trying to be as serious as possible. They answered all of them and added a note that "they had a little fun with the interview". A little? But what I realized is that this interview is exactly the same as seeing them live or listening to their CD. It's an unpretencious in your face type of attitude which to me is refreshing. ROT GUT LIKKER will play your club, drink all of your whiskey and then have their way with your female bar staff. ROT GUT LIKKER will peel your face off and replace it with a Jack Daniels' label. ROT GUT LIKKER will blow your local town heroes off the fuckin stage and you will like it. The three most important things in ROT GUT LIKKER's lives are Whiskey, Satan and ROT GUT LIKKER. After reading this interview you will head right over to their website (provided at the end of the interview). When they play your town you will buy them drinks, purchase their merch, and eventually worship Satan.

SFMZ - You call Fayetteville, NC aka: Fayette-Fuckin-Nam home. Is that where everyone in the band is from?

Chris: From the hills of Centertown KY, got here in 93.
Joe: From Collegeville Penn, got stranded at a Cafe Risque exit 70 off 95 in 2004 and liked it so much he stayed.
Derek: Military brat, born in Nebraska, grew up in England and got stuck here in 96.
Andy: Born in Womack hospital Ft Bragg, spent 5 years in Boone, came back in 2005.

SFMZ - Many years ago I once called Fort Bragg, which even today I lovingly refer to as "Fort Dragg", home. I didn't spend much time in Fayetteville since I was too busy defending all of you from the communist menace. But do you have much contact with the troops at clubs during shows?

RGL - You can't be in a club in Fayettenam without seeing GIs. Support the troops and hail Satan.

SFMZ - I think it was last year I read an article in a UK Metal mag about the U.S. Southern Rock/Metal Resurgence/Revival. If you blinked you might of missed it. But there is a Thrash Revival going on. Are you part of it by design or coincidence?

RGL - What the fuck do brits know about Southern Metal? We worship Satan by design and kick ass by coincidence. We have a hard time seeing ourselves as part of a thrash resurgence because we really don't end up playing with that many thrash bands. Also, Motley Crue kicks ass. Satan.

SFMZ - Getting back to that Southern Rock/Metal Resurgence article. To me it was more like a media generated story in order to mask their suckfest with ex-PANTERA related bands like DOWN, HELL YEAH, CROWBAR, etc. I doubt their love of the South and believe they all celebrate Lincoln's birthday in Febuary. From listening to your CD and seeing you perform you're not wrapping yourselves in the Confederate Flag as if there was anything wrong with that. But through your music, especially the instrumentals and lyrics, your heritage shows in an uncompromising manner. What do you have to say about that?

RGL - From Andy: Not speaking for any other member of Rot Gut, I actually love the shit of the New Orleans metal scene and consider it one of the most genuine. DOWN is my favorite band and I would say that DOWN, CROWBAR, EYEHATEGOD, SOILENT GREEN and ACID BATH are all more near and dear to me than PANTERA, and that I consider them more southern.

RGL - From Rot Gut: What we have to say about that is good, and hail Satan. Chris is down for glorifying the South in any way and actually often wears Confederate flag suspenders at shows. We also like the SQUIDBILLIES. We think it is gay that we live in a world where cool people have to consider it strange that someone would love the South. It is a testament to intense faggotry and hail Satan. People should take shots of whiskey and learn some appreciation for the fuckin South.

SFMZ - While reviewing your CD I couldn't help but take a shot at bands and musicians from the South who worship at the altar of Metalcore. I've seen way to many Southern bands with talented musicians who follow into that genre like a family religion. ROT GUT LIKKER walks a different road which I call Thrash with plenty of Southern swagger and Hardcore Punk grit. How did it all come about?

RGL - Satan spoke unto us in a bourbon-filled haze and said do not engage in faggotry. The sound came from listening to good music and staying away from crap. Also, we hate fucking floor punchers. If it is hardcore to look like you are in fucking river dance while some fag oinks like a pig to drop W tuning, then you are probably 16, and a faggot.

SFMZ - According to your booking info and I quote, "We don't ask for much at all but we won't play a bar that doesn't serve whiskey." You've never played a beer joint or a keg party?

RGL - We have played at Kill the Pig, which had just kegs, and we brought our own whiskey. Non Alcoholic gigs never have happened and never will. Rot Gut Likker is in the name. If you don't have liquor we won't show and you probably have a shitty establishment. You can have a shitty bar with whiskey but at least then you can drink away the shit. So yeah, fuck that, and the faggots who invented nonalcoholism.

SFMZ - Since I'm on the subject of shows and liquor the question needs to be asked. Do you get liquored up before a set?

RGL - Every time.

SFMZ - Getting back to the CD review, I described an image I got from one of your songs. It was "I Don't Give A Shit" and I had this thought about bottles and bodies flying around in a club setting. You guys would be playing on through the chaos that your music had created. Has something like that ever happened?

RGL - Actually, we played a show at the Gaslight here in Fayettenam and the guy who booked the show was an asshole and a drunk, but somehow made being drunk seem not good. We spent the whole set dodging beer bottles and mixed drinks that this piece of shit was throwing at us. He was also spitting PBR in our faces. He was pretty much a perfect 10 douchebag. He tried to steal a drink from some dude who had to be in his sixties and the geezer beat the ever loving shit out of that guy. It was the only good part of the evening, as the girl passing the tip bucket around also stole almost all of the tips, and the door guy took the door money home with him.

SFMZ - Who's responsible for all the lyrics and is it all from personal experience? I mean you take a song like "Grudgefuck" and lyrically it's about a failed relationship.

RGL - Satan is personally responsible for all of the lyrics. Grudgefuck is not only about a failed relationship, it's about fuckin someone you're pissed off at.

SFMZ - When I read the lyrics of "Kidney Killer" I can't help but think what if Charles Bukowski was into Hardcore Thrash? Wouldn't he write a song like that? Is that more personal experience or demons being exercised through your music?

RGL - If he was cool he would. "Kidney killer" is about drunk driving for years and years. Bukowski may have hated more people than we do and definitely hated his kidney. PS when we learn to read we will check out Bukowski.

SFMZ - I forgot to mention in the review I did for your CD, Uncle Satan's Straight Whiskey, is the sound quality and production. First of all it sounds great as if it was a recorded live in the studio type production. That's why in the review I pointed out that what I was hearing through my stereo speakers was what I witnessed at the club. How close am I as far as describing the recording process?

RGL - Honestly, Uncle Satan was recorded on a ten year old computer, as in like a Pentium III with 128 MB of RAM. All of the recording was done with an effects footpedal straight into the stock soundcard into the program Acid 4.0 in Windows 98. The drums are all samples lined up one by one and the vocals were also run through the foot pedal. As was the bass. No shit. It just shows what you can get out of a bunch of old shit if you really take your time to worship satan. Hail Satan. Drink Whiskey.

SFMZ - One thing about Hardcore Thrash which people have stated for years is that only the really good bands can keep their live and in studio sounds relatively close. These days with some of the new Thrash acts that idea has been tossed under the bus. Studio technology can turn a pile of shit on a paper plate into roast beef on a silver platter but when the band plays live it's disappointing. What are you doing to keep your sound relatively equal?

RGL - We drink whiskey, worship Satan, and we all don't suck at our instruments. Not sucking at playing your instrument makes you a better live musician. If you do suck playing live you probably shouldn't be a musician. Also if you fuck up playing live and the audience is sober enough to notice then that's pretty gay. The footpedal used to record all the guitars is also used live, run straight into the Power amp section of Chris's Marshall.

SFMZ - I wanna discuss the three instrumentals on the end of the CD. THe total time elapsed I believe is around twenty-four or twenty-five minutes. What was the reason behind it?

RGL - Some of our favorite albums from bands we like are the band's most diverse album. Take Great Southern Trendkill. There is lots of different pockets of different shit going on there. Sometimes the space between notes is as important as the actual notes.

SFMZ - The three cuts "Lunis", "Dying Inside" and "Kronos" to me sounds like ambient Black Metal. Atmospheric with Southern Gothic touches in the guitar notes/tones to emphasis where you're from. What else do you have to say about those songs?

RGL - "Lunis" is kinda like inspired by Pink Floyd, David Gilmour type shit. "Dying Inside" is about having a miserable fuckin life. "Kronos" is about Chris's hometown in Kentucky being strip-mined.

SFMZ - The first time I played your CD and heard those cuts it suprised the fuck out of me. The first one "Lunis" didn't because you had a few instrumentals which appear throughout the CD. They break up the momentum but this time it's followed by another then another much longer one and I wasn't expecting that. So I looked at your website hoping to find some mention or name dropping of a Black Metal band. I didnt find any so where did these ideas/influences come from? Do you like Black Metal?

RGL - When Chris wrote those songs he really wasn't thinking about black metal at all and he doesn't really listen to it. It is really more related. While the actual amount of black metal influence is pretty small, there is definately some musical kinship in those songs with the styles of BURZUM or MORTIIS. But with no Lord of the Rings references. It's hard to be frostbitten while being grim in the middle of swampland.

SFMZ - Uncle Satan's Straight Whiskey is your debut CD. Now do you have a follow up in the works and is it really going to be titled Southern Sabbath?

RGL - Yes. Also, we aren't trying to say sabbath as in we're like BLACK SABBATH. We mean sabbath as in something holy to the South, like going to church to worship the fucking Confederate flag. Hail Satan.

SFMZ - Wait a minute Uncle Satan's Straight Whiskey was really recorded at a place called Sacred Heart Studios? Whiskey drenched Satanic tales of woe was all being recorded at a place called Sacred Heart Studios? I think an explanation is in order, care to elaborate? So you're going to record Southern Sabbath there to?

RGL - No it was recorded at Chris's apartment. As to where we will record Southern Sabbath we aren't sure yet.

SFMZ - After we left the club that night when you played with ANTISEEN. We passed by The Rock Shop on our way home and their parking lot had some police cars and an ambulance in it. You know anything of what happened? Because KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS played there once and we all thought it was a cool place.

RGL - The Rock Shop is a really great place. We're not quite sure what happened that night but if you're curious just ask Shawn.

SFMZ - Does guitarist Andy Lame always crack jokes from the stage at every one of your shows? Has he ever pissed someone off in the crowd who didn't have a sense of humor?

RGL - Yes, we are Rot Gut Likker and we tell jokes, even though some bands do not. People have definitely gotten pissed and left. But for the most part, we feel that the audience is like a woman. If you treat her like shit she will just keep coming back and asking for more.

SFMZ - This is probably the lame-est question of this interview but what should people expect in 2009 from ROT GUT LIKKER?

RGL - Satan, and whiskey, and out of town shows. The foundation being laid for a Satanic Southern Empire. Whiskey shits.

SFMZ - When I was checking out your upcoming show listings on your site. I saw your April 11th gig is KILL THE PIG 2009 in Parkton, North Carolina. Ok I'll bite, what's KILL THE PIG 2009?

RGL - Kill the pig is an outdoor all day whiskey and barbecue live metal event. It is the satanic state fair with elephant ears of bourbon and satanic bear claws.

SFMZ - Last question, you plan to shop your new CD around to labels?

RGL - We're gonna do what we want. We really don't see the point of pursuing a label when we do all the work. You can make 8 cents a CD or you can make a new fan by giving it away free, which is what we've done with Uncle Satan. Why make no money and also get told what to do? We do what we want and don't make money at this point but at least we get to say Satan, faggot, and whiskey. A lot.

CHECK OUT THE BAND'S WEBSITE AT:

http://www.myspace.com/maliciouschris

SCUMFEAST METAL CD REVIEWS FOR JANUARY 2009

2009-01-27T07:46:00.000-08:00

SCUMFEAST METAL CD REVIEWS FOR JANUARY 2009

BLOODSWORN - All Hyllest Til Satan CD

CANDLEMASS - Lucifer Rising CD/EP + Live

GRAVE DIGGER - Ballad of the Hangman CD

H.O.W. - Fiends in High Places CD

HUMAN MASTICATION - Grotesque Mastication of Putrid Innards CD

IRON FIRE - To the Grave CD

KREATOR - Hordes of Chaos CD

LEGION OF THE DAMNED - Cult Of The Dead CD

ROSE FUNERAL - The Resting Sonata CD

ROT GUT LIKKER - Uncle Satan's Straight Whiskey CD

TERMINAL FUNCTION - Measuring the Abstract CD

BLOODSWORN - All Hyllest Til Satan CD review

2009-01-27T07:43:00.000-08:00

BLOODSWORN - All Hyllest Til Satan CD
Agonia Records

According to their website, BLOODSWORN consider themselves cursed because the two previous labels they were supposed to release something with folded. Obviously entitling your release, All Hail Satan, had nothing to do with it. But you know what they say, the third times the charm and here it is in all of it's Satanic glory. Timing is not on this Norwegian band's side but you've gotta give them credit for persistence. They recorded this in 1999, finally releasing it in December 2008 and that's something which makes All Hail Satan unique in a way. This two piece band consider themselves Black Metal but this sounds more in the vein of Blackened Thrash flying out of control. This is chaotic to the point where songs start blurring together and one could at first think it's repetitive. I blame that on their use of a drum machine. Thankfully there's some important aspects to this which keep everything from being monotonous. First off while many bands today strive to get that authentic early Black Metal sound. These guys have it without having to fake it. Also I like the distorted vocals which sound as if blood is spewing out of the guy's mouth with every verse. Maybe it is? Next it's the guitar solos that stab out at you like a maniac with a knife. I'd say there's a more traditional Metal influence flowing through some of the songs since the riffs are less tremolo picked. At first I wasn't about to give this a favorable review. But after a third listen All Hail Satan won me over because it's not fake or forced sounding. It's not for those who only respect the modern production values of today but then again neither am I. This CD is simply a time capsule for those of us who appreciate looking back into the dark past and grin.

www.agoniarecords.com

CANDLEMASS - Lucifer Rising CD/EP + Live review

2009-01-27T07:40:00.000-08:00

CANDLEMASS - Lucifer Rising CD/EP + Live
Nuclear Blast Records

This came out late in 2008 as a teaser for fans awaiting the band's next full length. It's technically a CD/EP with two new cuts, a re-recorded classic plus nine live cuts taken from a show of theirs in Athens, Greece. Like I said, technically it's a CD/EP a 70 minute CD/EP. And you wonder why I like this band. The title cut is full on Metal from the past, my past at least. It might turn off older fans but then they just need to get over it. "Lucifer Rising" is a fast paced number which I was waiting for CANDLEMASS to knock out. But just to satisfy ya the next new cut "White God" is pure signature Doom which you expect from CANDLEMASS. But then comes the biggest surprise of all. A re-recorded version of "Demons Gate" from the band's debut Doom pioneering Epicus Doomicus Metallicus. It was one thing for Robert Lowe to step in the shoes of former singer, Messiah Marcolin. But to go back to the beginning and retrace the steps of original vocalist Johan Langquist. Yeah that just shows you the last original band members, bassist Leif Edling and rhythm guitarist Mappe Bjorkman, have so much confidence in Lowe. Speaking of which the live cuts are a mixture of more recent past classics like
"Mirror Mirror", "Samarithan", "Gallows End", and "Solitude" as well as material from their last one King of the Grey Islands. The live material isn't perfect as far as sound quality. On some cuts the Athen's crowd simply takes over the vocals. But if you figure that it's an add on in order to make the studio cuts a worth while deal for this package then who cares. It just makes me what to hear their next full length even more. And isn't that what it's all about.

www.nuclearblast.com

GRAVE DIGGER - Ballad of the Hangman CD review

2009-01-27T07:36:00.000-08:00

GRAVE DIGGER - Ballad of the Hangman CD
Napalm Records

Unfortunately I'm not familiar with this band's previous work which goes back to the halycon days of 80s Metal. Plus I really couldn't get any info out of some friends who are fans of TRUE EIGHTIES OBSCURE METAL DUDE!. I mean REALLY liking TRUE EIGHTIES OBSCURE METAL DUDE! Although one friend described them as being like HELLOWEEN, a German band too, who I knew by one record and never cared for. So after some short research, which included checking out a new video from this release. Whoa someone call VH-1 we have a video for you to replace all that other crap you put on Metal Mania. So I come to find out that GRAVE DIGGER were this huge German Metal band back in the 80s. TRUE EIGHTIES OBSCURE METAL DUDE! Now looking back to those times the biggest band I liked from Germany was ACCEPT then later it was KREATOR, SODOM and the list goes on. I totally missed out on THE greatness of GRAVE DIGGER. Obviously while I was thumbing through the Import Vinyl rack at the headshop I missed something. Then again they did break up in 1987 only to reform in 1993. So now it's 2009 and I'm sure someone will believe I need redemption for not knowing all about GRAVE DIGGER. You know what I say, redemption is for losers.

Now I do like Ballad of the Hangman since it's TRUE EIGHTIES METAL DUDE! I'm sure it's labeled Power Metal nowadays but fuck all that shit. This thing is Heavy Fuckin Metal with a killer vocalist, Chris Boltendahl, whose voice has obviously seen better days or screams. But to me that's perfect since Dio can't hit the high notes like he used to either although he's still a great vocalist. Boltendahl reminds me of him in that he's an old dude who's unstoppable. Then again so am I. Boltendahl is also the last remaining original band member. That's persistence which I can also respect. Musically how could you not like this? It answers the question, what would they sound like if a cool Metal band from the 80s was transported in time from then to now. Good powerful riffs driving dual guitar stuff. First time the band has ever had two guitarists so yeah bang your fuckin head. Good songs, no they're great songs "Grave Of The Addicted", "Sorrow Of The Dead" and especially the title track. Big surprise here was the guest appearance of BENEDICTUM’s vocalist Veronica Freeman. The song she guests on, "Lonely The Innocence Dies", is a ballad but hey it's TRUE EIGHTIES METAL DUDE so get with the program. All in all this is one fantastic release. And as always great cover artwork to boot. Power/Heavy Metal bands always have cool covers to stare at while the music is blasting away in the background.

www.napalmrecords.com

H.O.W. - Fiends in High Places CD review

2009-01-27T07:32:00.000-08:00

H.O.W. - Fiends in High Places CD
Self Released

So I'm standing next to the bar at Volume 11 Tavern one evening when my friend Ed, zombie movie actor & bass player for the band KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS, walks up and hands me this CD. So I asked him where did this come from. He told me that he got it in the club's men's room. That's when I had to remind him never except things from strangers in public restrooms. You never know when a congressman might be in the stall next to you. Now be that as it may I accepted the CD in order for reviewing purposes. After one listen my first thoughts were "Past the bong I think I'm Geezer Butler!" Which would probably make for a great song or album title.

H.O.W. are the latest inductees into the realm known as Bands Inspired By BLACK SABBATH's Master of Reality LP. Or more commonly known as Stoner Rock with an emphasis on the word "stoner" What did you think H.O.W. means, Hump Our Whale? No you coke headed spazz it's HOOKED ON WEED! I give H.O.W. credit and respect for holding to the Stoner Rock theme. In other words there's a drug reference of some type in all of their songs. For the past couple of years there's been a few "well known" bands dragging their love of SAB into the Sword & Sandal category. Personally I think that's a little fucked up but then they are geared towards the Indie Rock Loser crowds. On the other hand H.O.W. are rocking out to the children of the Metal. I know I mentioned SABBATH but I'm hearing some TROUBLE in here as well. Now this CD is only four song's worth but each cut is like getting the munches with only a buck in your pocket. You wish you had more. The opening cut, "Tonight" and the third cut "Trip" sound like outtakes from Master of Reality. Well with the exception of the vocals that thankfully don't sound like someone trying to copy Ozzy. Remember that TROUBLE reference? Great vocals, clean sounding stuff, this guy should be commended for the effort.

"Cryptic Thoughts" is pure 70s Metal, not Power Metal, this is Never Say Die territory. Plus there's a section in this song where the vocalist could've let loose with a falsetto scream right before the guitar solo. But no he held off something that would've made it sound interesting. It's the shortest cut on here at three plus minutes, the rocker. By the way great guitar solo their dude, now where did I put my air guitar? That's right air guitar and wanting cheesy falsetto screams. I'm picturing myself in the front passenger seat of my friend's Nova in 1980. Cruising down the town's mainstreet with the windows rolled up to keep the "fog" in while this is blasting on the 8-Track. "International Drug Trade" is like a stripped down HAWKWIND opus. By "stripped down" I mean just guitar, bass, drums and vocals that jump from being up front to falling back into whispers. When you're high everyone seems to be whispering. Can't wait to hear a full length by H.O.W. in the future. I might even get "oriental" just to enhance the atmosphere.

http://www.HOWforever.com
http://www.myspace.com/howforever

HUMAN MASTICATION - Grotesque Mastication of Putrid Innards CD review

2009-01-27T07:28:00.000-08:00

HUMAN MASTICATION - Grotesque Mastication of Putrid Innards CD
Sevared Records

I've got a friend who right now is working in the Philipines where this band is from. I'm gonna send him an email to check these guys out live. I'm optimistic on how he'll like em but then again he makes twisted underground movies. This is HUMAN MASTICATION's debut full length although they have been on a bunch of split releases and compilations. Sound wise these guys are Brutal Death Metal with a bellows for a vocalist and a penchant for thinking up interesting song titles. Now I could write paragraphs about this band's music. But just mentioning one of their song titles for example, "Sodomize the Lacerated Rectum", should give you the idea. Or how about the opener, "Your Rotting Body is My Art", now you're not going to think this is some Christian Metalcore band are you? More likely these guys ground up a bunch of SIX FEET UNDER and CANNIBAL CORPSE CDs then injected the dust into their veins. It hits ya faster that way than snorting the shit, ah atleast that's what I heard. But the end result is brutal and sick. Personally this ain't my type of fun but the sheer extremeness is enough for me to say good job guys. Now go into the jungle and play around one of those haunted trees ya got over there. If this band was from say Orange County, California I'd probably be giving them a hard time. It's one thing to be brutal for brutal's sake. But atleast come from a place that's influentially "brutal". Not finding a table at the food court on a Saturday night just doesn't cut it.

http://sevared.com/

IRON FIRE - To the Grave CD review

2009-01-27T07:25:00.001-08:00

IRON FIRE - To the Grave CD
Napalm Records

Years ago we just called bands like this simply Metal or even Heavy Metal but that was around thirty years ago. In that time span sub-genres were created either to redefine or denigrate. The latter seems to have happened to the bands who fall into the Power or Battle Metal category. It's been written in various mags and websites that this genre shouldn't be taken seriously or that it's one big cliche after another. And what Metal genre doesn't have some sort of cliche in it? Yeah I thought so and I also thought that IRONFIRE's last release, Blade of Triumph, was pretty good. So I'm glad to see them return with this their fifth release full of songs about monsters "The Beast From The Blackness", demons "The Demon Master", and epic battles "The Battlefield". Once again the strength of this band is with the voice of Martin Steene. The man's vocals convey power and passion which is something extremely important with this genre. The music behind Steene is pure Heavy Metal power. Heavy handed guitar riffs and solos to invoke air guitar mania, along with a impressive rhythm section which keeps everything together. The production on To the Grave is another key to the importance of this. While other genres have no problem with shiny polished overdone sound quality which makes bands sound phony. This carries an almost late 70s/early 80s feel and still epic. Plus this has the first Metal anthem of 2009, "Kill For Metal". Now how could you be critical of that?

www.napalmrecords.com

KREATOR - Hordes of Chaos CD review

2009-01-27T07:21:00.000-08:00

KREATOR - Hordes of Chaos CD
SPV Records

I was already looking forward to seeing KREATOR on tour this year. But after listening to
Hordes of Chaos my anticipation has grown ten fold. This is a damm great fuckin album! The first thing you notice overall is the production which is very raw 80s style. That's because producer Moses Schneider had the band practically create a live in the studio recording. This is the ingredient which was lacking in a few of last years releases by Thrash veterans returning to reclaim their thrones from the new school crowd. Now in 2009 KREATOR doesn't have to prove shit as far as I'm concerned. This is their twelfth studio album. They helped create the whole fuckin genre with essential releases like Pleasure to Kill, Terrible Certainty and Extreme Aggression. All of which have been used by the new school crowd as templates for their own new Thrash noise. Not that there's anything wrong with it. So I was expecting a quality release here. What we get is an incredible one with
guitarist/vocalist, Mille Petrozza, showing us that he's still pissed off as all Hell and wants to scream his head off about it, well to a degree. Better yet you're not going to forget it since these songs are catchy angry anthems. Be prepared to sing along when you see KREATOR play your neck of the woods in 2009. Now don't get me wrong because this isn't a trip down memory lane. Along with the fast bursts there's some melodic pieces, with excellent guitar work throughout. I'm happy that the band didn't go into the studio in order to recreate the past, shine it up with studio tricks that the younger set is so used to nowadays, and toss it out with a big "Eat This" tag. Hordes of Chaos proves that KREATOR are true to themselves as musicians, songwriters and Thrash veterans we owe alot to.

www.spv.de

LEGION OF THE DAMNED - Cult Of The Dead CD review

2009-01-27T07:13:00.000-08:00

LEGION OF THE DAMNED - Cult Of The Dead CD
Massacre Records

Euro Thrash bands have always been reliable in having a Satan friendly evil streak in sound, style and attitude as opposed to most of the U.S. brand name stuff. Our biggest export in Hell spawned Thrash will always be SLAYER. And on this release these Dutch metallers have tapped into some Show No Mercy and Hell Awaits. But in no way is this template copying to jump on the new Thrash bandwagon. LEGION OF THE DAMNED have been around for a few years which pre-dates the hype. Yeah I know some people will be like, "oh we've heard all this before." Yeah and it frightened you then didn't it? Check out the cover art, does it offend your inclusive sensibilities? Good now go back under your rock, boy. Personally I much rather listen to something "retro" than that politically correct for college radio indie rock pseudo-metal. This release is stick to the basics style Thrash for people who still have control of their neck muscles after years of head banging. Unfortunately after forty plus minutes of Cult Of The Dead there will be neckbrace fittings for some of you. Relentless pounding percussion and catchy continuous guitar riffs with no room for guitar noodling is what you'll receive. The vocalist sounds like he was weened from the tits of a succubus. All of which is layered in black filth which masquerades as production. The perfect release for slaughtering lambs to.

www.massacre-records.com

ROSE FUNERAL - The Resting Sonata CD review

2009-01-27T07:10:00.000-08:00

ROSE FUNERAL - The Resting Sonata CD
Metal Blade Records

On my first observation of the band name and CD title I was thinking "goth band". Ok sure this is from Metal Blade but they've got a christian band in their stable so anything is possible. Plus the CD intro cut "Exordium: The Fall Of Christ" didn't help any. But once the next song "Sodomizer" got going well all doubts were gone. This is Death Metal with more breakdowns than a baptist funeral for a gangbanger killed in a drive-by. I see them on the news alot, they're really pathetic. But anyway if you want some melody or actual song structure then you've got the wrong band atleast for most of The Resting Sonata. The sad truth is that there's a band like ROSE FUNERAL in every town with a Metal scene all across this country. Their saving grace (ouch! that's gonna hurt) are the vocals. This guy, Tim Russell, alternates between screams, growls and those low monster burps in a decent way. But musically most of this is brutality for the sake of being brutal. And bands from South America own that fuckin style. Where's this band from, Ohio? Whatafuck's so brutal about Ohio to influence ROSE FUNERAL? It's definitely not their pro football teams.

www.metalblade.com

ROT GUT LIKKER - Uncle Satan's Straight Whiskey CD review

2009-01-27T07:05:00.000-08:00

ROT GUT LIKKER - Uncle Satan's Straight Whiskey CD
Self Released

The Scumfeast Metal crew were in attendance one night in Fayetteville, NC (aka: Fayette-Nam) to see our friends ANTISEEN put on another kick ass showing of Destructo Rock. Little did we know that the highlight of the damm evening was going to come from one of the opening bands, ROT GUT LIKKER. James At 15, zombie movie actor & singer for the band KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS and I were up front. He turned to me, throws up the horned fist and screams, "these guys are fuckin great, Old School Thrash!" I couldn't agree more and even better is that this CD sounds pretty close to what we witnessed on stage that night. Yeah there's alot of Thrash in their sound plus healthy doses of Hardcore and Southern Rock. Typically in the South those three musical elements are a prescription for another PANTERA wannabe. In the past the kids in trailer parks used to learn to walk by watching chickens but nowadays it's listening to Metalcore "breakdowns". Thankfully ROT GUT LIKKER used the chickens in a ritual sacrifice and then kicked the shit out of the Metalcore kiddies.

After the Southern Pride of the opening intro, "Stars N Bars Forever", Uncle Satan's Straight Whiskey turns into a dual guitar assault and battery. There's more soloing on this dink than you'd hear during a week long stint at a guitar store. The difference being this shit rips flesh from your bored out hide. Plus this invokes images of a drunk Satan torturing another guitar store geek who dared to play (Choose One: "Freebird", "Stairway to Heaven" or "Sunshine of Your Love") one more time. My memory is not what it once was, because I drink. But for the life of me I can't think of an actual Southern Fried Thrash band. And don't even try to toss out COC as a reference. I knew those guys and the Confederate flag to them was like sunlight to Dracula. ROT GUT LIKKER revel in the idea of being Southern and scare Baptists with screams of "Hail Satan". The actual opening cut on here is "Start The Show" which should mean start the fuckin pit! This is followed by "Kidney Killer", a song that opens with a face peeling guitar solo. Also I need to mention that the vocals on here are harsh screamed. Or in other words Daugherty, guitarist/vocalist, sounds like a pterodactyl after smoking a carton of Lucky Strikes and downing a jug of some Johnston County shine. It's really evident on the cut "Southern Justice" which contains a hint of BLACKFOOT and it's about as true Southern Rock as ROT GUT LIKKER gets on this dink, with the exception of three short guitar interludes which break up the cuts. Cause from there this thing takes off like a bar room brawl.

While "I Don't Give A Shit" is blasting I'm picturing bottles flying, bloodied bodies and these guys playing on through the chaos their music has created. "Grudge Fuck" and "Shitface Fever" carry that same kicked in the head again power. Once more it's the guitar solos slicing and dicing like a fuckin coked out chef at a Japanese Steak house. Count your fuckin fingers these guys are on the attack. Better yet, check your throat for scars and your skull for dents because the rhythm section gets in their hits too. But just at the point where I had these guys pegged as Thrash merchants out for thrills and kills on a Southern state murder spree, they toss out a surprise. Actually it's three surprises because the last cuts on here "Lunis", "Dying Inside" and "Kronos" are ambient Black Metalish instrumentals. Imagine good o'l Varg Vikernes of BURZUM in "Bib" overalls sitting on the porch of his shack out in the woods. He's worshipping Satan, making shine and cranking out this stuff which keeps his hounddogs happy as they lay underneath the porch. Gooooood Dammmmmm! Hell I'm not even worthy enough to give this band the kinda praise they deserve. I'm a yankee by birth but a southerner by divorce. Hopefully they won't hold it against me because I have given up my evil yankee ways. So while we're in an era of Metal that rewards clone bands and shrugs at originality. ROT GUT LIKKER's Uncle Satan's Straight Whiskey is truly a blaze in the Southern sky.

http://www.myspace.com/maliciouschris

TERMINAL FUNCTION - Measuring the Abstract CD review

2009-01-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

TERMINAL FUNCTION - Measuring the Abstract CD
Willowtip Records

Swedish Progressive Death Metal with some horrible sounding keyboards which they use to break things up. There's too much jazz in their sound for my tastes and not enough aggression or intensity. Like a Progressive version of fellow countryman MESHUGGAH but I don't care for their technical tricks of boredom either. This is TERMINAL FUNCTION's debut CD and all eight cuts are totally unlistenable. Actually they're not songs at all but various "abstract" pieces fused together to drive people away with. How do they keep an audience from walking out? This is so lifeless that if I were at one of their gigs I'd be hanging out at the bar till they finished. This is for all those "progressively minded" types who listen to this stuff on headphones, alone in their apartments, on Saturday nights.

www.willowtip.com/

NOMTRON interview by wolf

2009-01-20T16:52:00.000-08:00

SCUMFEAST METAL WEB ZINE January 2009 Part Three of Four

NOMTRON interview by wolf
One of SCUMFEAST METAL's Top Ten Bands to check out in 2009. Virgina's NOMTRON are far from being pigeon-holed into someone's sedate safe genre characterization. Far be it for me to try and nail down a description worthy of them. I checked in with Bob, the band's singer/frontman and old friend, to find out what they call themselves.

SCUMFEAST - I heard that you had a run in with a hoofed and horned creature while driving home one night?
BOB - Yeah man, I was driving home from practice on a rainy night in the middle of the city when outta nowhere a deer came rolling down a steep hill to my right, bounced across the street & slammed into the rear panel of my truck. Dented the hell out of it.

SCUMFEAST - When Andy told me about it I was like, "Was it a Bigfoot, a Virgina Woodland Demon or a bum? Speaking of which have you ever seen anything weird in the woods?
BOB - Oh yeah, I've definitely seen some weird shit, but then I used to take a lot of acid. In all seriousness though I once saw a Polish immigrant set fire to a pair of pink underwear in the woods, but that's a long story.

SCUMFEAST - So when are you going to post some of NOMTRON's music on the myspace site? Yeah I know there's some on your BOBTRON site but not the official one.
BOB - New stuff is being recorded now & should be up soon. There is a link on our site to CD MAXIMUM where we have a couple of old songs up. Like you said, you can always check us out on my site.

SCUMFEAST - The words on your site which you use to describe your music are Metal Experimental and Ambient. Do you think it works to answer the question of "what you sound like?
BOB - When you break it down yes, because we don't follow the typical metal song structure. It's kind of like prog rock applied to modern extreme metal. It's more rock oriented riffs played very heavy & very fast. We also have a lot of melodic intros, spacey leads & often use ambient soundscapes & samples between songs.

SCUMFEAST - I obviously remember your days in JERMFLUX, a band that had crossover appeal to fans of Hardcore and Extreme Metal. NOMTRON seems similar in that you don't fit into a specific musical genre niche. So does NOMTRON also have crossover appeal?

BOB - Probably not in the general sense, however I have many times had people come up to me after a set & say that they don't usually listen to this type of music but they really liked us. I mean people that don't listen to metal. So in a way that's crossover appeal. Yeah we don't really fit into any "sub genres" because we have our own thing going, but we got the chops & the aggression to hang with the best.

SCUMFEAST - Did you read the piece I had written about NOMTRON in SFMZ's "Bands To Check Out In 2009"? I described your sound as MORBID ANGEL and the DEAD KENNEDYS crashing head first into a wall of BLACK FLAG and CARCASS. I called you fuckin insane Metal which is exactly what I was thinking when I watched your set at the club in Richmond.
BOB - Insane metal sounds good to me. The only band we've ever been compared to until now was VOIVOD. We are definitely fans of all those bands as well as Meshugga & a list that could go on for days. We used to cover Wiggly World by DEVO.

SCUMFEAST - How did NOMTRON start? Did you seek out the other guys or did they find you?
BOB - We all met during the last couple of years of JERMFLUX. We used to hang out & record on a 4-track for fun doing noise stuff inspired by BASTARD NOISE, SUPPRESION & SUBKLINIC. Eventually we just decided to form a real band. James was already a badass drummer without a band & Evad was already a badass guitar player without a band, so I thought we should go out & kick some ass. In the begining we played real short super fast songs & it just progressed from there.

SCUMFEAST - With a few obvious exceptions, I've noticed that there's alot of eclectic styled bands from Richmond, VA area. Especially the ones who came down to play the Caboose years ago. So what is it about Richmond?
BOB - It's the home of VCU the nations best art school so it attracts a lot of free thinkers & a lot of punk kids first time away from home, ready to go wild. Lot of people forming bands & putting on house shows. Lot of creativity in one small place. It's the kind of place where you can look as weird as you want & nobody thinks much of it. Even the normal people have tattoos.

SCUMFEAST - Have you set plans for future recording and releasing something in 2009?
BOB - We are recording right now down in Moyock N.C. @ SNIPER STUDIOS with our good friend Vince Burke (BEATEN BACK TO PURE/LUNCH/SOUR VEIN/HAIL HORNET!). We hope to get a full length cd out by summer.

SCUMFEAST - The last time I saw JERMFLUX was in 1999. So what have you been doing since then and singing for NOMTRON?
BOB - Well I backpacked around Europe for a while then cooled my heels down in the Bahamas doing caricatures on the beach for nickels. Nah fuck that, we've been working on this band since the end of JERMFLUX. We never sleep. We played & recorded under a different name until ..08 when we had to change it because of copyright issues. During a hiatus I sang for a band called IGON & released a cd on SATAN ROCK called PEOPLE.

SCUMFEAST - Will 2009 be a year of "hope & change" according to our new president. Or are you just hoping to Have Some Change Left In Your Pocket?
BOB - I've said that it would be funny if the worst thing that happened was that everyone was brought down to having to live like me & nothing got any worse for me. Then it would be like " Haha welcome to my world bitch". But lets face it; the rich will get richer & the poor will get poorer. Much poorer. It's also looking like we may see World War 3 sometime soon.

SCUMFEAST - What's Invein Productions?
BOB - That's a booking agency run by a good guy named Rocky. If you're looking to play in Hampton Roads you should hit him up. If you're looking to play in Richmond you should contact the VIRGINIA METAL ALLIENCE.

SCUMFEAST - So whatever happened to the infamous ARMISTEAD ASYLUM punk house which you lived at? Hey that wasn't that place in Newport News which a few of us from Raleigh stayed at when we came up to see the PIMPS years ago?
BOB - Yeah that's the place. We put on a lot of crazy shows there, all free. We broke bottles on the floor & danced in glass. We hung barbed wire inside the house, even wrapped it around the hand rail on the staircase. It was a great place but after a while every one started to move out for one reason or another & those of us left couldn't affored it anymore.

SCUMFEAST - Did you ever sacrifice an animal to a Pagan God of your choice there?
BOB - Nah, we were all animal lovers. We had a freakin zoo. Dogs, cats, fish, iguanas, a ferret.

SCUMFEAST - Are you still in touch with all those people who were in bands like THE STRAP- ONS/PIMPS, GNOB and NOBODY?
BOB - Not so much. Everyone kind of moved on. Lot of marrying & breeding. Still talk to most once in a while.

SCUMFEAST - Alright here's the last one and I'll stop bothering ya. There's a saying, "You are nobody in the music business unless someone hates you". Can you add to that on a personal level from where you're from?
BOB - That may be true because most people seem to like us & yet we are not yet famous. Most good bands I meet are under appreciated in their home town. It has been said that we sometimes go over people's heads, but I refuse to believe that metal fans can't appreciate something new & different that still has all the heaviness & aggresion they are looking for.

http://www.myspace.com/nomtron

SFMZ Jan. 09 Part two of four

2009-01-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

SCUMFEAST METAL WEB ZINE JANUARY 2009

Info Articles Opinions Interviews Reviews

created & maintained by mr. wolf

band or label inquiries about a review or interview can contact me through the myspace site mail or email me at mr.wolf69@yahoo.com. As for bands to be interviewed, I would prefer that I can review your CD beforehand. All those inquiries will definitely be answered within five days, anything else may not be.

SCUMFEAST METAL WEB ZINE January 2009 Part Two of Four

THE LUST OF WINTER and THE WOLF MOON of JANUARY: words from mr.wolf

The Wolf Moon comes in January which is in the heart of winter. It is when wolves could be heard howling with hunger outside of villages and human settlements. I had that in mind this morning when I went on my early morning walk. It was at 6AM and the temperature was a brisk 29 degrees. I was in ecstasy as I left the warm comfort of my home and was assaulted by the cold wind. I actually love it this time of year. Yes the Fall can be nice but here in the South the weather is constantly changing. So we still have hot days in December. So it's up to the month of January to chill the bones of the weak and strengthen those of us who lust for the cold dark Winter.

As I walked my route through the neighborhood I started recollecting all of the things I lust about in Winter. There's that "silence" about in the early morning. You don't hear the lifesigns of animals or bugs. There's that "crunch" sound when you walk across frozen grass. Then there's the crackle of my leather jacket in the cold air. It's a powerful sound, the crack of leather, almost masterful, unrelenting, powerful. Then there's the solitude that you are one of the few walking about at that time of the morning in the cold. At least for foot traffickers, there's still the early morning drivers headed to work who fly by, taking advantage of the empty streets.

It's very different from when I go back out in the afternoon to run errands or pick up something from the local grocery. Yes that's when the sidewalks are full of people all hustling about. I could see that they were miserable amid this drop in temperature. I simply smiled as I walked down the street passing them by. I even heard one jackass curse because he wasn't dressed warm enough. My thoughts brought me back to the years I spent in Alaska. I felt the chill of 75 degrees below zero, when ice sickles form on your nose hair and your eye lashes freeze up. You continually blink to free them or your eyes will freeze shut. Lovely weather up there and I recommend everyone in the southern regions to experience it at least once in their lifetime. It was up in Alaska where my fingers tips got frost nipped. So ever since, whenever the temperature gets to freezing or below. My finger tips lose all feeling. And yet my heart still lusts for the cold.

With all that said for this early part of January, I hope you are enjoying your Winter as much as I. Also I hope you are enjoying the new Scumfeast Metal blogs. Preferably during the cold darkness of night under the January Wolf Moon. Happy New Year? Not very likely!

SCUMFEAST METAL ESSENTIALS SERIES JAN.09

2009-01-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

ARCH ENEMY - Wages of Sin CD
label: Century Media Records
released: 2001
track listing:
1. Enemy Within
2. Burning Angel
3. Heart Of Darkness
4. Ravenous
5. Savage Messiah
6. Dead Bury Their Dead
7. Web Of Lies
8. The First Deadly Sin
9. Behind The Smile
10. Snow Bound
11. Shadows And Dust

COMMENTS:

Wages of Sin might start off with some nice piano on the opening cut "Enemy Within". But by the one minute twenty-five second mark, after the guitars have burst forth. The face and sound of Death Metal, Swedish Melodic Death Metal, would change forever. You would have to be a misogynist, a homosexual or a complete utter fool (aka: a disgruntled AT THE GATES fan) to disregard the fact of what happens at that 1:25 minute mark on this CD. Because it's there that Angela Gossow enters into the picture and things would never be the same afterwards.

We all know the story. Arch Enemy was brought together in 1995 by guitarist Michael Amott after his previous band, CARCASS split up. He already had his stoner rock band SPIRITUAL BEGGERS but wanted something a little more on the Death Metal side of the musical spectrum. The original bunch of musicians that accompanied Michael Amott were his brother Christopher Amott (guitar), Daniel Erlandsson (drums), and ex-CARNAGE vocalist Johan Liiva. In 1996 this band released their debut album Black Earth. As the years passed there were some line-up changes and more releases. In 1999 their Burning Bridges release garnered the band high praise but for Michael Amott it wasn't enough. The one major problem was Johan Liiva who was not willing to go all out as a participant in the band. Despite what some modern day eager young assassins of musical revisionism would have you believe, the guy was not into doing long tours. So out went Liiva and in came a replacement who surprisingly became the German blonde Angela Gossow. Like I said earlier, things changed.

ARCH ENEMY were already a good Melodic Death Metal band displaying fast yet intricate guitar work by the brothers Amott. Along with that you had the very impressive drumming by Daniel Erlandsson. So with Angela Gossow on vocals they became a great band which over the past few years has only gotten better which each release. But it all started here on a release where at first people didn't believe it was a woman doing the vocals. Even today I've played ARCH ENEMY to people not in the know and they have a hard time believing it. Once they realize it they are intrigued by the whole band's sound. Gossow's vocals whether it's her guttural growls, raspy screams or that sinister semi-whisper were far more exciting than the man she replaced. Sound-wise this release was not much of a jump away from their previous work. The music on Wages of Sin was all written before Gossow joined the band with the exception of some lyrics. But still with her vocals this release really twisted the traditional Gothenburg sound. Which by this time was pretty boring and in need of some excitement. Some people were happy with the repetitive circle jerk sound which was bleeding out of post Slaughter of the Soul Gothenburg. Thankfully ARCH ENEMY were ready to expand.

Wages of Sin is far from being a pure Swedish Melodic Death Metal release which to me is a good thing. At times it comes off like Thrash with excellent soloing by the brothers Amott. There's also some NWOBM influence (IRON MAIDEN especially) in the melodies/solos that threw some Melodic Death Metal purists back in the day. Actually they're still thrown by it and I refer you back to my first paragraph for an explanation why. Gossow's ability to use varied vocal styles, while still keeping things harsh, was also a needed change. And yet it never once went to the pathetic examples of today. I'm talking about this modern day singing with death growl vocals on one verse then switching to normal vocals for the next one. The bottom-line here is that Wages of Sin is/was/and will always be a release that still kicked ass. Strangely enough there are some that still cry about being kicked in the face. WELL GOOD!

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Yeah well what more can I say. This is a Metal album for people who actually like Metal. One thing I mentioned earlier is that each of the band's following releases did get better and better. That's true I'm even a huge fan of their last one Rise of the Tyrant. To me all of the Johan Liiva versus Angela Gossow shit is childish. To still cry like a baby about it all these years later proves one thing. You're a ignorant loser. Michael Amott did something you are incapable of doing, taking a huge chance to be successful at your craft. The past few years have proven him right and all of the detractors so miserably wrong. What is it like to be miserably wrong all the time? Could someone please explain how it feels because I sure as hell wouldn't know.

WEBSITES:
http://www.archenemy.net
http://www.myspace.com/archenemy

DESTROYER 666 - Unchain the Wolves CD
label: 1997
released: Modern Invasion Music
track listing:
1. Genesis to Genocide
2. Australian and Anti-christ
3. Satan's Hammer
4. Tyranny of the Inevitable
5. Six Curses from a Spiritual Wasteland
6. Rome Wasn't Destroyed in a Day/Unchain the Wolves
7. Damnations Pride
8. Outward to Arktoga

COMMENTS:

Some of you are probably wondering why choose this one as an essential over a BESTIAL WARLUST release. DESTROYER 666 was never intended to be a serious full time band. It was simply going to be a side project for K.K. Warslut to kick out some Thrash driven cuts. Fortunately he continued on and made a full time band that's still with us today. So in the future you might see something about Blood & Valour. But for now we'll place K.K. Warslut's post BESTIAL WARLUST band's second full length in the Scumfeast Metal Essentials file. For me the choice is easy because this release is a perfect example of Australian Extreme Metal. It's the best DESTROYER 666 release of their few to choose from career. Although the jury vote might have to be retaken because of a supposed release in 2009. It's also a prime example of what Blackened Thrash is all about. Strangely enough it reminds me of BATHORY in the sense that the sound on Unchain the Wolves is both savage and epic. This is especially true after listening to the first song "Genesis To Genocide" with it's tolling bell, howling wind sample and eerie syth opening. Then the guitars kick in and it becomes this hypnotic Black Metal epic lasting just over ten minutes in length. I love how the guitar solos on "Genesis To Genocide" seem to walk in from a backroom like an uninvited guest. They're very melodic in style and yet convey power. It's really an anthem for anyone who is willing to embrace the dark side of the Extreme Metal realm. The lyrics are calling to the listener, "What if we called in the dead of night? Would you leave your woman and fight? Would you join us?" I already have my friend.

The following cut, "Australian and Anti-christ" has this great opening sample of a crowd screaming "Confess Confess" to which K.K. Warslut screams back "Fuck You Fuck You". Not as good as Barbara Steele's comeback in the horror movie classic Black Sunday but it does suffice. This is a great full on Thrash number simple powerful and spewing of political incorrectness and Satanic philosophy. Plus it has a catchy as all hell chorus. "Satan's Hammer" is another speedfreak number with some haunting soloing in it's early moments. The damm riff driven brutality, the hatred, the pulverizing heavy as fuck metal sound. It makes you want to grab hold of Satan's Hammer and pound some loser's head in with it. And I do know some well deserving individuals in need of some pounding but then don't we all.
"Tyranny of the Inevitable" kind of has this haunting Western sound quality. I can imagine them playing this at some ghost town in the outback of Australia. The cut is paced slowly but still an epic masterpiece none the less."Six Curses from a Spiritual Wasteland" is another Thrash favored number perfect for banging one's head to. The title song is another long epic number and it's also my favorite cut on here. How could I not go insane when you hear lyrics like "Summon the werewolf blood! Summon the wolves to war! UNCHAIN THE WOLVES, UNCHAIN THE WOLVES, UNCHAIN THE WOLVES! SET THEM FUCKING WILD"! The song is fantastic. The same with the following cuts "Damnations Pride" and "Outward to Arktoga".

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Unchain the Wolves represents a balance of all Extreme Metal genres and yet it still holds true to the Blackened Thrash side. It's a call to arms for anyone with a strong dark side. It was reissued in 2005 so it's easy to find.

WEBSITES:

http://www.destroyer666.net/
http://www.myspace.com/destroyer666band
http://www.season-of-mist.com

RAINBOW - Rising LP/CD
label: Polydor Records
released: 1976
track listing:
1. Tarot Woman
2. Run With The Wolf
3. Starstruck
4. Do You Close Your Eyes
5. Stargazer
6. A Light In The Black

Of the three Dio-era Rainbow studio releases this one, the second, will always be my favorite and definitely an essential when it comes to medieval inspired epic metal. It also proved to the music world at the time that Blackmore could create greatness without DEEP PURPLE. In fact Rising was light years better than the last two DEEP PURPLE releases that Blackmore appeared on, Burn and Stormbringer. And the post Blackmore DEEP PURPLE LP, Come Taste The Band was simply a fuckin joke. Even Blackmore's first solo/RAINBOW release, Richie Blackmore's Rainbow, was better than that piece of garbage. And I'm a huge DEEP PURPLE fan. Rising also contained the best RAINBOW line-up of all their career. Consisting of Dio on vocals, Blackmore on guitar, Jimmy Bain on bass, Tony Carey on keyboards, and Cozy Powell on drums, this line-up would go on a world tour in 76 in support for this release.

All six cuts on Rising are incredible. "Tarot Woman" opens with swirling synthesizer passage provided by keyboardist Tony Cary. Blackmore takes over afterwards with typical blistering riffs. And of course Dio's vocals shine through this whole rocker. "Run With The Wolf" is a signature Blackmore bluesy cut reminiscent of his DEEP PURPLE Mark II line-up days. "Starstruck" is also in the same vein and tells the true story of a stalker in Blackmore's life. "Do You Close Your Eyes" is considered by many as the album's lone throwaway track. I disagree of course since it contains a strong powerful vocal performance by Dio. In fact each band member's performance combines together as a unit on this track more than other. As opposed to the others which give time to each in order to perform a solo.

Of course this album will always be known for it's two over eight minute long tracks which close it. First off "Stargazer" is the LP's masterpiece and shows off the classical elements this line-up had in hand. Cary's spacey syths, Powells powerful drum solos, Blackmore and Bain's guitars cranking in and of course Dio's majestic vocals. The song is flawless and contains one of Blackmore's longest and elegant solos put to tape. For it's time the production and arrangements on here were perfectly in sync. Cary's keyboard playing sets this otherworldly atmosphere while Blackmore bends notes to soaring degrees. Near the end Dio sings "I see a rainbow rising" and chills just run right through you. Whenever you listen to this it becomes debatable which LP showed off Dio's talents better as a vocalist, this or BLACK SABBATH's Heaven and Hell.

The final climax of Rising is "A Light In The Black", a rousing number which contains the best guitar/keyboards duel since Blackmore's DEEP PURPLE days. In fact the song is so reminiscent of DEEP PURPLE. It's as if Blackmore is telling his former bandmates to stick it. I'm sure he did it many times but on here it's a recorded slap in the face. And speaking of slaps whenever I read or hear someone attack "Power Metal" I think of this LP. For all intensive purposes this era of RAINBOW is the beginning influence on the genre. Years later other bands like SAXON and MANOWAR would really define it. But the early beginnings were paved on Rising.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

I know there are a few "Best of RAINBOW" releases out there for people to pick up. I've got one from 1981 the double LP compilation on Polydor Records. But your best bet will always be to get this original in all it's glory on vinyl or disc. It's also been remastered on CD and you can find it cheap over the internet if you look for it. For all of you true collectors I've also got this on CD titled RAINBOW Rising Rough Mix Bootleg. It's a recording put to CD which was directly copied from the original pre-mixed tapes that belonged to drummer Cozy Powell. It's exactly the same as the original but you can hear a few missteps in the openings of two songs. Plus "StargazerI don't want to talk about my RAINBOW live at Budokan 1976 double CD boot, which is slightly different than the official On Stage live LP from 1977. Oh did I mention it? Sorry about that atleast I didn't mention that I first saw RAINBOW during their 1978 Long Live Rock and Roll tour in 1978. I saw them a few years later during their Joe Lynn Turner pop faze too with RIOT and the SCORPIANS (doing Blackout). RAINBOW did do "Smoke on the Water".

WEBSITES:

Sorry to say this but there are no RAINBOW official band sites but here's a treat for ya.

Set target="_blank"

RAINBOW LIVE FROM THIS ERA

MORBID ANGEL - Altars of Madness CD
label: Earache Records
released: 1989
track listing:
1. Immortal Rites 4.04
2. Suffocation 3.15
3. Visions from the Dark Side 4.10
4. Maze of Torment 4.25
5. Lord of all Fevers & Plague 3.26
6. Chapel of Ghouls 4.57
7. Bleed for the Devil 2.23
8. Damnation 4.10
9. Blasphemy 3.32
10. Evil Spells 4.12
11. Maze of Torment (Remix) 4.24
12. Chapel of Ghouls (Remix) 4.56
13. Blasphemy (Remix) 3.22

COMMENTS:

Altars of Madness is the most important release in the history of Death Metal. Not many bands can have that said about their full length debut. But in MORBID ANGEL's case it comes easy. There are many things about Altars of Madness which makes it an essential for anyone into Extreme Metal. First off there's the production/sound quality which by today's white washed standards would in all intensive purposes be considered crap. The sound on Altars of Madness is simply "unclean". Most people won't understand that but the extreme ones do. It's completely heathen in it's approach to sound and style. Complete unadulterated filth and we love it. The raw unpolished quality is what makes this extreme. Can you just imagine the faces of the unaware when this onslaught was turned on them?

"What is that", they ask?

Another important part are the vocals by bassist David Vincent which are unmatched in their terrifying hatred of everything. Vincent's vocals are simply inhuman sounding. The guy was possessed during the recording session. Listen to his voice on "Bleed for the Devil". It's as if he's singing in the first person not just reciting lyrics he'd written. That's freaky and I don't care how much Black Metal you've numbed yourself with. Vincent is the Devil on Altars of Madness.

"What is that", they ask?

What more could be said about the demonic guitar duo of Richard Brunelle and Trey Azagthoth? The riffs/rhythms on here are monsters running wild amongst the sheep. The solos are fiery meteors raining down upon the unshielded fools. On "Chapel of Ghouls" the solos sound like unleashed flaming bats on the attack. The rhythms are haunting like actual zombies are rising up. You can't run because they have you by the ankles.

"What is that", they ask?

Pete Sandoval was a sadist when it came to the drumming on here. Be it the steady pounded rhythms or the torturing blastbeats the guy was getting off on inflicting pain. All through this album here was this mad man delivering S&M styled beatings without any "safe words" to be uttered.

"What is that", they ask?

You really wanna know what that is? It's your end fuck face!

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Like I said earlier, this is the most important Death Metal release of all time. If you've grown tired of it or are one of these pussy boy, indie rock, snobs who only likes Death Metal that has progressed from what they consider it's "neanderthal" beginnings. WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU EVEN READING THIS LOSER? GET OUT!

WEBSITES:

http://www.morbidangel.com/
http://www.myspace.com/morbidangelofficial

Jan 09 article: MR BUSH SAYS GOODBYE satire by wolf

2009-01-12T19:51:00.000-08:00

MR BUSH SAYS GOODBYE

My fellow Americans, aw screw that. Part of you don't even like America and the other bunch are just plain stupid. How about this, to all the Americans who still believe in freedom and not those lying bastards from MSNBC. Well it's down to the short hairs. Soon Laura and I will be out of here. I mean the Whitehouse although some of you out there would rather something worse would befall us. Yeah ha ha and fuck you too. I've done my two terms and you're all welcome. Even those who wanted me impeached. Some people think defending the country from terrorists is worse than lying about boinking an aide. Well screw you because in a few days I'll be back home in Texas and you'll be stuck with the new guy. Hell I was in office for over 3 months before being accused of a scandal. This one hasn't even taken the oath yet and he's involved in three. And these weren't made up by the N Y Times. Well good because I'm done, I've had it with all of ya. But before I go there's just a few things I wanna get off my chest.

Alot of you have no understanding of what's really going on in the world and in this nation of ours. Then there are others who are just too damm lazy to do some homework and figure it all out. Hell just take a look at the guy you elected and why. You know mistakes can be forgiven but stupidity is forever. The most dangerous thing in any nation is an ignorant populace with real grievances. And half of this country are stupid. You've been sold a bill of goods from liberal politicians and their buddies in the media. Look at the housing crisis. You all wanna blame me for it. Say it's all my fault that the whole damm thing happened. And yet Barny Frank was in charge of watching over Fannie and Freddie. No you won't blame that cocksucker. You people are stupid. And now the economy is in the tank. Wow remember when the economy was great and unemployment was lower than it was during the Clinton administration? Naw you don't.

When gas prices went up you blamed me, why? I don't have control of the price for a barrel of crude. The price shot up because of increased demand in other parts of the world. Then there's those idiots who were yelling about the Iraq war was all for oil. Well then where did all that oil I supposedly secured go? And speaking of the Iraq war I have something to say to all of assholes who said I lied about chemical weapons. I didn't lie. The intelligence was faulty and I admitted it. If I was this evil guy you've all accused me of then I could've hidden plenty of chemical weapons in the desert to be found later. Did any of you morons think about that? And I just wanna remind you idiots that it wasn't just me. The world thought Saddam had chemical weapons. Another thing as far as regime change in Iraq goes it was official U.S. policy before I came into office. Bill Clinton established that policy but I guess you must have missed that one. As far as the whole War on Terror, I told you early on that this was going to be a long fight. These bastards aren't like enemies of the past. Back then we were fighting countries with official armys. These bastards don't have countries. They're whacked out religious nuts from all over the world and they wanna kill you. But you're too stupid to believe it. Plus your ungrateful of the job we've done protecting this nation since 9/11.

You know if every dumb ass liberal hated the terrorists just like they hate me. Then those fuckers wouldn't have a chance. But no you hate me and want the prisoners down in Gitmo freed. Well fine lets free em, any takers? How about you assholes out in Frisco do you want them? No because you're all a bunch of asshole hypocrites. Hell even your man Obama has changed his position on closing Gitmo. Are you gonna complain to him about breaking his campaign promise? I won't hold my breath. Hell some of you people are too stupid to leave a city that's below sea level even when a hurricane is heading straight for it. And I get blamed for that too. Hell if you tossed a bucket of cold water on a sleeping liberal they'd wake up cursing my name. Now that's stupid. Fine, go ahead and have your new non profit police state. You wanna talk about lies or torture? Listening to all the lies spewed forth every day on CNN and MSNBC is real torture. And to all of you global warming nuts here's something to remember. Al Gore is a watermelon head. He's environmental green on the outside but commie red on the inside.

Well just fuck it. I tried and the news media lied. I know that years from now I'll be looked upon as having done the right thing. But if you wait a little while, everything a liberal tells you will be wrong. That's the difference between them and me. Pioneers take more of the arrows. And I've been slandered, smeared and besmirched more than any President in modern history. Atleast Nixon actually did something he was accused of. Hell some loser in Frisco gets herpes and wants to blame my administration for it. That's just stupid! Supposedly I stole the election from Gore in Florida, yeah right. But ACORN actually helped steal this past election and you liberals defended it. Al Frankin, think about it. But that's the problem. Alot of you people don't think for yourselves. You swallow every slogan that's handed to you. Well fine I'm out of here. But I'm sure whenever the new guy screws up I'll be blamed for it. So for my final act as President I'm giving my last executive order. To all of you Real Americans, a year from now if things start looking bad for the new guy. Find a liberal and back slap the asshole.

Goodbye and Fuck Off,

President Bush.

BANDS TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR IN 2009

2009-01-03T19:29:00.001-08:00

name: CANDLEMASS
from: Sweden
genre: Doom
label: Nuclear Blast Records
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/candlemass
band website: www.candlemass.se
band members:
Robert Lowe - vocals
Leif Edling - bass
Mappe Bjorkman - guitar
Lars Johansson - lead guitar
Jan Lindh - drums

When SOLITUDE AETURNUS screamer Robert Lowe joined up with CANDLEMASS it was to us here at SFMZ a second coming. It reminded us when Dio joined SABBATH. 2007's King of the Grey Islands was in a sick way like the SAB's Heaven and Hell. Although I doubt that during the band's shows they had disgruntled fans holding up cardboard signs with the words "Marcolin Rules" scrawed on them. SFMZ thought King of the Grey Islands was one of the best releases of 2007. So we await their newest full length and wonder "Mob Rules" anyone? So when we learned that our favorite Swedish Doomsters had placed a few snippets of songs from their forthcoming release on their official website. Well yeah our eyes rolled back in our sockects. Go check out "Hammer Of Doom", "If I Ever Die", "Demon Of The Deep" and "My Funeral Dreams" for yourselves. Bassist Leif Edling believes this still untitled new one is going to be their best of this decade. We're hoping the same.

name: D.A.M.N.
from: Germany
genre: Death Metal
label: Pure Minds Records
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/damnmetal
band website: www.damnmetal.de
band members:
Antonie - vocals
Daniel - guitars
Andre - guitars
Mat - bass
Regi - drums

I found out about D.A.M.N. while trolling around on Youtube a few months ago looking for something else. Their video was a performance at some outdoor festival. Obviously the camera was focused on singer/front-woman Antonie. But it was their overall sound which caught my attention the most because it was very extreme. I'll admit, with the exception of Angela Gossow of ARCH ENEMY, the few women fronting Death Metal bands over the past few years have not been high on my opinion meter. I see it more like exploitation by the record labels seeking eye candy than raw talent. Some average sounding band places an easy on the eyes woman up front on the mike and suddenly they're playing Ozzfest or something else ridiculous. But musically they're talentless hacks. With D.A.M.N. it's the opposite. This German five piece has all the right ingredients for quality Death Metal without the commercialized cliche-ness. Sound-wise they're powerful, brutal and melodic all in one package. Each band member compliments the other to create this vicious weapon of Metal. As of this writing the band is finishing work on their next release which should be out by spring 2009. We're looking forward to that one.Scumfeast Metal predicts that release will be on alot of people's best of 09 lists. Also D.A.M.N. will remind us that when it comes to Extreme Metal it's all about the music and the passion of the musicians performing it.

name: FAITH IN ASHES
from: USA
genre: BLACK Metal
label: unsigned
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/faithinashes
band Website: none
band Members:
Jesse O'Neal - Guitar/Vocals
Adam Johnson - Guitar
Jeff Pertz - Bass/Backing Vocals
Justin Valletta - Drums
Greg Meckley - Keys/Synth/Violin

I'm calling this band the great USBM hope for 2009 since they're not a fucking cliche of Symphonic/Epic USBM was in 2008. Actually pigeonholing them as Black Metal could be an insult. FAITH IN ASHES have more Swedish Melodic Death Metal in them than a drunk myspace whore in the roadie room at an OPETH concert. But be that as it may I still have high hopes for this band in 2009. Especially since last year was a point of turmoil and change for the band. They added a keyboardist to expand their sound and then parted ways with their lead vocalist. To make matters more trying all of their songs had to be re-recorded with the newer vocals. I first saw this band in a small club early in 2008 and thought big things would come their way. Since their line-up changes and constant touring I'm still expecting greatness. They're planning on a self release CD this year. Their sound is Melodic Black Metal in the Swedish tradition which is far from being cliche sounding.Scumfeast Metal predicts that FAITH IN ASHES will be signed to a major Metal label and will be touring Europe next January.

name: ARKONA
from: Russian Federation
genre: Folk Metal
label: www.napalmrecords.com
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/arkonarussia
band Website: arkona-russia.com
band Members:
Masha "Scream" - vocal
Sergei "Lazar" - guitar
Ruslan "Kniaz" - bass
Vlad "Artist" - drums

From Russia with Slavic Pagan Folk Metal Love. We here at Scumfeast Metal became instant fans after hearing their "Ot Serdca K Nebu" CD last year on Napalm Records which was a reissue from 2007. Now we're looking forward to the spring when ARKONA will release their 5th release titled "Goj Rode, goj". That one will have 12 cuts including a 15 minute opus entitled "On My Land". It will be a Pagan metal opera of sorts about Slavonian's travelling around Europe. It will also feature guest musicians from SKYFORGER, OBTEST, MANEGARM, MENHIR and HEIDEVOLK. Which almost looks like the line-up to a FOLKEARTH album. We like ARKONA because they combine Melodic Death Metal with traditional and epic sounding Slavic Folk. Masha vocals are a combination of growler, throaty screams and melodic harmonies. Plus their songs are sung in Russian so we have no clue of what they're singing about unless we check out the CD insert. But you know what? We liked their sound so much that lyric translations are not what we care the most about.
Scumfeast Metal predicts that their "Goj Rode, goj" CD will be the Best Pagan Folk Metal band release of 2009 or atleast in the top ten of anyone's best Metal releases of 2009 list. And that they'll tour the US, alright that's more of a "wish".

name: NOMTRON
from: USA
genre: Metal/Industrial Strength Noise Rock
label: Invein Productions
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/nomtron
band website: none yet
band members:
Bob - Verbal Disruptor
Billy - LFO Modulator
Evad - Distorted Idiom Modulator
James - Time contortion unit 37c

Earlier in December I skipped hanging out at the NC Deathfest in order to be in Virgina with the band Knowledge Is For Fools and to see NOMTRON once again. And let me tell ya something. Seeing them play in their familiar home surroundings was worth missing a bakers dozen of Death Metal anyday. NOMTRON really don't fit into any basic Metal genre category. But to just call them "experimental" also does them a diservice. They just throw everything at you including the filthy squat house kitchen sink. And woe to those who don't duck when that fucker comes flying at your head at ninety miles an hour. I would love to have you all go to their site and check out their sound. But as of this writing they haven't put up any of their music. And that's fuckin sad because I describe them sound-wise as MORBID ANGEL and the DEAD KENNEDYS crashing headfirst into a wall of BLACK FLAG and CARCASS. Yeah that's right they're fuckin insane Metal with enough Hardcore ethos to have crossover appeal.Scumfeast Metal predicts that the band will release a demo CD in 2009 and will have a full length out on a decent Extreme Music label by the end of the year.

BANDS TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR IN 2009

2009-01-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

name: IMMORTAL
from: Norway
genre: Black Metal
label: Nuclear Blast Records
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/immortalofficial
band website: www.immortalofficial.com
band members:
ABBATH - Vocals/Guitar
HORGH - Drums
APOLLYON - Bass

Well we're still waiting for the Bergen boys to release their long awaited opus of indignity. Is the title "The Battle Rages On"? We were expecting it in 2008 but hey you know how genius works. Whatever happens Abbath and company promise extensive touring for 2009 & 2010. Please do because if I see another 16 year old kid at a show wearing an IMMORTAL shirt he bought at Hot Topic, I might have to hurt some people. My friend James At 15, singer for the band KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS, told me that goth people are now getting into IMMORTAL. Beautiful just fucking beautiful maybe the band should hold out for the hipster crowd also. Our expectations for this new IMMORTAL release are ??? Will the last Black Metal fan of IMMORTAL please turn off the fuckin light when you leave? It'll probably be us.

name: WOLFCHANT
from: Germany
genre: Black/Folk Metal
label: CCP RECORDS/SPV DISTRIBUTION
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/wolfchant
band website: http://www.wolfchant-metal.com
band members:
Lokhi - vocals, mouth harp
Derrmorh - acoustic guitars, rhythm guitars
Skaahl - acoustic guitars, lead guitars
Norgahd - drums, vocals, recorder, accordion
Bahznar - bass

So who doesn't like Epic Pagan Metal from Bavaria whose band name reminds you of this zine's editor? Yeah I'll admit it a little self indulgence on my part. But ever since we first heard WOLFCHANT in 2008. We've been waiting for info on a new release and hopefully a tour in the US. Their 2007 release A Pagan Storm was an incredible piece of Pagan Folk Metal. We expect the same when WOLFCHANT releases their next one DETERMINED DAMNATION scheduled for spring 2009. Too bad they won't be on this year's Pagan Fest tour. They would've been a perfect addition.

name: HAMMER
from: Italy
genre: Metal/NWOBM
label: unsigned
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hammerband
band website: http://www.hammerband.net
band members:
Ricchard - Bass Guitar, Harmonica & Vocals
Christian - Guitars
Arlek - Drums

Near the end of December this band's 2007 self released CD, No Way Out, arrived in our mailbox. After one listen by me (Wolf) I kept the CD in my leather jacket and carried it wherever I went from December 24th to January 1st. I'm talking about going to parties, shows, driving around doing errands, etc. And every chance I got to place it into someone's CD player, I did so. I turned it onto two NWOBM uber-fans James At 15 & Dracutard both of the band KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS. Those two guys went apeshit when they heard it. HAMMER are Heavy Fuckin Metal as if they stepped into a time machine back in 1980 and out they came 21 years later. This is Drinking Metal, Partyin Metal, Fighting Metal and of course Fucking Metal. Let me tell you something, if a average copycat band like AIRBOURNE can make a decent sounding record and tour in support for it. A band like HAMMER can surpass that mark by miles. We're looking forward to it.

name: GERNOTSHAGEN
from: Germany
genre: Black/Pagan/Folk Metal
label: Trollzorn/SMP Records
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/gernotshagen
band website: http://www.gernotshagen.de
band members:
S. Jung - keyboards
T. Volker - drums
Damien - bass
Askan - vocals
Diabolus - lead & acoustic guitars
Daimonicon - rhythm guitar

"The place once lying in the Thicket thuringian of the forest, in the shadow of the castle wall-tower, is definite lost. He just lives in our thoughts, in our hearts and in our blood! He just lives in our thoughts, in our hearts and in our blood! We tell stories about the days where glory, freedom and grief were dominating. We tell stories about the glory days where, freedom and grief were Dominating. The days of Gernotshagen." The days of Gernotshagen are as of this writing being spent on the Light A Pagan Fire Festival tour in Europe. Their sound is part reminiscent of other greats in this genre of Black/Pagan Folk Metal but another part is totally original. We here at SFMZ hope that after touring the band will start working on their follow-up to 2007's Märe aus wäldernen Hallen release. Although a mighty feat to try we feel a worthy challenge to this band is all they want.

name: Detrimentum
from: United Kingdom
genre: Death Metal
label: unsigned
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/detrimentum
band website: http://www.detrimentum.co.uk
band members:
Jonathan Butlin: Guitars
Paul Wilkinson: Guitars
Luke Robinson: Vocals
Phil Williams: Bass
Steve Powell: Drums

Who says there's no great Death Metal coming out of the UK? Ah no Grindcore doesn't count. Well we here at SFMZ learned about Detrimentum last fall and decided to keep an eye on em. We were hoping that some decent label would have signed em up by now, their second release would be in stores and they would be part of some Death Metal package tour. So far nothing like that has happened as of yet. The key word there people is "yet". You see Detrimentum specialize in old school Death Metal with touches of Black and Doom Metal. If you remember our Death Metal faves list for 2008 then you saw that we marinade dead burnt bodies in that kind of stuff. So yeah along with SFMZ we expect all of you to check out Detrimentum. Hopefully by the end of 2009 we'll be choosing their release as one the the favorites of the year.

SCUMFEAST METAL WEB ZINE January 2009

2009-01-03T19:02:00.000-08:00

THE 1%ers: words from mr.wolf

"How can you listen to that crap?" That was a former employer of mine commenting on the music that was playing at work one afternoon. She had come in unexpectedly one Sunday afternoon while I had IRON MAIDEN's Number of the Beast CD playing on the stereo. My answer to her was, "Knowing that it disturbs you makes it easy." She obviously didn't take my comment very well but then that's just too bad. Some people of lessor intellect might call our verbal sparing just trading insult for insult. But the fact is that the truth is never an insult. A similar circumstance happened with a roommate once. He was addressing the merits of the music he liked to listen to compared to mine. Once again my musical tastes were referred to as crap. The answer I gave him was that my music was supposed to be crap to him. I said that what he liked was also what the majority of people listened to. But my music was exclusive to the few. So to him it should be crap because he wasn't suppose to like it. The artists who created it did so in order to disturb people like him or should I say "common people." It wasn't worth debating what was better of the two. What he considered to be good music is what 99% of other music lovers call good. And that's fine by me because I'm part of the 1% crowd. And I don't care what the other 99% think, I don't have to.

Years ago I stopped using certain genre specific terms to describe what types of music I liked to listen to. The main reason was that there are always two sides to the same coin. You have the mainstream/common side and the Extreme side even though it's all part of the same musical genre. Now I know this zine is all about Metal but I'm still partial to other styles of music. The key factor that all brings them together is that they're all part of the Extreme side of things. So if I were to say Metal to someone and they started talking about the new METALLICA release. I wouldn't know what to say since I couldn't care less about METALLICA. Actually my neighbor did ask me about it and I told him I don't care about it. When he asked what I was listening to of late I told him HATE from Poland. Obviously he had no clue because they don't play HATE on the cheesy mainstream radio stations he listens to. And once again that's fine by me.

You know some people,losers, would think of me as an elitist or a snob. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just wait till you see my Favorites of 2008 list. You'll notice that I'm meat and potatoes Metal, not avant-garde snobbery. The real snobs are the people listening to Prog, Post Rock, Noise and Indie Rock. They're calling all of that crap Metal nowadays. They're calling TORCHE's release the best of 2008. That's a fucking joke but it makes sense to them. Just like the guy who likes hearing the new METALLICA CD on the radio. It's comforting to him. And so here you have these college radio losers who actually hate aggressive music. But they wanna call what they like Metal and also be elitist about it. Obviously they're just part of the 99%ers because they want to water everything down in order to digest it. They can't stomach the hot stuff. The local free weekly liberal newspaper even chose TORCHE's CD the best Metal of 08. Now this paper is notorious for being elitist snobs, loving Obama and hating Metal. They think the term "Death Metal" has too much emphasis on violence. As far as "Black Metal" well they think that term is racist and rather call it Metal from Scandinavian origins. Now I don't care what a bunch of liberals, gender confused or dorm room homosexuals think. They are all part of the 99% bunch. In any conversation I'm involved in when it comes to Metal they just don't matter. Personally I think all of that liberal ilk should be executed by howlizer. But hey I'll leave that to another opinion piece.

SPELLCRAFT - Stirpe Obscura CD review

2008-12-16T12:42:00.000-08:00

SPELLCRAFT - Stirpe Obscura CD
Grotesque Productions

This Spanish band sent me their 2007 four song demo/promo a few weeks ago and I liked it enough to go online to their label and get the full length. Note to all bands out there I rarely will do such a thing especially if you're from overseas and I'm trying to meet a fucking deadline. Now with all that said the main reason why I jumped through a few hoops to get this was because SPELLCRAFT prove that there's exceptionally great Black Metal from all over the globe. It all depends where you look for it. Or in their case it came in my mailbox. Big surprise here is that four of the cuts on their full length are also on the demo. No problem because those four plus the other three on this release make up for a great release.

The main reason I like this is that SPELLCRAFT are not part of this "innovation" bug which has invaded Black Metal over the past few years. Which in my not so humble opinion has had a diluting effect on the genre's greatness. Their sound is traditional mid-nineties era blasphemy which is always going to be a bent page in my black and burnt book of favorites. By no means is this "paint by the numbers" type shit either. They're from Spain not Los Angeles. It's taking the weathered template of heathen hell spawned Black Metal and putting their own personal touches to it. To me this band is Spain's answer to GORGOROTH and as far as I know they're not banned from anywhere yet.

The songs on Stirpe Obscura have a way of holding the listener in a cold vice grip. You can't just drop this dink into the stereo and go about your business. Or in my case try to write a review while listening to it play in the background. The songs are crafted with so much complexity. Your listening one moment to something fast and melodic for a moment then the cut dives into an atmospheric well. On other songs the opposite is in full swing. The release opens with a decent barrage of drums, riffs and vocals from cords that have to be in pain. The cut subsides about three quarters of the way through as the vocal "howls/moans" drift away we're left with a short acoustic guitar ending. The riffs come from the dual guitars of Murcilag and Aldromk. They create a wave of noise that seems to grow continuously into a mighty beast. And yet the production on this release seems to hold both six string maniacs in check. It feels like you're being held over the abyss but at that most excruciating second they refrain from sending you over. SPELLCRAFT has put human torture to music.

Speaking of being tortured the rhythm section on here is solid punishment. Unlike many of their counterparts here in the U.S. it doesn't have that artificial feel. Even though the piledriver like precision going on is inhuman to say the least. If you have a splitting headache then Stirpe Obscura is not the release you should be playing in order to comfort your nerves. Although because I'm a corrupt bastard I blasted this one morning because I heard the upstairs neighbor come home around 4 AM. Since his nocturnal actions ruined my slumber I just decided to return the gesture at 7 AM. I'm sure he loved the vocals by Midgard as well. Midgard uses a mixture of cold rasps, eerie long winded moans and clean vocals throughout this release. Each vocal style is just as hostile as the other and never repetitive.

On the whole the nation of Spain has a contender in the ugly wide world of Black Metal supremacy. Or at least a member of the Extreme elite whose shadow dwelling counterparts should all be proud to welcome into the fold. Strangely enough SPELLCRAFT have been around for a decade and this is only their second full length. Obviously after listening to this for a few days continuously it's easy to see that the band was not in a rush. For those of you who like your Black Metal with an attention for deadly detail then this is one for you to have. I'll be surprised if they don't lay in obscurity much longer. If the larger record labels are still on the hunt in 2009 for Black Metal acts which are at least interesting then they should be looking towards Spain for SPELLCRAFT.

www.grotesquemusic.com/

SVARTTHRON - Bearer of the Crimson Flame CD review

2008-12-16T12:37:00.000-08:00

SVARTTHRON - Bearer of the Crimson Flame CD
Inferna Profundus / Nocturnal Woodlands Records

This release by Lithuania Black Metal duo SVARTTHRON is the type of sound for late night listening. The music has a somber atmospheric tone. The songs range from slow moody pieces to mid-paced numbers. Plus the vocals are more like low rasps from a depressed sort. The slower numbers almost touch on Doom territory which after 2 AM sounds great. There's nothing like a huge blast of hate in the early morning hours even if it has some "epic" tones. This is over 42 minutes of depressing Black Metal. Anything less would never be as agonizing or painful to bear. For me whenever I'm listening to depressive sounding Black Metal. The idea of yanking an electrical cord free from an appliance, rigging it up to the ceiling fan and off-ing myself never comes to mind. But I do consider the notion that there are others not as strong willed as I. So as much as the band wants me to suffer from their musical version of dramatic hell. I'm just smiling my way through the whole listen experience. I can do that because somewhere there's an individual who is drowning from these seven cuts. My advice to them is to inhale deeply. A blissful slumber will take over and you'll be forgotten. This is recommended for anyone who has a friend into Emo. And as we all know, a friend who's into Emo is not a friend you want to have. Better to hasten their demise.

www.inferna-profundus.net/

MERCILESS DEATH - Realm of Terror CD review

2008-12-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

MERCILESS DEATH - Realm of Terror CD
Heavy Artillery Records

Before I even heard this release my friend, Big Jon, was told by someone else that the sophomore effort by this West Coast Thrash outfit was not as good as their debut. True but then the circumstances are different. Before we didn't know what to expect from their debut full length Evil In The Night. Well that's not true since Big Jon, I and a select few who stuck around after a clueless crowd left actually watched MERCILESS DEATH on stage kick fucking ass at Volume 11 Tavern here in Raleigh, NC in 2007. And their debut turned out to be one of our favorite releases of 2007. If we were just choosing one from a Thrash category then it was number one. So you just can't compare the two. And if you are, then you're missing the point about Extreme Metal. So just sell your copy of this and pick up something more your speed like EVILE, TRIVIUM or SANCTITY. Just go to the nearest Big Box store, head to the music section that reads "metal for clueless pussies" and pick up some of that crap. Leave the good stuff for people who actually like "real" Thrash that's not the buffoonish ANTHRAX rehash. Realm of Terror is a perfect follow up release that continues where 2007's Evil In The Night left us hanging for more. At least a few minutes short of thirty which is long enough in Thrash terms. MERCILESS DEATH are simply evil incarnate which is what great Thrash from the past was all about. Think EXODUS, POSSESSED and DEATH ANGEL all rolled into a trio who are doing more than conjuring up past ghosts. This is dancing with corpses who climbed up out of their graves just to keep the pit alive. While clowns debate the "worthy-ness" of the new METALLICA release, I'm blasting this second helping of hell fueled spawn. Wahfuckinhoo!

www.heavyartillery.us

ENSLAVED - Vertebrae CD review

2008-12-16T10:21:00.000-08:00

ENSLAVED - Vertebrae CD
Nuclear Blast Records

I have nothing against bands who want to expand the horizons of their craft and move onward. As long as they remember, like people who move from one place to another. Once you have a new address your old one is forgotten. A perfect example for my case is here with Norway's ENSLAVED. They are former veterans of the Norwegian Black Metal/Viking genre. Yes the key word here is "former" because if you thought their last two releases were in the Prog style. You haven't heard nothing yet. No doubt someone has already labeled this "Progressive Black Metal" in earnest to create a new genre term. That person will be executed at dawn. Like I mentioned earlier once you move on then your old address is yesterday's news. ENSLAVED might still add some raspy vocals and brutal blastbeats to their songs. But the bottom line here is that they have progressed away from Black Metal. So they're more of a Progressive act now with the added Blackened overtones. Actually they've been heading in a direction of their own choosing for the past decade. I'm not following them either.

But for those of you expecting Blackened Psych or even something along the lines of a DARK-FLOYD. You'll be disappointed to the point of sickness. As soon as the first song "Clouds" started I wondered if that was Herbrand Larsen playing keyboards or the guy from STYX? As the song moves onto a more rock oriented vibe I'm wondering will I turn into a New Age hippy if I play this more than once. "To The Coast" reminds me of what this band once did great. It's as if they wanna play some Black Fuckin Metal but not for long. Their cult leader must have entered the studio mid-way through the recording. OK guys that's enough nostalgia, get back to the earth fart/synth pop crap. "Ground" is a total PINK FLOYD worship to the point where you'd think Gilmour was doing the guitar solo. By the fourth cut, the title track, I'm ready to die. I wanna find some Indie Rock loser and choke em with this ambient shit. "New Dawn" is another cut that starts off promising, which is a real stretch, but then follows down a path lined with the worst moments of their Isa and Ruun releases. "Reflection" is definitely a cut for fags to dance to. I thought "Center" was probably the worse cut on here. Then the final cut "The Watcher" followed it which proved me wrong. In fact "The Watcher" actually clears all doubts that this is pure New Aged garbage. I pity the people who will like this. It's not Metal at all. It's the background muzac playing while cult members, wearing jumpsuits and new sneakers, are downing cups of arsenic laced Kool Aid. Thankfully we still have this band's early material to enjoy. Although it'll be a while before I play Vikingligr Veldi or Frost. Maybe after a few showers because after listening to this I feel dirty and not in a good way. One more time for emphasis, THIS IS NOT METAL! IT IS VERY BAD SOUNDING PROG-ROCK!

www.nuclearblast.com

HORNA - Sanojesi Aarelle 2xCD review

2008-12-12T07:46:00.002-08:00

HORNA - Sanojesi Aarelle 2xCD
Moribund Records

As far as Black Metal goes, this Finnish band is always consistent when it comes to putting out releases that are pure filth. They've been one of my favorites for awhile now and I've had the pleasure of turning many people on to them. Much to their descent into the abyss I might add. This double CD of blasphemy was a tough listen to say the least. Basically I say that because of the length and not the material. Listening to one disc of HORNA is enough to have black bile oozing out from unseen pours in my music room's walls but two discs! Well fuck it I needed to paint the damm room anyway. But seriously once you've absorbed one disc of nastiness then there's the second one to contend with. But let's look on the bright side of this blazing firebrand from Finland. Two discs of HORNA is enough to blacken your soul till Spring and maybe further then that. If I'm listening to this then I know Spring will not come for a while. And that's a good thing.

Also while one disc is an absolute maelstrom of violent Black Metal fury. The other is more in the vein of haunting your dreams or at least your neighbor's if you play it loud enough in the dead of night. It must be like some cold white hand coming out from under their bed. It yanks them out of their precious sleep and down through the floor boards they come. Into Hell they arrive but actually it's just a room I have to blast music in and work on the computer. Some people call it a home office. Others have named it the room of unspeakable horrific sounds. So happy for you to have dropped in. Would you like to worship at the altar of the Horned True One while I get you something to drink. Sorry I'm all out of beer and wine, how about some goat semen? Yes I am drunk but not from booze but from this release.

As always with HORNA, I can't understand a damm thing of what they're singing about since the lyrics and song titles are in Finnish. But I'll just take a guess and say it's of a nature that is evil. Yeah like that was hard to figure out, but in the booklet there are some English translations. Personally I just like to listen and make up my own ideas. Like the whole second disc is about people succumbing to a disease which makes their limbs immobile and they have to crawl on their bellies. Fortunately I'm immune to it so I just have to step over these human snails. Ah yeah maybe I should just learn Finnish instead. Speaking of which I blame all of my evil thoughts on the vocals of Corvus. The man has a raspy tone that haunts the easily scared but strengthens those who crave this stuff. Actually I think Sanojesi Aarelle is the best release they've ever done especially if I compare it to the other releases I have of theirs. And I've got most of them.

www.moribundcult.com

MGLA - Groza CD review

2008-12-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

MGLA - Groza CD
Northern Heritage Records

Sounds like mid-period BURZUM being strained through Black & Roll at least part of the time. This is my first introduction to the Polish duo's material. Supposedly they are the biggest thing in the homeland's Black Metal scene since sliced bread, goat or when GORGOROTH played Krakow in 2004. I'll tell you this the production value on here is outstanding and they're only a fucking two piece? There are plenty of similar acts here in the U.S. that would kill or spend a day in church, in disguise of course, for this kind of production on their releases. Like I said it's heavy on the Black & Roll side of the aisle until the tempo changes and the blast beats crash the dance. But don't consider this "melodic" at your puny life's peril. You'll wide up with two corpse painted thugs with hatchets at your door some night. If there's a third guy then it's a label representative. Nuff said on that point. You think I'm kidding around? Just read some of the lyrics, these guys don't give a flying fuck about anything with the exception of clean sounding production. You need that in these modern times since low-fi Black Metal ain't cutting it in some people's eyes. By the way there's only four cuts on this dink (?) albeit they are lengthy numbers.

http://www.cfprod.com/nh/

ORLOG - Elysion CD review

2008-12-12T07:09:00.000-08:00

ORLOG - Elysion CD
Det Germanske Folket

Being the outstandingly honest person I am, yeah right I'm corrupt. I have to give credit where it is due. When it comes to Epic sounding Black Metal the newer U.S. bands can't hold a candle or a fake ceremonial dagger to their European counterparts. Case in point here, Germany's ORLOG on this their second full length have a sound that's cold and cruel. They sound frightening which is what Black Metal is all about. It's supposed to have that air of hostility which scares off the inclusive types. Listening to this reminds me of the time I first heard DARK FUNERAL, similar style and the same effect on your senses. Everything explodes all at once with a barrage of guitars, blastbeats and extremely harshly screamed vocals. I can imagine being at a club with ORLOG on stage. The club owners lock all the doors and these Germans just pound out this vile assault of sound. I'll be up front screaming "Yeah"! while I'm sure there will be those trying to escape. But there is no escape you pathetic fools. And afterwards the staff will be scraping your remains from the walls.

Elysion is an explosive release which will simply take hold of your world and shake it literally apart courtesy of the dynamic musicianship and compositions. The opening cut "Sturm" (storm) sets you up for an experience of listening that will have you forget whatever "mainstream" garbage you've been exposed to of late. Trust me when it comes to garbage music I need expunging on a daily basis. "Im Schattenrausch" (in shadow ecstasy) starts out like a slithering beast but soon rises up to consume you. "Das Licht der toten Welt" (the light of the dead world) also starts out at a slower pace only to kick into high gear tearing your legs out from under you. This is what I want from a Epic sounding Black Metal band. Just line up the buckets of vile and let the worthy ones partake in the drinking. Three songs in and I was hooked even though this dink has four more cuts of cruelty. The title track ends this session of torment. No filler crap either since ORLOG save the best for last. The song simply bludgeons you like a gang initiation with everything you've heard previously on this dink.

http://www.ureuropa.com/

FOLKODIA - Odes to the Past CD review

2008-12-12T07:04:00.000-08:00

FOLKODIA - Odes to the Past CD
Stygian Crypt Productions

Here we have various members from FOLKEARTH getting together with some other Folk/Viking Metal artists and forming another international band. The music is very similar to FOLKEARTH obviously but more so in the Folk style. The Metal parts are not as strong still it's a great listen. There's plenty of organic instruments used on here like flutes, violins, whistles and pipe instruments. The vocals are shared by men and women so you'll get the melodic and the metallic rasps. I know some people who go apeshit whenever they hear a flute in a Metal song. They're still pissed at JETHRO TULL winning that Grammy award for best Metal album of the year over METALLICA. Hey people let it go! Besides who cares about Grammys when you've got decent Folk/Viking sounds encircling your world.

http://www.stygiancrypt.com/

LORD BELIAL - The Black Curse CD review

2008-12-12T06:52:00.000-08:00

LORD BELIAL - The Black Curse CD
Regain Records

Usually an end of the year surprise is a good thing but not with this release. This is very laid back Melodic Black Metal. The riffs are luke warm. The drumming is pushed into the background in order not to offend. There's some added keyboards and strings that add little help to this. The harsh vocals carry no passion whatsoever. Listening to this was more of an investigation to find something cool within the fifty two plus minutes of The Black Curse. The only thing I found out is that I don't like this at all. This Swedish outfit has been around since 1995 and this is the best they could come up with for an eighth full length? You know what's worse than this is that some poor schmuck is going to write nice things about this. How would you like to be that uninformed fuck who is about to lose all credibility just because he/she got a freebie and wants to be nice. Fuck Nice!

I knew this was bad a quarter of the way into the opening cut "Pazuzu". Throwing in some innovation to cover up boring generic Black Metal riffs is not the way to open an album. I was ready to review this one lying on my back. I just about laid out on the floor. And this ain't "shoegazer" material people. The production is way overdone to make this sound crystal clean. The song “Trumpet of Doom” is probably the best cut out of three contenders. But the production really white-washed the blackness out of it. Plus the use of the keyboards is more insulting than complimentary. I wanna throw up right now in an epic way. “Sworn” is so mediocre that it drains instead of breathing life sustaining vile into the listener. This is like being in a horrible relationship. The kind that suck the fuckin life out of ya. And it's not supposed to be that way.

www.regainrecords.com

BATTLEROAR - To Death and Beyond CD review

2008-12-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

BATTLEROAR - To Death and Beyond CD
Cruz Del Sur Records

So no shit there you are stranded in your home after a snow storm has blanketed the countryside. It's you and a couple of buddies. You are bored and have nothing to do. I repeat you and your "MALE" buddies have "NOTHING" to do. The cable is out so no TV or Internet but at least you still have power and a refrigerator full of beer. Also one of your buddies, the guy you'll probably eat first if worse comes to worse, has a small stack of Epic Power Metal CDs to play. Think about it, men, beer, stranded, Power Metal? Ah yeah right, the only thing missing is the Hercules Unchained DVD.

So you look through your buddy's stack of CDs in order to fill in the boredom. The first CD is that DRAGON band which you were bored with before they got big. Next up it's MANOWAR, to fight to kill forever more! Ok you can put your arms down. The video of their Euro Tour was cool the first time you saw it and the same can be said about the music. Next up it's MANILLA ROAD, yeah that band which music critics like to name drop in order to show off their snobbery. We'll leave that one for people with no lives except for the ones they have on Forum sites. Finally you find this one, To Death and Beyond. So into the stereo it goes and what comes out is?

Holy diver, this guy sounds like Ronnie James Dio back in the day fronting SAXON. Fuckin A this is cool. Makes me wish I was a teenager again with long hair and a denim jacket with IRON MAIDEN's Killers album cover painted on the back. And lets not forget the pack of Camel Filters in the jacket pocket and a bag of "you know what" in your pants pocket. Hell yeah and these guys are from Greece! I wonder if this is available on 8-Track? I wonder if anyone I know still has an 8-Track Tape Deck. And if they did it would obviously be in their basement. Along with all those black-lite posters they bought from Spencer's Gifts in that brand new thing they're calling a "mall". Yeah like those things will be popular, I doubt it.

Should I get serious now? This is BATTLEROAR's third full length but their first for this Italian label. For modern day Metalheads their sound is described as Power Metal. Old fucks like me just called it Metal back in those days of yore. Back then you only had two types of music. There was the stuff you and your friends liked and then there was crap. I'm sure you've heard stories from your parents. And no it was not just one big Heavy Metal parking lot. But seriously folks I can't believe how "perfect" this dink sounds as far as originality. Epic vocals, acoustic guitars and violins, power drumming and power chords. And look at that fuckin cover? It's cool as fuck! Listening to this has even effected my writing because I sound like a 17 year old. Cool!

www.cruzdelsurmusic.com

DODSFERD - Death Set The Beginning Of My Journey CD review

2008-12-09T10:43:00.000-08:00

DODSFERD - Death Set The Beginning Of My Journey CD
Moribund Records

I am the biggest DODSFERD fan in North Carolina. That's not a boast it's the truth so deal with it. (No I don't run the fan page) So naturally I'm gonna have the newest one by Wrath, aka: Nikos Spanakis the one man Greek Black Metal maniac, as soon as it was available. As for all of you others, the lesser fans, you need this one because it's number one in a three part CD trilogy. Wrath will be releasing the second one early in 2009 and will have the third part done before you've taken this out of your stereo. The man doesn't waste time with meaningless things. He's a Black Metal fucking genius who spares no genre boundaries when it comes to writing and recording his craft. The music is generally the same styled old school Black Metal. It's extremely raw sounding with treble screaming riffs that go on for ever. Then there's the vocals which are really tortured wails of pain, anger and desperation. I'm an expert when it comes to tortured wailing, just look in my basement. But anyway if that sounds exciting to you, the music and not my basement hobby, then you need to pick this latest DODSFERD release up.

As on previous releases there's always a track or two that sounds like Blackened Thrash. On this release it's "I Can Easily Destroy All The Things I Have Created", which has more groove than the crackhead you gave your spare change to this morning, dumbass. Most of the other cuts, there's a total of six altogether, are epic sounding and lengthy. Even the song titles are long like the opener "You Were Talking About a Kingdom; What the Fuck is That!!!" or the follower "The Day You Will All Rot, I Will Bury Forever My Hate"! This is another pattern which Wrath favors on all his releases. Hatred is the way of all things when it comes to the song writing of Wrath/DODSferd. I don't know if it pays the bills but he sure has alot of it to spread around.

www.moribundcult.com

OCTOBER FALLS - The Womb of Primordial Nature CD review

2008-12-09T10:30:00.000-08:00

OCTOBER FALLS - The Womb of Primordial Nature CD
Moribund Records

Have you ever stood near a window or maybe out on your porch during a thunder storm? Trust me it's an incredibly enjoyable experience. There's that peaceful sound of the rain falling and then suddenly this explosion of thunder rips apart the night. Then the calm of the rain returns but soon enough that boom returns. I love that shit. It frightens the crap out of alot of people but not me. This release gives me the same sensations to an extent. OCTOBER FALLS (aka: main man Mikko Lehto) combines folk textures with the monolithic bombardment of Black Metal to your senses. Peaceful interludes of acoustic guitar are suddenly shattered by violent yet melodic guitar and drum assaults. Acid drenched vocals cry out over the musical supremacy being pounded out. This stuff is epic and powerful as is with nature.

There's only four cuts on The Womb of Primordial Nature and they are represented by Roman numerals I, II, III, and IV. Obviously Mikko Lehto spent more time composing the lengthy cuts and not song titles. Be that as it may the beast is loose amongst the sleeping babes. And as it creeps along from crib to crib it rips apart each one with savagery and harshness that is equal to anything in nature. It's also a theme which I like to see going on in the present Black Metal genre. Instead of "Hail Fuckin Satan", I'm hearing more bands and artists create music that's nature themed. Obviously some people realize that humanity is out of it's league when it comes to the power and awe of the onslaught of the elements. Listening to The Womb of Primordial Nature reminds us all that it's not wise to run naked out in a thunderstorm.

www.moribundcult.com

ENDLESS BLIZZARD - Remember Your Death CD review

2008-12-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

ENDLESS BLIZZARD - Remember Your Death CD
Blackmetal.com Records

It's gotten to the point that whenever I start to review a new U.S. Black Metal release. I'm surprised when it's NOT a one man project. Guess what? This is another one man project from Los Angeles of all places. Well the weather out there on the left coast might not be much help as far as inspiration. But everything from Las Vegas westward is pretty much in moral decline so the guy does have that. The biggest surprise here is the quality in the production as far as one man Black Metal projects go. This basically rides the fence between classically low-fi and clean sounding studio perfection. Musically it's your basic style of melodic depressive orchestration with enough tremolo guitar violence to rival a drill wielding mad dentist. The guitar playing is what sets this apart from the unholy flock of other U.S. one man Black Metal projects. Imagine the sound of a blender full of large roaches running on high. Yeah that crunching sound is what sticks out the most about this release. Plus main man Roskva rips into a few searing solos that will choke the weak. His vocals are devoid of any humanity which is always a plus. Another thing on here which stands out better than most one man projects is the drumming. Roskva handed that chore over to a session guy, L Sxuperion. Great idea since it's the drumming (aka: frantic blast beats) which push this material. Add that to the down tuned melodies and this comes off like a maelstrom. Most of the cuts are shorter than your normal fair with the exception of two lengthy numbers. These two cuts, "Cultivated by Darkness" and "Buried Still Breathing/Remember Your Death" are actually the best numbers on here.

www.blackmetal.com

BATTLELORE - The Last Alliance CD review

2008-12-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

BATTLELORE - The Last Alliance CD
Napalm Records

First of all you've gotta love the cover artwork. It just screams "Epic" when you stare at it. As for the music I'm familiar with this Finnish band's brand of Battle Metal from hearing their previous release, Evernight. So now here's this new one which is their fifth overall. The same styles are in place as before. You've got the combination of male and female vocals sung over a background of Symphonic Metal with lyrics dealing in fantasy subjects. If you recognize this template and are tired of it. I say try it one more time especially when it comes to this release.

As far as the male vocals go Tomi Mykkanen does have a menacing growl when he's in the Death Metal voice mode. But it's the melodic singing from Kaisa Jouhki which gives the songs on here a mystic edge. Her vocals have that floating on air kind of feel which is needed for this type music. Also like on their last release there is a balance between the two vocal styles on the various cuts which is important. This is something that BATTLELORE exceeds in were as similar bands don't have that type of vocal chemistry.
Musically they still rely heavily on the keyboards for creating the orchestrations but the guitars are much more prominent this time around. Usually in this genre they're kept back in a supporting role. Once again BATTLELORE smashes the template.

www.napalmrecords.com

DARKTHRONE - Dark Thrones and Black Flags CD review

2008-12-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

DARKTHRONE - Dark Thrones and Black Flags CD
Peaceville Records

There are those in the Metal media who believe themselves to be smarter than the bands they write about. I am not one of them but I read articles by those who do. They believe themselves to be opinion makers, trend setters and that if they point then the Metal community will run. DARKTHRONE has been telling those types of cretins to fuck off ever since their music career started. And just like with their F.O.A.D. release from 2007. This new one is another huge middle finger salute to all of whiners, clowns and would-be tin pot banana republic dictators out their in the Metal media. DARKTHRONE is going to do whatever the fuck they want as far as recording music. And if those bozos don't like it, can't understand or explain it away. Then tough shit, chew harder clown.

This new one sounds more Punk Rock/Hardcore (the good stuff) than the boring crap that's been pouring out of that genre for the past twenty years. And a Black Metal band shall lead the way. Straight from the opening cut “The Winds They Called the Dungeon Shaker”, I'm about to jump out of my seat and slam someone into a wall. But first I need a beer, yes a fuckin beer! That's right drinking beer and listening to the new DARKTHRONE CD. Normally you would figure people would be huddled around some circled pentagram. Not anymore because now we're knocking each other over. "Death of All Oaths" and “Hanging Out in Haiger” are also exceptional cuts that will have you flipping out, in a good way of course. That's if you are not a whiny little piece of shit.

Yeah I know there's going to be a horde of younger Black Metalheads who will contemplate falling on their cheap Made in China ceremonial daggers. So fuckin what! Remember when ENTOMBED released Wolverine Blues in 1993 and then later in 2001 they put out Morning Star? You would've thought a flood had occurred with all the water from the tears of Death Metalheads crying. Same goes with this, stop crying and enjoy it. Hey if you ain't laughing during "Hiking Metal Punks" then you are really fucked. Luckily DARKTHRONE have thrown you a bone to gnaw on with "Norway in September". Another thing even though this is not "troo" Black Metal which came out before you were born or worse when you thought Grunge was cool. DARKTHRONE are still just as cold and frost bitten sounding as ever. So deal with it people because you never know, Varg might be coming out with a gangsta rap album next year. Wow was that loud "thump" the sound of a thousand Black Metal kids keeling over in shock?

http://www.peaceville.com

FOLKEARTH - Songs of Yore (acoustic) CD review

2008-12-02T07:10:00.000-08:00

FOLKEARTH - Songs of Yore (acoustic) CD
Stygian Crypt Productions

No I'm not drunk on mead. Although I did put a dent in a bottle of it at a friends house back in October. Good stuff and it goes well with homemade pizza. And no it is not a typo. You are reading it right, ACOUSTIC. Your next question is WHY? Well that's cause this is FOLKEARTH and they, as in eighteen musicians from nine countries, have released a stripped down version of "their vision". Basically these are their songs without the Black, Death and Epic Metal overtones. Songs of Yore is more than just a true Folk release. To me this is a test which will uncover the truth behind all of this new Pagan/Folk Metal mania. For all of you out there in the wastelands who say you like this genre then here you go. This is what you'll be hearing when the power goes out. Can you handle it? As for me yes I do. Those of you who have their Father of Victory release will notice that the majority of the songs on here are from that one. Albeit they are the "troo" folked-out versions. Be prepared for plenty of acoustic guitar, harps, flutes, mandolins, violin and accordion.

http://www.stygiancrypt.com/

FOLKEARTH - Father of Victory CD review

2008-12-02T07:02:00.000-08:00

FOLKEARTH - Father of Victory CD
Stygian Crypt Productions

I've never been a fan of American Folk music. So I just can't explain why I have developed such an interest in Folk Metal especially the Pagan variety performed by Scandinavian as well as Central and Eastern European bands. My only explanation is that the music is good. It has this earthy ebb and flow which tugs at your psyche. The historical significance is enough to blow one's mind if you realize that the lore behind the music is sometimes over a thousand years old. The music has roots that are planted deeper than anything other Metal musical genres can provide the listener. Plus the compositions carry more diverse human experiences which can be related to with ease by almost anyone. That's my guess to why this genre has exploded with popularity amongst fans of Metal. And I'm not talking about the fair-weather types who jump around from whatever is popular at the moment to the next. I'm talking about people who actually "LIKE" music and can appreciate the significance and impact it has on our culture and those of the past.

Which brings us to FOLKEARTH who are fairly unique within the whole Pagan/Folk Metal genre. Their story starts back in 2004 when a bunch of musicians from various countries, who were already into Pagan/Folk Metal, banded together to create something even more magnificent. Since they really didn't have one country to be strictly from they chose the name FOLKEARTH. I first got into them after hearing their By the Sword of My Father release and have been a fan ever since. Father of Victory is the fourth full length from this international supergroup. And as before this is some of the best Pagan Folk/Viking Metal to be heard south of Asgard. What makes FOLKEARTH as well as plenty of other great Pagan/Folk Metal bands so brilliant is their ability to balance the two elements of Folk and Metal within the songs. They way they add in the flute or violin parts whether it's role is prominent or support. Also with FOLKEARTH the male/female vocals are not an overdone cliche as with many bands. Finally there's a good division between the harder edged cuts and softer numbers. Yeah I know the term soft might not go well with Extreme people.

http://www.stygiancrypt.com/

ISKALD - Revelations of Reckoning Day CD review

2008-12-02T06:54:00.000-08:00

ISKALD - Revelations of Reckoning Day CD
Indie Recordings

ISKALD are a two piece band from Sortland, Norway who've just released one of the better sounding melodic Black Metal releases this year. Regular Scumfeast Metal review readers are right now screaming "wait a minute, how many melodic Black Metal releases have you reviewed this year"? That's true, usually it's the Ambient stuff, brutally Satanic or Symphonic Black Metal that the scene has been overwhelmed with of late. So this release is definitely a breath of fresh air, albeit a cold one. Simon Larsen takes charge of the guitars, bass, keyboards, and vocals while Aage Krekling handles the drums and vocals. I'm assuming they'll have session musicians while on tour. And hopefully they'll play here in the states sometime in 2009. But with all that aside this release, their second, is a mixture of all things which make me a fan of Black Metal.

All great releases are a sum of their various parts. Revelations of Reckoning Day is a great release because it contains elements of past perfection and improved upon it. Even jaded losers will bend over and kiss their ignorant opinions goodbye once they hear this. ISKALD have taken that icey melodic intensity which IMMORTAL used to have (and hopefully they'll have it back in 09) and placed it into symphonic arrangements which makes this sound epic. Their use of keyboards is minimal most of the time. The guitars, drums and yes bass, that you can actually hear, are center stage. Another key on here is the variety of sound structures being poured out in each and every song. One cut might take you on a furious DISSECTION like attack while the next is reminding you of EMPEROR painting a snow covered Scandinavian landscape. Here's another way of looking at it. Stare at the cover art while this is playing and soon you'll feel an icey cold grip take hold of you. Fight it off as you might but eventually you'll be that figure freezing in the cover art.

All the songs on here are excellent. From start to finish it's an essential release for 2008. The first cut "Ruin of Mankind" opens with a hiss as if it came from some frozen warrior or the North. The song runs at a galloping speed as if to slow down would freeze you over. "A Breath of Apocalypse" is more of an epic sounding number that continues where the opening track's speed leaves off. The guitars and blast beating drums combine to give the impression of a swirling snow storm. The cold harsh vocals leave little to imagine otherwise. The song does break down to a slower marching type pace in the middle. We are talking about the Apocalypse here. "Warriors of the Northern Twilight, Part II" is a lengthy but incredible number which never grows boring as some lesser acts would make it. Like the rest of this release it's an epic adrenaline rush all of the way through. Their Norse warrior ancestors would be proud of this.

http://www.indierec.no

TORTURE SQUAD - Hellbound CD review

2008-12-02T06:49:00.000-08:00

TORTURE SQUAD - Hellbound CD
Wacken Records

This band might be from Brazil but their take on Thrash was ripped from European roots. Oh yeah and I like it especially the slight Death Metal touches musically and vocally. Finally I'm hearing some decent new Thrash that's not U.S. born, bred and fed copious amounts of EXODUS & SLAYER. Not that there's anything wrong with that but it's good to hear a band from somewhere else do it. Britain would be the exception to that statement. I'm not saying throw every U.S. Thrash release away, grab your bullet belt and hop on a plane to Brazil. Hellbound is not perfect but it sure as Hell is good. The whole thing has that mid-eighties sound quality going for it as far as the production. Good Thrash riffs accented with some decent solos. The drums actually sound like they're being played by a human and not a computer. Then of course there's the vocals which had me hooked from the moment this guy started. I like how he mixes Death Metal growls into all of it.

Has some genre creating fool came up with the term Death Thrash yet? Obviously it had to have been done even though I wouldn't use the term. Personally I'd just call TORTURE SQUAD a great Thrash band. But you know the Metal vehicle has also been described as a clown car so anything is possible. Yes I know that was a mean spirited thing to say but you know that I am evil. Honestly you can't swing a studded guitar strap at the Wacken Fest without hitting some schmuck who wants to be the first to coin a Metal genre phrase. Well I'll call this ten great tracks of decent sounding Thrash.

http://www.wackenrecords.de/

STORMLORD - Mare Nostrum CD review

2008-12-01T22:18:00.000-08:00

STORMLORD - Mare Nostrum CD
Locomotive Music

Italians always have a flair for the theatrical which is the case with this release. And it's not over until the fat lady, who does show up in the choir, sings. I'm serious since STORMLORD have spared no genre in order to record this opus. Gothic arrangements relying heavily on the keyboards with Black Metal vocals and Power Metal melodies. Now if your head hasn't exploded just yet you might want to look out for the TYPE O NEGATIVE/69 EYES vocal-isms sprinkled into a few songs amidst the harsh screaming. Touches like that only add to the whole Epic Black Metal-ness of Mare Nostrum. Plus there's this whole Middle Eastern flavor going on in the songs. I hate to say this, ah no I don't, but this is like CRADLE OF FILTH on a Roman holiday. And the fat lady has worked her butt into a few more of the cuts.

Mare Nostrum must be a concept album from the front cover painting of an ancient ship in peril from a sea monster. There's various maritime signature songs like "The Castaway", "And The Wind Shall Scream My Name" and "Legacy Of The Snake", see front cover painting for that one. It's a nine cut orchestrated journey which lasts at least 45 minutes. Any longer and you might jump overboard. After my second listening of this I was ready to drown myself in the bathroom toilet. Which is a nice thing to say about this extremely over produced Gothic sea urchin of a dink. This is grandeur on a depressing scale. Does anyone have an idea what the band was playing on the Titanic the night it sank? If I was going out on a lake in a canoe with a friend and she had this CD on her Ipod. I'd say no thanks toots, I'll swim.

http://www.locomotivemusic.com/

SYLOSIS - Conclusion of an Age CD review

2008-12-01T22:08:00.000-08:00

SYLOSIS - Conclusion of an Age CD
Nuclear Blast Records

At first I thought I was in for some inventive English Thrash but then the Metalcore breakdowns kicked in. Some more surprises consisted of melodic clean vocal passages in the harsh vocals. Toss in some AT THE GATES worshipping and you know a few Progressive guitar introductions. No this is not up my alley but on a short pier yeah. Right now there's about a hundred or more US bands doing the same thing. I don't care if they're from England or the leads are taken from (name your favorite Swedish Death Metal guitarist here). I was expecting something in the vein of Thrash and got you know what. Where I used to work at we had this generic satellite radio system. The station titled "metal" would play all of this mainstream crap on it. I couldn't bare listening to it. I would tell the bartenders to turn it on to a classic rock (aka: CROCK) station or anything else but that mainstream metal (Metalcore) crap. Friends of mine who love their Metal would come in and hear Elton John or Dylan playing in the place. They would ask how could I stand to listen to that stuff? I would explain to them that the metal station we had was worse. Of course they didn't believe me at first and wanted to hear for themselves. Five minutes into it they'd come running up to me begging for me to change the station. I'll bet you that this debut CD by SYLOSIS, who are not Thrash, is being played on that station right fuckin now.

www.nuclearblast.com

GRAVDAL - Sadist CD review

2008-12-01T21:48:00.000-08:00

GRAVDAL - Sadist CD
Unexploded Records

At first I was a little disappointed with this release. I figured "unholy shit" they're from Bergen, Norway! But after the first listen I wasn't screaming "Hail to the Dark Lord". I wasn't planning any phone calls to Gaahl telling him it's time to pack it in there pal. In fact I thought Euronymous must be rolling over in his grave laughing. Yeah I wasn't happy at all with this one. But after a few days I gave it another shot, the release that is, I was totally sober. I always try to find something of worth with every Extreme Metal release when I do these reviews. The mainstream shit can rot away as far as I care. But bands like GRAVDAL have something going on with their music which can easily be overlooked. Especially if you are use to over the top type Black Fuckin Metal that roars at you. GRAVDAL on this their debut release have a sinister appeal to them. Musically it's straight forward Norwegian Black Metal and if it came out in 1993 then it would be an essential cult classic. But it's 2008 and if you're gonna go for the raw sound of yester-year it better be filthier than watching a goat fuck the week old corpse of a fat lady and eat it afterwards. Now that's filthy!

So to the band's credit I'd say at least half of Sadist is worthy enough for the goat
treatment mentioned in the previous paragraph. I'll tear into this by the basics. First off the vocals are decent. The singer obviously has a naturally cruel sounding vocal delivery. There's times when you can actually hear him reach his range limit. If this was an overly produced piece of crap you would never catch that. A producer would take that out in a heartbeat. Personally I'm glad this was recorded in a way that's probably more true to their live sound than alot of other bands coming out today. Yes I'm talking about the new crop of overly produced US bands who are really sounding phony of late. By the way there's nothing phony about GRAVDAL.

Musically I thought this band had a steady bass player because on some songs I heard him and then there's no bass at all. Guitar wise I have no complaints at all. Did Infernus teach these guys how to play? Because some songs on Sadist would easily compare with older GORGOROTH. That's a compliment guys, run with it. I especially liked how GRAVDAL slows things up on certain cuts letting the guitars roll over you. Not like a steamroller of course but instead like someone zipping up a body bag that contains a naked female corpse. By the way great cover photo! Finally there's the drumming which is competent as far as straight forward Black Metal goes. Fenriz hasn't found an heir to his throne just yet.

Like I mentioned earlier at first I didn't care for this but decided to give it a chance. I'm glad I did since this is just GRAVDAL's debut. Obviously their follow-up is going to blow away alot of people soon enough. Actually I'm betting on it since I decided not to write reviews for the new ones by SATYRICON and CRADLE OF FILTH. Prove me right guys, you're from Bergen for Satan's sake.

http://www.unexplodedrecords.com/

ELITE - We Own The Mountains CD review

2008-12-01T21:39:00.000-08:00

ELITE - We Own The Mountains CD
Folter Records

Back in June I was reading an article from a Metal mag where the author made the claim that I thought was presumptuous. The author stated that as of 2008, bands from other countries had taken the Black Metal banner out of the hands of the Norwegians and ran away with it. The guy based his opinion on how all of these bands from other countries had added touches from other genres. The basic idea was to give their Black Metal sound the innovation needed to make it more accessible to modern listeners. Ah, yeah whatever. Obviously this was before the release of ELITE's third full length, We Own The Mountains. This is like a cold blast of winter wind coming down from the mountains. The kind of wind that will either freeze the unexpected in their tracks or slice their flesh like a razor. And that should be no surprise since ELITE hail from Mo I Rana, Norway which is just below the polar circle. The music on here is as cold and unforgiving as their winters. It is also sharp enough to cut through whatever bull lay before them.

ELITE are not straight forward Norwegian Black Metal. They add touches of many other genres to complete their sound. If you wanna call it innovation then fine. If you wanna call it Pagan then that's closer to the mark. As for me I see it as something which many of the genre's best bands have always been doing for years. The difference is that the good ones, like ELITE, add things in subtle ways. For example on We Own The Mountains I can definitely hear touches of Melodic Death Metal and maybe some Thrash influence. But ELITE manages to mesh everything together so the songs have this steady flow to them. It's more like being enveloped by an epic storm from the north. Tempos shift in song structures, the guitars sweep in and out like wind gusts. In fact this is one of the more interesting guitar sounds I've heard all year from a Black Metal band. It's got that CHARGED tone that's not over produced but still not too raw where it would come across like fuzz. DARKTHRONE will always be kings of Black Metal fuzz. ELITE has this crisp fresh sound that's needed in this genre now. The vocals are of the harsh variety and blend in sync with the music. I know there will be others who will nit-pick their way through this release. I could just as easily spot an influence here or a borrowing of something from a past great too. But I'll leave that childish bullshit to the losers who wouldn't know good music even if it crashed on them like an avalanche. As for as I'm concerned this is definitely one of the best releases this year.

www.folter666.de

DEMONIZER - Triumphator CD review

2008-12-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

DEMONIZER - Triumphator CD
Folter Records

Once I saw song titles like "Alcoholic", "The Wolf Inside" and my favorite "Bestial
Ejaculation". I kinda figured that I would like this one. Here's the third release from this Belgium band and unfortunately it's my first time hearing DEMONIZER. So their back catalog is now on my future "must get" list of past releases. Triumphator is faster paced Scandinavian style Black Metal/Blackened Thrash that will murder your family if you played it for them. Not that I'm getting any ideas mind you. I love my family and for fifty bucks you can too. But let's get back to the issue at hand which is this release.

I'd say DEMONIZER lean more towards the Thrash side the room but it's the European variety and not U.S. Thrash. These Belgium's are not in it for good times or for everyone to have some fun. Speaking of no fun the band has two guest vocalists on here, Nornagest from ENTHRONED and Noctiz from PARAGON IMPURE. There's two guys who would rather spit on you than say hello. The bottom line is that there's nothing new here as far as Blackened Thrash goes. But that's not a concern for real fans of this genre, present company included. Innovation is a word not used in Black Metal circles with pentagrams inside them. Evil is, so lets just stick with that part of the devastation. This release is like mechanized death roaring at you at high speed. And once this Belgium murder machine gets close enough to you. It will shred the skin from your bones. Give it a chance and then when I see your skinless frame lurching down the street. I'll know you're a fan. As far as I'm concerned I've got thick skin. But DEMONIZER is peeling it away each time I play this.

www.folter666.de

NECRONOCLAST - Haven CD review

2008-11-22T22:41:00.000-08:00

NECRONOCLAST - Haven CD
Moribund Records

Scotland's Greg Edwards is the man behind the name NECRONOCLAST. He's responsible for all the guitars, vocals, and drum programming on Haven. He's also a miserable bastard who just released this excess of the Black Metal/Doom realm. It's the perfect release for when a winter ice storm hits and you're running your comfort sustaining power on batteries. Drop this dink into your CD player and watch the frost build up on the inside of your not so humble abode. What I do like about this is how Edwards doesn't try to numb you totally in soundscapes of sorrow and doom. He does hang into the misery index but is able to crank out some speed. Kinda like BURZUM in that he combines dissonant waves that also have melody running through. The vocals, if that's what you want to describe them as, are actually Black Metal rasps. Think of the harsh whispers of something lurking in that really dark corner of your home. You know that place where you can almost see eyes peering out at you from the blackness. This is perfect for late night listening when you are alone of course.

www.moribundcult.com

KILL THE CLIENT - Cleptocracy CD review

2008-11-22T22:35:00.000-08:00

KILL THE CLIENT - Cleptocracy CD
Willowtip Records

Grindcore releases are fairly simple to review because to the music loving public you either like the genre or not. So for all of you people who hate the genre leave the room now. Next up, Cleptocracy is 18 tracks in 23 minutes of relentless grind that's just brutal for the sake of being brutal. These guys sound seriously pissed as if NAPALM DEATH screwed them over and are now chasing their tour bus down the highway on foot. Trust me they will catch them but they will be a mile ahead of them and have to double back. I mention NAPALM DEATH since KILL THE CLIENT have taken the older band's influence and ran with it, ah literally. In fact while writing this review this dink is on it's second rotation. It's insanely fast and chaotic. An intense firestorm of blasting from these Texans who I first learned about from that Grindcore compilation which came out on Relapse Records this year. Next time you're pissed off play this it just might help.

www.willowtip.com

MOSS - Sub Templum CD review

2008-11-22T22:28:00.000-08:00

MOSS - Sub Templum CD
Rise Above Records

Grass grows faster than this second release by MOSS. Seriously this is over an hour's worth of snail's crawl Doom. Actually I think a snail is faster in the crawl even after you crushed it under your fucking boot. Speaking of which, down-tuned crushing Doom is what you get on this four song nightmare. That's right four fucking cuts of feedback laced, extended drone, brutally slow ambiance. Don't dump the coffee from this morning into the sink. You'll need the really strong stuff to stay awake for this one. In all honesty I laid down and fell asleep the first time I played this, albeit the volume was turned down low. And since I'm being all honest with you I'll let this item fly out. This thing is so fucking bleak and miserable that it makes alot of atmospheric ambient shoe-gazing Black Metal sound down right cheerful.

Seriously this is no leisurely wait for a bus while standing in a tar pit with water dripping on your head once a minute. Now that would be eventful. I actually thought something was wrong with this during the opening cut "RITUS". It's five minutes of basically nothing but then "SUBTERRANEAN" kicks in. That's speaking figural of course since nothing kicks in on here. But there's some enormous riffs which echo like thunder in the mountains. Although it's an uneasy wait between them like bouncing off the walls as you're falling down a bottomless pit. I'll credit to Dominic Finbow's ability to drag a guitar chord to it's fullest extent. And then there's the vocals ok that's a stretch. What Olly Pearson does is wail from some far off place. Remember that bottomless pit I mentioned earlier? Sub Templum is the perfect soundtrack for someone who has alot of time to kill. Like someone spending life in prison maybe? Hey dying is easy but listening to this is a sentence I wouldn't wish on anyone I didn't hate.

www.riseaboverecords.com