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As it goes - opinions are like assholes, everyone has a shitty one... Most of what I would consider "perfect" or "unskippable" I'm sure would fall out of your wheelhouse and most likely the opposite is true. NBD. Fortunately, we both passed the metalhead certification test years ago. Enslaved - Mardraum

Blasphemathory - War, Blasphemy & Divine Destruction Bolt Thrower - Those Once Loyal Sentient Divide - Haunted By Cruelty

Finally saw a metal show again, first time since we moved last summer. Local show in a really tiny venue an hour and a half away in Burlington. None of it is stuff I would listen to at home, but it was super fun to just be in a room with loud music and people jumping around.

Just a small sample of what will be playing here today on my most favorite day of the year. King Diamond - Halloween Misfits - Halloween 1 & 2 Helloween - Halloween Candlemass - Bewitched American Werewolves - American Werewolves The Spookshow - Here Come The Zombies Blitzkid - Pretty In A Casket Samhain - November Coming Fire

Bathory - Hammerheart (1990) Each time I tell myself I am done with Bathory and Quothorn's shit singing capability that he somehow relentlessly hacked away at showing a resilience that far outweighed his vocal capacity, I put on Hammerheart and soon find myself completely enamoured with them for an hour or so. The heavy Viking metal aesthetic helps no ends of course, it sort of excuses all the roughness present on the record. This and Under the Sign of the Black Mark should get more plays I have decided.

Well, got the word today that I got a significant promotion. Moving up to the Deputy Nurse Exec for my healthcare system. I'm not sure what they've done putting a dirty hesher in a position like that, but they're about to find out. Huge step up in responsibility and worst of all, I will now have to wear a suit or sport coat to work every day. Where's our resident fashionista @markm when I need him? Not sure about a step up in pay just yet, but I'm going to need something to stock the closet with something other than Archgoat and Vomitor shirts...

Saw the Max & Igorr show last night. Decent show. Both bands were tight and delivered the goods. All of Bestial Devastation and Morbid Visions. Encore was Escape to the Void (Schizophrenia), Refuse/Resist & Territory (Chaos AD), and Troops of Doom. So I'm on a Sepultura kick this morning. Sepultura - Bestial Devastation Sepultura - Morbid Visions Sepultura - Beneath The Remains Sepultura - Arise Nailbomb - Point Blank

Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade Morbid Angel - Gateways To Annihilation Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy Nifelheim - Servants of Darkness Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons - Kings of the Asylum Possessed - Seven Churches Extremely bitterly disappointed this is not a broadcast of an actual Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan Interim Report for 1979. The bit I listened to was fine musically but nothing about project design brief, community consultation processes, enivornmental impact statement let alone a financial update. I mean where the fuck is the risk management strategy?!? Talk about misleading! And I will bet there is no Final Report either!

Age old question. Some say we may never know. Scientists claim we have only begun to scratch the surface and have only as yet been able to explore maybe 10% of the existing prog rock in the universe. Recently an observatory listening post in New Mexico has detected messages from outer space that have been decribed by astronomers as coming in such odd time signatures and polyrythyms that it could only be described as prog rock. An anonymous consortium of billionaire benefactors headed by Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk has put together a 5-man dream team of progonauts to launch a space mission into the outer galaxies in search of extra-terrestrial prog rock. This will be a strategic alliance joint venture between NASA and SpaceX. The $34 billion dollar solar powered vehicle will be mannned by: Colin Marston, Steven Wilson, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Chris DeGarmo. Robert Fripp wanted to be a part of this mission but was deemd to be too old to handle the rigors of space flight, so he has been grounded. John Petrucci wanted to go as well but was said to be too fat and smelly, no one wanted him in there with them. There will also be two as yet unnamed NASA dweebs onboard to do some scientific experiments once their destination has been reached and two Air Force test pilots will be enlisted to fly this sucker until it breaks free from the Earth's gravitational pull at which time they will board a lifeboat shuttlecraft and be jettisoned from the main spacecraft to return back down to Earth. The spacecraft will then be navigated and piloted from the ground by Elon's crack team of space nerds. The progonaut team will be cryogenically frozen and sealed into pods, kept alive intravenously and their vitals monitored closely by computer for the 540 year journey to the Andromeda galaxy where the messages are thought to have originated. Then the onboard computer will reawaken them in 2562 in hopes they will be able to make contact with the alien prog rockers. NASA has no plan to re-freeze them and bring them back safely (if there'd even be anything left on Earth to come back to in 1080 years) but when asked for comment a spokesman for the SpaceX company has reportedly said: "Hey listen, we can't think of everything man."

Mentioning Overkill @GoatmasterGeneral, I saw them last Friday with Heathen and Exhorder. Never been a huge fan, but 1 2 Fuck You they were great. Blitz was definitely working (he's not young anymore) but sounded spot on.

Sepultura - Arise (1991)

Exodus - Tempo of the Damned (2004)

Show wrapped last night. Would've posted a small summary, but I was well past my limit of cheap beer. I think the appropriate term is piss drunk. Regardless, day 3 was the best of the week. Highlights - Sodom, Demolition Hammer, and Rotting Christ. Darvaza was pretty decent too. Didn't get excited about Tank, though the rest of the fest seemed to enjoy them quite a bit. Also didn't get much for Forbidden, mainly because they only have 1 song I even remember and secondly because who the fuck can follow DH after they level the place. Surprise of the day was Rotting Christ. Never seen them or listened to them much. Pretty freaking great. Overall show highlights aside from the above - Queensryche (the early stuff kills live and after seeing them both I think I prefer LaTorre to Tate), Lamp of Murmur (pulled it off live), Candlemass, Sumerlands, Savage Oath, and Autopsy. 6th year here and it just keeps getting bigger. Some growing pains and capacity issues at the venue, but they have always been good at working those things out between years. Up there with MDF for quality run organized festival by good people. If you're shopping for a fest to hit next year, can recommend.

Huoripukki - Ikuinen Kamppailu Destruction - Sentence of Death Dead Congregation - Promulgation of the Fall

WFH day, so massive playlist incoming. I would throw in some Anti-Cimex, Discharge, or Wolfbrigade in honor of our dear leafy green vegetable, but I've already done the work to put the playlist together. Akercocke - Choronzon - FA and I both thinking about getting some 'cocke today Akercocke - Renaissance in Extremis Hulder - Verses in Oath Inquisition - Veneration Inquisition - Black Mass Marduk - Panzer Division Marduk DHG - Black Medium Current The Antichrist Imperium - Vol 2: Every Tongue Shall Praise Satan Black Angel - The Black Truth Judas Iscariot - Heaven Shall Burn Horna - Vuohipaimen

I agree, there’s not really a weak point, however this resonates with me more at the moment than black mass did, that could just be recency bias though. NP:Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade

Travelling by train this morning to Paris. List of albums listened to : Incantation - Diabolical Conquest (1998) Hell - Human Remains (2011) ADX - Suprématie (1987) Xoth - Exogalactic (2023) Cosmic Jaguar - The Legacy of the Aztecs (2023)

Fuck, how the hell did I fall behind the General's posting timeline. I thought I had until at least March or so.... Anyway, my refined EOTY 23 closeout. Not much special you probably haven't seen already. GG probably covered everything of interest anyway. Didn't get much chance to dive to deep in 23. In no particular order: Demoncy - Black Star Gnosis - a glorious return for my fave BM band ASET - Astral Rape Dodheimsgard - Black Medium Current Faidra - Militant: Penitent: Triumphant Gravesend - Gowanus Death Stomp Lamp of Murmur - Saturnian Blood Storm Poison Ruin - Harvest Spirit Possession - Of the Sign ΣARΚ - Inumbris Ruim - Black Royal Spiritism Profane Order - One Nightmare to Another Circle of Ouroboros - Lumi Vaientaa Kysmykset Enslaved - Heimdal Cattle Decapitation - Terrasite Woe - Legacies of Frailty Kreig - Ruiner Now to comb through the thread and see what I missed.

Best wishes TG for a quick recovery. Pneumonia is scary. Get well soon! I'm not as much of a Grinch as some of ye ole bastards. The short days and holidays depress me to a certain extent, but I'm at a pretty good place in my life and my health, knock on wood, seems to be good. Self care is important. I've been trying to eat right and exercise. I teach a high school program at a community college and have access to the health and wellness facilities. I've been strength training for the first time in earnest since Covid and swimming at the pool-fuck it, it's free. I've worked up to about 20 laps in a non Olympic pool at about 25 yards per link works out to be about half a mile. I've been kayaking more than usual on the Potomac here in DC as we've had a lot of rain in December after having a brootal drought, so the whitewater is higher than it's been, which means it's rock and roll time on the water, and we've had a warm December with temps often approaching and even exceeding 50 degree fareinheight or 10 Celsius, Now the water is in the 40's and freaking cold, but with a dry suit and good layering and skill to stay in your boat is totally doable. I find exercise, and time outside get me through the winter. I'm a staunch critic of organized religion and think Christianity on a literal level is non sensical, yet somehow, feel the symbolic message of Christmas of hope and peace is positive. That said, hail Satan haha. My Christmas present to myself is an onslaught of 2023 metal purchases. I'm off work unit January 3. Bills are paid, my kid's out of college, working as a nurse and has a dude who seems like he's in love with her and they're happy together, so, I don't hate this Christmas at all except my lifelong feeling that belief in virgin birth and savior figures is beyond stupid. Happy Holidays grouches!

Bolt Thrower - Mercenary (1998)

Blaze is the best of those in my opinion, I don’t know what it is, but Transylvanian hunger never clicked for me. NP: Hail of Bullets - …Of Frost and War Bolt Thrower - Those Once Loyal

Blaze in the northern sky (1992) - darkthrone Under a funeral moon (1993) - darkthrone Transylvanian hunger (1994) - darkthrone

Sepultura - Beneath the Remains (1989)

Built a reliable audiophile quality music server and purchased Roon. Significantly cut down what I was spending on vinyl. Cost around $1000-1200 total which seems a lot, but that's really only about 30 records. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the thousand or so I have, but price per record is just too high at the moment not to mention shipping from outside the US where most of what I like comes from. Now I have an easy to maintain and organized library available whenever I like, no cleaning routine and no getting up every 18 minutes to flip unless I'm in the mood.

in the sign of evil (1985) - Sodom

Darkthrone - Astral Passages (2022)

Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium, 1987 TMA - Beach Party 2000, NJ Punk 1987

Two days after surgery and I am finally hitting the sweet mix of codeine and paracetamol tablets that mean I can eat albeit in a semi-lucid state from the drowsiness off the back of the meds. Gonna take the down time to catch up on some music and spin some vinyl most of the weekend. Not going out, not answering my phone - just gonna sit in my armchair and drift in and out of consciousness until Sunday evening. Pairing back on the listening habits and trying to focus on the music I have in physical copy where possible. Still feel that the less music I have at my fingertips, the happier I am - just like when I was a broke ass teen in my bedroom at home (or "The Metal & Masturbation Years" as I would title any biography on that period).

Necrophobic - The Nocturnal Silence

Bolt Thrower - War Master (1991) The intro to What Dwells Within gives me chills every time! It's magical!

Listening to Loudwires top 50 thrash metal albums 49. Epidemic of violence (1992) - demolition hammer this album marked the beginning of the end of what I call the golden age of thrash (around 1983-1992) and unlike hair metal which had a slow painful death around the end of its golden age thrash went out on a year full of classics within the genre (the law - exhorder, beyond recognition - defiance, and will work for food - uncle slam being some good examples) and this album stands above all the rest. the only complaint i have is that this album wasn't higher on the list.

Mostly listening to megadeth Last rites demo (1984) Killing is my business and business is good (1985) Peace sells but whose buying (1986) So far so good so what (1988) also why Dave felt the need to rerecord the vocals and butcher the original mixes is beyond me.

Pestilence - Consuming Impulse (1989)

Entombed - Clandestine (1991)

Bathory - Bathory

Pestilence - Testimony of the Ancients (1991)

Hey folks. Just figured I would drop by and check in. I'm finishing up some work and some recording stuff, making plans to get everything moved, running errands, changing diapers. Somewhere in there, I pretty much stopped listening to any music over the past few months, and it's made me more conscious of how little I was actually processing anything I was hearing, when I was just involved in the constant churn. Somehow playing and writing music is more fun when I'm not keeping up with it all. I'm sure the pendulum will swing back the other way at some point. Anyway, I hope you're all well, miss you guys, maybe I can get back to regular posting here again later in the year.

"Below", 36x36, oil on canvas. Cover painting for the upcoming Rannoch album "Conflagrations". This is from two years ago, but I couldn't share it until now. Really happy for these guys - they recently signed with Willowtip and this album will see a proper release.

Anthrax - Spreading the Disease Judas Priest - Painkiller.

Mark had asked about my never finished year end list for 2023, so I figured I'd share what I had before I gave up on it. I'd only just started making cuts, so this will be a lot longer than normal. Because of that I'm going to post it a little at a time and break it up by genre...and since the black metal list was the longest, I'll post it first. Black Metal Arnaut Pavle - Transylvanian Glare Arbor - Behold... The Age of Pagan Blood Atheosophia - Shadowgate of Winter's Spirit As the Shadows Envelop Me – Fedrekult Astral Tomb of Yearning - Summoning the Impenetrable Night Aeon Furnace - Providence Descends Abisma - Disciples of the Black Ram Black Hurst – S/T Blutschwur - Those of My Blood Crucifixion Bell - Mirages in Izar Ceremonial Crypt Desecration - Unholy Black Metal Against the Modern World Dai-Ichi – S/T Dominance - Slaughter of Human Offerings in the New Age of Pan Demoncy - Black Star Gnosis Ebony Pendant – S/T Fellwinter - The Dawn of Winter Final Eclipse - The Dark World Flaming Ouroboros – Blood Gauntlet Ring - Beyond the Veil of the Night Graf - Rite of Nocturnal Passage Gam - Alt hans væsen Geistaz'ika - Midnatsbøn ved djævelens port Helleruin - Devils, Death and Dark Arts Hinsides - Hinsides hörs djävulsklockans urklang Iron Firmament – Keepeater Kringa - All Stillborn Fires, Lick My Heart! Krigstjørn - Mod guders svig Kurgan - Ascetic Dissociations Lja – 1943 Mavorim - Ab Amitia Pulsae Motstand – S/T Mycorrhizae – The Great Filtration Noitila – Langennut Nöldr - Chaotic Mysticism from the Tormented Silence Nahasheol - Serpens Abyssi Nartvind – Breath of Night Orkblut – Ghost Paths to Septentrion Obsidian Grave – Blood of the Night Oerheks - Grondslagen Regnum Tenebrarum - Légendes noires Ravensrealm - A Crash of Heathen Thunder Sulphuric Night - Black Metal Tyranny Tsjuder – Helvegr Trest - Sorginak Unholy Craft - Naar all tid er omme Vestígio - Vestígios (^Mark and FA will both want to check out the above album) Versteck - Symbols of Seven Harmonies

I'll have you know I read the whole thing. Surge finds some interesting stuff, sometimes. Good dude. Glad he got a job after getting his degree. I know he was trying to make a better life for he and his wife.

I probably ran into The Sound around the end of the 80's. They were in the group of bands similar enough to the more well known goth/Post-Punk acts like The Cure, Bauhaus, Joy Division etc but a bit underground for the states. Iirc, I was dating some goth chick who had all sorts of stuff I'd never knew existed. The Sound, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Chameleons, Clan of Xymox, Fields of Nephilim... Some stuck with me, some didn't. The first 3-4 from The Sound are excellent and the live album from 85 is one of the better from that subgenre. Hope little 'Noise gets back on his feet soon. The Cult - Electric Fields of Nephilim - Dawnrazor And Also the Trees - Virus Meadow Depeche Mode - A Broken Frame New Model Army - Ghost of Cain

Terrorizer - World Downfall (1989)

Giving the sick and twisted psycho-psychedelic horrific symphony, BAN's Disharmonium Nahab the full blown speaker experience tonight as I did Dodheimsgard/black medium current last night, an album that finally clicked. Disharmonium-Nahab is immersive and immense. I think it's a tremendous, challenging album. At one point, I closed my eyes and started drifting to sleep amid the chaotic beauty of Nahab, only to jump in my seat at the horror coming from my speakers; angular sounds I had not noticed before taking an almost 3 dimensional form coming towards me in my delirium.... feeling dark, hallucinations seemingly take physical shape-sensing the shadow of a scaled, cloaked hand-like claw coming to grab me through the haze of my twilight mind and pull me into the nether world. Suddenly awake, not willing to close my eyes. In plainer English-this is an arresting and thought provoking album that spurs my imagination. But that's what BAN does-they have a way of warping time and space and work, for me at least, at a subconscious level . NP: Ahab/The Coral Tombs

Megadeth - Thirteen (album)

listening to loudwires 50 best thrash albums 47. Spectrum of death (1989) - morbid saint I'm kicking myself for not getting around to this album sooner. it's one of the best death/thrash albums I've heard even if it is technically just a re-released demo.

Dream Theater - Images & Words (album)

Thatguy is content. The mighty Eels whipped the old enemy Moanly on Saturday and I had a pleasant break visiting Mrs Thatguy's family and friends in Hobart. And there was Hymns to the Dead: First up HAUNTER. Meat and potatoes blackened death but entirely entertaining. Then ZURIAAKE. Good fun with costumes and masks and creepy singer. I'm listening to one of their albums as I write and they sounded a lot better live. And then DODHEIMSGARD. Absolutely blistering BM from the first bar. And the singer is an old reprobate. Excellent set.

Death - Spiritual Healing (1989)