Leaderboard

Pungent Stench - Been Caught Buttering, Austria 1991. I feel like this album gets unfairly passed over. Absolutely one of the best death metal records of 1991. And I say that knowing there were some real bangers released in 1991. Massacra - Enjoy the Violence, French death/thrash 1991 Parler Anglais ou mourir? I liked this album well enough in '85, but it hasn't aged like a fine Bordeaux. More like 40 year old camembert.

Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)

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

Killing Joke - Killing Joke (2003) Coroner - Grin

I believe that is what really turned me off to IPAs. Like Surge, I won't turn down a perfectly good beer if someone is handing it to me, but they're never my first choice. Down here, breweries either try to see just how bitter they can make a beer as some kind of badge of honor or how many weird ass fruit combos can be added. It's akin to the hot wings trend, let's make these perfectly good chicken wings inedible as some test of manhood by adding 43 ghost peppers and top it with a scotch bonnet. People claim to enjoy them, but I can't see how. And it's all fine and good. Plenty of beer out there to like for everyone. Just annoying that every brewery has to have 60-75% of the menu dedicated to the same variation of style. In stores, seems that's all they carry anymore and most just suck (the ones you mentioned, Voodoo Ranger, Space Dust, 420, the list goes on). Many started out good, but over the years got bought out by conglomerates or over expanded and the quality dropped. Stone was sold several years ago and had never been the same. Everyone has their own preferences. I personally don't like German beer. Lukewarm on IPAs and Pilsners. Will never seek one out, but will never turn down a freebie.

Obituary - The End Complete (1992)

Coffin Curse - The Continuous Nothing, Chile. Where the hell's Blivvington gotten off to anyway? Wasn't he telling me that Death Metal Promotion channel got shut down? Well it seems he's back now with a new red logo. Unless it was a different YT channel Blivvie was talking about, I can't remember now. Obscurial - Heretic, Malaysia. Digging this one. Yeah, I've never really pictured you as being particularly aerodynamic.

S.O.D - Speak English or Die (1985)

Atheist - Piece of Time

First album was pretty good and I caught them live in Denver on that tour back in '17 opening for Denmark's Undergang which was a solid performance. But this new album's a snoozer, listened to half of it one time, wouldn't buy it. Just checked, it's the same 3 guys, wonder what happened? Turns out writing memorable death metal isn't as easy as it looks. Pungent Stench - For God Your Soul... For Me Your Flesh, Austria 1990 Benediction - The Grand Leveller, UK 1991

GLOATH - Solitude Consciousness

I don't know if it's worth a damn, not having tried it, but I've seen in my local that several of the better known foreign brewers like Paulaner and Weihenstephan are making non-alcoholic versions of their beer. If anyone can pull off a reliably decent tasting non-alcoholic, it's probably going to be one of them. What's interesting about those breweries though, is because their beer is so "blah" in flavor, their quality control is absolutely topnotch. It has to be because being so lacking in actual flavor any deviation would be incredibly noticeable

Obituary ‎@ Frozen Alive recorded at Stodoła Club, Warsaw Poland. August 24th, 2006

Motorhead - No Sleep Til Hammersmith 40th anniversary

Napalm Death - Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism (2020)

Bloodbath - The Fathomless Mastery

Terrorizer - World Downfall

Zimmers Hole - Bound by Fire (1997) A crazy album, I love it!

Alright now this is starting to make sense, I didn't realize you were talking abut sours either. Don't remember anyone saying anything about sours, we were talking about the hugely popular IPAs and how a lot of them have that citrusy after-taste that I personally don't care for. They're drinkable in a pinch, and some are better than others, but I don't seek them out. Now sours are a completely different story. When a bunch of us went to the Metal Threat festival at Reggie's in Chicago back in July '19, one of our mates who happened to be from the windy city took us all (wasn't his shout but he suggested the place) to this burger joint called Kuma's Corner that had all of their burgers named after various rock and metal bands. And they had shitloads of different beers on tap. I made the mistake of ordering one of those sours since I'd never tried one before. I took one sip and almost spit it back out, had to flag down the chick to take it away and bring me something else. Never again, that was truly some nasty shit. Don't know how the normies can even pretend to like it man. You don't really say "blimey" in real life do ya Doc? That was just for poetic effect, right? NP: Engulfed - Unearthly Litanies of Despair, Turkish death

So wine. Man T-Guy, you sure hate a lot of stuff. Little kids and puppy dogs are probably on the list too right next to rainbows and sunny days.

Yo JT can you explain to me sir how these Whiskey Rebel dudes play "southern metal" if they're from fucking Sheboygan, Wisconsin? Can't get much less southern than that unless you go to Alaska. Or is 'southern' just a state of mind? Back in the day our "southern rock" bands were Skynyrd, Hatchet, ABB, MTB and the Outlaws. And even as a New Yorker I loved all that shit. But those bands were all from Florida, Jaw-ja and Carolina. No one would have accepted a "southern" rock band from up north in Yankeeland. Nowadays it seems they have "southern" bands from up north and I even saw one or two you posted that were actually European. What's up widdat? Also I'm mildly curious to try one of these modern post-Udo Accept albums you keep posting just to see what they sound like without Udo. (which one would you recommend I try?) But I never actually do it because I'm sure I'll be disappointed. I only ever liked two Accept albums to begin with even back in their hey-day, R&W and Metal Heart, so I'm not exactly a super-fan. Did see them once at L'amour in '85 though and I have to admit they put on a helluva show. I saw TT Quick a few times a few years before that back when they were a LI club band and I even had their first EP so I'm somewhat familiar with MT, and I don't think I could accept that guy as the front-man for Accept. It's Udo's band dammit. His thick German accent and being just barely over 5 feet tall was part of the appeal. I guess change can be hard for us old guys. Accept - Metal Heart 1985

VORGA - Beyond The Palest Star

DOWNWARD - Cruel World

Necrot-Lifeless Birth, I dunno, these guys don't do a lot for me

Satyricon - Nemesis Divina (1996)

Kreator - Enemy of God (2005)

Love me some Tyr! The epic feel to the music, the melodic compositions, and the stellar vocals all make this band a great listen at any time. Can't go wrong with Body Count either! The last couple of albums have been fantastic.

Tyr - Battle Ballads

Hardbone - "This is Rock 'N' Roll" Hardbone - "Bone Hard" Overkill - "Scorched" Facebreaker - "Dead, Rotten, and Hungry" Fantastic, mid-paced death metal!

Cool writeup at NCS for another couple of promo tracks. "Instrumental" isn't entirely right, but the vocals on these are for texture and melody. This is from near the end of the album. https://www.nocleansinging.com/2024/04/12/an-ncs-premiere-construct-of-lethe-excerpts-from-a-kindness-dealt-in-venom/

Holy shit, did Dave die or something?

Big motherfucking Lebowski, one of my very favorite memes. I love the way he just stirs that drink ad infinitum 'til the end of time. Or 'til the end of the internet, whichever comes first. That also happens to mirror the exact look on my face while I'm reading most of your posts! I also like this one quite a bit... And this one... And of course this all time classic...

Megadeth - RIP

Non-alcoholic beer is actually a big trend with the kids and breweries are ramping up production to match. Personally, I don't see the point, but whatever floats their boat. If I want something non-alcoholic, many better choices. But hey, for folks with legit medical reasons to avoid alcohol but still want to enjoy a beer, it's a boon.

How does it feel to be part of the basic-bitch casual crowd that can't handle the throat-eradicating, tongue-petrifying bitterness real men crave? I think part of the reason they're everywhere is that they're easy to do an ok job on quickly, and the hop flavor and bitterness can cover up a lot of little flaws and inconsistencies that would ruin a more nuanced beer. But that doesn't make for a great experience. They are not all like that. If you're ever up this way, like for Messe Des Morts, lemme know. Too much good beer up here for you not to try some.

Mütiilation - Black Metal Cult (2024) This one snook past me.

Funkadelic - Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad. (The Doodoo Chasers) Fried ice cream IS a reality. Aosoth - Complete Show Live In Paris, Oct 27, 2016

Both of these are swill in my book. They're better than Bud but that's not saying much. I can understand not liking IPAs, especially if you've never had a really good one as fresh as possible, or maybe if you're someone (like my wife) who finds hop bitterness disgusting. Even under good conditions the flavors can take a while to click. But unless you've tried the real deal, you don't know what you're missing. I was burned out on the hazy ones until I lost my sense of smell to Covid the first time around. Hazy, hoppy IPAs were the only thing that cut through the noise and tasted "normal" to me. Lucky me, northern VT is the land of plenty.

If it weren't for beer nerds like us, we'd all be stuck with 1980's piss domestic swill for choice. Maybe just Bud Light for us yanks and Fosters for you folks on the wrong side of the planet. Be grateful for beer nerds.

Ondfødt - det österbottniska mörkret (2023)

Evil Dead - The Underworld

Slough Feg - Traveller

Devastation - Idolatry, death/thrash Corpus Christi Texas 1991 Assorted Heap - The Experience of Horror, death/thrash Germany 1991 Cyclone - Brutal Destruction, Belgian thrash 1986

Helloween - Walls Of Jericho

Vinyl palooza this weekend. That's what happens when I go out of town and my wife leaves me alone in proximity to a record store. Went in just to grab my daughter a couple for her birthday and walked out with a stack. Bathory - Hammerheart Bad Religion - Suffer The Sound - Counting the Days Sepultura - Bestial Devastation Sepultura - Morbid Visions

Protector - A Shedding of Skin, German death/thrash 1991 (I didn't even see Yannis post before I posted this) Sarcófago - Hate, Brazil 1994

Hellish - La Danza de las Cuatro Serpientes Elementales Chilean blackened thrash https://entheosrecs.bandcamp.com/album/la-danza-de-las-cuatro-serpientes-elementales

King Diamond - Conspiracy

Armored Saint - Symbol Of Salvation

IMPERIUM DEKADENZ - When We Are Forgotten