Leaderboard

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.

Ripping Corpse - Dreaming with the Dead (1991)

Cannibal Corpse - Chaos Horrific (2023) This. Absolutely this. More is less for my brain and always has been. It is not always necessarily brand new releases though, the same applies for aything new to my ears, in order to truly appreciate it needs to be drip fed.

Swans - White Light From the Mouth of Infinity, 1991 Bauhaus - In the Flat Field, 1980

My list. These have excerpts of full reviews I have written elsewhere on the internet so may not always make perfect narrative sense and I am too lazy to edit. 1. BAN - Disharmonium: Nahab - The true talent that any good BAN record has is its ability to fill any room that it is playing in. Disharmonium: Nahab does this brilliantly. There is always a multitude of things going on with any track on here. Haunting and melancholic melodies carve slow cuts out of the very atmosphere around the listener whilst dense atmospherics constantly plunge you into some further incalculable fathom to try and orientate yourself with. 2. Miserere Luminis - Ordalie - This sense of being propelled by the rhythm of the record whilst being caressed by the applied melodies and atmospheres I found to be quite unsettling at first. However, I soon settled into this slightly esoteric pattern with repeated listens and feel like the album becomes more accessible with each listen. Ordalie does not need to dredge the depths of extremity to get its message across and nor does it need to rely on excessive shrouding of atmospherics to simply make its mark. Instead, it creates a clever maelstrom of the required component parts to deliver what is ultimately a clean and concise sounding record overall. 3. FVNERALS - Let the Earth Be Silent - The haunting vocals of Tiffany Ström are perfect alongside the gazey atmospheres and doom soaked passages. Seemingly at home in any scenario that her and fellow band member Syd Scarlet can concoct between them, Tiffany's vocal chords offer a cold and ethereal attraction that although is devoid of positivity or optimism is still utterly addictive. Add in to the mix some feedback seeping guitars and cavernous percussion and Fvnerals soon start to create dense layers of murky and absorbing music. Even when the focus is more on the instrumentation (as with the powerful Rite) it is hard not to engage with the efforts here. 4. Spirit Adrift - Ghost at the Gallows - The anthems almost form an orderly queue here on this, Spirit Adrift’s fifth full-length offering. Catchy riffs and hooks spill forth aplenty from the beginning proper of Give Her to the River. Couple them with the equally instantaneous and memorable vocals and you have a winning formula for Ghost of the Gallows sticking around in your head for hours on end. Variety comes in various forms. Pace, tempo, structure, melody, and technical prowess. Tom Hardy is a fucking beast of a guitarist. His blooping and looping leads are one of the outstanding takeaways from the record. Possessing a near progressive edge to the work on the six strings, the opening to Barn Burner is a frenzied foray that brings instant variation from the tone set by the lengthier opening track. 5. KEN mode - VOID - Whilst there is a sense of fight to the record, there is a frustrating futility to that conflict, an underlying tone of defeat being known but the level of tenacity in the energy of the tracks refuses to admit defeat. Monotone bass lines and an often-deployed plodding rhythm compliment the dark edge to the lyrics well without ever making for dull or lifeless compositions either. There is a level of intrigue that I maintain in listening to this record that I do not often find with most releases nowadays. VOID certainly has something to say but it is not limiting itself to shouting in my face, nor is it hiding behind conjecture either. 6. Enforced - War Remains - Their energy levels here match Drain on their opus from this year but there is a more down and dirty element to Enforced that carries the aura of an Iron Reagan or even a Cro-Mags. Enforced are a fun band talking about serious topics. Revelling in highlighting the hypocrisy inherant in politics, religion and war, they blaze a bruising and scarring commentary on War Remains. It is a state of the world address without the bullshit, minus the glitter and with the turd firmly centre stage with all eyes forced toward it. This disdain exudes forth from War Remains in every gruff chant, every scathing riff and every predatory drum strike. 7. Drain - Living Proof - The experimentation ventures even further though on Living Proof with rapper, Shakewell guesting on Intermission and the band go off into dreamy yet catchy punk-pop on Good Good Things. Look beyond these more blatant breaks from the blueprint and you will note groove metal excursions - check out the solo on opening track Run your Luck for a prime piece of Dimebag worship - alongside the crossover familiarity. On the whole though, regardless of the medium used to deliver the message, it is clear that Drain have a lot to say on this album. That smile on Sammy's face in virtually every band pic has a snarl behind it with some venomous content to keep those hardcore vibes on the menu. With such a brief run time it would be easy for the record to pass you by, but it is so damn punchy and gnarly (as well as downright catchy as fuck in places), you find yourself actively listening to the whole album. 8. Hexvessel - Polar Veil - Having heard the previous album (Kindred) from some three years ago, it is fair to say the band have gotten heavier this time around and I can only hope this trajectory is maintained on future releases. They still have a healthy mix of styles present here though that compliment each other nicely and so I am equally eager to hear that this blending of influences is alo retained moving forwards. 9. Mizmor - Prosaic - There is little to no hope present in the messaging of the record. It is an utterly immersive yet incredibly punishing experience as Liam lays bare his range of complex and deep emotions across one of the most desolate soundscapes you will hear this year. When in full flow, his music is thunderous and powerful but there is still a near constant scathing edge to proceedings on Prosaic. Admidst all the dark density there is a real sense of frustration and a degee of futility being expressed also that personalises that darkness and frames it perfectly. 10. Fen - Monuments to Absence - The punishing drums and grim vocals serve as ample reminder of where Fen’s heart lies when it comes to the driving force behind the band, it is just that there is plenty of room on this album to accommodate so much more musical direction as well. Monuments to Absence is a big sounding record, albeit one that never quite achieves a Drudkh level of expansiveness. It still successfully marries the intensity of black metal with the relentless beauty of nature though and steers the listener down some different avenues of exploration.

Immolation - Dawn of Possession (1991)

Bolt Thrower - In Battle There Is No Law

Here...Revealed is on Bandcamp in its entirety https://thorybos666.bandcamp.com/album/monuments-of-doom-revealed Immortal - Pure Holocaust

Tomorrow in Ljubljana, can't wait.

Perfectly understandable. My best guess with Anata is that it got shelved so that some of the members could continue their education. From what I understand they have a few fairly advanced music theory degrees under their belt, and death metal just doesn't pay the bills. NP: Cancer - Death Shall Rise

It's a miracle she didn't trip and fall down the stairs on account of all the dolls. Seriously, someone needs to teach Alice how to clean up after herself. Not to mention she is a little old for the dolls at this point. Good album for the era, but the parenting here gets a 4/10.