Requiem

Euronymous rots in his grave, snuffed out of existence forever, while Varg becomes a social media personality, living a free and happy life. Where’s the justice? As for new releases, I have so many “favourite” bands after nearly 30 years in this crazy business that most of the new albums that I will buy and hear are from my long term consorts in concerts. Which is great because there are always plenty of albums that I can’t wait to hear coming out. It makes it hard for new bands to wriggle into my air time, but it’s still possible. Fuck Burzum.

I don’t think it warranted an actual google search hahaha. Good old Finland. It’s the country that keeps giving.

Yeah, there’s a keyboard-based intro called ‘Intro (Choir of the Damned)’. I just assumed that it was on the original edition too because the liner notes in the re-release explain its composition at the time and what they were going for. Mille’s explanations of each track are really interesting. I’ve never been a Kreator fan previously, despite general respect for their legacy, but this package is fascinating and well put together.

So do we in English, it’s called being a lunatic as in luna/moon. Some people (who?) was thought the moon made people crazy back in the day. Because when it’s cold and when it’s dark the freezing moon can obsess people... back in the day. There’s also a term called “moon-calf” that isn’t used much today but was big back in the early modern period apparently. Also I’ve left my laptop down the coast, dang it. First world problems I guess, but still... I have to type on this damn telephone.

Worship

Killing Another Nonsense Thread KISS.

Anorexia Nervosa - 'Redemption Process' 'Sister September' is one of my all time favourite songs. It's the perfect symphonic black metal song.

Freedom

Mayhem - 'Daemon'

I've loved Maiden over the years but never saw them because I wasn't huge on the albums they were promoting at the time. I think I need to see them now, however, because this could be the last chance I get!

Just checked my notifications: more reactions than the time I took that anaphylactic group to the peanut factory. Beautiful clear evening in Melbourne. Couple of white wines. Kreator on the headphones. Then down to the beach house tomorrow afternoon to see what they're all up to. Hopefully they're listening to Kreator and drinking wine. Doubt it though...

In the city of glass this afternoon and purchased on good terms: Kreator - 'Pleasure to Kill' (1986/2017) remastered digibook. I'd fingered this classic for some time and finally pulled the trigger and bought it today. A great edition with photos, lyrics, essay and all sorts of paraphernalia. A classic that was sorely missing from my collection. KISS - 'Crazy Nights' (1987/1998) remastered jewel case. Finally bought this 80s rock classic. It's remastered with an essay, lyrics and fabulous 80s band photos. KISS - 'Revenge' (1992). It's good to have this back in the collection after first picking it up in a cassette swap session as a 13 year old. Brilliant album that wraps up ten great years from 1982's 'Creatures of the Night' to this dirty gem. Twilight Force - 'Dawn of the Dragonstar' (2019) digibook. I bought this on a good old fashioned whim in the store, much like the olden days, but what really put me over the edge was the knowledge that the lead vocals were by Alessandro Conti who I just love as a singer after his performance on Turilli Rhapsody's - 'Prometheus' album in 2015. Basically this rips off traditional Rhapsody in every way, including a map in the booklet, songs about dragons, narration and even a few chapters of a fantasy story that, incredibly, includes some of the band members as actual characters. You couldn't make this power metal shit up, I'm telling you. Great fun. Hate Forest - 'Nietzscheism' (2005) digipak. Freshly arrived in the mailbox. Re-release by Osmose. Beautiful digipak that includes in the booklet the covers and track listings of each EP and 7 inch that form the content of the compilation. This is true and unadulterated Hate Forest.

Come on, Chainsaw. Get over there! Support the scene

While I admire your enthusiasm, it seems you haven’t really read the forum for long, as the chances of another forum member being at the Uppsala show for Watain is, while not impossible, at least pretty unlikely given the size of active membership and the location of members. Good luck though if it works out. Damn, I’d love to be there, for sure.

I’ll let this blasphemy slide just this once

It’s hard to justify the price of the ticket in Australia just to see Carcass and Testament, when My Chemical Romance, Deftones and Jimmy Eat World (fucking who??) are headlining. Sure Deftones are good value, but last year the headliners were Ozzy Osbourne (until he pulled out), Slayer and Judas Priest, with Behemoth and Ghost thrown in for good measure. I honestly don’t think I can justify a couple of hundred bucks to see a short set from Carcass, let alone Testament. It’s really sad. I might go to Maiden instead, having never seen them before.

Thanks man, although while the Countess should probably be receiving help for her insatiable erotic appetite, it was Parker’s wife who is currently seeking treatment in hospital. Best wishes to @Parker. All the best mate in what must be a difficult time. In other news I visited my parents’ place on Friday and my mother is convinced the fires are going to reach them, despite the Alfather and I telling her it’s practically impossible. There was rain while I was there too - hope it reached the fires. Did you know that when it’s cold and when it’s dark the freezing moon can obsess you?

Mgla - ‘Exercises in Futility’

I was packing up the Christmas tree today (very late, I know), and I swear I either got stabbed or implanted by a piece of fake tree leaf and my ring finger on the left hand is a bit tender. I threw the damn thing out the door. This year we'll go for a real tree I reckon.

1987 Classic: KISS - 'Crazy Nights' Not quite in the same category of success as 'Hysteria', but this is Paul and Gene's pop metal classic. It reeks of 80s perfection, and it's a joy to listen to. They were hoping for their own 'Hysteria' or '1987' but they were held back by the make-up era. Still, 'I'll Fight Hell To Hold You' and 'Reason to Live' should have been number 1 hits.

1987 Classic: Def Leppard - 'Hysteria' One of the great 1987 hard rock albums. Brilliant year for rock. Haunting title track - the romantic in me can't resist. Rich as one arm, but Mutt Lange has some sort of futuristic equipment that makes Def Leppard sound like they're coming out of 2025.

Furthermore, one of the things that really stood out to me back in the mid 90s when I first heard that band were the twin guitar harmonies. Which is weird, because my friends and I had been listening to Iron Maiden and bands like that for a few years, but it was really only with 'Like Gods of the Sun' when I was 16 in 1996 that I said, "Hang on, there are two guitars here and they're doing different things at the same time". I still enjoy that beautiful dynamic, so songs like 'The Wreckage of My Flesh', 'Sear Me III' and 'Like Gods of the Sun' are among my favourites. Scarily, I consider 'Songs of Darkness, Words of Light' to be one of their latter albums, but it came out in 2004 when I was 24 and I'm now 40 years old. hahahaha. Shit. That's the beauty of music on CD. I'll drag something out that I got when I was 15 and I can listen to it and flip through the same booklet even now in my 40s. What a band. Metal: what a lifelong miracle of joy.

'Like Gods of the Sun' is amazing, especially tracks 1, 3, 6 and 9. That final song 'For My Fallen Angel' just mesmerised me back when it came out. What an amazing album. In full disclosure, I have great memories of listening to 'For My Fallen Angel' with a certain fallen angel with whom I was diabolically amorous around that time. While I really like 'Trinity' and 'As the Flower Withers', I find them a touch primitive and not as engaging, as my ranking of their albums suggests. As for the new track, 'Your Broken Shore', it bodes really well for the romantics in the fan-base. Like I said in my last post, however, I hope it isn't all downhill from there, as it's not your traditional album opener. While I like 'Feel the Misery' and the albums that preceded, it I didn't love it, and it felt a bit clunky to my ears. I hope this album will be a great return to form for the band to really bump them up into my favourite current bands list again along with Paradise Lost, Amorphis, and Moonspell, who have all had stellar albums out in the last five years. My Dying Bride just needs that kick to get up there again. This could be it!

That mesmerising artwork would look great in Castle Requiem. The painting would look alright there too. Thank you, I'm here all week.

Hate Forest - 'Nietzscheism' Freshly arrived in the mailbox. Re-release by Osmose. Beautiful digipak that includes in the booklet the covers and track listings of each EP and 7 inch that form the content of the compilation. This is true and unadulterated Hate Forest. Not quite sure why Carl Orff's famous 'O Fortuna' launches things off, but it's always a good tune. Orff, by the way, must have rued the day he ever came up with that riff. I'm sure he probably wrote a heap of other great material, but it's 'O Fortuna' that seems to raise its head in commercials, Ozzy live shows and Hate Forest compilations.