MacabreEternal

Deafhaven "Sunbather"

I am getting round to it, I only actually own "Now, Diabolical" so I am relying on YouTube to explore their other material for now.

Altar of Plagues "Teethed Glory and Injury" EDIT I'm struggling with this. I think there is too much going on for me to enjoy whilst working, I think it needs my undivided attention.There are lots of bits I like but I can't forge them into a whole without spending time with the sound as a complete picture.

Satyricon "Nemesis Divina"

Satyricon "Dark Medieval Times"

Need to check this out. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Satyricon "Now, Diabolical" Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Behemoth "The Satanist" Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

New Varathron EP due according to my emails. 3 new tracks and 4 live tracks. Thought the last album was awesome. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

For some reason I always get Symphony X mixed up with Static X, which is a horrifying mistake! Welcome along! Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

I prefer Pulp Fiction to Reservoir Dogs. I think the tongue in cheek characters and slick dialogue work better and the story is better presented in a non-linear narrative. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Satyricon "Dark Medieval Times" Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Satyricon "Dark Medieval Times" Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

My feline companion has been under the weather. All seems tickety boo now though! Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Had a poorly cat last night and got 3 hours kip as a result. Today very nearly had to move hotel after I refused to leave a security deposit that was unnecessary and rudely asked for. On the plus side the cat is okay now! Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

The Establishment hugging media use the asylum seekers as a great distraction to the real social ills of the country. "Yeah, all those NHS waiting times and A&E closures, along with slower train times and increased gas and electricity prices are all down to asylum seekers!" is the gist of most headlines from the Daily Mail et al!

Mother in law is staying and I have to go work in a prison tomorrow so already had a french beer called Champigheulles which was a mediocre continental lager (even at 5.5%), not very memorable to be fair but thankfully followed by a Hobgoblin which hit all the parts necessary and was thoroughly tasty and warming. Resorting to JD and coke next to numb the pain!

Ulver "Nattens Madrigal"

Dissection "Storm of the Light's Bane"

DM Classic!!! The atmosphere on that album is so thick you can slice bits off it and toast them. Good call!

The rumour is that they planned to set fire to the hotel the asylum seekers were staying in.

I only recently started to get on with British Steel but can agree it is a fine album for its time. Stained Class is a great Priest record but I have to place "Sad Wings..." as my personal favourite. I get the attraction of "Defenders...." but just don't "love" it enough to visit it that much.

30. Sacramentum "Far Away From The Sun" In terms of melodic black metal as a sub genre you could probably count the bands included up on one hand or certainly label them as a cross between BM and melodic DM. We aren't talking the symphonic stabbings of Emperor here we are talking about the retention of the bleakness and the harsh coldness of traditional BM but adding accessibility with effective use of melody that although was key to the sound, did not water down the whole too much. Dissection are often championed as one of the great acts who achieved this, "Storm Of The Light's Bane" being a fine example of such work. However, whilst that album is (rightly) recognised as classic release, for me there is another album that overshadows it. An album that not only combines the familiar bleak atmosphere of BM with some marauding melodies, but one that also contains some sterling instrumentation to boot. The artist being Sacramentum and their 1996 release "Far Away From The Sun" being the album in question. From the off it is clear that "Far Away From The Sun" is different. There's no (mandatory) cold wind or crackling fire in a blizzard intro here, nope opening track "Fog's Kiss" just charges straight in and immediately sets out its stall of structured riffs and progressive melodies as it plods and jars its way through nearly 5 minutes of perfection. Blink and you will miss the move into track 2, "Far Away From The Sun" as the soaring melody from the end of the opening track blends seamlessly to begin the title track. Dripping in dense and unshakeable atmosphere from the beginning to the end the album is all held together by a perfect arrangement of rhythms, laid with such precision and thought it is a pleasure to listen to. The galloping rush that starts "When Night Surrounds Me" is breathtaking but there is no time for recovery as Nisse's evil voice echoes around you like wraiths whispering in both of your ears at the same time. They tell of a darkness that will be all enclosing, that will spare none from it's path. "When Night Surrounds Me" has the capacity to make you believe 11am is 11pm such is the dark emotion that writhes within its varied and ravaging 6 minutes. Also hear you start to notice (well if you have ears you will have already noticed) the superb performance going on at the skins. Nicklas Rudolfsson plays every bit of his kit on "Far Away From The Sun" and plays every possible, fill, blastbeat and pattern whilst he does so. His drumming is the rumbling stomach of a hungry giant, the scaffold poles and posts to the rising structures that unfold on the album but also the furious warrior galloping across the battlefield slaying all in his path. To be able to balance all that melody alongside the intense rush and sweeping majesty of the furious BM takes talent and it is a very well produced album across all 9 tracks. You never feel any let up in intensity throughout the album and with each listen you pick up something you missed before. It is recorded proof of beauty in dark places, of order in chaos and of variety in rhythmic familiarity. It has been a great week rediscovering this.

Master's Hammer "Jilemnicky Okultista"

Sodom "Obsessed By Cruelty"