FatherAlabaster

Rotting Christ - Non Serviam
Inquisition - Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult

Looks friendlier than my little hellbeast Siamese. I'm not smart enough to figure out how to post a pic so a Link will have to do.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kEuYnBcNKX663Mro7
Starting of my night with my favorite chic. Belinda Carlisle and the Go-Go's. Picked up a first press of Beauty and the Beat for $10 today. Not the cleanest copy, but works for me. Then maybe The Cult - Dreamtime, Twin Tribes - Pendulum, Sturgill Simpson - Cutting Grass Vol. 1, and finish it of with Phillipe Entremont's rendition of Greig: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra and in A minor.
 

VERBERIS - The Apophatic Wilderness. Noice.
An here is Thatguy's cat. Luna Bonjour (she came to us already named).

Miles Davis - Sketches Of Spain
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime   ...the young lad opened his big mouth about "80s rock" and "opera" and here we are

Self titled debut is cool too. I haven't checked out anything since the original vocalist died.
 
NP: Miles Davis - A Tribute To Jack Johnson
I could fucking wish the drums weren't smushed over to the right side, given what a triumph of production this is in other ways, but the trumpet hangs in front of me like Macbeth's dagger. Big speakers for the win.

Brutal Truth - Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses, 1992
 
Brutal Truth - Need to Control, 1994
 

Set I saw Saturday night was only from the first 3 albums. Might have to pick those up.
Another show tonight. Goth night with the girls. First local show I've ever managed to get the wife to.
Twin Tribes - Pendulum
Urban Heat - Wellness
 

I haven't heard anything else quite like it either. It's been years since I put myself through it. The voice recordings are really unsettling. I remember reading somewhere that they combed through a lot of secondhand tapes from pawn shops and so forth, but I don't actually know the backstory for those. As far as the later stuff goes... kudos to them, and I like it. I really got into the immersive soundscape of To Be Kind. But none of it is as compelling to me as the pre-breakup material. Maybe that's just because I listened to it so much when I was younger. Maybe part of it is also what Jarboe added. I don't get into her solo stuff, but she brought so much depth and weirdness to the band.

No issue, no need to defend. I'm surprised that you love it. Knowing how demanding and analytical you are in your listening, it seems incongruous to me. I feel like if you heard the musical equivalent of something this derivative and poorly executed, you'd have a scathing review ready to go before the end of the first song. 
I do think there's a very broad spectrum of "good art", and something doesn't need to be technically impressive to be impactful and meaningful, and being a good illustration is outside of both of those considerations. But even with that in mind I think this cover art sucks. It flaunts a lack of effort. So many other images in the genre are just way cooler and better done. I don't really put a lot of stock in cover art either way but this makes me a bit less likely to want to listen to the music.
So yeah, I'm a little surprised to see your high standards for music juxtaposed with genuine enjoyment of this piece. But I'm also not telling you what to enjoy... if this works for you, then great. You are the target audience. Love wins.

I haven't heard anything else quite like it either. It's been years since I put myself through it. The voice recordings are really unsettling. I remember reading somewhere that they combed through a lot of secondhand tapes from pawn shops and so forth, but I don't actually know the backstory for those. As far as the later stuff goes... kudos to them, and I like it. I really got into the immersive soundscape of To Be Kind. But none of it is as compelling to me as the pre-breakup material. Maybe that's just because I listened to it so much when I was younger. Maybe part of it is also what Jarboe added. I don't get into her solo stuff, but she brought so much depth and weirdness to the band.

Fair enough I suppose even if I think "demanding" is a little strong. I should probably profess my love of gritty hand drawn artwork more often, and especially if it's sub sword and sorcery b-grade fantasy related. I'll occasionally criticize some of it for having very poor depth of field (that new Cirith Ungol still hurts my eyes), or trying to mimic Dan Seagrave and ending up just looking too busy.
Also musically maybe I am a little harsh on certain bands. If I'm being pulled both toward the extremely technical end of things or the simpler exposed raw nerve feeling over execution school, I probably resist the simpler one a little more. Still some of my personal favorites do come from that side. It might be that higher levels of complexity to my ears allow for a ton more variance and personal style. I can completely understand how somebody might hear Decrepit Birth and just hear later era Death worship. What's more they'd probably be correct to say so, but because of the abundance of musical choices made in the course of a given Decrepit Birth song I tend to listen to how and where they deviate from Death's style, and that's a little harder to do with a band that worships Under The Sign of The Black Mark era Bathory. When it hits me though, it hits hard.
NP: Overpower - Becoming the Tyrant
Becoming The Tyrant | Overpower | Mercenary Press (bandcamp.com)

Nifty little EP. Crunchy guitar tone. The pace changes edge a little too close to crossover thrash/hardcore for me to rave about it.

No issue, no need to defend. I'm surprised that you love it. Knowing how demanding and analytical you are in your listening, it seems incongruous to me. I feel like if you heard the musical equivalent of something this derivative and poorly executed, you'd have a scathing review ready to go before the end of the first song. 
I do think there's a very broad spectrum of "good art", and something doesn't need to be technically impressive to be impactful and meaningful, and being a good illustration is outside of both of those considerations. But even with that in mind I think this cover art sucks. It flaunts a lack of effort. So many other images in the genre are just way cooler and better done. I don't really put a lot of stock in cover art either way but this makes me a bit less likely to want to listen to the music.
So yeah, I'm a little surprised to see your high standards for music juxtaposed with genuine enjoyment of this piece. But I'm also not telling you what to enjoy... if this works for you, then great. You are the target audience. Love wins.

Swans/Soundtracks for the Bind (1996)-It's been said by many, that in a career of making weird albums, this is the weirdest album Swans ever made. love it or hate it-and fans fall on both sides of the fence (I am on the love side) there is nothing like this album. The album that was the final straw breaking the Swans for 14 years. They reformed in 2010'ish and they came to more general notoriety in 2012 with their massive trilogy beginning with The Seer in 2012 which garnered a great deal of praise in all music internet sites that cover left of field experimental music, which is when I discovered them. 2012 was when I got into headfi and hifi gear, put together a proper listening system and started following the machinations beyond metal.
At any rate, Soundtracks for the Blind (2 discs, 4 LPs) and 26 tracks is a herculean listen at over 2 hours.  It's long been a favorite for fans of experimental rock music. Some would say it's been eclipsed post 2010 in terms of what Gira strove to achieve-some kind of transcendental music that pulls from many genres. It's an album that requires patience, there is over indulgence and bloat to be sure, but I find the entire experience utterly compelling. 
The roots to Soundtracks predates 1996 some 10 years to the beginning of the Swans existence and is as you might guess, conceived to be the soundtrack to movie that never existed. There's quite a bit ambient music and overall vibe of ambient drone on this album, but also explosive music and  field recordings, and creepy, voyeuristic voice tracks. I believe Gira and Jarboe both recorded people in their lives with mental and physical health problems to create a sense of watching a film designed to give the listener a feeling of discomfort. The album is unsettling and beautiful. Much credit has to go to Jarboe, Gira's long time collaborator who has one of the most elastic, powerful, beautiful and at times brutal female voices in experimental music. 
In fact, the entire album has a combined effect of surrealist experience-reminiscent of a bizarre David Lynch movie and other worldly experience beyond the capacity to explain in words. 
The voice overs create a sense of watching a haunting documentary of some corner of the underbelly of twisted human existence-ne'er do wells living sordid, utterly depressing lives-something that draws me in, repels me but I just can't take my eyes off the screen--- or perhaps, turning to look at the multi car accident on the other side of the highway-traffic backed up for miles, emergency vehicles, cars burning, bodies on stretchers....and you just can't restrain yourself from slowing down to look at the carnage. 
There is nothing that I've heard that sounds like this album. 

Afterbirth - In But Not Of (2023)
Slimelord - Chytridiomycosis Relinquished (2024)
 

Those two and Non Serviam are the ones I go for. I haven't warmed up to anything past that yet.

Really? Unironically?

Rotting Christ - Triarchy of the Lost Lovers
Rotting Christ - Thy Mighty Contract

Accurate. I was one of those kids. The first time I heard Once Upon The Cross I was 16, sitting alone in my truck before work, and the vocals actually scared me a bit. I used to like Benton's voice and thought the first 3 albums were killer. Never liked any of the later ones. They don't do much for me anymore but I think there's still some nostalgia value. 

Accurate. I was one of those kids. The first time I heard Once Upon The Cross I was 16, sitting alone in my truck before work, and the vocals actually scared me a bit. I used to like Benton's voice and thought the first 3 albums were killer. Never liked any of the later ones. They don't do much for me anymore but I think there's still some nostalgia value. 

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.

Missed Dimeola when he did the Elegant Gypsy tour, was really pissed 

Gentle Giant - The Power And The Glory
Al Di Meola - Elegant Gypsy

Suck my old kielbasa, everyone.
BINGE

Gentle Giant - The Power And The Glory
Al Di Meola - Elegant Gypsy

Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1987)