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Top 3 albums/eps of the week.


MacabreEternal

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Listened to some new stuff during December. What caught my attention:

1) Svartidauði - Revelations of the Red Sword. Significantly more death metal than their previous stuff, but turns out it still works fine. They decided to go for medium-lenght instead of the usual 10 mins compositions (Flesh Cathedral, Untitled etc..) but it really fits the more aggressive approach.

2) Death Karma - The History of Death & Burial Rituals part II. I'm really digging this. Was expecting a typical caverncore release, got an experimental album instead, that combines heavy death metal riffage with folklore and legends of various populations.

3) Baise Ma Hache - F.E.R.T.  One of their best albums so far. Title track really stands out, and the rest is pretty good too.

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Deicide "In The Minds of Evil" (2013 - Century Media Records)

I haven't really bothered with very much from Deicide after "Once Upon The Cross" but the release of "Overtures of Blasphemy" in 2018 made me wonder if the life in the old dog was worth a review of other releases from the latter years of Benton and co's career.  "In The Minds of Evil" stacks up surprisingly well with its riffage and overall song structure.  It is a tad too long for me though but worth a few listens this past week.

Nargaroth "Herbstleyd" (1998 - No Colours Records)

The latest edition to my favourite BM records largely due to the sheer totality and fullness of approach to this record.  It is all on here, from the haunting atmospheres enhanced with German spoken word passages to the tremolo fury you'd expect from a hate-filled Black Metal band.  It opens strongly and immediately I feel like I am being told a story and am instantly captivated.  One of my favourite "old" discoveries of 2018.

Acherontas "Amarta अमर्त (Formulas of Reptilian Unification, Pt.II)" (2017- World Terror Committee)

My lasting memory of this record is the beautiful acoustic opening and closing to the album.  What this bridges is some fine occult BM from an artist sadly under-present in my music collection (until now).  A real feel for pace and sensible structure as the record builds up to a great ending over the final two tracks that represent the longest compositions on here.  I haven't heard Pt.1 of this either so that is on the rotation list also for a future spin or two.

 

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Rapture - ‘Songs for the Withering’ Heartbreakingly effective melodic doom with growled and clean vocals that slay me. 

Cradle of Filth - ‘Nymphetamine’. Gorgeous production, four or five classics and a theme of love/sex addiction. Underrated classic. 

Iron Maiden - ‘Piece of Mind’. Great album with anthems all through it. Good accompaniment to Martin Popoff’s Iron Maiden Album by Album book. I’ll be updating the book thread once I’m off this damn phone and find a computer.

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Alice In Chains "Rainier Fog" (2018 - BMG)

I had heard positive things all over various haunts of mine on the internet about how good this album was.  Naturally, mere weeks after confirming my 'best of' list for 2018 I finally get round to listening to what would have made the top five at least.  There's such a sense of unity and harmony across the band on this record that there's little not to enjoy.  From the stabbing riffs of "The One You Know" through to the melancholic vocal harmonies of album closer "All I Am" it is just an all encompassing experience over ten tracks.  It inspired me to go back to 2013's "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" but there is not the same level of dark beauty or flow to that record (even though it stands up as a solid record in it's own right).

Verheerer "Maltrér" (2018 - Vendetta Records)

German BM takes a welcome rotational slot on my weekly playlist this week.  I will be honest, the teenage boy in me drew me to this based on the cover alone.  Blood red artwork depicting grim and frost bitten mountain ranges and druid-like figures makes 13 year old Macabre a happy boy!  Thankfully the musical content stacks up brilliantly a well.  A real sense of power is obvious throughout this record and it is this forceful delivery that makes the ears prick up and take real notice of the grim majesty being forged over these seven tracks.  That isn't to say it is all pounding BM ferocity either, the experience as a whole is well paced and uses this to create atmosphere to good effect.  Another one that got away from me in 2018!

Cretin "Freakery" (2006 - Relapse Records)

My first experience of Cretin was during a CD swap we did years ago on another forum I frequented.  I found them a little too much for me at that stage if I am honest.  The whole sound and delivery just a little too overwhelming for Macabre"Snowflake"Eternal.  Years later I would hear "Stranger" and dive right in and purchase without quibble, waver or doubt.  Anyway, I decided to make sure that as well as making more of an effort to stay on top of new things in 2019 I would ensure I was paying sufficient attention to older material too and this week I have found "Freakery" to be an absolute fucking blast(beat).  Thirty minutes or so of fucking frenzied death metal/grindcore has been a welcome enema for the ear holes.

 

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Exodus "Impact is Imminent" (1990 - Capitol Records)

Firstly, that fucking cover! Always have hated and always will.  Holt's cheesy facial expression really pisses me off.  Gary attests to "Impact..." having some of the best riffs he has ever written, which although is probably true to his ears this doesn't come across overall with the record.  There's nothing here that sticks around in my head.  I can more or less play "Fabulous Disaster" through in my head but struggle to remember much of anything on "Impact..." beyond the title track and "Objection Overruled".

Benediction "The Grand Leveller" (1991 - Nuclear Blast)

Again, although I can't tar this album as being a bad record, there's nothing here to mark it as standout either.  I had heard this talked of in high regard over various reviews but I just don't see it I am afraid.  Decidedly average death metal from the early 90s.

Judas Iscariot "Heaven In Flames" (1999 - End All Life Productions)

As with "Thy Dying Light" which I also discovered recently there is a cold, dark authenticity to the work on "Heaven In Flames".  Capturing both atmosphere and rawness well this album benefits from great application of melody too.  Off to crack open some corpse paint!

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On 1/12/2019 at 11:04 PM, MacabreEternal said:

Alice In Chains "Rainier Fog" (2018 - BMG)

I had heard positive things all over various haunts of mine on the internet about how good this album was.  Naturally, mere weeks after confirming my 'best of' list for 2018 I finally get round to listening to what would have made the top five at least.  There's such a sense of unity and harmony across the band on this record that there's little not to enjoy.  From the stabbing riffs of "The One You Know" through to the melancholic vocal harmonies of album closer "All I Am" it is just an all encompassing experience over ten tracks.  It inspired me to go back to 2013's "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" but there is not the same level of dark beauty or flow to that record (even though it stands up as a solid record in it's own right).

 

Interesting. I've been a huge fan of Alice in Chains since 'Dirt' and 'Jar of Flies', and I've been less excited with each release to the point that I've bought them all but have never even bothered to listen to 'Ranier Fog'. If I thought 'The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here' was a dumb name, I guess I found 'Ranier Fog' to be the last straw. I'll check the album out for sure, because I do like the line-up and Layne's replacement (name escapes me...). 

OK TOP 3 FOR THE WEEK: 

Septicflesh - 'Communion'

Marduk - 'Frontschwein' (untouchable)

Whitesnake - 'Slip of the Tongue'

 

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Altarage "The Approaching Roar" (2019 - Season of Mist)

No surprise here if you have read my review on the blog on this site.  Absolutely killer DM right here.  The soundtrack of the undead army that will one day rise up and take our pathetic, capitalist arses and devour us all.  The theme tune to every falling nightmare you've ever had.  The howl of a tormented spirit trapped in the walls of your subconscious.

Towards Atlantis Lights "Dust Aeon" (2018 - Transcending Obscurity Records)

History laden funeral doom with a mix of death metal growls and clean lyrics (that I didn't instantly get along with) that has that clever fellow from Pantheist on vocals and keyboards.  Not the best I have ever heard but interesting enough to engage my interest, even though a 30 minute opener is a real bollock ache for the most part.

Coroner "R.I.P." (1987 - Noise Records)

Good ol' bit o' tech thrash from the late 80s to add some diversity to my listening this week.  What strikes me about this record the most is the maturity on it at this early stage of their career.  A shitload of energy in the mix too on here that couples well with the ability to deliver a memorable debut.

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Opeth "Morningrise" (1996 - Candlelight Records)

Prefer the debut if I am honest.  Although I acknowledge the musicianship and effort that goes into this record, it does go on a bit.  A little too meandering in places and it feels like it has outstayed its welcome as a result which is a shame because the statements it makes along the way are bold and memorable but just get lost in the excess.

Heads for the Dead "Serpent's Curse" (2018 - Transcending Obscurity Records)

Had I discovered this in 2018 it would have featured highly on my AOY list.  I was so impressed with it after one listen I bought the CD and various other merchandise, such was its impact on me.  You see despite in essence just being (another) metal supergroup playing Swedish Death metal the twist of the horror and paranormal atmospherics makes this one hell of an enjoyable listen.  Kind of like a night in the 90's watching shite B movies only with a much better soundtrack.

Motörhead "No Sleep 'til Hammersmith" (1981 - Bronze Records)

Long drive to a meeting this week and this was just on repeat part way there and all the way back.  Full of the character you'd expect from Lemmy and co. as they just turn up, play some loud as fuck rock n' roll and made me feel like I wasn't stuck on some ghastly motorway in blizzard conditions, instead I was front row watching Motörhead.  I wish.

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Judas Priest - Demolition 

 

Listened to this album for the first time the whole way through this week, I’ve got to say I love it, better than all of Priest’s post Ripper Era material (bar Firepower which i’d say it’s on par with) criminally underrated album imo. I may give it a review on here actually.

 

Accept - Breaker

 

Iron Savior - Megatropolis

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Killing Addiction "Omega Factor" (1993 - JL America)

I like the unique nature to this band's sound.  I mean it is DM no doubt but it has a calculated nature to the brutality, delivered with just enough of a disturbing edge to the vocals to make it sound almost niche yet not contrived.  The reissue I stumbled upon goes on a bit in fairness, regurgitating versions of songs from 1990 and 1991 also.  Still a neat find for anyone looking for some more underground DM from the early 90s.

Oppressor "Solstice of Oppression" (1994 - Red Light Records)

Most of Oppressor later became Soil (the shit band, not as in they all became actual earth).  Thankfully, they managed to put out some far more respectable content prior to this in the form of the technical DM of "Solstice of Oppression".  There's tempo changes and arpeggios galore here.  Another neat discovery from the 90s.

Altarage "Endinghent" (2017 - Season of Mist Underground Activists)

Following on from my effusive praise of the latest Altarage release, I went back to the sophomore this week to give it some more attention as I couldn't shake the feeling that I hadn't spent sufficient time with it.  A lot of the cool stuff from "The Approaching Roar" shows up here on "Endinghent" as glimpses of what is to come.  Some early passages of the noted accessibility of the latter album are heard here alongside some of the usual swarming fury.

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Fleshgod Apocalypse - 'King'

This album has really blossomed for me lately. I can't get over how amazing it is to me and I really 'get' it. 

Cradle of Filth - 'Darkly Darkly Venus Aversa'

Not as bad as I remember it. Scary to think it came out 9 years ago. I still see it as a recent album! It has some decent moments. 

My Dying Bride - 'A Line of Deathless Kings'

Great album. In fact, probably their most underrated, and I was guilty of this for years, probably because the first track is the weakest and put me off a bit. As of track 2 it's game on. 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Plenty of new CDs have been delivered through Castle Requiem’s unhallowed doors lately. Three of my current favourites are:

Children of Bodom - ‘Hexed’

A more commercial sound for them but so many great hooks and moments, this is already looking like it will be one of my favourite CoB albums. The two singles are probably the weakest on the album ironically. 

Dark Funeral - ‘Secrets of the Black Arts’

Remastered double disc version of their debut. Great album and excellent package/liner notes on its history.

Mayhem - ‘Grand Declaration of War’ remixed and remastered version. 

I’ve written a detailed analysis of this in the Mayhem thread of the Black Metal forum, so I needn’t go into detail here, but I’m giving this plenty of plays and it’s one lovely package from the grand wizards. 

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Currently evoking the dark art embrace of:

 

Symawrath - Scaena I : Incestuous Overture in the Crystal Auditorium

A recent indulgence, darkly sinister Spanish symphonic black metal from a bygone era. Well worth it.

 

Darkness of Blood - A Dream of Vampires in Astral Dementia

Foolish spells cannot protect you from their power!

 

Lord Vampyr - Death Comes Under the Sign of the Cross

Return of The Count! Improved musicianship, more heavy metal influenced, much better than expected. I wish he would reconnect with Fabian and resurrect the trve Theatres des Vampires sound.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Emperor 'IX Equilibrium' (1999 - Candlelight Records)

Whilst accepting this was a shift in direction that proved too much for some after the breathtaking majesty of the first two Emperor albums, I found the third offering to be very appealing. The aggressive sound and rogueish charm of the 'bashing pots n' pans' percussion creating that wall of sound was a welcome prospect to my ears (albeit they really got it right on the next release).

Coroner 'Punishment for Decadence' (1988 - Noise Records)

Maintaining the entertainment levels after the debut was always going to be a challenge for Coroner, but the sophomore release more than shows the progression of a band who not only maintain the momentum of the debut, but manage to up their game still on the technicality front whilst still maintaining a strong songwriting ethos also.

DIssection 'Storm of the Light's Bane (2006 2CD Deluxe Edition - Black Horizon Music)

I literally am sat here listening to this as I type with the delivery only coming a couple of hours ago.  This version offers two different mixes of the record (one the "normal" mix, the other an unreleased alternative mix).  Whilst disc one that contains the original sounds as magnificent as I remember, it is disc 2 with the alternative mix, unreleased 1994 demo and 'Where Dead Angels Lie MCD ' 96 Remastered Original Mixes that has me salivating as the band blister their way through Tormentor and Slayer covers amongst the various demo versions of tracks.  Neat find.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Behexen 'The Poisonous Path' (2016 - Debemur Morti Productions)

Behexen's most varied work to date makes for some interesting listening as we get a blackened crust sound emanating some d-beat/hardcore styles whilst at the same time remaining authentic to the black metal sound we all know from them.  A well produced album that maintains the presence of all instruments in the mix without sacrificing the energy of the sound.

Sacramentum 'Far Away From The Sun' (1996 - Adipocere Records)

As part of plugging gaps in my digital library with physical releases I have had the pleasure of listening to Dissection 'Storm of the Light's Bane' in my car for like 3 weeks now.  Also I picked up Sacramentum's debut as part of this process but I have to confess that I have really struggled to get into it (certainly in comparison with the experience I had around revisiting Dissection at least).  It just doesn't stick in my head at all and when it is playing I find it fails to hold my attention properly.  I judge a good record by how well it keeps me company on a long drive out - which perhaps isn't the setting for this record, maybe it requires more personal time with it - and sadly I just found 'Far Away From the Sun' didn't cut it despite many repeated attempts.

Moonsorrow - 'Verisäkeet' (2005 - Spikefarm Records)

So, Moonsorrow have been on my "to do" list for about 2 years now.  My recent preference for a more melodic and folk edge to my BM (whilst also delving further into the Finnish scene for my blog writings here) seemed to lead me on a natural course this past week to discover this absolute beauty of a record.  I can only liken it to meeting an attractive but very plain looking member of the opposite sex.  You engage in a few initially casual dates, before you reach the stage of a meal at their pad and you realise from the shelves of their abode that they have a hidden depth of knowledge beyond anything you first expected in terms of the dimension of their understanding of music.  Occasionally, it does get a bit dull but never pompous or grandiose.  You eventually decide this is the one for you, invite them round to yours for absinthe and canopies, feast on them and hail the dark lord for his gifts! 

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7 hours ago, MacabreEternal said:

Sacramentum 'Far Away From The Sun' (1996 - Adipocere Records)

As part of plugging gaps in my digital library with physical releases I have had the pleasure of listening to Dissection 'Storm of the Light's Bane' in my car for like 3 weeks now.  Also I picked up Sacramentum's debut as part of this process but I have to confess that I have really struggled to get into it (certainly in comparison with the experience I had around revisiting Dissection at least).  It just doesn't stick in my head at all and when it is playing I find it fails to hold my attention properly.  I judge a good record by how well it keeps me company on a long drive out - which perhaps isn't the setting for this record, maybe it requires more personal time with it - and sadly I just found 'Far Away From the Sun' didn't cut it despite many repeated attempts.

 

Huh, I thought I recalled you enjoying this album. I have to say that my experience of it compared to Dissection is the reverse -- I've never truly got on with any of their material despite decades of putting it on here and there, whereas riffs from that Sacramentum album will just pop into my head unbidden. It tends to feel a bit homogenous, but that's a common thing with the style and not detrimental when I'm in the mood for it.

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1 hour ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Huh, I thought I recalled you enjoying this album. I have to say that my experience of it compared to Dissection is the reverse -- I've never truly got on with any of their material despite decades of putting it on here and there, whereas riffs from that Sacramentum album will just pop into my head unbidden. It tends to feel a bit homogenous, but that's a common thing with the style and not detrimental when I'm in the mood for it.

Yep, it just isn’t digesting as well as it used too and I can’t figure out why.  Could be different story again in a few weeks/months.  

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Three albums that have ruled the roost recently. 

Children of Bodom - ‘Hexed’. I don’t love this album but I do enjoy it. It definitely falls into the upper 50% of the Wildchild’s output. Don’t know how many spins it will receive when the gloss wears off though. 

Dark Funeral - ‘Where Shadows Forever Reign’. The last three songs on this are stellar. I love this band and this album. 

Impaled Nazarene - ‘Absence of War Does Not Mean Peace’. This is only my second IN purchase which is weird because I really enjoy their straight forward sound. 

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