t.e.i.t.a.n.b.l.o.o.d. - 'a.c.c.u.r.s.e.d. s.k.i.n. e.p.' (2016)
spain's teitanblood offer up two blackened tracks that span the better part of a half hour. this is metal at its most menacing. these guys are so pissed.
_dj pack-n-play
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c.u.l.t.e.s. d.e.s. g.h.o.u.l.e.s. - 'c.o.v.e.n, o.r, e.v.i.l. w.a.y.s. i.n.s.t.e.a.d. o.f. l.o.v.e.' (2016)
'coven, or, evil ways instead of love' the 2016 album by polish black metal horde cultes des ghoules has five songs and clocks in at one hour and thirty-eight minutes. to refer to this record as epic is no cheap use of hyperbole. the songs average at about twenty minutes each. the band does not just pummel the listener with repetition, as is common practice in black metallic devil worship. the songs are dynamic, featuring constant change ups. the bass is particularly prominant, and there are even occasional drum and bass breaks, a feature that feels more punk rock than it does black metal. this music is raw. the production feels like it is going for as close to a live sound as possible. the effect this has is to make the listener feel as though he is in the room with this evil coven of sadistic satanic musicians, witnessing their blasphemy in real time. the singer of this group, known as 'mark of the devil' (is his god-given name mark, one wonders... because that would be pretty clever...), to me, this guy has every bit as much character and originality as ozzy osbourne brought to the genre of metal some fourty-five years ago. mark of the devil cackles, croons, chants, grunts, growls, screams, whipsers and sermonizes with extreme gusto. i can safely say this man is my favorite active vocalist in metal right now. he does his job with a depth and thoroughness the likes of which i haven't seen equaled among other hordes of blasphemers. this man truly sounds like a evangelist for satan preaching from an altar top adorned with a prostrate virgin oozong blood from every pore. highly recommended devilry.
_alibi
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b.o.l.z.e.r. - 'h.e.r.o.'
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yessssssssssssss. new bolzer. their first full length, after releasing two tremendous eps. this guitar drum duo will rip off your ass and make you sit in a wet rusty chair. download this if you love metal. if you think you love metal and yet you find that you do not love this record, then, i am sorry to have to be the one to tell you, that, simply put, there is nothing about your aesthetic as it relates to your appreciation of heavy metal music that is true.
_mink nun
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r.u.i.n.o.u.s. - 'g.r.a.v.e.s. o.f. c.e.a.s.e.l.e.s.s. d.e.a.t.h.' (2016)
shawn eldridge plays drums on two of my favorite metal releases of this year, dark fortress, and this one by ruinous. to cut straight to the chase, skip to minute marker 3.16 on drarmarks, the third cut on this lp. the drum pattern is berserk, like the engine of a car sputtering out as it bursts into flames careening headlong off of a cliff. the drums on this record seem to change patterns every eight bars or so. this makes for a thrilling listen. ruinous deal in death metal. the bass is all muscle, way up in the mix. the guitar is fast, limber, manic and crushing. it's stunning that such a humongeous racket is kicked up by only three people. there are mistakes in the playing left in there, and i wouldn't have it any other way. it's human, and it sounds like the band is in the room with you, trying its very best to blow your house down.
_mink nun
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m.e.s.h.u.g.g.a.h. - 't.h.e. v.i.o.l.e.n.t. s.l.e.e.p. o.f. r.e.a.s.o.n.' (2016)
best drummer in heavy metal right now by a landslide. this record stands among their best work. they are like the Yes, Rush, King Krimson type of band for 2016. Steely Dan levels of perfectionism and effort went into this recording. nerd music made by nerds for nerds to listen to while they do nerd things thinking nerd thoughts. dig it.
_pert plus
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D.e.a.t.h. F.o.r.t.r.e.s.s - 'D.e.a.t.h.l.e.s.s. M.a.r.c.h. O.f. T.h.e. U.n.y.i.e.l.d.i.n.g.' (2016)
this band has a totally boring band name. death fortress? seriously, fellas? i can just imagine the conversation that led up to that name. "guys, the show is on thursday. we seriously need to decide on a name. rick, i already told you, i am not cool with calling the band sacraficial enema, ok? just drop it. wait, what? you told the booker we were called death fortress? are you serious? because my mom's basement is like a death fortress. funny, rick, really, i'm in stitches. look, we're lucky she even lets us practice here. fuck it, you guys don't even care, so why should i?" the cover artwork looks like they asked for something that blends m.c. escher with scooby doo. the count chocula font is certainly a classic look, if that's what you're going for. but guess what guys. guys? this album rips. unlike so many bands who sound so squeaky clean that it feels like their album just got back from a visit to the dentist, this band sounds like they are in the room with you ready to tear you a new one. dig it.
_mink nun
_mink nun
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i.r.k.a.l.l.i.a.n. o.r.a.c.l.e. - 'a.p.p.o.l.y.o.n.' (2016)
one of my favorite things about being a metalhead in 2016 is trying to identify my own categorical imperatives for my taste in metal, and then seeing if i can't smash them to bits. metal is a supersaturated mode of music. for all its orthodoxy cultishness and pomp, there are exceptions for nearly every single rule. finding those exceptions for one's own personal tastes is where things can get especially fun, i find. pick something to identify as a rule that you would want to stick to hard and fast with regard to your tastes, and the more bands you listen to, the more likely you are to hear a group that shatters your expectations. start a sentence with, "i hate", insert a musical qualifier, end the sentence with, "in metal." you're highly likely to find a band that does that thing that you hate so well that you almost have to hand it to them. i hate triggered drums, but wow, guttural secrete. i hate stuck-pig vocals, but wow, wormed. i hate bands that are complete clones of portal, but wow, altarage. i hate bands who use drums that sound so fake that you're left wondering why they even try to approximate a drum sound and don't just embrace the fake sounding percussion sound all together, but wow, shrine of insanibilis. (a lot of my personal categorical imperatives have to do with drums). i hate bands that sound so over-rehearsed that their recordings seemingly lack any blood sweat and tears on a human level, but wow, meshuggah. i hate bands with such a shitty guitar tone that i wonder if they would have been better off if they just plugged their guitar directly into their computer instead of even bothering to use an amp since they clearly chose such a weak sounding amp sound, but wow, vassafor. i hate bands that take that whole aesthetic of making their recording sound so bad that it seems to be trying to approximate the sound of being recorded in your mom's basement on one microphone straight to an old worn out cassette, but wow, volahn. i hate histrionics and veiled identities and posturing, but wow, batushka. i hate terrible bass guitar tone, but wow, ...almost every metal band. you get the idea. irkallian oracle might just break something inside your mind.
_alibi
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s.p.i.r.e. - 'e.n.t.r.o.p.y.' (2016)
a severed head in a bag floating in a nearby lagoon.
_queen's gambit declined
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t.e.m.p.l.e. n.i.g.h.t.s.i.d.e. - 'h.e.c.a.t.o.m.b.' (2016)
a severed head in a bag floating in a nearby lagoon.
_queen's gambit declined
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i.l.l. o.m.e.n. - 'ae. t.h.y. r.i.f.t.' (2016)
a severed head in a bag floating in a nearby lagoon.
_queen's gambit declined
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