ULCERATE - Stare into Death and Be Still Debemur Morti Productions For me ULCERATE are that one cool blackened death band who you can play late at night and it will put you in a decent melancholy mood. Yeah I know that sounds kinda fucked up but then again why are you here? Anyways I've been thinking that way about this three piece band from New Zealand ever since their 2011 release, The Destroyers of All. That was their third full length and ever since I've followed them. I still don't have their first two albums so fuck me running. As far as Stare into Death and Be Still goes well I'm gonna piss some people off (like what else is new) because I think this is far better than 2016's Shrines of Paralysis. Sure that last one was the mile marker for what they had been doing for years. This one shows that the band is pushing forth a more mature sound. Once the opening cut set forth I knew that there was a new element being set forth.
Prior ULCERATE albums always included a strict guideline to tech savy blackened death with some atmospheric touches to carry you along. This one throws the book away and goes straight for more complex song structures. It's like hearing the sounds emanating from a grey cloud of doom. Welcome the storm people which whips violent waves and slows down once to subtle breezes before some real violence commences. Yes this album is the epitome of a hurricane. https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/ https://ulcerate.bandcamp.com/album/stare-into-death-and-be-still https://www.facebook.com/Ulcerate
ARCHGOAT - Black Mass XXX live album Debemur Morti Productions So what would a black metal band do to celebrate their thirty years of spreading blasphemic evil upon the masses? Well in the case of Finland's ARCHGOAT it's put out a 27 song live album. Yeah I know for some of you true kvlt fuckers leftover from years ago you could probably think of something really worth while. Yeah like spreading a disease around the world right? Anyways I can't say live releases by black metal acts are a real selling point for me. Attending the show itself is preferable but then again how many chances were there to ever see ARCHGOAT here in the states? So yeah there you go. And the big surprise here is that the recording quality is actually good. This was recorded back in September of 2019 at a Debemur Morti Productions’ Servants Of Chaos showcase. What's really cool about the band's performance on here is that they deliver twenty seven cuts which do span their career. Honestly that doesn't seem hard to do since Lord Angelslayer (bass and vocals) and Ritual Butcherer (guitars) have been in the band since day one. Over the years they've just gone through a bunch of drummers. Personally I look at this as a for fans only type of release. Then again I know a shitload of people who are huge ARCHGOAT fans. I didn't get into them until 2009's The Light-Devouring Darkness. I back tracked a little after that one. But thanks to Debemur Morti Productions I got my early ARCHGOAT fix made with the The Aeon of the Angelslaying Darkness 2xCD which came out in 2010. And those early cuts are on here as well as everything up to 2018’s The Luciferian Crown. So yeah if you're a fan then this is for you. https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/ https://archgoat666.bandcamp.com/album/black-mass-xxx https://www.facebook.com/archgoat.official
OBSEQUIAE - The Palms Of Sorrowed Kings 20 Buck Spin
Years ago you had these hipsters saying black metal needs to progress in order to be taken seriously. Then they touted bands who were merely taking modern day sounds (ie: post punk, shoegaze, industrial/electronica or prog rock) and adding some blast beats and harsh vocals. Yeah it all sucked but then again that's what you would expect from a non metal affiliated person. The black metal genre never needed to leave the template in order to find new avenues for influences. It already had a few hundred years of past musical inspiration to meld with. So when I first got into OBSEQUIAE back in 2011 with their debut, Suspended in the Brume of Eos, I was an instant fan. The incorporation of pagan folk medieval sounds into black metal was genius. Of course it was also something Varg Vikernes tried to do but, because of his circumstances at the time, failed. At least WINDIR had some better success at it but not as good as this. This is OBSEQUIAE third full length and since following this band over the years I can say they haven't lost sight of their blackened medieval beginnings. In fact they've elevated their sound to the level of epic grandeur. The formula provided is still the same. You have organic folk instrumental pieces interspersed between medieval influenced melodic black metal. It all makes for an amazing listening experience. I've been saying for decades now that black metal can be exquisite and beautiful. And here it is. As always multi-instrumentalist Tanner Anderson takes charge of the vocals and the basic stringed instruments (aka: guitar and bass). Then you have the add on instruments like the hurdy gurdy, the Hammered dulcimer (a percussion-stringed instrument) then the Bowed psaltery (a plucked or bow played instrument) and the mizhar drum, plus the zill (finger cymbals). He also employs a few guests on vocals and guitar. Also on this release he's accompanied by Eoghan McCloskey on drums. The man's timing and precision work so well with music. Finally the specialist on Medieval harp, Vicente La Camera Marino, returns. Yes he was on the last album and his work on here is more inclusive than before. With all of that said, The Palms Of Sorrowed Kings is a melodic black metal masterpiece. https://www.20buckspin.com/ https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/the-palms-of-sorrowed-kings
MYSTAGOGUE - And The Darkness Was Cast Out Into the Wilderness Vendetta Records This release originally came out back in the summer of 2019. The sole reason I'm writing about it now is because it's yet another side project by GNAW THEIR TONGUES mainman Mories (aka: Maurice De Jong). I've been a fan of the man's work since 2008. So seeing this is a brand new project, it's Dutch black metal and he's paired with another musician finally, I had to check it out. For starters Mories is still in charge of the vocals plus stringed instruments (guitar and bass) as well as the synths which are not too prevalent on here. As far as the drum work goes he's enlisted Wessel Damiaen who is also part of the Dutch experimental black metal scene in the band LASTER. So since now you know the players you've probably got it all figured out this is going to sound. Well you would be WRONG! MYSTAGOGUE is far from being an experimetal band. For starters this is eight tracks which don't even touch the thirty minute mark. Musically this is straight up atmospheric black metal, yeah what a shocker for these guys previous outputs. Secondly it's damm good. The insanity and torment of which Mories' vocal style is in full on here. The song structures are elevated to this grand macabre symphony. This is one of those releases which you need to keep playing over and over because you just don't want it to stop. For a while now I've made the point that some bands who push the whole atmospheric black metal style just waste time. They turn a good half hour's worth of music into an over hour long snore fest. On here the tracks are short and song structures are blasting with plenty of melodies utilized to carry you along. Of course since this is Mories' project you can expect a sad and tragic affair with some hope in the end. And The Darkness Was Cast Out Into the Wilderness is an amazing release. Now I've gotta check out the new GNAW THEIR TONGUES release. Well maybe I'll wait a week. https://vendettarecords.wordpress.com/ https://mystagogue1.bandcamp.com/releases https://www.facebook.com/Mystagogue-356393981864414/
UNHOLY DESECRATION - Unholy Horde Confused Records So here we have some blackened death metal from the great state of Texas. Pardon the pun but the state has always been a hotbed for extreme metal. This five piece hails from the city of Mission which if you look it up is down close to the border with Mexico. So why am I giving you the geography lesson? Because after listening to this, their debut release. You would think they were from a European nation. If I had a coin with Sweden on one side and Poland on the other. I'd give it a flip and win each time. When I started listening to this release I was giving an OK thought. But by the halfway mark I knew something cool was going on here. UNHOLY DESECRATION just started out a few years ago. But they're obviously seasoned vets who came together with a plan. By my second listen I knew this was gonna be a winner. Now as far as the sound on here you've got some AMON AMARTH and VADER influences in abundance. Melody and brutality are intertwined in combat for supremacy. And yet neither one can survive without the other. Vocal wise the singer here sounds like Johan Hegg. Nothing wrong with that since I like Hegg's vocals. In fact I use to be a huge AMON AMARTH fan until their albums started sounding like a viking version of AC/DC. Musically on the other hand their influences really don't define them. They're not trying to be South Texas vikings. Instead this is the music of a satanic murder cult. They know how to pound nails into eardrums with savage riffs as well as slash throats with sharp guitar soloing. Yeah I like it. So next year at Wacken how bout it? https://www.facebook.com/confusedrecordstx/ https://unholydesecration.bandcamp.com/album/unholy-horde-3 https://www.facebook.com/Unholy-Desecration-186232872029248/
OBSEQUIAE - Suspended in the Brume of Eos reissue 20 Buck Spin When I saw that 20 Buck Spin was reissuing this one I just had to smile. This release originally came to me back in 2011. It was put out back then by Bindrune Recordings. And even though it was an obscure release at the time. In my favorite releases list for that year it held the number five spot. And you might remember 2011 was a very good year for metal so there you go. So what made OBSEQUIAE's debut so amazing was how they incorporated pagan folk medieval sounds into black metal. At that time the band was a duo from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Back then the band consisted of Tanner Anderson (aka: Blondel de Nesle) on vocals and guitar. Plus you had Jonathon Andrew Roll (aka: Neidhart von Reuental) on guitar, bass and drums. Combining folk like melodies and prog structured medieval sounding grandeur over a black metal backdrop with rasped vocals. Soft acoustic pieces are interspersed between the metal cuts to give it an almost conceptual feel. Back in 2011 I said this is the type of stuff you would play in a castle if you could afford to own one. It's still true today. (Original cover artwork from 2011)
I always thought that this was the type of sound Varg Vikernes was touching upon before his incarceration. And yet two guys from Minnesota pulled it off later on. Songs like "Atonement" and "Arrows" are fully draped in black metal but without the hornet's nest tremolo picked sound. The rhythms range from mid paced to speedy riffs combining the essence of black metal with that medieval structure. The result is this haunting atmosphere that's chilling yet elegant in a classical meets pagan sense. "Cabin Lights" and opener "Altars of Moss" are majestic to the point of standing in awe of what this duo accomplished. As of now Tanner Anderson is still keeping the project going while Jonathon Andrew Roll left after it's release. With that said Suspended in the Brume of Eos is a gem you can get a second chance at. https://www.20buckspin.com/ https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/suspended-in-the-brume-of-eos
SOLOTHUS - Realm Of Ash And Blood 20 Buck Spin I first learned about SOLOTHUS back in 2016 with their sophomore album No King Reigns Eternal. That album was a powerful reminder of why Finnish death doom reigns supreme. Sure there's plenty of acts out and about playing in this particular genre. But there's just something far more menacing from the Finnish bands. I'm also glad to see SOLOTHUS are still with us to prove my theory. What I like about this album (and this band) in particular is that there's no wasting time with atmospheric intro nonsense. SOLOTHUS just crawls out from their cave dwelling and reeks havoc. Yes the traditional genre elements are evident like crushing slow riffs and bestial vocals. But upon that there's a strong sense of melody.
Treasure the guitar lines that carry some of these cuts along. Top those off with some ice breaking solo work. All of that plus the basics create an actual atmosphere of dread. Yeah we need a sound track like this for these pathetic times. Although the sounds on here might be too dystopian in nature compared to our real life circumstances.
At least it breaks the monotony of a mask and gloves lifestyle outside of the home. SOLOTHUS' vision on Realm Of Ash And Blood is far more bleak and worthy of you checking it out. For too long you've had major bands within this genre who were to chunky hungry monkey or fucking sad sacks. This one breaks away from all of that in order to cut a path all their own. https://www.20buckspin.com/ https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/realm-of-ash-and-blood https://www.facebook.com/Solothus
SPACE PARASITES - Raw and Violent Zoundr I gotta say as far as the extreme music front for 2020 has been going I'm surprised. I wasn't expecting a flood of bands pushing traditional metal coming in. Seeing the sign of the times you'd think there would be more music promoting despair, doom and destruction. Instead it's mostly sounds worthy of raising your horned fist to, banging your head and slamming into people at a crowded show. Yeah we won't be doing that for a while. Case in point here we have the debut full length by Germany's SPACE PARASITES. It's a fourteen song over fifty minute romp of thrash and some traditional metal influences. And speaking of the latter this four piece (two women. two men) loves em some SLAYER as well as METALLICA. OK sure who doesn't but I'm talking about blatant borrowing of riffs. Plus their singer, Danger Diene, adds a Tom Araya style scream once in a while. Musically it's standard 80's era thrash with vocals that come across with a more punk screech. Frankly I just keep thinking this is probably more geared to new day punks who like their stuff demo quality or nothing. The guitarist here is the band's saving grace with some decent soloing that cuts through the obvious rehash. Save this for the kid sporting an 80's mohawk. https://www.zoundr.com/ https://spaceparasites.bandcamp.com/releases https://www.facebook.com/Spaceparasites/
SARCOFAGO - Hate reissue Greyhaze Records This album originally came out in 1994 on the great Brazilian label Cogumelo Records. But as we all know, Florida's Greyhaze Records has been doing the whole re-issue of classic South American extreme metal for a long time now. In fact I owe them a debt of gratitude for providing so many cool releases which I would never have owned before. Those original pressings do cost an arm and a leg.
Be that as it may the label has finally re-issued SARCOFAGO's third album. Now I'm going to be brutally honest here. This like many other post I.N.R.I. releases is for completest's only. But it's still an under looked gem as far as extreme metal goes. Now my reasons for saying that are simply obvious. I.N.R.I. was pretty much a one off type of release. It was filthy, low-fi blackened death insanity at a time, the late 80's, when the underbelly of extreme metal sounds was starting to show itself. After that the band, actually the original members who remained, tried to sound better then their previous primitive ways. So after a decent second album, The Laws of Scourge, in 1991. SARCOFAGO came out with this one which is a pretty good death thrash album with subtle hints at black metal. But when it originally came out it wasn't looked upon that well. You had the original fans, who learned about em via tape trading, calling em sellouts for actually learning how to play their instruments better. The other side of the crooked coin called em death metal leftovers. Fast forward a decade later or so and you had the wish they were troo black metal dipshits saying "this doesn't sound like the album I downloaded a week ago, it sucks". Or the hiptard PC crowd who were greatly offended by some of the lyrics. Especially when they heard the title cut. Their nonsense opinions were worthy of their scorn to stay the fuck away.
Now fast forward to now and why is this re-issue a good bet to pick up. Because in my not so humble opinion (I warned you I'm going to be brutally honest here) this is SARCOFAGO's best album. Seriously it's a death thrash mind fucker with some subtle keyboards added for background atmospheric touches. Years after this came out there were a shit load of extreme acts who you would honestly say used this as their template. Yeah I know you haters (kids) will condemn me for not saying their debut is their best. But seriously this was the band's best album as far as musicianship, song craft, production and overall great fuckin songs. We're talking a seven year difference it terms of quality because it was a different band with a new set of objectives. Therefore Hate for-filled it but it never got it's due. https://www.greyhazerecords.com/ https://greyhazerecords.bandcamp.com/album/hate
LADY BEAST - The Vulture's Amulet Reaper Metal Productions First time I heard of this band was from watching an interview with this band's singer, Deborah Levine, on the Heavy Metal Relics Youtube show. Right after that I checked out their Vicious Breed full length which came out on Cruz del Sur Records back in 2017. That one was damm good so it's cool to see they're back with another. Just for the record LADY BEAST is a five piece act from Pittsburgh, PA. The Vulture's Amulet is the band's fourth full length since starting out in 2009. Musically they're a straight up traditional metal act. There's no gimmicks or genre twists on here which some bands like to use to overshadow bad songs. LADY BEAST stick to the dynamic hard hitting metal style from the past with a duel guitar attack and a steadfast knockout rhythm section. The result is catchy melodic songs with memorable riffs and extra fiery leads. The vocals are a perfect match to the music. Deborah Levine has a kinda soulful hard rock vocal delivery. She doesn't embellish things with senseless screaming or grunts. Honestly it's damm good to hear a woman in metal nowadays who actually sings. Song wise this album opens up like popping the top on a can of metal whip-ass. “Metal Machine” charges out of the gate with a searing guitar solo and Levine's sultry and inviting voice. It's gotta be a set opener for sure. From that point onward this album flows like some of the past's notable classics. There's some good melodic anthems like "Runes of Rust". Add to that amazing story time sagas with MAIDEN - esque touches on "The Gift" as well as "The Champion". And of course it wouldn't be true fuckin metal without some raise your horned fist crunchy head-banging numbers like "Sacrifice to the Unseen" and "Betrayer". All in all this is one of my favorite albums right now and probably for a long time to come this year and beyond. https://reapermetalproductions.com/ https://ladybeast.bandcamp.com/album/the-vultures-amulet https://www.facebook.com/ladybeastofficial/
TORN IN HALF - Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth EP Redefining Darkness Records
Years ago, well maybe I should say decades, an EP release by a band was usually their demo and a step up from a tape. The band would put two to four cuts on vinyl and hope for the best. If things worked out in their favor they'd record an album with some of those early cuts or none. Then came the era of compact discs, cheap recording and the internet. So much for the good o'l days of collecting. But I still get a kick out of seeing an EP float in for review. It's even better when the band is playing my type of maniacal music. TORN IN HALF is a new four piece act out of Boston, Massachusetts. These massholes (and that's not a slag against em. I've got plenty of friends from the Boston area.) are into old school death doom with part US and part Swede influences. Yeah like there's not enough of that around.
Now I'm not gonna lie and say they're breaking new ground. Nor am I going to name drop a bunch of names. What's cool about this band comes in a couple of ways. First off of the four cuts on here only one is over three minutes in length. I like that because it means they don't fuck around. In fighting terms it's like smacking someone around a bit and then go in for the kill shot. Then just walk the fuck away. Second thing I like about TORN IN HALF is how their vocalist uses a variety of bestial or harsh sounds which accent upon the heavy riffs and rhythms the other three musicians are punishing you with. Once again this music falls into that atmospheric punishment style with no exciting guitar soloing. That seems to be the norm of late.
DOPELORD - Sign Of The Devil Green Plague Records Some years ago I was getting inundated with so many stoner rock releases sent in for review that I swore I'd shoot someone when I saw another. Then this band's third album, Children of the Haze, came in. Well on the bright side it was a damm good release and as far as the person I shot well he recovered while in jail. But anyways it was 2017 when this Polish band's third full length came my way. I liked it a lot for a couple of reasons. They stayed on the stoner rock template, were super heavy/fuzzy and performed it well without being pretentious or progressive. If I'm gonna listen to some music within this genre then I wanna hear some raw and dedicated shit. No phonies who just walked in the door. Now as far as this fourth album goes, I'll say the band has added some might to their sound. There's a sped up anthem in "Hail Satan". Honestly that speaks volumes for a band who before were slow enough to watch grass grow to. Now you wanna blast this outdoors with a bonfire going. Even better is that their slow groove tunes, like "Heathen", are far heavier than previous material. Plus the psych-out guitar leads are now like charged bolts running through your body. Sign Of The Devil is six cuts with a running time of a few seconds over thirty six minutes. Yeah for a stoner doom act release that's fast. Frankly that's the way I like it. There's way too many bands in this genre who play the same riff over and over for a few minutes just to turn a six minute song into a nine minute dirge to fill up space. DOPELORD cuts to the heart of the matter and rules. I thought their last album was incredible, this one is as well. https://dopelord.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Dopelord666
WAR DOGS - Die By My Sword Fighter Records At least once a year I'm lucky enough to hear a damm good band that brings back cool memories of old. I'm talking about the good o'l days of traditional metal circa late 70's/early 80's. I'm not talking about the hugely popular stuff either. It's more like a cool formula of the musicianship, songs and performance. So right now WAR DOGS rule in my not so humble opinion. What we have here is the debut full length by this Spanish five piece act who started out in 2015. Prior to this the band released a six song EP in 2018. I never heard that but am damm glad to hear this and you will to. Like I said they're a five piece act which means a twin guitar attack. Keep it true indeed. There's so many things about this band and their ten cut release I wanna talk about. Let's start with the vocals which are not over the top as far as range or heavy metal screams. They're pretty much gutsy melodic real guy type vocals. I wanna name drop a German act but can't. Either way they work perfect for this music since they blend in and do not over shine the music. Follow that up with the amazing riffs, some of which carry memories of the past. Look there's a cut on here that uses the "Bark at the Moon" riff. There's a few other Jake E. Lee bits (a couple of riffs and some obvious solos) which just shows ya they're fans. There's some other signature riffs from the past that will make you think MAIDEN as well. But otherwise the guitar work on here is damm good.
Something which is obvious to old school types like me when listening to new bands perform our music is how much bass is utilized. I mean it was a staple of old school metal to have the bass player prominent throughout the songs. So yes these guys have that nailed. As with the high velocity drum work which matches the riffs in speed and consistent fills. In the end, and seriously you never want it to, Die by My Sword is a masterpiece. It's an obvious homage to the old while still sounding fresh to someone who remembers the past. For me there's a fine line of distinction between bands that just copy the old ways and sound cool at it as opposed to those who you just know have the spirit. WAR DOGS is of the latter and their debut release is a must have for all of you keeping it true. Nuff Said. http://www.fighter-records.com/ https://fighter-records.bandcamp.com/album/die-by-my-sword https://www.facebook.com/WarDogsHeavyMetal/
WELCOME TO EXTREME METAL MANIAC OR WHAT i LIKE TO CALL THE HOME OF EXTREME METAL.
Attention
In Jan. 2020 some not so nice person(s), who obviously don't care for Metal, decided to complain to a social media platform about something I posted. That got me banned from posting links there under the former blog title Scumfeast Metal 666. Fine I just changed the name to what you see now. Hey I'm still here and, under our present day situation, will be more extreme then before.
Editor/Creator: Usurper of Eternal Condemnation and Inverted Opinions
Formerly SCUMFEAST METAL 666 and now EXTREME METAL MANIAC Blog
Info Articles Opinions & Reviews
.
created and maintained by mr. wolf:
band or label inquiries about a review can contact me via email. All those inquiries will definitely be checked out. No guarantees of course. I only write about what interests me. You can also contact me through the Facebook page on the link or use my email address mr.wolf69@yahoo.com
Extreme Metal or Music is generally a form which is accepted by 1% of all of the music loving public. It is elitist in every way and that's important to those of us who call ourselves fans. The 99% of people who will not like it are Not Supposed To. The music wasn't made for them, "the masses". It's music that's for those who take things to that "other" level. There is nothing hip or fad about it. In fact I treat those two notions very harshly.
