DESTROYER 666 - Six Songs with the Devil reissue review

 

DESTROYER 666 - Six Songs with the Devil reissue

Season of Mist

I've been a fan of DESTROYER 666 since a friend of mine years ago gave me a copy of their debut full length, Unchain the Wolves, from 1997. Since then I've kept up with buying all of their full lengths as well as a couple of EPs. 

But I've never owned this original first demo, Six Songs with the Devil, which originally came out in 1994. So hey first off this is when the band was originally K.K. Warslut on vocals, guitars and bass with Chris Volcano on drums. 

Musically this is DESTROYER 666 diabolical and raw. The big surprise is that sound-wise it's damm good for a demo. If you've got their 1995 EP, Violence Is the Prince of This World, then you know what to expect. Honestly as much as I like modern day DESTROYER 666 this stuff fuckin rules. A blackened fury from down under.  

https://www.season-of-mist.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMW5PIyqHCY

MAYHEM - Daemon review

MAYHEM - Daemon

Century Media Records




Alright a couple things to say before I get into this review of MAYHEM's latest release. First off yes I am a MAYHEM fan. Secondly 2007's Ordo ad Chao is their worst album. Third, 2014's Esoteric Warfare was not much better. I mean seriously why would you emulate the era of Rune "Blasphemer" Eriksen? Not that I despise his releases with MAYHEM on guitar (except for Ordo ad Chao because that sucked). But the simple fact is that we have all of that already, let's move on or move back further.


Strangely enough MAYHEM did in 2016 with the De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas Alive (yeah I know kinda stupid title but...) album/dvd release. That was cool and it's with that in mind that I listened to Daemon with some hope. I'm guessing playing those old songs for a year on tour paid off for guitarists Teloch (aka: Morten Bergeton Iversen) and Ghul (aka: Charles Hedger). Basically Daemon sounds like De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas being dragged kicking and screaming into the present day.


Of course having three people who were part of that era of MAYHEM helps. And just for the record bassist Necrobutcher played most of those songs prior to Varg doing the recording. But with that said this release is fuckin excellent. Both guitarists go for the throat when it comes to some cool fast riffs or majestic touches like opener "The Dying False King". But I actually like the doomy stuff like on "Daemon Spawn". I could go on song for song but no I won't.


As far as Attila Csihar's vocals go, he surpasses what he did on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas by leaps and bounds (as well as the last two releases). Granted half the cuts on that album were formerly sung by Dead and Csihar had to reinterpret them into his style. He hasn't sounded this crazed since his days with TORMENTOR. The way many of these cuts weave through fast sections only to be corralled by slower tempos works well with his vocal style.

Daemon is an album of twenty five years in waiting for this band. A perfect release from a hellish start to a doomy yet full blown chaotic finish. Easily one of the best albums of 2019. MAYHEM now has another life. They can include many of these cuts in their live set. Relying on your past in fine to a point. But taking influences from your past and retrofitting em to modern audiences also works well. 


https://www.centurymedia.com/

http://www.thetruemayhem.com/

https://www.facebook.com/mayhemofficial

ABBATH - Outstrider review

ABBATH - Outstrider

Season of Mist



So where do I start? Alright back in 2016 Abbath, formerly of IMMORTAL, came out with a new band under his name and the eponymous titled debut full length ABBATH. It even had his fuckin face on the cover. Now aside from everything offensive to me about that release's packaging and rock star aura, I actually liked it a lot. 


I've been an IMMORTAL fan forever and I saw that ABBATH debut as a follow-up of IMMORTAL's All Shall Fall release from 2009. It was great and continued the IMMORTAL legacy. But then in 2018 Demonaz and Horgh got IMMORTAL back and released the amazing Northern Chaos Gods. Personally I thought it blew Abbath's release away as far as being true to Norwegian black metal.


So now we have ABBATH's second release and he starts by having a completely new line-up. As far as the sound and direction on Outstrider go, it was a good move. Sure it's practically impossible to remove Abbath's past legacy as far as the basic song structures he uses. But these new members do give him some added help in changing lanes. 


In that regard you've got veteran guitarist Ole Andre Farstad who brings aboard lead work with a varying awry of styles. Whether we're talking thrashy leads (he use to be in a proggy thrash band ILLTI MITA) to some blues as well as some hard rockin metal. It's evident that Farstad frees Abbath from trying to come up solos that sound rehashed. 


Next up comes the new rhythm section of drummer Ukri Suvilehto and bassist Mia Wallace. As far as Suvilehto goes, this guy is a young Finnish drummer who is phenomenal. A great modern metal style of drumming that cuts within death metal as well as black metal. Personally I think he's as good as Kevin Foley (aka: Creature) from the debut. 


As far as the Italian bassist Mia Wallace goes she's no King ov Hell as far as playing and song writing goes and that's a good thing. she fills the bass role just like Ole Jorgen Moe (aka: Apollyon) did in IMMORTAL's final days.


Which brings us finally to the music portion. During ABBATH's first tour they were doing some original stuff, some obscure IMMORTAL cuts as well as an I (as in the band) song, "Warriors". So basically this release comes across like a mix of past efforts by I as well as a less BATHORY influenced IMMORTAL and some grim & frosty hard fuckin rock.


In the end yeah I like this release but after so many plays my bias can't stand up to the truth. Abbath's best effort on here is when he reverts back to I influenced blackened rock. But then he goes back to recycled riffs from IMMORTAL's All Shall Fall and even At the Heart of the Winter stuff. Personally I rather listen to those old albums after playing this.



http://www.season-of-mist.com/

https://abbath.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/abbathband/

VESSEL OF INIQUITY - Void of Infinite Horror review

VESSEL OF INIQUITY - Void of Infinite Horror

Xenoglossy Productions /  Sentient Ruin Laboratories




I just like to say thank you S.P. White, the one man behind this English blackened noise act, for the opening drum solo attack / demonstration on this release's opening track "Invocation of the Heart Girt With a Serpent". Thankfully I wasn't drinking at that time. Unfortunately as my night of drinking progressed as well as listening to this release, your music left me in a state nausea and it would be to anyone enhanced with alcohol within their system after listening to this.


Be that as it may I repeat VESSEL OF INIQUITY is a blackened noise one man act from England. Musically listening to this is like a fuckin hangover recorded not for your pleasure but for your utmost regret. Grab a pillow and hold it over your head. Yes this is punishing noise, repetitive stuff which involves bile regurgitating from within. Yes we're talking about sick fuckin shit here people. And this guy is English so what is up with that? 


By the way as I'm writing this it's 10 AM, I'm having a nice breakfast of juice and scrambled eggs, French style, and am far from being hungover. Be that as it may I won't be puking my guts out but for you light fuckers who indulge with this release bring a pall. This is a great invocation of madness.

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/xenoglossyproductions/sets/vessel-of-iniquity-void-of-infinite-horror/s-ijyck

https://xenoglossyproductions.bandcamp.com/album/void-of-infinite-horror

https://www.facebook.com/Vessel-of-Iniquity-306200196576491/

SORES - Demo 1 review

SORES - Demo 1

Self Released




OK so last week I got caught up reviewing two song 7"ers. Now I'm writing about two song demos. I feel like I'm back in my print writing days. So in that case prepare for a print style review. SORES are a two piece black metal act from Greece. On the positive side I think their choice of a band name fits them well. One portion of the duo is vocalist Sacrilegious who also fronts the Greek black metal act INSANITY CULT. The other portion of this duo is N.D. who performs the guitars, drums and adds additional vocals. Just for the record I reviewed INSANITY CULT's second full length, Of Despair and Self-Destruction, back in February of this year. You can check it out here:
http://scumfeastzineblog.blogspot.com/search?q=Insanity+Cult


As far as this two song demo goes clearly these guys are going for the second wave black metal route as in lets sound like DARKTHRONE. Now I use DARKTHRONE as a metaphor for raw black metal from the early 90's. And yeah this demo does sound like it could've come out back then. The release has one song "The Cage I Call Life" split into two parts. Part 1 is the longest at over seven minutes containing your typical straight up fast paced riffs with average blast beating drums. Sacrilegious adds in torturous screams and howls. Someone should call Moribund Records because these guys would fit well with their catalog of blackened artists.

The second part is shorter at just missing the three minute mark but the ferocity is heightened as if now they're pissed. I wonder if part one was about torture and part two is revenge. Whatever the case it's a good short release which should please any devotee of this style. If they were to release a full length it would probably come close to what INSANITY CULT is doing.


https://soresbm.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/soresbm/

WHITE DEATH - Self Titled review

WHITE DEATH - Self Titled

Werewolf Records/Hells Headbangers




Finnish black metal released by Werwolf of SATANIC WARMASTER's own label Werewolf Records, in conjunction with Hells Headbangers, where do I start? Well first off this is partly in the spirit of True Finnish Black Metal in that this five piece act do bring the filth and fury of their forefathers to bear, maybe more so. They also take a few cues from their fellow Scandinavian brothers in blackness.

When the release started off I thought it was like SARGEIST on speed. Yeah I know if you're not into Finnish black metal then you won't get that analogy. Let me put it this way, once this thing starts it's a relentless attack of savage proportions. There's eight tracks on here and for the first seven you feel like you've been mauled by a bunch of rabid harpies for thirty minutes. It's not until the eighth and final track "White Death's Power" where they allow an acoustic guitar intro to sneak in just for a moment of course.

As I said earlier WHITE DEATH are a five piece act from Finland. They started out in 2013 and have a couple of small format releases to show for it. Those being a self titled 7"er and a split with another Finnish band FORLOR, both of those were released by the German label Darker than Black Records. Also their songs from those releases, "Born from the Unholy Fire" and "Commandant" are on this their debut full length as well. 

WHITE DEATH are fully steeped in traditional 90's black metal. We're talking furious tremolos, the blastbeats that bludgeon and with a vocalist who must have icicles for tonsils. Although the band isn't all about punishing the listener. They add some keyboards there and about more as a background touch then to add atmosphere to the mood. The band also has a sense of inclusion for example the song "Kaste" starts out as black n roll before moving into HORNA / BEHEXEN territory. Also the before mentioned final cut sounds like blackened Oi. 

For whatever it's worth while I listened to this the first time there was a storm raging outside. Wanna take a guess who won? That's right, not even a severe thunderstorm can compete with the fury of Finnish black metal. Werwolf knows how to pick em.

Rating: 5/5

http://neuntoter.org/

http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/

https://www.facebook.com/unholywhitedeath/?fref=ts

https://werewolfrecords.bandcamp.com/album/white-death