Misþyrming – Söngvar elds og óreiðu [Iceland, Black] (2015)

Fallen Empire Records / Terratur Possessions | 2-7-15

Seeing the near sneak attack of hype which has surround this record has been not only surprising but exhilarating to be apart of. Not only has Fallen empire, as a label, been reliable over these past years but Iceland has slowly crept up in terms of black metal export. Misþyrming would already be a welcome addition to others who like the same thing but the fact that Söngvar elds og óreiðu is getting the level of praise and attention it is, is nothing short of fantastic. What better way to celebrate 2015 with a record of eternal darkness?

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

Swamp Witch – The Slithering Bog [US, Sludge / Doom] (2015)

Self Released | 2-20-15

Listen to the sounds of occult doom. Be smothered by the assurance that your body will eventually creep under slimy bog waters to serve food for horrible monsters. These are my thoughts regarding Swamp Witch, a west coast based doom act who have blown their minds on psychedelic sludge. Somewhere beyond stoner doom lies a more chilly place — a location where mausoleums lie submerged under inky black waters.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

Moon – Moon [Australia, Black] (2008)

Self Released | 1-20-15

Listen, I do not know what the protocol is about older demos being re-released but suffice to say, Australian black metal project Moon has just re-released its first demo which actually came out in 2008. For this site, older material usually passed up in favor of current releases and I was really confused on where to put this. I think if it was not for the absolute stunning performance on Moon, I would have left this in the 2008 bin. If you are cool with it, I would like to rewrite history and consider this a fine and stellar 2015 release.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

Alucarda – Raw Howls [Denmark, Doom / Punk] (2015)

Caligari Records 1-12-15

For anyone not familiar, Alucarda is the name of a Mexican horror film which sees two Catholic orphans which unwittingly summon Satan by way of roving gypsies. The two girls become possessed who then wreak demonic havoc on the convent. The reason why this is important is because the cultish legacy of the film inspired the Dutch doom punk to mimic the general atmosphere of a convent overrun by the Satanically possessed. Alucarda comes by the way of Caligari Records who has already shown themselves as lovers and archivists of both underground heavy music as well as bands who adore horror imagery. Though Alucarda lies on the outside of conventional heavy metal covered on Tape Wyrm, the band’s dedication to the dark arts as well as wild imagery is more than enough to make their debut, Raw Howls, a drug induced motorcycle ride into the depths of psychedelic madnes

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

Kalmankantaja – Metsänkulkija [Finland, DSBM] (2015)

Self Released | 1-13-15

I wish I could express the level of frustration which came after learning that Kalmankantaja had four albums released in 2014. Here was a haunting depressive black metal band, whose name means “death bearer,” that released all this great material without anyone telling me. While I am slightly joking, the fact that Kalmankantaja has gone this long with out proper attention is a near tragedy since there has been an audience for atmospheric dread for decades.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

Favorite Demos of 2014

Starting Tape Wyrm this past year has taught me many important things. First and foremost, it has shown me that amazing and decent music is being released at all hours and days of the year. With that said, most of this music will be either forgotten or appreciated by only a few. There is no way around this fact. Another important lesson learned this year is that the “end of the year” really “ends” at the end of the year. Though the calendar for most musical year end lists wraps around mid December, music does not cease to exist after December 15th. In fact, all forms of media continue to be released despite making it in for consideration. It is now the beginning of January and 2014 feels so old, but despite this, celebrations of greatness can happen at any time. This is especially true for releases that were never destined to be in end of the year publications. This is especially true for the ancient tradition of metal demos.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

StarGazer – A Merging to the Boundless [Australia, Black / Avant] (2014)

Nuclear War Now Productions | 12-2-14

StarGazer has a really weird history and presence. The band began in the mid 90’s but saw their first release decades later. The members of this collective also share duties in other bands including Mournful Congregation. 2010’s A Greet Work of Ages found its way on many end of the year lists with a large push from then current record label Profound Lore. Nuclear War Now is supporting the band’s third record which continues the development of the space between stars and and madness. In some strange world, StarGazer is the nexus between all forms of metal and everyone has no further need of air, food, and water.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

Death Fortress – Among the Ranks of the Unconquerable [US, Black] (2014)

Fallen Empire | 11-15-14

Death Fortress was one the first real gems that I mined from Fallen Empire records. The short track “Master-Deceiver” appeared on the SVN OKKLT tape compilation along side other great acts like Axis of Light, Eos, and Witch in Her Tomb. Aside from having a really cool name, Death Fortress always had an air of stoic underground black metal, complete with black and white covers and lyrical themes centering
around domination. This was a project whose music felt natural and unforced as it already had all of this genre’s power guiding their every move. Among the Ranks of the Unconquerable is the debut full length coming out of a sea of demos, EPs, and compilation appearances. For a band that seems to strive for this cosmic domination, Among the Ranks of the Unconquerable is a fantastic opening
move.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

Ekranoplan – Demo [Germany, Sludge / Crust] (2014)

Yehonala Tapes | 11-8-14

Whenever a release starts out with a clenched fist feeling, one knows it is going to be a good release. Ekranoplan supposedly has members of the funeral doom metal band Ahab in it but I can not find any relevant information regarding this project. All evidence of Ekranoplan is in the form of a 5 song demo which is aptly titled Demo. I do not think I need any further introduction.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

Terra Deep / Hyperborean Skies – Mariposa [US, Black] (2014)

Manicidic Black / Mysterious Stranger | 11-30-14

I have stated before that one of the best ways to look for new bands is through splits. Usually splits will showcase two or even three bands you may or may not be aware of. Sometimes, splits will showcase a couple of bands as well as a new label. Mysterious Stranger lives up to its name as a new label that has one release to their name, which is this one. What Mysterious Stranger lacks in experience they make up for in potential. If future releases are as interesting as the Mariposa split, then I would be more than willing to start collecting libraries of their cassettes.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.