Gilead Media | 6-17-14
Jesus fuck. So the promotion pictures of Barghest proudly show the members pointing assault rifles at the viewer. This band, from the deepest parts of the Southern United States, seems to be bred for disdain and humid violence. It is funny that the band shares their name with a low level RPG monster as Barghest, the band, seem much more capable of inflicting long lasting harm than a puny demon dog.
Self Released | 6-6-14
Yes. Please file this away under “amazing album art.” Hiverna is a black folk outfit from the highlands of Canada. If the trollish figure on the cover drawn by Olivier Villoingt was not enough indication, the band has made it their lot in life to catalog the dark elements of folk metal. If you have come for snarling monsters which most likely reside in the deep part of the woods, then you have certainly come to right place.
Self Released | 6-6-14
I have been privy to Judd Madden for a couple of years. Somewhere and somehow, I ran across these beautifully illustrated doom albums, for free, on Bandcamp. After some interviews and correspondence, I learned Judd Madden was the name of the creator and one man instrumental bedroom doom project. Along with all instruments, Madden illustrated each cover for records which seem to possess deep conceptual bearings. In the short span of 4 years, Madden has made 7 full lengths and is showing little signs of slowing until the lower half of the earth is cast in a perpetual red haze of slow decay.
Self Released | 7-4-14
At this moment, unbeknownst to most people, there is something interesting happening in Australia. Plumbing the depths of lesser known heavy metal brings to light some wonderful acts and extraordinary albums which have gone may have been all together forgotten or never heard. Vyrion has been around since the late 00’s with their first release in 2011. I speak with surprise that there hasn’t been more of a commotion as Vyrion’s competency in making forceful black metal is astounding with Geo, the band’s second record, a continuation in a mid-fi progressive odyssey.
Fallen Empire | 6-6-14
I feel blessed to have a reliable record label which I can walk into an album blind and know that it will be of high quality or, at the very least, interesting. Much like a majority of the Fallen Empire roster, Skáphe is a complete mystery aside from a 35 minute tape release. With little information besides a general region and a full length stretched out across four songs, listening to these types of releases is akin to navigating a dark room which maybe endless in its own dimensions. We have reached the very end of existence and beyond us is a starless abyss.
Self Released | 5-9-14
I think I found Caligari Records as well as Heavydeath as the same time. It was a wonderful afternoon / early morning. Caligari Records is a spectacular label / distributor which specializes in lesser known cassettes of a particularly rotting variety. Heavydeath is a band made up of members of Runemagick and Necrocurse who specialize in a particularly rotting variety of death/doom. Though death/doom isn’t entirely novel, Heavydeath’s approach to the style is not only refreshing but it is a cause for feverish excitement as their 2014 trilogy of demos far surpasses most releases this year.
Nuclear War Now Productions | 3 – 24-14
Yeah, turn that shit up. No, seriously. Turn it up. I can’t hear what is going on. What sort of horrors can come from a mysterious project whose demo has been slung to the far corners of hell by Nuclear War Now? Well, once the volume is properly adjusted, the audience can get acquainted with The Pits of Tentacled Screams, the debut demo from Ritual Chamber. I am unaware whether it is the tentacles screaming or screams are emanating from the pit of tentacles. Whatever the answer, it sounds horrifying.
Martyrdoom Productions | 5-9-14
Let us get something out of the way. Dead Congregation is really good as well as sort of important. 2008’s Graves of the Archangels was a giant leap for death metal in its slow climb up to contemporary prominence. I am not saying anything at this moment but Dead Congregation was one of the first newer bands to receive its high profile in the contemporary death metal scene. 2008 was a long time ago and 6 years later, death metal has shaped out to be something of fanatic interest. Promulgation of the Fall comes at a different time as there are brilliant death metal records coming out on a more consistent basis. If Dead Congregation can secure another fantastic release, it would do wonders for their reputation. It would also cast the world in further gloom.
Razed Soul Productions | 4-11-14
Woooosh. I love it. I love it all. Bland Vagar is an Italian black metal band who concerns themselves with wolves. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. The band is listed under a production company called Razed Soul productions but the tape comes to us from our good ol’ friends Caligari Records. I have already gushed about my fascination with the quality of Caligari releases and Bland Vargar is no different. Somewhere in the afterglow of woodsy black metal is still the spark of greenish darkness — one that clasps hard around the throat.
Iron Bonehead | 5-9-14
South American black and death metal is ferocious to the point of being scary. The continent had developments of black and death metal much like the same from the Europe and America but did it with a raw sensibility with less concern about genre distinction. Even this split between two Chilean black metal artists sounds like a cross between black, death, and some sort of exploding swine monster. There is no wispy atmosphere from here on out, only bowels of the underworld where flesh is consumed nightly.