Arcana- Magna Silentia

...And now for something completely different. 


I've mentioned my love for post-industrial before, and no other label had the influence on my taste as Cold Meat Industry did. It was formative in shaping my taste beyond Metal music which also shaped my taste in Metal as well. I like a fair amount of "atmospheric" Metal and I consider that a by product of Mr. Karmanik and his label. 

Now, while most of the label was more dark industrial and noise oriented, he did release a few other releases that I loved. Including releases from Penitent and Arcana both of which used neoclassical with a Dark Ambient flourish. So, when I heard the label was coming back and the first release would be the new album by Arcana, I hoped I was in for something special. I can tell you my hopes were satisfied.

Magna Silentia is the perfect Arcana album. Combining choral voices with neoclassic instrumentation and cold Dark Ambient drones, this album provides a wondrous and enthralling listening experience. Every time I listen to it, I feel drawn into another world. A world shrouded by shadow but still cracked through with light. The voices are used like an instrument. I'm not even sure there are lyrics as most of the utterances seem more like "Ah"s than anything else. "The Adversity Bell" is a standout using the  aforementioned choral arrangements most effectively while also showcasing mercerizing percussion that backs up the entire piece.  

As mentioned before, the album highlights darkness mixed with light. The overwhelming shadows in the record are partnered with a delicate tracery of light and one has a hard time separating one from the other. In fact this record would be nothing without both. It is a very mature and atmospheric piece that draws the listener into Arcana's world with each note. 

This is easily one of my favorite records this year and a triumphant return for CMI. I hope we get more future endeavors from the label that are this serene, melancholic and beautiful. I recommend this for anyone who is Ambient, Neo-classical or post-industrial music, in general. Every bit of this record is glorious in its structure and will stand the test of time. 

Highlights: "The Adversity Bell", "The Obsidian Mirror" and  "The Collapsing of All Light", but, again, a fantastic record from start to finish. Thanks again for reading and look for more reviews this week.  We'll return to your regularly scheduled program shortly, headbangers.

https://brighterdeathnow.bandcamp.com/album/magna-silentia
https://www.facebook.com/arcanasweden/

Nazarene Death Command- Adversarial Ordinance

 Ah, War metal. One of the most extreme and, yet somehow, most diverse metal sub genres. It's also one of my favorites. I've loved it since we just called it Black Metal. Yep, there was a time when the differences were glossed over in these genres. When Blasphemy was touted alongside Mayhem as the same genre. Ahhh, memories...

But those days have passed and most stuff like this is either called War Metal or, in the case of the more black metal oriented stuff, Bestial Black Metal. War Metal is more than being about war, though that is a part of it. It's about roaring black or death metal vocals, searing chiansaw guitars and rampant blasting drums. No other sub genre is more extreme and, I would argue it's really the last vestige of real metal left. 

So here we have Nazarene Death Command  This is a first recording of this band and, honestly, I can't find much information other than it appears to be the one man project of Tom Nuclear. On the Bandcamp page I found this on it says, "FFO  heavy machinery, high velocity operations, 90's Cogumelo". This is a lofty claim as I love the Cogumelo scene. So, does this demo live up the the hype? Well, read on and find out.

First, this definitely lives on the more Death Metal end of this style but all of the genre pieces are in place: blasting drums, chainsaw guitars and angry, grunting vocals.  Musically this does owe much more to the 90's Cogumelo sound than the 80's. It's more strictly Death Metal in its sound than I was expecting. In fact,  I feel like I can hear shades of early Bolt Thrower and Morbid Angel. The drums beat you down with a more steam roller kind of constant rhythm than a chaotic blasting you might hear in other bands of a similar style. It really helps set this project aside from more of the War Metal set because of that. 

I do recommend any fan of War Metal, early Death Metal and 90's Brazilian metal check this demo out. It's short and powerful. It got quite a bit of headbanging out of me. Highlights include:  Adversarial Ordinace and Mass Destruction Metal. I will follow this project with interest. "Inhuman Death Metal", indeed.

Anyway, thanks for reading, Heads of Metal! More to come soon and Bang the head that doesn't bang!

https://nvnm.bandcamp.com/album/adversarial-ordnance

Mortuary Fog- Demo

 Welp, we're back to real metal for a bit.

So as  I sat here in my 5 dollar Warhorde shirt that I ordered directly from that guy, I started to wonder what happened to that guy. So I went and looked him up and besides a split that got released on Barbarian Wrath a could of years ago to help celebrate the life of Black Goat (aka Hartmuth Schindler) he hasn't done much with that project.  Now, I love that project. Old readers can attest to that after my review of the last full length, "Kiss the Goat". 

Well, he has in fact been busy. I ran across a bandcamp page filled with projects he has been working on and I am slowly working my way through those projects. But one caught my eye and I went ahead and picked up the 2026 demo. It was called Mortuary Fog. Great name, right? Well, does it live up to or even hold a candle next to Warhorde? Read on, brave reader.

This is definitely what I would call War Metal. It has everything you could look for in that genre: Blistering speed, growled/ barked vocals, wild solos and powerful yet great drum fills. But there is more here. Imagine taking the unhinged chaos of Conqueror or Sacrementary Abolishment and welding the primitive wildness of early Sodom, Destruction and Kreator seamlessly to it. This sounds absolutely crazed in the best way possible. Drums smack you upside the head while insane solos careen over the thrashing, violent riffs. Its all expected enough to pin down a genre but never cliche and definitely doesn't become stale. 

This is how Metal should sound: vicious and violent, with an implicit threat of harm here. I bet the live shows for this would be nuts. I can't imagine a venue surviving the sheer audial terror unleashed within, The atmosphere on this thing is pitch black as well, making no bones about the pure darkness within. Enjoy the terror.

While I have no idea if we'll ever get a new Warhorde record, if I had to live with just more Mortuary Fog, I would be quite pleased. So go to these guys bandcamp and enjoy the violence. There's plenty of good real underground metal and punk to enjoy there but this, above all, is unhinged, insane and wonderful, Highlights include: "Invoking Cries", "Pious Swine" and "Mortuary Fog" but this is on the short list to make it on my top 10 of 2026 and maybe the best War Metal record of the last decade.

Well, that's all for now. Be on the lookout for more reviews soon. And remember, bang the head that doesn't bang! 

https://minizaka.bandcamp.com/album/mortuary-fog-demo

Prurient- Industrial Masters

Here we are back again. Its been a minute but I am not going anywhere. 

So, dear reader, one thing you may not know about me is my music taste is pretty eclectic. While my favorite style of music is, and will always be, Heavy Metal, I branch into multiple other genres. When it strikes me I can be found listening to everything from Synth pop to extreme Noise music. Yep, I'm a joy to live with. 

Industrial is an interesting beast to me. One, my love for it grew concurrently with my love for metal. I fell in love with both styles roughly at the same time and for similar reasons. Like metal, I rather enjoy every sub genre of Industrial, from the most accessible, like Nine Inch Nails, all the way to the  most disturbing and gut wrenching Noise artists you can think of. In fact, I like to argue that Industrial and Heavy Metal are very similar. Both are sonically extreme and both have true sub genres that related to the extremity of that sound. That's not terribly relevant here but maybe I should write an opinion piece on that one day. 

Either way, Prurient is one of my favorite Post- industrial artists, having loved his output for, at least, 20 years. So when I heard he had a new EP, I went to check it out immediately. So is this yet another great work in the lines of what he has released for 2 decades or does this miss the mark? Let's find out.

"Industrial Masters" starts with a cross between Death Industrial and Power Electronics called "Viet Cong Industrial Massacre". It is an effective piece of ambient textures and mildly spoken P.E style vocals. Ending in a call to remember fallen P.O.W.M.I.A. soldiers, always a worthy exhortation. "Fire Matter sticking to Things" has effects that sound like you are surrounded by a conflagration of fire and "In the River Styx" treats you to a hypnotic rhythmic drone that drowns you in the waters of the aforementioned river.  "The Dust of My Father" is a decaying and beautiful corpse of a piano piece entombing a loved one into the ground and showering them with grief. 

This is a very good Post- industrial record that I think more people would like. It has it's own flavor to every track and really created a truly rotting and dark atmosphere. You can find the E.P. on most streaming services and band camp.  Highlights are every track but I would definitely put "The Dust of My Father" up there. 

So go and give them a listen. I will be adding some more non metal release to this blog as there has been more activity in those fields that I like so you will be getting a mix of things from here. Anyway thanks for reading! 

 https://prurient.bandcamp.com/album/industrial-masters
 

Speedslut- Cimbrian Rites

 "If you are a false, don't entry."
- Wagnar Antichrist, Sarcofago.

I've been thinking a lot about this lyric lately. You can thank my recent diet of war metal for that, I suppose.  Probably thanks to the new Nuclearhammer ep. This is not a review for that record but that will be coming soon. 

I think gatekeeping is largely good. There are certainly bad forms of gatekeeping(I.e. gatekeeping based on race, gender and such) but if you gatekeep based on categories surrounding how the thing is built, I think you're in the right ballpark. 

Most young speed metal bands also come to mind when thinking about this. They largely seem to be 80's LARPers. They construct an image and style about what they THINK is the 80's not what it actually was. They wear skin tight pants with Japanese and British flags designs and wear those wrap around Oakley sunglasses. They also desperately try to produce records that sound like they have the production of classics from 1986. However, this comes across as aesthetic and it feels like they aren't being true to themselves.

Speedslut are different. In band pictures, you get four normal looking dudes in leather jackets, bullet belts and jeans. No ironic mustaches or weird surferglam metal fashions. Just four guys who play metal. So, what does their metal sound like? Let's find out.

What you get here is lightly blackened speed/thrash metal owing as much to Motorhead and Venom as to Sodom and Destruction, all of which you can hear in this well constructed record. The songs are fast and unrelenting, built around great speedy guitar riffs, great solos, thunderous bass and hard hitting drums. All of the songs are incredibly well constructed, showing  a reverence for the 80's speed metal masters but not afraid to throw in their own little song writing twists and turns here and there. I'm thinking of the rock n roll riff of "Dark Knight Riders" or the bass thunder of "Into the Grave". 

It's clear these dudes worked on their song writing chops for this record as each song has its own vibe but is identifiable not only firmly in the speed/ thrash metal genre but also identifiable as Speedslut itself. Each song is fast, heavy and inspires much headbanging and fist banging. The production is rough and clear but never sounds like they were intentionally trying to make it sound like it came from a specific  time period. They just wanted a rough and tumble sound and they achieved it. 

Obviously a young band all readers should check out and, if I ever get to seem them, I will tell them that myself. Highlights: Dark Knight Riders, Into the Grave, Whores of Speed but through and through a record worth checking out and one I've listened to a bunch since encountering it. Look forward to more reviews, headbangers. Bang your heads!


https://www.facebook.com/speedslut/

An apology + Killer- The Grand Finale

 First, I would  like to apologize for my absence. While I explained my absence earlier, my summer got harder in the month of August and I just wasn't thinking about this blog. I wasn't even really listening to new music but instead finding comfort in old classics for a bit. But I have returned to give you my thoughts on various headbangers. Ain't you lucky?

So, speed metal? Well, I've always distinguished speed metal from thrash in one way. Thrash is punk rock and hardcore injected with a little more technicality. Speed metal is traditional heavy metal played at punk rock speeds with a more rock n roll attitude. That's how I've always separated, say Exciter from Slayer. Some people may disagree and that's fine, it's my own explanation. 

Killer, well now, they're Belgian speed metal royalty. I heard of them, like, 20 years ago and loved every record since.  This is all thanks to Hartmuth Schindler, who, for the uninitiated, ran Nazgul's Eyrie productions and the excellent Barbarian Wrath. I never met him in person but over the years, he and I spoke often on various online forums and he turned me on to some great shit. Killer is one of those bands. Here we have a release that snuck up on me. It's Killer's final record. While sad, I went into this record hoping it lived up to their legacy. Well, I hear you ask, did it? Let's find out. 

I knew I would love this record from the opening riff of "Loaded Gun". It careens through speed metal riffing, tasteful drum playing and spectacular solos that make you naturally air guitar until the final track, the very Motorhead sounding "What You See is What You Get" The singer even sounds like Lemmy on this song. Hell, even the lyrics on this one sound like Lemmy could have penned them. It appears they did dedicate this record to Lemmy and as a huge fan of the English Bastards, this song definitely brought a smile to my face! Other highlight songs include: "Welcome in the Real World", The 1-2 punch of "Roll the Dice" and "Hard Day Coming" and the mid-paced corker of "In the Eye of the Storm". 

I can't recommend this album enough. This is one of those records where it feels like the band sat down across from me and asked me what I'd like to hear in a record and they hit every note, beat and riff. The year is far from over with lots of great releases having been released and even more to come but this one will be hard to beat. This record is all Killer and no filler( Ha!) Go get this record now and enjoy the hell out of this record. As sad as it is that its their final record very few bands get to go out on such a high note. 

Keep watching this space. More reviews are incoming and bang the head that doesn't bang!

Live Report: Down, Helmet and Spirit in the Room

 Well, not a traditional review for my return but there are plenty of those coming soon.

I've been a huge fan of Down since Nola was released in 1995. It was a great combo of Southern grit, more traditional metal riffing and doom heaviness. Considering the bands the guys came from that all made sense. Being a huge fan, I never got to see them live and actually figured I wouldn't, well, until they announced this tour.

So down my girl and I be-bopped to Atlanta to check it out. Was it good? Was it bad? Well, here we go...


Spirit in the Room-  
These guys started the day and they're not a band little psychedelic rock combo. I was totally unfamiliar with them and I won't say the performance made me a fan but made me curious to check out more of their material. It was solidly performed but there were tech issues with the singer's mic during the show. There wasn't really any banter on stage and the performance felt kind of cold and I felt that was attributable to some of the singer's obvious tech issues.  Still pretty decent tunes and a fun enough atmosphere. These guys aren't a band I'd go out of my way for but if they open for another band I like I'd definitely give them a 2nd chance. 

Helmet- 
I'm not the biggest fan of Helmet. I do love and regularly listen to Meantime but I don't own anything else and I've never seen them live. To be totally honest, I had no idea what to expect when they took the stage. What we got was a band who really went for it. There was no really banter again, but, where that felt odd for the previous band that seemed right here. Helmet tore through a bunch of songs that I didn't really know but sounded pretty damn good. Lots of heavy, catchy riffs that border on industrial music in style. So much you can definitely hear the influence. When the band did address the audience they were affable, a little humble and happy the be there. Solid live showing filled with heart and passion. I would go out of my way to see Helmet again and will probably check out the other records I have neglected. 

DOWN-
And now the band of the hour. I was pretty absurdly excited to see them not unlike when I saw Acid Bath and Helloween and, man, they did not disappoint. I have to compare this performance to Helloween mostly because it had a similar vibe to it. It was like 5 really good friends getting together to share their love of music. The whole band were all smiles and interacted really well. Anselmo did his normal affable front man thing. I don't care what you think of the man, he's an excellent front man, full of jokes and humor. He is the consummate showman always winking and nodding at the audience like we're all in on some inside joke together.  Pepper Keenan had some guitar troubles but admirably worked through them with a smile on his face, like he'd rather be nowhere else. They ran through a lot of NOLA and a song or 2 off "DOWN II". I knew all the songs by heart and banged my head so hard, my neck is STILL sore as I write this. If you can, check this tour out. Down are firing on all cylinders and are still at the top of their game. 

Overall, it was a great show and a good time. Down was great and I'm looking forward to the new album coming out "pretty soon", as Anselmo put it. Though don't really expect me to review it. This is dedicated to more underground bands than Down. Either way, I can't recommend Down live enough. 

Thank you again for your patience and reading my blog. I'll be back next week with another record review. Keep banging those heads!

Hello all

 I know its been a while since I've posted anything. I'm sorry for that. 

The long and short of it is my mother passed this July. I've spent the better part of this month dealing with that with my family as she was the last parent I've had to pass.

I'm ok. Just dealing with the closing of all of my parents assets and the grief of that loss has been hard. 

I do plan on posting a live review for a show I went to last weekend. And then being back to weekly music reviews. 

Thank you for reading and keep those heads banging. 

Blue Ridge Death Cult- Bones to Dust

What?! Two reviews in a single day?! What madness is this?!

So as I age, I find that I prefer EP's over full length albums. I'm not sure why. Maybe its the fact that as I age I have less time to really listen to and absorb music like I used to as a younger metalhead. I feel like EP's give me a good understanding of musical intent but don't linger to the point of frustration. Some bands only need a few songs. It could also be that I'm just getting old... either way. 

So back we are again in Gainsville, GA, Again there must be something in the water up there. Blue Ridge Death Cult is a Southern Metal/Hard rock band from up there. They present 6 songs of Southern fried metal on this first EP. I'm not sure about the pedigree of these guys (i.e. whether they are veterans of metal music or a wholly new band). However, they released this EP earlier this year and I slept on it but finally have given it a listen. So is it as worthy as their fellow Gainsvillians (Gainsvillites?) in Swamp lung? Let's find out. 

Blue Ridge Death Cult play a more traditional strain of southern metal. To my ears they remind of early Alabama Thunderpussy but absent the stoner haze and adding a biker vibe. If that sounds like a good time to you (it sure does to me) than I think you'll enjoy this record. Its much more accessible than the Swamp lung but kicks as hard in its Southern groove and swagger. Bluesy riffs collide over rocking rhythms and beats. Guitarist , bass and drums are in fine condition here. The singer hits a more normal mid range rock style while accenting songs in the right place with a deeper bellow that actually fits the music nicely. 

Starting with rager "Stay Haggard" to the wild "Devil to Pay" and "Hell in a handbasket" through the local anthem "Rabbittown Royalty" and  the bluegrass flecked interlude "Foxfire" to the the final stomp of "Back in the Bag(Blood Mountain)" The EP shreds and boogies with the best of them both never overdoing anything but also leaving you wanting more. Good Southern fried heavy metal right here.

Its not the more sludgy metal I prefer form the South but this is a solid piece of musical tastiness that any fan of bluesy Southern heaviness would enjoy. And "Devil to Pay" has one of my favorite lyrical moments in "Hell is coming with me if I get back up". If you like you're hard rock Southern fried and with a good dose hard scrabble swagger you could do a whole lot worse than this. 

HIghlights: "Devil to Pay" and "Rabbittown Royalty" but a solid record through and through. Like Swamp lung, I'm hoping to see these guys soon and will report back with more when I do. Check em out:

https://www.instagram.com/blue_ridge_death_cult/

I'll be doing the last of these Gainsville bands either Friday or next Monday. Either way thanks for reading and keep on rocking. 

Swamplung- Cracked Teeth and Gospel Ashes

 What is a "scene"? That question has come up in my wanderings through the internet. It seems a lot of people now regard "metal" or "punk" as a scene itself. When I was young "scene" referred to a local area that had developed a certain characteristic. The New Orleans Sludge Metal,  Florida Death Metal or Norwegian Black Metal are examples.  These were local areas that developed a certain atmosphere, philosophy and style for a genre of music.  In the age of the internet, that has seemed to be lacking. 

So why do I bring this up? Well, the next few reviews will be highlighting bands from a local scene that have struck a chord with me. For those that have read this blog for a while, you know I use this blog to highlight bands I like that are either new or flying under the radar. This scene has produced some great music this year so I decided to highlight 3 new EP's from the area. 

Something is in the water in Gainsville, Ga. Swamplung arrives out of the mountains of Georgia swinging full tilt at your face. Sounding like a hybrid of Weedeater and Buzzo-ven, they rage through five tracks of rage filled sludge core consisting of raw, ragged riffs, heavy bass tones, pounding drums and ragged and vocal chord tearing vocals. The Southern Sludge is returning and it is glorious. 

Starting off with the corker, "Dialated" stomps you into the ground before moving to the double headed steamroller of "Ruined" and "Ashtray Baptism".  After that the groove laden and heavy "RRR" and the wildly slow and maniacal "I'm Done" finish pounding your corpse into oblivion.This is high quality sludge core that retains a rage filled tone but keeps a southern groove. This is a really great record. 

"Ashtray Baptism" is an interesting anomaly here in that it doesn't have traditional lyrics. It uses samples for the movie "The Shining" as its "lyrics". The scene is the bar scene before Jack Torrance snaps where he gets drunk and confesses to the violence his drunkenness causes. Its an effective way to use movie samples in a disturbing fashion in this kind of music. 

So as I stated this review is the first of 3 surrounding bands from Gainsville, GA. This EP is a fantastic showing for Southern Sludge. Its has all the necessary components but it has a sound all of its own. Highlights:  "Dialated" and "Ashtray Baptism" but another all around great EP from the South, especially for a newer band. So definitely go check them out.  I'm personally hoping to see these dudes live soon since they are pretty close to me. If I do, you'll get the live review here.

https://swamplung.com/

Appalachian Prometheus- Appalachian Prometheus

 What is Southern Metal? Its a question I've been thinking about a lot lately. And after thinking long and hard, I would define it as a genre with heavy, bluesy doom-laden down tuned riffs dueling with sun-kissed melodies and leads, A rhythm section that locks into a driving yet easygoing rhythm and vocals drenched with humidity, cigarette smoke and bourbon. 

It came into prominence in the mid 90's and, as a southern boy myself, it struck a chord with me. Unfortunately, it just kinda died out about 10 years ago. You have a few of the older bands still playing it but largely younger bands have eschewed it for more traditional fare. There's nothing wrong with that but it does sadden me to see such a regional style go the way of the dodo. That is, until now. 

Appalachian Prometheus are a band from San Marcos, Texas. They released their debut EP this past Friday and I happened upon it and decided to give it a shot. Now, if you've been reading this blog for a while, you might recall I have opined on the fact that a lot of "Southern metal" bands traded in the humidity of the South for the breezes of California. Well, is that also true of Appalachian Prometheus? Let's find out.

No, It's not. This is exactly what I mean by "Southern Metal".  The riffs are heavy as a black hole and drive the songs into further reaches of humid and kudzu laden crunch and groove. The leads and melodies are serene as a breeze through a Georgia pine and take me back to summers of my youth swimming in the rivers and wondering the swamps of my beautiful South Carolina. The bass and drums pound through the songs and lock into a bluesy. laid-back rhythm that only people from the South can get a hold of. The vocals are scorched with cigarette burns and touched by the sunshine taste of Kentucky bourbon, sounding a little like Lemmy with a southern drawl. 

Every song on here is fantastic, from the driving mania of "Appalachian Prometheus" to the threatening crawl of "Last Ride" through the bass  thunder heaviness 1-2 punch of "South American Aphrodite" and "Desert Pawn" finally ending in the pounding "Landing Song/In Black".  Each song smacks you in the face with loud and good Southern groves sweetened with that little bit of melody, just like a pitcher of sweet iced sun tea that's been sitting in the sun for just the right amount of time.

Again, easily a record that will be in my top 5 records this year and also vying for the number 1 spot. These guys claim influences from all the greats but cook up their own original spiced gumbo in the process. 

Highlights include: South American Aphrodite and Desert Pawn, but this is a fantastic release and perfect to blare out of your car stereo on a warm, humid Southern summer day. I'll be revisiting this record in years to come and I hope these guys have a long career and release many great records like this. 

Check them out at: 

https://appalachianprometheus.bandcamp.com/album/appalachian-prometheus

Torver- Witching Hour.

 Anyone who has read this blog for a while knows I'm a fan of black metal. I mean, I am sitting here writing this in my Black Funeral t shirt. I've been a fan of black metal since around 1993. I was 16 years old and just discovered bands like Absu, Master's Hammer, Havohej and, of course, the Norwegian bands. 

People now-a-days really don't have a reference for that time period. Black Metal wasn't really formalized into a genre until sometime in the late 90's.   That's when it became about just copying the Norse bands. Before that, it was a pretty wild territory. At the time, All 3 of the bands I mentioned would have been considered Black Metal.  No one really questioned that. 

Recently I got told by a younger person online that Mortuary Drape isn't actually Black Metal. Well, trust me that is a VERY new idea. Also to young people trying to tell those of us who were there at the dawn of the 2nd wave what is or isn't Black Metal, well, I'll just quote Aslan from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe: "Don't site the deep magic to me, witch! I was there when it was written." (A Pagan siting a Christian author when talking about a largely Satanic music form? This is the kind of transgressive nonsense you guys come here for, right?).

So with that in mind, Let's talk about Torver. Torver are a UK band that until this record I had never heard of. Which surprises me considering there are several luminaries in the scene in this project. There are members of Ethereal Forest and Wreodan Healh in this project. I haven't reviewed Ethereal Forest but I like them a lot and you can find the Wreodan Healh review and read the glowing praise I've heaped on that one singular record. 

So, do Torver live up to the hype  of the members' other bands? Let's find out.

This is one of the best records I've heard in a long time. It IS Black Metal but its different. There's a reason I began talking about my youth with this genre. This record takes me back to a time when Black Metal was less formalized and more free to cavort in the shadows. Musically it has all earmarks of great UKBM. Within the notes and riffs lies an ancient and mouldering majesty that made bands like December Moon, Hecate Enthroned and, yes, even early Cradle of Filth so great.  There's something incredibly gothic about the interplay of the guitar with the keyboards and violin. The bass shines through occasionally adding a depth to the music that Black Metal doesn't always succeed in expressing. The vocalist has a spectacular rasp but also uses spoken clean vocals that adds to the atmosphere in a superb way.

The singular violin that is placed front and center on every single track reminds me of what it might be like if My Dying Bride were a Black Metal band instead of Death/Doom. It sets up such a wondrous majestic and melancholic atmosphere. It gives me the vision of what it might be to wonder through castle ruins on a rainy day; feeling the rain touch your face as you walk through old stone and rotting wood. Black Metal is, in my opinion, at its best when it is cinematic.  I only found this record on Friday and I have listened to it 4 or 5 times already. 

This will be in my top 5 records this year and is in the running for my number one spot. If you like majestic, melancholic and cinematic Black Metal, you could do a LOT worse than putting your money toward this record. Highlights: Nocturnal Serenade, Reformation of the Trinity, Where Angels Fear to Tread and Walk Alone.


https://wulfhereproductions.bandcamp.com/album/witching-hour

Bewitched- Diabolical Death Mass

 In 1996/1997, I was a freshman in college and deeply drawn in Black Metal but I have to admit I had become a little tired of it. Especially at that time, Black metal had actually become pretty popular and already started to morph away from what I loved about it. In just a few years, I would rediscover the black flame but, in that moment, I was ready for something else.

Luckily, I was apparently not the only one. As right after Nifelheim's debut a new class of bands began to rise. They were loosely classed as "retro-thrash" but really what they were doing was combining 80's first wave black and thrash with the darker sensibility of modern black metal. I fell hard for these bands and still listen regularly to them to this day. These bands included: Nocturnal Breed. Gehennah, Absu's Third Storm of Cythraul(still my favorite Absu record) and, yes, Bewitched. 

Bewitched started out being pretty unoriginal(the first track on the first record basically uses and inverts the song Evil by Mercyful Fate) and then grew to be kind of campy silly fun. I loved them anyway. They remained one of my favorite of those bands until Spiritual Warfare. So when I heard they were releasing a new record I immediately preordered it. I admit to some trepidation since most of those bands have either disappeared or don't sound nearly as good as they used to but here we are. So does the new record recapture the black flame? Well, let's find out.

I have to say that I think Diabolical Death Mass is their best record. Gone is the campiness of times past and replaced with a razor sharp focus. Vargher is in fine form. The ughs and punctuated high-pitched screams are all still there, as well as the Motorhead/Venom riffing but the difference is any amount of camp or goodnatured goofiness is gone. This record is bathed in black candle light and makes no bones about it. The themes are still satanic in nature but gone is any silliness. The lyrics are more focused and lacking the horror movie schlock of the lyrics in earlier records.

Beginning with an intro that appears to have an infant sacrificed in a ceremony to the title track all the way through Vicious and Wild, this record proves deadly serious and violent in it intent. Oh, it still inspires fist banging and headbanging but its more dark, deadly and razor sharp. Good and heavy with no side smirking in the delivery.

As I said this is the best Bewitched album and its a delight to get such a focused and heavy record 30 years after a band's debut. You should definitely check it out and , like me, plan to check out this reinvigorated Bewitched on tour. Hightlights: Diabolical Death Mass, By Satan Enslaved and Vicious and Wild. Its a great record from beginning to end, though. 

Hello

 I know its been a bit since I posted anything.

This is because of several family issues (good and bad) that have cropped  up since the beginning of May. Don't worry I still have more reviews coming. 

A new review should be posted by Friday.

Also if you're interested in post-industrial/ambient music check out my other project:

https://germtheory2.bandcamp.com/

Part of the reason for my tardiness is working on music for this project.

Thank you for reading and I should be back soon.
 

Live Report: Acid Bath, Crowbar, EYEHATEGOD and Whores

 I meant to write this up last weekend but life got in the way. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. Just had a busy week.


So Acid Bath... Well, I've been a fan since randomly picking up "When the Kite String Pops" in 1994. That year was my biggest leap into extreme metal as it also represents about the time I got deeply into Black Metal as well. I never got the chance to see them in their prime. I was very glad to hear they were playing some shows and hoped for a local gig here. And sure enough, I was blessed with a stacked show.

But could Acid Bath 2026 live up to the hype? Let's find out.


Whores- Look this just isn't my thing. They really just sound like Helmet to me. It's noise rock. If you like Helmet, you'll probably like these guys. Live they were fun. You could tell they were having a good time. The bassist spent the whole time bouncing around the stage. And they were incredibly happy to be playing for us. They put on a great show so if noise rock is your thing you should definitely check them out.

EYEHATEGOD- I've seen these New Orleans gents a few times and they never disappoint. Same was true hear. The drummer pounded out doom grooves and the bassist held down that low end. Jimmy slammed into bluesy down tuned riff after riff. And Mike caterwauled his broken heart out about all sorts of horrific things. They truly captured their essence in this show and gave a great and angry performance. Always a recommend from me.

Crowbar- Probably the most accessible of the southern sludge bands.  Crowbar got up and plowed through a handful of songs reveling in the slow feedback drenched riffs. Hearing them live, I get why they were the first of these bands to get popular. Even though I'm not really familiar with them there were a number of songs I could sing along with. And Kirk sounded great especially since he had some sort of upper respiratory infection at the time of the show. Anyway they definitely put on a solid show. And even ended with my favorite song, "All I Had (I Gave)". 

Acid Bath- So, finally, the moment came. I was ridiculously excited. So how did this older version hold up? Pretty damn good. First Dax sounded great. He still has this great ability to make even out of tune singing sound good. He stood there in sunglasses barely moving and talking to the audience but somehow radiating everything that Acid Bath is; A Southern Gothic Psychedelic Black Nightmare. Lemmy once used that phrase to describe his time in Hawkwind but I think its far more appropriate here. There was a screen behind them that the other bands used to show their names but with Acid Bath it became a screen that perfectly reflected the music.  Dark visuals collided with twisting bright colors perfectly accentuating the songs and the performances. They played pretty much every song I could hope for them to play. This is definitly a show worth taking in. The only thing that wasn't great was Sammy and his cringy banter. It was out of place and felt really weird in this performance with this band.  I know they said there are no plans to record new music but there's a side of me that would be interested to hear what they would come up with 30 years later. Either way, we got a piece of American metal history and a great show to boot. 

So thank you for reading. Should have a couple of reviews up this coming week. Still banging along on this blog thing. Thanks for hanging out and bang the head that doesn't bang!

Live Report: Helloween and Beast in Black- Helloween 40th Anniversary tour

 So I have been a fan of Helloween for 35 years. I first picked up a best of in 1991. I loved all the songs and just kept listening. I still love their catalog and revisit it often to this day. 

I have, however, never seen them live. So when they announced last year that they were coming around, I knew I had to go. What I got was a mixed bag of sorts but all in all it was a fun night.

Beast In Black- What the fuck did I just hear? Honestly, I can't imagine worse music in my life. It's like combining hard rock with the worst of the Euro techno stuff that got popular in the late 90's. Basically imagine that "Barbie Girl" song done as  a metal cover but much, much worse. Imagine if "Eye  of the Tiger" sucked. That's the kind of music we're talking about here. But what do I know. There were several people who seemed to enjoy it. But as far as my girl and I... well, we were basically passing notes mocking them the whole time.  As far as their performance? Well, it was fine. They definitely had a good time and they capably played to and with the audience. So, if you're a fan of the band, I bet you'll enjoy it. Why you're reading this blog I can't imagine, though. 

Helloween- And finally the pumpkins arrive. A seven member band is a lot and I imagine a lot can get lost in the shuffle. Did the pumpkins pull it out? Were they good? Quite frankly, absolutely! It was one of the best shows I've ever seen. They had a electronic backdrop that changed with each song and had moving images on it. Each and every member looked like they were having the time of their lives. With three guitars, they could lean into the twin guitar thing but still have the rhythm playing. This actually made the songs feel heavier. The drums and bass held the rhythm down admirably and that drummer is one of the few that got a drum solo and truly deserved it. The vocal duties were perfectly balanced with Andi, Michael and Kai each singing songs from their specific era of the band except on some of the best known songs like "Halloween" and "Eagle Fly Free" where they would trade off. And speaking of vocals, all three sounded amazing! I really felt  like I was 14 again listening to the older stuff. Unfortunately curfew laws made them cut "Keeper of the Seven Keys" down to just the last verse after "Eagle Fly Free" but otherwise it was a great night and I left with a sore neck and a hoarse throat from yelling all the lyrics along with the band.

Either way, Helloween is a band firing on all cylinders. If this tour comes to your town I fully recommend it. Well, except Beast In Black. Maybe get a few drinks at the bar then take in a fantastic show.  

Locus Noir- Shadow Sun

 Hey, ain't you lucky! Two posts in one day. Amazing!

So, one style that I have always had a very love/hate relationship with is Gothic Metal. I love Type O Negative and some other bands but the style seemed, in the 2000's, to morph into what I call "Sad Bastard Metal" (to paraphrase Nick Cave). It lost what made it darkly triumphant and just became people whining about stuff and I've never been a huge fan of that. 

So here comes Locus Noir. This is a band that comes from the singer, Ben DMN, of Sybreed... who I know almost nothing about with the exception that they made some waves 10-15 years ago. The lead singer formed this project to reclaim the "spirit of 90's Gothic Metal". Well, I AM a fan of 90's Gothic Metal so let's see if he succeeded.

Actually I would say so. Locus Noir released two singles, one with Ben Christo (for those of you playing the home game, the guitarist of Sisters of Mercy). I rather enjoyed both songs. I played them pretty often. But listening to the record those are probably the weakest songs. The album bounces with keyboard driven darkness over metal guitars and clashing drums.  Ben's voice definitely has that low tone you want in a good Gothic singer but his voice has texture and character all its own. The keyboards set the right atmosphere and the guitars chug enough to remind the listener they are listening to a metal album. Even the Lady Gaga, "Marry the Night", works well and sets the pace for triumph in darkness as opposed to crying about stuff all the time. There are themes of tragedy, of course. They are just dealt with in a manner of more defiance than sadness, which I prefer. All in all an effort I have already revisited a few times since it was released in February. 

Highlights: Shadow Sun, She Haunts the Night and Death, that Elusive Mistress. While these are the best songs on the record the whole thing is worth the price of admission even the two bonus tracks (one of which is the cover I mentioned). So go on and check them out especially if you're a fan of Type O Negative, early Moonspell and Dreadful Shadows. 

Live Report: Weedeater and Conan.

 So I dd not, in fact, get that review out. Oh, well, that's life. But Anyway we move forward.


I haven't been to a small club show in forever. We're taking pre- Covid. This is mostly for logistics reasons and has nothing to do with the virus. 


Well, I heard Weedeater was coming around and we all know I love my Southern sludge, so off my girl and I went to see this massive bill of 4 bands. Pretty good value for the ticket price. 

Ah, but were they any good? That is a great question, dear reader, so let's get into it. 


Bigfoot- I have never heard of these guys in my life. Apparently they've been around for over a decade and I find it hard to believe I have NEVER crossed paths with 'em but here we are. I was skeptical because I've heard them referred to as a "stoner rock" band and, I'll be honest, most modern stoner rock bores me to tears. Well, I shouldn't have worried. These guys kicked serious ass. Their music was loud and wild. The lead singer looked a little like Charles Manson and gave off a threatening and yet charismatic aura. You couldn't help following him and his antics. The music is definitely heavy southern tinged hard rock and they were a lot of fun live. Even working in a medley of "Bang Your Head(Metal Health)" and "Peaches" [Yes, the song by the Presidents of the United States of America] that completely worked. This was a great way to start off the evening and one of the better openers I've ever seen. 

Telekentic Yeti- So when I said I don't really like stoner rock, I'm talking about bands like Telekinetic Yeti. These guys are great musicians but I get pretty bored with the same Hawkwind-isms over and over and every song being about pot. I grew up on the beginnings of stoner rock (I.e Monster Magnet, Kyuss, etc.) and they didn't make getting high their entire personality. But I digress. Live they weren't bad. The lead singer wasn't the most charismatic but he ably fronted the band. The drummer did do something interesting by positioning his drum kit to the side so you could see his whole body. He was pretty fun to watch. Musically they were best when they locked into a heavy groove which didn't happen nearly enough. Look, if you like this style of music you could do a lot worse than checking out Telekinetic Yeti live.

Conan- So ,I have to be honest, I've never got the appeal of Conan. Yes, I love doom and sludge and, on paper, they would seem to be up my alley but there's just something missing. I call Conan "Adult Swim" metal. It feels pretty irony- heavy rather than sincere and I'm never sure if they're just pulling some massive Andy Kaufman- style joke on metalheads. But,hey, what do I know? I went ahead and gave them a shot as I've never seen them live before. Maybe they could convince me of their worth? Yeah, that wasn't in the cards. Their set was one of the most boring sets I've ever witnessed.  I mean they were slow and heavy and all but the guitarist had set up his rig in such a way that you couldn't hear what was happening and the guitar was just constantly feedbacking even through the songs. No riffs were audible and it made his attempt to play a solo laughable. To be fair, No one else really seemed to care since a large mosh pit (???) opened up in the crowd. Also the band had no charisma at all and they felt like they were each playing a different show.   It was just very bland in my opinion. Also moshing to Conan is crazy work, as the kids these days say. 

Weedeater- This is my second time seeing Weedeater as I saw them in the 2000's at a small club show. They were very good again. They were successfully low and heavy but I somehow heard and felt every riff (maybe Conan should take note). Dixie was hilarious as he was squinting and vibrating like a lunatic. He opened to show by saying "We are Weedeater from Wilmington, NC; welcome to band practice." You knew what you were getting into; They played their great cover of "Give Me Back My bullets" as well which the crowd screamed over the band. The guitarist and the drummer also ably interacted with the audience but the real star was Dixie with his twitching, jumping around and wild bass playing. It was a lot of fun that, rightly, started up a huge mosh pit. Weedeater is a great band that I suggest seeing live often as well as listen to all their records. If they tour near you, go check them out.

Honestly, Bigfoot was the best live band out of the four and I look forward to seeing them again the most. Anyway, thank you reading and I'll be back with another record review in the next few days.

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men...

 Welp, no second review this week. I got pretty sick and am still recovering.


I'm pretty sure you'll get 2 reviews Next Week, with one coming out Monday. 

Thanks for reading and stay tuned more is definitely coming from this little blog.

Seethe Griever- Nausea; Ad Nauseam

 I actually meant to get this up last week but, again, life gets in the way. So, you should get 2 reviews this week. Hooray for you! Anyway onto the review.

"Listen to Grief". 

This is listed on the band's Bandcamp page in the bio. An exhortation, if you will. But also an obvious statement of intent. and possibly even a threat. 

I discovered Sludgecore in 1993 but had no idea what I was listening to until 1994 when I picked up "Grief- Come To Grief". Now, I'm aware none of the bands  really wanted the label. That tends to be the way with innovators but I think its one of the few times a reviewer labeled a style of music independent of bands desires correctly. These bands were obviously heavier than what most were calling "Doom" at the time and, unlike Death/doom, were also clearly more influenced by hardcore than they were by metal. 

When I listened to "Come To Grief", I instantly fell in love. I dove headfirst into this world of dark, slow and depressive music with no hesitation. I was ravenously devouring anything released by Slap-a-Ham, Theologian and Pessimiser records, especially Pessimiser. That was my most favorite label at the time. I never really looked back with the exception of "Sludge" losing all the dark and heavy parts but that was later.

This brings us to this EP.  It was released last year but I am only now hearing it. And, man, does this project LOVE Grief. That's not a knock on it at all. It does a great job of capturing mid 90's sludge. The 11 minute opener, Nausea; Ad Nauseam, slowly rolls over you like a Sherman tank, all nastiness and ill intent. "He Was Still Teething" opens with a harrowing sample of a girl describing nearly skinning herself while cutting then plods into a slow, brutal track whose title implies horrific possibilities. "Hunted Down" shows a slightly experimental side in the sense that the vocalist uses clean vocals, which work very well on that track, that sometimes duet with the growl normally employed and musically is probably the fastest paced track on the EP, though I would hesitate to even call it "mid- paced".

As I said, this captures what was happening musically in the mid 90's as far as "sludge" goes but, while the love for Grief is obvious I think they have a path that may show them doing their own thing. Specifically in the vocal choices in the final track, which I think is my favorite.  They have a new recording coming out in June so we can all look forward to the horror and misery.

Highlights: Hunted Down but, again, the whole recording is great if you're into the sludgecore sound. Highly recommended from this here blog. Check them out and, indeed, LISTEN TO GRIEF!


https://seethegrieverdoom.bandcamp.com/

Singe- Sin, Waste and Decay

 See, I told you there'd be a new review this week.


So, I really like metal/rock that finds a way to combine ferocity with a dark and threatening atmosphere of some kind. It's actually pretty hard to find but when I was young it was  pretty normal. From Acid Bath to Alice In Chains to Karma to Burn's first record you usually found it somewhere in music. I include Scissorfight in that list as well.  But it's been harder to come by recently. 

Enter new band Singe. I discovered these guys randomly on Spotify and decided to listen to this EP. Its a powerful display of atmospheric rage infused underground heaviness. From the aggressive stomp of "Settling Scores" to the noise rock/grunge sounding power of "Horsie" through the psychedelic horror of "Dusk". It all ends in the poisonous rhythm of "Lucky Strike" which comes after a spoken word interlude "VI I IV" which sounds like it would easily fit into an underground horror flick. 

This EP pulls together all the good parts of sludgecore, grunge and nu-metal. The music is well written and effortlessly flows from wild insane rage to creeping psychedelia not unlike all of the bands I mentioned in the first paragraph, The drums pound in the right moments. Guitar riffs easily move from heavy crunch to barely controlled acoustic parts. The bass perfectly compliments this formula by sinuously slithering between the drums and guitars. The lead singer has tons of charisma and can  summon absolute rage in one moment and in the next moment shatter your expectations with true tortured vulnerability.  Like the rest of the band, he is capable of combining moods and textures to compliment the songwriting for the needs of the song. 

Considering this is a debut EP and they only really released 2 other songs as "demos", this is an incredibly strong debut.  I first heard it about a week ago and have listened to it most days since. I can't see not listening to it often in the near future and believe it will be in my plays for years to come, not unlike the bands mentioned in the first paragraph. 

Standout tracks are: Dusk and Lucky Strike but the whole EP is very good, so you should definitely check them out of your a fan of any of the releases I mentioned earlier. I hope Singe do very well and get popular in hard rock and Heavy Metal circles. They deserve success and I look forward to more from this talented young band, Anyway, check them out.

https://singect.bandcamp.com/album/sin-waste-decay

...And We're back!

 "Guess who's back... Back again... Yes, he's back... Tell a friend."


Hello there fellow heads of metal,


    Well, it has been a while, hasn't it? I know, ya missed me. Welp, I'm an adult and things do get in the way sometimes. I'll be 50 years old next year. Dang, I didn't think I'd make it. 

    Honestly, most of the reason for the silence is that I've not had a lot to say about the heavier ends of rock music recently and have actually been pretty disappointed the last 8 years. Yes, I still keep up with releases and still listen to new music but most of it is from already well established bands who have strong song writing formulas. Most of the new stuff hasn't felt as vital to me, or, at least, not really worth my expounding upon.   

    Well, you might have guessed that may have changed a little. So this week we start up the reviews again. I have 3 releases I know I'll be talking about here and all of them are worth highlighting.  There are also a few fairly historic shows coming to my area that I will be going to see and will review them here. A new fire has been lit under my ass as it were, at least for the time being. Hell, there may even be an interview or two. We'll see.

    I know its been a while and I know a lot of my readers may not come back. I hope you do come back to read my thoughts on this music. I have missed doing this and hope to rebuild where I left off. 

    So, anyway, thanks for reading and be on the lookout for a new review this week and more thereafter. I hope you guys have a great day and keep rocking!