Sodom - Live in der Zeche Carl (1994)

Somewhere, somehow, a bootleg version of Sodom's 1994 VHS tape, Live in der Zeche Carl, ended up in my hands. There's something indiscriminate about the way in which collections and music hoarders such as myself go about their business of nonchalantly ingesting any interesting nugget of potential relevancy that we come across and then relegating it to a box or shelf or some place easily forgotten. When I picked up this bootleg, I do know it was before the popularization of Youtube and the imminent destruction of all that is obscure. It may have come my way back when I was a frequent poster on Zero Tolerance forum; when forums were the way in which obscure music was dredged from the depth at a semi-reasonable rate of speed, allowing a given number of aware readers a chance to listen, consider, discuss, and place the artifacts more appropriately into a given position. Live video in the late 80's and early 90's is the only visual documentation of these events and shows outside of pictures and so, bootlegs of hard to find and difficult to play material are incredibly valuable and worth saving in every circumstance, even if they are third-tier mementos.

Sodom's previous live video was 1988's Mortal Way of Live, documenting the classic Sodom lineup of Angelripper, Witch Hunter, and Blackfire tearing through material up to Persecution Mania. Mortal Way of Live highlights a twenty five-year old Angelripper with youthful confidence oozing out of his pores, a too-loud bass tone, and an at best awkward nonchalance; it's thrash to the bone and a key window into this era. Of the three major players in German Thrash, only Kreator would also disseminate a video tape within this general historical period though, releasing in 1990 only two years later, it was still a far different musical climate than 1988. Filmed equally professionally, however cut with black and white moments, carefully chosen cuts, and a better production, it had a more serious and cinematic quality, echoing the shift towards a more serious and mature late 80's / early 90's disposition. Venomisms and Motorhegemony are largely absent, one could say. So where then does Live in Der Zeche Carl fall aesthetically and professionally in all this?

Well, the first major implication of being a mid-90's Sodom release is Blackfire and Witch Hunter's replacement by Andy Brings and Atomic Steif (Guido Richter). We get guest appearances from the past members - including Blackfire on "Remember the Fallen" - but the show is largely the '94 lineup. The overall mix is more balanced than Mortal Way of Live with Brings being more audible than Blackfire and Richter's drumming slightly more subdued. The camerawork on the video is locked and loaded with interesting bulletpoints such as extreme closeups of Angelripper's nostrils from a microphone camera, odd punctuation pauses, and willy-nilly transitions. Where Kreator brought a polished professional aesthetic to framing, the same can not be said of Live... The camera angles and shots are not as crisp as Mortal Way of Live and the overall camera shots are often wild and frantic. The movement contrasts what I would describe as an average energy level. The crowd is practically stationary during some songs like "Jesus Screamer" and - somehow - during moments of "Tired and Red", my personal favorite from Agent Orange. The best reactions are for the classics, as would be expected.

It is easy to find highlights - Ausgebombt is one of these - but essentially what you are getting here is the 90's equivalent to a fan shot youtube live video today with better audio. I must point out that Angelripper's vocals are exceptional throughout the concert. Deep, powerful, raspy, and full of pent up pressure and intensity, words explode off his Westphalian lips like kernels being flicked off a table. One could point to his performance here as archetypal. I thoroughly enjoyed the shots of Richter in the middle of songs as his eyes go froggy and his expression transforms to sheer enjoyment only when he is going fast, as if speed is his happiness gas-pedal. I also appreciate the inclusion of errors and not overdubbing things like Brings' missed notes in the "Outbreak of Evil" solos. So there is a very genuine feeling to the presentation. The set list highlights the band's complete discography. Homage is once again given in the form of several cover songs, including "Iron Fist" which was the second track on the Mortal Way of Live video also. At an hour and a half, you won't feel ripped off, but a few songs could have been culled to make a less intimidating session. While this is not an entirely necessary video in the way Mortal Way of Live is historically, it is nonetheless an enjoyable video for Sodom fans and thrash fans generally.

Malus Clump #1 - Crabapple

Last year I started these three Crabapple trees. I gathered the seeds from a gas station tree in Harrisonburg, Virginia while playing a show with our friends in Earthling and Disintegration. Germination for these was the same as pretty much any seeds you would get for anything in the malus family. I refrigerated the seeds in a damp paper towel for approximately 30 days. After that point, I checked them every week to see if any were sprouting roots. When these three seeds began to sprout roots, I moved them into these starter trays. The soil I used here was regular garden soil mixed with compost. In about two weeks, they started showing their first true leaves.

Due to a lack of light set up, these seedlings looked leggy (long) which reinforced to me the need for a better lighting setup. Either way, they managed ok in the window sill until some warmer weather rolled around. Were I doing this now, I would have waited another month to stratify the seeds. Germinating and getting strong growth indoors is difficult. It did gain me about a month of growth, because they germinated in February instead of the mid-late march which would be ideal, but it's not something I would recommend without a proper propagation light setup. These were some of the first stratified seeds I had worked with.

By late March, I was able to repot them into a bigger pot for growing out. I put them in a standard terracotta pot. For soil, I used Napa Oil Dry 8822 as a substrate. The trees seemed to do very well initially. I encountered very few issues. Once in a while, I would see some aphids on the leaves which I would simply pick off or squish. Crabapples are generally considered disease magnets because of their 'sweet' wood. Insects love them.

By the end of July, the three trees had put on strong growth all summer and were doing very well. The roots had grown so vigorously that water was not draining well in the pot. I punched a hole through the center of the root ball just to give some drainage capability. Fertilization consisted of two applications of osmocote slow release 14-14-14 fertilizer and, towards autumn, occasionally liquid fertilization at low amounts.

By early November, the trees had pushed their fall color - a deep greenish red, almost purple hue. A second flush of growth through late August, September and early October was unexpected but brought the trees to about 14" high each. By this point, I had decided that I would be repotting the trees in the spring again, because I wanted to solve the drainage issues.

I also wanted to get the trees as close together as I could to attempt a fused trunk clump to form. Inspired by old landscape crabapples I've seen with massive triple trunks, I waiting through winter until the first signs of enlarging buds on the trunk indicating the ideal time to repot deciduous trees. These were overwintered by digging the pot into my vegetable garden beds to keep the root ball warm.

Removing the tree from the pot, it was immediately clear that the tree needed to be repotted. Matted roots filling the bottom of the pot were healthy but clearly confined. Raking out the roots and soil to get a better idea of what kind of structure I was dealing with yielded an almost springlike structure of thick, healthy roots. This root growth shows what kind of excellent root mass you can get in a single year.

I simply cut the entire bottom of the root mass off and got individual trees separated. Even removing all the matted roots proved not enough to easily separate the trees. Tangled masses of roots for each tree intertwined and wrapped around each other. I did my best to clean up the roots for each tree, removing roots growing in directions I didn't want. Because my plan was to fuse these three trees together, decided the best front of the trees, and used that as a guide as to where I could remove more roots. I needed to be able to get the base of the trunks as close together as possible. I removed roughly 75% of all the roots that the trees had grown the past year. I was perfectly fine with this and expect the tree to fully grow them all back - and more - by the end of this year.

In order to get the trees into the alignment I wanted them to fuse together, I made a wooden template out of shims to keep the trees separated from each other. I notched out a spot for each tree and pushed it down into the middle of them. I then arranged the roots outward as best I could in the direction I wanted them to grow. You can see in the picture to the left how radical my pruning was on the trees. Once I had the trees in a decent general position, I zip-tied them together to make sure they don't push apart as they grow this year. My main goal is to let the roots establish in this formation.

Next year, I will do a less severe cut back of the roots and attempt to scar the surface of the trees where they come into contact with each other so that their cambium layers can fuse into each other. This would be similar in function to a graft. By allowing the roots to grow into each other this year, next year I can remove the zip tie and use wire to hold the location of the fusing together.

March 3rd, 2020

Deceased / Sacrificial Blood / Nauseator / Redundant Protoplasm / Covered In Sores

Another show in Philly. Deceased headlining. We will be obviously playing songs from the now-finished new album, as well as potentially adding in some older material unplayed in a while to the Sacrificial Blood setlist. Nauseator, Redundant Protoplasm, and Covered in Sores round out the evening.
 

 Full Sacrificial Blood show lineup as of now:

April 11th w/ Satan, etc - Blades of Steel Fest @ Club Garabaldi & Cactus Club (Milwaukee, WI)
April 17th w/ Deceased @ Cousin Danny's (Philadelphia, PA)
April 18th w/ Massacre, Crucifier @ The Kingsland (Brooklyn, NY)
May 16th w/ Vivisect, Atomic Cretins @ Meatlocker (Montclair, NJ)

 

Dekonstruktor - Eating The Universe

Natural live sludge coupled with brief moments of electronic artificiality combine on Dekonstruktor's Eating The Universe to create a surprisingly coherent whole. Somewhere between Electric Wizard's Come My Fanatics and Eyehategod's definitive early albums, the album's sparse mechanical elements blend nicely with the low-end resonance of extremely chunky bass rhythms. The conceptually industrial elements present in what could be aesthetically perceived as a Soviet style layout are a strong and clear-headed choice. Bold red coloring, utilitarian font choice, and that the band is Russian, provide sound support for this claim of iron curtain nostalgia - the band gives no indication of any ideological orientation; this is a comment solely on aesthetics. Lyrically, Dekonstruktor's focus seems more on the cosmological front than EHG's deep personal malaise. Though the album can be construed as dull, the use of effects and subtle improvisations give enough variety to lift the album past boring but only barely.

Dekonstruktor's six songs are not obese technically, with hardly a single moment demanding a single iota of musical proficiency, and yet some songs provide a significant amount of fat structurally to bite into. While "Eating the Universe" and "14" both are simple, with repeating central structures, "To The Red Pt. 2" is an example of a much more complex track, with a number of sludgy corruptions before repeating it's verse and recalling one of the three earlier introductory riffs. This then transforms into the second half of the song, which ambles ever onward for another five to six minutes. Dekonstruktor also reduce the feeling of repetition and idleness through the length of their phrases, often exceeding numerous bars before repeating, and often with minor variations, so sections which should feel repetitive don't always come across that way. For example, "Mindcutter" only has four unique riffs. The second of these motifs repeats more than thirty times, but the manner in which is is broken up, spread out, soaked in thick oozing fuzz, and recycled under a solo make its repeat appearances less noticeable; it does something new each time, and it's length - stretched into an almost eight measure length - reduces further the feel of repetitiveness.



Still, even with all these bases covered structurally, I'm not fully overwhelmed with the release. It is hardly true that that this form of sludge is unique; bands have felt compelled to be the drips of Eyehategod and Electric Wizard's spill for quite a while now and Dekonstruktor are no different. Energy is an issue, and so any sense of personal meaning obviously falls short. Mike Williams' deep inner resentment and frustrations which are so prevalent in Eyehategod's work does not have an equal here. Garish's vocals are often reverb-laden yelps off in the distance but without the definition and attitude of Jus Osborne. Boiling this all down: How do you make intense yet near-ambivalent slow music ooze with energy? I think it mostly relies on the vocal performance or manner in which the members show 'attack' on their instruments. If either of these singular elements is executed, there is some chance of imbuing the feel of purpose. I don't perceive sonic purpose here. There's an underlying tone of whateverism which fundamentally saps the life out the release.

Without flapping on forever about this six song tape, I'm nonetheless curious to know if these issues were resolved on a future release. If Dekonstruktor managed to balance the slow patient doom with any form of intrinsic energy on a subsequent release, the outcome would be quite positive. Acknowledging that this balance is difficult to find in the genre and that I'm not normally expecting anything intrinsically timeless any time soon within the stoner doom / sludge genre, Dekonstruktor  could be said to show a foundation to build on. "Mindcutter" is my favorite track, it captures most closely what the band does really well and maintains interest front to back. I'd like to hear a little more of the mechanical elements which I felt give the band some form of originality as well. Eating The World is a good stop for sludge and doom fans of numerous backgrounds. Fans of Electric Wizard and Sleep would especially find the band to their liking, but they likely won't find the energy - wherever that is found - they get from the best in genre.

Valgrind - Morning Will Come No More

Italians Valgrind have been slogging death metal for quite a while now. Their 2012 album, Morning Will Come No More, recently re-released on tape by Nihilistic Holocaust, is quite a beastly release, drawing influence entirely from the US death metal scene - particularly premier acts such as Death, Incantation, and Morbid Angel. The old school flavor and production sets the stage for a solid hour of intense death metal in a classic and uncompromising tradition of brutality. The band adeptly structures songs to highlight outright technical prowess while adopting simplistic barbarity at key moments in tracks to give the the intellectual ear brief moments of respite and the emotional heart room to rampage and drool. After several listens, Valgrind prove themselves worthy of being listed among the best the genre has to offer, especially when compared to many of the often touted modern death metal elite.

After a short intro, the album begins proper with "Fifth Nightmare," highlighting the mixture of influences which will be found across the album. The production in many spots reminds me of the deep, low-end focus of Death's Human. Massimiliano Elia and Emanuele Ottani pair to form an enlightened guitar duo, particularly where lead work is considered. Rhythms are buoyed by Marcello Malagoli on drums and Elia once again handling bass. The four man unit with Daniele Lupidi enforcing with his powerful bellows hammer home the refined and decisive bludgeoning. With this natural throwback tone set from genesis, it's difficult to do anything but be enveloped in soothing extremity. As the album progresses, other influences and comparisons become more readily apparent depending on the tracks. "Dark Dressed Shepherd" is nostalgic for Incantation, "When Mortal Skin End To Be" immediately resurrected the more obscure Mortal Decay's Forensics at opening, and "Rebirth. Pt. 1" will remind listeners of Morbid Angel's seminal Altars of Madness.



If the album has a flaw, it's length - as is often the case for me. Squeaking by in just under an hour, it's a lot of material to digest, even as powerful and strong as each song is. A couple of weaker songs could have been dredged and deposited somewhere else, such as on an EP or refined further. A note to today's bands: Onward to Golgotha clocks forty-five minutes, Altars of Madness clocks in at forty-four, Dawn of Possession at forty-two, and Human sprints by at thirty-three. Great death metal albums should mug you; should release violence urgently; should come and go like a sharp blade through flesh. It's not that a band should be tied to any length restriction, but it takes an adept artist being candid with themselves to acknowledge when to reign in album length.

Nonetheless, Valgrind handle this lengthiness with appropriately placed short instrumentals throughout the release to give momentary cleansing of the ears. The first of these instrumentals, "Quest for Immortality" opens the B side of the tape. So aside from turning your tape - or allowing auto reverse to kick in - the track helps cue the listener back into the album and prepares them for "Rebirth Pt. 1" and "Rebirth Pt. 2." I felt a Testimony of the Ancients flavor which was odd considering the rest of the album is so US centric. The second of the instrumentals also appears on the B-side of the tape before the second to last song. It's akin to the common "we've got two more songs" warning I seem to hear every show I go to. At thirty-five seconds, it's fine where it is and makes sense though I think I would have preferred this second instrumental right before the final track because...

The album ends with masterpiece, "Only Human Beings Corrupt Their Will". Here, Valgrind leave any regrettable concern over experimental absences covered. The track is likely my favorite along with the two "Rebirth" tracks. Opening with memorable deep tremolo picking riffs before disappearing on and off into Morbid Angel territory, the song shifts to big cosmic chord moments with keys backing tapping guitar melodies and a blistering guitar solo section in a Nocturnus vein. With unique textures subliminally rumbling beneath slower repetitive chords, the song is a mixture of a number of stylistic tendencies of Valgrind while showing that there is no shortage of creative arrangement ideas available for the picking for this band.



I often wonder if exceptional albums such as this find their way to the right ears. It's easy to pass over phenomenal newer albums and a lot of old-school death metal fans seem to shy away from hearing worthwhile modern releases. It's not surprising with the amount of over-hyped music circulating along with the high saturated market that many simply do not give a modern band like Valgrind a chance. Morning Will Come No More deserves the comfort of an old school death metal fan's crusty car stereo. I also really found rewarding here were intangibles such as the memorable song titles and deep red monochromatic artwork. I wish there were some sort of lyrical accompaniment with the J-card however I am well aware of the difficulty of satisfying such an extreme layout. This all is minor; Morning Will Come No More is a major reward.

Orphaned Land - El Norra Alila

Orphaned Land has been a hit or miss band for me. My first impression of the group was with their 2004 breakthrough album, Mabool - The Story of the Three Sons of Seven. I truly found that album to be rewarding on several levels but felt that the harsh elements weren't totally congruous with the Middle Eastern sentiments. I had largely forgotten about the band by the time their next album, The Neverending way of ORwarriOR was released in 2010. I was not impressed by that album at the time, nor do I retain any kind of overwhelming emotion to it now. Thus, predictably, the band drifted off my radar. Somewhere within the past two or three years, I encountered the band's sophomore album, El Norra Alila at a garage sale or flea market somewhere for a few bucks and picked it up for the sole reason of finally hearing some of the songs which I had only previously heard on the live bonus disc which accompanied Mabool. Having not heard the band's recent albums, I still feel confident proclaiming that Orphaned Land's second album is their best record. To my ears and judgement, El Norra Alila should be considered a transportive album, carrying the listener to a truly new landscape of sounds.

While there are several key tracks on the album, the album opener, "Find Yourself, Discover God" epitomizes what makes El Norra Alila special. The weaving guitar lines are nuanced and enlightened by a native honesty. While Western artists have often opted to lift middle eastern themes for placement into songs - the iconic acoustic fill in Megadeth's "Holy Wars, The Punishment Due" comes to mind quickly as one example - guitarist Yossi Sassi seems to mindlessly play through endless variations of traditional phrasings which I find breathtaking. Kobi Farhi's vocals are another unique element which instantly give a grandeur to the track. Deep spoken word sections and hymnal-esque segments are interrupted with occasional black-metal rasps to form a deeply religious and spiritual atmosphere. At all times, this is complemented by Sassi's lead guitars. Other times the vocals follow the rhythm guitars by Matti Svatizki building deep harmonious combinations. As if all this wasn't enough, Orphaned felt inclined to elicit the help of a number of guest musicians to add numerous folk and traditional instruments to the mix. As an opening track, it doesn't draw you into the album as much as it pushes you off a cliff into Orphaned Land's musical universe.

Another key track - or tracks - is the combination of "The Path Ahead" and it's tail "A Neverending Way," the latter of which was one of my favorite tracks on the Mabool live bonus disc. The track there is a mostly a cappella rendition and always spine-tingling. Here, the original version is no less incredible but we are given the full context of the song. As "The Path Ahead" treks forth through memorable leads and elegant sections, it also moves through some darker moments. I think in this song more than any other, the influences of classical composition is apparent. The song flows with little repetition, giving Farhi room to explore vocal usages and invoke imagery. Split by a highly emphasized overdriven vocal moment, the song slowly morphs into the violin opening moments of "A Neverending Way", the song hearkening back to it's preamble track lyrically. It's easy to hear why the track is a fan favorite on the Mabool bonus tracks. It's big chugging verse moments, long vocal lines, poetic lyrics, and clear concise ending are indicative of the band's confidence in their craft.

Lyrically, the album is beautifully jammed with what I could call a treatise on spirituality in poetic verse. While it's possible to, of course, look at the lyrics in an interpretive manner and not literally, I believe that Orphaned Land is fairly clear in their content and it's not surprising given the cultural surroundings. "I'm down on my knees, I worship you with awe, I'm down on my knees, my belief forever strong, And I call out to you my lord of light, Watch my faith how it glows (Flawless Belief)" or "Find your self, discover God... You are his begotten son (Find Your Self, Discover God)". Much of the album's lyrical content is a call to find solace and love and one's relationship with God. There isn't a set denominational statement and the lyrical content is less proselytizing than your average Satanic black metal album, giving the listener a breath of ideological space. Nevertheless, one of the drawbacks on this album for me is the lack of diversity of thought to match the diversity of musical influences. I wanted to see some form of conflict, of hesitance, of intellectual battle, but it is quite dry in that regard.

Other noteworthy tracks for me are "Flawless Belief" with it's truncated rhythmic syncopations and impressive structural scale emphasizing the rhythm section of the band comprised of drummer Sami Bachar and bassist Uri Zelcha. Also "Like Fire to Water" and "El Meod Na'Ala", one of two songs sung in beautiful Hebrew. My main concerns with the album are relatively few. I find El Norra Alila to be more cohesive than it's follow up Mabool and a big step up from debut Sahara in maturity and vision. There are moments where I am not entirely satisfied, particularly towards the end of the album where there are some filler tracks such as "Of Temptation Born" and "The Evil Urge". The album is long, a blemish which I can overlook in this instance, but does detract from my likelihood of listening to the album more than once in a while, even for as good as it is. I'm not sure the hidden track warrants the additional ten minutes of blank time to hide it at the end of "The Evil Urge". The production overall elicits a feeling of dryness, especially the harsh sandy guitar tone which is ideal for the atmosphere yet after an hour of music, could be found to be grating.

El Norra Alila considered within the appropriate context of it's creation makes it a quite astounding album for something created in not only a non-traditional metal market but in an area of the world where just several miles away in a different country, such an album could cost the musicians their life. Released in 1996, it is one of the earliest examples of metal to appear in Israel, and the Middle East as a whole, which would reach audiences beyond. It also makes no attempt not to remove the regional and traditional elements and mimic western archetypes. It is unabashedly local. Compare this to other material of it's time and there is a significant change in how these elements are portrayed. Melechesh - who are trumpeted as being purveyors of Middle Eastern cultural motifs on their albums - on their 1996 album, As Jerusalem Burns... Al'Intisar, do not incorporate such clearly defined folk influences.

Also of interest is the usage of harsh and clean vocals as a singularly atmospheric element - a combination which, to my knowledge, was at this point in time still rare and obscure to find. Orphaned Land, two years prior, on Sahara, were also mixing vocal styles and patterns however on El Norra Alila they have truly specialized into using the technique to convey atmosphere. Opeth used the mixture of clean vocals and death metal vocals as an atmospheric element similarly on their albums - at least through Deliverance - and Orphaned Land predated them on both their debut and El Norra Alila. In the Sahara insert, Holy Records defines the band as Oriental Doom Death. It's actually quite accurate but nowhere near as comprehensive as it should be. El Norra Alila is a true progressive gem, advancing Metal in a unique way.

Sacrificial Blood Official Website / News

Mike finally got tired of facebook so all Sacrificial Blood news can be found on his new blog which will have the most up to date information on the band as well as what I am sure will be an exceptionally entertaining laundry list of opinions and thoughts.

SACRIFICIAL BLOOD

Recent band news... the album is in mixing. Artwork has been revealed and looks awesome. We have shows coming up. More details in the link on those. Artwork below for the new album. 

Those looking for copies of the sold out Okketaehm - Stones, Maximum Oversatan - Too Evil For Hell, or Diseased Oblivion - Portals of Past and Present can find some copies at Mandarangan Records. I have long been sold out of the Okketaehm and Maximum Oversatan tapes and occasionally get requests for them. 

Juniperus Virginiana #2 - Eastern Red Cedar

I collected this Eastern Red Cedar from my Lawn of all places in February of 2019. I did some basic root pruning and planted into a plastic container with Napa 8822 as a growing medium. The almost-purple foliage is common on this species in the winter. As the tree enters dormancy, the foliage "bronzes" to this color. Junipers of all species as well as pines go through this process.

I had no special plans for this tree other than to save it from being digested into my lawnmower. I was actually surprised to find the tree at all in the lawn. There are some nice examples of Eastern Red Cedar bonsai online. I am planning on styling this tree similarly to this one by Vance Hanna. His was collected older and already grown but shows the kind of quality that proper care of the species can produce.

 I fertilized throughout this past summer and was able to get a significant amount of growth on the tree. I was not expecting such a strong flush of growth. As color returned to the juvenile foliage the tips of new growth turned a light green and started to expand (left). By middle of summer, the growth had mostly subsided as the tree entered summer dormancy in August.

By September, the tree had roughly tripled in size and was growing very healthily. I even did some minor pruning on branches mid-way up the trunk to get the tree into a roughly conical shape. I remove downward growing branches as well, leaving new growth at the ends of the branches and the upwards growth. My intent for leaving upwards growth is that when wiring branches downward, the new upward growth would now be facing outward, providing a possible point to cut back to in the future.

In November, at our monthly bonsai club meeting, I spent time wiring the tree into a shape and putting some movement in the low branches. These low branches are the most important at the moment because they will likely be the branches left on the tree long term as the top gets repeatedly cut back and rebuilt. The tree at the beginning of the winter and end of the year left me with a real strong feeling about the progress of the tree. I recently pulled the tree from it's wintering quarters and removed the wire. The branches had all set. Plans for this year are a new pot, and strong growth.

Enthroned Serpent Interview

Band Photo: Dove Tatiana

Impressed by Enthroned Serpent's debut demo, Ancient Witchcraft, and their new EP, Towards the Unknown, I was pleased to contact the band and gather additional information for my readers. Thank you Enthroned Serpent for providing some enlightenment!

Enthroned Serpent: Greetings from Athens, Greece. Thanks again for taking an interest in our music regarding our latest release Towards the Unknown.

Contaminated Tones: Can you give a quick rundown on how “Enthroned Serpent” was formed? How did the current lineup manifest?

ES: We took our first steps as a tribute band just for the fun of it. A few musicians with similar music taste, gathered in the studio to enjoy their selves. Of course back then we went by the name “Ancient Witchcraft” which later became the title for our first Demo. At that time, we performed a couple of live gigs and composed a few songs, but due to several personal reasons the band came on hiatus. It took years to find the right line up to create the band which exists to this day as “Enthroned Serpent”, a name that was conceived by the current line-up.

CT:  Enthroned Serpent, to me, sounds like a veteran band, both on the Ancient Witchcraft demo, as well as on your new EP, Towards the Unknown. What do you believe gives Enthroned Serpent this confidence and sound? As far as I can discover, none of you have been in previous bands.

ES: True, we haven’t been in previous bands not something worth mentioning anyway regarding the extreme metal sound, except of our new vocalist Rex Sanguis who is also the vocalist for Tartarus Depth. Therefore, we cannot be described as a veteran band but you could say we have a veteran sound that resembles the influences we have and the things we like in music all these years.



CT: I hear bands like Sear Bliss, Dissection, Varathron, and Mortuary Drape in your music. What bands would you say have an influence on Enthroned Serpent?

ES: Where to start on this one? We are mostly influenced by the 90’s sound of Black & Death Metal with a hint of Thrash Metal and Heavy Metal as well. It’s a long list that combines all the bands we like individually but the strongest influences are Dissection, Immortal, Mayhem, Slayer etc.

CT: When I first heard Ancient Witchcraft, I was impressed by how captivating the melodic sensibilities of the songs were. There was never a glimpse of anything other than darkness and melancholy throughout. What do you look for in the melodic movements of your songs? What bands inspire you in this realm?

ES: In our songs we explore the nature of human emotions in the concept they describe, these melodic movements for us is the way to go, in order to achieve that. Such melodies are quite common in the Greek Black Metal scene for example another influence we have is Rotting Christ, Septic Flesh etc.

CT: Your music is not predictable, and you do not shy away from an even cinematic quality at times. What kind of imagery does Enthroned Serpent hope to invoke?

ES: What we want to invoke is the reaction which is caused by the extreme metal genre in being different by expressing the spirituality, darkness and evil which exists to this day in a metaphoric sense.

CT: Tell me about your most recent release, Towards The Unknown. It's not a Helstar reference, which would normally depress me but doesn't at all here. Your EP is such a strong continuation of your demo. Did you have anything you specifically wanted to improve upon from Ancient Witchcraft?

ES: Actually yes, we wanted some improvements to take place after the demo version of the songs in Ancient Witchcraft, for they would better represent what we’re trying to achieve. Towards The Unknown is our first release that put us to the test of making something more out of our music, some solid work that gave us experience and helped us reach the strong result you listen.

CT: As mentioned earlier, you picked up a new vocalist, Rex Sanguis, who replaces Angelus Tenebrae. What does Rex bring to the band vocally? How involved has he been, if at all, in the creation of the new material on the EP?

ES: Rex was one of the many trials in vocals who made a difference. He can do a lot with his voice and he experiments a lot in rehearsals in order to intensify the feeling of the songs. His inspiration is not only vocal but in the lyrics as well, as he was a big help in configuring, orchestrating and writing lyrics. Everyone had a role to play in the making of Towards The Unknown as did Rex.

CT: You had a couple higher profile guest appearances by Rotting Christ's Sakis Tolis and Order of the Ebon Hand's Merkaal appear on the EP. How did these partnerships come about and what was it like having them appear on the EP?

ES: At first I ‘d like to say that it is an honor for us to have Sakis Tolis and Merkaal join us in our musical journey for they gave our songs a dynamic we couldn’t anticipate. These partnerships came from good friends that share our love for this genre. I’d also like to point out that working with Sakis and Orestis (Merkaal) means a lot to us cause this is a great support to the underground music by people that made quite an impact in black metal, and their support is of utmost importance!!! Thank you guys, words can’t express our gratitude.

CT: Is it fair to say that "Towards the Unknown" is the most intense track you've released thus far? Other than a short melodic breakdown, it is relentless.

ES: As the title track of the EP it should be. The truth is that a lot of effort has been made for "Towards The Unknown" to reach its state, and we are happy with the result. So far yes, it is the most intense track we have released but there is more to come in our full length album that is in the making.

CT: "Ghost" is a memorable track for the perfectly written guitar solo that splits the song in two. I didn't notice how well done it was on the demo, but it really stood out to me on Towards the Unknown. Is there any kind of history or story behind this track?

ES: "Ghost" is in fact the first song that was complete and ready for recording. It is a typical occult story in which we find our selves fascinated by in general and that’s the reason we wanted to “transform” it from the previous demo version.

CT: "Elixir of Existence" is your best song, in my opinion. It is blistering and aggressive then, on Ancient Witchcraft, It had a beautiful clean vocal section over acoustic guitar halfway through that really struck me when listening to it from a songwriting and atmosphere standpoint. It reminds me a lot of Primordial at their best, such as on The Gathering Wilderness or To The Nameless Dead. But on this EP you removed the clean vocal section! Was there a particular reason for doing this?

ES: There's no particular reason, other than the Vocalists point of view for the specific section, as he believed that this way has a better impact regarding the essence of the song created by the lyrics and the rest of us agreed, so it was established.



CT: I had seen while skimming social media, that you have been working on a full-length album? How is that coming along? Will any of the tracks from the Ancient Witchcraft demo and Towards the Unknown EP appear on this full length and how many new songs are planned?

ES: That is correct, we are working on new material for the full length album and it’s coming along great, the only factor that stands in our way is the every day struggle with responsibilities outside the band, but little by little, the full length album is taking its form. To answer your final question, The Channeling, song from our Demo, will be in the setlist of the new album that consists of eight songs in total.

CT: Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions! If you have any last things you'd like to say...

ES: Thank you all for the support and for listening to our music. For all the metalheads out there, keep the underground flame alive!

Blast! - February 2020

Coronary - Demo 2018

This Finnish quintet produce solid Judas Priest inspired heavy metal. Though this demo is short, with three songs metering under fourteen minutes, as an interest-garnering device, the tape is very well done. Opener "Firewings" is a strong mid-paced opening track that easily captures the style Coronary is aiming for with memorable riffs and traditional song structures. Vocalist Olli "The True Herman" Karki reminds me of Mark Tornillo from TT Quick / Accept. This becomes even more apparent on second track, "Bullet Train," a more mid paced song with less overall impact for me. The rhythm section of drummer Pate "Batvik" Vuorio and bassist Jarkko "Skip Intro" Aaltonen is given space under the guitar lead section to leave a lasting impression yet settle to simply maintain their steady speed. Third track, "Mestengo" is finishes the demo off. It's an interesting choice as a closer. Subdued verses lead into a chorus which alternates between Olli's emotive performance and backing gang vocals. The song is set in a predictable D-minor progression, carried through the entire song which is not expanded on, but is well executed nevertheless. Guitarists Jukka "Doktor" Holm and Aku "Herr Lederwurst" Kytola present well with the former's noticeably rehearsed and composed solos being one of the best compositional elements of Coronary's demo. I'd like some faster material and see the band, especially the rhythm section, highlighted more individually. A lot of the material here chugs along without much to interest me. Olli's vocals are passionate and present the cliche but well-written lyrics admirably which receives my vote as the best single part of this demo. 

Devo - Freedom Of Choice (1980)

Aside from the famous "Whip It," Devo get little attention, but while Freedom of Choice could be considered a break-out album for the art-rock / new-wave, I doubt anyone hazards to show off their deep-cut of the band at dinner parties. The meat and potatoes of the band is their uniquely synthetic sound which is immediately recognizable. Each instrument is stripped down to it's blips and bleeps and singularity, electronically and pseudodigitally processed, and spit out over what is incredibly not a cheap electronic drum kit. With two sets of brothers, The Casales and the Mothersbaughs, at the helm, this is a Lego ship thinking it can get away with masquerading as twenty-first century CGI. It's nevertheless an excellently captained ship with Alan Myers' drumming really having a massive impact simply for being so mechanical and metered.  Songs have a 'bop' that is undeniably addictive and almost Western. For me, the title track, "Freedom Of Choice", is my favorite. It retains the rubbery guitars and tight drum bop, while injecting just enough rock-and-roll to elevate it's intensity beyond the otherwise robotic demeanor the album carries. "Gates of Steel" is also a highlight, sounding like assembly-line automatons reproducing Joan Jett, once again drawing on the rock influences. It's subtly anthemic in a sense. In a strange way, I can't tell if Freedom of Choice has not aged well or Devo were still ahead of our time way back in the Carter era. Devo should still be on the watchlist for those interested in the evolution and aesthetics of electronic music, and for that, I appreciate their funkery.

 Eerie - Amplifier Theosophy (2011)

I mentioned Matt Gittings last month, and his involvement with recording New Hampshire locals At Night. Eerie is Gittings' project, at this point in their progression sounding very much in line with what Earth was focusing in on stylistically around this point. The slow crawling songs, drawn out twangy chords, and repetitive and meditative structures flow smoothly from Eerie's tools in hand. This demo material is essentially a snapshot of the band at this point. Recorded live in five hours, the thirty four minute demo must have taken several takes to get the feel just right. Where an album such as Earth's Hex: Or Printing In The Infernal Method contained a dry, midwestern flair, Eerie's Amplifier Theosophy is fuller, humid, and wooden. To me, a song like "Sun Ring Broken" captures the pace of the New England mountain towns in action - or lack of action. My personal favorite however has remained second track, "And Graciously, The Maw Opens Accepting The Eleventh Sacrifice." A cinematic instrumental highlighted by big bombastic chords, it nevertheless persists as the drumming kicks in midway through with a subtle beat to accentuate the track's melancholy underpinnings. Gittins' harmony motif is as memorable as you can find in this instrumental doom genre. Larry Vollor, handling the deeper guitar tones, is keen to allow his chords to ring into subtle nuanced hums and resonances. I've had this demo for a while, and I come back to it quite often and Volumetric Addiction as well. Both are strong examples of the stoner sludge genre being deeper than weed and dope. While not perfect - the demo could have taken one step further to differentiate each song melodically - it's a fine release.

Eerie - Ostensoric Night Dream (2014) 

Eerie's final release, Ostensoric Night Dream, is unique within in their discography. It is the only release to contain vocals. It also is less Earth-y, with more elements of stoner doom and sludge peeking through. Most importantly, Matt Gittings retains the atmosphere of lazy New England mountain towns, soggy Appalachia, and terrestrial scents which I felt was of such importance in their previous releases. Though I felt there was still a lot of unique elements and moments in the previous Eerie releases, Ostensoric Night Dream shows a move towards something more identifiable and individual. It's the softness of the guitar tone and swooshing riffs which remind me of winter drives watching forests and rivers pass by driving up through Vermont and New Hampshire. The vocals are a mix of gruff death metal-esque growls and folkish chants and singing - a unique combination of elements - which works well in the Eerie setting. "House of Chains" is my favorite on this release. For me, I imagine myself as a spirit gliding through mountain logging roads passing set-back shanties with overall and flannel clothed bearded men knocking back moonshine and smoking their pipes behind gray unruly beards as they sharpen their axes and move their checkers. Eerie pose a different atmosphere intense in historical depth with songs that are rich in rehearsing and wealthy in perfectly rung out feedback. As Gittings' nears the song's dusk-mark his drumming turns into rolling waves of tom fills, mimicking the endless undulating low hills and valleys which the 1.2 billion year old mountains are known for. Ostensoric Night Dream is a masterful accumulation of subtle insights set among bold melodic riffs. A wonderful expose of originality.

Traumasphere - Voidcall (2001 / 2018)

Originally released independently almost two decades ago, Traumasphere's Voidcall is a revitalizing reminder that while the early 2000's are not normally regarded as a bastion of quality extreme metal, there are nevertheless hidden gems to dig up. This French death metal duo is worth seeking out as a study in harsh uncomfortable melodies. Opener "Eradicated" is a good example of how an atonal melodic movement over what could be construed to be 'jovial' rhythms can create a tense and awkward feeling in the listener. It's the imagery of a clown car highway crash. This is continued in "Awaken in Chaosphere" as well. At times, transitions, sections, and phrases can be viewed as collected parts rigged together, and not as components intended to be fit according to plan. So these songs are less engineered machines with purpose and more the functional creations one would find in Junkyard Wars episodes. Traumasphere's usage in this manner is not as effective as, for example, Voivod or Pestilence but bears fruit in the form of momentary glimpses of genius. "Civilization?" is clearly the most well rounded example of Voidcall's elements. Ivan, on string tools and vocals is impressive here, backed by Guillaume on percussion; it is clearly not a stylistic prototype, but a conscious creation. Ivan's vocals are often multitudes of rasps, growls, and screeches. The mixture of vocal effects helps Traumasphere's haphazard songwriting approach by matching the inconsistency in structure with an inconsistency in vocal texture. There are some odd creative and textural moments as well. "Orbital Grave" reminds me of the previously mentioned Pestilence but, in this case, specifically the interludes on Testimony of the Ancients. It shows Guillaume's synth ability and I wonder why there wasn't an effort to incorporate more of it into the songs. This is a worthwhile listen made available again through Visceral Circuitry Records.

Mortician, Funerus, Sacrificial Blood, Sickbay - Saint Vitus NYC

Monthly Blast: October 2019

I let my music collection stay on shuffle while reading and relaxing in my office at night. This lends an aspect of spontaneity to my listening. I relinquish control of my predispositions and biases and hope that what comes on next is not something god-awful. More often than not, I'm pleasantly surprised, such as when a few nights ago I was served Paul Chain and Billy Joel in a row. Sometimes I'm not as lucky. In some ways, you recognize interesting things about records this way; things which don't appear as easily when you pick out and know what is coming on next.

I've been reading Patrick Rothmus' Name of the Wind on a recommendation. I was about thirty pages in last night when unexpectedly -

"GIVE ME FUEL GIVE ME FIRE GIVE ME JABABABABA." 

Never had I realized that Metallica's lowest moment so jarringly rolls into the soundsphere. It's like being punched in the back of the head while walking. Somehow I imagined James Hetfield transmogrifying out of thin air into a depressed physical manifestation of his own inner demons - which have been on full display recently - and flailing around the room like a disgruntled Nascar driver around a track. It ruined my night. I closed my book calmly, being careful not to get too close as to startle James as he jumped back and forth from the top of my floor speakers 'Hetfielding' in the corner. I turned off the music with a gentle click and went to bed, thankful that I made it out alive. 

So now, having readied myself over the past few hours, I decided to actually listen to Reload start to finish. Moments of torture I had forgotten about arose such as the goat noises in "The Memory Remains" and I did come to some new revelations which I am sure will never come up in conversations with other metal fans... such as how did the band not get called out for the "Enter Sandman" ripoff main riff in "Slither"? I guess it has something to do with the fact that no one has ever actively listened to Reload. But that moment of James blinking into existence around me without warning never occurred again - and the album was less for it. Without startling me, Reload is a monument to the band's crawl towards the gutter; when randomly encountered, it's a terrifying edifice existing within the darkness of my hard drive ready to pounce when I least expect it.

Arcane Malevolence - Wicked Turn Of The Vine (2010)

In 2007, Arcane Malevolence, from Connecticut, released a demo called Of Biblical Proportions. It was a mostly generic mix of black metal-this and deathcore-that which, while not unpleasant, did little to interest me. A Self Titled 2009 demo followed. Somehow I came into possession of the full length, Wicked Turn Of The Vine. I wish I could send it back to where it came from. Aside from offering only three new tracks - four of the seven could be found on their previous releases - the original versions were much better. Though the production is subpar and the songs are only mediocre, the biggest reason for this falls squarely on the shoulders of vocalist Chris Baldwin. Baldwin's vocal performance, though expressive, is irksome and thespian. If Garm's vocals on the seminal Arcturus albums were on a level comparable to Shakespeare, then Baldwin's vocals on Wicked Turn of the Vine would be the equivalent of a Troma bowel movement; as if they belonged to the lead singer of a System of a Down cover band who has Turret's Syndrome; so mismatched that if his vocals were left off the album to simmer in the depths of a harddrive, eventually the computer enclosure would suddenly be wearing Juggalo makeup. As mediocre and indifferent I am to the rest of the poorly produced music on this record, the vocal situation is a definitive deal breaker that drag this album so far into the mud that Les Claypool is concerned they're going to ruin the only mainstream hit anyone remembers Primus for other than the South Park theme song. The band did a decent job with the packaging but I'm glad this is off my desk now. I've vacuum sealed it into heavy duty As-Seen-On-Tv pouches and wrapped it in electrician's tape so it doesn't leak onto other music in my long-term storage bin.

At Night - At Night Demo (2009)

Dug this out of a box of random old tapes and CDrs. Not sure where / when I got it however it is somehow connected to Matt Gittings of Eerie up in New Hampshire. I believe it was recorded at his studio or something. At Night offer eight tracks of early 90's style grindcore which reminds me of a mix between Napalm Death and certain moments of Bolt Thrower. The Foursome's goal of violence and aggression is furthered by the inclusion of samples of gunshots, one of which cues the first track nicely, and the rest of which are jumbled into the last instrumental outro track which don't seem to coordinate with the underlying rhythm tracks. When the last track first played, I thought something came apart in my back passenger side brake compartment, banging around the drum and giving off all sorts of sudden noises. The main men here are Marble, on drums, and Mavrogeorge on guitar. Bass and vocals are both session musicians. The drumming and guitars are impressively performed. The tone of drums focuses on the metallic essence of the cymbals and adds a sharp attitude to the overall tracks. The songs, all unnumbered, have well placed melodic shifts, momentary breakdowns, catchy transitions, and occasionally even draw from an almost hidden black metal sentiment, while remaining entirely in the grind and even crust vibe. The vocals, provided by 'Ian' are scratchy and raw with a hint of cadence; they fit well though don't necessarily stand out or add a huge amount to the release. Persistent and driving, I could see this appealing to many fans on the extreme end of punk, grindcore, and crust. Having no additional information on the band, no lyrics, no idea of song titles, it's difficult to point to what actually might be contextually relevant beyond the quality of the music. Some additional effort into the package would have helped this otherwise acceptable DIY release.

Botonist - Ecosystem (2019)

This is my first foray into Botanist, being drawn into Otrebor's world, The Verdant Realm, through an interest in the overall concept first, and the music second. Musically, Ecosystem is difficult to describe overall and it doesn't seem to fit into any simple categorization. Botanist, here, is a collaborative group with Otrebor and a swarm of live musicians. Think of it as extreme metal drumming played over black metal instrumentals provided by bass, dulcimer, and a shadowy guitar (or something). Vocals are wailed screams in the vein of European depressive black metal bands like Eindig or Laster with heavy use of clean vocal harmonies as atmospheric effects. The songs are not done a disservice through this arrangement. Quite opposite in fact. The dulcimer is an aggressive tone which adds a lot of spit and snarl to even uplifting moments. The bass is also of significance, with all the other instruments taking up a certain space on the treble end of the spectrum, the sleek low end provided fills in and cues some of the album's most intense moments in songs like "Harvestman." The rich textures, exceptional playing, and dynamic compositions across the album offer a lot to return to across repeat listens. Regarding Ecosystem's concept described is similarly vivid and unique. As described by the band, the album deals with the the ecosystems of redwood forests and "with mankind's impact on those forests, particularly calling into question whether humanity has an operating 'ecosystem' of its own." This philosophical approach to understand humans in terms of the world we are creating around us as opposed to the world within us is intriguing. It recalls the earliest periods of philosophy and it's attempt to understand existence through observation of the physical world, explaining man as elements viewed in nature. The album single, "Red Crown," is not the strongest moment on the album for me. It's cheerful melody, almost impatient dulcimer usage, and the harmonious and beautiful vocals may be impressive, however I'm partial to the darker moments. I will be checking out some more of the Botanist material from this, especially the other collaborative material where Otrebor's live musicians were also involved. For me, the music here lives up to the concept for me.

Glaukom Synod - Macabre Remixes (2017)

Glaukom Synod, the French noise/grind/electronic project, just seems to have endless amounts of material floating around. This set of remixes is a compilation of a 2008 tape release and tracks from a Split with The Processus, similarly harsh and electronic, with some interesting background ambience which, if you have a neighbor like me, would be easy to imagine coming from their backyard as they do latin dances. So Glaukon Synod's material here is nothing different from their other releases which I've reviewed: Harsh Electronic Noise with hyperspeed industrial flourishes, like a murder factory on a speed it doesn't normally operate on. It's like listening to a lot of glitchy computer software running at the same time. I've always been enamored with the quirky rhythmic sensibilities which G.S. comes up with in these songs such as in "Transluminescence To The Cube II (Nail Hurt)" or "Le Traitement De Grace (Insane Crypt Inseminator Mix)". The Abba cover threw me off at first and is an interesting inclusion. I prefer the second version of "Gangrene Control" on this compilation, due to the subtle addition of spoken vocals and I like the opening track rendition of "Subterranean Nuttgrabber" better than the version further down the tracklisting which is overly complicated; compositional space is in short supply throughout here, and there is always something going on allowing minimalist elements and simpler passages to stand out. If you enjoyed the other Glaukom Synod material, you'll like this as well.

Käärmekristus - Spiritual War Alchemy (2018)

The first CD release and first release which is mostly communicated in English from Ophiuchus and his main artistic expression, Käärmekristus, Spiritual War Alchemy proves to be yet another strong release from this enigmatic force. Deeply personal and spiritual, the lyrical content here shows it's creator exploring the esoteric quandaries of elemental magic, cosmology, and individualism. But at the heart of Spiritual War Alchemy is a grouping of tracks which nearly rivals what is still my favorite of his releases, Venite Ad Me Satanas. Starting with a long ambient intro which is the album's weakest moment, we are ushered into "Growing Madness" which sets the tone for the album: repetitive yet endlessly evocative melodies and hypnotic drumming woven into excellently paced songs. Ophiuchus' vocals are a highlight for me. At times a grumbling mournful spit, other times spoken with a deep resonant masculinity, and of course you have the standard gnashing throaty screeches. The strongest tracks here start with the truly excellent "Ride To The Emerald Halls" and ends two tracks later with "Poisonous Black Iron". "Ride To The Emerald Halls" is a perfect black metal instrumental - grandiose, majestic, and image forming. Use of elements such as bells, chimes, and other percussion gives it a gallant weight. It would be fair to say this album is worth picking up for that track alone however the following "Magical Chant Of The Dark And Mystical Forest" is the perfect contrasting follow up track. The fastest and most intense track offered is dreary, unsettling, vampyric, and - momentarily - sweet and airy. Ophiuchus eschews his standard format and displays a mastery of painting with melody as he hovers over the uplifting climax with a slow guitar solo. The booklet and package is resolutely DIY but done well. Nuanced personality such as tertiary "Shifting Shapes of Reality" being called "Twisting Shapes of Reality" in the booklet show an artist in the process of forming and crafting his art. The raw yet powerful production makes Spiritual War Alchemy Käärmekristus' most accessible release, even though it's limited to only eighty-one copies. Ophiuchus is keeping a tight reign on this project, allowing it to be what he wants it to be and go where he wants it to go. I'm fine with it as long as it ends up in my lap because he is creating some incredible music.

Kaarmekristus - Venite Ad Me Satanas

Earlier this year I managed to have rekindled an interest in Kaarmekristus. I was unaware that Kaarmekristus had released new material because in the past Ophiuchus would simply mail me copies of his releases when he made them. While getting down to business and finally reviewing Kuolen Kusta Virta which he had sent me, I stumbled upon the new releases through the label he is now operating: Death Monument. Having followed the band since the first Demo, I didn't have to think twice about purchasing. I went ahead and bought the two new releases from Ophiuchus which I had not heard: Venite Ad Me Satanas and Spiritual War Alchemy. My concern going into the two releases is that it would show stagnation. Previous releases showed little progression of any sort. The raw, lo-fi black metal he had been pressing to tape was full of the stuff of black metal demos of past. The production was crumbly, the tape layouts simple, and the lack of connection to digital outlets refreshing and pure.

Venite Ad Me Satanas is the progression and shift I was waiting for. The release comes wrapped in a cloth bag, which spills out it's black metal contents - a lyric sheet, tape case with glued on labels, patch, and tape also with glued on labels (all DIY made) - in the manner a downtrodden artist who has reawakened dumps out his brushes frantically to capture some immediate revelation. For me, the feeling can be described as similar to being given an individualized gift on your birthday. The material on this tape is supreme black metal. Ophiuchus has achieved here what I have been laying in wait to experience from him. While the lo-fi qualities of the past have not slipped away into the past, the clarity and production emphasizes this homeliness into an atmosphere more than what it would present as simple tape-hiss-demo-feel. And yet, musically, much of this rekindles memories of previous releases.

The tape opens up with a long introductory track, much the same as Ajan Lopun Alku. An acoustic guitar strums a somber melody, supported with marching drums and drawn out distorted chords before sweeping quickly into "Pieyden Syuyyksiin", an immediate track that alters back and forth between a cold and dank hook melody in same fashion and feel as "Transylvanian Hunger." Ophiuchus' vocals are a combination of deep mournful bellows and scratchy throat scrapes in a high register. Unfortunately the lyrics are in Finnish and I can not translate but they are one of two songs whose lyrics are provided in the fold out. It is quick and decisive. An excellent opening track. It leads into "Portaat", the other track which has lyrics provided in the booklet. The track doesn't actually contain vocals. Slower, more reliant on the beating monotony of the kick drum, a hypnosis can be found in it's short length none-the-less.

Thus ends the first side of the tape or, what I think of as, the traditional side. The second side contains two official tracks and an untitled track which may actually be a cover. These tracks are brazen, touch upon some elements which Ophiuhcus never previously utilized. "Valon Kirkaauteen" opens in much the same style as the two tracks on side A, however mid-way through breaks into a more open, Cascadian theme. A shimmering guitar melody is included over the slower peaceful phrasing that drags out until the end of the track. It shows a melodic and emotional depth of writing which Ophiuchus had not previously touched upon. "Dvi" opens with terse acoustic chords before riding out the pastoral theme to the end of the song with distorted guitar chords accentuating underneath. The whole manner in which these last two songs shift into this more melodic and content emotional plane is something unique. To me, it sounds like the influence of an artist such as Empyrium, which is evidence of a higher plane of composition.

The final song offered on my tape starts out with a rumbling bass line and bursts into a combination of the two styles offered on the previous tracks. I originally thought it might be a demo track, or something unfinished, but it is my favorite song on the tape after the opening "Pieyden Syuyyksiin" and I now know it to be a version of "Poisonous Black Iron", a song from Spiritual War Alchemy. I honestly can't tell if it's the same version on tape or if it's a different version - the mix sounds a bit different to me, especially the vocals. It is also the longest track here at six minutes long. The final two minutes are more or less ringing of notes and strings with some subtle feedback at play and some cymbals being brushed or played with. I feel as though this track could have been something beyond what it was. Tightening up the opening, imbuing some minute structure to the song with the feedback and noise section opening back into the track somehow... I love it for what it could be, and not what it is. The tapes ends drifting in this ethereal noise, leaving one alone. This is the best release in Kaarmekristus' discography up to this point. Powerful emotive and cold lo-fi black metal in the Scandinavian Style with some nuance but a lot of tradition.