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Friday, February 26, 2010

Desolate One - Desecrate The Night / Desolate One

From the very bowels of depravity and filth comes Desolate One's second sacrifice to the ancient gods of Blasphemy, Sarcofago, and the other myriad South American black thrash legions. Where Desolate One's first demo fell short, Desecrate The Night pulls itself onwards and rapes the very soul of the night. One listen, and I've got tracks stuck in my teeth like plaque and clinging to my skin like leeches.

What has really got my brain rattling is the rawness and blasts of charred brilliance that creep out from behind the fuzzy and misty shroud of noise. Though at times maybe a bit too raw, the general tone is nothing worse than other demo standards. Desolate One have improved strangely in the production in some areas but fallen short in others. The drums on this demo are a bit too subdued where the debut demo they were a bit too loud. They could be slightly more upfront but they are audible. Though Desolate One's first demo was cleaner and easier to digest, the emotion on Desecrate The Night is thick and steamy like a midnight orgy to the black demon gods.

Opener "Sepulchrum Temero" lets loose the first barrage of noise, yielding results ranging from a concussive wallop to the ultimate screaming noise solo. The track sets not just a tone for the demo but also a pace for the five new tracks. "Of Desolation" is a bit too noisy and redundant until the central section, which draws back the curtain on some night details such as the wavering guitar chords, subtle feedback and rusty dingy rehearsal room. This is the first moment on the demo where you can get a real feel for the atmosphere of the recording session - hazed and glazed with alcohol infused euphoria. But leave it to the title track to really capture all that is awesome about this demo.

Opening with feedback, wailing guitar grit and filth and one of the demo's best riffs, "Desecrate The Night" is a true bludgeoning. The vocals on the track are the best on the tape though never does vocalist Hideous Possessor falter in delivery. There are moments when he is difficult to hear but on this demo, everything is charmingly murky. Following is "Serpent's Blood" which contains another of my favorite riffs, a riff I call the zombie march. Its a slow, swinging undead-stomping-dance riff which should evoke memories of Messiah Marcolin in a forest leading a band of damned doomsters to who the hell knows where... whatever, you'll be swaying too.

With the originals done, the demo's last track is a cover of Blasphemy's "The Desolate One." I can not lie, I was expecting them to do a Blasphemy cover and this is the perfect song (made more perfect because it's the band's namesake). You can hear their influence. In general I do like this much more than the 2009 demo. The aggression and hatred is more focused and the whole demo has a much more serious demeanor. The rawness is glorious. With two demos under their belt now, I would like to see Desolate One take a step further with their next release in the production department. Nothing polished of course, but just a bit more punch and a bit more clarity would do Desolate One wonders as long as the rawness remains. Something like the production on Bestial Warlust's releases would be perfect. Either way I am excited about another release from these guys. If they manage to get someone to release a 7" next I will be the first to buy it.

So, in addition I have attached information from both demos. The first demo is actually side two of the tape so those who missed out on the first demo can still check it out on this tape. I would hurry though if ugly dirty black thrash tickles your sensitive side. Last I heard, the tapes were all close to gone. Salute to the awesome demo(n)-art which as been provided courtesy of Raquel Thulcandra.

I have attached the review from CT#1 for extra-curricular reading as well as a scan of the first demo's insert... you lucky whippersnappers you...


Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Playlist - 02/24/10

01. Solitude Aeturnus - Alone - Scent Of Death
02. Manilla Road - Spiral Castle - Merchants Of Death
03. Dio - Holy Diver - Stand Up And Shout
04. Fates Warning - The Spectre Within - Traveler In Time
05. Drudkh - Microcosmos - Decadence
06. Flotsam And Jetsam - Doomsday For The Deceiver - Metalshock
07. Genocide Winter - Monastica Holocaust - Consumed By Darkness
08. Sapremia - Existence Of Torture - Spawn Of Desolation
09. Sapremia - With Winter Comes Despair - Open Grave
10. Devastation - Idolatry - Freewill
11. Fall Of Empyrean - A Darkness Remembered - The Fading Light*
12. Forefather - Ours Is The Kingdom - To The Mountains They Fled
13. Grave Digger - War Games - Let Your Heads Roll
14. Hades - Resisting Success - The Cross
15. Hammerfall - Legacy Of Kings - Legacy Of Kings
16. Hell Rot - Vomit Altar - Goat Chapel
17. Hell Rot - Vomit Altar - Marginal
18. Masters Hammer - The Jilemnice Occultist - A Dark Forest Spreads All Around
19. Metal Inquisitor - Doomsday For The Heretic - Doomsday For The Heretic
20. Metal Inquisitor - Doomsday For The Heretic - Thane Of Cowder
21. Midnight Priest - Rainha Da Magia Negra - Juzio Final
22. Morgion - Solinari - Canticle

TRILOGY - Midnight
23. Midnight - Complete And Total F'n Midnight - All Hail Hell
24. Midnight - Farewell To Hell - Black Rock And Roll
25. Midnight - Farewell To Hell - Vomit Queens

26. Venom - Welcome To Hell - Welcome To Hell
27. Venom - Welcome To Hell - Live Like An Angel
28. Nachtmystium - Instinct: Decay - Circumvention
29. Negura Bunget - Om - Tesarul De Lumini
30. Neftaraka - Raw Ist Law - The Knoll

Vinyl / Cassette Rips #'s: 7, 8, 16, 17,
Background: Death Hymn - Flower Of Disease

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Playlist - 02/17/10

Thrash and traditional tonight. I don't know why but a better question is why not?

01. Valkija - Avengers Of Steel - Son Of Thunder
02. Fates Warning - Awaken The Guardian - The Sorceress
03. Fates Warning - The Spectre Within - The Apparition
04. Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son - Moonchild
05. Crimson Glory - Crimson Glory - Dragon Lady
06. Crimson Glory - Transcendence - Red Sharks
07. Faith Or Fear - Punishment Area - The Shadow Knows
08. Heathen - Breaking The Silence - Save The Skull
09. Heathen - The Evolution Of Chaos - Dying Season
10. Hallows Eve - Death And Insanity - Nefarious
11. Iced Earth - Iced Earth - Iced Earth
12. Iron Savior - Unification - Coming Home
13. Exxplorer - Symphonies Of Steel - Metal Detectors
14. Metal Inquisitor - Doomsday For The Heretic - Doomsday For The Heretic

TRILOGY - OVERKILL
15. Overkill - Taking Over - Wrecking Crew
16. Overkill - Horrorscope - Coma
17. Overkill - Ironbound - Bring Me The Night

18. Bestial Warlust - Blood And Valour - Legion Of Wrath *
19. Absu - Tara - Stone Of Destiny *
20. Demolition Hammer - Epidemic Of Violence - Pyroclastic Annihilation*
21. Genocrush Ferox - The Sepulchre Strangulation - Death Is Just This*

Cassette / Vinyl Rips #'s: 7, 8, 13, 17
2010 Release #'s: 9, 17
Background: Lordamor - Lordamor

* Four songs dedicated to Tobestius.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Beyond Mind - The Wrath Of The Dead Tongue


"The Wrath Of The Dead Tongue," is Beyond Mind's first release and hopefully not their last. Their sharp and decisive brand of black metal is both intriguing and rewarding. Naberius' vocal attack could be likened to watching Lord Of The Rings' Gollum talking through a distortion pedal while being sodomized by Sauron's minions. Definitely the more outrageous vocal style I've heard and easily one of the most unique. Beyond Mind isn't content to simply recite old formulas elsewhere and rely on vocal ingenuity to push them through. Musically, Beyond Mind is keen to mix and mash black metal into a cosmic mess. The spacey sound to their tracks can be heard in the use of some background effects on track such as "The Spiral of Withering."

While entirely unique, a band comparable in some way would be Choronzon (Thanks Andrew) on their Magog Agog disc. Both Beyond Mind and Choronzon have a splattering of rocket propellant energy though constant flames flicker persistently deep within the engines of their blackened releases. Beyond Mind show this best on "Children Of Ashes," the first real track on the disc. And while Choronzon's Magog Agog is pretty weird in a Devin-Townsend-(more)on-crack-and-with-hair mentality, Beyond Mind come close as well. One listen through the second half of Beyond Mind's "The Spiral Of Withering," will provide adequate evidence to support this and also display some area which Beyond Mind still need to improve on. Aside from relegating what were odd but bearable vocals to a parody of themselves, the gimmicky attempt to recreate the "this is what it sounds like when someone is withering away" concept is just slightly too theatrical and a bit outright for my tastes.

Musically, fourth track (third real track), "Caressed By Cold" is my favorite track on the disc though "Children of Ashes" also tickles my tender spot. "Caressed..." combines elements of doom's penchant for down-tempo mass and depressive black metal melodies a la Benighted in Sodom. Plodding, awkward and dissonant at times, it is a perfect track for Beyond Mind to tackle. Even though the vocals on this track are also outlandish and theatrical, I'm not laughing like three-quarters of the way through "The Spiral Of Withering." Still, Naberius could reign them in a bit without losing their intensity or giving up their personality. On this track, as elsewhere, Gerdon's bass playing is sheepish, rarely leaving the flock lead by the guitars.

The drums seem to be programmed but they could be real also - it's so difficult to tell these days on well produced releases - so no complaints there. If they are programmed, I would still suggest finding a session drummer in the future; they often sound mechanical. It would also offer more options to make the music of Beyond Mind even more strange. Some songs on the release did drag on a bit including my personal favorite "Caressed By Cold" and the intro track, "Decent," which was long. I am still torn between considering it a full fledged song or not. Beyond Mind have done well with the release's production combining rusty guitars, deep but clanging bass, clean guitars and everything between. Should Beyond Mind control some of the rather comedic vocals and cut back the songs to a length less repetitive and more natural in flow, future releases may yield some true black gems.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Playlist - 02/03/10 - Maegashira Interview


Maegashira.... What a buncha guys. George, John, JJ and Joe are ready to beat the crap out of you if you wear sunglasses.

01. Eyehategod - Take As Needed For Pain - Blank
02. Maegashira - The Stark Arctic - Hi From Jersey

TRILOGY - BLACK SABBATH

03. Black Sabbath - Paranoid - Hand Of Doom
04. Black Sabbath - Vol. 4 - Wheels Of Confusion
05. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath - The Wizard

06. Maegashira - The Stark Arctic - Ammonia For Sweat
07. Maegashira - The Stark Arctic - Caribou Crossing
08. Saint Vitus - Saint Vitus - The Psychopath
09. Iron Man - Black Night - Black Night
10. Maegashira - Maegashira / Sowbelly / OSSM Split - The Man Who Named God
11. Voivod - Killing Machine - Forgotten In Space
12. Deep Purple - In Rock - Into The Fire
13. Maegashira - Maegashira / Sowbelly / OSSM Split - Adapting To The Noose
14. Maegashira - The Stark Arctic - Back To Muro