WINDHAND

I've been turned on to a lot of female-fronted doom bands lately (Jex Thoth, Blood Ceremony, et al), but none are more filthy and nearly as loud as WINDHAND from Richmond, Virginia. The vocals of Dorthia Cottrell have a very Devil's Blood-y feel to them, almost like Glen Danzig if he were a woman. The guitars (and probably the bass as well) are so drenched in fuzz that you can't even make out the white noise associated with heavy distortion. I guess we can thank those RAT Pedals for that. The riffs are real sludgy and southern, and them being from Virginia kinda helps that. All in all, a band worth listening to. Female singers in doom are just mysterious and way more convincing...if done right. These guys and gal definitely do it right.

CRUDE SS

Are you surprised that this hardcore gem is from Sweden? Of course not! Here we have CRUDE SS, a unique hardcore band that played fast and morbidly slow with extreme feeling and aggression. It doesn't look like they will ever play again (haven't done so since '85) since Hocke, their drummer, died. Bummer. At least we got this crude music to enjoy.

Invoke the King of Hell

Out now on Iron Pegasus Records...



Holy shit! The debut 7" from Sweden's GHOST, entitled Elizabeth, is finally available - get this NOW!

NO EMPATHY

I've been in a very black metal mood as of late and even though I don't exactly like many newer black metal bands (or what some people call "black metal"), I'm really digging this new find from Germany - Leipzig's NO EMPATHY. It's pretty obvious after listening to "Chalice of Vaus" and "Rust" that these guys totally understand the black metal aesthetics: raw, gritty, unpolished, riff-based and bleak as hell. I sense some influences from early Watain and Secrets of the Moon and the tortured vocals are just perfect (not over-the-top). Their debut full-length, Rust, seems to have come out earlier this year and is available through Iron Bonehead but I guess you can probably get it from the band as well. Enjoy!

HELLBRINGER

A little thrash ain't gonna hurt no one...right? Australia's HELLBRINGER deliver thrash metal of the highest order, in which they successfully encompass all styles (Bay Area, East Coast, German, etc.) into one. The band, formerly known as Forgery, go from Destruction (outfitted with Schmier-like shrieks) on "The Rapture" to some East Coast, Demolition Hammer-ish style on "The Hammer" to all-out South American on "The Banished". Old-school Sepultura fans take note. To further add to their credibility, their debut EP was mixed by none other than Harris Johns. This guy has mixed Coroner, Exumer, Kreator...you know, the thrash greats. If those 3 tracks mean anything, we might see a potential re-revitalization of thrash metal - with these guys sitting on top. Yep, L.A.'s pretty much run its course.

Oh, and I love how they don't have a logo yet.

EDIT: Josh of Hellbringer has informed me that the EP is still under the Forgery name. Just a little heads up!

MAUSOLEUM GATE

I'm not exactly sure of what to say about Finland's latest NWOBHM-inspired speed demons MAUSOLEUM GATE. They're just fucking awesome! They kind of remind me a bit of their neighbors in Enforcer - fast, catchy and heavy metal as all fuck. I stumbled upon these guys while browsing Shadow Kingdom Records. I guess I found something to put in my shopping cart. They have a demo out (on CD) so you best get it.

NIGHTLORE

Could it be...?! Quality black metal from, of all places, Rhode Island?! Yes, my friends, it's true. Jamestown's very own NIGHTLORE has the spirit of early black metal of the Swedish kind and though they don't exactly turn heads with their originality (or, rather, lack of), they can bust out convincing and authoritative black metal far better than almost all American wannabe's - and even some Scandinavians. There's a lot of variety in the riffs here and the playing is quite skilled. There should be enough elements to satisfy every metal fan, and they left me pretty fucking satisfied.

I'm guessing the songs on their MySpace are quite new, and if so, a good musical future is ahead for them. Check these guys out - they are definitely worth a listen or three!

America's Biggest Metal Party

Well, I never did get to finish my Supreme Brutality series since I got lazy (yet again) but rest assured that Maryland Deathfest was one hell of a fucking time! Words can't really describe how exciting and fun the festival was.

Oh, and the bands! A ton of heavy hitters this year, but obviously the masters that comprise AUTOPSY stole the whole damn show. 70 minutes of unrelenting metal of death...come on. NIRVANA 2002's third ever show was also pretty historic, even if technical problems unfortunately reared its ugly head (and, of course, US customs).

A real hidden gem was on the second day, where Norway's OBLITERATION tore the stage and us in the audience. That band plays with so much feeling, man. Then there were ENTOMBED and Michigan's legendary REPULSION, with the former playing a much more old-school set than I thought! Always a good thing! Bobby Liebling and PENTAGRAM really shocked me with Victor Griffin back on the guitar - and for good I hope! They played "Relentless" though unfortunately I missed it since I needed a spot for Entombed! Ugh! Sacrifices had to be made, unfortunately!

WATAIN, though I wanted to hear a lot more new songs from their brilliant Lawless Darkness, would've been the highlight of the first day had Japan's über-crushing COFFINS didn't play! Talk about riffs! The band has it all: Celtic Frost worship, massive riffs, insanely simple and brutal drumming...classic stuff, for sure.

As for disappointments? Unfortunately, we need to include ASPHYX in this category. Why? They played so well but the sound just sucked! Not only did Mayhem fuck them last year but this year they were destroyed by sound problems. These guys simply can't get a break! D.R.I. were a bit of a letdown as well, as they played an amazing show here in New York City earlier this year. The drummer was just all over the place and, of course, there were problems with the guitar signal.

Some logistical problems definitely include the "Side Lot" stage, where the stage is on a fucking hill and the awfully low-volume PA systems outside. Food was a bit expensive for what it was and the vendors were somewhat of a letdown. Other than that, it surely didn't ruin a good time!

MDF...my life is simply incomplete without it! Here's to next year being even better (if possible)! Cheers!

This is only less than half of what went down...