Even though the crust has taken a backseat (for now), the doom rolls on. I would like to first point out that my respect for the notorious Earache Records has gone up a bit due to their latest signing: doom powerhouse HOUR OF 13 from North Carolina. "Demons All Around Me" is a track to listen to. Wow.
At first glance, when you put "doom" and a southern state in the same breath, you will most likely get a trendy, bearded, "molasses"-style heavy band. With these guys, you don't get any of that. What you do get, however, is straight-up, traditional doom metal of the highest (er, lowest) order. One thing that interests me is that their first ever show was done at a doom festival in fucking Ireland of all places, and their second show will be this Saturday, October 16, at Brooklyn's Union Pool with the Gates of Slumber. If you're in the area, fucking be there.
Oh, look what we have here! If you're in the NYC-area, especially Brooklyn, it is mandatory to come to this show. Here we have New York's defenders of true steel NATUR along with New England's recent gem HESSIAN (who has just been Fenriz-approved) and Brooklyn-based doom trio BAD DREAM. This will be happening at The Acheron and will go down October 12. You're pretty much a false metal poser if you don't attend. Just sayin'.
Doro? Warlock? Acid? Stos? No! This is fucking CHRISTIAN MISTRESS from Olympia, WA! This band plays heavy metal of the highest order and is a giant middle finger to all the wimpy modern metal bands out there today. I get a strong feeling of the Belgian/French scenes (Mausoleum Records, basically) and it's been a long time since any band has done this. Listen to "Desert Rose" in the 20 Buck Spin player. If your mind isn't blown, I don't want anything to do with you. Get their debut LP, Agony & Opium, NOW! Thanks Shadow Kingdom Records!
Anyway, this latest post shouldn't be disappointing. I'm going to step away from the usual countries for a minute (Germany, Sweden, USA, etc.) and head down south to Argentina. Buenos Aires, to be exact. Here resides DRAGONAUTA, a psychedelic stoner/doom/heavy rock band that is as epic as their name.
These guys are basically an insanely fuzzed out version of Trouble, Pentagram, Saint Vitus, etc...rolled into one package. Not only will you find insanely heavy riffs, but a listen to a track like "God Half Blind" will make it obvious to you that these dudes take great care in making actual hooks as well! Michael Schenker-era UFO worship? These short bursts of catchiness and NWOBHM-inspired melodies are so effective in their execution that it just makes you want to scream. Not to mention they will make you keep coming back for more. Highly fucking recommended!
Why? Brooklyn's defenders of true fuckin' steel NATUR will be playing at the Cake Shop to celebrate the release of their first single 7", Decion b/w Spider Baby. It's a pretty monumental occasion since this band is meant for vinyl and the newly founded The Year is One Records (started by Mark from the Casualties, who is a huge vinyl freak) is putting it out. Hail! "Decion" is a brand new cut while "Spider Baby" was given the re-recorded treatment. Of course, in trueness, it was laid down on 2" tape. Can't get better than that, really.
Also on the bill is Mutant Supremacy, who will also be having their record release party. I guess this will be literally a "record" release party since the last one was for the CD version of their debut full-length, Infinite Suffering. I hope you like your death metal extra deadly because these guys bring it. And I hope you enjoy Morbid Angel.
A nice surprise to this fun-filled evening is MR's featured black metalers: Rhode Island's Nightlore! They're one of the very few black metal bands (even American black metal, no less) that I enjoy and I'm really stoked to be seeing them. Fuck!
Sorry kiddos: 21+ only. But that won't stop you, now would it?
How the fuck did I not feature this incredible band here before? Of course, I'm talking about Montreal's upcoming, super-fine doom band CAUCHEMAR. Their EP/mini-LP, La Vierge Noire, is now out on the Bay Area's incredible Nuclear War Now! Productions and it's absolutely mandatory that you order it. I'm not shitting you. Go listen to the two tracks up on their MySpace and worship them. Great, haunting and eerie female vocals courtesy of Annick Giroux (who also provides the bass playing), fantastic riffing and soloing by François Patry and Patrick Pageau holding it down Dave Holland-style. The best part is that everything is in French, from the lyrics to the layout of the album. I dunno about you guys, but I get a kick outta foreign things. It leaves everyone else in mystery and it's pretty rad.
Like Pagan Altar or Seventies-Judas Priest? How about some Black Sabbath or Mercy? It's a no-brainer, really.
Sorry for the giant gap between updates. There really isn't any excuse I can say for this other than me being super busy with my "real job" and other things.
Anyway, I'd like to introduce to you people Germany's heavy/doom rock/metal band MIDNIGHT RIDER. The core of the band is made up of Wayne, Cliff Bubenheim and fronted by Blumi (also of Metalucifer Germany). That in itself is pretty great since we all know how amazing and credible one must be to be in the ranks of Metalucifer. Rounding out the band as session members are Shinji "Samm" Tachi (of course, of Metalucifer) and Kenji Naruse from Japan.
Sound-wise, we get a really hard rockin', doom-tinged type of heavy metal much like the Seventies Pentagram stuff and all of the bands of that style. I also get a feeling of a little psych-rock in there, as well. Think Hawkwind.
Interested yet? You should be, since you can't really go wrong with bands that play in this ancient style. Unless, of course, you're The Sword.
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.
It's a pretty crappy Sunday, what with all the rain and shit going on outside. Anyway, I was just browsing through YouTube and decided to surf through some really obscure heavy metal (not necessarily just NWOBHM). Feast your ears upon these treasures!
I've been yearning for some "new" NWOBHM for a while and I think I found the answer! Portugal's SEPULCRO is a super obscure NWOBHM-style band that has all of the right qualities of the days of old: epic songs, amazing vocals, killer guitar work and, of course, excellent riffs! I think my favorite part about them is that they capture the essence of their time perfectly. They formed in '81 but they mixed the heavy rock style of the late-70's really well with the emerging heavy metal sound at the time. Good luck finding stuff from these guys. They only have 3 demos and split up in 1988. Damn...
No, this is not the same Tyrant from Sweden (obviously?)... this is the ultra-obscure heavy metal TYRANT from Australia, formed in 1982! Since forming, they put out one EP in '84 and their first LP didn't surface until 2000. Talk about a comeback.
To be honest, I'm not too familiar with their music but their latest demo track from their upcoming album is fucking killer! I'm shocked that it's listed as a "demo" since it sounds amazing. Not polished and clean-sounding like their peers and the other songs have a real 80's arena-metal feel which is awesome. Seems like time and modern trends do not affect these Aussies - much respect to them!
Check these dudes out now - summer is creeping in slowly but surely, and what's better than partying with awesome 80's metal? I thought so.
Demonical - I first stumbled upon these guys after learning that they will be playing at Germany's Party.San Open Air Festival. I've heard of all the bands on that announcement but them, so I checked them out. All I can say is, wow, pretty much the only band now that can mix old-school Swedish Death Metal feeling with modern production! These guys are aggressive, ruthless, heavy, and make memorable songs... what's there to hate? If only every death metal band these days that can learn from them. I immediately passed these guys on to some friends and they're as hooked as I am. That has to say something. I ordered their latest (and second) album, Hellsworn, through Hell's Headbangers to cut import costs a bit. I still need the first one, Servants Of The Unlight, but it's not as good as their latest. I'm guessing it's for the (better) line-up and that these guys know how to progress. This band truly has it all!
Killer - These guys were passed on to me by a friend of mine who I believe discovered while in Europe. I remember it clearly: I was over at his place and he said, check out this band from Belgium called Killer. They worship Motörhead. Frankly, any band that worships Motörhead is good in my book. The album he gave me was Shock Wave, and if you like your heavy metal done right, look no further. I'm not exactly sure as to what else I should add about Killer other than they're great. You can order their CDs through Mausoleum Records, though it's a bit pricey. If you can find their LPs second hand (like I did, at a record fair here), grab 'em. If not, definitely order some CDs.
Dark Angel - Ok, these guys aren't the most "underground" band but they are definitely INSANELY overlooked. When one speaks about the Bay Area thrash scene, especially the second wave when the music got even more aggressive, Dark Angel is hardly mentioned. There's the first Testament album, Sadus, Exodus' first, and even Possessed (again, a shame). Well, let me reintroduce Dark Angel. A band so fast and insane that you just can't help but punch people in the face. I don't know what to say about these guys. Gene Hoglan on drums. Not convinced? Then get out. Just listen to Darkness Descends because that will make everything clearer.
Agent Steel - Let's be real here: Agent Steel is the Bret Hart of speed metal. They're the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. They are the excellence in executing speed metal. The early German scene is great, but Agent Steel's better. John Cyriis resembles a true front man. Here's a man who was an extremely talented singer, songwriter, and a true character. No one knows his true history. Some say he's actually an alien. Whatever the case may be, they will never be the same without him. I'm sure they don't suck now, but there will always be one John Cyriis. The first 2 albums and EP will always be highly regarded by me, and surprisingly, they're a bit hard to find. I lucked out, to say the least, to own them on LP (thanks Slipped Disc). Anyway, get into these guys!
I woke up this morning sore as hell from carrying around a crate full of records, but it was damn worth it. Thanks to Tooth and Ryan for hookin' it up! If you haven't heard already, they're in a sick old-school heavy metal band called Natur. I wish they can play their own music on their own show. That would be something.
As for me, it was an experience DJ-ing for the first time. I got some pretty good feedback and allow me to use this post as a doorway to check out some of the bands I played. "Pick your poison" is the phrase but I say, "fuck it - pick 'em all!" You'll find some new bands, not-so-new bands, and everything in between.
*****
Ketzer - this is a band that Tooth was raving about when I played them, and he has every reason for it. These German youngsters play an insane style of blackened thrash metal that is as sinister as their debut album's artwork. You can get Satan's Boundaries Unchained on Kneel Before The Master's Throne's distro. If you're into Nifelheim or early-1349, you'll dig these guys.
Midnight - Here's a band from a few of Ohio's black rock n' rollers. Basically, these guys play 100% pure blackened rock/metal in the vein of Venom and Motörhead with some punk-feeling splashed on top. I blind-purchased their great EP Farewell To Hell a while back and it's still being spun around here. You can find it on Nuclear War Now! Productions' distro.
Skitsystem - Sweden's finest crust band! They broke up a while ago but thankfully reformed and will play shows again. Whew! These guys were the first crust band that I listened to back in like '05 and there was no turning back. Tomas Lindberg from At The Gates/Disfear and Adrian Erlandsson of At The Gates was in the initial line-up but have long since quit. These guys are as brutal as ever and you can get their albums at Havoc Records.
Ulysses Siren - These fucking guys! For those of you not aware of the glory that is Ulysses Siren, let me give you a heads up. These Bay Area thrashers only released 2 demos in their entire career and lasted for maybe 2 or 3 years total. Relentless Records just put them out in one package called Above The Ashes. You can get the super-limited vinyl version at The Omega Order. Do you like your trash fast? Look no further.
I know that feeling. While sitting here at my desk, I was floating around the world wide web and stumbled upon (again) this amazing post from my boys in the Metal Inquisition Radio Show.
What you see are two amazing videos from two of the best CULT heavy metal/hard rock bands from the late-70s/early-80s and late-60s (respectively): France's Dum Dum Bullet and England's The Gun.
You might recognize The Gun - both Judas Priest and Girlschool covered their only hit, "Race With The Devil". You can check 'em both below.
Unfortunately, I have no idea where you can find records from both bands. Dum Dum Bullet only has one record, their self-titled, and The Gun released a self-titled as well as a second album called Gunsight . I don't even know what their self-titled debut looks like!
Enjoy those 2 videos on Metal Inquisition Radio Show's blog - they're fucking awesome. After you're done, check Priest's and Girlschool's take on the classic over here. Personally, I think both are pretty great! Yes, I actually like Girlschool - I even saw 'em in Germany!
Ain't nothin' like some Armour to start your day off right!
I love how Vince "Werewolf" Venom (yes, you might know him from Satanic Warmaster) has a bit of an Udo Dirkschneider thing happening. It's never a bad thing, if you ask me.
Be sure to get their self-titled debut LP at Hells' Headbangers when it drops later this month, ya metal maniacs!
Leave it to fuckin' Darkthrone to back up their beliefs with amazing songs!!!
According to the latest update on the Darkthrone blog, Fenriz has mentioned that a brand new track, entitled "Eyes Burst At Dawn", is now available. You can find the link via his blog above.
What can I say about this? It's awesome, of course! It's a bit different from the last 2 albums, F.O.A.D. and Dark Thrones And Black Flags in that it's much more traditional heavy metal in the sense of guitar melodies and the last riff - which sounds quite triumphant. I mean, I can get all pretentious and technical (not really, which is why I'd be pretentious) by making up all of these adjectives to describe how much I like the song... but I won't. Listen to it and we can discuss it.
Their new album, Circle The Wagons, can NOT come any sooner! All info for it can be found through the link on Darkthrone's blog.
*****
Be sure to check out Banished Force who Fenriz mentioned! I'm listening to them now and I must say, these guys must like Forbidden quite a whole lot. I never would have guessed that they're from Germany. Well done, kiddos!
