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[Ducky]

Bit pissed with the new Revocation on the go - Dave Davidson has written more memorable riffs and solos than the board has had hot dinners.

Earlier - Malthusian - The Summoning Bell. Fair fucking play to OFS and Co., pure nastiness (in a good way) made flesh 

[Ducky]

The new Voidceremony single (Seventh Ephemeral Aura) is sounding mighty fine.

Hyped for the new album now.

[Eoin McLove]

With the recent Watain announcement I decided to revisit Casus Luciferi. I bought it blind when it came out and I remember it having a real aura around it back then. These guys were supposedly the real deal, and they were part of the Norma Evangelium Diaboli movement which seemed so dark and authentic. I remember being kind of non-plussed by the music when I got it. Nothing about it drew me in apart from the cool Ketola artwork and the overall imagery of the band. I revisited it today and yesterday (I only got through side A twice so maybe it gets better on side B?) and found it pretty ordinary. DMDS without the songs or unusual vocals. I have been a long time wading through the classics and obscurities that black metal has to offer in the years since and even listening to it with that level of education behind me I'm unmoved.

Mysterion Tes Anomias by Ofermod (which is all I ever picked up by them) has a better stab at this style and delivers a much more evil and exciting experience. The levels of mental suffering seem more palpable. I think that back then I wouldn't really have had the references to point to with Watain or Ofermod, but even then I could feel the qualitative difference between the two.

[Pentagrimes]

The new Voidceremony single (Seventh Ephemeral Aura) is sounding mighty fine.

Hyped for the new album now.

yes it's very good


I think it's safe to say the least interesting thing s out Watain is their music, honestly. I threw on Casus during the week, enjoyed it, don't need to hear it again for another decade.

I remember at the time them, Ofermod and Malign were the talk of the scene in terms of "trveness", and I was coming to them after a long time away from metal, particularly black metal and their interviews always made entertaining reading.

Of those 3, Watain are the one I suppose I'd have listened to most, Malign and Ofermod I must revisit but they've left no impression on me historically. Ondskapt I think were the best of that Swedish bunch.

Similar to the wave of death metal that emerged from that too..Denial, Graveless  Vorum (best of the bunch), Invidious etc..time has not been kind to those records, and  they're quite mediocre musically  even though the aesthetic around them was interesting

[open face surgery]

Ya, that new VoidCeremony song was a pleasant surprise on Friday morning. Great stuff.


As far as Casus Luciferi, I could never understand the praise it got. It's a fuckin snoozefest. That said I too have been meaning to give it another lash given all the talk. Ray gave me a burn of Rabid's Death Curse way back when, which I will also revisit, but I always remember that being alright. Everyone else that was around at the same time is better to my ears. DSO, Funeral Mist, Katharsis and even Ondskapt on NED and Sigrblot besides. Truly evil and exceptional BM that still holds up.

[Pentagrimes]

I actually think Katharsis might be the best of them. World Without End and Fourth Reich (the irony) are savage.

Went back to Antaeus too recently. I mean yeah, it's impressively aggressive but that's about it.

[open face surgery]

SMRC, Salvation and WWE of the mid-2000s are the best without question.

Only ever bought Antaeus - De Principii Evangelikum but that is also better than Watain 

[Pentagrimes]

Ah yeah,DSO are in a separate league really

Apart from "Drought".That record is shite.

[open face surgery]

Didn't like it initially but I love it. The last one is the only one I'm not arsed with.

[Anvil]

AC/DC - Highway to Hell
Bolt Thrower - The 4th Crusade
Carcass - Heartwork
Deicide - Once Upon The Cross

[Thorn]

Slaughter Lord - Thrash 'Til Death 9/10
Still not sure how these guys hailed from Sydney and not South America but man were they waaaay ahead of their time with the barbaric blackened Thrash of their 'Taste Of Blood' demo and the other odds and sods on here. An essential Invictus release this one.

Burzum - Hyss Lysset Tar Oss 8.5/10
There's no getting away from the fact now that the further I move on into middle age the more of a disconnect I feel with those iconic records of the early BM scene. Varg's tortured aural treatise on the futility of existence is of course Black Metal par excellence but damn if I didn't feel it more amidst the debauchery and oft solitude of my late teens and early twenties..

Hellwitch - Syzgial Miscreancy 8/10
Always good to see that mad Green Goblin Meteor cover next to the record player, not that I ever need much of an excuse to champion the Floridian's borderline trainwreck thrash assault.

Spiritual Beggars - Mantra III 8/10
On their third album the Swedes employ that failsafe old trick of opening up with some nails down a blackboard elevator muzak before relieving us with one of their big ballsy, fuzzed out riffs and launching into a hectic set of Sabbath meets Hendrix meets all sorts of questionable substances. State of that cover though. Silly Beggars.

Pestilential Shadows - Wretch 7.5/10
Very respectable new one from the Aussies who largely play by the rules laid down by the early Black Metal progenitors though there are some quirks and cool ideas here and there, some stellar leads and acoustics, plenty enough to keep this hanging around the stereo since it landed. A grower I think.

Vicious Rumors - Love You To Death 2 7/10
I nearly have to force myself to spell Rumors without a second U but anyway, I dug this out in anticipation of getting my ears around the new one soon, plenty of choice cuts here from their 2013 U.S. tour covering most of their eleven albums up 'til then. The back cover on this CD is one of the most Metal live band shots you could hope to see, a triple axe attack with long hair all over the show 

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Opeth - Still Life
Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse

[Pagan Saviour]

Two of my favourite Irish records this morning

Abaddon Incarnate - Last Supper
Primordial - Gathering Wilderness

[open face surgery]

Add in The Sullen Sulcus for an unholy trinity.

[Pagan Saviour]

Absolutely!