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[ochoill]

Thorns- s/t. Going to give this another go because I'm intrigued by Snorre Ruch's influence on the second wave style of playing.  The quasi-industrial sound has always been a bit off putting for me but I'll see if his genius shines through.

Love that album.  I remember getting a taped copy of it off a lad when it came out (or more correctly Astfygl getting it), firing it on and being absolutely staggered by it.  Stuck with me ever since.  Tight and violent.  The lad I was listening to it with last week told me it was his go-to album for mushrooms for years after having the most hectic trip of his life while listening to it once.  Descriptions of his room morphing into a sort of oppressive spaceship galleon, madness.

Delighted to see the love for Inter Arma a few times in the last couple of pages there, very underrated band.  As much as this new album is like a furnace of metal - and unreal for it - Paradise Gallows is worth a look in too if ye're going back through them, it's more doomy than this one though.  The Cavern is pretty good too.

Mix of stuff for the last week:
Kayo Dot - "Blasphemy" (fuckin unreal)
Type O - "October Rust"
Lana Del Ray - "Ultraviolence"
Coroza - "Chaliceburner"
Gary Numan - "Hybrid"

A few other bits in between like the new Swans, Opeth, & Mayhem tunes - enjoyed them all.

[Eoin McLove]

I've had it on over the past couple of days and it's certainly a lot better than I possibly gave it credit for but the production is dreadful,  to my ear.  The drums are particularly weak.  The drumming itself is bland double bass driven ordinariness (which is I'm sure what Snorre wanted) but the actually sound is awful.  Sounds like a computer to me.  The riffs,  however,  are very impressive and highly inventive while being 100% black metal.  Bit of an odd one,  really.  There are two demo tracks at the end of the issue I have and they sound far heavier and fuller than the album itself.  The drums fill out more space and,  ironically, I think they might actually be programmed!

[Pentagrimes]

Bits of the new Cloud Rat (which is unreal) and Patton & Vannier (which is the closest we'll get to a follow up to "California") this morning.

[ochoill]

I've had it on over the past couple of days and it's certainly a lot better than I possibly gave it credit for but the production is dreadful,  to my ear.  The drums are particularly weak.  The drumming itself is bland double bass driven ordinariness (which is I'm sure what Snorre wanted) but the actually sound is awful.  Sounds like a computer to me.  The riffs,  however,  are very impressive and highly inventive while being 100% black metal.  Bit of an odd one,  really.  There are two demo tracks at the end of the issue I have and they sound far heavier and fuller than the album itself.  The drums fill out more space and,  ironically, I think they might actually be programmed!

I had always thought that was what they were going for with the whole production, making it as clinical as possible without being "clean" at all, if that makes sense.  Very mechanical - which is probably why the drums are that way too, they definitely aren't outstanding but they are rigid and strict, great counterpoint to the guitar.  It's the riffs and guitar tone that sold me years ago, it's evil, white hot, and tight as a miser.  Just very fond of the way the whole thing is put together really, and it opens up more and more with every listen.  Must find those demos online and try them out.

[ochoill]

Bits of the new Cloud Rat (which is unreal) and Patton & Vannier (which is the closest we'll get to a follow up to "California") this morning.

Forgot that Patton & Vannier was out today, that's going on later on anyway.  Should be deadly.

[Pentagrimes]

It's good but..I dunno. For a man with such range Patton sticks to his dirty old man voice for a lot of it and really doesn't deliver the way you'd hope. It's good though. The orchestration/writing is as great as any of  JCV's older stuff that I've heard for sure. Some great tunes, "Hungry Ghost" and "Chansons D'Amour" particularly. "Cold Sun Warm Beer" is a stand out just for the sheer oddness too.

[Eoin McLove]

Blood Revolt- Indoctrine. Still utterly savage.

[ochoill]

Sitting here drinking cans listening to the shite Astfgyl and myself used to get up to as Antihuman, because I found an album on spotify - I'll blame him for putting it on there.  I still enjoy it thoroughly.  https://open.spotify.com/album/4lCjaYrLKIRujtQ5RrTkhq?si=HhJnz7ZlSZWdGoJUgciOlg

[Eoin McLove]

Crypts of Wallachia- demo.  Decent enough. It lacks the spark,  to my ear,  of the likes of Forbidden Temple who are more gnarly and evil sounding or Moenen of Xezbeth and Perverted Ceremony who are more nasty and creative. 

[Thorn]

Rotting Christ - The Heretics

Coming back to this after initial disappointment but no, nothing to see here. The entire first half seems like a variation on the same build-up with no release song over and over again. Second side marginally better but, fuck, there's some serious lack of riffs to be found anywhere on this.  Nah, enough of these pyres and fires for me.

[Don Gately]

Tribulation - Down Below
Really enjoying this.

[Ducky]

Cynic - "Uroboric Forms" demo collection
Exivious - "Chrysalis - The Early Demos".

You have to honestly wonder how much of an influence Tymon had on Traced in Air as these Exivious demos achieve the rare feat of being a direct rip off of the main inspiration but also being just as good.

[Grim Reality]

Suffering a bit of metal fatigue going on a couple of years now. Bought fuck all this year especially. But recently blind bought a few bits from Tour De Garde and Legion Blotan in an effort to rediscover the arcane black metal spark in an era of oversaturated self promotion.

FUIL NA SEANCHOILE - the crossing. Already knew FNS of course. Its good if a little short for my liking.

VRIL - the shadow soul and the black sun. Intriguing stuff.

FORGOTTEN KINGDOMS - a kingdom in ruin. Passable ambient stuff.

NATURE MORTE/ERSZEBETH - split. Cringey bollocks. Not for me.

IFERNACH - skin stone blood bone. Interesting Canadian Indian theme. Competent and listenable BM with a idiosyncratic touch.

BLOOD TYRANT - the realm that brings forth death. Homagey raw black metal. Hard to take seriously. Guilty pleasure at best.

SVARTGREN - prazan grob. Serbian accessible BM, underground feel yet with catchy structures like mgla.

SACRED RITUAL /GRIMMD - split. Nice typical legion Blotan vibes. Raw and honest.

BLACK HOWLING - O sangue e a terra. Early days with this..... Some nice bits but has the vibes of something I will struggle to take seriously.

[Grim Reality]

But alongside all that nonsense I've just done a week of almost the full Reverend Bizarre discography.

In The Rectory
Harbinger of Metal
Return to the Rectory
Crush The Insects
Death Is Glory 1 & 2
So Long Suckers

Is the order I chose. What. A. Band. Only a few seemingly weak meandering minutes here and there across what must be about 8 hours of music. And they are only there to test your commitment to the cause as the bangers are justified by the lengthy dirges.

A highlight? So, so many. But the opening track on the final album, all 29 minutes of it, wow. Rocking, banging, emotionally draining, it flies by and not a second wasted. Impressive.

[Eoin McLove]

Chaos Echoes- Mouvement. An interesting album. I picked up their first demo years ago and it didn't click and I saw them live around then as well but it was a bit all over the shop by the nature of the band's style- semi-improvised death metal basically.  This album is sparkling with great ideas and the production is magic. It's heavy and full as you'd want from a death metal album but the clarity is something else.  There are so many layers of instruments that it could easily have become death metal  stew and with the free form,  sprawling nature of the songs it might easily have gone off the rails, but it's very tight, focused and full of interesting twists and turns.  I'd personally love to have heard some creative vocals added as I seldom choose to listen to instrumental music and that might draw me back to it more frequently but even as it is it's impressive.