To the Girl in the World

Girl Up, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, gives American girls the opportunity to channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls. Through Girl Up’s support, girls have the opportunity to become educated, healthy, safe, counted and positioned to be the next generation of leaders. Campaign supporters are encouraged to give a “High Five” to girls in developing countries by donating $5 or more to provide girls with such basic needs as access to school supplies, clean water, life-saving health services, safety from violence and more.

Death Metal Origins

Throughout the history of metal, genres seem to have branched out and recreated themselves. A definition to the distorted outburst of fast-paced guitar chord progressions and barbaric growls, cannot simply be defined as "metal". The genre has become so diverse, that it has been divided into an assortment of categories, and therefore leaving the word "metal" without the prerequisite genre-defining label might lead to confusion. One popular sub genre of metal, is death metal, which in turn, has its respective subdivisions.

Death Metal emerged during the mid 1980s colliding a mix of heavy punk,speed and thrash metal. By the early 1990s Record label Earache Records were amongst the first labels to sign death metal bands and pave the road to their extremity for years to come. Bands such as Death and Morbid Angel are often considered founders of this genre.

The initial classification of death metal was thought of as an assemblage of harsh, macabre, mind thumping melodies and complex percussions. Added with the ferociousness of the "death grunts" and screams, death metal was often regarded as one of the most violent music genres to emerge from metal. Death metal's lyrics often revolved around acts of gory and bloody carnage, destruction and mutilation. As some have regarded this as unorthodox or psychologically sickening, death metal artists defend their work and cherish it as an overkill of entertainment; similar to the aesthetic properties of horror movies.

By the mid 1980s, American bands such as Obituary, Deicide and Pestilence were incorporating technical and melodic arrangements which inspired the flourishing death metal bands in Sweden, and brought about a more harmonious "Melodeath" genre. This sub-genre is a more "flowing" combination of heavy and death metal which incorporated more melodic guitar riffs, acoustic guitar work, some clean vocals and often more coherent lyrics than typical death metal songs. One evident addition would be the synthesizers and keyboards that are used not only to create main melodies but also the background tunes that bring the songs alive. Notable melodeath bands include Amorphis, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. In the early 1990s, a new sub-genre was being displayed by Napalm Death's "Harmony Corruption"; this sub-genre was labelled "grindcore" as the term "grind" is the best way to describe the speed and brutality of this genre. The characteristics of grindcore include down-tuned guitars, throat-shredding growls, power-violence and blast beats while fusing rage and aggression into their music and vocals. Modern bands like Devourment, Skinless and Agoraphic Nosebleed have taken this archetype and embedded it into their music which is focused on subjects like political unrest, "bodily" themes, and even animal abuse.

Today, Grindcore is also known by its own sub-genres including goregrind, deathgrind and noisegrind, while some refer to it as simply "grind". Originating from an "underground" scene, grindcore is intentionally broken off from the mainstream, and is kept alive by small groups of die-hard metal fans all around the globe.
The popularity of Death Metal reached its peak in the mid 1990s and thus encouraged a vast diversity of bands to create an ever-growing sea of new sub-genres.
Each day, society experiences individuals that feel the need to withdraw from the typical, mainstream morals of the conventional life that they lead.
Death metal provides these people with a glimpse of chaos and nihilism, providing a way to vent as an escape from social norms. Death metal has not collapsed on its own inertia, or becomemorality-driven and conformist like emo or commercial metal bands. Its underground community remains strong and boldly independent.

Lvcifyre- "Svn Eater" CD/LP (Dark Descent)

Greetings readers. Thanks for being patient with my slight delay in reviews. Today we're visiting an album that's only been out for a couple days and has already been causing quite a stir in the general metal media. I tend to try to steer clear of releases that are receiving larger amounts of coverage, but this one impressed me enough to warrant sharing with my readers. With a name like Lvcifyre, I would normally be slightly hesitant about the music, as the whole business of substituting "v' for "u" is typically an indication of campy junk, but even my first listen yielded great interest. It's evident these guys are dead serious and focused on cultivating a truly evil atmosphere, not just playing with Satanism for laughs.

While Svn Eater lurches in slowly with a nearly five-minute long buildup on opener "Night Seas Sorcery," the rest of the album's nearly fifty minutes passes quickly with very few moments of relief. While the lyrical and visual aesthetic of the album is clearly rooted in black metal's symbolism, this is very much an efficient and precise exercise in death metal perfection. Guitars swirl and roar in lower frequencies, yet don't tread into the more subterranean horror that's so popular now. Instead, this is a modern take on the classic aggression of early 90's acts, relentless and full of great riffs. In fact, the mix is crystal clear without treading into slick or obnoxious territory. Everything is crisp and balanced, exactly as it should be, with just enough variety and nuance to keep things from being a simple rehash of a genre overplayed. Copies of this album are officially on sale from Dark Descent now, so grab it on the format of your choice while it's available.

European Deathcharge Tourdates Revealed

We are thrilled to announce all dates & details for the "European Deathcharge tour 2014", our upcoming summer-crusade alongside US devil metal masters Nunslaughter and Swedish thrashers Warfect.
 
NUNSLAUGHTER + DEMONICAL + WARFECT - European Deathcharge tour
03.07 2014 GER - Berlin - Under The Black Sun Festival
04.07 2014 GER - Wermelskirchen - AJZ Bahndamm
05.07 2014 BEL- Leffinge - Devils Corner
06.07 2014 FRA - Paris - Le Klub
07.07 2014 NL - Tilburg - Little Devil
08.07 2014 GER - Kassel - H. Schmiede
09.07 2014 GER - Bremen - Römer
10.07 2014 DK - Fredericia - Metal Magic Festival
11.07 2014 GER - Hamburg - Bambi Galore
12.07 2014 GER - Torgau - In Flammen Festival
13.07 2014 GER - Karlsruhe - AKK
14.07 2014 GER - Aalen - Rock It
15.07 2014 ITA - Milano - Blue Rose Saloon
16.07 2014 ITA - Zero Branco (Treviso) - Altroquando
17.07 2014 AT - Graz - Club Wakuum
18.07 2014 CZE - Trutnov - Obscene Extreme Festival
19.07 2014 POL - Szczecin - DK Slowanin

A strictly limited 7" vinyl-release featuring exclusive Nunslaughter and Demonical material will be released in connection with the tour. Further info TBA!

Nile - At The Gate of Sethu

Alright, after listening to it, I'm amazed and blown away with the fact that they actually managed to offer something entirely new! After so many vocal experimentation on all of their previous albums, they've once again succeeded in providing a completely fresh approach. It's truly mind boggling.

The melodies are out of this world, especially on Supreme Humanism of Megalomania. It's just pure evil that immerses you in your entirety. Kollias is still the biggest beast in death metal, regardless of musical taste and misguided opinions. Rhythmically, the album owns with intensity, diversity and complexity. Rarely do we have a chance to hear a release that offers so much fresh and new moments, yet still manages to stay that which makes Nile the band it is. No bullshit.

In fact, this one is definitively the one to battle Annihilation of the Wicked and In Their Darkened Shrines for the Nile throne. Don't trust me? Listen to it for yourself.

Yellow Eyes- "The Desert Mourns" EP (SIbir Records/Dead Section)

Readers who have been following for any amount of time should know I've been big on New York black metal group Yellow Eyes since the beginning of my writing career (if you could call a blog a career). In just a few short years, these guys have gone from being a band with a promising demo to being the sort of hot commodity who makes year end lists on sites with hundreds of times the visitor count of my little blog. I've even seen copies of their debut demo going for offensively high prices on discogs, which is a sign of their current popularity, although I'd love to see the band getting that kind of cash instead of folks who bought a tape and never even listened to it. In other words, I love Yellow Eyes and it's incredible to me that they've become such a buzz band. This hype would typically be hard to live up to, but this band delivers time after time. Today we're taking a look at their brand new 12" EP, The Desert Mourns.

Back of shirt. Front has Yellow Eyes logo.

With only one song on each side, this album plays at 45RPM, which is a rarity in my collection, but makes this a real collectible gem. These two songs see Yellow Eyes demonstrating a sound that is truly their own yet instantly welcoming even for those not previously initiated with this skilled young act. Vibrant and bright guitars that cut through the mix with a clarity uncommon in black metal will grab your attention almost immediately after following the band's trademark introductory ambiance. If the band's energy doesn't come through your sound system with the passion and fury of a live performance, then I can only assume your ears or heart aren't in the right place, because this is a gripping, if not unnecessarily brief, demonstration of Yellow Eyes' mastery of the genre and true potential. The drumming is expressive without hogging the spotlight and the vocals are almost scientifically engineered to hit the right degree of presence for this kind of music. There is a sense of confidence that this album displays that, while other releases hinted at, is finally coming to the foreground here. I think the band has always had material like this in them yet perhaps did not have the reputation or experience necessary to share it properly. This isn't really even ambitious so much as it is another step in this already challenging band's continuous path towards dominance of the metal underground. Another thing to make note of is the lyrical expansion. While Yellow Eyes' career started with rather bleak, depressing lyrics fixated on self-loathing, misery, and generally unpleasant themes, they've adapted the position of storytellers rather than miserable black metal dudes. While I'm a fan of both, the growth and maturity of the band has clearly expanded in every aspect of their complete package, which delights me. As an aside, if you're a geek like me, you'll love how intense this gets if you play it at 33RPM instead of 45. You'll have to try it for yourself when you grab a copy.

This album is available on its own in versions unique to both the US and EU, as well as in a bundle with a shirt commissioned for this particular album. I'm honestly surprised this didn't sell out in its first day or two, but that doesn't mean you should wait long if you want to have a shot at owning a copy. Also, yes, I'm still unable to embed from bandcamp for some awful reason. Here's a youtube sample of the title track. Once my official site goes up soon I'll be able to embed properly again. Thanks for the patience, dear readers.

Krieg - Full Lengths

American black metal with a completely unsubtle approach.  Nobody in Krieg has more than a whiff of death metal on their resume but you wouldn't come to that conclusion from their records; front-loaded but extremely well balanced at the same time.  I wouldn't go so far as to call them "old school", but they certainly don't have that "new" black metal sound that everyone hates.  No bad albums in this bunch, but god damn the The Isolationist is a keeper.

The Black House has a bit of a story behind it: N. Imperial claims to have nightly visions (since he was a child) of himself and loved ones being brutalized in some horrible dream house.  The album is an attempt to get over his nightmares as both medicine and therapy have failed.  Pretty kvlt.

Darkness Unbound Finland tour 2014

In June we will once again sail east for some death metal darkness. As always when it comes to touring Finland, we are confident this will be a new unforgettable journey in decadence and madness.

Support will come from Finnish death-thrashers I Saw Red and various local acts. Here are the details:

04.06 2014 FIN - Lahti - Torvi
05.06 2014 FIN - Helsinki - PRKL Klubi
06.06 2014 FIN - Pori - Monttu
07.06 2014 FIN - Turku - Klubi

Check out the official Facebook event here for further info about the supports, tickets, times etc.

See you in June - Suomi Finland Perkele!

Drakwald - Forgotten Lands

It's been a while since I've purchased an album much less a demo and Drakwald's Forgotten Lands is reminiscent of some other crustier folkish pagan metal acts that have graced my ears. Though only four songs are featured on this demo, Drakwald manages to keep things fresh by epic melodic interludes that keep the listener on the latched onto the song. The vocals kinda take a back seat probably due to the mixing but it doesn't hinder there effectual presence in the music. My favourite track of this short but stellar demo is without a doubt "Rage from the Battlefield". Ever since I heard it on youtube I was scouring the internet trying to get a decent copy for myself. I guess this thought should close out my opinions on Drakwald.

Beneath The Massacre - Incongruous

Mechanical tech death with lots of breaks. I wanted to post this weeks ago but I'm totally out of ideas to write, hungover as fuck, and on my last beer. I don't care anymore.

Impiety - Ravage & Conquer

The internet tells me that this "should rule hard", so here's Impiety's 8th completely not kvlt blackened & thrashened church invitation. From Singapore.

Does it rule hard? If you're into this sort of untrve stuff then sure, this fucking owns. It's full, fast, and has sharper points than that chrome plated knife you like to show off. Feels a hell of a lot longer than 48 minutes, but take that however you want.

A Benefit for Stephen Petrus: "When one has nothing left make ceremonies out of the air and breathe upon them"

This post was initially going to be a review of a brand new compilation, but I've decided that due to the timeliness of matters, it's most important for me to simply put this out for the world to experience without going into great depth. Why? Because when this album is a compilation set to benefit Stephen Petrus, a member of the noise community whose house burnt down on January 8th. The public might view extreme musicians as groups of unsavory people, but I can't think of too many examples of such a large community coming together like this to help one of its own in other musical genres. So, instead of spending lengthy paragraphs telling you how the appropriately titled "Recovery From Flames" from Marc Benner is one of my standout tracks or how great it is to be introduced to Petrus' own music with the killer tune "Scarlet Apocalypse I" from his project Lithopædion, I'm simply using this space to encourage you to purchase this compilation and help this fellow reclaim a small part of his life and rebuild the rest. The music is generally on the ambient side of noise, with few tracks straying into harsher territory, making this a rather listenable compilation even for newcomers to the genre. In fact, with 28 tracks occupying about three hours' time, this one's a perfect introduction to some stellar noise artists. It's currently going for ten bucks but will soon be raised to fifteen for optimal benefit for Mr. Petrus, so hop on it now. Still, if you can afford to pay more than the minimum, I urge you to do so. The bandcamp player has been refusing to work on my page, for which I apologize. Click any of the links above to visit this compilation and hear the tunes.

Dying Fetus - Reign Supreme

No introduction needed here. The masters have returned and they've once more welcomed their old sound.

No over-the-top techy guitar riffs (however, there are solos of the kind, but they don't last long), no bass tech jerk-off solos - just straight up death metal. It's catchy, it's groovy, it's hardcore, it's heavy as fuck.

Synsophony- "Rabbit Hole" (Self-Released)

Readers, you may remember how I gushed about Synsophony's debut, Karmic Existence, some time ago. Today I'm pleased to share another release from these black drone madmen, Rabbit Hole. Like their first album, this digital release is one track of expansive confusion, chaos, and anxiety. While it's not necessarily something I recommend before your morning coffee, it's a great experience for those of us who like to test our boundaries.

Unlike the lingering horror of Karmic Existence, Rabbit Hole starts at a peak of sorts, slowly crumbling as the listener descends slowly. The obvious nod to Lewis Carroll in the title conjures, again, thoughts of the onset of a psychedelic experience of some sort, but far darker than anything you'd find depicted in a story for families. With only thirteen minutes to do its damage, Rabbit Hole is far more of a meandering journey through and past uncomfortable sounds than it is a death sentence. One can occasionally hear chatter in the distance, as if observers to one's descent are nearby, yet are nowhere to be seen through the oppressive haze created by Synsophony. No peaceful closure is presented, yet one feels slightly more resolution here, despite the lack of beauty given.

Rabbit Hole is currently available as a pay what you like download from Synsophony's bandcamp page, but will see release as a cassette from Acephale Winter Productions later in 2014, along with a bonus remix.

Aurvandil- "Thrones" CS (Psychic Violence Records)

Today is the third and final day of my weekend with the newest batch of Psychic Violence tapes. which means we're visiting the magnificent release, Thrones by Aurvandil. While the band does have a noteworthy back catalog, this is my introduction to this group. French acts seem to consistently produce some of the best black metal around, and Aurvandil is a strong contribution to this status. Without wasting further time, let's begin.


Side I is labeled Iron, with two tracks of majestic black metal brilliance that bring to mind a medieval battlefield after the fight has ended: empty, covered in snow, and littered with lifeless bodies. While not quite falling into the folk metal category, the album opens with a splendid semi-acoustic passage that brings to mind Ulver's legendary Kveldsjanger, with subtle choral vocals and just enough shimmering resonance on the guitars to create a proper atmosphere. When the galloping drums and full instrumentation break in, I feel like I've fallen through into another world conjured by the music. While winter is the general climate this album seems to conjure, the motion through snow-covered landscapes is constant, with valleys, forests, and even desolate cities passing by as one listens. The constant movement and the subtle variations created by harmonizing leads that are all but buried in the background keep this fresh despite the repetitive and consistent nature of this kind of music.

Side II is labeled Ice, and while the music here is clearly cut from the same mold as the first side, there is a slightly colder, less violent feeling to the music here. Perhaps it's because of the artist's lead, but it works either way. While not exactly calming, this side feels more victorious and slightly less mournful in a way without losing the overall darkness in mood. When things slow down during a few choice segments in the track, it shows the peak of Aurvandil's genius. I'm always into albums that play with mood and atmosphere, and this is full of it, so it's easy to see why this was one of my favorites of 2013.

Grab a copy while they're still in stock. I can't imagine it'll last long. If you've missed it by this point, Eisenwald will be releasing this on vinyl soon, so keep an eye out.

Vilkacis- "The Fever of War" (Psychic Violence Records)

So I guess this post might make it clear that I'm doing a three part post on the Psychic Violence winter dispatch. I figured yesterday's post about Urzeit was a good start to get your attention, so here's one you can actually get your paws on (although not from the original label). Vilkacis is a solo project of M. Rekeviks of Fell Voices. Little else needs to be said in preparing you for the level of quality presented here, yet fans of the band will be pleasantly surprised to find that this is not merely a clone of Rekeviks' primary band.

The Fever of War is a beast unto itself, with blast beats and tremolo picking leading the way, but in a far less textured and dense way than Fell Voices. Instead, this brings to mind the blistering minimalist approach of classics like Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger with its simple yet appropriately balanced style, although this certainly has more depth than this description might imply. Imagine a violent blizzard, or perhaps even a barrage of gunfire as the visual equivalent of this album's sonic quality. It drives incessantly onward, yet never quite leads one to exhaustion or boredom despite the repetition on which this sort of music often relies. The textured, droning centerpiece of "Sentinel at the Gate" provides a slight reprieve from the madness, akin to some of the more soothing ambient passages from Blazebirth Hall artists, but without the potentially unsavory associations. The following track (which kicks off the B-side) starts things off at a far slower pace, allowing us to regain our footing before jumping back in to the furious and vibrant track, "Wind and Flame." Perhaps I'm just a sucker for this kind of rawness, but this is one of the most masterful demonstrations of this niche that I've witnessed in quite some time. Far too often, bands like this lose themselves in either self-indulgence or (even worse) doldrums of monotony. Vilkacis deftly avoids these pitfalls and has offered something timeless with this debut release.


As previously mentioned, copies are still available in the Analog Worship distro, although I can't imagine these will last long, so grab this beauty while it's still available or else try your luck on discogs, where copies currently exist but will likely vanish just as quickly.

Urzeit- "Urzeit" (Psychic Violence Records)

It's not often that I share a cassette on my website that is already sold out, yet this gem has been haunting my thoughts since I came across the bandcamp page for this project late last summer. Those who aren't already familiar with Psychic Violence Records should know that pretty much anything this label puts out is gold, with many of the releases being related to black metal heavyweights Ash Borer and Fell Voices. Urzeit's members do spend time in other notable acts, yet the sound is so separate from anything affiliated that this tape really stands on its own.

Urzeit's self-titled demo is a brief yet harrowing blast of fury. The cassette features three songs with the same program on each side for maximum listening capacity. The pace here is primarily set at breakneck, yet moments like the mid-paced second half of "Entmannen" or the hypnotic repetition that opens "Albtraum" show the band scaling things back just enough to really set a mood and lead the listener onward. Through a subtle balance of apparent repetition and slight variation, Urzeit keeps me from being wholly surprised while listening yet retains my attention from start to finish. Music this blistering actually benefits from the album's brevity, allowing me to revisit the same song multiple times and become quite well acquainted. This tape is the only of this batch to have sold out by now, which is something of a shame for the buyer but a great indicator of this band's growing audience. Still, you can download these songs from Urzeit's bandcamp page for a mere three dollars. Additionally, a second tape has just been announced, along with a new promo track, so keep your eyes peeled for more from this group. When it goes live, chances are it will sell out just as quickly as this one did.

Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage

The re-inventors of the metal genre and the inventors of everything that metal should and will be in the future are back with another monstrous release.

It's heavy, it's green, it's emotional. The immersion of this thing is just out of this world, the riffs sound like they were written by the gods themselves and Mario is breaking shit up like there is no fucking tomorrow. Also, Joe sings like a fucking angel... An enraged whale-loving angel.

Fuck it, I shouldn't be writing anything at all, just get it and I ensure you, it's a must-buy.

Hooded Menace - Effigies Of Evil

The latest Hooded Menace album is upon us and, though I think it doesn't need any introduction, I'll do a short one for all you people out there who are just discovering the beauty of the occult damnation in the form of some excellent death metal.

This is a relatively new band, but they fucking blasted their way out of the basement due to some well known names in the metal scene, as well as those abominably good riffs throughout their opus. You'll have the fortune to witness those on this release as well, don't you worry. Another thing that will keep you captivated are the vocals, which can only be described as something monstrous created in some horrendous unearthly depths by the undead child of H.P. Lovecraft and Mary Shelley.

So, yeah, haven't written in a while, words kinda fly out by themselves. Anyway, I'm throwing some great death/doom your way. You'd have to be a fool to miss out on this one.

Rudemas- "Demo" CS & Smuteční Slavnost- "Nářky věčného zatracení" CS

As part of my efforts to improve my website's professionalism, I'm trying not to pair bands together as frequently, unless I can find a legitimate reason to bunch them together. However, today's post is one of curiosity to me. Here we find two very different takes on black metal from two bands who are releasing tapes without the aid of labels. The relatively orthodox, grim sounds of Rudemas have been occupying my ears lately with similar frequency to the entirely unorthodox, highly blasphemous hybridization of black metal and metalcore that Smuteční Slavnost (whose name translates to Funeral Ceremony, according to Google) provides. With this in mind, let's examine two separate yet equally fascinating pieces of music.

Rudemas's "Demo" is a collection of five feedback-heavy black metal assaults that carry the urgency and pace of many first-wave bands with a rawness more akin to the second wave.  While the music here isn't exactly breaking new ground, this Tennessean two-piece is serving up highly addictive and catchy black metal that delights me with its sincere simplicity and aggression. That's not to say that this is sloppily written or amateur, simply that it goes for a relentless, raw punky approach that feels truly evil, or at least menacing. The thing that sells me most on this band is just how much I can tell these guys clearly love the music they're making. Some things can't be faked, and this feels like two fans of the genre giving it their all. This demo has me eagerly waiting for more and I hope these guys can churn out some new material soon, because music this fun truly warrants at least a twenty-minute live set.

 

For every bit of familiarity in Smuteční Slavnost's antifascist black metal assault presented on "Nářky věčného zatracení", there's an equal amount of peculiar, breakdown-friendly mosh madness that will confuse elitists and delight open-minded fans of metal's many subgenres. For me, this has a bit of personal significance. While black metal is far and away my choice of music these days, my high school years were spent listening to the Trustkill roster just as much as I was becoming excited by discovering Emperor or Ulver. The weird fusion of the two disparate sounds presented on this album brings me back to a time in my life when I didn't really understand genres as much as I simply liked my music heavy. While I certainly dug things back then that I'm not as fond of now, it's important for me to acknowledge that this album makes me nostalgic even though I didn't have anything like this in my collection back in the day. Valiant black metal riffs are paired with blasts that feel more like excerpts from Misery Index's rhythm section than typical black metal drumming. Vocals here have a feral rasp that almost verges on the throaty DSBM shriek at times, yet also surprised me on more than one occasion with guttural vocals you might expect from a slam band instead of any bastardization of black metal. This will be a hard sell for some of my readers, but folks who have enjoyed bands like Ancst or even Carnival in Coal will appreciate this fresh approach to otherwise familiar territory. Tapes are sold out, so enjoy the streaming audio for now.