#481. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality

Genre: Traditional/Stoner Doom
Origin: United Kingdom
Release Date: 1971
Label: Warner

Ok, so this isn't underground in the least. But, hey, fuck you. This is the very first metal album I ever owned.

People get "into" metal through the more popular, mainstream bands. We didn't just start out liking Entombed. All of us at one point liked some embarrassing albums, too, whether they be Korn, Slipknot, or Poison. But anyway, some go through Metallica, some Megadeth, but my entry into metal was Black Sabbath, with Master of Reality, still one of the heaviest albums ever created. To think that this was recorded in fucking 1971 blows my mind. If I listened to this at that time I would've shat concrete blocks (made of weed)

There is a ton of psychedelic goodness here, with doomy, stonerific riffs. The riffs are just fantastic. If you thought that Dave Mustaine or Chuck Schuldiner were the best metal guitarists, then you are greatly mistaken, as proven by these monstrous riffs that roll over you with the force of a wave and the power of a fucking howitzer.

Among the sludge and doom riffage, though, are some slower tracks. "Solitude" is the only real soft song (the others are and intro and an interlude) but it is very neat. Arguably the first of a bajillion doom songs with the same name, the title fits the song perfectly. It's relaxing bass line and emotional lead playing really show the charisma that the band members share with each other.

The soft song leads into the heaviest song on the album, the epic and classic closer "Into the Void." Almost 30 years later, it still has some of the heaviest riffs known to man. Every instruments here ups the heavy factor by "1."

Bonus points for Geezer (fitting name, nowadays) here, the bass is very, very audible and the bass lines are excellent. He really paved the way for his instrument in heavy metal.

Sorry if this short review is a bit incoherent, because there is so much to say about this album. Listen for yourself, and take a trip - INTO THE VOID! (lame...)

1.	Sweet Leaf	05:05
2.	After Forever	05:26
3.	Embryo	00:28
4.	Children of the Grave	05:17
5.	Orchid	01:31
6.	Lord of This World	05:26
7.	Solitude	05:02
8.	Into the Void	06:12
Total playing time		34:27

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*link removed because of DMCA complaint. However, I now strongly suggest that you download the album, and then give all of your friends the mp3 files.*

#482. Forest of Shadows - Where Dreams Turn to Dust EP

Genre: Death/Doom
Origin: Sweden
Release Date: 2001
Label: Rage of Achilles

Here we have an EP/demo from a now solo project that has been rereleased a whole bunch of times, and for good reason. This is a fairly long EP, at almost 30 minutes, but it is far, far too short. All three songs on here are fantastic, and I can play this thing 3 or 4 times in a row.

What really excels here are the melodies of each song. The clean vocals are excellent, and I really wished he used them more, and the growls are above average, and intelligible. Good lyrics, also.

I'm not sure if the drumming is programmed or not, but it fits. Not the spotlight here. Everything is focused on the melodies. Now, they aren't sweet, sugary melodies like that of Iron Maiden, they are melancholic and emotional. This guy pours emotion straight from his heart onto the music, and I can tell that he passionately wrote it. He really isn't just going through the motions here. "Wish" is probably my favorite song on here, with the beautiful clean-sung section.

1.	Eternal Autumn	09:24
2.	Wish	08:20
3.	Of Sorrow Blue	11:30
Total playing time		29:14

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Brown leaves and chilly air

#483. Striborg - Southwest Passage

Genre: Black Metal
Origin: Tasmania
Release Date: 2009
Label: Displeased Records

The word "haunting" is thrown around a lot in relation to describing black metal bands these days. Lots of bands attempt to achieve that sound, but most of them fail. Striborg, on the other hand, win in every aspect of the word.

This album is a journey through the Southwest Passage, a long forgotten trail through a dense forest. You walk through the passage, encountering lost spirits and fantastic auroras of beauty and despair. Emotions inside of you change throughout the journey, when you're happy and peaceful at some points yet frightened at others. Every secret that the forest holds is intriguing, but only if you pay close attention (no driving through this forest!).

Thanks to Lord Kur from Hatred Nation for showing me the passage.

1.	Southwest Passage	06:58
2.	All Contempt Reciprocated	06:50
3.	Human Extinction	09:14
4.	Dwelling in the Fullmoon Forests	06:52
5.	Obscure and Darkened Contemplation	06:32
6.	Requiem for a Lonely Ghost	03:20
Total playing time		40:0

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Take a hike

#484. Skagos - Ast

Genre: Black Metal
Origin: Canada
Release Date: 2009
Label: Eternal Warfare

I've always been a big fan of the Cascadian Black Metal scene. I'm a sucker for Burzumic, organic sounding black metal, so naturally (pun) I would like this.

Very organic sounding. That is obvious. The guitar tone is a bit weak, but it isn't too bad. The whole things has a sense of natural wonder to it, and really makes you think. Vocals are sparse, and there are some cleans with a lot of post-metal influence.

Yes, this is the work of hipsters. Does that mean the music sucks? No, as proven by Skagos. This is atmospheric black metal at it's finest.

1.	Colossal Spell	03:25
2.	The Drums Pound Every Night in a Glorious Celebration of Life	14:50
3.	Blossoms Will Sprout From the Carcass	11:16
4.	...With a Warm Recollection	04:48
5.	Caliginosity	10:09
6.	A Night That Ends, As All Nights End, When the Sun Rises	10:52
Total playing time		52:52

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See that cute furry squirrel? Yeah, death by tires.

#485. Demolition Hammer - Tortured Existence

Genre: Thrash Metal
Origin: USA
Release Date: 1990
Label: Century Media

Now, this is a slab of pure destruction! Tortured Existence is slayer, if they were slower and heavier. Much, much heavier. The brutality is turned up to 11 on this release, and the band knows that fact, and do everything they can to emphasize it.

The riffs on here are just incredible. They will bang your head, and they will send your stereo system through the wall. They have a sort of groove to them, which is fantastic, though might turn some people off. The furious drumming, mixed with almost technical sounding basslines adapt to the riffs, and the vocals are a furious spitting. This sounds almost death metal, but retains it's thrash influences enough to still be considered thrash.

The production is as heavy as the riffs. Scott Burns is to blame for the heavy as fuck (for lack of a better term) production. This really needs to be heard to be believed.

1.	.44 Caliber Brain Surgery	04:28
2.	Neanderthal	05:04
3.	Gelid Remains	05:23
4.	Crippling Velocity	05:45
5.	Infectious Hospital Waste	05:01
6.	Hydrophobia	03:10
7.	Paracidal Epitaph	05:30
8.	Mercenary Aggression	03:25
9.	Cataclysm	05:52
Total playing time		43:38

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Apt band name

#486. Tyranny - Tides of Awakening

Genre: Funeral Doom
Origin: Finland
Release Date: 2005
Label: Firedoom Music

There I sat, with my eyes wide and with my jaw in my lap, upon hearing only the first monstrous song of this destructive beast. The rest was left to come, but I was already defeated. I knew that this was the heaviest thing I have ever heard, and ever will hear.

This release makes brutal death bands seem like little kids playing on toy instruments. They play so slow, so powerfully, and so beautifully that one glance from them at another funeral doom band will send them right to the amateur stage, where they belong. Nobody would even dare to face the wrath and destruction that is Tyranny. However, amongst the tentacles of Cthulhu itself, is a sense of melody and beauty from the keyboards (and there are lots of them!).

The theme is Lovecraft, and no band could be more suited to answer The Call of Cthulhu. It feels like the old ones themselves are arising, destroying everything in a chaotic - yet organized - manner.

1.	Coalescent of the Inhumane Awareness	14:29
2.	Sonorous Howl from Beyond the Stars	11:42
3.	Upon the War-Torn Shape of Cold Earth	17:15
4.	In the Arcane Clasp of Unwritten Hours	15:27
5.	Entreaties to the Primaeval Chaos	07:43
Total playing time		01:06:38

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Orchestrated planetary collisions

#487. Hierophant - The Tome

Genre: Funeral Doom Metal
Origin: USA
Release Date: 2003 (Compilation of earlier demos)
Label: Dark Vision Productions

If you're into the Funeral Doom scene at all, you've probably heard of Catacombs. Well, this is the same guy, but before he started Catacombs he was the sole guy in a similar band named Hierophant, which released it's first demo in 1994, making it one of the earliest Funeral Doom bands.

This is about as simplistic as it gets. This is the crayons-on-white-paper of Funeral Doom. Every song crawls along at a snails pace, crushing your body with the deep chords and mournful melodies on top. It's crushing, as usually for Funeral Doom, but it's got a sort of ugly-beautiful atmosphere. The guitar sound is dirty and gritty, but the keys (only used sometimes for melody) are pretty and delicate.

There are many, many mistakes on these demos, but that helps the music instead of detracting from it. It makes the whole thing sounds more human and organic. This recording sounds almost ancient, like one of those books you find in a chest in your grandmother's attic.

1.	Forever Dying	05:45
2.	Where No Light Hath Shone	06:05
3.	Forever Dying	05:37
4.	Where No Light Hath Shone	05:53
5.	The Weight of Winter	13:03
6.	From the Dust of Grave	09:33
7.	Ancient Moonlight	12:16
8.	Shades of Aqueous Essence	08:42
Total playing time		01:06:54

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What? USA has good Funeral Doom?

#488. Phantasm - The Abominable

Genre: Death Metal
Origin: USA
Release Date: 1995 (a compilation of earlier demos)
Label: Deathtrap/Monsterdrive

Phantasm was a US Death Metal band from Wisconsin who released a couple of demo tapes and then disappeared from sight. The demos were compiled on this disk.

Now, this does not sound like a full-length record, production-wise. The production is, in technical terms, pretty shitty. Sometimes the drums drown out the guitars, sometimes the vocals are hard to hear, and other issues. These "problems," however, help this recording retain it's underground feel. The songwriting on this is phenomenal and despite the demo-quality production, this doesn't feel like a young band. The songs are memorable, diverse, and sometimes spontaneous, yet they all fit together like Legos in Legos (none of that Mega Bloks shit).

The horror theme is, although a bit cliche, fitting and interesting. This is how Death Metal should sound. This is very, very old school (the band was formed in 1988) with simple riffs, some cool leads (see the beginning of track 1), and some breakdowns* that will tear your neck in half. There is no technical wankery here, no weedly weedlys, just simple balls-out death metal, which is what this band does best.

*note that these are breakdowns before modern -core bands existed. They aren't one-note hammering with slow drums (there are actual riffs here). They instead build up energy instead of resolving it, making the pay-off that much more impressive.

Tracks #'s 1-6 are from The Abominable demo. Track # 7 is the only newly
recorded track. Track #'s 8 & 9 are taken from the Lycanthropy demo (#9 is a
hidden track).

1.	A Soul's Nightmare	08:14
2.	Sewed Back To Life	06:12
3.	Heavier Than Hell	08:46
4.	Breeders Of Hatred	08:49
5.	For Your Love (Yardbirds cover)	03:02
6.	The Abominable	07:53
7.	Gut Suckers	05:56
8.	Palace Of Blood	09:29
9.	Keeper Of The Dead	14:26
Total playing time		01:12:47

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The jaws of Satan's Jackals await to feast on your fucking soul!

PS: This upload contains a shitload of extras.

#489. Ysigim - Whispers

Genre: Funeral Doom
Origin: Poland
Release Date: 1996
Label: Wild Rags Records

Ysigim were an insanely obscure Funeral Doom band right when the genre was beginning to blossom, but they were always overshadowed by Thergothon or Skepticism, and never got near the recognition they deserved. Hell, I've never seen them even so much as mentioned anywhere.

Whispers is their second effort, with much, much better production than the debut. Still, this is nowhere near "good" production and still retains an underground feel. The music is very strange and unique. It also varies greatly, with some ambient tracks as well as the "metal" ones here and there. The "metal" tracks, though, are so far from conventional as to be a convection oven (get it? Conventional ovens? Bah...). The band focuses solely on atmosphere, and they hit you right in the breadbasket with it (more oven humor).

Anyways, get this album for atmosphere, but don't use it as background music (or blast it in the car...). This requires your full attention, and if you do that, it lets you reach above and beyond into your own sort of dreamland.

1.	Whispers	04:44
2.	Bringing Eternal	05:12
3.	My Eyes Fail In The Dark	07:01
4.	A Wilderness Like Eden	03:28
5.	Loneliness	06:23
6.	Self-Blessing	06:39
7.	Sleepness	04:50
8.	Journey Into Nephesh	05:38
9.	Rain	06:23
10.	Silent	04:39
11.	Moon Goddess + Anything (outro)	05:19
Total playing time		01:00:16

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Sonic LSD

#490. Moondark - The Shadowpath

Genre: Death Metal

Origin: Sweden

Release Date: 1993/2007

Label: Dreamtide Music

When it comes to old school death metal, I consider myself a pretty big fan, especially for the pre-Gothenburg Swedish scene. This album was originally a demo tape, released right in the middle of the carnage, in 1993. It has long since been forgotton.

But that doesn't mean it sounded exactly the same as everything else. No, this is even more evil than Entombed could ever dream of. Moondark takes the old Swedish buzzsaw tone, and adds their own dark flavor to it. There is no melody here, no lead breaks, just simple ball-busting riffs. This is what death metal used to be like, before ability at an instrument was more important than the music made.

The production is very, very underground sounding, which gives the album an obscure feel to it, which is definitely for the better. The aforementioned guitar tone rips your ears apart. The vocals, although in-the-gutter, empower the music, and become a strong point, rather than detract from it.

1.	The Shadowpath	06:00
2.	Inside the Crypt	04:21
3.	The Dawn for Our Race	04:06
4.	Dimension of Dakness	04:46
5.	Trespassing Into... The Abyss	05:37
6.	Concealling the Dayligtht	05:05
7.	World Devastator	05:32
Total playing time		35:27

Metal-Archives.com
Enter...the crypt

#491. Nehemah - Light of a Dead Star

Genre: Black Metal

Origin: France

Release Date: 2002

Label: Oaken Shield

After a request for "Raw Black Metal," this is what I thought of. Sure, it isn't extremely raw, but the guitar tone has a viscious bite to it. It's from France, but it is so far away from the LLN style as to actually be musical.

This is ideal when it comes to atmosphere. This actually makes me feel like I'm freezing to death, while wandering through vast, epic landscapes. The cold air seeps into my lungs, giving off pain yet feeling somewhat relaxing. My teeth are beginning to feel frozen, and I can't close my mouth. Still, I continue on, until this album concludes. Then, I hit the repeat button, and sink back into my expedition.

There really is no other way to describe this. Recommended for people who like their metal black. Others need not apply, this will not change your opinion of black metal.

Tracklisting:

1.	The Witch Burns...	02:52
2.	Light Of A Dead Star	05:42
3.	Across The Landscape	07:24
4.	In October Nightshades	07:53
5.	Nehëmah In Vulva Infernum	08:15
6.	I Will Sleep With The Dragon	07:10
7.	Misty Swamps	12:10
8.	...In The Heat Of The Flames	02:42
Total playing time		54:08

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It's freeeeeeezing!

#492. Yogth Sothoth - Abominations of the Nebulah Mortiis

Genre: Death Metal
Origin: Colombia
Release Date: 2008
Label: Sevared/Butchered Records

As a huge fan of Lovecraft myself, I have a natural attraction to Lovecraft-themed bands. Searching for bands with this type of theme has led to some bad discoveries, but also some great ones, like this Colombian brutal death metal band. They fit the Lovecraftian label perfectly, and mix crushing brutality with a dark, mysterious atmosphere.

There are lots and lots of tempo changes on this disk, switching subtely from slow, sludgy pseudo-"slam" riffs, to chaotic guitar beating that will force your head through a wall and your body across the room. Still, the thing flows better than a stream of piss after 10 Duvels. Every song here has a hook, and the riffs are more memorable than most death metal bands. The production is modern, but still sounds natural. Old school atmosphere mixed with the brutality of a modern death metal band makes Yogth Sothoth stand above their contemporaries.

1.	Prayer Of Doom (Chronicle Of The Mad Arab)	05:32	[view lyrics]
2.	Lugubrious Crimson Twilight	02:11	[view lyrics]
3.	Endless Infernal Darkness	02:22	[view lyrics]
4.	Mystic Void	03:20	[view lyrics]
5.	Calling The Wrath Of Evil	05:13	[view lyrics]
6.	Crawling Chaos	04:11	[view lyrics]
7.	Abominations Of The Nebulah Mortiis	04:07	[view lyrics]
8.	Cthulhu Fhtagn…	02:33	[view lyrics]
9.	Rites Of Destruction (Evil Sorcerers Domain)	03:20	[view lyrics]
10.	Incantations In Full moon	03:32	[view lyrics]
Total playing time		36:44

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Ia! Ia! Cthulhu fhtagn!

#493. Wormphlegm - Tomb of the Ancient King

Well, it's been a while since I've posted, but I'm reviving the blog :)

Genre: Funeral Doom
Origin: Finland
Release Date: 2006
Label: Painiac Records

Wormphlegm is just as vile and slimy as the name of the band suggests. Formed by the same two people in Tyranny, a band more in the style of Thergothon, this album has caused quite a stir in the funeral doom scene. This album is suffocating, it will crush you: but that's to be expected. It will terrify you, it will not let go, and it will draw you in for the entire duration, which is more than I can say for most funeral doom bands, and this album is over an hour long.

The production is perfect. It isn't by any means clean, but the sound of the instruments just reeks of pure evil. The album is sloooow, but not boring. While one guitar plays a dirty, slimy chord, one plays "melodies" that make you feel as if you are the king's tomb itself. Not to mention the riffs, which feel like a tital wave of black slime suffocating you. The band uses the speed of the music to it's advantage, making use of the silence as a creepy soundtrack of itself, when it leaves you with wonder of what is coming next. Will it be another ball-crushing riff? Maybe another uterry terrible scream?

Which leads me to my next point: The vocals. This is where the band gets flogged the most by people, but they are really what sets this band apart from everybody else. There is the gritty low growl, and the high pitched shriek that needs to be heard to be believed (listen to the opening vocals on the title track!).

Eh, enough of my rambling. This is looong out of print, so good luck finding a copy (search metal-archives?). Here is a link, though, since I lov...I mean, hate, you all so much.

1.	Epejumalat monet tesse muinen palveltin caucan ja lesse	30:15
2.	Tomb of the Ancient King	13:18
3.	Return of the Ice Age and the Tortyrant	17:32
Total playing time		01:01:05

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Soundtrack to Torture