ALBUM REVIEW: Pagan Altar, "Judgement of the Dead"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/04/2019

Label: Temple of Mystery

Simply put, this is a classic recording and one that shaped the genre and continues to do so all these decades after it was laid down on tape. Masterful.

 

“Judgement of the Dead” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Pagan Altar
2. In the Wake of Armadeus
3. Judgement of the Dead
4. The Black Mass
5. Night Rider
6. The Dance of the Banshee
7. Reincarnation

The Review:

There is not that much that can be written about Pagan Altar that has not already been written. To summarise, they are regarded as one of the first doom metal bands and one of the most influential- despite being NWOBHM in origin and not releasing an official album until the millennium that followed the NWOBHM boom.

“Judgement of the Dead”, then, is their earliest work in remastered form which first saw the (official) light of day decades after being recorded as a top end demo. Armed with that knowledge, it is up to the listener to decide what they are listening to; charmingly lo-fi lightning in a bottle which planted seeds still growing today or amateurish and crude heavy metal which would be perfected at a much later date.

For me, there is something about “Judgement of the Dead” which lends itself to the former description. There can be no argument that the “Mythical and Magical” and “Room of Shadows” are amongst the best doom albums ever put out, but the murky production here may be too much for some to overlook.

With that debate set out, we can now focus on what is here: an unmistakably English vibe, a father and son at the heart of the band and a very eccentric set of songs. Viewed through the lens of the early 80s, this must have been very unusual indeed; satanic invocations, occult themes, crashing chords and huge riffs of plodding slowness. Terry Jones' plaintive wail is present and correct and the guitar work has been emulated countless times since.

From the opening of the band's titular theme song to the lengths of some of the songs themselves, you can tell this is simply not standard early 80s metal fare. The gulf between this and other metal of the time is huge. If the title track brings the epic feel, then “Night Rider” brings the swinging feel utilised so effectively by Sabbath, Trouble and even Saint Vitus. The acoustic “The Dance of the Banshee” is a welcome interlude before the epic closer “Reincarnation” (recorded much later than the bulk of this release).

That the origins of Pagan Altar are so murky and mysterious only adds to their allure- they were there at the start but only came to prominence after years of their legend building up by word of mouth. Where “Judgement of the Dead” fits in their discography is hard to say. Their latter day material is so imperious that it is hard to compare this nascent effort in any meaningful way- a little like comparing Priest's “Rocka Rolla” to “Firepower”.

Pagan Altar are essential to any doom fan, so this is essential too. Don't expect crystal clear sound and mixing par excellence, but do expect to hear a uniqueness and an arcane vibe from which you can draw a direct correlation to all the best doom bands operating today. Simply put, this is a classic recording and one that shaped the genre and continues to do so all these decades after it was laid down on tape. Masterful.

“Judgement of the Dead” is available HERE

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

FOR THOSE ABOOT TO ROCK: A countdown to Canada Day with Dewar PRs 5 Favourite Canadian metal albums

By: Curtis Dewar



Despite the bad rep we have for being the home of Justin Bieber, Nickelback and Celine Dionne, we Canucks actually have a shit ton of great bands. From classic rock icons like Neil Young and The Guess Who to heavy metal legends like Voivod, Helix, Rush and Strapping Young Lad, there is no shortage of great music from the land of the great white north. For this Canada Day I've come up with a list of five of my favourite Canadian albums for you to rock out to. These are in no particular order. Crank em up and let me know if you enjoy:



Loverboy – “Big Ones”



Are they metal or are they rock? Who knows and who cares. While the band probably fits more into the AOR/Hard rock label than metal per se, they still have a ton of classic songs. Who hasn't rocked out at some point to tracks like "Working For the Weekend", "Hot Girls in Love" or "Lovin Every Minute of It"? No one.

Cauldron – “Burning Fortune”

Cauldron are one of those bands that people seem to love or hate. The band's blend of trad metal with thrash pays homage to the 80's while also sounding fresh at the same time. While it's tough to pick just one of their album's I'd probably say that “Burning Fortune" is probably my favorite overall, beating "Into the Cauldron" by a hair.

Skid Row – “Skid Row”

Before anyone pipes up-Yes I know Skid Row is technically from New Jersey, but Sebastian Bach is Canadian, so fuck you I'm counting it. While the band is commonly lumped in with glam metal, the fact is that Skid Row always leaned more towards the heavy side of things. The band's debut album is a beast and one of the best heavy meta albums of all times with classics like "Big Guns", "Sweet Little Sister", "18 and Life" and "Youth Gone Wild".

Goat Horn – “Threatening Force”

Vastly underrated band that features Jason Decay pre-Cauldron. While the band isn't too far off stylistically from what Jason did later in Cauldron, the band made a ton of great songs before eventually splitting up. Recommended tracks "Threatening Force" and "Right Heavy Metal".

Mitochondrion – “Parasignosis”

Awesome blackened death metal band from Vancouver. While it's not exactly music to party to, you can't deny that this is one of the best extreme metal albums of the last 10 years. 

DECADES APART: 5 Albums 5 Different Decades, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010

By: Aaron Pickford, Victor Van Ommen

& Phil Weller

Decades Apart

The idea of Decades Apart is pretty simple. I’ll choose 5 different albums from 5 different decades and I’ll share a little information about them and hopefully you’ll check them out if you haven’t already.   Today is 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010.  Whilst some these albums may not all be considered classics, they’re certainly amazing records.  So be sure to check it out.    

Black Sabbath – “Black Sabbath” (1970)

An argument may still remain whether Black Sabbath truly invented heavy metal , however what is true to say, is that Black Sabbath impact and influence on heavy metal music remains unequalled.  Famously recorded in one day, Sabbath’s debut was released on Friday February 13, 1970.  The foreboding title track and “N.I.B” are perhaps the bands most potent examples of Sabbath’s fundamental power.  Indeed if you ask the question, what is doom?  Well you only have to refer to the title track and there you have your answer.  If satan had an anthem, “Black Sabbath” would be that song. Elsewhere on the album are traces of blues and psychedelia. Early reviews of the album according to Tony Iommi’s were “awful”. But in America, “Black Sabbath” sold a million. In the UK, it made the Top 10. And over time it would be acknowledged as a landmark album in the evolution of heavy metal.

The year proceeding would see the band develop further still morphing from the dark masters of  seemingly occult music to a respected hard rock band, who would help create the emerging genre of heavy metal.   Seemingly doing the impossible by today’s standard, the four brummies recorded not one but two classic albums in the 1970, with “Paranoid” following a mere 4 months later, an album that would cause further a tectonic shift in the rock world.   By the time “Paranoid” emerged, clearly Sabbath has developed greater compositional range to their music and their performances on their second album were further step up. 

To give some context to what Sabbath would go onto achieve, in 1968, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne were in a band called Rare Breed when a certain unknown guitarist Tony Iommi invited them to form a blues rock group with drummer Bill Ward. This new band would settle on the name Earth, following the recording of some initial demos and some subsequent positive feedback, the momentum of the band was stunted slightly following Iommi’s brief dalliance with Jethro Tull. Iommi would soon return and the group reunited in 1969, deciding upon the new name of Black Sabbath.  In the Autumn 1969, the group was signed to Philips Records and entered the studio with producer Rodger Bain.

“Black Sabbath” was recorded live on the floor in the studio with very few overdubs added ad if you don’t already know the story, due to the loss of a few fingertips, Iommi down tuned his guitar for easier playing, with this new tone giving that synonymous “doomy” effect.

Having been turned on to Black Sabbath by my own Father, listening to this self-titled 1970 is arguably the definitive debut heavy metal record. In terms of a general concept “heavy metal” and it’s development of the genre was moulded not only tone of the music, but because of the band underlying lyrical themes, with Sabbath’s devotion to darker themes that others perhaps  had not dared undertake.  The band’s environment, in terms of living in poverty and career choices being limited to factory worker or petty criminality, Black Sabbath were far removed from hedonism hippie music that was popular when the band formed in 1968, considering themselves a blues band. Instead it is said that Tony Iommi observed the lines that formed at the local movie theatre whenever it showed horror films and remarked that if people were so willing to pay to be scared, perhaps they should try playing evil-sounding music. So with that in mind, they took their name from a Boris Karloff film.  Indeed the title track to “Black Sabbath” capture the essence of horror, with Iommi playing a slow, ominous riff based on the “devil’s tritone,”. The sluggish pacing of the track is truly something to behold and perhaps personifies what is indeed heavy, with the slow and ominous motif becoming the primary influence of the doom metal genre.  There is no filler on this record, “The Wizard” with their inspired use of harmonica, ably backed up by Geezer on bass and a masterful performance from drummer Bill Ward. “Behind the Wall of Sleep,” inspired by psychological horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. “N.I.B.” a Sabbath song for bass-lovers, man that Butler solo and with Osbourne at his mercurial best. 

Sabbath’s cover of “Evil Woman” by Crow was their first single from the album, a straightforward blues rocker and arguably the most accessible song on the record, Sabbath truly but their own stamp on it, particularly with Iommi’s riffs replacing the brass of the original. 

The title of “Sleeping Village” speaks for itself, a sombre dirge with Osbourne crooning over the top of Iommi’s acoustic guitar from the outset. With dramatic shifts in tone throughout, from a 60s inspired jam to the rigid structure of an menacing, plodding riff. “Evil Woman”is up next into another cover, this time in the form of “Warning” originally by The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, clocking in at an immense 10m30s, and taking up most of the album’s second side. This track was the least accessible on the album with “Wicked World” completing the album with politically charged lyrics, A politician’s job they say is very high, For he has to choose who’s got to go and die, They can put a man on the moon quite easy, While people here on Earth are dying of old diseases catchy riffs, booming bass guitar and a master class of intricate drumbeats from Ward.  Black Sabbath made music that personified their environment, dealing with the harsher realities of life in their lyrics, married with dark and sinister tone of the guitar and the flawless display by Geezer and Ward.  Sabbath truly have no equal and the next time someone asks you what heavy metal is, reach for your copy of “Black Sabbath” and utter not a word, because this album speaks for itself. 

Diamond Head – “Lightning To The Nations” (1980)

“Lightning to the Nations” also known as “The White Album” is the debut album by British heavy metal band Diamond Head. The album was recorded in 1979 and released on the 3^rd October 1980 through their own label Happy Face Records.  The album stands in history as possibility one of the most influential heavy metal records of all time. Speaking as a Metallica fan, the band first came to my attention, due to their cover of “Am I Evil?” which featured on the “Lighting to the Nations” album.  One can not be certain whether Diamond Head’s  would have remained in heavy metal shadows without their association with Metallica , however this union certainly helped gain the band more widespread attention, given Metallica  covered no fewer than 5 of the 7 songs from the album. To put it bluntly if Metallica fans thought these tracks were cool, the same fans would check out Diamond Head.  Conversely and perhaps unfortunately so, Diamond Head's were associated more as the inspiration to Metallica rather than composing one of the best heavy metal records of all time.  "Lightning to the Nations" combines great guitar-driven elements with epic sounding vocals and a sound unique to them and whilst Diamond Head never reached the heady heights that Metallica would achieve 10 years later, they deserve enormous praise from creating a legendary record, one that would go on to inspire the biggest heavy metal band of all time. 

Megadeth – “Rust in Peace” (1990)

“Rust In Peace” is the fourth album by Megadeth, released on September 24^th 1990.  It feels poignant and only fitting to be discussing this album, given the tragic loss of drummer Nick Menza earlier this year, appropriate then that he be remembered for playing a pivotal role in the creation of perhaps the greatest thrash metal album of them all.  It is safe to say, Megadeth was never the most stable band, disgruntlement of an ousted guitarist from Metallica, which perhaps Mustaine would never recover from, coupled with drug addiction, tragedy and a revolving line up, Megadeth were always on the cusp of creating something huge, but up until this point, the band never quite reached their peak.  Following the release of their 1988 album, “So Far, So Good, So What” drummer Chuck Behler and guitarist Jeff Young would leave the band, to be replaced by Nick Menza and an emerging guitar virtuoso, Marty Friedman, who was known as one half of the speed metal band Cacophony, who also featured Jason Becker, indeed it was the release of Friedman’s debut solo album “Dragon’s Kiss” that piqued Mustaine’s attention, remarking in his biography and I paraphrase that Mustaine was so intimidated by Friedman, it created some anxiety, that he was hiring someone technically superior to him.    Irrespective of this apparent tension, “Rust In Peace” is one of the most technically brilliant thrash albums, indeed it is the sheer technical complexity of the album that would truly define Megadeth and perhaps set a new benchmark for thrash metal standards.

“Hangar 18” and “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due”, with their continuous tempo changes, elegant neo classical inspired solos, along with Mustaine at his magnificent songwriting peak, these two songs would set the tone for the album and inspire it to go down in history as Megadeth’s apex in terms of album output.   Thematically “Rust In Peace” is centered around politics, nuclear warfare, religion, UFOs, and personal issues such as drug and alcohol addiction. “Rust In Peace” is a) an album written by Mustaine at his creative, b) it was performed by members with the technical capabilities of Menza and Freidman members, it is little surprise then that “Rust In Peace” is one of the greatest heavy metal album of all time and the best Megadeth album ever. 

Queens of the Stone Age – “Rated R” (2000)

The year 2000 was a turning point for the stoner rock genre and this had a lot to do with Josh Homme’s band Queens of the Stone Age. Referred too as trance robot music for ladies, the conception of the band was to make the desert sound more widely known and to make something that women could dance to. If you take these two goals and prop them up against QOTSA’s 2000 sophomore album “Rated R,” then there’s no denying that even this early in the band’s career, Homme could already mark this as his second greatest musical accomplishment, the first of course being Kyuss.

Homme was able to turn heads and grab attention. At the time, “Rated R” was something new for the mainstream, while for the heavy underground, those involved felt like they were finally getting recognition. That’s not to say the underground wanted this recognition, but QOTSA was arguably the catalyst for many bands like Red Fang, Mastodon, and Truckfighters to spread the stoner rock gospel and influence a generation of their own.

It’s interesting to note that the year 2000 also saw the release of Limp Bizkit’s “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water,” a record that went on to sell millions and was at the time regarded as a would-be classic. In the meantime, that album has faded from our memory, but “Rated R” continues to mature like a fine wine. So what was it that made QOTSA a band to notice?

The album is 11 songs long and ranges from stoned riffing to catchy grooving. “Rated R” leaned in the direction of experimental rock music without neglecting the need for a strong hook. Different instruments were used and the songs were structured in such a way that they could stand alone as a hit single while simultaneously being an integral part of the album as a whole. The album’s lyrical content was for mature audiences, but that didn’t stop radio stations from playing “Feel Good Hit of the Summer,” regardless of the season. And to top it all off, Homme invited several friends from the desert – amongst which Dave Catching, Chris Goss, Mark Lanegan, and Pete Stahl – to contribute to this masterpiece. With all of these creative minds who came from the same scene, it’s no wonder “Rated R” turned out to be a template for the burgeoning stoner scene which has since then exploded.

Ghost – ‘Opus Eponymous’ (2010)

First impressions are pivotal and from the moment the eerie, mysterious swelling organ chimes of ‘Opus Eponymous’, Ghost have had thousands captivated. Their anonymity, a driving factor in their success, is pure theatre, the cold, occultish feel of Black Sabbath and the horror loving, hip swinging charisma and humour of Alice Cooper potent flavours on this hors d'oeuvre. Yet, where dark, 70s rock whetted the appetite of so many, they juxtaposed all that with the kind of melodies that made ABBA so irresistible. From the human sacrificing stadium rock of ‘Ritual’ to the poetically haunting ‘Elizabeth’ and the beguiling, lofty sounds of ‘Satan Prayer’, while it may not stand as a classic album – especially when compared to the ever increasing quality of their later releases – ‘Opus Eponymous’ provides us with a thrilling first encounter. With the gift of retrospect we can hear their naivety in some ways, this is a band still developing, still laying down the building blocks for a sound that has, today, become truly irresistible.

ALBUM REVIEW: Various Artists - "Meantime" (Redux)

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 19/08/2016
Label: Magnetic Eye Records

Meantime (Redux)” is a face-melting reinterpretation of what many consider Helmet’s finest hour, it   pulls off the tricky balance of paying respectful tribute to a classic album while being an excellent listen in its own right. Hopefully it will introduce long-term Helmet fans to some exciting new bands and make any other people with their ears stuck in the underground realise that Helmet were great all along.

“Meantime (Redux)” DD//LP track listing:

01 – I Am Become Death – “In The Meantime”
02 – Earthship – “Ironhead”
03 – Ironweed – “Give It”
04 – Sunflo’er – “Unsung”
05 – KEN mode – “Turned Out”
06 – Kings Destroy – “He Feels Bad”
07 – Meek Is Murder – “Better”
08 – Ironweed – “You Borrowed”
09 – The Glorious Rebellion – “FBLA II”
10 – Fuck The Facts – “Role Model”

Bonus tracks:

11 – Fashion Week – “I Know”
12 – Rosetta – “Like I Care”
13 – Livver – “Sinatra”
14 – Heads. – “Blacktop”
15 – BlackWolfGoat – “Bad Mood”
16 – Brief Lives – “Milquetoast”

The Review:

The influence of Helmet seems particularly strong in the current heavy underground. Their brand of noise rock-indebted alt metal can be detected in a number of 2016’s finest releases, the relentless adrenaline rush of Wrong’s self-titled LP being a good example. It feels like the time is right for Magnetic Eye Records to unleash “Meantime (Redux)” into the world. A track-for-track recreation of Helmet’s 1992 major label debut “Meantime” by ten contemporary amp abusers, it demonstrates that the impact of the bands 90’s output is still felt almost 25 years into the future.

I’ve got to come clean and confess I am not the world’s biggest Helmet fan. They were always a band I meant to check out but from the mid-90s to the mid 2000’s I knew them only as the band with the guy who does a killer guest solo on Therapy?’s “Troublegum”. I finally heard them in 2005 when I caught a tepid set at Download festival. This put me off listening further until now. “Meantime (Redux)” is a face-melting reinterpretation of what many consider Helmet’s finest hour which has given me the opportunity to go back and give the band the respect they deserve.

All the bands here deliver the goods and sound like they are having a blast getting to grips with such classic riffs. I Am Become Death kick things off with a filthy and feral run-through of “In The Meantime”. It’s a faithful reproduction of the original with a throat-shredding vocal performance and distortion levels well into the red. Earthship and Sunflo’er also stick fairly close to the script and deliver excellent versions of “Ironhead” and “Unsung” respectively. Ironweed, Kings Destroy and The Glorious Rebellion also don’t deviate too far from the source material but bring the latent stoner rock undertones in “Give It”, “He Feels Bad” and “FBLA II” to the surface.

The highlights of “Meantime (Redux)” come when the original tracks are bent almost out of recognition. Meek Is Murder transform “Better” into a searing blastbeat-riddled beast of a track in the vein of Converge while Fuck The Facts achieve similarly brutal results by recreating “Role Model” as two minutes of fearsome grind. Although not as shockingly different as these two belters, KEN mode manage to inject enough of their trademark sound into “Turned Out” to give it an angular Botch-style makeover.

Not content with a full recreation of “Meantime”, “Meantime (Redux)” also features six bonus tracks where more bands tackle songs from the Helmet back catalogue. The cream of these extras come from Fashion Week and Heads. Fashion Week inject some burly riffage into “I Know” from “Betty” but also bring a welcome dose of synth-assisted melody. Heads’ classic Shellac/Jesus Lizard style rumble is a great contrast to the metallic sound of the majority of bands on “Meantime (Redux)”. They stretch “Blacktop” from “Strap It On” into six minutes of taut, dark menace.

“Meantime (Redux)” pulls off the tricky balance of paying respectful tribute to a classic album while being an excellent listen in its own right. Hopefully it will introduce long-term Helmet fans to some exciting new bands and make any other people with their ears stuck in the underground realise that Helmet were great all along.

“Meantime (Redux)” is available here

ALBUM REVIEW: Satyricon - “Nemesis Divina” (Reissue)

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length (Reissue)
Date Released: 20/05/2016
Label: Napalm Records

This album does to me what people describe psychedelic drugs as doing for them. In my opinion this is mandatory listening. There are precious few albums that matter this much to me, and I can only hope that if someone hears this album for the first time this year, it has the same kind of impact on them that it’s had on me.

“Nemesis Divina” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1.The Dark of a New Age
2.Forhekset
3.Mother North
4.Du som hater Gud
5.Immortality Passion
6.Nemesis Divina
7.Tanscendental Requiem of Slaves

The Review:

I know it’s supposed to be poor form to write about yourself when writing about an album. “Nobody cares about you, they care about the album!” is a recurring point made on Twitter. I get it, and when we’re talking about new albums, I usually agree with it. Please know that if you’re strict about that particular rule, this isn’t going to be for you. I don’t really have a structure for this, nor do I have any direction. I’m just going to write about an album that’s meant more to me than virtually any other. I’m writing about ‘Nemesis Divina’, an album in its 20th year of existence, recently reissued via Napalm Records. I’m going to talk about why this album matters so much to me, and why I regard it as being one of the best black metal albums ever made. If that’s not interesting to you, close the tab and no hard feelings. Fair enough? Ok, let’s get started.

As was the case with a lot of the bigger second wave black metal albums of the 90s, I found out about ‘Nemesis Divina’ through a compilation CD. In this case it was the ‘Gods of Darkness’ compilation, which was issued by Nuclear Blast in 1997, the same year the album got its release in the United States. Back then, the US often got black metal albums quite a bit later than Europe. Many of these great albums didn’t see broader distribution in the US until Century Black came to the rescue and became the North American home of some of the greatest black metal albums of all time. Along with ‘Nemesis Divina’, Century Black was the American home for Mayhem’s ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’, Emperor’s ‘In The Nightside Eclipse’ and ‘Anthems to the Welkin At Dusk’, Ulver’s ‘Nattens Madrigal’, Gorgoroth’s first three albums, and so many others. That black metal imprint for Century Media was so vital to making prime Norwegian black metal available throughout the US that it almost can’t be overstated.

The song featured on ‘Gods of Darkness’ was, as you’d expect, “Mother North”. In the 19 years or so that I’ve been listening to ‘Nemesis Divina’, the song went from being my favorite, to over-playing it and getting burnt out on it, to then coming back around to appreciating and understanding why people love it so much. “Mother North” is among the most popular black metal songs of the nineties. When it comes down to it, the reasons for its popularity are pretty simple. It’s loaded with hooks, and Satyr’s vocals are comprehensible enough that people can learn—and follow along with—the lyrics.

I’ll admit that my 16 year old self might have found occasion once or twice to put on my most dour black metal face and bellow “Sometimes in the dead of the night, I mesmerize my soul…” in front of a mirror. In the previous decade, high school kids were lip syncing and air guitaring to Maiden or Priest. But for me, it was hours upon hand drumming on my knees to ‘Nemesis Divina’ or ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’. It was easy to romanticize Norwegian black metal as a teenager, even with all of the violence. But that was a non-factor with Satyricon. They weren’t really a part of the drama that surrounded Mayhem, Burzum, and Emperor. They were just a band. The music on ‘Nemesis Divina’ created it’s own mystique.

In terms of knowing about the band itself, I really only had photos in the CD booklet to go off of. The photo of Satyr, Frost, and Nocturno Culto (credited as Kveldulv on this album) in front of what, in retrospect, a ridiculous blue family photo/school picture backdrop. Satyr is seated upon an old wooden chair with markings along the sides and thrusting a partially intact skull toward the camera. Frost and Nocturno Culto stand beside him, wielding stylized axes, and Frost is decked out in some of the most unwieldy spiked gauntlets ever worn by arms. They were basically just giant nails in place of where the half inch spikes had been. It was ludicrous. At 16, I imagined Satyricon were just like that all the time. They didn’t have jobs or families or pets or regular human lives. Instead, they just lived in a secluded Norwegian forest, where they dedicated all their time to black metal and ancillary activities. 16 year old me didn’t want to think about Satyr ordering a coffee, or Nocturno Culto punching a clock and working like I would do the following year. I was like a young child who watches pro wrestling and doesn’t really understand that wrestlers were often very different from the personas they played on television.

But all these years later, none of the image or package has anything more than a passing nostalgic value. Today, the music is what matters. Sure, it’s the music that conjures those fanciful memories, but more than anything it’s about the constant realization while listening to it, that Satyr, Frost and Nocturno Culto captured lightning in a bottle back in 1996. ‘Nemesis Divina’ is one of the few albums, of the thousands of albums I’ve owned and thousands more that I’ve listened to, where there isn’t a track I skip on purpose. From the opening downbeat of “The Dawn of A new Age” to the final droning keyboard and guitar of “Transcendental Requiem of Slaves” it all has resonance, and it’s all important to the album overall.

Everything works together so well. There has never been a black metal album so well arranged. Frost is especially important here, as he’s virtually perfect at coming up with musical drum fills and accents that play into the riff and often enhance it. It’s those random tom hits on the upbeats, or the intricate patterns he uses all over the album that bring more to ‘Nemesis Divina’ than any drum performance has brought to any other black metal album since the genre’s inception. The riffs themselves are burned in my memory for as long as I live. I could write 20 hundred words about each song and individual riff, but I doubt there are many of you left reading this as it is.

There are few albums that have brought me anything close to the same amount joy that ‘Nemesis Divina’ has. Put on your headphones, let the world burn around you if it’s going to, and exist only in the world Satyricon built with this music back in 1996. When I listen to this album, I get fucking existential. I’d rather live in the universe this guitar work compels me to imagine. This album does to me what people describe psychedelic drugs as doing for them. I’m well passed the point of being ridiculous now, but let’s just say that my opinion of the album is that it’s mandatory listening. There are precious few albums that matter this much to me, and I can only hope that if someone hears this album for the first time this year, it has the same kind of impact on them that it’s had on me.

‘Nemesis Divina’ is available now

Band info:  official

Divine Mother Recordings Reissue Classic Album "Starvation of Locusts" by Leechmilk on Vinyl

 

   Originally released in 2000, “Starvation of Locusts” was Atlanta, GA sludge grinders, LEECHMILK’s first full length following previous self-released demos. The band disbanded in 2001 after a split with Sofa King Killer on Teepee Records. 16 years later, “Starvation of Locusts” finally sees a vinyl release remixed and remastered by Matt Washburn of Ledbelly Sound Studios (Mastodon, Norma Jean), where it was originally recorded. Artwork by Jean Saiz of Shroud Eater.

 

   "Why a vinyl release after all these years? Well, because it is one of my favorite albums of all time and I wanted a copy on vinyl, plain and simple. I hit Dan up about it and he didn’t seem all that interested at first. I’d see people here and there commenting about Leechmilk online and I’d always reply to them hounding him about the vinyl. After a little while I either wore him down and he agreed just to shut me up or the interest other people had in it convinced him into doing it. The timing was right with label releases so we went for it. It took about a year and some change to get it all done. We had to remix a few times (with a different engineer), and then we went back to Matt and just got him to redo the whole thing until we were all satisfied. The end result, to me is an accurate representation of the original album, just updated for 2016. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do". – Clifton DMR

You can stream the remastered version of the album in full below and you can pick up a copy here

 

LEECHMILK – “Starvation of Locusts”

 

1). Sinkhole

2). Doubleplusungood

3). Dirt Clot

4). Imbalance

5). Whiskey Nipple

6). The Garrote

7). Descending

 

Edition of 225 copies:
- 47 red and black
- 78 white
- 100 black

Recorded April 9th & 14th 2000 Ledbelly Studios - Atlanta GA.
Remixed and remastered in November 2015.

Death - "Scream Bloody Gore" (Album Review)

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Reissue
Date Released: 20/05/2016
Label: Relapse Records

Overall, this is the definitive release of this classic record- it is unlikely that it will ever sound any better and comes in a form so expanded as to be the last word on this era of the band. “SBG” is undoubtedly one of the most important releases in the death metal- and even metal- genres. Interestingly, the same could be said for probably at least three further Death albums. Not a bad tally, and one that places the band in the league of Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Metallica, and so on- albeit arguably only within their own sub genre.

“Scream Bloody Gore” CD//DD//LP track listing:

 
Disc 1

01. Infernal Death
02. Zombie Ritual
03. Denial Of Life
04. Sacrificial
05. Mutilation
06. Regurgitated Guts
07. Baptized In Blood
08. Torn To Pieces
09. Evil Dead
10. Scream Bloody Gore
11. Beyond The Unholy Grave
12. Land Of No Return

Disc 2

13. Torn To Pieces (Original Florida Session)
14. Legion Of Doom (Original Florida Session)
15. Scream Bloody Gore (Original Florida Session)
16. Sacrificial (Original Florida Session)
17. Mutilation (Original Florida Session)
18. Land Of No Return (Original Florida Session)
19. Baptized In Blood (Original Florida Session)
20. Regurgitated Guts (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
21. Sacrificial (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
22. Sacrificial - Take 2 (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
23. Torn To Pieces (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
24. Do You Love Me? V1 (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
25. Infernal Death (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
26. Zombie Ritual (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
27. Beyond The Unholy Grave (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
28. Do You Love Me? V2 (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
29. Denial Of Life (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)

The Review:

The reissuing of Death's seminal back catalogue continues here; the debut in two disc expanded form. The first disc comprises the original twelve tracks in remastered form, while the second disc takes in a further seventeen (17!?) versions of the songs on the record and oddball tracks. “Scream Bloody Gore” is, arguably, the first death metal album (yes, Possessed have a fair shout for this too, as do Celtic Frost etc etc). It finds the band on feral form, with Evil Chuck's vocals noticeably more brutal than on later releases. It was certainly hailed as a classic of the genre throughout the 90's, but since that time, Death's latter day catalogue has seemingly overtaken it in terms of reverence.

Truthfully, I prefer the later Death albums such as “Symbolic” (when is the remaster and repackage of that holy grail coming out??!) and “Individual Thought Patterns”, but there can be no denying the impact of this one. The remaster sounds great; crisp and live sounding with some tape hiss audible here and there. The thrashing beats are very fast in places (albeit blasts are still away off in the death metal canon).

Naturally, you cannot argue with the songs here; “Zombie Ritual”, “Torn to Pieces”, “Baptized in Blood”, “Mutilation...” the list goes on. Each track is an example of early death metal. For contextual purposes, it is important to remember that just four years earlier, “Kill Em All” by Metallica was the most extreme record ever released (the Venom issue is arguable). This is how far metal had come in those years; faster, heavier, gnarlier, more extreme in every way. Things would only get more extreme form here; Napalm Death and the emergence of Grindcore all the way to ultra tech, ultra brutal modern day outfits such as Nile. The groundwork is here, though, in Chuck's guttural vocals, riffs blurring with speed, copious use of double bass drums and so on. The record is not without flaws, of course- the time changes on “Denial of Life” still sound odd to my ears- but the album stands as a classic of the time and of all time.

If the album itself is an essential part of every death metaller's collection, what can be said of the bonus material? As is often the case, and as I have written about the Death reissues in the past, this is a completist's dream but a nightmare for fans of hi fidelity audio everywhere. The demo versions are exactly as you'd expect. The oddities such as “Legion of Doom” are well worth a listen if you have the time, though. To go through this with a fine tooth comb to look for differences in songs between demo and album is a luxury that I cannot really afford at this point, but for big fans of the band and album it could be a rewarding exercise. The inclusion of two rehearsal snapshots of “Do You Love Me” is at best mildly diverting.

Overall then, this is the definitive release of this classic record- it is unlikely that it will ever sound any better and comes in a form so expanded as to be the last word on this era of the band. Death would go on to make better records, but whether Chuck and whoever he hired would ever reach this level of influence again... who is to say? “SBG” is undoubtedly one of the most important releases in the death metal- and even metal- genres. Interestingly, the same could be said for probably at least three further Death albums. Not a bad tally, and one that places the band in the league of Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Metallica, and so on- albeit arguably only within their own sub genre. Certainly, within death metal only a handful of bands could make similar claims;  the bands who only have one classic to their name are not eligible for inclusion...

“Scream Bloody Gore” is available here

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