siLLy puPPy ACID BATH was one of those 90s metal bands that was too eclectic for its own good and despite existing from 1991 to 1997 released two groundbreaking albums that mostly fell on deaf ears during the band’s existence but has slowly but surely attained the status of best metal bands of all time after three decades of retrospect. Forged out of the ashes of the two bands Dark Carnival and Golgotha, ACID BATH was born in 1991 in the small city of Houma, Louisiana situated southwest of New Orleans. The band’s career might’ve taken off however the death of bassist Audie Pitre in 1997 from a car crash pretty much ended any aspirations of continuing. Despite it all, ACID BATH’s two albums have become modern metal classics.

Best known by some as that metal band that used the artwork of serial killer John Wayne Gacy and suicide proponent Dr Jack Kevorkian for its cover art, ACID BATH has been typically lumped into the world of sludge metal for its Melvins inspired sludge metal riffing and Eyehategod bleakness, ACID BATH was so much more with influences from the contemporary world of grunge, alternative metal, stoner metal and even death metal. The debut WHEN THE KITE STRING POPS emerged in 1994, right at the time when grunge bands and their metal hybrids were ruling the roost in the world of popular metal and hard rock. Possibly stunted by not emerging from the Seattle scene, ACID BATH’s debut may have gone mostly unnoticed but was one of those silent revolutionary albums that mixed various musical styles seamlessly.

In many ways ACID BATH was the quintessential 90s band that encompassed many of the trends that were dominating the music world. As “The Blue” opens this lengthy album of 14 tracks that add up to 69 minutes of playing time, the tripped out feedback reminiscent of stoner metal bands like Kyuss add spice to the sludgy downtuned bass and guitar riff driven grooviness. Alternating between a heavier sludge metal style of Eyehategod with obnoxiously screamed vocals and less intense clean vocal segments that evoke the Jethro Tull inspired singing style of Psychotic Waltz’ Buddy Lackey, WHEN THE KITE STRING POPS can’t be accused of being tedious as it consistently shape shifts from pseudo-death metal inspired aggression to Alice In Chains inspired melodic and soulful alternative metal grunge. The all acoustic track “The Bones of Baby Dolls” is right out of the Alice In Chains unplugged playbook.

Despite the myriad stylistic approaches throughout WHEN THE KITE STRING POPS, the most ubiquitous feature of ACID RAIN is the strong dueling guitar effect with one guitarist delivering strong alt metal grunge riffing while the other accents with contrapuntal grooves, licks and occasional lead outbreaks. The star of the show has to be vocalist Dax Riggs who displayed a firm command of the soulful grunge vocal style and was on par with the greats of the era such as Chris Cornell of Soundgarden or Alice In Chains’ Layne Staley. Throughout the course of the album Riggs animates the sludgy stoner grunge metal with a diverse roster of screams from the world of sludge metal, shouts courtesy of hardcore punk, sensual clean vocal styles sounding like a dead ringer for Psychotic Waltz as well as emulating Alice In Chains itself yet while displaying obvious influences ACID BATH managed to craft something totally of its own making.

Perhaps the only downfall of WHEN THE KIT STRING POPS is that of its unwieldy playing time and despite not hosting a single turkey of a track, can be a bit to sit through in one go as the tracks do tend to feature recycled motifs and musical processions however when music is this fantastically good it’s also a treat to simply get more! This is one of those grower albums because after the first listening experience i failed to get all the hype behind it but after the strong melodies and subtle arrangements began to sink in it really got under my skin. My experience is probably the same of many others as by the end of the 90s the album had only old a mere 37,000 copies in the USA but since then has become one of the most revered metal albums of the entire 90s. The band only released one more album, the equally revered “Paegan Terrorism Tactics” two years later before disbanding but the band’s two albums were of such high quality that it guaranteed a slot in the highest ranks of metal history for time immemorial.

UMUR "Perspectives" is the second full-length studio album by Canadian industrial death metal act Inner Thought. The album was released through Witchhunt Records in 1995. It´s the successor to "Worldly Separation" from 1993. Inner Thought is a one-man project featuring Bobby Sadzak who performs all guitars, keyboards, and drum programming. The growling/high pitched screaming vocals on this album are performed by Dennis Balesdent. The remaining instruments and occasional female vocals are performed by sessions/guest musicians.

Listening to "Perspectives" is could almost seem like Sadzak had read my review of "Worldly Separation", because some of my issues with that album have been solved on "Perspectives". The sound production is heavier and the music is generally more dark and brutal than on the debut album and less ethereal and dominated by keyboards. Of course there are still keyboards in the music and the drums are also still programmed, but Sadzak have found a better balance on "Perspectives".

The churning heavy riffs and rhythms, the aggressive growling vocals, and they atmosphere enhancing keyboards and lead guitar parts go hand and hand on this album and don´t feel disconnected. So while this isn´t a masterpiece recording by any means, it´s a good quality release which is certainly worth a listen to two. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Disorder of Battles" is an EP release by Canadian industrial death metal act Inner Thought. The EP was released through Witchhunt Records in 1993. It´s a companion release to Inner Thought´s debut full-length studio album "Worldly Separation".

...and companion release is the right term to use here, because you get absolutely nothing new by purchasing "Disorder of Battles" as the two tracks featured on the EP are culled directly from "Worldly Separation" and both appear here in the exact same versions as the versions featured on the album. So this is one of those completely redundant EP releases where you can´t help think what the label was thinking. They could at least have put one song on the EP, which hadn´t already appeared on the album...but no.

So upon conclusion "Disorder of Battles" is a redundant/unneccesary release, which does feature some decent quality industial death metal, but you should of course purchase the full-length studio album instead. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted for the actual content of the EP. The idea to release the EP gets a 0,5 star (10%) rating.

UMUR "Worldly Separation" is the debut full-length studio album by Canadian industrial death metal act Inner Thought. The album was released through Witchhunt Records in 1993. Inner Thought was formed in 1989 by Bobby Sadzak. Sadzak had been a member of Canadian thrash metal act Lethal Presence in the mid-80s, and joined Slaughter in 1987 and subsequently also co-founded post-Slaughter act Strappado with Dave Hewson. The early 90s was spend with recording and touring with Strappado, but Sadzak always had Inner Thought as a one-man project on the side and as activitives with Strappado came to a hold in 1993 he opted to spend time recording "Worldly Separation".

Stylistically this is industrial tinged death metal featuring both drum programming and an omnipresense of keyboards (and occasional samples and spoken words sections). The sound production is a bit thin, which is a shame because I´m sure that a more massive and heavy sounding production could have elevated the music to a higher state. The current sound production leaves a bit to be desired, although it´s not an amaturish sounding release.

The album is dedicated to all innocent victims of war and that theme is obvious from the lyrics and the atmosphere of the album. This is a melancholic album displaying despair at the state of the world. Heavy riffs and rhythms, growling snarling vocals, and atmosphere enhancing keyboards and lead guitars. I must admit that I enjoy this album most when it´s darkest, heaviest, og most brutal, and less when it´s too ethereal and carried by the keyboards and the programmed drums. But that´s a subjective observation and objectively evaluated this is a good quality industrial tinged death metal release. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Ki" is the tenth full-length studio album by Canadian artist Devin Townsend. The album was released through HevyDevy Records (Townsend´s own label) in May 2009. It´s the successor to "Ziltoid The Omniscient" from May 2007 and marks the end of a 2 year release hiatus, which at the time was an unusually long break between releases for Townsend. After a period of hectic recording and touring activity, Townsend however decided that he would withdraw from touring, to concentrate on family life and on getting sober from his addiction to alcohol and drugs. He recorded and released "Ziltoid The Omniscient" during the first period of his isolation, but then stopped writing music for a full year, before returning to composing at full force, writing around 60 tracks, some of which ended up on "Ki". Townsend brought in drummer Duris Maxwell and bassist Jean Savoie who he had never worked with before, and also asked former Devin Townsend Band member Dave Young to join the project and play keyboards. Female vocalist Ché Aimee Dorval (who Townsend would create the Casualties of Cool duo project with a few years down the line) sings additional vocals on the album.

Compared to "Ziltoid The Omniscient", "Ki" is a completely different type of release. It´s still unmistakably a Devin Townsend album (although released under The Devin Townsend Project monicker), but it´s predominantly a non-distorted, non-metal oriented release (although it can still be pretty heavy at times). Instead Townsend have opted for a stripped down, organic, and earthy rock sound, which often works through tension and release type dynamics. It´s sometimes a pretty intense album, and often not meant for mellow listening pleasure, so it´s not one of those atmospheric and pretty acoustic guitar releases, although the album does feature a good share of mellow and laid back sections and tracks. Some of the tracks feature jam parts combined with more structured sections and the whole album feels loose and creative in spirit. Featuring 13 tracks and a total playing time of 66:50 minutes, it´s also a pretty long release.

"Ki" is probably Townsend´s most personal release in terms of the lyrical subjects which include subjects like dealing with sober life, self-discovery, and spirituality. "Ki" features a gorgeous organic and earthy sound production. It´s an absolutely brilliant production, where you can hear every detail of the music and all instruments and vocals are well balanced in the mix. It´s interesting to hear Townsend´s music presented in this type of production package, as it stands in great contrast to his usual wall of sound/multi-layered sound productions, but that´s pretty obviously the whole point of "Ki"...to produce a release which sounds vastly different from anything which Townsend had been involved in before.

Personally I find "Ki" a very hard album to get into and it´s taken me many years to get through the album and many re-visits to be able to write something about it. And it´s not because it´s an overtly complex release in terms of the song structures or challenging parts, but it´s the whole atmosphere and the sometimes slow building and repetitive nature of the music (which is often laid back and ambient), which has taken me a while (well...actually a very long time) to get into. Even after all this time "Ki" still leaves me a bit perplexed...

...I´m sure the often idiosyncratic Townsend would be delighted if he read my reaction to "Ki" and the struggles I´ve been through to understand what he has created, but at some point you do have to ask yourself if it´s worth it. Some albums just seem to alienate you even though you try everything to understand them and appreciate them. And that´s how I felt about "Ki" for many years. But understanding and appreciating music sometimes comes down to experience with different types of music, the real life situation you´re experiencing at the given moment, and maybe who you listen to the music with. Negative feelings often create a negative reaction to difficult music, because you don´t have the emotional surplus to grasp it.

The point is that "Ki" is one of the most unique but also one of the most difficult releases in Devin Townsend´s discography, and it´s one of those releases which is an aquired taste. Just because you think of yourself as a Townsend fan doesn´t mean you´ll be able to appreciate "Ki". In parts maybe, but probably not the full album in one sitting unless you´re one of those rare folks who get it right away. But while you should consider yourself warned at this point, I would still urge you to give "Ki" a listen. This is the work of a real artist trying something new and working outside his comfort zone, and while I still have a way to go before I completely surrender to "Ki", there are arguably musical treasures buried on the album, which deserve to be discovered. The only way to find them...is to keep digging. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Vault of Horrors" is the twelfth full-length studio album by Belgian death metal act Aborted. The album was released through Nuclear Blast in March 2024. It´s the successor to "Maniacult" from September 2021. The two full-length studio albums are bridged by the non-album single "Infinite Terror" from October 2022.

Stylistically the core sound of the material on "Vault of Horrors" is no surprise if you´re familiar with the previous technically well played and brutal death metal releases from Aborted, but when that is said it´s still a slightly different sounding release, because Aborted have invited various guests to perform vocals on each track on the album along with lead vocalist Sven de Caluwé. So some of the these tracks almost work like extreme metal duets. Alex Erian from Despised Icon for example lends his aggressive hardcore snarling/screaming to "Death Cult", which along with de Caluwé´s brutal growling and aggressive snarling makes for a nicely varied vocal part of the song.

When the novelty of the tracks featuring different guest vocalists is over, "Vault of Horrors" however pretty much turns out to be Aborted by the numbers. Sharp and brutal riffs and rhythms, blistering lead guitar work, and variation between fast-paced blasting and mid-paced heavy grooves. It´s all clean, a bit sterile, and if you enjoy this type of massive professional sounding production, a very well sounding album. It´s become a bit predictable what Aborted releases these days (guest vocalists or not), and a bit more grit, sleaze, and organic playing and production values, would be a welcome change on the next release. Still a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

Sheavy Aaannnnddd the winner of most unexpected 2024 album release goes to Toadliquor. 31 years after they dropped one of the most vile, angry, and unique Sludge/Doom metal albums, the legends return with their sophomore release Back In The Hole. So what has changed in the world of Toadliquor’s sound? Not all that much. Vocalist Rex doesn’t quite hit the high, almost ear piercing, throat ripping shriek of old. It’s more of a raspy yell or scream, not quite as powerful, but still communicates Toadliquor’s angst and nihilism. The songs are also (relatively speaking) tighter, and more concise. Less prone to droning off and dropping into feedback, but don’t worry, Toadliquor have lost none of their angry, brutal, misanthropic, crushing heaviness. Every song is precipitous, monolithic Doom leaning Sludge Metal.

However, there is something new in the Toadliquor arsenal, giving this album an experimental bent at times. This being a scattering of various electronic, psychedelic, or almost Post Metal interludes or inflections across most songs. On Recained, Toadliquor delve into a trippy, psychedelic midsection, filled with synth drones and electric pulses, ponderous reverbed drumming, squealing and muted saxophone, and some drowned out vocals. The namesake song and album closer, Back In The Hole, opens with some somber, drifting and depressive Post Rock guitar and synth, before slowly transitioning into the Sludge/Doom pounding and riffing, while the almost melodic guitar parts soar above.

This is an excellent return to the spotlight for Toadliquor.

UMUR "Existence Indifferent" is the debut full-length studio album by Finnish death metal act Atakhama. The album was released through Woodcut Records in April 2005. Atakhama formed in 2004 after the demise of some of the member´s previous band melodic black metal act Funeris Nocturnum. Four out of the five members of the lineup actually came from Funeris Nocturnum and only lead vocalist Jimmy Salmi is completely new to the party (although he had experience from other acts previous to joining Atakhama).

Stylistically it´s like listening to a less intense Deicide meeting the more brutal grooves of Dyscarnate. Although Atakhama are a well playing unit and vocalist Salmi deliver both grutal growling and higher pitched aggressive screaming vocals with passion and conviction, they don´t quite reach the two mentioned influences in terms of quality of material. "Existence Indifferent" is still a good quality death metal release with good rhythmic variation, just a slight bit of melody when that is needed, and death metal- and thrash metal oriented riffs, and the occassional heavy grooves. The sound production is decent, but the drums do have an annoying clicky sound, and especially the bass drums sound a little wrong.

So upon conclusion "Existence Indifferent" is a decent first release from Atakhama (it would be their sole release as they disbanded soon after), but it´s nothing out of the ordinay for the genre. Well composed, well performed, and relatively well produced. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Heir to Despair" is the eleventh full-length studio album by Japanese avantgarde/progressive metal act Sigh. The album was released through Spinefarm Records in November 2018. It´s the successor to "Graveward" from 2015, and the album features the exact same quartet lineup who recorded the predecessor.

As always Sigh have managed to incorporate new musical elements to their progressive blackened heavy/speed metal style and this time around it´s the inclusion of traditional Japanese instruments and the fact that Mirai Kawashima (keyboards, vocals, vocoder, programming, main composer) have learned to play the flute (and occasionally use it on the tracks like he does on album opener "Aletheia"), which are the most dominent new elements. There are of course other new adventurous ideas on the album, but if you´re familiar with the preceding releases from Sigh you of course wouldn´t expect it any other way. Kawashima just never ceases to amaze. He is such an incredible musical capacity, who seems to be able to do anything he sets his mind to (learning to play the flute before recording this album was probably a walk in the park for him).

The main vocal style is the usual raspy blackened snarling, but the extreme metal vocal style is complimented by both male and female clean vocals, vocoder parts, and a varity of choirs and backing vocals. In addition to the traditional Japanese music influence there is also a strong middle eastern music element featured on the album. The basic guitar, bass, drums rock/metal band instrumentation are combined with Kawashima´s different keyboards/synths/organ/piano layering and his classical music influences are heard throughout the album.

Avantgarde/progressive heavy/speed metal with raw snarling blackened vocals may be the best overall description of the music, but Sigh are as always almost impossible to give a label which makes sense for the reader. Compared to "Graveward" my ears tell me that "Heir to Despair" is a slightly more well developed and tasteful release featuring a sound production, which is also a step up from the sound production of the predecessor (it´s clearer and more powerful sounding). This album is even close to being accessible at times. As an example take a listen to the sophisticated and very melodic Iron Maiden influenced lead- and harmony guitars on "Homo Homini Lupus" or the uplifting and melodic rocking "Hunters Not Horned". Avantgarde music never felt this pleasant and easy going before.

When that is said "Heir to Despair" is still a complex and demanding release featuring many layers of instruments and vocals, and a generally unconventional approach to composing music. Most tracks have recognisable vers/chorus parts, but everything else going on are quite unique when heard in this context. Upon conclusion "Heir to Despair" is another high quality release from Sigh, who are still one of the most original and creative acts on the scene. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Led Zeppelin" is the eponymously titled debut full-length studio album by UK rock act Led Zeppelin. The album was released through Atlantic Records in January 1969. Led Zeppelin were formed in London in 1968 and were originally called the New Yardbirds. After the Yardbirds disbanded in July 1968 guitarist Jimmy Page was left with ownership of the name and contractual obligations for a 1968 Scandinavian summer tour and he quickly recruited bassist John Paul Jones, lead vocalist Robert Plant, and drummer John Bonham, and the new lineup completed the Scandinavian tour playing both Yardbirds songs and material which would subsequently be Led Zeppelin songs. After returning from the tour the band changed their name to Led Zeppelin and within a few months entered Studio Olympic in London to start recording their debut album. Recording took place from September to October 1968.

The material on the nine tracks, 44:45 minutes long album are a combination of blues rock tracks which are covers of Willie Dixon ("You Shook Me" and "I Can't Quit You Baby") and original rock and hard rock songs. It´s a fairly varied album showing a band with an eclectic taste in music and expression. Only the percussion on "Black Mountain Side" provide a touch of laid back 60s psychedelic rock. Other than that this is a much more powerful, pretty hard edged (for the time), and skillfully executed rock album, than many of the psychedelic tinged hard rock albums from the previous couple of years (albums from artists like Iron Butterfly and Cream come to mind). Plant´s raw voice and screaming powerful delivery is a great asset to Led Zeppelin´s sound, but all four members of the band bring something special to the table. Page is a powerful but also versatile guitarist, and Jones is a hard rocking and clever bass player. Bonham is a hard pounding driving force and although his playing is pretty much at volume 11 at all times, he is still s skilled drummer with some interesting rhythm ideas.

Highlights include the heavy "Dazed and Confused" and "How Many More Times", the energetic proto-heavy metal oriented "Communication Breakdown", and the beautiful acoustic tinged "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", but this album is through and through an exceptionally strong debut showing a band who have many interesting, eclectic, and clever songwriting ideas, and who perform their music with great power and conviction. I´m not sure that I think a song like "Your Time Is Gonna Come" would normally fit on an album like this, but again it goes to show that Led Zeppelin already this early on refused to be labelled and did exactly what they wanted to and succeeded in doing it.

The album features a powerful, organic, and detailed sound production. Although some tracks feature quite a few overdubs (mostly harmony guitars) it´s an album which feels like most of it was recorded live in the studio, and that´s what music like this deserves. Upon conclusion Led Zeppelin´s debut album was not only a groundbreaking rock album from the late 60s, but it´s also a good quality release showing an incredible amount of maturity and understanding of each other musical qualities considering that the band had only been together for a couple of months when they started recording the material. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

Sheavy Hailing from the deep south of Atlanta, Georgia, and appropriately were signed to Southern Lord, Dead In The Dirt’s sole full length, The Blind Hole, is a crushing, catastrophic slab of grinding Powerviolence. DITD deal in fairly typical PV lyrically and sonically speaking, but don’t even think for a second this is meant as insult. Frequent and Extreme start and stop tempo shifts, even within the confines of 60 second or less songs, often punctuated and preceded by squalls of feedback. Downtuned growling, grinding guitars thunder away to merciless but tight Hardcore drumming and blast beating. Occasionally settling into a more metal inspired mid-tempo or thrash groove, and some songs drop entirely into disgusting filthy Sludge Metal (Will Is The War and Halo Crown). As could be guessed from the album title, nay, band name, the lyrics all tend towards the introspective and unwaveringly nihilistic, often with political or social subtext. These are handled by dual vocalists, Bo Orr, also on Bass, and Blake Connally, also on Guitar. Dual vocalists means we are treated to differing delivery styles, one a Death Metal growl, and the other a Hardcore Punk styled full on shriek. Production wise it’s all very clear and clean, none of the dirt and grime, nor aggression and rawness is lost.

A beautiful, maniacal not quite 24 minute assault.

UMUR "Pits of Utumno" is the first demo recording by German death metal act Morgoth. The demo was independently released in June 1988. Morgoth formed in 1987, although their origins can be traced as far back as 1985 when they worked under the Cadaverous Smell, Exterminator, and Minas Morgul monickers (in that chronology in the period 1985-1987).

Morgoth are one of the earliest German death metal acts and their 1989 "Resurrection Absurd" EP is one of the first German death metal releases, and although they were only a death metal band for a relatively short period in time before they started experimenting with other music styles, they are widely considered a seminal German death metal act (along with artists like Atrocity and Fleshcrawl).

Stylistically the material on "Pits of Utumno" isn´t pure death metal though, but more a brutal and aggressive thrash metal style with some death metal elements. Lead vocalist/bassist Marc Grewe had not yet developed a growling vocal style, and instead performs a gnarly and raw snarling death/thrash rabid dog vocal style. If he hadn´t changed his vocal style on subsequent releases, he could actually have been a great death/thrash vocalist, because he sounds really great here.

Only two of the six tracks from the 22:10 minutes long demo would appear on subsequent Morgoth releases. "Eternal Sanctity" and "Pits of Utumno" would be re-recorded and included on Morgoth´s second EP release "The Eternal Fall" from May 1990. The remaining tracks are exclusive to this demo. It´s not that the two tracks Morgoth chose to re-record are any less thrashy than the other tracks on the demo, but of course they sound less thrashy in their re-recorded versions with Marc Grewe growling on them instead of performing the rabid dog snarls he does here.

It´s obvious that Morgoth were already a well playing band and that they also understood how to compose an effectful song, and it´s therefore no wonder that they got signed pretty fast by Century Media Records for the release of "Resurrection Absurd" (released in November 1989). A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Wrath of the Gods" is the third full-length studio album by US, San Francisco based thrash metal/hard rock/heavy metal act Blind Illusion. The album was released through Hammerheart Records in October 2022. It´s been 12 years since the release of the bluesy hard rock/heavy metal oriented 2010 comeback album "Demon Master", which took a lot of fans off guard, and although a pretty good quality album in its own right, wasn´t exactly the triumphant comeback that Blind Illusion´s fans had hoped for. The "2018" EP (released in February 2019) showed promise and signs that Blind Illusion were moving toward playing thrash/heavy metal again, but it wasn´t until the release of pre-"Wrath of the Gods" album single "Straight as the Crowbar Flies" in September 2020 that the fans began to feel that magic was in the air again.

So does "Wrath of the Gods" deliver on the promise that the "Straight as the Crowbar Flies" single showed? Yes and more so is the answer to that...with the exception of former Death Angel drummer Andy Galeon who joined in 2020, the remaining members of the band have been together since 2017 and it´s audible that they are now a tight playing unit and they don´t only deliver sharp and heavy thrashy riffs and rhythms, they deliver them with great passion and conviction. The songs are generally well written, intriguing, and effectful, featuring sharp riffs, blistering melodic lead- and harmony guitar work, and the raw yet still melodic inclined vocals of Marc Biedermann. Sure he doesn´t have the most powerful or the most distinct sounding voice, but he is a good example of getting the most out of what you´ve got.

Stylistically Blind Illusion strike a good balance between thrash metal and heavy metal which artists like Megadeth, Death Angel, and Flotsam and Jetsam (and sometimes Testament) also excel in. So the hard-edged parts are always followed up by something a little less harsh and typically more melodic. "Wrath of the Gods" features a well sounding production job, and all instruments and vocals are audible and well balanced in the mix. So upon conclusion this is the "real" comeback release for Blind Illusion, and one can only hope they continue to travel down this road and deliver more high quality releases along the way. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Straight as the Crowbar Flies" is a single release by US, San Francisco based thrash metal/hard rock/heavy metal act Blind Illusion. The single was independently released in September 2020 to promote the forthcoming release of Blind Illusion´s third full-length studio album "Wrath of the Gods". It would be over two years before "Wrath of the Gods" saw the light of day, so "Straight as the Crowbar Flies" existed out there is a teaser for a long time.

"Straight as the Crowbar Flies" is a one-track digital single and the version which appears here is exactly the same version, which appears on "Wrath of the Gods", as the opening track on the album. It´s a powerful, intriguing, and both hard-edged and melodic thrash/heavy metal song, and it sounds very much like the material on Blind Illusion´s 1988 debut album "The Sane Asylum". So the fans who weren´t satisfied with the bluesy hard rock/heavy metal style of Blind Illusion´s 2010 comeback album "Demon Master", will most certainly find much more to appreciate here. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "2018" is an EP release by US, San Francisco based thrash metal/hard rock/heavy metal act Blind Illusion. The EP was indpendently released in February 2019. It´s the follow-up release to Blind Illusion´s 2010 comeback album "Demon Master". "Demon Master" was the band´s first release in 22 years as they disbanded in 1992 after releasing their debut full-length studio album "The Sane Asylum" (from 1988).

"Demon Master" wasn´t a thrash metal comeback album though and instead features a bluesy hard rock/heavy metal style, but in 2013 lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Biedermann met other like minded musicians from the 80s thrash metal scene who convinced him to return to his thrash/heavy metal roots, and "2018" is therefore a much more thrash/heavy metal oriented release than "Demon Master" is.

It´s still not full-on aggressive thrash metal...actually far from it although Blind Illusion have re-recorded both "Metamorphosis of a Monster" and "Vengeance Is Mine", which both appeared on "The Sane Asylum". So stylistically this is an eclectic blend of hard rock, blues rock, heavy metal, and thrash metal. It´s a pretty adventurous EP and the overall sound is relatively unconventional. To my ears it works rather well though and as the sound production is decent too, this is a good quality EP release from Blind Illusion, fully showing how diverse they are in terms of their songwriting and performances. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "To the Depths, In Degradation" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Seattle, Washington based death metal act Infester. The album was released through Moribund Records in December 1994. Infester formed in 1991 under the Threnodist monicker but changed to the current one in 1992. They released the "Darkness Unveiled" in late 1992. Two of the tracks from the demo was released as the "Darkness Unveiled" 7" vinyl single in February 1993. "To the Depths, In Degradation" is the band´s sole full-length release.

Only "Clouding of Consciousness" from the demo has been re-recorded and included on "To the Depths, In Degradation". The remaining tracks are new original compositions. Stylistically the material on "To the Depths, In Degradation" pretty much continues the rhythmically varied old school death metal style of "Darkness Unveiled". Infester play both fast-paced, mid-paced, and slow parts, and even occasionally add some morbid atmospheric keyboards to their music. This is generally a pretty harsh, energitic, and brutal old school death metal release, and the growling vocals are distorted and completely unintelligible. The growling vocals are spiced up with some higher pitched screaming vocals.

There´s a feeling at all times while listening to "To the Depths, In Degradation" that everything barely holds together...a feeling of unhinged madness and chaos, but somehow Infester manage to come out on top and deliver a filthy, gloomy, and brutal assault on the ears of the listener. This album pretty much sums up everything old school death metal is about. A complete disregard for regular vers/chorus structures, a gritty, brutal, and morbid atmospheric approach to composing death metal, and vocals delivered right from the abysmal depths of hell. This truly sounds demonic.

The sound production is filthy, raw, and gritty. It´s not a particularly professional sounding release and there´s something wrong with the volume levels on the instruments. The guitars and the distorted bass are placed low in the mix while the vocals and the drums are placed pretty high. It´s this rather odd sounding production which brings a lot of the darkness and gloom to the recording though and provides "To the Depths, In Degradation" with old school death metal credibility money couldn´t buy.

Upon conclusion "To the Depths, In Degradation" is a good quality debut album from Infester and fans of the most gritty, raw, and cavernous old school death metal should find a lot to appreciate here. Incantation (spiced up with a little bit of early Suffocation) isn´t the worst reference if you need one. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Masters Of Morbidity" is a single release by US, Ohio based death metal act 200 Stab Wounds. The single was released through Metal Blade Records in April 2023. It succeeds the release of the band´s debut full-length studio album "Slave To The Scalpel" from November 2021. This is a two-track version of the single. A single track version of the single (featuring only the title track) was already released in November 2022.

This two-track version of the single features the title track and "Fatal Reality". Both are new original compositions which didn´t appear on the "Slave To The Scalpel" album. Stylistically 200 Stab Wounds play a heavy and predominantly mid-paced old school groove based type of death metal and that hasn´t changed since the debut album. Both single tracks are good quality US death metal and especially the title track is a quality song.

200 Stab Wounds are a well playing band and the single features good quality production values, so upon conclusion this is a good quality stop-gap release before 200 Stab Wounds deliver their sophomore full-length studio album. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Sheavy 16 are a Sludge Metal group that have been kicking out their own unique flavor of Sludge since the inception of the genre, playing in the not-really-recognized-as-a-subgenre of Sludgecore, basically Sludge Metal that sticks close to what it formed from. Heavy, downtuned, slow-ass Black Sabbath and Doom Metal infused Hardcore Punk. Formed in 1991 and still rolling strong today, with only a brief, few year break in the mid-noughties. 16 are a group that, IMHO, should be talked about more and in the same breath as other early sludge metallers like Eyehategod, Crowbar, Grief etc. I have suspicions this is down to their own brew of influences and sounds, 16 really don’t sound like any other Sludge band. To start 16 play at a much faster tempo than most, keeping a pace similarly to Buzzoven. They also have a healthy dose of noise rock, alt rock/metal, post hardcore, and even a tad of an early Metalcore sound I dare say, in addition to the typical hardcore influence sludge metal has. Another potential hurdle for your average metalhead is the fx ladened vocals, which are nearly drowned out in static and occasionally reverb. Lyrically 16 often stick close to typical Sludge Metal inspirations, drugs, depression, violence, and general misanthropy, but they aren’t afraid to delve into some weirdness. Check the song Amish for some Jack Kerouac beat poetry.

"The mailman comes, When I'm home, Acrobat, Undertow, The wooden door, Broken bone, Common growth, Telephone"

Or Joe The Cat, unsurprisingly about a cat (Melvins inspired?).

This debut album from 16 is everything you would want from Sludgecore. It’s all got a clearer production than most other Sludge acts of the time, but it doesn’t diminish the crackhead energy 16 have. Unwaveringly aggressive, super heavy and chunky riffs all over the place, with intermittent flourishes and breaks of guitar scrawl. The PH influence makes for some interesting song dynamics, there’s much more activity between guitar, bass, and drums, more stop and go, than typical of this style. Special mention to the bass, which is that super funky, fat, and floppy bass that was everywhere in the early 90s.

UMUR "Darkness Unveiled" is a 7" vinyl single release (limited to 1.000 copies) by US, Seattle, Washington based death metal act Infester. The single was released through Moribund Records in February 1993. The two tracks featured on the single ("Darkness Unveiled" and "Clouding of Consciousness") are both culled from the band´s 1992 demo also titled "Darkness Unveiled" (the demo features 4 tracks).

Stylistically this is some pretty basic old school death metal with both fast-paced, mid-paced, and slow parts. The growling vocals are effective but the lack of lead guitar parts make this a slightly one-dimensional listen. Upon conclusion you should of course find the full demo instead of listening to this single, as two tracks are missing. In those days it was different though, as it was always cool to have something released on vinyl instead of just having a demo cassette tape out. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Darkness Unveiled" is a demo release by US, Seattle, Washington based death metal act Infester. The demo was recorded in September 1992 and released on cassette tape later that year. The band formed in 1991 under the Threnodist monicker but changed to the current name in 1992. Two of the four tracks from the demo ("Darkness Unveiled" and "Clouding of Consciousness") were released in February 1993 as the "Darkness Unveiled" 7" vinyl single release.

Stylistically this is some pretty basic old school death metal with both fast-paced, mid-paced, and slow parts. The lack of lead guitar parts makes it a slightly one-dimensions listen. It´s a shame really, because the 1991 Threnodist demo these guys released featured some lead guitar parts which made that demo a relatively more varied release). It´s relatively well performed and the growling vocals are brutal and high in the mix. The sound production is decent considering that this is a demo recording and although "Darkness Unveiled" definitely isn´t the most unique sounding US death metal demo from the early 90s, there are enough good quality elements here to warrant a listen og two. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "The Vomitous Demo" is the first demo recording by US, Seattle, Washington based death metal act Threnodist. The demo was independently released in 1991 and it´s the band´s only demo after forming earlier the same year and changing their name to Infester in 1992.

Stylistically the material on the five tracks, 23:33 minutes long demo is predominantly mid- to fast-paced (not blasting fast) old school death metal. The band are audibly still amateurs at this point and the playing is at times a bit questionable. When that is said the growling vocals are pretty effective and the band also have some interesting songwriting ideas. So this may be a very immature first demo recording, but it´s obvious that Threnodist had some good ideas but just needed time to hone their skills. The sound production is decent considering that this is a demo recording. A 2 - 2.5 star (45%) rating is warranted.

Warthur Nektar's Recycled presents an absolutely electrifying first side joined at the hip with an extremely pedestrian second side. The first half of the album (from Recycle to Unendless Imagination?) is a demented thrill-ride through a nightmare future of "recycled energy" and runaway entropy, which I could listen to over and over again; the second side is a set of rather pedestrian songs about tourism which lack the dynamism, energy, aggression, or breakneck pace of the first side, and so rather squander the album's momentum. I'll give it a four star rating, but please note that it's a five star side A bolted to a three star side B.

siLLy puPPy TITANIUM is a power metal band from Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland founded by Karol Mania in 2010 after he moved on from his previous band Abigail. Somewhat of an obscurity so far TITANIUM has released two albums and an EP first beginning with the “We Come To Rock!” EP in 2012 followed by the self-titled debut full-length in 2013. This second and so far final chapter of the TITANIUM saga, ATOMIC NUMBER 22 came out in 2016. The band is considered active but apparently on some sort of hiatus.

This is a typical by the books type of power metal band that consists of Ukrainian born Konstantin Naumenko (vocals), Karol Mania (guitar, keys, backing vocals), Jarek Bona (guitar), Paweł Gębka (bass) and Filip Gruca (drums) with the usual suspects of Helloween, Gamma Ray and Blind Guardian being the primarily influences. This album features nine original tracks plus the bonus Stratovarius cover “Eagleheart.” The album was released on the Japanese Avalon label which has many top dog metal bands including Pain of Salvation, Ark and Sonata Arctica.

While not dripping in originality, TITANIUM certainly displays a firm command of the demanding power metal genre. The band offers a crisp tight unit of thundering guitar riffs, pummeling bass and percussion and a more than competent vocalist with Konstantin Neumenko and the band delivers a high intensity style of power metal that is as heavy as the sturdy metallic element that the band is named after. TITANIUM delivers the expected power metal traits that include highly addictive melodies set to rampage mode in the instrumentation plus a few slower tender moments.

Naumenko’s vocal style is top notch and soars like an eagle with high octave performances that take your breath away. He got his feet wet in the Kyiv, Ukraine based power metal band Sunrise. Founder Karol Mania is the star of the show though with his excellent guitar work that doesn’t quite approach the neoclassical shredding of similar bands but is still way above average. He also handles all the keyboards, programming, orchestral elements and is the primarily songwriter and lyricist. While power metal can sound a bit generic, his songwriting strengths offer an interesting tweak on the limited power metal structure.

The album features 11 tracks that add up to 54 1/2 minutes with the usual power metal stylistic approach that has been the standard since Helloween’s classic “Keeper of the Seven Seas” masterworks however TITANIUM expresses its creativity in how it conveys these standard power metal sounds. Overall the production is excellent as well as the mixing and ATOMIC NUMBER 22 sounds like a true professional release. The tracks vary enough to keep the oft generic flow of power metal from creeping in and given that all the performers are at the top of their game, ATOMIC NUMBER 22 is a compelling release to experience.

True this won’t go down as one of the most cutting edge power metal albums out there but it more than makes up for it in its high quality instrumental interplay. Despite that the band has everything going for it and is actually one of the best power metal bands from Eastern Europe i’ve experienced so far with all the special ingredients that make power metal so dynamic. Scrumptious melodies, intricate solos, exquisite variations between tempos, dynamics and rhythmic cadences. With a bit more of creative infusion TITANIUM could actually soar into the top ranks of power metal. Highly recommended for fans of Scandinavian power metal such as Stratovarious or Lost Horizon.

UMUR "Bow Before the Altar of the Drugs" is the first demeo recording by Danish death/doom/stoner metal act Reefer. The demo was released through Smokedd Productions in February 2013. Reefer was formed in 2010 by drummer Inhalator (real name Eik B. Sørensen) and lead vocalist/guitarist Grim Reefer (real name David Buch Mikkelsen). The latter is quite prolific on the Danish death metal scene and is also known for his work with death metal acts Undergang and Phrenelith (among other projects). Bassist Weed Wizard joined in 2013, completing the trio lineup who recorded "Bow Before the Altar of the Drugs".

As expected from reading the title of demo this is some fuzzed out, crushingly heavy stoner doom metal but with brutal unintelligible growling vocals. It´s like listening to the bastard child of Electric Wizard and Mikkelsen´s Undergang. The latter influence is however only heard in the sleazy, gritty, and morbid sounding atmosphere and the vocals, as the instrumental part of the music is repetitive and slow stoner doom metal, of course with lyrics centered around Marijuana. It´s only a few times during the playing time that Reefer play some noisy fast parts, but they only last for a few seconds when they occur.

Featuring three tracks and a total playing time of 25:40 "Bow Before the Altar of the Drugs" is a relatively long demo and all tracks are 7-9 minutes long, giving the band plenty of time to play their ultra heavy riffs and rhythms over and over again. The sound production is of a good quality considering that this is a demo recording, and upon conclusion "Bow Before the Altar of the Drugs" is a decent quality release. There´s nothing here you haven´t heard before and Reefer won´t win any prices for innovation or for being the most intriguing stoner doom metal act on the scene, but they aren´t the worst either. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Søm til din ligkiste" ("Nails for your coffin") is an EP release by Danish death metal act Undergang. The EP was released through Me Saco un Ojo Records in August 2013. It bridges the gap between Undergang´s second- and third full-length studio albums "Til døden os skiller" (2012) and "Døden læger alle sår" (2015).

"Søm til din ligkiste" features three tracks and a total playing time of 12:23 minutes. All material on the EP is exclusive to this release. "Obduction" ("Autopsy") and "Afrevne lemmer" ("Torn limbs") show Undergang playing shorter more direct old school death metal with a Swedish death metal influence not heard that much on earlier releases. It´s still rotten, filthy, and gore drenched death metal with low in the mix unintelligible growling and sometimes higher pitched juicy screaming vocals, but just slightly different from what came before.

"Rædselsfuld" ("Terrible") concludes the EP and it´s a longer and slower death/doom oriented metal track which is crushingly heavy and slugish, but no less brutal and slimey than the first couple of tracks. "Søm til din ligkiste" is well produced featuring the right gloomy, raw, and gritty production values, which perfectly suits the material.

Upon conclusion "Rædselsfuld" is the highlight of the EP and the two slightly faster and shorter tracks aren´t quite as developed nor as intriguing and varied as the longer closing track, but they are still good quality old school death metal and they both bear the unmistakable mark of being Undergang songs. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "The Dead of Winter" is a split release featuring one track by US death metal act Funebrarum and one track by Danish death metal act Undergang. The split was released in February 2012 through Doomentia Records. Both tracks were upon release exclusive to this split. "The Dead of Winter" was released as a promotion item to promote the two band´s European tour in February 2012.

Both Funebrarum and Undergang represent the filthiest, most cavernous, and organic type of old school death metal you can get your hands on, and both bands deliver good quality material here. "Delusions in the Sheltered Tombs" won´t disappoint fans of Funebrarum with its predominantly death/doom pace and brilliant morbid lead guitar work, and "Kloakkens Afkom" is a crushingly heavy and brutal death metal track too. The latter was recorded during the fall of 2011, so it was not recorded during the sessions for "Til døden os skiller", which was released only a week before this split. If you´re familiar with "Til døden os skiller", the sound producction on "Kloakkens Afkom" will also give that away, as it´s quite different from the almost simoultaniously released studio album. Upon conclusion this is a high quality split featuring quality exclusive material from both artists and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

siLLy puPPy As one of the pioneers of symphonic black metal with his innovative band Emperor, IHSAHN together with his buddy Samoth left the 90s as one of the most influential and popular black metal bands of the entire decade. While Emperor would stop making albums in 2001, IHSAHN focused on his side project Peccatum briefly but ultimately reemerged as a solo artist in 2006 with a shift to a more progressive avant-garde metal sound that still retained the core elements of black metal. It all began with “The Adversary” and some 18 years later IHSAHN is still cranking out quality experimental metal with his latest self-titled eighth album once again capturing the attention of the world of extreme metal.

Deviating significantly from 2018’s “Àmr” which saw IHSAHN approaching a more commercial sound at times, this eponymously titled release looks back to the Emperor years and rekindles the spirit of symphonic black metal only this time he replaces the synthesized embellishments with a fuller orchestral sound courtesy of advancements in sampling technologies. While orchestrated metal albums are hardly anything new, IHSAHN delivers a anew approach that eschews a mere symphonic backing and rather features two independent musical scores laid upon each other resulting in not only a more dynamic symphonic metal approach but also by spawning a secondary release that features the orchestral side of the equation exclusively.

Almost sounding like Emperor is playing over a Hollywood blockbuster soundtrack of some sort, IHSAHN crafts his usual mix of nerdy progressive metal replete with all the avant-garde elements that makes him exist in a world of his own along with the black metal raspy vocals, thundering guitar riffs and percussion to match. The album that features 11 tracks at nearly 49 minutes is reminiscent of some of Dimmu Borgir’s later releases that offer an equal playing field for the orchestral musical score that oft soars above the black metal mania. And while the album sounds like IHSAHN has been accompanied by an entire philharmonic orchestra at times, the guest musicians only add up to three additional percussionists and a violinist leaving IHSAHN the chore of handling vocals, guitar, bass and orchestral sampling.

IHSAHN is actually quite a diverse album (would you expect anything else?) with varying tracks that features clean vocal led prog metal as on “The Promethean Spark” to full out raging black metal on such tracks as “A Taste Of The Ambrosia” but scattered throughout are tidbits of pure classical orchestration as heard on the opening “Cervus Venator” and the middle intermission “Anima Extraneae.” Tempos vary, dynamics vary and stylistic approach may but the gist of this is a mix of crunchy black metal in tandem with classical orchestrations. Tracks like “Blood Trails To Love” feature a mix of the clean vocal prog metal with the raspy more extreme black. While hinting at Emperor’s past glories, the metal on this release isn’t nearly as full throttle as such magnus opuses as “In The Nightshade Eclipse.”

Overall IHSAHN is a decent album but it’s a bit uneven with no clear stylistic approach really dominating. While that can become a good thing if the sum of the parts add up to something more profound, this album seems a bit scattered which at times reveals both the metal aspects and the orchestral ones seem to cancel each other out a bit. The novelty of orchestral metal has long worn off and the execution of this seems less than satisfying. The addition of dreadfully long moments such as the album’s 9-minute version of a ballad - “At The Heart Of All Things Broken” is actually really cheesy and i seriously would love to cut that entire track from the playing list.

The album seems to lose steam too much with half-assed percussion and metal that doesn’t get up to full force. The orchestral parts just seem to dance around and don’t really offer a very memorable experience either in a meaningful way. All in all it’s a decent album but hardly one of IHSAHN’s best. All the rave reviews about this bely it’s downsides. I was somewhat impressed on the first listen but more attentive listening sessions reveal serious flaws that i can’t shake. The patchiness of the album ruins its flow but as on all IHSAHN albums there are more than enough moments of triumphant victory. As a true fan i couldn’t imagine not owning this but it certainly won’t rank as a top contender for favorite IHSAHN releases.

UMUR "At The Walls" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Virginia based thrash metal act Enforced. The album was released through War Records in July 2019. Enforced formed in 2016 and released two 2017 demos before being signed for the release of "At The Walls". While "At The Walls" is considered Enforced debut full-length studio album, it´s actually more a compilation album, as the album consists of remixed versions of the seven tracks from the two 2017 demos, and only two new original compositions. The tracklist opens with the two new tracks, then the three tracks from the second 2017 demo "Retaliation" and closing the album with the four tracks from the "Demo 2017" demo. The tracks are as a result presented in diverse order in terms of the time of recording.

Stylistically the material on "At The Walls" is aggressive, heavy, and punchy thrash metal with crossover influences. The crossover elements (hardcore tinged riffs and rhythms, brutal heavy breakdowns, riot gang backing vocals) are most prominent on the tracks from the "Demo 2017" demo, and less and less prominent on the more recently composed tracks. While the material are generally well composed and effectful, Enforced´s greatest strength is their aggressive and brutal delivery of the music. They are a well playing unit, handling both fast and heavy parts with equal conviction, delivering sharp riffs and screaming solos. The vocals are raw and shouting, and suits the instrumental part of the music well. I hear influences from artists like Slayer, late 80s/early 90s Sepultura, and various crossover/hardcore acts. A contemporary artists like Power Trip is a valid reference too.

While there is a difference in style between the most recent tracks and the earliest demo tracks, "At The Walls" is still a relatively consistent release, and the quality of the material is overall high. "At The Walls" is also well produced and upon conclusion it´s a promising debut album by Enforced. A few more hooks/memorable moments and a little more variation in the way the vocals are performed would have made "At The Walls" an even more interesting release, but a 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved.

UMUR "Cattle Decapitation / Caninus" is a split release by US, California based deathgrind/death metal act Cattle Decapitation and US, New York based grindcore act Caninus. The split was released through War Torn Records in October 2005. Cattle Decapitation are known to most fans of extreme metal but Caninus are a bit more obscure...and rightly so, as their two lead singers are two pitbulls called Basil and Budgie (yes...their vocalists are two dogs...).

Cattle Decapitation takes us through six short and violent deathgrind tracks, which are pretty much in character with their other contemporary releases. So this is before they added more death metal elements to their music, the odd gnarly clean vocals, and became slighly more accessible. It´s good quality deathgrind, but that´s about it.

The Caninus tracks are downright bizarre. The instrumental part of the tracks are pretty standard grindcore, but it´s impossible not to crack a smile when the two dogs growl, snarl, and bark their way through the ten Caninus tracks featured on the split (they even perform a cover of Agnostic Front). A novelty act they may be, but this is damn funny and a crazy idea...I´m entertained.

This kind of split is a bit hard to rate as on one side you have some pretty standard quality material from Cattle Decapitation, and then you have this complete craziness from Caninus. I´ll go with a 3 star (60%) rating because of the entertainment level.

UMUR "Festering Flesh" is a reissue demo recording by German death metal act Fleshcrawl. The demo was released through Xtreem Music in July 2021. Fleshcrawl formed in 1987 as Morgöth, but changed their name to Suffocation and released a couple of demos under that monicker before changing their name one final time in 1991 to Fleshcrawl. "Festering Flesh" is a reissue of the second demo recording the band did in February 1991 while still called Suffocation, but now re-released under the Fleshcrawl monicker.

All four tracks from the 21:27 minutes long demo would be re-recorded and included on Fleshcrawl´s 1992 debut full-length studio album "Descend into the Absurd", which of course provides this reissue under the Fleshcrawl monicker with a bit more credibility. These are actual demo versions of songs which would later be Fleshcrawl material.

The quality of the recordings is decent but pretty raw and rough around the edges, which of course isn´t unusual for a 1991 death metal demo. They probably even cleaned it up a little, so the original probably sounds even more raw and lo-fi. Stylistically Suffocation/early Fleshcrawl were pretty interesting as they played both fast-paced brutal death metal but often also took their music down the doomy depths. The versions of these tracks found on "Descend into the Absurd" are arguably better recorded and a little more mature, but these demo versions are still worth a listen simply because this is some really good quality old school death metal. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.

siLLy puPPy HELLVETTO is just one of the many projects of the one-man act Filip Mrowiński better known as L.O.N (Light of Night) who operates out of Ostrołęka, Poland. Although HELLVATTO is his most famous alter ego, L.O.N. single-handedly also releases music under the monikers Blakagir, Neoheresy, Sarkel and Winds of Garden. Trouble getting along with others perhaps? The HELLVETO world began in 1995 followed by several demos and a split with Herrgorn before this debut AUTUMNAL NIGHT was released in 2002 on the Sanguinae Maremagnum label.

One of the most prolific artists in black metal, as HELLVETTO, L.O.N. released sixteen albums from 2002 to 2012 before dropping the name and changing it to Neoheresy. AUTUMNAL NIGHT set the stage for HELVETTO’s dramatic sound that mixed classical symphonic / orchestral elements with Pagan black metal. This debut features 10 tracks that add up to 52 1/2 minutes of playing time. HELLVETO handles all instruments including guitars, bass, drums, synthesizers as well as the orchestral arrangements with both raspy growls and clean vocal styles.

In many ways HELVETTO sounds like Summoning where the black metal is not the dominant feature but rather on an equal playing field with other elements in this case being the dramatic opera singing that often sounds like HELLVETO is being joined by a liturgical choir. The raspy vocals also remind a lot of Summoning’s Silenius however the orchestral classical segments make it sound like a black metal band ambushed an opera and then joined in. Other similarities can be made with Norway’s Limbonic Art as well as moments that remind me of early Nokturnal Mortem especially with the overlong “Intro / Switez” that is right out of the “Goat Horns” playbook.

I have mixed feelings about AUTUMNAL NIGHT. On the one hand it’s a very unique album that takes the classical orchestral sounds to levels most black metal bands wouldn’t even consider but to the point where they often dominate the album for too long. The compositions are well thought out and the dynamic flow of the album is quite intriguing but on the other hand the production and mixing is crap. Sure lo-fi works well for the more raw and brutal forms of metal but on AUTUMNAL NIGHT the black metal parts are set too low in the mix while the oft cheesy keyboards are set too high. Overall it’s an interesting release with lots of choral vocal styles offering a beauty and the beast effect with the raspy outrage.

While Ihsahn is getting a lot of praise for his 2024 release that mixes orchestral elements with black metal, many are unaware that HELLVETO was doing the same thing long ago however AUTUMNAL NIGHT was pretty much finding L.O.N. lingering in demo mode and his mastery of production and mixing would improve as time goes on. Musically i love this but the production is so wrong it hurts. Still though L.O.N. has proven to be a musical mastermind of both black metal and dark ambient styles for several decades now and seems he is in no danger of burning out any time soon. Sometimes the drifting into opera can be a bit too much but overall the orchestral classical moments are pleasant.

UMUR "The Dreams You Dread" is the first demo recording by UK, Birmingham based death metal act Benediction. The demo was independently released in 1989. Benediction formed earlier that same year and "The Dreams You Dread" was their sole demo release before being signed by Nuclear Blast Records for the release of their 1990 debut full-length studio album "Subconscious Terror".

The demo features four tracks and a total playing time of 14:23 minutes. Three ouf of the four tracks would be re-recorded and included on "Subconscious Terror". Only "Bonesaw" is exclusive to this release. Well...that´s actually not entirely true as it was renamed "Grizzled Finale" and also re-recorded and included on "Subconscious Terror".

Stylistically Benediction had already found the relatively simple, raw, and brutal death metal style they would also pursue on the subsequent studio album releases. So they didn´t start out being grindcore or hardcore influenced like contemporaries such as Napalm Death, Carcass, and Bolt Thrower. Not other than the usual old school hardcore punk influenced drumming style which occurs once in a while.

The sound production is murky, raw, and lo-fi in style, but it´s one of those old school death metal demos where it doesn´t matter that much. It may even add to the authenticity and brutal nature of the demo. It´s of course one of the few recordings Mark "Barney" Greenway did with Benediction before he left to join Napalm Death, but it still needs to be mentioned how brutal a growler he was in his early days. For a 1989 release this is a very brutal growling vocal performance. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Demon Master" is the second full-length studio album by US, San Francisco based thrash metal/hard rock/heavy metal act Blind Illusion. The album was independently released in July 2010. Blind Illusion was formed in 1979 and although it took until 1988 before the band were able to release their debut full-length studio album "The Sane Asylum", they are widely recognised as an important and influential San Francisco thrash metal act. Blind Illusion weren´t able to secure a new label deal after the release of "The Sane Asylum", and after releasing the 1989 "Psychodelic Symphony" demo, they slowly faded away and finally disbanded in 1992.

It wasn´t completely over for lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Biedermann though, and after a long break he opted to reform Blind Illusion in 2009. On "Demon Master" he is joined by drummer Robert Nystrom and bassist Danny Harcourt, making Blind Illusion a trio on the album.

Stylistically "Demon Master" don´t exactly pick up where "The Sane Asylum" took off. There are zero thrash metal riffs and rhythms on "Demon Master" and instead it´s a bluesy hard rock/heavy metal album with Biedermann singing instead of shouting/snarling like he did on "The Sane Asylum". So this probably came as a big surprise to the original fans of the band, who had been waiting for a follow-up album for 22 years. But changes aren´t always bad new, and Blind Illusion actually pull off playing this new hard rock/heavy metal style pretty well. Biedermann is still an excellent guitarist and his new rhythm section keep things organic, energetic, and powerful. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Biedermann can actually sing too, so all in all "Demon Master" is a pretty good quality hard rock/heavy metal release and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating isn´t all wrong.

Warthur Did you like Remember the Future? Because this is basically a rehash of the general sonic approach of that, with a shade less oomph. It's alright, but a lot of it doesn't come across as being very memorable, and it all feels like revisiting territory Nektar have already explored. The following Recycled would invigorate their sound - especially on the excellent first side - but here the band sound a little bogged down, though there's still some charming moments here and there, as well as Beatles-esque touches (particularly in some of the vocals) which would have given it a bit of a retro vibe even at the time of release.

Warthur Emerging from a long hiatus, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum make a triumphant comeback. With an orchestra backing them, absolutely pristine production, and themes as dark and foreboding as any they offered up on their original run of three albums, this is a purified and intensified take on their distinctive musical approach, a terrifying metal-in-opposition meditation on human extinction and other weighty topics which runs the full emotional gamut from ethereal beauty to apocalyptic terror.

Not only do the band sound like they've not missed a beat - and in fact, they never did with many of the members having continued to work with each other in Free Salamander Exhibit, perhaps nodded to in the opening track here. Moreover, they began working on much of this material in 2010-2011 (and SQPR, a This Heat cover, hails from as far back as 2004) and have been gently working on it ever since, meaning this album has been brewed, distilled, and refined over the span of a decade. The end result might be the best expression they've ever offered of their creative vision, a keystone which ties their body of work together and which in retrospect it feels like their earlier albums were building towards all along. With many of the band members equally adept at rock and classical instruments, and Nils Frykdahl giving Mike Patton a run for his money in terms of vocal acrobatics, the Museum deploys its full bag of tricks here expertly, everything used purposefully and thoughtfully to best effect.

For a group which started out resembling an avant-prog take on Mr. Bungle, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum have only forged ahead into yet stanger territory; here they make Mr. Bungle's most alienating moments seem outright smooth and approachable by comparison, but never become dryly technical, maintaining an impressive command of atmosphere and emotion for the whole 66 minute running time.

Warthur This was recorded at the same sessions that yielded Savatage's debut album, Sirens, which in practice means it's much of a piece with it (especially given the fairly tight schedule they were on). It's pretty engaging, but as with Sirens we don't really get that much of what would make Savatage truly stand out coming through here; they're still rooted in NWOBHM-ish trad metal, and the power metal and progressive elements that would eventually be hallmarks of their sound are mere whispers on the wind at this stage. Not bad, but anyone with a decent range of early 1980s metal in their collection has already heard plenty of stuff like this.

siLLy puPPy Emerging from the city of Łódź, Poland in 1991 first under the name Solitude and then Mesmerized with a demo each under both names, the band finally chose TENEBRIS and released its first album “The Odious Progress” in 1994. Adopting the sounds of old school death metal with cheesy keyboards, the early albums sounded like a poor man’s Nocturnus and ultimately the band ended in 2002 only to resurrect in 2006 like a Phoenix and emerge as a fully developed progressive metal band without jettisoning the death metal aspects.

“Catalfalque - Comet” was immediately released but recorded from 1997 - 2002 which served as a transition album between the two phases of the band however by the time the band released its 2009 album “Leavings of Distortion Soul,” TENEBRIS had mostly shed its death metal heritage and moved more into the world atmospheric sci-fi themed prog metal that adopted all kinds of various metal styles including a nod or two to its previous incarnation. ALPHA ORIONIS, named after a star cluster in Betelgeuse, followed in 2013 and took the band even further into the world of the avant-garde and experimental with a focus on psychedelic textures, jazz influences and even zeuhl based cyclical rhythms.

ALPHA ORIONIS is a strange album that really doesn’t sound like any other. It’s a veritable mix of the spacey atmospheric sounds of early Cynic especially when the few moments of death metal come in but through the run of 9 tracks that add up to 46 minutes of playing time, TENEBRIS really dishes out healthy doses of the entire metal universe with different stylistic approaches including totally distinct vocals appearing throughout the album’s run. While mostly set to clean vocals, the occasional death growls occur during the more aggressive contrasts but for the most part this is a very atmospheric metallic version of space rock with layers of synthesizers offering subtle backgrounds and even more upfront cases of spacey keyboard runs.

The music can range from somewhat familiar progressive metal in the vein of early 90s Pestilence to very strange groove metal based sounds reminiscent of Nevermore. In addition to the sung vocals are lots of spoken vocals appearing throughout. The music alternates between heavy extreme metal, more atmospheric prog metal not unlike Porcupine Tree’s heaviest to pacifying non-metal moments with clean guitars, heavy layers of synth and dreamy atmospheres. While all these styles come and go they usually play out for a lengthy period before changing the mood dial. ALPHA ORIONIS is a true progress metal album in that excels at crafting demanding time signature workouts despite the album’s overall flow feeling quite relaxed despite the business of the heavy drum, bass and guitar workouts.

This is definitely a unique album from this Polish band and for those seeking out some of the weirdest and unorthodox extreme metal out there then this album shouldn’t be missed. It features a really nice production and a strange procession of metal and space ambient sounds that somehow keep a nice flow with some zeuhl inspired rhythms. Possibly a bit claustrophobic sounding for some and admittedly a bit busy in the atmospheric department with the vocals often low in the mix but all of this guarantees a very strange album experience that won’t disappoint those looking for something different. Personally i think this is a great album that showcases as much extreme originality as it does extreme soundscapes. Definitely one for fans of the difficult music listening section.

siLLy puPPy The NWOBM heavy metal scene of the early 80s launched heavy metal music into the mainstream with bands like Iron Maiden, Saxon, Def Leppard and Angel Witch becoming some of the most popular metal acts of all time however for every success story there was a case of broken dreams that never went anywhere. This band being the perfect example.

Coming from the city of Peterborough just north of London, MITHRANDIR existed for a mere three years from 1980 to 1983 and in that time only released one single “Dreamers of Fortune / After Tomorrow" and the MAGICK E.P. which may as well have been just another single as it only featured three tracks that didn’t even make it to the 13 minute mark.

This quartet of Graham Gargiulo (vocals), Paul Chester (guitar), Keith Billson (drums) and Dale Crue (bass) sounded a good ten years behind the scene on this short three track run. Sounding more like 70s hard rock than fully developed heavy metal, somehow this band got lumped into the NWOBHM scene for its time and place of existence but these guys were clearly not ready for primetime at this stage.

First of all this is a shoddy demo quality recording with lo-fi production that does not suit the NWOBHM style as it does the murky evil sounds of black metal. The musicians weren’t very skilled at all playing rather at rather mediocre hard rock speed however the compositions themselves do sound more like what was contemporary. The absolute worst part about this band was the awful vocalist who could not hit the notes at all.

The whole thing sounds very amateurish and not even close to the quality of the bands that were already hitting the big time. It’s no wonder this band called it a day and has been totally forgotten from the annals of history however it’s worth a spin if you are interested in digging up lesser known bands that sorta suck. The songs themselves aren’t bad but the execution sure is. Pretty much a collectors thing only as this was released only once on a vinyl 7” and will probably never be again

Warthur Although it enjoys an enviable reputation, I have to say that I don't think Remember the Future is in the top tier of Nektar's albums. Taking a leaf from Jethro Tull's book, the group try to stretch a song across an entire album, only for a lack of material to become evident - by the last couple of minutes the song descends into fairly pedestrian hard rock, and the rest of the album just doesn't have the richness or diversity of Thick as a Brick, or even A Passion Play. The band's symphonic masterpiece would come later in the form of the brilliant first side of Recycled, but Remember the Future finds them not quite there yet, and could have done with an editing pass to trim back the filler.

Warthur Deliberately made in a rougher, looser style in a bid to translate their live energy to the studio, Nektar's ...Sounds Like This may be jarring if you're coming to it from their more symphonically-inclined works like Remember the Future or Recycled, but makes perfect sense as a continuation of their early space rock/heavy psych-influenced sound. It's a style which may have felt a little dated in 1973 - an era when prog was largely pushing past its roots in psychedelic rock - but I think it's a perfectly solid entry in Nektar's discography and doesn't to be overlooked to the extent that it is.

Warthur Jacob Buczarski's one-man atmospheric black metal project takes off into deep space yet again. "Solar Paroxysm" as a title suggests intense heat, searing light, and violent fits, and those are all concepts which the sound of the album seems to fit. It's perhaps a few steps closer to the centre of gravity of the atmospheric black metal scene than, say, the output of Darkspace, but it's still a compelling set of long, sprawling soundscapes. I'm not as immediately gripped and thrilled by it as I was by Phobos Monolith, which I think is Buczarski's magnum opus, but I'm certainly keen to continue exploring its mysteries.

UMUR "Summon Thy Demons" is the second full-length studio album by Swedish thrash metal act Mezzrow. The album was released through Fireflash Records in April 2023. Mezzrow formed in 1985 under the Necromancy monicker but changed their name to the current one in 1988. They recorded two demos under the Mezzrow monicker before being signed for the release of their debut full-length studio album "Then Came the Killing", which was released by Active Records in 1990. "Then Came the Killing" ended up being Mezzrow´s sole album release in their original run, as they disbanded after recording a 1991 demo. They shortly reunited in 2005 which resulted in the release of the "...Then Came the Video" compilation video release, but it wasn´t until 2021 that Mezzrow opted for a more serious reformation. Only two members remain from the lineup who recorded "Then Came the Killing" but 33 years down the line that´s perfectly understandable. The members who remain from the debut album are lead vocalist Uffe Pettersson and bassist/backing vocalist Conny Welén. New in the lineup are Jon Skäre (drums), Magnus Söderman (lead guitars), and Ronnie Björnström (guitars).

To my ears "Then Came the Killing" was close to being a Testament worship release, and while "Summon Thy Demons" is arguably a more mature, meaty, and heavy release, featuring influences from other more melodic thrash metal artists like Forbidden and Heathen too, Testament is still a big influence on Mezzrow´s sound. So it is in the field of the more melodic (yet still aggressive and edgy) Bay Area thrash metal sound that Mezzrow deliver their sharp thrashy riffs and rhythms.

"Summon Thy Demons" features a heavy, powerful, and detailed sound production, which suits the material well and fans of latter day Forbidden and Heathen releases shouldn´t be disappointed at neither the songwriting style, the high level musicianship, or the sound production values of the album. There are many similarities to what artists like those produce these days. So upon conclusion "Summon Thy Demons" is a welcome comeback release from Mezzrow and fans of the genre should find lots to appreciate here, although it´s doutbful they´ll find anything here they haven´t heard before...but that´s not really the point with this type of release now is it? A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Warthur A swirling keyboard line introduces Panic Attack, the first song on Judas Priest's latest album, Invincible Shield - sounding nothing like any of the prior dabbling in synthesisers and more like they've been dipping a toe into the synthwave scene. No, it's not a radical shift in direction - just an atmospheric intro which gives way to metal fury once the song kicks into high gear, offering the most electrifying opening track on a Priest album since Painkiller.

And it never, ever lets up after that! After the excellent Firepower found Priest playing in a very direct, go-for-the-throat style which went back to basics, this one sees them elaborating the song structures a bit in a manner reminiscent of their 1970s material whilst still keeping the sound fresh, offering a sound with blends the fury and pace of Painkiller, the pristine production of their mid-1980s material, and the edge of transgression and defiance they've been offering up since the 1970s, encapsulating the best of all of their classic eras whilst still finding novel and exciting songs to play in this style.

A particular tip of the hat is needed for Glenn Tipton, who despite his Parkinson's still manages to contribute to the album, helping out with songwriting as he always has and putting in a few guitar solos here and there. Andy Sneap of Sabbat fame, who's served as Tipton's stand-in for the band's live shows ever since he stepped back from in-person performance, is credited with additional guitar, as well as fully taking on the producer's role (having co-produced Firepower), and he does a fine job of all these tasks, engineering the album to perfection as well as giving Glenn that essential backup. Given how key he's become to the band's activities these days, we should surely start thinking of Andy as Judas Priest's unofficial sixth member; he'd deserve it based on his contributions to this album alone, but combine that with his sterling work on Firepower and the grand job he does live filling in for Glenn he's surely become as crucial as any of the tenured band members.

Think of any other band who've been going as long as Priest, putting a new album out some 50 years after their debut; nine times out of ten, that new album's going to be a bit of a nostalgia exercise, a process of going through the motions which will appeal to ultra-fans but doesn't really offer much over their more compelling work they put out in their prime. Now look at Priest: it's easy enough to say that Invincible Shield beats the living daylights out of Rocka Rolla, that's a notably weak debut which more or less all of their albums bar for Demolition or Jugulator beat comfortably.

But for Invincible Shield to measure up credibly next to the likes of Sad Wings of Destiny, Stained Class, or Painkiller? That's astonishing - and yet I really think it does. Judas Priest are an inspiration to all the rest of us: if these lads can keep the flame burning after half a century, if Glenn Tipton can keep contributing as he does here despite his Parkinson's, then that's a challenge to all of us to face whatever challenges life throws at us with equal determination. Perhaps that conviction and self-belief - and confidence that their listeners can discover that same fire within them - which is Priest's true Invincible Shield.

UMUR "Fatal Judgement" is an EP release by Canadian thrash metal act Strappado. The EP was independently released in 1992. It´s the successor to Strappado´s 1991 debut full-length studio album "Not Dead Yet".

"Fatal Judgement" is a bit of an odd EP release as it features a couple of new original compositions but also quite a few re-recorded slaughter and Strappado tracks. Stylistically Strappado have become heavier, darker, and even more well playing since "Not Dead Yet", but despite these changes to their music, they still sound like themselves, and unfortunately for them this style of music was completely out of fashion in 1992, which probably meant they received little or no attention when releasing this material. Back then slaughter wasn´t considered the cult band it is today, and few people had an interest in following what the former frontman of Slaughter was doing (unless he did something death metal related, which he didn´t).

The new compositions are quite long and structurally more complex than anything Slaughter/Strappado had released before but that doesn´t mean that the material on this EP is any more interesting than the simple and primitive sound of Slaughter. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Not Dead Yet" is the debut full-length studio album by Canadian thrash metal act Strappado. The album was independently released in 1991. Strappado formed in 1990 after the demise of Slaughter. After releasing their 1987 debut full-length studio album "Strappado", Slaughter recorded a second album (titled "Paranormal"), now as a quartet after second guitarist Bobby Sadzak joined , but it ended up being released as a demo instead, because bassist/vocalist Terry Sadler jumped ship, and soon drummer Ron Sumners also left, so vocalist/guitaritst Dave Hewson and new guitarist Sadzak opted for a name change and a fresh start with Strappado.

Stylistically the material on "Not Dead Yet" features a more Bay Area influenced thrash metal style than the more primitive, raw, and aggressive hardcore tinged thrash metal of Slaughter´s releases, although the material on 1988 "Paranormal" demo did show progress towards a more technically well played and complex take on thrash metal...so in that respect the music style on "Not Dead Yet" isn´t a surprise at all.

Hewson have recruited some skilled musicians, so there´s nothing wrong with the musical performances on "Not Dead Yet". These guys can play. The songwriting is maybe a bit more pedestrian, although it´s certainly not bad. It´s just pretty ordinary for the genre. The sound production is of a good quality and while "Not Dead Yet" doesn´t exactly make my blood boil, it´s still a good quality thrash metal release. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "The Sane Asylum" is the debut full-length studio album by US, San Francisco based thrash metal act Blind Illusion. The album was released through Combat Records in 1988. Blind Illusion was formed in 1979 and although it took until 1988 before the band were able to release their debut full-length studio album, they are widely recognised as an important and influential San Francisco thrash metal act. Blind Illusion released no less than six demo tapes in the years 1981-1986, the last one being "Slow Death" from 1986 (actually their second 1986 demo). "Slow Death" finally got them signed to Combat Records for the release of "The Sane Asylum".

Blind Illusion went through several lineup changes in their career, but the lineup who recorded "The Sane Asylum" are Marc Biederman (guitars/vocals), Les Claypool (bass), Larry Lalonde (guitars), and Mike Miner (drums). It´s a well known "secret" that Kirk Hammett of Metallica produced "The Sane Asylum", although he isn´t credited on the album (who knows...maybe he was afraid of how James and Lars would react to him working outside Metallica). Hammett is of course not the only interesting name mentioned above as Lalonde came from a stint with Possessed where he played on the legendary 1985 album "Seven Churches" and on the other Possessed releases until that band split-up on 1987. Both he and bassist Les Claypool would find considerable commercial and artistic success in the 90s with alternative rock/metal act Primus.

Stylistically the material on "The Sane Asylum" is thrash metal but with strong ties to traditional heavy metal. So this has more in common with the heavy/speed metal tinged and often melodic inclined material of Megadeth than it has to the brutality and aggression of the contemoporary material by artists like Dark Angel and Slayer. It´s obvious that Blind Illusion are a gifted bunch of guys. The vocals aren´t that exciting (being pretty standard shouting/snarling thrash metal vocals), but these guys can play and there are some pretty tight and adventurous sections on the album (for the latter take a listen to "Kamakazi") and some well played lead guitar work. Sometimes it even borders technical thrash metal because of the many rhythm changes and the complexity of some of the riffs (just take a listen to "Death Noise" for proof of that), but then again Blind Illusion aren´t exactly Watchtower.

Less will do though and as "The Sane Asylum" also features a (for the time) well sounding production, which suits the material well, it´s a good quality debut album from Blind Illusion. I wouldn´t call it something way out of the ordinary for the genre, but it´s certainly entertaining while it plays. 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

Warthur Helloween's debut EP is perhaps the strongest release of their speed metal years, enjoying a brash, rough about the edges style which gives it a touch more energy than the enjoyable but not exceptional Walls of Jericho, which was the only full-length studio album of their speed metal era before they undertook their career-defining shift into power metal.

There's few harbingers of their later style here, bar for a certain flair for the dramatic and borderline theatrical, such as in the whispered narration on Victim of Fate. Kai Hansen was still handling the vocals at this point in time - him passing the duties on to Michael Kiske would be a key aspect of the group's shift to power metal - and I think he acquits himself well here, establishing himself as a compelling and characterful vocalist. Mind you, if you don't get on with his vocals this will come across significantly worse to you - but for my money, I think this was his greatest moment as a lead singer.

siLLy puPPy Originally formed as a thrash metal band in Słupsk, Poland in 1989, BETRAYER quickly switched over to the world of death metal and released a couple demos before it’s 1994 debut CALAMITY came out. Probably best known amongst death metal junkies as the band that Piotr "Berial" Kuzioła (vocals, bass) continued after a brief stint in the more famous Vader, BETRAYER only released this one album in its original formation and soon disbanded shortly after when guitarist Ripper had grown tired of the band. BETRAYER reformed in 2012 and has released two albums since.

This is one of those band’s that should have made it to the big time due to all the publicity and opportunities yet somehow evaded any success stories. The band’s two demos were highly recorded by Thrash ‘Em All Magazine and “Necronomical Exmortis” even made it to #2 as album of the year. Add to that BETRAYER was placed at #4 for most promising Polish bands of 1991 and the band engaged in extensive touring and after the release of CALAMITY found itself invited to all kinds of metal festivals including Metalmania, Death Metal Festival, Dramma, Shark Attack, S’trash’ydło and Jarocin and played with many of the famous bands that went on to the big time including Morbid Angel, Deicide, Death, Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, Therion, Tiamat, Dismember and many local Polish bands like Kat, Vader, Pandemonium etc.

CALAMITY is a typical old school death metal album that featured eight tracks and the short playing time of just under 33 minutes. The lineup at this stage was the foursome of Berial on vocals and bass, Ripper and Riji on twin guitar attacks and Molly on drums. Lyrics were performed in English and themes were the typical subject matter of death, blasphemy, suffering and in BETRAYER’s case anti-Christianity giving them a bit of a black metal attitude. For the most part BETRAYER was heavily influenced by the US scene with bands like Morbid Angel and Deicide being on the top of the list however it’s not a surprise that Vader also provided an inspirational exuberance on the band as well. While creativity was not the band’s strongest attribute a few moments like on the ending of “Before Long You Will Die,” the band deviates from the game plan and delivers a strange repetitive riffing style.

Despite every opportunity afford BETRAYER, what the band lacked was a clear vision of how to distinguish itself from the legions of death metal bands that had glutted the market by the time CALAMITY came out. Overall this is a very competent album that ticks off all the proper old school death metal requirements but at the end of the day the band wasn’t quite unique enough to stand out. At the time of release of CALAMITY the band had already had enough with various health problems, label mishaps and incessant touring. The band broke up a short time after this album’s release but would find new life in 2012. This is a decent enough album but basically sounds more like a second rate Morbid Angel than anything to get overly excited about. Mostly interesting for checking out early Polish death metal history. Definitely one of those close, but no cigar type of bands.

siLLy puPPy GONTYNA KRY is a Polish NSBM (National Socialist Black Metal aka Nazi) band that formed in the coastal city of Koszalin in 1993 by Bard Neur (vocals, guitar, keyboard) and Komes Lupul Kurhan (drums). This region of Poland was once the German state of Prussia from 1871 to 1932 and was basically the birthplace of the Nazi idealism that really took hold in the 1930s. Given the history of this region there’s no doubt that it has attracted followers of the NSBM ethos and GONTYNA KRY (Old Slavonic term meaning “Temple of Blood”) has joined the musical movement within the greater Pagan black metal scene to espouse its viewpoints.

This band released a few demos during the 1990s but didn’t unleash its official debut album KREW NASZYCH OJCÓW (Blood of our Fathers) until 2001. The style of GONTYNA KRY mixes raw lo-fi black metal with melancholic symphonic atmospheric backing along with tons of sound effects that depict going to war including the tedious 12-minute intro that features a lengthy marching procession and dungeon synth minimalism before finally getting to the black metal. The symphonic dungeon synth and percussive marching effects are recurring and reprise between tracks with overlong segments that quickly outstay their welcome.

While the subject matter is steeped in the idealism of the NSBM scene, luckily the lyrics are entirely in Polish and since my Polish language skills are minimal, i gratefully am oblivious to the actual lyrical content. The album features nine tracks with a 51 1/2 minute playing time. The album is designed to be epic in scope with the introductory battle preparations and mid-section ambience providing a context for the brutal black metal tracks in between. While noble in intent, the actual execution is fairly poor with a shoddy production that makes the synthesized parts sound rather cheesy and the black metal moments sound hollow and monotonic. Lo-fi is one thing but this sounds totally cheap as if it was recorded on some super primitive equipment.

Production and lyrical content aside, GONTYNA KRY aren’t exactly skilled musicians either as the composiitons are fairly generic and the lineup that features four members don’t really excel at any particular aspect of crafting unique black metal for the 21st century. There are no technical workouts to wow the listener and the atmospheric minimalism is just too cheesy to take seriously. At times the black metal and the symphonic parts play together and really don’t jive too well together. As far as the black metal itself goes, the vocal style is decent and the drummer delivers some nice blastbeating but usually fairly tame and the guitar parts are fairly uninspiring as they are generally set too low in the mix especially when the cheesy synthesizer parts are playing over them.

I’m certainly not against free speech and really don’t care about subject matter when rating music although i do not condone anything hateful in general however this album is just not that great mostly due to the fact the premise of the album makes you expect so much more than it delivers. There are many NSBM acts out there particularly and many in Eastern European nations such as Poland and Ukraine. I judge a band by its talent alone and the music without any reference to lyrical content and in this case KREW NASZYCH OJCÓW is simply not that good on many levels. Nokturnal Mortem who espoused the same NSBM tendencies in the past at least showcased a high level of musical competence. In this case this band only uses black metal as a means for espousing their viewpoints. A fairly generic and waste of time really this one.

siLLy puPPy SETHERIAL is a second wave black metal band formed in Sundsvall, Sweden in 1993 and has gone through numerous lineup changes over its existence but founded by Mysteriis (guitar), Devothan (bass), Cheeroth (vocals) and Zathanel (drums). Sweden was following in the footsteps of Norway in the world of black metal and SETHERAL was one of a handful of metal bands that chose to not follow the melo-death scene. Other bands included Marduk, Sacramentum, Vinterland and of course Dissection. While those bands have become fairly well known in the world of black metal, SETHERIAL still remains a bit on the unknown side despite delivering a competent second wave furor that captures the spirit of raging evil black metal from Scandinavia.

The band released the two track EP “För dem mitt blod” in 1995 and then followed in 1996 with its frenetic debut NORD… which captured all the essential ingredients of the 90s black metal scene including raspy possessed vocals, buzzsaw guitar sustain and thundering riffs, blurred bass galloping and of course all those excellent free radical blastbeats. While unintelligible, lyrics were delivered in both Swedish and English. The album featured six tracks at over 45 minutes with the opening “In the Still of a Northern Fullmoon” swallowing up 12 minutes of playing time. This introductory track pretty much sets the tone of what to expect for the entire album’s run with the expected crushing second wave black metal parts fortified with moments of acoustic guitar, folk melodies and constructs a frigid anguished atmospheric presence.

NORD delivers a style of melodic black metal in the vein of Dissection which is more on the brutal side of the spectrum with excellent musicianship delivered by the lineup of vocalist Kraath, bassist Thorn and guitarists Lord Mysterii and Devothan. Guest drummer Anders delivers the ferocity on percussion and Peter Tägtgren adds some additional vocal contributions. This is the raw and evil as fuck black metal that your mother warned you about and it has all the hallmarks of rotting your soul and turning you into a church burning Satanic war master if you don’t mind you p’s and q’s. While steeped in the familiarity of Scandinavian black metal of the 90s, the compositions are also a bit more complex than the average Darkthrone wannabe and careful listening will reveal a few atmospheric keyboards peeking through the incessant din of the rampaging procession throughout NORD.

Graced with a menacingly beautiful album cover, NORD delivers what the bleakness portends with an incessantly quickened even manic delivery of second wave black metal splendor. It took a few listens for this to sink in otherwise a single exposure may insinuate the album as a tad generic but attentiveness reveals tricks up these black metal masters’ sleeves and ultimately this does have all the hallmarks of a black metal classic unfortunately got buried down the heap due to a glut of talented artists vying for the rights to write Satan’s soundtrack. NORD delivers everything you could possibly want from a no nonsense second wave black metal album with an uncompromising thunderous roar of cacophonous excellence. The variations within tracks helps set this apart from the generic followers of the day so it’s just a matter of time before SETHERIAL finds its way into the upper echelons of black metal royalty.