Archives: Reviews

1 - To Our Friends In The Great White North 2 - Mondrian Was A Liar 3 - Transitions From Persona To Object 4 - Swimming The Channel Vs. Driving The Chunnel 5 - C. Thomas Howell As The -Soul Man- 6 - Saint Matthew Returns To The Womb 7 - Frequency Ass Bandit 8 - I Wanna Be A Sex Symbol On My Own Terms 9 - Man The Ramparts 10 - Thank God For Worker Bees Bonus Remix Track

This is the second official BOTCH release, and well, it can’t really be catalogued as either Death Metal nor Hard Core (they would probably curl backward in disgust at these comparisons eheh), but let’s say belong to a new breed of bands which Relapse started to push some years ago, more on the NY shorthair style you know what I mean, SOILENT GREEN and stuff, New School Hard Core with some experimental degenerations. As a starting point, this is highly nervous, wily, post modern stuff which makes my mind fly back to HUMAN REMAINS at times, in their vocal/structural approach, although a bit less completely schizophrenic. The songs have a medium though not clearly identifiable pace, crammed full with these guitar twists and HC vocals. The lyrics and artwork follows the modernly artistical/figurative approach, not always clear but in tune with the music. Might be interesting to give some thoughts to the lyrics actually, yet I have no time, I prefere childish Splatter/Pathological subjects… oh at least they do not talk about pot and marijuana AHR AHR.

1 - Wrath and Vengeance 2 - Death Thunder 3 - The Chaos Magician 4 - The Angel Web 5 - Sirius Rebellion 6 - Successor to the Plague Gods 7 - Oruthaaht Xun Xihron (The Intellect Devourer) 8 - Nibiru Assassins 9 - Invader of Darkness

BLOODSTORM is considered one of the cornerstones of the brand newborn American Black metal horde. If it’s a deserved title, you will judge by yourself alone with this CD although I like more the track they included in the American Black Metal compilation. This is, apart from the first full length ever by Mr. Gamble a.ka. Mezzadurus (ex-GOREAPHOBIA), actually one of the best Black Metal recording to date from USA. OK; please skip any comments on cover and packaging which are THE WORST I have ever seen from ANY BM band except maybe only for the clowns MANIAC BUTCHER, but hey, they’re professionists and their music sucks as well ahah. Oh, yes, when I say Black Metal I mean Black Metal as it’s meant today of course, with the routinely shrieking, glass rasping vocals, chilling, flowing guitars and spectral atmospheric melodies. you should really try hard to avoid looking at the pictures, with violet lightings and cosmic photo editings which are the most kitch ever since MENTORS and plunge directly to the lyrics, maybe the most entertaining of the whole thing, dealing with apocalyptic extra-dimensional incantations of destruction and magical curses, frequent use of magickal invocations (like the latest MORBID ANGEL for instance, but far more intellectual, try crossing these with ORDER FROM CHAOS lyrics to get an idea). The sound is abrasive, real sharp, the guitars speeding out crazed through the running time, sometimes straightly simple, sometimes impossibly intricate, although the drums are really submerged beneath the vocals and guitars and sometimes get fuzzed, not convincing 100%. If you like crude, necromantic Black Metal with some DESTROYER 666 like epicity sparsely used to increase tightness, this might be your CD. Ah of course, no keyboard or other useless garbage, this is REAL America Black metal, not scandinavian circus music. For useless trivia, this is the first CD out from Soul Sold, label owned by mr. Vigna of IMMOLATION and mr. Forbes of Metal Core ‘zine. Also CELTIC FROST lovers should give a chance to the 6th track. Very very frostesque.

One of the things that strike

most of BLOOD is that they’ve been playing for 15 years and have recorded

dozens of releases and fuck, they never wrote a bad song in all this

time. It’s pretty unlikely to find such integrity and non-stop dedication

to this music and bands that are able to be this prolific without passing

bad periods. But here it is, another full length CD and surprisingly,

self produced as well. Top notch production, full bodied vocals and

a barrage of intense, slamming riffs makes this new BLOOD release on

par with their previous works. Their Death Metal crushes any OBSCENITY

and American-like slam Death band to pulp, songs might not be overly

complex but are really heavy, and basically devastating. Clausi’s vocals

are sometimes paired with some strangled high screams in the old NAPALM

DEATH/BRUTAL TRUTH way though not that rasping and not that often. Lyrics

are generally violent and straight and in the main against Christianity

and religion (which also explains the crucified rat on the cover and

the anti-catholic drawing on the jewel case) in general, in a way an

opus against these child brain organizations. Fuck Christ.

1 - Winds Of The Black Gods (Intro) 2 - Fallen Angel Of Doom 3 - Hording Of Evil Vengeance 4 - Darkness Prevails 5 - Desecration 6 - Ritual 7 - Weltering In Blood 8 - Demoniac 9 - Goddess Of Perversity 10 - The Desolate One (Outro)

For those who proclaim ’emselves cultors of Black Metal music and don’t own this disc, I feel compassion. This is probably the most important and definitive Black Metal release EVER. I couldn’t resist the thrill to review it… it’s like reviewing NAPALM DEATH’s “From Enslavement to Obliteration” for a grinder. This is Black Metal the like that send shivers upon my skin at every second… anyway I want to make one step back, this is actually NOT Black Metal the way those homosexual Norwegian called it in the 90’s, much more like some sort of incredibly dirrty, filthy, bastard, chilling, horrific Death Metal which has all the breath taking intensity and Satanic terror you can dream of. The eerie claustrophobic atmosphere which emanates from this milestone is only comparable to BEHERIT’s “Oath of the Black Blood” (hence they’re so frequently paired), although BLAPSPHEMY probably had a fuller and more structured sound. The production is so fucking filthy yet so supremely perfect fitting, the riffs ultrafucking fast, adorned with sick intricate solos and bestial vocals which have all of Demonic and Unholy, sometimes crossing and hailing invocation of the most blasphemous sort. Lyrics are ultimate, music is ultimate. This is THE Black Metal release, forget about Dark Throne and (new) Mayhem.

1 - Synopsis Of Ignorance Within The Society At Large 2 - Once and Never Again 3 - Underbelly 4 - Minimum Wage Intellectual 5 - Pass The Buck 6 - Suffer 7 - Epileptic 8 - Intergration 9 - Realization Of Fact 10 - Oxygen Theif 11 - Just Short Of The Line 12 - Serenity Within Chaos 13 - WTO-Disintergration Of The Working Class 14 - Three Down, One To Go 15 - Laceration Of Belief 16 - Survival Between Maggots 17 - Amongst The Fallen 18 - Articulation Of Hypocrisy 19 - Abundant Knowledge, Infinite Stupidity 20 - Father To The Fatherless 21 - Imminent Departure 22 - Flesh For Flesh 23 - Dissection Of Grace 24 - Embodyment Of Dispair 25 - Ascend From Persecution 26 - Years Of Unjust 27 - Cause And Reject 28 - Genocide 29 - Statistics 30 - Division Within Division 31 - Sucessful Failure 32 - Closing Argument

All but four of the 32 tracks are below one minute in length, mostly just 20 or 30 seconds, the songs are substantially sociopoliticaly correct and involved in the theme against addiction, the inner sleeve of the CD contains a phrase about the band’s experiences on this topic, the loss of friends to this plague, and the whole lyricsheet follows the “concept”. Musically, BENUMB is a fast hard core/grind band, with cremed vocals which still maintain the resemblance of humanity like the genre demands, yet enjoying the blessing of Relapse package and the usual top-level production. Songs are straight to the point, guitar structures simple yet powerful. I honestly don’t like the new-school hard-core use of slow, crunching riffs with those unnerving half-tragic half-weeping desperate cries. I have seen some concerts of these new breed of HC bands and when they fall in that masquerade they really get annoying, although, yeah, the fast part are neat and direct. This is one of those records which should satisfy both long-hairs that can stand the crying-vocals and baseball caps that can stand the grunts in track “Flesh to the Flesh” eheh. Alright. Good neo-grind, is this what they call “power violence”? Nay, I refuse that term, too stupid.

1 Necrodaemon Terrorsathan 2 - Vomit Upon the Cross 3 - Diabolical Possession 4 - Lust Perishes in a thirst for Blood 5 - SBSR 6 - Sadism Unbound 7 - Tanzwut Totengesange 8 - Cremation of Holiness 9 - Necrodaemon Terrorsathan Pt. II /Outro: Analjesus

Yaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhrgh. Have you ever dreamed of the perfect blend of Black and Death Metal?? How many times good Black metal albums have been ruined by those nerve curling screeching vocals just becouse one idiot named Quorthon has begun to sing that way in BATHORY 20 years ago? Well, BELPHEGOR surpasses that stupid cliche, they have all the obscurity and heaviness of Death Metal and all the spinechilling melodic, eerie sound of a top notch Black metal band… Also standing out as the best Last Episode release of all times (not too difficult AHR AHR AHR), “Necrodaemon Terrorsathan” is perfect from every angle you eye it. Lyrics are blasphemous, sado, gore and satanic, the music full throttle Blackish Metal with some reinforcement when it gets more varied and more paced, vocals full of hate, drumbeats blasting, almost grindcore, riffs have the skin chilling cold imprint of the best, say, DARKTHRONE, and everything is so fucking unique… there’s even this song, “Vomit Upon The Cross” (reminds me of MORBID ANGEL’s “Unholy Blasphemies”… studs, leather, grunts, red spittles of blood, sacrifices, gas masks, chains, goats… a masterpiece, goddamned!!!