The easiest way to explain Kataklysm of the past decade is a box of Cheerios. Listening to Kataklysm is like eating Cheerios, you know they are not the most exciting death metal band out there but it is a safe bet they are palatable. The most daring they have gotten in recent years is Honey […]

If early christians had witnessed Belphegor they would not have had to demonize pagans, the truth would have been enough. Someone had to try to live up to the biblical descriptions, why not Belphegor. The bible insists all pagan rituals are abominations and claim pagans are not only apostates and blasphemers but fornicators and baby […]

Harsh, fast, repetitive, slow, haunting, grim, raw, distorted, minimalist, rhythmic, this is the definitive remastered director’s cut of prolific Malefic’s 2001 demo A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors and 2001 promo A Darkened Winter. Unfortunately the promo copy that I am reviewing only includes disc one of the two-disc set so I still have not acquired […]

Songs to leave you hanging. If you do it right you can listen to the whole album while dangling before you suffocate, but there is not really much point because there is nothing new to discover on later songs, so go ahead and kick the chair out and snap your neck. Another one man Burzum […]

What still with us? Here is another album of songs to leave the land of the living. Got a suicide pact in the works? Call them all over, here is the disc to get it done with, stop procrastinating. Necronoclast is back for their debut release for Moribund and second full length overall. Same formula, […]

There is beating the dead horse and then there is kicking the skeleton after all the meat has rotted off. Horna milk all they can out of an idea but discard it before it becomes too putrid. Once again we have ‘unoriginal’ black metal with rehashed elements highlighting past glories, on once again, if you […]

Is this a feeble scream from the depths of a prison unknown? “I’m getting out soon, look at me, I’m still relevant, I can still channel the power from dark dungeons,” or is he just a lost and forgotten Kristian. An anthology release in advance of a prison release. There are many bands with controversial […]

Stand the old adage on its head; if it sounds good it is good. With Azaghal if it sounds bad it is good. Azaghal is one of those bands that never disappoint. There are many bands that are more talented and scores that are less talented but Azaghal keep on churning out enjoyably crude raw […]

This is a difficult album for me to review. After three above average albums and one stellar one we get Eidolon, in your face aggression, straightforward song structures and a distinct lack of intense melodic lines. If I had never heard this band before I would be giving it high marks but after the amazingly […]

This slipcased cd comes carefully crafted in an artful package courtesy of Paragon Records and France’s own melancholic misanthrope, Noktu, of Celestia. Celestia released their first official release a decade ago, and have flooded their corner of the market with demos and splits and compilations ever since. This is in fact only their/his second full-length […]

With Corpus Christii I am along for the ride because of the commitment of Horrendus and cohorts, and that their townsfolk probably shun them is an added bonus. Five full-length recordings and four eps precede this disc in a decade of steady output. This Portuguese band is really Nocturnus Horrendus and a stream of session […]

Black thrash with a sneer that quickly morphs into a grin. When I want to listen to metal purely for escapist fun, enjoyment that puts a smile on your face kind of metal, I’ll put on Gamma Ray, for a few songs anyway, and then I’ll need something a bit more intense yet still happy. […]

When people think of US black metal the bands that get brought up first are usually the one-man misanthropic bands, but to me US black metal is the full lineup bands like Abazagorath, Grand Belial’s Key, Kult ov Azazel, and the Texas triumvirate of Absu, Thornspawn and Averse Sefira. Anyone that thinks American black metal […]

There are defining moments in history when you will always remember where you were when it happened; Pearl Harbor, the Berlin Wall coming down, JFK’s assassination, the release of Scandinavian Metal Attack. This short 36 minute album was written in 2004 as a tribute to Bathory but did not get recorded until now. Lord Sargofagian […]

When I got this promo I did not recognize the logo but the name seemed familiar. Upon looking them up it turns out they are from Israel, though the members are Russian. I rifled through my collection and came up with two albums of basic Hellhammer/Celtic Frost worship, done with unequal parts alcohol and inspiration. […]

Satan’s Host “Burning the Born Again” I first learned of this band back in 1996 through tape trading. I friend was really interested in Einherjer’s, Dragon’s Of The North, but had nothing of interest to me so I let him choose something. He made me a tape of Jag Panzer’s Dissident Alliance and being a […]

This is Moribund’s second reissue of American thrash band Satan’s Host. This album was first released in 2006. According to the press release this is mandatory for fans of Slayer, Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir and Nile. Being a fan of the early material of the first two and not a fan of the last two might […]

This is melancholic black metal from the USA. This is their second full length, and their demos were recently combined on cd as well, so the whole discography is readily available. Krohm is a relatively new band, with the first full length in 2004 after forming in 1995 by Dario Derna, who was previously, back […]

Some twenty years ago I was at a Motorhead show when Lemmy stopped the band in the middle of a song. They were playing “Overkill” and had just finished the lengthy opening instrumental part when Lemmy exclaims “that came out great, let’s do it again” so they started the song over and played it through […]

For a band named Wrath they sure have gotten rather mellow. Before I delve too much farther into this review of Vreid’s third album let me explain that remark. I started out this morning listening to Gorgoroth, all of their stuff in chronological order, and then I switched to Vreid, starting with Kraft, then Pitch […]

To put a nid on someone is to curse them. One famous account is that of Egil Skallagrimsson who erected a nidstang against King Eirik Bloodaxe who had made Egil an outlaw. After killing a large number of the king’s men Egil placed a hazelwood pole in the ground and on the top of the […]

Back in 1998 I had no idea who Trelldom was, then Gaahl joined Gorgoroth, impressing me straight away with his dynamic range, so I looked up Til Et Annet… I assumed that Gaahl’s original band was put on ice because he joined Gorgoroth so I never followed developments over the years and was surprised when […]

I picked up Pure Black Energy back in 1996, I don’t remember why, and was not really impressed. I ignored the band until they became Khold and everyone was raving about them. I still ignored them until Phantoms, which bored me, and then Mørke Gravers Kammer was not really impressive either. Then the dreadful Krek […]

Three things come to mind as I listen to this latest offering by prolific Malefic. The instruments stand out from the murk and get noticed, the songs have definite forward propulsion, though be it very slow, and the drums are real. The next thing that really makes a dramatic impact, which is difficult to do […]

Ancient Rites has been a favorite of mine for a very long time and I have Gunther and friends to thank for introducing me to country mates Enthroned. I, of course, picked up the Ancient Rites/ Enthroned split back in 1994, having never heard of Enthroned. They have been a mainstay in my cd changer […]