Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Angelcorpse - Hammer of Gods (1997)


As requested like a month ago, here's Angelcorpse's killer first LP. Raw, destructive US blackened death metal.

Track listing:
1. Consecration
2. Envenomed
3. When Abyss Winds Return
4. Lord of the Funeral Pyre
5. Black Solstice
6. The Scapegoat
7. Soulflayer
8. Perversion Enthroned
9. Sodomy Curse

Rancid stench death foreboding

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Ceramic Hello - The Absence of a Canary (1980)


Minimal, experimentally-inclined synth pop.

Track listing:
1. The Diesquad
2. Im / Ex
3. Climatic Noueveaux
4. Conversation Between Unites
5. Geometry
6. Staticarnival
7. Symphony of Shudders
8. A Grey Man
9. Footsteps in the Fog
10. Ringing in the Sane
11. Trio
12. Gestures
13. Little Tune (Warlike)
14. Dig That Crazy Beat

A pale view of hills

More like this:

The Legendary Pink Dots - Chemical Playschool 1 & 2 (1981)
Warning - Electric Eyes (1983)

Monday, September 28, 2015

Dolorian - Dolorian (2001)


Previously:
Dolorian - When All the Laughter Has Gone (1999)

Following their superb debut LP, Dolorian moved into more abstract musical territory. Dissonant clean guitars play throughout virtually the entire record while distorted guitars and keyboards drift in and out. The vocals are generally whispers, soaked in reverb and buried in the mix. Fans of Esoteric should be feeling this.

Track listing:
1. Grey Rain
2. Blue Unknown
3. Hidden / Rising
4. Cold / Colourless
5. Nails
6. Numb Lava
7. Ambiquous Ambivalence
8. Seclusion
9. Faces

Thousands of bayonets inside my chest

More like this:

Beyond Dawn - Pity Love (1995)
Khlyst - Chaos Is My Name (2006)

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Bulbous Creation - You Won't Remember Dying (1971)


Some choice, dark psych rock to get your week started on the right foot. You Won't Remember Dying was originally recorded in 1970 and 1971 but didn't get released 'til '94.

Track listing:
1. End of the Page
2. Having a Good Time
3. Satan
4. Fever Machine Man
5. Let's Go to the Sea
6. Hooked
7. Under the Black Sun
8. Stormy Monday

They deafened his ears and made him blind

More like this:

Lyd - Lyd (1970)
Sudden Death - Suddenly... (1971)

Friday, September 25, 2015

Decayed - The Conjuration of the Southern Circle (1993)


Old school Portuguese black metal at its finest. Decayed's first and best LP, and a severely under-appreciated record. I have a hangover.

Track listing:
1. Immortal's Entreaty
2. Pagan Winds Return
3. Unholy Deity (Set)
4. Last Sleep
5. Nocturnal Prayers
6. Moon of a Wolferian Shadow
7. Inquisitor's Delight
8. Circle of the Castrian Mountains
9. Drums of Valhalla
10. ... Shall Ascend / Goddess of the Ancient

Their blood shall be your wine

You might also like:

Lord Belial - Unholy Crusade (1999)
Necromantia - Scarlet Evil Witching Black (1995)

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Michael Hoenig - Departure from the Northern Wasteland (1978)


One of the greatest, most engaging pure synth records I've had the pleasure of hearing. Elaborate, sprawling compositions made up of a seemingly endless array of synth voices.

Track listing:
1. Departure from the Northern Wasteland
2. Hanging Garden Transfer
3. Voices of Where
4. Sun and Moon

Bones on the beach

More synth worlds:

Anna Själv Tredje -
Tussilago Fanfara (1977)
Ray Lynch -
Deep Breakfast (1984)

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Argentum - Ad Interitum Funebrarum (1996)


Metallum says this is black/doom metal, but I hear death/doom with black metal vocals. No matter what one might call the music, the band's from Mexico, the riffs are heavy, and the keyboards are spoooky.

Track listing:
1. Enter an Encysted Hibernation
2. Asstrum Argentum
3. La Sorella Di Satana
4. The Serpent's Lament
5. Horta Funebra
6. Mortuus Infradaemoni
7. Spheram De Tenebras
8. Ad Posthumum
9. Pax Moriendi
10. Umbradiabolous

Assassin of the light

You might also want to check out:

Despond -
Supreme Funeral Oration (2003)
While Heaven Wept -
Sorrow of the Angels (1997)

Nebelung - Mistelteinn (2005)


Gorgeous, stark neofolk. Just acoustic guitars, cello, deep voices, and a bit of flute, accordion, and percussion.

Track listing:
1. Intro - Nebelung
2. Heimsuchung
3. Abel Und Kain
4. Regen In Der Dammerung
5. Mistelteinn
6. Heimatlos

I offer myself to the night

If you like this, try:

Forseti - Windzeit (2002)
Tony Wakeford - Not All of Me Will Die (2009)

Friday, September 18, 2015

Throneum - Old Death's Lair (2001)


Some reverb-drenched, thrash-y Polish black/death to nihilistically annihilate your unsuspecting ass.

Track listing:
1. The Key
2. Rites of Forefathers
3. Reign of War
4. Immolation's Fear
5. Torture's Mask
6. Creeping and Trustful
7. Domination to Fall
8. Ancient Mother Whore
9. Black Thrash 'Til Death
10. Future Is Like a Funeral
11. Serpentine Transformation
12. Doomsday
13. Last Revelation
14. Rite of Cthulhu [Samael cover]

The eldest black goat dwells beyond all darkness

If you like this, try:
Iconoclast Contra -
Combat Is the Voice of the Heathen (2010)
Rites of Thy Degringolade -
The Caryatid (2000)

Royal Headache - Royal Headache (2011)


Garage-y, melodic Australian punk with a sweetly romantic core. Bands that play this style are a dime a dozen, but bands (like Royal Headache) that make this style compelling are extremely rare.

Track listing:
1. Never Again
2. Really in Love
3. Surprise
4. Psychotic Episode
5. Girls
6. Two Kinds of Love
7. Back and Forth
8. Down the Lane
9. Distant and Vague
10. Wilson Street
11. Honey Joy
12. Pity

So much

If you're into this, you'll probably like:

Mind Spiders - Meltdown (2012)
The Only Ones - Even Serpents Shine (1979)

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Ignivomous - Path of Attrition (2007) + Eroded Void of Salvation (2008)


Related:
Cryptal Darkness - Chamber of Gore (1994)

More killer death metal from the land down under. Path of Attrition, a demo, and Eroded Void of Salvation, a 7", are Ignivomous' first two releases. To avoid writing more, I'll go with: Path of Attrition sounds kinda like Immolation, Eroded Void sounds kinda like Incantation.

Track listing:
-Path of Attrition-
1. Intro / Bloodshrines
2. Path of Attrition
3. Psychic Murder
4. Dr. Offal's Infamous Pleura Incising Necropsy [Necrotomy cover]
-Eroded Void of Salvation-
1. Doomsayer
2. Eroded Void of Salvation
3. A Weak God Withers...


Global tomb

More like this:

Slugathor - Echoes from Beneath (2009)
Beyond Mortal Dreams - From Hell (2008)

Tuu - All Our Ancestors (1994)


A lush, evocative mix of ethereal synths and organic instrumentation over gentle tribal percussion, for a soothing but dramatic, ceremonial sound.

Track listing:
1. Shiva Descending
2. All Our Ancestors
3. House of the Waters
4. Stillpoint in Motion
5. Rainfall
6. Illumination
7. Triple Gem of Wisdom

Body of light

You might also like:

Al Gromer Khan - Divan I Khas (1987)
Steve Roach & Vidna Obmana - Well of Souls (1995)

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Cryptal Darkness - Chamber of Gore (1994)


Cryptal Darkness' first demo, Chamber of Gore is a slice of old school death metal perfection -- dissonant riffs, lightning speed drums, gutturals, and a few slow blasts thrown in to seal the deal. I'm not sure what happened to them in the next two years, but when they got around to releasing their first LP, they'd fully morphed into a goth-y death/doom band, highly reminiscent of My Dying Bride.

Track listing:
1. Mulched Into Blood and Bone
2. Blood Orgy
3. Disarticulation by Mastication
4. Decomposing Organs
5. Mist Enshrouded Graveyard

Will of the ancients

Billy Cobham - Total Eclipse (1974)


Here's some super sweet fusion, led by one of the all-time greatest fusion drummers, to get you over the hump or just make your high better. Band includes guitar great John Abercrombie.

Track listing:
1. Solarization
2. Lunarputians
3. Total Eclipse
4. Bandits
5. Moon Germs
6. The Moon Ain't Made of Green Cheese
7. Sea of Tranquility
8. Last Frontier

Spectrum

For more like this, try:

Eddie Henderson - Sunburst (1975)
Charles Earland - Leaving This Planet (1974)

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Forbidden Citadel of Spirits - Wandering Through... (2010) + Jaded Evolution of Druided Fiends (2011)


Harsh, wretchedly lo-fi Tasmanian black metal. In a scene more or less defined by its love for LLN-style esotericism, Forbidden Citadel of Spirits stands out as particularly misanthropic in sound.

Track listing:
-Wandering Through...-
1. Wandering Through the Dark Nocturnal Evil Woods
2. My Goats Are All Corpses
-Jaded Evolution of Druided Fiends-
1. Entwined in Black Spiritual Energy
2. Total Horned Manifestation
3. Possessed by the Grounded Spirits of Evil
4. The 1500 Year Forgotten Oak Door



The ultimate Satanic existence

More misanthropy:
Mons Veneris
Vetala

U.S. Maple - Purple on Time (2003)


U.S. Maple's final and most melodic record. The interplay of warm and harsh guitar tones, the way the songs constantly seem to break down then sputter back to life, and vocalist Al Johnson's throaty growl all add up to a deceivingly difficult album. I didn't get it 'til I listened to it after taking some weed tincture -- I suggest you do the same.

Track listing:
1. My Lil' Shocker
2. Sweet and Center
3. Oh Below
4. I'm Just a Bag
5. Touch Me Judge
6. Whoopee Invader
7. Lay Lady Lay
8. Tan Loves Blue
9. Untitled

Make your bedroom great

Repudilation - Repudilation (2001)


By request, here's everything that cult NYC brutal death metallers Repudilation ever recorded. Chugging, barely comprehensible riffs and creaky vocals abound, wrapped up in a fittingly rough, lo-fi package.

Track listing:
1. Fall of Oppression
2. Decimation
3. Eternal Depridation
4. Decay of Humanity
5. Intro
6. M.S.O.
7. Eternal Depridation
8. Decay of Humanity

Conceived for consumption

More ignorant musical violence:

Medecophobic
Vomit Remnants

Monday, September 14, 2015

Charles Earland - Leaving This Planet (1974)


Red-hot, stratosphere-bound fusion led by organist/keyboardist Charles Earland. Includes performances by Freddie Hubbard, Eddie Henderson, Joe Henderson, and many others.

Track listing:
1. Leaving This Planet
2. Red Clay
3. Warp Factor 8
4. Brown Eyes
5. Asteroid
6. Mason's Galaxy
7. No Me Esqueca
8. Tyner
9. Van Jay
10. Never Ending Melody

Searching for the right door

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Abyssmal Sorrow - Lament (2008)


Hazy, reverb-drenched, crestfallen blackened funeral doom. I recently scored a job at a record store, and the highlight of my run so far came today when a soft-spoken, mustachioed old guy -- probably 65 or so -- asked whether or not we had any Abyssmal Sorrow, discussed his love for French black metal, then bought a bunch of black metal CDs, instructing me to put them in a bag so that he could hide them from his wife.

Track listing:
1. Bound in Lifeless Affliction
2. Requiem for the Dying Moon
3. Cavernous Sorrow and Worthlessness
4. Echoes Through the Fields of Death
5. Austere Lament Part One
6. Austere Lament Part Two

In misery there can be comfort

For more misery, try:

Elysian Blaze -
Blood Geometry (2012)
Mistress of the Dead - I Know Her
Face from the Tombstone (2006)