Abazagorath – S/T MCD
I would love to claim superior underground cred and go on about discovering Jersey’s Abazagorath way back in ’96, but the truth is, during that era, I was preoccupied with the sounds arising from Scandinavia and often found the USBM scene to be too stylistically brutal, or crossed with death metal too much to fully achieve that atmosphere that I crave in black metal. I do own “The Spirit of Hate for Mankind” 7” released back in 2002, but I tend to detest the medium of 7”s and the music went in one ear and out the other at the time, never to be played again. Who would ever have guessed the BM scene in Scandinavia and Europe would largely shift to a more aggressive outlet of delivery, kind of where the US guys were at in the 90’s/early 2000’s and now the US scene is tapping into the mystical/forest realm, but it has happened and our corner of the globe has proven itself as a force to be reckoned with when the moon rises and the all the worlds beasties come out to pay their respects.
Without having a lot of knowledge or musical history to compare this EP to in regards to Abazagorath lore, judging the material at hand was made far easier if not enjoyable due to the fact that this is a band that is churning out solid, if not a bit unspectacular, blackness that channels the 90’s European spirit. The 5 songs on this well produced (by Woe’s Chris Grigg) MCD all benefit from expertly constructed songs that embrace both a blasting speed and the good sense not to make such what I consider has become a debilitating genre staple, the main delivery in their music. Mid-paced moments of music, interesting riffs that drop out to allow the bass and drum breaks to create impact, rich harmonies and skilled solo work all reach into the core of this band to show that there is a level of maturity on display here looking to be appreciated. And I do appreciate Abazagorath’s efforts as I’ve spun this EP a fair amount of times since receiving it the other day. The vocalist is solid, if not a bit too traditional/dimensionless, but his higher register of screaming fits in with the blackened fuzz created by this band.
Granted, Abazagorath’s place in this world may not be adorned with praise for originality or legions of fans that clog up the metal message boards praising their BM overlords, but they can write a good song and are worth investigating if mid 90’s black metal is your thing and you’re not bothered by something that you likely have heard before. -Marty
NoVisible Scars
Worm Gear 
Their second LP is really good…from 2004.