Rise…Rise…Rise…It’s Halloween
Thirty years ago, a ritually-conceived artifact arose out of Denmark that would alter the landscape of Satanic Metal for all time: Mercyful Fate’s Melissa. In celebration, Marty, myself, and Jack Hannert (Giant Kind, guest-vocalist of Seidr) are drinking Thor’s Imperial Porter from Hammerheart Brewery in Lino Lakes, MN, and running through King Diamond and Co.’s entire catalogue. But tonight isn’t just about us, or The Devil’s favorite Texan, no, dear reader, tonight is about you, and to prove it, we offer up no less than nine reviews from the usual suspects and from your favorite screenwriter and ours, S. Craig Zahler. “But wait, there’s more!” Yes, the GORGUTS INTERVIEW HAS ARRIVED and awaits the touch of your drying eyeballs. Most important of all, Mr Rytkonen honors The Great Falsetto Gene-Simmons-Agitator and Friends from Copenhagen with his essay “Howl like a wolf and a witch will open the door … celebrating 30 years of Mercyful Fate’s Melissa.” Enjoy, comment, ejaculate!
Jack Hannert Playlist
Pyha – Koulema
Seidr – Ginnungagap
Summoning – Old Mornings Dawn
Agalloch – Of Stone, Wind, and Pillar
Dissection – Storm of the Light’s Bane
Blood Ceremony – The Eldritch Dark
Agitated Radio Pilot – The Rural Arcane
Drowning The Light – The Fallen Years
Dommedagssalme – Division
Marty Rytkonen Playlist
Carcass – Surgical Steel
Mercyful Fate – Melissa
Mercyful Fate – Don’t Break the Oath
Squash Bowels – Grindcoholism
Brodequin – Methods of Execution
Inquisition – Obscure Verses for the Multiverse
Speed Kills – The Very best in Speed Metal comp
Blood of the Black Owl – Light the Fires!
Gamma Ray – Heading for Tomorrow
Thou Art Lord – The Regal Pulse of Lucifer
Jim Clifton Playlist
Alda – s/t
Alda – Tahoma
Katatonia – For Funerals to Come …
Necros Christos – Doom of the Occult
Gris – À l’Âme Enflammée, l’Äme Constellée…
Sombres Forêts – La Mort du Soleil
Taake – Over Bjoergvin Graater Himmerik
Darkthrone – Total Death
Dismember – Misanthropy
White Medal – Guthmers Hahl
Jake Moran Playlist
Fearthainne – Fearthainne
Alethes – Alethia
Richard Moult – Aonaran
Heathen Harvest – Samhainwork II
Arnaut Pavle – Arnaut Pavle
Moloch – II
Grifteskymfning – Demo 2008
Steven R. Smith – Owl
Stray Ghost – An Avalanche of Swollen Tongues
Wreathes – The Reigns / Full Turn
S. Craig Zahler Playlist
Biglietto Per L’Inferno – Biglietto Per L’Inferno
Antonius Rex – Zora
Goblin – Patrick
Goblin – Phenomena
Genesis – Trespass
Blue Oyster Cult – Imaginos
Gastrorrexis – The Taste of Putrefaction
Tyrants Blood – Into the Kingdom of Graves
Warmarch – The Declaration
Worm Gear 
Today will be a blast of nothing but Mercyful Fate, The Misfits and black metal. Happy Halloween!
Csejthe – Réminiscence
Falkenbach – Asa
Lou Reed – Transformer
Death Rides a Horse – Tree of Woe
Panopticon/Vestiges – Split
Blut aus Nord – What Once Was… Liber III
Amiensus – Restoration
October Falls – The Plague of a Coming Age
Waldgefluester – Fermundsmarka – Eine Reise in Drei Kapiteln
Panopticon/Wheels Within Wheels – Split
When Bitter Spring Sleeps – Coven of the Wolves
Kreator – Hordes of Chaos
Kreator – Coma of Souls
Kreator – Terrible Certainty
Overkill – Feel the Fire
King Diamond – Abigail II: The Revenge
Calabrese – The Traveling Vampire Show
Calabrese – They Call Us Death: Calabrese III
Howling – A Beast Conceived
Witch Mountain – Cauldron of the Wild
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
The Misfits – 12 Hits From Hell
Great list as usual! Always love seeing ‘Terrible Certainty’ and Panopticon getting mentions. Speaking of, have you heard Marty’s news about Bindrune and Panopticon?
I did. I saw the announcement on Facebook. Seems like a good move for them both. Can’t wait for the new split and the new album.
Hell yes, that’s a lot of writing to absorb, nice! Thanks for the effort guys! And great news about the new signings to Bindrune, congrats Marty!
Playlist:
Seidr – Ginnungagap (dare I say MASTERPIECE? Yes, I dare)
Blood of the Black Owl – Light the Fires!
Lou Reed – Magic and Loss (fuck, sad sad news)
Kreator – Coma of Souls
Mercyfyl Fate – Melissa
Dodsferd – Spitting with Hatred the Insignificance of Life
Dodsferd – A Breed of Parasites
Dodsferd – A Cursed Heritage
Immolation – Dawn of Possession
Incantattion – Onward to Golgotha
Suffocation – The Close Of A Chapter – Quebec City Live 2005 (best death metal live album ever)
Grand Supreme Bloodcourt – Bow Down Before the Blood Court
sunn o))) – ØØ Void
Baroness – Yellow and Green
Candlemass – Epicus Doomicus Metallicus
Bloody Panda – Summon
SubRosa – More Constant than the Gods
…plus, for riding to and from work, a playlist on shufle of all Abigail, Metalucifer and Sabbat release I have that I dubbed “heavy engrish”… \m/ 😉
Happy Halloween everyone…list:
Misfits – all (well, the good stuff)
Mercyful Fate – first two
Abhorrence – Completely Vulgar comp
Tyrants Blood – Into The Kingdom Of Graves
new Nocturnal Graves (awesome)
Denouncement Pyre – Almighty Arcanum
Blodsgard – Monument
Lantern – Below
Bolzer – all
Brodequin – all
Moyen Incantation/Archgoat split
Coffins – Colossal Hole
Exmortis – Darkened Path Revealed comp
Insanity – Death After Death
new Mortal Decay
new Thrall
new Pyrexia
Ruins – Chambers of Perversion
Temple Nightside – Condemnation
Not a very “edgy” playlist, but it is what it is.
Helloween – S/T ep/Walls of Jericho
Helloween – Keeper of the Seven Keys pt. 1 (good album but too polished; prefer the first two releases)
Gamma Ray – Land of the Free
Ulcerate – Vermis
Black Sabbath – 13 (this album has gone from decent, to good, to pretty damn solid in my book over the last few months)
Earthless – From the ages (digging this one)
Motorhead – Inferno
Pentagram – First Daze Here
Blind Melon – ST
A lot of Mercyful fate and King Diamond really for the last 6 weeks or so. Tis the season.
Shawn,
I’ve found that edgy usually = overrated.
Kenn Nardi/Anacrusis – Parallax Error Demos. Whatever name he chooses to release this under, the five tracks available for download sound awesome. Twenty years later, glad to have the mastermind of one of my favorite bands back.
Helloween – Self Titled EP
Mercyful Fate – Melissa and Don’t Break the Oath
Fates Warning – Darkness in a Different Light
Into Another – Ignaurus
Kawir – Isoteos
Krypts – Unending Degradation
Extinction Protocol – Aeonic Obliteration
Cirkus-Lizard> Thanks for the tip on the new Nardi tracks, will check it out right away! Good news!
Very cool, I didn’t know Nardi was releasing new stuff, will definitely check it out and thanks for the heads up!
And it’s fucking good too! Good to hear that unique voice again.