We’re the unhallowed usurpers of the throne
Jim has been busy indeed as he unstops the plugged up Worm Gear mailbox in a frenzied display of rapid fire precision. It must be spring for the Worm are cleaning up!! Spring? Huh. As I drove over to Mr. Clifton’s abode this evening, I saw a poor bastard on a moped. The temperature? 10 degrees. Gotta do what you gotta do.
And so do we… so many new releases, so little time. About high time we get some extra help around here. It’s coming in the form of a new writer announcement, but it may be a little while longer.
In the mean time, 7 reviews this week will keep them from locking the doors on us and hopefully all of you entertained. We shall return next week with a vengeance!
Before we go disappear in the newly arrived Horn – Naturekraft 2LP set, and in the spirit of inspiring further conversation between you fine folks, let’s talk about stereotypes! Yes! Stereotypes in Metal that is. Between the labels and Worm Gear, Jim and I have had a lot of opportunities to meet and work with folks regularly here and abroad and we are constantly reminded and pleasantly surprised about the generally unanimous level of dedication and passion that we metal heads display in our work, communication and support of the artistic things we are involved in. I look back on the 80’s with fondness often, but it seems the public perception of our community back then was far more harsh than it seems today. Perhaps it’s because I’m getting old and rarely care what others think, but the more I think about it, maybe the outsiders are finally realizing what we’ve all mostly known since the beginning… us long haired, tattooed and pierced heathen’s aren’t so bad! I mean… fuck you. -Marty
Marty Rytkonen Playlist
Dissection – Retribution: Storm of the Light’s Bane
Sacramentum – Far Away From the Sun
Sacrilegium – Wicher
North/Grom/Marhoth – Sovereigns of Northlands split CD
Dead Can Dance – S/T
Dead Can Dance – Aion
Dead Can Dance – The Serpent’s Egg
Infirmary/Aetherium Mors – Split CD
North – From the Dark Past
Astrophobos – Remnants of Forgotten Horrors
Jim Clifton Playlist
Manilla Road – Mystification
Necros Christos – Triune Impurity Rites
Ceremonium – Dreams We Have Written
Pentagram – Turn to Stone
Finsterforst – Rastlos
Death – Individual Thought Patterns
Obituary – Cause of Death
Mystic Charm – Shadows of the Unknown
Belial – Wisdom of Darkness
Burzum – Belus
Worm Gear 
Stereotypes…I feel like I am kind of on both side of the stereotypes issues. I listen to metal all the time and identify myself as a metal head, but I quite honestly do not fit the stereotypical metal look. I cut my long hair in high school and have to admit I looked quite ridiculous with it. I still wear metal shirts occasionally, but not every single day like I used to so some people I see on occasion do not even know I am a metal head unless I bring it up or they catch me in a metal shirt somewhere. I really do not care one way or the other anymore about trying to fulfill some metal stereotype. It’s really only about the music to me anymore and some of the friends I have made along the way. On the flip side, I do not care if non-metal people do not like my metal shirt or the music I listen to. I enjoy breaking stereotype on both sides anymore.
I think maybe metalheads in 80’s were maybe treated a little harsher because it was more of a cultural phenomena then. I think a lot of outsiders and older people maybe saw metal heads as the downward spiral of the younger generation. Plus modern/extreme metal was newer then, so I think there was more mystery behind it that may have frightened certain people or groups. Now that it has been around longer and there is not as large of a unified movement as there was back then, I don’t think people are quite as intimidated as they once were. However I think metal heads are still looked down upon by a significant number of people in certain groups. I have found over the years a lot peoples perceptions are determined by how you approach them. If you approach them fairly openly looking all metal they will probably treat you pretty decent, but if you approach them all closed down like you don’t want to have anything to do with them, they will probably reciprocate. A lot of the people I hang out with on a regular basis do not listen to metal at all, but they are cool with the fact I do.
Dissection, Sacramentum, Astrophobos…can see some definite listening trends there Marty
Cynic – Kindly Bent to Free Us
Indian – From All Purity
Svolder – Desecration of the Five Holy Pillars (love the riffing on this album)
Pessimist – Blood For The Gods
Angel Corpse – Exterminate (a personal all time favorite)
Skinless – From Sacrifice To Survival (John Longstreth elevates the musicianship on any album he is on imo)
Arch/Matheos – Sympathetic Resonance
Trenchrot – Necronomic Warfare
Dead Conspiracy – Abomination Underground ep (just heard this over at decibel today, but have listened to it 3 times already and purchased a download. Never heard of them before, but curious how their 80’s stuff sounds.)
I think there is still that air of dismissal when it comes to metal, especially extreme forms of metal. Most of my friends and peers dismiss it outrightly despite my explanation that it’s not all just satanic violence. I share new stuff I like, older classics daily on the Facebooks and my weekly playlists on my website just to try and share my love of metal but still people are hesitant. I’ve managed to convert a few but the awkward looks and conversations I have with people when they ask what kind of music I like are endless. I don’t look the part either. I think it scares people or they somehow think it is below them or dumb in some aspect. Tides seem to be shifting but that could just be because I am so into the genre and scene I see all the positive ground metal has been making recently.
Arghoslent – Galloping Through the Battle Ruins
Sepultura – Chaos A.D.
Graven – Perished and Forgotten
Dark Tranquility – A Memory Construct EP
Jute Gyte – Vaste Chains
Sun Worship – Elder Giants
Bathory – Blood on Ice
Nasheim – Solens Vemod
Star Fucking Hipsters – Until We’re Dead
Chuck Ragan – Gold Country
Trial – The Primordial Temple
Holly Williams – The Highway
Jason Isbell – Southeastern
Anagnorisis – Beyond All Light
Ered Wethrin – Tides of War
Lipstick Homicide – Isn’t It Glorious?
Heavenly – Virus
Cannibal Corpse – Kill
Falkenbach – Asa
Audrey Horne – Youngblood
Grand Magus – Triumph and Power
just received a (long overdue) email update from Dead Congregation:
\m/
Stereotypes, what a can of worms. No pun intended. Such a sprawling topic, and quite difficult to concisely address in a single, short post. Perhaps that is why everyone is taking a ‘vacation’ this week. 😎 Visual stereotypes are probably the most difficult for people to overcome. Growing up in the 80’s, the metalhead stereotype was in full force. Anyone with the cliche physical attributes was often treated like a second-class citizen … at least where I grew up. They were immediately thought of as druggies, vandals, losers, you name it. I was never personally drawn toward the typical 80’s physical style of ‘metal’. I have had very long hair and an insane beard at certain points in my life; but for the most part, I have no ‘hair’, no piercings, no tatoos, no ‘wardrobe’ (although I might have to change that and pick up one of those awesome Panopticon shirts from the distro!), etc. Having no ‘outward’ style … I suppose I have always simply let my actions, opinions, and beliefs be my ‘flag’. It never seemed to be advantageous in any way to incite the stupidity and ignorance of the masses by purposefully altering my appearance to oppose them. It just wasn’t worth the hassle when I was a kid. If not for my work, I’d probably have the beard back and wear more shirts etc, but that just isn’t an option right now. So, to come full circle, it appears stereotypes certainly do affect the way I have to present myself … even in today’s more ‘accepting’ society.
Spinning this past week:
Immaculate – Atheist Crusade (have not formed a concrete opinion yet, but actually enjoying their brand of thrash at the moment … they could be playmates with Vektor, I suppose).
Flamen – Supremo Die
Italian heathens … with an old-school Polish aura about them.
Kaos Sacramentum – Scars of Revelation
Obscenity – Suffocated Truth
Dragonslayer (thanks Zahler)
Dammerfarben – Im Abendrot
When the feral vocals kick in around 2:40, they always inspire a surge of defiant pride.
Marty, you are right, the TeitanBlood is a bit disapointing. Very one dimensional and boring. Nearly the first 3 songs, a big chunck of the album, are buzzsaw guitars and blast beats. The riffs aren’t discerable at all. I like the production, but 20 minutes of blastbeats and nonsensical riffs is fucking boring and has been done a million times. The first album is pretty good–if you can get past the fact the vocals are nearly identical to Blasphemy’s ‘Fallen Angel of Doom’ style. Finally, the audactiy to name the album simply ‘Death’, is pretty arrogant and daring, and would only work if it was indeed a momunmental and redefining slab of Black Death. Well, it failed. So, all that album title ended up showing were two arrogant guys that think their shites don’t stink. What do I say to that, “Fucking Next Please”.
Haven’t heard it yet but I’m getting pretty tired of all these black/death bands that seem to think they don’t need hooks as long as the sound is suffocating and intense… Sound and atmosphere is one thing but I need some hooks to hold on to as well. Songwriting dammit! Like veteran punks Youth Brigade said: “All style, no substance”.
I’m with you freek, I like my hooks. Adjectives like brutal, intense, dark, cold, grim, etc. do little for me anymore if bands can’t write an interesting memorable song to back it up. Black and death metal have been pushed to their sonic limits in various aspects over the years that trying to simply write a more brutal or raw album with mediocre songs just isn’t that impressive.
Agreed Shawn! Having said that, there are exceptions… Been listening to the forthcoming Nuclearhammer on the NWN! bandcamp:
http://nuclearwarnowproductions.bandcamp.com/album/serpentine-hermetic-lucifer
…and I gotta say they really make it work here! Monotonous, simple riffing through a haze of echo and delay and the occasional weird electronics, very hypnotizing, soothing in a dark and twisted way. But I was already a fan of their previous output…
Also listening to:
Infernal Legion – Your Prayers Mean Nothing & The Spear of Longinus
Blood Ritual – At the Mountains of Madness & Black Grimoire
Hacavitz – Metztli Obscura
Plus a lot of 70’s ZZ Top! Ssssmokin’!