Burn them all!
The words escaped me, though I’m trying to reclaim the flame!! Yes! Been super busy packaging up pre-orders for the Falls of Rauros/Panopticon 12”, but now that every last one has been shipped, finding some time to write isn’t as fleeting. Many thanks to Jim for holding down the fort and for all the packaging help! And thanks to YOU for purchasing the split! It means a lot to all parties involved.
Nothing new or exciting to report other than moving records and battling the plague once again in this house, but we are tough and will prevail!
Here’s what we’ve been spinning as of late. What does your playlist look like? -Marty
Marty Rytkonen Playlist
Ahamkara – The Embers of the Stars (Completely stunning album!)
Drowning the Light/Vampyric Blood – Drowning in the Vampyric Sacrament of the Immortals (Something about this split has been hitting me just right these past 2 weeks. Lo-fi, but well written blackness!)
Manilla Road – The Deluge
Manilla Road – Open the Gates
Manilla Road – Atlantis Rising
MGLA – Groza
Gravelend – Thunderbolts of the Gods
Wodensthrone – Loss
Allegiance – Hymn Till Hangagud
Clandestine Blaze – Fist of the Northern Destroyer
Jim Clifton Playlist
Morbid Angel – Covenant
Trouble – Run to the Light
Holodomor – Temoignages De La Gnose Terrestre
Zealotry – The Charnel Expanse
Death Angel – Ultraviolence
Skepticism – Stormcrowfleet
Manilla Road – Crystal Logic / Mystification
Skogen – Vittra / Svitjod / I Döden
Behemoth – Evangelion
Thunderwar – The Birth of Thunder
Worm Gear 
Triptykon – Melana Chasmata
Nuklear Frost – Subjugation
Sadhak – S/T
Falls of Rauros/Panopticon 12″
Impetuous Ritual – Unholy Congregation of Hypocritical Ambivalence
Thantifaxath – Sacred White Noise
Sodom – Persecution Mania
St. Vitus – Lillie: F65
Motorhead – Orgasmatron
Overkill – Taking Over
The Triptykon and Nuklear Frost have been the two albums I have spent the most time with this week by far. I just became aware of Nuklear Frost this last week and have to say I really enjoy Subjugation. This album came out of nowhere and really clicked with me much like Infera Bruo’s Desolate Unknown did last year, although the two bands sound nothing alike. Plus it is always good to see solid metal coming from the Midwest.
Subjugation by Nuklear Frost
Above is a link to the Nuklear Frost . I meant to post it in the first message but it didn’t take for some reason.
Some killer stuff has been coming out recently. So little time in the day…
The Oath – The Oath
Triptykon – Melana Chasmata
Paradise Lost – Draconian Times
Nux Vomica – Nux Vomica
Infestus – The Reflecting Void
Noisem/Occultist – Split
Merkaba – Bones of the Sacred Forest
Lantlôs – Melting Sun
Falls of Rauros – The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood
Black Anvil – Hail Death
Thantifaxath – Sacred White Noise
Freedom Call – Beyond
Insomnium – Shadows of the Dying Sun
Dawn – Naer Solen Gar Nider For Evogher
Kreator – Terrible Certainty
Beyond Dawn – Pity Love
Sun Worship – Elder Giants
Skepticism – Stormcrowfleet
Bleed the Pigs – Mortis Fatum EP
Amebix – Sonic Mass
Death – Leprosy
Dissection – Storm of the Light’s Bane
Cara Neir – The Overwatch EP
Blind Guardian – Tales from the Twilight World
Some very interesting reviews sirs!
Shawn, listening to Nuklear Frost now. Souns good!
Kevin, how do you like that new Lantlôs? I’ve been eyeing that one (and the new Dornenreich) on the Prophecy website. And Terrible Certainty! Hell yeah!
While I’m finding out there’s a whole lot I can do with one arm while holding my son with the other, I’ve been playing these:
Alcest – Les Voyages De L’Âme
Van Halen – 1984
Katechon – Man, God, Giant
Motörhead – Motörizer
Grand Belial’s Key – Mocking the Philanthropist
Falkenbach – Heralding The Fireblade
Falkenbach – Tiurida
Falkenbach – Magni blandinn ok megintiri
Falkenbach – Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty
Destroyer 666 – To the Devil His Due
Otomo Yoshihide’s New Jazz Quintet – ONJQ Live in Lisbon
Gordon Fergus-Thompson – Debussy: Complete Piano Music
Kevin,
I agree… it has been a solid year of new releases so far, with many more down the road. Autopsy, Agalloch, Mayhem, Panopticon, Falls of Rauros all have new releases on the horizon and I’m sure there are many good releases not even on my radar. The new Triptykon has made it a worth while year alone. The first 4 months of 2014 has been consistently good for new releases imo, but I know some will be belly aching at the end of the year that 2014 was a down year haha.
Ikbenfreek…hope fatherhood has bee going well for you and hasn’t cut into your music time too much.
To date, I would say 2014 has been quite the drought for me. I am expecting the Triptykon to be huge, but I haven’t received the record yet. The 7″ is awesome though. Autopsy seems same shit, different album name. I got the Impetuous Ritual, but was really disappointed. For some reason one night I listened to one song and thought it was clicking so I bought it. Last night I got the CD, and man, what a pile of murk. Portal is much better. Jim, I totally disagree about the assessment on the two bands. Couldn’t be more far from the mark I think. There is nothing distinguishing about this Impetuous. Its just mud for the most part. Same goes for the heap-of-shit Grave Upheaval record. What a scam that last LP was. It is indeed cool to be fooled. Anyways, everything is sound pretty bland these days.
Listening to:
Sepultura – Morbid Visions
Sepultura – Beneath the Remains
Unru – 2014 DEMO
Foglord – New Realms and Forgotten Lands
HeavyDeath – Post Mortem In Aeternum Tenebrarum
Nuclearhammer – Seprpentine Hermetic Lucifer
Live Burial – 2013 Demo
Ride For Revenge – The Kind of Snakes
Hawkwind – Space Ritual
Pilgrim – II:Void Worship
Sadhak – Sadhak Demo
Rock Candy Funk – Live
Opium Warlords – Taste My Sword of Understanding
Galatic – Live
Grave Miasma – Realm of Evoked Doom
Irkallian Oracle – Grave Eksatsis
Shawn> Fatherhood is fucking amazing! And I don’t mind exposing junior to some black metal filth (when my girlfriend is not around, she does mind hehehe) so enough listening time for me. Gotta start early, make sure the little man gets a good musical upbringing right?
Which makes me wonder; how do your ladies and/or kids handle your extreme musical appetites?
Patrick> I agree with you on the new Impetuous Ritual (although I’d choose a little less destructive words hehehe), like I said before; I’m a bit fed up with that shapeless, all-atmosphere, no-hooks black/death murk. Nothing to hold on to, nothing that sticks, little variation, no dynamics… Although there are always exceptions; how’s that new Nuclearhammer treating ya? I got my copy few days ago but haven’t given it a spin yet (been binge shopping lately, too much records, too little time).
And another exception; has anyone heard the latest Aevangelist? I really like the first one, haven’t heard their second yet and I’m curious.
Hell yeah! Just got mail saying the new Dead Congregation is up for pre-order! Just ordered a copy here: http://martyrdoom.bigcartel.com/
Patrick, I would agree with you about 90% of the time regarding hookless atmospheric death metal in the vein of Impetuous Ritual, but for whatever reason this album caught me at the right time. I was surprised myself that I liked it at all and it’s been getting some regular spins the last couple weeks. I do find some of the guitar work to be a little more distinguishable than you probably do though. That being said, this isn’t necessarily a top album of the year for me, so I am by no means trying to overstate the quality of the album.
Ikbenfreek, listening to metal with my girlfriend is a no go haha. She does not like it at all, but she is at least is ok with the fact that I like it. I usually wait until I am alone before I break out the metal, but we do not live together right now so I have plenty of space to do that. The latest Aevangelist is good depending on your tolerance of smothering, no hook death metal. I have Omen Ex Simularca, but I have not heard their first one so I can make no comparison to that. Honestly, I haven’t listened to that album hardly at all since I first picked it up and will probably only spin it on rare occasion when in the mood for something completely annihilating without much to latch on to.
Speaking of new releases in 2014…What did you guys think of the new Bolzer track?Maybe not quite the revelation that Aura was, but still decent imo.
Boy my linking songs into this forum needs some work. I’ll try again.
Yes, the Bolzer is quite good. Vocals are a range up which is still good, but kinda of preferred the deeper vocals. They fit more.
Freek – The NuclearHammer has a ton to latch on to and enjoy. It is very hypnotic, but also has a presentation of ideas and structure. I like it a lot.
I have all the AEvangelist releases. The 2nd album is, IMO, 2.0 of the 1st album. Basically the same thing, but with some additional cool riffs and a little more ambiance. I suppose you could say it s a more refinded idea of the 1st album, but not doing too much to deviate from that formula. I rarely listen to it, but like Shawn, when I am in the mood, which is totally fine. I admire the horror and ultimate darkness this band projects, so I like collect them. I admire it on that basis alone.
As for murk, reverb, dank cavernous bands – please don’t get me wrong, there are ones I absolutely love. I actually really love this genre or style, it happens to be one of my more favored, but there is a line that I draw in the sand. Temple Nightside, Grave Miasma, Portal, Abyssal etc… all have very clear ideas and presentation within the foul dank dungeons of their sound. The allow the sound to further define their approach, while some bands use the sound to itself to simply define them. To me, that is cheap, easy and simply catering to a trend for the sake of being ultra hard or evil. It isn’t musical, its just an ideology. I hate that shit.
Patrick,
You made some good points in the last paragraph of your last message and I generally agree with what you said. I do need to check out that Nuclearhammer again sometime. I listened to it once when I was really tired and it didn’t click with me at all. I might enjoy it more if I listen to it under better circumstances.
yes, mood is key with stuff like this. i misjudged the Krypts, Lantern and Grave Miasma albums last year because of that, and now think they are incredible albums.
Patrick> Well said. All style, no substance. Checked out the latest Aevangelist and me likey. Turns out Debemur Morti is having a no shipping cost thing this weekend so I ordered it. Grave Miasma, I need to hear that… Krypts and Lantern are indeed fucking incredible! And Maveth, Vorum and Desolate Shrine, in that same style.
Shawn> New Bolzer? Didn’t even know, will check out asap! Yeah I hear you, my lady hates the heavy stuff. She’ll be watching tv and I’m next to her on the couch with my headphones on hahaha… I have the first Impetuous Ritual, I’ll pull it out and see what I think of it now, bought it when I was getting really crazy over the Portal albums…
I think I am with the lot of you concerning Impetuous Ritual. It is just not pulling me in … at all. I will have to lend more patience to Lantern, Vorum, Desolate Shrine etc. They didn’t bite me as extraordinary upon first listen either. I’ll give them one more go.
My wife and I grew up together since around age 13, so she views me and my preferences as ‘normal’. Even though she does not share my passion for metal, she is extremely tolerant due to being around it for so long. I mostly listen via head phones. However, I often have something playing out loud while I am cooking dinner etc. She is usually in the room, finishing up work or reading, around that time. She doesn’t realize when she is doing it, but I often catch her banging her head a little depending on what is spinning. Ha!
I’ve been extremely busy the last few weeks, and am feeling out of the loop in terms of regular listening.
I’ve been in a strange mood lately, and have not focused on any particular albums. I guess I have gravitated towards these the most:
Reverend Bizarre
Blizaro – Strange Doorways
Lords of the Crimson Alliance
Belial – Wisdom of Darkness
Scarab – Rolling Like Thunder
Cassle
Omega – The Prophet
oh, and this one …
Unaerth – Blizaro! Love it. There will be a new release under John Galloway name coming soon on I,Voidhanger. Should be killer. The Desolate Shrine is excellent as well!
I think most of you will find the new full length Spectral Lore album ‘III’ to be quite amazing. That should be out soon. It is really an astonishing work of Black Metal so full of ideas that I almost treat each song like an album in itself.
ikbenfreek I enjoyed the new Lantlôs. Heavier on the atmospherics (if that is possible) and a little more low key then the previous, but I have a soft spot for this type of metal.
ScarPump – I am with you, man. I have been in an ‘odd’ and somewhat ‘doomy’ mood lately; and Blizaro is just hitting the spot. I have enjoyed all Spectral Lore material so far, and really look forward to III. Very cool band, in my opinion.
Thanks for the heads-up on John Galloway, I will be on the lookout for it. I, Voidhanger has been putting out some great stuff!
I just got a bunch of new stuff in today. It looks like it is going to be a fun week. Hails!
Thanks for a reminder on the new Spectral Lore. I made a mental note to pick that up when it was released after hearing a track from the album to some time ago. I was pretty impressed with it. I checked the I, Voidhanger site just now and it doesn’t look like it is out yet from what I can tell. Does anyone know when it will be released?
Shawn – Very soon. I think in late May maybe? The artwork is excellent as well. Its seriously freaking epic beyond belief.
May 2nd is the preorder and May 10, the release date on the Spectral Lore Shawn!
Thanks for the heads up. I shall be ordering. I like the artwork too. It is very non-stereotypical for metal along with the philosophy of this project. Looking forward very much to this one.
… And tomorrow night I’ll post my review of it. We still agree on some things, Pat 😉
We agree on more things than disagree, I am sure of that. And thank god we don’t agree on everything or this would be a boring ass forum!
Thanks Kevin. I have a soft spot for that stuff too, will check it out. I’ve read there’s only clean vocals on this one?
BTW the new Lantlôs, new Spectral Lore, new Triptykon… These records all haven’t been released yet, you guys all getting advance promos or what? Lucky bastards!
New Triptykon came out a couple weeks ago. Better pull the trigger on that one!