Destruktor

Today we have a an MCD release of some quality Australian blackthrash from Destruktor. These guys haven't put out a hell of a lot in the 15 years or so that they've been together, but they know what they're doing. Not too far off from the type of stuff that Aussie metalheads have been doing for the last couple of decades; extra-deathy/thrashy, eeevil, and just the right amount of blackened snarl. Here's 2004's Nuclear Storm.

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Please Show Me Your Pussy

Pleeeeeease? Cut Throat is an 80's-worshipping thrash metal side-project of sorts comprised of Mirai and Shinichi of Sigh and Yasuyuki and Youhei of Abigail. Imploring you to "show me your pussy, please" because they "want to see your beautiful pussy", this single is tons o' fun and pretty decent thrash-wise. The B-side is a cover of Tankard's "Zombie Attack".

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Hey you!

Check out my recent guest post/mixtape thingy that I did for the sexy Illogical Contraption blog.

Peeled Carcass

Haha! See what I did there? Here's Carcass in fine form circa 1989 recording a few tracks for John Peel. Solid.

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Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult

You know how the aliens talk in the 1996 movie Mars Attacks!? Imagine that voice speaking english over some black metal and you're halfway to Inquisition. Starting out as a humble thrash band in Columbia (now based in Washington), they've brought a certain 'not-to-be-fucked-with'-ness to the melodic black metal sound that they've maintained throughout all of their full-lengths. Really good musically, but really strange vocals. Kind of a nasally croak. If you can get past that you're in for a treat.

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Bulldozer

Check out AC Wild. He cares not for your pitiful exploding planet. With IX these Italian sleazeballs deliver what is probably one of my favourite thrash metal albums from the late 80's. Featuring an ode to masturbation that explains how it's much easier and cheaper than having a girlfriend. True dat.

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Netjajev Society System

Here's some killer Swedish punk mixed with some fucking wonky sci-fi synths/organs from Netjajev SS. Really good stuff, they'll be halfway into some weird spacey/surfy stuff before launching into some of the most catchy and intense hardcore that I've heard in a while. Internet-rumour has it that the main (only?) dude for these guys is also responsible for the excellent Syphilitic Vaginas. So check out their self-titled EP from 2007 riiiiight

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The Eastern Force of Evil

An "official bootleg" I guess, I was pretty stoked to get this in a trade a few years ago. Back in the 90's Sigh played about 75% Venom covers when they played live and this album is about the same (and there's a couple of Death covers as well). Taken from from a few different shows in their native Japan, the sound quality ranges from listenable to kinda awful. Still, it's a cool document of a stripped-down Sigh playing mostly covers to half-interested audiences.
Also, check out the killer re-issue label The Crypt for deluxe extra-fancy vinyl editions of some of Sigh's albums coming later this year. Infidel Art and Ghastly Funeral Theatre have already come and gone from the label, but you might be able to track them down elsewhere.

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L'appel du néant

Malveillance is a Quebecois punky, d-beat-ish black metal (one-man) band. Not too far off from stuff like Akitsa or Bone Awl. This 2006 demo opens up with seven (!) Ramones covers, then follows up with ten tracks of particularly hateful and primitive blackmetalpunk.

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Top 10 of 2009

Sorry, no download links today. Just words and pictures. I still haven't heard the new albums from YOB, The Spits, Zombi, and Peste Noire and surely I'll come across some other '09 releases in the years to come. But these things are always kinda fun to do, so what the hell:

1. Slough Feg - Ape Uprising!

Slough Feg can do no wrong.

2. Teitanblood - Seven Chalices

I was expecting something along the lines of their fellow countrymen Proclamation, but this is absolutely immense and so much better. The best booklet art of the year as well. Should've held out for the vinyl...

3. Beherit - Engram

Their first metal album in 16 years and they nailed it. Fuck the nay-sayers.

4. Villains - Lifecode of Decadence

Criminally underrated, filthy, sleazy street thrash/punk band. I enjoyed this quite a bit more than 2007's Drenched in the Poisons. Awesome drumming and the vocalist is insane, channeling Cronos, Quorthon, King Diamond, and Nocturno Culto all at roughly the same time.

5. Deströyer 666 - Defiance

Deströyer 666's weakest album is still pretty damn good. I finally got to see them live this year in Calgary and they were flawless.

6. Argus - Argus

A very well-executed debut album of classic doom metal mixed with the heavier aspects of the NWOBHM era. Lovecraft metal!

7. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

I'm a sucker for this lady's voice. The last track is a half hour of frogs/insects/swamp sounds. Neat.

8. Katharsis - Fourth Reich

This one grows on me every time that I listen to it. Maybe not quite as good as VVorld VVithout End, but close.

9. Black Pyramid - Black Pyramid

Nothing terribly original, but nonetheless a very solid doom metal album chock full of deadly solos and grooves.

10. Immortal - All Shall Fall

Ah, good old reliable Immortal. Never putting out a bad album, only good ones of varying degrees of awesomeness. I daresay this is better than the last couple.

Honorable mentions, EPs, compilations, and re-issues (AKA most of the rest of the stuff I picked up last year):

Reverend Bizarre - Death Is Glory... Now - If I was counting compilations of old material this might be number 1. This is 2 CDs of their previously out-of-print tracks from various splits, covers from tribute albums and other rarities. Not a single track is a throwaway and it's great to have all of these crucial songs in one set.
Ignivomous - Death Transmutation - Australians playing American death metal in the vein of Immolation and Incantation very well.
Citizens Arrest - Collosus - Nice 2LP discography of this late 80's/early 90's New York hardcore band.
Weapon - Drakonian Paradigm - I wanted to like this more, but it's still pretty good.
Cobalt - Gin - See above. A good album, but not AS good as a lot of reviews would have you believe.
Fucked Up - Year of the Rat/First Born - A couple of decent tracks on this single. Picked this up when I saw them in April last year. Good show.
Maserati/Zombi - split - The Maserati tracks are cool, but Zombi is where it's at.
Bone Awl - Night's Middle - Damned good EP.
Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures - Enjoyable for a bit.
Abigail/Syphilitic Vaginas - split - The Abigail tracks are alright, but Syphilitic Vaginas are seriously fantastic. They sound like Motörhead, Japanese hardcore, and 80's black metal all at once. Great stuff.
Bleak House - Suspended Animation - Super-sweet collection of this NWOBHM band's two EPs from '80 and '82 with some well-recorded live tracks on the B-side.
Diocletian - Doom Cult - Kiwis playing some very solid Blasphemy-worship with a bit more lower-end and variation than the other thousand band playing this style.
Proclamation - Execration of Cruel Bestiality - More blatant Blasphemy-worship from these Spaniards, but still a thrillingly violent-sounding album.
Speedwolf/Hookers - split - A cool split 7" of upbeat drinkin' metal/punk.
Nirvana 2002 - Recordings 89-91 - Awesome. All of the recorded output from one of the best bands from the Swedish death metal scene.
Heaven & Hell - The Devil You Know - Dio-Sabbath still knows what's up.
Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster - Yes, I'm fucking serious. Shut up.
Children of Technology - Chaosmutant Hordes - Three Italian crusties playing apocalypse-themed speed metal/thrash/punk. This EP is the first thing that I've heard from them and it's quite good.
Abigail - Sweet Baby Metal Slut - Nothing that great, but definitely some of the best song titles of the year; "Teenage Metal Fuck", "Wild Fire Metal Bitch", "Metal Bitch Inferno", "Satanic Hell Slut", "Metal Evil Metal". Yeah!

Sturmpercht

Most of the Neofolk/Martial/whatever that I've encountered has been pretty hit-or-miss, but this shit (Sturpercht's Geister im Waldgebirg) is definitely a big hit. These Austrians call their music "Alpine Folk" and it's perfect for a cold night. There's some rousing, catchy hymns and some mellow wistful ballads and they all make you want to drink mead. There's a solid hour plus of music here for you to enjoy, but track down a physical copy if you can, as they self-release most of their stuff.

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Mocking the Philanthropist

Grand Belial's Key are probably my favourite American black metal band. Now, because all of their album covers are defaced Bible storybook pictures and they hail from Virginia you might think that they play some kind of redneck retardo sloppy basement-recorded black metal (not that there's anything wrong with that in and of itself...). But make no mistake, these guys churn out some ballsy, melodic, groovy stuff. There's some seriously godly (ungodly?) riffs here that any fan of Heavy Metal could appreciate. Definitely have their own sound and have never just aped what their contemporaries were doing overseas. Here's their debut full-length from '97.

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Grotesque

Here's some spooooky classic Swedish death metal for Halloween. In the Embrace of Evil compiles Grotesque's Incantation EP from 1990 and some earlier demo tracks. There's elements of early black and thrash metal present rather than the straight-up chunky riffing of their countrymen (there's some of that too). Tomas Lindburg went on to front At the Gates, but this is more primal, potent stuff.

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Slice of Doom

Dig that tribute to Blue Cheer in the cover art. One of my favs, Finland's Reverend Bizarre played (they split a year or two ago) Doom Metal in the style of the slow n' low heavyweights of the 80's without sounding like an insincere "retro" cash-in. Fantastic vocals, solos, and RIFFS goddammit. This is the re-release of their demo with bonus tracks from the couple of different versions of the original release, and it starts out with a killer cover of the theme song from Doctor Who. I mean, c'mon.
And if anyone out there is thinking of starting a Rev Biz collection, Svart Records has just started to release super-sexy vinyl editions of their main releases starting with Harbinger of Metal. Mine should be here within the week.

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A Fallen Unicorn

Fuck yeah, unicorns! Here's a cool little EP from Greece's Nocternity with tracks that were recorded at the same time as 2003's Onyx. I cant help be reminded of Graveland with their medieval armour and the way they use synthesizers to add atmosphere rather than over-the-top pomposity. The riffs, overall, sound more like the nordic black metal bands rather than the typical "Greek black metal sound". There's a fantastically successful cover of Bjork's "Pagan Poetry" to close out the EP proper. This is the 05' reissue with the tracks from the splits with Akitsa and Kawir as bonus tracks.

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