I’m very picky about the black metal that I like. I have no time to even consider the mainstream “version” which I despise. Some bands/people get it, some don’t. I was raised by the true wolves of this art like the old Bathory, old Mayhem, and stuff like Sarcofago. These Germans in Ungod came out towards the end of that 2nd wave back in the early 90s. Along with the grim black metal era of Darkthrone and the early Immortal stuff, Ungod slayed with raw and unholy conviction to the dark path set by Venom, Bathory and Mercyful Fate back a decade before. After some legendary splits with the likes of Desaster, Sadistic Intent and others, and some awesome EPs put out over the years, these Bavarian maniacs have finally unleashed album #2. This is raw and primitive in sound and deadly attack. The pace can get all out fast for the most part, with the ripping “Angus Dei” and “Shadows of Golgotha” back to back with the relentless murder and speed. Not trying to be hyper speed, but still fast enough to rip you to shreds. The band can also get slow and morbid with the title track and the album closer “Night of the Forlorn Graves”. Here the doomy parts creep along and the sound is pure evil. These slower songs are long, but does not get boring at all. Great to see a legendary band from back in the day finally release that 2nd album! This would be a great edition to any fan of true black metal bands like Urgehal and Craft. But any fan of true metal should have this album in their collection.

www.mastersthrone.de/

Found out about these maniacs in 2007 at the start of this whole “death metal revival”. We in the Gravehill camp even wrote to Graveyard and traded shirts, patches and CDs. There was even talk of a future split release. Through the years, as always happens with some, we have lost track of each other. I have not stopped following my Spanish hermanos and their death noise output through the years. Through the original demo that we got, to that being released on EP, to the splits and the awesome “One With the Dead” album in 2009. Now we have another EP with 4 new songs and 2 older classics re-recorded(”Howl of the Black Death” from the Terrorist split and the crushing “Ritual” from the demo.) The newer stuff is an evil death continuation of what the band was dong on their killer debut album. The production is actually a little heavier and rawer than the debut, which was pretty fucking heavy! hahaha. For those who haven’t heard of this band, they are inspired mainly by the Swedish death metal bands of the golden era. But you can also hear the U.S. influence of Death, Morbid Angel, Obituary and even the U.K. stuff like Bolt Thrower, Prophecy of Doom and Cancer. Graveyard have their own style though. They take those influences and sculpt their own skullfucker of a vibe! I like the way the band can get a creepy and slow and then explode into a vicious fast part. Songs like the title track and “An Epitaph Written in Blood” are prime examples that Graveyard can keep up with the big boys of pure death metal terror. The cover was also designed by my brother Putrid Matt, who is one of my favorite, and one of the best artists that we hav in metal and horror today! Great work as usual Putird! This EP was released to quench the thirst of the ancient death maniacs until the next full length “A Shroud of Darkness” comes out in 2012. VIVA ESPANIA once again!

pulverised.bigcartel.com/

www.doomentia.com/

From the ashes of the mighty Centinex rose this band in 2006. A raging demo, 2 killer albums “Servants of the Unlight” and “Hellsworn”, and splits with Absu and Paganizer brought these maniacs towards the top of the old school death metal food chain. Now “Death Infernal” is not a bad album at all. It is quite good. Just surprising. What surprised me the most was the Amon Amarth commercial type stuff like “March for Victory”. I always thought that his style was OK. I called it “Viking Bolt Thrower” when bands started doing it. But I’m just not a huge fan of the more melodic stuff. I like catchy riffs. But I like them delivered in a dirty and raw way. Even on a heavier song like “Black Inferno”, there are some harmonies that show up underneath the sickness that just seem out of place. The extreme stuff is here, like the Swedish guitar sound. I even remember people saying back in the day, or even now, that “if you have the H2 Boss Heavy Metal Pedal, you can play ANY riff and it will sound great!” NOT SO FAST FUCKERS! Yeah, it can sound heavy playing any type of riff with that sound. But it sounds SO MUCH MORE heavier and mind blowing when the riff is super evil and morbid. Now a pure olden Swedish death styled song like “Through Hellfire” is more like it, more my style. Just a fast banging ripper that takes no prisoners, that also has a great slower doomy middle part that flattens buildings. I think this album would appeal to a more mainstream audience for the most part. There are pure death metal bangers on here. But there is also plenty of the “Thunder God” type stuff to make the mall kids happy. I would say that this is a good album. Not essential though. Moments of greatness like the song “Slain Warriors” in all it’s skank beat glory. But then a more melodic song like “All Will Perish” that really isn’t my cup of blood. The Emperor cover of “Night of the Graveless Souls”, done Swedish death metal style, is pretty ballsy as well. It is a good version.

www.cyclone-empire.com/

These French lunatics unleash some sick and pulverizing death metal on this EP. They put out some fucking ruthless old school death metal on their first 2 demos (”Rising From Purulence” in 2009 and “Necrollections” in 2010) so I was looking very forward to this record here. There are 4 songs. All short and straight to the point. The delivery in which these guys spew forth is quite impressive. It reminds me of some Swedish bands, but not the typical Boss pedal, chainsaw guitar/d-beat stuff. More like Traumatic, and with the thrashy speed of Merciless. They also remind me a little of the great newer era Swedish band Repugnant. And I can hear the stench of Autopsy and Repulsion at times. These sickos actually have more in common with the demos of Nihilist and Dismember, than the later era “Sunlight” sound. This trio is relentless with the death metal it attacks with. I could tell that on those earlier demos, these fuckers would be a force to be reckoned with. And they come through to the next level with the death noise on this EP. Listen to the mighty song “Sadistic Expiation” for an example of the out right devastation that this band can bring forth. The demos are fucking awesome, but this EP really just kills everything that they have ever done in the past. There is a total dark and morbid vibe to this recording. Like 3 demons raging in a cemetery. ESSENTIAL! I can’t wait to hear a full length by this band!

detestrecords.com/index.html

www.mesacounojo.com/msuo.html

These creeps from Denmark don’t fuck around. This is some INTENSE death metal found here. Very angry and hate filled on the first song “B.A.T.H.O.R.I.” A slow/mid paced build up that then blasts into full blackened death banging terror. There is an early Morbid Angel romp to these guys. Maybe even some early Deicide. Definitely a big old school Florida death metal influence. The production is cleaner than some, very “in your face”. But it fits the over all aggression of the music and attack of this band very well. The title track is more like the album opener, just with a bit more melody to go with the evil vibe. The band throws in some old school heavy metal and some thrash in parts of the other songs as well. The album closer “Strychgnostic Madness” even has some slower paced melodic parts that blend well with the thrashy riffs. And then a song like “Bestial Desires” is all over the place with samples and epic metal/anthem like riffs blending with raging double bass and Venom like skank beat/vocal madness. Everything is blended very well in one big blackened death thrash package. Killer stuff here, not sure why these guys haven’t put out an album yet. I know they formed in 1998, broke up and got back together in 2004. But I want to hear more! F.D.A. Rekotz is another rising label with some absolutely awesome stuff, so go check them out!

www.fda-rekotz.com/gx/

Thanks ONCE AGAIN to my German brother Ralf Hauber of Mystical Music Mag for getting me on board with this killer band. And ONCE AGAIN, Spain strikes with another deadly old school death metal unit. YES this EP was put out back in late 2010, but I don’t care, I’m late in discovering them and they deserve to be featured here! These maniacs have a sound that is more based in that “Holland” death noise style, like Asphyx and Pestilence. Also maybe a little bit of the old Finnish sound like Convulse. I’m also reminded of Bolt Thrower here and there. The sound gets slow and haunting quite a bit. The eerie notes grab your throat slowly until you can’t breathe. THEN those devastating one/two fast beats come in and rip your head off. Some of the really ripping fast stuff even shits down your neck. It is killer on songs like the nasty “Undead’s Attack” on how these fuckers can go from the slower, doomy stuff to all out raging, fast as fuck ripping. Ataraxy can create quite a dark and gloomy atmosphere whatever pace they are playing at. This is a GREAT EP that any fan of murderous old school death metal worship will want in their tomb of darkness. Momento Mori is quite a rising label with releases like this! Keep an eye and ear out for this label and for the mighty ATARAXY! HEAVY! HAUNTING! AND DEADLY DEATH METAL MAYHEM ON THIS ONE!

www.memento-mori.es/

Say what ya want about Don Decker (singer of Anal Blast who passed away in 2009) but he was an original and quite a character. My run ins with him were always positive, and he was always super nice to me. Now some of his old Anal Blast boys have moved on with another band by the name of Enabler. I have known Aaron, guitar player/singer, for a while now and he passed me this CD at the Central Illinois Metal Fest in July of 2011. This is some fun stuff here. These guys really don’t take themselves too seriously at all. Their awesome take on the Emperor logo is one thing. The song titles are another, like: “The Last Time I Gave A Shit(I Got Fucked)”-complete with the great Tourette’s Guy sample and others like “Cocaine and Cheese Curds”, “Ewwwww(Toddler Metal)” and “Winobot”. There are plenty of “joke” type samples and funny shit going on during this recording. But there are some killer riffs and ideas going on. It is a hybrid of thrash/death/grind that can shred with the best of them. Raging punk rock skank beats, heavy metal riffing, ripping and blasting grind fury, death metal heaviness. It’s all here. I can picture it now, these guys getting together with some beer, whiskey and blow and kicking out the madness at the jam room party. Fans of the “party thrash” stuff like Municipal Waste and even the old greats like Wehrmacht and Tankard will be into this. It is just a down-tuned, more death/grind version of those bands. Their cover of the Black Sabbath classic “Snowblind” is fucking ridiculous! It is a crusty death/grind version, but it sure is fun, hahahaha. This is some enjoyable stuff here regardless. It is done well and these guys can actually play. THAT part is serious. These guys would also be good to see live I’m sure. Grab this demo if you wanna drink ’till ya puke and mosh around the house to some Enablers. Don Decker is smiling somewhere.

www.facebook.com/pages/Enabler/119141961439364

Obviously a band coming from Stockholm, Sweden that is influenced by older metal and loves horror movies is probably going to sound much like the greats that came before: Nihilist/Entombed, Carnage, Dismember. There is nothing wrong with that. Plus I NEVER get bored of this sound! Sorry, it just won’t happen. Bastard Priest have a sound all their own though. The Dod Metal is heavy with the chainsaw guitars. But there are also some dark and evil thrash tinges of Sodom at times with some of the fast parts, especially on the awesome album opener “Pestilent Force”. What sets this album apart from some of the others in this genre is the pure crushing delivery that the songs attack in such a simple way. These guys do more with the simple riffs and 3 chords that most can do with their 40 tech riffs in one song. The ultimate and massive heaviness in a song like “Poison”, that just lurches and prods along in all it’s slow doom terror, will crush you in the 4 1/2 minutes that it tortures your ears. Then a ripping skank beat basher of a song “Fucking Slaughter” comes next to thrash away of what is left of you. This is punk/death heaven AND hell. And it RULES! Oh and the album closer “Enormous Thunder of the End” might just be one of the best death metal songs of all time! It is OLDEN DEATH PERFECTION! This is a dirty rotten crusty filthy good time. Go get this stench fucker NOW! The demo and the debut “Under the Hammer of Destruction” were killer, but this zombie fucker takes it to another level! ARGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

www.bloodharvest.se/cms/

SLAUGHTER LORD “THRASH ‘TILL DEATH 86-87″

By: Mike Abominator

This “best of” by SLAUGHTER LORD came out in 1998, but I recently ran into it again, and had to share it with the masses that have never heard of these fuckers. I was able to get their “Taste Of Blood” demo from helping out with a fanzine back in the days and it had a rehearsal recording and their ‘86 demo on there as well. These Australian maniacs only did 3 actual recordings, some extra songs recorded on really crappy stuff are also on here. But in the end, THIS FUCKING RULES! Slaughter Lord played some ripping and relentless death/thrash (which was DEATH METAL back then!). Opener “Destructor” could fit on “Darkness Descends” by Dark Angel, and might be even more aggressive! They do remind me of Dark Angel mixed with prime, old school Sadus and Slaughter. “Slaughter Lord” comes next and has that killer 80s thrash vibe riff that goes into a build up part that then goes into a fast as fuck part and a fuckin blast part! In 1986! FUUUCK! It is a similar blast to that of Cryptic Slaughter back in the day. The “Taste Of Blood” demo songs are up and “Die By Power” is the next song and has the killer Slayer type intro solos tha then get crazy into the fast part. The production on here is low and old school but THAT’S why Slaughter Lord rules so fucking much! All that matters is the songs! The mid paced banger riff at the end of the song is so fucking classic that you will bang you head clear off! Then it gets fast as fuck again before it ends! “Taste Of Blood” is up next and after some killer punches it blasts away. They had to be one of the fastest bands around back then! Everything about this band, from the fast as fuck parts to their classic mid paced riffs, to the vocals, just RULE! “Legion” is up next and is fucking way out of tune! I didn’t give a fuck back in the day and I still don’t! It is total Slayer worship, mid paced banger “Reign In Blood”/”Hell Awaits” era. It exlodes into fast parts going back and forth between fast and mid paced greatness. “Slaughtered Corpse” is the next banger and starts off fast and gets mid paced/fast and back and forth. “Onslaught” is pretty much a mid paced/fast-ish tempo banger that would fit on Slayer “Show No Mercy”. “Steel Lords Of War” starts with a clean and melodic guitar part that has a guitar solo over it. The clean guitar continues until the heaviness comes in with distortion. Then the crushing comes as the band all kicks in together. The speed really picks up at parts and goes back and forth between the mid paced banging and the fast as fuck. The clean guitars come back with a guitar solo and then the heavy part comes back in. It’s a long song but it’s a killer! I can imagine what these guys would do with at least a better studio and more to work with! But also this is why these recordings are so legendary and Slaughter Lord is such a classic band. “Cryptic Terror” is the closer on here and has a great intro set of riffs that are mid paced and then it really takes off with the speed again! What a fucking great release! Timeless band and timeless songs! And quite fucking influential on TONS of bands. WAAAAAAAY ahead of their time. From the insane and killer riffs, to the drumming at light speed to the ripping solos, to the vocals from hell (Tony Noel was a BEAST with his tormented throat!) this band RULED!!!!!!!!!! Hails to Invictus Records for putting this classic set of songs out! UP THE TRUE DEATH METAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Along with Necrovore and Morbid Angel and Genocide, Slaughter Lord were one of the most unholy and extreme bands around! Since the demos are so rare and if you DO find one on ebay or whatever, it might be a fake, or be way too expensive. So just get this on CD or vinyl when you can track it down.

invictusproductions.net

These maniacs from The Netherlands have been getting plenty of spins over at Casa De Abominator the last few years. Their killer 2009 smasher of an album “Dystopian Prophecies” made my ears bleed and my head fall off with the crushing display of old school death metal madness. They continue the brutality here with this EP. 4 new songs, including the killer “The Aftermath” and the awesome “Genocide”. And an old classic of sorts from the 2nd demo and also the “Dystopian Prophecies” album, “Man-Kind!?”, in a live version. These songs show you how the band mixes the old Entombed, Dismember and other killer era Swedish bands influence. There are even some old Obituary influences felt, some thrashy fast riffing and some crust/punk. It all blends together in one big ol’ rotting corpse of death noise terror. These fuckers mix all of the elements of real death metal very well together. The slow, mid and fast all come together great. I think the overall sound and production was heavier on the “Dystopian Prophecies” album, with the total Bolt Thrower sludge coming through on that one more. But this production is by no means too clean or polished. These guys write great SONGS. The way the riffs and time changes interchange with each other is amazing. There are actually quite a few killer riffs that get packed into each song. This is a great teaser that we got late last year, until their mighty and much anticipated “Death Strike” album comes out. Get this fucker NOW!

herrierecordsinc.com