Uhrwerkturm

New Blog, New Beginnings (well for me anyways).

2010-04-07T22:37:00.001-07:00

I have decided that since I do not have full control or access to everything on this particular blog that I will be starting a new blog, The Death of Music.

It is going to have a lot more then metal posted on it as was the same with this blog and I will update it myself at least twice a week with something interesting. Hope to see some people there!

2010-04-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

See new post above this.

Secondary Blog

2008-09-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

I'm working on another blog with some mates from a forum we all visit. It's a blog dedicated to every genre of music, but expect some Metal and Post-Industrial. I already have one Metal album on there, Shining's V - Halmstad. Everyone should check it out, and I apologize for not updating this blog more frequently; I haven't been in a very Metallic mood.

Current 93 - Thunder Perfect Mind

2008-08-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

Band: Current 93
Album: Thunder Perfect Mind
Genre: Neofolk
Country of Origin: England
Year: 1992

Track Listing:

A Beginning
The Descent Of Long Satan And Babylon
A Sadness Song
A Song For Douglas After He's Dead
In The Heart Of The Wood And What I Found There
Mary Waits In Silence
A Silence Song
Lament For My Suzanne
Riverdeadbank
All The Stars Are Dead Now
Rosy Star Tears From Heaven
When The May Rain Comes
Thunder Perfect Mind I
Thunder Perfect Mind II
Hitler As Kalki (SDM)
A Sad Sadness Song

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2TK6UQXW

Godkiller - The Rebirth of the Middle Ages

2008-08-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

Band: Godkiller
Album: Rebirth of the Middle Ages
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Monaco
Year: 1996

Track Listing:

Introduction to the Middle Ages - Hymn for the Black Knights
Preparing for the Final Battle - From the Castle in the Fog
On the Way to the Battlefield - Path to the Unholy Frozen Empire
The Final Battle - Blood on My Swordblade
The Triumph - The Neverending Reign of the Black Knights

Rebirth of the Middle Ages is a concept EP about the battle between Good and Evil set in the Midieval time period. Excellent Black Metal with "medieval"ish synths that bring to mind Graveland. Recommended for all fans of BM, particularly the more traditional style sans any frills.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=97BRNF0C

Lifelover - New Songs

2008-08-04T09:27:00.001-07:00

Band: Lifelover
Album the Songs are From: Upcoming album Konkurs
Genre: Black Metal/Depressive Rock/Pop Rock
Country of Origin: Sweden
Year: 2008

Two new songs ("Brand" and "Mental Central Dialog") by Swedish Depressive Black Metal/Rock group are now availible on their myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/lifeloverband

One of the most interesting Metal bands of today, enjoy.

Acid Bath - Demos: 1993-1996

2008-07-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

Band: Acid Bath
Album: Demos: 1993-1996
Genre: Sludge Doom Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2005

Track Listing:

Dr. Seuss Is Dead
What Color Is Death?
Scream of the Butterfly
God Machine
The Mortician's Flame
Dope Fiend
Finger Paintings of the Insane
Jezebel
The Bones of Baby Dolls
Venus Blue
Bleed Me An Ocean
Graveflower

Collection of Acid Bath demo tracks from their demos released between 1993 and 1996.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Q0VY2K2K

Acid Bath - Paegan Terrorism Tactics

2008-07-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

Band: Acid Bath
Album: Paegan Terrorism Tactics
Genre: Sludge Doom Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 1996

Track Listing:

Paegan Love Song
Bleed Me An Ocean
Graveflower
Diäb Soulé
Locust Spawning
Old Skin
New Death Sensation
Venus Blue
13 Fingers
New Corpse
Dead Girl
Ode of the Paegan

Second and final album by Acid Bath album. The album cover is art by Dr. Kevorkian.

A note from Metal Archives:

"Ode of the Paegan is actually a hidden track at the end of Dead Girl, which is
only 7:23 without the hidden track and the silence inbetween."

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0X7XJFAW

Acid Bath - When the Kite String Pops

2008-07-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

Band: Acid Bath
Album: When the Kite String Pops
Genre: Sludge Doom Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 1994

Track Listing:

The Blue
Tranquilized
Cheap Vodka
Finger Paintings of the Insane
Jezebel
Scream of the Butterfly
Dr. Seuss Is Dead
Dope Fiend
Toubabo Koomi
God Machine
The Mortician's Flame
What Color Is Death?
The Bones of Baby Dolls
Cassie Eats Cockroaches

Acid Bath were an excellent Sludge band active in the '90s, which split up after their bassist was killed in a crash with a drunk driver. Though their general sound was Sludge, they were an incredibly atypical band, and formed one of the most unique sounds in Metal. The cover is art that was made by John Wayne Gacy.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JO79KMCI

Dismember - The God That Never Was

2008-06-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

Band: Dismember
Album: The God That Never Was
Genre: Death Metal
Country of Origin: Sweden
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

The God That Never Was
Shadows Of The Mutilated
Time Heals Nothing
Autopsy
Never Forget, Never Forgive
Trail Of The Dead
Phantoms (Of The Oath)
Into The Temple Of Humiliation
Blood For Paradise
Feel The Darkness
Where No Ghost Is Holy

Second latest by Dismember.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7N0Z8CBQ

Dismember - Indecent and Obscene

2008-06-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Band: Dismember
Album: Indecent and Obscene
Genre: Death Metal
Country of Origin: Sweden
Year: 1993

Track Listing:

Fleshless
Skinfather
Sorrowfilled
Case # Obscene
Souldevourer
Reborn in Blasphemy
Eviscerated (Bitch)
9th Circle
Dreaming in Red

Dismember's second album.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X3K9FT11

Dismember - Like An Everflowing Stream

2008-06-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

Band: Dismember
Album: Like An Ever Flowing Stream
Genre: Death Metal
Country of Origin: Sweden
Year: 1991

Track Listing:

Override of the Overture
Soon to Be Dead
Bleed for Me
And So Is Life
Dismembered
Skin Her Alive
Sickening Art
In Death's Sleep

Debut album by Swedeath masters Dismember. Their most recent eponymous album was posted a bit back. No frills stuff for old school Death and Swedeath fans.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T44L7C6H

Unleashed - Midvinterblot

2008-06-15T09:28:00.001-07:00

Band: Unleashed
Album: Midvinterblot
Genre: Death Metal
Country of Origin: Sweden
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

Blood of Lies
This Is Our World Now
We Must Join with Him
Midvinterblot
In Victory or Defeat
Triumph of Genocide
The Avenger
Salvation for Mankind
Psycho Killer
The Witch
I Have Sworn Allegiance
Age of the Warrior
New Dawn Rising
Loyalty and Pride
Valhalla Awaits

Second latest album by Unleashed, the latest can be found a bit farther back in the blog.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JZ8TG2B1

Unleashed - Where No Life Dwells (Remastered Rerelease)

2008-06-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

Band: Unleashed
Album: Where No Life Dwells
Genre: Death Metal
Country of Origin: Sweden
Year: 1991

Track Listing:

Where No Life Dwells
Dead Forever
Before the Creation of Time
For They Shall Be Slain
If They Had Eyes
The Dark One
Into Glory Ride
...and the Laughter Has Died
Unleashed
Violent Ecstasy
Where Life Ends
The Dark One
If They Had Eyes
Dead Forever
Unleashed
Where Life Ends
The Utter Dark Revenge
Violent Ecstasy

Remastered release of the classic Swedeath debut album with bonus tracks by long running Death Metal band Unleashed. Straight forward, no frills, Swedeath Metal.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RX5GA4ME

Eldrig - Everlasting War Divinity

2008-06-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

Band: Eldrig
Album: Everlasting War Divinity
Genre: National Socialist Symphonic Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2008

Track Listing:

Power Ascension
The Elevation of the Beautiful
Affirmation Victory
Conquest Diety
The Alienation of the Wretched
Death to the Unwilling

Latest album by Eldrig, far more Symphonic than Kali and without the useless Ambient interludes. Very good stuff.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XO47T00C

VA - Metal Maniacs CD Sampler

2008-05-23T19:25:00.001-07:00

Bands: Various Artists
Album: Metal Maniacs June/July 2008 Sampler
Genre: Extreme Progressive Metal (Ihsahn), Metalcore (Droid), Death/Doom Metal (Daylight Dies), Absolute Shit (Mental Restraint), Viking Metal (Týr), Doom Metal (Boris), Death Metal (Visions of the Night, Impending Doom, Facebreaker), Thrash Metal (Hemlock, Shackles) Black Metal (Saxorior), Thrash/Power Metal (Hexerei), Electronica and Symphonic influenced Progressive Metal (Dol Theeta), Heavy/Thrash Metal (Midnight Reign) Blackened Death Metal (Dimentianon)
Country of Origin: I'm not going to bother
Year: 2008 (compilation; varies by song)

Track Listing:

Misanthrope (Ihsahn; angL)
The Resurrection (Droid; Droid)
A Portrait in White (Daylight Dies; Lost to the Living)
Waterline (Mental Restraint; American Dreams)
Gátu Ríma (Týr; Land)
Statement (Boris; Smile)
Human Failure (Visions of the Night; Nocturnal Militia)
Backstabber (Hemlock; No Time for Sorrow)
Silence the Oppressors (Impending Doom; Nailed, Dead, Risen)
Johann Siegmund of Liebenau (Saxorior; Volkerschlacht)
Eye for a Life (Hexerei; Paid in Full)
Burner (Facebreaker; Dead, Rotten & Hungry)
Mud (Dol Theeta; The Universe Expands)
The Hollywood Rx (Midnight Reign; Never Look Back)
Netzach (Dimentianon; Hossanas Novus Ordo Seclurum)
Fer-de-lance (Shackles; Inquisitors)

This 16 track sampler comes with the most recent edition of Metal Maniacs and there are enough good tracks on it to warrent sharing it. My personal favorites are Ihsahn's "Misanthrope" from his new solo album, angL (which can be found on this blog a while back, along with his debut solo album); Daylight Dies' dark, melancholic and incredibly atmospheric Death/Doom piece "A Portrait in White"; Saxorior's epic Black/Folk Metal track "Johann Siegmund Of Liebnau"; Facebreaker's "Burner," a track played delightfully in the early Swedeath style that old school DM fans should love; Dol Theeta's incredibly unique track "Mud", which they refer to as " electronica-art-metal" but is really more of a blend of Progressive Metal with Symphonics, Operatic vocals and Electronica that turns out surprisingly well (you'll be hard pressed to find out information about them, but they're connected to the band Dol Ammad); and Midnight Reign's dirty "The Hollywood Rx". Other highlights are the tracks by Týr, Hexerei and Boris. Hemlock aren't too bad, but not the most notable. For the most part, the other bands suck but "Waterline" is worth listening to, just because Mental Restraint is one of the worst, most ridiculous "Metal" bands I've ever heard. Enjoy, I guess.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ND8AVK3E

Esoteric - The Maniacal Vale

2008-05-19T01:56:00.000-07:00

Band: Esoteric
Album: The Maniacal Vale
Genre: Funeral Doom/Death Metal
Country of Origin: UK
Year: 2008

Track Listing

Disc 1
1. Circle
2. Beneath This Face
3. Quickening
4. Caucus of Mind

Disc 2
1. Silence
2. Order of Destiny
3. Ignotum Per Ignotius

Look, I will put it to you straight I have listened to this album merely once all the way through and have only heard samples of songs previously so to review this album now would be totally unfair and I do not have my feelings set on it quite yet. Not that this is a bad thing, not at all, I am just debating on if this will be my favorite Esoteric release or not, only time will tell. These tyrants of doom have released another soul crushing album in a perfect discography.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3GP7KTNR

Negură Bunget - Om

2008-05-19T01:30:00.000-07:00

Band: Negură Bunget
Album: Om
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Romania
Year: 2006

Track Listing

1. Ceasuri rele
2. Tesarul de lumini
3. Primul om
4. Conoasterea Tãcutã
5. Înarborat
6. Dedesuptul
7. Norilor
8. De piatrã
9. Cel din urmã vis
10. Hora soarelui
11. Al doilea om

Here we have what seems to be the pinnacle of Negura Bunget's work, like the album before it 'n Crugu Bradului, it lets us believe that this band has given us everything they have to offer and more. So how can they top this masterpiece of an album? Well we will see when the next one appears but for now let us concentrate on their most experienced philosophical work yet. This album is rooted in deep Transilvanian mysticism as the band describes it and they have certainly come a long, long way from their raw black metal releases. It really feels like there is a meaning behind this album which is why it stands so far above other music and not just in black metal. Listen to this is all I have to say.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0XQM7BMX

Current 93 - Dogs Blood Rising

2008-05-18T15:41:00.000-07:00

Band: Current 93
Album: Dogs Blood Rising
Genre: Industrial/Experimental
Country of Origin: UK
Year: 1984

Track Listing

1. Christus Christus The Shells Have Cracked
2. Falling Back In Fields Of Rape
3. From Broken Cross, Locusts
4. Raio No Terrasu (Jesus Wept)
5. St. Peters Keys All Bloody
6. Dogs Blood Rising

It is really to hot to write a review about this album right now, but it is Industrial opposed to many of his other neo-folk releases. Excellent stuff and worth every minute, grab it if you enjoy industrial music. Two more albums are coming tonight so stay tuned.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6BQH9OOB

Celestia - Apparitia - Sumptuous Spectre

2008-05-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

Band: Celestia
Album: Apparitia - Sumptuous Spectre
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: France
Year: 2002

Track Listing:

The Awakening of the Dormant Fiancée
Necromelancholic Reveries
Wandering Through the Past Memories
Perverted Decadent, Dying, Love,
Spectra
Morbid Romance
The Fragrance of the Dead Rose
The Radiance of the Astral Circle

Celestia is a rather dark French Black Metal band. Apparitia - Sumptuous Spectre focuses on love and loss, but not in the "lighter" sense, so to speak, but in a dark, morbid, macabre and depraved way. The album cover of a bride standing in a gothic setting, the song titles like "Perverted Decadent, Dying Love" and "Morbid Romance," and the music itself bleeds dark romance. The riffs are sometimes slow, sometimes fast, and at times almost beautiful and are rather reminiscent of Peste Noire, but more romantic and melancholic. The mood is especially noticable on "Perverted Decadent, Dying Love," "Necromelancholic Reveries," and the sorrowfully beautiful acoustic opening to "The Fragrance of the Dead Rose." This album is morbidly romantic and beautifully decrepit; it's every depraved, gothic romance story spoken through the violent art of Black Metal.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EI8BMEZE

Dismember - Dismember

2008-05-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

Band: Dismember
Album: Dismember
Genre: Death Metal
Country of Origin: Sweden
Year: 2008

Track Listing:

Death Conquers All
Europa Burns
Under A Bloodred Sky
The Hills Have Eyes
Legion
Tide of Blood
Combat Fatigue
No Honour In Death
To End It All
Dark Depth
Black Sun

New Dismember. Traditional Swedeath.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=C6NM2X5D

Toxik - Think This

2008-05-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

Band: Toxik
Album: Think This
Genre: Thrash Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 1989

Track Listing:

Think This
Greed
Spontaneous
There Stood the Fence
Black and White
Technical Arrogance
WIR NJN8/In God
Machine Dream
Out on the Tiles (Led Zeppelin cover)
Shotgun Logic
Time After Time
Think That
Shotgun Logic (Demo)
Black & White (Demo)

Progish Thrash Metal; technical and interesting riffs, spread out over atypical song structures with varying tempos, filled out by wonderful singing, excellent drumming and anarchic lyrics. Very good.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EJ25K1B5

Mirrorthrone - Gangrene

2008-05-04T11:57:00.001-07:00

Band: Mirrorthrone
Album: Gangrene
Genre: Avant-Garde Symphonic Black Metal
Country of Origin: Switzerland
Year: 2008

Track Listing:

Dismay
No One By My Side
The Fecal Rebellion
Ganglion
Une Existence dont plus Personne ne Jouit
So Frail

Gangrene is Vladimir Coceht's follow up to Mirrorthrone's grandiose and brilliant Carriers of Dust. He continues on the same path with Neoclassical Black Metal, atypal song structure beautiful symphonics and Classical piano breaks. Brilliant and everything I've come to expect from this man. Highly recommended.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=B6KX5VLH

Trist - hin-fort

2008-05-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

This is album is something that I can not describe nor let go unheard. I am not quick to praise an album after a first few listens and then relentlessly pound it into everyones skull but this a majestic piece of music that needs to be known. Sure you may not understand it at first and it is lengthy, practically two hours, but it only takes time to grasp its depth and ambient nature. Any fan of black metal should at least dabble in this. So I give to you an album worth having.

Track Listing:

Disc 1
1. Hin - 59:59

Disc 2
1. (Keine) Angst
2. Unter Den Wolken
3. Hilfe
4. Schlaflos
5. Licht Aus
6. Nachtflug
7. Fort

Total Playing Time - 1:59:57
Genre: Dark Ambient/Black Metal
Country of Origin: Germany
Year: 2007

Grab It Here

Coil - Musik to Play in the Dark Volume 1

2008-05-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

I know this blog is not meant for quite this type of album, but somewhere, somehow, I feel that I can make an exception to the rule since Coil is an amazing industrial and experimental band with a huge back catalog of albums and various electronic styles. This particular release is a two part one with the second album Musik to Play in the Dark Volume 2 being released a year later in 2000. If I get a good enough response I will upload the second part. Anyways the best I can describe this album as is dark ambient but not in the style of most black metal side projects or Lustmord for a better example. Still very depressing stuff and great to listen to, well you guessed it, at night.

Track Listing:

Are You Shivering?
Red Birds Will Fly Out Of The East And Destroy Paris In A Night
Red Queen
Broccoli
Strange Birds
The Dreamer Is Still asleep

Total Playing Time: 56:00

Genre: "Experimental" Ambient
Country of Origin: England
Year: 1999

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CSSNDH6L

Ihsahn - The Adversary

2008-04-30T15:41:00.000-07:00

Band: Ihsahn
Album: The Adversary
Genre: "Extreme" Progressive Metal
Country of Origin: Norway
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

Invocation
Called By the Fire
Citizen
Homecoming
Astera ton Proinon
Panem et Circenses
And He Shall Walk In Empty Places
Will You Love Me Now?
The Pain is Still Mine

Seeing as Valick (who I am very glad to have on board) posted Ihsahn's latest, I figure I might as well post his debut. I love this album immensely, though I have neglected it. Enjoy.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HSWEVIJ1

Ihsahn - angL

2008-04-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

To be fair I have not actually listened to this album enough to give it a proper review, but my first rough review of the album is as such; this album is excellent follow up to The Adversary and highly recommended to everyone who loved that album in the first place. We have all been waiting for this release and here it is.

angL

1. Misanthrope
2. Scarab
3. Unhealer
4. Emancipation
5. Malediction
6. Alchemist
7. Elevator
8. Threnody
9. Monolith

Total Playing Time: 47:19
Genre: "Extreme" Progressive Metal
Country of Origin: Norway
Year: 2008

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EQJWN8M4

New Guy On the Block

2008-04-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

Well I have been recruited to help update this blog, (actually I am here for the booze, no one say anything), and I've got some hopefully interesting releases for the visitors. Some of it decently known, some of it a little bit more underground, but the most I can say is I have got a whole bag of crap to upload and it is only a matter of time to it all gets pulled out of its deep, dank, dirty hole.

But hey! To kick off my first, well soon to be second actually, post on the blog I have some new Ihsahn.

Blood Axis - Blót: Sacrifice in Sweden

2008-04-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Band: Blood Axis
Album: Blót: Sacrifice in Sweden
Genre: Neofolk
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 1997

Track Listing:

Sarabande Oratoria
Herjafather
Seeker
Electricity
Lord Of Ages
The March Of Brian Boru
The Gospel Of Inhumanity
Eternal Soul
Between Birds Of Prey
Reign I Forever
The Hangman And The Papist
Storm Of Steel

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5PLE3DC7

Abigail - The Early Black Years (1992 - 1995)

2008-04-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

Band: Abigail
Album: The Early Black Years (1992 - 1995)
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Japan
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Intro
Grotesque Nightmare
Death of Life
The Fire of Hell
Lucifer Sings
Lucifer Sings
Blasphemer (Sodom cover)
Equimanthorn (Bathory cover)
A Witch Named Aspileuetta
The Lord of Satan
Mephistopheles
Count Barbatos
War
Black Witch
Cut Throat (Bulldozer cover)
Possessed (Bathory cover)
A Witch Named Aspilcuetta
Attack with Spell

Note: Bit of a probably with the tags on what I uploaded. Up until the first "Lucifer Sings" everything is tagged correctly but after that every song is tagged as the song ahead of it. Ex: "Blasphemer" should be tagged as "Lucifer Sings," "Blasphemer" as "Equimanthorn," etc. The final track labeled "Untitled" is actually "Attacked with Spell."

Sorry, enjoy.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QZ5ZH29J

Capricornus - Alone Against All

2008-04-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

Band: Capricornus
Album: Alone Against All
Genre: National Socialist Black Metal, Ambient
Country of Origin: Poland
Year: 2004

Track Listing:

Alone Against All
Prelude To Sunwheel
Sunwheel On The Helmet Of Steel
The Blue Light
Something They Will Never Hide
Prelude To Bombing
Bombing The Certain Land
The Hall Of Ice
Don' t Bite It, Cut It!
The Night Before
Rivers Of Blood
Die Wilde Jagd

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SHJ7EH6P

Luror - The Iron Hand of Blackest Teror

2008-04-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

Band: Luror
Album: The Iron Hand of Blackest Terror
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Germany
Year: 2003

Track Listing:

The Iron Hand Of Blackest Terror
From Dawn To Death
Smoke And Stardust
Among The Hill War Is Raging
A Fanfare Of War Sounds In The Sky
Embers And Glory
Into The Burning Fog
In A Room In Hell
Worship

Good Black metal in the traditional style: no frills, just Black Metal.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7OM40RUZ

Dead Raven Choir - Sturmfuckinglieder

2008-04-09T18:51:00.000-07:00

Band: Dead Raven Choir
Album: Sturmfuckinglieder
Genre: Raw Black Metal/Harsh Noise
Country of Origin: Poland
Year: 2004

Track Listing:

Lots of Booze and Lots of Rambling In a Sea of Steam and Poison Light Bathe in Fiery Answers and Fill the Spinning Sky Guided by the Beauty of Our Weapons
First We Take Manhattan
Stormfront
Lungs
Waiting Around to Die
Highway Kind

Raw Black Metal (I've heard made with acoustic guitars) so poorly produced and looped over that it comes out as brutal noise. If you like Harsh Noise and/or enjoyed the Stalaggh album I posted months and months ago, you'll love this.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=F3RJWKP0

Megiddo - The Devil and the Whore

2008-04-06T12:48:00.001-07:00

Band: Megiddo
Album: The Devil and the Whore
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Canada
Year: 2000

Track Listing:

The Devil And The Whore
Blackened
The Oath
Slaying The Nazarene
The Heretic
Blackened (The Circle Complete)
Across The Shores.../Four Suns
Violence And Force (Exciter Cover)
Take This Torch (Razor Cover)
Outro

I've heard Megiddo described as "Orthodox Black Metal" but they're not anything like bands like Deathspell Omega, Glorior Belli and the like. At times their music is very visceral and at times slower and more ritualistic (maybe that's where people think them Orthodox) and all around the riffs are fantastic. The guitar tone has a pleasingly static sound and the vocals are distorted while still often being comprehensable. Very good stuff.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1SFPO7PG

Mütiilation

2008-04-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

Band: Mütiilation

Formed In: 1991
Genre: Black Metal (Raw early)
Country of Origin: France

Album: Vampires of Black Imperial Blood
Year: 1995

Track Listing:

Magical Shadows of a Tragic Past
Born Under the Master's Spell
Ravens of My Funeral
Black Imperial Blood
Eternal Empire of Majesty Death
Transylvania
Under Ardailles Night
Tears of a Melancholic Vampire

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YTJRA3ZS

Album: Remains of a Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul
Year: 1999

Suffer the Gestalt
To the Memory of the Dark Countess
Possessed and Immortal
Through the Funeral Maelstrom of Evil
Travels to Sadness, Hate & Depression
The Fear That Freeze
Holocaust in Mourning Dawn

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=76PA26AT

Mütiilation are a Black Metal legend. One of the pioneering bands of French Black Metal and a member of the legendy Les Legions Noires (LLN or "The Black Legions") circle, they were to be the only LLN band to release a full length album, and thankfully, Meyhna'ch decided they should continue down that path and make more. They started out playing incredibly raw, melancholic Black Metal. These, Mütiilation's first two albums, are a perfect example of raw Black Metal. The guitar tone is a harsh, sharp fuzz while still being comprehensible, the atmosphere is incredible, the vocals are impassioned and totally impossible to understand and the music is incredibly melancholy, dark and full of rage. The title of the song "Travels to Sadness, Hate & Depression" describes these albums perfectly. Highly suggested Black Metal classics.

Primordial - To The Nameless Dead

2008-03-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

Band: Primordial
Album: To The Nameless Dead
Genre: Folk/Black Metal
Country of Origin: Ireland
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Empire Falls
Gallows Hymn
As Rome Burns
Failures Burden
Heathen Tribes
The Rising Tide
Traitors Gate
No Nation On This Earth

Too tired to go into a lengthy description but this album is brilliant. One of the best this year.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VHWA2QV7

Edit: I had this album listed as an '08 album, when it's actually '07. Whoops. Regardless, amazing.

Leviathan - Massive Conspiracy Against All Life

2008-03-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

Band: Leviathan
Album: Massive Conspiracy Against All Life
Genre: Suicidal Depressive Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2008

Track Listing:

Vesture Dipped in the Blood of Morning
Merging With Sword, Onto Them
Made as the Stale Wine of Wrath
VI-XI-VI
Receive the World
Vulgar Asceticism
Noisome Ash Crown

Massive Conspiracy Against All Life continues along the same line as Wrest's earlier work; intense atmosphere, amelodic riffs, stretches of ambience, and the like. It doesn't just continue the style, but also the quality. Excellent for fans of Black Metal "untarnished" by outside influence and any Leviathan fan.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S1EEYN3R

Nocternity - Crucify Him

2008-03-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

Band: Nocternity
Album: Crucify Him
Genre: Ambient Black Metal
Country of Origin: Greece
Year: 2001

Track Listing:

Stella Tenebrarum
Crucify Him
Lunar Innuendo
Perdo Corporem

Crucify Him is Nocternity's second release, the first release after their En Oria, as well as their first EP. While it has beautiful acoustic passages and their trade mark ambience, Crucify Him is a lot more "brutal" (so to speak) than Nocternity's recent stuff. Makes for an interesting listen. Anyway, excellent EP, it's a good history lesson for Nocternity fans and will make for a great addition to an Ambient Black Metal fan's catalogue.

I also figured it'd be appropriate for Easter, given the title, but it probably would have made more sense had I posted it on Good Friday. I'm going to be ironic now and wish my regular visitors a Happy Easter. Long live Satan.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RFTE4L49

Darkestrah

2008-03-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Band: Darkestrah
Formed In: 1999
Genre: Black/Folk Metal
Country of Origin: Kyrgyzstan , Germany (Now)

Album: Sary Oy
Year: 2004

Track Listing:

Part I - Sary Oy
Part II - Jashil Oy
Part III - Kysil Oy

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YGF3UUJM

Album: Epos
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Epos

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YIXW7I11

Darkestrah is one of the few bands lend by a female who does harsh vocals that:

Is not gimmicky.
Actually sounds good.

The first time I listened to Darkestrah I had no idea their vocalist was a girl; unlike most female harsh vocalists, who sound neutered (or should I say spayed?) or just awful, Kriegtalith's vocals are amazing and capture the feel of how Black Metal vocals often sound like. Getting away from the vocals and to the music, Darkestrah play very unique Black/Folk Metal. The Black/Folk fad has resulted in a lot of samey bands but Darkestrah put an interesting spin on it. Their riffs are atypical and they use interesting folk instruments, my favorite being the use of a jaw harp. All their songs are long and epic, Epos being a single 33 minutes long eponymous track, for example, and make for an engaging listen that doesn't get boring, even though most of the time there are no accompanying vocals. Essential stuff for lovers of Folk or Pagan Black Metal. Also, it should be known that the Anti in this band is indeed the German artist behind the Suicidal Depressive project Anti.

Lifelover

2008-03-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Band: Lifelover
Formed In: 2005
Genre: Depressive Black Metal/Depressive Rock with Pop Rock influences
Country of Origin: Sweden

Album: Pulver
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

Nackskott
M/S Salmonella
Mitt Öppna Öga
Kärlek - Becksvart Melankoli
Vardagsnytt
Avbrott Sex
Stockholm
Söndag
Herrens Hand
Medicinmannen
Nästa Gryning
En Sång Om Dig

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BEF0KUHA

Album: Erotik
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Förspel & Intrång
Sweet Illness of Mine
I Love (To Hurt) You
En Man I Sina Sämsta År
Dödens Landsväg
Välkommen Till Pulvercity
Saltvatten (Du + Jag VS. Tellus)
Besatt
Höstdepressioner
Humörets Bottenvåning
Museum of Past Affections
Nitlott

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WJCHI5KI

"Depressive Black Metal/Depressive Rock with Pop Rock influences, huh? That sounds idiotic!" you might be saying to yourself, but Lifelover is fantastic. They take the depressive Black Metal style and reinvigorate it by mixing it with Depressive Rock and occassionally even Pop (see Nackskott), along with beautifully used piano and very interesting vocals: they're narrations, wails, talking, hysterical screaming. Very unlike normal Black Metal vocals. If you want something more interesting and "lighter" (though not shallower) than most Black Metal, Lifelover's a safe bet.

Code - Nouveau Gloaming

2008-03-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

Band: Code
Album: Nouveau Gloaming
Genre: Post-Black Metal/Black Metal
Country of Origin: England/Norway
Year: 2005

Track Listing:

The Cotton Optic
Brass Dogs
An Enigma in Brine
A Cloud Formed Teardrop Asylum
Aeon in Cinders
Tyburn
Radium
Ghost Formula

Code's music is a mix of Black Metal riffs and more off the wall Post-Black Metal riffs (unsurprising, consider there were two members of Dødheimsgard in the band at the time, one of whom was in Ved Buens Ende). That aspect is further accentuated by the clean production and bizarre lyrics and the fact that ex-Dødheimsgard vocalist Kvohst adds is unique vocals to the mix. Some people dislike Code but I think they're great, I'll leave it up to you to decide for yourself.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WWZU4NDQ

Ad Hominem - Climax of Hatred

2008-03-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

Band: Ad Hominem
Album: Climax of Hatred
Genre: National Socialist Black Metal
Country of Origin: France
Year: 2005

Track Listing:

Loading Genocide...
Climax of Hatred
As I Long For...
The Upper Art
Death to All
Join or Perish
My Loudest Scream of Hate
Achtung!
Crypt of Fear (Mysticum cover)
: D / S / R :

Ad Hominem is the solo project of one Kaisar Wodhanaz. Through this project he channels incredibly furious and hateful Black Metal. This is one of the angriest and most misanthropic albums you'll ever hear. While many Black Metal focus on atmosphere, Ad Hominem uses an almost Death Metal philosophy by packing the album full of blasting drumming and excellent and evil fast riffs. Great stuff, enjoy.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X3OAAIMD

Cor Scorpii - Monument

2008-03-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Band: Cor Scorpii
Album: Monument
Genre: Black/Viking Metal
Country of Origin: Norway
Year: 2008

Track Listing:

Ei Fane Svart
Endesong
I, the Damned
Our Fate, Our Curse
Helvetesfossen
Oske og Innsikt
Kjettar
Bragder I Stein

As I mentioned in the Vreid post, this is another post-Windir Black Metal band, and if you've listened to their demo, which I posted a while ago, then you know they sound much more like Windir than Vreid do. The excellent riffs that run throughout this album would make Valfar proud. They don't copy Windir, though. They create totally unique music that is similar in spirit. Absolutely amazing stuff and is even better than their amazing demo. Highly suggested!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=54M35AIR

Vreid - I Krig

2008-03-15T20:21:00.001-07:00

Band: Vreid
Album: I Krig
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Norway
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Jarnbyrd
Under Isen
I Krig
Væpna Lengsel
Svart
Folkefiendar
Dei Daude Steig Av Grav
Fangegard
Millom Hav Og Fjell

Vreid are one of the two bands (Cor Scorpii as well) that rose up from the ashes of Windir after Valfar's tragic death. They play very modern sounding Black Metal that, instead of sounding contrived and shallow, actually sounds excellent. The music is compelling and is interspersed with occassional violin parts or Thrashiness and overall feels varied in approach and structure. It doesn't sound like Windir most of the time, but the quality of the music is certainly worthy of the "post-Windir" tag. Another interesting thing that should be mentioned, "I krig" means "at war" and the album is about the Nazi invasion of Norway during WWII. Wonderful stuff, regardless.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=D2FLTK1W

Lurker of Chalice - Lurker of Chalice

2008-03-11T02:52:00.001-07:00

Band: Lurker of Chalice
Album: Lurker of Chalice
Genre: Ambient Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2005

Track Listing:

I
Piercing Where They Might
Spectre As Valkerie Is
Minions
Paramnesia
This Blood Falls As Mortal Part III
Granite
Vortex Chalice
Fastened To The Five Points

It's 6 in the fucking morning so I'm too tired to say much, damn insomnia. To make it short and succinct, Lurker of Chalice is a project by Wrest, the man behind Leviathan, and consists of ambience, atmospheric Black Metal that's in many ways beautiful, use of unusual song structures and practically no growls; most of the lyrics are deep rumbling or chanting/singing and the first half of "This Blood Falls As Mortal Part III" is a woman narrating over Ambient music. Great stuff, enjoy.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X2V1LG1W

Blacklodge - SolarKult

2008-03-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

Band: Blacklodge
Album: SolarKult
Genre: Industrial Black Metal
Country of Origin: France
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

ftp://SolarKult.NeXus
Mission
Iron Icon
PsychoActive SataN
11rd Eye Chemistry
Drugz Mysticism [#A:Vision]
TeknoShaman 666
Luxifer Meme
Prequel to the Kult
Angels Refinery [C21H23NO5 MiX]
Martyr Complex
Forge=PhoeniX
Templars

Blacklodge are yet another band that infuse Electronica sounds into their music. However, unlike many bands, they do not play Post-Black Metal. They take a more traditional form of Black Metal, riff-wise, and put it into a bizarre setting. There are some odd riffs here and there, but for the most put it's straight Black Metal, infused with techno beats and sounds. While there is occassionally the use of synthesized drum sounds, for the most part the procussion section consists of Electronic beats and various synth effects. Their vocalist is also atypical. It's hard to describe what is vocals sound like so you'd have to listen but needless to say, they're rather odd. It all blends together into a very bizarre yet awesome sound. Definately stuff for a fan of bands like Aborym and Dødheimsgard (at least their later works).

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QG9X202P

Kriegsmaschine - Altered States of Divinity

2008-03-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

Band: Kriegsmascgine
Album: Altered States of Divinity
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Poland
Year: 2005

Track Listing:

Ma'aseh Bereshit
Altered States Of Divinity
Through The Eyes Of The Blind
Beyond The Veil
Prism
Nihilation
Kerigma

Kriegsmaschine ("war machine" in German; remember: Black Metal ist krieg!) is another banding riding that wave of "Orthodox" Black Metal that takes a more intelligent, religious approach to Black Metal, a notable example being France's Deathspell Omega. Kriegsmaschine show both unspeakable fury and ritualistic yet demented "calmness." Their music breathes a malevolent intelligence. It's evil yet calculated rather than wanton. They represent the aspect of Satan not as a bloody thirsty killing machine like many Black Metal bands, but rather as the tempter and cruel planner, as the tempter of Jesus in the desert or of Eve in Eden. The album is full of excellent, dark riffs and notably, amazing and audible basslines. It's no surprise that this album is brilliant, though, as it contains both members of Poland's astoundingly brilliant Mgła (I really should post some of their stuff here); M. from Mgła is Kriegsmaschine's main vocalist and he adds brilliantly. He sounds deranged and sinister, like a priest of Satan enraptured in fervor and shrieking in pained tongues. Anyway, enough analogies. Just download the album.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PG2JR7OG

Bathory

2008-03-07T19:06:00.000-08:00

Band: Bathory

Formed In: 1983
Genre: Black/Thrash Metal (Thrash and Viking later)
Country of Origin: Sweden

Album: Under the Sign of the Black Mark
Year: 1987

Track Listing:

Nocturnal Obeisance
Massacre
Woman of Dark Desires
Call from the Grave
Equimanthorn
Enter the Eternal Fire
Chariots of Fire
13 Candles
Of Doom...
Outro

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UTCJ2Z17

Album: Blood Fire Death
Year: 1988

Track Listing:

Odens Ride over Nordland
A Fine Day to Die
The Golden Walls of Heaven
Pace 'till Death
Holocaust
For All Those Who Died
Dies Irae
Blood Fire Death
Outro

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4MRT4M70

Bathory is the Possessed of Black Metal. Bathory took Thrash Metal and evolved it into some of the earliest specimen of Black Metal ever. When you listen to the riffing on these albums you'll immediately hear how much Black Metal owes Quorthon. Under the Sign of the Black Mark and Blood Fire Death are two of the most influential and important Black Metal albums to ever be released. In a recent review with Metal Maniacs, one of Vreid's members said that Vreid owed Bathory for their existence, and hopefully all Black Metal bands realize that as well, because they do, too. Under the Sign... and Blood Fire Death also happen to be amazing, down to the bone Black Metal albums. They manage to display both the aggressive and epic capabilities of Black Metal. Epic tracks like "Enter The Eternal Fire" and "A Fine Day To Day" are practically blue prints for a quality epic Black Metal song. I'll stop the fellation now. I just had the sudden urge to listen to these albums today, and while I should hope most of the people who use my blog have listened to them, I wanted to share them anyway. Enjoy. Oh, and R.I.P. Quorthon, etc.

Unholy Updates, Batman!

2008-03-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

I feel like I've neglected this blog and thus the people who were kind enough to regularly utilize it. I feel this way because I have, which is why I dropped 7 Black Metal albums on all your heads. Take it as an apology. I'll try to update more frequently. I swear!

Wolves in the Throne Room

2008-03-05T14:42:00.000-08:00

Band: Wolves in the Throne Room
Formed In: 2004
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA

Album: Diadem of Twelve Stars
Year: 2006

Queen of the Borrowed Light
Face in a Night Time Mirror, Part 1
Face in a Night Time Mirror, Part 2
(A Shimmering Radiance) Diadem of 12 Stars

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=275LRPYK

Album: Two Hunters
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Dea Artio
Vastness and Sorrow
Cleansing
I Will Lay Down My Bones Among the Rocks and Roots

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PG8IVQUI

Wolves in the Throne Room are unique as far as Black Metal bands go, and not just because of their music. To quote Metal Archives: "The band’s ideology is quite different from many Black Metal bands. In interviews Wolves in the Throne Room have shown respect for left wing politics, radical environmentalism and “eco feminism”." Not only that, but some (possibly all, I can't recall, I read the review quite a while ago) of the band members live on a farm and farm their own food, making themselves almost entirely autonomous. Their rustic, focused and environmentally friendly outlook goes so far as to seep into their music: the music is incredibly organic. It feels like a product grown from nature itself. With the exception of "Dea Artio" from Two Hunters, all of the songs on their two full lengths are exceptionally long and make use of the time to explore Black Metal's capability for unorthodox song structure. The songs are as sprawling as a forest, rolling through many emotions and utilizing both harsh and beautiful riffs to create interesting and expressive walls of sound; their music forms a tapestry, so to speak. One thing I particularly like about them is the ocassional use of female vocals on both albums, which I find particularly stunning in "Cleansing" from Two Hunters. To come up for air and wrap this clogged paragraph up, I'll just say this: Wolves are a fantastic band who've created original, artistic Black Metal. So listen. Or you suck.

Enslaved - Frost

2008-03-05T14:28:00.000-08:00

Band: Enslaved
Album: Frost
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Norway
Year: 1994

Track Listing:

Frost
Loke
Fenris
Svarte Vidder
Yggdrasil
Jotunblod
Gylfaginning
Wotan
Isöders dronning

Frost is a well known yet in a way oft overlooked second wave Black Metal album. When you say Norway people are more likely to mention early Mayhem, Burzum, Emperor or Darkthrone, but Enslaved are equally important and Frost is certainly a formidable album. Before mixing their Black Metal heavily with Progressive and Viking Metal, Enslaved played pure, somewhat raw Black Metal. Though Frost isn't as raw as their earlier material, it still has that thick-yet-thin Black Metal production that characterizes raw Black Metal. The riffs are fantastic and their influence on future bands can easily be seen. The music is mostly break neck, but offers nice variation and occassional, well placed synths. "Yggdrasil" is a particularly interesting song, it being slower and including acoustic guitars and some jaw harp, with chanting replacing the usual harsh growls. Frost is great as both an album and a history lesson and any fan of original Norwegian Black Metal should give it a shot.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OBBU08IY

Enochian Crescent - Black Church

2008-03-05T12:27:00.000-08:00

Band: Enochian Crescent
Album: Black Church
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Finland
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

Tatan
Tango Absinto
Chalk Face
Thousand Shadows
Ghost Of Saturn
The Imperfect Vision
Hendekagrammaton
Tridents Clash
Black Church

Enochian Crescent are a very interesting band. They play melodic Black Metal that is more technical than most BM and their use of three vocalists results in some very cool and wild vocal tracks. Their music is interspersed with moments of cleaner guitar work, crafting a delicate balance between the harsh and graceful. The clean vocals on "Thousand Shadows" are another example of wonderful juxtaposition the band is capable of, switching from the harsh vocals to the more epic clean ones. Their lyrics, despite being Engrishy due to it being a second language for the band members, are more intelligent than what most bands muster and feel very arcane and esoteric in an indescribable way. One particularly impressive song lyrically is "Ghost of Saturn" (whose music video is here and worth it for the dancing nuns alone) which tackles the concept of old age. Overall, the album is fantastic and original and doesn't feature any weak spot; unless your a Black Metal "purist" who won't listen to anything that sounds better than Under a Funeral Moon, I'm sure you'll, at the very least, respect Enochian Crescent after listening to this album. I wholly recommend it.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6TPH991U

Blut Aus Nord - Ultima Thulée

2008-03-05T12:09:00.000-08:00

Band: Blut Aus Nord
Album: Ultima Thulée
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: France
Year: 1995

Track Listing:

The Son of Hoarfrost
The Plain of Ida
From Hlidskjalf
My Prayer Beyond Ginnungagap
Till I Perceive Bifrost
On The Way to Vigrid
Rigsthula
The Last Journey of Ringhorn

Before Blut Aus Nord were making whacky Post-Black stuff like The Work Which Transforms God, they were a raw Black Metal band whose lyrics and music focused on Nordic mythology (hence the name, das typo and all). After changing their name from Vlad to Blut Aus Nord, they released Ultima Thulée, their first full length. "Ultima Thule" was a concept in the middle ages that denoted any land beyond the known reaches of the world and Blut Aus Nord utilize this concept, taking you far beyond into a frigid land by wrapping you up in frigid, raw riffs. The rawness really creates an atmosphere beyond what most raw Black Metal accomplishes. It's thick and encompassing while still leaving the riffs comprehensible. The ambience is further accented by echoing vocals and beautiful ambient electronics that are interspersed in all the right places without overstaying their welcome, in a way it reminds me of Varg's tactful synth use in Filosofem. The brilliance of the synths is best seen on the two ambient tracks, the haunting and reverent "My Prayer Beyond Ginnungagap" and gorgeous and ethereal "Rigsthula." This is a must have for any fan of raw Black Metal and any fan of Blut Aus Nord who is interested in what they sounded like in their early years.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=C3KVDK2I

Bosse-de-Nage - Demo I

2008-03-05T12:02:00.000-08:00

Band: Bosse-de-Nage
Album: Demo I
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

Untitled

Technically this is a 5 song demo, but whoever ripped the tape left it as one, long track. Either way, it's excellent and worth a listen. It's incredibly raw and while it doesn't tread any new ground it manages its particular style of Black Metal very well and compellingly, making it a treat for the ears for any fan of raw Black Metal.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HVMVPY2S

December Wolves - Blasterpiece Theatre

2008-03-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

Band: December Wolves
Album: Blasterpiece Theatre
Genre: Industrial influenced Post-Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2002

Track Listing:

Warning
Desperately Seeking Satan
April Fools Day
Do Not Entry
Kolobos
Porn Again Christian
Public Aquarian Freebase
Solid Gold Beating
Sharing Needles
Disclaimer
To Kill... Again

December Wolves play incredibly chaotic, harsh yet clearly produced Post-Black Metal with Industrial overtones. They make use of some amazing sound clips too, my personal favorite being the soliloquy by the paranoic psychopath at the beginning of "Public Aquarian Freebace." I wholly suggest to people who like music that kicks them in the ass and grates against their ears.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=D0SQCJWK

Nokturnal Mortum - Lunar Poetry

2008-01-30T11:29:00.000-08:00

Band: Nokturnal Mortum
Album: Lunar Poetry
Genre: National Socialist Symphonic Black/Folk Metal
Country of Origin: Ukraine
Year: 1996

Track Listing:

Tears Of Paganism
Lunar Poetry
Perun's Celestial Silver
Carpathian Mysteries
...And Winter Becomes
Ancient Nation
The Grief Of Oriana
Sorrows Of The Moon (Celtic Frost cover)
Autodafe / Barbarian Dreams
Return Of The Vampire Lord

NM's third and last demo. Absolutely stunning raw Black Metal with beautiful folky synths. Absolutely stupendous. Every Black Metal fan should give this demo a listen.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=L9LKMQ00

Valfunde/Amesoeurs - Split

2007-12-25T19:33:00.001-08:00

Bands: Valfunde, Amesoeurs

Album: Valfunde/Amesoeurs Split
Genre: Black Metal (Valfunde), Black Metal/Post-Rock (Amesoeurs)
Country of Origin: France
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Hopital (Valfunde)
"Serenade" De Verlaine (Valfunde)
Les Ruches Malades (Amesoeurs)

First post in 15 days! And just in time for Christmas, yay! This wonderful split contains two new Valfunde songs, which sound much like Peste Noire's Folkfuck Folie; not surprisingly, given that Valfunde is Famine's (solo?) project. The new Amesoeurs song is brilliant and features Audrey on vocals; the production is bit less polished but that doesn't stop the song from being gorgeous, clear and atmospheric.

http://www.mediafire.com/?em1mj2yguw2

Black Lotus - Light Subsides

2007-12-10T16:25:00.000-08:00

Band: Black Lotus
Album: Light Subsides
Genre: Black/Folk Metal
Country of Origin: Canada
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

Helios Amaranthine
Signatura Rerum
Canis Lupus Luna - The Song of Boreas
Seal 46
Incandescence (instrumental)
Machinery Brings Mold
Cosmic Currents
Light Subsides
Told in Chivalry

Canadian Black/Folk Metal. I can't remember much about the band and can't be bothered to interrupt Lunar Aurora. Requested by a friend, regardless.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=890WYYUW

Gallhammer - Ill Innocence

2007-12-07T14:46:00.000-08:00

Band: Gallhammer
Album: Ill Innocence
Genre: Black Metal/Crust Punk
Country of Origin: Japan
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

At the Onset of the Age of Despair
Speed of Blood
Blind My Eyes
Delirium Daydream
Ripper in the Gloom
Killed by the Queen
Song of Fall
World to be Ashes
SLOG
Long Scary Dream

Thick and bassy Black Metal from Japan, and all the band members are women! Omigosh. Anyway, excellent almost brutal album.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=M9XU35GQ

Havoc Unit - h.IV+

2007-12-02T13:45:00.001-08:00

Band: Havoc Unit
Album: h.IV+ (Horse Industrial Viremia)
Genre: Industrial Post-Black/Death Metal
Country of Origin: Finland
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

مبيد الدّيدان [Vermicide]
I.esus
When Snuff is No Longer Enough
Gen.eration Gen.ocide
Kyrie Eleison
Nihil
Man Vs. Flesh
Ignoratio Elenchi
Kill All Nations
Kristallnacht
Klan Korps
Rape Scene Act 1

Havoc Unit is the new face of ...And Oceans and they play some pretty pretty Post-Black/Death Metal. Pummeling stuff, with some cool sound clips here and there. Still doesn't top A.M.G.O.D. though.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?dmlzgcgwozp

...And Oceans - A.M.G.O.D.

2007-12-02T13:40:00.001-08:00

Band: ...And Oceans
Album: Allotropic Metamorphic Genesis of Dismorphism (A.M.G.O.D.)
Genre: Industrial Black Metal
Country of Origin: Finland
Year: 2001

Track Listing:

Intelligence Is Sexy
White Synthetic Noise
Tears Have No Name
Esprit de Corps
Odious & Devious
Of Devilish Tongues
Postfuturistika
TBA in a Silver Box
New Model World

Fantastic and bizarre Industrial Black Metal with great riffs and a pleasingly thick guitar tone. Very good stuff and a must have for anyone who wants some interesting Black Metal that goes against the grain.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2d4tmcckzxm

Fanisk - Noontide

2007-12-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

Band: Fanisk
Album: Noontide
Genre: National Socialist Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2003

Track Listing:

Excellent NSBM from the US, the song writer is the same guy who does Eldrig so if you enjoyed Kali you'll love this. There's plenty of fantastic riffs and wonderful synths and the lyrics are pretty good for NSBM. Recommended.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Z5FGK58O

Blutklinge - Call of the Blackened Woods

2007-11-17T07:14:00.000-08:00

Band: Blutklinge
Album: Call of the Blackened Woods
Genre: Depressive Black Metal
Country of Origin: Germany
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Adversary
Call of the Blackened Woods
Die Lichtung

Reminiscent of Drudkh, a kind of mix between that Drudkh or Wolves of the Throne Room-esque Foresty Black Metal and the Krohm and Shining-esque Depressive Black Metal atmosphere and sound.

http://www.mediafire.com/?50ezcjpw0fy

The Project Hate MCMXCIX - In Hora Mortis Nostrae

2007-11-14T16:49:00.000-08:00

Band: The Project Hate MCMXCIX
Album: In Hora Mortis Nostrae
Genre: Industrial Melodic Death Metal
Country of Origin: Sweden
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Annihilation of All That Is Holy
Crawling Through the Infinite Fields of Carnage
Serenades of Rotten Flesh
For Our Name Is Chaos Eternal
Tear Down the Walls of Heaven
And Damnation Is Forced Upon the Weak
The Innocence of the Three-Faced Saviour

New Project Hate; Melodic Death Metal with epic, Industrial influenced songs and female backing vocals. Not sure how I feel about it compared to their earlier work yet.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S1SOH2NG

Neun Welten - Valg

2007-11-12T10:12:00.000-08:00

Band: Neun Welten
Album: Valg
Genre: Neofolk
Country of Origin: Germany
Year: 2004

Track Listing:

Valg
Nebelland
Wald Quell

EP by instrumental Neofolk group Neun Welten, fantastic stuff.

http://www.mediafire.com/?8kybym4yggx

In Gowan Ring - Hazel Steps Through a Weathered Home

2007-11-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

Band: In Gowan Ring
Album: Hazel Steps Through a Weathered Home
Genre: Neofolk
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2002

Track Listing:

Orb Weavers
Hazel Steps
The Seer And The Seen
Kingdom Of The Shades
Morning's Waking Dream
A Poet's Lyre
Wind That Cracks The Leaves
Two Towers

One of my favorite Neofolk records.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ej9agkhnojs

Nature and Organisation - Beauty Reaps The Blood of Solitude

2007-11-11T18:41:00.001-08:00

Band: Nature and Organisation
Album: Beauty Reaps The Blood of Solitude
Genre: Neofolk
Country of Origin: England
Year: 1994

Track Listing:

Introduction
Wicker Man Song
Blood Of Solitude I
Bloodstreamruns
My Black Diary
Tears For An Eastern Girl
Beauty Destroyed
Skeletontonguedworld
Obsession Flowers As Torture
Blood Of Solitude II
Bonewhiteglory

Some of the most beautiful Neofolk I've ever heard. It's the work of Michael Cashmore of Current 93, and features David Tibet of Current 93 on vocals, as well as Douglas P. and Rose McDowall. I can only hope that everyone will be able to appreciate this gorgeous piece of art.

Note: The album is in m4a, sorry.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4WB6FWI0

Decapitated

2007-11-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

Band: Decapitated

Formed In: 1996
Genre: Technical Death Metal
Country of Origin: Poland

In honor of Decapitated's now former drummer Vitek, who died on the 2nd, here's Decapitated's two best albums:

Album: Nihility
Year: 2002

Track Listing:

Perfect Dehumanisation (The Answer?)
Eternity Too Short
Mother War
Nihility (Anti-Human Manifesto)
Names
Spheres of Madness
Babylon's Pride
Symmetry of Zero

Decapitated's second album.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DPKZCV7O

Album: Winds of Creation
Year: 2000

Track Listing:

Winds of Creation
Blessed
The First Damned
Way to Salvation
The Eye of Horus
Human's Dust
Nine Steps
Dance Macabre
Mandatory Suicide (Slayer cover)

Decapitated's first album.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HR4ES7E3

R.I.P. Vitek: 1/24/84 - 11/2/07

Krohm - A World Through Dead Eyes

2007-11-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

Band: Krohm
Album: A World Through Dead Eyes
Genre: Suicidal Depressive Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2004

Track Listing:

I Suffer the Astral Woe
A Lurking Dream
The Waning
When Morning Never Returned
A World Through Dead Eyes
Silence Turns to Gray
My Hearse

Excellent Suicidal Depressive Black Metal that truly captures feelings of ennui, depression, and apathy with a gloomy and haunting atmosphere.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AGIZNXBO

Von Thronstahl - Bellum, Sacrum Bellum!?

2007-11-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Band: Von Thronstahl
Album: Bellum, Sacrum Bellum!?
Genre: Martial Industrial/Neoclassical
Country of Origin: Germany
Year: 2003

Track Listing:

Prätorianer
Bellum, Sacrum Bellum
Through Sun and Steel Transforming
Adoration to Europa (Imperium Extended)
Warheads of Humanity
Kampf Um Die Sonne
We Walked In Line
Ius Ad Bellum Et Ius In Bello
The Flying Dutchman
Hornissensang & Feuersturm
Schuld Toetet
Der Grosse Betrug des Friedens
Mars Macht Mobil I

Excellent Martial Industrial/Neoclassical album, filled with its fair share of catchiness and bombast, including a cover of sorts of Joy Division's "They Walked In Line," with "they" replaced by "we," turning the song into some brilliantly bizarre pro-Fascists song. Excellent stuff.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=URZWJVQH

Watchmaker - Kill. Fucking. Everyone.

2007-11-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

Band: Watchmaker
Album: Kill. Fucking. Everyone.
Genre: Deathgrind
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2003

Track Listing:

The Burden of Choice
Catalepsy of Fear
Conference Call Immolation
Maddening Assault
Civic Bloodlust
Great Misleader
Demonically Entrenched
Sheathed in Blood
The Wrong End of Living
Multitask Suicide
Nihilism and Despair
The Widening Stain
Jesus is Coming
Irrational Hate Soaked Fury
Wallet Sized Dental Records
Mildewed Death Trap
Repent and Perish
Trial by Barrage
Steaming Pile of Outcome Measures

This is the angriest, most brutal album ever.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5J92GZK3

Cattle Decapitation - Karma. Bloody. Karma.

2007-11-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

Band: Cattle Decapitation
Album: Karma. Bloody. Karma.
Genre: Death Metal/Goregrind
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

Intro
Unintelligent Design
Success Is... (Hanging by the Neck)
One Thousand Times Decapitation
The Carcass Derrick
Total Gore?
Bereavement
Suspended in Coprolite
Alone at the Landfill
Karma. Bloody. Karma.
The New Dawn
Of Human Pride & Flatulence

Wild and spastic vegan anti-human nihilistic mix of Goregrind and Death Metal. It's an aquired taste, but excellent when you get into it. They're good live, too.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X3MA558V

Peste Noire

2007-10-27T17:36:00.001-07:00

Band: Peste Noire

Formed In: 2001
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: France

Peste Noire are one of the leading French Black Metal bands at present, gaining reputation after releasing three excellent raw demos and a split with French NSBMers Sombre Chemin, before going on to release the decadent, beautiful yet evil La Sanie des siècles - Panégyrique de la dégénerescence, an album filled with excellent riffs, solos and beautiful acoustics. They've continued on with the Lorraine Rehearsal EP, containing four, occassionally thrashy tracks and an expanded "Phalènes Et Pestilence - Salvatrice Averse," the filthy, sick and French Folkfuck Folie and the compilation Mors Orbis Terrarum. Note: Peste Noire are not NSBM, contrary to the Aryan Supremacy demo and their logo.

Album: Mors Orbis Terrarum
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Royaume D'Occident
Les Camps De La Mort
Gisant Dans La Putréfaction
Aryan Supremacy
Gisant Dans La Putréfaction
Aryan Supremacy
Retour de Flamme
Intro
Le Mort Joyeux
666 Millions D'Esclaves Et De Déchets
Spleen
J'Éjaculerai Sur Vos Décombres Fumants
Extraits des Chants de Maldoror
Intro
Phalènes et Pestilence - Salvatrice Averse
Outro
Dueil Angoisseus
Phalènes et Pestilence - Salvatrice Averse (Alternate Version)
L'hymne en l'honneur de la peste

Contains the Aryan Supremacy, Macabre Transcedance... and Phalènes Et Pestilence - Salvatrice Averse demos, as well as two of the three tracks from the split with Sombre Chemin, Mémoire Paienne. Also include demo version of "Retour De Flamme" and "Dueil Angoisseus" from La Sanie des siècles, the longer version of "Phalènes et Pestilence" found on the Lorraine Rehearsal EP, the previously unreleased track "L'hymne en l'honneur de la peste" and "Extraits des Chants de Maldoror," some narration, follow by the opening riff to "Le Mort Joyeux."

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6CV1B4MQ

Album: Folkfuck Folie
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

L'Envol du Grabataire (Ode à Famine)
Chute Pour Une Culbute
La Fin Del Secle
D'Un Vilain
Condamné À La Pondaison (Légende Funèbre)
La Césarienne
Maleiçon
Amour Ne M'Amoit Ne Je Li
Psaume IV
Extrait Radiophonique D'Antonin Artaud
Folkfuck Folie
Paysage Mauvais

Peste Noire's filthiest album. Contains the four songs from the Lorrainne Rehearsal EP reworked. "Chute Pour Une Culbute" and "Folkfuck Folie" are about AIDS, just so you know.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QZ17ZU11

Album: Lorraine Rehearsal
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

La Fin Del Secle
La Césarienne
Maleiçon
Psaume IV
Phalènes Et Pestilence (Alternative Version)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EL24R5JZ

Album: La Sanie des siècles - Panégyrique de la dégénerescence
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

Nous Sommes Fanés
Le Mort Joyeux
Laus Tibi Domine
Spleen
Phalènes Et Pestilence - Salvatrice Averse
Dueil Angoisseus (Christine De Pisan, 1362-1431)
Des Médecins Malades Et Des Saints Séquestrés

Reworked demo tracks as well as new track entirely came together to form La Sanie... a beautiful and vile semi-raw gem with at least one excellent solo per song.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=45IPS78M

Stielas Storhett - Vandrer...

2007-10-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

Band: Stielas Storhett
Album: Vandrer...
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Russia
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

Der letzte November
Vandrer...
Gräfin Dämmerlicht
Schmerzerfüllter Zorn
Unholy Black Metal (Darkthrone Cover)
Nymåne
Stille weiße Wildnis
Ihr Königreich
Erblicket die Töchter des Firmaments (Burzum Cover)
Dieses Eis wird niemals schmelzen

Stielas Storhett's Black Metal is laced with chilling and evil riffs, cold atmospheres, brilliant and haunting leads and plenty of tempo and riff changes, with the gorgeous clean guitar parts that bring to mind Post-Rock, and your occassional Burzumesque synth line. Vandrer... is an amazing album that all Black Metal fans should look into.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8XVQGOKM

Falconer - Northwind

2007-10-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

Band: Falconer
Album: Northwind
Genre: Power Metal
Country of Origin: Sweden
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

Northwind
Waltz With the Dead
Spirit of the Hawk
Legend and the Lore
Catch the Shadows
Tower of the Queen
Long Gone By
Perjury and Sanctity
Fairyland Fanfare
Himmel Så Trind
Blinded
Delusion
Home of the Knave
Black Tarn

Falconer are a Power Metal band with Folk and Viking Metal influences, not surprisingly so, as Falconer contains two members of Mithotyn. Unlike many Power Metal bands, the vocals and riffs don't fall into limpid floweriness; Falconer's vocalist is powerful and incredible and their riffs are powerful yet catchy. Northwind is quite possibly their best release to date.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=84ILCA8W

VA - Forseti Lebt

2007-10-21T19:30:00.001-07:00

Band: Various Artists
Album: Forseti Lebt
Genre: Neofolk
Country of Origin: Various
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

Song At The Well (Sonne Hagal)
Dein Garten Lebt Noch (Sonnentau)
Watch The Water Spill (B'eirth)
Ja Boga Ne Videu (Of the Wand and the Moon)
Rocking Horse Night (Death In June)
Blühe Mein Herz (Waldteufel)
The Disciple Song (Lux Interna)
Son Of The North (Northman)
Death Of The West (Death In June)
Napoleon On St. Helena (Fire + Ice)
Deutsche Sonnwend (Darkwood)
Traumpfad (Primus Inter Pares)

Forseti Lebt is a compilation of Neofolk songs in honor of Andreas Ritter of Forseti, compiled after Andreas' heart stopped. It contains songs by the leaders in the Neofolk genre. Beautiful stuff.

http://www.mediafire.com/?0x90hxjluuk

Sunn O))) - Black One

2007-10-21T08:45:00.001-07:00

Band: Sunn O)))
Album: Black One
Genre: Drone Doom Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2005

Track Listing:

Sin Nanna
It Took the Night to Believe
Cursed Realm (Of the Winterdemons) (Immortal cover)
Orthodox Caveman
CandleGoat
Cry for the Weeper
Báthory Erzsébet

Black One = Drone Doom Metal + Black Metal. Features Malefic from Xasthur and Wrest from Leviathan, Lurker of Chalice and Twilight on vocals as guests.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YY4WP6DI

The Axis of Perdition - Deleted Scenes from the Transition Hospital

2007-10-21T08:39:00.001-07:00

Band: The Axis of Perdition
Album: Deleted Scenes from the Transition Hospital
Genre: Industrial/Ambient Black Metal, Dark Ambient
Country of Origin: UK
Year: 2005

Track Listing:

Deleted Scenes I: In the Hallway of Crawling Filth
The Elevator Beneath the Valve
Pendulum Prey (Second Incarceration)
Isolation Cubicle 312
Entangled in Mannequin Limbs
This, Then, Is Paradise?
One Day You Will Understand Why
Deleted Scenes II: In the Gauze-Womb of the God Becoming

The Axis of Perdition make some of the most disturbing Black Metal ever. Dizzying and creepy riffs mix with disturbing and eerie electronics, as well as harsh, distorted vocals. Dotting at album are equally creepy Dark Ambient tracks. The album is a concept album of sorts, too, being focused on and inspired by the Silent Hill series of games. If you want some eerie, disturbing and insane Black Metal, check this out.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VHZ279JG

Diagnose: Lebensgefahr - Transformalin

2007-10-20T16:10:00.001-07:00

Band: Diagnose: Lebensgefahr
Album: Transformalin
Genre: Industrial, Drone, Dark Ambient
Country of Origin: Sweden
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

The Level Beyond Human
Transformalin
Flaggan På Halv Stång I Drömmens Västergård
Upon The High Horse Of Selfdestruction
Situazion: Lebensgefahr
Anoxi
The Last Breath Of Tellus
Mani VS Apati
Tillsammans Men Ensam I Stillhetens Kapell
Obducentens Dröm
De Vårdar Mig In I Döden

Diagnose: Lebensgefahr is the project of Nattramn of defunct Suicidal Depressive Black Metal Silencer. Silencer broke up due to Nattramn's internment in a psychiatric hospital, and making music ended up being part of his therapy. The result? Diagnose: Lebensgefahr, a mix of Industrial, Dark Ambient and Drone, brought together to portray the thoughts and mind of a mentally ill human being. There are peaceful songs, such as "Obducentens Dröm," and then incredibly deranged ones like "The Last Breath Of Tellus" and title track "Transformalin." Worth a listen.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UR46RFP5

Basilisk - A Joyless March Through the Cold-Lands

2007-10-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

Band: Basilisk
Album: A Joyless March Through the Cold-Lands
Genre: Raw Black Metal
Country of Origin: UK
Year: 2004

Track Listing:

Deep In The Dark Where I Lay In Wait
The Force Inside The Opposites
Bitter
Assault Of Vermin
Heinous Energies (A Legion Of Hushed Voices)
Open The Grave
The Awakening Of Him

Excellent raw Black Metal. The riffs are dark and cold and create an utterly evil atmosphere as they drone. The vocals are distorted in a similar manner to Belketre and Leviathan, and add to the evil atmosphere. Enjoy.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JVN1TLR9

Darkwood - Weltenwende

2007-10-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

Band: Darkwood
Album: Weltenwende
Genre: Neofolk
Country of Origin: Germany
Year: 2003

Track Listing:

Wiederkehr
Der Falken Flug
Im Heimatwald
Der Schaffende
Stiller Bund
Weg ins Licht
Tochter des Waldes
Epitaph
Winter
Torn Nation
The Hidden Stone
Deutsche Sonnwend
Wittekind

Darkwood is the Neofolk project of Henryk Vogal, a proud German and excellent songwriter and musician. His music often touches on the themes of national identity and pride, most impressivly on "Torn Nation," where he explores doubt in national identity after the horrors of WWII. Beautiful stuff and veyr addictive.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PTHPUQHW

Fen - Ancient Sorrow

2007-10-15T14:28:00.001-07:00

Band: Fen
Album: Ancient Sorrow
Genre: Black Metal/Post-Rock
Country of Origin: England
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Desolation Embraced
The Gales Scream of Loss
Under the Endless Sky

Fen mix Post-Rock into Black Metal perfectly, resulting beautifully atmospheric music. Backing synths and vocals that never overpower but rather heighten the atmosphere assist, making for a wonderful little EP. Think Caina, only better.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5R8DDT9G

Temnozor - Folkstorm of the Azure Nights

2007-10-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

Band: Temnozor
Album: Folkstorm of the Azure Nights
Genre: National Socialist Black/Folk Metal
Country of Origin: Russia
Year: 2005

Track Listing:

Folkstorm of the Azure Nights
Vranakrik
When the Lazure Skies Tear the Hearts Apart
Watch The Falcons Fly
As the Autumn Razor sing above my Veins
Arkona
Tell me, ye Scarlet Dewscented Sunrises

Temnozor are an NS Black/Folk Metal band that mix beautiful acoustic Folk guitar, atmospheric synths and flutes with Black Metal riffs, often tinged with Folk. The music runs the gammut from triumphant to dark to hateful. This album has some of the best clean vocals I've ever heaed in Metal, that are perfect next to the ferocious growls of the other vocalist. The song writing is brilliant and emotional and songs like "When the Lazure Skies Tear the Hearts Apart" and "As the Autumn Razor sing above my Veins" are masterpieces. If you can put the politics aside, it's most definately worth a listen.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=G6N3ZXDB

Blood Red Throne

2007-10-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

Band: Blood Red Throne

Formed In: 1998
Genre: Death Metal
Country of Origin: Norway

Blood Red Throne are a band from Norway, headed by guitarist Tchort (Green Carnation, Carpathian Forest, ex-Emperor), who play groovy and technical (but not wankish) Death Metal. The guitar work is precise and Tchort knows how to write a riff and knows how to play one well. Blood Red Throne's work is full of amazing riffs and their songs run from fast to slow, flowing to amelodic. Along with Zyklon, Blood Red Throne prove that Norway is about more than 90s Black Metal. Monument of Death and Altered Genesis have Mr. Hustler on vocals and Come Death has Vald. Mr. Hustler has a deep as Hell grunt, where Vald's grunt isn't as deep, but mixed with enraged screams.

Album: Come Death
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Slaying the Lamb
Deranged Assassin
Rebirth in Blood
Guttural Screams
Taste of God
No New Beginning
Come Death
Disincarnated (Gorguts cover)
Another Kill

Blood Red Throne's latest offer, with Vald on vocals.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VAL5WV28

Album: Altered Genesis
Year: 2005

Track Listing:

Death To Birth
Incarnadine Mangler
Tortured Soul Appearance
Eye-Licker
Mephitication
Arterial Lust
Flesh To Destroy
Ripsaw Resentment
Altered Genesis
Smite
State Of Darkness
Deliberate Carnage

My favorite BRT album. "Mephitication" and "Arterial Lust" are amazing.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TE2AZ1QJ

Album: Monument of Death
Year: 2001

Track Listing:

Portrait of a Killer (Testimony of the Dying)
Souls of Damnation
The Children Shall Endure
Dream Controlled Murder
Mary Whispers of Death
Ravenous War Machine
Malignant Nothingness
Monument of Death
Path of Flesh

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PXF4N2WA

Bone Awl - Meaningless Leaning Mess

2007-10-03T15:36:00.000-07:00

Band: Bone Awl
Album: Meaningless Leaning Mess
Genre: Black Metal/Oi! Punk
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

These Days Are Marked
Pendulum
One Nothing Between
It's All Earth
The Great Violence
Without Hesitation
Smiling Star-Wide
I Am Only Alone
Head Of Silence
Show Me
Will A White Face
Gray Heaps That Never Rot
Meaningless Leaning Mess
Crowned In Martyrmony
Big Decisions
Black Wings
Be Still
The King In Red

Bone Awl are what happens when you take Ildjarn-esque raw Black Metal, make it filther and pump it full of Oi! (I assume, I don't know much about Oi! but I hear distinct Punk influence and I'm going with what M-A has to say about it). Bone Awl sounds more urban too, it's more in touch with the urban sprawl of America, than the Norwegian hinterlands that Ildjarn drew his influence from. If you like Ildjarn or raw, hypnotic Black Metal, check this out.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KRWUEMRD

Darkthrone - F.O.A.D.

2007-10-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

Band: Darkthrone
Album: F.O.A.D.
Genre: Heavy Metal and Punk influenced Black Metal
Country of Origin: Norway
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

These Shores Are Damned
Canadian Metal
The Church Of Real Metal
The Banners Of Old
Fuck Off And Die
Splitkein Fever
Raised On Rock
Pervertor Of The 7 Gates
Wisdom Of The Dead

"Heavy Metal and Punk influenced Black Metal" seems like an akward way to describe this album, I know, but it's as close as I can get. It follows the particularly Punk trend of The Cult is Alive and NWOBHM (particularly on tracks like "Canadian Metal") and throws in some Heavy Metal worship (some songs are Black Sabbath-ish), creating a surprisingly varied and all around fun album. A lot of Darkthrone fans will hate this, I'm sure, but it's worth a try, at least. I think it's pretty neat.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FKEYUNA0

Ancient Rites

2007-09-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

Band: Ancient Rites

Formed In: 1988
Genre: Black Metal, Viking/Folk Black Metal
Country of Origin: Belgium

Ancient Rites are, at their core, a Black Metal band, but they craft into their music Symphonics and Viking and Folk Metal riffs and melodies. Combined with a worship of ancient Europe and lead vocalist Gunther Theys wide knowledge of history and mythology, you end up with some excellent music.

Album: Rvbicon
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

Crusade
Templar
Mithras
Thermopylae
Rubicon
Invictus
Ypres
Galilean
Cheruscan
Brabantia

Rvbicon bears many similarities to Dim Carcos--it's Black Metal mixed with Symphonics and Viking/Folk Metal and has a romantic ancient theme--but it is also completely different. The focus of the album is on Rome, Greece and the Middle-East, with the Folk melodies echoing that theme, particularly in the opening riff of the fantastic "Templar." The songs are also more mid-paced, and Gunther delivers his vocals differently as well. He takes a more sinister approach to his harsh vocals and his clean vocals aren't as bellowed and high, creating a different though equally magical atmosphere. Rvbicon is another brilliant album, doing justice to the name of Ancient Rites.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X6S1AA0J

Album: Dim Carcosa
Year: 2001

Track Listing:

The Return
Exile (Les Litanies De Satan)
Victory Or Valhalla (Last Man Standing)
...And The Horns Called For War
North Sea
Gotterdämmerung (Twilight Of The Gods)
(Ode To Ancient) Europa
Remembrance
Lindisfarne (Anno 793)
On Golden Field (De Leeuwen Dansen)
Dim Carcosa

Dim Carcosa is one of the most passionate Black Metal albums I've ever heard. It's incredibly personal to Gunther, displaying his love of literature with songs like "Exile (Les Litanies De Satan," dedicated to Charles Baudelaire, and "Gotterdämmerung (Twilight Of The Gods)," inspired by the German philosopher Nietzsche, his love of his European heritage with "(Ode To Ancient) Europa" and his love of History, Mythology and the mysterious with really every other track on the album. "Remebrance" is the best instrumental interlude ever to grace a Metal album, it is a truly beautiful piano piece. The way the Black Metal is mixed with Viking and Folk riffs, as well as Symphonics at points and the perfection of its unique and varied song structures and composures makes it unique and ever interesting. Gunther is also an incredible clean vocalist, and his singing marks one of the greatest highlights of the album. I dare say this is a necessity for Black Metal fans.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XE87AG6Z

Note: If you enjoy the albums, make sure to go to Ancient Rites' website and read the linear notes for Dim Carcosa and Rvbicon. From the side bar on the left, go to Textuals and you'll find links to the lyrics/linear notes for both albums. It gives one a deeper understanding of the meaning and history behind Gunther and each and every song.

Archgoat - Whore of Bethlehem

2007-09-19T18:06:00.001-07:00

Band: Archgoat
Album: Whore of Bethlehem
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Finland
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

Invocation
Angel of Sodomy
Lord of the Void
Dawn of the Black Light
Luciferian Darkness
Desecration
Black Crusade
Whore of Bethlehem
Grand Marshall of the Black Tower
Hammer of Satan

Archgoat formed in 1989, and of course of four years released two demos and an EP, before finally splitting in 1993. However, they reformed three years ago in 2004, and in 2006 released the filthy Whore of Bethlehem. If you want to know what this album sounds like, imagine Beherit but filthier, more brutal, more pummeling and with deep vocals that sound like they're resounding from the pit of Hell. It's basic, raw and hateful, a modern throw back to what Black Metal stood for and sounded like in the early years of the second wave. If you love Beherit or raw and old school Black Metal, download this album ASAP, Archgoat demands it.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=859F3UH2

Death in June - But, What Ends When the Symbol Shatters?

2007-09-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Band: Death in June
Album: But, What Ends When the Symbol Shatters?
Genre: Neo-Folk
Country of Origin: England
Year: 1992

Track Listing:

Death Is the Martyr of Beauty
He's Disabled
The Mourner's Bench
Because of Him
Dædalus Rising
Little Black Angel
The Golden Wedding of Sorrow
The Giddy Edge of Light
Ku Ku Ku
This Is Not Paradise
Hollows of Devotion
But, What Ends When the Symbols Shatter?

But, What Ends When the Symbol Shatters? is an excellent little album by the legendary Death in June. Neo-Folk is basically idealic European Folk music mixed with a bit of Industrial/Electronica. I'm not sure how to better discribe it. Regardless, the album is beautiful and atmospheric, with almost chanted vocals. It's very meditative. According to wikiedpa, "He's Disabled", "The Mourner's Bench", "Because of Him", and "Little Black Angel" are covers/re-interpretations of songs from Jim Jones' People's Temple Choir 1973 gospel album He's Able. The original songs were "He's Able", "Something's Got a Hold of Me", "Because of Him", and "Black Baby", respectively."

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KPCC8DAH

Sigh - Imaginary Sonicscape

2007-09-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

Band: Sigh
Album: Imaginary Sonicscape
Genre: Avant-Garde Black Metal
Country of Origin: Japan
Year: 2001

Track Listing:

Corpsecry - Angelfall
Scarlet Dream
Nietzchean Conspiracy
A Sunset Song
Impromptu (Allegro Maestoso)
Dreamsphere (Return to Chaos)
Ecstatic Transformation
Slaughtergarden Suite
Bring Back the Dead
Requiem - Nostalgia

Imaginary Sonicscape is a pretty interesting album. The riffs are fantastic and the song structures interesting. Not everything is standard Black Metal, Sigh break downs boarders with songs like the poppy "A Sunset Song" and Stoner Doomish romp "Ecstatic Transformation." Permeating the album are fantastic synths and sound effects, orchestrated by Mirai Kawashima, including numerous, excellent hammond organ solos. Great stuff anyone who wants something interesting.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9366WM0C

Lunar Aurora - Andacht

2007-09-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

Band: Lunar Aurora
Album: Andacht
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Germany
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Glück
Geisterschiff
Dunkler Mann
Findling
Der Pakt
Das Ende

Very cold, eerie and powerful Black Metal from Germany. All the songs are long and epic, the shortest being 7:53 and longest being 11:09, and they're all full of great riffs, excellent synths and atmospheric sound effects with very agressive and abrassive harsh vocals. One of my favorite 2007 Black Metal albums, definately worth a listen.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1OIFXQVJ

Cor Scorpii - Attergangar

2007-09-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

Band: Cor Scorpii
Album: Attergangar
Genre: Black/Viking Metal
Country of Origin: Norway
Year: 2005

Track Listing:

Fall of man
Transcendental Journey
Attergangar
Når Enden Er God

Like Vreid, a band started by Windir members after the death unfortunate death of great Valfar. Windir like Black/Viking Metal with excellent leads and fantastic synth work, especially at the beginning of "Transcendental Journey." Fans of Windir should definately get this.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S3TDTQST

Eldrig - Kali

2007-08-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Band: Eldrig
Album: Kali
Genre: National Socialist Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Shakti I
The Great Destroyer
Shakti II
The Intoxication
Shakti III
The Dance of Creation
Shakti IV
Untitled

Eldrig is the solo project of Eldrig, one of the two members of the USNSBM band Fanisk. Eldrig must write all or a bulk of Fanisk's music, for Kali as a style similar to that of Fanisk's album; the guitar tone is thin, the riffs are melodic, sharp, and majestic. Kali is, however, it's own entity. Kali is instrumental, with repetative but hyponotic riffs whirling around like a tornado, changing just enough to keep it interesting, intense and awe inspiring. Behind each track is somber ambience, which carries over into the forboding "Shakti" inteludes and the "Untitled" outro. Definately one of my favorites of 2007, check it out.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LIBKD6L0

Thou Art Lord - Orgia Deamonicum

2007-08-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

Band: Thou Art Lord
Album: Orgia Daemonicum
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Greece
Year: 2005

Track Listing:

Possesed / The Legion
Hecate Unveiled
An Apparition Of Vengeance
He, the Great Worm
The Gnostic Code
The Royal Invocation Of Apophis
Orgia Deamonicum
Necromantic
Satanic Aphorisms
Onslaught (Power from Hell)

Thou Art Lord is a Hellenic Black Metal supergroup, consisting of two Rotting Christ members and a Necromantia member and their fourth album, Orgia Deamonicum, has the best album cover ever (and the music is good too). TAL play straight forward Black Metal with no frills, pointless special effects, keyboards or pretentions. Their music is very ritualistic in nature, often playing at a medium or moderatly speedy tempo. Every single note sounds as if it was carefully chosen, forming amazing riffs and making the otherwise very simple music seem profound and the leads are absolutely brilliant. The production is good by Black Metal standards, with a nice and crunchy guitar sound, sometimes audible bass and perfect positioning of the (vary well played) drums. The vocals are very unique, some of the coolest in Black Metal. They're spit out in a ritualistic manner, working perfectly alongside the instruments and occassional changes in harsh vocals and narrations make every song all the more interesting. Orgia Deamonicum is a masterpiece, on par with other Hellenic bands like Rotting Christ, Varathron, Order of the Ebon Hand and Necromantia.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AIX6IUKX

Disillusion - Gloria

2007-08-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

Band: Disillusion
Album: Gloria
Genre: Progressive Metal
Country of Origin: Germany
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

The Black Sea
Dread It
Don't Go Any Further
Avalanche
Gloria
Aerophobic
The Hole We Are In
Save the Past
Lava
Too Many Broken Cease Fires
Untiefen

Two years after the stunning Back to Times of Splendor, Disillusion released Gloria. With this album, they tore done everything and built it up again. Rather than the long, epic Melodic Death laced songs, Gloria is full of interesting and unique guitar work and Industrial overtones. Every song is again a story and in Gloria each is wildly different, each track has a unique color, feel and sound. The music is layred, textured and complex, filled with much to explore and every song can be listened to again and again. Many people despise this album and compare it to Rammstein, but in my humble opinion it is a fantastic work of art.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6I4HR68K

Necromantia - IV: Malice

2007-07-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

Band: Necromantia
Album: IV: Malice
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Greece
Year: 2000

Track Listing:

The Blair Witch Cult
Those Who Never Sleep
Disciples Of Sophia (The Templars)
Murder, Magic And Tears
Invictus
Malice
Circle Of Burned Doves

IV: Malice is a unique monster of a Black Metal album. Black Metal through and through but sometimes incredibly Thrashy, with fast, choppy riffs topped off by hateful, raspy vocals. The songs are grandiose and almost Classical in nature and occassional synths and keys add a haunting touch. The most apparent oddity of the album is the incredibly audible bass. The bass moves around in the music with a beautiful timbre and plays not just a bass line, but actual riffs. At times, the bass takes the lead away from the guitar and forms complex and stunning melodies, and on "Murder, Magic and Tears" it plays the melody of Hall of the Mountain King. IV: Malice is a severly underrated and excellent release that any Black Metal fan will enjoy (especially bassists).

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3PFBE9P5

Stalaggh - Projekt Misanthropia

2007-07-31T11:04:00.000-07:00

Band: Stalaggh
Album: Projekt Misanthropia
Genre: Harsh Noise/Black Metal
Country of Origin: The Netherlands
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Projekt Misanthropia

Stalag was, in the past, a Nazi concentration camp. The extra 'g' and 'h' in Stlaggh's name represents a world holocaust; a destruction of everything and a world wide descent into hatred and chaos. The music displays this perfectly; Stalaggh takes the most deranged Harsh Noise, mixed it with passages of creepy Black Metal, and adds the shrieking, hateful, pained and deranged vocals of an actual mental patient. All this together creates an almost 35 minute mindfuck of an album that gets inside true horror itself.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0OQ7VGLW

Carnival in Coal - Collection Prestige

2007-07-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

Band: Carnival in Coal
Album: Collection Prestige
Genre: Avant-Garde Metal
Country of Origin: France
Year: 2005

Track Listing:

Party At Your House
Fuckable
Satanic Disaster
Right Click... Save As...
Cartilage Holocaust
The Lady and the Dormant Sponge
Delivery Day
Ohlala
Living In the Plastic Age (Buggles cover)
D.O.A. (Drunk Once Again)
Promenade

Carnival in Coal's Collection Prestige continues the band's apparent mission to make the whackiest, funniest Metal possible. It's everything from Grind to New Wave to Black Metal to Funk to pretty much everything mixed all together with hilarious lyrics. "Fuckable" is about a guy in a band who is convinced of how hot and famous he is, but can't get laid. "Right Click... Save As..." is a sardonic attack at music downloaders. "Cartilage Holocaust" is about a guy who gets turned on by violent crime scenes. "Ohlala" makes fun of goth girls, etc. Recommended to fans of bands such as UneXpect and Stolen Babies, or anyone interested in something bizarre, hilarious and infectuously catchy.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CL3UKCRV

Darkthrone - NWOBHM (New Wave of Black Heavy Metal)

2007-07-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

Band: Darkthrone
Album: NWOBHM (New Wave of Black Heavy Metal)
Genre: Punkish Black Metal
Country of Origin: Norway
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

Wisdom of the Dead
Canadian Metal
Hedninger Fra Helvete
Bad Attitude (Testors Cover)

New EP by the legendary Norweigan Black Metal band Darkthrone. Continuing with the Punkishness of The Cult is Alive, NWOBHM is almost Black 'n' Punkish or even Black/Speed Metal, like Black Metal meets Motorhead. The EP ends with an appropriately placed Testor cover; an excellent cover of a Punk Rock song. A definite step up from The Cult is Alive and makes the wait for their upcoming 2007 album more exciting. Recommended.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SSS0L67G

Disillusion - Back to Times of Splendor

2007-07-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

Band: Disillusion
Album: Back to Times of Splendor
Genre: Progressive/Melodic Death Metal
Country of Origin: Germany
Year: 2004

Track Listing:

...And the Mirror Cracked
Fall
Alone I Stand in Fires
Back to Times of Splendor
A Day by the Lake
The Sleep of Restless Hours

Back to Times of Splendor is a wonderful melding of Progressive Metal with Melodic Death Metal (real Melodic Death, not Gothenburg). Their riffs are very technical and Vurtox's growls agressive and deep, but the music often changes pace with beautiful synths, clean guitar work, keys, violins, acoustics and incredible clean singing. "Fall" and "A Day by the Lake" are entirely clean sung. All the songs are long, "Fall and A Day by the Lake" being the only ones under 5 minutes and even then by a hairs length, and the masterpieces are the 14 minute long title track and the 17 minute long "The Sleep of Restless Hours." What makes the album even more spectacular, is that each song is it's own concept, telling a different, beautifully penned story. Highly recommended by Prog and Death fans alike or anyone who wants anything brilliant and original.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JIRKI83O