Deathspell Omega - Paracletus (2010)

2010, Season of Mist

1. Epiklesis I 01:42
2. Wings of Predation 03:43
3. Abscission 06:07
4. Dearth 03:47
5. Phosphene 07:03
6. Epiklesis II 03:06
7. Malconfort 04:57
8. Have you Beheld the Fevers? 02:59
9. Devouring Famine 05:09
10. Apokatastasis Pantôn 04:01

Finally, the third installment of this French band's trilogy has arrived! Fans of Deathspell Omega will not be disappointed - we get a lot of the cool experimental chords heard on "Fas", as well as the chaotic blasting parts heard on SMRC. For those who haven't heard Deathspell Omega before, they are in for a treat. Black metal at heart, but with a sense for writing outside the box, Deathspell Omega crafts very eerie sounding songs full of dynamics and some pretty heavy lyrics to boot. One of my favourites from 2010.

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Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales + Emperor's Return

1984, Noise Records

1. Human Intro (0:41)
2. Into the Crypts of Rays (3:39)
3. Visions of Mortality (4:48)
4. Dethroned Emperor (4:38)
5. Morbid Tales (3:28)
6. Procreation of the Wicked (4:04)
7. Return to the Eve (4:07)
8. Danse Macabre (3:51)
9. Nocturnal Fear (3:38)
10. Circle of the Tyrants (4:28)
11. Visual Aggression (4:13)
12. Suicidal Winds (4:36)

Anyone who is searching for the roots of extreme metal has surely come across this release by Swiss legends Celtic Frost. What we have here primitive riffs, punk d-beats, all contained within a very morbid sounding atmosphere. This is an album that anyone into metal, hardcore, or punk should listen to, as it has elements that should appeal to all. Originally, this release was just an miniLP, but with the addition of "Emperor's Return" and some additional tracks from the "Morbid Tales" session, it becomes a full length. Don't miss this classic!

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Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark

1987, Black Mark Productions

1. Nocturnal Obeisance (1:28)
2. Massacre (2:39)
3. Woman of Dark Desires (4:06)
4. Call from the Grave (4:53)
5. Equimanthorn (3:42)
6. Enter the Eternal Fire (6:58)
7. Chariots of Fire (2:47)
8. 13 Candles (5:17)
9. Of Doom (3:45)
10. Outro (0:25)

Bathory was a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by Quorthon in 1983. They are regarded as pioneers of both black metal and Viking metal. The band is named after the infamous Hungarian countess Elizabeth Báthory.

Under the Sign of the Black Mark is the third album by Bathory. It had a major influence on the black metal genre, specifically the Norwegian black metal scene that emerged in the early 1990s. The song "Woman of Dark Desires" is a tribute to the band's namesake, Elizabeth Báthory, and has become one of their most recognized early tracks. "Enter the Eternal Fire" was the band's first epic, reaching nearly seven minutes in length, and presaged the turn towards what would become known as Viking metal which Bathory would take on their next three records.
-Wikipedia

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Portal/Rites of thy Degringolade - The Sweyy/Our Dreadful Sphere (Split)

2004, Ancient Darkness Productions

Rites of thy Degringolade
1.	Chronophobia	04:36
2.	Our Dreadful Sphere	06:26
3.	Dominions thrones and power	05:01
Portal
4.	The Sweyy	05:05
5.	Werships	06:11
6.	Doors	02:57

Split from Canada's Rites of thy Degringolade and Australia's Portal. Rites delivers some fast black metal with some of their most impressive guitar work in their discography, and Portal plays their bizarre brand of death metal. These bands really compliment each other with their different approaches to making demented metal. A classic!

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Kerasphorus - Cloven Hooves at the Holocaust Dawn

2010, Nuclear War Now! Productions

1.	The Abyssal Sanhedrin	05:30
2.	Aesoth Paradigm	04:32
3.	Disturb the Furthest Stars	03:38
4.	Swarm Intelligentsia	04:45

Kerasphorus is a new death/black metal band featuring the thunderous bass work and vile throat of Pete Helmkamp (Order From Chaos, Angelcorpse, Revenge), the militant drumming of James Read (Revenge, Conqueror, Axis of Advance, Cremation) and a guitarist who delivers some brutal riffs. Maniacs who want to hear the elements of the bands these other guys have been in thrown together with some death metal riffing, this will do the trick.

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Anael - From Arcane Fires

2008, Paragon Records

1.	Devil's Tongues	12:06
2.	She is ever a Moon	06:04
3.	Down Winding Stairs	10:01
4.	Blood & Honey	05:29
5.	Song of the Moth	09:59
6.	All Souls' Night	10:31
7.	Mûspilli	07:13

Germany’s Anael have certainly come a long way since their initial Samael-heavy sound. Only previously hearing 2003’s split with Lust previously, I was not prepared for “From Arcane Fires”, although I was well informed how much the band’s style had evolved. Anael play a much richer, more textured, and more varied style of black metal than they ever have before.

One could argue that this is similar to where bands like Alcest are going, playing shoegaze with a black metal tinge. This is quite the opposite. “From Arcane Fires” may appear to have some softer moments, but the actual riff phrasing, melodies, and overall atmosphere are stunningly sinister. Not only that, it was recorded live - so this isn’t overdubbed to hell with sappy effects. In other words, Anael trumps a lot of bands that try to add some sort of shoegaze influence.

Compared to “On Wings of Mercury”, the faster, more abrupt predecessor to this record, Anael has really let their songs breath more, and have benefited greatly in the songwriting department due to this. Each song has its own dynamics to it, interacting in interesting catch-and-release patterns. “She Is Ever A Moon”, for example, has traces of their Samael influence still with parts of droning simplicity, but keep it fresh in their own sound.

Much of Anael’s unique sound has much to do with their phrasing techniques. The melodies have a lot in common with middle eastern or other exotic scales, and Anael use this to their advantage to create a very eerie atmosphere, as seen in “Down Winding Stairs” where they are used to build up to aggressive blast beat sections. This song alone has some of the most stand out riffs on the record, even including some fantastic bass work to boot.

The production on this recording is very organic and natural sounding. As I mentioned, it was recorded live, so there’s no real bullshit here. You can make out the bass lines quite easily, the guitars are at a relaxed place in the mix, and the drums sound as if you were standing there. For the style achieved here, the live production fits perfectly - even if it’s warm for a black metal album.

Anael have made a real standout record, and it manages to stay evil and avoid the pitfalls that many other bands trying to add some progressive elements to their black metal fall into (ie: Nachtmystium). The key is in the arrangements, and “From Arcane Fires” contains some finely composed tunes. I will certainly be keeping my eye on them as they’ve proven to progress in an interesting way.
(from NIHILITY)

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Wolves In The Throne Room - Diadem of 12 Stars

2006, Southern Lord Records

1. Queen of the Borrowed Light (12:58)
2. Face In A Night Time Mirror Part 1 (13:21)
3. Face In A Night Time Mirror Part 2 (13:58)
4. (A Shimmering Radiance) Diadem of 12 Stars (20:22)

Wolves in the Throne Room is an American ambient black metal band based in Olympia, Washington. Their sound is influenced by Scandinavian black metal, doom metal, dark ambient, crust punk, and folk music. The band has described their sound as “purifying black metal” or “transformative black metal”, although in interviews the band has shown an unwillingness to be restricted by any musical label.

The band was formed during April 2003 when brothers Aaron and Nathan Weaver bought an old farmstead called Calliope, which had previously been rented by students of the nearby Evergreen State College, on the outskirts of Olympia, WA. In mid 2004, guitarist-vocalist Nick Paul joined the band and the group recorded the 2004 Demo but left the band amicably later that year. The addition of vocalist and guitarist Richard Dahlen solidified the band’s line-up and went on to record the 2005 Demo, and the Diadem of 12 Stars and Two Hunters albums.

The band is well known for their eco-spiritual and eco-anarchist vision, which they consider to be a step beyond the vision offered by satanic, fascistic and nihilistic black metal. They often state that traditional black metal should be seen as a jumping-off point in a process of continual spiritual growth, and not an end unto itself. Aaron and his wife farm the land at Calliope, the band’s stronghold. Aaron has also often expressed interest in biodynamic agriculture and the teachings of Rudolf Steiner.

Diadem of 12 Stars is the debut album of Wolves in the Throne Room. It was this recording that caught the attention of Southern Lord Records, who subsequently signed the band in late 2006 and re-released the album on vinyl. The album's producer, Tim Green, was a producer for Weakling, a band which Wolves in the Throne Room have often been compared to.
-Wikipedia

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Order From Chaos - Stillbirth Machine & Crushed Infamy

1993, Decapitated/Wild Rags - 1989, Wild Rags- 1998, Osmose

1.	The Edge of Forever	07:09
2.	Power Elite	04:45
3.	Iconoclasm Conquest	02:35
4.	Forsake Me This Mortal Coil	05:11
5.	Stillbirth Machine	07:33
6.	Blood And Thunder	04:02
7.	As The Body Falls Away	04:09

8.	Webs of Perdition	04:51
9.	Quietus	01:45
10.	Crimes Against The State	03:34
11.	Of Death And Dying	02:47
12.	Blood And Thunder	04:41

Order From Chaos. Stillbirth Machine. These two terms are analogous to death metal, and unfortunately haven't received the full recognition they deserve until more recent years, with various reissues becoming available. This album is a downright classic, and manages to capture the true spirit of death metal (and extreme metal in general), and at the same time avoids being like anything else that has come out of the genre. The combination of 80's death metal and the power of hardcore punk coupled with Pete Helmkamp's lyrical genius has made "Stillbirth Machine" (and every other OFC release for that matter) a top release in the metal world.

The album starts off with "Aion", which some may recognize as a piece used in the film "2001: A Space Odyssey", and is quite an appropriate build up of ambience and eerie noises to the first actual song, "The Edge of Forever". Right away, the production stands out. The guitar tone is thick and filthy, with the bass simply adding to the album's black mass sound. Overall, a very fitting production style, it suits the riffs and makes them just all the more devastating, with the other instruments coming though without sounding polished in the least.

The riffs here are fantastic. Chuck Keller certainly has his very own style of riff writing, with tons of rhythmic flair and variation. This works extremely well with Mike Miller's punk influence drumming, as he pummels away and pushes the riffs in just the right spots. Each riff is carefully arranged, ensuring that they each stand out and have purpose in the song. Nothing seems out of place, and at the same time nothing seems predictable. Order From Chaos manage to keep their songs interesting, and you never feel like anything drags.

One will probably notice after a few tracks that there are no blast beats on this album at all. This works pretty well for Order From Chaos, as they never really do anything typical for death metal. This band, as mentioned, works a lot on rhythmic flair, and such a straight through beat as a blast beat would probably not benefit them very much. Instead, intricate work between feet and hands playing barbaric and sometimes primitive beats are the main offering on this album.

Keller's lead work is also worth a mention. The horrifying guitar tone achieved on the rhythm tracks has also been translated over into the lead tone. Dive bombs, slides, tapping, among various other techniques have been utilized in his solos. Thankfully, Keller's technique is not the main focus of the solos, as he strings together memorable licks that sound chaotic yet have their own sense of melody. Some solos are certainly noisier than others, like in "Iconoclasm Conquest", where others are more lick oriented (see: "Forsake Me This Mortal Coil").

Of course, one of the winning features about Order From Chaos is found within the lyrical department. Pete Helmkamp wrote the majority of the lyrics on this record, Keller handling two of the tracks. Helmkamp's lyrics tend to revolve around Nietzsche influenced philosophy. Helmkamp's basic idea is about the "will to power", a belief in the self's ability to achieve, as well as ideas related the band's name, all mixed with some occult allusions. His lyrics in Angelcorpse were great, but these are more focused in a "grand scheme" of things. Keller's lyrics have more to do with the cosmos and prove to be just as interesting to read. His interest in space certainly expanded later in OFC's career, and later in his solo project, Vulpecula. Helmkamp spits these lyrics out in a violent rage storm, proving himself to be one of the most ferocious vocalist in all of metal. There is use of double tracking, with the second track being much lower, much like Sarcofago.

There isn't a single thing I can find wrong with this record. It's memorable and well written, has one of the most horrifying atmospheres ever recorded in death metal, features great musicianship while managing not to be flashy, and contains thoughtful and provoking lyrics. This is a record that every metal fan should hear, as it unites music and lyrical concept very well in ways that so many bands wish they could.
(from NIHILITY)

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Mitochondrion - Archaeaeon

2008, Independent

1.	Chapter 11	00:52
2.	Into the Pit of Babel	09:12
3.	Agonizing (In the Shadow of the Hammerblow)	03:37
4.	Eternal Contempt of Man	05:31
5.	Infernal Weapons Summons	05:09
6.	Oath In Defiance	07:17
7.	Descent ...	02:31
8.	Wraithlike	10:35
9.	Akashic Predation	07:40
10.	137 (Death's Hedecaratia)	14:51
11.	Organum Exitus	03:27

Victoria's Mitochondrion are truly leaders in the current Canadian extreme metal scene. Proof? Just listen to this album - brilliantly structured songs, clever dynamics, low as fuck vocals, and blistering blastbeats dominate this album. It takes a couple listens as it's a bit much to digest at first, but each listen will reveal more to your ears. This is some truly twisted death metal, get it now.

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Atomizer - The Only Weapon Of Choice

2003, Lycanthropic Fervour

1.	Power, Not Participation	02:29
2.	And the Hunt Starts Again	02:50
3.	When I Die, I Wanna Die Violently	05:04
4.	The Campaign	04:28
5.	The War That Never Ended	03:51
6.	The Only Weapon of Choice	03:43
7.	Isolation	03:22
8.	One Man's Failure	03:41
9.	So Terrified, Yet in Control	02:55
10.	Join the Blackheart Reich	03:34
11.	For Blackness Absolute	03:13
12.	Sometimes They Hear the Bullet	02:52
13.	The Fog of War	01:34

Fully titled "The Only Weapon of Choice - 13 Odes to Power, Decimation And Conquest", Atomizer deliver their dirty brand of blackened thrash metal that only an Australian band would be capable of delivering. This isn't your typical Destroyer 666 type of band, Atomizer certainly had a sound of their own, and this album is one of the highlights of their career. Check this out, it's a guaranteed rocker!

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Mefitic - Signing the Servants of God (Demo)

2009, Drakkar

1.	Henosis of Void	05:42
2.	Execrable Precept of Ha-Melekh Ha-Goel	05:18
3.	Diseased Ruth	05:19
4.	Prayer to Lamashtu	06:19
5.	Sepulcrum Antistitis XIII	04:54

There's been a handful of demo tapes I've received this year that have kicked my ass, and this one is no exception to that rule. Mefitic are an Italian band that play black/death metal that would be somewhat comparable to Necros Christos and Grave Miasma - very old school sound and dark, so obviously something I'm going to drool over. A friend hooked me up with this tape plus the mp3 rip of it, so thanks a lot HT for your efforts!

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Lust - Genesis of a Satanic Race

2005, Blood Fire Death

1.	Intro	00:52
2.	Birth Of The Unconquerable One	09:14
3.	Oh Horror	01:21
4.	Storming Under Steel	05:46
5.	Genocide Bitch	00:25
6.	Spear Of Destiny	06:19
7.	Hymn To The Exhiled	02:04
8.	Iron Warfare	05:27
9.	On Beyond Andromeda Part II	01:58
10.	Portal To Cygnus - I Via Eydonia	05:52
11.	Nazi Occult Metal (Spear Of Longinus Cover)	05:09

"Genesis of a Satanic Race" is not for weak minded "metal heads" who can't stomach extreme metal. This release is one of the most over the top, layered, and extreme records to ever come out of Canada. Even a seasoned metal fan will have to listen to it several times for it to make sense. Contained within the madness here is cleverly arranged songs, complex and dissonant riffs, and a truly violent performance. Lust certainly has all the elements of what a black metal record should be, and pushes everything to a new extreme. Listen to this and have your eardrums beaten to death!

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Nuclearhammer - Obliteration Ritual

2009, Morbid Moon Records

1.	Intro / Obliteration Ritual	03:30
2.	Impalement (Of The Wretched)	04:34
3.	Witchfuck	02:10
4.	Dementia (A Black Void) Part II	03:46
5.	Slave State	03:46
6.	The Ancient One	03:28
7.	Sacramental Pestilence	02:49
8.	I Am The Serpent Lord	02:57
9.	Prologue To Murder	04:23
10.	Whirlwinds Of Toxic Perdition	01:45
11.	Winters Profane Acrimony	16:03

After a string of demos and other small releases, Ontario's Nuclearhammer finally unleashes their first full length of atomic goat black metal. Take the war qualities of Revenge and mix in the obscure madness of Lust, and that should give you a fairly decent idea of what Nuclearhammer has to offer. This is really fucking harsh, and will make any Canadian metal head proud to see yet another amazing band added to our country's already growing roster of worthwhile metal bands. Blast beats, delayed vocals, and brutal riffs - what else do you fucking want?

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Begrime Exemious - Demo 2007

2007/2009, Independent/Maltkross

1.	Crooked Serpent	05:24
2.	Assemblage of Witches	04:16
3.	Pronouncement of the Glorious End	03:25
4.	Asphyxiation Via Viscera Noose	03:30
5.	Devil Fist Infernal	03:54
6.	Electric Funeral (Black Sabbath cover)	04:37

Originally recorded as a 3 piece in 2007, this demo remained unreleased until 2009 on cassette with the "Set Ablaze the Kingdom of Abraham" EP. 5 original songs of dark, twisted death metal assault, with a Black Sabbath cover to round it off.

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Cremation - Welcome (Demo)

1992, Independent

1.	Laborious Funeral	04:06
2.	Welcome to the Crematorium	04:04
3.	Grave	04:25
4.	Child Meat	03:40

Cremation was a band from Edmonton, Canada featuring J. Read (who went on to Conqueror, Revenge, and Axis of Advance) on drums. Recently, a compilation of the last three demos the band did was released, and this one was left out. The material here is much more in the death metal vein, as the songwriting was in different hands at this point. Hart from Disciples Of Power does guest vocals on one track as well. Don't miss this, as this is some real quality death metal with some real violent drumming.

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Teitanblood - Seven Chalices

2009, Norma Evangelium Diaboli/Ajna Offensive/Dauthus

1.	Whore Mass	03:10
2.	Domains of Darkness and Ancient Evil	06:36
3.	Interlude (Arabian title)	01:55
4.	Morbid Devil of Pestilence	06:50
5.	Interlude (Cuneiform title)	03:32
6.	Infernal Dance of the Wicked	04:51
7.	Interlude (Sanskrit title)	02:01
8.	Seven Chalices of Vomit and Blood	05:53
9.	Qliphotic Necromancy	02:31
10.	The Abomination of Desolation	12:10
11.	The Origin of Death	09:26

Teitanblood is a band that has really surprised me. Initially, I thought this band wasn't worth much. Granted, I had only heard some low fidelity analog rips from the internet, but I couldn't really get into it. After hearing the earlier material on the "Black Putrescence of Evil" compilation, I began to suspect that there might be a bit more to this band that I first thought. This album, however, out shadows anything that Teitanblood has done yet, and has turned out to be one of my favourites this year.

The production here is rather fitting - it's quite filthy. The guitar tone is dirty and bassy, but nothing really gets buried. All the instruments sound like a horrific machine working together to create some really dark death metal. Top that off with a really killer vocal performance with some cool reverb and delay, and you have yourself a winning combination.

Musically, "Seven Chalices" falls somewhere under the influence of Autopsy, Blasphemy, and Celtic Frost. The riffs are pretty primitive and brutal, and never really get technical. They are fairly memorable and will make any true death metal fan move their head. There's some riffs with more defined grooves, like in "Whore Mass", then there are some much faster riffs in the next track, "Domains of Darkness and Ancient Evil". The lead work is noisy and full of dive-bombs and runs, similar to Blasphemy. The track "Morbid Devil of Pestilence" has some absolutely deadly riffing, sounding like Celtic Frost's "Into Crypt Of Rays" with more muscle.

The songs get pretty involved on this album, especially by the end with 12 and 9 minute songs taking up the end. I've listened to this album over and over and not found myself thinking any tracks drag or sound redundant. The flow of this record is really quite nice, much in thanks to the alternation of songs and interludes.

There are several interludes to be found on this album, all with varying techniques and sounds. They all are eerie in their own ways, with usage of different stringed instruments. As it should, these interludes provide more of an overall atmosphere to "Seven Chalices".

The difference between Teitanblood and their comrades in Proclamation is simple: originality. Teitanblood's first full length offers a different twist, where as Proclamation just does what's already been done. I always thought Teitanblood was falling in that trap, but they certainly proved me wrong with "Seven Chalices". It's proved to be a ripping and really evil sounding record. The album's artwork and booklet are really pleasing due to its rather bizarre aesthetic. An album like this is definitely worth the purchase.
(from NIHILITY)

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Begrime Exemious - Demo 2006

2006, Independent

1.	Lest Our Tongues Be Torn From Their Roots	03:22
2.	Of Cloven Hoof	02:33
3.	Path Of The Goat	04:19
4.	Astonishing Consequence	03:33

This is the first offering from Edmonton death/black metal maniacs Begrime Exemious. The lineup here is slightly different than more recent material, with more bizarre riffs thrown into the mix. Tracks like "Path of the Goat" have been fan favourites ever since the release of this demo. The 2006 demo has been sold out for a while, so grab it here without shame.

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Antediluvian - Under Wing of Asael (Demo)

2008, Independent

1.	Solarburst	05:48
2.	Indomitable Time Eater	05:49
3.	Hemipenes Eversion	04:11
4.	Under Wing of Asael	10:39

Starting off in a much more raw and black metal direction, Canada's Antediluvian has certainly shown much growth over a series of demos in the past couple years. The band's third demo, "Under Wing Of Asael", pushes the band into death metal territory, as well as some unexplored area as well.

A slight ambient build up leads into "Solarburst", and right away, the guitar tone will kill you. Think somewhere in between "Left Hand Path" and "Onward To Golgotha", and that will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect - low end and crunchy. The vocals are also very reminiscent of Incantation, specifically Craig Pillard's inhumanly low vocals. The song starts getting into some slower parts with some eerie sounding notes, and it becomes apparent that Antediluvian is more than just an average death metal band. This is truly creative music, without any limits, and thus the band can allow themselves to create some really fucking morbid metal.

The riffing here is pretty varied, with a variety of odd noises being produced within the riffs. There's some definite "fago" style here, but rather than repeating what all those other bands do, Antediluvian takes the fundamental rhythms from their influences, and phrases them with much more involved ideas. Again, Incantation influence is definitely present in these riffs, and even some newer influences like Portal bleed through. The drums play in similar fashion - lots of blast beasts, double bass, and quicker beats, but there's always little nuances and pummeling fills to break it up. The two members of this band obviously understand how to work with each other really well. About two minutes into "Indomitable Time Eater", they get fucking bizarre, and the drums play some really appropriate tom tom beats, before leading back into even more pummeling madness.

Out of the four songs here, all of them are keepers. Most will be pretty interested in the 10 plus minute title track, which takes the spotlight with some pretty absurd sounding riffs and arrangements. I would advise all extreme metal fans to obtain this demo (which, I may add, has a really bad ass layout), and keep an eye out for upcoming material, because this is only the beginning for Antediluvian.
(from NIHILITY)

BUY THIS DEMO.

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Sacramentary Abolishment - River of Corticone

1996, Catharsis Records

1. Commencement: Quodo's Lamentation Of Stratagem (5:40)
2. A Lull In The Proceedings (6:09)
3. Reassessment Of Preliminary Defensive Procedures (9:06)
4. The Occurence Of The Flashback Seizure (5:51)
5. Atk (6:41)
6. Triple Ley-Line Junction (3:00)
7. Nebulous Receptable (4:11)
8. Eruliaf (5:41)

Formed in the early 90's, Edmonton's Sacramentary Abolishment will go down as one of the most brutal black metal bands in Canada, mixing influences from death metal, war metal, and funeral doom metal. Their debut should not be missed by anyone that is into extreme metal.

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Adversarial - Thralls (Demo)

2008, Independent

1. Scourge of a World Ablaze (5:26)
2. A Hatred Tempered and Trialed (3:42)
3. Thralls (5:30)

Adversarial is a black/death metal band hailing from Toronto. This demo makes it very clear they are one of the best bands coming out of Ontario right now. It's dark, it's evil, and it's fucking tight. Give this demo a listen, and buy it if you can! Ontario has a handful of really great bands hidden among a lot of shitty deathcore bands (accordingly), and I for one love to support fellow Canadians that "get" what metal is all about.

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