Grindcore

by Joe on December 20, 2011

A further evolution of the sound hardcore punk created and thrash developed, grindcore slams together abrasive riffs in order to achieve a release from intensity at the end of each song. Its name comes from that grinding, caused by fast alternation between chromatic notes and the contrast with rigid whole note patterns that lift the listener up from the directionless thrashing. Where purest, grindcore celebrates individual life and rejects social mores by reminding us that we are mortal, frail and the clock is ticking, so we need to cast aside the pointless and frustrating (grinding) in life and replace it with open spaces of our own imaginations.

House recommendations: Repulsion, Bolt Thrower, Carbonized, Carcass or Godflesh.

 

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Sadistic Tidbits

by Death Metal Black Metal on December 16, 2011

Absu – Abzu

Starting with Emperor’s Reverence EP, this is the kind of music that ruined black metal: salad. It’s mixed riffs and influences with no coordination except repetition, and it adopts the “carnival music” style of variety show riffs, meaning that nothing makes sense as anything other than a grab bag of random stuff designed to distract you. As a result, this has zero staying power and while your favorite metal heroes will be hyping it today, they will from that day forward only put it on to do laundry. Get it? As background noise. It’s less organized than the noise from your air conditioner as and a result is mostly spam for your brain, just as pop music is. The cynicism behind releasing this and calling it “black metal” suggests a massive scorn for all metal fans. “These idiots can’t tell the difference, throw some guitar practice at them, then we’ll sample an elevator and let the press release talk about our ‘industrial influences.'” Metal pundits should be ashamed for pushing this as a continuation of the old school, or even as being good; I would use the first few Absu albums to show my friends that metal is talented, but I wouldn’t push this sophomoric dog’s breakfast on anyone. In fact I’d hide it, lest they think metalheads are cretins who think random catchy off-time riffs make a band talented. I realize it’s heresy to not cheerlead for Absu because the Absu guys are such nice fellows and all, but that has nothing to do with musical quality. This sucks. It’s annoying. And dumb. Really stupid. You have to live in a plastic world to think this is good. 0/10

Asphyx – Deathhammer

I had high hopes for this, but an unsettling feeling with Wannes Gubbels having left the band. During the Wannes years, Asphyx went from trying to make two riff songs that carried themselves on pure rhythm, and instead tried to make mood shifting experiences that used melody and harmony as well as greater texture to create a sense of having gone somewhere. This new song is entirely circular. It goes nowhere; its precepts equal its conclusions. Instead, you get a horrifically catchy song that is pure rhythm and uses melody only as a hook but then drops it, leaving you in grinding chromatic land as your brain atrophies. They cannot possibly say “deathhammer” one more time can — oh. Oh. And again. Again. Oh. It keeps on going. This song is only 2:30 or so, but it feels like The War of the Roses. As one forum poster noted, this may be a Hail of Bullets song more than an Asphyx song. Gone is the old school heavy mood. It has been replaced by dressed-up pop. It’s as repetitive as Justin Bieber, and that isn’t lightened by the fact that these guys howl about the joy of endless war instead of teeny sugar pop training-bra romances. Asphyx has completely lost direction and forgotten what made them great, which was not “smashing riffs” but “smashing riffs in epic songs.” Even the riffs are dumbed down, like the recent Pestilence output. I have zero incentive to buy the album or even download it.

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“Until the Light Takes Us” holiday sale

by Death Metal Black Metal on December 16, 2011

Hi Everyone, we’ve got some North American DVD’s and Blu-rays, so if you want one of those (can be signed) for Xmas for anyone, order it soon! DVDs are $28 including shipping to US, Canada or Mexico. Order one by sending that amount via paypal to untilaudrey -at- yahoo.com – include a note if you want it signed. Note* We have to remove the cellophane to sign them.

We’re now down to our last batch of International DVDs, so put in your order double-quick if you want one of those. They’re $35.49 including shipping to Europe (ask about other countries). Order those at: http://www.blackmetalmovie.com/.

We only sell the double disc/blu-ray with the extended special features (4 hours) so yes- that’s what you’d get.

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Forgotten Heroes of modern music

by Death Metal Black Metal on December 7, 2011

Pantera was part of the downfall of metal.

No offense to those who enjoy the people in the band personally. I’ve met several and they’re good guys.

But turning speed metal into party rock was a fatal move.

It opened the way for the real blight, which is the indie-emo-screamo-weeabo shit we see even in black metal now.

I can’t stand the saccharine, unmasculine, revengeful crap that John Lennon put out. I’m sorry for the loss of George Harrison however.

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Demoncy “Enthroned is the Night” news

by Death Metal Black Metal on December 3, 2011

Tomas at Forever Plagued Records gave us a brief update:

  • The artwork is submitted to the manufacturer. It will take a week or two to finalize the art is all correct.
  • Once that is done production will begin.
  • Hoping that this is ready before new years but presuming the holiday seasons slow down production, it will most likely be early 2012.

Thank you to Tomas for keeping us posted and publishing this future essential of the American black metal movement.

In addition, unofficial insider sources — 100% unrelated to Forever Plagued Records — suggest the latest Demoncy will be better than expected. The sample track reveals the style but not the substance of the album.

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Graveland re-issues now $8

by Death Metal Black Metal on December 2, 2011

Just in time for the holidays. What does Dear Old Dad need for Kwanzaa (my preferred holiday), Hannukkah, Christmas or Winter Solstice? What to buy your divorced and lonely mother for the long winter, or how to keep a sibling happy for a January birthday? WHY AN ASSLOAD OF GRAVELAND, OF COURSE. MC Darken and beatbox master Capricornus Flav spin out the old school melodic punk/black metal for your Pagan (or Urban) ears.

While you’re there, you can hit up (yo) the new Demoncy Enthroned in Darkness, which is in pre-order from a reliable label:

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Asphyx unveil art for “Deathhammer”

by Death Metal Black Metal on November 30, 2011

ASPHYX – Unveil cover artwork for new studio album; Announce release dates for “Deathhammer”;
Confirmed to play ExtremeFest and Obscene Extreme Festival in 2012!

Following up on the extreme success of their latest studio album release “Death…The Brutal Way” and its “Live Death Doom” DVD/Live-CD successor, Dutch Doom Death Metal legends ASPHYX have now finished work on their newest studio album effort, programmatically entitled “Deathhammer”. A release date of February 27th, 2012 (Europe) and February 28th, 2012 (North America) via Century Media Records has now been confirmed too.

The time has now come to unveil the stunning artwork for “Deathhammer”, crafted by longtime parther in designs, Axel Hermann (http://www.axel-illustrator.de/). Hermann has not only worked on all of the early ASPHYX artworks and most recently on their “Live Death Doom” release, but is also responsible for many of the classic Century Media artworks by bands like Morgoth, Unleashed, Samael or Grave. Here is how both parties comment on their newest co-operation:

“ASPHYX and Axel Hermann is a fusion that has always functioned perfectly…from the days of ‘The Rack’ back in 1991, ‘til ‘Deathhammer’ in 2012. Like others such as Dan Swanö, Axel may be considered as an external member of the band and when we asked him to do the ‘Deathhammer’ cover – and as usual we would leave him free in his expression – we were very pleased to hear he was willing to take it on.

…And the man has exceeded himself! To the perfect death metal album comes the perfect cover that still leaves enough to everyone’s imagination. We hope he is as proud as we are on the final result. It seems all falls into place for this deathdozer of an album. I guess Axel can expect an offer from Le Louvre any time now.”

Martin van Drunen / ASPHYX

“A cover is the visual extension of an album that translates music and emotional intentions (or should I say aggression) into a clear statement of what to expect before taking the record off the shelf. In seldom cases you’re ending up with two perfect sides of the same coin. With ASPHYX and myself it has always and luckily been that case. And I am really proud of that! Show ’em Death and hit them with a hammer…visually and musically! Guess, we flipped the coin once more!?”

Axel Hermann

Recorded at The Mörser Studio as well as at Harrow Studio with their longtime engineer Harry Wijering, “Deathhammer” was mixed and mastered in Sweden by Dan Swanö, who previously worked with the band on “Death…The Brutal Way” as well as on the “Live Death Doom” release.

Prior to the upcoming album’s release date, ASPHYX will still perform a very special “full album setlist” concert at this year’s Eindhoven Metal Meeting on December 16th, at the Effenaar club in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, where the band will be playing their complete “The Rack” album for its 20th anniversary of release. Additionally, ASPHYX have already been confirmed for the 2012 editions of the ExtremeFest, July 5th to 7th in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as the coming edition of the legendary Obscene Extreme festival in Czech Republic on July 14th. Here are all the band’s upcoming confirmed shows:

ASPHYX live:

16.12.2011 Eindhoven Metal Meeting – Eindhoven (The Netherlands) * Special 20 years “The Rack” show!
05. – 07.07.2012 ExtremeFest Deutschland – Hünxe (Germany) http://www.extremefest.eu/
05. – 07.07.2012 ExtremeFest Österreich – Salzburg (Austria) http://www.extremefest.eu/
05. – 07.07.2012 ExtremeFest Schweiz – TBA (Switzerland) – http://www.extremefest.eu/
14.07.2012 Obscene Extreme Festival – Trutnov (Czech Republic) http://www.obsceneextreme.cz/

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Video interview with Cianide

by Death Metal Black Metal on November 30, 2011

Ray Miller from Metal Curse has pulled off a massive video interview with underground longtimers Cianide, who specialize in primitive but brainy doom-death with strong Motorhead/Hellhammer undertones. In it, they discuss metal, the truth of the old school, the cluelessness of the nu-skule, and the complete inability of modern society to conceive of anything so packed with potential as death metal:

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Open-minded means indecisive

by Death Metal Black Metal on November 27, 2011

Sam Dunn gets browbeaten by his producers, who want more money through more accessibility:

Dunn: One that really stands out to me was nu-metal, which emerged in the ’90s and was this subgenre that explored hip-hop and included turntables. Guys in bands like KORN and LIMP BIZKIT and LINKIN PARK didn’t look metal. And I honestly despised these bands at the time. But in doing the episode, I learned there was some value in what those bands brought to the genre because it tested the boundaries of heavy metal. Part of the charm of metal is the musicians’ and fans’ commitment to the music and the sense of community. But the downside is that can become pretty exclusive and even elitist at times. The nu- metal episode made me realize adding a seven-string guitar and bringing metal back to some sense of groove — which it really hadn’t had since LED ZEPPELIN in the ’70s — maybe wasn’t such a bad thing. Just because I’m a crusty, thrash-loving metalhead from the ’80s doesn’t mean I can tell LINKIN PARK fans their music isn’t important. – Blabbermouth

There’s a good reason metal left those things behind: they belong to rock.

Rock is a broad, accepting, really indistinct thing. It’s an amalgam of folk, country and other popular musics derived from them. It distills them to the absolute basics and removes all meaningful musicality through use of the key-neutral pentatonic scale.

Rock assimilates things. It makes them into an average, a mundane norm. For all of its bluster about accepting those who are different, it doesn’t like different — if it deviates from the lowest common denominator, crowd-pandering, simplistic music.

Metal was a breath of fresh air.

Dunn’s purpose seems to be (and this is quite intelligent of him) to group all of the newer music into nu-metal, which is accurate. Nu-metal is metal with swing, basically inherited from angry hip-hop. His point is that even if it’s underground, if it’s metalcore or indie-metal, it’s numu.

And that’s a lesson we can all use.

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