About Court In The Act.

No albums are hosted here. All files must be deleted 24 hours after download, as they are for review and criticism purposes only - provided you follow this guideline, downloading from Court In The Act is legal as per s30(1) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. If any copyright holder has a problem with their material being posted here, get in touch and I will remove it. Let me know if any links are broken, I'll remove the post to prevent future annoyance, and will attempt to re-upload the file.

Comments make our work worthwhile. If you really enjoyed an album, tell us about it, we'd love to hear from you. If you hated it, tell us why.

Although music is a major part of all of our lives, we all have some form of external life. If there are periods in which no posts are added, I'm sorry, but that's how things happen. Even though I love blogging like this, sometimes I can't muster up the desire within myself to write about yet another album.

I'd like to say too that Court In The Act will never be run for personal profit. This means no advertisement, no premium schemes, and no LinkBucks. Megaupload is used because it strikes a fair balance between ease of upload and ease of download.

Wednesday 30 March 2011

Vomitor - Devils Poison [2010]

I could quite easily spend this post rhapsodizing about Vomitor as well, but instead I'll get to the nitty-gritty: this is Vomitor's sophomore album, and presents an approach to songwriting with more hooks than their debut, even though standout closer 'Neutron Hammer' has been a staple of theirs for years.

~220 kbps VBR

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Vomitor - Bleeding The Priest [2002]

Vomitor are one of the best underground metal bands of the recent years; this is their debut, and it is truly a cracking piece of necro black/death/thrash metal. They do produce some brilliant stuff down under.

192 kbps

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Portal - Swarth [2009]

This is some of the weirdest metal around at the moment. Truly in the avant-garde school, this relies heavily on dissonance and noise, certainly more so than melody and typical structure. It's a truly fascinating album, although maybe not one you'll want to listen to too often.

192 kbps

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Watain - Lawless Darkness [2010]

Taking their name from a Von song, yet somewhat more melodic than that particular pioneer of 'necro' black metal, this is, in my humble opinion, Watain's best, having enjoyed, but not been overly enthralled by, 'Sworn To The Dark'. 'Reaping Death' was even a single.

256 kbps

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Tuesday 29 March 2011

Judas Priest - Painkiller [1990]

Judas Priest's other truly great album, although this came 14 years after 'Sad Wings...', the Priest was truly on top form. The title track is one of the most famous metal songs of all time, and certainly better than their other famous one, the tedious 'Breaking The Law'.

320 kbps

DMCA came calling.

Judas Priest - Sad Wings Of Destiny [1976]

Judas Priest are naturally legends of the metal genre, and this is their best album. This arguably started the NWOBHM. There isn't much to say about this one that hasn't already been said, so just go for it.

128 kbps

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Venom - Black Metal [1982]

Arguably the album that started the black metal genre, if not by nature, then certainly by name, and it's a cracker. Aged well like champagne, yet infused with piss and vinegar, each song on this is memorable. Hark back to the days when metal bands wrote songs.

192 kbps

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V/A - Grind Madness At The BBC [2009]

This is one of the best things Earache has released in a long time - a compilation of BBC sessions featuring Napalm Death, Carcass, Bolt Thrower, Intense Degree, Heresy, Godflesh, Extreme Noise Terror and Unseen Terror. For it's entirety, it's simply great - well, all of the contributors are/were greats of their respective genres.

N.B. This file is 350mb, so it will take a while, and at least an hour.

~230 kbps VBR

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Insect Warfare - World Extermination [2007]

Earache Records called this 'the best grindcore release since From Enslavement To Obliteration'; whilst I wouldn't go that far, it is still damn good, and already a grind classic. It doesn't fuck around, just goes for the throat like all good grind should.

~300 kbps VBR

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Absu - Absu [2009]

Having previously posted 'Tara', I felt I should post the album that Absu made their fans wait 8 years for after that, its predecessor. Still a fun mix of black and thrash metal, although it's not as good as 'Tara', it's very close. 'Amy' is brilliant.

~220 kbps VBR

Link was taken down. Comment on this if you would like to see a reupload.

Saturday 26 March 2011

Ulver - Nattens Madrigal: Aatte Hymne Til Ulven I Manden [1997]

Although not quite as good as 'Bergtatt', Ulver on this still created a late masterpiece of the second wave of Norwegian black metal. Those of you who know the odd word of Norwegian should notice that this is as close to an eponymous album as Ulver have ever come.

~175 kbps VBR

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Black Flag - My War [1983]

This is my favourite Black Flag album; along with the Melvins, it was one of the early pioneers of the sludge sound on its second side, along with some brilliant punky songs on the first side. Unbelievably good.

128 kbps

DMCA came calling.

Black Flag - Damaged [1981]

Black Flag are (were) one of the pioneers of hardcore punk, and this is, for me, their best *hardcore* release (personally I prefer 'My War'). If I had any reason at all to suspect that rumours of a reunion at Leeds fest were true, I would quite happily fork out the money for a ticket.

192 kbps

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Vader - Impressions In Blood [2006]

This album comes on a request - personally, I don't think it's all that good, and it delayed me from checking out their masterpiece 'De Profundis' for quite a while. That said, it still features at least a couple of nice songs, in particular 'As Heavens Collide' and 'Helleluyah (sic) (God Is Dead)'.

320 kbps

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Autopsy - Mental Funeral [1991]

Autopsy's best album. Whilst many fans started with 'Severed Survival' and moved onwards in the discography, this is their best, full stop, and it shows the start of the filthy, sludgy death metal they would become renowned for. Features their 'anthem', 'In The Grip Of Winter'.

~160 kbps VBR

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Autopsy - Severed Survival [1989]

This is the 2003 reissue of this classic album, but I used the original artwork because I prefer it. Formed by Chris Reifert after he left Death, this debut release shows far more of a thrashy approach than later doomy releases would. Almost on par with 'Mental Funeral'.

192 kbps

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Aura Noir - Hades Rise [2008]

Aura Noir, on this 2008 release, created one of the modern classics of black/thrash. This is just great fun throughout its 38 minutes. Worth the price of admission (here, none) just for standout track 'Schitzoid Paranoid'.

128 kbps

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Code - Resplendent Grotesque [2009]

This is Code's most recent album from 2009, and it is also their best. With pretty much all of the DSBM tendencies dropped, this is no-holds barred experimentation, which equates to an album of songs. And I mean songs. Nearly every track on here takes the popular structure, with giant hooks in each one, but this is somehow seamlessly blended into the black metal template.

320 kbps

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Thursday 24 March 2011

Code - Nouveau Gloaming [2005]

This is Code's debut album, and bloody hell, it's good. It features different versions of a few tracks from the demo, and a few new songs ('Cotton Optic' is a standout'). I love this album, and nearly every metal fan I've played it to has too. Get it.

320 kbps

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Code - Neurotransmissions: Amplified Thought Chemistry demo [2002]

Code are one of my favourite bands, and this, their debut demo, is a sign of things to come. Coming for from the DSBM end of the spectrum than the experimental edge of their later releases, this is a great demo and a release which I treasure highly.

256 kbps

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Windir - Arntor [1998]

Windir were the pioneers of 'viking' metal (God I hate that tag), and to me, this is their best album. Expansive soundscapes mix beautifully with black metal and folk elements. This is a true masterpiece.

192 kbps

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Anaal Nathrakh - In The Constellation Of The Black Widow [2009]

This, along with the previously posted 'Domine Non Es Dignus', is my favourite Anaal Nathrakh album. It has the batshit insane ferocity with plenty of songwriting hooks, which to a certain extent is where their debut 'The Codex Necro' falls flat (still a damn good album, and 'Pandemonic Hyperblast' is a classic). Writing about this makes me really look forward to 'Passion', which comes out on the 23rd of May (although I hear it's leaked, which I may have to investigate...).

~280 kbps VBR

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Anaal Nathrakh - Eschaton [2006]

Okay, so this isn't Anaal Nathrakh's best album, but it is still damn good. Probably the album of theirs to feature the most industrial elements (particularly apparent on 'Regression To The Mean'), this is still Anaal Nathrakh, and thus will still majorly fuck you up.

128 kbps (again, had this one ages, and this means it's only 29 MB)

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Violator - Chemical Assault [2006]

In my last post, I mentioned that I felt that Violator were one of the best bands of the thrash revival. This should show why - derivative, but in a hugely enjoyable way, Violator follow all the cliches of thrash, but do it damn well. Those riffs.

320 kbps

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Vektor - Black Future [2009]

Vektor are the thrash revival band who best invoke the spirit of Voivod. Their technical thrash is hugely reminiscent of the 'vod's best moments, and this whole album is proof that Vektor are one of the best bands of said thrash revival, in my eyes, along with SSS and Violator.

320 kbps

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Absu - Tara [2001]

Absu, despite being deeply obssessed with Irish mythology, are actually from the USA. They're quite different from the usual USBM sound in that they're quite thrashy, as opposed to the Leviathan/Xasthur/Weakling axis of depression and indeed oppression. This is their defining moment, no matter what purists will tell you about 'Barathrum V.I.T.R.I.O.L.' (which is nonetheless an excellent album).

128 kbps (sorry, had this one a long time before I gave a damn about sound quality)

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Turisas - The Heart Of Turisas EP [2001]

And this is where it all started - Turisas's debut EP from 2001 is just 15 minutes long, but, like everything else they released, is a whole lot of fun. It includes an early version of the song 'Battle Metal', and even a Mary Hopkin cover!

192 kbps

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Turisas - Stand Up And Fight [2011]

This is probably on par with that Hammerfall one for the most ridiculous, overblown album I have posted here. Nearly all of the folk influence has gone from Turisas' sound, and the cheese has been cranked up to max. Still, it's great fun. and highly recommended.

~235 kbps VBR

DMCA came calling.

Trap Them - Darker Handcraft [2011]

Trap Them have long been producing quality slabs of death metal-influenced hardcore/grind (well, for 4 years anyway). This is no exception - continuing from where 'Seizures In Barren Praise' left off in spectacular style, this is a must for anyone who likes aggressive music.

N.B. Reading that first sentence I should stress: this is NOT deathcore.

320 kbps

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Tuesday 22 March 2011

Threshold - Psychedelicatessen [1994]

Threshold really don't receive the attention they deserve - for instance, they're MILES better than the vast majority of Dream Theater's catalogue, not to mention being far more consistent. This is my favourite album of theirs that I've heard so far - give it a go if you like well-executed prog metal.

192 kbps

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Thergothon - Fhtagn Nagh Yog-Sothoth demo [1991]

This demo, Thergothon's only release aside from the genre-defining, pioneering 'Stream From The Heavens', is a rawer take on two songs that would later appear on 'Stream...', and two additional songs that cannot be found anywhere else. This is a bit of a lost gem. Get it.

320 kbps

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Shining - Blackjazz [2010]

No, not the crazy, suicidal, Swedish Shining fronted by Kvarforth, but rather the crazy, jazzy, Norwegian Shining who play an interesting jazzy take on metal, although not in the same way that Atheist have done for years. This can get slightly grating at times, but it's still an enjoyable listen.

~280 kbps VBR

DMCA came calling.

Satan - Live In The Act [2004]

I've posted the album that this album's name is a take on, and even named the blog after it... you might be able to guess by now that I'm quite a Satan fan - which I am, I can't get enough of their off-kilter version of the NWOBHM sound. This has somewhat weaker vocals than the studio version, but to be fair, it is a live version and twenty years on.

128 kbps

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Run-DMC - Run-D.M.C. [1984]

Another departure from the metal - did I mention I love a lot of 80s/early 90s hip hop? This rarely stays up on any blog long, so get it quickly - it's a classic piece, and few people haven't heard the classic 'It's Like That'.

192 kbps

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Negură Bunget - 'N Crugu Bradului [2003]

Negură Bunget from Romania have long been one of the forerunners of the folk/black metal scene, although their implementation of Romanian folk into the BM sound is somewhat different from the normal implementation of Scandinavian or Teutonic folk offered by most of the scene. This is a good example of that, coming before their breakthrough album, 2006's 'Om'.

EDIT: This is not actually an EP.

320 kbps

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Nasum - Human 2.0 [2000]

The demise of Mieszko Talarczyk in the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 was a shock to the grind world, although I wouldn't have known - I was still listening to Green Day! Throughout their career, Nasum had produced fine albums of pure grindcore rage, and this is no exception. Rest in peace.

320 kbps

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Morbid Angel/Slaughter Lord split BOOTLEG [1987]




















This split, apparently recorded live on Morbid Angel's part, is an interesting three track piece - one ('Funeralled') from the legends Morbid Angel, showcasing the style that would later become more well known on 'Altars Of Madness', and two from underappreciated Aussie death metallers Slaughter Lord - and it is those, with a better production, yet still a really filthy, old school sound, that really stand out here.

256 kbps

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Mongo Ninja - ...And The Wrist Is History [2009]

N.B. I haven't a clue why I accidentally labelled the archive as 2004, but the contents are correctly labelled.

Mongo Ninja are a side project of Emperor's vocalist Bård, although 'side project of Blood Tsunami' would perhaps now be more appropriate. Nonetheless, they play super aggressive crossover, with a hint of trad metal influence in the mix too, Good old fashioned fun.

~250 kbps VBR

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Metal Church - Metal Church [1985]

Criminally underrated, Metal Church's debut is, like Exciter, well along the lines of those two classic thrash debuts 'Kill 'Em All' and 'Show No Mercy'. That's not to say it's at all derivative - with indisputable songwriting chops and classic vocals, this is a thrash classic that stands up on its own.

192 kbps

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Mastodon - Live At The Aragon [2011]

Although I was personally a little disappointed by Mastodon's last album, 'Crack The Skye', this has caused me to a certain extent to reevaluate my opinion on the music, marred as it were by a wafer-thin production. Translated to the live arena, those songs are clearly great. Nice to see songs off 'Remission' being played as well.

~275 kbps VBR

Link was taken down. Comment on this if you would like to see a reupload.

John Zorn - Naked City [1989]

John Zorn is the place to go for the avant-garde, which usually, as it does on this, translates to a delicious platter of his 'hardcore jazz'. This is his most famous album, with his backing group Naked City (forgive me if I'm wrong, but I believe they were so named for the purposes of this album).

192 kbps

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Hail Of Bullets - On Divine Winds [2010]

When it comes to death metal, don't fuck with the Dutch. I'm not sure whether I mentioned in my earlier Aspyhx posts the sheer quality of Van Drunen's vocals, but they fit here with the themes of war perfectly, combining with the instrumentation to create a full-blooded death metal onslaught.

320 kbps

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Ghost - Opus Eponymous [2010]

Whether or not you think that their Satanic approach and lyrics are a gimmick, there's no denying that this, Ghost's debut album, is at the head of the current retro-rock trend, along with Jex Thoth and Devil. Any fan of Blue Öyster Cult should enjoy this immensely.

320 kbps

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Monday 21 March 2011

Anaal Nathrakh - Domine Non Es Dignus [2004]

This, Anaal Nathrakh's second album shows an approach with more emphasis perhaps on songwriting than 'The Codex Necro's 'Pandemonic Hyperblast' (which is actually an apt description). If Nathrakh's fine misanthropic art can be called 'songs'.

~215 kbps VBR

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Sunday 20 March 2011

Fuck Beherit - Do Beherit rehearsal demo [1992]

I'll be honest. This is pretty damn awful. Its status as metal is questionable solely because its production is so bad I can't tell if anything but drums and vocals exist. Formed as a protest against/spoof of Beherit, this is only worth listening to as a piece of metal history - it serves no other purpose. Whilst some kvltists may deem this 'the best thing ever', presumably because Beherit themselves are too 'mainstream', it's really not. No artwork exists for this, as it was only ever intended as a rehearsal demo. They had no official releases, not even a demo.

Some tracks are 160 kbps, others are 320.

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Fen - Epoch [2011]

On Fen's full-length debut, 2009's 'The Malediction Fields', they proved that the mixture of shoegaze, post-rock and black metal that has been so popular of late isn't exclusively limited to France and the USA. This improves on that debut.

~210 kbps VBR

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Fatality - Beers From The Grave [2009]

This piece of thrash from Canada is a little-known part of the thrash resurgence. I've got to admit, it's nothing special, but it kept me entertained for its 35 minutes running time, and although I can't remember much of it now, it's an album that I would quite like to listen to more.

320 kbps

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Falkenbach - Tiurida [2011]

N.B. The artwork shown is for the vinyl version of this album: this is not off the vinyl version, I just prefer the artwork.
Falkenbach, essentially a one-man project from Vratyas Vakyas with session musicians, has long been one of the best practitioners of the folk/black metal sound. Although it's been a long six year wait since his last, 2005's 'Heralding - The Fireblade', it's certainly worth it.

~240 kbps VBR

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Exhorder - Slaughter In The Vatican [1990]

Pantera have no claim to the creation of the groove metal sound, for this predated Pantera's first groove album, 'Vulgar Display Of Power' (I don't care to debate that) by some 2 years. Typically shocking ideas that were staple in metal at the time are shown just by the title and the artwork.

320 kbps

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Dream Theater - Images And Words [1992]

This is a masterpiece of progressive metal - there's a reason why it's commonly viewed as a classic. Here, Dream Theater flexed their collective composition muscles like they never would again, and indeed never had in the past. Mike Portnoy's drumming will be missed by them.

320 kbps

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