Haus Arafna - Butterfly [2003]

A great album by a great power electronics band, no more description needed. If you like the genre or you want to try it I strongly recommend this, isn't too harsh, isn't too noisy but retains the disturbing/shocking factor of the genre. Expect more from this band during the rest of the week.

MP3, 192 kbps

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Sleep - Dopesmoker [2003]

Behold the masterpiece of stonner metal that was missing around here!

With this I present you the single most epic weed song of all time. So huge that when the record label at the time it was supposed to be released originally, refused to do it without splinting the song, Sleep members fought each other so bad that ended up disbanding. And if the song was that important to them who are you to say something bad about it?

MP3, 320 kbps

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Deicide - Deicide [1990]

Nothing like a classic to improve the (good) day somewhat. Deicide have two of them - this, and Legion, both of which are commonly held (including by yours truly) in fairly high regard. Notwithstanding Benton's awful live record and childish antics, Deicide are worth any metalhead's time.

160 kbps

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Modern Jazz Quartet - In A Crowd [1956]

First post here, many more to come. Since this blog is heavy on metal and hardcore I think I'l bring you other genres and styles, that you possibly never heard of or never heard much before.

So has my first contribution I bring you the great quartet formed by John Lewis, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath and Connie Kay, piano, vibes, upright bass and drums, on a gentle jazz with both blues and classical influences, this is a peak on Milt Jackson's long and prosperous career and shouldn't be left out of any jazz collection, in other words this is very, very good.

Persona 101: As this sound recording was made over 50 years ago, it is out of copyright and is thus a legal download.

Mp3, 320 kbps

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Anaal Nathrakh - Discography [2001-2011]

Anaal Nathrakh are a special band for me - their song 'Between Shit And Piss We Are Born' was one of the first extreme metal efforts I heard, and I loved it instantly. This is their discography - although all of it has already been posted on the blog, I thought I'd upload it in an index post. This contains all the releases except for the demos, which are contained as part of the 'Total Fucking Necro' compilation, and the recent Decibel Flexi Series EP. I've included a .dlc file, which is a download container - use it with a program like the excellent JDownloader to get an automated download of all the files.

Link taken down. Comment to see a reupload!
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Domine Non Es Dignus [2004]
Eschaton [2006]
Link taken down. Comment to see a reupload!
In The Constellation Of The Black Widow [2009]
Passion [2011]
DLC FILE (Mediafire)

Cradle Of Filth - Vempire (Or Dark Faerytales In Phallustein) EP [1996]

This is the pinnacle of Cradle Of Filth's reasonable symphonic black metal work, before they started making 'gothy' shtick for overweight teenage girls. Ahem. Every single track on here is very good, and were all Cradle live staples for a long time (as evidenced by the excellent Live Bait For The Dead). Don't presume their entire body of work sounds like Nymphetamine.

128 kbps

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Esoteric - The Maniacal Vale [2008]

Ah, Esoteric. The first funeral doom band I heard - after a place in the album of the year list of Terrorizer, if I remember correctly. The thing about this is that it somehow manages to make an album of 100 minutes, no less, stay interesting throughout. With a perfect production, which complements the style brilliantly, to make the whole album have an almost erotic feeling about it, I cannot see why this album does not get the critical attention of Evoken, Skepticism, or even their own Subconscious Dissolution Into The Continuum.

~200 kbps VBR

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Weekly album analysis, week 1

I thought I'd start a new series on this 'ere blog. The idea will be to start a series of posts with no downloads, but including my initial thoughts on albums which I have heard for the very first (and possibly second and third times) in the preceding seven days. Let me know what you think of the idea.

Disease Process - Disease Process demo [2011]

This is good, solid grind. It's far from original, and the production is a bit lacking - but hey, it's a demo. It's also legally available on t'interwebs, but I forget where. Worth a listen or two, but don't worry if you never hear it, either. [7/10]

Enemy Soil - Ruin Of Eden  [1997]

Despite these two coming up next to each other, I don't spend all my time listening to grindcore, honest! Ruin Of Eden is a classic of its genre, and to be honest, it's a little bit embarrassing that I've gone this far without listening to it before. That is something I shall be rectifying soon... with vigour! Ahem. Certainly a fantastic release. Recommended to anyone who likes their music fast, loud and simple. [9/10]

Gnaw Their Tongues - Dimlit Hate Cellar EP [2010]


This is one of GTT's less noisy, and thus more accessible releases, especially considering it's split into four tracks, each at around the five minute length. To be honest though, it's not particularly impressive, considering quite the amount of venom and hatred one can hear in their other releases, compared to which this is somewhat lacking. [5/10]

Gris - Il Était Une Forêt... [2007]

Although the DSBM subgenre may have got started back around the turn of the millenium, many of its most influential releases are more recent, this being one of them. I'm not the greatest fan of the genre, but I can recognize a quality album within it, and this is one of them. It's perhaps a little long, but that may just be me tiring of the style. [8/10]

Hades Archer - For The Diabolical Ages [2011]


I know that my fellow author HeySharpshooter is a great fan of this album, and I can see why - it's a great mixture of black and death metal, and it's done well. I don't treat it with quite the adulation that he does, but I can see it's an album which is well above average. Worth getting. [7/10]

Loudblast - Sensorial Treatment [1989]


Being pre-90s death metal, it could be guessed that for this to be a good album, it would probably be laden with hooks. And it is; although it's not quite on the same level as the Floridian scene of around the same time, the French have always hit well and hard within the metal spectrum, and this is no exception. [7/10]

Monks Of The Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery - Ritual Music Of Tibetan Buddhism And Tantric Hymns [1991]


This style of music is almost new to me - although I've enjoyed most of the ritual ambient I've heard, pure ritual music is something I have never in the past paid attention to. To be honest, I'm not going to much - I downloaded it on a whim after someone on a blog I follow (which one, I haven't a clue) compared it to drone. It's like bad drone, in that it bores me. [3/10]

Motley Crue - Girls, Girls, Girls [1987]

I won't pretend that I went into this one without preconceptions; to do so would be to lie to myself and you. Considering I've been avoiding listening to them for years, this was very unsurprising to me - it's a piss-poor album, no two ways about it. But then, that could be applied to most of glam, and on the flipside this does end up on the better end of that genre. [2/10]

Nekrofilth - Worship Destruction  [2011]

After being impressed by them on this year's split with Nunslaughter (whose half was weak in comparison), I sought out this, their full-length, if you can call it that at around the 20 minute mark. It is what it is; solid thrashy death metal, which is full of hooks (in other words, done right for the genre). Certainly punching above their weight; good things should come to them. [9/10]

Nightbringer - Hierophany Of The Open Grave [2011]

Up until now, Nightbringer have seemed to be treading water with their raging Deathspell-isms - even on their previous best, 2010's Apocalypse Sun, they seemed to essentially create a mixture of Deathspell's Kenose and Fas.... On this, however, they've truly developed their own style - although their dissonant approach to black metal is still highly reminiscent of the French axis, they now play in such a way that it would be difficult to truly draw parallels with any of the major players in that scene. [9/10]

Opeth - Heritage [2011]

Weak 70s style prog. Want to hear more? See my review. [2/10]

Skeletal Earth - Eulogy For A Dying Fetus [1991]

This is about as subtle as its title would suggest. Thrashy death in the Ripping Corpse style, except it doesn't quite have the charm of that (divisive) band. Short song lengths help the album, but it would here suggest that the band were worried about keeping the listener's attention for longer. [5/10]

Supreme NTM - J'appuie Sur La Gachette [1993]

French rap. Heh. This is the group who became infamous with the release of the song 'Fuck Tha Police' for the film La Haine, but honestly, I prefer this - it has less of a dependence on that most unlistenable of techniques, 'scratching'. Catchy, and although my French is nowhere near good enough to keep up with most of this, the 'gangsta' style lyrical themes should be made obvious by the song titles. [7/10]

The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out [1959]

When it comes to jazz, swing isn't exactly my favourite style, but this album is done so well, the pieces contained therein having such warmth to them, that I couldn't dislike it. Far from the usual extreme music posted and discussed on this blog, but very good nonetheless. [8/10]

Throbbing Gristle - D.O.A.: The Third And Final Report Of Throbbing Gristle [1978]

Although it took me ages to get around to listening to this, I now see why noise fans speak of it, and other 'old-school industrial', in such revered tones. At times, this is essentially Merzbow, although for most of it, it's somewhat more accessible, with recognizable vocal lines (of course, this is 1978, for fuck's sake!). I've got some catching up to do with this one. [8/10]

Warfare - Metal Anarchy [1985]

Very much similar to Motorhead in their approach to punked up NWOBHM, this is perhaps more to the d-beat end of the spectrum - indeed, they use that in most songs. Coupled with immensely catchy riffs and choruses to last a lifetime, I think I prefer this to Motorhead's classics. [10/10]

Wolves In The Throne Room - Celestial Lineage [2011]

WITTR are often unfortunately lumped in with the 'hipster BM' lot. To be honest, I quite like a lot of this 'hipster black metal', and this, WITTR's final album, is exemplary both of the style, and of their work up to this point - and unfortunately they have deemed this their final release. A great mixture of the more -gazey elements of Two Hunters and the raw aggression of Diadem Of Twelve Stars. [9/10]

Ghost - Demo 2010 [2010]

Apologies for the poor artwork quality.

Whatever you think of Ghost and their brand of rocky heavy/doom metal which just happens to be popular at the moment, along with bands like The Devil's Blood and Blood Ceremony, there is no denying that they are effective at what they do. However, this is unnecessary to all but the greatest fans, or those who don't have the full-length. It essentially sounds the same, but with poorer sound quality.

256 kbps

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REPOST: Bathory - Hammerheart [1990]

After essentially creating black metal with his first three albums, Quorthon decided to create another genre with his second three - although I refuse to label it 'Viking Metal'. Closes with the monumental 'One Road To Asa Bay'.

160kbps

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REPOST: Bathory - Bathory [1984]

There is little argument that this album is one of, if not the only, key album of the first wave of black metal. Tomas 'Quorthon' Forsberg unfortunately passed away, however, in 2004, due to heart failure. RIP.

192 kbps

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REPOST: Bathory - The Return... [1985]

Bathory's second album in 1985 featured a more refined approach than their debut, although not by much, as this is still a raw black/thrash assault. It's a real shock that so much destructive power can be fit into 36 minutes of music.

320 kbps

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Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane [1995]

It doesn't take a genius to work out why I want to post this. Simply put, this is the supreme melodic black metal album - although Sacramentum and many of the Hellenic hordes have released genre classics, this took it a step further, improving on even The Somberlain (which I assure you is a classic in its own right). Consisting of only six songs proper, Dissection don't fuck around on this.

256 kbps

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REVIEW: Opeth - Heritage [2011]

So here is the album on which Akerfeldt has finally dropped his harsh vocals. This may have come as a surprise, but Opeth’s progression over the years (from fairly standard death/doom on albums like Orchid and My Arms, Your Hearse to ever more progressive styles on later albums, really starting with Still Life but coming into full swing by its follow-up, Blackwater Park) should have made it clear that this was going to happen.

Indeed, not only has he limited himself to clean vocals, but nearly all semblances of metallic riffs are gone. This is, in essence, a progressive rock album – and it goes 70s all the way (which is evident from the awful artwork alone) – although this may please fans of retro-rock, it is almost undeniable that instruments like the mellotron haven't been used in rock or metal for a long time because they do not fit with modern production values, and either drift into the background or stick out like a sore thumb. This is indeed something which afflicts Heritage – the balance is rarely correct, as the... thing seems to hold a very consistent volume throughout the louder and quieter parts of the album which creates a fantastic feat in being able to take the worst ailments of two extremes and combining them.

This is exacerbated by the sheer lack of interest in which the instrument is used – the way Opeth use it, one would think it had a range in pitch of 6 or 7 semitones. Unfortunately, all the other instruments are treated in the same way – despite their descent in quality (which, over the last few albums, has been rather rapid), one of Opeth’s strengths has always been creating instrumental parts which are compositionally intriguing. This is gone. Simply slipped away to whatever far away planet Opeth have left their inspiration at between albums.

This wouldn’t be a problem – indeed, many bands write interesting music with little or no tonality – but the riffs, while complex, simply have no staying power with the listener. No riff like the opener of ‘The Grand Conjuration’, no riff like those in ‘Demon Of The Fall’, simply nothing. This is inexcusable – not just for a metal album (which this quite plainly is not), but for any rock album whatsoever. The only remotely memorable riff is that which opens ‘The Devil’s Orchard’ – at least the band seem to know which strong material to premiere before the album’s release.

That’s not to say that this is not quite clearly an Opeth album – the vocals should be a clue, but the key pointer should be the meandering middle sections, which often span several minutes. This is generally a good idea in progressive rock, but these sections are applied so liberally that individual songs often cease to have any reasonable form or structure. Those who would defend the album (and several have told me this already) claim that it is ‘classically informed’. Is it fuck. Whilst yes, classical music may share the preponderance to expand over a length of time, it is key to note one point – that when it is done in classical composition, it tends to at least have some motif or other recurring theme upon which variations are done, rather than disjointedly breaking from one section into another – a curse which Opeth seem not to be able to rid themselves of.

I’m sure that the aforementioned lack of harsh vocals will end up being the main talking point about this album, and there’s a good reason why. Whilst I have praised Akerfeldt’s work in Bloodbath, and indeed earlier Opeth, that is purely for his harshes. They have a richness to them, amplified by the warm production on those albums, which make them a joy to listen to. By comparison, and indeed by comparison to most vocalists, his cleans fall well short. They’re not unlistenable, but purely lacklustre. They sound as though there is no effort being put into them, and thus emotionless.

Simply put, this album is Damnation part 2. The least critically acclaimed album in Opeth’s back catalogue, essentially replicated, but somehow they’ve managed to remove all the parts which made even that album the least bit palatable along the way. Sadly, Akerfeldt is resolute in his direction, and I really doubt now, moreso than ever before, that Opeth will ever release another good album.

Mediafire 

The link is from http://thetroopersofmetal.blogspot.com/

Cannibal Corpse - Butchered At Birth [1991]

The first of Cannibal's truly infamous albums, this is, surprisingly enough, not all hype. It's a reasonable death metal album for its time - it's not perfect, and not on the standard of Tomb Of The Mutilated, but it still is worth a good listen.

320 kbps

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Camel - Mirage [1974]

Now it's time for some classic pro uploading! Whilst some newcomers to prog may be scratching their heads looking at the album cover rest assured that this is a prog classic up there with the likes of Red (King Crimson), Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd) and Selling England By The Pound (Genesis).

Camel's sound on this record is an interesting one as although it doesn't borrow too heavily from other bands its sound is what a lot of us would think of straight away when "70s prog rock". Interesting instrumentation, use of flutes, extended suits etc. Something interesting to note would be the singer who isn't a great singer like Jon Anderson or Peter Gabriel so consequently the vocals are not, in the owner of this blog's own words 'gay-prog-vocals', and this does count in Camel's favor as more focus is given to instrumentation which this album has in spades.

This is a 5 track affair; 2 of which are instrumental ('Supertwister' and 'Earthrise'... the former being fantastic), 1 "straight forward" sounding prog song ('Freefall') and 2 mind-blowing extended songs ('Nimrodel/The Procession/The White Rider' and 'Lady Fantasy Suite: Encounter/Smiles For You/Lady Fantasy')

Give this one a listen and don't let in fall wrongly in the shadow of the more famous prog greats

(enjoy the slightly predictable bonus tracks of live material and an early mix).

256kbps

Link taken down. Comment to see a reupload!

Persona 101: Edited for spelling and date settings, and I'll add that I agree, this is an awesome album.

Cryptopsy - None So Vile [1996]

Another one of the best technical death metal albums ever. Although The Unspoken King might have (quite rightly) garnered quite a few detractors, there is no denying the quality of this. It has extra nostalgic value for me as one of the albums which got me into death metal - the balance of technicalility with songwriting and a subtle sense of melody at times borders on the divine.

320 kbps

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REPOST: Sarcófago - INRI [1987]

Sarcófago's debut album from 1987. Includes 11 tracks of pure raw black/thrash metal, and some spectacular Engrish to boot! An indisputable classic.

128 kbps

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Carach Angren - Death Came Through A Phantom Ship [2010]

Despite the insanely cheesy cover art, this is symphonic black metal done well, not done Dimmu. It is incredibly clean in its production, and I won't deny that that does harm the album a little, but its other qualities (more than capable musicianship coupled with great songwriting and a good sense of when symphonic elements should fuck right off) make this an album worth listening to. That said, if you find Emperor to be overly bombastic, stay the hell away from this.

320 kbps

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Cradle Of Filth - The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh [1994]

However you feel about Cradle Of Filth's later output (and there is some of it coming), there is no denying that there earlier works rivalled Emperor in their pompously symphonic approach to black metal. This is certainly raw compared to later releases - I personally really enjoy it, although the vocals on this particular release are not well developed and get monotonous at times.

128 kbps

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Discharge - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing [1982]

Disfear. Dishammer. Disclose. Napalm Death. All bands heavily inspired by Discharge, and in particular by this album. Hardcore punk was redefined the moment this was released - although it had existed before, particularly through the media of the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag, this revolutionized it. It even has early traces of the desolate feeling of crust in it. This is the 'Reign In Blood', the 'De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas', the 'Altars Of Madness' of hardcore. It's abso-fucking-lutely essential.

N.B. This is the 2003 Castle Records reissue, with fucktons of bonus tracks.

192 kbps

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Lazuli - (4603 Battements) [2011]

This one's a little out of my usual musical specialty zone but, I love it. One day I was cruising through the interwebz when I came across a number of recommendations for this album all at the same time. Curious, I decided to do my usual band research and found that they were a relatively unknown French progressive rock band. I know what that looks like, pretentiousness piled on top of more pretentiousness, but don't prejudge and stay with me here. This album is full of absolutely brilliant composition, the songs here all carry a great atmosphere and the French vocals (whether you can understand them or not) add a really nice effect in a musical world dominated by English speaking bands. There are some great moments; calm, ambient, vocal driven tracks and heavier rocky tracks with some excellent solos. Of special mention is the one at the end of 'Dans le formol au muséum' which easily grabs the title of solo of the year so far. Whether you're a prog rock fan or not this album's worth a good chunk of your undivided attention, I recommend to anyone. Enjoy.

.mp3 @ 320 kbps

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Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales EP [1984]

Don't be fucking with Celtic Frost. This is perhaps their best EP (although I also love Emperor's Return (coming soon) and Tragic Serenades. Straight off the back of Hellhammer, this blends that style with the more refined sound that was to come on To Mega Therion.

128 kbps

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REVIEW: Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events [2011]

As you may have noticed from my posts on this blog, I'm a huge Dream Theater fan. However I - as I'm sure many other DT fans were - was a little apprehensive regarding the first album from the proggy-power-metally quintet without founding drummer and primary songwriter Mike Portnoy. Having watched the audition video the band released (and personally thinking Marco Minneman was a better drummer), I was interested but cautious about the new album.

To my relief, "A Dramatic Turn of Events" sounds very much like a Dream Theater album. But perhaps that is also the problem. As a whole, the album sounds very much like the band's previous efforts. In particular, the album opener "On the Backs of Angels" borrows heavily from the band's best-known song, "Pull Me Under". And the similarities don't stop there. "Build Me Up, Break Me Down" sounds like "The Root of All Evil". "This is the Life" sounds like "The Spirit Carries On". Even the album cover follows the well-established Dream Theater artwork trend of being terrible.

However, this means in no way that "ADToE" is a bad album. The songs the album draws heavily from are all very good songs, so it stands to reason that these new songs are also good. However, more or less everything on the album has been done before, and better.

Which brings me on to the curious case of Mike Mangini. One thing that became very apparent from his audition video was that Mangini was trying his level best to replicate Portnoy's drumming to a tee. And while he does this very well, it hasn't exactly helped revitalise the band as all the interviews and TV spots said it would. This Portnoy-copying reflects on the album as well, with Mangini's drum parts proving very similar to what has come before (though in his defense, the album was more or less completely written before Mangini joined the band).

To summarise then, even though the tracks on the album are good (if I had to pick a favourite it would be "Outcry"), this is a fairly standard effort from Dream Theater, that I doubt will hold any classics to its name in years to come.


7/10

Cannibal Corpse - Eaten Back To Life [1990]

Whether you love or hate Cannibal Corpse, there is no denying that they are now one of the most successful bands in death metal, if not the most. This is their 1990 debut, and there is a refreshing difference from their other Barnes-era material - his vocals are higher pitched, a more thrash-like scream. This sits very well with me - this is a great album.

128 kbps

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Chronocide - The Solitude Of Man + Ira EP [2010]

I'm using this artwork because I can't easily find good quality artwork for the full-length. Chronocide were probably my favourite emergent band of last year, and both the EP and the full-length (both included here) are incredible. Blackened death metal as it should be done. 'Children Of Thalidomide' is an incredible song.

I believe that the EP tracks are unchanged as they appear on the album.

Both VBR @ ~220 kbps

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