Napalm Death - Utopia Banished [1992]

Although, strictly speaking, Napalm Death's late 80s/early 90s heyday had probably ended by the time Utopia Banished came to fruition, it's just about similar enough to Harmony Corruption to be included in that era by some - and it's a solid album. Although the riffing style is much closer to the semi-dissonant approach used in the Diatribes era, the songs themselves are much more visceral and aggressive than most of the band's late 90s output. In particular, 'Cause And Effect (Part 2)' and 'Got Time To Kill' are stunning efforts which fit well among the death/grind of the previous few years. It's also, in my eyes, Barney Greenway's best vocal performance on any Napalm Death album, although it's a narrow matter as his style changed very little over the years. Still, a recommended album.

160 kbps

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Mortification - Scrolls Of The Megilloth [1992]

I may be a mysterious enigma, but my reasons for uploading this now are actually fairly straightforward. One, it's a fantastic album. Two, the new EP of theirs popped up in an RSS feed of mine, which prompted me to post this (I've been intending to for quite a while). Mortification are an Australian thrashy death metal band who are mostly talked about for their Christian lyrical themes, but don't be dissuaded, the music is not in the slightest bit gimmicky. Indeed, this is one of the hookiest old school death metal albums you'll hear for a long time - and no, I'm not talking Slaughter Of The Soul hooks, I'm talking vicious, fast-paced hooks. Hooks designed to tear through human flesh.

320 kbps

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Darkthrone - A Blaze In The Northern Sky [1992]

I can't quite believe I haven't posted this one yet. Certainly Darkthrone's best in my (omniscient) opinion, and therefore among the top 5 black metal albums of all time. Although Fenriz has since stated that this album was essentially 'death metal riffs played in a black metal style' in order to meet deadlines for Peaceville, the essence of this album is black metal through and through. Each of the six tracks herein is an acknowledged Darkthrone classic - from the famous opener 'Kathaarian Life Code' via my personal favourite 'In The Shadow Of The Horns' to frosty closer 'The Pagan Winter', every single one hits hard. This is essential for anyone who claims to like metal music.

128 kbps

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Goat Vulva - All demos [1988-1992]

Because we're all kvlt as fvck here at Court In The Act, I thought I'd provide you with some trve fvcking kvltness to begin this moderate-weather day. Goat Vulva is the band which sort of preceded Beherit - I say this because the two were run in parallel for a short while before Goat Vulva was finished in 1992. The production is sloppy, for sure, and if Beherit is too harsh for you looking elsewhere for your musical kicks might be an idea, but for degenerate kvlt fvckers like the rest of you (I will never use a v in place of a u again, promise! ...well, until the next black metal post), this could hit the mark. Included here are each of the five demos (Crucifixions, Blasphemous Sexfago, Baphometal, Capella, Erotic Worship) - some of them are sloppy to the extent of coming across as just noise, but on some of the others, an early inkling of the Beherit style starts to shine through.

Bitrate varies from 128 to 320 kbps

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90's Death Metal That Doesn't Suck: Belial - Wisdom of Darkness [1992]

Long story short, I heard Swedish Death Metal band Authorize today for the first time, and holy shit are they bad. Like, some of the worst shit I have heard in a long time.

Now listen, in the name of full disclosure, I will point out that as a rule, I don't like Swedish Death Metal. It's too melodic... too Iron Maiden-y for my taste. I like my Death Metal either: A. Strange B. Dense and atmospheric or C. Complex. Swedish Death Metal is none of those. They all sound the same, all have the same production... the all even look the same.

That said, I am willing to meet everyone half way in most situations. True, I can't listen to Like An Everflowing Stream all the way through without giving up and playing Onward to Golgotha instead, but I would not say it is a bad album. For what it is, Like An Everflowing Stream is a competent, tight slice of Death Metal I just happen to find boring. But Authorize? Holy fuck are they bad. I thought Grave and Unleashed were horrible before, but I would listen to those two for the rest of my life than ever be subjugated to fucking Authorize again. Of course, a quick Interwebz search has me finding all kinds of "under-rated and over-looked classic" and "shits all over modern Death Metal" nonsense. Ugh.

To wash my ears clean of this filth, and to please the readers, I give you Finland's Belial. Like many Death Metal acts from the 90's, Belial ended up changing genre's later on before breaking up, and only ended with a modest discography. But when they were playing Death Metal, they were playing fucking Death Metal. Blackened, Doom-infused Death Metal that brings to mind a twisted mix of Incantation and Demigod, with Mayhem providing a few guest appearances. Also, they are from Finland. Which means they rule. Fact. Wisdom of Darkness was in my opinion the bands best release, so go ahead and enjoy it. And for fucks sake, listen to some Cephalic Carnage or some shit too. ANYTHING but Authorize.

224 kbps

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Madredeus - Lisboa [1992]

So I just realized I don't have many metal uploaded but anyways... Hope you like folky stuff cuz this band plays a mix of folk, neoclassical music and fado, this is also a live recording, but this is probably the best by this group since you can clearly hear all the instruments of the group (vocals, cello, accordion, classical guitar and keyboards). Also another important info is that all the lyrics are awesome but are in Portuguese, hope you don't mind that.

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Deicide - Legion [1992]

Being an old-school death stickler, I firmly believe that only this and the self-titled are truly excellent albums made by Deicide. This has a slightly cleaner production, so it's easier to discern some of the more intricate guitar work than on the debut, but it still has plenty of venom, bile, and great songs like closer 'Revocate The Agitator'.

256 kbps

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Kyuss - Blues For The Red Sun [1992]

Josh Homme, for those who don't know, is most commonly known as the singer/guitarist/head honcho for Queens Of The Stone Age. Before that he was part of the heavy, stomping machine that is Kyuss and this album, Blues For The Red Sun, is by far my favourite of theirs.

This album is regarded as a seminal stoner rock album (along with Sleep's Holy Mountain (Persona 101: I disagree that Holy Mountain is a rock album, but whatever)) and it's easy to see why with the instrumentation/production. The guitar is a wall of chunky heavy sound, the bass rumbling underneath and a slight hollow sound to the drums creating a lazy attack on each beat.

Now a thick, heavy sound is all very well and good, but what of the songs? Well, tracks such as 'Green Machine', 'Apothecaries' Weight' and 'Writhe' should answer that question for you as most tracks on this album are very heavy and, perhaps more importantly, catchy .

Overall this is an album that is always heavy (but not metal) and mostly catchy/interesting. A criticism of this album is that it's a bit too long and by the end I find myself tired of the album (as the sound on this is album is pretty much constant).

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256 kbps

Les Rallizes Dénudés - Cable Hogue Soundtrack [1992]

Here's some pure awesomeness for ya, straight from Japan (again, I gotta start uploads stuff from other countries), they are the fathers of all noise rock. They were formed in 1967 playing minimalist psychedelic rock with some folk influences and most important they used all kinds of distortions, flangers, phasers and feedback through their careers, and that's what they show here, I'm not sure when it was recorded but this is a soundtrack to a documentary about the band, it's kind of a re-do of old material with some new one as well.

Highly influential, obscure and underrated.

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Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids - Family Jams [1992]

What is this? Marilyn Manson before he was known and hadn't the need to try to change the world or create things for the "music market"? Hell yes! At this time Manson had a almost democratic relation with his band and was satirizing America in a more humorous way that's clearly superior to his "serious" side, at least for me.

Mp3, 128Kbps

Mediafire (there's a "n" missing in the file name, but I noticed it after uploading it and I'm not uploading everything again)

At The Gates - The Red In The Sky Is Ours [1992]

Before At The Gates spawned a whole series of crap imitators with Slaughter Of The Soul, they released several classics of the Swedeath genre. This is one of them, and shouldn't be passed up, whatever the fuck the artwork is supposed to be.

~210 kbps VBR

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Burzum - Burzum [1992]

You've probably guessed by now, but I fucking love Burzum. Although this is somewhat more conventional for the time than his later material, it's wonderfully crafted, and often very melodic black metal. The album is worth it just for stand out track 'Ea, Lord Of The Depths'.

192 kbps

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Autopsy - Acts Of The Unspeakable [1992]

Autopsy are fucking awesome. Fact. This album is underrated. Fact. Although I won't be so irreverent as to claim it's on a par with Mental Funeral, the claim of its detractors that the production ruins the album are not true. Sure, it's not perfect, but it doesn't take that much away from a brilliant album.

192 kbps

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Alice In Chains - Dirt [1992]

Alice in Chains are the best grunge band. Yep, I just said it - sorry Nirvana, but this band chews you up and spits you back out faster then you can say "but what about Nevermind". This is the second album from AIC and due wanting a heavier and darker direction for the band lyrically they jumped stright back into the topic (which is a common theme on this album) of addiction which featured on the previous album but now has been "turned up to 11" so to speak. For thoese who did not know AIC's singer Layne Staley was a herion addidict and this addiction he never overcame as he died a recluse in 2002. This album takes the dark sound of grunge and gives it a metal feel with heavy riffs, interesting solos and a unique vocal harmony between Staley and Cantrell (guitarist and backing vocals). Highlights for me would be "Them Bones", "Angry Chair" and "Junkhead" but these are gems in a sea of gold as, for me anyway, only one of these songs is a tad sub-par (God Smack) but is nothing to bring the album much. For a different take on metal and grunge listen to this catchy, heavy, dark album - you will not be disappointed!

MPED-4
128 kbps

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Now once I get back from my trip to Holland, I'll get posting some music by The Cure.

Persona 101: Edited for spelling and grammar.

Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond [1992]

Power metal. Often doesn't do it for me, but I will say that the German variety, which often holds more than a little speed metal influence, and not so much... faggotry, appeases me more often. And I love this album - bombast, speed, choruses, and a cover of Satan's 'Trial By Fire'. What more could you ask for?

128 kbps

Link taken down. Comment to see a reupload!

Anal Cunt - Morbid Florist [1992]

Seth Putnam, the man behind noisegrind pioneers Anal Cunt died a month or so ago - whilst he was undeniably a sociopathic individual, this album is a piece of brilliance. Without having to resort to the wackily offensive song titles shtick of their later career, here, AxCx created a short journey through aural perversion.

320 kbps

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Ministry - Psalm 69 (The Way To Succeed And The Way To Suck Eggs) [1992]

Much like the previously posted 'Sad Wings Of Destiny', this is an album that there isn't really anything new to say about. This essentially started the industrial metal genre (I'm aware that there existed pure industrial before), and has stood the test of time well.

Similar artists: Godflesh, Pitchshifter, Skinny Puppy (I'll admit, I know little about industrial (metal))

192 kbps

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Demigod - Slumber Of Sullen Eyes [1992]

Quite simply an awesome OSDM album from the rather unknown Finnish scene. Sweden usually gets all the credit but there was a great Finnish scene too and their is no better place to start than this album, a personal favourite of mine this album is 'necessary' in your Death Metal collection. It may not be anything new or wildly different to other OSDM but it can easily hold its own against the greats and once again proves that Europeans do it better (that's right, I still can't be bothered to listen to Morbid Angel in serious quantities when there is Death Metal like this around...).

256 kbps

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Demolition Hammer - Epidemic Of Violence [1992]

Well. Well, well, well. This IS brutal. Possibly only matched in brutality within thrash metal by the trinity of 'Spectrum Of Death', 'Darkness Descends' and 'Pleasure To Kill', this is unrelenting from start to finish and is one of the best thrash albums around.

320 kbps

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Cradle of Filth - Orgiastic Pleasures [1992]

What I love so much about this demo is it sounds nothing like later Cradle. This is old school death/thrash. Cradle's signature gothic keyboards are hinted at and sit nicely behind heavy palm muted riffs that fill this demo along with Dani's vocals that centre more around grunts and growls than high wails. Whilst not the most spectacular music this is very good for a demo and it is very interesting to hear how this band's career began.

160 kbps

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