Behold Darkness – Unholy Filth (Psalm 88, 2016) & Behold Darkness / IT – split (Psalm 88, 2015)

Early last year, I discovered Psalm 88, an offshoot of Berkeley, CA-based cassette label Acephale Winter Productions.  While all of the sub-label’s initial batch of wares were impressive in their own right, the one that impressed me the most was Behold Darkness’ I, a gripping nineteen minutes of frozen-soul black metal that was easily the most complete sounding of the four releases reviewed.  Indeed, it was a recording I found myself continuing to revisit on the regular, which is really saying something when one considers how often I burn out on the music I choose to review due to the sheer number of repeat listens involved.

Kriegszittern ist krieg

Kriegszittern are a German duo committed to vomiting up short, sharp shocks of punky, war-obsessed death metal.  Their debut demo was recently committed to tape by the ever-reliable and increasingly prolific Caligari Records, and it’s certainly a must-listen for fans of the genre at its ugliest and most primitive.

Caligari Records Round-up: Gloam, Hadit and Taphos Nomos

Are you guys getting tired of me gushing about Caligari Records yet?  Well if you are, too bad!  The Florida-based label continues to put out some of the finest underground metal you’re likely to come across while leaving no genre stone un-turned.  The label’s latest batch of releases speaks to the impressive diversity of the roster.

Kafirun – Death Worship and Essene – demo (Sol y Nieve, 2014)

Of the handful of cassette-centric labels I’ve developed relationships with over the past few years, Sol y Nieve is surely one of the most exciting.  While they aren’t the most prolific, they stress quality over quantity, and their passion is evident in every aspect of every release, from the music itself on down to the often elaborate packaging.  The label was recently gracious enough to send me a parcel overflowing with releases including the debut demos from Kafirun and Essene.

Church – Unanswered Hymns (Transylvanian Tapes, 2015)

My first exposure to Sacramento’s Church came back in September of last year, when I witnessed them nearly level the Starlite Lounge while opening for the mighty Dispirit.  Like a complete idiot, I didn’t write about them at the time in spite of being thoroughly impressed with their set, largely due to the fact that they didn’t have much of a web presence or any recordings to point IG readers in the direction of (I did however post some footage to my YouTube channel).  But much has changed since that early show; Church have finally released their debut album in the form of Unanswered Hymns and rest assured friends, this three track, forty-five minute long beast is every bit worth the wait.

Abjvration – The Unquenchable Pyre (Caligari Records, 2015)

Caligari Records has proven itself capable of releasing excellent recordings from just about any metallic subgenre they see fit, but some of their very best stuff of late has come from the realm of slow ‘n’ low. Whether it be the Pentagram-esque trad of Denmark’s Demon Head, or the uh, heavy death of Sweden’s Heavydeath, this is a label that knows its doom.  But The Unquenchable Pyre, the debut recording from Abjvration, just might be Caligari’s most debilitatingly heavy offering to date.

Church @ The Press Club, Sacramento, CA 06/04/2015

At this point it’s well documented that shows during the week are typically a no-go for me; I’m a corporate lackey that’s typically in bed by 9:00 pm.  That said, there was no way in hell I was going to miss Church’s tape release / tour kickoff show with Lycus, Usnea and Ufomammut in spite of it taking place late on a Thursday night (shout out to my boss for letting me take off the Friday before a week-long business trip).  The Sacramento doom quintet recently unleashed their absolutely stellar debut album Unanswered Hymns in digital form, but being a physical format guy, I was dying to pick up this three song behemoth in glorious analog and hold it my hands, not to mention the fact that Church are an excellent live unit and I’ll find just about any excuse I can to see them play.

Burnt Hair / Ars Phoenix – Shinju (Dead Tank Records, 2015)

Last year, Gainesville, FL’s Ars Phoenix put out one of the best darkwave albums I’ve heard in quite some time in the form of Violent Rain, a release that combined robotic synths with an icy, sinister vibe to create a delightfully dark yet catchy and at times even danceable take on the genre.  I revisit the album often, so I was quite excited when the band e-mailed to inform me that they had some new material out in the form of a split with fellow Floridians Burnt Hair titled Shinju (“double suicide” in Japanese).

Negative Vortex – Tomb Absolute (Caligari Records, 2015)

I haven’t really heard much straight-up death metal that tickles my fancy in 2015, so it was a pleasant surprise to get a copy of Negative Vortex’s Tomb Absolute in the mail from the ever-reliable Caligari Records.  Indeed, the Oakland, CA-based quartet kicks up quite the storm of burly ‘n’ bulldozing DM on their debut demo, which will surely appeal to fans who can’t get enough of the genre at its most crushingly traditional.

Devilspit – Grim, Hateful and Drunk (Caligari Records, 2015)

With an album title like Grim, Hateful and Drunk, it’s pretty easy to guess what you’re getting from France’s Devilspit.  Filthy, punk-influenced black metal is the name of the game here, so if you’re into similarly scuzzy shit such as Whipstriker and DeathCult, you best grab a bottle or twelve of your favorite rotgut and cuddle up with this disgusting tape, which is currently being peddled in a limited edition of two hundred by our pals at the venerable Caligari Records.

Heathen – s/t (Caligari Records, 2015)

Not to be confused with the long-running Bay Area thrash/speed metal band of the same name, Norway’s Heathen is an obscure black metal entity that recently released its debut full length via the mighty Caligari Records.  The first thing that struck me about Heathen is that there is literally no information on them to be found; nothing is known about the band’s lineup, their online presence is meager to say the very least, and they’ve already developed a penchant for self-titling multiple releases. Indeed, there is an air of mystery that surrounds Heathen, but if this excellent tape is anything to go by, rest assured that they have much more than an esoteric image going for them.

Malsanctum – Metamorbid Fetishization (Iron Bonehead, 2015)

Of all the trends that have to come to prominence within the metal underground over the last several years, the murky/cavernous death metal thing is surely the least interesting (pro tip: if you really want to piss some people off, refer to this junk as “caverncore”).  In fact, I’d say my interest in bands shitting out non-riffs from underneath a pile of wet blankets is exactly zero.  But there are exceptions to every rule, and the mysterious Canadians known as Malsanctum have proven that there is something to be said for this sub sub genre with Metamorbid Fetishization, their debut(?) release on Germany’s ever-prolific Iron Bonehead Productions.

The Hyle – demo (Caligari Records, 2014)

Earlier in 2014, Caligari Records brought us the debut demo from Denmark’s Demon Head, now the label brings us another round of Danish doom from The Hyle; has Caligari unearthed the beginnings of a retro doom boom in the country that blessed us with King Diamond, only to turn around and damn us with Lars Ulrich?  Ok, two bands do not an entire scene make, but given the excellence both Demon Head and The Hyle exhibit on their first recordings, you can’t help but wonder if there’s something in the water over there.

Torture Corpse

With a name like Torture Corpse, one might expect this project to be brutal death metal, but nothing could be further from the truth.  Instead, this mysterious entity creates blackened noise of the most filthy and disgusting variety; imagine a band playing rudimentary black metal inside a collapsing factory full of malfunctioning, broken down machinery and you’re getting close, or instead of imagining it you could just hit the “play” button on the embed I’ve posted above.  If you do, prepare to have your ears blown out by some truly vile shit that’ll appeal to fans of everything from Merzbow to Xasthur.

Bunker 66 – Inferno Interceptors + split tracks and Out of the Bunker / Alive & Melting (Caligari Records, 2014)

Caligari Records strikes again!  This time around the cassette label has unleashed a metric fuck-ton of black thrash from Sicilian sensation Bunker 66.  These two tapes encompass the bulk of the band’s discography (with the exception of their 2014 full length, Screaming Rock Believers) and they’re likely the most fun you’ll have all year, giving recent releases from the likes of Children of Technology and Midnight a run for their money with some gnarly-as-all-get-out Motorhead/Venom/Celtic Frost worship.

Out now: Sterilizer

I’m typically not one to post news, but when one of my talented friends releases a new project, that’s pretty big fucking news and more than worthy of a post.  After a few years of silence on the musical front, my friend, collaborator and co-conspirator Brandon Duncan has finally unleashed Sterilizer.  It’s twenty-five minutes of technological terror that spot-welds industrial and electronic music onto a stainless steel skeleton of razor-sharp thrash; think mid-nineties Die Krupps getting sodomized by late-eighties/early-nineties Ministry and you’re halfway there.

The album is available for streaming and paid download via Bandcamp, or as a limited edition cassette with two different cover art options (male or female).  The tape is already going like gangbusters, so if you want it get on it, and pick up some of Herr Duncan’s incredible artwork while you’re at it.  And be sure to tell ’em THKD sent ya (insert maniacal Large Marge style laughter)!

http://sterilizer.bandcamp.com/

Compelling Natural Force: A Caligari Records round-up (Heavydeath, Act of Impalement, Ellorsith).

As Caligari Records continues to pick up steam, it’s becoming more and more difficult to keep up with the avalanche of quality cassettes.  Fifteen releases deep and not a single dud in the bunch is a hell of a track record, and you can pretty much rest assured at this point that anything Caligari puts its name to is going to be excellent.  Case in point: the label’s three latest releases are all very different from one another, but all well worth your time.  So without further ado, let us investigate the latest from Caligari’s cabinet…

Dispirit and the art of total immersion.

As a heavy metal fan, I’ve seen dozens of amazing shows.  But I can probably count on one hand the number of shows that fully immersed me, the ones that made real life and all the horrific mundanity that goes with it melt away completely, the ones that made me feel like I was alone in the universe with nothing but the band and the music.  Dispirit’s headlining set at the Starlite Lounge last Sunday night was one of them.

Gloam – Vanquished (self-released, 2014)

I first encountered Santa Cruz’s Gloam a while back thanks to the band sharing a guitarist with Fiends at Feast, another Santa Cruz-based outfit I’ve been shouting about for quite some time.  But in spite of this connection, Gloam is assuredly a very different animal.  The quartet’s debut demo was a rather stunning piece of atmospheric black metal, but with Vanquished they have surely surpassed it, pushing their sound forward while at the same time adhering to black metal’s time-honored traditions.

Cassette Label Summit 2014

 

I’ve spent a lot of time covering cassettes here at THKD, not just because I dig them, but because I truly believe that some of the best and most interesting heavy music today is being released by smaller labels who have embraced the format as an affordable way to bring the underground to the masses.  As such, my relationship with several of these labels has become far more personal than just receiving an e-mail blast from some faceless PR company; their owners have proven to be incredibly personable and genuinely appreciative of the coverage I’ve given them.  But, as deeply as I’ve delved into cassettes and as much as I’ve chatted with those who are in the business of releasing them, I still had many unanswered questions.  What motivates them?  What brought them to the format?  At the end of the day, does the format even matter?  In an attempt to answer these and many other questions, I gathered the gents behind the labels for a virtual round table discussion of all things tape-related.