Monday, April 30, 2012

Walpurgis night

Ok, its time to spin "Walpurgis night" by Running Wild (from "Victim of States Power" EP) and "Come to the Sabbath" by Mercyful Fate (from "Dont Break the Oath" album) again. Nice tradition I try not to forget (so far not) every year on 30th of April.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Blasfemia (Col)

What a monster of an album this "Guerra Total" by Blasfemia is. Unbelievable stuff. Originally released independently in 1988 in Colombia. Not many people in Europe knew about this release 20 years ago. I myself discovered them accidentally (blind purchase for 30DEM from BYH festival in Germany 2001). And I heard the music 2 months later, after I had returned home where I had record player and I was not dissapointed at all. What a feast for death metal maniacs ears it is. Crude, raw and right into your face. Some guys played also on Parabellum recordings.
On the picture: "Guerra Total" two original vinyl pressings (black/red covers, out of two copies I got perfect platter: better cover from one and better vinyl from another), CD re-issue and two LP re-issues (with colored cover: black vinyl and colored vinyl).

The Brothers Lionheart

"The Brothers Lionheart" - what a magic book. Hear the call of Ningiyama and Nangiyala.
Chase the horizon, catch the illusion, remember the child within, there is no tomorrow, just sadness and sorrow, hold on to the ancient dreams...

Friday, April 27, 2012

Revelations (of Doom)

I like ABBA and The Beatles a lot... I do not have any demos, 7" vinyls nor fanzine out-takes of theirs though. Even 1st presses not.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Acrid (Ger)

Bayern and Madrid are playing at the moment and the score is 1:2. Unfortunately I do not have so exciting material from Spanish extreme metal history. Instead I present for noise freaks one forgotten gem from Germany: ACRID. Again one of those Gore Metal acts around 1985/86 but pretty cool & raw actually. This demo is called "Acrid Beasts". Style: satanic & chaotic deathnoise. What else did you expect?

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The best Metal shouters

I have always thought that singer is very important part in a band. Its like an extra instrument besides bulldozer-like bass, chainsaw guitar and hellhammering drums. So if a singer is not good (or I do not like it) then it ruins a lot in my case. And it does not matter if I do not get what he is saying (as long as I know its about death, woe and black magic), maybe its typical for people whose mother language is not English. I mean this is how I listened to Metal also as a kid, without understanding a word (what Hetfield, Dickinson, Araya or Kiske said I did not care, I just loved the voice).
Here are fave Metal shouters (in no particular order):
- John Tardy (on Xecutioner and 1st Obituary LP)
- Pelle "Dead" Ohlin (in Mayhem and Morbid)
- Quorthon (Bathory)
- Zeev (old Salem recordings)
- King Diamond (especially old Mercyful Fate stuff)
- Messiah Marcolin (on "Nightfall" album)
- Glen Danzig (especially old Misfits, not so metal I hear)
- Robert Lowe (up from 1994 till present)
- Cronos (especially on "Die Hard" sessions)
- Chuck "Evil" Schuldiner (only on "Infernal Death" demo)

Sure there are more names but I found them to be deviations from or good shadows of masters. Yeah one could say that Dead and Quorthon sound almost the same... ah what the hell.

Class of ´95 drawing

Monday, April 23, 2012

Angel Death (Ita)

Another Italian Black Metal release from 1986: Angel Death "Death to Christianity" demo. You should already know this if you dig Hellhammer and Poison demos (no, the wash machine is not out of order). Stay far away from it if you want technical and intelligent frash metal.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

German Heavy Metal literature 1984-86

Rock Power issues from 1984-86.

Aardshock, Metal Maniacs, Shock Power, Overkill, Escape, Metal Prophecy, Tormentor.

Metal Mirror, Metal Power, Metal Militia, Sacrifice, Battlefield, Bloodlust, Dark Tales, Blitzkrieg, Speed Attack, Metal Warriors.

Where else you could read about new and upcoming acts like Hellhammer, Sodom, Mercyful Fate, Tormentor etc besides our beloved Venom and Metallica?

Vulcano (Bra)

On the picture: "Live!" LP (1985, private press), "Bloody Vengenace" LP (1986), "Bloody Vengeance" LP European press (1989), "Antropophagy" LP (1987) and promo picture from 1986. Very cruel and raw black metal can be heard on "Bloody Vengeance" album. Just listen to track like "Dominions of Death" and you agree with me. Top notch stuff. Its unbelievable what recordings Brazil spit out around 1986/87. Uhhh.

South American death

Two rather unknown recordings from South America. Athron (Bra) "Slaughter of Angels" demo 1986 (style a la Genocidio (Bra) and Massacre (USA) i.e. total death). The second tape is from Pentagram (Chi): Rehearsal 26-12-85 (4 tracks) and live at "Death Metal Holocaust" 28-12-85 (5 tracks). I think Pentagram reached the perfection in about two years later (with their infamous 1987 recordings).

Saturday, April 21, 2012

(the true) Incubus

When I say Incubus is one of my fave stuff then I mean Incubus from Florida (a black metal band from 1987 featuring ex-Morbid Angel members). If I say Majesty is godly then I mean bestial vomiting Majesty from 1986/87 (deathcore band with Master vibes). If we discuss about Archenemy then its about raw speedcore band from 1986. I just love Darkness stuff (here I mean Darkness L.A. which was active 1987/88). Yeah and Necrophagia was cool (I mean the band from Ohio) and so on and so on. With Tormentor I have to say I prefer German (pre- Kreator) and Hungarian band to other tormentors out there. Actually I wanted to say few things about Incubus (Florida). Unfortunately they recorded just one 3-track demo in 1987. But then again what a killer demo it is. With 3 ultra sick, fast and demented tracks you just can not go wrong. Besides the sweet music I just love the way microphone is handled. It really is one of the best extreme metal ever recorded. Thank you for the music, Incubus!

Its funny to hear some of the Incubus riffs in Morbid Angel 1986 rehearsal recordings, no wonder because Sterling Von Scarborough had Incubus already before joining to Morbid Angel in 1986 and later he reformed the band with Mike Browning in 1987.
On the picture: Incubus demo 1987 pressed onto 7" EP (two different versions, one being with gatefold cover and handumbered to 666 copies) and promo photo.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Deathchamber (UK)

Deathchamber "Legions of Blasphemy" demo (1986) is recommended to all death / thrash / speed / black metal freaks. Only singer´s voice leaves a little bit desired in my case. Wow, they even managed to get Damnation (Can) singer for guest appearance on one song. I wonder how that happened. And on my tape there are even live tracks included in addition to the demo. Live they are even more raw! Nice!
I would like to see the magazine that the mainman ran in mid 80s. Should be interesting read. One more thing, prior to Deathchamber they had also bands named Baphomet and Cryptic Death but I havent heard any of their recordings.

Sixty Words for Worship

Ok, I managed to solve the latest Isten Fanzine crossword section, but I still got question. I got problems with 3 names: Hatred, Embalmer and Precognition. Instead I found such names: Hatrer, Emblmer and Rrecognition. Hmmm....
Damn, I just noticed that (old) zines sell like a hot cakes on auction sites. I cant sell this one in mint condition anymore and fund my pension in future.

Nuclear attack

Another great debut album "Game Over" by Nuclear Assault but who is that guy on the picture? On the back it says Mike Bogosch (ex-Nuclear Assault, Coast to Coast, Md. 2-10-85). I mean where else he played?

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Sabbat (Japan) in 1990

According to my taste the Japanese Sabbat was the most creative around 1990. I mean their masterpiece debut album "Envenom" was also recorded in 1990. By that time they had already released 5 black metal singles but their "Sabbatical Demon" demo gave hints what to expect from the full length album.
On the picture: Letter/info sheet from Sabbat (1990/91), "Sabbatical Demon" demo (1990), "The Seven Deadly Sins" EP (1990), "Envenom" PicLP (1999), "Envenom" brown LP (2010) and "Sabbatical Demon" LP (demo on LP, 2010).

Bloodslaughter (Ger)

German Death Metal from 1987. Pretty raw and ahead of its time. This recording carries the name "Cannibalistic Massacre" and massacre is what you get really. The insert says there is 3 guys in this band but on promo pictures I have seen there is only 1 guy.
I think they used to call themselves Slaughter Hammer in 1986 and recorded even demo under that monicker too.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

7" attack vol II

Bulldözer "Fallen Angel" (1984), Root "666" (1990), Samael "Medieval Prophecy" (1989, 2nd ed.), Death SS "Evil Metal" (1984), Samael "Medieval Prophecy" (1989, 1st ed.), Masters Hammer "Klavierstück" (1991).

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Sarcofago "INRI" album

Yeah, I just love old Sarcofago. Its truely one of my all time faves! I have to admit that I discovered their brilliance relatively late. I heard about Sarcofago around 1990/91 but at that time it was just one band among others (with their "Rotting" LP via tapetrading, and no I had not seen sexual maniac trousers pictures yet). It was in 1995 when I ordered "INRI" album from Osmose Productions and damn I was positively surprised. I expected some noise a la Blasphemy/Beherit (the bands I already loved and I had read that "INRI" had huge influence on them). But Sarcofago was more controlled than I expected and... damn great. Sound, riffs, drumming (it reminded me "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" drumming) and those disgusting vocals. Excellent! Also their pictures looked nice for Black/Death Metal bands... tons of spikes, bulletbelts, facepaint etc etc. And it was done in Brazil anno 1987! So Sarcofago reigns my Black/Death Metal throne ever since. And then I started to discover other similar (but still shadow) acts from Brazil (Holocausto, Sextrash, Expulser, Impurity etc etc).
On the picture (only official albums, I do not support bootlegs business around Sarcofago. I do not need every (shitty) release with Sarcofago logo on it. I find only one bootleg worthy: "Desecration of demos" LP. Its not on the picture because this picture was done January 2008 and that bootleg came out around year or two ago):
"INRI" LP (1987), "INRI" re-issue LP (2000), "Warfare Noise I" compilation LP (1986), "INRI" re-issue PicLP (2004), "INRI" re-issue PicLP die-hard version (2004), "INRI" re-issue testpress (2004), "Lost Tapes of Cogumelo" compilation LP (1990), "INRI" CD (1992) and "INRI" re-issue CD.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Macabre stuff

Macabre and their excellent single "Be Forewarned / Lazy Lady" dating back to year 1972. What a great music. Doom metal merchants know that this gem on the picture is a 2002 replica of the original single done by Relapse records (single came with "First Daze Here ( The Vintage Collection)" compilation album of Pentagram).

Saturday, April 14, 2012

I did not dare to post yesterday - Friday the 13th. Anyway, some heavy metal art from school days here. This one was done Spring 1992, at that time I had not heard Mayhem music yet nor seen any pictures of the band (hey, when Mayhem gave first interviews in 1986 they did not have any own music recorded either!). It was around the time when I read about Mayhem from C.O.T.I.M. fanzine that their singer "Dead" had commited suicide. I mean it was quite shocking. So far I knew only two other Metal related deaths (Cliff Burton of Metallica (bus accident) and Roger Patterson of Atheist (car accident)). But I loved this winged logo and satanic symbols. Up to today I think that this Mayhem logo is brilliant (other pretender to the throne is Morbid Angel logo). So this unknown guy Nella must have had good imagination when he drew this Mayhem logo in 1986!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

7" attack vol I

I find 7" format very cool. I know some people who collect vinyl but dislike 7" singles (collecting for collecting sake sucks also by the way). Hey, whats wrong with the singles? Usually its 2 or 3 tracks there and it will get not boring (even with un-interesting bands) (Am I trying to say that even not so interesting bands are better when pressed on  7" vinyl?). Very often longplayers tend to be boring after some time (maybe 2-3 good tracks and then rest are fillers). So why not just releasing 2-3 good songs on one EP? Plus in the past it was first steps for new and upcoming band to spread the message (besides demos). And 7" vinyl looks more cool than just tape. On the picture: Astaroth (Col) "Guerra de Metal" (1987), Reencarnacion (Col) "Acompaname a la tumba" (1988), Nemesis (Col) "Hombre: Oveja Negra del Universo" (1988), Infernal (Bra) "Of Weakness and Covardice..." (1991), Sextrash (Bra) "XXX" (1989) and Pentagram (Chi) "Fatal Predictions" (1987).

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Käes öö ja koos on jälle, kõik teile tuntud näod,
kuid kaasa tundma neile nüüd vist peab.
On muinasjutumaale, veel teadmata need peod,
üks daam siin käib ja ümber kõike seab.
Nüüd küürselgsälg veel üsna vaevu jalgu järgi veab,
sest tsaar Saltaan siin kauget maad ei näe.
Ja võlurtaat võib lõua hoopis paljaks noppida,
kuid kaost see muuta väiksemaks ei saa.

Laula, kui aidata veel saad,
kõik laulud ümber pööras siin üks peeglit uuriv daam.
Laula, ja teada saab see daam,
et keegi teine kaunim ilma peal.

Näe, õnne ootab noormees, kuid puust on käed ja pea,
nii lootus kaob, sest daam ei tõota head.
Kolm röövlit koormat veavad ja saabub kange hiid,
mis ees neid ootab siin, ei keegi tea.
Seal pöialpoisid seitse talle talveks majja tõid,
peol kinga kaotas kaunis nõiamoor.
Ja võlurtaat võib lõua hoopis paljaks noppida,
kuid kaost see muuta väiksemaks ei saa.

Laula, kui aidata veel saad,
kõik laulud ümber pööras siin üks peeglit uuriv daam
Laula, ja teada saab see daam,
et keegi teine kaunim ilma peal.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

I just love the gatefold cover of Death SS "The Story of Death SS" album. Of course, music is not bad either on this platter (especially tracks like "Terror", "Black and Violet" and "Chains of Death").

Trivne Impvrity Rites

Necros Christos and their debut album "Trivne Impvrity Rites" is one damn good black/death metal masterpiece. Besides the sweet music also the packaging and visual side of the album is excellent. Its one of the very few albums where I can stand (non-metal) intros or instrumentals. Death must not be about blood, guts and/or gory things... funerals can be beautiful.

More low-fi anti-music... and proud of it

Some pretty cool extreme recordings here. I really like some Bone Awl recordings like "Not for our feet" and "Meaningless leaningmess" albums, for some reason it sounds to me like the first punky rehearsal for Bathory 1984 album. Raspberry Bulbs is continuation of Bone Awl if I have understood correctly. And finally, Rusted Shut has captured on their "Rehab" recording very crude and powerful sound that it is not possible not to dig it. Hell yess!
On the picture: Raspberry Bulbs "Nature tries again" LP, Bone Awl "Meaningless Leaningmess" LP, Bone Awl "Not for our feet" LP, Raspberry Bulbs "Lone Gunman" demo, Raspberry Bulbs "Finally Burst" demo, Rusted Shut "Rehab" CD and Bone Awl " All has red" reh. demo.

Mask of the red death

I decided to add color to the site here. Red is a good choice I think. Here are again some cool zines. Its an interesting fact that 2/3 of the zine editors here had also bands: Orcustus (1992) featuring Bard Faust (Emperor/Thorns), Morbid Mag (1987) featuring Ronny Eide (Emptor), Dark Awakening (1989) featuring Onkel Goat Alex (Alex Hellid of Nihilist/Entombed) and finally Evoker (1989) featuring Theo Loomans (Asphyx). Other zines on the pictures are Davthvs III appendix and Isten.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

8th April 1991

So it happened today 21 years ago? It was Monday then.
Picture taken May 2007


Edit: "I am sailing" by R. Stewart and "Imagine" by J.Lennon have different meaning now.
I was litttle bit dissapointed how megabrutal Obituary looked at some photos so I decided to change things a bit (20 yrs ago of course)... fuck digital foto shop, only analogue is real!

Old, new and borrowed

Some old self-made (around 1986/87, not by me) photos of some heroes (in 80s it was very common to take photos of album covers and magazine posters/pictures and then sell it for high price to fellow hungry metal head, because around here Metal Hammer or Stara issue had high black market value and was much more costly than f. ex. in West-Germany or Finland where anyone could buy it from shop. So it could be that small Metallica color cut-out picture was sold for more than the actual magazine cost on the other side of the Iron Curtain). This Nazareth monster was one of the fave creature to re-draw at boring classes in school (besides Eddie of course).

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden fanclub zines from the early days. #2 is introducing the new singer Bruce Bruce.

True Norwegian Black Metal

Some outtakes from press about Norwegian Black Metal from 1992 to early 1994 (from times when it was still hot and burning). I wonder if nowadays anybody would cut off Grishnackh picture from their DSP edition album sleeve (this cut-off picture was sent by Count itself accompanying interview done in Summer of 1992).

Ears prick up

Here we have Hell (UK) demo tapes (not to be confused with the NWOBHM band with the same name): "Dismember the rotting corpse" Nov ´84, "Necrophagy" Jan´85, "Die a painful death" Feb´85, "Resurrection of Evil" June´85 etc etc - all in all 8 demos w/ 32 tracks. Bands like Hellhammer, Sodom, Death, Bathory, Possessed and Blood-Death were too wimpy to the sound desired by HELL. This was the sound of the sound of Un-Death... Alright, nuff said. Real warped stuff here. Total ear prick up.


Some more ear prick up recordings, this time from Western-Germany: namely S.A.D.I.S.T. with their 1985 and 1986 demo + Agressor with 1985 demo. I think it was recordings like that that gave Death Metal bad name back then :) But we should not take everything so seriously, and I am sure these bands were not 100% serious either about their deathnoise. Remember it was the time when "everyone" tried to out-do others concerning musical madness and extremity.
And Antichrist (UK) made it even onto the vinyl.
Does anyone remember Death Bathory Inc. from around 1988?
Sure I have read all these books, but the problem is I tend to forget things...

Azagthoth (UK) "Shredded Flesh" demo 1987

On the picture: Bootleg tape (ebay) and official tape (Shades private). I think this was project from Warhammer and Unseen Terror guys, or project in between those two acts. They were rated quite high in underground circuits back then.

What do you think about Bathory?

So you say you are into speed black metal? Let me make sure you clearly understand the question, I said: you say you are into true underground death screaming speed metal? Well then what do you think about Bathory? What do you mean you have never heard of them? Oh, I see, you are one of the millions of assheads that thinks W.A.S.P. is underground death, that thinks nobody is heavier or faster than Metallica... Well you profaned, shit stuffed piece of nothing, do me a favor and crawl away and DIE! (D. Williams/Blood Press ca 1985 promoting brand new "The Return...." album).

Deathzines vol. 1

What makes a music magazine/fanzine better from all the others? I would say choice of bands and editors attitude/fanatism towards the featured bands. Here are just some zines that I find very interesting, cool or whatever. But there is more to come...
Violent Noize (USA) issues, Decibels Of Death (Fra), Ultimatum (USA), Muusik (Est), Deathfuck (Ger), Satanic Death (Japan), Blackthorn (Den), Deathscythe (Belgium).

Visual aggression

Impostor (post-Deathfuck w/ Messiah of ex-Mayhem), Mayhem and Tom "Angelripper" 1986, Count Grishnack 1992, 2 x Mayhem 1990, Deicide 1990, Vulcano 1986, Incubus (Florida, Black Metal band w/ ex-Morbid Angel guys, 1987), Wagner Antichrist of Sarcofago 1988, AC Wild of Bulldozer, Nocturnal sticker (Belgian Black Metal band from 1989/90).
Demolition Hammer (1989) and Bathory (1984) promo shots. Both acts were killer! Isten - life style magazine for the dead!

N.M.E. letter + interview early 1986

If we look at the envelope we see that this NME interview + letter from Kurt S. was posted on 6th of February 1986, around 2 months before the tragic matricide crime which was also the end for the band. Neverthless NME song "Warrior" is real great metal anthem.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Venom meets Metallica, Nürnberg 1984

This must be one of the coolest/greatest bootlegs ever made. Both the visual and musical offering/material is killer. This 3-LP set features the whole Venom and Metallica live set from legendary Nürnberg gig dating back to 7th February of 1984 (was it 1st time for Metallica to be in Germany (or even Europe)?) So what do you get in this box: 3 vinyls (different colors), T-shirt, huge poster of the gig, sticker, ticket replica (laminated), A4 tracklist, 2 huge color inserts with rare Venom and Metallica photos. And all this is numbered and limited to 275 pieces!

Morbid Angel outtakes 1986-91

Necrophagia (USA, Ohio)


When it comes to mid 80s death metal and deathcore legends then Ohio`s Necrophagia belong to the top for sure. Its unbelievable what madness and aggression is captured here on demo tapes. Just listen to Killjoy vomiting to microphone! Their demo compilation albums are available in LP and CD format so everyone should be pleased to get one. Sick and brutal stuff.
On the picture: "Ready for death" LP 1986/90, "Ready for death" green LP 1986/90, "Legacy of gore and sickness" D-LP, "Death is fun" CD, "Death is Fun" re-issue CD, "Rise from the crypt" demo 1985.

Black Shepherd (Bel)

Black Shepherd "United Evil Forces" demo 1986. I want more stuff like that!

Venom merchandise from the 80s