Malphas - Incantation

Wow what a ending of this album! Majestic and melancholic greatness, a perfect opus for the song title "Awaking Excelsi Luciferi"! It echoes into eternity!

The funny thing is that the first time i put this awaited album on i was initially a bit let down hearing the opening track (not bad song but weakest of the bunch) and off-put by the sound of the vocals...the vocals in them self is good but it has a "screaming in the cold toilet echo" to it and it sounded just bad...so i could not hear any further that time haha!
Second try i felt the same of the first song but as i entered the rest of this albums songs i got increasingly delighted as some fantastic songs  started to pop up, the real ice breaker for me here was track 5 " Nahash Corruption" with its sublime guitar harmonies that brings forth both darkness and light (the morning light that is). epic song in all aspects but not overly done... now after around 5-6 spins i can easily say its one of the best albums out from Switzerland in a long time . (another top album from this land will soon be reviewed also...puke! ;) )

Besides the solid second wave black metal Malphas plays they includes many heavy metal aspects into the music without sounding cheesy or forced, very effetive and tastefull compositions, both evil and uplifting. Mostly plays in somber mid-peace but turns up the heat from time to time.
Production is even and organic just would like to have a bit fixes on the vocals mix... but it is a minor complaint now for me...ah yeah lyrics would have been great to have for this too...

An easy recommended album! A grand incantation!


Track list:
1.     Contributor of the Light        
2.     Leviathan        
3.     Macabre Symphony of Divine        
4.     Incantation        
5.     Nahash Corruption        
6.     Rebirth of the Reign        
7.     Awaking Excelsi Luciferi

band link:
https://www.facebook.com/Malphasoccult/

Fidelis / Gormanudr split

The latest 7" from Hateworks is a split with Gormanudr (Germany/Romania/USA) and Fidelis (USA), both serve up here a ugly meal of death & suffering!

First off is Gormanudrs track "Kältetod"(means something like freeze to death) and it has a good sense of raw pessimistic/melancholic melody that is topped with Arilds harsh unwelcoming vocals, drums has a solid beat and the whole song i feel is one of the bands best track to date.
Cold festering misanthropy! Solid!

On side B comes Fidelis with their "Morning Mists in Blood" and it fits well on this split as they have similar main vibes as the previous band but also includes a bit more militant compositions(and rythm) and aggression, like if you look at the cover, first track is the icy heavy wandering up the mountain and this second one is a battle that follows. Sums up the release in a satisfying maner. like a short but mean story has been told.

7" releases can have a problem of not giving enough (not so long running time) to really make a mark in your memory but i feel this will be spun many more times.

And dont miss out on other coming releases thats out now and will come soon on Hateworks!

Tracklist:
Side A
1.     Gormanudr - Kältetod         
Side B
2.     Fidelis - Morning Mists in Blood 


label link:
https://www.facebook.com/FacelessArild/

Deathcrush -Evoke the Ancient Curse

Here is a band from Libya but they seem to have done some migrant wanderings like the way through  Ukraine then to Germany/Netherlands.... either way last year they released their debut album (looks like the only release also) called Evoke the Ancient Curse, and by the sound of it Deathcrush  has its aim to drag up the 90´s Scandinavian BM curse! because here you get a mouthful of music with early Darkthrone, Mayhem (and the rest) worshipping!

The Cold winter winds blows again!

Yes of course there is some major worshipping here but all is tastefully done and with good sense of compositions and atmosphere....besides this the overall pace is in murky mid-speed (with some exceptions) and its has a more somber and dusty satanic vibe rather then aggression or whiplash attacks. Personally i think one or two more up-tempo tracks could enhance the experience but not that i think its a must to make it good, the songs blend after all well together and the room fills with that old icy Fenriz fog...and that is nothing to complain about.

Besides the Nordic BM inspirations here and there some old school death metal that sneaks into the musical constructions, like what happened quite a lot back in the days when the lines was not drawn so clear.

 
Production is balanced and solid, nice organic tune overall. Nothing really to complain about hehe

For me i like the last three songs the best  but all tracks hold similar sound and standard.

All in all a good start for these dudes, will be interesting what they come up with in the future! Also i would be extra curious to see what they would found if they crawled deeper into the Luciferian path...i mean to loose themselves more inside their own creative output.

Track list:

1.     Evoke the Ancient Curse     05:55      
2.     Lucifer's Rites     04:05    
3.     Night Fog     04:31      
4.     Prayer of Blasphemy     07:13      
5.     On the Northern Mountain     07:40      
6.     As the Vulture Moan     05:55      
7.     Morbid Cult     04:27      
                      Total:39:46

Tape released by: Worship Tapes
CD released by: Off the Record Label

Abominablood - P Z Z U

Abominablood from Argentina unleashes their latest hell-wind to the glory of demon Pazuzu! (yes the one also thats in the Exorcist movie)

(tape that i got is red not grey)


Actually this is probably my first encounter with this one man band but after enjoying this 5-track EP (i guess its an EP?) i will also hunt down the full album "The Rotten Smell of the Entities that Murmur" thats also got released this year.

One of the main things i take away from experience this music is its thick smelly occult smog that encapsulates you totally! It has a great wall of noise but with enough of bells and whistles that shine through it to make the greater impact. I get a feeling like it could be Hellvetrons bastard brother hehe somehow .... i get similar vibrations from both at least.

besides the pummeling black hate spells there is some organic and very effective interludes and i feel they rounds up this demonic celebration into a neat package.

For me this was an interesting new find even if there is many more or less similar blackened death occult metal that has popped up these recent years i feel Abominablood delivers the necessary evil goods to stay put in once Psyche.

Nice t-shirt to the release also it seems.

Released by Worship tapes
label link:
https://www.facebook.com/worshiptapes/

band link:
https://www.facebook.com/cultofabomination/

Occelensbrigg - Old Winters Yet to Come

From the Aldebaran circle comes here a new beast offspring!

What we get here is a mix of raw black metal and a kind of doom metal, first time i listened to it it did not stick to my ears really (i was probably too restless & wild haha) but from the second round and forward this release started to grow on me!

I guess it was the doomish slowness that needed to be relived to really come alive for me (and to hear it in appropriate state of mind) and it did as i feel right now its a great dark meditative/ritualistic release that works more as a soundtrack to a "real" ritual/inner dive....if you need a little push...
...and for me more then often these states comes when i sit and draw/paint for hours and it was under this type of session i grasped "Old Winters Yet to Come" the best, new dimensions visited my mind and it helped me to create better.

A funny thing is that on the tapes card it says nowere that on the B-side there is a another song, first time when i was finished with side A i hoped for the same material to on B also but there was just silence for minutes so i stopped there...now last listen before i wrote this review i tested again and suddenly i started to hear some faint sounds tuning up! This long track is also great and in the same style but it is much more ambient styled one could say.... a longer trip.

As a whole it is raw & gritty and trance inducing release, i like it much but i guess it is not for everyone.
And i might be wrong but i thought i saw something on a coming split with the band and some other...


Track list:
Side A
1.     Old Winters Yet to Come     02:57    
2.     Century Age Trees Enthroned in the Night Sky     03:08    
3.     The Path of the Star Mountain     04:04    
4.     Glacial Kingdom Stands Still     04:15    
Side B
5.     Untitled     14:58    
      Total:29:22

Released by: Harvest of Death
label link:
https://soundcloud.com/hrvstfdth
http://www.signalrex.com/