Archive for the ‘Cassettes’ Category
Monday, June 17th, 2013
If I was in any way professional, conscientious or competent about what I do here, I’d have reviewed this cassette ages ago. I purchased ‘I’ almost twelve months hitherto and then completely forgot about it. My filing system is reasonably organised but I only spotted this one again recently … sitting benignly in a pile far removed from my main library of shit. A quick observation ensues, though I’m not sure if this debut demo is even available any more, doh!
There are three untitled tracks on the tape and the first of them is probably the pick of a well-above-average bunch (mellower and creepier, reminding me of Xasthur, Mons Veneris and Toil’s ‘Obscure Chasms’ for some reason), before we go into more typical Portuguese corrosive territory. Perfidus delivers savage, raw, not-giving-a-fuck-about-trends-or-people Black Metal – suitably dissonant, corrupt, horrible and unpalatable. Yet, there’s a charm and elegance (and, dare I say it, melody) to the buzzing maelstrom of barely-restrained chaos that has me going back time and time again (now that I’ve found it) for another peek / listen.
A cool band here (even if this release is all too fleeting) and one certainly worth keeping an eye / ear out for.
Evilometer: 444/666
Tags: Black Gangrene Productions, I, Perfidus
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Friday, May 24th, 2013
There’s so much to recommend about Unbeing’s third demo cassette that it’s difficult to know where to start. This is one of those releases that I quite simply had to buy because of its place in Norwegian Black Metal history. I’m glad I bought it but actually don’t think I’ll be revisiting it too often, to be honest.
The product of a genuine underground entity from Norway, ‘Transcendence’ comes as a pro-tape and will set you back just €6. It contains only one song, which clocks in at somewhere in excess of 20 minutes (I didn’t time it) and that same tune is featured on both sides. So, if you have a trendy tape recorder, you can listen to it twice in one sitting!
Unbeing once featured the talent of one Steingrim Torson (R.I.P.), but Sarath stood in to assist the eponymous mainman (i.e. Unbeing) on this third and final chapter in the band’s short but intriguing history. The song itself is droning and sludgey blackness rather than Black Metal and I suppose it is kind of transcendental and mystical in a way. But – as well as being inexpensive and poignant - ultimately, ‘Transcendence’ is also boring.
Evilometer: 333/666
Tags: Terratur Possessions, Transcendence, Unbeing
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Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013
I recently purchased nine full-length albums from German label Schattenkult Productionen for a grand total of €32, including postage. That’s €3 per tape. As he’s practically giving his albums away, I’m not sure how the guy behind this operation keeps the show on the road but, anyway, there’s great value to be had from the buyer’s perspective.
I’m not a massive fan of the cassette format, if truth be told. In fact, it’s my least favourite of all, some distance behind records and CDs and even less appealing than the MP3 in many respects. But it is kinda cult, I guess, and the reality is that some underground releases are cassette-only – Triskèle’s fourth full-length being a case in point (thus far) – while from time to time it is simply more prudent to opt for the tape as it is cheap.
‘IV’ is limited to just 300 units and I’m confident these will disappear quickly (if they haven’t already) at the giveaway retail price listed. Remember, this isn’t three beans for a shitty-sounding piece of crap; you’re getting a proper album, with a running time of around 55 minutes (including two bonus tracks), decent sound quality and even some lyrics included on the fold-out inlay.
To the value quotient, add in the fact that the Canadians have delivered a very enjoyable – if perhaps tame enough at times – consignment of inoffensive, mid-paced, pagan Black Metal, mostly triumphant and epic in vibe but also more gloomy in parts. If you own a tape deck and like Black Metal and are on a tight budget, there’s no real reason not to buy this.
Evilometer: 555/666
Tags: IV, Schattenkult Produktionen, Triskèle
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Wednesday, March 27th, 2013
Just what the world needs: another Black Metal band out of Finland. I’m not even being facetious here: I genuinely believe that the more Finnish filth we have at our disposal in this life the better. As for Arnaut Pavle, I know absolutely nothing about this entity except that the cassette has been issued by the cleverly-named Vlad Tapes and is limited to 53 copies. So, doing the maths, if all my regular readers purchase a copy each, there should be 50 left.
The sound on this self-titled release is really good a) for a demo and b) for a tape. A lot of MCs tend to sound like utter crap and I fucking hate when that happens. But ‘Arnaut Pavle’ is okay sound-wise (within reason). And music-wise. The seven songs offered (same dose repeated on both sides) pummel along mercilessly and without remorse, like a rampant underground Watain or Urgehal. Or any one of a thousand other bands who perform in a similar vein…
So, should I criticise the fact that there is nothing particularly remarkable about ‘Arnaut Pavle’ or celebrate the fact that there’s nothing unremarkable about it? I’ll plump for the latter. After all, the reason I’m doing this is because I love Black Metal and here’s another fine proponent of the dark arts from the Northern wastelands of Europe, demonstrating all the right moves.
Very short; very affordable; very impressive. On the strength of this cassette, Arnaut Pavle should have no problem securing a reputable label to assist with future endeavours.
Evilometer: 555/666
Tags: Arnaut Pavle, Vlad Tapes
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Friday, February 22nd, 2013
Seriously, it doesn’t get much more underground than this partnership between the Svn Okklt blog and Fallen Empire Records – a double cassette showcasing eleven superb bands, most of which I assume are on the label’s roster. The tapes are housed within a DVD-style case with a 24-page booklet featuring lyrics, imagery, manifestos and notes. You’ll get this collection for about €10 and it’s a real bargain.
Notwithstanding the fact that I never heard of any of them before(!), I’m not going to list off the bands involved (see the Tags below) or start comparing them to one another – partly because I’m too lazy but also because it’s rather pointless. All the music on these tapes is wonderful. Suffice to say, if you want to expose yourself to some excellent underground Black Metal from relatively-unknown artists from around the world, then this is a great place to start.
The music spreads out over three sides of the two cassettes, divided into distinct sub-sections: Rites of Vehemence, Rites of Pestilence and Rites of Departure. Conceptually, the enlisted artists share a common philosophy, centred not-so-loosely around the inherent worthlessness of man, the scum.
The full album is available to download in MP3 format for free from the Svn Okklt website – as are other blog-approved cassette releases – but I would advise strongly that you purchase the tapes from FER as well. They are worth owning and the label deserves our support if it is going to keep conjuring stellar releases like this one in years to come.
Evilometer: 666/666
Tags: Axis Of Light, Death Fortress, Dressed In Streams, Eos, Fallen Empire Records, Gevurah, Jute Gyte, Nuklearenpest, SVN-OKKLT, Sylvus, Tardigrada, Witch In Her Tomb, Xothist
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Sunday, February 3rd, 2013
Sapienta from Sweden is a brand-new band that specialises in a hybrid of Death Metal and Black Metal that to my ears is more death (or even doom at times) than black. For example, vocal delivery reminds me more of Evoken or Glen Benton moonlighting in Vital Remains than it does of any BM band that springs to mind. Maybe they are Black Metal in spirit?
According to their Encyclopaedia Metallum page, Sapienta’s lyrics deal with Luciferian Gnosis and The Black Lodge, which is fine with me seeing as I don’t actually know what either of those two things are. Nor do I care. Suffice to say, we have on this tape five tracks of really cool underground black-infused Death Metal that’s at times in a similar vein to Necros Christos but as a whole different to any other artist I can think of off the top of my lazy head right now.
It’s a pro-tape, with proper printing on the cassette, professional insert and all lyrics included. ‘Through The First Sphere Of Saturnus’ is by no means the most essential album I’ve ever heard but it’s far from the worst and is well worth purchasing at this cheap price. Especially check out the stunning, epic closing song ‘Ad Infinitum’. Hurry, though – limited to 100 units.
(Apologies for the fucked-up-by-the-flash photo.)
Evilometer: 444/666
Tags: Lamech Records, Sapienta, Through The First Sphere Of Saturnus
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Thursday, December 20th, 2012
Due to a debilitating lack of time, I have reluctantly decided to bring Black Metal Reviews to an immediate end. This site – which started as fun – has unfortunately become a chore and my reviews are increasingly rushed and less interesting. It is pointless continuing in such a half-hearted, incompetent manner. The plug is therefore pulled.
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Saturday, December 15th, 2012
For a demo, this cassette is quite impressive. Over the course of 30 minutes, French duo Kvalm dish out five tracks of searing, under-produced Black Metal plus the almost obligatory intro and outro. Kvalm is the Norwegian word for nauseous and I suppose that fact alone could spark all kinds of debates as to whether they sound more French or Norwegian. Me, I don’t give a fuck either way – I’ve never really been able to detect such subtle differences. Black Metal is universal-ish to my poor ears.
Anyway, the music on here is rough and ready, harsh, discordant and aggressive. It sounds like it was recorded live in a garage or shed. Wait, it probably was. Clearly, ‘Demo 2012’ isn’t going to change the world or send shockwaves through the underground. But it’s still an interesting excursion that hints at greater things to come. Some of the musicianship is noticeably ambitious (in a refreshing way) and I’ll definitely be interested in seeing what Kvalm conjures next.
Evilometer: 333/666
Tags: Atavism Records, Demo 2012, Kvalm
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Wednesday, November 28th, 2012
In some ways, it’s a real pity that Mons Veneris is so essentially underground. The identity of the band member(s) is unclear and releases – which are at least plentiful – are low-key, scattered, short, limited, random and generally difficult to acquire. There has only been one actual full-length and as far as I know it was only released on cassette. I don’t have it.
I do, however, possess an increasing number of splits, cassettes and EPs from the Portuguese act (these appear to be the preferred medium of communication) and I have been mightily impressed by both the style and sheer quality of twisted Black Metal found on most of these. The one we’re concerned with here, ‘O Seu Trono Nos Nossos Ossos’, is a one-sided, three-track cassette and one of the songs is just an intro, so we only get two tunes proper.
Eighteen minutes in total isn’t a whole pile to get your teeth into but this tape is inexpensive and should appeal to anyone attracted to the nascent Lusitanian underground or to bands like classic Xasthur and / or The True Werwolf and/ or the majority of Mons Veneris’ associated compatriots. Depraved, chaotic, mournful grimness is the name of the game; truly majestic and enchanting despite its brevity.
Evilometer: 666/666
Tags: Mons Veneris, O Seu Trono Nos Nossos Ossos, You Are Nothing
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Sunday, November 4th, 2012
The natural marriage between these two bands wasn’t wholly unexpected considering that Cripta Oculta’s last full-length, ‘Rios Que Correram… Rios Que Secaram’ was released in its (original) cassette format on the label fronted by Aryan Art mastermind Alexander. That was a bloody fine release – and so is ‘Нашите Древни Символи / Os Nossos Símbolos Anciãos’.
The drawback is that there’s only one eleven-minute offering from each band but it must be pointed out that this is reflected in the price as these cassette releases are generally cheap as fuck. I only paid four or five quid for this one. And it’s a pro tape with lyrics included – not that those are worth a shit to me or to anyone else for that matter…
Aryan Art’s contribution starts off all shamanic like Blood of the Black Owl before developing into a raging piece of proud, traditional Black Metal that soars and screeches its way into the ear canal; Cripta Oculta delivers a (possibly more restrained) Lusitanian ode to honour that is on a par with the material on the aforementioned album of two years ago. All things considered, this is a great example of nationalistic BM from the ancient lands of Bulgaria and Portugal.
Evilometer: 555/666
Tags: Aryan Art, Cripta Oculta, Master Of All Evil, Os Nossos Símbolos Anciãos, Нашите Древни Символи
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Wednesday, October 31st, 2012
‘The Jewel Throne’ was originally released a decade ago in between Dead Reptile Shrine’s second and third full-lengths. Ironically, it’s much longer than both of those combined! Comprising three generous albums’ worth of material (71 minutes; 79 minutes; and 68 minutes respectively), this collection contains a whopping 58 songs. Though songs is clearly the wrong word when describing DRS…
Antihumanism re-released the lost trilogy on three pro-tapes at the start of the current calendar year and I must say I’m delighted to have secured a copy. I think. While it’s difficult to tell the tapes apart by looking at them, I eventually learned how to differentiate between ‘The Gates Into The Underworld’, ‘Pohjantähden Lapset’ and ‘Helvetenskap’. (Take a bow Post-it®)
There are literally hours and hours of wondrous woodland fun to be had within the sanctuary of ‘The Jewel Throne’. The music veers between eccentricity and complete lunacy with gay abandon, kind of like Urfaust on acid. It’s exactly what you’d expect to hear from a horde of touched inmate let loose on a veritable orchestra of instruments in an asylum. Somewhere. This is improvised and spontaneous B-movie horror soundtrack stuff for the depraved only.
At times, I’m almost convinced that the tapes are retarded and that I’m retarded for listening to them. Which makes Dead Reptile Shrine’s relatively-unknown triple dose of dementia all the more compelling. Approach this one with caution and enter at your peril. And be grateful of the fact that there’s too much going on here to every fully get your head around.
Evilometer: 555/666
Tags: Antihumanism, Dead Reptile Shrine, The Jewel Throne
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Monday, October 1st, 2012
I ordered this cassette – along with five others – from the label on August 2nd. In the meantime, Crepúsculo Negro closed down. However, the people who ran this label have clearly decided not to honour their prior commitments and have sent me nothing in return for my hard-earned cash.
Even though I have written positive things about their previous releases (which is irrelevant, I admit) and even though I have paid them a total of $65, they won’t answer my emails or afford me the tiniest modicum of respect. This sort of behaviour is scandalous. It flies in the face of decency and common courtesy. How difficult would it be to send on the cassettes that are paid for? I mean, it’s not like they have huge intrinsic value.
I’m not sure what the future plans of the individuals behind this label are but I will certainly in turn be affording them the respect they deserve and avoiding them like the plague. Even if, by some miracle, the tapes were to arrive eventually (highly unlikely), the behaviour of the label has been truly pathetic.
Tags: Arizmenda, Crepúsculo Negro, Without Circumference Nor Center
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Tuesday, September 11th, 2012
Herein lies the problem with delving too deep into the underground – the lower you go the more likely you are to get shit on your boots. Insalubre seemed like a sure-fire winner to me: an unsigned misanthropic Portuguese Black Metal band releasing a demo on cassette with the music recorded in 2007 and vocals added this year – surely this was going to rock? Wrong.
To say that this is dogged with bad sound would be the understatement of the aeons. “Assim nasceu o ódio pelo tempo que vivemos…” appears to have some decent ideas hidden in the murk but it’s hard to say with any degree of confidence when the production is non-existent and the music sounds like I’m listening to it through perforated eardrums. Now, I like my Black Metal raw and grim but I also like to hear it and, in that regard, this tape is a total joke.
I know this is a demo. But it has also been released. And I paid money for the bloody thing. Real money. In 2012. Aye, there’s the rub! There is absolutely no point in making music as poorly-recorded as this available to the public. It has no value and is a total insult to people who hand over their hard-earned cash for it. What a fucking waste of time and €uros. More cunt than cult.
Evilometer: 000/666
Tags: Assim nasceu o ódio pelo tempo que vivemos, Insalubre, Titan Woods
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Tuesday, July 31st, 2012
This is a limited-to-150-units pro-cassette edition of the debut demo from Québécois one-man band Maléfices – the bastard brainchild of he who calls himself Serpenoire. There are seven wonderful Black Metal work-outs on ‘Povr Le Sangs’ and the sound is really pretty impressive for a demo. And for a tape. For just six Canadian dollars, this is a steal. Which makes me a thief, I suppose. I’ve been called worse…
The music on here is grim and nasty and creepy, the way Black Metal was always supposed to be. As a collection of songs goes, it’s solid, impressive and more-than-competent, always maintaining that essential true underground feel. I’ve heard so many ‘proper’ albums from big-name bands on big-name labels that couldn’t hold a candle to ‘Povr Le Sangs’ that it makes me shake with incredulity at the sheer stupidity of man.
That’s not to say this is a perfect piece of work. Far from it, in truth. But it’s a fantastic opening gambit and I’d have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending this charm-the-knickers-off-a-nun tape to those who enjoy no-gimmicks, straight-from-the-bitter-heart, old-fashioned Black Metal performed with passion and integrity. Great stuff that everyone should hunt down as a matter of priority, ‘Povr Le Sangs’ stands defiantly as the antidote to shit like Alcest, Enslaved, modern Burzum and a whole steaming host of other drivel deliverers.
Evilometer: 555/666
Tags: Maléfices, Povr Le Sangs, Versets Noirs
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Monday, July 9th, 2012
Here’s a style of Black Metal I haven’t experienced often. Belgian duo Yhdarl opt for a spontaneous-sounding, improvised brand of droning, chaotic blackness that’s at times extremely difficult to digest. ‘The Essence II’ – their sixth full-length – is genuinely headache-inducing madness which treads a dangerous thin line between being great and being unlistenable.
Even though I found this tape to be hard going (not often I say that), I’m prepared to give Yhdarl the benefit of the doubt and conclude that ‘The Essence II’ is more than mere lunacy. Like an extreme, blackened version of Khanate, this music is extreme in every sense, getting right under your skin, unnerving you. It’s like the soundtrack to your worst nightmare. In fact, I could imagine this being used by interrogators to detract information from even the most seemingly-unbreakable of witnesses. Ten hours solid of this and even Satan himself would spill the beans and run home crying to mammy with his tail tucked between his legs.
Not much more to say about this: four songs, with a total time of close to an hour, of demented, feverish black drone that could conceivably rip the skin from you face. As ever, the cassette is available for a mere pittance so the price of admission is so low that purchasing ‘The Essence II’ could barely be construed as a gamble. Give it a go if you want to hear something truly crazy. But, be warned, this is not for everybody – far from it, in fact!
Evilometer: 444/666
Tags: Schattenkult Produktionen, The Essence II, Yhdarl
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