Black Ceremonial Kult / Kratherion - Har - pa - jered / Abdicación divina . . . ascensión de la muerte infinita

BLACK CEREMONIAL KULT / KRATHERION - Har - pa - jered / Abdicación divina . . . ascensión de la muerte infinita (VEINS FULL OF WRATH Productions - CD 2016)

In 2016 "Har - pa - jered / Abdicación divina . . . ascensión de la muerte infinita" split came out and I have to admit that I checked it pretty late. But damn, what a killer stuff it turned out to be. Another two Chilean bands I am impressed with and which I want to recommend to you all!!!! 

First and foremost, it’s the first time when I found out about Black Ceremonial Kult, who are a great band!!! These six songs are a proper harsh and morbid death / black metal played in that South American vein, with a mix of a bit of North American blasphemy and violence, alike to Black Witchery or Blasphemy even. But for me, Black Ceremonial Kult music has more to offer. Of corpse there's a lot of that war fuckin metal influence, with that totally brutal, chaotic and almost primitive sound. But Black Ceremonial Kult actually tried to play some interesting riffs and get some great arrangements and ideas, instead of just focusing on a sonic, cacophonous annihilation. For example I really love all these slower parts they included into their music, which can even take you to the gods from Incantation. The first song "Liber I: Har-pa-jered liber" is especially the one, which blew my head off, with some strong, impressive riffs, diversity and just obscure, evil atmosphere. There's slower stuff, fast, relentless blasting part... Also "Liber V: Victory I II III" is a song I am especially impressed with. Oh, it's just a killer piece of death / black metal. I need more from these guys. 

As for Kratherion, I only know their "Mantra Lucifer Flagelantes" album. But if you check my review, then you will know how much I liked this band's effort. I think I would also call their music death / black metal, even though is it more intense and furious... Their influences may also be quite similar in a broader aspect (to BCK), but stylistically they focus more on fast, venomous, savage stuff. It can remind you stuff like Embrace of Thorns, Angel Corpse or Impiety also, so it's all just raw, neckbreaking and blasphemous to the bone. Listen to the opening track “Galopando entre ruinas celestiales” and it will answer all your questions. Just a bestial metal of death, with lyrics in their native language, what also adds a bit to that blasphemous and primitive character to the music. Just like Black Ceremonial Cult’s, also Kratherion’s music sounds powerful, straight forward and brutal, so do not expect to find here nostalgic melodies and beautiful riffs. But do not think it’s boring and one dimensional also, “Escaras de santidad” or the fantastic “Las torres del silencio” can definitely prove you wrong. It sounds cruel and bestial. Another killer Chilean death / black metal commando. And another fantastic split. 

Verdict: 80/100

Anatomia / Mausoleum - Split

ANATOMIA / MAUSOLEUM - Split (BEHIND THE MOUNTAIN  12"Split LP 2020)

Being a big fan of Anatomia, I was impatiently waiting for this split 12" to come out. Days were long, as it was a middle of the summer, but finally one September day a postman kindly delivered a package from Behind the Mountain with the godly vinyl in it. The "creeping fog" colour looks absolutely beautiful, if you ask me, it’s definitely worth to get this limited edition, but I am more excited for the musical content. 

Anatomia on side A brought exactly what I wanted to hear and I am very, very pleased with their three songs. Actually, I think this is one of the best Anatomia releases ever. It's an absolute masterpiece of rotten, obscure death / doom metal. This stuff sounds creepy and horrifying, with these slowly crawling, massively heavy riffs and with disgusting vocals or vomits, but so perfectly they fit the music and its atmosphere... What I like is that each of these three songs is a bit different, especially "In the Crypt" stands out, with its dark ambiental sound of keyboards and truly a horror-like soundtrack. "Mangled Flesh" is faster, more aggressive and vicious, it may be one of the most mid paced tracks from this band ever, while "Rotting Innards" is a well known slimy doom death metal filth Anatomia is so well known for. All songs are delicious, in my opinion, I love the riffs, the production, the performance... this band is amazing. 

Mausoleum on side B was quite a mystery for me, as honestly, I haven't heard much from this band so far, just some songs like the split with Haemophagus. It seems like this band is very slow, as they did two albums, but their last one is from 2011. I have no idea why it takes them so long to do more new recordings. But here, you will find four new tracks. And well, I like this shit. It turned out to sound really great, with that very old school death metal sound and style, alike to all these godly records from the early 90's, let's mention early Death, Autopsy, Necrophagia, Massacre, Obituary... Eh, you know the shit. Especially "Voices from Beyond" caught my attention and brutally crushed, as it is totally in the Autopsy vein, but the riffage, the atmosphere of this song and sound are all simply killer. But there’s also faster, more brutal and nasty stuff, such are “Shadows on the Grave” or “The Dark Abysmal”, the latter which is a perfect summation of Mausoleum influences. Definitely these guys also did a killer job and their part of the split didn’t disappoint. It's nothing new, but the songwriting and everything else is exactly as I love to hear. Brilliant. Hope they will prepare new album, as with this quality it is going to be a sure winner. 

Nothing else to add. Fantastic release from Behind the Mountain, one of the best splits in a long time. And a gorgeous vinyl colour. 

Verdict: 90/100  

Encoffination - Elegant Funerals For The Unknown Dead

ENCOFFINATION - Elegant Funerals For The Unknown Dead (DEBEMOUR MORTI - LP 2012)

Encoffination for me is a synonymous for the bleakest, most depressive, misanthropic and obscure doom death metal. Their music is almost hypnotizing, as it never really varies the tempos or switch between different rhythms, riffs styles or whatever. It is completely derived of any dynamics or diversity even. The skeletal, the base of every song is to get an ultra fuckin heavy, crawling, crushing riff, which would set that darkest and most morbid atmosphere, play it all slow, never to rush things out, add some ghoulish, deep and beastly vocals to it... Let the atmosphere of darkest abyss and sorrow devour the listener - and that's it. Someone would say that this is exactly why Encoffination music sounds dull and repetitive. Well, maybe to some ears it does. For me personally, it is actually the opposite! I feel like it is not a music to entertain, to give you fun or invite to bang your head or whatever. It is about to create the funeral aura noir and to hypnotize, in some way. Which is why it never bothered me that there's not much difference between the songs or if they may sound one dimensional and boring. 

It all depends on personal preferences, but also on the mood you're in. It definitely isn't music, which you would play in sun shine, while jogging, or preparing your BBQ. I know it sounds like a cliche, but in this case the personal mood and also surrounding you play this music actually matters. So, lit just a small light, sit down, have a drink and let these sounds devour you. In case of "Elegant Funerals For The Unknown Dead" we get five songs. And they are some of the best stuff Encoffination recorded, in my opinion. I especially like how "Elegance Above Flesh" goes into "Hear Me, O' Death", with this almost religious, more like sacrilegious probably, atmosphere. But the whole EP is just great. I like what I hear here, all these crushing riffs and monstrous growls... I wish that drums had slightly different sound, but it's not really a problem at all. As it is, "Elegant Funerals For The Unknown Dead" is a brilliant piece of doom / death metal and I can guarantee that it is impressive and infectious. 

“Choirs of dead masses retch sacred hymns, in this eternal condemnation, holy. Above man, above god, death is beautiful...” 

Verdict: 80/100

Atrocity - Hallucinations

ATROCITY - Hallucinations (NUCLEAR BLAST - LP 1990)

This is definitely one of these classic death metal albums you need to know, when speaking of the early 90's scene in Germany. It is also one of the first full albums from this country with that music, I think. Released in 1990 by Nuclear Blast and recorded in the famous Morrisound Studio, "Hallucinations" had everything to achieve success. Well, back at that time Atrocity was a name, which meant something. But in my opinion 90% of death metal fans stopped to care for them, mostly because Atrocity went through some very drastic and controversial musical changes that happened after their second album. So, old fans only care for their early recordings and newer death metal fans probably never even heard about "Hallucinations". 

Which is a shame, obviously, because it is a very good and surely a unique album. Stylistically it is just different from most of the stuff you’ve ever heard. It's brutal, yes. It's dark and sick, yes. It's often fast and griding, sure. But the riffage is simply sick. "Hallucinations" is very progressive, twisted and complex album, full of weird riffs, sudden rhythm changes, unusual arrangements and structures... It's an album, which you could put aside with the likes of Disharmonic Orchestra, Loudblast, Atheist, Dark Millennium and such. Yet, each of these bands had something original and own to offer. "Hallucinations" is a weird journey, full of surprises and bizarre riffs. But what I like about it is that it doesn't forget about the aggression and that vicious death metal feel we always need to hear. There are many blasting, almost grinding, parts, which sound awesome, and riffs or songs are technical, which is why this album isn't easy to listen to, but there's a method in this madness, I think. At the first listen - like in many albums from that techno death metal style - it can sound bizarre and cacophonous, where riffs and parts don't match. But that's just a charm of this old progressive death metal album. If you want to hear something easy and "nice", you could pick "Human". If you want something twisted and weird, bring "Hallucinations" on!  

Obviously such music can struggle a bit nowadays, it didn't get old perfectly, I also think that it's not a perfect album (for instance I never like Alex Krull's screaming vocals that much... I wish he used more growls)... But it has its charm and as I mentioned, it is just a unique album. I cannot think of many bands, which would play alike nowadays, for instance. Sure, people now are crazy for Blood Incantation for instance, but it's just not the same kind of progressive death metal. All in all, it is an album, which is worth checking out, especially if you missed it before (because you're a younger fan) or forgot about it (because you're old enough to have a memory failure haha). 

While listening to "Hallucinations", it is worthy to check the lyrics, as it's one of the few concept albums within death metal scene of that time. And the subject of that concept is also something quite different as it deals with child abuse, drug addiction, prostitution, overdose... Not a happy story and not typical for death metal band, but it's an interesting one for sure. Just as unique as the music of Atrocity is. 

Standout tracks: "Defeated Intellect", "Hold Out (to the End)", "Deep in Your Subconscious" 

Verdict: 80/100   

Clairvoyance - Demo 2020

CLAIRVOYANCE - Demo 2020 (BEHIND THE MOUNTAIN - 7"EP 2020)

Some time ago I’ve seen few positive opinions about debut demo of new Polish band called Clairvoyance. I was immediately interested, but I don't buy cassettes (Caligari Records), I thought that a CD with 10 minutes of music is also something I would rather pass... But Behind the Mountain gave a helpful hand and released the demo on the best format possible, which is a 7" vinyl! Perfect for such short demo! Awesome. The layout is kept simple as possible, there's no inlay included even... but the music truly fulfilled my expectations and I can say that this demo is fuckin’ awesome. 

Stylistically it fits well to current "trends" (or however you're gonna call it) from the North American death metal scene - both US and Canadian, so if you're into the likes of Tomb Mold, Coffin Rot, Spectral Voice and such, then Clairvoyance will be up your street also. If you want to take the influences even further, then the trail will take you straight to Incantation in the first place. So, this is thick, mouldy, very heavy sounding and brutal, yet morbid and obscure death metal. They create nearly claustrophobic wall of sound, slowly crushing with all these nasty riffs. What I love about Clairvoyance is how they combine all different parts, from slow and even a bit melodic, to really fast and neckbreaking stuff. And vocals are beastly deep, inhuman and guttural as the current cannons tell them to be. This demo is nothing new and as I mentioned, it follows what we can observe in the current death metal scene. But I have to admit these guys did killer job here, for me it's the best debut on the Polish scene since Rites of Daath first EP. And I have high hopes for a full album. 

Verdict: 80/100