Moluchtas - Telos Terminus

MOLUCHTAS - Telos Terminus (GODZ OV WAR - CD 2022)

Taking a look at some of the recent black metal releases from Godz ov War, I can say that I wasn't big fan of them. I am glad then to say that "Telos Terminus" by enigmatic Moluchtas is much better effort and I can finally have something more positive to say. This one-man project hails from Belgium and this CD compiles two EPs  „Into Nothingness” and „The Inexorable Imprecation of Being”. Despite coming from two different recording sessions, they sound fairly consistent, so you may feel like you listen to actual full length release than two EPs. Which is good, of course.

Musically, we deal here with quite interesting and I dare to say original black metal. Moluchtas does take influence from the traditions of the genre with full grasps, their harsh and dark sound is splendid and classic... I especially like how the music goes with these ghastly, kind of whispering vocals (which may remind you Nuclear Holocausto Vengeance a little). But some of the riffs may sound slightly surprising and not necessarily so common for the genre. Not only for some vicious melodies, but also for their inclinations to other metal genres. Moluchtas does keep that obscure and sinister aura all the time through and I think I can dare to say that sometimes it all gets close to such Necromantia, speaking of the music - if you only make it without so, so many keyboards (there are just few of them here and there) or stuff like that. It all goes nicely with that dirty, raw and dense sulphurous production. On top of all, there's quite a lot of beastial, fast playing, but along them there are slower, more atmospheric songs like the brilliant "The Awakening", so generally this album has everything you need to hear from a solid black metal. 

Standout tracks: "The One That Defiles the Earth", "The Awakening"

Verdict: 70/100 

Vonülfsrëich - The Cult

Vonülfsrëich - The Cult (FALLEN TEMPLE - CD 2022)

Well, well. Vonülfsrëich are back with new EP titled "The Cult", which is cool, as it's been some time since the release of "Hyperborëan Hills" and "Ylfsreälm Inguz". But to be honest - and I will keep this review very short, as there's not much to write about really - this new EP is not as good as some of the previous stuff from Vonülfsrëich. Of course, it is still that very raw ad primitive black metal. The sound is even more cruel and noisy than previously, very much like a poor rehearsal recording, and songs are your basic, simplistic necro black metal... But Vonülfsrëich just did better before. I can't tell that "The Cult" interested me with anything at all, except maybe that each of these five songs seems to be a bit different from each other - from some Bathory debut worship through sort of Aura Noir-like third song and up to the crazy raw heavy metal attack on Wizzard cover (which can remind you now some of the recent Darkthrone albums). And among them I like "The Ghost (Trapped In The Freezing Forest)" the most, maybe because it is so slow and just far from what you usually hear on black metal albums. All in all, this CD is for the die hard black metal collectors, those who take everything as it comes.

Verdict: 60/100

Beyond - Enter Transcendence

BEYOND - Enter Transcendence (IRON BONEHEAD - 7"EP 2012)

“What kind of lame crap it is?” I told myself after hearing first seconds of the opening song of this EP for the first time. But HOLD ON boy, you've been playing it at a wrong speed, you dump fuck. This is why it sounds so bad hah! After giving it a proper 45 RPM play, "Hidden Temple of Obscurity" (which is side A song) finally started to sound much, much better... Exactly as I expected, knowing Beyond from their excellent album "Fatal Power of Death". Always a problem with these vinyl shit hah... 

Now I can say that "Enter Transcendence" is a killer EP and a great, worthy piece of black wax from a band, which really deserved much more to achieve. I have no idea why Beyond got so little attention and what led to their abrupt split up. But, even though Beyond are dead, I decided to write a couple of words about “Enter...”. Just because this EP is great and belongs to my favourite death metal releases from Germany, just as "Fatal Power...", actually. 

Stylistically Beyond was in that very fast, chaotic, insanely vicious and morbid death metal niche, where personally I can find place such bands as Repugnant, Sadistic Intent, Degial, Verminous, Throneum, Vorum, Venenum or Excoriate. There is wrath, chaos, possessing, evil aura in these sounds... There's insane intensity and savage riffage and almost 80's Morbid Angel-esque style of death metal too. Beyond doesn't slow down for a moment even, they speed up like crazy and there's not much time to catch the breath. Add that very harsh production to it and the result is just sweet. Both songs really go the same chaotic path of morbidity, so obviously it can work very well for a 7"EP, but a full album would require a bit more from Beyond... But they showed their potential on "Fatal Power of Death" one year later. All in all, I can say that "Enter Transcendence" is a great EP, a good example that XXI century death metal still is full of rotten, fresh meat and far from boredom. 

Verdict: 80/100

PS. They went on to form OmegaVortex - check out this killer band!!!!

Evoked - Ravenous Compulsion

EVOKED - Ravenous Compulsion (FDA Records - LP 2019)

Quite surprisingly, German death metal scene after many years of stagnation really started to breed some excellent death metal bands. Together with such Slaughterday, Revel In Flesh, Omega Vortex, Scalpture or Abythic (and more!) Evoked belongs to my personal favourites, if you ask me. I liked their "Return of the Dead" demo, and then the "Lifeless Allurement" I enjoyed even more. With "Ravenous Compulsion" I think that Evoked filled all my expectations for the classic old school death metal. And I don't care if you say that they sound too much like "Leprosy" or "Consuming Impulse" or "Cursed". I don't care if you say that it's all been done before, and it would be better to listen to the “originals” than their “copy”. I absolutely don’t feel that way and it may be because I feel a great passion in these albums – a passion and love for classic death metal. Bands like Evoked take me thirty years back in the past, when as a kid I was starting to discover this music. And it is awesome that new generation of bands sounds so fresh and killer. 

Speaking more about "Ravenous Compulsion" itself, the musical content has already been described above. Think of these three classics records I mentioned above (I may mention Asphyx too), add a bit updated production - and this is what Evoked sounds like here. More importantly, they have a whole lot of killer riffs and the music sounds nasty and powerful, brutal and savage. It has that spark, which makes you play it fuckin loud and crush all the shit around with ferocity. Their recipe for the songwriting and arrangements is fairly simple, Evoked doesn't really walk away from the classic means even for a second. It is straight forward, but quite diverse pure death metal, even with a bit more melodic themes here and there. And vocals sound strongly like a mix of young van Drunen and Mamelli. All in all, "Ravenous Compulsion" is a sweet as a putrid human meat, this album infected my mind from the first listen. I just love that sort of music and I don't demand to hear more than what I can find here. Great album, this is all I can say. 

Verdict: 85/100

Coffins / Cardiac Arrest - Split 7"EP

COFFINS / CARDIAC ARREST - Split (HAUNTED HOTEL Records - 7"EP 2019)

Seven inch vinyl madness continues! And another great piece here! Would you believe that it took me few months to listen to this piece of black wax? It wasn’t something intentional, just a busy playlist postponed it. Better late than never though. And what a killer split seven inch we have here, I really do think so. 

Cardiac Arrest comes with "Perfect Place to Die" - a song, which is basically based on one or two riffs, which go slowly and slowly for over five minutes. Someone would say - that must be boring. No, it doesn't need to be, if you know what you're doing. Cardiac Arrest seems to know. They quickly set up that dark and mournful atmosphere, bringing heaviness and sludgeness of doomy riff and deep beastly growl. There's really something intriguing about "Perfect Place to Die", I almost immediately got hooked and hypnotized by it... and well, I can say that this is a great piece of death doom metal. I do admit that I am very little familiar with Cardiac Arrest, which is a shame if you think that they did so many albums and other splits by now. After listening to this 7” split I feel like I finally should give them more attention. 

And as for Coffins... They are crazy Japanese doom death metal bastards, who love releasing splits more than Ron Jeremy liked to fuck. I'm not even gonna bother to count all shit they already released. But for me Coffins are synonymous to killer death doom metal, just like their contrymen from Anatomia are. Anything you get from them, it will always sound fantastic. "Maternal Death" is exactly like that. Unlike Cardiac Arrest though, this song has everything - slow patterns, grinding parts, it sounds sick and dark, it is gruesome and catchy at the same time... And that natural, raw and heavy production.... Brilliant song, from a brilliant band. I love them. 

Verdict: 80/100

Corrupter - Descent Into Madness

CORRUPTER - Descent Into Madness (GODZ OV WAR - CD 2022)

Godz ov War welcomed the year 2022 with three new releases and here is one of them. Album titled "Descent Into Madness" is a debut recording from a French duo Corrupter, which I am sure we will hear more from in the future. This debut album sounds good enough to catch my attention and to remember them for the possible future encounters. And while "Descent Into Madness" doesn't bring anything new nor extraordinary, it's such a solid and worthy album that I played in a great number of times in the past few days. 

I think that Corrupter succeeded with few aspects. One aspect is that they didn't exaggerate and the album is just about half an hour long, which is absolutely enough, in my opinion. Too often I hear albums, which are good, but which after a while start to bore, because you feel like there's just too much of everything. Corrupter spends their thirty minutes very productively, they do not waste time for intros or other bullshit, from the very first song the listener is under the heavy, crushing cannonade of riffs and it is goooood! Well, another thing is that with such insanely dense, vicious and brutal death metal form there's a nice balance between slower and faster parts and between sheer, relentless brutal massacre and more memorable, sometimes almost groovy stuff. Which is a perfect way to get very dynamic, energetic and powerful death metal. Often Corrupter has a slight Immolation vibe (like in "Not Enough to Harm"), other times the music is even heavier and definitely faster than that, reminding me bands like Ritual Necromancy... All in all, there's a lot of great stuff around "Descent Into Madness". Riffs are great, I like the drumming with some nice cymbal work for instance... Vocals sound deep and bestial... There's just enough to give me that sadistic pleasure from another brutal, murky death metal. Good band! 

Verdict: 75/100 

Crucifire - Thy Curse Denied

CRUCIFIRE - Thy Curse Denied (CALABAZO Records - 7"EP 2006)

Many moons ago, nearly 20 years ago, I received a demo from an Australian band called Crucifire. This demo was called "Unblessed unto Hatred" and I remember I loved it. I conducted an interview with the band's vocalist Darfiend - who was also in an excellent band called Encabulous... but soon after that chat I had Crucifire split up. "Thy Curse Denied" is their last recording and this EP was released on vinyl by Calabazo Records (which is the same label, which did Necros Christos 7" "Curse of the Necromantical Sabbath"!). But not many people remember Crucifire, which is a shame, because I feel like this band would obliterate half of the current death metal scene easily. At the same time their music would so nicely fit nowadays obscure death metal bulldozers perfectly! What a shame then that most people have no idea how good "Thy Curse Denied" is. 

Well, in few words - this is heavy as fuck, crushing, cavernous death metal. There's a vast influence from the mighty Incantation in it, but also from bands like Acheron or Imprecation. That shit sounds bestial, evil, furious, fast and it destroys. "Realm of the Risen" is one of those songs, which can easily turn your place into ruin and I love that harsh, old school feel and production of it. These riffs are insanely infectious and strong, exactly kind of stuff I love to hear. The title song from side B is no less brilliant and Mystifier cover served for a dessert is a nice end of the EP. For me, it's an excellent, hugely underrated and unknown piece of death metal. It is easy to get it on Discogs, so you better spend few euros and get a copy. No wimp shit there! 

Verdict: 90/100

And this is my old interview with Darkfied (from PANZERFAUST zine #IV, released in 2004 or 2005, I am not sure)

Graveyard Ghoul / Casket - Dead... Stiff and Cold in a Box to Decay

GRAVEYARD GHOUL / CASKET - Dead... Stiff and Cold in a Box to Decay (7"EP - LYCANTHROPIC CHANTS 2018)

Honestly, I had no plans to review this split 7", but somehow I have changed my mind after giving this release a nice listening session earlier this morning. Well, I will make it short anyway, because it is only a seven inch and there are just two songs... But first of all, I love such releases, they are the essence of underground for me and always pure joy to hear great bands with exclusive songs and shit like that. "Dead... Stiff and Cold in a Box to Decay" gives me that exactly. 

While Graveyard Ghoul did what they always do - and it is nasty, savage morbid death metal in its primitive form, Casket really blew my head off the most. I had to make small research about this band, because I never heard of them before. And well, it's not even a band, but one man project (from a dude who's also a live member in Evoked). He (Marco) did one demo "Ghouls of Filth" back in 2017 and then this one song titled "Feast of the Fiends". It is fuckin awesome. I love that mixture of Swedish death metal with eerie melody and Autopsy filthiness, I love that dark, horroresque atmosphere of that music... And Casket really do have some killer riffs and harmonies in "Feast of the Fiends", I also like Marco's vocals a lot, since they are not necessarily your typical death growls, but more varied and interesting vokills. All in all, Casket blew my head off and I wonder if there will be more such nasty stuff coming from Marco in the future. I do hope so. As for Graveyard Ghoul, I heard better stuff from them, but "In Search of Blood" is cool as well. This is insanely vicious and aggressive D-beat tune, with also a nice melodic theme somewhere in the middle... Vocals are really crazy and sick... It is just a killer tune. So, certainly "Dead... Stiff and Cold in a Box to Decay" is a nice split, so grab a copy from Lycanthropic Chants. Sharpen your knive! 

Verdict: 85/100

SOTDS - Oto jest pustka

SOTDS - Oto jest pustka (GODZ OV WAR - CD 2021)

Another album from the freezer, another one from Godz ov War catalogue. To be honest, I think that some of the last releases from that label were not quite as good and Greg used to release much better bands and albums, in my opinion. Well, you cannot like everything, obviously. As for the mysterious Sotds you can easily guess that again it's not an album, which would impress me much. They can challenge Cień in the competition "who will put me to sleep sooner" and I just don't give a shit if my opinion will be unpopular or not. Why would I, anyway? 

I'm not even in mood for a lengthy description of the content of Sotds' debut album titled "Oto jest pustka", as everything about that effort is just meaningless and forgettable for me. But let's just say that this band is nothing more or less, but melancholic black metal. Their music can sound quite harsh on one hand, but that raw and maybe quite vicious side is balanced with a lot of melodies and that atmospheric side of this particular black metal style. Yes, slightly depressive, sorrowful and cold would be the most appropriate adjectives to describe "Oto jest pustka"… 

...but there lies the whole problem - I am not a fan of it. It is not that Sotds (or Sounds of the Dying Summer) sounds terrible, because I suppose that they are quite decent and solid band. This album is OK (although vocals are just lame) and I am sure that some listeners will enjoy it. But I didn’t, it bored me quickly and it’s just not what I seek for in black metal particularly. I just don’t care for that stuff; it may not exist to me and there would be no sense of loss.  

Ohh, and those make ups... are they serious or they just don’t know they look stupid?  

Verdict: 60/100