Naglfar - Sheol

Naglfar
"Sheol" (2003)
Metal
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Modern, melodic, refined, Swedish Black Metal for fantasy nerds. Everyone has been posting a lot of Black Metal stuff, and I thought I'd contribute a bit to that. Seems like a lot of punk kids have been coming out with raw Black Metal projects, and this is not one of those projects. This album is well recorded, intricate, and made by some Swedish metal heads. Naglfar's first release was back in 1995 and have gone through their fair share of line-up changes (mostly in the first 5 years). This is their third release and the first one I got my hands on several years back thanks to my friend Eric. Lyrically what you might expect: Demonic dealings, humanity's putrefaction, and a little bit of self pity. "Gaia, your soil bleeds black, your womb shall be the massgrave for all of mankind!"

Gather - Total Liberation

Gather
"Total Liberation" (2004)
Hardcore / Metal
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Those of you that know me know I'm nowhere near being hardline, but I do like some over-the-top vegan straight edge music... And this is one example. For the record: I don't support the ALF, I kill mosquitos that are sucking my life juice, and I eat caffeinated chocolate from time to time. All that said, it's nice to hear some impassioned vegan straight edge kids getting pissed and writing metallic hardcore. I know I haven't said anything about the actual music, but you probably have a good idea of what you're getting into: 5 Tracks of hard, well-recorded mid nineties xVx hardcore worship with enough breakdowns to pick up hundreds of dollars worth of change. "Merely straight edge, not enough! Merely straight edge, step it up!"

Despise You - West Side Horizons

Despise You
"West Side Horizons" (1999)
Hardcore / Metal
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Holy shit, Despise You. These guys ripped it up in the mid to late nineties and then came back together to play shows in Cali and did a little US tour. I was living in Mexico when that happened so I had to miss it (didn't drive to Houston because I'm weak and a poser). Brutal, grinding, metallic, fucked up violence complimented by male/female trade-off vocals and some dismal guitar tones. I want to say before they got back together for the tour, they had only played a handful of shows, if that... But their little ripples in the punk pond turned into colossal tsunamis of influence. I don't even know what that means. Anyways, this has already been posted over at Seeeing Red and Am I Mean?... But fuck you, I want it on my blog too.

Hatred Surge - Hatred Surge

Hatred Surge

"Hatred Surge" (2005)
Hardcore / Metal
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A one-man band has never sounded so good. Hatred Surge (AKA Alex Hughes) pumps out 9 tracks of Despise You style Gulf Coast Grinding Violence that will fuck your day up. Uncompromising raw vocals, blazing guitar/bass work, crunchy as shit sludge sections, just a fantastic release with enough variation to keep you from wanting to listen to anything else for a few days. He went on to add female vocals on the Insect Warfare split 7". The Black Metal picking at the beginning of Invisible Noose gives me the biggest boner. Oh yeah, the last track is a Despise You cover too.

Terrorizer - World Downfall

Terrorizer

"World Downfall" (1989)
Hardcore / Metal
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LA based seminal Grindcore of the best variety, none of that boring shit. This album has great Death Metal style riffing mixed in and a solid machine-gun drumming that will send chronic headbangers straight to the hospital. These guys ripped it up with this album and decided to give it a rest... UNTIL NOW (or actually, just last year)! It looks like Terrorizer has decided to get back together and released an album in 2008, which I haven't heard yet. I hope they haven't forgotten how to make eardrums bleed.

Twilight - Twilight

Twilight
"Twilight" (2005)
Metal
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Fuck the books / movies. Twilight is an American Black Metal band that contains members of Xasthur, Leviathan, Krieg, and Nachtmystium. This is the only thing they've released and have since broken up. The vocals are heavily distorted to sound airy and demonic, albeit mostly not guttural. Instrumentally and stylistically, this release does not deviate too much from the members' other projects. It's easy to hear each member's contribution and writing style from track to track, and that is probably why it's so good. Fuck the books / movies.

Finntroll - Nattfödd

Finntroll
"Nattfödd" (2004)
Metal
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The name really does say it all. Finnish folk metal that makes you want to slay imps. This album includes their double platinum multinational top hit, "Trollhammaren," that is not only the Oprah Winfrey Show's theme song, but also featured in the timeless movie How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

Belphegor - Lucifer Incestus

Belphegor
"Lucifer Incestus" (2004)
Metal
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Track List:
1. Intro: Inflamate Christianos
2. The Goatchrist
3. Diaboli Virtus In Lumbar Est
4. Demonic Staccato Erection
5. Paradise Regained
6. Fukk The Blood Of Christ
7. Lucifer Incestus
8. The Sin - Hellfucked
9. Fleishrequiem 69 / Outro

Happy Easter. 666

1349 - Hellfire

1349
"Hellfire" (2005)
Metal
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Track List:
1. I Am Abomination
2. Nathica
3. Sculptor Of Flesh
4. Celestial Deconstruction
5. To Rottendom
6. From The Deeps
7. Slaves To Slaughter
8. Hellfire

Happy Easter. 666

Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger

Darkthrone
"Transilvanian Hunger" (1994)
Metal
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Track List:
1. Transilvanian Hunger
2. Over Fjell Og Gjennom Torner
3. Skald Av Satans Sol
4. Slottet I Det Fjerne
5. Graven Takeheimens Saler
6. I En Hall Med Flesk Og Mjod
7. As Flittermice As Satan Spys
8. En As I Dype Skogen

Happy Easter. 666

Electric Wizard - Dopethrone

Electric Wizard
"Dopethrone" (2001)
Stoner / Metal
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Track List:
1. Vinum Sabbathi
2. Funeralopolis
3. Weird Tales: (i. Electric Frost, ii. Gogotha, iii. Altar of Melektaus)
4. Barbarian
5. I, The Witchfinder
6. The Hills Have Eyes
7. We Hate You
8. Dopethrone

Black Pyramid - Black Pyramid

Black Pyramid
"Black Pyramid" (2008)
Stoner / Metal
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Track List:
1. Visions of Gehenna
2. Caravan

Sleep - Holy Mountain

Sleep
"Holy Mountain" (1992)
Stoner / Metal
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Track List:
1. Dragonaut
2. The Druid
3. Evil Gypsy / Solomon's Theme
4. Some Grass
5. Aquarian
6. Holy Mountain
7. Inside The Sun
8. From Beyond
9. Nain's Baptism