Lycanthropy - Promo 1995

Lycanthropy (us) - Promo 1995
1) Among the Wolves
2) Godless Night
3) Transcendence in Black
4) Book of the Fourth

Depositfiles

More US material and this is the third and last demo by Lycanthropy, sent again by Seth "Baalberith" - thank you! Unfortunately he didn't find a copy of the covers for this one, the original was a rather primitive affair, logo and a Baphomet sigil on red paper so what you see above is a sort of likeness I made as I'm bored of posting just logos. Though I took the "artistic liberty" of having the colours the other way around (red on black rather than black on red as on the real deal) as it looks better on the blog. Both versions are included in the archive, as if you would have use for them. Let's see how many fools don't read these texts and go amok on the inter nets posting that as the real cover!

There is some confusion regarding the title of this recording, as it was originally planned to be released by the rather well-known Dead Christ Commune but this did not happen as Seth told on his email: 'We were in touch with Dead Christ Commune (a Polish label) back then, and this recording was originally going to be released by them with the title "Summoning Ancient Chaos."  Unfortunately, they didn't like the new direction of the recording, so we decided to spread the demo under the title "Promo 1995."' My dub of this tape was also under that title and actually it sounds a little different from Seth's rip as it is just a bit longer - I doubt it would be a different recording, I'm more inclined to think it was dubbed to me - or someone else along the trading chain - at wrong speed. After a bit of internal debate I decided not to upload my version of the rip, but if someone feels they absolutely have to hear it, drop me a note. About the content itself, I'm not really sure what the DCC guys expected as it is quite direct follow up from the previous tapes... well, the tracks are longer and not quite as raw as the preceeding material but not that different. If you enjoyed the raw shredding with programmed drums on the first two tapes I'm quite sure you'll want to give this one a try too.

Into The Sunless Meridian - Sex Magick demo 1995

Into The Sunless Meridian - Sex Magick demo #2 1995
1) ...And Be Done With Yesterday...
2) Unfurl Your Leaves
3) Weightlessly Floating Down A Spaceless Spiral Staircase In A Necromantical Astral Body
4) Ritual Cunnilingus
5) Necrosexual Meditation With A Pale Lust Goddess
6) Sinking
7) Grim Vendetta
8) Necrophiliac (Slayer Cover)
9) Soaring Through The Appalachian Valleys And Up Into The Galaxy
10) Above And Beyond What You Could Ever Comprehend (Alien Intercourse And Climax)

Mediafire / Depositfiles (with cover scans)

I am still feeling quite dead after Nummirock so I'll make this brief. Here's another contribution sent by brother Vaalkoth aka Mikael and this is the 2nd demo from his solo project Into The Sunless Meridian. As the tracklisting might reveal to the observant reader, the concept of this demo is interesting and less common than say, vampirism or war. Unfortunately he doesn't have a scanner so I don't have a proper scan of the covers, the Metal Archives image has to do unless someone has a better scan to send.

UPDATE: Got the cover scans from Mikael's new blog. Downloads now include them.

The music on the demo is atmospheric black metal with some old school touches ranging from old heavy metal to death and thrash with ambient interludes thrown in. The demo is of quite epic lenght, clocking over 55 minutes which is a bit much. The sound is of quite typical early 90's demo quality, I've certainly heard worse and so have you if you've read this blog for any longer. I'd recommend you to check this out, especially if you liked the NCD material.

Moonspell - Live at Arts & Craft 13.11.1995

Moonspell - Live at Arts & Craft, Neu-Ulm Germany 13th November 1995
1) Intro / Love Crimes
2) ...Of Dream and Drama (Midnight Ride)
3) An Erotic Alchemy
4) Lua d'Inverno
5) Trebaruna
6) Wolfshade (A Werewolf Masquerade)
7) Vampiria
8) Alma Mater

Depositfiles / Mediafire

I'm off to Nummirock tomorrow (morning - I should get to bed) and again I've decided to post a live tape in honour of the event. This one I actually ripped already ages ago (September 2009!) but it was sort of forgotten in a desktop folder on my old PC. I recently re-discovered it as I was going through the files of the old HD and there was much rejoicing. Anyways, this is yet another Moonspell live from 1995, longtime readers might remember my fondness for them. This is probably my last, if we don't count 1½ tracks clip I've from Rockefeller/Oslo gig, so now my supply seems to be finally exhausted. If you have recordings of the missing dates, feel free to share!

This might be my last one but also possibly the best - the setlist is longer than on the previous dates and includes all the tracks of the regular "Wolfheart" album. Ok, the setlist on the July Bradford gig could be argued better as it had "Opus Diabolicum" from the MCD but then again this one has "Trebaruna" and a superior sound. Yes, this has very good sound. Quite powerful and you can sort out everything with little effort. There are some shifts in volume and so on, probably due the person moving, but it is not that distraction. If you like old Moonspell, this is very much recommended. And no, it certainly has no cover, I just edited some cover art to decorate the post.

Descent #2

Descent Magazine, Volume II (Winter/Spring 1995)
Interviews:
Abigail
Fleurety
Mystifier
Sabbat (jap)
Primordial
Thorns
Thou Art Lord
Typhon
Ulver
Aghast
Bathory
Slayer Magazine
Unpure
Hades
Satyricon
Darkness Enshroud
Necromantia
Darkthrone
Equimanthorn
Mortiis
Enslaved
+article on Ragnarok (mythology, not either band!), art of Tania Steine, lyrics & poems and reviews

Reuploaded

Time to post another 'zine scan and one I'm still quite excited about. This second issue of US 'zine Descent was long one of my all-time favourites with very interesting and well-written content. Some of you might know the quite famous editors, Stephen O'Malley and Runhild Gammelsæter. If the later doesn't ring bells, she was the lyricist/vocalist for the short-lived Thorr's Hammer which was kind of precursor for Burning Witch during her time spent as exchange student in the States. Master O'Malley's many musical adventures are too lenghty a topic to discuss further here and should be more than adequately documented elsewhere on the nets so go look there.

I unfortunately haven't seen the first issue of Descent so I've nothing to compare this issue to. I'm not sure but I think there was at least one more issue released, if you can confirm this or even better, provide scans of 1st and 3rd+ issues I'd be happy. We've got here 64 pages, with reasonably clear layout - he does experiment a bit but the decent print quality keeps the text readable even with the background stuff going. Like I mentioned right in the beginning the content is superb, not are the interviews only very well done and mostly either well answered or very amusingly (check out cocky young Satyr) but several were also from artists that either at the time or still seldom answer interviews. The "Ritual.Ambient.Sound" - segment was also very interesting and telling of the times - as are several of the reviews. Not going to start rating them, all are worth reading in their own way. As trivia, looks like I picked up my pseudonym from the Darkness Enshroud interview - thanks, mr. Ford sir I guess! Enough typing, start reading the 'zine already and if you have the other issues get scanning!

UPDATE: John informed me that O'Malley's website has all the Descent issues available. Well, who would've thought to check his website - not me! Anyways, go here and grab them immediately, I know I'll do just that.

Devilry - Unleashed to Haunt demo 1999

Devilry (fin) - Unleashed to Haunt demo 1999
1) Devilry Unleashed
2) Sodomize the Nazarene
3) Crush the Light with Vengeance
4) Destroyer

 Reuploaded

I just noticed all the posts this month have been (more or less) black metal, with the exception of the 'zine. Well, here's some death metal with lyrical content more blackened than on many so called black metal bands of the same era had. This is the first demo of Finnish Devilry whom and activities of members were mentioned on this post. Like the Mortal Agony demo, this rip was also contributed by comrade unholydeath - thank you!

Musically the demo is more vicious and brutal than the sort of comparable M.A. material and certainly much, much more aggressive (and blacker) than the atmospheric Bethel demo was. But these comparisons are sort of irrelevant anyways as this is obviously entirely different beast, with all different line-up and attitude. I'm not at all familiar with the pre-Devilry Carnival Diablo except that they have an unreleased demo and a name I dislike so not going to compare to past. Those of you familiar with the later material of Devilry are probably aware that they surely haven't lost their intensity but the focus has shifted from the almost old-Deicidesque Satanic/antichristian themes of early material further towards resistance against Abrahamic faiths, notably Islam as well as NS topics. But back to this tape, I should mention the demo has a good studio sound courtesy of Jämsén at Studio Perkele. The rip is also of very good quality so there's nothing to bitch about here. Well, I'd like a larger scan of the covers. Recommended if you enjoy death metal, slightly blackened and marinated in aggression.

Night Conquers Day - Last Rehearsal 1999

Night Conquers Day - Last Rehearsal October 17th 1999
1) The Gnostic Interpretations (no vocals)
2) Demiurge (no vocals)
3) Rebellion Is The Art Of Survival
4) Martyrdom Delusions (no vocals)

Mediafire / Deposit

And here's another NCD rehearsal contributed by brother Vaalkoth, many thanks to him again! For further background banter, see the previous post! I'm not going to repeat myself here (much at least) so let's just say another rip from him and no real covers, I just made that up.

Like you might have noticed from the title, this was the last NCD rehearsal, unfortunately as I quite enjoy it. Someone might have spotted the instrumental tag at the bottom of the post, it is there because three out of these four songs have no vocals, I'm guessing it is due the lyrics not have been finished for them. They're also marked on the tracklisting and are the unreleased ones. The sound is a little more muddled and obscure here yet at the same time comes of sounding better balanced than on the previous rehearsal tape I posted. It is listenable in my opinion, better than average or something like that. I grow weary of typing, recommended if you liked the other NCD material and you could give it a shot even if you didn't.

Night Conquers Day - Lammas Eve Rehearsal 1997

Night Conquers Day - July 31st Lammas Eve Rehearsal 1997
1) The First Snowfall
2) Banished From My Eyes
3) Untitled [Weird Guitar Noises]

Depositfiles / Mediafire

Here's a contribution sent by Vaalkoth aka Mikael from US black metal band (and a host of others) Night Conquers Day which you might remember from here. Not long ago he sent me a bunch of links to certain material from his various projects and some of them have been shared elsewhere so I don't think I'm going to repeat those but I think this and a few others haven't been uploaded by our comrades in arms yet. These are his rips, I've just packed the stuff up and uploaded elsewhere, all credit and big thanks to Vaalkoth! Has no real official cover, I just wanted to whip up a quick placeholder.

This one has a very good rehearsal sound and contains two tracks - the third one is just really guitar effects/noise as the guys goof around - which are very lenghty and have been both recorded for the NCD debut album "The First Snowfall" released in 1998. Obviously the rehearsal versions sound rougher than the album material, but this one is quite easy on the ears. NCD material is semi-symphonic sort of black metal with influences of the elders thrown in the mix, so the end result is definitely more metal than keyboard acrobatics and sounds both epic and atmospheric. Be sure to check out the full-lenght albums as well!

Mortal 'zine #3

Mortal 'zine, issue 3 (March 1999)
Interviews:
Nomicon
Deranged (swe)
Headfucker magazine
Lividity
Anasarca
Abramelin (aus)
Brutalized 'zine
Krabathor
Vomitory (swe)
Aurora Borealis (us)
Diabolic
Cenotaph (tur)
Gorge
+reviews, lists, contacts

Depositfiles

Here's the 3rd issue of Mortal 'zine I mentioned when I posted the 2nd one in May. Much what I wrote then applies here, but with the addition of another person to the work and the editor paying attention to feedback much has been improved. The interviewees also seem more interesting to me this time around so overall it's better than the previous one. I'm not sure but this might've been also the last issue of the 'zine, the editorial mentions plans for 4th issue but I'm not sure if it came to be. Nice read if you're into death metal and even if not, I suppose you could browse through it and check out the reviews or something.

Odium - Advance Rough Mix Tracks 1997

Odium (nor) - Advance Rough Mix Tracks 1997
1) Riding the Starwinds
2) Towards the Forest Horizon

Reuploaded

Back to tape traded items, here's a two song advance/rough mix tape from Norwegian symphonic black metal troupe Odium. Both tracks appear on the debut (and only) album "The Sad Realm of the Stars" and naturally sound a bit different, these being the rough mixes. Obviously there's no cover for this one as it's not an official promo really, rather something they dubbed to some contacts (I think).

The tape (and dub too) has a good sound, it's clear and doesn't have much tape wear. Compared to the album sound, well it is a rough mix so it differs, being less polished, stripped down and slighty muffled in comparison. Closer to the demo 1996 actually, so for change there's a genuine difference. It's pretty good and not of the circus music variation of synth bm, more straight ol' norsecore. Worth giving it a try if you enjoy other Odium stuff, Thy Grief, old Emperor, Limbonic Art, and maybe Swedes like Vinterland or Dawn.

Horna / Musta Surma - Split 7"EP 2000

Horna / Musta Surma - Split 7"EP 2000
Horna:
1) Noidanloitsu
2) Uhrivalkea
Musta Surma:
3) Kuolonmyrsky
4) Miekka ja Krusifiksi

Depositfiles

...And here's another one from the same tape. See the previous post for a disclaimer and kind of explanation for this waste of time. I'm not going to repeat myself here. Much. "Vihan Vuodet" CD released in 2005 by Grievantee (and by Moribund in 2007 for our comrades overseas) contains this material, as well as the demos which were released as split LP in 2002 so I would strongly recommend you to buy that.

As for the content, both bands featured two tracks which at the time of the release were not featured elsewhere ("Noidanloitsu" was re-recorded for "Sudentaival") and I find the content enjoyable. Horna's part sounds raw, like their EP material tends to, but clear. Vocals are more on top this time and Nazgul aka Werwolf performs a little over the top in places, mostly on "Noidanloitsu" yet I still find myself approving of his antics. I personally like the often maligned "Sudentaival" quite much so it is not unexpected that I'm into this recording as well. Musta Surma is great as always, if you are not yet familiar with their material this would be a good time to start doing that. Grim and melancholic on the first track, majestic and spirited on the second one. Very much recommended but you should really get "Vihan Vuodet" instead.

Horna / Fog - Split 7"EP 1999

Horna / Fog - Perimä Vihassa ja Verikostossa & Whispered Myths Split 7''EP 1999
Horna:
1) Perimä Vihassa ja Verikostossa
Fog:
2) Whispered Myths (Of Ancient Times)

Depositfiles

 It might be well worthwhile to argue this post is kind of waste of time both for you and me as this EP certainly has been available on the inter nets for the longest time and Horna's track has been released on the CD version of "Perimä Vihassa ja Verikostossa" done in 2010 by Frostscald recs. So yeah, I really have no better reason to post this (and a couple of more) than that I recently ripped an old tape where a comrade of mine had dubbed a bunch of seven inches he had bought in late 90's/early 00's and as the result turned out good I thought I might as well share.

Should you actually have missed this, the Horna track is from the same session as the "Perimä Vihassa ja Verikostossa" 10" was recorded, it was an interesting choice to not have the title track on that release but on a split 7". Some people have criticized the sound of this session but personally I've always enjoyed the raw clarity of the production and everyone's performance. The track is quite lenghty and mostly midtempo, not perhaps the most exciting thing they've done but quite satisfying and epic nevertheless. Fog's track also appears on their full-lenght album, I'm not sure if it's the same recording or a different one as I can't remember when I've listened to it the last time, but in keeping in the spirit of wasting time let's assume it's the same thing here & there. It's proficient black metal in the Nordic vein, quite fast and varied. I'm not really impressed but they do ok. So there, if you for some reason don't have this yet go ahead and download. And I recommend you to check out the "Perimä..." 2010 CD version.

Medium - Rehearsal 1996

Medium (col) - Rehearsal 1996
1) Evil Emperor

Mediafire / Depositfiles

Quick one today and another pretty obscure piece from good old tape trading days. Here's a rehearsal by Colombian black metal band Medium, consisting of a single untitled track. Untitled as in I didn't get a title from my trader, don't know if the track had one or not. Don't know much else about Medium either, I think they had a demo or two (and/or rehearsal tapes) out in the 90's and then quit. Metal Archives mentions some of the band members later formed Abaddon which I haven't heard but appears to be black metal. Further info, track title, band pics/logo and other recordings would be welcome!

About the content: we've got one quite long (over 6½ minutes) track with decent rehearsal quality. The sound is slightly bassier than expected and could pass for a demo (well, rehearsal demo at least). Main voice is almost hysteric shriek and the music is nice, old schoolish in the South America tradition and gets almost bouncy at times. It's for the majority of time midtempo but you got both your slow parts and fast bits, so plenty going on for one track. I'd like to hear more from them, check this out if you enjoy old school style black metal recorded lo-fi, South American hordes or collect obscurities.

UPDATE: I've been informed the song title is "Evil Emperor" - I will re-upload with the corrected title ASAP! - Done now.