Dark Summoning #1

Dark Summoning 'zine, issue 1 (1994)
Interviews:
Ancient
Decortication
Rotting Christ
Sorhin
Necromancy
Dragon Rouge / Therion
In the Woods...
Beherit
Entity
Deinonychus
Articles:
Manitou
"The Discovery of the Pentagram"
Denial of God
Dion Fortune
Moaning Wind
Discorge
Order of the Evil Eye
+ reviews, drawings, flyers...

Mega

Back to golden oldies again, bet you thought it'd be ambient or something like that today? Too bad, it's finally time for another 'zine post! Let's get it said right away, I've a hopelessly soft, squishy spot for Dark Summoning 'zine of Sweden, nostalgia being a major component as this was one of the first 'zines me and my comrade (who got this and earlier this summer contributed it to me, thanks again!) ordered for ourselves in 1994. It's also a very sympathetic DIY-effort with clear enthusiasm poured into the making. Sure, many... well most to be honest, of the interviews are on the short side, errors dot the text and layout is mostly primitive but it still should be a pretty good read for even people who might approach it more critically than me. I don't think the editor Sara completed another issue but I've been wrong before so if such exists I'd love to see it. Ride the time machine once again, for a fleeting moment.

Loathsomeness - Rehearsals Sep.2014

Loathsomeness - Rehearsals September 2014
1) Torn Apart
2) Make Them Die Slowly
3) Throat Vomica
4) Deity of Death
5) Coffins Stench
6) Strangled Barbedwire Suicide
7) Naturom Demento
8) Necrophilic Dismemberment
9) Outro - Cannibal Holocaust (Main Theme)

Depositfiles / RGhost

Ok, for tonight I've another deviation from the norm and an item that actually delayed the whole blog schedule a bit. In the end we (I did, pathetic fictional division of responsibility) went with the idea of silence gives consent which I do not generally recommend as a guideline to follow in your daily lives. Anyways, this recording by the short-lived project by certain black/death metal luminaries called Loathsomeness is a release from the recenties. Mind you it sounds like a thing unearthed from the era of late 80's / early 90's of death metal underground. Not my most comfy nor familiar scene of operations, to be honest. Nevertheless, master Suuret Muinaiset who sent me the tape is an expert and should be consulted for further references of old death metal and especially obscure and possibly not healthy heavy metal.

Right, let's get back on topic - what we have here is a set of several short but brutal and filthy death metal tracks of crude and grindy sort. Sound quality is what you may expect from a rehearsal recording. I actually find it a bit hard to say anything reasonably smart about it, can't say I'd be big fan of this kind of gory death metal. But still, the recordings provide a slightly uncomfortable, perhaps a little dumb, journey until the unlisted outro part which is from a movie far more mean spirited than the tape hopes to be. I've been told a few more tracks were recorded but apparently not much came out of them. Enough banter, you'll pick this up if interested and otherwise may await the next post.

Goatfire - The Fifth Fulmination 7"EP '99

Goatfire - The Fifth Fulmination 7"EP 1999
1) Petrified in Darkness
2) The Fifth Fulmination

Mediafire / RGhost

Remember Hellflame 'zine? Of course you do. This is the band of the editor Nicola and a release from the middle of their lifespan, a 7"EP released on Satanic Terror Productions ending their demo era of five tapes. I should probably point out it's a "proper" band and not a one (or two) man throw away project. Contributed by our brother Fenrirsson, this is not a vinyl rip but made from a tape he got from Nicola. There was a compilation of old Goatfire material a few years ago, but that was the demonology and did not include the EPs. No cover scans, the image is as usual from M.A.

Two songs and both run in the quasi-standard slightly-over-four-minutes formula. The sound is just a touch on the crude side of things but very clear as you can easily make out all elements, even the bass. It doesn't sound very powerful or raw, somehow slightly... um, flat is not really what I'm after, nor is frail. Oh well, you'll notice when you listen to it. Above the usual demo quality though. It might have to do with the first song itself too, which generally runs in the vague almost-fast not-midtempo-anymore no man's land. The title track sounds better but I'm not certain if this is an illusion caused by the fact I find it superior of the two. Anyways, this is no-frills true-to-the-roots sort of black metal with a touch of the melodicism I associate generally with Italian black metal.

Host - Host (2008)

Host - Host CDr 2008
Demo I listopad 2002
1) Ścieżka 1
2) Ścieżka 2
Demo II grudzień 2002
3) Ścieżka 3
4) Ścieżka 4

Depositfiles / Zippyshare

Return to Poland is in schedule, though again with a little twist. Today's post is a contribution by our reader Opiekacz and this is his one man band Host, where he operated using the name Grzechu ("sin") and a 2008 CDr compilation of two demos dating to end of 2002 (November and December). The actual disc was released in pretty limited quantity but he's had the files available elsewhere, so I'm making sort of an exception here. Most links seem dead, so I guess it is justified really. No actual cover scan, but he included a flyer which has almost the same image as the cover had anyways so let's go with that.

You're probably expecting bedroom black metal by now? And yes, that is somewhat justified as the production is quite minimalistic, drums by machine (UPDATE: nope, electronic drums human-played) and generally things have that computerized feeling. Sound is of the clean and clear variety, guitars slightly weaker than vocals and percussion... well, they're actually pretty much on the same level, neither strings nor pounds drown other one out. It's fine, not trying to pass for necro and considering the music fits decently. Voice is raspy and rough, but still quite sing-songy, reminds me a little bit of Master's Hammer actually. The music is, as already hinted, not of the standard sulking in the sleeping chamber variety either, actually it's also closer to "The Jilemnice Occultist" than "A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors" as it sounds in places very close to classical inspired heavy metal. Or is it power metal? Well, I guess you know what I mean. The minimalistic naming sense is an interesting decision too, seeing as the songs are titled Path 1 and so on and the demos just by month of release. Or actually the CDr cover just mentioned tracks 1,2 and 3,4 so perhaps he retconned that. Well, whatever the case might be it's different from what one might expect and agreeable in a dose of this size, a bit under half an hour. Have a listen if you don't mind some neoclassical leanings in your black or maybe more accurately dark metal.

Sorg - Journey to Planet Satan demo III '96

Sorg - Journey to Planet Satan demo III 1996
1) Intro
2) Qual
3) Sathanas
4) Tod I
5) Tod II
6) Vacuumized
7) Journey to Planet Satan
8) Outro - Hail Satan

4shared / Mega

Let's post something quite disastrous today, here, as requested, is the third demo by German project Sorg which was mentioned on the entry for the first one. The second demo is still missing and the Coven would be very pleased to receive a copy, rip or a dub of it. Thank you. Right, this was in conspiracy with LKS again, thanks for the music and cover scans and as the title might tell you Astaroth must've been into Mysticum. Alas, this is not so apparent in the music.

What does that mean? Well, it is not industrial unhuman black metal for starters, nor is it the occasionally weird, other times moody and morose ambient/black metal mix of the first demo. It's mostly kind of annoying to be honest. More electronic and artificial sounding in general, with plenty of effects, wobbles and warbles and bad quasi-futuristic (think late 70's / early 80's lowest budget worst taste scifi-futuristic) instrumentation. I'd really love to hear the second demo and see how this development took course. It's probably meant to sound like a drugged out, nightmarish trip beyond the earthly sphere but I can't say that's the foremost vibe I get. It's not this bad all the way through, I admit, the less out of hand dark ambient parts like Tod I work better... until it starts to get silly again. Tod II would be pretty nice too if not for the utterly dumb voice bits, same pattern follows on Vacuumized. In general the later part of the demo is more agreeable. With appropriate substance abuse this might come across better, but so far I haven't managed to discover the genius here. If you feel bold, by all means take a trip to Planet Satan though I must refer the Norwegian travel service to be superior in all aspects.

Funeral Frost - Studio Tape 14.10.95

Funeral Frost - Studio Tape 14th October 1995
1) Far Beyond the Raven Star
2) Queen of Frost

Yandex / RGhost

Happy Cirno day everyone! I had originally planned to do another thing but as that got delayed I decided to delay it further and post instead something more appropriate to the date (more musicwise than numerically this time) and turns out it is again Swedish material; here's Funeral Frost with a very short and pretty obscure recording from fall '95. Brother Grev had gotten this from who knows where (well, he might) back in tape trading days and eventually dubbed it to me already two years ago. Sheesh, time flies! Recorded between their Demo 2 (early summer '95) and the only album "Queen of Frost" (January '96 - that cover art!) I suppose this thing was dubbed to people they were in touch with to showcase new material. I've no idea if there was a cover or not, most likely the latter option. There was an "official advance tape" of four songs from the album sessions sent around in early '96 which had one but then again it was sent as a promo to various 'zines and such.

Let's discuss the content, as mentioned both songs are (ok, were) new and would later be recorded for the album as well. Far Beyond the Raven Star is the longer one, and actually the longest on the album's black metal part too, at just over four minutes while the future title track is a short under two minute mark burst. The sound is good, definitely more of a demo sound than rehearsal, not as cold and raw as the album version and as the percussion is lower some elements like the synth are actually more audible. Musically these two tracks cover pretty much their whole repertoire as ...Raven Star is a slower, more atmospheric piece while Queen... represents the fast, ferocious and brief segment though it does have a slow atmospheric break too. If you're into old, cold and northern black metal but not familiar with Funeral Frost by now this might be a decent place to start with. At least it does not take too much of your time! Those in the knowing should also check out these versions as they sound different enough to merit the effort.