Clayforge - Kult Release demo '98

Clayforge - Kult Release demo I 1998
1) Le Acteur de la Mort
2) Nightblade
3) Hell Parade
4) Blood Opera
5) The Flesh I Eat

Yandex / Sampo

Settling into a pattern here if I'm not careful, here's again a Finnish demo to follow Aussie madness and slightly similar actually to the previous one, though where Grimm's Journey was Swedish-tinged melodeath Clayforge, better(?) known as Murder In Art, plays what I guess is best described as death'n'roll. You know, groovy and rockin' sort of melodeath variation, think Entombed after "Wolverine Blues" as the probably easiest example. Well, quite a few death metal bands actually went and wimped out this way now that you think back. This is ripped from an original tape that was in the bag of cassettes brother Pörrö bestowed upon be the other year. Thanks mate and see you on Thursday!

Being made from an original, cover scans are naturally enclosed, as is a scan of the Murder In Art biosheet that was included with the demo when my comrade got it. Recorded at Kansashouse-studios, which some of you may remember from various Morningstar recordings, this has a pretty good kind of full demo sound, reasonably well balanced without being too polished. All five tracks are leaning to the compact radio-friendly pop song length, circling around the three minute running time each. I don't know if it's the summer or whatever but I seem to be enjoying this now much more than last time I checked it out, or the style in general. Perhaps I should give the MIA album a listen too. Give it a listen if you're into this kind of stuff at all. Otherwise wait for hopefully another post before this year's Nummirock.

The Mobile Mob Freakshow - Horror Freakshow (1994)

The Mobile Mob Freakshow - Horror Freakshow CD 1994
1) Where Angels Fear to Tread
2) Interzone
3) Death Valley Caves
4) She Loves Evil Dead
5) Ghostdance
6) Cannibals
7) Telescope Eyes
8) Teenage Schizoid
9) Whores of Babylon
10) Sideshow Circus
11) Horror Freakshow
12) Psychotic Mob
13) Voodoo Maniac Zombie Girls
14) Bloodfeast A Go Go

Reuploaded

I decided to go on with the non-metal items just a bit longer so the strange days of January continue, this time with another post that counts as an exception to the Coven's general policy. This is the debut album of the Swedes The Mobile Mob Freakshow, originally released on CD by Primitive Art Records in 1994 and re-released in vinyl format by Primitive Art co-operating with Night Tripper Records in 2012. So I suggest that if you enjoy this, and have a vinyl player, buy the LP release. Especially since this is not a direct CD rip, this is ripped from a cassette dub! Which obviously leads to minor hiss and unfortunate tape wear which would not be on the proper version.

UPDATE: Was provided a CD rip, courtesy of brother Grev which includes scans as well, so all of you who have downloaded the tape rip might want to download it again! Sorry for the inconvenience and I still recommend considering the vinyl version if you have a player.

So what the hell is this then? The band (or label) refers to music on this album as a mixture of The Sisters of Mercy, GG Allin, (early) Misfits and Motörhead which is a pretty good comparison, I'm also reminded at times of Finnish Babylon Whores. Horror punk / death rock might be simplest description. Most of the fourteen tracks are short, from less than two minutes to just over three, exception being the over six minutes long, epic "Voodoo Maniac Zombie Girls" which is actually more The Devil's Blood than Misfits. Rumbly down-to-earth sound which is good enough, polished squicky clean sound wouldn't really work for this in my opinion. Cool release, recommended if you like someone among the names dropped or if you're adventurous.

The Black League - Demo 1998

The Black League - (Unreleased?) Demo 1998
1) Avalon
2) Winter Winds Sing
3) Sanguinary Blues

RGhost / Mediafire

Ok let's do something a little different for today. Some readers probably listened to Sentenced and remember their old vocalist Taneli Jarva who was also involved in a bunch of other bands and projects? Well, this is one of them and still active. Or not, last album is from 2009. Anyway, today's item is their, according to Metal Archives, unreleased 1998 demo which I got a dub of from one of my traders. This and the other early releases also feature Sir Luttinen of Impaled Nazarene and Legenda fame on drums. I suppose it has no cover art if it is actually unreleased so see above an extremely primitive placeholder image. Pretty good dub and it has quite a good sound quality as well so no need to worry about that. As long as you remember this is a demo recording, that is!

Apparently this version of "Avalon" was released on Spinefarm's compilation CDs "Spinetingler" and "Helldorado II" so there is a slight likelyhood you've heard that one. It and the second tune "Winter Winds Sing" appear also on the debut album "Ichor" which I've last heard about ten years ago so I don't remember if the sound is hugely different. Most likely cleaner and all that. These tracks are of a rocking, groovy sort of heavy metal with touches of stoner on the first one and noticeable blues vibe on the slower, second number. The third song "Sanguinary Blues" is, as name reveals, pretty much bluesy death rock, surprisingly upbeat though. But as I don't obviously know what I'm babbling about I'll leave this at that and recommend you to try it if you're a fan of old Sentenced, Jarva and/or TBL or just got curious by my vague decription.