Impending Doom - The Great Pale Hunter EP

Impending Doom (ger) - The Great Pale Hunter 7"EP 2002
1) The Great Pale Hunter
2) Co dobre pro mne, dobrym jest... (Maniac Butcher cover)

Mediafire

First off, if you came here looking for the American xtian deathcore band, get the hell away from my blog.

This is the last EP from the German black/death/trash metal group Impending Doom, and it is not my rip, I got this from Black Doom Essence since I'm too poor to rip my own vinyls. However, I scanned the covers from my EP and re-packed the thing so I can claim some credit. Anyways, thanks to Azzirru Eshkhigharu and the person who ripped this. Nothing else to say.

Demysh - Demo II 1999

Demysh - Demo II 1999 1) Devil's Arrival 2) Disgraced 3) Faces Of The Supreme 4) Vision: Nocturnal

 REUPLOADED I was going to post and rip the demo I first but seems like I've misplaced the damn tape. Oh well, if I find it I'll do it later. However, here's the second effort of this Finnish less-known black metal band who split up some time after this release. I got both the 1998 released debut demo and this one at the same time from the band, I think I remember they mentioned having had some songs ready for a third demo as well, but don't think they never got them on recorded. It's been a while since I last listened to these tapes and I've vague recollections that some aspect of the sound changed a bit between them. This one is sounds pretty much like a dozen other black metal demos from late 90s do, no synths here though and the drum sound is a bit more prominent than usual. Vocals are dry raspy sort and probably one of the most generic aspects here. I think I used to like the 1st demo better, so I better try to find it. This isn't bad but nothing really special either. For demo collectors, Finnish metal fans and black metal cultists.

Mayhem - Live CN Saloon, SF USA 28.07.1998

Mayhem (Norway) - Live at CN Saloon, San Francisco USA 28th July 1998
1) Intro (Silvester Anfang)
2) Deathcrush
3) Fall of Seraphs
4) Carnage
5) Symbols of Bloodswords
6) Freezing Moon
7) Ancient Skin
8) Chainsaw Gutsfuck
9) I Am Thy Labyrinth
10) Pure Fucking Armageddon
11) Necrolust

Mediafire

Live bootleg from the "new" Mayhem, Maniac-era, before GDoW. Those who have heard "MediolanuM Capta Est" know what to expect, though the sound here is naturally much worse. It's quite murky & muddled at times but audible enough for seasoned veterans of bootleg tapes. Newbies might better stick to MCE and/or 'Legions. As you might guess, this was gained by tape-trading back in the day.

I personally prefer Attila and Dead to Maniac (yes in that order) and this being 1998, the setlist concentrates on "Wolf's Lair Abyss" and "Deathcrush" at the expense of "De Mysteriis..." which is a bummer, naturally we also get a torso of "Pure Fucking Armageddon" - why can't the play the full damn song ever? Don't they remember how to play the rest of it anymore? Bitching aside, this is still a quite good neo-Mayhem gig since there are no GDoW-songs to yawn through. Strangely Maniac's speeches between the songs get more inaudible as the gig proceeds, but that's not a major issue. I guess I could've trimmed out some of the banter & crowd noise from between the songs but then it wouldn't be the same, would it? Recommended to Mayhem-fanatics, Maniac-fans, black metal live collectors and other bold ones.

Thy Serpent - Into Everlasting Fire demo II 1995

Thy Serpent - Into Everlasting Fire demo II 1995
1) The Forest of Blåkulla
2) In Blackened Dreams
3) Ode to the Witches (Part I)
4) 24th of August 1628
5) Hear My Darkest Calls
6) Ode to the Witches (Part II)

Replaced!

Here is, as already half-promised, the 2nd Thy Serpent demo. When I finally got this from Sami I thought it was 100% better than the debut demo. As time has passed I'm not too certain of the percentage as the debut sounds now much better than I thought and the drum machine here, somehow combining with the overall sound - as clear as it is - bothers me more than I remembered.

But nevermind my senile ramblings, you know what we have here: antichristian dark metal with synths and continuing on the nordic 2nd wave vein. Clear sound, decent rip by yours truly (even though there was some wear on the tape) and all that jazz.

UPDATE: I've ripped this again, download replaced with the latest rip. Higher bitrate, generally a little better than the previous version.

Wintermoon (fin) - Rehearsal demo 1/1995

Wintermoon (Finland) - Rehearsal demo 1/1995
1) Under the Wintermoon
2) ...And Snow Covered Hills
3) Wind Through the Battle of Souls
4) Faunus
5) The Forest Calls Me (bonus track)

Reuploaded

Here is a bit more obscure tape again, the first release by Finland's Wintermoon, not to be mixed with the Polish, German, Mexican et cetera ones.The band plays, as they put it, Dark Winter Music which means generally slower songs of dark/black metal reminiscent of Wanderer, the band they share a split CD released by Werewolf and also the source of me getting aware of this band. I was writing with Wanderer at the time and so came to get this tape one day. I think it was released in very limited quanities, after all it's basically just a rehearsal tape and most of the songs are very short and instrumental. Pretty good rehearsal sound though and the material is ok too. The last "bonus track" is the most complete of the bunch. Without further ado check it out or move along.

Xantotol - Cult of the Black Pentagram demo 1993

Xantotol - Cult Of The Black Pentagram demo 1993
1) Intro
2) Fallen To Arise
3) Homo Galacticus
4) Devilish
5) Outro

Mediafire

Here is the second demo of a relatively unknown Polish black metal pioneer band Xantotol. I recently ripped the first two demos and decided to go ahead and post at least this one, the first one is not very good quality dub but this one I got from Witching Hour back in 1994 so it came out good. I'm aware that the Xantotol tapes have been remastered and released on CD by Seven Gates of Hell/Kampf in limited edition of 666 copies and they're probably running down to last copies so see if you can still grab one before it's too late.

Xantotol's black metal was quite different from their better-known countrymates, it was not influenced by the Scandinavian bands but was more in the older, orthodox style, resembling (in my opinion) old Samael, old Barathrum and some of the Greek bands even, like Necromantia or (old) Varathron. Very good stuff and recommended - be sure to see if you can still get the CD too!

Cygnet Of Darkness - Endkrieg demo

Cygnet Of Darkness - Endkrieg demo 1995 or 1996
1) A Mighty Forest Sleeping on Snow and Ice (Intro)
2) Endkrieg
3) So sei es Krieg
4) Silence Has Fallen
5) Dark is the Sky
6) Outro

Reuploaded

Time for some proper black metal. And with that I mean raw & underground stuff, this is the first demo of the German Cygnet Of Darkness, later renamed Witchbane, which again merged into another band or something like that. The rip presented here is another case of me working with an Xth generation dub of the tape, but the quality is listenable enough. Naturally no cover or xerox of one, so we'll make do with MA's (poor quality) one.

I don't know too much of the band, but one detail that originally caught my attention in 1997 or so when I got this was the Finnish phrase "jumala on kuollut!" ("god is dead" in English) uttered at the beginning of the last track (or second to last, can't be bothered to check now) so I was left wondering the nationality, with a mixture of English & German songtitles and lyrics, a sudden phrase of Finnish really sticks out. But that was then, the music works for me very well too, despite being hardly original it is enjoyable nordic-influenced black metal.

Another thing you will notice is the different track listing to Metal Archives'. I got the tape from one of my usually trusty sources then and the track listing provided was as above (sans "Outro", oddly enough) so that is what I used. However, I also included the intro+Endkrieg as single track for those who swear by MA's info. Naturally, if someone knows better (like has the actual tape) feel free to correct me. And preferably provide me with a cover scan. And a good rip of that tape too.

Alghazanth - Behind The Frozen Forest demo 1996

Alghazanth - Behind The Frozen Forest demo I 1996
1) Talven Valtias
2) As The Raven Draws Near
3) Goatdominions

Reuploaded

This is the last Alghazanth tape to upload and naturally it's the debut one. Got the tape from the band back in 1996 and started to follow their progress for a few years, as written elsewhere. This is a rougher take on their style, the sound isn't really bad at all for a demo and the playing is... ok. First song is in Finnish, the rest in English blablablaa, I don't feel like writing a novel here, just grab it or pass it.

Trollheim's Grott - Demo 1998

Trollheim's Grott - Demo 1998
1) Trollheim's Grott (Introduction)
2) Polar Werewolf
3) Grå varg och svart korp
4) Christian Fuckers
5) Jag drömde om Fimbulvetr i natt

Reuploaded

Continuing on the Finnish demo front, here's the debut effort of Trollheim's Grott, best probably known for Spellgoth & his involvement in other bands such as Turmion Kätilöt and Black Death Ritual, or occasional live support for Enochian Crescent & Baptism. I was handed this tape during a gig or other night of drinking at the fondly remembered Valhalla Bar in Kuopio, can't remember if it was Lord Spellgoth or Troll Nattefrost who gave it to me.

The music presented is very 90s, synth-driven black metal, although T. Nattefrost makes a point of saying on the cover that T.G. isn't either a Satanic or political band but rather hail pure nature, so I suppose it should be called dark metal. The introductory track has a trollish forest metal feel, the second one is more in the typical later 90's melodic extreme metal vein, complete with Cradle Of Filthesque narrations. It gets better however, and the last track with it's choirs is quite good. Overall, I wasn't very impressed back then and now listening to it again I seem to be able to enjoy parts of the tape while hating others. Very different from the later stuff T.G. released, give it a try, you know you're curious.

Thy Serpent - Frozen Memory demo I 1994

Thy Serpent - Frozen Memory demo I 1994
1) Intro
2) Unknown
3) Frozen Memory
4) The Sky Is Falling
5) Just A Shadow In The Darkness

Reuploaded

I understand this debut demo by Thy Serpent is hardly a rare or uncommon item, but since I recently ripped my tape for listening I decided I might just as well go ahead and upload it too. I'll probably upload demo II later as well. Unless Sami decides to release them on a CD after all ("Lords of Twilight" had re-recorded versions of several demo songs).

It's been a long time from my last listen to this demo and I was surprised to hear it sounded better than in my memories. Dark metal as Sami was keen on calling the music (no Satanic themes) which borrows heavily from the 2nd wave Scandinavian sound... well it is (latter) 2nd wave Nordic bm after all. Sami was also influenced by other bands than our Norwegian friends, like the Czech gods Root. I ordered my copy directly from Sami in 1994 after seeing the name pop up in some flyers and distro lists. It was also among the first demos I ordered directly from the bands. Enough nostalgia, download already.