Inactive

The Coven is in a hiatus for a while. Reasons are none of your business, happy holidays!

A 1000 Years... #1

A 1000 Years... of Lost Pride and Dignity, issue 1 (1993-94)
Interviews:
Unleashed
Varathron
Enslaved
Monumentum
Katatonia
Burzum
Rotting Christ
Articles:
Editorials
Ancient Rites
"Viktig melding til alle nordmenn"
Shadow Dancers
"Stave Churches"
"The Trends Exposed At Last!!"
Manowar
Carpathian Forest
Edvard Grieg
+reviews, flyers & so on

Depositfiles / Narod

Another contributed item today, sent to me by one of my readers, nada88pe from Perú and originally scanned and posted on NWN! forum by S.Charlach from Germany so thanks to them for this 'zine! Please note that the file is in .pdf-format. I am reposting this here as comrade Kurgan was looking for it and I believe it would interest several other readers as well. Personally, I've been wanting to see it since seeing flyers for it but never got around to order it. The scans are not of very good quality. but there's nothing I can do about it - it also appears the 'zine itself wasn't printed (or copied) in too good quality to start with. Should be readable enough.

After reading through it, I have to be blunt and say I didn't miss much by not ordering it back then as it's not really that good a fanzine. For starters, there's much less content than I believed there would be, as you see there are only seven interviews, some of which are very short and also very dated for a 'zine released in early 1994. Some... well most of the articles end up being waste of space, worst offenders being the "Trends..." rant, Manowar article and the shallow look at Norwegian timber... oops Stave churches. I'm not 100% now if I'm mixing up this with another 'zine but I think the flyer mentioned also an interview with Vlad Tepes which certainly isn't here... is this complete then or am I thinking about another Norwegian 'zine? Despite my negative words, it's a worthwhile read and occasionally entertains too. I'm just glad I didn't invest my little money in this back in the day. My experience so far shows most Norwegian 'zines fare rather poorly compared to other countries, with the exception of Ornament and some of the Slayer and Imhotep issues. Anyways, definitely recommended to read or at least leaf through... or whatever it is you do with a reader.

Black Witchery - Evil Shall Prevail demo 1998

Black Witchery - Evil Shall Prevail demo 1999 (2nd release, original 1998)
1) Black Witching Metal
2) Evil Shall Prevail
3) Summoning of Infernal Legions
4) Destruction of the Holy Kingdom Which Spawned the Cursed Trinity of God

Narod

Here's the third and final from the batch sent by unholydeath, thanks bro! America's Black Witchery might be a familiar name to at least some of the Coven's readers and some might even recognize their first monicker Irreverent. Known nowadays for barbaric war black/death metal style, the earlier efforts like this demo still have more traces of early Scandinavian style present beside the war metal trappings. Or perhaps it'd be accurate to say it sounds more USBM than Canadian metal? However you decide to describe the difference, it's still quite primitive and in your face at the early stages as well. Note that this is the 1999 re-released version released by Chanteloupe Creations of France with a rather decieving fantasy cover artwork (stol... borrowed from TSR's AD&D Dragonlance book whose name evades me, you can Google it if you really must can't you?) - the original version was released a year before (1998) by the band themselves under the Witchery monicker which they changed as it was already in use. The contents would be same for both versions of the demo and several of these tracks would be used again later (on the 7"EP and split with Conqueror).

Good sounding rip and I think the demo sounds good itself too, you can clearly tell it's a demo recording but everything is as audible as it needs and has both rawness and power. It's not inventing the wheel again, or adding much bling to the original yet works for me. Very much recommended if you enjoy raw black metal and worth a try even if you're not into the more recent BW creations.

Der Stürmer - Europa Erwache! demo 1999

Der Stürmer - Europa Erwache! demo 1999
1) Für Den Kommenden Mann
2) Europa Erwache!
3) Sieg Heil Vaterland
4) Der Hakenkreutz

Mediafire

Another tape from unholydeath and continues in the similar vein to the previous post, only more extreme and blatantly nsbm, here's the first Der Stürmer demo. Taking their name (and logo) from Julius Streicher's propaganda tabloid and using very direct images and lyrics (especially in the earlier releases) there's nothing subtle about these Greeks. I wasn't sent cover scans this time as the covers were horrible quality pixel-shit not worth scanning like ud put it, but I borrowed images uploaded to Discogs to satisfy the curious. So thanks to unholydeath for his rip again!

Musicwise this is probably the most aggressive and hateful of their drummachine-era recordings. Not much to really say, in your face-assault and most likely not for everyone reading the blog. You probably know if you want this or not. Note that these tracks were also released as a split with Galgenberg so you'd probably want to get that one instead... or maybe not, now that I checked this rip sounds better.

Blutorden - Blutorden demo 1997

Blutorden - Blutorden demo 1997
1) Intro
2) Nazistic Vampyr
3) In the Ruins of Wewelsburg
4) The First Ritual - Entering the Order

Depositfiles / Narod

I made it back alive once again. For a few posts, let's do contributions shall we not? Well, they'll be done in any case so don't think it's a poll or anything. Starting off, recently brother unholydeath sent me rips of a couple of his tapes and this is the first of them, the one-off side-project of the French classick Osculum Infame. I know there are other rips of this in the net but at least one has an incorrect tracklisting. This doesn't. A cover scan enclosed, too. Thanks, ud!

Blutorden differs from Osculum Infame by being more clearly ns (while stating they're not a political band on the covers) and musically being slightly more straight forward and violent. Drum machine spews cover fire in the background while echoing, drawn out vocals and oddly murky yet clearly audible strings dominate the front line. So despite the general murkiness the sound is good for such raw black metal. The cover lists two people responsible for bass guitars so it appears they've taken the Necromantia approach, which would explain how the first track sounds. Other being distroted and the second not is more apparent on the 2nd track (ok third if you count the intro) "In the Ruins...). Last track is a longer one and slightly slower too. Nice stuff, definitely worth checking out if you're not too worried about the ns matter. Or even then too.

Stregoica #3

Stregoica 'zine, issue 3 (1991-92)
Interviews:
Mortician
God Macabre
Impetigo
Excruciate (swe)
Darkified
Phlegethon
Anatomy
Grave
Sigh
Sepulchral (fra)
Therion
Impaled Nazarene
Master's Hammer
Necromantia
Abruptum
Death SS
Vital Remains
Blood
Misery (swi)
Necrotomy 'zine
Libation
Catacomb (fra)
Cadavrosity
Occult (fra)
Pan-Thy-Monium
God Dethroned
Shub Niggurath
Mordor
Disastrous Murmur
Tormentor (hun)
Putrid (fin)
Deadly Dislocated
Frayeurs
Sinister
Visceral Evisceration
Disembowelment
Amorphis
Misanthrope
Putrid Offal
Burial Vault
Korsakov
Mythic
Sorcery (swe)
+articles, bios, gig and scene reports, reviews

Depositfiles

I'm off to Prague for a couple of days so I thought I'd leave you with something to kill time with until my unforeseeable return. This is a 'zine for change and one I scanned at yet another fit of insanity. Third issue of the classic French Stregoica 'zine, starting to move from death metal to black metal, though most of this issue is still death metal - like most of the bands around 1991 were. The interviews are in the death metal 'zine way, so many of them include odd and humorous questions - the seriousness hadn't yet settled in the authors, though they certainly were very dedicated into the underground. Most of the interviews are quite compact (=short). The bios and articles include bios sent by bands/labels as well as ones written by the editors, including for example Awakening, Sentenced, Eternal Darkness, Acheron & Sadist. Other sort of articles include "Thoughts of a Neutral Mind" where the guys interviewed people not into death metal about it and "Into the Pandemonium" which details some well-known demons. Also included are tons of old flyers, cool pics and archaic forms of well-known logos. A nostalgic read, especially for people into metal of death but recommended for other readers as well.

Enochian Key - Rehearsal 03.05.1995

Enochian Key - Rehearsal 3rd May 1995
1) The Revival of the Shadows
2) Return of the Pagan Mesopotamia

Mediafire

Another rehearsal tape today and this one is possibly an unfamiliar name to many. Enochian Key was a short lived Israeli black metal band who released only one cassette EP during their run, though there were two rehearsal tapes also circulating the tape trading scene. Well, that is two as far as I know and this is one of them. No covers made (I think) as this was again a thing dubbed to some people and then spread around.

The recording sounds acceptable, it is a rehearsal tape after all so don't expect much. The sound is pretty clear and most things are audible though the drums are too much on top and together with the keyboards they drown out the guitars pretty much. The guitar sound itself could be better. Vocals are quite typical raspy gargling, not very memorable nor offensive either. Musically this is melodic and the songwriting and the keyboard presence bring older Cradle Of Filth strongly to mind, with the atmospheric breaks and all. Not bad but I prefer the cassette EP myself (which also features the second track). Worth checking out if you enjoy this sort of music, happen to be their fan and of course for the historical value.

With The Winds - Rehearsal 1995

With The Winds - Rehearsal I 1995
1) In the Caress of the Winds

Depositfiles / Narod

December 6th is the Finnish independence day so I decided to celebrate that a bit late by posting something Finnish. With The Winds was yet another project by the prolific young musicians from Wanderer/Raven/Haven In Shadows and so on. They never released a demo with this one, just a couple of tracks recorded in their rehearsal room. Probably they lost interest or motivation in this one, which is a shame, at least I enjoyed this. No cover, as expected, and I don't think a logo exists either?

This is basically a rehearsal recording, though made with a four-tracker so the sound is quite rough... well, very similar to their other recordings actually. Unfortunately there's some tape wear or whatever dub fail in two or three places, short but annoying little distractions. Otherwise it sounds good. Musically this is again atmospheric and quite slow dark/black metal, this time a complete work with vocals (raw and clean ones), synths and whatnot included. If you enjoyed Haven In Shadows or I Flow In Depths... you probably like this one too. It's much better than IFID. Recommendable.

Desaster - Lost in the Ages demo 1994

Desaster - Lost in the Ages demo II 1994
1) Hymn to Forgotten Lands
2) In a Winter Battle
3) Tears of an Old Wizard
4) Lost in the Ages
5) As the Deadworld Calls
6) Leaving the Hall of Kings

Narod / Mediafire

Still more Germans, though now back to metal. Desaster is one of the oldest 2nd wave black metal bands of Deutschland, being formed in 1988. That's pre-2nd wave, actually. Well, anyways, they are still (very) active to the date, having released an album which I yet have to hear this year. I ripped this demo from a dub I got from one of my traders, so not unfortunately from an original tape. No scans either, I've included a few pics borrowed from Discogs, Demo Archives & Metal Archives. Proper scan would be welcome.

The sound quality is pretty good, I recall they recorded this in a studio, or at least with more than four tracks. Not that it'd matter that much to me, raw is good and less is more. It is still a bit rough like a demo should be, but all instruments are very audible, including the bass, and quite well balanced. There is a little tape wear audible but not enough to be a problem. Musically around this time Desaster was still clearly black metal, not black/thrash, but the influence of the great old ones is very audible in their sound, without directly copying anyone. Don't get me wrong, I definitely like later Desaster very much but I prefer the attitude on these earlier works - less tongue-in-cheek and no songs about metal works better for me. Songs like "Tears of an Old Wizard" are just awesome, epic and very metal. Recommended if you enjoy old school black metal, either of the early 2nd wave or before it.

Depressive Silence - Depressive Silence 7"EP 1997

Depressive Silence - Depressive Silence 7"EP 1997
1) Lost in My Dreams
2) Dark Soul

Mediafire / Depositfiles

And now a natural continuation to the previous post and I dare say an anticipated one. Some of you might remember how I've promised to rip and upload the final work of Depressive Silence, the 1997 EP, once I'd A) find the tape where I have it dubbed or B) manage to take it with me to an associate with a vinyl player and rip it. Well, I'm happy to finally post the long-sought EP even if neither A) nor B) came to happen yet, instead I was contacted by comrade LZV who also owns the 7" and offered to help us. He sent me a rip of his copy for which I'm grateful, and I took my copy and scanned the covers, insert and even the vinyl (didn't take it out of the plastic though). So, thanks LZV, I'm glad to have this one up at last!

This is ripped directly from his vinyl which he said might need cleaning. Well, there's a little snap-crackle-pop going on but this is expected of vinyl is it not? Unfortunately he ripped this at low bitrate (128) but this isn't really affecting the end result that much in this case. Both tracks on the EP are quite long, over 7 minutes and side A starts quite noisy, even threatening before moving into the ambient/dungeon synth sounds with keyboards that sound almost like they were carried by winds through forgotten mountain valleys, past the crumbling towers of a ruined yet still menacing castle, echoing around the empty courtyard where only shadows reside. Reminds me a little of Lamentation, actually. Side B surprised me too as I had forgotten how completely different it is - it starts with something that sounds suspiciously like gothic rock with odd distorted vocals over it! An electric guitar joins soon to give it a more metallic edge, but this is sure unexpected in the light of the other material. Though some guitars and raw vocals were already used on the second demo, this is pretty much a complete track in "metal" category, sounding as it proceeds a little like a crossover between gothic and a Summoning (mid-phase) track. I'm not sure what more to say about this, better have a listen for yourself. With this EP posted the Depressive Silence saga ends (as far as we know).

Mightiest / Depressive Silence - Split Demo 1995

Mightiest / Depressive Silence - The Recreation of the Shadowlands / Depressive Silence split demo 1995
Mightiest:
1) The Enfold Shadows of Mighty Gates
2) My Time to Come
3) Silence
4) Lord of Darkness
5) Eternal Past
6) Depression
Depressive Silence:
7) Medieval Demons
8) Dark Side
9) Düsterwald

Depositfiles

I think it is time to post some German material again and we start with another split release and like the previous one of this nature (the EP here) this treads the line whether it's appropriate to be uploaded here in the Coven or not. You see, part of this has been re-released on CD the other year and the Depressive Silence material has been floating around the inter nets for some time already (though at low bitrate and possibly mistitled, at least one rip has track 3 as 1st). Then I thought, what the hell, a proper rip of this tape is necessary. So here we have Mightiest and Depressive Silence who should be familiar to the readers, or at least those into dungeon synth, both from Germany and at this point sharing members. Ripped from an original copy and includes scan of the xerox cover. Which doesn't really look like the image above, I just combined both bands' covers to one.

Mightiest on side A performs on this recording atmospheric yet raw sounding black metal and this is their best release in my opinion. The sound is of demo quality with buzzing guitars dominant and distant, cold feel to it overall. It is not crystal clear but certainly more audible than various Moonblood tapes for example. The main vocals are echoing screams, bass non-existent and drums definitely there but taking the back seat. Elements like synths and female vocals are used but quite tastefully, the guitars being the main focus. Ok, some of the tracks have a lot of keyboards but it's still more like "S/T" than "In the Nightside Eclipse". There are two pure synth tracks Silence and Depression which were not included on the compilation "Bloodyssey 1994-2003" released by Cyclonic Empire, shame on them. Both of them are quite long, over four minutes, so it doesn't feel right to consider them as merely an interlude and an outro. Rather they're fully fledged dungeon synth pieces. I must say I really enjoy Mightiest's part and recommend it to people into atmospheric black metal or with a general interest in the 90's German bm scene.

Depressive Silence on side B has only three tracks but these have a combined duration of over 33 minutes, beating Mightiest's half an hour with half the songs. I am not 100% sure of the track division but this is how it seemed to me, the first one is an epic length multi-part one at 16+ minutes and the two others clock 8+ minutes each. But it is better to listen to this as a whole anyways, is it not? I'm not going to waste time typing more, this is awesome and if you enjoy dungeon synth you should be listening to this already.