Rolling Metal 2016

MDF was fucking great this year, I must say.

Some highlights:

BUZZOV*EN - can't believe they're alive and damn they were actually funky and really great
BONGRIPPER - my first time seeing them and they ruled
GOBLIN
EARTH

SAMAEL - they played a very good new song after playing all of the "Ceremony of Opposites" album and It was a nice way to avoid a pure nostalgia thing
MAYHEM - my fifth time seeing them, they are always rad but this was more intense and yet also more exploratory- nice use of field recordings of fire in the middle of the set too

ANGELCORPSE - really struck by their originality of their weird ass forms- felt original and chaotic

IMPALED NAZARENE - they did "Total War Winter War" and a Motorhead tribute and kept it turbulent and fast

INFEST - easily the wildest pit of the fest, fucking raging intensity in the room

Man, didn't know Buzzov*en were doing shit. And I envy anyone who gets to see Infest.

I like the new Withered album. Never heard them before, but it's a nice, Gorgutsy thing. I wish they'd expand on the little glimpses of Sabbath-via-Flag guitar that pops up from time to time though.

https://www.facebook.com/akercockeofficial/posts/558054787707974

that seems like an awful lot of fuss to make over such a mid-card sized band tbh

regarding Temples, which I enjoyed last year and was planning to attend this year, it's really great that the UK's reputation as a place where interesting overseas bands go if they want to lose money hand over fist is going to be further cemented by this dipshit promoter

As insane as it is to begin the anticipation now, apparently 2017 will be the year of Blut Aus Nord, something for everyone:

While the split with AEVANGELIST is soon to hit the Earth, French creators of hallucinogenic sonic landscapes, BLUT AUS NORD, are working on two different albums scheduled for next year : "Memoria Vetusta - Empyerus" and "La Lumière Sous Le Monde". Both being very different on an Artistic plan.

In the meanwhile, Vindsval (BLUT AUS NORD) and Bjarni Einarsson (SINMARA, SLIDHR) are working on the first Yərûšəlem album.

Yərûšəlem is not to be considered as a side project but as a real thematic emanation of a specific BLUT AUS NORD facet bringing up a shamanic, hideously heavy and deeply ritualistic form of extreme music.

The first Yərûšəlem offering could be released by the end of the year. Time will tell...

https://www.facebook.com/blutausnord.official/posts/1675331302730787

Just decided to head to Bristol anyway and see what's on. Got tickets for the Fleece on Saturday - Bongripper, Dragged Into Sunlight, ACxDC and more. Apparently The Exchange are going to announce Melvins later today for Saturday.

Looking for shows on Friday and Sunday to come through, but not going to die in a ditch. Urfaust (who are actively looking for a show) and Gnaw Their Tongues are at first thought the bands I really want to announce something.

New Goatess record is fun as hell.

^ rhymes with "poetess"

Rhino is remastering and boxing up the first six Dio albums (on CD) for $35. Street date 7/22.

new Death Angel is fun.

however I'm on a mega thrash kick at the moment.

Everyone should be.

I hope that Dio reissue project gets more attention paid to Strange Highways. It's like Dehumanizer pt. 2, just heavy, angry, and metallic. Not a lot of RJD crooning. (I also hope the remastering is done well on all of them.)

Me too coincidentally but mostly old stuff. I'm revisiting Holy Moses, Metal Church, Annihilator, Onslaught, Thanatos, Sacred Reich, Necrodeath, Turbo, Laaz Rocket, Dead Horse, Debustrol, Ferat, Agent Steel and Paradox - and it's pretty much all good. Just discovered local Swiss legends Apocalypse who released a surprisingly good Metallica-style album in 1988.

Paradox has a new one out. I kept seeing the name and thinking surely that's not the old German band. I had no idea they'd been making albums regularly since 2008.

I'm listening to lotsa Nuclear Assault, Demolition Hammer, newer Sodom, Toxic Holocaust...etc

Throwback Wednesday... :)

I am not much of a tech death guy, but the First Fragment album Dasein on Unique Leader is really interesting and solid and quite the showcase for the tech side of the equation as well.

http://open.spotify.com/album/0pNsb6TjmP90UNHQnOx2kp

I've seen people writing that the new reissue of Nemesis Divina (on Napalm) has that scraping/ringing blade sound in "Dawn of a New Age" removed -- you know, when Satyr says something about a scythe. Assuming it's true, that must be one of the most bizarre editorial decisions I've heard yet. Also, supposedly "Immortality Passion" has some time taken off but I'm not sure how much.

Slow news day, eh.

I always wonder if stuff like that is deliberate or they just made more than one mix of a track and pulled the wrong file. It would be really odd to remove that sound. Maybe it's a copyrighted sample they didn't pay for?

I remember Dimmu Borgir had to cut two intros from the Stormblast reissue (actually a rerecording) because they turned out to be plagiarized.

Weird era we live in.

Speaking of weird! If you like odd, seasick black metal with odd, seasick orchestral (but restrained) keyboards: Ahpdegma, from Japan. Part of the AAAAA (may be off by an A) collective.

http://drakkar-productions-official.bandcamp.com/album/ahpdegma-seolfkwyllen

man this new cough album is really something. solidly RVA in feel to me i.e. "beautiful sludge" or whatever you wanna call it, even at its fiercest it's so richly textured that I just keep thinking man...that is pretty, they have to mean this to be pretty? which I feel like is its own area in doom, as vs. harsher/downer doom or funereal doom (which can also be super pretty but not in this sort of colorful way I'm hearing here). anyway. a fucking great listen to my ears

I've been looking forward to the new Cough record, glad to hear it's good....

And a song named after a Gene Wolfe novel too!

a totallly great song, too! really think this album deserves some spotlight this year

...the First Fragment album Dasein on Unique Leader is really interesting and solid and quite the showcase for the tech side of the equation as well.

― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Wednesday, June 1, 2016 7:57 PM (5 days ago)

^ not kidding. hell of a listen, and i didn't enjoy any of the other unique leader stuff mentioned upthread.

loving the new cough, too

I can't wait for the new SubRosa. More nice Beardsley-ish cover art: https://www.facebook.com/profoundlorerecords/posts/1095023120545725

I finally got a copy of Terminal Redux. I love this album more and more.

cheese and crackers!

cool track from upcoming hammers of misfortune LP:

http://www.metalblade.com/hammersofmisfortune/

sounds like hammers of misfortune

That new Hammers track makes me very happy.

Yeah, that is nice.

The new Whitechapel album is a big change of pace for them - they're basically abandoning deathcore for Lamb of God-style "modern metal," clean vocals and all, which is a very good move if they want a fan base that can drink legally.

new Flotsam and Jetsam is p good! there's a song called "Iron Maiden" where dude sings like Bruce and they play Maidenesque harmonized leads and it fucks with me a little.

Holy shit the new Sumac is indeed a massive step up from the debut. Its crushing.

yeah I'm feeling it, esp when it's on a kind of Dazzling Killmen/other 90s metallic math-rock sorta tip

I'm digging this new Ghoul track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGuh6t8g3cY

saw them open for Skeletonwitch. they were fun. I have one of their albums on mp3 and have yet to listen

Aldrahn is doing vocals in some kind of avant black metallish thing called Urarv. Some of it sounds almost post punk, even gothy. Hooray for prominent bass guitar.
http://www.tgnd.no/urarv/

Whatever the hell it is, I'm digging it.

listening to sumac. can def hear the dazzling killmen (& isis & neurosis & khanate). a bit seriousface scowly for me but damn good.

The singer for Pyrexia has been arrested for triple murder. What interests me (a little) is that the metal "press" has jumped immediately to labeling him the band's ex-frontman, but I saw these guys live, with him, opening for Suffocation just a couple of years ago, and don't remember any announcement of a new vocalist in the period since. So what, he became the ex-frontman the minute charges were filed? I mean obviously, yeah, but it feels kinda Stalinist for metal blogs to immediately leap to a "Oh, that guy? Yeah, he's our ex-singer" position.

Dunno what happened after May of 2014 but

http://lambgoat.com/news/comments.aspx?id=22455

Wednesday, May 07, 2014 7:39 AM PT

New York death metal band Pyrexia (Unique Leader Records) and vocalist Erick Shute have parted ways. Details have yet to be revealed, with Shute only offering up the following yesterday: "I officially recuse myself from Pyrexia. I wish the guys all the best."

We can't help but think that this is somehow related to Shute's attempt to crowdfund a large metal festival. If you read our news item last week, you may recall that Shute is seeking $175,000 for the Texas Metal Festival. Unfortunately, roughly six days in, Shute and his partner have netted only $35 (said partner personally contributed $100). Though Shute had not openly been using Pyrexia to promote the endeavor, we suspect that his association proved to be a source of acrimony.

Unfortunate last name there

Opeth have signed with Nuclear Blast and will be releasing a new album, Sorceress, by the end of the year. I wasn't that excited about their upcoming Radio City Music Hall show (October 1), but now I think I'm gonna go see 'em again.

DHG posted on their FB yesterday that Aldrahn is out of the band to focus on that Urarv thing. Everything sounded really amicable though. Vicotnik will be doing the vox.

Also:
http://i.imgur.com/3mReSTl.png

Vicotnik will be doing the vox on their upcoming euro tour, to be more accurate.

aw + lol

they were amazing live a few months ago, playing quite a small venue, wonder if they're upscaling now

Heard the new Sumac album now; it's fucking massive and a definite improvement on the debut.