Dienstag, 31. Dezember 2019

type o negative - the origin of the feces (box set version)

i was on a huge type o kick this year, so i thought it might be apt to close 2019 with a type o negative post. i simply love this "none more negative" box and spent hours and hours listening to the records since it arrived. the record which got the least air time was "the origin of the feces". that is because the album is actually "slow, deep and hard" just revised and not as good as said debut. so musically it holds no outstanding content.
what makes it so unique is the fake and hostile live setting. roadrunner provided the means for a recording to bridge the time until the next full length and the band recorded a little "we don't give a fuck" to all those critics that lost their shit over the first album. the interaction between peter steele and the crowd is hilariously good. a real novelty in their discography. run out grooves/roadrunner records. 2019.

a happy new year to everyone!

Donnerstag, 26. Dezember 2019

rings of saturn - gidim

the fifth full length by these american alien antagonists took a bit longer to finally sink its claws into me. i was a bit put off by the drum sound which sounds a bit too clean to me and hence tends to give me the drum comp feel. once i got over that, i started to really enjoy the album. the artwork is a complete visual overkill - i like it. 650 copies pressed on white with black splatter vinyl. nuclear blast. 2019.

Sonntag, 15. Dezember 2019

nile - vile nilotic rites

probably my most anticipated album for 2019. i was a bit concerned if the band could keep up with their own standard of quality which they set throughout the years with all their splendid records. the reason for my doubts was the leaving of dallas toler wade. what a great voice and his impact on the song-writing was considerable.
thankfully new guitarist/vocalist brian kingsland is a worthy replacement for wade and musically the chemistry between the guys must have been phenomenal, because "vile nilotic rites" is a beast. all my worries had been washed away when the last tunes of the record faded out. maybe my favourite album of the year. beige vinyl limited to 300 copies. nuclear blast. 2019.

Montag, 9. Dezember 2019

lord dying - mysterium tremendum

saw the band's name thrown around numerous times before because their first two records have been released via relapse records. never came around to actually check them out. when i was in cologne to visit family, of course i took the opportunity to check some record stores. in this case it was one store - andrä records.
they are selling only used stuff and i found two gems in the metal bins. suicide silence' "no time to bleed" and this one here, lord dying's third full length "mysterium tremendum". man, i hear a lot of mastodon and old baroness weirdness but still enough own flavour, to not leave a bad taste in mouth. great record and great artwork. e-one entertainment. 2019.

Sonntag, 1. Dezember 2019

psycroptic - s/t

after i made first contact with psycroptic with their latest effort "as the kingdom drowns" last year, i said to myself to loosely start to buy psycroptic records when given a reasonable chance. i am not sure anymore how i stumbled upon this copy of the predecessor at amazon for eighteen bucks but i ordered right away.
just like on "as the kingdom drowns", psycroptic has a technical side but still are pretty catchy, if that makes sense. out of three colour-ways it happened to be the gold vinyl. well, not the coolest in my book but in combination with the cover artwork it works quite good. prosthetic records. 2015.

Mittwoch, 27. November 2019

elder - the gold & silver sessions

an e.p. by the world's best psych/stoner/prog band around. since one member moved from the states to berlin, germany, the band rarely comes together aside from touring or studio time. this record documents such a rare time, a jam even more playful and proggy than their previous stuff. can't wait for the new elder record in 2020. blues funeral recordings. 2019.

Montag, 25. November 2019

suicide silence - no time to bleed

the second record i bought at andrä records in cologne (first one was lord dying) was one from a walk down memory lane. i remember that i was a bit underwhelmed by the album upon its release in 2009 because it just couldn't live up to its predecessor "the cleansing" from 2007.
it still can't but it aged quite well if you ask me. i enjoy it much more than ten years ago and mitch lucker's voice gives me the goosebumps, rest in peace. i recall seeing them live in leipzig around the release of "no time to bleed". they played at conne island and "destruction of a statue" was their encore. the crowd began to tear the place apart and some flying foot kicked me in the face. what a night... century media. 2009/2018.

Samstag, 23. November 2019

cradle of filth - cruelty and the beast

i wasn't a fan of cradle's third full length from 1998 at first glance. when i got into the band it was around the release of "damnation & a day", after that i listened to "midian" and "bitter suites to succubi" and loved all of these records. then came "cruelty..." and i was surprised at how shitty the sound production was. the drum sound in particular was horrible.
you know those hello kitty drum kits for the kids? it sounded like nicholas barker recorded with such a drum set. back then i had the cd version but sold it over time. when i got into vinyl i missed the chance to get a copy of the last peaceville pressing. while i began to really appreciate the album, second hand prices for vinyl were sky rocketing. 150 bucks is the usual going rate for any pressing.
since there is only an u.k. tape pressing in my possession, i was delighted to see another vinyl pressing for pre-order at nuclear blast. it is a re-mistressed version, specificially re-mastered by the band. they really did the material justice and not just the drum sound is proper now. i rather would like to see the original cover art but the glow-in-the-dark vinyl makes up for that. 300 copies. music for nations. 2019.

Montag, 18. November 2019

tomb mold - manor of infinite forms

when i ordered my"planetary clairvoyance" copy from german van records, i quickly recognised that they also had a re-press of tomb mold's second full length in stock. i listened to a few songs and was delighted to see that this album really had its own flavour and feels different to the follow-up. the colour-way is very nice, too. a no-brainer, like they say. 20 buck spin. 2018/2019.

Sonntag, 17. November 2019

tomb mold - planetary clairvoyance

i am usually not into those nineties death metal revival bands. i rather listen to the original stuff. but every now and then there comes a band that makes the exception to the rule. canadian deathsters tomb mold were low on my radar because i follow closely what their label 20 buck spin is doing. until lately i thought their style wouldn't appeal to me.
there was a huge buzz around their latest record "planetary clairvoyance" and i finally checked it out more thoroughly. i am still not the biggest fan of the vocals but admittedly it works great with the overall sound. musically they are modern enough to stay relevant and the space/alien theme makes the whole affair uber slick. lovely re-press on purple/blue galaxy merge. 20 buck spin. 2019.

Donnerstag, 7. November 2019

disentomb - the decaying light

i got really lazy as of late but here i am back with a bang. the latest disentomb record called "the decaying light". due to production delays i waited over a month from the actual release date to get my copy. i am usually not into those brutal/slam death metal bands but these aussies add the right portion of melody and technical finesse to their sound. a real haunting and heavy piece of music. the semi-translucent orange splatter looks lovely, even though the mock-ups showed a purple inside orange with splatter. ahh, whatever... unique leader records. 2019.

Dienstag, 15. Oktober 2019

korn - the nothing

for korn i will always have a soft spot in my heart. the first cd i ever bought myself was the band's third album "follow the leader" and so they played a substantial role in my musical development. their return to form with "the serenity of suffering" was surprising and now i was curious if they could keep up.
"the nothing" is the title of the new opus and i pre-ordered blindly at jpc.de. after thoroughly spinning the record, i can only say that they lived up to my expectations and beyond. that record is really damn fucking good. they played out their strength in full extend - huge choruses all the way through. white vinyl and beautifully embossed cover art to round out the package. roadrunner records. 2019.

Montag, 14. Oktober 2019

type o negative - slow, deep and hard (box set version)

the first album out of the "none more negative" box set i feature here is of course the debut record by type o. "slow, deep and hard" was initially released in 1991 and was the band's most controversial album. there were so many things on that record which offended people that it feels difficult to keep track. in "prelude to agony" peter steele dwells on a fantasy of violence concerning an unfaithful girl (like almost all songs do on this album).
the lyrics caused feminist activists to accuse them to support rape. the band even got threatening phone calls. the admittedly not so smart choice of the song title "der untermensch" - a term used by nazi germany to denounce jews, homosexuals and others - brought them heavy reactions on tour in europe by left wing activists plus the bad smell of being racists.
and then there is the cover art. it shows the zoomed in penetration of a vagina, a picture stolen from a porno magazine. well, and besides all the hysteria stands a great record. "slow, deep and hard" was one of the albums i didn't know before the box and i am pleasantly surprised at how much this one rules. the vinyl colour turned out great, by the way. roadrunner records. 2019.

Sonntag, 6. Oktober 2019

death - live in l.a.

there is a new death record being re-pressed? count me in. so of course when i heard news that relapse was going to re-issue one of the band's live recordings, i defiitely wanted a copy. at the time i stepped to the pre-order, the 100 pinwheel copies were already gone indeed. ah typical, those 100 whatever colour copies always go in no time and i am too slow to even see a glimpse.
anyway, i got my colour vinyl copy nevertheless and couldn't be more happy about it. the show captured was played in 1998 at the whiskey a go-go in los angeles. the band performed in its last incarnation and played many songs from their second, progressive phase which just suites me fine. death plays fast and accurate and so i can sit and dream of what it would have been like to see them live myself.
this live recording was released in 2001 by nuclear blast shortly before chuck schuldiner passed away in december that year. since then it was re-pressed on various formats by various labels, this new edition comes with cool liner notes by richard christy and on sharp looking siler/black striped vinyl out of 300 copies. relapse records. 2019.

Donnerstag, 3. Oktober 2019

bongripper - the great barrier reefer

bongripper is next to animals as leaders my favourite instrumental band. their progressive doom metal is able to unleash such a mantra-like power, it is remarkable. the rising and dense atmosphere of their songs transfers one into riff nirvana. i have almost all their releases on vinyl but two were always eluding me.
the noise/soundscape album "heroin" which doesn't really appeal to me and their debut album "the great barrier reefer". the album was actually self-released in 2006 and it wasn't until 2012 that a proper vinyl version was produced. emetic records did the job back then with only 100 colour copies. so those didn't come by cheap. thankfully the lads run their own now label to promote their stuff.
another seven years later and here we are with this slick re-press. burning world rec. from the netherlands provided the eu distro and now i am the proud owner of this splattered blue/purple merge version out of 200 copies. musically the first lp isn't that exciting but the last half of the reefer makes up for that big time. really excited to see them live in two weeks. great barrier records.

Samstag, 28. September 2019

spirit adrift - divided by darkness

it took me quite a long time to finally be convinced by spirit adrift. it started in 2017 when 20 buck spin records announced the release of the second full length by a band called spirit adrift. i never heard of them before but when they were likened to pallbearer, i was all ears. i am a fan of all things pallbearer but "curse of conception" could not really grab me.
i filed spirit adrift as "not for me" and moved on. when "divided by darkness" came out it was the same play. again i gave them a try but it did not click. while i was checking the van records store (van records is the european distributor of 20 buck spin) lately searching for the new tomb mold, i came up empty handed in tomb mold terms but found a second press for "divided by darkness". listening to the tunes this time and suddenly everything made perfectly sense. i ordered a copy quickly.
the record is fantastic. the pallbearer comparisons are undeniably accurate but that is not a bad thing. "divided by darkness" gets better with each song and in combination with the breathtaking artwork this bad boy might be the best doom metal release of the year. on a side note: after opening the parcel and pulling the vinyl from its dust sleeve, i was delighted to see that i actually got a tri-colour merge copy from the first press. lovely surprise. 250 copies made. 20 buck spin. 2019.

Freitag, 27. September 2019

nocturnus a.d. - paradox

somehow i slept on the release of this gem right here. nocturnus were part of the massive earache records roster in the early nineties, where this fine u.k. label gathered the slickest bands from europe and across the pond. bolt thrower, morbid angel, entombed or godflesh just to name drop a few. and among them there was a band called nocturnus and their debut record called "the key".
a mixture of oldschool (back then not so oldschool actually) death metal, progressive death metal and sci-fi lyrics. something new and very well executed. mike browning, the mastermind of nocturnus reformed the band in 2013 as nocturnus ad with the plan to pick up where nocturnus left off with "the key". well, almost thirty years after the debut's release the new album "paradox" finally saw the light of day - and i missed it. when i got news all the colour vinyl was already gone. i am pretty well networked when it comes to new vinyl releases, but that one slipped through my fingers.
so i waited for a re-press which came sooner than i anticipated. i am a bit bummed that this clear green/black mix vinyl is one of those that look almost black when not held against a light source which is quite lame. well, beggars can't be choosers and musically "paradox" is at least as strong as "the key" in my humble opinion. not pure gold (which "the key" wasn't as well by the way) but a damn strong return to form. 100 copies made. profound lore records. 2019.

Sonntag, 22. September 2019

type o negative - none more negative

wow, it's been a while since i wrote something here. i don't know why but i didn't feel like posting anything. i got enough cool stuff to post in the coming days, though. i thought, i come back with a bang. my dearly awaited and desired copy of the "none more negative" box set by type o negative. since i bought "the least worst of" for a steal, i was hoping for re-issues of the type o back catalogue. little did i know that destiny would make it easy for me.
three months or so ago i got wind of warner music in the shape of run out grooves records was about to re-press the complete roadrunner records full length releases from type o (which means six out of seven type o albums) in a monumental box set. this box was actually released in 2011 for the first time for record store day. i ordered this new edition from nuclear blast even when the price of admission was not for the faint of heart. 200 bucks made my bank account frown upon me but there was no way i was going to miss this box.
after a little release date delay of two weeks, i feel like it was worth the money and definitely the wait. a beautiful and sturdy outer slip case with minimalistic art (which i think is cooler than the 2011 edition) houses the six gatefold/double lp records. they all got their original artwork (especially "the origin of the feces) but none comes with the iconical lettering in the corners of the cover. the vinyl colour is a nice opaque green with black marble. i will post the records individually so for now the pictures will do. 5000 copies made. roadrunner records / warner music. 2019.

Mittwoch, 28. August 2019

job for a cowboy - genesis

i know job for a cowboy since they released their equally loved and hated first e.p. "doom" from 2005. at the time a lot of hype surrounded a new genre called deathcore, a breakdown orientated form of death metal - something new for the kids to play with. i was a kid back then and really liked it. the more i was shocked when i listened to "genesis" two years later. technical death metal and no breakdowns whatsoever.
in the coming years i really learned to appreciate "genesis" to point where i freaking loved it. i have all subsequent jfac records and this debut of them became my favourite. therefore i always hoped for a vinyl re-issue. there is a pressing from 2007 but no way i was going to buy a damn picture disc. so when metal blade announced this pressing, i wanted a copy badly. somehow i missed that metal blade moved their european shop from emp mailorder to kingsroad merch.
i thought that cool copies were already gone and so i opted for the less limited clear brown/orange marble version. i am still undecided if i should get a nicer opaque edition. we'll see. the album is brilliant and the pressing does it justice. lovely sounding pressing housed in a single pocket sleeve with insert and poster. my edition is limited to 500 copies. metal blade. 2007/2019.

Sonntag, 25. August 2019

thy art is murder - human target

another new album from 2019. thy art is murder and their latest effort "human target" was one i really waited for. there is something about this band that really resonates with me. i am usually not the deathcore type but they have something that goes beyond, or maybe not and it is just damn well executed. whatever it is, the new record lives up to all my expectations.
the record is full of blast beats, chunky riffs, sinister melodies and that fantastic guttural voice by singer c.j. mcmahon. speaking of, i saw the guys live at wacken open air this year and to me they had the most energetic performance of the whole festival. Also because the vocalist got himself a wacken tattoo live on stage. what a guy, see for yourself.
nuclear blast europe offered a white vinyl edition for pre-order and although i like the aesthetics of that colour-way, i knew this wasn't going to cut it. usually the label gets a few copies of the u.s. version and so i waited. i checked regularly and as soon as they were up, i grabbed one. here we are with this beautiful splattered orange/white merge edition housed in a glossy gatefold cover out of 500 copies. nuclear blast. 2019.

Sonntag, 18. August 2019

inferi - the path of apotheosis

the last of three inferi vinyl releases which was definitely the most elusive but not the most expensive. it was one of the artisan era records vinyl releases that were unavailable here in good ol' europe due to scarce distribution. i still struggle to get copies of the spawn of possession re-issues which artisan produced. just like the zenith passage record, i bought this in a lot from the same seller from latvia.
the records arrived here in fantastic condition. love these mailers with corner protection. musically this is another slab of fast, technical and melodic death metal that ticks all the right boxes with me. of course, there is a strong black dahlia murder resemblence, but i don't care if it is executed that damn well. re-mastered version sounds really good and the über lovely colour pattern makes this release a scorcher. hope i can catch them live in december. 125 copies made on "tyrant" vinyl. the artisan era. 2018.

Samstag, 17. August 2019

the zenith passage - cosmic dissonance

yes, finally! since the artisan era announced the re-issue of the zenith passage's first e.p. "cosmic dissonance" last year, i wanted a copy badly. to this point, artisan era still has no proper european distribution and ordering from the states is no option because of insane shipping rates and extra fees here in germany.
so i hoped for the sources i bought artisan era stuff from before, to get it in stock. little did i know that none of those would lead me to satisfaction. one day a recurrent mail from discogs gave me the chance to snag a copy for a decent price and to a moderate shipping rate. the seller came from latvia and so the record made at least one more interesting turn before it landed at my place. from the czech republic where it was pressed, over the u.s.a. to latvia and finally germany. quite a journey.
the actual e.p. was released in 2013 and one can hear quite some differences to the sound the band would develop three years later on "solipsist". not as eloquent as its successor might sum it up, still a pretty good listen. the packaging is very nice. fantastic artwork which looks real ominous, an etching of the band logo "z" on the b-side and this sick pink/blue merge vinyl out of 200 copies. the artisan era. 2018.

Freitag, 16. August 2019

inanimate existence - clockwork

another record that was hard to come by this year. i already had troubles with born of osiris and fallujah and almost every time jpc.de seems to be involved. i ordered "clockwork" at jpc with an initial delivery time of two weeks. of course this was expanded from week to week. i think after four or five weeks i got a shipping notification.
i thought: "wow, can it be?" when the package arrived and i opened it, i couldn't believe my eyes. they really sent me a fucking cd of the album. oh boy, i was through with them. i took another look around to see if other options emerged in the meantime. look and behold, an amazon market place seller from canada offered a copy for slim eighteen bucks. mine!
musically "clockwork" is a tech death beast. inanimate existence scored with all the right proportions. melodies, sick riffing, brilliant drumming and technical finesse in finest balance. my favourite work of them. the record comes in a single pocket sleeve with insert. got the most common colour-way out of 200 copies. looks very nice although the other colours are a bit hotter, ah what's the use... the artisan era. 2019.

Montag, 12. August 2019

ichor - hadal ascending

ichor is a german death metal band from trier, i believe. they are around for quite some time, eleven years at least, and got four full lengths under their belt. i actually had two of them on cd in my possession before a water damage in my basement ruined three quarter of my cd collection. i pretty much forgot about them but when i bought the avalanche record at the wooaaargh shop, i spotted this gem.
when i saw the cover art and the band name, i knew that i had to check that out. i listened to one song over at the tube and after that, there wasn't the shadow of a doubt that i had to have a vinyl copy for myself. the record is a beautiful bastard of modern death, a good portion doom and a bit tech. the presentation is awesome. lovely gatefold sleeve with cool artwork and stunning turquoise marble vinyl. 200 copies made. wooaaargh. 2018.