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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.