nightbearer - tales of sorcery and death

another testimony records release. this time the debut record by german death metal squad nightbearer. i came across the cover art in the shop and was intrigued by it.

they came up with a solid old school death metal record with some keyboards here and there. the tolkien themed songs are the best on the record, so a full album of that next time? 100 copies made. testimony records. 2019.

beyond creation - algorythm (blue marble edition)

i am usually not much of a fanboy. i do like a little chat with band members when it's appropriate but i don't run after them or chase for guitar picks. in this case though, beyond creation stole my heart. i went to see them play the faces of death tour with decapitated and a few others last saturday in hamburg.

when i entered the venue i had already missed the three supporting bands because of construction sites and traffic jam. beyond creation started right away and i stood in awe because of the precise musicianship and energy they brought across. after that, decapitated were fantastic as well but to me the canadians took the cake.

after the show i went to the merch table and guitarist kevin chartré took care of it. we had a little chit-chat, i bought a shirt and another vinyl version of "algorythm" and because i let him keep the change, he gave me a poster. he seemed like a real nice dude. guitarist/vocalist simon girard and him did also sign my copy.

love the shade of blue and the marble effect. the embossed gatefold sleeve is a piece of art, too. 500 copies made. season of mist records. 2018.

sentient horror - morbid realms

by chance i stumbled upon german old school death metal label testimony records from hamburg. being on a little osdm kick as of late, i couldn't avoid to recognise how good their release by a band called sentient horror was. i didn't hesitate to order a vinyl copy of "morbid realms" on this nice black/yellow merge variant. 150 copies made. 2019.

decapitated - blood mantra

the second of two decapitated re-presses back on black did last year. this time the band's album from 2014 called "blood mantra". i remember that upon time of release i was interested in the nuclear blast first press but never got around to check it out.

i corrected this error this time around. i love the proggy death metal decapitated spits forth on "blood mantra". again i feel reminded of meshuggah and gojira at times, which is not a bad thing at all. the pressing looks and sounds pretty good. back on black. 2019.

liar - falls of torment

one hell of an important record for the european vegan/vegetarian straight edge scene. therefore an original copy of liar's debut "falls of torment" was on my wantlist for years now. but prices were only climbing in the recent past and so i was delighted when i learned, that fx7 records re-issued it.

i bought my copy via coretex records. i love that the re-issue comes with the original cover and back cover art. the insert is also made in the fashion of the og press. the vinyl colour is a spectacular clear blue with black smoke and white splatter. looks best held against the light. cut at 45rpm. 300 copies made. fx7 records. 1996/2019.

converge - the dusk in us (re-press)

i actually have a first pressing on yellow vinyl but fancied a re-press on this nice merge colour pattern ever since it was released. kingsroad merch eu still had copies in stock and when i ordered another record, the time finally came to add it to the collection.

a strong converge offering like all their records. i just love the furious energy on "a single tear", "cannibals" or "thousands of miles between us". good ol' converge never grows old to me. 1.987 copies on red/silver merge vinyl. deathwish inc. 2017/2018.

gatecreeper - deserted

considering the hype that went down for this record and the fact, that i really liked the debut "sonoran depravation", of course i couldn't walk away without buying a copy of "deserted". evilgreed.net got me covered with this nice splatter copy.

musically this album feels a bit slower than its predecessor, bulldozing its way through the buzzsaw guitar sound. a great record from start to finish, still i enjoy the raging venom of "sonoran..." a bit more. 1.000 copies pressed. relapse records. 2019.

gatecreeper - sonoran depravation

yeah, i know, i know. i am late to the party again. i am good at not believing the hype, even if it's real, and thus missing out on first pressings. tomb mold, blood incantation and gatecreeper were the last in a long line. anyway, by now i realised how good this band is and especially this debut rips from start to finish.

even though i don't like the typical swedish osdm guitar tone too much, i just can't deny "sonoran depravation". the riffs, the hooks, the energy - a beast of an album. sixth pressing on vibrant clear yellow vinyl out of 1.000 copies. relapse records. 2016/2018.

nocturnus - the key

after i bought the comeback album of nocturnus, or better of nocturnus a.d., last year, the fire for a grindcrushing splatter edition of the classic debut burned again. i searched thoroughly through the depths of the world wide web and came across a second hand shop from berlin going by the name recordsale.de.

they had an ok-priced copy to offer, which was in a splendid shape and also had the hype sticker on the cover - so i really couldn't pass that one up. very happy to cross "the key" off the list. earache records. 1990/1991.

mortiferum - disgorged from psychotic depths

mortiferum didn't click with me instantly. i saw the announcement of the album by the label profound lore via social network and thought that the cover art looked kind of weird. i moved on and saw the first press go in no time.

fast forward a few weeks and profound announced a second press. i listened to a song on the tube and was blown away by the slow heaviness that is "disgorged from psychotic depths". hence i ordered the coolest colour-way and since listen to this beauty like a maniac. one of the best albums in 2019. profound lore records.