LP Review: "Iltheist" by Iltheist

Iltheist

This has been a long time coming for me. Exceedingly long time readers and twitter followers my remember my promulgations of praise for the English Blackened Death Metal band, Aetherium Mors.

It's been five years now and finally they have come out of hibernation. The only thing is that they've changed up their name to Iltheist.

OK. That's fine by me. It's just great that we've got some new music to consider and today's a great day for death metal.

Things have changed in the previous five years. Their previous releases sounded heavily influenced by Carcass, which is great, but they've moved away from the classic English Death Metal sound.

Though they have always had black metal leanings, this one more of a deathened black metal album. If that's not a thing, let's make it one! With both their name and style changing, it's more difficult to find the threads of the influences and that's a great statement to make about a band.

They were able to keep everything I loved about Aetherium Mors and add in new things I didn't know they needed. Ilthiest is not only a worthy successor to their previous work, but it surpasses everything they have released up till now.

RELEASE 6/21/19 BANDCAMP FACEBOOK

LP Review: "Lucifer's Dream" by Mindkult

Lucifer's Dream

In my formative years, those outside of the metal circle would often times talk of how it was only screaming.

At the time, there was very little screaming in mainstream metal. Of course unbeknownst to the most of us, thrash, death, and other extreme forms of metal were congealing into scenes that would grow what they are today.

But that's not where this all started. Metal began, in earnest, with Black Sabbath, as we all know. There was no screaming involved.

There was a broken guitar, a treble booster (read: Overdrive) pedal, and an amplifier pushed to well past its limits. There was also of course, Geezer Butler.

In this mix, there wasn't a single scream. The guitars were tuned down on later albums to match the range of Ozzy Osbourne. Metal wasn't even angry at this point. It was scary, but not angry.

"Entrails of the Soul" by Aetherium Mors

Entrails of the Soul

The thing that makes death metal so great isn't the music. It isn't the fans. It isn't the cover art. The horrifying lyrics.

It's the fact that it cannot be killed.

This music never dies. It continues to lumber along, alive, undead, or something different. Napalm Death, Morbid Angel, Carcass, Deicide, and more and more bands have been slogging it out for decades in some cases, and returning to the game in others.

None of those bands are household names. Not a single one of those bands will ever be rich off of the music they play. Morbid Angel was recently in St. Louis on the 20th Anniversary tour of their seminal album, "Covenant," playing in a club.These musicians are road dogs and gluttons for punishment. When a death metaller tells you that it's about the music, you know it's true.

Album Review: "Drenched In Victorious Blood" by Aetherium Mors

Drenched In Victorious Blood

Brutal mode: Engaged.

Once again it's time to look at an artist submission to Glacially Musical. Checking my email after returning from the hiatus and I have a few bands that would like me to check out their stuff.

First up is Aetherium Mors based out of London. (Gunners fans, am I right?) You have now been warned: The lyrical content of this band is inflammatory. If you are offended by evil lyrics, you will not enjoy this band or this album.

This album was actually released on my 37th Birthday. (I'm not old! I'm 37.) I must apologize to the guys for it taking me so long to get to this review.

They were cool enough to send me the record and now I'm going to check it out for them and for you.