LP Review: "Moritat" by Der Rote Milan

Moritat

Years ago, when I was new to Adult Swim, Sealab 2021 didn't work for me. That was until the gateway episode, and then it made total sense.

For years, Black Metal didn't hit for me. It always seemed, less sophisticated than Death Metal, and far less interesting than Thrash Metal.

Then the gateway album happened, which I don't recall what it was to be honest with you.

It's not Moritat, but Germany's Der Rote Milan has crafted a record that could be a great many people's port of entry into Black Metal.

To be crystal clear, no one here is saying that this blistering album of blackness is anything other than a truly heavy piece of music, because it's not. It is a Melodic Black Metal (which was a new one on me) album. So it contains enough melody to resemble what civilians would think of as real music.

But then there's those vocals...they are pure black, with tinges of death. Don't miss out.

RELEASE 2/1/19 BANDCAMP FACEBOOK

LP Review: "Hadal Ascending" by Ichor

Hadal Ascending

There's a lot of talk out there by old farts who're long divorced from the actual music scene, Gene Simmons, who want to say rock is dead.

Well, he's old and wrong.

In the world I live in, there's more new music than could ever make it into my world. The vast majority of it though, isn't kitsch  music for the masses.

The music I find attractive in 2018 is new. Take Ichor for example. They're death metal right?

In 1992, Death Metal had hard and fast rules. Your drummer had to be basically a force fed automaton pounding out surgical beats. The guitars had to be fast. And blastbeats. No matter what. Blastbeats.

Of course, Ichor has all of these things, but they don't stop there. Why should a band's expression stop at an imaginary, though clearly delineated place? Hadal Ascending won't convince anyone who's not already among us, but they'll entertain many a metalhead who's grown tired of well worn formula.

Release 12/7/18 PREORDER FACEBOOK