Vinyl Review: "Lebe Dich Leer" by Bethlehem

Lebe Dich Leer

It's a tired story, but a true one.

An anonymous twitter user once stated that the best thing about metal is that no matter how well versed you are, no matter how long you've been in the scene, and no matter how many albums, records, CDs, or tapes you have...

You'll always feel like a newbie.

Well, here stands before you today, someone feeling like an ignorant chud who just bought his first Metallica tape last week.

Me.

Why? Because in my lap has fallen the latest release from this legendary band, but they're a complete unknown to me.

Had I known they existed and that I didn't know about them and knew that I was wholly ignorant, that would've been something.

Alas, not the case.

LP Review: "Cease To Exist" by Noisem

Cease To Exist

A little over four years ago, your friend and humble narrator was sitting upon a stool in the famed Pop's Saloon in order to review Obituary and Carcass.

Another familiar name was on that bill as well, Exhumed, but some kids from Baltimore were opening the show.

Guess what!

It was Noisem. They were an entertaining lot, but the bands and I disagreed about the young gents from the East Coast.

Many glowing superlatives were sent their way throughout the rest of the evening.

Their next album though, I reviewed that and it was spectacular. Now, here we are again, and I'm telling you about how great Noisem continues to be. Cease To Exist is one of the absolute best grindcore albums I've ever heard, but it might be straight death metal.

Or is it thrash? And Noisem, that recurring homage to Seasons In The Abyss? That was truly a genius touch. But when you're in the mood for some metal that'll cut  through your femur, Noisem has you covered and by the looks of it, they'll have us covered for decades to come.

RELEASE 3/15/19 BANDCAMP FACEBOOK

LP Review: "Primordial Malignity" by Tomb Mold

Primordial Malignity

In the United States false adrenaline is big business.

There is a chain of Six Flags theme parks and hundreds of other theme parks around the United States.

Horror movies are everywhere, and we won't get into the pervasive creepiness of the American Horror Film genre....you know what I'm talking about.

Over the decades here, there's been a profound shift in the belief of the American Dream. We no longer  have the ability to raise a family on a factory job. We no longer have the time with our children we once did.

What does this do? It wears us down. So, we need to feel something. When we're feeling good though, there always seems to be something waiting around the corner or sneaking up on us from behind....

LP Review: Self-Titled by Eufobia

Eufobia

The re-introduction.

What was that ad campaign from back in the day.... there's never a second chance to make a first impression?

Well, with my ex-wife's parents, I did, in fact, have to make up for my first impression. It was something that took years and years.

These days though, as my wife's parents seem to like me a little bit and their willful, intelligent, and artistic granddaughter, it's easy to see why.

What about bands?

What can a band do to reach new heights and make new friends? There's always the Ace in the Hole, should you have not played it..the self titled album. Our new Bulgarian friends have chosen to self-title their third album.

Vinyl Review: "Into the Kingdom of Graves" by Tyrants Blood

Into the Kingdom of Graves

In one of the greatest movies of all time, Cary Elwes uttered this famous line:

"Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something."

This allusion has come up in my introductions before, but in the United States are are looking at something we have never seen before.

What has happened before is the division, the strife, and the protests. The lines are clearly drawn. Where we go from there is anyone's guess.

What I remind myself everyday is that Jimi Hendrix wrote his arrangement of The Star Spangled Banner while Richard M. Nixon held the White House and in the backdrop of The Vietnam War. I have total faith that the artistic community will have loads of inspiration in the coming years.

Double LP Review: "Ruinen" by Waldgefluster

Ruinen

It's been nearly ten years since that day.

In a single moment, the words became actions and the actions became consequences and the consequences became the greatest challenge of my adult life.

I had spent the last 13 years of my life building to that moment. Of course, it could have easily been avoided had signs been heeded, but that's another story all together.

As I watched the door close, my mind was awash in torment, despair, anger, and confusion. Would I have the strength to raise my fist to the sky in defiance or would I shrivel into a former shell of myself?

Find that moment in your life as you read this introduction. Can you recall that time when you stood upon the precipice of assured destruction and the greatest happiness of your life? That's what Ruinen is all about.

Album Review: "The Immortalist Part Two. Momentum" by Divinity

The Immortalist Part Two. Momentum

Life is all about compromises isn't it?

Well, it is for those of us who've considered hermit life and realized that there just aren't enough kick ass guitar solos out there when you live by yourself in a cave.

My ex-wife and I had a pretty strong overlapping musical taste, much like my daughter and I, but she hated extreme metal. Then she found Dragonforce and car rides got easier.

My daughter...she's a budding otaku and happens to love metal, but as she's a girl, she likes things with girls in it. Well...play Arch Enemy for her and she's going to think, there aren't any girls in this band.

So, she rocks out with the "fox" horns up to Baby Metal. It's cool because I love Baby Metal too. Where do you think this love of all things Japanese comes from besides her very wanna be Japanese father?