ECTOVOID (USA): “Breathing Blackness” tape 2011 Unholy Domain

I was supposed to review these releases from the great label Unholy Domain, generous sly offered as promos by the label, a long ago. Better late than never, they say, after all.

I don’t know if it’s my tape deck that it’s getting decrepit and possibly oxidized in several components, but the sound on this tape is rather bass-heavy and confused. Which might fit, being a demo (or better, a repress of a demo originally on CD-r), but I definitely need to give it a try on a different set one day.

The tracks on this cassette are quite old and represent a rather immature version of the band, who in my opinion will give their best in their debut album on Hellthrasher the following year. I haven’t really followed their releases but it seems to me that the second album is a bit underwhelming. Here, as well as in the debut, the sounds are more similar to that of a certain Swedish Death Metal a la early Therion, but it is the vocals on this demo that will really give the best in the 2012 album.

Nothing particularly exciting, but worth a listen.

Two legendary discographies in the making

A collaboration between two of the most stalwart Italian labels who in spite of everything and inexplicably manage to maintain enthusiasm for such an unprofitable genre. Despise the Sun from the capital and Terror from Hell from the northwest join forces for these two discographies (only on CD I think, for the moment) of two bands that may be little known outside the underground environment of the early 90s.

Iconoclast came from my hometown and among their various releases include a 7″ on the famous Drowned records. Inspired by the Greek and English scene of the time, they played a type of Death Metal with vaguely melodic but malevolent overtones.

On Funeral Oration there would be no need for an introduction, Nicola Curry’s of Metal Destruction zone appear on legendary covers from the time and his fanzine is still a legend for those like me who devoured every issue. He’s still active as an artist today, by the way.

Get your copies either of the labels.

https://terrorfromhellrecords.bandcamp.com/

https://despisethesunrecords.bandcamp.com/

Necroccultus/Shub Niggurath (Mex): “Inverted Dimensions” split Cd 2009 Black Vomit

CD version on Black Vomit

Another throwback of eight years to complete a review of a record that was released thirteen years ago, how’s that for dedication? And to make things even more old school, the Shub-Niggurath tracks are taken from a rehearsal from 1990! I didn’t really write much at the time, but as I picked up the CD from the shelf and started to listen to it I found myself why I was actually losing any time on this recording.

To be honest, let’s say it straight away, this split is fucking useless. It’s just crap made up to use the logos of two great bands. Let’s be clear, I’ve loved Shub-Niggurath since the demo tape, and I think Necroccultus is an excellent band as well despite their relatively young age (sigh, I just realized they formed 19 years ago), but I can’t stand live and rehearsals unless they’re included in a full discography or as bonus tracks, let alone in a split. To make matters worse, three different labels for three different formats, including a vinyl whose significance I don’t really understand. And even the audio is too poor to justify such a pressing, these are things that you can accept for a band that has played very little for which every live show is a jewel to be recovered, but this is not the case, or possibly for a big band, like Slayer, of which you want to collect every single release. But not here, I don’t think we’re there at all. Even the cover was one of the artist’s early works and on tape/CD it is what it is. Leave this release alone.

Tape version on Sodomistic Ritual
LP version on Iron Bonehead

Kapala – Doomsday Requiem out in Summer

You know my interest in digital and CD is basically non-existant, although I have to report that this little precious is finally going on vinyl this summer in July, 2022. I love this band. In barely 5 years Kapala managed to enter my top selected records besides the turntable already twice, even if with just two EPs and no albums in sight. I guess a full 40 minutes worth of Kapala might be much even for someone grown up with Japanese harsh noise?

In any case I already have listened to “Doomsday Requiem”, it’s fully available on Dunkelheit’s YouTube and eventually Bandcamp, and it’s freaking delicious. Compared to “Infant Cesspool” their sound has become much thicker and one can finally unravel the songs in just a few listens.

EP on vinyl out in July

It is worth also mentioning another band on the same label, Brahmastrika, whose “Abhabaniyastral Samsarimplication” was also released last year. They’re too part of that Kolkata Inner Circle like Banish, whose demo tape I released last year on the label (sold out, sorry).

Hellflame magazine #8 out in April

Issue #8

Hellflame magazine is one of the oldest Black/Death Metal fanzines from Italy, dating back to the early 90’s. I know that, I was there, it’s right from my city, actually.

Certainly, Hellflame is one of the first fanzines that focused on a wide variety of extreme metal bands focusing on niche ones with a particular spark of talent regardless if it was German Black Metal or American proto-slam. Written by Nicola aka “Litanie De Dumuzi” who also draws most illustrations and basically coordinates everything. After a long pause during which he lived in UK to wash the clothes in the Strait of Dover, the man is back and is ready to release his new issue. A solid 60-page work with a scattering of interviews with Vilifier, Nuclear Abominations records (yep!), Dreadful Relic, Mara, Iron Tyrant, Crucifier, House of Atreus, Cruciamentum plus the usual flood of reviews and accounts.

Order your copy straight from him also for wholesale, or you can get your own from me.

Raveous Death – Visions from the Netherworld, 2022

A full hour-long plus massacre of pummeling South-American influenced Death Metal with a full-bodied production that properly complements the album. This is a band that holds the same banner as the Demonized of some years prior with some spectral moments that mark the slow descent into the lower layers of Hell, sometimes reminding The Chasm. Mostly however this stuff is a machine gun of blast beats and guttural vocals of finest Death Metal, I never get tired of albums like these. Get it.

Talking about Memento Mori, on the 25th of April the second Rotheads album should be released. The first one was pretty rotten and this one looks good so far.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3w4aVxUhSI&ab_channel=DeathMetalPromotion

Il 25 di Aprile dovrebbe uscire anche il secondo album dei Rotheads, sempre su Memento Mori. Il primo era bello marcio e questo per il momento si presenta bene.

Imperium from Ohio, second album

This is a one man/two men band from Ohio run by the guy who also plays in Mortuary Ghoul (out in CD format on Dismal Fate from Italy, get it it’s great Mortician-like massive Death Metal). They mostly exist online but they have released also some CD/tape in the past. There might be a gazillion digital bands online today if one digs deep enough but I admit I like this Imperium and I hope they can release something proper soon. Expect good savage abrasive shit like Revenge, Goatpenis etc. but a little more linear. The layout is quite terrible from the image we see but nothing that cannot be fixed somehow by a good label. They used to have a bandcamp page that does not exist anymore, so maybe they signed already? Below a link to the second album that was released two months ago, check it out.

https://www.facebook.com/3IMP3RIUM3