SUPER SPECIAL VINYL/CASSETTE DAY

The idea of the evening was for each of us to bring two hours of music on vinyl/cass to create an eight hour playlist. While listening to the albums and thinking about our short opinions about them, board games were also played. We had a Monopoly warfare, which was won by btcarey and a Yahtzee match, which was won by Orostider.  

Kroda - Fimbulvinter

2007 / Pagan black metal

Orostider: There's something special about Eastern European pagan black metal bands. Most of them represent the finest of pagan black metal. 'Fimbulvinter' is probably the best Kroda release and is an essential pagan black metal album.  

Kattroll: Kroda is an amazing start for this vinyl/cassette marathon. Even though the band itself is familiar to me, I've meant to take a closer look at the band for a long time. This is an album I gladly listen to anytime and 'Glacial Riders of Fimbulvinter' is an  absolute peak of the album. 

tp5170: Fimbulvinter, like most of the other stuff I have heard from Kroda is simply amazing. This release is definitely among the best ones in pagan folk black metal and gets bonus points in my eyes for resembling Nokturnal Mortum. 

btcarey: Kroda is one of the leaders of eastern European black metal. 'Fimbulvinter' is a masterpiece of pagan folk and is comparable to classics like Nokturnal Mortum's 'Voice of Steel'. Can't wait to see them at Steelfest!

Mørket - Musta Luonto

2016 / Fashion crust

Orostider: Crust punk is a genre I'm really fond of. Mørket delivers an album with unique elements and manages to release one of the best crust albums for a while. Proggy grooves and sweet melodies with absolutely amazing intensity. Fierce but beautiful, just the way I like my crust.  

Kattroll: 'Musta Luonto' is an almost perfect mix of genres and my affection for it grows after each spin. Catchy songs work especially well in live situation, but the album is wonderful even at home. Oh Mørket, how quickly you've become one of my favourite bands. A longer review of the album can be read here. I wasn't this passionate about the album when I wrote that!

tp5170: The album was rather aggressive and kind of entertaining, but there was just a bit too much grind influences in its style for my taste. I honestly wouldn't mind hearing it again at some point, but I doubt that I’d get much more out of it. Overall interesting, but not exactly my thing.

btcarey: I've heard of Mørket numerous times but this was my first listen to one of their full length albums. The style was unexpected and coming out of it I have to say I was impressed. I'll probably check out 'Musta Luonto' again to see if it was truly good or if the beer just made it seem so.

Wyrd / Häive / Kehrä - Untitled

2007 / Black metal, Neofolk

Orostider: Wyrd's side is pretty much what I expected from Wyrd. Neofolk influenced black metal with below average clean vocals. The screams are top notch. The second song is easily Wyrd's side's winner. Häive has interested me for a while but like last time, the average screams kinda reduce my interest. I'm still intrigued by Häive's sound. Kehrä is probably the best one. Powerfully evil screams and massive instrumental sound. Gotta check them more carefully!  

Kattroll: Wyrd, Häive and Kehrä. Three atmospheric Finnish black metal bands on one split. Wyrd is pretty familiar to me and had repeated spins before last year's Steelfest, Häive is only familiar by name and Kehrä is a stranger to me. 'Vieraalla Maalla' didn't really impress me due to the vocals, but the next song worked a lot better. Häive's first track was just as beautiful as I recalled Häive to be, but the second one surprised me with its crudeness. The least familiar one was the best one, being an absolutely positive surprise. The rainy intro of the last song was lovely!

tp5170: I think I pretty much liked all of split’s three sides. Each side seemed to be a somewhat unique take on the folk/black metal. I have been actually meaning to check Wyrd more thoroughly since last summer and this might just have been the inspiration I needed to finally get started with that.

btcarey: My first pick of the evening and one of my favorite folk/black metal albums in my collection. The album is well balanced, with each featured artist producing top quality tracks from the deepest depths of the forest.

Archgoat - Whore of Bethlehem

2006 / Bestial black metal

Orostider: I can't decide whether if 'Whore of Bethlehem' is the best Archgoat album or 'The Light-Devouring Darkness, but 'Whore of Bethlehem' is one hell of an album and deserves a permanent spot in my playlist. The bestial black metal masters can't fail. 

Kattroll: Archgoat's red splatter vinyl looks sexy as hell! As an album 'Whore of Bethlehem' was sort of averagely good buzz like the band's usual sound is. The album didn't really offer any surprises, but why should it do so if it's not needed.

tp5170: This is the album that got me originally listening to bestial black metal, so for me, this is a timeless release and probably my favorite album from Archgoat.

btcarey: Brutal as always, Archgoat delivers. 'Whore of Bethlehem is definitely one of their top albums and one of the best examples of bestial black metal.

Blasphemy- Fallen Angel of Doom

1990 / Bestial black metal

Orostider: The cornerstone of bestial black metal doesn't get old. 'Fallen Angel of Doom' is the epitome of brutally barraging black metal and should be listened by every black metal enthusiast. One of the main reasons to attend Steelfest. The masters do not fail.  

Kattroll: Even though the album itself is just basic high speed bashing, the value of the album comes from it's importance in the history of black metal. Although I wouldn't play the album myself, I have to give Blasphemy the respect it deserves. The grind-ish songs were pretty good though!

tp5170: It’s a shame that I ended up discovering Blasphemy so late, because Fallen Angel of Doom is truly one hell of an album and one of the most iconic releases in the genre. I can’t wait to see these guys at Steel Fest.

btcarey: Epic combo of fast paced death and relentless black metal. Much more raw than I remembered, which is great. I'm definitely going to run through their discography a few more times before Steelfest.

Finntroll - Jaktens Tid

2001 / Folk metal

Orostider: If you want to party without electronic music, choose Finntroll. 'Jaktens Tid' is one of their best releases and if terrific drinking music is your thing, choose 'Jaktens Tid.'

Kattroll: Finntroll! Where do you people think I figured out my nickname anyways? 'Jaktens Tid' is a Finntroll classic and it's pretty energetic and because of that, the album fits this slot pretty well. Our Monopoly game had already taken forever and I was getting tired, so some sort of activation was required. Coffee and Finntroll!

tp5170: I have never been a huge fan of Finntroll, but I got to admit that their music is perfect for drinking some beer and chilling out. Like their other stuff, Jaktens Tid is energetic, easy to listen to and surprisingly heavy. Not a bad album by any means.

btcarey: 'Jaktens Tid' is pretty standard folk metal for me. The album isn't Finntroll's best but certainly isn't their worst either. A nice, fun album to help liven a party and inspire you to crack a few beers.

Vuohi- Witchcraft Warfare

2014 / 

Orostider: Vuohi was familiar to me only by their name before this. These guys really have their shit together. Fierce as fuck grinding black/death/whateverthefuck always hits me. Extra points for the vocalist's high screams. The low growls are average, but 'Witchcracft Warfare' is a powerful release. If Anaal Nathrakh were more like Vuohi, I'd probably like them. 

Kattroll: I first thought that we'd hear unknown Finnish black metal again, but Vuohi doesn't offer just black metal. The material is a mix of different sub-genres of extreme metal with some serious grind influences. When did I start to like this sort of stuff? 

tp5170: This demo was definitely one of the biggest surprises of the day for me. I’d describe this as a high speed set of black/grind/death/? smashed together with some influences from Anaal Nathrakh. I got to say that the combination works rather well.

btcarey: 20 minutes of sheer power and force. I would call Vuohi the Anaal Nathrakh of Finland, with music varying between grind/death/black. Awesome demo!

亵渎人性 - 郁虐

2012 / Depressive black metal

Orostider: Dsbm isn't usually my thing. The whole genre kind of sucks and follows the same guidelines, but like it is with any genre, well done is well done. The vocals are amazing, but otherwise this album is pretty basic, so I probably won't bother with it again. 

Kattroll: A shady cassette from China? This was actually pleasantly moody screaming, even though the screams occasionally hurt my ears. Otherwise than that, this was an ok experience. 

tp5170: I was originally going to write a separate, longer text about this one, but I guess that this will have to do for now.

I think there is no such thing as a perfect DSBM album or at least I have never heard of one, but this small Chinese package packs a surprising punch. Even though short, it’s not the easiest album I have ever met and it definitely requires some attention.

Most of the tracks maintain a gloomy atmosphere by progressing rather slowly, but the feeling of progression is always there and the slower/acoustic/ambient parts don’t linger for too long. The aggressive parts are instrumentally about the average, - decent at best and it’s the vocals, a mix between DSBMish and more traditional BM shrieks, that carry this album a long way.

The overall the style isn’t that far from Silencer’s ‘Death – Pierce Me’, just a bit rawer and it actually works surprisingly well.

btcarey: The music in general was quite good but I just couldn't take some of the vocals seriously. It felt like I was walking through a Disney black-metal-themed haunted house, with ghostly screams dominating the atmosphere.

Diocletian - Gesundrian

2014 / Black/death

Orostider: 'Gesundrian' was one of the best 2014 releases by far. The way they implement hatred towards mankind to their music is hypnotizing. The brute force in their barrage is next level and the riffs they throw are top quality. So bummed they disbanded. 

Kattroll: "I don't really know what K thinks of this album" was the description for this album by Orostider, which was a bit scary. The album started with clinging swords and predicted good stuff. This wasn't joyous battle metal, not even close, but I digged it. Absolutely the best album from this genre tonight. What on earth was on Orostider's mind again? 

tp5170: A slightly different take on the bestial black metal from what I am used to and a pretty good one at that I have to say. Diocletian is also a band I have been meaning to check more thoroughly for ages – hopefully I manage to find the time at some point.

btcarey: Awesome blast-fest from New Zealand. Diocletian is a band I definitely want to check out more. To any fans of wicked death metal check this album out.

Moonsorrow - Suden uni

2001 / Pagan black metal

Orostider: Moonsorrow is the diamond of Finnish pagan/folk metal. There are no bad albums and every album offers different kind of stuff. 'Suden uni' is folkier than the best Moonsorrow albums, but it's still the best 'folk metal' album together with 'Voimasta & kunniasta.'

Kattroll: What would the evening be without Moonsorrow? My pick was the first official Moonsorrow album, which is also the first one in the vinyl box I own. One of the reasons was the fact that the album is the shortest one, but also because of the summery atmosphere. If I had to choose one song from this album, it would be 'Kuin ikuinen', even though the bonus song 'Tulkaapa äijät' is one of the best drinking songs ever. Only four sentences, woo!

tp5170: Somehow I have had this misconception that ‘Suden Uni’ was one of the weaker releases of Moonsorrow, but hearing it now for the first time definitely proves that wrong.  I ended up enjoying this piece of pagan metal quite a lot.

btcarey: Timeless classic, you can't go wrong with Moonsorrow. The pagan metal giants have never ceased to produce quality music, applying even to the earliest of their releases.

Solus / Vrag - Awakening of the Hungarian Witch Woods

2013 / Black metal

Orostider: Btcarey hyped this split to me couple of months ago and I was kind of cautious when I first heard this about a month ago. The quality of both sides was a pleasant surprise. Vrag's atmospheric black metal deserves more attention than what it gets now. Unfortunately Solus' side was fucked up and we were unable to hear it. I've heard it once and it's pretty damn good. 

Kattroll: The second black metal split of the evening had only one operating side, so we didn't get to hear Solus. Vrag's side begun in sort of dull way, but got way better in the end. 

tp5170: I had already heard that this split was pretty good, but it actually still managed to surprise me. I just love well composed black metal and the presence of atmospheric elements is pretty much always a bonus in my eyes. It was truly a shame that we only got to listen to the first side of the cassette, because if the second is anything like the first, I definitely want to hear it at some point.

btcarey: I was really hoping to make this one of our future 'weekly albums' but do to the unavailability of the music I think I'll just do a personal review sometime in the future (still happy the other guys got to hear it). This split is awesome and very well balanced (even though I tend to lean more towards the Solus side). It might be a bit slow paced for some black metal listeners but a solid pick overall. If you can find this, BUY IT.

死霊山 - 大自然讃歌

2016 / Experimental black metal, Noise

Orostider: Interesting was the first word I could think of. If I didn't know this was from Japan, I would've taken a guess that the album is from Australia. (Pointing at Rank Sinatra and Passenger of Shit) 大自然讃歌 is black metal influenced noise with march music and stuff. Sort of relaxing, but simultaneously sort of try hard-ish. Enjoyable as fuck tho. 

Kattroll: A shady cassette from China? This was actually pleasantly moody screaming, even though the screams occasionally hurt my ears. Otherwise than that, this was an ok experience. 

tp5170: Strange and random, but surprisingly entertaining for what it is. I had pretty much zero experiences of ~experimental black metal before encountering this small band from Japan and to my surprise I was quickly hooked to the absurdity of it all. I mean the noise/BM combo is really weird already on its own, but to then combine it with march music? This is the kind of music not to be taken too seriously and playtime of a bit over 10 minutes is generally just the right amount for this kind of material.

btcarey:  This was weird... Couple of good songs I could revisit on my own time but overall not my cup o' tea.

死霊山 - 狂犬病

2016 / Black metal, Noise

Orostider: This album is what you get when you combine shitty machine drums, delayed vocals and awful black metal riffs. In my opinion, the only good things about this are the non-black metal, non-noise parts. One of the worst black metal releases I've heard. 

Kattroll: I'm a bit tired after the sauna and it doesn't really help that this album is noise influenced porridge black metal. The album isn't that bad, but I wouldn't really listen to this again. The last song was the best one. 

tp5170: The second latest release of 死霊山 (Ghost Mountain) is definitely not as strong as its predecessors, but it’s not entirely bad either. This time, songs have a far more serious tone to them, the amount of noise influences is cranked up and the random element is almost entirely removed from the songs, which is a shame. The main problem however is the third and unfortunately the longest track on this mini EP that is just NOT so brilliant noise/black and way too repetitive for what it is. Otherwise the release is pretty decent, even though I kind of miss the cheerfulness and randomness of the previous releases, - but I can also see the appeal in this new style of theirs.

btcarey: I unfortunately missed this one.

Weekly album: Convulse - Cycle of Revenge

Convulse - Cycle of Revenge

2016 / Death metal, Progressive rock

1. Cycle of Revenge

2. God Is You

3. Pangaea

4. Fractured Pieces

5. Nature of Humankind

6. Ever Flowing Stream

7. War

8. Into the Void

Kattroll: Last week, I noticed a gig poster at Nosturi, which said that Convulse is throwing a gig together with Demilich and two other smaller bands. The reason why we hadn't already known about the gig is beyond my comprehension, but I immediately re-arranged my work shifts and begun to wait for the gig. While getting hyped for the gig, I realized that Convulse had just released a new album and a quick gallup revealed that not single one of us four had heard it. I'm almost ashamed! The atrocity was easily dealt with by choosing 'Cycle of Revenge' as the weekly album. Checking out the new album before attending a gig is usually considered a wise move.

I remember reading that this album isn't really traditional death metal, and the statement is correct. As the album progressed, I forgot several times that I'm listening to Convulse. The album isn't of low quality so the quality wasn't the reason, but the fact that the album is completely different from what I expected. My favourite Convulse album is the controversial and opinion dividing 'Reflections.' I can admit to dancing to it (Yes, dancing to death metal is possible.), but 'Cycle of Revenge offers something completely different. The album's length is just barely 30 minutes, so several spins are more than welcome. 

The opening song 'Cycle of Revenge' is a groovy song, which sounds sort of familiar to me, even though it isn't as heavy and straightforward as the rest of Convulse's material. The next song, 'God Is You', is one of the high points of Convulse, but the third song, 'Pangaea' is almost a ballad from time to time. You can't even recognize the band to be Convulse at all times. The album isn't bad at all, but I wouldn't consider this death metal anymore. Who said this album is supposed to be death metal anyways? The songs after 'Fractured Pieces' remind me of Baroness and early Amorphis, because progressive elements are heavily present. The atmosphere is simultaneously oppressive and emancipated. 

Orostider: Quite often people name the old school death metal bands from the States as the ones that have influenced them the most as an individual. If I had to choose the most important death metal albums to me, I would pick Death's "Scream Bloody Gore", Demilich's "Nespithe" and Convulse's "World Without God." "World Without God" offers the finest murky death metal from the 90's in my opinion and should be considered an essential death metal piece.

"Cycle of Revenge" is Convulse's second album after they tore their grave apart. I had no idea what to expect from Convulse, because they already surprised everyone in the 90's by releasing "Reflections", which was heavily rock n' roll infused death metal with a really joyous touch. Even though "Reflections" is a solid album in my opinion, it's completely different than "World Without God" and its horrifyingly heavy and grim content. "Cycle of Revenge" seems to be the new "Reflections" in a way.

As the album starts, the first passages remind me more of Black Pyramid's psychedelic stoner than traditional death metal. I wasn't prepared for this at all, but like I stated before, I really enjoyed "Reflections" and "Cycle of Revenge" isn't a bad shot either. Convulse's new style could be described as Kingston Wall meets 90's death metal and it actually works pretty well. The first spin doesn't really tell enough, because this is an album that requires several listens to fully understand what's going on. 

The death metal elements are quite scarce in a way. The death metal influenced riffs are only occasional and the only distinctive death metal influences are the low death metal growls. In addition to the traditional growls, 'Ever Flowing Stream' (I wonder if the name refers to Dismember's "Like An Ever Flowing Stream") has higher pitch creaking vocals, which are something I have never heard from Convulse before. The whole "Cycle of Revenge" is something I would've never expected from Convulse, but even though the album doesn't feel as solid as their releases from the 90's, I really enjoy their Kingston Wall vibes.

I am certain that quite a lot of people end up hating the album, but in my opinion, experimenting is always a good way to find new experiences. "Cycle of Revenge" shouldn't be compared to "World Without God". "World Without God" was released 25 years ago and during those years, we already saw Convulse trying out new elements and sounds. We shouldn't expect them to follow a certain path. 

"Cycle of Revenge" has its flaws, but it isn't even close to a bad album. Whereas most of the riffs were refreshing, unexpected and sort of original, some of them were utterly average. For example, "Nature of Humankind's" chugging riff is as dull as the similar riffs on any album. The same song's "Domination" chants are sort of hilarious too. The only riff that could end up in "below average" folder in my eyes, is the verse riff of "Pangaea." But when Convulse's riffs cross the 'average bar', they really surpass the average riffs. 

This album is not everyone's cup o'tea for sure, but why should it be? This album possibly evokes either affection, confusion or hatred, but I recommend every open-minded death metal enthusiast to check this. I also cautiously recommend this album to Kingston Wall fans, who are also into heavier music. 

Favourite songs: "Cycle of Revenge", "War."

btcarey: After nearly a 20 year break in studio albums, Convulse released ‘’Evil Prevails” in 2013. For many, the new album was a disappointment, deviating even further from the band’s claim-to-fame album “World Without God”. But some fans identified that such a length of time could only spur progression and redefinition, and embraced the new era of Convulse with open arms.

When I first heard “Evil Prevails” I was one of the not-so-accepting-of-new-Convulse fans. Besides a few average tracks I thought “Evil Prevails” lacked direction and consistency, with progression and tradition fighting for the spotlight. For this reason, when I heard Convulse released a new album, “Cycle of Revenge”, I was bit skeptical of its integrity. Fortunately the preconception was far from correct and “Cycle of Revenge” is actually pretty fucking awesome.

Even though Convulse has always been semi-progressive, they’ve had a greater focus on death metal themes. This cannot be said for “Cycle of Revenge”. Convulse took all the prog themes from their previous albums and ran with them, resulting in a solid, well-balanced progressive metal album with death influences. While this might turn off some of the classic death metal fans it has opened doors for a much more diverse fan base. I would suggest “Cycle of Revenge” to fans of Convulse, death and progressive metal.

Favorite Songs: “Pangaea”, “Ever Flowing Stream”

tp5170: I had heard enough of Convulse’s older production to know what the band used to about in be in the past, so I wasn’t really expecting that much from this album, but to my pleasant surprise the album turned out to be something entirely different. Cycle of Revenge is a brave leap into the unknown with the death metal part still being there but this time playing a smaller role and it is clear right from the start that this is album is not a direct continuation to any of their previous releases. 

The vocals are probably the only thing that connects the album directly to death metal, because otherwise the album resembles something that I’d call a mix between progressive rock and death metal. The general flow of the music is certainly progressive but it’s really groovy and approachable at the same time. The combination of styles works surprisingly well, but unfortunately the composition seems to stagnate at some point before the end, so in a sense I am really glad that the album is only half an hour long and ends before it overstays its welcome. 

Favourite songs: ‘Cycle of Revenge, ‘Into the Void'

Nothing More To Eat - Nothing More To Eat

Nothing More To Eat - Nothing More To Eat

2013 / Hardcore, Grindcore

Hardcore and grindcore are usually considered rather grim genres. Not in the same way as black metal, but they are not the most joyous genres. Usually. Nothing More To Eat takes couple of steps away from the serious school of grindcore and offers a slab of grinding hardcore with enjoyable twists. If the lyrical themes range from getting killed while skating and ending up in league with satan to a boring zombie apocalypse, the result could be anything.

Luckily, Nothing More To Eat have managed to create one of the most energetic and uplifting album in the genre. The tempo is kept up throughout the album, but the amount of blast beats and other 'generic' ways to create rapid bursts of energy are not excessive. Instead, the drive is kept alive through the groove. 'Nature Is Our Enemy' is a perfect example of this. In hardcore and especially grindcore songs the structure can consist of only two or three parts, but Nothing More to Eat keeps the different parts short and manages to throw several absolutely amazing riffs and parts in every song. Even though all the instruments are handled well and the vocals are fierce, the riffs and the groove are the reason 'Nothing More To Eat' spends a lot of time in my playlists. Nothing More to Eat together with Nistikko (who actually did a solid cover of Mo'Money couple of years ago) are the riff and groove lords of their own scene.

'Nothing More To Eat' is a solid and enjoyable album, but its fourteen song length has space for weaker songs. 'Anticlimactic Zombie Uprise', 'Death From Below' and 'Happy Camper' are awfully mediocre in comparison to other songs on the album. They are not bad songs, but after several solid barrages, they sound a bit like filler songs and because the songs are quite close to the end of the album, the album sounds a bit dull for a while. 'There's No Glory In Space' saves the day and together with 'Proper Manners' they manage to deliver a proper beating. If an album consist of eleven solid tracks and three weaker, but not bad, songs, there's no reason to not recommend this slab to every hardcore and grindcore loving person. 

Favourite songs: 'Nature Is Our Enemy', 'Satanic Sailors', 'Two-Headed Dog.'

Listen here! (Bandcamp)