Speed Metal Captcha

Clearly some sort of sign, so I obliged.  Frappant sa tête dans les feux du hasard!

Of Holy Whores and Hellcults

Bewitched - Atrocities In A Minor

With the ubiquitous nature of black/thrash hybrids, retro-thrash, and '80s thrash emulation/glorification/fellation in metal nowadays, it seems almost odd to recall that Diabolical Desecration was an album that spearheaded* that movement.  I remember it being equally revered and reviled--the most common gripe by detractors being the, uh, likeness of the beginning of "Hard as Steel (Hot as Hell)" to Mercyful Fate's "Curse of the Pharaohs."  Still, it was a trendsetter, and thus a bandwagon--one with Osmose and Necropolis signees largely spoking the wheels--opened the floodgates, followed by a deluge that still has no end in sight.  All that, and they also helped to nudge Thor and (especially) Black Widow back towards the forefront of the collective metal consciousness.**

Being the timely fellow I am, I just bought their 2004 EP, consisting of 3 studio recordings (1 new song and 2 re-records) and 3 live tracks from 2002.  No surprises to be found here; the new song "The Devil's Children" is a pleasant thrasher that's right in line with their post-debut material.  Not extraordinary, but one of their better songs overall.  The rest of the EP isn't bad quality-wise, but it's honestly just filler.  Those looking for live Bewitched material would be better served by Hell Comes to Essen unless you are hellbent on hearing "Rise of the Antichrist" or "Born of Flames" live. 

Comparing the newer live and studio versions of the Diabolical Desecration tracks to the originals, they aren't that different, but they're a good summary of the band's overall sound change; after Blackheim's departure, there seemed to be a greater tendency towards rock'n'roll-based song construction, and some of the black and classic metal subtleties of the debut were lost to a thrashier sound.

*Yes, there were non-demo "retro" releases prior to '96, but let's face it--Gehennah were in another league entirely and a lot of the Aura Noir mCD is undiluted black metal.  Neither of them had the level of reception Bewitched did anyway.  I recall Infernö's Utter Hell coming out at the same time as Diabolical Desecration, but again, it didn't have the same impact (most people hated it.  I didn't, go figure), so whichever came first is irrelevant.

**

 

Police release initial sketches of longhaired Christian rapist currently at large. News at 11.

Jesus.  With You Always.

Females are Clueless About Metal, Vol. 2.

Ad Baculum (aka Whereabouts of: The original Mystifier vocalist)

Large amounts of Hyoscyamus Niger and Seven Churches are a winning combination.

Ad Baculum - Blackness Doctrine 2011

I saw this CD being touted as ex-Mystifier when browsing through a distro list; that immediately piqued my interest so I went ahead and bought it--sure enough, 20 years after Wicca, Meugninuosoan has resurfaced in Ad Baculum handling all guitarwork and vocals.

There's no real semblance to old Mystifier, and even the vocals are unrecognizable compared to those on Wicca--a heavy accent is more apparent here and they remind me a bit of a less evil/tormented version of the vocal style from the first Necrodeath LP.  They're also pitch-shifted in spots to give a more demonic effect.

Musically this is no-frills, fast-tempoed black metal of the mid-late '90s style.  There are no attempts to be lo-fi, bestial, old-school, overly blasting, or overtly Scandinavian.  There are no detrimental factors here, but I found nothing to get terribly excited about, either.  I was initially optimistic about the mid-paced intro to "Templarian Kingdom of Terror" and was hoping for some old Greek BM worship, but it just segued into the same stuff that's on the rest of the album.

Am I biased due to this man's musical pedigree?  Undoubtedly.  But face it, even for its generic-ness, this far exceeds what could be reasonably expected after such a long passage of time.  The musicianship is decent enough for better things, though, so let's not dwell in mediocrity.  Assuming Ad Baculum is still active, why not slow down and emulate old Varathron and/or pre-Göetia Mystifier?

Whereabouts of: That Dude from the Judas Priest Documentary

Yeah, that guy from the Judas Priest documentary.  You know the one, right?

No, no, not that guy.  He's dead.

Yeah!  LEATHERCAP AND PERILOUS NATIONS SHIRT.  HELLYES!

Now, before going further, for those of you unfamiliar with it, I heartily recommend the excellent Dream Deceivers: The Story Behind James Vance vs. Judas Priest documentary (alternate title: Dream Deceivers: How Drugs and an Overbearing Religious Mother Can Cause You to Live Out the Rest of Your Miserable Life with a Fried Egg and/or Melted Kraft Single Slice Draped over the Chasm in What's Left of the Forehead on Your Deformed Face).

Yes, and where are Spooky Tooth in all of this?

The documentary, about Priest's subliminal message trial, includes some footage of local youths speaking about the trial and on growing up in dysfunctional households or with less-than-optimal lifestyles.  While this stuff is ultimately just a marginal part of the documentary, early on we see a fellow who races over for a Halford photo op and sings "Better By You, Better Than Me" badly in his car, and he gets a fair share of attention--one Erich Granzen.  So what happens after you've been in a group home and recited some of the lyrics to "Suicidal Failure" on public television?  Let's find out.

 He seems happy with his lot in life.  More power to him.

Females are Clueless About Metal, Vol. 1.

If you don't get it, start reciting the titles of Sepultura releases in broken English.

From the second issue of Ballbuster* magazine.  Let's see who's responsible for such excellence in music journalism:

"I'm deluded enough to think being a contributor to a low quality magazine deserves a trip to Glamor Shots."

No surprise there.

*Below-average quality 'zine from the mid '90s that tried to cover a too-wide spectrum of rock and metal.  Chris Forbes was one of their BEST contributing reviewers which should immediately raise a warning flag.  Other less-than-shitty contributors include Keith Mensen of Mystic Force and Wayne Klinger from Half Speed fanzine.  Especially funny were try-hard "ball" puns stated throughout the issues ("band XYZ** has balls," "band XYZ is really on the ball, "ball one"--you get the picture) and the pictures of band members holding up copies of Ballbuster as if that aided credibility.  A solo-era Joey Belladonna clutching your publication is a rousing endorsement, no doubt about it.

**Out of respect for Nasty Savage, and by extension, the pornographic industry, XYZ will be used in lieu of XXX to refer to a generic, nonspecified band here.

Look At This Fucking Cover! Check Out These Wicked Song Titles!

Sounds of Death wasn't my favorite 'zine by any means, but I liked it well enough. With the exception of Metal Forces, which will always be in an untouchable class by itself, SOD was probably the best of the larger, professional metal magazines done in English.  The major reason is that it was a more cohesive read (most of the time), because David Horn didn't rely on a staff of contributing writers with varying skills and tastes.  It wasn't perfect by any means, though--lots of formulaic interviews, one of the worst review rating systems of all time due to the overwhelmingly positive skew (what, do you get 6-7 skulls just for submitting something?), and Horn's love of using cliched similes and metaphors in reviews.

Here's a Virus review out of the "From the Vault" section of issue #7--I think this is the best piece from the entire SOD run.  The first three lines perfectly capture the days of blindly buying albums based on the artwork and outer layout alone.  Whether you want to admit it or not, cool aesthetics can do a lot for an otherwise mediocre band.  IT'S THE CAMPY CHARM OF METAL.

The "From the Vault" features may seem like no big deal at a time when the depths of metal obscurity are constantly excavated for reissues, reviews, and downloads, but seeing Energetic Krusher and Living Death mentioned in the mid-'90s--in a US publication with decent circulation, no less--was very satisfying.

Because There's No Shame in Reusing a Good Idea, Vol. 1.

Circa 1981.

Circa 1986.

The Heralds of Oblivion Vol. 1

Mysterious Van Nuys warehouse filled with unsold Roughage pocket print longsleeves? I can only hope.

Shortly before Dwell Records implemented their unique business model of oversaturating the market with tribute albums and filling bargain bins with Inner Thought CDs, there was Roughage Records.  I can think of no better inaugural post than a brief look at their sole release, the legendary The Heralds of Oblivion Vol. 1 1993 compilation, showcasing 5 Los Angeles-area death metal bands:

Visual Aggression.

Demolition - Killer logo, best lyrics by far (a death metal track about a catapult is quite unique, especially considering Bolt Thrower didn't even do a song about their namesake), best band picture--overall the best band on the comp.  Nothing innovative here, although the band succeed in creating a morbid atmosphere that make them less generic than some of the other bands.  Instrumentally I'm reminded of Mortal Throne-era Incantation a bit, but there's other stuff at play here, including leadwork and several solos which are very much in a classic Floridian death metal style. 
What Happened To 'Em - Recently reformed and scheduled to release new material soon (UPDATE: They finally released their debut CD in late 2012).  

Let that be a lesson: don't be so quick to judge an overweight negro with a topknot.

Catalepsy - Yes, there are two black guys in the band.  Gore-inspired death metal of the competent-yet-unremarkable variety here.  And no, there's absolutely zero rap influence.  If nothing else, I'd welcome if Catalepsy began to be namedropped more when talking about black musicians in metal; give Hirax, Blasphemy, Suffocation, and Mystifier a break (or better yet, be like me and reference Black Dethe--sorry, Siki, that's no typo--or the the guy with the hi-top fade from Cyclone Temple as much as possible).
What Happened To 'Em - Marnece Stewart went on to a number of, uh, musical projects.  ONES WHICH SHOULDN'T INTEREST YOU IF YOU'RE GONNA REGULARLY READ THIS BLOG.  Also, prior to Catalepsy, Marnece was briefly in Mausoleum (same one that released the Summoning of the Damned demo on Wild Rags, though he wasn't in the band at that time).  Yes, Metal-Archives mentions a post-Catalepsy project called Hateseed, but I know nothing about this.

Here's some live footage, sans Marnece:

Didn't know Joshua was such a fat portly guy until seeing Infamy pics. Here he hides it well.

Brainstorm - Solid death/thrash, and probably the most notable group on The Heralds of Oblivion since all the members went on to album-releasing bands.  The vocals are relatively clean (well, except for the silly warbling effect slapped on them in "Strain of Your Life") compared to Joshua Jagger Heatley's guttural vocals in Infamy.
What Happened To 'Em - Joshua Jagger Heatley went on to death metal mediocrity in Infamy before dying.  The other three members went on to Engrave, with Emilio Marquez being the most visible due to drumming gigs with Sadistic Intent and Possessed Jeff Becerra's backing band.  Mario Gutierrez died in 2007.

Here's a live clip of their best song, complete with overzealous audience member interruption.

I gave her the smack that she deserved/And the bitch/Called the cops/Who protect and serve

I doubt a hooded wiggerjacket and uninverted cross were the kind of notoriety they were going for.

Decomposed - Not bad, and certainly not as uninspired as the name suggests.  Still, the only noteworthy factors are that they have a somewhat Swedish sounding guitar tone--lending them a more distinct geographical influence than any of the other bands--and two of their allotted tunes are in Spanish.
What Happened To 'Em - No idea.

The compilation's least Hispanic band.

Mutilage - This band's '92 demo was raw and violent death metal, but the tracks here have a lifeless production and somewhat forced vocals I'm not very enthusiastic about.  For me, they end up being the worst band of the five.
What Happened To 'Em - Chris Williams died after driving off a cliff in 2001.  Judging by their later musical careers, the other 2 guys seem to have an affinity for black metal of the cheap'n'fast variety.  As a side note, I seem to recall Chris Barnes wore a Mutilage shirt in a pic or video. Anyone have anything to corroborate this?

While four of the five bands here never progressed past the demo stage, it's still a solid compilation that documents the underground during death metal's most commercially explosive time.  Nothing groundbreaking here, but by the same token, the bands avoid all of the major pitfalls such as socio-political crybaby lyrics, non-metal jazz/rock/rap/core influences, overtechnicality, monotonous blasting with sterile musicianship, overuse of atmospheric effects, etc.