The story of Proto-Speed/Thrash metal - PART III

1982 was an important year for the future speed/thrash metal movement that emerged within few years. In fact, it was just during in 1982 that bands like Metallica, Slayer, Exodus and Sodom started their own careers releasing also devastating demos as "Power Metal" (Metallica) or the noisy and obscene "Witching Metal" (Sodom). And we don't forget the fundamental contribution to the emerging speed/thrash metal given by the first two volumes (both edited, indeed, in 1982) of Metal Massacre, a series of compilations, released by the soon-to-be-famous US label Metal Blade Records owned by Brian Slagel, in order to spread the music of North American bands like Metallica (with their very famous song "Hit the Lights", then appeared in their debut album "Kill 'Em All"), Armored Saint, Cirith Ungol and many others. Finally, 1982 was the year in which many bands started to love the speed and the pure sonic aggression revolting also the way to conceive the heavy metal music.

Dig Me No Grave - "Immemorial Curse" (Satanath Records/Sevared Records/Wings of Destruction, 2017)

Band: Dig Me No Grave
Title: Immemorial Curse
Genre: Death Metal
Year: 15th June 2017
Time: 34 min
Rating: 63/100












H.P. Lovecraft! How many extreme metal bands took inspirations for their lyrics from the raving imagination of that solitary man? An endless bunch, you know, and the nice thing is that many other new bands continue to evocate untiringly the Ancient Ones and their cosmos full of unspeakable abominations ready to swallow your useless mortal bodies until to destroy your own souls. Well, Dig Me No Grave, from Russia with hate, are one of the new Lovecraft's worshippers. But they are new for me because I didn't know anything about them until few days ago. In fact, we are talking about a band that plays since 2009 releasing, for the moment, two albums from 2014 to 2017, and the last of them is the here reviewed "Immemorial Curse", edited by the prolific Russian label Satanath Records along with the US Sevared Records and the Russian Wings of Destruction.

Vessel of Iniquity - "Vessel of Iniquity" (Self-released, 2016; Xenoglossy Prod/Sentient Ruin Laboratories, 2017)

Band: Vessel of Iniquity
Title: Vessel of Iniquity
Genre: Noisy Black/Death Metal
Year: 25th September 2016 (self-released
19th January 2017 (Xenoglossy Productions/Sentient Ruin Laboratories
Time: 15 min
Rating: 73/100









Hi everyone! After a couple of weeks accompanied by diseases and depression, finally I picked up this brand new EP and I started listen to it...OMG...whatta fuck is that? this was what I thought right after I finished listening to this EP. What am I talking about?

I am talking about the debut EP of the UK-based one-man black/avantgarde/noise project Vessel of Iniquity. Let's see something about it.

Infernal Blast - "Wolves Elitism Speech" (War Arts Productions, 2017)

Band: Infernal Blast
Title: Wolves Elitism Speech
Genre: Brutal Black Metal with Bestial Black/Death influences
Year: 21st September 2017
Time: 17 min
Rating: 73/100















There are bands that seem to come from some hostile and obscure dimensions such is their hate towards mankind and its idiotic world. This is exactly the case of Infernal Blast, a one-man band founded in 2012 by a completely demented French gasmask demon called Will. L Dominator. If you are ready for the Ultimate War, then I think that his debut EP "Wolves Elitism Speech" may be the perfect soundtrack to end definitely the world!

Umbra Noctis - "Via mala" (Novecento Produzioni, 2017)

Band: Umbra Noctis
Title: Via mala
Genre: Black Metal with Rock influences
Year: 22th April 2017
Time: 47 min
Rating: 84/100











The Italian black metal band Umbra Noctis, through their singer Filippo Magri, sent to me, in September 2017, the physical CD of their second album "Via mala" ("Evil Way"), released some months before by Novecento Produzioni, a small and unprolific label from Italy specialized on black metal. But, when you will put their new effort into your turntable, you will discover a very particular and innovative kind of black metal!

Discordant Hemispheres - ""Inferno+Paradiso"/"(24) Dicembre" (Independent, 2017)

Band: Discordant Hemispheres
Title: Inferno+Paradiso
Genre: Progressive Death Metal
Year: 26th November 2017
Time: 18 min
Total rating: 70/100













Well guys, this article is about a kind of band that usually, as you know, I don't review since Discordant Hemispheres have (almost) nothing in common with an (old-school) extreme metal. But they comes from my city, Rome, and they are a very young band with a lot of talent and creativity. And another thing is that now I'll review even two releases in a single occasion. Precisely, these last ones are the first two singles that, respectively titled "Inferno+Paradiso" (Italian for "Hell+Heaven") and "(24) Dicembre" ("(24th) December"), will be released on a physical edition within one month since they are now available only in a digital format. So, stop with these bullshits and let's go to discover this quartet called Discordant Hemispheres!

Black Blood Invocation - "Black Blood Invocation" (Vonfrost Records/Deathrune Records, 2017)

Band: Black Blood Invocation
Title: Black Blood Invocation
Genre: Occult Black/Death Metal with Bestial influences
Year: 11th Februaru 2017 (Vonfrost Records)
          16th June 2017 (Deathrune Records)
Time: 18 min
Rating: 71/100














After the black/speed metal machine Terrörhammer, today I'll review another Deathrune Records release. In fact, I'll talk you about the debut demo of Black Blood Invocation, two beasts called Xexanoth and Nyogtha (this one is very active in another acts like Cult of Eibon) that were united in 2014 directly from the infernal sewers of Greece. Precisely, their demo was originally released on the evergreen tape format under the blasphemous auspices of the young and prolific Canadian label Vonfrost Rec, and then reissued on CD format by, indeed, Deathrune Rec.

Terrörhammer - "Under the Unholy Command" (Deathrune Records, 2015)

Band: Terrörhammer
Title: Under the Unholy Command
Genre: Black/Speed Metal
Year: 16th October 2015
Time: 35 min
Rating: 90/100












It's incredible but, 6 months ago, Matt of the Spanish label Deathrune Records sent to me some of his releases but only in these last days I started to listen to them, starting from "Under the Unholy Command" here reviewed. This is the crushing debut album of Terrörhammer, a Serbian duo born in 2010 through the will of Pentagramator The Helltyrant (already known on these pages for his militancy in the mighty All My Sins) and WarBeast Holocausto. Unfortunately, this last one (that now is into the line-up of nothing else than...Gorgoroth!) left the band and, without his consent, Pentagramator continued the infernal path of Terrörhammer recruiting the bassplayer BBK Necro Doctor (the same that played that amazing bass solo in a song by All My Sins!) and the drummer T-Scream Agonizer. And let me say that this decision by Pentagramator was fuckin' wise because "Under the Unholy Command", now released in 2015, is awesome!

Necroheresy - "Asylum" (Symbol of Domination/Wings of Destruction/Darknagar Records, 2017)

Band: Necroheresy
Title: Asylum
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
Year: 16th June 2017
Time: 30 min
Rating: 83/100













Let's start again to review the releases that Aleksey of Satanath Rec sent to me some months ago. In fact, today it's the turn of "Asylym", the smashing debut album of Necroheresy, 5 pissed-off Slovakian demons very active in their local scene, also because some of them plays together in other bands like Aeon Winds (black metal/dark ambient). "Asylum" saw the (black) light through Symbol of Domination, the Belarussian parent label of Satanath, but in co-release with Wings of Destruction and Darknagar Rec, both small labels from Russia. But now, enter the asylum, full of Satanic lunatics and other killer strange people, of Necroheresy to see up close their virulent madness!

Hierophant/Onryo (Rome, 28th December 2017)

Bands: Hierophant/Onryo
Location: Traffic Live Club, Rome
Date: 28th December 2017






Along with my friend Luca aka L.L., in 28th December 2017 I was back at the Traffic Live Club to watch in action two Italian bands, both very talented: Onryo, from Rome, and Hierophant. These last ones, directly from the region of Emilia-Romagna, was the main band and their Roman date has been the second step of their "Italian Descent Tour", that will end, among some breaks between the gigs, 23th February 2018 in the city of Venice, so to promote "Mass Grave", the 4th album of this devastating trio released two years ago by an important label like the French Season of Mist. Instead, Onryo, if you well remember, was supposed to be in the bill of the Goatvomit Festival but, for some reason, they can't played anymore for that occasion. So, they have recovered that missed opportunity to share the stage of the Traffic Live Club with a band of the level of Hierophant.

Stige - "The Wasteland" (Xenoglossy Productions, 2017)

Band: Stige

Title: The Wastelands

Genre: Black Metal

Year: 8th December 2017

Time: 12 min

Rating: 75/100

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Due to problems involving with my job and other fucks, today finally I had the possibility to write this new review. Today I will write a review about this EP “The Wasteland” by Stige.

First of all, this work will isn’t to be confused with another project with the same name because this is in PURE and FUCKING BLACK METAL!

Let’s look at it more in detail. Stige is an Italian black metal project coming from Tuscany, precisely from the small town Sesto Fiorentino near Florence where was born in 2013. As many other black metal projects, behind this as well hides only one person. He is named Warrior, that plays all the instruments and write all the songs. In spite of his young age, this man is very active and is involved in various projects since 2011. At present times he started another project as one man band named Aisna (ex-Februus), particularly concerning in Etruscan paganism.

2017 TOP 10!

It's incredible but, after 9 years of existence of this 'zine, this is the first TOP 10 playlist published on these pages! The fact is that 2017 left us after a lot of amazing releases, and I hope that some of them are destined to be considered in the future times to come as real classics of the extreme metal! But I have to stress that this TOP 10 albums of mine could be also a little bit different in the near future. This because there are many releases edited during 2017 that I have still listen to but who cares? The following 2017 releases, listed in RANDOM ORDER, are my favorite ones in this exact moment, and that's it!