Honorable Mentions from the Abyss #35: Jesus Wept/Netherblade/Sacrocurse/Satanize/Sickle of Dust/Sviatibor/Throneum

Hey brutal bangers,

today you have to read another appointment with "Honorable Mentions from the Abyss", the column in which I am used to talk shortly about albums without writing real reviews.

This new appointment is more metal than the previous one, so expect to read about bands that range from bestial black/death metal to atmospheric black metal, and not forgetting a little of thrash metal to bang your fuckin' heads!

Enjoy this article and discover all the following acts!

Honorable Mentions from the Abyss #30: Intoxicated/Puro Odio/Barbaric Horde

Hey brutal bangers,

"Honorable Mentions from the Abyss", the column dedicated to talk about some stuff in a fast'n'furious way, is back with its 30th episode!

This time some very brutal and also sick stuff awaits you so to range from bestial black/death metal to a blackened crust punk chanting the collapse of this world, so you have been warned!

And now let's know the bands without uselessly extending this introduction!

Pig's Blood - "A Flock Slaughtered" (Godz ov War Productions, 2019)

Band: Pig's Blood
Title: A Flock Slaughtered
Genre: Bestial Black/Death Metal
Time: 32.27 min
Release date: 27th February 2019
Vote: 86/100













Pig's Blood are finally back on these pages... and they are back with the worst intentions! After their promising 2017 debut album (and also after that their drummer Drug Pervert Death Hammer debuted with Prezir in 2018), they thought well to terrorize us with a new dose of war and violence through "A Flock Slaughtered", that was released, as the previous one, by the fantastic Polish label Godz ov War Productions. With this new album, there were some changes into the line-up of Pig's Blood since Horrible Person is now only their singer while the bassplayer duties have been taken by their new entry Hideous Destruktor/Goat Tyrant, also guitarplayer. And I think that these changes created a really good effect on the sound of the band, as you'll see soon.

Popiół - "Zabobony" (Godz ov War Productions, 2019)

Band: Popiół
Title: Zabobony
Genre: Pagan Black Metal
Time: 58.06 min
Release Date: 27th February 2019
Vote: 92/100













There are (too!) many albums released in 2019 I still must review (if I'll have time enough to review all them, mind you!), so, for a while, you'll mostly find 2019 releases in the upcoming days to come on these pages. Meanwhile, the first one of them is "Zabobony", the debut album of a Polish band called Popiół (very useful information: I discovered through a friend of mine that the letter "ł" must be pronounced like an "u"). They released it through Godz ov War Productions (a label, a guarantee) without producing anything else after their foundation in 2017. Releasing already an album in this way is often very dangerous, especially for the younger musicians but this isn't the case of Popiół, that, strong of a twenty-year experience as single musicians, produced a debut album of a rare magnificence. It's no coincidence that I used the term "magnificence" to synthetically describe "Zabobony", also because, if you remember well, I included Popiół in the third Timpani allo Spiedo's playlist... and without forgetting that I put the album in my 2019 TOP TEN! But why is "Zabobony" so magnificent? You'll discover it really soon!

Gruzja - "I iść dalej" (Godz ov War Productions, 2019)

Band: Gruzja
Title: I iść dalej
Genre: Experimental Black Metal
Time: 28.49 min
Release Date: 27th February 2019
Vote: 90/100













There is a band in Poland that made the promotional video for a song taken from their first album, and the absurdity is that that video is very fukken strange because it's full of amateurish porno footage! Simply thanks to this detail, you can already understand how much these Gruzja are bizzarre... but you have not seen anything yet! So, welcome to this review about "I iść dalej", the first album by Gruzja, that was released in early 2019 by Godz ov War Productions, a label able to support not only traditional extreme bands but also some stuff in the sign of the total madness. And believe me that Gruzja, whose main singer wear on stage a suit and tie but with an iron cross in the forehead, surely belongs to the "total madness" category!

Warfist - "Grünberger" (Godz ov War Productions, 2019)

Band: Warfist
Title: Grünberger
Genre: Black/Thrash Metal
Time: 37.23 min
Release Date: 27th February 2019
Rating: 83/100













Ladies and gentlemen, here you are Warfist! 2 days ago I featured them into the first Timpani allo Spiedo's playlist, that you can play at the right of the blog. And as I promised, this is the review of "Grünberger", the devastating third album of Warfist, a Polish horde that, before releasing their debut album in 2014, released a bunch of stuff like 2 demos, an EP and 4 splits since their foundation in 2004. Now, they are only in 2 members, and one of them, the singer/guitarplayer Mihu, is one of their original founders. Instead, they become a trio for the live gigs with the addition of Nechrist (Arkona, Witchmaster...), with which Warfist participated this year in the renowned Polish open air festival Black Silesia, that this time saw in action bands of the calibre of Hellfire Deathcult, Pseudogod, Varathron, Nunslaughter and even the legendary Tormentor. But now what's about "Grünberger"?

Druj - "Chants to Irkalla" (Godz ov War Productions, 2018)

Band: Druj
Title: Chants to Irkalla
Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Time: 44.55 min
Release Date: 1st October 2018
Rating: 75/100










Have you ever heard a metal band from Alaska? I am asking this because Druj is the very first act from Alaska I ever listened to. And as my first time into the Alaskan metal, I've to say that the impact was truly traumatic, as you'll discover very soon. For the moment, you have only to know that this "Chants to Irkalla" is the debut album of this trio (once quartet) called Druj and was released by Godz ov War Productions. About this label, do you remember that some months ago it sent me a pack of 6 physical CDs? Well, "Chants to Irkalla" is the last reviewed album coming from that pack...and it is also the heavier one!

Prezir - "As Rats Devour Lions" (Godz ov War Productions, 2018)

Band: Prezir
Title: As Rats Devour Lions
Genre: Black Metal with Thrash and Death Metal influences
Time: 40.27 min
Release Date: 18th August 2018 (Independent)
       17th September 2018 (Godz ov War Prod)
Rating: 89/100











Very interesting debut album for these Prezir (Serbian for "contempt"), a quintet from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, consisting of musicians that plays also in many other bands. Among them, you'll find as a drummer Brian Serzynski, already known on these pages thanks to his militancy in Pig's Blood, reviewed some time ago. And you have also to consider that "As Rats Devour Lions", the Prezir's debut album, has been released by a label of the calibre of Godz ov War Productions. So, there are all the premises for an album to remember for the extreme metal fukken maniacs!

Dalkhu - "Lamentation and Ardent Fire" (Godz ov War Productions, 2018)

 Band: Dalkhu
 Title: Lamentation and Ardent Fire
 Genre: Black Metal
 Time: 42.53 min
 Release Date: 17th September 2018
 Rating: 84/100











Behind the elegant digipack of "Lamentation and Ardent Fire", third album of the Slovenian trio Dalkhu and released by Godz ov War Productions, are hidden 7 songs where you will be embraced by a particular form of black metal.

Angrrsth - "Znikąd" (Godz ov War Productions, 2018)

Band: Angrrsth
Title: Znikąd
Genre: Black Metal
Time: 28.31 min
Release Date: 1st October 2018
Rating: 71/100













In these last days I am giving a lot of space to the Polish extreme metal scene, and also this review isn't an exception to this recent trend. In particular, behind the absurd moniker of Angrrsth, there are 4 black metal maniacs from Poland that released digitally their debut EP "Znikąd" on April 2018. Some months later, Godz ov War Productions was so thrilled by the skills of Angrrsth to re-release their EP in a physical format (in CD, specifically), that I have in my hands thanks to the boss of the label. And there's something more to say: the new edition of "Znikąd" contains a bonus track in addition to the 4 original songs, so you have one more reason to buy it.

Apatheia - "Konstelacja dziur" (Godz ov War Productions, 2018)

Band: Apatheia
Title: Konstelacja dziur
Genre: Black Metal
Time: 51.48 min
Release Date: 30th September 2018
Rating: 74/100













After the death/doom metal agony by Eternal Rot, these Apatheia are another band belonging to the sulfurous roster of Godz ov War Productions. Today we'll talk about a Polish band that consists of three very young musicians so enthusiastic that they released in 2018 their debut album without producing anything before it. So, I'll present you "Konstelacja dziur".

Eternal Rot - "Cadaverine" (Godz ov War Productions, 2018)

Band: Eternal Rot
Title: Cadaverine
Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Time: 28.56 min
Release Date: 17th September 2018
Rating: 57/100













In October 2018 I received a mega-pack from the Polish label Godz ov War Productions. That pack contained not only 6 cds but also a t-shirt of the label that its boss Greg Rosensthal gave me for free! At this point, I have to underline here that Greg is really great and Godz ov War is a fantastic label, so support it! Below, you can see the t-shirt as well the cds of that pack.

Lykhaeon - "Ominous Eradication of Anguished Souls" (Godz ov War Productions, 2018)

Band: Lykhaeon
Title: Ominous Eradication of Anguished Souls
Genre: Black/Doom Metal
Time: 26:17 min
Year: 22nd May 2018
Rating: 74/100













Impenetrable. Yes, I think that this word is perfect to describe "Ominous Eradication of Anguished Souls", the new EP by Lykhaeon, three Swiss energumens that are affiliated with the Helvetic Underground Committee, a sort of black metal sect that consist, among others, of Dakhma (whose debut album has been recently released by the infamous Iron Bonehead Prod). That EP is very impenetrable just starting from the artwork of its digipack; an artwork so dark that you have to do some incredible efforts to read even the credits to understand them! And, when you put on the Lykhaeon CD, it gets more impenetrable due to a really hostile and grim production. At this point, "Ominous..." is so impenetrable that it seem to be a shadowy cult only fit for some selected worshippers! Then, you realize that the better way to understand the music of Lykhaeon is a good pair of headphones, in order not only to discover the most hidden details but also because the two songs of this EP are so long that no kind of distraction is accepted, so the headphones are MANDATORY in every case! After this adjustment, you are destined to be possessed by a music that deserves a fuckin' lot!

GraveCoven - "Coughing Blood" (Godz ov War Productions, 2018)

Band: GraveCoven
Title: Coughing Blood
Genre: Black/Doom Metal with Death Metal influences
Time: 20 min
Year:19th February 2018
Rating: 70/100











As I promised at the end of the review about Truchlo Strzygi, here is another Godz ov War's release. In fact, today we're talking about the EP "Coughing Blood" by GraveCoven, a duo from California, USA. To say the truth, this EP is a compilation because it contains both the two-song demos released so far by this band in 2015 and 2016 respectively under the titles of "Coughing Blood" and, with an incredible "imagination", "Coughing Blood 2". The band released in 2016 also a single with the only "Hades" by Bathory, and all this represent the scarce discography of GraveCoven.

Truchlo Strzygi - "Pora umierać" (Godz ov War Productions, 2018)

Band: Truchlo Strzygi
Title: Pora umierać
Genre: Black Metal with many HC Punk influences
Time: 41 min
Year: 22nd May 2018
Rating: 91/100












Truchlo Strzygi: behind this unpronunceable moniker, there is a Polish band that, after I listened again and again their debut album "Pora umierać", is now a TRVE CULT for me! Why? Firstly, because of the war metal look of these 4 demons, that wears gasmasks, bullet belts and also t-shirts of bands like the mighty Conqueror, and you know I adore this kind of look! Secondly, for their punkish "I DON'T GIVE A TOTAL FUCK"-attitude, that gives to the music a particular bestial energy to their music. Thirdly, for the booklet of the album; a booklet that, from the text (all the lyrics are present) to the drawings, is so totally hand-written that it bring you in the '80s, when the lyric sheets of the extreme metal and HC tapes were chaotic and, indeed, hand-written...and without forgetting that some of the drawings spews forth a black humour in a comic style also when the scenes represented are ultra-violent! And, last but  not least, for the music, which is incredibly surprising and creative.

REVIEWS' ATTACK #8: Sarinvomit/Liturgy of Desecration/Wargoat/Black Ceremonial Kult (Deathrune Records)

Hey brutalbangers,
today it's no joke! In fact, in this article you'll find the reviews of three productions dedicated to the most barbaric ways to conceive the extreme metal music. And this is obvious considering that each of them were released by the Spanish label Deathrune Records also in collaboration with Von Frost Rec and Godz ov War Productions, all labels that loves to wallow in the most "unlistenable" forms of our music.
So, I have warned you, then proceed at your own risk.

ENJOY THIS BRUTAL MASSACRE!!!

REVIEWS' ATTACK #5: Corpse Garden/Bestial Invasion/Edgeflame/Provocator

Hey brutal bangers,
here you are a new reviews' attack episode, that time is about 4 interesting bands, ranging from technical thrash metal to the rawest black metal.
I think that, in the future days to come, I will write faster and faster reviews because the digital promos in my possession are toooo many...and I have also many physical promos to review!
But stop with this intro and ENJOY THESE REVIEWS!!!

Kremlin - "Decimation of the Elites" (Godz ov War Productions, 2017)

Band: Kremlin
Title: Decimation of the Elites
Genre: Death Metal
Year: 24th November 2017 (Godz ov War Prod)
Time: 33 min
Rating: 88/100













Debut album for the Canadian war machine Kremlin, whose singer/drummer Neutron Cannon, in the mid '90s, played in Domini Inferi along with nothing else than RYAN FÖRSTER (Blasphemy, ex-Conqueror), so tons and tons of extreme violence are surely guaranteed in this "Decimation of the Elites"!

Anima Damnata - "Nefarious Seed Grows to Bring Forth Supremacy of the Beast" (Godz ov War Prod/Malignant Voices, 2017)

Band: Anima Damnata
Title: Nefarious Seed Grows to Bring Forth Supremacy of the Beast
Genre: Brutal Black/Death Metal with Bestial influences
Year: 29th October 2017
Time: 41 min
Rating: 83/100











It took 10 looong years to Anima Damnata to create a third album after their second opus released in the now far 2007 under Morbid Moon Records. Written between 2009 and 2015 and produced by M. from Mgla, "Nefarious Seed Grows to Bring Forth Supremacy of the Beast" (it's incredible but every fukken album by Anima Damnata has a really fukken kilometric title!), a powerful comeback for a band that completely deserve to be into the ultra-extreme roster of the Polish Godz ov War Prod, that published their third opus along with their compatriot label Malignant Voices.

Hereza - "I Become Death" (Godz ov War Productions, 2017)

Band: Hereza
Title: I Become Death
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
Year: 13th February 2017
Time: 29 min circa
Rating: 80/100













If I remember correctly, I think Hereza is the very first band from Croatia reviewed by me. And I have to say that, as first time into the extreme Croatian metal scene, I have started truly well. In fact, Hereza have released a devastating second album entitled "I Become Death" under the auspices of the excellent Polish label Godz ov War Prod, that recently is appearing often on these pages, so expect a nice interview to its owner Greg Rosensthal for the next weeks to come!