Cripta Oculta - "Cripta Oculta" (Signal Rex Productions, 2017)

Band: Cripta Oculta
Title: Cripta Oculta
Genre: Raw Black Metal
Year: 14th April 2017
Time: 42 min
Rating: 62/100













I think that this review will have few views also because, as for many Portugal black metal bands, Cripta Oculta are so mysterious that they have no FaceBook page, so I can't share this article with them. But, said sincerely, I don't give a fuck about the views since I love literally the current black metal produced by this magnificent country called Portugal. Ergo, today I will present to you Cripta Oculta ("Occult Crypt" in Portuguese), a duo active since 2004 that has realized 3 full-lenght albums from 2009 to 2010. Curiously, these two demons released nothing from 2012 to 2017 but, fortunately, they broke this silence through their recent 4th album, simply titled "Cripta Oculta" (or "Lost Memories"), released by the small Portuguese label Signal Rex.

INTERVIEW TO ROTENGEIST!!! (PIOTR WINIARSKI)

One month ago, as you know, I blown away by the last album of Rotengeist, a Polish progressive thrash metal band with a lot of creativity and innovative ideas. Now, what you'll read here is the interview to them. Their singer/guitarist and main composer Piotr Winiarski has replied to the many questions of mine giving very interesting answers also in order to speak about the dangerous political situation that Poland is living today plus some serious reflections about religion and the way it is used during this particular era. Let's go with the questions!

Pig's Blood - "Pig's Blood" (Godz ov War Productions, 2017)

Band: Pig's Blood
Title: Pig's Blood
Genre: Black/Death metal with Bestial metal influences
Year: 30th June 2017
Time: 36 min
Rating: 76/100












When Greg of the small Polish label Godz ov War Productions, 4 months ago circa, sent to me his last promo kits, I stumbled on a death metal band called Pig's Blood. As sometimes happens to me, this kind of sanguinary name was very enough to draw my attention, so I downloaded the promo kit of their debut album with the same name. Unfortunately, I started to listen to that only in these last days, and I have to say that it has been a pleasant surprise also because I discovered that their genre of reference isn't the pure death metal but something very close to a style that I adore. So, here you are the debut album of Pig's Blood, 4 scoundrels from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that released, before that, a demo in 2015.

Weregoat - "Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication" (Vault of Dried Bones/Iron Bonehead Productions/Parasitic Records, 2017)

Band: Weregoat
Title: Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication
Genre: Bestial Black/Death Metal
Year: 5th May 2017
Time: 38 min
Rating: 91/100













2017 is to be considered an year truly amazing for the bestial black/death metal genre. In fact, its fans have to choose among many cults as young promises like Barbaric Horde, veterans as Death Worship, bands which confirm again their inherent bestiality with a sophomore album like Goatblood or other ones that have released, finally, their debut album after many years into the ranks as Necroblood. And Weregoat falls under this last category since they are a trio born in 2009 emerging from the very vital extreme metal scene of Portland, Oregon, already strong of bands like Shroud of the Heretic, Triumvir Foul or Ritual Necromancy. Well, Weregoat, after many efforts, have released some months ago their devastating full-lenght album "Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication", edited on CD by the Canadian label Vault of Dried Bones (unfortunately closed just in these days) and on tape and vinyl by Iron Bonehead Prod in co-operation with the US Parasitic Records. But do you remember that I anticipated this review into my article about "Abhorrent Manifestation" of Ascended Dead, where the same Weregoat's singer/bassist plays now?

Devil's Noise (1st number, June 2016)

Title: Devil's Noise
Genre: Fanzine
Year: June 2016
Pages: 80
Rating: 74/100


















Let's open the "books/fanzine" section with Devil's Noise, an excellent Italian fanzine whose first (and only, for the moment) number was released in June 2016. After one year, I am still waiting for its second number, very anticipated since the guys behind this zine (one of them is the singer/guitarist of the known Italian doomsters Black Oath, a band that I saw live one year ago at Sinister Noise Rock Club in Rome) announced it in February 2017 on the Devil's Noise FB page. But unfortunately, this page is no longer updated since that announce, so I hope that this silence represent the classic "calm before the storm".

Uganga - "Opressor" (Sapólio Rádio, 2014; Defense Records/Deformeathing Production, 2017)

Band: Uganga
Title: Opressor
Genre: Thrashcore
Year:  10th November 2014, Sapólio Rádio; 3rd March 2017, Defense Records/Deformeathing Production)
Time: 40 min circa
Rating: 63/100












Sarcófago! An act able to draw the attentions of many many metalheads devoted to the rawest black metal played with the barbaric fury typical of a bunch of South American bands. But this review is neither about Sarcofago nor a band influenced heavily by them but is about Uganga. And who are these ones? And what is the role of Sarcófago in this review? A Brazilian band born in 1993, their singer Manu Joker played the drums just in Sarcófago at the end of the '80s. In addition, Uganga (Swahili for "sorcery") have released 4 studio full-lenght albums between 2003 and 2014 and, curiously, all them are characterized by a tracklist consisting ALWAYS and ONLY of 13 songs, included even their 2013 live album titled "Eurocaos - Ao Vivo", recorded in Bochum, Germany, as a coronation of their European second tour that reached also Italy. Said this, the last studio album called "Opressor", originally released in 2014 for the Brazilian label Sapólio Rádio, has been recently reissued in co-operation by Defense Records and Deformeating Production, both Polish labels.