On the 25th day of the 12th month of 2012, the Six-Tongued Hellgoat was summoned to arise from the ashes and bring darkness to this place called POPdose. Join him in his quest.
Ritual Thrust into the Profane Maw of Churning Filth
Album: Bloody Hammers, Bloody Hammers
Label: Soulseller Records
Release: February 3, 2013
Genre: Occult Doom Metal
Rating: 10/10
If you’re into the metal scene, Bloody Hammers is a band that you’ve probably at least heard of, if not listened to something from them already. Their debut self-titled record has been out oversees since late last year but finally sees a US release on February 3rd (the Hellgoat is baffled by this considering they are from the US). They are in fact, the buzziest band around right now and for good reason.
This four piece band from Charlotte, North Carolina should and probably will appeal to a wide range of metalheads and rockers alike. If you were to pin them down to one genre, you’d probably have to go with doom metal but they have elements of psychedelic and classic rock in them as well. On stage they could probably open up for the last big buzz band, Ghost. They could also be great support for a classic dude like Alice Cooper, yet they also have enough crossover rock appeal to them that I can also see them as an opener for someone like Alice In Chains. That’s how wide of a net they cast with their debut album.
The fuzzed out guitar and heavy bass give off an Electric Wizard vibe but with melody for days and days. Bloody Hammers can be extremely catchy on trippy doom tracks (“The Witching Hour”) as well as more upbeat ones like “Witch of Endor.” Then right in the middle of the record they toss out “Trisect” which sounds like a blend of Days of the New and early Tool. Singer/bassist Anders Manga has just a perfect deep, dark tone to his voice that fits extremely well with the style. The most interesting thing about the record though is that despite all these different sounds, it flows brilliantly and definitely keeps you wanting more. Bloody Hammers is a virtually perfect record any way you look it.
Most Hellacious Moment: “Witch of Endor” is the Hellgoat’s favorite song of 2013 so far. Listen to it at their Bandcamp page.
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Somnolent Regurgitation of the Scrolls of Proselytism
(The Hellgoat wishes to convert you to the ways of the metal. But he prefers to let the press release and bio do most of the talking on these nefarious black circles.)
Album: Lightning Swords of Death, Baphometic Chaosium
Label: Metal Blade
Release: January 22, 2013
Genre: Black Metal / Thrash
Press: 2012, nearly 7 years after the release of The Golden Plague [their first LP], Lightning Swords of Death prepares to bring forth their third full length offering, the band’s second release on Metal Blade. The band had appropriately become a five piece (completing the pentacle) with the recruitment of lead guitarist “Inverted” Chris Velez, before they began developing what is described as “devotional work”, dedicated to their patron god – A mind altering experience compelled by the embodiment of chaos, death and ecstasy entitled Baphometic Chaosium. To record the psychedelic devilry, they returned to Trench Studios with John Haddad again seeing to the engineering with [their guitarist] Roskva producing, no doubt to the delight of the tributed horned deity.
The Hellgoat’s Take, 7.5/10: Bow to papa. The Hellgoat wishes to thank Lightning Swords of Death for creating a tribute to his father, Baphomet. Having experienced the Chaosium first hand as a kid, the Hellgoat believes that LSOD have created a record that would sufficiently please the master. Still, it sounds like these guys are holding something back. The riffs definitely need more variety in them. Pushing their sound even further to the extreme actually does seem possible.
Album: Sink, The Holy Testament
Label: Svart
Release: February 8, 2013
Genre: Drone
Press:
Black wall of sound.
Throbbing sonic womb.
Infinite drone ritual.
The Hellgoat’s Take, 8/10: Those three lines describe an indescribable sound perfectly. You can either buy The Holy Testament 2 by itself (part 1 came out in 2011) or you can buy them together as one piece. Either way, mind numbing.
Album: Terveyskeskus, Omat koirat puree
Label: Svart
Release: January 25, 2013
Genre: Hardcore Punk
Press: Finnish hardcore punk combo Terveyskeskus (“Community health center”) started in 1982, the year of the big Finnish hardcore punk explosion. For various reasons, however, even though the band gained cult popularity and played plenty of gigs, they did not end up in the studio until 1987. The resulting debut EP Maailmanloppu (reissued on Svart Records) is a Finnish hardcore mini classic.
Terveyskeskus is perhaps best known for the extracurricular activities of its members, and Mana Mana in particular: band leader Tumppi is a founding member in Mana Mana, and MM guitarist Otra also plays in Terveyskeskus. While Mana Mana’s music is built of layers upon layers of eastern-flavored heavy guitars and doomy moods, Terveyskeskus concentrates on the raw, primal energy of classic hardcore punk.
While never actually splitting up, Terveyskeskus has been on the backburner for the past 20 years. In 2012 original members Tumppi and Salttu found themselves putting a new lineup together and recording a new album. The result is Omat koirat puree (“Your own dogs will bite you”), a short but furious 11-song burst, which Svart Records will release as a very limited 12-inch vinyl LP on January 25th.
The Hellgoat’s Take, 9/10: The Hellgoat thought it would be appropriate to throw his comments into an online translator and post them in Finnish: Á„lÁ¤ kysy Hellgoat Á¤Á¤ntÁ¤Á¤ nimen bÁ¤ndi tai kappaleet. Vain headbang pitkin raivoissaan tietueeseen. And then he thought it would be cool to re-translate them back to English through the same program: Don’t ask me how to pronounce the name of the band or Hellgoat songs. Just headbang along a furious record. Close enough.
Album: Corpus Mortale, FleshCraft
Label: Deepsend
Release: January 8, 2013
Genre: Death Metal
Press: FleshCraft will come to be known as a defining statement of Danish death metal. The year’s best death metal album is also amongst the best from Denmark ever. The perfect death metal recording, Martin Rosendahl’s trademark bellow (last heard on The Cleansing’s Poisoned Legacy) and their musicianship that’s second to none. Your expectations should be high and will be mightily fulfilled. FleshCraft is an excellently composed monster; exemplifying everything that Danish death metal has been known for and finally accomplished by Corpus Mortale.
The Hellgoat’s Take, 8/10: This isn’t really the Hellgoat’s style of music but it’s not the standard death metal fare either, which ends up intriguing him quite a bit.
Album: Baptists, Bushcraft
Label: Southern Lord
Release: February 19, 2013
Genre: Punk-fueled Hardcore
Press: Baptists advocate a creed of destruction through a blistering, discordant hybrid of punk-fueled hardcore. Immediately following its 2010 formation, the sect took to the road and built a strong buzz in the underground scene with ferocious live shows, as Southern Lord unleashed the self-titled 7″ in 2011, which sold out instantly. Having laid to waste several The Power Of The Riff events and a plethora of high-profile shows in Canada over the past few years, Baptists have spent a good portion of 2012 vigilantly writing material for an anticipated LP release.
The Hellgoat’s Take, 9/10: Woah. The Hellgoat will give a furious tongue-lashing to anyone bashing this record. Bushcraft is a total fucking energy machine.
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