Krisiun's Conquerors of Armageddon is the sound of of the vanquishing of enemies, the personification of the forces of darkness reigning triumphant of over the battered shell of the earth as demons rape the angels in Satanic glory. It is unrelenting hellfire and brimstone. It is unrelenting fury. It's a pretty cool album, and a death metal classic, and along with bands like Nile and Cryptopsy, part of the ultra brutal wave of death metal influenced by the lightening speed of black metal, It was a much needed kick in the pants to the increasingly sluggish death metal scene. The thing that sets Krisiun above the rest is the clarity of attack, every riff crystal clear and devastating, but very rarely slows down, completely unrelenting. Nearly every beat is a blast beat. Everything is demonic fury. One may argue that makes this makes for somewhat one dimensional music. It is what it is. It is a literal wall of noise and a lesson in tasty riff craft.
Adventure in Samur Part 7.1 - Tales of Mystery
The shore of the island Va, in the
great Spirit Lake of Narn, was gleaming white in the dull afternoon
light. Our craft maneuvered through the jungle of salt formations
jutting up through the greenish water as we approached land. Lars the
Berserker's longboat slid on to the alabaster beach and we climbed
out at the rocky cliff face that rose up precipitously from the
gently sloping beach. From above, Mistress Crowbastard glides down in
her bird form. As the black crow stretches out its wings
to land, she
takes human form. "We must find the cave of lights," she
intones, stretching out a black tipped finger in the direction of the
cliffs. Lars nods, dismisses the phantom oarsmen and answers, "I
know the place, Iron Dan comes this way often and he has shown me the
cave himself." The fur clad Berserker leads us down the beach
for a time, then we make our way between two boulders into the bottom
of a canyon. Even though the blizzard was blowing with full force
again, it was warm in the rocky passage and flowering vines covered
the rocky walls that surrounded us. We walked single file down this
strange grotto until Lars took a sharp turn into a stone staircase
that led into the cliff. Our footfalls softened on the mossy carpet
inside the cave and the air was damp and sweet. From the ceiling hung
fine, glassy stalactites that lit the way with a purple glow. as we
approached the end of the passage, the smell of cooking reached us
first, then the sound. Echoing off the walls we could just barely
discern the tune of the classic chant, In league with Satan.
Next, we heard Skinless' first album, 1998's Progression Towards Evil. At this stage in the game, Skinless is your basic cookie cutter brutal death metal band in the Suffocation and Cannibal Corpse mode. Deep guttural vocal slices, down tuned guitar work. This is not a technical masterpiece, and their charm lies in the (forgive me) blood and guts; deep guttural vocal slices, deep down tuned guitar work, and a few slam breakdowns here and there. Songs like 'Tampon Lollipops' and 'Fetus Goulash' bring the lulz, with lyrics like:
"Ralph the janitor enjoys his job
He sweeps and mops up the garbage and crud While alone at night he searches for goodies
He goes into every room hoping
and praying that someone is flowing
Discarded plastic applicators in the bathrooms
left behind by fertile young chicks."
These dudes care not for life. Their later material is tighter and more polished, but still cookie cutter stuff. You'll either love it or hate it.
Adventure in Samur Part 7.2 - Power of Hunter
We entered the place through a small
opening at the end of the faintly luminescent tunnel. It was a huge
cavern with an opening to the sky at the center. Dwarfed by the
massive scenery, we made our way in the direction of the voices. We
passed through a series of paths that led us down into the jungle of
ghostly white salt deposits until we came to the shore of a small
lake directly under the aperture on the ceiling. There, waiting for
us to arrive was Parthon the Elder, father of Iron Dan. He
stands
among the low, scrubby brush we see everywhere near the gently
lapping water. Though white, his hair maintains a sprightly curl that
accentuates his cherubic face. His robes are white and there is a
thick rope tied around his waist. He motions to us and begins to
speak, "Hello all! Hello Lars" The stern tribesmen nods
solemnly. "Ah yes, I know of your village. Be strong son, we are
walking the last miles now" His hand reaches out to grasp the
Berserker's shoulder. Now he turns to us, "Can you smell the
Tot? My minions are cooking it as we speak. Soon the Memporian will
rise to eat it and we must be there so that the four of you can
transport to Dantor and finish this battle once and for all. Come,
come let us go" We follow the old man to his little boat and
cram inside. He hoists the sail and waves his hand. The limp sail
fills with phantom wind, propelling us across the lake to a little
island in the middle. We climb from the boat to the shore and there,
in a gaping fire pit we behold the largest tater tot we have ever
seen, golden hide sizzling in the heat of the embers. Bloodmace turns
to me and says "We truly have reached the end of this world,
brother."
Necrophagist's Epitath was the winner of the night. While still in the brutal death vein, it is far from cookie cutter. The level of musicianship here is staggering, and when blending in the confines of brutal death with a crystal clear production, the effect is staggering. Crushing riffs and lightening fast guitar solos, tricky rhythmic progressions, this is classical music for headbangers. Amazingly, this album has a polarizing effect on many. Some fault the ultra necro vocalizing, while others find it too highbrow and showy. I find it to be a fully realized masterpiece, an amazing piece of music that also satisfies on a visceral level. If you can handle the necro vocals, this is a rewarding listen.
Words of the Elders
The eyes of Centon have turned north, beyond the peaks of the Kradiken Socrat to the black spritual dimension that is Narn, forbidden gateway to the multiverse. There awaits Headron of Dantor, towering titan of terror. The only thing that can stop him from turning Centon into a resort for intergalactic travelers is the fearless four, armed only with the enchanted battle jackets of their people. The Memphorian has been summoned! Let the horns of battle souind from every dimension!
Until next week, mavens of mayhem,
Horns
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