Crucible of the Sun - Metal from Los Angeles and Bildorf's Kingdom

Los Angles has an ambivalent history when it comes to metal. The birthplace of Slayer, Metallica, and Metal Blade, it was also the nurturing womb of the 80's glam scene. The center of the film and music industry, it embodies what is putrid, superficial, and shallow about mainstream American culture. Fucking posers live there. Fuck  those fuckin' posers!!!!!! None the less, LA is diverse enough to embody a rich diversity of metal. We here at Metal Night celebrate the obscure also-rans from the 80's; those forgotten heshers of yore, who, playing right along side the hairspray kings, went back to their day jobs when the 80's fog cleared.

We started with Witch's 1984 EP, The Hex Is On. Witch are your prototypical 1984 heavy metal band in the WASP and Twisted Sister mode. They were known for their bombastic live shows, but failed to make any of that translate into a decent record deal. This is a very likeable headbanger, but formulaic and cheaply recorded. The riffs have heft and the songs the tight, concise and catchy, but the performances seems constrained and constipated. This would have been a great band to see at the Whiskey or the Rainbow back in the day.

Into the Necro Lands Part 13.1 - Fire in the Hole

The sea was dark and tempestuous, it had been for days. The fierce black waves tossed this craft about like a leaf in the wind. At the helm was Captain Bildorf the Mad, a gray haired fireball of a man, whose eyes burned with the fire of unchecked passions and sordid vices. Barking orders from

the quarterdeck to his strange crew of nautical looking humanoids and amphibious saurons, he pilots the the ancient frigate through these rough waters as a demon through the lake of fire. Bloodmace and I, captives of this ranting fool, bore our burden as beat we could. "I shall rid the ocean of these sea turkeys" He shouted in an unhinged rasp, "Sharna, fetch me a net!" No sooner had he been granted the item called for, he shrieked, "Now behead this sheep! The sea turkey is not a quarry to be hunted for pleasure, the gods curse those who would presume to their game!" The poor devil with wet, bulging eyes and a protruding jaw whimpered for mercy but the sword fell upon his neck without mercy. Blood sprayed in a great arc from the fallen body, splattering us in the cage where we had been roughly forced into days ago at the port of Sekran. Our captor now turns to us, "You'll see, Jenkabalan fools, when you gaze upon the Sanctum, your hearts will turn to the water. Your friend Chanthoth is an old fool, we will attack Sekran, sack it of its wealth and waste the necro scum there." Bloodmace,

enraged by his captivity and the bold words of this pirate can take no more, "What do you know of Chanthoth?" He growls, "You may defeat the body, but the head will lie on. Your treasure won't help you against the undead." Bildorf hurls the tin cup he is holding at the bars before us, "Shut up shut up, shut up! I, Bildorf, king of the Takra sea shall claim Sekran for my own. No longer shall my people float endlessly on this black ocean, for I have come as the redeemer, the king...the god." His voice trails off as his eyes wander towards the horizon.

The rarity of the night was Beowulf and their 1980 anomaly Slice of Life. This is, essentially, a New Wave of British Heavy Metal band transplanted to LA. I can think of no other American bands who sounded like this in 1980. Metal bands in the US in this era sounded either like Van Halen, Ted Nugent, AC?DC, ect. Essentially, this is an American version of Holocaust or Witchfynde. The riffs are primitive, the songs are rather meandering, the vibe is mysterious. Very cool.

Into the Necro Lands Part 13.2 - Damnation

The dawn had just broken when I was jostled awake by Bloodmace, "Holy shit, you won't believe this." I open my eyes to the orange morning light falling dramatically upon what could only be our destination, Sanctum. Behind, before and around us, a fleet had materialized. Floating transports of every kind now sailed with us. Fast Iron gunships, captured bio craft from the days of the T'chah Karnac and many tremendous rusty barges. The maddest thing of all, however, was before us, and growing ever larger. A floating platform that stretched out as far as the eye could see in either direction, teeming with life. In one area, rolling hills, covered with plant life and dotted with

farmhouses gave the illusion of a pastoral countryside, as we sailed round the perimeter the hills gave way to a great city, its mirrored surfaces gleaming beneath the ever rising sun. We moved slowly closer to the vast structure, spiraling around this weird island to our destination. Towards afternoon, after sailing past what appeared to be a manufacturing center, we reached the opposite side of Bildorf's kingdom. This part of Sanctum was rusty and crumbling. We angled inward where there was a cavernous portal in the high wall, "Now you will see something!" Bildorf cackles as we pull through the darkness into the bright light at the end of the grotto. Indeed, as we entered this unusual port, I had to agree. The ship was slowed by uniformed crew around the sides and spun around so that we were now facing the passge from witch we entered. Ropes were attached to the back and the ship dragged into place. from the arches around the first floor of the circular chamber, men and maids, dressed in glowing white began to filter in, chanting, "At'cran Kib, vista E'kit." Bloodmace and I look at one another, shocked, for we both recognize this phrase at once, it is in the Huiskitel dialect and is a call to an obscure god of their pantheon, Kib. In more recent history, Kib became part of the composite goddess Thvnivt when the T'chah Karnac came to power. Bildorf, now wearing the

fearsome mask of his namesake god is ringing a large bell his servants have wheeled onto deck. With a motion of his hand the guards fling open the door to our cage and the solders behind us prod our backs with long spears. Though no look passes between us, or word of communication, we both sense the opportunity before it and immediately size upon it. Ducking down, I grab a spear and run forward as Bloodmace shoves the cage against the wall behind us, crushing our tormentors. Jumping from the bow beneath a hail of arrows from the upper levels of Bildorf's stronghold the cold water engulfs us...

Cheese masters Axehammer, though, stole the night! Lord of the Realm osa 1998 compilation of a never released album, demo, and live tracks. This is a fucking screaming ironfest, swords held high, axes ready to to cleave your skull into fucking pieces, wizards ready to curse your name to hell! Maiden and Priest are main points of reference. This is manly metal for leather clad men with hairy chests who have come to save the day from the Antichrist. To have seen these dudes sharing the same stage with Agent Steel back in 1985 would have caused Demon Scourge to jizz molten steel for days. And me, too. There are better bands, but these dudes stole our prickly hearts.

Finally, thrash oddballs Laaz Rocket thrashed us into the thrashing night with their thrash opus Annihilation Principle.This is a solid and sturdy state of the art thrash blast from 1989. The thrashing never stops. Even the clunk Dead Kennedy's cover doesn't slow it down.  The production adequately chunky, harsh and clear. The only real criticism are the generic, unmemorable songs. Otherwise, this can be enjoyed as a thrashing riff fest of thrashing madness. Thrash thrash thrash!!!! Thrash!

Words of the Elders

Look well upon the deeds of the gods. Did they not also fight and die? The spirit world is never far away in Centon and it is not unknown that gods will manifest here to settle disagreements. Could this madman, claiming to be a god, hold the key to Necro Baby's aims? Darkness is falling below, leaving light to its mischievous ways above.

Until next week, metal marauders, 






Horns