CORONER - No More Color ('89)

The second greatest band to ever come from Switzerland! (the first being the almighty Celtic Frost o'course) Coroner played a style of technical thrash metal that unlike many of their peers under the "tech" label, kept it very catchy and filtered their immense talent through solid songwriting and sweet riffs. Some of the solos have some jaw-dropping sweeps and certain riffs are quite mountainous in density but for the most part they kept a level playing field. The vocals are decidedly Tom Warrior/Mike Schmier-ish, the guitar production is quite terse and the drums are a little distorted.

If you want overall just pure quality thrash metal, check out this album and every album from Coroner. Later stuff gets more proggy and experimental and less fast, earlier stuff is faster and less technical... I feel this album brings it all together the best.

Upload link: http://www.mediafire.com/?mjm3l5j1d0a

tracklist:
1. Die By My Hand
2. No Need To Be Human
3. Read My Scars
4. D.O.A.
5. Mistress Of Deception
6. Tunnel Of Pain
7. Why It Hurts
8. Last Entertainment

Exposed victims and their hopeless runs
Breathe in dust with a boot in their neck
The fear in their eyes
Make spectators hearts
Beat the slow rhythm
Of executed "justice"

CODE RED - Buried In The Battlefield demo ('07)

I thought that I would include something newer in this blog for a change. Code Red hails from Japan and as you might guess from their name, this band sounds a lot like Sodom but much more fast and spunky. Recent Japanese thrash seems to be forming somewhat of its own style; hyperfast riffing, frantic drumming, upbeat tunes, vicious vocals, like German thrash on crack. Agressor (France) sort of had this style down back in the early 90's but without the musicianship that this wave of madmen possesses. If you like this demo, check out Terror Squad and Fastkill for some more badass Japanese thrash.

They made a full length after this last year but I thought it sounded a little contrived... look them up on myspace and decide for yourself. One of the better demos of last year.

Upload link: http://www.mediafire.com/?kva12wovtrm

Tracklist
1. Hunger Island
2. Toward To The South
3. Destroy

CENOTAPH - Riding Our Black Oceans ('94)

So there's at least 4 Cenotaph's out there, all death metal bands... one from Turkey, one from Italy, one from the US... but the Cenotaph from Mexico was the most original in my opinion and with this sophomore release made one of my favorite death metal albums ever. Riding Our Black Oceans at it's core is truly melodic death metal, but I cringe to use the term, as this is nothing like the Gothenburg style of Dark Tranquillity or In Flames - but you could make an early Edge Of Sanity comparison. Cenotaph on this album plays mournful, gut-wrenching 90's era death metal remniscient of a more melodic mid-period Death or Pestilence. The vocals are deep, but more of a bark, and at times even get to weeping. The musicianship is top notch, and the riffs are memorable as hell. The production's organic, but clear, and in the CD's liner notes it mentions that the album was not mixed or mastered, and completely analog, as they care about being "true" (LOL!). Anyways, this to me is extreme metal with honesty and conviction, and a true quality album if you ever get your hands on it. Since you probably won't, thus has my blog once again done a service by providing this fine album to you in a neatly packaged zip file.

Of note as well is the fact that every album by this band sounds like a different band, the first album "The Gloomy Reflection Of Our Hidden Sorrows" is eerie, belchy crushing death/doom, the next album after Riding Our Black Oceans, "Saga Belica" is pretty much a thrash album, and the last album is different too (they had 4 of them). First one's worth checking out if you find it.

Upload link: http://www.mediafire.com/?bijxc2oywbg

Tracklist:
1. The Solitudes
2. Severance
3. Grief To Obscuro
4. Macabre Locus Celesta
5. Among The Abrupt
6. Infinitum Valet
7. The Silence Of Our Black Oceans
8. Soul Profundis
9. Ecstacia Tenebrae

"I implore with fear my sword that is hate
with purgatory emotional sensibility
I ride in this night of the stars
fighting for the domination of my own
light of darkness
trying to catch the wind in my fist"

NECRODEATH - Into The Macabre ('87)

Probably the most renouned Italian thrash band next to the legendary Bulldozer, and like the former a very clear influence on black metal, Necrodeath made their first mark on the world with this debut album chock full of blast beats and eery Exorcist interludes. The album has a very dark and haunting feeling, some of the guitars sort of feel like keyboards sometimes and the musicianship occasionally gets ahead of itself as they strive to play at the most breakneck speeds possible. Musically it sounds a bit like a muddier prime era Slayer or a much faster Destruction, with a little bit of early Cenotaph (Mex) thrown in. The riffs aren't world class, guitar tone can be a little hollow, but the atmosphere is unmistakeable. If you want a vicious spooky album to play on a dark stormy night, this is your pick.

Upload link: http://www.mediafire.com/?m2z1bxul131

Tracklist:
1. ...Agony/Flag of the Inverted Cross
2. At The Mountains Of Madness
3. Sauthenrom
4. Mater Tenebrarum
5. Necrosadist
6. Internal Decay
7. Graveyard Of The Innocents
8. The Undead/Agony (Reprise)

"Belial at my fuckin' side
You pray the unblessed grave
Symbolical dimension places my body rots away
Biblical verdict of heaven
Accept the words of hell
Sign your desperation to the sudden death in spell"

for those who read this blog locally

Major band spammage here... See my band's first show at the Spectrum and tear shit up with us. We also could have room for another band on the bill, if you are in a band and want to play this get in touch with me.




you can hear songs here:
Draize - vicious sludgy grind from Boston
http://www.myspace.com/draizeband

Ripshit - pissed off female fronted punk/hc/fastcore from CT
http://www.myspace.com/ripshitct

Kaiser Wave - BTV powerviolence/hardcore insanity
http://www.myspace.com/kaiserwavevt

Schedule of Festivals coming up worldwide

I've been busier and lazier at the same time lately so this blog after starting with a bang has slowed down a little... I've got no work today and might not for a couple so I'm getting back to business on it. Expect a couple uploads and don't forget to check this blog regularly.

To prove that I'm not totally lazy I'm gonna post a list that I compiled of various metal festivals around the world. this is by no means comprehensive and I haven't kept up in a few weeks but it should give you a taste of how much Europe kicks America's ass when it comes to metal festivals. some of these have since had a number of bands added.



February 8-9
Royal Metal Festival in Aarhus, Denmark
Artillery, Dodheimsgard, Exmortem, more tba

February 16
NWOBHM Festival in Athens, Greece
Tygers Of Pan Tang, Cloven Hoof, Jaguar, Elixir, more

March 7-8
Atarfe Vega Rock Festival in Atarfe, Spain
Saxon, Ratt, Exciter, Slaughter, My Dying Bride, Mayhem, Destruction, Grave Digger, Katatonia, Symphony X, Unleashed, Within Temptation, Belphegor, Korpiklaani, Kotipelto, Angelus Apatrida, Danger Danger, Tribal, more

March 19-22
Inferno Fest in Oslo, Norway
Satyricon, Destruction, Overkill, Behemoth, Tristania, 1349, Shining, Cult Of Luna, more tba

March 28-29
Ragnarok Festival in Lichtenfels, Germany
Agalloch, Haggard, Battlelore, Negurã Bunget, Unleashed, Primordial, Skyforger, Menhir, Sear Bliss, Black Messiah, Helrunar, Aaskereia, Winterdome, Аркона, Sworn, Trimonium, Svartsot, Hellsaw, Killing Spree.

April 17-20
Roadburn Festival in Holland
Celtic Frost, Trouble, Isis, Cephalic Carnage (doing Halls Of Amenti), Electric Wizard, Witchcraft, Earthless, Lesbian, Cult Of Luna, Nadja, Church Of Misery, Dixie Witch, Electric Orange, Year Of No Light, Acid Mothers Guru

May 9-11
Rock Hard Festival in Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Immortal, Celtic Frost, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Enslaved, Volbeat, Moonsorrow, Napalm Death, Helstar, Jorn, 15 more to be announced

May 10-11
Festung Open Air in Bitterfeld, Germany
Enslaved, Nifelheim, Angelcorpse, Arkhon Infaustus, Flesh Made Sin, Dissimulation, Svartahrid, The Batallion, Revege, Code, Solstafir, more

May 23-25
Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore, MD, USA
Nuclear Assault, Grave, Anaal Nathrakh, Repulsion, Monstrosity, Blood Duster, Macabre, Martyr, Deranged, Dead, Impaled, Fuck...I'm Dead, Disavowed, Squash Bowels, Disfear, Phobia, Gadget, Hellnation, Flesh Parade, Ghoul, Sublime Cadaveric Decomposition, Coffins, Defeated Sanity, Torsofuck, Gruesome Stuff Relish, The Day Everything Became Nothing, Waco Jesus, Japanische Kampfhorspiele, Engorged, Sleep Terror, The Arson Project, Afgrund, Behold...the Arctopus, Infected Malignity, Keitzer, Kalibas, Defeatist, Copremesis, Decrypt

June 12-14
Death Fest Open Air in Hunxe, Germany
Malevolent Creation, Cock And Ball Torture, Decrepit Birth, Unmerciful, Fleshless, Brodequin, Pyrexia, Decapitated, Holocausto Cannibal, Japanische Kampforspiele, World Downfall, Inhumate, Degaze, Incision, Kronos, Gorod, Inveracity, Rompeprop, Deranged, Impaled, Avulsed, Defloration

June 20-22
Hellfest in Clisson, France
In Flames, Carcass, Dimmu Borgir, Opeth, At The Gates, Sonata Arctica, Testament, Angra, Satyricon, Septic Flesh, Forbidden, Obituary, Anathema, Ministry, Sodom, Mayhem, Marduk, Paradise Lost, Primordial, My Dying Bride, Shining, Dying Fetus, Necrophagist, Anaal Nathrakh, Benighted, Watain, Belphegor, Evile, Cult Of Luna, Eluveitie, The Old Dead Tree, Meshuggah, Municipal Waste, Legion Of The Damned, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Madball, Alchemist, Job For A Cowboy, Rotten Sound, Ghost Brigade, Sick Of It All, Himsa, NOFX, Born From Pain, 7 Seconds, Arkhon Infaustus, Ava Inferi, Baroness, Coalesce, Origin, The Ocean, Treponem Pal, Ultra Vomit, Year Of No Light, Comeback Kid, Today Is The Day, +30 TBA

June 27-28
Bang Your Head Festival somewhere in Germany
Judas Priest, Queensrÿche, Saxon, White Lion, Great White, Yngwie Malmsteen, Forbidden, Obituary, Rage, Grave Digger, Agent Steel, Tankard, Onslaught, Ensiferum, Korpiklaani, Lizzy Borden, Breaker, Týr, Age of Evil, Contracrash, Secrecy

June 27-29
Gods Of Metal Festival in Bologna, Italy
Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Carcass, At The Gates, Meshuggah, Yngwie Malmsteen, Enslaved, more

July 4-8
Metalcamp in Tomlin, Slovenia
Celtic Frost, Morbid Angel, Helloween, Behemoth, In Flames, Apocalyptica, Ministry, Finntroll, Wintersun, Rage, Tankard, Brainstorm, Kataklysm, Heaven Shall Burn, Skyforger, Sahg, Alestorm, Mercenary, Mystic Prophecy, Dark Fortress, Drone, Perishing Mankind, Penitenziagite , Gorilla Monsoon

July 24-26
Headbanger's Open Air in Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany
ABANDONED, AMULANCE, ANCESTRAL, AXE HAMMER, BLACK HAWK, BLAZE BAYLEY, DEADLY BLESSING, DEATH SS, DÉTENTE, IMPALER, LETHAL, MESSENGER, MORTAL SIN, NEW EDEN, PARADOX, PRAYING MANTIS, REBELLION, RESISTANCE, SEASON OF THE WOLF, SEVENTH CALLING, SODOM, SWEET SAVAGE, THE GATES OF SLUMBER, WILD DOGS

July 25-26
GRIND THE NAZI SCUM festival in Bruckenkopf
Suppository, Bloody Phoenix, Afgrund, Mumakil, Entrails Massacre, World Downfall, Tinner, Poostew, Maggot Shoes, Necromorph, Cause of Divorce, Trauma Moralis, Boiler, Cruel Execute, Die Pest

July 27-29
Tuska Festival
Amon Amarth, Behemoth, Carcass, Entombed, Kiuas, Korpiklaani, Kreator, Mokoma, Stamina, The Sorrow, Tyr

August
Wacken Open Air in Wacken, Germany
Iron Maiden, At The Gates, Carcass, Kreator, Obituary, Children Of Bodom, Sonata Arctica, As I Lay Dying & Killswitch Engage & Hatebreed ew, Lord Belial, Crematory, more

August 7-9
Party.San Open Air in Bad Berka, Germany
Bolt Thrower, Obituary, Behemoth, Impaled Nazarene, Týr, Maroon, Kampfar, Legion of the Damned, Skyforger, Endstille, Vreid, General Surgery, Lividity, Insision, Defloration, Deadborn, Purgatory, Hail Of Bullets

August 14-16
Summer Breeze Festival in Dinkelsbuhl, Germany
Helloween, Paradise Lost, Kataklysm, Exodus, Heaven Shell Burn, Ensiferum, Marduk, Primal Fear, Korpiklaani, Pro-Pain, Destruction, End Of Green, Sonic Syndicate, Neaera, Mageherz, Primordial, Saltatio Mortis, Behemoth, The Vision Bleak, Eluveitie, Graveworm, Autumn, Endstille, Orphaned Land, Born From Pain, 3 Inches Of Blood, Tyr, Delain, Hail Of Bullets, Gorerotted, Novembre, Dark Fortress, Blood Red Throne, Fleshcrawl, The Ocean, Textures, The Old Dead Tree, Ahab, Enemy Of The Sun, more

November 8
NWOBHM II in Athens, Greece
Grim Reaper, Tokyo Blade, Witchfynde, more