Necromantia - Cults of the Shadow
This double CD release of Necromantia is not new. It is an economy priced re-release of their debut and sophomore albums (Crossing the Fiery Path and Scarlet Evil Witching Black). Older Black Metal fans will already have these two albums, but being that they have been out of print (or at least hard to find) for a while, Osmose has decided that it was time that these two gems saw the light of day once again. If you don’t have them, Cults of the Shadow is a great way to find out how this band sounded back in the early to mid ‘90s. If you are like me, however, buying this is really a waste of cash as I already own the originals and nothing new has been added to make me want to buy them again. I would have liked to see this bundled with some new stuff as I really like Necromantia a lot and wouldn’t have had a problem shelling out some extra cash to hear a few unreleased tracks or even live or rehearsal material. The score on this would have been higher but seeing as Osmose didn’t put anything new on here, I can’t bring myself to rate it higher.
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Ludicra - Hollow Psalms
Black Metal
1981-2002
England - Black Metal, 21, a once cherished and great genre, was brutally murdered over the course of the last five years by at least 250-300 suspects including California’s Ludicra who were marketed as Black Metal yet sounded more like what Death would, had they not known how to play their instruments. Like many of their accomplices, Ludicra tried to sound weird for the sake of sounding weird and were as uninteresting as humanly possible. Survivors include parents, Venom and early Bathory, and three sons, Darkthrone, Immortal, and Cradle of Filth. Black Metal will be sorely missed as it was too young to die. R.I.P.
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Lord Gore - The Autophagous Orgy
Well, I don’t know if this CD has the coolest cover art I’ve ever seen, but it’s got to be close. And that sick lesbian blood orgy is nothing compared to the monstrous Death Gore musically vomited forth herein. Leave it to Razorback to exhume an undead demon like this. I should probably give this disc a ten, since I can’t imagine how anyone could improve upon it (and it’s even got their Impetigo cover from the Wizards of Gore tribute CD), but I want to leave Lord Gore some place to go with their next monsterpiece. If you like real Metal, you will cum blood when you hear The Autophagous Orgy - I fucking guarantee it.
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Naglfar - Ex Inferis
Usually I’m not one to condemn a band for a lack of progression - if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Nevertheless, the differences between the two new tracks from this 5-song EP and 1998’s Diabolical are shockingly nonexistent. You’d think they’d attempt something to separate themselves from the dozens of Swedish Black Metal acts that copy this blend of Marduk-caliber speed and Dissection-like melody to a painful death. They do cover Massacre’s “Dawn of Eternity,” and throw in a couple majestic epics from the When Autumn Storms Come 7-inch. Whether or not that’s worth the better percentage of your 20-spot is up to you.
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Impaled - Mondo Medicale
The East Bay’s sickest freaks are back and after losing Leon (De La Muerte, their former vocalist/guitarist, now in Murder Construct), they prove that they’ve still got it. If you love your Death Fucking Metal in the Swedish style a-la Dismember, Impaled delivers the goods like you haven’t heard in almost a decade. If I didn’t know better, I’d say they were from Stockholm when it comes to their guitar sound and their playing style. The guitar tone and production are very reminiscent of the old Sunlight Studios sound that so many bands used to have back in the early ’90s. The playing on Mondo Medicale is tight and the songs are a little bit more melodic than The Dead Shall Dead Remain, but at the same time they are no less corrosive. The band also utilizes the guttural vocals of Ross Sewage (who also did vocals for Exhumed back in the day) and newcomer Andrew LaBarre to great effect, adding a lot of lower end to compliment Sean “Bloodbath” McGrath’s raspy growls. The resulting medical atrocity is truly a work of grotesque art that will keep you floating in your own fecal matter for months. Oh yeah, the cover art is also banned in 84 countries. Again.
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Impaled - Mondo Medicale
More sickness and horror from the band I’m beginning to think just might be the new US masters of the Goregrind genre. The precision and intensity of the music is only matched by that of the laser-sharp production and of course the demonic vocal growls and rasps. I’m reminded of Necroticism-era Carcass in a lot of ways, and I’m not sure I could think of a bigger compliment than that. This may yet be another time I’ll look back and hate myself for not giving something a ten…
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Meat Shits - Sniper at the Fag Parade
Also known as The Second Degree of Torture, this lost classic (recorded in 1994-‘96), starting with a sample from the infamous movie Bloodsucking Freaks, is perhaps the best thing Robert Deathrage (who, of course is the Meat Shits) has released so far, thanks to his band for this recording, Infester. But it’s not just musically that this is superior. The samples are more integrated into the music, the production is just raw enough to be powerful, and even the vocals are the best I’ve heard from the #1 fag-killer. Will these Moribund reissues be it for the Meat Shits, or will we ever hear a new album?
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Meat Shits - Gorenography
Another “lost” Meat Shits album is finally reissued! Recorded in 1992-93, between Fuck Frenzy and Ecstasy of Death, this slab of porn Grind sees the Shits coming up with somewhat longer songs, but isn’t as super-heavy as Fuck Frenzy, and more similar to the band’s early work. As with the other MS reissues, it’s great to see this finally available on CD, and the packaging is suitably depraved, too - even featuring the cover art from a couple of 7-inches. But no song titles, which is a shame, since they’re always entertaining.
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Meat Shits - Fuck Frenzy + Bonus
At long last Moribund has reissued this album (with six bonus tracks), originally released on Wild Rags in 1992. For those unfamiliar with the Shits, they play a raw form of anti-PC porno Grind, that earlier in the band’s career bordered on Noise. This disc starts out slower, heavier, and much more musically oriented than before. At least for most of what was originally the A-side (“Side Fuck”) of the original cassette version. But even the shorter stuff, more in the vein of early Meat Shits, still retains the newly enhanced heaviness. And then we have the omnipresent samples, which range from funny/cool porn noises and dialogue, to a few horror movie soundbites. The bonus tracks are a nice addition, as well. I’m glad that this finally got released on CD!
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