Watchtower - Instruments of Random Murder [Demo] (1987)

Nothing to see here folks. Just a really fucking hard-to-come-by demo by one of the most seminal bands in all of extreme music, featuring a track never again recorded or reissued.

Nope, nothing at all...

Recalcitrance - Fragmented Reality [Demo]

Given the good reception the first Recalcitrance demo got hereabouts, I thought I may as well post their second as well.

"Fragmented Realities" was recorded and released in 1990.
By this time, the band was a three piece, with Mike Smith having left to play in Deceased, bassist Billy Allen having been replaced by Chris Howard, and Mike Klein going off to do whatever it is ex-thrash vocalists do.

With them went the death metal flirtations and typical thrash metal structuring their previous demo, to be replaced with rapid-fire instrumental technicality, fluid, attention-neccessary songwriting, and a flair for experimentation with non-metal sounds.

You can get it here.

If you at all enjoy their material, and would like copy of one of their tapes, or you just would like to send the your regards to the members of the band, you can do so here.
I'm sure they would appreciate it.
- FeatherofHuginn

Kralizec - Origin

Quirky key-heavy melodically-inclined sometimes-technical death metal with the odd nod to folk metal ala Ensiferum, Brutal Death, and oldschool Gothenburg bands. They also have some of the most blatantly programmed drums I think I've ever heard.

If some of the clean vocal sections sound oddly familiar to you, it's likely because they were contributed by Patrick Loisel (now the frontman of Augury) who also played lead guitar and keys on this album.

This album is ridiculously hard to come by on the interwebs, so I hope you like it.
Get it here.

Sixx - Sister Devil

Satanic Post-Punk by members of Von.
Needless to say, it rules.

Megaupload

Winterwolf

Winterwolf was formed in 1997 by a bunch of Bolt Thrower and Celtic Frost obssessed Finns who... just happened to be awesome musicians.

A few years of intensive practicing and a few studio sessions produced two demos of riff-centric somewhat thrashy death metal with underlying Finnish OSDM grooves, deep gutterals, and incredible soloing, all complimented by an awesome oldschool production and Stockholm OSDM chainsaw guitartone.

The second of those demos, titled "Blood For Death" you can (and should) get here (Mediafire, I know, I'm working on it).

Their Guitarist/Vocalist Corpse moved away in 2001, going on to play Bass for the reformed Demilich when they began touring in 2005. The others went on with the band, recruiting new members to fill Corpses position, and decided to change their name to Deathchain.

But, in 2006 Corpse returned, and the band decided to bring back the old Winterwolf name and lineup, recruiting a new vocalist and later Corpse's newfound associate Antti Boman (Demilich, c'mon guys) to play guitar and add the sweet gurgly demon-frog-from-hell vocal style you all know an love to the band.

In 2009 they released a limited vinyl full length last year to be wildly released sometime this year on CD.

The samples they have on their myspace page are beyond fucking awesome- leagues ahead of the already remarkably good material on their early demos, so you all best keep an eye out for it.

Until then, I hope this post tides you over.
- FeatherofHuginn

Welp Folks...

My hard drive has only 1 gig of free space left. I don't have the cash to buy an external one, so I'm going to fix this problem the cheap way- by uploading a bunch of my music onto a free file hosting site, and, given that I admin for this blog anyway, posting it here.

Expect a ton of rarities and a wide variety of other stuff to be posted by me within the next few weeks, probably with less wordiness than you've come to expect from my posts.

Oh, and I'm going to try to shy away from mediafire this time. That shit has gotten almost as irritating as Rapidshare.

- FeatherofHuginn

Retrospection and Inure

Artist: Inure
Album Name/Year Released: Inure (2004)
Genre: Black Metal/Death Metal/Hardcore Punk
Country: The United States of America

Bring your mind back a couple of Fridays ago to the morning of the 23rd of October. Depending on where you live, you could have been doing anything- You might have been sleeping, prepping for work, or on a commute to college. I found myself embarking on a long trek on foot across my Northern Minnesotan city.

But for the mechanical bustle of morning traffic, the streets were largely devoid of any sort of life, the skies were overcast with a pallor of opressive gray clouds all too commonly cast upon the firmament here in late fall.
I was kept warm only by my thin WitTR shirt, some khaki pants, and a pair of headphones I was using as an improvised set of earmuffs- through which was playing whatever I'd hastily thrown on my tiny 1gb iPod the previous evening before heading out to hang out with my friends. I hadn't slept a wink since then, but a mixture of the gripping cold, and the loud music I was listening to kept me quite alert. Uncommonly alert.

I continued winding on foot through the veritable maze of largely unnecessary pre-winter road-construction (your tax dollars at work, go stimulus!), eventually dropping in and out of a library to warm myself. I passed leaf-shorn trees dotting the corners of sidewalks, people with glazed eyes, long cast in the molds of weary working lives. Kindness made tedium.

Strange waves of lucid introspection.
Extrospection.
The music I was listening to wasn't distracting me from the world, it was allowing me to focus on it. On myself. Away from the grey, meaninglessness of these concrete labyrinths, away from this substantially inert city. This constant slog. This generality.
Not worth attention. Not worth concern...

Dropped into a local organic foods shop, grabbed an application. Worth a shot, even if I'm tired of shooting. Gotta get off the cycle somehow.

Crossing the mainstreet, I found myself walking about with a sense of purpose, so uncommon for me these days.

As I began traversing the bridge connecting downtown Bemidji to the pseudo-suburb of Nymore, my home, and stared out into the brooding, angry, royal blue of Lake Bemidji, the music I was listening to started truly grabbing me, started making me think even more. The album that was by a band from Baltimore, MD. Likely no-one in a hundred mile radius in relation to where I stood had heard of them. And there I was, connecting with their material at the most sincere level. Pounding drumwork offset by mellow acoustics, standout basswork, and multi-person harsh vocals.
Coming to the next song, I instantly recognized the soul-sheering voice of Mis, who after recording with Inure would branch off to front sludge doomsters Moonshine and lend her abilities to the great Wake Up On Fire. There was her characteristic high alto clean voice too...

I was passing the construction sight of the new Bemidji Event's Center to my left, the great hulking skeleton of the thing cutting a huge swath of imposing iron framework into the sky and across the landscape. A monument to fatheaded human impetuousness and indolent, corporate greed. It was an eyesore.

And yet, staring at the glaring visage of the thing I laughed, heartily, and as I did, I was caught by one of the most gorgeous tremelo melodies I'd heard in ages (see the end of "Dos"). I moved on. Pushing forward, through the cold air and empty walkways, accompanied by somber, sober, acoustics, striking vocals, and gripping, layered riffwork; wondering at how odd an occurrence it was that I am so drawn to music like this, how easily I can connect to it, and why it gets through to me.

Enter punkish rhythms, more gorgeous tremelos.

"There's something about underground music, underground extreme music in particular, like this that I just can't help but like. I find it in my tiny local scene too- a mix of artistic integrity, talent, and sincerity. The Baltimore scene has quite apparently had a bigger chance to flourish, and mature, and I see it in the material of bands like these. I love it, and I hope the Bemidji scene someday gets the chance to to progress as much. We're working on setting up the framework. I'll do what I can to make sure it pans out."

Enter more extended acoustics and alto vocals, quick change to furious tremelos...

I was finally passing the last winding stretch of houses before I would reach my own.

A last incredible tremelo, strong riffwork, more vicious vocals...

I found myself within sight of my doorstep. Just as I walked up to it, the album ended. I laughed a last time and walked in, wishing only for the warmth of that house of respite to chase the feeling back into my limbs.

Mediafire

Desolation Angels Halloween Megapost

Despite what the above might fool you into thinking, it's actually just about midnight-thirty where I am, so, given it's *technically* Oct. 31st (CST), I thought I'd get off of my ass and post something particularly special for you all today, this most Metal of holidays.

Desolation Angels were one of the great unsung, generally unknown, NWOBHM bands of the 1980's.
The question of why they never gained a large following or made it anywhere near as big as most of their contemporaries is a common one I'm reminded of every time I give them a listen. Did the murky production on their sole full length make their stuff too inaccessible for a record label to spoonfeed to a commercial audience? Was it the all-too simple matter of not being in the right place at the right time? I'll be damned if I know for sure. What I am certain of is that they deserved to.
Their best material was every bit as strong as the classic anthems of cult favorites like Angel Witch and Satan (see: "Evil Possessor", "Fury"), if pushed they could channel the sort of occult, epic atmospheres of bands like Pagan Altar and Brocas Helm ("Dance of the Demons", "Written in Blood"), and long time vocalist Dave Wall had one of the maniliest, most sheerly badass set of pipes ever to grace the business.
Seriously, fuck a music industry that would allow a great band like this to fall into absolute obscurity while it lets Iron Maiden to skate by releasing Live albums and constantly rehashed "Best of" Complilations year after agonizing year.

If any of you need more of a reason to check this band out, I suggest you check out the review of their '08 "Feels Like Thunder" compilation here on the now defunct, but previously excellent Morbid Knocking blog.
I doubt I could give you guys a better, more ringing, more well-thought out endorsement of Desolation Angels than is presented there, so do yourselves a favour and check that out before you bother to read more any of this.
Yeah I know it's long, read it anyway.

You done? Good.

Anyway, I present for you, our follwers, both that 4 disc Compilation and the aforementioned 1986 s/t full-length album.
I hope you enjoy the bygone FURY(!) of another band fate chose to overlook.

Desolation Angels (Look at that cover! You know you want this!)

Feels Like Thunder-
Disc 1 - Studio Recordings (The stuff with Lee Addison is nowhere near as strong as the stuff with Dave Wall)
Disc 2 - Demos (You will be rocking "All Hallow's Eve" today and for many Halloweens to come)
Disc 3 - Live Material (sometimes better than their studio recordings)
Disc 4 - Even More Live Material (seriously, it's really good)


I know you're out there.
Leave comments.
- FeatherofHuginn

Threnos - By Blood And By Earth (2004)

Threnos is a extremely mysterious black metal band from Cascadia that, according to one unsubstantiated source, is made of up current and past members of Fauna and Wolves in the Throne room.
Whether or not that is true, it isn't hard to draw comparisons between the output of those bands and this little demo. They possess apparently similar thematics and ethos to those bands, and their musical style, while unique, is pretty characteristic of the Cascadian USBM scene.
But, while Fauna and WitTR focus more on strong atmospherics and long, sprawling songs, Threnos focuses more on ferocious primal melodies, memorable riffwork, and more firmly structured songwriting- somewhat reminiscent of newcomers Lake of Blood.
Anyway, "By Blood and By Earth", is a powerful little demo, and it makes for a solidly enjoyable listen. I hope some of you out there dig it as much as I do.

Mediafire

And if any of you could let me know any more about this band, specifically where I could get a physical copy of this demo, I would be very very thankful.

- FeatherofHuginn

Flight Charm - Waiting White Lady (1988)

Flight Charm was a Traditional Heavy Metal band active in Italy at about the same time their neighbors Dark Quarterer and Adramelch were pieceing together their respectively awesome cult masterworks. While perhaps not as "out there" compositionally as the aformentioned acts, Flight Charm still knew how to effectively bring the METAL, and this, the only EP released in their short career, is a testament to that simple truth.

Get it here-
Mediafire

P.S.: They had supposedly released a full-length album in 1990, but I have yet to find it anywhere. If anybody happens to have it, I'd be quite grateful if you could send it to me.
- FeatherofHuginn

Blue Aside - Demo (2009)

Today while going through my usual mid-afternoon blog-hopping routine, I ran across a band with the unassuming name of "Blue Aside". The review I'd skimmed through sounded favorable, so I dropped by their myspace page and downloaded their 3 song '09 demo.

It turns out that the project is made up of previous members of Palace In Thunderland (who some of you might know as the truly excellent band that Andy Beresky was a part of before the advent of Black Pyramid) and current members of Psych Rockers Aeolian Race.

Having woken up with a Goatsnake song stuck in my head, and having listened to Burning Saviours all morning, I was, needless to say, well in the mood for some underground doom; but I was honestly unprepared for something this good.

The first song starts in with spacey electronic segway into a simple slow, downtuned doom riff, repetition, repetition, drums further establishing the internal heartbeat of the song, then, out of nowhere, an uplifting cathartic set of leads push through the murk supported subtly in the background by barely-audible keys, then, as they cut out, and a display of Sign-from-Space-era Paul Chain vox kick in, you're set for two minutes of a swirling jouney through star-strafed chasms of breathtaking, scintillating, sweeping cosmic power, before the song ends, and the next intersteller endeavor begins.
Otis' Sun, while in title is an obvious homage to Ken Baluke's band of Canadian Stoner Doom giants, is more in substance a vaguely Floydian seven-minute spacy doom anthem full of soaring leads, heavy, driving rythms, and superbly fitting airy vocals. I fucking love this track.
The final 'bonus' song, "Sound Escapes" (haha, pun-tastic) is about as fittingly titled as can be. It's more or less a 5 minute instrumental backdrop of entrancing Hawkwindish flourishes and otherworldly soundscapes.

So yeah, as soon as I was done listening to this the first time, I scrambled to ask the band if I could host this demo here for you all. They were game, and all I can say in return is-
Mission accomplished with this demo, guys. I can't wait for a full length.

For fans of Doom, Space Rock, Hawkwind, music.
Mediafire
- FeatherofHuginn

Vault Dweller - Messenger of Doom (2009)

Alright, I think it's due time to take a break between posts fawning over my rad local scene.
So here's a sweet album by a great band from Oregon, showing you all one of many many reasons I need to move there.

Recorded in '07, "Messenger of Doom" is a furious Eyehategod-meets-Dystopia riffgasmic onslaught of crusty stoner sludge. If you feel nothing compelled you to headbang furiously to the constant brilliant guitarwork and apocalyptic grooves herein, you, sir or madame, haven't a soul to be compelled.

Look for an limited CD release via Deathsmile this November.

Until then, GET IT HERE!
Either way, do it NOW, as this will likely be one of the BEST Sludge releases of '09.

Venom Lord - Return of the Wizards (2007)

Venom Lord was a Bemidji, MN-based 4-piece comprised of Simon Mahlberg (guitar, also of docks, PFAZAR), Eli Balbach (Bass, also of docks), Matt Houle (Vocals, also of Hound), and Alex Narveson (drums, also of Fulcrum, docks, Creep Speak, etc., etc.).
They played a riff-happy style of metal that combined elements from a myriad of extreme genres.

Having reunited with former guitarist Andy Kelly; on September 26, 2009, Venom Lord play their last show to a crowd of enthusiastic fans at a fundraiser at the Elks Lodge in Bemidji, MN, for the Blue Ox Cooperative, an organization attempting to gain funds to buy a practice-space, recording studio, and venue for the diverse Bemidji music scene.

I was there. The show ruled. End of story.

"Return of the Wizards" was the sole full length they released over their 4 year span of rock, and whether or not our followers like this, I'm friggin' posting it.

Mediafire

docks - II (2009)

Everybody has their favorite local band.
docks is mine.

The following, taken from their last.fm page, sums up them up well-

"docks is a four piece instrumental post-rock group from northern Minnesota. They formed in November of 2007, sculpting their first songs in a wood-stove heated garage, amidst the tundra-like conditions. docks is a cosmic conglomeration of Alex Narveson (drums), Elijah Balbach (bass), Carl Goughnour (guitar), and Simon Mahlberg (guitar). During the summer/fall of 2008 they recorded their first, self-titled album with the help of their friend and fellow musician Cory Newman."

This album was sent to me by a very good friend of mine, their drummer, Alex Narveson, and he gave me the go-ahead to post it here. It is in essence a raw recording, having been done in their guitarist's basement, without mixing or mastering.
The music featured is mix of new material and reworked songs from their first album, with extra (awesome) guitarwork having been added since the inclusion of Simon Mahlberg into the band's lineup.
This is the band in all their feedback-laden, sometimes-out-of-tune, glory, and I'll be damned if it didn't come off incredibly well.

d/l

Myspace

Facebook

(I'll be posting more local & Minneapolis-St. Paul-region stuff in the coming days)


I've seen them live 4 times this year, and each one has been an awesome experience. The bandmembers are some of the raddest dudes you'll ever have the chance to meet.

Leviathan [NY] - Legions of The Undead (1987)

I've been meaning to upload this little gem for about three months now, and have only just now gotten around to it. Goddamn, I'm a good procrastinator.

Leviathan (Not to be confused with the 11 other bands of that name also listed on the metal archives) was a short lived American thrash metal band formed in Buffalo, New York, by a young, pre-Cannibal Corpse Chris Barnes, guitarist Mike Green, a drummer by the name of Angelo Lococo, and a few guys who later went on to play for Malevolent Creation. On this demo they played relatively brutal, death-ish, thrash much in the vein of contemporaries Morbid Saint and Dark Angel, without perhaps the maturity of either band. Yes, I just invoked those names, but that's not what's really important here.
What *is*, are the riffs- the riffs are what make this little morsel release one of my most-played thrash demos of all time. They are energetic. They are heavy. They are catchy. They are intense. And they are fucking everywhere.
Oh, and chances are you've neeeeeever heard Barnes like this. [*waits for Don Doty comparisons*]

YOU WILL DIE!!!
(If there is a better rip of this anywhere on the internets, I've not heard it.)

-FeatherofHuginn

Dãm - The Difference Engine (2007)

Dãm (Hebrew for "blood") is a Progressive Death/Black Metal band from the U.K. that has remained perplexingly unrecognized by the metal-loving-masses since their inception in 1997.
Their 2007 album, "The Difference Engine" (taking it's name from the 1990 steampunk novel by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling), is indicative of this apparent quandary.
In it, the band manages to take influences from later Death as well as some of the musical tendencies and verbosity of fellow countrymen Carcass, borrow themes straight from the playbook of Philip Glass's 'Koyaanisqatsi', and filter it all through the veneer of forward-thinking Norwegian Blackmetallers Emperor WITHOUT sacrificing cohesiveness- a problem all too common with genre-hopping metal bands today.

Check them out. You might be pleasantly surprised-
Try
Buy (C'mon, you can spare 3 euros)

-FeatherofHuginn

Recalcitrance - Demo (1989)

Country - USA
Genre - Technical Thrash Metal

Recalcitrance was a thrash metal band from Virginia active in the active in the late 80's and early 90's. They went through a few lineup changes, and recorded two demos before breaking up. Little of this really matters, though. Why? Because the important thing here is that their '89 demo f***ing RIPS!
Four songs of technical-bordering-on-chaotic dynamic and aggressive old school thrash metal with tempo and time signature changes that destroy faces and solos that come out of nowhere to absolutely slay all things in their path.
Oh, and Mike Smith of Deceased played guitar on this release.

"Knowledge is nothing,
The laws of science are false,
Pleasure is pain,
Life is death,
What is now
is what was meant to be-
All that is certain
is the inevitability of the end!"
- Recalcitrance, 'Destined to Die'

Get this shit NOW.

-FeatherofHuginn

Epitaph [Florida] - Demos (1991, 1992)

The story of Floridian Death Metal band Epitaph is known by few, aside from the band members themselves, and perhaps some of those active in the 90's Tampa Bay-Area Death Metal scene. I came to learn of it only after talking to their bassist Mark Good, a pleasant and very down to earth fellow, over Soulseek one evening some weeks ago. He told me the band had released two demos, one in '91 with Jim Morris at Morrisound Studios, and another in '92 with famed (but, according to Mark overrated) death metal producer Scott Burns. They used these to shop around for record labels, but were ultimately unsuccessful in getting signed- the one label to take interest in them, Massacre Records, being turned down by the drummer as "not good enough for the band" before consulting the rest of them. Eventually, they decided to call it quits.

Some of the band members went on to other bands- the bassist and drummer playing in Ressurrection for a brief period, and notably guitarist/vocalist Tony Teegarden going on to play for Cynic, but of this band we are only left with these demos, and the frustration any music-fanatic faces when he runs across a band that should've made it, but didn't.

As for the music itself, imagine a sound along the lines of Mid-Period Death, the Cynic Demos, and early Obituary (with John Tardy actually performing backing vocals on the '91 demo song "I Endeavor"); the second demo being more technical than the first (and featuring a new lead-guitarist), but both featuring good musicianship (listen to that exceptional bass!) and solid songwriting.

As they ultimately didn't make any money off of them, Mark gave me the leave to spread these demos around if I wished, so get them HERE

And, if you like the demos and care to talk to him, drop into soulseek and look him up- he goes by "mmetalmark"

Leukemia - Love [advance promo] (1997)

Genre - Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal

Now, as I both have not listened to this album nearly enough to justify a full review, and am not in a particular mood to write one, I will but give a brief rundown of this release for fans. "Love" is/was slated to be Swedish Death Metal band Leukemia's third release. It was mastered in the mid 90's by Dan Swanö at Unisound Studios, but even after over ten years, a name change, and a reawakening of the band, has yet to see the light of day in the form of a proper release. Some time ago it was let known by the band that they intend to finally bring it to the masses sometime in 2008. As the year closed, it was pushed to 2009. Why? I don't know. The band is obscure as all hell.

Anyway, I ran across this interesting tape-rip of what I think is a '97 "advance-promo" of the album a day or so ago, and knowing that there are still some fans in the death metal underground who would care to give this a listen, I thought I'd post it.

The sound, as I had expected, is more melodic than their previous releases, and Dan Swanö himself pops in more than a few times to give his help in the form of his awesome growl or powerful baritone, possibly a key section or two too.

Now, I don't know if this is the same form this album will be released as this year (if it's released at all), but this is all we have for now.

Give it a shot-

Mediafire