Cleveland, Ohio’s Satanic/Occult rockers Ancient VVisdom are back with their fourth album, 33 (Magic Bullet), and the brothers Nathan and Michael Jochum have added bass player Connor Metsker to their line-up.Continue reading
Tag Archives: Satan
Cultes des Ghoules – Coven, or Evil Ways Instead of Love
Regardless of the quality of the output, it is a feat of creativity and ambition to cultivate a fully realized Black Metal theatrical production; a concept story spread over five “scenes” and amassing nearly 100 minutes of occult, evil music to unveil the full “play” that is Coven, or Evil Ways Instead of Love (Hells Headbangers).Continue reading
Denner- Shermann – Masters Of Evil
Denner/Shermann is the eponymous project of original Merciful Fate guitarists Michael Denner and Hank Shermann, Ex-King Diamond/Merciful Fate Drummer Snowy Shaw returning to the kit. It seems obvious that their latest offering Masters of Evil (Metal Blade) is going to sound a wee bit like Merciful Fate. Masters of Evil follows on from 2012’s Satan’s Tomb and it’s pretty clear that they’re going back to that original dark sound and occult lyrical themes: although possibly a bit too much.
Now with the impressive array of musical talent on show with this album it was never going to sound bad, the guitar work is phenomenal at nearly every turn, impressive crunchy guitar riffs, inspiring Solo’s, everything you’d expect. The powerhouse drums are incredibly solid and hold the whole band together, although considering how long they’ve worked together I can’t imagine it takes a lot. The standout for me has to be the vocals from Sean Peck (also of Cage) which are an absolute tour de force, and fortunately for me much more on the Rob Halford side of high-pitched falsetto screaming vocals than King Diamond.
This is pretty much standard heavy metal territory, you know exactly what you’re going to get from track to track, it does what it does extremely well but expect no surprises. Whilst musically this is brilliant, and bristles with inventiveness that is in sharp contrast to the lyrics. Indeed, they cram so much fretboard gymnastics into each song it almost makes every song bleed into each other: it can’t be overstated that technically this is ridiculously good!
What really lets Master of Evil down for me, is the Hammer House of Horror formulaic Satan inspired lyrics. Even by track 2, the thought that the mention of Satan is starting to wear thin, and almost every single track is about Satan in some way. Even a few songs into the album it starts to give the feel of them trying too hard to recreate the old days and it starts to feel very much the same ideas on repeat.
It’s easy to see why the EP was well received because with fewer tracks to listen to That formulaic feel doesn’t kick in. With the album it does and outstays its welcome. With their attempt clearly to recreate the old days the question can be asked does it fail to deliver on the promise or does it deliver too well? A brilliant EP possibly stretched a bit too thin meaning it’s easy to turn off, and more easily forgotten.
6.5/10
RICH PRICE
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On The Road… with Ghost
“Belial! Behemoth! Beelzebub! Asmodeus! Satanus! Lucifer!” If you are at show and hearing this verse sung by a choir, you are most certainly in the church of Ghost! The dark one goes by many names and Ghost knows them all, preaching their Satan loving philosophy in an occult rock candy coating shell of musical goodness. They are catchy enough to be popular in the modern sense of any metal band being “popular”, but make no mistake; this is one of the most subversive groups to infiltrate the mainstream in a long time. On this night the current leg of the US “Black To The Future” tour stopped off once again in Arizona, with the faithful masses gathered at the ready. Commanded by the ministrations of Papa Emeritus III and his Nameless Ghouls, crowds at a Ghost headline show are often found in a froth from the jump off. The set list was a heavy mix of 2015’s Meliora (Spinefarm/Loma Vista) and the bands’ earlier work too. The aura and imagery are certainly entrancing, but it is the music that makes fans commit so deeply to the band. They were captured for Ghost Cult tonight by Melina Dellamarggio of Melina D Photography.
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The Ghost Cult Album of the Year for 2015: Ghost – Meliora
1. Ghost – ‘Meliora’ (Spinefarm)
Released on 21st August, Ghost Cult’s Album of the Month for September and now our official Album of the Year, managed, even in a year in which Slayer released a divisive selection and Iron Maiden unveiled a 90 minute double album after a five year hiatus, to dominate conversations, causing arguments and endless discussions about it’s place in their canon and Ghost‘s status in the world of rock and metal.
For a “new” act to take on the established acts for column inches and internet debate is testament to how successful the Satanic vision of the original Nameless Ghoul has been.
The band formed in 2008 with a simple mission to spread the word of Satan through the medium of retrospective rock with the devil’s harmonies carrying and subverting the masses.
“This is the album where Ghost have consolidated the tricks and tropes that drew us into their strange vaudevillian universe to begin with and the album that will hold us there for some time more. Meloria sees Ghost honing all their tricks into one accessible and often infectious package.”
Much as dream follows day, Infestissumam saw a definite evolution and movement on from Opus Eponymous, and so Meliora is a further celebration of the Ghost sound, of their continued exploration of a musical niche, adding rock opera tendencies, even, at times, grinding War Of The Worlds into the feted gristle flowing through their distinctive Satanic mills as 70’s synths flutter, guitar solo sing, and holding it all together into memorable hook-filled hymns is Papa Emeritus III.
You can throw superlatives, or analyse things to the nth degree, or you can enjoy that most special of things – an album filled from top to bottom with great songs.
And more than anything, THAT is why Meliora is the Album of 2015.
Ghost Cult Top 50:
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Temple of Baal – Mysterium
The amalgamation of black and death metal (often referred to as blackened death) has been successfully utilized by many bands; Dissection and Behemoth perhaps the most distinguished. It’s an unholy union that blends the macabre frostiness of black metal with the tempo and technicality of death metal. Temple of Baal hail from Paris and evoke just that with their latest release, Mysterium (Agonia). Despite being active since 1998 they have only released five full length albums and a handful of splits, one of which being alongside the phenomenal black metal band Sargeist. Momentum really got going in 2003 with the release of Servants of the Beast (Oaken Shield) and from then on the band has become more and more prolific, releasing albums every couple of years.
Their chosen theme of spirituality and religiosity is immediately apparent through the track titles alone, with songs like ‘Lord of Knowledge and Death’, ‘Hosanna’ & ‘Holy Art Thou’ being somewhat of a clue. But fear not, this is no Christian metal atrocity as the band clearly state, “Mysterium can be seen as a collection of meditations and prayers over the mysteries of Faith, directed towards the gods of the left hand path”. This prominent theme is further enforced by ritualistic sections interspersed throughout the record, epitomized in ‘Dictum Ignis’ which is an ideal accompaniment to any satanic ritual.
Aggressive and forceful, ‘Lord of Knowledge and Death’ makes no apologies for its brutal onslaught, a devastating riff interrupts the atmospheric introduction and it’s full on chaos from here on out. The riffs are piercing and well layered for a full, thick sound. Temple of Baal are all about variation, not wanting to stagnate they inject their music with different styles and sounds. ‘Magna Gloria Tua’ begins with a disorientating swirl of noise before unleashing some pummelling death metal, whilst ‘All In Your Name’ employs riffs more akin to the black metal sound. ‘Holy Art Thou’ is bursting with malice; the lyrics “Holy Art Thou!” are growled with utter venom. Exceptional fretwork shines through on the album, and is without a doubt the most memorable component, crushing yet technical and melodic, each riff serves a purpose whilst adding vigour and captivating variation.
Mysterium is a spiritual journey down the left hand path of darkness and iniquity, a remarkable journey that is without doubt unforgettable. Bow down and worship at the Temple of Baal.
7.5/10
HEATHER BLEWETT
Satan – Atom By Atom
I’m still undecided as to whether Brian Ross‘s piercing scream which opens Atom By Atom (Listenable) is a surprising thing or not. On one hand, Satan were part of the now legendary NWOBHM scene and screaming vocals were sort of their thing. On the other hand, you have to remember this is a band who started life way back in 1979, so including lengthy hiatuses for transformations into other bands (Pariah, Blind Fury), and key members departing to form entirely new acts (Skyclad), they’ve been doing this for well over 35 years. They’re clearly no spring chickens any more (sorry, chaps), so the fact that this, their fourth full length release, begins with such a pointed statement of intent is not only refreshing but also, happily just a sign of things to come.
The speedy, yet surgically precise riffs come thick and fast as the album gallops along like a thoroughbred racehorse, the twin guitars of Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey locked in an endless, but perfectly timed, competition to get across the finishing line first. Even mid-paced songs like ‘Bound in Enmity’, ‘Ahriman’ and ‘Fallen Saviour’ appear to get frustrated by their own lack of athleticism and have to kick themselves into shape just to keep up.
It’s not all about lightning fast speed though. There are slow-burning riffs, riffs which twist and creep out of your speakers like long legged spiders, and riffs which sound like a knife-wielding maniac gave Ozzy Osbourne‘s ‘I Don’t Know’ an adrenaline shot and chased it down an alleyway. Yeah, okay. Speed is definitely a key element here. However, for all of its near relentlessness, the album never once feels cluttered or rushed. There’s always room to breathe, and even enough time for a choral section and brief spoken word passage.
When some previously defunct bands decide it’s time to try and grab a second bite of the cherry, there’s a tendency to come back with just a name and, if we’re lucky, two or three original members. A year or two down the line and the old problems which caused the band to split in the first place rear their ugly heads and everything begins to fall apart again. Thankfully, however, and much like fellow NWOBHMers Hell, Satan are not only more confident than ever but also still pushing themselves in what really should be their comfortable slippers and gardening years.
When Ross shouts “Ten Thousand Hiroshimas, it’s the end for you and me!” on album closer and mini-epic ‘The Fall of Persephone’ you can picture the scene with crystal clarity.
And it’s a scene set perfectly for Satan.
8.5/10
GARY ALCOCK
Funeral Horse – Divinity For The Wicked
Back in the early 90s, doom and stoner were pretty much the uncoolest of genres to be associated with. Playing fast and brutal was the order of the game and those who still clung to the belief that Black Sabbath were the coolest cats to ever strut their stuff were roundly ignored in favour of blastbeats and death grunts.
Now of course the tables have turned and everywhere you care to look you’ll see groups of scruffy young urchins in flares and suspiciously new looking Witchfinder General shirts being hyped to oblivion by record labels eager to show just how hip their latest purveyors of fuzz really are. If they sing about Satan; even better!
Now, without wishing to sound completely cynical, many of these bands are talented, hardworking and deserve to do well. After all, Sabbath really is the greatest and there’s no disputing it. Unfortunately however, there are numerous bands riding the coattails of this retro-rock/doom/stoner trend and Houston, Texas’s Funeral Horse are one of the worst examples.
Debut full length Divinity for the Wicked (Artificial Head) has a stripped down, no-frills sound that reduces the songs to the bare bones of hard rock and stoner. Sadly, the songwriting is generic in the extreme with riffs being repeated over and over with little thought for progression. When the members eventually do decide to switch tempos or riffs, the transitions sound clunky and amateurish. Add in some inexcusable long pauses during and between songs, a production thinner than Kate Moss and terrible, out-of-tune vocals and you’re left with a record that isn’t fit to serve as Wino’s drinks coaster.
Hopefully the band will note their failings on this record and return to some of the Sub Pop influences they displayed on earlier EP’s, as there’s really no place in such an overcrowded genre for something this weak.
4.0/10
JAMES CONWAY
Sabbath Assembly – Sabbath Assembly
Breaking from the embracing arms of The Process Church of The Final Judgement sees Sabbath Assembly reborn, emerging from their cocoon blinking into the light with fresh purpose and a redefining self-titled release. Although officially the bands fifth release Sabbath Assembly (Svart) really does sound like a new beginning for an act reinvigorated by pursuing a modified philosophy. Whether the freedom comes from stepping away from the scriptures of others, or through the musical progressions and developments they’ve chosen to make, nonetheless the evolution is welcome.
No longer tethering themselves to releasing the hymns of The Process Church, Sabbath Assembly sees nine wholly original compositions that, while occult in reference and dark in musical style, transposes their previous work into a new entity. Musically, while influences and styles are clearly rooted in yesteryear, the move to increase the presence of distorted guitars and the proliferation of NWOBHM breaks and passages amongst the Trouble-ed moments is a celebrated addition to their genealogy, meaning the band no longer sit under the “Occult Rock” umbrella, but embrace now their own, more distinctive, sound.
Jamie Myers adds a stronger, more dominant tone of Hammer Horror idiosyncrasy to her previous geniality, as quasi-ritualistic poetic intonations add to an overwhelming atmosphere of 1700’s witchcraft made flesh. Her new approach dovetails with the inherent upbeat catchiness of tracks ‘Confessing A Murder’, ‘Ave Sathanas’ and ‘Burn Me, I Thirst For Fire’, while Kevin Hufnagel’s 80’s influenced guitar work segues from Candlemass dripped doom-shaking to Satan (the band) esque gallops. ‘Only You’ teases a Mercyful Fate bolt, settles into a darkened brood, before racing to the end in a bounce of classic heavy metal riffery. Traditional metal solos enhance and embellish the album throughout, as do the melodic Witchfinder General touches and leads.
Taking an atmospheric turn for the latter third of the album means, dynamically, Sabbath Assembly feels a little strange; not quite tailing off, but as if emerging out the end of a night-time ritual into the stillness of the darkness before dawn as ‘Sharp Edge Of The Earth’ and the beautiful, folky ‘Shadows of Emptiness’ are reflective and breathy.
Of course this isn’t a “new band”, but neither is this a representation of previous ideology, either musically or philosophically. Whatever the impetus for the change in Sabbath Assembly, the culmination of the transformation is overwhelmingly positive in terms of their artistic growth.
7.5/10
STEVE TOVEY
Testament, Dragged Into Sunlight, Nuclear Assault, And More Added To Maryland Deathfest
Maryland Deathfest today added 45 more bands to the line-up for next years’ festival, their 14th. New to the bill bands include Testament, Paradise Lost, Dragged Into Sunlight, Ringworm, Nuclear Assault, Buzzov*ven, Centinex, Duischarge, DOOM, Hirax, Novembers Doom, Rottensound, Repulsion, Satan, Weedeater, Skullshitter, and Waco Jesus among others. Last month MDF 2016 announced Venom, Exciter, The Haunted, and Samael with 20 other bands for next years festival.
New Bands Added to MDF 2016:
The Afternoon Gentlemen (UK)
Buzzov*en
Centinex (Sweden)
Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin (Italy)
Crypt Sermon
Dehumanized
Demonical (Sweden)
Demonic Christ
Deranged (Sweden)
Discharge (UK)
DOOM (UK)
Dopethrone (Canada)
Dragged into Sunlight (UK)
Gets Worse (UK)
Ground
Hellbringer (Australia)
Hirax
Horrendous
Infest
Interment (Sweden)
Magrudergrind
Novembers Doom
Nuclear Assault
Paradise Lost (UK)
Priapus
Putrescence (Canada)
Repulsion
Ringworm
Rotten Sound (Finland)
Satan (UK)
Secrets of the Moon (Germany)
Severed Head of State
Sick Fix
Sick of Stupidity (Netherlands)
Six Brew Bantha (Canada)
Skullshitter
Tempest
Test (Brazil)
Testament
Tragedy
Waco Jesus
Weedeater
Whoresnation (France)
Wombbath (Sweden)
World Burns to Death
45 more bands confirmed for MDF XIV!!!The Afternoon Gentlemen (UK)Buzzov*enCentinex (Sweden)Claudio Simonetti’s…
Posted by Maryland Deathfest on Friday, July 17, 2015