Nile - In the Beginning

1. Divine Intent
2. The Black Hand of Set
3. Wrought
4. Immortality Through Art, Godless
5. Extinct
6. The Howling of the Jinn
7. Ramses Bringer of War
8. Dies Rache Krieg Lied Der Assyriche

N = Nile. If you're not quite sure how the greatest death metal band aside from Morbid Angel got as great as they did, look no further than In the Beginning. If you're not familiar with Nile, they are an extremely creative and wickedly talented brutal death metal unit hailing from South Carolina with strong ancient Egyptian and Lovecraftian influences. The Azagthoth and Vincent influence is a little stronger on this early material (the disc is a comp of the band's early pre-Relapse releases), but the trademark Nile sound is absolutely intact. Karl Sanders' genius is on magnificent display early on, as several of the tracks were later rerecorded and included as part of the debut full length Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka. Elements of the Nile sound make their initial appearances, from the lush eastern acoustic interludes and intros to the near ten minute epics of "Extinct" and "Wrought". The line up featured on the releases contained within is the original trio of Sanders (guitar, vocals), Chief Spires (bass, vocals) and longtime drummer Pete Hammoura, who sadly is unable to drum with the intensity he used to due to, literally, drumming too hard.

Excellent release from the current greatest death metal band, hands down.

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Merzbow - Rainbow Electronics

8 untitled tracks.

M = Merzbow. Japanese god of noise, blah blah... This record is gold. I can't say I'm a Merzbow expert (anybody who is is probably pretty fucking strange), but I haven't heard any of his work that comes close to matching Rainbow Electronics in it's sheer intensity. Not necessarily in that in-your-face kind of way, but there's a sense of tension permeating this work that gives an unsettling feeling that you should really be paying attention to what's entering those eardrums. It's been said that all Merzbow records sound the same... and to a point, they do... in the way that all Mozart's pieces resemble one another. I'm not going to pose as a noise connoisseur, so I will not make any claims other than a personal recommendation to anyone who has an iron stomach for ears.

Constant:

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Leviathan - Howl Mockery At the Cross

1. Summoning Lupine
2. Lycanthropus Rex
3. The Axis and Maw of Inferno, Mine
4. Where Annhilation Dwells
5. Liar of Nazareth
6. Just Under Tainted Grace
7. S.W.O.L. (2001)
8. Never For Peace
9. Those Slimy Things
10. Nothing Changes

L = Leviathan. That voice. Truly one of the most talented screamers in the biz, Wrest (who comprises the whole of Leviathan) is defined by his ability to vomit shrieks and howls beyond the reach of mortal man, as well as the uncanny talent affording this sphere his brand of black metal. Howl Mockery At the Cross is a collection of blackened to the core demos and unreleased tracks. "Lycanthropus Rex" brilliantly melts faces in true Leviathan fashion... and at times over the course of the record, as a big "fuck you" to black metallers everywhere, the bass is audible in the mix! True fucking darkness.

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Kayo Dot/Bloody Panda - split 12"

1. Kayo Dot - Don't Touch Dead Animals (11:08)
2. Bloody Panda - Fever (11:09)
3. Bloody Panda - Circle and Tail (7:33)

K = Kayo Dot, even though that's not the reason you're seeing this. While the Kayo Dot side of this split isn't quite doing it for me (their other releases hadn't either, so this wasn't much of a disappointment), Bloody Panda fucking kills it. What's that you say? You're sick of all the bands of nerdy looking white dudes fronted by a japanese woman? This is a far cry from Deerhoof, pal. Funeral doom on the order of Khanate meets Gallhammer is dished up in dirty paper plates and set alight. Another online review made mention of the fact that if you're listening to Bloody Panda, you've probably reached the point of no return in regards to fucked up doom, and it will satisfy you completely. I couldn't agree more.

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Judas Iscariot - To Embrace the Corpses Bleeding

1. I Awoke To A Night Of Pain And Carnage
2. Bathed In Clouds Of Blood
3. Terror From The Eastern Sky
4. Where Eagles Cry And Vultures Laugh
5. In The Valley Of Death, I Am Their King
6. With Lust And Murder For Our Drink
7. Behold The Lamb Of God Descending
8. Spectral Dance Of The Macabre
9. The Dead Burst Forth From Their Tombs

J = Judas Iscariot. The first truly great and prolific black metal act from the United States, Judas Iscariot is essentially one man from Dekalb, IL, Akhenaten. To Embrace... is his sixth full length album, and marks a shift from the earlier material which displayed a heavy Burzum influence. The riffs are more repetitive and depressive than past efforts, and the record has a more aggressive/antagonistic quality. It's too bad Judas Iscariot was discontinued after this release, because this is their/his greatest work. The opener, "I Awoke To A Night of Pain and Carnage", starts off with the sound of driving rain and from there it doesn't let up until the final drops of the closing track have fallen.

Highly Recommended!

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Impious Havoc - Maleficum

1. Harbingers of a New Era
2. To the Chambers
3. Black Presence
4. My Sign
5. Insanity
6. Desert Filth
7. A Night
8. Dead and Forgotten

I = Impious Havoc. More finnish filth! It doesn't get a lot dirtier than this, kids. This is the latest offering from Impious Havoc, featuring the ex-guitarist of Uncreation's Dawn. Throat shredding howls, guitars that'll put a permanent ring around your bathtub, punk-ish drumming and that lo-fi "atmosphere". This is how it's done.

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Hanadensha - Narcotic Guitar

1. Sanctuary
2. Sun/Sex
3. Sugar
4. Star
5. Stone
6. Space
7. Salamander
8. Sweet/Sky
9. Sanders
10. Spiral
11. Summer/Speed
12. Spiritual
13. Sacrifice
14. Sea/Smoke
15. Soul

H = Hanadensha. Boredoms side project in full effect. Supposedly the name translates to something like "Electric Flower Car". Anyway, this is the side band of Hira, the Boredoms' bassist and happens to be one of the trippiest psych records I've had the pleasure of hearing. Bubbling and percussive tracks give way to droning psych jams give way to lysergic lounge music. "Sugar" is my new summer jam.

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Ginnungagap - 1000% Downer

1. Reasonably Miserable (9:24)
2. Guifang (Casket Orbit mix)

G = Ginnungagap. Yet another in the never-ending plethora of Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O))), Aethenor, KTL, Burning Witch, etc.) side projects. This one in particular is an outlet for his improvised and collaborative works. 1000% Downer features the vocals of Dawn Smithson of Jessamine, along with the drones of Steve Pittis and Fritz Welch. Originally released in 2004 on 3" CD format, limited to 150 copies. Later reissued on blue 12" vinyl that same year. Collector scum gold uncovered!

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Friedman & Liebezeit - Secret Rhythms 2

1. Sikkerhed
2. The Sticks
3. The Librarian
4. Mikrokasper
5. Niedrige Decken
6. Broken Wind Repair Kit
7. Fearer
8. Caracoles

F = Friedman & Liebezeit. A little ways off the beaten path worn by this blog's format, this is a collaboration between german drumming legend and former Can member Jaki Liebezeit and Burnt Friedman. There are a few Can-like moments, and allusions to the krautrock giants are mostly glimpsed (duh) through Liebezeit. Secret Rhythms 2 is an interesting gumbo of modern jazz, glitchy electronics, krautrock, tribal drumming, and ambient atmospherics that should please just about any discerning Can fan and prog head. Great space jazz/rock.

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Earth - Legacy of Dissolution

1. Mogwai - Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine
2. Russell Haswell - Tibetan Quaaludes (Waveset Sloth Mix)
3. Jim O'Rourke - Thrones and Dominions
4. Autechre - Coda Maestoso In F(Flat) Minor
5. Justin Broadrick - Harvey
6. Sunn O))) - Rule the Divine (Mysteria Caelestis Mugivi)

E = Earth. Or an Earth tribute/remix record, anyway. Most of these tribute happenings happen to suck ass with a straw, but I've ended up liking this one quite a bit. The end result of a tribute record usually has quite a lot to do with a) the subject being given tribute and b) the talents giving tribute. Looking at this roster, there's no way they could fuck this one up. The Sunn track is interesting because it is a departure from the black metal-tinged dirges they've been divining from beyond as of late, but Justin Broadrick (Jesu, Godflesh) steals the show with what could be an unreleased track from the gorgeous Silver. This one's for you, Dylan.

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Depressed Mode - Ghosts of Devotion

1. Alone
2. So Long
3. Words of Silence
4. Suffer In Darkness
5. Ghosts of Devotion
6. The Sun Is Dead
7. Fallen Angel
8. Dunkelheit
9. Cold

Leave it up to the Finns to come up with the perfect entry for "D". Depressed Mode are yet another band who are quite good, but was Depressed Mode the best name they could think of? Sure, it makes you smirk the first time around, but choosing that as your moniker for your band's career? Questionable. At any rate, this is first class Finnish doom with a strong Paradise Lost influence (although DM's vocalist's growl is in a lower register).

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Countess - The Wolves Awake

1. Endless Mist (intro)
2. Crypt of the Wolves
3. Into Battle
4. The Silent Rose of Sin
5. Aleidis
6. Yr (outro)

I can't think of a better way to do "C" than the 1994 self-released cassette demo by Countess, The Wolves Awake. Rocking old-school black metal that has more than a subtle hint of Bathory. Dirty, sticky repetitive riffs and almost punk rock-ish drumming anchor the vomit screams amidst the backdrop of lo-fi "atmosphere". Even though this was probably recorded on a four-track, the mix isn't too bad... it doesn't sound like it was recorded at the bottom of a diaper pail like some demos from this era (and even today).

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Bardo Pond - Live 04.03.2006

1. Amur (33:52)
2. Walking Clouds (12:14)

Welcome to the second installment in what I hope to be a full month of alphabetical madness. I'm attempting to get something up starting with each and every letter, in order. Here we have exhibit B. Bardo Pond have the distinction of being the very first band I've ever self-described as "drug music". I'm sure they wouldn't take offense, as song titles and records of theirs have been titled with references to obscure psychoactive substances. Unsuprisingly, the music is extremely conducive to "zoning out"... Bardo Pond often create that "transportation" effect I seek out and seldom find. The listener is drawn out of his/her immediate existence and brought into another world where blissful drones and dissonance build into a delta-9 soaked lather. I have never seen them in a live setting, but for now this recorded document shall have to suffice.

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Acrimonious - Perdition Gospel

1. The Curse of Eden
2. Goatrapture
3. Gospel of Perdition
4. On Serpent Wings

There are certain parts of the world that are hotbeds of activity in the realm of black metal. The most obvious, of course, are Norway, Sweden and Finland, and recently, the United States. There are also locales across the globe that seem to generate more than their fair share of talent, and Greece is damn near the top of the list. Acrimonious hail from Athens, a two man hellride with a penchant for thrashing black metal. So far they've only released a demo and two EPs since their 2003 formation. Fans of Darkthrone and Immortal should check this out.

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Queen - The Prophets Song

Warchetype - Goat Goddess Supremacy

1. Itaca (18:47)
2. Marduk's Stairs to Earth (16:33)
3. Manitou (10:58)
4. Hangover (6:59)
5. Death Card (The Sun of the Country Priest) (12:59)

Blistering and epic doom in the vein of Candlemass, Cathedral, Goatsnake and Burning Witch from the magical land of Spain. The vocals soar and riffs roll, pummel and dirge... bathing the proceedings with fine layer of filth. These guys aim to evocate Sabbath-via-Sleep and succeed in spades. Was that a wah bass solo?

Warchetype Myspace

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Sonic Youth - Moist Vagina

1. Moist Vagina (Nirvana) 3:01

Here's Sonic Youth's version of one of Nirvana's greatest b-sides, "Moist Vagina" (also known, to the prudes, as "MV"), as a b-side itself on SY's "Sunday" single (which, by the way was the only single off of A Thousand Leaves). What makes this cover even more unsettling is the fact that Kim is singing, giving it an unexpected reversal of gender... odd.

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Dead Reptile Shrine - A Journey Through the Darkest of Forests

1. Bones in the Dungeon
2. A Cave Full of Corpse Lanterns
3. Fire and Flame
4. Songs For the Deadwood
5. Feuer und Stahl
6. Violencia
7. Diabolical Plague
8. The Snakes of the Earth, Pt. II
9. Exekutioner of the Final Solution
10. Above the Ziggurat They Dance
11. Transformation
12. Our Feast of Victory
13. Reversion to an Ancient Form
14. Clouds of Doom Gather...
15. Dawnfires at the Lake
16. A Beastcults Procession

Oft mentioned is the adjective "filth" when describing the recent crop of Finnish black metal. Dead Reptile Shrine is, by far, the filthiest of them all... I don't know if black metal even begins to describe the madness that is DRS. Another review likened this to noise rockers Harry Pussy, and that isn't too far off the mark. This is easily the strangest black metal release I've heard, and that's definitely not a bad thing. This is raw, unhinged, possibly insane "music"... wandering the boundries between ritual chanting, BM, noise, ambient and folk.

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Lesbian - Power Hor

1. Black Forest Hamm
2. Powerwhorses
3. Loadbath
4. Irreversible

I wasn't prepared to take a band called Lesbian seriously, I have to admit. I certainly wasn't ready for the epic ten to twenty minute jams combining all the best elements of Isis, black metal, doom, crust and krautrock found on Power Hor. Yes, unfortunate record title along with the band moniker, but at least the record is solid. Fans of Neurosis, Isis, Pelican, Om, and Can should dig on this...

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Melvins - Boris