Monday, May 29, 2017

Necrosanct - Incarnate (1992)

   After a weak debut a so stunning album came out from Necrosanct that became one of the most exciting moments of the British death metal scene.
   They showed a big progression in themes and sound after "Equal in Death". Their music became more complex. "Incarnate" is far heavier and represents a better quality. The very noisy, ravaged sound on the side of the suffocating vocal style reminds to Asphyx. Simple and stict hammering gave the constant intensity and chaos connected with short mid speed themes. All-in-one it was an extraordinary album of the British scene, because it lacks the main absorbing features that were usual there, and that's why "Incarnate" was more effective too. Also suspects influences from the main scene, which was also not common at British bands to take. Compared to other local veteran bands like Bolt Thrower, Cancer, Prophecy of Doom or Benediction, Nercosanct is out of line and gave a new dark shade to that scene.

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Expulser - The Unholy One (1992)

   Expulser followed the good old blasphemous and completely compromise-less, exaggerated path of Brazilian extreme music, strongly influenced by Sarcófago.
   Similarly to that scene, their music was also on the borderlines of genres, but in their case the fusion of those styles wasn't so homogene to create something specific. The influences of death and thrash metal are more insulated, but the references to Sarcófago are in exact majority by the heavily insane feeling that comes with the noisy hammering parts. Thrashing moments are more like occasional or filling completely those few songs which were written to sound less animalistic. The band probably tried to exceed the intensity and brutality of their most influental favorite band. In heaviness it was successful, but in insanity and themes it wasn't. Still "The Unholy One" is an excellent and entertaining album for the lovers of musickness, and it's between the most brutal albums of the South American scene from those times.

Cenotaph - The Gloomy Reflection of Our Hidden Sorrows (1992)

   On the side of Mortuary, Cenotaph was between the most influental bands for the forming Mexican extreme musical scene.
   Lately they were more known about their melodic death music, but like most bands that thime, they started in old school style. Their debut "The Gloomy Reflection of Our Hidden Sorrows" was more forward, included already some melodic themes which led to their late style, and also some doom influences. Sometimes close the death/doom, and in feeling similar to old Paradise Lost. It's not an ordinary death metal album, quite colorful in themes, opens a distorted and alternative world of dark impressions for the listener. The musical concept could be similar too. In this world heaviness and complex melodies trying to create a balance. Also don't lacks intensity and occasional grinding parts. Compared to the current main scene, their music showed the new direction of the progression of extreme music that was kind of new that time, only a few bands were into that. An interesting event of the early '90s.

Monday, May 22, 2017

Nine Inch Nails - Broken (1992)

    After the success of their first album, a real big hit came out by Nince Inch Nails which widely exceeded their debut.
   Influenced by Ministry and Godflesh, the "Broken" EP left behind the typically '80s style synthpop influences and the self-tormenting, passive aggressive feeling of "Pretty Hate Machine". It was fully guitar centered, aggressive and had explicit lyrics about society critics and inner struggles. While these inner struggles were introverted on "Pretty Hate Machine", now they turned more extroverted and this unleashing rage assisted by strongly distrorted sound, resulted the heaviest industrial record of those times.
   Nine Inch Nails was always famous about paying attention on the  actual musical tendencies by creating a very high quality record influenced by the current actual directions of the main scene, that lately proved to be strongly influental too. "Pretty Hate Machine" illustrated the late '80s pretty well such as "Broken" includes the main musical features of the early '90s. So it's not only an excellent EP, but an important audio document of a musical period.

Ministry - Psalm 69 (1992)

   Ministry tenaciously kept playing industrial since the early '80s, and their name was well known in the underground scene. On the third album ("Land of Rape and Honey") they lay down the basics of industral metal, but after "Psalm 69" came the wider success for them.
   The album could be a definition of industrial metal, and shows most possible features of the style. For most of the late projects in the genre it was a reasonable infulence, and many of them just took one of these feautures and built their own style around it. That's why it's possible to name a band or project after almost any songs on the album. That was not only because Ministry was some sort of main essence for the progression of industrial music, but they were very opened to influences as well and played together with plenty of orther musicians and projects connected to the style. "Psalm 69" is like a melting pot of these influences (and the result of limitless drug abuse of course), like a musical ABC of the genre. And after this album metal influenced industrial broke through the borders of underground.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Controlled Bleeding - Penetration (1992)

   Controlled Bleeding is known as an anti-music project, that's always trying to find various ways to experiment with producing sound pollution. Probably the most sensitive audience is able to distingiush which music genre had influence on their actual noise, but fortunately the band had a very short period which was way different from their ordinary concept.
   In the early '90s they experimented with the mix of industrial and metal, and this led them to a bit wider success too. They started a side project called Skin Chamber, which was probably the most exaggerated industrial music that was ever made. Their current interest had influence on the main project too, and "Penetration" was made in a similar concept. The album leads back to the '80s sound of industrial mixed with metal, but in a more moderate way like in Skin Chamber. Still the suffocating screaming vocals and the mostly violent, aggressive lyrical topics creating some strong contrast with the brigther, '80 industrial noises, that are occasionally getting some plus dark tone. The main feeling could remind to old Skinny Puppy. The simple, but catchy guitar themes pulling this interesting mix together. "Penetration" definitely could be sorted to the two Skin Chamber albums, and creates a whole with them. A less known, but strongly recommended masterpiece for the fans of metal influenced industrial noises!

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Type O Negative - The Origin of the Feces (1992)

   Type O Negative was formed on the ruins of Carnivore, a quite experimental sounding crossover/speed/thrash band, that became later widely known outside it's local scene thanks to the outbreaking success of Type O Negative. Except that, it was also known about it's eclectic,weird experimenting-like tendencies.
   The early period of Type O Negative was more similar to the Carnivore era because most of their early songs were unfinished Carnivore leftovers. The weird thing was the mix of the intensiveness of the crossover/thrash themes and doom metal influences caused by desperate Black Sabbath overdose. This was more spectacular on the Type O Negative debut, and therefore on "The Origin of the Feces" too, that was basically a fake live album with nearly the same songs under different titles. There have been experiments that time mixing doom metal with other styles (with death metal most commonly), but these didn't reach wider success, since speed and intensity was the trend in the underground scene that time. Bands who experimented with that (for instance Paradise Lost, Katationia) became death/doom classic for the mainstream only after they changed style to reach wider audience. So basically when they didn't play death/doom anymore, that might sound like a paradox a tiny bit. Anyways, these bands and the several others who were the less known pioneers of the new sound of doom, mixed the styles way better than Type O Negative did, but lately the band softened it's style too, and that was leading (like necassarily) to great mainstream success. The raw mix that they've played in their early period sounded quite fun on this fake live record, that suspects great live performances in general. The doom influences are more effective here than on "Slow, Deep and Hard", though their music isn't exactly doom, but takes place somewhere on it's border. With the background noise of a hating, hostile audience they have made the record more enoyable, which audience sounds satisfied and excited only when they introduced their "last song".

Friday, May 19, 2017

Willard - Steel Mill (1992)

    The uprising grunge wave directly unleashed some bands who played heavier and more complex music, so they couldn't be radio friendly. But therefore they counted as pioneers of sludge metal.
   Willard stepped through the borders of the genre and involved ordinary metal influences. In their music the heaviness of doom, groovy heavy themes and the ravaged sound of grunge are mixed together, powered by the feeling of limitless self-destruction. The responsible features which made their music smell less like teen spirit were the common slow downs and the heaviness that follows it. In catchy melodies they were also subdued, it was more about to express a sleazy feeling. And instead of clear singing raspy vocals could be heard. The band was also known about their limitless debauchery during it's short existence, so the influences to their musical message were easily given. They were far louder than productive, but "Steel Mill" became a reasonable influence in the progression of alternative rock and the development on sludge metal on the side of Melvins.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Incantation - Onward to Golgotha (1992)

   Incantation always represented a very raw exaggerated direction in death metal, and their heaviest album was probably their debut. "Onward to Golgotha" became a classic quite soon because of it's mass brutality which showed a new aspect how to play so heavy music which is hard to imagine to listen after sunday's dinner for chilling.
  The album is like summary of various features of extreme music. Fast, complex and intense like brutal death, the same time slows down very often to extend the themes and increase their heaviness at a doom metal level. And lyrically definitely determined about blasphemous, occult and anti-religious topics. Very deep growling vocals assisting as narratives, and the result is a so blob-like noisy music that reminds to the atmospheric concept of ordinary black metal. The difference is that in this case it happends by instruments that could be clearly heard, so good quality sound turns into noise. The effect is the opposite. While simple sizzle can create a depressive and catchy atmosphere, complex themes with clear sounding creating nerve wrecking heaviness. The fact that melodies are so rare in their music like praising Christianity in their lyrics, also a feature that may block their way into any popularity contest. An imporant classic of the genre!

Doom Snake Cult - Love, Sorrow, Doom (1992)

   When "Love, Sorrow, Doom" came out by Doom Snake Cult, the style and the vocals sounded very familiar to the more obsessed fans of underground music, and they thought it's a new founded actual project of Goatlord members.
   If some sources are correct, this material was recored before "Reflections of The Solstice" and only the vocalist was in both bands. The much better quality could be confusing too, and the fact that this album is not so raw like Goatlord was. The main concept is the same: blasphemic dark rituals with death/doom musical background from the very depths of underground, but by a softer tone. "Love, Sorrow, Doom" sounds less experimental, but still it's an outstanding album from the main American extreme musical scene. And it's also more similar to the style of South American bands like Goatlord, even though the noisy, atmospheric features that resulted some black metal-like feeling were gone. But still this album is an interesting event of the early and that time rare death/doom subgenre.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Monstrosity - Imperial Doom (1992)

   Monstrosity sparked wider attention very soon, with their first demo already, and took role in the Floridan death metal scene. Their early line-up may sound nowadays very stunning, because it included names which may sound familiar from bands like Cynic and Malevolent Creation, or maybe it's enough to mention George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher, who's name became notorious as the frontman of Cannibal Corpse.
   "Imperial Doom" with it's raw brutality represented a more modern aspect of the genre, through the basic old school death metal themes, when aggressive hammering wasn't enough anymore. The themes turned into a more complex direction, not the feeling was in focus, but the mix of intensity and technical knowledge. This was usual in the second and ending period of the golden age of death metal. The search for some diversity was more like instinctual than scheduled, some bands turned melodic, others played more technical or progressive. Monstrosity was on the borderline of that change and reached the most suitable level of musical brutality for themselves in a bit more techinal way.

Friday, May 12, 2017

Baphomet - The Dead Shall Inherit (1992)

   The early '90s extreme metal scene was not only impressive because of the countless bands that appeared world-wide, but because a lot of them created masterpieces from low budgets.
   Baphomet's "The Dead Shall Inherit" became a cult album by it's simple but impressive themes. It could be a good introducing album into death metal, because all basic features of the genre are well exposed. Limitlessly rude music from the beginning with a cathy sounding and netherworld-like feeling. Unlike the main trends that time, not constant fast hammering expressed the intensity of their music, but the contrast. Excellent mid speed themes are the most usual by giving a main deviant character to the album, and that often continues with insane grinding. The main view with the grindcore influences are reminding to Broken Hope's "Swamped in Gore". The concept was probably the same, but Baphomet had a different and colder approachment to musickness. Not the intense putrid feeling was dominant, but aggressiveness with some dark origin.

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Acheron - Rites of the Black Mass (1992)

   It's not surprising to find bands symphatizing with occult and satanic lyrical topics in extreme metal. It's way harder to find any who don't take the concept or write similar lyrics only to the seek for wider attention, or to shock the audience, Or not just simply trying to find a darker background for their music.
   Acheron is one of the few exceptions who took satanism seriously, and not only the concept of their music was based on the commitment to the left hand path, but some members took this direction in private life too. Not only this, but the style of "Rites of the Black Mass" reminded them to Deicide. The vocal style and the intensiveness are also similar, the difference is that Acheron's music had more old school thrash influences, and sounds like a lighter version of Deicide. The concept was so important for them, that they attached intros before every song to evocate the feeling of a satanic ritual. It's definitely not the most necessary thing to do, because it could soften the main feeling of the album, but they didn't seem to leave behind this "bad habit", even though their music is more enjoyable without these interruptions.

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Accidental Suicide - Deceased (1992)

   A very underrated and barely known album is Accidental Suicide's "Deceased". The cause could be on the side of the unfortunate location and bad distribution is that they played in a style which wasn't so popular that time.
   In musical intensity they couldn't fit into the current tendencies of the extreme scene, because the main features of their music were slow or at least mid speed temo, extended themes, and endless sickness. They could be compared to Autopsy, and not only because of the slow speed and the sick feeling, but their lyrics were also related. Gore, serial killing, the most absurd aspects of life and mostly it's end at the most cruel and revolting way were the preferred topics. In quality they also reached a notable level, because the album is well composed, succeeded to express the main concept, and became one of the sickest records ever. An interesting and probably accidental event in death/doom style from the depths of the early '90s old school death metal scene, wich could define well what putrid sounding is like.

Sleep - Sleep's Holy Mountain (1992)

When first introduced to this album, I probably ignored it for 2 or 3 months until it popped up on shuffle in my player. After that, I probably asked 1239235 people if they had heard this album before because I thought I had discovered some piece of fuzzy timeless stoner metal gold. The album is reminiscent of some of the worlds most classic Black Sabbath era heavy metal, with added doom that brings the album obviously straight out of the early 90's. I have a feeling if I were on drugs when this album came out, it would have drastically spun my young adult life into some drug fueled hippy stoner metal themed dragon ride. Just listen to the first song and you know you're in for a sweet ride. So since I can't achieve that as a functioning adult, I'll settle for switching a black light on and turning the Holy Mountain on. This album has an interesting appeal to the senses, if you're one of those listeners, man, in the sense that this album holds a sort of depth between the musical and vocal aspects; sometimes even sounding like the songs were recorded underwater as heard in "Aquarian". The fantasy projected in this album gives the listener an exercise of the mind. The songs flow well, and despite the "heaviness", the album is an easy, yet memorable listen. 

Saturday, May 6, 2017

Demolition Hammer - Epidemic of Violence (1992)

   Demolition Hammer rumbled in to the New York underground metal scene in the late '80s, and their first album, "Torturing Existence" came out in 1990.
   That was the epilogue of the old school thrash scene, metal music went even further in extremity, and that had an influence on Demolition Hammer's music too. Even though the first album had a low budget, the sounding was stunning and it was fit to the actual tendencies. In "Epidemic of Violence" their musical ambitions fulfilled and this album became their most remarkable one. Includes the old school thrash features such as the early '90s extreme metal's frenzied aggressiveness and rough sounding. Compered to the debut, "Epidemic of Violence" is wilder, more intense and reaches the border of a specific style. Even in lyrics more bloodthirsty topics they preferred lately. Excellent themes and sounding are the main parameters of this album, simply a thrash metal masterpiece.

Monday, May 1, 2017

Immortalis - Incidium de Mortuis (1991)

    Immortalis is one of the many forgotten one album bands of the early '90s death metal scene. But 'Indcidium de Mortuis" includes an genuine feeling that doesn't let the listener to simply skip listening and to go forward.
   It's a raw album, the endeavors of a beginner band to find it's own style could be sensed. The guitar themes are not well developed yet everywhere, but the main view is kind of stunning for a start. The vocal style is often changing, basicly deep growling that could end up in insane screaming. Occasionly catchy atmosphere is appearing by keyboards or in intros, that giving some cold netherworld impression to the music, and also serving as light breaks from the noisy hammering. In the case of Immortalis not the intensity was in focus but the main feeling. In middle way with brutality and with an awesome atmosphere this album includes all features why old school death metal could be liked.