The black plague

Preparing for a 4 days trip to France, I indulged to the raw and decadent sounds of Peste Noire for the last couple of days. The french black metal bands have been amazing for the last decade or so, be it in the orthodox field or the dark and obscure field of th former Les Legiones Noire.

Peste Noire are so unique though that they definately deserve to be seperately mentioned here. Here is a group that presents their version of black metal in a so individual and provocative way that could only come from France. The punky rawness, the freedom and space given to the guitar, which is the driving force here, the unusual rythmical patterns, lead to a magnificent result that has not much to do with the dull and overused motives of contemporary bm.

So with great pleasure I dug their two full lengths the other day and they have been playing for quite many hours lately. My personal favorite is their first LP La Sanie des siècles - Panégyrique de la dégénérescence. I would recomment to everyone that has never heard them to find any recording and he is certain to be led to an amazing experience away from any black metal manierism.

Here is a link to a really interesting older interview with the band: http://www.lesdiscrets.com/pestenoire/index.html

Four for the week

No words needed. These are the four records that will help me pass the week.
AMSG

Sa o Roma daje

A brief reference to the song which sample is used on Funeral Mist's Anti-Flesh Nibus, making Maranatha finish triumphantly.
The song is called Ederlezi, and has been widely famed in Goran Bregovich's version from the soundtrack of The Time of the Gypsies, by Emir Kusturica. It is a traditional folk song of the Roma tribe in former Yugoslavia. The song took it's name from a festival celebrated by the Roma mostly in Yugoslavia. The fest was held in order to celebrate the coming of springtime.
Ederlezi is also the Gypsy name for the Serbian Feast of St George. The name comes from Turkish Hidirellez, which is a day of great significance in Anatolia. The word is the combination of names of the prophets Hizir and Ilyas, who drank the water of never-dying. They have given each other promise to meet on this night of May 5th every year to give rebirth to nature. Hidirellez signifies a rebirth of nature and is also considered to be the beginning of spring.

Funeral Mist have used a sample of the song creating what is, in my opinion, the best black metal song I've heard for the last couple of years.

Battle of the opposites

Life can be challenging in all aspects. Covering my 37th year of age, the habbit of going back to the years of early youth, trying to remember the thoughts, the feelings and beliefs I had, tends to be usual. I guess it comes with the age. Back then I was thinking that the lifestyle I had adopted, the music and all artforms I enjoyed at the time, could not go hand in hand with the other fields of "ordinary" life, that would have to come later.
I have to admit I didn't think I could fit my personal interests and beliefs into a life as a married man and my everyday job that evolves around older and conservative people, especially in the land I call home, which has become a fucking fortress of conservatism. The fact that I still haven't watered my wine is a small triumph and this little blog here acts as a haven for me. This and a wonderful carring wife that is open minded enough, to accept me as I am although her background has nothing to do with mine.


There are strange omens in the sky.

Last nights I gave thorough listens to Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures after many (really many) years. Same happened with The Smiths' debut.
It's nice to see that time haven't affected those beloved works. Listening to those records made me think how much I miss the naive and innocent outlook of music. The unselfish acceptance of artists that can move you no matter how original or progressive they sound. There have been artistic crimes commited in the name of fucking "originality".
So, in this mindset there have been some new releases worth checking out. The new Absentia Lunae ( Historia Nobis Assentietvr) sounds promising after the first spins. I also came to the conclusion that I'll always like whatever Michayah Belfagor records, even if it doesn't shatter the earth. So the Nefandus Death Holy Death LP is very enjoyable and their future will be even better with more songs like the awesome Samaelic madness code. Finaly France's Celeste have blended a lot of different aspects on their Misanthrope(s) album and the result is a succes to my ears.

ΑΝΑΘΕΜΑ ΜΑΡΑΝΑΘΑ

Build in me, O LORD! and
once again grant me Light, to
fill this human void, Yes,
chasten me with Sight! I
speak wounds, and my blood
is a tune of Death, and my
word shall devour flesh.

I slayed the lion to become
him, I am HUNGER!
Anti-flesh nimbusl... I crush
my eyes, to gain the sight of
a god.

My heart is fixed, O LORD,
and my veins are prepared, to
receive thy venom, to channel
thy glare. Mad with the over-
flow, I open my chest, and my
word shall devour flesh.

The earth trembled and was
silent, shook and stood still.

Anti-flesh nimbus... I choke
the human within, to gain the
will of a god.

Everyday day that passes, Maranatha grows in me like a worm eating my soul. I shouldn't expect anything less from Funeral Mist.
The last verse of Anti flesh Nimbus summarizes the very essence of this cursed entity.
The trumpets are calling...Our Lord has come.
AVE...

Conquered by the Wolves

Not in a mood for a lot of talking (writing actually). I just wanted to say that for the last couple of days, I've been listening to the new Wolves in the Throne Room album and I'm afraid I have to admit the inevitable. Black Cascade is a fantastic record by a fantastic band. The lyrical content is another debate and still leaves me unmooved. But the songs...

The best thing I've listened for the last months.

Oh, and Rose Kemp's Unholy Majesty is also very very enjoyable.

Violent prayers, roaring psalms

One of the most interesting things about the so called orthodox black metal is the confusion it caused to the unsuspecting herd. Only natural, considering we are talking about losers that seeked refuge to the sometimes simplistic message that black metal had come to communicate. The usual "fuck god...rape the anus of virgin Mary...etc." themes were substituted by bible quotes. Imagine the shock for the brave black metal warriors that were trained to dismiss anything holy. Having to take under serious consideration religious sources, philosophical texts etc. is really a heavy task for the usual black metal fan. To totally discard theological texts or systems like the bible or cabala would be the easy way. To study them, find and adopt their dark corners would take effort.

For the ones seeking a bit of a challenge and an inspiration to study more and delve into occult and spiritual matters , there was it. It was only time for black metal to change it's weapons of choice, in order to achieve it's goals. After all the experiment that started with the second wave of bm in early 90's, failed miserably.

From the extreme intellectualism of Deathspell Omega to the more straight forward attack of Watain the road is shorter than most could see at first glimpse. Between those two would stand Funeral Mist.

Maranatha

The Swedes are one of the first orthodox black metal bands and for me definitely the best and most characteristic of all. Their lyrics are nowhere near Deathspell Omega's in terms of philosophical or intellectual matters, still they are enough to make the average metalhead feel uncomfortable and inadequate. Musically they approach darkness with a great emphasis to audial violence and even horror. Starting from their demos (Darkness in '95 and Havoc in '96), continuing to '98's Devilry EP reaching to 2003's Salvation magnum opus, one can see a climaxing route towards a creative explosion that happened with the 2003 album. So...what next?
The task to follow an artistic achievement like Salvation with an equally strong work is extremely difficult and possibly unattainable. Funeral Mist was never a band that based their progress to audial innovation or novelty. Their improvement came by the enforcement of their strong assets, the pitch black atmosphere, the violent outbursts, the horror interludes, the religious devotion.
For the new album Funeral Mist dive to their own past to bring on surface the best qualities of Devilry, combined with the fearful atmosphere and vitriol of Salvation and some experimentation with new elements. White stone is Neurosis led to their dark extremes while Blessed curse is a surprise with the hypnotic repeated motive, the theatrical vocal delivery and the introduction of the brass section that works surprisingly well. Funeral Mist has never been strangers to the use of samples and this does not change on Maranatha. The children choir on Living temples is among the sickest moments black metal has to offer. And even the Goran Bregovich (Ederlezi) sample at the end of Antiflesh nimbus seems to be really fitting to a glorious closing of a record that cannot reach the depth of Salvation but is still head and shoulders above competition. As for the true essence of the record, I will have to wait a couple of months and a dozen of more listenings in order to fully comprehend it.
On the other hand it seems that some ideas remain unfinished and are not fully explored leaving a sense of insatiable hunger.
Then again the violence is here (sometimes matching this of Antaeus), the illuminating darkness is here, the incredible vocal manipulations are here, the commitment is here. Zealots like Funeral Mist do not seek followers. They are on a mission and the means they use are above criticism.

And even if they don't seek followers, I still am one. As for the rest, let them be Anathema Maranatha.

...And he hath put a new song
in my mouth, even praise unto
our God: many shall see it, and
fear, and shall trust in the LORD!


Post Scriptum: A few words for the rest (reffered above)

As stated before zealots like Funeral Mist do not seek followers. They are on a mission and the means they use are above criticism. This is the process of revealing the beast within man, therefore it is not offered here for judgement. Especially when the judges are the "grim black metal kiddie warriors of the messageboards", that dare present their opinions (as if anyone cares) as "reviews" of a work of art. What the fuck?... With what musical knowledge? With what historical profficiency as far as bm is concerned? With what knowledge of the spiritual matters that are haddled here? And above all, after how many time of listening to the record? All this from stupid kids, that see music as a computer file and the record we are talking about as Fun3ral_mist-MaraNatha.rar.
Stay away....