For in much wisdom is much grief ...

... and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. (Ecclesiastes 1:18)

What a wonderfull saying, so much typical of what a religion as the christian would adopt and teach to it's flock. So, sheep better stay in the dark and be happy. Knowledge is bad for you.

Godkiller from Monaco exist from 1994. Their first EP The Rebirth of the Middle Ages was a mediocre exercise in the then popular black metal vein. Nothing special in my opinion. Where things became serious was the first LP The End of the World in 1998. The guy took a path similar to Samael's of Ceremony of Opposites. This was a record I realy liked back in the day.
The second proper album was Deliverance. When it came out in 2000 I wasn't so much interested in music and didn't really have the patience to give a second listen. The first one had disappointed me as the electronica influence was too much for my liking. Nine years after, after serious and repetitive hearing the record's magnificence really stroked me. The music goes several steps towards electronic and experimental territory. To my ears is sounds like what would come out of the fornication of Samael with mid period Apoptygma Berzerk and Monumentum's In Absentia Christi. The lyrics are excerpts from the old testament hence the beginning of the present post. Recommended listening for those with eyes to see. 

Griftegård's Solemn, Sacred, Severe is as great a record as I had expected it to be. This is the band whose first EP renewed my somewhat faded interest in doom metal. I guess what makes their music so special is the amazing vocals. No more words needed, this is as good as doom can ever be.


Pills:
Griftegård's Solemn, Sacred, Severe
Godkiller's Deliverance
Mortuary Drape's Doom Return (Demo 1989)
Code's Resplendent Grotesque
Alice in Chains' Black Gives Way To Blue
Merrimack's Grey Rigorism
Elhaz's Goetic Experience
True Blood TV series

AMSG

ΕΠΑΡΙΣΤΕΡΑ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΕΣ

 I am seriously fucked up by the waiting of Triptykon's first album. Tom Warrior is an emblematic figure for me that don't usually think highly for any individual. Celtic Frost's Monotheist is the best record of the last decade and I'm expecting something magnificent here.

Regarding the previous post about the new releases, I have to admit that Ruins of Beverast's LP has blown me away. Fucking heavy, dark and crawling music with excellent vocals. Extremely recommended.

As for Secrets of the Moon...Privilegium didn't meet the high expectations I had. That is not to say that it's a bad record...no way. It is a step further towards the direction the band has taken with Antithesis. I think people call it modern black metal or post black metal or anything. All the same, the record has to be judged for what it is and not for what anyone wished it to be.

A good record but not a great one.

Favourites:

The Ruins Of Beverast - Foulest Semen of a Sheltered Elite

Hammers Of Misfortune - Fields/Church Of Broken Glass
Sylvester Anfang II - Sylvester Anfang II
Pantheon-Paganuclear
The Doomsday Cult - Samarithans Of Misery
Secrets of the moon - Privilegivm
Hiems-Worship or Die

Book:
World Without End by Kenn Follet

Great expectations

This month is full of greatly anticipated releases for the black music. On the top of my head are Secrets of the moon's  Privilegivm, Merrimack's Grey Rigorism, The Devils Blood's The Time Of No Time Evermore, The Ruins Of Beverast's Foulest Semen of a Sheltered Elite, Griftegård's Solemn, Sacred, Severe. Also Marduk's Wormwood is an interesting case as Marduk seem to be heading in the right direction the past few years. My compatriots Acrimonious have their first LP titled Purulence out, a little while ago and I recommend it to anyone who likes (the so called) orthodox black metal. In fact Acrimonious is the most interesting greek band I've heard the last three or four years, along with Embrace of Thorns. Those are two bands that stay far away from the circus that is the greek scene.

Of course...
All of the above "expected" releases have leaked and anyone can have a listen. Still I will not comment on LP's before they are officially out. I am not against downloading, how could I be, when I grew up in the 80's with one cassette recorded again and again, with songs aired on the only extreme metal radio show that was around at the time.  For the record, nowadays 20 or so years later there is no extreme music at all in greek radio. The country is fast moving backwards and got rid of such nuisances.


Of course...
The mainstream press is going to rave about the new Immortal album. They like to promote this kind of "black metal". It is exactly the kind that suits them, as they can then slug it off as comical, cartoonish and stupid when they want to wear their judgemental mask. Those in the knowing will stay away from this grim and frostbitten joke.

Worthless lists

I always wandered who gives a fuck about any kind of list the bloggers post so frequently. Anyway, talking with a friend about music the other day (a topic I rarely discuss about, with others) we were trying to put our favourite groups/artists in some kind of order. I never thought seriously about it in the past, so this is what I came up with (one more list about which no one cares on the www)

Celtic Frost My favourite band of all times. They were my favourite in late 80's but  Monotheist alone would be enough for me to put them on top.

The Residents Weird, mystic, experimental, dark, haunting, genius. The only group I saw live 3 times. And I hate live gigs.

The Smiths One of the first groups I ever heard and still one of the best.

Joy Division Exactly the same as above.

Mayhem They created the best black metal album the world will ever see. I was lucky enough to correspond with Euronymous and be aware of his vision. A shame that vision died along with him.

Deathspell Omega The present and future of black metal. The new visionaries. Words will never be enough when it comes to today's black metal titans.

Diamanda Gallas Pretty much this is as far as dark music can go. 

Dead Can Dance Not just one of my favourites. They have been eye openers for me.

The Clash I can't tell too much except I loved them from the first listen. I still do.

Death I still remember the shock when I first heard Sream Bloody Gore. And then even worse with Leprocy.


That's about it. It's weird that although my favourite kind of music, since late 80's, is black metal, only 3 of the bands above fall into this category. I eat, I breath and I shit black metal but unfortunately allthough a lot of that is excellent, not many of the bands are trully monumental...Whatever.


I hope you die...AMSG

The doves of war have cometh...

Total boredom and not in a mood to do my job, leads me to another break and a visit to my LP archives. Grand Belial's Key's Judeobeast Assasination is a fucking perfect choice to turn my mood. What a great record by an excelent band that I really miss. But they were a fascist/racist band, I hear some say. I say fuck off... Give me any band of the other side that made half good music as GBK have made and I will glorify it at the same moment. This is the best american bm band of all times and the shitheads that are murmuring about them forget to mention that their music was apolitical as bm as a genre ought to be.

Other favourites...
Svarrogh - Yer Su
Vulvark - Vulvark
Paul Chain - Park Of Reason
Fields Of The Nephilim - Mourning Sun (I get sick with the mention only of the word gothic, but this is simply the greatest occult rock band period)
Valborg - Glorification Of Pain
Inglourious Basterds by Q. Tarantino
Antichrist by L.V. Trier