Session XXV: [Subterranea Cypria - (3rd edition), something wicked this way comes...]

Almost two years since my last post and more than three since our last excavation into the Cyprian marshes. Yet, we must return once more to these lands seeing that there is a qualitative shift now in the island's relationship with the extreme end of metal. 

It's no longer the case of having the odd diamond in the rough here and there. Now things are getting more focused, more coherent, more scene-like one might say. Even Godblood, the oldest unit of the

bunch, have risen from a seemingly permanent slumber to grace the stage more than a couple of times since 2016. This in turn signalled a concurrent, yet purely coincidental, wave of releases from other more recently established bands (Nekhrah, Frozen Winds, Tome of the Unreplenished, Temple of Evil). A common development underlying most of these releases, compared to the first generation which emerged sometime in the early-mid 00s, is a sudden turn towards professionalism and proper practices. No longer is black metal the province of undirected youth, desperately banging on their instruments in raucous rebellion. Those days are gone. Now there's serious intent and for once a decent sound at both live settings and on wax. What's more there's an eager search for identity, Nekhrah are carving their own with their ugly-yet-appealing, repellent-yet-

engaging brand of groovy death metal onslaught, Frozen Winds take cues from Mesopotamian mysticism and skillfully marry them with ritualistic black metal atmosphetics while Tome of the Unreplenished, always the restless ones, take off into the vertiginous, entropic heights of horrifying experimentalism and sound abuse. Thank the Devil, for we are done with the clones and the tragicomic bedroom operations of the past; there's direction, intent and zeal now at least amongst the few who have wilfully taken the baton and dared to look beyond their Obituary albums..

And of course, lest we forget, there are a couple of off-map outliers sprouting here and there, namely Accurst's latest ambient work 'Messenger of Shadows' (on plastic by Aesthetic Death), Kaenum's and Holocaust Machine's joint venture into power electronics (on tape by Confessions of an Orifice) and last but not least Dirt is Destiny's self-titled debut EP which I'll be focusing here on.

 

Debut releases can be a dodgy affair. Oftentimes you find the inadvertent, almost sycophantic worshipping of the band's adolescent influences and if you're lucky enough there is that glint of originality, of personal pathos. This particular EP goes a few degrees beyond the expected average. It's a weird little amalgam of different styles threaded with a bellowing black metal backbone. They show a distinct maturity, bringing to bear musical and personal inspirations into their craft with unusual insight and depth. So without further ado let's see what our man, monsieur Danny Krrio had to say regarding his recent musical spawn.

Greetings and welcome to the Hypogeum. 
First things first, give us the history of the "when's", "how's" and "why's" of the bands creation.

Hello! The band/project has only recently settled on the name 'Dirt Is Destiny' in 2017, but I have been working on material and ideas since about 2011 towards this end. Ultimately the purpose of the project is to create songs which are storylike, powerful, and dramatic, which carry with them a serious and sincere approach, while at the same time being musically engaging.

What's your relationship to Cyprus, its people, its nature and what sort of inspiration do you draw from them despite its apparent limitations when it comes to scene exposure and other opportunities?

Cyprus is home to me and I love and appreciate the many good qualities of the place and its people. You might find specific things to pick at which you dislike but overall I have had a positive experience living here.

It is really the natural beauty of Cyprus that I feel most close to as far as inspiration and also the rich History and Culture of Cyprus.

To comment on scene exposure.. to be honest there hasn't been too much local interest as of yet, but I suppose that is expected being that DiD is not a live band, and the music has only been released digitally for the time being.

You've been around the local Cyprus black / death metal "scene" for quite a few years now. How would you describe its evolution as an insider? Anything of interest going on? Do you feel connected to it in any way?

Something interesting I have observed is how extreme metal has become more popular, 'normalized' and accepted in the general metal community. In earlier years it was far more tribal among the genres and Black/Death metal was considered somewhat of an outcast. Musically you can see that the bands are really at the top of their game and are hungry to always progress and outdo previous efforts.. to mention a few names... Nekhrah, Vomitile, Frozen Winds, Temple Of Evil..

DiD is somewhat of a solitary experiment, but I do feel connected to the scene and am always enthusiastic to attend the local gigs and support the bands.

Ok let's start digging in to the EP. What's immediately apparent is that you actually get four separate and distinct songs here. And I say this because many a time I come across releases where compositions are merely variations of the same underlying theme.

But here each song bears its own identity, a hallmark of a process which took time and deliberation. Tell me a little bit about the creative process. How long did it take and what sort of factors played into it, psychological, personal, musical or otherwise?

On the more technical side, Usually the first step involves improvising on the guitar, feeling out the notes and experimenting with different techniques. It is a kind of 'ghost writing' process. When I feel there is something that sparks inspiration I work further to shape it and mould it to fit a more lyrical idea. Afterwards I record the guitars 'with an added drum track playing along' and write additional music for a second guitar, bass and to a lesser degree, synthesizer. The lyrics and vocal arrangements are usually fleshed out last.

For the songs on the EP I have been working and re-working them for about 3 years. Never feeling fully satisfied with the final results of a song, and improving as a player, I kept picking at them probably longer than I should have...I initially planned on recording the EP solely on my own, but I struggled with poor equipment and technical issues. To put it simply, the results did not sound good to my ears. I finally decided to get the songs recorded with George Erecleous at Oneirism Studios.

The songs like you mentioned each have their own identity purposefully, but they are meant to work together and unfold as a story.. There were certain personal experiences and abstract concepts that I had been carrying with me for far too long that needed to be expressed.

 

The compositional style is quite reminiscent of bands like Absu, Primordial even Ved Buens Ende at times. I.e. bands which don't adhere to the same protocol every time but use their creativity to map the fabric of their musical inspirations unto a personal and varied landscape. So even though you could per force slap the black metal label on your band there's a decent amount of interesting guitar-driven themes, tempo variations and mood fluctuations flowing through the songs to keep the listener guessing. Were you influenced by artists or others of their ilk at all and how would you describe the particular mark they left on you?

I think to a certain degree you cannot help but be influenced by the bands you listen to, I don’t see it as a negative.

I used to be more concerned with trying to find a unique sound to my music but a lot of the stuff I wrote came out sounding somewhat forced, and sounding 'strange/weird' with no real direction to it.

Now I am more interested in trying to write good songs first, and if the song benefit from a more unusual approach I will go down that road, but always to compliment the composition.

I think the most obvious influence is Primordial, being a huge fan of the band. The galloping rhythms, the epic and tragic melodies, poetic lyrics and dramatic vocals...They have it all as far as I am concerned. Other favourites of mine are Destroyer 666, Akercocke, Emperor, My Dying Bride, Code, Arkhon Infaustus, Morbid Angel..in some way or another you could find some impression that these groups have left.

Incidentally, Primordial have remained one of my most cherished bands for many years now so it's almost inevitable for me not to detect even subtle hints of their melancholic-cum-soaring melodicism. This is especially apropos on the last song of the EP, "You Will Hang by the Noose". Is it just me or is there something truly Primordial-esque lingering somewhere in there?

Haha I like the way you put it. There absolutely is, perhaps it is a little more technical with more notes thrown in the mix.. but the Primordial element is in there.

There are elements which some might describe as "avant-garde" or "progressive" but they're not there purposefully. They are just incidental patterns of the band's exploration into various musical regions. What’s your take on this? Would you agree?

I do agree to an extent and I alluded to this very thing in a previous question. Maybe I wouldn't call those elements completely incidental, there are some more experimental moments that were deliberate but not in the sense that I was trying hard to sound 'avant-garde'.. Those parts simply fit well into the greater scheme of things.

You've given a lot of attention to the vocal arrangements. Again they take many colours reflecting the different tones and moods of the compositions. There's anger, despair coming through them drawing you in further into the music. Playing and recording instruments can be done in a sober, controlled approach but vocals are something decidedly more organic and require a high degree of both physical and psychological engagement from the man behind the mic to really deliver the intended emotions. So what exactly went through your head during the recording sessions?

At the beginning when getting ready for the recording sessions I was a little nervous. I had prepared a lot mentally beforehand but it had been 12 years since I was behind the mic, but thankfully I was able to slip into form again after a short while with some help from George.

It was a good and trusting environment, so I was able to sink into character and perform without much difficulty.

"Dirt is Destiny" is a rather pessimistic assertion yet one can perceive that your worldview goes beyond the monochromatic viewpoint of armchair cynicism. I get the impression that the way you dissect your nightmares is a lot more nuanced and cerebral than the resigned misanthropy you see in other acts. There's ugly stuff in there but there is also a certain delight in the darkness...

Dirt is Destiny could be seen as a pessimistic assertion yes.. symbolic of the inevitability of death.. but the purpose of this band is to intently explore the darker and murkier waters of existence and to me this is a necessary exploration. We need to reflect upon death, and by doing so we gain a more legitimate understanding of our being.

There are other lighter and less intense ways to perceive the world, but as far this project, it is meant to be heavy and at times dripping with filth.

Struggle is inherent in our existence: despair vis-a-vis hope vis-a-vis agony vis-a-vis triumph vis-a-vis melancholy vis-a-vis ecstasy - the dipole of human experience. And I do feel something about this when listening to the EP. It’s not a jet-black, soul-crushing affair, there are hints of overcoming, even courage. Care to elaborate?

One of the central themes running throughout is struggle..against despair and madness..the struggle of becoming and seeking truth and meaning..against nature, and finally against your own self. Each song though has a more defined part of the story, reading the lyrics and paired with the sketches that will be displayed in the booklet of the upcoming CD, more detail can be gleamed about their meaning..

Sound is uncharacteristically resonant and dynamic eschewing lo-fi production values which would be the default choice for a budding black metal act. It befits both the wide range of styles you draw from but also endows the music with a more inviting overtone...

Mixing/mastering can be a very tricky enterprise so I was just wondering whether you had a clear intention before entering the studio or did it just come about while working with the producer?

In my opinion lower productions values would have diminished the release, and for a few exceptions I personally prefer to have a well produced and clear sound to Black metal. While there is a Black metal 'essence' at its core, I am sure you would find people who would not consider DiD to be a proper black metal band.

There was indeed a clear intention of what the production should sound like going into it, but I think to a larger extent it ended up being the way it is as the sound was being crafted. There was constant dialogue between George and I and quite a bit of tinkering went on until completion.

The cover: an inverted man suspended by his legs against the void by a spidery, indeterminate creature. A stark representation of life perhaps as suspended between the abyss and the unknowable, inner pit of our desires, fears? To severe the ties and be free equals the embrace of death and nothingness. Am I anywhere near the intended symbolism?

I think you have gathered the meaning very well from the image Certainly there is that instinct driving us towards oblivion, I would add though that in my perception I consider the image to be a transient state. One Reflecting upon the boundless to enrich One's self, the process to be undertaken like some type of meditation to which he should eventually return to engage with the more mundane and worldly..

Any forthcoming collaborations with individuals across the scene or perhaps even outside it on future releases?

Danny Georgiou from Winter's Verge and Mirror has expressed interest in working again with me on the next release, and there is a possibility that Alex Savva (Dictator) will be involved in the recording and mixing process.

You mentioned a CD release at some point. When should people expect it and who's releasing it?

I am hoping for the release sometime during this month. The whole production of the CDs and booklet layout has been undertaken by Alex Savva but I will be releasing it independently with a limited number of copies available.

As far as I can tell, DiD is a solo project but would you consider playing in the flesh on stage at some point? Maybe you already have some plans in mind?

Danny Georgiou didn't write any music for the release but he did add his own drumming approach and style of playing on the recordings, maybe he is not what you would consider a full member, but I see him as connected to the project. I would consider playing live at some point, perhaps to celebrate the release of the next CD. Most of the people I can see as fitting members are already in bands, so it is somewhat uncertain how exactly it could come together..Time will tell!

Before we wrap things up I'd like to do a few free association exercises with you. Just give an immediate response to each of the four words you see below. Responses can be from one to a few words long but not more than a sentence.

 

a.    Nature: Full of beauty but so ghastly

b.    Humanity: Too many of them

c.    Women: Saints and whores

d.    Music: Windows into the soul 

One final query: it is hard to deny by your chosen moniker that the Lord (of all which slither and crawl) has touched you with his presence... In what way do you bear the Mark of his primeval essence?

  
The K-Lord has provided much in the way of inspiration over the years...like most Gods he is distant and quite obscure in his ways,...His insights and knowledge may bring one closer to Truth...but like most Gods, He can also drive them towards Madness and Ruin...

Alright, that's it from me. Any parting words?

Thank you for the interview, I Enjoyed the Interesting and engaging questions!

Session XXII: [Of Hate, Smoke and Blasphemy - a salute to the black / death metal underground]

 

In my modest estimation I'd say punk was probably the greatest musical revolution of the modern era. It was they who showed that suddenly the individual could be in the center stage. "Here's a guitar, here's a couple of chords - now go out there and play!" was the basic mantra of the DIY attitude (sans the political baggage) which drove irate teenagers to the guitar shop and spawned countless bands. It's no wonder that two of the main suspects which inspired the black metal style - Motörhead and Venom - commanded high respect from both punk audiences as well as within metal circles. With this attitude in place underground musical units started sprouting up all over the globe with fans cluttering up in damp basements to take part in these unholy rituals. The fan / musician dichotomy became dissolved even further with most belonging to both categories. It wasn't long before Celtic Frost / Hellhammer (who incidentally cite famed crust punksters Discharge as a major influence), Bathory and early Sodom formed the sacred pillars or the aesthetical compass, if you will, to which every band since and henceforth turns to for inspiration. The common thread through the first-wave was unchecked aggression, ostentatiously outrageous attire and a strong tendency towards the Occult (I bet if you were to somehow compute the rate at which the word 'Satan' occurs in either track titles or band names it would register at once every 6-7 words). The prime ingredients however were two: primal energy and a dark atmosphere. These are in effect what decidedly pulled these proto-black metal units away from the technically oriented orbit which death metal ensembles were entering head-first. It's important to mention of course that back then there was no Internet and only limited technological capacities were available to the masses. Hard to imagine since a good portion of us were still swimming in our father's balls but despite these less than favourable conditions there was a definite tangible fervour, a creative geist so to speak, driving the whole scene which meant merely rehashing old formulas wouldn’t cut the mustard. Every band willing to gain respect within this limited yet fanatically devoted fan-base had to carve its own distinctive sound and aura. Rather appropriately in their 1984 demo Triumph of Death, Tom G. Warrior of Hellhammer infamously wrote "If Venom are killing music, Hellhammer are killing Venom". It's exactly this continuous process of negating your past but at the same time creating something new, pushing the envelope - as was the case with the aforementioned demo - which defined these ever-unfolding dynamics  of the extreme metal underground. At the same time, the mail service was absolutely fundamental in sustaining the international underground arteries winding and branching between countries through dubbed chromium tapes, zines, short-lived distros and xerox'd flyers. Within this Darwinian selection process few bands made it past the demo stage either for lack of talent or resources. It was a survival game definitely but not of the strongest necessarily, but the most passionate, the most hungry. Just drop the needle on Sepultura's first LP and you can almost feel the sweat, the heat and the sheer drive to play their instruments with as much conviction as possible. Romantic drivel you might say? Perhaps. But there is a certain something which sets the puppies (who think they're wolves) from the actual wolves. No matter how technical you play, no matter your fine production, your radio play time there is a requisite energy you can't fake. And where did this energy stem from? A force as intangible to describe verbally as it is audially palpable when you actually sit down and listen to these truculent pieces of ungodly noise. Maybe we could put it down to a misplaced spurt of pubescent rebellion, a couple of sexually frustrated teenagers having their kicks until one day they get married, have kids and look back at their exploits with a mixed sense of nostalgia and matured dismissal. Or maybe it's something more than that I'd wager. Maybe it's the sheer excitement of breaking a social barrier even within the confines of art, the licentious all-consuming fervor of committing sacrilege against a moral absolute, or maybe it's just the sudden, exhilarating realization that all this nasty, fucked-up shit sloshing around in your mind can finally have an outlet. Whatever the source, the product is unmistakably recognizable and that's all that matters.

So then, after a lot of frustration and abject deliberation, here we have 11 of my favourite pieces of 100% unadulterated metal straight from the darkest recesses of the underground. More could be added, some could be omitted - to each his own. Some are well known, some others not as much. I deliberately chose the 'black / death' moniker for two reasons. Firstly, because I wanted to avoid the inevitable semantic association stuck in the consciousness of most fans between black metal, snow-covered forests, smoldering church ruins and ill-advised photo-shoots. An association accounted primarily by the disportionate amount of media attention received by the Scandinavians back in the early hay-days of the genre. It's because of this very clear degree of under-exposure that other scenes with their own aesthetics and ways in which they approached the extremity of the first wave were cast to the margins. Secondly, back in those early formative years of the extreme metal underground (mid-to-late 80s) these nominal denotations (death, black, speed, thrash) didn't carry much weight. It wasn't until the early 90s with the advent of bands such as Darkthrone, Master's Hammer and Emperor that the genre decidedly differentiated itself from the offshoot that death metal was following. At the time all the musicians wanted was to set themselves apart from the utterly soulless milieu of the arena bands which pervaded the hard rock/metal scene at the time (upon seeing Michael Jackson featured in the heavy metal charts Cronos of Venom fame once exhorted "We're not heavy metal! We're black metal, thrash metal, power metal, speed metal, death metal - anything but heavy metal!"). So spare me the pigeon-holing - what we're after here is simply some good ol' fashioned filth and ugliness. 

Oh-keey, let's rumble.

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The Singaporean scene has two great names to be proud of: one is Impiety (who infamously denounced the Norwegian scene on a liner note inscribed on their 1994 7"), the other is Abhorer. For those at the time who were already familiar with their 7" (Upheaval of Blasphemy) and of course their 1992 demo (Rumpus of the Undead), their debut album Zygotical Sabbatory Anabapt‏ (Shivadarshana Records, 1996) came as no big surprise. Although ostentatiously more death metal oriented the rhythmical variation here is appropriately confined within high-octane tempos and syncopated passages of measured aggression. Having said that of course there's no denying the Celtic Frost homages that sporadically crop up. It's descriptive ambiguity notwithstanding - a bit too 'bulky' sound-wise for your standard modern black metal fare or even a bit too monolithic compositionally-speaking for your death metal techie - it still remains one of the gems of old-school black / death without a doubt. 

As mentioned earlier there are two fundamental coordinates within which the old-school generally operated: energy and atmosphere. Beherit's Drawning Down the Moon (Spinefarm, 1993) stands steadfastly at the far end of the latter axis almost alone and unimpeachable. Granted, it didn't initiate a movement in terms of aesthetic like the Norwegian or Swedish schools of thought but this only stands testament to the fact that their style on this particular album was largely inimitable. When others of their ilk were hammering away at their drum kits these guys opted for a mid-paced strategy and a noisy, claustrophobic primitivism as supremely evidenced in pieces such as the creepily trudging 'Gates of Nanna' and the ritualistic 'Nocturnal Evil'. There's nothing that has touched this album's jet-black, occult aura since.

As a general rule I only feature releases which I actually own on a physical copy and secondly that it's a first press. I'm afraid that for this particular band I had to make a most painful exception and instead contend myself with this humble little re-release from Madman Records (2005). This alone says quite a bit in itself: it's nigh-impossible to trace these releases in their original format and for those that do they have to pay up a considerable amount in 'kvlt tax' which effectively translates to paying three-digit prices for no more than 10-15 minutes of music. Be that as it may, the music here is quite clearly on a different level of intensity and unrefined pathos that what your average fan is normally accustomed to. Recorded somewhere in the tropical suburbs of Medellin, Colombia, Blasfemia's 1988 demo Guerra Total was part of a wider musical microcosm (along with the legendary Parabellum)  which dubbed itself Metal-Medallo or 'Ultra Metal'. This meant zero-fidelity recording sessions and an absolute fiasco when it comes to instrumental dexterity. But what they lacked in musical talent they more than made up in vigor and soul with their thorough absorbing of Venom-inspired hooliganism and bare-bones thrash metal. I'm willing to bet that if these guys had nothing but a fork and a pair of pliers they'd still be able to muster enough adrenaline to put something out that makes most of your black metal albums sound like castrated kittens. And that takes cojones, big cojones.

I could've went for Pentagram as my Chilean delegates but that would've been too obvious. So instead I did some digging and came up with this delightful little obscurity. Death Yell is one of those names you find intermixed in a long line of band references when a particular musician of that era is asked about his favourite band. It's a name that back in their hey day commanded a lot of respect but faded irrevocably into the charnel vault of extreme metal history. Musically, 1987's Vengeance from Darkness, blurs the line between black, death and thrash metal effectively commingling different influences into one big pile of vertiginous noise set loose in frenetic abandon. As is the case with the South American brand of extreme metal madness there is a very high degree of unrestrained energy which threatens whatever subtle sense of order and cohesion holding the compositions together. Of course this is more than just an exercise in stamina; there are measured passages of dread and gloom which efficiently set up a nice build up to whatever outburst might ensue. A fine signature release of the then burgeoning South American black/death metal scene.

Truth be told, it's quite obvious to any old-school cognoscenti that the then nascent Norwegian scene were relative latecomers compared to their counterparts in South America, Sweden and other parts.  Back in 1987 when the Deathcrush EP was released bands like  Vulcano, Bulldozer and Poison were already stretching their spidery tentacles into the dark reaches of the underground creating waves and setting up their own sound. Mayhem from their part had only just started and their debut EP exploded like a rusty bombshell in those bustling early days employing a primitive, suffocating aura in their sound. Of particular note is that already the unique style of Euronymous' strumming reared its ugly head within the angular, harsh compositions. Aside of that however there is very little audial, as well as member, overlap between the paroxysmic viscerality of 1987's Mayhem and the black metal juggernaut they would become with De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. Messiah's energetic groove would be henceforth replaced with Hellhammer's machine-like precision and Maniac's appropriately manic delivery would be replaced with the haunting performance of one Attila Csihar. Incidentally, Varg Vikernes  denounced the whole affair as nothing more than "funcore". And of course ol' Vargie is not the only one to trash this particular EP; over the years it has received almost as much criticism as it has praise. But hidden in this ominous cacophony lay that undeniable drive to push the then testosterone-fuelled world of thrash/speed metal to a more tenebrous trajectory into the forbidding corridors of the soul. And with Euronymous' untimely death a part of Mayhem's incipient energy died with him as well.

The underground carries within itself the necessary resources to constantly re-engineer itself so that the essence of yesteryear remains unadulterated and avoids the staleness of time and trite regurgitation. Mortuary Drape from their part rode confidently on the cusps of black metal's second wave and created their own testament to that old occult spirit. Their debut album All the Witches Dance is quite reminiscent of their neighbouring Greek scene in that they utilise the instruments (which are not necessarily limited to the conventional setup) at hand to create atmosphere and mystic aura without necessarily resorting to neck-breaking speeds and impenetrable noisy guitar layers. Necromantia's warm bassy undertones find their most apt advocates on this album in particular. As was the case with the great bands of the era they created a sound uniquely their own out of the tapestry of the first wave mixed with their own temperament. There's also a dispute that arose regarding the album's release since a number of "un-official" re-releases surfaced from time to time on account of the notorious, and now defunct, Unisound Records. Nevertheless, it's a definite black metal tome.

The tar-thick fog of Samael's seminal song Into the Pentagram remains in my ears the calling card of the fervent early days of the second wave. The undeniable spawn of Celtic Frost's limitless inspirational fountainhead, 1988's Medieval Prophecy is the pivotal point at which black metal as a stand-alone genre began to show its teeth to the then unsuspecting underground. And the reason I'm saying this is because up until this release no one really managed to re-style and re-transmute in such a convincing manner what Tom G. Warrior was trying to do on those early forays into the wilderness of extreme metal with Hellhammer. Focusing instead on an oppressive atmosphere and a disquieting sense of ritual and sacrilege, mastermind Vorphalack put forth a most compelling entrance into the scene of the day. And it's this tendency to experiment, create and re-engineer his influences that have led Samael in always presenting us with something different in each album henceforth. With that being said however, for all his artistic evolution, this remains my favourite release of theirs.

There's no denying that I.N.R.I. blew like a gust of lead across the underground scene of the time leaving in its wake the burning embers of whatever innocence there was left. I actually remember listening to signature-song 'Satanas' for the first time a good number of years ago. Although I was well into the more extreme stuff of metal I was immediately struck by the unremitting vitriol oozing with every note after distorted note. That fortuitous happenstance has still remained the yardstick by which I measure the authentic shock-value of any newly found release since. And only a few listening experiences have come close. Sarcófago were the natural next step with fellow countrymates Vulcano being the connective link between them and the early thrash-onslaught of Venom and Sodom. Just about everything about this album reeks of unmitigated extremity - the photos, the bestial vocal delivery, that ungodly cavernous sound. In my estimation this album, along with Bathory's second and third spell, stands as one of the most important (I won't say best because how do you define 'best' anyway?) releases of the 80s black metal scene. By way of trivia the now middle-aged vocalist / guitarist Wagner 'Antichrist' Lamounier  is now a successful academic at one of Brazil's major universities. But of course that didn't prevent him from climbing onstage recently and screaming his lungs out for a rendition of 'Nightmare' with fellow countrymates Mystifier and even doing a stagedive at the end of the show. Cult to the bone.

The Hellenic black metal movement will always hold a special place in black metal history. The signature sound of Storm studios bore its mark on all the landmark albums of the era and gave birth to one of the most original scenes to have come out of the second wave. I could have chosen any one of the unholy triad but I instead opted for the best of all worlds - all star ensemble Thou Art Lord which comprised of bassmeister Magus (Necromantia), riff-machine Necromayhem (Rotting Christ) and veteran underground seadog Gothmog on vocals. Their modus operandi had been made clear from the onset: they're not here to deliver lessons in musical innovation but to pay homage to the great masters of old. Channeling directly from the spirits of the undead past - Sodom, Kreator, Celtic Frost, Venom - and throwing in some good ol' fashioned Hellenic goodness (Necromayhem's trademark melodicism and pinch harmonics abound) they managed to create a bellowing monstrosity set apart from their originating outfits. First piece 'The Era of Satan Rising' along with Rotting Christ's 'Wolfera the Chacal' and Varathron's 'The Tressrising of Nyarlathotep' supremely embody the unique  sound of the Greek scene.

I was driven to this album solely because of the sheer ball-busting from pundits and musicians alike. And I'll be honest in that it took me a while before I actually understood what the fuck they were on about. Be that as it may, there's an unmistakable gravitas on Anno Domini that's for sure. I think the main thing that strikes me is the intriguing approach on how they composed riffs. Although clearly bred on the bog-standard diet of the era these guys found a fresh way to add a certain urgency to the songs. The rapid and sharp guitar phrases and solos being the case in point here are tell-tale signs of well-executed no-holds-barred extremity. However, although the compositions can be chaotic where they need to be there is enough dexterity here to always give off a sense of purpose and vision - they never really lose control. 'Countess Bathory' single-handedly became the Bible on which Swedish black/deathsters Dissection learned to combine bared-teeth aggression with melodious poignancy. And on top of all that they offered one of the most distinct throats to the black metal scene and not only. So my hat, finally, goes off to these Hungarian meisters - better late than never I say.

And finally I couldn't resist. I've heard just about every possible critique and damning epithet hurled at Von's Satanic Blood: 'boring', 'retarded' 'horrible', 'bullshit' - you get the point. And to be honest this forced me to really re-evaluate my initial impressions of the demo and their oeuvre as a whole. And although this did make certain shortcomings of them (very one-dimensional compositionally, minimal variation, zero rhythmical dynamics  etc etc) become quite salient in my eyes, the basic essence remained undiluted. Because at the end of the day the sheer audacity to strip off pretty much everything musically and leave only what is truly necessary is what makes these guys stand out in my book. It's exactly this minimalistic (there, I used it) deconstruction which effectively acted as a sort of experiment to uncover the true source of all this dark and oppressive music which came before them which I find quite fascinating. From this perspective the actual sound becomes secondary to the idea, the spirit, the motivation and that's why this is more of a band's band I reckon as opposed to a fan favourite. Pretty much everybody in the who's who of black metal have something to say about this demo, from Darkthrone to Watain (who, as almost everybody knows, incidentally took their moniker from one of Von's song titles). The cover featured here is from a delightful compilation released by old-school aficionado Yosuke of Nuclear War Now records featuring their infamous (originally recorded!) 1992 demo, another demo which never saw the light of day entitled Blood Angel and a bunch of live tracks. Definitely worth snapping up as the demo is pretty much out of reach now.

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