“If you are thinking that Lucifuge’s choices of band logo and cover art — not just on this record but on previous outings too — point towards them being fans of the old black metal guard of Venom, Celtic Frost, and Bathory, you’re spot on. And these tastes are reflected, to a significant degree, in the music, too.” Olden evils.
“Did you ever stop and wonder what a collaboration between Mercyful Fate, Celtic Frost, Agent Steel and Darkthrone circa Transilvanian Hunger would sound like? You probably didn’t, but Belgium blackened speed metal deviants Bütcher certainly did, and then they created 666 Goats Carry My Chariot to see if such a crazy musical time heist was even possible. It is, and I for one welcome our new time warping speed overlords, even as I flee from the super weapon of mass destruction they’ve wrought.” Goat show.
“Metal Archives lists ten bands that go by this name, but the metal realm’s equivalent of The Citadel of Westeros and the rest of the interwebz together yield precious little information about Sweden’s version of Reaper.” This is the story of one of them.
“The moon is full, the candles in my bedroom are flickering, and the neighborhood feels like it’s burning to the ground. The sirens scream up and down the street, the homeless behind the dumpster are cursing at each other, and the drug dealers in next door’s complex are firing warning shots into the air. My bartending friends say the place is overcome by angry, aggressive creeps. And my colleagues at the psychiatric ward say the patients are howling at the moon. It’s like a re-imagining of Carrie, minus everyone’s favorite whipping boygirl. Yet, it’s a perfect night for the chaos that pours from my speakers.” Blackness in the night.
![Sun Worship – Emanations of Desolation [Things You Might Have Missed 2019]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Sun-Worship-Emanations-of-Desolation-01-768x768.jpg)
“Too much music is released and there is not enough time nor space to cover it all. Some publicists game the system and generate artificial hype for their artists. A certain uniformity in year-end lists plagues major publications. An echo chamber of taste ensnares the metal community. Some of these reasons and a plethora of others may be why bands like the Berlin-based (deathened) black metal duo Sun Worship fly under the radar.” Sun and black winter.
“No month of horror movies leading up to the big day. No romantic nights with Elvira. No King Diamond/Mercyful Fate marathons. But, I’ll be goddamned if Halloween escapes me before 2019 ends. So, instead of turkey preparations and being thankful for the useless shit in my life, November is my new October. And, as it turns out, there’s no one I’d rather spend it with than Reveal and their third concoction of mindfucking black and death, Scissorgod.” No safety scissors these.
“Since 2016’s Bogefod, Sarke has been on a steady incline that includes clean/acoustic guitars, interesting key work, and female vocals. In and around it all, they use aggressive Hellhammer/Celtic Frost moments, cold first-wave tremolo pickings, and plenty of slumbering sinisterness. Bogefod and its follow-up, Viige Urh, were fresh cuts that sounded like siblings born moments apart from one another. But where is Gastwerso’s branch on this family tree? Is it the birth of triplets or is this a xenomorph C-section?” Horrific lineage.
“Exhorder have returned. And they’ve brought their mucky, Southern-tinged thrash with them on Mourn the Southern Skies. And, after a twenty-seven-fucking-year absence, they’re still angry and they still don’t give a fuck.” Vatican on lockdown.
“‘Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.’ It’s odd that a metal album calls to mind Genesis, but in this case it feels strangely appropriate. Even within genres, different bands occupy different niches. Some bands make music that’s tight, slick, and professional, some bands make music that sounds like a bunch of cavemen somehow acquired and learned to play modern instruments. True to their name, Italian trio Barbarian tend toward the latter. But lest you think that’s a slight against them, think again.” Honey, I think someone is at the gates.
“Well, you always get what’s coming to you. Though I’m a faithful and unfaltering fan of everything Darkthrone, the band’s 2016 full-length release kinda ticked me off. Having dealt with Napalm and Frontier Record’s insistence on sending out stream-only promos to music journalists across the world, I was a little peeved when Peaceville did the same with Arctic Thunder. Everyone remembers it. And I said some things I shouldn’t have. But, I got over it. And so did everyone else. But, when talk of the newest Darkthrone opus, Old Star, rolled around, I was content with receiving another stream-only promo. I mean, fair is fair, right?” Damn the stream!
