DECEASED Supernatural Addiction (Relapse) cd 14.98
Melodic death metal with Iron Maiden style guitar harmonies is a now popular style, typified by the likes of In Flames and Dark Tranquility. Deceased can consider themselves a pioneer in the genre, one of the best as well--and they're NOT from Sweden, but the good ol' US of A. Although I'm sure they still worship their heroes Voivod as much as they used to, musically recent Deceased has definitely got more of a "trad" metal sheen to it. Vocalist/drummer King Fowley's vox retain their growling, Cronos-of-Venom styled unclean quality, however. It's still death metal, but with the stress on the METAL. The eight tracks on offer here are all tales of occult horror, taken from fiction and film (from Ambrose Bierce to...The Blair Witch Project! Oh dear).

DECIBEL #58 August 2009 magazine 4.95
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of our favorite monthly metal reads, the glossy (but "extremely exteme") magazine Decibel is a worthy American rival to the UK's Terrorizer. And they definitely have some good writers, the sort who manage to entertain and amuse even when, sometimes, you didn't think you cared about the band being covered. This issue, though, there's definitely bands you care about. On the cover, good ol' Slayer. Inside: 1349, Anaal Nathrakh, Amesoeurs, Slough Feg, Goatwhore, Velnias, and plenty more. Plus reviews and news and columns (including as always John "Mountain Goats" Darnielle's back page bit of humor) and all that good stuff. And a special report on the resurgence of old school death metal.
About the only thing this ish we thought we didn't really care about is the Hall of Fame feature on NYHC straight edge band Judge's 1989 album Bringin' It Down... but we still read it, and now might give that album a spin if we run across a copy.

DECIBEL #59 Sep 2009 magazine 4.95
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Along with Terrorizer, this magazine is our monthly metal must-read. This issue has Nergal of Polish black/death metallers Behemoth on the cover, a cool photo of him looking like a surly member of the Blue Man Group who overdosed on Rogaine. Also, there's interviews with / features involving the likes of Anvil, The Gates Of Slumber, Voivod, Church Of Misery, Yob, Dysrhythmia, Gorod, Suffocation, and more. Including an interview with "pirate metal" band Swashbuckle conducted by Waldo the Parrot from Hatebeak! And if that's not enough humor for you, there's the usual John Darnielle column at the back of the magazine too, among other chuckles throughout.

DECIBEL #60 October 2009 magazine 4.95
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
On the cover, the return of IMMORTAL!! Inside, an awesome oral history of splatter metal legends Gwar, as well as Municipal Waste, Job For A Cowboy, Nile, Devildriver, Divine Heresy, Asphyx, Goreaphobia, Keelhaul, Amon, Rammstein, City Of Ships, Scale The Summit, Sarke, Demonical, Born Of Osiris, Arkaea, Bill Steer of Carcass, reviews a handful of MP3's, Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares reviews his favorite restaurants, an extreme metal football preview, Cynic's Focus inducted into the Decibel Hall Of Fame, and of course tons of reviews, as well as some hilarious back page snark from the Mountain Goats John Darnielle.

DECIBEL #62 December 2009 magazine 4.95
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Latest issue of the premiere American glossy metal mag features metalcore masters Converge on the cover. Inside, all kinds of other AQ approved bands: Skeletonwitch, Saviours, Shrinebuilder, The Gates Of Slumber, Liturgy, Portal, 3 Inches Of Blood, Gnaw Their Tongues, Gorgoroth, and plenty more! There's a High On Fire "studio report", the usual amusing John Darnielle and J. Bennett columns, the usual cavalcade of reviews (including one of new metal-themed video game Brutal Legend that says it's got "the greatest metal soundtrack ever" for which we at Aquarius can take a little credit, having helped out with it), and, best of all, a "Hall Of Fame" feature on Trouble's debut album! Now that's a good issue!

DECIBEL #65 March 2010 magazine 4.95
More good headbanging readin' here, from the always entertaining and informative Decibel mag... On the cover, Fear Factory (ho hum), all CGI-ed out in the picture like wanna be Terminators. But inside, lots of much more interesting stuff: Sigh, Harvey Milk, Hellhammer (an excerpt from Tom G. Warrior's upcoming book), Sacrifice, Holy Grail, and other rad bands we like... plus lots of reviews, funny columns, news bits, etc.
AND, this issue sees the classic Saint Vitus album Born Too Late inducted into the Decibel Hall Of Fame! Just in time for their reunion tour, of course.

DECIBEL #66 April 2010 magazine 4.95
High On Fire On The Cover (looking maybe just a little uncomfortable, posing draped in snakes on account of their new album, Snakes For The Divine... why'd it have to be snakes... shoulda said snacks!).
Also this ish: Ludicra, The Wounded Kings, Teitanblood, Bastard Noise, Daughters, Priestess, Abscess, Ihsahn, Landmine Marathon, Finntroll (vs. Troll), Dark Tranquillity (being inducted into the Hall Of Fame for The Gallery), Nachtmystium (studio report), and more, including of course all the usual news, tons o' reviews, and funny columns, John Darnielle's South Pole Dispatch being particularly amusing this time 'round.

DECOMPOSING SERENITY We'll Stop When You're Dead (Maybe) (Vomit Noise Productions) cd 14.98

DECREPIT SPECTRE Coal Black Hearses (Paradigms) cd 12.98
Not sure how many of you remember the group Code, and their record Nouveau Gloaming, from maybe 3 or 4 years ago. A dizzying blend of blasting Norwegian style blackness a la Satyricon (circa Nemesis Divina) and Interpol, or at least some modern post Joy Division gothiness, and no small amount of Swans like doomic crush as well, oh and a bit of Khold like groove. That record destroyed us (and before you order it, we're not entirely sure it's even still available sad to say). We had been wondering though, quite recently in fact, what happened to Code, only to discover... a new Code record OUT NOW and reviewed elswhere on this week's list, and this little project right here: Decrepit Spectre. Featuring Code vocalist Kvohst, who also sings for Dodheimsgard, which should give you a clue as to what sort of blackened crooning to expect from Decrepit Spectre. The rest of the band is rounded out by some serious black metal muscle as well. Members of Ved Buens Ende, Manes and Seth among others.
We're happy to report that Decrepit Spectre basically sounds like Code mk. II, which is a very good thing indeed. A killer mix of frenzied blasting blackness, and moody brooding doom-ed gothiness. At its heaviest, sounding quite a bit like classic Satyricon, but maybe more than Code, DS is rife with those awesomely dramatic vocals, that definitely makes Coal Black Hearses sound like a black metal Interpol record, which as far as we're concerned is pretty much something we always fantasized about, or would have if it even seemed like a possibility. The arrangements are mathy and dense and complex, the riffs buzz and snarl, but there's also plenty of winding twisted guitar melodies, haunting harmonies, and the cool thing here is that even the loping gothy parts, are often underpinned by furious double kick drumming, and conversely, the flurries of vintage black buzz, are often wound around deep moaning sorrowful vocals. A strange combination, but one that still works, and still totally hits the spot for us. We were a bit bummed out by the later Dodheimsgard records, not sure what it was exactly, but THIS is exactly how we hoped those DHG discs would sound, super tech, post black metal, melodic and gloomy, mysterious and dramatic, but at the same time heavy as fuck, crushing and thrashing and pounding, with plenty of creeped out interludes, washed out woozy blackness, harsh hellish vox, insane relentless drumming and the occasional stretch of abstract psychedelic weirdness.
A bit of a bummer this is only 16 minutes long (just 3 tracks), but it definitely has us chomping at the bit for a full length.
Released on UK label Paradigms, who seemingly can do no wrong. A limited edition, but unclear just how limited.
MPEG Stream: "Graverider"
MPEG Stream: "Stranded Angels"

DEEP JEW Ugliest Man / Dog Blood (Jugular Forest / Troniks) lp 14.98
Deep Jew was one of those good bands with a horrible name; and had they been born a decade earlier, these LA noiseniks would have counted amongst the numerous crustpunks touring alongside Man Is The Bastard or maybe even Corrupted throughout the '90s. Yet, as it stands, Deep Jew released a couple of things including a split single for Not Not Fun and this LP (of which we managed to dig up a few copies!) before calling it quits in 2008. But no matter how you look at it, Deep Jew's slow-motion, dirge-punk, power-violence is a force not to be taken lightly. Even if they do have a questionable name.
Five cuts of post-MITB brutalist sludge and murkscaping distortion grace the A side of Ugliest Man / Dog Blood with howling vocals, caveman bashing drum kit abuse, low-slung bass buried way way down deep, and thick guitar / amplifier pedal noise which might have something in the way of Swans-like riff if all of that distortion hadn't crumbled everything into filthy noise. The flip is a monstrous side-long car-crash captured at quarter-speed with chugging, stumbling dirgecore rhythms that lurch amidst a lock-stepped bass throb all of which tugs and / or pushes against relentlessly overblown amplifier punishment and blister-popped feedback. Silkscreened covers and limited to something like 400 copies.

DEF LEPPARD On Through The Night (Mercury) cd 11.98
"No, Def Leppard don't suck. Their first few albums are pretty great." So we said in a postscript to our review of Savage's Loose 'N Lethal last time. Well let's put our money where our mouth is, and do what we do here, which is write about music we like, dammit. So, here's Def Leppard's 1980 debut, On Through The Night. Despite the most ridiculous "space truckin'" cover art, and Def Leppard's eventual commercial hair metal success-to-excess trajectory, this is a kick ass album. A bona fide NWOBHM classic. Not over produced and over cheesed like some of their later million sellers. Though definitely pro and polished, heavier than you'd expect, and full on rockin', right out of the gate with the anthemic call to arms "Rock Brigade". Next up is the prescient "Hello America", Def Leppard dreaming big, some keyboard synths creeping in... but they're just an embellishment on that one song alone, as there's plenty of guitar riffage to go around on this disc! Lotsa snakey licks, some slide on the big beat of "It Don't Matter". Yeah, on and on through the night you'll hear Def Lep's six stringers Steve Clark (R.I.P.) and Pete Willis duking it out over Rick Savage's bass lines and the solid (two-armed, at the time) drumming of Rick Allen. While wailing over it all are the distinctive, nasally pipes of Joe Elliott (hmm, he's credited here with "throat" just like HR in the Bad Brains).
As the NWOBHM did, Def Leppard take the '70s sounds of British arena rockers like Led Zep and UFO and inject some new vitality and purpose. Youthful energy and all that. And they had learned their lessons well. (It took a few albums into the '80s before they fully fumbled the torch they'd been passed.) There's some mellower, melancholic moments (parts of "Sorrow Is A Woman", of course, ferinstance) but nothing like a ballad, this is mostly a headbanging good time with flashes of royal majesty.
A few further comments on this record: the Leps continue to prophesize their own impending fame with the cheering crowd mixed in on the urgent "Rocks Off". And "Answer To The Master" is just a classic heavy metal song title ain't it? As is (another prophecy?) "Wasted"...
MPEG Stream: "It Could Be You"
MPEG Stream: "Answer To The Master"

DEFILED Divination (Season of Mist) cd 15.98

DEFILED Ugliness Revealed (Baphomet / Necropolis) cd 14.98
Unlike the primitive American black metal ususally found on Killjoy's Baphomet label, this dometic debut from this Japanese band fits better into the technical, brutal death metal scene, a la Cryptopsy and Gorguts -- but with more of an old school, metal feel than those acts. The disc is chock full of twisting guitar riffs and chaotic changes, delivered with a biting sound. This actually reminds us a bit of long-gone Seattle speed metal coulda-been-greats Forced Entry, but with extra brutality and a Japanese accent. One thing that's strange about this disc is that each song is preceeded by its own separate ambient intro track (so you can program them out? hey, that's a good idea!). Recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Uncovered Plots"

DEFLESHED Fast Forward (Pavement) cd 16.98
Swedish thrashers Defleshed, whose previous disc Under The Blade was one of the ragin'est, catchiest, most METAL releases of '98, return with an equally fierce followup, the aptly titled Fast Forward! Energetic speed/death metal with no guitar solos. Like a buzzsaw to your skull, guaranteed to induce violent headbanging. Great songtitles abound: "The Iron And The Maiden", "Feeding Fatal Fairies", "Domination Of The Sub-Queen", "Lightning Strikes Thrice", "Snowballing Blood"...
Also includes two bonus live cuts.

DEFLESHED Reclaim The Beat... An Audial Assault In Twelve Rounds (Candlelight) cd 14.98

DEFLESHED Royal Straight Flesh (Regain) cd 13.98
The hyper-caffienated trio of Swedish thrashers known as Defleshed return with this, their fourth studio effort, and again whip up a storm of headbanging heaviness -- 32 minutes of aggressive old-school metal mania. While their insidiously catchy 1998 masterpiece Under The Blade is their best release, fans may find Royal Straight Flesh a blast, more-or-less literally. This is more of a drilling grind, still bereft of time-wasting guitar solos, but mostly without the staggering hooks of Under The Blade. Yet is is every bit as energetic and powerful, which counts for something! And at points we're reminded of recent Immortal output, which is also no bad thing.
RealAudio clip: "Fire In The Soul"

DEFLESHED Under The Blade (Hammerheart) cd 11.98
One of 1998's best metal releases gets a digipak reissue with a multitude of bonus tracks! Harkening back to '80s thrash masters Destruction (whose "Curse The Gods" gets covered here), this hyper-andrenalized Swedish power trio somehow created what might really be the heaviest and catchiest disc of the decade, briming with amazing amounts of metallic energy. If you didn't get this when it first came out, get it now!! Their subsequent album, Fast Forward, was good too, but this one's their best. Sheer maniac magic. For the reissue, we get an additional nine rare live, demo, and single tracks, including a cover Sepultura's "Beneath the Remains". Fucking headbanging nirvana!!
RealAudio clip: "Walking The Moons Of Mars"

DEFTONES s/t (Maverick) cd 16.98
God, I love the Deftones. I can't help it. And why should I even try? I've proudly proclaimed it in the past and I will continue to do so. Their records strike this perfect balance between thunderous, skull crushing heaviness and heartbreaking, soul shattering lovliness. Sweet, wispy melodies flit delicately between falling slabs of impossibly heavy sound, downtuned guitars spew molten rivers of roiling riffs and frothing feedback, Chino Moreno's gorgeous velvety croon, wraps itself lovingly around your head, filling your ears with warm melodic gauze before exploding into a banshee-like wail and splitting your skull into a thousand pieces. Crushing metallic dirges dissipate into drone-y, whirring soundscapes of hushed, almost whispered vocals and delicate, crystalline melodies. So perfect.
MPEG Stream: "Hexagram"
MPEG Stream: "Good Morning Beautiful"
MPEG Stream: "Needles And Pins"

DEFTONES Saturday Night Wrist (Maverick) cd 16.98

MPEG Stream: "Rapture"
MPEG Stream: "Beware"
MPEG Stream: "Pink Cellphone"

DEFTONES White Pony (Maverick) cd 15.98
So, knowing full well that I am impervious to any mockery, having weathered plenty with my past admissions (Tool, Fastway, Warlord, Bad News), I will stand tall, and say that the new Deftones record is amazing. Maybe even better than their last record, 'Around The Fur', 'White Pony' puts the Deftones even more safely apart from the 'nu-metal' crowd they are often (and unfairly) lumped in with. Sure, there's the occasional Rage-Against-The-Machine-isms, but that's not so bad (we all loved the Refused record which bordered on RATM territory) and this record is just fucking great. Heavy and weird and catchy and dark, and sometimes slow and creepy (their admitted Depeche Mode obsession is in full effect). Plus some guest vocals from Tool frontman Maynard, make for the best Tool song that never was. Fucking essential.
RealAudio clip: "Knife Party"
RealAudio clip: "Digital Bath"

DEFUNTOS / STRIBORG Florestas De Perpetua Solidae (Dunkelheit Produktionen / Sabbath's Fire / Infernal Kommando) 7" 11.98

DEICIDE In Torment In Hell (Roadrunner) cd 16.98
When you think 'death metal' you probably think Deicide. Or Morbid Angel. Or at least you should. The two bands that basically define modern death metal (without sucking). While Morbid Angel twist death metal into weird shapes and sprinke it liberally with squiggly guitar solos, Deicide stay true. Nothing too weird or far out. Just fast and furious grunted death metal. That said, this sounds like their 'weirdest' yet, with riffs galore, insane blast beats and cookie moster growls but with plenty of weirdly syncopated half time parts and complex, not-exactly-obvious song structures. Pretty great.
RealAudio clip: "In Torment In Hell"
RealAudio clip: "Vengeance Will Be Mine"

DEICIDE Insineratehymn (Roadrunner) cd 16.98
Beefy Satanic dude death metal. Another in a long line of blasting blasphemies.

DEICIDE Scars Of The Crucifix (Earache) cd 14.98

DEICIDE The Stench of Redemption (Earache) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "The Stench Of Redemption"
MPEG Stream: "Death To Jesus"

DEICIDE Til Death Do Us Part (Earache) cd 14.98

DEINONYCHUS Ark Of Thought (Supernal) cd 15.98

MPEG Stream: "Chrysanthemums In Bloom"
MPEG Stream: "Revelation"

DEMOLITION HAMMER Necrology: A Complete Anthology (Century Media) 2cd 13.98

DEMONOID Riders of the Apocalypse (Nuclear Blast) cd 10.98
When we first got a promo of this, we looked at the cover painting (a real dark and cool-looking depiction of the title characters) and wondered...black metal, death metal, or power metal? Turns out it's all of the above. And pretty damn good too, so we ordered copies for the store right away. Demonoid is apparently a side project of Therion, a symphonic Swedish metal band we don't particularily care about, but this sounds nothing like Therion these days that's for sure. Epic and technical but totally brutal and heavy. The vocals are of the growling variety, but not cookie monster grunts. The '80s thrash influences on display here remind us of Defleshed -- but with guitar solos. Which are amazing, as is the drumming (by the guy from Soilwork). And it's a concept album -- with a concept that is explained in the liner notes and boils down to this: "among all the rubbish written in the Bible, there was as a matter of fact only one thing that was correct; the description of the 4 Riders of the Apocalpyse". So we get songs about mankind's crimes through the ages, and the punishments that the Riders eventually visit upon us... Full devil horns up for this one!
MPEG Stream: "Firestorms"
MPEG Stream: "14th Century Plague"

DEMONS & WIZARDS Touched By The Crimson King (SPV) cd 16.98
Power metal dudes and dudettes! We can't call ourselves a "metal specialty" store without listing this. Well actually we're not a "metal specialty" store but that's what it said in the New York Times article about "intelligent metal" a few weeks ago, quoting Andee talking about some of the bands the Times thought were so smart. Not among them, Demons and Wizards, though if you really like metal you should dig this as much or more than SUNNO))) and Pelican and so forth. It's the second album from the dream team of Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kursch and Iced Earth guitarist John Schaffer. Well ok we're not big Iced Earth fans here (the early stuff was good, though). But Blind Guardian get all kinds of AQ props. And one of the main reasons is 'cause of Hansi's vocals. He's not just some cookie cutter smoothly crooning power metal vocalist. He's got personality, some roughness, an edge. He's also way better than anyone who's ever sung for Iced Earth (well, Ripper's got a good voice, but Hansi's way more original!).
Anyway, Demons & Wizards are pretty great and fans of either 'parent' band won't be disappointed.

DEMONTAGE The Principal Extinction (Shadow Kingdom) cd 14.98
Though we haven't polled everyone, the general consensus around here seems to be that Demontage is a cool name for a heavy metal band. But is Demontage also in fact a cool heavy metal band? Yeah, they are, or we wouldn't have ordered a bunch to highlight! They're a fairly eccentric outfit from up in Toronto, Canada, a peculiar but exceedingly powerful power trio comprised of Abominable Reverend (drums), Perverted Priest (bass), and Spatilomantis (guitars/vocals), playing an off-the-rails mix of old school and more modern extreme metal styles with frenzied abandon and plenty of idiosyncratically Satanic spirit, more metal than thou, no doubt. The Principal Extinction is their 2nd full length (but first real cd, as their previous album Sacrilege 'n Miscreancy was but a cd-r release), consisting of six tracks that we can barely describe 'cause these guys are insane. The songs aren't short (in the 6-10 minute range) and boy do they cram a lot into 'em, from NWOBHM gallop to black metallic fuzz to proggy synth sizzle to majestic epicness to utterly doomy crush, always with aggressive riffs, ripping leads, thrashy drums, and (obviously) a LOT of twists and turns. Somehow it all flows beautifully, like blood from a demon's maw. Heck, Demontage is an appropriate name for them on account of how they mash together so much in their crazy compositions, which sound like, we dunno, Saviours on a lot of drugs? Danava doing an advanced version of Venom? Brocas Helm in a hellish hot tub with Celtic Frost? The vocals don't help us to pin 'em down either, as they're mostly gruff, but spiced with occasional high pitched screams, and there's melodic & manly cleanly sung parts too.
Certainly Demontage remind us a bit of the sort of anything-goes metal played by the diverse likes of Root, Dragonauta, and Sigh. But with much more of a denim and leather '80s beer drinking vibe, if you can imagine. Headbanging catchiness is a priority, in other words, but that doesn't get in the way of 'em being weird as well (& as hell). We wish more bands were willing to be both this darn metal AND this out-there original. Cool stuff, quite recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Accursed Saboteur"
MPEG Stream: "The Principal Extinction"
MPEG Stream: "Satan Of Self (The Warrior)... & Seer Of Truths (The Conjurer)"

DEN SAAKALDTE Ol, Morke Og Depresjon (Eerie Art) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A list of the members of this new group should be enough to have most black metallers diving for the add-to-cart button: Kvarforth of Shining and Diabolicum, Skyellg from Naer Mataron and Paradigma, Seldemann from 1349 and Pantheon I, S. Winter from Gehenna and Aeternus and finally Jormundgand from Dodheimsgard. Odds are you probably have records by most, if not all of those bands in your collection, and while the sounds of those various groups are pretty varied, it will probably not prepare you for the sound of Den Saakaldte (which some might recognize as a Ved Buens Ende song title!).
Self described as "depressive black metal music with a modern avantgardist touch", the record begins with a long stretch of haunting choral voices, processed FX, soaring strings, swirling synths, deep rumbling drones, cabaret piano, shortwave interference, bits of hiss and glitch. It's an intro, sure, but only inasmuch as it's at the beginning of a black metal record, there are plenty of avant free-rock groups who would kill to come up with a track this cool and weird. But it is a black metal record, and it is after all an intro, so when the first song kicks in all heavy downtuned guitar, we're ready, but what we're not ready for is the trumpet, yep TRUMPET, the guitar trumpet drum mix is pretty cool, but soon gives way to something much more black, a churning blackened chugfest, heavy as fuck, with super deep howled processed vocals, killer drumming, amazing guitar playing, and super catchy main riff, the song twisting and turning and returning to the intro with an Eastern sounding guitar melody replacing the trumpet, before exploding back into that unmistakable Norwegian buzz, before slipping into some woozy doom, before lurching to a stop, leaving just a muted crackly clean guitar, and moaning almost choral vocals, before one final flurry of black buzz and a creepy drifty outro.
The rest of the record follows suit, channeling the spirit of the Norwegian legends: Gorgoroth, Ulver, Arcturus, Burzum, but with a definite dramatic vibe, and plenty of avant flourishes, whether they be weird acoustic guitar / accordion interludes, or strangled maniacal almost operatic vocals, or whole songs of dubbed out rhythms and processed piano, skittery electronic beats and disembodied horn sections.
The record finishes off with the nearly 12 minute lone "Jag Ar Den Fallna", featuring a guitar part that is total Thorns, but again, laced with minor key trumpet flourishes, as well as spidery guitar melodies, a groovy doomy depressive dirge, that explodes into a blast of black fury before crumbling into a sort of stumbling depressive Joy Division-y lurch, the track slipping effortlessly back and forth, from moaning minor key lumber, to blasting shrieking blackness, and back again, eventually the two disparate elements becoming one, the song turning into some blackened My Dying Bride, all epic classic doom, before that Thorns-like riff returns to finish things off, leading directly into the sub-minute long coda, a super creepy collage of little girl voices and atonal synths, wrapped in a gauzy otherworldly swirl of dense delay and reverb.
It might sound cliched to say, but they really don't make records that sound so much like this anymore, that nineties Norwegian sound, heavy and dark and catchy and majestic and mysterious and brutal and black, these are the sounds that lured us over to the dark side, and it's easy to see why, and strangely enough it still sounds as good today as it did 15 years ago. WAY recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Drikke Ens Skal"
MPEG Stream: "Vandringen"

DEPRESSOR Lord Of The Flesh / Black God's Shadow + 4 (self-released) 2 x 7" 14.98
Even if the two blood red slabs of thrashing blackened demonic death metal weren't enough to sell you on this here ultra evil double 7", then the obscenely extravagant packaging almost certainly would. Packaged in a thick black gatefold, printed in metallic silver ink, like some ancient lost book of magic, alchemy and evil, with the inner pages printed on parchment, edges actually burnt and candle wax dripped here and there, portraying horrific images of demons and planets with all the text in some mysterious lost language of runes and symbols. This is seriously one of the most intense and insanely packaged records we have ever seen (hence the price, hand made, and according to the band they take forever to assemble and burn and melt!). We passed it around when we first got these, gawking and examining them like they were some priceless artifacts, and for you metalheads and record geeks they just might be! SUPER SUPER LIMITED!!!

DESERT SESSIONS Seven & Eight (Rekords Rekords / Southern Lord) cd 13.98
Guitarist/vocalist and "desert rock" big-shot Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, ex-Kyuss) likes to get his musical friends together for jammin' jamborees. Homme's friends this time include Mark Lanegan, and, allegedly, somebody from Motley Crue.

DESERT SESSIONS Vol 1 / Vol 2 (Man's Ruin Records) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

DESTROYER 666 Defiance (Season Of Mist) cd 14.98

DESTROYER 666 Phoenix Rising (Season of Mist) cd 16.98
Furious old-school blackened death metal from Australia. This record was quite a surprise considering how much their earlier efforts sucked. But this is the shit. Incredibly heavy and surprisingly catchy with relentless Norwegian style blast beats mixed with midtempo Venom/Burzum style buzz. Really great.
RealAudio clip: "The Last Revelation"

DESTRUCTION All Hell Breaks Loose (Nuclear Blast) cd 14.98
Comeback attack from '80s German thrash legends, the trio known as Destruction! And it really is a comeback, 'cause this rules. Not year 2000 updated at all, just their patented ferocious twisting guitar thrash, catchy and headbanging indeed, just like their old classics. Fans of current bands in the speed/death vein like the
Destruction-worshippers Defleshed should be sure to get this. And they still spell "disaster" "desaster"! The unlisted bonus track, a cover of Metallica's "Whiplash" is a little predictable of a choice, though.

DESTRUCTION Inventor Of Evil (Candlelight) cd 14.98
Destruction!!! The '80s German thrash masters are still at it, and they've still "got it" too. We slipped up and didn't review their last album, 2003's Metal Discharge, so let's make up for that by mentioning this one, another old school flashback for sure. If you just want to bang your head and fantasize about bloody cleaver-wielding maniacs, you can't go too far wrong with Destruction's latest (or the one before this one, or the one before that, or all way back to their pre-reunion '80s classics). This is metal music that looks good in a bullet belt, nothing more, nothing less. Simple and aggressive and to the (sharpened) point.
Metal fans should also note that the track "The Alliance Of Hellhounds" features a gang of guest vocalists -- the singers from Dimmu Borgir, Candlemass, Soilwork, Doro, Rage, Death Angel, Hypocrisy (Peter Tagtagren, who produced this album as well), and Iron Maiden (Paul, not Bruce or Blaze) alongside Destruction's own Schmier!
MPEG Stream: "The Alliance Of Hellhounds"
MPEG Stream: "Twist Of Fate"

DESTRUCTION Metal Discharge (Nuclear Blast) cd 14.98

DESTRUCTION The Antichrist (Nuclear Blast) cd 14.98
Here's the sophomore comeback album for Germany's flagship thrash outfit, '80s vets Destruction. Chainsawing their way through 11 tracks of their trademark high energy, uh, thrash, they prove that last year's "All Hell Breaks Loose" wasn't a fluke. They're back, and here to stay -- as the refrain of the second song on here goes: "Thrash Till Death!" So strap on your bullet belt, limber up your neck, and join the fun. If you're buying Witchery albums, this definitely belongs in your metal collection too.

DESTRUCTO SWARMBOTS The Mountain EP (Public Guilt) cd ep 7.98
What kind of sounds would you expect from a band called Destructo Swarmbots? Don't bother guessing because you'd probably be way off. No squealing, grinding metallic mayhem here, instead this mysterious duo offer up three extended tracks of warm and creepy, fuzzy rumbling drone. As if you were sneaking through a mazelike series of tunnels, only to discover a whole legion of Destructo Swarmbots, secretly toiling away in an underground cavern, assembling some mysterious organic machine, and the huge space reverberates with the ominous humming and whirring of the 'bots incessant laboring. Definitely for the drone minded among you. Cool 3" cd packaged in a normal sized jewel case.
MPEG Stream: "36 Beautiful Songs"

DETSORGSEKALF Troo Grim Warriors Ov The Necrokkult (self-released) cd-r 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
BACK IN STOCK, SO BOW TREMBLING BEFORE THESE TROO GRIM WARRIORS, THESE BLACKENED FROST GIANTS FORM THE NORTH, in other words, if you didn't get one of these self released ep's last time we listed 'em, now's your chance...
By now all readers of the aQ list understand our obsession with fucked black metal. Demented, damaged, bizarre and brilliant. We can't get enough. From Benighted Leams to Rehtaf Ruo to Furze to Necrofrost to Striborg. Now, bow before the mighty black metal warriors of Detsorgsekalf.We discovered them quite by accident. Andee saw their video online (check it out here: http://www.eyeblister.com/inframe_main_1.html) and was so immediately smitten that he emailed them and first offered to play drums for them (they were drummerless, see the video), and barring that, offered to release a record for them. So with a forthcoming release on tUMULt in the works, we managed to get a handful of copies of their first self released cd-r, and if anything it more than lives up to the promise of the video.
Once you see the band and the video, you might get the impression that there's some sort of humor going on, maybe it's some sort of joke, but be aware this is as troo and grim as it gets. So serious in fact, that the band has already received numerous death threats from other disgruntled black metalheads, the contents of which will provide the concept and story for the upcoming full length. Lead vocalist Balfobar Nosugref is a massive behemoth of a man (literally, he's a really big guy!), clad in spiked armor and smeared in corpsepaint as he spews all sorts of necro wisdom in a demonic screech WAY up in the mix. Then there's the ultrahot Morksjal The Necrowench, who wields a bloodied black axe like a woman possessed. The whole band is a motley crew of blackened misfits from the bowels of the earth, sprung forth to spread musical disease and pestilence. The sound is a Burzumy buzz, with blasting drum machine beats and no bass! Just buzzing guitar after buzzing guitar, a swirling droney blast of black frost. Balfabar's vocals are absurd and insane, spouting all manner of satanic drivel as well as rants about his girlfriend and other evil thoughts. There are some strange falsetto vocals, some random funk bass, strange samples, all mixed in amidst the evil buzz. Sometimes things get almost a bit too goofy, reminding us a little bit of a necro Steven Schultz (who we obviously love), but the band is at their best when they are in full on black buzz mode, then they can hold their own with any of the above mentioned black metal bands. The demented elite for sure.
They may be true and grim and evil, a black metal fist crushing all false metal, but Detsorgsekalf (their name being "frosted flakes" backwards but with a "g" instead of an "f" we just figured out, maybe) manage, in the process of being evil and true, to take the wind out of the sails of all those black metal blowhards that take themselves too seriously. Not that this isn't serious, because it is. Really.
Just check the bonus tracks "Keyboard Solo" and their holiday chestnut "Black Xmas." Or the video. And enjoy the Troo Grim Warriors Ov The Necrokkult while you anxiously await the new full length: A.B.B.A. -- Apocaalyptic Blasphemed Battle Anthems!!
MPEG Stream: "The Embers Of Your Church Burn So Bright"
MPEG Stream: "Troo Grim Warriors Of The Necrokkult"
MPEG Stream: "Frostburn Upon The Winter Of Mankind's Discontent"

DEUTROM, MARK Iraq (self-released) cd-r 12.98
LAST 10 COPIES!!! Already out of print, so this is your last chance...
On first listen, we weren't entirely sure what to think. After all, Deutrom once handled bass for the Melvins, did a solo album a while back that sounded more like Queens Of The Stone Age, and he also recently released a cd-r made entirely out of the sounds of a squeaking gate, a record even Deutrom admitted he couldn't listen to. Thus we have Iraq, that on first listen, does indeed have us thinking about that infamous squeaking gate record. But on closer listening, and knowing the sound source, it becomes much more interesting (and maybe even a slight bit more listenable). Iraq is a single hour long piece, consisting of a crackling skittering slightly percussive squelch, chopped and repeated, looped and stretched, sometimes it sounds like Autechre, albeit WAY stripped down, sometimes it sounds like a bug zapper, sometimes it sounds like someone shaking pop corn in one of those readymade popcorn pans you cook on the stove, sometimes it sounds like super high pitched crickets, sometimes... well, you get the idea. Sonically it could easily have been a piece by Ikeda or Hauswolff or one of those folks. But once you realize where the sounds came from, it's a whole different story. Every sound on this disc was generated from a single loop of 7 different recordings of George W. Bush saying the word Iraq. All taken from important speeches, two from this year's State Of The Union Address, two from a speech during which Bush announced the beginning of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" in 2003 and three from Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech also in 2003. Hard to understand how 7 "Iraq"s became this crazy stuttery staticky piece, until you realize that there are 14,112,000 repetitions of the word "Iraq" per minute in the piece. Woah!
Hard to explain Deutrom's concept, repetition equals obsolescence, intrinsic veracity through absolute negation, etc.... yeah yeah yeah, okay, but basically, this is just one fucked up piece of sound art. And who can argue with some subtle sonic Bush bashing? Not us!!
SUPER LIMITED! ONLY 500 COPIES MADE!! Each one hand numbered and signed! Packaged in cool hand screened cardstock sleeves with two printed inserts and liner notes.
MPEG Stream: "Iraq (excerpt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "Iraq (excerpt 2)"

DEVIL DOLL Dies Irae (Hurdy Gurdy) cd 17.98
Another disc of horrifying progressive creepiness from Italian underground masters of the bizarre and the frightening, Devil Doll. Never was a band more suited to scoring horror films (since Goblin), but Devil Doll don't, they just weave epic and haunting filmless scores, leaving it to your imagination to come up with the ghastly images that must surely accompany music this horrific. Dark and meandering, strings and organs, and this time around a female opera singer accompanies Mr. Doctor's inhuman falsetto howl/growl. This is so good. Imagine a weirder, and occasionally more metal Goblin, with a vocalist who is Diamanda Galas, Dani Filth and Sainko Namtchylak all wrapped up in one hunchbacked pointy-eared hobgoblin. So good.
RealAudio clip: "One"
RealAudio clip: "Two"
RealAudio clip: "Three"

DEVIL DOLL Eliogabalus (Hurdy Gurdy) cd 17.98
Still even more haunting and lush frightscapes from this Italian troupe of musical miscreants. Orchestral and progressive and heavy and occasionally carnivalesque. Super distorted creep-out piano abruptly shifts to a melancholy soundscape underpinning mad Mr. Doctor's maniacal whispers as duelling distorted cellos and halloween violins explode into a haunted carnival complete with shuffling snares, burping tubas and violent squalls spinning from side to side courtesy of some extreme stereo panning. Imagine Godspeed You Black Emperor if they were raised on King Crimson and ELP, were forced to watch Fulci and Argento movies non stop, while listening to Wagner and Eighties Metal, huffing ether and drinking absinthe. Then add the most insane frontman ever, incorporating the best (or worst) parts of Marilyn Manson, Serge Gainsbourg, Rob Halford, the Gyuto monks, Dani Filth (Cradle of Filth), Geddy Lee, Klaus Nomi and Diamanda Galas. Ridiculous, amazing, and so completely recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Mr. Doctor"

DEVIL DOLL Sacrilege Of Fatal Arms (Hurdy Gurdy) cd 17.98
Another Devil Doll record that we finally managed to get our hands on. This is apparently a fan club only re-release and the sleeve warns that "this music can alter your mental health". It sure is strange enough that it might make you wonder what the hell you're listening to. An orchestra tunes up, some polite applause and then a Sousa-style march that is interrupted by what sounds like an Italian politician whipping an angry mob into a frenzy. Then it gets serious. Strings and organ accompany sinister chants in a liturgy of the damned that turns into a Goblin-esque prog workout. It's a crime that some horror film director didn't grab these guys cause they make some of the most tense, evocative faux soundtrack music we've heard (although this is supposedly an actual soundtrack). About 6 minutes into it, the Devil Doll we all know and love starts to materialise, with the unmistakable strains of Mr. Doctor's hissed/whispered/growled vocals taking over and leading the listener through a surreal maze of terror and insanity. Fans of Goblin will love this. One eighty minute track.
RealAudio clip: "The Sacrilege of Fatal Arms"

DEVIL DOLL Sacrilegium (Hurdy Gurdy) cd 17.98
More Devil Doll insanity. It seems unfair to always compare Devil Doll to Goblin, but it's sort of unavoidable as they both traffic in the same creepy proggy nightmarescapes and they are both so good. To be fair though, Devil Doll have more room to play since they aren't composing for actual films, which ends up making them a lot stranger. 'Sacrilegium' begins with a bang, soaring organs and seventies prog slowly overtaken by a demonic choir chanting some sacred rites. Then, Mr. Doctor, the high priest of Devil Doll, begins his serpentine recitation, of mysteries and tales of horror with his warbling raspy falsetto. Truly haunting and fucking far out. Again it's the vocals that keep this band so cult, but if you ask me, it's exactly what makes this band so amazing.

DEVIL DOLL The Girl Who Was... Death (Hurdy Gurdy Records) cd 17.98
Although this is not a new release, we finally found a way to get these and keep them in stock. It's really tough to explain what this band sounds like, and apparently it's really hard for most people to even like them, seeing as they have a ton of records out, and they somehow manage to remain completely unknown. Which is a shame, 'cause man this stuff is incredible. And insane! Imagine Godspeed, You Black Emperor mixed with Cradle Of Filth mixed with Goblin and Art Zoyd or Univers Zero. Then imagine that bizarre hybrid scoring a Dario Argento film. Then you'll begin to get an idea of how bizarre Devil Doll really is. But then top off the whole thing with the vocals of Mr. Doctor, a raspy growling, occasionally falsetto, but more often hissed and howled, purely evil voice. Pretty sure it's the vocals that keep the casual listener at bay. But give it a try. Imagine Dani Filth, Robert Wyatt, Nitro or any 'extreme vocalist'. But the vocals really fit perfectly. 'The Girl Who Was...Death' is one hour long track that begins with plucked violin and far away piano. Atmospheric and truly chilling. The vocals come in gradually, building in intensity and insanity, with the already bizarre vocals effected and electronically twisted until the band kicks in with their black metal/prog rock. The track continues soundtrack-like, seesawing back and forth between dark and tranquil creep-scapes of faraway piano and haunting female vocals and sporadic bursts of metallic mayhem. Metal fans should eat this up, but adventurous music lovers should give it a try as well.
RealAudio clip: "The Girl Who Was...Death"

DEVIL'S BLOOD, THE Come, Reap (Profound Lore) cd 10.98
Profound Lore brings us this cd ep (five songs, nigh on 28 minutes) from The Devil's Blood, a female-fronted Dutch psychedelic hard rock act from Holland, who possess (or are possessed by?) a Satanic/occultic lyrical bent. Claiming inspiration from vintage sixties and seventies proto-metal and psych, The Devil's Blood have quite a lot in common with another "Blood" band with a witchy female vocalist reviewed here just last list, Blood Ceremony. We bet the two would get on famously. They sound different enough though, TDB not being so overtly retro-doom-metal, and more of a rockin' deal, no flutes or nothin'. Some '70s progginess comes in from the keyboards, infusing these tracks with cinematic bombast, but while this doesn't quite sound modern, it's not like they're trying to recreate the music of an earlier era, exactly, either. Although, like Witchcraft, they're big Roky Erickson fans, and cover the Rok's "White Faces" here.
Vocally, Jex Thoth haters might again have issues, but perhaps not. We're reminded a bit of Heart (who kicked ass upon occasion, don't you forget it, or let Sarah Palin ruin "Barracuda" for you). How else to describe this? Maybe imagine if Shocking Blue sang about Satan, and of course were quite a bit heavier too...
Sorta a surprise from Profound Lore, and a pleasant one. I guess not so strange since it kinda fits in with their recent Hammers Of Misfortune opus, the female vocals and keyboards and melodic content and all. Oh, and if you care, which we think you should, they get the thumbs up from Fenriz of Darkthrone, who included 'em on his list of record recommendations in the liner notes to Dark Thrones and Black Flags, reviewed here last list.
MPEG Stream: "The Heavens Cry Out (For The Devil's Blood)"