MANES Vilosophe (Code 666) cd 14.98
Questions, questions, questions. Boy does this new release from Norway's Manes raise some questions. Like, how did this exemplar of raw, primitive, droney black metal end up making melodic trip hop? And how did they get Ozzy Osbourne (or, in truth, his close sonic approximation) to handle the vocals?? And, with all these changes, didn't this genre-fucking, once-but-no-longer black metal act release this disc on Garm of Ulver's Jester label, alongside recent works by Ulver themselves, another band, along with Arcturus and to a lesser exent Mayhem, who delight in upsetting their (former) fans who obsess about "true" black metal? Certainly if it's old-school black metal purity you're looking for, forget about the new Manes, stick with their 1999 "Under Ein Blodraud Maane". The open-minded, however, might actually dig this. It's only about 10 percent metal, with lots of samples and beats and layers of noise, and tons of Survivor-esque melodic pathos. It all kinda sounds like one epic song, the Ozzy meets The Cure style vocals soaring over junglist / tech step Amen breaks, with what heavy metal riffing there is being gloom-pop catchy a la Katatonia. There's even a track that drops in what sounds like Spandau Ballet's saxophonist. Other parts have a Pink Floyd-gone-industrial vibe. In The Woods meets Aphex Twin, perhaps? Solefald meets Cyclefly at a rave? Quite a shocking transformation from the howling-at-the-moon, spikes n' corpsepaint black metalness of their earlier material!! Now, it might have been a more interesting progression if Manes had gone the other way, done this in 1999 and then come out with the black metal of "Blodraud"...especially since most metallers who get into the realm of electronica tend to produce albums that are at least 3 years behind the times. And Manes haven't avoided that problem. Yet, somehow, we can't help but enjoy this, it's got a certain sincerity and quality and spark, and sheer chutzpah to it that works for us.
MPEG Stream: "Death Of The Genuine"

MANES [View] Extended Play (Aural Music) cd 13.98
For some reason, when we first threw this on, we had completely forgotten about the last Manes record we reviewed a while back, about which we wrote: "How did this exemplar of raw, primitive, droney black metal end up making melodic trip hop? And how did they get Ozzy Osbourne (or, in truth, his close sonic approximation) to handle the vocals??" I guess we had maybe blocked that record out, and were still expecting, apparently against all odds, a batch of raw buzzy grim primitive black metal. But now upon reflection, this new Manes doesn't seem quite as ridiculous. At least within the realms of Manes' strange sonic world. Following a similar metalhead-alienating career path as Ulver and Solefald, this Norwegain outfit has basically shrugged off any and all vestiges of their metal past (minus the occasional 'heavy' guitar).
At first, having forgotten completely about Manes' stylistic shift, we were annoyed, and a bit bummed, but approaching this without any metallic expectations yields some strange pleasures, and we of all people certainly can't begrudge a band who wants to try some crazy fucked up shit, even if it's not exactly what we were hoping for.
The first track, is oddly enough a 16 Horsepower cover! Manes converts the swampy revivalist blues of 16HP into some sort of dark cabaret, with wailing crooning, clean vocals, almost MTV style, over chiming U2 like guitars, it does get a little bit heavier, but not THAT heavy, very glossy like later Solefald. The rest of the record veers from glossy metallic sort-of-pop to techno remixes, the songs are loaded with lots of synths, a little like a lighter version of Marilyn Manson or Orgy with processed distorted guitars and industrial drum machine rhythms and those very Ozzy-like vocals. A few tracks sound like Blur (!) and one sounds distinctly like Erasure, or maybe Duran Duran with its cheesy eighties hard pop sound, affected vocals and drum machines, which makes sense when you check the liner notes, which mention the fact that the song in question is somewhat inspired by Duran Duran" which explains why it features little bits of DD songs sort of morphed into slightly more metallic industrial shapes. The three remixes range from blissy, glitchy trip hop groove, to a sort of blown out techno soundscape, like an instrumental Front 242, to the final track which is a slow shifting blast of white noise weirdness. A big ol' crazy mess of very un-metal weirdness, but it's got some strange appeal for sure. Fans of recent Ulver should definitely check this out...
MPEG Stream: "Cinder Alley"
MPEG Stream: "Title"

MANIAC BUTCHER Epitaph (Death to Mankind / Pussy God) cd 14.98
After a dozen obscure tapes and cds, this is the "final onslaught" of raw, hellish black metal from this Czech (or Slovak? Yikes, I don't want to piss them off! ...ok, they're Czech. Whew!) trio. Fast, frosty, corpse-painted, old-school style ("No keyboards!! No female vocals!! Only pure Black Metal storm!!" they proclaim) maniac musical butchery, primitive and extreme. For fans of Immortal, Darkthrone, old Mayhem...
RealAudio clip: "Ve Stinu Hor Krusnych..."

MANIAC BUTCHER Terna Kreb (Desire of Goat) cd 11.98

MANIERISME s/t (Nekrokult Nihilism) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We always say we're not going to write very much about something for whatever reason, we couldn't get enough, it sold out already, but then we always seem to go on and on and write a bunch anyway. Not this time. Short and to the point, since we only have 7 copies of this, and for months now, maybe years, we've been trying to get more, lots more. If we could track more of these down, it would definitely be a highlight, probably even a record of the week. Andee finally made contact with the band, indirectly though another band, so maybe he can convince them to let him re-issue it, or maybe release their next album or both. But for now, we have 7, and once they are gone, for the foreseeable future they will be gone for good.
So yeah, Manierisme, a mysterious black metal horde from Japan, this record easily one of our all time favorite BM records EVER. Fucked up for sure, warped and warbly, twisted and off kilter, buzzy and beautiful, so completely and utterly unique, one of those records that when some one is in the store and is looking for something strange and black and mindblowing, this is the disc we always pull out, and simply tell the person, "buy this". And so there you go. No ROTW, no highlight, just tucked away within the body of the list to be discovered by the aQ faithful who read the whole list. Maybe one day we'll be able to get more, until then though, seven lucky folks will enjoy the beautiful black grim mystery of Manierisme...
MPEG Stream: "Promise In The Masquerade - At Reunion"
MPEG Stream: "Asobi Tawamureru Siryo No Sumu Heya"
MPEG Stream: "Waltz At Last Moment"
MPEG Stream: "The Secret Garden"

MANILLA ROAD After Midnight Live (Shadow Kingdom) cd 14.98
If you're into metal that's both "cult" and "true", you're probably into those underground epic metal legends from Kansas, Manilla Road. How many bands as obscure and eccentric have been around for over 30 years and are still making (good!) records? And maybe what's more incredible than the fact that Manilla Road still put out cool records (as recently as 2008's Voyager, reviewed elsewhere on our website along with several others from their long career), they've apparently also got enough "long lost" recordings from way back when for entire albums of previously unreleased material to occasionally appear! There was a complete studio album from 1981 that finally saw the light of day as Mark Of The Beast over twenty years later, and now this, a live-in-the-studio session from December of 1979, recorded for a radio show on Wichita State University's KMUW, by Manilla Road's original lineup, the trio of Mark "The Shark" Shelton (guitar/vocals), Scott "Scooter" Park (bass), and Rich "Ziggy" Fisher (drums), shortly before they released their debut album Invasion in 1980.
Apparently, this disc represents the second half of their set that night - the tapes of the first half, mostly stuff from Invasion, haven't been located, yet. What's cool (and surprising) is that these particular songs DON'T appear on any other 'Road recordings, though we do think maybe we hear echoes of a few parts in some later compositions of theirs. There's just five tracks here, but the disc is still 44 minutes long, as these are all prog-rock length jams (the longest one, "Life's So Hard" clocks in at 12:42), and as we said, they're an EPIC band. Although of course some of the time on this disc is also occupied by chatter between the female radio host and Mr. Shelton, introducing the songs, which can be rather amusing - at one point the DJ mentions all the calls they've been getting from listeners, that "everybody seems to be getting off and partying to the music". Right on! It's still the '70s you gotta remember. And so too, this is Manilla Road in their early daze, before they were really exposed to NWOBHM influences like Iron Maiden (though you can hear how they were certainly primed for that stuff).
This vintage material is almost proto-metallic, kinda like on their first couple of albums, displaying their unique spin on various classic rock, space rock, progressive and AOR influences, we're pretty sure stuff like Blue Oyster Cult, Rush, Thin Lizzy, and Ted Nugent. It's mostly hard rockin', though they mellow out sometimes too, and you get the idea that maybe back then they thought their career could go in a commercial, pop direction, rather than heading for the true cult metal status they eventually achieved. But it's Manilla Road all right, with Shelton's gravelly wailing vox and squirrelly psychedelic soloing here being recognizable (and trademark) parts of their sound even today.
While this is live and raw, the young band is definitely ON and kicking ass, and it's decent sounding recording. So, obviously this is an archival discovery for Manilla Road enthusiasts to get excited about! Especially fans of their earlier stuff, before they got thrashy in the later '80s. If you're not already a MR fan, though, we suppose this might be a strange place to start.
Released on limited vinyl last year by High Roller, now on cd via Shadow Kingdom, with a booklet including lyrics, photos, and liner notes by "The Shark" himself.
MPEG Stream: "Chromaphobia"
MPEG Stream: "Pentacle Of Truth"

MANILLA ROAD Crystal Logic (Iron Glory) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This exceedingly weird '80s fantasy metal band has another of their many obscure albums reissued on cd! We first listed this way back in 2000, and it's a reissue of a 1983 album in the first place. But these days, Manilla Road is probably much better known than they ever were, whether nine or 26 years ago, now being cited as an influence by everyone from The Gates Of Slumber to Wormsblood, so it's about the time this cd was available again, particularly 'cause it's also pretty much our favorite of their whole weird ouvre (though they're still going strong even today).
When you talk about a cult metal band, they don't get much more "cult" than this one... Hailing from the state of Kansas, but more at home in some sub-Robert E. Howardian prehistoric epoch of swords and sorcery, this band is beloved by the same folks who worship Cirith Ungol and The Lord Weird Slough Feg, and should appeal to bizarre-minded fans of Iron Maiden, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Manowar... "Crystal Logic" is a perfect illustration of what's great (and ridiculous) about Manilla Road: eccentric (to say the least) vocals, a totally wrong (tinny, thin, poverty-stricken) guitar sound that paradoxically sounds fantastic & punk, doomy bass, mythological/intellectual lyrics, and lets not forget the so-bad-it's-good cover art... But most importantly, Manilla Road had the talent and imagination to write some great songs, and truly rule their own unique sub-genre of progressive, remarkably catchy garage-metal. This reissue includes the crazed guitar instrumental "Flaming Metal System" as a bonus track. On the album proper, you'll find true Manilla classics like the oft-covered "Necropolis", the doomy "The Veils Of Negative Existence", and the especially epic "Dreams Of Eschaton".
MPEG Stream: "Necropolis"
MPEG Stream: "The Riddle Master"

MANILLA ROAD Crystal Logic (Shadow Kingdom) cd 14.98
Once again, back in print, and now on a domestic label, cult metal specialists and Manilla Road fanatics Shadow Kingdom of course. We first listed this way back in 2000, and it's a reissue of a 1983 album in the first place, quite possibly their best one, pretty much our favorite of their whole weird ouvre (though they're still going strong even today). Definitely the one to get if you've yet to delve into the discography of this exceedingly eccentric '80s fantasy metal band.
Yep, when you talk about a cult metal band, they don't get much more "cult" than this one... Hailing from the state of Kansas, but more at home in some sub-Robert E. Howardian prehistoric epoch of swords and sorcery, this band is beloved by the same folks who worship Cirith Ungol and The Lord Weird Slough Feg, and are in fact probably much better known now than they ever were, being cited as an influence by everyone from The Gates Of Slumber to Wormsblood. And it should appeal to bizarre-minded fans of Iron Maiden, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Manowar... Crystal Logic is a perfect illustration of what's great (and ridiculous) about Manilla Road: eccentric (to say the least) vocals, a totally wrong (tinny, thin, poverty-stricken) guitar sound that paradoxically sounds fantastic & punk, doomy bass, mythological/intellectual lyrics, and lets not forget the so-bad-it's-good cover art... But most importantly, Manilla Road had the talent and imagination to write some great songs, and truly rule their own unique sub-genre of progressive, remarkably catchy garage-metal. This reissue, like the last one we had, includes the crazed guitar instrumental "Flaming Metal System" as a bonus track. On the album proper, you'll find true Manilla classics like the oft-covered "Necropolis", the doomy "The Veils Of Negative Existence", and the especially epic "Dreams Of Eschaton".
Anyone who picked up the Max Planck last list, who doesn't have this, better get it!!
(FYI, this also just got reissued by High Roller on vinyl, we might still have 1 copy, $29, ask if you are interested...)
MPEG Stream: "Necropolis"
MPEG Stream: "The Riddle Master"

MANILLA ROAD Gates Of Fire (Battle Cry ) cd 16.98
Wichita's wizards of true, epic, eccentric heavy metal are back with their umpteenth album! You know a band is CULT when the last thing we reviewed by them, earlier this year, was a reissue of their debut album from way back in 1980, and months later here we are with a review of a brand new disc, heavier than ever! Most metal fans outside of Greece, Germany and maybe Kansas have never heard of 'em, yet they've been at it for over two and half decades now. Of course, Mark "The Shark" Shelton is the only remaining original member, but since his (shall we say) unusual vocal stylings, undeniably great guitar playing, and storytelling songwriting are Manilla Road's main attractions, that's no matter. And indeed Gates Of Fire has got all you'd want from a Manilla Road opus. Literary themes both pulp and classical, prog-length song suites, and plenty of raw metal mastery in the guitar dep't. It's all here. Unique and anachronistic, Manilla Road exist for the true few who aren't too cool for the old school -- and indeed want to take advanced classes, under the tutelage of a teacher (Shelton) who has designed his own weird lesson plans.
MPEG Stream: "The Frost Giant's Daughter: When Giants Fall"
MPEG Stream: "Out Of The Ashes: Imperious Rise"

MANILLA ROAD Into The Courts Of Chaos (Shadow Kingdom) cd 13.98
The (obviously) cult metal Shadow Kingdom adds two more Manilla Road jewels to their crown/catalog, with the domestic reissues of both 1985's Open The Gates, and 1990's Into The Courts Of Chaos. We'd once had an import of Open The Gates, but had never reviewed Into The Courts before. Both are recommended (if you don't already have 'em) to all Manilla Road fans, and by extension, anyone with a yen for thee true epick metal.
Last gasp of the original run of the Road, pretty much. Even though we today think of 'em as monolithic epic metal forefathers, Manilla Road morphed quite a bit over their career, from their '70s space rock origins to, in the late '80s, fast n' technical stuff influenced less by Hawkwind and more by the speedy Slayer and various Bay Area thrashers... But this album, often overlooked 'cause of its 1990 release date, sees 'em bringing it all together, really. It's got quite a few classics on it all right, including one of the Road's most epick numbers ever, album ender "The Books Of Skelos", which whips up a bombastic orchestrated onslaught of brutality, Manilla Road style.
Mark Shelton's weird croon wraps itself around the various twisted tales here, but he also breaks out some rasping black/death vox here that, heck, Absu fans oughtta dig. Furthermore, fyi, the drums on this ARE programmed, but still sound cool to us, sounding more maniacal than mechanical. So they keep it cutting edge to the end, while also delving back into the depths of 1970 for a cover of Texas proto-metallers Bloodrock's spooky downer rock opus "D.O.A.", which fits right in. Glad this got reissued 'cause it gave us a chance to revisit it and realize how damn good it actually is, Manilla Road perhaps past any chance of "making it" here, but still going for it like they're metal's number one representatives on Earth, and they know it.
MPEG Stream: " Into The Courts Of Chaos"
MPEG Stream: "The Books Of Skelos"

MANILLA ROAD Invasion (Shadow Kingdom) cd 13.98
Here's a brand new official cd reissue of the 1980 debut from Manilla Road, the epitome of obscure, epick, eccentrick metal! The band that San Francisco metal faves The Lord Weird Slough Feg can't avoid being compared to all the time (not because Manilla Road were actually an influence, they weren't, but because both bands, as traditionally metal as they are, can be so gosh darn weird). And this here is doubtless among the weirdest of the whole screw-loose Manilla Road discography.
Though the production (and the cover art) is oh so low-budget and lo-fi, the band's imagination certainly wasn't limited. These guys were into Rush, Hawkwind, Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Motorhead - and dosing on LSD and reading pulp fantasy fiction. And, in these early days, they were bound by no "traditional" metal blueprints (or, for that matter, commercial considerations). Heck Iron Maiden wasn't even an influence until at least their second album, 1982's bluntly-titled Metal (which we expect Shadow Kingdom to reissue eventually as well). So Manilla Road were free to blend psych and prog and hard rock and whatever else into what they considered to be "epic space-metal".
And then there's the love 'em or hate 'em vocals of guitarist Mark "The Shark" Shelton - growling, soaring, dramatic and outlandish, ranging all over these songs, whether they be riffy and rockin', or epic and theatrical. And his guitar does the same. Quirky, pioneering, pure underground metal (or, proto-metal) indeed. About as underground as it gets. Now most folks aren't gonna like this, we'll admit right now, but a select few will - and if you're already like Manilla Road, or the aforementioned Slough Feg, or Cirith Ungol or Brocas Helm, or are perhaps just into retro, ridiculous, unashamed rock n' roll, that might be you. There's just an infectious zeal to these proceedings that I for one can't deny.
This record includes one of Manilla Road's most hot rockin' tracks, "Street Jammer", a song that's been covered by both Slough Feg (on their Hardworlder album), and lo-fi black metal horde Wormsblood (on their In The Stars cd-r).
MPEG Stream: "Far Side Of The Sun"
MPEG Stream: "Street Jammer"

MANILLA ROAD Invasion / Metal (Cult Metal Classics) 2cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
As, I suppose, with so many things we sell, for some this release will mean nothing -- to others, holy crap! Check the label name: Cult Metal Classics. Well, with this release they're not lying. Perhaps you're a metal cultist yourself and/or recall us here at AQ raving about this '80s vintage metal band and the various recent (and already, again, often hard to come by) reissues of their albums, or even their latest, the return to former glories that was the Spiral Castle album. Wichita, Kansas' Manilla Road, the epitome of obscure epick, eccentrick metal! The band that The Lord Weird Slough Feg can't avoid being compared to (not because Manilla Road were an influence, they weren't, but because both bands, as traditionally metal as they are, can be so gosh darn weird). And this here is doubtless the weirdest of the whole screw-loose Manilla Road discography. Two albums actually, their 1980 debut Invasion and the 1982 follow-up Metal, which had been bootlegged before but never properly compact-disc'd until this double cd release. Though the production (and the cover art) is oh so low-budget and lo-fi, the band's imagination certainly wasn't limited. These guys were into Rush, Hawkwind, Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Motorhead -- and dosing on LSD and reading pulp fantasy fiction. And, in these early days, they were bound by no "traditional" metal blueprints (or, for that matter, commerical considerations). Heck Iron Maiden wasn't even an influence until at least their second album, the bluntly-titled Metal. So Manilla Road were free to blend psych and prog and hard rock and whatever else into what they considered to be "epic space-metal". Who else would do a song called "Defender", written from the perspective of a Defender video arcade machine?? You gotta love that. And then there's the love 'em or hate 'em vocals of guitarist Mark "The Shark" Shelton -- growling, soaring, dramatic and outlandish, ranging all over these songs, whether they be riffy and rockin', or epic and theatrical. And his guitar does the same. Quirky, pioneering, pure underground metal (or, proto-metal) indeed. About as underground as it gets. Now most folks aren't gonna like this, I'll admit right now, but a select few will -- and if you're already like Manilla Road, or the aforementioned Slough Feg, or Cirith Ungol or Brocas Helm, or are perhaps just into retro, ridiculous, unashamed rock n' roll, that might be you. There's just an infectious zeal to these proceedings that I for one can't deny.
And by the way, this reissue is a fan's delight, including lyrics and lengthy liner notes that give a very detailed early history of the band.
MPEG Stream: "Queen Of The Black Coast"
MPEG Stream: "Street Jammer"

MANILLA ROAD Mark Of The Beast (Forged In Fire / Rockadrome) cd 12.98
Back in print, back in stock!
Here's one for fans of the USA's most cult '80s era true/power/heavy/epic metal band (who are still around, as a matter of fact). We've lauded them before, as being a uber-eccentric low-budget take on Maiden and Manowar, with hints of '70s prog, precursor to the likes of The Lord Weird Slough Feg. But it's also one of their weirdest, a lot more than hints of that '70s prog here, so others than strictly Manilla Road and/or metal fans might wanna check out...
First issued by pre-Rockadrome imprint Monster Records back in 2002, this is actually much older than that - it's an unreleased album from 1981, originally titled "Dreams of Eschaton". The band, for some reason, didn't like the recordings at the time and shelved them, but bootleg tapes have circulated among the Manilla Road faithful for years. Eventually Monster Records persuaded Manilla Road mainman Mark "The Shark" Shelton that it was time to give the album a proper release at last. Boasting cover art from Jim Fitzpatrick (who a lot of art for Thin Lizzy - as well as being responsible for the famous Che Guevara portrait poster you see everywhere), Mark of the Beast is a worthy addition to the Road's official catalog, though not their heaviest - it's a doomy but kinda mellow and psychedelic and spaced out album of epic, sad melodicism and majesty. The vocals are doused in FX, the entire recording is echoey and rickety, a few songs (like "Black Lotus") totally rock out, while many others wend and wind in a laidback druggy daze.
Like all Manilla Road, this doesn't fit any generic metal template...some of this reminds us of Rush's early songs, and there's even a proto-Current 93 narration thing happening on one track too!
MPEG Stream: "Mark Of The Beast "
MPEG Stream: "Avatar"

MANILLA ROAD Mysterium (Shadow Kingdom) cd 12.98
You know that all over the world, there's dudes (and some dudettes), of the sort who habitually wear denim vests covered with heavy metal band logo patches, who are giggling like little kids at Christmas 'cause of this, a new album from old school underground metal overlords Manilla Road. This band's eccentric efforts back in the '80s would be reason enough for their diehard cult status, 'causing there to be bands today who try to sound just like 'em (e.g. Ironsword, Hyborian Steel, Realmbuilder); but Manilla Road, after a hiatus for most of the '90s, hasn't stopped making albums in their idiosyncratic epic style, keeping the fans happy with a new release every couple years. This new slab, Mysterium, follows up 2011's Playground Of The Damned, though we also got more-or-less a 'Road fix last year from the debut of side project Hellwell.
As usual with Manilla Road these days, this new one certainly evokes the glories of their past, in various ways. There's the uptempo thrashy bits like "Stand Your Ground", and lots of slower paced trudges truly displaying their majestic might, getting downright doomy on such cuts as "Do What Thou Will". All throughout, the album benefits from lots of Mark "The Shark" Shelton's ripping lead guitar. It's also of course got his trademark weathered, nasal vocals, augmented as usual by the more energetic but still similar singing of co-vocalist Bryan "Hellroadie" Patrick. One thing Manilla Road has got, that only seems to increase with age, is their ability to sing songs about battles and legends and ancient things, and sound so much more authoritative doing so than anybody else in the business!
There's an all-acoustic balled, "The Fountain", and they didn't forget to include at least one lengthy epic, the album-closing title track, at over 11 minutes long, which doubles down on the atmospheric intro thing by being preceded by an atmospheric, synth-laden instrumental, "The Calling".
Thankfully, the production here is a big improvement over the muddy Playground Of The Damned (admittedly, though, the drum sound is still pretty horrendous), and if you liked that album and Hellwell and other recent MR efforts, there's plenty here to please you too, though as usual we'd suggest that anyone entirely new to Manilla Road start with one of their reissued classics first.
MPEG Stream: "The Grey God Passes"
MPEG Stream: "The Battle Of Bonchester Bridge"
MPEG Stream: "Hermitage"

MANILLA ROAD Mystification (Sentinel Steel) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally reissued, one of the many lost classics by this super-underground cult '80s metal outfit. Dating from 1987, "Mystification" is a keystone album in Manilla Road's long and obscure career. Epic "true" metal a la Iron Maiden, with a macabre, doomy feel. Dark and magical, and oh so slightly eccentric. Appropriately, this album's lyrics are mostly inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. With previously unreleased bonus track. Totally remixed (by the band) as well, as they were unhappy with the original lp mix. For fans of Maiden, Cirith Ungol, Omen, Manowar, Warlord, Slough Feg...

MANILLA ROAD Open The Gates (Dragonheart) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another long-awaited reissue, adding another piece to the puzzle that is the legacy of obscure '80s metal legends Manilla Road. Since the late '70s, these guys have hammered out umpteen elpees of fantastic and fantastical heavy metal, treading a progressive, peculiar path that made them akin to a cult, low-budget American version of Iron Maiden, but much weirder and cruder and doomier and thrashier. 1985's King Arthur-inspired "Open The Gates" is one of their most well-regarded efforts, and this digipak cd version tacks on two live tracks. For any fans of eccentric epic METAL like Cirth Ungol, Brocas Helm, Manowar, or today's champs The Lord Weird Slough Feg.
RealAudio clip: "Open The Gates"
RealAudio clip: "The Fires Of Mars"

MANILLA ROAD Open The Gates (Shadow Kingdom) cd 13.98
The (obviously) cult metal Shadow Kingdom adds two more Manilla Road jewels to their crown/catalog, with the domestic reissues of both 1985's Open The Gates, and 1990's Into The Courts Of Chaos. We'd once had an import of Open The Gates, but had never reviewed Into The Courts before. Both are recommended (if you don't already have 'em) to all Manilla Road fans, and by extension, anyone with a yen for thee true epick metal.
When we first listed this one, we said, and we'll say again: Another long-awaited reissue, adding another piece to the puzzle that is the legacy of obscure '80s metal legends Manilla Road. Since the late '70s, these guys have hammered out umpteen elpees of fantastic and fantastical heavy metal, treading a progressive, peculiar path that made them akin to a cult, low-budget American version of Iron Maiden, but much weirder and cruder and doomier and (eventually) thrashier. The King Arthur-inspired Open The Gates is one of their most well-regarded efforts, the follow-up to the cult Crystal Logic, coming out 2 years later, definitely more "pro" sounding than that one, but still way more psychedelic and progged out than your usual '80s metal...
For any fans of eccentric epic METAL like Cirth Ungol, Brocas Helm, Manowar, or today's champs The Lord Weird Slough Feg.
MPEG Stream: "Open The Gates"
MPEG Stream: "Weavers Of The Web"

MANILLA ROAD Out Of The Abyss / Live Roadkill (Cult Metal Classics) 2cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

MANILLA ROAD Playground Of The Damned (Shadow Kingdom) cd 14.98
And the 'Road goes ever on... You gotta hand it to Mark "The Shark" Shelton, 50-something-year old guitarist/vocalist/mastermind behind long-running underground American metal institution Manilla Road. His band, founded in 1977, has never really been popular, except maybe in Greece, but they're up to their 15th studio album now, and are the definition of "cult fave", getting namechecked nowadays all the time, whenever anything true, epic, and eccentric is under discussion in the realm of metal. Well, there's also the likes of Cirth Ungol and obscure Italians Dark Quarterer to reference, sure, but those bands aren't still around and cranking 'em out like the 'Road.
So, here's their latest, an album that surely exists for the love of all that's metal, heavy, epick, and weird, and for no other reason. We probably don't even need to really review it, 'cause a) we wouldn't expect anyone to START their Manilla Road collection/obsession with this album and b) the folks who would want to buy this really only need to know that it's out, and we've got it in stock!
But, still, some details... Once again, Shelton's distinctive, wavery nasal vocals are supplemented on some songs by the voice of 2nd singer Bryan "Hellroadie" Patrick. If you're a fan of Shelton's singing (and you kinda have to be, to like his band) then you'll be rooting for him throughout to really belt it out, "Hellroadie" step aside! Shelton's signature guitar shred, however, needs no assist. There's plenty of fine fretwork from him here, and lots of melody (Shelton seems to be going for a bit more of a catchy pop thing than you might expect, amidst all the doom and damnation, somehow). In fact, there's moments when we begin to think it would be cool if Shelton would sometime do an all-acoustic solo album, just him and his guitar and his worse-for-wear, weary voice. But that wouldn't be metal, which this most definitely is.
Also, unlike some other recent 'Road efforts, this isn't a concept album, and there's no multi-part epics, though it's still EPIC anyway, of course. The songs' themes vary, inspired by ancient history and horror; there's one called "Grindhouse", inspired by that style of low-budget exploitation flick. Speaking of low-budget, this disc a bit rickety sounding production-wise, particularly the drums, which sound tinny and clickety-clackety-clattery, whilst the mix in general could do with a little less muddy muffle. But MR fans won't mind much, being used to such things. Still, what had its charms on vintage '80s albums like Crystal Logic isn't necessarily a selling point here...
What is a selling point, for fans at any rate, is that the "modern" (not really!) Manilla Road still sounds nothing much like any other band, and always like themselves, whatever strange turns they may take. So, chalk yet another quirky old school album up to Wichita's weirdest!
MPEG Stream: "Jackhammer"
MPEG Stream: "Into the Maelstrom"
MPEG Stream: "Grindhouse"

MANILLA ROAD Playground Of The Damned (Shadow Kingdom) 2lp 24.00
And the 'Road goes ever on... You gotta hand it to Mark "The Shark" Shelton, 50-something-year old guitarist/vocalist/mastermind behind long-running underground American metal institution Manilla Road. His band, founded in 1977, has never really been popular, except maybe in Greece, but they're up to their 15th studio album now, and are the definition of "cult fave", getting namechecked nowadays all the time, whenever anything true, epic, and eccentric is under discussion in the realm of metal. Well, there's also the likes of Cirth Ungol and obscure Italians Dark Quarterer to reference, sure, but those bands aren't still around and cranking 'em out like the 'Road.
So, here's their latest, an album that surely exists for the love of all that's metal, heavy, epick, and weird, and for no other reason. We probably don't even need to really review it, 'cause a) we wouldn't expect anyone to START their Manilla Road collection/obsession with this album and b) the folks who would want to buy this really only need to know that it's out, and we've got it in stock!
But, still, some details... Once again, Shelton's distinctive, wavery nasal vocals are supplemented on some songs by the voice of 2nd singer Bryan "Hellroadie" Patrick. If you're a fan of Shelton's singing (and you kinda have to be, to like his band) then you'll be rooting for him throughout to really belt it out, "Hellroadie" step aside! Shelton's signature guitar shred, however, needs no assist. There's plenty of fine fretwork from him here, and lots of melody (Shelton seems to be going for a bit more of a catchy pop thing than you might expect, amidst all the doom and damnation, somehow). In fact, there's moments when we begin to think it would be cool if Shelton would sometime do an all-acoustic solo album, just him and his guitar and his worse-for-wear, weary voice. But that wouldn't be metal, which this most definitely is.
Also, unlike some other recent 'Road efforts, this isn't a concept album, and there's no multi-part epics, though it's still EPIC anyway, of course. The songs' themes vary, inspired by ancient history and horror; there's one called "Grindhouse", inspired by that style of low-budget exploitation flick. Speaking of low-budget, this disc a bit rickety sounding production-wise, particularly the drums, which sound tinny and clickety-clackety-clattery, whilst the mix in general could do with a little less muddy muffle. But MR fans won't mind much, being used to such things. Still, what had its charms on vintage '80s albums like Crystal Logic isn't necessarily a selling point here...
What is a selling point, for fans at any rate, is that the "modern" (not really!) Manilla Road still sounds nothing much like any other band, and always like themselves, whatever strange turns they may take. So, chalk yet another quirky old school album up to Wichita's weirdest!
MPEG Stream: "Jackhammer"
MPEG Stream: "Into the Maelstrom"
MPEG Stream: "Grindhouse"

MANILLA ROAD Spiral Castle (Iron Glory) cd 14.98
Two 'new' releases from the USA's most cult '80s era true/power/heavy/epic metal band. We've lauded them before, as being a uber-eccentric low-budget take on Maiden and Manowar, with hints of '70s prog, precursor to the likes of The Lord Weird Slough Feg and near-contemporaries Brocas Helm. Like Brocas, Manilla Road are still around. With a revised line-up, "Spiral Castle" is their 13th album in a 27 year career. A lot more melodic than their year 2001 comeback disc "Atlantis Rising", this really sounds like classic Manilla Road of old, complete even with their Edgar Allen Poe fixation (his story "Shadow" inspires a track here) and Mark "The Shark" Shelton's distinctive guitar and vocals. Cool!
"Mark of the Beast" also sounds like old Manilla Road -- 'cause it's actually an unreleased album from 1981, originally titled "Dreams of Eschaton". The band didn't like the recordings at the time and shelved them, but bootleg tapes have circulated among the Manilla Road faithful for years. Now Monster Records have persuaded Shelton & Co. that it's time to give the album a proper release at last. Boasting cover art from Thin Lizzy cover artist Jim Fitzpatrick, "Mark of the Beast" is a worthy addition to the Road's official catalog, though not their heaviest -- it's a doomy but kinda mellow and psychedelic album of epic, sad melodicism and majesty. Like all Manilla Road, this doesn't fit any generic metal template...some of this reminds us of Rush's early songs, and there's even a proto-Current 93 narration thing happening on one track too!
RealAudio clip: "Spiral Castle"

MANILLA ROAD The Deluge (Underground Symphony) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A few months ago, "Open The Gates", now, "The Deluge" -- it's a deluge indeed, of Manilla Road reissues! Manilla Road? They're the ultimate obscure American fantasy metal band from the '80s, a cult group if there ever was one, having a bit of a resurgence today with these re-releases and even a new album (which is out but hasn't made its way to us yet). "The Deluge" was originally unleashed in 1986, is another one of the Road's best efforts, being suitably epic, baroque, thrashy and doomy. Guitarist/vocalist Mark "The Shark" Shelton belts 'em out in his usual eccentric manner, drummer Randy "Thrasher" Foxe lets his kit have it in the worst way...it's a rager. As always, definitely recommended to fans of the equally cult and eccentric The Lord Weird Slough Feg!
RealAudio clip: "Hammer Of The Witches"
RealAudio clip: "Friction In Mass"

MANILLA ROAD The Deluge (Shadow Kingdom) cd 14.98
A few months ago, we listed After Midnight Live, and also Mark Of The Beast, and now, The Deluge - it's a deluge indeed, of Manilla Road reissues and archival releases! Manilla Road? They're the ultimate obscure American fantasy metal band from the '80s, a cult group if there ever was one, having a bit of a resurgence these past few years, both via reissues like these, and some pretty good brand new albums too (their most recent being 2008's Viking themed Voyager, with a new one called Playground Of The Damned coming out sometime soon).
The Deluge was originally unleashed in 1986, and is one of the Road's best efforts, being suitably epic, baroque, thrashy, and doomy. Guitarist/vocalist Mark "The Shark" Shelton belts 'em out in his usual eccentric manner, and drummer Randy "Thrasher" Foxe lets his kit have it in the worst way. Displaying the then-modern influence that Metallica had on Manilla Road at the time, it's a rager! But with a majestic, melancholic vibe that this band, with its roots in '70s space rock and prog, always possesses. Amidst the epic and aggro, mention should also be made of the spooky horror movie organ interlude cleverly titled "Morbid Tabernacle"...
As always, definitely recommended to fans of the equally cult and eccentric The Lord Weird Slough Feg. We used to have an earlier reissue of this, as an expensive Italian import digipack. That went out of print years ago, but now via Shadow Kingdom it's been reissued again, domestically, in a jewel case. And they've also put it out on vinyl as well!
MPEG Stream: "Shadow In The Black"
MPEG Stream: "Hammer Of The Witches"
MPEG Stream: "Friction In Mass"

MANILLA ROAD The Deluge (Shadow Kingdom) lp 28.00
A few months ago, we listed After Midnight Live, and also Mark Of The Beast, and now, The Deluge - it's a deluge indeed, of Manilla Road reissues and archival releases! Manilla Road? They're the ultimate obscure American fantasy metal band from the '80s, a cult group if there ever was one, having a bit of a resurgence these past few years, both via reissues like these, and some pretty good brand new albums too (their most recent being 2008's Viking themed Voyager, with a new one called Playground Of The Damned coming out sometime soon).
The Deluge was originally unleashed in 1986, and is one of the Road's best efforts, being suitably epic, baroque, thrashy, and doomy. Guitarist/vocalist Mark "The Shark" Shelton belts 'em out in his usual eccentric manner, and drummer Randy "Thrasher" Foxe lets his kit have it in the worst way. Displaying the then-modern influence that Metallica had on Manilla Road at the time, it's a rager! But with a majestic, melancholic vibe that this band, with its roots in '70s space rock and prog, always possesses. Amidst the epic and aggro, mention should also be made of the spooky horror movie organ interlude cleverly titled "Morbid Tabernacle"...
As always, definitely recommended to fans of the equally cult and eccentric The Lord Weird Slough Feg. We used to have an earlier reissue of this, as an expensive Italian import digipack. That went out of print years ago, but now via Shadow Kingdom it's been reissued again, domestically, in a jewel case. And they've also put it out on vinyl as well!
MPEG Stream: "Shadow In The Black"
MPEG Stream: "Hammer Of The Witches"
MPEG Stream: "Friction In Mass"

MANILLA ROAD Voyager (My Graveyard Productions) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
For their umpteenth release (and fourth since their 2001 comeback) this from-the-'80s true metal cult lead by Mark "The Shark" Shelton has decided to do an album about Vikings. At first we were like, huh, hasn't that been done before... and, like, by bands from Sweden? But leave it to Manilla Road to inject something weird into the proceedings to keep it interesting. Who else would make a Viking concept album partially set in Mexico??
Voyager tells the tale of a group of hardcore Vikings who, upon returning to their northern homeland from one of their usual business trips involving rapine and plunder, find that the local king has converted to Christianity. Disgusted, they flee to Iceland, only to find the place also crawling with Christians. What's a proper Odin-fearing Viking to do? Off they go to Greenland. Sadly, it too proves to be filthy with Christianity, so they are forced to set sail points further west, and south. Along the way, the narrative includes a gratuitous torture scene, pretty much just as an excuse for the band to do a song called "Blood Eagle"... Eventually these Viking voyagers wind up in Mexico, where the native Toltecs hail the Viking captain as the human incarnation of their Serpent-God. And more bloodshed ensues. But at least there's no Christians about.
You can imagine how this story would provide some darn good metal fodder, violent and aggressive. And indeed it does, but given the unique Manilla Road treatment, it's also psychedelically atmospheric, epically doomy, and very heavy within Manilla Road's untraditional take on traditional metal. Mainman Shelton, to the delight of Manilla Road fans everywhere (Germany, Greece and Italy, mainly, and maybe now Scandinavia and Mexico!), gives it his all, whether it be via wild extended guitar soloing or his eccentric vocal crooning (with some instances of more extreme, death metal like guttural rasping). Acoustic guitars, synthesizers, and a cathedral organ are also woven into the mix. There's melodic mellow lamentations here, full of serious, sheer emotion (which will make you forget the cheeky way we described the story above), along with thrashier fare featuring raw choppy riffs and drum beats, like waves rocking a Viking longboat.
In the end the surviving Vikings sail onward, keeping it true, much like this band... whom by now must be assured of their own place in Valhalla.
MPEG Stream: "Frost And Fire"
MPEG Stream: "Return Of The Serpent King"

MANOWAR Battle Hymns (Silver Edition) (Metal Blade) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is the very first attack (circa 1982) from these ultra-campy (but great!) he-man metallers, now remastered and reissued in time for their 20th anniversary. There's many classic tracks to be found here, including theme song "Manowar", "Fast Taker", "Dark Avenger" (with Orson Welles narration!), and a solo-bass-only cover of Rossini's "William Tell Overture". The 20-page booklet's got the lyrics, photos (of naked chicks, lots of amps, and the band with Orson Welles, that sort of thing) and extensive liner notes too, giving the whole early history of the band. In the beginning Manowar (featuring ex-Dictators guitarist Ross The Boss) was heavily influenced by KISS, you'll hear that here. Essential, over the top, hyperbolic metal (other, even more crucial Manowar recommendations: "Hail To England" and "Sign Of The Hammer", hopefully both getting "Silver Edition" treatment someday too)! Hyperbolic? Let us quote the note from Manowar found on the back of the cd booklet: "Beware: It is quite possible that this CD may cause your sound system to blow up. Let it die with honor. Fuck the World, Hail And Kill."
RealAudio clip: "Manowar"

MANOWAR Warriors Of The World (Metal Blade) cd 16.98
It's really hard to tell if Manowar are in on their own joke or not. These four guys have spent the last two decades trying to live out a Conan the Barbarian meets Spinal Tap fantasy, and are probably the most self-referential metal band ever -- most of their songs are essentially about metal and/or Manowar and/or their fans!. Really, they have more lyrics about themselves than your most braggadocious rap MC! In addition to their over the top metal rhetoric, they boast string-snapping piccolo bass solos, muscles, loincloths, cheesy symphonic ballads, and their very own arms-clasped overhead "sign of the hammer" symbol for fans to make at shows. None more metal, none more silly. But, they certainly know what they're doing. While they might be considered a novelty at best, has-beens at worst in their native USA, they're a big deal in Europe, South America, and elsewhere. An arena-sized big deal. And even here, they have their fans -- they've played twice in San Francisco in recent years, the last time with Immortal a few weeks back, and boy do they get a rabid response! People come out of the woodwork to raise the sign of the hammer, let me tell you. And Manowar's relative lack of success stateside doesn't stop them from doing a bizarre, if patriotic, "American Trilogy" on this release, a medley of "Dixie", "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", and a traditional prayer for the war dead. Apparently this is intended as a tribute to Elvis Presley, who performed the same Civil War themed medley at his live shows! How ridiculous is that? They MUST know it. But they do it anyway, which is what's so great about these campy metal masters. All hail Joey Demaio & Co.! And, more serious-minded metal fans will find that there's actually some awesomely punishing stuff on here (hard-charging battle hymns like "Hand Of Doom", "House Of Death" and "Fight Until We Die"), and Eric Adam's voice rules whatever you think of the absurd lyrics (which you'd better like!). They'll never let on if it's all tongue in cheek, and that's the way it should be. Otherwise how could you get the tingle of "metal patrotism" that anthems like "Warriors of the World United" somehow generate? This is their first studio album in six years, at least as good as the last one...and while I can't really think of a compelling reason for someone to buy this who doesn't already have a few other Manowar discs, I'd certainly recommend it to fans, 'cause they do it for you and have never let you down. But if you've yet to be convinced of Manowar's might, you certainly could start here and work your way back through their catalog (which will be good for a few laughs at least) or go get their 1984 masterpiece "Hail To England".
RealAudio clip: "House Of Death"
RealAudio clip: "Warriors Of The World United"

MARBLEBOG Csendhajnal (Turanian Honor) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
MARBLEBOG!! BACK IN STOCK!!
What's in a name? Well, when the name of your band is Marblebog, and the name of your record is Csendhajnal, pretty much everything is in the name. We were sold before we'd even laid ears on it. But we're happy to report, the dark sorrowful sounds within more than live up to the bizarre monicker.
Marblebog specialize in that super fuzzy mournful black metal, midtempos and blurry hypnotic guitars, every track a slowly swinging seasick waltz, so completely droning and mesmerizing. The metal buried within churning clouds of thick murky ambience. The guitars not always sharp and jagged and buzzing, but sometimes just distant grumbles and whirs, buried beneath dense swirls of swooshing Tangerine Dream synths, while the drums sort of plod along waaaaaaaay back in the murk. And the vocals, woah, some of the most anguished, tortured, howling, damned-soul sort of howls we've ever heard, think Weakling, Silencer, Bethlehem, Sterbend, a near hysterical shrieking. But in Marblebog the vocals sound almost out of place, making them that much more harrowing and depressive. Imagine a lonely overgrown graveyard, weeds, flowers, ivy tangled in the bars of the wrought iron gates, the sky a dim grey, overcast, pregnant with the possibility of storm, the sound is not wind or birds or passing cars, instead it's a depressive dirge, not harsh or super aggressive, not even really buzzing, more a thick blanket of grey fuzz smothering everything in gorgeously miserable murkiness, then right in the middle of the graveyard, a mysterious figure is pushing his way through the dirt, a rotting creature of the night, crawling up from the grave, emitting a fowl hellish shriek of utter and absolute terror, while thick tendrils of graveyard mist swirl up around him, the vocals a glaring and harrowing blight on the otherwise peaceful (yet still dark and depressing) world of the dead.
The vocal-less tracks on Csendhajnal are downright lovely, slow, meandering synthscapes, of low end melodic miserablism, and slow drifting dark shimmer, like a more ambient Skepticism or Burzum, some haunting, otherworldly new age dooooom. But even the more properly metal tracks here are imbued with the same sort of new age dreaminess and slow motion, end of the world doominess. So awesome.
This disc collects the debut cd (from back in 2003) from this Hungarian horde and tacks on a whole bunch of killer extra tracks including the Nostalgic Moods In Grimwoods demo from 2002, the Arhat promo from 2002, and the rehearsal track "Hatefullmoon" from 2003, most of which were released as super limited tapes and/or splits. Killer cover art too!!!
SUPER LIMITED! 555 copies, each disc hand numbered!
MPEG Stream: "The Breath Of Emptiness"
MPEG Stream: "A Broken Circle"
MPEG Stream: "Eternal Silence Within"

MARBLEBOG Forestheart (Autopsy Kitchen) cd 13.98
Since we first heard the name Marblebog, we somehow just knew this obscure Hungarian horde would be a fast favorite, before we had even heard a note of music, and man were we right. The last record, 2004's Csendhajnal, now unfortunately out of print, was a huge hit at AQ, the perfect balance of swirling synthy ambience, and mournful melancholy Burzumic buzz, so we had been anxiously awaiting the reissue of 2005's Forestheart ever since, and now it's finally here.
This duo from Hungary mix traditional Hungarian folk, modern grim black buzz, and blissed out ambience into epic swaths of blurry blackness, woven from loping minor key guitars, simple mostly midtempo drumming, strangled croaked vocals, and while the parts might sound similar to black metal obsessives, it's not just the parts, it's how they're played, and recorded and arranged, the mood and the timbre, the sound and the feeling as much as the actual riffs.
And while the riffs are of course amazing, it's the feel more than anything that make Marblebog so special. Everything is dripping with such sadness and sorrow, not just minor key, but whole arrangements and progressions perfectly assembled to evoke strange feelings, heartbreak and woe, death and destruction, so mournful and melancholy, sweeping swells of buzzing sound, with incredible dynamics, and bits of melody that swoop in out of nowhere and are immediately swallowed up again.
The appropriately titled "Opening" is a brief stretch of swirling krautrocky synth, peppered with haunting animal like FX and creepy scrapes and groans, all drenched in reverb and delay, hovering beneath a pale moonlit sky. This intro opens up into the sort of title track "I Am The Forestheart", a glorious blast of melancholy blackness, with a main riff as catchy as it is dark and depressive. Part way through the band shift gear, and slow down into a strummed folky interlude, a jig like melody, Jew's harp, the sound of wind and rain, a haunting spare drift.
There are three more longish tracks, all channeling the same forest spirit, looped cyclical black buzz, suffused with hypnotic drones and unlikely little melodic flourishes, everything muted and murky and dreamlike, often breaking down into simple acoustic guitar drifts, before picking back up again. The harrowing over the top vocals of the first records are now much more settled into the background, more a part of the music, almost like another layer of buzzing drone, but still just as harrowing and anguished.
The final track is a 13+ minute ambient soundscape of shimmering synths, and mad scientist lab FX, burbling and gurgling beneath, dreamy washes of high end drift, strange muted percussion, some seriously Goblin like keyboard creep, and eventually some awesome lurching downtuned guitar, not so much crushing and heavy as creepy and thick, cyclical and hypnotic, a gorgeous lurching dream doom.
MPEG Stream: "I Am The Forestheart"
MPEG Stream: "A Tempest Never Calming Down"
MPEG Stream: "Closing"

MARBLEBOG Forestheart (Autopsy Kitchen) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Since we first heard the name Marblebog, we somehow just knew this obscure Hungarian horde would be a fast favorite, before we had even heard a note of music, and man were we right. The last record, 2004's Csendhajnal, now unfortunately out of print, was a huge hit at AQ, the perfect balance of swirling synthy ambience, and mournful melancholy Burzumic buzz, so we had been anxiously awaiting the reissue of 2005's Forestheart ever since, and now it's finally here.
This duo from Hungary mix traditional Hungarian folk, modern grim black buzz, and blissed out ambience into epic swaths of blurry blackness, woven from loping minor key guitars, simple mostly midtempo drumming, strangled croaked vocals, and while the parts might sound similar to black metal obsessives, it's not just the parts, it's how they're played, and recorded and arranged, the mood and the timbre, the sound and the feeling as much as the actual riffs.
And while the riffs are of course amazing, it's the feel more than anything that make Marblebog so special. Everything is dripping with such sadness and sorrow, not just minor key, but whole arrangements and progressions perfectly assembled to evoke strange feelings, heartbreak and woe, death and destruction, so mournful and melancholy, sweeping swells of buzzing sound, with incredible dynamics, and bits of melody that swoop in out of nowhere and are immediately swallowed up again.
The appropriately titled "Opening" is a brief stretch of swirling krautrocky synth, peppered with haunting animal like FX and creepy scrapes and groans, all drenched in reverb and delay, hovering beneath a pale moonlit sky. This intro opens up into the sort of title track "I Am The Forestheart", a glorious blast of melancholy blackness, with a main riff as catchy as it is dark and depressive. Part way through the band shift gear, and slow down into a strummed folky interlude, a jig like melody, Jew's harp, the sound of wind and rain, a haunting spare drift.
There are three more longish tracks, all channeling the same forest spirit, looped cyclical black buzz, suffused with hypnotic drones and unlikely little melodic flourishes, everything muted and murky and dreamlike, often breaking down into simple acoustic guitar drifts, before picking back up again. The harrowing over the top vocals of the first records are now much more settled into the background, more a part of the music, almost like another layer of buzzing drone, but still just as harrowing and anguished.
The final track is a 13+ minute ambient soundscape of shimmering synths, and mad scientist lab FX, burbling and gurgling beneath, dreamy washes of high end drift, strange muted percussion, some seriously Goblin like keyboard creep, and eventually some awesome lurching downtuned guitar, not so much crushing and heavy as creepy and thick, cyclical and hypnotic, a gorgeous lurching dream doom.
MPEG Stream: "I Am The Forestheart"
MPEG Stream: "A Tempest Never Calming Down"
MPEG Stream: "Closing"

MARBLEBOG Wind Of Moors (Tour De Garde) cd 11.98
Finally available again, the gorgeous all ambient second album from Hungary's Marblebog, who on other records (which we gushed about on past aQ lists) combined bits of ambient drone with their mournful black buzz, but for Wind Of Moors, they jettisoned all traces of metal completely, and in their place, crafted a gorgeous slow moving world of drifting melancholy ambience. Very krautrocky, and quite reminiscent of Klaus Schulze, Popol Vuh and the like, the opening track is soft and sun dappled, gentle muted bongos, beneath a constant low level raga like buzz, soft synth swells, shimmering streaks of ethereal whir, a gorgeous laid back sprawl of nearly new age mesmer.
The next track is even lighter and dreamier, chords smeared into shadows as they drift by, chords suspended in soft swirls of sound, the notes, floating weightless, a breathless whisper of a song.
The third track has a bit of muted propulsion, a gentle heartbeat like pulse, beneath some thick, but still soft, buzz, a gorgeous minor key melody played out in high end tones, draped over the droning blurred raga below, so completely entrancing and hypnotic. Slightly ominous, dark clouds drifting across a steel blue sky, but still, the vibe is more like a forest just before the storm, hauntingly calm but still slightly uneasy.
The final track is the darkest of the bunch, a creeping sonic fog, layered melodies, gauzy and shimmering, slowly drifting, casting dark shadows, filling the speakers with dead leaves and cold rain. A chilling, but mysteriously lovely bit of dreamlike sound.
MPEG Stream: "Waves Of Inner Seas"
MPEG Stream: "Gateless Gate Of Nothingness"

MARBLEBOG / DRAUGURZ split (Tour De Garde) cd 11.98
Originally released in 2005 as a cd-r limited to a mere 55 copies, and then later as a tape, limited to 144 copies, this killer split FINALLY gets a proper reissue, with new art, and an extra track, thanks to the always kick ass Tour De Garde label.
Ben a while since we've heard from Hungarian horde Marblebog, although they've been doing tons of split releases over the last few years, this one though is with Brazilian black metallers Draugurz, who long time aQ metalheads will probably remember from their raved about A Yell From The Past record.
Marblebog open the proceedings with some swirling drones and creepy black ambience, before introducing some spidery melancholic guitar, a tangled web of crystalline melody, which gives way to a burst of murky lo-fi buzz, a pounding midtempo depressive dirge, all weepy minor key chords and booming basement drums, with some seriously raspy and hellish vox, reminiscent of Hypothermia for sure, that sort of blackened post rock lope, but the band definitely get grim, exploding into blurred blasts of old school blackness, interspersed with strangely melodic stretches of meandery drift and shades of gloom pop. The other Marblebog track is all solo guitar, a distorted woozy blackened riffscape, creepy and solitary and haunting, a strange tension, as if at any point the drums might kick in, or the song might begin proper, but instead, the riff, twists and transforms, a dense sprawl of mournful buzz and trancelike drone. So cool.
Draugurz counter with some ultra raw, primitive black crunch, punkish guitars, stumbling drums, howled distorted vox, the songs sometimes slowing down into woozy warped doomy plods, with tangled minor key leads, sometimes locking into mesmerizing chunks of hypnodrone black metal, like a grim frosty Circle, building to dense blown out crescendos before slipping into more primitive pound.
This cd version tacks on an extra Draugurz track, a creepy ambient synthscape, all majestic percussion shimmering layered mournful buzz, with a super strange tripped out synth flute interlude, all clipped bleats and alien flutters, before returning to the stately march that started the track.
Killer stuff, from both bands, and probably still limited...
MPEG Stream: MARBLEBOG "A Silent Hermit"
MPEG Stream: DRAUGURZ "Hatestorm"

MARBLEBOG / VORKUTA Wanderings (Autopsy Kitchen) 7" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hungarian black metal lords Marblebog have been a longstanding favorite here at aQuarius, and this split with fellow countrymen Vorkuta marks a triumphant return indeed. Both bands specialize in abject black metal with smatterings of goth and punk. Oddly enough, at various moments throughout the record, each band brought to mind Dance With Me era T.S.O.L. - but maybe that's just us. Either way, we're digging it.
The record begins with Marblebog's "Uttalan Utakon", a seven minute blast of furious black metal that also sounds surprisingly like early American hardcore, at least before the harsh goblin vocals croak their way into the mix. The momentum is kept going with super fast drums and buzzy guitars before a weird, gothy outro plays out over siren like feedback. Vorkuta's "Prophecies" is a three part display of classic, Darkthrone-esque black metal outlining the joys of killing. While the band doesn't have to work too hard to prove their metal credentials, they also work in an interesting instrumental middle part with backwards tape effects and slow, distorted drums suggesting a somewhat psychedelic approach to their music. Definitely looking forward to checking out more from these dudes, who seem to specialize in splits.
A glorious slab of concentrated blackness, limited to 500 copies and pressed on bonechilling pink vinyl.

MARBLEBOG / VORKUTA Wanderings 2008 (New Scream Industry) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Originally released in 2008 (hence the title) as a tape and a 7", this killer two way split is now available on cd, featuring two Hungarian hordes: long time aQ faves Marblebog, and Vorkuta, who have just one split to their name, but about a million splits.
Marblebog should need no introduction, a weird group of nature obsessed black metal warriors whose sound shifts easily from blackened atmospheric drift to blazing buzzing blackness. Their contribution here falls into the latter category, with some of the heaviest Marblebog we've heard, churning Burzumic riffage, over pounding drums, and some of the creepiest sickest vocals EVER, an impossibly distorted raspy gargle, demonic and alien, and so cool. The track is a long one, and slips from frenzied blast to almost doomy pound to woozy melodic midtempo lope, complete with reverbed guitar solos, to epic almost Viking sounding metallic majesty, to skeletal clean guitar post metal meander. So good.
Vorkuta, counter with an epic 3 part single track, that explodes out of the gate, super raw and primitive, buzzing insectoid riffing, pounding blast beats, and weird croaked sing songy demonic growls that follow the guitar melody exactly, making the whole song seem seasick and twisted, until it breaks down into a tribal drummed churning breakdown, only to lurch right back into the frantic blasting blackness. Vorkuta too dabble in some abstract ambience, clean spidery guitars over crystalline shimmer, cool effected backwards loops, distant chimes, before finishing off with a buzz drenched tangle of grinding black crunch.
Definitely need to hear more from these guys. Who knew that Hungary had such a serious BM scene, beyond just these two outfits too? Judging from the list of related bands, and the pedigree of both Marblebog and Vorkuta, we definitely have some more digging to do...
MPEG Stream: MARBLEBOG "Uttalan Utakon"
MPEG Stream: VORKUTA "Prophecies (Part 1: War / Part 2: Cleansing / Part 3: Triumph)"

MARCH 15 Our Love Becomes A Funeral Pyre (Emissary) cd 10.98

MARDUK Blackcrowned (Limited Edition) (Regain) 2cd/video 40.00
Sweden's black metal panzer division get the box they always deserved. Two full cds of rare, unreleased and re-recorded goodies spanning their entire career. Plus a live video and a booklet with tons of photos and lyrics. This one's definitely just for diehard fans or big spenders looking for a $40 introduction to one of the most brutal black metal bands around. The re-recorded stuff sounds great, some weird covers, but for the uninitiated, check out 'Panzer Division Marduk' or 'Those Of The Unlight', but those who are already believers, you know you have to have this. Stupidly large box ala the Misfits box from a while back, nice looking, but lots of space and plastic (read: too much), just enough to make sure it won't fit comfortably anywhere on your cd shelf.

MARDUK La Grande Danse Macabre (Blooddawn / Regain) cd 16.98
The mighty metal panzer divsion return with a vengeance, to lay waste to all poseurs in their path. Marduk's buzzing and blazing-fast black metal is fully intact, but this time around, it's tempered with lots of droning mid tempos and old school eighties metal riffs making for a pretty great 21st century black metal/80's thrash hybrid.

MARDUK Nightwing (Osmose) cd 11.98
Newest and best album from these chaotic black metallers, the second half being nothing less than a concept piece about Dracula.

MARDUK Plague Angel (Candlelight USA) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

MPEG Stream: "The Hangman Of Prague"
MPEG Stream: "Throne Of Rats"
MPEG Stream: "Perish In Flames"

MARDUK Rom 5:12 (Regain) cd 14.98
For a band much loved by the metalheads around these parts, there's a serious dearth of Marduk albums on the AQ site. Only four out of maybe a dozen full lengths. WTF? No excuse, other than just too much amazing metal to cover...
So let's try to right that wrong! We meant to get going on Marduk reviews again when Mortuus from Funeral Mist joined on vocals. We couldn't think of a better combo, the blazing buzz of Panzer Division Marduk, and the grim frosty howl from Funeral Mist, but it seemed most long time fans were super bummed on the change, we however were not. Even though we never got around to reviewing 2004's Plague Angel, it ranks as one of our favorite Marduk records.
So for those new to Marduk, the thing with them, is they are fast. Really fast. Furious, relentless, the embodiment of pure black buzz. Lots of folks found the band to be boring because of the lightspeed blur the band seemed to constantly inhabit, but we reveled in their blazing blackness. So we were pretty surprised by this latest disc, sure the band had dabbled in midtempos in the past, even a bit of dirge here and there, but Rom 5:12 is pretty heavy on the midtempo Burzumic buzz, and even the doomy downtuned plod, but fear not those chunks of blackness are surrounded on all sides by that classic ultrafast Marduk buzz.
The opening track is all spacious and mathy, even post rocky, sounding not unlike recent Deathspell Omega, lots of gnarled squalls of blackness amidst almost groovy black riffing. The second track though returns Marduk to more familiar ground, but not for long. Check out track three. "Imago Mortis", it's downright pretty, sort of major key, with huge sweeping melodies, a dirgey dramatic breakdown in the middle, and a pounding groove laden back half, all complex and mathy, but not at all blazing fast. The weird thing is it really suits them. It makes the perfect balance for the blinding lightning strike of the other more typically furious and fast numbers.
Probably the coolest song on Rom 5:12 is "Accuser/Opposer", which features Alan Averill aka Naihmass Nemtheanga from Primordial and Void Of Silence, who adds a whole 'nother dimension with his throaty wailing clean vocals, sounding quite a bit like Mike Scalzi from Slough Feg at moments, wrap your head around that, Slough Feg vocals over dirgey Marduk, hell yeah.
What else to say? This totally rules, much more varied than past releases, but still with plenty of ultra fast fury and black buzzing blast, but with a whole lot more going on. Definitely one of our favorite Marduk discs...
MPEG Stream: "Accuser / Opposer"
MPEG Stream: "The Levelling Dust"
MPEG Stream: "Cold Mouth Prayer"

MARDUK Serpent Sermon (Century Media) cd 14.98
For years, Swedish black metal panzer division Marduk defined themselves by creating a sound that was unwavering, blurry and buzzy and blasting, their sound a furious blackened onslaught that few could touch, and it seemed the group was perfectly happy making the same record every time, as were we. Then, a few years back, the oddly named Rom 5:12 happened, which found the band pushing way beyond their lightspeed blast, and dipping into sounds and songs that were murky and gnarled, tempering their blackbuzz prowess with a bit of experimentalism, looking no doubt to Deathspell Omega for inspiration, as well as new Marduk blood in the form of Mortuus, vocalist for Funeral Mist. And on Marduk's next album after that, Wormwood, the band continued to expand their sound. And while Serpent Sermon is not necessarily another sonic reinvention, and actually doesn't even move much beyond Wormwood, we're not even sure that matters, instead, Serpent Sermon seems like Marduk honing the sound they seemingly perfected on Wormwood, the sound better than ever, dense and furious, weirdly melodic too, the title track definitely has that all on display, a churning almost doomy intro that gives way to blurred lightning fast blasts, and a super catchy, super melodic refrain, the group deftly flitting from part to part, the result a super progged out mathy blackness that position them alongside DSO in terms of modern black metal mastery. And while there are plenty of moments on Serpent Sermon where the ban shift gears into a punkish pound, or a doomic lumber, even some woozy spaced out psychedelia at times, the band do spend the majority of their time blasting and buzzing frantically, effortlessly spewing furious gouts of grinding black buzz that KILLS. But peppered throughout is plenty of weirdness, whether it's creeping droned out buzz over insanely frenetic double kicks, or shredding leads, or dark strummed apocalyptic folk, all of those elements deftly woven into Serpent Sermon's dense, buzzing sonic black fabric.
Fans of Deathspell Omega, Funeral Mist, Katharsis and the like, who have yet to discover the mighty Marduk, now's the time to right that wrong, and fans of Marduk can add this grim sonic gem to an already impressive body of black works.
MPEG Stream: "Sepent Sermon"
MPEG Stream: "Hail Mary (Piss-Soaked Genuflexion)"
MPEG Stream: "M.A.M.M.O.N."
MPEG Stream: "World Of Blades"

MARDUK World Funeral (Regain) cd 12.98
The return of black metal legends, Panzer Division Marduk and their one speed. VERY VERY FAST. Seems most metalheads who don't like Marduk, just get bored because with the exception of a record/song here and there, Marduk pick a tempo and stick to it. And that tempo is almost always faster than a speeding bullet. But if you're in the mood for some hyper fast, hyper produced, christ hating, poser smashing black metal, then this may just hit the spot. I personally LOVE Marduk and have been listening to this record a bunch.
MPEG Stream: "With Satan And Victorious Weapons"
MPEG Stream: "Bleached Bones"

MARDUK Wormwood (Regain) cd 14.98
In the beginning, Swedish black metal horde Marduk were a special breed, a sonic panzer division onslaught, that mostly consisted of locking into a riff, dropping in an insanely fast blast beat, and then letting rip, rarely veering from their course. Fast and furious and heavy. Lots of folks thought they were boring, but for us, the sound of Marduk was transcendent, mesmerizing, hypnotic, cyclical, it was trancelike, and we loved it.
The something changed, and Marduk began to morph into something new, something much less one dimensional (even though it was a great dimension), their sound began to drift more toward the avant garde side of BM, becoming more gnarled and convoluted and fucked up, where was once old school classic Swedish blackness, aligned with the Scandinavian pantheon, was now some strange modern avant black weirdness, now more in line with groups like Deathspell Omega, Funeral Mist and the like, which make sense considering Funeral Mist vocalist Mortuus joined the group right around this shift.
And while we still hold the old Marduk records near and dear to our hearts, it's hard to deny the twisted beast Marduk has become, especially considering how much the BM envelope has been pushed lately, Marduk may be old guard, but they've stepped up and put most of the new guard to shame.
2007's Rom 5:12 was a totally twisted game changer, bumming out lots of old time fans, but reinvigorating the group, and turning on a whole new legion of fans enmeshed in the more progressive side of BM, which has all lead to this, easily the best Marduk record yet. Certainly the weirdest, and catchiest, the same folks who hated Rom 5:12 will probably hate this one too, unless they've finally come to their senses, for the rest of us, it's a chance to dig in to an incredibly dense and bizarre record by a band at the top of their game.
There's plenty of furious blasting blackness on Wormwood, it's just that there's so much more, and even when the band is blasting blackly, they're still twisting it all up. After a creepy intro the band explode into a frenzy of super complex convoluted thrashing, the riffs are strange, atonal, warped, the arrangement is incredible, with the band stopping and starting, lurching wildly, slipping into a doomy creep, only to launch right back into it, the sound is MASSIVE, there's bass all over the place (in a notoriously bass-less genre), Mortuus' vocals are SICK, an inhuman gurgling rasp, and the riffs amazing, wild and tangled and melodic, it's 3 minutes for Marduk, but for other bands it would be a whole record. Which leads right into the seasick lumber of "Funeral Dawn", with an almost industrial martial vibe, soaring epic and melodic, the main melody impossibly catchy, while streaks of noise swirl around the riffs, there's even a breakdown where Mortuus's sick vox are laid over a thick undulating bassline, the resulting sound is like a blackened Laibach.
"The Fleshy Void" is a 3 minute hyperblast of black intensity, still tangled and warped, but impossibly heavy and fast, giving way to the super creepy "Unclosing The Curse", all tolling bells and pulsing bass, abstract guitar chords, and hateful vokills, spare and spaced out and super ominous.
Wormwood is not inherently a 'weird record', it's not fucked up and freaky the way Furze or Necrofrost are - the weirdness here, the strange song structures, the freaked out non black parts, the fucked up samples, the drones, the doomy breakdowns, they're all seamlessly integrated into Marduk's sound, for every blast of Swedish blackness, there's some soaring melodic almost NWOBHM sounding melody, for every stretch of doomy pound, there's some gurgly bass heavy creep, the whole record is twisted, but subtly so, it's not about being weird or fucked up, it's about making a truly original piece of black art, which by its very nature IS both fucked up and weird. But the fact that's not the be all end all, keeps Wormwood from being gimmicky, instead it's a fierce and furious ultra heavy black metal record, with lots of twists and turns, which in a nutshell, means quite possible black metal record of the year for sure.
MPEG Stream: "Nowhere, No-One, Nothing"
MPEG Stream: "Funeral Dawn"
MPEG Stream: "To Redirect Perdition"

MARE s/t (Hydra Head) cd ep 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
D'you like Isis? Cult Of Luna? Maybe some Radiohead and Neurosis and Mogwai and 20th-century choral music? Got 12 bucks and at least 25 minutes to spare? Then this Hydrahead debut from Toronto's Mare is just perfect for you!! Seriously, this is great stuff for fans of the above. Mare combines post-rock dynamics, elephantine tones, droning ambience, screaming metalcore angst, all those light and dark shades into one moody, arty package. 'Nuff said, it's good!
MPEG Stream: "They Sent You"

MARK D Silent Treatment (Tee Pee) cd 11.98
Surprise solo album by Mark Deutrom, the cowboy-hatted Melvins bass player through their Atlantic years (on "Stoner Witch", "Stag", etc.). He also produced some early Melvins stuff like their "Ozma" masterpiece. On this disc, the man plays everything except the drums. As with latter-day Melvins, this is super-eccentric and all over the map stylistically, although always returning to the Rock: sort of like a cross between the Melvins (heavy thud-fests and general insanity) and Queens of the Stone Age (fat desert-rock grooves): heavy, rockin', not un-pop but weird. And his ZZ Top influence is readily apparent as well! Mark D dabbles (and dabbles well) in everything from laid-back space jams to psych-pop jangle to steamroller dirge-metal. There was a Swedish import of this that we were only able to get a few of, but now it's been issued domestically, which gets a big hoo-ray. A nice surprise!
RealAudio clip: "The Hobnail Paisley"
RealAudio clip: "One Thousand Nights"
RealAudio clip: "Gateau D'Amour"
RealAudio clip: "Van Diemen's Land"

MARSH / THORAZINE GAZE split (Love Decay) cassette 8.98
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Latest from Minneapolis one man raw black metal horde Marsh, who we last heard from on a split with black metal weirdos Lonesummer. Here, Marsh is teamed up with a group called Thorazine Gaze, who we had never heard before but who are pretty amazing, starting things out with a plodding bit of freaked out, depressive, super creepy plodding black metal, the guitars raw and echoe-y, the recording super lo-fi, the vocals super distorted and insanely inhuman sounding, also wrapped in delay and reverb, the result is a dark droning, blackened trudge, with a gloriously melancholy main riff. The next track picks up the pace a little, but the sound remains, grim and miserable, yet still strangely minor key and melodic, the music almost pretty, but the vocals, so intense and tortured and so processed and distorted they end up sounding like dense squalls of white noise, drifting over the pounding D-beat flecked grimnity underneath. The record tends toward the midtempo, but those fucked up vocals push this more toward the realms of groups like Bone Awl or Akitsa, which is absolutely a good thing.
Marsh starts of his side with a stretch of creepy, soundtracky black ambience, laced with strange industrial creaks and whirs, looped melody, a haunting tense slow build, swirling FX, downtuned distorted crumble, echo drenched melodies, before finally exploding into song, but instead of the frenzied black blast we were expecting, it's some creepy depressive gothy doom pop, deep dramatic vocals, clean guitars, low slung Joy Division basslines, all wrapped in a gauzy lo-fi swirl, the rhythms programmed and machinelike, the track laced with occasional shrieked vokills, but for the most part it's weirdly dark and melodic, before finally stumbling into something way more black and harsh, stumbling drums, strange atonal guitars, harsh vox, twisted melodies, everything woozy and off kilter, abstract and gnarled. Finally finishing off with a bit of pounding post rock / black metal, that manages to buzz and brood, the sound blown out, but definitely still warm and melodic. Good stuff for sure. Wondering when some label's gonna finally step up and release a Marsh full length. Until then, better act fast. LIMITED TO 50 COPIES!! We have about 10, not sure we can get more...

MARZURAAN Five Years Worth Of Fuck All (At War With False Noise) cd 14.98
Latest release from one of our favorite proponents of drone/doom/dirge, alongside folks like SUNNO))), Corrupted, Earth, Khanate, Boris, Eyehategod, etc. But as we've mentioned before, unlike many of those other bands, UK's Marzuraan always seemed to approach their sound with one eye on the sludge, the other on the pop. Imbuing even the heaviest and murkiest of dirges with crystalline shimmer, or subtle muted melody, or even buried hooks, without sacrificing any of their sheer power or skull caving heaviness.
This disc collects a whole mess of odds and ends, from live shows, to rehearsals, to practice space recordings, random jams, improvised grooves and awesome unlikely covers. And if anything give us a glimpse into the development of their sound, from primitive noise dirgescapers to full on heavy pop band and back again.
The opening track is a cover of "After Glow" by Loop, and Marzuraan covering Loop is only one step removed from Boris covering Swervedriver, meaning a fucking grungy shoegaze goth drone bliss out match made in heaven. And the band don't change it up too much, it sounds like it could be some lost live Loop recording. Dark and dreamy and groovy and intense, the guitars washed out, the drums propulsive and tribal, the vocals weary and lightly effected, helps that it's one of our favorite tunes already, but Marzuraan nail it.
The other unlikely cover is "Turned Inside Out" by the Rollins Band, recorded live in 2005. A dark roiling filthy groove, all tightly wound Greg Ginnish guitars, raspy wailed vocals, the guitars muddy and massive, the drums pummeling, the whole track a relentless lurching groove.
The comp is loosely in reverse order, starting now, and ending way back when, so track by track, the sound becomes more and more simple, moving away from the progressive drone pop and blown out shoegaze drone of recent recordings to something much more primitive and noisy.
There's "Moneybox" recorded live in 2006, an abstract noisescape that manages to shimmer and drift, eventually coalescing into a gorgeously doomy plod, the drums an occasional crunch, the guitars spread out in thick sheets of crumbling low end and fluttering feedback. Like a much prettier more washed out Khanate. Then there's "Bad Flange", another live track, from 2004, which finds the band drifting even further into pummeling glacial doom, slow slithery heaviness, spread out over a pounding spare beat, and fragmented melodies tangled up in the downtuned caveman riffage.
"Martian Deconstruction" spreads out a thick undulating guitarscape, like a supercharged Fear Falls Burning, the guitars smoldering and whit hot, the notes and chords pulled apart into crumbling cascades of crackly buzzing sound, wound up into warm melodic swells. "Earth 3" sounds just like you might imagine, thick guitars, unwinding lazily, over a plodding propulsive bass line, very skeletal and almost unfinished sounding, a dreamy sort of slowed down dronefuzz jam. The disc finished with the oldest Marzuraan track, "HARMed" from way back in 2002, and is a massive processed soundscape of tangled downtuned guitars, sheets of buzz and hiss, stuttering jabs of grinding fragmented riffage, deep resonant metallic shimmer, shrieking feedback smeared into soft high end whirs, a muddy, murky, super distorted melted guitar blur.
Amazing Thumbprint Press packaging. A six panel, thick cardstock sleeve, printed in black and clear gloss, super striking. The inside featuring a full Marzuraan discography.
MPEG Stream: "Afterglow"
MPEG Stream: "Muck Bucket"
MPEG Stream: "Martian Deconstruction (Drum Free Mix)"

MARZURAAN Solid State (Traqueto Records) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Chances are, you probably haven't heard of the UK's Marzuraan. But if Earth, SUNNO))), Khanate, Boris, Corrupted, Eyehategod and others of that ilk mean anything to you, then you will probably want to add Marzuraan to that illustrious list of low-end, slowed-down, heavy-as-hell heroes. This is the band's debut cd from last year, that we recently tracked down in enough quanity (we hope) to list. Marzuraan wear their influences on their sleeve -- quite literally, in fact, as this disc comes in a nice cardstock package that folds out into a cross, designed by none other than Stephen O'Malley of SUNNO))) and Khanate. And the band's name is derived, we're pretty sure, from song by James Plotkin of Khanate's old band, OLD. So, no surprise then (only expectant satisfaction) that this starts off (and continues) in doomy dirge mode, heavy and sludgey, definitely very Earth-like, but live-recorded at high volume for maximum murk and grit and distortion. The proceedings are mostly instrumental, although what sounds like the snarl of feeding zombies breaks out at least once, to terrifying effect. Could almost be a battle between the vocalists for Caninus and Hatebeak!
Mainly, though, these folks are all about crushing you with their droning ambient metal riffs, as helped along by the sparse plod of the drums, and the constant presence of feedback, feedback that reaches a pinnacle on the third track "Martian Dub". By the end of the disc, though, Marzuuran have also gotten into some really nice lo-fi, distorted post-rock psychedelia, that then freaks out into an improv frenzy at the finish... Five tracks, one full hour. The raw production really works for this (they're not quite the Doktor Kettu of doom-drone, but close). We'll certainly be on the lookout for a limited edition (of course! argh!) double LP from these guys which we're told is upcoming.
MPEG Stream: "Death Dirge Has Come"
MPEG Stream: "Reoccuring [sic] Nightmare"

MARZURAAN Solid Wood (Kult Ov Nihilow) lp 11.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
A brand new black hole slab of metallic tar from Marzuraan, part of the NWOSMDGS, aka the New Wave of Slow Motion Doom Grind Sludge!!! Taking their sonic influences from the holy trinity of Boris, SUNNO))) and Earth (specifically Earth 2) and taking their name (presumably) from pre-Khanate outfit OLD, the UK's Marzuraan deliver their own brand of doom drone. With a raw, very live sounding production, Solid Wood deviates a bit from the recent spate of sludge releases, as Solid Wood infuses its slow motion apocalyptic dirges with mournful melancholy melodies, warm washes of guitar, and a darn near post rock shuffle. A lot of Solid Wood sounds like a heavy metal Codeine, or a seriously beefed up and tuned down Low. Sure it's crushing and heavy as fuck, but it's also dreamy and blissy as it lopes lazily through a haze of thick guitar and dense sonic reverberations. Occasionally the crush outweighs all else. but more often than not, this is one of the dreamiest prettiest pummellings we've received in a long long time.
Exquisitely packaged (as wilth all things Kult Ov Nihilow) in a strange gatefold half-sleeve, with a striking silver ink on cardstock printed insert.

MARZURAAN / SINK split (Thrashwax) 7" 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The return of UK sludgelords Marzuraan, squaring off against the simply monickered Sink.
Those of you unfamiliar with the dark black sludge of Marzuraan would do well to become acquainted, especially if you have a taste for things like Moss, Bunkur, Boris, SUNNO))), Monument of Urns, Monarch and the like. This is maybe the best Marzuraan track yet. Speeding up their tarpit sludge just a smidge so they end up sounding here like Dutch hypnometallers Gore at 16 rpm. Fucking awesome. A whole record of this would instantly become our most listened to disc of the year, mark our words. The flipside is taken up by the noxious black noise of Sink, a swirling, sludgy wall of hissing fuzzed out blackened ultra noise, harsh and horrific, a good foil to the slow motion sludge drenched groove of the Marzuraan track.
Limited to 333 copies, half on clear vinyl (we got all clear vinyl!) comes with a big fold out poster, and packaged in a thick cardstock, striking two color screened sleeve!