Midnight - "Complete and Total Fucking Midnight"

Quick post tonight because I am le tired, and still rather sick!
These guys were recently in town and since I missed it, (broke bastard I am!) all I have is this amazing CD of blackened heavy rock and roll to ease the pain! Plus, a good friend requested it.
I hope you enjoy!

01] Funeral Bell
02] All Hail Hell
03] Servant Of No One
04] Unholy And Rotten
05] I Am Violator
06] Hot Graves
07] Long Live Death
08] White Hot Fire
09] Endless Slut
10] Lord In Chains
11] Strike Of Midnight
12] Take You To Hell
13] ... On The Wings Of Satan
14] Turn Up The Hell
15] Death Sentence
16] Vomit Queens
17] Cross Held High
18] Wicked Women (Scarab Cover)
19] Eyes Of Satan (Pagans Cover)
20] Watch Your Step (Girlschool Cover)

DL Link here!

Martyrdod - "Sekt"

Every now and then, I hear an album old or new that reminds me why I love crust punk music. "Sekt" is one of them, coming from the always reliable Sweden to burn a sound of hatred and disgust right into my eardrums. Walls of sound, ominous and fast riffs, d-beats, blastbeats, and lyrics so powerfully delivered, it doesnt matter what language there in... Martyrdod is REALLY good, in case I'm to subtle for you! The neat thing about this album is that despite its raw production and vibe, there is seriously potent song writting and musicianship on this album. The riffs all sound iconic but never recycled, bringing a fresh take on a genre prone to generica. And while none of it is to revolutionary, its all delivered with such intensity that its impossible not to like. Add an obvious black metal influence and the occasional split second solo that riffs on (gasp!) heavy metal, and you have an album so deceptively varied that it recquires multiple listens. Throw this on and smash some states!

1. Livets Strängar Dödsackord
2. Nåd
3. Gloria Runt Iris
4. 6 Grader Till Helvetet
5. Sekt
6. Vanmakt
7. En Demon
8. Kärleksmässan
9. Död Åt Vek Punk
10. Cassiopeia
11. Stormfödd
12. Gast

DL Link here!

Darkthrone - "A New Dimension"

First, lets just get this out of the way; Darkthrone is hands down one of my favorite bands of all time. No question! They are true artists, constantly evolving and making consistently amazing music that spands so many genres, its dizzying. Like any other self respecting fellow, I love "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" "The Cult Is Alive," and "Transylvanian Hunger," but this old '88 demo of theres is something I had never heard of until recently. I think it just may be better, in two songs, then any of those albums combined!
Consisting of one 40 second long ambient intro and one 9 minute killer of a song, this is a short and sweet showcase of why I love this band. Guitar heroics and pointless widdling are negated! No, what you have here is raw, driving black metal with death and crust influences. Catchy riffs, d-beats, straight up fucking metal. You think Darkthrone just up and switched to crust punk with FOAD? Think again when you hear this demo! Its killer, one of my favorite recent listens, and definatly worth a place in your library!

1. "Intro - Twilight Dimension"
2. "Snowfall"

DL Link here!

Artist of the Month; Fornskog

DIY in the truest sense of the word, "Fornskog" is one of the solo projects run and operated by local musician (and good friend of mine) Phil Feiss. Self recorded, self produced, and self sufficient, Phil plays every instrument and screams every single howl of this amazing and atmospheric black metal project. Its clear even after one listen that this is powerful and driven music.
The music is like a glance into a soul, intricate and complicated with overpowering themes and beliefs. At times as calming as a walk through the woods and at other times as harsh as winter cold, Fornskog is music to immerse yourself in. To lose yourself to. Grinding hatred contrasts with soothing peace, walls of noise crash upon the framework of gentle guitar, and it all comes down too the haunting howls that Phil supplies on most songs. This is seriously incredible music. It's true, honest, and dark. I don't even want to compare it with other bands, so I will simply describe it as grinding black metal with folk and traces of ambience. But really, those are just labels; Listen for yourself to figure it out!
Phil's "fuck the industry" stance lends itself to the innate truth of his music, clear in the fact that he literally does everything himself from promotion to instrumentation. Hell, he even objects to the inevitable advertising that every band does in the comments section of a myspace page. I was even lucky enough to be supplied with the entire unreleased (and only recently mastered!) new Fornskog EP to share as a free download by Phil himself, further proving that the music of Fornskog is a statement of artistry rather then a tool of profit or gimmickry. Hopefully Phil takes it upon himself to assemble a live line-up but a part of me hopes it stays this personal! It's a refreshing blast of air to see such a real musician making his own impact, without a care for what others think.

Check out the Fornkog myspace here!


Fornskog - "Reflections of the Autumnal Wane" EP

1. "Wane of Sowilo"
2. "The Great Autumn"
3. "Voices of the Old Winds (Murmurs of Gnosis Lost)"
4. "Where Darkness is Lord and Death the Beginning (Inquisition Cover)"
5. "Outtro"

DL Link here!

Hellhammer - "Death Fiend" demo

Hopefully Hellhammer needs no introduction; They're the band that pre-dated Celtic Frost. Period. And this one is a bloody mess of a recording, recorded but unreleased in the early 80's, and one of my favorites. Raw, heavy, brutal as hell black/heavy metal with obscene lyrics, Death Fiend is undescribable. "Angel Of Destruction" would have to me my personal fave track. Why not give it a listen!

1. Maniac
2. Angel Of Destruction
3. Hammerhead
4. Bloody Pussies
5. Death Fiend
6. Dark Warriors
7. Chainsaw
8. Ready For Slaughter
9. Sweet Torment

DL Link!