Metal Music
Mid-month Metal Masterpiece 46: Impetigo – Horror of Zombies (1992)
It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with my taste in black metal that I rather love Impetigo’s Horror of the Zombies. It is a type of death metal that eschews technicality for good old fashioned nastily simple riffs. It’s the kind of simplistic stuff that I used to trash other bands for,…
Read MoreMid-month Metal Masterpiece 45: Summoning – Nightshade Forests (1997)
Summoning is a band both loved and ridiculed in black metal circles. While it is a fact that 98% of all black metal bands have taken their names from The Lord of the Rings, Summoning takes the Tolkien worship to the next level. Every single one of their songs is about one of Tolkien’s creations,…
Read MoreMid-month Metal Masterpiece 44: Tormentor – Seventh Day of Doom (1987)
Hungarian band Tormentor is widely (and justly) recognized as a major influence on the second wave black metal bands. Partly due to their vocalist Attila Csihar’s brilliant performance on Mayhem’s classic De Mysteriis dom Sathanas, and partly because their second album/demo, 1988’s Anno Domini, was years ahead of its time in black metal terms. However,…
Read MoreMid-month Metal Masterpiece 43: Death – Leprosy (1988)
I’ve been going around for a while saying that I’m really not all that into death metal anymore. And, I don’t know, maybe some of that is me preferring melody in a largely atonal genre, and maybe some of that is just me trying to troll my more death metal focused friends, but one thing…
Read MoreMid-month Metal Masterpiece 42: Forgotten Woods – Sjel av Natten (1995)
Within the fetid halls of black metal, there exists a genre known as DSBM (not to be confused with NSBM, and also not to be confused with BDSM, both of which are very–well, slightly–different things). Short for “Depressive Suicidal Black Metal,” DSBM is a somewhat slower, more melancholic and depressing variation on a type of…
Read MoreMid-month Metal Masterpiece 41: Robespierre – Die You Heathen, Die! (1983)
Certain metalheads, myself included, consider the quest to find tr00ly KVLT metal to be one the most important tasks a member of the metal underground can undertake. KVLT (pronounced: “cult”) is a general term for anything that is incredibly obscure, possesses uncommonly poor production values, and, if you can convince yourself to buy into it…
Read MoreMid-month Metal Masterpiece 40: Sepultura – Morbid Visions (1986)
I’ve always been on the fence when it comes to Sepultura. Sure, I own 4 of their albums (6 before I sold off Chaos A.D. and Roots), and they have plenty of great riffs, and scattered moments of excellent atmosphere, but at the end of the day it’s tough for me to get through an…
Read MoreMy Favorite Movies 42: This is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984)
This is Spinal Tap is not the first “mockumentary,” but it is probably the most famous one. And, in a time when the genre can be seen all over film (Borat, Bruno, and the slew of mockumentaries made by the Spinal Tap team) and TV (The Office, Parks and Rec, and Modern Family), I’m pleased…
Read MoreMid-month Metal Masterpiece 39: Zemial – Necrolatry
Everyone knows the Greek black metal big 3 (Varathron, Rotting Christ and Necromantia), but for some reason Zemial never seems to get their name dropped quite enough when casual fans discuss the Hellenic scene. Rather than use their excellent debut full length (the awesomely titled For the Glory of Ur) as evidence that Zemial deserves their place…
Read MoreMid-month Metal Masterpiece 38: Thor – Only the Strong
Bodybuilding champion, actor, director, screenwriter, rock opera composer, historian, singer with the voice of an angel, and vigorous yet attentive lover, Canada’s own Jon-Mikl Anger Thor is a man of many talents. As such, it was only a matter of time before his band Thor found its way into the hallowed halls of Mid-month Metal…
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