Void’s Used and Abused – Late 21
Every once in a great while I find my Inbox graced with an article (admittedly more a few words on recent acquisitions) from my metal lovin’ friend Void. Of course, anyone who converses with this quiet, introverted, Canadian is of the understanding that his audio penchants decidedly lean more toward the less visited area of the metal spectrum, the darkest corner. A realm surrounded in mists of controversy, smoke animating from smoldering churches and shadows thrown by scattered inverted crucifixes. But enough of my meandering diatribe, what say I just post his scribbles?
Here, may I present the newest Used and Abused (I just know the spellchecking device on my laptop is about to go into convulsions). I’ll try my best to find audio examples so that you might be able to come to your own conclusions.
Kreator – “Endless Pain” (LP, 1985, Banzai Records)
Kreator – “Pleasure to Kill” (LP, 1986, Banzai Records)
These two albums are unprecedented in their quality, influence and savagery. Although these original pressings on Banzai Records are recent pickups, I’ve owned CD versions for decades and I still can’t figure out which I prefer; Endless Pain has a cool traditional heavy metal vibe to it while Pleasure to Kill is balls to the wall violence (editor’s note: “Under the Guillotine” remains my favorite Kreator track).
But you already know this, so I’m just going to gush over how beautiful these versions are; considering these are around 35 years old, (Ed; Jeez that makes me feel ancient) they’re in pristine condition, and the speed metal swirl on the Endless Pain cover fills my black heart with sardonic joy.
Mortado – “Mortado” (CD, 2008, self-released)
What an odd little release we have here. I’m not gonna lie, this is a bit of an awkward affair; things don’t quite line up perfectly, and we’ve got a fairly generic black / thrash approach with some occasional tempo changes to slow things down for emphasis. A reasonable break is deserved by Mortado for this simply being a rehearsal demo, but there’s a lot of work left to be done. Not terrible, but a quirky curiosity at best. (Ed; Sorry Void, I could only find Sodoma by Mortado. Is this what you meant? here’s also a band with the same name from Italy who play Thrash though who bear a strangely happy demeanor, it can’t be them, right?)
Bestia Arcana – “To Anabainon ek tes Abyssu” (CD, 2011, Daemon Worship Productions)
https://bestia-arcana.bandcamp.com/album/to-anabainon-ek-tes-abyssu
The works of Naas Alcameth are very distinctive, and Bestia Arcana are no different; bearing considerable similarity to Nightbringer but with somewhat more ambience, Bestia Arcana’s debut is a harrowing listen, a downward plummet into the swirling darkness with no reprieve. To Anabainon ek tes Abyssu lays the groundwork for the formidable follow up Holókauston, but that is not intended to suggest that this album is any less complete; it will swallow you whole and engulf you.
Dead Congregation – “Purifying Consecrated Ground” (CD, 2005, Konqueror Records)
https://deadcongregation.bandcamp.com/album/purifying-consecrated-ground
I already had the Enucleation reissue of this, but I hate digipaks so I grabbed this one. Yes, I’m one of those. Anyways, this shit rips, even if it’s not on the level of the subsequent albums.
Wolven Ancestry – “The Wrath of Gaia” (CD, 2007, Archaic North Entertainment)
https://archaicnorth.bandcamp.com/album/the-wrath-of-gaia
A fairly obscure little band from northern Ontario and despite some goofy band photos and ridiculously long and meaningless song titles, they managed to pull it together where it counted and released a pretty good album here. Although not something immensely original, The Wrath of Gaia is some well-performed black metal with nice atmospheric touches, not unlike early Gehenna. Surprisingly good, recommended.
Rotting – “Crushed” (CD, 2007, self-released)
The cliched album cover of someone dead and bleeding is an unfortunate choice, since it gives the impression of being a third-rate goregrind band that isn’t worth your time. The fact is, however, that these Canadian boys played monstrously catchy death metal that paired crushing brutality with chunky-as-fuck riffs; think of Baphomet / Banished crashing into old Suffocation. Pair that up with a killer and rabid vocal performance, and Crushed is an absolute winner. This self-released version is a reissue of the 1998 original, with some bonus demo and live tracks added.
Tiamat – “Wildhoney” (CD, 1994, Century Media Records)
Ah, Tiamat. I have a difficult history with Tiamat. You see, as a lover of sick, occult death metal, I worship Sumerian Cry and the preceding Treblinka material, an era that was far too short for my liking. I, being stuck in my “death metal or bust” phase, spent a lot of time listening to The Astral Sleep or Clouds trying to find another Sumerian Cry buried in there somewhere. It was, of course, was a miserable failure, and I dismissed the albums, but the bigger crime is that it prevented me from enjoying the albums for what they actually are (Ed; Is Void going “Soft”?). Recently revisiting this era of Tiamat with no expectations has proven rewarding; taking cues from The Sisters of Mercy and Fields of the Nephilim while venturing into heavy, doomy passages and, yes, the occasional, fleeting moments that echo their death metal past, Wildhoney is a great album that I’m late to the game with through my own stubbornness.
Excrecor – “Synchronicity” (CD, 2010, self-released)
https://excrecor.bandcamp.com/album/synchronicity
It’s rare that I pick up a release that I have virtually zero expectations going in, but after picking this up based on the cover alone, this is one of them. Excrecor play melodic death metal with a sci-fi tinge to it, and I’m happy to report that while melodic it’s not overly watered down. It doesn’t flirt with clean vocal choruses and that kind of silliness; it keeps it fast and heavy, and I guess something like Gates of Ishtar would be a decent point of comparison. It’s not something I’d go to the ends of the earth to hunt down, but it’s an entertaining little curiosity.
Bazzah – “Death Is All I See…” (CD, 1996, Nebiula Production)
So, I love the 80s/90s Malaysian extreme metal scene, and this is one that I was missing; imagine my confusion and elation at finding this hanging out in the basement record store. Stoked. I feel like this album cover is misleading; kind of like the aforementioned Rotting album no one would blame you for expecting some kind of shitty goregrind or something, but what we actually have is some excellent, dark black metal. Strongly influenced by the Norwegian scene but also infusing some Beherit stylings, Bazzah nevertheless manage to capture their own sound for what is a fairly fresh take on black metal. Highly recommended.
Unleashed – “Midvinterblot” (CD, 2006, Steamhammer)
Released during a particularly fruitful time for enslaved where they were releasing a new album every two years for a decade, Midvinterblot marked a notable upswing in quality after the terrible “Hell’s Unleashed” and okay at best “Sworn Allegiance.” Although it has a couple of cringe-inducing moments (‘Psycho Killer’ lyrics I’m looking at you), by and large Midvinterblot is a quality release with some legitimate fist-pumping tracks that far outweigh the bad, and sits comfortably as one of Unleashed’s better releases (Ed; I much prefer their vintage material also).
And, as if stepping in a giant yawning abyss, Void is abruptly gone, leaving just his recommendations and prose to have us searching, scrambling around for audio obscurities like ravenous hyenas smelling a fresh kill.
Until the next time I have the honor to format and post another “Void dropping of the obscure and obscene” (hey, I rather like that, what say I rename this “piece” next time?) keep supporting the scene, regardless of your tastes.
Cult (&Void)
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