| CD REVIEW Hells Headbangers Records special, January 2011: Acid Witch - Black Witchery - Grave Desecrator - Inquisition |
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Hells Headbangers Records are an important underground label from the US, especially known (and active) in the USA and Canada, yet since last year, this label tries to cross the Atlantic as well – with success! Many splendid releases (among which some unique re-issues) are now available too in our countries – think about The Royal Arch Blaspheme, Nocturnal Blood, Havohej, Inquisition (the Colombian one), Prosanctus Inferi and many others.
The label sort of specialises in old school-oriented, raw and anti-commercial underground stuff from the most extreme regions (Death/ Heavy/ Black/ Thrash/ War/ Speed/ … Metal). January 18th 2011 was the release-date for four new releases. Through the label, it is all about a Northern American release only (the European edition has been taken care of by other sweet labels) – you’ll notice soon. In alphabetical order we’ll welcome Acid Witch with their second full length, Black Witchery from Florida, Brazilian deathsters Grave Desecrator, and Colombian (now American) masters of Inquisition. Band: Acid Witch Acid Witch hail from Michigan and were formed in 2007 by Shagrat, the guy behind e.g. Shitfucker (sleaziness can be beautiful) and Reaper (the Detroit-based Crust/Punk/Thrash/Black-band, not the Post-Thrash/Groove-band from New Jersey), and Slasher Dave, known from his solo-project Horrific (the American one, of course). [Or better: in the early years, they did work with a Finnish colleague too, Lasse – you might know him from e.g. his new project Swarming (together with Rogga Johansson!!!), his solo-project Claws, or bands as Phlegethon, Sarnath (ex), Hooded Menace, vacant Coffin or Shrouded (rip). Lasse left in mean time – ivan] In 2008, a first Acid Witch-full length got released (Witchtanic Hellucinations) through Razorback (the 12” vinyl edition was self-released by the band), followed by two EP’s, Witch House (2009) and Midnight Mass (2010). And winter ‘10-‘11 will see (or better: saw) the spawning of a new hallucinogenic, psychotropic masterwork… Anyway, reviewing an album called Stoned while being sober, isn’t it masochistic?
Now I do need to add ‘COL’ instead of ‘LOL’ (crying out loud)…?… It’s sad, but Stoned isn’t that differing from the 2008-debut. Oke, Witchtanic Hellucinations was a (very) nice effort, but there has been no evolution at all and this makes me weep (COL or LOL again?). The album lasts for forty minutes and like many Hells Headbangers-bands, this stuff is no-nonsense, primal, basic and elementary in its purest definition. The psychedelic combination of Retro-Doom, blackened old school Death Metal and elements from both Stoner and sixties/seventies Rock (the keyboards, for example, are pretty Deep Purple-inspired, for example) turned out to be sickening satisfying again. The addition of many samples, mainly based on helloweenish horror-themes, intensify the creepy atmosphere; and yeah, that dirty and unpolished production strengthens this uncomfortable feeling with sadistic fury. If you mix Goatlord, Witchfinder General, Winter, Pagan Altar, Pentagram, Amebix, Jex Thoth and Autopsy, covered with lots of weed, witchcraft and horror, then you understand the definition of Acid Witch’s unique Dooooom. 88/100 Band: Black Witchery 1991, Irreverent were born as a duo (Impurath (b&v) and Darkwolf (g&d)) in Florida, USA.
1996, Irreverent became Witchery.
1997, Darkwolf left; he got replaced by Vaz (d) and Tregenda (g). The latter is Steve Childers’ ‘professional’ name – you might know him from bands as Burning Inside, Public Assassin or pretty young act Monument Of Bones.
1999, the current moniker, Black Witchery, was chosen to avoid confusion (and juridical issues) with other bands with that very same name. This barbaric and caustic mini-album (24:22 minutes) opens with an industrialised noisy-sampled intro, and soon it transforms into the most sleazy, infernal and apocalyptic sounds of Metal this band is known for since the beginning. The unstoppable blasting energy might not be renewing, but the intensity known no boundaries. It comes with a raw sound, yet it seems to be mixed more decently than before (?). Of course it does not renew, but with such energy it contains other qualities. And even though this is a constantly pushing blast-beat album, it does not bore, thanks to the ingeniously composed riffs and rhythms, and the skilled performance (and probably because of the limited duration too?). This goes for the low-frequented throat-gurgles too. And the permanent injection of noisy additions, well, it might seem predictable, but it fits. Oh yes, the band covers Conqueror’s Kingdom Against Kingdom and what did you expect: it over-brutalises the original! For fans of: Von, Blasphemy, Beherit, Archgoat, Bestial Warlust, Nocturnal Blood or Demoncy. 80/100 Band: Grave Desecrator This does not deal with one of the bands called Grave Desecration (there used to be a Death Metal act from Costa Rica that didn’t exist long time, which didn’t release but one self-produced split with another Costa Rican band, Thanatopsis; there’s the Peruvian one, bringing underground-oriented corpse-paint Black Metal; and I remember the so-called Death / Grind band from California, with experienced members from other important Death- and Grind-acts; these three are the ones I know) – this is all about the Brazilian blaspheme Death band with extension ‘or’ instead of ‘ion’, a band that originally started up in 1998 in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Insult isn’t but the second full length (although Grave Desecrator did release two EP’s and a split-single with Catacumba before); the first full album, Sign Of Doom, was released in June 2008 through Ketzer Records. This very same label will distribute this new record in Europe; Hells Headbangers will take care of the North-American release, as well as the vinyl-version. It’s this American label that released 2010’s 7” Primordial And Repulsive, the splendid EP with cover tracks by Repulsion and Mortuary Drape – FYI. Insult lasts for more than forty minutes and is better than any former effort (even though the past can only be classified as ‘glorious’!). Many things have been done better right now. First of all the sound. The album has been recorded again at HR Studio with producer/ mixer (and (former) member of some sweet Death/ Black/ Thrash combos) Leo ‘Malphas’ Pagani (like the former full length), but in spite of the rough, unpolished setting, the whole sounds less ‘absent’ or ‘hollow’. The sonic and blaspheme attacks too have improved. There’s more variety this time, the compositions are much more cohesive, and the atmosphere is much, much more suffocating and crushy / crusty. It is primal material, yet not of the monotonous or superficial kind. But… even though this album stands for splendid retro-glory, I’m afraid it is not that outstanding to conquer. The lack of originality does not bother me, yet it makes this album too random nowadays. Anyway, this Black-Death-Thrash hybrid exhales a fabulous late eighties / early nineties spirit, which brings fellow countrymen like Sarcofago, Mystifier, Vulcano, Aamonhammer, Holocausto and Mutilator to mind. Jummie! 85/100 Band: Inquisition During the nineties, I knew three bands called Inquisition. First of all there was a more than acceptable Doom-Death formation from Austria (did release two nice full lengths, in 1995 and 1999, through NSM Records), and a melodic Death Metal band with the same moniker, from the Netherlands (with just one self-released album in 1996). And the third one, well, must be the nicest bunch of inquisitors.This Colombian formation once started as Guillotina (in mean time more than twenty years ago) and now resides in the USA (Washington State). A first official release, even though it was self-released, was the 1990-mini-album Anxious Death, re-released in 2006 through Nuclear War Now! with the original demo as bonus. Then it took several years, but 1996 saw the release of a new (mini) album, Incense Of Rest (through Defiled Records), released to on the split with Brazilian colleagues Profane Creation (via Sylphorium) (with addition of one bonus track). In 1998, the debut full length, Into The Infernal Regions Of The Ancient Cult, was a fact. It’s this album that got re-released last year through Hells Headbangers. Into … got reviewed with sadistic pleasure by undersigned half a year ago, and posted on 07/07/2010 in our splendid, excuse me, superior review section. Then it took another four years before the actual recording and release of a new studio full length took place. In 2002, War Hammer was responsible for the successor, Invoking The Majestic Throne Of Satan. Soon after, major label No Colours Records (one of my favourite labels, by the way) did sign the duo (Dagon and Incubus; in the past, Inquisition were a full-line up-band). Result: Unholy Inquisition Rites (a compilation mini-album; 2004), The Magnificent Glorification Of Lucifer (2004; re-released in 2009 with two previously unreleased bonus tracks!) and Nefarious Dismal Orations (2007). In North America, this newest album gets released through Hells Headbangers (very early 2011), like that higher-mentioned re-release, and in Europe through No Colours (as a matter of fact, at the end of 2010, FYI) (in South America, these duties are taken care of by Icarus Records, by the way). Ominous Doctrines Of The Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm appears on CD and vinyl – the latter in ‘normal’ LP-edition, yet also as gatefold or coloured splatter-version.
And then, the ‘music’… Those who are trusted with this band: praise the Horned One! Reason: this album IS Inquisition, with just one difference with the past: this sounds even more professional and convincing than ever before! Hail, hail, hail.Ominous Doctrines … (the titles alone are oh so magnificent) lasts for forty two minutes and still brings obscure, oppressive, occult, ritualistic, mesmerizing and asphyxiating Underground Black Metal with an old school-approach and a grim yet very tasty sound. No expensive studio, no expensive producer behind the knobs, just the primary essence, the honest purity. The rather nihilistic and primitive use of instruments stands in nice contrast with the intensity of atmosphere and spirit. The main tempo is rather slow, but some parts blast mercilessly – more faster attacks than before.
In spite of the uncompromising approach, the album is rather variable. Maybe more than before. No, it isn’t a progressive or experimental effort, of course, but the permanent evolution is one of the many elements that makes this band so much better than the masses.
And I do need to mention the vocals again, of course, like I needed to do in the past. Why? Because these are really remarkable. I know, some will detest it, but I can’t get enough of it. Dagon’s throat sounds like a mixture of Abbath (Immortal, I, Old Funeral etc) and Attila Csihar (Mayhem, Tormentor, Burial Chamber Trio, Korog and many others). Oh yes, lyrically the duo did evolve too. The songs do have more depth, yet still deal with rather original themes – check out the titles and you’ll see… 95/100 Ivan Tibos. |
