CULT SOUNDS OF 2010

DARK FORTRESS – “Ylem” German melodic black metal. Ylem is a pitch black masterpiece with invocations of the death principle; this album signifies the end of everything that exists now; slow, very heavy with insane blastbeats and orchestral darkness. V. Santura also in Triptykon plays some of the best guitar I’ve heard in years. 

HOUR OF 13 – “The Ritualist” Occult doom metal from North Carolina. This album is a true doom masterpiece that delves into themes of the macabre, darkness, satanic panic, cold atmospheres and complete bleakness.

TRIPTYKON – “Eparistera Daimones” Thomas G. Fischer legendary frontman of Celtic Frost and Hellhammer, unleashes this beautiful black/gothic/avant-garde masterpiece. It’s darker, heavier and more experimantal than anything he’s done before. V. Santura does another impressive job on guitar.

DANZIG – “Deth Red Sabaoth” The master of death blues metal is back with his best work this decade, memories of black magic rituals and satanic sacrifices.

HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS – Mr. and Mrs. Reznor create beautiful industrial/electronic noise with the help of Atticus Ross and Rob Sheridan.

SWANS – “My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky” First Swans album from Michael Gira in 14 years, different than his previous experimental/industrial rock lp’s but equally as good.

ZOROASTER – “Matador” Psychedelic/sludge/doom metal from the swamps of Atlanta, a good trip when your high.

THE FUNERAL PYRE – “Vultures At Dawn” Melodic blackened death metal from CA. One of the best extreme metal albums this year, very dark, eerie and doom laden.

KYLESA – “Spiral Shadow” Psychedelic/sludge metal from Savannah. This album is very early 90’s indie rock influenced, with two vocalists and two drummers, it gives it a unique touch.

INTERPOL – “Interpol” Creepy, morose and sinister dark indie rock with touches of post-punk and shoegaze from a great band from NYC.

FEAR FACTORY – “Mechanize” A cold, menacing mass of mechanical precision with industrialized depth, it hits harder than a truckful of tungsten. Industrial metal from L.A. their best since their 1st album.

DEFTONES – “Diamond Eyes” An album with crushing density, heavy crunchy guitars, soulful and blazing vocals, Deftones at their best.

INTRONAUT – “Valley Of Smoke” A progressive/sludge/jazz metal album, with clean vocals, fluid bass lines, long instrumental passages and excellent percussions. 

THE HIGH CONFESSIONS – “Turning Led Into Gold With…” Psychedelic/industrial rock noise from 4 great artists. Anything that Chris Conelly sings in is great.

TWILIGHT – “Monument To Time End” Blake Judd (Nachtmystium) and Aaron Turner (Isis) creating black metal, enuff said.

CIRCLE OF ANIMALS – “Destroy The Light” A dark and hypnotic industrial album brought to you by Sanford Parker (Minsk) and Bruce Lamont (Yakuza).

HIGH ON FIRE – “Snakes Of The Divine” Thunderous, abrasive roaring blasts, colossal riffs and grim metal with a brute force approach from Mike Pike and the boys.

GRINDERMAN – “Grinderman 2” Nick Cave’s psychedelic/garage rock album, hypnotic at times, it doesn’t get better.

THE TEAR GARDEN – “Have A Nice Trip” Edward Ka-Spel and Cevin Key take us through another great trip into their warp minds.

NACHTMYSTIUM – “Addicts: Black Meddle Part 2” Blake Judd creates another black metal masterpiece that is not black metal.

UNEARTHLY TRANCE – “V” The soundtrack of your soul’s descent into the pits ov hell, pure evil sludge/doom.

TRIPTYKON @ THE MARQUIS THEATER 10/19/10 DENVER-CO

“Satan, savior, father, lord, constructor of my world, master, destroyer, redeemer, guide me I am the open wound.” Evil and dark, the opening words to “Eparistera Daimones” the first album from Triptykon, the new black/gothic/avant-garde metal project from Thomas G. Fischer formely of legends Celtic Frost and Hellhammer. Fischer is on vocals, guitars and programming along with V. Santura on guitars and vocals, Norman Lonhard on drums and Vanja Slajh on bass. “Only Death Is Real”

Also playing: 1349 – Norwegian black metal featuring one of the best drummers ever, Frost of Satyricon. Yakuza – Experimental/progressive metal from Chicago and stoner/doom metallers from the Mile Hi City Black Sleep Of Kali.

NEW MUSIC

TRIPTYKON – “Eparistera Daimones” released in the U.S. 3/23/10. Thomas Gabriel Fischer, the man behind such legendary bands  as Celtic Frost, Hellhammer and Apollyon Sun, is back with his new band. Members include Norman Lonhard on drums, V.Satura on guitars and vocals and Vanja Slajh on bass. An Avant-garde style of metal that will satisfy fans of the last album from Celtic Frost  – “Monotheist”, that was released in 2006 (in my opinion one of the best metal albums of all time.)  This album should have been called “Monotheist II” because it is a continuation of a very dark and experimental journey into the deepest parts of hell. Do not download this, buy it, the album artwork is by the great H.R. Giger.

BURZUM – “Belus.” Fresh out of jail in 2009 for murder and burning churches, Varg Vikernes is back with his style of Black metal/Dark ambient.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN – “Option Paralysis.” Spazz/Metal veterans are sounding more like NIN and Faith No More with each new album, not a bad thing at all.

VIRGIN SNATCH – “Act of Grace.” Thrash metal from Poland, pretty good.

MANOREXIA – “The Mesopelagic Waters.” JG Thirlwell’s (Foetus) experimental instrumental project.

BARREN EARTH – “Curse of the Red River.” Melodic death metal from Finland which includes members of AMORPHIS, SWALLOW THE SUN, MOONSORROW and KREATOR.

OV HELL – “Underworld Regime.” Norwegian black metal featuring Shagrath from Dimmu Borgir and King Ov Hell from Gorgoroth.

THE BREATHING PROCESS – “Odyssey.” (Un)Dead-Symphonic blackened death metal from Connecticut.

HAWKWIND – “At the BBC 1972.” English psychedelic space rock band formed in 1969.

GALLHAMMER – “Gloomy.” Japanese all female exteme metal band, mixing doom metal and crust punk.

AT THE GATES – “Purgatory.” Unleashed live @ Wacken-Sweden’s legendary melodic death metal band live at Germany’s Wacken festival.

MISERY INDEX – “Pulling out the Nails.” Death metal/grindcore from Baltimore for fans of Dying Fetus.

SNOG – “Last of the Great Romantics.” Industrial/ambient/experimental band from Australian artist David Thrussell.

IN VAIN – “Mantra.” Norwegian progressive blackened death metal.

VIVE LE VILE EVIL – “Vile Evils.” Industrial/rock group from former members of Pop Will Eat Itself, Graham Crabb and Adam Mole.

ACID KING – “Early Years.” Stoner/doom metal from San Francisco,this album contains their first two releases which both are out of print.

MERZBOW – “13 Japanese Birds in a Bay.” Masami Akita is Tokyo’s king of noise and dark ambient.

GORGOROTH – “Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt.” Norwegian black metal, not very original.

HELLOWEEN – “Unarmed Best of 25th Anniversary.” 80’s German speed metal band re-recorded 10 of their best songs in different musical style.

HOODED MENACE – “Never Cross the Dead.” Death/doom metal from Finland.

CULTED – “Of Death and Ritual.” Blackened psychedelic doom metal from Sweden.

BRUTAL TRUTH – “Evolution in One Take: For Grind Freaks Only! Vol.2” Experimental grindcore metal from NYC.

CATHEDRAL – “Guessing Game.” Legendary English doom metal band.

NECROMANDUS – “Orexis of Death and Live.” UK’s 1970’s metal band, considered the “second Sabbath” but with a more progressive edge.

MAMMOTH GRINDER – “Extinction of Humanity.” Death metal/hardcore/punk band from Texas.

DEMONICA – “Demonstrous.” American/Danish brutal old school thrash metal.