Lines In Wax

TWELVE YEARS OF UNWANTED OPINION

Day: June 4, 2023

Death In June – Peaceful Snow / Lounge Corps (2010)
folk, neofolk & acoustic

Death In June – Peaceful Snow / Lounge Corps (2010)

Some of the critical responses aimed at Peaceful Snow are incredibly harsh. Do I understand where such criticisms are coming from? Of course I do – the depth of Miro’s piano playing really brings out the “one trick” aspect of Douglas’ voice; something that works well in its own way, but it is definitely something that is left wholly exposed against the beautiful backdrop of keys that Snejdr provides. But, Peaceful Snow was an excellent idea (regardless of whoever has recorded piano albums before Death In June), and it is a record that is excellently recorded. The audio quality on this is nothing short of sublime, and the piano playing is beyond stunning. It is a shame however, that this only really works about half of the time. Some of the new original songs here are absolutely phenomenal, others are much more dragging and lacklustre. This album may not be my favourite thing in the world from Douglas but it spawned some brilliant live sets featuring Miro on piano (which really need to be seen to be believed) as well as of course the follow-up album, where the songs in their acoustic guitar forms were then released, in a much more typical Di6 fashion. I won’t deny that Disc 1 has it’s moments that drag, but “Peaceful Snow” is one of my favourite songs of all time. Disc 2 is much more of a treat, especially if you are a long-time fan, as for the second hour of this set, Miro Snejdr is given full run of Douglas’ back catalog, and here he presents to us 17 Di6 classics re-interpreted via the piano. “Hail! The White Grain”, “Luther’s Army”, “She Said Destory”, “Heaven Street”, “Ruins And Men” and “Fall Apart” all sound so, so fucking good that it really does make up for the maliase that is Disc 1 (which only has about 1/3 of really interesting music, I’ll be honest). Also, never thought “Rose Clouds Of Holocaust” could be intepreted to sound like something that plays over a silent, brutal slow-mo scene in a Shane Meadows movie. But hey, we know how Meadows feels about people who fool around with Nazi symbolism so maybe that’s a pretty terrible scenario to invisage LOL A snippet from the title track probably sums up this entire album: “Old Gods… on new streets…. (but) outlook bleak….”

Master’s Hammer – Ritual (1991)
black metal

Master’s Hammer – Ritual (1991)

There’s a lot of big brain takes about this album, its sound, its place in the history of metal and therefore and its influence, but I am not anywhere near qualified enough to comment on these matters so I’ll keep this much more down to earth. My Foundation Degree in Master’s Hammer permits me to speak soley about the music and its production, and not much else. Maybe once I get my Advanced Diploma + in Master’s Hammer I can return to this and offer a more panoramic take. Anyway, I always thought Master’s Hammer were a doom metal band. I mean, with a name like that, I can be forgiven, right? But no, Master’s Hammer, are, of course, a black metal band. An unique one that are seemingly lodged somewhere between the first wave and second wave of black metal. I suppose you could compare it to the third/fourth album eras of Bathory, but Ritual is absolutely its own beast. The entire album has this stunted, compressed sound, giving the record a “sound check” kind of feel. It’s almost as if the engineer had the entire band record their parts, and then realised he had no idea how to mix any of this shit, and just stared at the console for a few hours before declaring it a job well done. Despite this, Ritual does not sound particularly bad, in fact I think it sounds rather good and the oddness of its production instead lends to the unique atmosphere that the band conjures with this release. This is not just one for the black metal historians. Do not think that. This is as great metal record for anyone who is interested in such a thing.

The Gates Of Slumber – Suffer No Guilt (2006)
doom metal

The Gates Of Slumber – Suffer No Guilt (2006)

Saw these guys live a few times back in the day but never considered myself a fan, so was very surprised to find this CD when rummaging through old CDs in the attic. I have absolutely no idea where it came from. It sounds just as I remember Gates Of Slumber to sound, and my 3 year old seems to enjoy it (lmao), but there’s just something about this I cannot enjoy. Some of the songs outstay their welcome for me. Turns out this is sought after quite a bit, so I sold it on (it was snapped up very quickly for very cheap lol) to someone who will no doubt appreciate it a lot more than I do. I will say however the production of this thing is very well done.

Esham – Erotic Poetry (1990)
hip hop

Esham – Erotic Poetry (1990)

Esham’s songs about “love making” are not subtle nor particularily clever, but they do make me laugh. Whether or not that was the original intention or not is perhaps debatable. But the moral of this EP is, well, mans was horny, by the goose of it. Erotic Poetry isn’t as filthy as say, The Sexorcist by Necro, but I still wouldn’t play “The Jaw Bone” for my gran, if you get what I’m saying.

Spy – Habitual Offender (2021)
punk & hardcore

Spy – Habitual Offender (2021)

Not gonna win any awards for originality but deffo should be winning awards for splitting heads: this shit is intense. I can imagine the kind of pits that open up for this kind of thing and that should tell you all you need to know about Habital Offender. The production is rougher than most “hardcore punk” but lends to the music infinitely because of this, especially in the faster passages. More often than not things slow to a crawl to allow those riifs to throw down, and that’s where Spy really shine. It’s only ten minutes long, but make sure you count all of your teeth before and after you’re done with it.

Sanguisugabogg – Homicidal Ecstasy (2023)
death metal

Sanguisugabogg – Homicidal Ecstasy (2023)

An improvement on the base sound, Sanguisugabogg step things up a notch with their second record, which has a much better sound all around. The drums in particular, sound absolutely fantastic – both in the initial performance and then in the production. The snare tone is wicked and punches right through the mix. Musically, everything else hangs nicely in the balance but the drums definitely lead the mix, for sure. Either way, if sick caveman riffs and absurd vocals are your cup of tea, you can do no wrong in checking out this hyped-up unit of death metallers. Tracks like “Mortal Admonishment” for example show that the band is capable of much, much more than the usual chugga-chugga-ping-ping skreeeeeeee kind of deal. There is a technicality bubbling beneath the brutality that keeps threatening to surface. Also, I’m undecided whether that art is brilliant or terrible, Write your thoughts on a postcard.

Gruesome – Dimensions Of Horror (2016)
death metal

Gruesome – Dimensions Of Horror (2016)

Depending on what you want from your death metal, you may find Gruesome to be tired and derivative or instead scratching that specific itch that only early 90s death metal can. The excellent cover art (by Ed Repka) should give you some indication of the presence of the “classic” sound here, but by what degree this is a case of the spirit of such being kept alive vs. being aped as a gimmick… well, that’s up to the individual listener to decide. Taking originality out of the question, Dimension Of Horror is a super fun 20 minutes, with 6 tracks of prime-cut death metal goodness. Tracks like “Raped By Darkness” or “Seven Doors” really showcase the sinister vibes here, and the production is on point across the whole release, allowing the songs to be delivered with the required impact and audible punch.

FesterDecay – Carcasses Revenge (2017)
death metal grindcore

FesterDecay – Carcasses Revenge (2017)

Not as good as the later shit but still intense pathological grinding death metal / goregrind in the vein of early Carcass. A short release of only 8 minutes (the version I heard didn’t have the Carcass cover at the end), but worth every second of your time. Tracks like “Liquidised Gallbladder” (how is that even medically possible? I don’t want to find out) and “Centipede In Ass” are just as digusting as you may imagine them to be. Expect lots of blasting drums, crunching guitars (and a few odd, wailing solos), and a ton of disturbing gory vocals. Tidy.

Bethlehem – Dictius Te Necare (1996)
black metal

Bethlehem – Dictius Te Necare (1996)

I first heard of Bethlehem after Ralner Landfermann appeared on an Anaal Nathrakh song, and I was blown away by how crazy the vocals were. So perhaps my enjoyment of this album has been primed somewhat, unlike say someone who stumbled upon this talked about mid-90s release and had no idea what was coming when they pressed play. I have actively come here in search of these vocals, and I am very much on board with them, as divisive as they may be. In fact, I would go as far as to say they are one of the highlights of Bethlehem’s sound. Musically, the band fluctuate between “traditional” black metal riffery and plodding, slightly melodic doom metal, with these slower riffs and passages – along with the wailing, screeching vocals – giving Dictius Te Necare a very unique sound for a black metal record from the 90s. The production is as clear as it is rough around the edges, but I couldn’t really imagine this working with a bigger, better production. I don’t have any stand-out tracks to recommend per se, as all were really good, but closer “Dorn Meiner Allmacht” caught my attention as it rounded out the album with a much slower pace and more sinister vibe. The absurd vocals may not be for everyone, but if you can get into them, then this is a gem of an album.