EP

Since Xtreem Music did climb up to the ultimate top of the worldwide (Death) Metal scene since a couple of years (I can list up some hands full of fabulous albums that have been released by this Spanish label in 2013 and 2014), I am always excited when I receive or buy a new album via this label of David ‘Rotten’ Gonzalez. This time it’s Swedish combo Dråp I am referring to: not the defunct Black Metal commando, but a Grind / Crust / Hardcore four-man army from the northern city of Sundsvall.

One of the things I do appreciate when talking about Cold Raw Records is the fact that they do re-release many stuff that otherwise never would have the opportunity to reach an audience that might appreciate that material. Several of their releases are demonstrational material, previously released on tape or digitally by the band, or distributed only locally. A couple of examples: Nocturnal Sacrifice, Uluun, Chaos Altar, Milicia Oscura etc.

Once again a quick one: Sorcery Of The Damned, the debut-EP by Chilean act Oraculum. It’s a nasty experience, lasting for twenty one minutes, bringing nothing but pure, honest, morbid and old schooled Death Metal, rooted in the Eighties vein.

If you search the .net, you will find tens of bands called Lycanthropy. I for myself do like several acts with that name, but the one from Russia / Ukraine must be one I like most. ‘Like’, can you imagine I am using that word… Anyway, on December 1^st 2014 Concreteweb did upload the review undersigned did for the Dead Silence-EP, which I got from Metallic Media, and since then, this three-piece (gathered around two permanent members) recorded / released some more stuff.

This one almost did escape my attention, but since it’s never too late…

We all know that Nuclear War Now! Productions’ commitment is ‘to unearth the ugliest, gnarliest metal the underground has to offer’, and that’s why this mighty label did release Unholy Union, the first demo of Chilean act Athanatos, on vinyl. Unholy Union stands for fourteen minutes of technically high-leveled, ultimately obscure and extremely harsh, pounding Morbid Death Metal from the Old School.

Harvest Gulgaltha were formed in 2012, and they did release two recordings via Aphonic Sonance: the demo-tape I and the 12”LP Necrosophic, respectively in 2012 and 2014. That demo, originally released on cassette in a limited edition of 100 copies only, will now be re-issued by great Nuclear War Now! Productions on vinyl as teaser for the upcoming second full album.

That’s why I (sometimes) like collaborations: ΑΓΟΣ, aka AGOS (yeah, I learned some Greek too in a not-so-recent past), are a partnership in between Virus Of Koch’s Van Gimot (performing about everything) and Aenaon / Black Winter’s Astrous (responsible for all lyrical and visual concepts). But such co-operations aren’t necessarily winning teams; but in this case, however, it is.

If I am not mistaken, Bestiality are now debuting with this (limited) EP. The Warsaw, Poland-based quartet (drummer Vit Argos, guitar player Galin Soulreaper, bassist Tom Cultcommander and mouth of the netherworld Alberth Dust) did record this nasty piece at the B 65 Studio and the Bestial Sound, produced by the band, and engineered + mixed by Maciej Radecki, and it gets released by one of Poland’s most impressive labels, Old Temple.

Slovakian outfit Necroheresy was formed in 2012 by former and current members of e.g. Karpathia, Aeon Winds, Krajiny Hmly, Silva Nigra or Concubia Nocte. To my knowledge, this is the band’s first official release, having a total running time of almost twenty minutes, for five tracks and an intro. The latter, also the title of the album, combines church balls and Gregorian chants with some background noise, and believe me: it sets the tone for quite some intense experience!