Tag Archives: candles

SKULL659

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SEOL, Üdvözlégy a Seolban (2007, demo)

The skull:
Is that a horn or… what is that? What the fuck is wrong with this skull? Is that just a massive third eye socket or something? Is this the skull of a deformed monster? The bed of leaves he’s sitting on and the nicely arranged candles make me think of some ridiculously decorated table at a holiday party. But not Halloween. That would be too obvious. I think it’s probably Thanksgiving, and the hostess who conjured this bizarre tablescape happens to hate all of her guests, with a deep and pervasive loathing, and she can’t wait until she pulls off the skull’s top to reveal the boiled organ meat inside which is the one and only course at dinner.

The music:
The only Seol music I could find is a couple of tracks on the band’s long-abandoned Myspace page, and hilariously, they’re both intros, including the intro to this demo. I love the idea that back in the heyday of Myspace (or at least back in 2007 when this demo came out and Myspace wasn’t completely irrevelant), Seol figured that a minute and a half of slowed-down sound effects and moaning was a good introduction to the band for curious listeners. Then again, it’s pretty clear from just those intros that Seol are a shitty low-fi black metal band, and maybe that’s all the info their theoretical potential fans would need to become interested. While I applaud the audacity of that assumption, I can’t say that I’ve been converted to the Seol cause by some spooky wind noises, but your mileage may vary.
— Friar Johnsen

SKULL487

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OMINOUS CRUCIFIX, The Spell of Damnation (2012, F.D.A. Rekotz)

The skull:
This all started with a photo of a ghastly scene painted in the alcove of some church, and the weird incongruity of the votive candles beneath a violent image of the damned, framed by gothic stonework, would have made for a perfectly excellent cover on its own. But this was not enough for Onimous Crucifix. Presented with the photo, they said, “¡No, se necesita una cavalera!” So then the artist spent about five minutes in Photoshop to paste a skull on top of the photo, and he presented it to the band again for review. “¡Ahora necesita una serpiente!” “¿Una serpiente, también?” the artist asked, exasperated, but he was already back in Photoshop, cramming a snake into the skull’s eyehole. How did it get in there? Who knows, and who cares. The photo was already ruined, so if they want a snake, they can have a fucking snake. “¿Es bueno?” “Es muy malo! Gracias!”

The music:
Considering how overly processed and artificial-sounding most modern death metal has become, it’s nice to hear some good, old fashioned, by-the-numbers material like this, played by dudes who just don’t care if their timing is not perfect and their drumming without flams. This is mid-paced stuff that reminds me more than anything of the old Dutch band Thanatos, although this being Mexican death metal, you can also expect at least a little Deicide in the mix. The riffs are unpretentious but interesting, and the guitar solos tend toward gratuitous whammy workouts, with nary a sweep in sight. It’s marvelous. Of course, a little of this sort of thing goes a long way, at least for me, and I’m not sure if this is so good that I’d consider adding it to the period classics of the style that are already in my collection, but honestly, I’m tempted nevertheless. This is a rock-solid album that sounds evil in the way the best old death metal did, before it was taken over by nerds with 7-string guitars. Me gusta.
— Friar Johnsen

SKULL474

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CTATYC, Я в покое, пока я мёртв (2006, demo)

The skull:
Sometimes a skull cover is so killer that reaching for any kind or smarmy, smart-ass commentary would be totally insincere, so I’m not even gonna try. This is a fine piece of art. Too bad about the extra pentagram in the upper right corner, which is redundant in light of the bright one marking the skull’s forehead. Otherwise: this is terrific. The skull’s features are made much more interesting by the candles:  the skull looks like it’s starting to drip, as molten wax, and at the same time it looks like an illusion or hallucination originating from the smoke and light of the flickering flames. Ponder a bit and you’ll see it. I’m going to assume this is some early 20th or late 19th century piece of artwork, and if so, good on them for finding it. If it’s something made exclusively for this ridiculously obscure demo, even better.

The music:
I couldn’t locate this exact demo, but from the other material I was able to find it was easy to surmise that this Russian band’s mid-paced thrash/black/death metal doesn’t measure up to the coolness of their album cover. Dull stuff that reminds of Non Serviam era Rotting Christ if it was played by 13-year-olds all wearing Amon Amarth shirts. The vibe is there, and they’re tight, but you don’t need it.
— Friar Wagner

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THE WOUNDED KINGS, In the Chapel of the Black Hand (2011, I Hate)

The skull:
Though it was clearly painted by a high school senior, this is a nice and moody piece that’s only spoiled by the too-crisp typography of the logo and title. Though there’s nothing especially evocative of a chapel to be seen here, this at least looks like the sort of thing you might see in the Black Hand’s chapel, I suppose. And though it’s surely meant to be painted on, I prefer to think that the pentagram and its associated script is actually the most evil yarmulke ever, the ideal headgear for some serious hardcore satanic Kabbalah.

The music:
Ever wonder what Ozzy might sound like if he were a woman? If that nasal, pinched voice of his were pitched a half octave higher and with even less body? Well then, I have the band for you! Singer Sharie Neyland transforms otherwise merely boring occult doom metal into something uniquely annoying with her infuriating witchy poo voice. To be fair, if the greatest male singer of all time tried his hand at her melodies, he would also fail to inspire, as she seems intent on never moving more than a step at a time from the last note. Simply atrocious. The music is no worse than most shit in this vein (see also: Lord Vicar, Electric Wizard, et al) but that means it’s already bad enough to avoid. Add in these spectacularly shitty vocals and this is a must-miss affair.
— Friar Johnsen

SKULL398

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NECROS CHRISTOS, Triune Impurity Rites  (2007, Sepulchral Voice)

The skull:
Very serious stuff here. Very little to make jokes about. Other than the chicken foot. Maybe. Then I look at those nifty Necros Christos stoles. They look like priest stoles, you know, the shawls they wear to indicate their office or order. There can be no doubt what office you dwell in if you’re wearing a Necros Christos stole — the death metal office! I sure hope the dudes in the band wear them in concert. Moving on, we have candles, popular in occult-y photo shoots such as this. Mandatory, really. And then there’s the skull itself, as real as can be, and very much unbleached. They barely shook the dirt off before snapping this picture. Now, back to the chicken foot. You suppose the small bones forming a half circle in front of the skull belong to the same chicken as the foot? Do you suppose there was some sort of dinner involved here? Maybe a potluck of some sort?

The music:
I know some people who consider Necros Christos guitarist Mors Dalos Ra the greatest death metal vocalist ever. It’s difficult to dispute that. While he’s a bit lacking in depth, doing just one thing with his voice, what he does with it he does extremely well. He has this wet, gurgling, throaty, even phlegm-y quality, and it’s on the very low end of the scale without getting into porn-slam pig-grunt territory. Take David Vincent at his lowest, Mikko Aspa (Deathspell Omega) at his Mikko Aspa-est, Mikael Akerfeldt gargling tar, and the more deathly delivery of Immortal’s Abbath, and you kind of get in the area of this guy’s formidable approach. Musically it’s fairly straightforward death metal, not the fastest of them all, with a decidedly doom-drenched layer. There are some exquisitely morbid guitar lines throughout, and the drumming ranges from primitively simple to acrobatically complex. The production quality is perfect for the material — natural and earthy, but hardly lacking in otherworldly vibe. Sometimes it all gets rather involved — not quite symphonic but certainly stacked with a variety of complementary melodies and rhythms that create a mad hypnotic swirl, as in the album’s longest song, “Va Koram Do Rex Satan.” Other times the death-pummel absolutely crushes — straightforward, lurching, throbbing chunks of fat guitar tones and eyes-rolling-back-in-the-head sorta stuff. Overall things are kept low and bloated, a bit of a Morbid Angel influence, an aesthetic vibe that feels like various Greek occult death/black bands, and a creepy melodic sensibility to the riffs that keeps things very, very, very dark. There’s no way you can call this anything other than “excellent,” whether it turns you into a huge N.C. fan or not. Better than 99% of death metal bands that have emerged since the burnout of the mid ’90s.
— Friar Wagner

SKULL396

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FILTHEATER, Tenebrae  (2011, Plague)

The skull:
The largest picture we have of this cover isn’t huge, but it looks like those are maggots shivering out from under the skull, having fed on the fleshy gunk left behind by the poor decomposed subject. Looking at the bigger picture, one wonders: At what temperature do maggots melt? It must be an extremely high one, and I’ve arrived at this conclusion because not only did the candles flanking the skull melt, but it appears to be so hot in there that the skull’s cheek bones turned into Richard Nixon-esque jowls. Take a look! We have not seen the likes of this before here at Big Dumb Skulls HQ, and likely will never see it again. [The Elders of the Council of the Skull have awarded a special badge of honor to Filtheater, as every single one of their releases features a skull, skulls, or a human head that’s real close to becoming a skull.]

The music:
Now this is chaotic noise-drenched death metal a guy can rock out to. I quite like this little EP, a caustic, ripping, raw 20 minutes that sort of sounds like Brutal Truth covering Nuclear Death. The drumming and overall production aesthetic resembles Brutal Truth, and the noise-factor, including riffs that sound like they were written by a tone-deaf guitarist, are evocative of my beloved Nuclear Death. The ability is here, with every member capably delivering their part of the bloodthirsty, unhinged madness. It’s clear this band truly believe in what they’re doing and their sound is more convincing than many modern-day US death metal bands content to rip off Incantation a little too closely. There’s a crust vibe in spots, and big chunks of Fiend for Blood-era Autopsy too, yet Filtheater emerges from the wreckage with a sound that, while showing its influences, is pretty much all their own. I don’t yet own anything by this band, but as soon as they compile these tape and ridiculously-limited EP releases into some sort of collection, I’m buyin’.
— Friar Wagner

SKULL359

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GANG, V (2010, Emanes Metal)

The skull:
Well, it’s big, that’s for sure. And the single eye is pretty awesome, despite the absolutely terrible Photoshop paste job. This is an ugly, lazy cover, make no mistake! The candles at least sort of set the scene, but the pentagram logo is a little distracting (it could certainly be better integrated) and the standard-issue brown wash that swamps the entire cover is a drag. Plus, it’s Christmas morning, and the Council gifted me a one-of-a-kind LP pressed in sterling silver of Megadeth’s Killing Is My Business… and I’d much rather be listening to that than critiquing this crappy French skull. Of course, the Council and we friars acknowledge no God but The Skull, but we all enjoy the gift-giving and camaraderie of the holiday season, not to mention the heavily boozed dairy beverages.

The music:
This totally un-Googlable album is a nice slice of melodic trad metal that nevertheless sounds more or less modern and not at all retro. Listening to V, the bands that immediately spring to mind are Artch and Hell (the new lineup, with Andy Sneap), although I offer these only as points of comparison, not to suggest that Gang were influenced by either band. Mercyful Fate are probably the common ancestor, although Gang doesn’t make a great effort to establish any occult vibe. The singer has a nasal delivery and a narrow range, but he puts his voice to good and dramatic use, and the riffing is solid and largely catchy. The drums sound programmed to me, but they’re basically alright sounding, and the rest of the production is perfectly fine. Gang aren’t about to become my new favorite band, but they’re pretty decent, and certainly good enough to get me to check out the rest of their fairly significant discography.
— Friar Johnsen

SKULL108

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GRAVE DESECRATOR, Cult of Warfare and Darkness  (2003, Ketzer)

The skull:
Oooh, scary ritual skull. This slightly out-of-focus picture kind of looks ancient, although the bullet belt is likely circa 1985 or so. There’s also a silver pentagram that looks like it would make a bad-ass necklace charm, and the two candles burning liven up the party. The skull? He’s all “Don’t you dare steal my evil thunder, you candlestick, pentagram and bullet belt.” Looks like he’s mounted on the candle holder, which is pretty awesome. The cover itself would be a little more awesome if it weren’t an idea that you’ve seen a zillion times before. I’m guessing that the unoriginal cover idea is going to translate to the music inside…

The music:
I couldn’t be more wrong!!! Grave Desecrator play RHCP-style pop-funk, dressed up with dubstep bass throbbing and progressive folk whimsy, while hints of skronking jazz rock serve as well-placed segues. Nah, of course it’s orthodox black metal that you’ve heard a zillion times before. If you own Sarcofago’s excellent I.N.R.I., listen to that while simultaneously listening to Darkthrone’s A Blaze in the Northern Sky, and you’ll basically get Grave Desecrator. Two songs, 10 minutes, which makes the plagiarism at least tolerable.
— Friar Wagner