Oede / Vermapyre split 7"

Two of the more obscure bands in my radar are Oede and Vermapyre, but since their respective first releases (One Man's Trash and the split with Parasite) they have both been able to maintain my interest. Now they have gotten together and released a new split 7", the first released on the relatively young Negromancy (or Devilment) label. 

First off, I must comment on the Oede artwork. It is a little bizarre, but I think it is pretty top notch and is able to sum up the tracks pretty well. Oede brings two new tracks to the table with "Gots Them Pales" and "March of the Negromancer". The first is my favourite of the split, with a cool laid-back blues style distorted guitar. Their is even a hint of harmonica as the song progresses, which sounds awesome. The second track takes an incredibly more noisy approach, with some of the most distorted vocals I think I have ever heard.

Vermapyre is a band that I fell have changed a lot in the short time since their first split with Parasite. The project was still very black metal/noise orientated, but they still had "Return of the Sorcerer", which had more of a hardcore feel. That has been completely stripped away now, and replaced with an even more darker and obscure sound of twisted vocals and ominous riffs. The second track "Cercueil  de la Mort" (which I believe roughly translates into "Coffin of Death") sounds like it has come straight out of some hideous nightmare, which is of course exactly the point.

For a first vinyl release, Negromancy have done a pretty decent job with the packaging. I already mentioned the artwork on the outer sleeve above, inside of which has one extra piece of artwork from each band. What really stands out though is the vinyl itself. In total there are about 6 different versions, a black, red, green, purple, starburst and a test press. I'm not sure exactly how many test presses were produced in total, but each of those came with hand drawn artwork. Every other version is pressed in a quantity of 50, except for the starburst version. This is what I was lucky enough to grab, which is limited to just 12 copies. It looks FANtastic too.

The Oede side even has some googly eyes glued onto the centre label.

Classified Resistance - Thee Compilation 12"

This one is jumping the gun a bit. I've been excited about this record for quite a while now, and have been eagerly awaiting its arrival when I pre-ordered it what feels like a long time ago. It only came yesterday, and has taken priority over other records that have been patiently waiting for their own post. Thee compilation marks the third release from Classified Resistance, the relatively new record label from Hope Guzzo. This is the first record released by the label, but I think a couple of exciting things are planned so keep your eyes peeled. 

So where to begin? It's a pretty big release, but the best place to start is probably with the artwork. If any of you have been following the Oede tumblr you may have noticed some artwork of similar style to this. You'd be right in thinking there was some connection, the artwork was designed by Thomas; the brain-child of the one-man black metal blues band. 

 On the back the artwork is continued and you get a glimpse of the bands contributing to the release.

 The version of the LP I purchased is clear blue, which I chose for several reasons. Firstly, I don't have any clear blue LPs yet, so it's nice to have one to look at (Blue is probably my favourite colour). There was also a clear red and plain clear version available which I don't have LPs like either, but that;s where the other points come in. This is limited to 100, while the clear red is out of 300. I know, I'm a sucker for thinking it matters but when you've got the choice you may as well. But what about the plain clear version? Well that was also limited to 100 copies, so I had to make the tough decision between blue and clear. I do like the clear vinyl, but clear blue just has that extra edge.

 

It may have been difficult to read the back of the cover, and it's probably no easier to read those centre labels. So here is who is on the LP; Thee High Priestess (Of course, right?), Oede, Strigoi, Vermapyre, VVegas, Cape of Bats, Broken Cross, Hedorah and Shane Speal. This ends up being quite a diverse compilation once you've listened to it all. The first side is almost entirely instrumental, starting with THP, who plays an eerie instrumental track. This is probably the best thing she's released to date. Oede provides a harsh black metal noise track, not dissimilar to "Stygge Faen" from One Man's Trash. Strigoi break the pattern on this side of the record and provide three and a half minutes of blasting fury. Vermapyre start out with a very harsh sounding guitar and play their signature style of black metal noise.

 On the flip side we start out with VVegas. Honestly I wasn't sure what way the band would go with this LP. Half of me was expecting something instrumental like the split with RIH or Moutheater, while the other half thought they'd bring out their unique style of metallic hardcore. Turns out the second half of me was right, the track is brilliant and sounds like the song from the recent Abraxis split. 

Next is Cape of Bats who play another classic black metal punk track. Broken Cross continue the hardcore theme of the side with 'Poison Blood'. I've said it before, but considering this is a one man band the songs are very solid. Hedorah is a band I've not heard of before, but a band that definitely offers something interesting. It's by far the heaviest track on the LP. Lastly there is Shane Speal; the 'King of the Cigar Box Guitar'. I've seen some videos of this guy on the internet and I was surprised by the track he played. It does fit in well with the rest of the compilation though.

As an extra with this release I also received a 20-page zine with artwork from each band. WOW!

 The cover is one of the pieces from Hope's Bones collection, which is really something else. I'd say the first page is part of 'Layers" but it looks like a newer photo than what's on the website.

 It'll take too long to discuss each piece of art, so you can just have a look at them for yourselves. It should be pretty obvious which piece belongs to who.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 All in all it's a great record that was well worth the wait to get. It hasn't disappointed in the slightest. Some of the bands have even been kind enough to put their songs online. I've embedded the player just below.

A389 Recordings MMXII Digital Mixtape/Sampler

Many look forward to various religious holidays, birthdays etc. and cannot wait for them to come around. For those in the hardcore community, I'm sure this annual event is right up there with those events in terms of anticipation. That's right, A389 has once again released their annual digital mixtape upon the world, and once again it is completely free of charge. Better still, this is the best compilation they have put together yet! I thought I'd take a little time out of my busy schedule to help spread the word about this fantastic gift. Be prepared, this will be a long post.

So where to begin? This sampler contains such a plethora of tracks that writing the post seems a somewhat daunting task, but I suppose I'll just start from track 1, although I probably won't be able to individually review every single track (there are 52 of them you know).

Things start out with a new absolutely crushing track by Seven Sisters of Sleep, "Slower Downer". For the most part this is exactly what you would expect from this stunning band; "stoner jams for those with short attention spans". However, around the 3:20 mark there is a noticeable change of direction with the vocals, the usual desolate screams are replaced with a deathly growl. It still works fantastic of course. This has made me utterly stoked for the upcoming 7"/CD.

The pace is then drastically picked up as "Poster Children For Family Values" by Countdown to Oblivion starts to play. No time is wasted in getting straight into this song, within 5 seconds your ears are filled with fast pace guitars and screamed vocals that only leave you wanting more.
Ilsa are up next with their "Deadbeat's Ballad". I'm rather unfamiliar (or perhaps totally unfamiliar) with this band so have no previous work to compare this to. Anyway, this starts off with a real dirty sounding down-tuned riff which is continued for about the first two minutes. From here the pace is seriously dropped for a minute or so and is then picked back up.
"Leviathon" is exactly what you would expect from a Ringworm track; it's crazy fast and oh so angry. The highlight of this one is definitely the blistering guitar solo around 1:40.
Things really get crazy with "Worms and Dirt" by Homewrecker. What starts off as a fantastic powerviolence track quickly turns into a slow, heavy crusher of a track. Not bad to cover such a range considering it only lasts 48 seconds.
"Fire" by Like Rats slows things down a bit with a relatively mid-paced track. What really stands out here are the vocals, they are just about the most vicious sounding howls you'll hear for a while.
The next song is the first on here I knew of really well, "Desolate" by Children of God. This was released on the split with SSOS, and is an absolutely brilliant track. It starts with the usual Children of God brand of  chaos they are known for, but also takes time to develop a slower, heavier section to the track.

I'm not entirely sure what to say about this next song. It is called "Social Recall Rewind" by The Guilt Of... and is really something else. The track is some sort of electro beat overlayed with the nastiest sounding vocals you can imagine. I'm not sure if they other material out, but this has certainly grabbed my attention and I'd be interested to hear some more.

If there is one band that broadcasts the diversity of the A389 catalogue more than anyone, it is Anne. Their song "Virginal Plight" is the next track in this sampler, and is probably one of the better songs of Dream Punx, which was released earlier this year.

Pulling Teeth also make a quick appearance here (they had to really, didn't they?). Surprisingly, the track offered is "Lightning Strikes Twice", which appeared on their limited flexi released a wee while ago. I've already posted about how fantastic this track is, and for the guy who asked me about providing a download for this song, you're lucky day is finally here my friend.

How are we going? Still with me? Good.
Young And In The Way are up next with "Death Is Eager To Hold You". This is quite a dark sounding track and has obvious black-metal influences. I can't say this song blows me away, but hey, it is better than 99.999% of the trash people call "music" these days.
"Lt. Fury" is next on the agenda, a track from Junior Bruce. This is a lot more metal inspired, and sounds sorta like a song Thor would playing (or Thor's Teeth for that matter).
God's America play the next track, which is the shortest full length song on the entire sampler, clocking at just 22 seconds. As to be expected with a ridiculously short hardcore track, "Brain Numb" is more powerviolence than anything and consists almost entirely of drums that simply blast through your skull.
The next track is from Hatewaves, and isn't quite what you'd expect. I was thinking this'd be the usual insanely fast, quick track. In fact this is one of their longer songs, although still only 1:23 long. Granted, sections of it are usual Hatewaves, but slower sections still persist in the middle.
Things then get a little less than typical hardcore with "Buyer's Remorse" by The Love Below. This track is from their recently released LP and is purely fantastic. You've got to love the vocals from this band, they really bring something different to the table.
"Untitled" is up next by Empire Of Rats. I can sum up this track in one simple word; Heavy. From the get go, right the way to the end, heavy is all I can think as I play this track.
When I played this next song, I instantly knew it was by Shin to Shin. There is something about their guitar sound that really stands out to me. This track, "Don't Lose Your Way" continues the elements seen in the few other Shin to Shin tracks A389 has released. I don't think they have released a proper record by themselves yet, so the LP that this is from will definitely be something to look out for.
Sick Fix are another band I have no prior knowledge of, but "Boudica" is definitely a good first song to hear.  It is not ground breaking or anything, but is just the sort of fast anger someone is looking for with this kind of compilation.
It is a pity that this next track is only an excerpt. It is the now classic "Dead End America" by Kill Life with Mike IX, from the limited flexi released last year. I suppose the excerpt may be to give those a taste of the band, without damaging the mystery of the group.

"All I Am" is next from Enforcers. This is good and has a real 90's hardcore feel.
The direction is changed again with the next track, "All I Ever Loved" by Pleasant Living. Instead of the usual metallic inspired hardcore, this takes a more melodic hardcore approach, and ends up sounding not unlike various NYHC bands. The group singing in the chorus is a nice break before we start the next beast.
Here we have "Death Knell" from Gravehill. This isn't a new track, but definitely deserves to be on this sampler. Again, I've already posted about this LP, but for those who don't know, this is classic death metal from the same minds that brought you Gehenna.

Cyanrae are a fairly new A389 band, and provide the track "Prescribed Burn". I can't really make my mind up about this one, so I'll just leave it to you to decide for yourself.
"Child Thief" by Triac sounds somewhat similar to a Children of God track. Once again, the boundaries between music and chaos are being utterly blurred for a full minute and a half.
This is probably the next most obscure track on the sampler, "Ekstasis" from Thee High Priestess. It is a rather experimental noise track with spoken word layed over the top. SHE is about to release some more material fairly soon, so keep your eyes good and peeled.

 

NOTHING is the name of the next band, and they play a song called "Downward Years to Come". It is safe to say they are more like Anne than anything else on the sampler, and are certainly not playing the usual metallic-hardcore. Of course this is another great song, be sure to check it out.
The next few songs are some of my favourites throughout the sampler, the first of which is "Heraclitus" by Rot In Hell. This was previously released on the Omega Sessions with Horders, and showcases the shear diversity of this mammoth band. This is a completely acoustic song and took me off-guard when I first heard it. Of course Rot In Hell play fantastic hardcore tracks, but I'll always have a soft spot for songs like this one.

Another prominent UK band features next, Unholy Majesty. "Age Of Affliction" was released only a while ago on vinyl (and longer ago on cassette) as part of a three-track demo for the band. If you don't enjoy this track then what are you doing here?

 

"Kingdom of Heaven" should need no introduction, and if you don't know who this is by by now, you really need to do your homework.
Continuing the HT theme, we have "Disciple In My Own Image" by Gehenna. I know when I originally posted about the record this track is from I said I wasn't too sure about it. Who knows what was going through my mind, this track is awesome. I do feel it is a rather different Gehenna track though. It is hard to explain really, you'll have to hear it for yourself to see if you agree.

Low Places are up next with "Struggle To Exist". This song has ridiculously harsh sounding vocals, and like quite a few songs on here, it starts out guns blazing in the beginning, but progresses into a slower droning section towards the end. Diversity within a track is always welcomed though.
Since hearing their 7", I've been wanting to hear more from Pharaoh. That time is now. "This House Is Doomed" seems to pick up right from where "I Murderer, I" left off, so you know it's good. All I can say is bring on the rest of the new material Dom!

Another short and sharp powerviolence track succeeds this from Full of Hell. "The Lonely Path Of The Cestoda" is insanely fast and has two distinct vocals sharing the load. It also ends with a high-pitched screaming that brings to mind Converge's "Jane Doe".
Next Vilipend play one of the longer songs on the sampler, just topping 5 minutes. "Cutting Heartstrings" explores many musical elements; at times sounding similar to The Love Below, but also slowing things down to play much heavier sections.
"Sinking Ships" is one of the more classic A389 releases from Ancient Shores. This is a really straight up hardcore track, with beautifully harsh vocals and pounding drums throughout.
Another real highlight of this sampler is brand new material from the mighty Pale Creation! This track, dubbed "Beauty Destruct" is classic Pale Creation and such is utterly perfect. It's all over the place, while driving forward all at the same time. You can't get enough of Nick Fictions's vocals anyway.
"Blood Stained In White Lace" is something different all again. This song is by a band called Chappelle Des Morts, which I know absolutely nothing of. I'm actually having a hard time thinking of what to write about this one, but it is definitely worth taking some time to listen to this one.
Next we have the epic "Nail Of Dicara" from Virgin Witch. Once again this was already released a while ago, and serves as a polar contrast to the other blazing track on that fantastic EP.

Pick Your Side is next to take the stage with "New War". This was only recently released by A389 and features some of the coolest looking artwork I've seen in a while. This is very much in vain of Hatewaves; basic fast and pissed-off HC that doesn't mess around.
"Demoralizing Banter" is next, and is from Eddie Brock who recently joined the A389 family. This is another Über fast powerviolence track that doesn't stay around for very long. It certainly gets to the point though.
"Perpetual 80's" by Penetration panthers is next up, and I've already expressed how much I love this song. For those into classic punk and wanting something to skate to, look no further than this (as well as the other tracks from the EP).

A surprising track pops up next from Day Of Mourning. "Bitter Taste Of Every Murder" is a really great song, and is classic DOM. Endless genres get too annoying, but for those in need I guess this would be a cross between hardcore and death metal. I could be wrong, but whatever. I was unaware, but a DOM discography will soon be released. I'll be keeping an eye out for that one too.
Withdrawal are up next with "Shapeshifter". If you've ever listened to any Withdrawal, this track will not take you by surprise at all. It is still a good track, but nothing exactly ground breaking.
"Death Clock Ticking" is next from Trapped Under Ice. I know many people are rather fond of this band, I've just never been super keen on them. I just don't see they bring anything new to the table to be honest. Although it does tick all the boxes for a classic hardcore track.
Next to fill my speakers is "Straight Flush" by In Cold Blood. This dabbles in quite a few elements also, at times sounding typical hardcore, but there are definitely some death metal elements desperately seeking their way out and into my ears.
A while ago, Ringworm teamed up with an Ozzie band, Mindsnare, to release a split 7". "Gather to Decompose" is directly from this split. I haven't actually got this split, but from what I've heard, the mindsnare track is pretty fantastic. Listening to it here, I can see why people think so highly of it. These guys play stupidly fast hardcore, and those vocals sound ever so twisted.
A band called Astronomer play the next song, titled "Mud Witch". This actually resembles a song by Moutheater, only with harsher vocals. They'll be releasing a 10" soon, that could be something worth looking out for.
Masaraki next play a song called "Fight Back", originally written by Discharge. This is quite a good cover, although I feel the vocals aren't quite as perfect as they could be. Good effort from these guys though.
Mighty Sphincter mix things up again with their classic gothic sound on "Holy Unholy". This is one of the other highlights on this sampler, I just love who delightfully creepy the vocals are from this band.
Second to last we have a song called "Something Wicked" by Earthride. For the most part this is slow droning track with sung vocals that occasionally delve into howls. Around the 3 minute mark the pace is picked up and is sounds almost like a Black Sabbath track.
Lastly, we have a track from the almighty Vermapyre. "Return Of The Sorcerer" is featured from their debut 7" split with parasite. This sounds so much like an Integrity track it is uncanny (although not at all surprising right?). It's also the perfect way to end the sampler.

What do you know, I did manage to (briefly) discuss every single track. But I've probably talked about this long enough by now. I know you really just want the link right? Download it and listen to your hearts content, you won't be disappointed. Oh, and if you enjoy this sampler, feel free to support this phenomenal record label. I know they'll appreciate it.

Thank you A389.

Vermapyre / Ides Of Gemini split 12"

Some of the very early information I heard about Vermapyre was this split. It was announced quite a while ago, and has only just surfaced very recently. At the time I knew very little about Vermapyre, and even less about Ides of Gemini, but was interested to see how this would turn out. It may have taken a while to get released, but it was definitely worth it. The contrast of metal genres given here is outstanding.

Ides Of Gemini contribute two tracks to this split, "Martyrium Of The Hippolyt" and "Constantinople". The former was already released on The Disruption of Writ EP a while ago, but the latter is brand new. 

Vermapyre contribute a recording from their latest live show, which was actually quite a while ago now. A have seen live footage of this show, but sadly was not able to get there for real. The set starts off with a harsh black metal track reminiscent of "March Of The Vermapyrical Legions", which then morphs into an abrasive black-noise track full of layers and atmosphere. I'm not really into noise, but I do find this particular track to be very interesting.

The cover of the Vermapyre side is of the mansion featured on the Vermapyre website, as well as the video released on youtube to accompany this performance.

It hasn't come out great, but the Vermapyre V logo is printed on top of the mansion in that invisible ink.

The Ides Of Gemini side features a person (I wanna say girl, but the hands look rather mannish) pulling up some sort of garment. Perhaps they are running to/from something? I'll probably never know.

I reckoned this would sell out pretty quickly, so ordered one from Magic Bullet as soon as I could. Two colour options were available; brown and green, with a pressing of 500. I thought the green sounded nicer so decided to go with it. Little did I know that a super limited (#/50) purple version would be available at the A389 bash very soon afterwards. I couldn't go to this either, so I wasn't too fussed. At least until these were put up on the HT website for sale soon after the show, argh! The green marble still does look really nice though.

Additional art was also promised by Magic Bullet, and this is what came. Keeping with Vermapyre's mysterious nature, the insert is totally ambiguous. That really could be anything.

Luckily the flip side is a bit more straight forward. At least here I can tell what the picture is of, and it clarifies that the cover artwork was of a girl.

Parasite / Vermapyre split 7"

When I got this record I had heard very little from Vermapyre and even less from Parasite. All I was basing my purchase on was the track playing on the Vermapyre website. That track just sounded so awesome, and I needed to hear more from this mysterious band. When I received this record I was not disappointed, both sides are fantastic. 

Parasite brings "Warning 1:警鐘" and "Warning 2: Death Or Die" to the table. Seeing as this was the first material I had heard from this band, I didn't really know what to expect. It certainly left an impression on me, I've since been tracking down other releases by this band.

As for Vermapyre, the reason I got the record, I was blown away. This side contains three tracks of black metal, noise and hardcore and includes the track playing on their website. 

The parasite cover art features a cool photo of Masaki during a live performance, with the word "Warning" written across the front.

The Vermapyre side is a bit more mysterious. It appears to be some kind of demon carrying a dead woman. On the cape of the demon is a small logo from the process. On the left hand side there are also some bats without proper heads.

This was released by Holy Terror records, and the version I picked up was the yellow vinyl. This was the band version, and is out of 250.

 

 

 Along with the record came two patches, one for both bands. Of the two, I think the Vermapyre one looks the best.  

With the advent of Holy Terror joining bandcamp, the Vermapyre side has been uploaded online for all to enjoy.