Lord Nathaz Occul-nin Beezanborgh had been in touch a few weeks ago that he would be spreading the black metal plague of the old ways to the shores of Edmonds, WA. The plague arrived today in a whirlwind of fury, flames, and might!
Four audio cassettes of true black metal underground blasphemy and one compilation disc of the same. I totally dig this kind of stuff!
I have demo tapes among other assorted crap in my business office - stuff that goes back to the 90's......albums that go back to the 80's. When black metal started (debatable depending on who you ask), the metal underground was the only way to know what the fuck was going on. In some aspects, it still is. But back then you had demo tapes, flyers, zines, bootlegs, all sorts of things that spread around the world like, well, a plague.
The Internet didn't exist (well, maybe in the military it did but not to common folk). No social media outlets. You had to work for your underground music. Find a flyer, write the band, buy the demo, repeat. Not to mention you're talking about weeks of time passing before you finally had your tape in your hand. Nowadays it's so easy to go to a site to either stream a tune or download one.
Eventually the scene grew. Some bands grew out of the underground, some turned their backs on it, and others never left. While I've never been one to believe in "kvlt" points, there is something really awesome when you get a demo or official tape and the music is killer. Brings me back to those earlier days. So, do I have a soft spot in my black heart for tapes and such? Absolutely. But that doesn't mean there isn't shit in the underground. Of course there is.
But the metal underground is my foundation. Eclectic Arts would not be here without it. That's a fact. That's why from the very first issue, I stated that I welcomed bands in the formative stages of their craft (i.e. demos, rehearsals, live sessions, etc). Some of the best music I've heard have come from demos. Even when a band gets signed, a few of them have never equaled their demos in terms of aggressive atmospheric music.
So far I've listened to three of these releases - and this one right now is killer stuff - Rex Satanachia "First Legion of Hell". Black metal played with conviction. That's what many of the new bands just don't get. You have to believe it, live it, and unleash your music in such a way that the listener can't help but be consumed by it.
I could go on and on about the extreme metal underground but suffice to say - it's alive and well!
***
The other thing on my mind is a topic I've covered here on the EA blog - new music reviews. I recently listened to a few non metal releases today. I'd really like those minutes/hours of my life back, please.
When I listen to any release, I'm looking for a connection with the music on some level. Any level. I can always look past the production, musicianship, song writing, etc if there's something "there" with the music, something that will make me listen to it again.
If you're the singer and you hit a few bum notes, I will notice that but it's not a deal breaker. But your music better resonate with me in some other way otherwise you're going to get a negative review from me, in most cases a very negative review.
So far I haven't been impressed with much of the non metal submissions lately. So score this:
Metal 1
Other Music 0
-Mark
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