Storm Records (dist by Tesco) : 2010
Format : digipak CD

“Hope for the best and expect the worst”, that’s what my grandmother always told me. Being a Blood Axis fanatic, it seemed like the only sensible thing to do. The band hadn’t recorded a proper album of their own material since 1995’s “The Gospel Of Inhumanity”, and technically the only one. As fantastic as 1198’s “Blót: Sacrifice In Sweden” is, it’s a live album and “Absinthe: La Folie Verte” a collaboration with Les Joyaux De La Princesse. Besides several singles, impossible to find CDr’s and several compilation appearances, this is the second studio album. And grandma needn’t have worried.

Hell's Headbangers : 2009
Format : CD

Satanic old school Death Metal is rarely a totally bad thing. Even when not at its most outstanding and memorable, there's just something in old school Death Metal with sinister Satanic overtones that hits home. So too in the case of Danish Cerekloth, who on this four-track EP unleash three own compositions' and a Deicide-covers' worth of darkness reeking of old death.

Hell's Headbangers : 2009
Format : CD

Some years ago, I reviewed a previous release by Australians Destruktor for another publication. I described the band as having a core of brutal Thrash and Death Metal laced with ferocious Black Metal-influences, resulting in a sound that is so obviously Australian it's hard to mistake where these kangaroos come from. I proceeded to state that the problem of the band is that they're a bit too faceless for their own good, and that whilst outstanding music would compensate for it, Destruktor aren't outstanding enough. All the right ingredients are there but the soup just isn't as tasty as it could be, in a nutshell.

Hell's Headbangers : 2009
Format : CD

There's been quite a few bands in the past twenty years or so who've taken their cue from Bathory's most epic Viking Metal-albums, combining the majestic and epic atmospheres with more Black Metal-styled vocals and aesthetics. One of the first names that spring to my mind is Mayhemic Truth/Morrigan, but there's no shortage of names on that list. Hunter's Moon joins the fold with this six-track EP consisting of intro, outro and four tracks (of which one is a cover) that echo Bathory more than passingly.

Murderous Vision Interview April/May 2010 conducted with Stephen Petrus by K.R.

Nil By Mouth Recordings : 2009
Format : C36 Cassette

I’ve been following this project for a few years now, and despite being part of the inner circle of Finnish industrial/PE, I don’t think it gets quite the recognition it deserves. It seems the releases sell out, but maybe it’s just a quantity issue. Eight releases in 5 years is almost unheard of in a genre when most seem to fart out about one a week. Could be he cares about the quality…or maybe just drinks too much.

Freak Animal Records : 2010
Format : 3 sided 2 x LP

I have always been simultaneously amazed and amused at the reactions caused by each consecutive release as well as the internet flame wars that erupted over the very mention of the name Deathkey. Hell, an effort was made, and failed, to have this website shut down over the interview I did with the man behind the project a couple of years back. But two facts remained, the releases sold out and the dedication to his beliefs have never waivered, whether anyone agreed or not. Now four years and as many full-lengths later, the curiosity behind the project has began to wane and it’s left to stand by its merits alone. If you’ve had any doubts, then this should smash them to bits. Three sides of well honed hatred divided into two parts, Pt. 1: Blood Revolt on LP 1 and Blood Supremacy on the second.

Hau Ruck! : 2010
Format : Digipak CD

It’s amazing to think this duo has actually been playing and recording since 1969. Those of you into neofolk, but unfamiliar with Robert N. Taylor and Nicholas Tesluk should remedy that straight away. Although, slapping that “neo” on the type of Folk these gentlemen play is almost an insult. This is, and always has been, the real deal. These gentlemen were busting it out in coffee houses and smoky clubs before most of the current crop were a gleam in their daddy’s eye. And don’t confuse what’s going on here with some hippie nonsense. Taylor especially has long been a political activist and one of the founders of Ásatrú in North America as well as a poet.

Fistbang Records : 2009
Format : cassette

When it comes to metal lately, one thing I haven’t been able to get enough of is gritty, old school Metal Ov Death. Most of you know what I’m talking about. Its equal parts Sodom, Bathory, Venom but filtered through and adolescence of heavy punk influences. You can take one look at Lustration's pedigree and no what you’re in for. These Aussie lads consist of Minesweeper from 308 on vocals, Witchripper & Nekrobogan of Shrapnel on guitar and bass, respectively and none other than Mr. Camazotz of the mighty Spear Of Longinus banging the skins.

Filth And Violence : 2010
Format : 7” vinyl

This one seems like a pretty strange pairing other than both projects are Finnish and share similar philosophies, but politics makes strange bedfellows as they say and you don’t get much stranger, or better, than this. Goatmoon is pretty well known for ugly, raw Black Metal with a definite NS slant and most people reading any of my reviews no by now, Xenophobic Ejaculation is a side project of Pasi Markkula of Bizarre Uproar fame and F&V label owner. This is one of those records that bent me over so hard I had to write something within hours of hearing it.

Basses Frequences : 2009
Format : CD

Released via the French experimental label Basses Frequences is another new disc from Chicago’s kings of drone metal, Locrian. This band has been ultra prolific that past couple of years and this disc is actually a re-release of a cassette version from earlier in 2009 on Fan Death Records. The CD consists of 2 tracks clocking in at nearly 30 minutes a piece. Both were recorded live during a set the band for the "DNA in the DNA" show on University of Maryland’s freeform radio station WMUC while on tour.

Hell's Headbangers : 2009
Format : CD

Retro-Thrash seems to be in right now. Seems like there's no end to bands who take the tried and tested recipe of vintage 80's Thrash, soup it up with perhaps a bit of Death or Black Metal, and hey presto, you've got yourself yet another retro-Thrash group to go bananas over. Nothing wrong with that in principle, but few are the bands of this ilk that have managed to excite me in any degree worth mentioning. Victimizers' Resurrected Abominations-mini manages to do this; classic Thrash with more than passing nods to Death Metal, razor-sharp, heavy and powerful sound, great guitar work and good vocals add up to a platter that might not be high on the originality-meter, but more than compensates for this with quality. On the other hand, whilst Victimizer certainly aren't the most original of bands, their style is not a carbon copy of any one band, scene or era, but instead picking the best of each era and style of Thrash, liberally lacing it with the aforementioned Death Metal-elements. This results in a nice package.

Hell's Headbangers : 2009
Format : CD

Chaotic. Cacophonous. On the verge of breaking down. These are things that describe many a good and even classic Black Metal album, things that on those albums are nothing but positive descriptions. However, there are albums where those same things denote nothing but negative aspects. Filipino Antichrist by Deiphago from the Philippines belongs to the latter group. The sound is weak and cacophonous in a bad sense, the vocals suck, and the band barely seems to be able to hold their third-rate compositions together in the studio. And this is not, if you didn't get it, the same sort of glorious rabid lack of coherence that, say, appears on Blasphemy's albums and works, it's the sort of lack of coherence that's just shit. Call it chaotic Black/Death War Metal or whatever, I just call it shit.