Terminus Episode 56 - Oppress., Rain of Terror, Lotus of Darkness, Narbeleth

On this sultry Summer edition of Terminus, your hosts spend some time clearing out the email inbox with (mostly) a series of submissions as daring as they are different. A veritable charcuterie board of (mostly) black metal awaits the seasoned listener, from the absurdly dissonant to the majestically folk-inspired, emerging from climes tropical and otherwise. Much to our pleasant surprise, each record stakes a claim on different niche interests of the podcast, from the roiling stenchcore of the late 80s to the full-spectrum black metal of 2021 and beyond. This is a deep cut episode, folks- tell all your friends you were here when we get (mostly) famous.

Returning from its chrome crypt, Oppress. returns to the show with a new EP of hideous, brain-boiling black metal that displays a serious advancement and refinement of the project's sound. Drawing from pools of forgotten edge-case black metal as well as industrial, Oppress. augments its hypodermic guitar attack with a much appreciated bit of low-end bludgeoning. Need a record to clear your apartment after a house party? This is your stop.

The next record, however, is the one to get that same party started- Finland's Rain of Terror presents a short, bulldozing record of crusty, thrashy, moshy... something that inspires all sorts of comparisons from The Black Metal Guy. Like a forgotten '85 thrash EP accidentally played on 33, "Witch Hunt" decimates villages at a deliberate, crushing midpace, leaving no survivors but those who place the sign of Deviated Instinct on their doorframes. Play this for your friends with the trvest of denim jackets, claim it's from the 80s, and submit your reactions to our email.

After our interlude, Lotus of Darkness emerges from the sweltering heat of summertime Thailand to present their second full-length. A folk-black metal record in the truest sense of the word, the band plays music which pays tribute to their homeland and Scandinavia in equal form on both melodic and structural levels, devastating all imitators with dhas of intricate twin guitar riffs, languid Thai fiddles, and romantic, lingering songs which bloom in the same manner as their eponymous flower.

Wrapping things up is Narbeleth, a black metal band of Cuban origin The Death Metal Guy distantly remembers from a festival set far, far away. While the other records on today's episode reflect single-minded rigor, Narbeleth instead chooses the difficult and demanding path of Full Spectrum Black Metal, with arrays of moonlit, magical riffs which reveal more and more on repeated listens. Listen in real time as your hosts check the samples, evolving from "this is a really good black metal record" to "this might be one of the best things this year."

 

0:00 - Intro feat. Hollowed Body (Noxious Ruin)

0:16:19 - Oppress. - Regina Mundi (Independent)

0:51:36 - Rain of Terror - Witch Hunt (Independent / LP on Hellation Records)

1:28:43 - Interlude - Sacrilege - “Winds of Vengeance,” fr. Within The Prophecy (Under One Flag/Metal Blade Records, 1987)

1:36:09 - Lotus of Darkness - Sompas-Naga (Namtaru Records)

2:23:18 - Narbeleth - Svmma Cvm Nox Arcana (Folter Records)

3:03:55 - Outro - Aboriorth - “Bullets of Hate” fr. Far Away From Hateful Mankind Plague (Antichristian Front Records, 2007, but seemingly long out of print)

 

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