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Relentless total war on metal journalism.
Episodes
Friday Jan 07, 2022
Friday Jan 07, 2022
Here, to tide you over through Terminus Winter Break, is a bonus episode from just over a year ago, with a moody midwinter vibe and an emphasis on subgenre history. We've paired two bands that were basically canonical in the 00s, the first as a key influence on DSBM, the second as an important DSBM band. Revisiting these, though, there's a lot more going on. Forgotten Woods draw most of their riff-forms *directly* from goth and punk, to such an extent that, while this is obviously true Black Metal, it's not really Metal at all. Nyktalgia, likewise, is difficult to pigeonhole, proving that the Germans can't even kill themselves without being militant about it. Nobody really sounds like either of these bands, but why not? There's plenty to learn.
00:00 - Introduction
05:21 - Forgotten Woods - Sjel Av Natten (Pagan Records, 1995)
52:52 - Interlude - Trist - "Snění," fr. the Korium / Trist split (Ruin Productions, 2007). Luckily, there's a digital reissue (2017) fr. the excellent Slovak label Hexencave.
01:03:19 - Nyktalgia - Nyktalgia (No Colours, 2004)
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Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
"Let's change the structure this time" The Black Metal Guy said. "Last year we ended up doing this sprawling 4 hour thing- this time, let's keep it a little tighter and not just sperg out the whole time."
Whoops.
Welcome to our final episode of the year- another 4+ hour session of obsessing over the vagaries of our favorite albums of the year. This time we not only talk about our personal top 20s but also make an effort to create a curated Terminus Aggregate List of the best and most representative records of this year. Have a bottle of your favorite whiskey at hand and dive down the rabbit hole as your hosts drink themselves into oblivion, hum half-remembered riffs, and try to articulate what exactly was the best music released in 2021.
As usual, we'll be taking some time off to take care of all the things we've been ignoring in real life for the past few months, but we'll return in mid-January to plow headfirst into yet another year of extreme metal. Thanks to all those who are listening, old friends and new. Merry Christmas, happy Yule, and a happy 2022 to all those who made it this far. We'll see you soon.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:11:42 - Personal lists - 20-16
0:43:05 - 15-11
1:27:51 - 10-6
2:16:17 - 5-1
3:12:58 - The Terminus Aggregate Debate
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Friday Dec 17, 2021
Friday Dec 17, 2021
It was a grueling and arduous journey, but we've made it, boys: the final regular Terminus episode of the year. We're a year and a half into our Sisyphean task of destroying metal jounalism, but before we provide The Only Year End List That Matters, we've got a few more records to cover. Our opening segment this time is dedicated to Serpent Rider, a new epic doom (or maybe reverb-drenched NWOBHM) project submitted by Brandon Corsair. We discuss the distinct fusion of Pagan Altar and speed metal on a handful of tracks taken from their split with Ezra Brooks- not the sort of thing we usually cover, but a great source of discussion with some solid riffs to boot.
Our first record of the night comes in the form of a surprise new release by Funeral Mist, a stalwart orthodox black metal project that has in some ways become more obscure over time. This one is an immediate hit with us- it's unique and individual while still being well rounded and polished, with rigorous structure and off-the-cuff ferocity working in perfect tandem. This leads to a fruitful discussion centering on the concept of orthodox black metal itself: is Funeral Mist really part of it? Is it a term with meaning anymore? Does anyone except old people like us even remember it!?
Wrapping up our year of new releases is the newest record by Pantheist, a long running funeral doom project well known within the genre but rarely discussed outside of it. Pantheist is an oddity even within funeral doom's oddity-centered world: a band with a prog rock heart lurking underneath all its low'n'slow rumblings. Have you ever wanted to hear Genesis at 50 BPM? As absurd a description as it may be, it's actually not too far off from the reality. Within this review, a question: what will be remembered as this era's greatest Covid Album?
0:00:00 - Intro ft. Serpent Rider
0:29:40 - Funeral Mist - Deiform (NoEvDia)
1:25:08 - Interlude - Ondskapt - “Revelations of Another Time” fr. Dödens evangelium (Next Horizon Records/Ajna Offensive/NoEvDia, 2005)
1:31:38 - Pantheist - Closer to God (Melancholic Realm Productions)
2:16:09 - Outro - Darkflight - “Distant Pain” fr. Perfectly Calm (Ars Magna Recordings, 2008) (Out of print and not on Bandcamp, but available on streaming services and readily available used and from some underground distros. The link is to an instance of the latter.)
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Friday Dec 10, 2021
Friday Dec 10, 2021
Weird episode today, boys- we've got weirdo death metal, we've got funeral doom, and we've got a lot of weird little tangents between everything. Opening the evening is a quick live reaction session to 1914, everyone's favorite EMOTIONALLY GRIPPING AND POWERFUL WW1 themed every-band-ripoff, but we quickly pivot to a look back at Amenra, a TBMG favorite that allows us to discuss the dubious concepts of "post-metal" and "atmospheric sludge" and what those terms actually refer to musically.
The first half of our episode is dedicated to the return of Danish death metallers Phrenelith, who return this year with their second full length record after making some pretty big waves with their debut in 2017. Phrenelith play death metal in the Dark Descent style- that is, Incantation, Swedeath, and Finndeath blended into a single mash. We have qualms, though- why is it so quiet and weirdly unaggressive? When is a riff a riff and not a half-riff? And how important is playing death metal when your musical goals seem entirely outside of it?
The back half is an entirely different beast with the return of Stabat Mater, a full 12 years after the project's debut full-length. We've touched on Mikko's funeral doom work before in our Torture Doom bonus episode, but over the years it's transformed into a wholly unique beast, exploring the uncomfortable spaces where sorrowful beauty and extreme ugliness brush against one another. This is difficult but rewarding music that encourages multiple listens... just maybe not if you're trying to have a positive attitude for the day.
0:00:00 - Intro ft. 1914 and Amenra
0:20:35 - Phrenelith - Chimaera (Nuclear Winter)
1:00:52 - Interlude - Iniquity - “The Bullet’s Breath” fr. Grime (Mighty Music, 2001) (Seemingly out of print and not available on Bandcamp, but used copies are easy to find.)
1:04:42 - Stabat Mater - Treason by the Son of Man (Northern Heritage)
1:56:23 - Outro - Godflesh - “Black Boned Angel” fr. Selfless (Earache Records, 1994) (Your local record store almost undoubtedly has 5 copies of this gathering dust right now.)
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Friday Dec 03, 2021
Friday Dec 03, 2021
Winter is setting in, holiday decorations are going up (if they didn't go up in September,) and the winds are full of good cheer and total economic and social collapse. What better way to celebrate the reason for the season than with a one-two punch of hideously ugly tunes from Finland? Before we get into that, though, we touch on the new split between Quebec's Délétère and Terminus alumni Sarkrista and have a quick discussion about modern black metal's relationship to Gothenburg melodeath and the future of "extreme pop metal."
First up is a TBMG favorite with Concrete Winds, returning for their sophomore full-length. For those unfamiliar, CW plays a hideously warped and savage style of death metal which owes as much to Deathstrike as it does modern brutal death. The new record is more of the same, but with some crucial modifications- the adoption of modern tech-black skronk riffing and faster, more intricate song structures which drive the comparison to brutal death metal even further. Does it stand up to the debut? Listen and see.
On the other side we have the return of the legendary Archgoat, a band whose critical status has always been contested in the greater metal scene. Typically, Archgoat sticks with their tried and true stomp 'n' blast technique, but the new record throws in some new tricks, particularly in deepening the music's connection to traditional metal and elaborating on its understated but clever structuring. I'd leave this on a provocative rhetorical question, but nah- it's Archgoat and it rules.
0:00:00 - Intro ft. Délétère
0:16:23 - Concrete Winds - Nerve Butcherer (Sepulchral Voice Records)
1:01:54 - Interlude - 3TEETH - “Pearls 2 Swine,” fr. 3TEETH (Artoffact / OMF, 2014) (TBMG forgot to say that the riff on “Dissolvent Baptism” sounds like a direct quote of the surprisingly abrasive mosh riff on this track - unless they’re both cribbing something from old Ministry.)
1:06:57 - Archgoat - Worship the Eternal Darkness (Debemur Morti)
1:52:14 - Outro - Jaguar - The Dutch Connection fr. Power Games (Neat Records, 1983) (Various presses available over the years- you can track down a copy on the used market fairly easily.)
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Sunday Nov 28, 2021
Sunday Nov 28, 2021
Sorry for the delay, guys, but we've arisen from our tryptophan-induced comas with, as always, yet another thrilling installment of your favorite Lithuanian falconry podcast. This is kind of a special one- beyond all expectations (and, frankly, all sense,) a listener has become Literally Dani Filth in order to forcibly submit a record to the show. Will you be the next to embody our favorite sexy gothic bad boy?
Speaking of which, Dani Filth's submission this week is the recent EP by Girtablullû, a raw black/ambient project that draws from modern tapeblack aesthetically, but musically hews closer to the weirder edges of the LLN. Gorked, untuned clean guitars, jangling interpretations of Demoncy riffs, and cryptic grumblings abound, making for something quite familiar to fans of the 00s CDr demo scene. It's highly varied and intriguing music, but our primary question follows: what, exactly, do we do with all these textures and ideas, and how do we develop this sound into something more established?
Next is the newest record from Antiq (of course,) the debut album of Diablation, which observes the traditions of 00s Euro symph-black with light brushings of goth and industrial. This sort of thing will be immediately familiar to those that remember that era's Spikefarm and Napalm Records releases, with bombastic, synth-forward delivery and all the Francophone arrogance one would demand from this style. But does this style stand the test of time after so much has changed within the realm of black metal? You be the judge.
Wrapping up the night is the surprise return of Germany's Anti, a DSBM project whose first full length 15 years ago has maintained a cult following. We listen with interest- what's happened in the intervening decade and a half? Well, nothing that we expected- this record is a truly strange mixture of ideas from Nocturnal Depression to Craft, with moment of brilliance and blockheadedness present even within individual songs. The clincher, though, is a welcome surprise: further confirmation, this time quite directly, that Satan has the fastest motorcycle.
0:00 - Intro ft. Planes Mistaken For Stars
0:14:50 - Girtablullû - Ancient Necromantic Rituals
0:54:10 - Interlude - Black Murder - “Fresh Flesh” fr. Feasts (Independent, 1995)
0:58:09 - Diablation - Allégeance (Antiq)
1:32:02 - Interlude - Planes Mistaken for Stars, “Never Felt Prettier,” fr. Mercy (Abacus Recordings, 2006 / Reissue by Deathwish in 2015)
1:34:46 - Anti - Anti (Independent)
2:15:32 - Outro - Planes Mistaken for Stars, “Copper and Stars” fr. S/T debut album (Deep Elm Records, 1998) and “Thunder in The Night Forever,” fr. the Spearheading The Sin Movement EP (No Idea Records, 2002).
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Friday Nov 19, 2021
Friday Nov 19, 2021
While other, less honorable metal publications are busy compiling end of year lists well before their time, Terminus plows ever onward with reviews, waiting until the 11th hour when the freshest, hottest albums emerge from the oven. On today's show we cover two records unusually prominent for our usual selection of underground sundries, but first we open up with a mini-review of the new Journey Into Darkness record. Like a distant comet only returning to Earth's orbit many years later, JIT brings back the sound of 00's symphonic black metal ala Limbonic Art with a record both majestic and menacing. This is a case of a style that means something very different nowadays- listen to our thoughts on the record and travel back to 2003.
First on the docket is the new record by Plebeian Grandstand, well regarded French black metal/hardcore/electronic/grinding... something who return with their fourth full length record. Rien ne suffit is already exploding across the internet, making its way onto many year end lists with its reputation for extremity, dissonance, and creativity. But now it's time for Terminus to weigh in on the topic: Is this a new era of extremity? Does this propel metal forward to locations previously unknown? And is this the best metal record of the year? You'll have to listen to find out. J/K it's no to all of those things.
On the flipside of the metal meets hardcore equation is 200 Stab Wounds, longtime Maggot Stomp stalwarts who have finally delivered their first full-length. And you know what? It's killer. Perhaps the first "full spectrum death metal" record we've covered on the show, 200 Stab Wounds synthesizes OSDM, brutal/slam death, and death metal influenced hardcore into a complete idea which harnesses all those energies into sharp, focused songs. Our hot take? This is what 2020s death metal is gonna sound like. Strap in.
0:00:00 - Intro ft. Journey Into Darkness - Infinite Universe Infinite Death (Independent)
0:18:14 - Plebeian Grandstand - Rien ne suffit (Debemur Morti Productions)
1:03:02 - Interlude - Hexis - “Fatum,” fr. XI (Swarm of Nails / Iron Plague, 2011)
1:05:36 - 200 Stab Wounds - Slave to the Scalpel (Maggot Stomp)
1:52:09 - Outro - Jungle Rot - “Gasping For Air” fr. Fueled By Hate (Olympic Recordings, 2004) (Somehow seemingly out of print and not available on Bandcamp, but copies are widely available on the used market)
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Monday Nov 15, 2021
Monday Nov 15, 2021
On Terminus we've spoken frequently in the abstract about folk music and its relation to extreme metal, both musically and conceptually. It's only now, though, that we get to peek behind the metaphorical curtain into the thoughts of an artist who explores the ties between those styles. On this interview, The Black Metal Guy speaks to the main mind behind Harul Vinay, whose debut record explores the delicate liminal spaces between folk and metal in all their forms. This wide spanning interview covers all sorts of topics, both musical and spiritual, but the centerpiece is an evocative description of the album's concept and narrative as it ties to the landscape of the project's Himalayan home.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:02:05 - Songwriting concepts, folk and classical music, and the relationship to heavy metal
0:13:13 - History with black metal, the Himalayas
0:26:39 - Interlude - Harul Vinay - "भराड़ी घाट - १ / कुआळी" fr. भराड़ी घाट (Independent/Old Mill Productions, 2021)
0:35:14 - The album's concept and narrative, vocal ideas, musical details
0:54:25 - Recording process, the Himalayan Folk Collective, the purpose of folk
1:15:25 - Outro - Fluisteraars - "Brand woedt in mijn graf" fr. Gegrepen door de geest der zielsontluiking (Eisenwald, 2021)
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Friday Nov 12, 2021
Friday Nov 12, 2021
It's finally that time where Terminus rearranges its format- but just a little bit, as a treat. We're still figuring out exactly how we want to do this at Terminus HQ, so we open with a mini-review of Mondocane's independent debut, a potent but still-developing mixture of Mayhem, Gorgoroth, and Burzum with an interesting streak of timbral creativity. We'll probably start using this intro slot to showcase submissions, demos, and anything else that maybe doesn't fit a full review- stand by for further developments.
The first half of the show proper is dedicated to an old favorite of The Death Metal Guy- Morte Incandescente. A long running pillar of the Portuguese black metal underground, MI returns with their fifth full-length record which augments their traditional style with big blocks of first wave headbanging and grimy rehearsal room style. Sprinting seamlessly from Bathory grind to Mutiilation wail, it's a fascinating look at just how weird you can get with traditional materials.
Our second half is dedicated to the debut of Psionic Madness, a sort of ultra-underground supergroup featuring members of Maggot Crown and Nothing is Real, playing psychedelic yet grinding death metal for fans of 00s obscurities. The riffs are striking, the textures are bizarre, the drumming is maniacal, but the band's greatest strength is when they hang back and allow atmosphere to congeal. We discuss the merits of dissonance, track length, and Blood Incantation. You already know the answer to the last one.
0:00:00 - Intro ft. Mondocane - Dvala
0:21:52 - Morte Incandescente - Vala Comum (Signal Rex)
1:02:50 - Interlude - Corpus Christii - “Devouring Your Essence” fr. Tormented Belief (Nightmare Productions, 2003)
1:08:42 - Psionic Madness - Mortality Salience (Vargheist Records)
1:44:27 - Outro - Mithras - “Voices in the Void” fr. Worlds Beyond the Veil (Golden Lake Productions, 2003)
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Thursday Nov 04, 2021
Thursday Nov 04, 2021
Hear ye, hear ye, Terminus returns with its last ultra-long episode for a while. We're going to be streamlining episodes a bit in the future and moving some of the workload to our bonus content- check out the intro for further details. But don't worry, we still have a content-packed week for that features both the most AND least fun records we've ever covered on the show! Don't worry, the most fun one we saved for last. We're not going to leave you on read like that.
Opening the episode is Odious Hiss, who dare to ask the question "What if Instagram tapeblack didn't suck?" Well, the answer is "it would be a lot better, bro." OH uses modern raw black aesthetics to produce music that you might find on a weird, blearily printed CDr back in 2006, with the same unnerving and entrancing qualities that got us into collecting obscure black metal when we were just young tykes. Don't let the hype fool you- there's real content to dig into here.
Following is Merciless Scum, a blackened grindcore band who sidestep the black/crust swindle to create tight, abrasive, and rhythmically whiplashing songs which have little to do with anything coming out of the punk scene. The joined forces of Nasum and early Emperor produce breathless, savage music that sheds none of its aggression even as it adopts more nuanced melodic ideas.
After our interlude is Kaeck, returning from a six year torpor to create one of the most negative things we've ever covered on the show. Describing this record in words is nearly impossible, and expressing exactly why it's so brilliant even moreso. Imagine a fusion of Niden Div. 187 and Demoncy playing in a shallow grave on a distant European battlefield and you have some sort of idea. Not a great record to listen to before bedtime.
Wrapping things up is the complete opposite of the above with Morgal's long awaited debut full-length. If ever there was a record to confirm that Satan does, indeed, possess the world's fastest motorcycle, it's this one. The classic sounds of Impaled Nazarene, Dissection, and Nifelheim fuse with the sheer absurd energy of early melodeath and power metal to create a record that spiritually compells the listener to crash their car directly into the nearest storefront while slugging Jack Daniels directly from the bottle. Remember: regardless of the season, Sword Boy Summer is a state of mind.
0:00 - Intro ft. Important Terminus News
0:11:04 - Odious Hiss - A Vial of Putrid Hockle (Hotchin Pit)
0:42:30 - Merciless Scum - Archon (Void Wanderer Productions)
01:08:15 - Interlude - Watchmaker - “Failing Upwards” fr. Erased From the Memory of Man (Willowtip Records, 2005) (Amazingly listed as pay what you want. If you don't throw down a dollar for this you're doing yourself a disservice.)
1:10:26 - Kaeck - Het Zwarte Dictaat (Folter Records/Hessian Firm)
1:52:48 - Morgal - Nightmare Lord (Werewolf Records)
2:28:48 - Outro - Impaled Nazarene - “Armageddon Death Squad” fr. All That You Fear (Osmose Productions, 2003)
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