TERMINUS: extreme metal podcast

Terminus Episode 6 - Irae, I'm In A Coffin, The Ghost Inside, Basic Torture Procedure

In our most contrarian and combative show yet, we take a tour through three of metal's most maligned, marginal subgenres -- DSBM,"melodic metalcore," and goregrind. But first, we check out the new record by Irae, one of the forefathers of today's formidable Portuguese black metal scene. This is the most we've disagreed about anything so far. We argue the uses and abuses of Mayhem riffs, and struggle over the border between the "minimalist" and the "boring." After this, we plunge into an abyss of teen angst, where we find a work of strange and challenging beauty, and relive our high school days of shitting on pop-punk bands. So pull up your black hoodies, tighten your studded belts, and meet us in the abandoned church parking lot... I hear Tim has weed, yo.

00:00 - Introductory bullshitting / rundown of bands and labels

05:06 - Irae, Lurking in the Depths

36:53 - I'm In A Coffin, Waste of Skin

01:04:04 - The Ghost Inside, The Ghost Inside

01:23:15 - Basic Torture Procedure - Domination Through Torture

Terminus Episode 5 - Axis of Light, Old Corpse Road, Gravedigger, Basement Torture Killings

This deluxe 2.5 hour edition of Terminus revolves around two extended segments. For the first half, we take the excellent new records by Axis of Light and Old Corpse Road as our portals into the bleak, windswept world of Northern English black metal. Here, we return to a question raised in our first episode, on Winterfylleth and Paradise Lost - is there a UKBM sound? After a (relatively) quick look at the surprisingly strong new Gravedigger record, we follow Basement Torture Killings on their virtuosic, corpse-littered romp through grindcore, hardcore, and (melodic!) Swedish death metal. This gets us talking about how grind "works" as a genre. Finally, we follow BTK's roots back to the more "epic" strains of 00s crust and grind.

00:00 -- Introductory bullshitting / rundown of bands and labels

07:20 -- Axis of Light, Axis of Light

42:31 -- Old Corpse Road, On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore

01:13:30 -- Gravedigger, Fields of Blood

01:43:15 -- Basement Torture Killings, Lessons In Murder: An interactive audio course in homicide.

Terminus Episode 4 - Xibalba, Centinex, Odraza, Yfel 1710

Easily our most digressive, most aggressive episode yet. For the first time, both of us agree 100% on something: the new Xibalba is a masterpiece, the chugging elegy for a USA in flames. But what we can't agree on is Odraza vs. Yfel 1710. We use these two new releases to talk over the state of Polish black metal in the wake of The Mgla Effect. What are its strengths and weaknesses? Where could/should it go from here? What effect are these bands having on the BM scene at large? Eventually, one of your hosts succumbs to his ancestral curse... Full Black Metal Autism (pictured above).

00:00 -- Introductory bullshitting / rundown of bands and labels.

05:51 -- Xibalba, Anos en Infierno. Intro to Xibalba -- death metal heaviness in hardcore form / Beatdown reborn as funeral doom / Ambitious album-based composition, where individual songs only "make sense" as parts of the whole.

37:15 -- Centinex, Death in Pieces. Early Centinex - unique and underrated Swedish DM / This album - death metal trying to 90s hardcore / Centinex vs. Demonical / resentment born from love.

56:47 -- Odraza, Rzezcom. Mgla and The Mgla Effect / Odraza's place in the Polish scene / "Urban grit black metal" / Peste Noire and Lugubrum / Playful experimentalism and dynamic, "open" playing / Autistic Ranting.

1:34:45 -- Yfel 1710, Willa Wisielcow. Intro to Malignant Voices / What happened to Plaga?? / Promising use of guitar feedback in BM / more Autistic Ranting, from the other guy this time.

Terminus Episode 3 - Forgotten Tomb, Putrid Pile, Azath, Ancient Gate

Third run of a new podcast focusing on extreme metal. This time, we get into DSBM's rocknroll problem, obsess over the finer points of death metal riffing, respond to Rauta's review of Azath, and reveal the future of mystical kvlt BM. Features Malazan's draconic Eleint (Azath) and Lovecraft's cavern-lurking Ancient Ones (Ancient Gate).

00:00 - Introductory bullshitting / rundown of bands and labels

04:05 - Forgotten Tomb, Nihilistic Estrangement. Awkward hard rock vs. graceful art-goth.

29:02 - Putrid Pile, Revel In Lunacy. Die-hard one-man death metal from before everyone had a one-man metal band.

50:11 - Interlude: "Chicken Walk," Hasil Adkins

52:18 - Azath, Through A Warren of Shadow. Celtic vs. Gothic font. Reply to Rauta: the glories (or perils?) of high-speed stock riffage and really loud snare.

01:14:55 - Ancient Gate, Empire Beyond Dusk. Reawakening the spirits of early Blut Aus Nord and Judas Iscariot. Necrotic BM mastery -- blending bite and beauty.

01:40:25 - Hellenic BM, meet... melodeath?? Ft. Varathron, Crowsreign ("There Is No God"), and a lot of rambling about melodeath, Fear Factory, Napalm Death, etc.

Terminus Episode 2 - Revenge, Impiety, Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, Encenathrakh

Second run of a new podcast focused on extreme metal. Today, it's blasting war metal vs. brutal death metal -- which will reign supreme? What is the art of deliberately obnoxious music? How can a band move forward without compromising on primitive noise? What's the difference between BM and DM extremity?

00:00 - Introductory bullshitting / rundown of bands and labels

04:45 - Revenge, Strike. Smother. Dehumanize. Stomps, pick slides, and clearer production.

19:35 - Axis of Advance, Strike. Revenge returns to their melodic roots?

32:28 - Impiety, Versus All Gods. Fast hybrid riffs, the problem with thrash, Shyaithan Stays True.

53:45 - Surrender of Divinity, Oriental Hell Rhythmics. Southeast Asian Extremity. Swords vs. sledgehammers.

59:35 - Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, Adoration of Decaying Innocence. What makes a good slam? Why don't people count this stuff as avant-garde?

01:15:45 - Other nasty, antisocial music (Mutiilation, Ildjarn)

01:21:10 - Encenathrakh - Live. Art guys do brutal DM right. Music as "object" vs. music as "process." Death metal inhumanity vs. black metal inhumanity.

Terminus Episode 1 - Winterfylleth, Horn, Kruelty, Paradise Lost

First run of a new podcast focusing on extreme metal. Today, we debate the merits of four new albums: Winterfylleth - The Reckoning Dawn; Horn - Mohngang; Kruelty - A Dying Truth; and Paradise Lost - Obsidian.

00:00 - Introductory bullshitting / record labels / one of your hosts saying "um" and "uh" a lot.

7:43 - Winterfylleth, The Reckoning Dawn: Awakening the wrath of the (Saxon? Norman?) tyrant, or burying riffs in time and dust?

41:07 - Horn, Mohngang: Leitmotifs / beautiful blast riffs / beer-hall marches (cool or not-cool?) / black metal turning into folk.

1:11:25 - Kruelty, A Dying Truth: crushing beatdowns and beastly grunts / Straight Savage Style and Coffins and Shattered Realm / when and how should a band use stock riffs? / what makes a sick beatdown/breakdown?

1:44:00 - Paradise Lost, Obsidian: Peaceville and working-man's doom / Type O Negative and Sisters of Mercy / 80s goth influence done right / strong and varied vocals / sick melodic leads

2:03:15 - End ranting: melodic death metal that doesn't suck / final album verdicts / old UK doom-death as Britain's version of Second Wave BM.