TERMINUS: extreme metal podcast

Terminus Episode 147 - They Came From Visions, Convulsing

In this 2020-style installment of Terminus, we check in on two bands with unique methods of incorporating various post- materials into extreme metal. First: the return of They Came From Visions, who we covered in 2020, back with a much matured sophomore recording which takes traditional, folkish Slavblack and laces it with biting, anxious dissonance. Speaking of dissonance: the new record by Convulsing, a favorite of The Death Metal Guy, whose direct and forceful style of dissodeath belies a prog metal heart and a brutish OSDM sense of rage.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:05:09 - They Came From Visions - The Twilight Robes (Eisenwald)

0:48:22 - Akercocke - “A Skin for Dancing In,” fr. The Goat of Mendes (Peaceville, 2001)

0:55:40 - Convulsing - Perdurance (Independent)

1:39:30 - Haunter - “Shrouded Moor” fr. Thrinodίa (Red River Family Records, 2016)

Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com

Terminus Episode 146 - Drowned, Unaussprechlichen Kulten

It's been a black year for Terminus so far- at least in terms of its metal. Why not switch things up a bit before we turn irrevocably to corpsepainted autists? On today's episode, your hosts explore two records of elitist, oldschool-minded death metal in radically different idioms. First: Drowned, who combine Tampa and Swedish styles into something resolutely minimal and traditional yet shockingly abstract. Second: Unaussprechlichen Kulten, who tap into the earliest strains of melodic death metal and lace it with explosive and dense guitar arrangements which suggest a debt to the prog rock of old.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:02:06 - Drowned - Procul His (Sepulchral Voice Records)

0:44:27 - Interlude - Darkthrone - “As Desertshadows” fr. Goatlord (Moonfog Productions, 1996)

0:49:07 - Unaussprechlichen Kulten - Häxan Sabaoth (Iron Bonehead)

1:35:37 - Outro - Totten Korps - “Hastur’s Voice Echoes in Our Minds” fr. Supreme Commanders of Darkness (Apocalyptic Productions, 2015)

Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com

Terminus Episode 145 - Hauntologist, Departure Chandelier, Vemod

"Hipster black metal"- a term that inspires tremendous derision, even within the halls of this very podcast. But what if we were to confront the phenomena head-on and truly evaluate its potential? Today we have a triumvirate of records that could all be labelled as "hipster BM" in some sense, but with radically different takes. Hauntologist, a fresh spinoff of Mgla, plays heavily in the realm of goth and post-punk. Departure Chandelier returns from a long absence with something heavier, more primitive, and Bathorian, eschewing much of its melodic past. And returning from even longer: Vemod rises from the grave, reinterpreting grandiose post-rock song structures with the raw power of early Enslaved.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:02:53 - Hauntologist - Hollow (No Solace)

0:42:37 - Departure Chandelier - Satan Soldier of Fortune (Nuclear War Now)

1:11:36 - Interlude - Dzlarv - “Untitled 2” fr. 1996 Demo (Independent, 1996)

1:17:04 - Vemod - The Deepening (Prophecy Productions)

2:06:37 - Outro - Sólstafir - “Pale Rider,” fr. Köld (Spinefarm, 2009)

Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com

Terminus Interview - Yosuke Konishi (Nuclear War Now!)

In the fractured and diffuse world of extreme metal circa 2024, very few people could be considered a "pillar" of the scene- but one among those is Yosuke Konishi of stalwart label Nuclear War Now! In this interview, your hosts enjoy a leisurely chat with the proprietor of the label, Never Surrender fest, and his newest venture: Helios Press, which seeks to bring vinyl production back stateside in what may be the most ambitious and challenging move yet in an already impressive career. WE WON'T STOP UNTIL WE'RE DEAD!

0:00:00 - Interview

1:06:55 - Blasphemy - "Weltering in Blood" fr. Live Ritual: Friday the 13th (Nuclear War Now, 2001)

Terminus links:
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Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com

Terminus Episode 144 - Inquisition, Narbeleth

Today's Terminus dispatch: an episode with a much more positive tone than our last. This installment features two Terminus veterans returning with multifaceted and excellent records, proudly continuing traditions of understated greatness. First up: the return of Inquisition, whose new record reaches backward into the band's catalog for a restored aggression but also peeks into the future with an array of unusual non-metal guitar influences. Second: Narbeleth, coming in hot off the tremendous success of their previous record, choose a more difficult path, where their unique style of Franco-Finnish black metal plays with the edges of strange rhythm and dissonance, making for music as tense and fearful as it is ecstatic and Dionysian.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:02:43 - Inquisition - Veneration of Medieval Mysticism and Cosmological Violence (Agonia Records)

0:59:18 - Interlude - Inquisition - “Baptized in Black Goat Blood,” fr. Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer (No Colours Records, 2004)

1:03:01 - Narbeleth - A Pale Crown (Folter Records)

1:51:00 - Outro - Narbeleth - “Moon of A Thousand Shapes,” fr. Svmma Cvm Nox Arcana (Folter Records, 2021)

Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com

Terminus Episode 143 - Flaming Ouroboros, White Death

AS THE DARKNESS CREEPS OVER THE INTERNET, AND THE SILENCE REACHES THE PODCASTS, WE WILL AWAKE AND RISE...

Welcome back to the 2024 season of Terminus! Your intrepid hosts have risen from their dreaded tombs once again to provide the world's most crucial critical analysis of extreme metal records. Our first episode of 2024 covers two records from the waning days of 2023 which have received a lot of attention from our fanbase. Flaming Ouroboros has finally dropped their much-anticipated debut full length- is it a new heigh for outlaw rock, or does it slip over the edge in its dangerous dance with emo? In the other corner, the return of Finnish stalwarts White Death- is their sophomore release a powerful return to traditional Finnish black metal, or merely an exercise in self-congratulation? Find out the answers to these questions and more on a new year of TERMINUS!

0:00:00 - Intro

0:04:22 - Flaming Ouroboros - Anthems for Brotherhood (Death Hymns)

0:59:18 - Bronson - “Quelli Come Noi” fr. Brucia (Rupe Tarpea Produzioni/One People, One Struggle Records, 2018)

1:02:34 - White Death - Iconoclast (Werewolf Records)

1:47:14 - Behexen - “Fist of The Satanist,” fr. By The Blessing of Satan (Woodcut Records, 2004)

Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
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Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com

TERMINUS OMEGA 2023

You wanted the worst? You got the worst! It's time for the annual TERMINUS OMEGA episode where your intrepid hosts debate the best extreme metal records of the year. This time, we did our end of year episode as a livestream on Youtube, but we're republishing it here for our podcast platform listeners. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and by the end- maybe we'll all learn something. Enjoy, terminators, and see you in mid-January after our winter break.

Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com

Terminus Episode 142 - Demoncy, Yersin, Blood Serpent

It's almost Christmas time here at Terminus, so what better way to celebrate the (un)holy trinity than with a triple threat of records focused on grinding dissonance? First up is the return of TDMG favorite Demoncy who go back to basics on Black Star Gnosis with their evergreen style of primitive US black/death metal. Next is Yersin, back on the show for the first time since 2020 with a refinement of their unusual style of crustblackdeathhardcore, pulling as much from Nails as Slavic BM. Wrapping things up is Blood Serpent from the Vietnamese House of Ygra collective, who debut with a record of war metal which, while losing none of the inherent aggression, pursues deeper territories inspired by some of the oldest ideas in 80s metal.

This is our last main episode of the year, but it's not quite over yet: next week, on December 27th, at 8 PM EST, is the livestream for our annual Terminus Omega, where we enumerate the definitive best records of the year. Join us on Youtube Live for the festivities- this has been a great year for music and we're looking forward to celebrating it with all of you who have listened throughout it.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:05:51 - Demoncy - Black Star Gnosis (Dark Descent Records)

0:52:45 - Interlude - Hell Rot - “Goat Chapel” fr. Vomit Altar (Independent, 2006)

0:55:33 - Yersin - The Scythe is Remorseless (Trepanation Recordings)

1:32:36 - Blood Serpent - Bestial Extermination (House of Ygra)

2:04:44 - Outro - Aura Noir - “Black Metal Jaw,” fr. The Merciless (Tyrant Syndicate Productions, 2004)

Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com

Terminus Interview - Cromlech / Mormegil

A year and a half in the making, the time has finally come for Terminus to reconvene with the members of Mormegil, formed from the ashes of the late Cromlech. What ensues: a rollicking conversation covering Cromlech's "Ascent of Kings," songwriting techniques on an epic scale, the ambitions of continuing band Mormegil, and how the ghost of AFI haunts us all. Break out the mead, boys: it's time for another hangout with our favorite Canadians.

0:00:00 - Interview

1:43:15 - Cromlech - "Turambar (Master of Doom/By Doom Mastered) fr. Ascent of Kings (Hessian Firm, 2023)

Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com

Terminus Episode 141 - Guerrero Nómada, The Color of Rain, Kampfeswut, Forest Thrall

The boys are back in town with a long and girthy 2020-style episode centered around 4 black metal releases from the deep underground. First up is a patron submission in Guerrero Nómada, a modern one-man black metal project which adds touches of emo and classic heavy metal into its stomping heathenism. Next is a new entry from Holland's Zwotte Kring collective in The Color of Rain, where our Dutch friends take a stab at bringing the black metal (and metalcore) back to post-black metal. Side B: the return of Kampfeswut who further iterates on their grinding style of explosive black/folk/power/melodeath/anything as long as it's FAST. And finally, we send you out with Forest Thrall, a promising outlaw rock upstart who breaks the psychedelic primitivity of Blazebirth Hall into even more molecular fragments.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:08:21 - Guerrero Nómada - Cuatro Partes del Mundo (Independent)

0:49:20 - The Color of Rain - Oceans Above (Void Wanderer Productions)

1:21:15 - Interlude - For the Fallen Dreams - “Brothers in Arms” fr. Changes (Rise Records, 2008)

1:24:14 - Kampfeswut - Die Rückkehr des Barden (Acid Vicious)

2:00:00 - Forest Thrall - Amidst Pines (Death Prayer Records)

2:49:47 - Outro - Skuggeheim - “Å Gå I Gl​ø​ymsle” fr. Ekko frå fortid - Fase fem av fem (Terratur Possessions, 2023)

Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com