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Real-time coverage of the underground, focused on the music. Email: thetrueterminus@gmail.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB6LSqRKvDDnGtkk--pJosQ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/terminusextrememetalpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terminuspodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terminusextrememetal/
Episodes
Saturday May 20, 2023
Terminus Episode 126 - Austere, Hanging Garden
Saturday May 20, 2023
Saturday May 20, 2023
Summer yawns over the horizon, but Terminus is interested in something a little colder: today's episode features both DSBM and material descended from Peaceville doom to add some well-needed cynicism to your time by the pool.
First up is the return of Austere some 14 years after their last full length. Titans of Australian DSBM, Austere return no less powerful for their time absent, with material just as grey, lonely, and withering as their classic works. Beyond simple depression, though, Austere explores fascinating textural territories with dense, novel chord voicings, a patient, nearly ambient manner of constructing songs, and moments of triumphant melody which burst through the music's dense, suffocating fog. Highly recommended for DSBM fans and even those suspect of the genre.
The other half of this episode features the return of Hanging Garden to the show, who made a great impression on us with 2021's "Skeleton Lake." Their new (nearly) eponymous full length presents an aggressively streamlined, pop-forward sound which manages to fully integrate the band's serious extreme metal pedigree with hook-laden, approachable songwriting. This record functions as a fascinating update to 00's Hot Topic stalwarts like Lacuna Coil, with just enough bite to keep noisemongers like us listening. While this is far more accessible than our typical fare, it's no less potent in its songwriting and craftsmanship.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:05:39 - Austere - Corrosion of Hearts (Lupus Lounge)
0:53:50 - Interlude - Totalselfhatred - “Total Self-Hatred” fr. Totalselfhatred (Ordo Decimus Peccatum, 2008)
1:01:06 - Hanging Garden - The Garden (Agonia Records)
1:52:32 - Outro - Theatre of Tragedy - “And When He Falleth” fr. Velvet Darkness They Fear (Massacre Records, 1996)
Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com
Friday May 12, 2023
Terminus Episode 125.5 - Poseidon, Crooked Mouth
Friday May 12, 2023
Friday May 12, 2023
Not unlike a vampire repelled by the sign of the cross, TDMG is currently working through his long-buried trauma re: acoustic guitar, and so today's episode is a neofolk special by TBMG and the infamous Hyper Shaman. Neofolk is something we mention on the show quite frequently but only rarely review, so for the more introspective, pastoral, and wizened among us, here's your time to shine. Today's episode presents two very different sides of neofolk which will nonetheless be of interest to all those who enjoy extreme metal.
First up is Poseidon, announcing the (and I cannot stress this enough) TRIUMPHANT RETURN of Argento and Azoth of the mighty Spite Extreme Wing. The result of this resurgence, however, is not more of their powerful solar metal, but a perhaps equally powerful but much more oneiric take on abstract neofolk/post-industrial. TBMG and Hyper Shaman make a solid case for Poseidon directly linking to SEW through melodic fragments and the gestures toward folk music that band made later in its career. All fans of SEW take note- they might have taken a different shape, but the boys are certainly back in town.
The other side of the episode is dedicated to Crooked Mouth, a neofolk project without Poseidon's ties to extreme metal but no less potent for it. Working in the more traditional territory of bands like Death in June and Of the Wand and the Moon, Crooked Mouth centers around beautiful acoustic guitar arrangements, precise vocal timbre, and a host of folk instruments which add texture and breadth to the simple yet elegant music. Much neofolk tends to stray from its folk origins- this is anything but the case for Crooked Mouth, who present pagan traditions unvarnished and unadorned, with all the scorn for modernity intact.
0:00:00 - Intro/Poseidon – Poseidon (Brucia Records)
1:12:14 - Interlude - Coil - “Ostia (The Death of Pasolini),” fr. Horse Rotorvator (Force & Form, 1988) / Death in June - “Dædalus Rising,” fr. But, What Ends When The Symbols Shatter? (New European Recordings, 1992)
1:23:24 - Crooked Mouth – Between the Fool and the Magician (Ætheric Recordings - LP and BC / Heimat Music - CD)
2:15:57 - Outro - The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - “Beauty After The Fall,” fr. The Gift of Tears (1987)
Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com
Monday May 01, 2023
Terminus Episode 125 - Kaal Nagini, Kaal Akuma, Vamachara, AVOWD
Monday May 01, 2023
Monday May 01, 2023
Terminus is back with an oldschool episode- 4 records of descent into complete madness on the part of your intrepid hosts. This time, the mix is an unusual one, from dissonant black to war metal to elaborate death metal and... sophisticated beatdown hardcore? All these things are different but they're all actually the same thing as you'll come to find out. First off, a mini-review courtesy of The Black Metal Guy featuring Chicago's AVOWD, a dissonant black metal project pulled from the 00s featuring a member of Malthusian Kommand and the ugliest chord voicings you've ever heard.
Now for a double dose of EPs from the Indian subcontinent. First up is a new entry from the Kolkata Inner Order in the form of Kaal Nagini, who play heavily death metal inflected war metal which won't be unfamiliar to fans of other KIO bands. Featuring a truly gorked production job, blistering tempos, and a lashing of brutal death, this is sure to please the most deeply deranged among us. In the other corner, the return of Kaal Akuma, whose war-inflected style of death metal has taken a more defined shape in the form of more traditional, Immolation-inspired death metal. While perhaps less obsessively extreme than their last record, the added polish and brilliant riffcraft on display more than makes up for it.
Wrapping things up is the return of Vamachara, California beatdown hardcore aficionados coming back with their sophomore full length. Inspired by bands like Xibalba, Knocked Loose, and a host of 00s beatdown, Vamachara feels like the most vicious streetfighting music of two decades ago updated with modern technical extremity. Crushing and rhythmically challenging breakdowns collide headlong into fully unadorned death metal riffs to make for something that bridges the (perhaps nonexistant) gap between the styles with remarkable power and style.
0:00:00 - Intro/AVOWD - AVOWD (Independent)
0:27:54 - Kaal Nagini - Reflected Lights of a Blind God (Iron Bonehead Productions)
0:54:10 - Interlude - Sect Pig - “Master Revealed” fr. Slave Destroyed (Nuclear War Now, 2013)
0:56:58 - Kaal Akuma - Turiya (Nuclear Winter Productions)
1:28:52 - Congress - “The Release,” fr. Angry with the Sun (Good Life Recordings, 1998)
1:32:28 - Vamachara - No Roses On My Grave (Closed Casket Activities)
2:20:16 - Outro - Deformity - “Bloodfields,” fr. Murder within Sin (Next Sentence Recordings, 1999)
Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com
Monday Apr 24, 2023
Terminus Episode 124 - Nécropole, Heresie, Smallpox Aroma
Monday Apr 24, 2023
Monday Apr 24, 2023
We're excited to announce the proud return of a Terminus tradition- a carefully crafted, thematic episode that TDMG ruins with a random grind record. Who would have thought? Before we dive into two contrasting takes on traditional French black metal, TDMG regales us with the tale of Thai grinders Smallpox Aroma's debut full-length, a sub-20 minute record of blistering, oldschool grindcore with a technical edge and instrumental performances worthy of involuntary psychiatric commitment.
Over in Europe, though, things are different, starting with the return of the mighty Nécropole (sure, it was released in the last week of 2022, but who's counting?) The half decade since the band's debut record has tempered the style into something colder and more remote but no less ferocious and mystical. Nécropole finds a fine midpoint between the more technical work seen by Orthodox-influenced artists and the chivalric storming of the Antiq bands, making for a record kingly in its disposition but wolflike in its execution.
On the other side is Heresie, a young band reaching toward the traditions of French black metal ruralism but with the added bite of early Graveland and some of the meanest edges of the second wave. Deliberately primitive songs thrive on the high contrast of bloodthirsty aggression and aching longing while bass guitar freely floats around the stark, rewilded soundscape. Heresie finds itself in a strange place, somewhere between Pagan Hellfire and primitive CDr black metal of the 00s, but presents itself with a clarity of vision very few can achieve.
0:00:00 - Intro/Smallpox Aroma - Festering Embryos of Logical Corruption (Inhuman Assault Productions)
0:14:30 - Nécropole - Yoga (Northern Heritage)
1:11:57 - Interlude - Lutomysl - “Без вогню провідної зорі (Without the Light of the Guiding Star)” fr. Ecce Homo (2018, Drakkar Productions)
1:18:03 - Heresie - Heresie (France Black Death Grind)
2:01:42 - Outro - Graveland - “The Dark Battlefield” fr. Thousand Swords (Lethal Records, 1995)
Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com
Friday Apr 14, 2023
Terminus Episode 123 - Karne, Hymen Holocaust, Demonslaught
Friday Apr 14, 2023
Friday Apr 14, 2023
After a brief lull following TBMG's (excellent) interview with Alan Averill, we return with our regularly scheduled programming of elaborate French black metal, absurdist pornogrind, and everything in between. The "in between," in this case, belongs to Demonslaught, forgotten 1.5 wave black metal band from the greater Los Angeles area who recently received a reissue of their second demo. If you want something that sounds like Bathory, Sabbath (JP,) and Possessed falling down an elevator shaft together, well, BUY IT.
We start our main reviews with the third full length record by Karne, a French black metal band which seeks to unite the disparate niches of its national scene under a single musical concept. Karne pulls on French black metal threads from Deathspell Omega to Hell Militia, stitching highly contrasting ideas together with ecstatic yet subtle lead guitar work. We're big fans of French black metal on the show, and we're guessing you'll be as fascinated as we were by a band that can put Mutiilation and Aorlhac into the same room without ruining the carpet with blood.
Side B belongs to Hymen Holocaust, longtime Dutch one-man pornogrind purveyor back with its 6th full length endeavor. TDMG takes the lead on this one, giving a brief musical history of pornogrind before diving into what makes Hymen Holocaust so distinct- namely, a fascinating grasp of contrasting rhythms and a melodic vocabulary that extends from Gut to Candlemass without ever seeming like a novelty act. Pornogrind is a hard sell in the best of times, but hopefully listening to a deep musical dive on the structural underpinnings will give you the confidence to go to your record store's counter and request "One Cock and Ball Torture CD, please."
0:00:00 - Intro/Demonslaught - Demonlord (Bunsen Burner Recordings, original from 2008)
0:19:34 - Karne - Condamnés (Epictural Productions)
1:06:53 - Interlude - Spite Extreme Wing - “Non Dvcor, Dvco” fr. Non Dvcor, Dvco (Behemoth Productions, 2004)
Absolutely free on Bandcamp - https://spiteextremewing.bandcamp.com/album/non-dvcor-dvco
1:15:39 - Hymen Holocaust - The Death King (Rotten Roll Rex)
1:52:14 - Outro - Celtic Frost - “Procreation of The Wicked” fr. Morbid Tales (Noise Records, 1984)
Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com
Thursday Apr 06, 2023
Terminus Interview - Alan Averill (Primordial, Verminous Serpent)
Thursday Apr 06, 2023
Thursday Apr 06, 2023
Been a while, hasn't it? After a long drought of interview content, The Black Metal Guy returns in full force, bringing you a conversation with the mighty Alan Averill of Primordial, Verminous Serpent (whose debut we reviewed on episode 121), and many more. Alan is well known for his musical accomplishments, but also his own (excellent) podcast,* and what follows is a fascinating conversation on both his own work and the development of extreme metal, from the late 80s to today. Alan and TBMG variously touch on the original nature of black metal, the history of the greater UK scene, and the legitimacy of board shorts in death metal- so, without question, this interview is one for the ages.
(Note: TBMG had some audio issues on his end which I've worked to correct, but he'll still sound a bit different from how he typically does. Raw podcasts only, no trendies. -TDMG)
0:00:00 - Intro, work with Primordial, UK extreme metal
0:27:59 - Interlude - Verminous Serpent, “Transcendent Pyre” fr. The Malign Covenant (Amor Fati, 2023)
0:33:44 - UK extreme metal continued, black metal as a concept, Verminous Serpent, and beyond
1:04:17 - Outro - Incubus - “God Died on His Knees,” fr. the Incubus demo (1987)
Alan Averill links:
*Agitators Anonymous podcast, etc.
Verminous Serpent on Bandcamp
Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com
Saturday Apr 01, 2023
Terminus Episode 122 - Thaumaturgy, Iron Walrus
Saturday Apr 01, 2023
Saturday Apr 01, 2023
Finally breaking free from the shackles of an endlessly repeated conversation on black metal pornography, your hosts return with an episode of lower-tempo extreme metal from two very different parts of the scene. Featuring a returning fan submission and a record from a style we rarely cover, this episode is a deep cut for those who want to expand their listening habits into uncharted territory. Or maybe charted territory but not usually by us.
First up is the return of Thaumaturgy, doom-ridden black/death solo project out of Kansas which presents its debut full length. Thaumaturgy's style exists in a realm influenced heavily by both caverncore and orthodox black metal. On this record, however, a decision is made to pursue death metal more fully by way of the Ledney school of Profanatica, Havohej, Prosanctus Inferi, etc., but delivered in a stately and austere manner. Angular riffs spill out over long sections of tremolo and blast wall, periodically collapsing into heaving doom. How does it stack up against the project's debut, reviewed in 2021? We discuss.
Following is Iron Walrus with their fourth full length record of Crowbar-inspired sludge metal. Taking a path less travelled in the style, Iron Walrus concentrates on a combination of elaborate heavy metal riffing combined with brute hardcore force, making for a record with a wide range of emotional and sonic territory. This is the antidote for the stoner scourge in the genre; we don't cover sludge very often, and you may not listen to it typically, but trust us- this one is worth a look.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:04:20 - Thaumaturgy - Tenebrous Oblations (Adirondack Black Mass)
0:56:39 - Interlude - Havohej - “Weeping in Heaven” fr. Dethrone the Son of God (Candlelight Records, 1993)
0:58:50 - Iron Walrus - Tales Never Told (Apostasy Records)
1:48:58 - Outro - Merauder - “Take by Force” fr. Master Killer (Century Media, 1995)
Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com
Saturday Mar 25, 2023
Terminus Episode 121 - Verminous Serpent, Torsofuck
Saturday Mar 25, 2023
Saturday Mar 25, 2023
A Terminus first occurs on this episode when, in the intro segment, your intrepid hosts manage to recreate nearly word for word the intro to the last episode out of sheer forgetfulness. We left it in just for you. After the podcasting equivalent of leaving a toddler in a hot car, our episode:
First up is Verminous Serpent, a brand new Irish black/doom band staffed by a host of prominent musicians in the Irish scene, foremost among them Alan Averill of Primordial. Whatever comes to mind in terms of musical style, push that aside- we're heading into uncharted waters. Verminous Serpent plays slow, somehow simultaneously languid and vicious black/doom which pulls on unique musical threads owing to its congealing, seemingly improvisational song structures. While the aesthetics and tones might be at home in Bergen circa '94, the nuts and bolts of this music have more to do with advanced rock guitar technique and a darkly foggy yet still biting atmosphere. Recommended for those currently dying of black lung.
On a completely different note: the return of the infamous Torsofuck, Finnish slamming goregrind pioneers returning from a nearly two decade absence to present their sophomore full-length. While stylistically familiar to fans of the first record, all inherent aspects have been stretched to their breaking point, with white-hot animal ferocity and cold, mechanical precision merging into a Tetsuo-like construction of misery and human suffering. Is Torsofuck high art? We discuss. (Yes.) For fans of Fluids (the band) and fluids (the matter... however they might be extracted.)
0:00:00 - Intro
0:05:41 - Verminous Serpent - The Malign Covenant (Amor Fati Productions)
0:54:41 - Interlude - Slidhr - “Their Blood” fr. Deluge (Debemur Morti, 2013)
https://slidhr.bandcamp.com/album/deluge
0:59:27 - Torsofuck - Postpartum Extasy (Morbid Generation Records)
1:50:32 - Outro - Catasexual Urge Motivation - “Bleeding for Spermqueen” fr. Satsujin Live (Deliria Productions, 1996)
Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Terminus Episode 120 - Cromlech, Haxprocess
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Mom and dad are fighting again.
It's been a tough time on the Terminus homestead with regards to scheduling, TDMG waylaid from recording earlier by the insidious trickery of budget airlines. Perhaps a cooling-off period was needed, though, before recording what is perhaps the most contentious episode in Terminus history. Blood must be shed. There is no other path forward.
The cause of such discord within the family? The long-awaited return of Cromlech, epic doom purveyors with close ties to the podcast. "Ascent of Kings," a record a decade in the making, is without question one of the single most ambitious albums we've ever covered on the show. Epic in scope, scale, and concept, Cromlech pulls on threads of epic doom, traditional heavy metal, and those genres' progressive rock ancestors to make a record as unwieldy as it is grandiose. The question is simple: does Cromlech stick the landing, or is the sheer weight of compositional intricacy too much to bear? The battle lines are drawn and the positions the hosts take may surprise you, but one thing is clear once the dust has settled: "Ascent of Kings" will undoubtedly be a cult smash hit for a certain audience, and it is a record which necessitates tremendous discussion, whatever your position might be.
Following this is another album with tremendous ambitions, albeit in a radically different direction: the debut full-length by Haxprocess, Jacksonville progressive death metal band and friends of The Death Metal Guy. Haxprocess sets its sights on recreating the style of late 90s progressive death metal, closely hewing to the structural rigor of deathrash while also heavily invested in the psych and prog rock of yesteryear. Through careful recreation of that era's stylistic features but with a genuine charge of youthful spirit and creativity, this is a record which could easily have emerged from '98, but with an energy and soul all its own.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:07:12 - Cromlech - Ascent of Kings (Hessian Firm)
1:51:24 - Virgin Steele - “Through the Ring of Fire” fr. The House of Atreus - Act I (T&T Records, 1999)
1:56:49 - Haxprocess - The Caverns of Duat (Independent / CD on Witches Brew)
2:49:39 - Outro - Burning Inside - “Apparition” fr. Apparition (Crash Music, 2001)
Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com
Friday Mar 03, 2023
Terminus Episode 119 - Schavot, Kanashimi, Lovebites
Friday Mar 03, 2023
Friday Mar 03, 2023
After being battered for a fortnight by winds of frost and plague, Terminus once again valiantly gallops into battle against the forces of stoner doom and prog metal with another enthralling installment of the only metal podcast that has ever existed. Weathered and beaten but unbowed, your intrepid hosts present a melange of records from all over the map, starting most curiously with Lovebites, the current spearhead of the Japanese power metal scene. For all those who miss the classic days of oldschool Sonata Arctica, Rhapsody, and other legends of traditional Euro-style power metal, take note: they might be a meme for weebs, but they're an excellent band for the serious metalhead.
Our first full review goes to the sophomore full length by Schavot, the solo project of Floris Velthuis, one of the pillars of the Dutch black metal scene. The new record shows the project sharpening its focus dramatically into a fusion of Dutch and traditional second wave styles, with an emphasis on high contrast songwriting, unique chord voicings, and rigorous, austere forms. This album shoots straight down the middle between both hosts' tastes in black metal, which we wager means that it will be as remarkable to the listener as it was to us.
Further down the rabbit hole is the new record by Kanashimi, a grumbling and miserable DSBM/doom project from Japan which gathers melodic motifs from both pop and classical culture. Slow, trundling songs spin together gossamer threads of delicate piano melody into arduous paeans of modern isolation and misery. Both traditional in its minimalism and modern in its execution, this record is essential for any of those who want to experience some full-body gloom in the waning days of winter.
0:00:00 - Intro/Lovebites - Judgement Day (Victor)
0:27:31 - Schavot - Kronieken uit de nevel (Void Wanderer Productions)
1:24:07 - Interlude - The Funeral Pyre - “Thieves,” fr. Wounds (Prosthetic Records, 2008)
https://thefuneralpyre.bandcamp.com/album/wounds
1:30:11 - Kanashimi - 闇歌 [Yamiuta] (Talheim Records)
2:18:24 - Outro - Susumu Hirasawa - “Gatsu” (Berserk, 1997)
https://youtu.be/pPPlW_sLoXM
Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
Terminus on Patreon
Terminus on Instagram
Terminus on Facebook
thetrueterminus@gmail.com