TERMINUS: extreme metal podcast

Terminus Episode 125 - Kaal Nagini, Kaal Akuma, Vamachara, AVOWD

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

Terminus Episode 124 - Nécropole, Heresie, Smallpox Aroma

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

Terminus Episode 123 - Karne, Hymen Holocaust, Demonslaught

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

Terminus Interview - Alan Averill (Primordial, Verminous Serpent)

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

Terminus Episode 122 - Thaumaturgy, Iron Walrus

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

Terminus Episode 121 - Verminous Serpent, Torsofuck

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

Terminus Episode 120 - Cromlech, Haxprocess

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

Terminus Episode 119 - Schavot, Kanashimi, Lovebites

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

Terminus Episode 118 - Sielunvihollinen, Sudentaival, Rigor Sardonicous, Orphan Autopsy

As February progresses and winter's grip begins to falter, Terminus takes advantage of this space between seasons to present a real grab bag of an episode. Today's theme? Confidence and boldness, as exhibited by bands from all over the world and in all styles of extreme metal- there's something for everyone here. First: Cuban(!) slam death band Orphan Autopsy, whose refined presentation and brilliant sense of pacing elevates conventional ideas into a slickly listenable but intensely brutal package.

Next is a double feature of recent Sielunvihollinen releases which explore different aspects of the band's core sound. First is a split with fellow Finns Sudentaival. On these tracks Sielunvihollinen emphasizes the intense street punk influence in their black metal, where Sudentaival combines the rowdy schlager quality of Absurd with truly gorked garage punk. On the other side: Sielunvihollinen's newest EP, which shows off a more melodic side to the band, heavy on influences from melodeath and power metal but no less ferocious for their presence.

To wrap things up, something completely different: the hideous return of the mighty and terrible Rigor Sardonicous, cult Long Island extreme doom purveyors whose sound is at once singular and primordially familiar. Trundling, oppressive chords derived from equal parts Winter and Black Sabbath batter the listener with sluggish regularity while monstrous pitch-shifted vocals roar and a drum machine thumps, clicks, and whirrs in the background. This repulsively majestic release stirs in your hosts an intense discussion and one of our best reviews. Save your fork- there's pie!

0:00:00 - Intro

0:04:30 - Orphan Autopsy - Blistering Deprive From Sanity (Rotten Music)

0:20:42 - Sielunvihollinen/Sudentaival - Split (D88 Records)

0:42:02 - Interlude - Hasil Adkins - “Chicken Walk,” fr. Out to Hunch (Norton Records, 1986)

0:43:56 - Sielunvihollinen - Sielunmurskaaja (Independent)

1:15:44 - Interlude - Peste Noire - “Retour de Flamme (Hooligan Black Metal),” fr. La Sanie des Siècles - Panégyrique de la Dégénérescence (De Profundis Éditions, 2006)

1:20:02 - Rigor Sardonicous - Praeparet Bellum (Memento Mori)

2:13:37 - Outro - Thralldom - “Quantum Frost,” fr. A Shaman Steering The Vessel of Vastness (Profound Lore / Parasitic Records, 2006)

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

Terminus Episode 117 - Deiquisitor, Apokatastasis, Utanförskap

Sunday, February 12th, 2023 marks one of the most important rituals in American culture: the release of a new Terminus episode. We're back with some records the more death metal-inclined Terminators will undoubtedly appreciate, plus an appetizer provided by Russia's Utanförskap, a post-black metal project which arrives at a unique sound through a genuine appreciation and understanding of its post-punk and shoegaze source material. Many of you are undoubtedly soured on the post-black style (for good reason,) but trust us: this is the exception to the rule.

First at plate is Deiquisitor, a bashing Danish death metal outfit initially brought to the table by The Black Metal Guy, of all people. Deiquisitor's sound is difficult to pin down, operating in a hazy grey area of oldschool death metal songwriting combined with the cold and nihilistic atonality of the most avant-garde brutal death. "Apotheosis" reaches both forwards and backwards in time, with the primordial matter of Tampa and New York styles of death metal filtered through a prism of terrible, futural certainty.

Following this is the debut record from Apokatastasis, courtesy of our friends at Hessian Firm. This one-man project from Arizona sets itself a challenge right out of the gate: to successfully combine brutal death metal and melodic black metal into a cohesive entity. The result: something akin to a particularly ferocious take on Swedish blackdeath (Dawn, Sacramentum, etc.) infused with the convoluted, ever-spiralling technicality of Crimson Massacre. This one is a challenging listen, certainly, but one that rewards today and promises more in the future.

0:00:00 - Intro/Utanförskap - Förlåtelse (Independent)

0:24:37 - Deiquisitor - Apotheosis (Extremely Rotten Productions)

1:09:31 - Interlude - Nailed - “Rupture Savior” fr. Hatred, Failure & the Extinction of Mankind (Anticulture Records, 2008)

1:13:15 - Apokatastasis - The Consecratory Secretion (Hessian Firm)

1:54:49 - Outro - Vehemence - “By Your Bedside” fr. Helping the World to See (Metal Blade Records, 2004)