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Sunday Feb 05, 2023
Sunday Feb 05, 2023
Now that the dust has settled from our 2022 recap, it's time for the boys to dive headfirst into the new year with a smattering of genre- and quality-varied records. This week's episode features a major black metal release and a funeral doom record from a friend of the show, but first up- an appetizer. Noisy Neighors' debut full-length truly blasts from stereo speakers with a ripping half hour of traditional yet tightly coiled grindcore- an easy recommendation for all lovers of d-beats and death growls.
Six years after the release of the divisive "Stella Polaris," Goatmoon has returned with "What Once Was... Shall Be Again," a release that suggests a return to Goatmoon's core sound of stomping, punk- and folk-infused Finnblack. The band doesn't disappoint in its return to the traditional Goatmoon form, but how does this shake out after such a long departure from the style? TBMG and TDMG tease out the subtle structural differences between this and Goatmoon's classic works, attempting to answer a crucial question: what, exactly, will be Goatmoon's legacy?
Should the jangly stomp of Goatmoon raise your spirits too much, The Howling Void is here to crush them once again. The funeral doom project of Ryan from Pneuma Hagion, Intestinal Disgorge, and many others, THV's newest record points to a minimal yet multifaceted take on the traditional style. Early Skepticism is brushed with the symphonic backing and scope of Summoning, and further by a haunting veil of mournful folk melody. It may be a new year, but it's still winter, and The Howling Void reminds the listener that it always comes back again.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:05:56 - Noisy Neighbors - Derailing the Hype Train (Grand Vomit Productions)
0:22:22 - Goatmoon - What Once Was… Shall Be Again (Werewolf Records)
1:23:19 - Interlude - The Offspring - “Elders” fr. The Offspring (Nemesis Records, 1989)
1:25:30 - The Howling Void - Into Darkness Ever More Profound (Funere)
2:23:18 - Outro - Catacombs - “At the Edge of the Abyss” fr. In the Depths of R’lyeh (Moribund Records, 2006)
Friday Jan 27, 2023
Friday Jan 27, 2023
The Black Metal Guy slithers out from his dreadful crypt. The Death Metal Guy emerges from his abattoir-cum-brothel. A chill upon the hissing wind raises hackles and lowers spirits. A sluggish and corpulent full moon hangs listlessly just over the horizon. A whisper whips through the trees, barely audible: "please bro I just need an aux cable to run my drum machine through the PA I swear I'll give it back as soon as I'm done with my set."
Welcome back to Terminus! At least partially rejuvenated from our break we return with SEASON 4 of the hottest extreme metal podcast on the market! This time we're opening the year a little differently: an embarrassment of riches came out toward the end of 2022, making it literally impossible to cover everything of note before the year is out. As a result, we've assembled a fast-moving episode of shorter reviews to attempt to cover as much territory as possible before proceeding with 2023 releases. Today's features include:
Chasm Shroud attempting to square the circle of high art and fast motorcycles.
Manticore continuing a proud legacy of middle-American* proto-war metal.
Tribal Gaze creating a tricky new sound from the bones of death metal and hardcore.
Stabbing reining in brutal death metal's most abstract impulses to create something more musical.
Shape of Despair providing the definitive soundtrack to visits to a mist-filled cemetery.
Komootra dedicating themselves to torture, nihilism, death, nothing, The End, etc.
Welcome back, terminators! It's time to put 2023 to death- by guillotine!
0:00:00 - Intro
0:06:11 - Chasm Shroud - Manna from Heaven (Forbidden Sonority)
0:29:04 - Manticore - Endless Scourge of Torment (HHR)
0:49:29 - Tribal Gaze - The Nine Choirs (Maggot Stomp)
1:11:39 - Interlude - Xibalba - “Never Kneel,” fr. Madre Mia Gracias Por Los Dias (Independent, 2010)
1:16:10 - Stabbing - Extirpated Mortal Process (Comatose Music)
1:33:33 - Shape of Despair - Return to The Void (Season of Mist)
1:54:58 - ๛ (Komootra) - ๛ (Non-Self Supremacy)
2:15:44 - Outro - Tetragrammacide - “Pulsating Sudarshan Gammadion of Aiwasstronic Fishnu,” fr. Third World Esoterrorism (Iron Bonehead, 2019)
*TBMG starts the year off right - with a thunderous, clunking error. Judas Iscariot is from DeKalb, Illinois, which is NOT in Ohio. The broader point, re. Midwestern black metal, still stands.
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Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
By this point into Terminus Winter Break, you've no doubt exhausted our considerable back catalog, and have been reduced to listening to actual music instead of our reviews. But fear not! Every time we go on break, we release one of our elite, patrons-only bonus episodes to all you rank and file terminators. So here's the first single-record episode we've ever done. We think it's some of our best work, and we hope you enjoy it.
Most truly great albums leave a legacy, begetting new genres, subgenres, styles, or scenes, and so becoming points of origin for new traditions. But once in a very long while, there is a complete one-off. Lykathea Aflame’s only release to date, Elvenefris, is one of those albums: How do you build on a masterpiece of lush, ecstatic, melodic…. goregrind? Maybe you don't. Where the hell did this record come from? And why is it so damn good? The answers may surprise you.
00:00 - Intro
8:40 - TBMG reacts / major key metal
19:10 - Vs. the "happy death metal" cliche / religion, goodness, virtue
37:50 - "Bringer of Elvenefris Flame" - influences and lack thereof
54:51 - "Land Where Sympathy is Air" - the Elvenefris theme
1:03:20 - “On The Way Home" - insane song structure* / non-metal influences
1:32:45 - “Flowering Entities" - don't worry, this is still death metal / finding "the way home"
1:43:50 - “A Step Closer" - lurking black metal influence / newness from tradition
01:53:20 - “Walking in The Garden of Ma’at” - happiness, vulnerability, permanence
2:12:37 - Outro - Lightning Bolt - “2 Morro Morro Land,” fr. Hypermagic Mountain (2005)
*Chart for "On The Way Home":
Main riff: A B C B C’ D C’ E’ E F GB’ B
Drone: A A A A A A Note: X' = "X prime," marks a variation on that riff.
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Contact: thetrueterminus@gmail.com
Saturday Dec 31, 2022
Saturday Dec 31, 2022
The third season of Terminus is drawing to a close, but of course, there's one last matter to attend to: a testimony to the unquestionable best metal records of 2022. As is tradition, our final episode of the year is a sprawling beast where your intrepid hosts discuss all the peaks and valleys of the year in review. This year's list has plenty of surprises in store, with lots of dark horse records creeping their way to the top and others losing steam upon further review.
As always, we'll be taking a break of a couple weeks at the beginning of the new year to rest and recuperate before the assault continues in 2023. Happy new year to all terminators, and thank you for your continued support. Here's to all the great music of this year and more in the future.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:31:20 - #20-16
1:09:14 - #15-11
1:41:38 - #10-6
2:20:26 - #5-1
3:10:19 - Aparthiva Raktadhara - "Gnostic Arousal of Shava Lingam" fr. Adyapeeth Maranasamhita (আদ্যাপীঠ মরণসংহিতা) (Iron Bonehead Productions, 2022)
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Sunday Dec 25, 2022
Sunday Dec 25, 2022
Merry Christmas and Happy Yule to all terminators (and lumps of coal to those who deny our power)! This is our last main episode of 2022 before we embark on the path to our end of year extravaganza and it's a doozy. We're finishing the year with two black metal records which need zero introduction- one arriving at the end of this week, the other released by surprise. Both these records are the latest installments of long-running, lauded black metal legends, so how does this most recent material stack up to the legacy?
First off is Satanic Warmaster's first full-length in 8 years, a record so highly anticipated the heat coming off it will make you spill your cocoa. What comes after such a long wait? An almost absurdly tight, refined, and polished take on SW's inimitable style. It's not without its own identity, though: Aamongandr explores deeply the relationship between the Finnblack style (which SW itself helped pioneer) and more traditional second wave black metal. Each song on this record captures a unique essence, exploring different facets of the band's long-running career to make for unquestionably one of the most well-rounded (and best) black metal records of the year.
Much like in 2020, Hate Forest has released their newest full length with little fanfare. Innermost displays Hate Forest at their loudest, most immediate, and (arguably) most aggressive, paring back the band's minimal style into the barest etchings of melody and form. Cold and austere but with flickers of fragile life, this record provokes a spirited debate between our hosts, with each taking a surprising position. How minimal is too minimal? How does one define and consider aggression? And why are those trees so angry, anyway?
0:00:00 - Intro
0:06:48 - Satanic Warmaster - Aamongandr (out DECEMBER 30 on Werewolf Records)
1:06:59 - Interlude - Osculum Infame - Vampiric Warmaster (Part II), fr. Dor-nu-Fauglith (Mordgrimm, 1997)
1:14:47 - Hate Forest - Innermost (Osmose Productions)
2:16:19 - Outro - Windswept - “Bookworm, Loser, Pauper,” fr. The Onlooker (Season of Mist, 2019)
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Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Another episode so soon? Well, our cold, black hearts felt the distant and chilly fingers of shame over how long the last one took to come out, so we've ramped up production in the Autism Factory just for you! Today's episode is another that focuses on deep cut black metal, but perhaps a little less putrid and decrepit this time around. It's still gnarly, though, as demonstrated by our opening segment on a split between German hordes Burkhartsvinter and Wolfsblut who each present their own take on scrappy, longform black metal.
Next is the debut full-length by Rot, quite possibly Vietnam's first black metal band, languishing in obscurity for nearly two decades. So much time slow-roasting in the oven has developed an impressive flavor of resolutely oldschool black metal basted with touches of death and thrash, reminding the listener distinctly of earliest work in the Norwegian and Swedish scenes pre-second wave. Immediate and heavy but also well-paced and surprisingly broad in its musical techniques, this is a record for dedicated black metal aficionados to really sink their teeth into.
Following is the return of Imha Tarikat to the show, whose third full-length seems to represent the band truly arriving at their definitive sound. Exploring a territory somewhere between Mgla haze and Bølzer explosivity, this scans less as black metal and more as something entirely new- heavy, aggressive guitar music where the riff is replaced almost entirely with longform melodies. Not gonna lie, folks- we really reach into High Art Critique territory on this one. The Death Metal Guy unironically employs the phrase "interrogates the relationship." Brace yourselves- these are murky and uncharted waters.
House of Ygra on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@houseofygra7198
0:00:00 - Intro/Burkhartsvinter/Wolfsblut - Return of the Black Hordes (Sturmglanz Black Metal Manufaktur)
0:25:43 - Rot - As Darkness Burns (House of Ygra)
1:08:06 - Interlude - Dark Angel - “Black Prophecies,” fr. Darkness Descends (Combat Records, 1986)
1:16:34 - Imha Tarikat - Hearts Unchained - At War With a Passionless World (Prophecy Productions/Lupus Lounge)
2:15:58 - Outro - Raven Woods - “In Loneliness I Wither” fr. In Silent Agony… (Zoo Sound, 2001)
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Friday Dec 09, 2022
Friday Dec 09, 2022
With the holiday season comes Terminus descending into scheduling hell, as is tradition. We like to think of it as a fun mystery, like opening presents on Christmas morning: when will the new episode arrive? Will a random bonus episode get released with zero notice? How blackout drunk will one or both hosts be? To answer in order: right now, maybe at some point, and neither, unfortunately. But to that last query, maybe we should have been, considering just how demented and gorked the majority of the music on today's episode is. To wit: Onslaught Kommand, a Chilean war metal band rooted in primordial death, grind, and d-beat traditions whose thirst for gore is matched only by their hunger for rumbling bass.
Next: the return of Geheimnisvoll, first featured on Terminus in 2020, on a split with Russian newcomers КaБah (pronounced Kaban for our Occidental listeners.) Geheimnisvoll further iterates on its Franco-Finnish-rooted sound, now pushing more toward the former than the latter, with epic melodies tempered by an austere, scowling mood. КaБah takes a very different route: glum, hermetic, minimal, and seemingly equally influenced by both Ildjarn and primitive industrial. Either side should be sufficient to upset roommates, housepets, and any vegetation within a hundred yard radius alike.
Following is the arrival of the second full length from a band mentioned only by TBMG in hushed whispers: Wrok. Infamous legends of the Dutch underground, Wrok play the most putrid and primordial of raw black metal exclusively, jerking and lurching through track after track of basement noise hell, reflecting an era and style of black metal now seemingly forgotten except by the most wretched among us. The song structures are nearly incoherent, the melodies are an afterthought, and the production is merely the word LOUD repeated a dozen times, and it's one of the coolest things to happen all year.
0:00:00 - Intro/Onslaught Kommand - Onslaught Kommand (Godz ov War Productions)
0:23:12 - Geheimnisvoll/КaБah - Split (Nithstang Productions)
1:05:47 - Interlude - Warwulf - “Follow The Wolves to My Grave,” fr. Walking The Paths of Despair (split w/ Sad on Thor’s Hammer Productions / 2009)
1:12:26 - Wrok - De dood roept (Heidens Hart)
2:03:54 - Outro - The Hunches - “Compression” and “This Human Propeller,” fr. Hobo Sunrise (In The Red Recordings / 2004)
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Monday Nov 28, 2022
Monday Nov 28, 2022
If you're wondering why today's installment of Terminus took a while to get to you, it's simple: episode 111 is all about doom, so it moved a little slower. Amidst all the high energy death and black metal we've been covering this year, we've been waiting for the opportunity to cover records a bit more... lethargic. Call us Type O Negative, because today we're going slow, deep, and hard. First up: a mini review of the debut record by Chilean epic doomdeath purveyors Mournument, which fuses romantic funeral doom with Peaceville riffing and all the wistful sorrow you could ask for.
Next up: the 13th full length record by Candlemass. Typically while writing these descriptions we try not to spoil our overall assessment of an album, but in this case, it's unavoidable: it's a rough one, folks. Somewhere in a murky realm between stoner rock, bad Manowar, and a hint of actual doom lie the remains of Candlemass, who present a record composed nearly exclusively of terrible songwriting decisions and musical theater cheese. Those negative nancies who appreciate us at our most critical will undoubtedly enjoy this episode nearly as much as we despised the record in question.
Following is a record that makes its listeners miserable for the RIGHT reasons: the newest split between Grave Upheaval and Terminus alums The Funeral Orchestra. This came out back in August but it was worth the wait: this is a split that's more than the sum of its parts, feeling like a truly collaborative effort between the artists. Grave Upheaval slows way down and explores the dismal fringes of caverncore to great effect; TFO strips back their buzzing lurch to something more minimal, grumbling, and unsettling. The result: a record so empty, dismal, and harrowing it would make Mutiilation blush.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:06:08 - Mournument - Smouldering Into Dust (Ardua Music)
0:26:05 - Candlemass - Sweet Evil Sun (Napalm Records)
1:14:00 - Interlude - Reverend Bizarre - “The Devil Rides Out” fr. II: Crush the Insects (Spikefarm Records, 2005)
1:20:12 - Grave Upheaval/The Funeral Orchestra - Inexistentia (Parasitic Records)
2:06:53 - Outro - Lycia - “Ionia,” fr. Ionia (Projekt, 1991)
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Saturday Nov 19, 2022
Saturday Nov 19, 2022
Terminus has been, to some degree, derelict in its duty to promote Outlaw Rock this year. Hopefully today's episode ameliorates this deficiency with a grip of records all firmly within this rough and tumble style of black metal(?). For those unfamiliar with the term, Outlaw Rock is a concept formulated by Terminus for a distinct style of USBM with a range of pointedly American influences, from country to hardcore and all points between. In this case, we have two very different sides of the same coin: one creaking out ghostly whispers of the old west, and another which explodes in passionate psychedelic violence.
A double-feature of Grave Pilgrim opens things up, with reviews of both last year's self-titled full length and this year's EP to provide better context. A mixture of KPN, Taake, and deep Americana makes for records which immediately hook the ear but feature surprising structural depth. The band's first record flamethrows the cave of Instagram black metal with deep, intricate riffing and the second iterates on these melodic concepts through flirtations with trad metal and desolate ambient. The only question: where do they go from here?
Providing counterpoint is the debut Ink & Fire record, likely familiar to terminators as a new project from MK of Fin. MK's unique riffing style is firmly intact but simultaneously stripped down and overdriven into brief, fulminating tracks. Ink & Fire's vicious yet manically joyful attack is immediately ear-pleasing but clattering and overwhelming, merging the smearing drone of Blazebirth Hall with MK's agile leadwork. Music to be enjoyed under the influence of any drug that makes you fast.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:03:05 - Grave Pilgrim - Grave Pilgrim (Death Prayer Records, 2021)
0:54:17 - Grave Pilgrim - Molten Hands Reach West (Death Prayer Records)
1:20:01 - Interlude - Peste Noire - “Ballade cuntre les anemis de la France - de François Villon “ fr. Ballade cuntre lo Anemi francor (De Profundis Éditions, 2009)
1:26:31 - Ink & Fire - Execution of Spirit (Independent/Death Prayer Records)
2:13:35 - Outro - Fields of the Nephilim - “Power” fr. Dawnrazor (Situation 2/Beggars Banquet, 1987)
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Friday Nov 11, 2022
Friday Nov 11, 2022
On rare occasion Terminus will dip its toe into the heady waters of "mainstream metal" (referring to bands that human beings listen to)- it's a rare and dangerous venture, but a necessary one. Today's episode is one such occasion, one where owners of Black Metal Tapes Worth More Than Your Life eye us suspiciously, thumbing the hammers of their revolvers under the poker table. Fret not- while today's records might be more popular than our typical fare, both are excellent slabs of death metal rooted in styles from the early 00s.
First up is the return of Defleshed, Swedish stalwarts back after a 17 year absence but no loss of energy. Comparable to countrymen like The Crown or Witchery, Defleshed plays a unique style of grinding deathrash which simultaneously embraces a high-flying rock and roll energy as well as a vicious rhythmic intensity. Grind Over Matter is a comfortable blanket of a record for those who came up in metal back in the 00s, but even if you're a newcomer, Motörhead with excessive blasting can never go wrong.
Following this is the newest by Psycroptic, long-running Tasmanian tech death band whose style has always stood on its own amongst legions of sweep-picking drudgery. Divine Council is yet another entry in a nearly immaculate discography, presenting itself with the band's remarkable melodic clarity and mystical atmosphere totally intact. The almost surgically clean production and playing might be a tough sell to those who like their metal more rough and tumble, but concentration on the intricate structural dynamics reaps tremendous rewards.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:05:08 - Defleshed - Grind Over Matter (Metal Blade)
0:48:49 - Interlude - Vargavinter - “Frostfödd,” fr. Frostfödd (Invasion Records, 1996)
0:53:40 - Psycroptic - Divine Council (EVP Recordings/Prosthetic Records)
1:44:12 - Outro - Arsis - “Lust Before the Maggots Conquest” fr. United in Regret (Willowtip Records, 2006)
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