TERMINUS: extreme metal podcast

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)

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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)

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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)

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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

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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)

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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)

Terminus Episode 116 - Goatmoon, The Howling Void, Noisy Neighbors

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)

Terminus Episode 115 - 2022 Roundup! - Manticore, Tribal Gaze, Stabbing, Shape of Despair, ๛ (Komootra), Chasm Shroud

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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Bursting out of Shadow: Lykathea Aflame’s Elvenefris

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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Terminus Omega 2022 - The Year-End Show

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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