Communique

I think it's hilarious that this exists. It's a 1988 PBS fundraiser featuring Deicide under their original moniker Amon. I'll save you some trouble, the sound quality is crap.

The link is more to prove it than anything else. Dig the guy introducing them. I bet he goes to a lot of death metal shows.

In other news I'm still alive. Here's some rekkerds I've been spinning lately.  

Xibalba - Hasta La Muerte These guys remind me of Sepultura and Morbid Angel, but their straight ahead churn and the shouted gang vocals make the band much more of a sludgy hardcore unit than anything resembling those technically advanced cousins. These tunes stomp and rage with perfect aggression. Prepare for some blunt force trauma with a side of throat shredding vocals.  

Ash Borer - Cold Of Ages A shifting, multifaceted black metal epic. Just 4 songs, each one clocking in around 15 minutes. I think I liked the first record better, but this is a band with ambition, compositional skill and an excellent grasp of dynamics. Some of the quiet passages are just as intense as the blasted-out frightening bits.  

Black Breath - Sentenced To Life This sludgy hardcore unit has been damaging ears for a few years now, but I think that this new record is probably their best to date. Their guitar tones here are thick and devastatingly heavy. There are enough metal infused leader guitar breaks to demonstrate obvious technical skill, but the floor punching aesthetic remains. You'll be in for a pummeling.  

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! Their first record in 10 years came out with very little advance warning. In fact they've been honing some of this material since making their return to the live arena two years ago. It sounds like the work of a touring band, with the guitar taking center stage throughout and a minimal number of orchestral swells. This is as heavy or rocking as the band have ever sounded on record, but it is still a Godspeed record. You can expect 20 minute songs and no lyrics. It gets very loud and then very quiet. Sounds good to me.  

Samothrace - Reverence To Stone Consisting of just 2 tracks and a runtime under 40 minutes, Samothrace's first album in 5 years leaves me wanting more. Epic doom metal with some quite beautiful quieter sections and some good old-fasioned lead guitar heroics thrown in for some good measure. An addictive listen.