on a gatefold vinyl released on Century Media that also comes with a double sided poster. One horizontal and one vertical a really nice addition to this release.
Next year Necrophobic will have their 30th anniversary but these guys show no sign of slowing down. In fact I think that Mark Of The Necrogram is better then both their two previous albums Womb Of Lilithu (2013) and Death To All (2009). And those two are really great.
The release of the EP Pesta (2017) with the title track of that 2-song EP was a clear indication that the album was going to be great. But I really didn’t think it would be as excellent as it final product proved to be.
The production and the sound on Mark Of The Necrogram is another amazing thing. It was recorded with Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed, Firespawn etc.) at the Chrome Studio. That’s a really great location for many releases. Also got to mention the astonishing cover art done by the legendary Kristian “Necrolord” Wåhlin. I don't think I have to mention all the album cover art he has had his hands on throughout the years.
The album is great throughout but some of my favorites are Mark of the Necrogram; Odium Caecum; Tsar Bomba; Pesta; Requiem For A Dying Sun; From the Great Above to the Great Below and the ending instrumental Undergången.
A bit off-topic maybe. But... I always despised whenever someone says that “this band are the Dissection of today” or "continuing the legacy of Dissection". There will never another band like Dissection!!! There is this band that has been called that for quite some time. I don't think they should be mentioned in the same sentence as Dissection.
But if someone says that about Necrophobic (or Unanimated) they will get a free pass. Once at least. I'm probably guilty of it also on some occasion... Anyway that’s how good the Blackened Death Metal of Necrophobic is and has been for many years now.
Will have to fit Mark Of The Necrogram somewhere on my top-?? of 2018. The competition is murder this year so we'll see where it finally lands. My top-5 is pretty much set already but what happens after that we'll just have too see.
An album you definitely should have in your collection this year. Also a great introduction to the amazing world of Necrophobic.
on a gatefold exclusive red vinyl from the Wardruna webstore limited to 500 copies also the digipack CD both released on By Norse Music. When I preordered the LP I'm certain that said it was limited to only 250 copies, not that I really care all that much about that. It's available on a white vinyl also limited to 500 copies and standard black vinyl.
“Skald was recorded live in the studio with the intention of capturing the uncompromising energy of a a live performance rather then aiming for a flawless and polished expression. It sets out to give voice to the ancient craft that once lay at the heart of the Norse oral traditions, presented as it takes shape in the hands of a humble contemporary skald today”
Is the first Einar Selvik says in the booklet and I couldn't describe the Skald album better myself. The booklet is very interesting to read, especially about some of the songs origins. There's both the original Norwegian lyrics and also English translations included.
This new album is the first Wardruna has recorded since the Runaljod Trilogy was completed in with the excellent Ragnarok (2016).
For the most part of the 10 songs they haven't been recorded or released. The songs Helvegen and Fehu both appears on the 2nd album Yggdrasil (2013) but here they take on another shape.
I almost prefer this Helvegen version but its a close between the two in terms of being best because they are so different from each other. Voluspá has been performed at Wardruna concerts and at Einar Selvik solo performances. They also made an amazing video for that song you really should check out (see furthest down).
The next Warduna release I really hope for a Blu-Ray live concert, a performance with ex. member Gaahl on Kauna and Jara would be excellent. Have seen Wardruna live a couple of times now and one can only hope for something like that.
Anyway I realize that this isn’t for everyone. The almost 16 min song Sonatorrek only consists of Selvik's own vocals. The album is called Skald after all. Even if it doesn’t sound anything like Nagellstev when Fenriz did that song on Nordavind (1995) by Storm. Also that one doesn't just have his vocals, I hope you get where I'm going with this. For me personally this reminds me of the Norwegian 90’s spirit and that goes for the entire album. Without it even ever being intended.
Einar Selvik has said in interviews that he doesn't understand why Wardruna is popular among Black Metal fans/people. But if you're like me and was into the Norwegian (& Swedish) scene during the mid 90's and listened too bands like Isengard, Wongraven, Storm etc. I think that Wardruna is a continuation of those bands. Just done in a way different format.
Was going to wait until I had my Wardruna bind rune tattoo done in 3 weeks, but couldn’t hold out doing a post about Skald because it's so brilliant. Got it yesterday and been listening constantly to the album.
As you probably can guess I’m a huge Wardruna / Einar Selvik fan but I give this record a chance. You might find the same spirit that I found within Skald.
On a red vinyl limited to 100 copies a Century Media reissue from 2018 comes with a 60 x 60 cm poster. This release also includes a CD of the album it's just in some very cheap generic sleeve. They should've put some effort on it or not include it at all in my opinion.
Have already done a post on Ceremony Of Opposites with my old CD copy over on my Instagram. Got this reissue in the same package as Viktoria by Marduk this June so I was extremely busy with that one. Also the newly released Funeral Mist album and the then upcoming Immortal record for weeks (and also work) so it took awhile for me to listen too it properly. Anyway it’s such an amazing album that it deserves another post and also one for the blog.
Remember the time when the video for the excellent song Baphomet’s Throne were being played on Headbanger’s Ball on European MTV. Got completely blown away by this Swiss band just by that song alone.
A friend owned the CD and I borrowed it from him also of course recorded it to a cassette-tape. Got the CD myself some time later because cassettes were a pain in the ass. However essential to bring music with us to play in the 90's, a big brick by today's standard. My so called “portable” CD-player from 1991 was even bigger & heavier and never an option.
I heard Ceremony Of Opposites a few months before I bought both The Somberlain (1993) and In The Nightside Eclipse (1994) in 1994. Even if we called Samael Black Metal (or Dark Metal don't remember clearly?) at that time it wasn’t an album that sparked my deep interest for the genre like the Dissection and Emperor albums did.
Don’t remember seeing or reading an interview with Samael back in those days. Still don’t exactly know how I would describe Ceremony Of Opposites they have all sorts of different influences on it. But who the hell cares? The record is excellent!
Other songs besides the one I already mentioned like Black Trip; Celebration of the Fourth; Son of the Earth; Flagellation etc. are excellent. Recorded with Waldemar Sorychta producer of many great albums by other Century Media bands in the 90’s like Borknagar, Tiamat, Unleashed, Moonspell etc.
The earlier Samael records Worship Him (1991) and Blood Ritual (1992) are both great that I consider to be essential to own. But for me Ceremony Of Opposites will always be my favorite album by the band. After this one many were raving on about their Passage (1996) album but I never cared for that one and lost interest for the band.
However I must admit that I really like the re-recorded version of the song Into The Pentagram on the Rebellion (1995) EP. The original version is found on the debut album Worship Him that was originally released by Osmose Productions. Would say that about 99.9% of the time I usually hate whenever bands re-record their old songs but that one is truly amazing. It sounds like something that could've fitted on this album. The other songs on that EP isn't particularly exciting.
Anyway Ceremony Of Opposites is a must have album in your collection and I’m glad being able to spin it on my record player.
On a European first print vinyl released by Def American Recordings/Phonogram.
Glenn Danzig has been involved in many amazing bands and albums but this one is my absolute favorite in his entire discography. This is the follow-up album to the self titled debut Danzig (1988).
Sure that especially the debut Danzig but also Danzig 4P (1994) are amazing albums. Danzig III How The God Kills (1992) have many great songs but is my least favorite of those four.
This second Danzig record is really special in my opinion. It wasn’t always the case I considered that though. Remember it took me many listenings before realizing its glory way back in the early 90’s when I got it on CD. Very often when I'm meet with such a challenge the record can grow into a beast of an album.
At first I only liked Under Her Black Wings; Long Way Back From Hell and Snakes Of Christ. Nowadays I don't think there's a bad moment on the entire record.
Probably many people like me discovered Danzig (also Samhain & Misfits) thanks to Metallica wearing their t-shirts on stage and band photos. Also the covers they did of Misfits.
What really made me buy my first Danzig album back in the day was when I saw the video to Mother. Believe my older sister had recorded it onto a VHS-tape also. Then when I saw the promo video for Under Her Black Wings I of course wanted this album also because the 1st one was so amazing.
Danzig was so different from the bands that I was into at the time Metallica & Megadeth. This was also before I discovered Slayer, Sepultura, Morbid Angel, Entombed and so on.
The Danzig II: Lucifuge album has so many different elements on it. Like Blues on the amazing songs I’m The One and Killer Wolf (which they made a promo video for). Besides the already mentioned songs I want to point out some other ones. Another video was made for Devil's Plaything it got a bit of a punk vibe to it. They strangely didn't do a video for the amazing Tired Of Being Alive. 777 incorporates a slide guitar that almost gives it a Country feeling. Blood And Tears got late 50's Rock influences and is done excellent. The ending song Pain In The World is Doom Metal and Black Sabbath sounding done in the Danzig way.
The four first Danzig records was still being played every once in awhile when I was deepest into the Black Metal scene in the 90's. Their music really felt like it was more "evil" then many Black Metal bands that got recognition in the 90's.
After the 4th record I lost interest for buying new Danzig albums. Although I got some of them on CD that my sister gave to me because she don't listen to physical media anymore.
There's some great songs he has written since but none that could match anything on Danzig II: Lucifuge. All in all this is a masterpiece of an album.
...will probably forever always be Where No Life Dwells (1991); Shadows In The Deep (1992) and Across The Open Sea (1993). All are the original Century Media CD releases.
Would rank the albums in that order of release also. Though that wasn’t always the case. The first album by Unleashed I bought was Shadows In The Deep and it was for most of the 90’s my favorite record of theirs.
But that has changed throughout the years. It’s actually the same case as with many other bands of the early amazing Swedish Death Metal scene. Have discovered that the debut is my favorite album by lots of those bands. You can definitely hear the young musicians being so passionate with their music in this “new” Metal genre.
The debut from 1991 Where No Life Dwells is amazing throughout. So that makes it hard to pick out any favorite songs. A classic timeless one and must have Death Metal album. Should really get this one on LP even if I'm in no hurry.
Remember I made my mom drive me to a shopping center outside town in the early 90’s (probably at least 1 hour back & forth). Just so that I could buy my first Unleashed CD Shadows In The Deep.
I played that CD to death at the time. Many amazing songs like The Final Silence; The Immortals; Shadows in the Deep; Onward Into Countless Battles etc. I also really enjoyed the cover of what became and is my favorite Venom song Countess Bathory at the time. Even if the original is so much better. I think that Shadows In The Deep is a bit more uneven then the debut nowadays. Songs like A Life Beyond; Crush The Skull and Land Of Ice isn't on par with the others but all in all an amazing album.
Across The Open Sea was a bit of a letdown I thought at first. That soon changed and it was for a long time my second favorite Unleashed album. It hasn’t aged as well as the two others I think but it’s a very nostalgic record for me and I really enjoy it.
I think the sound and production isn't as good as on the two previous albums. Also some songs like I Am God; Captured and even the one they made a video for The One Insane I've never really enjoyed. There's some amazing ones though like To Asgaard We Fly; Open Wide; Execute Them All; Forever Goodbye (2045) etc. The butchering of the Judas Priest classic song Breaking The Law isn't one of them...
Was a huge fan of Unleashed in 90’s before I got lost all in Black Metal they were my 3rd favorite Swedish Death band behind Dismember and Entombed. They also made me interested in Nordic mythology, vikings and got me to wear a Thor's Hammer pendant.
Blind bought Victory (1995) at release and still to this day I cannot stand that album. I still own it and enjoy maybe 1 or 2 songs. Ever since that record all the Unleashed albums has been hit like Midvinterblot (2006) and Odalheim (2012) or miss like Warrior (1997) and As Yggdrasil Trembles (2010).
These 3 records in this post will always be the most special Unleashed albums for me.
