Bloodaxe - Bloodthrone

3 years prior to releasing Raping The Ancient, Bloodaxe produced their debut Bloodthrone. Again the same formula is present, but a little more extreme perhaps. Allow me to clarify what I mean by that. Production-wise Bloodthrone is a lot rawer than Raping The Ancient. Amidst the distorted sound we hear the typical Bloodaxe whirlwind riffs that are highly effective and create that cold atmosphere perfectly, something which a lot of second wave band have tried to achieve. Vocals are again completely distorted, making them sound like someone who is lost in a destructive, cold blizzard. Bloodthrone is a lot blast heavier than Raping The Ancient. This is in fact an album that basically blasts away from beginning to end. It's true that the drumming isn't very inspirational and technically interesting, but all of that has been sacrificed to enhance the cold atmosphere that is present on Bloodthrone. Besides the occasional acoustic parts, there's only one song 1030 that doesn't blast away all the time, but still manages to have that freezingly cold ambiance. I feel the acoustic parts (they only appear twice on Bloodthrone) don't add much, instead I feel they make the entire concept and atmosphere on this album less consistent, than I would have perhaps liked. Despite this small point of criticsm Bloodaxe have again released an album that should appeal to all second wave supporters and those who are looking for an atmosphere similar to Pure Holocaust. Cold, freezing and frostbitten!

Bloodaxe - Bloodthrone

Previous Bloodaxe review: Bloodaxe - Raping The Ancient

Elysian Blaze - Levitating The Carnal

The last couple of years I can count on one hand how many times i've played this album. I rarely listen to it, because it requires something extra. This is weird music, which can only be enjoyed if all aspects are in your advantage. You'll soon notice why this is such a monstrosity of an album and I mean that in a good way. Elysian Blaze play black metal, but a very unique type. Mutatiis - the man behind Elysian Blaze - experiments not only with the music itself, but especially with the production. He makes Levitating The Carnal sound really distant and the entire thing has this sort of echo effect to it. It almost seems like i'm listening to this album in a cathedral, like the one depicted on the album coverart. So this clearly was a move intentionally done by Mutatiis and he completely succeeds in creating this. The value of the production is very important to notice, as without this particular type of effect, it would lose a lot of it's unique strength. Levitating The Carnal progresses in a mostly mid-tempo and slow fashion, but has some faster sections as well (Macabre Be Thy Blood). The guitar tone sounds exactly like everything else, distant and echoing and creates long-winded, but moving and slightly melodious riffs that make up for a very solid basis for Mutatiis to work on. Extra depth is created by frequently using a piano. The hard part about Levitating The Carnal is that it's so goddamn inaccessible. Even listening to it is a nervous experience. Not one factor in your own surrounding can change as it might ruin the whole listening experience. Combine that with the fact that this album has a playtime of almost 70 minutes and you know chances of you listening to this a lot will be pretty slim. It demands your entire attention. When it eventually has your full attention it will allow you to sink in the entire atmosphere and experience the brilliance of Levitating The Carnal.

I should say that this should possible be experienced as you might experience some Lustmord or Northaunt or basically anything similar. Even though this is unmistakingly heavy metal, the complete package has a very ambient feel and should therefore also be considered as something along those lines. Don't expect to be headbanging 70 minutes to this, because that will not happen. If you prefer your black metal thrashy or of the scandinavian school, then think twice as to wether you really want to try Levitating The Carnal, as it might turn out to be a frustrating experience. If you like the french or perhaps to a lesser extent the greek scene and enjoy the typical mystical atmosphere those scenes are known for (I realise that this might be a stretch for some people, but i'm purely comparing moods generated by the music and not the music itself), then by all means, add Levitating The Carnal to your collection. Be prepared to be entranced by this repetitive, minimalistic and unique take on black metal!

Elysian Blaze - Levitating The Carnal

Paragon Impure - To Gaius (For The Delivery Of Agrippina)

"...I have existed from the morning of the world and I shall exist until the last star falls from the night. Although I have taken the form of Gaius Caligula, I am all man as I am no man and therefore I am… a God!"

Paragon Impure are part of the quality Goatowarex label - a respectable and well-known label in the underground circles and guarantees high quality music again and again. A label that has already released genre classics such as Verräterischer, Nichtswürdiger Geist, Vastiia Tenebrd Mortifera and In Zalvend Onmin and seemingly has taken a liking to harvesting Flemish talent such as Kilte and Ghremdrakk ; the short-lived Verloren who released something for the ages with In Zalvend Onmin, but the same can be said about To Gaius (For The Delivery Of Agrippina). As the title might suggest this deals with the none other than the Romans, a highly unsung subject in the extreme metal genre, but Paragon Impure have taken it upon themselves to forever change that. Fortunaly for us and them, it will not be remembered as a brave and ambitious effort that eventually failed to accomplish that which it had set out to do, but as a work that has its place alongside label classics such as the aforementioned ones. The backbone of To Gaius are the well-written conceptual lyrics and general song structures, which will put many bands to shame. The guitars are fuzzed-out chainsaws, who create magical riff upon magical riff and this for the entire duration, which admittedly is a bit short, but doesn't feel like it lacks in that department, it feels rather complete in spite of the short duration. To Gaius is a massive half an hour assault that will show no mercy, but is equally as relentless and brutal as the subject at hand. 

"...From Baldhead To Baldhead 
Bid Them To Be Led Away 
Humiliate Them In Public 
Serve Them To The Beasts 
When They Protest Their Innocence 
Cut Off Their Tongue 
And Put Them Back Again 

Remember That You Have The Right 
To Do Anything To Anyone 
All Must Pay For Any Act Of Disrespect 
There Is No Antidote Against Caesar 

All Hail Caesar 
All Hail Caesar 
All Hail Caesar"

Paragon Impure - To Gaius (For The Delivery Of Agrippina)

Bloodaxe - Raping The Ancient

"Haunting the Runes

Destroying the Myths

Raping the Ancient Ones"

Bloodaxe is a Canadian band that was formed at the start of the millenium by Nordavinden Lien. Raping The Ancient is the follow-up to the debut Bloodthrone. Stylistically it's somewhat of an oddity, it offers a unique approach to Viking Metal, a genre which I normally don't like, except for the occasional exception; such as Doomsword or Ereb Altor. What those bands share in common with Bloodaxe is while they are labeled Viking Metal or at least partially put under that category, they carry influences from a multitude of genres. In this case Bloodaxe is playing a raw form of Black Metal consisting of blast heavy drum patterns and melodious riffs, which, together with the distorted vocals create an environment that really makes you think of some distant Norse mythology. There lies the genuine strength of Bloodaxe. They succeeded in generating this, while others so often try to do the same, but completely fail and they did it in their own way crossing the borders of a tired and lets be honest otherwise dull genre.

Bloodaxe - Raping The Ancient