(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 19: Corpsepaint (Black Metal)

We’re almost done, folks.

I have four films left in the Hooptober Horror marathon so the plan (well, hope really) is that next week is it, and after that we’re back to music reviews here on the site. I reviewed the new Oranssi Pazuzu over at Nine Circles and man, it was a refreshing change of pace (oh, the album kicks ass, too). That got me in the frame of mind to do a black metal playlist. I have one set up on my Apple Music account called, ahem…Corpsepaint. Obvious, I know, but it gets the point across. You’d be surprised at how good something supposedly shitty sounding on purpose can sound on vinyl, so this playlist is going to focus on those albums I have in my physical collection that are blackened to their very core.

Off to the playlist.

ChrisOctober 12, 2024October 11, 2024Leave a comment

Celtic Frost: Danse Macabre (2022)

Oough! Is there another band more vital to so many different metal genres than Celtic Frost? So many (including my beloved Darkthrone) have been inspired by the band, yet no one sounds like them (Darkthrone by their own admission has moments of pure Celtic Frost worship, but never a full song). In typical fashion I came to the Swiss machine from a myriad of roundabouts: finding a cheap used compilation back in my early 30s, falling hard for Tom G. Warrior’s post efforts in Triptykon, and then going ALL the way back to the early Hellhammer releases. But it was only recently that I really started getting deeper into the band’s seminal releases, and when the Danse Macabre box set was announced I finally jumped at the chance to get better acquainted. TL;DR – it’s a great package, containing remastered versions of Morbid Tales, To Mega Therion, and Into the Pandemonium, the Emperor’s Return EP, and the Grave Hill Bunker Rehearsals from 1984. There’s also a great booklet going through the band’s history and patches and pin for your battle vest, but the real find are these albums. So, similar to my review of the recent Black Sabbath set, let’s get dirty, baby.

Are you morbid?

ChrisJune 17, 2024June 16, 2024Leave a comment

CD, Vinyl

Darkthrone: A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992)

I am so far behind in cataloging my recent vinyl acquisitions (not to mention all the CD box sets I’ve been picking up) that I’m going to try and buckle down and get some short entries up, and at the very least explain WHY I have not one but TWO copies of A Blaze in the Northern Sky, the seminal black metal classic by Norwegian institution Darkthrone. They were the band that paved the way the way for my own music in Necrolytic Goat Converter, showing me that my musical expression could best be achieved via tremolo riffing and strained, raspy vocals that can’t quite hide the influence of old school melody. By any standard this is a classic of the metal genre, so let’s give it some thought.

ChrisJuly 5, 2022July 5, 2022Leave a comment

Vinyl

Nechochwen: Kanawha Black (2022)

Day 22 of the #mayvinylchallenge asks for your most recent purchase. I’m fairly particular when it comes to metal on vinyl, and black metal specifically. There’s little chance of a sonic upgrade over CD or digital when you’re talking about the production of a lot of classic metal (my beloved Darkthrone included), but as the genre continues to absorb influences and break away from the rigid tenets of its beginnings the production beefs up and can get downright nice. Nechochwen have quietly been showing folks in the know for over a decade they had the chops and commitment to craft some intense and thoughtful black metal focusing on their Appalachian roots, and on Kanawha Black, their first album in seven the duo of Nechochwen (Aaron Carey) and Pohonasin (Andrew D’Cagna, also of Ironflame) show just how far their sonic palate has expanded with an epic, progressive album that breaks their own mold.

ChrisMay 22, 2022May 22, 2022Leave a comment

Vinyl

Stormkeep: Tales of Othertime (2021)

Day 18 of the #mayvinylchallenge asks for an album with some incredible art or packaging. was lucky to get in early and snag the limited edition package for Tales of Othertime, the second release and first full length from Stormkeep, a kind of black metal supergroup featuring members from Blood Incantation and Wayfarer. The album’s artwork would be with the entry if that was the only thing that came with the music, but this edition also came with a book, a map, and a patch for the battle vest I have yet to complete.

ChrisMay 18, 2022Leave a comment

Miscellany, Vinyl

Record Store Day 2022

I’m not one to usually get up and get on the line for Record Store Day; I’m more than content to head over to my local shop a few days later and pick through the remains, or order online. But the last few weeks have been a hotbed of anxiety, and I’ve been relying more and more on music in order to detach and decompress (hence the massive influx of incoming vinyl). So this morning I roused myself, showered, and with a hot cup of coffee took myself down to Needle + Groove Records to see if I could nab the few titles I was interested in.

ChrisApril 23, 2022April 23, 20221 Comment

Consuming the Tangible

We are what we consume

Tag: black metal