Cremation, SIXX, Morbosidad Out Now
Cremation “Black Death Cult” LP
ANTI-GOTH 134
Pre-Conqueror/Revenge Satanic death metal with J. Read on drums. Contains the Demos “Pire Gah Hoath Raclir Od Lalpor” 1993, “Hail The Rise of Med Pe Gal” 1994 and “The Flames of An Elite Age” 1995. Heavy vinyl with reverseboard printed jacket, A2 poster, and insert. Die hard version on gray vinyl with patch and sticker.
Review written by J. Campbell
Cremation’s existence was short-lived and resulted in the release of a mere four demos during the years of 1992-1995. Clearly there is a current fascination in the underground with “dark” death metal and, perhaps partly for this reason, there has been great demand for a reissue of this demo material. (Note that this release contains only three of the four demos—the first demo being intentionally omitted.) The music of this legendary Canadian band is not merely dark, however. It is possessed with a genuine atmosphere of violence and perpetual terror that is arguably unmatched in the realm of pure death metal either before or since. For years these recordings have been praised and referenced largely due to Cremation drummer J. Read’s success with Conqueror, Revenge, and Axis of Advance. To those familiar with Read’s work, it will come as no surprise that the drums in Cremation do not simply keep time; rather, the drums are every bit as active as the guitars and vocals. In this way, the entire force of the band is leveled upon the listener simultaneously and the result is punishing. Each instrument contributes equally to the onslaught. The recording itself is simple and sparse, yet the overall effect is one of tremendous strength due entirely to the frenetic activity of the performance. The essence at the core of Cremation’s work is pure Satanic fury and virtually no death metal band from their era captured that fury so effectively as Cremation. Indeed, it can convincingly be argued that Cremation were far ahead of their time as one can hear the distinct influence of their unique style in the work of many of the new death metal bands of today. The three demos presented here, “Pire Gah Hoath Raclir Od Ialpor,” “Hail The Rise of Med Pe Gal,” and “The Flames of an Elite Age” vary slightly in their presentation, yet have a magnificent effect when heard in conjunction with each other. Each assault builds upon the intensity of the last and the cumulative effect is catastrophic. These demos depict the turning point at which one can hear the dying gasp of the last vestiges of pure death metal as the influx of black metal influence was about to permanently alter the landscape of the underground. Cremation’s sound exists at the precipice of this sonic and conceptual shift and represents the extremity attained only at the outer limits of the boundaries that demarcate the style known as death metal.
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SIXX “Sister Devil” LP and Picture LP
ANTI-GOTH 136
By now, Von’s impact on the development of black metal is undisputed, and their work is universally praised. Shortly after the release of Von’s “Satanic Blood” demo, the members of Von shifted their focus to another project that would come to be known as Sixx. The obscure “Sister Devil” demo, the only recording produced under the Sixx moniker, represents a distinctly different approach to music, but retains, nonetheless, many of the same elements that characterize the style of Von. Like two poisons that attack the body in different yet equally lethal ways, Von and Sixx produce similar effects on the listener while pursuing two divergent paths of execution. Sixx do not play black metal, but the atmosphere cultivated on “Sister Devil” is every bit as nihilistic and void of light as on “Satanic Blood.” Sixx instead play a style of music most closely resembling the genre known as death-rock. And while traces of Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, Samhain, and Joy Division can be heard in Sixx’s music, “Sister Devil” conveys a decidedly more satanic approach than any of the aforementioned bands’ work. Also, in much the same way that Von utilized trance-inducing repetition as one of its primary tools, Sixx also rely on the same technique with similar results. The instruments and vocals are recorded clean and the focus is on the melodic character of the songs. The melodies employed, however, are pure in their bleakness. Lyrically, Sixx revel in themes that could have been equally applicable in a black metal context, and the listener will notice that “Sister Devil” also features spoken word interludes like those heard in the recordings of Von. Moreover, while the performance of the instruments may be clean, the lo-fidelity recording quality demonstrates the same stark simplicity of the Von recordings. When Sixx recorded “Sister Devil” they were a band without an audience. These were not the highly regarded forefathers of black metal that they are perceived as today, but rather, young musicians struggling to find a voice in an era in which no other band’s approach to music adequately represented their vision. For black metal purists, “Sister Devil” may only be a curiosity to examine for its historical relevance. Even for this purpose it is valuable. Hearing Sixx certainly elucidates many of the influences that coalesced in the sound of Von. For those listeners who place value in genres of music related to, but still outside the sphere of metal, this demo is of even greater importance. It stands up to the recordings of other bands within the death-rock genre of music, but still demonstrates an appreciation for the aesthetics that were influencing black metal at that time. Indeed, Sixx’s music would stand on its own even if it were not related to Von. Whatever purpose one may have for stepping into the suicidal and empty universe measured out by their music, the effect of Sixx’s “Sister Devil” demo is profound. After having been completely abandoned and forgotten for 18 years, NWN!, with the cooperation of Goat and Kill from Von, has unearthed this legendary demo which is as potent today as it would have been when it was originally recorded. Remastered and accompanied by new artwork, “Sister Devil” at last will receive the presentation and distribution it rightfully deserves.
Both the black vinyl and picture LP versions come with reverseboard printed jacket, A2 poster and 12″x12″ insert. Die hard double 12″ 45 RPM version with case wrapped jacket will be back in two to three weeks. All versions will also be available at the NWN fest in November.
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Morbosidad “Profana la Cruz del Nazareno” Picture LP
ANTI-GOTH 101
Limited picture disk version of the third bestial black/death assault. Comes with double sided 12″x12″ insert.
Despues de casi 5 anos de silencio total, las legiones bestiales han resurgido. On December 25, 2007, the notorious Tomas Stench assembled his horde of maniacal priests of darkness to desecrate the day the bastard Nazarene son was born unto the whore of Bethlehem. Recorded in Mexico with a new line-up, the third Morbosidad album is heavily influenced by Brazilian deathrash masters such as the mighty Sarcofago, Sextrash, and Holocausto, yet is still undeniably Morboso Metal. One of the most sacrilegious and blasphemous records in the NWN! catalog, “Profana La Cruz del Nazareno” achieves a primitive savagery and violence never heard before on any Morbosidad recording. And finally, the only artist whose dark visions are sufficiently unholy to adorn such a long-awaited release, the notorious Chris Moyen was summoned by the Morboso Kult to produce another masterpiece of goatworship for the cover.