Ignivomous CD, Prosanctus Inferi MCD, Abigail CD, Bestial Raids CD Out Now

Ignivomous “Blood and Mercury” CD
ANTI-GOTH 194

When Ignivomous released their “Path of Attrition” demo in 2007, the Death Metal gold rush had yet to completely take off. Now, four years later, the same currents that produced that nearly perfect demo have produced an abundance of bands attempting to recapture the essence of Death Metal with varying degrees of success. Ignivomous’ work nonetheless stands as a monument to the potential that the genre has to offer. This collection contains all of the tracks from the aforementioned demo recording and the utterly flawless “Eroded Void of Salvation” EP as well as their track from the split 7″ with Tzun Tzu. Also included is one previously unreleased song entitled “Corpse of the Redeemer” that will hopefully hold Ignivomous fans over while the band completes the recording of their new album. For those few who are unfamiliar with Ignivomous, their sound is a potent distillation of the most powerful Death Metal from the early to mid 1990’s. The black blood of Immolation, Incantation, Grave, Demigod and others is commingled and burns furiously in the veins of Ignivomous. Their practice of synthesis and re-interpretation rather than uninspired regurgitation, however, set Ignivomous apart from many currently active Death Metal bands. For this reason, their music exhibits a vitality that is conspicuously absent in much of today’s “retro” Death Metal scene. “Blood and Mercury” compiles what is arguably Ignivomous’ best material to date and generally represents a high water mark for the recent wave of traditional Death Metal.

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Prosanctus Inferi “Red Streams of Flesh” MCD
ANTI-GOTH 190

With their debut LP last year, Prosanctus Inferi proved that there is still room to expand within the Black/Death subgenre. Indeed, the sound of Prosanctus Inferi is Black/Death in the truest sense. Combining influences from early 90’s U.S. Death Metal and U.S. Black Metal, Prosanctus Inferi formulate a new sound — one in which neither style overshadows the other. The result might represent the median point between Morbid Angel / Necrovore and Profanatica / Demoncy, augmented by warped riffs and unpredictable song structures. This mLP features new choral passages of primal and obsessively impure coital delirium. Caustic guitars and relentless drums collide beneath vocals drenched in wrath and perversion. The sound here is more immediate and extreme than the LP, but still retains the characteristic idiosyncratic musical syntax that characterizes Prosanctus Inferi’s approach.

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Abigail “The Lord of Satan” CD
ANTI-GOTH 188

The relationship between Abigail and NWN! goes back to the 2002 vinyl release of the band’s first album, “Intercourse and Lust.” Since that time, Abigail and NWN! have each mutated into different beasts; however, the relationship between these two forces has remained intact through the years. To honor the nearly 20 year legacy of Abigail, NWN! is proud to present this vinyl collection of some of the band’s earliest work. Along with pioneers Sabbat and Sigh, Abigail have long been recognized as among the most influential Black Metal bands to have emerged from beneath the banner of the Rising Sun. While, in recent years, Abigail has shifted its focus to a more depraved blackened thrash sound, the early work presented on this LP is pure Black Metal played in a manner that is harsh and hostile. This LP opens with the five Abigail tracks featured on the band’s 1995 split CD with Funeral Winds. This material, which has never before been released on vinyl, displays the characteristic wickedness that permeates all of Abigail’s work. These tracks are not merely excursions in sound, however. Each song stands out on its own and the work as a whole evinces a sophisticated level of composition and production. Side B of this LP contains the tracks from Abigail’s first two EP releases. Nearly impossible to find now, “Descending from a Blackened Sky” and “Confound Eternal” contain some of Abigail’s most powerful and blackened revelations. The 1993 “Descending from a Blackened Sky” EP, executed entirely by Yasuyuki, is a magnificent breath of annihilation. Guided by furious and relentless blast beats, Yasuyuki’s style on this EP is more harsh and raw than most of Abigail’s other work. Yet, as with all Abigail recordings, amid the chaos there are well-crafted riffs and song structures that draw the listener deep into the demonic frenzy of the songs. “Confound Eternal” may be Abigail’s most refined statement prior to the release of their first album. This release marks the first appearance of Youhei on drums to supplement the wrath of Yasuyuki’s scathing guitars and vocals, an addition which allowed Yasuyuki to incorporate a greater variety of tempos and stylistic elements. These details, such as the band’s penchant for shifting suddenly, yet seamlessly, between manic blast beats and mid-paced stomp rhythms have come to define the Abigail sound. Importantly, Yasuyuki incorporates a greater array of melodic structure into the riffs on this EP as well. Indeed, every element of the band’s sound on this release is more concentrated. The guitars, particularly the use of solos, are superior to that any of the band’s prior recordings and Yasuyuki’s vocals are the howls of possession. That both of these songs were re-recorded and included on the band’s debut LP in 1997 demonstrates that the band recognized that its sound was becoming more focused and refined. Through the years Abigail has continued to evolve and change and, yet, as these early recordings reveal, the band has retained characteristic elements that have defined its sound since the beginning.

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Bestial Raids “Prime Evil Damnation” CD
ANTI-GOTH 197

Over the past decade the stream of so called “Bestial Black/Death” metal has swelled dramatically becoming an uncontainable river the waters of which have become a polluted sewer of fecal sludge. Only a few bands have maintained the integrity of this sound. Among the most prominent and most respectable of these is Poland’s Bestial Raids. With the release of their “Order of Doom” demo, Bestial Raids nearly perfected the modern Black/Death sound with production that was as atrocious and barbaric as their songwriting. While the band’s debut LP, “Reversed Black Trinity,” was a powerful manifestation of hatred, it lacked the chaotic severity of the demo recording. Thus it seemed conceivable that Bestial Raids was among those many bands for which the demo was the peak and the releases which followed were merely shadows of the abominable alchemy of the band’s earliest recordings. Bestial Raids’ second album, “Prime Evil Damnation,” proves that the band’s most horrific sacrificial offerings have yet to come. Preserving the sonic cacophony of their demo material and the primal focus of “Reversed Black Trinity,” this new album chronicles Bestial Raids’ descent into ever more obscure regions of inhuman evil. The immoral seed sown on “Order of Doom” has now blossomed into its full and violent potential with this new album. Bestial Raids’ approach to their music is not playful or childish. Their Satanic revelry is more than a mere exaltation of the individual will. Bestial Raids explore the revelatory nature of ritualistic violence and desecration; their music reflecting the ascension of higher consciousness through the worship of depravity. “Prime Evil Damnation” is nothing short of a masterpiece of Black/Death. Some four years in the making, this album reveals the depth of character inherent in the band’s sound. The enhanced effect of the songwriting here is augmented by the album’s impenetrable production and the resulting sound is thicker and more abrasive than on their debut album. The songs here are uniformly aggressive and there is seldom any reprieve from the relentless assault. As further evidence of the compelling effect of Bestial Raids in general and this album in particular, the intro and backing vocal duties were carried out by Vaz and Impurath of the legendary Black Witchery. “Prime Evil Damnation” ranks among the greatest triumphs in underground metal in recent years and proves that there are still powerful emanations to be channeled through this unholy medium.

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