Shaxul Records

Reviews 3/1/12

2012-03-02T01:17:00.003-08:00

Cannibal Corpse "Torture" (Metal Blade)
Jesus, these guys are still recording albums? What is this #15? You would think they ran out of ideas by now, but with titles like "As Deep as a knife
will go" and "Followed Home then Killed" it's clear they still got a couple of diabolical ideas under their sweaty tshirts. ANyways, by now everyone has
heard Cannibal COrpse and we all know how they roll. Heavy, brutal, and always a couple new ideas. "Scourge of Iron" is a great example of why Cannibal Corpse
is a great band. You'd never expect a slow, sludgy, almost bluesy riff. Most brutal Death Metal bands can't slow down without sounding like Morbid Angel. But
you gotta hand it to the Corpse (without the body of course), they always find new ways to slice n dice and it's always top notch. This band is extremely self
concious. They know exactly what they've done. And they try not to repeat too much without straying from the basic formula. They aren't outta gas yet. Fucking
A, god bless Cannibal Corpse. Not a band I will miss anytime they are in town. And all the kvlt people can kiss my arse for saying that! This is talent, no
doubt. Only flaw here really, is the Corpsegrinder is starting to sound just a TAD worn out. His job is tough. He has like 3 voices to choose from. That's it.
It's gotta get boring after a while. He needs to do a song where he just talks as fast as he can the WHOLE song. Just fucking auction style. If I ever meet
him I am going to suggest that.

Christian Mistress "Possession" (Relapse)
Singer sounds like the Jefferson Airplane chick. I wish they would do "White Rabbit" I really feel like hearing that right now. Anyways, yeah the band...
Well we've got some obvious classic blues rock riffs going on, some 60s groovy doody stuff...quite retro, but I'm not gonna pass this off as total hipster
retro crap. But I'm not gonna say it's that great either. It's pretty rockin, and I'd say there is some chemistry goin on. But for the most part - it's all about the
chick here. She probably tells all the other guys on a daily basis "hey, you know it's all about me right? If I leave your fucked. You know that right?" Whoah
hey now Mr Choppy guitar! We got some good shred here! I'd say the NWOBHM comparison is valid a times. But it's not all they do. This ain't bad. I may check
em out next time I'm in town. I wouldn't say this is the best the band can do. It sounds like they are too busy being stoked on what a killer singer they scored
and how musically gifted they are. But when the dust settles, I can see this band writing an amazing album. I hope they stick with it. I bet they kick ass live.
But again, as soon as I start getting into it, I'll see all the chicks up front worshipping the singer like she's the first woman to ever front a band like this
and then I'll be like "ah, come on - she's very good, but that isn't necesarry!" Songs are pretty good and they vary. Parts aren't memorable enough. I'm being
too hard on them. They are good, check em out!

Date Rape "Sugar Coated Violence"
Ukrainian Punk infused shit. If I was totally wasted and in the right mood watching this band playing, and if the right crowd was there to cheer me on,
I'd be in the front row falling down and high five-ing the crazy singer here. The pit would be great. But that's alot of "ifs" and somehow I doubt I'll be in
the Ukraine anytime soon. If you like foreign Punkish loud shit with some dude yelling some foreign shit all loud and monotonous, go for it.

Formloff "Spyhorelandet" (Eisenwald)
Wow, nice fucked up creepy album cover. This is some good creepy shit. What the hell is this guy talking about? It's in a foreign tongue. I'm kinda glad
I don't know wha he is saying, as it is more cryptic and creepy that way. This is almost too easy for these guys. It's so perfectly obscure, yet grim.
Reminds me of my favorite Bethlehem material, and that is not a compliment I give often. The singer rules. He's fuckin wierd and has a few insane tricks
up his sleave. Do not trust him! Very grim and dark. There is an obvious deep rooted Black Metal basis somewhere in here. But here is what is called
progression. As opposed to stagnation and staying in the same generic BM territory. this is a band that knows they must follow their obscure path forward,
and they have done very well here. This is great. I would buy this and listen to it many times. I eat this shit up. Highest rating!

Impiety "Ravage and Conquer" (Pulverised Records)
There is something here that is more than just raw brutality. There is a certain feirce pissed-off hateful feeling this band evokes that is hard to pin
down. I have noticed this trait on most of their recordings. While it's not much different than many extremely brutal bands such as Krisiun and maybe
Angelcorpse in their prime, not many bands can get this feeling across with such consistency. It's not a real specific genre, which I like. It's just really
fast, brutal, and feirce. But it is Death Metal more than anything. It is a blast to the face, nothing less and nothing more. Music to destroy things to.

Thunderkraft "Totentanz" (Svarga Music)
Ah yes! Let us ride to a foreign land and bomb the shores! I dunno why I said that, it's just what these horns and anthemic riffs made me wanna do.
This band is Ukrainian. I get a very narrative vibe from this. But it's a foreign language, so I dunno what the singer is going on about. I think he is saying
"bombs are dropping! Buildings are falling! People are dying, oh how marvelous!" Then this funny looking guy with a strange foreign fashion sense busts in with
some harpsichord keyboard line, just to remind us that we are listening to music from a foreign land. This is very intense, and quite foreign. I suppose it
is kind of like industrial folk Metal with heavy down tuned guitars. It sucks actually. But you know, it's foreign, so people will like it based on that I
guess. Hopefully they can make it onto next year's Pagan Fest and all the confused "Pagan Metal" people can be all stoked at how foreign this band is and that
they are so very exotic for attending a performance by such an obscure band. Ok, maybe SUCK was an extreme word. They are rediculous, and sometimes I like this
stuff. But a band like Metsetoll delivers the same sort of vibe but with more musical integrity. It has it's moments though. Ok, maybe if I'm drunk enough
I'll be one of the people digging the foreign ness of this at Paganfest. It just kinda blends in with typical "pagan whatever metal" somehow. The flute
is kinda cool though.

Toad "Rotten Ride" (Independent)
Ok, this is a trip. From the album cover to the title - I get a real watery loch ness monster sorta feeling. I kinda assumed this would be some weird stoner
rock or something. Instead - it's a bunch of guys kinda jamming in a thick, moody, heavy, dirty manner. It's not so Metal as it is just kinda chaotic and hectic.
The vocalist is useless. He's the type who just shouts without any sort of character which adds anything to the music. All I can think of is some band I seen
at a bar in he Mission back in the 90s. A band who I woulda been way into. But on CD and without the reference of whatever scene/town they are from, it's hard
to get any sort of personal attachment to this. Sometimes I call this sorta band "Unsatanic" because basically, it has many traits of metal, but it's devoid
of any sort of mideival, satanic, classically metal vibe. They sound more like bike messengers or something. Or like a bunch of vaguely hardcore/vaguely
Metal dudes who just got together and said "let's see what happens." It's kinda cool, but like I said - random band at a bar. The good production isn't enough
to bring this TOAD out of the ROTTEN tide. They also have that annoying "no guitar solos allowed" rule, which is almost always a dumb rule.

Reviews 2/15/12

2012-02-15T14:18:00.001-08:00

Inferion "The Desolate" (self released)
Blasting drums are blasting my face like a typwriter being used by a speedfreak at 4AM. I always wanted to learn how to type, but instead I use this silly
3 - 4 finger teqnique. Sometime I get fancy and use my pinky for the shift button. This singer sounds like he went to brutal black Metal vocal school.
But he went to guteral death metal vocal school in Sweden before that. He has these 2 abilities at his disposal, and uses them quite confidently. The drummer
has this one symbol - I dunno if it's a china or what, but he sure likes it because every time he hits it, is sounds like I turned the shower on and shut it
off real quick. Maybe he takes lots of showers and likes to remind himself of the shower as he plays. The overall vibe here is quite blackish and european
in flavor. Which is great. Is it a selling point? I dunno. It's good I guess. Sure, why not. This is good! It sounds Euro and mostly Black! Can't do
without it! Then again, it's kinda like those infomercials on TV. By the end, you wanna buy all of the cool items. The food saver, the magic bullet, the
collapsable hangers....but at the end of the day - if you bought all that stuff you'd be broke and you'd have a bunch of shit all over your house and probably
would never get around to using em. In this case, it'd be like buying another Food Saver, even though you already own 15. Sure, it's great to have a food
saver, a back up, and a back up for that. But how many back ups you need depends on how rough you are on your food Saver. I wouldn't want to make that call
for you.

Macabra "Blood Nurtured Nature"
Very brutal and primitive sound. The singer is that guy in the fridge who says "Zuuuuuuul!" in the movie ghosbusters. He is quite scary indeed and I would not
want to be blasted by a direct blow of his gutteral growlings. He does have moments of sensitivity though. But it is limited to somber ramblings and whispers
in the dark. He is quite moody, within his dark world. I think he watches too much Deathklock. That show, funny as it intends to be, is actually quite disturbing
if you watch it too much. Especially when people get all tore up and their faces get all incinerated for whatever fucked up reason. I really can't take too
much of that show. Although the episode about the Blues is a classic. Anyhow - this band is very heavy in that artistic Bolththrowery crusty friendly sorta
way. I mean, it's fuckin brutal and cult and all that. But these "crusty approved" Death Metal bands are getting on my nerves. It's like they are afraid
of playing too many solos because it will scare the crusties away. It's ok guys, really. You are really scaring away the laer Carcass and Cannibal Corpse fans
with this lack of solos thing. Don't tell me can't solo. Bullshit! I don't buy it. Solo you asshole! Overall, heavy and somewhat epic. But just a little too
crusty to its' own detriment. Remember when Metal was lived and died by the hand of Metalheads? Now it seems the crusties decide. Don't get me wrong, I like the
crusties. But they shoulda kept wearing Amoebix and Venom shirts. When hey starting wearing Boltthrower and (old) Carcass, and then Burzum shirs - well that
was cue, but somewhat of an eyebrow raiser. Now they are flat out taking Metal and claiming it, in heir sneaky crusty way. Never trust a crusty!

Profetus "To open the passages in Dusk" (Ahdistuksen Aihio Productions/Rusy Crowbar/Contagion Releasing)
Wow, with a tri label realese like this, I suppose it is quite imporant! Judging from the extremely slow and serious music here, I can say the band themselves
are quite serious. This is Funeral Doom, and I almost never like it because it's too fucking slow. This is part 1 of a 10 part review. This concludes part
1. Check back often for new installments of this review. Or check back in 48 hours when the album is done playing, and the full review shall be available.

Rahu "The Quest for the Vajra of Shadows" (Ahdistuksen Aihio)
Very solid somber, primitive, old school Black Metal. This has that special feeling only cerain bands can get. Reminds me a bit of the first Bethlehem album
"Dark Metal" mixed with early Scandanavian classics. This is what i would call "the real thing" and it is becoming rare these days.

On Top "Top Heavy" (Hpgd Productions)
Big boob chick on the cover. Har har, I get it. "Top Heavy." Wha is this a "Steel Panther" knock off? great, a knock off of a knock off.
A look at the cover and the song titles tells me these guys are harkening back to the 80s glam
era. Musically, it's pretty heavy and solos abound. Vocals suck. Sounds like the guy from "Rage Against the Machine" if he tried to sing glam. Yeah, that's
about right. What the hell is going on with Metal these days? This shit is so confusing. Some of the guitar work is very solid here, but the overall concept
just seems fake and forced. I don't like it. Singer sucks. Did I mention that? This is the sort of band that, at best, keeps the average from slipping into
sub par shit. I dub them "keepers of the average."

Sigh "In Somniphobia" (Candlelight)
Extremely melodic, musically rich, and classically influenced Heavy Metal with Black/Thrash leanings. Typically wierd and random Sigh moments, which is what
has always made them stand out. Retro keyboards and random 70s/Eastern stuff thrown in for effect. I suppose you could call this prog Metal, in the best sense
of the phrase. For me, this is what Opeth is not. Make what you will of that statement! If I recall, this
band has always been progressive. I don't recall liking it as much. They have really honed it to a very tight and catchy art form all their own. Overall
it's a bit too "Raiders of the Lost Ark" for me at the moment. Not sure what that means - perhaps too cinematic and showboaty? I feel like I'm waching some
fucked up Broadway Casino show in China when I listen to this. Anyhow - can't say anyhing bad about this. It comes down to the mood and whether you like it
or not.

Strikemaster "Vicious Nightmare" (Mealhit.com)
I've heard of this band. I guess the are Mexican. I think they are singing in Spanish or perhaps English with a heavy accent. I don't know if they are from
Mexico. Anyhow, this is very solid thrash with a dirty sound to it. Reminds me of the "evil thrash" tha proliferates in Southern California. I like this stuff,
but it just conjures images of a room full of kids all wearing Exumer and Sodom backpatches. This shit was great before everyone sared doing it. Perhaps we
are spoiled here in California - but we just have so much of this crap it's like cream cheese now. Anyways, if you aren't old like me and you haven't heard
enough "evil" Death thrash and are not yet sick of it, check this out. It's very good - just nothing new at all. If they are on some 30 band Thrash bill with
Witchaven, Fueled By Fire, Bonded By Blood, Warbringer - be sure and check em out. I'm not hearing any guitar solos. Please heckle them about this if you
happen to see them live. Thanks.

Venus Star "Setyphorus" (Ahdistuksen Aihio)
Crushingly heavy, primitive, somber, funeral doom. Cliche? yes. Well done? Yes. Better than average? I would say yes. Fucking amazing? Probably not.

Reviews 1/2/12

2012-01-23T11:36:00.000-08:00

Coldworker "The Doomsayer's Call" (Listenable)
The album cover looks like a killer 80s Marval Comics image. Anyhow, this is Death Metal. It's very aggressive at times, very heavy and slower at
others. Very solid riffs. Vocals are good, just very typical and just kinda there without adding much. I don't hear many solos. The world doesn't really need
this band, but they are a bit above average I'd say. Mostly because some of the parts stand out as memorable. Songwriting isn't there though, and at the
end of the day I won't be grabbing for this CD again. I'm sure they will fit well opening for Cannibal Corpse or some 30 band Death Fest.

Corrosion of Conformity "s/t" (Candlelight)
This band has devolved back into a previous incarnation recently and have basically restarted right from the point before they went "Swamp/stoner" which
is cool with me because I always thought their early Hardcore material was their best. I've seen them live twice since their return to a 3-peice format, and
they are sounding very good these days. Anyways, this is clearly a progression from the band's "Technocrocy" sound, and in a good way. Mixes the hardcore
and sludged out sections well, without getting caught into any cliches. It sounds like the band jammed a ton on these and got the songs really worked out.
Everything works perfectlt together here, and it's something that can't be faked. It's aggressive, but not
overtly so. Fans of straight forward hardcore might not have the patience and fans of the Peppar era might not have patience with the experimentation and
perhaps lack of dumb headed stoner sections. This sits right in the middle of a few different sounds. The songs are very constructed. This is something with
depth that must be heard repeatedly to appreciate. I plan on doing that.

Dunderbeist "Black Ars and Crooked Tails" (Indie Recordings)
The band name sounds like some german slang for "dumbass." After listening to this, I am going to assume that I am correct as only a complete DUNDERBEIST
would buy this CD! Let me tell you folks, just because it is Norwegian DOES NO mean it is good. Norway's 15 minutes is up. Prepare for at least a few more
years of crappy Nordic pop-metal attempting to cash in on the whole "Black Metal" movement of the 90s. This is like what Creed was to grunge.

Liberteer "Better to Die on Your Feet Than live on your knees" (Relapse)
If you took Amon Amarth and got them to do songs about the American Revolution and Colonial America, you'd be pretty close to what this is. Some of the
interludes remind me of early Enslaved, when they used those dated 80s Keyboards for epic effect. Anyhow, there is a real effort here to incorporate an
American Anthem sort of feel, which is fairly original at this time I'd say. But I guess this was ineviable afer years of European folk inspired Metal.
The song titles seem a bit overly self important sounding, but I haven't read the lyrics so who knows they may be brilliantly insightful and I may wanna go
shoot the president after I read em. But somehow I doubt it. Decent death/grind with a message during troubled times.

Ministry "Relapse" (AFM/13th Plane Records)
I haven't been following Ministry much for the past few years, but I did read something about Al's near death experience from drugs or something. I dunno the
details, but that and the fact Al claimed the band was over around the same time makes sense with the album title. Is he saying he had a relapse literally, that
the band couldn't stay away, or both? Seems like a typical Al Jourgensen clever/sadisic pun. Anyhow - he has always been a great songwriter within the conext
of computerized/drum machine productions. Even when he was creating new wave. In fact, I'd say Al has gotta be one of the best since the dawn of modern
industrial. His gift for marrying samples, noises, and extremely aggressive/catchy riffs is as obvious here as it ever was. The guitars especially have evolved
and gotten quite good. I haven't picked up the last few Ministry albums - but this one sounds pretty inspired and fairly new. Or maybe it's just a complete drug
relapse inspired creation. I mean it's either that or the beginning of the "12 step" era of the band. I tend to think this is the "I fell the fuck off the
wagon HARD" album. This is one I might have to listen to a few times. I sense greatness here.

Nekromantheon "Rise, Vulcan Spectre" (Indie Recordings)
Norwegian Thrash band. Sounds like german Thrash from the 80s mixed with some Slayer, early Sepultura, Morbid Saint, Infernal Majesty...you get the point.
They have specific influences from the harsher side of 80s thrash. They do it very well, but I wouldn't fly to Norway to see em. But if I was in Europe and
they were playing, I would not miss it! Not likely they will ever step foot in the Bay Area, so don't expect to see em here. It would be nice if at least
one Bay Area band did something like this. Dekapitator was that band for a minute, but they are long gone and we are stuck with bands who don't seem to know
the first thing about german/canadian Thrash. Tisk tisk.

Opera XI "Strix Maladictae in Aeternum" (Agonia)
This band photo is rediculous. Some chick wearing nothing but a cape in front, boobs exposed. The other dudes are just standing around trying to look normal.
This is stuffy artsy Black Euro gothic Metal. I am sometimes a sucker for this shit, and I admit this is the better side of this typically wretched genre,
but I'm not sure it is any better than average. Band pic is stupid, song tiles are stupid, but the band does know how to play. there is a nice raw edge. The
thing with epic gothic Black/Death Metal is that if it is overproduced it really amplifies the arty farty fakeness. But with a raw edge it helps promote a
nice underground feeling. This band does have a bit of the old school black metal feel I like. And I am a sucker for gregorian choir vocal chants.
Just not sure if there is enough for this CD to sit alongside the old Einherjer, Mythotyn, Old Man's Child, and Falkenbach material. But the fact it even
comes close is impressive. All the shit talking aside, this is somewhat interesing and I would listen to it again, as the music does have dome depth and it
is possible there is an amazing song somewhere in here. But I am sure their next recording will be more polished and likely lose the good atmosphere which
is present here. Bands like this do not stay raw, they get cleaner and less powerful usually. Hasn't this band been around for years? Why does the name
sound familiar?

Orange goblin "A Eulogy for the Damned" (Candlelight)
I just realized I once knew a girl who posed on the album cover for this band back in the early 2000s. Anyhow, I wasn't real impressed with them back then,
and this does little to change that. Sounds like a commercial version of High on Fire.

Pilgrim "Misery Wizard" (Metal Blade)
great American Reverend Bizarre clone.

Ribozyme "Presenting the Problem" (Indie Recordings)
I think I was reading the side of the box of Special K cereal when I firs saw the word "Ribozyme." It must be the thing that gives it that slightly bitter,
shitty taste. I'm not sure it is healthy either. Someone remind me that Indie Recordings releases nothing but SHITE! I mean, what is this? Alice in Chains
mixed with the worst parts of American Nu Metal and alt/industrial? I guess this label is about commercial viability. I get it, but it has no place in my
world. Begone!

Root "Heritage of Satan" (Agonia Records)
I've always liked this band. They are weird as fuck and evil. Always a good combination! Being from Easern Europe, they also remain somewhat obscure. Anyways,
the singer in this band is kinda like the Czech version of Vincent Price or Peter Steel in the sense that he's good at telling a scary story at a painfully
slow pace in a very dramatic way. He also has a way of coming up with random stuff you never expect. Songs have much dynamics and are not straight forward.
Production is pretty stripped down and in your face, but has plenty of atmosphere. It is hard to compare this to anything because it is really just removed
from many of the obvious cliches we Americans tend to relate to Death, Thrash, or Black Metal. It sits closest to obscure Death Metal, if anything. But
Root has their own sound, and if you want something different and weird, get this.

Temple of Baal/Ritualization "The Vision of Fading Mankind" (Agonia)
French split LP. Temple of Baal is quite brutal. They've got that almost cliche "Blackened Death" sound which in the veign of Aeturnus and Belphagore.
Nothing fancy, just blast beats, huge riffs, and growled vocals. If you are stoned and in the right mood, I'm sure this would be great. But once you get
over the brutal sound, there is not much lef in the deparment of songwriting. Some sections are cool and break up the monotony, but they come off as extremely
predicable. Vocals are paricularly boring. Fuck this, who's next? Ritualization. Ok now this band has a much more closed in Death Meal sor of tone. Very
aggressive. Almost a throwback to Cannibal Corpse "Butchered at Birth" but with a slight Blackened Euro edge. Vocals are deep and Chris Barnsey. Drums are
typical "can't stop stabbing you" sorta relentless blasting. Though it sounds pretty different than Temple of Baal, it is the same formula. I hear more old
school Death Metal here though. The band Death, to be specific. Kinda ineresting, but lacking of originality. This is the better half of the split I'd say.

Shaxul Retail Store is closed, Shaxul Records lives on!

2012-01-03T15:20:00.000-08:00

By the time you read this Shaxul Records, the first Heavy metal Record store in San Francisco, will have closed. My business partner and I took the lease
over in November of 2007 from the previous tenant, which was Reverb Records/F8 (a trance Record Store). We spent a few months remodeling and stocking up merch and
officially opened the doors on April 1st, 2008. The lease ended December 31st 2011 and although the landlord offered us another 5 year extension, we declined
due to very low sales and profit. This was not a surprise and I pretty much expected the store not to last. I just figured I would do it as long as I could
and if it took off, great. If not I would move on. I am proud to have been able to do this, but now it is someone else's turn!

Below are some frequently asked questions I have gotten regarding the store as well as a few I just felt like bringing up. Feel free to send more questions
to shaxul@shaxulrecords.com.

Why did Shaxul Records close?
Shaxul Records was a retail store. The way retail stores work is they buy products at a "wholesale" (discounted) rate then mark the items up in order to make
a profit. Since rent was due every 30 days, that gave me a month in which to recoup merch money and pay rent/expenses. If (and this is a big "if") money is
left after all that at the end of the month,it is called profit, and it is a beautiful thing! Unfortunately, we rarely sold enough in time to accomplish this!
In fact, the store often could not even recoup merch expenses within a month, which means I had to spend partially recouped
merch money on rent and other bills. The whole thing sorta snowballs from there and results in less new product on the shelf, more debt, customers who are
not as excited as they could be, and a generally disgruntled record store owner. That is all a complicated way of saying we didn't sell enough stuff to pay
the bills each month.

Did Amoeba mess your sales up?
When I worked at Trader Joes I noticed that they were usually located right near Safeway or some other huge super market. I noticed how the store benefitted from the
run-off traffic of the larger store. Same idea applied at Shaxul Records. Amoeba brought tons of traffic to our street that would otherwise not be there.
So for every sale I lost, there was probably a good 10 people or more that walked into the store that only came to the Haight because of Amoeba. More foot traffic =
more sales. So, no, Amoeba did not hurt my sales, they helped! But Metal is a slow seller and people buy everything on the internet these days. That is the
real reason we could not sell enough stuff.

What about online sales? Don't they help?
There is too much competition and the market is flooded with too many bands and too many releases. The profit margin is smaller than ever on distributed items
since the internet has caused customers to go more and more direct, driving up wholesale costs and killing potential profit for retailers. So the only way
to make good money is to sell huge amounts or manufacture your own items (both of which Century Media and Relapse do for example.) But that can be even harder
because Metal fans are more picky than ever these days as they are so used to all the options the internet provides them at the touch of a button.
You really need to know what you are doing to make decent money on the internet selling Metal. It's not as easy as you might think. I know one guy who has been
selling stuff on Ebay for years and closely studies all the underground releases. He lives on his girlfriend's couch and is not in a great mood when I see him.

I'm sooooo sad your store closed! Waaaahh!
I am sad too. Although I won't lie, I am extremely relieved not to have to hustle rent every month anymore! Hopefully I speak for some of you when I say the
store had an important symbolic meaning. Fuck yes, San Francisco SHOULD bloody well have at least 1 Metal Record store! But all I can say is that I gave it
a shot and it lasted nearly 4 years. If I coulda found rent for like $500 or free I might have kept going with it. But this is just unheard of in San Francisco
and in today's economic climate. One thing you can do is find some friends who are also dedicated to underground Metal and combine forces to open some sort
of Metal community center. I know it sounds a bit silly, but think if we had an all ages place where people into Metal could meet, trade stuff, see shows,
DJ, etc. Don't let elitist fuckheads discourage you. If you wanna see something done, do it yourself!

So that's it? The end? No more Shaxul?????
No, this is not the end for Shaxul Records. Before I opened the store, I released a few albums of my own bands Sangre Amado, Passive Aggressive, and Ulysses
Siren. My plan was to continue releasing albums, and not just bands I am in. But since the store was often not turning a profit, I had to use my own money to
bail it out more than once and more than twice! This made it impossible to release anything while the store was open. So in a way I am very
glad I can now focus on the label again. As a label I think I can do more for the underground actually. Distributing bands like Metallica, Megadeth, and
Anthrax while not making jack shit is not real helpful to the Metal underground if you ask me. Sure, it's helpful to those bands, but do they really need
my help? Site will remain up www.shaxulrecords.com and also check my Facebook page for the latest news.

You must have taken a real hit financially Shaxul didn't you?!?
I could sit here and exagerrate, but the fact is no, not too bad. I mean sure, I didn't really make anything doing Shaxul records. And if you calculated all
the time I worked without pay - the number would be a nice fat one! But in the end, I was rather careful and didn't get myself too badly into debt. Yes, there
is some. But as long as I can sell off all the shit left over from the store I should be ok. That being said, feel free to donate via paypal!
shaxul@shaxulrecords.com

Any other words of wisdom Mr Shaxul???
I would ask that anyone who has any interest in the Bay Area Metal scene and "how it is doing" to take a look at what happened to Shaxul Records and come
to your own conclusions about the state of affairs here in the "Bay Area Metal Underground." Also, re-read #4!

Rare used consignment vinyl

2011-12-29T17:49:00.000-08:00

These are available until New Years Eve 2011, then they go back to the owner. Email me shaxul@shaxulrecords.com if you are interested in any. I can ship just about anywhere.

12" LPs:
Acrophet - Faded glory (mint vinyl, cut corner sleeve) $15 x
Accused - grinning like an Undertaker (mint) $25 x
Agony Column - gods guns and guts (near mint vinyl, cover has cut corner and some wear) $25 x
Abattoir - The Only Safe Place (near mint) $20 x
Agnostic Front - Liberty & Justice For (near mint) $30 x
Corrosion of Conformity - Animosity (80s pressing vg) $30 x
Children of Bodom - Tokyo Warhearts, Live in Japan 1999 (nm, mint green vinyl) $20 x
Crumbsuckers - Life of Dreams (vg, English Press, ROugh Justice) $30 x
Demon - The Plague (picture disc) $25 x
DBC - Universe (vg) $15 x
D.R.I. - Crossover (80s pressing. vg) $20 x
Impaler - If We Had Brains... We'd Be Dangerous (nm) $20 x
Let Them Eat Jellybeans (Alternative Tentacles Comp, vg) $40 x
Lethal gospel - Martian Whores (nm) $10 x
Lethal gospel - Equals Jihad (nm) $10 x
Mace "Process of Elimination" $15 (Restless 72074-1 good Condition. Cut corner) x
Meliah Rage "Kill to Survive" $10 x
Metallica "Creeping Death" PLP (NM - 1984 English Pressing P12KUT112) $50 x
Recipients of Death $25 (Wild Rags - good) x
Rigor Mortis "Demons" (Vg/NM 1988 Capital Records) $20 x
Savage Steel "Begins with a Nightmare" $30 (Near Mint. Opened with Shrink - New Renaissance) x
Sgm "Aggression" $8 (Fair sleeve, Vg Disc) x
Slayer "Diabolus in Musica" $30 (Cut on upper right. Wrinkle on lower left corner. Inner Sleeve/Discs Vg) x
Stars of Thrash (Roadrunner Comp FLosam, DRI, Pestilence, Slayer, SOD, Sacred Reich...Vg/NM) $20 x
Total Virulence - $25 (French Thrash Comp) x
Venom "American Assault" (1985 Combat/Imporant - Vg/NM) $20 x
Venom "At War with Satan" (Picture Disc 1984 Neat Records NM) $30 x
Venom (Interview Picture Disc TT112B England ltd 2500) $20 x
Zoetrope "A Life of Crime" (1987 Combat/Relativity) $20 x

7"s:

Dawn of Azazel - Bloodforged Abdication (black metal, mint) $10 x
Pure Cultivation/D.S.B. split (hardcore, mint) $10 x
Thunderchimp - selftitled (mint vinyl, slight ringware on back cover) $15 x

December 2011 Reviews...

2011-12-17T17:35:00.001-08:00

Immolith "Stormdragon" (Metalhit.com)
Straight forward Black Metal in the early 90s Nordic Tradition (this band is American I guess). Vocals are very screachy and have tha nice "echoe across
the alps" sorta sound tha I like. The guiars are nice and raw but with jus a little beef on the bottom to remind you that it is not 1993, but 2011.
The riffs evoke a very cold/brutal feeling much like a thousand bands have already done about as good or better. But the riffs here are better than most
bands who try to recreate this sound. Drums remind me quite a bit of Mayhem's "De Mysteriis" album. I just have to ask again, why do we need another old
school Black Metal band? Still, this is well done for this oversaturated style. On tour soon with Abigail Williams or goatwhore soon probably(just a guess).

Vore "gravehammer" (self released)
The first thing I thought when I saw this CD is that the logo looks like the logo for the band Vile. Funny enough, I see Colin Davis (of Vile) recorded it!
(Colin, ya might wanna shift that logo around a bit?) Pretty cool cover - looks like Anyhow, unsurprisingly, this is brutal Death Metal. It's very solid and all that - just very standard
brutal Death Metal circa mid/lae 90s. There's some solid riffs in here and I admit I am kind of a sucker for straight up Death Metal like this. But I can't
say it is spectacular in any way or anything new at all. Just very solid and rather standard. One thing I do kinda like about this is that it's a bit on the
slower groovier side. And I don't mean in the "nu metal" way, I mean in the Broken Hope/early Cannibal Corpse sorta of way. Very chunky.

Legion of Crows "Stab Me" (Funeral Rain)
The cover has some sillouette of an angel bleeding, presumably after having suffered a "stabbing." How poetic. The guitars on this sound like the effects
unit I used to use when I was 17 which I thought would give me that "pro metal tone." Not saying this sounds pro, I'm actually saying it sounds cheap.
Vocals sound like complete shit. Sounds like a four track recording I did when I was 18 and sang through a Metal distrotion pedal because I thought it
would sound super evil. I'm not saying it sounds evil, I'm saying it sound cheap. Riffs are heavy here, but the sound is so bad. Man, which ass was kissed
to put this cheapness out as if is some sort of important release? "Defecate" has kind of a cool intro, in an epic "teenager" on Ecstacy" sorta way. Man,
is this something I recorded on tape in the 90s that this band found and put their name on? Can't listen anymore. Freakin myself out here! I hear some
cool stuff here, but overall this is just too amateur sounding. Maybe it's trying to sound cult? Trying too hard if so.

Ritual "The Resurrection" (Funeral Rain)
This band's logo is cool. Kinda reminds me of Wichery's logo, but better. I especially like the upright cross. And I mean that. I guess this band has been
around for a while and this is their triumphant return? This things starts on a decidedly somber note musically. Unfortunately, the vocalist just came in
and took a big huge shit all ovet this. I hate this. Is this that Lindburg guy tha everyone thinks is so great? I never liked his vocals. Oh man, I can't
listen to this. I hate these vocals. NEXT!

Horrendous "The Chills" (Dark Descent)
I love it when bands have a name which basically sounds like a negative description of themselves. "Then Horrendous came on. Man, they were...HORRENDOUS!"
Ok anyhow, on to the (horrendous) music (budum POW!). This is actually pretty killer filthy Death Metal, not unlike the early 90s Swedish variety which
is a favorite of mine. Nice and scummy, steady, and brutal. Fuckin A, this shit is Horrendously killer! Somewhat somber atmosphere with just enough hardcore
feeling to keep things nice and nasty without conjuring sports jerseys. Fuck, this crushes! Here's what you do: for a month don't clean your room, barely
sleep, drink shitty beer constantly, and eat only fast food, then blast this really loud. It is only appropriate.

Degradation "Juggernaut" (Self Released)
Have I already reviewed this? Extremely generic Thrash Metal which was born yesterday. Yeah ok the playing is solid, production is as clean as a baby's
ass after a diaper change. Vocals are about as amazing as James Hetfield's flip flops when he is shopping with his wife at the mall. We already had a wave
of medocre over produced Thrash in the late 80s. So I guess this would be part of the 2nd wave of medocre Thrash. Woo hoo.

Black Skies "On the Wings of Time" (self released)
This album cover is hilarious. Shitty black and white shot of the sky with a few trees on the outer edge and a super tiny sillouette of a hawk. Wow,
great job guys. The music sounds like it was recorded in a rehearsal room. It's not bad, but cheap on purpose I think, which is always annoying. They do
have a strange sound that I must admit I kinda like in a way. Noisy, and a bit trippy I guess. This is definitely in the sludgier category, reminding me
of 90s grunge era heavy stuff. Fudge Tunnel was a band I liked, and this for sure sounds like Fudge Tunnel. Drugged out heavy garage stuff. By now you
aughta know if you wanna check this out or not. I rarely listen to this type of stuff anymore, but not bad and I would give it a second listen. But
I probably won't because I already have too many fucking things to listen to.

The Devil's Blood "The Thousandfold Epicentre" (Metal Blade)
I think I may have reviewed this already. Or maybe I am confused with some other trippy 60s psychadelic flashback Heavy Rock band. Anyhow, musically this
is not really amazing but has atmposphere for sure. Very droning. The vocals are what really stand out. This lady sings like a combination of the chicks in
Heart and maybe grace slick. Totally 60s. This is 60s rock with a modern touch, Period. I'm kinda into hippy stuff sometimes so if you are like me, don't
shave for a week, say "man" more times than necesarry in casual conversation, and what the hell - smoke some grass, man. Oh, and turn this on after you
have done all that. Dropping acid probably won't hurt either.

Lvcifyre "The Calling Depths" (Pulverised)
I don;t know what's up with the spelling of this band's name. I suppose they are very "cult" or something. Silly scary intro is one of the better ones
I've heard, but it's unfortunately short. This singer is pretty evil. More convincing than most I hear. He really sounds kinda scary. Reminds me of early
Ross Dolan of Immolation. Speaking of Immolation - these guys sound kinda like them. Which is a huge compliment. But they are not a clone - there's all kinds
of fucked rythms and discordant notes flying around like the hooks that tear that dude up in "Hellraiser." Unfortunately, the overall sound, although somewhat
atmospheric, is just too processed sounding. Especially the drums - which sound overly technical to the point of making the music LESS brutal. Slow down man,
what is the bloody hurry? I hear some middle era Morbid Angel here too, which is cool but not real uncommon in a Death Metal band. Solos are cool. This band
has some very cool stuff going on - the production just gives it a bit of a cookie cutter sound and works against the band to me. Vocals are great though.

Everything Went Black "Cycles of Light" (Lost SHepard/Prosthetic)
If this sucks I am not reviewing prosthetic titles anymore. But since this looks like a joint release, I'll give this a chance...Overproduced hardcore with
an arty farty, slight emo edge. That's it Prosthetic, we're done!

Reviews 11/16

2011-11-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

Black Cobra "Invernal" (Southern Lord)
I saw this band years ago and was impressed by the drummer - who is very intense live. I assume they are still a 2 piece, as this is what they sounded
like when I saw em. The songs are heavy and downtuned. Very chaotic sounding. Vocals are shouted. Overall, it's just a bit boring. I mean - the music
is hectic, but every song sounds the same and if you don't totally love the sound, it gets repetitive. Vocals very monotonous and really bring this down.
Production is what most people would call killer I suppose, but I don't know what it is, but it just sounds soft and warm, as opposed to harsh and brutal.
I'm sure the producer was great and the studio was top notch. CD art is great hand drawn stuff (my favorite). Everything about this says "you are supposed
to like this" but in actuality my brain is saying "sorry, this just doesn't cut it."

Chasma "Declarations of the grand Artificer" (Moribund)
Canadian band trying to be Wolves in the Throne Room or Aggaloch. Boring, lame, unoriginal, yadayadayada NEXT!

Killing Joke "Live at Hammersmith Apollo" (Four Worlds Media)
This band is very original and very cool. This recording does them a great justice and I wanna see them live more than ever now. I know they have some shite
material, becuase I have heard it! But this all sounds great from what I am hearing.

Infernal Legion "The Spear of Longinus" (Moribund)
Spear of Longinus. Why does that sound like they are talking about their ding dongs??? Anyways, this is quite brutal and fast, and hectic as fukk! Before
I even knew what was going on, about 50 riffs have already whipped past me like a hundred little fish hooks, tearing some skin with them! The problem is...
I'VE HEARD THIS ALL BEFORE!!! Production sounds like it was recorded at the same place Angel Corspe did their last recording. And I can only guess that place
is called COMPUTERIZED Pro Tools Recording Inc...This is a good combination of Morbid Angel or perhaps that band Nox, and some other possibly more obscure
Death Metal which has done it's best to become BLACKENED. But the production really spoils the atmosphere for me. There are moments for sure, but I think
they need to spend less money on recording and get shittier mics before this will sound proper. Also, there is too many notes. Just cut a few and it will
be perfect!

Piss n Blood "F.T.W. (Self Released)
Punk anyone? Is this Johnny Rotten on vocals? This is pure old school punk. Production is great on this. I'm not sure if that is ok or not. I mean, is
punk supposed to have great producion? I guess you could say it has something more like how a Hardcore band would be produced. Everything about this says
"we're gonna be the next big thing." It's almost TOO good. Too calculated. Sounds great though, have to admit. Very old school Punk Rock and Roll.
Worst thing I can say about this is WAY unoriginal.

Ptahil "For His Satanic Majesty's glory" (Wrath Productions)
great creepy satanic intro! This band seems very serious about their satanic ness. When I see the word "anti cosmic" I know they are serious, because that's
what the Dissection guy was all into before he killed himself in the name of satan! Unfortunately, these serious beliefs have not made this music sound any
more interesting to my satanic ears! This reminds me of a heavier Killing Joke or something. It's quite fukked actually, in its' extremely echoey way. There
is lots of echoe and all the sounds seem to bleed into each other. I guess it's supposed to sound like it was recorded in a satanic church (where satanic rituals
are no doubt being practiced). One thing I really hate is when a band sends a message that says "hey dude, this is cult and you are supposed to like
this!" That is the message I get from a song called "The Black Flag of Total Death." I mean, if you have to tell people what your influences are in a song
title, that's pretty lame. What is worse - I hear no Black Flag or Darkthrone in this. I hear some dude sceaming way in the back behind all these lame
lyrics and sound effects thinking he is way more cult than he is. In the end, this is SHITE which calls itself "Black/Doom/Punk" or some moronic sound
experiment like that. What is so ironic about bands like this is that they spend so much time trying to craft a sound which perfectly covers the "cult" genres
they seem to think are the TRUE ones, that they can't manage to record one solid awesome RIFF or song.

Satan's Host "Celebration: For the Love of Satan" (Moribund)
I guess this is some sort of re-recording of songs I am probably a poser for not knowing. Riffs are fukking killer! Singer sounds pretty original, as I cannot
deicide who he sounds like! He (Harry Conklin) has killer range and a nice raw edge. Riffs range from Thrashy klassick Slayer, to old school Candlemass doom. This is 100%
top grade Metal in the old school way. Killer drums. Killer everything. Buy immediately.

Thin Lizzy "Live in London 2011" (Four Worlds Media)
Sounds great. Even sounds like Phil Lynott on vocals! Problem is, it isn't! I don't see the point of this when we have plenty of better old recordings
to listen to. I guess this was made simply to promote the latest tour.

Music reviews 10/29

2011-10-29T16:27:00.001-07:00

Archgoat - Heavenly Vulva (Christs' last Rites)
Jesus. I can feel the black vomit oozing off of this musik! The word TRUE gets thrown around a lot. Well my friend, if this isn't TRUE then there
is no fukking truth! Most people cannot take this, and that is not sarcasm. This is musik that seperates the hipsters from those dedicated to extreme
music. Many bands play primitive music. But it doesn't matter how fast, how slow, how heavy, how subtle - without CHARACTER there is nothing worthy. This
band has much personality. No guitar solos needed. Just a huge black heart of filth. Now excuse me, I must wash my ears of SLIME!

Bastard Priest - ghouls of the Endless night (Pulverized Records)
This rules. Period. Klassik Swedish Death Metal sound. There is nothing else that needs to be said. If you don't know what klassick Swedish
DM is, listen to this. If you don't like it, you don't like klassick Swedish DM. go back to the lame trendy "melodic" shite! And please stay out
of the pit when these guys come to town. I prefer to mosh with TRUE death metal heads. Thank you.

Blut Aus Nord - 777 The Desanctification (Debemur Morti Productions)
Obscure occult Crowley reference? Check. Cryptic album art with iconic mystical symbols? Check. Obscure droning intro which sounds completely
unsettling? I think so. What I like about this band is their subtlety. They UNDERSTAND not to klobber you with generic cliches. Fuck, this band is
awesome. And original. Blut Aus Nord does it again. Pretentious as fukk and artsy fartsy as hell. But if the music is this good I could give a fukk!
To me this is the sort of music Nile should be trying to make. It sounds otherworldly and obscure. It has many levels. Paints a picture in your mind,
while swirling in and out of a terrifying Black Metal sound wall. I could go on, but I am starting to lose my mind as this plays. Excuse me I have to go
trip out to this...

Exhumed - All guts no glory (Relapse)
On this latest album Exhumed has for sure crafted more technical songs and have pushed themselves to be more brutal and fast. Problem is, just about
everything on here sounds like a less exciting version of what bands like Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, and Morbid Angel were doing like 15 years ago. The
kids will be slamming to it, and that's great. The band has worked hard and they deserve it. But the generic tag just won't disapear with pits. There are
moments of classic Death Metal, but they are constantly interrupted with "look how technical we can be" moments. All elements of greatness are here, they just
never stick to one of those elements long enough to fully realize the potential. There's also too many "this soiunds like this and that band" moments.
Homage is one thing. Sounding like puzzle pieces of other bands is not a good thing at this stage in a a band's career. Especially when those pieces are
unused riffs that never made it to the album. I like em, and they will always have a place in my heart from the dive bar shows I seen in the late 90s.
But they just ain't "got it." Time has proven that. But that never stopped Relapse from pushing a band. Let's hear another Dekapitator album. And keep it
german please, no Metallica riffs. Thanks. -Shax

Hull - Beyond the Lightless Sky (The End)
Have I reviewed this already or am I confused with another pretentious artsy fartsy band named after a boat part? This is pure shit of the highest degree.
I see bald heads, full sleeve tattoos, and huge primitive man beards. If I could I would put on the Predator constume and walk up to these guys and go,
"Wwwwwhhaaaat ttttthhheeee hhheeeellll aaaarrrreeee yyyyyyooouuuuuu!" The answer would surely be SHITE!

Rex Mundi "IHVH" (Debemur Morti Productions)
That is some sort of Hebrew thing in the album title there. It means god or something. I know because I used to study that shit!Anyways, enough about me...
The delightful droning buzz of grim black Metal is now tatilizing my eager ears...Judging by the lyrics - these guys take themselves quite seriously. There
is a sort of theme in the way Nile has the Egypt thing. Only here it is Kaballah or some bastardization of it. I don't really care, what matters is that this
is just great straight up old school grim Black Metal. And if you've read my reviews, you know there is very little new Black Metal that I like. But I'm
gonna go ahead and say this rules. It's very Transyvanian Hungry ish. Or perhaps, Transylvanian Hebrew??? Whatever the case - it is well done. Of course,
there is really nothing original at all. It is almost funny how unoriginal this is. But hey, if you like the grim cold sound you know that a hell of alot
of bands can;t seem to get it right. This band does. Add it too the STACK!

The Aberrant Phase - Self Released CD
Lots of screaming, lots of grinding - but kinda cheap sounding. Sounds like a million other bands, but without the
squeeky clean producion, which I like. his kind of music needs to smell like a dirty underground warehouse for me to
like it. That being said, this is just not original enough for me and it is not my first choice of style to turn up.
But if you like bands like Human Remains and Exit 13 this is a least a different group of songs to check out.
aberrantphase@gmail.com

The Devil's Blood - The Thousandfold Epicenter (Metalblade)
Sounds like Metalblade is looking at the trendiness of bands like "ghost" and deciding they need to go that direction. Or maybe I am just hungover and
feel like picking on them. Anyways, this is serious retro shit. And I don't mean it's "shit" but it's total 60s/70s psycadelic rock with a modern
production. This isn't bad, just a bit random and completely reaking of "let's cash in on a trend." Vocals are cool and fairly original. This ain't
Metal by the way. Although there is some cool dual guitar work here and there. Why am I revewing this??? Seriously though, not bad, just a bit too
calculated sounding. Check it out if you like psychadelic 60s rock with a Euro feel.

Toxic Holocaust - Conjure and Command (Relapse)
I hate the production on this. The music is technically "fast" and all that. But it just sounds soft. I don't know what it is. Is technology just
getting too good to capture RAWNESS anymore? Some nice riffs in here. Seems like a good fun pit band to open a show. Pretty much caught in the
Death/Thrash area. They could call this band MOSH PIT RIFFS. Or M.P.R. Vocals are almost pointless. He's probably just glad to be in the band and
doesn't wanna rock the boat. Where are the solos guys? Do you know how to play a solo? Ok, there we go. Eh...WEAK! "Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide." gee,
have more brutal lyrics been written ever?????????????????????????????????????????????? The riffs are good though. The guitarist should fire everyone.
and find a guitarist who can play a fucking solo and a singer who can think of a better line than "NOWHERE TO RUN NOWHERE TO HIDE."
Toxic Holocaust. Opening a 10 band show near you.

Music reviews 10/5

2011-10-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

gravespawn "Woe to the conquered" (CDR Demo)
Black and white kinko's copied cover: check. Overly complex logo that resembles both a crustacian and a flower with at least one pentagram and one
upside down cross? Check. Cover art taken from some old history book depicting devils destroying churches and priests? Check. Thin, cold production with
lots of high end? Check. Screaching vocals with "cave echo" on em? Check. Transylvanian Hunger guitar tone? Check. Very good music, just extremely generic and
unoriginal. Add it to the pile if it hasn't reached the ceiling yet.

Hull "Beyond the Lightless Sky" (The End Records)
Interesting mixture. Noisy, aggressive, bluesy, discordant, melodic - any and all depending on what the band decides in a given moment.
Vocals are drifting about in the wall of sound, mostly yelling or growling. Reminds me a little of Hypocrisy production wise. I'm not sure
what to make of this band. At times it sounds like a fucked up mess, at others it sounds like they know what they are doing. Either way - it
gets boring and monotonous. But if you like noisy, bluesy, stonery tripped out music - you might like it.

Killbot "The Horror EP" (Self Released)
I think these guys are frm the Bay Area somewhere. This is pretty good alcohaul death thrash in the veign of Witchtrap and Desruction. Not very original,
but manages to conjure enough old school to satisfy those who cannot get enough of the shit. I worry this suff is becoming too trendy though. The formula is
almost too obvious. Hopefully they will evolve into their own style a some point, instead of just sounding like a clone band who is only doing what is
trendy.

Necrocurse "Insane Curse of Morbidity" 7" EP (Pulverised Records)
These guitars are so Swedish they have Moose Antlers on them! Seriously though - Enombed, Dismember, and Carnage surely have shared their disgustusting
tone secres with Necrocurse, because the tone is uncanny. he rest? Well, vokills are more of a screach variety. Very solid old school Swedish Death
Metal with somewha modern production. By now you know if you need this or not.

Rwake "Rest" (Relapse)
"Arkansas backwoods doomsayers" according to the press release. I'd call it - pretentious overly self concious, artificially manufactured, fake ass crap.
If this is doom then Kiss must be Thrash and Saint Vitus must be power Metal. If I gotta hear another untalented, bearded, Tattooed dude yell his ass
off like he's in Neurosis, I'm gonna NOT be surprised. It's rare to hear new Metal from Arkansas. I still haven't.

Wormrot"Noise" (Scion A/V compilation)
Very noisy and grindy. If you are easily pleased by cliche grind/power violence - get it. his kind of music only works for me if it is really underground.
his overproduced grind kinda defeats he point for me. But what do I know? Hopefully more than a company tha makes cars.

Used vinyl (recent arrivals)

2011-09-02T16:06:00.001-07:00

All of these are original or very old pressings. Priced according to condition.
Any questions, feel free to ask! shaxul@shaxulrecords.com

AC/DC "Nervous Shakedown" $10 (1984 12" single)
AC/DC "Highway to hell" $6
AC/DC "high voltage" $5
Armored Saint "March of the Saint" $8
Aerosmith "get your wings" $6
Aerosmith "Done with mirrors" $5
Aerosmith "draw the line" $6 (2 copies)
Aerosmith "rock and a hard place" $5
Aerosmith "toys in the attic" $5
Aerosmith "rocks" $5
Aerosmith "live bootleg" $8 (2LP)
Bad Company s/t $6
Black Sabbath s/t $10
Black Sabbath "Master of Reality" $8
Black Sabbath "Paranoid" $10
Black Sabbath "Mob Rules" $10
Black Sabbath "Heaven and Hell" $6
Black Sabbath "Vol IV" $5
Black Sabbath "Seventh Star" $8
Blue Oyster Cult "On Your Feet or on your knees" $5 (2LP)
B.O.C. "Spectres" $5
B.O.C. "Agents of Fortune" $8
Cheap Trick "Budokon" $8 (Original Booklet) (2 copies)
Cheap Trick s/t $6 (2 copies)
Cheap Trick "In Color" $5
Cheap Trick "Dream Police" $5
Cheap Trick "Heaven Tonight" $5
Cheap Trick "Found all the parts" $5 (10")
Def Leppard "pyromania" $8
Deep Purple "perfect strangers" $8
Deep Purple "made in japan" $10 (2LP)
Deep Purple "book of taliesyn" $10
Deep Purple "Machine Head"$10
Deep Purple "Fireball" $6
E.L.P. "Brain salad surgery" $5
Foghat "fool for the city" $5
Ian gillan band "Child in Time" $10
great white "Out of the night" $5
Heart "dog and butterfly" $8
Heart "magazine" $7
Iron Maiden s/t $15 (ST-12094)
Iron Maiden "Women in Uniform" $20 (12" maxi single - german pressing)
Iron Maiden "2 Minutes to Midnight" $10 (sold)
Iron Maiden "Killers" $20 (ST12141)
Iron Maiden "Run to the Hills" $20 (12" Maxi Single - 12EMI5542)
Iron Maiden "maiden japan" $15
Judas Priest "Hero Hero" $10 (2LP)
Judas Priest "screaming for vengeance" $12
Judas Priest "Defenders of the Faith" $12
Judas Priest "Hell Bent for Leather" $8
Led Zeppelin "Coda" $8
Led Zeppelin "III" $8
Led Zeppelin "IV" $8
Led Zeppelin "Presence" $8 (sold)
Ted Nugent "Live gonzo" $6
Ozzy Osbourne "Speak of the devil" $15
Queensryche s/t $10
Rainbow s/t $10
Rainbow "Long Live Rock and Roll" $10
Ratt s/t $8
Ratt "Dancing Undercover" $5
Rush "moving pictures" $10
Rush "exit stage left" $10 (2LP)
Rush "signals" $8
Rush "grace under pressure" $8
Ramones "Rocket to Russia" $10 (sold)
Yngwie Malmsteen "Rising Force" $10
Scorpions "Animal Magnetism" $6
Scorpions "love at first sting" $8
Scorpions "Blackout" $5
Whitesnake "Live in the Heart of the City" $5
Van Halen s/t $10
Van Halen "II" $8 (2 copies)
Van Halen "Fair Warning" $8
Van Halen "Women and Children First" $8
Zebra s/t $5
ZZ Top "Tres Hombres" $6

2011-09-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

To order, email shaxul@shaxulrecords.com with shipping address and items you want. Also check out www.shaxulrecords.com and www.facebook.com/shaxulrecords.

New/Restokk:

Bathory s/t (180 Gram LP)
Bathory "The Return" (Brown 180 Gram LP)
Beherit "Oath of Black Blood" (CD)
Bleak House "Suspended Animation" (CD)
Blut Aus Nord "777" (CD)
Bolt Thrower "War Master" (CD)
Burzum "Aske" (Slipcase re-issue CD)
Burzum "Fallen" (CD)
Cradle of Filth "Midian" (CD)
Cradle of Filth "Cruelty and the Beast" (2CD)
Cradle of Filth "Lovecraf and Witchearts" (CD)
Darkthrone "Under a Funeral Moon" (CD)
Darkthrone "ransylvanian Hunger" (CD)
Destruction "Eternal Devasaion/Mad Butcher" (CD)
Dimmu Borgir "Stormblast" (CD)
Emperor "In the Nightside Eclipse" (CD)
Enslaved "Hordanes Land" (CD)
Gaskin "Beyond Worlds End 80-81" (LP)
Gorgoroth "Under the Sign of Hell" (CD)
Jaguar "Axe Crazy in Holland" (2LP)
Marduk "Plague Angel" (CD)
Pagan Altar "Lords of Hypocrisy" (2LP)
Sahg "Sahg I" (CD)
Satanic Warmaster "Nachzehrer" (CD)
Slough Feg "Twilight of the Idols" (CD)
Slough Feg "Down Among the Dead Men" (CD)
Slough Feg "Traveler" (CD)
Solstace "New Dark Age" (2LP)
Taake "Nattestid Ser Porten Vid" (CD)
Ved Buens Ende "Written in Waters" (Reissue CD/alternate artwork)
Watain "Lawless Darkness" (Jewel Case CD)
Witchfinder General "Resurrecred (CD)
Witchfinder General "Live 83" (CD)

Used Vinyl (Recent 12" Arrivals) All have original inner Sleeve:

New Arrivals:

Metallica "Creeping Death" PLP (NM - 1984 English Pressing P12KUT112) $50
Nuclear Assault "game over" (1986 Combat/Relativity Vg/NM) $25
Raging Death Vol I (1987 godly Records NM still in shrink, opened on one side - Xecutioner, Sadus, Berayel, ect VERY RARE COMP!) $60
Rigor Mortis "Demons" (Vg/NM 1988 Capital Records) $20
Slayer (Interview Picture Disc BAK2046 Engand) - $20
Slayer "Hell Awaits" (Picure Disc 1985 Combat/Imporant MXPD 8020 #3193) $45
Speed Metal (Sealed 1987 Metal Blade Comp Slayer, Destruction, Celtic Frost, Sodom...) $20
Stars of Thrash (Roadrunner Comp FLosam, DRI, Pestilence, Slayer, SOD, Sacred Reich...Vg/NM) $20
Venom "American Assault" (1985 Combat/Imporant - Vg/NM) $20
Venom "At War with Satan" (Picture Disc 1984 Neat Records NM) $30
Venom (Interview Picture Disc TT112B England) $20
Zoetrope "A Life of Crime" (1987 Combat/Relativity) $20

Still in stock:
Adolescents - selftitled (81 release, mint) $20
Accept - Balls to the Wall (near mint except some writing on jacket, plays fine) $5
Annihilator - Alice in Hell (near mint vinyl, ringwear on cover) $10
Acrophet - Faded glory (mint vinyl, cut corner sleeve) $15
Accused - grinning like an Undertaker (mint) $25
Agony Column - gods guns and guts (near mint vinyl, cover has cut corner and some wear) $25
Abattoir - The Only Safe Place (near mint) $20
Agnostic Front - Liberty & Justice For (near mint) $30
Bitch - Be My Slave (mint vinyl, near mint cover) $30
Bewitched - Rise of the Antichrist (2nd Osmose Press, near mint) $20
Crypytc Slaughter - Stream of Consciousness (bad scratch on one song, besides that, nm) $10
Corrosion of Conformity - Eye for an Eye ('88 caroline press, vg cover, nm vinyl) $25
Corrosion of Conformity - Animosity (original press, vg) $30
CH3 - Channel 3 (decent condition) $15
Children of Bodom - Tokyo Warhearts, Live in Japan 1999 (nm, mint green vinyl) $20
Crumbsuckers - Life of Dreams (vg, English Press, ROugh Justice) $30
Demon - The Plague (picture disc) $25
DBC - Dead Brain Cells (nm) $15
DBC - Universe (vg) $15
D.R.I. - Dealing with it (vg Enigma 72069-1) $25
D.R.I. - Crossover (vg) $20
Exciter - Violence and Force (vg) $15
Exodus - Pleasures of the Flesh (nm - Combat 88561-8169-1) $20
Exodus - Pleasures of the Flesh picture disc (sealed) $20
Exodus - Fabulous Disaster (sealed - Combat) $30
Hirax - Hate Fear and Power (nm original press) $15
Impaler - If We Had Brains... We'd Be Dangerous (nm) $20
Judas Priest - Sin After Sin (vg) $15
Laaz Rockit - Know Your Enemy (nm) $20
Let Them Eat Jellybeans (Alternative Tentacles Comp, vg) $40
Lethal gospel - Martian Whores (nm) $10
Lethal gospel - Equals Jihad (nm) $10
Mace "Process of Elimination" $15 (Restless 72074-1 good Condition. Cut corner)
Meliah Rage "Kill to Survive" $10
Metal Massacre V $30 (Hellhammer, Voivod, Overkill, etc...Vg)
Nazareth "No Mean City" $10 (Sleeve is Fair, Disc is Vg SP4741)
Nuclear Assault "The Plague" $15 (good)
Nuclear Assault "Survive" $25 (Vg - IRS Promo Stamp)
Recipients of Death $25 (Wild Rags - good)
Savatage "The DUngeons are Calling" $20 (Vg MX6016)
Savage Steel "Begins with a Nightmare" $30 (Near Mint. Opened with Shrink - New Renaissance)
Sgm "Aggression" $8 (Fair sleeve, Vg Disc)
Slayer "Diabolus in Musica" $30 (Cut on upper right. Wrinkle on lower left corner. Inner Sleeve/Discs Vg)
S.O.D. "Speak English or Die" $15 (Vg - Netherlands Pressing)
Total Virulence - $25 (French Thrash Comp)
Ugly Americans "Who's Been Sleeping in my Bed" $10 (good)
Venom "Singles 1980 - 1985" $30 (180 gram 2LP Earmark Mint Condition)
War Fare "Metal Anarchy" $20 (NM Produced by Lemmy)
War Fare "Two Tribes" 12" Single $15 (Neat 45 - Vg)
War Fare "Mayhem Fucking Mayhem" $25 (NM. Produced by Cronos)

7"s

Lethal gospel - now its time to party (89, looks rare, good condition) $10
Dawn of Azazel - Bloodforged Abdication (black metal, mint) $10
Pure Cultivation/D.S.B. split (hardcore, mint) $10
Thunderchimp - selftitled (mint vinyl, slight ringware on back cover) $15
Sick of it All - selftitled (rare early ep) $10
Hirax - El Diablo Negro (First Press - picture disc) $10

10"s

Hirax - Barrage of Noise (sealed) $10
Hirax - Blasted in Bangkok (mint, 4 track ep, white vinyl) $10

Reviews 8/26/11

2011-08-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

Arcane Malevolence "Wicked Turn of the Vine" (Self Released)
Some dude came into my store and gave me this. I knew I wouldn't like it, but thought I'd try. I'd categorize this as "Circus Death Metal."
If you like MR Bungle and Devin Townsend, check this out. I don't listen to that stuff and often can't stand it. KNock yourself out.
www.arcanemalevolence.com

Chthonic "Takasago Army" (Spinefarm Records)
Taiwanese band that has been at it for years appearantly. How interesting! Hate to use the term, but this is the definition of "Blackened Death Metal."
Low vocals, high vocals, heavy riffs, good production. Oh yeah, and KEYBOARDS UP YOUR ASS! Ok, now it's getting kinda nu metal. Ok that's it this sucks!
I wanna like this because it's from Taiwan - but unfortunately this band has taken most of it's sound from ungood American/Scandanavian bands. A shame,
why wouldn;t they try to develope their own sound? The drummer has that wierd disease where his legs are stuck on TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD which doesn't
help with dynamics much. Tisk tisk...

Einherjer "Norron" (Indie Recordings)
This band's first EP is one of my favorite folk/viking recordings. After that they went to shit. And the fact that their CDS have been rotting away in my
CD bin for a good 2 years now proves I am not the only one who feels this way! So I was not expecting much here. I thought this band broke up to be honest.
When this music was new, it had a very special quality to it. It was generally lo fi but with so much feeling it only sounded better. Now that time has
passed and this whole folk viking thing has become SO popular - all the bands have good production and sound kind of a repeat of their former sounds
minus the inspired feeling. This has moments. But they are more strange/Black Metal sort. Reminds me of Khold at times. Solid and strange Black Metal.
Nothing special. However I think live this would be killer. I find this overproduced and flat sounding. Kills the vibe, when it's there.

Extreme Noise Terror "Holocaust in my Head" (Candlelight)
Legendary blast beat English freaks from the UK. From what I hear, it's the same insane bruality in the veign of their late 80s maerial.
Fans of Napalm Death's first album need not bother with the latest Napalm album. Pick this one up instead.

Falloch "Where Distant Spirits Remain" (Candlelight)
I was hoping for some good Scottish folk Metal. Musically, this is pretty damned good. Epic and melencholy, like the great folk Black Metal of
the early/mid 90s. It's pretty predictable and not original at all, but if you like that sound this delivers. But wait, there is a big "BUTT" here.
And that BUTT is the singer. When he comes in, it's like the Coldplay guy just showed up and started gathering roses to hand out to all the poor
crying leprechans and ferries moping about. But if you like your singers real feminine and..well...gay sounding, then this may be a selling point
for you. For me it wasn't. It adds to the pretense and fake manufactured vibe of it all.

Forsaker (self released demo cdr)
Newer Oakland band. This is great straight forward 80s death/thrash. Recorded on 4 track for that authentic lo-fi sound. In my opinion, this sounds
great for a four track and I turned this up and played it loud several times through in one sitting! If you like old Hellhammer, old Dark Angel, and shit
like that - stripped down but brutal and old school, check this demo out. Although I am not sure how. I guess you'll have to contact me! I will get more
soon. shaxul@shaxulrecords.com

Scarred "Haunting Memories" (Self Released)
Some dude from San Luis Obisop gave this to me. I was expecting some Pantera clone of some sort because of the name and generic cover art/logo.
I was wrong. Shockingly, this is killer traditional Metal with some doom elements! Very good production, memorable songs/riffs, and a very capable singer,
nice guitar work. Singer sounds like Robert Lowe (Candlemass/Solitude Aeturnus). In fact this sounds like newer Candlemass. I'm shocked, this is great!
This recording is dated 2009, so I dunno what they sound like now. But you can check it out at scarredmetal.com

Totimoshi "Avenger" (At a Loss Recordings)
I remember this band from as far back as the late 90s, playin some heavy stonery stuff at this dive and that. I am sure my old band even played
with em. Anyhow, I never thought they were amazing - but the name always stuck in my head. Clearly they have been very devoted and stuck it,
because here they are getting bigger. Unfortunaely the music is still pretty average. Vocals are sorta "talked hard" and not that memorable.
Seems like they woulda gone for a heavier tone, but instead the tone is more "garage rock" than I remember from their live show way back when.
Sounds like they are tryin to go kinda soundgardeny at times (commercial soundgarden, that is). I dunno - this ain't my cup of tea. Seems like fans
of Flaming Lips and other weird noisy bands who wanna be the Beatles secretly would dig this.

Show Sep 8th

2011-08-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

FUCK EBAY SALE! (USED LPS: Recent Arrivals)

2011-08-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

All of these are either 1st pressing, or a very early one. Most contain all original inserts. Any questions, let me know! Most prices are set -but there are some which are too obscure to be sure, so if you know something I don't by all means let me know!

New Arrivals:

Blood Feast "Face Fate" (Sealed NRR 35 lower right/front on jacket has wrinkle and small hole/notch) $20
Mercyful Fate "Don't Break the Oath" (Combat MX8011 Damaged Sleeve) $12
Metal Blade "The Best of...VOL 1" (Vg 2LP) $15
Metallica "Creeping Death" PLP (NM - 1984 English Pressing P12KUT112) $50
Onslaught "Power from Hell" (1987 Combat 88561-8173-1 Worn sleeve edges) $15
Napalm Death "Harmony Corrupion" (Picture Disc NM) $20
Nuclear Assault "game over" (1986 Combat/Relativity Vg/NM) $25
Pestilence "Consuming Impulse" (1989 RO94211 Vg) $45
Pestilence "Malleus Maleficarum" (1988 RC/Roadrunner RC9519 Vg)$35
Raging Death Vol I (1987 godly Records NM still in shrink, opened on one side - Xecutioner, Sadus, Berayel, ect VERY RARE COMP!) $60
Rigor Mortis "Demons" (Vg/NM 1988 Capital Records) $20
Rush "Hemispheres" (beat up, plays fine) $5
Rush "Hold Your Fire" (good condition 1987 Polygram) $5
Sepultura "Morbid Visions" (New Renaissance NRR43 - Vg/NM VERY CLEAN!) $50
Sodom "Obsessed by Cruelty" (1986 US pressing - upper right corner of outer jacket has some damage. Disc has some dings - plays fine.) $25
Slayer (Interview Picture Disc BAK2046 Engand) - $20
Slayer "Hell Awaits" (1985 Combat/Important good condition) $20
Slayer "Hell Awaits" (Picure Disc 1985 Combat/Imporant MXPD 8020 #3193) $45
Speed Metal (Sealed 1987 Metal Blade Comp Slayer, Destruction, Celtic Frost, Sodom...) $20
Stars of Thrash (Roadrunner Comp FLosam, DRI, Pestilence, Slayer, SOD, Sacred Reich...Vg/NM) $20
Venom "American Assault" (1985 Combat/Imporant - Vg/NM) $20
Venom "At War with Satan" (Picture Disc 1984 Neat Records NM) $30
Venom (Interview Picture Disc TT112B England) $20
Zoetrope "A Life of Crime" (1987 Combat/Relativity) $20

Still in stock:
Adolescents - selftitled (81 release, mint) $20
Accept - Balls to the Wall (near mint except some writing on jacket, plays fine) $5
Annihilator - Alice in Hell (near mint vinyl, ringwear on cover) $10
Acrophet - Faded glory (mint vinyl, cut corner sleeve) $15
Accused - grinning like an Undertaker (mint) $25
Agony Column - gods guns and guts (near mint vinyl, cover has cut corner and some wear) $25
Anialator - (selftitled ep picture disc - Wild Rags) $35
Abattoir - The Only Safe Place (near mint) $20
Agnostic Front - Liberty & Justice For (near mint) $30
Bitch - Be My Slave (mint vinyl, near mint cover) $30
Bewitched - Rise of the Antichrist (2nd Osmose Press, near mint) $20
Crypytc Slaughter - Stream of Consciousness (bad scratch on one song, besides that, nm) $10
Corrosion of Conformity - Eye for an Eye ('88 caroline press, vg cover, nm vinyl) $25
Corrosion of Conformity - Animosity (original press, vg) $30
CH3 - Channel 3 (decent condition) $15
Children of Bodom - Tokyo Warhearts, Live in Japan 1999 (nm, mint green vinyl) $20
Crumbsuckers - Life of Dreams (vg, English Press, ROugh Justice) $30
Demon - The Plague (picture disc) $25
DBC - Dead Brain Cells (nm) $15
DBC - Universe (vg) $15
D.R.I. - Dealing with it (vg Enigma 72069-1) $25
D.R.I. - Crossover (vg) $20
Exploited - Death Before Dishonour (nm) $25
Exciter - Violence and Force (vg) $15
Exodus - Pleasures of the Flesh (nm - Combat 88561-8169-1) $20
Exodus - Pleasures of the Flesh picture disc (sealed) $20
Exodus - Fabulous Disaster (sealed - Combat) $30
Hirax - Hate Fear and Power (nm original press) $15
Impaler - If We Had Brains... We'd Be Dangerous (nm) $20
Judas Priest - Sin After Sin (vg) $15
Laaz Rockit - Know Your Enemy (nm) $20
Let Them Eat Jellybeans (Alternative Tentacles Comp, vg) $40
Lethal gospel - Martian Whores (nm) $10
Lethal gospel - Equals Jihad (nm) $10
Mace "Process of Elimination" $15 (Restless 72074-1 good Condition. Cut corner)
Megadeth "Killing is my Business..." $25 (Combat/Important MX 8015 Vg)
Metallica "Let god sort em out" $20 (Live 1983 plus studio tracks and Megadeth's first demo. After hours Records)
Meliah Rage "Kill to Survive" $10
Metal Massacre V $30 (Hellhammer, Voivod, Overkill, etc...Vg)
Nazareth "No Mean City" $10 (Sleeve is Fair, Disc is Vg SP4741)
Nuclear Assault "The Plague" $15 (good)
Nuclear Assault "Survive" $25 (Vg - IRS Promo Stamp)
Recipients of Death $25 (Wild Rags - good)
Savatage "The DUngeons are Calling" $20 (Vg MX6016)
Savage Steel "Begins with a Nightmare" $30 (Near Mint. Opened with Shrink - New Renaissance)
Sgm "Aggression" $8 (Fair sleeve, Vg Disc)
Slayer "Diabolus in Musica" $30 (Cut on upper right. Wrinkle on lower left corner. Inner Sleeve/Discs Vg)
S.O.D. "Speak English or Die" $15 (Vg - Netherlands Pressing)
Total Virulence - $25 (French Thrash Comp)
Ugly Americans "Who's Been Sleeping in my Bed" $10 (good)
Venom "Singles 1980 - 1985" $30 (180 gram 2LP Earmark Mint Condition)
War Fare "Metal Anarchy" $20 (NM Produced by Lemmy)
War Fare "Pure Filth +7 Inch" $30 (Produced by Algy Ward of Tank.)
War Fare "Two Tribes" 12" Single $15 (Neat 45 - Vg)
War Fare "Mayhem Fucking Mayhem" $25 (NM. Produced by Cronos)

7"s

Lethal gospel - now its time to party (89, looks rare, good condition) $10
Dawn of Azazel - Bloodforged Abdication (black metal, mint) $10
Pure Cultivation/D.S.B. split (hardcore, mint) $10
Thunderchimp - selftitled (mint vinyl, slight ringware on back cover) $15
Sick of it All - selftitled (rare early ep) $10
Hirax - El Diablo Negro (First Press - picture disc) $10

10"s

Hirax - Barrage of Noise (sealed) $10
Hirax - Blasted in Bangkok (mint, 4 track ep, white vinyl) $10

Reviews 7/20/11

2011-07-20T16:38:00.001-07:00

Warning: I pretty much disliked all of these, so prepare yourself for a lot of complaining!

Aurvandil "Yearning"
More pretentious apocalypse heralding blackish stuff from Europe (France this time). Note - this music was "crafted" according to the bio. (No, it's
too important to have been merely "written!" How passe!) Anyways, when the music kicks in, it's exactly what it looks like on the front black and white
snowy mountain image: 90s styled black Metal. Fairly grim and somewhat primitive. The song "A guide to Northern Scapes" would seem a rather obvious
hint to the listener "we play old school 90s grim Black metal in case you didn't know" Although I must admit, it is not bad. Has an odd (now somewhat
acceptable) sort of "distant" production. Fairly atmospheric and noisy, but without losing a classical/musical feel. I like it, just nothing new. If you like
it sad and grim you will want to add this to your mile high pile of CDS with lo -fi black and white covers and unreadable logo. Eisenwald Records?

Beast of the APocalypse "Henosis"
With song titles like "I am not worthy to utter thy name" and "Vision of the 12 priests before the altar" these guys must be very very serious!
Starts out kinda slow and plodding, then wham! Smacked right in the face with hellnoise! Specifically, guitars turned up to...well, I'm not sure there is
a number high enough on my stereo. It's VERY loud, put it to you that way. Repetitive and apocalyptic. I think the vocals are drowning away somewhere in the
middle. Funny enough, kinda remonds me of our own Dispirit, from Oakland/San Francisco! I don;t care for this stuff, but if you like hellnoise of the
extreme apocalypse variety, be sure to pick this up and listen to it at top volume after not taking your meds for a few days. You are bound to see
the world end! Transcendental Creations.

Century "The Red giant"
Lots of yelling. Wow, how original? Oh wait, I hear lyrics and lots of swearing. Well he must be saying something intelligent.
Unfortunately, I couldn't care less because the music is so stupid. These guys can't decide if they are Rage Against the Machine, Korn,
or Brutal Truth. At this rate, I'm gonna stop even reviewing Prosthetic Record's promos and tell them "no thanks."

Death Wolf "s/t"
One of the guys from Marduk formed this band in 2000 or so. Sounds kinda blackish - but with a distinct hardcorish feel, particularly with the singing.
At points it ventures into more alternative territory ala Alice in Chains/Danzig. Not bad really, just not really what the world needs right now.
Regain/Blooddawn Records.

Echtra "Paragate"
Droning, boring, blah blah artsy fartsy, "10 minutes just to get a regular drum beat or a riff" going crap. Sounds like the new age music my dad listens
to on Sirius Radio, only with faint distorted guitars way in the background. WHo the hell listens to this, much less creates it??? Yeah, I don;t have the
attention span for it, sorry. But if you like the sound of one retarded acoustic guitar playing the same chord thingy for like 5 minutes straight with some
new age keyboard behind it, knock yourself out. Temple of Torturous (indeed) Records.

Isolation "Closing the Circle"
Christ, another acoustic intro? Fuck, it's cool once in a while, but come on this is Metal!!! Oh I see - this is "depressive" ok ok...forgiven!
Anyways, let's see...mid tempo grim "depressive" music. Moaning dude who sounds kinda like Curt Cobain. But it's ok to sound like Curt if you are
playing "depressive Metal." Maybe these "depressive Metal" people are just ex grungers? It's funny, I was a grunger and I am not into this. My ex wife
used to listen to bands like Modest Mouse, Rapeman, and A Minor FOrest - while I appreciated em kinda I never liked it. This sounds like a Black metal
band trying to meld itself with that sound and I hate the combination. More than Danzig hates getting pictures taken of himself when he is shopping for
Kitty Litter. Hopefully this "Circle" is "Closed" for good some day soon. Eisenwald Records. Hmm. That is a label to avoid it seems!

Kvelertak "s/t"
Nice pen and ink drawing on the front. A couple hot chicks nuzzling up with some owl. No boobs though. How artistic and sophisticated! Truth be told though,
this is some good artistry. Reminds me of the art on that one Soilent green album that came out way back in 2000 or so. Anyways...sounds like a
faster "At the gates" mixed with some Scandanavian Hardcore and Black Metal influences. Mid tempo, blast beats, whatever the members decide they wanna lean
towards genre-wise. Problem is, I don't really hear a band jamming here. I hear a bunch of people trying to immitate this and that in order to please the
record label. And if it's not to please a record label, then they need to go back into the rehearsal room and find a sound because this just sounds like
puzzle peices thrown together into one BLAH album. Indie/The End

The Living Fields "Running out of Daylight"
Extremely half assed doomy/folky stuff. It's almost good at times, but then sucks enough to keep it below the "break even" point.
Candlelight Records.

White Arms of Athena "Astrodrama"
What kind of stupid band name is that? What kind of shitty mall core Death Metal is this?
Are singers SILL trying to sound like Phil Anselmo? Why? How can such technical/brutal music sound
so devid of heaviness and talent? I guess it needs to be heard to be believed. Prosthetic Records.

CD Reviews 7/1/11

2011-07-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

Animals as Leaders (s/t)
The names Joe Satriani, Marty Freidman, and Tony Mcalpine come to mind here. Only it's the year 2011 and it ain't any of those guys. Nuff said.

Black September "The Forbidden gates Beyond"
COld, fast, noisy Blacky Deathy stuff. Non descript, boring, with moments of melodic interestingness ala Sweden.
Shitty monotonous vocals.

Bloodfreak "Mind Scraper"
Wow, what in sam hill is this? Sounds like an early 80s b horror movie soundtrack. Actually, I think these are b-movie samples. Just one after the other.
Samples, samples, and more samples. Cheap creepy keyboards, cheap drum machine...now they are talking about Metal. I dunno where this is going, but
I guess it will actually become Metal at some point. Ah, yes. Brutal grindcore has arrived. Wow, sounds like a 10' x 10' room crammed with 20' x 20'
worth of carcasses crammed in. I'm seeing bodies. Blood. Carnage everywhere. Jesus, I think the band is just struggling to be heard through all the corpses
being slaughtered. Shit, if you want blood you got it! Reminds me of the sound that hallway in the Shining must make when that elevator opens and all the
blood pours out! If you want technical pro production, you DON'T got it! www.willowtip.com

Book of Black Earth "The Cold Testament"
I remember these guys from a few years back. I know they been honing their brand of American Black Metal meets Hardcore for a while, yet never have
I been that interested. This recording does little to change my mind. Some of the riffs are pretty good, and the sound is fairly good. Vocals are
just very boring and uninspired sounding. I mean, he's yelling and all that - but it's really no better than 30,000 other bands out there. Nothing stands out.
The strong suit here is the riffs and guitar noodles. They seem to have a rule against solos. I guess that is the punk/hardcore pride in there. Whatever
that means, since Metallica has even done this in recent years. I admit, I'm not sure what these guys are going for. I'm sure they would say "we play whatever
we feel like" and I am sure that is the truth. Unfortunately, what they feel like playing is not that interesting. But fans of more noisy/trippy/artsy
stuff might dig it. Prosthetic Records.

Burnsred (s/t)
Self released full length. This CD kind of came out of the blue, with its' nice
professional digipak and clean production. I guess these dudes reside in San Francisco
but this is the first I heard of em. Anyhow, the MUSIC....
Sludge and Doom are the first words that come to mind. Pretty slow, heavy, and dark. Very
Eyehategodish in the vocal department. Musically, like a cross between Burning Witch, Asunder, Eyehategod, and
Neurosis. But just a bit more subdued than all of those bands. Production is clean like I said, and underscores the somewhat
technical side of the band. At times they break into these mellow groove jams which are a nice contrast
to the heavier parts. But in the end, it sounds kind of like a sober band attempting to sound like they
are on drugs. That can be a good thing sometimes and I'm not saying it's bad here. This CD is pretty good
actually, and I am sure this would go over well live. Not blown away, however, upon first listen.
Mainly because there is just not much that stands out here. Everything positive I can say about it has been
done better many times. My main criticism would be that it doesn't go as far as it should on any of the levels
that it flirts with. Except maybe the vocals. But then again, they are way Eyehategodish as I said.
Recomended to those who just can't get enough of the sludge-doom and want something with a touch more musicality
and dynamics within the songwriting. Link: burnsred.net

Cadaver guts (4 way split)
I think these bands are all from the Northwest, and it was released by Dark Forest Productions. No other info is provided.
THE DEAD have 6 songs here - which are...let's see...fucked. Total gore lyrics, wierd as horror movie sorta samples. The
guitars are very buzzsaw in the Swedish/Nordic sort of way and the parts have a Black Metal sort of quality. Yet the overall sound
is dirty in the gore death sort of way. Nice high/low vocal interplay. Basically, this is a mixture of American and Swedish Death
Metal - with a touch of Nordic Black Metal. It leans in whichever direction it feels like at any given time. But always soaked
in a filthy slime. REEKER continues the theme of b-splatter movies. Unfortunately, the CD has started to stutter. I guess
there was a problem at the replication plant? Anyhow - once the samples are over, what we have left over is along the lines
of Exhumed and Nunslaughter. rack 7 - 9 appear to be the only fucked up tracks here. So that leaves 2 listenable ones. One of which
is a Repulsion cover. Now we have RAW SEWAgE with 5 tracks of rediculous horror Thrash. The music is actually pretty good dirty
gore Thrash with a Death Metal smell to it. Singer just ruins it though - with his teenager hardcore voice. While I like the idea of
Thrash Horror Death - it just doesn't sound as good as I thought it would here. When the dude with the lower voice sings it suddenly
turns into killer gore Death Metal in the veign of Exhumed and Nunslaughter. Did I just say that? Finally, we come to MEATHOLE INFECTION.
I think the band name covers the lyrical theme already. Musically, this is easily the heaviest and most Swedish sounding on this comp.
Nice filthy guitars which harken back to the heaviest of old school Swedish Death. Specifically, grave, Dismember, and maybe throw some
Boltthrower in there. Although I can't say it quite matches those bands. But they are on the right track for sure. Keep it up guys!
Vocals sound like a toad reciting passages from Dante's Inferno.

Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire "Visceral"
Heavy, noisy, extreme fast/slow... singer REALLY wants to convince you how tortured and angry he is. I applaud the attempt, I just see no particular point.
It's not original and it's been done way better. Riffs are inaudable. Can't make out a fucking thing. This sort of sound only works once in a while,
and here it doesn't. At least not for me. Prosthetic Records.

Devastator "Burn the Beast"
This is a local band that just changed their name to Blessed Curse. I guess they finally realized that Devastator was not so original. Unfortunately,
Blessed Curse is not so original either! But whatever - the music is pretty good here and production is a step up from the "Crush and Kill" demo for sure.
Solid Thrash. A good balance between aggression and precision. I can't say it's amazing, but this band has potential. The vocals on "Crush and
Kill" sounded kinda like a teenage Mille Petrozza." On this CD, he sounds like a 21 year old Mille Petrozza. Aside from the non-existent guitar
solo element (unless you count 2nd rate "Pleasure to Kill" knock offs, oblivious to key), this is very solid Thrash and good to bang your head to.
I can't say they come across this good live, but this recording is proof that potential is there. myspace - devastatorblast

Dragged Into Sunlight "Hatred for Mankind"
Very cool cover art. Fucked up hand drawn pic. Song titles like "Boiled Angel" and "Buried with Leeches" do the picture justice for sure.
Music enforces this image fairly well. Manages to be noisy and fucked up without sounding overly clear, artsy. or derivitive. Not my thing, but if
you like FUCKED UP Death Metal with a lot of random noisy shit thrown in, check this out.

The greenery "Spit and Argue"
Heavy and slow with some stupid guy screaming his head off. Prosthetic Records.

Holy grail "Crisis in Utopia"
Wow, so much for my expectations that this was old school NWOBHM style. It sure isn't! Sounds like mainstream emo rock with metal leanings. Avoid!

Horrid "Blackened Deathrash" $7
Old school Death Meal from Los Angeles. And by old school I don't mean they are an old band, I mean that they play late 80s style Nordic Death Metal.
Think Entombed, grave, Tiamat, Unleashed, first Darkthrone....nothing more to say really. Wasn't recorded at SUnlight, but pretty dirty tone just the same.
If you like the old Swedish DM shit, you'll want this. This is a full length and the recording quality is actually quite good. Well worth the money.

Last Chance to Reason "

Neuraxix "Asylon"
I think this drummer's legs are broken, because they are stuck on BDBDBDBDBDBDBBDBDBDDDDDDD! Fast, brutal, and boring. The list of bands that these guys
sound like, but are inferior to, is very long. If you can't get enough brutal/technical Death, this is a good band to pass the time in between Cannibal
Corpse and/or Origin albums.

Trap Them "Darker Handcraft"
Noisy crusty guitars, nice clear drums. Actually, the drums sound too clean. Like a different band recorded them and gave em to Trap Them. Anyhow,
this is on the crusty side of Sweden. Or perhaps it could pass for raw old school Swedish Death Metal with a crusty singer. Nothing to say really, other
than it is amazing how average they are. Nice guitar tone though. The dude just needs to learn how to play the upper 4 strings.

Undivided "Until Death"
Very cleanly produced Hardcore Metal. Sounds good, just a bit too clean. Singer's voice is really monotonous, and not so convincing. I mean he's got
some character - it's just not real original or special in any way. Oh wait, some other dude just started singing. He sounds like he might be shorter
and skinnier? Anyways, back to the first singer...yeah his voice gets old quick. Some nice heavy riffs and good dynamics. Everything about this band
is well executed, it's just that it's clean presentation kinda betrays the message that they are trying to send, which is something like "we are angry
and we are from the streets." I guess if you like 90s Biohazard and want a less heavy, less aggressive version, here ya go. www.undivided.com

Used 12" Records - Recent Arrivals

2011-06-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

All inner sleeves included. To order or ask questions email shaxul@shaxulrecords.com. International orders are sent using registered mail.

Mace "Process of Elimination" $15 (Restless 72074-1 good Condition. Cut corner)
Megadeth "Killing is my Business..." $50 (Combat/Important MX 8015 Vg)
Metallica "Let god sort em out" $30 (Live 1983 plus studio tracks and Megadeth's first demo. After hours Records)
Meliah Rage "Kill to Survive" $10
Metal Massacre V $30 (Hellhammer, Voivod, Overkill, etc...Vg)
Motley Crue "girls girls girls" $15 (Sealed - '87 Electra)
Motorhead "Ogasmatron" $15 (Vg. Cut corner gwr/profile)
M.O.D. "USA for MOD" $15 (Vg/NM - Megaforce)
Nazareth "No Mean City" $10 (Sleeve is Fair, Disc is Vg SP4741)
Nuclear Assault "The Plague" $15 (good)
Nuclear Assault "Survive" $25 (Vg - IRS Promo Stamp)
Overkill "Feel the Fire" $25 (Opened w/Shrink Megaforce)
Overkill "Under the Influence" $15 (Fair Cover, Vg disc/inner sleeve)
Possessed "Seven Churches" $25 (CM 2000 Press. NM. Clear light Red)
Recipients of Death $25 (Wild Rags - good)
Savatage "The DUngeons are Calling" $20 (Vg MX6016)
Savage Steel "Begins with a Nightmare" $30 (Near Mint. Opened with Shrink - New Renaissance)
Sentinel Beast "Depths of Death" (Vg Restless/Metal Blade)
Sgm "Aggression" $8 (Fair sleeve, Vg Disc)
Slayer "Diabolus in Musica" $45 (Cut on upper right. Wrinkle on lower left corner. Inner Sleeve/Discs Vg)
S.O.D. "Speak English or Die" $15 (Vg - Netherlands Pressing)
Thrust "Fist Held High" $10 (Sleeve = Fair Inner Sleeve/Disc = Vg)
Total Virulence - Very Rare. MAKE AN OFFER! (French Thrash Comp)
Ugly Americans "Who's Been Sleeping in my Bed" $10 (good)
Uncle Slam "Say Uncle" $8 (Open with Shrink)
U.S. Metal Vol III (Manilla Road, Hawaii, etc...Vg)
Venom "Singles 1980 - 1985" $30 (180 gram 2LP Earmark Mint Condition)
Virus "Force Recon" $12 (good. Combat/Metalworks)
War Fare "Metal Anarchy" $20 (NM Produced by Lemmy)
War Fare "Pure Filth +7 Inch" $30 (Produced by Algy Ward of Tank.)
War Fare "Two Tribes" 12" Single $15 (Neat 45 - Vg)
War Fare "Mayhem Fucking Mayhem" $35 (NM. Produced by Cronos)

7"s

Lethal gospel - now its time to party (89, looks rare, good condition) $10
Dawn of Azazel - Bloodforged Abdication (black metal, mint) $10
Pure Cultivation/D.S.B. split (hardcore, mint) $10
Thunderchimp - selftitled (mint vinyl, slight ringware on back cover) $15
Sick of it All - selftitled (rare early ep) $10
Hirax - El Diablo Negro (First Press - picture disc) $10

10"s

Hirax - Barrage of Noise (sealed) $10
Hirax - Blasted in Bangkok (mint, 4 track ep, white vinyl) $10

12"

Adolescents - selftitled (81 release, mint) $20
Accept - Balls to the Wall (near mint except some writing on jacket, plays fine) $5
Annihilator - Alice in Hell (near mint vinyl, ringwear on cover) $10
Acrophet - Faded glory (mint vinyl, cut corner sleeve) $15
Accused - grinning like an Undertaker (mint) $25
Agony Column - gods guns and guts (near mint vinyl, cover has cut corner and some wear) $25
Anialator - (selftitled ep picture disc - Wild Rags) $35
Abattoir - The Only Safe Place (near mint) $20
Agnostic Front - Victim in Pain (1986 Pressing, Combat Core) $15
Agnostic Front - Liberty & Justice For (near mint) $30
Blood Feast - Face Fate (4 track EP, punch out, mint vinyl) $25
Bitch - Be My Slave (mint vinyl, near mint cover) $30
Bewitched - Rise of the Antichrist (2nd Osmose Press, near mint) $20
Crypytc Slaughter - Stream of Consciousness (bad scratch on one song, besides that, nm) $10
Corrosion of Conformity - Eye for an Eye ('88 caroline press, vg cover, nm vinyl) $25
Corrosion of Conformity - Animosity (original press, vg) $30
CH3 - Channel 3 (decent condition) $15
Children of Bodom - Tokyo Warhearts, Live in Japan 1999 (nm, mint green vinyl) $20
Crumbsuckers - Life of Dreams (vg, English Press, ROugh Justice) $30
Demon - The Plague (picture disc) $25
Deadhorse - Horsecore :An Unrelated Story (vg) $20
Destruction - Infenal Overkill (vg) $30
DBC - Dead Brain Cells (nm) $15
DBC - Universe (vg) $15
Demon Flight - selftitled ep (vg, very rare early metal blade release) $25
D.R.I. - Dealing with it (vg Enigma 72069-1) $25
D.R.I. - Crossover (vg) $20
Exploited - Death Before Dishonour (nm) $25
Entombed - Left Hand Path (colored vinyl reissue, sealed) $25
Exciter - Violence and Force (vg) $15
Executioner - In the Name of Metal (vg) $15
Exodus - Pleasures of the Flesh (nm - Combat 88561-8169-1) $20
Exodus - Pleasures of the Flesh picture disc (sealed) $20
Exodus - Fabulous Disaster (sealed - Combat) $30
Flotsam and Jetsam - Doomsday for the Deciever (vg) $15
Hirax - Hate Fear and Power (nm original press) $15
Impaler - If We Had Brains... We'd Be Dangerous (nm) $20
Judas Priest - Sin After Sin (vg) $15
Kreator - Extreme Aggression (vg) $25
Laaz Rockit - Know Your Enemy (nm) $20
Let Them Eat Jellybeans (Alternative Tentacles Comp, vg) $40
Lethal gospel - Martian Whores (nm) $10
Lethal gospel - Equals Jihad (nm) $10

Reviews 6.15.11

2011-06-15T17:46:00.001-07:00

Contamination "global Inversus"
I think these CDS came from germany. Killer Death/Thrash. Raw but well executed. Very competent musicians, killer riffs. Much better than
most California Thrash bands I hear these days, but then maybe I am just tired from hearing so much of that stuff? In any case, fucking A, this is just one
killer Thrash/Death riff after another! Think early Metallica and Slayer...mixed with a Canadian edge ala Infernal Majesty or early Voivod. I think I hear
some Morbid Saint as well. The point I'm making is, the pool of influence is very wide here and the result is a much fuller Thrash Metal experience than
what we get here in Califirnia, which is typically influenced by like 3 bands (Metallica, Testament, Possessed). I have these for sale! Professionally
duplicated and recorded 4 song ep $5 - contamination@gmx.net www.myspace.com/riseofthedead

Necrovorous "Funeral for the Sane"
Brutality. Disgusting vocals of a man obviously possessed by JAck the Ripper. Filthy fukking Swedish Death Metal riffs from the
most urine stained fire hydrant in Stockholm (upon which Chris Reifert is currently releaving himself). No pussy fucking blast beats, this bulldozer of
corpses is too filled with guts and body parts to move any faster! And just for a bonus, we get a few sludged out filth marches from
the abyss! If 100% old school Death Metal brutality without any of the fancy shit is your thing, this band is your ticket to the next funeral
in town! Actually, forget everything I said, this is total Incantation worship! Pulverized Records

The Henchmen "World of Sleaze"
Obscure band from the early 90s. This band is very hard to describe. Lyrically and image-wise, there is a strong B-Horror/B-Porn movie vibe. You get
the sense that the band is having fun with it all, yet there is an odd method to the madness I can't describe. Musically, I can only call this "Stoner Metal."
Though when it came out, people probably just called it "Wierd shit." But after hearing garage doom like Bedemon, some Witchcraft, and even early Pentagram -
I cannot help but compare this band to those ones. Particularly the B-Horror Movie garage sound. Personally, I think this rules. Very obscure Bay Area
stuff. Morningstar Records. Not sure if these emails will still work, but: redv666@hotmail.com, pukezone@hotmail.com

Foul Stench "The Beginning 1993-96"
This sits somewhere between Thrash and Death Metal. Very Autopsy/Deceased. Somewhat lo fi Horror/gore stuff from the Bay Area. SOmewhat grooving
in the Hardcore sense at times. If that is your thing and you want something a little more rare and Bay Area, seek this one out. Released by a Chinese
label I never heard of. info@xmusick.com

Dismantle "Satanic Force"
Young Thrash band from SOuthern California. Aggressive, old school, kinda funny, kinda shredding. These guys are going for the "Satanic" Possessed
sorta image. Pretty solid riffs, pretty aggressive, really generic. Singer has a good blood curdling pre-pubescent scream. When he's not doing that he's
most UNscary sounding. info@xmusic.com

The Living Fields "Running out of Midnight"
Boy, that's a mouthful isn't it? By the time you say the name of the band and the album title, you are already engulfed by epic doom riffs surrounded
by gay stringed instruments. I was just getting ready to buy into the whole thing, when some white noise stormed in, but not before breaking into some
little drum machine interlude. Man, what the hell - I have no idea where this is going, nor do I care! Let's try one more song. I'm willing to make
a clean start with this track, "Perseverance." Hmmm - some doomy riffs, then a jolly Irish sounding fiddle orchestra, which morphs into some noisy
Hypocrisy-ish wall of sound and keys all over the place. Man, there is some serious confusion as to which direction to go here. Whatever this stuff is,
it's not for me. Very confusing. Apologies to all the people that find this artistically amazing, because this reeks of "we are serious artists and
sculpters of sound" syndrome. Or maybe it's just WAY overproduced, I dunno. What did that dude in Amadeus say? "Too many notes?" I'll change that to,
"too much confusing shit going on which goes nowhere interesting." Candlelight Records.

Seven Witches "Call Upon the Wicked"
This is a band I've heard about for some time, but never checked out really. Actually I think I did once, and was not impressed. That would make
sense, because so far this first song is not impressive. Let me be more specific - tuned down modern generic "heavy" traditional Metal tone. Slight
nu-metally groove with generic shred solos that make me think of some cereal commercial from the 80s. Average singer with Rob Halford rip off scream.
Lame riffs. Let's try "Ragnarock." Hmmm...this sucks.
Sounds like an immitation of an average Halford track. I didn't realize that Halford's solo albums were so influential on Power metal bands! Singer
is pretty good, it;s just so obviouose he wants to be Halford. Again lame riffs, generic wanking solos, dorky ass bass flim flam wankery. There is talent
here, I won't lie. But it's just thrown together in a way that could have been done MUCH better in my opinion. Oh no this isn't...oh shit, yes it is.
A Cream cover? Hmmm, bad choice. "White Room" power groove Metal style? I don't think so. Nice power scream on the chorus. You may laugh when you hear it.
Frostbyte Records/eOne Entertainment.

Sourvein "Black Fangs"
Nice slow n heavy riffs, all tuned down n shit. Nice screaming n stuff. Fuck yeah. Let's go die or go kill somethin. I dunno what, but something's
gonna get destroyed before this song ends! Probably a few veins in my arm. This shit's heavier than 10 diapers filled with baby shit and the singer
sounds more tormented and drugged out than the Eyehategod dude having a bad acid trip on an empty stomach! Fuckin hell, my clothes are not dirty enough
to deserve being worn while this is playing. I'm gonna go roll around in fucking golden gate park for a while...Candlelight Records

Thy Rites "Thy Infernal Coronation"
Anti Christian Death Metal. Fairly raw, melodic and straightforward. Vocals are mostly a low death growl, but the music is very evil and somewhat old
school sounding in a Swedish sort of way. Also reminds me of a more melodic Sadistic Intent. Dissection comes to mind too. Very interesting mixture here,
not so typical. info@xmusic.com

Wolverine "Communication Lost"
The intro to this album sounds like David Bowie and Elton John taking off in a rocket to go hang out with Hal in outer space. Not a good start, though that
sounds like an interesting scenerio. Though I don't think they ever hung out actually. Anyways, I think this sound I am hearing is supposed to be me drifting
into outer space and losing communication or something. I got the point already I think, I am ready for some guitars but they just won't come in. Oh wait...
I hear them, here they come...wait for it...OUCH! What the fuck just hit my ear??? I think it's some horrible new wave techno keyboards with some lame
semi heavy riffs striding alongside. Now here comes Bowie and Elton John, but they have brought geoff Tate with them. Together, they sing to form 1 voice
which, unfortunately does not work. Though you'd think it would. I'd say "Communication" was definitley "lost" here... Candlelight Records

Used Vinyls...

2011-06-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

I just got a batch of used vinyl. All of these are older pressings, and some of them are first pressings. Any questions let me know. If you want something please let me know asap, there are first come first serve and I can't hold them for long because I need the $$$. This list will be updated as often as possible to reflect the current stock. Email shaxul@shaxulrecords.com

7"s

Lethal gospel - now its time to party (89, looks rare, good condition) $10
Cianide/Nunslaughter split (mint) $10
Dawn of Azazel - Bloodforged Abdication (black metal, mint) $10
Pure Cultivation/D.S.B. split (hardcore, mint) $10
Thunderchimp - selftitled (mint vinyl, slight ringware on back cover) $15
Hirax/Spazz split (mint) $15
Sick of it All - selftitled (rare early ep) $10
Hirax - El Diablo Negro (First Press - picture disc) $10

10"s

Hirax - Barrage of Noise (sealed) $10
Hirax - Blasted in Bangkok (mint, 4 track ep, white vinyl) $10

12"

Adolescents - selftitled (81 release, mint) $20
Accept - Balls to the Wall (near mint except some writing on jacket, plays fine) $5
Annihilator - Alice in Hell (near mint vinyl, ringwear on cover) $10
Acrophet - Faded glory (mint vinyl, cut corner sleeve) $15
Anthrax - Fistful of metal (Orig press, mint vinyl, worn cover) $25
Abomination (Speckmann) - self titled (good condition, some wrinkle wear. Original insert) $30
Accused - grinning like an Undertaker (mint) $35
Aggression - The Full Treatment (sealed) $50
Artillery - Fear of Tomorrow (vinyl near mint, cover has some very light ringwear) $40
Agony Column - gods guns and guts (near mint vinyl, cover has cut corner and some wear) $25
Anialator - (selftitled ep picture disc - Wild Rags) $35
Abattoir - The Only Safe Place (near mint) $20
Alice in Chains - selftitled double LP (near mint, 1995 album, 1st press) $45
Agnostic Front - Victim in Pain (1986 Pressing, Combat Core) $15
Agnostic Front - Cause for Alarm (mint vinyl, near mint cover) $25
Agnostic Front - Liberty & Justice For (near mint) $30
Blood Feast - Face Fate (4 track EP, punch out, mint vinyl) $25
Bitch - Be My Slave (mint vinyl, near mint cover) $30
Beyond Possession - Is Beyond Possession (vg) $15
Bewitched - Rise of the Antichrist (2nd Osmose Press, near mint) $20
California Love "Can't Waste Death" (Vg, LTD 100, Blue 12") $15
Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium (nm vinyl, punch out cover) $30
Crypytc Slaughter - Stream of Consciousness (bad scratch on one song, besides that, nm) $10
Corrosion of Conformity - Eye for an Eye ('88 caroline press, vg cover, nm vinyl) $40
Corrosion of Conformity - Animosity (original press, vg) $30
CH3 - Channel 3 (decent condition) $15
Children of Bodom - Tokyo Warhearts, Live in Japan 1999 (nm, mint green vinyl) $20
Crumbsuckers - Life of Dreams (vg, English Press, ROugh Justice) $30
Crumbsuckers - Beast on my Back (punch out, vg) $10
Dark Angel - Darkness Descends (vg) $20
Demon - The Plague (picture disc) $25
Defiance - Void Terra Firma (vg) $20
Deadhorse - Horsecore :An Unrelated Story (vg) $20
Destruction - Infenal Overkill (vg) $30
Death - Spiritual Healing (nm) $30
Death - The best of (vg) $15
DBC - Dead Brain Cells (nm) $15
DBC - Universe (vg) $15
Death Angel - Frolic Through the Park (vg) $15
Demon Flight - selftitled ep (vg, very rare early metal blade release) $25
D.R.I. - Dealing with it (vg Enigma 72069-1) $25
D.R.I. - Crossover (vg) $20
Exploited - Death Before Dishonour (nm) $25
Entombed - Left Hand Path (colored vinyl reissue, sealed) $25
Exciter - Violence and Force (vg) $15
Epidemic - The Truth of What Will Be (nm) $30
Executioner - In the Name of Metal (vg) $15
Exodus - Bonded by Blood (2000 century media reissue (nm) $20
Exodus - Pleasures of the Flesh (nm - Combat 88561-8169-1) $20
Exodus - Pleasures of the Flesh picture disc (sealed) $20
Exodus - Fabulous Disaster (sealed - Combat) $30
Flotsam and Jetsam - Doomsday for the Deciever (vg) $15
Hellhammer - Apocalyptic Raids (nm vinyl, jacket is descent, lyric sleeve - some ware E1106) $25
Hirax - Hate Fear and Power (nm original press) $15
Hades - Resisting Success (nm) $15
Impaler - If We Had Brains... We'd Be Dangerous (nm) $20
Judas Priest - Sin After Sin (vg) $15
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance (water damage, vinyl g) $10
Kreator - Flag of Hate (us version, promo stamp on back, vg) $20
Kreator - Extreme Aggression (vg) $25
Laaz Rockit - Know Your Enemy (nm) $20
Let Them Eat Jellybeans (Alternative Tentacles Comp, vg) $40
Look Back and Laugh - selftitled (nm) $15
Lethal gospel - Martian Whores (nm) $10
Lethal gospel - Equals Jihad (nm) $10

May 2011 Reviews...

2011-05-19T14:09:00.001-07:00

Dantesco "Seven Years of Battle" Stormspell Records. This is the follow up to the awesome "Pagano" album. More of the killer traditional Metal guitars with
a dark latin/doom edge. People like to call this band Doom I guess. I can't really blame them, as it is very Candlemassy at times. But it is also very
Maidenish - but people seem to not notice that. I guess if you rip off the riff to "2 Minutes to Midnight" or "The Trooper" it's "Maideny" but if you
rip of the riff to "Quest for Fire" or "Powerslave" it's Doom? Anyways, whatever the fuck you wanna call it, it kicks serious ass and stands along side
any traditional Metal outfit I am hearing come out of Europe today. But with a refreshing original edge. And I don't just mean the Spanish spoken operatic
vocals, I mean the music as well. From the epic compositions to the well placed melodies and solos. Lyrics do well to follow a Pagan theme and compliment
the latin folk vibe. One of the better bands around today in my humble opinion, and one of the few I have heard from Puerto Rico. If you know of any more
killer Metal bands from this area, feel free to let me know! shaxul@shaxulrecords.com

Panzerchrist "Regiment Ragnarok" Listenable Records. Danish Death Metal band's latest. I haven't actually listened to this band much that I can remember
so I come with fresh, unbiased ears! Very aggressive in the way of Cannibal Corpse "Corpsegrinder" era, but somewhat Melodic in the way of Morbid Angel or
maybe...uh...Morbid Angel. With a touch of Morbid Angel. Shit, the singer even sounds like Steve Tucker. The song "Metal Tribes" sounds like a pretty good
immitation of something from "Formulas Fatal to the Flesh." But a little more straight forward I guess. Not very original, but pretty solid all the way
through.

Pharoah "Ten Years" EP. Cruz Del Sur Music. Solid traditional Metal. Initially, the vocals are maybe just a little too ROb Halford to concentrate on
anything else. Music is the typical Euro Power Metal style, but perhaps a bit more on the guitar side and less on the "keyboard side." More on the
Speed Metal side of things. Jesus, this singer sounds almost exactly like Halford. It's really bugging me! Nice fancy duel leads and lots of melodic
lines to remind you "by the way, you are listening to traditional metal!" I thought "White Light" was gonna sound like "White Heat Red Hot" but boy was I
wrong! It sounds more like something from Halford's last solo album. Ok, so I wasn't THAT off. This is some very solid and professional Traditional
Metal with a few moments that stand out. But overall, just good drinking music for when I go to a show. But nothing I would take home with me. Singer is
wat too damned Halfordy as well. And I should add - NEWER Halford, not OLD Halford.

Anaal Nathrakh "Passion" New album out on Candlelight Records. Ok let's see...Brutal as fuck, but in a sort of late 90s Pantera sort of way. The drum machine
gives this an obvious industrial sounding edge and kind of dates it to the 90s. At times reminds me of that band Max Cavalera was in a while back -
kinda like a mix of Hardcore/grind and industrial as other reviewers have pointed out already. The guitar riffs are actually pretty good in parts.
Some interesting diversions between the hyper fast generic Black Industial Metal displays. And some of the vocals are annoying, while at other moments
they are actually pretty damned fucked sounding. This is not really my cup of tea, but for the style it is rooted in, not bad.

Demos Demos Demos...

2011-05-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Warhead "Twisted Metal" (CDR Demo)
Nice heavy production for a cheap looking demo. I think I got this in San Diego. Singer either has an accent I can't detect or is singing in a strange manner. He sounds kinda like the guy from EMF. That may sound like a criticism, but it's really just an unfortunate fact! Actually, I guess it is a criticism - the guy sounds all mellow and bored. Music is kinda mid paced and sounds like it's gonna go "Nu Metal" any second, but it never does which is good. This reminds me a Six Feet Under in a way. You know how Six Feet uUnder is always all mid tempo and you keep wondering why they don't speed up? Every time I see Six Feet Under they are great for like 60 seconds and then I get bored. Same deal here. But a less heavy Thrash version. Like the singer, the music is kinda half hearted and not exactly "vicious." If the riffs could talk they'd be saying "I'm kinda pissed off I guess. I'm not really sure." Not bad, I'm just not sure what this band's point is. To "kinda" thash? It's kind of funny actually. I'm almost laughing right now. myspace.com/hevvymetal

Motion to Sever (CDR Promo)
I think I got this in San Diego too. This is a trip, what am I hearing right now? It almost sounds like Traditional Metal but the singer is all Danziggy and it's really throwing a weird angle on things. Now he's getting all Phil Anselmoey. The music is mid paced. What is up with these bands playing like Peter Criss on the first Kiss album? Listening to this is like trying to sprint under water. Or some bad dream where you can't move your body. Speed the fuck up already! Second song has better riffs and is also called "Metal will Prevail." Dude this singer is hella Danziggy! What the fuck, this is a trip! I kinda like these guys, but they really got a wierd ass sound and it's messing with me. That's it, eject! www.reverbnation.com/motiontosever

Death's Eminence (CDR Demo)
I caught this band in San Diego. Some glam band opened the show, and then these guys came on (it was a strange line-up that night). They had no bass and they looked very young and green. 2nd guitarist was playing without a pick I think, which is usually the mark of a more unique band when it comes to fast shit. There was no denying after a few minutes, this band's got some killer music and they play the fuck out of their instruments! Reminded me of a cross between Athiest and Nocturnus. Fucked up ass riffs, crazy changes, hectic ass music. I approve. This recording is not bad for a demo and the playing is pretty raw, but personally I think it works in their favor here. For hardcore collectors of obscure Death bands - I would highly recommend this. reverbnation.com/deathseminence

Morbid Eclipse "Atomic Cult" (CDR Demo)
I think these guys are from L.A. The cover has some wierd upside down triangle symbol with a skull and an atom symbol in it. Not sure if these guys are going for the "occult" angle or the "Sci-Fi/Mysticism" angle. The music is stuck somewhere between Thrash and Black Metal. In a way it reminds me of really early Death Metal such as Slaughter, Massacre, or even something South American like early Sepultura or Pentagram. Not bad, just not a ton of originality and nothing really stands out. If this came out in 1987 people would be shelling out money for this demo today. But unfortunately it is 2011 and the time of proto death Metal has come and gone. Still, worth a listen if you are a fan of cult Black Death/Thrash. www.assaulterproductions.com

Reviews (April 17th)

2011-04-17T12:36:00.001-07:00

Midnight Chaser (s/t)
They're not British, they are actually from San Francisco. This wasn't recorded in the 80s, it was recorded last year.
Other than that, what you have here is a killer NWOBHM band! Mid tempo rockin' numbers. Some nice riffs, melodies, solos,
and killer vocals which sound like Zeeb of Witchfinder general and perhaps some other NWOBHM guy. About time San Francisco
churned out a band like this! I have LPs of this for sale, (which are limited to 200) on Heavy Artillery Records. There's
only 3 originals on here, the other 3 are covers (good'ns). Hard to tell how much gas these guys have, but time will tell.

Abandoned "Thrash You!"
Back in 2007 this german band recorded this. For some reason it took till yesterday to reach my store. They are on Locomotive,
which I believe San Jose's Imagika was on a few years back. This is an interesting mix of Bay Area Thrash, Melodic traditional
Iron Maiden sort of parts, and hints of Melodic Death Metal. The main thing holding this back is the plastic production and the
incredibly average singer. The riffs are pretty killer and playing is great. Some very cool melodic twin guitar work.
Bass drum sounds like it's made from tin foil. Overall, great music, just lose the singer and get a better producer.

Magica "Hereafter"
Imagine the band Europe with a few power Metal riffs thrown in and the chick from ABBA on vocals. Needless to say, I can't stand this shit.
Melodic Euro commercial symphonic pop Metal. But if the above description is ok with you, knock yourself out! On fact I just threw it in the
free box, so if you want it come get it!

Clawfinger "Life will Kill You"
Also on Locomotive. I guess a guy from Locomotive Records was here? Anyhow, this is awful. As soon as the white-boy rap vocals came in, I couldn't
eject it quickly enough. Now available in the Shaxul "free" bin.

Hell Fire (CDR Promo)
Very talented young traditional Metal band from the Bay Area. We need more bands like this and I am glad we have, like 2 now. These guys are very young
like I said, but they have the right influences. They just need to figure out who THEY are now and work on their songwriting. Almost every song sounds like
an Iron Maiden "middle section" or an Iron Maiden "outro section." There's not alot of "rocking riff" going on. Although you can't tell from
this badly replicated CDR, I've seen them live a couple times and their singer has probably the best vocal range I have ever heard from an SF Bay Area band.
I am talking old school geoff Tate. But he's not sure what to do with his gift. Hopefully he figures it out! A band to watch. Although I have a feeling
they are gonna change their name as soon as they find out there are already like 13 bands named "Hellfire" out there.

More reviews...

2011-04-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

Negative Plane "Stained glass Revelations"
You mighta heard me say this before, but I am not a huge Black Metal expert these days. I don't listen to alot of the new ones and I don't seek them out because honestly most if what I hear is just recycled crap and I am so tired of this "we are so evil" shit. Especially because most of the bands are completely unoriginal and the opposite if "scary" and most importantly, write music that is just boring as hell. All that being said, Negative Plane is, in my opinion, one of the best American Black Metal bands around today. It is hard to describe why, but I'll try...the sound on this CD has a big cavernous echo to it, which I think was meant to sound like it was recorded in a cathedral. Indeed, many of the slower interludes have a distinct classical church choir sort of feeling. How they manage to get a somber "classical" feeling without totally playing "classical music" is beyond me, but very impressive. The sound does not feel "forced" like so many Black Metal bands do. There is a real attempt here to create something dark and original. These guys know how to play their instruments, and are not afraid to show it. I hear many interesting melodic scales. So many Black Metal bands are afraid to play anything that sounds too SCALEY, which is fucking stupid because some of the best, darkest, and saddest music utilize classical scales at their root. When did shit noise replace actual melody? I mean I like me some grim shit noise, but enough is enough. I want a song at some point! Anyway, I worship the gloom on this album. It takes me to another place and time and I would never say that about any other American BM band I have heard in recent memory. And it does not have that fake vibe I hear too much lately. Best comparison I can make in my limited knowledge would be the last Blut Aus Nord album, which I also liked quite a bit.

Bittencross "In Honour"
I don't mean to be a SHAX-HOLE, but that name is pretty silly. Not a good start! Anyhow, someone probably handed this to me at the store. Then again, I'm not really sure where it came from. I guess they are from Spain. This is Black Metal of the sort that I could almost just invent a generic response for. In fact, I'd probably use the same exact review I did for Abigail Williams...Black Metal? Yes. Descent? Yes. Original? Not at all. Point? None. I'm so done with carbon copy Black Metal bands. Why bands put so much effort into sounding like a less inspired version of 1995 Black Metal I have no idea. There are too many of these bands and they all sound the same. Wow, I;'m actually getting angry right now! Better turn it off...

Agoraphobic Nosebleed/Despise You (Split Album)
New relapse split. I'm not a huge fan of grind/power violence, but when I like it, it has to be real raw and super pissed off. I can't tell which band is which here. Song are short, crazy, and lots of yelling. Only problem is, it sounds too clean, too hemogonized, too tame. Vocals are sort of "middle of the road angry." How can you yell this loud and not sound angry? "I am yelling! I am angry! Can't you hear how angry I am!" Sorry, I don't buy it. How do you create crazy music like this and not have an edge? 2nd half is a little better, but still too cookie cutter and overproduced. But the songs are better and it reminds me more of stinky, sweaty punk rock warehouses, which is the point of this I guess. Overall, I would quote Torbin Ulrich here: "Delete that." But if you are easily satisfied with short/fast/brutal songs, I suppose this would be worth $4.99.

Havok "Time is Up"
This is Candlelight's official "Thrash Metal Representatives." I've seen Havok live a few times in the past few years and they are hungry and young. They have some good riffs on this album and someone clearly has a good right hand Hetfield "downstroke" which many newer Bay Area bands unfortunately lack. Leads are pretty good in the "chop" department as well. These guys practice their instruments, yay! All that being said, these songs just don't stand out to me. Yeah, it shreds. Production is good. But these guys just don't write great songs. Vocals are boring. Sounds like Whiplash "Power and Pain" with a more boring singer. Not a bad band. One of the better young Thrash bands in the USA I'd say, but to me they need to work on their songs and sound more. Thrash was done to death in the 80s, newer bands need to do their homework and try to up the bar, not just recycle. Too generic and unoriginal as it is - but if Havok realizes one day how much better they can actually be, maybe I will buy the album. Live they are great, but have a bad habit of playing Slayer "Reign in Blood" songs. I listened to "Reign in Blood" a thousand times as a teenager. I don't need to hear a bad cover version of any of the songs. I can barely listen to the album anymore because I've heard it too many times. At least pick a less played out Slayer album to cover!

Cruachan "Blood on the Black Robe"
Irish pagan Black Metal. Nice production, good atmosphere, some nice fiddles and other non Metal instrumentation. Sounds a bit like Falkenbach, but perhaps a little bit more straight forward. I guess this band has 5 albums, and the Pogues dude sang on one of em? Seems kinda random, but anyhow...title track starts out with some nice acoustic Irish hippy sounding folk, then turns into standard Pagan Black Metally sorta stuff. Nothing really stands out much here, but I am a sucker for the pagan Metal sound. I would put this more on the Black Metal side of things, than the "pagan" side. Whatever the fukk that means! It's darker and less "jolly" than say, Einsiferum or Eleuvitie. But less dark than Allfather or Winterfilleth. I'd say this is solid, but I'm not hearing anything amazing. I'd go see them live and I would bring my horn.

Shaxul Interview with Olavi Mikkonen of Amon Amarth

2011-03-24T17:28:00.001-07:00

Interview with Olavi Mikkonen, guitarist for Amon Amarth (3/16/2011)

Shaxul: You play a gibson Explorer on stage, correct?

Olavi: Yeah, that's the one I mainly use when I'm playing while standing. Live and at our rehearsal space. At home I play a flying V or
a Les Paul. I been using the one I have (Explorer) since last season. I think I got it during 2008. It was custom made. I have viking
ornaments on it. That's my main live guitar. I haven't done a new one yet for this season, I'm gonna do it after the summer. It's like
2 or 3 years old and it's kind of worn out...but it'll work for another half year. My spare one I think is brand new. I got a few new ones
before the recording, so I got them maybe a half year ago.

SHaxul: So, you are a "gibson person."

Olavi: Yes. I used to play Jackson. Maybe like 15 years ago I had one that was similar design as "Kelly." I haven't seen those ones so much anymore.
I don't know what happened to that model, but it looks similar to the Explorer [Marty Freidman used a "Kelly" in Megadeth]. But back then I already
really wanted an Explorer but I couldn't afford it. Now I have almost too many! So it's alright.

SHAXUL: Which one is your "baby?"

OLAVI: It's my first one. I got it I think in '98. That's the one I have recorded with all our albums, except "Surtur Rising" and "Twilight if the
Thunder god." For those I used another Explorer, but for all other albums it's my first one. It's really heavy, it's a really old one so...it has
a very cool sound. It's the most precious one, but it's also kind of worn out...but I don't wanna change anything because I might lose the great tone.

SHAXUL: What kind of pickups you got in that thing?

OLAVI: I only use the originals. I don't use EMgs at all. I used to in the past on one guitar but I didn't really like it. Too much distortion and stuff
like that. I want the guitar to be very clean and then I can use distortion from that.

SHAXUL: Amps?

OLAVI: Now we play with Peavy. I play a 6505.

SHAXUL: On the new song "War of the gods" it sounds like you are trying to expand the dynamic/melodic range of the sound.

OLAVI: Yeah, but that song is kind of like a "traditional" Amon Amarth song. It doesn't really have that much new to it. We released that song first because
you know...it's a kind of "safe" song. It's better to hear the whole album because we actually have alot of new elements that we have added.

SHAXUL: Which song to you is the most different sounding on the new album?

OLAVI: Perhaps the last song, "Doom over a Dead Man." We have alot of orchestral arrangments. I would say that is something different. And also
I would say "For Victory or Death" is very melodic and has also alot of orchestral arrangments. Also we used effects on the guitars which almost
sounds like keyboards...that's also something I've never done in the past.

SHAXUL: So you are doing something maybe more symphonic?

OLAVI: Not really, but...like you said in the beginning...create more dynamics. Of course it's not taking over [the effects/orchestral arrangements]
we are still a guitar based band and will always be. I would rather say, out producer - he likes to create all these dynamics with different instruments and
stuff. I think we in the band, we are afraid to try new things...so it's good to have a producer that really wants to try.

SHAXUL: What did you personally want to do for the new Amon Amarth album?

OLAVI: I wanted to add more brutality and I wanted to do songs that were not in the typical formula that we had so many times in the past. Like "War
of the gods." That's typical Amon Amarth formula. So I would say perhaps 7 of the 10 songs are a little bit different than what we used to do, so I am pretty
happy. But if it's better or worse? I don't know, that is something we have to figure out later on.

SHAXUL: It seems like you have a very strong core sound and you are very good at progressing without losing that core sound.

OLAVI: Yeah, I think that is our goal. Trying to maintain our sound, but still try to add things to make it sound fresh. Even when we write songs...
we are very picky. If something sounds too similar to something else we just throw it away. We have a very high standard. We Throw away alot of ideas
if we think it's not good enough. So I think we really put alot of energy into the songs. And that's always been how we work. We never have any spare songs
or anything like that. If it's not gonna be on the album, we don't work with it. I think in the end, that's how we make a good album I guess.

SHAXUL: How were you hoping to increase the brutality of the music?

OLAVI: I don't really know...the main thing is, we wanted a really brutal approach to the production. For instance we have a song "A Beast am I" on the
new album and that's probably the most brutal song we have ever done. It's kind of difficult to explain but...I guess alot of people would have expected
us to try to get commercial or whatever...because we've had so much success recently. So I wanted to go the opposite road. Do a more brutal album instead.
We really like working together. Since we have such a team effort, that's why I think we can deliver good stuff. And not to forget the producer. He is
very good at making the songs interesting.

SHAXUL: Do you write most of the riffs?

OLAVI: It's mostly me and the other guitarist. And the drummer also has a few ideas. But when we go to reheasal everybody takes the riffs. And I think
this way everybody feels like they are a part of the creation (creating the stuff).

SHAXUL: There's almost a simplicity to the sound, which may not be simple at all, but I think the songs are put together so well that it comes off sounding
more simple than being "overly flashy."

OLAVI: No, that's never been our thing. We're not that technical...some of the hooks or the riffs sound very simple and they might be simple, but the trick
is to come up with the riffs. To come up with those riffs is probably not so simple as it sounds, you know what I mean?

SHAXUL: On the previous album, I really liked the riff in "Tattered Flags and Bloodied Banners." Who wrote that riff?

OLAVI: That's probably me. [laughs] It was me! I think that was something I was just jamming...the previous season while waiting for soundcheck or
something like that. I don't know where I really got it from. I guess I wanted to make something you know, the rhythm was kinda like a march. But still
have a very catchy melody to it. I think that was one of the first riffs I wrote for that album. At least with "Twilight" I wrote most of my parts during
tours. I brought one of these "travel guitars" I dunno if you've seen those? Really small. So I bought one of those and I had it for like 3 tours.

SHAXUL: That's too bad. I thought maybe you go on some mountain somewhere holding the riffs up to the gods for approval!

OLAVI: [laughs] Yeah, that would be awesome!

SHAXUL: I read you had bobbleheads for one album. Do you have anything like that coming out for the new album? Any little toys or anything like that?

OLAVI: Yeah I think we have this one edition - I think it's called the "deluxe version" where you can have Surture the action figure. The character that
we have on the album cover.

SHAXUL: So it's going to be as big as a house right?

OLAVI: Yes, it will be very difficult to get by mailorder [wink wink] No it's going to be a normal action figure.

SHAXUL: I noticed there are many bonus features of the new CD. 4 Live sets of 4 different albums?

OLAVI: I think in the US that's going to be included with the normal edition. US the normal one is the CD and the DVD. You know, since we CAN add a DVD
we like to do that. Maybe it's gonna cost $2 more. But instead or releasing a DVD later with the same content, we think it's kinda fair to give our fans
as much as possible while they buy our album. There's no need now to release a DVD later...The Kiss and Accept covers are only going to be available with
the deluxe version, with the action figure. And the other cover of System of the Down will be on the digital i-tunes edition.

SHAXUL: SO you guys are fans of System of the Down?

OLAVI: I wouldn't say "fans" but we like the "Aerial" song. We went to Japan before we went into the studio. And in Japan they have the Karioki bars. And
you know, they had that song and we were singing it and then we decided we were going to do a cover of it. We had a private party and everyone can just drink
beer and sing along. So we thought it would be fun to make a cover of that song...it is not so obvious as people would expect from us. Some people complain
that our music is always so consistent, so this is a way to show that we can do something different.

SHAXUL: I understand there are some big fans of 80s Bay Area Metal in your band?

OLAVI: Yes! We are all old enough I think...we can appreciate that. I mean we all grew up with those kinda bands. And also traditional Heavy Metal from the
80s like Maiden, Accept, and Priest. Of course when we write riffs we are influenced by those bands.

SHAXUL: How about Heavy Load?

OLAVI: Heavy Load the Swedish band? Yes of course, they were kinda heroes back then!

SHAXUL: Were they the first Viking band?

OLAVI: Um...at least what I know. But I'm not sure. No, they should have been the first. Because Bathory started later. The Viking thing.

Shaxul: What about Helvetes Port, have you heard them?

OLAVI: ...YES. I haven't really listened to the whole album but they made a very cool video I saw on youtube.

SHAXUL: They wear funny clothes and they sound like Heavy Load!

OLAVI: Yes, definately. I think they are very cool and they have a great sense of humor as well.

SHAXUL: Does it get complicated getting good beer on the road? Do you have someone who is in charge of getting the good beer?

OLAVI: We always get it from the venue so we don't have to worry about that. If we have a problem, we always have too much. I'm probably the one that doesn't
really care that much, but I think the other guys are kinda picky. But nobody in the band really likes Budweiser or Coors or Miller Light or ANY "Light"
at all. Samuel Adams is pretty good. And also in America you have many good beers in Microbrews. Like Fat Tire and some other good beers.

SHAXUL: SO what is the common beer you all like?

OLAVI: There's a beer in the East Coast. I think it's around North Carolina. Usually we get a beer called Ying Ling? Sound kinda like Japanese? But that's
actually pretty good. I think everybody in the band likes that. And also Samuel Adams. Everybody likes that. But we don't like Heineken, or Bud Light, or
Budweiser.

SHAXUL: So I read that you no longer have drinking horns?

OLAVI: No, the customs in Brasil took them. They have these scans, and they see them. That's kinda crazy because we been around the whole world and nobody
had a problem. But in Brasil I'm not sure why that have that kind of securety.

SHAXUL: Maybe you'll have to rent horns now when you come into town.

OLAVI: Yeah, we can have plastic ones! We haven't gotten any new ones, but I think we will this summer.

SHAXUL: Your music has a very somber feeling most of the time. Are you fans of doom Metal?

OLAVI: Not really. I mean, the other guitarist - he likes My Dying Bride alot. I'm not too much - I get bored quite easily. Maybe I'm not listening to
much of that kinda music but I still like when we do "doomier" stuff. It's kinda fun to play that.

SHAXUL: You had a "best of" album that came out recently.

OLAVI: Yeah, that was for the Japanese market. We never "made it" in Japan. So the label put together a "best of" CD to try to build the band in Japan
because we were going there for a show. That's the only country that really we haven't "made it." I don't know, some people claim that - some peopl in the
music industry they say that Japanese people are afraid of Vikings or something I dunno. Even when we played there the management they wanted us to
not have any Viking backdrops but we totally laughed at them and did the show as we always do. I don't know, some people say that the Viking thing is not
working in Japan. That might be true I don't know.

Debut full length from Orchid

2011-03-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

Orchid "Capricorn"
Local Stoner Rock/Doom band's debut full length on Europe's "Church Within" Records. First off, the packaging on this thing is striking and monstrous!
Nice hard-bound fold out CD digi jacket with some cool bull head painting on the front which reminds me a bit of Monstermagnet's "Bull-god." Booklet is like 15 fukking pages! Anyhow, the music is the lo-fi old school NWOBHM sort of production. Very garage like and extremely bluesy. Witchfinder general anyone? But what sets this band apart is the vocals, which thankfully are not an Ozzy, Wino, or Scott Reagers clone. kinda like 70s Alice Cooper meets Blackie Lawless. Nice to hear a local
band doing something more classic rock and roll sounding without all the art-noise crap that is so trendy these days.

New Burzum "Fallen"

2011-03-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

Like the previous album, this one is extremely basic yet powerful. If anything, it is slightly better than "Belus." More melodic vocal experimentation,
but only to increase the scary vibe.

I'm not the biggest fan of Varge "the person," but I have to admit he is the real deal and I would call him a real artist in an endless sea of wanna-be Black Metal bands. This music may not blow many people away, but it feels much more real than most Metal I hear. And to me, real = heavier.

I am no expert on modern Black metal recordings, as I find the entire genre has become increasingly boring and self parodying, but this is about as good as it gets. So many bands try so hard to sound like old school 90s Black Metal,
but to me Burzum is proof that you either have it or you don't. Burzum clearly has it, and they seem to spew it out effortlessly. Darkthrone is another band that "has it," but are clearly getting bored and running out of ideas. Perhaps it's because Varge was in jail for so long, but he still has good ideas that sound old but feel fresh.

Nothing amazing here really, but to me the best Back Metal is not amazing. It's just cold and powerful. And those are the 2 words I would use to
describe this.

The lyrics are all in Norwegian so I have no idea what the songs are about, but I am sure it is very deep and way over my head. If you liked "Belus" you'll like this. If you like old school, cold, lo fi Black Metal I don't see how you wouldn't like this.

Relapse album reviews...

2011-03-11T14:15:00.001-08:00

Here's some reviews of some Relapse promos I got recently...

Titan "Sweet Dreams" (Relapse)
This is total 70s prog worship, and it's actually much better than most I hear. It does have an interesting modern Metal influence as well, but not
in the lame way I hear most bands doing it. It's very musical and traditional sounding. This band really understands
the dark/raw edge needed for classic prog. One thing I can't stand about bands like Dream Theatre is the "shit don't stink" sparkly clean
production. There's just no edge or darkness to it. But this is closer to ELP, Rainbow, or early genesis in terms of the darkness and range
of emotions. Needless to say it's not really Metal, but the "rocking parts" are obviously more modern and a bit more Metal than something
from the 70s. If Transiberian Orchestra sounded like this, I'd probably actually go to their show. Prog fans - get this. I think it's all
instrumental by the way...from fuakin' Brooklyn mothafuaka!

Circle of Animals "Destroy the Light" (Relapse)
Sounds like Ministry mixed with Bauhaus. Simple, industrial, and riffy. But not as guitar Heavy as Ministry. I'm sure there are other "noise"
influence as well, but I don't listen to alot of that crap so I wouldn't know. I guess I'm hearing a litte Pink Floyd "The Wall" as well, but with
a bit more guitars. Not real amazing, but I think on acid this would probably sound brilliant. Too bad I stopped doing acid.

Black Anvil "Triumvirite" (Relapse)
Why is it when I hear the word "Triumvirite" I think of Trey Azagthoth? Are these guys part of his video game/motivational speaker Chthulhu Kult?
Anyways, this is basically Death Metal trying to be "Blackened" in sound. Or maybe they are Black Metal trying to be "Deathened?" I dunno, honestly
it just sounds like white noice to me. The singer screams but he sounds about as angry as me when the guy in front of me is driving to slowly. Well I
guess that is angry enough for say, Thrash metal. But for Blackened Death Metal I wanna feel like your grandma just got stomped out, and I just
ain't convinced. Also, the production sounds very cookie cutter and flat. Just lifeless. Ok, I hear some cool riffs/melodies here and there. But
it just sounds like not very much time went into this. "Ok, let's hurry up and whip out some brutality so we can lay it down and go on tour!" Anyways,
not bad really, just nothing special at all. There is a song called "We Own You" which I had to check out because that title cracks me up and makes me think
of some 80s Stallone flick or something. Anyways, the song actually sounds kinda like Dissection with a more annoying singer. This band would be much
better if they took more time to write their songs and got a better producer. NEXT!

Rotten Sound "Cursed" (Relapse)
Worship early 90s Swedish Death/grind much? This is the most Swedish thing to come out of Finnland since Yngwie Malmsteen took a dump in Helsinki...
I don't really like this album, but live this band destroys, I have seen them myself very recently! They just need to go to Sunlight and hang out
with that Skogsberg guy and that will fix the problem here. But I'm sure most fans of all that is old school grind brutality will like this just fine.

Demo Reviews...

2011-03-10T16:34:00.000-08:00

I come across demos all the time at shows and in the mail...here's some of the latest ones I got...

Neurotoxicity (untitled demo) I got this at Hazmat in Oakland at some show I went to a few weeks ago. I dub this "Sinister Metal." Very grindy, but in an old school Boltthrower sorta way. They sound like this live too, but more raw of course. Pretty vicious female up front if I remember. Nothing fancy, but gets the job done and then some. After a few drinks I usually can't resist shit like this. Recorded by Jesus Crust at Earhammer in Oakland, the holy shrine of all that is grindy and crusty in Oakland. Some of that hellsound has surely rubbed off and infected this CDR!

Wake the Machines "Demo 2010-11"
Well shit, this is pissed off isn't it??? Nice Lovecraft/Cthulhu references in the song titles. There is some weird arty punk/grind/stoner thing happening here. If they break into a lounge jam I will dub this "Exit 13" worship. Ok, no jazz, but Repo Man samples are even better! I guess this is power violence. No, it is. That is exactly what this is. Or perhaps, Exit 13 with killer movie samples instead of lounge/jazz breaks. Actually, a cheap 50s song sample just busted in, so they are THAT much more like Exit 13. But the aggressive parts aren't quite as aggressive. Still, the singer sounds at least as pissed off as someone who just got their 5th parking ticket in a row. Beats are very jerky. You'll need some cheap drugs to feel the rhythm of this.

Feral Deprevity (Self Titled Demo)
Like the band name suggests, these guys sing in Spanish. Wait, I guess that's not true. But with titles like "Menudo De Humano" and "The Beer Song" I guess we can at east assume that these guys drink beer and eat food. Or something. No seriously though, the singer has a good growl. guitars are rather thick and Death Metally. Not really sure what these guys are going for, this live "Beer Song" is really confusing me because it's in English and sounds nothing like the first song. In fact, it sounds like one of those new kid Thrash bands from the East Bay or somethin. What happened to growley guy? Ah, I see there are 2 singers. The 3rd song sounds like total grind power violence ala early napalm Death with a touch of Slayer or Terrorizer. Speaking of Slayer, the last song starts with a cheap haunted house version of the Reign in Blood intro. Man, I gotta hand it to these guys - I have no idea what the fuck is gonna happen in the next minute during the entire listeing of this CD! Sounds like Necromantia now! Oh wait, now there's some funky bass interlude. Jesus, I give up - this is fukked! I dub this the "Physical grafitti" of fucked up Death grind with one song in Spanish...

Epinefrin (CDR Demo)
I looked up this word and it doesn't appear to exist, but the word Epinephrine is some sorta Neuro Transmitter or something. Anyhow, nice Thrashy melodic riffs. Singer sounds like a more Jeff Walkery version of Tomas Lindberg. The music is very At the gatsey. More with each passing riff in fact. Ok, it just got a little Dissectiony. This is the sort of Metal that sounds great with ugly/shitty demo production, but gets worse as the production improves. The quality of this recording isn't bad for a demo. Drum snare is nice and "popcorny." Some good Euro Swedo guitar work. There's just a little too much "try to sound like this and that Swedish band" goin on. But this band could easily evolve into something great if they stick with it and perhaps find a more original sound. Singer is real Jeff Walkery, did I say that? He's also very Jon Nodveidty. Anyways, it is refreshing to hear something more musical than the typical krap thrown my way.