Convocation

01. Convocation - Scars Across, 2018 CD Album      Everlasting Spew Records - SPIT017CD And so dies the calendar. Let us rejoice for all things noisy and larger than other loud things to come in the new calendar. Have a good one and crank this Convocation bastard to 11 and make your new year's eve the funeral of the year! The giant music matches the very superb artwork! Most awesome doom and death until the last breath! Cheers! Remove brackets and unzip: [zerification] !ZER Convocation ZER!

Venom vs. Venom Inc.

01. Venom Inc. - Avé, 2017 CD Album      Nuclear Blast, Nuclear Blast - NB 3801-2, 3801-2 02. Venom - Storm The Gates, 2018 CD Album      Spinefarm Records - 2577021626 Laaaaaaaadies and gentlemeeeen! From the very depths of zerrRrRRRrRrrRRrrrRRR, Venoooooooooooooom twiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice! For those who are not Venom-woke, since 2015 we've enjoyed two concurrent incarnations of Venom: the Cronos-led Venom and the Mantas/Demolition Man-led Venom Inc. (sort of M-Pire of Evil re-branded). Both are legit. I saw Venom Inc. last year at a festival and they were amazing, of course spitting out all the 1981/1984 classics with utter energy. I lost my voice that evening. So, which one is the best? From a graphical art perspective, Venom Inc.'s artwork is much better. The Storm The Gates artwork is just ridiculous. What with this smoking-dick giant stone demon shitting out small demons who climb on the high portal of heaven on the back of the CD? Fuck! If it is a parody, it is too well done for my tiny neuron. That Venom Inc. flute-blowing demon is much more sinister and engaging. Musically speaking, both are excellent, they sound very, very similar delivering the crunchy sleazy thrashy heavy rocking metal they have been famous for for the past four decades. I have a preference for Storm The Gates. I find the songs slightly more exciting and crispier (but again, Avé  is very close in style and performance). The big advantage of Storm The Gates is its more visceral, less clinical production. I have been thinking the drumming on Avé was a well-programmed computer track. I am still not sure - anyway, it sounds too clean. Storm The Gates has that raw 80s atmosphere but bigger, just perfect for these songs. Two magnificent albums by veterans who know their public, nothing new or innovative, but who would want anything else from this team? Two fucking zeristic albums for the ancient metalosaurus! Lay down you soul twice!! I am glad they are unable to reunite as a single band, it provides us with twice as much fucking VENOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!! Remove brackets and unzip: [welcome to zer] !ZER Venom Inc., Venom ZER!

The Blood Divine

01. The Blood Divine - Awaken, 1996 CD Album      Peaceville - CDVILE 62 02. The Blood Divine - Mystica, 1997 CD Album      Peaceville - CDVILE 70 Too light for doom metal fans? Too heavy for goths or 70s rockers? The two magnificent albums of the short-lived The Blood Divine may have commercially suffered from lack of extremities, especially in the 90s when everything metal had to be more extreme than anything else (those who remember the Usenet forums like alt.rock-n-roll.metal.death remember the early days of keyboard duels). But on the artistic level, these minor masterpieces are rich and lively purveyors of non-traditional doom metal with a 70s non-Black Sabbath approach. The singer came from Anathema after all. The songs are gloomy but not funeral, the general atmosphere may be dark or light, but never with much joy. These are great soundtracks for winter. They rock but you are always on the verge of freezing. Majestic ruins, heavy with sadness, not losing qualities as time passes, I've always loved The Blood Divine, and I shall continue. Remove brackets and unzip: [divinizer] !ZER The Blood Divine ZER!

Zay

01. Zay - Cry For The Moon, 2017 CD Album      Zay-Nin Records - ZAY-NIN-001 A member of the Zerbook mentioned this album and it whetted my appetite immediately. Thanks to the Discogs market, the CD landed swiftly and enlarged the zeriverse. This is a killer release that deserves to become a little classic of the future. Zay do not reinvent the thrash, they deliver they personal take. It is as rough as sophisticated, almost progressive in some places, then super crunchy and heavy again, with explosions and blasts. You may think of Slang and Forward associated with Beyond Description and Shikabane. Some Rose Rose or Paintbox? A large spoon of each and a good ass-kicking! Extra superb crossover thrash punk full of sweetness and fury! Bang that head against the zerrific metalized japcore addiction! Remove brackets and unzip: [zayr] !ZER Zay ZER!

Reload: Bellzlleb

01. Bellzlleb - Bellzlleb, 1989 CD      Nude Records - NUDE-002 02. Bellzlleb - Section II ~ある愚者の生涯~, 1990 CD Album      Bang A Gong - GONG-6018 03. Bellzlleb - 祈り (Inori), 1990 CD EP      Nude Records - NUDE-003 04. Bellzlleb - Mr. Ree ～傀儡とSAD～, 1991 CD Album      Free-Will - FWR-010CDL Requested: rezerred. Remove brackets and unzip: [formidable] !ZER Bellzlleb ZER!

Peggio Punx

01. Peggio Punx - Discography, 1981/1989 CD Compilation x 2      SOA Records - SOA 66      Reissue from 2002 - Studio recordings 02. Peggio Punx - Discography, 1982/1989 CD Compilation x 2      SOA Records - SOA 66      Reissue from 2002 - Live recordings After watching the "Italian Punk 1980/1989" rockumentary (see below), I felt like posting this incomplete Peggio Punx discography. PP were among the classic 80s bands, those who managed to cross the border and appear on international compilations (my first encounter with PP was though the monumental P.E.A.C.E. compilation). PP were playing a less intransigent and more flexible kind of hardcore, not unlike Impact or Kina. In that style my favorite will always remain the unmatched Indigesti, yet PP offered, as soon as they passed the demo stage, something fresh and different from the relentlessness of the monsters of abrasion CCM, Negazione, Declino etc. I am not going to waste time ripping the vinyls as this double CD discography is very well done, faithfully mastered and contains everything except the last album, which I have never heard, is it good? FLAC link? Now let's bang our heads against the nearest Doc Martens and thrash with the Italian hardcore forever triplazer! Remove brackets and unzip: [Italian hardcore forever] !ZER Peggio Punx ZER!

Turn on the subtitles:

The Meads Of Asphodel

01. The Meads Of Asphodel - The Excommunication Of Christ, 2001 CD Album      Supernal Music - FERLY005CD 02. The Meads Of Asphodel, Mayhem - Freezing Moon, Carnage / Jihad, 2002 CD      Supernal Music - Ferly007CD , Compilation      Contains 8 songs by: The Meads Of Asphodel, Mayhem 03. The Meads Of Asphodel - Exhuming The Grave Of Yeshua, 2003 CD Album Limited Edition      Supernal Music - Ferly010CD 04. The Meads Of Asphodel - The Mill Hill Sessions, 2004 CD Compilation      Godreah Records - FAFF04CD 05. The Meads Of Asphodel - Damascus Steel, 2005 CD Album Limited Edition      Supernal Music - FERLY020CD 06. The Meads Of Asphodel - In The Name Of God, Welcome To Planet Genocide, 2006 CD EP      Firestorm Records - FSR006CD 07. The Meads Of Asphodel - The Early Years, 2009 CD Compilation      Godreah Records - FAFF05CD 08. The Meads Of Asphodel - The Murder Of Jesus The Jew, 2010 CD Album      Candlelight Records - CANDLE324CD 09. The Meads Of Asphodel, Old Corpse Road - The Bones Of This Land Are Not Speechless / English Black Punk Metal, 2010 CD Album      Godreah Records - FAFF009 , Compilation      Contains 10 songs by: The Meads Of Asphodel, Old Corpse Road 10. The Meads Of Asphodel - Sonderkommando, 2013 CD Album      Candlelight Records - CANDLE392CD Swords, crucifixions and headbanging! TMOA is a strange beast of polymorphous black metal - almost sailing the seas of Sigh. If you hate Sigh, the probability you will hate TMOA is high. Twelve dozen tons of weirdness equip this lot with the devices needed to survive in an ocean of generic black metal, which they really are not. If early Darkthrone teamed up with Bolt Thrower to hire a gang of violinists and then kidnapped a chamber music orchestra to create hybrid music that ranges from Mayhem to Rammstein - and of course the holy Sigh! -  while watching Holy Grail, they would name themselves The Meads of Asphodel. Some sections are cheesy as fuck and I suspect it is deliberate, just like the LOL-inducing medieval photos. This is a unique band, very much tongue in cheek, with teeth grinding moments alternating with pure headbanging bliss. A unique beast of metal and definitely British! Brilliant beyond zeristic horizons! Remove brackets and unzip: [fetchez la vache] !ZER The Meads Of Asphodel ZER!

Détente

01. Détente - Recognize No Authority, 1986 Vinyl LP Album      Banzai Records - BRC 1983 02. Détente - Recognize No Authority, 1986 CD Album Reissue      Cognitive Records, Roadrunner Records - none, none      Reissue from 2007 03. Détente - History 1, 2008 CD Album      Cognitive Records - none      Demo 2 (1985) and Catalepsy demos 1 & 2 (1986/1987) 04. Détente - Decline, 2010 CD Album      Cognitive Records - none Fast, loud and pissed! In terms of rage, style and efficiency, Détente matched the fury and the setup of Holy Moses or Sentinel Beast: female-fronted aggressive thrash destruction! But unlike HM and like SB, their discography is way too short - which may contribute to their cult status. The first album is an underground 80s classic, all the demos rip (cf History 1 CD). and the last album is a terrific come-back 24 years later with a new lady torturing the microphone with as much determination and ear-burning power as original star Dawn Cosby (R.I.P.). Brilliant hostility! Recognize no authority and thrash til zer!!! Remove brackets and unzip: [the problem of political authority] !ZER Détente ZER!

Reload: Asbestos

01. Asbestos - To The Memory Of The War Victim...., 1994 CD Compilation      Tribal War Asia Records - ASIA-7777      1-5: demo tape 1987, 6-10: War Crisis EP 1988. 11-22: The Final Solution... LP 1989. 23-24: V/A The Bottom Rise Up The Top flexi 1990. 25-26: taken from V/A Smashing Odds Ness 2 LP 1991. 27: taken from V/A 革命-Best Run Fast LP/CD 1991. 02. Asbestos - Agonized Cry, 1996 CD Album      Decontrol Records - Decontrol 1 Requested: rezerred. Remove brackets and unzip: [war victims everywhere] !ZER Asbestos ZER!

Reload: Doom

01. Doom - No More Pain, 1987 CD Album      Explosion Records - EXP-HMD251050      Reissue from 1989 - Includes Go Mad Yourself! 7" 02. Doom - No More Pain (Complete ExplosionWorks Session), 2015 CD Album Reissue, CD Album Reissue, All Media Remastered      13th Real Recordings - 13RR1001/1002      Reissue from 2015 - CD 1 - 1-8: LP Version, 9-12: Go Mad Yourself!, 13-14: Bonus Flexi 7'' 03. Doom - No More Pain (Complete ExplosionWorks Session), 2015 CD Album Reissue, CD Album Reissue, All Media Remastered      13th Real Recordings - 13RR1001/1002      CD 2 - CD version (includes Go Mad Yourself! EP) 04. Doom - Complicated Mind, 1988 CD Album      Invitation - VDR-1577 05. Doom - Killing Field..., 1988 CD EP Reissue Remastered      Victor - VICL-62213      Reissue from 2007 06. Doom - Incompetent..., 1989 CD Album      Invitation - VDR-1635 07. Doom - Human Noise, 1991 CD Album      Invitation - VICL-116 08. Doom - Illegal Soul, 1992 CD Album Reissue Remastered      13th Real Recordings - 13RR-1006      Reissue from 2017 - Includes 4 bonus tracks from Freakout 7'' and split EPs 09. Doom - Doom VI Illegal Soul, 1992 CD Album      Alzheimer - AHR-2 10. Doom - Where Your Life Lies!?, 1999 CD Album      Ape Bros. Ltd - APBR0001 11. Doom - Instruction Manual... 1988-1991, 2016 CD Compilation, DVD DVD-Video NTSC Stereo      13th Real Recordings - 13RR1004/1005      Compilation 1988/1991 12. Doom - Instruction Manual... 1988-1991, 2016 CD Compilation, DVD DVD-Video NTSC Stereo      13th Real Recordings - 13RR1004/1005      DVD soundtrack 13. Doom - Still Can't The Dead, 2016 CD Album      13th Real Recordings - 13RR1003 14. 2017 Requested: rezerred. Any intel on how to get the new EP is very welcome. Could not find it on CDJapan nor on Diskunion. FLAC link? DOOM RULE!!! Remove brackets and unzip: [doom forever] !ZER Doom ZER!

Sigh

01. Sigh - Scorn Defeat, 1993 CD Album Reissue      Hammer Of Damnation - HODCD018      Reissue from 2011 - 2012 reissue - Includes the six songs Venom tribute 02. Sigh - Infidel Art, 1995 CD Album      Cacophonous Records - NIHIL 7CD 03. Sigh - Ghastly Funeral Theatre, 1997 CD Mini-Album      Cacophonous Records - NIHIL 17CD 04. Sigh - Hail Horror Hail, 1997 CD Album      Cacophonous Records - NIHIL 24CD 05. Sigh - Scenario IV: Dread Dreams, 1999 CD Album      Cacophonous Records - NIHIL 34CD 06. Sigh - Imaginary Sonicscape, 2001 CD Album Reissue Remastered      The End Records - TE122      Reissue from 2009 07. Sigh - Gallows Gallery, 2005 CD Album      Baphomet Records - BAPH 132 08. Sigh - Hangman's Hymn - Musikalische Exequien, 2007 CD Album      The End Records - TE084 09. Sigh - Scenes From Hell, 2010 CD Album      The End Records - TE141-2 10. Sigh - In Somniphobia, 2012 CD Album      Candlelight Records Usa - CDL509 11. Sigh - Scorn Defeat 20th Anniversary Gig, 2013 CD Album Limited Edition      Mort Productions - MORT 081 12. Sigh - Graveward, 2015 CD Album      Candlelight Records USA - CDL591CD 13. Sigh - Heir To Despair, 2018 CD Album      Candlelight Records, Spinefarm Records - 2567925507, 2567925507 Requested, zerred - almost a reload. The mastery of Sigh does not weaken after 25 years, their new album is just as amazing as all the previous ones. Weird blackness, plague and beauty, polymorphous invasion of the meat, symphony of sickness, Venom tribulations, the art of sonic expansion: welcome to zer. To make it simple, the dirtier, rawer side of their craft is to be found on the first two releases and on the superb live Scorn Defeat 20th anniversary, while the post-angular, head-scratching, larger-than-the-universe defenestrations shall be found on all the other releases. But sophistication does not mean dilution of the black blood: Sigh is that band that manages to never let go of the roughness of their 80s influences although they have reached the higher end of the musical panorama and psychedelia. If black metal had existed in the 70s, this is what we old thrashosaurs would have heard. Favorite albums? Hard to tell - probably Infidel Art for nostalgia reasons, and In Somniphobia because it rules the universe even more than the rest of their catalog. Nobody sounds like Sigh and Mr Bungle can suck my hair. Truly weird, true awesomeness in the triplazer forever in the EZTT of black edifices! Remove brackets and unzip: [sigh of it all] !ZER Sigh ZER!