A Terre Update / El-Ahrairah Represses

I apologize for the first non-rip post, especially after such a long bout of silence, but just a quick plug.  We at A Terre have a batch of new releases scheduled for the coming weeks over at our bigcartel site, up now for preorder:

Shaidar Logoth - Chapter I - The Peddler MC
Straightforward black metal from Minnesota. Enormous guitars and pummeling drums and a machine gun vocal attack. 4 tracks on 50 cassettes.

Venowl/Marsh - A Collaboration MC
A short yet powerful piece of non-music, this tape combines the minds of Illinois's own noise/black metallers, Venowl, and Minnesota's black metal act, Marsh, for two songs of harsh blackened noise. Edition of 25 cassettes.

El-Ahrairah - Self Titled MC repress
Second pressing of the first cassette from this Minnesota Black Metal act. Remastered for cassette with updated artwork. Edition of 50 cassettes.

El-Ahrairah - The Blessing MC repress
Second pressing of the second demo from El-Ahrairah. A more straight forward approach to black metal on this tape. Edition of 50 cassettes.

El-Ahrairah - The Demos 2xMC box
Lavish double cassette box which includes the first two demos, a booklet with lyrics and new artwork, and a screen-printed logo patch. Edition of 25 copies.

El-Ahrairah - The Blessing [MC] (2010)

Download via MegaUpload


second demo

Drowning the Light - The Land of the Dead Sun [MLP] (2011)

Download via MegaUpload


A very bizarre release.  Azgorh teamed up with Shatraug, Molestor, and Stormheit during his tour thru Finland and this record was the product.  That in and of itself is very normal; just some bros makin' beats, but I am infinitely baffled as to why it has nationalist themes..  Australia and Finland, so oppressed, so stained with blood together by those big bully Christians.  But, yeah, this record rips.  Buzzsaw guitars, tortured shrieks, and one of the gnarliest bass tones I've ever heard, it sounds like a mechanical shark dropped 8 octaves through a pitch shift pedal.  And as odd as the nationalist themes on this record are, they do set the backbone for some pretty triumphant riffs.  Hail victory Finlandaustralia I guess.

(Oh, and my bad about that annoying ground buzz between tracks; I'll rip it again)

Confuse - Indignation [LP] (1997)

Download via Megaupload


This is THE D-beat chaos noise raw punk album. Confuse's "Indignation", originally released in 1984 on cassette, set the standard for the D-beat, noise punk, and crust bands of today. Hailing from Japan, which seems to be the center of everything awesome in the world, Confuse decimates everything in its path. There are not enough words for me to describe the power of this record. Just listen and distort 'til deafness.


More pics after the break.

Witchfynde - In The Stars [EP] (1980)

Download via Megaupload


Witchfynde was a band from Britain in the mid 70s that rode in on the NWOBHM. This is their second single from 1980. It features two songs that have the elements of classic rock, NWOBHM, and even (sort of a stretch) doom. This record is catchy as fuck. Seriously, you'll listen to it once and be singing it the rest of the day. But, despite it's catchy-ness, it's still a hard hitting attack. Also, my copy didn't come with a cover, it was just the dust sleeve, so the cover scans are not mine.


More pics after the break.

Akitsa - Soleil Noir [PicLP] (2004)

Download via MegaUpload


Absolutely killer EP from Akitsa, containing some of their best material spanning from noise to black metal to oi.  In the blown out, punkish vein of early Absurd, this record stomps through each track with furious momentum.

But, seriously, La Retour du Soleil Noir, great oi track. Soleeeeeeeil Nooooooir.

Bolt Thrower - In Battle There Is No Law [LP] (1988)

Download via Megaupload


Imagine a bulldozer driving through a horde of Orcs and Trolls, killing everything in it's path, while simultaneously making ears bleed. This is the sound of Bolt Thrower's first full length. Bolt Thrower is from the U.K. and plays early Bolt Thrower-worship. \m/ This album fucking decimates. Released in 1988, this album is still more brutal than a lot of "Death Metal" albums out today. Take note posers, this is how it's done.


more pics after the break.

El-Ahrairah - Tribute to Bathory [MC] (2011)

Download via MegaUpload


Recorded as promo for a Bathory set we played at a local cover show a few weeks ago; ended up selling most of them online before we could distribute to anyone locally.

3 tracks of raw Bathory worship, so put on that patch vest and nod slowly. Contemplatively, even. Just make sure that girl over by the bar sees your kvlt Moonblood patch.

Musta Kappeli - Saatanassa Ulvoneet [MLP] (2008)

Download via MegaUpload


Uh oh, that Molestor is up to his old antics again.

What I've heard of Anal Blasphemy I wasn't too fond of; but, it's kay, this outlet for his "sigh Finland is soooo boring" productivity is focused more on wolves and satan than on penises and ejaculation.

This album is dark and sharp; mid-pace black metal made brutal and inevitable.  The chugging battlewagon only halted by some out-of-place keyboards that are trying to tie in with the "black chapel" theme of the band but falling short.  A name means alot in a band, it sums up the desired atmosphere or hopefully helps to illuminate it.  So, maybe I'm missing something when I listen to this and think more of a Nattens Madrigal-esque "wolf in man" rather than a satanic chapel churning out demonic hymnes fore his glorious rebirthe.  Also, the clean vocals are pretty sweet.

Sigh - The Curse of Izanagi [EP] (2010)

Download via MegaUpload


<rant> I'll be honest; I hate how my love for Sigh is becoming more and more of a guilty pleasure as the band gets consumed with their Lacuna Coil-like marketing strategies.  Mirai makes a name for himself and his band (perhaps in lowercase italics, but still a name) keeps evolving it over a period of 20 years, then apparently gives it all up and yields control and front(wo)man-ship over to the Jessica Rabbit meets Beetlejuice of Black Metal.  Nice career move, Shadowking.  </rant>

And that's half of what is so great about this EP; it represents a different side of modern Sigh.  The reimagining of The Curse of Izanagi is even more brutal and hateful than the original (which all curses should be).  Definite highlight of the release.  Unfortunately they seemed to rush the production of the EP and threw filler tracks onto it.  I mean, the covers of Spiritual and Countess Bathory are great, except this marks the third time that the latter has been on a Sigh release. Excessive? You decide.

Drowning the Light - The Fading Rays of the Sun [MLP] (2009)

Download via MegaUpload


I know, right? Another one of these. Fading Rays of the Sun was released immediately after Blood of the Ancients and it shows; this release echoes it's predecessor perfectly, which might be a problem if Blood of the Ancients was bland or mediocre, but lucky for ya'll it kills perfectly.  I don't mean that in like the "man, this Stormcrow record kills" way; fortunately for you this is the sound of death. Death, dying, and rotting.  Majestic keys might make the descent bittersweet while Azgorh's vocals and beautifully shrieky leads drag you down to the depths.  There really is no other atmosphere to compare this chapter of DTL's catalog to, all I know is that I can't wait for Land of the Dead Sun to arrive at my doorstep.

Skaven / Stormcrow - Split [EP] (2008)

Download via Megaupload


This is one heavy slab of wax. Skaven, being the insanely crushing war-crust, Bolt Thrower and Amebix worshipping powerhouse that they were, bring to the table one absolutely pummeling previously unreleased (at least to my knowledge) track of pure chaos and despair. The soundtrack to the wasteland. Members of this band were also in the all-mighty Lachrymose and Asunder. I still have yet to be able to get my hands on a copy of either their 7" or the split with Dystopia, but alas, this will have to do. Stormcrow solidify their place among the likes of other California crusty doom legends and show that crust can still be interesting in the wake of Appalachian Terror Unit and Tragedy. Coming straight off of one of my top 5 crust records of all time, the Sanctum split LP, this 7" shows no sign of them slowing down in their quest to decimate and destroy all life. But looks can be deceiving and in 2010, Stormcrow called it quits. Such a bummer that they are now defunct, leaving us only with a handful of splits and one full length. Still, their legacy will forever remain as the crust war gods of the mid-to-late 2000's of California. \m/


more pics after the break.

Syphilitic Vaginas / Nunslaughter - Under Satan's Command / Satanic Masturbation [EP] (2009)

Download via Megaupload


Another killer Syphilitic Vageenz post to add to the growing list on this blog. You know the drill by now, SV plays killer G.I.S.M. worshipping crust as fuck existence blackened speed metal bitch. Nunslaughter actually surprised me with this release. I had never given them the time of day before purchasing this 7", partly in fact due to the Satanic Threat 7" and also in part to them having a release schedule that competes with that of Agathocles and Abigail. But, nonetheless, I was missing out all this time. Nunslaughter is fukkin' killer, bro. For real. It's just a rowdy, raunchy, butt-fukkin' good time. Grab some beer in one hand, some tits in the other, and distort 'til deafness! Keep on it!


more pics after the break.

Locrian / Harpoon - Split [EP] (2009)

Download via Megaupload


Locrian is a two piece band from Chicago, Illinois. I saw them play at Heavy Focus III last year and they blew me away. It was simply guitar, vocals, and synths layered with harsh noise. They stood out to me so much because they so easily mixed all the best elements of doom, black metal, and noise. Killer shit. On this release, they team up with the drummer of Velnias to create a killer 5 minute, 20 second long black metal track. Keeping with the theme of the blog, their contribution to this split is raw and atmospheric. Tortured vocals and fuzzy guitars make this very familiar, but with enough variations to keep it interesting and original. The packaging is also totally sweet. The 7" comes in a nice, stamped cardstock foldout cover. Killer release. Oh yeah...and then there's this other band, Harpoon. Why...seriously. Why.


more pics after the break.

Ensorcelor - Urarctica Begins [MC] (2010)

Download via MegaUpload


Ensorcelor is a beast that was gnashed and ripped into existence by the icy winds of Montreal, Quebec.  This band sounds like if Baton Rouge's sludge factory Thou had a copy of the Satanic Bible accidentally dropped into their anti-government book queue at the local library.  It just sounds evil.  It's refreshing to have a band that conjures up this evil atmosphere without solely screaming "naaaaah Saaaatan" into the mic.  Pure blackened doom with sludgy riffs and just the right amount of melody to pull your head out of the water before it casts you deep into this muddy swamp.

Revenge - Attack.Blood.Revenge [MLP] (2001)

Download via Megaupload


Revenge is another one of my absolute favorite bands. They embody chaos. There is nothing that can compare to Revenge. Other J. Read projects have come close, obviously Conqueror being the most similar, but none has ever emit such hatred or unleashed a pure fucking noise armageddon. Also, I dare you to find a more original and incredible cover of Bathory's "War." If you haven't already been obsessed with this band, now is the time to start. I'll post my other Revenge albums in the coming weeks. Play this as loud as you possibly can.


more pics after the break.

Moonblood - Fullmoon Witchery [LP] (bootleg)

Download via Megaupload


Regardless of the legitimacy of this release, I'm still so fuckin' stoked to have Moonblood on vinyl. These are some of their best tracks, taken from rehearsals in 1996 and 1998. I can't even think of words to describe this record. Moonblood makes the best black metal I've heard. Just...listen guys...for real...you'll shit.

Controlled Bleeding - Hog Floor [LP] (1991)

Download via Megaupload


Controlled Bleeding's "Hog Floor" is a unique mashup of early harsh noise material and beautiful keyboard ambient soundscapes. The first three tracks are fucking BRUTAL. Take note all Mac Book Pro noise "artists", this is how noise is meant to be made. The first three tracks can be likened to an oil refinery being set ablaze by napalm bombardments. Guaranteed to make you anxious and make your ears bleed. Play at maximum volume. The B-side is much more calm, almost relaxing. Lots of lush keyboards. Also, I didn't split up the B-side. It didn't feel right for me to do it. So, now you have a 20 some minute Controlled Bleeding song. Just what you always wanted.


more pics after the break.

Os - Twelve Truths [LP] (2008)

Download via Megaupload


Haunting, and shrouded in mystery, Os's album, Twelve Truths, is a testament to the impending downfall of civilization. With only two songs, one each side, this record drags you through sludge and darkness, never relenting and never ceasing the punishment. It might be cliche to say, "The vocals are tortured shrieks," but that's exactly what they are. They are distant and soaked to the bone in reverb. It sounds like they were recorded in a public pool or gymnasium. It's basically all mid-range frequencies. Harsh as fuck. The instrumentation is evil and dissonant raw as fuck sludge. Pure fucking insanity.


more pics after the break.