Shroud of Despondency-Tied to a Dying Animal

Self-Release/Independent
2014

Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Shroud of Despondency have always been a hard act to wrap your head around. On one hand they are a black metal collective hell-bent on offering up some of the most extreme metal that you can find while on the other hand they have been known to flex their creatively into the realms of acoustic/melodic rock. The thing is that sometimes within the boundaries of just one simple number! So, when this apologetically unique act takes on a double album like this when, well, anything and everything can and does happen! Active since the later part of the nineties, with the two-hour "Tied to a Dying Animal" serving as their fifth full-length endeavor (with demos, splits and two live albums now filling out the rest of their back-catalog!), Shroud of Despondency tries their hand at (pretty much) two separate emotional releases. As such it might be better to look at these two albums as entirely different albums and split-up the time you listen to both (as let's admit it here folks, but two hours of music, black metal or not, can be a bit much to listen to in one setting!). For moments when you just want to witness angry, disconnected and jarring material be sure to plug yourself into the the first half of "Tied to a Dying Animal". For moments that pass by a bit more "calmer" then try the more acoustic side of this double-album. While it would seem to be an odd pairing (bleak and desperate, extreme black metal angst and then calm and collected acoustic material!) it does work...although perhaps better if taken one at a time at different moments of the same day. Otherwise a release like "Tied to a Dying Animal" might just leave you feeling lightheaded and faint! So, be warned....

 http://shroudofdespondency.bandcamp.com/album/tied-to-a-dying-animal-3

The Lurking Corpses-23 Tales of Terror (Re-Release)

 

Hells Headbangers

2013

With the countdown to Halloween already starting for all the lovely little ghouls and goblins out there, which is understanding as I'm all about the customs and candy myself, what better way could there possibly be to celebrate the occasion then this limited edition 2LP re-release of "horror metal*"? I can't think of any myself as we're talking about Fort Wayne, Indiana's own The Lurking Corpses who, having formed in 2001, originally released this sample-heavy (it sounds like mostly old horror films clips), tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek album back in 2003. Serving as their debut-album/introduction to the masses (as well as their first potential recordings since having just escape from the insane asylum LOL!!!), the ghoulish "23 Tales of Terror" was a naughty little collection of tracks that were as much about sex and violence as they were a showcase/celebration for the band's obvious love of old-school and new-school horror films. Up front on the mic was (and still is) Lord Vladimir Von Ghoul whose ghoulish, Danzig-like delivery could easily switch over into a death metal growl at the snap of two boney fingers! While the group, whose latest release, 2012's "Gross Encounters of the Sacrificial Rite", was a split with Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's The Beyond, has struggled through their fair share of line-up changes (among the changes in this group has been the use of 5 different guitarists since 2001!) they are still at it and when you listen to this re-mixed and re-mastered double LP it's easy enough to see the appeal they possess. Even though the band tips the scales between death metal and horror punk there's more than enough "straight-down-the-middle" heavy and trashy metal to keep this one well grounded. Early on it's obvious to tell that the group has a love for The Misfits, but if you're also a  fan of bands like Samhain, Grave Robber, The Undead and Vladimirs then this is an album you might want to listen to. And then there's the obvious reference of solo Danzig as well a thrashed-over Schoolyard Heroes or a much more talented and twisted form of First Jason! All told there's just so much ghoulish rock going on here that for someone like me, who is most definitely leaning towards the weirder side of life, it's just too much fun to pass up! As it is a llimited-edition double-LP, available on both colored vinyl and traditional black vinyl, you'll want to snatch your own copy a.s.a.p. as it's sure to sell out.

 

* The Metal Archives claims that the band refers to their style of playing as "Horror Metal".

http://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/the-lurking-corpses-23-tales-of-terror-vinyl.asp