Author Archives: Old Disgruntled Bastard

Ancient Empire – Other World (2016)

Posted on October 13, 2017

The New Wave Of True Heavy Metal (NWOTHM) rages on with California’s Ancient Empire. The movement has now lasted for far too long and with far too much sincerity to be pigeonholed with other retro-themed metal subgenres. Big chords, rousing … Continue reading →

Posted in Heavy Metal | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Spirit animals, spirit bands

Posted on October 12, 2017

Do you know that internet algorithm that computes your spirit animal? Silly, I know, how a world so out of touch with the earth gladly embraces the concept of totem animal from a people that prided themselves on being guardians … Continue reading →

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What makes Incantation unique

Posted on October 12, 2017

[Incantation have come to be the preeminent death metal band to be borrowed from, but how much do the new adherents really have in common with the legends? Condemner guitarist P.B. contributes this analysis on the subject] I suppose that … Continue reading →

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Incantation – Profane Nexus (2017)

Posted on October 11, 2017

Perhaps the most significant thing about Profane Nexus is the presence of ‘The Rites of the Locust‘. Here, Incantation take aim at the global pestilence of Islam, thus becoming one of the few established underground bands to avoid the honey … Continue reading →

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Death Metal Battle Royale Round 2: Demigod’s Slumber of Sullen Eyes vs The Chasm’s Deathcult for Eternity: The Triumph

Posted on October 7, 2017

    The first match of Round 2 pairs the death metal connoisseur’s ultimate album in Slumber of Sullen Eyes from 1992 against The Chasm‘s Deathcult for Eternity from 1998. The following list of criteria are used to evaluate them: 1. … Continue reading →

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Blue Öyster Cult: The early albums

Posted on October 5, 2017

Rarely does one find dyed-in-the-wool metalheads making concessions in the direction of Blue Öyster Cult as a seminal proto-metal band. Their reluctance is understandable; beyond the radio hits (‘Don’t Fear The Reaper‘, ‘Burnin For You‘, and maybe a few songs … Continue reading →

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Music is amoral in essence

Posted on September 14, 2017

The debate over the musician’s social responsibility is moot. Music is an aesthetic phenomenon and should be judged on that ground alone. To pollute the experience with political consideration is to bring it just that much farther out of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughts, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Undergrind 2017 featuring Vader (September 24, Vapour Pub, Bangalore)

Posted on August 30, 2017

While every other purportedly metal concert in the country has been overrun by effete poseurs in sunglasses and patch-infested evening denim-wear, sold out by a whorish desire to appeal to the widest possible audience in chase of greater ROI, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Death Metal, goregrind, Grindcore, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Of Deceased and Robert Frost

Posted on August 30, 2017

“I told her to cherish the spirit  She just sat and cried at the grave” – Deceased, A Very Familiar Stranger Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? Many things change as we grow older and colored by the vagaries … Continue reading →

Posted in Death Metal, Thoughts | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A thought on bands using Incantation and Immolation as template

Posted on August 28, 2017

Frequent commenter neutronhammer left the following on a Phrenelith review: “I want to like this, but there is something about this album that is a bit off. Quite a few jarring, decontextualized start-stops. Songs which resemble a pastiche of riffs … Continue reading →

Posted in Death Metal | Tagged , , | 2 Comments