Author Archives: Old Disgruntled Bastard

Prosanctus Inferi – Hypnotic Blood Art (2020)

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Old Disgruntled Bastard

The last Prosanctus Inferi album, Noctambulant Jaws Within Sempiternal Night, was a masterpiece of dark, blasphemous, and intricate black/death metal. But it’s been seven years since, and as was hinted by the Pulpit Sycophants demo from last year, the new … Continue reading →

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Incantation – Sect of Vile Divinities (2020)

Posted on December 30, 2020 by Old Disgruntled Bastard

On Sect of Vile Divinities, Incantation continue the trend of borrowing influences from contemporaries they started out with many years ago. Autopsy and Mortician have already been referenced on Primordial Domination and Profane Nexus, namely in the use of a … Continue reading →

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The death of the heavy metal hero

Posted on December 26, 2020 by Old Disgruntled Bastard

As the people who created the music we love reach the end of their lifespans, we are left to ponder: will we ever see their like again? There are aspects of their lives and careers that are part of the … Continue reading →

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Retrospective: Saracen – Heroes, Saints, and Fools (1981)

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Old Disgruntled Bastard

One wonders whether the NWOBHM can be tied down to a specific style of playing or if it is more a statement of attitude and energy that separates it from run-of-the-mill rock ‘n roll. More likely than any such clear-cut … Continue reading →

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Auroch – Mute Books (2016)

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Old Disgruntled Bastard

Auroch on Mute Books remind me of an updated rendition of Hellwitch, minus the speed metal infusions, but with much the same penchant for crafting lingering melody out of incredibly dense guitar playing. Other references can include Nile and Absu … Continue reading →

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Into Oblivion – Winds of Serpentine Ascension EP (2020)

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Old Disgruntled Bastard

Winds of serpentine ascensionRend these ashen cloudsThat mar the visage of our daysAnd make our linens as shrouds The zealot casts asunderOur Gods graven in stoneWords that once sanctifiedAre to our lips forsworned Our grain is not ours to eatOur … Continue reading →

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Ara – Jurisprudence (2020)

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Old Disgruntled Bastard

Ara play technical death metal that exists somewhere in the gap between old adepts like Gorguts and Atrocity, Suffocation on Breeding The Spawn, and the hyperactive California-style favored by the likes of later-day Deeds of Flesh. Ara, however, almost entirely … Continue reading →

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Retrospective: Alice Cooper’s Love It To Death (1971)

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Old Disgruntled Bastard

Love It To Death saw the original Alice Cooper band emerging from the psychedelic haze of their first two albums. Under the stewardship of soon-to-be-famed producer Bob Ezrin, the band reined in their free-form tendencies in favor of a sharper, … Continue reading →

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Retrospective: Abigor – Opus IV (1996)

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Old Disgruntled Bastard

A stylistic example of shredding, ripping, lacerating 90s black metal, Abigor‘s Opus IV is a descent into veritable snowblinded madness. A challenging listen not in the sense of later Abigor works where threads of narrative development get arrogantly upended just … Continue reading →

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Abhomine – Proselyte Parasite Plague (2020)

Posted on November 28, 2020 by Old Disgruntled Bastard

Pete Helmkamp continues to snarl and rave on the latest Abhomine. His interests have always veered towards more minimalistic expressions of brutality compared to his former bandmate in Order From Chaos, Chuck Keller. Accordingly, Proselyte Parasite Plague shares the fuzzed-out … Continue reading →

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