I fucking love used record shops. Well, except for the hipsters. But the possibilities are endless. Between finding cheap classics, stumbling across rare albums, or picking up a random album you’ve never heard, there’s no telling what you can exhume. Talking about what I find on these ventures will give us an interesting mix of albums I otherwise probably wouldn’t review due to their age or simply never having heard of them. Of course, sometimes I find shit-all. I don’t think I’ll talk about those occasions much. Anyways, recently I was sent out west to British Colombia for work, so let’s see what I scooped up on my spare time
Purtenance – Crown Waits the Immortal (7”) (1991/2016)
I was already a fan of Purtenance of this EP; their debut album “Member of Immortal Damnation” was a monster of an album in the early 90s Finnish death metal scene and I have several copies, some of which include this EP as bonus tracks. I was tickled pink to find their 7” EP sitting in a used record store, but I was surprised to find this isn’t the original pressing on Drowned Records, but an allegedly partially-official 2016 reissue that I didn’t even know existed. It was released by Tributte Recordz on a very cool-looking transparent vinyl and limited to only 25 numbered copies – guess that explains why I didn’t know about it. Describing guitars as rusty chainsaws seems clichéd, but I really can’t think of a better description for the decrepit sound Purtenance managed to capture in this recording. Filthy death metal at its best.
Necrot – The Labyrinth (2016)
Aw yeah. Necrot are exactly what I love about death metal, filthy sound with spewed vocals and great riffs. “The Labyrinth” is a compilation of early demo material from these Californian deathsters. Their latest demo on here, 2014’s “The Abyss,” is my favourite of the bunch; tracks like “Scattered” and “Rebirth in Chaos” are just pummeling. It looks like the CD booklet was folded wrong at the factory and the actual cover is buried inside the fold-out insert, so the label had to put a sticker on the shrink-wrap with an image of the cover so you know what the fuck you’re looking at. Love it. Necrot’s 2017 debut album “Blood Offerings” was also a total ripper, so check that out too.
Divine Eve – Vengeful and Obstinate (2010)
A short EP full of death metal goodness, it might not be quite on the level of their legendary 1993 EP “As the Angels Weep,” but it certainly delivers. The lead guitars in “Whispers of Fire” are fantastic, and “Vindication” is as Celtic Frosty as it gets. Now if only they’d drop their goddamn album already, we’d really be in business.
The Light of the Dark / Throneum – Brotherhood in Darkness (2001)
I bought this only knowing and loving Throneum, a Polish death metal band that has been releasing rabid, frothing-at-the-mouth death metal since the late 90s. Their half of this split doesn’t deviate from their tradition and delivers energetic, frenetic cuts, including one of my favourites of theirs, “Mutiny of Death,” a track reworked here from their 2000 demo “The Underground Storms Eternally.” The Light of the Dark (now only Light of Dark) is a fairly generic fast black metal band, not terrible but certainly not something to write home about either.
Aosoth – IV Arrow in Heart (2013)
It’s a known fact that when the French aren’t spending their time taking naps or running away from shit, they craft some of the world’s finest black metal. Aosoth is no exception. Possibly the best release so far in their stellar discography, “IV Arrow in Heart” manages to be simultaneously majestic and ridden with decay. Definitely worth your time if you’re even remotely interested in black metal.
Well, that’s all for our first edition of Sloppy Seconds. Until the next random haul of musical goodies.
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