Riding Hellwards: Volume 1 (1999)

Various Artists - Riding Hellwards: Volume 1 compilation tape 1999
1) Moonsorrow - Taistelu Pohjolasta
2) Thorax Serpenti - Hatred Souls (rehearsal)
3) Pandemia - Created Again
4) Nazgul - Celtic Lands
5) Shadowbreed - Path in the Dark
6) Baphomet - Crucifixion
7) Thoronath - Kristet blod
8) Katassamalass - Masticated Human Flesh
9) Svartkrist - Into the Abyss (live)
10) Atavism - Cemetary Cannibalism
11) Impuro - Orgia
12) Diamatregon - Throne to Eternity
13) Bilskirnir - For the Return of Paganism (rehearsal)
14) Demon Realm - Hammer of Hate
15) Unholy Archangel - Foronis
16) Prejudice - Perpetual Pain
17) Grimoria - A Great Sacrifice
18) Gorewinter - Buried by Night
19) Baxaxa - Thorn of Steel

Depositfiles / Rusfolder

I haven't done compilation tapes for a while and since master Sorvali's contributions included these too, I decided to upload this Belgian one today. Thanks to Henri again for the rip and scans! I don't know if more volumes of Riding Hellwards were released, but this one here came with an A4 newsletter and includes almost 90 minutes of mostly black metal bands. To my delight, it also includes a number of domestic bands besides the international cast.

The newsletter is a single A4 sheet, with print on both sides so I suppose I should say two pages. It contains interviews with Black Witchery, Funeral Rites and Moonsorrow, these are all quite short, especially Funeral Rites which is also pretty thin on the information side too. The other two are a better read. As for the main dish, the compilation itself, the sound is good and quite consistent, no extremely drastic volume leaps here. Music ranges from the epic heathen metal of Moonsorrow to raw and fast material like Baphomet to brutal death metal of Katassamalass and bestial blasting of Unholy Archangel. Prejudice's distrubingly modern metal sounding track also stands out like a sort thumb. Quite a varied selection of tracks despite having a black metal focus and several first time listens too. I'm going to need another listen and take some notes, there are a few bands I must inspect further.

Undead Productions compilation (1996)

Various Artists - Undead Productions compilation tape (March 1996)
1) Enkil - My Final Sunrise
2) Enkil - Mine King and Queen Are Dead
3) Nephilim - Fire Beyond the Black Haze
4) Black Funeral - Ex Sanguini Draculae
5) Black Funeral - The Floating Blue Witchlight
6) Abazagorath - Les Fleurs du Mal
7) Abazagorath - Nightrealm
8) Demoncy - Ascension of a Star Long Since Fallen
9) Darkness Enshroud - Into the Abyss
10) Sorath - The Darkness Returns
11) Sorath - Winterblack and Sorcery Beyond
12) Haborym - The Ancient Land of Serenity
13) Akhkharu - Prey to God
14) Akhkharu - Cosmic Ecstasy
15) Avatar - A Lost City
16) Darkened Skies - In Winters Ancient Slumber
17) Funeral - Night and Fog
18) Mercyful Fate - Satan's Fall

Yandex / Zippy

It's been several months since I last posted a compilation so this would be a decent spot to do so again. Also this is again a contribution from someone, thank you once more! Undead Productions was the label/distro of Enkil's Magnus Thorne. A second volume was supposed to be released in 1997 but I don't know if it actually was. Somehow I'm under the impression it didn't happen. (UPDATE: Wrong, it was released about a year later as confirmed by various sources!) I could use cover scans for this one, all I presently have is the photo of the cover seen above (and the UP logo).

This was dubbed on a 90 minute cassette, as was pretty much the standard back then. It's pretty obvious when you look at the tracklisting that one of the songs is a filler. Well, he might've been a big fan but still it's obvious. I'm kind of reminded of the Sverd Storm #2 compilation. Moving on, there's a bit hiss present but as I always say it just adds to the tape feeling, no? Most of the roster are US black metal bands, the tape starts with Thorne's own project Enkil and related band Nephilim which you'll possibly remember from the old posts. Baron von Abaddon has been given plenty of room too, with two tracks of Black Funeral, one long, rumbling Darkness Enshroud piece and intro+track from Sorath. The only non-US bands on the compilation are Belgian Avatar, with a track from their '94 demo (which is pretty cool) and France's Funeral, later reborn as Kristallnacht. Oh yeah and then there's the Danish bonus artist. Except for the last one, all tracks presented feature a more or less murky demo sound which is a unifying feature. Standouts include Nephilim's track (which seems exclusive to the compilation), Baron's stuff and Akhkharu for being plain awful. Please don't mix this one with the better one associated with DAP. Oh, almost forgot to mention, Darkened Skies is also interesting as I don't seem to find much (well, any) info on them. Would like to hear more. Anyways, check this out especially if you're interested in the 90's USBM.

Resplendence newsletter #3

Resplendence newsletter, issue 3 (September-November 1996)
Interviews:
In-Quest
Ironsword
+ reviews

Yandex

Friday night filler. Yeah, I'm not going to pretend this'd be really much more. But hey I told you I'd do these every now and then when I posted the two Syphilis ones, right? Resplendence was the name of both a 'zine/newsletter and an underground label, both run by Bart Marescaux, vocalist of Rhymes Of Destruction and his comrade Frederic Caure, former R.O.D. bass player and also a member of Serpentcult. The first two Resplendence issues were in full A5 'zine format, haven't seen 'em but they're listed to have 44 and 52 pages and at this third issue they switched to newsletter. No idea how many issues they did after this one. As for the content, there's 8 A5 pages, last though filled with a list of their releases. Interviews are a little so-and-so but at least Ironsword gives quite long answers. I don't really agree with the editors' attitude either but that's my issue. It's an ok quick read, have a look.

Oops, I had accidentally deleted the text when I meant to delete a misspelled comment! Restored now. Kids, don't drink and inter net.

Warvomit - Sadistic Perverted Majesty demo 1997

Warvomit - Sadistic Perverted Majesty demo 1997
1) Intro
2) Conquerors
3) Nuclear Slut
4) The End of Time
5) Lead You to Your Grave
6) Impale the Usurper
7) Our Lust
8) 1000 Faces Of Evil
9) Flight with the Stormwind
10) Krieg
11) Warvomit (Kaos Mix) [Bonus Track]

Reuploaded - 2022

Going to divert from my original plans, I decided there has been enough lighter or nicer music for now and it's time to post something raw and dirty. If the band's name is Warvomit, you'd expect them hold their end of the bargain when it comes to raw and dirty, right? Things start up with a familiar intro which could have been cut a little and the first proper track "Conquerors" makes clear this is indeed raw and dirty. A bit messy demo sound and musically somewhere in between punk, black/thrash and war metal in the vein of Blasphemy and company. Generally more midtempo than fast and even slows to doomy pace at times. Untight playing, crude rehearsal-like demo sound and rough vocals, what more can you want? Well, at least the first song is too long and overall this is quite a lot to take at one sitting, intro plus ten tracks at 47+ minutes is too much.

This was ripped from a tape traded dub but it doesn't affect the sound quality much. Unfortunately I didn't have a copy of the covers so I've borrowed another stamp-sized image from Metal Archives. Proper scan would be cool. Recommended for people into bestial metal, punky stuff and rough thrashing madness.

Suhrim - Mountain Of Skulls demo 1994

Suhrim - Mountain Of Skulls demo III 1994
1) 21st Name (Intro) / Thoughts Without An End
2) Blind Servelety
3) Mountain Of Skulls
4) Forgotten Years
5) I'll Await Your Fall

MediaFire

Death metal from Belgium, this is the third demo of Suhrim, a band I randomly picked from one of my tape traders' lists back around 1997. Doesn't probably sound too exciting but don't fret, it's not at all bad stuff! Quite brutal death metal mixed with melodic if not even atmospheric bits. Not too shabby sound quality either, though the tape hissed like a few hundred snakes in a cavern, I think I managed to fix most of it to a toleratable end. No covers so again I've borrowed a Metal Archives image. It is slightly larger than a stamp. Recommended to all Suhrim fans (I know there are such, why else they'd have a forum?), death metal collectors and 90s demo enthusiasts.