Sangraal - Sangraal 7"

 

13 years later, the resurrection of Gehenna brought a new Sangraal 7" too. Nothing has changed, only Mike Cheese's throat has become more coarse, but apart from that expect galloping black metal hardcore. 2011 7" on Rock Cocaine.

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Sangraal ‎– Gemini Wars

 

 A more chaotic version of the Wolves Of Armageddon album of Sangraal, the black metal alter-ego of Gehenna. 1998 self-released tape.

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Sangraal ‎– Wolves Of Armageddon LP

Fuck yes. Side project of the unforgiving Gehenna from San Diego/Reno, one of the most legendary metallic hardcore punk bands of the 1990s alongside Integrity, Ringworm, Catharsis. They played raging nuclear warfare black metal with generous measures of hardcore and thrash; in fact they're very similar to the recordings Gehenna did in the late 90s and early 00s, Negotium Perambulans In Tenebris and Upon The Gravehill (especially the latter one). Mike Cheese's gnarly nasal delivery takes on an even more characteristic tone when he sings in black metal rasps, and the music is as violent as it gets to start a moshpit in your living room with Celtic Frost-via-Darkthrone-via-Infest riffs. Speaking of Da Frost, there's also a really cool cover of "Morbid Tales," filled with blast beats and spacey wah leads. Awesome! 2000 LP on Wicked Witch Records.


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VA - In Our Time LP (CrimethInc. Compilation 1997)

I've mentioned how important CrimethInc. records and its bands were in politicizing me as a teen punk/metalhead. Its mid-to-late-1990s records of Catharsis, Gehenna and Timebomb were integral in the consolidation of the metallic hardcore genre, and more specifically the "holy terror" subgenre, along with Integrity, Ringworm, All Out War, Kickback and a few more American and European HC bands. The Inside Front zine run by Brian Dingledine - singer of Catharsis and key figure of the label/collective - opened my eyes to so many hardcore punk bands and features important articles about politics, anticapitalism and self-organization. Over the years CrimethInc. kind of became irrelevant to me politically as I moved towards more Marxist viewpoints but I still go back to read some of the stuff.

Anyway, this LP features seven tracks, one each by Belgian thrash-metal-influenced straight-edge/vegan legends Congress, Italian political metallic hardcore Timebomb, deathcore barbarians Systral from Bremen (check out their split 7" with Acheborn), more old-school hc by Refused side-project Final Exit, nightmarish sludge/punk by the incomparable Damad, technical mathy hc by Jesuit (members of which were Brian Benoit of Dillinger Escape Plan and Nate Newton of Converge/Old Man Gloom), and the highlight which is the absolutely evil, scary, infernal and apocalyptic medley of "Testimony/Divine Rewards" by Gehenna, one of the most savage and destructive hardcore punk bands ever. Even though all tracks here are absolutely awesome, they can be found elsewhere in the respective bands' releases, but this track, consisting of a jam of "Testimony" from their classic 7" The Birth of Vengeance and unknown track "Divine Rewards," hasn't ever been released anywhere else, not even in the re-release of The War of the Sons of Light and the Suns of Darkness.

Apart from the rich booklet containing lyrics and interviews/texts of the band plus a second booklet analyzing the strategies of standardization and uniformity in Western advanced capitalist societies. This is an essential release of 1990s political hardcore, so you must get it. 1997 LP on CrimethInc.

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Catharsis/Gehenna - Live In the Land of the Dead/Eat, Fight, Fuck (Live at CBGB's)

Two of the best metallic hardcore punk bands of the mid-to-late 1990s. This live split 12" was released on Wicked Witch Records in 1997-8 (don't remember exactly anymore). The Catharsis side has also featured on a split cd with Brazilian band Newspeak. Gehenna side is absolutely rabid.

No lp pics, as I got this at my parents' house, which is like 500 km away, so it's just the vinyl rip I did like 10 or more years ago. I think sleeve scans can be found in the Am I Mean? blog - look on the right.

For the time being, uploads will be made on Mega, as I think it is faster - Zippyshare seems to take forever...

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