Fuck the dumb shit, one the sickest records to come out this year was created by New York’s Villains, entitled Road to Ruin, released via Nuclear War Now Productions. This album is one xtra-large blackened gnarly riff that will have you head banging in the flames of the underworld. Villains’ music has an aura of filth about it, that you will not be able to avoid, and yes, they do have an 80′s thrash vibe about them, but they don’t come off as retro at all. This band kicks Jesus ass with their brand of black thrash that charges straight at you out of your speakers. When listening to Road to Ruin, I’m reminded of how I felt when I first heard Slayer or Merciful Fate in the mid 80′s – this band’s music has murderous amounts of youthful energy about it. Unholy fuck, Villains’ vocals are creepy, sleazy and catchy as sin, with the intention of eating the Pope’s head off. What really makes this record stand out is the guitar work; it’s like watching your favorite horror movie, but it just so happens that you are listening to your favorite riffs. Fuck, their song “Land Hag” says it all, because it’s got everything I want my metal to have: speed, danger and a high voltage of we don’t give a fuck. Villains are all that and a bag of daggers, because they know the power of keeping a groove and conjuring up the right amount of putrid melody. The production on Road to Ruin is perfect; it’s lo-fi, but then still clear, which just adds to the tension you will experience on this album. We all live on this fucked planet, and sometime you need that music that makes you forget that you are in the 99% being fucked over by the 1%. Road to Ruin is a dark escape into a world where metal rules! Who cares if people get this album or not, because I get it – sometimes you need to play the kind of blackened thrash that will eat your face off, and Villains do the job. Is there one wack song on this album? HELL NO! Let’s head bang those dumb fucks out of power! Somehow, some way, find Road to Ruin and kick off your journey into the real side!

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Midnight, for those who don’t know, play beer soaked, blackened heavy metal. Equal parts classic Bathory and Judas Priest with a massive dose of punk energy, their latest release, Satanic Royalty, takes the blueprint laid out by their singles and split compilation, Complete and Total Fucking Midnight, to the next level. A whirlwind of NWOBHM inspired, heshed out metal, Satanic Royalty is a blast of sulfurous air in a genre so often taking itself too seriously. With a live set consisting of black hooded maniacs setting their instruments on fire, destroying their gear, and wreaking general mayhem, Midnight take no prisoners. Opening with the eponymous “Satanic Royalty”, the differences from their earlier releases are clear. A noisy intro consisting of backwards vocals, organs, distortion gives way to a fist pumping guitar lead. For fans who were worrying about the production on this record, do not worry-this is a near perfect mix. With guitars right up front, drum and bass driving each track (not buried!), and the vocals of Athenar crisp and clear, the production on here puts the immense talent of each member on full display.    READ MORE…

Triple Beast, Triple Kill, Triple Destruction…if you want to have the sickest blackened thrash band from Chile paint your world with evil, well I have the answer. They go by the name VIOLENT, and they just released one of the gnarliest four song tapes that I have heard in a while, Human Genocide, out now via Kvlto Al Metal Productions. Unholy fucking rawness, VIOLENT unleashes pure black diseased decaying riffage that never lets up from start to finish. They took the speed of thrash, the attitude of punk and the torment of black metal, and mixed it all up to craft a sound that breaks bones and shatters dreams at the same time. VIOLENT’s music is ultra primal, which makes sense, because the drumming on this tape is fucking ballistic! Then you have the vocals, which seem to be mixed with gun powder and blood. Lyrically, VIOLENT are on point as well – I dig the way that they are focused on the apocalyptic times in which we exist. What really gets me about this band is their use of rancid melody, which gives their songs a killer sense of rotting groove. This band’s songwriting is off the hook, with loads of unexpected changes, plus an awesome use of thought-provoking samples. When you get your copy of Human Genocide, and you play their tune “GENOCIDE MASTER” full blast, then you will realize how good chaos sounds. One thing that I take away from listening to this is that VIOLENT are true fucking metal maniacs, and they do not make music for poseurs! I’m so impressed with this band that they have gained a spot on CVLT Nation Blackened Everything Vol.5, because I’m addicted to the kind of speed that this band cranks out. I have been listening to VIOLENT on fucking repeat – I give my word this band is all that and a bag of spikes! After the jump, get all of the ordering for this limited edition tape release, plus check out more killer art by vocalist Elias Tormentor.

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Creepsylvanian is open for creepy business…on Nov. 8, 2011, Oaktown maniacs GHOUL will be unleashing their new album Transmission Zero via Tankcrimes! The real reason for this post is to allow the world to see how Kevin Hobbs was able to capture their most recent at the Oakland Metro Operahouse. I will not front – the GHOULS were in top form, no doubt, but the way that Kevin filmed this gig is amazing. I guess you could say that he got the pit point of view. The band whipped their fans into chaotic frenzy and it’s sick as fuck to watch. What this footage actually does is make you want to go see GHOUL on their upcoming tour with GWAR. Only on CVLT Nation will you be able to see the whole set of GHOUL’s creep fest! So after the jump, get your mark of voodoo on and check out this ultra killer show!

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One of the raddest things about being a punk kid in the 80′s was the fanzine culture. D.I.Y was not a word for us but an lifestyle. Out of this culture grew the cottage industry of fanzines & from this, the independent publishing houses that produced them. Back then these fanzines were our internet – they actually connected the East Coast punks to the West Coast punks. My first love was my local, Flipside, & my second favorite was NoCal’s Maximum Rock & Roll (they brought the global perspective to fanzines with their global scene reports). Today, CVLT Nation is featuring two epic zines from the 80′s: the punk zine Urban Decay & the metal zine Brain Damage. Both of these have some awesome interviews from bands of the day, plus some killer art. Get your fanzine download on after the jump!

URBAN DECAY

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That’s right, lady, eat the baby. It’s been three months and over 1000 downloads of their first collaboration, but Brad and Cato have composed another trans-Atlantic mix of forgotten ancient metal all for your listening pleasure, or displeasure, depending on how you feel about obscure 80s thrash. Words from the mixmasters below…

Unheralded thrash got a shot in the arm with our first mix, so Cato and I decided that we needed to take another journey into the thrash underground, though this time it would be darker, more obscure, and ultimately more dangerous! When our two sets of selections were united I was left battered and bruised. So once again, I’ll let the music take no prisoners as it shreds your eardrums.
Brad

Tracklist & Download After the jump!!!
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Human Furnace and his men did it again: they came out with another relentless record to preach the masses a perfect example of merging Cleveland Hardcore and Thrash Metal to bring hate, pain and utter brutality among human decadence. Scars is the newest fraction in a long row of records of which every single one sticks true the path Ringworm took 20 years ago. Every Ringworm record presents variations of metallic Hardcore, the newer ones tending more towards Thrash, but always being close knit to their roots. And Scars is no exception to this.
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New York’s Flourishing have crafted a fitting soundtrack to the apocalypse with their debut album The Sum of All Fossils.  This is vile, misanthropic metal that stretches everywhere from hellish grindcore to progressive metal, blazing an ashen path through the modern metal landscape. This New York based trio keep heavy company; bands like Krallice, Castavet, and Tombs, all who are contributing to one of the most vital and forward thinking metal scenes in the country. Flourishing’s sound is difficult to pin down. There’s touches of industrial, noise, death metal, grind, crushed together and creating something new. The name Flourishing is appropriate here; these are musicians synthesizing all they respect about a genre yet still treading new ground with every brutal track.
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Leather, Studs & Motorhead…now it’s time party until we can’t party no more! This band was one of the many bands that linked the punk kids & metalheads together, not only by the music they created, but also by their I do not give fuck attitude. It was Suicidal Tendencies artist Ric Clayton that turned me on to them in 1982 & they just opened up mind to metal. The other thing that punks respected about Motorhead for was their D.I.Y outlook towards things – they might have been on major labels, but they did things their own way. After over 30 years in the business, Motorhead is still on the road louder than ever. In 2003, the BBC did a pretty insightful documentary about the life on the road with the band that will never die. One thing I found interesting about this film was the sense of family that has been nurtured over the years between the band & crew, plus how important their fans are to them. In my book, Lemmy is a stand up sort of dude & calls it how he sees it. Remember that this is one of the bands that set the foundation for speed metal, thrash metal & hardcore…CVLT Nation salutes them. So after the jump, check out this rad documentary plus some really awesome flicks R.I.P Wurzel!

Knock knock at your front door…the brand new sound of the Apocalypse has arrived, in the form of the yet to be released TOXIC HOLOCAUST album, Conjure and Command, via Relapse Records which will be unleashed into the universe July 19th. Damn, this record is so freaking rad, it’s fucking insane…every track is a sonic onslaught that I don’t want to end. Conjure and Command is full of nuclear drum beats that will explode your bones & radioactive riffs that will infest your whole body until nothing is left. The song “Judgment Awaits You” kicks off the album, and from this tune you can tell that this going to be one hell of a ride. When I first heard this song, I thought someone was about to rip my head off. For me, it’s the third track, “BITCH,” where things really get ballistic – the opening riff to this song is amazing & they keep blazing through the whole song, which was smart. The lyrics & vocal delivery are totally at one with rampage of the track. TOXIC HOLOCAUST has mastered how to harness all of their rage into a potent mix of crust metal fury. Even the way that they mixed Conjure and Command was smart, because there is a constant feeling of heaviness on every track, & this album never loses it’s caustic punch. For all of the sick speed & rabid energy that this album possesses, it still retains this metallic melodic vibe about it that draws you into every song. The solos have this ancient cryptic sound that could be the war cry for a Viking horde. Joe Grind paints a vivid portrait of the fucked up world we exist in, with tales of unneeded wars & battles that will lead us to our destruction. You can hear the band’s influences, but honestly, they flipped the script & there is nothing unoriginal about Conjure and Command. TOXIC HOLOCAUST has given his fans a record that they will be able to devour now & for fucking years to come. I do feel that Conjure and Command is warriors’ music, & fuck the dumb shit I’m down for whatever, what about you? After the jump, check out some super epic live TOXIC HOLOCAUST footage!

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