The Almighty Velvet Underground were before my time, but that hasn’t stopped me from being a fan. Musically, they were before their time, and they had a classic aesthetic that still resonates with youth today! The Velvet Underground also had an artistic vision I respect, and set the bar high on creative expression. In a weird way they were the forefathers of the punk rock movement. Today, CVLT Nation would like to celebrate The Velvet Underground with a download and stream of them Live At End Cole Ave, 1969. I’m just waiting on my underground – check out the download link below!

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The tape “Time is But a Doorway to the Incinerator” by Torture Chain has this eerie solemn intro, before transforming into one of the sickest releases of the year. The first pressing via Eternal Summer sold out really quick, and after you hear this 24-minute masterpiece you will know why! Torture Chain has harnessed the ugliness of suffering and cryptic rhythm of nature into a sound that is fucking beyond unreal. Since “Time is But a Doorway to the Incinerator” plays as a single track, I would describe it as a surreal hallway, with many doors that lead to different nightmares of the mind. In this place, Torture Chain’s music is the lantern that guides you towards the flames of the underworld. What stands out to me is the way that this composition has awesome moments of melodic bliss, before turning into all-out punk warfare. Why do I see this ending up on my end of the year list? It’s because it’s such an honest creation. On a personal level, Torture Chain has made a sonic portal that, with each play, takes my imagination to an altered plane of reality. This is a listening experience that I want you to form for yourself, so below you will find the streaming and download link. Now fucking push play, blast “Time is But a Doorway to the Incinerator” and tell me it’s not the shit! DOWNLOAD HERE!!!

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BLACK HEAVENS by Desecrator is back! We are doing a limited run for the CVLT Store of Black Heavens on a black t-shirt and a black tank top. Pre-orders start now, and the shirts will be in stock and ready to ship on June 25th, 2012. It’s a small run, so they will go quickly! Check out photos after the jump, and go to the CVLT Store for more info…

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My fascination with the art of the crust pants continues – this is why I have just put together Fuck Yeah Crust Pants…In Crust We Trust Part Two. The objective is the same: to gather a heap of stench-filled flicks and share them with the world! To know how I feel about this DIY art form, read what I had to say below about Part One:

CVLT Nation Says:
I can’t front, my fascination with crust pants started in 1983, because I had older heads around me who had killer pants. While living in San Francisco during the 80′s, I started expressing myself with a needle & thread, but I really made my raddest pair in the early 2000′s. While living in Seattle, I began a pair of pants that took over my life; I would spend hours sewing on patches. During this time, I realized something: that I felt a tremdeous calming effect with every patch that I finished, and even now it’s great way for me to relax. When I see someone rocking a pair, I don’t care what country I’m in, I still get excited and I can’t help but stare. I have mega amounts of respect for people who take the time create a killer crust pants, because I know that they are a labor of blackened love. I also find it really interesting the way that every pair tells a different story, but they also connect the wearer to a worldwide tribe. The spirit of D.I.Y is totally alive, and has been passed down from punks to punks. Today CVLT Nation has put together a gallery of crust pants images that spans a least three decades, maybe even longer! So after the jump, check how humans have taken what’s around and created wearable art!

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Panopticon’s latest release Kentucky threw up a great many questions as to it’s origin and meaning to creator Austin Lunn. We are honoured to have had Lunn talk to us and explain a little about Kentucky, it’s evolution, his influences and last years stellar Social Disservices.

CVLT Nation: Kentucky comes quite soon after last years Social Disservices; were they recorded at the same time/in quick succession, or were they completely separate?

Panopticon/A.Lunn: The sessions were kind of crossed over. I am one of those folks who writes and records on whim and emotion. When I was recording SD (Social Disservices) I was really pissed off and frustrated with some things and took it out on the recording. Spring came around and I began to feel like I had gotten some things off of my chest, so as I was laying the final touches on SD, I began the writing and recording for Kentucky. Kentucky is a more thought out album I think. I spent a lot longer on it…the performances are a bit more refined and I think I was a bit more clear headed when I was working on the album.

CVLT Nation: The two records have quite different sounds, was this an evolution based on the subject matter or had you made a decision to put out two countering works?

Panopticon/A.Lunn: I tend to tailor the songs to the inspiration and subject matter. SD was angry and dark because the things I was writing about are unsettling issues. Not to say that worker exploitation and mountain top removal are happy fuckin’ go lucky, they certainly are grave issues; BUT the album (Kentucky) has a more passionate, rather than depraved feel to it (unlike SD, which I think is a bit more sinister). I guess you could say the works are countering if you wanted to, but really they are just exaggerations of things I already did, just delving into those aspects a bit more in depth.

(Hit the jump to continue reading).

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One of the raddest things about live music, especially in metal and punk rock, are the bands that take care with their stage presence. The ones that bring props, and create an atmosphere in which to conduct their live ritual. We were recently at the YAITW show in Pomona, and they killed it with the smoky, scented air filled with incense, and the skinned sheep’s head that at one point ended up in the crowd, only to be hurled back on stage. Or there is also Skinfather’s epic chain mic stand that they rocked the CVLT Nation 1st Anniversary show with. One person who understands the importance of atmosphere is Laura Greenwood of Primitive Ways Arts, who creates some truly breathtaking mic stands. As one of the co-founders of Primitive Ways Records, who just released the OCCULTIST demo, Laura creates amazing, haunting statuary using animal bones and found objects. Her materials include cow, deer, sheep, goat, squirrel, bird, woodchuck, beaver, possum, raccoon and so many more artifacts of nature and man. They are carefully crafted into demons and talismans, wands and mic stands that showcase the beauty of the objects while binding them into other forms imbued with power and energy. She just opened up an Etsy shop where you can purchase her curios…after the jump, check out a gallery of her works…enter the boneyard…

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6/2/12: Gothenburg, Sweden. Fucking Epic!!!

Back in ’08 I think it was, a group of travelers showed up at my house that were friends of an old roommate I lived with in Berkeley, CA. They were from the Gothenburg/Malmo/Stockholm areas in Sweden. I was immediately charmed by their genuine good nature and their interest in my housemates and our ways of life. Ever since our meeting up, we have had a connection that is constantly evolving. At my house, we have the Swedish connection that is enriching our way of life for all parties involved. Obviously, one aspect is our mutual interests in hardcore/punk/metal. Vicious Irene from Gothenburg stayed at my place for a while and had a mini tour in the Bay Area, and it was kick ass to have them play and hang out with us. An all-female hardcore band, Vicious Irene have been rocking it, at least to my knowledge, for about three or four years, and have different side projects happening now. The drummer, Maria, is in a band called Contorture with the brutal vocalist for Agrimonia, and we play with them tonight!

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Dúnmharú – the Irish for murder. Does that set the tone fairly quickly? It should. One of the latest buds beginning to blossom in Ireland’s black metal renaissance of sorts is the two-man raw black metal outfit Dúnmharú with this, their first full-length album “Curses Come Home”, released via New York label Broken Limbs Recordings.

First started by Cathal Hughes, nearly two years ago, Dúnmharú only began to take formidable shape last winter when the services of drummer Ross O’Connor were enlisted and the band’s primitive black metal material began to manifest itself into something very real, and something rather imposing with their first release “October” being released at the start of this year and now “Curses Come Home” sees the band continuing their journey in swift fashion.

A glimpse at the artwork suggests raw, unpolished and unforgiving black metal that tips its hat to Norway. If you thought that then you’re on the money. “Curses Come Home” is predictable in that regard but not so much so that the album is a bore to listen through. Anything but. This is invigorating, orthodox black metal savagery executed with reckless abandon all perpetrated by a dark, black beating heart.

And while the production is rather abrasive and unrefined, it isn’t ridden with the same lo-fi mire that many of their influences’ most infamous records are. There’s a judicial use of modern recording at play here but mercifully it doesn’t render “Curses Come Home” sterile. That becomes clear when the grim lead guitars instigate the album on “What Dwells”.

Meanwhile, second track “Recede” is brimming with a black ‘n’ roll-like quality, and moves the record away from sombre airs. “One Journey” then takes the band back into gloomy territory and is a lesson in solid mid tempo black metal.

Read the rest of the review after the jump!
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Grafitti has existed on this planet since humankind landed. I know that I have been into scrawl on walls ever since I saw my first gang tag in the 70′s. The writing on the walls has so many different meanings to everyone. For some, it’s a political statement or an expression of art, for others, it’s vandalism. Street art has started to gain respect in the mainstream in the last decade, but cops are still assholes, so there is still that outlaw factor. Another interesting thing about the grafitti subculture is that it transcends gender, race, class, nationality and musical preference. A good example of this is heavy metal-loving NECKFACE. This Stockton-bred latino skater-turned-artist has taken the New York streets and the art world by storm over the past five years. It’s been killer watching this cool dude spray paint his demented imagination all over the world and make a living while doing it. NECKFACE has been able to balance his street cred while maintaining a presence in the art universe that is full of oversized egos. I dig the way that his art has almost a child-like quality, but at the same time it deals with our darkest thoughts. My personal favorites of NECKFACE are on the walls of Tokyo’s alleys, or on top of New York businesses. Today, CVLT Nation wants to celebrate our favorite grafitti creep NECKFACE with a huge gallery of his work. Stab your eyes out and have look at death itself after the jump!

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“Negative Black“ marks the return of the german behemoth doom machine Black Shape of Nexus. It’s been four years since its predecessor “Microbarome Meetings” but i can already say that all of this delay was really worth it. Recorded in the mild winter of 2011/12 this album is a new mark in the discography of Black Shape of Nexus, to me is by far their best recording to date and one of the heaviest, i mean really, really “heavy” in the whole sense of the word, albums of the year. This is going to be your neighbours favorite soundtrack, wheither they like it.. or not. Having an unbelievable length of 80 minutes, this album is meant to tear down every single building where it will be played at. So take a deep breath and prepare to let your skull be successively pummeled by this massive sludgy doom sledgehammer as you immerse yourself into BSON’s dark palette of “Negative Black“.

The album starts with “Illinois”, an intro that begins immediately by punishing our ears with some infernal guitar feedback, it proves automatically that these guys aren’t fooling around, so as the bass and drum fall to the ground, it begins to move, starting to grind us very slowly into this giant machine that is “Negative Black“, once there, we realize that it will be a long and painful process. And it’s throughout this process that the band seems to withdraw all the fuel they need to get this colossal machine going, like as huge mechanic bison, equivalent to a 20-story building, that crushes everyone and everything that cross in front, leaving behind nothing but a trail of destruction as it marches along at a very, very slow pace.

Read the rest of the review after the jump!
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