Battlemaster - Warthirsting & Winterbound (2007)

Richmond, Virginia has become a hotbed of shining gold heavy metal in the last few years with bands like Inter Arma, Bastard Sapling, Cannabis Corpse and Battlemaster. The years-anticipated full-length this band put out lived up to everyone's expectations and blew them away quite easily; it's got speed, it's got heavy, it's got funny (if you pay attention to the lyrics, vocals or both there's great payoff), the drumming is out of this world and you'll feel like you're hearing Enslaved, Withered, Immortal and Deströyer 666 trying to come up with a supergroup formula but Battlemaster's already got what you want the way you want it. One of the best metal releases of 2007, Richmond metal history; it is the record this band needed to get out there. Get this, buy it if you can, and for the real experience, of course: see them live.

Artist: Battlemaster
Album: Warthirsting & Winterbound
Year: 2007
Genre: Blackened thrash metal
Quality: 320kbps (very high)

1. Sorcerous Villainy - 3:37
2. Intelligencer
3. This Mead Is Making Me Warlike - 3:06
4. Power Word: Kill - 3:15
5. By Beard And Throne - 4:50
6. Undermoutain - 4:14
7. Dungeoncrawl - 3:46
8. The Mindflayer's Addiction - 2:53
9. Lessons In Deathmagick - 3:36
10. Masters Of Battle, Masters Of Death - 11:17

102 MB

Battlemaster on MySpace for streaming audio of old and new songs.

"By Beard And Throne" live at Rumors Boutique on January 6, 2008



Download Here.

Behemoth - The Apostasy (2007)

The blasphemous follow-up to their "Demigod," you can expect more extremely intense heavy-as-and-fast-as-hell Polish blackened death here. This is their first album to also chart on the Billboard 200, which depending on who you ask, is good or bad. They put out a music for "At The Left Hand Ov God," which these days is not unusual for a metal band really but for this particular style and genre, having one of such high production when you aren't Amon Amarth is rare. Many song titles refer to Jesus and the desecration of; "Rome 64 C.E." refers to the city of Rome during the time when it had supposedly burned during the Great Fire of Rome, where the apostle Peter and others died, which becomes the direct reference point for "Slaying The Prophets Ov Isa." Isa is the Arabic word for Jesus. "Pazuzu" is about the Babylonian mythological creature of the same name, representative of the southwestern wind, the bearer of disease. "Christgrinding Avenue" refers to the Via Dolorosa, the street in Jerusalem where Jesus carried his cross on his way to the crucifixion as noted in the Stations of the Cross. Enjoy!

Artist: Behemoth
Album: The Apostasy
Year: 2007
Genre: Blackened death metal
Quality: 320kbps (very high)

1. Rome 64 C.E. - 1:16
2. Slaying The Prophets Ov Isa - 3:23
3. Prometherion - 3:03
4. At The Left Hand Ov God - 4:58
5. Kriegsphilosophie - 4:23
6. Be Without Fear - 3:17
7. Arcana Hereticae - 2:28
8. Libertheme - 4:53
9. Inner Sanctum - 5:01
10. Pazuzu - 2:37
11. Christgrinding Avenue - 3:50

83.7 MB

"Rome 64 C.E." intro plus "Slaying The Prophets Ov Isa"



Music video for "At The Left Hand Ov God" (ludicrous amount of cheese on top of high production)



Download Here.

Sigh - Hangman's Hymn (2007)

Japan's Sigh started as a black metal band; one of the first few in Japan, as most at the time were coming out of places like Norway and Sweden. They went in a more thrash and death metal sound through the 90's and into the 2000's they adopted a far more experimental sound, now often being labeled as "avant-garde." Their singer, Mirai Kawashima, has described the style of the music as a "German thrash-metal-meets-symphonies" style. The band added a second vocalist and saxophonist, Dr. Mikannibal, a female recruit. Samples from "Me-Devil" were used in the trailer for the documentary "Global Metal." Released on The End Records.

Artist: Sigh
Album: Hangman's Hymn
Year: 2007
Genre: Blackened thrash meets symphonics?
Quality: 320kbps (very high)

Act I

1. Introitus/Kyrie
2. Inked In Blood
3. Me-Devil

Act II

4. Dies Iræ/The Master Malice
5. The Memories As A Sinner
6. Death With Dishonor
7. In Devil's Arms

Act III

8. Overture/Rex Tremendæ/I Saw The World's End
9. Salvation In Flame/Confutatis
10. Hangman's Hymn/In Paradisum/Das Ende

93.2 MB

Download Here

Listen to "Inked In Blood," my personal favorite track from this record here.



Sigh on MySpace