While all Opprobrium fans await the new LP, I thought I'd check out the deluxe reissue of their debut album "Serpent Temptation", which celebrated its 35th anniversary last year. Mine is the 3CD clamshell edition, but it was also released in a 3-cassette box set with the same audio content. Needless to say, High Roller Records did a very good job as usual. So the box contains a voluminous 20-page booklet with the lyrics of the debut album and lots of great archive photos, a cool double-sided poster with quality album art and a photo collage matching the vinyl insert, and each disc in a separate card sleeve. Now let's see the audio materials in detail. Disc 1 contains the original 1988 version of "Serpent Temptation", restored and remastered by Patrick W. Engel as befits all HRR releases. On this debut album, the trio did not yet play pure death metal, but rather a mixture of songs from the early demo period and newer songs, perfectly showcasing the band's thrash metal background as it slowly but surely transitions into death metal. This material was already considered a classic when it was released in 1988, but now it has rightfully gained cult status. Needless to say, "Serpent Temptation" with its 8 songs and 38 minutes playing time is a must for all thrash/death metal fans worldwide! Disc 2 contains the band's first demo "Supernatural Death" from 1987 in all its glory, with a total of 10 tracks. I write this because die-hard tape traders know that the original cassette version of this demo only contained four songs. In this demo, the tracks sound pretty raw, but all the instruments can be heard, except maybe the bass lines, which somehow get buried under the huge guitar sound. The full track list for this awesome demo is "Death", "Hell's Fire", "Serpent Temptation", "Sadistical Sinner", "Cataleptic", "Voices from the Grave", "Rigor Mortis", "Incubus", "Blind Vengeance" and "Assault". More than 34 minutes of great thrash metal repertoire with some death metal touches, a real treat that has finally been released in its entirety. Disc 3 is the pinnacle of this box set featuring 11 songs from 1987 recorded live at the VFW Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 28, 1987. The soundboard recording sounds very good and enjoyable despite some minor mixing issues. This was the material that combined the demo songs with new songs from the then-unreleased debut album. At the time, the band distributed it on cassette along with the advance tracks of the "Serpent Temptation" LP. All recordings of the box set feature the same members, namely Scot W. Latour (vocals/bass), Francis M. Howard (lead guitar) and Moyses M. Howard (drums). This is such a perfect anniversary reissue that I can only recommend it to everyone!!!

"Exitivm" is the ninth studio album by Dutch death metal pioneers Pestilence, consisting of twelve chapters in their easily recognizable style. Like all previous studio albums, this one also has a different line-up, so this time the mastermind Patrick Mameli (vocals/guitar) gathered the following musicians around him: Rutger van Noordenburg (guitar), Joost van der Graaf (bass) and Michiel van der Plicht (drums). This album also marks the beginning of a new alliance with Poland's Agonia Records, which will hopefully be more fruitful and lasting than any previous one. The nearly 39-minute album opens with the ominous sounds of "In Omnibvs (Intro)" filtering through to the listener from deep space. This is followed by two crushing death metal songs, "Morbvs Propagationem" and "Deificvs", both represented by online music videos, and incidentally, both deal with Ancient Ones lyrics. Then there is the slightly more abstract "Sempiternvs", mainly because of the very experimental solo part in the middle. It is noticeable that the modern sound and elements of the last four albums have continued to develop in the songs of "Exitivm", but if I had to keep it short, I would say that it is a fresh combination of the "Testimony of the Ancients" and "Spheres" records. Although there are more twisted and technically insane songs like "Internicionem", "Mortifervm" and "Dominatvi Svbmissa", where some of the drum patterns reminded me a lot of Meshuggah. "Pericvlvm Externvm" is one of the less successful tracks on the album, overall I found it a bit worn and boring. The next piece, "Inficiat", has a lot of ultra-heavy and modern riffs and exciting drumming, but somehow it's not Pestilence-like at all. The album's title track has such a massive "Spheres" vibe that it could have been part of it back then. And if I may say so, "Immortvos", the eleventh song, even added a dose of "Testimony of the Ancients" to this "Spheres" effect, but of course everything here sounds thicker and more brutal. The album closes with "Personatvs Mortem (Outro)", which starts very upset at first, but later ends quite peacefully after the croaking crows. Thanks to Agonia Records, you have many formats to choose from. I have the digipak CD version with the slipcase and the 12-page booklet, and I have to say it's pretty cool. I would also like to highlight the striking sound production of Jory Hogeveen and the fantastic cover by Michal "Xaay" Loranc, with whom they already worked on the cover of the "Hadeon" album. What else? That's it, a must for Pestilence fans!!!

Die-hard fans of the band were able to enjoy this content even before the current CD/LP release, as these songs appeared in one form or another on the "40 Years at War – The Greatest Hell of Sodom" box set released in 2022. The difference is that while the "1982" CD boxed version only contained 4 songs, this new version contains a total of 5 songs. So, in some ways, this is an expanded version of the previous one. Another difference is that the title track was remixed for this release. So you can enjoy "1982" with some minor changes in the mix, like sharper guitar sound, louder and better sounding toms, different kick drum sound, additional effects on vocals, etc. This new remix really sounds more interesting, balanced, open and with more air. The other four old classics, "Witching Metal", "Victims of Death", "Let's Fight in the Darkness of Hell" and "Equinox" arrive intact. But since "Equinox" was previously only available on the cassette version of the box set, now we can finally enjoy it in CD quality. Hell yeah! Another significant and positive difference is related to the packaging itself, this time the CD comes in digipak packaging with an 8-page booklet. The booklet contains all the lyrics, credits and recording information. The line-up for this EP is Tom Angelripper (bass/vocals), Frank Blackfire (guitar), Yorck Segatz (guitar) and Toni Merkel (drums). This is a collector's item for sure. Every Sodom fan should have this nearly 19-minute CD in their collection. So buy it now or cry later!!!

The Tankard demos were first unearthed in 2002 as a bonus disc for the "B-Day" album. Then in 2011, HRR released them in a more professional way. But now with this current reissue, HRR has surpassed even the previous edition, at least I personally think so. First of all, this version comes with a slipcase, and the pages of the booklet have been increased from 24 to 32 pages. Then there's a little bonus poster with both demo covers, but with a colored background, just like the slipcase. But the biggest advantage of this reissue is that these demos have been newly transferred from the original cassettes courtesy of Gerre, Buffo and Patrick W. Engel. The latter completed the transfer, mastering and audio restoration in October 2023. So from now on we can enjoy the 8 songs of the "Heavy Metal Vanguard" demo from 1984 and the 9 tracks of the "Alcoholic Metal" demo from 1985 with a slightly different soundscape. These demos sound pretty raw, but they give a perfect picture of Tankard's beginnings, early musical direction and perspectives. The best of both demos were re-recorded for the debut album "Zombie Attack" (1986) and some other rarities were re-recorded for later releases, such as a new version of "Alien" with different lyrics for the mini-album "Alien" (1989), "Death by Whips" for "Disco Destroyer" (1998), "Incredible Loudness" for "Kings of Beer" (2000) and "Rundown Quarter" for "B-Day" (2002). These early demos were recorded in the classic line-up of Tankard, which was together until 1989 and consisted of Andreas "Gerre" Geremia (vocals), Andreas Bulgaropulos (guitar), Axel Katzmann (guitar), Frank Thorwarth (bass) and Oliver Werner (drums). If you're a Tankard fan, I don't think I need to tell you twice to have the current version of the demos in your collection. Available formats: CD, cassette and vinyl (two colors). Hurry up to get your copy in time!!!

In May 2024, Tankard's current record label, Reaper Entertainment, announced the reissue of three classic albums: "Disco Destroyer" (1998), "Kings of Beer" (2000) and the second album from their side project Tankwart, "Himbeergeist zum Frühstück" (1996). Since these re-releases are expected on October 18, 2024 in CD and LP formats (and limited edition box sets containing all three albums will also be available), a 4-song promotional CD has been released as a precursor to properly prepare those interested for these well-designed reissues. The CD opens with "Himbeereis zum Frühstück", a cover of the Hoffmann & Hoffmann schlager song. Needless to say, this Tankwart variant takes on a rather metallic form. This is followed by "http://www.planetwide-suicide.com", a song from the album "Disco Destroyer" that still has painfully relevant lyrics. The third song is the title track of "Kings of Beer". Quite a moody song to be honest. Incidentally, this album also marked the debut of guitarist Andy Gutjahr. The promo's extra track is "Diary of a Nihilist" from Tankard's latest full-length album, "Pavlov's Dawgs" (2022). The CD has a playing time of approximately 18 minutes and comes in a cardboard sleeve. The audio of the three aforementioned reissues was carefully remastered by Alexander Ecker at Pearlsound Studio. Then there are these absolutely amazing redesigned covers by Kai Brockschmidt. In short, I'm very excited about these reissues and can't wait to examine them in detail. So die-hard Tankard/Tankwart fans can start collecting the money like I am doing.

In the case of The Crypt, you can never be sure what the next material will be like musically, as Nate is constantly straying into new areas and is never afraid to experiment. This time, the song "Provenance" properly avoids the usual metal elements, instead using a completely classical musical approach. The music itself was written by Nate Yuggoth (who plays bass and guitar on this single) and Adam Haste, while the lyrics were also provided by Nate. The orchestration was done by Fredber Hernandez and the hymnal vocal themes were served to a high standard by Vchyzhovych, Maria Elia & Millicent Chimonyo-Ntubi. Despite this, the epicness and anthemic nature can still be compared to certain metal bands, such as Manowar or Bathory. I can easily imagine this piece of art as the soundtrack of some medieval or more precisely Viking PC game, or even a film of similar inspiration. The nearly 9-minute disc also contains the instrumental version of the song, which was definitely a good idea, since there you can concentrate more on the fine details of the arrangements. The CD-R comes in a simple cardboard sleeve with Anna Gibson's cover photo on the front and all the information about the recording on the back. So, if you're into epic stuff, I recommend "Provenance", but hurry because this physical edition is limited to 50 copies!!!

With the fifth full-length album, The Crypt pushes the boundaries of experimentalism even further. On this record, their music would fit an ambient-like post-apocalyptic motion picture. The metal parts are almost completely absent, although the vocal themes here and there remain quite metallic. The album's six tracks evoke different moods, but somehow form a common overall picture. In their music, I hear the gloomy reality of barren, bleak wasteland and areas soaked in radiation, although apart from these distressing elements, there are also many beautiful musical moments that sometimes border on progressiveness. However, the mood of the songs is mostly ominous. In addition to the main members, Nate Yuggoth (bass/vocals) and Adam Haste (lead guitars/organ/keys), many guest musicians took part in the creation of atmospheres and soundscapes imbued with mystery and horror. Let me mention them: Paul Taylor (lead guitar), Mazuz (sitar), Lukas Kubelka (drums), Tyybot (programming), Dony Larsan (programming), Mike Browning (theremin), Tommy Elbrich (percussion/flute), Alexander Kubyshkin (vocals/lyrics) and Olha Lishchyshyn (vocals/lyrics). Quite a lot, right? Oh, and let's not forget the importance of Zach Vogel (producer/main recording) and Daniel Pavlov (producer/engineer/mixing/mastering). The playing time of the album exceeds 45 minutes. The visual presentation of the sonic journey is well illustrated by the 6 matching photos inside the 6-page CD booklet. This particular edition was limited to 100 copies. Fans of all things creepy try to get your hands on this release!!!

Needless to say, when a band releases two full albums in the same year, it indicates extraordinary productivity. So did The Crypt, and unlike previous experimental material, "Истребитель" returns to the beloved death and black metal genres. The 9 compositions of the more than 34-minute material radiate a unique blend of the aforementioned styles and their unbridled dynamism. Their music is extreme, rather old school, but they try to preserve the atmosphere built on melodies. Sometimes I feel the influence of bands like Morbid Angel and Deicide. However, The Crypt has plenty of its own to spice up its repertoire. Their songs are full of blast beats, catchy melodies and plenty of thrash metal riffs. The vocals are also very varied there, but mostly deep death growls are paired with high-pitched screams. The core of the band on this record is: Nate Yuggoth (vocals/bass), Adam Haste (lead guitars/organ) and Aliaksandr Kubyshkin (lead guitars/vocals). They are complemented by quite a few guest musicians, namely Paul Taylor (lead guitars), Thamnos (rhythm guitars), Ian García (drums), Maria Elia (vocals), Mason Berglund (vocals) & Mortifer (vocals). Thanks to Daniel Pavlov, the sound is solid and proportionate. I used to worry that the band would get lost in experimentation, but with this record they've returned to what I love most about them. The 12-page booklet contains all the lyrics, member pictures, some nature photos and the great Doomesia cover. Which together means a perfect release that I can only recommend to every death/black metal fan!!!

Unfortunately, the metal magic didn't last long, as The Crypt took another unexpected musical turn with this new 3-song EP. I thought I was fully prepared for the next attempt, but I definitely wasn't expecting the 80's synthwave vibe, ha-ha... Despite this, the nearly 18-minute EP still has details and influences reminiscent of traditional heavy metal. "Memories of the Sky" starts the record, which primarily focuses on the clean vocals and its melodies, unfortunately the background music has a very synthetic feel, so I think it can only play a secondary role in this song. Due to the epicness of the second and title song and its very cool vocal parts, it became a bit more metal, of course, here you have to imagine its softest possible version. The double bass drum parts make it heavy at times, but the vocal themes make this song a real hit. "Warwind" closes the EP, which is almost like the first song, giving off a melancholic ambient feel rather than traditional song structures. The cyclical melodies or rather patterns and the meditative vocal parts make the whole track quite mesmerizing. On this EP, The Crypt was: Adam Haste (synths/backing vocals), Skyler Champeau (vocals) and Nate Yuggoth (bass). But as usual, guest musicians helped them achieve the final result, and they are: Thamnos (rhythm guitars), Tyybot (programming/synths), Paul Taylor (lead guitar), Mazuz Shah (sarangi), Kaira Rouer (flute) and Frank Maloney (backing vocals). This edition comes with a 6-page booklet and is limited to 100 copies. It has some pretty unusual music, but if you like the retro 80s synth sound, definitely invest in this EP.

This CD compilation is a great addition to any Unleashed fan's collection as it includes all the material from the pre-album phase. Of course, there have been reissues of the "Where No Life Dwells" album before with some early stuff as a bonus, but not as complete as this DSR reissue. I will also point out that the recordings of these early materials are preserved in very good quality on this reissue. This is largely due to Patrick W. Engel (Temple of Disharmony) who has done a fantastic job of completely restoring and remastering the band's past sound arsenal from the original demo tapes. The contents of the CD are: "The Utter Dark" demo '90 (Tracks 1-3), "....Revenge" demo '90 (Tracks 4-6) and the complete Bielefeld recording session (Tracks 7-13), which contains songs from the "And the Laughter Has Died...." 7" EP '91, the "Century Media Promo Tape" demo '90 and songs from the Century Media Records compilation "In the Eyes of Death" '91. The first two demos were recorded at Kuben Studios in Stockholm, Sweden with the following line-up: Robert Sennebäck (guitar/vocals), Fredda Lindgren (lead guitar), Johnny Hedlund (bass) and Anders Schultz (drums). The third demo "And the Laughter Has Died...." (full recording session) was recorded at Nobel Studios in Bielefeld, Germany in the so-called classic line-up of the band, i.e.: Johnny Hedlund (bass/vocals), Fredrik Lindgren (guitar), Tomas Olsson (guitar) and Anders Schultz (drums). All three demo recordings were made in 1990, but the rapid development of the band's unique death metal style can be clearly traced through these materials. The 16-page booklet contains a wealth of archival information such as demo covers, band photos, concert/tour posters, flyers, reviews and even a recent interview with Johnny Hedlund about the beginnings. In short, this is a perfect release and a must for Unleashed fans!!!

WitcheR from Hungary is quite an active band. Their latest release is a 7-song EP, which cannot be called short with its 27-minute playing time. The special feature of this EP is that it contains covers of classics, and there are 6 of them. It's not like they haven't had covers like this before, but the current edition specifically focuses on them. The CD starts with Tchaikovsky's "Hymn of the Cherubim – Op. 41, No. 6.", which with its layered keyboard structures and gloomy monumentality also serves as a perfect opening song. This is followed by Händel's "Sarabande – Suite No. 4 in D Minor, HWV 437". It's a somber piece by nature. Here, the instrumentation is more metallic and northern, i.e. guitars and drums are also present in addition to keyboard instruments. We get a different approach from the original and a much shorter version that is completely in line with WitcheR's style. Grieg's "Åses Død – Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46, No. 2." is the third, a completely keyboard piece that transports the listener to landscapes full of incredibly sad feelings. Next comes Chopin's "Spring Waltz (Mariage d'Amour)", which somewhat breaks the concentrated sorrow of the previous three songs. This cover version also includes the metal parts, i.e. the guitars and drums. Then there's Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Three Shakespeare Songs: The Cloud-Capp'd Towers – No. 2", adapted entirely for keyboards and given a rather ethereal sound compared to the original choral version. The sixth cover is "Carmina Burana: Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi – 1. O Fortuna" by Carl Orff. I really like the evil and incredibly sinister feel of the original version, but here everything seems mechanical, mainly due to the drum patterns and the cold sound of the guitars, making the arrangements less legitimate in general. The seventh and final track of the CD is nothing more than a bonus, an own instrumental composition entitled "Summernight Melancholy", which was previously released in digital form in 2021. Despite its title, this song exudes an incredibly positive calm, and the keyboard parts are as epic as possible. In conclusion, I can safely say that Karola Gere (keyboards) and Roland Neubauer (guitar & drum programming) have put together a very interesting material, which will appeal not only to devoted WitcheR fans, but also to fans of atmospheric music!!!