The following cassette is a part of the boxed set issued by Fekete Terror Productions in 2018 under the title "2014-2017 Tape Collection". The second tape out of four includes Aornos' early material, the "Alea Iacta Est" EP, originally released in 2015. At the time, the band was fully managed by Algras (all instruments & vocals). Side A of the cassette has 2 own compositions (the title track and "From the Nameless' Pit"), both of them reflects a balanced alloy of symphonic black metal that maximally focuses on the heritage of the Norwegians, it's like a horrific blend between the music of Emperor and Dimmu Borgir. The third track is an interesting cover on Hungarian Carcharoth's "Peccatum Originale?" song. Despite the original one had its lyrics in English, this version comes with Hungarian lyrics and has been renamed to "Eredendõ Bûn?". Side B features four more cover songs: Morbid Angel's "Eyes to See, Ears to Hear" (a very odd-like version, especially vocals-wise), Bonanza Banzai's "A Halál Dalol" (the most unexpected cover for sure), Sear Bliss' "Far Above the Trees" (good interpretation of the original one) and Land of Charon's "Az Elsõ, az Utolsó, és az Egyetlen" (nice tribute to this Hungarian gothic/dark metal band). What else? The black cassette, of course, is equipped with a J-card of superior quality and design respectively. It's a must to have for all the pedantic fans of Aornos!!!

"From the Deep (A Tribute to the Masters of Dark Side)" is the fourth tape in the "2014-2017 Tape Collection" box. Originally released in 2017 and available only at the band's bandcamp site in digital form. As you might expect from its title, this release is about cover songs. There are six of them in total. The difference from tape two is that this one has no covers on Hungarian performers. So the list of covers is as follows: "The Dawn of a New Age" (Satyricon), "Eyes to See, Ears to Hear" (Morbid Angel), "Ensorcelled by Khaos" (Emperor), "To Thou Dwellest in the Night" (Arcturus), "The Discipline of Earth" (Thorns) and "Moon in the Scorpio" (Limbonic Art). You can clearly see and hear, which bands inspired or influenced Algras (all instruments, vocals), be it musically or spiritually. Have to admit, he did a damn good job with all the above listed tracks. He arranged them in a masterful way and adapted the originals to the world of Aornos. The outcome sounds balanced and rather enthralling. The cassette is black, like the rest in the box, plus like the rest it comes with an awesome cover artwork and J-card layout designed by Anvil Kvlt. The only thing I felt a little bit incorrect in this 4-piece collection is connected to the thinness of the tape itself. It is almost transparent. So in my opinion, it will be worn out sooner as you would expect. You've been warned!

To tell you the truth, I've already reviewed the CD version of "The Great Scorn" in the 5th number of Encomium 'zine, but since this tape release is not a simple re-release, I feel the need to mention for you all the differences hereinafter. I will start off with the nine album songs at first. They've got an alternate mix, where the drum and bass tracks were potentially improved, so you can hear more of those instruments in the mix. Especially I liked how the bass lines have been highlighted there giving an even more sophisticated touch to the whole material! Then we have 3 additional live bonuses, namely "Castellum" (from the debut album "Orior"), "Trace to Beckoning Fade" and "Dysangelium" (from the 2nd album "Mors Sola"). The membership on these live songs is the following: Algras (guitar/main vocals), Tibor Terebesi (guitar/backing vocals), S (bass/backing vocals), Dávid Lõrincz (keyboards) and Róbert Mester (drums). Good to notice Aornos' monumentality is preserved during the live performances as well. Finally, to the red-colored cassette we've got a masterfully designed J-card by Anvil Kvlt that comes with a new freaking awesome interpretation of "The Great Scorn" cover. This over 66 minutes long tape release I would warmly recommend to all the zealous fans of Emperor, Arcturus, Limbonic Art and progressive black metal music in general!!!

This split tape is uniting two Hungarian one-man ambient projects. Side A includes the song called "Pillars of Time" by Asattarn. The over 20 minutes long composition with its otherworldly yet haunting atmospheres can be a really good choice for another sequel to the "Silent Hill" film or to something like that. Gábor Varga masterly paired the cold-blooded feel of the horror movies with his drone-like visions. Side B has five songs created and performed by Krisztián Antal. He defines the music of Teophania as deep ambient. Well, the over 3 minutes long musical chapters will guide the listener to different relaxed soundscapes that are indeed full of emotional vibrations. But how deep one may enter or dive in there, will be exceptionally depending on the individual's subconsciousness. To be honest, I am rarely listening to such music at home, nevertheless I found both materials worth listening to. The black-colored pro cassette comes with a plain J-card and can be purchased at the links below. Attention fans of ambient, this edition was limited only to 50 copies, so hurry up to get your copy in time!!!

Carcharoth from Hungary was disbanded for some time, but their heritage undisputedly lives on. That is why Hunug Records dug out the band's second and last studio album "Urdung" and pressed it onto classy grey cassettes. The 10-song material itself was recorded back in 2008. During its 67 minutes one will have the possibility to discover the uniqueness and all the oddities of Carcharoth's music. Their repertory builds up from a really wide range of styles. The core is black metal, but it was cleverly mixed up by elements of avant-garde, progressive, psychedelic, symphonic and folk music, just to mention a few. Needless to say, the resulting material sounds huge and innovative! The involved members were: Molestus Kalamona (main vocals), Ardor (guitar/vocals), Lepra (bass/vocals), Métely (keyboards) and Melkor (drums/vocals). The album also contains a cover version on Mercyful Fate's classic "Come to the Sabbath" song adapted to Carcharoth's own style, of course. The lyrical content is filled with interesting stories about paganism that were written partly in Hungarian and partly in English. By the way, the word "Urdung" means devil in old Hungarian language and it was also perfectly displayed on the new folklore-based cover artwork! This tape version was strictly limited to 110 copies and can be ordered at the links below!!!

Drencrom is a killer thrash metal combo from Santiago (Chile). The band was established in 2013 and "Banished from Sanity" is their second demo tape that was originally released in 2014. Thanks to Thrash Zone, an underground label from Hungary, this 6-song beast was out on pro cassettes in 2015 and has been spread around in 200 copies. The members on this recording are A. (vocals/guitar), Max (guitar/bass/backing vocals) and Bullet (drums). The music of the Chilean trio is played and executed in the best traditions of the Teutonic hordes. Especially, I would mention to you two German thrash metal pioneers here, namely Necronomicon and Kreator. The admixture of their early materials can be heard in the repertoire of Drencrom. Both sides include per 3 songs. The 23-minute stuff is going to slap your face with its speed and aggression. Moreover, the sound of their demo is almost the same as it was produced for the recordings in the 1985-1987 years. It's totally live and maximally extreme! The only thing that I found a little bit odd in their compositions is the use of alternate and hammer blast beats here and there. Anyway, it's a brilliant demo, which hereby I want to recommend to all the diehard thrash metal maniacs worldwide!!!

Earth Plague was brought to life in 2012 by D (vocals/bass) and Patrik (guitars/backing vocals). After a demo, a full-length album and a split release with Italian Darkness here they come again to reveal and spread further their profligate visions about death. The 5 songs of "Death Curse" EP show a perfect mix of traditional black metal and return us back to the times when bands such as Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Bathory, Mayhem or Darkthrone ruled the earth. This kind of music is not about the complexity and super skills of its musicians, on the contrary, it has to be as plain and fundamental as possible. The sound production was achieved by the well-known canons of the above mentioned bands, so there will be no disappointment from the side of orthodox black metal maniacs. Both sides of the black cassette have the same program, so you can enjoy the crude melodies of "Death Curse" twice! The J-card is pretty simple for this release, but that's OK. Well, if you are in love with the ancient feeling then this 21 minutes long stuff will surely satisfy your earthly pleasures! So let's celebrate the return of the glorious past along with this release of Earth Plague!!!

EvilSpell is a hellish thrash metal gang from Italy that was founded in 2006. Right at once I have to admit, due to the presence of such bands the spirit of the glorious past is kept alive. I mean, while all our beloved thrash metal giants evolved into or progressed to something completely different in a function of music, these smaller total underground units kept releasing relentless musical compounds that are so valued by us, fans of the 80ies. "Antisocial Satan" is the debut album by the Italians, originally self-released in 2010, then re-pressed onto CDs again by L.A. Riot Survivor Records in 2013 and finally manufactured on cassettes by Thrash Zone in 2015. This current reissue features the complete album plus 3 rehearsal tracks. The album itself lasts 31 minutes and divides into 9 chapters. The vibe is totally awesome throughout the whole stuff and can be described as a divine admixture between the early materials of the Teutonic hordes and Italy's proudness, we all know as Bulldozer! It's a blast-from-the-past-like stuff with appropriate sound production and cover art. The recording line-up of "Antisocial Satan" was as follows: Filo (guitar/vocals), Paul (guitar), Fra (bass – R.I.P. 2010) and Igor (drums). The bonus rehearsal tracks, namely "Antichrist" (recorded in 2012), "Slut of Satan" (recorded in 2013) and "Padre Vostro" (recorded in 2015), are a great addition to this tape release, as one can witness EvilSpell's sonic essence and raw energy from the rehearsal room perspective too. The nice grey-colored cassettes come with white prints on the shell, pro printed full-color covers and were limited to 150 hand numbered copies!!!

"Necrology", the second full-length album of EvilSpell, has been originally released on CD format through Black Side Records in 2013, but again thanks to Thrash Zone from Hungary it was reissued on cassettes in 2015. Moreover, it was out the same day as the tape version of "Antisocial Satan", thus the cassette shells look identical, both are grey, just with different prints on them. After the tragic happening to bassist Fra this album was recorded in trio, i.e. Filo (guitar/bass/vocals), Paul (guitar/bass) and Igor (drums). The twelve songs of "Necrology" continue to please our ears with the utmost combination between speed and thrash metal. These Italian fellas really know how to create rad songs and to give back the vibe of 1985-1986 years. So good to listen to these blackened thrash metal hymns, I literally feel myself 20 years younger now, ha-ha... Well, the lyrical content is also 80ies like, as it's evil and satanic. Let me mention to you a few song titles hereby: "Slut of Satan", "Satanic Underground", "Necropunk", "Satan (Madness Pt. II)", "Necronomicon", "Satan Comes Behind the Cross". Good titles, right? And their look and imagery are in prefect connection with the lyrics and the cover artwork. We definitely need more bands like EvilSpell these days! By the way, the second solo in the song called "Heavy Metal Riders" is played by none other than Andy Panigada from the mighty Bulldozer. Hell, yeah! If you are enjoying the first records with bands such as Bulldozer, Necronomicon, Destruction, Tankard or Kreator, then this material will surely be going a good choice for you too! Can't wait to hear the 3rd album by EvilSpell!!!

Attention to all the goat-worshippers worldwide!!! The following split release is going to burn down your mind and tear your soul apart, thus please don't complain if your body appears to be vacant after hearing these six brain-devastating songs!!! You've been warned, aha-ha-ha... Hungarian Goatdominator occupies the side of terror (which is normally side A) with three raw-sounding pieces of the most primitive and back-to-the-roots black metal compound possible. It can happen when you cross the music of Hellhammer along with Bestial Mockery for example. Moreover, the vocal parts were recorded almost in a talking or even muttering mode plus added by some sort of transforming effects that turned them sound rather hellish, like the speak of the devil. The song titles are as follows: "Fighting Under Goatflag", "Demonic Goat Power" and "In the Deepgoathell". Well, fans of primeval black metal will surely admire these goat hymns of the pure decadence!!! Side B that is the side of kommando has been captured by the Brazilian necro-duo known as Negro Bode Terrorista. These freaks of perversion perform three more lethal tracks ("Bode Bélico", "Ruinas Ao Vento" & "Black Terrorist Goat Metal"), which come with a better sound production, but still with the same goat adoring attitude and cravings for the initial values of the black metal genre. While in the repertory of Goatdominator I found the kick drum too silent, here we have exactly the opposite effect. This split tape was spread in the quantity of 100 hand-numbered copies, so in case you missed it so far, be sure to get yours in time!!!

Grium is a black metal oneness from Slovakia grounded in the year of 2013 by G.MorHell (all vocals and instruments). "Cestou Hriechu" (i.e. "By the Way of Sin") is the second demo by Grium consisting of 3 songs. It was released on both 7" vinyl (clear, lathe cut) and cassette formats by Akne Productions in 2019. The circa 10 minutes stuff will drive us into a pretty melodic, atmospheric yet avant-garde sort of black metal that was very well-constructed and executed respectively. The guitar riffs/harmonies and the harsh vocal parts have that special dour touch reminiscent of the Nordic hordes, though G.MorHell introduce them from a totally different perspective by adding there the soundscapes of his very own. I found his musical formula rather exciting and hence would warmly advise it to others who are in for the experiments and innovations. The lyrics are in Slovakian and focusing on the sins of humanity. You can order the 7" vinyl or the cassette version directly from the label or the band itself, see the links below.

Rising from the ancient soils of Hungary in the year of 2015, this 2-piece Sopron-based pagan black metal combo is finally ready to present us their debut album "Kecskebõr Alatt" (that means "Under Goatskin"). The seven chapters from Ködszikra (translates as "Fogsparkle") will most likely guide us all into the past, both music- and lyrics-wise. Their aim is to represent us the primordial Hungarian spirit, its folklore, the values, the rituals and the pagan morality. The two members, namely V.R. (guitar, vocals, jew's-harp, drum programming) and P.B. (guitar, vocals, folk instruments, lyrics), did a fantastic job in excavation of bygone folk instruments and folklore texts. Almost, all of their lyrics include the word "ürdüng" and tell gruesome stories connected with him, which is actually the old version of the currently used Hungarian word "ördög" (understand here the "devil"). Musically, we have the right combination between atmospheric black metal and folk music. Their stuff sounds enough decent, though I found the snare drum too quiet in the mix and the crash cymbals very lame. In spite of these facts I've enjoyed listening to the songs of "Kecskebõr Alatt". By the way, two tracks out of seven are instrumental ones, "Borús paták" and "Hiszem, hogy él". Great tunes, so to say! Prior to this official cassette release the band also issued their debut material on a limited quantity of CDs in 2018. So hurry up and order this bouquet of fascinating songs filled by the ancient past of the Hungarians on the format you prefer!!!

Ostrom is a Hungarian raw black metal band consisting of two members, i.e. P.B. (all music & lyrics) who is also involved in Ködszikra and P.A. (all battle leads and solos). The band locates in Sopron and propagates the Hungarian pride, the warspirit and the patriotism of the past centuries. The current 9-song demo was recorded and mixed at Headquarter Ödenburg in autumn 2017 and thanks to Fekete Terror Productions it has been recently materialized on limited number of orthodox-looking black cassettes with high quality J-cards. The music of Ostrom is plain-structured and enough straightforward, where I felt the lyrics and their meanings play bigger role than the music itself. The war stories written by P.B. are definitely something to read for. I mean, when you are listening to their songs you literally get caught up in those medieval battles. Of course, to feel that vibe in a proper way you must have a good command of the Hungarian language too. The demo sounds good, despite the very low sound levels on both of the sides. This music and its lyrical content first and foremost display the focused dedication towards the Hungarian warriors and heroes, who shed their blood for their country! So let's praise the patriotic deeds of the fallen heroes together!!!

Statist is a grindviolence corps out of the Ukraine established 8th of March, 2018. Prior to this EP there was a cassette release named as "Tape One MMXVIII", it included 8 raw rehearsal tracks and was issued on the 7th of December in 2018, plus a 6-song online promo material premiered 29th of June, 2019 at the band's bandcamp profile. The current EP consists of 14 grind cuts. It comes on transparent cassette with color stickers on the shell and a stylish pink J-card. No need to say, it's a pro release both sound- and design-wise. The recording line-up on this EP was: Old – vocals, Igor – guitars, Ed – bass & Lev – drums. The Kyiv-based quartet literally unleashes pure hell with their rather short ultrasonic pieces and the way aggressive manner of vocals. They define their style as grindviolence, which is basically a fusion between grindcore and powerviolence. Indeed, most of the songs come in that specific mould, but one can clearly hear there the elements of funeral doom metal (just listen to the song "Alcopedopope") or brutal death metal ("Titsconversely" will be a good example in my opinion) among others. The guitar riffs are mainly punk-structured rather than grind-oriented, but to be honest I am content with this kind of interpretation very much. All that is left for you to imagine them to be accelerated to the highest speeds possible. One more good thing regarding this cassette is that it has chrome tape. Hurray! All in all, it's a very promising EP from a very promising musicianship!!! So get "...And Joy With Violence)))" right away, while in stock!!! I have spoken!!!

Vorkuta is a pure black metal horde arriving from Zalaegerszeg, the western part of Hungary. It was spawned in the year of 2003. And "...Where Still Darkness Dwells" is no other than a comprehensive compilation that embraces the band's first demo plus different rare split tracks amongst others. Side Total starts with the four crude demo songs taken from "...Where Only Darkness Dwells" (2003), which back then were recorded with a single microphone, so to speak the true Norwegian black metal way. The vibe is just evil and sick in every possible way there, so prepare yourself to enter the earthly inferno. This side of the cassette ends with "Seeds of Storm" that shows a little bit better production, but is still very necro-sounding. Side Darkness gathers 5 more wicked pieces, summoned in the period from 2006 to 2008. Well, those have become much better in terms of sound and production and the whole thing is just catchier than before, kind of evolutionary progress one would say. Also interesting fact that the so-called necrotic atmosphere of the demo songs is piercing through these recent compositions every once in a while. The black cassette and its b/w cover plus the slipcase have been produced the right way as well, so fans of true black metal won't be disappointed in my opinion. Moreover, all the audio files were remastered and edited by Winterlord Rabenaas (Witchcraft) at Rock Out Studio, thus giving a new breath for these old hymns of darkness.

The rather odd-named quartet from Budapest (Hungary) is going to initiate us into the soundscapes of a very relaxed mixture of post doom and black metal during their 7-song debut album. The nearly 47 minutes long "Hamvakból..." truly reproduces the effect of a wandering for the listener. But you have to dive deep into the sounds of Ygfan and feel them correctly, because only then you will have the possibility to wander around different places of nature, like forests, mountains, fields, valleys, rivers and so on. In addition, the musicians – Zsolt Bálint (guitar/vocals), Áron Szabó (guitar), László Bodor (bass) and Bálint Tóth (drums) – will provide you with a professional instrumentation and sound quality. The magic is there! So all you have to do when you listen to the songs of "Hamvakból..." is to feel the pulsation coming to you and free your mind. The cassette itself has a white color and comes with an extensive J-card featuring the album's lyrics in both Hungarian and English languages. Quite impressive material so to say, which has been also pressed onto CDs by Sun & Moon Records from Romania the same year. The name Ygfan refers to the Igfon-forest and it is divided to the part "Ig" that means sacred and to the part "fon" or "fan" that means forest. Fans of post black and doom metal are warmly encouraged hereby to enter the sounds of the sacred forest!!!