Aherusia

 I know, this should have happened much earlier. But the last times aherusia played live I couldn't go. So until now I had been to their theatrical play and that was absolutely fantastic, too. But now it was time to see them live!! 

I arrived at 10pm when aherusia was supposed to come on. But the show was delayed quite a bit and I caught a bit of human genome and all of illusory. The latter was quite entertaining, too! Charismatic frontman.

At a bit after midnight aherusia finally hit the stage. The first played their new album, Bacchus and it proved to be a absolutely fantastic experience. I was in front, basically headbanging throughout all the show. I have seldom enjoyed it so much to be all the way in the front and have space to headbang any way I want. True bliss!! 

After that the band continued to play a potpourri of their older hits. Oh I went nuts, haha!! We also got wine passed along, got to enjoy the above ladies beautiful voice and some true killer songs. After more than two hours I felt wonderfully spent. My neck hurt for two days after, as well as my feet. My ears were still ringing one day after. Oh it was perfect 🤪

For me aherusia are part of the unholy trinity of Hellenic black metal with rotting Christ and kawir. There might be other important names, this is my personal choice. I'm so happy I finally got to see them live. 

Mayhem / Mortiis

 so.. we have been waiting for two years for this one. but covid pushed that one further away and away. Only the fact that it finally happened is simply fantastic. I had the Athens ticket from day one and I could not contain my excitement. I have seen Mortiis three times, but with era 2/3 and 0, but never with era 1.

now it was finally time to experience that one, too. arriving at fuzz club i right away met a photographer friend, the drummer of kawir who was my former boss, and later on panos, the headbanging wines owner!! but to that later. so mortiis came on and it was just fantastic. I loved every second of it. after two song segments tim van horn joined him on stage for live drumming. absolutely breath taking! some might remember him from previous tours, i had actually met him in london, too. 

so after the awesome show i decided to hang back a little, that's when i met panos and we talked wine and business and old metal days! and then he handed me his backstage pass, which he had received to talk wines with mortiis. and he said he doesn't need it anymore. oh good lord! so i grabbed it, with my eternal gratitude to panos, and headed backstage, during the first two songs from mayhem. 

after a small disorientation i found the correct spot and waited a little on the lounge couch. that's when håvard came around and spotted me. :) we sat down for an hour and just had the best talk!! tim and håvard tried the wine panos had given them. it was just so great because if we had met outside, we would not have been able to talk much because of mayhem well.. being mayhem!! xD so it was a true blessing and i am so grateful. 

of mayhem i saw the last two three songs, near the merch booth together with mortiis. also bought two shirts in the endorphin high, haha! not that i have enough already but ugh, the awesome designs!! so yea.. a perfect night. absolutely perfect. I cannot tell you how much it still makes me smile and reminisce.

Thank you Håvard, for being such a great guy!! 

Z.A.S.T. Zine

 oh this is a good one. delicately named zombie anal sex terror, this was the old school cut and paste style fanzine from none other than mortiis. he managed to get two editions out before the whole murders and arson stuff went down in norway and his parents basically got rid off everything connected in fear of getting involved with the police, i suppose. 

but at least we have these two! and i cannot thank cult never dies enough for publishing those. it would be such a shame to not have those around! first of all, mortiis made the most hilarious questions ever to the bands. i could not contain the laughter, chuckles and the occasional absolute what the fuck face. because some of those sound like straight from fear and loathing in las vegas. xD absolutely silly stuff, and i love it!

there you have the stark contrast between some oh so serious black metal bands (back then all of them were still death and thrash, basically, before the scene diversified) and then.. håvard!! haha! i must say i enjoyed this immensely, most of all the fanzines i have read about that era. also he included a huge scene report of finland, and boy, did i enjoy that. was so great to read about so many known names. 

so yea.. go buy this! you shall not regret it :D 

Batushka

 what can i say here.. i have seen batushka before and i loved them very much. back then they had only yekteniya out, they played that and left. it was short but fantastic. then after that the band split up after some disputes and quarrels. i admit i did not give them much attention back then because i wasn't sure which side i should be on, haha!

so now after some years, albums from both batushka camps, they would visit athens again. and i decided a bit last minute to go. oh what a great decision! this time they played 1,5 hours and the whole show was a treat for ears, eyes and the soul, haha. it was like a true liturgy, the dark and black metal kind of course.

the background singers were superb. for me they made the huge difference. you felt like truly inside a orthodox church, during unholy mass. what a fantastic sound, the notes vibrating through your body, almost like a meditation, a trance, a ritualistic instinct.. and then the guitars crash in and knock you out, the priest's screams and howls, his slow deliberate movements to light candled, show icons.. perfection. 

batushka have made this into a very distinct art form and have given the whole stage show much thought. it is a fantastic experience and i am very glad i went to see them. 

Album list 2021

 this was such a strange year. I should have had time to listen to a lot, i wasn't yet working until mid October. And still there is little I actually did listen to this year. So this list is not very long this time. Let's get this started.

wardruna - kvitravn

Oh what can I say!! Ever since I saw them live i've been even more entranced by their music. how beautiful, how earthen, how shamanic, trancelike, with an ancient beat that flows through you. I love this even more since einar decided to give the whole album his former black metal name kvitrafn. this is simply beautiful and a circle closing, i guess. 

yoth iria - as the flame withers

Yoth Iria, what a great new project!! it's jim mutilator from rotting christ and his newest musical output. I was so fortunate to meet him a few years back together with sakis and dayal. unforgotten memories there. I support this fully, this is doomy but also black and vicious and harsh, as it should be. 

iselder - welsh nationalist black metal / Fe Godwn Ni Eto

this one is a conflicting one. there should have been a new full length, but it never came out because the welsh police confiscated everything due to accusations of fascism. i am very saddened by this, but it's awesome that we at least got some new music from this remarkable welsh project. everyone who loves their roots and speaks it freely is obviously a fascist.. 

aenos - the great shepherd (EP)

what a find!! this is one of the best atmospheric black metal i've ever heard, and it was recorded on my beloved and favourite greek island, kefalonia! how absolutely fantastic is this! I hope there is more to come, because this is way more than promising!

mortiis - transmissions / shadow of the tower 

YES!! MORTIIS!! i can't count all the single songs that he released or gave snippets from to his loyal followers in the cult of thee black wizard. but these two need a mention! these are almost full albums, but yea.. being just one song each xD that is so old school and so against the stream and I love it. both are fantastic works, the first being a live recording of way back then, the second being a reworking of old material. beautiful, can't wait for all the new mortiis stuff the new year brings!!

darkthrone - eternal hails

YESSSS DARKTHRONE!! eh yea. well, every new darkthrone album is a party. because all their last three albums have tapped exactly into my vein. this is what i love and this is what I need from them! i cannot get into all their back catalogue, so I am even more delighted that they have found now this niche sound with basically bits from everywhere. black, death, doom, punk, trash, you name it!! it's perfection and I bow before the mighty fenriz.

tuhonsiemen - katkeransuloinen

finally some finns!! and here is a sad one. that is their last album and they decided to call it quits. what a great way to go. it's sad, but also a true testament they left behind. Kiitos. 

darkwoods my betrothed - angel of carnage unleashed

I must admit i did not listen to this as much as I should have. this is such an interesting project, revived after so many years! they hail from kitee, a city I have been to!! tuomas from nightwish even rejoined their ranks! and this is quite bashing black metal, too! awesome. need to give it a few more listens. 

havukruunu - kuu erkylän yllä

more finns! havukruunu have been a constant in my listening schedule, too. this is metal to bang your head to. this is heavy and black and pretty cool. been enjoying them also with this release a lot.

tyrant moon - eternal nightfall

this was a gift!! so i said, why not. and oh, this is nice! black metal as it should be. quite the punch in the face, right there. 

lazy man's load - all hat no cattle

now i saw them live on christmas eve, together with nightstalker and suicidal angels. and of the three i liked them the most! immediately bought their album. southern rock meets metal and gets shot at with some doom and stoner rock. awesome stuff, absolutely love it!!

find of the year:

ered wethrin - tides of war

yep, this is not from this year. but i discovered it this year and its an album i come back to again and again. it is SO good!! i could listen to summoning 24/7, but sometimes you wanna know if there is something else out there as good as it. ok, there will never be anyone as good as summoning, but this comes close to it! awesome awesome album. 

loss of the year:

swallow the sun - moonflowers

how dare i. my local heroes from jyväskylä, my drinking buddies in freetime and i did not listen to their new album!! shame on me. I am really sorry. I need to absolutely do this in 2022 then. i heard the best about this album. 

song of the year:

wardruna - kvitravn

well, i had to. it is just too good. the song, the title, the band, the album. listen to it. get swept away by it. get sucked into it. brilliant. 

live of the year

well.. there was not much. there was the festival where i saw livet i mørke, they are black metal. other than that it was just other metal i saw on two more occasions. the mini festival in summer with toxic pub which were great fun, and the christmas show i mentioned before. so.. that was all the live music this year. damn you you rotten virus! yep, that. 

- Daedin