Nocturnal Graves - An Outlaw's Stand (2022)

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Following up a Melbourne release with another Melbourne release albeit with significantly different soundscapes and ethos—but all the same, I maintain that Australia has one of the most banging music scenes going on at the moment.

Nocturnal Graves is just pure unfettered worship for all things thrash and black metal and all the muck and mire in-between this ilk. We've got a one track (very early) teaser to go off of for the upcoming album, An Outlaw's Stand, and it's what you'd probably expect out of these guys; bestial energy pulsating through a barrage of blackened thrash with emphasis on a greased-up tempo and ruining your day.

Nocturnal Graves - An Outlaw's Stand (bandcamp)

Vulture - Ghastly Waves & Battered Graves (2019)

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If you're familiar with Vulture's denim dad past you'll know that they are the musical equivalent to microwaveable burritos, The Creep Show and stud laden leather vests all moving at the blurring speed of Satan. This amalgamation of heavy/speed metal with minces of old school thrash and hardcore are right up my alley, especially when it's executed with such Bavarian zeal as Vulture. I wish I went to house parties where the walls dripped sweat of cheap lager, the carpets stunk of cigarettes and Vulture's filth and sleaze was blasting through haggard speakers, and you should too.

Vulture - Ghastly Waves & Battered Graves (bandcamp)

Funereal Presence - Achatius (2019)

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A magnificently articulated sophomore album from the dude behind the skin kit in Negative Plan, aptly self-monikered Bestial Devotion, and he hit the hammer on the fucking nail one-hundred times over, in a musical pool that most don't wade in without drowning in their own shit. Achatius is going to stand out as one of those albums that should blow everyone away but probably won't because it won't reach most people, and I'm oddly at peace with that as a result.

Funereal Presence has managed to nail down a marriage between a myriad of genres; black, speed, heavy, occult, death, avant-garde, etc without coming off as contrived slop, which is often times the case when something tries to be too many things at once – Especially within the elitist walls of black metal – It's a fools errand to try and pigeon-hole this, so don't even try, or you'd sure as shit isn't always solid sound like a dick.

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There's nothing on Achatius I can find fault in, the production is spot on, which is big time important for something of this nature; the drums sound primitive, the guitar tones sound like the gurgling digestive tract of a primordial beast within cathedral walls and the vocals necrotic and have that old-school mix to them. The songs are monolithic both in length and experimentation, cruising through each obscurity with the speed of satan at its back, and not for one fucking second is it dull or tiresome, and those willing to wade through each fetid nuance will be rewarded with one of 2019's most successfully ambitious releases so far, absolutely keeping the underground lit with this blast from the past!

Funereal Presence - Achatius (bandcamp)

Inculter - Fatal Visions (2019)

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There's a lot to like about Inculter's 'Fatal Visions', predominantly among them being, it rips hell. No questions asked. Bridging the gap between thrash, speed, black metal and metal punk. Stop asking questions and just get behind this already or forever be a whore. So get into it.

Inculter - Fatal Visions (bandcamp)

Midnight - Satanic Royalty (2011)

This has to be the one record that I definitely feel I slipped up on most when not incorporating into my best of 2011 list. I really never gave it a fair fight, but that's to be expected when making those year end lists, so enough of that.  

Satanic Royalty is the real deal, black n' roll from Ohio with a tasteful nod to the oldies, especially Venom. Light the candles in 13.

Grab if you like: Motörhead, Cruel Force, Venom

Satanic Royalty