Armour - 2013 - Death Threat / No Heaven 7"

Every so often Nuclear War Now! surprises me with one of their releases.  In the midst of more vinyl reissues and slabs of black/death comes this new single from Finland's Armour.  This is pure heavy metal, but modernized with more speed and bigger metal balls.  Armour's sound fits somewhere amongst  Mötley Crüe, W.A.S.P., and Accept.  Armour takes those inspirations and deliver two tracks of fast, snarling heavy metal.  Both songs sound crisp and modern, but can still take me back to being a teenager and blasting the first W.A.S.P. album from my Honda Civic.  Even though Vince Venom is also known as Werwolf from Satanic Warmaster, their sound is light years apart.  In the world of retro-metal, these guys are the real deal.  I am eagerly awaiting a new LP.

Perisynti - 2007 - Turmeltuneen Ihmisen Luonto 7"

Extremely raw Finnish black metal.  As an instrument of war, the distorted guitar on this 7" cuts through my speakers and stabs into my brain.  The sound is full and uncompromising.  Thoughout both tracks, the rhythm section lays down a very solid foundation, enabling the guitar and vocals to persecute their blitzkreig assault.  Where Turmeltuneen Ihmisen Luonto is fast and, especially towards the end, repetitive, the b-side is noticeably slower and has a languid synth melody lurking behind the guitar and vocals.  At times the synth sounds like icy feedback.  The vocals are buried in the mix underneath the guitar, but that just adds to their mystery and vitriol.
I am really glad I picked this up.  If you like harsh black metal, this is a release you should track down.

Bloodsoaked - 1994 - The Omen 7"

Bloodsoaked were a death metal band from Mexico City.  This 7", from 1994, was their final release.  The music on this EP is contemporary with the era.  The guitar plays some mid-paced chords which are spiced up with some double-time chugging and some more atmospheric parts.  Some of the playing reminds me of a restrained OBITUARY without the temolo abuse.  The solos work well in the songs, but without a clear rhythm guitar part, all that's left to drive the song are the drums.  The bass is nearly non-existant - there is a short bass run in Buried Under My Skin, but it is difficult to hear in the mix.  The drums sound crisp, but the double bass is buried too low in the mix.  The drummer plays some nice fills in Rising.  The vocals are tortured moans cutting through the music.
Overall, this is a good release with enough variety between the songs to keep my attention.  The production is a little weak, but that might just be due to their geographical location.  I won't hold that against them.

Ghäst / Highgate - 2012 - Split 7"

If you looked at the cover of this 7" and thought 'black metal' you would only be partially correct.  Both bands peform blackened doom, but they approach that goal from totally different directions.  From Quebec comes Ghäst.  Their song starts with droning low-end chords, slow crashes on the cymbals and rising electronics.  Vocals are harsh and buried beneath the ambience.  Near the end of the track, the feedback grows and envelopes all of the sounds with a thick sense of self-destruction.  Highgate must have crawled out of the thickest swamps Kentucky has to offer.  They start out playing agonized sludge with harsh black metal vocals.  Halfway through the track, they speed things up a little bit, before they launch into a chaotic blackened assault.  Then it's back to the original tempo as the band lurks back into the swamp that spawned them. 
The packaging is beautiful to look it, as is the blood splattered vinyl.  There is a total pressing of 500 copies, so don't miss out on this agonizing slab of blackened doom.

Seven Sisters Of Sleep / Ilsa - 2013 - Split 7"

One of the recent special releases for Record Store Day 2013.  This slab of blood red wax features two rising bands tipping their hats to past masters in the field of Heavy.  First up is SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP with their cover of HELLHAMMER's Messiah.  Their take is dirtier and more tortured than the original.  Midway through the song, the SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP break the song down to a sludgey pace before shifting back into tempo.
The flipside sees Maryland's ILSA try their hand at BOLT THROWER's IVth Crusade.  How can a song that was so heavy be made even heavier?  ILSA has a guitar tone that sounds like a crusty nuclear bomb exploding, which is perfect for this song.  The caustic vocals slither through the mix and are buried just right.
The packaging is incredible.  The artwork, by Szymon Siech, draws on 70s horror films and is superbly executed.  This even comes with a massive 24"x36" movie poster that will look right at home next to your Witchfinder General poster.
Both bands deliver worthy recordings.  Only 666 copies, so pick yours up soon!