Intoxication & Possession - Black Magic Metal

Sungod - First Matter preview (Cyclopean Records)

When Iron Age released their latest album The Sleeping Eye first through Cyclopean Records (later picked up by TeePee Records), which is founded by their frontman Jason Tarpey, I was intrigued if more releases were going to follow and what kind of music it'd be. After all, a new independent record label from Austin is interesting no matter how you slice it: the city has a musical history with a diversity on such a scale I have yet to see anywhere else.
Eventually a new release-announcement was made: the second release was Mammoth Grinder's Extinction of Humanity. Again a great record which was then picked up by Relapse Records.
For the third Cyclopean release, I was a bit surprised, Green & Wood is an entirely different kind of band. Jason Tarpey has said in interviews that he just releases what he likes which is pretty awesome and it makes the label stand out of the rest of independent labels I think. After 2 successful records, Green & Wood's first LP was no different.
Two new releases are coming up: Slaughter Strike's At Life's End and Sungod's First Matter. Slaughter Strike's demo was some of the best raging death metal I'd heard in a long time so I'm looking forward to hearing their new 12". But on to Sungod.


As you have probably guessed by the album cover, this isn't your average '70 influenced band. Now, I can start telling you what they sound like but that wouldn't them justice. This two-piece (yes, a two-piece, think about that when you're listening) is doing some great stuff. Their demo is a 19 minutes track which you can download at their Bandcamp, I highly recommend it.
They've released a new song as well, which you can listen here:



This is above and beyond their already pretty good demo if you ask me. The record drops next week on the 24th of August.

Cyclopean Records
Sungod Bandcamp

Teitanblood - Seven Chalices

Probably a pretty late pass but this record deserves all the attention it has already been given and of course my own. It's hard and brutal but with a sick vibe accompanying the Swedish-inspired death metal riffs. Everything about this record breathes late '80-early '90 extreme metal from the music to the artwork to even the ridiculous pseudonyms the band members use. The delay on the vocals strangely works very well and is part of that sick vibe. Musically it has Autopsy and the buzz saw guitar tone of Entombed's Left Hand Path written all over the place. Being as late I am, the vinyl is sold out and long gone but then again, what'd you expect from a release from Norma Evangelium Diaboli? Luckily I found some scans online from the A4 booklet that was accompanying the vinyl release, again completely late '80-early '90:

Matador - Taste The Sin

Atlanta's Zoroaster previous album, Voice of Saturn, was a heavy record. Period. It had the riffs, the songwriting, the interludes, a near-perfect endtro and then some. And now they seem to take their sound to the next level with their new album, Matador, released by E1 Music. Produced by Sanford Parker, this album has the production it deserves to be on par with the songwriting.
Anyway, check the videoclip above or stream the album below.

Zoroaster - "Matador" by ThinkIndie
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For one reason or another I haven't listened to the new Black Tusk album yet. Strange as I really like their previous efforts (especially their split with ASG). But now that I have, I understand I've been missing out on an awesome record. Fans of heavy, fast jams will appreciate this.