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Metal Monday Vol. 8:  This is from the same seller as last week’s Whiplash test, a copy of Venom - Black Metal on Neat records on a weird grey and brown vinyl swirl. I know I’ve featured Venom on here a bunch of times but this is probably one of the more sought after pressings of the Black Metal lp on Neat, (not a later pressing). My brain still isn’t feeling “on” this morning and it’s hard to know what to say about an album with the level of impact that Black Metal has had, and the insane amount of baggage attached to it because of the title. It’s kind of funny though, for the amount that it’s sighted as a key influence by bands, there aren’t a whole hell of a lot that sound like it. There’s no question the biggest influence that hangs over the song writing is Motorhead, although with a much trashier delivery. A couple of tracks, most notable, Buried Alive play like a dumbed up, moron-Black Sabbath, but most of the rest are really a kind of punk-metal, that too few groups had time to develop with the advent of full on thrash taking over almost right after this album was released. Still the album is significantly more musically accomplished than the preceding one, Welcome to Hell, marking the first time the Venom drum kit sounded like something other than plastic buckets, and though the drumming is still likably terrible, it’s noticeably more accomplished than previous recordings too.  It’s sort of funny to think, I guess, how seriously so many people have attempted to take this album, when you see photos of the Helvete shop there’s even a trinity of Venom lps hanging above a door way. But the album that the most overwrought, unnecessarily serious genre was named after, has a song like Teachers Pet, which is essentially just a prediction of Hot For Teacher, and plenty of choruses that just sound like amateur Judas Priest. To me it will always be a bit of a party album, and I’m sure I’m not the only one, even as some dope in evil face makeup is probably right now trying to hear the shouts of “S-A-C-R-I-F-I-C-E — SACRIFICE!” and not smile and play air guitar. I don’t know, I got nothing here. Have fun, listen to Venom, I need to take a nap at lunch.

Welcome once again to this snowy installment of Metal Monday. Right off the bat I will note that this dude is selling collectible money (no seriously), and also 2 big time black metal records that have already featured into metal monday: Bathory s/t with yellow goat sleeve, and Mayhem - Deathcrush. I won’t linger too much on those other than saying, if you love me, and you forgot to send a gift for the holidays, I’d suggest either one. Here’s 2 picks for you:Parabellum “Sacriligio” (1st press) - Basically this is the equivalent of giving a bunch of cavemen (from Columbia) musical instruments, and a Hellhammer record, and then making them record a 12″ on a 4-track. Rarely has a record been made that is so completely devoid of any common sense, and so sure to make you less smart from just listening. The attempts the band makes at mimicking typical metal conventions, like clean breaks, guitar solos, or for that matter making music in general are so strangely off, and for lack of a better word, “free”, it’s something like hearing a death metal equivalent to the Shaggs. Of the 2 songs Engendro 666 (the b-side), holds together slightly more, and sounds more like a conventional song, but still, one that’s performed by cavemen. The 8+ minute A-Side, Madre Murte (Death Mom?), really gets out there though, sounding like at least portions must have been improvised, because I just can’t picture memorizing them. Honestly this makes Bathory sound like Cream, and Venom like ELO.Rigor Mortis N.Y. 7″ on my favorite — Seraphic Decay/Skin Drill records. This is the more rare edition of the record on blue vinyl w/ skull sleeve. Eventually this band became Immolation, but this record, in my opinion stands on its own. The fact that this record (originally a demo tape) originates in NY is not lost on the sound of it, with a sound comparable to plenty of the primitive hardcore and cross-over demos that came out through the 80s. When the b-side, Warriors of Doom, drops into half speed after the first minute I was reminded a bit of Breakdown and the way they were able to bludgeon with such simple understated riffs, and crash-bash drumming. This ain’t to far off some of the classic Ripping Corpse stuff either, although maybe a little more straight death metal.

Got a couple selections from M. Colin Tappe’s auctions here. Nothing too crazy for sale but some good picks, check ‘em all out. Looks like he’s just selling off a few things to buy other stuff.Numero Uno:Anti-Sect: “In Darkness There Is No Choice”- I guess this is one of the big milestones in anarcho-punk and “crust” music. For 1983 it’s frankly pretty shocking how polished it is, and how many bands it was the template for, not just in style but in the sound of the recording. It’s tricky because on the surface it’s basically just a metal album taking a lot from early thrash bands but with the realist/Discharge-style approach to horror and despair that Discharge mapped out. The songs take on a similar driving and hypnotic delivery, but being stretched much longer (the opener “THEY” runs like 6 minutes at the same tempo), so that it kind of reminds me in some ways of Crass (besides the obvious politics), and in other ways of something like Killing Joke (who I think were a big influence to a lot of peace punkers). It’s a pretty important album, and also at times I find it kind of boring. There’s something about an unwavering cockney accent just shouting and shouting and shouting for 6 minutes… I keep waiting for something else to happen. Still it sounds heavy, although I gotta wonder how he kept from getting tongue-tied, i guess they do have 3 vocalists on this album. A lot of the atmospheric shit like wind blowing and abstract wooshing noises that are meant to be dramatic on crusty HC and punk records also in part originate here, and maybe haven’t aged too well. I also feel like this might be a more overwhelming, powerful, and inspirational album if you hear it at a younger age, where I only really sat down and listened about 2 or 3 years ago. So in conclusion, while this is a stone cold classic to the peace punk crowd, and a “first of its kind” type release, it feels a little obsolete to me. I’d prefer the more rhythmic churning Amebix approach, or Sacrilege’s much more refined version of the sound on this lp. Btw this is the Southern pressing, I believe there is one on Spiderleg predating it.Underdog: “Demos”- Here’s one on the other side of the coin. Gotta love that this is the original press with the classic pool skater artwork. When I was really young Underdog just seemed weird and not that hardcore to me. All the groove and singy vocals confused me which is now kind of embarrassing and probably strange to some people in this day and age where weird-hc is the bread and butter of everyone and there’s a popular band named after Into Another’s shelved trip-hop album. Forget all that BS though, Over The Edge is just a very fine well nuanced song, and if half the bands that put Underdog on their list of influences could compose a song so advanced there would be a lot more good songs, and probably less wars or something. Revelation are the current keepers of these demos, but I think it’s time someone considered re-reissuing the Vanishing Point (w/ original artwork), restoring the original mix to the demos, and tying up loose ends, like the demo with Carl Mosher, etc, all on one disc, or maybe 2. Most records like this have turned 20 or are about to, and it’s time someone do a definitive historical package of stuff like this.  Far Out records back catalog is kind of funny as I remember, I think they did the 2nd press of the Fear Of God 7″ around the same time they did this Underdog 12″.