Tag Archives: Flenser

Palace of Worms / Mastery – split (Flenser, 2012)

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The Flenser - Palace of Worms-Mastery - coverFlenser Records continues to be a haven for the latest and greatest in Bay Area black metal with this rad split cassette between Palace of Worms and Mastery, also available for free download from the label’s Bandcamp page. Both bands are one man affairs; California seems to be quite the fertile breeding ground for solitary black metal entities (see also: Xasthur, Leviathan, Crebain, Draugar, et al.) and Palace of Worms and Mastery uphold the level excellence that’s come to be expected from the Golden State’s corpse painted isolationist contingent.

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Wreck and Reference – Youth (Flenser, 2012)

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I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive about checking out Wreck and Reference when I first heard about them.  As deep an appreciation as I have for forward-thinking heavy music, I still have at least one foot (or maybe just a toe?) stuck in the old school, which means a metal band that doesn’t wield a single guitar of any kind throws up a huge red flag.  I know, I know, it seems silly and more than a tad close minded, but hey, we all have our hang-ups; at the end of the day, I’m a guitar guy, a fucking RIFF guy, so I’m bound to approach a band like Wreck and Reference, who lack the one instrument that is in my opinion the foundation of heavy metal as the Gods (Iommi, Mustaine, Warrior, Quorthon, etc) intended it, with extreme caution.
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Bosse-de-Nage – III (Profound Lore, 2012)

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Mysterious Bay Area quartet Bosse-de-Nage have quickly risen to become one of the most compelling bands in the US black metal scene.  After releasing two stellar albums with the up-and-coming Flenser Records, the band has moved over to the equally mighty Profound Lore for III, a recording that sees them continuing to push their unique take on the genre ever further towards the fringes, creating something that’s as surreal as it is scathing.
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Panopticon – Social Disservices (Flenser, 2011)

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Most black metal is pure fantasy.  The end of the world, kingdoms of snow and ice, fever dreams involving murder, suicide, Satanisim and extreme sexual behavior are the genre’s tried and true conceptual fodder.  But not so for Louisville, Kentucky’s Panopticon, who uses black metal as a means to tackle some frighteningly real social issues on his third album, Social Disservices.
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Obolus – Lament (Flenser, 2012)

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California’s Flenser Records has become one of the go-to labels for infinitely interesting black metal and doom releases over the past few years, and Lament, the debut EP from the mysterious black metal entity known as Obolus is no exception.  Information on the band is virtually non-existent; their Metal Archives page yields no answers and the Flenser is keeping things decidedly on the down-low when it comes to details.  I prefer my black metal with a dose of mystique and it’s fun to speculate about Obolus’ origins; is this the the work of one twisted individual or a like-minded group of musicians?  Who are they and where do they come from?  Ultimately, it doesn’t matter as long as the music’s good, and lament is certainly one of the better black metal releases I’ve come across so far in 2012.
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