Church of Metal

Ithyphallic is the fifth studio album by American death metal band Nile. It was released on July 17, 2007. “It is also the band’s first album since Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka not to feature notes explaining the context of the lyrics.”

The cover art of this album depicts a statue of the god of fertility “Min”, being erected by Egyptian slaves. This album is consistently technical and brutal. Karl Sanders and crew are some of the most talented musicians in metal.

Nile – Ithyphallic

1. What Can Be Safely Written
2. As He Creates So He Destroys
3. Ithyphallic
4. Papyrus Containing The Spell To Preserve Its Possessor…
5. Eat Of The Dead
6. Laying Fire Upon Apep
7. The Essential Salts
8. The Infinity Of Stone
9. The Language Of The Shadows
10. Even The Gods Must Die
11. As He Creates So He Destroys
12. Papyrus Containing The Spell To Preserve Its Possessor…

More technical death metal from the Egyptian themed Nile.

Before the Dawn is a melodic death/gothic metal band from Finland, started in 1999 by Tuomas Saukkonen.

I admit I don’t know much about this band, they are from Finland and I have been playing them more lately. While normally I am not a big fan of clean vocals, this band has a great sound mixture of clean vocals and death metal vocals and put it to proper use. Bassist Lars has a very powerful and uplifting voice that compliments singer Tuomas death metal growls.

Deadlight is their fourth album, it was released in 2007, check it out.

Before the Dawn – Deadlight (2007)

1. Wrath
2. Faithless
3. Eternal
4. Fear Me
5. Morning Sun
6. Deadsong
7. Guardian
8. Star Of Fire
9. Reign of Fire
10. …

Before The Dawn – Deadlight

Entombed is a Swedish death metal band which formed in 1987 under the name of Nihilist. Though Entombed began their career as an early pioneer of Scandinavian death metal which initially differed itself from it’s American counterpart with its distinct guitar tone, by the early 1990s their sound had broadened to include garage rock and other influences. This new style would eventually be described as death ‘n’ roll.

Entombed – DCLXVI: To Ride, Shoot Straight, And Speak The Truth is the fourth album by the Swedish metal band Entombed, released in 1997. DCLXVI is 666 in Roman numerals.

1. To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth
2. Like This With the Devil
3. Lights Out
4. Wound
5. They
6. Somewhat Peculiar
7. DCLXVI
8. Parasight
9. Damn Deal Done
10. Put Me Out
11. Just as Sad
12. Boats
13. Uffe’s Horrorshow
14. Wreckage

This is the final album with Nicke Royale on drums, and definitely marks a change in the band’s direction. Still one of the best, order your copy of Entombed – DCLXVI: To Ride, Shoot Straight, And Speak The Truth today.

Continuing in pursuit of good death metal, I am building the Nile discography at this time. Hope you enjoy…

Annihilation of the Wicked is the fourth studio album by American death metal band Nile. The album was released on May 23, 2005 by Relapse Records. This is the first Nile album to feature George Kollias on drums, replacing Tony Laureano. The album continues in the same thematic vein of Nile’s previous works, drawing heavy inspiration from ancient Egyptian history and the writings of H. P. Lovecraft.

The album art features an artist’s depiction of the Winged Disk of Horus surrounded by the goddesses Nekhbet and Wadjet in serpent form.

Annihilation of the Wicked

1. Dusk Falls Upon the Temple of the Serpent on the Mount of Sunrise 0:51
2. Cast Down the Heretic 5:45
3. Sacrifice Unto Sebek 3:02
4. User Maat Re 9:14
5. The Burning Pits of the Duat 3:52
6. Chapter of Obeisance Before Giving Breath To the Inert One In the Presence of the Cresent Shaped Horns 5:21
7. Lashed To the Slave Stick 4:18
8. Spawn of Uamenti 1:14
9. Annihilation of the Wicked 8:36
10. Von Unaussprechlichen Kulten 9:46

Bonus tracks
11. “Sss Haa Set Yoth” (Japanese bonus track) – 5:15

Nile has quickly become one of the most popular and a personal favorite “death metal band” of mine.

For the past few days I have been on a power metal kick. While I, of course, have played other genres of music over the past week or so, I find myself coming back to some power metal songs time and time again when listening and downloading mp3s.

This brings me to this morning’s metal music update: Saint Deamon – In Shadows Lost From The Brave

Power metal from Sweden featuring Jan Grefstad of Highland Glory.

download Saint Deamon – In Shadows Lost From The Brave mp3s

1. Exodus (Intro) [Instrumental]
2. My Judas
3. In Shadows Lost from the Brave
4. My Heart
5. The Burden
6. No Mans Land
7. Ride Forever
8. Black Symphony
9. Deamons
10. The Brave Never Bleeds
11. My Sorrow
12. Run for Your Life
13. My Heart [Bonus Video]

Sweden sure does put out some good metal that is for sure. In all genres, from black metal to beautiful power metal, amazing work guys keep it up. We here in America love your music.

Dawn of Solace is a side project from the guys in Before the Dawn. The story goes like this… While in the writing process for their third album, “The Ghost“, Saukkonen ended up with over 30 written songs. The first plan was to make a double album for Before the Dawn, but some of the material was slower, more melodic and darker than the songs chosen for “The Ghost” and Saukkonen wanted to take things further without any limitations that Before the Dawn might create.

The result was Saukkonen’s solo project, Dawn of Solace. The first album, entitled “Darkness” features a melodic sound akin to that of Before the Dawn, albeit with a much stronger gothic metal and doom metal influence.

Dawn of Solace – Darkness

1. Dying Daylight 2:50
2. Wings Of Darkness Attached On The Children Of The Light 7:23
3. I Was Never There 6:50
4. Dead Air 5:18
5. I Am Chaos, I Am Destruction 5:59
6. Winter Song 2:36
7. Wrath Of Gods Amongst Us 4:51
8. Avalanche 3:39

There are some epic songs here and definitely get the day started with good metal. \m/

Firewind is a Greek heavy metal band. Formed in 1998, the group is currently signed to Century Media Records and was originally a small project created by guitarist, Gus G. The band began in 1998 when the young Greek Gus G. decided to record a demo with some close musician friends in the United States. The project was entitled Firewind, and was used as a showcase for Gus’ guitar skills in an attempt to earn a professional recording deal.

Days of Defiance is the sixth studio album by Greek heavy metal band Firewind. It was released on October 25, 2010 in Europe and October 26 in North America.

Days of Defiance

1. The Ark Of Lies
2. World On Fire
3. Chariot
4. Embrace The Sun
5. The Departure
6. Heading For The Dawn
7. Broken
8. Cold As Ice
9. Kill In The Name Of Love
10. SKG
11. Losing Faith
12. The Yearning
13. When All Is Said and Done

Another great album from this power metal band.

Yesterday was release day for the latest Darkest Hour titled The Human Romance. My sincere apologies to the band and fans for not posting this yesterday!

Darkest Hour is an American Metalcore band from Washington, D.C., formed in 1995. “The Human Romance” is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Darkest Hour. The album was released on February 22, 2011 in North America.

The much anticipated Darkest Hour album has the production to match musicianship. From the first track on the songs invite you in with melodic but heavy guitars, then crushes you with pummeling chorus as epic and wide as some power metal! This is one of the best metal releases of the year so far.

The Human Romance mp3

1. Terra Nocturnus
2. World Engulfed in Flames
3. Savor the Kill
4. Man & Swine
5. Love as a Weapon
6. Your Everyday Disaster
7. Purgatory
8. Violent by Nature
9. Severed into Separates
10. Wound
11. Terra Solaris
12. Beyond the Life You Know

Fans of Darkest Hour will be pleased, and those who are new to this band will surely find pleasure in “The Human Romance.”

Let’s start this beautiful day with some funeral doom from the slow and doom bringing Evoken and their 1994 release Shades of Night Descending. This is not thrash or death metal, this is “funeral doom” at its finest.

Evoken is an American funeral doom metal band from Lyndhurst, New Jersey, that is influenced by the Australian band Disembowelment and the Finnish band Thergothon. The band name Evoken was taken from the Thergothon song found on the Fhtagn nagh Yog-Sothoth demo. The band was founded by guitarist Nick Orlando under the name Funereus in April 1992.

Shades of Night Descending

01. Intro
02. In Graven Image
03. Shades Of Night Descending
04. Towers Of Frozen Dusk
05. Into The Autumn Shade

With only a 2 minute intro and 4 songs this epic release still clocks in over 35 minutes of funeral doom and is highly recommended. Fans of doom in general will enjoy this, but the tempo is very slow…

Woke up this morning and put on some power metal,… but quickly realized it wasn’t what I wanted to hear this morning. I reached quickly for the glowing red cover of Howl – Full of Hell to get today rolling.

Hellish stoner sludge doom metal coming at you with this album. What I like most about this album is how its theme is evil and not psychedelia like so many stoner metal bands. I won’t discuss production here but this album belongs in your metal collection. However, the sludge ceases and the brutality and metal persist throughout. It has its slow parts and upbeat metal blasts.

Howl – Full of Hell mp3

1. Horns of Steel 3:26
2. You Jackals Beware 5:35
3. Gods In Broken Men 3:12
4. Asherah 1:07
5. Jezebel 4:25
6. Heavenless 5:33
7. The Scorpion’s Last Sting 5:51
8. Parish of the Obscene 4:04
9. The Day of Rest 10:17