It may seem strange to have the first Greek band discussed in a BMR season be one that ISN'T Rotting Christ (don't worry. We'll get to them soon enough). But the mysterious entity known as Necromantia (a Latin phrase meaning something in the neighborhood of "Divination of the Dead") is another founding father of the scene, and has been around just as long (over 30 years).

The world of black metal lost one of it's most unique musicians when founding member/bassist/keyboardist Baron Blood passed away this past November as the result of a heart attack. He is one of the genre's unsung heroes. In addition to helping sculpt Necromantia's eclectic sound, his bass playing is as unprecedented as it is largely unappreciated. It's almost like its own symphony. In addition to the many colorful bass lines, it also fills in the space normally reserved for the rhythm guitar.

So in tribute to Baron Blood, we are revisiting two of their classics from the 1990s, as well as their last studio album.

We start by journeying back to 1993 for their debut full-length, titled Crossing the Fiery Path. In addition to being very recognizable in style to the other Greek black metal releases from the era (you can totally hear the fact that these guys hung out with Rotting Christ and Varathron), this album showed Necromantia to be unique in many ways. Where a lot of their colleagues rely on a more subtle ambiance and vague-yet-terrifying darkness with which to unleash their sorcery... Necromantia prefers to play the blasphemy and horror-show worship right out front. In fact, with their use of samples, narration, sometimes stately keyboards and unsubtle sound effects... there are several moments that are downright King Diamond-esque in nature (complete with some acquired-taste screaming). An excellent album, although the band would find its true calling and unbelievable firepower on their following release...

It is scientifically impossible to listen to Necromantia's 1995 masterwork, Scarlet Evil Witching Black, WITHOUT getting your ass kicked to Hell and back. Holy SHIT, the band really found their true guts on this one. It's almost as if they took the fun experimentation of Crossing the Fiery Path, and they were all, "Alright. We're ditching the stuff that didn't work, and fucking committing to and charging straight through with the stuff that did. Let's add some blissful brutality, too. OH! AND enough traditional Greek spice and crunching catchiness to give Rotting Christ a run for their money." Seriously, the confidence and cohesiveness on display here is positively overwhelming. If you are looking for the quintessential album from these elder Greek gods... this is it.

NOTE: Not only does one of the songs start out with a sample of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries (not a huge surprise there. That piece is metal as shit)... but the band made the curious choice of introducing the whole album with a quiet, sad instrumental version of the refrain from Auld Lang Syne... which reaffirms the fact that Necromantia still has a very big toe stuck in eclecticism. :-)

Necromantia does not release material very often, but when they do, it certainly packs a punch. The Sound of Lucifer Storming Heaven (2007) came out 5 years after their previous full-length, and they have not put out another one since. It shows them continuing to hone their mix of black metal and horror-show theatrics. It's a really neat amalgamation of their strengths. On one hand, you've got the choral layering, and the occasional soaring, bordering-on-melodramatic, classical type melodies played on keyboards. On the other hand, you have the delightfully abrasive voice of bassist/vocalist The Magus, which I swear has only gotten more agonized as the years have gone by.

NOTE: As an excellent example of the ongoing collaborative nature of the Greek scene, the drums on this album were performed by Fotis Bernard (of Septic Flesh).

Praise be to the Hellenic Black Cult!

Jeffrey

Previous BMR can be found here.

Two of the biggest bands in heavy metal – MEGADETH and LAMB OF GOD – will be joining forces on a co-headline tour across North America this year, presented by SiriusXM. And to add to the firepower of this already formidable tour, TRIVIUM and IN FLAMES are joining, making this THE must-see heavy music package of the year. Tickets will go on general sale Friday, February 14 from livenation.com

MEGADETH, fueled by Dave Mustaine's triumphant return to the stage following his diagnosis and recovery of throat cancer, will embark on their first North American tour since 2017. Speaking on the epic announcement, MEGADETH's leader and frontman, Dave Mustaine says, "Hello me! I'm back again, better than ever and coming to a town near you with Lamb of God, Trivium and In Flames. If you want high octane metal madness this is the tour for you."

LAMB OF GOD released their first new music in five years last week with the single "Checkmate." The track is the first to be released from the band's self-titled eighth studio album, due out May 8, which is one of the most anticipated and important metal records of the year. Commenting on their upcoming co-headline run, Mark Morton, lead guitarist of LAMB OF GOD, adds, "The world has never needed heavy more than it does today and top to bottom, this tour delivers! LAMB OF GOD has toured with and been friends with all of these bands for years, but for all of us to be on the same bill is something extra special. Come early and stay late. This is THE metal tour of the year."

TRIVIUM's Matt Heafy adds, "We are happy to be a part of the biggest real metal tour of the year. This tour is the main event and represents heavy metal and the culture that goes with it."

With IN FLAMES singer, Anders Fridén stating, "We were honored to be asked to join this package. We were actually supposed to take this summer off, but of course we couldn't say no. After playing shows with all of these guys for years, 2020 is going to feel like a kick ass reunion. See you on the road, Jesterheads!"

Produced by Live Nation, this epic 55-city tour will stretch across summer and fall, kicking off June 12 in Bristow, VA, and hit every region of the U.S. before wrapping November 13 in Reno, NV. Multiple Canadian shows are scheduled as well. See full itinerary below.

Tickets and VIP packages for all four artists go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, February 14 at 10 a.m. local time at LiveNation.com. Citi is the official presale credit card of the tour. As such, Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase presale tickets & VIP packages beginning Tuesday, February 11 at 10 a.m. local time until Thursday, February 13 at 10 p.m. local time through Citi Entertainment®. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com.

MEGADETH, LAMB OF GOD, TRIVIUM and IN FLAMES North America tour dates:
Summer 2020:
6/12 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
6/13 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
6/14 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater
6/16 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
6/17 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
6/18 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
6/20 – Holmdel, MA @ PNC Bank Arts Center
6/21 – Boston, MA @ Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
6/23 – Syracuse, NY @ St. Joseph's Heath Amphitheater at Lakeview
6/24 – Providence, RI @ Bold Point Lake Amphitheater
6/28 – Burgettstown, PA @ S&T Bank Music Park
6/29 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
7/1 – Detroit, NI @ DTE Energy Music Theater
7/2 – Mount Pleasant, MI @ Soaring Eagle Casino Amphitheatre
7/3 – Indianapolis, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
7/5 – Atlanta, GA @ Ameris Music Center
7/7 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion
7/8 – Cleveland, OH @Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
7/10 – Chicago, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago, IL
7/11 – Sgt. Louis, MO @ Chicago, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis, MO
7/12 – Nashville, TN @ Nashville Municipal Auditorium
7/14 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP*
7/16 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater
7/17 – Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
7/18 – Irving, TX @The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
7/20 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
7/21- Phoenix, AZ @ Isleta Amphitheater
7/23 – Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheatre
7/25 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
7/26 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
7/29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
7/30 – Pocatello, ID @ Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre
8/1 – Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion

Fall 2020:
10/2 - West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
10/6 – Birmingham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
10/7 – New Orleans, LA @ UNO Lakefront Arena
10/9 - Corpus Christi, TX @ American Bank Center Arena
10/11 – El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center
10/14 – Springfield, MO @ JOH Arena
10/16 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
10/21 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
10/23 – Huntington, WV @ Mountain Heath Arena
10/24 – Bethlehem, PA @ The Wind Creek Event Center
10/27 – Quebec City, QC @ Centre Videotron
10/28 – Laval, QC @ Place Bell
10/30 – St, Paul, MN @ Armory
10/3 – Green Bay, WI @ Resch Center
11/2 – Omaha, NE @ Baxter Arena
11/3 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
11/5 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
11/7 - Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay Events Center
11/10 – Spokane, WA @ Spokane Arena
11/11 – Nampa, ID @ Ford Idaho Center Arena
11/13 – Reno, NV @ Reno Events Center

Hailing from the ever-fertile Finnish black/death underground, VIOLENT HAMMER is proud to present long-awaited debut album, Riders of the Wasteland, out on May 29th, 2020 via Hells Headbangers, and today we are honored to reveal those 26 minutes of bestial howls, deranged drumming and psychopathic riffing through nine barbaric slabs of primitive and unremitting hammering.

Riders of the Wasteland is not the kind of record you could rate based on diversity, song-structure or any of that nerdy shit; instead, this is the kind of thing you'd find more comfort and gratification in when making comparisons to a fucking ogre. 'Death Squad' is an undomesticated advance made towards all witnessing the musical mauling. Already devastated by the clobbering, 'Annihilation (Victims of Bomb Raid)' proceeds to add salt to a still bleeding wound with a dreaded downpour of mostly mid-paced doomy snare punctures. '(Trapped) in Depths', treats you like a fat slob of bloody stake and rips you apart with a Polynesian shark-tooth sword after being tenderized by a hand-crafted Neanderthal club.

The album as a whole is primitive; take the vocals for instance, analyze the way it gives some account of how the first words uttered by man were so undeveloped and fossilized. Meanwhile the guitars and drums bare resemblance to a mud-hut put together overnight. Not to say the musicians lack the virtues of composing technically and/or rhythmically enjoyable songs, but that has no purpose on something this sort and VIOLENT HAMMER gets that.

Riders of the Wasteland is not meant for you to sip tea to or have a vegan lunch over, this is for the men that live in the gym, have a high intake of calories and despise shaving or anything that has to do with appearing presentable, approachable/hygienic. Metal for Man. A true ancestral beat down. Sasquatch would be proud.

Full review of VIOLENT HAMMER's second full-length "Riders of the Wasteland" can be found here.

VIOLENT HAMMER is:

Lauri Autioniemi - bass
Kalle Salmivaara - drums
Lasse Limma - guitars
Janne Karjalainen - guitars
Joonas Niemeläinen - vocals

MORE INFO AND PRE-ORDERS:

https://www.facebook.com/violenthammer
https://violent-hammer.bandcamp.com/
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hellsheadbangers
https://hellsheadbangers.bandcamp.com/