Colorado’s Black Acid Devil create the kind of groove-laden, [...]]]> Don’t you just love it when you randomly, completely out of the blue, discover a band that you can’t stop listening to? Today I had this experience with not one, but two fantastic bands… one of which, I’m going to tell you about now

Colorado’s Black Acid Devil create the kind of groove-laden, stoner rock that you just can’t help but love. Throw this on, turn it up, close your eyes and be transported to a psychedelic dream world. The album reminds me of Kyuss in some places… and Black Sabbath in others. This is a place where fuzzy distorted guitars and big meaty riffs reign supreme. The overall effect is one of timelessness – this album feels like it could have been recorded yesterday, or in the 70s. It’ll probably sound just as good in 2030.

Even though I’ve only heard a digital version, the production feels immense. Black Acid Devil have a huge and uncompromising sound, but it never feels over-whelming. They’ve got that ‘just right’ balance pretty much sorted.

It’s hard to pick a favourite in an album full of highlights, but if you only listen to one track (and, if that’s the case, I will have no choice but to assume that you are mad) then check out “Fire Eater and No Mistake”.

The only problem is that I now need more of their stuff… and a t-shirt… and to see them live.

This review is also going to become something of an unofficial Freebie of the Week as the band have made this album available for FREE! Use the widget below to grab it for yourself.

I realise that I haven’t written a huge amount here, but I believe I’ve said what needs to be said in only a few sentences. This album is astoundingly good. Download it and let the music speak for itself.

Rating: 98%

facebook.com/BlackAcidDevilSlay
blackaciddevil.bandcamp.com
reverbnation.com/blackaciddevil
myspace.com/blackaciddevilslays

16.04 Cardiff – Great Hall 2 ( Insomnium have been confirmed as the main support on Paradise Lost’s forthcoming UK tour. If you want to check out this two fantastic bands in action, get yourself along to at least on of the dates below. I certainly hope to be there!

16.04 Cardiff – Great Hall 2 (seetickets.com)
17.04 Southampton – The Brook (wegottickets.com)
18.04 Folkestone – Quarterhouse (seetickets.com)
19.04 Colchester – Arts Centre (colchesterartscentre.com)
20.04 Stoke – Sugarmill (seetickets.com)
22.04 York – The Duchess (ticketweb.co.uk)
23.04 Glasgow – King Tuts (gigsinscotland.com)
24.04 Sheffield – Corporation (seetickets.com)
25.04 Wolverhampton – Slade Rooms (kililive.com)
26.04 Nottingham – Rescue Rooms (seetickets.com)
27.04 Manchester – Club Academy (kililive.com)
29.04 London – Scala (kililive.com)
30.04 Norwich – Waterfront (ueaticketbookings.co.uk)

paradiselost.co.uk
facebook.com/paradiselostofficial
insomnium.net
facebook.com/insomniumofficial

“One more week to go till we enter the studioo. Orchestrations nearly complete. We can honestly say we have never sounded this epic. A lot of people will be surprised. [...]]]> Nekromantic metallers Herfst are about to enter the studio to record their latest opus. The following message was left on their official Facebook page yesterday:

“One more week to go till we enter the studioo. Orchestrations nearly complete. We can honestly say we have never sounded this epic. A lot of people will be surprised. Stay tuned for studio videos and updates!”

Herfst’s previous album, “Necrotica”, was one of my favourites of 2011 (click here to see my full list) and you can read my review of it by clicking here.

herfst.org
facebook.com/Herfstofficial

I had thought about seeing if I could get a radio show on an existing Internet Radio Station, but since cannot commit to a specific time slot each week, that seemed a little bit unfair on [...]]]> After a short amount of deliberation I have come to a decision… The Loucifer Speaks Podcast will return!

I had thought about seeing if I could get a radio show on an existing Internet Radio Station, but since cannot commit to a specific time slot each week, that seemed a little bit unfair on the station. I am, however, able to find time here and there in which to do a podcast.

How often will the podcasts be?
I plan to record (and upload) one podcast per week. I haven’t decided which day it will go online yet… but I do have a choice of seven…

How will it be made available?
The podcasts will be available to either download or stream. Note to Bands: Please keep this in mind if you are thinking of submitting your tracks

How long will each podcast be?
I expect each podcast will last around 30 minutes. Not too long, not too short.

What music will be featured?
I could put together a weekly podcast with a bunch of bands that everyone’s already heard about, but I don’t see the point in that. If a band like Megadeth or Metallica are going to release a new album (providing it’s not with Lou Reed), you pretty much know if you’re going to buy it or not. You don’t need me to play a track for it for you on a podcast. So, with that in mind, the podcast is going to feature new / underground bands ONLY (unless a big band wants to give us an incredibly exclusive track… which is unlikely). Also, if I play well-known bands, I’m likely to get sued by everyone and their mothers. That wouldn’t be fun.

So, it’s new / underground bands only. Got it? Good.
This means that I will be asking bands individually for permission to use their tracks or, if you would like to submit a track for me to play, please get in touch via the comments box below and I’ll message you back. I ask that you use the comments box in the first instance, as emails tend to get lost in my swamp of an inbox.

Please be aware that the podcasts will be available for streaming AND download when submitting your tracks. Although, I will be one of those annoying DJs who talks over the intros and outros of tracks… just to make stealing the track a little more difficult.

Unfortunately I’m not rolling in cash, so I can’t pay for the use of your tracks (so you will, in effect, be donating tracks)… but your band’s name and links will be mentioned in the podcast (obviously!), put on the website and plastered all over social networks when the podcast goes live. Basically, it’s a nice little bit of extra promotion.

Will people have to pay to listen to / download the podcasts?
Nope. It’ll be FREE!

Sponsors.
Ok, this one wasn’t a question, but it’s something that I wanted to mention.
Running this site costs money and every little bit of advertising helps! So, there is the option to sponsor the podcasts. This means that your company’s name (or product, service, or whatever) will be mentioned in the shows and you links and logos will be put on the site and on our social networks. You can either sponsor one show or several.
If you’re interested in this, please comment below and I will get back to you.
Please note: Sponsorship is intended for companies / businesses rather than bands. If you are in a band and would like to advertise on Loucifer Speaks, please click here.

And that’s it… for now…

I’d like to thank Marcos from Idillicah for sharing his Internet Radio knowledge with me… even if I did just basically ignore it and go for a podcast instead. Marcos, you are a LEGEND! … and your band is rather awesome too

I’m not sure yet when the first podcast will go online, but it’ll be sooner rather than later. To make sure that you don’t miss it, please consider signing up as a subcriber (check out the little ‘subscriby’ box at the side of the screen).

I also plan to run some Podcast Exclusive Competitions… more on that later…

This fantastic slice of atmospheric [...]]]> One of my favourite albums of last year (click here to see my full list) is now available to buy. Although, should “The Wolves Gather…” count as a 2011 album or a 2012 album? I don’t know. All that matters is that it’s good. Very good indeed.

This fantastic slice of atmospheric Black Metal is available on cassette (yes, cassette!) through Metal Throne Productions or via the band members themselves. If you would like to buy directly from the band, you can send money through PayPal to lordwolfsblood6@yahoo.com and the tape costs $6. Bargain!

All tapes bought directly from the band will contained hand-drawn artwork from Abyssous and Akasha.

DRINK THE BLOOD OF THE BLACK WULF!!

Click here to read my review of the album and click here for an interview with Abyssous.

facebook.com/CrypticThrone
myspace.com/crypticthronefl

The album is called “Those Who Will Remain Silent Forever” and is set for release on the 31st January 2012. Click here to pre-order the album.

A taster can be heard below:

Slovakia’s Aeon Winds have now made their second album available for pre-order via Naturmacht Productions.

The album is called “Those Who Will Remain Silent Forever” and is set for release on the 31st January 2012. Click here to pre-order the album.

A taster can be heard below:

Click here to read a review of the band’s previous album, “Aeon”.

facebook.com/aeonwinds

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this: “When Ice [...]]]> “When Ice Crowns the Earth” follows hot on the heels of Theudho’s free to download EP, “War into the World”… which is wonderful since it means that I didn’t have to wait too long for my Theudho fix.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this: “When Ice Crowns the Earth” is Theudho’s most impressive album to date. Pagan Black Metal does not come better than this. Fact. While “Treachery”, “The Volsunga Saga” and “Cult of Wotan” all have a lot of amazing moments, it just feels like everything has fallen into place here. All of the elements are working together in a heathen harmony. There’s an air of ‘completeness’. I can’t put my finger on it, but everything just feels right.

As with their previous works, Theudho’s love of Bathory certainly shines through here. However, it’s not a major focus and you soon come to the realisation that Theudho are very much their own entity. Would Theudho be creating music in the way that they do if Bathory never existed? I guess that’s a question that we’ll never be able to answer. Maybe the idea would have naturally popped into Jurgen’s head one day…

The album opens with “War into the World” – the track that also opened the EP of the same name. Back when I reviewed the EP, I mentioned that “War into the World” was fast becoming my favourite Theudho song of all time. This is still the case, but on this album it’s accompanied with such brilliance, that it’s hard to pick a favourite. Anyway, this track really grabs the listener right from the start with its galloping riffs, infectious melodies and a feeling of greatness that’s hard to find these days. Usually when albums are started with a track this good, the rest of the album pales in comparison… Well, I’m pleased to say that this is not the case here.

The title track is wonderful. Really, it is. The lead guitar tone is just beautiful… Seriously, the louder you play it, the better it gets: so turn that dial UP! The combination of spoken word sections and Black Metal vocals work fantastically well and give the track several layers for the listener to enjoy. The tempo is changed at several points throughout the song (accompanied by the differing vocals), making the track an entirely exhilarating listening experience.

“The Second Coming” brings us a more intense and frantic atmosphere. Again, there’s a number of tempo changes; Theudho certainly know how to keep you on your toes. There’s also something about this track that makes me want to find an ancient forest (preferably one untouched by human beings) and get back to nature, as it were. All in all, an incredibly powerful track.

Next up is “Niðr ok Norðr” and, despite my complete failure at pronouncing it, I’ve developed quite an addiction to it. It’s both calming and empowering at the same time. It may sound odd, but the first time I heard it I had a terrific goosebumps-on-the-back-of-the-neck moment when the vocals kicked in. I wouldn’t say that the track was necessarily groundbreaking, but it manages to stir up something very primal within me. Now, if someone would like to help me pronounce its title, that would be rather spiffing.

“Heracleidae (Seevölkersturm) ” really shows off just how talented these guys are and each instrument (and I’m including the vocals in this) manages to shine through. Once again, galloping riffs are the order of the day… and, once again, I wish I could play guitar better (yeah, I know, I should practise more).

“Sacrifice the King” means business. It really sounds like Jurgen is pushing his vocals; particularly at the beginning of the track. You can really feel the passion and force behind them. The spoken vocals also make an appearence and provide a great use of juxtaposition. Oh, and the guitar solo makes me weep tears of joy.

“Lokabrenna” is a track of epic proportions. OK, at just over 7 minutes its not especially long, but musically this instrumental piece is absolutely MASSIVE. There’s a lot going on – this is definitely a track that worth listening to through a good quality pair of headphones.

The whole thing is finished off with “The Straw Death” – a track that picks up the pace, runs rings around the listener and then leaves them stunned.

Too often I find that Pagan Metal comes with a set of gimmicks. Admittedly sometimes gimmicks work and are able to bring new depth to the music, but sometimes I find them tiresome and overdone. Theudho do not rely on gimmicks. You will find no happy trolls dancing around to this (as much as I do enjoy a dancing troll); instead, the music is left to stand on its own. And it does. Magnificently.

“When Ice Crowns the Earth” is one of the first releases of 2012 and it’s certainly getting the year off to a good start. The rest of 2012′s albums better be bringing their A game!

Yep, I’m a fan. What can I say? My only problem with this album is that, now it has been released, I’m going to have to wait a fair while until my next Theudho fix.

Rating: 100% – there, I said it. If I could give it more, I would. Please can someone bring Theudho to the UK for some shows? I’ll give you sweeties… go on…

theudho.com
facebook.com/theudho
reverbnation.com/theudho

The following message was posted on the band’s official website:

“Warriors!!!

The new Unleashed album is the story about the future of Yggdrasil and those who survive Ragnarök. It is the story of the Midgard Warriors who carry on [...]]]> Unleashed have… er… unleashed the title of their forthcoming album… Sorry, I couldn’t resist…

The following message was posted on the band’s official website:

“Warriors!!!

The new Unleashed album is the story about the future of Yggdrasil and those who survive Ragnarök. It is the story of the Midgard Warriors who carry on the Viking tradition into the new world ODALHEIM, (which is also the name of the new album).

Release in April, check in for album cover and song titles later.

Johnny & The Boys

unleashed.se