10 Terrifying Metal Album Covers, Pt. 1

Terror takes many forms in heavy metal album covers.  The ten albums you see below you manifest in the frightening forms of animated monsters from your darkest nightmares,  the gritty aftermath of a death (or multiple), or profound existential fears of loneliness and vastness of time and space,  Many of these you will have never seen on a "scary" list before, so have an open mind when viewing this article, and succumb to the darkness within these masterpieces.

10) Vio-Lence: Eternal Nightmare

What metalhead hasn't had a dark and twisted dream about either falling or being eaten alive, two of the most common dream sequences to have in general?  Now combine them both, plus make the thing that's eating you have infinite sets of mouths and razor-sharp teeth? Hell no, that's fucking terrifying.  At this point, this kid is probably just trying to reach down for his bed so he can at least hide under the covers while falling into his eternal nightmare.

9) Opeth: Damnation

DOLLS. Movies like Chucky, Dolly Dearest, and most recently Annabelle have gotten me and millions of people around the world convinced that dolls are just porcelain figures filled with nope.   The cover is just as haunting as its music, but what makes this cover even creepier is the fact that Mikael Akerfeldt dedicated this album to his grandmother who died in a car accident while Damnation was being recorded.  What was probably meant to be a touching tribute ended up being a work passively but powerfully touching upon the universal fear of dying.  It still confounds me that something that was once held 60 years ago as a delightful little treasure perfect for a long-lasting collection is now interpreted as little more than a porcelain harbinger of death.

8) Death: Leprosy

Choosing between Scream Bloody Gore and Leprosy has to be the toughest decision I've made in writing this list.  This poor guy just reeks of impending doom and limb loss with Ed Repka's horrifying illustrations of a timelessly terrifying disease.  As if leprosy wasn't debilitating enough, the ostracized colony under a blood red sky is a habitat that none of us want to envision being a part of.  Repka's artistic tendencies to make catastrophic backgrounds pale in comparison to the sinister vastness created here.  Try staring at this cover while listening to "Open Casket" and "Pull the Plug," and the combination will have chilling effects on you, I promise.

7) Deicide: Once Upon The Cross

Religion has been at the forefront of heavy metal controversy since the birth of the godfathers of Black Sabbath.  Sometimes it's at subtle as a rumor about playing a record like Ride the Lightning backwards and picking up fragments of a satanic phrase.  Sometimes, it's Deicide, who help themselves to a bowl of "Fuck Your God" for breakfast and a heaping plate of "Kill the Christian" for dinner.  Contrary to most savage and sloppy death metal blood works, every blood splotch is perfectly placed forcing you to imagine all the exact places in which Christ's torturers wanted him to experience the utmost anguish, as if His demise was by that of an ordinary serial killer.  If Dexter had killed Jesus, we know what it would look like.  Compared to the rest of Deicide's covers, it is rather quiet but still as agitating and violent in imagery and in purpose.

6) Obituary: Cause of Death

Just because this album art is probably one of the most classic pieces of death metal artwork ever doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't lose its hellish aura.  You can thank H.P. Lovecraft and the remastering skills of Michael Whelan for all the nightmares you will have after staring deep into the blood red eye of that looming leviathan.  Turn away, and you encounter a grotesquely twisted tree of anguish leaning helplessly on a pyramid of human skulls.  Rabid fans of Lovecraft will recognize this artwork from his collection Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre, and death metal fans continue to be bewitched by the fantastical terrors that could only come from the darkest of minds.

A Metal Maiden Exclusive: How to Seek and Destroy in a Mosh Pit

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THE ULTIMATE FEMALE MOSHING EXPERIENCE

These guidelines were designed for female moshers BY female moshers.  They are meant to enlighten you on how to thrive in a pit rather than survive it.  Even if you are not gung-ho for skanking or walls of death, you are going to have to know how to deal with the beasts who live to mosh.  Don't let a pit of running, screaming bodies ruin your concert experience; it's all meant to be fun, so you might as well learn to entertain yourself in the midst of the chaos.  Horns up, and lets get INTO THE PIT!

1) DRESS TO KILL
Before you even step one foot out of the house, take a good long look at yourself.  Ladies, are you planning on wearing your Steve Madden heels and Sephora makeup to go see Decapitated?  Last I checked, that band doesn't play beauty pageants.  Whether you mosh or not, you will sweat, you will be exhausted, and you will be a clumsy nuisance to everyone around you.  And yes, I have seen a woman attempt to mosh in heels.  I would be willing to bet money that she broke something besides those shoes.  Also, it's best to come in minimal jewelry, and don't bring your goddamn purse.  Heavy metal shows are not red carpets.  Nobody is going to do anything about your clutch except accidentally knock it out of your French-manicured hands and crush it.  Come with the absolute minimum you need; it will be a refreshing change for you, and a considerate action to everyone on the general admission floor.

2) MIND OVER MATTER
As the lovely Sandra Araya, wife of metal legend Tom Araya and former badass mosh queen, responded in my questionnaire: "Do not enter [the pit] with 'I'm a woman' mentality."  Embodying this feminine mindset comes with associations of fragility and vulnerability, which will only come to pass if you allow it. When you step into the human vortex that is a pit, you have as much opportunity to be pushed, kicked, and punched as the guys in front of and behind you.  But you will only become roadkill if you allow yourself to be.  All are equal in the eye of the mosh pit.  Paying attention to the most cardinal of rules, such as keeping your elbows up and going with the flow of the pit, will have you speeding around the pit whether you're 100 or 300 lbs.

Three years of moshing later, I STILL get scared gazing over the sheer sizes of the men who brutalize every limb of every stranger they touch.  But be assured that most men are generally aware of when there is a woman in a pit and, while they most definitely will not skate around you, they try hard to be aware and respectful rather than patronizing about your presence in the pit.  In a survey of fifty male moshers from ages 18-45, 90% of respondents say they slightly inhibit their behavior when they see a female in the pit.  The other 10% insisted that "if she is badass enough to be at a death metal concert and in a death metal pit, she can take a couple good hits."  In case you were curious, 100% of the survey takers are extremely impressed at a woman who is daring enough to throw down.

3) KNOW YOUR LIMITS
Now that we have discussed that gender is NOT a limit, let's talk about what SHOULD be your limits.  Tabby of San Francisco knows a thing or two about what scares people, as she is owner and director of ScareCo Haunted Attractions.  However, what scares her is a wall of death: "would I ever do one? HELL NO."  And that is ok.  There will be noone at the venue's doors waiting to laugh at you and shame you for backing out of a wall of death.  I remember holding my boyfriend's hand before a Vektor wall of death before promptly running the opposite direction as soon as the frontman yelled, "GO!"  If your inner id---the center of all your impulsive actions---is telling you to run away, odds are you should listen to it.  You paid for a breathtaking concert experience, not for broken bones.  On the flip side, if you feel your heart racing during Morbid Angel as you fantasize about stage diving for the very first time to "Lord of All Fever And Plague," you should just GO FOR IT. That little example was based on a recent true story of mine, and I'm so glad I did it.

There are also many fun and exciting ways to make the most out of your heavy metal concert experience.  If you are a female and reading this article while blasting Toxic Holocaust or Septic Flesh, you are already a one in a million lady. But whether you are a beer-drinking bystander or dancing the toxic waltz, there is no denying that the mosh pit is a significant part of your experience as a metalhead.  Whether your instincts tell you to flee or fight, I hope this article empowered you like the metal queen you probably are.  And if you are a male and reading this, watch out because I haven't moshed in a long time, and this lady is ready to represent!

Enter "Into The Aquatic Sector" with Madrost!

The pursuit for this generation's metal leaders has been an arduous one to say the least.  With the ever-expanding realms of the internet exposing us to infinite amounts of bands, finding a metal band who will stand the test of time seems to be harder than the classic "needle in a haystack" game.  Look no further, as I have gone to great lengths to bring you the shiny needle in the form of Madrost's sophomore release Into the Aquatic Sector.

What separates this album and this band from all the other local and unsigned acts you have seen is Madrost's ability to compose intuitive and original pieces that ignore genre by infusing brute force with technical mastery.  For those of you who are not familiar with the band, you may want to check out the first release Maleficent just to truly appreciate the lengths to which the band has gone to mature their songwriting and production skills.

"Frozen Beneath the Snow" leads the full-fledged metal assault with riffs that are sophisticated in structure but ruthless in execution.  But the undying ferocity that Madrost is so well-know for is highlighted best in the song "Operation Xenomorphic Protocol."  There are some intimidatingly abysmal melodies that join themselves with a beautifully organized structure. In other words, the song is very reminiscent of one of the brilliant hybrid works of Sound of Perseverance.

Aquatic Sector is an album driven by purpose---a well-formulated yet savage conjuration of "Subterranean Nightmares.".  The combination of a sound concept, masterful technical skills, and feral power make this album a force to be reckoned with.

But it's one thing to headbang in your room to the album.  It's a whole other thing to see this shit played live.  And you will get your first chance this Saturday, Sept 5!  Come party with Madrost, Dr. Know, myself, and all the best local metalheads around at the Airliner bar!  Here are links to the band's social media so you can get connected with the band!

https://www.facebook.com/madrost

Why Decapitated is the "Tankard" of Polish Death Metal

Recently I got the opportunity to review Decapitated's upcoming release Blood Mantra.  You can read the review below!  I decided to make a blurb before the blurb because I think Decapitated is in an interesting position, caught between a rock and a hard place. That rock would be Vader and the hard place Behemoth.

http://sdmetal.com/review/album-review-decapitated-blood-mantra/

These would often be considered by avid fans of blackened death metal, as we know call it, to be the Big 3 of Polish Death Metal,  But most every group of these Big 3 or 4 have a black sheep.  My favorite example to use is the Teutonic 3 and Tankard.  While Sodom, Destruction, and Kreator have all created their own distinct sounds, fanbases, and legacies over the last 20 years, Tankard is often forced into this group.  Other than the fact that Tankard is from Germany, the band has little to nothing in common with any of the aforementioned bands.  This does not necessarily make Tankard a shitty band; but aesthetically and musically Tankard is nothing like these bands and thus it feels uncomfortable to try to force them into the "big leagues."  Don't believe me?  Just compare "Phantom Antichrist" to "A Girl Called Cerveza."   Or better yet, let's just compare covers, shall we?











Again, let me rephrase that Tankard is not a horrible band by any means.  The band is still worshipped by the hardcore thrash community and by all means should be.  But if we are talking about overall growth in legacy and musicianship, the Teutonic Three have risen to greater levels.

Behemoth has had the most fortunate luck of not only staking their claim as a major pioneer of the ever-popular "blackened death" subgenre but also of conjuring the means to make their statement as a band effective in literally every metal-worshipping part of the world.  To me, the band would most clearly represent the "Kreator" of Polish death metal.  Vader's sound and songwriting skills have been taking on new life with every release.  Much like Sodom, Vader successfully delved into new ways to write rhythms and riffs that ended up working in the band's favor, thus creating for themselves distinct old-school and new-school versions of themselves.  With all that being said, how could I possibly try to compare Decapitated to Tankard?

Both of these bands started incredibly strong, with rabid old school sounds that thrived in an era where metalheads first sought the most extreme kinds of styles.  Both of these bands thought since they did it once, let's do it for the rest of our lives.  With consistency, a consequence of both bands has arisen: they appear to be riding the coattails of the bands who are making risky changes and succeeding at them.

Hail the Sound of Thunder!

It was a randomly awesome coincidence in which I discovered this Washington DC based band that blends the fundamental heavy elements of Black Sabbath with the high octane dynamism of a Primal Fear/Hammerfall lovechild.  I spoke to the operatic queen of hell---vocalist Nina Osgueda---about everything a new fan needs to know about A Sound of Thunder and everything that their devout fan base has always wanted to know.  Hear what their version of heavy metal thunder sounds like at the links below!

First of all, what artist or event got you into heavy metal?

My first Dragonforce show, combined with a sudden obsession with power metal (Hammerfall, Blind Guardian, mostly) is what inspired me to become a metal vocalist.

Would you consider yourselves more of a hard rock or heavy metal group? Does it really make a difference to you? Does it make a difference to your fans? Definitely heavy metal. 

It personally makes a difference to me because I just can't get into most "hard rock". It's usually not fast enough or doesn't have enough dragons.

What is the metal community like in the DC/Virginia area? What metal genres are most popular out there? How are the dynamics of all the local bands in the area? 

We have a very thriving community. You'll find everything from power to prog metal, death black and everything in between. I think the most popular is probably thrash and death, but there's plenty of room for everyone.

I think you guys are interesting in the way you present yourselves image-wise. For the most part it's relatively simple: basic black and the occasional pair of steampunk goggles and a superhero graphic tee; not drab, but definitely not leather clad/spikes and studs, etc. Tell us about your visual aspects as a band and how that contributes to your music! 

We all have different personalities and they go into our "look". Josh and myself are into comic books, so there's often a superhero element in our wardrobe (I'll wear a comic t-shirt and my usual Decepticon belt buckle), but I also love the look of a good metal vest and spikes so I like adding those too.

What is your most prized music item (vinyl, cassette, CD, etc)?
For me, it's the Blind Guardian box set. The band bought it for me for my birthday and it's the most thoughtful gift I've ever gotten from friends. 

Your music videos encompass a lot of visual interpretations of a variety of themes, but "I'll Walk With You" stands out because it is so culturally relevant with its working class Walking Dead-esque theme. But it's not a vicious death metal or thrash metal "beer zombie" tune, it's a power ballad! Can you explain the connection between how the song was written and how the video was created? 

The song was written almost as a dare to myself. Josh and I were talking about how I hate singing ballads, so I decided to write one under the condition that it not be boring. Josh was kind of addicted to Dead Island at the time, so I decided to include zombies and wrote it for him as a birthday present.

You will be touring in certain spots around the US this fall. What are your hopes or expectations for the Los Angeles show, given we are a California publication? 

I'm really hoping we can see all of those CA fans who keep asking us to visit! I think no matter what, the shows will be fun. We'll be bringing all we've got! 

In what ways did being in opera help you become a confident frontwoman both musically and performance-wise? 

It made me confident because I'm not as classically trained as my experience might lead one to believe. I always sang in school choirs, things like that, but my mom took me to auditions because she thought I was really good. I always met other girls and women who took private lessons, went to college for music, things like that. I was not like that. I was mostly self taught, but I made it anyway. From then on I decided that if I was going to pursue music, I should get some training (and I did take a few private lessons), but my confidence came in knowing what I was capable of on my own. 

As a long-time booking agent, how important do you feel it is for smaller bands to be their own businessmen?

I think it's super important to know how to handle business, because unfortunately, most of the time there is nobody who is going to do it for you. If you sit around waiting for someone else to do it, it might never happen. I've never been one to sit and wait, so I just go ahead and book us myself. 

And now a question for everyone in the band! Tell me about your favorite experience meeting a metal musician!

N: My favorite experience was meeting Fabio Lione. He was so personable, and we drank vodka together! It doesn't help that I always had a big crush on him, so I was very starry-eyed the entire time.

Josh Schwartz [guitar]: We were lucky enough to have former Iron Maiden vocalit Blaze Bayley sing on our song "My Disease."  I talked with Blaze over Skype about the song before he recorded his parts, and I was struck by what a friendly and down-to-earth person he was.  I told him that if he wanted to change any of the parts from what we had written that he should go ahead and do that because we liked his writing and singing styles.  He thanked me for saying that and told me that that gave him confidence going into the recording session.  It blew my mind that the former singer of one of the world's biggest bands would assign any value to my words, but Blaze did!

Jesse Keen [bass]: I met Marco from Lacuna Coil in 2007.  He was hanging outside of the club, signing autographs, taking pictures, and chatting with fans.  The band's eagerness to hang out and chat with their fans is something that I'll never forget and something that I keep in mind at our shows.

The Kult of Khaotika: Why You Should Keep Your Eye On the Disciples of Mayhem

While this page was set up to primarily promote the wonderful local people of San Diego, I've gotta do a plug of my own because this band is too exceptional not to acknowledge. Founded in Atlanta, Georgia, Khaotika is a "female fronted occult metal" band whose brand new EP "Bloodline Empire" is a promising debut in what will hopefully be a long career of high-octane, spine-chilling darkness.  Lariyah Daniels unleashes the furious demons inside her that just could not be released as authentically as when she was in Hessler.  This is a gigantic step forward for her creatively, musically, and spiritually; the banshee screams and echoic harmonies of her vocal range is terrifyingly seductive.  The woman is sinfully beautiful too, but she doesn't let aesthetics hinder her from impaling your ears with a gratuitous amount of demonic energy.  Check out the band's debut video, and you'll see exactly what I mean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GKaWPG2ADQ

When you purchase the "Bloodline Empire" EP, you will be exposed to a myriad of gothic-infused grooves, ambient black riffs, and an incredibly thoughtful cover of Watain's "They Rode On."  But the song that most captured my attention and made me want to call dibs on being the first Khaotika groupie ever was "Masters ov Mayhem."  What starts as a swelling chorus of shrieks and black metal riffs erupts into a typhoon of sinister harmonies that pack a high-octane punch matched only by Daniels's powerful vocal range.  If you are looking for original material that is sinister like a female-fronted Watain but packs the high-energy punch of Arch Enemy, Khaotika is what you're searching for.  Check them out on iTunes now, and join the Khaotika cult before everyone else!

Hanging Ten With Ghoul

April 10, 2014; Soda Bar, San Diego, CA--By far one of the most enjoyable shows I have ever been to since moving to San Diego was the Weapons of Mosh Destruction tour featuring Occultist, Iron Reagan, and the fiendish demons of Ghoul.  The Soda Bar is such an intimate venue and one in which you would think a metal show would just be a giant disaster.  And although the already miniature aisles of the venue were crowded with gothic punks and brutish metalheads, the show was a radical success.  The "venue" has a puny 2 inch platform for a stage, but in a sense this made the show more intense, as it was all too easy to pounce onto the speakers and sing "Cycle of Violence" with Iron Reagan's Tony Foresta.

Hailing from Virginia, The Occultist kicked off the night with a medley of metal tunes that directly reflected who the band was trying to imitate.  The frontwoman seemed to strain her vocals in an attempt to sound like a crossover between Angela Gossow and Tony Foresta while the guitarist seemed to thrive more in his Chris Barnes backing vocal moments than when actually holding down a solid melodic riff.  While every other song was a blur to me, maybe because I wasn't up front or maybe because the muddled sound and the plain aesthetics of the band just put me off, I will give them credit for the title song off of their LP Death Sigils.  I think I may just have to go back and listen to some studio work before making a completely negative judgment about the band.

https://www.facebook.com/0ccultist/info

Audience reaction surprisingly took a while to climb to its full potential when Iron Reagan came front-and-center.  The high energy hardcore/punk crossover band is lead by Tony Foresta, whose energy is all but infectious.  While it is difficult to mosh with the steel pole obnoxiously structured in the middle of the room, there was very minimal headbanging.  Two minutes (which is the equivalent of three songs for the band) later, Foresta yelled "WAKE THE FUCK UP" multiple times; indirectly it felt like he was saying "Fuck that pole, it's just a pole, NOW MOSH."  The place erupted into a beautifully violent mosh pit, and the band continued the rest of their set in fiery fury.   Ryan Parrish was berserk on the drums, Rob Skotis killed on bass, and Mark and Landphil were the dynamic guitar duo of the night.

Setlist:
1) Mini Lights 
2) Drop the Gun                      
3) Insanity Plea(se)                    
4) Walking Out                                     
5) Paycheck                         
6) Snake Chopper 
7) Rats in a Cage     
8) Tongue Tied    
9) The Living Skull   
10) Zero Gain     
11) Spoiled Identity      
12) The Hungry Male (of Wall St)
13) Cycle of Violence
14) I Ripped that Testament a New Asshole 
15) Eyes Piss Tears 
16) Eat Shit and Live 



Finally, the devilish ensemble of Ghoul raided the stage with raggedy vests, polished instruments, and the punk-ass attitudes that make them so popular with our local rowdy metalhead brothers.  Demon babies' throats were slit, rapidly gushing blood all over the crowd.  A few songs later, the Swamp Hag appeared with a bucket of god-knows-what and dumped THAT all over the ecstatic blood-soaked crowd.  With every absurd character interaction, the fervor of the crowd only grew more and more vigorous.

Setlist:
1) The Midnight Ride of Cannibals MC                   
2) Inner Sanctum
3) Sewer Chewer
4) The Mark of Voodoo
5) Brain Jerk
6) Maniaxe
7) Blow Up the Embassy
8) Rise, Killbot, Rise!!!
9) Destructor
10) Spill Your Guts
11) Gutbucket Blues
12) As Your Casket Closes
13) Metallicus Ex Mortus 
14) Americanized (Dave Brockie tribute)

Encore: Numbskull

And while you're still here, check out the interview I conducted with Ghoul's witty and brutally sarcastic bassist/vocalist Cremator at the link below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADUJ07hPpqg