In this (relatively) short but high-ABV episode of Terminus, we bring you a fresh bouquet of the new spring's finest flowers -- albums about death, meth, swords, and burning boats. Exhale the rot of last year, and breathe in the smoke on the wind.

To lead off, The Death Metal Guy checks in with the captains of Danish Nautical Black Metal (DNBM), Ildskaer, whose Den rædsomste nat was one of 2020's more pleasant surprises. On this new EP, they make good use of the format -- not unleashing a full broadside like they did last year, but training their batteries to a new level. There's a lot of subtlety to explore.

The Black Metal Guy follows up with a killer album-length demo from ЛЕШИЙ (or "Leshiy"), a black metal configuration of Russia's Pleskau Brethren Circle. ЛЕШИЙ play simple, direct music inspired by sounds we all know and love -- so what is it that makes them so damn good? TBMG has a few ideas, and launches into the most detailed riff analysis we've done in a while.

After 90 minutes discussing noble, martial black metal, it's time to lower the tone, and TDMG has got what you need. If what you need is 37 minutes of artfully composed brutal death metal about addiction, recovery, and the rot at the heart of middle America, that is. Metharoma's Pipe Dreams is the first thing we've covered by one of TDMG's favorite nowadays BDM auteurs, Brian Forgue (Syphilic), and features Jacob Schmidt from Defeated Sanity.

Finally, we close out with a new Terminus favorite -- the rumbling, primordial black/death of Poland's Upon The Altar. TBMG is proud of his find, but he hands off the wheel to TDMG, our resident expert on all things Paul Ledney. You could think of this review as a tour through UTA's armory of arcane riffs: riffs that are only one note, riffs played over and over, riffs written by the drummer, and at last, the mighty Riff Where Nothing Happens Very Specifically.

0:00:00 - Introductory bullshitting

0:11:52 - Ildskaer - Paa dækket kalder de døde (Independent)

0:43:46  - ЛЕШИЙ (Leshiy) - ПОГАНЫЕ СНЫ (Horrible Room)

1:16:25 - Interlude - Bekhira - “The Devil and The Sorcerer,” L’Elu du Mal (Aura Mystique Productions, 2005)

1:21:05  - Metharoma - Pipe Dreams (Through the Alley) (New Standard Elite)

1:56:16 - Upon the Altar - Absit Ab Ordine Luminis (Putrid Cult)

2:34:08  - Outro - Demoncy - "Joined In Darkness," fr. Joined in Darkness (Baphomet Records, 1999 / reissues by NWN)

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