Tour of Duty: USA

The U.S. black metal scene has got to be my favorite bar none. Like many creative outlets we benefit from a land mass nearly the size of all of Europe, and a much more diverse population than many other countries, so it's understandable that we have a much more diverse and ambitious crop of bands. Regardless of all of that, there are so many U.S. acts that it's been a difficult task to just pick a few for this installment and I've only tried to stray from very current acts as well as the longer ones and those most well known (there's an exception for Leviathan as 1. it's probably my favorite band and 2. that track is awesome and hard to get a hold of).

Without further adieu, I present to you...

Tour of Duty: U S of A

1. "Hissing and Sullen" - Leviathan - Destroyers from the Western Sky (track appears only on this comp)

2. "Winter Bliss" - Demoncy - Joined in Darkness

3. "In Retribution, Anonymously Burned" - Frontier - Demo

4. "Crippling Blasphemous Persistence" - Infernal Stronghold - Godless Noise

5. "Crucified Whores (Of the White Light)" - Ibex Throne - Total Inversion

6. "The King of Jews" - Havohej - Dethrone the Son of God

7. "Unto Us He Is Born" - Profanatica - Profanatitas De Domonatia

8. "Show Me" - Bone Awl - Meaningless Leaning Mess

9. "Uno con Kaos" - Volahn - Dimensiónes del Trance Kósmico

10. "Who Shall Stand Against Me?" - Krieg - Blue Miasma

Tour of Duty: USA from Perpetual Strife on 8tracks.

Forgotten Lore: Frontier

A little more than a year ago I was fortunate enough to stumble upon Frontier's 4 song demo on a media sharing site. Not expecting much from a completely unknown 3 piece based out of Massachusetts I found the longest ladder I could find and slowly crept down from my extremely high horse (very high). Lo and behold, my snobbery was unwarranted and, as usual, my pessimism wrong. Frontier's little 4 track demo (only 10 made), spanning roughly 24 minutes, happens to be one of the best pieces of black metal I've heard in the past 10 years.

An extremely well rounded, warm, and full production allows for the band's prowess in writing and musicianship to shine through. Impossible to compare to any other band, yet pragmatically familiar sounding, Frontier offer a brilliant mixture of ferocity, melody, emotion and energy. Painfully strained vocals, varied and driving match the melodic guitarwork and complex drumbeats, fills, and accents. Beyond all of that, each track transgresses whatever pigeon hole might aim to falter their run and keeps the momentum up and our interest piqued.

As the demo is nearly impossible to get a hold of, the band happily advocates it's download.

Unfortunately, the band never made it past that one little demo. Exact reasons unknown, it can only be assumed that the situation just didn't work out. That being that, guitarist Marvin Quinones has his one man raw black metal band Sangre y Tierre and bassist/singer Mark Pechak has gone on to form Desolate Wind.

Be happy to have something, but I wouldn't blame you to be upset at having nothing to look forward to.