Category Archives: Skull

Skull of the day

SKULL216

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LORD HAUNTED, Bang ‘Em Till Bleed the Bone  (2007, demo)

The skull:
We have a winner here people. This prehistoric-looking skull appears to be a product of inbreeding. Just guessing. What an honor it must be, then, to be draped in a bullet belt and have a boot coming down on your head to try to, apparently, “bleed the bone.” And damned if the boot isn’t winning! We have here yet another demo band actually volunteering to place the parental advisory sticker on their album cover. (See also Skull210) It threatens to ruin everything, but this cover’s so awesome, not even that can diminish its greatness. So, till next time: bang ’em till bleed the bone and, uh, fist pump it till…um…till scrape the flesh.

The music:
The fact that Lord Haunted covers Manilla Road’s “Dig Me No Grave” should tell you all you need to know about their musical preferences. It’s an interesting cover choice, something from one of Manilla’s least-celebrated albums (The Courts of Chaos). The four other songs are all originals, and even if the cover art looks more like a dirty black/thrash kind of thing, this is pure epic traditional metal; none of these songs would have been out of place on any of those early Metal Massacre compilations. There’s an especially strong whiff of California’s Tyrant here, if that helps. When he’s in screaming mode, vocalist Marcos Fazzio often sounds uncannily similar to Artillery’s Flemming Ronsdorf, which is kinda cool, because you don’t hear that often. Lord Haunted is not bad, most the songs have a good bit of depth, lots of interesting parts, and the the dudes have the skills to pull it off. If the already-mentioned bands are your thing, as well as Omen, Helstar, Dio and Mercyful Fate, you could do worse. You won’t hear anything original either, but you probably weren’t expecting to.
— Friar Wagner

SKULL215

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THE RECKONING, Absence of Mind (1990, demo)

The skull:
Yes, it’s a blindfolded skull resting on a giant, wizened hand, but doesn’t it also look like a giant skull man with a tiny body, very short legs, and an incredibly long dick? I picture this guy capering about in New Orleans near some grim Mardi Gras float, drunk as a boiled owl and having a good ol’ time.

The music:
Most people think Anthrax or Overkill when they think New York thrash, and for sure those bands were at the vanguard of the city’s original thrash sound, but there were plenty of Bay Area inspired bands working their trade in and around the big apple, such as Cold Steel, Dead On, and, evidently, The Reckoning. The singing in this sort of band tended less toward gruff bellowing and more toward a kind of hardcore-inspired shout-singing. The riffing here is mid paced and grooving, rarely even putting on menacing airs (let alone actually doing any menacing). I like the prominent bass, but this is one of the few obvious hallmarks of the East Coast sound intruding on the demo. The Reckoning don’t offer anything new or especially interesting on this five song effort, but at the same time, they don’t make any obvious mistakes, either. I’m sure they riled up a few pits in their day, but it’s pretty clear why they failed to attract any label attention.
— Friar Johnsen

SKULL214

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BLOODY SKIZZ, Gods Breaker / Bloody Road to Death  (1982, Belgravia)

The skull:
This skull is served with the works: an inverted crucifix, wings seemingly fashioned from metal or driftwood, an axe, a lightning bolt, and a mace that’s absolutely soaked in blood. The skull itself has seen better days — he looks concerned, and appears to have suffered a terrible accident, as he’s got blood pouring from his mouth. It could reasonably be assumed he was smashed in the teeth by the blood-soaked mace in the picture. It’s not an easy gig posing for these obscure European metal 7 inch picture sleeves!

The music:
Typical of much obscure Euro metal from the early ’80s, Bloody Skizz have a ton of heart, an enchanting rawness, an annoying vocalist, and not much that makes you want to return for seconds. The shambling “Gods Breaker” is clearly inspired by Iron Maiden and ends up sounding like Witch Cross before they found their muse with the Fit to Fight album. “Bloody Road to Death,” rather, is more influenced by Judas Priest. The vocals in this song are a very weak attempt at Rob Halford in the Hell Bent for Leather era. If it weren’t for the heavily-accented vocals, this could easily pass as a NWOBHM release. These two songs are all Bloody Skizz ever offered, and believe me, you can live without this…you’ll be fine.
–Friar Wagner

SKULL213

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BOLT THROWER, Spearhead (1992, Earache)

The skull:
This oddly shaped skull (note the depression in the dome) bears four downward-pointing horns that appear to be of a bony piece with the skull. There’s no bottom jaw, but that’s just as well because it would be hard to fit in all those pointy teeth if they had matches underneath. The ominous, ancient-looking skull floasts atop an eldritch amulet of some sort, intricately worked and featuring a miasmic symbol of eight underneath. It’s the heavy-lidded eye in the center of that star that gives this up immediately as a Bolt Thrower cover. No other band has worked such magic with that otherwise cliched symbol of chaos than Bolt Thrower. One suspects that if they had chosen to go with pentagrams from the start, they could have made even that hackneyed totem classy.

The music:
We Friars in the service of the Council hold many opposing musical positions. Friar Wagner loves Darkthrone, I love Angra. He loves Italian prog rock with ludicrous acronymic names, I love bubblegummy power pop from the 70s. But there is one musical truism in the priory, held above all others by the Council themselves: Bolt Thrower rules supreme. It is permissible, of course, to prefer one Bolt Thrower album over another (although it is universally recognized that Realm of Chaos is the best), and there is room, even, for debate over the merit of Dave Ingram. So, when speaking of Bolt Thrower, it is not necessary to state that a release is good, but only how good. Spearhead is a single/EP released in support of The IVth Crusade, which I generally hold to be a middling album in the band’s mighty discography. On one hand, there’s something to be said for the smoothness of the sound and the greater degree of melodicism in the riffing, but on the other hand, one can’t help but miss the punishing heaviness of Realm or even the band’s (so far) swansong, Those Once Loyal. “Spearhead” is also not my choice for the best song on that album (nor, evidently, the band’s, as they generally only play the title track from that album live anymore) but it’s good enough, even if the “extended remix” does little to improve upon the original. “The Dying Creed” is an excellent number from the album also presented here, with a great dirgey chorus that highlights the unique pessimism of the lyrics on the album as a whole (normally, Bolt Thrower’s war-themed lyrics take a neutral moral position on their subject). The real value in this single, though, is in the two non-album tracks, “Crown of Life” and “Lament.” While I wouldn’t call them the band’s greatest songs, they’re certainly excellent additions to the corpus and a reminder that at one time, the band had too much good material for an album, instead of too little, as the case sadly seems to be now. “Crown of Life” sounds almost like it could have fit on Warmaster, while “Lament” is IVth Crusade through and through, a doomy plod with surprising harmonies and a mournful solo. Both these songs (and the “Spearhead” remix) can be found on the contractually obligated Who Dares Wins which, like Entombed’s self-titled compilation, also uses recycled artwork (this very skull in fact) to front an obligatory assembly of rarities. Buy or die.
— Friar Johnsen

SKULL212

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MERCY, King Doom  (1989, Euro)

The skull:
An observant reviewer on the Metal Archives site astutely notes that it’s hard to tell how big this skull is, because there’s nothing in the photo to use as scale. I’m gonna go with “planet-sized,” because I’d love to think that King Doom is the ruler of a planet shaped like a skull and made out of glass. This cover totally rules, and I’m not being funny or ironic. Its simplicity, and the pink, yellow and clear/glass colors have a kind of hypnotic, almost psychedelic effect on this friar. I am entranced. Almost obsessed.

The music:
The label that released this is Euro. What the hell is that? Research tells me the Euro label only released this album and one by long-forgotten Swedish band Captor in 1993. What a totally not-impressive discography! Anyway, Mercy are most famous for being the testing ground for one Messiah Marcolin, who went on to front Candlemass. By the time Mercy’s third album, King Doom, was released, Messiah was already nearing the end of his first campaign with Candlemass. So what does this album offer? A hollow production is the first aspect of note: opener “Death’s Company” features a decent plodding riff to open the ceremonies, and the guitar sound is a flat wash of treble, the bass is more or less implied rather than having any real presence, and the drums are thin with over-sizzly cymbals. The vocals — now we’re talking. This guy (Rick Wine) is crazy. He’s an off-the-chain yelper in the high register vein of Scott Jeffreys (Confessor) and John Stewart (Slauter Xstroyes). I like his delivery, there’s a lot of character in his wail, and a lot of control too. However, he doesn’t have much to work with, as the music is mostly faceless doom that rarely rises above the average. It’s one of those albums with a handful of enticing individual parts and riffs, but it’s not assembled very well and none of these songs are particularly memorable. A couple shorter instrumentals add some depth, and there are moments that nearly achieve greatness (album closer “Darkness,” for instance). Overall, though, it’s forgettable. No surprise, as Mercy was always second or even third-tier doom. I’ll continue to hold onto 1985’s Witchburner as the only Mercy album in my collection, and that due to it being an interesting historic relic. But man, this vocalist, hell yeah, I’m a fan.
–Friar Wagner

SKULL211

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SATHANAS, Ripping Evil  (1988, demo)

The skull:
Yes! This is what we’re talking about! There is nothing left out here, nothing spared. Front and center is a skull whose forehead is branded with an upside down star. He looks fried and possessed by lunacy. That’s a fantastic start. He’s got horns that look like carrots. There are two cloaked figures flanking him (the Sunn dudes?), each holding a large inverted cross, the crosses chained together in satanic matrimony, crossed in an X behind the skull. They seem to be taking this job very seriously. Fire burns above the entire unholy scene. Ripping evil? Ripping evil what? Ripping evil a new asshole, I say! That makes no sense, of course, and neither does this tape cover. But it rules beyond all holy hell.

The music:
The fact that Pennsylvania’s Sathanas have been active since 1988 is something to respect. This is their very first demo, and it’s clearly influenced by Possessed, Mantas,
Hellhammer, Celtic Frost and possibly even Morbid Angel’s early material. They don’t
have the songwriting and/or playing skills and/or charm of those bands, so appeal is limited, but it’s still a document of the ’80s death metal movement, even if it is of minor importance. Ultimately each of these four songs is mediocre, but the crudeness and conviction with which it’s delivered is notable, and that it was released in the ’80s makes it a bit of a cool relic. Nothing more or less.
— Friar Wagner

SKULL210

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RUDE FOREFATHERS, Corner of the Pain  (2004, demo)

The skull:
The eyes..the swirl of smoke…the nipple ring that glows for no apparent reason…the muddy red. This whole thing is an eyesore. Why not hammer that final nail into the coffin with the Parental Advistory warning? Surely many Italian parents must be forewarned that these Forefathers are not only Rude, but potentially Vile, Obscene, and maybe even a little bit Naughty. A silly cover that looks thrown together last minute. Where have we heard that before?

The music:
Although they now sound like post-Power Metal Pantera meets Children of Bodom, which means it’s very well-played but difficult to enjoy for this friar, this earlier Rude Forefathers material is much less accomplished. The riffs are plodding and ham-fisted, the vocals like pre-Focus Cynic (not a great thing actually)…and I’m not really sure what to call this kind of metal. It’s like some ’80s-era Brazilian death/thrash band, in terms of wacky production and shoddy performances, with a bit of a hardcore slant, and some doom elements thrown in. Ultimately, the’yre a traditional metal band influenced by the heavier varieties like death and thrash, without any real direction or interesting ideas. But I don’t hate this. It has a charm, and even some good moments: the intro riff and brief wah-wah craziness in “Firm Blood”; a crazed guitar line that reminds of John Weston-era Dawnbringer. But that’s as good as it gets. “Slave” is like Schizophrenia-era Sepultura playing a NWOBHM cover song. And “Depression”…well, it’s a horrible, horrible thing, starting ballad-like, moving into doomier territory and maxing out with a faster section. When it gets fast, they try tackling tricky technicality far beyond their abilities. The playing is junky, the vocals a punky embarrasment…the entire song sucks. Clearly a rip-off of Metallica’s trio of Side 1, Song 4 ballads circa 1984, 1986 and 1988. Rude Forefathers have improved remarkably since this well-intentioned demo, they’re much better players and songwriters now, but whether it’s this inept era of the band or the more professional current stuff, I have better things to do, I don’t have time for any of it.
— Friar Wagner

SKULL209

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REIGN, Embrace (1994, Mausoleum)

The skull:
I don’t know who Marco Stohler is, but he sure is good at copying H.R. Giger. The vertebrae, the slimy sheen, the biomechanical nonsense — Stohler has it all down pat, and he’s put that prodigious talent for emulation to excellent work crafting this big dumb skull. It’s hard to call this a bad cover, because it’s a pretty fine painting, but it rates about a 1 on the originality scale.

The music:
And that’s a fair summary of the music, too. Embrace is a British thrash album from 1994, and if that doesn’t make you leery, I don’t know what will. Reign were to late 80s Sepultura what Xentrix were to mid 80s Metallica, although I’ll say I like Xentrix a good deal more than I like Reign. Embrace has a satisfying crunch to the guitars, but the pacing tends to plod (a very common problem with UK thrash), and the singer is completely charmless in the way a lot of last-gasp thrash vocalists were, trying too hard to bridge the gap between their beloved Hetfieldian yarl and the ever more popular death metal growl. This is one of the rare BDS albums that I actually own: the first two Reign albums were staples of discount bins everywhere in the mid 90s, and the cover alone was worth $2 to me. I haven’t listened to this in close to 20 years, probably, and while I remembered it being decidedly mediocre, I guess I’ve mellowed in my old age because this is definitely more enjoyable than my memory allowed. The clunky lurch that is the band’s default tempo gets old quick, but there are more fast parts than I recalled and in general this sounds more or less like the kind of thrash I like, but it never quite gets over the hump. As I’ve said many times, though, this totally forgettable slab of old school thrash is generally much better than all but the best of today’s rethrashers. I will grant that I’ve clearly entered the “get off my lawn” phase of thrash fandom, but that doesn’t make the observation any less true.
— Friar Johnsen

SKULL208

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STATIC-X, Cannibal  (2006, Reprise)

The skull:
No crossbones for this skull — he just takes those bones and eats them. Like a cannibal! All that cutlery wreathed around his noggin are the tools of the trade he uses to get leg bone into mouth. Whatever works! Those choppers are in top-notch shape, too…they oughta be if they’re gonna be munchin’ bone. Kick ass cover (if you’re 14 years old), although it’s uglied up by that utterly stupid Parental Advisory warning.

The music:
Whether it’s super obscure Italian no-hopes or major label L.A. bands, very often a skull
album cover means “We love Pantera and Roots-era Sepultura.” Goes for Static-X too,
although there’s an added faux-industrial edge due to the use of electronics, samples,
and synth-generated beats. Whatever, it really sucks. I sat through this whole album hoping something interesting would happen. Nearly eight minutes into the album, a weird moment in “Behemoth” dips into the Buckethead-meets-Vai school of guitar work, but it’s brief, and these kinds of moments are rare throughout Cannibal. Any highlights seem to come in the area of the lead guitar work, as another of these rare bright moments comes in “Electric Pulse.” It’s very good actually, but, you know, “any port in a storm,” right? Quite often, Cannibal sounds like a melodic, nuanced Slipknot…a Slipknot-lite, maybe. I’m no metal purist that takes issue with any semi-metal band on a major label (see my Deftones review two skulls prior to this), but this is just dumb jockstrap metal. How does a band so vapid get so huge?
— Friar Wagner

 

SKULL207

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SODOM, ‘Til Death Do Us Unite  (1997, Sony GmbH)

The skull:
The ridiculousness of this cover edges into the sublime. Assuming the (corny, unclever) title came first, it’s hard to imagine art that could do more to turn it into an almost meaningful phrase, elevate it beyond a half-hearted pun, than this cover does. Yes, it’s fairly absurd, but it must be admitted that part of the reaction to this image is bound up in a societal discomfort with a presentation of nudity that is neither lascivious nor humorous in intent. Something similar can be said about obesity, for while this photograph is not entirely unjudgmental in its view of the man on the left, contrast the sobriety of this picture with the cover of the album two back in the Sodom discography, Get What You Deserve. The symmetry between the two subjects here implicitly dignifies (to some extent) the man, presenting him at the very least without scorn. Forgive this friar for waxing pretentious, though. This is a funny site about skulls (and look at that happy fella, sandwiched between those two big bellies). I know, though, that this cover has come in for a lot of derision over the years, but I do find it incredibly striking and poetic in a way almost completely unknown to heavy metal art. Of course I recognize the silliness at work here, but this is not a joke without value or meaning, and I think to this day that it was a bold and brave decision on the band’s part to use this cover.

The music:
Perhaps the biggest surprise with this album is not the cover per se, but that they chose to so adorn an album that was an obvious effort of rebirth (hence the irony of the title). After sliding in the post-Blackfire years into a kind of crusty, mangy punk metal, this album debuts a new lineup and a (partial) return to the crisp thrash of their late 80s heyday. The easy thing to do would have been to commission a fresh painting of Knarrenheinz (their gas-masked mascot) from Andreas Marschall to announce this stylistic backpedal (see: Kreator’s Violent Revolution), and in fact the “censored” cover art is a very shitty painting in this vein, but by using this photographic cover as they did, Sodom could effectively say, “Yes, we’re playing thrash again, but we’ll still do what we want,” and indeed they do, as this album doesn’t shed, entirely, the punky leanings of the several albums before. That they needed a change was obvious from the moribund Masquerade in Blood, but I happened to like Get What You Deserve a lot, even if the larger metal community did not. Till Death Do Us Unite is in that way a good have-their-cake-and-eat-it-too compromise, and it set the stage for the band’s 00s renaissance, culminating with their self-titled 2006 release. (Their newest album, their best since Better Off Dead, is to me the beginning of a fourth era in the Sodom legacy.) While Destruction and Kreator both managed to accrue some progressive cred in the late 80s, Sodom were always the workhorse of the Teutonic three, but this album demonstrated that to underestimate the band’s wit and vision is a mistake.
— Friar Johnsen