Shows
TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Omega Roundup 2025!Terminus broke away from old habits in 2025 to concentrate on investigating older records and new types of content. But many of you desperately sought our sage advice on the best records of 2025, so here it is: a different version of our usual yearly Omega episode. This time, your hosts tackle the project of evaluating a pretty quiet year in two different ways. TBMG provides a sampler platter of ten records with lightning round reviews, concentrating on dark heathen black metal, and TDMG provides a tight top 5 of his favorites for the year, with an emphasis on vision and ambition...
2026-01-214h 05TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 176 - Forgotten Sons of Phoenix: VehemenceThe worm turns back in The Death Metal Guy's direction with an episode centered on Vehemence, cult melodic death metal legends from Phoenix, Arizona. Covering the band's two early 00s masterpieces, your hosts attempt to crack the code on how a band from the deserts of the west managed to beat every band from Gothenburg at their own game, with a uniquely American style and flair.
0:00:00 - Intro/What is Gothenburg?
0:21:30 - God Was Created (Metal Blade, 2002)
1:10:42 - Interlude - Eucharist - “Into The Cosmic Sphere” fr. A Velvet Creation (Wrong Again Records, 1993)
2025-12-102h 20TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 175 - Dawn.After much anticipation, innumerable references on the show, and a shocking number of technical issues, we have arrived with an episode that The Black Metal Guy has been threatening for years. For those unfamiliar, Dawn is one of the finest and also one of the most underappreciated bands of the Swedish 90s melodic black/death metal scene, and one very near and dear to The Black Metal Guy's heart. Join us as we investigate the band's two full-length records and discover what makes them far more than merely another band in the established style.
0:00:00 - Intro/Background...
2025-11-203h 33TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 174 - Sacramentum and the Roots of Swedish Black/DeathIn the wake of the passing of Nisse Karlén into eternity, it seems only appropriate to pay tribute to a titan of extreme metal. Sacramentum's unique style of melodic black/death metal not only placed them directly alongside bands like Dissection and Dawn, but established melodic ideas and ambitious structural methodologies that would only take root more popularly decades later. Come with us as we take a look at their earliest material and attempt to trace their roots forward up to newer foliage.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:15:44 - Finis Malorum
0:54:30 - Interlude - Vinterland...
2025-09-111h 55TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 173 - Paimon Gate, PyromancerSince the beginning of the year, your intrepid hosts have been concentrating exclusively on older, classic material- this all changes today. At least for this episode. In today's entry, we feature the triumphant return of Paimon Gate with a new record that elaborates on their established style with more evolution than might appear at first blush, and the inaugural volley by Pyromancer, whose oppressive brand of late 80s filth brings to mind a blood-smeared and heroin-shooting take on Celtic Frost.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:02:42 - Paimon Gate - Advanced Satanic Witchcraft (Nuclear War Now)
0:58:40...
2025-08-061h 47TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 172 - Prophecy of Doom and Righteous Pigs - Lost Proto-Grindcore GemsWe have to go back, bros. In today's episode of Terminus, your hosts travel back to 1990 to cover two obscure records close to their hearts, each operating in the primordial ooze of death metal, grindcore, thrash, and hardcore, but with completely contrasting sounds. TBMG brings to the occasion Prophecy of Doom, whose 1990 record resembles Deviated Instinct or early Bolt Thrower but with a demented industrial-stench aesthetic all their own. TDMG's plus one: Righteous Pigs, who create what sounds like modern crowdkilling hardcore out of thrash riffs and jazz drumming.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:10:51 - Prophecy of Doom...
2025-06-261h 59TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 171 - Sargeist, Franco-Finnish Black Metal, and the Slings and Arrows of Outrageous FortuneWhat happens when you record an all-timer? What happens when you permanently alter the course of an entire genre of music? What happens when a set of very precise techniques enter the basic DNA of an entire generation? On this episode, TDMG and TBMG discuss Sargeist, a band whose influence is so vast it's nearly unnoticed, taking a look at their seminal 2010 record Let the Devil In and their brand new release, Flame Within Flame. Can the band ever achieve the heights of the past? Or, more importantly: should that even be the goal?
0:00:00 - A history of...
2025-06-112h 39TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastBalaclava Books Episode 2 - Peter Sotos - Total Abuse (Part 2 - Tool.)TDMG returns with the (somehow) highly anticipated second installment of Balaclava Books, and the second installment of his investigation into Peter Sotos' Total Abuse. This time, we take a look at Tool, the notorious eight-part work which displays Peter Sotos finding his footing in his own style and plumbing ever-deeper depths of human despair and cruelty. Listener discretion strongly advised.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:11:33 - Tool. and Total Abuse
0:19:30 - One (Quality Time)
0:38:36 - Five
0:56:06 - Two and Three
1:11:36 - Six and Seven
1:21:31 - Four and Eight...
2025-05-271h 41TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 170 - Enmity, Last Days of Humanity, and a Brief Tour of Brutal NoisedeathThought we were dead? You fucking wish! Terminus is back with a hot one long in the making, where your hosts take a look at the seminal mid-00s work of Enmity and Last Days of Humanity while drawing out broader ideas of brutal death metal's proximity to noise. If black metal without heavy metal gets you Blazebirth Hall, what happens when a similar concept is applied to death metal? Only the most extreme music ever made. After the reviews, stick around for a guided tour of some of TDMG's favorite obscurities from this scene and beyond.
0:00:00...
2025-05-122h 14TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 169 - BOLT THROWER - Realm of Chaos and The IVth CrusadeWhat, you want a cute little description of the episode? It's BOLT THROWER.
0:00:00 - Intro / a brief history of Bolt Thrower and stenchcore
0:38:48 - Realm of Chaos (Slaves to Darkness) (Earache Records, 1989)
1:43:49 - Interlude - Bolt Thrower - “World Eater 94” fr. Who Dares Wins (Earache Records, 1998)
1:49:57 - The IVth Crusade (Earache Records, 1992)
3:16:28 - Just Before Dawn - “The Gulf of Tonkin” fr. A War Too Far (Raw Skull Recordz, 2023)
HERESY CORRECTIVE: In a moment of warp-tainted hubris, TBMG misidentifies the Space Marine chapter on the cover of WH40K 1s...
2025-04-013h 21TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastBalaclava Books Episode 1 - Peter Sotos - Total Abuse (Part 1 - Pure)In the inaugural episode of a new series on extreme literature, TDMG explores the earliest work by the infamous Peter Sotos, plunging headlong into the most perverse incarnation of so-called "true crime" writing in the beginning of an effort to explore the real power within one of the world's most scorned authors. Listener discretion strongly advised.
0:00:00 - Peter Sotos
0:19:50 - Total Abuse
0:28:41 - Pure
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2025-02-251h 12TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastI Hate Video Games Episode 3 - Peggle - I Have No Balls and I Must PegOn the newest episode of I Hate Video Games and Never Play Them, your host tackles a game almost universally played but rarely taken seriously: Peggle, the physics puzzler that marks the apex of Popcap Games- and maybe casual games as a whole.
Terminus links:
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TDMG on Substack
thetrueterminus@gmail.com
2025-02-1629 minTERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 168 - Aborym and the Legacy of Industrial Black MetalA spectre is haunting black metal- that of the industrial black metal style of the late 90s and early 00s. Foremost among that cadre is Aborym, Italian stallions of legend now forgotten in the revised zeitgeist of 2025. Join your hosts as we examine Aborym's first and third records, discovering that not only are they not just "an industrial black metal band," but that they actually created some of the best and most forward-thinking extreme metal of the era. What, are you "too cool" for The Matrix now?
0:00:00 - Kali Yuga Bizarre (Scarlet Records, 1999)
0:56:06 - Interlude...
2025-02-111h 49TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastI Hate Video Games Episode 2 - A Short HikeOn the new bite-sized episode of I Hate Video Games and Never Play Them, your host takes a look at A Short Hike, a tiny game about a little bird on a medium-sized adventure with big pixels.
Terminus links:
Terminus on Youtube
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TDMG on Substack
thetrueterminus@gmail.com
2025-02-0617 minTERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 167 - Niden Div. 187In 2025's first assault, the plucky doughboys at Terminus investigate an obscure gem of 90s black metal: Niden Div. 187. Best known for featuring members of a host of Swedish death metal bands, the project stands on its own as a truly remarkable artifact of the era, far ahead of its time in melody and experimental structures. Sit back, relax, and enjoy an episode longer than the band's entire discography.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:06:28 - Niden Div. 187
1:21:45 - Outro - Zyklon-B - “Mental Orgasm” fr. Blood Must be Shed (Malicious Records, 1995)
Terminus links:
Term...
2025-02-031h 24TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastI Hate Video Games Episode 1 - Hellblade: Senua's SacrificeFor the first volley of non-musical content, The Death Metal Guy starts a new program: I Hate Video Games and Never Play Them, a series of deep dive, essayistic critiques of games in the style you know and (hopefully) love. This time, he takes a look at Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, a 2017 third person action/puzzle game from Ninja Theory best known for its deep themes and striking presentation- but does it live up to the hype? Listen and find out. But also, no.
Terminus links:
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2025-01-232h 02TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Omega 2024GENTLEMEN... BEHOLD! The Terminus Omega 2024 livestream is now mirrored here for your podcast listening pleasure. Join TBMG, TDMG, and harried Terminus intern Hyper Shaman as we go through the highlights of the year with helpful input from our... adoring(?) audience. This one was a great time and we hope those of you who don't typically listen on Youtube will enjoy listening as much as we did streaming. For those who weren't there: 2025 will feature some big but positive changes for Terminus, featuring all sorts of new forms of content that will lead us boldly into the second half of...
2025-01-142h 35TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 166 - Defeated Sanity, Ingurgitating OblivionIn this titanic, tumultuous episode of Terminus, we have the rare pleasure of covering two bands that complement each other perfectly. First up, it’s jazzy brutal death from Germany. Second, it’s German brutal-deathy jazz, or…. something? Both bands feature legendary German drummer Lille Gruber, on legendary German drums. Both records are insanely good. We had a lot of fun with this one, and we hope you do, too.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:03:31 - Defeated Sanity - Chronicles of Lunacy (Season of Mist)
0:44:51 - Interlude - Repudilation - “Decimation,” fr. Purging of Impurity (Numb Cum Produc...
2024-12-181h 40TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 165 - Blackdeath, Old WaindsThis season, give thanks for the only thing in your life that truly matters - Terminus: Extreme Metal Podcast. In this great and terrible new episode, your hosts investigate new records from two esoteric enclaves of Russian black metal. You know we’re obsessed with this shit. So are you. Buckle up.
00:00 - Intro
0:03:35 - Blackdeath - Mortui Incedere Possunt (End All Life Productions / NoEvDia)
Mad kappelmeisters of St. Petersburg wring jagged melodies from demon-addled fiddles. With ingenious full-band songwriting and a strangely compelling slantwise take on Orthodox black metal, this may be their fi...
2024-11-291h 57TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 164 - Deadform, Barathrum, KeroeisTDMG has returned after withstanding the wrath of nature with shotgun and Miller High Life in hand just in time for an episode of punishing midpaced crunch courtesy of TBMG. After a mini-review of Keroeis, a project by associates of TDMG which plays around the edges of older USBM ala Black Funeral with updates from the orthodox scene, we move toward more minimal territory. Deadform: stenchcore supergroup dwelling in the realms of noisy, nihilistic sludge. Barathrum: long-running Finnish legends update their traditionally Beheretish style of black metal with thrashing tempos and more acrobatic guitars.
0:00:00 - Intro / Keroeis...
2024-11-072h 00TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 163.5 - Auld RidgeAs The Death Metal Guy recovers from the tumult of hurricane season, I call upon our bold young comrade Hyper Shaman to fill TDMG’s capacious, plutonium-toed boots. Our aim? Get caught up on GLORIOUS PAGAN BLACK METAL.
This episode began as a normal two-record show, but due to time constraints, and the sheer scale of the work at hand, it became a standalone review of the new album by Auld Ridge. Here, O.W.G.A. steps out of the shadows and takes a fighting stance, reworking his symphonic style around a core of raging, racing fo...
2024-10-211h 06TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Interview - Chris Naughton (Winterfylleth)Terminators, thank you for your patience. After a couple weeks’ delay, for which TDMG has a good excuse (two fucking hurricanes) and I have none, we’re back! Or rather, I’m back, with a big interview.
A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with Chris Naughton, frontman of Winterfylleth and pioneer of modern pagan black metal. I asked him to draw up a list of five quintessentially English bands/scenes that fed into the Winterfylleth sound. These serve as touchstones for a conversation ranging from details of guitar technique to lyrical source texts to obs...
2024-10-152h 22TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 163 - Viscera Infest, TrelldomOn Terminus 163, we hearken back to the early days of the show with a wildly disparate lineup - two bands united only by their weirdness, and by the suddenness of their return.
00:00 - Intro
0:04:03 - Viscera Infest - Teratoma (Obliteration Records)
Japanese brutal goregrinders break out of the psych ward with a shockingly fast and noisy reinterpretation of Death Metal - this is “full spectrum death metal” with all the insanity of the margins intact.
0:46:31 - Interlude - Deranged - “Imbecile Humans/Drag Her Out to Die” fr. Plainfield Cemetery (Listenable Records, 2002)
...
2024-10-021h 40TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 162 - Winterfylleth, Darkmoon WarriorTerminus 162 is unusually contentious, at least relative to the last few years of the show. In this episode, we both bring black metal records aimed at broad accessibility, yet staunchly refuse to enjoy each other’s picks. Terminators, choose your fighter! (And in the comments, let us know who wins which round.)
00:00 - Intro
0:01:41 - Winterfylleth - The Imperious Horizon (Candlelight Records)
English black metal standardbearers return with their most well-rounded, ambitious record to date.
0:54:54 - Interlude - Wodensthrone - “Those That Crush The Roots of Blood,” fr. Loss (Candlelight, 2009)
1:05:22 - Dark...
2024-09-191h 49TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 161 - Pneuma Hagion, Concrete WindsOn Terminus 161, we bring you two short and ripping records from bands we’ve covered in the past and reference frequently, both obsessively devoted to the extremity arms race, both back with #3.
0:01:45 - Pneuma Hagion - From Beyond (Everlasting Spew Records)
Blasting USDM titans consolidate their sound around…. the slow parts? Rest assured, the ziggurat has never been vaster, denser, or more hungry for the blood of stars.
0:44:06 - Interlude - Baphomet - “The Age of Plague,” fr. The Dead Shall Inherit (Peaceville, 1992)
0:47:37 - Concrete Winds - Concrete Winds (Sepulchral Voice Records)
Finn...
2024-09-111h 31TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 160 - Ink and Fire, Ghost of LietusReturning from an interviewmission, Terminus is back with a couple records at least approximately located in the outlaw rock space. First up--the sophomore release of Ink & Fire which trades a bit of the debut's wild chaos for a more deliberate and precise melodic attack. Second, the debut by Ghost of Lietus, a Strix Askesis side project which augments Slavic and Hellenic black metal styles with an additional flair of traditional heavy metal and psych rock.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:04:28 - Ink & Fire - Emblazoned Visions Yield Eternity (Death Prayer Records)
0:52:51 - Interlude - Odal - “Fl...
2024-09-051h 45TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Interview - Adrian Brachmann (Níðstöng, Perkwunos, Äkth Gánahëth)While conducting a dangerous Thulean reconnaisance mission, The Black Metal Guy managed to bed down in enemy triangle black metal territory to conduct a casual interview with a rare ally: Adrian Brachmann, whose projects Níðstöng and Perkwunos we have covered in earlier episodes. While dodging fire from the remains of the Orthodox scene, your intrepid host and his frigid counterpart enjoy a talk over coffee about Adrian's projects, his future musical plans, the broader black metal scene, and, of course, a Terminus favorite: 2000's metalcore.
0:00:00 - Interview
0:57:18 - Holyarrow - "空的進軍 / March to the Sky" fr. 吾...
2024-08-251h 04TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 159 - 200 Stab Wounds, Wormed, Cephalotripsy, Carnivore DiprosopusWE LIVE... AGAIN. Terminus is back from summer break with a hot-ass episode of PURE BRUTAL DEATH METAL. To celebrate the start of Slam Boy Summer we have a four-banger of high profile records that we've been meaning to get to. First up- the sophomore record by 200 Stab Wounds- can they navigate the switch to a major metal label with their sound intact. Next up, Wormed, who attempt to bring their unique style of brutal death up to date with high profile influences. Third, the shocking return of Cephalotripsy, whose new record bears traces of the old but kicks...
2024-08-162h 58TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 158 - Sear Bliss, Windswept, Limbonic Art, Arcane BayonetAs Terminus prepares for its annual summer break (jetskiing, goblin slaying, etc.), we unleash a big black metal episode focused on only the coolest of wizard music. After an opening salvo by new project Arcane Bayonet, who present an oddball take on pagan black metal laced with black and roll, we get to a triumvirate of powerful spellcasting madness. First: the new record by Sear Bliss, legendary Hungarian hedge mages whose style of black/doom/folk/melodeath is as varied and well rounded as it is atmospheric and stirring. Second: the return of Windswept, a Saenko project which seeks...
2024-07-132h 59TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 157 - Ulcerate, MalignancyTo abruptly switch gears from our Very Special Episode earlier this week, we deliver reviews of the newest installments from two tech death giants. Ulcerate is back with their seventh full-length record which shows the band committing even more fully to the elements of post-rock, black metal, and textured drone which have helped define their sound- but have they strayed too far from the path? Pitted against them is the mutated monstrosity Malignancy's fourth full-length, which seeks to bring their sound a bit closer to the center of death metal while leaving their whiplashing, wild style of technicality intact...
2024-06-291h 43TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 156 - BURZUMHark! What's that on the distant horizon? Could it be a Very Special Episode of Terminus? It certainly is, one brought out for that most special of occasions--a new Burzum... album? Compilation? Collection of thematically related tracks? That's just one of the many, many questions this record inspires. Burzum is back to metal-- or something like it, at least-- and it's certainly an unusual take on the style. Combining neofolk, doom, ambient, and black metal, Burzum's new record suggests an entirely new model of folk music-- one that attempts to bring the past alive in a more literal sense...
2024-06-261h 26TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 155 - Knocked Loose, High on FireWelcome back to Terminus: Extreme MetaHEY WHATTAYA DOIN' THERE! Yep, it's one of THOSE episodes, where we explore the furthest fringes of our established content, this time featuring two bands near and dear to our respective co-hosts hearts. In one corner: TDMG reps his set for Knocked Loose, which features a spirited discussion of the past, present, and future of metalcore, the usage of nu-metal technique, and what the band's success means for the broader world of heavy music. In the other corner: TBMG rides in on a powerful steed to present the new High on Fire, including a...
2024-06-152h 07TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 154 - Adversarial, TsatthogguaContinuing this year's ongoing theme of triumphant returns come two excellent records--one highly anticipated, and the other utterly unexpected. Side A: the return of Adversarial, a TDMG favorite whose brand of death-fueled war metal smashes contemporaries with a flail of technicality, extremity, and potent atmosphere. Side B: the shocking return of Tsatthoggua, German blasting black metal legends whose new record picks up almost exactly where the band left off a quarter century prior. Put on your gimp mask--it's time to party.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:03:59 - Adversarial - Solitude With the Eternal… (Dark Descent Records)
0:49:23...
2024-06-061h 54TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 153 ft. Jiub of Radio Free Innsmouth - Crucifier, House of Atreus, Brazen HordeOn this very special episode of Terminus, your intrepid hosts are joined by a mysterious guest many of you may be familiar with: the notorious Jiub of Radio Free Innsmouth, extreme metal aficiando, deep-dive podcaster, and wonderful kisser. After an intro salvo from TBMG featuring the debut demo of Brazen Horde with its back-to-the-roots Slavic drone, we encounter two new releases from Iron Bonehead. First: the new full length by Crucifier, which reinterprets multiple riffing styles through the prism of primitive US blackdeath ala Profanatica, showing the new kids how it's done. Second: The return of House of Atreus...
2024-05-191h 52TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 152 - Diocletian, HeresiarchAfter a brief torpor in recovery from our epic (in the true sense of the word) dissection of the Spite Extreme Wing discography, Terminus returns with a tight episode featuring, quite specifically, two New Zealand war metal bands with highly anticipated returns. In this corner: Diocletian, with a record that returns to their roots, provoking a sometimes contentious reponse from their audience. In the other: Heresiarch, who come back with a substantially altered sound leaning into the more progressive strains of black/death.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:00:57 - Diocletian - Inexorable Nexus (Nuclear War Now!)
0:53:57...
2024-05-141h 39TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 151 - MONVMENTVM - The Spite Extreme Wing DiscographyIn one sense, this episode took two weeks to record - in another, it took nearly twenty years. Terminus Extreme Metal Podcast is proud to present MONVMENTVM - our full examination and critique of the discography of one of the bands most central to the podcast's artistic vision, Spite Extreme Wing. From the earliest demos to the final notes of Vltra, join your intrepid hosts as they perform the first ever English-language deep dive on one of the finest bands that heavy music has ever produced.
0:00:00 - Intro/Background/History
0:29:44 - Magnificat compilation (Beyond…. Productions, 2003 / Be...
2024-04-264h 14TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 150 - Rostorchester, Ad MortemOn today's installment of Terminus we get two dramatically different sides of Teutonic black metal, both of unquestionable interest to all burly, woodcutting Terminators. First: the return of Rostorchester, whose brand of heavily emo and punk-infused black metal achieves its full potential- mostly by becoming primarily an emo band!* Next: the debut full length of Ad Mortem, who follow closely in the footsteps of friends Totenwache in refreshing the Sargeist style with a steelier and more stoic German countenance- when they're not partying, of course.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:04:10 - Rostorchester - Der Zinnen Sang vom Niedergang...
2024-04-131h 44TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 149 - Mutiilation, Brodequin, CoffinsOn today's installment of the world's only extreme metal podcast, we come with three triumphant returns by three favorites of the show- this is one for the record books, folks, with one of the strongest lineups of records in a single episode we've ever featured. First up: the shocking return of Mutiilation, whose 17 year absence seemingly never occurred as Meyna'ch presents six tracks of caustic and necro French black metal in a style nearly forgotten.* Next up: another massive comeback by Brodequin, whose custom brand of blast-oriented brutal death is expanded upon with clearer production and a more pronounced...
2024-04-062h 55TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 148 - Anahata, Syndexioi, UppstigningAfter an impromptu spring break (caused by technical issues, sorry guys), Terminus is back with an alumni-focused episode for the dedicated fans. After a mini-review by TBMG on noble dungeon synth barbarian Uppstigning, we revisit two bands near and dear to the show's cold, black heart. First: the return of Anahata, whose burly, powerlifting heavy/power metal has been infused with a tremendous dose of prog and a massively increased structural scope. Next: Syndexioi, who emerge slightly from the caverns with a sound louder, larger, and much more immediate than their first. Listening recommendation for this episode: clench your...
2024-03-262h 06TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 147 - They Came From Visions, ConvulsingIn this 2020-style installment of Terminus, we check in on two bands with unique methods of incorporating various post- materials into extreme metal. First: the return of They Came From Visions, who we covered in 2020, back with a much matured sophomore recording which takes traditional, folkish Slavblack and laces it with biting, anxious dissonance. Speaking of dissonance: the new record by Convulsing, a favorite of The Death Metal Guy, whose direct and forceful style of dissodeath belies a prog metal heart and a brutish OSDM sense of rage.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:05:09 - They Came From Visions...
2024-03-081h 44TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 146 - Drowned, Unaussprechlichen KultenIt's been a black year for Terminus so far- at least in terms of its metal. Why not switch things up a bit before we turn irrevocably to corpsepainted autists? On today's episode, your hosts explore two records of elitist, oldschool-minded death metal in radically different idioms. First: Drowned, who combine Tampa and Swedish styles into something resolutely minimal and traditional yet shockingly abstract. Second: Unaussprechlichen Kulten, who tap into the earliest strains of melodic death metal and lace it with explosive and dense guitar arrangements which suggest a debt to the prog rock of old.
0:00:00...
2024-02-231h 40TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 145 - Hauntologist, Departure Chandelier, Vemod"Hipster black metal"- a term that inspires tremendous derision, even within the halls of this very podcast. But what if we were to confront the phenomena head-on and truly evaluate its potential? Today we have a triumvirate of records that could all be labelled as "hipster BM" in some sense, but with radically different takes. Hauntologist, a fresh spinoff of Mgla, plays heavily in the realm of goth and post-punk. Departure Chandelier returns from a long absence with something heavier, more primitive, and Bathorian, eschewing much of its melodic past. And returning from even longer: Vemod rises from...
2024-02-162h 14TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Interview - Yosuke Konishi (Nuclear War Now!)In the fractured and diffuse world of extreme metal circa 2024, very few people could be considered a "pillar" of the scene- but one among those is Yosuke Konishi of stalwart label Nuclear War Now! In this interview, your hosts enjoy a leisurely chat with the proprietor of the label, Never Surrender fest, and his newest venture: Helios Press, which seeks to bring vinyl production back stateside in what may be the most ambitious and challenging move yet in an already impressive career. WE WON'T STOP UNTIL WE'RE DEAD!
0:00:00 - Interview
1:06:55 - Blasphemy - "Weltering in...
2024-02-061h 09TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 144 - Inquisition, NarbelethToday's Terminus dispatch: an episode with a much more positive tone than our last. This installment features two Terminus veterans returning with multifaceted and excellent records, proudly continuing traditions of understated greatness. First up: the return of Inquisition, whose new record reaches backward into the band's catalog for a restored aggression but also peeks into the future with an array of unusual non-metal guitar influences. Second: Narbeleth, coming in hot off the tremendous success of their previous record, choose a more difficult path, where their unique style of Franco-Finnish black metal plays with the edges of strange rhythm and...
2024-01-301h 56TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 143 - Flaming Ouroboros, White DeathAS THE DARKNESS CREEPS OVER THE INTERNET, AND THE SILENCE REACHES THE PODCASTS, WE WILL AWAKE AND RISE...
Welcome back to the 2024 season of Terminus! Your intrepid hosts have risen from their dreaded tombs once again to provide the world's most crucial critical analysis of extreme metal records. Our first episode of 2024 covers two records from the waning days of 2023 which have received a lot of attention from our fanbase. Flaming Ouroboros has finally dropped their much-anticipated debut full length- is it a new heigh for outlaw rock, or does it slip over the edge in its...
2024-01-251h 54TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTERMINUS OMEGA 2023You wanted the worst? You got the worst! It's time for the annual TERMINUS OMEGA episode where your intrepid hosts debate the best extreme metal records of the year. This time, we did our end of year episode as a livestream on Youtube, but we're republishing it here for our podcast platform listeners. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and by the end- maybe we'll all learn something. Enjoy, terminators, and see you in mid-January after our winter break.
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2023-12-294h 02TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 142 - Demoncy, Yersin, Blood SerpentIt's almost Christmas time here at Terminus, so what better way to celebrate the (un)holy trinity than with a triple threat of records focused on grinding dissonance? First up is the return of TDMG favorite Demoncy who go back to basics on Black Star Gnosis with their evergreen style of primitive US black/death metal. Next is Yersin, back on the show for the first time since 2020 with a refinement of their unusual style of crustblackdeathhardcore, pulling as much from Nails as Slavic BM. Wrapping things up is Blood Serpent from the Vietnamese House of Ygra collective, who...
2023-12-212h 07TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Interview - Cromlech / MormegilA year and a half in the making, the time has finally come for Terminus to reconvene with the members of Mormegil, formed from the ashes of the late Cromlech. What ensues: a rollicking conversation covering Cromlech's "Ascent of Kings," songwriting techniques on an epic scale, the ambitions of continuing band Mormegil, and how the ghost of AFI haunts us all. Break out the mead, boys: it's time for another hangout with our favorite Canadians.
0:00:00 - Interview
1:43:15 - Cromlech - "Turambar (Master of Doom/By Doom Mastered) fr. Ascent of Kings (Hessian Firm, 2023)
T...
2023-12-142h 01TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 141 - Guerrero Nómada, The Color of Rain, Kampfeswut, Forest ThrallThe boys are back in town with a long and girthy 2020-style episode centered around 4 black metal releases from the deep underground. First up is a patron submission in Guerrero Nómada, a modern one-man black metal project which adds touches of emo and classic heavy metal into its stomping heathenism. Next is a new entry from Holland's Zwotte Kring collective in The Color of Rain, where our Dutch friends take a stab at bringing the black metal (and metalcore) back to post-black metal. Side B: the return of Kampfeswut who further iterates on their grinding style of explosive b...
2023-12-032h 55TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 140 - Internal Suffering, AfterbirthAfter a week of epic, thrashing black/death Americana, we bring you a week of epic, thrashing brutal death.
First up, we finally get a new release from The Death Metal Guy's favorite Colombians, Internal Suffering. Where a lot of modern BDM exists in a virtually self-contained sonic universe, nestled between tech-death and slam, Internal Suffering proudly trace their heritage to Morbid Angel. This influence is especially clear on Rituals, where they strip down their song structures to let the riffs shine through.
Second, we ponder the metamorphosis of Long Island's Afterbirth, pioneers of brutal d...
2023-11-141h 52TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 139 - Arghoslent, Strix AskesisOn today's installation of Terminus, two different sorts of returns: Arghoslent, back from the grave, and Strix Askesis, back on the show. Arghoslent are back from 15 years of slumber with a new record of... deathened heavy metal(?) while Strix Askesis refine their sound and explore new territories between black metal and hard rock. Does Arghoslent's unique sound stand the test of time, standing shoulder to shoulder with their previous work? And can Strix Askesis square the circle of Blazebirth Hall and the heaviest of 90s hard rock? (Spoilers: no and yes respectively.)
0:00:00 - Intro
0:04:02...
2023-11-062h 11TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastA Death Metal Guy’s Power Electronics PrimerTBMG is out sick this week, so while the cat is away, the... cat-owner will play? On this solo venture, The Death Metal Guy gives a quick rundown of some of his favorite power electronics albums, with an ear for the links between this style of music and extreme metal. Take the stuff you love from Terminus and make it even noisier, more inaccessible, and thematically repugnant- what's not to love?
0:00:00 - Intro
0:15:09 - Hunting Lodge - Will (S/M Operations, 1983)
0:27:40 - Whitehouse - Bird Seed (Susan Lawly, 2003)
0:44:52 - Navicon Torture Technologies - Pure-Skin...
2023-10-261h 25TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 138 - Primordial, ProfanaticaOn today's two-banger, both your intrepid hosts get to play show and tell with the latest releases from bands they love deeply. Side one: TBMG presents the newest record by Primordial, which shows the band investigating the murky territory between hard rock, heavy and black metal, Celtic folk, and all points in between, in a record as dense as it is long. TDMG brings on the new album by Profanatica, which goes CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG. All is right with the world.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:09:54 - Primordial - How it Ends (Metal Blade Records)
1:07:34...
2023-10-141h 58TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Interview - Ron Vento (I.C.E., Aurora Borealis)Terminus is back with its first interview in a long while- and who better to bring the series back than Ron Vento, mastermind behind Imperial Crystalline Entombment and Aurora Borealis. I.C.E. recently released their 20 year-delayed followup to 2004's debut with Ancient Glacial Resurgence, an uncompromising but remarkably entertaining record which breathes new life into a nearly forgotten style of USBM. Join Ron and TDMG as they explore the new I.C.E. record, the history of the band, his work in Aurora Borealis, the changing landscape of black metal, and whether I.C.E. ACTUALLY sounds like...
2023-10-0948 minTERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 137 - Gridlink, Sielunvihollinen, Trichomoniasis, YnkleudherhenavogyonIt's been a little while, but for good reason: we're back with a HUGE, sprawling 4 record show with some old favorites and perhaps some new ones for all ye Terminators. Today, we're split roughly in half between black metal and grind. Side one: Gridlink returns from their long absence with an exquisite record of technical and melodic grind, while fiendish upstarts Trichomoniasis horrify with a bloated slab of grinding gorenoise. Side two: returning veterans Sielunvihollinen presents a new record of confounding but exciting black/heavy metal while Ynkleudherhenavogyon enters the arena with brackish but subtle storming pagan black metal.
2023-10-012h 51TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 136 - Imperial Crystalline Entombment, CryptopsyAs the long hot summer drags onward, Terminus is back with a concise but detailed two-banger that features two surprise returns: forgotten USBM almost-legends I.C.E. in one corner, and returning Quebecois deathgrind legends Cryptopsy in the other. I.C.E. brings back a nearly forgotten style of 00s norsecore 20 years on from their debut; Cryptopsy attempts to project their churning, technical manner of death/grind/metalcore to a wider audience 10 years past their last record. Two bands enter, but only one can survive such a long absence. Who will emerge victorious? Listen and find out.
0:00:00...
2023-09-151h 37TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 135 - Grave Pilgrim, Der Tod und die LandsknechteNo shit we’re reviewing these!
0:00:00 - Intro
0:03:03 - Grave Pilgrim - The Bigotry of Purpose (Death Prayer Records)
1:18:48 - Interlude - FIN - “Outlaws” fr. Arrows of a Dying Age (Folter Records, 2017)
1:22:29 - Der Tod und die Landsknechte - Wir fürchten weder Tod noch Teufel (Blasphemous Terror Records)
2:10:33 - Outro - Equilibrium - “Der Sturm” fr. Turis Fratyr (Black Attakk Records, 2005)
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2023-09-082h 14TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 134 - Paimon Gate, Bretwaldas of Heathen Doom, NithingWE HAVE ARRIVED. Terminus is back from a lingering summer break with even more white-knuckle, pulse-pounding aktion as TDMG and TBMG once again plumb the depths of the underground, emerging with hands full of cursed jewels from the mines below. This time, it's a 2020 episode: weird records straight from the collective bowels of the metal scene, but all of them profoundly excellent in their own rights. And what would the return from break be without TDMG presenting more unlistenable brutal death? This time, it's courtesy of Nithing, whose debut full length scars the ear drums with channel-switching noise rock...
2023-08-292h 03TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 133 - Gromoverzh, MoulderyawnHEAR YE, HEAR YE! We've come to that most hideous and crippling time of year where your intrepid hosts take a couple weeks off for the summer. TBMG is moving and TDMG is learning Mortician's "Hacked Up For Barbecue" in its entirety on guitar, so we're gonna take a quick break before once again commencing the mayhem. Before that, though, we've got an episode for ya: this time with two opposing takes on a sort of fantastical, folk-inspired black metal with fascinating similarities amidst their considerable contrast.
First up is the debut record by Gromoverzh, a one-man...
2023-07-311h 53TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 132 - Astral Tomb, Shroud of Despondency, Embodied TormentWith a lustrous ambient soundtrack of stormy weather threatening TBMG's home, we have a new episode leaning heavily on extreme metal augmented with influences from other spheres of 00s music. Prepare to get weird and drunk dial your old art school girlfriend- we're heading straight to Brooklyn with a lot of this material, but don't fret- there's plenty of great stuff to be found. First off, a look at the new EP by Embodied Torment, an ultra-brutal death metal TDMG favorite, who rise from their gwave with no less intensity but a much developed sense of elaborate, narrative songwriting.
2023-07-211h 59TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 131 - Deteriorot, Ophidian Memory, OssuaryTDMG is back from an out of town trip just in time to present a death-metal focused episode ranging from the oldschool to the... well, the mid-00s are now basically oldschool. Will TBMG survive the onslaught of blasting and legitimate guitar chops? Listen to find out. First off, though: the new 7" by Ossuary, presenting an alternate take on early 90s doomdeath filtered through the prism of some of its most sinister cousins.
13 years past their last volley, New Jersey's own Deteriorot return from the grave(?) with a new full length. An obscure favorite of TDMG, Deteriorot...
2023-07-132h 08TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 130 - Passeisme, Sammath, Reverorum ib Malacht, KaevumIt's been a little bit and your plaintive cries for content have carried on the wind, so here you go: a gargantuan old-style Terminus episode with 4 big records and nearly 3 hours of dense, autistic discussion thereof. This one is most certainly For The Boys, featuring 4 bands well known to fans of the show, with a selection of styles so expansive you're certain to find a new favorite in the bunch.
Opening volley: the return of PASSEISME PASSEISME ARE BACK GUYS! With their first record a huge hit among Terminators in 2021, it's no surprise that they're back with...
2023-06-292h 58TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 129 - Cadavoracity, VomitoryWelcome to Terminus Lite: half the calories but all the full-bodied flavor you know and love. Today's episode is on the shorter side- TBMG is off on a trip to Parts Unknown- but don't worry, we have longer ones planned for the future. We're playing with formats, introducing post-structuralist theory to the podcast realm- please keep listening (please.) Today is a tight, death metal focused episode from two very different sides of the spectrum:
Part one: sheer, uncompromising brutality. Indonesia's Cadavoracity recently released their second, self-titled full length, which elaborates on the New Standard Elite style of...
2023-06-161h 14TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 128 - Runemagick, Dødssanger, Blutschwur, Et in Arcadia EgoWE'RE BACK AND WE'RE READY TO PARTY! Terminus returns with another overstuffed episode of ugly sounds, so we'll keep the preamble short: there's something for everyone on this one. But first, you'll have to cross the deadly moat of Et in Arcadia Ego, a PABM project with an industrial-tinged take on French and Slavic black metal. It sounds kinda like black wind hissing in the gaps between enormous towers of unknown origin.
First up: approximately the billionth full length by Swedish doomdeath stalwarts Runemagick. "Beyond the Cenotaph of Mankind" will certainly be familiar to fans of the...
2023-06-082h 25TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 127 - Impetuous Ritual, Khanate, AbradedConsistency? I'm not familiar with a band by that name. Here on Terminus we refuse to color inside the lines of show structure, and so we have a big ol' 2021 style episode for you- or, most of the way. We were supposed to cover 4 records but then our computers exploded so we've just got 3, but never fear, we'll have more expanded Terminus Double Stuf episodes coming to make up for it. The theme for today? Being really ugly and weird and gross.
First up: new Impetuous Ritual. One of a triumvirate of Australian noise-ridden black/death bands...
2023-05-312h 40TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 126 - Austere, Hanging GardenSummer yawns over the horizon, but Terminus is interested in something a little colder: today's episode features both DSBM and material descended from Peaceville doom to add some well-needed cynicism to your time by the pool.
First up is the return of Austere some 14 years after their last full length. Titans of Australian DSBM, Austere return no less powerful for their time absent, with material just as grey, lonely, and withering as their classic works. Beyond simple depression, though, Austere explores fascinating textural territories with dense, novel chord voicings, a patient, nearly ambient manner of constructing songs...
2023-05-211h 59TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 125.5 - Poseidon, Crooked MouthNot unlike a vampire repelled by the sign of the cross, TDMG is currently working through his long-buried trauma re: acoustic guitar, and so today's episode is a neofolk special by TBMG and the infamous Hyper Shaman. Neofolk is something we mention on the show quite frequently but only rarely review, so for the more introspective, pastoral, and wizened among us, here's your time to shine. Today's episode presents two very different sides of neofolk which will nonetheless be of interest to all those who enjoy extreme metal.
First up is Poseidon, announcing the (and I cannot s...
2023-05-122h 25TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 125 - Kaal Nagini, Kaal Akuma, Vamachara, AVOWDTerminus is back with an oldschool episode- 4 records of descent into complete madness on the part of your intrepid hosts. This time, the mix is an unusual one, from dissonant black to war metal to elaborate death metal and... sophisticated beatdown hardcore? All these things are different but they're all actually the same thing as you'll come to find out. First off, a mini-review courtesy of The Black Metal Guy featuring Chicago's AVOWD, a dissonant black metal project pulled from the 00s featuring a member of Malthusian Kommand and the ugliest chord voicings you've ever heard.
Now...
2023-05-012h 23TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 124 - Nécropole, Heresie, Smallpox AromaWe're excited to announce the proud return of a Terminus tradition- a carefully crafted, thematic episode that TDMG ruins with a random grind record. Who would have thought? Before we dive into two contrasting takes on traditional French black metal, TDMG regales us with the tale of Thai grinders Smallpox Aroma's debut full-length, a sub-20 minute record of blistering, oldschool grindcore with a technical edge and instrumental performances worthy of involuntary psychiatric commitment.
Over in Europe, though, things are different, starting with the return of the mighty Nécropole (sure, it was released in the last week o...
2023-04-242h 09TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 123 - Karne, Hymen Holocaust, DemonslaughtAfter a brief lull following TBMG's (excellent) interview with Alan Averill, we return with our regularly scheduled programming of elaborate French black metal, absurdist pornogrind, and everything in between. The "in between," in this case, belongs to Demonslaught, forgotten 1.5 wave black metal band from the greater Los Angeles area who recently received a reissue of their second demo. If you want something that sounds like Bathory, Sabbath (JP,) and Possessed falling down an elevator shaft together, well, BUY IT.
We start our main reviews with the third full length record by Karne, a French black metal band...
2023-04-141h 56TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Interview - Alan Averill (Primordial, Verminous Serpent)Been a while, hasn't it? After a long drought of interview content, The Black Metal Guy returns in full force, bringing you a conversation with the mighty Alan Averill of Primordial, Verminous Serpent (whose debut we reviewed on episode 121), and many more. Alan is well known for his musical accomplishments, but also his own (excellent) podcast,* and what follows is a fascinating conversation on both his own work and the development of extreme metal, from the late 80s to today. Alan and TBMG variously touch on the original nature of black metal, the history of the greater UK scene...
2023-04-071h 08TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 122 - Thaumaturgy, Iron WalrusFinally breaking free from the shackles of an endlessly repeated conversation on black metal pornography, your hosts return with an episode of lower-tempo extreme metal from two very different parts of the scene. Featuring a returning fan submission and a record from a style we rarely cover, this episode is a deep cut for those who want to expand their listening habits into uncharted territory. Or maybe charted territory but not usually by us.
First up is the return of Thaumaturgy, doom-ridden black/death solo project out of Kansas which presents its debut full length. Thaumaturgy's style...
2023-04-011h 53TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 121 - Verminous Serpent, TorsofuckA Terminus first occurs on this episode when, in the intro segment, your intrepid hosts manage to recreate nearly word for word the intro to the last episode out of sheer forgetfulness. We left it in just for you. After the podcasting equivalent of leaving a toddler in a hot car, our episode:
First up is Verminous Serpent, a brand new Irish black/doom band staffed by a host of prominent musicians in the Irish scene, foremost among them Alan Averill of Primordial. Whatever comes to mind in terms of musical style, push that aside- we're heading i...
2023-03-251h 55TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 120 - Cromlech, HaxprocessMom and dad are fighting again.
It's been a tough time on the Terminus homestead with regards to scheduling, TDMG waylaid from recording earlier by the insidious trickery of budget airlines. Perhaps a cooling-off period was needed, though, before recording what is perhaps the most contentious episode in Terminus history. Blood must be shed. There is no other path forward.
The cause of such discord within the family? The long-awaited return of Cromlech, epic doom purveyors with close ties to the podcast. "Ascent of Kings," a record a decade in the making, is without question...
2023-03-162h 52TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 119 - Schavot, Kanashimi, LovebitesAfter being battered for a fortnight by winds of frost and plague, Terminus once again valiantly gallops into battle against the forces of stoner doom and prog metal with another enthralling installment of the only metal podcast that has ever existed. Weathered and beaten but unbowed, your intrepid hosts present a melange of records from all over the map, starting most curiously with Lovebites, the current spearhead of the Japanese power metal scene. For all those who miss the classic days of oldschool Sonata Arctica, Rhapsody, and other legends of traditional Euro-style power metal, take note: they might be...
2023-03-032h 22TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 118 - Sielunvihollinen, Sudentaival, Rigor Sardonicous, Orphan AutopsyAs February progresses and winter's grip begins to falter, Terminus takes advantage of this space between seasons to present a real grab bag of an episode. Today's theme? Confidence and boldness, as exhibited by bands from all over the world and in all styles of extreme metal- there's something for everyone here. First: Cuban(!) slam death band Orphan Autopsy, whose refined presentation and brilliant sense of pacing elevates conventional ideas into a slickly listenable but intensely brutal package.
Next is a double feature of recent Sielunvihollinen releases which explore different aspects of the band's core sound. First...
2023-02-172h 22TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 117 - Deiquisitor, Apokatastasis, UtanförskapSunday, February 12th, 2023 marks one of the most important rituals in American culture: the release of a new Terminus episode. We're back with some records the more death metal-inclined Terminators will undoubtedly appreciate, plus an appetizer provided by Russia's Utanförskap, a post-black metal project which arrives at a unique sound through a genuine appreciation and understanding of its post-punk and shoegaze source material. Many of you are undoubtedly soured on the post-black style (for good reason,) but trust us: this is the exception to the rule.
First at plate is Deiquisitor, a bashing Danish death metal o...
2023-02-121h 58TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 116 - Goatmoon, The Howling Void, Noisy NeighborsNow that the dust has settled from our 2022 recap, it's time for the boys to dive headfirst into the new year with a smattering of genre- and quality-varied records. This week's episode features a major black metal release and a funeral doom record from a friend of the show, but first up- an appetizer. Noisy Neighors' debut full-length truly blasts from stereo speakers with a ripping half hour of traditional yet tightly coiled grindcore- an easy recommendation for all lovers of d-beats and death growls.
Six years after the release of the divisive "Stella Polaris," Goatmoon has...
2023-02-052h 36TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 115 - 2022 Roundup! - Manticore, Tribal Gaze, Stabbing, Shape of Despair, ๛ (Komootra), Chasm ShroudThe Black Metal Guy slithers out from his dreadful crypt. The Death Metal Guy emerges from his abattoir-cum-brothel. A chill upon the hissing wind raises hackles and lowers spirits. A sluggish and corpulent full moon hangs listlessly just over the horizon. A whisper whips through the trees, barely audible: "please bro I just need an aux cable to run my drum machine through the PA I swear I'll give it back as soon as I'm done with my set."
Welcome back to Terminus! At least partially rejuvenated from our break we return with SEASON 4 of the hottest...
2023-01-272h 23TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastBursting out of Shadow: Lykathea Aflame’s ElvenefrisBy this point into Terminus Winter Break, you've no doubt exhausted our considerable back catalog, and have been reduced to listening to actual music instead of our reviews. But fear not! Every time we go on break, we release one of our elite, patrons-only bonus episodes to all you rank and file terminators. So here's the first single-record episode we've ever done. We think it's some of our best work, and we hope you enjoy it.
Most truly great albums leave a legacy, begetting new genres, subgenres, styles, or scenes, and so becoming points of origin for...
2023-01-172h 16TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Omega 2022 - The Year-End ShowThe third season of Terminus is drawing to a close, but of course, there's one last matter to attend to: a testimony to the unquestionable best metal records of 2022. As is tradition, our final episode of the year is a sprawling beast where your intrepid hosts discuss all the peaks and valleys of the year in review. This year's list has plenty of surprises in store, with lots of dark horse records creeping their way to the top and others losing steam upon further review.
As always, we'll be taking a break of a couple weeks at...
2023-01-013h 16TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 114 - Satanic Warmaster, Hate ForestMerry Christmas and Happy Yule to all terminators (and lumps of coal to those who deny our power)! This is our last main episode of 2022 before we embark on the path to our end of year extravaganza and it's a doozy. We're finishing the year with two black metal records which need zero introduction- one arriving at the end of this week, the other released by surprise. Both these records are the latest installments of long-running, lauded black metal legends, so how does this most recent material stack up to the legacy?
First off is Satanic Warmaster's...
2022-12-252h 20TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 113 - Rot, Imha Tarikat, Burkhartsvinter, WolfsblutAnother episode so soon? Well, our cold, black hearts felt the distant and chilly fingers of shame over how long the last one took to come out, so we've ramped up production in the Autism Factory just for you! Today's episode is another that focuses on deep cut black metal, but perhaps a little less putrid and decrepit this time around. It's still gnarly, though, as demonstrated by our opening segment on a split between German hordes Burkhartsvinter and Wolfsblut who each present their own take on scrappy, longform black metal.
Next is the debut full-length by...
2022-12-142h 22TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 112 - Geheimnisvoll, КaБah, Wrok, Onslaught KommandWith the holiday season comes Terminus descending into scheduling hell, as is tradition. We like to think of it as a fun mystery, like opening presents on Christmas morning: when will the new episode arrive? Will a random bonus episode get released with zero notice? How blackout drunk will one or both hosts be? To answer in order: right now, maybe at some point, and neither, unfortunately. But to that last query, maybe we should have been, considering just how demented and gorked the majority of the music on today's episode is. To wit: Onslaught Kommand, a Chilean war...
2022-12-092h 09TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 111 - Candlemass, Grave Upheaval, The Funeral Orchestra, MournumentIf you're wondering why today's installment of Terminus took a while to get to you, it's simple: episode 111 is all about doom, so it moved a little slower. Amidst all the high energy death and black metal we've been covering this year, we've been waiting for the opportunity to cover records a bit more... lethargic. Call us Type O Negative, because today we're going slow, deep, and hard. First up: a mini review of the debut record by Chilean epic doomdeath purveyors Mournument, which fuses romantic funeral doom with Peaceville riffing and all the wistful sorrow you could ask...
2022-11-282h 12TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 110 - Grave Pilgrim, Ink & FireTerminus has been, to some degree, derelict in its duty to promote Outlaw Rock this year. Hopefully today's episode ameliorates this deficiency with a grip of records all firmly within this rough and tumble style of black metal(?). For those unfamiliar with the term, Outlaw Rock is a concept formulated by Terminus for a distinct style of USBM with a range of pointedly American influences, from country to hardcore and all points between. In this case, we have two very different sides of the same coin: one creaking out ghostly whispers of the old west, and another which explodes...
2022-11-202h 18TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 109 - Defleshed, PsycropticOn rare occasion Terminus will dip its toe into the heady waters of "mainstream metal" (referring to bands that human beings listen to)- it's a rare and dangerous venture, but a necessary one. Today's episode is one such occasion, one where owners of Black Metal Tapes Worth More Than Your Life eye us suspiciously, thumbing the hammers of their revolvers under the poker table. Fret not- while today's records might be more popular than our typical fare, both are excellent slabs of death metal rooted in styles from the early 00s.
First up is the return...
2022-11-111h 49TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 108 - Ateiggär, Oppressive DescentGentlemen... behold! A new lean and mean episode of Terminus has arrived now that The Black Metal Guy has returned from Parts Unknown, fattened on the riches of distant lands. What better way to celebrate than with two down-the-line black metal records? We can have a little shrieking, just as a treat.
First up is Ateiggär from the Helvetic Underground Committee, a group of Swiss artists we've been following on the show for some time now. Ateiggär reaches back to late 90s and early 00s Scandinavian black metal like Kvist and Old Man's Child for it...
2022-11-061h 46TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 107 - Imprecation, Anal Stabwound, DaemogogJust in time for the spookiest of seasons comes a spine-chilling installment of Terminus with the team you fear most- The Death Metal Guy and Harried Terminus Intern Hyper Shaman. As is (usually) tradition for this combo, we've got a death metal centered episode for you, but fear not: only one of the records discussed has prominent slams! First off, though, is a look at the new Daemogog record, which follows in the style of bands like Astral Tomb in its gangly, abstract take on brutal death technique and dissonant melodic motifs.
First to bat is the...
2022-10-271h 58TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 106 - Blood Chalice, ᛋᚢᚱᛏᚱ ᚹᛟᚢᚾᛞᛋ (Surtr Wounds), ColdWorldWe return to your regularly scheduled programming after a brief diversion to record a bonus episode on Lykathea Aflame's seminal Elvenefris (which you should purchase your way into immediately.) This week we're going way down the line with three more-or-less black metal records occupying often-ignored sonic niches of interest to serious listeners. First up: the return of ColdWorld, a DSBM legend who has lost no vigor in the 6 years since the last full length, providing classic melodies with a renewed essence through impressive harmonic arrangement.
To the meat of the episode: Blood Chalice provides a truly alarming...
2022-10-192h 18TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 105 - Asgrauw, FirtanLet's face it, people: 2022 has been a difficult mating season for black metal. They're not sending their best, folks- or at least they haven't been so far. That might all change with today's episode, which features two excellent records of autumnal, melodic, and strikingly structured black metal which reaches back to the trenchcoat era of the late 90s/early 00s for its primary influences. If you're the type of Terminator who listens for assistance in separating the wheat from the chaff: welcome home.
First up is the newest record by Dutch stalwarts Asgrauw, who TBMG has mentioned...
2022-10-121h 54TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 104 - Ares Kingdom, GaliciaAgain, a bit of a delay, but we've got something to make it up for you: a big, sprawling episode of highly anticipated records and autistic analysis guaranteed to please all Terminators or your money back (please don't call me on this I can't give refunds on Patreon.) This time we're looking at two scrappy, unusual records descended from a parallel universe war metal scene that somehow drifted into our own- one from an established classic act, and another from youthful upstarts on a mission to make their mark.
From the veterans in Ares Kingdom comes a...
2022-10-052h 10TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 103 - Syphilic, PerversionOkay I know last time I said we were back and were gonna be super consistent and everything, but here's the thing: I lied. I lied specifically to hurt you. The relationship between Terminus and its fans is inherently abusive, but don't worry: we're bringing you back some flowers and promising to never do it again with an episode featuring two radically different sides of the wasteland known as Detroit.
First up is a band long mentioned but only now getting covered: Syphilic. A longtime favorite of TDMG, this one-man project has acquired a cult following over...
2022-09-251h 40TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 102 - Vermin Womb, Amargh, SolemnityNo excuses this time. We're back. For real. See? We've got another episode? This one's cut in pretty distinct halves, with some remarkably extreme, timbral music on one side and some true to the 80s heavy metal on the other, but surprising threads of composition run through both. To start, though: it's been a little while, so The Death Metal Guy took it upon himself to ruin your day with some brutal death. This time it comes in the form of Solemnity's debut EP, which follows in the footsteps of bands like Pustulated and Foetopsy to create grinding, gore-soaked...
2022-09-081h 54TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 101 - Vergeblichkeit, White RuneIt's been a laborious path, surely, but Terminus is back on track as TBMG and TDMG reunite after a long departure from one another. Creative differences? Lover's quarrel? Nothing so interesting as that. What's important is that we're back to the Terminus you know and love, autistically criticizing unknown records for the pleasure of equally autistic listeners. T-shirts in the back.
First up is the return of Vergeblichkeit, whose last record we covered in the very first episode of 2021. The new release features the same general ingredients of gothic (black?) metal, but arranged differently, with a greater...
2022-08-302h 00TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 100 - Dressed in Streams, Dogman, GrigorienIt's that time of the season again! Terminus returns with another episode but, uh, a weird one again. This time it's TDMG that's our handling some personal business, which means we have an episode featuring TBMG and Terminus intern Hyper Shaman, this time focusing on wooly and wild strains of black metal from all over the (full) spectrum. Think of this as the perverse alternative to the first guest episode featuring TDMG and HS, but instead of slam and gorenoise it's even more cryptic, inscrutable black metal. So, in essence, business as usual.
The show kicks off...
2022-08-182h 34TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 99.5 - Wormrot, Grenadier, Pneuma HagionWhat's this? Terminus rising from its gwave once again? Well, not exactly- TBMG's work commitments are going on a bit longer than anticipated so we're not coming back from break just yet. However, in the interest of maintaining positive SEO trends and social standing, TDMG and infamous Terminus intern Hyper Shaman have put together an episode to tide you all over. We'll be back to your regularly scheduled programming sooner rather than later, but for now- records.
First is the long-awaited return of Singapore grindcore stars Wormrot after a 6 year gap from Voices, the record that brought...
2022-07-261h 53TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 99 - Melancholy Pessimism, ImmolationThrough loutish, piglike force of will, we have arrived at the halfway point of season 3 of Terminus. Weary but unbroken, your intrepid hosts are going to be taking their customary two week summer break, but before that, another episode, this time featuring what is surely one of the biggest records of the year. This is another episode of pure death metal, but in this case we reach from the deeper depths of the underground as well as the heights of one of the genre's most seminal acts.
For the subterranean: Melancholy Pessimism's newest record, continuing the legacy...
2022-07-012h 14TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 98 - The Chasm, Slugathor, LicentiousAs though driven by an unearthly wind, Terminus' music pendulum is buffeted far to the opposite side of the last couple episodes with an evening of (mostly) pure death metal- generally oldschool, but portrayed in radically contrasting ways. We open with a peek at the debut EP by Licentious, announcing the return of Rob Fornicator (Fornicator, Whore, etc.) which combines his penchant for heroin-addict sleaze with the dissolute chaos of early Devourment. Recommended headbanging posture: stabbing motion.
The Chasm returns after a long absence, allowing your hosts the opportunity to review not merely the newest record but...
2022-06-212h 08TERMINUS: extreme metal podcastTerminus Episode 97 - Theriomorph, Koldkrypt, AvskyTerminus proudly returns from the prior week's collection of difficult black metal records with a new batch of, uh, difficult black metal records. Don't click the X, these ones are different! We're on a tear covering heady, structurally convoluted records these days, but perhaps today's works bring us a little closer to the Terminus center. First off, a well-aged appetizer: the return of the (to us) legendary Avsky, whose brand of caustic, arrogant black metal has lost no power in the dozen years since their last release.
First to bat is Theriomorph, a Finnish project that resembles...
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