ABSURD

"Thuringian Pagan Madness" 7" EP

(Black Sun Records)

I was never a big fan of this bands sloppy style but this 7" reveals a more cohesive blend of riffs and vox that I can feel for once. I believe this is an old demo rerecorded but I may be wrong. Still, I recommend that newcomers and trendies beware. Caveat emptor. The sound represents a realized understanding of hateful black metal/punk and the medium through which it is expressed. - Jeffrey Kusbel

BORN OF FIRE

“Chosen By The Gods” 2001 7” EP

(Primitive Art)

Some pretty damn good Slayer “Season’s In The Abyss” (The last really good Slayer record!) worship & includes Peter from Entombed & Rikard from Dismember. So you know everything is performed with vim and vigor. Some really nice riffs and the vocals sound inspired. Quite solid but nothing terribly mind-blowing.