In Voodoo Dust We Trust

03 / Underneath Your Own Mask / Playlist

Death of the Gods / Primordial

Era Borealis / Mantar

Roots of the Mountain / Enslaved

O Father O Satan O Sun! / Behemoth

Gods of Thunder Of Wind and Of Rain / Bathory

An Alternative to Freedom / Witchcraft

The Firesky / Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat

Ótta / Sólstafir

Radar / Black Trip

Ymer / Grand Magus

Lone Wolf Winter / Deströyer 666

Terror Hungry / Lost Society

01 / Dark Summer Blues / Playlist

Cheap Wine - Beggar Town

Colours of Bubbles - The Edge of the World

Colours of Bubbles - Rusty Trombone

Primordial - Autumn’s Ablaze

Dissection - Maha-Kali

Dissection - God of Forbidden Light

King Dude - Black Butterfly

Celtic Frost - A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh

Tau Cross - Devil Knows His Own

Tau Cross - We Control The Fear

Primordial - Come The Flood

Gormathon - Absence of Trust

Marduk - Accuser / Opposer

Desaster - Tyrannizer

Entombed - Chief Rebel Angel

RAM - In Victory

Månegarm - Mother Earth Father Thunder

Månegarm - Utfärd

Behemoth - Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel

Wood of Ypres - I Was Buried In Mount Pleasant Cemetary

Rotting Christ - Χ Ξ Σ (666)

Rotting Christ - Thou Art Lord

King Dude - Lucifer’s The Light of the World

King Dude - Fear Is All You Know

Sólstafir - Miðaftann

Sólstafir -  Fjara

Sólstafir - Necrologue

Sólstafir - World Void of Souls

Aistė Smilgevičiūtė ir SKYLĖ - Aš Gaudau Svajas

Greenleaf - Funeral Pyre

Greenleaf - A Million Fireflies

Elm Street - Metal Is The Way

Ghost - He Is

Kvelertak - Dendrofil for Yggdrasil

Kvelertak - Mjød

Kvelertak - 1985

Mercyful Fate - Into The Coven

The Devil’s Blood - Christ or Cocaine

Novembre - Australis

:Of The Wand And The Moon: - Sunspot

Be’lakor - Abeyance

Rising - All Dirt

Crowbar - Planets Collide

Metallica - Until It Sleeps

Thin Lizzy - Bad Habits

Ereb Altor - A Fine Day to Die

Witherscape - Dead For A Day

Crimson Glory - Lost Reflection

Pallbearer - The Ghost I Used To Be

Sólstafir - Ótta w/ strings @ The Islington Assembly Halls, London, United Kingdom, 14.05.2016.

[ Dero’s Ramblings about festivals, concerts and albums ]

Some of the memories are more precious than others. Sometimes we bear things to remember those times. Sometimes those things get dusty in the bookshelves, but every time we take them out, it makes the heart go faster, flashbask run through the mind. It feels nice, cosy, yet so fragile and dear.

>> 12 + 1 Albums That Changed My Life // Part 2

>> Part 1

1. Morbid Angel - Covenant [1993] / It must have been 2006 when I was slowly diving into black and death metal scenes. First it was more commercially successful and mainstream, newer bands, but with Morbid Angel I went to the roots, to the good oldschool metal. I was instantly cought up by the intellectual, philosophical lyrics, although my English language skills hadn’t been so advanced yet. Then that massive, almost burdening soundscape… Overwhelming, wrapping its fingers around you. It was something I have never heard before. God of Emptiness was and still is one of the greatest ever written masterpieces of the metal music.

2. Burzum - Burzum / Aske [1995] / The Jewel Crown of my early metal listening years. Dark Funeral, Mayhem, Dissection, Carpathian Forest followed later. First it was the only one, the Burzum. I was a angry nihilistic teenager, who adored the raw, pure Norwegian black metal and Mr. Varg Vikernes himself. (I even have been carrying a tiny picture of him in my wallet…) Burzum’s music was a reincarnation, reflection of my own darkness, anger, a growing suspicion of people and seeing the pointlessness of the life.

3. Death - Symbolic [1995] / With Death I got on the boat of death metal. Step by step it became utterly my cup of tea. From the beginning I was into both, black and death metal, but black metal suited my interests, let’s say, better, yet the incredible talent of Chuck Schuldiner stole my attention away. I was heart-broken and disappointed to find out that he had lost a long battle with cancer on rather the young age and this genius musician is no more on our Mother Earth. Methinks, this time it was a very technical and rich soundscapes that were new to my ear, but once more my heart belonged with lyrics, being no less than beautiful poetry. Smarly, thoughtfully placed words always have been my fancy. Quote like “Images of the forgotten past” became one of my favourite phrases.

4. Ossastorium - Per Aspera [2004] / The first Lithuanian metal band I have fallen in love with. Ossastorium had played in the 10th Anniversary gig of Ledo Takas, which was the first ever metal show I have attended. Ossastorium sounded just brilliant to my young tiny self. I still remember the whole row of my mates, every each of them headbanging together like there is no tomorrow. After that concert I couldn’t stop listening to them. When I talk about Ossastorium, they are the band always close to my heart. They have taught me thoughtfulness and not to give up no matter what life flings at you. Their song Ad Aspera became my hymn, a battle song of some sort, a silent mantra. Ossastorium also put an interest for Latin in me and I ended up learning that language a bit. Navigare vivere est.

5. Vader - The Beast [2004] / Vader. I think I have always been listening to this band. I started my journey into metal music with Apocalyptica, Metallica, Cradle of Filth and VADER. The epic, angry soundscapes from the neighbor country Poland. I was amazed how good they sounded and how big this band were that time. (Aye, now even bigger.) The Beast was the most impressive album with powerful tunes like Dark Transmission, Firebringer, I Shall Prevail, which would take me to a cold realm of rust and steaming war industry. The later records The Art of War and Impressions In Blood made Vader hit the top in my list by 2008. Catching their show in Vilnius, also in 2008 was a blast as well. It seems to me that by that time I had finally learned to direct my anger for my own good with the help of this victorious Polish death metal.

6. Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines [2002] / Whent the times of all mighty Nile came, I was already spiritually separating from the black metal ideologies and fully merging into death metal. I was utterly disappointed to find out about Nile right after they had played a gig in Vilnius and, of course, I haven’t attended it. An Egyptian mythology based themes and lyrics were epic and even overwhelming, also reminding me of my long forgotten love for Egyptian deties.

7. Amon Amarth - Fate of Norns [2004] / Another milestone of death metal to add to my metal listening history. I don’t remember how, but this album appeared in my hands forcing me to lose my jaw. My heart belonged in the north, in the Baltic sea and there were the sounds of ice and fire, and storms, and bloodshed, and ancient wonders in Amon Amarth music, especially this exact album. I reckon they pushed me to research Old Norse and Baltic mythology a lot, come back to my roots spiritually. The later albums were already taking me to another, yet well-known realm of runes and viking heritage. By the way, the Amon Amarth gig in London was the first show I have been outside my local city in UK. It was quite an adventure, also a beginning of my “nights out in London for the gigs” era.

8. Edge of Sanity - Infernal [1997] / Edge of Sanity, Nightingale… Dan Swanö obsession began with me completely accidently learning that great oldschool Lithuanian death metal band Ghostorm did a beautiful song Legend together with Dan. I think, once I started listening to his music, I had slowly stopped labelling music as “trve kvlt” or “real death metal” or whatever, it had widened my understanding of metal music. Also his genius was hard not to be fascinated with. The whole variety of instruments he played and all the vivid soundscapes he had shaped, also his mastered ability swapping from husky growls to clean, soft vocals. With Dan Swanö I had wandered into uniquely sounding metal, without a fear to experiment and try listening to every project of his.

9. Primordial - Redemption At The Puritan’s Hand [2011] / Primordial. I had started my journey of them with Dark Song, but I needed a few years to come back to their music to have another perspective, another dive into their music. The overwhelming and gloomily dark, burdening philosophies and riffs of Redemption At The Puritan’s Hand were something very solid, whole and enlightening. I was simply, utterly impressed and caught into by their honesty, anger and energy. Poetry in words, yet great truths in minds. Primordial became my strength. Death of the Gods was and still is the hymn, reflecting my thoughts upon any society. We’re the risen people, we stand on the shoulders of giants… The impact and influence grew bigger on me with past two years. Every time you take a look, make an analysis of Primordial songs, you see something new, another idea, another layer of complex concepts. The symbolism and imagery of Steppenwolf (which is my favourite and the most influential book) used in this album speak with me in many ways. A battle in your head between a beast and a man. One of my favourite lines “My ship has the blackest sails” is taken from The Mouth of Judas. Me being a sailor, I always have found comfort in images of the sea and ships. The blackest sails - the thoughts, mind, even emotions and moods of a person…

10. Flogging Molly - Float [2008] / Irish folk punk became a huge part of my life since 2009-2010. It was brought to me with Flogging Molly. Philosophies of life, suffering and happiness, wish to drown your sorrows in alcohol, friendship and love, and dreams, and wonders (also wanders!)… It was all there for me in their music. It reminds me of my great friend, who introduced Flogging Molly to me, our long talks while sipping whiskey, sailing, drunk poetry and 4 am philosophies. I reckon, Flogging Molly had taught me how to love my life, with no regrets, no holding it back. “Live, it’s all you can”.

11. Wardruna - Runaljod - gap var Ginnunga [2009] / (This should have gone after Amon Amarth and Flogging Molly before Primordial, but oh well I am never good with timelines…) The journey into the past, into the old Norse continued with Wardruna. Also this band lighted a wish to study abroad in my heart. I was willing to live in Bergen until the end of my days and enjoy my solitude (I appearently had less social moments of my life). Musically they were different, much more serious about their folk side and not making their music into a fantasy or a legend, but presenting a careful, thoughtful research of their own roots. It’s simply very precious, very dear to me, always reminding me of spiritual relation to wilderness, forests and freezing cold Baltic sea.

12. Sólstafir - Ótta [2014] / One of the newest, but not the lesser bands to join the ranks of influence. Sensually they have a bit of genuine folkness, but also that cold vibe of doomy, atmospheric metal, almost Primordial-esque riffs, mixed with a handful of rock’n’roll, yet with iciness of Iceland instead of gloomy Irishness. You don’t need to understand lyrics sang in Icelandic to take in the whole mixture of feelings merged together in their songs. Sorrow, melancholy, desparation, anger, disappointment… I could relate too well, this music making my own head a bit nicer place to be in.

Morbid Angel - Covenant [1993]

Burzum - Burzum / Aske [1995]

Death - Symbolic [1995]

Ossastorium - Per Aspera [2004]

Vader - The Beast [2004]

Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines [2002]

Amon Amarth - Fate of Norns [2004]

Edge of Sanity - Infernal [1997]

Primordial - Redemption At The Puritan’s Hand [2011]

Flogging Molly - Float [2008]

Wardruna - Runaljod - gap var Ginnunga [2009]

Sólstafir -  Ótta [2014]

Dread Sovereign - All Hell’s Martyrs [2014]