Metallica - The Call of Ktulu – 10/10
This was my first serious hardcore all-time favorite song, and I still consider it to be one of the greatest metal songs ever written. I remember first hearing it on a roadtrip when I was probably 8 or so, and being completely captivated, like I was listening to the Tristram theme from Diablo only metalized and classical at the same time, but I was too afraid to ask my dad who it was for some reason and went years wondering who it was by. Even many years after it stands out as so incredibly ambitious and well-written. Metallica at their best was basically untouchable.
Thergothon – Elemental – 3/10
Going to have to re-evaluate these guys, I thought I liked them a bit at least in the rare mood for it, but this was not only boring, it was dumb. The clean sung parts sounded REALLY Finnish. First Skepticism, now them. Funeral doom and I were never to be.
Ironsword - Call of Cthulhu – 2/10
I had to check that this band wasn’t related to that retarded Doomsword band posted for the ancient history theme. Pirate vocals aren’t supposed to sound this lame. Also, I think the Phyrgian dominant theme from that other thread is triggering me because musically this sounds super fucking cheesy. I don’t think of Egypt when I think of Cthulu. Unoriginal song title too. Fuck these guys.
Catacomb - The Key – 5/10
These guys are a band I want to like but they just don’t sound that interesting to me. The best thing I could say about this is that in a vague way it reminds me of Burzum’s S/T, but not as atmospheric. A couple of the riffs here are unfitting and almost kinda happy sounding.
Septic Flesh - Mystic Places of Dawn – 4/10
Pretty sappy. The way the deeper growls are backed by the higher-pitched goblin squeals makes this sound like mallcore catering to pubescent not-so-elder gods.
Therion – Cthulhu – 6/10
Tried a couple different videos and they all seemed brickwalled, unfortunate production. Still, liking the Coroner influence I’m hearing although the song didn’t really seem to go any direction in particular.
Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales – 8/10
Classic track.
Varathron - The Tressrising of Nyarlathotep – 7/10
My favorite on the album.
Solstice - New Dark Age/The Sleeping Tyrant – 6/10
Love this song, a shame none of the other metal songs on the album come close to it. Is this really Lovecraft themed though? I think this would have been better suited for the ancient history theme. Oh wait, apparently it’s the spoken bit at the beginning, I was never able to even understand him. Going to subtract a couple points since the majority of this has nothing to do with Lovecraft.
Soomdrag - Epitaph the Naster – 6/10
Decent.
Black Sabbath - Wasp/Behind the Wall of Sleep/Bassically/N.I.B. – 8/10
Didn’t know that Behind the Wall of Sleep was based on a Lovecraft story, cool stuff.
Mekong Delta – Prophecy – 9/10
My favorite on the album. A little different for them, rhythmically simpler and much more melodic, but it makes things especially tense. That really tech-y breakdown at the end always gets me moving too, I think it might have inspired the closing of Atheist’s Brains a little bit.
Root - The Old Ones – 6/10
Decent. Never really got into these guys unfortunately, riffing is just adequate and the chanting gets old.
Entombed - Stranger Aeons – 4/10
Not bad, but still my least favorite on the album. Sounds kinda prototypical of their death ‘n roll thing already. Is this Lovecraft themed? I know ‘strange aeons’ is a Lovecraft phrase but the song contents don’t seem to be specifically about that.
Hemotoxin - The Shadow Over Innsmouth – 5/10
The main riff is pretty generic melodic trem stuff, but some strong bits in between. That pause at the 2:00 mark is pretty obvious, how did they miss that before releasing the album?
Innsmouth - Consumed by Elder Sign – 6/10
When a bit doomier and dirtier this is convincing, but the faster parts with the polka-drums hold things back, and it didn’t need to be eight minutes long.