Terminus Episode 122 - Thaumaturgy, Iron Walrus

Finally 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 exists in a realm influenced heavily by both caverncore and orthodox black metal. On this record, however, a decision is made to pursue death metal more fully by way of the Ledney school of Profanatica, Havohej, Prosanctus Inferi, etc., but delivered in a stately and austere manner. Angular riffs spill out over long sections of tremolo and blast wall, periodically collapsing into heaving doom. How does it stack up against the project's debut, reviewed in 2021? We discuss.

Following is Iron Walrus with their fourth full length record of Crowbar-inspired sludge metal. Taking a path less travelled in the style, Iron Walrus concentrates on a combination of elaborate heavy metal riffing combined with brute hardcore force, making for a record with a wide range of emotional and sonic territory. This is the antidote for the stoner scourge in the genre; we don't cover sludge very often, and you may not listen to it typically, but trust us- this one is worth a look.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:04:20 - Thaumaturgy - Tenebrous Oblations (Adirondack Black Mass)

0:56:39 - Interlude - Havohej - “Weeping in Heaven” fr. Dethrone the Son of God (Candlelight Records, 1993)

0:58:50 - Iron Walrus - Tales Never Told (Apostasy Records)

1:48:58 - Outro - Merauder - “Take by Force” fr. Master Killer (Century Media, 1995)

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