Have you ever heard of a Metal Podcast, broadcasting nothing but Vinyl? We here in the Dungeon are not only geniuses, but we are also pioneers. A few months back while interviewing Rusty Eye in the Dungeon, Mr. Rust said to me after the show. "Woudn't it be cool to do a show spinning nothing but heavy metal vinyl?" and thus, Monday's show was Born. Join The Dungeon Awaits, and Mr. Rust on Labor Day, Monday the 6th at 6pm PST for a very special event. HEAVY METAL VINYL!!!! Right here, on Error Fm!!!
Aug. 26th, 2010 This past Monday, I awoke to find myself in another dimension known as The Dungeon Awaits podcast. As I was trying to make sense of it all, I overheard Dungeon master Daniel Dungeon talking about the upcoming OzzFest with fellow Centobite Grasshopper. Soon thereafter, we were joined by metal band 2cents, who spoke about their upcoming tour with Zakk Wylde & Black Label Society, shake wieghts, cat food & the unimaginable challenge to Abigail Williams in the next Drunken Metal Combat. I managed to escape upon the condition of returning once again with my camera in hand, ready for whatever the dark lord seems fit to throw at me.
Special thanks go out to Michael Kohli & Ventura Breeze newspaper. Thank you once again for the opportunity!
Aug. 24th, 2010: 2 Cents are some of the coolest guys I've had the pleasure of having in the Dungeon thus far. Be sure to check out the interview on The Gauntlet Archive page. Adair, was showing me pictures of girls texting him, while we on the air. We wanted a girl with Pentagram, and within 5 minutes, albeit a small pentagram, Adair showed me a girl who just took a picture of herself with a pentagram. Thanks Adair. Besides talking about eating cat food, and sex, 2 Cents also openly challenged Abigail Williams for the next Drunken Metal Combat. I beleive the from Jason of 2 Cents was "We can beat 'em". I stopped and said, "really?" They said they would be down to do the next one, I wonder what Skeleton Witch will have to say about this... Thanks 2 Cents for signing my shake weight, which will be a permanent artifact within the Dungeon Walls for all eternity.
Mike Fleiss, and Marc Weingarten of California Wildebeest called in at 6:30pm on the dot, despite having reservations about The Dungeon beign affiliated with the Gauntlet.com I asked them if they were steamed about an article entitled "Who is California Wildebeest, and why are they on Ozzfest", but they didn't seem mad about it at all. As indicated in the article, they seem to be ok with themselves gainging access to Metal's biggest stage by virtue of connections alone (Jack Osbourne). They freely admitted it on the air. According to California Wildebeest, they may be on the entire tour next year. Hopefully they will have a new record, and more then 38 friends on their myspace page by then.
Many thanks to DJ Mike Kohli and Mike from VC Sound for giving the last show coverage for the Ventura Breeze. I hope Sheldon shits on his own dick when he finds out they are covering The Dungeon, I get the impression he can't fucking stand me, but lets face the facts, The Dungeon Awaits cannot be ignored. Your stuck with us for life!!! Daniel Dungeon and Grasshopper may be out of the pulpit next Monday, due to American Carnage, and interviews scheduled with Chuck Billy of Testament. For sure we will be back Sept. 6th with Mr. Rust, from Rusty Eye for an exclusivly Vinyl show. -Daniel Dungeon
![Terrorizer Radio](images/truecult_2_cropped.jpg")
Having just returned from the beach, fragranced with firewood and chardonnay (the wine, not the woman), our esteemed Dungeon Master has a new selection of diabilical digital dirges to defile your, er, day with.
click here: http://www.truecultheavymetal.com/radio/index.html
Playlist:
Candlemass- Mirror Mirror
Kataklysm- Determined
Judas Priest- Electric Eye
Early Graves- Faith is Shit
Slayer- New Faith
Sepultura- Territory
Arch Enemy- My Apocalypse
Blind Guardian- Road of No Release
Death- Pull the Plug
Pestilence- Dehydrated
Kittie- Witch Hunt
Behemoth- Antichristian Phenomenon
Drunken Metal Combat was not only the most brutal spectacle in ages, it also turned out to be an epic event between Warbringer and Abigail Williams. The battle took place at The Dungeon in Ventura, CA and we witnessed massive amounts of beer drinking, knife fights, people catching on fire, destruction, mayhem and of course, drunken metal combat. The Gauntlet and Dungeon Awaits will be posting video of the games, but you can check out a short teaser below.
Video provided by The Gauntlet
Forged of pure malice and rage, the barbed wire pentagram is the ultimate prize of the Drunken Metal Kombat, and is the most sought after artifact in the Dungeon kingdom. It weilds supernatural powers, and can never be taken away, unless challenged. The challenger must face the Victor in the next Metal Kombat. Multiple challenges may be made silmultaneously, and the winner must crown the new victor with the barbed wire pentagram. Enjoy it while you can, because just like anything in life, it won't last...
Expectations have the capacity to create and destroy any exeperience; I guess that's what I love about heavy metal, it's the creation of destruction. Ascending Chaos Productions was doing a show in the back of a mexican restaurant (Fresh Mex Baja Grill, 4238 Saviers rd) in south oxnard, wasn't the most glamorous of venues, but the passion and intensity that entered the walls, even made the salsa burn hotter. Sanguinary Disfiguration opened the show with technical deathcore noodling, that seemed completely out of place for the line-up. Judging by all the old school thrash and death metal patches covering the denim jackets in crowd, I doubt if there were many fans of Carnifex in the crowd, and much of the crowd preffered to focus on the massive burrito's being served at the Fresh Mex Baja Grill. The show really began when Fatalist hit the stage.
When guitarist Neil Burkdoll rang the first note, the entire tone of the night changed. The dirty swedish style heavy metal chord rumbled the halls and the crowd answered the calling. Fatilist played a blistering set of songs mostly from their new album, "Depth of Inhumanity", igniting the crowd into a pit of bodies swirling in a death crazed frenzy. The new line-up played tight, and the dual guitars, and low tuning filled the room with thick sounds of creation, and destruction.
Camarillo's Trancit hit the stage next. Trancit have some good players but the drummer didn't seem to be keeping up with the rest of the band. Trancit is still young and it shows. Hostile hit the stage with ferocious intensity. Full throttle thrash with some hardcore punk influences, virtually burnt a hole in the ceiling. These Oxnard locals had excellent songwriting, and an electric stage presence. I heard murmurs this was their final show before taking a break for a while; lets hope that break doesn't last long. Exmortus took the stage after Hostile, and were as tight as ever. The brilliance of the Exmortus is their exceptional musicianship; each member of the band is a master of their instrument. It was a pleasure to see them again. Bonded by Blood, with their name paying homage to the great thrash band, Exodus, invoked the same legacy. This young band is on the top of their game in every way. They have really captured the essence of what thrash entails, and executed it perfectly. I don't think they expected a small mexican restaurant in Oxnard to give them such a warm welcome. The singer, Jose Barrales, seemed pleasantly surprised as the crowd went insane for every song they played. Bonded by Blood attempted to end the set early, but not before the crowd virtually rioted unless they play their favorite song. Finally Barrales cried, "What do you want to eat?", and the crowd screamed in reply, "Pizza!!!". I'm sure the Baja Grill cooks were confused for a moment, because you know they heard that shit all the way in the kitchen.
Warbringer hit the stage about 11:30pm, and the way that Bonded by Blood left the crowd, it was hard to imagine that anyone had any energy (or hydration) left. By this point, the heat inside the building was so intense, i was only able to capture a few pictures of Warbringer. There were so many people packed in front of the stage, and heat coming off their bodies, my camera was covered in fog their entire set. If there was a person that was fatigued from all of the bands that came before, you wouldn't have known it. Warbringer was welcomed like heroes. Straight up thrash metal with no frills, set off a circle pit from the first power chord. The crowd swelled with violence as they called out their favorite songs, "Severed Reality!", "Living in a Whirlwind!" Singer John Kevill, gave the crowd exactly what they wanted, Thrash fucking metal enough to slash your throat. Laux guitar, although difficult to hear at times, was mimicked by their fans with air guitars flying, and hair flying equally chaotic. "Total War" was the perfect end to the evening, as the crowd joined in on the chorus, loud enough to hear it all the way in Afghanistan. As the total war was waged on the baja grill, the destruction soaked the shirts in sweat of every person who came and went. It was such a pleasure to see such talented bands as Warbringer, Fatalist, and Bonded by Blood in such an intimate (and hot) setting. My expectations were low, I admit, so I left the show with smile, and bit of a Jack Daniels headache, but a smile none the less. It was the destruction they brought that was so impressive, but I hope they'll return someday, to create once again.
Candlelight Records, 2010
If there was an ounce of “core” in Abigail Williams sound, it’s been carved out with a rusty blade on their new album, “In the Absence of Light”. Sorceron and Jekelis turned the guitars up to “E-for Evil”, and producer Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy) tossed the tracks into The Abyss Studio and went necro on the vocals. What has emerged is a completely new Abigail Williams, mature, focused, and rooted in a timeless classic sound. Aspects of Celtic Frost and “At the Heart of Winter”-era Immortal shine through with cold grimness. Abigail Williams have left their previous symphonic black metal sound (and the keyboard player all-together), dead in the past, with only slight embellishments on certain songs, and sparse atmospheric samples, while still layered with symphonic elements mostly expressed through guitar work. The track “Malediction” reveals sheer rage, musically and vocally, and is clearly the standout track on “In the Absence of Light”. There’s a passion behind Sorceron’s necro screeching swimming through the caverns of dissonance that make for a timeless track to be enjoyed by legions of “true” metal, and the core kids will certainly be wandering aimlessly and confused. But take heart, their signature epic sound also still remains in songs like “Final Destiny of the Gods”, coupled with a crushing riff in the middle that could level buildings. But the album is not without progression, “In the Absence of Light” embraces a Black-n-Roll style not heard before from Abigail Williams on songs like “An Echo in our Lands” and “Hope the Great Betrayal”. Abigail Williams have found a groove without compromising technicality, and remaining focused on song craft. “Infernal Divide” ventures into “E” for Experimental, and takes the guitar work into ambient territories. Who needs a fucking keyboard, right? Absent of trends, “In the Absence of Light” keeps Abigail Williams’s unmistakable song-craft intact and the bands has emerged clearly pointed in a different direction. “In the Absence of Light” is Abigail Williams’s best work to date; it’s mercilessly honest, and timelessly critical, in an era where so much metal should be forgotten.
Daniel Dungeon- The Gauntlet/ The Dungeon Awaits Podcast
9/10
I knew the people at the Avalon we're fucking with us when the bouncer wrapped a bracelet around my wrist with pink stars on it. "You saved these just for us didn't you?" I asked him, he just smiled an evil smile. The crowd out front of the Avalon was immense. Metal heads, TRVE metal heads, lined Vine st. in both directions waiting to see one of two shows, Immortal was doing in North America. Some of the guys I met in line, from the band Age of Nephilim, had driven 25 hours straight, on high on an eight ball just to get to the show in town. "It's Immortal!" They joked, red-eyed, and ready for some fucking TRVE metal, with a "V".
Dying to Pee and bit buzzed from my Rum and Coke, a second bouncer made me pound what was left before he let me in. The crowd around ran frantically to the front of the stage, eager to be at the front, to see these metal legends. Of course, the Avalon continued to fuck with us, as they put a horrible emo band cd on for the house music. I heard the crowd around me rumble with complaint as to what assholes they we're to put on such shit, for a crowd that was clearly ready to hear some black metal.
About 6:45, Lightning Swords of Death hit the stage. Cradle in smoke they swooned the stage with Necro-satan. But the sound guy just couldn't handle them I guess. The feedback on the vocal mic was unbearable, and even drowning out the guitars at some points. They played a dreadfully short set, but the crowd didn't mind. Abbath could be seen stage right, smoking a cig and enjoying watching the only opening band. The tension rose as LSOD finished their set, and then the dreadful emo music came back on...
I started getting pushed even before Immortal came on stage. Jenna started to feel really crowded and bailed on me to stand at the back. But despite how smashed I was getting, I had such a good spot, I didn't want to lose it. This was Immortal. I wanted to be right fucking their.
The cold winds began.
I told one of the guys I was standing with, that they would open with All shall Fall, and of course they did. But didn't expect them to play the first three songs off the new album straight through. They played all the hits, every song that I love. Whether it was from "Sons of Northern Darkness" or "At the Heart of Winter". Abaath's guitar sounded massive, and with the signature chorus, made the riffs even colder. The three piece band, exploded. Their energy rivaled bands twice their size. And for the record, they are fucking hilarious. At one point, Abbath stopped playing and just sat down on the drum riser and waited for people to scream loud enough to get him to start playing again. At another point he says sarcastically to a fan in front row, "Shut the fuck up! We played that one last time, we have new sheeeeeet." said Abbath with a smile on his face. A bra was thrown at him, and it hung on his mic stand. He grabs the bra, puts it up to his chest to see if it fits, wipes his mouth with it, and throws it back into the crowd and keeps playing. For such an Iconic black mettaler, he certainly had a sense of humor. Immortal wrecked the stage for a little over and hour. I heard grumblings of frustration why they didn't play longer, but based on how the crowd reacted, no one went home dissatisfied. Immortal is one of those bands, you just have to respect and adore for what they were, and what they are. No one sounds like Immortal, and no one can compare to the characters the bands possesses. And the Icy winds move on, to the next mountain...
Honoring the gods, or the pagan ancestors, can only be appropriately embraced by passionate music, and last nights sold out show at the House of Blues in Hollywood, with Holy Grail, Eluveitie, and legendary Viking metallers, Amon Amarth, evoked the ancients, and a legion of metal heads in Los Angeles got a taste of myth. Driving up to the venue, we noticed the line all the way down sunset, and we knew we had better hurry and park. An ocean of T-shirts with Thors Hammers, scruffy beards, and a few scattered Viking helmets lined the Sunset strip in front of the House of Blues nervously jittering with anticipation. We finally parked across the street, slammed the rest of a bottle of wine, and jaywalked across Sunset. After much, “sold out show increased security”, We finally got our tickets and the photo pass for Missie Bullets to take pictures for The Gauntlet.com, just in time to hear Holy Grail begin their set.
Holy Grail is clearly a talented power metal band, and it’s refreshing to see a diverse bill. At times I was having trouble telling if Holy Grail was a true power metal out fit, or blatant cock-rock. If it weren’t for all the “sword” talk, it would be difficult to categorize them any other way. There were a few moments when the drummer was completely off, and barely avoided a complete dive bomb, but the guitar work, and the vocalist is clearly what holds Holy Grail together. Brilliant chops, and jumping up and down on top of that; pretty fucking kick ass. But like a good opening band always should do, they kept it short, and warmed the crowd up for some great bands.
The crowd started getting rowdy even before Eluveitie started playing. The sound techs we’re getting applause as they hauled every manner of strange instrumentation on stage. “They’re a folk metal band taking it to a whole other plane” Said Josh Miller, who discovered Eluveitie on a compilation disc entitled “Pagan Fire” a few years ago. ‘”They’re Fantastic. It’s another perspective on the music, and it shows what metal can possess. They have bagpipes, flute, and the hurdy gurdy; it’s completely awesome. It makes the music and the show so enjoyable.” Eluveitie was a horde of a band. It was hard to tell where the band and crowd ended. There we so many people on stage, and bodies were flying around the House of Blues so much, I felt like we were setting sail on a Viking ship being rocked by a pagan metal storm. “I read a sign in here that said “No Moshing Allowed”. Said vocalist Chrigel Glanzmann to the crowd. “What about circle pits?” He chided to screams and a subsequent ocean of bodies swirling in front of the stage. It was such a pleasure to see Eluveitie in a venue where I could actually hear all their instruments. Truth be known, the band is truly a horde of instrumentation. The vocalist hops between mandolin, flute, screaming and singing. Other members swap bagpipes for whistles, and flutes if they’re not singing backing vocals for choruses. Eluveitie is a metal band, this is true, but they know how to play traditional music as good as anything thing I’ve ever heard. The Swiss folk songs are so catchy; I had to clap my hands with everyone else at several points. It’s the kind of music that makes you want to dance on tables, forget your worries, and swig a pint or ten. Watching Eluveitie, I thought for a moment what a trip it was to see a guy playing a mandolin and screaming death growls in a microphone, but in this case, it just works.
Enter Amon Amarth. Something about Amon Amarth evokes magic, but not just the “Lord of the Rings” kind of magic, this magic is real, and it boils in our blood and in our past. “I would like to dedicate this one to our ancestors,” says vocalist Johan Hegg as he dedicates "Varyags of Miklagaard". Amon Amarth sound fucking massive, and tight as ever despite bassist Ted Lundström absent from the crew. “Ted, would love to be here tonight, but yesterday, he just became a father.” Said Johan to the crowd as they roared as if they were all extended family. “Now were going to play a calmer song” he says, as they sludge into “Under a Northern Star”, as the song is warming up, Johan walks to the edge of the stage and grabs a drinking horn and throws it into the crowd.
Amon Amarth didn’t change the formula one bit. One of the most brilliant things about them in their sheer simplicity. What else do you need? Two guitars, and little chorus and delay on the solo parts, and a Viking doing vocals; considered the gods honored. They played every hit song in their catalog, from “Pursuit of Vikings” to “Runes to my Memory”, and if I were to offer one criticism, it would be that they haven’t put anything out since “Twilight of the Thunder God” in 2008. But that didn’t stop Amon Amarth and Eluveitie from selling out the House of Blues on the first night of their U.S. tour. The most magical thing about both of these bands isn’t only the fantastic music they play, but what’s behind that music. There is such a sense of history and legend that people connect with; every one feels connected to the pantheon. The gods and ancestors were honored, but so was Los Angeles.
Dungeon Dungeon
This is it people.
After long consideration and deep introspection, we believe the best way to move forward is to go live. We have had a long standing great relationship with http://www.errorfm.com and it has become clear, for many reasons, this will be the primary venue for the Dungeon Awaits Podcast.
Every Week at 6pm on Error Fm, Channel 1, The Dungeon Awaits Podcast will be going live. We'll be having live guests, a real time chat room and be able to feature new music in a way that we couldn't before.
Error FM has an established reputation and an established listenership, and most importantly, very little Metal played on the station.
We have alot of work to do to change that.
We've been doing alot of work with http://www.thegauntlet.com and it has been a truly amazing journey so far. We have our podcast featured on a premier site, interview international acts, and launched ourselves into the world of Metal in a way we never thought possible, but I admit, in someways, I feel that we have strayed somewhat from what the Dungeon was originally known for, letting the voices of Metal speak for themselves.
We intend on reinvigorating that spirit. The Dungeon Awaits...
Daniel Dungeon
Dungeon Updates: I finally got in touch with Funk, that fucker, over at Error Fm. Our show on Error Fm will go on as usual at 6pm as Monday, and I apologize for the inconvenience, I blame Meatie...
The construction continues on the Dungeon III, and we hope to start working on some of these interviews we just did recently including: AUGURY, MERRIMACK, SEPTIC FLESH, LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH, GPKISM, NILE, and IMMOLATION. The Dungeon Awaits is at the frontlines of extreme music, thanks to Jason at The Gauntlet, and be sure to check out our interviews once they come out, Right here of course.
The February podcast has been launched on The Gauntlet, it features all of the upcoming shows for February. Up next is Epica at the House of Blues on Feb. 18, and Bar Sinister on Feb. 20th. Be sure to join us for both. I'm gonna try and see if I can get some promo tix for some of you out there, so we can get sexy evil.
Blood, Fire, and Death!!!
Daniel Dungeon
Reviewer: Grasshopper
Throughout this unholy trinity of bombastic ceremonies of auditory occult potency, the stage became a sacrificial altar; the musical masters became the officiators of the arcane rituals at hand; and the throngs of horn-fisted acolytes became the vessels into which the infernal, rapturous, and heresy-instigating vibrations flowed. All present were utterly possessed. And, the “DAEMONS” (indwelling spirits, gods, and Higher Selves) being awakened were ONE yet many.
LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH initiated the dark festivities with their perfectly balanced concoction of TRUE Black Metal. Although one may argue about what/who is “true” anymore, and what exactly that means, LSoD supremely defines AND embodies the utter quintessence of BM with a sound that is rooted in tradition, yet innovative in its hypnotic complexity. They exude a stage presence that is commanding and magnetic, and perhaps most importantly, their music has an esoteric sub-layer of genuine occultism and mysticism -- which, as singer Autarch states, is an absolutely necessary component of real BM. In a landscape of substance-less “occult” posturing and clowning “darker than thou” antics, LSoD overpowers ALL contenders and pretenders…effortlessly. This is, without a doubt, a band to keep an eye on.
Septic Flesh once again proved they are at the upper regions of the extreme metal chain of command with their genre-defying, boundary-obliterating brand of orchestrated brutality. While assimilating elements of Death Metal, BM, Doom, and symphonic metal, the whole is most definitely greater than the sum of its parts. They are one of the few bands that has the ability to convincingly translate their multi-layered whirlwind of sound and fury to the LIVE performance. And, together with their lyrical and conceptual exploration of mythology and mysticism, Septic Flesh is undoubtedly one of “THE FEW” -- a rare and evolved breed of metal that truly actualizes the potential of this dark musical art form.
And finally…the unstoppable, unforgiving, and unparalleled force that is Behemoth spread their bloody blackened wings, open their bomb doors, and proceed to utterly pulverize the earth below with a barrage of nearly inhuman proportions. Through their ever-sharpening precision and power, and their complete mastery of the dual arts of creation AND destruction, the crushing wheels of the Behemoth war machine roll relentlessly onward -- fueled by an inexhaustible indwelling source of unflickering and unearthly FIRE. Behemoth has clearly seized the dark flame of infernal knowledge with both hands; for, their immovable inner drive, passion, and ferocity come through in EVERY note, word, and movement of this beastly deity -- especially on stage. They awaken every latent yet infinite aspect of the individual self: our higher minds, our primordial instincts, and…our irrepressible drive to CONQUER…within and without.
clothed brethren, carry with us the pristine chaotic energy, volatile vibrations, and unclouded insight granted us by these three musical entities -- the blackest of treasures which are now our gifts / tools / weapons to keep within. And we may unsheath, re-summon, and re-ignite them whenever we so desire. The concert had a beginning, a middle, and an end. Yet, for the individuals present, the ever-spiraling process of dark illumination and the unveiling of the true nature of the Self, sparked by musical rites such as those enacted by LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH, SEPTIC FLESH, and BEHEMOTH, shall be a perpetual ritual steeped in blood, fire and death…that never ends.
Grasshopper
I just wanted to address several rumors going around, the Dungeon is indeed moving, not closing, and most certainly not shutting down.
Let me be clear: the Dungeon will never stop existing. Long after this incarnation of my body decays and rots into the soil, another being will weild the sword of the Dungeon Master, and continue to destroy mankind's arrogance, with skull crushing heavy metal. It is true, that the Dungeon is temporarily closed for a spell, while goblins carry each stone beneath the newer, and bigger castle. But rest assured, more punishments comes... and the Dungeon Awaits...
In fact, just this weekend, Grasshopper interview Lightening Swords of Death, and Septic Flesh. And next weekend, we will be interviewing Gpkism at the Bootleg Theatre in Los Angeles, January 29th. Within the catacombs of the Dungeon also sits, interviews from Augury, The Amenta, Merrimack, and Suffocation, that have not yet been edited.
We most sincerely apologize for the delay. Whip ya later...
In the Meantime, go to The Guantlet and support your fellow Metal Warriors.
Blood, Fire and Death
Daniel Dungeon