Thursday, September 4, 2008

Singing From The Grave

Minotauri was a Finnish band hell bent on the classic, towering doom of such luminaries as St. Vitus, Pagan Altar, Candlemass, and Pentagram, however Minotauri cut their own path and sounded little like their influences. Unfortunately, the band called it quits in 2007 after releasing their second LP. Here I present their first LP from 2004 simply titled Minotauri. Great riffs, typically gloomy comic-book horror lyrics, and the distinct voice of singer/guitarist Ari Honkonen make Minotauri a stand-out release. If the cover and my description don't have you frothing at the mouth with anticipation, I feel I should add that this was released by the ultra-elite cult label Black Widow, a label that only deals in quality darkness.
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34 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2008 at 4:29 AM

    excellent band.i already had their 2nd album (great record) and know thanks to you i found this too.as most finnish bands they add their own personal touch to the genre of doom metal. i am eager to listen to this.

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  2. Micki FosterSeptember 4, 2008 at 6:41 AM

    Awesome cd, really fucking good post man.

    Good to see Zshare is treating you well. I've decided to kick my anti-blog habbits and am bringing it back from the dead. gonna take forever to re-up everything, but gotta start somewhere. If i figure out how to have a friends list or link to friends blogs on this site, i'll make sure to put ya up at the top.

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  3. skullgridSeptember 4, 2008 at 8:58 AM

    haven't even finished the first pass yet and i already fucking love it. not that this is much of shock, given the source... thanks as usual man.

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2008 at 11:18 AM

    Dude yes - this is one of the best things i have gotten in the last 5 years. seriously - this is a great fucking record. "My Way" is so classic.

    john/milwaukee

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  5. AesopSeptember 4, 2008 at 12:04 PM

    John, I have to out you for being in two very great bands yourself, Artimis Pyle and Fuckface. Say hello to Pts for me, and come visit us soon.

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  6. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2008 at 6:54 PM

    singing in the grave just made my 2008 halloween mix...

    thanks.

    -jeff

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  7. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2008 at 8:21 PM

    Thanks Aesop! yea - i am trying to swing a trip out there for the Halloween show. That is going to rule!

    btw I forgot to mention the cover of the Minotauri record. Just look at that shit! amazing.

    john/milwaukee

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  8. AesopSeptember 4, 2008 at 9:23 PM

    Castle? Check.
    Skull? Check.
    Boobies? Check.

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  9. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2008 at 4:08 AM

    AWESOME.

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  10. brandiSeptember 5, 2008 at 9:00 AM

    I have terrible vocalist issues and this guy is no different. Musically, I am really loving this, but I sometimes want to kick the vocalist in the nuts, though that would probably defeat the purpose and make him sound even more annoying. I am *trying* to get past it, though, because I really do like this one a lot and I have been known to get over my initial OMGDESPISE vocalist problems. And yes the cover art. YES.

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  11. AesopSeptember 5, 2008 at 9:03 AM

    Ahhh, the vocalist sort of ices the cake for me. He's not a "god" singer but he sounds sincere enough and I can't imagine anything else going over the top of this. BTW, he's the same guy from the amazing Heathen Hoof. Aren't you a fan of that band? I thought I remembered you singing their praise once.

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  12. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2008 at 10:52 AM

    Devil Woman kicks ass!

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  13. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2008 at 11:26 AM

    Yea - the vocals are what drive it home for me. i love those vocals - that and the guitar tone. his lead tone is awesome. i guess dude is in Morningstar too. Has anyone heard them? i should check it out.

    john/milwaukee

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  14. AesopSeptember 5, 2008 at 11:28 AM

    I have never heard Morningstar.

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  15. Jake Thee PopeSeptember 5, 2008 at 1:10 PM

    Morningstar RULES!! So much better than Minotauri!! I can't stand these kinda bands-- it's like they string a buncha riffs together with very little cohesion in their vision of what makes a song work; I mean, c'mon guys... Sabbath were about a lot more than riffs, there was a flow to their (finest) work(s). And that's coming from a guy who insisted on having Candlemass' "Solitude" played at his wedding (explains why I'm divorced now, mebbe?).

    Not trying to be a prick or nothin', man-- simply certain things happening in metal these daze that piss me the fuck off to the point of obsessiveness. Anyway, here's Morningstar's "Heretic Metal" LP-- kinda like Hellhammer raping Cirith Ungol...

    http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6R3LH66G

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  16. AesopSeptember 5, 2008 at 2:04 PM

    No worries, Jake, to each his own. I definitely take issue with bands that just string riffs together, I just don't see Minotauri as being even that ambitious. I don't think it's Minotauri's intent to be groundbreaking or clever, just doom rock, boneheaded and pure. Thanks for the link, eager to check out Morningstar for sure.

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  17. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2008 at 8:17 PM

    Where does Solitude Aeturnus's " Beyond the Crimson Horizon" rank with you folk?

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  18. AesopSeptember 5, 2008 at 8:22 PM

    As much as I wanted to love Solitude Aeturnus I can't get into their stuff, kind of like a poor man's Candlemass to my ears. Maybe now that I'm older I should give them a second shot.

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  19. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2008 at 8:30 PM

    please do. "Beyond" kills IMO. listening right now. Makes Confessor cry for their mommy good. Hope Shelton doesn't read this.

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  20. brandiSeptember 6, 2008 at 12:14 AM

    I do love the Heathen Hoof, it's true. So, clearly I *am* able to get past the things that I don't like about his vocals. It's always like this with doom, especially. I start listening and getting into it... then there's this moment of... uh oh... vocals are coming... they should be here soon... uh oh uh oh... and then I fear the CRINGE.

    I'm downloading this Morningstar thing now, too. Thanks, Jake.

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  21. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2008 at 1:59 AM

    thanks for making this available. I ve read about them for years but havent heard them yet.

    Regards
    Mike
    Australia

    ps - downloading from free internet at a motel while working away from home!

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  22. Fritzl RamirezSeptember 6, 2008 at 5:49 AM

    This is amazeing and the cover is the iceing on the doom cake, i only ever heard the split they did with Reverend Bizarre before. Incredible and entertaining blog. Thanks

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  23. Dave GSeptember 8, 2008 at 7:50 PM

    I really like this,but I feel like I shouldn't.

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  24. AnonymousSeptember 9, 2008 at 5:03 PM

    This is a classic case if I hate something the first time I hear it I end up loving it. Many thanks as always for one of the best blogs out there.

    -jabladav

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  25. AnonymousSeptember 10, 2008 at 7:16 PM

    jake thee pope!
    cannot stop listening to that morningstar album!
    thank you so much

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  26. AnonymousSeptember 12, 2008 at 12:59 AM

    well finish doom is certaintly a quality label in itself , isn´t it ? as for solitude aeturnus i would reommend their latest album "alone" - as always hugest thanks , harry lime

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  27. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2008 at 4:27 AM

    Your blog is very good. I'm looking forward to hear this alot! And, yes, the artwork! Does this exist on vinyl I wonder...

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  28. AesopSeptember 29, 2008 at 9:23 AM

    Dag, indeed this is out on vinyl. Thanks for stopping by.

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  29. AnonymousOctober 9, 2008 at 12:40 PM

    Arghh, just came around to listen to this. Great stuff combined with finnish schnapps Mintu. Cheers!

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  30. UnknownNovember 16, 2008 at 7:04 PM

    for some reason the download isn't working now. it keeps redirecting back to itself, if that makes sense.

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  31. AesopNovember 16, 2008 at 7:21 PM

    I'll fix the link.

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  32. idoFebruary 21, 2009 at 2:53 PM

    Thanks for fixing the link to this. That album cover is impossible to resist. Digging the music, too.

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  33. DanielDecember 8, 2009 at 8:17 PM

    Ya' listening to this as I type and diggin' it. I could see how some wouldn't like the vocals...give it a coupla listens. Ha,ha when he says grrrraaaave it cracks me up,in a good way. Was supposed to work Dying Fetus tonight,got cut,feeling under the weather,so now I'm nerding out on Cosmic Hearse. Thanks.

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  34. Wolfman ZacDecember 30, 2009 at 11:19 AM

    I had my itunes on shuffle and the song "Pain of Life" came on and I was like "Who the hell is this?" I downloaded this from here last year but never got around to listening to it (haha). Thanks Aesop

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