Simply the Best

and a continual source of inspiration!

Big Boss - Belial's Wind

Big Boss's sophomore solo, more batshit craziness...were he and Roky Erickson separated at birth?? Or maybe alien abductee bros?

Belial's Wind

Big Boss - Q7

The untenable Big Boss, Jiri Valter, delivers what may be the strangest solo album from a metal frontman in recorded history. Q7 is Die Verwandlung under the Big Top. Unstoppable madness on par (or over par) with Slagry. You will love it kids.

Q7

Cales - Bonds of Togetherness

Cales first album...an absolutely magickal journey through mythical landscapes, lush guitars and unforgettable atmospheres. The blood of Hammerheart runs thick through Blackie's soul.

Bonds of Togetherness

Root - Heritage Of Satan

This is hot off the presses, and is a huge huge deal. If you have read any of my other Root posts you know that they are my favorite band of all time, and any time they release a new album it's time to put all other albums aside and concentrate on Root for a good long while...so I take a little break from my Germanic posts to share the Czech legend's 9th full-length...haven't even listened to it all the way through yet, but rest assured this will be Top 10 material no doubt. Hopefully will be able to go see them at Rites Of Darkness Fest in San Antonio this Dec...still trying to finagle that one out, but so excited that they are playing on U.S. soil!! Big Boss owns ye!!!

Heritage Of Satan

Root - The Temple In The Underworld

I can think of no better album to cap off Czech Madness Month than Root's magnificent 3rd full-length from '92. This is where the band really started branching out of black metal into more classical metal territory. Big Boss crooned as never before...Blackosh slowed things down, sometimes into doom (I don't think a song like Aposiopesis happens without the influence of a band like Citron)...and perhaps most significant was the addition of a crackerjack young drummer name of Rene "Evil" Kostelnak, the drummer from Blackosh's incredibly powerful death/black/atmospheric side project Crux. Evil added such creativity to this squad of visionaries that he just pushed them over the edge into sublime waters. This may not be as complete an album as The Book or Black Seal...but the band were perfecting their craft by that point...here they are still young and hungry, biting at the chain. Hell, Big Boss still had hair!!
P.S. I've included the bonus song Prohibition in this link...one of the most kick-ass Root songs ever!!

The Temple In The Underworld

Death Sentence - Awaiting The Cinnamon Dawn

Death Sentence was Ashok's main band before he joined up with Root, and it displays his fine guitar skills with all the inherent Malmsteenisms that he so stupendously flaunts nowadays. Awaiting... is some seriously classy heavy death-ish metal with tons of good atmosphere and good vibrations. Quite honestly, this shits all over similar bands such as Opeth...just going to show it often matters more what land you call home or whose cock you do suck; more so than the quality of the music. FYI, I await the Cinnamon Dawn every night. I put some of that shit in my morning oatmeal...it's delicious.

Cinnabon 

Root - Black Seal

This is a highlight in Root's discography. Never before had they been this dark and technical in their approach.  A superb mixture of hellish atmosphere and progressive thrash (actually quite a few of the riffs remind me of Hell Awaits). No one can beat those wide open slightly atonal Blackosh guitars...the man is a master, how he can turn those Voivodian chords into a baroque, gothic nightmare is beyond words, and beyond me! Big Boss goes off (as usual), and special mention has to be made of Evil's drumming. I can't say enough good thing's...he's just in the pocket and oh so creative (especially during Theriak, holy shit!!) A wonderful album that reveals itself to be a true masterpiece after repeated listens.

Black Seal

Amon Goeth - Call the Master

Dr. Fe is the former vocalist of Root during their dema daze, before Big Boss got tired of sitting behind that  drumkit! On Call the Master the good doctor and his krew get loud and filthy. Motorhead meets early Root meets early Celtic Frost, or something like that. Rude and crude and mandatory.

Call the Master

Entrails - Serpent Seed

Blackosh and Igor of legendary Root band teamed up with short-armed drummer Marthus (who later went on to play with Cradle of Shit among other bands) to record a totally ripping dripping black metal album chock full to the brim with some o the most awesome riffs you’ll ever hear. Where does Blackosh come up with with all these choice riffs? B’neath that elusive Bodhi tree that’s where.

Serpent Seed

Root - Kärgeräs

What can I say about Kärgeräs. My favorite album of all time? Top 3 at least…I’m taking this one to the desert island with me that’s for damn sure (Nothingface and Fish Rising would be the other two I suppose). Unbeatable atmosphere, emotion, chops, and imagination. The absolute pinnacle of what metal can be, even when it’s hardly metal at all.

Sweet Nation Kärgeräs

Root - Live In Brno '93

Morbid ritual of Root band ano 1993. Vid not from this concert, but give's good insight into early Root in concert, back when Big Boss was still rockin' the Jerry Garcia look.

Live In Brno

Solfernus - Hysteria In Coma

An offshoot of Root...so you know it's gotta be good!
This is Igor's band and it really is good guys.  Hysteria In Coma is some blasting and quirky black metal that really sounds like what Root might sound like today if they would've kept on with the sound they had on Hell Symphony...only more brutal.  So go ahead, give Igor some love, you know he needs it if he's resorted to raping his guitar!

Hysteria In Coma

Big Boss - Doomy Ballads

Doomy indeed, though filtered through a Dream Theatre's sense of technicality.  If Dream Theatre got rid of James LaBrie and brought in Big Boss to sing then they would really have something!  Somewhat reminiscent of the last Equirhodont album and worlds away from his last solo disc, Big Ba shows that he's not one to rest on his laurels.

Doomy Ballads

Cales - Uncommon Excursion

Blackosh from Root progs out with a bunch of his friends!  Short catchy songs with polarizing vocals.

Uncommon Excursion