Tuesday, March 25, 2014

The Return of +3 Broadsword: "thee Monstrous Compendium"

It's been 7 years since I first released +3 Broadsword's "666 Sided Dice" (title suggested by A Demon Sheen of "The Horn" ), a rough-as-guts black metal album with a purely Dungeons&Dragons theme. The idea was obvious: without D&D where would black metal be? So why not have a purely D&D themed black metal band? (Coz BM is about Satan , you tool!)
Anyhoo, as the entries below illustrate, people dug it, which is kinda neat.
Fast forward 7 years, and I've finally finished the follow-up:
thee Monstrous Compendium.

U R scared now

An improved, more epic sound, maybe better song-writing too, seven brutal and epic tales from the realms of fantasy.
Click HERE to stream it while you read the track-by-track breakdown.

1. At the gates of The Temple of Elemental Evil
An atmospheric instrumental opening track that sets the mood of epicness and darkness. It is also a nod to old man Burzum, who used the AD&D image on his debut album cover, thus establishing a clear connection.

BEFORE

AFTER
Heil Dungeon Master Varg Vikernes!

2. thee Monstrous Compendium
A fast and brutal track about the Bestiary/ Tome which contains the descriptions of so many of the monsters, freaks and beasts of the realms of D&D fantasy. A friend of mine had one years ago, we used to love flicking through it. The Beholder Beast was by far my favourite - a floating, snarling eyeball beast!
The song also contains two amazing one-take improv (!) guitar solos by A Demon Sheen, layered on top of each other. 

Here's the book:
Pink eye!

Here's the video for the song:
- for some reason I can't embed it... :-(   

3. Conjuring
THIS is what I believe black metal should sound like. I mean hats off to the founding fathers for creating an amazing musical genre (and quite a philosophy with it, but I'm talking more about the music here), but I always thought Abruptum's idea of dark musical chaos was more on the money. Bordering on the edge of music and things just falling apart. Bands like Gnaw Their Tongues, Furze, The Axis of Perdition (though not strictly a BM band) and some other bands I can't think of off the top of my head get it right. So here's a painting in sound of mad chaos magicians dancing around a fire in the middle of the night.
Run away traveller!

4. (Eye of ) The Beholder
And we're back to the Beholder Beast. The one on the cover of the Compendium. Look at that fucker! All eye and all teeth! Motherfucker!
I love the lack of drums on this song, the almost droning melody, the gritty vocals, and then boom-boom-boom "Look into my eeeeeeye!"

5. Majesty
Another instrumental and it almost doesn't belong here. I mean who thinks of Kings and Queens in the lands of D&D? Its monsters, wizards and warriors, no? Well, yeah, but who runs these giant kingdoms you giant nerd? And how epic ARE these giant kingdoms? Dassright! So here's an instrumental celebration of the majesty of Majesty.
Truth be told the song just did not turn out as epic as I would've liked, but its still a doozy.

6. Roll the Dice
I want this motherfucker of a song to be nailed to the forehead of every motherfucker who buys a D&D manual of any kind. Anyone who ever plays this stupid game should have a copy of this song.
Its fast, its furious, its catchy, its an instruction and a celebration, a battlecry, its a total WIN

7. thee Monstrous Compendium (instrumental version)
A Demon Sheen's amazing guitar solos get an airing here as we revisit the song without me screaming all over it. They were just too good not to be heard good and proper.

8. (hidden track: Thornspawn Chalice by Isengard)
This is an incomplete song, which is why its a hidden track. Its one of my all time fave BM songs by that ultra-genius Cap'n Fenriz.


Worship Him

The original song is just magnificently epic and brutal, and the vocals - fuck me, nothing like it before or since. I donno how drunk Fenriz was when he put those screams down, but they're unprecedented and unsurpassed. Chills!
Well, I wanted to cover it, but realised I had nothing to add and didn't wanna change it in any way, which begs the question - then why bother? BM Karaoke? We already get retards doing that on those TV karaoke shows.
So here's a rough, shitty instrumental take, badly played and unfinished, a doff of the hat, a bow to the Master, nothing more.

Okay, if you didn't click the link before, here it is again, stream or better yet BUY this bad boy.

ALBUM
Check out the video for the title track HERE.
Buy the official T-shirt HERE.

The Monstrous Compendiuuuuuummmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!