Hello there, folks! In case you can’t read a calendar (or you just woke up from a coma or something), it’s Monday again. So that means back to work, or school, or whatever the hell you do all day. Generally this isn’t really a good thing. But, once you see what I have to share with you, maybe you won’t mind as much…

See, I didn’t really get around to doing a lot of writing over the past week, besides a couple updates about shows happening in the Pittsburgh area over the weekend — if you hadn’t noticed, my last article before those was on Tuesday, when the Doommantia Vol. 1 benefit compilation for Ed Barnard was released.

Since then, I’ve bought myself a copy and downloaded it, and believe me it’s well worth at least the minimum purchase price — which, once again, goes towards helping out a friend in need. If you missed the news last week (or if you saw it and said you’d come back to it later and then forgot about it) you can check iit out here.

Anyway, I was saying I hadn’t really written much since then. That’s mostly due to the fact that things were so busy at work last week. But don’t worry, I spent tons of time listening to music and finding some good quality stuff to pass along to you!

Besides the Doommantia compilation, I’ve run across several more good ones recently, many of which can be downloaded for FREE, and I’d like to tell you about those today!

 

 

 
Next Saturday (the 3rd of November) Blacktooth Entertainment will be presenting the fourth installment of the Thrash Fuck Thrash Bash in Toronto. Anyone who might be interested in attending can find the full details about that event right here.

If you wanted a little preview of what to expect from the show — or for those of us who don’t live in or near Ontario — the Blacktooth folks have been considerate enough to offer a collection of free songs by all the bands scheduled to perform (Fatality, Aggressor, Mastery, Lethal Voltage, Eternal Judgement)!

The compilation includes the title track from Fatality’s 2011 demo T.F.E.S. (which I discussed a few months ago) as well as a second song from their previous album.

 

 
Likewise, you get the opportunity to check out a pair of tracks from each of the other bands as well, all of which display a pretty strong influence from the “Big 4” as well as many of the other big names in classic, old-school thrash — which of course is never a bad thing!

 
Grab your Thrash Fuck Thrash Bash 4 sampler here:

 
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Coincidentally, the second free compilation I’m throwing your way today is another sampler of bands performing at an upcoming show in Canada. I found out about this one via Ottawa’s Mortör, who announced they will be performing at Hammer Smashed Radio‘s Moshpit Warfare taking place in their hometown on the 17th of November. See more details on this event here.

Mortör just self-released their second full-length album Shoot ‘Em Up in September, and they’ve already offered up the album’s first single “Under the Flag” for free download (grab it here)…

 

 
…but as it turns out, Hammer Smashed Radio is giving you the chance to get a second song from Shoot ‘Em Up (“Eat Lead”) for free as part of their new Moshpit Warfare collection — which also includes a song from each of the other bands playing next month’s show: Immersed, Wretchedpain, …From the Deep, and Accursed Creation. All five bands seem to straddle the line between thrash and death metal — some lean a bit more in one direction or the other, but they’re all worth checking out, whether you’re able to get to Ottawa to see them in a few weeks or not!

 
Grab your free five-track download here:

 
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Longtime readers may recall that earlier this year I told you about a huge compilation (A Gallery of Rogues) of all sorts of great music that was being given away for free by ThrashHead Magazine. Well, if you didn’t see it, that one is still available too. But, I’ve learned that ThrashHead has just put out a second volume that’s even bigger: altogether it’s 45 tracks by 45 different bands!

I was only familiar with a handful of those bands (Dopethrone, Stoneburner, Iron Reagan, Ghoul, Fellwoods, Hammer Fight, War//Plague) prior to listening to the compilation, but there were some definite standouts that really caught my ear — the eerily Rainbow-esque 10 Kingdoms, for example, as well as the epic, classic heavy metal of MaelstroM, Polish thrashers ThermiT, and, well, I suppose I ought to just give you the entire line-up: Heretic, Vacant Throne, Spellcaster, In Defence, RAD, Exmortus, Parasytic, Hessian, Infex, A.S.D., Whaler, Disease Called Human, Razormaze, Insanity Alert, Striking Justice, Kraptor, Night Nurse, Ice Dragon, Seas will Rise, Hard Charger, Axeslasher, Mechanix, Beast, Infinite Translation, Ennui Trust, Thrashtanica, Flesh Engine, Mutant Supremacy, Kingshead, Bio-Cancer, A Hanging, Crude Studs, Dripfed, Sheeple, and Besieged.

Despite what the name of the magazine might lead you to believe, there’s actually quite a variety of genres represented here: thrash, NWOBHM, occult rock, proto-metal, crossover, traditional metal, speed metal, punk rock, blackened stoner-sludge, stoner-psychedelic, groove metal, classical metal, and a bit of crust/grind. So clearly, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding plenty to like here!

 
Grab A Gallery of Rogues Two: A Witching Hour’s Test of the First Amendment here: