Tyranny - Tides Of Awakening

Out of the greyest of grimmest of the grim Finland. Even though their earlier EP was nearly 45 mins long, this is down as the band's debut full length with 66 minutes of pure aural misery spread across 5 tracks, there is real beauty to behold for the patient listener. Funeral doom is the order of the day, this being one of the ultimate prime examples of it's genre in my opinion. Original pressing on Firedoom Music.

The True Werwolf - Vampyr Strigoi & Rituals

This is the hand-numbered original release from The True Werwolf, a side project of Satanic Warmaster main man, Werwolf (not just any old Werwolf, THE TRUE one, OK?). Limited to 500 copies, this compiled the bands 2 early demos of strange groaning atmospheres and straight up black metal. If you're thinking along the lines of Abruptum, you're not too far off for the first demo, the 2nd has more of what you would perhaps expect from Satanic Warmaster.

Trouble - Trouble / The Skull / Run To The Light

Masters of doomy goodness Trouble here, with the masterful Eric Wagner and co laying down the doomy misery through their 80s period. They went on to have a more psychedelic/stoner vibe as they continued on into the 90s and beyond, but I've always prefered their early days best. Pictured are the first three albums, with all bar the self titled debut CD & DVD reissue on Escapi Music released on Metal Blade, with a compilation of the first two albums in one set.

Tomb Mold - Primordial Malignity

A nice slab of gnarled old school death metal from Blood Music here, the debut album from Tomb Mold 'Primordial Malignity'. As a fairly new band, they certainly hit the ground running and smash all the right notes on their journey into slime filled death. You're certainly going to need to crack a window when playing this one, unless you happen to love the stench of decaying crypts. Killer stuff.

Torture Killer - For Maggots To Devour / Swarm! / Sewers / Phobia

Starting out as a Six Feet Under covers band (with their name taken from a song from SFU's 'Maximum Carnage'), these Finns started out sounding very similar too. However later into their career they found their own path (even with Chris Barnes himself guesting on multiple tracks of their album 'Swarm!'). Out of these four, I actually prefer their most recent album 'Phobia' - it's pretty deadly. Fans of SFU need to check these guys out, and for those who aren't - check out 'Phobia'  & 'Sewers'.

Taake - Striden Hus

Taake's most recent album here (from 2014 - they have been quiet of late) This is one that frankly I'd been slow to pick up (being a tight wad, I was merely waiting for the right price). As always with Taake the music is yet more great Norwegian black metal, with Hoest and co. shrouding things in a foggy cold atmosphere that pervades the darkness. Digipak pressing on Dark Essence.

Tortoise Corpse - World's Got A Problem

Another contender for most dubious band name here with Tortoise Corpse. These Welsh bastards kicked out a rather rocking brand of Motorhead inspired heavy metal on this their debut album from 1991. They went on to release one further album in '96, where their sound had evolved into something much more thrashier (something which they had visited at times on this album, especially on the likes of their re-recorded demo song of 'Psychotaff'), but still revisiting their rocking edge that they had throughout most of this album.

Tsjuder - Antiliv (Box Set)

The most recent (2015) release from Norwegian band Tsjuder here, featuring their evil brand of darkness and demon filled black metal. I remember the love these guys got upon the release of their first few albums, which waned later into their career. I still love 'em, can't beat a bit of orthodox Norwegian BM, and these guys smash it out with glee. This is the limited box version (which is still available), featuring a flag, a patch, a larger booklet and 5 bonus tracks.

Tiamat - The Ark of the Covenant (Box Set)

I found this box set at an awesomely cheap price, so figured it was worth a shot. I'm not the greatest lover of Tiamat, only really knowing of their first albums up to and including 'Wildhoney' (and not being overly impressed with what I'd heard). But, I couldn't turn down the opportunity to pick up so many of their albums to test out in one hit for what worked out as less than £1 each. To be honest, the set isn't that great and the rest of their material really wasn't to my taste either. Although it looks pretty from the outside, each of the 12 albums (and one bonus DVD) comes in a cheap, bare-bones 'promo album' styled card sleeve - no individual booklets at all. It does have a rather fat 74 page booklet separately with great photos etc, but I'd much prefer the individual album ones personally. Featuring material only from their Century Media years (including far too many live albums - 4 in total including the DVD), it does have one exclusive B-sides package 'Panopticon', it also comes with a numbered certificate stating a number out of it's limitation of 3,000 copies. It is what it is.

Toxik - World Circus / Think This

Toxik here with their two albums (so far their only two, but number three is apparently soon to be upon us, an epic quarter of a century after 'Think This'). Absolutely top quality speed/thrash here, with extremely technical riffage with power metal-esque vocal work (both albums featured different vocalists, but they shared similar styles). Not enough? OK, well why not throw in some top notch Ed Repka artwork on top. Well worth picking up in both cases. These are original CD pressings on Roadrunner/Roadracer Records.

Titan Force - Titan Force / Winner/Loser

A great little discovery of a band for me, Titan Force. Basically, this is a project of Harry Conklin (a.k.a Tyrant of Jag Panzer) and for a relatively unknown band, this is pretty damn awesome. Powerful heavy/power metal anthems, with pretty much no cheese and plenty of fizzing riffage and strong compositions. The s/t debut album is on the a.b.s Classics label, and 'Winner/Loser' is the original pressing on Shark Records, a label which housed a cubic fuckton of greatness which most people are sadly barely aware of.

Tribulation - Clown of Thorns

Not the fresh faced bunch of death metal inspired teenagers from Sweden called Tribulation, this is in fact the early crossover/thrash Tribulation from Sweden. Yes, more daft crossover with a crazy and fun tone. Again, not a band that will change your world, but they served their purpose and had quite the following in Sweden back in the day. They only released this one full length album, but did also put out a stack of demos throughout their lifespan and a final 'farewell' EP in 1994. An original pressing on Black Mark Records.

Toranaga - Bastard Ballads / God's Gift

Released in 1988, and 1990 respectively, these are the only two albums released by UK thrashers Toranaga (well, Bastard Ballads is considered an EP by many due to its 6 tracks, but for me it was their debut release as it was nearly 35 minutes in length). They played a nice, trad metal take on thrash (i.e, not full bulldozering like many, and with a good ear for melody). Apparently these guys were named after a character in the novel Shogun, an alias for Tokugawa Leyasu, the first shogun - but there doesn't seem to be much of that side of things in their lyrics. They reformed in the 00's, but no new material has yet to make an appearance as of writing this. Original pressings on Peaceville Records, and Chrysalis Records respectively - the Peaceville debut being one of the very first releases put out by the long running metal label.

Thorns of the Carrion - The Gardens of Dead Winter

Here we have the 1994 debut album from Ohio's Thorns of the Carrion. These guys kicked out some rather tasty doom death with a really morose, funereal nature. The crushing riffage embraces acoustic interludes and violin parts closely to its heaving bosom, bringing to mind the likes of early My Dying Bride, coupled with the crushing nature of diSEMBOWELMENT et al. After this, they released a handful of EPs, and more further full length before calling it quits. This an original CD pressing on Wild Rags.

Troll - Drep de Kristne

Here is the 1996 debut album from Norwegians Troll, 'Drep de Kristne' (or 'Kill the Christians' for English speakers like myself). At this point in the bands career, these 'guys' consisted of pretty much one bloke - Nagash (formally of Dimmu Borgir, and also of The Covenant - who later became The Kovenant after another band shared their name). This features prime black metal, replete with all the hissing bile against Christianity you'd expect, with accompanying keyboards (as has been a trademark of Nagash throughout his career). Don't let the mention of keyboards put you off, as this is far from some floral happy affair as you'll hear if you press play below. This is the original first digipak pressing on Damnation Records (it was later re-issued by Head Not Found with different artwork, but even that press is out of print too). The artwork is by Alex Kurtagic, who also did the art for Dimmu Borgir's Stormblast album, amongst others.

Transgressor - Ether for Scapegoat

Japan's Transgressor here, with their one and only album from 1992. Pretty obscure stuff, very dark with odd harmonies and doomy sections aplenty - there's a lot to enjoy here for sure. It's not up there with the very greats, but then - not many are. It has an unwholesome feel of complete wrongness about it that is oh so very right, and that's good enough for me. An original pressing on the defunct Dutch label Cyber Music.

Thy Serpent - Forest of Witchery

Here is the 1996 debut album from Finnish melodic black metallers Thy Serpent. Really strong material here, featuring former & current members of such luminaries as Beherit & Gloomy Grim. Original first pressing on Spinefarm Records.

Therion - Of Darkness... / Beyond Sanctorum

The first and second albums from Therion, in original pressings on Deaf/Grindcore & Active Records respectively. Both albums with the original (and great) cover art, which was unfortunately changed to lame black covers for the re-issues. This was back when the guys actually played death metal, rather than the strange amalgamation of styles they have today. Unmissable shit.

Thyrfing - Hednaland

This is the demo compilation from these blackened/viking Swedes. Limited to 1,000 copies on Hammerheart Records, and out of print. In my opinion, this now only captures some of the bands most raw material, but also their best.

Tiamat - Sumerian Cry

The debut album from Sweden's infamous Tiamat, as an early original pressing on CD by Metalcore Records (the first press was actually release in a limitation of 1,500 units on C.M.F.T. Productions). Gotta love the original artwork, which was only added back in with recent represses. This should really need no introduction or explanation, so I'll leave it at that.