Beast Of Attilla Csihar, The

Attila Csihar may possess one of the most disturbing and vile voices ever put to tape, the Hungarian vocalist clawing his way into notoriety by contributing his ghostly, tortured groan over the top of Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. While Csihar left his most memorable razor-ribbon scars with said black metal masterpiece, truth be told, the guy was busy both before and after his pseudo-legendary contributions to Mayhem -- thus explaining The Beast of Attila Csihar, which offers a buffet-style sampling of his numerous underground projects. Marking the collection as a historical document (in the most liberal sense of the phrase) are a couple of itchy and scratchy Mayhem outtakes, culled from a lo-fi practice tape, which chillingly reflect the frigid, rat-infested dungeon vibe of the scariest black metal band ever. Also notable are a pair of fun, trashy late-'80s thrash blitzkriegs from Tormentor, who bring to mind the works of Kreator, Destruction, and Celtic Frost, and three tracks from Plasma Pool, Csihar's almost comically inept early-'90s techno-industrial act. His work in the 2000s is represented with two slabs of experimental black metal via Aborym (including an unreleased remix of "Here Is No God"); a clattery jam with defunct Norwegian act Limbonic Art; a quick collaboration with grind-spattered black metallers Anaal Nathrakh; and an entertaining track from Korog, the curiously titled "Worshipping of Current," boasting a Marilyn Manson-like riffy groove and Csihar's wackiest and most inspired post-Mayhem vocal, which resembles a pig rooting through a trough full of croaking bullfrogs. Or something. Also notable is a 24-minute, MP3-only bonus track with Sunn 0))), which explores transcendent (or dull, depending on your intake of illegal substances) ambient noise and Csihar's ghoulish grumble. In other words, this thoroughly crusty compendium is chock-full of deranged obscurities, the vocalist's work rooted so far underground that you can almost feel the filth. However, there's something compelling about his vocal style, Csihar ditching the affected death/black metal growls for nasal retching and throaty gurgles -- and yes, that's splitting hairs for those whose combat boots aren't firmly entrenched in the metal underground, but for such aficionados, it makes The Beast of Attila Csihar worth digging up. ~ John Serba|