Inquisition - Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm (2010)

Inquisition - Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm (2010) review by Pritham Denzil D'Souza "MetalFarmer"

Band Members

• Dagon - Vocals, Guitars, etc
• Incubus - Drums

Track Listing

1. Astral Path to Supreme Majesties
2. Command of the Dark Crown
3. Desolate Funeral Chant
4. Cosmic Invocation Rites
5. Conjuration
6. Upon the Fire Winged Demon
7. Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm
8. Crepuscular Battle Hymn
9. Hymn for a Dead Star
10. Across the Abyss Ancient Horns Gray

The mighty Inquisition's latest album titled Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm was released in 2010 a few weeks in fact before i write this, then why, u must be wondering, is it mentioned in the same list of classic albums and bands that boasts stalwarts like Maiden, Priest and Metallica? 2 reasons. One, Inquisition are black metal stalwarts in their own right and have a massive underground cult worshiping ever since their creation in 1988!

Two, this is a classic! a true gem that centuries from now will still have the necessary elements to send a shiver down your spine!

The album starts with the thundering drums of Incubus, smashing the kit as if your life depended on it and the unique frog like vocals of master Dagon soon follows. The vocals are unique coz for the first time true evil black metal is expressed not by screaming or growling, but by slow and deep 'whispers'. Listen to any track on the album and u will realize, music can really sound evil with that hellish Dagon whisper.

The best part in "Astral" starts midway, when u are bamboozled by the superb guitar melodies that makes you wonder in amazement if u got the CD right. and just when u start to enjoy the catchy harmonies, its back to blistering , unrelenting Black Metal.

"Desolate Funeral March" is 100 percent true to its name. the music is so slow and the distorted guitars create a mind numbing picture of a figure , walking like a zombie. at over 7 minutes long, its also the longest track on the record and the creepiest with Dagons grunts and grim guitars.

"Conjuration" is a well deserved 2 handed middle finger gesture to all those critics of black metal who call the music weak and predictable. just at 56 seconds, its perhaps the shortest song composed in black metal, with the excellent electric acoustic guitar passage that acts as a prelude (calm before the storm) to the crushing "Upon The Fire Winged Demon"

"Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm" is another grim black metal masterpiece followed by my fav track on the album "Crepuscular Battle Hymn".

Every track here is excellent and i really dont see any weak moments in the album. it has a lot of variety and musical variation to make it enjoyable even after several repeated listens, something that is so difficult to achieve on a black metal record. The evil frog vocals are really evil, while Incubus is a mad hatter drummer , whose limbs must be donated to medical science as a case study. Extreme, technically sound and tight!

Production wise, the album scores over its predecessors and this is probably a good thing coz good music needs the backing of good sound engineering. it still sounds hellish without the unnecessary over-the-top quality sell out production, so called evil demonic black metal bands of today claim to be.

"This album could even freak out Satan!" and is well on its way to becoming a classic! oops , my bad... its already is a classic!

My Rating

10/10

Listen to Astral Path to Supreme Majesties here

Psychotic Waltz - Mosquito (1994)

Psychotic Waltz - Mosquito (1994) album review by Pritham 'MetalFarmer' D'Souza


Line Up

• Buddy Lackey
• Brian McAlpin
• Dan Rock
• Phill Cuttino
• Norm Leggio

Track Listing

1. Mosquito
2. Lovestone Blind
3. Haze One
4. Shattered Sky
5. Cold
6. All The Voices
7. Dancing In The Ashes
8. Only Time
9. Locked Down
10. Mindsong
11. Darkness (hidden track)

The first time i heard of Psychotic Waltz was sometime in early 2005 when i came across a band by the name Dead Soul Tribe. Since being a guitarist myself, i was listening to various prog metal albums and bands and spending countless hours sitting with my guitar and trying to figure out some awesome guitar licks. When i heard Dead Soul Tribe, i was wondering how could this band fit in the Progressive Metal category. coz the music was mid paced to slow, (compared to other show off prog bands), very melodic and the most unique feature of the band was the mesmerizing vocals of one Devon Graves. Progressive or not, i became an instant fan and decided to find more about the band.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of 'Mosquito' from a prog metal fan who told me to " just check them out".

Mosquito is the third studio album of Psychotic Waltz released in 1994, while the band decided to call it quits in 1998 after releasing one more album called "Bleeding" followed by a live album.

For the die hard fans of the band, "Mosquito" remains the weakest album they ever released but for fans of great music, this is a treasure worth its weight in gold.

Although the bands signature complex riffing and technical style guitar playing was not present here in the album, what i loved about it was the 'chilled out' , 'relaxed' feel and the ease of listening without pulling out your hair trying to figure out the solos or time signatures.

Dont get me wrong, the album is still a proper prog metal classic but without the technical wanking.

"Mosquito" starts with a narration of a judge passing an order to a marijuana addict. and is easily the catchiest track on the album. "Haze One" has an amazing psychedelic feel to it while "Lovestone Blind" is another groovy mid paced monster.

"Shattered Sky" truly stands out with its blend of alternative and prog styles and mid paced groove.

The last track "Mindsong" is over 10 minutes long, coz there is a hidden track "Darkness" which starts after a 2 minute silence.

Devon Graves is one of the greatest vocalists ever and this album proves just that.

I thoroughly enjoyed every track in the album and i must add that those who have heard the first 2 albums might not really like this coz the music is a toned down , filtered version of what they used to be. some might label them as sell outs, but i am sure that most of you out there have not even heard of Psychotic Waltz and its a shame coz they should have got all the credit they deserved.

This album is extremely rare to find and the sites that do have them are making a killing with the prices. An excellent album to listen to on a cold rainy day, with just your coffee mug (or shot of whiskey) in hand and with some good time to spare. You wont be disappointed. 16 years later this album is still as strong as it sounded back in 1994.

My Rating

9/10

Listen to the "Shattered Sky" here

Strapping Young Lad - City (1997)

Strapping Young Lad - City (1997) album review by MetalFarmer Pritham D'Souza

Track Listing:	Lineup:
Velvet Kevorkian All hail the new flesh Oh my fucking god Detox Home nucleonics AAA Underneath the waves Room 429 Spirituality	Devin Townsend Jed Simon Byron Stroud Gene Hoglan

Gene Hoglan was the reason i first picked up this album, coz i loved his drum work in Death and was expecting something close to what he achieved there. When i heard the first track, Velvet Kevorkian i seriously didnt know what to expect. It had a very industrial sound to it and a guy with really good vocal chords shouting his guts out. when the second track All hail the new flash blasted from my speakers, i seriously was left wondering what hit me! it was the heaviest wall of noise i had ever heard. the drumming was insanely fast and the riffs were jabbing at the bone. and a powerful voice, over shadowing all the music.

Devin Townsend is the craziest guy in metal. and i am not joking. a multi instrumentalist, vocalist, song writer , composer, and funny guy all rolled in one. All his other projects however great they are, still cannot come up to the level, he achieved musically in this album.
SYL has redefined words like rage, aggression and power. This is like 'Reign in Blood' of the 90's, only a lot faster!

Detox, All Hail The New Flash, Underneath The Waves and Oh My Fucking God are some of the most heaviest songs ever written. Off course this is not Death Metal, neither is it Thrash. With City, SYL has probably created another sub genre in metal, coz honestly i cant put my finger on it! (is he really vomiting at the end of Oh My Fucking God! or is he really getting possessed!! i will never know)

and when u get used to the chaos, Room 429 surprises you with its twisted slow pace , melodic catchy chorus and menaching guitar work.

A true masterpiece and an absolute must have Metal Classic!!! Guaranteed entry in the Top 20 Extreme Metal Albums Of All Time.
Am surprised, the album didnt come with a warning "clearly not for the faint hearted"

My Rating
10/10

Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique by MetalFarmer Pritham D'Souza

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) is one of the most widely consumed vegetable crops grown in Dakshina kannada district. its also called Thure (Tulu), Bobley (Konkani) and Soorae kai (Kannada). It has several uses from preparing different kinds of sweets, hail oil (from seeds), hard shells used as floats in fishing nets and also in making some musical instruments.

The hybrid varieties can yield up to 8 to 10 tonnes per acre and is a commercially viable croo

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

LAND PREPARATION

• the land selected here is a hillock and pits are made at the base of the hillock as shown
• a bucket of fresh decomposed farm yard manure is added to each pit and soil mixed well
• stones, twigs, inert matter etc are removed
  
• 3 or more seeds are then sowed in each pit
• after germination, once the seedlings reach 4 leaf stage, thinning out is done and only 2 seedlings per pit allowed

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

IRRIGATION AND MANURING

• since they are grown in pits, wastage of water is prevented
• light irrigation is a must after seeds are sowed and till transpanting
• dried leaves act as an excellent mulch and prevent loss of water due to evaporation
• its always recommended to give the crop nutrients in split doses.
• on the 20th day after germination, when the growing vines begin to develop, farm yard manure, decomposed, can be added to each pit @ 5kg per pit (minimum requirement)
  
• the fully grown plant requires a lot of water and so mulching is required

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

FLOWERING AND HARVEST

• bottle gourds are ready to harvest after 50 days from first day of sowing
• the edible fruits are the ones whose skin color facing the sun is green
• harvesting must be done using a knife.

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

SOME IMPORTANT TIPS AND POINTS WHEN GROWING BOTTLE GOURDS

• when manuring with fresh decomposed manure, care should be taken to see that the manure is added to the root zone area only and not on top of the plant as it might damage the leaves
• weeding is very important and tall growing weeds above the growing vines should be oulled out
• application of too much Nitrogen will result in excessive biomass and subsequently less yields
• application of too much Nitrogen will also produce more male flowers which is not desired
• deficiency of K (potassium) in soils reduces plant growth significantly and causes flower and fruit drop
• soil temperature is very essential and germination of seeds wont take place if soil temp is less than 10 degrees centigrade
• excess temperature over 40 degrees centigrade can cause scorching of leaves

Note: the pale green color on one side of the fruit is because that part did not receive sunlight and it is nothing to worry about, the taste and quality is not compromised.

From Bottle Gourd Cultivation in Pits, Summer Technique

all photos and data by Pritham 'MetalFarmer' D'Souza

Intercropping Under Trellis with Amaranthus

Intercropping Under Trellis with Amaranthus by Pritham 'MetalFarmer' D'Souza

here i would like to discuss how one can successfully grow amaranthus leafy vegetable under a trellis (dompa) . Here the main crop is coccinia (Manoli , Tendli) which requires a large trellis to grow on. and since the crop requires a lot of vine trimming and pruning to facilitate more vine growth, the space under the trellis is exposed to a lot of sunlight and if not properly maintained encourages the growth of unwanted weeds.

From Intercropping Under Trellis with Amaranthus

From Intercropping Under Trellis with Amaranthus

• the above pic shows a typical un maintained piece of plot where coccinia is grown on a trellis

From Intercropping Under Trellis with Amaranthus

From Intercropping Under Trellis with Amaranthus

From Intercropping Under Trellis with Amaranthus

• the weeds have to be removed manually using the necessary agri tools and the soil turned and loosened as shown above
• circular pits or platforms are made as shown above and this is ideal for sowing seeds of amaranthus

From Intercropping Under Trellis with Amaranthus

• Amaranthus is a very short crop and can be harvested in just 21 days from first day of sowing
• notice the photos below, the land once wasted with unwanted weeds is now growing a commercially viable crop

From Intercropping Under Trellis with Amaranthus

From Intercropping Under Trellis with Amaranthus

From Intercropping Under Trellis with Amaranthus

From Intercropping Under Trellis with Amaranthus

SOME IMPORTANT PRECAUTIONS

From Intercropping Under Trellis with Amaranthus

• since most of the area now recovered is used for growing amaranthus, care must be taken to see the crop is not damaged due to negligence
• heavy irrigation using a hose pipe will do more harm than good as it will displace the seeds
  
• care should be taken to see the pipe is not dragged on the crop itself as shown in the photo
• this method is used when the main crop, coccinia is trimmed as amaranthus needs a lot of sunlight
• this method is not that successful when the coccinia vines are fully grown and provide a lot of shade, so the best time to reap benefits will be for at least 45 days
• weeds will also grow with the amaranthus crop and it must be ignored as amaranthus is harvested in 21 days. after that while preparing the land for re sowing, the weeds can be taken care of.

all images and data by Pritham D'Souza aka MetalFarmer

Interculture Operations in Chilli

Interculture Operations in Chilli by Pritham 'MetalFarmer' D'Souza

I have covered Chilli (Capsicum annuum) in my previous posts and here i would like to show you how to perform simple inter culture operations like manuring and weeding in the Chilli plot.

From Interculture Operations in Chilli

From Interculture Operations in Chilli

WEEDING

• The single most important threat to a successful chilli garden
• since this post shows chilli grown in the monsoon season, weeds can be seen more regularly
• i do not suggest chemical methods of controlling, as the residue will leave a toxic effect on the standing crops.
• manual weeding is the best method to control this and the best time for weeding is during manure application

From Interculture Operations in Chilli

• the weeds growing on the bunds or raised platforms must be removed as shown in the pic above

From Interculture Operations in Chilli

• then the bunds are broken and the soil is made loose. this is done for aeration and also to increase the porosity of the soils

FERTILIZER AND MANURE APPLICATIONS

• freshly decomposed farm yard manure is mixed with neem cake and applied to the soil as shown in the pic below

From Interculture Operations in Chilli

From Interculture Operations in Chilli

From Interculture Operations in Chilli

• after completing the manure application, the soil is once again covered and this gives strength and support to the plant

From Interculture Operations in Chilli

• spraying the crop with plant hormones can be done to increase the number of female flowers.
  
• since there are several plant hormones in the market i suggest you carefully select the best one. i use BIOVITA which is an organically prepared solution comprising of seed weed algae fortified with trace minerals and plant growth regulators, sprayed @ 2 ml per litre of water

all images and data by Pritham D'Souza aka MetalFarmer

Technique of Growing Indian Spinach on the ground

Technique of Growing Indian Spinach on the ground by Pritham Denzil D'Souza aka MetalFarmer

Traditionally Indian Spinach also known as Basale soppu in tulu and Valchhi bajji in konkani is grown on a trellis. While respecting our traditional farming practices, we also must learn to innovate and improvise, and if works out, share data for free that will benefit farmers all over. Growing Spinach on the ground was done merely as a challenge to growing them using support or a trellis.

From Growing Indian Spinach on the ground at Padval Farms, Mangalore, India

STEP BY STEP PICTORIAL GUIDE TO GROWING SPINACH ON THE GROUND

From Growing Indian Spinach on the ground at Padval Farms, Mangalore, India

• as you can notice in the pic above, a trench with a minimum width of 1 meter and max length is made
• weeds, stones and other unwanted materials are removed
• 1 load of freshly decomposed farm yard manure is added and the soil is mixed well

From Growing Indian Spinach on the ground at Padval Farms, Mangalore, India

• bunds are made to the entire row length as seen above
• the bunds act as make shift pits where the spinach stick will be transplanted

From Growing Indian Spinach on the ground at Padval Farms, Mangalore, India

From Growing Indian Spinach on the ground at Padval Farms, Mangalore, India

From Growing Indian Spinach on the ground at Padval Farms, Mangalore, India

• from the older spinach plant, long and healthy spinach vines are selected for transplanting as seen above
• the long spinach vines are then cut in half to get 2 spinach sticks of approx equal length
  

From Growing Indian Spinach on the ground at Padval Farms, Mangalore, India

From Growing Indian Spinach on the ground at Padval Farms, Mangalore, India

• from the base of the spinach stick, all the leaves are plucked out leaving only a few leaves at the top
• this is also done for polarity
  

From Growing Indian Spinach on the ground at Padval Farms, Mangalore, India

From Growing Indian Spinach on the ground at Padval Farms, Mangalore, India

• 2 pairs of spinach sticks are then transplanted in every bund pit as shows and covered with soil. so every bund pit will have 4 transplanted sticks

From Growing Indian Spinach on the ground at Padval Farms, Mangalore, India

• in around 50 days, the vines grow luxuriently and a number of lateral shoots also emerge and the spinach is now ready to harvest

From Growing Indian Spinach on the ground at Padval Farms, Mangalore, India

• here harvesting is done cutting off the long spinach vines and tying around 10 sticks to make a bundle.
• more number of cuttings, will produce more number of lateral shoots.

From Growing Indian Spinach on the ground at Padval Farms, Mangalore, India

• daily irrigation is a must as the spinach sticks need all the moisture they can get
• covering the transplanted spinach sticks with coconut palms and banana leaves is also done to prevent excess damage due to high temp.
• banana leaves, arecanut palms and coconut palms are also placed on the ground to prevent the growing spinach vines in coming to contact with the soil
  
• manuring is done again after 30 days from first transplanting
• only decomposed farm yard manure is suitable as fresh un decomposed manure will destroy the developing roots and kill the vines

all images and data by Pritham Denzil D'Souza 'Metalfarmer'