Wonderbox Metal gets sent a lot of new music, (which is great), but there’s no way that everything can get covered unfortunately, (which is not so great). This column hopes to redress this balance, if only slightly, by taking a look at a handful of releases that a record label has recently sent out that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks.
Inferna Profundus Records is a black metal label from Lithuania. I’m unfamiliar with the label’s work, but as I’ve just had some of their latest promos I thought I’d indulge my love of the black metal underground and explore some of what they have to offer through their newest releases.
Trembling Void – The Burning Question – Black Metal – Canada
After a sinister intro Trembling Void’s black metal is revealed to be of the harsh and unforgiving kind. It’s raw and nasty, with serrated screams and the sort of abrasive blackened guitar tone that can flay skin at a hundred paces. It’s fantastically horrible stuff.
Melody and atmosphere are both a part of the Trembling Void sound though, despite how hostile The Burning Question is. This is especially apparent when the music slows, allowing the listener to truly take in the foul darkness that they are steeped in.
Trembling Void’s debut album has impressed. The Burning Question is a 43-minute underground gem. If you’re a fan of old-school black metal played with spite and venom, then look no further than this.
Oppressive Descent – Spite Is My Scepter, Blood Is My Crown – Black Metal – United States
Spite Is My Scepter, Blood Is My Crown is a 39-minute journey into the cold heartless embrace of traditional black metal. Oppressive Descent have amassed quite a large discography – mainly EPs and splits – and this is their fourth album. This seems to mean that they know what they’re doing, as this album is engaging and enjoyable.
The songs are of the classic second wave style, full of blackened groove, frozen blasting, and raw intensity. Macabre moods and grim grandeur are your companions as you weather Oppressive Descent’s assault, guiding you through lands of darkness and woe. Look beyond the rawness, and you’ll find that the band’s well-developed use of melody is very effective.
This is really good stuff. I’ve never heard any of Oppressive Descent’s material before this, but now I want to. Primitive and deadly black metal.
Opus Magorum – Opus Magorum – Black Metal – Greece
A re-release from 2013, this 22-minute demo serves as ample indication of what these raw, underground black metallers have to offer.
Playing the classic style, Opus Magorum stamp their identity on it with a collection of tracks that are easily digested and moreish. The blackened aggression and malevolent darkness contained on Opus Magorum burn with the light of the void as they conjure baleful imagery and evil atmospheres.
This music may be nine years old, but the potency of this sort of thing is timeless. Based on this, I look forward to hearing new material from the band, as this release has demonstrated much promise.
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