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Fluisteraars – Luwte (Review)

Fluisteraars are a Black Metal band from the Netherlands and this is their second album.

Fluisteraars forge their windswept Black Metal from a core of the harsh, razor-sharp second-wave sound and build on this with expansive and emotive qualities to produce the Atmospheric Black Metal that we have on Luwte.

As noted above; their approach to lengthy Atmospheric Black Metal is a sharper and more dangerous proposition than most. Luwte shares more in common with the darker, more epic side of Burzum and Darkthrone than it does with Atmospheric Black Metal bands that incorporate Progressive and Post-Black Metal sounds into their music.

Icy, Blackened riffs tear out from the music like a blizzard, but this harshness is restrained by more melodic passages. These sections still have an affinity with the biting frost, but it’s a more insidious, creeping cold, and all the more deadly for it.

The music has a tendency to blow like a storm, interrupted by moments of calmer beauty that are still dark and foreboding, warning of what’s to come. The songs are punctuated violently by howling screams, although these are relatively few and far between, with the music remaining the focal point of the band.

Fluisteraars have created a deeply engaging album with Luwte. Rather than relying on keyboards, additional instruments or elements of different sub-genres, it’s nice to see Atmospheric Black Metal that takes its cues from the original, raw, frozen style.

Highly recommended.

Crimson Sun – Towards the Light (Review)

Crimson Sun are a Finnish Heavy Metal band and this is their début album.

This is Modern Melodic Metal with a nice heavy sound and added keyboards. An Electronica influence is included to add flavour to the sound, as well as a few Djent-isms here and there.

The songs are catchy and full of hooks and memorable melodies. A band like this is all about the songs and Crimson Sun have some good ones here. Psuedo-Classical and Electronica-tinged keyboards add another layer to the songs and there’s a lot of meat here to get your teeth into. There’s even the odd guitar solo, which I always appreciate.

In addition to these elements though the band also need a good singer to pull everything off. Thankfully they seem to have found one; her voice is a nice combination of the powerful and the melodic, adding a formidable presence to the songs.

I like that there’s actually a bit of bite and substance to the guitars, as frequently in these kind of bands they tend to play second fiddle to the vocals so much that they almost become afterthoughts. In this way, Crimson Sun remind me of Jaded Star; both bands have a decent guitar presence and both sound like real bands and not some commercially fabricated female-fronted hit machine, or something.

Having said that though, it’s not as if any number of these songs couldn’t be a hit. With the right exposure, the right video, etc.; Crimson Sun clearly have what it takes to succeed.

Melodic Metal played well, written well and performed well. Unless you’re allergic to the style then there’s nothing to not like. Towards the Light is a strong album full of strong songs.

Tor Marrock – Destroy the Soul (Review)

Tor Marrock are a Gothic Metal band from Wales. This is their second album.

Tor Marrock play Gothic Metal with a plethora of different influences; Black, Death and Doom Metal are all represented to various degrees. The tracks are an interesting combination of these influences and make the band quite hard to pigeonhole in some ways.

For reference points I’d say an unholy mix of Type O Negative, Celtic Frost, Paradise Lost and Moonspell. Essentially it’s an Old-School Peaceville sound updated with a few different elements from some of the aforementioned bands and genres.

The songs are quite catchy and are quite accomplished in the verse/chorus technique. You could almost sing along, if you fancied trying to keep up with the usually gruff tones of the vocalist.

Some of the songs are quite upbeat while others take a slower, more maudlin route. I find I slightly prefer the latter, although the former is almost as good. Songs like Christ Betrayed have the best of both worlds, making this track one of my favourites.

The songs are stripped back and simplified; it’s easy for Gothic Metal bands to pile on the keyboards and other sounds/effects for quite an ostentatious sound, but Tor Marrock have gone for a basic and raw sound, (relatively speaking), making the most of the standard instruments to colour their emotive palette.

Tor Marrock are doing something a bit different with their take on Metal and this relatively short album, (36 minutes), is an individual and charismatic take on the genre.

Vidian – Transgressing the Horizon (Review)

Vidian are a Polish Post-Metal band. This is their second album.

This is Post-Metal with some Progressive and Modern Metal elements, as well as a minor Death Metal influence, making for an interesting album with quite a few good ideas and interesting avenues explored.

If bands like Gorguts and Dementia Senex are Death Metal bands that are slowly evolving their Progressive Death Metal styles into Post-Death Metal ones, then bands like Vidian have already taken the next step. There’s hints of Death Metal lineage in some of the heavier parts, but for the most part this is firmly in Post-Metal territory.

Think of a band like Isis, then make the heavier bits heavier, the vocals harsher and throw in a trumpet here and there; now mix in a pinch of Tool and a few Modern Metal elements on occasion; Vidian don’t sound too far away from this description.

The vocals combine cleans and shouts, both being performed well. The shouts are tinged with a raw emotion and hark back to a more aggressive influence – almost Death Metal but not quite. The cleans have a certain amount of grit to them, allowing the songs to have an edgy feel even when there’s no shouting involved.

These songs are heavy and dark while also being surprisingly melodic and actually quite catchy on occasion. Post-Metal is not usually a sub-genre that lends itself to catchiness, but Vidian manage it in places on Transgressing the Horizon.

The light/heavy, build/release Post-Metal mechanics are maturely done, and the band have an advantage on the heavier parts as they’re just that little bit more crushing than the norm.

This is a solid album that probably won’t convince you of Post-Metal’s merits if you’re not a fan of the sub-genre, but nonetheless displays depth and skill throughout the 52 minutes playing time. Vidian have a knack for this kind of music and there’s a lot of decent material here.

Highly recommended.

Serpentine Creation – The Fiery Winds of Armageddon (Review)

Serpentine Creation are a Bulgarian Black Metal band. This is their second album.

This is some good old-fashion Satanic Black Metal with lots of darkness and some Classical overtones in their choice of malevolent riffs.

It’s multi-paced, razor-sharp and infused with a Blackened melodicism that cuts like a knife. They also incorporate a few non-orthodox riffs and ideas into the mix, which gives them an added dimension of interest. Serpentine Creation are firmly rooted in the Old-School but are looking towards the future at the same time.

The Fiery Winds of Armageddon is a solid album of Black Metal that features decent songs and surprisingly catchy melodies and hooks. This is one of those bands that I’d hesitate to call Melodic Black Metal; it’s more that they play Black Metal that features melody. As I’ve said before, it’s a subtle distinction but a distinction nonetheless. Although, having said that, this is closer to Melodic Black Metal than some of the other bands I’ve said that about, so I guess it’s all subjective really.

The album boasts a solid sound and everything is clear and crisp without being overly so and ruining the Blackened mood.

Screamed vocals are the main order of business, although the singer is not above varying this on occasion. He does his job well and screams out his invective with ease.

The guitars as a real highlight of this release, partly for the melodies, partly for the Blackened auras they create and partly because of the riffs themselves. Serpentine Creation really seem to be on point here with their writing and I love how they can change from fast, serrated riffs to chunkier, spikier riffs in short spaces of time.

Leads and solos are common and well performed. They add spice to an already tasty meal and it all adds up to an album of really pleasurable Black Metal. Sure, there’s nothing particularly innovative or new here, but who cares? The amount of bands that play innovative or new types of music is vanishingly small compared with what’s out there, and I for one have thoroughly enjoyed The Fiery Winds of Armageddon.

Check them out for yourself and see if you can feel the heat from their apocalyptic winds.

Tentation – Tentation (Review)

This is the début EP from French Heavy Metal band Tentation.

This is Classic Heavy Metal played in a 1980s style. Early Iron Maiden is an obvious reference point, and it’s good to hear that there are still bands playing this style.

The singer has a good voice and has no trouble with the material. The lyrics are sung in French, which adds a different aspect to their sound than is the norm.

The songs are well-written and feature plenty of melodies and memorable parts. This is an upbeat, energetic band that are obviously playing this music for the love of it, and this comes across in the songs.

The guitars have a certain relentless quality to them. Not in the way that the word “relentless” is usually applied to Extreme Metal, but in the sense that they constantly seem to be moving at, or close to, a gallop and pushing the music forward all of the time; no rest is allowed in Tentation’s world, only more headbanging!

As début EPs go, this is pretty solid. Six songs, (one of which is a cover of a band called H-Bomb), in 24 minutes. A decent recording, including a nice, punchy, analogue drum sound, means that the band get the chance to shine and the EP is an enjoyable throwback to an earlier, simpler time in Metal.

Try them out.

Subterror – Antropomortum (Review)

This is the first EP from Brazilian Death Metal band Subterror.

Subterror play ugly, primitive Death Metal with elements of Grindcore/Crust.

This is raging and brutal music straight from the underground that tears through the 24 minutes on offer here like a frenzied animal looking for meat. There’s a primordial Metal power to Subterror’s vicious assault and they channel this with shotgun precision so that everyone knows not to mess with them.

This is not all speed and bluster though; Antropomortum is more like a rabid, Crusty Bolt Thrower/Jungle Rot than it is some easily-dismissed blastfest. Sure, the band can ramp up the speed when they need to, but they have a very good line in rolling, mid-paced destruction as well.

The singer has a throaty growl that is just as rough as the music. With the dirty production of the songs his voice fits perfectly and much satisfaction is gained from his efforts.

There’s a Punky energy that drives these songs forward, and Antropomortum is a very pleasing listen.

Filth and fury.

Esotherisst – Voyage (Review)

Esotherisst are a Progressive Metal band from Poland. This is their début release.

Esotherisst’s Progressive Metal is polished and has a modern sound and production.

You Have Never is the first song. It’s the shortest of the three and it has a kind of Threshold-style, although this is mainly in the music rather than the vocals. The guitars are rhythmic and solid, with the leads and melodies used to add colour to this strong base. The singer has a good voice; it’s relatively low in the mix and used in an understated way throughout.

The second song is How to Fly and this is the longest track here at 6 minutes in length. This has more of an epic feel than the first one, with stronger keyboard backing and reminds me of Kamelot in some ways, although a more restrained, Progressive version and still tinged with a Threshold feel. Frenetic guitars and hyperactive keyboards are the centrepieces of this track and really drive home the Progressive tendencies of the band, like the 70s have been dragged into the modern day. This is bookended by lighter, more relaxed sections where the singer really comes into his own.

The final song is In Winter’s Arms. This continues the feel of the second track with an epic introduction and then a lighter verse, (although without the extended Progressive workout in the middle that the second song boasted). This is a theme developed throughout the 5 minutes playing time, ending on a softer note to finish.

The weakest link for me in this is the singer, although that sounds worse than it is. It’s not that he has a bad voice, quite the contrary in fact; I just feel he is slightly lacking in confidence and needs to develop a little more presence and force in his delivery. This is not insurmountable though and he has the necessary attributes for success, they just need to be brought to the fore a bit more. This is only a minor quibble though, and might actually be less about the singer himself and more due to the recording – the music has such a strong production that he can sometimes sound overshadowed.

Overall, Esotherisst have impressed me with this release. With a few tweaks to the songwriting and vocal delivery their début album should be an extremely strong release if this is any indicator.

Give them a listen.

Dementia Senex/Sedna – Deprived – Split (Review)

Dementia Senex are an Italian Death Metal band and Sedna are a Blackened Sludge band. They have teamed up to create Deprived – one track from each band, designed to complement each other, sharing a similar space but from a different perspective.

Dementia Senex are up first with their track Blue Dusk. After their interesting début EP Heartworm demonstrated their atypical take on Progressive/Doom/Sludge-infused Death Metal, I’ve been keen to see how their style has developed over the last couple of years.

The song starts gently, almost tentatively, before crushing guitars land like a ton of bricks. The band impress again with their Gorguts-inspired take on Progressive Death Metal, and seem to be slowly moving away from the core aggression of the genre and more and more into Post-Metal territories. Post-Death Metal? Pretty much. Aggression is still here though, just done in a non-standard way, with even the blast beats surrounded by off-kilter chaos.

After this it’s Sedna’s turn to shine with their track Red Shift. Prior to this split I was not familiar with Sedna, although it seems that this has been my loss as this song is the equal of the previous one.

In contrast to the Death Metal-based heaviness of Dementia Senex, Sedna are more firmly in Black Metal-influenced Post-Metal/Sludge territory. Red Shift has the trademark Post-Metal build/release mechanic down to a fine art, with the track gaining momentum slowly but surely throughout the playing time, only to periodically explode with Blackened Post-Hardcore violence. It’s a good combination of slow burning tension and vicious aggression that nicely builds atmosphere with harsh shouts and screams being unleashed over the ever building and expanding music.

This is an exemplary split between two quality bands. I highly recommend giving this one a shot.

Obedience to Dictator – Hogzilla (Review)

Obedience to Dictator are a Death Metal band from Italy. This is their second EP.

The band have a tight and precise approach to their music, with everything sounding balanced and where it should be.

These songs have faster sections as well as slower, groovier ones. There are some good riffs on these tracks and they’re arranged well, showing that the band have a grasp of songwriting rather than just stringing bits together.

Modern Death Metal meets an older style, settling for something that’s closer to the latter, but with a nod to the former. Dark melodies are sometimes used to improve the tracks and the band show that they are not interested in recreating just one style of Death Metal. The songs are relatively diverse, with quite a few different ideas and themes being explored throughout, all within the Death Metal framework, of course.

The vocals are mainly deep growls, although screams and other vocal effects are used to add a bit of variation.

In their sound I hear bits of Immolation, Malevolent Creation, Suffocation, Morbid Angel and even a bit of aggressive Thrash similar to Dew Scented in a couple of places.

I enjoyed this and look forward to what they might do next.

Favourite Track: Megabong.