Forlet Sires – Journey Towards Ruin (Review)

Forlet SiresForlet Sires are a Swiss post-black metal band. This is their debut album.

Using black metal as a base for their dark explorations, Forlet Sires create heavy and atmospheric music that contains aspects of post-hardcore and doom in their sound.

Forlet Sires deal in raw blackened atmosphere. Continue reading “Forlet Sires – Journey Towards Ruin (Review)”

Minenwerfer/1914 – Ich hatt einen Kameraden – Split (Review)

Minenwerfer 1914This is a split between black metallers Minenwerfer from the US and Ukrainian blackened death/doom band 1914.

First up we have Minenwerfer, with 21 minutes of fast and barbaric black metal.

Their side of the split contains four tracks; 3 originals and a re-recording of a song off their debut demo. Continue reading “Minenwerfer/1914 – Ich hatt einen Kameraden – Split (Review)”

Hryre – From Mortality to Infinity (Review)

HryreHyrye play atmospheric black metal and come from the UK. This is their debut album.

Featuring harsh black metal that’s born out of the early atmospheric style, it also has some progressive and folk influences that it welcomes into its wind-swept embrace.

Over 66 minutes the band paint dark pictures through extremity Continue reading “Hryre – From Mortality to Infinity (Review)”

Damnatus – Io Odio la Vita (Review)

DamnatusDamnatus is a one-man Italian black metal band and this is his debut EP.

This debut release offers us 36 minutes of raw black metal in the depressive style, full of woe and lonesome sorrow. There’s a barbed edge to the delivery though, making for songs that play depressive black metal with a bit of bite to the attack. Continue reading “Damnatus – Io Odio la Vita (Review)”

Tortorum – Rotten. Dead. Forgotten. (Review)

TortorumThis is the latest EP from Norwegian black metal band Tortorum.

This EP is on the longer side for such things, giving us 30 minutes of dark, occult black metal.

The songs are largely, (but not completely), slow-to-mid-paced, building on the band’s ability to create malevolent atmosphere and grim mood. Even when blast beats do appear though, the sense of atmosphere is retained. Continue reading “Tortorum – Rotten. Dead. Forgotten. (Review)”

Mare Cognitum – Luminiferous Aether (Review)

Mare CognitumThis is the fourth album from this one-man US black metal band.

Over the years Mare Cognitum’s output has proven to be of exceptionally high quality, with 2014’s Phobos Monolith being a particular highlight.

Luminiferous Aether provides us with more of the progressively-edged atmospheric black metal that we’ve come to know and love from the outfit, all lavishly arranged, produced and delivered across over 50 minutes of Continue reading “Mare Cognitum – Luminiferous Aether (Review)”

Cara Neir/Wildspeaker – Guilt and His Reflection (Review)

Cara Neir WildspeakerCara Neir are a black metal/crust/grind/whatever band from the US. They have teamed up with Wildspeaker, a blackened sludge/crust band, also from the US.

I’m a big fan of Cara Neir, so as far as I’m concerned any release of theirs is well worth giving a listen to. On this split they contribute seven songs spread over 21 minutes.

You never quite know what you’re going to be getting with Continue reading “Cara Neir/Wildspeaker – Guilt and His Reflection (Review)”

Predatory Light – Predatory Light (Review)

Predatory LightThis is the debut album from US black metallers Predatory Light.

Featuring members of Mania, Triumvir Foul and Ash Borer, this release comes with high expectations before it even starts. As you can probably guess, those expectations are fulfilled.

Predatory Light play black metal with a serving of doom and a keen Continue reading “Predatory Light – Predatory Light (Review)”

Pénitence Onirique – V.I.T.R.I.O.L. (Review)

Pénitence OniriqueThis is the debut album by Pénitence Onirique, a French black metal band.

Pénitence Onirique play scathing black metal, filled with dark atmosphere and with a foreboding presence.

Razor sharp vocals lash out from the music like barbs, lacerating with ease, while the Continue reading “Pénitence Onirique – V.I.T.R.I.O.L. (Review)”

Agatus – The Eternalist (Review)

AgatusThis is the third album from this Greek black/heavy metal band.

Now this is an interesting release. 14 years after their second album, Agatus return with even more of a progressive/heavy metal approach to their music.

70s progressive rock and NWOBHM influences collide head-on with the black metal background of the group, making for an album that sounds little like any of their contemporaries.

The closest I can come to compare with other bands would be a crazy fusion of Rotting Christ, Vintersorg and Countess, all given a workover by NWOBHM and 70s progressive rock. or something. All I know is it’s infectious, addictive, individual and bloody good.

The black metal aspects Continue reading “Agatus – The Eternalist (Review)”