Black metal – Page 138 – Wonderbox Metal

Sov – Aklamerad Kalamitet (Review)

Sov are a Black Metal band and this is their début album.

Sov play underground and honest Black Metal that might superficially seem like the standard fare at first glance, but a deeper scrutiny reveals a band with impressive creative power and a lot of raw talent.

This is an interesting release in that it manages to cultivate an air of both natural forest-dwelling and sophisticated blackened art. The music is suspended between the more naturalistic elements and the modern, progressive influences so that these six tracks are a pleasing blend of the early second-wave style and a more up-to-date interpretation of the genre, à la Watain and Deathspell Omega. Continue reading “Sov – Aklamerad Kalamitet (Review)”

Astral Path – An Oath to the Void (Review)

Astral Path are an atmospheric Black Metal band from Canada. This is their début album.

This is the kind of modern, expansive Black Metal that so many bands seem to do so well these days. If you’re a fan of bands like Wolves in the Throne Room, Chaos Moon, Midnight Odyssey, Krallice, Mare Cognitum, Deafheaven and their ilk, then you should also like this.

Astral Path’s music combines this type of stargazing, cosmic Black Metal with ambient soundscapes to create atmospheric Black Metal that seems to roll out of the speakers in a pool of spectral fog. Continue reading “Astral Path – An Oath to the Void (Review)”

Schammasch – Triangle (Review)

Schammasch are a Black Metal band from Switzerland. This is their third album.

Here we have a bold, monster of a release; divided into three parts, each lasting about 35 minutes, the entire body of work clocks in at a massive 105 minutes in length.

Schammasch play forward-thinking music that’s rooted in Black Metal, but also visits other styles such as Doom, Post-Black Metal and Progressive Metal.

Continue reading “Schammasch – Triangle (Review)”

Glorior Belli – Sundown (The Flock That Welcomes) (Review)

This is the sixth album from French Black Metal band, (currently a solo project it seems), Glorior Belli.

Previous album Gators Rumble, Chaos Unfurls was an uncommon blend of Black Metal, Sludge and southern US Metal riffing. Sundown (The Flock That Welcomes) continues this combination of Black Metal and Sludgy Blues Rock, although now the emphasis is much more on the Black Metal side of the equation.

Featuring sharp and cutting riffs alongside serrated vocals, a lot of the music on this album is dangerously bladed, seemingly out to cause harm with its fast guitars and blackened melodies. Continue reading “Glorior Belli – Sundown (The Flock That Welcomes) (Review)”

Invehertex – Hacia el Vórtice (Review)

Invehertex are a Chilean Black Metal band and this is their début album.

At 79 minutes in length, Invehertex don’t do things by halves it seems.

Alongside some ambient interludes, the band play raw, underground Black Metal that has a sprawling and ambitious attitude to blackened soundscapes.

Blasting, icy aggression is present and correct, alongside groovier riffs and atmospheric explorations; all wrapped in darkness and covered with malevolence.

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Sacrilegium – Anima Lucifera

Sacrilegium are a Polish Black Metal band and this is their second album.

This is sophisticated Black Metal that shrouds itself in occult auras and mystical vibes.

Sacrilegium have produced an album that has a very modern feel, but nonetheless knows where it came from and pays its dues accordingly. With elements of the atmospheric and progressive styles entwined in its dark embrace, Anima Lucifera blasts and pummels its way through its playing time with style and panache. Continue reading “Sacrilegium – Anima Lucifera”

Winterhorde – Maestro (Review)

This is the third album from Israeli melodic/progressive Black Metallers Winterhorde.

Winterhorde use melodic Black Metal as a base to launch their epic brand of music from. On this base, they build firm structures of progressive Metal and symphonic/orchestral enhancements, all of which work together to produce Maestro, an Extreme Metal extravaganza.

If you combine elements of Black Metal with bands like Dimmu Borgir, Borknagar, Vintersorg, Arcturus and Nevermore, you’ll have a good idea of where Winterhorde are coming from. Continue reading “Winterhorde – Maestro (Review)”

Images at Twilight – Kings (Review)

Images at Twilight are an orchestral Black Metal band from Norway. This is their début album.

Featuring the same orchestral mastermind behind the stunning symphonic Death/Doom début by Abyssic, Images at Twilight is essentially a Black Metal version of this, (or the other way around, actually, as this album came first), with rich, sumptuous orchestration and classical grandness.

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Solifvgae – Avenoir (Review)

This is the début album from Brazilian Post-Black Metal band Solifvgae.

Solifvgae take the harshness of the core of Black Metal and wrap it up in Post-Metal reflection and exploration, making for an album that spreads itself across two worlds, taking in both aspects in equal measure. It’s almost a band of two parts, as the heavy bits are sharp and concise, while the more progressive/exploratory sections are wandering and expansive.

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Enthean – Priests of Annihilation (Review)

Enthean are from the US and this is their début album. They play Black Metal.

This is progressive, technical and symphonic Black/Death Metal. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but then this is a band who have a lot of different influences. I hear bands like Zyklon, Dissection, Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Septic Flesh and Fleshgod Apocalypse in their sound.

Continue reading “Enthean – Priests of Annihilation (Review)”