Black metal – Page 143 – Wonderbox Metal

Ende – The Rebirth of I (Review)

Ende are a French Black Metal band and this is their second album.

This is traditionally-styled Black Metal that is both raw and atmospheric, creating frozen soundscapes with an effective use of dark melodies and icy riffs.

The vocals howl out from the frosted wind, screaming with venomous diatribes and foul incantations. The singer’s voice has a wonderfully liquid sharpness to it that flows alongside the fluidity of the music very well.

The sound is perfectly judged; the right combination of raw fragility and distorted power. Combined with the effortlessly mood-driven riffs these songs easily transport the listener to lands full of coldness and pain. Which is what we want, obviously.

As Black Metal goes this is up there with the best of them really. Black Metal is a multi-faceted and constantly evolving beast, but sometimes you just want a quality dose of the classic Blackened style done extremely well, and Ende do this better than most. The added emotive, atmospheric aspects of the grim guitar melodies simply cement Ende as having more to offer than the average purveyor of this style.

Highly recommended.

Windfaerer – Tenebrosum (Review)

Windfaerer are a Black metal band from the US. This is their second album.

Windfaerer have a Black Metal base which they build on with Melodic Death Metal and Folk-style influences. Their Folky Black Metal vibes are melodically fluid and have an added bite via their Melodic Death Metal influences.

Sharp and streamline, these songs create atmosphere via a variety of delivery methods; whether that be through fast guitars and relentless drums, dual guitars that are subsumed into the Melodic Death/Black easily, or slower, more evocative sections.

Added to all of this is a violin that speaks of the band’s Folk influences and the overall melancholic atmosphere that Windfaerer foster through the faster sections as well as more reflective, slower parts.

These songs are both familiar and friendly; it’s a joyful listening experience, despite some of the darker atmospheres that infuse the music, and it’s one that’s easy to digest and enjoy. These seven tracks are well-paced and well-judged, delivering just the right amount of diversity to hold the interest while remaining cohesive overall.

Windfaerer have produced a strong album that’s a recommended listen for anyone who likes a bit of Melodic Black/Death Metal with some nicely-played violin.

Mephorash – 1557 – Rites of Nullification (Review)

This is the third album by Swedish Black Metallers Mephorash.

Throughout the four extended tracks on this release Mephorash demonstrate their approach to elite, sophisticated Black Metal art. Theirs is Black Metal that conjures effective atmospheres without neglecting the rest of the music; the band have both heaviness and bite to them when they need it.

Managing to create music that’s both resplendent and uplifting as well as drenched in the occult and mysterious is no mean feat, but this album manages to juxtapose those two aspects of Black Metal quite nicely.

The band fuse the style’s core delivery with influences from Atmospheric/Post-Black Metal to create a contemporary spin on the genre that nonetheless has all of the essential elements in place to produce something both recognisable and special.

Featuring all kinds of additional enhancements, (keyboards, choral singing, guest vocalists), that work well within the music to add layers of depth to it, these songs are strong exemplars of the style of Black Metal that bands like Watain/Deathspell Omega pioneered so well.

There’s a vibrant unlife pulsing through these songs and they bristle with dark energy. It’s a joy to hear and the strong production allows them the space to do what they do unfettered.

Mephorash have created something really impressive with this album and I know I’ll be listening to it and trying to unravel its dark secrets for some time to come.

Naðra – Allir Vegir Til Glötunar (Review)

Naðra are an Icelandic Black Metal band and this is their début album.

This is noisy and aggressive Black Metal that manages to create a frosted, dangerous atmosphere. It’s a passionate display of Blackened spite that sees the band explore their grim musical vision with apparent relish.

There’s plenty of high speed attack, but Naðra also take the time to slow things down when they need to, leading to Allir Vegir Til Glötunar having sufficient depth to hold attention throughout the 40 minute playing time.

The singer seems just one short step away from a full break from reality as he tears through the material with maniacal haste; even when the music slows down, his intensity does not.

Allir Vegir Til Glötunar only has 5 songs on it but there’s enough content here to satiate. The tracks have that wonderful secret ingredient that’s essential to underground Black Metal and makes releases like this so special. Listening to this, it’s easy to feel the modern world slip away and to become absorbed in far away places full of threat and mystery.

Recommended.

Kampfar – Profan (Review)

This is the seventh album from Norwegian Black Metallers Kampfar.

Kampfar play Black Metal with speed and melody, drawing the listener in and then slicing at them with hidden blades.

Serrated screams and powerful cleans are both used to great effect on this release. The screams provide the focal point as they are meant to, while the cleans add an emotive enhancement to the songs that works really well.

Kampfar incorporate influences from both Melodic and Pagan Black Metal into their sound, as well as Progressive Black Metal elements akin to, (but not as pronounced as), a band like Enslaved. This results in songs that have a characterful epic feeling to them in addition to the razor sharp edge of Blackened aggression that they foster so well.

The songs are well-written and played, with lots to keep the interest of the listener. Some of the guitar melodies are particularly compelling and taken holistically there’s a grand amount of atmosphere contained on this release.

Highly recommended.

Hatecrowned – Newborn Serpent (Review)

This is the début album from Lebanese Black Metal band Hatecrowned.

This is an album that finds its origins in Old-School Raw Black Metal. The band take this base though and expand upon it, introducing some darker Death Metal influences and atmosphere.

Bleak melodies and leads occasionally break the Blackened surface, but for the most part this is an album that’s swamped in atmospheric distortion from the rhythm guitars. It’s like a fuzzed-up wall of grim auras, ready and willing to crush, smother and consume all in its path. There are also solos, which I approve of big-style.

This methodology works well for the band, and the songs on Newborn Serpent are compelling hymns to hatred and malevolence. The dark Death Metal elements are combined skilfully into the even darker Black Metal core of the band, resulting in songs that just seethe misanthropy.

Screamed vocals are complemented by deeper growls, providing the songs with enough tools to spread their sinister manifesto.

I like that the band don’t stick to just one way of writing throughout; there’s a good amount of variety here for the style. Some songs are pure Black Metal, while others let the Death Metal seep in. Some songs are all about the bile and venom, while others have more atmosphere or pacing. Fast/slow, long/short; the band don’t limit themselves to just one method of assault and should be roundly commended for this.

Very good, very good indeed. Hatecrowned have impressed.

Terzij de Horde – Self (Review)

This is the début album from Black Metal band Terzij de Horde, who are from the Netherlands.

This is modern Black Metal that combines sophisticated music with high-concept ideas.

Black Metal’s intrinsic rage and fury is combined with elements of Progressive/Post-Black Metal to create an engaging release that is varied, intelligent and full of Blackened mood and feeling.

The riffs are interesting and varied, screaming out of the passionate music like rabid animals. Sharp and emotive, these are combined with more introspective moments to create something that is worth exploring over the near-50 minute playing time.

The singer’s voice is full of snarling anger and ugly malice. It fits the music perfectly and has a maniacal quality to it that wouldn’t be out of place on a savage Grindcore release.

Self is not your average Black Metal release, and if you’re only looking for more of the usual then simply move along to something else. If, however, you’re after Black Metal fit for 2015, full of spite and Black emotions, then this is the release for you.

Splendid.

Lunar Mantra – Genesis (Review)

This is the début release from UK Black Metallers Lunar Mantra.

This is scathing, occult Black Metal with a bit of Dark Ambient thrown in for good measure.

The guitars have that Old-School fragile-yet-sharp-and-dangerous tone to them, like an icicle sharpened to a killing point. The riffs follow suit, and Lunar Mantra show their worth with dark melodies and esoteric auras in abundance.

Theirs is a raw, underground sound. Even so, you can still hear everything nicely, including the bass, (which is a treat).

The guitar melodies seem to twist, slide and writhe over each other like they’re living things, possessed by some form of malignant serpentine sentience.

Guttural vocals that sound like they have been retching up far too many daemons are used sparingly and the singer seems to merge with the music at a visceral level, urging the listener to ever greater heights of dark worship. But worship of what?

A very enjoyable release that bodes well for the future of this band, join them in their mysterious adulations and become part of their Genesis.

Haiduk – Demonicon (Review)

Haiduk is a one-man Black Metal project from Canada. This is his second album.

This is an album full of distorted blasting and hate-fuelled invective. It’s Black Metal with a pinch of Death Metal added for good measure. Although you could call this Blackened Death Metal, Black Metal is very much the main star of the show.

The Death Metal influence raises its ugly head in the added brutality and forcefulness of some of the riffs, as well as, more blatantly, the growled vocals.

The music is fast, well-constructed and hits the spot like a knife hitting its target. The riffs are full of Blackened melodies and harsher rhythms. Energetic and not afraid to add streaks of colour to its grimness, the music pummels and lacerates the listener at the same time.

The songs still manage to create atmosphere on occasion, so it’s not all a one-dimensional assault. This is the exception rather than the rule though, and to be honest, it’s good enough and well-played enough not to matter, regardless.

One-man Black Metal bands frequently take the less aggressive route, but Haiduk has proven that there’s no real reason for this to be the case. Demonicon is ugly, nasty and has enough quality riffs and dark melodies to be a dangerous proposition.

Like being hunted down in the dark and lashed at with razor-whips; this album somehow makes this prospect appealing.

Recommended.

Nyx – Home (Review)

Nyx are a Black Metal band from Germany and this is their début album.

Featuring only two members, Nyx make an impressive début that would do justice to a full band.

The music on this 45 minute album is quite varied and features elements of different sub-genres as well as the core of Black Metal that they play so well.

A few Classic Metal licks appear here and there, as well as a decent Post-Metal influence, especially in some of the guitar melodies. There’s enough of this ethereal, transcendental influence to label this Post-Black Metal, although the icy, frozen core of the pure style is still here, corrupting it so that it’s projected out through the prism of urban decay.

The singer’s screamed vocals are ridiculously strong; her voice is blood-curdling and powerful in the best tradition of Black Metal shrieking. Cleaner vocalisations are also used and these add emotional content and a rather ritualistic, sinister aura on occasion. These too are powerful and have real presence. Occasionally they even add in a bit of a more traditional clean singing style, and these parts sound just as good as everything else.

The songs are barbed, twisted and full of unexpected subtlety and shading. There’s a lot of ideas on display throughout these 9 tracks and the band have produced an album that has both immediate impact and lasting depth. The production is sharp and serrated, allowing the music to showcase its dangerous edge.

This is not a run-of-the-mill release, this is sophisticated Black Metal Art.

Very impressive.