Black metal – Page 144 – Wonderbox Metal

Terra Deep – Part of This World, Part of Another (Review)

This is the third album from US Progressive Black Metal one-man group Terra Deep.

The music on this release is a complicated and sophisticated Progressive Metal feast that’s born out of the corrupted undergrowth of Black Metal’s fertile roots. Progressive and Post-Black Metal elements take control of proceedings quite early on, reinforced by a dark core of frozen steel.

Deep, unsettling growls, evil shrieks and powerful cleans all add a multitude of texture and feeling to music that successfully combines the cold malignance of Black Metal with the expansive, exploratory nature of Progressive music. This is further enhanced by elements of Doom/Depressive Black Metal that add a forlorn, lonesome sheen to some of the tracks. It all adds up to a multifaceted release full of quality music and songs that engage.

Richly textured tracks seem to bleed shades of pain and grim tidings, while still fostering a highly emotive side that connects with the listener in a visceral way. The songs are advanced exemplars of what can be done with a Black Metal base and a will to explore.

The production is solid and allows the music to hit the right balance between heaviness and nuance. It’s a good sound that satisfies and does justice to the differing parts and influences that make up Part of This World, Part of Another.

These five songs are impressively-realised affairs that speak of the experience and talent of the brains behind the outfit. He obviously has a coherent and well-rounded vision for Terra Deep and has the ability and skill to achieve it.

If you combine Opeth, Enslaved, Forgotten Tomb and Ihsahn then you’ll have a good idea of Terra Deep’s style.

There really is a lot here to offer the discerning Extreme Metal fan and I can’t really recommend this highly enough.

Vreid – Sólverv (Review)

Vreid are a Black Metal band from Norway and this is their seventh album.

Vreid play Melodic Black Metal that’s sharp and fast. They specialise in colourful, rich melodies that run through the Blackened music like a stream cutting through a mountain.

Vreid originally arose after the end of Windir, a band that I always loved. For some reason, I never got around to checking out Vreid before now, (partially through laziness/lack of opportunity, and partially as Windir were so damn good that it almost didn’t seem worth it. Odd reasoning I know…), and I sincerely regret this, as Sólverv, (and presumably the rest of their work), effectively carries on the spirit of what Windir were about. Oh how I’ve missed these elegant and distinctive atmospheric melodies! There’s a lesson here folks – always check out that band who, for whatever reason, you haven’t had the time or inclination to.

The rhythm guitars are full of energy and play with speed and groove with equal relish. The leads are frequent and highly textured, giving the band a superbly atmosphered collection of songs that are highly emotive and engaging. Subtle keyboards further enhance the tracks where necessary, adding another layer of feeling.

These songs are atmospheric in ways that it’s hard to express. It’s like the guitars have plugged into a primal wellspring of Blackened mood and ambience, lost since the rise of second wave Black Metal and found and kept safe by the band for their own special ministrations.

Of course it’s not all about the guitars, although these are a defining point of the music. The other instruments and the singer play their parts too. The bass and drums provide a framework for the guitars to work their magic, while the singer’s rasping screech adds a serrated edge to the flowing, melodic music.

It is with great regret that I mourn the lost years where I had the chance to follow up on the mighty Windir’s legacy and failed to do so. More fool me. From now on, Sólverv will be on heavy rotation.

Heartily recommended.

Arcturus – Arcturian (Review)

Arcturus are a Norwegian Avant-Garde Progressive Black Metal band and this is their fifth album.

This legendary band finally make a return with their unique and charismatic take on Metal. This is 48 minutes of extravagance, style, class, eccentricity and outright esoteric musicality. The level of skill and talent involved in a release like this is staggering really, when compared with the average band. But then Arcturus have always been outliers.

This album is somewhat of a blend of their earlier and later work. It’s more accessible than the pure theatricality of La Masquerade Infernale, but less cautious than Sideshow Symphonies; the result is an album that takes the right amount of cues from both.

Arcturian is a perfectly judged melting pot of disparate influences that balances them all off against each other in a coherent-yet-varied way. From blast beats to orchestral oddness and everything in between, this is highly-textured and richly evocative music that’s not afraid to pile on the layers of atmosphere and feeling. The songs have depth, dynamics, pacing and personality.

As a focal point, we have the amazing voice of the singer. He has always been one of my favourite vocalists, no matter what band he has been playing in, and on Arcturian he excels in every way. Boasting one of the most distinctive and powerful voices in Metal, he complements the expansive and nuanced music with a strong presence and commanding performance. Hot stuff.

I’m extremely pleased to say that Arcturus’ first offering in a decade is a resounding success, at least with me it is. Music is highly subjective and a lot of people just won’t ‘get’ this, (more fool them), but for those that do, this heralds a wondrous homecoming. Arcturian is a return to form after their last album, (which was good, but lacking that something special that their other work had), and an album to listen to and absorb over and over again.

An important release.

Moloch – Verwüstung (Review)

Moloch is a Ukrainian one-man Black Metal band. This is his latest album.

This is Old-School Black Metal that’s bookended by two Dark Ambient pieces, both of which are strangely effective.

The main feast is primitive, raw Black Metal that’s of the lo-fi persuasion and reminds of bands like Burzum and Xasthur. Elements of the Depressive Black Metal style rear their despondent heads on occasion, lending a painful edge to Moloch’s cold Black Metal.

These songs seem barely held together, but not because they are sloppily played or anything like that. The playing is in fact quite tight, but the style of Black Metal on Verwüstung has an inherently chaotic, tortured feel to it; it’s almost as if this has been created and released under extreme duress and some significant amount of pain.

The vocals howl, shriek and seemingly claw their way through the tracks with the sharpness of a sword. An impressive performance is given and I can only imagine the man was emotionally ruined near the end of the recording process. At least, it sounds that way.

Good variety and songwriting means that Verwüstung is an involving and engaging listen, with enough changes in speed and feeling to keep things interesting without becoming inconsistent.

With a recording that’s underground enough to be raw yet coherent enough to work well with the material, Verwüstung is a very satisfying album and a very strong listen.

Be sure to check this out.

Dalla Nebbia – Felix Culpa (Review)

Dalla Nebbia are a Progressive Black Metal band from the US. This is their second album.

This is sophisticated Black Metal that incorporates elements of the Progressive and Atmospheric sub-styles into itself, as well as some Doom/Death elements here and there.

Featuring an added violinist on most of the tracks, this is expansive and exploratory music that may have a firm base in Black Metal but refuses to be constrained by its traditional trappings.

The band are clearly talented, imaginative and ambitious, which is a fine combination. Dalla Nebbia are the kind of band that brings influences from some of the best aspects of Emperor, Agalloch, Opeth, Arcturus, Windir and other similarly lofty bands together into one place and then makes them their own.

The songs have a high emotional content that seems to come naturally to the guitars. The tracks aren’t simple, straightforward affairs either, so this rich, emotive quality is even more impressive. Background synths and effects add a further layer to the variety of riffs and melodies used, with the intention of everything being to take the listener on a Blackened journey into the dark places of the world. With Dalla Nebbia as your guide, this is a trip worth taking.

Mainly propelled forwards with traditional Blackened screams; cleans, growls and other vocalisations also appear and reinforce the impression of a varied and interesting band who are happy to do things their own way.

This is a varied release that covers a lot of ground. It’s not something that can easily absorbed in one listen as there’s a lot going on here; each spin brings something else to your attention, and there’s a lot of quality content to notice on Felix Culpa.

Very impressive and very enjoyable. Make sure you look out for this one.

Tine – The Forest Dreams of Black (Review)

This is the début album from US Symphonic Blackened Death Metallers Tine.

Blackened Death Metal is a funny beast. Frequently just a Death Metal band with some added Blackened spite, you also occasionally get a Black Metal band with some added Deathly brutality too. Very occasionally, however, you get bands that actually combine both styles in a convincing, equal way.

Tine are one such band. Combining the darkness and atmosphere of Old-School Black Metal with Death Metal’s feral core, The Forest Dreams of Black is a feast of spectrally enhanced Metal that takes elements of bands such as early Emperor and Behemoth to create 53 minutes of emotive Blackened Metal.

The Symphonic elements are nicely understated, making sure that they don’t overpower the rest of the music. They add and enhance, rather than overtake or smother. One of my all-time favourite Atmospheric Black/Death Metal albums is Depresy’s Sighting, so it’s a big compliment that The Forest Dreams of Black puts me in mind of this.

The music is clearly a passionate and personal affair for its creators, and this shines through in the music with a dark, poisonous light.

I have really enjoyed this release. There’s real feeling and atmosphere here, with an underlying emotional intensity that’s hard to ignore. The two different genres both come out in the songs in different ways and the commanding vocals are full of presence, bringing everything together to a charismatic focal point. A satisfying sound that isn’t too polished rounds off the impressive package and I am left with fond memories of a walk through a dark and dangerous forest, one that I’m happy to revisit again and again.

Highly recommended.

Vision Lunar – Luna Subortus (Review)

This is the début EP from Vision Lunar, a one-man Atmospheric Black Metal project from Canada.

This is minimalistic Black Metal, atmospheric and haunting in its beauty and emanating an aura of darkness that’s softly broken by pale moonlight.

It’s a subtle affair, more interested in setting a scene and encouraging the listener to feel for themselves the primordial power of the night, rather than bluntly stating its intent with crude blasting or ugly vitriol.

The first song leads you in gently, while the last track lets you out slowly. In the middle is the main event; cascading Blackened riffs, producing a veritable sea of darkness that the moon gently glides above.

There are no vocals to sully the purity of this midnight exploration, only the atmospheric mood-setting of the guitars.

It’s a short release; at just under 12 minutes in length it’s a mere introduction to the vision of this particular artist. It’s worth setting aside the time to get to know it though, as its charms are insidious and rich in emotive qualities.

Listen and gaze up at the night sky.

Non Opus Dei – Diabeł (Review)

This is the seventh album from Polish Black Metal band Non Opus Dei.

I really enjoyed Non Opus Dei’s Split with Morowe a few years ago. It even made it onto my Best of 2013 End of Year List, so it’s good to have this new release from them rear its head.

The band continue to play Black Metal that’s atypical and unusual. Sure, most of the hallmark features of the style are here, but Non Opus Dei seem to have this unfailing ability to do things a bit different than the norm. Which is great, of course.

The stylistic riffs give the band a modern sheen, yet the fact that the guitars and melodies are deeply Blackened results in songs that sound trapped between the atavistic, more obscure past of Traditional Black Metal and a more stylised, sophisticated sound. It works though, as the band take the best of both worlds and meet it in the middle, ensuring Diabeł reaps the benefits of this hybrid approach.

The inclusion of Progressive and Technical aspects in their sound in addition to the raw emotive platform of their Blackened core means that, once again, they are taking influence and inspiration from various, sometimes conflicting, sources and fitting them, (successfully), into their music. The resulting songs merge the simplistic older style with a newer, more complex style to great effect.

Highly recommended.

Dead to a Dying World – Litany (Review)

Dead to a Dying World are a Blackened Doom band from the US and this is their second album.

Featuring a wealth of instruments and influences, this is an epic album that lasts 73 minutes and takes the listener on a tour of all of the dark places.

The bedrock of the band’s sound is grim, murky Black Metal; this immediately differentiates them from some other Blackened Doom bands as usually the style is predominantly Doom with added Blackness; here it’s a good mix of two, probably leaning towards the Black Metal side of the equation a little more overall. There’s plenty of serrated Blackened parts to keep the blood pumping.

Elements of Crust, Post-Metal and pure Doom work their magic in among the blood-fed trees of the Black Metal forest in which the music grows. Litany is powerful, wonderful, ambitious and terrifying in equal measure. Taking aspects of bands like Hope Drone, Neurosis, Wolves in the Throne Room, Myrkur, Usnea, Nux Vomica, Bergthron, Lycus and a whole host of others, this is an impressive body of music that brings something different to the table with each track, all within the established framework of the band.

Sharp Blackened screams are juxtaposed with softer cleans, both male and female. Dark growls populate the undergrowth and harsh, rolling shouting stabs in like spikes. Guest vocals appear throughout the album, making the entire performance varied and interesting for the listener.

The overall feeling is one of a refined, sombre misery. Viola and other instruments give the music an additional air of sophistication and Dead to a Dying World are nothing if not accomplished at the spells they weave; the band are adept at creating thick atmospheres and dark moods.

The recording has a sickly, unnatural warmth to it, like something alive that shouldn’t be. It’s soft when it needs to be and roiling, churning and destructive at other times.

This is a long, involving and emotive listen that builds, crests and waves through the six tracks like a dark tsunami, crushing and destroying yet followed by calm and retrospection, reflecting on all that has been lost.

A very special album.

Maïeutiste – Maïeutiste (Review)

This is the début album from Maïeutiste, who are a French Black Metal band.

This is a long one – 76 minutes of Black Metal that’s grim, mysterious and not afraid to experiment and stretch the tenets of the genre.

Maïeutiste is infused with a playful experimentalism involving elements of Doom, Jazz and Progressive Rock. Traditional Black Metal is the core of their sound though, so don’t mistake this for a free-form, substance-free exploration of whatever the band feel like; instead we simply get Black Metal that adds to, and spreads out from, the core of the style, like a grand contagion.

The music sweeps like a cloak of darkness and the performance is varied and interesting. One moment you could be listening to misery-drenched Depressive Black Metal, and the next you could be listening to a stirring, epic refrain akin to the best that Viking metal has to offer. This is one example of many and demonstrates the talent and ability of Maïeutiste.

It still sounds coherent though, which is an important factor when considering a band like this. It doesn’t sound all-over-the-place and it’s not too varied as to make you wonder how it all fits together; under the darkened funeral moon of Black Metal, that’s how, as this makes up the bulk of the material here.

It’s a long and involving album, but ultimately a rewarding one. Check out Maïeutiste and see if it hits that spot for you.