Black metal – Page 144 – Wonderbox Metal

Bustum – Demonolosophy (Review)

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

Bustum play their Black Metal raw and traditional, fuelled by the second wave and filled with Satanic might.

The vocals are harsh shrieks, performed in the classic style. The singer also uses deeper growls here and there, which is less expected and a welcome addition to the general violence and misanthropy on Demonolosophy.

The songs slice, cut and lacerate with frozen blades and seething malevolence. Dark, blackened melodies seem to writhe just below the surface and add depth to the band’s musical endeavours.

The songs are simple, underground hymns to dark forces that carry themselves well and provide for a quite enjoyable 33 minutes. It’s a well-written album and included in these tracks are some nice riffs with enough sections that show they’re capable of more than just hate-filled speed; they display a good grasp of pacing and compositional structure on these songs too.

I enjoyed this. If you like Black Metal then I’m sure you will too. Check it out.

Echoes of the Moon – Entropy (Review)

This is the second album from this one-man US atmospheric Post-Black Metal band.

This has a rich, warm sound, making it clear very early on that Entropy is all about the emotive content and taking the listener on a journey.

High-pitched near-static screams are employed to provide a focal point for the colourful music. I favour this brand of ultra-shrieked screams for this kind of extremely atmospheric Black Metal, so was not disappointed to hear them when they first appeared. Deep growls also appear here and there; these are unexpected but work well alongside the mellifluous music.

These songs have a good grasp of mood and feeling, effortlessly played out across long tracks and glorious soundscapes. This can be essentially seen as one 72 minute piece of music broken up into smaller slices, but however you look at it it’s an extremely effective work.

Featuring elements of psychedelic, progressive and depressive Black Metal, this is very atmospheric and richly textured. Resplendent melodies, extended guitar solos and understated synths all enhance the flavour of the emotive riffs and Entropy is an album to be savoured and enjoyed in its entirety.

I’m very impressed by this, and it’s criminal that this will effectively get no real exposure other than a few lucky people that stumble upon it; it really is that good.

Bloodthirst – Glorious Sinners (Review)

This is the latest EP from Polish Blackened Thrashers Bloodthirst.

I enjoyed their last album Chalice of Contempt, so this new EP was gratefully received. Here we have over 20 minutes of scathing Black Metal and 80s Thrash influences.

These songs continue the band’s previous path of combining second-wave Black Metal with atavistic Thrash elements, striking the right balance so that they’re poised between two styles, waiting to strike.

Blast beats and spiky riffs blur by in a whirlwind of energy and dark melodies. The songs have personality and the band embrace the roots of both genres, forging them together down the path they want to take.

I find it easy to be turned off by Black/Thrash a lot of the time, but I do enjoy Bloodthirst as they seem to have that intangible special something that raises them up to be greater than the sum of their parts. It’s the songs, of course, and the feel of them. Glorious Sinners just hits the spot for me and does what it sets out to do very well indeed.

A professional production rounds the package off, and Glorious Sinners is an eminently enjoyable listen.

Krigsgrav – Waves of Degradation (Review)

Krigsgrav are a Black Metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.

This is long and expansive Black Metal with a melodic edge. It’s vibrant and exploratory without losing focus and across these lengthy tracks the band take the time to unfold their vision of what Black Metal should look, feel and sound like in 2016.

If you take the depressive core of a band like Forgotten Tomb and add some Post-Black Metal influences, then you’ll be in the right area of where Krigsgrav lurk. Elements of depressive and melodic Black Metal round this out, as well as some aspects of funeral Doom.

With a decent recording the band’s compositions take on a dark life of their own. All of the instruments sound clear and precise, and I always like an album that you can hear the bass on, especially when it makes a valid and noticeable contribution to the music.

Additional instrumentation appears here and there, adding extra tools to the band’s repertoire and deepening the depths of sound that they create.

The vocals are notably impressive; ragged screams that sound like the singer is ripping his throat out are enhanced by the occasional deeper growl and some powerful cleans.

The songs describe harrowing tales of misery and hopelessness, set against a backdrop of just enough light and possibility so as to make the dark atmospheres all the worse. The mixture of lighter sections and heavier, blackened distortion work well and the build/release Post-Metal mechanic is used effectively in a Post-Black Metal environment.

Waves of Degradation is an impressive listen and has more than enough content to compel you to visit it again and again.

Recommended.

Ifrinn – Ifrinn (Review)

Here we have some Scottish Black Metal; Ifrinn’s début release.

This is raw Black Metal that nonetheless doesn’t restrict itself to the generic, Darkthrone-esque classic style, as many bands of this nature do. The album cover should give some mysterious clues away; this is music that mixes in the esoteric and occult into its vicious, spite-filled delivery.

After a dark and menacing ambient intro track, the music soon reveals itself to be equally dark and menacing, albeit also layered in distortion, speed and hateful invective. Ifrinn embrace the core nature of Black Metal and turn its simplistic pleasures to their advantage, wallowing in their self-generated atmospheric and moody soundscapes.

The music is darkly spirited and the songs wallow in the mysterious, otherworldly ambience that they create. The third track, (Sulphurous Oscillations), is another mood-piece, reinforcing the feeling of something strange and unsettling going on.

We end with a final song that shows a good grasp of bleak melodics and primitive auras, showing the mastery of shaded blackness that the guitars in particular employ .

Screamed vocals that frequently turn into agonised groans are a tortured accompaniment to these tracks, fixating in the listener’s mind the idea of something unhinged and tormented, barely concealed beneath the surface of the reality that the music allows you to glimpse.

This is a quality release. The music has an atavistic atmosphere that is a joy to revel in, without the emotive content becoming maudlin or stale; it’s warm enough to be inviting and cold enough to be strong and unforgiving.

Highly recommended.

Chaos Moon – Amissum (Review)

This is the latest EP from Chaos Moon, who are a US Black Metal band.

Having previously enjoyed their 2014 album Resurrection Extract, this is a re-released version of their 2015 EP of the same name, with two extra tracks added on for a total running time of 44 minutes spread out over 6 songs.

Chaos Moon’s music is atmospheric and raw, with elements of Shoegaze and Dark Ambient. Theirs is Black Metal with character and a grimy, occult lustre that marks them out as something a bit special.

Obscure melodies and sinister vibes are never too far from the blackened action, and the relatively subtle keyboards are artfully hidden just the right amount behind hateful distortion, which allows them to come to the fore when the guitars are absent.

My favourite track is probably the title, (and opening), song Amissum. It’s one of the bonus tracks and is a seething mass of blackened bile and repressed atmosphere. It’s an impressive piece of music and as the newest song here it bodes well for their upcoming album.

The rest of the music here is no disappointment, mind, with the remaining songs showcasing the band’s mix of aggression, mood and blackened sensibilities. Each track has something a little different to offer the listener and taken as a whole it’s a very well-rounded package.

Overall the band’s songwriting is suitably strong, and Chaos Moon are definitely improving over time. This latest release keeps up their high quality levels and exceeds them in some ways, producing an album-length EP that is extremely enjoyable indeed.

Highly recommended.

Rats of Reality – Obsequies (Review)

This is the latest EP by Rats of Reality, who are a Blackened Crust/Thrash band from the UK.

A short EP at only 11 minutes in length, Rats of Reality manage to have an unexpected start to this release which throws me slightly, before proceeding to demonstrate that yes, they may play some gnarly, crusty, fast-paced blackened grimness, but they do it in unusual and unexpected ways.

On paper, bands like this are plentiful and there’s sometimes very little to differentiate them from each other. As mentioned though, Rats of Reality are a bit different as they also use riffs that are a whole lot more emotive than most bands of this ilk write. They don’t always do this, (Leeches, for example, is a much more straightforward proposition), but when they do the melodies sometimes border on something you’re more likely to get from a Post-Metal/Shoegaze band, and at other times definitely are. Deafheaven plays Crust? Kind of.

Regardless, it’s an interesting and unusual slant on a well-worn sub-genre and overall Obsequies is enriched by these more melodic, emotive guitars. The ugliness of the core style is still here, but now it’s a beautiful ugliness. Or something. Just listen to it, you’ll get what I mean.

I’m pleased by this, as Rats of Reality have surprised and impressed me. I always enjoy it when a band does something a little different, especially if you weren’t expecting them to, and this certainly qualifies.

Highly recommended.

Råttkung – Dark Is the Beginning (Review)

Råttkung are a Black Metal band from Denmark. This is their début EP.

This short EP showcases Råttkung’s brand of raw, underground Black Metal across 17 minutes of hate-filled music. It’s ugly, dark and as cold as the frozen wastes.

An ultra-primitive production finds the band recalling the early days of the second wave of Black Metal, both aurally and stylistically. It’s a primitive and lo-fi recording that sounds authentic and honest, although does tend to leech a little power from the band’s songs.

The vocals seem to have been captured on the edge of a blackened abyss, with the singer screaming and growling his way into the raging winds. He sounds possessed and not 100% human.

Furious riffs and blasting drums certainly have their place on this release, but the band also know how to slow it down and use the guitars to foster a creepy, sinister atmosphere, as they notably do on the song Here Again, or to opt for a Doom-ier approach as on Abyss of Terror.

Dark Is the Beginning is aptly named and here’s hoping we hear more of this band in the future, as this is a promising start.

Fimbulvinter – Начертаны Резы Древних Заклятий (Review)

Fimbulvinter are a Russian Black Metal band. This is their début album.

Fimbulvinter’s Black Metal is thoroughly of the old-school, so much so that it even contains a relatively high proportion of proto-Black Metal in the form of more classic-era Metal riffs and licks, including leads and solos.

There’s a pagan feel to some of the guitars and the band successfully capture the original Scandinavian style while also infusing the music with other elements. Infectious riffs from even earlier times are frequent additions and there’s enough of a melodic edge through the leads to grab the attention.

The songwriting is really strong and the band’s grasp of dynamics and pacing is good. These songs are exactly that; songs. Coupled with the highly enjoyable leads and the well-considered rhythm guitars, Начертаны Резы Древних Заклятий aptly demonstrates the band’s considerable talent in writing tracks that are actually quite catchy and memorable.

Screamed vocals make up the bulk of the release, but growls also appear on occasion adding that little bit extra variety and interest.

At only 36 minutes in length Начертаны Резы Древних Заклятий doesn’t outstay its welcome; in fact it leaves you hungry for more. The Metal leads, blackened guitars, solid riffs and rasping hatred that flow easily from the band make this album an extremely enjoyable listen.

Definitely one not to overlook. Very highly recommended.

Old Pagan – Ogdrun Jarhar (Review)

Old Pagan are from Germany and play Black Metal. This is their fourth album.

Here we have 43 minutes of raw, underground Black Metal spread across 8 tracks, including a Secrets of the Moon cover.

Featuring a sharp recording that screams lo-fi darkness, Old Pagan play orthodox Black Metal that’s enhanced by keyboards and cuts straight to the bone like a serrated, rusty blade.

Frozen melodies and dark incantations power these songs, which complete their running time like Satan himself is chasing after them. The music is fast and furious, blasting icy beats and chilling riffs across the airwaves.

Screamed vocals accompany the blackened melodies and pounding drums with ease, keeping pace with the high-energy music and attacking the listener with frenzied abandon.

If you like your Black Metal fast, relentless and raw, you can do a lot worse than Old Pagan; these veterans know what they’re doing.