Black metal – Page 146 – Wonderbox Metal

Vargstuhr – Howlings (Review)

Vargstuhr is a one man Black Metal band from Spain. This is his début release.

Unexpectedly, this album starts with an acoustic, folk-influenced track that has semi-clean vocals chanting rough outpourings. It’s a left-field opener that has a lot of rustic charm. After this, a frosted guitar melody blows in, heralding the next track and just when you think you’re in more familiar territories the guitars drop out and clean vocals appear. Then it goes all raw and evil, and at this point you realise you’re not dealing with an average release.

Howlings pays tribute to the fertile experimentation of the early Scandinavian Black Metal scene, effortlessly recreating the feel of the era and the feeling that anything is possible as the early innovators started to diversify out from the original blackened template.

This is both primitive and sophisticated at the same time. The recording is clearly on a low-budget, and at times it becomes quite unbalanced or strange, (what’s up with the horrible blasting snare drum sound on Howling 5: The Hunt, in Search of the Prey?), but honestly I can’t care that much as for the most part it suits the style of the music and represents a certain rawness and authenticity that I can get on board with. Besides, I’ve heard a lot worse.

The playing and songwriting can be similarly described; this is not the high-polish, high-gloss of the mainstream, this is strictly underground Metal fodder and sounds all the better for it.

Howlings combines atmosphere, melody, folk influences and raw Black Metal into 45 minutes of music that I can’t help but really enjoy. It genuinely takes me back a couple of decades and shows a mind with a keen understanding of the early Black Metal scene when it was right on the cusp of birthing itself into the heavily-fragmented, multiplying, mutating sub-genres of the blackened style that we know today, but just prior to this when everything seemed so genuinely exciting.

Even ignoring all of this though, purely on its own merits, Howlings is a very enjoyable slab of primitive Black Metal that has aspirations for so much more and succeeds in breaking out from the well-worn path into its own trail, writing its own story.

Well done that man.

Folteraar – Vertellingen Van Een Donkere Eeuw (Review)

This is the début album from Black Metallers Folteraar who are from the Netherlands.

This is claustrophobic, suffocating Black Metal that features the kind of fuzzed-up, filthy guitar tone that feels like it’s going to swamp you and end your existence.

Primitive and atavistic, it seems that Folteraar draw their strength from the same primordial well-spring of ancient power that first gave birth to Black Metal’s sicking abortion. This is heady stuff that’s definitely not for the casual listener; true acolytes only will appreciate this.

There’s a definite evil, otherworldly vibe to Folteraar. So much so that it’s almost impossible to think of this as music that is being played by a band; it’s more like this has been conjured up direct from Hell. The inhuman screams that accompany these filthy hymns further enhance this impression.

The tracks are relatively short, designed to quickly establish and maintain a dark, grim atmosphere. The unhurried pace is uncaring about the standard structures and practices of mainstream music and is more concerned with mood and feeling. This is one of the many reasons that this album succeeds where it could quite easily have been a sloppy failure in less talented hands.

Ohh, but this is very nice. Of course, it isn’t, but you know what I mean. It’s rare you hear Black Metal this deliciously depraved and esoteric.

Cult of Erinyes – Transcendence (Review)

Cult of Erinyes are a Black Metal band from Belgium. This is their latest EP.

Featuring 19 minutes of Black Metal, (2 originals and a Mayhem cover), Cult of Erinyes play sharp Black Metal with ritualistic auras.

The EP has a strong sound that allows all of the instruments to be heard well, even the lesser-spotted bass guitar gets to play its part.

Poisonous riffs and black moods pervade the tracks and the guitars give a good account of their time in Hell. At least, I’m assuming that’s where they’ve come from.

The songs are of the classic style, wrapped in darkness and grim portents. It’s mainly a mid-paced affair that gives the listener plenty to think about as the band attempt to bring on the apocalypse.

The singer’s icy rasp is well-performed and heavy with contempt. It sounds good.

Transcendence is probably my favourite track out of the three. It boasts a crawling, malevolent aura and really slow-builds to an unnerving ending; the music slows down and takes on a mystical quality while the singer repeats “remember my name” over and over.

An enjoyable EP that provides a good blackened fix.

Frozen Ocean – The Prowess of Dormition (Review)

Frozen Ocean is a one-man Russian Melodic/Atmospheric Black Metal band and this is his latest EP.

Frozen Ocean return with more wonderfully melodic Black Metal that creates plenty of atmosphere. I have previously reviewed The Dyson Swarm, so this new release was most welcome.

This is mellifluous, melodic music that’s enhanced by keyboards to greater heights of atmosphere and mood. The feeling, for me, is very much one of following in the great Windir’s footsteps,

Vocals are deeper screams than are normally associated with the style, giving the polished, shiny music a rougher edge of aggression that suits it.

Grand, epic and richly melodic, (have I mentioned that?), this is a very enjoyable EP that it’s easy to like.

Check it out.

Mandragora Malevola – Black Flame ov Illumination (Review)

Mandragora Malevola are a Portugese Black Metal band and this is their début demo.

Here we have three tracks of newly-birthed Extreme Metal lasting 15 minutes.

The first track Mandragora Malevola is essentially an intro, setting the scene with dark sounds that soon morph into unearthly incantations and invocations. As is the case with most intros, it’s entirely disposable.

So, first proper song is Arkangelvs Satanis (The Red Moon Wolves). Right from the start we get a lovely, filthy guitar sound that sets the tone in no uncertain terms. My first impression is that it reminds me of Antaeus, although this has a bit more of a Blackened Death Metal feel to it too. Soon after we get some absolutely rabid vocals that are somewhere between a growl and a scream, reminiscent of older Behemoth. The band inject some energetic melody to things almost halfway through and also at this point they reveal themselves to have other, grander influences as the song takes on a powerfully epic feel, all the time retaining its raw, dirty sheen. By the end of the song I’m extremely impressed by their Antaeus-meets-Behemoth-meets-Dissection style.

The second song is Apotheosis (Hvmana Manifestvs), and this initially continues the themes and atmospheres projected by the previous track, but soon demonstrates a more Euro-Metal influence that wouldn’t be out of place being described as Atrocity-meets-Hypocrisy. It’s all still wonderfully raw, and the previous influences can still be heard, but it’s great to see a band not constraining themselves to a one-dimensional approach.

Mandragoa Malevola have revealed themselves to the world, and what a glorious revelation it is! This is an exceptional demo and shows a band with a massive amount of potential and promise for the future. If they can harness the dark energy that seeps from every pore on these two songs then their future place at the top of the pile should be assured.

A must listen.

Persecutory – Perversion Feeds Our Force (Review)

This is the début EP from Turkish Black Metallers Persecutory.

This is ugly music for fans of Archgoat, Black Witchery, Von, Watchmaker and the like. Combining dirty, evil Black Metal with enough Blackened Thrash to give it extra bite, Persecutory waste no time in establishing themselves as true purveyors of darkened brutality and nastiness.

Sometimes Blackened Thrash leaves me a little cold, but this is more Blackened than Thrash and Persecutory deliver a very tasty noise that’s furious and aggressive.

The vocals are a combination of rabid screams and infectious growls, both serving to emphasise the cutting music.

Fast blackened melodies are included alongside some very tasty riffs. It seems that the band have quite a talent for making both riffs and melodies extremely satisfying, and these tracks certainly hit the spot because of it.

I like how these songs are written and that the band know how to inject pacing and energy into them, avoiding the one-dimensionality that can sometimes plague this kind of music.

An impressive first release. Here’s to the future!

Natanas – Eram Numquam Amicum Vestrum (Review)

A one-man Black Metal act from the US; this is the latest release from Natanas, although at the prolific rate he releases material, it might not be by the time I’ve written this…

I’ve enjoyed watching Natanas progress in the relatively short time since its inception, (here, here, here and here), and it’s always a pleasure to listen to the latest horrorful dirge that the man unleashes on the world.

Eram Numquam Amicum Vestrum is a little different than previous releases. It still shares a lot of the same hallmarks, but this time it’s a bit angrier and more Black Metal. That might sound like an odd thing to say, considering all of his releases have been Black Metal, but I suppose I mean it’s a bit more traditionally Black Metal – although a lot of Black Metal fans would probably still blanch at this as his work remains on the raw, underground, under-produced side of things.

The music is Doom-laden, filth-ridden Black Metal that carries an artistry to it despite the primitive veneer that it wields like a sharp stick. The rhythm guitars somehow find a way to be mournful and rabid at the same time, while the leads add a lot of rich content to the songs and provide a pointed outlet for all of these emotions. The screamed vocals are some of his best to date; understated and low in the mix, but still totally despondently savage.

The tracks are less songs and more essays on how to channel anger and sorrow in musical form in an atavistic and cathartic way.

I think this is probably my favourite Natanas release, actually. Although I really enjoy the more experimentally dark nature of his other work, this album has more coherence and focus about it, resulting in an album that has a lot going for it. Traces of his previous work remain, of course, and these add extra flavour to the album, ensuring that it doesn’t become stale or one-dimensional.

If you’re the kind of person who gets off on raw, underground Black Metal then this is a must.

Thy Worshiper – Ozimina (Review)

This is the latest EP from Thy Worshiper, who play pagan/folk Black Metal.

The band’s previous release Czarna Dzika Czerwień is one that I really enjoyed, so this EP I was eager to hear.

Featuring music that’s heavy on percussion and non-standard instruments, (such as didgeridoo, darbuka and djembe, to name a few), Thy Worshiper continue their individual and characterful melding of folk, pagan and Black Metal influences into their enticing brand of music.

These tracks are rich and layered songs that cover themselves with emotion while providing enough substance and grit to back it up, ensuring that they have produced a real collection of songs and soundscapes, rather than novelty or throwaway music.

Vocally, the female vocals sound even more beautiful and powerful than before, and combined with the rhythmic pulsing of the music are a real highlight. The male vocals remind me of those of The Meads of Asphodel in places on this release more than on their previous album, which adds a different slant for me.

Clearly a lot of work has gone into arranging and composing this EP, and the end result speaks from the heart and burns as deep as fire.

Another sterling release from this important band.

Stellarvore – Tehom (Review)

This is the first release from Stellarvore, a Black Metal band from Germany.

This is slithering, dark Black Metal that epitomises the style and uses the tools at its disposal to great effect.

Shards of melody are used as weapons and Stellarvore have a good melodic grasp of what makes an enjoyable Black Metal song.

These tracks are both melodic and atmospheric without being overly so; you wouldn’t describe this as Melodic Black Metal or Atmospheric Black Metal, for example, even though both aspects are used effectively throughout.

These songs are paeans to darkness and evil, manifesting in dark worship and malevolent moods. The singer’s cold rasp is like liquid, carrying with it a fluid quality that speaks of melted ice.

Discounting the intro and outro tracks, we get 4 longish songs that demonstrate a band who understand how to make music worth listening to. This is Black Metal that has its roots firmly in the second wave of Black Metal, but that also incorporates melody, atmosphere and even a bit of Post-Black Metal reflection into its delivery.

Tehom is an involving and engaging 35 minutes. It’s an impressive début for a new band and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

Go check them out.

Old Forest – Dagian (Review)

Old Forest are a Black Metal band from the UK and this is their third album.

This album features four long songs and a fair amount of variety across the 48 minute playing time. The band play Atmospheric Black Metal that has a contemporary feel with nods towards the Pagan, Folk, Gothic, Depressive and Progressive sub-genres of Black Metal.

These additional influences make their presence felt during the tracks and manifest in different ways, from exploratory sections, to enhancing cleans, to Folk instrumentation, subtle synths, and more.

It’s a hugely impressive demonstration of musical ability and songwriting skill; even only a couple of minutes into the first track Morwen, with its Doom-laden intro and understated-yet-powerful cleans, you know this is going to be a special release.

The songs have a lot of content, all contained in a modern Black Metal wrapping and serviced by a recording that’s meaty enough to do the material justice without loosing its Blackened lustre.

The emotive guitars do everything requested of them with ease, whether this is playing fast, slow, or even at a good rocking pace. The guitars serve as a bedrock for the other instruments to be built around, both the standard ones such as the drums and bass, and the non-standard ones that serve to add so much additional atmosphere to the tracks.

Vocals are as varied and interesting as the music; Blackened screams, Gothic cleans and lots in the middle.

Old Forest have produced a very gratifying release that manages to successfully combine old and new into a cohesive atmospheric package. Dagian is impressive, emotive and destined for a lot of positive feedback I would imagine.

For any fans of expressive Atmospheric Black Metal.