Black metal – Page 151 – Wonderbox Metal

Macabre Omen – Gods of War – At War (Review)

Macabre Omen are from Greece and play Black Metal. This is their second album.

I really enjoyed Macabre Omen’s first album, The Ancient Returns, and it’s been over a decade since that so I was very pleased when I found out they had a second one out, finally.

This is an hour of quality Black Metal that has an epic feeling and Pagan influences.

Staying mainly in the mid-paced arena, they do speed things up when necessary and they know how to make the most of these high-energy sections.

The songs are all well composed and this is a band that thrives on writing emotive Blackened riffs.

The guitar melodies are frequently stirring and full of grandeur. Macabre Omen fill their songs with an epic feeling despite not being an overtly ostentatious band. Subtle additions of keyboards and ethnic instrumentation/influences enhance the Blackened core and pay homage to their Pagan roots.

The vocals are mainly impassioned screams that almost turn into shouts in places, like the hoarse cries on an ancient battlefield.

Macabre Omen have produced a very impressive second album that may be long overdue but has definitely been worth the wait.

Worthy of a place in anyone’s collection.

Natanas – Xylophar (Review)

This is the fifth album from Natanas, a one-man Black Metal band from the US.

As I’ve quipped before – another month, another Natanas album…

This time though, as prolific as he is, he’s really outdone himself. Xylophar contains 19 tracks, a whopping 88 minutes of music.

If you’re allergic to challenging, dark music then it’s probably going to be akin to torture for you. However, if, like me, you can’t help but masochistically enjoy this kind of thing, then Xylophar takes on the form of some kind of warped film score with each track representing a different scene and a variation on a malignant feeling.

This is almost ambient work in the sense that it draws you in and relaxes you…well, as relaxing as bone-chilling screaming over an empty abyss can be, of course.

As I sit here writing this on a Sunday morning, it’s absolutely hammering it down with rain outside and the ancient trees I can see outside my window look amazing. I note this as I’m struck by the thought that some Black Metal can act as the perfect accompaniment to nature, seeming to touch on something primal. Natanas, however, is more like the perfect antidote to nature. This is music that seems to want to blacken and despoil nature’s purity and scorch the earth with fire in its wake.

At least that’s my impression.

I find that my review of this latest Natanas release is noticeably less descriptive than previous ones, as once you get to a certain point, (as with any style of music), it becomes variations on a theme. There are differences between releases and songs of course, but it’s more a case of a slow moving progression rather than an evolutionary leap.

Having said that though, comparing Xylophar to the last release смертность, things have moved on, as they always do, and if you compare it to All Is Permitted then Natanas has come a long way indeed.

Building on his earlier work, this is somewhat of a twisted masterpiece. As such, I’d argue that Xylophar is Natanas’ best work, and probably his most bleakly consistent.

There seems to be a theme of a lone, mournful, off-kilter lead guitar running throughout the album too, almost like it’s documenting the activity of the protagonist in the fictional film that this scores in my mind.

As always. Natanas has produced some compelling work, and as always it’s not for everyone. Again though, as always, I highly recommend it.

I’m looking at those trees again. Hmmm…if I could only remember where I put my flamethrower…

Hagl – Lenket til Livet (Review)

Hagl are from Norway and this is their début album. They play Black Metal.

Boasting an album cover that’s creepy, mysterious and threatening, the same can be said of Hagl’s music.

This is Black Metal that’s shrouded in esoteric knowledge and forgotten evils.

Impenetrable vocals that somehow seem excreted rather than vocalised rasp out of the darkness that the music wears like a cloak. Indeed, it creates this darkness and wields it like a weapon.

Atmospheric enhancements and subtle sound additions allow the music to have depth as well as mystery.

Lenket til Livet is somewhat of a cross between Naglfar and Khold, if the former was slowed down and the latter had less groove and more of a Doom vibe.

Enter the world of Hagl and feel the darkness slide across you like a shroud.

Taran – Taran (Review)

Taran are a Polish Black Metal band and this is their latest release.

This is over 36 minutes of evil, hate-filled Black Metal. There are seven tracks of blisteringly fast/groovy Black Metal, as well as an intro, outro and an Immortal cover.

This is the real deal. You’ve gotta love this kind of Black Metal. No frills, uncompromising and pure dark intent.

The riffs are as Black as any and the sharpness of the assault will leave you reeling. Of course this style has been done to death, but when faced with a band playing music they obvious love so much it’s hard not to get swept along in their trails.

Differentiating them from any number of other bands that merge the Darkthrone/Dark Funeral styles is the quality of the songs; Taran actually know how to write music that’s memorable. Some of the guitar melodies are even hummable.

Taran have really given me a fix of raw, underground Black Metal and it feels pretty damn good.

They may be all about the evil and darkness, but they’ve made me a happy bunny listening to this. As I said; you gotta love Black Metal.

Demonic Slaughter – Haunted (Review)

Demonic Slaughter are a Black Metal band from Poland. This is their fifth album.

This is Old-School Black Metal with good Darkthrone grooves and a cold, frigid heart.

The production is underground and raw whilst still retaining a power and presence; it fits the band perfectly and recalls a golden era of the style.

Vocally we have traditional Black Metal croaks, rasping out blasphemy and hatred with relish. Again, like the production values, it suits the band’s aesthetic to a tee and the delivery never slips.

The songs are traditionally composed and use winding melodies to add atmosphere and Blackened intent. The rhythms are dark homages to all that is evil and the riffs seem to circle malevolently like waiting carrion feeders.

If you enjoy largely mid-paced Black Metal with a grim melodic sensibility then I would definitely recommend Demonic Slaughter to you.

A very good listen indeed. Bring on the darkness.

Sovereign – Nailing Shut the Sacrosanct Orifice (Review)

This is the début album by US Black metal band Sovereign.

With an obscure album cover and an intro track, Gnosis, that is equally enigmatic; the album starts with a winding guitar and an increasing unsettling feeling. I’m not sure what to expect.

So when the first song proper, Orbiting Lunar Curse, begins, it’s almost relieving to be confronted with recognisable Black Metal, albeit played with passion and obvious talent.

Subtle mysterious melodies are deftly weaved into the tapestry of dark malevolence that Sovereign spin. This is a band who are very good at what they do.

Their Black Metal is richly realised and not limited to just one feeling or aura. They play music with depth and even incorporate into their sound that rarest of beasts – the Black Metal guitar solo.

The music has an almost physical presence. Guitar riffs and occult rhythms are unleashed with the confidence of master craftspeople.

An organic production gives Sovereign a very enticing sound and all of the songs are sinuous and slippery with reptilian heat.

Nailing Shut the Sacrosanct Orifice combines elements of Deathspell Omega, Marduk and Ondskapt to create an engaging album that fills me with a sense of Blackened grandeur.

I’ve encountered a lot of really good Black Metal recently and Sovereign definitely strike me as one of the best. Have a listen and see what you think.

Keep of Kalessin – Epistemology (Review)

Keep of Kalessin are from Norway and play Black Metal. This is their Sixth album.

Keep of Kalessin return, and it’s a very welcome one.

Fusing the best of bands like Emperor, Satyricon and Enslaved, Keep of Kalessin have produced an album that’s as epic and soaring as they’ve always promised.

Elements of the symphonic, majestic and even Avant-Garde combine with a state-of-the-art Blackened core to produce tracks that are brightly textured and rich in colour and taste.

Expertly performed cleans act as a central highlight of many of these songs, whilst expressive screams provide an acidic hit of aggression.

Highly emotive music connects with you on a visceral level as the band work their way through 52 minutes of top quality Metal.

The band may have a firm Black Metal core but they have used this to create music that almost transcends genre boundaries. Almost. Ultimately though, this is Black Metal, and it means business.

Their songwriting skills have been further refined since their previous work and this is a relatively varied album that takes in the past whilst leaning towards the future.

Intricate, inspired and sometimes warped riffing is impressively integrated into the wider song structures to create tracks that don’t always do or sound as you expect them to.

The musicianship and production values are first rate of course. Everything is played and recorded extremely professionally and the clean vocals in particular seem vibrant enough to jump out of the speakers.

A must listen for all Extreme Metal fans.

Barshasketh/Void Ritual – Split (Review)

Barshasketh are based in Scotland and Void Ritual hail from the US. Both bands play Black Metal.

Barshasketh play occult Black Metal with an aura of dark majesty. They contribute two tracks to this split, 17 minutes in length.

The first song is named Palingenesis and immediately demonstrates the band’s quality songwriting and ritualistic riffing.

The music is played at all speeds, from a roaming crawl to blasting spite, and Barshasketh sound on top form either way.

Dominion of Ashes is the next track, and it allays any fears you might have of Palingenesis being a fluke; this song is just as good, if not better than the first.

Featuring Blackened riffs that immediately capture your attention and ice-cold vocals forged from malice, Barshasketh once more proceed to blow me away.

The sound is first rate throughout and this is a very impressive introduction to the band.

For fans of Marduk, Deathspell Omega, Watain and the like.

Void Ritual’s 2014 EP Holodomor was very enjoyable indeed, and they return here with a further three songs, 15 minutes in length.

Void Ritual have shorter songs and are an altogether faster proposition in general than Barshasketh.

Heaven’s Gate rips out of the speakers with venom and razorblades, demonstrating everything that I enjoyed about their earlier EP. If anything though, Void Ritual sound more professional now than they did previously.

Not that this is some sterile, ultra-polished commercial hit machine of course; this is still underground Black Metal through and through. It is, however, tight, focused and boasts a sound that’s as evil as it is satisfying.

Benevolent Mother is up next and continues Void Ritual’s penchant for writing enticing riffs that manage to scream Black Metal whilst at the same time sounding a bit different from the norm.

One of the things that attracted me to this band in the first place is that they may be playing a well-worn style but they do it with enough differences and personality quirks to make them stand out from the pack.

The final song is Temple of the Sun and this continues on where the last two left off; engaging riffs, Devilish atmosphere, roaring screams and top songsmithing. There’s nothing to not like here.

After how good the Barshasketh songs proved to be I was concerned that Void Ritual’s side of the split might be somewhat of a let-down. How stupid of me. Void Ritual can hold their own easily enough and remind me of how much I like their output. There’s just something about them.

These two bands play different facets of Black Metal that complement each other perfectly. Topped off with some excellent artwork this is one split you don’t want to miss.

Crowhurst – Crowhurst (Review)

Crowhurst are from the US. This is their latest album and it’s a bit different from their usual experimental, noise-drenched output; this is Black Metal.

The guitars are as thick as syrup and they’re both heavy and melodic. Crowhurst foster an interesting atmosphere of colourful darkness that is rich in both texture and emotional content. This is Black Metal that may have a cold heart but it has an exterior that’s warm to the touch.

The screaming vocals are high pitched and piercing. They’re set low enough in the mix to become one with the music but high enough so that they’re not lost or overwhelmed.

Part Blut Aus Nord, part Xasthur and part Deafheaven; this is richly evocative music that has elements of the Cascadian and Shoegaze movements in addition to the band’s own heart of darkness.

The final track, Luna Falsata, finally gives in to some of their usual style of harsh electronics and experimentalism, as well as also featuring the vocalist of Oxbow.

This is a highly impressive collection of songs that show a mastery of a genre that the band don’t normally dabble in.

Highly recommended.

Darkenhöld – Castellum (Review)

Darkenhöld are from France and this is their third album.

They play Dark Black Metal with a strong melodic sensibility; this is a band who are comfortable adding a Blackened melodicism to their sound whilst retaining their core of grim fire.

This is Atmospheric Black Metal without being ostentatious or flashy. The band have a firm grasp on this side of things and although the keyboards and enhancements are an integral part of their identity they know how to control them and reign them in for full impact.

Somewhat of a cross between Dimmu Borgir and Naglfar, they join the ranks of some excellent recent Atmospheric Black Metal releases by the likes of Akrotheism, Imperial Conquest, Rauhnåcht, Unfathomed of Abyss, and others, proving that the style is alive, healthy and vibrant.

This style of Black Metal always takes me back to the mid/late 90’s and Castellum is no exception. This is a very enjoyable listen and the songs seem to roll out of the speakers with an easy flow, to be welcomed like old friends that you’re always happy to see.

Give them a listen.