Black metal – Page 163 – Wonderbox Metal

Wrong – Pessimistic Outcomes (Review)

Wrong are a Black Metal band from Spain and this is their second album.

Created by two people; one from a Thrash Metal background and one from a Technical Death Metal background. From these unlikely roots an album has grown which is surprising in that it is both the epitome of what is meant to be but also pleasingly fresh and full of morbid life.

Wrong play creepy, fragile, melancholic Black Metal with a depressive/nihilistic edge akin to some of the work by Xasthur and Leviathan only not quite as minimalistic and with more of a Paradise Lost/Katatonia/etc. influence to some of the Doomier riffs; think Forgotten Tomb for some of the parts in fact.

The songs are long compositions and have many different facets to their delivery, from fast and sharp to slow and misery-laden. It’s an approach that serves them well.

The sound is suitably fuzzy and Blackened but it has a solid backbone of precise, focused drumming that grounds the band no matter what they’re playing.

Wrong take you on a Blackened nihilistic journey through the underworld, tastefully underscored by some subtle riffing and even subtler effects that hide underneath the torrent of darkness and the pounding drums.

Pessimistic Outcomes takes me back to prime-time 00’s underground Black Metal and all the associated feelings it has for me. This is a great album full of bleak melodics and nuanced moments propelled forwards by some powerful drumming, expressive riffing and scathing, slicing vocal emanations.

If you only have a choice of one album full of emotive Black Metal this month then make it Wrong.

Obsequiae – Suspended in the Brume of Eos (Review)

Obsequiae are from the US and play melodic Black Metal.

This is dark and atmospheric Black Metal with a strong medieval feel and influence to the melodies. Said melodies are thick and emotive, swallowing the listener and transporting them to another century.

Frequent interludes intersperse the songs, adding to the medieval theme of the album. These mini sagas add great feeling to an album already awash with melodic entreaties.

The rasped Black Metal vocals seem to glide out of the layered guitars, piercing the tuneful riffs with a harsh reality check before they quickly recover like nothing happened and it’s back in time we go once more. Not that they had Metal back in ye olde times of course, but if they had…

Imagine Dissection had they embraced the aforementioned medieval influence, this should give you a good idea of where Obsequiae are coming from.

The sound seems to flow organically and the riffs are like liquid nature distilled to their Blackest essence and allowed to root deep in the mind of the listener.

Obsequiae grow there, in the dark, quietly taking shape until they cannot be removed. Listen to Obsequiae and one day you’ll know what I mean.

Despot – Satan in the Death Row (Review)

Despot come from Brazil and play Black Metal.

This is Old-School Black Metal with a distinct streak of personality and individuality about it. The core is of the 80’s/early 90’s Black Metal fused with an unusual album art/band logo and with added musical flourishes such as a few more modern moments and unexpected guitar solos/leads.

Subtle keyboard embellishments haunt the tracks like a ghost of forbidden memory just playing around the edges of perception. It’s almost like it’s not there, but you can definitely sense something on the outskirts of hearing.

The riffs are interesting and inventive and the general structure of the songs is an impressive homage to all things dark Metal. The band use melody well and manage to infuse the tracks with a sense of wonder and awe in addition to the usual Black Metal trappings.

Not content with this there are some Celtic Frost influences at play here as well as a bit of a Death/Morbid Angel-inspired Death Metal influence on occasion. They even flirt with some almost sci-fi touches now and then.

The songs are ambitious and as the above description shows they are not afraid to throw different influences into the blender. It all works.

The same is true of the vocals; although primarily an Old-School Black Metal croak there are also deeper grunts and cleaner utterances as well as shouting and chanting.

The sound is authentically Old-School and could in fact be some long-lost gem from decades ago.

This is a top-of-the-line Metal album with lots to draw the listener in and keep them enraptured. This is one Despot to be listened to attentively.

Norse – Pest (Review)

Norse come from Australia and play Technical Black Metal.

Their latest EP is 6 tracks and 26 minutes in length; a decent amount to get your teeth into.

From the onset they’re striking with a bold sound and unusual riffing. Encoded Weakness is atypical Black Metal with interesting riffs stopping, starting, squealing and blasting. The vocals are snarled growls of Blackened hatred.

The rest of the songs follow in a similar pattern – it’s Black Metal but played in an unusual way that gives a very fresh interpretation of the genre, whilst still remaining recognisable as Black Metal. Irradiator is a great example – the riffs slide and slither over each other in serpentine ways delivering a refreshing listening experience.

The band have an excellent grasp of dynamics, songwriting and riff-construction. This, combined with flawless delivery and a strong, oily, sinuous production mean this EP is a real treat.

Highly talented. Australia once more proves it is a leader in the Metal scene when it comes to producing innovative and interesting Metal.

https://www.facebook.com/norse.official

Enbilulugugal – Noizemongers For Goatserpent

Coming from the US this is Black Metal Noise of the darkest and filthiest order.

This is so not for most people it’s almost funny. Even the majority of hardened Extreme Metal fans would balk at this.

This is a compilation of sorts – we get their 2004 album Noizemongers For Goatserpent, a remix/reinterpretation version of the same from 2010 and a whole host of smaller harder-to-find releases tacked on to the end. All in all there are 79 tracks and 2.5 hours of music. Yes, that’s right. Read it again. 2.5 hours of music. And it’s not easy listening music I can tell you.

Enbilulugugal fuse the most twisted, mutated Black Metal with the harshest of Noise to create a perfect fusion of the two that’s nigh on unlistenable unless you’re in a certain mood or just want to punish yourself. This is the sound of nightmares made urban where the remorseless decay of society is mechanised and abused.

To judge a release such as this as good or bad is missing the point in some ways. It’s more of an experience, or even an endurance test, than any form of pleasurable listening as most people would recognise it.

Upon first playing this it took me a couple of minutes to acclimatise to what I was hearing and adjust myself internally to this new way of existing where I was being constantly buffeted by the capricious whims of noise terrorists via short, rusted aural jabs to the mind. They must have altered my brain chemistry somehow though because after a while I became inured to it all and started to find it strangely endearing.

When you exist in a perpetual state of torment is it common to miss it when it’s gone?

I very much doubt that you have the fortitude to survive this release intact. It is expressly designed to push people away so that only the worthy are left. For the vast majority of people this is simply not music and not worth the time to listen to. For the remaining few, this is Enbilulugugal.

Neige Morte – Bicephaale (Review)

This is the second album from French Black Metal band Neige Morte.

This is unusual, multi-faceted Black Metal that kidnaps other subgenres to do its wicked bidding. Noise, Industrial, Sludge, etc. all make an appearance; anything that can lend itself to creating a filthy and degrading atmosphere is used.

The band aim to create eerie, desolate, dysfunctionally abrasive atmospheres where everything is permitted except hope. The dissonant assault is overwhelming and darkness quickly takes hold.

The band play their dissonant Black Metal at an acceptable level, but I find my attention is held firmer when they slow down and give in to their filthy Sludge leanings. When they do this then they light up like a murky, Blackened funeral pyre and the filth and witchery flows freely.

This album is likely to not appeal to everyone, but for connoisseurs of the underground there is a good amount on offer here, if your tastes run to this.

Countess – Ancient Lies And Battle Cries (Review)

Hailing form the Netherlands, this is the new album by Countess, their 14th in fact, I believe.

This is the follow up to last year’s Sermons of the Infidel, where I was introduced to their individualistic, dare I say it, chirpy, brand of Black Metal. I have been looking forward to seeing what they serve up this time.

Within a few scant seconds of pressing play Countess confirm that they haven’t changed and they are, in fact, just as unique and special as they’ve always been. Hurrah!

The same distinctive vocals layer the music, and the same NWOBHM-influenced Black Metal underpins everything nicely.

There are two main differences between this and Sermons of the Infidel. The first is that Ancient Lies and Battle Cries has a few longer songs on it, and these have a bit of a nice Progressive feel to them in addition to the NWOBHM feeling. The second is the sound the band have on this recording – they sound absolutely huge! A really massive production rounds off the release and the songs sound positively buzzing due to it.

The songs remain absurdly catchy and the tracks have an astounding amount of depth and longevity in them for relatively simple compositions. This is the joy and the gift of Metal in the hands of masters.

I don’t have any of the older Countess material, sadly, but they have made a life-long fan of me nonetheless just with these last two releases alone. I won’t even pretend to be objective about this – Countess are just brilliant.

Shrike – Sieben (Review)

This is the third album from Germany’s Black Metallers Shrike.

Shrike impress with their unusual sound which is one of a band barely held together by their enthusiasm for their art, whilst concurrently holding it together long enough to breathe life into the 5 cold, dark tracks they offer us here.

There is a real authenticity and honesty to Shrike, and the lack of spit and polish on the songs is a plus as they live and pulse with an organic vitality that just wouldn’t necessarily be there if the band worked differently.

The songs are relatively varied and full of ideas for what is essentially primitive Black Metal. It’s a tribute to the band that they successfully inject a bit of personality into the genre and do their own thing with it.

At just over 30 minutes this is an enjoyable Black Metal album that has an elusive, intangible special ingredient that keeps you returning for more.

Favourite Track: Von den Farben der Sehnsucht. A very well constructed and nuanced song.

Bloodthirst – Chalice of Contempt (Review)

Poland’s Bloodthirst play Black/Thrash Metal with a hard edge.

This is harsh music that positively bursts forth with pure belligerence and arrogance.

For all their severity they also find the time to introduce some melodies and leads into the proceedings which provide depth and interest.

The addition of Blackened riffs and blastbeats into the Thrash Metal template is a welcome change from the hordes of Thrash bands who all want to be Testament. Some songs are more Thrash-based than others, while others sport this Black Metal influence more openly.

In fact, sometimes I’m torn between describing them as a Blackened Thrash band, or a Thrashy Black Metal band. Not that it really matters, but it demonstrates that they do something more with the the Thrash template than simply repeating what others have done before them. Either way; it’s Metal to the core.

The vocals are abrasive and uncompromising, falling more into the Black Metal camp than the traditional Thrash one. Snarling and raging; they’re not to be underestimated.

A very good album – give it a listen.

Chiral – Winter Eternal (Review)

This is the first demo release from Chiral, from Italy.

For a demo the sound is better than you might expect.

The music is melodic and frozen Black Metal with utterly dark, deep, guttural Death Metal utterances bubbling just undeneath. Occasional screams break the surface and leave ripples of discontent where they appear.

Old-School Swedish Black/Death Metal influences can be heard, but these are not plagiarised, merely used for passionate inspiration.

The demo cover reinforces the cold nature of the music, with the shrouded sun promising a brief hint of hope amongst a forlorn scene, characterised in the songs by the melodic riffs vying for position with the darker, icy aura.

Three tracks, 10 minutes in length. Very enjoyable for the short time it’s with us. I look forward to seeing what comes next from Chiral.