Black metal – Page 164 – Wonderbox Metal

Abbey ov Thelema – Liber DCLXVI (Review)

Abbey ov Thelema are from Slovakia and this is their second album.

They play experimental, avant garde Black Metal. Highly orchestrated and complex, this is ambitious and bold as only the best Black Metal can be. Although saying that, Black Metal may be the underpinning starting point but it’s mutated and morphed far from it’s original format.

The tracks can be both chaotic and coherent; energetic and subdued; eclectic and considered. Sometimes it sounds as if The Dillinger Escape Plan had been consumed by Ebony Lake with Arcturus and Dødheimsgard overseeing proceedings.

There is clearly a lot of high class musicianship at play here, with everything arranged to exacting standards to create a whirling maelstrom of conflicting soundscapes that approach like furious waves and lash at the listener, never letting them rest or prepare for what comes next; the moment one onslaught of musical might crashes by the next tsunami of sound is about to hit.

It’s not all about the, (barely), controlled chaos of course, they also have calmer moments. These lulls act like buffers between the oncoming storms that they irregularly unleash.

This is not a band that will appeal to lovers of standard song structures and musical rules, but people who are looking for something a bit more adventurous should definitely check this out.

Ultimately this is a very hard album to describe as mere words don’t adequately do it justice. Abbey ov Thelema create a sort of demented majesty that really needs to be heard to fully appreciate what they’re about.

So strap yourself in, don the safety goggles, brace yourself and play at top volume.

Malhkebre – Revelation (Review)

This is the début album from French Black Metallers Malhkebre.

Underground Orthodox Black Metal played with spite and venom.

The vocals are traditional Black Metal croaks that mix in some occasional chants and more ritualistic utterances and hymns to create an overall impression of worship or summoning of some hideous deity.

Revelation is ugly and unhinged, sounding only one step removed from losing its identity in a feral nightmare of debauchery and twisted filth. There’s nothing pretty or romantic about this form of Black Metal. This is all about the dark side, the underbelly of the scene. The occult feeling is strong but in a base, sacrificial way; rather than being shrouded in mystery or fog it’s shrouded in blood and gore.

For all of this though the band don’t truly lose themselves in a frenzy as they’re more than capable of holding back when necessary and playing slower, no less warped riffs and passages; Hystérie Révélatrice (Part II) is a perfect example of this.

Utterly devoted releases like Revelation are surprisingly rare these days. If you like your Black Metal primal and unadorned then this is for you.

Hyperborean – Mythos of the Great Pestilence (Review)

Hyperborean are from Sweden and play Black Metal. This is their second album.

We have 9 tracks here, one of which is a cover of (Don’t Fear) the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult.

Hyperborean play Melodic Black Metal with bite and flourish. This accomplished band are comfortable playing both at speed and at a more mid-paced rate. Expressive leads and emotive riffs accompany some inhuman drumming to produce the kind of songs that bands like Naglfar and Satyricon would be proud of.

The vocals scream their rage into an empty abyss, occasionally venting into a deeper grunt to emphasise their disdain for all things full of life and hope.

The music is sharp and some of the riffs are surprising; they have a good sense of dynamics and a good ear for melody. They also incorporate more solos and leads than a lot of bands of this ilk and this sits on top of their hardened core making the songs seem to zip by in a colourful blur. And with a 54 minute album this is no mean feat.

This is really enjoyable Black Metal and I like that the band haven’t gone the safe route and simply regurgitated generic riffs that have bean heard a thousand times before; some of the mid-paced riffs especially hit the spot nicely and really get the limbs gyrating along with the tunes.

Quality band, quality album.

The video below is for the title track, and one of my favourites from the album. Give it a try.

Spectral Lore – III (Review)

This is the fourth album from Greek Black Metallers Spectral Lore.

Spectral Lore play atmospheric Black Metal which courses with malevolence and a feeling of exploration without too much experimentation.

The songs are long, (as indeed is the album at just under 90 minutes), and they’re not afraid to develop their Progressive and Ambient sides. Well, I say “they” but Spectral Lore is actually only one person, which makes this album even more impressive.

The songs have a good amount of interest and variety during their long playing time which is essential for a work such as this. The Blackened melodies slip out of the speakers and the howling vocals are perfectly judged.

Even the bass is audible and does its own thing irrespective of the guitars in a rare show of autonomy.

Each track is emotive and lavishly bestowed with depth and character. A classic and masterfully judged recording harks back to the early glory days of the genre when Black Metal was already straining at the seams of its genre definitions but had yet to burst out completely. The sound in general is reminiscent of early Emperor and Satyricon and evokes nostalgic feelings whilst simultaneously earning it a stamp of high quality.

II is a veritable work of Black Metal art. It’s worth investing in this as its true value will only increase in time.

Lysura – II (Review)

Coming form the US, Lysura play Black Metal and this is their latest release.

II has two tracks, each clocking in at 8:41. This is Dissection-inspired Black Metal with a hint of Emperor.

Seasons in Exile starts off with some soft sounds and a gruff spoken voice barely audible. This slowly and inexorably builds to a rather grand set of riffs and noises reminiscent of Enslaved.

Once the song speeds up the screeching high vocals take the fore and we’re in icy cold territory with some bleak melodics and just a subtle hint of Thrash. Some Doom and even proto-Death Metal passages are allowed into the song enhancing it with their presence.

The second track Tome of Suppression starts with a rumbling, chuggy groove with razor blade vocals propelling it forwards before dropping off into lighter atmospherics with some almost 70’s noodling going on. Things soon get heavy again and add in a few Classic Metal riffs and we’re good to go.

The track demonstrates Lysura’s competence in weaving in small snippets of other genres into their sound without neglecting or weakening the Black Metal core that they’re founded on. Like the first one, this track is a winner.

II has a good energy about it and the band seem comfortable with their songwriting skills, even throwing in solos and leads.

Although this is billed as a demo the sound quality is perfectly fine for the most part and doesn’t get in the way of the enjoyment factor at all.

This is the kind of Black Metal that it’s easy to like; even within the given framework Lysura provide enough variety and interest to sustain and have enough depth of composition to ensure they aren’t written off lightly.

They have yet to release a full album, but when they do it’ll probably by a stormer.

Check this out.

Streaming here – http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=102767

Valdrin – Beyond the Forest (Review)

This is the debut release from US Black Metallers Valdrin.

Valdrin play Melodic Black Metal; if you think of Dissection, Old Man’s Child, Dimmu Borgir and Emperor as your starting points you’ll get the right idea.

That’s not to say this is overly symphonic or orchestrated though; Valdrin may tip their toe in that genre of Black metal but they firmly live on the darker, harsher side of the Melodic Black Metal spectrum.

The orchestration and effects they employ are subtler than the more overt side of Dimmu Borgir and even Emperor, and are mere enhancements to the songs rather than the driving force.

The band know how to effortlessly mix aggression and melody, and have a good amount of variety in their compositions for this genre. They even employ a few solos; unusual for Black Metal but a very welcome addition.

The pure-blooded Black Metal vocals work well and complement the darkness of the music.

This is atmospheric Black Metal with none of the pomp and plenty of bite. It’s good to hear a few bands playing this style recently and bringing back the good old days of harsher Black Metal whilst still retaining some melodies and a sense of atmosphere.

Highly enjoyable.

Favourite Track: Beyond the Forest. Epic and empowering.

Dimholt – Liberation Funeral (Review)

Dimholt are a Bulgarian Black Metal band. This is their début album.

This is abrasive Black Metal with an aggressive edge.

The band have carefully crafted these 10 songs into a dark piece of Blackened art ready to spread ice to the warmest of hearts.

Dimholt may frequently play at speed but there’s always time for a frigid atmosphere to be developed. They also slow the pace when needed though to take advantage of subtler melodies and some nuanced riffing.

The band have an interesting line in Black Metal riffs, with a few atypical ones rearing their heads and enhancing their songs. Chaos Reborn is one example of many, where one of the riffs in particular has quite a Rockabilly feeling to it almost, albeit all Black Metalled up.

The vocals are scathing and full of icy hate, as befits this style of music. Dimholt also inject some cleaner vocals into the mix on occasion and these sound quite grand and impressive. It’s all very good stuff.

A full and impressive sound rounds the entire package off, and this is a Black Metal album that’s easy to fall for.

Top quality Black Metal. Check it out.

Black Anvil – Hail Death (Review)

Black Anvil are from the US and this is their third album of Black Metal.

As the first song Still Reborn slowly unfolds you know you’re in for a treat. There is a Thrash influence to the band that allows their songs to have somewhat of an epic feel to them rather akin to classic Metallica; cross this with an expansive Black Metal feeling the likes of which Enslaved create, (minus Viking influences), and give this whole idea a frozen Black Metal makeover and you’ve an idea of where Black Anvil are coming from.

Initial impressions? …And Justice For All being slowly eaten by Mardraum – Beyond the Within. High praise indeed.

And some of these riffs! Dear me. Excuse me while I have a sit down and compose myself. The band have obviously hit their stride with this album; each song is a powerful collection of riffs, solos, ideas, emotive passages and pulse-raising sections. The overall song is never sacrificed for any of these though, and each track is a delight.

The main vocals are Black Metal screams done in an Enslaved style, while additional vocals consist of everything from gang shouts to mystical cleans.

At over an hour and eleven minutes of music this never gets old or stale; Black Anvil have a lot to offer the listener and it’s easy to get sucked into their world.

A warm, organic production complements the songs and allows them to get under your skin and into your brain. There’s something particularly satisfying about the drum sound especially.

This is an exceptional album written by people who appear to be channelling the essential essence of Metal. This album deserves to be in your collection.

Black Anvil are just too good!

Narbeleth – A Hatred Manifesto (Review)

This is the second album from Cuban Black Metal band Narbeleth.

This is the real deal – proper underground Black Metal come to terrorize and destroy all you hold dear.

At just over 30 minutes in length it doesn’t mess around; 7 original hymns and a Urgehal cover.

A glance at the song titles and you know what you’re getting. There’s not much mistaking a band with a song called Posercorpse.

But what about the music? It’s Blacker than Black with a better recording than you might expect, which lends the songs an air of freedom to breathe in their skins. A satisfying snare sound and a cold but vital guitar tone seals the deal.

The band play plenty of blast beats but also slow down when necessary to foster an icy, unholy air with twisting melodics; Land of the Heathen being a good example, especially as it unexpectedly features clean vocals. But then Narbeleth likes to throw in the odd unexpected move here and there; such as the guitar solo in Nihilistic Propaganda.

This is exactly what you want from Black Metal.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Narbeleth/369227176434482

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.