This is the debut album from Spanish black metallers Voidescent.
Dust and Embers contains 47 minutes of modern black metal that combines elements of the classic style with a more contemporary vision. Voidescent’s first album is imposing and accomplished. Continue reading “Voidescent – Dust and Embers (Review)”
This is the debut album from Taubrą, a Swiss/Norwegian black metal band.
Featuring members of Aara, Forgotten Tomb, Modern Rites, Porta Nigra, and Thron, Therizo contains 41 minutes of old-school black metal. Think of a combination of influences from acts such as Mayhem, Immortal, Behexen, Tsjuder, Marduk, and Gorgoroth, and you’ll be on the right lines. Continue reading “Taubrą – Therizo (Review)”
This is the second album from Polish black metallers Mānbryne.
I enjoyed 2021’s Heilsweg: O Udręce Ciała I Tułaczce Duszy, so was eager to check out its follow up. Interregnum: O Próbie Wiary i Jarzmie Zwątpienia contains 40 minutes of new material. Back with a new drummer, (also in Blaze of Perdition), Mānbryne sound better than ever. Continue reading “Mānbryne – Interregnum: O Próbie Wiary i Jarzmie Zwątpienia (Review)”
This is the ninth album from US black metal band Krieg.
Ruiner contains 40 minutes of black metal that’s dark, melancholic, and full of venomous aggression. Continue reading “Krieg – Ruiner (Review)”
This is the third album from Ὁπλίτης, (otherwise known as Hoplites), a solo post-black metal band from China.
The artist behind Ὁπλίτης has had a busy year. This is the third album from this project alone, (following on from Ψευδομένη and Τρωθησομένη), never mind other extracurricular activities such as the Vitriolic Sage record. With such a withering rate of output, has Ἀντιτιμωρουμένη seen the quality levels of Ὁπλίτης dip? Continue reading “Ὁπλίτης (Hoplites) – Ἀντιτιμωρουμένη (Review)”
This is the fourth album from one-man French black metal band Sühnopfer.
This is the third release I’ve covered from Sühnopfer, (the other two being 2014’s Offertoire and 2019’s Hic Regnant Borbonii Manes), so it’s welcome to hear more from this artist. Across 55 minutes of new material, (which includes a black metal interpretation of a song from 1968 by Michel Polnareff), Nous Sommes d’Hier impresses with its compelling take on the melodic blackened style. Continue reading “Sühnopfer – Nous Sommes d’Hier (Review)”
Furia are a black metal band from Poland and this is their sixth album.
I haven’t reviewed a Furia release before, so this offers a well-overdue chance to rectify this unfortunate situation, and cast a critical eye over what this idiosyncratic band are up to in 2023. Over time Furia have only gotten more individual and experimental, so what does Huta Luna have to offer discerning black metal fans? Continue reading “Furia – Huta Luna (Review)”
This is the third album from Austrian black metallers The Negative Bias.
I’ve never encountered a full album by The Negative Bias before, but I really enjoyed their 2018 split with Golden Dawn and 2021 EP Tapeworm Pyramids, so I jumped on the chance to explore The Seven Seals of Saligia. Continue reading “The Negative Bias – The Seven Seals of Saligia (Review)”
This is the fourth album from US post-black metal band Ashbringer.
This is the follow up to 2019’s well-received Absolution, We Came Here to Grieve brings us 44 minutes of new music. On this new record Ashbringer continue to evolve their sound, pushing the envelope further, with a multifaceted mix of experimental black metal sounds. Although having said that, there’s less direct black metal on this album, for sure. Continue reading “Ashbringer – We Came Here to Grieve (Review)”
Lunar Tombfields are a black metal band from France and this is their second album.
Following hot on the heels of last year’s The Eternal Harvest, Lunar Tombfields have now returned with 46 minutes of new material. Despite being so temporally close to its predecessor, An Arrow to the Sun has a different character to The Eternal Harvest. Continue reading “Lunar Tombfields – An Arrow to the Sun (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 