Dødsengel – Bab Al On (Review)

Dødsengel - Bab Al OnThis is the fifth album from Norwegian black metal band Dødsengel.

I haven’t caught up with Dødsengel in a while, but enjoyed both their 2013 split with Nightbringer – Circumambulations of the Solar Inferno – and their 2017 album Interequinox, so when Bab Al On appeared with its very striking album art, I knew I wanted to explore that it had to offer. Continue reading “Dødsengel – Bab Al On (Review)”

Imha Tarikat – Hearts Unchained – At War with a Passionless World (Review)

Imha Tarikat - Hearts Unchained - At War with a Passionless WorldThis is the third album from German black metal band Imha Tarikat.

Imha Tarikat’s well-written contemporary black metal is satisfying and rewarding to listen to. It combines elements from the modern and classic styles into something all of its own. Elements of hard rock, heavy Continue reading “Imha Tarikat – Hearts Unchained – At War with a Passionless World (Review)”

Udånde – Slow Death – A Celebration of Self-Hatred (Review)

Udånde - Slow Death - A Celebration of Self-HatredUdånde is a black metal solo act from Slovakia.

After enjoying 2021’s Life of a Purist, I wasn’t expecting to see a new Udånde album so soon, but I’m not complaining. Providing us with 39 minutes of melancholic black metal, 2022’s Udånde offers a harrowing journey into nightmare and desolation. Continue reading “Udånde – Slow Death – A Celebration of Self-Hatred (Review)”

Tchornobog/Abyssal – Split (Review)

Tchornobog Abyssal - SplitThis is a split release between US black/doom solo act Tchornobog and UK black/death band Abyssal.

It’s been five long years since Tchornobog’s 2017 self-titled monster, which I really, really liked. Well, the artist has now returned, alongside a host of collaborators, with a single 24-minute track called The Vomiting Choir. Continue reading “Tchornobog/Abyssal – Split (Review)”

Lykotonon – Promethean Pathology (Review)

Lykotonon - Promethean PathologyThis is the debut album from US black metallers Lykotonon.

An experimental black metal band featuring members of Blood Incantation and Wayfarer? Sign me up! Promethean Pathology contains 39 minutes of darkness, and offers a journey not to be missed for connoisseurs of the underground. Continue reading “Lykotonon – Promethean Pathology (Review)”

Orphique – Consécration Cadavérique (Review)

Orphique - Consécration CadavériqueOrphique are a Canadian black metal band and this is their debut album.

Consécration Cadavérique contains 40 minutes of music, and is an exemplary introduction to Orphique’s charismatic take on black metal. Continue reading “Orphique – Consécration Cadavérique (Review)”

Skythala – Boreal Despair (Review)

Skythala - Boreal DespairThis is the debut album from US black metal band Skythala.

Boreal Dispair offers discerning listeners 57 minutes of avant-garde black metal, which is a really simplistic way of describing a work that’s the complete opposite of simple. Continue reading “Skythala – Boreal Despair (Review)”

Kampfar – Til Klovers Takt (Review)

Kampfar - Til Klovers TaktThis is the ninth album from Norwegian Black Metallers Kampfar.

It’s been a while since I last caught up with what Kampfar were doing, (2015’s Profan). Their brand of pagan black metal is always entertaining, so when Til Klovers Takt appeared I was eager to check it out. Continue reading “Kampfar – Til Klovers Takt (Review)”

Fell Ruin – Cast in Oil the Dressed Wrought (Review)

Fell Ruin - Cast in Oil the Dressed WroughtThis is the second album from Fell Ruin, a blackened doom band from the US.

It has been a while since we last heard from Fell Ruin, but I liked 2015’s Devices and 2017’s To the Concrete Drifts enough that when I discovered a new album was coming out, I knew I wanted to absorb its dark charms. Continue reading “Fell Ruin – Cast in Oil the Dressed Wrought (Review)”