This is the second album from French black metal band Hyrgal.
2017’s Serpentine was an enjoyably aggressive cold slab of melodic darkness. Three years later, and the band return, and they’ve clearly been busy. Continue reading “Hyrgal – Fin de Règne (Review)”
This is the fifth album from Czech band Panychida, who play black metal.
I enjoyed 2013’s Grief for an Idol, and especially liked 2016’s Haereticalia – The Night Battles, so when it came once more to partake in a further round of Panychida’s brand of black metal, I couldn’t resist. Continue reading “Panychida – Gabreta Aeterna (Review)”
This is the debut album from Varde, a Norwegian black metal band.
Fedraminne contains 59 minutes of black metal that mixes folk influences into an atmospheric journey. Continue reading “Varde – Fedraminne (Review)”
This is the second album from Greek black metallers Isolert.
Isolert specialise in Scandinavian-style second wave black metal, and I like the way they play it. Thus far, 2015’s Isolated Soul, 2016’s No Hope, No Light…Only Death, and 2017’s Towards the Great Dissolution, (a split with Insanity Cult), all satisfied, and now the band are back Continue reading “Isolert – World in Ruins (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Soulburn, a black metal band from the Netherlands.
Following up from 2016’s Earthless Pagan Spirit, (via an EP I hadn’t heard, but is actually included here as bonus tracks), Noa’s D’ark is 47 minutes of music with snarling attitude and infectious guitars. Continue reading “Soulburn – Noa’s D’ark (Review)”
This is the second album from Déluge, a French post-black metal band.
This is the follow up to 2015’s striking Æther, which was a powerhouse of violence and atmosphere. Five years later, and the band are not the same beast anymore, not completely anyway. Ægo Templo takes the Continue reading “Déluge – Ægo Templo (Review)”
This is the third album from Shaidar Logoth, a black metal band from the US.
Here we have 48 minutes of atmospheric black metal, a mixture of the beautiful and the harsh. Although you may think that these two things oppose each other, Shaidar Logoth ably show that this does not have to be the case. Parts of Continue reading “Shaidar Logoth – Chapter III: The Void God (Review)”
This is the third album from French black metallers Void Paradigm.
Ultime Pulsation | Demain Brûle may only contain two tracks, (Ultime Pulsation and Demain Brûle), but when each is almost 20 minutes in length, there’s no problem with that at all. Continue reading “Void Paradigm – Ultime Pulsation | Demain Brûle (Review)”
This is the third album from German black metallers Beltez.
Following on from 2017’s well-regarded Exiled, Punished…Rejected, A Grey Chill and a Whisper is well-received and quite exceptional. Across 65 minutes Beltez brutalise and mystify with a compelling tale of darkness and despair, but with some glimmers of hope. Continue reading “Beltez – A Grey Chill and a Whisper (Review)”
This is the fifth album from French black metallers Darkenhöld.
We last caught up with Darkenhöld on 2014’s Castellum, although the band haven’t been doing nothing in the past six years; they’ve had an another album and a split release with Griffon since then. Darkenhöld specialise in old-school Continue reading “Darkenhöld – Arcanes & Sortilèges (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 