This is the third album from Italian black metal band Earth and Pillars.
2016’s Pillars I consisted of four monolithic tracks that made a very good impression. A release full of dark delights, it was a memorable album that still holds itself very well three years later. Continue reading “Earth and Pillars – Earth II (Review)”
This is the debut album from Endless Voyage X, a black metal band from the US.
Here we have 34 minutes of music that takes a second wave black metal base and builds on it with additional melody and atmosphere. Continue reading “Endless Voyage X – Opaque (Review)”
Schammasch are a Black Metal band from Switzerland. This is their fourth album.
Was it really 2016 that the epic Triangle was released to an unsuspecting world? Apparently so. An incredibly strong release, it narrowly missed out on the top spot for my best albums of 2016 list. It was followed up in 2017 by the even more avant-garde EP The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite, which provided a compelling dose of atmospheric material. Continue reading “Schammasch – Hearts of No Light (Review)”
Midnight Odyssey is an Australian one-man black metal band and this is his third album.
As ridiculous as it sounds, I almost didn’t want to review or even listen to this album. Why? Because the band’s last album – 2015’s immense Shards of Silver Fade – was so hideously good that I couldn’t imagine being anything but disappointed with Biolume Part 1 – In Tartarean Chains. After all, Shards of Silver Fade claimed the coveted top spot in my end of year list for 2015, so this new one had a lot to live up to.
Anyway, enough preamble. Time to judge Biolume Part 1 – In Tartarean Chains on its own merits, of which there are many. Apparently this is the first in a trilogy of albums. I can’t wait to hear the next one already. Continue reading “Midnight Odyssey – Biolume Part 1 – In Tartarean Chains (Review)”
Frostmoon Eclipse are an Italian black metal band and this is their seventh album.
Frostmoon Eclipse play black metal that blends together elements of old and new(ish), coming across like a combination of where the classic second wave sound was circa 2000, while also having more than enough of the band’s own contemporary personalities mixed in. Continue reading “Frostmoon Eclipse – Worse Weather to Come (Review)”
The Great Old Ones are a black metal band from France and this is their fourth album.
Any fan of atmospheric/post-black metal would be advised to check out Tekeli-li, and EOD: A Tale of Dark Legacy. Both are great examples of quality blackened journeys crafted by a band that know their art well. On Cosmicism the band have spread their wings further, while also staying true to what makes them such an engaging act. Continue reading “The Great Old Ones – Cosmicism (Review)”
This is the second album from Dawn Ray’d, a black metal band from the UK.
Dawn Ray’d play classic, second wave-inspired black metal, with moments of folk interspersed here and there. Violin features prominently, and enhances the music in unobtrusive ways. Continue reading “Dawn Ray’d – Behold Sedition Plainsong (Review)”
This is the thirteenth album from Blut Aus Nord, a French black metal band.
You never quite know what you’re going to be getting with a Blut Aus Nord release, and on Hallucinogen the band have mutated once again. Their latest incarnation is an avant-garde progressive black metal monster, emphasising atmosphere and feeling via engaging blackened soundscapes. Continue reading “Blut Aus Nord – Hallucinogen (Review)”
This is the second album from Maïeutiste, a French Black Metal band.
2015’s Maïeutiste was a record that impressed. Full of wide-ranging content and engaging blackened exploration, it was an album of fire and mystery. Veritas continues the theme developed in the band’s earlier work, only to refine it further. Continue reading “Maïeutiste – Veritas (Review)”
Arallu are black metal band from Israel and this is their seventh album.
I always really like Arallu’s work, (check out Six, Geniewar, and Desert Battles – Descending to the Sands), so it’s exciting to see a new album emerge. Continue reading “Arallu – En Olam (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 