Polemicist – Zarathustrian Impressions (Review)

Polemicist - Zarathustrian ImpressionsPolemicist are a black/death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.

Polemicist mix black and death metal with a heavy metal influence, to create songs that have an epic feel, but without the epic lengths. Continue reading “Polemicist – Zarathustrian Impressions (Review)”

Crimson Moon – Mors Vincit Omnia (Review)

Crimson Moon - Mors Vincit OmniaThis is the fourth album from US black metallers Crimson Moon.

This is the follow up to 2016’s Oneironaut, which I enjoyed so much that it placed on my end of year list for that year. Mors Vincit Omnia contains 54 minutes of music spread out over 8 tracks. This time the band’s mastermind has a main group of three, including himself, along with guest drums, (Aosoth/Antaeus), and several guest vocalists, (Absu, Archgoat, Demoncy, Kawir). Continue reading “Crimson Moon – Mors Vincit Omnia (Review)”

Gurthang – Ascension (Review)

Gurthang - AscensionGurthang are a Polish black metal band and this is their sixth album.

Ascension contains 57 minutes of textured black metal modelled on the second wave, but mixed with some more modern influences and enhanced with doom elements in places. Continue reading “Gurthang – Ascension (Review)”

Ragnell – Rebirth in Darkness (Review)

Ragnell - Rebirth in DarknessThis is the second album from Ragnell, a black/death metal band from Mexico.

This is an enjoyable mix of black and death metal, with the ratio skewed towards to the black side a bit more than the death one. Continue reading “Ragnell – Rebirth in Darkness (Review)”

Salvaticus – Ordo Naturalis (Review)

Salvaticus - Ordo NaturalisThis is the second album from US black metallers Salvaticus.

2014 seems quite long ago, but that was when the very enjoyable Hidden Manna was released. I really, really liked that record, and it even made my end of year list for that year. Over five years later, the band have now returned with Ordo Naturalis, and it seems they have been busy. Continue reading “Salvaticus – Ordo Naturalis (Review)”

Abigorum – Exaltatus Mechanism (Review)

Abigorum - Exaltatus MechanismAbigorum are a black/doom metal band from Russia/Germany and this is their debut album.

Exaltatus Mechanism contains 46 minutes of blackened soundscapes filled with bleak, ritualistic occult atmosphere and daemonic presence. Continue reading “Abigorum – Exaltatus Mechanism (Review)”

Serpents Athirst/Genocide Shrines/Trepanation/Heresiarch – Scorn Coalescence – Split (Review)

Serpents Athirst Genocide Shrines Trepanation Heresiarch - Scorn Coalescence - SplitThis four way split is between Serpents Athirst and Genocide Shrines from Sri Lanka, and Trepanation and Heresiarch from New Zealand. Each offer up a single track. Continue reading “Serpents Athirst/Genocide Shrines/Trepanation/Heresiarch – Scorn Coalescence – Split (Review)”

Kludde – In de Kwelm (Review)

Kludde - In de KwelmKludde are a Belgian black metal band and this is their second album.

Inspired by second wave black metal, this is old-school, raw, and menacing. A death metal influence can be heard in the music, giving it more muscle and thickness than some black metal out there. Pinches of crust’s energetic urgency can be detected too here and there, propelling a particular passage along at a punishing rate. There’s even a doom/sludge influence; this mainly Continue reading “Kludde – In de Kwelm (Review)”