Azaghal – Valo Pohjoisesta (Review)

Azaghal - Valo PohjoisestaAzaghal are a Finnish black metal band and this is their eleventh album.

It’s been many, many years since I last heard Azaghal. This is definitely my loss, as I was a huge fan of the band at one point. Unfortunately I just lost track of what they were doing, for no particular reason, so it’s great to have the opportunity to catch up with them on their latest release. Continue reading “Azaghal – Valo Pohjoisesta (Review)”

Blurr Thrower – Les Avatars du Vide (Review)

Blurr Thrower - Les Avatars du VideBlurr Thrower is a one man atmospheric black metal band from France and this is his debut release.

Blurr Thrower’s music is heavily influenced by the Cascadian scene, which is no bad thing when the results are this good. Continue reading “Blurr Thrower – Les Avatars du Vide (Review)”

Barshasketh – Barshasketh (Review)

Barshasketh - BarshaskethBarshasketh are a black metal band from New Zealand/the UK and this is their fourth album.

My past encounters with Barshasketh have always been very positive, (see their split with Void Ritual and split with Outre), but this is my first exposure to a full length from the band.

Well, I enjoyed the band’s previous work that I’ve heard, but this is something else. Continue reading “Barshasketh – Barshasketh (Review)”

Embra – Abjection (Review)

Embra - AbjectionThis is the debut album from Embra, a black/death metal band from the US.

Here we have a very tasty and impressive slice of modern atmospheric black metal, shot through with dark death metal influences for added bite. Continue reading “Embra – Abjection (Review)”

Dim Lords – Last World, Dead Universe (Review)

Dim Lords - Last World, Dead UniverseThis is the debut release by Dim Lords, an anonymous black metal band.

With very little information about this band, (that I could find), other than what’s available from the below Bandcamp page, we’re left to simply absorb the 19 minutes of material we are confronted by on Last World, Dead Universe. Continue reading “Dim Lords – Last World, Dead Universe (Review)”

Echtra – BardO (Review)

Echtra - BardOEchtra is a one man black metal/drone band, and this is his fourth album.

All Echtra songs clock in at 23 minutes, and BardO contains two of them. Across these sprawling tracks depth and texture is achieved through a variety of instruments that are used in conjunction with each other to create a tapestry of atmospheric darkness and light. Continue reading “Echtra – BardO (Review)”

Sigh – Heir to Despair (Review)

Sigh - Heir to DespairSigh are a Japanese black/avant-garde metal band and this is their eleventh album.

A new Sigh album is always somewhat of an event, and you never really quite know what you’re going to be getting yourself into with it. This latest album follows on after the symphonic blackened offering of 2015’s Graveward, but distances itself from its predecessor quite significantly by giving us 53 minutes of material that’s been influenced by folk and old/obscure progressive rock more than ever before. Continue reading “Sigh – Heir to Despair (Review)”

Thron – Abysmal (Review)

Thron - AbysmalThron are a German melodic black metal band and this is their second album.

Thron play professionally-recorded black metal influenced by the second wave, with bands such as Dissection, Dimmu Borgir, Naglfar, Necrophobic, and Marduk worthy of mention as decent starting points for Abysmal. Continue reading “Thron – Abysmal (Review)”