Blut Aus Nord – Hallucinogen (Review)

Blut Aus Nord - HallucinogenThis 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)”

Arallu – En Olam (Review)

Arallu - En OlamArallu 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)”

Sur Austru – Meteahna Timpurilor (Review)

Sur Austru - Meteahna TimpurilorSur Austru are an atmospheric black/folk metal band from Romania and this is their debut album.

Featuring ex-members of Negura Bunget, Sur Austru play a black/folk metal hybrid that has surprised me by how much I’ve enjoyed it. Continue reading “Sur Austru – Meteahna Timpurilor (Review)”

White Ward – Love Exchange Failure (Review)

White Ward - Love Exchange FailureThis is the second album from White Ward, a Ukrainian post-black metal band.

2017’s Futility Report was striking and enjoyable, mixing cold black metal with an avant-garde modern edge. Compared to Love Exchange Failure, however, it’s almost as if Futility Report was the prototype of this new album. Expanded Continue reading “White Ward – Love Exchange Failure (Review)”

Ossomancer – Artes Magickae (Review)

Ossomancer - Artes MagickaeOssomancer is a black metal entity from the US and this is their debut album.

Ossomancer combine old and new, taking a base of second wave black metal and transporting it to the present day. Continue reading “Ossomancer – Artes Magickae (Review)”

Haunter – Sacramental Death Qualia (Review)

Haunter - Sacramental Death QualiaThis is the second album from US black/death metallers Haunter.

Sacramental Death Qualia is a mutant, constantly-shifting hybrid of progressive black/death metal. Mixing impenetrable dissonance with grim blackened melody and classic progressive beauty, the music combines darkness and light in such way that it can be almost jarring on Continue reading “Haunter – Sacramental Death Qualia (Review)”

Winterfylleth – The Siege of Mercia: Live at Bloodstock Festival 2017 (Review)

Winterfylleth - The Siege of Mercia Live at Bloodstock Festival 2017This is a live album from Winterfylleth, a black metal band from the UK.

Winterfylleth are one of those bands that I always think I should have gotten around to listening to by now, but never have. As such, this live album seemed like as good a place as any to sample their wares. Containing five live tracks taken from the band’s first four albums, and a synth version of a track off their second album The Mercian Sphere, we are overall presented with 49 minutes of material in its entirety. Continue reading “Winterfylleth – The Siege of Mercia: Live at Bloodstock Festival 2017 (Review)”

Cloud Rat – Pollinator/Do Not Let Me Off the Cliff (Review)

Cloud Rat - Pollinator Do Not Let Me Off the CliffThis is the fourth album from Cloud Rat, a grindcore band from the US.

In my humble opinion Cloud Rat are one of the most forward-thinking, talented, and innovative grindcore bands out there, although simply labelling them grindcore is misleading and constricting, as their work frequently features so much more than your standard grindcore fare. Releases such as Qliphoth, and their various splits demonstrate this amply. Continue reading “Cloud Rat – Pollinator/Do Not Let Me Off the Cliff (Review)”