Black metal – Page 186 – Wonderbox Metal

Interview with In Cauda Venenum

The self-titled debut album by In Cauda Venenum is now over a year old and about to get a vinyl re-release. If you haven’t yet heard it then I highly suggest you do. Containing only two tracks, yet running for 42 minutes, the music is epic, top-of-the-line atmospheric black metal, full of texture and darkness.

Ictus, (guitars, bass and vocals), brought me up to speed with all you need to know about this talented band…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

We are two guys playing Black Metal songs. We like making it epic, progressive and atmospheric. If you enjoy long tracks, you should give a chance to IN CAUDA VENENUM.

Give us a bit of background to In Cauda Venenum

I wrote 4 first ICV songs during 2009 and 2010. When N.K.L.S. joined me as a drummer in 2011, we decided to bring them to another level and started a rewriting process. After several years working on these 4 tracks, we finally decided to focus on 2 tracks to prepare our first release. We made this choice because our tracks were quite long (more than 20 min each), and the job was to huge. Continue reading “Interview with In Cauda Venenum”

Throneum – Morbid Death Tales (Review)

This is the seventh album from Throneum, a Polish death metal band.

This is ugly, raw death metal, produced by a band that have amassed a huge back catalog. Although quantity does not necessarily equate to quality, at this stage Throneum have been doing this long enough to know their way around the crypt they inhabit. Continue reading “Throneum – Morbid Death Tales (Review)”

Cara Neir/Wildspeaker – Guilt and His Reflection (Review)

Cara Neir are a black metal/crust/grind/whatever band from the US. They have teamed up with Wildspeaker, a blackened sludge/crust band, also from the US.

I’m a big fan of Cara Neir, so as far as I’m concerned any release of theirs is well worth giving a listen to. On this split they contribute seven songs spread over 21 minutes.

You never quite know what you’re going to be getting with Continue reading “Cara Neir/Wildspeaker – Guilt and His Reflection (Review)”

Predatory Light – Predatory Light (Review)

This is the debut album from US black metallers Predatory Light.

Featuring members of Mania, Triumvir Foul and Ash Borer, this release comes with high expectations before it even starts. As you can probably guess, those expectations are fulfilled.

Predatory Light play black metal with a serving of doom and a keen Continue reading “Predatory Light – Predatory Light (Review)”

In Obscurity Revealed – Grim Fumes of Revelation (Review)

In Obscurity Revealed are a blackened death metal band from Mexico and this is their debut EP.

Something about the cover of this release just made it impossible to pass over for review; as soon as I saw it I knew I had to listen to it and write words about it.

So here we are.

So what’s all this about then, I hear you ask? Continue reading “In Obscurity Revealed – Grim Fumes of Revelation (Review)”

Axxen Conners – Nowhere to Escape Sins (Review)

Axxen Conners are a progressive death metal band from Turkey. This is their debut EP.

This short, sub-13 minute EP is an interesting listen. Professionally recorded with a solid sound, the band effectively showcase their metal vision.

The band play a sort of death metal that has a progressive/melodic edge, with elements of black metal stirred into Continue reading “Axxen Conners – Nowhere to Escape Sins (Review)”

Pénitence Onirique – V.I.T.R.I.O.L. (Review)

This is the debut album by Pénitence Onirique, a French black metal band.

Pénitence Onirique play scathing black metal, filled with dark atmosphere and with a foreboding presence.

Razor sharp vocals lash out from the music like barbs, lacerating with ease, while the Continue reading “Pénitence Onirique – V.I.T.R.I.O.L. (Review)”

Agatus – The Eternalist (Review)

This is the third album from this Greek black/heavy metal band.

Now this is an interesting release. 14 years after their second album, Agatus return with even more of a progressive/heavy metal approach to their music.

70s progressive rock and NWOBHM influences collide head-on with the black metal background of the group, making for an album that sounds little like any of their contemporaries.

The closest I can come to compare with other bands would be a crazy fusion of Rotting Christ, Vintersorg and Countess, all given a workover by NWOBHM and 70s progressive rock. or something. All I know is it’s infectious, addictive, individual and bloody good.

The black metal aspects Continue reading “Agatus – The Eternalist (Review)”

Interview with Ancient

Ancient have returned! Back to the Land of the Dead is the band’s first outing in 12 years, and one that has amassed no small amount of expectation in certain quarters.

You’ll no doubt be pleased to know that it’s an album that lives up to these expectations, one that’s worth taking the time to listen to and to get to know as it lashes you with its frosted riffs and serrated vocals.

Thankfully, when speaking to the owner of said serrated vocals, he revealed himself to be much less scary than his recordings would suggest.

Step into the world of Ancient…

Introduce yourself!

My name is Zel, founder of the band Ancient, an extreme metal band, with roots in the Norwegian black metal scene, founded in Norway in 1992, but today is based in Italy, and Greece (where I live). Continue reading “Interview with Ancient”

Vrtra – My Bones Hold a Stillness (Review)

Vrtra are a black metal/post-black metal/blackened doom band from the US. This is their debut album.

Holy shit this is good! Is that an appropriate way to start a review? I dunno. Probably not, but who cares, because holy shit this is good!

This is a sickly-blackened release that contains elements of doom, death, black and post-metal within its 31 minute length. Vrtra do not respect musical boundaries, and why should they? I’ll tentatively refer to them as Continue reading “Vrtra – My Bones Hold a Stillness (Review)”