Enthean are from the US and this is their début album. They play Black Metal.
This is progressive, technical and symphonic Black/Death Metal. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but then this is a band who have a lot of different influences. I hear bands like Zyklon, Dissection, Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Septic Flesh and Fleshgod Apocalypse in their sound.
Continue reading “Enthean – Priests of Annihilation (Review)”
This is the second album from US Black Metallers Bog of the Infidel.
Bog of the Infidel play raw, orthodox Black Metal that sounds like it was recorded in an underground cavern by cultists. If you’re after the more sanitised, commercialised version of Black Metal then this won’t be for you. At all.
Continue reading “Bog of the Infidel – Asleep in the Arms of Suicide (Review)”
Phazm are from France and this is their fourth album. They play Black Metal.
Phazm’s brand of Black Metal is influenced by the Death ‘n’ Roll style as well as old-school Black Metal. These elements combine to produce a very likeable collection of songs that focus on being a catchy and enjoyable combination of blast beats, groove and inhuman vocals.
This is the third album from US one-man Black Metal project Palace of Worms.
Here we have Black Metal that manages to retain a raw and nasty demeanour while simultaneously offering enough melodic aspects to be enticingly emotive. It’s not overly melodic, but there’s enough colour and texture through the sinister melodies to add another dimension.
Ordem Satânica are a Portuguese Black Metal band and this is their latest release.
Well, if this isn’t just one of the rawest, grimmest, most foul-smelling, decayed corpses of stinkingly evil Black Metal that I’ve stumbled across in a while. This should be approached with extreme caution by everyone save the hardest of hardened Black Metal fans. It’s not for the meek.
Ordem Satânica offer up 35 minutes of blasting bile and blackened atmosphere, sounding utterly lethal as they do it. Ventos de Ódio seems to have found a way to strike back to the heart of second-wave Black Metal, torturing its soul until it gives up its infernal secrets.
The interesting thing is that although I’ve probably painted this as a pretty one-dimensional release so far, it isn’t. Amidst all of the blackened chaos and cutting, frosted riffs, there’s a surprising amount of variety here; not so much that it would stray too far from the original template, but enough to keep the listener hypnotised and slaved to its dark will. Snatches of melody, reflective introspection and frozen atmospherics all get a look in, especially during the near-17 minute final track O Negro e Eterno Vácuo.
The crackling, icy production is judged just right. It’s primitive and ugly, yet somehow manages to use this to lend power to the band, rather than leech it away as some low-quality recordings can do. This is probably due to the fact that Ordem Satânica channel the pure essence of the original Black Metal style so very well that everything just fits perfectly.
If you like your Black Metal grim, necrotic and filled to the brim with raw, underground hatred, then I heartily recommend this release.
Get it while it’s cold.
This is the latest EP from US Post-Black Metal band Tombs.
Tombs continue to be one of the better and more interesting bands in Metal today. Here we have 34 minutes of new music, in equal parts heavy, atmospheric, grand and intimidating, as only Tombs do so well.
Blending Metal, Sludge, Black Metal and Hardcore into a potent brew, their last release Savage Gold is a firm favourite of mine and it seems that All Empires Fall is going the same way, albeit for a few different reasons; Tombs have progressed and changed in some ways since their last release, and the Black Metal component of their sound is much further to the front now, along with added keyboards.
The World Is Made of Fire is a short intro track that essentially sets the scene and sounds quite imposing and epic in scope.
Second song Obsidian showcases the band’s Black Metal side to great effect, with scything screeched vocals and cutting, frozen riffs. Blasting aggression, energetic atmosphere and blackened Hardcore thuggery combine with some deft melody to create a really enjoyable darkened exploration.
After this we get Last Days of Sunlight, which is quite different. Featuring some exotically alluring clean croons, the song stalks along like a hungry predator, all menace and lethal intent. It’s a highly atmospheric slow-burner that showcases a different side of Tombs and once again demonstrates their multi-talented skills.
Deceiver is up next. It’s heavy, memorable and has a catchy, punky, blackened sheen that would do Wolvhammer proud.
The final track is the longest and simply named V. Here we get a mixture of pretty much everything that has come before it, including cleans, blackened riffs, melodic sharpness and catchy delivery.
Like the mighty Rorcal, Tombs are at the top of their game when it comes to modern Post-Black Metal that seethes with power, recognises the past and combines non-blackened genres into its stylistic package.
An essential listen.
Plebeian Grandstand are a Black Metal/blackened Hardcore band from France and this is their third album.
If you haven’t encountered Plebeian Grandstand before, then strap yourself in and prepare for violence. The band are a veritable explosion of grim aggression and antagonistic intensity.
Twisted riffs and dark melodies are encased in a solid black approach that merges the band’s Hardcore nature with a blackened corruption that seems to seep into every part of the guitars. The blasting drums are intent on nothing but causing harm and the bass is a malevolent rumble that underpins everything else.
The singer’s deranged screams form an integral part of the blasting mayhem and his is an intense performance.
The songs combine Black Metal and Hardcore into a dissonant, maniacal amalgamation that is pure viciousness embodied. As time goes on it seems that Plebeian Grandstand are embracing their Black Metal side more and more, to the point now on this album, (as well as their previous one), where it’s actually quite hard to describe them as a Hardcore band as has been done in the past.
Either way, this is another top-drawer release from a band that just keeps getting better and better with every release.
Unru are a Black Metal band from Germany and this is their début album.
This is a 36 minute trip into the harrowing world of Unru, taking in nightmarish soundscapes and dark, evil worlds.
Unru play Black Metal that’s the stuff of horror. Chaotic, discordant and destructive, the music on this release is more like the sounds of the abyss as channelled by the possessed.
I’ve enjoyed Unru’s work thus far, (such as their split with Paramnesia), and Als Tier ist der Mensch Nichts shows the band moving into even murkier and more aggressive territories, although they can still create a heavy atmosphere when they want to.
Although harsh and bleak, there are hints of melody and shade beneath the pitch black hatred and barely-contained rage that constitutes these songs. Alongside the blasting Crust-fuelled bile that the band regularly spew forth, dark atmospheres are explored and developed, with these deviations in particular sounding keenly emotive. Doom-workouts and murky noise-assaults add yet another layer to their sound and Unru basically spend their time on this release impressing the Hell out of me.
The vocals are howling screams, utterly deranged and full of so much loathing and contempt that it’s possible the singer is no longer sane or even human. Like something unnatural wailing into the void, his performance is first-rate and sounds near-physical in its impact. When this is also joined with deep growls it’s enough to get all of the hair on your body rigid and standing to attention.
Unru have not disappointed with their first album, and I’d highly recommend this to all fans of blackened darkness.
This is the second album from Black Metal band Burial, who are from the UK.
Burial play raw Black Metal with speed and malice.
Pure venom seems to seep out of every corrupted pore as the band aggressively attack the material with the fervour of the fanatic. The guitars have a very pleasing tone and have that razor-like quality that suits Black Metal so well.
The songs don’t outstay their welcome, and the entire release blurs by in 31 minutes of dark, angry malevolence.
The brutality of the music is threaded through with bands of melody that add a bit of depth to the attack. Some Darkthrone-esque groove is introduced when the band slow the pace a little, and these parts are just as good a listen as their faster brethren.
Throughout the album it’s clear that Burial know how to shape and channel these kind of grim incantations, and the songs are a very enjoyable listen.
Vocally we get traditional blackened screaming which hits the spot nicely, but in addition to this there are also deep growls which are very satisfyingly performed, sounding, as they do, pitch black and evil.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Have a listen and see if they do it for you.
Bustum are a Croatian Black Metal band and this is their début album.
Bustum play their Black Metal raw and traditional, fuelled by the second wave and filled with Satanic might.
The vocals are harsh shrieks, performed in the classic style. The singer also uses deeper growls here and there, which is less expected and a welcome addition to the general violence and misanthropy on Demonolosophy.
The songs slice, cut and lacerate with frozen blades and seething malevolence. Dark, blackened melodies seem to writhe just below the surface and add depth to the band’s musical endeavours.
The songs are simple, underground hymns to dark forces that carry themselves well and provide for a quite enjoyable 33 minutes. It’s a well-written album and included in these tracks are some nice riffs with enough sections that show they’re capable of more than just hate-filled speed; they display a good grasp of pacing and compositional structure on these songs too.
I enjoyed this. If you like Black Metal then I’m sure you will too. Check it out.
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