Images at Twilight are an orchestral Black Metal band from Norway. This is their début album.
Featuring the same orchestral mastermind behind the stunning symphonic Death/Doom début by Abyssic, Images at Twilight is essentially a Black Metal version of this, (or the other way around, actually, as this album came first), with rich, sumptuous orchestration and classical grandness.
This is the début album from Brazilian Post-Black Metal band Solifvgae.
Solifvgae take the harshness of the core of Black Metal and wrap it up in Post-Metal reflection and exploration, making for an album that spreads itself across two worlds, taking in both aspects in equal measure. It’s almost a band of two parts, as the heavy bits are sharp and concise, while the more progressive/exploratory sections are wandering and expansive.
Entropy is a bit of a monster of an album. Featuring 72 minutes of atmospheric Post-Black Metal that seems to take the listener on a journey, it’s a release that keeps getting better the more time you spend with it. I got in touch with the brains behind the music to get a bit of background information; music like this should not be overlooked, so if you’ve chanced upon this article at all, make sure you check out the album.
For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!
My name is Brock. I do all of the writing, recording, and producing for Echoes of the Moon. I am currently 21 and living in a small town in Indiana. Continue reading “Interview with Echoes of the Moon”
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.
