Black metal – Page 211 – Wonderbox Metal

Sigh – Graveward (Review)

This is the tenth Sigh album. If you’ve never encountered them before, they’re from Japan and they play Black Metal. At least, that’s what they started out as and they’ve just kind of evolved from there. Avant-Garde Black Metal/Extreme Metal is probably closest to the mark these days, if you have to label it at all.

Sigh are one of the few bands in existence that come even close to being able to be called unique. They definitely have their own sound and identity, even if this has changed quite a bit through the years.

So on to Graveward. This is dense and complex music that features a lot of different parts to the songs. Clearly a lot of work has gone into these compositions.

The Black Metal base is present and correct, as well as the Avant-Garde tendencies. Add to this is a psychedelic influence, powerful cinematic qualities as well as a strong theatrical component and you have an album that’s born to stand out from the pack.

The theatrical nature of the release belies the horror-themed core of the album, but ultimately serves to reinforce it.

As you might think, each track has a lot going on and it’s a lot to take in on first listen. Subsequent spins reveal all kinds of nuances and little things that you didn’t necessarily consciously pick up on first time around.

Choirs and orchestration rub shoulders with Thrash riffs and Blackened croaks. Psychedelic keyboards and operatic vocals join horns and saxophones in backing the distorted guitars. It’s a true melting pot of influences that probably shouldn’t work but it really, really does.

Befitting music that has a lot of different components to it, Graveward features a wealth of guest appearances from well-known members of bands such as Trivium, Dragonforce, Shining, Rotting Christ and The Meads of Asphodel, among others.

Somewhat of a cross between Emperor, Therion, Arcturus and some form of crazy Progressive Jazz, Sigh can always be relied upon to liven things up with their presence and Graveward is no exception.

This is a truly exceptional release that many will probably find overwhelming with its multicoloured assault on the senses. Those who endure, however, are rewarded tenfold for their perseverance.

Essential listening.

In Cauda Venenum – In Cauda Venenum (Review)

In Cauda Venenum are a Post-Black Metal band from France and this is their début album.

Consisting of only two tracks, each lasting a touch over 21 minutes in length, this is an ambitious release that makes good use of the longer playing times to explore darkened themes and Blackened music.

Post-Black Metal is such a rich sub-genre that has so many opportunities to impress, and In Cauda Venenum take advantage of all of these.

The band play harrowing Black Metal that’s epic in scope and spiced up with enough Post-Rock/Metal elements to claim the Post-Black Metal tag as its own.

The music is masterly crafted and very atmospheric. Blackened riffs and blasting drums meet introspective restraint and Progressive explorations.

Both songs are very well written and it’s clear that a lot of time and effort has gone into their composition. Dynamics, pacing and mood have all been carefully considered and the end result is 42 minutes of elite Post-Black Metal that in many ways skirts the best that both genres have to offer.

The vocals are of the ultra-high, almost-static variety that work so well with Atmospheric Black Metal.

The recording is a quality one with the guitars in particular having a good tone. A clear, powerful sound gives the drums plenty of strength and as a whole the production strikes the right balance between underground ice and polished darkness.

As I say; in addition to the vocals and drums though, I do particularly enjoy the guitars on this album. They have the requisite Blackened bite and melodics in spades but they also benefit from being heavier than the norm for the style and employing some choice riffs throughout the songs.

A hugely impressive release. In Cauda Venenum have produced two remarkable songs of high Blackened art.

Top work.

Heathen – Heathen (Review)

Heathen is a one-man Black Metal band from Norway and this is his second album.

This is Atmospheric Black Metal played with an Old-School flavour and swamped in darkness.

Here we have 53 minutes of music that is authentic Norwegian Black Metal; recognisable enough to be instantly appealing and enticing enough to hold attention.

This is in the lo-fi style and sonically everything just fits perfectly. This is the kind of sound that Black Metal was born to.

Musically the brain behind the outfit is extremely talented and these compositions are very advanced. A lot of bands either concentrate on riffs or atmospheres but on this release we get a decent amount of both.

Quality riffs lay a bedrock on which the moods evolve and dark atmospherics unfold slowly and malevolently.

The pace picks up as well so as to provide variety but even here the aim of the increased speed is to also increase the impact of the feelings that are evoked.

The vocals are high pitched static screeches that are barely audible above the guitars. In effect they act as another layer to the music and it’s like someone is trying to scratch your eyeballs out with sound.

What can you say about an album like this? It needs to be experienced. This is the kind of Black Metal that keeps you in love with the genre.

An absolute must.

Obsequiae – Aria of Vernal Tombs (Review)

This is the second album by US Black Metallers Obsequiae.

Aria of Vernal Tombs is the follow up to their first album, Suspended in the Brume of Eos.

The album features a cover that is dear to my heart as it depicts Valle Crucis Abbey, a place I’ve been to many times. With that in mind I happily pressed play and the band didn’t let me down.

Obsequiae return with another round of medieval-influenced Black Metal. They play Melodic Black Metal and have refined their melodic attack by improving on the already well-defined melodies from their début.

The production means that Obsequiae sound bigger, better and bolder this time around, but it’s not just that; the music sounds more confident and sure of itself. Something has clicked somewhere and Aria of Vernal Tombs is even more enjoyable than its predecessor.

Medieval instrumentation adds authenticity to the tunes and it merges seamlessly with the Metal. You can almost imagine this kind of Black Metal being a popular form of music all those centuries ago…almost…

This release is a nice and natural progression for Obsequiae and I hope they continue to develop in the future. The longest song here is just under 5 and a half minutes in length but I can easily imagine them writing involved songs twice that length. Here’s hoping.

For now though, slip on Aria of Vernal Tombs and become immersed.

Ecferus – Prehistory (Review)

This is the début album by Ecferus, a one man Black Metal project from the US.

This is Black Metal that’s somewhere between the Cascadian type and the more dissonant style of Black Metal.

The songs feature emotive riffing that seems to wind around on a journey, searching for something that was lost long ago. It’s marvellously composed.

The thing that I love about Black Metal like this, (well, one of the things), is the sense of exploration and wonder that it brings me. This is well-thought out music that is more than just a collection of riffs, it’s about atmosphere and feeling in the widest sense.

The pieces of music contained on this 36 minute release provide the listener with a musical framework wrought from the Blackest Black Metal from which they can feel the wonder and awe that the artist clearly feels about the universe and our existence.

A decent amount of variety is incorporated across these 4 tracks and there’s a lot to absorb here. Even the faster sections are dedicated to providing the listener with a thoughtfully emotive experience and taken holistically every song works hard, (though effortlessly), to engage and stimulate.

Ecferus are a great example of all that is right and healthy with the Black Metal scene in 2015.

An essential listen, I feel.

Kafirun – Glorification of Holy Death (Review)

Kafirun are from Canada and play Black Metal. This is their latest EP.

After their enjoyable début release Death Worship, Kafirun return with more True Black Metal to assault the masses with.

Kafirun play their Black Metal extremely well. It’s authentic, pitch-black and full of malevolent feeling.

The songs are like hymns to darkness and the relatively varied and emotive vocal delivery leads the sermon in ritualistic worship.

There’s a touch of Mayhem and Deathspell Omega to their Black Metal assault, both in the vocals and music.

The band have a really good sound – it’s raw enough to have the Black Metal aesthetic without it detracting from the overall performance as it’s also thick and balanced enough to be an enjoyable listen.

It’s only a short EP at 21 minutes in length, but each track showcases the band’s songwriting skill and passion for Black Metal.

Kafirun have shown us once again that they’re ones to watch. Keep it up!

Hellripper -The Manifestation of Evil (Review)

Hellripper is a one-man Black Metal band from Scotland and this is his first release.

If you’re anything like me, when you think of one-man Black Metal bands you tend to think of the longer, darker end of the Black Metal spectrum; crazed loners creating malevolent art that sprawls aeons of textured oblivion.

What you probably don’t think of is raw, underground, Speed Metal infused Black Metal. This entire EP is shorter than the average one-man Black Metal project’s song length.

This is ugly and primitive but not without character. The riffs have attitude and it’s like a Blackened Motörhead mixed with Impaled Nazarene or Audiopain and a sprinkling of early Kreator.

The songs are good, much better than you might think. The more I listen to it the more I think of a Blackened version of Kreator, when they first started off and were all spikes and attitude. Hellripper are cut from the same bloody cloth.

Short, loose and surprisingly catchy, Hellripper have produced an enjoyable ride through the worst part of town.

Listen loud.

Outre – Ghost Chants (Review)

Outre are a Black Metal band from Poland and this is their début album.

After their début EP and their split with Thaw, this has been an eagerly awaited release from these talented Black Metallers.

Theirs is a form of Black Metal that combines Atmospheric Black Metal with a Post-Black Metal sensibility to create transcendent Dark Art.

This is a band who are no stranger to pure Blackened brutality either though, as there are plenty of faster and heavier sections in their music as well as the more atmospheric and considered ones.

Ghost Chants features sophisticated and modern Black Metal that’s more Deathspell Omega than Darkthrone. The songs are exemplars of the style and this is a very professional and well-recorded album that nonetheless loses none of Black Metal’s inherent venom or antagonism.

The exceptional vocals this time around add an entire other layer to Outre’s sound, especially with the extremely talented vocalist they have employed. The vocals on Ghost Chants are diverse and brilliantly performed. Taking in pretty much all aspects of a Black Metal performance that you can think of, these are a crowning addition to an already superb band.

Ghost Chants is an exceptional release by an extremely gifted troupe of Black Metallers.

A must.

Porta Nigra – Kaiserschnitt (Review)

Porta Nigra are from Germany and this is their second album. They play Black Metal.

This is atypical, eccentric Black Metal that has a marching, martial feel to it as well as diverse other influences lurking around its dark underbelly.

The largely mid-paced assault is of a more individual variety than the usual Darkthrone-influenced one that you might expect.

Additionally, the extra sounds and noises in the form of samples, trumpets, keyboards and other instruments introduce aspects of their sound that further mark them out as different from the pack.

The vocals are varied screams and shouts as well as the occasional clean. Coupled with the charismatic music you never know quite what’s going to happen next on the album.

The songs have a Black Metal identity that’s further added to by elements of Heavy Metal, Punk and Avant Garde, depending on the whims of the band members it seems. It all sounds remarkably coherent however and as a whole the album works.

Lots of different moods and styles around these core musical themes are explored and Porta Nigra have impressed with their ability to create a diverse body of work on Kaiserschnitt.

This is a band who have completely stamped their own personality onto the Black Metal template and have produced an album that stands apart and stands strong.

Check this out today.

Angmaer – Toward Darkness’ Paradise (Review)

Angmaer is a one man Black Metal band from the UK. This is Angmaer’s début album.

This is raw, Old-School Black Metal with a cold sound and an even colder heart.

Angmaer is the sound of a horrific curse, born of its Scandinavian forefathers and birthed into an uncaring underground world where it has slowly been uncoiling and feasting on lesser entities.

This will take you right back to when you first heard badly recorded Black Metal back in the early 90’s and it all sounded so visceral and nasty. Toward Darkness’ Paradise harken’s unashamedly back to this era.

The vocals are acidic and burn upon exposure. They’re performed as well as any in this genre and really have a sharp, frosty tang to them.

The songs have plenty of aggression but also slow the pace where necessary. The darkened feelings and Blackened atmospheres are cultivated through every part of these songs and it really does almost feel as if you’ve stepped back in time.

This is also a release that looks to the future though. Reliving past glories is one thing, but the riffs here have their own take on Black Metal’s infernal light; Norway filtered through the UK.

Time to support the underground and check out Toward Darkness’ Paradise.