Black metal – Page 213 – Wonderbox Metal

Tempel – The Moon Lit Our Path (Review)

Tempel are from the US and this is their second album. They play Progressive/Post-Black Metal.

Tempel are an Instrumental Black Metal band. Their music is a combination of the Melodic and Progressive styles, giving The Moon Lit Our Path an epic scope and even epic-er, (it’s a word, honest), songs.

Their tracks harbour provocative imagery in the music. Without vocals to hide behind, the music is laid bare for all to see and relishes in the fact. Tempel are as expressive with their music as many singers are with their voices.

This is music that you can get your teeth into; music to get involved with; music to get lost in. Involving, engaging and compelling; Tempel have created a richly textured musical landscape across these 54 minutes.

Tempel are slowly shedding their Black Metal roots. This album still has its fair share of Blackened influences, but less so than their début release. On The Moon Lit Our Path there are more Post-Black Metal and Progressive Metal elements to their sound. It ultimately doesn’t matter, of course, as the important thing is the music itself and the journey it takes you on as you get absorbed by it.

Riffs, solos, leads, atmospheres, moods…Tempel excel at each of these and the songs on this album are filled to the brim with musical content and features.

This album may have a Blackened base but it transcends Black Metal, as Post-Black Metal must, As such, this has a potentially wide-reaching audience and any fan of Progressive Metal can and should enjoy this.

The Meads of Asphodel/Tjolgtjar – Taste the Divine Wrath – Split (Review)

The Meads of Asphodel are from the UK and play a very individual brand of Black Metal. Here they team up with US one-man Black Metal project Tjolgtjar, who you may remember from 2012’s Kjal Tjormejn.

As such, this is an interesting and exciting split release from two atypical Black Metal bands that succeeds in putting two very individual and different spins on this well-worn genre.

The Meads of Asphodel are up first and contribute 16 minutes to this release.

The Meads of Asphodel always manage to imbue their songs with such personality and character, due in no small part to their charismatic singer Metatron. On this release he’s as expressive as ever and has his performance aided by other vocal styles such as croaking screams, ghostly chants and female vocals.

The music manages to be underground, extreme and catchy all at the same time. Classic Blackened blasting and experimental pseudo-Pop share space on this impressive collection of tracks and whether they’re playing fuzzed-up, dirty Black Metal or synth-heavy atmospheric sections, The Meads of Asphodel are at the forefront of Experimental/Progressive Black Metal.

Oh, and track three is a cover/re-imagining of Candi Staton’s You’ve Got the Love, retitled You’ve Got the Hate. It works.

After this it’s on to Tjolgtjar, supplying 18 minutes of music. It’s an odd, atypical expression of Black Metal, with a more garage, underground feeling than the more flamboyant tendencies of The Meads of Asphodel.

In some ways Tjolgtjar remind more of a conventional raw Black Metal band, but this is only superficially true. Upon closer inspection, the riffs and general composition of the music is unusual. Even when the blast beats are flowing swiftly, the guitars are playing Blackened rhythms and melodies that are almost like semi-distorted Country/Folk acoustics. Almost. It’s as if this music came from decades ago and is a Black Metal version of 70s Progressive Rock.

The vocals are screamed croaks but also benefit from cleaner accompaniments. It’s an added extra that, when combined with the music, reinforces the 70s music connection, at least to my mind.

Black Metal, Classic Rock and Progressive Rock, combined. Nice.

But this is what Tjolgtjar do so well; their music is not your average Black Metal and their contribution to this split is superbly delivered and realised.

This is a very impressive release from two impressive bands. If you’re looking for Black Metal that’s challenging and different from the norm then this should be your first stop.

Very highly recommended.

Tenebrositas – Forever Nothing (Review)

This is the second album from Croatian one-man Black Metal band Tenebrositas.

This is Black Metal that’s minimalistic and cold. I love the album cover and it speaks in the same, simple language as the music.

The raw sound nonetheless has a certain frosted vibrancy to it and the sole band member may be trapped in the past but no matter how inhospitable it may sound, he’s perfectly at home.

The vocals lash out as if from a storm and they’re the kind of vocalisations that come across almost like static; high pitched screams, nearly lost in the mix. It’s the kind of Black Metal delivery that shouldn’t really work but I find that it adds a certain something to the style that usually makes me a very happy bunny indeed, as is the case here.

This is an album that embraces the early Norwegian sound and certainly does it justice. The icy melodies and repetitive strumming do exactly what they’re meant to. These songs are less about riffs and more about feelings. To that end, Forever Nothing succeeds in producing raw, underground Black Metal that focuses on a holistic Blackened delivery, with everything contributing to the replication of the core Black Metal style.

This may not be to everyone’s tastes, especially if you’re sated on this form of Black Metal, but it’s certainly to mine.

All hail Tenebrositas!

Jarun – Pod Niebem Utkanym z Popiołu (Review)

Jarun are a Black Metal band from Poland and this is their second album.

Jarun play Black Metal with Progressive/Folk elements.

This release combines considered reflection, passionate delivery and fiery Black Metal into a cohesive hole that does well to temper Black Metal’s dark flame with a subtle Folkier perspective. The Progressive Metal elements fit well into this musical tapestry and allow the music an even broader scope.

If you think of a merging of Enslaved, Thy Worshiper, Opeth and ugly, primitive Black Metal then you’ll be on the right lines. The juxtaposition of the raw Black Metal core with the sophistication and nuance of Progressive Black Metal is enough for many bands to contemplate, but add to this some Folk influences and Pod Niebem Utkanym z Popiołu becomes even more impressive.

The band have a guitar sound that they use well; when distorted it’s gritty and abrasive, but when the distortion fades it’s nicely clean and polished.

The vocals are gruff, savage barks that wouldn’t be out of place on an underground Grindcore release. They add real bite to the tracks and show that Jarun have that aggressive core, even when the music is more refined.

These songs are impressively realised beasts that have a lot of variety and content to them. They’re well-written and the playing time makes the most of the incorporated styles to take the listener on a journey through Jarun’s highly textured world.

Jarun strike the right tone with their songs and they get the correct balance between their particular influences. Acoustic and cleaner sections abound within the heavier, grimmer framework and the riffs, solos and leads all add a lot to the moods they create.

When I first approached this release I wasn’t sure what to expect; the cover gives little away, and I don’t read Polish so apart from knowing it was a Black Metal release of sorts, that was all. As it turns out, Pod Niebem Utkanym z Popiołu has been an extremely pleasant surprise. I love albums that have a depth to them and Jarun succeed in being able to write songs that capture the attention with their Progressive style and yet have ample enough aggression to satisfy.

I do fear this is somewhat destined to be a lost gem; let’s try to stop this from happening. Jarun are a band more than deserving of support; this is an impressive album from a talented band.

Extremely highly recommended.

Sågverk – Sahataan ne Kaikki (Review)

This is the début album from Finnish Black ‘n’ Rollers Sågverk.

Angry, Crust-fuelled Black Metal with a modern Rocking aspect and plenty of attitude; Sågverk make this kind of music look easy, but also offer up something a bit different.

There are 8 tracks of Blackened belligerence and groove here, comprising 7 originals and a Metallica cover of Motorbreath.

Buzzsaw riffs and brutal guitars power the songs, but there’s a lot more control here than I was expecting to hear. The tracks are written with more than just Black Metal in mind – as well as the Punk/Crust there’s a bit of a Stoner vibe to some of the riffs, making Sahataan ne Kaikki a bit different from the norm.

The songs are well-written and make use of a strong riff-oriented approach. This is not a release that’s top-speed all of the time, but nonetheless maintains a high energy throughout.

The vocals are shouted screams that vary in tone and delivery a fair deal. Cleans are also used sparingly but it’s mainly all about the shouting. The singer plays his part well and gives a good performance.

The band have a very clean and clear sound; again, a bit different form the norm as this kind of Crusty, Blackened assault is usually a lot dirtier in delivery. It works though and allows the Rockier aspects to their style to come to the fore.

This is a really interesting release that smashes my preconceptions about what Black ‘n’ Roll can sound like. If you imagine a Black Metal/Crust/Punk hybrid, the likes of which we see relatively often, then make their sound cleaner and add in a combination of Kvelertak with a bit of (old) Mastodon to the riffs then Sågverk will be the end result.

Enjoyable and different, Sahataan ne Kaikki is a really good listen.

Highly recommended.

Blaze of Perdition – Near Death Revelations (Review)

Blaze of Perdition are a Black Metal band from Poland. This is their third album.

The music on this album combines malevolent atmospheres with occult stylings to create a masterpiece of supreme Black Metal art. Blaze of Perdition manage to simultaneously remain true to Black Metal’s heart of darkness while being bold enough to fashion it to their steely will.

If you worship bands such as Deathspell Omega, Watain, Marduk and Funeral Mist then this is for you. Like the aforementioned bands, Blaze of Perdition take the listener on a journey through Blackened soundscapes and rarely-explored musical vistas.

It’s not that the band are wildly innovative, very few bands are; it’s more that they have a gift for twisting Black Metal into shapes that are perfectly recognisable yet still manage to impress and have their own warped personalities and identities. Bands like this manage to create their own dark worlds that you seem to fall into, emerging once again only when the journey is complete and the music has had its way with you.

Near Death Revelations succeeds in capturing the essence of what makes Black Metal so exciting and provocative. The band infuse this with their unique vision without losing the core identity of the style. The songs are compelling and engaging compositions that are diverse enough to retain interest without straying too far from the central stylistic themes.

Black Metal is an ever-mutating beast that throws up challenging new interpretations almost as much as it pumps out those who seek to recreate the core style of the genre. Bands like Blaze of Perdition are exceptional in that they not only create their art at the precise point where both avenues of exploration overlap, but they also use this point to diverge into their own full-fledged existence, and take up the mantle as leaders, not followers.

Near Death Revelations may have been born out of tragedy but its coming of age will be a thing of dark, resplendent beauty. As the phoenix arises, all shall cower from its terrible, glorious form.

Rejoice, for Blaze of Perdition has come.

The Negation – Memento Mori (Review)

The Negation are a French Black Metal band and this is their second album.

French Black Metal always has something interesting to add to the genre and there are a large amount of quality and interesting Black Metal bands that call France home.

With this in mind, let’s have a look at The Negation. As becomes swiftly apparent, this is another gritty jewel in the French scene’s horned crown.

The Negation play grim-ridden Black Metal that stylistically speaks of bands like Deathspell Omega and Funeral Mist, mixed with the more orthodox Black Metal delivery of someone like Dark Funeral and the raging hatred of a band like Anaal Nathrakh.

Raging hatred is a good term for The Nagation; this is music that definitely rages and you can almost feel the heat come from the guitars. There’s an ugly brutality to this and the songs on Memento Mori are like dangerous slabs of spiked hatred-made-manifest.

Occasionally breaking out from the band’s onslaught are dark melodies and even the odd solo. These fleeting attempts to escape the nihilistic vacuum that the band creates are quickly drawn back into the fold though and smothered with darkness, not to be seen again until the next brief escape attempt.

Blackened screams that are seemingly filled with bile and disgust infest the music like malignant growths.

This is not pretty Black Metal. This is raw, evil and devastating. It’s also a damn fine listen.

French Black Metal wins again.

Midnight Odyssey – Shards of Silver Fade (Review)

Midnight Odyssey is an Australian one-man Black Metal band and this is his second album.

Well, what an epic release this is. Eight tracks, lasting a colossal 143 minutes. Shards of Silver Fade demands a big investment of your time. Is it worth it? You’re damn right it is.

Midnight Odyssey has a Black Metal base that has been expanded to include Ambient, Darkwave, Funeral Doom and Post-Black Metal, resulting in the weighty collection of tracks here.

In many ways it’s difficult to review a release such as this. It would be far better for you to just accept the fact that this is an album you need to get and go and get it. Once done, make a night-time trip to the top of some local hill or mountain, put on your headphones, gaze at the night sky and get lost in Midnight Odyssey’s transcendental, elemental, cosmic embrace.

In lieu of this, however, a darkened room will suffice for now; just zone out and concentrate on nothing but the music.

Anyway, if you have yet to hear them then my feeble prose will have to do. This is not a band to dip into for a quick fix of whatever you fancy, this is a band to pay attention to and take notice of.

These songs combine spacious Progressive Ambient/Doom with ancient Blackened moods that sound like they were old before metal was even invented. The combination of Darkwave, Doom and Black Metal is one that works incredibly well and sounds flawlessly delivered.

Grand orchestral passages sweep across the heavens and invoke feelings of loss and grandeur, frequently at the same time. This is highly emotive music but probably not in the way that you might think. Moving, is probably a better description. This is music that’s moving.

The vocals don’t let the side down either, with croaking Black Metal rasps sharing the stage with charismatic cleans that seem imbued with some form of long-lost wisdom.

An intriguing, ambitious and ultimately victorious merging of Burzum and Vinterriket; Shards of Silver Fade is easily up to the task of fitting in with such hallowed company.

If I haven’t made this clear by now, Shards of Silver Fade is a must listen. It’s a long one, of course, but well worth it. I suggest you start now.

Dys Inbunden – One with Morbidity, the Opus Misanthropy (Review)

Dys Inbunden are a Swedish Black Metal band and this is their second album.

Dys Ibunden have crafted a ferocious assault on the senses with their new album. It’s an intense 87 minutes of music that will leave you battered, bruised and probably sacrificed to some underworld deity or other. And yes, you read the playing time correctly. There is a lot of Black Metal here.

The songs are on the longer side and no opportunity to spread their dark message is missed. The majority of the album is hyper-aggressive Black Metal, so beloved of the Swedish style. The band skilfully add a bit of atmosphere and depth to this, however, otherwise the long playing time would mean this would get very boring, very quickly. Dys Inbunden play a more mature, complex version of the Swedish Black Metal style, in many ways, and these songs work because of this.

The vocals are a cross between standard Black Metal screams and a more Cradle of Filth-esque piercing delivery. Occasional cleans appear; these are used sparingly and are kind of like semi-heroic, chanting hymns. Or something.

The band have a rather muscular sound, which is unusual for a Black Metal band. The bass makes its presence felt and the combination of the guitars and drums makes it feel like you’ve been punched in the face a few hundred times.

If hostile Black Metal is your thing and you’re not adverse to a bit of depth and atmosphere then check out Dys Inbunden

Ashtar – Ilmasaari (Review)

Ashtar are from Switzerland and play Blackened Doom. This is their début album.

Ashtar play music that incorporates elements of Black Metal, Doom and Sludge. I do love a bit of Blackened Doom, and if you’ve been keeping up with the likes of Usnea, Mourning Pyre, Atriarch and Upyr then Ashtar should be your cup of tea too.

Even though the album cover screams Classic Doom, Ashtar’s musical aesthetic is more on the Black Metal side of things. Aspects of Classic Doom do make it into their sound, but these have been Blackened and corrupted into the sickening Sludge mass that they are now.

The vocals are mainly Blackened shrieks that seem to scratch at the back of your eyes like something unclean that wants to come into our world. The singer seems to have a knack for this kind of malevolent rasp, although she does occasionally use her voice in a few other ways throughout these six tracks.

The songs are bleak and sobering glimpses into the mindset of their creators. There are enough riffs and quality guitar lines here to keep anyone satisfied, but Ashtar are primarily about the mood and atmosphere that they create with their chosen medium.

The band are a duo and as such the music is relatively minimalistic, however it rapidly seems to expand to fill a large amount of space with its gloominess and it never seems like you’re listening to anything other than a full band. This is especially true when they incorporate additional sounds and instrumentation into their songs to further deepen the atmosphere.

There’s something extremely satisfying about this release. From the occult feelings to the Blackened bile; from the Doom aura to the impressive riffs; Ashtar have crafted a release that will appeal to the darkness inside.

Highly recommended.