Black metal – Page 214 – Wonderbox Metal

Wömit Angel – Maggotmouth (Review)

Wömit Angel are from Finland and play Crust-infused Black Metal.

This is their latest EP, which is the follow up to their 2014 release Holy Goatse. There are three tracks of odious Black Metal lasting all of seven and a half minutes.

It starts off with the title track Maggotmouth, which is all blasting hatred and frothing at the mouth. It’s primitive, underground Black Metal crossed with a Punk/Crust aesthetic that’s rough enough to hurt.

As opening statements go it’s a good one.

The next track Children of Moon follows up Maggotmouth with equal fury. Vocals are rasped threats and the music is suitable ascerbic. Deep, gargling vocals back up the higher ones and they sound suitably disgusting.

The final track King-SM is a re-recorded version of a track from their début demo Gnitimov fo Gninnigeb Eht. This follows the same format as the previous two songs and cements Wömit Angel’s enduring appeal.

This is a band who write attractively murky riffs that do the Blackened Crust thing well and leave no doubt in my mind that Wömit Angel are the real deal.

If anything I’d say that Maggotmouth represents a good step forward for the band and an improvement on Holy Goatse, which in itself was no slouch.

Quality work from these peddlers of filth. Keep it up!

Arthedain – Arias Exalted (Review)

Arthedain are from Germany and play Black Metal. This is their second EP.

Arthedain play Black Metal that’s powered by the frosted winds and icy to the core.

Razor sharp Blackened riffs cut though the chill and the blasting drums pummel all who dare expose themselves to these bitter elements.

When the band slow themselves down they show themselves perfectly capable of getting themselves into a good groove.

Subtle atmospheric highlights enhance the compositions and the band create suitably darkly majestic soundscapes to accompany their art but without ostentation or vulgar overtness.

At 14 minutes in length this only a short introduction to the band really, but it’s one that I have really enjoyed. Arthedain play their Black Metal very well indeed.

Here’s hoping their début album will be as good as this.

Eerie – Into Everlasting Death (Review)

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

With an album cover that screams “QUALITY METAL”, Eerie explode out of the speakers like a freight train, all speed and power. Their brand of Black Metal is of the underground, yet-still-state-of-the-art variety.

Blasting drums and Blackened melodies merge into a holistic listening experience that transcends mere descriptive words. This is elemental Black Metal, torn from the void and given form by practiced hands.

This is not a one-dimensional blast-fest though as Eerie have degrees of venomous attack and enough variety and light/shade to provide the listener with real depth.

Powerful vocals dominate proceedings, be this Blackened screams, commanding shouts or subtle cleans; the performance level is high and the delivery faultless.

These songs have the feel of exciting, otherworldly Black Metal that was highly prevalent in the late 90’s/early 00’s and Eerie take me back to those days whilst still managing to sound completely of the here and now.

Into Everlasting Death is a well-composed, highly realised incarnation of high Black Metal art. Seek it out.

Kjeld – Skym (Review)

Kjeld are from the Netherlands and this is their début album. They play Black Metal.

This is Black Metal that’s as cold as ice and as hard as diamond. The band have a great production that carries them along. It’s a dry, cold sound that suits the delivery of the music.

Their songs promote images of a barren and inhospitable landscape, which is just like Kjeld’s sound; frosted and ageless, with slivers of melody peaking out through the ruins of long dead civilisations.

The band have a talent for these subtle melodies that seem to ooze out of the rhythm guitars like glaciers. They play fast but the atmospheres created are enduring and lasting.

The impression Kjeld give is one of permanence and durability. They seem built to weather the storms and the biting cold, steadfastly waiting for their moment to come. With the release of Skym that moment could be now.

The drums blast and the thick guitars burn cold beneath the dark majesty of the music. Harsh screams are well-placed in the mix and the singer does the genre proud.

Coming across as early Black Metal in the Scandinavian style, Kjeld have somewhat of a timeless quality to them; they manage to sound simultaneously classic and contemporary.

Skym is a really, really good album. Have a listen and let the frost creep in.

Sigihl – Trauermärsche (And a Tango Upon the World’s Grave) (Review)

This is the début album from Polish Black/Doom/Sludge Metal band Sigihl.

Sigihl play their Black Metal with added elements of Sludge, Doom and Drone.

This is special, in a disgustingly infectious way. There’s no guitar, but there is a saxophone. Sigihl make Black Metal art by their own rules. It’s intriguing, depraved and utterly compelling.

Calling it Black Metal though is a bit misleading, as although Black Metal is an integral component of their writing, equally important is the Doom/Sludge influence.

The bass-heavy distortion is combined with a saxophone sound that seems dredged up from the most sinister and worrying parts of a Silent Hill game. It’s unusual and instantly appealing. Sigihl have really worked out how to get the most from emotive filthiness.

The wailing vocals are buried by the bass and provide an unhinged counterpoint to the plaintive saxophone melodies.

The repetitive dirge/Drone-like nature of the music is infectious and draws you in, eager to experience the joyful misery that this cavalcade of woe is pedalling.

Sigihl have created a listening experience that’s almost tangible enough to touch.

A very individual release, destined to be tragically overlooked by many Metal fans. Don’t let this be the case with you.

Decline of the I – Rebellion (Review)

This is the second album by Post-Black Metal band Decline of the I.

Rebellion is an interesting and sometimes eclectic mix of the rabid and the beautiful.

A lot of time and energy must have gone into this album in order to give it so much depth and texture. Every song has a lot going on and the compositions reflect the restrained chaos that’s encapsulated here.

Brutal Blackened mayhem is artfully weaved into the overall structure of a wider musical framework that encompasses a multifaceted palette. Fragile and expansive Post-Metal guitar melodies flail against pure Blackened spite in a battle for supremacy. It’s impressive how the various feelings and emotions play off each other yet always manage to retain a cohesiveness despite the warring elements.

Vocal contributions come from three members and as such the vocals are as varied and eclectic as the music itself. Horror-fuelled screams and atypical verbalisations give the impression of a warped insanity lurking deep at the heart of the music. The music itself does nothing to dispel this of course, being a product of demented genius in its own right.

Much like Decline of the I themselves; Post-Black Metal is a very interesting and rich subgenre and Rebellion ticks all of the boxes for why this is so. It manages to pull off everything from atmosphere to barbaric savagery, sometimes simultaneously.

A very impressive album and a big achievement.

With albums like this to start the year with 2015 is looking very bright indeed.

Aethyr – Corpus (Review)

This is the second album from Russian Doom band Aethyr.

This is dark and evil music with a Blackened aura to it that accompanies the Doom core like a shroud of malignancy.

The band utilise emotive riffs that play on the negative feelings of the listener and tease them out, bare and vulnerable for all to see. They then take these exposed emotions and weave them into guitar parts that embody them.

In this respect there’s a Post-Metal quality to the guitars as they’re often transcendent and expressive whilst being dragged down into the gloom of Doom.

Mournful hatred and despondent anger seem to simmer just below the surface. If the music is the main receptacle for the miserable aspect of their sound then the vocals are the vehicle for the anger and rage.

The singer alternates between Blackened screams and dark growls. Both are performed well and neither sound entirely human.

Faster sections are included too and the band have a grasp of elegant dynamics. Corpus is a well-paced album with lots of well-written tracks that easily hold attention.

Overall this is an involving and complete listen. Aethyr remind me of a cross between Red Harvest, Zatokrev and some form of primordial Doom Metal.

Aethyr have clear direction in their sound and use the 50 minutes of music here to showcase their abilities with great effect.

Corpus is an impressive album by a talented band. Give them a listen.

Natanas – смертность (Review)

This is the fourth album from Natanas, a one-man Black Metal band from the US.

Another month, another Natanas album…

Okay so I exaggerate, but the man is Hellishly productive. And it’s good stuff too. He may have manufactured some form of Black Metal assembly line but his Quality Control department are clearly paying attention to the goods that are produced.

Having said that of course, this is clearly not for everyone, which is something I’ve mentioned before about the last two Natanas releases All Is Permitted and Treachery; the casual listener, the casual Black Metal listener, even, will probably find this a tad challenging.

If you like your Black Metal dark, challenging, atypical and in the vein of bands like Xasthur, Portal, Mitochondrion, Enbilulugugal, Ævangelist, etc. then Natanas is worth checking out.

Also, I’m sure his screeching vocals have gotten higher, raspier and wetter this time. It sounds like he’s rupturing himself every time he opens his mouth. This is not a complaint of course, rather the opposite. He takes time out from trying to turn himself inside out though, as other vocals are included from spoken word to deeper screams that almost remind of Neurosis/Crowbar in style.

смертность has a good amount of variety within its self-imposed framework, with the album retaining the tribal, hypnotic, pseudo-Industrial feel that Treachery did so well. As such this is a very holistic album; listening to a song in isolation is all well and good, but for the full effect it’s best to put on the entire album and just get lost in the murk.

Every time I listen to Natanas by the time I get to the second or third song I’m totally absorbed in the dark, unfriendly, bleak, rotten, urban sprawl that seems to be described. The low-key, lo-fi, production actually adds to the feeling of the album rather than detracting from it.

Natanas has always been a band that goes against the odds for me. If I had just flicked through one of these albums I’d probably think, “No, I don’t think so”, but against all expectations and prejudices смертность, and the previous albums…well, they just work. The various disparate elements and the raw, uncompromisingly lo-fi sound gel into something that just does it; it hits that hidden spot that you didn’t even know you had.

As such, I’m a big supporter of Natanas and heartily recommend that you give смертность a try. It may not do it for you, but who knows, maybe it really, really will…

Dysnomia – Dysnomia (Review)

Dysnomia are a Spanish Melodic Death Metal band and this is their début album.

Featuring a strong sound and an unexpected level of aggressiveness, Dysnomia quickly make their presence felt.

Their sound has plenty of melodic leads and solos as well as a hearty keyboard accompaniment that adds another layer to their infectious sound.

All too frequently Melodic Death Metal simply means a watered down version of Death Metal, essentially a weakened version of the original. This is not the case with Dysnomia. It’s like they’ve taken the melodic aspect of the genre, wrapped it in some keyboards and catchy songs and somehow managed to retain the savagery of the original style. This gives their sound a very fresh, energetic sheen and I’ve really enjoyed listening to this.

There is also a Black Metal influence to their sound, with the keyboards essentially meaning that they have somewhat of a Symphonic Black Metal slant sometimes. It’s more of an enhancement to their core sound though than a true Blackened Death Metal merging of the two and it plays its part in what I like about the band.

This is a top quality listen. If high octane Melodic Death Metal is your thing then Dysnomia will definitely hit the spot for you.

Abstracter – Wound Empire (Review)

This is the second album from US Sludge/Doom band Abstracter.

After really enjoying their 2012 debut album Tomb of Feathers, this is a release that has been eagerly awaited in these parts.

The first track, Lightless, seems to slowly writhe up out of a dark pit of urban decay, attempting to smother the land with its malignant spread. It’s an insidious start to the album and before you realise what’s going on you’re trapped in a nightmare landscape of pitch-black smoke and evil.

But oh dear Lord is it good. Rarely has cloying, suffocating Sludge felt so visceral and nastily enticing.

Abstracter are heavy and grim in the best ways that Sludge and Doom can achieve. These songs are essays in crawling malevolence and destructive passion. The band emanate a very raw darkness that you can feel like a physical presence.

I like the combination of nuanced riffing, heavy guitars and brutally gorgeous delivery. Abstracter effortlessly combine the beauty of Post-Metal with the dirty horror of Sludge. Their songwriting skills are such that moments of ugliness and transcendence are merged together. When the shades of light and dark clash there’s only ever going to be one true winner, but even though the menacing and murky atmospheres encase everything, the light isn’t totally consumed; you can feel it pulsing, straining against its captivity by this Hellish beast. This tense undercurrent is what gives Wound Empire its hidden beauty.

There’s a Black Metal influence to their sound that fits flawlessly into what they do. It’s not overbearing and doesn’t detract from the Doom, it just adds a further layer of thickly encrusted grime to songs that are already intimately familiar with all things subterranean.

With each of these titanic monuments to apocalyptic dystopian futures, I think that Abstracter have outdone themselves and actually managed to top their début album. No mean feat.

With true depth of composition and a talent for wrapping the listener up in their vision of all things gloomy and heavy, Abstracter have produced an album that has blown me away.

Fans of Neurosis, Altar of Plagues, Indian, Inter Arma, Amenra, Yob, Wolvhammer, Thou, etc. should perk up and take notice now.

Essential listening.