Black metal – Page 222 – Wonderbox Metal

Mare Cognitum – Phobos Monolith (Review)

This is the third album by US one-man project Mare Cognitum. He plays Atmospheric Black Metal.

This is Black Metal of the most expressive and epic variety. Inspired by the mysteries of the cosmos and powered by Blackened harmonies and thick atmospheres, Phobos Monolith takes the listener on a journey through the unexplored natures of the universe.

The songs on this album are exploratory and impressively composed and performed. It’s almost a full 6 minutes before any vocals first appear, so confident is the music in its ability to capture and hold the attention alone. With good reason; the music is an impressive blend of Atmospheric, Post- and raging underground Black Metal.

This is an album that, for all its grand designs and lofty concepts, actually manages to forge an emotional connection with the listener and the result is a very personal-feeling experience. These songs are simply that good.

There are so many bands/albums/etc. these days that simply sound as if they are going through the motions. For Mare Cognitum, however, this is clearly not the case at all. This is an album that has the true mark of a labour of love, and it’s this, combined with the impressive sonicscapes that have been created, that resonate so strongly with the listener.

Find somewhere open to the sky, play this album loudly, stare up at the stars and get absorbed in the endless possibilities that there are out there.

This is an album that has surpassed all of my feeble expectations.

Misericordia – Throne of Existence (Review)

Misericordia are from Sweden and this is their second album of Black Metal.

This is, unsurprisingly, in the Swedish style and aimed squarely at fans of Marduk, 1349, Immortal and Dark Funeral – high speed blasting and frosted melodies.

The sharp riffs come thick and fast as the drums blast and the Blackened melodies seep into your every pore. The guitars embrace their atavistic, icy Black Metal legacy and they ooze windswept hatred.

Some of the vocals are deeper than normal for this style of Black Metal, although they alternate with more traditional higher screams in addition to these growls.

Solos and leads are played well and the band are very focused on what they want to achieve. The drumming is tight and precise and the songs as a whole are quite satisfying.

If you’re a fan of unholy hyperblast then this is the Black Metal for you.

Singularity – Singularity (Review)

This is the debut album from US Black Metal band Singularity.

Technical Black Metal is not the most common of sub-genres, especially Symphonic Technical Black Metal, which is what this essentially is.

The synths are heavy and thick and give the band a colourful sheen under which to ply their trade. Said trade consists of sharp, crazy guitar work, widdly bass and precision-point drums. It’s as if a band like Dimmu Borgir had overdosed on Technical Death Metal and angular riffs in the style of some of Mayhem’s work. It also puts me in mind of the first Ephel Duath album.

The songs are still here though. This is an enjoyable riff-fest with inhuman drumming and layers of atmosphere and jagged darkness.

The technicality and Blackened atmospheres combine in a way that most bands never attempt and the resulting mix of styles works primarily because they never sacrifice the songs for the riffs. The playing is very impressive but the Black Metal framework always reins them in before they become overbearing or surplus to the needs of the song.

That being said, there is certainly a lot of flash playing on this album, but as I say – it works.

The tracks are quite varied as the guitars never stop and are always interesting and entertaining. The singer gives his all to the screams; they’re high pitched and very pointed. The cleans that appear are professionally delivered also; another string to Singularity’s impressive bow.

The production is top quality and everything sounds crisp and clear. You can really hear every note.

Singularity is extremely impressive in many ways. I always like a band that puts a different spin on things and the rampant technicality on this album really gives them a flavour all of their own. The fact that they mix this with a Symphonic base and have managed to produce an enjoyable set of songs without everything sounding messy or forced speaks volumes about their talent.

Take a chance on this and listen to it now.

Varathron – Untrodden Corridors of Hades (Review)

Varathron are a Black Metal band from Greece. This is their fifth album.

Untrodden Corridors of Hades is a nuanced Black Metal album that contains many different interpretations of the style all bound up in the band’s vision and flawless delivery.

The songs here have good variety within their chosen genre and Varathron work with rich textures to create their dark art.

Interesting riffs, Blackened melodies, subtle keyboard highlights, solid drums, expressive vocalisations; these are the ingredients that make this album what it is.

Whether playing winding Septic Flesh-esque riffs or revelling in the slower, slithering nature of Black Metal’s dark underbelly; Varathron ply their trade with skill and ease.

These songs are intricate beasts that rely on feeling and intensity of passion rather than stand-out catchy riffs. This is music that may be overt in delivery but it has a very subtle subtext that means it works its magic best gradually over time.

If you’re after one-dimensional blasting Black Metal then you’ve come to the wrong place. Listening to Varathron is more like listening to an involved ritual of summoning. This is Black Metal perfectly at ease with itself.

Varathron have released a complex listen that’s no less satisfying because of it.

Let the band take you on a tour and tread these corridors with them, you won’t regret it.

Isenblast – Unleashing the Demon Scourge (Review)

Isenblast are from the US and this is their début EP. They play Black Metal.

This is raw, underground Black Metal with a sound like infernal nail scraping and bountiful Blackened energy.

Unleashing the Demon Scourge sounds exactly like it does just that. This is blistering Black Metal that isn’t a 100% blastfest but still never lets up with the intensity regardless.

The band play like the infernal fires are after them and even inject lightning solos into their heady Black Metal mix. I particularly enjoy these parts as the band seem to have an innate ear for a quality solo and the rhythm guitar usually settles into a good Blackened groove while this is going on.

The vocals are another highlight as they’re just so throat-scrapingly raw. High pitched screaming may be the usual Black Metal style but this singer does it as well as any and it sounds just great.

Each of these four songs is well-written and shows a band that are hungry to prove themselves, and with this EP they certainly have.

It’s always a pleasure to hear unadorned Black Metal played with passion, energy and integrity. Isenblast have crafted a great collection of songs here and I greatly look forward to their first full length.

Highly recommended for all lovers of the dark arts.

Saille – Eldritch (Review)

Saille are from Belgium and this is their third album. They play Symphonic Black Metal.

Eldritch boasts a strong, sharp, clear sound that the band put to good use showcasing their aggressive brand of Symphonic Black Metal.

A punchy drum sound underpins Blackened melodies and serrated vocals whilst haunting, malevolent keyboards play over the top.

I particularly like the vocalist’s screams as they seem quite passionate and unhinged. His is not a performance that’s merely by the numbers; it’s a forceful and powerful delivery. Understated cleans also make appearances adding another element to the band’s sound.

The band make good use of Dimmu Borgir-style keyboards and sound effects without them ever becoming overbearing or ostentatious. Saille are comparable to an older Dimmu Borgir in other ways too; this is Symphonic Black Metal with real bite and an underground feeling to it despite the shine and polish the album has.

The songs are fast, churning affairs that are enhanced by the Classical influences. They’re enjoyable and it’s nice to hear the atmosphere mixed with real aggression and hatred.

Eldritch is a quality listen; a heady combination of dark atmosphere and blasting fury.

A recommended listen.

Sidious – Revealed in Profane Splendour (Review)

Sidious are from the UK and play Symphonic Blackened Death Metal. This is their début album.

Sidious have a gargantuan sound that recalls Dimmu Borgir at their aggressive best filtered through the purifying lens of Death Metal’s barbaric heart. If you blend together Dimmu Borgir and Behemoth the resulting ooze will no doubt coalesce into something that wouldn’t be a million miles away from Sidious.

Thick riffs are thrown around with abandon and spiralling drums pound out ritual beats to a backdrop of epic symphonic terror and dark magisterial horror.

This is music for a grim apocalypse that isn’t slow, isn’t pretty and that no-one will survive.

The keyboards and effects are used effectively to highlight the aura of brutal terror that the band create. In a true merging of styles Sidious have the trappings of Symphonic Black Metal wrapped around the molten core of carnage-seeking Death Metal.

Revealed in Profane Splendour is a collection of powerful songs that draw on the rich heritage of both major contributing styles to produce an album that’s a real dark delight to listen to. It’s forthright and confident whilst having a depth about it that flows from well-structured songs and well-composed threatening atmospheres.

It rumbles, it bellows, it curses, it destroys.

Listen loud.

Whore of Bethlehem – Upon Judas’ Throne (Review)

Whore of Bethlehem are from the US and play Blackened Death Metal. This is their début album.

Whore of Bethlehem play Death Metal that’s saturated with Black Metal down to its very core. There is an aura of darkness that pervades everything on this album and it seeps out from every Blackened riff or thunderous vocal.

Said vocals alternate between deep growls and higher screams. It’s a very satisfying performance and both styles do the job admirably.

It’s a pleasure to hear such twisted, Blackened guitars on this release. Straddling the two genres sometimes means choosing between a Death Metal part here or a Black Metal part there; Whore of Bethlehem however have merged the two styles down at the cellular level and their riffs combine the brutality of Death Metal with the evil reek of Black Metal perfectly.

The riffs are evocative and punishing, yet not without nuance. The band work their dynamics well and the guitars have the right balance between feeling and aggression.

Even the production manages to capture the essence of both styles as it’s both heavy and sharp. Everything is perfectly matched against each other, with no one instrument gaining ascendancy to the detriment of any other.

These are very enjoyable songs; I’m quite partial to Blackened Death Metal when it’s done well and I always compare bands like this to Arkhon Infaustus who created in their 2003 album Filth Catalyst what is, for me, an exemplar of the style. Whore of Bethlehem could easily be spiritual successors to Arkhon Infaustus and Upon Judas’ Throne is a very meaty slab of dark Metal if ever there was one.

What a great album! More like this please.

Askrinn – Hjørleifsljóð (Review)

Askrinn is a solo Black Metal project from France and this is his début album of Melodic Black Metal.

This is Black Metal with mellifluous melodies and a sound like cold water running down a mountain. It puts me in mind of atmospheric/melodic Black Metal bands like Vinterriket and Windir, and although Askrinn don’t sound the same as either of the two mentioned they share the same kind of feeling to my mind.

The tracks on this release seem to roll out of the speakers like a newly discovered fresh spring, bringing vitality and renewed vigour to all that sup from it. The style is an enjoyable one and the constant, rolling atmospheres that Akrinn creates means that it’s easy to like Hjørleifsljóð.

The music is Pagan/Viking theme, with lyrics apparently sung entirely in Old Norse. I say apparently, as the vocals consist of sharp rasps that fit the music perfectly but are completely indecipherable, at least to me. Either way, the vocals, like the music, have a melodious liquid quality that sees them streaming alongside the fluid music and adding bucketfuls to the emergent atmospheres.

This is the kind of release that it’s easy to just fall into and get swept away with, like a fast-running river. The atmospheres and melodies created are easy to absorb but are not lacking in depth despite this. It’s testament to the brain behind the outfit that these songs are well-composed and delivered so competently.

A top quality Black Metal release. It’s time to hunt this one down.

Blut Aus Nord – Memoria Vetusta III – Saturnian Poetry (Review)

Blut Aus Nord are from France and this is their 11th album.

Blut Aus Nord are one of the most inventive and unique bands out there, and you never know what brand of darkness they’re going to unleash. As such, this new album is somewhat of a surprise to me as gone are the Industrial influences and this time we’re back into the realm of Melodic Black Metal, Blut Aus Nord-style.

Atmospheric Black Metal, rousing cleans, muddy-yet-warm drums, windswept melodies; Blut Aus Nord show that they’re perfectly at home with this style of Black Metal as they are with their more experimental/Industrial works. As the third installment in the Memoria Vetusta series this album is a majestic triumph.

This is an epic album, wide in scope yet focused and well-fleshed out. The music and album cover combined evoke feelings of natural landscapes and pagan times. It also harkens back to the glory days of the first Emperor album. If In the Nightside Eclipse is the darkness in the dead of night then Memoria Vetusta III – Saturnian Poetry is what follows.

But this is not cold, evil Black Metal, although there are certainly elements of frost strewn throughout the landscape; no, this is warmer and pulsating. This is the sound of the frost melting and vigour returning to the forest. Rather than the sound of winter this is the sound of spring just starting to thaw and come alive.

Memoria Vetusta III – Saturnian Poetry is beautifully aggressive and poetically powerful. Blut Aus Nord have once again proven why their name is a synonymous with quality.

Essential Black Metal listening.