Classic Black Metal – Page 2

Label Roundup: Avantgarde Music – Selvans, Skaldr, and Void of Hope (Reviews)

Wonderbox Metal gets sent a lot of new music, (which is great), but there’s no way that everything can get covered unfortunately, (which is not so great). This column hopes to redress this balance, if only slightly, by taking a look at a handful of releases that a record label has recently sent out that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks.

Surprisingly, I haven’t done one of these columns since 2022! I was genuinely shocked when I realised this recently. So, it seemed like the perfect time to revisit it, and to get caught up on some of Avantgarde Music‘s releases. This is a label I rate highly, and never seem to get enough time to adequately cover, so here’s three new albums all seeing the light of day on January 31st 2025. Continue reading “Label Roundup: Avantgarde Music – Selvans, Skaldr, and Void of Hope (Reviews)”

Vyre – Voidserpent (Review)

Vyre are a German progressive black metal band and this is their fourth album.

I’ve enjoyed watching Vyre develop their sound, from the post-black metal of 2014’s The Initial Frontier Pt. 2, to the increasingly avant-garde stylings of 2018’s Weltformel. Which brings us to Voidserpent, a new album that offers us 42 minutes of new material from this expressive and interesting act. What have they done this time around? Continue reading “Vyre – Voidserpent (Review)”

Barshasketh – Antinomian Asceticism (Review)

Barshasketh are a black metal band from New Zealand/Scotland and this is their fifth album.

I first encountered Barshasketh on their 2015 split with Void Ritual, and then again on their 2017 split with Outre. Both primed me for the emergence in 2019 of the formidable Barshasketh, which ably demonstrated what the band could do across a full length. Well, it may have taken the best part of six years, but Barshasketh have now returned with the 44-minute Antinomian Asceticism, and let me tell you, it’s lethal. Continue reading “Barshasketh – Antinomian Asceticism (Review)”

Sluagh – II (Review)

This is the debut album from UK black metal band Sluagh.

Brought to us by current/ex-members of Ageless Summoning, Barshasketh, and Dvne, (and many others), II contains 41 minutes of atmospheric black metal, played with old-school authenticity and heart. It’s raw and unashamedly ancient, driven by a love of the traditional black metal style as seen through a contemporary Scottish-focused lens. Continue reading “Sluagh – II (Review)”

Order of Nosferat – Towards the Nightrealm of Orlok (Review)

This is the sixth album from international, (Germany/Finland), black metal band Order of Nosferat.

I’ve had a soft spot for Order of Nosferat since discovering their vampiric brand of black metal on their 2023 split with Lunar Spells, which this year’s The Absence of Grace just reinforced. Yes, this is the band’s second full length of 2024, and across these 45 minutes Order of Nosferat have produced another corker of an album. Get ready for the second wave furious majesty of Towards the Nightrealm of Orlok! Continue reading “Order of Nosferat – Towards the Nightrealm of Orlok (Review)”

Heathen Deity – Satan’s Kingdom (Review)

This is the second album from UK black metallers Heathen Deity.

Brought to us by current and ex-members of Hecate Enthroned, Helvellyn, Nefarious Dusk, and Skiddaw, Satan’s Kingdom contains 59 minutes of old-school Satanic black metal, although of a more expressive and higher quality than you typically find in the wild. Continue reading “Heathen Deity – Satan’s Kingdom (Review)”

Pestilent Hex – Sorceries of Sanguine & Shadow (Review)

Pestilent Hex are a black metal band from Finland and this is their second album.

After 2022’s enjoyable The Ashen Abhorrence, Pestilent Hex have now returned with the 46-minute Sorceries of Sanguine & Shadow. Continue reading “Pestilent Hex – Sorceries of Sanguine & Shadow (Review)”

Ante-Inferno – Death’s Soliloquy (Review)

This is the third album from UK black metal act Ante-Inferno.

Following on from 2022’s Antediluvian Dreamscapes comes Death’s Soliloquy, which contains 47 minutes of new material. It’s Ante-Inferno’s longest album, but also their most engaging and well-realised. Continue reading “Ante-Inferno – Death’s Soliloquy (Review)”

Burial – Rejoice in Sin (Review)

This is the fourth album from UK black metallers Burial.

I haven’t caught up with Burial since their 2016 album Unholy Sedition, so it is high time I did once more. Featuring in their ranks members of Cairns, Foetal Juice, and Wolfbastard, Burial know what they’re doing with their music, and Rejoice in Sin delivers 40 minutes of raw iciness for the listener to get frozen by. Continue reading “Burial – Rejoice in Sin (Review)”

Winterfylleth/Wormwitch/Bizarrekult – Rebellion, Manchester – 10/11/24 (Live Review)

Now this was a show I knew I couldn’t miss out on. All three bands are great, and any one of them I’d have come to see. All three together? Unmissable. Continue reading “Winterfylleth/Wormwitch/Bizarrekult – Rebellion, Manchester – 10/11/24 (Live Review)”