Deathspell Omega – Page 7 – Wonderbox Metal

Void Paradigm – Earth’s Disease (Review)

Hailing from France, this is the second album from Black Metallers Void Paradigm.

Here’s a band who come from the Deathspell Omega school of Black Metal. They’ve learned from the masters and have now applied what they know to their own creation. This is music that’s hypnotic and warped.

Straight from the start the band show that this is abrasive, discordant Black Metal that sings to its own twisted hymn sheet set to music that shouldn’t rightly exist in our reality.

Corrupted riffs spread their strange melodies and nefarious, atypical sounds abound throughout these five songs. The creative flair of a flawed genius is clearly on display, clashing with the ingenuity of a madman.

Speaking of madmen, the singer would certainly seem to qualify. His emotive-but-jarring shouts will be an acquired taste for some I’m sure, but his performance level and passion of delivery cannot be doubted.

So, this is not your standard Black Metal affair and Void Paradigm should be applauded for this. Earth’s Disease features a treasure trove of interesting ideas and different sounds. The songwriting of the band is unusual but the result is very pleasing.

The aesthetics of the band are familiar even if the music is not. That these have been filtered through the prism of a very creative and aspiring band makes Earth’s Disease a release to be savoured and enjoyed at length.

The dark, swirling core of the music is augmented by Avant-Garde elements and there’s enough stimulating and inspired flourishes here to really impress. Progressive and Experimental elements also combine with these aforementioned aspects of their sound, firming up Void Paradigm’s mastery of their chosen dark art.

It’s an off-kilter and disturbing world that the band have carved for themselves across these 39 minutes, and one that cries out to be explored; just be wary on your travels.

For Black Metal that’s individual, charismatic, esoteric and wonderfully obtuse, look no further, for Void Paradigm are here.

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!

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.

Sovereign – Nailing Shut the Sacrosanct Orifice (Review)

This is the début album by US Black metal band Sovereign.

With an obscure album cover and an intro track, Gnosis, that is equally enigmatic; the album starts with a winding guitar and an increasing unsettling feeling. I’m not sure what to expect.

So when the first song proper, Orbiting Lunar Curse, begins, it’s almost relieving to be confronted with recognisable Black Metal, albeit played with passion and obvious talent.

Subtle mysterious melodies are deftly weaved into the tapestry of dark malevolence that Sovereign spin. This is a band who are very good at what they do.

Their Black Metal is richly realised and not limited to just one feeling or aura. They play music with depth and even incorporate into their sound that rarest of beasts – the Black Metal guitar solo.

The music has an almost physical presence. Guitar riffs and occult rhythms are unleashed with the confidence of master craftspeople.

An organic production gives Sovereign a very enticing sound and all of the songs are sinuous and slippery with reptilian heat.

Nailing Shut the Sacrosanct Orifice combines elements of Deathspell Omega, Marduk and Ondskapt to create an engaging album that fills me with a sense of Blackened grandeur.

I’ve encountered a lot of really good Black Metal recently and Sovereign definitely strike me as one of the best. Have a listen and see what you think.

Barshasketh/Void Ritual – Split (Review)

Barshasketh are based in Scotland and Void Ritual hail from the US. Both bands play Black Metal.

Barshasketh play occult Black Metal with an aura of dark majesty. They contribute two tracks to this split, 17 minutes in length.

The first song is named Palingenesis and immediately demonstrates the band’s quality songwriting and ritualistic riffing.

The music is played at all speeds, from a roaming crawl to blasting spite, and Barshasketh sound on top form either way.

Dominion of Ashes is the next track, and it allays any fears you might have of Palingenesis being a fluke; this song is just as good, if not better than the first.

Featuring Blackened riffs that immediately capture your attention and ice-cold vocals forged from malice, Barshasketh once more proceed to blow me away.

The sound is first rate throughout and this is a very impressive introduction to the band.

For fans of Marduk, Deathspell Omega, Watain and the like.

Void Ritual’s 2014 EP Holodomor was very enjoyable indeed, and they return here with a further three songs, 15 minutes in length.

Void Ritual have shorter songs and are an altogether faster proposition in general than Barshasketh.

Heaven’s Gate rips out of the speakers with venom and razorblades, demonstrating everything that I enjoyed about their earlier EP. If anything though, Void Ritual sound more professional now than they did previously.

Not that this is some sterile, ultra-polished commercial hit machine of course; this is still underground Black Metal through and through. It is, however, tight, focused and boasts a sound that’s as evil as it is satisfying.

Benevolent Mother is up next and continues Void Ritual’s penchant for writing enticing riffs that manage to scream Black Metal whilst at the same time sounding a bit different from the norm.

One of the things that attracted me to this band in the first place is that they may be playing a well-worn style but they do it with enough differences and personality quirks to make them stand out from the pack.

The final song is Temple of the Sun and this continues on where the last two left off; engaging riffs, Devilish atmosphere, roaring screams and top songsmithing. There’s nothing to not like here.

After how good the Barshasketh songs proved to be I was concerned that Void Ritual’s side of the split might be somewhat of a let-down. How stupid of me. Void Ritual can hold their own easily enough and remind me of how much I like their output. There’s just something about them.

These two bands play different facets of Black Metal that complement each other perfectly. Topped off with some excellent artwork this is one split you don’t want to miss.