Although I’d ideally love to be able to conduct hard-hitting, in-depth interviews, who has the time these days? In lieu of this, I’ve thrown together the below question template, hopefully to gather some interesting and informative results, without taking up too much of anyone’s time.
I am The Watcher – I play guitar and perform vocals. Continue reading “Standard Interrogation Techniques: Five Questions for Fen (Interview)”
Fen are a UK black metal band and this is their seventh album.
I last caught up with Fen on their 2017 album Winter. Apparently they’ve had another album since then, (The Dead Light), which I somehow managed to completely miss, which is a shame. Regardless, it’s now time for Monuments to Absence and its 67 minutes of music to absorb. Continue reading “Fen – Monuments to Absence (Review)”
Krigsgrav are a black metal band from the US and this is their seventh album.
I haven’t caught up with Krigsgrav since their 2016 album Waves of Degradation, so it’s good to check in with them once more. Fires in the Fall contains 53 minutes of new material and reveals some changes to the band’s sound, which can be roughly and facetiously summarised as shorter songs, more doom. Continue reading “Krigsgrav – Fires in the Fall (Review)”
Fellwarden are a black metal band from the UK, and this is their second album.
Brought to us by members of Fen, Wreathed in Mourncloud delivers 59 minutes of atmospheric black metal with a folk edge. Continue reading “Fellwarden – Wreathed in Mourncloud (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Frigoris, an atmospheric post-black metal band from Germany.
Frigoris’ post-black metal is atmospheric and immersive, and as you journey across this 65-minute album, you’ll also discover aspects of doom, progressive metal, and post-rock that are incorporated into the music’s textured tapestry. Continue reading “Frigoris – …In Stille (Review)”
Ashbringer are an atmospheric black metal band from the US and this is their third album.
Ashbringer’s black metal combines aggressive blackness with melodic sensibilities and folk-influenced post-rock reflection. Elements of bands such as Fen, Agalloch, Falls of Rauros, Amiensus, and Alcest can be heard, but moulded and channelled through Ashbringer’s own collective experiences and personality. Continue reading “Ashbringer – Absolution (Review)”
Eoront are a Russian black metal band and this is their second album.
Playing keyboard enriched atmospheric black metal with a deep mystical side, Eoront’s latest album contains over an hour of sprawling, epic music. Continue reading “Eoront – Another Realm (Review)”
Mountains Crave are a UK black metal band and this is their debut album.
This is black metal that skilfully builds progressive, atmospheric, and post-metal elements into its construction. Continue reading “Mountains Crave – As We Were When We Were Not (Review)”
Fen are a UK progressive black metal band and this is their fifth album.
Fen combine atmospheric, progressive and post-black metal into their beguiling music. Taking the appropriate elements of each and using them to suit their own purposes, the music on Winter is expansive and full of dark vision. Continue reading “Fen – Winter (Review)”
Ahamkara are from the UK and play Atmospheric Black Metal. This is their début album.
This is Black Metal with epic length songs and a windswept feel.
This is the kind of album that’s the soundtrack to exploration. It’s the Blackened equivalent of a map of uncharted territories and frost-worn mountains.
The Embers of the Stars is bitingly cold and achingly sensual in equal amounts. These songs are emotive and expressive, infused with the raw energy of nature and the passion that goes along with this.
Heartfelt guitars and subtle synths provide the rasping vocals with a rich background on which to scream out into the heavens.
This sweeping music is perfect for Black Metal that’s inspired by nature and seeks to channel it via a darkened Metal route. Each of these songs is extremely well composed and gives the feeling of really being in the raw, dangerous outdoors.
This is the kind of epic, atmospheric music that has been characterised well by the Cascadian scene, even though this is from the UK. Fans of Wolves in the Throne Room, Altar of Plagues, Agalloch, Fen, Skagos, Fauna, Wodensthrone, (who share a member), etc., will be very at home with Ahamkara. However, whereas a lot of these bands have Post-Metal qualities to their sound, Ahamkara substitute these for shades of the mighty Emperor and thus are more “pure” Black Metal than not.
Really top quality work like this should always be supported. Listen and become enthralled.
Wonderbox Metal 