This is the fourth album from Finnish black metal act Ondfødt.
I always enjoy catching up with Ondfødt. 2014’s Hexkonst, 2019’s Dödsrikets Kallelse, and 2021’s Norden are all records that I enjoyed, so it made sense for me to want to check out Det Österbottniska Mörkret too. I’ll say upfront that this has turned out to be Ondfødt’s most professional, accomplished, and enjoyable record. Continue reading “Ondfødt – Det Österbottniska Mörkret (Review)”
This is the second album from Polish one-man black metal band Moonthoth.
Uroczysko treats us to 50 minutes of underground black metal. It’s old-school and traditional at heart, yet rich, layered, and adventurous in scope. It has a keen atmospheric edge, is bolstered by powerful symphonic elements, and is not afraid to walk its own path. Continue reading “Moonthoth – Uroczysko (Review)”
Vahrzaw are an Australian black metal band and this is their fifth album.
Having enjoyed 2014’s Twin Suns & Wolves’ Tongues, 2018’s Husk, and 2021’s The Trembling Voices of Conquered Men, I was always going to have to check out the new Vahrzaw album. Continue reading “Vahrzaw – In the Shallows of a Starlit Lake (Review)”
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 new 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.
For this edition we turn to Black Mass Prayers, an Italian label that states it is “supporting the Italian Black Metal underground and aiming to spread its glory worldwide”. Neither other the label nor the bands on it were familiar to me prior to this, so it felt like a good time to dig in and explore what they had to offer… Continue reading “Label Roundup: Black Mass Prayers – Lykten, Urluk, & Valadier (Reviews)”
This is the second album from Black Fucking Cancer, a black metal band from the US.
What can you say about a band with a name like Black Fucking Cancer, other than to describe them as sounding completely and utterly evil? 2016’s Black Fucking Cancer and 2019’s Boundless Arcane Invokations – Split with Gloam, both impressed me with their malignant take on underground black metal, so when Procreate Inverse raised its ugly head, I knew I had to prepare myself for a beating. Continue reading “Black Fucking Cancer – Procreate Inverse (Review)”
This is the latest EP from Gaahls Wyrd, a black/dark metal band from Norway.
Gaahls Wyrd are a very experienced band, (with current and ex-members of acts such as Aeternus, Grimfist, Gorgoroth, Harm, Horizon Ablaze, and others), and I very much enjoyed their debut album Gastir – Ghosts Invited. Continue reading “Gaahls Wyrd – The Humming Mountain (Review)”
Mara is a Swedish one man black metal band and this is his third album.
Sometimes you just need a hit of the black stuff, and RÖK offers 36 minutes of the darkness you need. Spread across 5 tracks, this is cold black metal played as if it was still the 90s. Continue reading “Mara – RÖK (Review)”
This is the debut album from Gaahls Wyrd, a black metal band from Norway.
Here we have 42 minutes of non-standard black metal brought to us by the ex-frontman of Gorgoroth. Continue reading “Gaahls Wyrd – Gastir – Ghosts Invited (Review)”
Sykelig Englen is a black metal solo project from the UK and this is the artist’s second album.
Hagall features short slices of Scandinavian-influenced black metal. Bands such as Marduk, Mayhem, Shining, and Gorgoroth are probably pretty decent starting reference points, but don’t tell the whole story. If you throw in some depressive black metal alongside this, as well as some other, quirkier elements, then I suppose you’ve largely a got a good idea of what this sounds like. Continue reading “Sykelig Englen – Hagall (Review)”
Christ Dismembered are an Australian black metal band and this is their debut album.
With a duration of only 28 minutes, this album goes for the throat big time. Yes, it’s time for some raw second wave black metal, and Christ Dismembered play their brand of misanthropic hatred very well. Continue reading “Christ Dismembered – Christ Dismembered (Review)”
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