This is the tenth album from legendary Norwegian black metal band Immortal.
Whereas on 2018’s Northern Chaos Gods Immortal were a duo, on War Against All the band have now been slimmed down further to just one original member, and is now essentially a solo act, albeit with session musicians, (from Enslaved and Gaahls Wyrd). Continue reading “Immortal – War Against All (Review)”
This is the third album from US one-man black metal band Lamp of Murmuur.
Saturnian Bloodstorm is a 40-minute blast of frozen winds. Lamp of Murmuur is a name that has made a strong mark here, and Saturnian Bloodstorm is a infectiously enjoyable slice of black metal. Continue reading “Lamp of Murmuur – Saturnian Bloodstorm (Review)”
Nordjevel are a Norwegian black metal band and this is their third album.
Following on from 2021’s fiery Fenrir EP, (of which Gnawing the Bones reappears here), Gnavhòl is a 55-minute expression of black metal darkness. Continue reading “Nordjevel – Gnavhòl (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 debut album from US black metallers Abhoria.
So, here we have a 42-minute black metal release that claims inspiration from Immortal, Dark Funeral and Emperor. How could I resist sampling its dark delights?
Abhoria present their second wave-influenced assault with a Continue reading “Abhoria – Abhoria (Review)”
This is the debut album from Modern Rites, a Swiss/US black metal band.
Featuring members of Aara and Kuyashii, Monuments contains 37 minutes of modern blackened aggression that mainly exists in the melodic black metal sphere, but not exclusively. The music also borrows from the wellspring of 90s industrial music, (which can be especially felt in some of the melodies, structuring, and atmospheres), as well as some of the more brutal strains of modern black metal. Continue reading “Modern Rites – Monuments (Review)”
Noctule is a one-woman black metal band from the UK, and this is her debut album.
Brought to us by the singer/guitarist of Svalbard, Wretched Abyss is a 42-minute Skyrim-themed album that takes some of the darker and melodic elements you can hear in Svalbard’s sound, and wraps them around a blackened core. Continue reading “Noctule – Wretched Abyss (Review)”
Dark Divinity are a melodic death metal band from New Zealand, and this is their debut EP.
The promo blurn tells us that “Following in the footsteps of genre originators At the Gates, The Haunted & Dissection, the band also take cues from death/black metal acts such as Immortal, Morbid Angel & Death.” Bold words, but backed up by 18 minutes of music that cuts like a serrated knife, you’ll find no complaint from me. Continue reading “Dark Divinity – Messianic (Review)”
Ossomancer is a black metal entity from the US and this is their debut album.
Ossomancer combine old and new, taking a base of second wave black metal and transporting it to the present day. Continue reading “Ossomancer – Artes Magickae (Review)”
This is the second album from False, a black metal band from the US.
Portent contains 41 minutes of atmospheric, melodic black metal. Effortlessly combining USBM with the old-school Norwegian variety, False have crafted an album that moves beyond either individual style. Continue reading “False – Portent (Review)”
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