This is the third album from Corpus Diavolis, a French black metal band.
Featuring a member of Eradikal Insane, this is occult black metal in the vein of 1349, Marduk and Watain.
It’s hard not to Continue reading “Corpus Diavolis – Atra Lumen (Review)”
Cadaveris are a Russian black metal band and this is their debut album.
This is half an hour of orthodox, occult black metal that comes across as a malevolent mix of Watain, Marduk, Mayhem and Dark Funeral.
Performed and executed with the passion of Continue reading “Cadaveris – The Ceremony of Worshiping (Review)”
Wiegedood are a black metal band from Belgium and this is their second album.
Wiegedood play black metal that’s as brutal is it is caustically atmospheric. There’s an acerbic hatred here that powers the songs forward, while at the same time showing an awareness of dynamics and Continue reading “Wiegedood – De Doden Hebben Het Goed II (Review)”
This is the third album from Italian black metal band Obscure Devotion.
Obscure Devotion play sophisticated occult black metal with a mature, yet still fiery approach to extreme music. Continue reading “Obscure Devotion – Ubi Certa Pax Est (Review)”
This is the second album from Swedish black metallers Omnizide.
As the follow up to 2014’s very pleasing debut album Death Metal Holocaust, Nekroregime continues the band’s blackened assault on the senses, added to and infected by some good old-fashioned death metal influences here and there. Continue reading “Omnizide – Nekroregime (Review)”
Hailing from Poland, Arkona are a veteran black metal band and this is their sixth album.
Lunaris boasts 48 minutes of the kind of second wave black metal that would be right at home had it actually been released in the 90s, probably about the time that Arkona actually formed.
This is an album based on the classic black metal template of the time, forged through experience and the hands of people that have been doing this long enough to know how to write good black metal. And it is very, very good.
Blackened riffs of frosted hate seep Continue reading “Arkona – Lunaris (Review)”
Blaze of Perdition are a Black Metal band from Poland. This is their third album.
The music on this album combines malevolent atmospheres with occult stylings to create a masterpiece of supreme Black Metal art. Blaze of Perdition manage to simultaneously remain true to Black Metal’s heart of darkness while being bold enough to fashion it to their steely will.
If you worship bands such as Deathspell Omega, Watain, Marduk and Funeral Mist then this is for you. Like the aforementioned bands, Blaze of Perdition take the listener on a journey through Blackened soundscapes and rarely-explored musical vistas.
It’s not that the band are wildly innovative, very few bands are; it’s more that they have a gift for twisting Black Metal into shapes that are perfectly recognisable yet still manage to impress and have their own warped personalities and identities. Bands like this manage to create their own dark worlds that you seem to fall into, emerging once again only when the journey is complete and the music has had its way with you.
Near Death Revelations succeeds in capturing the essence of what makes Black Metal so exciting and provocative. The band infuse this with their unique vision without losing the core identity of the style. The songs are compelling and engaging compositions that are diverse enough to retain interest without straying too far from the central stylistic themes.
Black Metal is an ever-mutating beast that throws up challenging new interpretations almost as much as it pumps out those who seek to recreate the core style of the genre. Bands like Blaze of Perdition are exceptional in that they not only create their art at the precise point where both avenues of exploration overlap, but they also use this point to diverge into their own full-fledged existence, and take up the mantle as leaders, not followers.
Near Death Revelations may have been born out of tragedy but its coming of age will be a thing of dark, resplendent beauty. As the phoenix arises, all shall cower from its terrible, glorious form.
Rejoice, for Blaze of Perdition has come.
Kaosophia are a Ukrainian Black Metal band and this is their début album.
Kaosophia play occult Black Metal with plenty of speed and bite that’s inspired by the likes of Gorgoroth, Watain and Marduk.
The riffs are Blackened and the melodies evil. On top of this though the band also use some tasty Thrash-inspired riffs on occasion. It’s not a huge part of their sound but it’s there.
The vocals are hateful croaking screams that may be the norm for the genre but are still performed well.
Kaosophia operate at all speeds and manage to create dark atmospheres regardless of whether they’re blasting out at full throttle or creeping around much slower. Either way, the Blackened melodies and writhing riffs give an impression of grandeur and horror.
This is a really enjoyable 46 minutes of music. This is the kind of Black Metal that it’s easy to like; a well-recorded and well-written slice of apocalyptic hymnals.
Check them out.
Daemonium are a Ukrainian Black Metal band and this is their début album.
Here we have a release full of savage Black Metal with a distinct Scandinavian quality and lots of evil feelings.
Evoking the spirit of bands like Marduk, Dark Funeral and Naglfar, as well as Dimmu Borgir and a taste of Emperor; Daemonium proceed to blast and pound their way through these songs like they really mean it.
This is somewhat of a nostalgia-inducing release for me as it takes me back to the late 90s period of Black Metal. This is no bad thing really, as Имя Мне Легион is produced, performed and delivered with real passion and bile.
The singer has a great, throaty rasp that is perfect for this style of music. He’s not adverse to going deeper too and his vocals never seem too far away from the action.
This album is packed full to the brim with Blackened, frosty melodies and razorblade riffing. Subtle keybaords lurk in the background adding extra flavour and their contribution shouldn’t be discounted.
I do enjoy this style of balls-to-the-wall occult Black Metal. The feeling of malevolent brutality and otherworldly sped-up hatred is a tough one to beat. The fact that it also comes wrapped up with an extra atmospheric element, thanks to the keyboards, is just a bonus.
Although the style is an old one, Daemonium play their Black Metal with such enthusiasm that it’s hard to be dismissive; plus the fact that they genuinely seem to know what they’re doing means they have written a really enjoyable album.
I’d definitely recommend this one for your further investigations.
Infernal War are from Poland and play Black/Death Metal. This is their third album.
This is ultra brutal Extreme Metal that takes no prisoners and is utterly relentless in its taste for killing. It’s heavy, nasty and downright evil.
Infernal War play a hybrid of Black/Death Metal that’s right on the line between the two styles. Blackened Death Metal, I find, usually leans in favour of Death Metal rather than Black Metal, but occasionally a band appears who gets the mixture just right and we end up with a band that’s hard to categorise into just one of the two. Extreme Metal is an apt description for this reason.
Mixing influences from bands like Behemoth, Marduk and Satyricon, Infernal War proceed to spread spite and bile across these 11 tracks.
Bestial drumming and sharp riffing collide to create fast songs where the band spread their nefarious message with a distinct aggression.
The tracks mainly hover around the 3-4 minute mark and this is ample time to blast their wares out.
It’s enjoyable to hear a band take the direct approach and at the same time merge the two genres in such a competent way. This album is perfect for when you want something that’s hyper-aggressive but can’t decide whether to listen to Death Metal or Black Metal. Infernal War fill the gap and Axiom is a highly recommended listen.
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