This is the fifth album from Swiss black metallers Coldcell.
Following on from 2021’s The Greater Evil, Age of Unreason contains 47 minutes of new material from Coldcell. Age of Unreason offers up a compelling modern black metal vision. It’s a heavily atmospheric and ritualistic one, combining elements of the atmospheric and post-black metal styles into an orthodox framework. Continue reading “Coldcell – Age of Unreason (Review)”
This is the fifth album from Swedish black metallers Mephorash.
It has been four long years since 2019’s colossal Shem Ha Mephorash first graced the world with its infernal presence, and we’re now due a new emanation from this esoteric act. Behold Krystl-Ah! Yes, Mephorash have gifted us with 67 minutes of new material, and once again, Mephorash have created an impressive album that’s absolutely huge in more ways than one. Continue reading “Mephorash – Krystl-Ah (Review)”
This is the fifth album from Norwegian black metal band Dødsengel.
I haven’t caught up with Dødsengel in a while, but enjoyed both their 2013 split with Nightbringer – Circumambulations of the Solar Inferno – and their 2017 album Interequinox, so when Bab Al On appeared with its very striking album art, I knew I wanted to explore that it had to offer. Continue reading “Dødsengel – Bab Al On (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Swedish black metallers Mephorash.
Even after enjoying 2015’s 1557 – Rites of Nullification and getting a taste of the band’s new material on last year’s The Third Woe, I still wasn’t really prepared for this. Shem Ha Mephorash might surprise you by just how good it is, as it did me. Mephorash may not be a well-worn Continue reading “Mephorash – Shem Ha Mephorash (Review)”
This is the latest EP from Swedish black metallers Mephorash.
This is a brief EP that’s designed to whet appetites for Mephorash’s upcoming new album. It features one new song and one re-recorded one off the band’s 2012 album Chalice of Thagirion. Continue reading “Mephorash – The Third Woe (Review)”
This is the third album by Swedish Black Metallers Mephorash.
Throughout the four extended tracks on this release Mephorash demonstrate their approach to elite, sophisticated Black Metal art. Theirs is Black Metal that conjures effective atmospheres without neglecting the rest of the music; the band have both heaviness and bite to them when they need it.
Managing to create music that’s both resplendent and uplifting as well as drenched in the occult and mysterious is no mean feat, but this album manages to juxtapose those two aspects of Black Metal quite nicely.
The band fuse the style’s core delivery with influences from Atmospheric/Post-Black Metal to create a contemporary spin on the genre that nonetheless has all of the essential elements in place to produce something both recognisable and special.
Featuring all kinds of additional enhancements, (keyboards, choral singing, guest vocalists), that work well within the music to add layers of depth to it, these songs are strong exemplars of the style of Black Metal that bands like Watain/Deathspell Omega pioneered so well.
There’s a vibrant unlife pulsing through these songs and they bristle with dark energy. It’s a joy to hear and the strong production allows them the space to do what they do unfettered.
Mephorash have created something really impressive with this album and I know I’ll be listening to it and trying to unravel its dark secrets for some time to come.
Wonderbox Metal 