Miasmes – Répugnance (Review)

Miasmes - R​é​pugnanceMiasmes are a French black metal band and this is their debut album.

After how much I enjoyed last year’s debut EP Vermines, Répugnance is an album I have been looking forward to. The band have delivered the goods, as I was hoping they would, and Répugnance gives us 42 minutes of new material, (or mostly new – Pestilence makes a reappearance from the EP). Continue reading “Miasmes – Répugnance (Review)”

Immortal – War Against All (Review)

Immortal - War Against AllThis 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)”

Ondfødt – Det Österbottniska Mörkret (Review)

Ondfødt - Det Österbottniska M​ö​rkretThis 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)”

Nattehimmel – Mourningstar (Review)

Nattehimmel - MourningstarNattehimmel are an international, (Norway/UK), black metal band and this is their debut album.

Featuring current and ex-members of Emancer, Ewigkeit, Green Carnation, In the Woods…, Old Forest, and The Meads of Asphodel, Mourningstar is a 45-minute journey into 90s black metal that’s nostalgic, yet still relevant, and has a few detours too. Continue reading “Nattehimmel – Mourningstar (Review)”

Mork – Dypet (Review)

Mork - DypetThis is the sixth album from one-man Norwegian black metal act Mork.

The artist behind Mork is always reliable, and always puts out the sort of classic black metal material that makes albums like 2017’s Eremittens Dal so enjoyable. On Dypet the music of Mork spends 48 minutes making the most of its old-school black metal influences to produce an album that has evolved past its roots. Continue reading “Mork – Dypet (Review)”

Lamp of Murmuur – Saturnian Bloodstorm (Review)

Lamp of Murmuur - Saturnian BloodstormThis 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)”

Xalpen – The Curse of Kw​á​nyep (Review)

Xalpen - The Curse of Kw​á​nyepXalpen are a black metal band from Chile and this is their second album.

Xalpen play old-school black metal and The Curse of Kw​á​nyep gives us 49 minutes, (53 minutes with the bonus track), of infernal darkness. Continue reading “Xalpen – The Curse of Kw​á​nyep (Review)”

Sarcoptes – Prayers to Oblivion (Review)

Sarcoptes - Prayers to OblivionSarcoptes are a US black metal band and this is their second album.

It has been a long time since 2016’s Songs and Dances of Death, but the second Sarcoptes album is finally here. And what do we have? Something pretty damn tasty. Prayers to Oblivion is the sound of Sarcoptes taking their material to the next level in every regard; songwriting, recording, and performances, have all improved. Continue reading “Sarcoptes – Prayers to Oblivion (Review)”

Moonthoth – Uroczysko (Review)

Moonthoth - UroczyskoThis 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)”

Limbes – Écluse (Review)

Limbes - ÉcluseThis is the debut album from one-man French black metal act Limbes.

We’ve encountered the artist behind Limbes before, on his split with Mütterlein, and also when the project was named Blurr Thrower. Écluse contains 39 minutes of new material, and although the songs are still on the longer side, (especially the 15-minute closer), overall they’re shorter and more concise than we’re used to from this artist. Continue reading “Limbes – Écluse (Review)”