Umbra Conscientia – Nigredine Mundi (Review)

Umbra Conscientia - Nigredine MundiUmbra Conscientia are a black metal band from Costa Rica/Germany, and this is their second album.

Featuring current and ex-members of Corpse Garden, Nigredine Mundi contains 32 minutes of black metal that will flay your skin while it summons daemonic horrors to swallow your soul. Continue reading “Umbra Conscientia – Nigredine Mundi (Review)”

Miasmes – Vermines (Review)

Miasmes - VerminesMiasmes are a French black metal band and this is their debut EP.

Miasmes play classic second wave black metal with an underlying punk energy. It’s old-school and raw, and pretty damn nasty. Continue reading “Miasmes – Vermines (Review)”

In Twilight’s Embrace – Lifeblood (Review)

In Twilight's Embrace - LifebloodThis is the sixth album from Polish black metallers In Twilight’s Embrace.

Featuring current and ex-members of Bloodthirst and Blaze of Perdition, In Twilight’s Embrace offer up 48 minutes of blackened darkness on Lifeblood. Continue reading “In Twilight’s Embrace – Lifeblood (Review)”

Aara – Triade II: Hemera (Review)

Aara - Triade II HemeraThis is the fourth album from Swiss black metallers Aara, (who feature members of Modern Rites and Porta Nigra).

Following hot on the heels of last year’s Triade I: Eos comes Triade II: Hemera, which gives us 42 minutes of new material. Aara play a hybrid form of black metal that combines the atmospheric and the melodic styles into their own brand of scathing darkness. Continue reading “Aara – Triade II: Hemera (Review)”

I Am the Night – While the Gods Are Sleeping (Review)

I Am the Night - While the Gods Are SleepingThis is the debut album from I Am the Night, a black metal band from Finland.

Brought to us by current and ex-members of bands such as Insomnium, Malpractice, Omnium Gatherum, Paradise Lost, and Vallenfyre, While the Gods Are Sleeping is a 38-minute record influenced by the 90s second wave of black metal. Continue reading “I Am the Night – While the Gods Are Sleeping (Review)”

Lunar Tombfields – The Eternal Harvest (Review)

Lunar Tombfields - The Eternal HarvestLunar Tombfields are an atmospheric black metal band from France and this is their debut album.

Featuring four lengthy tracks with a duration of 47 minutes, The Eternal Harvest offers the discerning listener a feast of atmospheric black metal. With a sound taking influence from both old and new, Lunar Tombfields Continue reading “Lunar Tombfields – The Eternal Harvest (Review)”

Darkest Mind – Oracle of Death (Review)

Darkest Mind - Oracle of DeathThis is the debut album from Belgian black metal band Darkest Mind.

Oracle of Death saw the light of day at the end of last year, and I confess that I overlooked it largely due to its cover. Not that it’s bad artwork by any means, but the bright colours didn’t inspire me to check it out. My loss. Having now had the album brough to my attention once more, Continue reading “Darkest Mind – Oracle of Death (Review)”

Skinliv/Vermisst – Split (Review)

Skinliv Vermisst - SplitSkinliv are from Denmark and Vermisst are from Poland, both play black metal and they have teamed up for this 38-minute split.

Skinliv open up the split, with four tracks across 19 minutes.

Skinliv’s blackened assault is Continue reading “Skinliv/Vermisst – Split (Review)”

Mur – Cut the Rivers Vein (Review)

Mur - Cut the Rivers VeinThis is the fourth album from one-man blackened doom act Mur.

Cut the Rivers Vein spends 51 minutes mixing together doom, post-metal, and black metal, with elements of folk, ambient, and drone, to great effect. Continue reading “Mur – Cut the Rivers Vein (Review)”

The Mist from the Mountains – Monumental – The Temple of Twilight (Review)

The Mist from the Mountains - Monumental - The Temple of TwilightThe Mist from the Mountains are a Finnish black metal band and this is their debut album.

Monumental – The Temple of Twilight contains 38 minutes of 90s-influenced nature-inspired black metal. The promo blurb mentions bands from that era such as Old Man’s Child, Gehenna, Dimmu Borgir, and Borknagar, which, coupled with the enticing album art, meant I definitely had to give The Mist from the Mountains some of my attention. Continue reading “The Mist from the Mountains – Monumental – The Temple of Twilight (Review)”