Kold – Kold (Review)

Kold - KoldKold are a black metal band from Denmark and this is their debut release.

For some reason Kold is billed as an EP, despite having a duration of 39 minutes. Regardless of what it actually is, the music is really good, and that’s all that matters. Continue reading “Kold – Kold (Review)”

Funeral Chasm – Omniversal Existence (Review)

Funeral Chasm - Omniversal ExistenceThis is the debut album from Danish doom metallers Funeral Chasm.

Funeral Chasm play their music slow and with an emphasis on atmosphere. Omniversal Existence takes this starting point and delivers music that combines funeral doom with old-school Gothic doom metal. Add in some elements of first and second wave black metal, especially regarding a taste for expansive keyboards, and you have Funeral Chasm’s debut record. Continue reading “Funeral Chasm – Omniversal Existence (Review)”

Thy Darkened Shade/Amestigon/Inconcessus Lux Lucis/Shaarimoth – SamaeLilith: A Conjunction of the Fireborn – Split (Review)

Thy Darkened Shade Amestigon Inconcessus Lux Lucis Shaarimoth - SamaeLilith A Conjunction of the Fireborn - SplitThis is a gargantuan four-way split, consisting of 15 tracks across a total duration of 96 minutes. Continue reading “Thy Darkened Shade/Amestigon/Inconcessus Lux Lucis/Shaarimoth – SamaeLilith: A Conjunction of the Fireborn – Split (Review)”

Noctule – Wretched Abyss (Review)

Noctule - Wretched AbyssNoctule 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)”

Jarun – Rok Spokojnego Słońca (Review)

Jarun - Rok Spokojnego SłońcaThis is the fourth album from Jarun, a Polish progressive black metal band.

Both 2015’s Pod Niebem Utkanym z Popiołu and 2017’s Sporysz were very enjoyable blackened progressive/folk hybrids, and their newest album continues Jarun’s unbroken run of high quality releases. Continue reading “Jarun – Rok Spokojnego Słońca (Review)”

Oriflamme – L’égide Ardente (Review)

Oriflamme - L'égide ArdenteThis is the debut album from Canadian black metal band Oriflamme.

Oriflamme’s black metal combines furious intensity with atmospheric appeal. When the band play fast they play with fire and vigour, but when they slow down is when the real dark magic happens. Continue reading “Oriflamme – L’égide Ardente (Review)”

Mānbryne – Heilsweg: O Udręce Ciała I Tułaczce Duszy (Review)

Mānbryne - O Udręce Ciała I Tułaczce DuszyThis is the debut album from Polish black metallers Mānbryne.

Featuring members of Blaze of Perdition, Odraza, and Voidhanger, Mānbryne grabbed my attention right out of the gate. On Heilsweg: O Udręce Ciała I Tułaczce Duszy the band offer up 41-minutes of malevolent black metal, and it is very gratefully received. Continue reading “Mānbryne – Heilsweg: O Udręce Ciała I Tułaczce Duszy (Review)”

Utburd – Story of Frozen Souls (Review)

Utburd - Story of Frozen SoulsThis is the third album from Russian one-man black metal band Utburd.

Story of Frozen Souls is the 58-minute follow up to 2018’s The Horrors Untold.

Utburd’s music is a mix of the atmospheric Continue reading “Utburd – Story of Frozen Souls (Review)”

Udånde – Life of a Purist (Review)

Udånde - Life of a PuristThis is the debut album from Udånde, a solo black metal band based in Slovakia, augmented by as session vocalist and drummer.

Now here’s an album to thoroughly scratch that modern black metal itch. Life of a Purist is atmospheric and melodic, without being entirely beholden to either Continue reading “Udånde – Life of a Purist (Review)”

Fuath – II (Review)

Fuath - IIThis is the second album from Fuath, a one-man UK black metal band.

Here we have 42 minutes of atmospheric black metal in the vein of the 90s second wave. The promo blurb mentions bands such as Darkthrone, Mayhem, Burzum, Drudkh, and Windir, and these influences are well-represented Continue reading “Fuath – II (Review)”