underground Black Metal – Page 9

Laster – De Verste Verte Is Hier (Review)

Laster are from the Netherlands and this is their début album.

I’m a fan of Laster’s first release Wijsgeer & Narreman so was looking forward to hearing this. The quality album cover was the first thing I liked, and the music soon followed.

Laster play raw, underground, atmospheric Black Metal that’s epic in length and epic in scope.

The band seem to play from beneath a shroud of distortion and hazy guitar fog. The drums and vocals swim just beneath the surface, prowling like unnatural predators seeking the souls of the weary and weak.

De Verste Verte Is Hier is less about individual riffs and more about dark feelings evoked by the instruments that howl and gust like the wind. Laster create dark sonicscapes of reverberating nightmares and ever-present darkness.

Atmosphere is a big part of Laster’s identity and they wield it like a weapon. Desolation, despair and negativity are commonplace, but less common are the little rays of hope that occasionally pierce the gloom, such as on the main starting riff of Tot de Tocht ons Verlicht.

These are not songs to idly listen to, these are songs to experience.

For fans of bands like Vinterriket, Fell Voices, Ash Borer and the like.

Isenblast – Unleashing the Demon Scourge (Review)

Isenblast are from the US and this is their début EP. They play Black Metal.

This is raw, underground Black Metal with a sound like infernal nail scraping and bountiful Blackened energy.

Unleashing the Demon Scourge sounds exactly like it does just that. This is blistering Black Metal that isn’t a 100% blastfest but still never lets up with the intensity regardless.

The band play like the infernal fires are after them and even inject lightning solos into their heady Black Metal mix. I particularly enjoy these parts as the band seem to have an innate ear for a quality solo and the rhythm guitar usually settles into a good Blackened groove while this is going on.

The vocals are another highlight as they’re just so throat-scrapingly raw. High pitched screaming may be the usual Black Metal style but this singer does it as well as any and it sounds just great.

Each of these four songs is well-written and shows a band that are hungry to prove themselves, and with this EP they certainly have.

It’s always a pleasure to hear unadorned Black Metal played with passion, energy and integrity. Isenblast have crafted a great collection of songs here and I greatly look forward to their first full length.

Highly recommended for all lovers of the dark arts.

Ius Talionis – Eleutheromania (Review)

Ius Talionis are from Germany and this is their first release. They play Black Metal.

Although this is actually a demo release the quality of both sound and content belies this.

This is underground Black Metal with a raw-in-a-good-way sound that has a warmth and approachability to it despite the icy aura that the riffs themselves exude. The bass deserves special mention as not only is it audible but also adds tangible atmosphere and depth to the proceedings.

The songs lack ostentation and are atavistic beasts drawn from the dawn of Black Metal and harken back to the days when the likes of Burzum and Darkthrone were just dark amalgamations of potentiality and burgeoning threat.

This is Old-School Black Metal viewed and produced through the prism of history and hindsight. As such it perfectly captures the raw essence of Black Metal without ever falling into the trap of complacency, pointless hero-worship or any number of pitfalls that might befall the common Black Metal band.

These songs have a good deal of honesty about them and each one is truly enjoyable as an exemplar of the Blackened art of mood, pace and malevolent tribute.

Eleutheromania is a very impressive début release. With 4 songs in 36 minutes it could have easily passed as a début album. The fact that they haven’t done this and we still have this future début to come is a very exciting prospect indeed.

Ius Talionis are a band to watch that’s for sure. If they can keep the quality levels up then I predict a great album from them at some point.

Wömit Angel – Holy Goatse (Review)

Wömit Angel are from Finland and this is their second album of Black Metal.

This is dirty Black Metal fuelled by Punk and raped by Thrash.

The band boast a raw but strong sound and their filthy rage-filled attack comes off loud and clear.

Vocally we get stinging, lacerated shrieks with the occasional deeper, daemonic grunt. They sound authentic and intense.

The songs are short bouts of violence that may be underground blasts of hatred but manage to be remarkably catchy. Some nice hooks are included in the tracks and odd flares of melody are thrown in with the general chaos of the guitars.

It’s as if Impaled Nazarene, Motörhead and Venom have been crushed up, eaten and regurgitated as gooey Black Metal projectile vomit. Eat it. Eat it all back up.

Wömit Angel have produced an enjoyably venomous assault on the ears. Check them out.

TKNKNTJ – 2008-2009 – Takaisinvaellus/Täällä Helvetissä Olen Aina Valaistunut (Review)

Here we have two demo recordings from Finnish Black Metal band TKNKNTJ – Takaisinvaellus originally released in 2008 and Täällä Helvetissä Olen Aina Valaistunut originally released in 2009.

Takaisinvaellus is the longer of the two releases at just under 28 minutes, with Täällä Helvetissä Olen Aina Valaistunut clocking in at just under 16 minutes.

This is Underground Black Metal with a surprisingly satisfying sound that hits all of the rights spots for people who have a lust for all that is Blackened.

The vocals are scathing and full of razorblades. The rhythms and patterns of the vocalist are pleasingly interesting and although he pretty much has a standard Black Metal croak, it’s nonetheless a great voice delivered with passion. Not content with this, however, we’re also treated to a cleaner approach on occasion and the singer pulls this off admirably. He’s sometimes backed up by the odd deeper growl as well.

The band primarily play upbeat and fast but they also have enough slower, sinister passages to keep things varied and interesting. Blackened melodies seep out of the speakers like insidious rotting worms ready to corrupt the unwary and eat away at the unworthy.

This is evil music created for the love of darkness and sin. There is a malevolent aura to the grimness of the tracks on this release.

The fact that these were originally demo recordings is hard to believe in some ways as the quality of both the music and the recordings are better than some albums from similar bands.

Check them out.

Sangus – Saevitia (Review)

Sangus are a Black Metal band from the US.

The band play raw, ugly Black Metal that is capable of boiling blood at a hundred paces. This is infernal stuff that channels the underworld into 5 tracks of scorching, noisy Black Metal that recalls bands like Black Witchery and Watchmaker.

The songs are full of Crust and bile as they tear through the short playing time on this release, (a scant 15 minutes that goes by in a blur of whiplash and black tar), and afterwards you’re left wondering what the Hell just happened.

Although primarily concerned with making a horrendous mess of your insides with their focused, direct assault; the band do know how to insert a few Blackened melodies into the short songs and even have time for the odd guitar solo/lead now and again.

There is an impressive amount of rumbling threat to these songs. The violence is out in the open for everyone to see yet there’s always the hint of worse things to come just beneath the surface.

The final track Ossos: SSS is the longest one at almost 6 minutes in length and is a bit different from the ones that precede it. This track is all about the experimental noise and dark sounds. It’s an interesting choice for a closer, although personally I would have preferred another Black Metal track similar to the ones before as these were all so good.

This is a great little release filled with bark, bile, anger and nails. Highly recommended.

Natanas – All Is Permitted (Review)

Natanas is a one man Black Metal project from the US. This is Natanas’ second album.

This is atonal, obscure, underground Black Metal that’s more focused on creating particular moods and feelings rather than songs in the traditional sense.

The vocals are deep gargles and spewings; barely-human sounds and daemonic mutterings are the stock in trade of this warped intellect.

The drums are off-kilter and sometimes seem quite out of place with the more organic guitars and bestial vocalisations. I get the impression that this is done intentionally however, thus fostering the strange atmosphere that All Is Permitted shows off.

This is not a release for everyone, not even necessarily the hardened Black Metal fan. This is for people who enjoy bands that put uncomfortable feelings and sounds before everything else, even production values and traditional Black Metal.

Think bands like Xasthur, Portal, Mitochondrion, Enbilulugugal, Ævangelist and the like, and although I don’t think the guy behind Natanas is currently playing at their level just yet, given enough time and development he could be.

If this is the kind of Black Metal that does it for you then check out Natanas and see what you think.

Ondfødt – Hexkonst (Review)

Ondfødt are a Finnish Black Metal band and this is their début album.

This is Old-School, underground and raw Black Metal that clutches influences from both the Norwegian and Swedish scenes in its grim claws.

The band utilise a firm Old-School Darkthrone-esque base that they start off from and they incorporate other elements into this. Not content with merely copying their heroes they inject their own personality into the album and add their own touches to the style.

The vocals are Black Metal rasps for the main part. These are punctuated by Viking-styled heroic cleans, forceful semi-cleans, unhinged screaming and pretty much everything in between on occasion as well. It adds up to a full package of quite characterful vocals.

The production may be raw and fuzzy but not overly so. The band have a good dark sound suited to this style and the guitars make the most of it.

Energetic dark melodies form the lion’s share of the riffs and the songs tear along nicely under their self-created veil of Blackened hatred.

This style of raw Black Metal is an easy style to do but it’s also an easy style to be bad or boring at as it essentially all comes down to the quality of the riffs, for the main part anyway. Ondfødt are neither bad nor boring and have managed to congeal a good collection of riffs into a good collection of songs. They then add to this with some strong drumming and a vocalist who certainly puts 100% into his performance. The end result is that Hexkonst is a worthwhile listen and manages to avoid being a Darkthrone clone by virtue of the band’s personality and strength of will.

Block out the sun and have a listen.

Salvaticus – Hidden Manna (Review)

US Black Metal band Salvaticus have just released their début album Hidden Manna.

The first thing that strikes me about Salvaticus is their raw sound that actually adds to the power of the songs rather than detracts from them. It’s raw in an underground way yet still strong enough not to sound weak or low quality. It somehow manages to capture the barbarity necessary for the heavier bits whilst remaining clear enough for the lighter ones. Either way, you can always hear and appreciate everything that’s gong on.

And what is going on? Quite a lot actually. This is an interesting brand of Black Metal that explores the state of the genre in 2014 and takes from multiple incarnations of the style to suit the vision of the band.

The songs are nature inspired/influenced and although based on the second wave of Black Metal there are elements of other sub-styles in their songs as well, the most notable being a combination of the Cascadian style and a strong Post-Metal feeling in places.

Coming across as a rougher version, (in a good way), of bands like Enslaved and Entropia, Salvaticus have hit upon a great formula for their sound.

The four songs here are epic in scope and pulled off due to the obvious talent and songwriting skills of the band. The album is full of powerful riffs, ideas, melodies and dark feelings.

Albums like this are very easy to get lost in. Listen to Salvaticus. Now.

Chemical Cascades – Demo (Review)

Chemical Cascades are from Australia and play Black Metal.

This may be billed as a demo but the usual substandard demo recording is missing; instead we get a perfectly serviceable Underground Black Metal sound that fits the band like a glove and has an especially strong drum presence.

The vocals are howling and shrouded in reverberation. Like a dark aura they saturate the songs and are used as another instrument rather than separate vocals as with most bands.

The unearthly noises the singer makes scream in and out of the tracks like the doppler effect and they sound as if they’re alive. At least; some form of otherworldly, barely-sentient instinctual life.

The music is blasting and melodic with a strong, cold, ominous feeling to it. The riffs are well written and the album art gives a good impression of the frigid nature of the guitars. Each track reinforces the belief that this is not your standard, bedraggled Satanic wannabe band; rather this is a band fuelled by parts unknown and who possibly originate from the very place depicted in the simple-but-enticing cover artwork.

This is deeply satisfying in that it combines elements of harshness, melody and atmosphere all at once without ever giving itself over to any one of them completely. It’s a rewarding listen and promises great things from the band in the future.

At 34 minutes in length this could easily be classed as a début album rather than just a demo. If the band can continue to mine this creative seam of dark inspiration that they have found then their actual début album will be something well worth getting excited about.

A great release from a band you should definitely check out.