This is the debut album from solo Dutch black metal band Sterveling.
Brought to us by an ex-member of Wesenwille, Sterveling brings us three sprawling songs across 43 minutes. Despite being a solo act, there are three others involved in the album who provide vocals, synths and additional vocals. Continue reading “Sterveling – Sterveling (Review)”
This is the eleventh album from French one-man black metal band Esoctrilihum.
Over the years I’ve developed a real fondness for the creative blackened output of this prolific artist. 2018’s Pandaemorthium (Forbidden Formulas to Awaken the Blind Sovereigns of Nothingness) started my journey, 2021’s Dy’th Requiem for the Serpent Telepath really made a mark, 2022’s Consecration of the Spiritüs Flesh was harsh and unforgiving, and then last year’s monster triple album Astraal Constellations of the Majickal Zodiac was far more enthralling than anything as long as that had any right to be. Of course, then there’s also the rest of the Esoctrilihum’s discography too, which I haven’t reviewed. For now though, we have the colossal 80-minute Döth-Dernyàlh. Continue reading “Esoctrilihum – Döth-Dernyàlh (Review)”
This is the debut album from Norwegian solo black metal act Udåd.
Brought to us by the artist behind Mork, Udåd contains 47 minutes of raw, old-school black metal. Udåd contains primal blackened energies that are channelled directly from the early 90s, but given a creative twist of the knife by the artist’s keen vision. Continue reading “Udåd – Udåd (Review)”
This is the debut album from one-woman black/doom band Decompression from the US.
Decompression is a 53-minute collection of original compositions, (five), and cover songs, (three, including one from Forgotten Tomb). Stylistically, black/doom doesn’t really do it full justice, but it’s a loose descriptor that’s suitable enough. Continue reading “Decompression – Love Is the Beauty of the Soul (Review)”
This is the debut album from French black metal band Peurbleue.
Peurbleue play a form of mood-rich, electronically enhanced black metal. La Ciguë is a 36-minute soundscape of dark atmosphere and mysterious textures. Continue reading “Peurbleue – La Ciguë (Review)”
This is the debut album from Doodswens, a black metal band from the Netherlands.
Doodswens play black metal infused with the spirit of the Scandinavian second wave, and delivered with contemporary passion and mood-focused impact. Think a combination of the traditional old-school Darkthrone sound combined with the grim darkness of acts like Xasthur and Gnaw Their Tongues. Continue reading “Doodswens – Lichtvrees (Review)”
Remah are an international black metal band and this is their debut album.
Une Main adopts a modern approach to its black metal, one which adapts elements of the depressive, second wave, and atmospheric styles for its own nefarious use. Alongside this sit darkwave and psychedelic influences, both of which add extra depth to the band’s blackened repertoire. Continue reading “Remah – Une Main (Review)”
Moloch is a Ukrainian one-man Black Metal band. This is his latest album.
This is Old-School Black Metal that’s bookended by two Dark Ambient pieces, both of which are strangely effective.
The main feast is primitive, raw Black Metal that’s of the lo-fi persuasion and reminds of bands like Burzum and Xasthur. Elements of the Depressive Black Metal style rear their despondent heads on occasion, lending a painful edge to Moloch’s cold Black Metal.
These songs seem barely held together, but not because they are sloppily played or anything like that. The playing is in fact quite tight, but the style of Black Metal on Verwüstung has an inherently chaotic, tortured feel to it; it’s almost as if this has been created and released under extreme duress and some significant amount of pain.
The vocals howl, shriek and seemingly claw their way through the tracks with the sharpness of a sword. An impressive performance is given and I can only imagine the man was emotionally ruined near the end of the recording process. At least, it sounds that way.
Good variety and songwriting means that Verwüstung is an involving and engaging listen, with enough changes in speed and feeling to keep things interesting without becoming inconsistent.
With a recording that’s underground enough to be raw yet coherent enough to work well with the material, Verwüstung is a very satisfying album and a very strong listen.
Be sure to check this out.
Crowhurst are from the US. This is their latest album and it’s a bit different from their usual experimental, noise-drenched output; this is Black Metal.
The guitars are as thick as syrup and they’re both heavy and melodic. Crowhurst foster an interesting atmosphere of colourful darkness that is rich in both texture and emotional content. This is Black Metal that may have a cold heart but it has an exterior that’s warm to the touch.
The screaming vocals are high pitched and piercing. They’re set low enough in the mix to become one with the music but high enough so that they’re not lost or overwhelmed.
Part Blut Aus Nord, part Xasthur and part Deafheaven; this is richly evocative music that has elements of the Cascadian and Shoegaze movements in addition to the band’s own heart of darkness.
The final track, Luna Falsata, finally gives in to some of their usual style of harsh electronics and experimentalism, as well as also featuring the vocalist of Oxbow.
This is a highly impressive collection of songs that show a mastery of a genre that the band don’t normally dabble in.
Highly recommended.
This is the fourth album from Natanas, a one-man Black Metal band from the US.
Another month, another Natanas album…
Okay so I exaggerate, but the man is Hellishly productive. And it’s good stuff too. He may have manufactured some form of Black Metal assembly line but his Quality Control department are clearly paying attention to the goods that are produced.
Having said that of course, this is clearly not for everyone, which is something I’ve mentioned before about the last two Natanas releases All Is Permitted and Treachery; the casual listener, the casual Black Metal listener, even, will probably find this a tad challenging.
If you like your Black Metal dark, challenging, atypical and in the vein of bands like Xasthur, Portal, Mitochondrion, Enbilulugugal, Ævangelist, etc. then Natanas is worth checking out.
Also, I’m sure his screeching vocals have gotten higher, raspier and wetter this time. It sounds like he’s rupturing himself every time he opens his mouth. This is not a complaint of course, rather the opposite. He takes time out from trying to turn himself inside out though, as other vocals are included from spoken word to deeper screams that almost remind of Neurosis/Crowbar in style.
смертность has a good amount of variety within its self-imposed framework, with the album retaining the tribal, hypnotic, pseudo-Industrial feel that Treachery did so well. As such this is a very holistic album; listening to a song in isolation is all well and good, but for the full effect it’s best to put on the entire album and just get lost in the murk.
Every time I listen to Natanas by the time I get to the second or third song I’m totally absorbed in the dark, unfriendly, bleak, rotten, urban sprawl that seems to be described. The low-key, lo-fi, production actually adds to the feeling of the album rather than detracting from it.
Natanas has always been a band that goes against the odds for me. If I had just flicked through one of these albums I’d probably think, “No, I don’t think so”, but against all expectations and prejudices смертность, and the previous albums…well, they just work. The various disparate elements and the raw, uncompromisingly lo-fi sound gel into something that just does it; it hits that hidden spot that you didn’t even know you had.
As such, I’m a big supporter of Natanas and heartily recommend that you give смертность a try. It may not do it for you, but who knows, maybe it really, really will…
Wonderbox Metal 