Black Metal

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    A Winter Lost - Die längste Nacht (2013)

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    Arriving today from Sun & Moon Records, we have Canada’s A Winter Lost with their sophomore release “Die längste Nacht”. In this 12 track release we have a very retro sound that ultimately fails to impress due to the lack of creativity through the majority of this release. Featuring a female growler/singer, we can’t really find anything else that would make this band standout from the rest.

    Opening with “Des Falken Tod”, the band delivers raw distorted guitars and a very powerful sound. While this is impressive at first, the next six songs go around the same basic foundations and never really take off with anything original or complex. The riffing is intense, the drumming is fast, but this is a must for any ‘average’ BM band, so there are no cookie points for that. Is not until the last minute of “Zeichen” that they even attempt something different in their music, the same continues until the second half of the closing track, when the tempo changes and the clean female vocals appear.

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    Festerguts – Heritage of Putrescent (2013)

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    Hailing from Russia, today we have Festerguts debut full-length release “Heritage of Putrescent”. Featuring eight tracks eclipsing over 30 minutes of intensely atmospheric/symphonic Brutal Death Metal, this band reminds us of a mixture of Fleshgod Apocalypse and Cradle of Filth (on their good years). Not for the faint of heart, this release will squash you with its powerful riffing and intense drumming.

    Opening with the symphonic intro “Above A Cold Body: Pre-Funeral Preparations”, the band really gets into the thick of things with the punishing “Now I can Fee You From Inside”. Using keyboards from atmospheric effect, the band quickly delivers uncompromising riffing and demolishing growls. They nicely offset the brutality with lush female vocal arrangements thrown into the mix. One of the best things in this release is that the atmospheric elements are not the main direction of the music, since the brutality of tracks like “Besmeared With Blood and Viscera” focus on the aggressive side of things.

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    Bog of the Infidel - To Corrupt Your Sons and Lust After Your Daughters (2013)

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    Delivering punishing US Black Metal, today we have Bog of the Infidel and their latest EP “To Corrupt Your Sons and Lust After Your Daughters”. Featuring a barbaric and relentless sound, this band embodies the current state of Black Metal in the USA. The band will immediately capture any BM fan’s attention with their commanding riffing and gut-wrenching vocals.

    Opening with a very elegant classic guitar intro track “An Epitaph Scribed in Dismal Skies”, the band fully explodes on “Burnt Offerings”. With a wall of sound similar to Horna, Sargeist, Gorgoroth, but with that certain USBM touch, Bog of the Infidel delivers waves of savage riffs and crushing vocals. The drumming is quite tight, and on tracks like “As Satan's Pale Serpent Eye Waxes Full” it does not have to be 10,000 bmps all the time to achieve its desired effect.

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    An Autumn for Crippled Children - Try Not to Destroy Everything You Love (2013)

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    Always improving with each release, An Autumn for Crippled Children (AAAFCC) delivers one of the most sonically complex releases of 2013 with “Try Not to Destroy Everything You Love”. Not relying on technical virtuosity, but rather a perfect layering of intense elements, this album is further expands on the band’s melancholic Post-BM / Shoegaze sound with lush guitar arrangements and brilliant atmospheric elements.

    Opening with the intense “Autumn Again”, we have immediately a wall of dramatic synths and a throbbing bass guitar line that is instantly complemented by the band’s shoegazing guitars. Inserting back and forth Black Metal riffs into the melting pot, AAAFCC quickly establishes the sonic power of this release. The harsh vocals are excellent as always, and the underlying melancholic passages of tracks like “The Woods are on Fire” and “Never Complete”, allow their thick sound to take many different shapes.

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    Dargonomel – Varkulama (2013)

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    Behemoth and company move over, today we have Russia’s Dargonomel and their devastating Black/Death Metal debut release “Varkulama”. Delivering over 45 minutes of crushing music, this band has enough power behind their sound to blow the competition away. Filled with hate and brutality, the 11 tracks presented in this release are relentless and uncompromising.

    Opening with two songs with atmospheric intros titled “Leviathan retributive” and “From the void this is beyond”, this Russian three-piece delivers unrivaled waves of brutality. Focusing on aggressive riffs, lush drumming, and brutal hate-filled vocals, tracks like “Varkulama” showcase their aggressive power and superior execution skills. The tracks are filled with powerful Death Metal riffs, enough to please any of the genre’s most demanding fans.

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    Code – Augur Nox (2013)

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    Making a dominating comeback, today we have Code and their third full-length release “Augur Nox”. Pushing the sonic boundaries of Black Metal, this UK band delivers 12 uncompromising and very unique songs. Perfectly recuperating from the exit of long-term and unique vocalist Kvohst, Code delivers 51 minutes of very interesting and complex music on their own terms, allowing them to push their legacy to new levels.

    Opening with the contrived “Black Rumination”, the band’s unique musical signature is immediately present with intricate guitar work and catchy drum patterns. The mixture of clean and harsh vocals is as good as ever with Wacian doing a great job in capturing the band’s essence. Mixing Progressive/Avant-garde elements into their music, the band further evolves their signature style on tracks like “Becoming Host”, “Ecdysis”, and “Glimlight Tourist”.

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    Natan – Às (2013)

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    Going in the stack of ‘why the hell is this band not signed yet’ promos, today we have Belgiums Natan and their sophomore release “Às”. With over 45 minutes of a very unique blend of Pagan Metal, Black Metal, and tons of Avant-garde influences, this release is one of the few that immediately caught our attention and we have been listening to it non-stop. Having a bit of everything for everybody, this band has a truly unique style that is impressively well-crafted.

    Opening with a bang, “Asch” immediately reminds us of Greece’s Aenaon and their very crafty music. The riffing is quite funky and the vocals very harsh, giving a very unique and somewhat progressive vibe to the music. The addition of the clean vocals really gives the band an extra dimension that your average band usually lacks. The intense “Ride Out!” gives us very cool tempo changes and powerful riffs constructed in a very unique and progressive way, reminding us of Enslaved at points.

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    Yith – Demo 3 (2013)

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    Bringing back the days of tape trading and home-made demos, today we have Yith and ‘their’ “Demo 3” on a Maxell tape. This American one-man battalion delivers six tracks of punishing Black Metal with Doom Metal influences. As we dusted off our tape player, this demo is quite well produced and will send shivers down your spine with its devastating riffs and demoralizing atmospheric passages.

    Opening with “Beneath the White Mountains”, the Yith immediately punishes the listener with savage Black Metal riffs and vocals. The moment of awesomeness comes when the track mellows out a bit and atmospheric keyboards and a Doomy passages breaks through the cloud of BM onslaughts. “The Woman in Black” is a more ‘mellow’ track where the Black/Doom vibe is very well crafted and creates a very bleak landscape.

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    Malignant Monster – Yours in Murder (2013)

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    Featuring a solid ensemble of musicians from bands like The Amenta and Mhorgl, today we have Malignant Monster and their Aussie Black/Death/Thrash Metal attack. In “Yours in Murder” the band delivers over 40 minutes of crushing music combining traditional Death and Thrash Metal elements with a BM edge and a very modern and refined sound.

    Making their presence felt, Malignant Monster delivers crushing riffs since the first song. This track has a vibe similar to The Amenta, but this suddenly changes with the band’s piercing tempo changes and devastating drumming. Certain melodic moments of songs like “Until It Withers” and “Nothing Left” nicely give a different edge to the band’s already polished sound.

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    Cult of Erinyes – Blessed Extinction (2013)

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    Hailing from Belgium, today we have the Cult of Erinyes horde and their sophomore full-length release “Blessed Extinction”. Filled with 43 minutes of hateful and chaotic Black Metal, this band has greatly improved over their debut release “A Place to Call My Unknown”. With some Avant-garde touches, this band creates epic Black Metal tunes with a knack for bizarre atmospheric passages.

    Chaos instantly ensues with the crushing “From the Shattered Skies” and its dissonant guitars. The song structure is quite convoluted, creating an excellent chaotic feeling while retaining a good dose of melodic riffs. With its clean vocals this song and the album in general, gives that Code-like vibe that fans of Avant-Black Metal are always looking for. The relentless “Jibaku” keeps up a high level of intensity thanks to brutal drumming and inhuman vocals that send chills down the listener’s spine.

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