Black Metal

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    Gravenoire - Devant la porte des étoiles (2024)

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    Unleashing an extreme level of grimness and rawness, today we have France’s Gravenoire and their debut EP “Devant la porte des étoiles”. Trying to bring some of that 90’s Black Metal spirit, this relatively new outfit, featuring members (and ex-members) of bands like BA’A, Anorexia Nervosa, Seth and Diablation, delivers some of the most stripped down and yet intense BM music in the last few years. If you are a fan of uncompromising Black Metal removed from commercial gimmicks and current trendiness, this is the release for you.

    Setting a regal mood with “Pavens”, the band really lashes out at the listener with the piercing “France de l'Ombre” featuring crafty drumming, intense riffing and the signature vocals of RMS Hreidmarr, perfectly augmented by Vicomte Vampyr Arkames equal rawness and sheer aggression. Besides the dual vocal onslaught, the music has that old-school rawness thanks to a lo-fi production, said to be recorded in a live rehearsal, which delivers a very organic and natural incisive edge to the music as tracks like "Ordo Opera Cultura” and “Aux Chiens” demonstrate.

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    Ellende - Todbringerin (2024)

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    Today we have a very pleasant surprise from Austria’s Ellende, a re-recorded and reinterpreted version of their amazing second release “Todbringer”. With “Todbringerin”, the band takes control of the music behind this release by re-recording it (no studio masters from the original exist) and making it available in all formats for listeners. We are huge fans of the original, and have a physical copy of that release as one of our treasured items on our collection, so we were psyched to hear how the band, eight years after, would take on such an excellent release.

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    True Black Dawn - Of Thick-circling Shadows (2024)

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    Finally! After an eight year wait, True Black Dawn is back with another incisive Black Metal release titled “Of Thick-circling Shadows”. Led by Wrath (Ex-Enochian Crescent), this outfit continues to push the boundaries of the genre, creating a very thick and enveloping atmosphere while keeping things raw and quite brutal for over 45 minutes. If you are a fan of BM that is forward thinking and incorporates interesting tempo changes, and a very sickening atmosphere.

    Opening with the vicious “Algol”, the band quickly sets a furious mood of harsh aggression with some restraints. After the opener, “The Depths of the Looking Glass”, “Night and Names”, and “The Wind from the Red Cloud” really show the band’s strengths in creating unique rhythmic patterns that go beyond your super repetitive tremolo-picking that is a staple of the genre. This allows for the music to be more sinister and incisive, and perfectly sets up Wrath to change the mood through his versatile vocals.

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    Uprising - III (2024)

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    Spawned as a side project from Jan van Berlekom mastermind of Waldgeflüster, this release delivers a swift and brutal onslaught of fierce Black Metal. With over 40 minutes of music, “III” unleashes six tracks of fierce music with a certain Uada/Mgła edge and crafty atmospherics. If you are a fan of uncompromising and yet well crafted and melodic BM, this is an interesting release to check out.

    Opening the release we have the oppressive guitar of “Eternal Mantra”, a fierce track that sets the tone for this high-octane and engaging release. As the crafty drums weave intricate patterns within the songs, we noticed that Austin Lunn (Panopticon) is actually performing them in this release, with tracks like “Uprise III” and “Raise a Glass” having interesting and engaging tempos. We appreciate that while the music is well polished, there are some experimental elements and melodic passages thrown into the mix to keep things interesting.

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    Occulta Veritas - Irreducible Fear of the Sublime (2024)

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    Unleashing an excruciatingly atmospheric release, today we have Occulta Veritas and their full-length “Irreducible Fear of the Sublime”. With a highly dissonant style, this outfit delivers six tracks and over 33 minutes of chaotic Black Metal with tense atmospherics and ravaging brutality. Like a mixture of NONE with Déhà and Acathexis, this release is violent, contrived, and yet extremely punishing and brilliant.

    Opening with the dissonance of “The Mirror Stage”, the mood is set with chaotic guitar work alongside furiously aggressive harrowing vocals. The song instantly creates a sense of desperation and uneasiness that is nicely flanked with a hefty dose of melancholy. The madness continues with piercing tracks like “The Sacred Horizons of Totality” and “Metonimia”, two songs that deliver intense guitar work alongside crafty drumming and hellish vocals.

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    Axamenta - Spires (2024)

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    Returning after a 10 year hiatus, Axamenta is a very unique Belgian band that combines cinematic elements with a well polished dose of Melodic Death/Black Metal. In this return EP, the band delivers a 23-minute track that is divided in seven acts, creating a very immersive and engaging experience. Recommended for fans of Fleshgod Apocalypse and Septicflesh, this release is both explosive and bombastic.

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    Vuur & Zijde - Boezem (2024)

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    Dramatically moving away from their original Atmospheric Black/Post-Black Metal sound, today we have enigmatic Dutch outfit Vuur & Zijde and their debut full-length “Boezem”. Featuring members from bands like Laster, Terzij de Horde, and Grey Aura, there is no surprise that the music presented in this release is captivating and truly unique, with seven tracks and nearly 46 minutes of hypnotic music. This release is for fans of bands like Beastmilk/Grave Pleasures with some Wave influences and featuring sultry female vocals.

    Opening with the mysterious “Onbemind”, the band sets a very unique Post-Punk vibe that quickly escalates into fierce guitar riffing and pummeling drumming. One would think that the harsh vocals would follow, but they never really do, instead we get the dreamy clean voice of Famke. This gives the band’s sound a very unique proposition, with heavier passages with more restrained drumming and a very organic and catchy vibe, perfect examples of this are songs like “Zusterzon”, “Omheind”, and “Us”.

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    Kommandant - Exhibition of Conquest (2024)

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    Unleashing all-out war, today we have Kommandant and their latest EP “Exhibition of Conquest”. Continuing the piercing onslaughts of their 2023 full-length “Titan Hammer”, this North American outfit delivers five tracks and over 27 minutes of swift destruction. Perfectly blending rawness with incisiveness, this release is full of fury and hatred, making it a top notch Black/Death Metal offering.

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    Seth - La France des maudits (2024)

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    Unleashing an early candidate for Black Metal album of the year, today we have Seth and their engaging Symphonic/Melodic BM style delivering eight tracks and over 46 minutes of highly immersive crushing music. Riding the momentum of the brilliant “La morsure du Christ”, the band wasted almost no time in unraveling their latest opus, filled with extreme craftiness and a swift dose of brutality alongside lush atmospherics.

    Setting a very hectic and riveting tone with the opener “Paris des Maléfices”, the band quickly unleashes their fury with pummeling drumming, incisive riffing and the hellish vocals of Saint Vincent. The band’s current line-up is probably the best they ever had, as tracks like “Et que vive le diable !”, “La destruction des reliques”, and “Dans le cœur un poignard” perfectly blend melody with aggression and crafty atmospherics creating a fine aural assault.

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    Akhlys - House of the Black Germinus (2024)

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    Taking their nightmare inducing sound to a whole new level, today we have Akhlys and their latest opus “House of the Black Germinus”. With an Industrial edge to their already piercing Ambient Black Metal sound, this release delivers six tracks and over 50-minutes of some of the most hellish soundscapes you will ever witness.

    Opening with the Blut Aus Nord-esque “The Mask of Night-speaking”, the band sets a very intimidating atmosphere flanked by crafty synths, crushing drumming, and pummeling Black Metal onslaughts. Naas Alcameth is a master in creating unsettling atmospherics with excruciating tempo changes, with tracks like “Maze of Phobetor” and “Through the Abyssal Door” being perfect examples of this.

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