Black Metal

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    The Meads of Asphodel – The Murder of Jesus the Jew (2011)

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    As the first release we review of 2011 (for the USA), today we have a very special release: “The Murder of Jesus the Jew” by the ever surprising The Meads of Asphodel. Featuring their unique blend of Black Metal with countless other genres, the band manages to create their most impressive release to date.

    Metatron and company return with their first full-length release since their epic “Damascus Steel” from 2005. “The Murder of Jesus the Jew” plays out in a very theatrical way, depicting in 12 songs the story of Yeshua. As you can expect the band uses their wide range of influences to craft a very unique sounding and appealing release that will blow your mind away (if you’ve never listened to the band).

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Furze - Reaper Subconscious Guide (2010)

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    In the category of the weirdest album we received in 2010, today we have Furze and their “Reaper Subconscious Guide” release. Being the band’s fourth full-length release, “Reaper Subconscious Guide” is full of surprises and a very old-school vibe that will throw most people off, and requires more than a few listens to fully digest.

    As a ‘tribute’ to Black Sabbath, Furze recorded all this tracks in vintage equipment from the 40’s to the 70’s, creating a very interesting sound that we rarely get to appreciate. The band also recorded it and mastered it especially for the Vinyl version of this release, and then mastered digitally for the CD release (the one we reviewed) so rest assured that you will have two different sounding products that will be equally impressive.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Pandemonium – Hellspawn (2007)

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    With a killer presentation, a few weeks ago we received Pandemonium’s promo package that included their 2007 release “Hellspawn”. In a time when promo presentation does not matter for younger bands, it’s nice to see that Pandemonium’s new label Godz Ov War Productions cares enough to get their bands noticed and remembered by reviewers getting shit tons of albums every week.

    Anyways, going back to the actual thing that matters: the music, “Hellspawn” treats us with 30+ minutes of crushing Black/Death Metal that is very high in intensity and effectiveness, even though it was released ‘back in’ 2007, this album still sound very easily comparable to anything we get in the mail these days. The band’s sound very well polished and all 10 tracks are very solid.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Woe – Quiet, Undramatically (2010)

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    Featuring half of the Woods of Ypres lineup and everybody of The Green Evening Requiem, today we have Woe and their very impressive second full-length release “Quiet, Undramatically”. The now full band, delivers a crushing 43 minutes of Black Metal with melodic and emotional passages that will surely get a bunch of people yelling Agalloch, Wolves in the Throne Room, etc, rip-offs.

    While the band’s sound does have very little of the Agalloch, WitTR, melodic edge, they do have a hefty amount of aggressiveness and power to their sound, making them a very different band from what we are used to listening to from the Black Metal scene here in the USA. “Quiet, Undramatically” is a brilliant album that is both raw and aggressive, but it also has that certain elements of melody that makes you start ‘pseudo’ headbanging in your seat.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Krieg – The Isolationist (2010)

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    “The Isolationist” marks the first full-length album after the 2007 revival of USBM band Krieg. Featuring members of a wide variety of Black Metal bands, most notably N. Imperial, we get 11 tracks of an interesting combination of raw Black Metal and some experimental elements that take this release into the ‘Black Metal with weird stuff’ category in our book.

    Opening with a very desolate intro, “No Future” shows a very raw and aggressive side of Black Metal that only a few bands (and Krieg) can pull off and not sound pretentious or that they are trying too hard. The guitar riffing is hellish, N. Imperials screams are brutal and the overall atmosphere of this song will bring unrest to even the calmest person in the world. This is pretty much how the rest of “The Isolationist” will continue to affect the listeners psyche.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Sargeist - Let the Devil In (2010)

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    As one of the most brutal Black Metal assaults of 2010, today we have “Let the Devil In” by the all-mighty Sargeist. Hailing from Finland, this band has gathered cult following with their crushing releases since 1999. The band originally a solo project from Shatraug the mastermind of Horna and countless other bands feature Hoath Torog (on vocals) and Horns (on drums) from Behexen.

    Opening with “Empire of Suffering”, Sargeist immediately takes the listener by the throat with a brutal assault of massive drumming, crushing guitar riffing and hellish vocals. Since track one of this album, the band makes you aware that you will crushed to pieces with the music on “Let the Devil In”. The band’s brand of traditional Black Metal is top notch and will surely please all the fans of bands like Gorgoroth, Horna, and such that base their sound on raw brutality mixed with melody and well structured songs.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Dawn of Ashes – Genocide Chapters (2010)

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    As one of the worst band’s we have reviewed in a while, today we have Dawn of Ashes and their superbly un-original “Genocide Chapters”. By the worst band denomination, we don’t mean that (most) of the musicians of Dawn of Ashes suck at their instrument, we are referring to their lack of creativity and their ability create filler music for almost the full duration of the release (since we actually liked one song on it).

    Changing styles from Industrial/EBM to Melodic Black/Death Metal, Dawn of Ashes approaches Metal like clumsy nerdy kid about to have their first sexual experience: it’s sloppy, awkward and very unsatisfactory. The band’s attempt at creating a solid album gets quickly destroyed by their ridiculous Dimmu Borgir-esque approach to Black Metal, using persistent keyboard arrangements will not get you far if the rest of your music sucks.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Weapon - From the Devil's Tomb (2010)

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    One year after their crushing debut full-length “Drakonian Paradigm”, Canada’s mystical warmongers Weapon return with another brilliant Black/Death Metal assault with “From the Devil’s Tomb”. The band’s rich and multi-textured approach to the genre makes them one of the most devastating bands these days that mixes old-school elements with dynamic songwriting.

    As with the band’s first full-length, “From the Devil’s Tomb” features a highly charged mystical component behind the music in terms of lyrics and concepts, that is greatly brought to life with crushing guitar melodies, powerful riffs, intricate drumming and multi-faceted vocals. The band has greatly matured in one year, making “From the Devil’s Tomb” twice as chilling, and more technically impressive than “Drakonian Paradigm”.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Unlight – Sulphurblooded (2010)

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    Hailing from Germany and on Massacre records, today we have the Black Metal warriors of Unlight, and their blasphemous fifth full-length release “Sulphurblooded”. With around 46 minutes of crushing evilness, the band does a pretty solid job in crafting a very powerful release that will please any fan of traditional Black Metal, with a Thrashy/Swedish vibe to it.

    As you can imagine, Unlight is nowhere close to being an innovative or revolutionary band, but they are great at what they do. Crafting 10 songs of refined Black Metal, Unlight is uncompromising and crushing when it comes to blast beats and riffing power. The band’s sound is both neat and effective, something that only comes with experience, creating a very effective vortex of elements that will blow your away since the first riff.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Imperial Conquest – Omnipotence (2010)

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    Today we have a self-released Melodic Black Metal album that shows a very promising band under the hood but due to a sub-par production this EP undersells Imperial Conquest. While most Black Metal bands in the USA are trying to out-evil each other, the few good Melodic/Symphonic BM bands are making progress in the scene. Bands like Abigail Williams, Blood Stained Dusk, etc, are getting recognized for their musical aspects and it’s time to have another band take the spotlight, and such band might me Imperial Conquest, if they manage to properly record something.

    Immediately after the nice intro, in the track “Where the Portals Intertwined”, the band goes on a full-on assault of blistering blast-beats, deranged vocals (in a good way), powerful riffing and nice keyboard atmospheres. However, immediately you can hear the wobbly drumming and a flat mix that greatly cripples the effect of the song. While this problem persists through the EP, you still get some very enjoyable parts.

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