Black Metal

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    Sacrarium – March to an Inviolable Death (2011)

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    Finally getting a proper release, today we have Sacrarium’s debut full-length “March to an Inviolable Death”. This album by far is one of the most brutal we have received in a while, but it is also one of the least creative ones.

    The band punishes the listener with tremolo-picking sections galore and hellish Dark Funeral style vocals, but nothing else in terms of creativity and originality. The sound is indeed massive and if you are looking for a quick fix of brutality, you will relish this album for eternity.

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    Nox Illunis – In Sideris Penumbra (2010)

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    With all the shit Black Metal that inundates the Metal scene this days, it is very pleasing to find (well, receive) bands like Nox Illunis and their melodic no-bullshit approach to the genre. This Italian band belts out 7 tracks of Melodic Black Metal that will crush your soul from the first minute of “In Sideris Penumbra”.

    Before you discard them for being melodic and go and listen to your kvlt BM albums, bear with us for a few more paragraphs. The band’s music might be melodic in nature, but the blasts of blistering riffing and monumental drumming is what makes their melodically driven songs very appealing for ALL Black Metal fans.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Necronoclast – Ashes (2011)

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    As a new addition into the good but nothing out of the ordinary category, today we have Necronoclast’s “Ashes”. This one man band from the UK delivers solid Black Metal tunes that are soon forgotten due to their lack of originality. While the atmosphere is tick and evil (and all that shit), there is a certain familiarity about it that will leave you looking for something else.

    Staring with the mid-paced “Ghostways”, the evidence of old Burzum, Darkthrone, etc is present but not quite compelling. Greg Edwards does at solid job in handling all instruments, but the music feels devoid of originality. While sometimes is good that one person handles everything, many times the lack of inspiration completely kills the flow of said releases.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Kampfar – Mare (2011)

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    Making their return after 3 years, today we have Kampfar and their hellish brand of Pagan Black Metal. “Mare” marks one of the best efforts to date from this Norwegian outfit, and should not be taken lightly by both Pagan Metal and Black Metal fans alike.

    For over 45 minutes the band will surround you with their guitar driven music, something that we were hesitant about since they parted ways with Thomas, the original guitar player. The use of some keyboards for atmosphere is also another strong point of this very well crafted release.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Deep Desolation – Subliminal Visions (2011)

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    All the way from Poland today we have Deep Desolation and their crushing debut full-length release “Subliminal Visions”. Mixing Black, Death and Doom Metal the band manages to pull it off graciously with a monumental sound and very well crafted songs.

    We have to admit that whenever we get something labeled Black/Doom metal, it usually sucks and it’s a pain in the ass to review since we have to listen to the full CD at least 3 times. With “Subliminal Visions” it was very relieving that we actually enjoyed the CD on the first spin and we ended up loving it the next few times. The band’s take on the genre mixing comes from an aggressive perspective rather than drowning the listener with slow Doom riffs and Black Metal snarls that will make you start snoring.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Todtgelichter – Angst (2010)

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    One of the most interesting (at least for us) German Black Metal bands has to be Todtgelichter and their near-Avant Garde Black Metal style that is not easy to fully digest. Making their highly anticipated return with “Angst”, the band dropped the kvlt BM logo for a modern ‘urban’ one and has an even weirder look than before (imagine blue man group but in full white outfits).

    “Angst” takes the listener through 54 minutes of pure brilliance with perfectly interwoven influences of Post-Black Metal and Post-Rock elements alongside traditional Black Metal elements. From the first song in this release (“Café of Lost Dreams”) you can tell that this release will be special and different since it starts very Black Metal minded but the guitar work is heading in a separate direction.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Beyond Light – Eclipsed Sun Path (2010)

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    Up in our review queue today we have Beyond Light and their debut full-length release “Eclipsed Sun Path”. After a few demos (available on their site), this one man band was finally given a shot through Sun and Moon Records. Featuring over 40 minutes of music, “Eclipsed Sun Path” shows an interesting band that could have done much better.

    After your cliché introduction track, the album really starts with “Blackened Sunlight” a 6 minute epic that changes from Black Metal to atmospheric weirdness to more cohesive melodic section. This track also showcases some of the shortcomings of this release like the very dull drumming (probably drum machine or such) and the linear songwriting.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    A Winter Lost…Weltenende (2010)

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    All the way from Romania’s Sun and Moon Records we received an album from “A Winter Lost”, a Canadian band. While the band’s style is far from original, they manage to craft 6 songs of pure unadulterated raw and grim Black Metal that will send you into a suicidal mood immediately.

    For almost 30 minutes “Weltenende” will take you back to the times when Black Metal was raw and simple. The band utilizes a few atmospheric elements to add eeriness to their music like acoustic guitars and female vocals, but the overall simpleness of the music is what makes it more effective.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Impiety…Advent of… (2011)

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    Almost immediately after the release of their latest full-length album “Worshippers of the Seventh Tyranny”, Impiety returns with another aural assault with the “Advent of…” EP. In this short but sweet release, the band delivers 3 tracks of devastating Black/Death Metal with quite a decent production behind it.

    The first track “Advent of the Nuclear Baphomet” delivers a crushing Death/Black Metal attack with catchy riffs and very solid drumming. The band’s sound is very clear and monumental since this 6 minute song feels like it lasts for ever (in a good way). The vocals are very typical and the new musicians (recruited in 2010) have what it takes to create very intense songs.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Mhorgl – Antinomian (2011)

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    Featuring a very well produced mixture of Raw and Melodic Black Metal, today we have Mhorgl and their second album “Antinomian”. In this release the band takes full advantage of a crystal clear production and defiles it their sick and twisted mixture of melodic and old-school Black Metal in a very effective way.

    With a relentless sound, the band graciously presents 8 tracks of pure destruction that will please all fans of Black Metal. Since the crushing opening track “Nocturnal Blasphemy”, the band will surely blow you away with their sharp riffs, tight drumming and hellish vocals.

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