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    Gothminister – Anima Inferna (2011)

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    Rounding off our promo package from End of Light records, today we have Gothminister and their fourth full-length release “Anima Inferna”. Presenting 11 tracks of a very engaging and catchy mixture of Gothic and Industrial Metal paired with plenty of electronic elements. Drawing similarities to Combichrist and Rammstein, this band shows a great deal of maturity in their latest release.

    Opening with the very catchy “Stonhenge”, the band quickly shows their skills in crafting simple-yet-effective guitar riffs and a very atmospheric song structure. The combination of the clean vocals with the female choir is just outstanding and gives a very eerie and ethereal feeling, especially when the song is coming to a close. “Liar” delivers super catchy electronic beats and very intoxicating vocal melodies, we are not huge fans of this type of music but Gothminister makes it very hard for us not to like this song.

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    Antagonist Zero – Nighttime Harmony (2012)

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    Delivering one of the most interesting sounding EP’s we have received in quite a while, today we have Antagonist Zero and their 3-song debut EP “Nighttime Harmony”. Self-labeled as “Catatonic Metal”, the band mixes Doom and Death/Black Metal element in a very effective manner. With an excellent production behind this EP, the three tracks sound like a million bucks, and also left us wanting more from this young and promising band.

    Opening with a very slow-paced jazzy intro, “AZ” is the EP’s first track that shows excellent musical skills since the first few minutes. Once the growls kick in, we are immediately sold on the band’s rich and powerful sound. The guitar riffs are excellent and the drumming is pretty well crafted, the melodic nature of the music reminds us of Insomnium, Swallow the Sun, and similar Finish bands.

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    Banda de la Muerte – Pulso de una mente maldita (2012)

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    As one of the catchiest releases we have received in quite a while, today we have Banda de la Muerte’s second full-length release “Pulso de una mente maldita”. In this Stoner Metal/Rock release, these Argentineans create very effective songs that feature powerful guitars and a great sense of melody, making each song very unique and memorable.

    With a very imposing attitude, this band truly owns each song and sounds with such a determination that is rare to find these days. Opening with the driven “Te estas dejando mentir”, the guitars take front stage and never let go. The riffing is powerful and the bass guitar line is very well marked. Immediately we can hear the crystal clear production behind this release, allowing us to fully enjoy this release.

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    Demoncy – Enthroned is the Night (2012)

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    As a new entry in our “raw as fuck” category, today we have Demoncy and their latest release “Enthroned is the Night”. As the band’s first full-length release in almost 9 years, we get 40 minutes of soul crushing Black Metal that is very raw and demonic in nature. This one man Black Metal machine does a great job in delivers a think atmosphere that will unsettle even the most devote fans of the genre.

    Opening with an intro that reminded us of the movie “Event Horizon”, the band fully explodes with “Winds of Plague”. In this hectic ritual, Demoncy immediately established its riffing power and thanks to the hellish vocals, this song (and release) sounds as inhuman as you can get. The album’s production actually gives the band that raw and lo-fi sound that many BM bands look for, but it does not keep the listener from enjoying this album. Pummeling through tracks like “Unclean Spirits”, “Into the Twilight Mists”, and “Opening the Lunar Bloodgate”, Demoncy does a great job in writing simple songs that pack enough aggression and rawness to please any fan of the genre.

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    Do Skonu – Womb of Primeval Darkness (2011)

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    We are always skeptical about underground Black Metal releases since they are usually really bad, but to our surprise (and enjoyment) Forever Plagued Records re-release of Do Skonu’s debut full-length “Womb of Primeval Darkness” is a winner. This release showcases bands that has great songwriting skills, but are heavily damaged by the crappy production behind the original recording of this album.

    As we mentioned, the whole sound is a bit muffled in the sense that you can hear the excellent riffing, but the drumming and bass guitar get drowned away by being fused into a big lump. The vocals are also pretty crisp, but the overall experience is similar to the ones we used to have when the cassette player was crapping out and destroying our tapes back in the day. Aside from the sound issues (of the original recording we assume), this release is one hell of an album that any Black Metal fan should take note.

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    Erevos - Descensus Ad Inferos (2011)

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    Just when you thought you have heard every single Symphonic Black Metal band under the sun (or moon), a ‘new’ one pops out. Releasing their debut album “Descensus Ad Inferos”, today we have Greece’s Erevos. Playing a mean Symphonic Black Metal, this band delivers a very powerful and commanding debut release. Featuring tons of lush atmospheric landscapes, powerful guitars and very ghoulish vocals, this band will surely turn some heads in the scene.

    Opening with thick atmospheric keyboards, “Adou Katavasis” announces the band’s very complex and well developed sound. The production behind this release is excellent since allows everything to sound very clearly and massive. The combination of keyboards and guitars is very melodic and makes this opening track very catchy and engaging. Things remain as brutal with “The Omnipotence of the Judges”, a song that reminds us very much of Anorexia Nervosa and their hyper-brutal melodic songs.

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    Abazagorath – Abazagorath (EP) (2012)

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    Making their triumphant return after a five year hiatus, Abazagorath returns with a self-titled EP that will instantly return them to the spotlight of the US Black Metal scene. As one of the pioneers of USBM Abazagorath released plenty of EP’s and two full-length albums that made them one of the most influential BM bands in the states, and with this EP they return in full force to reclaim their place.

    Spanning over 20 minutes, “Abazagorath” is one hell of an EP that not only delivers gut-wrenching Black Metal attacks, but it also features a thick atmosphere around it. Since the opener “Conjuring” the band delivers some creepy clean guitars and keyboards, only to fully explode with some catchy riffs and a very dense atmosphere. Similar to bands like Gorgoroth and Horna, Abazagorath does a great job in using only basic elements to create eerie music.

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    Lacrimosa – Lichtgestalt (2005)

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    Rounding up the Lacrimosa re-releases brought to North America by End of Light records, today we have “Lichtgestalt”. As a perfect trip down in memory lane, this release is one of our favorite ones of the band and it was a pleasure to see it released in North America with a bonus CD. Featuring a bit of a mixture of older Lacrimosa with the “Echoes” album, this release is very powerful and well-crafted with fragile Orchestral elements and powerful guitars.

    Tilo Wolff and Anne Nurmi do an excellent job in bringing back (after “Echoes”) the distorted guitar to its rightful place and pair it with beautiful instrumentation and highly emotional atmospheres. Since 11-minute opener the band creates a very emotional and dark atmosphere, but it also employs some aggression in terms of harsh vocals, commanding guitars, and a pummeling bass guitar line. The typical Lacrimosa-like songs “Kelch der Liebe” and “Lichtgestalt” are reminders of their “Stille” era and had us remembering those good old-days.

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    Lacrimosa – Schattenspiel (2010)

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    With such and impressive discography under their belts, Lacrimosa sets out to make some money and release a ‘compilation’ album in 2010 to summarize their career so far and show how much the band has evolved over time. With “Schattenspiel”, instead of taking the typical approach and cram in all their greatest songs, they put together 19 songs most of them have been unreleased in the past.

    We are not huge fans of ‘best of’ or compilations releases that aim to make money and nothing else, but Lacrimosa tries a unique thing with their take on a compilation release. Documenting their evolution from the 90’s on the first CD, to the 2000’s on the second CD, this release is purely targeted to their core die-hard fans that will kill for anything new or rare of the band. And this release satisfies their craving with two new songs titled “Sellador” and “Ohne Dich Ist Alles Nichts”.

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    Lacrimosa – Sehnsucht (Special Edition) (2009)

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    Today we have the special ‘special edition’ of Lacrimosa’s “Sehnsucht” album released in North America by End of Light Records. This special ‘special edition’ features the regular special edition of this release with the slightly different songs and a full extra CD with some remixes and older songs. This edition features the ‘color’ version of the artwork and the full booklet filled with pictures and the lyrics of the songs.

    “Sehnsucht” has always been one of our least favorite albums of the band due to the somewhat considerable difference to their previous more conceptual releases. However, in terms of experimentation and musical maturity, this release is indeed the best the band has ever recorded so far. This release features a more ‘free-flowing’ approach and the music is very well composed, but lacks the whole ‘experience’ of a conceptual release with many different moods that progress over time.

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