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Delivering a swift and brutal onslaught of pummeling rawness, today we have Funeral Winds with “333”. Featuring eight tracks and nearly 40 minutes of music, this album is not for the faint of heart as it is as raw and punishing as they come. Almost releasing one album every year after their long hiatus between 2007 and 2018, Hellchrist Xul keeps things powerful and down to basics. | ||
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Closing 2023 with a fierce and punishing Black Metal release, today we have Finland’s White Death and their scorcher album “Iconoclast”. Six years or so in the making, this release unleashes 48 minutes of frosty old-school Finnish Black Metal. Filled with piercing vocals, ravaging riffs, and an overall all-out-war vibe, this release is definitely one of the best in the genre. Blasting away with the raw power of “Born from the Unholy Fire (Part II)”, vocalist Vritrahn delivers some of the most savage and punishing harsh vocals in the business. The vocals are greatly complemented by crafty guitars that weave between pummeling aggressive passages to more engaging and melodic territories, as songs like “Iconoclast” and “Sumum Bestiae” showcase. For those of us fans of Finnish Black Metal like Horna, Satanic Warmaster, etc., this band is sweet, sweet music to our ears. | ||
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Capitalizing on the success of Vargrav’s first two releases, “Reign in Supreme Darkness” and “Netherstorm”, mastermind V-KhaoZ moves this outfit from a solo project to a band. In “The Nighthold”, we get a more evolved version of this Finish outfit with a gnarly old-school BM vibe to come along. While still delivering for the people waiting for 90’s Symphonic BM, the band goes the extra mile in crafting a release that is engaging and diverse and not just a rehash of their earlier epic releases and yet has that signature Vargrav sound to it. Opening with “Moonless Abyss of the Nighthold” and “Through the Woods of Breathing Shadows” we get that dreamy Symphonic BM fix that we were looking for, but also find a harsher and frostier edge to the band’s sound. The addition of Graf Werwolf von Armageddon (Satanic Warmaster fame) on vocals, and members of Finntroll and Moonsorrow on bass and drums, gives this release a more polished and well crafted instrumental edge. | ||
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After some years of so-so USBM releases, 2023 was packed with pretty epic stuff, including One Master’s “The Name of Power”. As the band’s first full-length release in six years, this gritty and punishing release nicely evolves the band’s sound while keeping them high up in the rankings as of the best Black Metal outfits in the USA. Pouring 54 minutes of ravaging and destructive music, Valder and company do not fuck around and bring tons of attitude and power to the table with this one. Quickly setting an uncompromising and relentless wall of sound, “The First Names” and “The Forbidden Names” deliver waves of punishing riffs nicely flanked by intense drumming and crushing vocals. The band’s raw and stripped down production creates a very powerful effect, giving the music that unfiltered sound that live performances have. With minimal atmospherics and ritualistic change of tempos, tracks like “The Secret Names” keep the release engaging and far from linear. | ||
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Setting a very slow and mournful pace, today we have Belgium’s SLOW and their latest demoralizing release “Abîmes I”. Mastermind Déhà has a knack for unleashing gargantuan releases filled with crushing riffs, vocal extremes, and always a heavy atmospheric component, with this band Funeral Doom is as excruciating and punishing as it gets. With four tracks and nearly 44 minutes of music, this release is as dense as they get, evoking memories of other bands like Shape of Despair and the OGs Thergothon. | ||
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Unleashing a punishing exercise in Black Metal brilliance, Quebec’s Délétère delivers “Songes d'une Nuit Souillée”. As their first full-length release in five years, the band unravels 42 minutes and eight tracks of high-octane Black Metal filled with eerie atmospherics and incisive melodic undertones. If you like bands like Algazanth, Sargeist, Seth, and everything in between this is the release for you. Blasting away with the ravaging “Chasse obscène”, the band quickly delivers waves of incisive guitar riffing alongside pummeling drums and hellish vocals. Particularly the interplay between melodic passages, ominous atmospherics and the choral arrangements create a unique and devilish atmosphere. This atmosphere is perfectly preserved as “Sacre de la perversion”, “Foutredieu”, and “Messe scandaleuse” roll around. | ||
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In their first full-length release in nearly ten years, Krieg returns to continue pushing the boundaries of USBM with a moody and yet highly engaging Black Metal release. Perfectly balancing the rawness and naivety of their older releases with the more restrained, atmospheric, and at times melodic nature of their more recent work, “Ruiner” delivers nearly 40 minutes of crushing music. If you are a fan of USBM, you can’t afford to miss this one. | ||
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Unleashing a highly effective Death Metal release with some atmospheric and melodic touches, today we have Czech Republic’s Ravenoir and their third full-length release in a span of three years, titled “Cultus Infer”. For the uninitiated, the band creates an interesting amalgamation of old-school DM with some more modern influences. If you are looking for a nice release that has a modern Morgoth-esque vibe, be sure to check this one out. | ||
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Unleashing an extremely raw and powerful Black Metal, today we have France’s Netherdom and his solo release titled “Forsaking, Forseeking”. Featuring three songs and over 40 minutes of demoralizing music, this release is dense, punishing, and very visceral, instantly creating a feeling of unease and despair. If you are looking for something sinister, brutal, and yet quite atmospheric, look no further and get a copy of this release. | ||
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Polishing their live shows over the years, Amorphis now a well oiled machine that can deliver a killer show to a packed arena, but also face-melt the crowd on more intimate club shows. For those that haven’t been able to catch the band live, their latest release: “Queen of Time - Live at Tavastia”, perfectly captures their intensity and precise delivery of their crafty music. Recorded during COVID-19 times, this live album is a testament to the bands tenacity and brilliant live showmanship. | ||
Zeal & Ardor - Baroness - Deafheaven
March 8th, 2019 - Houston, Texas
Ensiferum - Septicflesh - Arsis
January 28th, 2019 - Atlanta, Georgia
November 2nd & 3rd, 2018 - Brooklyn, NY
Eye of Solitude - Marche Funebre - Catapult the Dead
March 13th, 2018 - Oakland, California
Enslaved - Wolves in the Throne Room - Myrkur - Khemis
March 9th, 2018 - San Francisco, California
November 6th, 2017 - Atlanta, Georgia
October 29th, 2017 - Rotterdam, Netherlands
October 28th, 2017 - Rotterdam, Netherlands
Brujeria + Powerflo + Pinnata Protest
October 23rd, 2017 - San Francisco, CA
Orphaned Land + Pain + Voodoo KungFu
September 20th, 2017 - Oakland, California
August 16-19th, 2017 - Dinkelsbühl, Germany
August 10th, 2017 - Jaroměř, Czech Republic
August 11th, 2017 - Jaroměř, Czech Republic
August 12th, 2017 - Jaroměř, Czech Republic
July 28-29th, 2017 - Germany
Feb 2-6, 2017 - USA
Feb 2-6, 2017 - USA
Feb 2-6, 2017 - USA
Feb 2-6, 2017 - USA
Children of Bodom + Abbath + Exmortus + Oni
12/05/2016 - The Regency, CA
Sonata Arctica + Leaves' Eyes + Omnium Gatherum
12/02/2016 - Slim's - San Francisco, CA
Epica + Arkona + Fleshgod Apocalypse + The Agonist
11/18/2016 - Social Hall - San Francisco, CA
Fallujah + Between The Buried And Me + Devin Townsend Project
10/05/2016 - Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA
