Album Reviews

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    The Body – No One Deserves Happiness (2016)

    cover

    As one of the most unique and odd bands of North America, The Body has made a name for itself by doing tons of unique collaboration while refining a punishing experimental Sludge/Drone sound. On their fifith full-length release “No One Deserves Happiness”, the band continues to push the boundaries of normal and delivers what they call “the grossest pop album ever”. After listening for multiple days we have to completely agree with their claim, as this is one nightmarish release that will puzzle the masses and hypnotize the illuminated ones.

    Opening with the haunting “Wanderings” we get some fragile female vocals nicely contrasted by some Sludgy dissonant riffs and a very unnerving tempo. As soon as the harsh vocals come into the picture the album gets even weirder with such an extreme contrast… signature move of the band. After a little breather with the weird “Shelter is Illusory”, the band delivers a violent Drone/Noise pair of tracks with “For You” and “Hallow/Hollow” that will rattle anybody out of their seat.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Dark Letter – Psychomachia (2015)

    cover

    Bringing back the days of Dreams of Sanity-like Gothic Metal/Rock, today we have Dark Letter and their debut EP titled “Psychomachia”. Featuring a simple yet effective approach to the genre, this young Polish outfit delivers five solid tracks filled with atmosphere and somber vocals. If you liked Gothic Metal bands from the late 90’s, this band will bring those days back to life with their 26 minutes of music.

    Opening with the mysterious “Toy”, the band sets a very mellow mood when pairing keyboard arrangements with well-structured drum patterns and Beata Golińska’s singular vocal style. Her style is a bit more firm and natural sounding than most actual female leads of the genre, giving the songs enough power and firmness to sound dark and not too sweet. The playfulness of tracks like “Romasanta” allows the listener to enjoy multiple facets of the band’s musical skills.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Hyperion – Seraphical Euphony (2016)

    cover

    Hailing from Sweden today we have Hyperion’s brilliant debut full-length release “Seraphical Euphony”. Feeling like it was trapped on a time capsule for over 10 years, this highly melodic and catchy release features a melodic Death/Black Metal sound from the 90’s. Perfectly packaged with all the technological advances of our current time, this album is one very unique sounding release in a sea of clones and bands trying too hard to sound ‘vintage’.

    After the acoustic building up “Remnants of the Fallen”, “Novus Ordo Seclorum” is a brilliant guitar-led piece that instantly reminded us of Dissection and their legendary “Storm of the Light's Bane”. With a timeless guitar sound, tracks like “Flacellum Dei”, “Seraphical Euphony” and the dramatic “Moral Evasion” really hit that old-school spot, but at the same time combine more atmospheric elements of period bands like Dismal Euphony. We particularly enjoy how this last track evolves after an atmospheric opening and leads into balls to the wall headbanging passages.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    The Wolves of Avalon – Die Hard (2015)

    cover

    Hailing from the UK and arriving trough Eternal Death records, today we have a very entertaining 7” release from The Wolves of Avalon. Fronted by none other than Metatron of The Meads of Asphodel fame, this band plays a mean Pagan/Black Metal that invokes some similarities to the likes of Primordial. Featuring two songs, this release is quite entertaining and a must-have for die-hard collectors of vinyl.

    Opening on side A with the “Die Hard” cover, the band perfectly captures the old-school Thrash/Black Metal sound of Venom. Adding the special participation of vocalists Rob Miller (Amebix), Alan Averill (Primordial), Mirai (Sigh), and Mantas doing some vocals and also handling some guitars, this cover is an excellent modern version of the original classic.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Oranssi Pazuzu – Värähtelijä (2016)

    cover

    Making Black Metal trippy with their Doom/Psychedelic influences, Oranssi Pazuzu returns with another brilliant deconstruction of the genre in “Värähtelijä”. Delivering over 60 minutes of madness, this release captures the listener’s attention and imagination since its first riff and never lets go. If you are a fan of the unconventional, this is an album you can’t miss.

    The release slowly opens with the atmospheric piece “Saturaatio” that presents us with a powerful guitar onslaught and some trippy keys. The harsh vocals suddenly appear to add an extra level of heaviness to an already very crafty song. Changing the mood into darker and more sinister territories, “Lahja” features a very hypnotic tempo. This track while different than the opener, continues the underlying dark and mysterious atmosphere of this release.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Todtgelichter – Rooms (2016)

    cover

    Being the most anticipated 2016 release at Infernal Masquerade, we have been sitting on writing this review for a few weeks to fully digest and process this album. Hailing from Germany, Todtgelichter started playing somewhat straightforward Black Metal until they started experimenting with other influences since their 2010 release “Angst”. From that release and to these days, the band has managed to craft a very unique blend of experimental/Avant-garde Black Metal that is completely disarming and emotionally raw. If you liked the band’s last two releases, you will be in for a treat with this one.

    The album opens with the emotionally charged “Ghost” and its brilliant atmospheric elements. This track perfectly contrasts harsh and clean vocals while slowly building up the tempo with intricate drumming and lush atmospheric details. Continuing the emotional rollercoaster, the rawness of the opening of “Scherin” nicely transforms with all-out Post-Rock/Shoegazey melodic passages perfectly adorned by Marta’s iconic voice. This is one of the band’s best tracks to date due to the perfect contrast of heavy and melodic elements.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Narjahanam - Wa Ma Khufiya Kana A’atham (2013)

    cover

    Out now on Russian label Haarbn Productions, today we have Narjahanam and their sophomore release “Wa Ma Khufiya Kana A’atham”. This two man beast of a band hails from Baharain and crafts some seriously atmospheric Middle-Eastern themed Black/Death Metal, rivaling acts like Melechesh and AlNamrood. We are quite impressed with the quality behind this this release and how it engages the listener with its lush atmospheric undertones.

    Building a very dramatic momentum with the opener album titled track, they set a very mysterious shroud around this whole release thanks to their atmospheric arrangements. Quickly establishing their band’s power, Mardus and Busca, craft very melodic tracks like “Kahf Al Khulood” and “Qudoom Al Sultan” keeping the listener engaged while still processing their unique sound.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    High Priest of Saturn - Son of Earth and Sky (2016)

    cover

    During the last few years Svart Records has been introducing to the world countless bands in the Psychedelic Rock/Doom realm and High Priest of Saturn is another hidden gem they managed to uncover. Hailing from Norway, this four piece outfit has a very warm and fuzzy retro sound that allows them to deliver extremely well crafted songs that will put the listener into a trance.

    Opening with the psychedelic “Aeolian Dunes”, we get a hefty dosage of ripping Doom riffs courtesy of band’s mastermind Martin Sivertsen. What caught our attention instantly is the enigmatic voice of Merethe Heggset, which handles the bass guitar as well. Her vocals remind us of a more centered version of Jex Thoth. This 10 minute opener piece is the perfect mood setter for the musical journey that unfolds with this release.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Amiral! – Les Territoires interdits (2014)

    cover

    Hailing from France today we have a very interesting release from the enigmatic Amiral!, titled “Les Territoires interdits”. Mixing ambient and trip-hop influences, this release moves the band further into the cinematic realm with very futuristic and tense pieces that elevate the listener’s state of consciousness.

    Opening with the very ethereal and magical “Barry”, this one-man outfit sets a very unique and promising mood. Other tracks perfectly complement each other in terms of buildup like “Nu, dépouillé” and the very upbeat “Jericho II”. We prefer more dreamy songs like “Papa maman”, the mysterious “survivre en mer” and the very peaceful “réserve indienne”. Amiral!’s strength lies on the ability to create very piercing songs that while minimalist in nature, engage the listener in multiple ways.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Irradiance – Dissidence (2015)

    cover

    Freshly arrived from France, today we have the lively Irradiance and their latest release “Dissidence”. Playing an interesting combination of Progressive/Symphonic Metal with some jazzy and Rock influences, this outfit delivers ten brilliant songs that will keep you at the edge of your seat. For fans of Epica, Stream of Passion, and similar outfits, this release is very bombastic and engaging.

    Opening with the lush “Children’s Game”, the band’s singer Audrey Dandeville, instantly comes center stage with her excellent operatic vocals. This opening song is quite catchy and structured in a way that grabs the attention of the listener. There are some unique elements that remind us of Diablo Swing Orchestra thrown into the mix that might catch some people off-guard, but we think they are super cool. Continuing strong, “The Soldier and the Child” allows Alexandra Vallet, the band’s violinist to change the course of an already excellent track.

Pages

Recent Image Galleries