Album Reviews

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    Anomalie – Refugium (2015)

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    Hailing from Austria, today we have Anomalie and their sophomore release “Refugium”. Started as a one-man battalion by Marrok of Selbstentleibung and Harakiri for the Sky (live) fame, this outfit crafts a very melancholic blend of Black Metal that is very rare and extremely addictive. Traversing over 52 minutes of music, this album takes its time to fully develop and to explore its deepest and darkness corners it requires patience and understanding.

    Opening with Katatonia meets Post-Black Metal “In Fear of Tomorrow”, we are instantly hooked on the band’s very melancholic and yet intense sound. The hypnotic clean vocals will haunt you after this track is over. As “Spiritual Dimension” and “Untouched Walls” roll around, we start to notice some resemblance with bands like Agrypnie in terms of the vocals/riffing, but quickly stray away from this when the atmospheric passages go by.

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    Kaeck – Stormkult (2015)

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    Arriving from Folter records, today we have Dutch war Black Metal outfit Kaeck and their decadent debut release “Stormkult”. For fans of old-school Raw Black Metal with a traditional Dutch flair, this release delivers over 30 minutes of devastating music that will leave you uneasy for a few months.

    Opening with the highly atmospheric “De kult”, we instantly get an oldschool Satyricon/Emperor vibe thanks to the simple yet effective atmospheric elements surrounded by crushing riffs and harsh vocals. The band continues to steamroll the listener with the brutality of “De heerser wederkeet” and the sickening atmosphere of the creepy “Holenmuur”. Both tracks are very dense and deliver the right amount of aggression and eeriness in a very balanced and destructive way.

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    Narbeleth - Through Blackness and Remote Places (2015)

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    We get all kinds of bands from all the corners of the world, but it is quite rare to have one from Cuba. Today we have Cuba’s most savage and destructive Black Metal band: Narbeleth. As a one-man battalion, this band perfectly captures the punishing rawness of Scandinavian Black Metal from the late 90’s, and delivers eight brilliant tracks filled with hate and crushing riffs.

    Opening with “Sons of the Grand Cosmic Emanation”, Dakkar unleashes a bestial barrage of unholy melodic BM riffs unlike anything we have every heard before from the small Cuban island. The quality of the music is uncanny as it demolishes everything in its way with a mixture of Immortal acrobatics with the rawness of Gorgoroth. The band’s sound is quite compact and brutal, and the influences of Norwegian Taake are very present in songs like “Mesmerized by the Pale Ghost Moonlight”.

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    Shumaun – Shumaun (2015)

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    Arriving today from the USA we have Shaumaun and their progressively oriented mash up of musical styles. In their self-titled debut release, the band presents twelve very melodic tracks that are a bit contrasting from each other, but full of promise, excellent ideas and solid execution.

    The album opens with the proggy “A New Revolution”, which is a very entertaining piece that ultimately is just a warm-up for what is to come next. “Miracles of Yesterday” and “You and I Will Change the World” have a more radio-friendly and mainstream vibe, with loud rhythm guitars and solid leads. Being very catchy, this last song has some cool passages, but it also tries to incorporate too many elements, making things a bit awkward when they should have stayed simple as the track’s hook is pretty solid.

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    Dodsferd – Wastes of Life (2015)

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    In recent years we have been plagued with subpar Black Metal bands; luckily for us Dodsferd is one of the most interesting bands in the scene nicely transitioning from Depressive Black Metal to a very weird, but yet effective atmospheric Black Metal that will leave you scratching your head… in a good way. Featuring five tracks and nearly 50 minutes of music, the band continues their sonic onslaught with a very unique release titled “Wastes of Life”.

    Opening with a very traditional atmospheric piece titled “Wastes of Life”, the band picks with where they left off creating a very oppressive and eerie atmosphere. Leading the charge with some very dramatic clean guitars, “Sterile Death, Without Mourning” delivers 12 minutes of brilliant atmospheric madness. The track suddenly shifts to a very mellow tempo filled with creepy atmospheric arrangements and Wrath’s signature shrieks.

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    Beyond Light – Paintings in the Hall (2014)

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    Delivering 11 tracks of emotional Depressive Black Metal, today we have one-man band Beyond Light and their sophomore release “Paintings in the Hall”. Clocking in at around 63 minutes, this album offers us glimpses into the band’s dark world with unique songs that loosely interconnect with each other. Mostly recommended for people not afraid to experiment and look outside the box, this release will command your attention since the first minute.

    Opening with the somber “Blind But Drawing” intro, the band gets down to business with the very eerie and mysterious “Painted Memories”. The atmosphere is very well crafted, before we get to hear any vocals or fast parts, making it very effective in immersing the listeners. Depressive BM should be moody and firm, things that are perfectly embodied in “Beneath The Horizon” and “Her Broken Face”, two of the albums best tracks.

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    Amberian Dawn – Innuendo (2015)

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    Releasing nearly an album per year since 2008, today we have Amberian Dawn and their latest opus “Innuendo”. These highly productive Fins deliver ten brilliantly crafted Symphonic Power Metal tracks that will appeal both traditional Power Metal and Gothic/Symphonic Metal fans alike. Having quickly moved on from replacing their original iconic vocalist, Päivi Virkkunen vocals are a very interesting mixture of Doro-meets-Timo Kotipelto.

    Quickly opening with the intense “Fame & Gloria”, we are taking into a very balanced world of Nightwish-meets-Sonata Arctica, with the solid guitar works and Päivi’s angelic but powerful vocals. Seamlessly integrating lush atmospheric elements into the music, the band delivers songs like “Ladyhawk” and “Innuendo”, both of which will keep you headbanging from start to finish. If you like more Symphonic/Gothic Metal things, tracks like “The Court of Mirror Hall” and the ballad “Aneglique” have less dominant Power Metal vibe, but are still within the band’s comfort zone.

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    Shining – International Blackjazz Society (2015)

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    As one of the weirdest and most extreme insanely popular bands that we listen to, Shining returns with their own band of crazy with the epic “International Blackjazz Society”. Delivering nine tracks of truly deranged and visionary music, this is one of those releases that keeps you guessing from start to end. Jørgen Munkeby and company manage to further elaborate on their very original style and deliver one of the most diverse albums of 2015.

    Setting a very chaotic and odd atmosphere with their sax madness of “Admittance”, the band is ready to pounce on the listener with the catchy riffs of “The Last Stand”. The catchiness of this track is nicely offset by the distorted vocals and trippy atmosphere. Reminding us a bit of Diabolos Rising and Industrial Black Metal bands, “Burn it All” has a very sinister vibe to it and we love it. Things get a bit more mainstream and radio-friendly with the very catchy and more straightforward “Last Day”.

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    Draconian – Sovran (2015)

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    Perfectly in time for a very gloomy October, Draconian is set to unleash “Sovran”. Four years in the making and after the departure of Lisa Johansson, the band returns with a superbly strong and very melancholic release that will become another Draconian classic. The band’s melancholic sound is greatly complemented by their new singer Heike Langhans, making this release a perfect step in the band’s musical trajectory.

    Opening with bleak first minutes of “Heavy Lies the Crown” we have some crushing Doom riffs and a very oppressive atmosphere that is beautifully craved out of piano sections and solemn female vocals. As the band settles more into their classic sound, “The Wretched Tide” is filled with great vocal duels between Andres superb harsh vocals and Heike’s emotionally charged voice that nicely contrast the harshness of the music.

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    Enshine – Singularity (2015)

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    After taking everybody by surprise with their excellent debut “Origin”, Enshine returns with a more mature and refined release titled “Singularity”. Comprised of only two members, Jari Lindholm and Sebastien Pierre, this international band manages to craft a very melodic and engaging release that clocks in at 53 minutes of music. If you are a fan of October Tide, Insomnium and Swallow the Sun, this is an album that you don’t want to miss.

    The band opens with the Sci-Fi-ish “Dual Existence” as the barrage of melodic riffs is made present by Jari. The pace is quite mellow, but the harshness and brutality of the music is felt, particularly when Sebastien’s growls come into the picture. With majestically crafted songs like “Adrift” and “Resurgence”, the band sets a very melodic mood with subtle atmospheric keyboards. The band’s resemblance to Swallow the Sun in terms of pace and mood is uncanny, but they make the sound their own by adding more Melodic Death metal elements here and there.

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