Album Reviews

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    Asofy – Percezione (2013)

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    Hailing from Italy, today we have one-man project Asofy and their latest full-length “Percezione”. With a very bleak and somewhat minimalist sound, Asofy delivers four tracks of very emotional Black/Doom Metal with some Post-Black Metal elements. The music is quite direct and very well paced, enough to enchant any Doom or Suicidal Black Metal fan, very similar to the experimental stuff of Svarti Loghin.

    On the first track, “Luminosita”, the Post-Black Metal influences nicely make this very melancholic song even more bleak and desolate. Tryfar handles all instruments and does a very good job with the guitars and bass guitar. The drums are programmed so they sound a bit fake in some points, but they are pretty decent compared to other releases. The pace of this song is quite slow and dabbles around some jazzy/doomy sections very nicely.

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    Progenie Terrestre Pura – U.M.A (2013)

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    Finally unleashing their debut full-length, today we have Italian duo Progenie Terrestre Pura’s “U.M.A”. Standing for Uomini, Macchine, Anime (Men, Machines, Souls), this band delivers purely atmospheric Black Metal with a very cool sci-fi theme. Focusing in creating lush and ethereal atmospheres, the band creates 50 minutes of magical music that will take you on an out of body interstellar journey.

    Opening with “Progenie Terrestre Pura”, the band immediately establishes a trippy and futuristic atmosphere that is quite unique and dreamy. Slowly making their way in to the ‘heavy sections’ the band does a great job not rushing things and letting their music set the mood. The unsettling “Sovrarobotizzazione” features quite powerful BM riffs that are masked behind their lush atmospheric elements and some excellent Post-Rock/Post-BM soundscapes.

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    Nahar – The Strange Inconvenience (2013)

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    Featuring a cleaner and more melodic sound than legendary Inquisition, Naha brings upon us their sophomore release “The Strange Inconvenience”. Hailing from France, this two man band unleashes six tracks of well-paced Black Metal that is quite crushing and yet somewhat melodic in nature. The band focuses more on creating a very cavernous feeling rather than delivering acrobatically insane furious Black Metal, thus they manage to create a very unique and dense release not apt for the weak of mind.

    Opening with “Grey Concrete... Comfort”, the band established a powerful wall of distorted guitars and commanding vocals. Clocking in at nearly 10 minutes, this song weaves back and forth from creepy harsh sections to creepy atmospheric passages. “Purifying Negativity” changes the pace a bit with faster sections, but the overall creepy atmosphere is still there. Things start getting a bit more experimental in “D.M.T.” and “Pessimist”, two tracks that showcase the band’s ability to craft melodic (and even jazzy) passages and mix them with the harsh vocals and BM riffs (on “Pessimist”).

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    Thaw – Thaw (2013)

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    Arriving today from Avantgarde Music we have Thaw and their self-titled debut full-length release. Jumping on the current wave of Experimental Black Metal, this Polish band does a pretty good job in delivering seven tracks of weird-but-brutal Black Metal. Combining trippy atmospheric passages with some Noise/Drone elements, the band greatly complements their relentless Black Metal with some nice flair.

    After the Noise/Drone intro “The Gate”, this release starts picking up with the crushing “Ancestors”. We particularly love the mixture of relentless BM with the creepy clean vocals. The band’s BM foundations are quite strong and deliver waves of powerful riffs and brutal drumming. The same could be said about “Divine Light”, another fine example of the band’s sheer power combined with some cool atmospheric passages.

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    Apocynthion – Sidereus Nuncius (2013)

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    Going over tons of releases every month, we rarely get to enjoy unexpected masterpieces like Apocynthion’s “Sidereus Nuncius”. Having received the promo directly from the band, we got immediately hooked into their music after the first song and we have been constantly listening to it non-stop since then. Delivering seven tracks of majestic Post-Rock/Post Black Metal with Shoegaze and some Doom elements, the band’s sound is quite moving and powerful.

    Opening in a very dreamy note with a sample from “2001: A Space Odyssey” on top of atmospheric arrangements, the band commands attention with this hypnotic opening. “Redshift” continues with a Post-Rock vibe, similar to Godspeed Your Black Emperor and God is an Astronaut, filled with cool percussions and dreamy clean vocals. This ten-minute track slowly morphs into Post-Black Metal territories with powerful and dreamy guitars accompanied by shrieks of desperation. The band reminded us of Heretoir, Lantlos and similar outfits, but they always keep their own musical identity.

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    Agony of the Bleeding Flesh – Everlasting Piracy (2013)

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    Hailing from France today we have the self-labeled Metal pirates of Agony of the Bleeding Flesh and their exciting debut release “Everlasting Piracy”. Delivering seven tracks of well-crafted Black Metal, the band focuses on having a powerful and direct sound with mostly traditional elements and an enhanced sense of catchiness.

    The album opens with a very solemn acoustic intro to the track “Those Buried Treasures” and it slowly builds up as the distorted guitars and shrieks come in. The drumming is quite solid and perfectly captured by the production of this release. Things gradually get more interesting as “The Call of The Sea” and “Return from Death” continue the riffing onslaught. The band perfectly combines fast paced sections with slower interludes to allow the music to grow and capture the listener’s attention.

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    Embersland – Sunrise (2013)

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    Arriving all the way from Spain, today we have the debut release of Embersland, a very interesting and unique band. In “Sunrise” the band mixes elements of Gothic Rock, Symphonic Metal, and even some growls are thrown into the mix to create a very different and enjoyable sound. Featuring almost 50 minutes of music, this self-released album is quite diverse and will constantly keep you guessing what is coming up next.

    Opening with the epic “Why”, the band starts in very HIM-like manner with the deep male vocals. Growls and diverse backing vocals make this track (and album) quite tricky to pin down, and this is one of its best attributes. The keyboard arrangements are quite lush and the guitars quite powerful making for very engaging and enjoyable music. The band’s ability to switch between moods in a song is quite good, and the best example of this is the progression of the song “In Vain”.

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    Enshine – Origin (2013)

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    Being huge fans of Atmospheric Death/Doom Metal, we have been following this collaboration for a while and finally we have “Origin”, Enshine’s debut full length release that is as majestic everybody expected. Featuring Jari Lindholm and Sébastien Pierre, this band delivers nine tracks of brilliant atmospheric Doom passages with powerful growls and a very melancholic vibe. Recorded in a span of two years, “Origin” is one release that will keep you entertained for quite a while.

    Opening with the lush atmospheric elements of “Stream of Light”, the band sets the tone for a very impressive release since the initial stages of this album. With a vibe similar to bands like October Tide and Forest of Shadows, Enshine focuses their energy in delivering powerful atmospheres surrounded by excellent guitar work. Not being 100% predictable, tracks like “Refraction” blend some synth-pop elements into the bands melancholic sound.

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    Kingdom – Morbid Priest of Supreme Blasphemy (2013)

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    Delivering 30 minutes of crushing old-school Death Metal, today we have Poland’s Kingdom and their sophomore release “Morbid Priest of Supreme Blasphemy”. In this powerful release the band travels back in time and delivers raw and uncompromising brutality in the shape of 10 devastating tracks. As one of the best releases from Hellthrasher Productions, this is one hell of an album you do not want to miss.

    “Slaves of Ruins” delivers the first crushing blow to the head with powerful riffs and hellish vocals. The rawness of the production allows the band’s sound to be filthy and demolishing without compromising quality. As tracks like “Krwawiąca rana”, “Beast of the Sea”, and “Morbid Priest” steamroll their way through your ears, you will immediately want to start headbanging and breaking stuff.

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    Kadavar – Abra Kadavar (2013)

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    Germany’s latest export Kadavar is finally making their latest release, “Abra Kadavar”, available to the people of North America through Nuclear Blast this May 14th, 2013. If you have been living under a rock for the last few years, Psychedelic Rock is making a big comeback and Kadavar is one of the most authentic and enthusiastic bands leading the charge. Featuring nine rocking anthems, this release is filled with energy and groovy tunes.

    Opening with the super catchy “Come Back To Life”, the band has that natural feeling to their music of the old-school bands from the 70’s. With a very basic set-up this band focuses more on creating fun and hard-rocking tunes than on any technical aspects of the production and fancy layering of things. “Doomsday Machine”, “Black Snake”, and “Dust” are clear examples of how the band delivers catchiness effortless while having a very organic and raw sound.

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