Black Metal

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    An Autumn for Crippled Children - All Fell Silent, Everything Went Quiet (2020)

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    Being one of the best Post-Black Metal/Blackgaze bands in the world, we were quite impressed and glad at the same time that An Autumn fo Crippled Children is now on a ‘bigger’ label like Prosthetic Records. With the potential to reach a broader set of audiences, “All Fell Silent, Everything Went Quiet” is one the band's most exciting releases to date. Featuring ten songs and nearly 40 minutes of captivating music filled with dreamy atmospherics and contrasting harsh vocals.

    The release starts with the lush “I Became You”, which sets a very melancholic backdrop to this release. The distinctive metallic textured guitars nicely weave back and forth Post-Rocky interludes and tempo changes as we can hear in “Water’s Edge” and “Everlasting”. While you can recognize some Alcest-like and Deafheaven-esque elements in the band’s sound, they have been refining their signature style through their eight full-length releases.

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    Slagmark - Purging Sacred Soils (2020)

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    Unleashing a hellish debut release, today we have Germany’s Slagmark with “Purging Sacred Soils”. With a relentless Black Metal approach and featuring members of Sarkrista and Totenwache, this debut release is one of the most mature and devastating we have heard in 2020. For fans and purists of the old Black Metal flame, this release delivers over 30 minutes of ravaging brutality and intensity, not to be missed in any connoisseur's collection.

    After setting an evil atmospheric opening with “Hexenhammer”, “Feeding the Urge to Destroy” pummels the listener with waves of harshness. The vocals are as hellish and punishing as they can get, while the musical structure is raw and direct, bringing out the hate and viciousness in the band’s musical approach. Not wasting any time, the album title track delivers a more tempered opening that transitions into all-out-war with the intense drumming and relentless guitar riffing.

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    Nôidva - Windseller (2020)

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    Delivering even more of that good old Melodic Black Metal from the late 90’s/early 2000’s, today we have Finland’s Nôidva and their debut EP “Windseller”. Featuring six intense tracks filled with catchy riffs, gaudy (in a good way) atmospherics and devilish vocals, this release will surely resonate with fans of Ancient, Limbonic Art, Tartaros and even early Emperor.

    Blowing the lid off on this release, we have the intense title track leading the band’s efforts. Combining lively guitars, crafty drums, and a playful combination of atmospheric elements and raw vocals, this song creates a very engaging and catchy atmosphere, with a certain sinister edge to it. While the music is not overly complex, the straightforw

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    Bythos - The Womb of Zero (2020)

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    Hailing from Finland and featuring members of Horna, Behexen and Ajattara, we instantly expected “The Womb of Zero” to be a furiously crushing Black Metal release and we got more than what we bargained for. While the BM elements and influences are there, the heavy melodic and Doomy prevail in this release to craft a very unique and completely unexpected sound. Delivering perfectly balanced songs, this release shows a very unique and different side of the band members involved.

    The album instantly crafts a very sinister atmosphere with the devilish riffs of “Black Labyrinth”. Here is also where you notice that the tempo is a bit slower than expected, as it creates a very cavernous and crushing vibe. The harsh vocals are perfectly blended into melodic and at times Doomy riffs as the opener song fades into the dramatic guitar leads of “When Gold Turns into Lead”. If you start listening to the album on this track, you would be confused as it has a certain old-school Katatonia/October Tide vibe.

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    Ayyur - Balkarnin (2020)

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    It is not every day that we get a release from Tunisia, and it is even less common that it is actually pretty good. Today we have Ayyur with their highly atmospheric and experimental Black Metal unleashing their two-song EP “Balkarnin”. With a knack for cavernous atmospheres and punishingly slow riffs, this release is one strong introduction to this very promising band.

    The EP sets a very hypnotic mood with the slow riffs of “I”, combining them with harsh vocals and a certain Doom vibe. As the guitar leads develop into an atmospheric interlude, the band creates a commanding atmosphere that is both bone chilling and dense. Without much flair or additional elements the rudimentary rawness of the band’s sound is quite direct and effective.

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    Order of Orias - Ablaze (2020)

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    Hailing from the land down under, today we have Black Metal duo Order of Orias and their ravaging full-length release “Ablaze”. Featuring six tracks of devilish music, the band finds the perfect balance of atmosphere and harshness to create nearly 40 minutes of blistering and demoralizing music. Aimed at Black Metal purists, this release unleashes relentless guitar work and pummeling drumming, similar to bands like Immortal and early Satyricon.

    Wasting no time to showcase their brutality, Order of Orias opens with the blistering riffing of “Blood to Dust”, a superbly violent track that commands respect and shows great determination. The onslaught continues with the demoralizing “Gleaming Night” and its crafty tempo changes, and the sheer brutality of “Raging Idols” with its killer guitar leads and polarizing tempo changes. Black Metal comes in all shapes and sizes, but consistency in terms of brutality while introducing ambiance is something that this release excels at.

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    Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin Kynsi (2020)

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    Unleashing a highly mysterious and depraved orgasmic aural assault, today we have Finnish outfit Oranssi Pazuzu and their highly expected fifth full-length release “Mestarin Kynsi”. Having sonically abused all their fans for the last decade, the band continues their musical exploration with 51 minutes of music spread in six captivating tracks. If you think the band was weird and trippy in the past, wait until you listen to this release.

    Opening with the trance-inducing “Ilmestys”, the band slowly builds up and introduces their funky mixture of effects, sickening vocals and crushing guitar work. If the first track didn’t create enough anxiety in the listener, “Tyhjyyden sakramentti” continues the aural exploration with chaotic ravaging passages filled with weird distortions and an overall sense of urgency that creates a very demoralizing and brutal atmosphere.

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    Blaze of Sorrow - Absentia (2020)

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    Constantly evolving and refining their sound over the years, today we have Italy’s Blaze of Sorrow and their latest Atmospheric Black Metal opus: “Absentia”. Featuring seven songs and nearly 45 minutes of lush music, the band shows how their sound continues to improve with intricately crafted songs that are both pummeling and melodic. With similarities to bands like Fen, Agalloch, Saor, this outfit has marked their own path of blended melody and aggressiveness.

    The album opens with the folky “Settimo Requiem”, a song that features a lively mood with creative tempo changes and a very epic feeling. The band’s ability to swing from ravaging Black Metal onslaughts to melodic interludes is amazing as it allows them to completely re-shape the direction of songs with these transitions as the pulverizing “Furia” demonstrates.

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    Asarhaddon - Reysa (2020)

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    Hailing from Germany, today we have two-man battalion Asarhaddon and their debut full-length release “Reysa”. Featuring a very refined and yet violent Black Metal sound, the band conceptually explores death and nature, in a very hypnotic and crushing style. Clocking over 50 minutes of relentless music, this album is quite suited for fans of bands like Anomalie, Wolves in the Throne Room, and Agrypnie, as it both blends punishing harshness with uncompromising melodic passages.

    Leading with “Der Ursprung”, the listener instantly received a wall of crushing distorted guitars right after a very subtle acoustic intro. The guitar onslaught is quite impressive, never letting go of the listener’s thoat as the band pummels through crushing pieces like “Die Vergängnis erwacht”and “Ein wahrlich wirrer Ort”. Both songs are filled with pummeling riffs and very introspective melodic sections that nicely deliver tempo changes while creating cavernous and mysterious atmospheres.

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    Cénotaphe - Monte Verità (2020)

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    The French Black Metal age of enlightenment of the last few years is real and bands like Cénotaphe are a testament to this. On their latest full-length release, “Monte Verità”, the band treats us with over 46 minutes of relentless onslaughts of brutality with a somber vibe and a retro production. For fans of bands like Absu, Carpathian Forest and Ragnarok, this release will rattle your speakers with furious gusto.

    With a creepy retro intro and a very raw and visceral production, “Myosis” leads the way with furious riffs and hyper-fast drumming. Vocalist Khaosgott delivers that kind of punishing raspy shrieks performance that adds an extra level of raw brutality to the music, as we hear on “Aux cieux antérieurs” and the furious “L'oeuf de mammon”. Our favorite track has to be the brilliant “De mon promontoire astral” and its melodic and mystical edge thanks to additional vocal arrangements, making it super eerie.

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