Black Metal

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    Winterfylleth – The Divination of Antiquity (2014)

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    As a solid contender for Black Metal album of 2014, today we have Winterfylleth and their ravaging latest release: “The Divination of Antiquity”. Showing that Black Metal does not need to be static to deliver raw brutality, the band has been slowly morphing over time while maintaining their devastating BM roots. In this release the band’s sound is as crisp as ever delivering eight brilliant onslaughts of sheer devastation that any fan of the genre will surrender to.

    Opening with dissonant title track, we can hear fierce drumming and a melodic undertone in the band’s blistering first few minutes. This level of intensity only lets go when the band is delivery melancholic passages that further enhance the destructive powers of their music. The band’s superb ability to construct playful riffs that shift the mood of the song in an instant, are clearly outlined in songs like “Whisper of the Elements”. We particularly love the disarming melancholic passage in this song that bleeds into more merciless brutality.

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    Atrum Tempestas – Néant (2014)

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    Hailing from Finland, today we have an Atmospheric Black Metal duo that comes under the moniker of Atrum Tempestas. Delivering 30 minutes of bleakness and aggression mashed together in three tracks, this release goes further than Atmospheric BM and touches the reals of Doom/ Post-Rock creating a very unique and satisfying blend music.

    Opening with the melancholic “Quitter ceux qui étaient déjà partis”, the band sets a very mellow mood with very accessible atmospheric/melodic passages. The vocals range from BM screams, growls, and some spoken sections that nicely blend with the underlying Post-Rock foundation of this song. Coming in at 14 minutes, this track nicely adds some Doom-ish passages to keep things interesting and engaging.

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    Noctem Cursis – Nocturnal Frost (2014)

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    Being huge fans of Melodic/Epic Black Metal, we got pretty excited when reading the press kit from Noctem Cursis “Noctural Frost” full length. Delivering nine tracks of crushing Black Metal surrounded by epic melodic passages; this is one intense release that while not overly original, it is quite enjoyable for any fan of bands like Stormlord.

    After the typical atmospheric intro, the band explodes with the intense “From Space”, a track led by double-kick intensity and low-key atmospheric keyboards. It is quite enjoyable to hear natural old-school keyboards, rather than overproduced orchestrations. Moving to some serious BM riffing territory, “Scars of the Past” keeps things interesting and brutal. Here we get a certain old-school Catamenia vibe from the vocals and tempo the band presents.

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    Autumn’s Dawn – Gone (2014)

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    Arriving on Eisenwald Tonschmiede, today we have Australian duo Autumn’s Dawn and their debut full-length release “Gone”. Being no strangers to the scene, Sorrow and Anguish are musicians that play in at least 4 bands each, the most famous of them being Tim Yartas of Germ and Austere fame. Anyways, the band presents nine melancholic tracks of pure brilliance that eerily remind us a whole lot of Tim’s previous band Grey Waters.

    Opening this release we have the very emotive “The Ashes of a Life”, a track that has a very Rock-ish structure and melancholic clean vocals from Tim Yartas. The very ethereal atmosphere is always present and it is allowed to shine (even more) in some instrumental passages. Don’t you think this release only features clean vocals, we get a treat of Tim’s harsh singing through this release, starting with the epic “Until My Heart Corrodes with Rust”.

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    Kaosophia – The Origins of Extinction (2013)

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    Delivering 46 minutes of ravishing Black Metal, Ukarine’s Kasophia will blow you away with their brutal debut “The Origins of Extinction”. Filled with oppressive riffs and brutal drums, this release delivers hate-filled onslaught of crushing Black Metal that no fan of the genre will want to miss.

    Wasting no time in making their presence heard, “March of the Antichrist’s Soldiers” delivers intense tremolo picking and ghoulish vocals. Being a mixture of Pest and Abbath, the vocals in this release is quite authentic and perfectly fitting for the fury behind the music. The band also specializes in creating decadent atmospheric songs like the chilling “Cotard Delusion” and “Rituale Romanum”, filled with incisive guitars and hypnotic tempos.

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    Bölzer – Soma (2014)

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    Arriving like 1000 pounds of bricks to the head, Bölzer’s “Soma” EP further establishes the band as one of the premiere Black/Death Metal acts in the scene. Filled with hateful vocals and crushing riffing, this release brings back some of the best elements of the heydays of Black/Death Metal with a vengeance and delivers nearly 20 minutes of punishing music.

    Released on vinyl through Invictus Productions and with the first pressing already sold-out from them, this is one behemoth release that everybody is expecting. Opening with the soul-destroying “Steppes”, the band makes a quick impact with bestial DM riffs and hellish vocals. Bringing back memories of Centinex and Grave with an extra level of brutality, this track immediately brings out the headbanging cravings on anybody.

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    Mortualia – Blood of the Hermit (2014)

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    Unleashing one of the most barbaric Black Metal releases to date, Moribund Records unearths Mortualia’s sophomore release “Blood of the Hermit”. Featuring around 60 minutes of nihilistic raw music, this release will crush your soul and you will be begging for more. Shatraug is the true raw Black Metal master and with this release he shows how melancholic rawness can affect your psyche.

    Opening with the bestial “Becoming Meaningless”, Shatraug unleashes pure evil with a doomy/atmospheric induced coma filled with punishing guitars and inhuman screams. Lasting 12 minutes, this song is a brilliant exercise in expertly crafted melodic riffs that suddenly turn sour with the harsh screams. With a more typical structure, “Manic Euphoria” keeps the tempo slow but the dissonance to its highest for 10 minutes of pure hatred.

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    Vanhelga – Längtan (2014)

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    Deconstructing Black Metal into its rawest elements seems to be the task of Vanhelga since its inception. With “Längtan” the band continues its journey into the deepest and darkest corners of musical exploration with 12 terrifying tracks of pure misanthropy and bleakness. Gaining a few members along the way, 145188 brings his vision to life with a truly sickening sound that is quite raw and direct.

    Opening with the twisted melodies of “Svartsint ömhet” we get an assortment of deranged vocals laid over truly haunting simplistic music that will instantly get under your skin. Focusing on an eerie atmosphere, “Där evigheten inväntar mig” is one of our favorite tracks thanks to its raw power and bizarre tempo changes. The band’s ability to switch the direction of the song mid-course it’s one of the best assets that Vanhelga has in this release, making for a truly unique and abusive experience as heard in tracks like “Evig förändring” and the melancholic “Med mina andetag”.

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    Harakiri For The Sky – Aokigahara (2014)

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    After leaving a great impression on us with their self-titled debut full-length, Austria’s Harakiri For The Sky returns with an even more impressive release with Aokigahara. Delivering nine (plus one bonus track) onslaughts of perfectly crafted Black/Post-Black Metal anthems, the band calls upon a wide variety of guest vocalists to further expand their commanding (and very atmospheric) sound.

    Setting a very depressing mood with the demoralizing “My Bones to the Sea”, the doomy riffs nicely dictate a very calm pace to this killer song. With M.S in charge of all the instruments and J.J delivering the punishing vocals, this duo produces very melancholic music in the vein of acts like Heretoir, Lantlos, etc., but with their own signature style. The intensity picks up with the emotive “Jhator”, a track that features Seuche (Fäulnis) on guest vocals, and nicely shapes the aural abuse in a different direction than the band’s usual antics.

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