Black Metal

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Sarke – Aruagint (2014)

    cover

    Featuring one of the most brilliant line-ups in Extreme Metal, today we have Sarke and their third full-length release “Aruagint”. Originally intended as a solo project of Sarke (Thomas Bergli  of Khold, Tulus, ex-Old Man’s Child fame), this all-star Black Metal super group combines rudimentary BM elements with Heavy/Thrash Metal and a good dosage of Hard Rock thrown into the mix to create a decadent yet truly Norwegian sound.

    Opening with the crunchy riffs of “Jaunt of the Obsessed”, we immediately take notice on the super production behind this release as well as the technical proficiency of everybody involved in the album. With a catchy Black’n’Roll attitude in tracks like “Ugly” and “Strange Pungent Odyssey”, we get that urge to headbang similar to what Vreid has been doing to crowds in their last releases. Having Asgeir Mickelson handling the drums, we get a full range of his Progressive skills infused into the music.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    HELK – The Chronos (2013)

    cover

    Arriving from Mexico, today we have HELK and their very unique debut EP “The Chronos”. In this 6 song release, the band showcases a mixture of Black/Death/Thrash Metal that creates a melodic yet aggressive atmosphere very unique to this peculiar band. With a high dose of melodic riffs and epic headbanging moments, this is one EP that should not go unnoticed.

    Opening with “Dark Funeral”, the band showcases their melodic aptitudes with incisive riffs, tight drumming, and catchy harsh vocals. With a certain air of bands like Kalmah and Carcass the release keeps pushing forward with “Freedom”. The combination of deep growls and harsh BM-style screams is quite engaging and allows the music to grow in different directions. Other playful tracks play off to the Thrash Metal strengths of HELK like the blistering “Vistrera”.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Krieg - Blue Miasma (2013)

    cover

    Today we have the re-release of Krieg’s “Blue Miasma”, a staple album in the band’s career that came out in 2006. Out on Forever Plagued Records, this version of the album, according to Imperial himself, is the way it was originally intended to sound. With a very raw and punishing nature, we have over 60 minutes of crushing USBM that could have been recorded yesterday and people would have never guessed it.

    After a very traditional intro, the band fully explodes into raw and melodic savagery with tracks like “Who Shall Stand Against Me” and “Under an Uncaring Moon”. This early onslaught reminds us of acts like Mortualia, Sargheist, and similar Black Metal bands with certain melodic riffing. Sonically, “Blue Miasma” has that relentless rawness that only a handful of bands can put together and come out as a more brutal and more aggressive outfit.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Esoterica – Aseity (2013)

    cover

    Featuring members and ex-members of outfits like Krieg, Vital Remains, Chaos Moon, and countless other bands, today we have Esoterica and their monumental release “Aseity”. Featuring a thick and devastating atmospheric component, this Ambient/Black Metal release will enshroud your sonic landscape with crushing riffs, demoralizing vocals, and very thick layers sound aural dissonance.

    Wasting no time, Esorterica blows things wide open with a pummeling onslaught on the opening track “Lessons in Forbidden Alchemy”. The band’s three members deliver one hell of a powerful sound with a merciless guitar distortion and perfectly crafted drums complementing the harsh vocals. This punishing musical approach nicely continues on tracks like “A Slave’s Ablution” and “Fever”, both of which never let go of the listener’s throat with their crushing atmospheric elements.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Kult of Taurus - Divination Labyrinths (2013)

    cover

    Arriving from Greece, today we have Kult of Taurus and their savage debut full-length release “Divination Labyrinths”. Featuring eight crushing Black Metal tracks, this release is as raw and decadent as humanly possible. This album should become a staple of the filthiest Black Metal that is enhanced with weird atmospheric elements. Said atmospheric weirdness pushes the band’s sound from average to attention demanding in a few seconds.

    Immediately after the typical mood-setting intro, “Channeling End” delivers some incisive Black Metal riffs that will stick on your head for days. The sound is quite raw and direct, allowing the band to have that late 90’s feeling to it. Continuing with “The Light That Divides The Earth”, the music is quite crude, just like old-school BM should be. With harsh shrieks, tight drumming, and punishing riffs, Kult of Taurus might not be extremely original but they get the job done.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Courtsleet – Hope’s Apparition (2014)

    cover

    Arriving from Gavin Turner (ex- A Forest of Stars), today we have one-man Courtsleet and ‘their’ two-track debut EP: “Hope’s Apparition”. In this intense release we get a perfect combination of atmospheric Casacadian-like Black Metal with some Shoegazing thrown into the mix. For all fans of Austere, Wolves in the Throne Room, etc., this EP will blow you away.

    Opening with the 10-minute monolithic “What Was I When Your Journey Began?”, Courtsleet slowly builds up momentum with creepy atmospherics and very precise songwriting. The band’s sound is both raw and melodic, allowing the melodic elements to seep in through the savage Black Metal riffs, picture Wolves in the Throne Room meets An Autumn for Crippled Children.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    The Negation – Paths of Obedience (2013)

    cover

    Arriving from French Black Metal horde The Negation, today we have their debut full-length release titled “Paths of Obedience”. Featuring a relentless Black Metal onslaught, this album provides more evidence of the resurgent French Black Metal scene that has produced bands like Glorior Belli, Merrimack, Vorkreist and countless others. Filled with intensity and atmospheric sickness, this release is one hell of a ride.

    Opening with the punishing “Red Wrath”, the band immediately jumps into war mode with bestial drumming, incisive riffing, and demoralizing vocals. Mixing high-octane drumming with relentless guitars, the band brings devastation to the table since the first minute. The release gets more and more punishing as tracks like “Erased”, “One Good”, and “Lost For Ever” steamroll through the listener.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Hail Spirit Noir – Oi Magoi (2014)

    cover

    Featuring 60% of the members of Transcending Bizarre?, Hail Spirit Noir delivers their sophomore release with “Oi Magoi”. Featuring a very intriguing and elegant mixture of Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Black Metal, and some magical Avant-garde elements, this release blooms for over 45 minutes of truly unique sonic landscapes.

    The release blasts opens with the psychedelically charged “Blood Guru”, a track that is quite well layered and allows all the band’s influences to immediately shine through. The elegant finish to this song oozes melodic brilliance and posture. It is quite interesting to hear elements from bands like Jess and the Ancient Ones and Jex Thoth thrown into tracks like “Demon for a Day” and “Satan is Time”, allowing Hail Spirit Noir to be one of the few bands that mixes Psychedelic Rock elements to create Avant-garde Black Metal.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Aenaon – Extance (2014)

    cover

    Delivering their most high-octane release to date, Aenaon returns with the punishing “Extance”. Hailing from Greece, this band has managed to push the boundaries of Black Metal with their previous efforts and this one is no different. Mixing Avant-garde/Jazzy elements into a well-structured Progressive Black Metal core, this release sees the band further refining their craft into near perfection through the 11 songs presented here.

    The band’s incisive riffing and commanding vocals are immediately felt with the intro “The First Art” blending into “Deathtrip Chronicle”. Excelling in creating killer guitar melodies, Aenaon has managed to further refine their sound since “Cendres et Sang”. The tempo changes and vocal arrangements are other factors that make the band’s music instantly be recognized. The Avant-garde weirdness we love form the band starts to shine with the upbeat “Grau Diva” and its intricate arrangements.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Hecate Enthroned – Virulent Rapture (2013)

    cover

    After a 9 year ‘hibernation’ period, Hecate Enthroned returns with one of the biggest surprises of 2013: “Virulent Rapture”. Always living under the stigma of a CoF clone band, this band was long discarded by us with some of their more ‘experimental’ releases over the years before dropping out of the map in 2004. When we got this promo, curiosity got the best of us and we decided to give it a spin… blowing us away since the first track.

    Opening in a bombastic manner with “Thrones of Shadow”, the band indeed still sounds a bit like CoF used to do back in the day, with the huge difference than Hecate Enthroned is now 10 times better than CoF. The growls and shrieks, courtesy of new vocalist Elliot Beaver, are top notch and nicely elevate the intensity level of the already well-crafted symphonic music. Never leaving the aggressive Death Metal elements aside, tracks like “Unchained” are equal parts brutality to melody. The drumming is quite massive and the overall melodic-yet-aggressive vibe is super in songs like “Abyssal March” and the brilliant “Plagued by Black Death”, one of our favorites of this release.

Pages

Recent Image Galleries