Black Metal

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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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    Abyssal – Denouement (2013)

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    Always delivering brutal releases, Hellthrasher Records surprised us this time with a release that goes beyond brutal and mixed some very interesting Black and Doom Metal elements to produce one hell of a devastating album. Abyssal’s “Denoument” was originally self-released in 2012, but with this re-release more people will get to experience their crushing and complex sound that will blow you away from your seat.

    Featuring six tracks and around 50 minutes of brutal music, the band wastes no time and delivers the first blow with the powerful “The Moss upon Our Ruins”. This song seems to start heading in Black Metal direction, but the band suddenly changes to crushing Brutal Death Metal in a heartbeat. Layering BM guitars with crushing DM riffs works greatly for the band allowing them to be very brutal and yet diverse. The tempo of the music is also very Doom-like keeping things slow and painful while sounding massive.

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    Strynn – Decadence (2013)

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    After all the excellent Black Metal we have heard from France in the last few years, we can’t help but wonder what kinds of stuff they are putting on the baguettes that produce such excellent musicians. With epic bands like Peste Noire, Alcest, Merrimack, Glorior Belli, and now Strynn, this country is starting to get some serious reputation in the Metal scene. Delivering 11-tracks of crushing Black Metal with nice melodic passages, “Decadence” is a very entertaining release that any fan of the genre should listen to.

    Opening with sheer guitar power on “Awakening”, the band delivers a very well timed track that is quite melodic but it also imposes itself on the listener. The riffing onslaught finally picks up with devastating tracks like “Burial”, “Uncreation”, “Emptiness”, and “Datura”. The band uses two guitarists and no bass guitar player, making the guitar the main driving force behind the aggressive music. Strynn also features two alternating singers to keep things fresh and if we told you that one of them is Female, you probably wouldn’t believe it either.

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    Frozen Ocean – Vanviddsanger (2013)

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    Delivering a short but sweep EP of relentless Black Metal, today we have one-man battalion Frozen Ocean all the way from Russia. In the “Vanviddsanger” EP, the band delivers eight crushing hymns of old-school hate-filled Crust Black Metal that is are both furiously paced and monumentally devastating. For all nostalgic fans of the days of raw Black Metal and old Crust Punk, this is one release you don’t want to miss.

    Opening with an atmospheric intro, “Vanviddsang: I” sets a very mysterious tone for a fast-paced Black Metal journey. The release immediately explodes with the crushing tracks “II” and “III”, keeping a very hectic tempo filled with powerful guitars and very demonic screams. While the music in not too original in nature, the pure rawness and brutality of it make this EP quite an enjoyable release for any fan of the genre.

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    Luna Ad Noctum – Hypnotic Inferno (2013)

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    After a seven year absence, today we have Luna Ad Noctum and their crushing Melodic Black Metal release “Hypnotic Inferno”. Mixing influences from bands like Agathodaimon and Mactätus, their sound is perfect for nostalgic fans of Melodic Black Metal that don’t like a plethora of keyboards and synths on their releases. For nine tracks and over 39 minutes of music, the band does a solid job in bringing back the early 2000’s in terms of aurally pleasing Black Metal.

    Opening with the killer “In Hypnosis” we get some of those quintessential riffs of the early 2000’s left and right. The band’s sound is quite direct and powerful, but it does feel a bit dated, maybe around the band’s last release in 2006  “The Perfect Evil in Mortal”, and now they just sound a bit date. Regardless of this, the album’s songs are killer indeed, and deliver waves of crushing riffs surrounded by tight drumming. This is perfectly evident on the following three tracks: “Fear Technique”, “You Are What You Are”, and “Abnormal Pain”.

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    Kozeljnik - The Acheron of Multiform Negation (2013)

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    Continuing with the twisted Black Metal sound Kozeljnik brought upon us on their 2010 release “Deeper the Fall”, this Serbian outfit delivers six more tracks of punishing Black Metal with “Null: The Acheron of Multiform Negation”. With a dark and twisted edge to their sound, this band shows more improvements over their previous release and they create a very thick and heavy atmosphere for over 35 minutes of music on this album.

    Opening with the melodic “As if Through a Myriad of Shades”, we get some excellent riffing and very fitting clean vocals that create quite a dense atmosphere. With obvious Black Metal roots, the band’s sound can be compared to other acts like Secrets of The Moon that bend the foundations of BM to their will and create nifty songs in the process. A perfect example of this is the crushing “Evoking the Furtive Depths (Reprisal)” featuring crafty guitar work and hellish vocals.

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    Hod – The Uncreated (2013)

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    Packing in a lot of fire power in three songs, today we have Hod and their 2013 demo “The Uncreated”. Delivering relentless riffs, tight drumming, and hellish vocals, this band has what it takes to take you by surprise and command you to headbang from the beginning to the end of this nifty release.

    Opening with the sheer power of “Beneath The Mountains of The Scorpions”, this nearly six minute long opus delivers high-octane energy and plenty of killer riffs, showcasing the band’s brutality and musical abilities. The vocals are quite entertaining and keep things fresh, but what hooks you is the massive drumming surrounding the catchy riffing. The band does a great job in keeping the song fresh and diverse by switching up tempos very graciously.

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    Lustre – Lost In Lustrous Night Skies (2013)

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    One-man Atmospheric Black Metal force Lustre delivers their latest compilation of unreleased (or hard to find) tracks under the title of “Lost In Lustrous Night Skies”. Featuring five tracks inspired by Burzum’s atmospheric pieces, this release is quite a treat for hard-core Lustre fans and fans of Atmospheric and creepy Black Metal.

    “Spirit” delivers the opening 12 minutes of very minimalistic and highly atmospheric bone chilling music. Very simple keyboards and atmospheric elements create a very dense and eerie atmosphere that is enhanced by distorted guitars and devastating screams of agony. A similar approach is taken on the disturbing instrumental “Echoes of Transcendence”. With “Into The Ancient Darkness” we have more of a Bruzum feeling that is combined with elements of bands like Austere and such. The screams are quite fitting for the purely atmospheric content of such a track.

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    Norse – All Is Mist and Fog (2013)

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    What happens when a release arrives a couple of years late to the party? It just sounds very dated and weak in comparison to others. This is the main problem that we have with Norse and their sophomore release “All is Mist and Fog”. With a tight Blackened Death Metal sound from several years back and a very weak production, this release would have been greatly benefitted from a remastering or something.

    Moving on full steam ahead with the pummeling “Neglect”, the band has a dated sound that while powerful is not quite what most releases these days have. The drumming is quite intense, but it sounds, to be honest, like total shit. It might have been the promo or they tried to give it a weird effect, but it sounds like it was recorded inside a toilet and some muffling effect was added. We don’t like to be this harsh on releases, but when everything else sounds quite ok, we wonder how this could have happened.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Way to End – Various Shades of Black (2013)

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    After Way to End’s impressive 2009 debut, “Desecrated Internal Journey”, we had huge expectations for this French outfit and with “Various Shades of Black” they have managed to surpass them and set a whole new standard for themselves. Clocking in at 50 minutes, this release is an excellent example of how a band with excellent technical skills can produce something that is both crushing and complex in nature.

    Nicely warming up with the mellow “Sous Les Rangs”, people that don’t know the band will surely be puzzled and not really prepared for what is to come in this excellent release. “L'apprenti” brings back the intricate guitars from the band’s debut but with a more twisted and refined sound. The incorporation of Vaerohn of Pensées Nocturnes on bass allows them to sound richer with equally complex guitar and bass guitar sections.

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