Black Metal

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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.

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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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    Regarde Les Hommes Tomber - Regarde Les Hommes Tomber (2013)

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    Rounding up our promo package from LADLO productions, today we have another exciting new outfit from France under the moniker Regarde Les Hommes Tomber. With their self-titled debut release, this band manages to blend elements of Neurosis and Amenra and create a very tight and devastating Sludgy Post-Black Metal. If you like heavy and powerful guitars that create a huge wall of sound, Regarde Les Hommes Tomber is the band for you.

    With the hypnotic droning of the bands opening track, “Prelude”, we immediately feel their wrath with punishing riffs and skillful drumming. The Post-Rock/Metal elements thrown into the mix really shake things up and keep their sound very fresh. In full Neurosis/Amenra worship mode, “Wanderer of Eternity” delivers a full blast of power in the shape of harsh vocals and solid guitar work, never letting go of their heaviness and brutality.

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    Pensées Nocturnes - Nom d'une Pipe! (2013)

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    The moment you think you have heard it all, you get an album like “Nom d'une Pipe!”. Breaking the boundaries of Avant-garde Black Metal by infusing some neo-classical and jazz influences, Pensées Nocturnes manages to deliver one of the most diabolically excellent releases we have heard in the last few years. Taking were Arcturus and their “La Masquerade Infernale” left off, this release has a exquisite circus feeling mixed into the whole Avant-garde BM theme.

    Opening with the dark “Il a mangé le soleil” the band initially sets a very chaotic and aggressive mood that is very typical of Avant-garde BM release. The band’s musical elegance really kicks in when the enthralling “Le Marionnettiste” brings its jazzy and extremely psychotic sound. Reminding us a bit of bands like Angizia and Elend, but with a darker and heavier vibe, the wind and string classical instruments are just excellent and allow the atmosphere to drastically transform.

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    Horna - Askel Lähempänä Saatanaa (2013)

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    Finish Black Metal giants Horna return with another killer Black Metal release that is set to rape and pillage plenty of speakers and eardrums for months to come. As one of the biggest names in Black Metal, it is not suprising that Horna delivers 48 minutes of soul crushing BM lead by Shatraug and fronted by their newest vocalist Spellgoth of Turmion Kätilöt fame.

    Setting a very diabolical mood with “Alku”, things really pick up with the crushing “Askel Lähempänä Saatanaa”. Having written the book on Black Metal riffing, Shatraug delivers some very hyptonic and crunchy riffs that are perfect of Spellgoth’s demonic snarls. The band’s ability to quickly change tempos between catchy powerful riffing and full-on blast-beats and curshing spend is just amazing and it is nicely showcased on tracks like “Kunnia Herralle, Kuninkaalle” and “Kuolema Kuoleman Jälkeen”.

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    Cult of Erinyes / Zifir – Split (2012)

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    Arriving from Belgium’s Tanquam Aegri Somnia label, today we have a split release of two crushing Black Metal bands: Cult of Erinyes (Belgium) and Zifir (Turkey). Featuring 30 minutes of music this release does a great job in showcasing both bands monstrous sound and punishing take on the genre. We love split releases that demonstrate the talents of bands just enough to make you interested in them and start looking for their albums, and this is one of those well balance split releases.

    The three-piece Cult of Erinyes opens the release with the dissonant “Teutoburger Wald”, a 6 minute devastating track that features a very powerful guitar-driven atmosphere. Within the band’s cavernous sound, the blasting drums and pounding bass guitar nicely keep things interesting while the very typical vocals round-up the equation. After pummeling through the second track “The Eschatologist”, the band delivers their best song of the split release: “Hermintry”. Their last track makes a lasting impression thanks to its crushing guitar work and hellish vocals.

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    Todtgelichter – Apnoe (2013)

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    After breaking the mold with their outstanding 2010 release “Angst”, today we have Todtgelichter back with an even more impressive release titled “Apnoe”. Continuing to push their Avant-garde Black Metal boundaries into more Post Rock/Black Metal territories, this German band manages to deliver 10 captivating songs that if you are a fan of their previous release, you will be in musical paradise for hours on end.

    Featuring a new bass guitarist and vocalist, the band opens very energetically with “Embers”. The band’s excellent songwriting skills are immediately present in how this track weaves back and forth from aggressive harsh vocals sections to more dreamy parts with female vocals. The band’s female singer, Marta, has that very natural voice that we love from singers like Agnete Madder Mortem and Marjan of Autumn. The very organic dreaminess of this song makes it quite magical indeed.

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    Inexistenz - Erfundene Welten (2013)

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    With all the fuzz being about Post-Black Metal releases these days, today we have a soul crushing Depressive Black Metal album in “Erfundene Welten”. Being the sophomore release of this Slovenian one-man battle unit, we are quite surprised at the maturity behind this release. Presenting six tracks of painful Black Metal influenced by Doom and more atmospheric bands, this release should appeal to fans of acts like Dodsferd and Austere.

    Opening with the very raw and nihilistic “Verlohren in der Neer”, Inexistenz really sets the bar high for this album with a very Doomy pace and haunting vocals. The drums are quite slow-paced and perfectly craft an extremely melancholic mood. The riffing is quite standard and very fitting for the genre. Things pick up a bit more in the first half of “Erfundene Welten” and they are nicely halted by a lush atmospheric interlude.

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