Black Metal

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    Khadaver – New World Disorder (2012)

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    Our favorite two-man unit from Slovakia has returned with their first full-length release titled “New World Disorder”. With a richer and far more complicated sound since their demo EP “Beta Version”, the band delivers eleven tracks filled with crazy vocals, programmed ‘drums’ and a few interesting riffs here and there. This album does show the considerable amount of maturity that the band has achieved over the years, but it also lacks the cohesiveness of their demo EP.

    After the instrumental “Europa In Flames” intro, the band immediately sets the mood with some heavy and catchy riffs surrounded by fake drums and a very monotonous approach to things. The fake drums our one of our main pet peeves with short-staffed bands, and Khadaver falls in this category with very dull and linear patterns presented through the release. The track itself presents some cool guitar sections and even nicer electronic parts, but it is very repetitive.

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    Memoria – Death Calls The Islands (2011)

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    If Moonsorrow, Primordial, and Ulver had a genetically engineered (and somewhat defective) son, it would most likely sound like Memoria from Australia. In their latest release “Death Calls The Islands”, the band delivers a few well-crafted tracks that will surely grab your attention, and a few others that will make you scratch your head. The band’s interesting combination of influences also does them in, since the songs get a bit repetitive and dull after a while, something that in our opinion also happens to Moonsorrow.

    In the opener “The Dogs Smell Blood”, the band immediately lifts a wall of distorted guitars that reminds us of a mixture of Moonsorrow and Primordial, but it does get a bit dull after the sixth track. The production also allows this element to overshadow the vocals in particular, frustrating us after a while. The clean vocal are and excellent hybrid between Garm and Vortex, but they are not exploited correctly. The Emperor-esque “Claw At The Pine” keeps things interesting, but it also sounds a little too much like Emperor from their Anthems-era.

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    Svartfell – Apocryphe Apocalypse (2012)

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    Delivering nine Black Metal aural assaults, today we have Svartfell and ‘their’ third full-length release titled “Apocryphe Apocalypse”. This one-man band from France does a great job in crafting brutal BM tunes in a very raw and powerful way. In the days when many BM releases focus on being ‘pretty’ and ‘nice’ sounding, it is refreshing to hear something as filthy and destructive as “Apocryphe Apocalypse”.

    After the pummeling opening track “Terribilis Est Locus Iste”, the band delivers very crushing riffs on “The Crimson Cross”. All drums are real in this release and this greatly enhances the experience over most one-man band that use drum machines and sound like total ass. The production however is a bit weak and makes the guitars wobble a bit and also distorts the sound of the cymbals. The vocals sound either distorted or have some kind of FX behind them, and while it sounds weird, it actually makes them more brutal and fitting for the music.

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    Epitimia – Faces of Insanity (2012)

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    Arriving all the way from Saint Petersburg, Russia via Hypnotic Dirge Records, today we have Epitimia and their latest full-length release titled “Faces of Insanity”. With a very melodic Ambient Black Metal sound, this excellent band pummels through nine highly melancholic tracks not apt for the faint of heart. With such a rich and atmospheric sound, this Russian 3-person outfit is by far one of best bands in the genre.

    After setting the mood with the excellent atmospheric track “Reminiscentia”, Epitimia delivers the hypnotic “Epikrisis I: Altered state of consciousness”. In this track, the band keeps building momentum with excellent shoegaze-ish guitars and the harsh vocals finally appear. With such a depressive mood and the subtle beauty of dreamy guitars complementing the distorted ones, this band is very near melancholic musical perfection.

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    Demonic Slaughter – Dark Essence (2012)

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    With a deeply disturbing thick Black Metal sound, today we have Poland’s Demonic Slaughter and their latest EP titled “Dark Essence”. Being almost a full-length release by today’s Black Metal standards, this killer release showcases a very thick and extremely intoxicating devilish atmosphere. Thanks to the heavy guitars and firm vocals, this release surely will unnerve even the most seasoned BM listener.

    After the extremely cliché acoustic atmospheric opener, the band goes into full steam with “Inner-self Transfiguration”. In this track the riffing is very typical and the drumming provides the perfect complement. The strong snarls that the band’s vocalist Xaos Oblivion delivers are just right for such a dark and foul sound. While not your average BM release, the band has great knack for creating thick atmospheres with a the basic guitar-drum combo, and being produced and mixed by Xaos Oblivion we suspect this is exactly what the band was going for.

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    Necrovation – Necrovation (2012)

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    Delivering one of the darkest and most evil sounding releases of 2012, today we have Necrovation and their self-titled sophomore release. With nine tracks and around 45 minutes of crushing brutality, each of the tracks in this release features a very dark and cavernous atmosphere that is rarely matched by anything we have heard this year and reminds us of the crazy atmospheres created by bands like Shinning (Sweden) and Bethlehem.

    Delivering the first blast full of hate with “Necrovorous Insurrection”, this release opens with a bang. Featuring an old-school raw Death Metal vibe, the Swedish influences are extremely clear in this epic track. The quality riffing makes this song even more enjoyable, and the crystal clear production makes brings the full experience to your speakers. The intoxicating rhythms of “Dark Lead Dead” make this very weird song extremely intoxicating indeed.

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    Devilish Impressions – Simulacra (2012)

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    Making quite an impact since the first song, today we have Poland’s Devilish Impressions latest release titled “Simulacra”. Being properly released through Lifeforce records this July, this is one of those albums that combines so many different elements in a very cohesive and successful way, making it super diverse and extremely exciting.

    “Icaros” opens with release with a mixture of Vintersorg meets Dimmu Borgir atmosphere, thanks to the hefty use of synths and the awesome clean vocals. Setting the bar this high, the band also delivers pretty solid melodic Black/Death-ish music that is very direct and well crafted. The atmospheric side of things keeps making this album very appealing in “Legion of Chaos”, but it is the massive drumming and heavy riffing that ultimately makes this song super catchy and effective.

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    Halladrol – The Last Mile on the Earth (2012)

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    Hailing from Finland, today we have the relatively unknown Halladrol and ‘their’ brand of Blackened Death/Doom Metal. Being a one man project, Halladrol actually combines plenty of influences to make quite a stir, but leave us a bit disappointed with the end results.

    Opening with typical 90’s Death Metal guitar riffs, “The Last Mile on the Earth” delivers quite a powerful introduction to this release, but also feels a bit dated in its execution. There are some pretty interesting Avant-garde elements here and there, but the rather simplistic core of the music takes away from any possible magic behind this track. The drumming is pretty intense and the vocals are ok, but there is that feeling of something missing always present in the track.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Kult ov Azazel / Teratism – Split (2012)

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    Arriving from the underground label Negativity Records, today we have the limited to 666 copies, 7” split between Kult ov Azazel and Teratism. Featuring two excellent USBM bands, this release features both bands covering Venom’s classic “In League with Satan”. Being a huge classic, both bands really need to deliver the goods in order to not butcher this excellent track.

    First up we have Kult ov Azazel giving it their best shot at “In League with Satan”. We haven’t heard from the band in quite a while since their crushing “Destroying the Sacred” back in 2009. With high expectations, their rendition of the Venom’s song is quite engaging keeping the rawness and catchiness of the original, but adding their own signature sound. With a nice Black’n’roll edge to it, this is actually one of the best covers we’ve heard from this track. The drumming is quite solid and well recorded, and the guitars are very playful and nicely rendered.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Netra – Sørbyen (2012)

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    Delivering one of the weirdest, yet most exciting releases of 2012, today we have Netra and its (one man band) second full-length release “Sørbyen”. Mixing elements of Black Metal with some Trip-hop influences, we are immediately reminded of a mixture of older and newer Ulver, without totally breaking character and changing identity. Each track in this release sways you one way, but it suddenly changes direction into another one, very weird, but equally intriguing to listen to.

    Opening with “A Dance With the Asphalt”, Netra quickly delivers a very ‘normal’ section that is quickly over powered by furious Black Metal riffing and hellish harsh vocals. This is nicely offset by some spoken samples in French, reminding us of bands like Peste Noire. The whole hypnotic nature of this track is excellent since it manages to never really go all the way in either direction, and nicely shifts from the BM onslaught into different territories.

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