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    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Astarium – Ostracism of Anachoret (2011)

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    The highly atmospheric Astarium strikes again with their 2011 EP titled “Ostracism of Anachoret”. In this bone chilling release this one-man band continues with their highly creepy and theatrical music and delivers 4 very solid tracks filled with eerie atmospheres and sorrowful shrieks. Having been released and re-released multiple times since 2011, we are writing this review based on the Hexenreich Records highly limited edition that we got in the mail.

    Opening with the lush “Birth of the Flame”, the band sets a very creepy Dracula-esque mood with excellent orchestrations and a tense development. The guitars finally appear on “Recantation by Death”, a track that keeps the same atmosphere but delivers some very solid riffs and shrieks. The drums are clearly programmed, but they don’t sound as fake as many one-man releases, and they nicely set the pace for the track.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Gmork / Astarium / In Tenebriz - Mysterious Winds of Ancient Past (2012)

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    Arriving from Russia, today we have a very solid split release between Gmork, Astarium and In Tenebriz. All of the bands here are Russian, and they play different variations of Atmospheric Black Metal. With almost four songs each on this release, we get a very good glimpse about each band’s style and their unique features. If you are a person looking for new bands to like, this is the perfect release to get an impression of three talented groups.

    Gmork opens up the release with four Russian titled tracks so we avoid the embarrassment of writing their names here, and will just refer to the by number. The first song opens with some cool spoken (in Russian) section and it slowly moves into atmospheric territory with some cool synths and very simple and effective guitars. Howling winds open the second track as it starts revealing its very regal and medieval-esque atmospheric elements. The harsh vocals make their appearance and provide a decent combination of growls and more BM-esque screams. Our favorite track from this band is their last song on the split, allowing them to show a very unified and diverse style. Combining melancholic guitars with tight drums and very enjoyable atmospheric elements, the band left a very good impression on us.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Nemesis Irae – Eradikate Kampaign (2013)

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    Hailing from Belgium, today we have Nemesis Irae and their latest crushing release “Eradikate Kampaign”. Featuring eight tracks of devastating Black/Death Metal, this release is very raw and powerful, perfect for fans of old-school music from the genre. Delivering pummeling riffs and massive drumming, this Belgian band pummels through this release in a very stylish and aggressive way.

    Opening with the hectic “Karnage”, the band instantly makes an impact with their powerful guitars and demonic vocals. The combination of screams and semi-growls is quite effective and gives an extra boost to the band’s already powerful sound. The releases provides a healthy mixture of powerful and to the point short songs with other tracks going over four and a half minutes being a bit more complex and elaborate.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Ash Borer – Cold of Ages (2012)

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    As one of the most brutal USBM bands of these days, Ash Borer has carved a name for them with crushing and relentless Black Metal brutality with some Noise/Drone and weird FX’s to add to their music. Originally released in 2012 by Profound Lore Records, today we have the Double LP version of “Cold of Ages”, one of the most devastating records of 2012. Released by Pesanta Urfolk in extremely limited quantities, this is one release you must hear on vinyl.

    Opening with the sheer brutality of “Descended Lamentations”, the band delivers a 16-minute song of epic proportions. The drumming is hellish, the riffing is ultra-powerful and the screams are phenomenal. The band achieves an extreme level of brutality that almost no USBM band has ever come close to. Our favorite track in this release is “Phantoms”, thanks to the sick opening riffs and the weird outro that the track features.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Australasia – Sin4tr4 (2013)

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    Being huge fans of Post-Rock and Post-Metal, we were pretty psyched about this release after doing our research on the band. Needless to say, this release is one of those albums that feels extremely repetitive and after a while gets on your nerves. We do not doubt the band’s abilities or flow of ideas, but the songs in this release get very repetitive and dull after 15 minutes.

    The album open with “Antenna”, a very dreamy Post-Rock piece that is quite good and engaging, the only issue is that all the remaining songs sound the same. The Black Metal-esque riffing is quite effective and promising, but was used more as a gimmick than actually part of the band’s sound. With “Spine” and “Apnea” we start getting quite sleepy since there are not many different things except for some cool keyboards and atmospheric elements, but not enough to really help discern the songs.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Frigoris – Wind (2013)

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    Arriving this June on Hypnotic Dirge Records and Misanthropic Art Productions we have Frigoris and their sophomore release “Wind”. Perfectly mixing acoustic guitars with melancholic Black Metal, the band creates a very powerful and emotional atmosphere around their songs. Hailing from Germany, this band is an ideal match for fans of bands like Agalloch, Fen, and Woods of Ypres, and older Empyrium.

    Opening with the mysterious intro “Windgeflüster” that features some nice acoustic guitars and whispers, the band fully explodes with “Zwischenwelten”. This straightforward Pagan/Black Metal track is quite melancholic and perfectly crafted to create a special atmosphere. The BM harsh vocals are quite good, but what elevates this release is the creepy whisper/acoustic guitar combination that bands like Empyrium have used in the past.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Lychgate – Lychgate (2013)

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    Delivering a very impressive debut self-titled album, Lychgate combines highly atmospheric music with brutal Black Metal in a very crushing and terrifying way. Featuring tracks form the band’s ‘dormant’ years, this release carves out perfectly songs that are both chilling and very harsh. With over 37 minutes of music, this release is by far one of the best we have reviewed this year when it comes to Atmospheric Black Metal.

    Hailing from the UK, the band warms up with “The Inception”, an dense and creepy mood setting intro. When the first track, “Resentment” arrives, the dramatic keyboards/organs create a very bleak and commanding atmosphere, but it is ultimately the riffing that completes the band’s awesome wall of sound. Having elements of bands like Way to End and Nidingr, the band’s sound is hellish and very well constructed.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Lost in Kiev – Motions (2012)

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    Arriving from Moodisorder, today we have Lost in Kiev and their debut full-length release “Motions”. Featuring seven lush Post-Rock tracks, this French band specializes in creating very emotional cinematic music that any fan of the genre would greatly appreciate. Heavily focusing on highly atmospheric content, this five-piece crafts very unique and powerful music that will transport you to landscapes painted by your imagination thanks to the very ethereal musical style.

    The mood setting intro “>” nicely builds up to the hypnotic “A Mere Shift Of Origin”. This tracks atmosphere is greatly aided by the spoken vocals, creating a nice complementing feature that slowly explode into powerful distorted guitars. The band’s very martial approach allows the track to perfectly progress and the lush keyboards create a solid contrast in the atmosphere.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Galaktik Cancer Squad – Ghost Light (2013)

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    With four full-length releases in less than 3 years, today we have one man project Galaktik Cancer Squad and ‘their’ latest opus: “Ghost Light”. Pushing the boundaries of Black Metal with their visionary music, “Ghost Light” keeps things rolling for the band with five devastating tracks of crushing Black Metal with amazing Progressive elements and melodic influences. With over 50 minutes of music, this release has some very harsh and brutal Black Metal sections that puts the band ahead of their competition, rather than just focusing on copying bands like Enslaved, GSC has their own unique style of destruction.

    The release starts very violently with the massive “Ethanol Nebula”, filled with hyper-fast drums and crushing guitar work. There are even some excellent Immortal-like guitars (around the 2 minute mark) that greatly add to the overall musical experience of this monumental track. The vocals are quite decent, but the complex music is what really gets you from this band. Things get considerably more melodic with the powerful “When the Void Whispers My Name”. Here the band reminded us of Agrypnie and their equally engaging and skillful Black Metal.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Nethermost – Alpha (2013)

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    Originally released as an independent EP, today we have Nethermost debut EP “Alpha”. Hailing from the USA, one would have never imagined this by just listening to the band’s excellent Melodic Death/Doom Metal. With clear influences of early Katatonia, October Tide and similar bands, the band delivers nearly 20 minutes of very well crafted tunes that are quite melancholic and melodic in nature.

    When researching the band we have noticed that for this release they used fake (aka programmed) drums and bass guitar, something that made us a bit skeptical about the quality of their music, but they managed to pull it off quite nicely. Opening with “Phasing Currents” we immediately hear the familiar Katatonia-esque guitar sound accompanied by raspier growls. The music is a bit raw, but works well and adds more character and melancholy to the band’s sound.

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