Black Metal

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    Secrets of the Moon – Seven Bells (2012)

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    After releasing three EP’s since their last full-length release back in 2009, today we finally have Secrets of the Moon releasing another full-length release under the title of “Seven Bells”. In this release, the band delivers seven (duh) tracks of brilliantly crafted Black Metal that is very characteristic of the band and will never bore you.

    With its typical dark atmosphere, Secrets of the Moon nicely builds up momentum in the crushing opening track “Seven Bells”. The creepy bell sounds are excellent and the riffing is very powerful and direct, all this while the vocals are as hellish as always and the overall melodic nature of the music is outstanding. With a more direct approach, “Goathead” blasts away since the opening notes and steps up the pace to full-blown Armageddon. Again, the atmospheric parts are downright chilling and the slow building during the last few minutes of the track is just outstanding.

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    Shroud of Despondency – Pine (2012)

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    It was just a few months ago that we reviewed the excellent “Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion”, and now we have Shroud of Despondency back with another epic release titled “Pine”. Covering 11 tracks and over 58 minutes of music, we are amazed by how fast this band can crank out self-released albums that are actually pretty good and worth to listen to.

    With a very experimental edge to their sound, Shroud of Despondency mixes Black Metal with progressive and acoustic elements and creates a very aggressive sound that has excellent melodic and atmospheric passages. The first sample of these atmospheric elements is immediately found in the opener “Wander Lust (Winged Seed in the Breeze)”. Things get a bit more hectic and crazy with the deranged vocals of “Overshadow”, something we quite haven’t heard before.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Demoncy – Enthroned is the Night (2012)

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    As a new entry in our “raw as fuck” category, today we have Demoncy and their latest release “Enthroned is the Night”. As the band’s first full-length release in almost 9 years, we get 40 minutes of soul crushing Black Metal that is very raw and demonic in nature. This one man Black Metal machine does a great job in delivers a think atmosphere that will unsettle even the most devote fans of the genre.

    Opening with an intro that reminded us of the movie “Event Horizon”, the band fully explodes with “Winds of Plague”. In this hectic ritual, Demoncy immediately established its riffing power and thanks to the hellish vocals, this song (and release) sounds as inhuman as you can get. The album’s production actually gives the band that raw and lo-fi sound that many BM bands look for, but it does not keep the listener from enjoying this album. Pummeling through tracks like “Unclean Spirits”, “Into the Twilight Mists”, and “Opening the Lunar Bloodgate”, Demoncy does a great job in writing simple songs that pack enough aggression and rawness to please any fan of the genre.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Do Skonu – Womb of Primeval Darkness (2011)

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    We are always skeptical about underground Black Metal releases since they are usually really bad, but to our surprise (and enjoyment) Forever Plagued Records re-release of Do Skonu’s debut full-length “Womb of Primeval Darkness” is a winner. This release showcases bands that has great songwriting skills, but are heavily damaged by the crappy production behind the original recording of this album.

    As we mentioned, the whole sound is a bit muffled in the sense that you can hear the excellent riffing, but the drumming and bass guitar get drowned away by being fused into a big lump. The vocals are also pretty crisp, but the overall experience is similar to the ones we used to have when the cassette player was crapping out and destroying our tapes back in the day. Aside from the sound issues (of the original recording we assume), this release is one hell of an album that any Black Metal fan should take note.

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    Svartsyn – The True Legend (2012)

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    Originally released back in 1998, today we have the re-release (and partial re-recording) of Svartsyn’s cult debut full-length “The True Legend”. Constantly criticized back in 98 because of the ‘bad’ production, this release now sounds like any other well-crafted crushing Black Metal release. Standing the test of time (only 13 or so years), “The True Legend” is a very powerful release that could pass for something a band would crank out these days.

    Deliver the first blow, “Tearing Your Soul” has that typical BM guitar distortion that older BM releases used, but the melodic aspect of the music makes it very appealing. The drums are very clean and brutal, giving this song a very powerful sound. The tremolo-picking is not overly exploited, making the song both brutal and crushing without being extremely cliché. “The True Legend” follows a similar approach, but a bit more hectic and fast. This allows the album to start building momentum since the first few tracks and we love it.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Enthroned – Obsidium (2012)

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    With a feeling of 100 bricks to the face, today we have Enthroned’s latest release “Obsidium”. For the purists that feel that soul-crushing Black Metal can only come from Scandinavian countries, they are so wrong and Enthroned clearly demonstrates it on their latest release. Clocking around 40 minutes, and spawning through 9 tracks this release in one hell of a BM album that you don’t want to miss.

    The first waves of powerful guitar riffing and aggressive vocals make their wave in the opener “Sepulchered within Opaque Slumber”. In this track, the band opens strong with a relentless Black Metal that does not need ridiculous amounts of tremolo-picking or overly dramatic shrieks. The music is well crafted and direct; the overall feeling is very powerful due to the hellish vocals and masterful slowdowns.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Sigh – In Somniphobia (2012)

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    As one of the most cracked-out albums of 2012, today we have Sigh’s Black/Avant-garde masterpiece “In Somniphonia”. Hailing from Japan, Sigh never ceases to amaze people with their extreme combination of Black Metal with almost everything else under the sun. The band’s sound is as complex as it is entertaining, mixing it up with all kinds of samples and a saxophone.

    Packing 11 tracks for around 64 minutes of pure madness, “In Somniphonia” is one of those albums that you will either love it and embrace it, or hate it and discard it immediately. Since the opening track “Purgatorium”, the band delivers very rich drums paired with melodic guitars and all kinds of ‘strange’ sounds surrounding Mirai Kawashima’s harsh vocals. The classical elements in this track make it very contrasting and interesting to hear.

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    Abazagorath – Abazagorath (EP) (2012)

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    Making their triumphant return after a five year hiatus, Abazagorath returns with a self-titled EP that will instantly return them to the spotlight of the US Black Metal scene. As one of the pioneers of USBM Abazagorath released plenty of EP’s and two full-length albums that made them one of the most influential BM bands in the states, and with this EP they return in full force to reclaim their place.

    Spanning over 20 minutes, “Abazagorath” is one hell of an EP that not only delivers gut-wrenching Black Metal attacks, but it also features a thick atmosphere around it. Since the opener “Conjuring” the band delivers some creepy clean guitars and keyboards, only to fully explode with some catchy riffs and a very dense atmosphere. Similar to bands like Gorgoroth and Horna, Abazagorath does a great job in using only basic elements to create eerie music.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Deschain - Sea of Trees Forest of Gallows (2011)

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    Usually when we get promos with two songs clocking over 30 minutes they are pretty bad. However, Deschain totally proved us wrong with their self-released Melodic Black Metal assault titled “Sea of Trees Forest of Gallows”. With minimal ‘cascadian hipster Black Metal’ influences in their sound, we are completely puzzled as how they have managed to fly under the radar with such a rich and diverse European BM sound.

    Hailing from Indiana, this very young band (formed in 2008), has already two self-produced releases under their belts and with this one they are looking to storming the scene by surprise. It is rare that a band can pull off 15+ minute songs that never get dull or repetitive, but Deschain seems to not have any problems doing this. In a time when most ‘average’ Black Metal bands shy away from songs over 6 minutes, it is very cool to hear that some folks can belt out these mammoth pieces and totally rock while doing so.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Foret D'Orient – Essedvm (2011)

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    With a very interesting combination of atmospheric and folk elements with brutal Black Metal, Foret D’Orient delivers us their first EP called “Essedvm”. In this release the band instantly reminded us of the early Dismal Euphony releases, a feat that no band has done to date. Featuring six brilliantly crafted tracks, this Italian band delivers just the right amount of melody and atmosphere to offset the Black Metal side of things and create very emotional and powerful songs.

    With a lush and epic opening track with “Campo Di Marte”, the band really generates expectation in the listener. The acoustic sections are very well introduced and nicely help in the build-up process. “Sagitta” wastes no time and delivers powerful riffing accompanied with hellish vocals, this song nicely evolves into a more melodic territories as the song progresses. The use of the harp in this song is very eerie and works wonderfully when paired with some whispers, just to fully explode into powerful riffs and harsh vocals. This hypnotic atmosphere is what we usually yearn for, and this band excels at it, too bad the song ends somewhat abruptly.

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