Black Metal

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    Mhorgl – Heresiarch (2011)

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    Delivering waves of technical aggression with an old-school Thrash sound, today we have Australia’s Mhorgl and their devastating third full-length “Heresiarch”. With over 45 minutes of meticulously crafted Thrash/Black Metal, this band is set to make some noise in the scene with their relentless tracks filled with technical nuances that only a handful of bands can pull off. Just imagine Obscura playing Thrash infused songs and you will get a glimpse of what this band is unleashing.

    Starting with the hellish “Inheriting the Mantle of Power”, the band sets the standard very high with crazy guitar riffing, crushing solos and inhuman drumming. The vocals are also very demonic and they have that snarl that perfectly fits the whirlwind sound of the band. Pounding through tracks like “Ophidian Legacy” (featuring killer guitar wizardry and a punchy Southern vibe), “Black World Militia” and “Ravenous Wargod”, the band delivers high-octane music that will max out your heart rate.

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    Schattenlicht – Erinnerung (2011)

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    Hailing from Austria, today we have the furious debut of Schattenlicht. Featuring seven tracks of brutal Black Metal with a melodic edge, this debut CD is one of the strongest ones we have received this year and will surely impress even the most pick Black Metal fans. Pairing traditional Black Metal riffing with some more melodic and interestingly crafted sections, this band sounds aggressive and yet intelligent enough but never falling into the cliché’s of the current trend of ‘hipster Black Metal’ bands.

    After a nice momentum building and mysterious intro track “Am Abgrund”, the band blows things wide opening with the hyper-destructive “Ein Blick in die Tiefe”. Immediately reminding us of Horna and similar band, this two person outfit does a great job in crafting powerful and yet simple riffs that make their sound so vicious and crushing. The vocals are straight out of hell and the drums are very well crafted allowing the song to not get drowned by them.

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    Streams of Blood – The Descent of the Source of Disorder (2011)

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    Hitting you like a 50 pound bag of bricks, today we have Streams of Blood and their devastating full-length release “The Descent of the Source of Disorder”. Featuring eight tracks of supreme Black Metal blasphemy, this German band is ready to blow you away with their monumental riffing attacks. While not the most original stuff in the scene, each track is guaranteed to pierce through your eardrums.

    Wasting no time, “The Sense” quickly delivers guitar assaults and unparalleled brutality. The band nicely resembles Gorgoroth and Horna, but with their own hectic and devastating pace. The drumming is supper fast and the screams are just perfect for this music, not to mention the excellent rhythmical sections. “Deepest Abyss of My Soul”, “Fullmoon Era” and “Chaos Returns” keep up the furious pace with intricate guitar sections and brutal drumming. The crushing riffing is clearly top notch and never seems to get boring.

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    Blut Aus Nord – 777 – The Desanctification (2011)

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    As the second stop in their chilling and somewhat perplexing 777 trilogy, today we have Blut Aus Nord and “The Desanctification”. In this release, the band continues their journey with “Epitomes VII to XII”, featuring very interesting compositions that take their unique and very imaginative sound to new heights. If you are expecting a crushing Black Metal release, we strongly advice you skip this one (and the previous one), but if you have an open mind and you are ready to be transported, you should keep reading.

    The band has always been pushing the boundaries of Black Metal, and Metal itself, but with this 777 trilogy we find them even further down the spiral into an abyss of solid music but with sometimes doubtful directions. The riffing and the overall songwriting are very typical of the band, but some of the industrial/electronic elements felt a bit weird on the first few times we played this album. However, as with any Blut Aus Nord release, there is always something lurking in the songs that will surprise the listener and keep it engaged.

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    Visthia - In Aeternum Deleti (2011)

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    Mixing things up when combining traditional Black Metal with some industrial/drone elements, today we have Italy’s Visthia and their latest release “In Aeternum Deleti”. As one of the most complicated albums we have received in quite a while, this release posed a great challenge to sit through and finally make up our minds about a review of it. The band combines some elements of experimental bands like DHG, Aborym and others that are pushing the edges of Black Metal, but still fails to achieve anything more than shock value with their very disturbing and dissonant sound. Calling their new ‘style’ Black Powernoise, we can’t stop feeling that they might be a bit ahead of their time.

    Switching back and forth between spoken Latin sections, some beats and drone elements and a mid-tempo Black Metal, Visthia does achieve a very cavernous and disturbing atmosphere, but nothing more. The vocals are excellent and very creepy indeed, but the slow tempo of things and the samples kind of kill the mood of the BM guitars.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Nychts / Mortualia – “Nebelstern Des Nichts” (2010)

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    Featuring one monolithic track of 40 minutes of pure depressive (and ‘kozmik’) Black Metal, today we have Nychts and Mortualia’s split CD “Nebelstern Des Nichts”. Combining the two bands in a very unconventional way, Sun and Moon records has release this behemoth of emotional music that is not for the faint of heart.

    Providing 13 minutes of music, we have Finland’s own Mortualia, a side project band from the one and only Shatraug of Horna, etc., etc. fame. The remaining 27 minutes of music (and instrumental section) is provided by Switzerland’s Nychts, a band that is excellent at creating atmosphere, but should get a better singer or replace him with a cat getting hit by a car.

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    Graveworm – Fragments of Death (2011)

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    Continuing on the right path after their very impressive release “Diabolical Figures”, today we have Graveworm and their latest opus “Fragments of Death”. Most of the Gothic Metal pleasantries away, “Fragments of Death” delivers 11 punishing tracks of very well balanced Death/Black Metal with a high melodic content, but always aggressive enough to make your speakers explode.

    Opening with the high intensity “Insomnia”, the band shows fierce Death Metal influences with a nice Melodic edge in terms of riffing and some atmospheric keyboards. Stefan’s vocals are as good as always and his mixture between growls and shrieks is just excellent. The melodic/brutal assault continues with the ‘slower’ “Only Death in our Wake”, but quickly picks up with some excellent chorus section on “Absence of Faith”. In this track, the melody makes a huge different in making a repetitive song very catchy and powerful. Some sections in this track even feel a bit like their sound back on “As the Angels Reach the Beauty” but will less flair.

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    Midnight – Satanic Royalty (2011)

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    Presenting a very interesting mixture of Speed, Heavy and Black Metal with some occult/psychedelic Rock elements, today we have Midnight and their debut full-length release: “Satanic Royalty”. After achieving a great kvlt/underground status for years it is about time that Midnight comes to the spotlight with their super catchy music. Having only released EP’s and singles, the band has perfected their sound over the years, and with “Satanic Royalty” they will storm the scene by surprise with their hard-rocking tunes.

    For over 30 minutes and 10 tracks, Midnight brings back that good old sound of bands like Venom and Motorhead, but making it their own with some occult Rock elements. Since the opener “Satanic Rotalty”, the overall hard-rocking feeling is very evident. The ‘harsh’ vocals are more of a powerful scream that can easily be understood and the overall production of this song (and album) is a very effective mixture of old-school with modern cleanliness giving it a very crisp and authentic sound.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Ordo Obsidium – Orbis Tertius (2011)

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    During our reviewing sessions it is very interesting to find bands that make us wonder where they come from and why we haven’t heard from them before. Ordo Obsidium is one of those bands that after listening to their devastating debut album “Orbis Tertius made us wonder where they come from since they have a very interesting Scandinavian/European sound. However, to our surprise the band comes out from the Bay Area in the USA.

    Delivering five aural assaults of Doom-influenced Black Metal, this band means serious business since they can keep the kvlt side of things alive while bringing the tempo down a bit and not sounding dull or repetitive. The crushing opener “Nequaquam Vacuum” delivers the first 11 minute attack of powerful riffing and bestial drumming all surrounded by a melodic and nicely paced atmosphere. The vocals are as hellish as they can get, but they never get in the way of enjoying the underlying melody behind this track. The dreamy passages (i.e around the 6:45 mark) create excellent contrast with the high paced section.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Chasma – Declarations of the Grand Artificer (2011)

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    Featuring members of Nanda Devil, today we have the American band called Chasma and their experimental Black Metal sounds. With a very experimental European sound, it is nice to hear that some bands in the USA are not getting stuck with the typical USBM approach to things and are crafting some very interesting releases with foreign influences.

    With three monolithic tracks each clocking on average around 10 minutes, the band creates very emotionally charged music that flows from instrumental sections to harsh-scream filled passages that will rattle your ears and soul. Mixing some Doom Metal influences with Black Metal, the band creates a less pretentious ‘Depressive Black Metal’ sound that only a handful of European bands can achieve.

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