Black Metal

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Falloch – Where Distant Spirits Remain (2011)

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    As one of the most beautifully crafted releases of 2011, today we have Falloch’s debut album “Where Distant Spirits Remain”. Featuring 7 tracks of emotional atmospheric post rock/Metal with shoegaze and Black Metal, this release is set to take the scene by surprise due to its intricate design and flawless execution. If you are a fan of bands like Les Discrets, Alcest, Wolve in the Throne Room, Lantlos, etc, you will be blown away by the quality of this album.

    Formed by Andy Marshall and Scott McLean in Glasgow, Scotland, this very young and promising band has managed to capture both emotional landscapes and beautiful imagery through highly atmospheric and nostalgic music. With an emotional layer of vocal styles paired with dreamy guitars and ethereal atmospheric elements, “Where Distant Spirits Remain” is one of those albums that you will not be able to put away after one listen.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    So Hideous, My Love… - To Clasp a Fallen Wish with Broken Fingers (2011)

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    As one of the most interesting albums we have received this summer, So Hideous, My Love’s debut EP “To Clasp a Fallen Wish with Broken Fingers” delivers one of the best Post-Black Metal releases we have ever heard from the USA. With four crushing sounds, this EP will surely get the band some attention and build momentum for their hopefully soon return with a full-length release.

    The second element that makes this band so interesting is the combination of classical music elements with Post-Black Metal. While this has been done in virtually all other genres of Metal, it sounds very well crafted and perfectly fitting for Post-Black Metal of this caliber. The instrumentation comes as the stronger element of the band’s sound and quickly allows the listener to shift their attention away from the sub par vocals.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Mortualia – Mortualia (2011)

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    Shatraugh is without a doubt one of Black Metal’s most productive and decadent minds to ever hail from Finland. With his countless bands (Horna, Sargeist, etc) and different projects, it’s very hard to believe that in each one we are treated to an even more raw and primitive side of his inner psyche.  With Mortualia, Shatraugh delivers some of the most raw and crushing Black Metal assaults ever laid down on record.

    Originally released back in 2007, Moribund is kind (or evil) enough to make this true gem available to all fans of desolate and disarming Black Metal. Clocking in at 77 minutes (70 minutes of the original release plus a 7 minute bonus track), this album offers the listener quite an obscure and decadent journey into the bowels of hell.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Cold Northern Vengeance - Trial by Ice 2002 – 2010 (2010)

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    Today we have the Cold Northern Vengeance… of the USA? With such a powerful name we expected them to be from Norway or somewhere really up North. Anyways, “Trial by Ice” showcases the transformation of this very promising USBM band and how their sound have evolved over the years from the traditional kvlt Black Metal to some more refined and stylish pieces. If you never heard of this band, you can be caught up with them by the time this 70 minute release is over.

    After the traditional filler intro track, “Acausal” shows a very strong Black Metal influence that incorporates different tempo changes. This makes the song a nice departure of the traditional BM crap we are used to reviewing. The band goes a bit more extreme with the denser “Black Metal Isolation III”. This track features a different sound than the previous one but still creates an eerie atmosphere. The vocals, guitars, and drums are very well crafted for this song.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Zerstörer - Panzerfaust Justice (2010)

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    Marking Zerstörer second full-length release today we have “Panzerfaust Justice”. In this album the band wastes no time and delivers an in-your-face Black/Thrash Metal assault of the most rudimentary and crushing fashion. The band features no fancy elements, just the traditional metal lineup and a shit ton of build up anger inside, perfect for Black/Thrash Metal.

    Over the span of nine songs, the band does deliver very aggressive tracks full of raw energy and sound, but it also falls short in creating something we haven’t heard before. The bands sound is very traditional and is limited to the very similar structures in each song. While there is nothing bad in this, after the first 4 songs you start to get drowsy and with a sudden urge to change the CD.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Horde of Hel – Likdagg (2011)

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    With all of the venom and hatred that the Swedish black metal outfit Horde of Hel lives and breathes they bring you their latest release, “Likdagg”. Delivering a relentless slab of black metal it seems like the band has taken a different direction from their last album “Blodskam”. Stripping themselves mostly of the electronic effects and distortions that they’ve used in the past, the album comes across as a raw form of pure brutality.

    Keeping with their anonymity, names won’t be revealed but the vocalist delivers a powerful performance with ongoing maliciousness and aggression.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Alghazanth – Vinum Intus (2011)

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    After their monumental “Wreath of Thevetat”, Finland’s best Symphonic/Melodic Black Metal band Alghazanth returns with a very interesting offering titled “Vinum Intus”. In three years between releases, the band has managed to fuse new elements into their sound and will surely take by surprise a lot of people, but they still manage to deliver a crushing release.

    The album starts off very rudimentary with the straight forward track titled “A Living Grace”. In this song you can immediately notice a simpler and less bombastic sound from the band, but equally cold and raw than before (and other Finish bands like Sargeist and Horna). The keyboard hints are a nice atmospheric element added to this song. The band gets a bit more comfortable and melodic with “With a Thorn in Our Hearts”, some guitar riffs even remind us of Celestia and their melancholy Black Metal style.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Forgotten Tomb – Under Saturn Retrograde (2011)

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    After gives us four very bleak and depressive first full-length releases, Forgotten Tomb returns with an equally melancholic release but with a different sonic effect under the name of “Under Saturn Retrograde”. In this album the band moves forward to lands charted by Agalloch, Fen, etc. and creates a very rich listening experience while maintaining some of the dark emotions from the past.

    The opener track “Reject Existence” is both brutal (great harsh vocals) and very melodic due to the majestic guitars and overall pace of the song. The band is not slowing down, and you can hear their earlier influences but they are now polishing their sound in a very interesting way. “Shutter” starts off very aggressive but near the middle of the track the experimentation begins and there are some excellent Doom Metal inspired sections.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Korpius – Shades of Black (2011)

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    Did somebody ordered a 40 minute session of brutal Death/Black Metal? if your answer is yes, then you should definitely check out Korpius and their crushing debut album “Shades of Black” out on Maple Metal records. With a crystal clear production and engaging songs, “Shades of Black” is by far the most brutal release we have received from Canadian lands this 2011.

    Crushing their way through nine tracks this Canadian foursome does a great job in keeping things brutal and straight forward. All riffs in this album a very meaty and have tons of ‘traditional’ DM hooks that will keep fans satisfied for endless hours. The drumming is also massive and the vocals are as inhuman as you can get. Both the growls and the shrieks that go into Grindcore territory at times are very well balanced to give enough power to this release.

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