Album Reviews

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    God’s Bastard - Last Standing Village (2020)

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    Unleashing a short but sweet barrage of hateful and raw Black Metal, today we have God’s Bastard and their debut EP “Last Standing Village”. Originally self-released last year, on I, Voidhanger Records gives this EP a limited digipak release to introduce the band to a wider audience. Featuring a very raw and direct sound with some Punk/Hardcore elements, similar to bands like Bosse-de-Nage, 20 minutes will pass by in seconds in this very promising release.

    Opening with the ravaging “Chaos Apologist”, the listener is quickly immersed with a very chaotic and punishing sound. The band’s brutal onslaughts change from almost Nordic BM riffs at first, to a more diverse and crafty and all-out chaotic mode. Building on their dissonance, “God Raise The Sea” delivers a more carefully constructed onslaught of punishing riffs and some more experimental and jazzy melancholic passages, adding to the band’s unique musical approach, similar to what early Epel Duath used to do.

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    Hateful - Set Forever On Me (2020)

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    Unleashing nearly 40 minutes of crafty Technical Death Metal, today we have Italy’s Hateful and their third full-length release “Set Forever On Me”. While most bands in the genre currently focus on technical wankery, this band actually delivers cohesive songs that are both technically proficient and enjoyable to listen to. The band’s sound is a mixture of old-school Death/Necrophagist Tech Death Metal with a few modern touches, so you know you are in for a treat.

    The band quickly blasts into the playful craftiness of “On the Brink of the Ravine”, flanked by intricate drumming and engaging riffs, the band sets a very hectic pace. The band’s ability to still sound like a traditional Death Metal band is quite evident as tracks like “Phosphenes” and “Oxygen Catastrophe” have heavy roots and just need some technical sprinkles to come together, and deliver brilliant headbanging passages.

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    Poema Arcanvs - Stardust Solitude (2020)

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    As one of our most anticipated releases of 2020, today we have Chile’s Poema Arcanvs and their sixth full-length release titled “Stardust Solitude”. Being huge fans of their music since their “Iconoclast” album back in 2002, we love the band’s unique style that delivers a mixture of Moonspell and My Dying Bride branded Death/Doom. With nearly an hour of music, this release will certainly please their fans and fans of the genre due to the high quality of its eight tracks.

    Opening with the album title, we get the band’s traditional heavy riffs, crafty drumming and the hypnotic lead vocals of Claudio Carrasco Garcia. The vocal arrangements and uniqueness alone is the signature of the band, while their creative and yet traditional sound perfectly complements them on tracks like “Orphans”, “Haven” and the playful “The Lighthouse Keeper”. Thanks to its very atmospheric mood, this last track creates a very decadent and melancholic vibe.

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    Noumena - Anima (2020)

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    Crafting a very unique and yet recognizable sound, Finland’s Noumena delivers “Anima”, their latest full-length effort. Mixing a folkier edge to traditional Melodic Death Metal similar to bands like Wolfheart and early Amorphis, the band unleashes nearly one hour of expertly crafted music that will appeal genre nostalgics while introducing a few different elements into the mix.

    After the folky opening with “Kaiku”, the band’s sound oozes emotions and melody in the superbly crafted “Saatto”. Alongside the weeping lead guitars and growls, we have lively clean female vocals and very solemn slower passages. In full-on Amorphis worship, “Murtuneet” and “Seula” made us instantly think that we had our playlist on shuffle, however, the band continues to infuse their uniqueness to the music with a jazzy bass guitar line and some killer guitar leads.

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    Suicide Circle - Demo MMXX (2020)

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    Hailing from France, today we have a very disturbing duo playing Depressive Black Metal under the name Suicide Circle. Delivering around 26 minutes of music, this demo release is split in four punishing songs that draw more on the raw and dissonant side of the genre. If you are looking for oppressive atmospheres to drown your sorrows, this release certainly will help you.

    Opening with “From the Void of their Mind”, the band sets a very raw and stripped down atmosphere with their riffs and harsh screams. There is absolutely no flair or gimmicks in the band’s sound, as the tracks in this release are quite direct, basic, and to the point. We appreciate how the band’s sound needs very minimal external elements aside from the furious guitars and hellish drumming, as “Prophet of Doomsday” lays waste to the listeners.

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    Myridian- Light in the Abyss (2020)

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    Keeping the flame alive of Melodic Death/Doom Metal releases, today we have Australia’s Myridian and their killer third full-length release “Light in the Abyss”. Reminiscing of bands like October Tide, In Mourning, etc., this release delivers nearly 70 minutes of highly melancholic music filled with crafty guitars, lush atmospherics, and firm growls. We have no idea how this release made it to our inbox, but we are quite intoxicated by it.

    Creating a fully immersive aural experience, “Light is Lost” starts with waves of melodic riffs, harsh vocals and a very mellow tempo that creates a highly melancholic vibe. The playful guitar leads and crafty instrumental passages nicely lead the way to the faster pace of “Nidellavir”, a track that includes some proggy experimental elements paired with solemn clean vocals. Keeping the melancholic vibe going, “Babylon” delivers a classical Death/Doom approach with contrasting vocal styles and firm riffing.

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    Tomorrow’s Rain - Hollow (2020) Review

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    All the way from Israel, today we have a very unique and star-studded Death/Doom Metal release titled “Hollow”. With nearly 52 minutes of music, Tomorrow’s Rain's ambitious release pays off as they complement their very traditional sound with the talents of their guest musicians, creating one of the most powerful and refined releases of the genre. If you like melancholic Death/Doom Metal, it surely can’t get any better than this in 2020.

    The release kicks off with the mood setting and mysterious “Trees”, a song that slowly builds up to the typical commanding Doom riffs and excellent growls. Featuring Aaron Stainthrope of My Dying Bride, “Fear” sets a darker tone with lush atmospherics, dramatic clean vocal arrangements, and crafty drumming. The only track that does not feature guests is “A Year I Would Like To Forget”, which allows you to actually get a feel for the band’s excellent melancholic sound and solid instrumentation.

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    Cult of Lilith - Mara (2020)

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    Crafting one of the richest and most unique musical experiences of 2020, today we have Iceland’s Cult of Lilith with their debut full-length release “Mara”. Surrounding their Death Metal with tons of unique atmospherics, different instruments, and weird thematic elements in some songs, this is one of those Extreme Metal releases that are hard to classify, but very familiar to enjoy. If we had to name a similar band, we could say that this band is a Death Metal version of Fleshgod Apocalypse with some additional folky/baroque elements.

    Opening with the brutal “Cosmic Maelstrom”, the listener quickly gets a Brutal Death Metal/Deathcore vibe thanks to the screams/growls combination and the intense riffing, but the atmospheric elements quickly set the band apart. As the album progresses, the Stranger Things-esque opening of “Purple Tide” and dreamy opening to “Atlas”, show the band’s unique ability to craft intricate and aggressive pieces with lush contrasting elements and still deliver their signature brutality.

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    Tsatthoggua - Hallelujah Messiah (2020)

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    Unleashing the most depraved release of 2020, today we have the return of Germany’s Tsatthoggua with their compilation mCD “Hallelujah Messiah”. As one of those bands that marked your youth thanks to their album covers and bizarre lyrics, we never would have expected the band to come back after more than 20 years of silence. If you are ready for a nostalgic dose of old-school Black/Thrash Metal with a knack for BDSM, check out this release.

    Starting with material from the band’s 1995 demo “Siegeswille”, the remastered versions presented in this release capture the band’s raw and punishing style while allowing the songs to sound updated and crystal clear. The gaudy keyboards of “The Belief - The Lie” (and the rest of the first 5 songs) is one of the elements that shows the band’s uniqueness as not just an appearance gimmick, but rather an experimental outfit. Tracks like “Heirs of Fire” capture that old-school timeless Immortal-style of BM which is furious and yet melodic enough for some headbanging sessions.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Ages - Uncrown (2020)

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    Featuring a truly captivating and engaging Melodic/Symphonic Black Metal sound, today we have Sweden’s Ages and their sophomore release “Uncrown”. In the intense 42 minutes of music of this release, the band gives us a bit of a nod to the past of the genre, while crafting nine extremely catchy and effective songs. If you like bands of the caliber of Dissection, Naglfar, Keep of Kalessin, etc., you will love this band.

    Opening with the hectic “Burn Them”, the band instantly creates a very high-paced tempo that gives us a bit of a certain Vreid/Windir vibe as the crafty guitars and harsh vocals are introduced. The band continues their high-octane approach with the devilish “Illicit State” and its dramatic atmospherics. We are particularly loving the head banging fest incited by the superbly melodic passages of “Herolds of Enslavement”.

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