2012

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    So Much for Nothing – Livsgnist (2012)

    cover

    As an early candidate of Black Metal release of the year, today we have So Much for Nothing’s debut full-length “Livsgnist”. This two-man outfit does an excellent job in taking Suicidal Black Metal into a whole new level, and will surely take years for any band to rival with Erik Unsgaard and Uruz have achieved with this album. Featuring seven tracks and around 50 minutes of gut-wrenching depressive music, this is the kind of release that will leave a deep impact on your psyche and will not easily be forgotten.

    Having people like Niklas Kvarforth and Peter Huss of Shining, Julianne Kostøl of Pantheon I, Trondr Nefas of Urgehal, and Seidemann of 1349, among many others as guest musicians, So Much for Nothing is the equivalent of Ayreon and Avantasia in the realm of Black Metal. With a excellent foundation provided by Unsgaard and Uruz, this release takes things to a completely different plane of existence and almost achieves musical perfection.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Arctic Plateau – The Enemy Inside (2012)

    cover

    Delivering a hefty dose of excellent guitar work, today we have Arctic Plateau and their dreamy masterpiece “The Enemy Inside”. Gianluca Divirgilio, the man behind Arctic Plateau has a great sense of melody and through his Post-rock/shoegaze compositions delivers waves of emotions in a way that only a handful of bands can do.

    Opening with the ethereal “Music’s Like…”, this song, as most of the ones in this release, is very guitar centric and with every passing minute there is something exciting to pay attention to. The dreamy atmosphere is top notch and the melancholic vocals nicely roundup this song. The mood in the album constantly changes between dreamy and ethereal to dark and depressive, like on “Idiot Adult”. In this somber song, Gianluca does a great job in using Shoegaze elements to create a magical atmosphere.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Secrets of the Moon – Seven Bells (2012)

    cover

    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.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Antagonist Zero – Nighttime Harmony (2012)

    cover

    Delivering one of the most interesting sounding EP’s we have received in quite a while, today we have Antagonist Zero and their 3-song debut EP “Nighttime Harmony”. Self-labeled as “Catatonic Metal”, the band mixes Doom and Death/Black Metal element in a very effective manner. With an excellent production behind this EP, the three tracks sound like a million bucks, and also left us wanting more from this young and promising band.

    Opening with a very slow-paced jazzy intro, “AZ” is the EP’s first track that shows excellent musical skills since the first few minutes. Once the growls kick in, we are immediately sold on the band’s rich and powerful sound. The guitar riffs are excellent and the drumming is pretty well crafted, the melodic nature of the music reminds us of Insomnium, Swallow the Sun, and similar Finish bands.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Shear – Breaking the Stillness (2012)

    cover

    As one of the most recent entries in the oversaturated female-fronted Metal market, today we have Finland’s Shear and their debut full-length release “Breaking the Stillness”. Featuring members and ex-members of bands like Imperanon, Amoral, and Omnium Gatherum among others, this band has enough Melodic Metal pedigree to impress anybody (at least on papers).

    The band’s front woman, Alexa Leroux, is of course very attractive and her voice is indeed different to what everybody is used to. Her vocal approach is more in the Hard Rock / Power Metal area, and never goes into the very tired female growls or soprano style. When paired with excellent Melodic Metal, this is actually a great strength for Shear since they manage to sound powerful and somewhat different than all the other female-fronted bands these days.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Banda de la Muerte – Pulso de una mente maldita (2012)

    cover

    As one of the catchiest releases we have received in quite a while, today we have Banda de la Muerte’s second full-length release “Pulso de una mente maldita”. In this Stoner Metal/Rock release, these Argentineans create very effective songs that feature powerful guitars and a great sense of melody, making each song very unique and memorable.

    With a very imposing attitude, this band truly owns each song and sounds with such a determination that is rare to find these days. Opening with the driven “Te estas dejando mentir”, the guitars take front stage and never let go. The riffing is powerful and the bass guitar line is very well marked. Immediately we can hear the crystal clear production behind this release, allowing us to fully enjoy this release.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Shroud of Despondency – Pine (2012)

    cover

    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
    • Comments: 0

    Demoncy – Enthroned is the Night (2012)

    cover

    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
    • Comments: 0

    Evenoire – Vitriol (2012)

    cover

    Making its way from Italy, today we have Evenoire’s debut full-length release titled “Vitriol”. Featuring a Gothic Metal sound with some Folk elements, Evenoire manages to sound a little bit different than ‘traditional bands’ giving them a small edge over the competition. With 9 tracks of music, “Vitriol” is a very solid debut effort that while having some minor issues, shows that the band is ready to be heard.

    With a very ethereal opening track titled “Vitriol”, the band sets a very lush fantasy-like atmosphere that generates high expectations for this release. This is nicely continued with the very classically inspired “Days of the Blackbird”. The band’s singer Elisa "Lisy" Stefanoni has a very sweet voice that has that natural retro sound at times, when bands had regular singers on not extremely trained ones, but she can also do all the classical stuff very graciously.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Svartsyn – The True Legend (2012)

    cover

    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.

Pages

Recent Image Galleries