Black Metal

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Αχεροντας - The Seven Tongues of Δαημων (2022)

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    Unleashing an early candidate for best Black Metal album of 2022, today we have Greece’s Αχεροντας and their highly impressive release “The Seven Tongues of Δαημων”. Featuring over 42 minutes of high-octane music, this release visits all depths of hell with its dramatic arrangements and unparalleled musicality.

    The release starts with the furious “Lucifer - Breath of Fire” and its crafty layered guitars, perfectly paired with explosive vocal onslaughts and intense drumming. Immediately overwhelming the listener with a wall of sound, the melodic tempo changes are what keeps the listener on its toe as the release is quite varied and engaging, as pieces like “Leviathan - The Fervent Scales in Reverence”, “Belial - The Enn of Beliya’al”, and “Satan - Exaltation of Unbeing” showcase.

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    Saklas - The One Who Swallowed God (2022)

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    Crafting nearly 40 minutes of truly unique and intense Black Metal, today we have Saklas and their latest EP “The One Who Swallowed God”. Split into four tracks, this release is far from linear, introducing some quite unique and unconventional elements to a very punishing and ravaging musical core.

    The release delivers its first swift blow with the pummeling “Mastering The Chaos Meditation”, a track that has some undertones of bands like Behemoth and Hate, but with an interesting tempo change near the end. The weirdness begins with the instrumental “Empty Realm”, which sets the mood for the avantgarde-ness of the album title track. This track features a jazzy unconventional pace and destructive vocal onslaughts, it also has a funky treat after a brief pause.

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    Cailleach Calling - Dreams of Fragmentation (2022)

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    Delivering a highly atmospheric brand of Post-Black Metal, today we have Cailleach Calling and their debut full-length release “Dreams of Fragmentation”. Featuring Tony Thomas (Botanist/Dawn of Ouroboros) handling all guitars/bass/and synths, alongside Chelsea Murphy (Dawn of Ouroboros) in vocals and Yurii Kononov (ex-White Ward) on drums, the band unleashes nearly 40 minutes of relentless music with a certain cosmic/urban vibe unlike no other.

    Immediately laying down some thick atmospherics, “Phosphenic Array” kicks off the release with brutal harsh screams and superbly crafted blistering drumming. While the intensity varies, the atmosphere is made even richer with powerful synths. Reminding us a bit of Frozen Ocean and Lustre, this epicness continues into the sultry “Bound by Neon” a piece with a more desolate futuristic urban vibe, which features some intense tempo changes and elegant melancholic interludes.

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    Non Est Deus - Impious (2022)

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    As a side project of multi-instrumentalist Noise of Kanonenfieber fame, Non Est Deus delivers waves of superbly catchy Black Metal with a certain retro vibe. With nearly 40 minutes of music distributed in 8 crushing songs, this one-man battalion perfectly brings a nostalgic vibe that has been missed for a while.

    The release kicks into full gear with “Save Us”, a crafty piece that creates a piercing atmosphere alongside furious riffs and tight drumming. We particularly like the subtle extra elements that add depth and atmosphere to this piece. Screaming 90’s BM catchiness, “Burn it Down” is one of those tracks that gets stuck in your head thanks to its chorus section, while “Fuck Your God”, “Celebrate The Selfdestruct”, and “Hexenwahn” inflict violent waves of tremolo picking ala Horna.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Order of Nosferat - Nachtmusik (2022)

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    Unleashing 46 minutes of highly melancholic and yet quite piercing Black Metal, today we have Order of Nosferat and their new full-length release “Nachtmusik”. Perfectly balancing mood-setting atmospheric instrumental pieces alongside savage BM onslaughts, this release is both intense and engaging from multiple different angles.

    The album sets off with the raw power of “Tunes of Nocturnal Tragedies”, a six-minute piece filled with melodic elements thrown into a very compact and powerful mixture. Atmospheric pieces are woven into the album’s fabric, between each ‘heavy’ song, making the transitions quite smooth and cinematic. We particularly enjoy the fury and melancholy of pieces like “As the eternal Night fell upon us” and the catchiness of “Bloodlust Nightmares Raging Wild”.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Agathodaimon - The Seven (2022)

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    Back in the day, Agathodaimon was one of those bands that pushed Black Metal into Symphonic/Gothic territories with some brilliant releases like “Blacken the Angel” and “Higher Art of Rebellion”. Unfortunately the band split up in 2014, leaving behind great promise and a very solid and unique sound. Fast forward to 2022, Sathonys is back with Chris Bonner on vocals and a set of new members with “The Seven”.

    Featuring ten tracks and around 45 minutes of music, this release feels a bit exploratory, unleashing some killer tracks alongside some odd elements that take a few listens to fully digest. As “La Haine” rolls in with piercing riffs, hellish harsh screams and a fast pace, time is erased and Agathodaimon is certainly back. There are some superb sinister melodic passages that change the mood of the track and are nicely adorned by lush synths, alongside some not-so-great clean vocals. This approach is mimicked in “Ain't Death Grand” and “Ghosts of Greed”, both fairly solid tracks but with odd and contrasting clean vocal arrangements.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Ysyry Mollvün - Ysyry Mollvün (2022)

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    Always keeping things interesting, Avantgarde Music is set to unleash the debut release of Argentinian outfit Ysyry Mollvün. Eponymously titled, this release delivers nearly 36 minutes of punishing Black Metal, featuring a very old-school Scandinavian vibe paired with some interesting folk elements. While the release is more on the ‘traditional’ BM side, there is definitely some level of uniqueness to this band.

    Starting with the ravaging intensity of “K’aux Rise”, the band’s sound is piercing and very guitar driven, featuring some vicious riffs and crafty drumming. Besides the traditional onslaughts, the band teases the listener with an eerie and engaging folky/atmospheric passage with a certain ritualistic feeling. After that small tease, “K’aux See Reconquista Ysyry” and “K’aux Lament” come back in full force with additional waves of aggressive riffs and a very oppressive and yet melancholic vibe.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Olde Throne - An Gorta Mór (2022)

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    It is not every day we get to review a band from New Zealand, and it is definitely even better when the band is truly impressive. Olde Throne is unleashing upon the world their fierce debut full-length release “An Gorta Mór”. Featuring a very vicious pace and sinister atmospherics, this Black Metal album brings back memories of the early days of Emperor, Enslaved, and Immortal.

    The release quickly strikes a punishing tone with the ravaging onslaughts of part 1 of the album title track. As the release transitions between the first track and “Knockdoe”, we get Emperor’s “Wrath of the Tyrant” vibes. Creating cavernous atmospheres, “Children of Lir” continues the brutality with a more sinister angle and subtle melodic undertones.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Midnight - Let There Be Witchery (2022)

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    Unleashing waves of intensity and playful catchiness, Midnight has always stood out from the rest thanks to their bizarre lyrics and brilliant delivery. With “Let There Be Witchery” the band takes their sound to new levels with ten pummeling tracks filled with devilish sleaziness. Perfectly blending old-school Speed Metal elements with Black Metal undertones, this band is one that no Metalhead should miss out on.

    The release kicks off with the blistering pace of “Telepathic Nightmare”, a solid piece with crafty guitars and extreme catchiness. Building up momentum, ravaging tracks like “Frothing Foulness”, “In Sinful Secrecy”, and “Nocturnal Molestation”, perfectly transmit that sleazy old-school vibe that the Athenar masterfully crafts thanks to the stripped-down sound and funky lyrics.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Lord Agheros - Koinè (2022)

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    Perfectly tailored to fans of music that pushes boundaries and that incorporates many disparate elements, today we have Lord Agheros and their latest opus “Koinè”. Mixing Ambient, Atmospheric and Avantgarde elements with a Black Metal core, this one man outfit continues to deliver unique and engaging releases that are varied and evocative from start to finish.

    Opening with “The Prophecy”, we are treated to an Elend-esque momentum builder filled with dreamy atmospherics and crafty guitars. The musical exploration continues with the Industrial-elements of “The Walls of Nowhere”, paired with lush vocal arrangements and the doomier onslaughts of “Hold the Line”. As you can read, as the album hits the middle track, “Sow”, there are plenty of engaging elements from different genres, nicely arranged to create an immersive experience.

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