Black Metal

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    Furze – Psych Minus Space Control (2012)

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    Making its way from Norway, today we have Furze’s latest deconstruction of Black Metal titled “Psych Minus Space Control”. In this release, this one man band delivers 43 minutes of brilliant music perfectly split in five intriguing tracks. Furze’s ability to create trippy space rock tracks with infused Black Metal elements is just outstanding.

    The minimalist opening sequence of “Occult Soul, With Mind” has a very funky sci-fi vibe that we haven’t heard since Angst Skvadron “Sweet Poison” release. The very rudimentary approach to music that Furze opts to use is quite interesting to listen to and on tracks like “Psych Mooz Space Control”, it is evident that the man behind this band is brilliant. With very retro sounding guitar work and an ever-present mellow bass guitar lines, these first songs nicely set the mood of this fine release.

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    Burzum – Umskiptar (2012)

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    Keeping up with releasing an album a year since his release from jail, Mr. Varg delivers Burzum’s “Umskiptar” this 2012. Combining the ‘traditional’ Burzum sound with some of the ‘new’ elements he showed in “Fallen”, this new release is a perfect mixture of both Black Metal and Folk elements, that while not groundbreaking it is still a solid release for this one man outfit.

    Drawing inspiration from the Norse poem “Völuspá”, Varg does a solid job in creating chilling atmospheres that have a powerful Nordic feeling to them. Opening with the “Bloostokkinn”, this song feels like a war chant due to its atmosphere and spoken word sections. In “Joln” the quintessential Burzum guitar work marks its presence and delivers perverse riffs nicely paired with harsh and clean vocals. One of the things that made “Fallen” such an interesting release was the clean/spoken sections and “Umskiptar” is full of them as well.

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    Llvme – Yia De Nuesu (2012)

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    With a very lush and elaborate sound, today we have Llvme and their second full-length release “Yia De Nuesu”. Mixing elements from Doom, Folk, and Black/Death Metal, this band has a very rich and entertaining sound that will blow you away with excellent melancholic passages and sheer brutality moments.

    Opening with the majestic “1188-1230” track, this release immediately establishes a melancholic atmosphere full of aggression and emotions. The female vocals and violins in this track are excellent and nicely contrast the heavy elements of the track. “Helmantica” brings forth a more aggressive stance from the band and some very Dimmu Borgir-esque keyboards. The riffing is very well crafted and the drums are stellar. “Vettonia” has that same Folk Metal vibe that bands like Eluveitie exploit to no end (the bagpipes), but it somewhat feels different with some nice stop-and-go moments and the direct Amorphis ‘rip-off’ section at the end of the track.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Kommandant – The Draconian Archetype (2012)

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    As the USBM scene keeps getting better and better over the years, it is not surprising to find high-quality releases, like Kommandant’s “The Draconian Archetype”, that keep pushing the boundaries of Black Metal. The band’s delivers 10 tracks and over 50 minutes of excellent Black Metal with an emphasis on the atmospheric side of things. With a sound similar to bands like Nightbringer and Canadian’s Weapon, Kommandant clearly knows what they are doing and transmit their sickness perfectly in this release.

    With excellent dissonant guitars and a balls-to-the-wall approach, “We are the Angels of Death” makes a powerful statement as the opener for this release. The thick atmosphere created by the guitars is outstanding and gives that veil of darkness that many BM releases lack these days. The vocals are creepy and intense, adding an extra layer of dissonance to the music. “Victory Through Intolerance” features a more traditional structure, but that dense atmosphere is nicely present throughout this track as well.

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    Vorkreist - Sigil Whore Christ (2012)

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    Exploiting a sick and twisted approach to Black Metal, today we have France’s Vorkreist and their latest opus “Sigil Whore Christ”. In this release the band delivers over 45 minutes of deranged Black Metal in the vein of fellow countrymen Peste Noire minus the extreme use Avant-garde elements.

    The album opens with the punishing riffing of “De Imitatione Christi” a piece that sounds very similar to a track on the latest Peste Noire release. With such a commanding guitar work and demonic vocals, the release quickly follows with the massive “Maledicte” and its brutal combination of shrieks and growls and deranged mourns, something that Shinning or similar BM bands would do.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Siculicidium - A rothadó virágok színüket vesztik (2012)

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    We consider ourselves to be very tolerant to most raw, low-fi, closet recorded Raw Black Metal releases, but there are just sometimes when something is so dissonant that it makes you want to puncture your eardrums; this is exactly the case with Siculicidium latest EP titled “A rothadó virágok színüket vesztik”. Luckily for us, this release only lasts around 25 minutes, but it will surely drive you nuts in that small amount of time.

    Opening with the super typical “Zuhanas” the band quickly develops a nice enshrouding atmosphere thanks to some good distortion and effective riffing. The vocals are ok, but sound a bit muffled and ‘watered down’. However, the most annoying thing in this song is the production/mixing behind the drums, either the guy doing this job was the drummer itself or somebody that was a bit deaf. The excessive swishing renders them unbearable!, but even worse is the section that starts around minute 2:30 where is just banging on the cymbals excessively. This track made us want to kick somebody in the nuts because it annoyed us that much.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    AK-11 – Legendary, Demonic & Invincible (2011)

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    Featuring six tracks of blistering Black Metal, today we have Australia’s AK-11 and their EP/Demo “Legendary, Demonic & Invincible”. In this release, the band delivers very powerful music that will surely please any BM fan due to the solid song writing and hellish vocals. The band’s originality level is not too high, but as a first release it shows great promise.

    Opening with the furiously paced “The Cleansing Stream”, the riffing starts off with a bang. The typical BM riffing is furious and it is nicely accompanied with hectic drumming. The vocals are pretty brutal, but sound a bit gargled thanks to the production. The song is fairly straightforward, but pretty intense for an opener. Switching to Russian language, “Vechnyi ogon’” and “Slava Rossii” deliver high-octane action with a few intricate melodic passages.

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    Aus Der Transzendenz – Breed of a Dying Sun (2012)

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    Like a dense wall of fog moving towards your house, Aus Der Transzendenz “Breed of a Dying Sun” release will sweep you away and transport you to the era of well crafted ‘low-fi’ sounding Black Metal. This Austrian band actually does a great job in using the age old ‘let’s make it sound very kvlt’ recipe’ and producing 33 minutes of devastating dissonant Black Metal with a few excellent atmospheric passages.

    Opening with the sheer brutality of “A Dream of Ghosts”, the riffing and drumming is quite intense and massive. Backed by a very raw production with enough clarity to let everything trough, this song nicely sets the tone for the release. In “A Pathway to Rebirth” the band keeps up the intensity and adds some extra atmospheric passages that are downright chilling. The bass guitar line in these passages is quite enjoyable and the Doom-ish feeling to them is awesome.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Heimdalls Wacht – Nichtorte (2012)

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    Highly melodic and equally melancholic are the first words that come through our mind when thinking about Heimdalls Wacht’s latest release “Nichtorte”. With a heavy emphasis on the melodic side of things, Germany’s Heimdalls Wacht delivers a good dose of Pagan Black Metal in the 12 tracks presented on this release, good enough to be one of the best we’ve heard in quite a while.

    After the traditional intro, the riffing onslaught begins with “Maelstrom”, a very Black Metal oriented track with catchy sections. The drumming is very fast paced, but the ethereal atmospheric elements here and there are what makes this track standout. Things finally start to move into darker and more melancholic territories with songs like “Ignis fatuus” and “Die Einsamkeit des Gestaltenwandlers”. The melody achieve by the songs powerful riffs is amazing and completely destructive.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Aura Noir – Out to Die (2012)

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    The self-titled ugliest band in Metal, Aura Noir, finally returns with a powerful new release titled “Out to Die”. Comprised of eight Black/Thrash Metal pieces, the band is ready to reclaim their throne and riff listeners into submission. With their signature down-and-dirty sound, the band delivers a very solid effort that will please all their fans and keep their legacy ugliness rolling.

    Lead by Apollyon (of Immortal fame), the band pummels through extremely catchy songs without any dull moments. Opening with the intense “Trenches”, the signature dirty Black/Thrash sound of Aura Noir is immediately present. Intense riffing and commanding drums beat the listener into submission with tracks like “Fed to the Flames”, “Abbadon”, and “The Grin from the Gallows”. The band ability to make simple yet very catchy songs is excellent, and with the vocals being strong and firm, we are more inclined to like this band more than Kreator and such.

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