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    Demonic Death Judge – The Descent (2011)

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    Rounding up the promo package we received from Inverse Records, today we have Demonic Death Judge and their highly entertaining mixture of Sludge Metal with Black Metal. Before you start frowning in disgust, you actually have to give this band a chance and listen to their very original musical approach. The only band we can think that plays something in this alley is Glorior Belli on their last album “The Great Southern Darkness”.

    Opening with “Nepal”, the band fully explodes into some crunchy riffing and very hellish vocals. While this combination might sound odd at first, it slowly grows on you. The guitar work is very traditional Sludge/Southern inspired and the atmosphere feels this way, but the vocals gravitate towards another area. There are some very good acoustic melodies thrown into the mix that makes this song even more appealing.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Herem – II (2011)

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    Delivering six crushing Death/Doom Metal tracks, today we have Herem and their very well crafted second full-length release titled “II”. For around 45 minutes the band delivers excruciatingly painful and devastating music unlike any other band these days. Mixing a beefy Death/Doom sound with some Sludge influences and some experimental elements, the band reminded us a bit like Frothy Days Longing, an American band that played a similar style and was also led by a female growler.

    Opening with the hypnotic “Heavens”, the 90’s Death/Doom sound is immediately present and while the growls sound a bit different than you typical ones, Valendis Suomalainen does one hell of a job in sounding very brutal and powerful. The riffing is very powerful and the production perfectly accentuates the distorted guitars. The experimentally ethereal entrance to “Earth” generates a very interesting atmosphere that is nicely ‘culminated’ with powerful riffs and some very deep and disturbing (in a good way) growls.

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    Aenaon – Cendres et Sang (2011)

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    After delivering two impressive EP’s: Phenomenon and A Parallel Zoetrope, Aenaon finally signed with Code666 to release their debut full-length “Cendres et Sang”. In this very impressive freshman release, the band makes use of their superior ability in crafting interesting and unique sounding Black Metal songs and deliver 10 tracks of majestic music that many veteran bands wish they would have in them.

    Since the Jazzy opener “Kafkaesque”, you know you are in for a treat and a very unique album. This intro nicely blends with the second track “Suncord” and when the riffing starts we are immediately reminded of bands like Farsot and similar creative-Black Metal acts. The melodic aspect of the band’s sound is what makes them so special, particularly in the intricate passages crafted in the middle of this track that feature a hefty Jazz influence.

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    Saturnian Mist - Gnostikoi Ha-Shaitan (2011)

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    With a very peculiar ear-raping Black Metal sound, Saturnian Mist delivers their debut full-length release titled “Gnostikoi Ha-Shaitan”. The band pummels through eight tracks of putrefied Black Metal that at first will make you want to turn it off, but once you warm up to it, you will find it very refreshing and somewhat different to all other BM releases.

    Firing up the riffing machine since the opening track “The Regicide”, the band delivers very crunchy guitars (somewhat similar to some Sludge albums) that are nicely utilized to transmit hellish Black Metal sounds. The pounding bass guitar is pretty well mixed in-between to add more rawness and brutality to the music. The vocals are more like growls than your average BM snarl, but the weirdest part is the Hardcore-ish sound they have to them.

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    Ave Maria – Chapter I (2011)

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    With a very interesting (and disturbing) cover, today we have Ave Maria and their debut full-length release “Chapter I”. This Black Metal duo from Germany delivers around 49 minutes of very psychotic Black Metal that while not extremely original, it is creepy enough to send chills through our spine.

    Taking from older Norwegian bands and their very raw-yet-clear sound, the Black Metal presented in “Chapter I” is top notch and very effective. The band creates a very eerie atmosphere only with crafty guitar work and hellish vocals. The production is very clean giving this release a very organic Black Metal sound that we can totally picture the band perfectly playing these nine songs live.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Eclipse Eternal – The Essence of Hopelessness (2012)

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    Delivering nine hectic hymns of powerful Black Metal with some atmospheric elements, today we have Canada’s Eclipse Eternal and their latest full-length release “The Essence of Hopelessness”. In this very diverse release, the band rips through very well crafted tracks that feature traditional BM sections accompanied with melodic passages that nicely change the pace of things and keeps the listener fully engaged with the band’s music.

    After the traditional keyboard intro, “Ragnarok” delivers waves of furious guitar riffs accompanied by hellish vocals and some tight drumming, exactly what the doctor ordered. This song gives the impression that you will be listening to a very typical BM release with not much to offer, but as the album keeps going the band jumps into some very ritualistic and melodic passages that give a flair of European Black Metal that is more typical of labels like Prophecy Productions.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Majestic Downfall – The Blood Dance (2012)

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    With seven pummeling hymns of Death/Doom at its finest, today we have Mexico’s Majestic Downfall and their latest release “The Blood Dance”. This one-man band fronted by Jacobo Córdova (ex Antiqua) packs some serious punch and delivers mournful compositions filled with heavy guitars and brutal growls. If you are a fan from older Death/Doom Metal bands, you should definitely check this one out.

    Quickly deceiving with an acoustic guitar intro to “The Blood Dance”, Majestic Downfall quickly delivers the first brutal blow with some deep growls and pummeling guitar riffs. The riffing is very traditional of the genre but the variations through the song is what makes it very appealing and different from other Death/Doom releases that bore the listener after the 40th iteration of a particular riff. The same applies to the well balanced “From Black to Dead”, a song where the tempo changes make it dynamic and not feel like 11 minutes have passed.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Dies Irae – Secret Veils of Passion (2012)

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    As one of the first band’s that got me into more ‘melodic’ and ‘different’ sounding music back in 1998 with their excellent album “Etherial”, Dies Irae returns after a 10 year hiatus with “Secret Veils of Passion”. In this very interesting release the band goes all over the place with so many musical influences that seem a bit disconnected at times, but that in fact create a very solid release with a wide palette of textures and very high-creativity.

    While many band’s in Mexico are clones from European ones, Dies Irae crafted two of the most interesting releases of Mexican metal in the late 90’s and the disappeared. With a hint of an European sound, “Etherial” was a landmark release with its hefty Jazz/Fusion influences that puzzled many. With “Secret Veils of Passion” they continue through their exploratory musical journey and have produces 10 unique tracks that have some memorable moments.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Al-Namrood – Estorat Taghoot (2010)

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    With a huge improvement in the band’s sound and skill-level, today we have Al-Namrood and their second full-length release “Estorat Taghoot”. In this album the band nicely capitalizes on their ethnical sound and delivers a crushing Black Metal album with nice atmospheric elements. Greatly improving over “Astfhl Al Tha'r”, the band produces 11 aural attacks that are merciless and very devastating with nice brushstrokes of Ethical elements here and there.

    After the opener atmospheric track “Arousal at Nebuchadnezzar Fortress”, the sound get’s dark and hellish with “Junood Al Amajaad”. The vocals are demonic and the production is a bit fuzzy letting the Metal sections be more raw and effective. The drumming is considerably better than in their previous release and the guitar work is more hectic and raw. The crazy atmospheric keyboards are back and on tracks like “Estorat Taghoot” they add a certain level of chaos to the already chaotic guitars and drumming.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Kalki Avatara - Mantra for the End of Times (2009)

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    With a truly unique sound that borders around chaotic or plain genius, Klaki Avatara delivers four tracks of very solid Folk/Symphonic Metal. Multi-instrumentalist Hell:I0:Kabbalus from Aborym fame manages to craft very interesting tracks in this fine EP titled “Mantra for the End of Times”. During this album the mood changes from ethereal choirs to crazy aggressive parts and deranged vocals.

    Seemingly random, the music in this release is executed to perfection in order to create a very chaotic feeling that many bands fail miserably at, but Kalki Avatara pulls-off graciously. Opening with “Mankind Collapses”, this door serves as a perfect introduction to the crazy world of the band. The over the top keyboards paired with the insane vocals and the aggressive riffs make this song very similar to creations of such bands like Transcending Bizarre? and such.

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