2024

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    KIR - L’appel du vide (2024)

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    Unleashing a fierce brand of Black Metal that combines the ferocity of Behemoth and the grittiness of Mgła, the enigmatic KIR sets a very high bar with their debut release “L’appel du vide”. With such a vicious sound that is both polished and commanding, this outfit is definitely one of the most unexpected surprises of 2024. Just scratching the surface of this release with a couple of spins, detailed attention and repeated listenings are needed to fully digest the album.

    After a mood setting instrumental intro, the band comes at the listener in full force with the piercing “Monument”. Mixing hellish deep screams with a barrage of BM riffs, the album quickly sets a relentless tone. The drumming in this release is quite polished, keeping a blistering pace as tracks like “Znów” and “Eter” blast away. The Mgła style riffing creates very dynamic and melodic passages, while still not sounding like a copy-cat and greatly enhancing the band’s explosiveness.

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    Kildonan - Embers (2024)

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    As a continuation of Vostok, Hamish MacKintosh returns with “Embers”, the debut release of Kildonan. With a very emotionally charged Black/Doom Metal style, this release features six tracks and nearly 40 minutes reminiscent of a mixture of Bethlehem on their “Dictius Te Necare” era, and Death/Doom Metal musings. Creating a very deep and powerful atmosphere, this is one of those sleeper releases that we found ourselves enjoying a lot more than we expected.

    Opening with the dreamy atmospherics of the title track, we are treated to dramatic clean vocals, harrowing harsh screams and a very Doomy vibe with Black Metal infused riffs. Kind of similar to Déhà and his exploits on his solo project as well as some Acathexis thrown into the mixture. We particularly love the piercing atmosphere created by the heavy Doom riffs of songs like “Ioliar-Bhuidhe” and “A Desperate Leap for Salvation” and their contrast with heavier and more brutal tempos.

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    Arkona - Stella Pandora (2024)

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    Unleashing one of the fiercest Black Metal releases of the last few years, today we have Poland’s Arkona and their masterpiece “Stella Pandora”. Not to be confused with the other Arkona’s, this band delivers no bullshit pummeling Black Metal with a knack for melody and atmosphere. Clocking at nearly 50 minutes, this six track release will feel like a direct punch to the face, so be prepared to be blown away.

    Opening with “Pandora”, the band sets a very enigmatic and mysterious atmosphere, as it suddenly goes berserk with piercing riffs, brutal drumming, and crafty atmospherics. Drac’s vocals and bass guitar line give the music that extra brutal edge, and we love it. Things turn to more melodic territories with the dreamy opening of “Altaria”, which suddenly escalates with a double kick lead and more hellish vocal onslaughts. The band’s ability to fuse melody and melancholy with brutality is unrivaled, and when paired with an impressive production it sounds amazing.

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    Ulver - Liminal Animals (2024)

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    Mostly first released over the last year as singles, “Liminal Animals” marks Ulver’s latest opus, filled with their usual catchiness with a flair of darkness. Dedicated to the late Tore Ylvisaker, this release sees the band continue their dreamy/catchy endeavors of the last two releases, and also push forward with more somber and experimental elements thrown into the mix. Masterfully structured, this album makes all previously released singles come to life and showcase a different side to themselves, so be prepared for some aural exploration.

    Opening with the superbly dreamy “Ghost Entry”, the band sets a very glamorous and ethereal vibe, similar to their last few albums: catchy AF. The transition into “A City in the Skies” and “Forgive Us” are masterful as the percussion and electronics set a very futuristic mood. We have always been huge fans of Kristoffer Rygg’s vocals and the way they blend with the atmospherics of the music and the choir arrangements is just magical. Providing some nice change of pace, “Nocturne #1” has a great cinematic feeling, while the second part further explores more dynamic atmospherics.

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    Cyptorium - Descent Into Lunacy (2024)

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    Unleashing a crafty old-school Swedish Death Metal debut, today we have Cryptorium and “Descent Into Luncay”. With a sound similar to bands like Grave, Centinex, old Entombed, and Dismember, these young guys definitely bring back the nostalgia and vibe of the good old late 90’s in the scene. If you are looking for a good meaty Death Metal release to headbang yourself to a chiropractor visit, this is definitely one to check out.

    Opening with “Incarcerated”, we instantly get that grimey old-school production that is characteristic of the genre, and gives the band a very raw and visceral sound. As “Horrid Exultation”, “Inner Decay”, and “A Distant Dream”, unleash their fuzzy guitars and crafty tempo changes, we get that old Entombed vibe alongside some sinister atmospherics.

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    Altar Ov Asteria - Éna (2024)

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    Hailing from Dresden, Germany, today we have the enigmatic duo Altar Ov Asteria and their debut full-length release “Éna”. With a sound as furious as outfits like Behemoth, Hate, etc., this release also delves in the more melodic and atmospheric, unleashing five tracks and over 33 minutes of demoralizing and highly refined Black Metal. For fans of the finer and better produced offerings of the genre, this release showcases a highly promising band and top notch execution.

    Opening with the incisive “Arroganz”, we had to do a double take to make sure we didn’t have Behemoth playing. The crushing vocals perfectly blend with the savage riffing and blistering drumming, however, not everything is as it first seems as the band can instantly pull back and unleash more precise melodic onslaught. With a more atmospheric edge, “Fegefeuer” nicely warms up before unleashing its venomous riffs and crafty tempo changes.

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    Pestilent Hex - Sorceries of Sanguine & Shadow (2024)

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    With great flair and a gusto for the melodic, today we have Finland's Pestilent Hex and their sophomore release “Sorceries of Sanguine & Shadow”. With a sound evoking comparisons to outfits like Limbonic Art, Tartaros, and 90’s Emperor, this outfit delivers seven tracks and over 45 minutes of very crafty and engaging Symphonic Black Metal. Highly recommended for fans of the genre, this release is certainly one of the most bombastic, and yet harsh, of 2024, so don’t sleep on it.

    Opening with the cinematic “Nocturne”, the band really shifts into high gear with the pummeling “Sciomancy and Sortilege”, thanks to its crafty atmospherics and fierce vocals. Perfectly leveraging both the symphonic and the Black Metal side of the equation, “Through Mirrors Beyond”, “Of Hexcraft and Lawas Three-fold” set a furious pace filled with incisive guitar work, blistering drumming, and very engaging tempo changes, keeping things fresh and dynamic.

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    Persecutory - The Glorious Persecution (2024)

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    Packing a lot of heat, today we have Turkey’s Persecutory and their crushing EP “The Glorious Persecution”. Featuring three tracks of total destruction, this release clocks in at 22 minutes of pure brutality. With a very incisive and yet refined sound, this outfit can be compared to the likes of Necrophobic and Necrowretch, creating some truly foul and punishing music.

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    Torn from Existence - Hearken the Darkened Skies (2024)

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    Perfectly capturing that old-school magic of late 90’s Symphonic Black/Death Metal bands, Colorado’s Torn from Existence drop their high-octane debut full-length release “Hearken the Darkened Skies”. Featuring seven tracks and over 32 minutes of highly engaging and dynamic music, this release is highly recommended for fans of early Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Vesperian Sorrow, and Tartaros, just to name a few.

    Opening with the pummeling “Crawl From The Crypt”, we immediately hear the band’s DNA with lavish keyboards, hellish screams, and a wide assortment of engaging guitar riffs and even some shredding thrown into the mix. This wide palette of influences is very well mixed together, crafting a very dynamic and engaging sound that also features some theatrical influences as “Of Curse, And Covenant” and “Sorcery Against Mankind” deliver playful tempo changes and lush atmospheric arrangements.

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    Thy Catafalque - XII: A gyönyörü álmok ezután jönnek (2024)

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    Always pushing the envelope and creating some truly unique releases, Tamás Kátai’s Thy Catafalque returns with their latest opus “XII: A gyönyörü álmok ezután jönnek”. Featuring eleven tracks and over 50 minutes of very diverse and dynamic music, this release is truly an Avant-garde music lover paradise. With each track, the album explores a wide palette of sounds ranging from crafty folky elements to traditional Death/Black Metal, to more atmospheric and explorative pieces.

    The release opens with the playful and dreamy “Piros kocsi, fekete éj”, which features live vocalist Martina Horváth alongside Attila Bakos, creating a dynamic and yet somewhat folky vibe. Shifting gears into heavier territories, “Mindenevö” delivers powerful guitars and harsh vocals, providing a nice contrast to the first track while keeping the band’s dynamic sound thanks to lush choir arrangements. This playfulness and exploratory nature continues as “Vasgyár” delivers more heaviness with some weirdness, “Világnak világa” keeps things atmospheric, and “Nyárfa, nyírfa” unravels that Folky catchiness that the band always exploits.

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