Black / Thrash from the US. Raw in your face black metal with great raw yet clear production, I think the cover and album / song titles say it all. Nothing special but a nice listen, especially for fans of the genre!
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Great debut from this mysterious Ukrainian band. Well written black metal with great composition and use of keyboards with some powerful vocals and excellent bass lines. The music is mostly melodic with some more straightforward parts here and there; all in all an extremely enjoyable listen!
Excellent band from Sweden consisting of Armagedda members. LIK plays black metal with lots of folk and rock influences; the music reminds me of Storm but with more dark rock mixed in. The only downside of all releases is their extremely short length; that aside LIK comes highly recommended to all fans of blackened music!
Final album and definitely their most mature work. Continuing where they left off on “Non Ducor, Duco” they show how to progress without losing touch with their roots. Covering all kinds of styles, from more aggressive thrashy songs to epic compositions, all with amazing flair. All instruments used are vintage, and the sound is just perfect!
The booklet is also great and quite unconventional for a black metal album, featuring beautiful pictures of the equipment used.
A worthy epitaph for one of the finest bm bands of today, hopefully Argento will create a new project and continue making worthy music!
Third album compromised of older songs recorded specifically for this release, it’s more in the vein of their first album; the tracks are thrashier and faster, there are some real memorable songs here. Again, the production is pristine; this time recorded in a church in two days so that the recording has a more spontaneous feel. Even though being a more transitional work it’s still an essential listen!
First album by this incredible, now defunct, Italian band. This release is compromised of both demos and two other sessions, so it’s more like a compilation; still, the flow of the album is really good. Music-wise the sound is very much in the vein of early Nordic bm bands, fast pace with incredible sense of melody. The vocals are powerful and the Italian lyrics give it a nice unique feel. Essential!!
I’m gonna post their entire discography, I know I usually do a single post with all releases by a band, but since I have free time and nothing better to do I’m gonna write a little about each album. The common thread is that all albums are musically and lyrically above most of today’s black metal, so just get them all!
Second album, six songs clocking at almost an hour. Those unfamiliar with the band should get with the program, because this is some of the finest symphonic black metal out there; following the path of their excellent debut, ‘dark emperors’, this release is filled with majestic riffs, excellent keyboards and great epic composition. Maybe not as exceptional as the debut, it’s still an amazing release that comes highly recommended!
Reissue of this cult release, features five new songs recorded just for this release. Not much to say because this is absolutely fucking essential!!!!!!!
For more BF go here
Debut album, three piece from Wales. This release is just pure gold, exceptional black / doom metal; the composition and especially the production are of the highest quality. Also don’t expect this to sound like many other black / doom bands, these guys have a truly crushing, sludgy sound, in part thanks to the excellent bass sound.
This album seriously rips balls; I mean it’s so fucking good, I know I’m being extremely subjective, but who cares; Get this, now!!!!
Style Following on from their Ancient Sorrow EP, England s Fen present their debut full-length album ‘The Malediction Fields’. The culmination of over a year’s work, the album builds and expands considerably on the atmospheric sounds that the band have become renowned for. Fusing elements of post-rock, ambient soundscapes and gentle acoustic passages alongside raging black metal fury, ‘The Malediction Fields’ is an expression of loss, isolation and hopelessness, a timeless despair that has resonated throughout the history of human experience. With this album, Fen take the listener on a journey through the depths of their own psyches as well as traversing the desolate landscapes of the fens themselves. From the righteous, regret-laden anger of opener ‘Exile’s Journey’ to the closing strains of the lamenting ‘Bereft’, Fen once again supply the soundtrack to bleak solitude.
Raw black metal from France, second album; a killer release, really well done mix between in your face songs and more atmospheric ones. The musicianship is top-notch, as is the production, really has that nice raw edge. Some parts remind me of cyfaws by Antaeus. Also, there’s a great Misfits cover.
Highly recommended!
Debut album from this excellent new band consisting of Vintyr and Swine; Dark rock mixed with post-punk and some hints of black metal, although genres cannot properly describe it, this is simply good, dark and honest music. The album doesn’t leave an instant impression but after more and more listens it just gets under your skin, the lurid yet dreamy atmosphere created is fucking great.
An excellent release and an essential listen for all fans of dark music!
For those interested here’s a great interview with the band, very interesting plus they’re listening to the Swans the whole time, so, you know, fuck yeah!
Newest demo, more of the same, nothing much changed in sound, more melodic leads on this one, seems they’re heading in the right direction; also, the production is a bit clearer on this one. Definitely the bands strongest effort thus far!
Raw monotonous black metal from the states, features Scorn and Mord members. Tortured screams over some nice slow melodies, music-wise it reminds me a bit of Hypothermia. A nice demo that will please all fans of slow despair filled black metal!
This and the next post have been given to me by Rusty Axe Records, so here’s a big shout out to them for this rare material, be sure to check out their compilation I posted a while back and try to support them in any way possible! Cheers!!
Latest ep from this cult horde, 15 minutes of pure flesh ripping black / death metal with just enough thrash for extra mayhem. These guys rule, period! Get this, now!
…and there’s an insane Sarcofago cover.
Three piece featuring former Nacthmystium members playing some really fucking amazing black metal, the composition is excellent with hints of SMRC era DsO, the even pace of the album really creates a great atmosphere. The sound reminds me a bit of Avichi only rawer and less experimental.
Highly recommended!
Split album between one man band Helvette from Singapore and Ghast from Wales. Helvette plays some nice raw black metal, nothing special, the material would be better if he wouldn’t use a drum-machine. Ghast performs some fucking excellent black metal with some doom influences; the production has a nice raw edge giving it that awesome muddy sound, really excellent material on their side.
Second album by this German band, excellent black metal with a raw edge, painful screams over some excellent arrangements; The production is, in my opinion, the strongest part of the album, raw yet somehow spacey giving it a really unique feel. The album starts a bit slow with a rather uninteresting song, but quickly picks up with some really nice pieces. All together a good release that will definitely find its audience.
Fifth album and definitely the bands best work; a huge release, compromised of 5 different “concepts” and released on two cds. Riff-based black metal with excellent dynamic songs and thrashy compositions with some seldom folksy and more atmospheric parts that keep things interesting.
Putting aside the bands political views, this is a great black metal release that deserves everyone’s attention. Highly recommended!
Great debut from this mysterious new Japanese act performing some excellent raw black metal; buzzing guitars, strong vocal attack and composition that reminds me a bit of newer Katharsis, can’t go wrong!!
Excellent ep from Vintyr; ugly and slow raw black metal, like his previous project, Basilisk, only a bit slower. Recommended to all fans of raw black metal.
Debut album, truly an incredible release, industrialized black metal of the highest quality, the music is like some hybrid of Blut Aus Nord and Axis of Perdition, although no comparisons need to be done as the band has a unique sound. Its quite incredible that this is a debut album, the musical skill, composition and production is amazing. One of the finest albums this year and defintely the best debut I heard.
New album by this excellent Finnish band, nothing much changed in sound, still the same amazing composition with great catchy riffs; This album never gets old, I listened to it a couple of days straight and it just gets better. Amazing release!
