Leviathan - Acherontas - Sic Luceat Lux

New Leviathan split, this time with Greek horde Acherontas. The Leviathan part is, as expect, fucking awesome; dark as fuck black metal with some slight experimental parts (think lurker of chalice), even some clean guitars, which is something I haven’t heard from him. Acherontas is the continuation of Stutthof and truth be told I haven’t heard any of their releases prior to this split. Anyway, their material is also good, has that Greek sound I adore, the ten minute song “Kornugia” is just spot-on.
All in all an excellent split release, highly recommended!

2009 - Sic Luceat Lux

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Misvita - Misanthropic Aura

Debut album from ’03 by this Norwegian band. Straight to the point black metal with some death metal influences (don’t be fooled by metal-archives’ description, no industrial can be found here), raw and uncompromising; the album spans from fast paced songs to more thrashy compositions and even some great slow sections. The second part of the album is more old-school and is, in my opinion, the best part; nothing special but quite enjoyable!

2003 - Misanthropic Aura

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Pensées Nocturnes - Vacuum

Posting this only because it was requested by our collegue over at FTGG. This is the debut of a new French one-man band playing doom laden atmospheric black metal with classical influences; I found the album uninteresting and plain boring, a few good moments scattered around but overall a painfully average release in my opinion…

2009 - Vacuum

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Altar of Plagues - White Tomb

Recently released debut after two excellent eps by this new Irish band. All the good stuff from their latest ep is here: strong vocals (both male and female), excellent progressive composition and great production! Unfortunately the album is way too short, 50 minutes isn’t that short to some but there are only four songs, that’s only one extra song compared to the “Sol” ep; also, I wouldn’t mind more vocals, I love instrumental sections but the vocals are a strong point of the band and more of a good thing can’t be bad, now can it? Apart those two minor “flaws” this is one of the finest releases this year!
And the cover is just beyond awesome!

2009 - White Tomb

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Through the Cracks of The Earth / Sol

Graupel - Auf alten Wegen...

Debut album from ’05, features members from Verdunkeln and Nagelfar. Excellent cold black metal in the vein of early Norwegian acts but whitout sounding like a copy, great dark production and composition. Not much to say really, simply a great album; highly recommended!!!

2005 - Auf Alten Wegen...

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Cobalt - Gin

New album by this excellent US band. Pretty much a continuation of “Eater of birds”, “Gin” shows the unique and original take of Cobalt on war (black) metal. Tribal drumming and progressive passages mixed with totally badass riffs, you simply can’t go wrong! Essential!!!

2009 - Gin

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War Metal / Eater of Birds

Grim Funeral - A Grim Funeral to the soul of this world

Debut album by this Spanish one-man band released last year on THR after two quite enjoyable split releases.The label really praised this release and I feel stupid for not getting this when it was released because this an absolutely amazing release and worth of all the praise it gets! (labels do tend to exaggerate, even good ones like THR) Dark as fuck dissonant black metal with a really distinctive feel, reminds me a bit of early Nordic bands. The production is pure perfection, sounds like it was recorded in an empty church, spacey and huge yet at the same time raw. The songs, even though long, never get old as the song writing just pulls you in the total void of darkness….
Bottom line, get this NOW!!!!
(And check out the bands website, incredibly well made!)

2008 - A Grim Funeral to the soul of this world

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Necroplasma - Sit Gloria Domini In Saeculum

Second and final album by this, now defunct, Swedish horde. The label describes this as “Raw Devil Worshipping Black Metal”, and that basically says it all! Fast, raw and ugly black metal done with the right attitude; I love how all the songs have a sinister orchestral intro.
Really awesome release and an essential listen for fans of Katharsis and early Funeral Mist.

2006 - Sit Gloria Domini In Saeculum

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Inverno Eterno - Póstumo

Debut album by this new Portuguese band, released last year. Melancholic black metal with excellent song writing, really well made music fluctuating through faster parts to clean slow guitar lead compositions. The despair filled vocals fit the music perfectly and the native lyrics give a nice touch to the whole thing.
Looking forward to more material by this band, highly recommended!

2008 - Póstumo

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Fluisterwoud - Laat Alle Hoop Varen

Second album, recorded back in ’06 but only released now; the band has split-up since then. Anyway, great black metal here, pure and simple! Personally their debut didn’t impress me but I enjoyed this one right off the bat; good composition with some really nice catchy breaks here and there, good production and really nice vocals; also, the album is quite short which is to my liking. Recommended!!

2009 - Laat Alle Hoop Varen

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Olc Sinnsir - The Throne Of Dead Emotions

First and only album by this now defunct French horde that featured two Vorkerist members. Well played riff-based black metal with really competent song-writing which keeps things interesting through the album. The vocals are also performed well. Overall a strong album, nothing all that special but very listenable!

2003 - The Throne Of Dead Emotions

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Raven - The Murder Sessions

Born in 1993, this recordings are a piece of history of True Norwegian Black Metal, involving Rune Vedda, one of the Forgotten Woods masterminds. “TMS” proves the unbelievable primeval strength that this revolutionary genre can express. All blacksters simply can’tignore this milestone... And today’s wannabe extreme listeners may be affected both by vicious, sick and abrasive feelings of sharpened guitars and by a kind of inhuman atmosphere pervading the whole album. Far from today’s music standards and double-faced sound professionalism, conceived when Black Metal was just instinct and hunger and to express the dramatic and primeval force of this genre, “The Murder Session” is not only one of the sickest releases ever from Norway, but also proves and “reports” how a direct musical approach has been the boundless strength of Black Metal since ever. Here’s where the word cult has to lie down, under the veil of the cold wind.
(De Tenebrarum Principio)

what they said!
seriously, this stuff fucking rules!!

2006 - The Murder Sessions

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Deströyer 666 - ...Of Wolves, Women & War

Excellent 7” by this great band. Only three songs on this one, but they are just totally fucking badass; this is black / thrash of the highest quality, also “Ghost dance” must be one of my favorite songs by D666. Essential!!!

2002 - ...Of Wolves, Women & War

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Treachery

Debut release by this new US / German based band. Dark as fuck industrialized black metal with ambient influences. The atmosphere created is perfect, just pure darkness; the music very much reminds me of Black Funeral (!!!). The vocals are also worth mentioning, excellent blasphemous attacks courtesy of Rachael Kozak aka Hecate (one of my favorite electronic artists, be sure to check her out!).
Anyway, a great EP, way too short, this just begs for more material!

2008 - Treachery

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Diapsiquir - Pacta Daemonarium / Crasse

Compilation of two early demos by these French madmen. Even on this early material the unique sound is more than present; twisted urban satanic black metal, totally fucked up and just perfect!
Also features an exclusive bonus track.

2009 - Pacta Daemonarium / Crasse

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more Diapsiquir

Nocturnal Graves - Satan's Cross

Debut album from ’07; fucking awesome black / thrash by these Australians. This has awesome written all over it; I mean seriously, what is there to say about this one, kick-ass riffs, perfect dirty production plus artwork by Andrei Bouzikov (Thanks for the correction MSOTBG!) and released by the excellent Nuclear War Now! Essential!!

2007 - Satan's Cross

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JANVS - FVLGVRES

Second release from this excellent Italian band, released in ’07. Excellent, well composed black metal with a melodic edge. Both the song writing and the lyrics are really amazing and the album just gets better with every listen; also the band shows great progression (in a certain way) over the debut release which was taken to even greater heights on Vega (one of the best albums of 2008 in my opinion). Extremely recommended!
(Also worth mentioning is that this release features no clean vocals, since I saw people complaining about those on Vega).

2007 - FVLGVRES

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Blood Red Fog

Debut album from this Finnish one-man band. I’ve posted most of their newer material, so those who followed know what to expect; slow to mid-tempo black metal complimented with excellent composition and atmosphere, the album is really long so it takes some time for it to sink in but it’s definitely worth it, some really memorable songs can be found here.

2006 - Blood Red Fog

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Radiating Desolation, split w/ Funerary Bell

JANVS - Nigredo

Atmospheric melodic black metal perfection, that just about sums it up! Even though the band considers this release “immature” and was released in extremely limited quantities the release just shines with greatness. Beautiful slow compositions with excellent synth work all coated with a raw production. The interludes fit perfectly, even the electronics on “Crisalide”, which all together create a truly transcendental work.
I really hope this release will see a reissue soon.

2004 - Nigredo

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Morbosidad - Profana la Cruz del Nazareno

Old school awesomeness from this US / Mexican horde; blasphemous black / death metal in the vein of old Sarcofago and Beherit with Spanish lyrics (which accompany the music perfectly). Just a kick-ass release, pure and simple!!!

2008 - Profana la Cruz del Nazareno

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Regnum EP

This is it! This is melancholic black metal done right, Regnum just fails to disappoint me; the material here is very much in the vein of their other releases; slow catchy despair filled black metal. While all the songs are quite short the song-writing and atmosphere created surpasses most bands playing this kind of music. Mandatory!!!!!!!!!

2005 - Regnum

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Weil Alles Einst Zerbrechen Muss

The Howling Wind - A Tyrannical Deposit In The Doctrine Of The Soul

New 7” EP by this great band; features a new song and a cover song. Both are really fucking good, especially the Darkthrone cover which is totally spot-on!

2009 - A Tyrannical Deposit In The Doctrine Of The Soul

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Pestilence & Peril

Crimson Moon - Demo

First demo, released back in ’94. Raw occult black metal, quite short but the material is really good, most of these songs were later re-recorded for “The Choice of Spirit”; the songs presented here are obviously rawer then the later material but still have the great atmosphere that is present in all cm releases.

1994 - Crimson Moon

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Sieghetnar - Bewußtseinserweiterung

More atmospheric bliss, this is the third album and nothing much is changed in comparisson with the previous album (so, its still all instrumental). Pure mesmerizing ambient black metal delight!

2008 - Bewußtseinserweiterung

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Irrwisch

Exceptional debut demo from this new Dutch band. Incredible atmospheric black metal; the music is really well composed faster paced bm, yet very moody and atmospheric. The vocals are mostly anguished screams and fit perfectly with music. This release just gets better with every listen, at first it didn’t strike as something special but with time it really grew on me. A band to look forward to in the near future!

2008 - Irrwisch

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Sieghetnar - Todessehnsucht

Second album by this mysterious German band. Really great ambient black metal, no vocals used, a completely instrumental album. Slow and trance-like soundscapes; really unique and well made music, completely immersive!
I think fans of ambient will enjoy this one as much as any bm fan, extremely recommended!!

2007 - Todessehnsucht

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