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UnhinderedbyTalent

Hi Ben, could you add the new Etoile Filante album, Mare tranquillitatis, please?

206
Daniel

Von - "Satanic Blood" demo (1992)

Continuing on with my exploration of some of the old black metal demos I used to listen to back in my tape trading days, Von's third demo tape "Satanic Blood" would go on to become comfortably the most significant American black metal release to the time. I don't think I ever heard Von's two earlier demos but I did think this one was pretty decent back in the day. It's an incredible simplistic & intentionally primitive collection of short songs with each of its eight tracks being built on just a single riff that's repeated for the entirety of the piece with the drumming containing no fills or rolls whatsoever. That might sound unappealing to some but this technique creates that old-school extreme metal atmosphere that I miss so much & would no doubt have an influence on bands like Darkthrone who would utilize a similar technique on their upcoming releases.

The lo-fi production sees the intros suddenly giving way to the proper songs in a ridiculously jerky fashion with the intention apparently being to leave the impression that the tape was produced by a bunch of incompetent goblins & if that was the case then Von have no doubt succeeded. The vocals of guitarist Goat (also of Von Goat) sit more in the death metal space than they do a black metal one but the dodgy use of echo effects is certainly in line with the black metal model & this sees Von drawing comparisons with bands like Beherit, Blasphemy & Profanatica more than to your more pure black metal acts.

In truth, "Satanic Blood" does contain its fair share of flatter moments but the better material carries the release well enough to see it just managing to drag a respectable rating out of me. Opener "Devil Pig" is a pretty engaging way to kick things off but it's the doomy "Veadtuck" & the blasphemous "Christ Fire" that have always been my picks of the bunch. Regardless of what your personal song preference is though, there can be no doubt that "Satanic Blood" was an important release for the American underground & it's certainly worth a few listens for black metal completists, even if it's far from essential from a creative point of view.

3.5/5

49
Ben

Evilfeast is a solo project of Polish multi-instrumentalist Jakub Grzywacz, who goes by the pseudonym of GrimSpirit. The project has been going since 1996, when it was then known as Darkfeast (changing name in '98) so he has some credibility as a relatively early adopter of the atmospheric black metal creed and not just some random bandwagon-jumper. So, I thought I hadn't listened to Evilfeast before and when it was pointed out that indeed I had (thanks, Daniel!), I still had no great recollection of the event. Not exactly a ringing endorsement I think you will agree. However, it says more about my insatiable appetite for listening to more and more unfamiliar metal albums and a resulting lack of retention of any but the most excellent (or utterly terrible), than it does about the quality of the release in question. This is because Elegies of the Stellar Wind is, in fact, a pretty decent slab of black metal with a pronounced symphonic element influenced by none less than the mighty Emperor, I would suggest. Although the keyboards are fundamental to the album's sound, it still feels like it sits more within the sphere of atmospheric rather than symphonic black metal because, although the synth sound can be traced back to Ihsahn & co, it isn't as bombastic as the Black Wizards, but rather it feels like it is heralding the majesty of the natural world rather than the machinations and achievements of powerful men.

The black metal component is generally of the uptempo, quite savage-sounding, thinly-produced type that harks back to a previous black metal age and doesn't contain the lushness of more recent atmospheric black metal efforts, but that feels no less effective for it. I must admit I like it's quite raw black metal stylings, whilst the keyboards are incorporated effectively and even though they have a significant presence they still work well in tandem with the riffing. It never really attains the hypnotic transcendence that the absolute top-tier atmospheric black metal releases achieve and, in truth, it probably feels a little more down-to-earth as a result, but whilst these ham-fisted attempts at describing Evilfeast's sound make it feel like it won't work, it absolutely does, it's just that it's not exactly what you would necessarily expect.

I'm gonna stick with my old RYM score of 4/5

5
Sonny

I'm back, fellow cuntfuckers.  And what better way for me to celebrate being back than to review the newest album by my favorite bestial band.

Cabinet - Hydrolysated Ordination

Genres: Bestial Black Metal, Blackened Death Metal

Cabinet, also known as Sxuperion since 2014 and member of Oreamnos since 2023, is garnering favor among underground metal fans as one of the most unsettling metal musicians of all time due to a perfectly healthy sense of texture.  His album Claustrophobic Dysentery is my current pick for the best war metal album of all time for its masterful use of noise and ambient as frightening textural instruments while the black and death metal guitars reached extremities unheard of before.  I wasn't going to listen to a lot of metal albums for a while sine I want to get some more albums of other genres in my top 1000, but for Cabinet I will maliciously and gleefully break that rule like a Kitkat bar.

On "Masticated Inurnment of Dysphagiactic Soils," We start with an oddly dissonant death take on black noise which intentionally varies in production quality going from too noisy to proper to totally atmospheric, and we see the shifts just like this through the entire album.  it's like a fucking Neurosis track.  This is the typical genre-shifting behavior I expect from Cabinet, but they're clearly more focused on the black noise atmosphere taking a stronger, fuzzier charge than what was seen on previous albums.  The four minutes here masterfully shift from one place to another, while its noise also creates an industrial atmosphere that gives it an almost science fiction approach.  The way I see it, this has to be classified as an avant-garde metal album, as its experimentation is heavy and unrelenting.  Just listen to track 9, Worms Squirming Into Your Occiput / Turning To Mush, and tell me this does not qualify as an experimental album.

For the best example, the title track shows no hesitation in delivering weird and wild collections of black noise and dark ambient teaming together to create unsettling Blut Aus Nord style atmospheres.  This is the slowest track so far, and definitely the most disturbing, as there is less of a mechanic feel to it and is more traditional in the vein of general extreme metal.  This welcome addition to both the diversity and flow of this ever so unpredictable with a singular strong persence throughout really displays Cabinet's unwavering willingness to fuck around and just creep you out to the point of vomiting.

Some of these songs, however, are pure experiments in texture.  While these two minute songs will be packed with shifts from one general sound to another, these songs still feel too short in the end, especially since four of these songs take up the entire middle section.  This is a similar criticism I give to several songs on Low by David freakin' Bowie.  Although, the progression of these songs was nice, and almost akin to the variety of the so-called "melody" that took up much of side B of Abbey Road.  The nature recordings at the end of track 7 were especially welcome.  Even within the two minute songs, we never know what robotic or ghostly sirens will overtake any noisy, industrial guitar rhythms or when the next tidal wave of pure black noise will assault us.  However, it should be said that, while "Worms Squirming Into Your Occiput / Turning To Mush" is a fine example of this experimentation, its second half is too long and a little unwelcome.

Well, I'm once again very happy with the direction Cabinet took.  I've been eagerly awaiting another Cabinet ever since I discovered them, and I was hoping this would end up just as experimental as ever.  This is a finer example of what trying to be creative with an otherwise lacking genre can do.  Bestial black metal needs more bands like Cabinet, and along with Claustrophobic Dysentery, this is proof.  Even though this album has some flaws stemming from lengths, this is a weird and unique black metal album and one that I highly recommend.

96/100

39
Daniel

US War Metallers Antichrist Siege Machine have a new album out on 19th April.

Preview track "Vanquishing Spirit" sounds great:


103
Daniel

Etoile Filante - Mare tranquillitatis (2024)

Well, this is a bit of a strange one, I must say. Mare tranquillitatis is an album of synth-heavy cosmic black metal, so your first question I would imagine is "So what is so unusual about that?" The strangeness comes from both the sound of the synths, which is of a vintage, 1970's type, typically employed by the likes of Hawkwind on their late Seventies and early Eighties albums and the prominence of said synths in the mix. In fact, for significant portions of the album, the black metal component seems to be acting in support of the synths rather than vice-versa. Yet, somehow the band make this work far better than I would have expected, even though I found it to be a little distracting at times.

The black metal component is reasonable enough, if not exactly earth-shattering, with a decent quota of fiery blasting and the vocals possessing the requisite distant-sounding banshee shrieks which we all expect as a minimum from our atmospheric black metal. But then, where your usual atmo-black album fills out the atmosphere with an additional layer using often quite reedy and thin-sounding synths, Etoile Filante go a whole other way and dollop on the retro-sounding synths in a way that often pushes them as the focus of the tracks. What I personally found especially distracting by this though, is how the synths often brought to mind other songs and set my attention wandering away from the matter at hand. For example, there is a point midway through the opener where the synths sound just like parts of the Queen soundtrack for the Flash Gordon movie and, similarly during the next track, Fragments de Poseidonis - d'après Atlantide de Clark Ashton Smith, they felt identical to the mid-section of Hawkwind's Damnation Alley from their 1977 Quark, Strangeness and Charm album, all of which pulled me out of the current listening experience. Of course, I accept that this is a personal problem and most likely won't be experienced by other listeners and the issue doesn't really arise outside of the first two tracks. Either way, the resultant album has an atmosphere I have not encountered too often in a black metal context. I find most cosmic black metal seeks to convey the frigid coldness of interstellar space and the awe-inspiring effect of sources of unbelievable energy such as stars and black holes within this frozen environment, whereas Etoile Filante seem to be taking a warmer, more human-centric view as expressed by the synth-work, which more evokes man-made environments such as starships or orbitals. The final couple of tracks, "Naufragés de l'océan d'onyx" and "Le vent des éternels" strike a much better balance between synths and black metal and, for me, are the best two tracks on the album and this is the main reason I leave the album in a positive frame of mind, I suspect.

I'm not saying it is by any means, but my main worry with Mare tranquillitatis is that, in the crowded black metal world, the untypical synthwork is a "gimmick" to enable it to stand out from the slew of black metal releases destined to hit our shelves and streaming platforms in 2024. It's certainly got me talking about it for one anyway. I hope this isn't the case and the guys are all-in with this from a purely artisitic viewpoint because even though it sometimes doesn't work entirely, it is still an interesting listen throughout.

3.5/5

29
Ben

My first question has got to be "did Daniel really suggest the Equilibrium track?!" I mean, I quite dug it too, surprisingly (it felt very cinematic), but it seems most unlike him.

Quoted Sonny

It was a pretty lean month for me for The North releases so I thought I'd include it in the interest of diversity. It was probably the least offensive track from an album where I found nothing whatsoever that appealed to me.

2
Daniel


This old favourite has finally packed it in after being structurally weakened by the Queensland sun with both elbows having increasingly bigger holes in them. You can kinda see the fade lines where the clothes line sits too. Clothes lines are metal as fuck, aren't they?

3
Daniel

For April please:

Ondfødt - "Tå do dör" (from "Det Österbottniska Mörkret", 2023)

Vampirska - "Feasting on the Dried Blood of Majesties" (from "Torturous Omens of Blood and Candlewax", 2020)


173
Daniel

March 2024

1. Necrowretch - Total Obliteration (from Swords of Dajjal, 2024)

2. Praise the Plague - Astray From Light (from Suffocating in the Current of Time, 2024)

3. Sworn - Calamity Sea (from A Journey Told Through Fire, 2023) [Submitted by Vinny]

4. Theophonos - Willing Power (from Ashes in the Huron River, 2024) [Submitted by Xephyr]

5. Finntroll - Fiskarens Fiende (from Nattfodd, 2004) [Submitted by Xephyr]

6. Sardonic Witchery - Barbaric Bastards of Mass Destruction (from Barbaric Evil Power, 2024) [Submitted by Sonny]

7. Bròn - Dverima noci (from Pred dverima noći, 2020)

8. Revenge - Heathen Hammer (from Triumph.Genocide.Antichrist, 2003) [Submitted by Sonny]

9. Malist - Ode to the Night (from Of Scorched Earth, 2024)

10. Departure Chandelier - Accipitridae (from Satan Soldier of Fortune, 2024) [Submitted by Xephyr]

11. Litosth - The Clay Messiah (from Cesariana, 2024)

12. Paysage d'Hiver - Eintritt in die Sphaeren... (from Winterkaelte, 2001) [Submitted by Sonny]

13. Helleruin - Naar de aarde terug (from War Upon Man, 2021) [Submitted by Vinny]

14. Farsot - Buoyant Flames (from Life Promised Death, 2024)

15. Sadistik Exekution - Spirits Are Komming (from The Magus, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

16. Naglfar - Plutonium Reveries (from Harvest, 2007) [Submitted by Vinny]

17. Abysmal Lord - Golgotha Crucifixion (from Disciples of the Inferno, 2015) [Submitted by Sonny]

18. Equilibrium - Mana (from Sagas, 2008) [Submitted by Daniel]

31
Xephyr

It's been a while since I revisited the debut album from notorious one-man Californian black metal artist Odz Manouk but this feature release has been beautifully timed to come off the back of the very positive experience I had with Yagian's long-awaited 2023 sophomore album "Bosoragazan (Բոսորագազան)" which was one that went pretty close to dragging classic status outta me. "Odz Manouk" is generally considered to be a classic release for the genre in itself & it's certainly very solid but I'm not sure I'd go that far, despite it possessing some admirable qualities. An exceptionally cold & lo-fi production job is the cassette's main calling card & boy is it effective, giving the atmosphere an extra couple of layers of menace & spite. Yagian's vocals are the other highlight as he really nails that evil, tortured & abrasive style perfectly, particulary on the classic opener "A Mymex Omen" which is frankly one of the greatest examples of the genre you'll find. Unfortunately, Odz Manouk can't manage to repeat the dose across the other five songs included with the quality levels showing a bit of unwanted variety as the tracklisting progresses. The very popular "The Indisciplinarian" doesn't do a lot for me in all honesty & is the only genuine weak point in my opinion while closer "The Roaming" is merely acceptable. The other three tracks are all high-quality examples of their type though which makes "Odz Manouk" an essential listen for fans of the US black metal scene. The one element that I think could have been improved is the use of a fairly cheap sounding drum machine which is pretty obvious at times. I don't recall noticing it on "Bosoragazan (Բոսորագազան)" which I consider to be the better record overall. Still... there's a lot to like about Yagian's debut full-length & I've really enjoyed this return visit.

4/5

1
Ben

Yeah, I have to admit it was a quiet month for new North tracks. I agree that modern Inquisition seems to have lost some of what made it so enjoyable in the past. 

I corrected The Amenta track to be off Plague of Locus rather than Lord Kaos' Thorns of Impurity album, which of course the track was originally found on. The Lord Kaos album is now on Spotify too, which is a good thing. Daniel was mates with the guys in the band and I listened to that album a lot in the back end of the 90s.

2
Ben

The Frozen Dawn is awesome too - it's yet another from the masterful Mariusz Lewandowski, so it kind of goes without saying!

4
Sonny

Kostnatění - "Úpal" (2023)

Last year's sophomore album from one-man Minneapolis avant-garde black metal project Kostnatění is a really solid release & should probably come into these discussions somewhere. It's currently sitting solely in The North but it's very clear to me that it should have a dual clan allocation with The infinite as it's made an obvious attempt to sound as strange as possible with a Deathspell Omega influence being pretty obvious in the guitar work. It doesn't all work but the majority of the record is highly engaging, despite being more interesting & intriguing than it is traditionally enjoyable. I'm placing it just behind Odz Manouk's "Bosoragazan (Բոսորագազան)" & Panopticon's "The Rime of Memory".

4/5

11
Daniel

My gut feel from the limited exposure I've had to Medieval Folk Metal is that we may be best to at least rename it to Mittelalter-Metal or Medieval Metal, particularly given that RYM felt strongly enough to do so. It wouldn't take all that much effort as there's not that many releases. A deep dive is certainly required in order to determine if it's really best suited to being a) a subgenre of Folk Metal & b) a member of The North clan at some point.

15
Daniel

Aloha, resident non-hater of Folk Metal here.

What makes it hard is that there are very few Folk Metal releases nowadays that stand alone as a Folk release, rather than being bundled with a Black / Progressive main genre. In all of my 2023 listening, I think the only actual Folk Metal release was Skálmöld's Ydalir, which I liked but wasn't anything to write to MA about unless you're really craving some Viking Metal. There was that Kostnatění release, Úpal that used Folk elements as the backbone of its songwriting but not in a Folk Metal way, so that was another win for wonky Black Metal rather than Folk Metal. I'm just waiting for the new Moonsorrow album. That's coming out, right guys? Any day now. 


I'll be giving Sagas another run here today, as I remember it being very good but very long.

4
Daniel

A bit late, but I did comment on this album earlier on and I'm doing my rounds of catch up today here on the forums as well but wow what a release and I do appreciate the nomination of this one Daniel it definitely hit a spot I didn't know I needed. As I mentioned in the review, this is such a great album to sleep to for some reason the atmosphere is just so cozy.

3
Ben

Another top list this month, Ben. I don't know if it's because the winter is here and the music suits the mood so well, but the last couple have been very good indeed. In fact there wasn't a single track I could say I disliked. Sure there were a couple that were a bit more melodic than I prefer, but they were still fine in their own way. I'm with Vinny in thinking that Faidra track was a particular highlight. Deiphage, Ebony Pendant, Fork Of Horripilation, Glemsel and Auriferous Flame were fantastic too. And let's face it, any playlist with Mayhem, Emperor and Darkthrone is going to kick ass anyway. Nice work Ben and everybody who submitted their selections.

4
Daniel

Just a few separate riffs alternating between each other under guitar leads and this is still one of the best songs I've heard in melodic/symphonic black metal:


113
Shadowdoom9 (Andi)

One last album that is so amazing and unique, yet a reminder about how I should stop my melodic black metal exploration so I don't get highly committed to a genre still out of bounds from my moral comfort (among other reasons). Here are my thoughts:

Windir isn't a band that can be considered just black metal. This is epic melodic/symphonic black metal with colorful leads and mythological lyrics. All that and the genre's usual vocal screams and blast-beats make this sound a unique combo. Valfar was one of the more talented members of the Norwegian black metal scene. He could do everything except drums and clean vocals, which two other band members have done for him. He had an idea to make a black metal band that didn't follow the usual the genre's stereotypes, and he succeeded! Sadly, his life was taken in a blizzard during a trek to his family cabin in his homeland of Norway after his band's 4th album. He had an incredible technique of alternating between only a few powerful melodic riffs throughout the longer tracks. The instruments make the most change, taking turns playing each riff, whether adding more or less heaviness or harmony. All that makes this album an excellent unique journey. RIP Valfar

4.5/5

Yeah, I'm ending this melodic/symphonic black metal exploration early because these kinds of threads are frowned upon, and I've realized that I'm still not ready to travel further into The North. This means any suggestions for my exploration are cancelled (Sorry, Morpheus). Will I try to explore more black metal in the future? No idea, but the time is not now. That's all for this thread, folks!

10
Ben


Let's stick with what unites us and not what divides us, so saying I agree Vinny, the Mānbryne track was a standout and their album is near the top of my list of things to check out soon.  As you've already listened to it, is it any good?

Quoted Sonny

I thought it was solid enough but not outstanding.  My fears of them being Mgla clones were not realised thankfully but I see little here to be attracting the top end of the rating spectrum, however I have only listened through a couple of times.

8
Daniel

Mānbryne - Interregnum: O pr​ó​bie wiary i jarzmie zw​ą​tpienia (2023)


Picked up from The North clan playlist this month, some Polish bm for this wet Thursday afternoon.

114
Ben

This is fucking fantastic Ben. Super-premium atmospheric black metal with a strong & highly original psybient component & some excellent extreme metal drumming. How could I not love that?! The mature use of melody, the knack for building tension & the inherent creativity are simply so impressive. "U.M.A." is the perfect Metal Academy feature release in my opinion as it's criminally underrated & underappreciated.

4.5/5

1
Ben

Nice list again Ben. Of the stuff I was unfamiliar with, Tsjuder and Profane Order chimed with me the most. I haven't ever listened to Rebel Extravaganza before and enjoyed the track from it a fair bit. I also enjoyed the Gespenst and Ifernach tracks.

I'm not sure about the last track by Bríi, I think I will have to check out a bit more from them, but it did pique my interest. Of the stuff I know, Ancient, Deathspell and Altar of Plagues were big yesses. Marduk sounded just how I expected them to and Trhä and Mgla didn't really set my world on fire.

All in all though, an enjoyable couple of hours whilst decorating the living room. How about a new tagline, "The Metal Academy Playlist - makes household chores almost bearable!"

2
Daniel

Windir - "Likferd" (2003)

Norwegian melodic black metallers Windir & I have had a very rocky relationship over the years since I first encountered them very late in my late 1990’s tape trading days. I can vaguely remember digging their 1997 debut album “Sóknardalr” at the time however the melodic black metal movement was still in somewhat of a honeymoon period so it's appeal may have been a touch stronger than it is now that it's been so long since Dissection first ripped us all a new one. I didn’t come into contact with Windir’s more widely celebrated records until 2009 when I took in their three subsequent full-lengths in quick succession with none of them offering me very much in the way of enjoyment. Their accessible & often folky take on the black metal model was very much at odds with my own feelings on what black metal should ultimately be so I found myself struggling significantly the majority of the time. 1999’s “Arntor” & 2001’s “1184” did nothing for me whatsoever but I do have some recollection of Windir’s appeal slowly growing with each release with their final effort “Likferd” coming closest to the mark so this month’s feature release represents a good opportunity to firm up my position on what would ultimately prove to be Windir’s swansong.

Let’s be very clear from the onset, not a lot had changed in the two years since “1184”. Windir had maintained their six-piece lineup & their label Head Not Found Records must have been very happy with the reception for the previous album as they once again engaged former Thou Shalt Suffer bassist Torbjørn Akkerhaugen to produce the band’s fourth full-length album “Likferd” at Akkerhaugen Lydstudio so they were clearly looking to repeat the same formula that had been so successful for them previously. The result is a stunningly glossy sounding record that is as easy on the ear as any black metal release you’re likely to find. The performances are also outstanding with all of the parts being executed with precision. Admittedly the band stay relatively within themselves & keep things uncluttered in the interest of maximum accessibility but I’d still suggest that current Vreid & former Cor Scorpii drummer Steingrim could possibly have upped the ante a bit as his beats are a little lacking in the extremity we’ve come to expect from the genre over the years.

One of the elements that I couldn’t deal with about Windir’s sound previously was their tendency to tip-toe along the borders of the folk metal subgenre. I think most of our regulars will be well aware of my hatred for the vast majority of folk metal releases so I doubt that’ll come as a surprise. Thankfully though, “Likferd” sees Windir keeping their distance from the folk melodies for the most part which was a most welcome discovery. They also indulge in a little more traditional black metal savagery which was also well received with the tracks that offered me the most appeal unsurprisingly matching up with those moments very accurately. There’s still a lot more unintimidating use of melody than I’m comfortable with on “Likferd” though so let’s not get too excited just yet. They’re very much the epitome of the subgenre actually & often accentuate their more epic moments with some borderline cheesy keyboards to further test my patience. Valfar’s vocals aren’t particularly interesting either. They simply sound like ten thousand other black metal front men & don’t stand out all that much due to the fact that I’ve heard it all so many times before.

In fairness, the tracklisting gets off to a decent start with opener “Resurrection of the Wild” being pretty enjoyable. The next four tracks aren’t awful but I can’t say that they offered me too much in the way of appeal. Then we get to album highlight “On The Mountain of Goats” though which is a very solid black metal outing indeed & may even be my favourite Windir track overall to tell you the truth. It's no surprise that it's the least popular track on the album which should tell you something about my compatibility with a band like Windir. At this point I was wondering whether “Likferd” might actually be able to drag a decent score out of me which is a feat that Windir had never come close to achieving in the past. Unfortunately that’s where things descend fairly rapidly though with the last two songs (“Dauden” & “Ætti mørkna”) being absolutely none of my business & ensuring that the album would once again fall on the wrong side of my quality cut-off point.

Look, I don’t think anyone expected me to be dishing out any four-star ratings for a release that sounds like this one but I have to say that Windir had improved a touch with each of their last couple of records being better than the last. It’s perhaps a shame then that band leader Valfar would pass away before he’d had the opportunity to create the release that would eventually see me finally accepting his art. The rest of the band would go on to take part in other Norwegian melodic black metal bands like Mistur, Cor Scorpii & Vreid after Windir disbanded & if you dig those acts then you’ll likely get a lot out of “Likferd” than I do.

3/5

7
UnhinderedbyTalent

Tenebrae - "Serenades of the Damned" (1994)

Having spare time to pursue my exploration of Canadian black metal is a real test at present but this does have the benefit of me being able to take it slowly and not just dive into any release that I find.  Today I wanted to look at some demos and I stumbled across Tenebrae (Latin word for "darkness") and their short discography that matches their short life together.  This five-piece managed just one full-length release before they split up.  Their demo that arrived some two years before their album is a suitably raw affair that contains some Emperor style symphonic keyboards to add into the mix.  The vocalist here is the guy who owns Sepulchral Productions (Martin Marcotte) and he gives a true to style grim and ghastly performance which is the standout performance on the release.  Those keyboards are not well represented in the overall sound and come across as amateurish and border on dungeon synth a little also.

The twin guitar attack works well alongside busy yet not always clear drums.  There's not really a lot on offer here that had not already been done by the Norwegians in the three or four years that preceded this release.  For a demo though, you get thirty-five minutes of sluggishly structured black metal that tries to run before it can walk on some occasions yes, but on the whole is still interesting listening (the last track however is a clusterfuck).  Not essential listening on my exploration but at least the influences are obvious.

Can be located on Bandcamp (on a "pay what you want" basis) or YouTube for anyone who is interested.

3/5

11
Daniel

For a while it was looking like my review of “Reeking Pained and Shuddering” was going the same way of 2020’s “I Speak the Truth…” in terms of me struggling to actually articulate any individual standout parts. As with that later release, the 2007 offering is upon first listen a chaotic and often unsettling affair, but on this particular ride that unsettling nature is delivered beyond just the maelstrom of sounds that we are presented with. To these ears, “Reeking…” presents with a lot more control and conscious effort to disturb the listener with some good old fashioned atmospherics and samples.


Look past the scathing vocals and clatter and clashes of industrial influence and you will hear a cinematic dark ambience to this record. I had to make a rare excursion into using my headphones to truly appreciate the qualities on show here (something which my ears will suffer for today I am sure). The time taken, sat in a dark hotel room with no external distractions to take my focus off the stimulation my ears where receiving gave me the chance to track the proper structures that sit in amongst the torrent of terror of most tracks. These consistent elements seem to take the form of droning atmospheres that provide a dense foundation layer to the tracks.


The samples from various horror films and other macabre sources, work well and add depth to what could otherwise be barren soundscapes in terms of a perceived human touch. Ranging from the dramatic to the downright weird, they offer snapshots of madness into an already demented routine. Here again though is where I struggle a bit with the record. There is a lot going on and so if you are looking for memorability, those snippets that you hold onto, subconsciously or otherwise, then you are going to struggle here. For me, there would be no dialling down of the extremity if a few less ideas made it onto the record as the consistent parts develop an environment all of their own. This is still a good record though, albeit one that I would not consciously be drawn back to on a regular basis. I am coming to view Gnaw Their Tongue releases as occasional jolts to the system to remind me that the blueprint of structures can be torn up and form can be sacrificed for all out expression of the true turmoil within some artists.

3.5/5

2
Ben

Hits this month for me to check out further = Hasard, RUIM, Urfaust

Pleasing familiar artists = BAN, Arkona, Paysage d'Hiver

Skips this month for me =Agriculture, far too upbeat and positive for how I like my bm to be.  Similarly, Liturgy and their bonkers blend of bm, noise and alt/indie rock

Plan on getting some quality time in with the new BAN this week and also want to check out that latest Arkona album based on the track I heard here.  Hasard reminds me a lot of Akhlys so is a natural hit for me.  Listening to the album now and it seems to be my bag.


1
Daniel

Altar of Plagues - "Teethed Glory & Injury" (2013)

Irish post-black metal trio Altar of Plagues have been a really big band in my life ever since I returned to the metal scene after a decade of electronic music indulgence back in 2009. The timing of their debut album “White Tomb” could not have been better & it received quite a few listens from me that year which would subsequently see me venturing back to a couple of the bands early E.P.’s (with admittedly mixed results) shortly afterwards. But it was Altar of Plagues’ 2011 sophomore album “Mammal” that saw the young band truly reaching the top echelon of the black metal spectrum & I still regard it as the finest example of the post-black metal sound I’ve encountered to this day. When the follow-up finally saw the light of day a couple of years later I found it hard to contain my excitement & boy did it deliver!

“Teethed Glory & Injury” is a complex & expansive record that only shows the listener its full array of qualities upon several repeat listens. It sees Altar of Plagues no longer being confined to the shackles of the black metal scene & transcending labels with an outing of pure creativity. In fact, many of the more extreme riffs have very little to do with black metal & one feels that if not for the wonderfully grim vocals of Dave Condon & blast beats of Johnny King that there may not have been much of a link to the most evil & blasphemous of scenes. Some of the more atmospheric & experimental sections draw influence from the post-sludge metal scene, harnessing the splendid production job to great effect.

The album kicks off in stellar fashion with three absolute beauties in the post-rock-inspired opener “Mills” & two spectacular post-black metal monsters in “God Alone” & “A Body Shrouded” before the tracklisting settles a bit over the next couple of songs. Another wonderful highlight appears in the incomparable “Twelve Was Ruin” & at that point I found myself wondering whether I might have a five-star record on my hands. Unfortunately things dip a touch over the remaining three songs but there’s nothing short of four-stars here & the overall result is equally imposing & impressive. “Teethed Glory & Injury” may not quite top its illustrious predecessor but there’s little doubt that it’s the glorious farewell that Altar of Plagues wanted & deserved. The band had never received the credit that was due to them & it was about time the metal world stood up & paid attention. If you’re a fan of bands like Downfall of Gaia, Entropia & Hope Drone then this should be essential listening.

4.5/5

0
Sonny

The past few months I have been listening to a lot of modern day Darkthrone and have reviewed a couple of recent records from the Norwegian legends of black metal, commenting how they sound very little like their bm heyday. This has been something to celebrate in my opinion as they truly have reinvented themselves in comparison to the band that dropped A Blaze... and Transilvanian Hunger some thirty years ago. If ever proof was needed that the influence of black metal era Fenriz and NC is always destined to be alive and kicking then Armagedda are it. Notwithstanding that at the time of this release, Darkthrone were dropping Plaguewielder, one of their less popular releases and one that was certainly far away from the quality of their nineties' output. There is an argument to say that come 2001, Armagedda were better at being Darkthrone than Darkthrone were at the time.

Talk of obvious influences aside, Armagedda themselves were only two years into their existence come the release of their debut album. Having formed as Volkermord in 1999 before changing their name to Armagedda just one year later, the band certainly lived up to their apocalyptic band name with their primitive yet relentless eight song offering to the black metal world. The scathing and impertinent vocals of Graav being a perfect accompaniment to the clumsy and cumbersome riffs he was also responsible for (closing track My Eternal Journey in particular exposes these riff challenges). Yet at the same time when in full-tilt black metal mode (Deathminded), Armagedda more than make a case for them justifying those heady Darkthrone comparisons. Whilst not innovators (who the fuck was in black metal come 2001??) I would not say the Swedes class as imitators either. Their passionate sense of belonging to that second wave sound is obvious for all of The Final War Approaching.

With their thin guitar tone and strong tremolo presence, Armagedda more than make their mark on their debut full-length. If you are looking for a great second wave bm album from after the actual scene itself had been and gone, then you would be hard-pressed to find a better offering than this. Looking at their discography, Armagedda rarely seem to put a foot wrong and why would they based on this solid foundation stone to kick start their back-catalogue?

4/5

3
Ben

In an unexpected quiet couple of days at work, I managed to get through both The Fallen and The North playlists early doors this month.  Standouts for me:

Thantifaxath - Surgical Utopian Love (from Hive Mind Narcosis, 2023) - was aware of these Canadians already and so was delighted to see things opening up with their weird mix of Deathspell Omega meets Jute Gyte alongside BAN sounding atmospherics.

None - Rest (from Inevitable, 2023) - unusually captivating for a depressive black metal release, I found Rest to be almost enchanting in the most desolate and utterly hopeless way imaginable - I listened to the full album today and soon got bored though so will see how it picks up with repeated listens.

Armagedda - Deathminded (from The Final War Approaching, 2001) - looking forwards to reviewing this in the coming month.  I have been on a real conventional black metal kick of late and so the timing of this release being a Feature could not be better.  Wondering how I ever missed these guys to date though.

Blackbraid - The Spirit Returns (from Blackbraid II, 2023) - despite all the hype (and frankly relentless advertising) this guy gets, I have to admit to being underwhelmed with the first record.  This track grabbed my attention though with its melodic yet icy chunks of riffage.

Fen - Scouring Ignorance (from Monuments to Absence, 2023) - up to about my third listen with this record now and although not an outright struggle, it was not as immediate as I had hoped.  This track shows best why it caught me off-guard.  Very aggressive and racing in comparison to what I expected and those clean vocal passages are yet to land with me fully if honest.  Yet at the same time I am still utterly intrigued and want to learn more about the record.

Miserere Luminis - Le sang des rêves (from Ordalie, 2023) - I have seen the dazzling artwork for the album this track comes off already and knew I would have to check it out.  Atmospheric and expansive to boot, the whole album is a joy to behold having played it through a couple of times off the back of this track in the playlist.

1
UnhinderedbyTalent

Tilintetgjort's brand of loose black metal first caught my ear back in March of this year when In Death I Shall Arise first dropped. It was obvious to me from the outset that the millstone around the neck of the album was the production. Whether a conscious decision or not to go with this demo-style of production, it is by far the most limiting and overall distracting element of the experience and is one decision (if consciously made) that would need rethinking the next time out. This compressed sound creates some pretty odd clicking on the drums and adds a condensed layer over the guitars that sees them very much in the background of things, albeit they do not ever sound lost entirely.

However, I think there is enough else going on throughout In Death I Shall Arise to make it on of the more promising offerings of 2023 to date. Me being on a Darkthrone in the past few months is no doubt what taught the AI on my streaming service to suggest Tilintetgjort as a potential like for me. There is a lot of modern black metal on display here but it is more or less all delivered with tether firmly pegged back with Fenriz and Nocturno Culto sitting astride it. At the same time, Tilintetgjort are trying to take an avant-garde direction at times - albeit they lack maturity, direction and an anywhere near decent enough production job to achieve it. There are drum and riff patterns here that are not from any black metal playbook. Whilst I would not go as far as to say they are successful forays every time, the intent is there even if the delivery is at times off. With a better production, the flourishes of expansive structure and timings would land much better. As it stands they are coming out of somersault and landing with too much weight pulling them onto their arse, instead of being able to have the freedom to land and arch their spine to balance the execution out in full.

I still applaud the effort, even though it is only a middle of the range number that I can hold aloft on my judging scorecard. Give these guys a couple of years, a decent studio and a producer who isn't the vocalist in the band and they will be a different prospect. Closing track Dommedagsmonument is where the real promise for future songwritng forays lies. As bold a concept as it is at over twenty-minutes long, the ambition still shines through against the clashing of instruments in the mix. I am watching this space.

3.5/5

9
Ben

There is so much I enjoyed on this month's playlist that I don't quite know where to begin my analysis.  First off, where the fuck have Dauþuz been all my life, weird themed (traditional mining practices and history) black metal from Germany?  What's not to like?  Secondly, why have I not paid more attention to Nightbringer given the Naas Alcameth involvement and I fucking love Akhlys?  Thirdly, Teitanblood are bang up my alley also yet I have dedicated zero attention to them until today (an issue that will be rectified in the coming weeks I promise you).

I didn't mind the Deafheaven track even if I am honest.  I would not describe it as appropriate fodder for The North clan but when viewed as something different it landed okay with me overall, albeit I am not rushing out to discover more.  Plebeian Grandstand were interesting with their odd core/bm mix up going on - will be checking out more of their stuff as a respected internet acquaintance of mine speaks highly of them. 

Other highlights were Odz Manouk,  Sinmara, Inquisition, Zhrine and Sargeist - all of whom I am familiar with of course.

My only gripe was The Great Old Ones.  I have heard a lot of praise for these guys but that track did not justify that praise to my ears.

Thanks Ben for putting together.

7
Ben

Likewise, due to work pressures, time is at a premium right now.

85
Sonny


I have to admit that I don't really know what Shoegaze is, which makes it difficult for me to understand why an album is or isn't considered to be Blackgaze.

Is anyone here experienced enough with Shoegaze to provide a few examples of tracks that have a sound that's recognisable when listening to Blackgaze? To be clear, I could easily go to RYM and look up Shoegaze albums, but I'm hoping to hear something representative of what resulted in Blackgaze, if that makes sense.

Quoted Ben

Basically combine alt-rock with noise rock and dream pop.  Here's a base chart for you to find key differences:

Shoegaze: Loveless by MBV

Both: Souvenirs by Alcest

Blackgaze: Sunbather by Deafheaven

7
Ben


Not enough evil in my North playlist?! That's something I'll have to remedy next month. :skull:

Quoted Ben

I'm looking forward to it already!!

3
Ben

I hit a challenge early on with Andacht. That clean singing on opening track Glück is awful and whilst I accept it adds some ethereal depth to the track it is (to coin Sonny’s phrase from his review) “gimmicky” and far too much so for me. Despite repeated listening to it and acknowledgement that there is a lot more interesting stuff going on than just those vocals, they are still all that I retain from the opening track.

The album does pick up more or less immediately after this though and the true dismal majesty of Lunar Aurora’s brand of atmo-black shines grimly through on Geisterschiff much better than it did on the opening eleven minutes of the record. Here is where the Paysage d’Hiver similarities really start to take hold for me with those cold windy atmospherics that close out the track. The strongest track from the opening half of the release though is Dunkler Mann. Reminiscent of the more straightforward traits of Darkspace with a hint of the earthy symphonia of Sear Bliss for good measure.

Some of the samples seem to veer the album off into a BAN style of experimentation without ever getting into the avant-garde and industrial territories you would associate with the French bm mentalists. In the main though, it is clear that Lunar Aurora knew their talents lay in the more atmospheric aspects of black metal and it is to this strength that Andacht leans upon heavily. Using programmed drums works in the sense that they are kept subtle enough in proceedings to never even be given opportunity to intrude on the softer aspect of the sound. Instead, you can focus on the tremolo riffs and chiming keys of the trio that recorded this. The lunatic vocals that are deployed give me the perfect amount of chaos that I need for the all-round authentic bm experience.

It is not difficult to get lost in the driving intensity of tracks like Findling as they grow in depth over nine-minutes plus. Likewise, it is often the simplicity of basic structures such as the opening 90 seconds of Der Pakt that command just as much attention. The closing track seems to take the levels of vocal lunacy up a couple of notches to finalise proceedings and the whole track possesses a seemingly enhanced energy level that rounds out an overall positive experience.

4/5

3
Daniel

Ben, Sonny, Xephyr... I've encountered this incredible offering of experimental industrial black metal that should be up you guys' alley. Daniel and Vinny, you two can also check it out, but I should warn you, it will take quite some listening time to digest before you can decide what you think of this album.


37
Daniel

Finally got around to this.

The obscure and reclusive nature of black metal artists does occasionally uncover some real gems if you can travel far enough off grid (well, onto YouTube as it happens) to find them. Having never heard of either of these artists going into this EP I was suspicious as to why they had never surfaced in some of the conversations I have with internet peers who firmly reside in the underground part of the scene. Reading Daniel's mini-bio in his review helped me understand why and soon enough I was embroiled in the five tracks on offer, noting almost instantly of the difference between the swarming frenzy of Tukaaria and the more structured and intelligent form of Odz Manouk.

Suffice to say that I much more prefer the contribution of Odz Manouk here. There is a raw energy to the otherwise very accessible structures that really set the two tracks from him apart when compared to those of Tukaaria. Odz Manouk perform some foot-stomping black metal that bashes its way into your memory banks. The Scavenger looms over the listener hovering on ferocious tremolos and haunting atmospherics (and that mauling melodic guitar stab that cuts like a blunt and filthy blade across your flesh on a couple of occasions), whilst those abhorrent vocals just spew all over you. Meanwhile (the personal highlight for me of the release), The Sloth is a beast of a track. Starting off all crawling and rhythmically lumbering it rumbles on for nearly nine perfect minutes of uncomfortable and stifling black metal that rams it's tongue down your throat.

By comparison the Tukaaria tracks lack much in the way of presence for me. Whereas the Odz Manouk tracks stay with me and did so from the first play, the three Tukaaria ones sort of pass me by and I find very little to praise from his offering. If this was just an Odz Manouk EP then we would be seeing the higher scores. However, when taken as a whole the EP is not a consistent entity and so I struggle to get above the halfway point of the scorecard as a result.

3.5/5

2
Daniel

I have done countless double-takes on this album purely on the basis that this was all put together by one person. A Chinese, one man bm project with an output frequency to rival Jute Gyte to boot. As with Jute, there is a lot going on here. The difference here is that not all of the content is bm. As other site members have pointed out there are elements of thrash metal in here and the spazzing delivery of it all definitely smells of mathcore aesthetic (even though there is no such content per se).

Those punishing levels of dissonance do get lost in the swarming chaos overall for me and I find this to come across as being more confused than well fused together. The variety in the content I sense (if I had the time and/or patience) is not that all far apart in terms of a range or scale of variation, but it is so inaccessibly pitched that I cannot bring myself to take the minutes out of my week to try and map out themes. Do not get me wrong, for one man to deliver all this is astonishing, even though it doesn't work all that well for me I have to admire the work. The fact that he is getting this out of a far flung corner of China is only all the more unbelievable. But this admiration can only go so far when I am largely unable to recall any of the record despite playing it four times this morning.

Too many ideas flung at something is never a good combination for my ears and Τρωθησομένη is no exception I am afraid.

3/5

6
Daniel

Deafheaven - "10 Years Gone" (2020)

A live in the studio affair that the band decided to record after the tour they'd prepared for was cancelled due to COVID. It's a splendid outing too & includes material spanning the whole course of the Deafheaven's decade-long career. The production is wonderfully bright & clear & the performances are absolutely spot-on breathing new life into tracks like "Language Games" & album highlight "Baby Blue". There's not anything that falls short of being a very solid example of the post-blackgaze sound here & fans of the band should treat this release as essential listening.

For fans of Alcest, An Autumn For Crippled Children & Lantlôs.

4/5


Here's my updated Top Ten Blackgaze Releases of All Time list:


01. Deafheaven - "Sunbather" (2013)

02. Deafheaven - "10 Years Gone" (2020)

03. Woods of Desolation - "Torn Beyond Reason" (2011)

04. Deafheaven - "Roads to Judah" (2011)

05. Deafheaven - "New Bermuda" (2015)

06. Alcest - "Kodama" (2016)

07. Deafheaven - "Ordinary Corrupt Human Love" (2018)

08. Lantlôs - ".neon" (2010)

09. Alcest - "Écailles de lune" (2010)

10. Sadness - "I Want To Be There" (2019)


https://metal.academy/lists/single/204

8
Ben

It is always a pleasure to listen to Burzum, Dark Space, Ulver or Imperial Dekadenz and so this month's playlist did not disappoint.  I just cannot get on with Aara though despite numerous attempts and I have noted a growing aversion to symphonic bm as I grow older so that wrote off a few tracks for me.  Standouts for me were Totalselfhatred and Conqueror.

I am still trying to get my head around Portrayal of Guilt and Hoplites if honest.  Had no time whatsoever for Amesoeurs or Winterhorde.  Still a strong month as I always come away with something new to check out after listening each month.

3
Ben

Sorry I haven't been adding any suggestions recently, Ben. I haven't been listening to much black metal lately, but I did check out the playlist and it was terrific. The only one that didn't do much for me was Falaise, but I have always struggled with them. Nice to hear a track from Moonsorrow's Tulimyrsky EP - the title track is my favourite Moonsorrow track and Back To North is very good too (despite being a cover). It's always brilliant to hear tracks from Mayhem and Panopticon as well. I really must get it together and check out the new albums from Azaghal and Sarcoptes as both sound great. Nice work once more and I will endeavour to get a suggestion or two in next month.

2
Sonny

I don't have time for full reviews at the moment as work & family life are too hectic at the moment with my wife due to give birth to my third daughter in a week but needless to say that I really enjoyed this feature. Conqueror have managed to produce a very consistent release here although the better tracks tend to be the tighter ones. I would have preferred there were more of the super-intense chromatic guitar solos that the war metal subgenre is known to champion (think Bestial Warlust) but that's not a major criticism because the vocals are gnarly & the blast-beats are relentless. Sure, it's really hard to make out the riffs in this wall of white noise so this isn't a record for the faint hearted but your more seasoned underground extreme metal fans should take solace in the sheer rawness & ferocity on offer which is pure savagery. War metal is very much my bag though so I think I was always gonna enjoy this one.

4/5

2
UnhinderedbyTalent

Svartidauði's is a name I have seen banded about occasionally, yet I haven't taken the plunge with them before, so other than the fact that they are Icelandic and the preconceptions that come with that, then I didn't really know what to expect. Well, for a quick summation, Revelations of the Red Sword takes the best of Deathspell Omega and Blut aus Nord and forge them into an energetic and invigorating black metal maelstrom. It has the edge that dissonance provides, yet it doesn't alienate a more conservative listener like myself by being overbearingly so, but rather it weaves a jagged wall of sound from the disparate threads of dissonance around the framework provided by the pummelling drum battery. And those drums are something to behold - Magnús Skúlason deserves much praise indeed for his constantly shifting, complex and technically superb skinwork that underpins the entire endeavour.

Further praise must go to vocalist/bassist Sturla Viðar Jakobsson whose basswork is great, but his vocals are even more so, sounding more like the howling roar of a wounded beast than the piercing shrieks more usually associated with black metal. The lead guitar work sounds exceedingly complicated and really does feel like guitarist Þórir Garðarsson is weaving disparate strands of sound from the ether and  providing a direct line of communication through to another dimension of reality.

I have found myself becoming irritated at times over recent years by the seemingly endless flow of black metal albums trading in dissonance, but what has come to me like the revelation of the title whilst listening to Revelations of the Red Sword is that what is really annoying me is that too many bands are treading the dissonance path without the necessary skill to do it effectively and so just sound, well, a bit shit. Svartidauði, however are the real deal and this is one killer of a black metal album and many thanks to Vinny for nominating it for this month's feature.

4.5/5

3
Ben

Over recent months I have been neglecting both the Metal Academy monthly playlists and black metal generally, so this afternoon the weather was kind enough to allow me to spend an afternoon in the garden carrying out some much-needed maintenance and thus providing an excellent opportunity to check out this month's playlist for the North. First off, bang-up job Ben, I really enjoyed it and I think it has helped restoke my black metal fire! I was never once tempted to hit the skip button and considering the list contained both Summoning and Gnaw Their Tongues, that is saying something, although both tracks were interesting enough and count as better ones from those two acts, at least for me anyway.

The Drudkh and Leviathan tracks nailed it for me (unsurprisingly as they were both my suggestions in the first place) and the new Thy Darkened Shade track is excellent - as is the album. I quite enjoyed the Deafheaven track which seemed more aggressive than I remember them being and both Vinny's suggestions of Barshasketh and Svartidaudi, along with Nocte Obducta (who I have never heard of before) really piqued my interest. 

I have been looking forward to checking out the Hoplites album, with the track here adding to that anticipation and I am a big fan of Melechesh, so a track from Epigenesis will always be welcome. The only real disappointment was the Satanic Warmaster track - it's ok, but not on the same level as their previous album (from all of eight years prior).

Nice work, Ben and much appreciated. Hopefully I will now be able to keep up with the playlists a bit more going forward.

2
Ben


Scarcity's Aveilut was just horrible.

Quoted Sonny


Interestingly that record has ended up being my number one metal release of the year & I think it's Ben's too. It certainly requires some investment as it's just so unusual on first listen but ultimately won't be for everyone (as we've seen with the drastic variation in scores across our regular contributors).

7
Ben

Believe it or not, Scar Sighted was one of those gateway albums that I listened to back in 2015 when I started digging into black metal. And it took me a long time before I was able to appreciate it in comparison to those Panopticon, Saor and Agalloch records. This was far more brooding, dissonant and uncomfortable. And, despite it all, I could not help but get sucked in by its atmosphere. This is not an avant-garde release like Ad Nauseum with its unending assault of loud noises, uncommon time signatures, and unconventional song structures. Scar Sighted is unashamed to slow down and compliment its black metal pulse with post-metal passages; clean guitars, slower moving percussion and whispered vocals. Most importantly, these styles are complimented well to one another as not to feel like isolated ideas crammed together.

It can certainly be an overwhelming listen at just over an hour. The title track is likely my least favourite on the record as ten minutes seems like far too much and the track loses momentum at a more alarming pace than the records shorter moments. But as a whole...look my background with extreme metal has been challenging the further it diverges into the dissonant and the avant-garde, but this is an exception. I do enjoy this record; not as much as I did back in 2015 however. Scar Sighted is one of those rare examples of avant-garde music done right.

7/10

6
Ben

So with the start of a new year it's once again time to have a look at the covers for all the releases for each clan. I personally like to rate a whole stack of covers all at once, rather than doing them one at a time throughout the year, as it allows me to get a better feel for where each cover sits in comparison to others. With that in mind, I've just rated every cover for releases in the North in 2022.

Here are the releases that are currently competing for the prestigious 2022 The North Cover of the Year Award (i.e. they have 3 or more ratings) :

Stormruler - Sacred Rites & Black Magick

Incandescence - Le coeur de l'homme

Aara - Triade II: Hemera

Blut aus Nord - Disharmonium - Undreamable Abysses

Tómarúm - Ash in Realms of Stone Icons

Saor - Origins

Vorga - Striving Toward Oblivion


If you want to contribute and rate some covers, the easiest way is to go to The Gallery and select The North and 2022.

https://metal.academy/gallery?cid=6&type=overall_cover_rating&myRating=&fromYear=2022&toYear=2022&exclude=0

I look forward to seeing which release gets up for the win!

0

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