The Black Metal Thread

Glad you could check this one out Sonny, looks like you enjoyed it even more than me! It's been in a pretty consistent rotation this year for when I want classic Black Metal sound, but as you said about the riffs they have a knack for writing melodies that provide some modern, extra charm on the back of their old school influences. I don't think it has the standout tracks of A Diabolic Thirst for me, but I think it's a stronger overall album and it may be because I've been spending more time elsewhere this year. 

The Black - "The Priest of Satan" (1994)

I think it's fair to say that 1994 was pretty much the peak of the Norwegian black metal boom. That particular year spawned so many of the greatest releases for the genre which kinda makes sense when you consider that it came two years after Darkthrone & Burzum's had placed the world on notice with their seminal first-up contributions. In a fast-moving movement where live performance was not valued highly, that would prove to be just enough time for the influence of the early gods to be filtered down to other creative & ambitious musicians & to see those influences resulting in new & original sounds. The Swedes were paying close attention too & 1994 would see the likes of Marduk, Dawn, Dark Funeral, Abruptum, Sacramentum, Ophthalamia & Arckanum all having a crack at black metal glory. Amongst the Swedish scene we would find Dissection, a group that had changed the face of black metal with their 1993 debut album "The Somberlain" which had combined the genre with the melodic death metal of their homeland & it would be Dissection's notorious band leader, guitarist & front man Jon Nödtveidt that would be the creative force behind The Black, a pure black metal trio from Eskilstuna, Södermanlands län.

I noticed The Black's debut album "The Priest of Satan" on the shelves of my local record store as soon as it arrived but, given the wealth of exceptional releases that were perpetuating the fast growth the black metal genre was experiencing at the time, I steered clear of committing to it for a couple of months until a close associate of my death metal band Neuropath decided that it should be him that finally made the purchase. I would rip a copy from him right away & would give "The Priest of Satan" a few attentive listens over the next week or so. I don't recall being blown away but I do remember it being a very basic & fairly generic record that focused on the more pure end of the black metal spectrum, a sound that I've grown to value enormously in a world where every man & his dog is now trying to dilute the true essence of black metal with any number of external influences. Despite being mildly entertaining, the album failed to compete with the classic records that Burzum, Mayhem, Emperor, Darkthrone & Enslaved were dishing out at the time (which was admittedly a tough feat to accomplish) & my dubbed cassette copy of "The Priest of Satan" would quickly drift to the back of my tape trading collection. This will be my first revisit since that time, a gap of around three decades.

Recorded and mixed at Underground Studio during April/May 1993 with unknown producer Kribbe Lagerwall collaborating with drummer Make Pesonen (Eternal Darkness/Karjalan Sissit) behind the mixing desk, "The Priest of Satan" achieves a faithful rendition of the classic black metal sound. Pesonen (also known as The Black himself) had self-produced The Black's 1992 "Black Blood" demo tape so he already had some runs on the board when it came to recorded sound production. The result is an uncluttered black metal sound that doesn't try to reach too far outside of the tried & tested model that bands like Mayhem, Marduk & Darkthrone had already traversed but does it in a professional enough way to keep the listener engaged throughout. The occasional addition of atmospheric keyboards from Nödtveidt in order to break things up is most welcome but for the most part the three-piece group tend to stick to the same pathway as their highly celebrated forefathers.

Apart from Nödtveidt & Pesonen, The Black was made up of bassist Marcus Pedersén (Crypt of Kerberos) & the trio had completed the "Black Blood" demo tape with another guitarist who went by the name of Black Demon. That individual had been dropped from the lineup by the time "The Priest of Satan" was recorded but the material had not with all seven tracks included on "Black Blood" having been revisited for the album which amounted to twelve songs at just under 39 minutes in duration. The material is extremely consistent & if you find yourself enjoying the first proper black metal song "The Book of Leviathan" then you'll likely find enjoyment in the remainder of the album as well as it doesn't stray too far from the formula showcased in the opener. In fact, it's really hard to pick out any highlights here as the album is simply so similar in terms of quality. If pushed though, I'd probably suggest that “Black Blood”, "After My Prayers" & "The Goat of Mendes" might be the most memorable inclusions for me personally. Admittedly none of them really get me going all that much because, I'm not gonna lie, The Black have produced a fairly middling record here & one that's the very definition of a 3.5-star album in that it's unanimously enjoyable but rarely all that compelling.

Nödtveidt's riffs are purposely kept very simple with only a few chords changes within the predominantly tremolo-picked assault. You should be able to pick up the basslines of Pedersén fairly easily but they generally only double to bass notes of the riffs while Pesonen's drumming alternates between some fairly basic blast-beats & some equally simple lower-tempo 4/4 beats. The blackened screams of Nödtveidt are the clear highlight of The Black's sound but even they don't sound all that dissimilar to any number of other black metal front men. As boring as all that sounds though, I can't deny that The Black pull it all off really well & rarely disappoint. Perhaps that's not too surprising given the presence of Nödtveidt but what is surprising is that one of his projects is so happy to stay within the lane of what had already been done so many times before, even back in 1994. Still, for a third-tier black metal release, you could certainly do far worse than "The Priest of Satan" as there's a clear & consistent competence in the way The Black handle themselves.

Look, if you're looking for an unheralded gem of the black metal underground then I'm not sure you'll find it here but you could also do a lot worse than "The Priest of Satan". The inclusion of a few well executed ambient sections can't hide the fact that The Black had opted for pure emulation over any attempt at creating an original take on the genre though & I'm not surprised that I haven't returned to the album over such a long period. Still... there's nothing terribly offensive to be found on this old Swedish black metal release & it ticked most of my boxes for an entertaining drive to & from work on Friday.

For fans of Armagedda, Throne of Ahaz & The Abyss.

3.5/5

Impaled Nazarene - "Suomi Finland perkele" (1994)

Finnish black metallers Impaled Nazarene & I got off to a rip-roaring start to our relationship back in 1993. I'd been recommended their debut album "Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz..." by a close associate of mine who worked at a Sydney metal record store by the name of Rock 'n' Roll Warehouse & had subsequently purchased it blind, culminating in a very positive & enjoyable few months of beer-drinking blasphemy. The follow-up album "Ugra-Karma" achieved almost as enthusiastic a response ten months later & saw Impaled Nazarene being confidently carved into my preferred band list. It also resulted in me religiously checking out the band's work for the rest of eternity, initially through their 1991 "Taog Eht Fo Htao Eht" demo tape & 1992 "Goat Perversion" E.P., both of which I quite liked. So, needless to say that I was feeling pretty hopeful when I returned home from the shops with Impaled Nazarene's third full-length CD in two years "Suomi Finland perkele" in October 1994 but my first few listens left me a little cold if I'm being honest. I would give the album a red-hot crack over the next month or so but it failed to capture me like the first two albums did & I'd soon cast it aside as a decent but inessential inclusion in the band's back catalogue. Yesterday's revisit is the first time I've returned to "Suomi Finland perkele" since the mid-1990's & I was hopeful that my reduced level of expectation might allow me to connect with the album on a deeper level.

July 1994 would see Impaled Nazarene returning to the same recording studio that had been so successful for them with their first two records in Kemi's Tico Tico studio. The strong production job on those two releases was certainly a selling point for me & "Suomi Finland perkele" doesn't disappoint in that department either with legendary Finnish metal producer Ahti Kortelainen once again affording Impaled Nazarene a clear yet powerful black metal sound with a huge snare drum. In fact, I feel like Kortelainen's contributions to the early Impaled Nazarene records were almost as important as that of the instrumentalists to be honest as he gave the band an accessibility that they may not otherwise have achieved. There had been no lineup changes between debut album "Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz..." & third album "Suomi Finland perkele" & I feel that this could only have had a positive effect on the Impaled Nazarene's ability to naturally evolve from the battering war metal-inspired sound of their early works to a more traditional & slightly more melodic black metal sound over the course of those first few releases. The tongue-in-cheek element that was so obvious on those early releases is still very much at play on "Suomi Finland perkele" though & it once again feels like it's not intended to be taken all that seriously.

Critics of the band will likely refer to Impaled Nazarene as simplistic, one-dimensional &... well... a bit dumb... & I can certainly understand that point of view as there's not a lot of depth to a lot of their back catalogue. There is a level of creative integrity here though with the Luttinen brothers branching out from flat-chat black metal a little here & there. The melodic "Blood is Thicker Than Water" sees them taking a crack at a more atmospheric black metal sound while "Let's Fucking Die" gets its Motorhead on big-time with a pure black 'n' roll approach. Neither appeal to me much though which is fairly telling as I've always preferred the more intense & often grindcore-influenced end of the Impaled Nazarene spectrum. You get a bit of that here too but not nearly as much as we'd seen on the first two albums. With the exception of those two songs I already mentioned, the majority of the tracklisting is quite enjoyable with the fairly straight-forward "Ghettoblaster" being the only other dud. There aren't any certified classics here though & that's a major flaw with "Suomi Finland perkele". Hell, there isn't even anything that I'd suggest is crying out for playlist inclusion either to tell you the truth with the band failing to break out of the third tier on this occasion. "Steelvagina" (my personal favourite) & "Genocide" come the closest but even they only seem to achieve a mild amusement as opposed to an emphatic fist in my musical face. I dunno.... I certainly find "Suomi Finland perkele" to be a predominantly enjoyable experience but I can't say that it compares well with Impaled Nazarene's first two albums & I can completely understand why I haven't returned to it in so long as there has been a clear step down taken from past glories.

Perhaps it's simply a matter of taste as I've always favoured a darker & more intense form of extreme metal than your average metalhead but "Suami Finland perkele" seems like a slightly watered down version of the Impaled Nazarene that I so enjoyed during their early days. There's no doubt some enjoyment to be found in it if you allow yourself to overcome the tongue-in-cheek elements of the Nazarene approach but the added touch of melody doesn't work as well with these very straight forward song structures in my opinion. The blackened doom track "Quasb/The Burning" was an interesting inclusion but even then it stops short of commanding repeat listens which kinda sums up the appeal of an album like "Suomi Finland perkele". I see it as more of a supporting cast member in the feature film of Impaled Nazarene's early albums which is a bit of a shame but it's still a fun listen for those members of The North who can see past the mystical shadows of their maces & candelabras for a while.

For fans of Sadistik Exekution, Impiety & Belial.

3.5/5

Dark Funeral - "Dark Funeral" E.P. (1994)

I’ve wasn’t even slightly aware of Swedish black metallers Dark Funeral when Ben brought home a CD copy of their self-titled debut E.P. shortly after it was released. I’d only recently been successful in converting Ben to the dark art of black metal & we were now collaborating in our blasphemous indulgences. Dark Funeral were one of the rare crop of extreme metal artists to appear without first paying their dues in the underground tape trading scene through cheaply recorded demo tapes so it’s not too surprising that I hadn’t come across them previously. They were already a very professional act though & I found myself really digging Ben’s new purchase, perhaps even more than he did to be honest. I think I’ve always been a little more inclined towards the more pure & faithful reenactments of the core extreme metal genres whereas Ben seems to command a little more in the way of innovation. Whatever the case may be though, I harbour many fond memories of the “Dark Funeral” E.P. & have returned to it several times over the years so I’ve been looking forward to this week’s revisit for some time now.

“Dark Funeral” was recorded & mixed at Sweden’s Unisound Studios in January 1994 under the watchful eye of renowned metal producer Dan Swanö & would mark the initial release for the newly formed Sweden extreme metal label Hellspawn Records. Swanö ensured that Dark Funeral received a suitably bright, clear & exciting production job here too with the E.P. sounding very professional for a first up effort. The drums cut through the mix nicely while the guitars are beautifully unified & the vocals are positioned in a commanding position at the front of the black metal assault. The four-piece band also show themselves to be quite capable musicians who clearly had a good understanding of their craft, not just focusing on writing cool riffs but also creating catchy hooks through intelligent song-writing.

“Dark Funeral” certainly isn’t the most original black metal release you’ll find & there is merit in those that claim it to be generic, even for 1994. If you need something fresh & different in your metal then I’d suggest that this record may not be for you. If you simply enjoy well-executed black metal with an authentic atmosphere though then you’ll no doubt find plenty to enjoy here. Dark Funeral had clearly spent a fair bit of time with records like Marduk’s “Those of the Unlight”, Immortal’s “Pure Holocaust” & Emperor’s self-titled E.P. when they wrote this material as there are regular points of reference included but there’s also an underlying melodicism to Dark Funeral’s sound that hints at a strong affiliation with Dissection’s classic debut album “The Somberlain”, particularly in closing track “In the Sign of the Horns”. This isn’t as brutal a Dark Funeral release as some of their later material would have you believe either. It’s simpler & catchier than a lot of their back catalogue which arguably makes it a more accessible listen as it doesn’t require the listener to absorb a constant wall of blast-beats.

The four-song tracklisting is quite consistent with the quality levels ranging from pretty decent to very solid. None of these pieces threaten to reach classic status & I think that was always gonna be a struggle when you settle for such a tried & true (not to mention fairly simple) format. Opener “Open The Gates” & my personal favourite “My Dark Desires” are excellent examples of their type though, only being held back a little by some fairly immature lyrics. I mean, “Open the Gates…. Sataaaaaaannnn” isn’t exactly poetry or gothic literature now, is it? The best moments come when guitarists Lord Ahriman & Blackmoon (Necorphobic/War) hit on a genuinely dark riff with bass player Themgoroth’s searing black metal screams summoning you towards a life of evil. Themgoroth is a real highlight here actually, despite the fact that his basslines are pretty hard to make out in the mix. It won’t surprise too many of you that I find the darker & more brutal parts of the release to be far more enjoyable than the more melodically inclined ones though with drummer Draugen (Sigrblot/Svartsyn) making a reasonable fist of his task, even if he’s not in the same league as some of his replacements like the infamous Dominator who is one of the best in the business.

Look, “Dark Funeral” certainly isn’t the most remarkable of black metal records but it does make for an entertaining sixteen minutes of blasphemy & hellfire. The extra space & greater concentration on song-writing make it arguably Dark Funeral’s most memorable release too which has led me to keep checking out each subsequent record the band have pushed out over the three decades since. If you like your black metal in the classic style of the Second Wave with that signature Swedish melodic twist then “Dark Funeral” should definitely be on your list.

For fans of Marduk, Setherial & early Emperor.

4/5

My first new album of 2025 gets the year off to a pretty good start:

Barshasketh - Antinomian Asceticism (2025)

Barshasketh originated in New Zealand in 2007 and was comprised of multi-instrumentalist, Krigeist (Bròn, Belliciste, Sluagh) and drummer Maldoror. Sometime after the release of their debut album, Defying the Bonds of Cosmic Thraldom, Krigeist relocated to Edinburgh in Scotland, recruiting Cnoc an Tursa drummer, Bryan Hamilton, into the ranks and adding a second guitarist in Haar's Guillaume Martin. The lineup is nowadays a four-piece, Hamilton having moved on with current drummer, Finland's Mika Kallio, of Seal of Beleth, also contributing vocals and keyboards and Falloch's Ben Brown on bass. I was quite the fan of the band's previous, self-titled, album released in 2019 with it's no-nonsense approach and resistance to any genre hybridisation that has plagued black metal in recent times, so was looking forward to a new release. Thankfully Barshasketh have delivered and may have produced their best release to date.

The first point of particular note is the more muscular production job which has boosted the bottom end and thickened the band's sound when compared to previous releases. I like how it adds power and heft to the tracks, although there may be some backlash from fans against the loss of the more typically thin and trebley sound of yore. Not to fear, the tremolo riffing is all still present and correct, but the rhythm section has definitely benefitted from the meatier production job and truly provide the roaring velocity behind the individual tracks.

Songwriting-wise, Antinomian Asceticism is quite a busy affair, with multiple tempo changes that sees the band switching into crawling doom metal mode on several occasions in amongst the swarming savagery of the tremolo riffs and withering salvos of blastbeats. Many of the riffs are fairly memorable and even, dare I say, melodic at times, but this is offset by a penchant for quite dissonant guitar leads that introduce some jaggedness into proceedings and prevents the tracks from becoming too catchy. This dichotomy at the heart of Antinomian Asceticism is further bolstered by the vocal performances. The main vocals are a harsh, gurgling shriek which are occasionally accompanied by solemn, chant-like cleans, providing a contrast to the aggressive harshness of the lead vocals and imparting emotional tension between peaceful, ritualistic reverence on one hand and chaotic aggression on the other.

Whilst still flying under the radar to some extent, Bashasketh are undoubtedly proving themselves to be a very tight unit. They are technically proficient, as well as being efficient songwriters with a consummate skill for producing high quality, uncompromising black metal, yet which embraces a modern sound that marks them out as more than mere 1990's copyists. Hopefully this new album will see the band emerging from out of the shadow of lesser lights and gaining the respect that their quality deserves.

4/5

Nice! I didn't mind Barshasketh's last couple of albums but haven't gotten around to listening to their new one yet. I'll place it on my to-do list.

Negura Bunget - "Om" (2006)

Revisiting some of the discoveries I made during my time here at Metal Academy and I had clean forgotten I had this on CD.  Still as impressive to my ears as it was when I reviewed this back in 2021:

It would be fair to say that my first encounter with Negura Bunget was not a resoundingly positive experience. My review of their 2002 offering ‘N Crugu Bradului alluded to me finding their lack of grounding to be disorientating and confusing. The obstacles that I hit there were in a shortened format for a full-length release at only four tracks and came across as being a gush of ideas without any of them really being developed fully and thus it sounded like they were just there for the hell of it.

Fast forward four years and the band released what many have claimed to be their crowning glory in the equally varied and more expansive, Om. From the off, I get along with this record instantly as it has presence that is felt before we ever get to any music being played. The ambient and haunting opening track might sound to some like a man whispering and eventually shouting in a field but to the more conscientious listener there is a dark undertone set by this opening three minutes on the album that never leaves. In fact, it permeates the album as it pervades all eleven tracks. Even in the “jollier” folk moments there is still this sense of a mournful tone to proceedings.

It is not that Om uses less influences as such or borrows from less genres and styles. It is obvious this time around that this glut of directions gets applied much more coherently on the album. Ideas feel much more well-developed here and not just thrown together. As the album evolves it unlocks folk, ambient, black metal, post-rock and progressive passages that may not always compute as being the next logical step in a track or indeed the track listing itself, but they are executed with such attention to detail that they rarely fail to hit the spot.

This album is far too much to take in on one listen. As a standalone record – which is how I really should be viewing it given my limited experience of the band – this is a truly remarkable opus that requires close and repeated listening to truly understand the extent of its depth. There are elements of symphonia thrown in here that could fall out of any Emperor or Summoning record, but they are not too grandiose to become a distraction.

It is an album that is driven by an engine of drums that at first listen you might not pick up on the quality of. My limited understanding of the band is that the now deceased drummer was the last remaining member of the band following the exit of all other members. The performance here (before the reshuffle) is commanding without being domineering, so the drums feel like they are maintaining the pace but are not entirely steering things on their own. With clever little runs and fills they make for a very entertaining venture when listened to in some sense of isolation from the rest of the instrumentation and vocals.

My overarching thoughts on Om are very positive. The album may well be conceptual in some parts given the epic sense of it being some movie soundtrack. Alternatively, it may just be very well written and could well be the career defining release that I have heard it described to be.

4.5/5

Of all of the more widely acclaimed black metal acts on the planet, Negura Bunget is one that I've always struggled with to be honest. I go into each revisit with an open mind & high hopes but inevitably find myself tentatively backing away with my hands up & a look of confusion on my face.

Marduk - "Opus Nocturne" (1994)

I've always found this to be one of the Swedish black metal establishments better records. It works as somewhat of a transition album between the more measured & melodic "Those of the Unlight" & the relentless blastfests that were to come over the coming years in that it offers a piece of both worlds. The black metal atmosphere is certainly here in spades & there are no weak tracks included however there are a couple of things that prevent "Opus Nocturne" from reaching the top tier. Firstly, there's nothing original about this material that you haven't heard many times before, even back at the time of release. And secondly, drummer Fredrik Andersson (Allegiance/Triumphator) was still yet to fully develop his skill set & contributes a sloppy & fairly repetitive performance here with his blast beat often struggling for timing. Still... vocalist Jocke Göthberg (Cardinal Sin/Darkified/Dimension Zero) sounds vicious & evil with his tone being similar to Emperor's Ihsahn while the instrumentation shows a clear understanding of what made black metal so great at the time. While it may not have topped "Those of the Unlight", "Opus Nocturne" should really be in every dedicated black metallers collection & showcases just how far the Swedes had come since releases like their 1992 debut album "Dark Endless" or their 1991 "Fuck Me Jesus" demo.

For fans of Dark Funeral, 1349 & Funeral Mist.

4/5

Ved Buens Ende..... - "Those Who Caress the Pale" demo (1994)

You know what? As much as I've always dug the highly regarded "Written in Waters" album from these Norwegians, I can't deny that I gravitate to this demo more. It's very well produced for a demo yet still showcases the band's incredible knack for creating beauty in dissonance, rarely feeling avant-garde & maintaining more of the classic Norwegian black metal ethos I love so much. "The Carrier of Wounds" is one of the greatest achievements in forward-thinking black metal & it alone pushes this five-song release up into the upper echilons of my rating system while the other four inclusions are invariably classy & intriguing too. There are a couple of songs that I'd suggest fall into the progressive metal space but it's not enough to qualify for The Infinite in my opinion though.

For fans of Dødheimsgard, Fleurety & Code.

4.5/5

Gràb - Kremess (2025)

I was around some thirty albums into a black metal in 2025 discovery trip this week and if I am honest, I was starting to despair. Other than a couple of brief glimmers of hope which I will save the detail of for some further reviews, I was starting to think that 2025 was going to be a barren year. Now, there are a couple of caveats to that initial view, the first being that in general I make no effort to stay on top of new releases. Secondly, I am solely going off the new bm releases added to MA, so there will inevitably be gaps at whatever point of the year I bother to look since we cannot possibly capture all releases in these output trigger happy days that we live in. Anyway, after sitting through two of Drowning the Light’s five albums they have released so far this year, and wondering why the hell I was bothering, I finally landed on German duo, Gràb (German for “grey/old”).

I have listened to a lot of black metal over the years and the albums that I hold in high regard all exude passion for their artform. In a sub-genre that champions the minimalist approach it is easy to become lost in a sea of raw, primitive and yet utterly emotionless music. There is absolutely a time and place for that, however with where I am at in my bm musings nowadays I like to hear some heart in what I am listening to. Luckily for me, Gràb are full of passion for what they do. Yes, the melodicism helps no end here. That smattering of doomy atmosphere also does much to enhance the experience. But at the very core of Kremess is the undeniable presence of musicians revelling in what they love doing and in turn letting the listener revel in the majesty of the music they produce.

The Bavarian lyrics may be completely undecipherable to me, but it does not matter one bit. I feel I can still connect with the whole experience of Kremess regardless. There is a lot going on instrumentally here as well. With viola, flute and dulcimer all being deployed alongside keyboards, guitar, bass and drums, Kremess offers a real gamut of instrumentation. Yet nothing is ever allowed to override the core bm offering of the band’s sound. As eclectic as some of the instrument choices may seem, they are cleverly deployed and incorporated into the overall aesthetic. Gràb know how to write songs, and it shows in abundance here.

Produced by Empyrium’s Markus Stock, the members of Empyrium contribute light touches to parts of the album. The choral elements Thomas Helm adds on Im Hexnhoiz (A Weihraz-Gschicht, Kapitel Oans) and Deifeszeig add real depth to both tracks with the former being one of the standout moments on the album for me. It would be easy to get fooled by the slightly amateur (yet still somehow charming) artwork on the album cover that this is a base bm record that will be full icy atmospherics, and do not get me wrong, they are there. However, Kremess possesses a majesty to the grim musings that make up the eight tracks on offer. My initial fear that it was too long at fifty-five minutes was soon dispelled as the arrangement of the album is just as top notch as the content.

Triumphs such as Vom Gråb im Moos (A Weihraz-Gschicht, Kapitel Zwoa) at the midway point of the record and on album closer Dà letzte Winter, make the duration seem more than worth it. This record ends as strong as it starts, something which I rarely feel listening to new music nowadays. Hands down the best release of 2025 so far, Kremess restores my faith in black metal amidst the slew of gazey, avant garde releases (who needs samba black metal??) that was starting to seem the norm so far this year. It does of course also set the bar high from here on in.

5/5

Ninkharsag - "The Black Swords of Winter" (2025)

Liverpool (UK) based black metallers, Ninkharsag caught my attention with their sophomore, The Dread March of Solemn Gods back in 2021. Claiming four well-earned stars for their efforts on that one, the future looked promising for what started out as a one-man project back in 2009 and had since grown into a four-piece band. Their brand of charging, rampant melodic black metal, instantly brought the likes of Dissection and Sacramentum to mind. Coupled with some Watain-like intensity, the sound of Ninkharsag soon found favour with these ears.

This EP nicely scratches my Ninkharsag itch as I wait for the next full-length. Continuing their themes of ancient history, magic and occultism, The Black Swords of Winter is a raging torrent of melodic black metal that ticks more than enough boxes for me over the six tracks on offer. Suitably opened by a moody and atmospheric intro track, the EP soon picks up the pace and barely lets up for the next twenty-two-minutes. Muhammad Candra’s artwork absolutely represents the icy content that lies within. As the flames of the dragon on the cover suggest, any burn here is a cold one.

It is nice to find a band in my local area that are forging a solid path through a ton of (mostly) unremarkable black metal releases so far this year. The nods to the Swedish bands mentioned above never feel like unbridled worship and they retain a freshness to the sound, like new life is somehow being breathed into a tried and tested formula. Looking forwards still to the next full length offering, if they can keep this standard up, it should be another winner.

4/5

Satyricon - "The Shadowthrone" (1994)

I picked the Norwegian black metal trios sophomore album up on CD shortly after release & really enjoyed it, despite never overcoming the feeling that Satyricon ascend out of the second-tier. The folk influence that perpetuated the band's debut album "Dark Medieval Times" is less prominent here while "The Shadowthrone" is a little more grim & abrasive. The symphonic element proves itself to be a valuable asset at times, without ever feeling like touching on full-fledged symphonic black metal. I really love Satyr's vocal contribution which is the epitome of what a black metal front man should be & tends to carry the record while the instrumentation is a touch inconsistent with quite a few disappointing sections scattered across the tracklisting. "Vikingland" & "I en svart kiste" are both pretty substandard while album highlight "Dominions of Satyricon" is some of Satyricon's best work & compliments a trio of solid inclusions to kick off the album. Ben's review indicates that there's a big Viking metal component included but I wouldn't go that far. I think the sections he's referring to are simply poorly executed black metal that contains structural similarities to Isengard's groovy beer-swilling moments. This is one of the reasons that I prefer "Dark Medieval Times" over "The Shadowthrone" but there's not all that much between them when viewed holistically so I'd still recommend Satyricon's second album to all of our The North members.

For fans of Taake, Emperor & Darkthrone.

4/5

The new Deafheaven album, which has been out a whopping four days has now gone to #1 on the RYM all-time black metal album chart with 4000 ratings. WTF is going on over there?