What Are You Listening To Now - The North Edition
Panopticon - Kentucky (2012)I have grown really fond of this record in recent weeks (think I picked up on it from a track on the North playlist the other month). It is such a well composed album that deals with a very emotive subject very sensibly in terms of how the folk, bluegrass and black metal elements are deployed to tell the story. Need to find time to get a review done on this so will hold off rating at this stage.
My favourite Panopticon album and one of my favourite atmo-black records. A metal album dealing with a labour dispute is a rare thing indeed, but then again Austin Lunn is a rare individual in the world of black metal.
Mare Cognitum - Solar Paroxysm (2021)
First time listening to this band and have to say I am already massively impressed by just the power of the opening track on here.
Incredible record, my favorite of 2021 so far. I'm really impressed that he was able to follow up Wanderers: Astrology Of The Nine from last year with something that might be his best work yet.
Damn right guys. This is a great record from a fantastic talent. I feel it's got a bit more bite than his more cosmic-sounding earlier releases. My amber vinyl copy was waiting for me when I got home from work today, so looking forward to spinning that up this Easter weekend. It's a really nice gatefold package that looks almost as good as the Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine vinyl release.
Spectral Lore - III (2014)
Damn Mare Cognitum get me all like atmospheric and shit this week so pulled out this beauty of a record from 7 years ago. Need to be spinning this more to get back in my head. This guy knows how to write and of course did a split/collab with Mare Cognitum that I need to check out also.
Hey Vinny, Spectral Lore has actually done a couple of collab / splits with Mare Cognitum - 2013's Sol and last year's Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine, both of which are really great, especially Wanderers. Both bands are extremely accomplished at the whole cosmic black metal thing, don't you think?
Hey Vinny, Spectral Lore has actually done a couple of collab / splits with Mare Cognitum - 2013's Sol and last year's Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine, both of which are really great, especially Wanderers. Both bands are extremely accomplished at the whole cosmic black metal thing, don't you think?
Yeah both are superb and both discographies need some Vinnytime spent with them.
Forhist - Forhist
I think Forhist was already mentioned somewhere in The North but I've been consistently going back to this one and I'm impressed every time. This is a solo offshoot of Blut Aus Nord with frontman Vindsval and it sounds fantastic, I love the subtle dynamic choices on it throughout. The blast beat snare growing and lessening in volume is something I don't think I've heard out of Atmospheric Black Metal and this makes me want to hear more of it in the future. The atmosphere is great too, with all of the classic sounding electronics blending in wonderfully. This release might grow even more on me through the year, even though the final two songs might be a bit of a letdown, I'll have to see.
Satyricon - Dark Medieval Times
I'm getting dangerously close to finally completing the 1st Decade Black Metal list and this was definitely a cool one. The way it incorporates a folk/fantasy atmosphere into an aggressively grindy Black Metal album is neat, even though it's definitely flawed in a lot of ways.
I've got 5 more old Black Metal albums to review and it's getting tough, I feel like I'm really starting to repeat myself. I might go back and redo my In The Nightside Eclipse review since that album deserves more than one paragraph, but I'm not sure.
Satyricon - Dark Medieval Times
I'm getting dangerously close to finally completing the 1st Decade Black Metal list and this was definitely a cool one. The way it incorporates a folk/fantasy atmosphere into an aggressively grindy Black Metal album is neat, even though it's definitely flawed in a lot of ways.
I've got 5 more old Black Metal albums to review and it's getting tough, I feel like I'm really starting to repeat myself. I might go back and redo my In The Nightside Eclipse review since that album deserves more than one paragraph, but I'm not sure.
Always been a big fan of this album. I probably rate it too highly due to how important it was for me as a teenager.
Forhist - Forhist
I think Forhist was already mentioned somewhere in The North but I've been consistently going back to this one and I'm impressed every time. This is a solo offshoot of Blut Aus Nord with frontman Vindsval and it sounds fantastic, I love the subtle dynamic choices on it throughout. The blast beat snare growing and lessening in volume is something I don't think I've heard out of Atmospheric Black Metal and this makes me want to hear more of it in the future. The atmosphere is great too, with all of the classic sounding electronics blending in wonderfully. This release might grow even more on me through the year, even though the final two songs might be a bit of a letdown, I'll have to see.
Just listening through the track on the North playlist for this month. Good stuff (as expected), melodic and dark in equal amounts.
Spectral Wound - A Diabolical Thirst (2021)
What an icy cold blast this is on a bank holiday Monday morning. Previously unknown to me until this weekend, this unforgiving yet unexpectedly melodic at times album is a real treat. Need to spin a few more times before getting a review up.
Vreid - The Morning Red from Wild North West
Never heard Vreid before but I have been playing their latest album over the weekend after a promo track on a cover mount CD. The album takes some getting used to but on the whole I like it even if the vocals are a bit cooky sometimes.
Bathory - Nordland I & II
I've really been enjoying going back and finishing off Bathory's discography this past week. I spent a lot of time with Hammerheart in order to write a review and ended up really warming up to it, since I was pretty critical of it at first. Quorthon did an incredible job of taking Hammerheart's base and creating an epic pair of Scandinavian inspired albums that really puts the rest of the Viking Metal scene to shame. While Viking Metal seems to be slowly dying out, or maybe it just wasn't too popping to begin with, I don't think that anything can really compare to the original in this case. The incredibly raw but huge and epic production style is perfect for the subgenre and Quorthon's vocals and passion really drive the whole thing home. I consider these two albums to be part of one project, so I can't necessarily choose one over the other, but I think Nordland I might have a few more strong tracks than II on the whole.
Sojourner - Perennial (EP)
I've tried to keep liking Sojourner throughout the years even though their newest album Premonitions was definitely on the bland side, but this short 2 song EP sees them returning to their original style of epic, calming, natural, and folky Atmospheric Black Metal. Absolutely nothing new, it's just cool to see Sojourner do what they do best, even if it's only for 12 minutes. It makes me hopeful for a better 4th album from them, but I'm not sure how they're going to advance their sound past what they started with. I'm personally fine with more rehashes as long as they're compelling, so bring it on I suppose.
Glad to hear Sojourner are back on form. Like you, Xephyr, I was decidedly underwhelmed by Premonitions, despite being a fan of their first two albums. I'll try to give it a spin later.
Bròn - Pred dverima noći (2020)
Ordinance - in Purge There is No Remission (2020)
Riffy (endless riffing) black metal from Finland. Heavy on the Satanism as well as the non-stop wall of riffs (have I mentioned the riffs yet?)
Duskmourn - Fallen Kings and Rusted Crowns (2021)
A surprise Folk/Melodic Death Metal hybrid album that scratches an itch I'm not able to all that often, given the overall lack of good Folk Metal coming out of newer releases. There's a bit of Moonsorrow here and there, but it's firmly within Melodic Death Metal instead of Black Metal territory for most of the riffing. The folk elements are used well and while it may not be an absolutely stellar release, hearing a Folk Metal album that I want to continue to spin after once or twice is always a win nowadays. Reminds me a bit of Sojourner with less atmosphere and more riffs as well.
3.5/5
Inquisition - Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zenith (2016)
Dusting off some vinyl this afternoon and as I put my Immolation record back in the rack I saw this. The very zenith (pun intended) of Inquisition's output. Rich and melodic yet still cold as fuck.
5/5
Mystras - Empires Vanquished And Dismantled (2021)
Ayloss' second full-length under the Mystras banner follows very much the formula of the first, 2020's Castles Conquered and Reclaimed, with the meat of the album revolving around fairly aggressive and raw black metal (certainly compared to his work under his Spectral Lore monicker anyway), interspersed with folk-laden interludes. The black metal is very busy with some frenetic guitar work and mostly hurtles along in neck-breaking fashion and this, along with the distant, multi-tracked vocals, oftimes provides a somewhat disorientating experience. This time around there is a bit more variety to the folk interludes, which are quite interesting for the most part and serve to segregate the black metal tracks from each other so that the album doesn't just pass by in one big blur and gives the listener's befuddled brain time to regroup before the next aural assault. Of these interludes I particularly enjoyed the flute and female vocals (provided by Nina Saeidi) of Cheragheh Zolmezalem (Opposition's Fire) which reminded me a lot of Lisa Gerrard on the Gladiator soundtrack. Unfortunately, the female-voiced Wie Schändlich es ist is not so good, sounding like something from The Lord of the Rings sung by an elf.
Castles Conquered and Reclaimed was one of my favourite albums of 2020 yet for some reason, despite not veering away from the debut's premise too much, this just didn't grab me in the same way and left me feeling more than a little disappointed.
3.5/5
Raw, no-fucks-to-give black metal from one of the infamous Les Légions Noires. Band mastermind Meyhna'ch was quoted in '94 saying "Today, black metal seems to be dead, trendies has (sic) taken everything in hands... and Black Imperial Blood is one fist in their pigfaces". I don't know what his feelings are on modern black metal if this was how he felt in 1994!
Véhémence - Ordalies (2022)
I personally found Véhémence's 2019 album to be good for one or two listens, but as slightly awkward as the two knights shown on the new cover art above. I'm a bigger fan of the slightly different direction on Ordalies, it feels more complete, engaging, and confident in its medieval Black Metal style. The frilly folk parts aren't overdone and the longer track lengths aren't really an issue for me, been going back to this one for quite a few weeks now.
4/5