The North

Could you add Above Aurora's new album, "Myriad Woes" please, Ben?

May 2024

1. Selbst - When True Loneliness Is Experienced (from Despondency Chord Progressions, 2024)

2. Antichrist Siege Machine - Piled Swine (from Vengeance of Eternal Fire, 2024)

3. Obsidian Tongue - Winter Child (from The Stone Heart, 2024) [Submitted by Sonny]

4. Doedsvangr - The Salt Marsh (from Serpents ov Old, 2021) [Submitted by Vinny]

5. Labyrinthus Stellarum - Vortex of the Worlds (from Vortex of the Worlds, 2024)

6. Blaze of Perdition - Niezmywalne (from Upharsin, 2024)

7. Darkestrah - Destroyer of Obstacles (from Nomad, 2024)

8. Sacrificial Vein - Wombs of Depravation (from Black Terror Genesis, 2024)

9. Severoth - Sons of Steel Will (from By the Way of Light, 2024)

10. Tsjuder - Ghoul (from Desert Northen Hell, 2004)

11. Misotheist - Stigma (from Vessels by Which the Devil is Made Flesh, 2024) [Submitted by Vinny]

12. Kvadrat - Η φρικτή δυσαρμονία της λήθης8:43 (from The Horrible Dissonance of Oblivion, 2024)

13. Revenge - Blood Annihilation (from Victory.Intolerance.Mastery, 2004) [Submitted by Sonny]

14. Trhä - Tëmana olh qëtën colvënna bé'jar lhëlh tun lhaja enΩëjëda£ehan inqom (from Alëce iΩic, 2023) [Submitted by Daniel]

I loved the Antichrist Siege Machine track, which is unsurprising as the album it is from is currently my #2 album of 2024. Other notables were Darkestrah with the grandiose pomp and circumstance of "Destroyer of Obstacles" really tickling my fancy this morning, Sacrificial Vein's blatant DsO-worship and Tsjuder's uncompromising old-school onslaught also standing out. To be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole playlist, except for the Labyrinthus Stellarum track, which is in large part due to a deep-seated loathing of synthesised vocals of the type used here, but even without that it was largely unremarkable to my ears. The closing Trhä track I also found to be quite emotional for some reason, it's wistful and reflective atmosphere chiming with my own emotional state today.
Once more a stellar effort Ben, thanks a lot.

Here's my review:

The 1994 debut album "The Principles of Evil Made Flesh" from super-popular English symphonic black metal phenomenon Cradle of Filth is an interesting one for me personally, mainly because it sits fairly obviously in a stylistic space that I generally steer well clear of yet it somehow managed to slip under my radar & make an impact on my life nonetheless. You see, I was already an obsessive tape trader at the time when it first arrived so I was aware of Cradle of Filth through their 1992/93 demo tapes "Orgiastic Pleasures Foul" & "Total Fucking Darkness", both which showcased a much stronger death metal component. Neither were very good though to be fair but when "The Principles of Evil Made Flesh" hit the shelves it presented itself in a shroud of romantic gothicism that left an eighteen-year old me salivating at the potential it held. The images of the band that were floating around only added to my fascination & I found myself parting with my hard-earned cash for the CD well before the masses had gotten onboard the raging, out-of-control Cradle of Filth train. The front cover was so beautiful with its gloriously curvy & gothic moniker that I also found myself purchasing a t-shirt that sported the cover artwork so I'd invested quite a bit in the band without really understanding what the music was gonna do for me. When I finally came to grips with the album as a piece of art though, it didn't really grab me as much as I'd hoped, despite being a generally enjoyable listen. Cradle of Filth would go on to become bigger & bigger with each successive release but, after 1996's "Dusk and Her Embrace" sophomore record, I would find myself moving further & further away from them from a creative perspective, even if I'd inevitably give many of their future releases a listen in order to satisfy the obsessive completist in me. I have to admit though, it's been decades since I last listened to "The Principles of Evil Made Flesh" now & I'm fairly interested to see how it's held up (or if it even does anything for me at all) in more modern times.

"The Principles of Evil Made Flesh" dropped at a time when the black metal scene was just about to explode onto the global stage following two years of immense drama & controversy in Norway. The more significant & commercialized overseas metal media (Kerrang, Metal Hammer, etc.) had now gotten wind of the events (not to mention the quality of the music) & were now splashing it across their magazine covers in an attempt to cash in on the mania so when Cradle of Filth popped up with the most theatrical sound & image the world had yet seen to the time it gave the media a brand new crossover hero that could draw in a lucrative new audience that would touch on places that the imposing Norwegian bands had not been capable of. The overly romantic vampiric images would become a major drawcard for young females & goths which, of course, would bring with it a procession of horny young dudes like me. Trust me... I'm not complaining at all because I had some wonderful times with some pretty hot goth chicks when Neuropath was just finding its feet in the Sydney metal scene & I doubt I would have had that opportunity if not for Cradle of Filth so thank you very much Cradle but I'm digressing a bit now so let's get start digging into the actual music now, shall we?

I remember heading into my first listen to "The Principles of Evil Made Flesh" with great eagerness given just how much the imagery appealed to my young obsession with old gothic novels but also recall being slightly disappointed on first listen. The album certainly didn't sound anything like Bathory, Burzum or Darkthrone. This was a much cleaner & more accessible sounding form of black metal than I was used to &, looking back on it now, you can see that it was highly influential in that regard with a plethora of other more commercially successful black metal acts following suit in the years to come. I wasn't so sure I was a fan of the idea personally but I'd just forked out on not only the CD but also a t-shirt so I needed to get my money's worth. I'd give the album a whole bunch of listens over the next few weeks & would find that there was more to it than I'd first thought with it eventually digging its vampiric teeth into me, admittedly not quite deep enough to see it becoming something that I'd feel the urge to return to regularly in the future.

It's interesting to listen to the album now with more educated & mature ears because it's enabled me to pick up on some things that I may not have previously. Firstly, "The Principles of Evil Made Flesh" is generally tagged as a melodic black metal release but I have to admit that I don't see it personally. There's not much in the way of guitar harmonies here with most of the riffs being structured in a more standard black metal configuration. The use of keyboards is significant but not enough to justify the symphonic black metal label that Cradle of Filth would become synonymous with over the years either. To my ears, Cradle of Filth's debut album is best positioned next to gothic black metal bands like Opera IX, Graveworm & Theatres des Vampires because the gothic elements are really very significant in the overall feel & aesthetic of the music & imagery. I was genuinely surprised by just how big a role My Dying Bride has played in the direction of the album too because there are a whole bunch of references to them here, particularly in the slower sections which are some of the stronger parts of the album in my opinion. The appearance of Anathema/The Blood Divine front man Darren White on a song or two was also welcome, particularly given my Anathema obsession at the time. Sure, we have a lot of standard black metal riffs on offer here but Cradle of Filth also stretch the boundaries of the genre a little further with some movements breaking out of the confines of the strict black metal model to explore more creative & atmospheric terrains with some of the most effective tracks on "The Principles of Evil Made Flesh" not even being metal at all. In fact, my favourite piece on the record is surprisingly one of the neoclassical darkwave tracks in "One Final Graven Kiss" while my other highlight is a short ambient work by the name of "In Secret Love We Drown" so there's more to this record than meets the eye.

There are a few things that bother me about "The Principles of Evil Made Flesh" however. Dani Filth's screechy vocals aren't the most appealing you'll find in black metal & I've never thought he was all that special to be honest. The keyboards of Benjamin Ryan (The Blood Divine) can cross over the border into cheesy territory on occasion too & do ruin a few of the riffs. The guitar solos of axemen Paul Allender & Paul Ryan (both of The Blood Divine) aren't very special & strangely sit way further back in the mix than they should too. In fact, the guitars in general should be a little further towards the front of the mix with the keyboards being much more prominent. The rhythm section of bassist Robin Graves & legendary drummer Nicholas Barker (Twilight of the Gods/Ancient/Atrocity/Brujeria/Dimmu Borgir/Lock Up/Old Man's Child/Sadistic Intent/Shining/Testament) are the real drawcards here though with Graves' basslines representing arguably the most rewarding component of the album for me personally. Barker's blast-beat sections are quite simple but are generally very effective in providing Cradle of Filth with their more brutal side.

The thirteen-song tracklisting is actually pretty consistent with only the final track "Summer Dying Fast" leaving me cold after several listens. None of the proper metal songs seem to me to be particularly classic though & it's this limitation as much as anything else that sees "The Principles of Evil Made Flesh" not making as indelible a mark on me as it did on many of my peers. As I previously mentioned, the highlight tracks tend to be the interludes for me personally with the better black metal songs never quite reaching the top rung. The best section of the album is undoubtedly the three-track run of "To Eve the Art of Witchcraft" into the doomy "Of Mist and Midnight Skies" into the gorgeous ambience of "In Secret Love We Drown". The rest of the metal songs tend to draw a "Yeah... not bad" response from me more than a "Fuck yeah!" to be honest.

So look, "The Principles of Evil Made Flesh" isn't a bad black metal release overall. There are certainly those kvlt elitists that will want to bring it down because of what it represents & I have to admit that I can see their point but it also brought something new & exciting to a scene that was no doubt taking itself a little too seriously at the time & it should be commended for that. The influence that it had as a gateway release for many people is nothing to scoff at either &, contrary to what many metalheads may think, we need those records in order to sustain our scene.

3.5/5

If any of our The North members haven't seen this amazing documentary on Norwegian black metal then I'd strongly urge you to rectify that situation as it's essential viewing.

Trha – “Danë‡i” (from “Av◊ëlajnt◊ë£ hinnem nihre”, 2023)

Hellripper – “Mester Stoor Worm” (from “Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags”, 2023)

Kostnateni – “Nevolnost je vše, čím jsem (Nausea Is All I Am)” (from “Upal”, 2023)

The brand new fourteenth album "Pro Xristoy" from Greek melodic black metallers Rotting Christ is due for release on 24th May. I think it's fair to say that they've been a little bit hit & miss for me over the years with their last couple of records not doing much for me really. Still... I can't deny my affection for their stronger material like 1994's "Non serviam" sophomore album so I'll no doubt continue on with the ritual of checking out each successive release from them. They were brilliant when I saw them play live many years ago too. 

Antichrist Siege Machine - Vengeance of Eternal Fire (2024)

Antichrist Siege Machine are relative newcomers to the war metal scene, their debut EP hitting the stands in 2017, but they have taken the genre by the scruff of the neck and laid down some pretty brutal stuff in the seven years since. With latest album, Vengeance of Eternal Fire, ASM have really hit their groove with a release that delivers an all-out aural battery without the muddy production values that robbed so many of their predecessor's releases of any clarity. Yes, I know that muddy, chaotic sound was part of the appeal of early war metal releases from the Blasphemies of this world and I love that archetypal sound too, but here, thirty-five years on from those earliest canoniacal war metal classics, the genre has moved on from that and the best modern war metal acts don't need to hide behind poor production because they have the chops to produce brutal and blasphemous sounds whilst allowing the listener to actually hear everything they are doing.

Of course the basis of war metal is an unholy alliance of death and black metal, with varying proportions of each within the mix. ASM tend towards the more death metal end of the war metal spectrum, dropping occasionally into quite "groovy" slower death metal riffing, just enough to break things up and provide a little variety, but not so much that it distracts from the overarching blitzkrieg that comprises the vast majority of Vengeance of Eternal Fire and shouldn't be seen as any kind of treasonous act against war metal orthodoxy. The drums sit fairly prominently in the mix, so the blastbeats are given plenty of focus, almost as much as the blistering riffs. Interestingly drummer Scott "S.B." Bartley is also the vocalist, so it must be quite a feat when playing live for him to sing whilst launching salvo after salvo of blastbeats. His vocals actually seem to sit lower in the mix than his drumming, thus giving them a distant, buried feel, despite their bellicose viciousness. The high production values allow the listener to distinguish the riffs far easier than on old-school war metal releases and to appreciate the finer details which may have been lost in the past.

I must say, as much as I love OSWM, I do like the fact that a band like ASM employ a cleaner production style, which does make appreciation of the nuances of war metal much easier - and I say this with no ironic intent because it is obvious that, despite the inherent (almost) continuous blasting and breakneck riffing, that these guys really have great command of their instruments and their overall sound is tight, aggressive and technically solid. At the end of the day, they write killer riffs, have a powerful delivery and are extremely capable of capturing the witheringly blasphemous intent of true war metal. For me this is the band's best release to date and call me heretic if you must, but I think this is capable of standing against the very best that war metal has to offer. To (mis)quote the intro to the Fallout 4 video game "war metal... war metal never changes". Except when it does!

4.5/5

Strong month this time with me picking up the fantastic Narbeleth (props to Sonny).  Since listening through the playlist on Sunday, these Spanish residing Cubans have not been off my speakers much.  New Mütiilation slipped by me and that track sounds promising to my ears.  I was not too smitten with Suldusk or Moonlight Sorcery but it was great to see some BAN (underrated album that "Odinist..."), Rotting Christ and Xasthur getting some air time. 

Here's my review:

1991's "Worship Him" debut album was a relatively big record for Ben & I back in the early 1990's. I was already a fan of the First Wave of Black Metal when I first discovered Switzerland's Samael & their first full-length possessed some of the best traits from a number of those bands which saw me being heavily attracted to their fairly simple yet deeply atmospheric take on early black metal; their measured & doomy sense of control being in direct contrast to the death metal explosion that I was right up to my eyeballs in at the time. We'd pick up 1992's follow-up album "Blood Ritual" on CD & would give it a very similar treatment & with a fairly similar result from what I recall too. I didn't regard either record as being classics for the genre at the time but felt that they were essential early black metal release nonetheless. I always got the feeling that they sported a timeless quality & that element is still very much in effect with this week's revisit.

"Blood Ritual" isn't as different from "Worship Him" as some reviewers tend to make out. It certainly contains a cleaner, heavier production job that has obviously been inspired by felllow Swiss extreme metal legends Celtic Frost with the thick layers of rhythm guitar being a clear highlight of the record. The slow-to-mid paced tempos of "Worship Him" have only been dialed back a little further with the doomy vibe of the slower material off the debut having been accentuated here. If anything the riff structures are even less typical of the modern-day black metal sound too with thrash & doom metal tools being utilized within the context of a black metal atmosphere. Guitarist Vorphalack's grim Quorthon-inspired vocals always end to tie Samael to the black metal genre too, along with the darker feel & simpler riff structures. This is black metal at its most primitive, only with a production that goes very much against the traditional lo-fi grain that black metal was built on but one that definitely suits Samael's character traits. Celtic Frost are the clear source of inspiration here & (as with "Worship Him") I can't help but wonder as to just how much of an influence the early Samael releases had on Darkthrone's transition into black metal, particularly records like "Panzerfaust". The early works of Greece's Rotting Christ & Varathron also come to mind due to the similarities in style & tempo.

The tracklisting on "Blood Ritual" is very top-heavy with the vast majority of the stronger material residing on the A side. There's a short lull in the middle of the album with the faster title track (a re-recorded track from their 1988 "Macabre Operatta" demo tape) & short interlude "Since the Creation..." failing to hit the mark before things return to more enjoyable territories for the remainder of the record. The most notable inclusion is the incredible "After the Sepulture" which was clearly Samael's finest moment to the time & is still one of my all-time favourites amongst the earlier black metal acts. It represents Samael's first genuine classic & is probably the differentiator between where the two albums stand for me personally. Other highlights include "Poison Infiltration", "Bestial Devotion", the solid opener "Beyond the Nothingness" & the lengthy "Macabre Operatta" (another re-recording from the demo of the same name").

"Blood Ritual" is another high-quality effort from a black metal band that had been around a lot longer than most at the time & showed a clear understanding of the key elements that make the genre so great. There's not a lot between Samael's first two full-lengths but I tend to find "Blood Ritual" just edging out its older sibling overall, buoyed by the impact of the wonderful "After the Sepulture" while "Worship Him" lacked such a transcendent highlight track. 1994 would see Samael topping both records with their career-defining "Ceremony of Opposites" third album but "Blood Ritual" is probably still my second favourite Samael record of the ones I've heard & it should be essential listening for anyone wanting to gain a comprehensive understanding of where the black metal genre came from.

4/5

With evil slow riffing and vicious vocals by Vorph, this is a destructive highlight and perhaps the best song of Samael's black metal era:

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

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

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.

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.

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?

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

I've correct the tracklisting. Thanks Vinny.

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.

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.

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!

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?

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.

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.

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

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!"

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

I'm looking forward to it already!!

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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