Sonny's Reviews
Etoile Filante's black metal is of the cosmic variety. The seamless incorporation of synths adds the spaciness to their sound, imparting an expansiveness that transports the listener's mind's eye on a journey into the heavens and beyond. Fans of Mesarthim will undoubtedly know what to expect as this is very much in that vein.
England's quintessential black metal outfit recorded live at the Bloodstock Festival in 2017. Three of the five tracks are from their best album, The Mercian Sphere, so a great choice of material. The performance is solid, the songs are sweeping epics that hark back to the time of Dark Age English legends and thus as a representation of the band's live shows it must go down as a huge success.
England's best black metal band return after a four year break since their last black metal release, their folk music itch having been thoroughly scratched with 2018's The Hallowing of Heirdom and their Wolcensmen project.
The Reckoning Dawn begins quite aggressively with a fairly muscular track, Misdeeds of Faith before launching into a fourth part of The Wayfarer which was originally a three-part epic on 2010's Mercian Sphere LP. This referencing back to the earlier release seems to intentionally signpost that the album is a return to the sound of the band's earliest albums and the sweeping, thunderous atmo-black that they built their reputation on. Indeed, it is a great example of the style and is a worthy successor to those early albums... and yet, I can't help but feel a slight tinge of disappointment. Much as I love Winterfylleth's particular style, I was really excited by the direction they went in with side two of 2016's The Dark Hereafter, the almost doom metal pacing of Green Cathedral and the chanted vocals of Led Astray in the Forest Dark so, great though it undoubtedly is, The Reckoning Dawn's return to atmo-black orthodoxy is an ever-so-slight backward step in my opinion. Still, the glass is half full and this is a tremendous album nonetheless.
I've really enjoyed Sojourner's output to date. There is something that speaks to me in their sweeping, expansive atmo-black compositions that conjure gorgeous mental pictures of the landscape of the band's home country of New Zealand. They inspire the same feelings inside me as the best of the UK's black metal acts, Saor and Winterfylleth, which is not really surprising as all three are heavily influenced by their respective country's natural surroundings and New Zealand strikes me as very similar to the more remote and unspoiled regions of Britain.
The eight tracks here are long enough to allow the music to breathe and impart their vision of the natural world. The vocals are of the harsh male / ethereal female dichotomy and there is liberal use of keyboards throughout to add layers to the lush atmosphere.
I've marked this down compared to the previous two albums because it feels a little too aggressive this time around and I feel this increased aggression is less effective in it's portrayal of the band's aesthetic. Still a good slab of atmospheric black metal though for those who enjoy the more folksy side of the genre.
They may not be the hippest band in the death metal canon, but sod that, I happen to like Vader! At this point in their career they have a tried and tested formula that has stood the ravages of time. Thrashy death metal that pays respect to their forebears such as Slayer, Death and Morbid Angel, doesn't break any rules, but still kicks ass. The one thing, for me, that has always set Vader apart is the vocals. I just really dig the timbre of Peter's vocals and have to admit that he is my favourite death metal vocalist, so I've always looked upon new Vader releases favourably. All the same, this is solid stuff with some damn fine Slayer-esque solos to boot so hopefully it will appeal to more metalheads than just me.
Another album of orthodox doom metal that eschews all the trappings of modern metal music and returns to a stripped-down, lo-fi approach. On Queen of Sin the riff is king as they completely overpower every other aspect of the sound. The vocals and drums are distant-sounding and echoing and seem to be heard through the plodding, stentorian riffs rather than over them. The Floridian trio have truly taken their sound back to doom metal basics with an album that may only appeal to genuine doom devotees. Weirdly, the promo track is for the song Deathproof which isn't really representative of the rest of the album and sounds like an L7 track.
The Osaka "Witch Doom" duo return with another chunk of hyper-fuzzed, lo-fi doom metal that carries more than a hint of punk and riot grrrl attitude with it's middle finger to metal convention. It runs Sabbath and Electric Wizard riffing through a hardcore punk filter, then ups the fuzz and lays on a variety of vocal stylings from gently melodic to shrieking roars for a refreshingly uncompromising sound all their own. Both cataclysmic and orgasmic, this is as much a sensation as a sound!
Dave Gilbert, the man behind Trebuchet, is one half of the Norfolk doom duo Dark Matter and is a man of impressive musical ambitions. Although resources are limited, Dave's compositions are wide-sweeping and encompass genres from doom metal, classic hard rock, old-school heavy metal and progressive rock. For this project Dave has enlisted the help of Shayne Joseph from Aussie doom outfit Eldritch Rites on guitar and backing vocals and to help with songwriting.
As with his Dark Matter releases, the vocals are the weak point and although they aren't terrible they are a bit reedy. The production is also a bit on the light side, but the riffs are solid and the lead work is pretty damn good too.
Most of the album is based around Reverend Bizarre style doom metal, but also strays into hard and progressive rock territory, particularly on The Devil's Den.
Doom devotees who need a dose of classic doom metal and admire a band with a vision who give it their all should definitely check this out.
An album of modern thrash that harks back to those 1980's heady days of Bay Area supremacy. However, this isn't merely some dumb nostalgia trip. The lyrical themes are contemporary and relevant (albeit not particularly deep) and, particularly as the album proceeds, there is a more progressive feel to some of the tracks (Panpsychism and Don't Do It for example). Havok are one of the better of the modern U.S. thrash bands and prove it once more here. They don't break the mould of 80s thrashing, but they do push it just enough to stamp their own identity onto their sound. Fans of Bay Area veterans like Exodus and Testament should find plenty to get into here.
After a short intro track, Cirith Ungol's comeback after nineteen years since Paradise Lost was released, kicks off with a bang and a slice of hi-octane speed metal, Legions Arise, which acts like a slap in the face to make sure they have our attention before we get into the meat of the album. The rest of the album is of a slower tempo, more in keeping with the trad metal / doom sound the band were once well-known for. Tim Baker's vocals are still the main sticking point for me, but are probably less of a problem on this album than any of their previous releases.
Overall an enjoyably epic, lovingly ridiculous album of good old traditional metal that doesn't sully the band's legacy at all, unlike so many who return after a lengthy gap between releases. Great to have a new Elric album cover too!
I'm not a huge afficionado of modern death metal and it's seeming obsession with brutality and violence, other than a few long-established acts like Nile, Vader and Behemoth. My preference was always for the very early, looser death and death doom sound and later Opeth's accomplished, progressive take on the genre. Recently, however, my curiosity has been piqued by albums like Blood Incantation's Hidden History of the Human Race and their incorporation of other genres like psychedelia, space rock, and progressive metal, much in the way that Oranssi Pazuzu have done with black metal. In searching out similarly ambitious death metal, I found myself here with Venenum's 2017 debut (and currently sole) full-length.
The album begins in novel style with a cello(?) and piano intro track, which is not, generally speaking, the way death metal bands set out their stall, before launching headlong into Merging Nebular Drapes which rattles along at a right old pace and allows the band to demonstrate their technical proficiency yet retains a certain old-school looseness without becoming excessively tight and narcissistic, unlike so many tech-death acts.
The Nature of the Ground's blackened death fires off the albums most brutal sounding salvo before it grinds to a sudden halt and an initially slow, but ever-quickening, guitar call and response lead into a renewing of the aural assault.
Cold Threat is a towering, threatening beast that begins with a slow riff and wailing guitar work that then transcends into some righteous Death-worship.
Then we come to the three-part epic, the title track, which spans the entirety of side two of the vinyl release and is what elevates the album to classic status. Part one, Reflections, continues the album in similar vein to side one's fairly aggressive prog-death, albeit with a greater frequency of time changes. Part two Metanoia Journey, an instrumental section, is more psych-influenced, a bit like a death metal Pink Floyd, the guitar work sounding heavily influenced by Dave Gilmour's work on tracks like Echoes or Comfortably Numb and keyboards to match. The album closes with the fourteen-minute climax, Part III: There Are Other Worlds..., a track that is one moment flying high with soaring guitar leads and the next plummeting headlong with a vicious vocal section, all the while forging ahead to the inevitable all-out controlled chaos of the album's climactic end.
For my money, this is one of the greatest examples of 21st century death metal and, along with Blood Incantation's aforementioned Hidden History of the Human Race, the reason I'm getting enthusiastic about death metal once again.
Sicilians Satyrus serve us up a satisfyingly heavy dish of meat and potatoes doom metal. Will probably only satisfy the dietary requirements of doom metal addicts as there is nothing new to hear here, but it is pretty heavy and properly doom-laden, as it should be. The production could be better, but isn't so bad that it distracts and the vocals are a bit creaky occasionally, but it's honest and unpretentious, so it's a thumbs-up from me.
A short, raw, almost demo quality ep from these Coloradan death doom merchants. The rawness of the production makes it sound angrier and more menacing than maybe a less lo-fi approach would have done and this is to it's credit in my opinion.
A three-track EP of uncompromising death doom with black metal trappings that is obviously made to please no one except the band. This is not to imply that the EP is unlistenable, but if you're sum-total knowledge of death doom comes from Katatonia and My Dying Bride then this may not be for you. More suitable for those who worship at the altar of Winter, this is not nice and melodic, but filthy, evil-sounding charnel pit music for those who dig on lo-fi doom metal shorn of distracting gothic trappings.
Phantom Druid is the solo project of Dutchman Tjeerd de Jong of Beyond Belief and Stone in Egypt and Death & Destiny is his first full-length under that flag. Proper old school doom metal in the tradition of Pentagram and Saint Vitus, for a one-man show this is mightily impressive. Huge, perfectly toned riffs and Ozzy-ish vocals add up to a must hear for those who pine for the days of doom metal orthodoxy and bemoan the ever expanding hybridization of modern doom metal.
Aggressive and angry black metal that may be lethal at close range. Incorporates a lot of mathcore influence and, as a consequence, feels a little to restricted for my taste but, hey, the kids seem to like it!
Dö have taken big strides forwards since their 2016 debut album, Tuho. Firstly on 2017's ep Astral: Death / Birth, which was a kind of precursor to this, their follow-up full-length. It expands on the ep's melding of doom and space rock, making for ever more expansive, yet compelling, compositions. The band are supremely successful in conveying the album's themes - you can almost feel the power of an enormous rocket propelling you onward, as you behold, awestruck, the vastness and majesty of the fiery heavens.
Super-dense sludgy doom that smothers and suffocates with it's cloyingly heavy atmosphere. It's black metal-derived vocals adding a layer of menace, like trying to flee from an unseen, unspeakable terror whilst waist-deep in some forsaken charnel pit. It's only 26 minutes long, but feels much more substantial than that.
Aussies Eldritch Rites play othodox doom metal with their tongues firmly in their cheeks in the manner of Lamp of Thoth or Lucifer's Fall. Great fun-time doom for those who don't have to take eveything soooo seriously.
The UK's Beggar have released a debut album full of pissed-off and violent sludge metal with some mighty, stonerised riffs and with a singer who seems as furious as if he's just stood on a nail as he shrieks his bleak and contemptuous lyrics at the uncaring cosmos. If you're looking for heavy and angry then you have most definitely come to the right place, my friend.
Fear of a Dead Planet is the debut release from New Zealand's self-styled "cosmic doom" outfit, Planet of the Dead. Heavy, sludge-drenched stoner doom that draws on classic horror and science fiction for it's lyrical themes. With massive riffs, throbbing bass lines and barked harsh vocals this is piledriver doom that will pummel your ears for it's entire forty minutes runtime. Unfortunately the drums sound a bit dulled, but it's not so bad as to adversely affect the overall sound. Solid.
An album I keep coming back to, so much so that after repeated listens I'd have to say it's better than solid and I've consequently upped my rating to reflect this. If you really fancy a slab of doom that'll give you a bit of a battering then you could do much worse.
Oranssi Pazuzu follow up the amazing Värähtelijä with this, their latest album and it is indeed a worthy succcessor to that classic. Their stint with the Waste of Space Orchestra project seems to have resulted in ever more diverse influences becoming entwined in their sound, moving them even further away from their black metal origins. In fact, I hear very little black metal on here other than in the vocals. What I do hear is electronica and space rock in hefty doses and the metal that is present owes more to industrial than black metal. The band I keep hearing throughout more than any other though is Hawkwind, particularly of the eighties vintage. The first part of the album's longest track, Uusi Teknokratia, is so reminiscent of Choose Your Masques it's untrue and the driving, wall of sound of the quicker songs married with the electronic elements has Dave Brock's stamp all over it.
Atmospherically, the album is very "cyberpunk dystopia", the soundtrack to a not-so-distant nightmare future envisioned by the likes of William Gibson. Most of the tracks start ominously and build towards an energetic and chaotic climax, conjuring images of marauding androids and flaming attack ships.
This all results in a particularly progressive sounding metal album, in the classic sense, not in the lazy, "desperately-trying-to-sound-like-Dream Theater" sense that many so-called progressive metal bands settle for. The album's several diverse elements are all brought together into a whole that visionaries of yesteryear like Robert Fripp and Peter Hammill would be proud of had they come from a later era of music and been more metal-inclined. Oranssi Pazuzu are cut from a similar cloth and are one of the select few bands in the metal scene who can be considered leaders and not followers.
For now I've got this marked down slightly from Värähtelijä, but this is a great record too and that divergence may yet close as this gets more listens (as it certainly will!)
Crushing doom metal riffs born of death metal brutality with throaty, growling vocals likely to make your cat shit itself, this is genuine death doom, not merely traditional doom with bolted on growly vocals. It is medium-paced stuff pretty much throughout and as such is a little monolithic, a couple of old Autopsy / Winter quicker bits would have been nice and pushed it to a higher rating, but it is really well done and shouldn't disappoint any discerning death doom afficianado.
An object lesson in controlled chaos. Extremely anguished and violent-sounding black metal with incomprehensible, shrieking vocals, yet contained within carefully constructed song structures. The musical equivalent of cage fighting: chaotic violence within a clearly defined boundary. In truth, a bit too much for my taste, but I can see the attraction.
This is the Finn's debut album, released two years after 2018's fairly well-received two-track EP. It evokes the spirits of the natural world with it's blisteringly-paced, atmospheric, yet melodic, black metal. Lyrically it's themes are reverence and respect for the natural world, it's timelessness and unforgiving nature. The songs are moderately lengthy but never boring, with more than enough going on for even the most impatient metal fan. The vocals are savagely ragged as a counterpoint to the melodic nature of the music. Keyboards are used fairly sparingly and when they are they bring another layer of texture to the paganistic sound. I don't wish to give the impression that this is all atmosphere and somehow lacking on the metal front, there are some great riffs too - check out the pulverizing opener, Embrace the Eternal, for example. An extremely accomplished example of paganistic Black Metal.
Detroit's Temple of Void release their third full-length and, for me as a confirmed doomhead, it's their best yet. It's pulverising death doom is enhanced by influences from other genres such as space and psychedelic rock, although not in any glaringly obvious way, but more in a stylistic atmosphere, particularly through the subtle and organic deployment of synths that adds an additional layer of atmosphere to the album's sound without swamping it. Of particular note is the spanish guitar interlude of A Single Obolous that then leads into Leave the Light Behind, the track that most overtly displays additional influences, with it's spacey Hawkwind-style synths and clean sung chorus as it describes the transition from the world of the living to the world of the afterlife.
One aspect of the album that may well become ignored is that, despite the inherent heaviness of it's punishing riffs, it is, in fact, unexpectedly catchy for a death doom album, it's melodies being remarkably memorable. Mike Erdody (who is also vocalist with Acid Witch) is one of my favourite death doom vocalists and the way his voice drips necroticism on Self-Schism when he intones the line "Devour the hours until darkness is left" is guaranteed to send shivers down the spine.
A special album from a band who are bringing something extra to a long-established genre without compromising what makes that genre so great to it's devotees. As a sidenote, there may not be another album released this year with a more unintentionally apt title.
I'm gonna go against perceived wisdom here and say that I really enjoyed this thirteenth and latest album from the Bay Area veteran thrashers. When their contemporaries have basically thrown the towel in and either called it a day or pretty much dispensed with thrash metal altogether, Testament are still going strong and tearing out riffs like they're going out of style. Those riffs are groove-laden, medium pacers for the most part, but they're still great and couple that with the album's real strengths, the mesmerising and incendiary solos and Chuck Billy's still unbelievably vibrant vocals and you have a winner in my book. Sure, it's too long, a lot of the lyrics are hokey nonesense and there's a song about nuclear war (how much more 1980's can you get), but I just spent all morning listening to this, nodding my head, tapping my feet and with a big smile on my face, despite being in pandemic lockdown.
Dutch veterans Thanatos return with a brutal, high-powered album of thrashing death metal with a polemic against organised religion that will sate the appetite of any Possessed or Kreator fans looking for a shot of adrenalised metal to get them through these trying times.
Nearly two hours of blackened space metal from a couple of old pals in Spectral Lore and Mare Cognitum who present a modern metal take on Holst's Planet suite. Each planet has a track dedicated to it (except non-planet Pluto which has two) and each attempts to invoke the physical and mythological aspects of the planet it represents. Each band takes four planets, Spectral Lore having Mercury, Earth, Saturn and Uranus, with Mare Cognitum taking Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Neptune, both bands then coming together and collaborating on the final two-parter for Pluto (The Gatekeeper parts one and two).
Personally, I prefer Mare Cognitum's blend of visceral atmo-black and soaring post-metal to Spectral Lore's more avant-garde jazzy noodlings, but both bands are on fine form and this is a great example of an atmospheric and inspiring ode to the cosmos. Some bands make music and some bands write songs - this is most definitely the former.
I'm quite fond of Lucifer's first couple of albums, their blend of hard rock and heavy metal being a throwback to the heady days of the NWOBHM and particularly bands like Johanna Sadonis' countrymen, Warlock. I've got to say, though that this is a disappointing record, sounding devoid of any real passion or fire, it sounds like a band that has got very comfortable in what they do and are dialling it in a bit. The guitar sound isn't bad and the restrained keys are nice, but I'm just not feeling anything other than a band turning up to their day job and "putting in a shift". I'm sure the band would say "fuck off" to that and I'm sorry if you think that I'm being unfair, but hey, I hear what I hear!
Russian black metal that has an icy bite to it, reminiscent of it's Siberian home. Atmospheric, yet savage, like a long winter night outdoors. Not sure if the band's name translates well to English though - not really what you would expect a Russian black metal band to be called!
Agvirre are a "post-black metal collective from Manchester", that appear to be a trio, and this is their first full release. Comprising a short intro and a couple of twelve-minute tracks, this is not a lengthy album, but, despite it's short runtime it manages to pack quite a lot in. It is atmospheric black metal with suitably intense vocals, battering drum sound and buzzing black metal riffing, but what really sets it apart is the almost constant overlay of violin strings that add a melancholy and disconcerting atmosphere. Other curveballs are thrown by an almost choral section over the driving main rhythm during Muzzle & Mask, a song that also incorporates some gothicky electronics and Abandonment has a number of abrupt changes in pace and intensity and quite a melodic feel with an atypical clean-sung ending. If Subrosa played black instead of doom metal, then they may well sound similar to this, kind of reminds me a bit of Solar Temple too. I find it a refreshingly unique and stimulating release in the ever-expanding multiverse that is modern black metal.
Good old unpretentious, female-fronted doom metal with occasional male harsh vocals thrown in for good measure. Four tracks, all weighing in at the 9-12 minute range. The songs are well-written, although the production could be better. Avoids the "witchy" cliche of a lot of other f-f doom outfits and concentrates on just being damn heavy. Not bad at all for a debut and promises more for the future.
The Ghosts of Dunwich is the third album from Norfolk's self-proclaimed "progressive doom" duo Dark Matter. They take heavy, fairly simple, Sabbathian riffs and fashion them with a 1970's progressive sensibility, reaching it's apex on the 19 minute, three-parter, In a Fractured Land Parts I-III, that closes out the album. It's evident that this is a real labour of love, with an ambitious songwriting vision that maybe exceeds the duo's technical ability, none more so than in the vocal department. Saying that, the sheer enthusiasm and belief of the band shines through in every note and a band playing the music they want to play without any compromise is definitely something to be applauded.
We are all now familiar with the farcical goings-on surrounding Polish black metallers Batushka and their ridiculous legal wranglings, so I won't dwell on that any more than to acknowledge that they are happening. Anyway, going back to (presumably) happier times for the band, Litourgiya was released at the back end of 2015 to much critical acclaim. The reason for the album garnering so much attention was it's combination of clashing orthodoxies, savage black metal and Byzantine liturgical chanting. The question of the time was whether the band were believers combining their faith with black metal, or a black metal act committing an act of blasphemy by incorporating Eastern Orthodox devotions with unholy black metal. Unfortunately the band copped out and refused to elaborate, saying the album meant whatever the listener wanted it to mean, which is obviously bullshit as it's hard to conceive of the album being written without a definitive standpoint. Of course, there is a third explanantion that it was merely a novelty and a gimmick to garner attention, but personally I dismiss this idea.
The black metal on offer here is quite straightforward, with some variation of pacing and a number of damn good blasts, but if that was the sum total of this album then, in truth, it wouldn't stand out especially from the crowd. What does set it apart then is that one half of the dual vocals utilises Russian Orthodox chants which gives the music a dimension that sets it apart from the BM herd. It's effect is a little like The Omen using Orff's Carmina burana or The Exorcist and Tubular Bells, taking a benign and gorgeous musical idea and repurposing it by using it in a satanic setting to give it a more sinister dimension.
I was initially blown away by this, but time and subsequent listens have dulled the effect of the chants and what that leaves is a very good, but not great, albeit unique black metal album. It is, however, still much better than either of the Batushka's subsequent albums, but that is a story for another day.
Blut aus Nord were a band I never found easy to get into, finding the wilful dissonance of albums like the legendary Work Which Transforms God and MorT too much to take. Yet somehow I kept returning to them, as if on a subconscious level I realised there was something special here even if I didn't quite get what it was yet. I must admit to still struggling with TWWTG, the band's so-called opus, but in the Memoria Vetusta trilogy of albums I have found a vein I can really tap into with this band.
On MV2 the dissonance is still present in the underlying riffs, but the clean, overlaid guitar work is gorgeously melodic and, along with the reedy-sounding keyboards, is extremely effective as a counterpoint to the pummelling of the meat of the tracks. Regarding the keyboards, BaN's use of them here is quite restrained and they aren't slathered all over the tracks in a way that overwhelms and undermines the sound, unlike any number of ham-fisted symphonic BM outfits who've watched too many old gothic horror movies. The melodies are instantly memorable and the interwoven guitar work is probably the most obvious aspect of the album at first, yet with every single listen MV2 reveals a little more of it's hidden depths - surely the sign of a truly great musical endeavour.
Despite the more melodic approach BaN take here, there is still plenty of aggression and dissonance on offer, particularly in the vocal department and I don't want to give the impression this is an easy listen, but rather it rewards the listener the more one invests into it. As with all atmo-black there is a level of repetition, but this isn't as pronounced as some, with plenty of tempo and tone changes along the way to keep the listener engaged rather than hypnotised.
The subtitle Dialogue With the Stars may sound a little grandiose, but the music does feel as if it is being projected outwards on some grand cosmic scale, in an attempt to speak to the very furnaces of creation themselves. With this album Blut aus Nord have created one of the classics of atmospheric black metal, celebrating the majestic beauty of the universe in a way few have got close to equalling.
Coldworld is the solo black metal project of reclusive German, Georg Börner, Melancholie² is his first full-length under that name and is a release that he will find it extremely difficult to better. This is an album of frigid, lo-fi atmospheric black metal, with tremolo-picked riffs and harsh, distant vocals that perfectly evoke the frostiness of the cover's snowbound landscape. And yet it is also much more than that, with a morose and melancholy air, provided mainly by the keys, that gives the album an additional layer of contrasting, yet complementary, atmosphere over the icy blasting of the guitar and vocals.
This melding of two very distinctive and differing styles of metal is not unique in itself, but has produced a uniquely bleak, yet reflective, album of unexpected subtlety that goes beyond the norms of nature-themed black metal to a more inward-looking place.
An album of wholly instrumental metal that draws on doom, drone and atmospheric sludge. Sounds to me like a hybrid of Isis and Bees Made Honey.. era Earth. Personally I found it quite dreary and just too laid back with very little to grab my interest for any length of time. It's not terrible but commits the, arguably, even more egregious sin of being boring.
Pneuma is the debut album from Italian duo Diespnea and takes the form of melodic atmospheric black metal that sure can blast, but equally, is not afraid to slow it down. Never quite becoming blackened doom, it flies pretty close occasionally. Opener Immortale starts things off in high-tempo mode with a viking metal chorus early Enslaved would be proud of. Nostos Algos is one of those slower tracks and is a bit of a builder to the mid-point when it really lets rip before desending back down the tempo scale. My favourite is Naufragio which has the doomiest section of any track on the album at it's beginning, before erupting in an all-out black metal blast that is reminiscent of early-days Darkthrone. Closing track Gorgoneion has a mournful air to it, despite the blasting, due to the morose-sounding piano that accompanies most of the song, before bursting in with an almost hopeful ending as the guitar soars and soars...
A black metal album that has plenty to offer any fan of the genre and serves as a calling card for a band that may well be worth keeping an eye on.
Nechochwen's four tracks that make up side A are their usual high quality atmospheric BM fare and I don't wish to dismiss them out of hand as they are damn fine tracks, but the really interesting part of the split is Panopticon's single track that takes up the entirety of Side B, Rune's Heart. This is obviously a deeply emotional and personal track for Austin Lunn as the lengthy and somewhat harrowing notes that accompany it on Bandcamp will attest. It is a song from Austin to his young son Rune (Austin refuses to publish the lyrics as they are personal between himself and Rune) after Rune spent many, many months in hospital due to a necessary heart operation and complications that arose from it. It is a fantastic piece of atmospheric metal, it's twenty minutes encompasses a number of tempo changes and tonal variation, from aggressive frustration to calm reflection and back again that proves once more (if proof is needed) that Panopticon is still right at the head of the atmo-black pack.