ARTIST: ANTEDILUVIAN/TEMPLE NIGHTSIDE
ALBUM: COGITATING VACUOUS (SPLIT 7")
GENRE: BLACK/DEATH METAL
Showing posts with label black metal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label black metal. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Antediluvian / Temple Nightside - Cogitating Vacuous (split 7")
Antediluvian are a black/death metal band from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Temple Nightside are an atmospheric black metal band from somewhere in Australia. Both are fantastic bands, and when I heard they did a split together, I couldn't believe it! Unfortunately it's a very short release, clocking in at 11 minutes with both bands doing one track each. Nonetheless both tracks are great, and it's a great little 7". I can't believe you're still reading this, GO LISTEN ALREADY
Sunday, October 21, 2012
The Howling Wind - Of Babalon
The Howling Wind are a two-piece black/death metal band that's been heavily influenced by sludge/doom metal. This is one of the best 'droning' black metal releases I've heard in years, reminding me of Under a Funeral Moon-era Darkthrone in many places. The other thing this release reminds me of a bit is quality orthodox black metal (kinda like DsO, Portal, Arkhon Infaustus influenced, though not sounding like it necessarily) that was coming out in the early 2000s -- before bestial black metal became the next big thing. The sludge elements come most into play when one notices that while the songs are atmospheric/repetitive, they're surprisingly free of high-pitched guitar leads, opting for more of a "wall of sound" approach over traditional black metal tremolo.
So if you're into atmospheric, guitar-heavy black metal, this is the release for you.
The video below is a cover of good ol' Hellhammer. Download link to the album is below as well. Enjoy!
So if you're into atmospheric, guitar-heavy black metal, this is the release for you.
The video below is a cover of good ol' Hellhammer. Download link to the album is below as well. Enjoy!
ARTIST: THE HOWLING WIND
ALBUM: OF BABALON
GENRE: BLACK METAL/SLUDGE
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Revenge - Scum.Collapse.Eradication
Revenge are a war metal band, hailing from Edmonton, AB, Canada. If you're familiar with war metal, you'll know that it's extremely "love-it-or-hate-it" kinda stuff. If you're not, it's a small sub-genre of black metal that's characterized by even noiser/rawer guitars, blastbeats, and inhuman gurgling/screaming. Take a wild fucking guess as to what the lyrical themes are.
Anyways, if you're not a fan of Revenge, this album certainly isn't going to change your opinion on them. However, if you are -- or if you're on the fence about them -- S.C.E is worth checking out. One thing I really admire about this band is that every time they release a new album, they manage to retain their core sound while still bringing something new to the mix. It definitely retains the take-no-prisoners Revenge approach to the music, but there's a lot more song structure and musicianship on display here than previous releases. There's copies of this still available at HHR and NWN! on digital and analog formats, so grab one while you can!
Anyways, if you're not a fan of Revenge, this album certainly isn't going to change your opinion on them. However, if you are -- or if you're on the fence about them -- S.C.E is worth checking out. One thing I really admire about this band is that every time they release a new album, they manage to retain their core sound while still bringing something new to the mix. It definitely retains the take-no-prisoners Revenge approach to the music, but there's a lot more song structure and musicianship on display here than previous releases. There's copies of this still available at HHR and NWN! on digital and analog formats, so grab one while you can!
ARTIST: REVENGE
ALBUM: SCUM.COLLAPSE.ERADICATION
GENRE: WAR METAL
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Genocide Shrines - Devanation Monumentemples MCD
Genocide Shrines are a bestial black/death metal band from Sri Lanka. Although these guys have been making unholy music for a while in various other bands, Devanation is their first release, and it's cult as hell. Their music ends up sounding like a cross between Black Witchery and Coffins. It's also pretty cool to hear sacrilegious music that isn't exclusively directed at Judeo-Christian religions. You're best off buying the CD straight from Vault of Dried Bones (where it's going for a mere $9 CAD), or heading over to Iron Bonehead Productions to get the analog version. Enjoy!
ARTIST: GENOCIDE SHRINES
ALBUM: DEVANATION MONUMENTEMPLES MCD
GENRE: BLACK/DEATH METAL
Gorgoroth - Pentagram
Although Gorgoroth's music (and band politics, for that matter) these days are...questionable, to say the least, back in the early 90s, they produced some damn good music. It's easy for a lot of people (particularly newcomers to the scene) to overlook a lot of the relatively 'famous' black metal bands, and forget that they too once produced quality black metal. Pentagram is Gorgoroth's first full-length. It's got a pretty standard Norwegian black metal sound to it, but the song writing is really well done and it never feels generic. It's a short album at only a mere thirty minutes, but when you've got music that's as repetitive sounding (as, admittedly, a lot of Norway's black metal from that time period was), it works in the band's favor.
ARTIST: GORGOROTH
ALBUM: PENTAGRAM
GENRE: BLACK METAL
Monday, August 13, 2012
Axeman - Arrive (Demo 2010)
Axeman is one of the newer bands on the Black Twilight Circle line-up. Although this demo has been out since 2010, it's only recently been released on vinyl. Up until recently, the only band I'd heard of on the Black Twilight line-up was Volahn -- but that was years ago. Basically BTC play orthodox black metal with LLN style production/mythos attached to it (though in my opinion, the quality and style of each band is pretty variable).
From what I've heard thus far, the BTC stuff is pretty hit and miss for me, although I do enjoy this demo quite a bit. . Basically Arrive sounds like a cross between Arise! era Amebix and Morbid Tales era Celtic Frost with LLN production slapped over top of it. This is one of the few releases I would recommend buying on vinyl/finding a vinyl rip of, because you want all the sound quality you can get on it. Some of the songs are a bit lengthy for what they are, but overall it's a solid piece of crust-influenced black metal.
This release has been blogged about to death lately, and there's not much more to say about it, other than you can buy it on black vinyl at the Crepusculo Negro webstore (link below). Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Blasphemy - Blood Upon the Altar (Demo 1989)
Blood Upon the Altar is the very first release from one of the most highly regarded black metal bands to ever come out of Canada -- if not the entirety of North America! The precursor to war metal and bestial [black/death] metal, Blasphemy play raw, fast black metal that also happens to have amazing atmosphere. Their full-length album, Fallen Angel of Doom usually receives the most attention, but BUtA is not to be ignored. Compared to FAOD, it's much less atmospheric and focused on speed, aggression and power. It's also the birthplace of the most heavily covered black metal songs (next to VON or possibly Bathory, I can't think of a track more covered than "Ritual") of all time.
It's a short release (as many demos are), clocking in at a mere 20 minutes, but it's a great introduction to Blasphemy and bestial metal if you haven't heard it yet.
It's a short release (as many demos are), clocking in at a mere 20 minutes, but it's a great introduction to Blasphemy and bestial metal if you haven't heard it yet.
ARTIST: BLASPHEMY
ALBUM: BLOOD UPON THE ALTAR (DEMO 1989)
GENRE: BLACK METAL
Nuclear Desecration - Desecrated Temple of Impurity
So around the time this album came out, metal was up to it's eardrums in bestial metal. Things seem to be slowly refocusing to a more "traditionally satanic" style, but there's still a LOT of bestial metal coming out -- a lot of it not particularly memorable or good. For those that may not know, the term 'bestial' is usually used to describe black or death metal that's considerably rawer than the traditional style -- less technique, more speed, noise and distortion. Lyrical themes also tend to be focused on satanism, goats, the impending nuklear holocaust, or all three. Moving on though...
Despite coming out during an influx bestial metal, Nuclear Desecration's full-length album is quite fantastic. It's a really good, solid example of what quality bestial black metal should sound like. Even though it's technically generic in the sense that it fits exactly what bestial black metal is supposed to sound like to a T, it ends up being more of a benchmark album than anything else.. You've got everything: goats, gasmasks, impending nuklear destruction, noize, satan, BLACK FUCKING METAL!
It's unfortunate that they were only around a couple of years, because they'd probably be right up there with bands like Blasphemophagher and Proclamation in terms of notoriety if they continued to produce material as good as this. Ah well. Enjoy!
Despite coming out during an influx bestial metal, Nuclear Desecration's full-length album is quite fantastic. It's a really good, solid example of what quality bestial black metal should sound like. Even though it's technically generic in the sense that it fits exactly what bestial black metal is supposed to sound like to a T, it ends up being more of a benchmark album than anything else.. You've got everything: goats, gasmasks, impending nuklear destruction, noize, satan, BLACK FUCKING METAL!
It's unfortunate that they were only around a couple of years, because they'd probably be right up there with bands like Blasphemophagher and Proclamation in terms of notoriety if they continued to produce material as good as this. Ah well. Enjoy!
ARTIST: NUCLEAR DESECRATION
ALBUM: DESECRATED TEMPLE OF IMPURITY
GENRE: BESTIAL BLACK/DEATH METAL
Baxaxaxa - Hellfire (Demo 1992)
Baxaxaxa was an extremely short-lived (like a year or two) side-project from members of Ungod. They play raw black metal, and while it isn't necessarily in the same vein as LLN material, it definitely bares some similarities. It's a little more focused on riffs/speed and a little less on atmosphere than this style of black metal normally would be. Both Ungod and Baxaxaxa play some really solid straight up black metal, and I'll probably get around to posting the Ungod full-length shortly. Enjoy!
ARTIST: BAXAXAXA
ALBUM: HELLFIRE (DEMO 1992)
GENRE: BLACK METAL
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Radioactive Vomit - Witchblood (Demo 2012)
Radioactive Vomit is a black metal band from Vancouver, BC, Canada. There's not a whole lot to say about these guys other than they play a wicked blend of noisy black metal with d-beat influences, and Witchblood is their second demo tape. It's really wicked, and I hope to hear an EP or full-length from these guys soon! Original tape rip by VONFROST, whose blog you can find here.
ARTIST: RADIOACTIVE VOMIT
ALBUM: WITCHBLOOD (DEMO 2012)
GENRE: BLACK METAL
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Gospel of the Horns - Realm of the Damned
Gospel of the Horns are one of the best black/thrash bands, ever. Hailing from Australia, they've been putting out amazing metal since the release of their 1994 demo, The Satanist's Dream. They produced two full-length albums before disbanding around 2008-2009 (though they've recently gotten back together): A Call to Arms and Realm of the Damned. They're both magnificient albums, but I've always found RotD to be the stronger album.
Everything about it just works. The production, the riffs, the musicianship....it's just a great metal album, and probably one of the strongest albums to come out the Australian metal scene -- which is saying A LOT, when you factor how strong the black/thrash/death scene is down there. If you're a fan of any of the Australian metal bands -- Destroyer 666, Sadistik Exekution, Vomitor etc. and you haven't heard this album yet, GET ON THAT SHIT!!!
Gospel of the Horns were defunct for a while, but they've recently reunited to play gigs and release some new music -- their new EP, Ceremonial Conjuration, came out in June on Invictus Productions.
Everything about it just works. The production, the riffs, the musicianship....it's just a great metal album, and probably one of the strongest albums to come out the Australian metal scene -- which is saying A LOT, when you factor how strong the black/thrash/death scene is down there. If you're a fan of any of the Australian metal bands -- Destroyer 666, Sadistik Exekution, Vomitor etc. and you haven't heard this album yet, GET ON THAT SHIT!!!
Gospel of the Horns were defunct for a while, but they've recently reunited to play gigs and release some new music -- their new EP, Ceremonial Conjuration, came out in June on Invictus Productions.
ARTIST: GOSPEL OF THE HORNS
ALBUM: REALM OF THE DAMNED
GENRE: BLACK/THRASH METAL
Hail Spirit Noir - Pneuma
Their first and only release, Hail Spirit Noir is an incredibly strange album. It combines the Greek black metal sound (think Rotting Christ and Necromantia in terms of "higher" guitars, etc) with unconventional song structures and keyboard parts that sound more like they belong in a doom metal album than here. Strangely enough though, it all works. It's an incredibly haunting and atmospheric album, and I wouldn't recommend it to black metal fans unless you're up for something strange. There's not a whole lot to say about this album other than that: I've included a YouTube video below which captures the band's sound/imagery quite well. Enjoy!
ARTIST: HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
ALBUM: PNEUMA
GENRE: AVANT-GARDE/BLACK METAL
Friday, July 6, 2012
Hirilorn - Legends of Evil and Eternal Death
I feel like a lot of people seek out this band hoping to hear some really raw/kvlt DsO material. In reality, Hirilorn are a very different band thematically and musically -- not sharing much with DsO other than the same members and subgenre of metal. Hirilorn is the name of a tree used as a prison in Lord of the Rings -- that fact alone sets the tone for the type of music Hirilorn play. Their sole LP, Legends of Evil and Eternal Death contains only 5 songs, but each of them clocks in at over 10 minutes long. However, don't let this steer you away! It contains some fantastic black metal that's heavily saturated in the 1990s European BM sound prevailing of the time, in addition to some fantastic musicianship. While it's heavily atmospheric in the same way that DsO are, it's much more technically melodic (I find DsO's atmosphere to be much more "chaotic" in contrast).
If you're a fan of the 1990s-era European black metal bands (i.e. Darkthrone, Mayhem etc.), I imagine you'll like this. If you're a big DsO fan, approach this with an open mind and you may find yourself pleasantly surprised.
ARTIST: HIRILORN
ALBUM: LEGENDS OF EVIL AND ETERNAL DEATH
GENRE: BLACK METAL
Sodom - Persecution Mania
Persecution Mania is the second album by German black/thrash legends Sodom. For those who don't know them, Sodom have been cranking out awesome black/thrash music
since the 1980s, and are considered one of the founders of the
black/thrash genre. If you're on this blog, you probably know that Sodom certainly live up to their name (and likely already have this album on your computer). But, I only realized last night that this was one of the albums that I never bothered to put back on my laptop after it crashed a couple of years back, and man am I glad I did!
Although In The Sign of Evil is extremely raw and catchy, I really don't care for Obssessed By Cruelty. I've heard that the European press is better than the North American version, but despite multiple listens, I just can't stand it. It's not that they're bad musicians on that album, it's more so that they play together really poorly: it sounds more like a first jam session/first take for the album than a finished product. Persecution Mania does NOT have this problem whatsoever: the musicianship is awesome, the timing is awesome, the production is awesome, the lyrical themes are awesome...it's dark enough for black metal fans, fast enough for thrash metal fans...hell, even if you don't like black/thrash metal as a genre, you'll probably still enjoy this if you're into exclusively thrash or black metal. Definitely essential listening, and comes highly recommended. Enjoy!
Although In The Sign of Evil is extremely raw and catchy, I really don't care for Obssessed By Cruelty. I've heard that the European press is better than the North American version, but despite multiple listens, I just can't stand it. It's not that they're bad musicians on that album, it's more so that they play together really poorly: it sounds more like a first jam session/first take for the album than a finished product. Persecution Mania does NOT have this problem whatsoever: the musicianship is awesome, the timing is awesome, the production is awesome, the lyrical themes are awesome...it's dark enough for black metal fans, fast enough for thrash metal fans...hell, even if you don't like black/thrash metal as a genre, you'll probably still enjoy this if you're into exclusively thrash or black metal. Definitely essential listening, and comes highly recommended. Enjoy!
ARTIST: SODOM
ALBUM: PERSECUTION MANIA
GENRE: BLACK/THRASH METAL
Friday, June 29, 2012
Bestial Summoning - The Dark War Has Begun
Bestial Summoning existed during the 1990s in the Netherlands, and boy, did they put out some fantastic black metal. I LOVE the vocals on this album, and for something that was probably
recorded in someone's basement, the sound levels of the different
instruments are quite well done. Unlike your Darkthrone or Mayhem which tended to be more atmosphere focused, Bestial Summoning are all ice-cold hatred and aggression. There's some tracks, like Unholy Prison, that area bit more "traditional" in terms of pacing, but they tend to be the weaker songs on the album. The downside to the "ARGHFUCKKILLSATAAANN" approach is that there's not a whole lot of room for variation, and the much of the album blurs together. Now for someone people, that may not be a downside at all -- just be forewarned that this album is not particularly sensitive to atmosphere.
The Dark War Has Begun is a super raw, super fast, supremely evil-sounding record and is highly recommended for any fan of raw black metal. If you're into modern war metal acts like Conqueror and Revenge, you'll probably enjoy this.
The Dark War Has Begun is a super raw, super fast, supremely evil-sounding record and is highly recommended for any fan of raw black metal. If you're into modern war metal acts like Conqueror and Revenge, you'll probably enjoy this.
ARTIST: BESTIAL SUMMONING
ALBUM: THE DARK WAR HAS BEGUN
GENRE: BLACK METAL
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Rites Of Thy Degringolade - An Ode to Sin
RoTD are a Canadian black/death metal act from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Although this one-man project was relatively short lived, Rites put out some amazing (yet incredibly underrated) metal in the early 2000s. Paulus Kressman is an incredible drummer, and it definitely shows on all of his works. He's moved on to drum for Weapon, which have been steadily touring across North America the last couple of years.
An Ode To Sin is the last Rites album before the band "split-up". I'm generally not a fan of clean-sounding production when it comes to black metal, but Rites pull it off, really well: possibly the best I've ever heard. It's a fast album, but every note is crisp and audible, thanks to some very talented musicianship. It's not Blasphemy or Order From Chaos, but it's still some damn good western metal.
An Ode To Sin is the last Rites album before the band "split-up". I'm generally not a fan of clean-sounding production when it comes to black metal, but Rites pull it off, really well: possibly the best I've ever heard. It's a fast album, but every note is crisp and audible, thanks to some very talented musicianship. It's not Blasphemy or Order From Chaos, but it's still some damn good western metal.
ARTIST: RITES OF THY DEGRINGOLADE
ALBUM: AN ODE TO SIN
GENRE: BLACK/DEATH METAL
Friday, June 22, 2012
ZOM - Demo (2011)
The ZOM demo was one of the most highly sought after demos last year, and with good reason. ZOM's debut release is five tracks of filthy, chaotic, unholy death metal that remains a cut above the rest in a sea of mediocre bestial metal.
Their demo has had three tape pressings so far on Invictus Productions, all of which have sold out promptly. I'm not sure if they're planning to do another one, but I believe there's some beautiful ZOM t-shirts still available on there for a reasonable price. I've talked about Invictus briefly before in my VOMITOR post, but basically they're a killer black/death metal label hosting some of the best active bands in the genre, including GOSPEL OF THE HORNS, VOMITOR, NEGATIVE PLANE and ZOM. They update their FB page quite regularly with band news, so I recommend checking out both the online shop and 'liking' them on FB for more information.
Their demo has had three tape pressings so far on Invictus Productions, all of which have sold out promptly. I'm not sure if they're planning to do another one, but I believe there's some beautiful ZOM t-shirts still available on there for a reasonable price. I've talked about Invictus briefly before in my VOMITOR post, but basically they're a killer black/death metal label hosting some of the best active bands in the genre, including GOSPEL OF THE HORNS, VOMITOR, NEGATIVE PLANE and ZOM. They update their FB page quite regularly with band news, so I recommend checking out both the online shop and 'liking' them on FB for more information.
ARTIST: ZOM
ALBUM: DEMO (2011)
GENRE: BLACK/DEATH METAL
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Neige Morte - S/T (2011)
Neige Morte are a black/doom metal band from France. Usually when you hear the words "France" and "Black metal" in conjunction with one another, it's good news -- and Neige Morte is no exception. I got introduced to this band by chance through a friend, and I'm glad they did. This CD isn't particularly lengthy, but it's extremely atmospheric/heavy. Not a whole lot of traditional-sounding BM blastbeats/tremolo guitars here, but it works really well with what these guys set out to accomplish. Best listened to all in one go.
ARTIST: NEIGE MORTE
ALBUM: S/T (2011)
GENRE: BLACK/DOOM METAL
Nuclearhammer - Obliteration Ritual
Nuclearhammer is a three-piece black metal band from Toronto, Ontario. They have their own distinct sound from a lot of the black and war metal acts out West, but they're just as heavy. They're as fast as a war metal band (and production-wise sound very similar), but they have much more atmosphere -- bringing them more into traditional black metal territory. Obliteration Ritual is a record best played loud, with a beer in one hand and a razor blade in the other. I know Axaazaroth through a mutual person and he's a talented musician who definitely knows his shit about metal. Despite coming out in 2009, OR just got released on vinyl, which you can purchase by contacting Poison Mist Propaganda directly, or the band via their facebook page. Both the download and purchase link are located below. Cheers!
ARTIST: NUCLEARHAMMER
ALBUM: OBLITERATION RITUAL
GENRE: BLACK METAL
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Torture Chain - Time Is But A Doorway To The Incinerator
I raved about this band an earlier post, but to recap: Torture Chain are a USBM one-man project that produce some truly hateful black metal. Their 2012 demo is no exception to this. The difference between this release and their previous efforts is that Time Is But A Doorway...is a single song demo, and shows a lot more variation in terms of musical style and song progression. I LOVED the creepy classical string intro...reminded me a lot of Murder Rape and Teitanblood's style of sampling.
ARTIST: TORTURE CHAIN
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