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  • Album Review: Hellmoon – Blood Laced With Emptiness

    Hellmoon – Blood Laced With Emptiness (photo taken from Forbidden Keep Records Bandcamp)

    Deep within the dingy, verminous bowels of the earth lies a brooding evil, expanding and pulsating, as it crawls through the darkness like a blind cave malformation, absorbing every hopeless fragment of light that it encounters. Hellmoon is a one-man Raw Black Metal band based out of Winnipeg, Canada. Formed in 2019 by sole and founding member Plääg, this prolific conglomeration of hatred burst out of its spiked shackles, chanting hymns of malediction, as it set upon the Metal underground with honed fangs and an arsenal of sadistic weaponry. After unleashing a raging tempest of demo, split and full-length releases, Hellmoon slinked back into the tenebrous shadows of the studio, as the stench of human blood filled its nostrils and the insatiable hunger for flesh clouded its irretrievable sanity. This is the brand-new upcoming EP entitled ‘Blood Laced With Emptiness’, released on 1st January 2024 through Forbidden Keep Records. 

    This two track 7″ sounds like the result of soul-crushing solitude and impregnable blackness. Smothering static coats the EP in corrosive cattarh, suffocating you as you desperately claw at your throat, hoping with every useless gasp that you find enough oxygen to prolong your worthless suffering. Viscous fog rolls through the soundscape like a gargantuan black cloud, swallowing every instrument, whilst allowing a fraction of their distinctive rhythms and melodies to squeeze through the cracks into existence. Once your violated ears have become acclimatised to the abrasive horrors churning in their own miasmatic soup of decay, the scorching riffs begin to materialise, gripping onto your attention like a vice. Tempo changes lurk around every corner like a shady killer with itchy fingers, trembling with excitement as they vividly imagine the impending strangulation. This introduces a welcome challenging aspect to the release, maintaining freshness, interest, and unpredictability. Grating lead work emerges from the toxic slime like a misshapen leviathan, mutating and oscillating with sheer unintelligible dissonance, as your frontal cortex is fried to a futile charred lump. 

    Grimness personified

    Larynx-shattering screeches permeate the sonic abyss with an air of unadulterated terror, fracturing any monotony, as you attempt to navigate the harsh wall of sound. Hopelessness and dejection soon follows, as the light is snatched away from your gradually collapsing mind like an unfathomable black hole. Unhinged howls echo from the chasmic depths like tormented souls, begging to be released from their immortal plains of excruciating existence. Audible bass notes tear their way through the release like fresh, undead corpses frantically clawing at their rotted coffin lid, providing an intimidating rumbling effect to the maelstrom of apocalyptic chaos. The catastrophic presence of unstoppable blast beats melts every morsel of biological tissue from your skeleton, seething with anger as you are removed from reality like an insignificant mortal blip. Intermittent mid-paced sections break up the artillery bombardment with undeniable efficacy, driving a syringe of catchiness into your body and watching as you uncontrollably brain yourself to death on a neighbouring wall. 

    Hellmoon wastes absolutely no time in putting you straight to the sword with this fleeting release, capturing every desirable essence of Raw Black Metal and combining them to create a true masterclass of harshness and evil. Protect your jugular at all costs, for this hideous miscreant has a yearning and lust for blood, and it has its sights set on you…

    Buy and listen to the album here

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  • Album Review: Leather Brigade – Pray to the Knife

    Leather Brigade - Pray to the Knife (Vicious Witch Records)
    Leather Brigade – Pray to the Knife (Vicious Witch Records)

    Footsteps tap against the urine-soaked pavement like hailstones, as your visible breath clouds your view in front of you. Your heartbeat intensifies, as your leather clad stalker draws near. You turn around, leaving behind an involuntary gasp, as the knife is driven into your thoracic cavity like a surgeon’s scalpel. Remorselessness, pride and insanity radiates from your attacker, as he takes a swig of his warm beer. Admiring his work he smiles, as you suffocate on your own blood, pooling in your throat like sea water. Leather Brigade is a four-piece Blackened Speed/Heavy Metal band based out of Bucharest, Romania. Formed in 2020, this inebriated gang of reprobates burst out of their dingy swill holes to wreak havoc and impose chaos upon the streets with their sleazy brand of Metal madness. This fledgling project took its time to find its feet in the studio, embracing two years of studio inactivity before initiating their despicable reign of lunacy. This is their debut EP entitled ‘Pray to the Knife’, released on 2nd April 2023 through Vicious Witch Records. Grab your leather jackets and buckle up your wrist spikes, as for the next 16-minutes, you are about to indulge in a world of debauchery, sex and savagery all in the name of Satan. Let’s do this!

    From the very first instance you are sucked into this infectious cesspool of unimaginable degeneracy. The raw energy and force that the rhythm guitars strike you with on the very first track ‘Alcoholic Night’ is enough to force you into running through brick walls. Huge inspiration has evidently been taken from the classic Heavy Metal sound, providing that essential punch and provocation that this band so clearly strives for. The grinding guitar tone shreds through your nerves like scissors through silk, relying on familiarity and extreme power to invigorate you into cardiac arrest. It is near enough impossible to prevent yourself from singing along to every single one of these pummelling projections of preposterous Punk tracks, ensnaring you in inescapable choral webs and frighteningly catchy hooks, as you bludgeon beer bottles over your head and chew on the blood and hop-soaked glass.

    Dazzling lead work injects a boost of technicality to the EP like a heroin needle, forcing you to absorb intoxicating flurries of densely packed notes until your drunken body loses its structural integrity, folding onto the piss-drenched floor like a threadbare towel. Hate-fuelled solos burn through the soundscape, bridging the gap between track sections and plugging holes in the sound like architectural keystones. The audible bass work pads out the sound with extraordinary efficacy, functioning more as a backing rhythm provider rather than a distant, simply unidentifiable rumble.

    Mullets and bullets. This band has it all.

    If complex, ultra-intricate drumming is what you’re craving… then go somewhere else, nerd! Blistering, Punk-inspired, Speed-laden drum bars scorch through the record, leaving a trail of blackened vegetation in its wake of absolute destruction. Snare quarters dominate the release, peppering you with vicious, cranium-splintering shrapnel torrents like front line soldiers. Fills prepare you for rare tempo shifts and welcome riff transitions, serving their purpose splendidly with no unnecessary frills nor unwarranted fanciness. The snarled vocal performance adds a tasteful sense of extremism to the album, fracturing any minute illusion of calm whilst introducing a dark humorous edge to proceedings with gruff, raspy wretches.

    Overall, this is a relatively unchallenging audial assault, relying on tricks and tropes from several different Metal disciplines and meshing them together to create a very enjoyable maelstrom of alcoholic carnage. There is absolutely nothing delicate nor intricate to report here, just unforgiving, unapologetic insanity that jumps into view, stabs you in the gut until your intestines slop out into your hands and runs away before you have a chance to register what has happened. If you are searching for party music that retains its Heavy Metal backbone with no unwelcome tackiness, then give this complete and total rager a blast. You will find yourself in a whisky-induced stupor come the end of its fleeting 16-minute runtime.

    My Rating: 7.3/10

    Buy and listen to the album here

  • Album Review: Misþyrming – Með hamri

    Misþyrming – Með hamri (Norma Evangelium Diaboli)

    I don’t mean to be dramatic, but my inner ear is still in tatters, smeared onto the carpet like hot cranberry sauce after this project’s previous outing. Misþyrming is a four-piece Black Metal band based out of Reykjavik, Iceland. Formed in 2013 and smothered in debris and general filth, these apocalypse suppliers grabbed their guitars and defecated a flaming torrent of abrasive, cacophonous terror all over the unsuspecting Metal landscape, claiming well-earned scalps and singeing the skin from faces to be collected as macabre trophies in the process. On ‘Söngvar elds og óreiðu’, the band displayed a level of audial savagery that I had seldom heard before, utilising suffocating dissonance to create an almost euphoric, purgatorial experience. On their sophomore offering ‘Algleymi’, Misþyrming moved the intensity dial from 10 down to 9.5, as they opted to incorporate more melody into their cataclysmic vortex of sound, dividing fans of their earlier work, whilst charming the hearts of many fresh new faces. This drastic change in styles over the course of just one album left many wondering whether their third record would be the one where they finally bit the bullet, and unleashed their debut Dream Pop/Nu Metal record, or if they would simply build upon the sound of their previous release. This is their third full-length album entitled ‘Með hamri’, released today on 16th December 2022 through Norma Evangelium Diaboli. Shield your faces and get ready to be absolutely peppered with bullet shrapnel, blood and dust, as this mechanical juggernaut wreaks unfathomable carnage and bathes in the sadistic enjoyment of your excruciating suffering.

    From the word ‘go’, it is evident that there are going to be some novel outer influences incorporated into this obliterative cesspool of gloom. On the surface, the music adopts a similar style to their previous full-length, relying heavily on dissonance and melody to maintain your intrigue, whilst the noisier, more corrosive approach is put on the back burner slightly. When you momentarily withdraw yourself from the barrage of blistering barbarity and allow yourself to dissect the riffs, their drab, dichromatic colours eek out from within their dank pores. Black/Thrash riffs pummel you in the jaw during the title track, severing your spinal chord with galloping drums and repetitive chainsaw guitar swings, blending your head into a repugnant pulp for its six-minute run time. ‘Með hamri’ on the other hand, offers you the opportunity to become reacquainted with their signature lead guitar tone. It almost wails with a ghostly air, as the tremolo picking waves the notes around in your ears like tree branches in a brisk wind. There is a perfect balance between beauty and merciless ferocity throughout the album, grabbing your hair and submerging you over and over again in their trough of boiling tar.

    The drum performance is incredibly varied for the most part, raining down on your cranium like a scorching meteor shower. Every track maintains its own individual identity, as specific playing styles are purposefully allocated to fit the rest of the song structure. Galloping Thrash bars, ruthless blast beat strafing and mid-paced snare rattling each combine across the 43-minute journey to maim and destroy your body in as many different ways as possible. If your heart hasn’t already exploded from the percussive beatdown, then you may get the chance to appreciate some of the incredibly moody Ambient track outros lurking in the shadowy depths. They provide pleasant, yet unsettling moments of disparity when compared with the shocking audial abuse that you have endured in the minutes prior. Thankfully, they refuse to outstay their welcome, simply functioning to gel the album together to form an adhesive collective unit.

    D.G has conceded absolutely none of his trademark, raving lunacy when it comes to his vocal performance here. They lie somewhere between gruff barks, deranged yells and grating screams, filling the atmosphere with an air of madness and despair. While he has predominantly ditched his ‘harmonised’, almost sung vocal style, there is a fleeting moment during which a choir of wondrous female cleans erupts out of the darkness on the penultimate track ‘Blóðhefnd’. This is yet another example of Misþyrming revelling in throwing you off the path of predictability, whilst staying loyal to their objective of sealing your bleak fate.

    The apocalyptic bass lines offer a novel war torn aura beneath their conspecific instruments. Throughout the record, it feels as if distant mortaring and the thunderous rolling of tanks are moving ever closer, as you have no choice but to lie prone in a waterlogged shell crater in the hope that you remain undetected. Unnerving they may be, however they inject an infectious groove into the body of the album, joining forces with the formidable drumming to ensure that head-nodding becomes mandatory.

    Overall, this is an undoubtedly haunting experience. The atmosphere and tension is genuinely disturbing, while the involvement of unpredictable and, dare I say, almost experimental elements keeps you on your trench foot-eaten toes for the duration. Although Misþyrming have tried to commit to their most recent sound here, there is no question that they are incapable of standing still, finding every single position to be one of stress, as they perpetually strive to create something new and exciting. Með hamri is an unforgettable voyage through mud, gore and squalor, throwing you from side to side like a fighter jet and discombobulating you with every riff transition and dismal ambient passage to the point of sheer psychosis. This is the musical equivalent of having your ears raped by vines of thorns, prolonging the residual misery from two years of solitude, and jamming the final nail into the lid of your gradually descending coffin.

    My Rating: 8.8/10

    Buy and listen to the album here

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  • Top 20 Albums of 2022

    Ahhh, 2022. A year that will go down in history as the year that Covid-19 and all subsequent variants lost their scare factor, the year that Queen Lizzie waved goodbye to the mortal realm and most importantly, the year that I wore mittens and drank hot chocolate while I watched the World Cup, instead of in a sunlit beer garden drinking pints with my buddies. Aside from the doom and gloom presented to us on the news however, we were also treated to an endless ocean of absolutely outstanding music of all different styles and disciplines. My wallet has taken such a beating this year that bruises began to appear on the leather, but it has all been worth it, for it has been an unforgettably busy and exciting time to be a music fan. Here, I’ll compile my 20 favourite full-length releases of 2022, whilst providing a few of my specific thoughts and a brief description of each album. There will be some familiar faces here, along with a few that I hope will become new discoveries for some of you fine readers. Without any further cockamamie ramblings, let’s count down my 20 most cherished albums of 2022.

    20. Nocturnal Triumph – Nocturnal Triumph (Amor Fati Productions)

    Serpentine Swedish Black Metal horde Nocturnal Triumph emerged from the flaming pits of the nether to scorch ears and fry faces with their third self-titled full-length, released on 12th January through Amor Fati. This is a seething cesspit of carnage, containing all the hallmarks of a truly vicious Black Metal abomination. Everything is high pitched and venomous, leaving your ears ringing and your throat spewing blood after every subsequent listen. There is a melodic tint to every one of these tracks, making them as contagious as they are furious. This is a certified banger from start to finish, and one that hasn’t left my turntable all goddamn year!

    19. Immolation – Acts of God (Nuclear Blast Records)

    It’s always a good day when these Death Metal titans release new music. New York veterans Immolation came here to decimate and destroy with their 11th full-length album ‘Acts of God’, released on 18th February through Nuclear Blast Records. Here, the guys do what they do best, maim and conquer, leaving a path of irreparable devastation in their wake. If you are already accustomed to Immolation’s erratic, stop-start riffing, complex song structuring and intensely brutal sound, then you can’t possibly be disappointed by this release. This is more of what we have come to expect and love from these undeniable sub-genre stalwarts, exhibiting their undying talent, passion and drive once again, taking no prisoners, as they impose sweltering hellfire upon your ignitable body.

    18. Black Cilice – Esoteric Atavism (Iron Bonehead Productions)

    One-man Portuguese Raw-Black Metal project Black Cilice returned on 1st July to emanate their sixth studio full-length album ‘Esoteric Atavism’ through Iron Bonehead Productions. The atmosphere on this release is as claustrophobic as it is spellbinding, clogging up your trachea with thick clouds of smog as your mind enters a state of inexplicable euphoria. The impenetrable wall of static that each of their previous albums are shrouded in is still very much present, disallowing a large portion of the sound from escaping. The howled vocals have transitioned into more of a hopeless yell here, further contributing to the feeling of inescapable despair and the loneliness of suffering. If you’re unfamiliar with Black Cilice, or Raw-Black Metal in general for that matter, then this may sound like a convoluted cacophony of noise at first. However, if you take your time and donate enough care and attention to it, then the riffs and mystical beauty gradually begin to reveal themselves. Stunning work yet again.

    17. Sumerlands – Dreamkiller (Relapse Records)

    I rarely dabble in the traditional Heavy Metal sub-genre nowadays, as I find a lot of it to be an alleyway towards a dead end of creativity. Every now and then however, a band like Philadelphia’s Sumerlands will creep onto my radar and change my mind completely. This is their sophomore full-length album ‘Dreamkiller’, released on 16th September through Relapse Records. This is exactly what I want in an album of this style. It’s unbearably catchy, leaving vocal hooks stuck in your head for days on end until you want to tear fistfuls of hair from your scalp and stuff them in your ears, leaving you rocking back and forth in the corner of the room like a PTSD sufferer. This sounds like a negative thing… however, in this case it is exactly the type of album you want oscillating in your brain like a musical tornado. The vocal performance is varied and frankly incredible, with each harmony driving the tracks forwards like a rugby scrum. The riffs function as beams of energy, coursing through your body, as your adrenaline spikes to unprecedented levels, and the electrifying solos sizzle your frontal lobe like a gelatinous chicken breast. If you’re looking for a relatively unchallenging Heavy Metal banger to get your gnashers into, then look no further than this inspired slab of Heavy Metal mayhem.

    16. Live Burial – Curse of the Forlorn (Transcending Obscurity Records)

    Heading back to my corner of the world now with Newcastle’s merciless executioners Live Burial. This is a band I’ve been following stringently for a while now, watching them flourish in their local scene, whilst perfecting their craft in the studio with each passing release. This is their third full-length album ‘Curse of the Forlorn’, released on 23rd September through Transcending Obscurity Records. It’s incredible to see how far this project has come since their early days, as they unleash yet another unbelievable, and dare I say, their best album to date. Curse of the Forlorn is a majestic display of modern Extreme Metal, taking the traditional Death Metal sound and transforming it into an obliterative, technical onslaught of cataclysmic proportions. Here, they display their tumultuous Thrash-centric bombardment of sheer torment and despair, adopting ambient atmospherics and infectiously groovy bass lines to seal your miserable fate. Don’t dare let this one evade you. You have been warned.

    15. Panzerfaust – The Suns of Perdition, Chapter III: The Astral Drain (Eisenwald)

    Voyaging into Canada for this next lump of charred black coal. This time we concentrate our focus on Ontario-based Black Metal war machine Panzerfaust and their sixth full-length album and third in the projected ‘Suns’ tetralogy ‘The Suns of Perdition, Chapter III: The Astral Drain’, released on 22nd July through Eisenwald. Picking up right where ‘Render Unto Eden’ left off, this is a dissonant, claustrophobic voyage of convolution and unpredictability. Much like on their two releases prior, this album aspires to build the pressure until the lid finally blows off, revealing a toxic fog of decimation and holocaust. The complex and domineering drum performance, combined with the slick, discordant lead guitar flurries and varied vocal performance result in a truly disturbing listening experience, effortlessly encouraging your intensifying descent into insanity. This is an altogether darker and more challenging entry into the series, leaving behind a trail of shadow, as its suffocating, nihilistic hymns ring in your ears and haunt your very dreams for eternity.

    14. Heltekvad – Morgenrødens Helvedesherre (Eisenwald)

    On 25th March, Panzerfaust’s Danish label mates Heltekvad trotted onto the Black Metal scene to untether their spectacular debut full-length album ‘Morgenrødens Helvedesherre’. This is some stellar Medieval Black Metal, serving as proof that you can gel uncompromising abrasiveness and sentimental beauty to create an alluring whole. This is catchy, truly authentic sounding, and at times disarmingly gorgeous music, transporting you to the Dark Ages in 35-minute bursts with commendable efficacy. The riffs are beautiful and warming, whilst the vocals sound like they have emerged from a tortured soul, begging to be put to rest as it endures decades of excruciating pain and suffering. Gentle acoustics put your mind at ease, luring you into a false sense of security before you are bombarded with raw power and hostility once more. This is a perfectly balanced album, serving its purpose quite splendidly, whilst leaving a mark on your memory too poignant to forget.

    13. Devil Master – Ecstasies of Never Ending Night (Relapse Records)

    When the time comes to pound beers and smash empty glass bottles on your hollow head, you need the perfect soundtrack to match. Philadelphia-based Black Metal/Punk hybrid Devil Master returned on 29th April to intoxicate and vandalise with their sophomore full-length album ‘Ecstasies of Never Ending Night’, released through Relapse Records. Head banging has never seemed so mandatory. This is a punishing, heart-pumping assault on the senses, striking you with blow after blow of sheer, invigorating energy, making you want to smash up your surroundings and all who occupy them. Every song is perilously catchy, spiking your drink with shots of psychedelia, Punky drum lines and rapidly picked leads. Post-Punk even creeps into the mix with the track ‘Abyss in Vision’ sending you into a spiralling, depressive stupor, before you are re-energised to the brink of cardiac arrest with the closely following instrumental outburst. This is the kind of album that will intensify your drinking habits, leaving you lying in a pool of your own bile and yesterday’s dinner before the night has come to an end. Bone breaking, jaw dropping, drunk and disorderly, perfection.

    12. Frozen Graves – An Age of Emptiness (Amor Fati Productions/ Kuunpalvelus

    My year end list simply wouldn’t be complete without a fog-shrouded, mid-paced Black Metal firestorm. Comprised of Luxixul Sumering Auter previously of Cosmic Church, Vandra of Asymmetry and the mighty Khaosgott formerly of Nécropole and current larynx decimator for fellow Black Metal machine Cénotaphe, French/ Finnish three-piece Frozen Graves was destined to do great things from their very incarnation. After five years of studio silence, the guys laced up their military boots and strapped on their bullet belts once again to unshackle their sophomore full-length album ‘An Age of Emptiness’, co-released on 26th September through Amor Fati Productions and Kuunpalvelus. This is a majestic display of butterfly-inducing, aorta-puncturing Black Metal, performed to sap you of all happiness with haunting melodies and tortured shrieks. Each individual musician brings a unique aspect to the record, gelling each style together to form a dense, churning whirlpool of immersive black tar. The songwriting is extraordinary, creating a glutinous, claustrophobic atmosphere with apparent ease. If you wish for unending gloom, then loop this toxic pit of sludge on repeat. This thing will scratch that itch so thoroughly that the claw scrapes touch bone.

    11. Faceless Burial – At the Foothills of Deliration (Me Saco Un Ojo/ Dark Descent Records)

    Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be sucked into a lathe, as your innards are splattered across the factory walls like abstract expressionistic art? Well, Faceless Burial managed to capture that feeling pretty accurately with their third full-length album ‘At the Foothills of Deliration’, released on 7th October through Me Saco Un Ojo and Dark Descent Records. If the guitar tone is the revving motor, then the rest of the instrumentation is the circulating blade of the chainsaw, slicing through your tendons and muscle tissue like a shark attack. These guys have come dangerously close to brutalising me so mercilessly with this record, that I almost considered it to be battery and assault. They ramp up the progressions and abrupt riff transitions here, allowing them to vomit all of their ideas onto the page, whilst maintaining a level of cohesion and measuredness. This is a truly nasty, downright savage Death Metal record. An absolute treat for all of you sadistic freaks from beginning to unsightly end.

    10. Aurora – The Gods We Can Touch (Decca Records)

    On 21st January, Norwegian Pop enchantress Aurora materialised within a cocoon of rose petals to embrace our ears with her third full-length album ‘The Gods We Can Touch’, released through Decca Records. Much like on her previous releases, Aurora manages to display her spine-tingling vocal range, caressing your tympanic membranes with her angelic, silken voice. Aurora’s divine vocal performance leaves goosebumps all over you, while the inspired songwriting seduces you into singing along with each hook like a siren, coaxing naïve ships into the jagged, protruding shoreline. There are moments of Folk, Dream Pop and Electronic Pop comprising this glistening collection of tracks, creating a fluctuating feeling as you are led, blindfolded, through these flower-laden fields, unaware of what is yet to arrive at the next turn. If you are open minded, and partial to a sliver of Pop every now and then, then allow yourself to be blanketed by the ethereal magnificence of this truly bewitching record.

    9. Ultha – All That Has Never Been True (Vendetta Records)

    From the uplifting to the downright depressing. German gloom lords Ultha slithered beyond into the realm of the unconscious to crush dreams and burn all remnants of happiness into futile ash with their fourth full-length album ‘All That Has Never Been True’, released on 1st April through Vendetta Records. This is a frightful reminder of how fragile the mind can truly be. The riffs are frantic like lightning bolts, permeating the record with low register tremolo picking and high, dissonant leads. They use deliberate, atmospheric passages to confuse your brain into a state of hypnosis, before increasing the tempo and intensity to macerate you into a gooey pulp while you’re at your most vulnerable. At nearly an hour in length, this isn’t an album for the faint of heart, as it dissects and explores the human mind in intricate detail with extensive, proficiently thorough and masterfully arranged tracks. Vendetta Records rarely miss, and Ultha certainly don’t, piercing clean through your heart with a surgeons precision and plucking every ounce of ambition and gaiety from your wilting soul.

    8. Grima – Frostbitten (Naturmacht Productions)

    On 29th July, Russian Atmospheric Black Metal two-piece Grima returned merely a year after their monumental 2021 album ‘Rotten Garden’ with yet another ferocious snowstorm of a release. ‘Frostbitten’, released through Naturmacht Productions, is the band’s fifth studio album, and is yet another textbook example of how to write chilling, indelible Atmospheric Black Metal. The piercing shrills sound like disturbed ghosts screaming through a blizzard, as the tremolo picked guitars accompany the unmistakable sound of their now signature bayan accordion. Each track is voluminous enough so that you feel satiated after each listen, however they manage to avoid becoming overly elaborate and pretentious. Frostbitten is tastefully challenging, involute and completely bewitching from start to finish, capturing the aura of nature and the frightful elements with seamless nonchalance. Another stunning, destructive avalanche of an album.

    7. Aara – Triade II: Hemera (Debemur Morti Productions)

    Speaking of obscenely hard-working and fruitful Atmospheric Black Metal projects… Swiss three-piece Aara returned on 13th May to reveal the second part of their projected ‘Melmuth’ trilogy entitled ‘Triade II: Hemera’, released through Debemur Morti Productions. The elegant lead guitar wizardry once again shines through as the most prominent aspect of this album, weaving riffs of spider silk between the instrumentation to tantalise you and ultimately, ensnare your wandering attention. Things rarely die down here, as Aara maintains a truly blistering pace throughout, led by the monstrous and robotically fast drum performance. Every track acts as an ear worm, ensuring that each melody brands itself onto your mind, never to leave go. The production job veils the instrumentation in a gentle layer of fuzz, adding to the aura of bedlam formulated by the record’s overall relentlessness. If darkness and frenzy is what you crave, then this is absolutely the album for you. Sleep on these guys at your own peril, as Aara is swiftly becoming one of the most consistent Black Metal projects in the game.

    6. Drudkh – Всі належать ночі (All Belong to the Night) (Season of Mist)

    Ukrainian Atmospheric Black Metal masters Drudkh emerged from the war-torn turmoil raging within their homeland to bring us their 12th full-length album ‘Всі належать ночі (All Belong to the Night)’, released on 11th November through Season of Mist. While Drudkh manage to stay true to their trademark sound on this one, it becomes apparent at certain points during the record that they are willing to deviate slightly, leaving bamboozled heads turning in awe. All Belong to the Night is undoubtedly heartfelt, gut-wrenchingly emotive and undyingly passionate, as the band relies on repetition to drill each splendid note into your bulging hippocampus. They use hints of progression towards the posterior end of the album, stopping and starting like a dying man’s breath to carry the album away into the ether on a bed of deafening thunder. This is a near-perfect album, further cementing Drudkh’s place as an indubitable powerhouse of the Black Metal scene. If I had heard this one earlier in the year, then perhaps it would’ve claimed a higher spot, however its imposing presence and chilling aura comfortably secures it a place in the top six regardless. Magnificent work.

    5. Véhémence – Ordalies (Antiq Records)

    On 8th March, Parisian Epic/Medieval Black Metal warriors Véhémence stormed out of the studio with swords blazing to unleash their third full-length album ‘Ordalies’, released through Antiq Records. This is one of the catchiest collections tracks I have heard all year. They use prominent melodies and relentless tremolo picking to create an authentic and impossibly unique sound, inspiring you to lift your flail and wine bottle to the sky, as you prepare for half-cut combat. This band does an excellent job of sending you back to the Medieval time period, capturing its essence flawlessly with ravening Melodic Black Metal, delicate acoustics, solemn violins and a combination of traditional Folky, clean sung and wretched snarled vocals. The infectiousness bleeds out of the pores of this album, delivering an air of national pride and patriotism, as well as barbarism and death. If you enjoyed their previous album, then prepare to fall in love all over again. If this is your first introduction to Véhémence, you’re welcome.

    4. Ghostly Kisses – Heaven, Wait (Akira Records)

    Margaux Sauvé, better known by her binomial project name Ghostly Kisses, is a Quebecois Dream Pop singer/songwriter. With silken wings spread, she graced us with several glorious EPs consisting of various different styles, including her exclusively instrumental, piano renditions mini-LP ‘Alone Together’. As it turns out, 2021 couldn’t have been a better time for Ghostly Kisses to breeze onto my radar, as she announced the arrival of her debut full-length album ‘Heaven, Wait’, released on 28th January just a year later through Akira Records. Margaux’s vocal performance is truly haunting, drifting as soft as a cloud through the album with a fragile, whispered and ethereal quality. The high notes are absolutely hypnotising, taking you aback with their grace and fluency. This is no regular Pop album, relying on authentic, diverse instrumentals and palpable atmosphere, instead of unchallenging, recycled beats and a crystal clear, overly pampered production job. Make no mistake however, every hook that emanates from Margaux’s spectral voice box is untaintedly infectious, sending chills down your spine with every syllable like a supernatural entity. I can’t say enough good things about this, so stop what you’re doing and offer up your heart and soul to Ghostly Kisses.

    3. Djevel – Naa Skrider Natten Sort (Aftermath Music)

    Now for the latest entry into my list this year. On 23rd November, Norwegian Black Metal three-piece Djevel crept out of the arborous shadows to unchain their eighth full-length album ‘Naa Skrider Natten Sort’ through Aftermath Music. This is a densely packed deep-dive into the frostbitten corners of Scandinavia, paying homage to the second wave Black Metal scene with a truly staggering display of ferocity, beauty and adeptness. The atmosphere that they manage to create here clasps onto you, shrouding you in an inescapable cocoon of exquisite acoustics, taking your mind away to far colder, more rural areas of our unforgiving planet. While the harsh elements are strongly rooted in the classic sound, Djevel’s distinguishable songwriting makes the record shine, separating them from the shadow of their predecessors. This thing absolutely floored me the first time that I heard it, and it continues to rip through my eardrums like a honed icicle. Djevel have exhibited vigour, passion, pride and a legitimate respect for the Norwegian bands of yore with this spellbinding piece of music. Amazing stuff.

    2. Spider God – Fly in the Trap (Repose Records)

    An ultra Melodic Black Metal album based on the mysterious and completely ambiguous death of Elisa Lam? Count me in. UK-based, one-man Melodic Black Metal band Spider God sent my pulse racing and my head exploding with their first original full-length album ‘Fly in the Trap’, released on 11th November through Repose Records. I couldn’t, and still can’t believe just how goddamn catchy this record is. Many of the tracks follow a conventional ‘two chorus, two verse’ formula, whilst gradually intensifying bridges drag you by your hair towards your abysmal fate. Every aspect of the album lies in the high register range, blowing your eardrums into a useless cloud of biological dust. Despite the vocal range lacking in variation, each of the lead guitar melodies flow alongside them, as the petrifying screeches get higher and lower in pitch, mimicking harmony during the choruses, as you desperately attempt to stop your foot from tapping and your head from banging. If your neck survives, this album is sure to be an absolute hit, especially if you enjoy a severe shot of melody injected into your Black Metal. This goes against the grain in every sense, and it is absolutely wonderful. Officer, she never left the building, officer, you never checked the tanks.

    1. Dream Unending – Song of Salvation (20 Buck Spin)

    Finally, that leaves us with the star of the show. The stone cold masterpiece that has ineradicably scarred my heart and soul. The album that has scarcely left my mind since its release on 11th November. This is Dream Unending with their sophomore full-length album ‘Song of Salvation’, released through the eternally consistent 20 Buck Spin. Formed as late as 2021 and consisting of Derrick Vella of Outer Heaven and Tomb Mold fame, as well as Justin DeTore of Innumerable Forms, Sumerlands and many others, this project has perfected the way that Death Metal and Funeral Doom Metal can interact and co-exist. The vast enormity of their sound is incomparable, pressing you against the dirt until your organs give in and your extremities leak a red and yellow fluid. I was genuinely nervous with anticipation to see if these guys could merely match the quality of their 2021 debut ‘Tide Turns Eternal’ and boy, did they deliver. Spacey lead notes appear and decay as the titanic rhythms crush you beneath their immense weight like an anvil. Clean vocals and bellowing gutturals rattle the soundscape, deterring your will to proceed. However, the ethereal artistry of the instrumentation keeps you grounded and motivated to see it through to the glorious end. Few albums have managed to immerse me in their splendour quite like Song of Salvation has. Don’t sleep on this album, as regret is all you will feel when you inevitably cross paths with it again.

    Buy and listen to all of the albums you can. Support the artists and the labels in any which way you are able. It has been a tough few years for musicians, especially those occupying the underground, as touring was halted and pressing plants held up. Every artist on this list deserves your business for their incredible hard work and dedication to their craft. So, show some love, buy a CD or a T-shirt, or simply stream their albums as much as possible. I hope you have enjoyed this journey as much as I have, and if you have made it this far into the article, thank you as always for reading. Until next year…

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  • Top 10 EPs/Demos/Splits of 2022

    If there’s one thing that I know about metalheads, it’s that they bloody love a good list. Best songs, best albums, best artwork, best snowbank on an obscure Black Metal project’s ridiculous band photo. All of these deserve lists in our eyes. Lists bring a community of likeminded people together, either to shamefully mock due to uncontrollable, burning internal elitism, or preferably, to admire and create healthy discussions, sharing a common enthusiasm for all things visceral, harsh and gory. I thought I’d kick things off with a list of my favourite extended plays, demos and splits of 2022; the musical pieces that rarely get as much love and attention as their more extensive kin. Amongst the fathomless swathe of obscure fledgling demos, lies a metric butt-load of outstanding releases, shelved and threatening to drift away into insignificance. But, there are no excuses to allow such a thing to happen. Many of the following releases require the same amount of time that it takes you to grab a quick coffee break or clean the dishes, so glue those headphones to your auricles, and prepare to be swept off your feet by ten sparkling pint-sized gems.

    10. Night of the Vampire – Eternal Night (Independent)

    Our first entry on this list is an absolute doozy, if not an incredibly fleeting one. On 17th January, Texas Post-Punk/Deathrock/Black Metal outfit Night of the Vampire flapped its mammalian wings and cast its debut EP ‘Eternal Night’ into the star-peppered sky. This band takes the ultra-zany approach, combining the harsh screams of Black Metal and injecting them into synth-laden Deathrock majestically. This results in an intoxicatingly catchy affair, seamlessly adopting the ‘80s feel whilst adding their own modern twists. At only 11-minutes in length, this is a disappointingly short, yet undeniably memorable release, showing us what this band is capable of when all of the fat is thoroughly trimmed.

    9. Hulder – The Eternal Fanfare (20 Buck Spin)

    Washington-based, one-woman Black Metal entity Hulder has been making serious waves in the Metal underground over the last couple of years. After a justifiably highly-acclaimed debut full-length in 2021, as well as her subsequent partnership with 20 Buck Spin, all blood-drunk eyes swiftly honed in on Hulder, desperate to envelope themselves in her next musical venture. On 1st July, we were met with her sophomore EP ‘The Eternal Fanfare’, sparking genre-wide excitement wherever you looked. In my eyes, this is an unquestionable step up in songwriting quality, despite my enjoyment of ‘Godslastering…’ last year. Ghostly synths and the occasional use of clean vocals gel to the mystical Black Metal onslaught majestically. There is something serene, delicate and natural about this release, making it the perfect record to subject yourself to as you wander alone through a desolate, snow-layered woodland. A selection of different tempos are utilised, providing you with the full extent of what this project is capable of. Haunting, evocative, stunning.

    8. Curta’n Wall – Crocodile Moat!!!!!!! (Grime Stone Records)

    From the atmospheric, to the downright ridiculous. One of Abysmal Specter’s many wonderful side projects Curta’n Wall returned on 3rd February to release their fourth EP in three years entitled ‘Crocodile Moat!!!!!!!’ through Grime Stone Records. If you’re familiar with Specter’s other projects Old Nick, Bloody Keep or Lace Shawl, then Curta’n Wall’s musical style shouldn’t come as too much of a shock to you at this point. This could almost be categorised as ‘anti-Black Metal’, filling the core of the sound with wacky, experimental elements like some sort of Medieval Twinkie. The razor-sharp Raw Black Metal aspect rasps through the release like the chains on a drawbridge, as Abysmal Specter’s goblinesque vocals rattle your ear canals. The cartoonish Dungeon Synths abruptly reveal themselves to create a whole world of lunacy and unrivalled fun. If you don’t take yourself too seriously, then this is likely to be a hit. If you do however, then at least allow yourself to smile. Ludicrous stuff.

    7. Trog – Of Vomit Reborn (Independent)

    “I love the taste of bile in the morning”. Pretty sure I got that movie quote correct. New Jersey puke fiends Trog waded through pools of semi-digested slop to fetch up their independently released sophomore EP ‘Of Vomit Reborn’, released on 22nd July. This release rides the line between Brutal and Old-School Death Metal absolutely sensationally, allowing you to revel in the enormity of the riffs and belch, as your stomach begins to gurgle in sheer disgust and repulsion. Pete’s diabolical, semi-whispered growls crackle at the forefront of the mix, giving you the impression that he is drowning in volumes of vile chunder. The riffs make you want to tear your shirt off and hunt mastodons, as you are reverted back to your caveman roots by dense chugging and frightening technicality. This is a disgusting return to form, and one that really excites me for the future of this celebration of rancid regurgitation.

    6. Malthusian/Suffering Hour – Time’s Withering Shadow (Invictus Productions)

    What’s better than an abyssal descent into the gaping black void? Two of them, that’s what. Irish Blackened Death barbarians Malthusian and US dissonance distributors Suffering Hour joined forces on 6th May on their split EP ‘Time’s Withering Shadow’, released through Invictus Productions. This subterranean horror was spawned to amass hatred, slathering everything it comes into contact with in viscous molten tar. Malthusian subjects you to an abominable aural beatdown, relying on a dense atmosphere to suffocate and defile, shifting between blistering blast beats and Doom-tinted crawls to crush you into a claustrophobic corner. Suffering Hour on the other hand, relies on pure, unadulterated discordance, intent on bamboozling and disorientating listeners until their mind shrivels into madness. Harmonicas and banjos make unexpected, yet welcome appearances, experimenting with as many different sounds as they are capable of, whilst remaining true to their trademark sound. A varied, unforgiving effort, displaying the very best of both of these Blackened Death juggernauts.

    5. Grave Pilgrim – Molten Hands Reach West (Death Prayer Records)

    Now for yet another Stygian hybrid, this time from Oregon-based Black Metal two-piece Grave Pilgrim. On 4th November, they drew their swords once again and rode into the heart of battle with their debut EP ‘Molten Hands Reach West’, released through Death Prayer Records. This is an intriguing amalgamation of Raw Black Metal and the melodic, upbeat nature of Blues, Heavy Metal and Hard Rock. The fiddly lead guitars emit an air of Viking Folk at times, serving to ensnare you in a web of infectiousness. This makes each track seem almost singable, if it wasn’t for the grating harsh vocals ringing around the EP. The drum work is incredibly diverse and busy, switching tempos and transitioning between different styles in the blink of an eye. This whole thing feels like it was discovered, oily and covered in dirt, within a time capsule, lying in wait for an unwitting metal detectorist to discover it and take it home. This is a mesmerising release, and a splendid progression of their overall sound and stylistic direction as a band.

    4. Spider God/Grinning God – Split (Phantom Lure Records)

    Now we arrive at my favourite split release of the year. On 6th August, UK Melodic Black Metal newcomers Spider God and subdued German Deathrock/Black Metal assassins Grinning God combined their divine powers to unleash an absolute masterclass. Comprised of members of fellow Deathrock act Rope Sect, Grinning God kicks things off with their unique take on the sub-genre. Inmesher’s unmistakably familiar clean vocals accompany the gloomy, dramatic Post-Punk and Deathrock sections, whilst vicious, raspy snarls appear on waves of devastating blast beats and contrasting, face-shredding guitar riffs to remind you of their superiority. The mood is palpable and, as always, the songwriting is exquisite. Spider God takes the opposite approach, ravening through their side of the split with a tornado of ultra melodic riffs and larynx shredding shrills. Grinning God’s Inmesher even features on their final track ‘Milich’s Daughter’, perfectly slotting into their conventional song structuring to deliver an outstanding performance. If you wish to hear two fresh and exciting bands at the absolute peak of their powers, then look no further than this slab of unique Black Metal brilliance.

    3. Worm – Bluenothing (20 Buck Spin)

    After the incredible success of their third album ‘Foreverglade’ in 2021, Floridian Death/Doom swamp dwellers Worm came back for a second helping. On 28th October, they released their hotly anticipated debut EP ‘Bluenothing’ through 20 Buck Spin. Here, we see Worm indulging on experimentation, allowing themselves to fill the EP to the brim, pressure free, with personal outside influences. Lead solos appear everywhere you look, as their spacey guitar tone transports you to other worlds and dimensions, before abruptly dropping you back into the jaws of an insatiable alligator in the slime-layered pools within the Everglade swamp. Their crushing rhythm tone returns to snap necks, as it is sparingly and methodically utilised once again to prevent overexposure like medical radiation. Although there are plenty of Death/Doom sections to get your chompers into, I would go as far as to say that this is closer to a Symphonic Black Metal record, as rapacious blast beats, spectral synths and high vocal shrieks fuse with a slightly tinnier production to create a mystical, transcendental atmosphere throughout. This is a band on an upwards trajectory with no signs of slowing down. If you enjoyed their previous release, then don’t sleep on this magical slab of alligator alchemy.

    2. Disma – Earthendium (Necroharmonic Productions)

    On 9th June, Craig Pillard and the boys returned after “ahem” let’s just say “a bit of a tough time”, to release their fourth EP ‘Earthendium’ through Necroharmonic Productions. Despite the various controversies and temporary departures, Disma have returned with an absolute firestorm of a release. This is a dazzling return to form, striking you with the same spiked mace as they did with previous outings. The production is sparkling clean, allowing every aspect of this chunky record to shine in tandem. The monumental guitar tone takes no prisoners, blazing through the album with its robotic twang to obliterate and extinguish. Although they thrive in blast beat orientated fire fights, they are still not afraid to stop, recuperate and then slow things down to a morbid crawl, as Pillard’s rumbling growls quake your bones into a pitiful rubble. This EP is huge, and hopefully spells the beginning of a more prolific release schedule for this domineering Death Metal juggernaut.

    1. Rope Sect – Metanoia Sessions (Iron Bonehead Productions)

    Finally, that leaves us with the mini-album that blew me away above all others. German Deathrockers Rope Sect returned on 1st April to enchant us with their brand new release ‘Metanoia Sessions’, supported by the mighty Iron Bonehead Productions. Comprised of stripped down, barebones tracks resembling a more Post-Punk-centric style recorded between 2018 and 2022, this is another enchanting, heartfelt, moving and emotive musical piece composed by prolific songwriting wizards. Each track is relatively slow and dirgeful, lulling you into the darkest depths of your psyche, as your mood crashes into the metaphorical bedrock of your mind. The guitar tone almost moans through the release, disallowing you from feeling any sort of happiness or pleasure despite their morbid catchiness. Inmesher’s low, monotonous cleans tranquillise you with outstandingly well-written verses of heartache and dejection, moulded into memorable hooks and jaw-dropping choruses. The fact that this is described as ‘barebones’ is testament to how good this project and these musicians truly are, as there is nothing barebones about the quality of this collection of tracks. If you’re looking for the next album that’ll give you goosebumps and make the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention, then allow Metanoia Sessions to flow out of your headphones like aural silk and get lost in the unwavering brilliance of Rope Sect.

    There you have it. Those were ten of my favourite extended releases from 2022. But, the fun doesn’t stop there. Oh no. Keep your eyes peeled, as next I will count down my 20 favourite full-length albums of 2022. Until next time, as always, buy, listen, follow. All of your support helps out the artists, so I encourage you to assist in any way that you can.

    Hailz.

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  • Album Review: Spider God – Fly in the Trap

    Spider God – Fly in the Trap (Repose Records)

    Helplessly treading water, your innate will to survive leaves your body with each exhaustive breath. Your arms and legs enter cramp, as your stiffened body sinks motionless into the pitch black depths of the Cecil water tank. Spider God is a one-man (live: four-piece) Melodic Black Metal band based out of an unspecified location within the UK. Formed sometime around 2019 by sole and founding member ‘G’, this mysterious entity dread marched straight into the studio to begin a relentless recording schedule, unshackling four splits, four EPs and one full-length album consisting entirely of Black Metal stylised Pop renditions between 2020 and 2022. This is his highly anticipated sophomore full-length album entitled ‘Fly in the Trap’, set for release on 11th November 2022 through Repose Records. Don’t conveniently look away for 50 seconds, for you don’t want to miss a single moment of this morbid deep-dive into the curious case of the unfortunate Elisa Lam.

    Swiftly and abruptly, you are tossed into this spiralling descent into madness. Leaving formalities neatly aside and carelessly stomping all over them, Spider God takes no prisoners, as you are immediately re-introduced to their ultra-melodic style of caustic Black Metal. Piercing high notes engulf the entire album in infectious tremolo picked melodies. Each one is more memorable than the last, leaving no space to spare on the 40 minute run-time for redundant filler. Each song parasitises your mind like Toxoplasma gondii, forcing you into interpretive movements as you attempt to comprehend its allure and ungovernable dominance. Sporadic tone shifts occur throughout, providing you with those intoxicating head-banging moments, before submerging you in the viscous soup of relentless melody once more.

    While this album unquestionably emits a Black Metal aura, it is difficult to ignore the unorthodox, or rather, incredibly conventional song structuring. Black Metal often relies on erratic time signatures and riff transitions, defying the music industry’s desire for meat and potatoes, ‘two verse, two chorus’ track arrangements. Spider God on the other hand, decided to approach things back-to-front, utilising the standard Pop and Rock structure to their advantage. Each track has a clear chorus section, predominantly consisting of harsh vocal harmonies, whilst occasionally switching over to clean sung and spoken word vocals to inject some variation into the visceral turbulence. The churning wall of sound distracts you from this, as complex riffs bamboozle and discombobulate you into forgetting your name and what atrocities you are being subjected to, however when you finally force your ears past the murk and tastefully gritty production job, you begin to see a pattern emerge. Unlike with so many bands who preceded Spider God however, this doesn’t detriment them as much as enhance their enticing sound and magnetism, pushing you towards the edge of your seat as you anticipate the next singable hook and catchy riff.

    One of the many charming aspects of this album (similar to many of this band’s releases to date) is the inclusion of the plethora of highly gifted and inconceivably hard working features that work their magic here. Blood Fog favourites Rope Sect, UK Black Metal barbarians Revenant Marquis and Leeds Progressive Black Metal unit A Forest of Stars all make welcome and frankly, moving appearances here. They each bestow their own dynamic and unique touches upon the record, whilst simultaneously exhibiting a detailed understanding of Spider God’s musical ambition and adhesive chemistry with the brain of the operation, G. This creates an inclusive and almost homely atmosphere, whilst stirring up the album with an atomic bomb of seemingly endless creativity and skill.

    Thematically, it is difficult for modern bands to carry that shock value and genuine creepiness as many of the sub-genre originators did during the early ‘90s. Cheap gore and overly descriptive death scenes wear off after your second Cannibal Corpse album, so repeating such things seems like an exercise in futility. G on the other hand, has gone for an even more horrifying conceptual approach… Real life. The ambiguous death of Elisa Lam inside the notorious Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles is a case that rattled me upon reading about it, sucking me into a bottomless rabbit hole of information, conspiracy theories and stone wall fact. The mystery and eeriness surrounding it, from the harrowing lift footage, to her ultimate grisly demise shocked the world, whilst captivating many who still follow and relate to the case to this day. This album sets the scene splendidly, looking through the eyes of several different case associates, including Elisa herself, using excerpts and quotes from her infamously chilling Tumblr page. The vocal arrangements are satisfyingly tidy and incredibly aurally pleasing, ensuring that the congested lyrical content adheres to every melody note perfectly, leaving no stone unturned, as the search for Elisa progresses.

    These are still early days, however I don’t think I’ve taken to a Black Metal release quite as quickly as I did with this one in many years. This is modern Black Metal that is executed absolutely sensationally. From the catchy riffs, to the exhilarating vocal hooks, to the groove-laden bass lines, everything about this release is a joy from beginning to end. 40 minutes goes by in the blink of an eye, as you are dragged through the convoluted corridors of the Cecil Hotel towards the abysmally lonely water tank. If a better Black Metal album is released before the end of the year, I’ll eat my hat, and although I’ll be down one hat, I’ll have a bloody brilliant album to listen to as I wait for a new one. The water runs a rusty brown colour, spluttering out of the filthy tap like raw sewage. With the smell of warm copper in your nose, you lift the tank lid, revealing her contorted and waterlogged body, pale, hopeless, emotionless.

    My Rating: 9.7/10

    Buy and listen to the album here

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  • Album Review: Drudkh – Всі належать ночі (All Belong to the Night)

    Drudkh – Всі належать ночі (All Belong to the Night) (Season of Mist)

    Vigilant, your eyes meet the radiant glow of a lone candle, quaking on a fog-laden steel tray which rests upon the unsteady palm of an old, spectral figure, peering through the window with a glassy, vacant stare. Drudkh is a four-piece Atmospheric Black Metal band based out of Kharkiv, Ukraine. Formed in 2002, this patriotic noise syndicate enveloped the Metal underground in a delicate cloak of sticks and leaves, capturing the hearts of fans and enthusiasts alike with proud preachings of Ukrainian nationalism and cultural fervidity. As Drudkh have, to my knowledge, always opted against playing live shows, it has meant that they could focus solely and exclusively on writing brand new music, contributing to the unbelievable proliferation of albums already inhabiting their commendably extensive back catalogue. This is their brand new twelfth full-length album entitled ‘Всі належать ночі (All Belong to the Night)’, set for release on 11th November 2022 through Season of Mist. My excitement can barely be contained at this point, so before I disgrace myself by urinating in my lounge pants, let us deep dive this awe-inspiring Ukrainian Black Metal feast.

    Although this album merely consists of four tracks, there is no shortage of focal points to sink your mouldy teeth into. Clocking in at exactly 45-minutes in length, this is an extraordinary example of how to blow your audience away. Drudkh have always relied on their indubitable songwriting capabilities and stubborn repetition to bewilder their listeners, leaving you awestruck and gently sprinkled with goosebumps after each circuitous journey. Всі належать ночі (All Belong to the Night) is no different, compromising your amygdala with nerve-plucking passion and precision, flooding your ears with gorgeous, untainted melodies like a severely breached dam. Uniform strumming and immaculate tremolo picking sends you into a hypnosis-like state, transfixing you so fluidly that the run-time evades your notice, stealing your precious time without a trace. Stunning keyboard notes accompany the guitars throughout, functioning as a safety cushion, as you’re simultaneously bombarded by a tsunami of visceral riffs and suffocating double bass beats. They sporadically peer over the wall of blistering sound, reminding you of their presence without becoming blatantly noticeable and obnoxious, hiding within the mix like a tiger monitoring its prey from the refuge of a lantana shrub.

    Upon hearing the initial single and first track on the album ‘Нічний (The Nocturnal One)’, I was mildly skeptical about the production job and whether it suited Drudkh’s overall sound. I would hesitate to call it clean or indeed low-fi, though the music is unquestionably bathed in a stagnant pool of light static, shrouding the record in an elegant layer of skin-nipping frost. As the rhythm guitars abruptly drop out into obscurity, your ears take a second or two to adjust to the drastic tonal shift, as you are stripped naked and thrown deep into the repetitious, melodic lead snowstorm. Once my ears had become accustomed to the album’s sound however, any of my original doubts melted away, as they were absorbed by the light-swallowing darkness. It is a distinctly modern approach to Black Metal production, encompassing every minute and subtle detail, without losing its grit and raw energy.

    Vlad rips through each of the four tracks like a rabid wolf shearing the tender meat from a freshly caught buck, shaking the Earth’s crust with a diverse and varied drum performance. While there are few fancy hi-hat 16th note flurries and cannon fire bass pedal triplets to speak of here, he more than compensates for their absence with a tight, measured and plentiful display of might and vigour. There is even the unexpected appearance of several D-Beat style lines towards the posterior end of the final track ‘Поки зникнем у млі (Till We Become the Haze)’, catching you unawares, as it drives a Punk-dipped spear into your fragile core. Crash cymbals are utilised in abundance here, adding an element of unbridled chaos to the more aggressive passages, whilst tom rolls and dainty ride notes are adopted for the calmer, more atmospheric sections, allowing you to breathe for a moment, as you recover from your unfortunate bludgeoning.

    Much like his guitar work, Roman’s vocal performance is both animalistic and heartfelt, subconsciously squeezing on your emotions like a stress ball. His haunting snarls and caustic wretches fill the soundscape with blinding toxungen like an agitated spitting cobra, their monotony pulling you into an endless pit of inescapable claustrophobia. There is even the inclusion of eerie, spoken Folk hymns, guiding you into the white-out of the second track ‘Млини (Windmills)’. Kretchet’s omnipresent bass work lights up this otherwise pitch-black album with a scintillating display, robbing the limelight on several instances throughout the record. Despite this, they remain comfortable in the background until they are required to weave hell, only being summoned to the forefront during the sparser instrumental sections.

    I’ve been an enormous admirer of Drudkh for many years at this point, however, prior to hearing Всі належать ночі (All Belong to the Night) I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I was going to be disappointed. Much to my elation however, I couldn’t have been more wrong. This is a masterfully structured, composed and executed slab of breathtaking Atmospheric Black Metal, furthering their legacy as they continue to release stellar album after stellar album. The riffs are immeasurably beautiful, remaining loyal to their signature sound without staleness setting in, whilst the supporting instrumental performances contribute towards this deadly symbiotic whole. They even dabble with progressiveness, as the final track swells and build’s up to its catastrophic conclusion. This is a truly spectacular offering from one of the best and most consistent bands in the business. The scorched wick begins to wilt away, and the flame asphyxiates into a fading ember. The old man’s eye conjures up a singular, lonely tear, as his solemn presence dissipates into the night.

    My Rating: 9.6/10

    Buy and listen to the album here

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  • Album Review: Goatwhore – Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven

    Goatwhore – Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven (Metal Blade Records)

    The sight of snapped necks and lifeless feet invades your eye-line in every which direction, as flames erupt from the ground like bloody serum spraying out of a freshly bursted blister. Goatwhore is a four-piece Blackened Death/Thrash band based out of New Orleans, Louisiana. Formed in 1997, this project momentarily put down their sickles and spared the sacrificial goat lying helplessly on the Satanic altar to create some of the most intensely evil and energetic music in the sub-genre. Despite unleashing a few split releases and a demo, these guys have almost always focussed on producing full-length albums, pumping their black heart and soul into every impressive outing. This is their eighth full-length album entitled ‘Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven’, released on 7th October 2022 through Metal Blade Records. Fight the urge to resist the grasp of the dark lord’s stifling fingers, for your freedom and your contribution to the anthropogenic holocaust of nature is nearing its miserable end.

    Goatwhore return to what they do best on this release, unleashing streaks of raw, unforgiving velocity, sapping the oxygen from your lungs with its unbearable ferociousness. Given what we know about this inexorable gang of merciless executioners, this is yet another slice of carnage that you’re going to want to return to again and again, taking bite after bite of its charred flesh like an unprejudiced Neanderthal. Chunky riffs descend into the depths of the subterranean void, flirting with hell as they embrace the blistering flames of Satan. They accommodate both mid-paced and high-speed tempos, showing little remorse as they rip your skin asunder using every tool in their unwavering arsenal. Thrash Metal comprises the base of the guitar work here, relying on neck-breaking speed, mind-frying solos and heart-stopping brutality to punch your cranium into an unrecoverable mess. On ‘Voracious Blood Fixation’, this wretched horde of the apocalypse exhibits that signature Traditional Heavy Metal tone that continues to be associated with them, making your face scrunch up with disgust, as it runs everything down with the ease of a herd of spooked elephants.

    The barbaric atrocities don’t cease with the guitars, however. Zack’s razor sharp drum performance ensures that there is no silence left to resound, sending bass notes and snare shots rifling through the record like shattered glass shards, slitting veins and epithelial tissue as it soars through the atmosphere. The stylistic variation that is on offer here is so complex, yet splendidly incorporated into the album, making you step back and admire the true mastery on display like a majestic painting. Ravening blast beats, intoxicating Thrash bars and gargantuan Death Metal tom fills leave your body lacerated and bludgeoned beyond recognition. Vocal duties are shared between Louis and guitarist Sammy, bouncing different disciplines off of one another like the emergency services at a bloody crime scene. Low, imposing death growls rumble from the abyss like a Lovecraftian horror, quaking the earth as each note leaves the inexplicable rotten larynx. Intense, ear-piercing black shrieks dominate the soundscape, their immediately recognisable tone and delivery sending your mind into a state of fear and simultaneous nostalgia, as you’re rooted to the spot by excruciating petrification.

    This album will take you into the dark waters of the unending caverns of lost souls, reaping your being as your consciousness begins to teeter on the precipice of intangible gloom. The songwriting is astonishing, especially considering their extensive discography to date. Goatwhore has simply discovered and occupied its own niche for decades at this point, sticking to what they were good at and perfecting their craft until they became an undeniable forerunner in the Death/Thrash sub-genre, all whilst infusing it with a hint of ruthless Black magic. This is a cohesive unit of a record, containing everything that makes this band stand out and more, branching out with the addition of pianos to hammer their signature sound home with aplomb. Take note, as this fearsome juggernaut will plunge its mottled claws into your thoracic cavity, separating your rib cage as they squeeze your gooey entrails into a useless pile of gelatinous mush.

    My Rating: 8.7/10

    Buy and listen to the album here

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  • Album Review: Förgjord – Ruumissaarna Pt. 1

    Förgjord – Ruumissaarna Pt. 1 (Werewolf Records)

    Do you ever suddenly tune into a song on the car radio, whether on your way to work, or the local mortuary to nibble on some pale, cold cadavers, and scoff in disgust at the over-produced, unimaginative, overtly melodic drivel shamelessly violating your ears and motivating your desire for carnage and caustic harshness? Yeah, me too. Förgjord is a three-piece Black Metal band based out of Etelä-Savo, Finland. Formed in 1995 after two (imperative) name changes, this undying flame of eternal immolation burned gradually, yet fiercely, crawling sluggishly out of the gates like a defensive, wounded animal, as they failed to release a single offering until after the turn of the millennium. Once they got a taste for virgins’ blood however, there was no stopping their relentless trail of debauchery, releasing two splits, three EPs and five full-lengths between 2008 and 2021. This is their brand new sixth full-length album entitled ‘Ruumissaarna Pt. 1’, set for release on 25th November 2022 through Werewolf Records. Unshackle the imposing doors of hell and loose the sadistic followers of the great horned one, spreading infernal rites and wicked wisdom to those stubbornly refusing to believe in it.

    The initial blaze of blasphemy makes your body jolt in crippling pain, as you are exposed to a scorching mass onslaught of lo-fi cacophony. Despite the abrasive production quality, the riffs remain true to their ultra-melodic roots, inserting themselves into your hippocampus like a starving parasite. It almost feels as though the music is a helpless survivor, soldiering on in the foreground, whilst an enormous nuclear cloud materialises in the form of the production, annihilating buildings and organic matter until the city is nothing but a lifeless, dystopian shell. There is an eclectic range of riffing styles to sink your blackened fangs into; one minute punching you in the face with Thrash Metal fingering until your nasal cartilage is pressed into your cheekbones, and the next tearing your head away from your neck like a gore-filled plastic doll. Obnoxious technicality and gaudy transitional work is left out here, instead allowing the focal ideas to ring true with tasteful repetitiveness and fastidious melodic flare to create a truly immersive and frightful experience.

    Although the tempo transitions are relatively scarce within each track, the song arrangements provide the album with an effective ebb and flow, ensuring that the record remains balanced and stable throughout, without losing track of its ultimate, baleful goal. It charms, as well as obliterates, giving you that artificial sense of comfort, before it disintegrates you with torturous, bestial hellfire. The combination of the raw, blasting bass drum bombardments and gyrating tremolo picking turns this record into an utterly blistering, incomparably claustrophobic affair. This deeply scars your heart and mind, as you desperately try to alleviate its incessant stabbing motion. The drum performance is enormous, taking the garage band approach and metamorphosing it into a seasoned robot of cataclysm. The performance is insanely tight, gluing itself to the riffs note for note, making you feel as though you are outnumbered, as your will to live rapidly dwindles, fading into non-existence.

    Venomous high-pitched shrieks claw at your jugular, leaving blood spluttering out of your mouth, as you attempt to breathe through the swiftly coagulating fluid. Low, gruff grunts and partial cleans fill the background of many of the tracks here, functioning as an interesting and unusual underlay for this carpet of malevolence. The vocals sit back in the mix, preventing their grating nature from becoming overly adverse and unnecessarily strident, providing the instrumentation with sufficient room to work.

    Overall, this is a splendidly vicious album, filled with both alluring novelties and conventional sub-genre tropes in equal measure. Melodies flow over the brim of this ferocious beatdown, offering you an olive branch of respite, as you lie in a pool of your own blood and urine. Personally, I’ve been waiting for a few fantastic Black Metal records to shake up this incredibly Death-heavy latter half of 2022, and what better album to begin the revolution with? If chaotic upheaval is what you crave, then grab a spoon, because this bowl of grenades is going to pull your body apart with the ease of a ravenous grizzly bear, sending chunks of fresh dog chow hurtling through your bedroom at alarming speeds, as your blood is reduced to a blackened singe mark beneath your melted stool.

    My Rating: 8.2/10

    Buy the CD album here and here

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  • Fumbling in the Fog: Unreviewed albums

    No matter how hard I have tried to keep on top of all of the magnificent and downright disappointing albums this year, I’ve always seemed to trip over, fall flat on my face, shatter my nasal cartilage, dislodge my mandible, and annihilate my orbital bones in one spectacularly comical swoop. Well, it’s time to put an end to all of this intolerable slacking and catch up on a few of the records that have made my blood boil and my heart race so far in 2022.

    Wormrot – Hiss (Earache Records)

    Kicking things off with one of the most aggressive, visceral and unforgiving albums of the year. Three-piece Singaporean Grindcore outfit ‘Wormrot’ unleash undiluted hell and destruction with their third full-length album entitled ‘Hiss’, released on 8th July through Earache Records. This is an unconventional and refreshing take on the Grindcore sub-genre, taking its raw and unhinged approach and amalgamating it with unusual progressions and frequent riff transitions. This is an outstandingly written, purposefully unpredictable and masterfully performed record, built on the foundations of chaos and unrivalled hatred to obliterate you into a malformed pile of fragile dust. The assassins blade emerges from the stagnant water, as blood tinted droplets strike the unsullied surface. Your naïvety will become your demise, and your lack of vigilance will be your downfall. My Rating: 8.7/10

    Predatory Light – Death and the Twilight Hours (20 Buck Spin)

    Comprised of current members of Santa Fe/ Seattle based Death Metal band ‘Superstition’, Predatory light flapped its vascular, reptilian wings and unleashed its devastating sophomore full-length album entitled ‘Death and the Twilight Hours’ on 20th May 2022 through 20 Buck Spin. This is some high-energy, heart-pumping Black/Doom Metal of the highest order. Hypnotic, repetitive riffs steal the show, as you are led through menacing tunnels and discouraging passageways into lands of tumult and carnage. Technicality seeps through the cracks to add a discombobulating element to the churning vortex of high-register notes and sounds. The production is perfect, permitting the clear audibility of every instrument, whilst maintaining a charming level of bestial rawness. Despite only being comprised of four longer-form tracks, this is certainly one you don’t want to miss! My Rating: 8.3/10

    Dark Funeral – We Are the Apocalypse (Century Media Records)

    Heading over to Stockholm, Sweden now with one of the most recognisable bands in the Black Metal sub-genre. Dark Funeral’s discography to date has both been blessed with quality and plagued by mediocrity throughout the years. Unfortunately, their seventh full-length album ‘We Are the Apocalypse’ very much falls into the latter category. Released on 18th March 2022 through Century Media Records, this album highlights the band’s dwindling cache of creative ideas. They don’t do anything obnoxious or completely offbeat to make this record an unlistenable mess, however that is partially the problem for me. The band hasn’t endeavoured to explore any new or interesting ideas, instead relying on the same reliable style that they’ve made a career out of thus far, regurgitating old ideas and hoping that some of them stick, crossing their fingers so tightly that you can hear them creaking with agony. Of course, on a 43-minute long album, there are always going to be at least SOME accidentally cool moments to speak of, namely the melodic riff on ‘Let the Devil in’ (the name of which set alarm bells ringing in my head immediately upon its release as the first single), however it’s such a fleeting moment of quality, that it gets lost in the sea of uninteresting filler. A meat and potatoes offering that seems to have been designed as an introduction to Black Metal, as opposed to a cohesive and undeniable example, justifying their place as one of the biggest names in Extreme Metal. Disappointing. My Rating: 6.1/10

    Aurora – The Gods We Can Touch (Decca Records)

    On 21st January 2022, ethereal entity Aurora Aksnes returned with her third full-length album entitled ‘The Gods We Can Touch’, released through Decca Records. Following on smoothly from her previous release, this is an extensive deep-dive into spirituality, equality and positivity. The songwriting is as spectacular as ever, capturing your heart with every silken hook and gorgeous verse. Vocally, you are met with goosebumps-inducing melodies, seducing your ears with an astonishing repertoire of different sounds and styles, ranging from ghostly, spectral highs and deeper, monotonous low cleans. She fills the empty space in the sound with haunting non-lexical vocables, drifting through the record with the efficacy of subtle synths. The diverse instrumentals cover all bases of Pop music, combining the templated sound with hints of Folk, Dream Pop and Electronic Pop to create an eclectic smorgasbord of different styles. If, like me, you prefer a bit of darkness and eeriness in your Pop without sacrificing any of the catchiness and memorability, then give this album a moment of your time. Simply stunning. My Rating: 9.1/10

    Sumerlands – Dreamkiller (Relapse Records)

    When it comes to the enjoyment of Traditional Heavy Metal, I take a LOT of convincing. Many of the classics simply enter one ear and spill out of the other, without leaving any sort of a significant impact on me in the process. Thankfully, many of the modern bands keeping the sub-genre’s great flame burning bright have perfected and sometimes even mastered the formula. Philadelphia’s Sumerlands is one of those bands, despite having only released two full-length albums to date. This is their sophomore record entitled ‘Dreamkiller’, released on 16th September through Relapse Records. Any of you fledgling and up and coming Heavy Metal bands reading this, take note. This is an exercise in sparkling songwriting and adept instrumental finesse. Every song contains soaring leads, chunky, head-nodding rhythms, pounding and unrelenting drumming and groovy, foot-tapping bass work, formulating a tight and eurythmic collective with endless replay value. That isn’t even to mention the towering vocal performance, making you belt out chorus after chorus at the top of your lungs whether you can sing or sound like a dying cat having its fur pulled out. If you crave chest plate-beating speed, or epic and harmonious ballads, this thing has you covered both ways. A truly sizzling effort from an absolute stormer of a project. My Rating: 8.9/10

    There you have it, folks. Those are just a few of the albums that I’ve been dying to ramble about in a little bit more detail. There are many albums still missing, but rest assured, they haven’t been forgotten about. Check these albums out and support the artists by clicking the links in the photo captions above. Happy spending.

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