Month: November 2023

The first real miss from the mostly excellent Immortal. Blizzard Beasts suffers from a sub par production, with what should be an unstoppable barrage of drums being barely audible and buried beneath the hollow muck of the guitar. The riffs are on point however, in the usual frenetic Immortal style. Expect blurs of cold hell in the way of exquisite fretboard wankery (at the lower end of course), but the sound is just a little bit off and there is such an imbalance between the percussion and strings that it is really offputting and spoils the whole album.

Beautiful artwork (always a good start). It took me a few listens to get into this. I enjoyed the core of the black metal sound, but found the other elements meandering, distracting even. I am glad however that I took the time to return to Unholy Servants multiple times over the last few months. The “White Rabbit” cover aside (here as “Black Goat”), this is a fantastic record. There is a lot of merit in having a core sound and using it as a base to build off and experiment. I think this record showcases that kind of approach brilliantly.

Oddly dense yet also fairly hollow and empty, Spiritual Black Dimensions has the unfortunate displeasure of having no stand-out tracks on an album that is sandwiched between two albums considered greats of their respective eras. This is a slight shame because those trademark early Dimmu riffs are to-die for, as is the general performance. Production-wise, this attempts to be an Enthrone… part 2, but musically it is just not as strong.

Cover art is sinister as fuck, and the brooding synth intro is promising but unfortunately this is (bad) demo quality stuff. Granted, (to my knowledge) it was made by (no doubt edgy) kids so I will cut them some slack. Generally though, not worth coming over to the dark side for.

People seem to shit on this project but I’ve enjoyed both the full lengths I’ve heard. Ceremony In Flames gives black metal a bit of groove, and Maniac’s vocals (shared here with Killjoy from Necrophagia) are always a fucking pleasure to listen to. If you think Maniac is a shit vocalist you need to get your fucking head checked. Production is thick and chunky yet dynamic and organic – which works well with cold black metal riffs (who’d have thought?) as well as the more groovier passages. This shit rules. Fuck the haters.

A million miles from Nightside. Like Dimmu Borgir on methamphetamines. Pompous yet also agile and pinpoint precise, with excellent guitar riffs and keyboard additions. Drumming is absurd, naturally. Production is brittle but soundstage is excellent and every little nuance can be heard and felt. Big budget black metal, for sure.

Very silly, but also very, very entertaining. If you like your black metal rude and well, with obvious Motorhead / dirty rock and roll influences, look no further. The cover of Gang Green’s “Alcohol” at the end is the icing on the cake. Brillaint EP.

One of the most perfect extreme metal records of all time. Why? Well 1.) the drums are not drowned out by all the other shit. 2.) this fucker mixes grindcore and black metal / war metal in the best possible way, on top of which subtle melodies also play on some tracks (“Horny And The Horned” being the best example). Besides, the super inoffensive cover art pissed a lot of religious folk off, which is also a giant tick in the box for a band from 1993, as that stuff was all the rage back then (the reissued cover art is shite mind you). But yeah – not gonna ramble for hours on this one. Music go brrrr.

There is a tangible undercurrent to Vothana’s work that at first I didn’t quite understand. I mean, that sounds pretty silly I guess because this is just very noisy, lo-fi black metal with a lot of melody hidden in it. But it is the way in which said melodies are composed. All the songs sound immediately like Vothana in their uniqueness away from other artists in the field, yet also rather somewhat all sound similar to each other in the context of an album. Throw in the fact that this thing is as long as it is, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster, on paper at least. Thankfully, in execution, Commando (etc etc) is a pleasure to listen to. The production is grimy, but is a massive part of the charm.

I have a love / hate relationship with Necromantia. I can only imagine it’s due to how they use a bass guitar (or two), which is far from usual. Sometimes it works, other times it’s just absolute carnage (and not in a good way). This early EP is fantastic however, with a fair and balanced production and a brilliant set of songs.

Love the art so got myself a digital copy – vocals let this thing down, to be honest. They are halfway between a croak and a shout, giving off a frog gargling rocks effect, which I’m sure they were not going for. Underneath all of that however, there is a wall of fuzz punctuated with some nice dreamy synths. The tracks are fairly meandering – I just wish this hit a little tiny bit better. Hopefully the project can build off this sound into something bigger and better.

What the ever-loving fuck is this? Hahaha To be fair, after the initial adjustment of coming from “war metal” Beherit, this thing starts off pretty good. It eventually devolves into a series of silly noises but when it hits (which is about half of the time to be honest) then this record comes at you like some sort of cult 90s PC game OST (think Doom 64 crossed with Syndicate Wars).

An atmospheric, excellent offering from the controversial Absurd. The instrumentals (which are short but very effective) set the pace for the rabid black metal attack to follow. As always with this era of Absurd, the vocals are the high point in my opinion. Really great, evil and terrifying vocals lead the way. The riffs are simple, based around more traditional folk melodies perhaps, but they do the trick. Only downside for me is the drumming is kind of drowned out in the mix.

This seems to get a lot of shit online, but I’ve got to say that the whole operation (lol) is very well made, IMO. I do understand the (perhaps ironic) constant nods to Burzum in the guitar deparment (not that Burzum is a NSBM band but that’s another story for another day), but hey, this shit fucking rules. What it does lose points for however is the fairly bland and mechanical drum programming. As a fanatic of the most awful and disgusting drum machine grindcore however, I can look past this, but I can understand why maybe others cannot. Don’t get me wrong, it works well, until maybe there are pummelling blasts, double-bass etc., and then it just sounds mechanical as fuck. Aborym has entered the chat. But yeah, this is fucking good.

I love everything about this. The cover is perhaps a little bit on the nose, but I can live with that. The sound is warm, yet cacophonous and necro as fuck (or is that fukk?). These songs are no jokes, and epics like “A Pale Face Eclipsed by Shadows” and the oddly-titled closer “Feasting on the Dried Blood of Majesties” have cemented Vampirska as a project for me to explore further. Beautiful stuff.

Probably up there with the rawest of the raw, this profilic project has some interesting gems. Unfortunately, Der alles vernichtende Blitz isn’t really one of them. It is a good lo-fi BM recording, but nothing really elevates it into the sphere of gods except for the final track, “V”, which sounds like it’s from a different session altogether. Honestly, if all the tracks were as good as this one, this one would be there with the best Grausamkeit has to offer.

One of the best black metal releases that I have come across in recent weeks! Raw, lo-fi black metal is of course the order of the day, but there is this amazing touch of sorrowful melody laid over the top of the fuzzy, dusty instruments. I guess it is another guitar, but damn, the way it cuts through all the songs, it gives them a whole new meaning and life. Couple this with the raw production and either some sort of tape effect or tremolo effect on the melody and it sounds very sorrowful. The tape is on it’s way to Lines in Wax HQ, no doubt it will sound even better when I play back the cassette. Highly recommended black metal!

Well then, this is all kinds of awful lmao – there is an underlying charm to proceedings but the shakiness is really hard to ignore, particularly when it comes to the percussion. The drums are all over the place and really distract you from the songs. I can get behind lo-fi production, bad guitar and bad vocals, but as soon as the drums can’t keep time you might as well just start over.

Whilst this is a collection of various different sessions, things are surprisingly coherent (that is until we get to Chapter Three perhaps). I’m happy to just sit and listen to Fenriz do his thing for a solid hour, I’ll be honest. The man is a talented songwriter, what can I say. Musically, Vinterskugge is a collection of black and proto-black metal with Fenriz’s own personal touch and interesting flourishes, especially on the drums, although the riffs are not to be sneezed at. From an instrumental / “dungeon synth” perspective, track 5 (“In the Halls and Chambers of Stardust the Crystallic Heavens Open”) is one of the best things I’ve heard in the style for quite some time. I don’t drink anymore but I really feel like a flagon of mead in front of roaring fire all of a sudden.

Enjoyable lo-fi black metal with dungeon synth “moments”. Through the inpenetrable fuzz of the production, little moments of clarity can be snatched if one is paying attention. There is an underlying melody to the dust-caked, mouldy proceedings. A perfect example of this would be the variations on the key melody in “Enthroning of the Immortal Majesty”. I really enjoyed this. The name is pretty funny too.

Disappointingly bland on both accounts, whether you are addressing the original “demos” / studio version or the Tagtgren-led second attempt. There is nothing “wrong” per se with any of the elements that come together to compose Secrets Of The Black Arts, its just everything comes together in such a way to leave you with the most uninspired and “safe” intepretation of the black metal sound. It is crazy to me that this came out in 1995, it feels like a clone from ten years later rather than a band that was a forerunner in the style. A shame.

One of the most perfect sonic cauldrons of sound ever created, Battles In The North is absolute and total blastbeat annihilation from start to finish. If your tolerance for such drumming doth not extend past the length of your average grindcore track length, then perhaps Battles In The North is not for you. Otherwise, carry on my blackened vessel of hatred, carry on! The one downside that I will bring to attention is the fact that on face-value the production can seem a little thin. Immortal would perfect this brittle guitar tone as time went on and your ears do adjust to the “wet paper” drum sound by the end of the opening title track.

Sometimes the tag “atmospheric” can be used as an excuse to wander off into the wild green yonder, never to return. Such trips often leave some sort of musical credibiity behind in the woods too. Not Yellow Eyes, and not Sick With Bloom, which blends atmospheric density with the weight of a full-on black metal attack.

Wolfnacht is not a band that I had heard before this split, but after listening to this a whole bunch of times over the last few months I have to admit that their material is my favourite on this thing. Wolfnacht’s material here is majestic and grandiose, but also with that harsh bite that you want from good black metal. The vocals are rabid and fitting, and additional synth work over the top varies from sounding like 90s CoF to going a bit more “cosmic” in it’s choice of patches and melodies. Great stuff. Goatmoon’s stuff here seems a bit silly in comparison, with a haunted house piano and vocals that sound like some sort of demented crow squawking over the tunes. An interesting choice, but the songs here sound oddly rigid and stunted for Goatmoon, whose folk-tinged black metal usually has such a free-flowing and natural feel to it. Thy Serpent is the final band, and it’s around this time is when I tend to lose interest, if I’m honest. Their stuff isn’t particularly bad it’s just Goatmoon and Wolfnacht sound so unique that the slog that is their plodding black metal feels almost like its running at a treacle pace. The production is heavy in the “middle”, which makes the bass guitar shine, and the vocals are really cool when they do kick in, for the most part this final band didn’t really do anything for me. I’m sure they have some full-length work worth checking out though.

Fucking more like it. Immortal’s debut is awesome but lacks in the sheer blinding speed that the group would become renowned for. Pure Holocaust is the true start of that trend, but without lacking in atmosphere or dreadful intent. Every song is fucking killer on this thing. Blast!

Did anybody order any blastbeats? Because Immortal are having a sale right now. LOL. Whilst the band have retained that intricate air of chaos across its different eras and lineups, the early Immortal records were a different beast altogether. Frenetic cold energy is here by the truckload; frozen riffs propelled by batshit drums and the croaky vocals that we all love. This is absolute carnage. I love it.

Asides from the hissing sibilance of the hi hat cymbals eating away at my inner ears like some giant mastoid, Of Medieval Graveyard Frost is a fabulous second-wave black metal offering. Underneath the grime and hiss of the tape, the songs sound very solid and well assembled. They are led by a maniacally riffing tremolo attack mostly, slowing into more sinister riffs periodically to really hammer home the atmosphere. The drums, as in, the actual snare etc. are very clear, it is only the cymbal elements which become ensnared in lossy cassette noise.

I took one look at that cover and there was no way in hell that I was not going to have a listen to this thing. Great riffs here, really cool melodic compositions, if not a bit rudimentary, lead the way ahead of snarling, howling raspy vocals. Unfortunately the drumming is very loose, but not to the point where it adds some sort of shambolic charm to proceedings. Sure, it is servicable, especially considering this is a cassette demo from 1996, but the percussion misses and off-beats can be a little off-putting.

Is it as good as the original? No, no it’s not. I am often a listener who is at odds with bands who choose to do this kind of re-recording (or total remixing) of older albums. I respect and honour their right to do so, but more often than not it is a pointless excercise. Nokturnal Mortum however, while they do not drop the ball, fail to really enrapture me with this modern re-recording of their cult classic. Admittedly, everything sounds great and the mix is fantastic, but if I had to provide one criticism it would be that the super modern, almost artificial feel for the drumming really does not match the vibe such a record original gave off. Likewise, the art is a massive, massive step down from what was once a haunting and evocative accompaniment to a brilliant album. Not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, but one that I probably won’t return to.

The debut from Nocturnal Mortum is a stunning, ice-cold black metal affair, with fantastic keyboard work layered over the frosted, often melodic riffs. The cover art itself is beautiful and a huge part of summoning the ethereal atmosphere that this record enthralls you in. A slightly more “off the path” gem of the 90s releases in this genre, for sure.

If you love lo-fi shit but also love a little melody in your black metal then look no further than the controversial / confusing Vothana. Falling very nearly close to becoming an overhyped darling of the limited vinyl collecting elite, Vothana is undeniably a project that is worth your time and attention. Khong… for example is a great archetype for their releases, being overly long yet chock full of not only excellent but really interesting melodies and song structures. Don’t expect clear or hospitable production, but the layers of grime just add more charm to the whole record.

Came for the logo, stayed for the lo-fi goodness. I’m a sucker for some raw, lo-fi black metal. Keys To The Astral Gates And Mystic Doors (what a name!) deliver in spades for this style, giving twenty minutes of this on their debut release. I don’t have any stand-out tracks to report per-se, as for the three times I’ve listened to it I’ve just enjoyed the whole thing in one go. For fans of: Revenant Marquis, Old Nick, Gate Master, possibly Ildjarn

Unless I’m very much mistaken, this is a collection of older tracks from several early demos, EPs, splits etc. but re-recorded in the Totenlieder / Blutgericht style, with the same excellent production. However, it’s an idea I think which will perhaps only be appreciated by only the most die-hard Absurd fans. Whilst the folk-like simplicity (feel’s weird writing “folk” like that to indicate simple song structuring – just look at Peste Noire’s folk music) offering the only form of rigidity the old demos actually had (let’s be honest, they are terrible), and that same traditional songwriting informed this later period of the band too. Sonically, Totenlieder / Blutgericht etc are a million miles away from the grimey demos of old, but on the “theory” side, musically they are not so different. Unfortunately, the crystal clear production and the well-oiled machine that is Absurd during this era only serves to expose these early songs for what they are: not very good. As cool as it is to hear something like “Gates Of Heaven” get the treatment it deserves, a lot of these songs are too shaky on their feet and do not hold up well in the bright and unforgiving light of modern production clarity and better musical performance. This is quite a long album too, so as I said, unless you are invested somewhat in the music of Absurd, then this is going to be a slog.

I’ve always found Absurd to be as awful musically as their personal beliefs but after randomly stumbling onto their “second wind” period I was forced to change my mind. Totenlieder, with its powerful riffs and rabid vocals (some of the best in the game), coupled with its folk-simplicity and morose melodic qualities, had me re-assessing my viewpoint on Absurd. Blutgericht is well, maybe not more of the same as what we got on Totenlieder, but it is very similar and unfortunately just not as good. It’s not to say that Blutgericht is bad, it just doesn’t have the memorable songs that came before in the previous record. Production-wise, things are more or less the same, with the same polished sound and excellent clarity. The vocals, drumming and riffs are all great once more, but this just doesn’t come out as memorable as Totenlieder.

For all the shit I threw at Arghoslent for being racist, over-hyped trash, I have to admit that Grand Belial’s Key is pretty fucking great in comparison. The motives, themes, and folks behind this are still low on my list of likeable people for obvious reasons, but Kosherat is a solid black metal album. The production is fairly warm and clear, which itself is refreshing for black metal, but if anything this just allows the band to hammer home their sound more efficiently. The drumming is varied, and well balanced in the overall mix, underpinning the razor-sharp riffs and the excellent vocals. The vocals themselves are layered up, kinda in a war metal way. The shrieks and rasps are sometimes backed up by what sounds like pitchshifted growls (or the same raspy yelps but an octava lower). This unironically reminds me of Shagrath’s vocal techniques on Enthrone Darkness Triumphant era Dimmu Borgir, but of course GBK (Gormet Burger Kitchen?) is a completely different beast. There are also passages that are influenced from other forms of metal which added together to the cauldron of hatred make this an excellent listen. All in all, I liked this a lot more than I expected I would.

Over the last few months, this debut record from Forgotten Tomb has cemented itself as one of my favourite records in the “DSBM” style. Possessing a crisp, clean production which is the exact opposite of what I look for in my black metal, Songs To Leave is part horrifying / scary and part achingly beautiful. Such is the fragile balance that music in this style is attempting to tread, I suppose. I was going to report to some stand out songs but after putting this record on one more time to refresh myself, I found myself listening to the whole thing in one go and just loving the whole experience. The whole record flows beautifully, and I don’t know if it’s my imagination and that I’m going into some sort of low-key trance state, but there seems to be reoccuring motifs, or at least thematically similar riffs, that pull these epic tracks together into one coherent 50 minute experience. Truly, excellent stuff.

For all its edgy rubbing up against of controversial subjects (“My Dreams Of 8” much?), Satanic Warmaster is mostly a solid and very well executed black metal project. Some albums are better than others, but Carelian Satanist Madness (sounds like another one of those triple-barrel Dimmu Borgir albums doesn’t it haha) is probably my personal favourite in regards to a distillation of Satanic Warmaster’s perfect sound. Ignore the cringe song titles, just turn off the lights and listen to the whole thing in the dark. It has the perfect blend of that second wave sound with the uniqueness of the Finnish scene.

The Garden Of Strangled Roots is a masterpiece of contemporary black metal. The tracks are harsh and cold, yet the whole record possesses a fragility that feels like it could break open at any second. It is hard to pick a favourite track however, due to the record’s length. Instead I just tend to listen to the whole thing in one sitting.