Mortum have by now focused, or rather reduced their approach to black metal to very specific kind of musical statements, manifesting in more prominent melodies and an overall stability. The first thing the listener may notice in contrast with The Rites of Depopulation (2011) is that texture is now kept constant, rather than having it change for the sake of variety of expression. (more…)
2 CommentsTags: 2017, Black Metal, eheieh chaos, mortum
Judas Iscariot is an old and rather “popular” name in the U.S. black metal milieu, however for reasons of ideological reputation rather than for any convincing musical quality. (more…)
4 CommentsTags: 2018, an ancient starry sky, Black Metal, judas iscariot
A notion has sprung out of Andreas Languetus’ mind for a project titled Gradus ad Phlegethon the sole purpose of which is not simply to study or theorize, but rather construct a viable method of transmitting the compositional techniques of ‘death and black‘ metal. Where this accumulation of illustrative techniques will take us, we cannot yet tell. But we know that it shall bring together concrete musical practices, basic contrapuntal and motif-writing techniques, as well as techniques aimed at directing the mind to appropriate states. Each of these are instrumental to the formation of a true and complete methodology that encompasses a true evolution of metal into and beyond death and black metal. Said endeavor lies in parallel, though perhaps meeting at intersections, with the search for and use of pure sound as notions for metal and dark ambient composition.
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Tags: al responder de los muertos, Black Metal, dark abstraction, De Mysteriis Dom Christi, death metal, ectovoid, espiritismo, gradus ad phlegethon, Reverorum Ib Malacht
Bethlehem are a German band that was formed with the intention of adding sorrow, melancholy and madness into extreme metal. Their first opus “Dark Metal” used a mixture of black metal, slower primitive death metal and the melancholic rock inspired British sound that bands like My Dying Bride were developing. (more…)
12 CommentsTags: 1996, bethlehem, Black Metal, dark metal, dictius te necare
Upon listening to this album, the listener familiar with the classic Norwegian black metal albums from the first half of the ninetiess will undoubtedly be reminded of Emperor In the Nightside Eclipse (1994). But apart from the way in which the keyboards are used for effect, the first Blood Stained Dusk is quite distinct in songwriting approach and in the crafting of individual sections. And while less clear and profficient in expression than Emperor, relegating the present release to a lower tier, Dirge of Death’s Silence is still a highly suggestive and imaginative work of black metal.
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Tags: 2001, Black Metal, blood stained dusk, dirge of death's silence, emperor, immortal
With a total of 18 podcasts in conducted in Spanish, programs by La Vanguardia Subterránea are worth the time of non-Spanish speakers wishing to spend an evening exploring dark and twisted music. (more…)
No CommentsTags: abominacion, Black Metal, la vanguardia subterranea, underground metal
This is a split with contributions from four different bands, each of which present three full recordings, making the release altogether rich and diverse. Most, if not all, of the tracks sound under produced, which is a good thing when the listener wants to dig into the real bones of the band, undistracted by the direct impression of “great sound.” While none of the bands here is particularly original, or even possessing a clear line of musical development, the split is enjoyable as a forcefully elaborate underground effort to develop expression within the modern black metal (actual black metal, that is) context.
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Tags: 2016, Black Metal, diabolus amator, gravespawn, Infirmos Vocat Deus Fidei, split, vesterian, wormreich
Article by Belisario
Alpha Hydrae is a rather recent metal outfit hailing from Monterrey, northern Mexico. Their only official release to date is their full-length Venomous Devotion – The Hematic Lust from 2013. Despite its misleading title, this is no symphonic metal, but rather old-style melodic black metal with a strong use of keyboards. It could be described as “gothic” as well, not in reference to the terrible metal subgenre of the same name (that swarm of early-Paradise Lost copycats), but according to its ambiance and obsession with tales of vampiric fantasies.
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Tags: 2013, alpha hydrae, Black Metal, mexico, the hematic lust, venomous devotion
Mastema is one of those fiends of the black metal satanic underground that surfaces only to deliver concentrated, though minimalist, doses of the most alienating, horrific metal music. (more…)
9 CommentsTags: anti, Black Metal, EVIL-034, france, mastema, raw, satanic, the grand holocaust of flesh
Our tribute to Hellhammer is more than a recognition of their historical importance. Rather, we understand the relevance of Hellhammer as one artistic, in terms of the development of the craft of metal, and as the time-less place of several of their compositions. In general, we can hear the band’s material broken in two directions: one is the temporal rock n’ roll influence, and the other a hint of madness, an intrusion of the unknown into the mind of Tom G. Warrior especially. It is the exploration of this unknown side that brought forth what makes Hellhammer the realization of underground metal as music, not simply as idea or as a ‘social’ movement or a ‘sub/counter’ culture. The latter two are temporal, and ultimately just by-products. What concerns us here is the dark side channeled, the a-/supra- temporal, the in-human and the un-humane making headway unbeknownst and not fully understood by the artists themselves.
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Tags: apocalyptic raids, Black Metal, death fiend, death metal, discography, hellhammer, overview, satanic rites, triumph of death
