Serpent Ascending – Hyperborean Folklore (2022)

While still retaining some of the aesthetic elements of 2016’s sleeper-hit Aṇaṅku, Serpent Ascending has adopted a flowing form of riffing on this latest album comparable to some Norwegian black metal. This has both an upside and a downside, in that the longer melodies can reach a greater degree of intensity at times, but there is also less contrast within individual songs.

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Grieve – Funeral (2021)

Black metal established a template, with the original bands knowing that they were the last gasp of sanity before the egomania of humanism took over, but some have carried on. Grieve knowingly works with variations of the template but makes a compelling, carefully-crafted release.

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