We predicted many years ago that rock would assimilate metal and adopt its techniques, missing the point, and Inquisition comes along with a release that is half metal of various subgenres and half 1970s album-oriented rock, sure to be popular and yet, not bad at all.
7 CommentsTags: AOR, Black Metal, Inquisition
Garage-level bands are usually condemned to the usage of the same rudimentary forms which causes their music to be dominated by the distorted guitar which constitutes the common ground for metal, hardcore, grind and oi. But at the same time there is often a struggle to somehow project desired message into those almost universal, objective structures with only small variations, just as Hellhammer was struggling with confinements of the form, despite being wholly avant-garde in its visions. And it seems that if there is truly a will, it will successfully color those rudimentary structures with desired character.
1 CommentTags: Black Metal, lord of evil, nsbm
Trailblazing Finnish black metal and ambient pioneer Beherit unleashed its latest creation, Bardo Exist, on November 12. Given the complete autophagy of black metal, this redirection of the genre shows it how to continue as itself in spirit while the carcass decays.
26 CommentsTags: Ambient, beherit, Black Metal
Most of the “new wave” of underground metal has focused on achieving a singular mood, such that you descend into it and then ride it until it stops; these two bands aim for a new yet more traditional version where songs develop in two steps, a descent and an arrival, then stop.
7 CommentsTags: Black Metal, hadopelagyal, thorybos
Pandering to the aging millennials who still blight the black metal scene, USBM: A Revolution of Identity in American Black Metal attempts apologize for writing a book about “racist and misogynist bands” while simultaneously attempting to celebrate the same “racist and misogynist” bands. This baffling move should ensure that both USBM fans and SJW posers alike take a hard pass on buying a book that hates the very scene it features while also hating the values it claims to propagate.
20 CommentsTags: Black Metal, social justice, USBM
Trendy albums age poorly, but those written for eternity tend to maintain their stature even as people gain more experience and cynicism over the years. Finis Malorum stands up to time with a new edition that includes the “Sedes Impiorum” demo, two covers, and an early track.
No CommentsTags: Black Metal, death metal, sacramentum
Following up on an earlier announcement, Vic Records released the complete details:
Re-issue of legendary 1994 mini cd plus two covers tracks (Sepultura’s ‘The Cure/ Antichrist’ and Mercyful Fate’s ‘Black Masses’), their 5 track 1993 demo ‘Sedes Impiorum’, and one very early and rare track. All tracks are carefully digitalized, restored and remastered by Achilleas Kalantzis at Suncord Audiolab (Varathron, Benediction,Gomorrah). The booklet contains extensive liner notes by French journalist Olivier ‘Zoltar’Badin (Cathedral, Dark Funeral, Treblinka) and many rare pictures. Finis Malorum was recorded in Unisound Studios, Sweden with Dan Swano (Katatonia, Opeth, Dissection) and the cover tracks were recorded with Kings Diamond’s Andy Laroque at his Los Angered Recordings studio. Supreme Swedish melodic Black/Death Metal! Sacramentum recently reformed and will release their new album on Century Media.
Should be out on October 30, appropriately.
1 CommentTags: Black Metal, sacramentum
With the full album appearing sometime in 2020, Fourth Monarchy released their track “The Rebirth of the Fourth Monarchy” in 2019, making it a good time to remind our audience of this important band. Following more of a Sentenced/Dissection fast melodic death/black metal attack, the new track showcases some odd vocals but tight improved songwriting.
3 CommentsTags: Black Metal, fourth monarchy
From the upcoming album Un Monde de Glace et de Sang to be released on October 31st 2020 via Obscure Abhorrence productions, this song shows the band dialing back the post-metal stylings of the last album and exploring further directions in their old school black metal sound.
No CommentsTags: Black Metal, sorcier des glaces
Varathron burst into black metal as an outsider, playing Mercyful Fate inspired black metal melodies at a doom metal pace, but never understood what made them appreciated, which was the intense sense of a descending mood with possibility around each corner that this album evoked.
17 CommentsTags: Black Metal, varathron
