Black n’ Roll

The Infernal Sea – Hellfenlic Review

The Infernal Sea – Hellfenlic Review

By Dear Hollow on February 6, 2024 in Reviews, Black Metal, 24 comments

“Black metal is a finnicky beast. While it’s cohesively devoted to the barbed-wire sonic abuse of the darkest variety, and themes range from the occult, misanthropy, and our old pal Satan, The Infernal Sea dwells in history’s halls. While prior full-lengths Negotium Crucis and The Great Mortality respectively deal with themes such as the medieval church’s exploitation and the Black Death, 2024 finds the Brits exploring a distinct figure: the “Witchfinder General” Matthew Hopkins.” Witch hammering on the coast.

Cloak – Black Flame Eternal Review

Cloak – Black Flame Eternal Review

By Kenstrosity on June 1, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, Gothic Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 25 comments

“It’s no secret that the pandemic put the kibosh on the live music scene for quite some time, with aftershocks of that phenomenon still felt today. For the future of many artists releasing material late in 2019 or early 2020—like Cloak with their sophomore record The Burning Dawn—the inability to perform their latest material live to help support their reputation, their audiences, and their financials caused great strain and much uncertainty. Thankfully, Cloak dedicated every spare minute unceremoniously granted to them by the pandemic to focus on writing and perfecting new material.” Cloaking tiger, hidden flame.

Celestial Grave – Vitriolic Atonement Review

Celestial Grave – Vitriolic Atonement Review

By Kenstrosity on September 22, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 17 comments

“Three years ago, I covered Finnish black metal mourners Celestial Grave’s debut record, Secular Flesh. At that time, the album was released under a label which today gives me pause. That label isn’t a friendly place, for several reasons upon which I won’t elaborate here. However, Celestial Grave is now releasing their sophomore album, Vitriolic Atonement, under the much smaller and less problematic (for now, anyway) The Sinister Flame. And thus, I picked it up to give it the full treatment. I’m glad I did, too.” Welcome is a grave.

Mantar – Pain is Forever and This is the End Review

Mantar – Pain is Forever and This is the End Review

By Saunders on July 13, 2022 in Reviews, Sludge, 28 comments

“After smashing out three albums and gathering loads of momentum over a five-year period, Mantar have remained quiet on the recording front, aside from a collection of cover songs. Pleasingly, Mantar return with their anticipated fourth offering, boasting a cool album title and minimalistic cover art. Can Erinc (drums) and Hanno (guitars, vocals) muster the creative energy and belly fire to deliver a knockout punch?” Moretar!

Wormwitch – Wolf Hex Review

Wormwitch – Wolf Hex Review

By Felagund on August 29, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 34 comments

“Way back in the golden, halcyon days of 2019, Wormwitch’s The Heaven That Dwells Within, with its wonderful mix of melody and brutality, became a consistent go-to album for a much younger, much less masked Felagund. Just two hellish years later, this Canadian quartet is back with Wolf Hex, their third full-length and another slab of melodic black metal. But does their latest measure up to my unfair expectations?” Of worm and wolf.

The Vice – White Teeth Rebellion Review

The Vice – White Teeth Rebellion Review

By GardensTale on August 6, 2020 in Reviews, Hard Rock, 45 comments

“Genres create expectations. That’s largely their purpose. You categorize music into recognizable sounds and that way you know roughly what sort of sound to expect when a band’s genre or combination thereof is explained to you. Black n’ roll, the combination of black metal’s dark intensity and hard rock’s catchiness and swagger, has a broad range of expectations to operate in, from the icy cold of Satyricon to the incomprehensible party anthems of Kvelertak.” Molar express.

Devil with No Name – Devil with No Name Review

Devil with No Name – Devil with No Name Review

By Doom_et_Al on June 4, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, 51 comments

“A newly formed trio from the US, these guys are fans of spaghetti Westerns. Such fans, in fact, that the band name is fashioned after Clint Eastwood’s character—“The Man with No Name”—from Sergio Leone’s “Dollars Trilogy.” The music is inspired by the “harsh and exhausting” desert summers of the wild, wild west.” High plains swifter.

Horned Almighty – To Fathom the Master’s Grand Design Review

Horned Almighty – To Fathom the Master’s Grand Design Review

By Kronos on January 16, 2020 in 2020, Black Metal, Danish Metal, Punk, Reviews, Scarlet Records, Black Metal, 46 comments

“If you mopped up all the Darkthrone albums and wrung the juice out into a bucket, the grey slop collected would have the same general properties as To Fathom the Master’s Grand Design. Horned Almighty deliver their simplified black/death metal in a punky but neat package: ‘t’s crossed, ‘i’s dotted, Satans hailed.” Cleanup in aisle trve.

Drottnar – Monolith Review

Drottnar – Monolith Review

By Holdeneye on February 12, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Endtime Productions, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 237 comments

“No matter one’s perspective on Christianity, it is hard to ignore the fact that its central theme of life emerging from death is built into the very fabric of our universe. Cells, plants, animals, worlds, stars, galaxies all die, their remains either fueling or becoming an integral part of something else. You don’t have to believe any specifics of the faith to see the beauty in accepting this death/life paradox and finding meaning in the metaphor. Norwegian band Drottnar seem to have a firm grip on this paradox of constant change and renewal as their 20-plus-year existence has been one of continual metamorphosis, starting as a standard death metal band and mutating into a hard-to-describe whirlwind of blackened complexity that explores Christian themes on their two previous full-lengths.” Rebuild to renew.