Angry Metal Guy

So I’ve been digging through un-opened promos from this year that simply got missed due to scheduling or whatever and man, I’ve really hit the fucking jackpot with this one. I feel terrible that I missed it because it’s awesome. Lately, I’ve had a lot of issues with black metal as a whole. I am not alone in this. Even the ultimately reliable and excellent Taake kind of disappointed me this year. I’m not a post-black metal kind of guy and yet, for the life of me, I can’t find any black metal bands that really fucking rule these days. It’s like the scene just up and left the area I was inhabiting. Continue reading

King of Asgard // Fi’mbulvintr
Rating: 3.0/5.0 — Good, but it ain’t Mithotyn
Label: Metal Blade
Website: kingofasgard.com | myspace.com/kingofasgardsweden
Release Dates: EU: 16.08.2010 | US: 08.17.2010

Few names rate as highly among fans of “viking metal” and melodic death metal as the classic Swedish act Mithotyn, which sadly went defunct in 1999 after three excellent full lengths (In the Sign of the Ravens, King of the Distant Forest and Gathered Around the Oaken Table—all of which come highly recommended). Since then, they have gained a near cult status as one of the leaders in the genre and one of the best to ever touch the folk-viking metal legacy. For fans of the band, or at least for this fan of the band, Falconer was never an appropriate replacement for what was a unique and fresh band that went sadly under the radar during their tenure. So you can imagine my excitement upon receiving a copy of Fi’mbulvintr (which, btw, shouldn’t this be Fímbulvintr?), from the new incarnation containing the former guitarist from Mithotyn as well as the band’s drummer. Continue reading

Istapp // Blekinge
Rating: 4.5/5.0 — Retarded good.
Label: Metal Blade
Websites: istappofficial.com | myspace.com/istapp
Release Date: EU: 04.06.2010 | US: 06.08.2010

Sweden’s Istapp (translation: icicle) was a big surprise for this Angry Metal Guy. A Swedish melodic black metal from Blekinge Län (which is basically the far south of Sweden) I had never heard of them. They’ve been around in the scene for a while, apparently, having released several demos and then a demo compilation (with practically the same track list as Blekinge). More surprisingly, the band’s vocalist is reported to have been in Spawn of Possession until 2009, which is a strange connection given that the band is at almost the opposite side of the spectrum from the well known and worshiped tech-death band. But while Istapp isn’t going to win any awards with the hardcore fans of black metal with their clean vocals, their pristine production and their melody, they are certainly going to win a lot of fans who like their metal fast, melodic and, more importantly, awesome.
Continue reading

Ragnarok // Collectors of the King
Rating: 4.0/5.0 — If it ain’t baroque…
Label: Regain Records
Websites: ragnarokhorde.com | myspace.com/ragnarok
Release Dates: EU: 22.03.2010 | US: Never?

It’s about time someone took black metal to some new exciting levels. A music style can only go so far until it becomes somewhat stale, and for every album released, there are ten others that do the same thing – and almost none of the time is it markedly better. Black metal is no exception, and I have a lot of respect for bands that try something new and innovative. But there are some bands that don’t need to. Some bands, no matter how many albums they release of the same style, never grow stale and are always the best of the trade when it comes to the style of music they perform.

Among the ranks of bands that perform excellent black metal that never seems to grow stale is Ragnarok. Normally overlooked by fans of black metal, they’ve been going since 1994. Something I cannot understand is how a band that has been going for 16 years, with 6 full length albums (Which are all very critically acclaimed, may I add) can be so criminally overlooked by the general community of black metal fans. Judging by the quality of this record, fans of black metal really need to give this band some needed attention.

A lengthy six years had passed since their previous offering Blackdoor Miracle, a critically acclaimed album that is worshiped by their fans and I cannot see Collectors of the King disappointing anybody at all. Instead, Ragnarok really do show they know exactly what they are doing on this record with monolithic black metal riffs soaring through the air, a distinctive dark and brooding feeling, a blisteringly fast tempo on nearly every song, beautifully performed drumming and well written satanic lyrics. To top it off, Ragnarok add their highly competent songwriting to this angry, dark and frostbitten cake. Every song here is multi-layered and dynamic, which keeps the listener interested until the very end, giving you the urge to play the album again.

The melodies displayed in this album are a definite highlight. They lay on top of the thick, distorted chords beautifully. The melodies themselves have a distinct Windir (ca 1184) or Taake feel to them; there’s a subtle folk influence here – just not in the form of traditional folk. If these songs were at walking pace, you’d find yourself marching to them, preaching the gospel of Ragnarok. They’re engaging and memorable, to the point where I could even recommend this to folk metal fans that don’t really appreciate black metal.

Every track is a triumph in its own way (with the exception of “Resurrection”, which is the fairly useless intro clocking in at less than a minute). If you’re thinking of checking this out, I’d definitely listen to the title track—”Collectors of the King”—it’s probably the highlight of the album. The only criticism I have towards this track is the fact that it ends too soon, I feel like it could have been stretched a bit more and given more of a gradual ending rather than it coming as a surprise. Every song seems to have this feel – but it’s a small niggle.

It’s difficult to go so in depth about an album that doesn’t step a toe out of line. The bottom line is, if you like black metal, you’ll love this. If you’d like to start getting into black metal, this is an album I’d recommend to you. It’s accessible (as far as black metal goes), engaging and superbly executed. Perhaps this will give Ragnarok a place among the kings of black metal, I feel they have earned it. Fans of Taake, Windir and Tsjuder can rest easy with Collectors of the King. As far as modern black metal goes, this is the best you can get.