“For a band like Skeleton, it’s easy to pinpoint what uncomplicated era they pine for. Every inch of their sound recalls the heady days when punk rock collided with proto-thrash and satanic theatrics, culminating in Venom’s genre founding 1982 masterstroke Black Metal.” Them bones.
“Yet, while these Scandinavians continue what they helped to create, their Finnish brethren have been at it for almost as long. Unfortunately, n00bs to the scene are enchanted—as we all have been—by the murders and mysteries of the Norwegian and Swedish camps. My favorites from that landmass, which shares borders with both Norway and Sweden, are the trio of Behexen, Horna, and Sargeist. Though their language is different, the message is the same. Bludgeoning, destructive, hateful, and vicious. But, what if a band came along, with members from all three of my favorite Finnish outfits? With the intention of slowing the pace, adding layers of melody, and capping it all off with the hooking guitar leads of Watain and Dissection? I wonder what that would sound like…” Panic Womb.
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“A hierophant – a word I was dimly aware of but confess that I had to look up – is a person who leads the religious into the presence of that which is deemed holy by the relevant congregation. It also a card in the tarot deck and at least one of its meanings is that of a teacher or counselor who aids the seeker in the acquisition of knowledge. Both of these meanings are wholly appropriate for Bay Area trio Forlesen’s debut, Hierophant Violent. I would estimate that, since beginning my tenure serfdom here at AMG, my musical consumption has increased by upwards of 80% and I was listening to a lot before I started. And yet it’s rare indeed that an album hits me like Hierophan Violent did.” Elephantine Hierophant.
“Seriously. Shut. The. Fuck. Up. Like ‘pagan’ wasn’t already a bad word to most of the Christian population. Now it’s a bad word for Christian-hating metalheads. Unfortunately, the folky, melodic, and, at times, quite beautiful qualities of the genre veil the National Socialist squabble from many-a anti-Semitic band and label. Which, for someone that loves this style of music, is frustrating as hell. Many writers—not only of this website—won’t touch the stuff. Though plenty of writers skip over one-man black metal outfits because there’s a bajillion of them—all blurring together in one chaotic sound after another—’pagan black metal’ bands get tagged and placed in a cold locker. Not a band name mentioned. Not even out of spite. But, neither I nor Spain’s At the Altar of the Horned God will let these motherfuckers spoil a good time.” Nazis bad, pagans good.
“Once again, I picked promo for an irrelevant reason. German/Irish blackened death trio Khôra wound up in my review queue because their name sounds like the name of one of our cats (Kora). I feel like that’s a perfectly reasonable justification for album selection. If it isn’t, well, then I guess I don’t care. Khôra doesn’t care either, and put out whatever the hell they want regardless of what your tastes or expectations are.” Cats and jammers.
When I
“When I’m unsettled, I retreat to what I know; to what I’m comfortable with. And while there’s a global pandemic locking down the planet, these are profoundly unsettling times. When the promo bin threw some atmospheric black metal my way, I was completely on board for that. This is the genre, after all, that got me into metal, and it’s where I feel most at home. No matter the time of day, or my mood, I can always spin some atmoblack. The icy embrace warms my cold heart and calms me. Which is all to say that Realm of Eternal Night, the debut album from British outfit Argesk, is precisely the kind of music I was looking for this week.” No escape.
“It has come to my attention that this will be the third time Oranssi Pazuzu have been reviewed on Angry Metal Guy, and that I will be the third unique reviewer to do so; I’ve been informed that Happy Metal Guy is “‘definitely’ alive and well,” and that Jean-Luc Ricard is “perfectly fine, now stop asking difficult questions,” but you still have to wonder if that’s a coincidence. I was surprised to see that Mestarin kynsi, the band’s fifth full-length, still needed reviewing…” Third time’s the harm.
“How can music communicate the feeling of dread? While all styles are able, metal’s inherent darkness fits like a glove. While it’s easy to provide aural bludgeoning or emphasize excess, the discipline of restraint takes time and effort. From the post-metal dirges of Neurosis, the avant-garde buildups of Eryn Non Dae., the spiraling doom of Swallowed, the blackened payoffs of Cultes des Ghoules, and the death metal environs of Desolate Shrine, it revels in darkness, plays with menace, but most notably, waits patiently.” Waiting in the darkness.
“I wanted a black metal/noise hybrid. I figured it was the trvest style out there: the ultimate form of pitch-black atmosphere that could conjure abstractness and bleakness to new heights. While there have been plenty of artists that have tried, like Enbilulugugal, Gnaw Their Tongues, and Abruptum, success has been limited, so I wished upon a star for noisy black metal.” Cut off your noise to spite your face.
