“As a fan of the website, a small part of me wishes that DeviantArt had a section dedicated to unorthodox musical talent. Somewhere where “deviants” can let their creative juices flow, sonically applying brush elements, performing nebula manipulation or perhaps adding a little lens flare. In my mind, this would be where I’d expect to find White Ward.” Deviant black jazz hands.
“Enter the grievous, brooding Au Champs Des Morts. Their debut album, Dans la Joie, landed in my lap a few weeks past and has kept me occupied with its gloomy sensibilities ever since. Think Alcest if Neige woke up to find all his precious forests and trees clear-cut overnight. An unhappy man he would be, and that’s pretty much what Dans la Joie is; moody, depressive, poignant and French.” Embrace the trees and have a good cry.
![Latitudes – Old Sunlight [Things You Might Have Missed 2016]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Latitudes-Old-Sunlight-01-768x768.jpg)
“Very few genres have as clearly identifiable roots as post metal. Without fail, musicians under this label are always traced back to the same key acts. Neurosis. Isis. Cult of Luna. These are the bands that defined post metal for decades. For many, they also acted as the gateway into the genre itself, but not for me.” Gateways to education.
“I have a strange relationship with In the Woods…. Back when I was first discovering underground metal and devouring all the obscure releases I could find in the Internet’s further reaches, I remember being taken aback one night by a mysterious 1995 debut called Heart of the Ages. Both the record’s hazy cover art and the esoteric black metal contained within conveyed a haunting, archaic timelessness that, oddly enough, was so powerful it actually discouraged me from returning to the album after my initial awestruck listens. The mystique was furthered by the fact that Woods broke up in 2000 – years before I ever heard of them.” Mystique and aura aren’t just friendly girls at the local gentlemen’s club.
“What’s this – a new Monolithe already? Didn’t I write a review just 6 months ago? It is indeed so. Zeta Reticuli is advertised as the second part to 2015’s Epsilon Aurigae, and it’s a similarly expansive ode to the cosmos, conveyed through densely atmospheric doom metal replete with a plethora of spacey synths.” There is no Sun O in deep space )))))).
![Blut Aus Nord/AEvangelist – Codex Obscura Nomina [split] Review](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/cover-RGB-768x768.jpg)
“Ever since the release of 2003’s The Work Which Transforms God, French black metal pioneers Blut Aus Nord took the constrictions of the standard black metal envelope, stretched them out to ridiculous lengths and dimensions, and repackaged them to the point where you only vaguely remember there being an envelope in front of you. In other words, they, along with fellow Frenchmen Deathspell Omega, redefined black metal as we know it.” And here we have a split with a band they influenced mightily. Master and Apprentice if you will.
“Former AMG writer, Natalie Zed, described Behexen in her Nightside Emanations review as a second-wave black metal band. Nothing more, nothing less. And, in all honesty, that is exactly what they are. But, Behexen are not only innovators of the style, but are also damn good at it.” Innovation be damned.
“Sora’s latest solo affair, the black-cum-experimental-metal outing Throane, appears as a clear extension of his earlier works and digital art. Drawing from influences of bands like Bluts Aus Nord, whom he works closely and often with, Throane’s debut Derriere-Nous, La Lumiere takes the atmospheres and minimalist ambience of Sora’s various other projects such as Treha Sektori and pushes them forward by providing a metallic edge.” The black arts on display.
“I’m not going to lie. I chose to review this promo on the basis that Draugnim sounds like Draugr – an entity which should be familiar to fellow Elder Scrolls nerds. On this basis, I predicted vaguely folkloric Scandinavian black metal. Indeed, Vulturine boasts Finnish Pagan metal similar to a popular band whose new album is also soon to drop.” Super nerds unite!
“A great and wise man once said, “Let the music do the talking.” Okay, that was Steven Tyler, but it’s still true. There are times when a lot can be said with just your instruments, without the need for a voice, especially when those bands with voices want said voice to just shut up. In recent years, we’ve been bombarded by a slew of instrumental acts with varying degrees of success and talent. Belgian quartet Hemelbestormer (loosely translated to “idealist” in Dutch), is the newest to join the InstruMetal ranks with their debut album, Aether.” Be like Steven Tyler.
