I wake up and look around me. The dark-red ice is still coating the interior of the church. This can only mean one thing – I am still trapped within the nightmare.
Debemur Morti
Behexen – Nightside Emanations Review
Behexen are very much creatures of the second wave of European black metal, and their identities are firmly rooted in that aesthetic and culture. Not ones to deviate from their chosen path, and certainly not about to start experimenting now. Rather than opting to make drastic changes in approach, they have instead chosen to pursue subtle refinement. Staying within the rigidly proscribed confines of raw, early black metal, Behexen up the finest interpretation of that sound that they can while still maintaining its integrity.
Blut Aus Nord – 777: The Desanctification Review
Oh I love French black metal. They do it differently there. You won’t get the same kind of innovation or mystery from any other country in the world these days. Forget all the nonsense that comes with the Norwegian scene. This is purely about the music, the essence of black metal, what it should be. Of course just like any other scene in the world, not everyone is doing the same thing. Here we have the likes of Antaeus, Aosoth or Haemoth providing the raw and ferocious side, while bands like Epheles and Anorexia Nervosa deliver grandiose soundscapes of symphonic majesty. Then of course there’s the avant-garde, enigmatic workings of bands like Deathspell Omega, Glorior Belli and Blut Aus Nord.
October Falls – A Collapse of Faith Review
Depressed Finns are really no surprise in metal these days. It seems like Finns are a pretty morose bunch in general. A country famous for bands like Poisonblack, H.I.M., Sentenced, Insomnium, Black Sun Aeon and Swallow the Sun, it shouldn’t be terribly surprising that some pretty bleak and depressing stuff comes out of Finland. And let me be clear, that’s not even naming huge groups of bands that I’m sure others could probably come up with. But October Falls isn’t your standard “depressed metal” band from Finland. There are no silly ESL lyrics about being buried in a plastic bag or any of that jazz. Instead, October Falls is a “depressive” black metal band with folk sensibilities.
