Indie Recordings

El Caco – 7 Review

By Grymm on January 8, 2016 in 2016, Hard Rock, Indie Recordings, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Hard Rock, Stoner Rock, 23 comments

I’ve been in the mood for some killer stoner rock as of late. Ever since the almighty Kyuss went belly-up in 1995, I’ve been on the lookout for some killer jams to race cars, drink a few IPAs, and clean some demons to. The deserts of California were a ripe breeding ground for desert jams, and Kyuss’s disbanding left a gaping hole. Roaring down the highway in a souped-up, cherry-red Camaro comes Norway’s El Caco, who bring with them their seventh full-length, imaginatively entitled 7. Do they have what it takes to become the new stoner rock kings, or should you just hush them all away?

Kampfar – Profan Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on November 16, 2015 in 2015, Black Metal, Indie Recordings, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 59 comments

“There really is nothing like putting together an annual top-ten list. Critiquing, organizing, selecting, re-selecting, and rearranging right up to the deadline, like creating a haphazard grocery list as you suffer through a 48-hour fasting. As is the case with many of my colleagues, I pretty much had my list nailed down at the beginning of November with everything listed in an order I was 99% confident with. Well, that was until Kampfar’s Profan hit my inbox a week ago.” A plan is a list of things that aren’t going to happen.

Vreid – Sólverv Review

By Madam X on November 2, 2015 in 2015, Black Metal, Indie Recordings, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 25 comments

“Those who remember my review of Vreid’s rambling Welcome Farewell will remember that they arose from the tragic end of Windir. Vreid’s sound bears some similarities to Windir’s warring black metal roots, but it also goes beyond that. They’ve honed a black ‘n roll sound that’s loaded with repetitively catchy riffs and melodies that bludgeon in their familiarity and overuse.” Who’s up for some overused bludgeoning?

Keep of Kalessin – Epistemology Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on March 10, 2015 in 2015, Black Metal, Indie Recordings, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 42 comments

“It’s been five years since Norway’s Keep of Kalessin released Reptilian to a ludicrous amount of critical panning stemming from a combination of “The Dragontower” being entered into Eurovision and most critics donning their rose-colored glasses when looking at its two predecessors, Armada and Kolossus.” Still reeling from their Eurovision stunt, KoK is back to reclaim lost territory in Kvltvania.

Einherjer – Av Oss, For Oss Review

By Grymm on January 13, 2015 in 2015, Indie Recordings, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Viking Metal, Viking Metal, 13 comments

“Norway’s Einherjer were a band I always meant to check out, but never got around to back in the late 90’s. With all the big releases that were popping up left and right back then, it was hard to keep up in the days before the Internet, and with me being a young’n with limited funds and no means to check out bands save for issues of Metal Maniacs, I was thrown out of the loop on many groups, Einherjer among them.” These chaps are vestiges from the olden days of Viking metal, but once a Viking, always a Viking!

1349 – Massive Cauldron of Chaos Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on September 25, 2014 in 2014, Black Metal, Indie Recordings, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 16 comments

“Since 1997, 1349 has evolved a lot. And I mean a lot. They’ve changed so much that their musical career can only be compared to driving down the freeway at 70 miles per hour and hitting black ice. First, you accelerate along the on-ramp (Liberation and Beyond the Apocalypse), until you achieve top speed (Hellfire). When you come upon the ice, it sends you into uncontrollable spins (Revelations of the Black Flame) that you miraculously manage to steer free from.” Winter is fast approaching so it’s time to check your snow tires and drive safely out there!

Kampfar – Djevelmakt Review

By Madam X on February 3, 2014 in 2014, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Indie Recordings, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 5 comments

“With a career spanning a near lifetime (20-years to be exact), Kampfar refuse to sit squarely in any one particular niche. They shamelessly delivered their self-titled EP, Mellom Skogkledde Aaser and Fra Underverdenen as part of their first creative wave, hitting you up with old school black metal with the typical raw traditionalism you’ve come to expect of a two-man Norwegian act. When that didn’t translate into a particularly nifty live performance, more members were added and the the band forged ahead with with their second creative wave delivering Kvass and Heimgang….” Madam X surfs the waves of black metal as brought to you by Kampfar. But is their next wave worth catching?

Gehenna – Unravel Review

By Madam X on October 23, 2013 in 2013, Black Metal, Indie Recordings, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 2 comments

“With a hefty eight years under their bullet belts since the release of WW, Gehenna make their long-awaited return with their latest funeral doom offering… uh no wait, scratch that! It’s most definitely snow-capped, Norwegian, black metal following in the same general direction as say Taake or Urgehal. With a hulking eight year wait, I was holding my breath in expectation of a funereal dirge at the very least…” Madam X thought these cats were long dead and buried and since she loves listening to funeral music, she’s a bit put out that they’ve come back from the Great Beyond. Regardless, she’s a professional so she does her job and gives some grim analysis.

Cult of Luna – Vertikal II Review

By Alex Franquelli on September 29, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, Avante Garde, Indie Recordings, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Shoegaze, Sludge, Swedish Metal, Drone, Progressive Metal, 2 comments

“Now, where were we? I seem to remember this this great album from an act simply incapable of disappointing. In was the middle of winter and North Korea appeared as a threat to the dumb half of the world’s population. Today, while that same fraction struggles to locate the hemisphere Syria is in, the summer light convulses in his death throes this side of the planet and we take shelter from the impending cold. OK, but what about the music?” The ever mercurial Alex is here to cover the equally mercurial Cult of Luna’s new release, Vertikal II. If you aren’t careful, you may get mercurial poisoning!

In Vain – Ænigma Review

By Angry Metal Guy on March 6, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, Death Metal, Indie Recordings, Melodic Death Metal, Norwegian Metal, Progressive Death, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 19 comments

In Vain hails from Norway, famous for its black metal, its fjords, its oil, its social democracy, but certainly not its progressive death metal. It’s actually a little strange that the land that brought us Borknagar, Enslaved, Ulver, and Solefald has never really produced its own Opeth or In Mourning, instead outsourcing that to its less affluent and pampered neighbor to the east (that’d be Sweden for the geographically challenged). Without getting too much into regional politics, it’s safe to say that given how high on the hog these Norwegians live—exploiting their Swedish workers and guzzling crude oil at the state’s expense—it’s surprising that none of them have wandered into the melodic, progressive death metal genre. They certainly have access to enough subsidies for the arts to do so if they wanted to.