Alcest

Thränenkind – King Apathy Review

By Mark Z. on May 4, 2016 in 2016, Black Metal, Crust Punk, German Metal, Lifeforce Records, Post-metal, Post-Rock, Reviews, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 44 comments

“Sometimes the way you first experience an album is everything. Back in 2013, after finally returning from an extended work trip where I had limited internet access (and thus, no ability to hear new metal releases), Thränenkind’s The Elk took my deprived ears by storm with its Agallochian mix of weepy post-rock and crusty post-black metal. After months of only listening to whatever -core was stored on my iPod at the time, I was captivated, and the German quintet’s debut ended up being one of my favorite albums that year. Three years later sees me in an entirely different set of circumstances.” Stop the presses!

Germ – Escape Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on April 27, 2016 in 2016, Australian Metal, Black Metal, Post-metal, Prophecy Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 24 comments

“So far this year, I’ve been tasked with reviewing—or simply listening to—a handful of shoegazing, post-black promos from a variety of little-known bands. Some of them are worth their weight in gold, while others are worth their weight in horseshit. For many, this genre petered out in the last decade or so when many o’ band jumped on the WitTR bandwagon, over-weighing the vehicle and driving its wheels axle-deep in the mud.” That navel isn’t going to contemplate itself, you know.

Palace of Worms – The Ladder Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on April 5, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Black Metal, Broken Limbs Recordings, Reviews, Black Metal, 18 comments

“For those engulfed in the US Black Metal (USBM) scene, California’s Palace of Worms may be a familiar name to you. For everyone else, the band mixes Pacific Northwest Black Metal (PNWBM) and the ethereal beauty of Alcest (Alcest-core) with some signature Norwegian Black Metal (TRVEBM) rawness.” March of the Acronyms!

Entropia – Ufonaut Review

By Kronos on February 7, 2016 in 2016, Arachnophobia Records, Black Metal, Polish Metal, Post-metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 9 comments

“I’ll be honest with you; the only reason I’m even passingly familiar with Entropia’s existence comes from their commendable decision to sample a few lines of dialogue from the excellent (and yes, very brutal) Christopher Nolan film, The Prestige. The late David Bowie’s tempered portrayal of an eccentric and misunderstood Nikola Tesla living out his days in a quasi-exile in Colorado Springs brings a wistful sort of conscience to the film’s dueling protagonists, and a story of such single-minded self-destruction couldn’t be more suited for a metal adaptation. That’s just low hanging fruit, metal bands, I’m doing your work for you here.” And we don’t get paid to do PR!

Wildernessking – Mystical Future [Vinyl Review]

By Angry Metal Guy on January 25, 2016 in 2016, Black Metal, Reviews, South African Metal, Vinyl Review, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, 41 comments

South Africa’s Wildernessking is an atmospheric black metal band that has undergone a maturation before our very eyes. Starting as Heathens the band played an immediate (and still excellent) form of black n’ roll. The early material was reminiscent of Enslaved, but lacked the Norwegians’ progressive punch. The writing was concise and to the point, and the word “atmospheric” would never have crossed my keyboard in those days—until the release of the track “Morning” in 2011. In 2012, under the new moniker Wildernessking, these South African ex-heathens released The Writing of Gods in the Sand, which unfurled their sound into expansive, atmospheric territory. The record had a production that helped the band’s music to balance between a raw, heavy black metal feel and their growing interest for more airy writing. Mystical Future progresses Wildernessking’s journey, taking steps further away from the intensity and riff-driven black metal, toward a more expansive, atmospheric sound.

Onirik – Casket Dream Veneration Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on November 9, 2015 in 2015, Black Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Portuguese Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 28 comments

“As suggested by Neige of Alcest, dreams can be a truly inspirational medium to audial art. Personifying places and feelings of the dream world into those of a musical one can produce music that has both character and a buttload of passion behind it (even if the music is shit). Gonius Rex (the man behind Portugal’s Onirik) is another musician that taps into his own REMs for inspiration. In Rex’s case, these dreams manifest themselves into a much darker expression of black metal.” A dream to some, a nightmare to others!

Deafheaven – New Bermuda Review

By Angry Metal Guy on October 14, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Anti Records, Black Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Shoegaze, 46 comments

“If Deafheaven makes you mad, you’re doing it wrong. The essence of the band’s appeal isn’t found in their physical manifestation, nor the influences they’ve mined and reshaped for themselves. Even the passages of their music that seem to trigger minute-by-minute breakdowns from the commentariat don’t tell the whole story.” And here’s the rest of the story.

Myrkur – M Review

By Saunders on August 18, 2015 in Black Metal, Danish Metal, Folk Metal, Relapse, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Post-Metal, 66 comments

“Danish one woman black metal project Myrkur burst onto the scene in a shroud of mystery with her debut self-titled EP last year. When her identity was revealed to be New York based artist Amalie Bruun of indie-pop duo Ex-Cops, the fickle factions of the wider metal community were seemingly more concerned about her apparently dubious metal cred than the frigid blast of old school Norwegian black metal, post-metal atmospherics and melancholic folk the EP delivered.” Damn those fickle factions to Hell!

Brave the Waters – Chapter 1 – Dawn of Days EP Review

By Jean-Luc Ricard on May 15, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Not Metal, Post-Rock, Reviews, Unsigned Bands, Not Metal, 4 comments

“Doom fans among you will likely know about New York’s Grey Skies Fallen, a vintage doom/death act that has been steadily improving their My Dying Bride/Anathema-influenced paeans to pain since the late nineties. Grind fans among you will likely know about New York’s Buckshot Facelift, a slightly less vintage hardcore/grind band that has been vomiting up vitriolic violence since the mid naughties.” But did you know they had a shared project? You didn’t, so don’t pretend you did.

Seagrave – Stabwound Review

By Mark Z. on April 23, 2015 in 2015, Art of Propaganda, Austrian Metal, Black Metal, Reviews, Shoegaze, Black Metal, Post-Metal, Shoegaze, 5 comments

“Listening to Seagrave begets the age-old question: is it better to try something new and fall short, or rehash the same bullshit until we’re all shitting bowls of Iommi riffs and bleeding ‘retro-death metal’ CDs from every orifice?” If your orifices bleed retro-death for more than 4 hours, consult a physician.