![Cursebinder – Drifting [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Cursebinder-Drifting-01.jpg.webp)
“Perhaps some of you will recall that heady moment in 2021 when we reviewed the third record, The Grand Scheme of Things, by Kraków, Poland death metal outfit Dormant Ordeal, not once, but twice. In a week. For reasons. Still, it scored an indulgent 4.0 and a deserved 3.5, so at least it was worth it. Well, DO vocalist Maciej Proficz has another band, Cursebinder. And back in April, to little acclaim (at least that I saw), Cursebinder dropped its debut LP, Drifting.” Curses!
“2023 hasn’t been the best year for black metal. With some scattered, notable exceptions—DHG and Manbryne among them—most new releases have been underwhelming, or at least disappointing. Undeterred, I continue to pick promos bearing the ‘black metal’ tag, because I believe the genre, at its best, is captivating in a way others aren’t, and offers a flavor of expression unique to itself. As we approach the sunset of the year, my persistence has paid off with the arrival of Avodah Zarah, the sophomore record from Polish/Italian outfit Amalekim.” Blackened treasures uncovered.
“The Tower feels like ascent. You’ll feel light as air, floating upon the ether in warm sunlight, only to crash to earth in plummeting gravity. While journeys are not uncommon across metal’s many weathered and storied expanses, Australia’s Bolt Gun offers a vertical trek. Its experimental fervor, blackened climaxes, and monolithic weight, and above all, the emphasis on atmosphere, offer scenic vistas and groveling earth alike, hurtling towards the summit and the zenith. Always majestic, as if in reverence to the colossal structure always in view, The Tower feels like a chronicle: a breathing, organic, but dense legend.” Climbing creativity.
“As much as I like extreme metal and as much as I’m fascinated by necrotrophs – parasites that kill their hosts to feed on their dying matter – the only reason I picked out The Necrotrophic Abyss by Snorlax is my love for Pokémon. As best I can ascertain, Snorlax has no relevance to the fat, sleeping bastard that gamers know and love, especially given Necrotrophic’s apparent and bleak concept of planetary destruction and undead survival.” Gotta kill em all.
“Say what you will about atmospheric black metal, its popularity is not undue. It was the gentle stream in which I was baptized before giving myself to the rapids, the whispers in the breeze that signaled the storm, and the view of the frigid mountain crest before the cruel ascent. I ventured into unclaimed mysterious wilderness with the likes of Wolves in the Throne Room, Imperium Dekadenz, and October Falls, leading me the cliffs for the view before greeting my plummeting death to the forest floor, laid to rest in the dark soil littered with pine needles. Enisum speaks like the wind in the trees.” Pinecones and pain.
“Bosco Sacro is an Italian quartet whose style is unclear, ranging from doom to trip-hop to psychedelic, with drone, post-rock, and of course, ambient tied in there. For their debut, expect lush atmosphere, dark distorted bass, and Giulia Parin Zecchin’s formidable vocal performance, ranging from post-punk slurs to soprano siren croons, recalling the duality of This Is Oblivion’s Lulu Black.” Sacro blue.
“The middle of the Venn diagram of melodic and atmospheric is where I find my favorite kind of black metal. Sizzling with the energy and catchiness of epic tremolo refrains and blastbeating tempos, and shimmering with veils of synth. If it’s a good example at least. Hence, I rushed to pick up Inherits the Void’s sophomore record The Impending Fall of the Stars as soon as I saw the magic adjectives melodic and atmospheric applied to their black metal style.” Void estate planning.
“The word ‘meanders’ itself describes more than just the state of lesser dissonance heavy or atmospheric acts who clash songs out of existence with contrapuntal Tetris. Rather, Anachronism with their latest leans on the artistic concept of the meanders as they might appear in a mosaic, ornamental patterns of winding or interlocking lines.” Musical blocks in sonic temples.
![Sur Austru – Obărșie [Things You Might Have Missed 2021]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/sur-austru-obarsie-01.jpeg.webp)
“Earlier this year, Huck N Roll reviewed the final full-length release from Negură Bunget, following Gabriel Mafa’s tragic passing in 2017. For several now-former members of the group, however, the musical journey, and spirit of Negură Bunget, persists in the form of Sur Austru, which was formed in 2018 to continue that musical legacy.” Onward.
![Windfaerer – Breaths of Elder Dawns [Things You Might Have Missed 2021]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Windfaerer-Breaths-of-Elder-Dawns-01.jpg.webp)
“It is often difficult for me to know where to begin when writing about a record that resonates with me as deeply as Breaths of Elder Dawns. New Jersey’s Windfaerer swept me up so swiftly that I cannot even recall where I was first made aware of this record; the experience of listening to the album completely swallowed me.” Enjoy of deep breaths.
