Black Lion Records

Kull – Exile Review

Kull – Exile Review

“In my three years with this blog, I have never had as much difficulty penning an introduction as with Kull’s debut record, Exile. This is not due to any conflicting feelings about the subject at hand; rather, I’m petrified of underselling just how monumentally special Kull is to me. Their existence is borne from the ashes of Bal-Sagoth, an English band that is a permanent staple of my listening rotation, and whose output fizzled out just before I stumbled upon them in 2008. Mind you, my ongoing affection for them does not stem from sentimentality or nostalgia.” Big Balls(agoth).

Mist of Misery – Unalterable Review

Mist of Misery – Unalterable Review

“As I’m typing this, I’m staring out the window at a dead tree across the street. It may be past the start of spring, but much like a stereotypical black metal cover, cold dominates the sky and spring seems to have missed the memo. It’s perfect for some depressing tunes, and Mist of Misery’s fusion of symphonic black metal and depressive suicidal black metal fits the bill.” Winter is still here.

Black Therapy – Echoes of Dying Memories Review

Black Therapy – Echoes of Dying Memories Review

“Nobody sane wishes to be sad, but at some points in our lives we all have been, and it’s beyond dispute that emotional pain will be a part of our future. This begs the question of why we metalheads tend to seek out and enjoy music that evokes feelings of sorrow and listen for our own enjoyment. I’ve always found melancholy set to music a beautiful thing but have never considered why I’ve found it so. Perhaps it’s because to mourn a loss, a man must care deeply about that which has departed. Perhaps it’s the ubiquity of sorrow, and the sad song’s reminder that we’re not alone in our perils. Perhaps it’s the confronting of melancholy through music which gives us courage and makes us feel like we’ve faced down that which we feared. Perhaps it’s none or all these things, or perhaps more.” Therapeutic suffering.

Vanha – Melancholia Review

Vanha – Melancholia Review

“As a mere music critic, I’m well aware I’m not in the music business in a meaningful way. Still, I’m entirely baffled when artists choose to release albums at the very ass end of the year. Even more perplexing is when an album drops on December 30th when a sizable portion of the world is distracted by holiday cheer and excessive eggnogery. Call it bad capitalism or extreme trvism, but one man doom death act Vanha decided to release an album on this of all days in what seems like a calculated attempt to get it overlooked. Luckily for all concerned, Steel isn’t letting this slip into that good night unnoticed.” Bad timing, good doom.

Hinayana – Order Divine [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

Hinayana – Order Divine [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

“I struggle to find a more nebulous concept in metal than an acceptable amount of influence. Where does worship end and rip-off begin? Does a sublime copycat deserve more praise than pretty good experimentation? Hinayana’s Order Divine is one of the best-executed melodeath records I’ve heard this year. Insomniumaniacs might assert that it is the least original.” Insom, losesom.

Mist of Misery – Shackles of Life Review

Mist of Misery – Shackles of Life Review

“Such is the dearth of my trveness, humility, and years, I’ve recently realized that I tend towards double-adjective metal. That is, types of metal with an additional adjective in their genre tag. Progressive death metal? Check. Post black metal? For sure. Symphonic power metal? Come at me. I could therefore scarcely avoid swiping at the tantalizing fruits surely offered by the three adjectives in the ‘depressive symphonic black metal’ labeled on our promo sheet.” A three metal combo, now with a side of cold saw.