Black Metal

Yayla – Nihaihayat Review

By Happy Metal Guy on February 26, 2013 in 1.5, 2013, Black Metal, Reviews, Turkish Metal, Black Metal, 11 comments

“Yay! Lament all you want, but your pricey earphones are going to be under-utilized by yet another primitive-sounding, one-man black metal project (why the heaven do these anti-social cavemen never go away? [Because FUCK YOU that’s why! – AMG]). Happy Metal Guy loves seeing people’s expensive listening gear go to waste on these pesky black metal records, but due to his nonexistent contract with Angry Metal Guy, he’s not really obliged to provide some kind of justification for why people ought to avoid this record.” By giving away that he already hates this record Happy Metal Guy has killed any possible suspense we could have built by blurbing him. I guess the best part of all of this was finding out that there’s a record company called Merdumgiriz Productions. Say that one five times fast.

Vreid – Welcome Farewell Review

By Madam X on February 23, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, Black Metal, Indie Recordings, Norwegian Metal, Rating, Releases, Reviews, Black Metal, 14 comments

“After the tragic, but remarkably metal, death of their vocalist, Windir was laid to rest in 2004. From its ashes came Vreid (“wrath” in Norwegian), which barreled onto the scene, knocking ten tons of shit out of listeners with machine gun riffage, under the command of ex-Windir bassist Hváll. Vreid have a black metal flavor that bears more than a few striking similarities to the misanthropic, war and history flavored style of Windir. Outside of that, Vreid have riff-heavy, black ‘n roll similarities to the likes of Carpathian Forest, some of the attitude and energy of Borknagar’s Universal album and a blend of the rocking grooviness of Sepultura and the more traditional and melodic elements of Taake, Koldbrann, Ragnarok, and middle earth’s own Carach Angren.” With a list of comparisons like that, you’d think it wouldn’t be possible for Madam X to get angry about this…

Eternal Tears of Sorrow – Saivon Lapsi Review

By Steel Druhm on February 21, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Black Metal, Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Gothic Metal, Massacre Records, Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Heavy Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal, 6 comments

“Eternal Tears of Sorrow is an exceptionally fruity band name. The mere mention of it conjures images of a self-serious, black-garbed goth band (see photos) with a sultry, pouty femme fatale as front woman. If the name was keeping you away, you missed out on a quality band that blended black metal with melodic death, goth rock and symphonic power metal with good to great results. While I enjoyed all their albums, their crowning achievement was 2009’s Children of the Dark Water, which hit on the perfect combination of bombast, dark atmosphere, extremity, beauty and song writing that was shockingly good from stem to stern. At times it sounded like Cradle of Filth at their most symphonic mixed with early Cemetery, with traces of Kalmah, Insomnium and Amorphis added for good measure. After waiting over three years for a follow-up, we finally get Saivon Lapsi and with the long wait after such a great album, expectations were unavoidably high.” So… does this live up to those great expectations, or is it more of a bleak house? Get it? [YOU’RE FIRED! – AMG]

Cnoc An Tursa – The Giants of Auld Review

By Natalie Zed on February 20, 2013 in 2013, 4.5, Black Metal, Candlelight, Folk Metal, Reviews, Scottish Metal, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 25 comments

When one thinks about black metal, the image that probably comes to mind is that of the pine barrens and frozen desolation of Norway, the extreme cold only briefly warmed by burning churches dotting the landscape. Scotland, on the other hand, is not usually the landscape that one imagines, but rather than the icy fjords of Scandinavia, Cnoc An Tursa hail from Falkirk.” Scottish metal just sounds tough, doesn’t it? Well, Cnoc An Tursa is obsessed with scottish poetry about battles and death, which is clerarly tough. Natalie Zed will tell you if they’re good as well as tough.

Spektr – Cypher Review

By Noctus on February 10, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, Agonia Records, Black Metal, French Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 2 comments

“Mechanical dissonance, black metal, experimental tones – all things alluring, no? To a select few individuals with a taste for the twisted, anyway. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that the French seem to have an affinity for black metal with a twisted, experimental tinge. With bands like Deathspell Omega and the highly influential Blut aus Nord pioneering the dissonant, mangled tones, it’s no surprise that black metal outfit Spektr also hail from the same shores. They do have one rather unique aspect to the sound that sets them quite apart from such peers; that being the total absence of vocals, which is rather unusual for both black metal and metal as a whole.” Noctus is our resident expert on bleak, experimental black metal, so we called him in to discuss this grim, instrumental black metal opus. Did I mention its an instrumental black metal album?

Koldbrann – Vertigo Review

By Madam X on January 30, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Norwegian Metal, Rating, Releases, Reviews, Season of Mist, Black Metal, 7 comments

“I’ve noticed that the face of Norwegian black metal is a changing, it’s becoming more adventurous, more rock infused, more progressive and God forbid, more accessible [well, it can’t get LESS accessible — Steel Druhm]. I can confirm however, that while they’re not just all about the evil any longer, they definitely haven’t lost sight or forgotten about the mighty Dark Lord Satan! Breath people, all is still right in the world.” How does Koldbrann fit in to this new movement? Follow Madam X on her trend analysis.

Denouncement Pyre – Almighty Arcanum Album Review

By Noctus on January 24, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, Australian Metal, Black Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Reviews, Black Metal, 8 comments

Don’t lie to me – you know that you absolutely adore fast-paced black metal. Who doesn’t? What’s not to love? Exhilarating, evil and when done right, it’s just about infinitely enjoyable. Highly distorted, often dissonant riffs, pounding drums with snares that sound like machine guns, rasps that sound like the vocalist swallowed a naga chilli that only made it half way down his throat, the many pleasures it can contain thrill and frighten. Throw a small helping of death metal riffage into the mix, perhaps even some speed metal and you have Denouncement Pyre. If you’re not excited by that description, or already buying it, you’ll probably remain unconvinced and should close this tab and go back to your knitting or whatever it is you do when you should instead listening to black metal. Did I mention black metal is great? Let me say it again – it’s great, and so is Denouncement Pyre.