“Without a doubt, Urgehal’s final release, Aeons in Sodom, has to be the toughest review I’ve yet written. It’s not difficult because it sucks or lacks anything worth writing about; rather, it’s difficult because of the strong personal and emotional attachment I have to Urgehal. I am a fanboy, in the truest sense of the word. What makes it worse is that Aeons of Sodom should have never happened.” The Doctor needs a therapist, stat!
“Wastes of Life hit me at my most unprepared. Billed as “unapologetically defiant and shockingly melodic” including a statement from Wrath to the effect of “My new album is one of my most soul-destroying albums. It was written under feelings of frustration and disgust.” my expectations were high.” You know, there just aren’t enough soul-destroying albums out there these days.
“When I heard Tchort put together a black metal band that combined elements of Carpathian Forest and Blood Red Throne with those of Gorgoroth, Immortal, Bathory, and even Motörhead, I nearly shat myself. After a decade trying to fill the empty crater in my achy-breaky heart with more of Nattefrost’s sadomasochism, I’m stoked to hear the master-behind-the-riffs unleash a sultry combination of all he is; black thrash, blackened rock ‘n’ roll, Scandinavian death, and a variety of surprising twists.” Its time to strap on the assless chaps again and take a run through the forest.
“It’s exciting when you discover that a member of one of your favorite bands has a side project. It gets weird though when you realise the project’s been around and producing for going on twenty years. Between considering the merits of becoming an Agalloch roadie/fangirl back when Steel Druhm reviewed Marrow of the Spirit and later writing up my own reviews of Agalloch’s The Serpent and the Sphere and Nothing’s Guilty of Everything, I can’t help thinking I should have come across some utterance of Agalloch bassist, Jason W. Walton’s side-project, also branded Nothing.” Prepare for nightmares made audible.
“There’s just something about Seldon Hunt’s artwork that draws me deep into the full concept and mood of an album. Hunt is somehow able to match auditory art with an observable one. And Område’s Edari is no different. Hunt’s work conveys a sense of beauty, confusion, and uneasiness that perfectly encapsulates a band that compares themselves to influential acts such as Manes and Ulver.” What’s with all the avant-garde metal this year? Must be due to global climate change.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that I love me some good ole fashioned black metal. I like it old and cold, trebly and chaotic, raspy and harsh. When done correctly, not even the above-average, desert temperatures can keep my spine from growing cold or force me to remove my Darkthrone hoodie.” Leave it to Satan to keep spines frosty and cold.
“Taake are back and pimping their Norwegian black metal wares as only the gloriously bare chested Hoest can do! Yes you read right, it seems the obligatory three year wait since the release of Noregs Vaapen is over and it’s time for the sixth and newest “exciting” chapter in the band’s extensive catalogue. So what of it?” Bare chested bravado only goes so far in black metal, even if Madam X appreciates it more than most.
“These days it seems difficult to find the black metal of old; the kind that Hellscream, the sole member of Slovenia’s Provocator claims to play. Even the originators of the dark, raw, and minimalistic style have chosen to delve into experimental, avant-garde, symphonic and punk-driven crust that take the primitive and simplistic foundation of the 90s to bigger and (sometimes) cleaner heights. That being said, these new hybrids have created some incredible material and the old walls of Scandinavian black metal have burned down along with several churches.” Yet another newbie reviewer tackles yet another black metal band. Give Dr. A.N. Grier a warm welcome as he tells of church burnings and old school yearnings.
“When does a song become high art instead of mere music? Every once in a while you come across an album that makes you question what you define as music. The tracks hit you like a wrecking ball (think the depravity of Nattefrost or the savagery of Romania’s Satanochio), they’re emotional and express an idea, but instead of rhythm and harmony, they’re far more experimental. They’re more noise than melody, bleeding rebellion and one could even say they’re anti-music. German experimental black metal band Vom Fetisch der Unbeirrtheit (V.F.d.U) have left me pondering the above questions with their new release Vertilger.” Unpalatable anti-music passing as fine art? Only at AMG! Follow along as Madam X explores some funky, experimental blackness.
“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…
