Coldworld

Golden Ashes – In the Lugubrious Silence of Eternal Night Review

By Dear Hollow on May 16, 2020 in Reviews, Ambient, Atmospheric Black Metal, 13 comments

“Black metal is great at it, as its entire purpose is to conjure blasphemous and decrepit images of icy forests and iconoclastic rituals, but there are twists to your snow-crusted Norwegian fjords and the sounds of Hail Satans: Austere’s desolate Australian deserts, Blut Aus Nord’s hellish industrial landscapes, and Saor’s Scottish highlands, to name a few. While images painted are up for grabs, the general consensus is one of darkness, bleakness, and spiritual desolation. But what happens when the black metal is, ya know, not that?” Bright darkness.

Dodenbezweerder – Vrees De Toorn Van De Wezens Verscholen Achter Majestueuze Vleugels Review

By Dear Hollow on March 23, 2020 in 2020, Ambient, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, Drone, Dutch Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Noise, Reviews, Black Metal, Noise, 18 comments

“For those of you acquainted with the Dutch black metal scene, this is another project from Maurice “Mories” de Jong, whose sadistic tendrils puppeteer acts like Gnaw Their Tongues, De Magia Veterum, and Obscuring Veil, to name only a few. He and an anonymous member released three demos and an EP in 2019 under the moniker Dodenbezweerder, which attempts to fuse the sprawl and evocation of ambient black with the edge and claustrophobia of raw black.” Noise as a weapon.

Faustian Pact – Outojen Tornien Varjoissa Review

By Dear Hollow on March 7, 2020 in Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Werewolf Records, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 17 comments

“There’s something intriguing about black metal. While its origins are saturated with violence and its imagery is so defiantly anti-status quo, it’s calmed down significantly over the last decade or so. With more accessible styles like folk and post-rock taking more of a prominent role, it can be difficult to find the trve kvlt style that once circulated the underground in whispered rumors.” Dirty deals.

Arx Atrata – The Path Untravelled Review

By Emya on October 16, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, British Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Atmospheric Black Metal, 18 comments

“The sound of birds chirping is, for me, both calming and therapeutic. My response to birdsong is not an unpopular one. Sound experts claim that ‘people find birdsong relaxing and reassuring because over thousands of years they have learnt when the birds sing they are safe, [and] it’s when the birds stop singing that people need to worry.’ Thus, I truly felt relaxed and at peace listening to the chirping birds, soft synths, and gentle acoustic guitar in the opening moments of Arx Atrata’s new album The Path Untravelled.” When the road forks, take it.

Mist of Misery – Unalterable Review

By Dear Hollow on April 16, 2019 in 2019, Black Lion Records, Black Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Symphonic Metal, Black Metal, 122 comments

“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.

Ringarë – Under Pale Moon Review

By Eldritch Elitist on March 23, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, International Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, 49 comments

“This may be unthinkable for those who comment on every single black metal review about how they can’t get into the genre, but for me, black metal can be one of the most relaxing styles of music. Not all black metal, of course—trying to take a Sunday siesta with Imperialist blaring would be an impossible task. In the genre’s most atmospheric forms, however, the ambient-like stream of muffled tremolo riffs and blast beats can be utterly calming. Ringarë certainly falls within this realm, but with a twist: they build off the foundation of old school symphonic black metal, the sort pioneered by Limbonic Art and early Dimmu Borgir.” Icy fields of feelz.