Cradle of Filth

Helrunar – Sol Review

By Steel Druhm on January 23, 2011 in 2011, 4.5, Black Metal, Doom Metal, German Metal, Prophecy Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, 10 comments

Well, we’re certainly off to a great start for black metal in this shiny new year. First we get a righteously good release from Belphegor and now the unheralded German unit Helrunar erupts from relative obscurity with a double album of masterfully grim, bleak blackness. Yep, you read that right, a DOUBLE ALBUM of massive black metal clocking in at ninety minutes! So, you might be asking, who do they think they are? How dare they release a double album? Well, the short answer is, they’re Helrunar and a whole lot more people are going to know them REAL soon because Sol is going to stamp them firmly on the black metal map.

Things You May Have Missed 2010: Cradle of Filth – Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa

By Angry Metal Guy on November 29, 2010 in 2010, Black Metal, Peaceville, Reviews, Things You Might have Missed 2010, Black Metal, 3 comments

I can’t admit to being or having been a big Cradle of Filth fan. I had a friend who didn’t like either them or Dimmu Borgir and gave me Spiritual Black Dimensions and Dusk and Her Embrace on the same day. I exclusively listened to Dimmu and didn’t really like the Cradle record at all. So I got Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa with a bit of skepticism (at best). I mean, really, when was the last time that you heard anything good about this band? A band that on the Top 100 Ways to be Black Metal list is referenced about 8 times: “Don’t be Dani Filth”.

Winterhorde – Underwatermoon Review

By Angry Metal Guy on September 15, 2010 in 2010, 4.5, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Progressive Death, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 1 comment

It isn’t often these days that I review something that I found on my own. In fact, given that the amount of time that we here at Angry Metal Guy for reviews has gone down immensely compared to the huge numbers of promos we receive, it’s probably irresponsible for me to do so. But this Angry Metal Guy is always worried that we’re still not getting every CD of golden worth and highest quality. Once again this fear has been vindicated, but fortunately for you guys, I still love metal enough that I actually go looking for shit that we haven’t received here. And because of that, I stumbled upon Winterhorde a melodic or orchestral black metal band from… Israel? Yeah, turns out, even Israel which lacks for snowy winters has black metal guys who think that snow is the ultimate eviiiil. But don’t let the silly name fool you, because Winterhorde is not just your average melodic black metal band and Underwatermoon, while excitingly ESL in name, is anything but lackluster.

Abigail Williams – In the Absence of Light Review

By Steel Druhm on September 14, 2010 in 2.5, 2010, American Metal, Black Metal, Candlelight, Reviews, Black Metal, 7 comments

Symphonic black metal, a genre fraught with many a trap, snare and pitfall awaiting the unwary band that wants to go down this grim and icy road. Overproduction, bloating, too much keyboard, not enough keyboard, all can bring the metallic symphony to a halt faster than a black metal miser can frown. Even if one avoids all these dangers, the music must be interesting and compelling at its core or trouble ensues. It’s that last nagging little issue that drags down In the Absence of Light, the sophomore album by New York’s own Abigail Williams.

Demonic Resurrection – The Return to Darkness Review

By Angry Metal Guy on August 3, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Black Metal, Candlelight, Reviews, 5 comments

As world metal takes the stage, something that is happening more and more frequently these days, we’re going to be seeing more of these bands coming from places where metal just hasn’t ever shown its face earlier. Demonic Resurrection, as those of you familiar with Sam Dunn’s documentary Global Metal already know, are a band from India who play symphonic black metal. The third record in a trilogy The Return to Darkness is being released (as I understand it) as the band’s first international release via Candlelight Records. That Sam Dunn is a rockstar creating machine, it turns out. Though, when it comes to Demonic Resurrection, their music speaks for itself and if you give that music a stage that myriads of metalheads have access to, it’s not hard to see how they managed to break beyond their borders.

Netherbird – Monument Black Colossal Review

By Steel Druhm on July 2, 2010 in 2010, 3.5, Black Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, 1 comment

One thing that I love about heavy metal is that every time you think you have a pretty thorough knowledge of the overall scene, some band you never heard of slithers out of some crevasse and bites you in the ass. Sweden’s Netherbird is just such anÂ ass biter and their second full length, Monument Black Colossal seemingly came out of nowhere and surprised me with some impressively done melodic black metal, despite the really crappy band name and nonsensical album title. What is it with Sweden and metal these days anyway? That place is crawling with quality, ass biting bands!

Troll – Neo Satanic Supremacy Review

By Angry Metal Guy on January 22, 2010 in 2010, 3.5, Black Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Black Metal, 0 comments

Troll is the side project of former Dimmu Borgir bassist current The Kovenant vocalist Nagash (aka Lex Icon), but it also has the honor of being the first project he was ever involved with at the very young age of about 14. However, after the band fell apart it soon became his solo project and has gone through some various incarnations over the year. If one were to give Neo-Satanic Supremacy a cold listen, one would not every know that a major transformation had taken place in the band’s history. No, instead one would assume that Nagash had quit Dimmu Borgir to produce this very record. Because, well, frankly it sounds like the band circa 1998.