Deathspell Omega

Decline of the I – Escape Review

By Grymm on July 30, 2018 in 2018, Agonia Records, Black Metal, French Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 38 comments

“Henri Laborit was a French neurobiologist who studied brain activities, including the brain patterns of rats when they’re met with undue aggression. In doing so, he developed chlorpromazine, a powerful antipsychotic used to treat severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, helping to change the tide of mental illness forever. However, due to being at odds with fellow researchers at the time, he felt that his recognitions were viewed as just a footnote compared to those of his peers, and he was said to have died a bitter man in 1995. France’s Decline of the I, led by main man and multi-instrumentalist A (Merrimack, Sektarism, The Order of Apollyon), formed to release a trilogy based on Laborit’s life and works.” Metal health.

Imperial Triumphant – Vile Luxury Review

By Grymm on July 11, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Black Metal, Gilead Media, Reviews, Throatruiner Records, Black Metal, 146 comments

“New York City is a strange dichotomy. Depending on who you ask, you’ll either get mental pictures of Broadway musicals, jazz concerts, the colorfully decorative Times Square, and shopping centers and skyscrapers within a stone’s throw of each other… or you’ll get a grim story of the rampant drug use and homelessness, its long history of violent crimes, and the hopelessness and gritty realities of its citizens that birthed the city’s rap, hardcore, and metal scenes. The thing is, either story would be correct. On their third full-length, Vile Luxury, Imperial Triumphant paints a vivid picture of their city’s duality: shimmering and powerful, yet simultaneously ugly and brutal.” The big apple is rotten to the core.

Eryn Non Dae. – Abandon of the Self Review

By Master of Muppets on March 12, 2018 in 2018, Ambient Metal, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Debemur Morti, French Metal, Reviews, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, 114 comments

“Eryn Non Dae.’s follow-up to 2012’s Meliora is something I’d long dreamt of, and thanks to France and the promo bin I – with humble objectivity and tact – get to demonstrate to you bitches once again why Muppet taste is best taste. Spoiler alert: this album is fucking glorious.” Franks and fiends.

Interview with Sven de Caluwé of Aborted

By Mark Z. on March 1, 2018 in Belgian Metal, Blog Posts, Interviews, 1 comment

“During the four days of maritime metal mayhem that was 70,000 Tons of Metal earlier this month, I was lucky enough to snag an interview with Sven de Caluwé, vocalist and founding member of famed Belgian death metal band Aborted. As the mastermind behind songs about serial killers, medical deviance, and (strangely enough) even poop, Sven has led his minions through albums like 2003’s iconic Goremageddon and, most recently, 2016’s warmly received Retrogore. Jittery with fanboyism (and more than a few Fosters) Sven was kind enough to overlook my obvious amateurism to talk about the band’s past, their upcoming Devastation on the Nation tour, and even some juicy details on the new album. Strap on that cadaver apron and read on!” We said strap it on!

Erdve – Vaitojimas Review

By Master of Muppets on February 18, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Lithuanian Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Sludge Metal, Black Metal, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 0 comments

“If your home country only has a whopping 172 bands documented on The Metal Archives, with roughly half of them split up or otherwise disbanded, there’s a decent chance that relatively few people have ever heard your particular take on metal before. Such is the case for Erdve, a fledgling four-piece emerging from the enigmatic Lithuanian underground.” Small scene, big sound.

Entheogen – Without Veil, Nor Self Review

By Akerblogger on January 10, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Black Metal, Fallen Empire Records, Reviews, Uncategorized, Black Metal, 22 comments

“New year, new me, so they say. In 2018 I’m going to root myself deeply into a black metal chasm. Too often black metal albums are left to rot in the pits of the promo bin. Things must change! On behalf of the forgotten, I’ve made a resolution to pick from the black metal bones in the hope of extracting a smidgen of excellency from these rotting vessels. Enter the long-form, cavernous, winding noise of Without Self, Nor Veil, the debut album by Entheogen.” Sworn to review the dark.

Over The Voids – Over The Voids Review

By Grymm on November 17, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Nordvis Produktion, Polish Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 20 comments

“In my stint with Angry Metal Guy, I’ve encountered not one, but two overly congested forms of black metal. I’ve either encountered black metal that goes beyond its initial consume-by date, or I’ve been bombarded by one-man basement metal, with the latter only impressing me here and there. So when I get a 4-song, 34-minute album with two of the songs dipping below the 7-minute mark, let’s just say the hairs on my neck and back shoot up straighter than those on Don King’s head.” Basement king or cellar fail?

Oculus – The Apostate of Light Review

By Grymm on September 28, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Blood Harvest Records, International Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 30 comments

“Everyone has a unique reviewing method when it comes to writing about an album. Sometimes, the words come to me almost immediately, whether in praise or in condemnation. Other times, finding the right words or comparisons takes a while. In other words, I went back-and-forth with where to go with this review of The Apostate of Light, the debut album by Euro-American black metal collective, Oculus.” Word-defying black metal.

Biesy – Noc Lekkich Obyczajów Review

By Kronos on September 8, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Death Metal, Polish Metal, Reviews, Third Eye Temple, Black Metal, Death Metal, 24 comments

“Our own Grymm poised no shortage of praise before Outre’s Ghost Chants in 2015, and that admiration for the album stuck long enough for it to post a respectable spot on his year-end list. I was too pissed off by the year’s dismal death metal output to look into the album at the time, but later listens revealed it to be just as described: a grating bramble of black metal, supported by a remarkably evil vocal performance. While Biesy’s Noc Lekkich Obyczajów isn’t exactly the album’s successor, it’s within spitting distance, also heavily reliant on sounds pioneered by Ulcerate and Deathspell Omega.” Spit in the city.

Merrimack – Omegaphilia Review

By Grymm on June 12, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, French Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Black Metal, 30 comments

“The French are well-known for pushing envelopes in the black metal genre. From Deathspell Omega’s angular tremolo attack to Blut Aus Nord’s atonal warped melodies and bizarre trip-hop rhythms, France has proven to be a fertile breeding ground for innovative black metal. So when Paris’ Merrimack stands out by sounding Scandinavian, well, it’s gonna stick out like a sore thumb.” French missing.