Debemur Morti Productions

Imperial Crystalline Entombment – Ancient Glacial Resurgence Review

By Kenstrosity on August 29, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, 32 comments

“In 2004, Imperial Crystalline Entombment unleashed their awesome debut record Apocalyptic End in White, which kicks off with a furious chant, “WE ARE. FUCKIN’. IIIIIIIICCCEEEEE!!!” Nothing can beat a line like that as the first lyric on an extreme metal album. Glorious and charming in equal measure, this war cry defines the cave-brained, explosive fun which characterizes the Maryland-based quartet’s particular brand of ravenous, chilly black metal. Fast forward to today, nineteen years later, and I.C.E. prepare their sophomore burst of icy blizzardry.” A new ice rage.

Aara – Triade III: Nyx Review

By Dear Hollow on April 8, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, 44 comments

“There’s a lot of pressure going into Triade III: Nyx, after two installments of killer black metal preceding it. I became a believer, a traveler in their gas-lit and cobblestone Victorian world, with second installment of their trilogy, 2022’s Triade II: Hemera. A series established upon the 1820 novel Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Maturin, it follows the titular Melmoth as his deal with the devil comes to a bitter conclusion: with the death of his lover in the dungeons of the Spanish Inquisition. Doomed to long life, a gift originally too good to be true, Melmoth cannot save himself nor his lover or child. Nyx, like the goddess of night of its namesake, is a more morose, darker, and more devastating beast compared to its predecessors.” Immortal wounds.

Dødsengel – Bab Al On Review

By Thus Spoke on December 15, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, 22 comments

“Just in case you’re not familiar with left-hand-path magic, I’ll introduce the subject of Dødsengel’s Bab Al On. Babalon is a Thelemic goddess embodying both female sexuality and motherhood. Variously depicted as an abstract archetype of licentious liberation, a ‘sacred whore’ astride the demonic Great Beast, and a deity of incarnation and destruction, she essentially stands against the patriarchal ideal of order in her chaotic physicality. Dødsengel dedicate their fifth full-length to this (un)holy mother, with an iteration of their already obscure and restless black metal as strange as it is compelling.” Mommy issues.

The Lovecraft Sextet – Miserere Review

By Dear Hollow on October 26, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Drone, 14 comments

“No one does music like Jason Köhnen. His projects like Mansur, The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, and Bong-Ra constantly push boundaries, and while my reception to his work has been largely mixed, The Lovecraft Sextet has stuck. Debut In Memoriam was a unique and visceral experience, somehow weaponizing dark ambient, black metal, jazz, and opera into six tracks with three disparate but compatible palettes.” Sax and tentacles.

Hexis – Aeternum Review

By Dear Hollow on August 31, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Hardcore, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 16 comments

“While Hexis undoubtedly draws much comparison to the blackened hardcore/sludge of Celeste, Oathbreaker, The Secret, and even Amenra, there’s a liturgical element about them. Although its lyrics draw from the well of blasphemy and trod the well-worn path of nihilism, pitch-black reverence settles like cancer in the blood.” Hex marks the sore spot.

White Ward – False Light Review

By Kenstrosity on June 15, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Gothic Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 77 comments

“This story — inspired by the incredibly cinematic and excellently composed third full length by Ukrainian black metal band White Ward, entitled False Light — begins where the preceding chapter concluded:

GUNSHOT, ABRUPT CUT IN:” False and Tricksy: The Movie

Cailleach Calling – Dreams of Fragmentation

By Twelve on March 12, 2022 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, 12 comments

“When an experienced musician, or musicians, begins a new project, expectation is a tricky part of the equation. After all, a new project is a new project, with all the bumps, twists, and booby traps associated with starting something new, regardless of the experience of its creator. I muse on this because Dreams of Fragmentation, our super-atmospheric black metal album for the day, is the debut full-length for Cailleach Calling, which itself is formed of Tony Thomas and Chelsea Murphy of Dawn of Ouroboros, whose debut full-length floored the Master of Muppets and left a lasting impression on a good number of you, alongside Yurii Kononov, formerly of White Ward.” Great expectations and fragments of dreams.

Inferno – Paradeigma (Phosphenes of Aphotic Eternity) Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on May 12, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 35 comments

“Inferno might be the most obvious metal band name ever. On my initial search, I came across eighteen different Infernos (with and without umlauts). But I’ll give it to this Czech version, as they were obviously around when Inferno was a cool moniker. With now eight full-lengths under their belt, this group has been knocking around the black metal scene since 1996. With over a dozen splits, demos, compilations, and live albums, this Inferno has touched every nook and cranny of black metal as we know it.” Burning times.

Forhist – Forhist Review

By Doom_et_Al on February 25, 2021 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, 27 comments

“Sometimes, we all gotta get back to basics. When you’re Vindsval from the influential band, Blut Aus Nord, that means returning to your atmospheric black metal roots. Blut Aus Nord has always been an interesting proposition, veering wildly between the avant-garde (The Work Which Transforms God, 777 trilogy) and the traditional (The Memoria Vetusta trilogy, Hallucinogen). While I admire the boundary-pushing stuff, I have a mighty soft spot for those Memoria Vestusta albums, which I think comfortably inhabit the apex of melodic black metal. Forhist is Vindsval’s solo project, and Forhist the debut under this moniker.” Blut Aus More.

The Amenta – Revelator Review

By GardensTale on February 19, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, Industrial Metal, 24 comments

“The Amenta is a bit of a strange beast. Formed in the late 90’s in Sydney as Crucible of Agony, they released 4 albums after transferring to their new moniker before finally going underground in 2013 after the release of Flesh is Heir. Now the Aussies have reunited under a new label, hoping to stoke the fire anew. But is Revelator a revelation?” Tell me, who’s that writing?