Falls of Rauros

Eave – Phantoms Made Permanent Review

Eave – Phantoms Made Permanent Review

By Carcharodon on September 4, 2020 in Reviews, 17 comments

“Phantoms Made Permanent is the sophomore release from Maine’s Eave. It follows their 2016 debut, Purge, and 2018’s EP, Banners to the Moonswept, which I — inadvertently — smuggled into a 2019 EP post. Since Banners, Eave’s original three-piece line-up has acquired a fourth member, with the addition of guitarist Gabe Shara, and they have moved across to Bindrune Recordings. When I wrote up the excellent Banners, I said that if that EP was a foreshadowing of what we could expect from the next Eave full-length, that was pretty exciting.” The future is now!

Dawn of a Dark Age – La Tavola Osca Review

Dawn of a Dark Age – La Tavola Osca Review

By Dear Hollow on July 9, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 19 comments

“Dawn of a Dark Age is an Italian black metal duo formed in 2014, brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Vittorio Sabelli (aka Eurynomos, also of Suici.De.Pression), currently featuring vocalist Emanuele Prandoni (aka Anamnesi of Progenie Terrestre Pura and Grind Zero). Sabelli has released five full-lengths since the project’s inception: volumes 1-5 of The Six Elements series (in order: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Spirit / Mystères). This presumably culminates in sixth full-length La Tavola Osca, even if I’m unsure what it has to do with the elements.” Bend them all.

Horn – Mohngang Review

Horn – Mohngang Review

By Dear Hollow on May 23, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 24 comments

“It’s neat seeing a progression of an artist across a project’s discography. From Anathema’s death/doom to prog-rock stylings, Ahab’s crushing funeral doom to, like, pretty funeral doom, to the deathcore to symphonic black metal to straight-up black metal of Abigail Williams, it shows true growth and maturity to acknowledge the past while stepping into the future. Today’s is German act Horn, comprised of sole member Nerrath, a prolific pagan black metal act with two demos, eight full-lengths, and an EP since 2002.” Change is in the air.

Blaze of Sorrow – Absentia Review

Blaze of Sorrow – Absentia Review

By Twelve on April 23, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, 10 comments

“It’s amazing the things you discover lurking around the Promo Pit. Blaze of Sorrow is not a band that has been on my radar, but between that album art (I mean, look at it), that name (Absentia is such a cool name it nets you twelve band name search results on Metallum), and the promise of “windswept, cascading black metal [that] is undoubtedly melancholic at heart” (I know, I know, marketing copy is marketing copy, but what can I say, it sounded good), I was sold on Blaze of Sorrow’s Absentia before I’d heard a single note.” Grand declaration of expectations.

Faustian Pact – Outojen Tornien Varjoissa Review

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.

Denial of God – The Hallow Mass Review

Denial of God – The Hallow Mass Review

By Dear Hollow on November 4, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Danish Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Osmose Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, 32 comments

“He dribbles down the court, the clock winding down to an excruciating ten seconds. He fakes left and tears right, leaving his opponent stumbling. This is why the Orlando Magic drafted the Most High with their No. 1 pick, because with God, all things are possible⁠—like a deep playoff run.” I doubt even God can conjure that up this year.

Obsidian Tongue – Volume III Review

Obsidian Tongue – Volume III Review

By Carcharodon on September 28, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Bindrune Recordings, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, 29 comments

“It’s six years since this Maine duo dropped their sophomore effort, A Nest of Ravens in the Throat of Time, a time when we still linked to Myspace pages in reviews. How time flies! A Nest of Ravens was a great record, atmospheric black metal, sprawling, blisteringly heavy in places with folky elements too. Their debut, Volume I: Subradiant Architecture, wasn’t too shabby either. That Obsidian Tongue mainman and multi-instrumentalist Brendan Hayter did a brief stint in the much-missed Woods of Ypres and currently mans the bass for metal-infused folksters Thrawsunblat maybe gives some sense of where Obsidian Tongue are coming from.” Tongue on the third date.

Falls of Rauros – Patterns in Mythology Review

Falls of Rauros – Patterns in Mythology Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on July 16, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Gilead Media, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 82 comments

“A wild Muppet appears! Maine is about as renowned for its black metal as it is for anything else that isn’t lobsters, blueberries, or Stephen King, and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna trust my homelands trvest export alone with Arizonan Ne’er-do-well Grier; I’m worried that his review isn’t biased enough, yo. There’s also the tiniest, itsiest little bit ov a possibility that alcohol and boredom coaxed me into challenging the Assumed Non-doctrinaire to a medieval weapons duel for the reviewing rights.” Fight for the Falls.

Marsh Dweller – The Weight of Sunlight Review

Marsh Dweller – The Weight of Sunlight Review

By Mark Z. on August 8, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Black Metal, Eihwaz Records, Folk Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 19 comments

“Having recently relocated from South Carolina (a.k.a. The Land of Eternal Swampass), the name Marsh Dweller immediately piqued my interest when I saw it on our promo list. I always seem to find myself applying band and album names in stupidly personal ways, and a moniker like that reminded me of the long nighttime walks I used to take through a nearby salt marsh while listening to Baroness and picking my underwear out of my asscrack.” This too, shall ass.