“I’ll be honest: I don’t give a fuck about most new music out there today. Lately, the only thing I want to listen to is blackened death, blackened thrash, and the occasional hardcore band that actually has interesting guitar parts. Fortunately, bands like Prosanctus Inferi are here to provide new music that I’m actually interested in hearing.” Blood art is fine art.
Mark Z. and L. Saunders have their moment in the blackened sun to proclaim their Top Ten(ish) preferences for 2019. Fear the words.
“In recent years Greek black metal has become one of my favorite strains of the genre. To me, the scene excels because it rejects rote riffing and instead embraces a style that’s at once militant, melodic, and mystical. The Greek sound has existed for a while and often the bands that embody it are either older acts (Rotting Christ, Varathron) or have scene veterans in their ranks (Funeral Storm). In this regard, Synteleia are an anomaly.” Greek freaks.
“Mystical. Archaic. Melodic. Militant. Triumphant. All words that could be used to describe Greek black metal, and all reasons why albums like Macabre Omen’s Gods of War – At War and Rotting Christ’s mid-00s material hold a special place in my blackened heart. Funeral Storm aren’t technically a new name on the scene, though you’d be forgiven for never having heard of them given they’ve released virtually nothing other than a few splits since their 2002 formation.” Putting the Hell in Hellenic.
“Mystifier are an ancient Brazilian black metal band and the latest to emerge from whatever dank place veteran bands who haven’t released a comeback album are hiding. Formed in 1989, their early releases were renowned for a style that combined the primitive extremity of Sarcófago with the ritualistic and otherworldly aura of Beherit. With this sound they produced such underground classics as 1992 debut Wicca and 1996’s The World Is So Good That Who Made It Doesn’t Live Here. Yet widespread popularity was not to be.” Wicked Mystic.
“There is a duality I struggle with any time I have to write a review. As a critic, I listen to an album and try to find the good things along with the bad. As a musician, I know that criticism stings. If you’ve read more than one review here at AMG, you know that we don’t write fluff. We don’t pander to the labels or the bands. It’s our mission to be unmerciful.” Lots of hand wringing and Hamlet-esque internal struggles went into this review. Angst Rating: 9.5.
