“I’ve been sitting on this one for some time. Label it black metal and give it enchanting artwork, and Madam X is all over it. Even before passing it over to me for review, she was pre-ordering the vinyl. And for good reason. On a white backdrop, that tree-covered moose walking on mountains is one of the more original album covers of the year. But the artwork isn’t the only good part of the album. Under that mysterious cover lies a thick slab of Norwegian black metal.” Kvlt Moose is loose.
“It seems odd reviewing an album I’ve had since last year, but stranger things have happened. For Australian antique-rockers Butterfly, what appears to have taken place is that they have been picked up by Petrichor, a new label also responsible for releasing last year’s superb Empress album. I mean, Doorways of Time was available last summer, and some of the folks I like to hang out with were raving about it, so it’s been on rotation at Chez Huck for a number of months now.” Butterfly effect.
“Vancouver progressive sludgers Empress originally came on my radar in July, which is when their debut LP, Premonition, was originally due for release. It was delayed until now and, for once, the delay was driven by good news, namely that Empress had been picked up by a label, Petrichor (which seems to be an off-shoot of Hammerheart Records). I guess a bit of time was then needed for the band and new label to get all their sludgy duckies in a row ready for the release.” Ready to rule.
