Svart Records

Sleep of Monsters – Poison Garden Review

By Jean-Luc Ricard on May 28, 2016 in 2016, Finnish Metal, Gothic Metal, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Svart Records, Gothic Metal, 17 comments

“Despite picking up plenty of positive press for their debut Produces Reason a couple of years ago (including a glowing review from yours truly), Sleep of Monsters don’t seem to have penetrated far into the metal public’s collective consciousness. Comprising former members of underrated Finnish goth rockers Babylon Whores, overrated Finnish goth rockers HIM, and a host of other decorated musicians, Sleep of Monsters go beyond the narrow confines inhabited by the aforementioned acts, incorporating all manner of different musical ideas into their remarkably coherent overall sound.” Don’t sleep on these monsters.

Vainaja – Verenvalaja Review

By Grymm on May 17, 2016 in 2016, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Svart Records, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 76 comments

“In 2014, Finnish three-headed beast Vainaja dropped a megaton bomb in the form of Kadotetut, leveling the ears of those who bore witness to their hymns, and placing themselves in a comfortable 3rd place spot on my year-end list with their mix of Celtic Frosty atmospherics and Asphyxiating tremolo doom. The story of a long-lost book of desecrations, sacrificial rites, and other blasphemous acts set to a bone-crushing doom/death backdrop, was both addictive and effective. Two years later, another tome has been unearthed.” Books cause nothing but trouble.

Tombstoned – II Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on April 18, 2016 in 2016, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Sludge, Svart Records, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, 19 comments

“With a name like Tombstoned, you can probably gather that these boys love the sweet leaf and the doomy, sludgy sweet life of the ’70s. Warping back to a time once ruled by Black Sabbath and shared by Hawkwind, Tombstoned lather up in the buzzy, dynamic, heaviness of the former, while incorporating the psychedelics of the latter.” The rolling stoned gather no moss.

Goatess – Purgatory Under New Management Review

By Saunders on April 14, 2016 in 2016, Doom Metal, Reviews, Svart Records, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, 14 comments

“Goats and metal go together like macaroni and cheese or beer and pretzels. These mischievous grass munching fiends have shared a long affiliation with the dark arts, Satan, generalized evil and of course, heavy metal. Plus they have really cool-looking skulls and boast a strong track record of being paired up with various complimentary descriptors in the metal band name stakes. Sweden’s Goatess is another band raising their horns to goats, returning with their second full-length platter, Purgatory Under New Management.” Don’t rock the goat!

Convulse – Cycle of Revenge Review

By Kronos on March 12, 2016 in Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Svart Records, Death Metal, Progressive Death, 23 comments

“For whatever reason, bands tend to get less and less extreme as they age. Sometimes it’s the extremity of earlier albums being too much to match. Some musicians just get tired of metal, like Brent Hinds or Mikael Åkerfeldt. Bands can change style completely, like Opeth and Cynic, or they can just write more choruses, as Kurt Ballou says of Converge. Yet for all the diversity of unmetalification, there are some very consistent pathways that musicians and bands tend to follow. Today’s example, most notable in Cynic and Opeth, is something I like to call Kronos’ Law of Increasing Hippietude[1. It is suspected that this contributes directly to Angry Metal Guy’s Law of Diminishing Recordings.].” Kronos is working on his thesis and his advisor seems to have disappeared.

Oranssi Pazuzu – Värähtelijä Review

By Jean-Luc Ricard on February 20, 2016 in 2016, Black Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Svart Records, Black Metal, 34 comments

“Oranssi Pazuzu narrowly missed out on Captain Ricard’s Best Black Metal Album of 2013 award (that went to Teethed Glory and Injury) with the magnificent Vaonielu. An instantly accessible yet bizarre and musically deep record, Vaonielu kept me away from my Toto loop for weeks with its sublime blend of catchy, aggressive riffs, trippy grooves, psychedelic synths, and menacing atmosphere.” Fear the wrath of Pazuzu’s schlong!

Jess and the Ancient Ones – Second Psychedelic Coming: The Aquarius Tapes Review

By Steel Druhm on December 10, 2015 in 2015, Finnish Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Svart Records, Occult Rock, 29 comments

“Svart Records is a bastion of strange Finnish acts, and Jess and the Ancient Ones is one of the strangest. Starting with the same 70s occult rock indulged in by Ghost and Jex Thoth, they add in surfer rock and more than a little tripped out psychedelic acid rock to arrive at something altogether different.” Surf’s up and Satan is down!

Sabbath Assembly – Sabbath Assembly Review

By Steel Druhm on September 21, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Svart Records, Doom Metal, Occult Rock, 58 comments

“Sabbath Assembly have always been odd, especially since they used their music to proselytize about the obscure religious splinter group known as the Process Church of the Final Judgment. This resulted in albums like Ye Are Gods and Quaternity playing like Manson-esque hippie cult indoctrination music and they were definitely an acquired taste with limited replay value. Cast out and finding their own way.

Skepticism – Ordeal Review

By Grymm on September 9, 2015 in 2015, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Svart Records, Doom Metal, 59 comments

“Live albums are a dicey bag. Not every band has the capabilities to produce something classic along the lines of Live After Death or Alive in Athens, and most certainly not from the funeral doom genre. On top of that, to make your first album after a seven-year absence a live album that’s three-quarters new material? That’s some rather gutsy planning right there….” Play live or die.

Abyssion – Luonnon Harmonia Ja Vihreä Liekki Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on July 1, 2015 in 2015, Black Metal, Crust Punk, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Svart Records, Black Metal, Crust Punk, 15 comments

“Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: in an alternate universe where musical ideas are themselves beings, three idea-beings walk into a bar. The first one is incredibly boring and pretentious yet still quite popular, and his name is Nachtmystium P. Floyd. The second is loud and already drunk, and his name is Rattus Kaaos; upon spying him the bartender mutters “raucous Finnish punk” under his breath. The third is Ornassi Pazuzu, who categorically refuses to stop droning on about anything and everything psychedelic. The nightly cover band got food poisoning, so there was an impromptu call for music. These three all wanted to jam so went up together, played, and wondered if they should keep this gig up. They did, and now we have Abyssion.” Good bar to avoid on cover nights.