Vendetta Records

Solbrud – IIII Review

By Eldritch Elitist on February 7, 2024 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, 54 comments

“IIII, the aptly titled fourth album from Denmark’s Solbrud, comprises ninety-four minutes of atmospheric black metal and HOLY SHIT WHERE ARE YOU GOING HOW ARE YOU RUNNING THAT FAST?? Well, anyway. For the die-hards who didn’t immediately flee at the concept of a double LP of atmoblack, I can guarantee a valid reason for why I’m endeavoring to cover this thing at all. I’ve made it no secret that this meandering, often forceless subgenre has not so much a home in my heart as a lean-to fashioned from three sticks and a handful of dental floss.” Three times the atmoblast.

Woe – Legacies of Frailty Review

By Thus Spoke on October 6, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, 12 comments

“A catastrophizing depiction of humanity’s mutual destruction greets us, the blazing fire and distraught figures a dramatic allegory for the harm and alienation caused by relentless tribalism. So, at least, Legacies of Frailty purports its art and musical content to revolve around. The personal project of Woe’s founder Chris Gregg, it marks the band’s first solo record since acquiring a full lineup with 2010’s Quietly, Undramatically.” Woe tide.

Loather – Eis Review

By Thus Spoke on June 23, 2023 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Folk, Post-Metal, 14 comments

“It’s funny that as the UK experiences a heatwave, I am writing about an album called Eis (Ice). Contrasting the cool summer breeze with the ferocious wind of blackened blastbeat barrages. Juxtaposing the clear blue skies with a grey mist of echoing feedback. Opposing the heat that has everyone spontaneously organizing a barbecue with cold, depressive atmospheres and morose vocals that make you want to stay inside and watch the rain. Responsible are Viennese four-piece Loather, and this is their debut, though they’ve been around since 2016.” Fire and Eis.

Nightmarer – Deformity Adrift Review

By Dear Hollow on May 3, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, Industrial Metal, 58 comments

“I didn’t know what to expect with Deformity Adrift. Although I knew it’s rooted in the inherently unfriendly style of dissonant death metal, I wasn’t sure which breed: perhaps the scathing apathy of Mithridatum, the sun-bleached Altars, the occult mumblings of Mitochondrion, or the twisted technicality of Asystole, to name a few. I shrugged and thought, “I’ve seen it all” and pushed play on Nightmarer. What tormented me about the Berlin/Portland quartet is that, despite my best efforts to describe it with bands of similar ilk, I cannot put words to its latest foray. It rides the line neatly between the haunting devastation of its influences and a tantalizingly listenable quality that defies the need for abstraction. Nightmarer has created a unique dilemma.” DilemmaER!

Stuck in the Filter – February’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity on April 18, 2023 in Stuck in the Filter, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Technical Death Metal, 45 comments

Behold! A list of pretty good stuff from February of 2023 that you almost certainly missed! All shall kneel before the Filter and despair!

Ultha – All That Has Never Been True [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

By Maddog on December 14, 2022 in Things You Might Have Missed 2022, Black Metal, 44 comments

“By happenstance, I first listened to All That Has Never Been True while reading Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. It was a match made in Hell. I breathlessly followed Eleanor Vance into paranoid insanity in the presence of sounds without a source, inexplicable events, and a house whose angles aren’t quite right. Ultha grabbed me by the ears and led me on a similar journey.” Drag me to Ultha.

Glemsel – Forfader Review

By Twelve on March 18, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, 15 comments

“Glemsel (“oblivion”) have chosen a truly interesting cover photo for their debut full-length, Forfader (“ancestor”). I mean—I love it. Odds are, I would have picked up this album for review regardless of the musical style just to see how well the music matches the image on my right (your left). I am more than happy to judge a book, or an album, by its cover—that’s what it’s there for. Fortunately, Glemsel, who hail from Copenhagen, Denmark, play black metal, which means we are already compatible with one another. But while a picture may be worth a thousand words, it is not worth forty-seven minutes of music.” Olde and colde.

Ninkharsag – The Dread March of Solemn Gods Review

By Doom_et_Al on April 28, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 42 comments

“Do you like second-wave black metal? Yes? How much are we talking here? On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being Emperor, and 1 being Viscount Deathspasm’s underground project, Endless Decembres ov Joyless Apathy, where would you say your enjoyment falls? Go on, close your eyes and come up with a number. I’ll wait. Ok, got it? If it’s between 8 and 10, read on! This sophomore album by the UK’s Ninkharsag is gonna be right up your frigid alley. Between 6 and 7? This might be your thing depending on the strength of the second-wave itch that needs to be scratched. Proceed with caution. 6 or below? Probably not your vibe, I’m afraid.” Dread marches and pedestrian ambitions.

Scáth Na Déithe – The Dirge of Endless Mourning [Things You Might Have Missed 2020]

By Dear Hollow on February 7, 2021 in Things You Might Have Missed 2020, 26 comments

“There’s something special about the Irish metal. Mythological elements intertwine with its primordial melodies in a unique blend of sounds that conjure rage, desperation, melancholy, and heritage, often simultaneously. One-man project from Rush, Scáth Na Déithe is a shining example of this balancing act of death and black metal.” Dirge and purge.

Sunken – Livslede Review

By Twelve on September 15, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, 25 comments

“I love albums that make me feel cold. Hamferð’s Tamsins likam has that effect; regardless of environment or actual temperature, listening makes me feel as though I’m wrapped in darkness, walking through the dead of winter. October Falls’s The Plague of a Coming Age has a similar effect. These albums are prized in my library. In a non-menacing way, they conjure darkness in the most comforting way possible. Always I’m on the lookout for more, and today, I have found some. Hailing from Denmark, Sunken release their second album, Livslede, which roughly translates into “a profound and lasting discomfort with existence.” To summarize: it is dark, it is emotional, and it is fantastic.” Sunken woe-nuts.