With "Mossweaver" (2020), Old Growth has released an emotionally full, doom-tinged, folk-inspired black metal album. It opens with a fabulous slow, sludgy, picked intro and some rock thrown in for good measure. Then, in ‘Oakenheart,’ the atmosphere gets thick and the metal styling eeks out a little more. But even with this track, the sudden slow...

26/05/2021

Representing metallers from Canada, Ysgaroth’s. "Storm Over A Black Sea", features an array of techniques and styles. According to their Bandcamp page, "Storm Over A Black Sea", is their first album, or it is the only one listed under their own profile. The sound runs a ton of styles, a lot more one might think of a trio. Maybe the close-knit band...

20/12/2020

In, "Nihil", Serpents Oath on Soulseller Records, has produced a great black metal album. Specifically, the opening ‘intro’ track, ‘Vox Mortis,’ opens with this soundtrack-like whisper or a quiet music and chant section, for seventeen seconds shy of two full minutes, sets the tone and the allows for a break to the full musical force of track two, ‘...

08/12/2020

In this new album, "Misty Breath Of Ancient Forests", SAD, has released a forceful project in the tradition of the best black metal. The drums are blasting from the start and the vocals do not sink below the force set up in the music – they really mix well with the entire album’s energy. For instance, the opening track, ‘Self Hatred,’ features v...

02/11/2020

Silver Knife, from Brussels, Belgium, have released a very strong and poignant debut record in "Unyielding/Unseeing". The vocals are very old school black metal wails, Ala: Burzum, Ildjarn, or moments of older Darkthrone. But this is not to say Silver Knife is derivative or cheap. The speed and precision of the drums, the cleanliness of the guitar...

20/10/2020

Krypamok have carried on their trajectory of blackened metal with, Verisaarna. Their previous recording, "Profaani", on Helter Skelter Productions, is definitely in the same vein. And a good sound that is. "Verisaarna" (2020) delivers opening energy with power chords acting as the force, rather than some lead or synthy-opening. These elements ar...

21/07/2020

Artach has released, what appears, to be their first album (nothing else is listed on <a href="https://artach.bandcamp.com/releases" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bandcamp</a>) in "Chronicles Of A Black Winter". And the first track, ‘Eternal Black Winter,’ wastes no time in opening the band up to the world. 4/4 count by the drummer and then start!...

08/05/2020

Finish black metal band, The True Werwolf, on Werewolf Records has released a new album - "Devil Crisis". The opening of The True Werwolf's "Devil Crisis" features a slide of sound along the neck of the guitar - something I associate with a specific style of technically playful guitarists. This sound shows up a few times in this opening track, '...

11/03/2020

Umbra Conscientia, in "Yellowing Of The Lunar Consciousness" has delivered, what appears to be a brand new project, according to the label's Bandcamp page. And it is certainly working well within the bands of black metal flavour. I like the sound. The opening, 'El Caos Que Precede A La CreaciÛn (Intro)' features a deep somber echo of a sound tha...

26/02/2020

As we move to the end of 2019, we also recognize that time happens quickly. It has been two years since the release of Aegrus’ previous album, "Thy Numinous Darkness", in 2017. With, "In Manus Satanas", Aegrus brings out some classic elements of black metal, that is the vocal styles and the emotive guitars in the tremolo mode. But this album is...

03/01/2020

Swedish one-man black metal musician, Anders, has been busy since the split of his former band, Hydra. In this project, he has ‘...been creating his take on black metal fused with melodies from Swedish folk music.’ (from his Bandcamp site). The energy in this album is tempered by a fabulous slow synthy almost 7 minutes of non guitar. Then, the comp...

21/10/2019

Domgård, from Gothenburg, Sweden, has just released a new album – Rót (2019) – and they have continued their melancholy, technically proficient, black metal – from ‘Vin Elden’ to ‘Ginreidh.’ ‘Vin Elden’ opens with the sound of burning wood and acoustic guitar strumming – very folksy. Simple, and folksy. Just straight strums with very little flou...

11/06/2019