Vallendusk - Fortress of Primal Grace

By Hera Vidal. About three weeks ago, I wrote about Vallendusk’s Homeward Path and I mentioned that the band has a comforting, atmospheric black metal appeal and a tendency for cohesiveness and musical experimentation. For their third album

By Hera Vidal.


About three weeks ago, I wrote about Vallendusk’s Homeward Path and I mentioned that the band has a comforting, atmospheric black metal appeal and a tendency for cohesiveness and musical experimentation. For their third album, Fortress of Primal Grace, it seemed they decided to amp their other metal influences and fully let that meld with the atmospheric black metal to create something greater and majestic.

True to their brand of experimentation, Vallendusk still makes me want to get up and dance, as their ever-present folk tones continue in effect. What’s even better is that they took their melodic metal influences and they ran with it, creating an album that continues in that warm vein of atmospheric black metal. However, instead of their focus being in the music, a lot of attention has been paid to their atmosphere. With the usage of clean vocals and what sounds like a reel, the atmosphere feels like a warm blanket, letting the listener become acquainted with the comforting sounds of the backing melody. This album isn’t meant to scare you or make you go into a certain headspace to enjoy it; rather, it uses tones that have already worked in the past and they incorporated new sounds to keep things fresh and vibrant. Vallendusk even makes the atmosphere even warmer by adding acoustic touches to the music, amplifying the overall mood of the record. Vallendusk has definitely expanded their musical range by adding to their vast catalogue of musical elements that they can get away with.

What also caught my attention regarding Fortress of Primal Grace was the overall high production value the album has. I have mentioned that they have a tendency for cohesiveness, but everything about Fortress is clean – the mixing is excellent, the instrumentation doesn’t overpower the vocals, and the sound is crisp and clear. You can hear every single aspect of the tones used on the album and how they are all woven together throughout the album. You can’t help but marvel at Vallendusk’s cohesiveness. Granted, pulling this off on the first two albums is unheard of, but actually continuing their streak of excellence shows off Vallendusk’s incredible musicianship. This is a band that knows what works sonically and have decided to stick with it.

All in all, Fortress of Primal Grace is an excellent testament of Vallendusk’s brand of atmospheric black metal. Fortress is the most accessible and approachable of the three albums so far, but it also shows just how keen their musical evolution is. From emphasizing atmospheric black metal on Black Clouds Gathering to the clean instrumentation of Fortress, Vallendusk is a case study of a band that truly knows their stuff.

Zuriaake - Gu Yan

By Hera Vidal. China isn’t one of those countries I would consider to be very metal. For one thing, there’s censorship and Communism, and metal is one of those things I would consider to be very Western. However, since the eventual spread

By Hera Vidal.

Artwork by 代千竹

China isn’t one of those countries I would consider to be very metal. For one thing, there’s censorship and Communism, and metal is one of those things I would consider to be very Western. However, since the eventual spread of black metal to the rest of the world (the never-ending “third wave”), many countries have taken black metal’s DNA and modified it, creating music that fits their culture and what they want to show.

Zuriaake, a Chinese band who came into the scene in 1998, is no exception to the rule – except they decided to combine atmospheric black metal with depressive overtones, and then adding traditional Chinese instruments that add nuance to the music. Their brand of atmospheric black metal is enjoyable and highly accessible, creating a perfect marriage of melodies that makes the album sound majestic. This album reminds me of the wuxia films I grew up watching as a kid, as the music presents a perfect backdrop for the stories in those films. It’s dark and emotional, but there is also a sense of hope on this album that translates well to the listener. Interestingly enough, the music becomes more and more Chinese the further you listen to it. At first, it stands quietly in the background, but by the time “邊關” begins, the full effect of the Chinese instruments have blistered your ears, creating an Imperial Court feel that you could see in films. It also allows the listener to fully enjoy the album on its own, as the vocals only accentuate the majesty of the music. You can easily lose track of time while listening to the record, but the headspace it allows the listener to be in is a calming one, even with all the black metal elements the album has going on.

The bulk of its music is on the sprawling 20-minute track “邀 (广寒 / 仙游 / 南柯)”, which is the crowning jewel of the album. This bombastic, emotional track shows the multitude of what Gu Yan has in store, and it’s so massive, you can sit and listen to it with your mouth wide open. It almost feels like there are three songs in one, but they are so well-put together that they flawlessly meld into each other. Even if you decide that the album isn’t for you, listening to “邀…” is recommended.

All in all, Gu Yan is an album that represents China as a country with a stake in black metal. It’s majestic, emotional, and reminiscent of wuxia films. There’s something incredibly imperial to it, as if the music had been smuggled from the Forbidden City. I am surprised by this album. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I expect it will get a permanent spot on my winter playlist.

Akvan - Forgotten Glory

By Hera Vidal. One of the most unlikely places that black metal would show up in would be in the Middle East. Plagued by war and, in many cases, strict religious laws, metal is not the sort of music that would thrive in this region.

By Hera Vidal.


One of the most unlikely places that black metal would show up in would be in the Middle East. Plagued by war and, in many cases, strict religious laws, metal is not the sort of music that would thrive in this region. However, that hasn’t stopped many people in these countries to make their own black metal and add their own spin to it. Despite the usage of YouTube and Bandcamp for musicians to publish their music, Middle Eastern black metal still remains underground, but that hasn’t stopped listeners to get their hands on it, and enjoy the music that comes from the region.

Is metal (black metal or otherwise) easy to come by in Iran?

First off, metal and Western music is technically banned, even though you can find bootlegged copies of any current US Top 40 artist on every street corner. If you look hard enough, I’m sure you can find some shops that sell bootlegged metal albums, but it would prove an arduous journey. The Internet in Iran is ridiculously slow, especially if you try to download anything. Not to mention that it is heavily censored. But the Iranian people will always be one step ahead of their government and every now and then I’ll run into people who know what the hell I’m talking about when I mention black metal.

From Bandcamp Daily

Akvan is a one-man black metal project from Iran that, despite its ban of Western culture and music, has managed to create a compelling project that tackles both Iranian history and mythology and how its culture can be misinterpreted by its own people. Forgotten Glory is no exception to Akvan’s past demos – it continues to explore Iran’s history through music. What I love most about Forgotten Glory is how the project combines traditional Iranian instruments and black metal tonalities, creating music that sounds somber yet furious. There is a deep rage that comes out through the album, as if Akvan was angry about the current politics in Iran and wants its citizens to listen to read the history, not just focus on the current laws the country has. However, the somber nature, which comes from the tar, adds to that feeling that, despite the rage Akvan feels, looking at the history is nostalgic, back to a time that seemed easier to understand.

It’s very difficult to put what one is feeling through words, but you can’t deny that Akvan’s music is incredibly emotional. For one thing, you can’t help but sympathize with the stories that Akvan presents. In some cases, you can only feel the rage that he presents. In other cases, you can’t help but look fondly at the stories he presents, as if you are too identifying with the lyrics he presents to you. As a foreigner in a country that feels like a second home, I can’t help but try to find comfort in Akvan’s music. By listening to the music and looking at the lyrics, it reminds me that I know almost nothing about my country’s history (unless we are talking about the dictatorships and the systematic killings), allowing me to gain appreciation for another country’s history. Akvan makes it approachable, respecting his origins and also the changes that Iran has gone since its inception.

All in all, Forgotten Glory is an album that pays respect to both its subject matter and the land that allowed it to come forth. Despite the ban, there is no stopping black metal from assimilating itself into other countries, especially when it’s used to talk about culture, politics, and religion. In a country where church and state rule together, Akvan thrives, showing us the resilience of the music that refuses to be limited.

Frozen Gate - Behind the Dark Ice

By Hera Vidal. Frozen Gate are a band from Switzerland, which doesn’t bring up the image of black metal in the slightest. When I think of Switzerland, I think of Sybreed and Celtic Frost—one of the major pioneers of proto-black metal—

By Hera Vidal.


Frozen Gate are a band from Switzerland, which doesn’t bring up the image of black metal in the slightest. When I think of Switzerland, I think of Sybreed and Celtic Frost—one of the major pioneers of proto-black metal—but they are not on the top of my list for black metal. However, this band is relatively new—they have been active since 2013 and Behind the Dark Ice is their debut album—but the scheme of this album is ambitious, which says a lot about most black metal I have listened to.

Everything about Behind the Dark Ice screams “grandiose”: they have a black metal sound with a huge, orchestral and choral backing. It sounds cold, and the deafening wall of sound is enough to overwhelm the listener. The first two tracks, a two-parter of a piece named “Evangelium”, are impressive and reel the listener in to listen to the rest of the album. Each track is also a little over four minutes—with some exceptions—and they are laden thick with music that pulls you in. The orchestral backing is massively woven with black metal tonalities—the blast beats, the harsh vocals, and the frigid atmosphere that the music seems to evoke—creating a theatre of sound that uses every instrument and voice at their disposal. Xeonyr from Ne Obliviscaris and Roger Rüfenacht from Bloodstained Ground make appearances on the album, their respective appearances add flair to the music, and their vocals alone are enough to make their songs standouts.

Frozen Gate also doesn’t shy away from creating an atmosphere for each song. For example, “Enter the Gate” uses pounding drums to create an assault of sound before lapsing into softer sounds, generated by a guitar and a piano, before returning to the backing keyboards, vocals, and strings that give this album life. This is what true symphonic black metal should sound like: heavy, dark, and with enough orchestral power that could fill an entire concert hall. There is power behind Behind the Dark Ice and it shows just ambitious the band is about their music.

In short, Frozen Gate’s Behind the Frozen Ice is a grandiose yet stark album whose relentless power is impressive within its scale. This album is long—almost an hour of heavy, powerful music—and filled with gorgeous melodies. There is a lot to keep the listener engaged, but it runs risk of being repetitive. I am surprised the album didn’t falter the entire time I was listening to it, but it goes to show that the band wasn’t messing around when they decided to make their debut a powerful one. After all, sometimes, you have to go big or you go home.

LvxCælis - The Watchers

By Hera Vidal. Every now and then, I come across Chilean metal, which I have learned to appreciate over the years, given how far removed I am from a country I identify with. I am not familiar with the Chilean metal scene per se, but I do listen to it

By Hera Vidal.


Every now and then, I come across Chilean metal, which I have learned to appreciate over the years, given how far removed I am from a country I identify with. I am not familiar with the Chilean metal scene per se, but I do listen to it, and I have come to realize that Chileans are best known for their thrash metal Of course, we are talking about black metal; why not bring forth the religious overtones we have come to appreciate and discuss about this genre?

Liberation!
For all those who have suffered
Under the four elements of this matter.
Those who kissed the skull and cried.
Reborn in spirit and left behind their animal state.
We raised our temple and toasted in thy name.

LvxCælis has the ritualistic tonalities of Batushka and the raw power of creating incredibly fast-paced and driven music. The Watchers is an ode to the Luciferian Gnosis, where Lucifer is not seen as an evil archetype to God, but is seen as a liberator. You can explain the Creation myth in Genesis as Lucifer, disguised as the serpent, liberated Adam and Eve from their Garden of Eden by showing them the truth about the world. LvxCælis holds nothing back in their odes to the Luciferian Gnosis: their music is driven, well-made, and terrifying.

The atmosphere they have created on the album is ceremonial, and the chanting, syncopated voice gives the music an air of trying to summon Satan from the abyss so they can speak to him. In the past, I have mentioned that Litourgiya was to turn the vernacular on its head, especially due to their ritualistic tonalities and almost politically-charged outlook. LvxCælis not only manages to turn the vernacular on its head, but it also deconstructs it and sets it on fire. The Watchers is the soundtrack to a demon-summoning ceremony and it’s lovely.

The Watchers is the literal polar opposite of what Chile is religiously. Chile is a Catholic country; various aspects of its everyday life have some Catholic values attached to it. Although church and state are officially separate, the Catholic Church and its affiliates enjoy a certain amount of privilege and preferential treatment in the government. What better way to rebel against the imposed religion than by creating a black metal album that seem to bring Satan into the conversation? Perhaps The Watchers isn’t about rebelling, but about understanding a belief system that most people don’t seem to either discuss or understand. Either way, The Watchers forces the listener to have questions, to have doubts about various belief systems, and to see that while the world472esn’t have all the answers, you can find comfort in knowing that finding them is part of growing up.

All in all, The Watchers is a Chilean black metal gem, filled with a certain raw quality and introspection that you want to question. I do hope that LvxCælis continues to bring their game into creating more religious black metal—after all, talking about the Luciferian Gnosis is one step into bringing religion into a positive light—but I do hope we can hear it in Spanish sometime in the future.

[This week on Metal Bandcamp Hera takes you on black metal journey around the world. After South America, next stop will be in central Europe.]

Arkheth - 12 Winter Moons Comes the Witches Brew

By Steven Leslie. It’s no secret that it has become increasingly difficult to stand out amidst the ever flowing stream that is black metal these days. Good and even great albums are washed away under a current of static hiss and more kvlt than thou histrionics

By Steven Leslie.

Artwork by T Bare McClough

It’s no secret that it has become increasingly difficult to stand out amidst the ever flowing stream that is black metal these days. Good and even great albums are washed away under a current of static hiss and more kvlt than thou histrionics, sadly leaving many with the impression that modern black metal has moved well past its sell by date. Thankfully there are bands like Arkheth who explore and expand the boundaries of the genre while consciously keeping one foot in the grave, remaining tethered to the atmosphere and sonic elements that helped to make black metal special.

First I have to make mention of that cover. I must admit that the initial impression was less than positive and had me questioning if the black metal tag was some sort of joke; however, closer inspection revealed a genius at work. The cover takes traditional genre elements (forests, witches, etc.) and flips them on their head by injecting a wash of new colors and embellishments, exactly mirroring the bands sonic enhancements to black metal. This is reflected in Opener “Trismegistus” which immediately sets the mood with a riff structure and guitar tone that reminds of an unholy combination of Dødheimsgard’s more recent creations with the otherworldly style of the always excellent Negative Plane. Over the next seven minutes the music continues to warp and mutate, never content to sit still for long – even when the opening riff returns, it is enhanced with new tones and sonic hues courtesy of saxophonist Glenn Wholohan. Over all of this, main man Tyraenos spews out devilish invocations via some of the best black rasps you will hear all year. And that’s just the first song.

Over the remaining four tracks, Arkheth throw all sorts of musical elements into the blender, injecting echoing arpeggios over rock beats that morph into ice cold tremolo picked melodies and blast beats before collapsing into dissonant soundscapes. Tyraenos is no one trick pony vocally either. While his black rasps are a personal favorite, he is just as skillful with his malevolent whispers and downright derange “clean” singing. What makes it remarkable is that it all fits together so well. Unlike Sigh for instance, sorry Sigh fans, which just sounds like the musical kitchen sink was thrown into some demented circus composer’s score, every new tone, sound and sonic element on 12 Winter Moons Comes the Witches Brew feels necessary and planned for maximum impact. Clearly Tyraenos spent the eight years between albums well, honing and sharpening his compositions to a razor’s edge.

Throughout the album’s 47 minutes, the constantly shifting, perverted musical landscape keeps you off balance and toys with your mental state in the best possible way. There is not a moment of this album that doesn’t demand your attention, constantly drawing you back in the second your attention even considers wandering. From the psychedelic cover to the unique and skillful incorporation of saxophone and the utter unpredictability of the songwriting, Arkheth has managed something truly unique, a remarkable achievement in and of itself. That it is so completely engrossing and excellent from start to finish is just the icing on the cake.

Death Toll 80k - Step Down

By Professor D. Grover the XIIIth. Greetings and salutations, friends. I return from another long spate of procrastination to bring you a look at one of grindcore's underrated gems. Now, one does not need to be a grind aficionado to be familiar

By Professor D. Grover the XIIIth.


Greetings and salutations, friends. I return from another long spate of procrastination to bring you a look at one of grindcore's underrated gems. Now, one does not need to be a grind aficionado to be familiar with the legendary Insect Warfare; even a tertiary knowledge of the genre should be enough for one to at least be aware of the brilliant World Extermination, a modern death-grind classic. However, it's less likely that you might be aware of Finland's own Death Toll 80k, even though they've been active since Insect Warfare's heyday. The bands share similarities in style and sound, and given that the latter band didn't really start releasing albums until after the demise of the former, it's not hard to imagine Death Toll 80k as a sort of spiritual successor to Insect Warfare.

Death Toll 80k's 2011 full-length debut, Harsh Realities, was a perfect example of this. Like Insect Warfare, they displayed a penchant for dropping punk riffs into their songs to give the listener a brief respite from the otherwise relentless blasting, and they also alternated between nigh-unintelligible guttural roars and higher-pitched screams. Harsh Realities was short, 23 songs in 25 minutes, but it packed enough sonic violence and variation into that span to feel satisfying.

Death Toll 80k at Maryland Deathfest 2013. Photos by Metal Chris

Still, it took 6 long years for Death Toll 80k to release a follow-up, but happily there was no rust to be shaken, as Step Down finds the band picking up where they left off. Here they shoehorn 17 songs into 15 vicious minutes, once again opting for that famed grindcore brevity. The pace is relentless, making the 15 minutes feel even shorter, but it seems that there is less variety present as compared to Harsh Realities, instead relying more on straight-ahead blasting. It's possible this is a side effect of the reduced run-time, but it's a mild disappointment that is more noticeable when you listen to both Death Toll 80k albums in succession.

Step Down sounds good though, with a slightly fuller production than its predecessor. It's claustrophobic and loud (with a dynamic range score of 5), but with grindcore you have to expect an aural assault, so this really isn't overly detrimental to the experience. The whole point of a grindcore album like this is to bludgeon the listener straight in the eardrums, and Step Down accomplishes this with ease. This is the kind of music that will frighten small pets, singe eyebrows, and kill your neighbor's trees. If you're looking for the musical equivalent of a blowtorch to the face, then you can rest easy, because you have come to the right place. Hope you brought safety goggles.

Furia - Księżyc milczy luty

By Hera Vidal. The more black metal continues to progress, the more it allows bands to experiment with both sound and technique. It allows these bands to break from the standard mold of black metal and let them do what they want while keeping

By Hera Vidal.


The more black metal continues to progress, the more it allows bands to experiment with both sound and technique. It allows these bands to break from the standard mold of black metal and let them do what they want while keeping it in the genre. When I heard that Furia had released their newest full-length album, Księżyc milczy luty (“Moon Silent Severe”), I was intrigued but time was not my friend. Now that I have some time and I slowly going through all the albums I missed, I decided to visit this album and see why everyone was in love with it.

Księżyc milczy luty begins with “Za ćmą, w dym”, which is quite a quiet start to a black metal album. It reminds me a bit of Chopin, especially since a lot of the Chopin I know tends to border on the quiet. However, as the track progresses and the guitar riff continues to repeat in order to accentuate the atmosphere, you realize that the song creates a sense of weightlessness. The music sounds airy and catchy, and the vocals here are deep enough to send chills down your spine. The weightlessness, however, drops on “Ciało” and it becomes heavier. It almost feels claustrophobic, as if you are losing air the more you continue to listen onwards. Considering how the album is about the moon, it makes sense to lose some air the higher in space you get. It’s emotional, bleak, and it almost feels like you are about to lose consciousness. However, you are rewarded with the rage of “Tam jest tu”, which reeks of fire and brimstone and makes you scared of what is to come. “Tam” is melodic and beautiful, and it doesn’t shy away from the usage of heavy guitars to make its point for the listener. Apparently, life on the moon is not as simple as Furia makes it out to be.

Things begin to get darker in “Grzej, where the listener gets a blast of black metal, especially in the vocals. There is a restrained rage underneath the surface before the vocals, with their howling, kicks in. This song is incredibly somber and it doesn’t shy away from using all of its pent-up rage to make the listener understand and empathize with some of the strong emotions we hear on the track. “Zabieraj łapska” reminds me a lot of Ved Buens Ende in how the usage of vocals creates a sonic atmosphere that is alien and overwhelming. The listener begins to appreciate the quiet moments the track has, because the vocals can literally scare the shit out of you when you least expect it. The song also has a lot of impact and the vocal assault is almost zealot-like, as it continues to hammer into you until the music stops. Album closer “Zwykłe czary wieją” has a lot of thrash metal tonalities that makes the song enjoyable to listen to. The vocals are between clean and harsh, and they chant throughout the track, as if they are worshipping whatever lives on the moon. There is a high level of distortion to the song that builds in intensity, but allows the melody to continue. When the song ends, the music hits feedback, allowing the listener to breathe once again.

All in all, Księżyc milczy luty is a melodic yet claustrophobic album that impresses you with its beauty and its brand of black metal. It’s as if they took Chopin, wrung it through death and moon worship, and created something foreign that makes the skin crawl. This isn’t Furia’s first rodeo, and they know full well what they are doing. I like it and I want to spend more time with it. Kudos to Furia and I look forward to what they will put out next!

Hinayana - Order Divine

By Majbritt Levinsen. Hinayana’s Order Divine is by far one of the most anticipated releases for me in recent time. So when I got a copy of the album in advance I hardly dared to push play! Would it meet my expectations?

By Majbritt Levinsen.


Hinayana’s Order Divine is by far one of the most anticipated releases for me in recent time. So when I got a copy of the album in advance I hardly dared to push play! Would it meet my expectations? Or would It be so bad that I wouldn’t be able to write down a single word? Luckily it was not the latter as it would have been a terrible review.

I was taken by surprise by Hinayanas demo - Endless from 2014 and loved their moderately paced gloomy melodic death metal, the only thing I really missed was air between the instruments. But I’ve got something to tell you and it is this: there is plenty of air, it is absolutely worthy of appraisal and it is too damned short! Casey Hurd, should be proud of what he and the rest of the band has accomplished; it is quality melodic death metal with a dash of doom which can be heard on repeat. You can take any given track of the album and not be disappointed.

From the first atmospheric intro the mood of the album is set: organic, vast and grandiose with a melancholic dark spirit. The cold wind and the melancholic guitar lets your mind wander to a cold, barren, grey and doomed landscape filled with dark struggles of the mind. After the intro follows "The window" which sends the album on its way galloping over before-mentioned harsh landscapes.

The album is perfectly mixed, everything lays in neat layers letting you explore every instrument. The drums has such a rich warm tone that kind of sucks you into the core of the tracks and together with the bass sets a stable foundation. The rough grinding guitar that makes up the massive wall of sound together with the keys, which by the way is so subtle and finely added that they really enhances the tracks to a grandiose state. On top of this you will find clear delicate guitar melodies that all together pleases my ears in symbiosis with Casey’s articulated growls.

So what can you expect? Not a dull moment that is for sure! Extremely steadfast melodies that offers everything from powerful passages to moody depths and enlightened heights. The album is homogeneous and hold together so tightly that it is hard to pick a track to single out, but there is one that, for me at least, stand out just a bit more and it is the overall darkest track of the entire album "Return to nothing". It hit a chord with me from the very first time I heard it. Its gentle buildup, Casey's whispers in the beginning, the moodier darker feeling and finally the great chorus that sparks an overwhelming urge to break into a sing-a-long frenzy only matched by Amon Amarths' "Guardians of Asgaard". So please join me while I jump up on a rock, gazing out over the barren lands, raising a fist towards the dark rainy skies and bellow out: "Pain, follow me now. The darkest place I left behind!", just before making a free fall into oblivion!

This could have been the perfect ending to a perfect album, but the album closes off with the slower paced "Conduit Closing" which brightens up the mood a bit with a more airy contemplative feeling. It is as if the albums dark struggle has been resolved and has come to some kind of peace and that is the perfect ending to a perfect album!

Gygax - 2nd Edition

By Dave Beaudoin. Hailing from Southern California and named for Gary Gygax, the creator of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), Gygax has always worn their influences on their sleeve. Their second album even takes it title from the naming conventions

By Dave Beaudoin.


Hailing from Southern California and named for Gary Gygax, the creator of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), Gygax has always worn their influences on their sleeve. Their second album even takes it title from the naming conventions of tabletop role playing games with album artwork straight from the so-epic-it-should-be-painted-on-a-van aesthetic of 80's gaming.

Artwork by Fares Maese.

2nd Edition opens with an epic call to arms showing confidence not usually heard leading off a sophomore effort. Featuring a great 70's rock riff that takes you right back to the days of riding your bike over to a friend’s house to gorge on pizza and high fantasy into the late hours of the night. From both a structural and thematic perspective, having an absolutely rocking call to arms as the first track then leading into the “why” of gaming with "It Makes It Worth It" really works. By following up the invite with a seriously blistering number that celebrates making up stories about elves and dragons reaffirms the theme of the album and doubles down on why D&D resonates with so many people. 2nd Edition also mirrors the story arc of a well crafted tabletop roleplaying encounter and is meticulously accurate when referencing D&D lore

The lead single off the album, "The Lascivious Underdark" is perhaps the most overtly D&D themed song on the album and continues to display the quality of Gygax’s songwriting. The main riff is absolutely infectious and so many of the guitar and drum fills are a real testament to the great harmonized guitar acts of the 70's and 80's. The obvious comparison is Thin Lizzy, but there are also progressions and structures that sound like they could be Queen if Brian May was really into T-Birds. The interplay of lead and rhythm guitar on the album is fantastic and really shines on repeated listens. There is also great stereo separation on many of the tracks that enhances the dueling guitar nature of the songs. Also, I’m pretty sure this is the only song about a Mind Flayer who is just looking for love/lunch.


"Pure Hearts" is the second single on the album and for me is the obvious standout track. The hook is fantastic and would sound at home on a Huey Lewis album, but it’s obvious that Gygax prioritizes painting miniatures over playing sports. Pure Hearts also represents the first downtempo track on the album and while it’s still an upbeat number, it foreshadows a shift in tone that defines the second half of the album. I’d also like to point out that somehow Gygax managed to write a great rock song about undying love and magic that contains a reference to a transmuter’s tower.

The second half of the album is where Gygax starts to get into ridiculously deep D&D lore. "Song of the Silverhands" and "Wish" both have some very specific references to epic heroes in the overarching world of D&D. The Silverhands were three sisters, raised by one of the greatest mages in the lore, and who each went on to each be a major hero in the overarching world of Dungeons and Dragons. They founded the Harpers and the Spellguards. In "Wish", the story of a Spellguard who encounters a succubus is told in detail as a cautionary tale for any party that wishes to go up against a powerful magic user.


Both tracks display Gygax’s respect for not just the themes they’re singing about, but the musical history they represent. The horns on "Song of the Silverhands" are expertly woven into the sound of the track and show an ability to not just put a song together but to orchestrate a spectacle. Though I imagine this song is destined to be a deep cut off the album, it’s the one I’d most like to see performed live in a stadium.

As the album winds to a close, "Heavy Meddle" shifts to a soulful and almost jazzy tone setting what could be literal campaign flavor text to music. This track in particular shows off Eric’s range as a bard (though album credits list him as a cleric… I assume he’s dual class).


After taking a bit of a break with some slower tracks Gygax’s 2nd Edition closes with an absolutely ripping battle anthem. The aptly titled "Second Wind" is yet again rife with specific D&D references, so if you thought the party was going to phone it in at some point, you’d be mistaken. "Second Wind" also provides a great rock’n’roll close to the album after the previous two relatively slow tracks and brings the album full circle.

2nd Edition is a fantastic album full of classic heavy metal riffs that sound great even if you’ve never cruised the strip in a custom van or invited the gang over to slay some dragons. The mix is pretty dynamic and sounds great when cranked up. The album is out on Creator-Destructor Records and Gygax is supporting it with a tour of the western US If they’re coming to your town I’d definitely encourage you to grab your dice and head to the show.

Slaves BC - Lo, and I Am Burning

By Matt Hinch. Let's get something out of the way before we get into it here. If you look at the tags on Slaves B.C.'s latest, Lo, and I Am Burning you'll notice one is “christian”. Looking at the song titles should make that obvious as well.

By Matt Hinch.

Artwork by Josh Thieler from Slaves BC.

Let's get something out of the way before we get into it here. If you look at the tags on Slaves BC's latest, Lo, and I Am Burning you'll notice one is “christian”. Looking at the song titles should make that obvious as well. But fear not, fellow unbelievers. You can barely understand what they're saying anyway. In a good way. Besides, there's some pretty dark stuff in the Bible too. As long as you like fearsome black metal hybridized with a handful of other genres, philosophy shouldn't be an issue. I probably shouldn't even have brought it up. I was just a little surprised is all. Even though I have a vinyl copy of their previous LP.

A telling example of their style hits you like a sledgehammer right away. Opener “Lo” is a flurry of black metal struck with a little discord. The vocals are positively shiver-inducing. You'll find a sludgy bit and you'll get pounded by some death metal. I'd hesitate to call it a formula but it's fairly indicative of what unravels throughout the album.

No matter where you find yourself within the nine tracks you can be sure to be consumed by darkness. Both the foundational elements of black and death metal strengthen this feeling. The black metal comes at you fast and tremulous incorporating atmosphere when needed and launching you into icy, windswept flight elsewhere. The death metal veers to the left of old school. It's got that edge of weird that seems to be all the rage right now, but they keep it within the range of normal comprehension while emphasizing an ominous nature.

On tracks like “We Are” and “XLV” the pace slows in places as the mood thickens. Pounding chugs more akin to deathly doom and hypnotic repetition move into dangerous sounding places where paranoia grows.

There's even a groovy sway guiding you to sink into despair but rise back up, lifted by off-kilter discord and black metal fury. Case in point; “Unclean”. The listener fights a doomy slog until cresting the peak and rumbling down the slope on an avalanche of anguish then continuing through the valley and across the plains while storm clouds gather to facilitate annihilation.

Slaves B.C.'s greatest asset is their ability to stitch together a multitude of styles and feelings into something seamless that makes you feel uncomfortable on a sliding scale yet constantly yearning to feel it harder. More pain! More darkness! More catharsis! All the while coarse, feral, vampiric screams twist your vertebrae as you're driven to throw your body headlong into the maelstrom.

Lo, and I Am Burning is a raucous steamroller of energy creating and releasing tension deep within. It's dynamic and noisy, frightening yet alluring. If you're looking for release, look no further than the cleansing fires Slaves B.C. have set ablaze. Amen.

Carpenter Brut - Leather Teeth

By Jeff Treppel. After a string of rapturously-received EP’s and a tour with Ghost that helped expose the synthwave sound to a wider audience, it was probably about time for Carpenter Brut to put out their first proper full-length

By Jeff Treppel.


After a string of rapturously-received EP’s and a tour with Ghost that helped expose the synthwave sound to a wider audience, it was probably about time for Carpenter Brut to put out their first proper full-length. In true iconoclastic fashion, of course, they tossed Leather Teeth out into the world with almost no warning. And boy, have they incinerated any expectations.

While the debut trilogy stayed pretty close to darksynth conventions, last year’s CarpenterBrutLive, forged from several US tours, showed more of a focus on a full-band sound and a cover of “Maniac” that served as harbingers of their new direction. The EP’s were a solo undertaking by Franck Hueso; Leather Teeth finds him embracing his newfound collaboration by unleashing a demonic disco extravaganza. In doing so, he succeeds where most synthwave artists fail: each of these eight songs has their own distinct identity, ironically creating more of a cohesive feel than if each track blended together.

The title track skews the closest to previous efforts, with its hard-hitting beats, but after that it’s the Wild West. “Cheerleader Effect” features Ulver’s Kristoffer Rygg doing his best Tears For Fears impression. “Sunday Lunch” invites vaporwave over for waffles. “Monday Hunt” Perturbates furiously. “Inferno Galore” feels like the Blade Runner soundtrack performed by Goblin. “Beware the Beast” takes HIM to Miami. “Hairspray Hurricane” might be the most evil thing Jan Hammer never composed. “End Titles” ties it all back together seamlessly. Members of Hexvessel and Klone provided their voices, metal superproducer Jaime Gomez Arellano (Paradise Lost, Ghost, Primordial) helped record the vocals. In other words, this is a seriously impressive undertaking.

Leather Teeth packs one fierce bite. Already one of the biggest names in the scene, they stake their claim here as not only some of the best songwriters, but some of the biggest innovators in synthwave. As other luminaries like Perturbator and Gost seek to distance themselves from that label, Carpenter Brut take the sound to an entirely new level.

Darkest Era - Severance

By Calen Henry. Though Severance is almost four years old, now is a great time to revisit it. Darkest Era share an overall mood with Solstice and Primordial, the former just released their first album in 20 years and the latter is releasing their ninth

By Calen Henry.

Artwork by Costin Chioreanu.

Though Severance is almost four years old, now is a great time to revisit it. Darkest Era share an overall mood with Solstice and Primordial, the former just released their first album in 20 years and the latter is releasing their ninth at the end of the month.

Darkest Era, though being the youngest of the three bands, was the first I heard, diving into the other two when I wanted more of what Darkest Era had on offer. All three bands play melancholic folk-inflected metal leaning on melody and compound time signatures. Primordial's epic melodic blackened take on heavy metal and Solstice's bottom heavy epic doom approach neatly bookend Darkest Era's sound; faster and more blackened that Solstice but doomier and more classic metal than Primordial.

Darkest Era 2013. Photos by Dvergir

At their core they're a classic heavy metal band complete with epic clean vocals and twin guitar attack. Their magic is how they bring other styles into the fold without ever sacrificing the classic metal feel. The songs are rife with tremolo guitar lines and blast beats as well as melodeath style repeated note riffs instead of sustains, strung together with folky rhythms and with melancholic lyrics straight out of the doom playbook. Through it all they never lose the fist-pumping heavy metal feel.

Bands incorporating many styles can sometimes come apart a bit at the seams but there are no weak points on Severance. The vocals soar throughout, the drums kill everything from the blasts to the 6/8 stomp, the guitars nail everything from the screaming leads to the tremolos. There are even numerous audible bass riffs that round out the record.

Severance is simply one of the best metal records of the past decade. Darkest Era stand with Solstice and Primordial as titans of metal.

Note: Since Severance, Darkest Era have released a 2 song EP with nicely dynamic production (DR 9). If they keep that production for their follow up full-length I will never stop talking about it.

Kosmogyr - Eviternity

By Justin C. Kosmogyr is a two-man black metal outfit with one member in Prague and one in Shanghai. Luckily for all of us, bands like Gorguts and Kosmogyr are making it clear that long-distance collaborations

By Justin C.

Original painting by Larissa Belcic.

Kosmogyr is a two-man black metal outfit with one member in Prague and one in Shanghai. Luckily for all of us, bands like Gorguts and Kosmogyr are making it clear that long-distance collaborations are now a viable source of quality music.

I usually try to avoid the "band x sounds like band y" comparisons because it's idiosyncratic to the reviewer and potentially alienating to the reader. There have been lots of albums that, after reading a press release, I was convinced I'd hate, only to find out later that it was something I very much enjoyed. All this is a long-winded way of saying I'm going to break my own rule: After the brief introductory song, Kosmogyr's first full length burns into "The Wane," a song that reminds me, very pleasantly, of Quietly, Undramatically-era Woe. Contrary to the title of the song, it's a full-bore barn-burner of a muscular-yet-melodic black metal that puts me in the mind of the non-Cascadian USBM scene.

The title track takes a slower pace, but with tremolos and guitar harmonies aplenty. The raspy vocals and intricate guitar work tickle my black metal bone perfectly. All of the songs here present a very coherent style for a first-time outing, but with enough variation in the songwriting to keep it interesting. Album-closer "Thalassic Lunacy" goes with a more melancholy start, but repeatedly builds into something driving, harsh, and beautiful at the same time. This is the best kind of melodic black metal, not the kind that drones on aimlessly.

There is one nit I have to pick, and that's with the band's use of interludes, be they separate songs, intros, or outros. "Sui Generis" is a perfectly reasonable opening track, even if the keyboards sound a bit like the ancient electric organ my great-grandfather preferred for church music. But we eventually hit "Quiescent," with an intro that's very reminiscent in sound and feel to the intro of Aerosmith's "Dream On." Sometimes they even put these segues back to back--"Eviternity" ends with church bells, but segues immediately into an electronic xylophone-type intro to "Frailty." The lack of consistency is a bit bizarre, and I found that sometimes these interludes took me "out of" the album when I didn't want to leave.

Which isn't to say that there's no room for quiet pieces or interludes in metal. Quite the opposite. In fact, the band gets it completely right with "Vision," a track that starts with a brief, quiet guitar intro that leads logically and melodically into the main meat of the song. But as I said, this is a nit pick. If they held on to a few bits and pieces of interludes that maybe should have been lost in editing, it's worth it for the high-quality black metal that the band is well on its way to mastering. My recommendation is to let some of the stranger interruptions pass by and focus on the what's good here--and 90% of it is very, very good.

Vallendusk - Homeward Path

By Hera Vidal. Vallendusk falls under the atmospheric black metal label, and while the subgenre can be stagnant at times, I always come back to it. Perhaps it’s the continued pursuit of seeing the subgenre change and evolve into

By Hera Vidal.


Vallendusk falls under the atmospheric black metal label, and while the subgenre can be stagnant at times, I always come back to it. Perhaps it’s the continued pursuit of seeing the subgenre change and evolve into something that pushes the limits of the subgenre. Perhaps it’s the continued assessment of what the subgenre should sound like with all the bells and whistles black metal has come to enjoy.

The same elements that I enjoyed from their debut album Black Clouds Gathering come back in Homeward Path: the cohesiveness, the atmospheric black metal sound that seems to overwhelm you, the touches of folk into the music that makes you want to get up and dance. However, there is a melodic nature to the music that makes it different from its predecessor. It remains true to the atmospheric black metal aesthetic of taking the listener elsewhere, but it also keeps them grounded with the melodies the music evokes. The music is so well-done that you immediately don’t want it to end.

There is a warmth and a vitality to this album that you couldn’t find in most black metal albums. In most cases, black metal tends to sound cold and unapproachable, as if the concept of being otherworldly is so abstract that the casual listener wouldn’t understand it. However, Homeward Path makes the music incredibly approachable, as you find that the music is soothing rather than punishing. It wants to take you by the hand and guide you towards the familiar and the comfortable so you are not scared. It comforts the listener, reminding them that black metal doesn’t always have to be cold.

What I also love about Homeward Path is that it may be even better than Black Clouds Gathering. While they are both epic in scheme and in length, Homeward Path just sounds stronger and more well-put together. It sounds like the band took all the elements that made Black Clouds Gathering successful, refined it, added more backing instruments, and let their ideas run. It completely skips the second album curse, as it sounds so much better than its predecessor. The album is lengthy, but never pretentious. It is also more dynamic in concept and its energy never wanes, even in the most tedious of passages. There are no boring moments in Homeward Path, and that is a victory on its own.

In short, Homeward Path is comforting atmospheric black metal filled with melodies and a cohesiveness that rivals its predecessor. The sheer beauty of the music is a religious experience, fully cementing the idea of an established sound. I am now completely sold on Vallendusk, and I have a feeling they will become a classic pick in atmospheric black metal. After all, given how great their music is, I have no doubt in my mind that we will see more of them in the future.

From The Metal Archives Vol. 7

[When I add labels to the Metal Labels on Bandcamp page I usually scan their releases looking for anything interesting I might have missed. The reviews on The Metal Archives are a great help when doing this: a couple of great reviews

By the reviewers from The Metal Archives.

[When I add labels to the Metal Labels on Bandcamp page I usually scan their releases looking for anything interesting I might have missed. The reviews on The Metal Archives are a great help when doing this: a couple of great reviews means an album I should probably check out. With this series I'd like to share some of my finds - in this edition we feature two expansive takes on black metal from Lifeforce Records and Shaytan Productions, and a long lost death/doom classic finally available on Southern Lord Recordings]


Fjoergyn’s sound is extremely avant-garde and unlike any other band in existence. At its core, it is still very much rooted in black metal conventions but there is so much more to their sound. The standard tremolo picked riffs with non-stop blast beats are ever present on this album but when the songs slow down, the music becomes much more interesting. This is where Fjoergyn excels with absolutely gorgeous and incredibly haunting guitar melodies like the one in the middle of the closing track “Freiheit” that will make your jaw drop. It is not just the guitar melodies though. This album contains serious riffage of the fast and heavy varieties that really drive the more conventional sections of songs like “Leviathan.” The band also makes excellent use of symphonics and orchestrations, including moments of exquisite violin, which adds a lot of atmosphere to this album. [read SlayerDeath666's full review here.]

Epos starts off starts off with the ambient sounds of small waves lapping on the shore of a well known lake in Kyrgyzstan known as Issyk-Kul (in the Kyrgyz language means “warm lake”).

Issyk-Kul is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, but never freezes. This aspect of the lake is reflected on this album: the production is actually of dark warmth, an almost “milky” guitar sound is clearly audible, and somehow the overall crispness also retains this character. I found this to be a very strong aspect of this recording which lends Epos quite a unique atmosphere as far as Black Metal production values go. [read Hubster's full review here.]

Gammelsaeter’s vocals very between soft female droning to tireless growls that do justice to the death genre; this isn’t your operatic or goth vocals that are all the trend these days, but the droning of frozen, inevitable doom. This is the real deal: Serene, raw, and ugly as needed and when needed. While I like a good singer as much as the next guy, some types of music require the under produced, dragged screaming into the void, type of rawness; this delivers. The drums pound away, not a means of keeping the beat so much as to hammer Gammelsaeter’s vocals and O’Malley’s guitar chords home. Maybe that’s how they chose the group's name; the drums, vocals, and guitar jointly if methodically hammer you into a senseless empty vessel. [read Metalich's full review here.]

Ancst - Ghosts of the Timeless Void

By Hera Vidal. With seventeen releases under their belt, Ancst is one of the more prolific bands I have encountered. With their blend of crust, black metal, and political lyricism, this band have been making a statement about

By Hera Vidal.


With seventeen releases under their belt, Ancst is one of the more prolific bands I have encountered. With their blend of crust, black metal, and political lyricism, this band have been making a statement about who they are since their inception. Ghosts of the Timeless Void is no exception to their DIY aesthetic and fast pace, but what caught my attention about this release is how melodic it is. Underneath the layers of hardcore, crust, black metal, and other influences that fully flesh out the album, there is also a stark melody that cannot be missed.

Ghost of the Timeless Void starts off with reverbing guitars and backing synth-like tones that give the listener a moment to brace themselves before the music launches into blast beats and harsh vocals. The music is relentless, but it is very clear that there is a melody line that makes the music not as harsh as it should sound. It allows the album to be seamless, missing no beats as the songs transition. It also gives them room to experiment, whether it is with the spoken vocals at the beginning of “Republic of Hatred” or the atmospheric yet slow pacing of “Dysthymia”. The music is varied, a testament to the expert musicianship the band has. There are also hints of dissonance that seem to blur together – for example, in “Sanctity”, the vocals mesh with the music, allowing the listener to get disconnected for a bit. However, just as quickly, the track is able to pull the listener back into their headspace, and it goes without a hitch.

Another thing about Ghosts that caught my attention was its production value. While my experience with hardcore has been limited, I have not enjoyed what I’ve listened to. However, because of the influences the album has, Ghosts makes the crust and hardcore digestible and accessible. Everything about Ghosts is clean, masterful, and dynamic, conveying layers of experimentation that sound incredibly polished. It’s also an earworm, allowing the music to get stuck in your head as you listen to it again and again. This is definitely an album that can be enjoyed multiple times in one sitting, and it never gets old.

All in all, Ghosts of the Timeless Void is an album filled with hard-hitting music, clean production, and relentless energy. Their experimentation may be something new for old fans of the band, but new listeners will appreciate how focused this album is. The band is truly committed to their sound and aesthetic, reminding us that even the more inexperienced of us can enjoy music as it comes.

Slugdge - Esoteric Malacology

By Calen Henry. Having already cornered the market for space slug themed melodic blackened progressive death metal, Slugdge unleash their fourth full-length, Esoteric Malacology (Malacology being the branch of zoology that deals with mollusks).

By Calen Henry.


Having already cornered the market for space slug themed melodic blackened progressive death metal, Slugdge unleash their fourth full-length, Esoteric Malacology (Malacology being the branch of zoology that deals with mollusks).

Through their first three records (available as the compendium, The Cosmic Cornucopia for $1), Slugdge developed their unique subject matter and sound. They take common Lovecraftian tropes and make them (more) ridiculous while preserving the self-serious presentation so common in metal. Mollusca, the intergalactic space slug god has come to cleanse humanity and save it from itself. Praise Mollusca!

The silly lyrics and parody song titles give away the tongue in cheek subject matter, but the music is no joke. On top of the death / black metal sound they layer extended range riffs, flowing Mastodon style leads, and clean harmony vocals all effortlessly pulled together to create a unique sound.

Esoterica Malacology doesn't change the formula, but it shows the band employing it with more focus and finesse. Rather than sounding like their influences excellently arranged and combined, they've transcended them to create their own signature sound. They've trimmed the fat and really doubled down on the best aspects of previous records.

Right out of the gate, with "War Squids", the album rips. There's no ambient build like on Dim and Slimeridden Kingdoms. Throughout the album the drums and riffs are faster and more complex with lots of strange rhythms. More of the riffs utilize the extended range of the guitars and there is more tapping and sweep picking as well as more use of melodic vocals. It sounds tighter than before and makes for a more cohesive record.

Production has also been radically improved, especially the dynamic range. Up to Gastronomicon the dynamic range was completely brickwalled. Esoteric Malacology is DR 8, giving the music much more room to breathe than any of the previous albums. It does wonders for the band's sound which is rarely simple and benefits hugely from being able to hear all the different parts.

Ultimately Slugdge are still Slugdge, which is fantastic. The band tapped into a unique sound and aren't afraid to lift the veil of metal seriousness. Esoterica Malacology is the purest distillation of that, and their best record yet.

Clawing - Spectral Estate

By Craig Hayes. Fair warning, Spectral Estate, the full-length debut from dark noise trio Clawing, is a hard listen. Psychologically, Spectral Estate is akin to a walking nightmare, where bad dreams are mangled and then magnified

By Craig Hayes.

Artwork by Stephen Wilson.

Fair warning, Spectral Estate, the full-length debut from dark noise trio Clawing, is a hard listen. Psychologically, Spectral Estate is akin to a walking nightmare, where bad dreams are mangled and then magnified to become truly tormenting visions. Spectral Estate tells a haunting story, backed by tenebrous sonics, but what the soul-scouring album speaks of most is just how painful and debilitating the burdensome memories that plague us all can be.

Spectral Estate is a catastrophic horrorshow. It’s a story of abuse, emotional devastation, and a malevolent ghost; and it’s terrifying in parts. But none of that is surprising given the creative history of Clawing’s band members. The Montgomery, Alabama-based band features spoken word poet Matt Finney, and Finney's been unearthing demons and battling monsters of the id in a number of collaborative endeavours over the years. (Most notably with Ukrainian multi-instrumentalist Oleg Shpudeiko, who’s shaped stunning atmospheric drones around Finney's world-weary words via their much-acclaimed Heinali and Finney project.)

Also in Clawing is musician Austin Gaines. Last year, Gaines’ industrial/noise band Calques released the Civilizing album, which was unquestionably one of 2017’s most sadistic blasts of mind-wrecking anti-music. Civilizing fused raw punk, rawer black metal and disfiguring audio mayhem, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend the album if you’re a fan of ultra-abrasive underground music.

The third member of Clawing is artist, writer, and audio improviser Jeff McLeod. I'd never heard a note of McLeod's instinctual music before encountering Clawing. But the latest release on his Bandcamp page, The Universe, The Devil, The Hermit, is a lengthy synthesiser sojourn inspired by Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot. Clearly, McLeod's interest in channelling darkness fits right in with Finney and Gaines' grim creative objectives.

Essentially, the three members of Clawing explore unnerving emotional undercurrents via macabre music-making. What’s unspoken but nonetheless evoked on Spectral Estate is just as important as what’s stated outright. And the album works brilliantly (and deeply unsettlingly) on both subliminal and conscious levels.

Tracks like "Mythology" and "Gourds" see Finney telling the bones of a wretched tale. And those songs find Gaines and McLeod blending ambient and strident noise through minimalist/maximalist processes to support Finney’s narrative tone. But Gaines and McLeod also build a far larger backdrop of sound throughout Spectral Estate. One that not only distorts sounds but also twists perceptions.

In fact, a giant, nerve-shredding canvas shrouds the entirety of Spectral Estate. The album deals with topics many of us are too afraid to confront, and Spectral Estate subsequently grows ever more discomfiting and distressing. Songs like "Coma", "A Clearing" and "Plastic Glowing Stars" are overflowing with stomach-churning dread. And where Finney's voice is absent for long periods on Spectral Estate, the unsettling music still tells a vivid tale while conjuring shocking scenes.

Everything you need to know about Spectral Estate is right is there in its stunning cover art, courtesy of Stephen Wilson (aka Unknown Relic). Wilson’s incredible sketch of a haunted house wrapped in the tendrils of trauma and torture –– fertilised, no doubt, by agony and grief –– perfectly encapsulates Spectral Estate’s tenor. Finney's harrowing story constructs the foundation and framework here. But it’s the music that enriches the fear, both real and imagined, encouraging those tendrils of horror to burst into bloom.

Like all of Finney's work so far, Spectral Estate ultimately deals in the gruesome reality of humanity. Fictional or not, his words often tell the ugliest truths. You don't need to believe in malevolent phantoms or supernatural beings to appreciate Clawing’s work either. Because they also remind us that we are a sickening enough species all on our own. We hate and we harm. We hurt and destroy. We are everything that Spectral Estate tells us, and more.

Spectral Estate is cathartic. But it isn’t an album for everyone. Clawing deliver waves of pitch-black, sinister noise –– as well more subtle soundscapes –– but the world they inhabit will just be too dark and too traumatic for some. Spectral Estate is a rite of passage. But therein lies its purpose. Because no genuine exorcism is ever painless. Least of all when we're casting out the deepest agonies that have been inflicted upon us.