Doom and Gloom for the Holidays

By Calen Henry. Holiday music tends to start a bit early and maybe you've had your fill by now. If you need something a bit gloomier for the final stretch, here's a triple dose of doom to bring you down and pull you through.

By Calen Henry.

Holiday music tends to start a bit early and maybe you've had your fill by now. If you need something a bit gloomier for the final stretch, here's a triple dose of doom to bring you down and pull you through.

Artwork by Paolo Girardi.

Perennially underrated death doom stalwarts Runemagick dropped their thirteenth album in late October. Into Desolate Realms, true to its name, album number, and release just before Halloween is all about doom and desolation.

It’s laser focused right from the cover art; an erupting volcano, flanked by the moon and a red sun, surrounded by jagged mountain peaks. The lyrics detail ruined civilizations, arcane rituals, awakening horrors, and creeping dread and they're delivered in a low, but intelligible growl. The songs are predominantly made up of ominous chromatic riffs, and writhing tremolo leads, supported by drum fills to move from riff to riff, rarely settling into straightforward chugging. Most tracks are fundamentally a mid-tempo trudge but within a relatively narrow death doom framework Runemagick keep the songs going with near constant movement in the guitars or drums. It’s a fascinating approach reminiscent of the most recent Hooded Menace, but rather than coming across as Gothic decrepitude there’s a constant oppressive feeling permeating the album giving it a bit of the edge of HM-2 driven old school death metal.

Straddling so close to the line between death metal and doom metal may put off fans leaning more towards one camp over the other. Additionally the album length can be a bit intimidating, but it’s worth noting that the final three tracks (totaling about 20 minutes) are taken from the band’s EP, The Opening of Dead Gates, and are a nice bonus but the album flows better when “After the Sepulchral Lava” is the actual closer.

Artwork by John Gallo.

Ruins of Eternity is only Orodruin’s second album, and it comes 16 years after their debut putting them in an odd place; little known veterans returning to a genre that has since exploded in popularity. The closest modern touch points are Crypt Sermon and Khemmis but Orodruin sounds much more vintage than the former, and more purely traditional doom than the latter. The guitar, both the tone and the playing, set Orodruin apart the most from the pack.

The tone is much mellower than a lot of doom metal, far more vintage tube overdrive than modern distortion. Even the amount of drive is dialed back closer to 60's and 70's rock and proto-metal than full fledged doom metal. The mellow drive doesn’t hinder the riffs though; they still crush, but occasionally breaks into faster galloping metal riffs and fuzzed out leads. The bass and drums fill out the sound nicely, with thumping clean bass supporting the guitars and nice variety in the drums leading from riff to riff. The soft edge to the guitar attack works well with the purely clean vocals to deliver a compelling spin on what, at first may seem like a fairly standard doom record.

That might explain why it seems to have gotten somewhat glossed over, which is a shame, because Orodruin have made one of the better doom records this year, and one that gets even better every time I spin it.

Lord Dying, having put out two albums of Savannah Sludge metal akin to bands like Black Tusk, Baroness, and Kylesa, released something completely different for their new opus Mysterium Tremendum. Looking backwards to 70's prog rock for inspiration, and inwards through personal tragedy, the band deliver a prog infused conceptual sludge opus dealing with the terrible mystery (mysterium tremendum in Latin) that is death.

Catalysed by personal tragedy it's a conceptual record about the inevitability of death, reconciling that with the desire to live life to the fullest giving it a note of hope within the heavy themes.

To address the mastodon in the room, no, it’s not the first time a sludge metal band have reinvented themselves by looking back to classic prog rock to address tragedy, and there are certainly similarities. Lord Dying's abrupt shift to prog over one album contrasts with Mastodon's slow ascend to the prog zenith and where Crack the Skye took a maximalist approach with layer upon layer of instruments, Mysterium Tremendum is austere by prog standards.

Whether it's swirling, droning, leads, quieter acoustic passages or the stomping sludge sections that make up the albums's musical push/pull, the band mostly limits themselves to a bass groove, a guitar groove, and a lead over top. It keeps things approachable, and helps mesh the prog and sludge parts. It also means that, near the end of Mysterium Tremendum where they start to layer the sound and bring in synths, it hits harder and makes the overall album flow extremely well.

[This is the last post on Metal Bandcamp in 2019. See you again next year.]

Varaha - A Passage for Lost Years

By Master of Muppets. Doom isn't for everyone. The plodding paces and subsequently stretched out song lengths replete throughout the doomisphere don't always appeal to fans looking for a quick riff fix. Its frequent incorporation of prog and ambient stylings likewise can be seen as a turn-off for the trve/br000tal crowd, and for some strange reason

By Master of Muppets.

Artwork by Travis Smith.

Doom isn't for everyone. The plodding paces and subsequently stretched out song lengths replete throughout the doomisphere don't always appeal to fans looking for a quick riff fix. Its frequent incorporation of prog and ambient stylings likewise can be seen as a turn-off for the trve/br000tal crowd, and for some strange reason many people find that melancholic doesn't make them happy. Baffling. The rest of us, though, know doom to be a rich environment for immersive, emotional experiences beyond the possibilities offered by, say, Goatpenis; to those about to doom, I salute you, and I now present you with one of 2019's absolute best tidings of doom: Varaha's A Passage for Lost Years.

Astute readers have likely gleaned that A Passage for Lost Years is hardly a chaotic affair. There are plenty of aggressive moments and blackened bits, but by and large Lost Years' greatest strength lies in its gentle embrace of clean guitars and violin melodies. Atmosphere is everything here, and Varaha successfully instill and sustain a sombre sense of gravity via masterful utilization of the lighter side of sound. Vocalist and guitarist Fabio Brienza is right in his element amidst this balanced melancholy, shifting from delicate crooning to agonized shrieks with deft aplomb. Think modern Katatonia only lighter and heavier, and you'll be on the right track.

While the compositional ghost of Katatonia present haunts the great cold distance of Lost Years' atmospheric reach, the guitars are largely possessed by the weeping spirit of Viva Emptiness. From the scales used to the ghostly tone of the guitars, the mournful melodies found on A Passage for Lost Years are of an achingly familiar caliber that the Norrman brothers themselves would be proud of. Tracks like "Refrained" or "My World and Yours" recall Last Fair Deal Gone Down with better production and more ambitious songwriting, and if you need to read any more than that to compel you to explore Lost Years then you probably didn't need to be reading this in the first place.

For all the power Varaha wield by guiding listeners with a less-than-heavy hand, make no mistake: these Chicagoans know how to bring the noise. After all, the reason the peaceful presence of bassoon, cello and viola works so well is because it consistently yields explosive, blackened payouts. The transition from morose placidity to death-doom aggression during the first few moments of opener "Severance" makes it clear that Varaha understand balance, and things only become more mesmerizing from there. Lost Years shudders, weeps and crawls forth with organic sincerity, lashing out exactly when it needs to in a feat of expert compositional momentum.

To describe A Passage for Lost Years as the best elements of each incarnation of Katatonia would do a slight disservice to Varaha's own distinct sound, and yet it would hardly be unfair - or anything less than a heartfelt compliment. The tonal duality of Lost Years is as impressive as it is enjoyable, and the album propels itself along with a deceptive grace that completely belies its 68+ minute run time. Simply put: if doom is your thing, A Passage for Lost Years is your thing, and if Katatonia are your thing then you have no business not knowing this thing.

Blackwood - Of Flies

By Ulla Roschat. Blackwood is one of Eraldo Bernocchi's several experimental musical and artistic projects (Sigillum S, Simm, Obake...) and Of Lies is Blackwood's second release, an EP of 3 tracks with an overall playing time of about 20 minutes. That's time enough for Bernocchi to get you hooked on this relentlessly crushing Doom Dubmospheres.

By Ulla Roschat


Blackwood is one of Eraldo Bernocchi's several experimental musical and artistic projects (Sigillum S, Simm, Obake...) and Of Lies is Blackwood's second release, an EP of 3 tracks with an overall playing time of about 20 minutes. Time enough for Bernocchi to get you hooked on this relentlessly crushing Doom Dubmospheres. Even more so since he's supported by two greatly talented vocalists who lend their unique touch of eeriness to two of the three songs, Emilia Moncayo of Minipony and Stefania Alos Pedretti of OvO.

Emilia Moncayo's vocals appear on the first song "Of Flies". They are beastly gnarls and incantations complementing the minimalistic rhythms that sluggishly pound their way through the song. The vocals and the wailing guitar melody are kept quite low compared to the omnipresent sub bass lines and drone sounds, and this combination is as terrifying as it is creepy.

The structures and rhythms get increasingly disintegrated on "Seclusion". Word samples like shreds of communication, overlaying effects and especially the oscillating sounds, create a chaotic and nauseating atmosphere. The powerful beats drench everything in an oppressing slow motion nightmare.

And finally Stefania Alos Pedretti's vocals on "Infraworld" provide a very special mood. She uses her vocals as an additional sound effect. There are no words, only sounds... sounds like cries of demons and ghosts echoing from the deepest void where words seem meaningless, anyway. Waves of dark sounds swathe you into a trance like state.

The all-encompassing slow beats and sub bass lines on Of Lies capture you right from the start and take you to an obscure alien place. The minimalistic structures, deconstructed rhythms, all the sound effects and the unusual use of vocals make this place all the more uncanny and scary. It’s a place where dark meditative primeval rituals meet dystopian nightmares, where the beginning of all worlds synchronize with the end of all worlds in a buzzing vibrating tension... greatly disturbing and electrifying.

Attic - Foster

By Justin C. Surprise reunions with old friends are a good thing. Way back in 2015, I reviewed the debut album from Attic, a band dabbling in several subgenres and occasionally happy spring-time lyrics, but making it all work. If you’d asked me recently if that

By Justin C.


Surprise reunions with old friends are a good thing. Way back in 2015, I reviewed the debut album from Attic, a band dabbling in several subgenres and occasionally happy spring-time lyrics, but making it all work. If you’d asked me recently if that was the last we’d heard of them, I probably would have bet that they’d moved on to day jobs, families, and all the rest. But here we are, almost five years after their debut, with a second album, Foster, in our hands and ears.

I think it says something that, in the sea of of Bandcamp notifications and promos I get, I immediately remembered who Attic was when I saw the new album notification. Their “bright death metal,” for lack of a better phrase, stood out in a crowd of OSDM caverncore bands. Foster sees the band with a new singer and down one guitarist, but the musical sensibilities that made Seasons so damn enjoyable are still present.

Attic still do the magic trick of mashing up doom, death, black, thrash, and some proggy tendencies all together without sounding like a sonic slop bucket. Hell, you can hear all of these in the opening track, “Of Endless Sage and Sky.” The death-doom intro leads to chunkier riffs, then the song slows down to a crawl with ringing riffs before firing back up to a thrashing good time. It should make for a distracted listen, but Attic uses all these and still sounds like the same band throughout. In a time when it sometimes seems like memorable riffs are few and far between, Attic puts out a barn burner like “The Wyrm,” filled with chugging riffs that make me want to drive a million miles an hour and pound the steering wheel.

Attic has brought forward a lot of what they did well on their debut. The simple, ringing riff that opens “Summer” harkens back to “Spring” on Seasons. “Summer” has a sunrise-breaking feeling carried by all of four notes, but the band favors this kind of straightforward melodicism, and in another move that could turn deadly in leser hands, they use repetition to build momentum, like in “The Washing.” This is not a case of “We like this riff so we’ll keep playing it until the audience leaves to get a beer.” This is “We’re going to wring every bit of metal goodness out of this riff until we’re all spent.”

Add all this in with and overall stronger sense of songwriting and style, while still pushing the edges a bit (check out the cool pizzicato riff and whispering vocals of the closer “Particle”), and we’re left with an album that gives no indication of a long gap between recordings. It’s a unique band that’s managed to survive and progress. But I better not have to wait five more years for another album, or I’ll...furrow my brow? Frown? That’s menacing, right?

Ravaged Spleen Outburst - The Church of Anemia

By Master of Muppets. Say what thou will about names and roses, but sometimes a name tells you everything you need to know. With that in mind, let's direct our attention to Ravaged Spleen Outburst. I might not know exactly what you hear when you read that name

By Master of Muppets.


Say what thou will about names and roses, but sometimes a name tells you everything you need to know. With that in mind, let's direct our attention to Ravaged Spleen Outburst. I might not know exactly what you hear when you read that name, but I do know that it's likely loud, vile and violent - and you're 100% right. The Church of Anemia is the full-length debut by the aforementioned gore monger, and it's every bit as fierce and filthy as you've likely gleaned from their name.

While a previous EP (Lymph Node), introduced the Serbian one-man project as a relatively straightforward - albeit wondrously wretched - slam act, The Church of Anemia offers human sacrifices to multiple metal altars. Slam still serves as the album's spine and spirit, yet a strong sense of melody coupled with an eagerness to explore has allowed the aural infection of Ravaged Spleen Outburst to further spread into blackened melodeath territory. When this thing isn't beating your face in, it forces you to bang your battered head to riffs from the filthiest corners of Gothenburg, occasionally dragging you to Hell for black metal refreshments.

While the versatility of this violent vessel is impressive, the most standout - and violent - feature of any Ravaged Spleen Outbursting is the vocal performance by mastermind A. Ð.. The Church finds A. Ð. introducing psychotic black metal shrieks into the mix, but it was his downright inhuman growls that made Lymph Node really stand out to me, and the gurgling bellows that resonate within The Church are something sickeningly special once again. I defy anyone to find anything else as perfectly putrid as Ravaged Spleen Outburst's growls: shy of a boldface lie, it simply can't be done.

While exploration and uniqueness are all well and good, the most crucial part of any listening experience is enjoyability. Fortunately, this Church is fun as fuck. "Breeding the bleeding" blends brutal slam with a barbaric take on melodeath, and "Cult of the Vein" is a straight up insane slab of symphonic obsidian savagery; A. Ð.'s zeal is audible and infectious, this thing tears the listener so many new ones in so many ways and it's hard to imagine anyone with an appreciation for the grimiest side of slam not having an absolute blast in The Church of Anemia.

The squalid sounds of Ravaged Spleen Outburst are not for everyone; The Church of Anemia is not for those who fear riffs, slams and solos, and it is certainly not for those afraid of filth. It is disgusting, raucous and merciless, and if you believe in such heresy as 'too brutal' or any similar nonsense then this is absolutely not The Church for you. Those brave of heart, ironclad of stomach and relentless in their search for riffs, though: rejoice, and get your ass down to Church, there's a rotting miracle waiting just for you.

Prava Kollektiv Roundup

By Seven Leslie. Prava Kollektiv is a “collective” of shadowy bands pumping out a variety of different takes on black metal. As novel as it sounds, the real question is whether it’s worth your time. The Kollektiv’s association with Amor Fati Productions, the late great Fallen Empire, and newly emerging Mystískaos should give you a clue. Read this roundup and you will know for sure.

By Steven Leslie.

Prava Kollektiv is a “collective” of shadowy bands pumping out a variety of different takes on black metal. As novel as it sounds, the real question is whether it’s worth your time. The Kollektiv’s association with Amor Fati Productions, the late great Fallen Empire, and newly emerging Mystískaos should give you a clue. Read this roundup and you will know for sure.


Released on Bandcamp as two separate EPs, Soulmare I & II are thematically connected and should be consumed as a single piece. Clocking in at 21+ minutes each, these are compositions that demand a lot of the listener and will certainly not appeal to everyone. On their face, most of the elements, especially the pained screeches and unnerving synths, will be familiar to fans of the more depressive and atmospheric sides of the black metal genre. While the tools and even the compositions themselves may be familiar, it’s Mahr’s ability to imbue raw emotion into their music that makes them worthy of your time. The music’s creator sounds as if they’re unravelling and succumbing to the darkness. Soulmare I begins as a much more atmospheric, borderline ambient experience that slowly becomes increasingly unhinged. Soulmare II injects more conventional metallic elements, destructive guitar riffs and blasting drums, into the soundscape established on the first track. Paired with Mahr’s unnamed vocalist’s harrowed shrieks and growls, Soulmare II is the crescendo and submission of the soul to total spiritual collapse. There is genuine pain and suffering deeply entwined within these two EPs, making for one of the most potent and unnerving listening experiences I personally have had this year.

If Mahr is the slow, painful descent, Hwwauoch is a wide-eyed celebration of maddening nihilism. Taking the traditional tenants of depressive black metal and injecting them with a syringe full of meth, Hwwauoch flip the genre on its head and create a euphoric, but no less harrowing listening experience. What really makes them stand out from their contemporaries are the excellent basslines, which are the primary melodic component on which the songs are built. Instead of traditional riffing, the guitar lines are utilized more in conjunction with the synths to fill in the space left by the rhythm section, adding significantly to the aural impact and atmospheric depth of the onslaught. Constantly shifting and often feeling on the verge of full scale collapse, Into the Labyrinth of Consciousness is a harrowing, but strangely empowering listen.

On To Exist | To Breathe Voidsphere offer up two 20+ minute tracks of, you guessed it, void-worshipping atmospheric black metal. Don’t be put off by the track lengths or the atmospheric BM tag, as this is a vastly superior and more engaging effort than the genre usually puts forth. While Mahr relied heavily on emotional resonance to engage the listener, and Hwwauoch reveled in aural onslaught, Voidsphere relies on compositional dynamics to keep the listener on the edge of their seat throughout the album’s 42-minute run time. Coming off as an enigmatic, slightly warmer combination of Paysage D’Hiver’s blackened assault and Midnight Odyssey’s majestic heft, Voidsphere inject some much needed life into what has become an increasingly stale genre. What really helps this standout is the band’s ability to maintain the listeners’ attention with their continually shifting focal points. While always maintaining a lo-fi aesthetic, Voidsphere find a way to dramatically propel the emphasis between the different components of their compositions. The riffs, drums, synths, and even vocals all get their moments to shine as each element ebbs and flows in a seemingly random, but actually masterfully constructed dance. This unique songwriting approach ensures that both tracks never outstay their welcome and offer an element of depth and memorability that not many others in this genre can match. All hail the void.

Pharmakeia, the newest group to emerge from the Prava Kollektiv, is in many ways the most straightforward, traditional black/death band. By that I mean they build their songs around what has become a fairly standard framework of distorted tremolo riffs, blasting drums, and blast furnace vocals. What they lack in creative song structures, they more than make up for in raw intensity. This is some seriously vitriolic shit. After a very short, atmospheric intro, Pharmakeia drops the listener into a dense, suffocating wall of sound that rarely relents, and even when it does, it’s only to make the impact of its return that much more potent. It has the oppressive atmosphere of a more straight up black/death version of a band like Abstracter. While the lo-fi, distorted production does somewhat dull the impact of individual riffs, it allows the excellent drumming to stand out. While opener “Invocation” kicks off with some stock blasting, it only takes about two minutes for the drummer to showcase his or her skill and inject some creativity and groove, which is used to great effect throughout the entirety of Pharmakeia. Special mention should also be given to the searing vocal attack, which pairs the ferocity with a less layered, sharper blackened rasp. Overall, Pharmakeia is a solid and welcome addition to the more atmospheric approaches of the other Prava Kollektiv bands and definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Mist of Misery - Absence

By Hera Vidal. Black metal has no shortage of influences, whether it is Lovecraftian works or someone’s own personal struggles. However, there aren’t many bands that perfectly meld together the romantic atmosphere of Gothic fiction and black metal. I enjoy moments where those things actually work together, creating beautiful music with an atmosphere that lets the imagination run wild.

By Hera Vidal.

Artwork by Alex Tartsus.

Black metal has no shortage of influences, whether it is Lovecraftian works or someone’s own personal struggles. However, there aren’t many bands that perfectly meld together the romantic atmosphere of Gothic fiction and black metal. I enjoy moments where those things actually work together, creating beautiful music with an atmosphere that lets the imagination run wild. After all, if this is good enough for Dracula, then it’s good enough for me.

Absence is Mist of Misery’s second album, and they have moved towards creating a more emotive kind of black metal. There are ranges of symphonic metal that shine throughout the album, mainly through the heavy usage of keyboards. It almost makes me want to have a full orchestra support the band if they ever decide to tour live. This highly symphonic aspect is what allows the album to transcend the listener elsewhere, allowing them to see things in their mind’s eye. This album is a mood setter, and with half of it being instrumental, it’s easy to get lost in the beautiful music and the emotive atmosphere it creates.

Absence isn't as bombastic as most symphonic black metal albums, instead it's intricate and peaceful. I do wish there were more symphonic aspects to it but it’s still fantastic. The atmosphere is what gets me; it reminds me of cold, dark, rainy nights, with candlelight lighting a room, and with a peaceful quiet that is broken by thunder.

All in all, Absence is a fantastic album that is incredibly straightforward and very beautiful. If you prefer the quieter aspect of symphonic metal, this album might be right up your alley. I am surprised that I didn’t hear this album sooner, but I know I am bound to come back to it again.

Andavald - Undir skyggðarhaldi

By Master of Muppets. It's no secret these days that Iceland has become a Mecca of sorts for dissonant black metal, boasting a scene as majestic and impressively fierce as the natural landscape. A handful of obsidian giants have already established themselves as kings of this blackened dominion

By Master of Muppets.

Artwork by Karmazid.

It's no secret these days that Iceland has become a Mecca of sorts for dissonant black metal, boasting a scene as majestic and impressively fierce as the natural landscape. A handful of obsidian giants have already established themselves as kings of this blackened dominion, and new contenders to the chaotic crown constantly crawl forth from the cracks and craters to claim this kingdom as their own. Andavald are one such force of rising Icelandic fury, and their debut album Undir skyggðarhaldi is an impressive bid for the throne, indeed.

Much like their fellow countrymen, Andavald craft metal that's as delirious as it is dark, somehow harnessing the sounds of Hell itself to inflict pure black carnage on an undeserving world 37 minutes at a time. Discordant scales and a fittingly harsh atmosphere engulf the listener, offering little respite throughout the album's 5 tracks. Think 'Dodecahedron on hallucinogens' and you'll be heading in the right direction.

Speaking of Dodecahedron, the last time I heard vocals so monstrous and convincingly unhinged was on Kwintessens, courtesy of the deeply missed Michiel Eikenaar (RIP). Vocalist Axel Jóhannsson's tortured shrieks fit the demented atmosphere of Undir skyggðarhaldi like a dead skin mask, simultaneously blending in naturally with the music as well as standing out with their unsettling intensity. When tracks like "Afvegaleiðsla" or "Hugklofnun" reach their respective fever pitches, Jóhannsson brings a level of ferocity that is every bit as charged and violent as the surrounding instrumentation. Fans of all things discordant are sure to be particularly pleased by this impassioned, psychotic performance.

While the vocals are downright inhuman in their violence, the rest of Andavald churn out dissonant black metal that's decidedly more tame than the typical output of their fellow countrymen... sort of. While not so safe and serene as to be sonically similar to, say, Sólstafir, Undir skyggðarhaldi largely utilizes much more restrained tempos and pacing than what one might expect from Icelandic black metal. Everything erupts into pandemonium eventually, but Andavald take their time getting there. Essentially fusing the pacing and oppressive atmosphere of doom metal with the absonant black fury that has become the sound of their nation and creating something devastatingly different.

Undir skyggðarhaldi may not make you bang your head incessantly, but it will transport you to a place of constant euphoric rage all the same. This is the cacophonous clamor we've come to expect from Iceland, made all the more captivating and calamitous by its creepy exuberance and keen sense of patience. A slow burning grease-fire of the mind, this album is a deranged marriage of brooding hostility and pure unbridled psychosis. With this debut Andavald have issued a fierce challenge to the hierarchy of Iceland's burgeoning black metal scene. Your psyche may not thank you for exposure to such restrained wrath, but your ears and soul will.

Cloud Rat - Pollinator

By Matt Hinch. My daughter likes watching tarantula videos. Her favourite part is the “takedown” when the tarantula strikes quickly to take down their prey, enveloping them in a multi-limbed attack for the kill. Cloud Rat take a similar approach. Pollinator is the latest example of their multi-faceted and killer grind spearheaded by piercing vocal venom. It doesn't take a myriad of eyes (or ears) to know Cloud Rat are worthy of attention.

By Matt Hinch.

Artwork by Renata Rojo.

My daughter likes watching tarantula videos. Her favourite part is the “takedown” when the tarantula strikes quickly to take down their prey, enveloping them in a multi-limbed attack for the kill. Cloud Rat take a similar approach. Pollinator is the latest example of their multi-faceted and killer grind spearheaded by piercing vocal venom. It doesn't take a myriad of eyes (or ears) to know Cloud Rat are worthy of attention.

Blasting through 14 songs in under 32 minutes barely gives you room to breathe. “Luminescent Cellar” will put some air in your lungs with a dreamy, melancholic opening before crushing your chest with some fucking heavy, doomish devastation. It's all devastating and it's all sure to make it virtually impossible not to move. Violently.

Obviously, it's not all a foot-to-the-floor maelstrom of flailing limbs. Just the majority of it. “Wonder” hides a black metallic melody within its frantic pace, and “The Mad”, though hard as hell, has parts that one might call airy and emotional that get broken down into some serious elbow swinging swagger.

If you want an onslaught of spine-bending riffs look no further than “Al Di La”. There's plenty to choose from. It's a serious adrenaline shot with a.....different ending. “Biome” feels the same energy-wise, a whirlwind of speed that works in a bangin' riff. And for the love of chaos, the two tracks between them, “Last Leaf” and “Zula”, do nothing to temper that momentum. Lightning in your headphones, man.

From start to finish Pollinator vibrates with a bristling energy. It puts a stranglehold on the listener throughout. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what separates Cloud Rat from other non-meathead grind bands. Unspoken intangibles are often more fun than clinical analysis. One thing's for sure though; Cloud Rat cannot disappoint. Pollinator is one of those albums that will leave you utterly spent and wanting for nothing. A half-hour of pain provides all the pleasure.

Priestess - Prior to the Fire

By Calen Henry. In 2007 Priestess' straightforward hook-filled hard rock caught the attention of Neversoft, developers of the Guitar Hero series. The Montreal band became a flash in the pan when “Lay Down”, from their debut album Hello Master was featured in Guitar Hero 3

By Calen Henry.


In 2007 Priestess' straightforward hook-filled hard rock caught the attention of Neversoft, developers of the Guitar Hero series. The Montreal band became a flash in the pan when “Lay Down”, from their debut album Hello Master was featured in Guitar Hero 3. But by that point the franchise was just past its peak so Priestess didn’t get the exposure a band like The Sword did with Guitar Hero II, the series’ apex.

Priestess' much overlooked 2009 follow up, Prior to the Fire, saw the band mixing their hooky, driving hard rock with progressive rock and filling the album with fantasy and sci-fi themes. The final product was such a departure from the radio-ready Hello Master that the band ended up parting ways with their US label, delaying the album's American release until they signed with Tee Pee Records.

The differences from its predecessor, though, are why it’s such an excellent record and why, even ten years later, nothing quite sounds like it. Mastodon’s Crack the Skye is often cited as the pinnacle of rock, metal, and prog’s modern coalescence, and rightly so. It’s my favourite album, but Priestess were right there too adding a heavy dose of prog to hard rock without losing any of the energy. They expertly combined hard driving rhythms with serpentine riffs, time signature changes, and unpredictable song structures, all with vintage sounding production for something unequaled ten years later.

Axemen Mikey Heppner and Dan Watchorn really set the sound for the album with custom stacks made by boutique Montreal outfit Richtone. The warm tube driven crunch was ever present, never spilled over into full-blown distortion and was a great fit for the natural drum sound. Mikey’s vocals were a touch gravelly as well, giving the whole album a tour-tested grit that feels classic even though the songs are about everything from Jack the Ripper and werewolves to Robocop, Lone Wolf and Cub, and Dragonball Z. It’s nerd rock with swagger.

You can even still grab the translucent green/orange double LP and a t-shirt from Bandcamp, which is a bit sad since that seems to mean physical sales were low enough they're still selling the first run of LPs ten years later. As for the present, the band has been on hiatus since 2012 and, though I long for more from them, it seems unlikely. For the rest of you, who may have missed out on one of my favourite albums of all time, it’s right there on Bandcamp. 

Vofa - Vofa

By Master of Muppets. So much doom, so little time; such is the perpetual plight of those of us seeking fulfillment among metal's lower octane offerings. Given the myriad subgenres ascribing to some doomy teaching or other, not to mention the signature slow-burn inherent to all things doom

By Master of Muppets.

Artwork by Nona Limmen.

So much doom, so little time; such is the perpetual plight of those of us seeking fulfillment among metal's lower octane offerings. Given the myriad subgenres ascribing to some doomy teaching or other, not to mention the signature slow-burn inherent to all things doom, it's practically impossible to find any one act capable of meeting all of your plodding needs with but a single album… or is it? Meet Vofa, an alarmingly adept assembly of anonymous artists from Iceland who just might have crafted the doom album to end all doom albums with their incredible self-titled debut.

Vofa brings a lot to the table, immediately catching listeners by the ear with some truly impressive harsh vocals. Subterranean growls à la Slow haunt the air, with masterful reverb application augmenting the sound into something gargantuan and terrifying; the roars on Vofa recall a freezing wind howling through the Ninth Circle of Hell, narrating the albums story with a voice that is otherworldly and captivating.

Decidedly less straightforward - but no less enchanting or otherwise expertly executed - are the instrumental aspects of Vofa. Things begin with an eerie bit of atmospheric doom ambience, and from there things slither through the realms of crushing death-doom, riffy stoner doom and lurching funeral doom - and that's just the first track! Over the course of 3 tracks and 37 minutes, Vofa manage to drag the listener across the entire spectrum of doom, somehow blending all these different shades of grey into something vibrant and utterly spellbinding.

Make no mistake, none of the ambitious amalgamation found on Vofa comes at the cost of compositional cohesion. When "II" meanders from stoner riffage into cloying funeral doom atmospherics, the transformation is made to feel completely natural and organic, thanks mostly to the expert timing sensibilities of Vofa's drummer. If the walls of sound painted by the guitars and monstrous vocals constitute the scenery of Vofa, the percussion is the path that guides listeners to these varied destinations, and frankly there could be no better trail guide than Vofa's nameless skinsman.

Vofa have surprised and impressed the Hell out of me with this debut; you'd be hard pressed to find a more diverse doom offering from anyone, and there isn't a single second of this album that doesn't keep me completely mesmerized. Vofa is a pilgrimage to all corners of the doomiverse, a portent of promise and a challenge to their peers. This is a band that doesn't just threaten greatness, they have already brought it and now stand poised not to level the playing field but to obliterate it entirely. As of right now, there is no other doom act that I hold more hope for than Vofa, and I eagerly await whatever multifaceted horrors are yet to come.

Soulless - Forever Defiant

An Autothrall Classic. It's rare that an American band can truly capture the form and feel of Sweden's Golden Age of melodic death metal, generally the attempts devolve into metalcore masturbation and tacky moshpit manipulation. The third album from Ohio's Soulless

An Autothrall Classic. Originally published here.

Artwork by Matt Cavotta.

It's rare that an American band can truly capture the form and feel of Sweden's Golden Age of melodic death metal, generally the attempts devolve into metalcore masturbation and tacky moshpit manipulation. The third album from Ohio's Soulless is a monster of an effort, however, a firm yardstick across the knuckles of their pedestrian peers. It's almost as if this one album makes up for all the garbage the US has been spewing into this genre for nearly a decade.

Soulless does it all correctly. Jim Lippucci's vocals snarl with the proper dosage of Lindberg venom, the songs are well-structured, just about every riff here meticulously crafted and applied with melodic grace amidst a technical death-thrashing blunt force trauma. The result isn't just another notch in the belt of the melodeath genre, but an album that will appeal to most fans of the metal riff. Technical enough to keep the interest of basement virtuosos aplomb, but savagely catchy enough to stand alongside the Rusted Angels and Jester Races of the world as a timeless celebration of the carefully balanced attack so intrinsic to this style.

Each of the 14 original tunes is consistently superb, you are getting a lot of meat for your money. Among my favorites were "The Price of Life" and "As Darkness Dawns", the latter of which has some of the best riffs I've heard this year. The band is not above a break in the action such as the great acoustic piece "D-Composition", and the album is capped off with a cover of "Kill the King".

Amidst the endless, leaking, stagnant vats of Swedish wanna-be Black Dahlia Earmurder porridge in the States, Soulless have crafted a timeless entry into a genre many have given up for dead. The next time you are shuffling through your records, fawning over Heartwork and Slaughter of the Soul and wondering why 'they don't make 'em like these anymore', stand yourself corrected. Forever Defiant may just be the greatest American melodeath album I have ever heard. It actually matters.

Humanity Defiled - Mankind is the Disease

By Master of Muppets. With but a bit of patience and a willingness to wade through wave after wave of underwhelming works, one can wander the wide world of Bandcamp and wind up with a wide array of wonderful finds for a grand total of $0.00. My point: it's downright insane how much unknown Name Your Price greatness is lurking out there

By Master of Muppets.


With but a bit of patience and a willingness to wade through wave after wave of underwhelming works, one can wander the wide world of Bandcamp and wind up with a wide array of wonderful finds for a grand total of $0.00. My point: it's downright insane how much unknown Name Your Price greatness is lurking out there, just collecting digital dust in the darkest depths of the underground. Belgium's Humanity Defiled are among my favorite of such victims of underrepresentation, but if death metal riffs for days at potentially non-existent prices is your thing, now's your chance to stop being the problem and begin your new and improved existence as part of the solution!

A one-man project conceived with the intent of channeling mastermind Iwein's own feelings of negativity, the name of Humanity Defiled's game is Riffs. With song titles like "We Deserve an Unspeakable Death" and "War Will Be Our Heritage," Mankind is the Disease is every bit as cheerful as one might presume it to be, but oh my sweet baby Satan isn't the rage therein just righteously rifftastic. Iwein tears the world a new one by way of blistering fretboard savagery and scathing lyrics, opting not to bow his head in defeat but instead forcing those bearing witness to his pain to bang their own heads in enthused enthrallment.

When I say that the guitar sound is savage, I'm talking Hypocrisy and Bloodbath blended together and sprinkled with a dash of Slayer, delivered with a serrated guitar tone perhaps best described as 'pitch-corrected bandsaw.' At its chuggiest, Mankind is the Disease recalls the lethally thick tones of Slugdge's rhythm section, and the lead work is comprised of pick-squeal dive bombs that hearken back to the glory days of old school death metal without ever getting overly noodly. Simply put, this killer EP is nothing but to-the-point, in-your-face, no-frills death metal, the kind that unites meatheads and fretboard wizards alike in the great circle of mosh life.

Speaking of metalheads uniting, the vocals on this EP are manned by a miniature army of mic slingers. While previous Humanity Defiled projects have typically featured Iweins death growls, Mankind is the Disease features different - and sometimes multiple - vocalists on each track. Stylistically there are several similarities to the screamers' sounds, with everyone largely favoring deep 'n dirty guttural growls, yet each player brings their own piece to what is otherwise very much Iwein's game, and everyone's the better for it...

...or are they??? Fancy a vulgar display of powerful riffs without a mouth for war? Mankind is the Disease includes instrumental versions of each track, and said songs still slap even sans screams. There's an audible sincerity to Iwein's playing, and the absence of inhuman roars allows the instrumental tracks to feel - wait for it - all the more human.

All in all, Mankind is the Disease is a wicked fun little EP, well worth whatever price you may name. It's the kind of find that institutes inspires you to pick up your own axe and shred the world around you, and the kind that highlights the exciting potential to be found in Bandcamp exploration. Between the riffs and the pricetag, there's nothing and no way to lose with this or any other offering by Humanity Defiled, and anyone even remotely interested in banging their heads whilst pinching their pennies absolutely needs to head over to Iwein's neck of the Bandcamp woods.

From The Metal Archives Vol. 8 - Soulseller Records

[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 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 three releases from Soulseller Records, two classics and a hard rocker of recent vintage, but with a soul of the classics.]

Cover art by Lise.

[The Metal Archives reviewer Thamuz said]

The compositions evolve eloquently, often displaying several dynamic shifts per song, combined with a neo-classical spirit that entails subtle evolutions within. The opener “I Sang With The Swans” is an excellent example of this, starting with a minimalistic melody surrounded by subtle atmospheric drum-beats before slowly progressing and building up to climatic proportions, before settling in back to the original tempo. This is only the first three minutes, before a vocal has even been sung - the start of a recital of epic proportions.

[read Thamuz' full review here]

[The Metal Archives reviewer dismember_marcin said]

I don't think there were that many new bands and albums, which came out in new millennium of 2000's that made such a big impact on the death metal scene as Repugnant's "Epitome of Darkness" did. Sincerely I think this band and album, together with Daniel Ekeroth's "Swedish death metal" book is responsible for influencing a bunch of youngsters to play this obscure style with passion and style, which haven't been seen since the early 90's! Repugnant and "Epitome of Darkness" probably also directed them to take the image of cult horror movie freaks, with all the empty tombs, zombies and stench of cadaver around it, by writing some cool, horror lyrics and using an adequate front covers.

[read dismember_marcin's full review here]

Cover art by Joe Petagno.

[The Metal Archives reviewer CHAIRTHROWER said]

Erik Sugg's (also active with Lightning Born) eerily wobbling vocals are as groovy as ever while the battery comprised of bassist Paul Walz and drummer Bill Eagen certainly doesn't play second fiddle to Sugg and Larry Burlison's heady, melodic chops and bluesy showmanship, as attested by its dominance on the late 60s/Jefferson Airplane & The Doors sounding title track and all-around solidity, from the opening, triplet based "The Waters and the Wild" to the swinging and twirling Black Sabbath evoking closer "Mourning Son", which halfway in devolves into a super nostalgic, Mountain/Leslie West sounding wind-down.

[read CHAIRTHROWER's full review here]

Rosk - Remnants

By Master of Muppets. Poland's Rosk have captivated me from the very first moments of their debut, Miasma. The masterfully executed suspenseful passages and brilliant balance between blackened abhorrence and baleful ambience of Miasma made for an immersive, mesmerizing experience that I'm still completely unprepared for

By Master of Muppets.


Poland's Rosk have captivated me from the very first moments of their debut, Miasma. The masterfully executed suspenseful passages and brilliant balance between blackened abhorrence and baleful ambience of Miasma made for an immersive, mesmerizing experience that I'm still completely unprepared for. Naturally, I was quite excited to learn that more Roskelry lay on the horizon. Stupidly, I was mildly disappointed to learn that Remnants would be an acoustic endeavor. Amazingly, I was wrong on both counts: this acoustic album is all kinds of awesome, to the point of trumping any expectations I'd held for a 'proper' electric follow-up.

Remnants is not your average acoustic album; it isn't an unplugged reconstruction assembled from the bones of earlier works, nor is it a collection of folky guitars and intermittent screaming passing itself off as metal. Like its predecessor, Remnants utilizes familiar building blocks for its own unique design, ultimately creating a soundscape unlike any that I've ever visited. This is a world absent hope or light, painstakingly crafted from minimalist acoustic guitars and haunting cello arrangements. Its delicate darkness and mournful lyrical poignancy render Remnants every bit as heavy as anything else bearing the black metal banner.

To be fair, Remnants is perhaps more closely related to doom than the atmospheric blackness that preceded it, but the fact remains that its six tracks comprise an emotional weight and intensity on par with the more straightforward sonic thunder of doom contemporaries such as Morne or Officium Triste. The simple yet nuanced plea of "Wait for me/ hold my hand... don't leave me (within rosary)" repeated throughout "Rosary" conjures darkly clear imagery of the loss of a loved one, and the haunting ambience that introduces "Ceased in Me" is as dissonant and anxiety-inducing as the scariest Icelandic act you can think of. Though it might not horrify your neighbors or deafen you in the process, Remnants will stuff you to the gills with all the weight and woe of the most funeral of dooms, and it is absolutely not recommended for the faint of heart.

As with Miasma, Remnants' greatest strength lies in its aptitude for perfectly paced progressions and their respective accompanying payouts. When "The Long Solitude" quietly erupts into subdued harsh vocals and decidedly more heavily handed instrumentation, it's like watching a slow motion car accident among loved ones; you can feel each passing moment intensify as the sonic scene plays out, you know that there is going to be a crash but the resultant explosion overtakes you all the same. "A Dying Breath" is another standout example of flawlessly timed and tender ruthlessness, patiently drawing an ominous doomy passage from a plodding background atmosphere into an all encompassing wall of gloom over the course of nearly nine minutes. Timing is something Rosk have a truly impressive grasp on, evidenced most admirably here among this barebones collective of unplugged sounds.

I can't recommend Remnants enough. It wanders admirably far outside the box of traditional acoustic metal conventions, sacrificing none of the passionate darkness of Rosk's electric works along the way. It is not an alternative to their plugged-in sound, but rather an alternate form of the very same essence. This Polish act has once again introduced me to a hauntingly wonderful new world, and though it might not be as harsh and jagged as the rest of the metalverse I would urge you to explore the shadow lands of Remnants for yourself, you might just find yourself not wanting to leave.

Angel Sword - Neon City

By Calen Henry. I love Angel Sword but I wasn’t sure on them at first. Their mix of rough, melodic, mid-paced heavy metal and gravelly Lemmy inspired vocals can take a bit to get into, but it’s chock full of hooks and sing-along choruses. They sound authentic and like they’re having a ton of fun

By Calen Henry.

Artwork by Art by Bring

I love Angel Sword but I wasn’t sure on them at first. Their mix of rough, melodic, mid-paced heavy metal and gravelly Lemmy inspired vocals can take a bit to get into, but it’s chock full of hooks and sing-along choruses. They sound authentic and like they’re having a ton of fun. The odd mix of vocals and musical style really set them apart from the heavy metal crowd.

Much to my delight, Angel Sword’s second full length, Neon City, dropped over the weekend with little warning or fanfare. It continues the heavy metal journey started on their first album, Rebels Beyond the Pale. The titular city is, in fact, pictured on the back cover for their last record and it's the urban counterpoint to the previous album which featured songs focusing on heavy metal, Mad Max inspired highways, and heroes fighting against authority.

The anti-authority sentiment continues, but, as is immediately apparent from Neon City’s cover, it takes it’s cues from Cyberpunk building up the story of a thought-controlled surveillance city-state policed by brainwashed cyborgs and the fight against total control. The liner notes are perfect for their retro brand of Cyberpunk metal. Included with the download are digital liner notes all designed to look like a DOS terminal displayed on a glowing green CRT monitor. They’ve even given file extensions to the track (.trk), production (.job) and band member (.mem) lists and the lyrics sheet separates lines with /// and uses REPEAT CHORUS. It’s pitch perfect.

There is also a bit of a musical shift keeping the theme cohesive. Jerry Razors’ vocals are largely unchanged but the band is a bit tighter and cleaner sounding this time with some speedier sections of double kick and metal gallop propelling things along. Some may miss the messier sound from Rebels, but the tighter, cleaner sound is perfect for the Cyberpunk vibe permeating the album. As a bonus, the master is DR 11 so you get the full retro metal sound with nice retro dynamics giving the low end a great thump and compelling you to crank it up.

Talsur - Eversleep

By Master of Muppets. Most people probably don't hear the term 'death doom' and think 'now THAT'S what I call bedtime music!' Say what you will about the time signatures or a perceived lack of energy when compared to, say, war metal

By Master of Muppets.


Most people probably don't hear the term 'death doom' and think 'now THAT'S what I call bedtime music!' Say what you will about the time signatures or a perceived lack of energy when compared to, say, war metal, but the staple growls and tomb rattling guitars of death-doom aren't exactly synonymous with lullabies, either. Typically I'd agree with the nocturnal naysayers, but typically my life has been spent unaware of Eversleep. Never before have I considered an album's ability to put me to sleep to be a glowing testament to its execution, but here we are, getting tucked in by Talsur.

Eversleep opens on a few deceptive notes of stoner doom, lazily lofting along and causing one to wonder just where this album's gonna wind up, but things quickly go downhill and subsequently uphill into mournful, ethereal doom of a much more straightforward melancholic variety, and that's where they remain for 54 minutes. Like any doom act worth the salt of their tears, weeping Katatonic guitars Enshine these otherwise darkened skies, illuminating a landscape of further crushing sadness forged by the harsh spirits of Novembers Doom and Swallow the Sun. Throw in some languidly lovely degrees of Draconian and Saturnus worship and BOOM, you have Talsur.

While the instrumental section checks pretty much every box I have for melancholic must-do's, one-man Russian army of doom Vitaly Surkov's vocals threw me a pleasant curveball. The easiest descriptor for his style would have to be 'Mikael Stanne's cleans on misophonia mode.' Surkov's overall pitch and tone is indeed highly reminiscent of Stanne's relatively rare demonstrations of clean croonery, but there's a certain rolling timbre to his deepest register that quite literally gives me chills when I hear it. This quiet thundering instills a sense of particularly believable despair, evoking an atmosphere of serene resignation to defeat rather unlike anything I've heard before.

In either a brilliant production move or else a happy accident, the consistently soft mix of Eversleep in turn offers a surprise of its own - namely in the muted manner that its most tumultuous moments are meted out; the most jarring moments of the album rarely get any louder than the softer surrounding soundscape, meaning you can fall asleep to this one without any fear of it ripping you back to consciousness when things get good 'n heavy. Intentional or otherwise, I adore this effect, and at the risk of a lawsuit I must confess that I've been sleeping with Talsur every night as a result.

All in all, Eversleep feels like a pleasant dream about a miserable home, or perhaps a nightmare about happier times. It's as soothing as it is sorrowful, as peacefully placating as it is powerful and plangent. It's a violent hug from a tear-soaked monster, and it's more than welcome to hide under my bed any night.

Epic Metal Roundup

By Calen Henry. Earlier in the month Wilderun released their epic third album Veil of Imagination so it’s a great time to continue the legend and break out some other epic metal. Metal is a genre prone to drama and grandiosity, in other words, it’s epic. Historically, though, epic didn’t simply mean larger than life

By Calen Henry.

Earlier in the month Wilderun released their epic third album Veil of Imagination so it’s a great time to continue the legend and break out some other epic metal. Metal is a genre prone to drama and grandiosity, in other words, it’s epic. Historically, though, epic didn’t simply mean larger than life, it referred to a specific long form of poetry best known through Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad (both of which have been the subject of multiple metal songs). Some albums tell stories in a dramatic fashion befitting the literary meaning of epic be they historical, fantasy, or science fiction. Epic also manifests in the modern sense with bombastic arrangements and long-form multi-part songs. Some albums may even pull off both. Here’s a trio of albums that each approach epic in different and interesting ways.

Artwork by Jana Heidersdorf.

Xanthochroid are top of the heap for high concept epic fantasy metal to the point that they’ll likely turn off some listeners. All of their albums take place in Etymos, a fantasy realm of their own creation. Their website even has a lore section. Of Erthe and Axen is the two-part prequel to their previous album Blessed He with Boils. In brief, it tells the story of two brothers vying for power, the love of a woman, and control of ancient forbidden magic. The concept is engrossing and involved enough that the albums include completely justified listening guides. They lay out not only lyrics but the full-fledged story complete with character dialog and a narrative connecting all the verses and songs together. The songs are so much related that the titles make up the final lyrics of Part II, tying everything together:

Open the gates, O forest keeper
To lost and ancient gardens
To higher climes where few might stand
To souls distant and dreaming

In deep and wooded forests of my youth
The sound of hunger rises
The sound of a glinting blade
The sound which has no name 

Reveal thy shape, O formless one
Of aching, empty pain
Of gods bereft of grace
Of strength, and the lust for power

Walk with me, O winged mother
Through caverns old and yawning
Through chains that drag us downward
Toward truth and reconciliation

Musically it’s symphonic black metal meets Alan Menkin for what really feels like a metal Disney musical. There is as much classical instrumentation (with a delightful amount of oboe) as metal and it features male/female vocal duets telling the characters’ stories throughout. It may not be every metal fan’s cup of tea and it may be too metal for die hard musical fans, but anyone who likes metal, fantasy, and musicals would be remiss not to check it out especially since all their albums are Name Your Price.

Though not particularly epic in the narrative sense, Lör are musically way over the top. They play what is best described as “turbo folk metal”. Though lacking much of the traditional folk instrument backbone featured in many “folky” metal bands they’re folk by nature of their compositions. Many of their songs start with rhythms and motifs from traditional instrumental folk music then crank up the speed, layer face-melting solos over top, and underpin it with machine gun double kick. There’s a classic thrash feel to it that brings to mind early 90’s power metal thanks to the high clip of the riffs, the guitar tone, and the way the synths sound unabashedly like keyboard patches rather than like a real orchestra. It’s a singular sound and one that took me a bit to get into, but man, does it rip.

Nechochwen present a different and somber version of epic. Hearkening back to historical epic poetry, Heart of Akamon tells stories of displaced indigenous people in eastern America and their journeys to find a place to belong and preserve their traditions. To accomplish this the band play a blend of visceral melodic black metal and folk. But even reducing the music to those genre demarcations is a bit disingenuous. Every track on the album is different from the last and each creates a singular mood that beautifully and terribly conveys each story and theme. The album comes with images of the CD booklet that I found to be essential to understanding and connecting with the album. Not only are the lyrics contained therein, but the band has written about the historical context of each song on the album. The album starts with first contact with Europeans in the ominous “The Serpent Tradition” and traverses themes of life, loss, violence, grief and ultimately hope on the album closer "Kišelamakong". Putting it all together with the lyrics and concepts reveals one of, if not the single best, folk metal album I have ever heard.

Abigail Williams - Walk Beyond the Dark

By M.A. Spiro. The enigmatic extreme metal collective that is Abigail Williams once again marshals forces to produce a fifth, and likely their most blistering, full-length recording yet. Walk Beyond the Dark, has been released on the group’s new label, Blood Music of Finland.

By M.A. Spiro.

Artwork by Mariusz Lewandowski

The enigmatic extreme metal collective that is Abigail Williams once again marshals forces to produce a fifth, and likely their most blistering, full-length recording yet. Walk Beyond the Dark, has been released on the group’s new label, Blood Music of Finland.

Championed by lead guitarist, vocalist, and primary composer Ken Sorceron, Abigail Williams’ new recording delivers a massive dose of rage-tinged pathos. The seven-track album spins a glistening narrative with themes of despair, longing, and destruction. Prepare for songs like “Black Waves” to tear your heart out and hand it back to you -- still beating. Brace yourself to be swept away by songs like “Born of Nothing,” which harkens back to the most unforgiving sections of the group’s 2012 offering, Becoming.

I reached out to Ken to talk about the album’s creation in detail. He composed most of the songs on Walk Beyond the Dark during the last five years in between contributing his talents to other musical endeavors, such as Cobalt, The Faceless, and Lord Mantis. Some of the songs reflect the black metal intensity derived from the places where he’s been spending much of his time: the otherworldly beauty found in the Pacific Northwest and the arid desolation experienced in the Texan outback.

I wrote all the songs except “The Final Failure,” which was a song that Ian Jekelis (Aborted) brought to the table back in 2014 when he was in the band. It morphed into what it is now after I fucked with it for years.

The everchanging lineups for Abigail Williams have always featured some of the most phenomenally talented musicians around. Joining Sorceron this time are drummer Mike Heller (Fear Factory, Malignancy,, Raven); bass player Bryan O’Sullivan (Altar of Plagues, Mortichina), and classically trained cellist Christopher “Kakophonix” Brown (ex-Empyrean Throne, Hvile I Kaos). Not since the album Becoming have the talents of a cellist been featured so prominently. In addition, Justin McKinney (ex-The Faceless) provides a guest guitar solo on the track “Ever So Bold.”

Unlike The Accuser (2015), which included guest vocals from Neill Jameson (Krieg) and Charlie Fell (Lord Mantis, Cobalt), Walk Beyond the Dark features Sorceron singing every tune. Listeners may be surprised at the fair amount of clean vocals employed here, but they don’t overpower the riffage.

Recording for Walk Beyond the Dark took place in Washington, New York, and Dublin, Ireland. Mixing and mastering were accomplished by Lasse Lammert of LSD Studio in Lübeck, Germany. Where the last two albums demonstrated a transition and maturation of the group’s sound, could one say that Walk Beyond the Dark most closely represents the Abigail Williams’ sound? Ken seems to think so.

It really has elements of all four previous albums in my opinion, so in that regard it’s the most ‘Abigail Williams’ sounding album to date. I think it’s a good culmination of everything I’ve done. All those sounds come together to create this album. The production is top notch while still retaining raw qualities. It’s dreamy and atmospheric when it needs to be and punchy and clinical when the song calls for it.

Like the master craftsman that he is, Ken never expresses complete satisfaction with anything he’s accomplished, and the evolution of Abigail Williams is no different. As a musician, he says, he’s

gotten shittier at some things but better at others. I’ve stopped listening to other bands, for the most part, and I’ve just been doing my own thing.

Has Abigail Williams attained its final form? Not likely. For now, Walk Beyond the Dark presents fans with the most accurate snapshot of the level of excellence that American black metal can achieve today. I am pretty sure this will be my album of the year or at least close to the top.