Emptiness - Oblivion

An Autothrall Classic. Guilty to Exist had already proven an adequate foundation for this Belgian experimental death metal squad's immense and immersive permutations on the genre, but what it lacked was a truly distinct riffing ability, the means to draw the listener back beyond its elemental, atmospheric outreach.

An Autothrall Classic. Originally published here.

Artwork by Olve from Emptiness.

Guilty to Exist had already proven an adequate foundation for this Belgian experimental death metal squad's immense and immersive permutations on the genre, but what it lacked was a truly distinct riffing ability, the means to draw the listener back beyond its elemental, atmospheric outreach. Oblivion addresses these issues and more, with an incredibly rich production that was easily one of the best of 2007, in death or any other metal, and a slew of full bodied guitar work that more than apologizes from the shortcomings of its elder sibling. But behind this, Emptiness remain loyal to their grim, engrossing aesthetic, only tightening the duration and number of tracks they will require to cave in the listener's cranium while having he/she drooling for more.

No time is spared in parading the three years of evolution this band has undergone; "Truth of Trinity" comes out with all cylinders firing off into the void, a brief wash of noise and samples exploding into a well of complex riffs that constantly lay scourge to the mind, produced with as much discord as a technical black metal record, a mix of the band's guttural and higher pitched rasping vocals, and a tendency to continue quickening until the deeper, thrashing segments of the track that are bathed in pale, clinical lighting. "Summon" goes beyond even this, with one of the most superb arrangements on the entire record, an unforgettable stream of melodic wildfire and intense bass playing that stands out well on its own below the descending dementia of the guitars during the jazzy, atmospheric break at 1:00. This is followed by a great, twisting mute riff before 1:30 which dominates its own lead accompaniment, and the tracks wailing climax imprints deep into the memory.

Merely half a second later, the frenzy of "Feeding Force" continues the compulsive brilliance, a roiling mesh of brilliant grind/thrash, deep battering grooves and sporadic bursts of arching melody that once again pass unto legend. Essentially, you are given no chance to rest your bones before the next ass kicking, the rising hostility of "Crushing Ignorance" which completely rocks your kneecaps off again, sprawling you upon the asylum floor. "Forgotten" offers a glint of melodic despair, once again hinting at black metal through its morose hysterics, later adapting a gliding, pensive death metal structure which feels like parasailing across a dense, black sun. Also of note would be the chaotic crusher "Beyond the Rites", the thrash and bounce of "Guilty to Exist" (named for the debut album), and the sleek, memorable grooves that inaugurate "Exhausted Forms". "Slave" and "L.E.A.D." are likewise worth hearing, but they are the least of the band's compositions here, so it's just as well that they arrive so late in the duration.

Oblivion sees Emptiness reaching their true potential, and it's easily one of the best Belgian albums of its class. It may lack an engrossing industrial sequence as the one which closed the debut (though there are a pair of title track segues that fit this bill), and yet it compensates with so much good riffing that you'll very quickly lose count. Dark, concise, and compelling, there really are not many other albums out there like it, and it's set up some huge expectations for anything the band could possibly produce in the future. My initial reaction to this album was one of disturbed enticement, but through only a few shorts years it has grown into a tense rapture. Well worth whatever you would need to spend on it.

[Note that in January Oblivion and all other albums on the Agonia Records Bandcamp are available for $3.90]

Azarath - In Extremis

By Bryan Camphire. Spending time with a work of art, such that you become intimately acquainted with it, can sometimes turn into an obligation. You become compelled to tell people about it. For me, In Extremis by Azarath is just such a record.

By Bryan Camphire.

Artwork by Marta Promińska (Hypnagogic Painting).

Spending time with a work of art, such that you become intimately acquainted with it, can sometimes turn into an obligation. You become compelled to tell people about it. For me, In Extremis by Azarath is just such a record. I need to tell you why, over time, this is becoming one of my favorite death metal records of this year.

On the surface, the record might seem ordinary at a first listen. Azarath are not trying to reinvent the wheel. This music seems to exist outside of trends. Nothing is done to obfuscate their metal through atmosphere. Studio trickery is not an issue here. There is very little ornamentation: the songs are evil in and of itself. They play this stuff live as is. It’s living breathing death.

However, a casual listen to In Extremis might feel cheapened when you are told that the drummer plays in Behemoth. But make no mistake, Azarath does not play second fiddle to their gigantically more popular sibling. Rest assured, you are unlikely to see this band playing at an arena named after a car company. Azarath is uncompromising. Delivering on the promise of this album title, their breed of death metal is truly extreme.

The record is ferocious from front to back, and yet, the amount of nuance on display is enough to keep a listener guessing. The threat this record presents is both in your face and hidden in plain sight, like a deadly serpent you expect will poison you but ends up crushing you to death instead. The menace they create is as immediate as it is crafty and sinister.

Azarath take something as seemingly innocuous as tempo and turn it into a weapon. The drums push. The guitars pull. They almost sound like they are playing two slightly different tempos simultaneously. This is how they create nerve-wracking tension and maintain it throughout the entirety of In Extremis. These Polish death metal stalwarts have been at it for the better part of two decades, and their sophisticated approach to songcraft is on full display on this record.

The finer points of In Extremis revealed themselves to me with repeated listens over the course of several months as Azarath kept me coming back for more. Up-tempo death metal can often seem by-the-numbers; over all such records can sound overly polished and scrubbed squeaky-clean. By contrast, Azarath fight dirty. In extremis is a kick to the nether regions of metal delivered with steel-toed boots. It’s dizzying and it floors you.

Usurpress - The Regal Tribe

By Hera Vidal. Everyone deals with pain differently; some choose to talk to others about it, others choose to keep the pain in and refuse to seek any help when it gets too much, and others choose to deal with it through music.

By Hera Vidal.

Artwork by Marald van Haasteren

Everyone deals with pain differently; some choose to talk to others about it, others choose to keep the pain in and refuse to seek any help when it gets too much, and others choose to deal with it through music. After all, in a medium that allows us to simultaneously empathize with and purge the pain the person is experiencing or has experienced. In the case of Usurpress, it seems that dealing with pain is a cathartic experience, and the only way to sometimes to deal with it is to let someone else in.

What kind of things has inspired the lyrics this time around? What kind of themes does the album deal with?

Stefan [Pettersson]: I think my battle with bone marrow cancer inspired the lyrics quite a bit. I was very sick when I wrote the story for the album, yeah, it’s a concept album, so I think the lyrics came out darker than usual. The story of the album is based around life versus death and what choice you make between them; it’s also a story of jealousy, vanity and betrayal.

From the Spanish Friedhof Magazine. Translation from the Usurpress blog.

The Regal Tribe is heavy, both in tone and in atmosphere. The first notes of “Beneath the starless skies” brings melancholic overtones with backing synths and death metal elements that seem to convey a sense of loss and a sense of desperation. This theme plays throughout the entire album, and adapts itself to several melodies and backing tones in each song. The first half of the album is heavier than the second half, as most of the death metal elements reside and make excellent use of all the instruments at their disposal. There are fierce, backing drums in “Across the dying the plains”, extensive jazz-like, prog-infused guitar distortion in “Beneath the starless sky” and, most prominently, “The halls of extinction”, which flows seamlessly into the second half of the album. That track marks the change the album will go into, paving the way to the road of acceptance.

The second half of the album begins with the deep bassline of “Throwing the gift away”, which leads to the clean vocals, heard for the first time on the entire album. The doom elements become prominent here—nevermind the change that happens halfway through the song, where everything returns to death metal for a while—especially in the ending sequence. It leads into “Behold the forsaken”, which has some interesting Sotajumala vibes, especially in the vocals and the guitars. It particularly shows in the guitars, where the constant beat seems to drive into you before releasing you back to its doom state. It’s fast, dark, and primal, making this the heaviest song on the record. The atmosphere sets the entire mood for the rest of the tracks, culminating in “In the shadow of the new gods”, where the theme throughout the entire album and the emotions behind it come to head. The acceptance of what has happened and what that has led to leads the song to end abruptly, before you realize that the beginning of “Beneath the starless skies” is the true ending of the album. Talk about a cyclical ending!

All in all, Usupress’ The Regal Tribe is emotionally intense, with superb vocals and instrumentation. There was a lot of death-doom tonalities that held the album together, although I wished they have been used more evenly throughout it. My only complaint is that the transitions between songs should have been smoother, as, sometimes, the transitions weren’t very clean. However, this might be to the digital edition of the album, so I digress. Regardless, The Regal Tribe may be difficult to get into on the first listen, but once you really get into it, it rewards you with music that is entirely the band’s own.

All the best wishes to vocalist Stefan Petterson in his battle with bone marrow cancer!

Triumph and Agonia

By Andy Osborn. Although they have been around since the turn of the millennium, the past few years have been incredible for Polish label Agonia Records. A staggering amount of unhinged black and death metal acts

By Andy Osborn.

Although they have been around since the turn of the millennium, the past few years have been incredible for Polish label Agonia Records. A staggering amount of unhinged black and death metal acts have recently joined their ranks and rocketed them to be among the elite European labels. Their releases are no stranger to the annals of Metal Bandcamp, but there’s simply too many great albums to cover in depth, so I thought I would detail a few of my favorites.

Cover art by Necromantic Art

Stench was the side-project of Tribulation members Jonathan and Johannes, and it really shows. Their spaced-out take on death metal clearly carries over here, but it’s a bit more to the point than in their other gig. Nowhere near as proggy or psychedelic, Ventures still uses the similar eerie guitar tones and focus on intrigue to result in a sound that’s more ethereal than deadly. And at 38-minutes, it’s a relatively easy romp through the fucked up minds of these dastardly Swedes. There may be fewer memorable melodies and drug-induced bridges, but their unique songwriting still made Stench one of the more interesting death metal projects around.

Cover art by Benjamin A. Vierling

I’ll admit, I completely skipped over this one when it was released in 2013. Despite the phenomenal reviews, I was simply too overwhelmed by the band's back catalog, reputation, and the length of IV: Arrow in Heart to take the dive. But now that the dust has settled and I've had some time to reflect, it becomes clear why Aosoth is lauded as one of the top French black metal acts. Maybe not quite as out there or experimental as some of their other countrymen, they are still a force to be reckoned with. The song lengths lend themselves to atmospheric black metal, while the beefy production parts of the songwriting are death metal through and through. The result is a staggering onslaught of never-ending twists and turns through a journey of devilish proportions. Epic in scope and execution, IV is wrapped in a miasma of poisonous fog that’s addicting as it is sinister.

Cover art by Kjetil Nystuen

This Norwegian Black Thrash band has flown largely under the radar since they formed almost twenty years ago. The war-obsessed old schoolers throw in everything you want out of the genre; fun riffs, ridiculous solos, songs of battle, and a never-ending feeling that they need to pay constant homage to Venom and Motorhead. Galloping through Fields of Rot is a joy as S.A. Destroyer pummels you with his classic 80s screams. Equal parts Slayer and Marduk, the songs aren’t exactly diverse, but their ripping power is undeniable. This style can be very hit and miss and this 2007 album was likely the high point of the band’s career, but Fields of Rot goes to show that when done right, worshipping the first wave of black metal is a battle worth fighting.

The Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda albums of 2014

By Kevin Page. I always complete my Best Of list by the beginning of December. But that means there are sometimes a few releases that come out late in the month I can't get to. It also means you probably won't see them on many other lists either.

By Kevin Page.

I always complete my Best Of list by the beginning of December. But that means there are sometimes a few releases that come out late in the month I can't get to. It also means you probably won't see them on many other lists either. Besides all that, there are always albums that just slip through the cracks. Sometimes I overlook an album or it doesn't click with me until much later. In that spirit, here's 4 metal albums you may not see mentioned all that much but definitely need to check out (and one non metal album that's just too good to pass up).

Cover art by Misanthropic-Art

Hollow Dominion is the 4th album from Czech Republic's, Destroying Divinity. Blistering death that almost treads into the brutal death metal realm at times, but mixes things up a bit with some doomy sections and sweeping melodic solos. Definitely not what I was expecting when I initially hit the play button on the first song. They bounce back and forth between these styles without feeling disjointed. It creates an interesting mix that not many bands do (or can pull off).

Art by Zbigniew Bielak

There's no messing around here. Straight up filthy black death from these Irishman on their debut album. ZOM hold nothing back on Flesh Assimilation. The production is a swirling mass of chaos. The vocals reverberate from toxic hellfire. Admittedly when this came out last month I was basically at my saturation point of albums for the year, so it didn't do much for me.. But I would put it on from time to time and the raw energy just won me over. It also helps that they have a plethora of memorable riffs in there, where most bands of this ilk do not.

Artwork by Mark Riddick

If you've been listening to extreme metal for more than 5 minutes over the past 20 years, chances are you heard the name Varathron before. For the most part they have been unfairly overlooked by fellow Greek countrymates Septicflesh and Rotting Christ. Untrodden Corridors of Hades (their 5th full length) is tasteful melodic mid paced black metal with a rock solid production. There's no pretense to try and be the most evil and brutal band on the block. This is a confident and seasoned band that knows its place. The soulful guitarwork shines and helps to infuse the whole experience with such a dark and occult vibe, that other bands only wish they could capture.

Cover painting by Santiago Caruso

I'll be honest with ya right up front: this record is gonna demand more of your time than anything else we've discussed so far. Equal parts progressive, black thrash and death metal, the Australian power trio, StarGazer, has really come up with something unique. A Merging to the Boundless is the bands 3rd full length album and also features members of Cauldron Black Ram and Mourning Congregation. It's by no means straight forward.   I don't even want to list what bands they sound like if you put them all in a blender, as that would do them a disservice. Just go in expecting a musical journey. You'll thank me later.

Artwork by Ariel Zucker-Brull

Hailing from Paris, France, Perturbator, is the brainchild of electronic music artist, James Kent. Dangerous Days isn't something that's even remotely in my wheelhouse, but it just scratches an itch I didn't know I had. If you are a child of the 80's or just love movies/shows like Blade Runner, Total Recall, Terminator or Knight Rider and thought, wouldn't it be cool to get naked and dance, then this is for you! It's not metal but its metal enough for metal fans to enjoy. Clothing optional.

Code - Augur Nox

Review by Andy Osborn.


Enslaved and Borknagar are two of my favorite all-time bands. There’s just very little sweeter to my ears than black metal aesthetics combined with progressive theatrics, slick guitar work and the occasional cleanly sung chorus. So I was beyond upset with myself for not having heard Code before the announcement of Augur Nox, their first album in four years. I have since binged on their back catalog and fell in love with their brand of mind-bending extreme metal that forgoes darkness and evil for something less tangible but equally disturbing. In the years since sophomore album Resplendent Grotesque the band has changed drastically and now boasts only a sole original member. But on their third full-length the English/Norwegian quintet have been able to keep the fire burning hot and stay true to their unique sound all the same.

Original singer Kvohst’s mind-bending and varied vocal performance was a defining piece of the Code identity, so even the most seasoned throat-burner would have trouble living up to his mystical aura. Switching between fire-breathing proclamation and preacher-esque clean passages, newcomer Wacian follows almost the exact form as his predecessor while even wrestling with similar deeply poetic and thought-provoking lyrics. Few people in this world could pull off such a niche approach, and the Englishman nails it. Vocal similarities aside, there are notable differences in approach taken by the band on Augur Nox. For one, the tracks are far less direct. While the band’s earlier work was firmly rooted in progressive tendencies, the songs had easier to decipher hooks that boasted a slightly firmer structure. But it’s rare that experimental-leaning bands ever ever pull back the reins with age so the new approach isn’t exactly shocking. Twenty minutes longer than their previous effort, it’s a massive, complex work nigh impossible to fully grasp as there’s no limit to the ever-flowing textures. When all seems relatively quiet, there always seems to be something hiding just beyond the veil; quiet, undecipherable whispers, ethereal echoes dancing across the soundscape, a bass fill humbly working its magic almost unnoticed. This leads far past their previously traveled realms and treads into the lands of experimentalism where the likes of Arcturus and Solefald reside.

Code play right into my tastes, so it’s no surprise I can’t speak highly enough of their work on Augur Nox. It’s an album that’s going to demand half a dozen spins just to scratch the surface, even when the melody and energy hit you immediately. But all this espousing can only go so far, as this is a work to be appreciated with an open mind free of expectations. Fans of metal extreme and calm will find much to appreciate in Code’s approach to the dark arts, though those seeking something that adheres solely to one or the other may be disappointed. A balancing act to be sure, but the multinational collective pull it off once again, this time on an even tighter rope.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Ephel Duath - On Death And Cosmos

Review by Natalie Zina Walschots. Originally published here by Exclaim.

Artwork by DehnSora

Italian progressive metal band Ephel Duath have undergone several transformations and line-up changes over the course of their amorphous career. The current incarnation of the group is the product of another complete turnover ― only founding member Davide Tiso remains and occasional drummer Marco Minneman has returned to the fold. Steve DiGiorgio joins them on guitar, as does legendary vocalist (and Tiso's partner) Karyn Crisis. The three-song EP, On Death and Cosmos, is a welcome evolution in Ephel Duath's sound.

While still jazzy and avant-garde in aesthetic, there's a sense of restraint and keen intelligence that their earlier work lacked. For example, "Black Prism" pulls back to become positively minimal by the end, the lone guitar bare and aching. Crisis's astoundingly deep, resonant voice is a highlight, the vastness of her range often providing a welcome counterpoint to the myopic intricacy of the music. An extremely promising restart to Ephel Duath, On Death and Cosmos is the kind of substantial EP that makes one long for a full-length.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Kongh - Sole Creation

Review by Justin C.


Kongh's latest album, Sole Creation, is available on the growing Bandcamp page of Agonia Records. The band has just two members, David Johansson and Tomas Salonen, but they make a mighty wall of sound in a genre I'll call "high-intensity doom."

I think it will be clear why I'm going with the "high-intensity doom" label when you hear how this album charges out of the gate. The opening track, "Sole Creation," quickly builds to a thundering riff over a tribal-sounding drum pattern. If this doesn't make you want to go on a King Kong(h)-style rampage of destruction, then I don't know what will. There are plenty of stately, doomy tempos on this album, but even if the speed ebbs and flows, the intensity stays high.

The lyrics of "Sole Creation" and "Tamed Brute" both describe some kind of beast, imprisoned against its will. How the beast came to be and how it was captured aren't clear, but the rage is unmistakable. Vocalist David Johansson has a wicked guttural, but he mainly sticks to clean vocals throughout the album, using his growls as punctuation. The vocals may be clean, but they have a very satisfying rasp that works very well with the music. I hear bits and pieces of 90s grunge in them, particularly Alice in Chains, with some hints of early Ozzy, but Johansson's vocal style is ultimately his own, filled with eerie menace. It also doesn't hurt that he's a good singer, period.

I don't normally geek out on production--I'm fairly tolerant to anything but the very extremes of quality, but it just so happens that this is a fantastic-sounding album. Salonen's drums are clear and well-balanced, and Johansson's guitar tone is growling but still focused, with the thundering bottom end serving as a great counterpoint to the winding lines he often plays above the foundational riffs.

I feel like this album didn't get a lot of attention in North America, but hopefully its availability on Bandcamp will change that.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]