Tints of Obsidian - EP Edition

By Justin C. Once again, we present some takes on black metal bands--which of course has nothing to do with some other site’s black metal roundups. Any resemblance in name or purpose are purely coincidental. Black-death-doom-other band Lychgate has been making wild, hard-to-categorize metal for close to a decade now

By Justin C.

Once again, we present some takes on black metal bands--which of course has nothing to do with some other site’s black metal roundups. Any resemblance in name or purpose are purely coincidental.

Artwork by Khaos Diktator Design.

Black-death-doom-other band Lychgate has been making wild, hard-to-categorize metal for close to a decade now, and over three full lengths and their new EP, Also Sprach Futura, they’ve made music to fire up your mind and body. This EP doesn’t diverge too much from the singular sound they’ve developed--including the unmistakable strains of a pipe organ--but they do what they do so well that it doesn’t really matter. The spooky, almost-jazzy interlude in “Progeny of the Singularity” makes for a subtle break from the chaos, but album-closer “Vanity Ablaze,” with its staccato shouts over artillery drumming, will get your engine revving again. If you haven’t checked out this band, this EP makes for a more manageable intro to their dense sound.

Artwork by Aghy Purakusuma.

Pure Wrath self-identifies as melancholic black metal, and the label is particularly apt for their newest EP, The Forlorn Soldier. Although there are only three tracks here, the emotional impact is high. The EP deals with the 1965 genocide in Indonesia, part of a Western-backed anti-communist purge, a mass murder in which an international panel found that the U.S., the U.K., and Australia were all complicit in. Pure Wrath’s musical take matches that darkness. “When a Great Man Dies” might come charging out of the gate like standard, high-energy melodic black metal, but anything “standard” about this track goes out the window with the addition of an off-kilter piano riff that suddenly comes out of nowhere. The heavy emotional toll quickly becomes clear, and it’s amplified in the long, closing track, “With Their Names Engraved.” The track, at times, feels more like funeral doom than black metal, at least in spirit, allowing for rage and quiet mourning to coexist. Another highly recommended entry in this band’s catalog, and possibly one of their most affecting.

Terra Tenebrosa - The Reverses

By Justin C. I get the impression that for a lot of people, Terra Tenebrosa gets stuck in the "too avant garde/too weird/only if I'm high" category. There are probably a few reasons for that.

By Justin C.


I get the impression that for a lot of people, Terra Tenebrosa gets stuck in the "too avant garde/too weird/only if I'm high" category. There are probably a few reasons for that. The vocalist--credited only as The Cuckoo--pushes the metal-vocalist-as-an-instrument idea to its fullest. He screams, hisses, whispers, rumbles, croaks, and everything else you could think of. Then there's the issue of genre. It's heavy, but what kind of metal is this? I've seen variations on "avant garde black metal," which...doesn't really cover it. On their latest, The Reverses, there's definitely an industrial influence. Do I add that in to a multi-hyphenated description? Or is this just post-everything? Well, I'm not going to let you off that easy. I'm not going to hammer it into a subgenre, because it deserves better than that.

Having gone back through all three of their full-length albums in preparation for this review, I realized something: Terra Tenebrosa isn't that weird oddball band that's too much even for the true kvlt. In fact, they're damn good song writers. Go back to The Tunnels, their first full-length, and listen to "Through the Eyes of the Maninkari." Yes, when the vocals kick in, it sounds like a demon recorded at half speed, but at its heart, this song is based on a damn fine, stomping guitar riff with an eerie line overlaid on top. (And just wait--the vocals later in the track sound like The Cuckoo is singing from the bottom of a blender.) Sure, the band often takes detours, but when you really listen, as I've done lately, you realize that these are solid metal tunes, even catchy ones, that are being reflected back to us from a funhouse mirror.

Terra Tenebrosa 2014. Photos by Webzine Chuul.

You can find plenty of examples throughout their discography. On The Purging, "The Compression Chamber" is shifting, dissonant, and just slightly off-kilter, but the drums are rock solid. The vocals come somewhere between a whisper and croak, but broken down to its fundamentals, this is a song that could be the soundtrack to the best horror movie you've never seen. Strip some of the stranger bits away, and this is a song that wouldn't have sounded completely out of place from one of your more adventurous-but-mainstream artists, maybe even 90s-era Bowie.

"Black Pearl in a Crystalline Shell" gave a glimpse of what's to come. The kind of driving, industrial rhythm in this track is something that's grown to be a major feature of The Reverses. The Cuckoo has some new friends this time around--with guest contributions from Blut aus Nord, Aosoth, and others. And yet somehow, even with these boundary-pushing conspirators, The Reverses might actually be Terra Tenebrosa's most accessible album yet. Hell, some of this is actually dance-able. "Dance metal?" you cry. "Blasphemy!" But listen to the thundering rhythms of "The End Is Mine to Ride" and tell me you're not itching to shake your black-clad ass at least a little.

Terra Tenebrosa 2014. Photos by Webzine Chuul.

Have they gone soft? Are they selling out? Unlikely. "Where Shadows Have Teeth" is another horror-fest, carried along on an alternate-note guitar riff that sounds like an ambulance siren that never arrives. The vocals are spine-chilling, but that's pretty much what you'd expect from bitey shadows. "Exuvia" starts with a guitar played to sound like a child's toy piano that's been half-melted in a furnace, and they let that ride with gurgling vocals for well over two minutes before the crashing percussion enters to add more form. Even the closing track, "Fire Dances," plays with your expectations, stretching to a mesmerizing 17-minutes. It makes you want to move, but it's a dance around a fire pit, not a club with glow sticks and MDMA.

Is it still weird for me to call this album accessible? I don't think so. Weird and creepy, but downright addicting, and in the end, expertly crafted music with just enough liberties taken to keep things fresh. The band is known, but after checking some of my favorite sites, I realized that they really haven't gotten the kind of coverage they deserve, especially since they're nowhere near as impenetrable as some of the highlights of the metal scene these days. Start with The Reverses, and then do as the album title suggests--go back and grab up the rest of their discography.

Latitudes - Old Sunlight

By Sean Golyer. Latitudes is a band that has largely (and criminally) flown under the radar amongst metalheads for far too long. Even I admit to this guilt having only discovered them in late 2013, but I've never looked back since. Old Sunlight

By Sean Golyer.

Artwork by Thomas Neulinger

Latitudes is a band that has largely (and criminally) flown under the radar amongst metalheads for far too long. Even I admit to this guilt having only discovered them in late 2013, but I've never looked back since. Old Sunlight sees them quite possibly at their best, so now is as good of a time as any to get on board. If you're already familiar with their past material, you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect here: a marriage of progressive, black, and sludgey riffage in a mostly instrumental presentation that defies genre classification. Not much has changed in this regard, nor should it, and is instead a refinement of all the best parts of their last two albums into something more engaging.

Their production has always been excellent since their debut, and the mix on display this time around is no exception. Layers upon layers of guitar weave a wealth of many timbres: crunchy, thick, meaty, saturated, and dissonant, all interchanged throughout for a dynamic listening experience from moment to moment. The drums are warm, boomy, and all-encompassing across the stereo field, keyboards are used to great thematic effect and never come across as corny or unwarranted. The bass mix is my only personal complaint. I know it’s there, I can feel it, but I have a tough time hearing or distinguishing it. It could be that the guitars a bit more down-tuned and sludge-y than past albums, thus eating up space normally occupied by the bass, or that they’ve toned back on the edge/distortion they’ve used on the bass in past recordings. Either way, it’s not quite as present and aggressive like it was on such tracks as “Myth Cathexis” or “Dreamland Precipice”. Regardless, this album still gives my sub a run for its money.

The masters I heard did tend to lean towards a more “compressed” Dynamic Range score (roughly DR 7 on most tracks), but I never really felt this was hurting the master in a way that was detrimental to my listening experience. At worst, the drums do tend to feel a bit “buried” and tame and could use some more headroom for its transients to breath, but this could just as well be the result of a guitar-dominant mix. There’s really great pacing in the songwriting to break up the heavy and soft moments which alleviate any concerns over ear fatigue. Overall, I personally felt it was a fairly pleasurable album to listen to.

As mentioned earlier, this is a mostly instrumental affair much like their past work. This can understandably lose some listeners’ interest without that driving, human element. Arguably their best songs are the ones they do actually utilize their vocalist, something that also happened to ring true in the past. I really do find myself wishing they’d be more willing to utilize vocals more often. Regardless, I can say with confidence that the musicianship and songwriting is at its tightest and most engaging since their inception. Every song is a journey all its own, waiting for you to explore every little nook and cranny along the way. There’s rarely a dull moment and they never really stumble into the classic prog-metal pitfall of being technically proficient while devoid of life and soul. There are plenty of moments to soak in the atmosphere and emotion, allowing you to feel the breadth of the sonic picture they’re creating between the all melodic chaos.

Ultimately, this is a solid third effort from Latitudes that’s more than worth your time. I may have focused on some of my personal nitpicks, but that should not be interpreted as me not enjoying this album. Rather, they’ve set a high bar for themselves up until this point, so I expect great things from them. Old Sunlight more than satisfies my thirst for more material from them, and generally emphasizes all of their most interesting and catchy elements into a densely-packed, 45-minute experience.

Recommended for fans of: Cult of Luna, Krallice, (old) Mastodon

Audio Disclosure

-Promotional 320kbps mp3’s were used in the making of this review
-MP3’s were converted to .WAV files to come up with DR scores

Referenced on:
-Sennheiser HD600 headphones through Digidesign Mbox 2 headphone pres + AD/DA
-Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers

Akhlys - The Dreaming I

By Majbritt Levinsen. "Breath and Levitatation" - just breathe, levitate and let go... Like the title of the first track you are lured into a greater calm with its droning industrial ambiance which starts out this brilliant album.

By Majbritt Levinsen.

Artwork by David Herrerias

"Breath and Levitatation" - just breathe, levitate and let go...

Like the title of the first track you are lured into a greater calm with its droning industrial ambiance which starts out this brilliant album. You will be lifted upwards on a rusty post-apocalyptic roller coaster that, when reaching its peak, will lose all bearings and fall uncontrollable down into a hall of mirrors reflecting kaleidoscopic nightmares, which are both pitch dark, nauseating, claustrophobic and sinister, but also holds a serene beauty, hypnotic aural landscapes and bleak atmospheres that only can be derived from the depths of the unknown.

The Dreaming I became one of the most anticipated releases of the year after I heard "Consummation" on Soundcloud and could only hope for an album which would not stray too far away from the teaser-track. Luckily it did not!

The tracks are all brutally powerful on so many levels, the drumming is insane and goes on in hyper-speed laying a stable foundation to the bleak atmosphere Naas Alcameth paints with big brushes filled with tar, tears, blood, worms, venomous flowers and rotting cadavers. The guitars feels like a fine layers of delicate razorsharp spiderwebs rising and falling in a heavy murky breeze from the depths, and somewhere underneath lies the bass like a low hum from a sleeping beast. The vocal is sinister and dares you to come closer to listen to its terrible tales of nightmares. When Naas Alcameth incantates “Awaken! Awaken!” in the later part of "The Dreaming Eye", it feels like he is at the same time pulling out my guts, and I’m willingly letting him do it because it feels so good.

"Tides of Oneiric Darkness" stands out for me, but just a tiny bit, as all of the tracks on this album are solid compositions all on their own. It is both brutally fast, but has some really breathtaking rises and falls of the grinding guitar and then there are the moments when the track slows down just enough for you to look all the way down into the ethereal depths of the track only to takes off again, I have no words to describe it. The atmosphere can’t get any more dense, dark and absolutely marvelous.

All together it’s just a perfect glimpse into the unknown world of a dreaming mind. We all know how confusing and sometimes scary dreams can be, how our brain catalogues and orders and tidies up in our brain when we sleep, processing our daily inputs. Mostly we have no clue what we dreamt about, sometimes we remember the dreams and then there is the dreams that we cannot remember but still haunts us when we wake up. That nauseating, uneasy feeling we took with us from a dream, that will linger in you for the rest of the day. The Dreaming I is such a feeling transformed into bleak atmospheric black metal.

I am amazed by Naas Alcameth's pitch black atmosphere and brutal execution of the tracks and I’m sure it will find a spot on many best-of list this year.

Porta Nigra - Kaiserschnitt

By Majbritt Levinsen. When I got offered to listen to Porta Nigra's Kaiserschnitt ahead of the release date I felt an extreme eager to hear it, but also an unnerving hesitation.

By Majbritt Levinsen.

Cover art by Metastazis

When I got offered to listen to Porta Nigra's Kaiserschnitt ahead of the release date I felt an extreme eager to hear it, but also an unnerving hesitation. The thought of being let into those smoky rooms, filled with the decadence and wonder of a bygone era both appealed to me but also raised a bit of fear for the unknown. But to find out what these two gentlemen from Germany had concocted on their new album I stretched out my arm, lifted the heavy drapes aside and looked into that old room again...

I had hoped to sneak in unnoticed but got caught off guard when I realized that while the room still felt the same, Porta Nigra had changed their suits. Cast aside the lazy atmosphere and absinthe drenched thoughts for mad warmongers dressed in stiff uniforms, waving their rifles in the air declaring their truth to the world. Add shady ladies with doubtful agendas and industrialized power and you are almost there. But there is more, as there always are with these two geniuses.

I curse my lacking knowledge of German. I understand enough of the lyrics to get an overall picture, but too little to really get them. That said: I really enjoy "Femme Fatale", "Kaiserschnitt" and most surprisingly even the extremely melancholic and depressing "Kein Schöneres Tod" for the lyrics. "Kein Schöneres Tod" shares the title with an old German folk-song/soldier-song from the 17th century. Porta Nigra does many fascinating things on this album, but this is by far the one song that I felt most surprised about. Maybe I have interpreted it wrongly, but it fits as Kaiserschnitt is an album dedicated to the victims of ‘The War To End All Wars’ - the 1st World War and the megalomania of Kaiser Wilhelm II. There's also mentions of some of the femme fatales of history, such as Eva, Lilith and Mata Hari. And thanks to "Femme Fatale" Bram Dijkstra’s book "Idols of Perversity: Fantasies of Feminine Evil in Fin-De-Siecle Culture" is now on my to-buy-list.

I really liked Fin de Siécle for it’s theme throughout the album; it held together from start to finish and so does Kaiserschnitt. The essence of Porta Nigra's decadence is still there, the unease is there, but there is more anger, despair and power behind the words and in the execution of the tracks. If there ever was any doubt about their creativity, there should be none after this album. Porta Nigra dives down into the murky waters of the past and delivers it elegantly, with a crooked smile on their lips, on a somewhat bent and dirty silver plate for us to feast upon, urging us to also look back and take note of the past before it is forgotten.

Top 10 Bandcamp Metal Releases of 2014

Written by Kevin Page.

We all love year end lists, right? Well, here's 10 pieces of music you should own in your Bandcamp collection. Let us know your favorites in the comments section.


10. Vanhelgd - Relics of Sulphur Salvation

My review.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

9. Temple of Void - Of Terror and the Supernatural

It gives you that feeling of being flattened like a pancake, but it sounds so good you really don't mind. In fact, it will put a huge grin on your face.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

8. Infestus - The Reflecting Void

One of those albums I heard earlier in the year and thought, "okay" and I bookmarked it. I then listened to it last month and was like "WOW". I'm just thankful I had the good sense to revisit it.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

7. Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel

How do you follow up a debut album that was critically acclaimed and avoid the sophomore jinx? By eating vegemite and avoiding drop bears every day, that's how!

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

6. Emptiness - Nothing but the Whole

My review.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

5. Swallowed - Lunarterial

My review.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

4. Hail Spirit Noir - Oi Magoi

One could use about 10 adjectives to describe their sound. I'll simply let you decide for yourself. But please go in with an open mind and no preconceived notions. Unless of course you heard their debut, Pneuma, then you can just expect more of the same, but better in every regard.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

3. Aenaon - Extance

I'm so happy they finally made this available on Bandcamp last month. The album came out in January and it drove me nuts that I couldn't review it here or had a nice handy link to share with friends for them to check out. Now that this has been rectified, do yourself a huuuuuuuge favor and listen.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

2. Universe217 - Ease

My review.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

1. Majestic Downfall / The Slow Death - Split

My review.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Year of No Light - Tocsin

Written by Ulla Roschat.

Artwork by Simon Fowler

If I only could make movies, I’d make a movie to this soundtrack, the pictures and stories are all here in my head. Once again Year of No Light prove that they aren’t only able to write a perfect soundtrack to a movie, but that they can write a perfect “soundtrack” that creates a movie in your head.

After two full length albums, several split releases and the soundtrack project Vampyr, Tocsin now is the third full length album (and the first through ‘Debemur Morti Productions’ ) of the French Post-Metal band from Bordeaux. The album comprises five tracks with an overall playing time of nearly one hour - one hour of atmospheres and heaviness, carefully balanced out to keep up the tension between a sense of a lurking hovering menace, its execution and its emotional impact.

Photo by Pedro Roque.

The opening track "Tocsin" takes its time to conjure up a haunting atmosphere, beginning with quiet synth sounds, slow paced drumming a dirge like doomy atmosphere which builds up as a harbinger of pain and sorrow. The ambient sounds grow slowly from ripples into huge waves a colossal sea monster would raise when emerging from the dark cold depths of the oceans. By the time you notice and recognize its presence in form of a heavy monolithic riff you’re already lost in the deathly embrace of its tentacles, dragging you down to meet cold dark emptiness in dissonant electronic sounds and feedback. The track is indeed a perfect introduction into the album. Starting slow, quite simple in structure, but with details and layers, forceful and hypnotic.

"Géhenne" seems, at first listen, to leave the thread of moods the opener had set. Much faster and sounding almost cheery and light, it’s a real counterpart to all other songs, but actually it gives expression to the state of mind after you've met a devastating evil force. Jarring black metal sounds, melodic but noisy, steer the song towards a frantic dissonant ending. The ostensible cheeriness is one of hysterical insanity.

Photo by Pedro Roque.

With "Désolation" the album turns back to the more slow and doomy atmospheres. Here you find yourself, quasi in sober state again, in the dark lonely vast emptiness, recognizing its inescapability with an utter depressing heaviness executed by droning sludge doom. Here the balance between crushing heavy power and and melancholic solemn atmosphere is most outstanding and of vibrant emotional tension which is continued in the following track "Stella Rectrix". A short quiet and slow synth intro, followed by a monstrous riff and beautiful melancholic melodies, gaining speed with a dynamic build up, with swirling guitars, breathtakingly energetic drumming and a lot of references to early dark ambient electronic krautrock. The last track "Alamüt" is the least describable (at least for me). It feels somewhat like a long outro, its dynamic, chaotic, still not incoherent.

If I only could make movies…., Tocsin is one of the most inspiring albums of 2013’s releases. Is it the fact that it’s entirely instrumental, or indeed Year of No Light experience of actually having made movie soundtracks, the overall dark and epic orchestral sound (3 guitars, 2 drums, 1 bass, 4 of 6 band members taking care of all the electronic sounds, synths/keys), or their ability to create that incredible balance and tension between heaviness and atmospheric parts of which both strike with a devastating emotional impact?… whatever might be to blame for creating pictures in my head… who cares!

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Note: Originally posted on the defunct Temple of Perdition blog.

Blut aus Nord / P.H.O.B.O.S. – Triunity

Written by Craig Hayes.

Cover art by Katarzyna Urbanek

No matter the style, tone, or texture of their releases, what’s always stood out in the discography of Blut aus Nord is that the band exhibits a breathtaking array of ideas, creative prowess, and instrumental expertise. The avant-garde French black metal band has constantly reshaped their sound over the years, and it’s all been delivered with wholehearted (or, perhaps more aptly, blackhearted) commitment. The band’s trademark metaphysical aesthetic has shadowed all of the band’s work, but the strongest element that binds releases such as Memoria Vetusta II, MoRT, Odinist, or the band’s heralded 777 trilogy, is Blut aus Nord’s consistent desire to experiment and remain unpredictable.

There’s no change in that approach on Blut aus Nord’s latest split release, Triunity, where the band shares space with fellow French outfit P.H.O.B.O.S. Frédéric Sacri is the artist behind P.H.O.B.O.S, and while the one-man band gazes into the abyss for inspiration like Blut aus Nord, P.H.O.B.O.S. favours the world of droning doom and industrial metal. P.H.O.B.O.S and Blut aus Nord certainly operate at different points on the extreme music compass, but there’s a clear alliance of wills where both bands favour esoteric sounds that ignore schlock chills and aim for something deeper and more unnerving.

Blut aus Nord mainman, Vindsval, is joined by drummer Thorns on Triunity; and that live percussion brings a more organic punch to the band’s three songs on the release. “De Librio Arbitrio”, “Hùbris” and “Némeïnn” mix crooked and choral vocals with eerie synths, and, of course, Blut aus Nord’s contorted riffs and melodies all feature heavily. In amongst the layers of atmospheric and Gothic grimness, there’s a sense of meticulously arranged experimentalism, where Blut aus Nord’s evolving process also brings the presence of menacing otherworldly forces. For anyone who’s enjoyed Blut aus Nord’s previous exploring of ominous shades of darkness, Triunity is set to be as equally rewarding.

P.H.O.B.O.S. brings something very different to Triunity. As mentioned, there are ties that bind the two bands, but it's probably an intimidating prospect to be sharing a split with Blut aus Nord. No problem there, because P.H.O.B.O.S. easily holds their own on “Glowing Phosphoros”, “Transfixed at Golgotha” and “Ahrimanic Impulse Victory”. Where Blut aus Nord approach the infinite void with a sense of imposing grandeur, P.H.O.B.O.S. is more surgical in methodology. Deep space electronics are fed through bitter industrialism on P.H.O.B.O.S.’ tracks. Glitchy lurches, pitch-black drone, and warped synths and samples all twist around each other, as P.H.O.B.O.S. displays a knack for evoking urban decay, and the fear of a world well past the point of return.

While Blut aus Nord and P.H.O.B.O.S. each take very different routes through the darkness on Triunity, they meet at the point where nightmares are not so easily shaken off during daylight hours. Both bands bring that feeling of profound unease we know well when we look out the corner of our eye, and see that ever-present undercurrent of doom and despair waiting to strike. Call it all harmonious disharmony, or perhaps a shared sense of discord, Triunity offers two avenues of enmity that end where the truth of existence is laid bare, in all its disconcerting horror.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Porta Nigra - Fin de Siècle

Written by Majbritt Levinsen.


I’ve had a hard time figuring out how to describe Porta Nigra’s sound and style, the music awakes a turmoil of feelings and thoughts that are hard to grasp and translate into words. It is a bizarre, dark, feverish nightmare, that is melodic and strangely enjoyable. This is avantgarde black/dark metal wrapped in a gothic veil. But this quote from Debemur Morti Productions own description of the release is quite spot on: "...A dark and bizarre smorgasbord of degeneration, PORTA NIGRA draws inspiration from a myriad of sources to conjure a sound that has a life of its own."

If we look to the title Fin de Siècle and the imagery the band has created around themselves, Porta Nigra have managed to translate the essence of the degenerated mentality from the end of 19th century, when boredom, pessimism and decadence began to show in literature and arts, into music. I can easily imagine myself in a smoke filled room with heavy curtains blocking out any sun- or moonlight, where hazy silhouettes of well dressed bodies eat,drink and enjoy themselves, not caring for the world outside. Bodies lazily hanging in well padded chairs and chaises, slowly sipping liquor from delicate glasses, cigarettes smoking themselves in lifeless hands while internal monologues troubles the mind of its owner. Self loathing and self admiration going hand in hand.

Porta Nigra resides in Germany and the lyrics are both in German and English. The bands two members Gilles de Rais (Guitar and Bass) and O (Drums and Vocal) have managed to create something new, to me at least. I have to say that even though I like this album, it does give me an unsettling feeling in my guts. It must be the darker undercurrents that flows under the songs and the eerie dark lyrics. It is not music you listen to when you want to get in a good mood, that is for sure.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Ævangelist - Omen Ex Simulacra

Written by Red.

Cover art by Andrzej Masianis

On the surface, Omen Ex Simulacra is a journey rendered entirely in gray. This would obviously make it difficult to discern the subtleties present in the music. Indeed, the atmosphere of the record is so thick, so cloying, that it might take the listener a few listens to be able to separate the instruments from the background noise. Then again, calling it "background" seems to be short-changing it, as that is tied to the presentation of these songs just as the down-tuned guitar or the pounding drums.

It is also a study in execution. In previous reviews, I've mentioned how execution seems to be underrated in a time where innovation is prized above all else. However, what we have here in Ævangelist is a band that is innovative and consistent in execution. The artistic vision is rendered undisturbed from the minds and limbs of Thorn and Ascaris to our ears. In fact, these two take their vision so seriously that they have created an insular space wherein they write, record, and produce the music by themselves with no outside interference/assistance. The only thing they don't do is the cover art. Speaking of that, it's another brilliant piece that subtly disgusts with its vague imagery.

New label Debemur Morti calls Thorn and Ascaris "prophets of an alternate death metal". I couldn't agree more. One has to admire Debemur Morti for taking a chance on the band, as well. And once the listener digs through the layers, one might find that the rhythms have been focused, the guitars and drums honed to a sharper edge than on the previous full-length. Ascaris' vocals continue to shine, with the expected death growls and blackened rasps. His voice has a deranged character to it and is immediately recognizable in a crowded field.

The second half of the record (plus bonus track "The Æbelisk") shows a subtle shift toward a more conventional, rhythmic approach. Not that they turn the atmosphere down, necessarily, but it does appear to be pushed back ever so slightly. As a result, a track like "Prayer for Ascetic Misery" practically jumps out of my headphones with a riff unlike any other the band had written to this point. The tritone, an old hand of metal riffs for 40+ years now, makes an appearance and doesn't disappoint.

Ævangelist is one of the true originals in the death metal scene. Their caustic mix of death metal and atmospherics is an adventurous leap forward from the fundamental aspects embodied by countless other bands. Thorn and Ascaris bravely forge ahead, not waiting for the rest of us to catch up.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

October Falls - The Plague Of A Coming Age

Review by Andy Osborn.


First, a primer: October Falls is the project of lone wolf M. Lehto, who’s been creating majestic metal for over a decade. He splits the band between two genres; melancholy Finnish folk that’s wholly instrumental, and a folk-inspired black/doom hybrid not unlike Agalloch. While both styles share aesthetic similarities, they are separated by release with folk albums denoted by a square logo and the metallic records with a circular design. But the pure folk years are long bygone and the last few releases have disposed of a logo altogether, showing that the project is concentrating one, whole sound.

Anyone familiar with folk/black hybrids won’t be surprised to find out that October Falls’ material draws inspiration from Finland’s natural beauty – this is the first album not using a wilderness photo on the cover. As stereotypically Cascadian as a one-man project influenced by nature sounds, October Falls is the real deal. The music is beyond emotional, you can feel the cathartic release in every note, every word. M. takes his music very seriously, which is why this is only the fourth October Falls full-length in the project’s twelve year existence. Lehto’s music is criminally underrated; the most prominently his work has ever been displayed was in a half-page Decibel feature in 2010. But with The Plague of a Coming Age, that is all set to change.

While sonically somewhat similar to 2010’s A Collapse of Faith, the new record moves the band in a direction that can only be described as melodic dark metal. Acoustic guitars are almost completely eschewed and the focus looks towards heart-wrenching melodies and woeful cascades of sound. Also gone are songs of double-digit length as M. Lehto and company spread their creativity across more tracks, resulting in the most dynamic and varied October Falls release to date. But the folk aesthetics remain in each carefully crafted riff and field recording; neither is overdone or lightly written, giving an unparalleled emotional weight to the album.

Undoubtedly, the cast of guests that appear on the album helped fuel the growth in sound the project has taken. This is the third record featuring Moonsorrow’s Marko Tarvonen on drums and first with Ensiferum’s Sami Hinkka on bass; Tomi Joutsen’s signature clean vocals completes the trifecta of borrowed Finnish talent. While the rhythm section is undeniable hefty, it’s the croonings of the latter that really stand out. Tomi first appears on the album’s title track, interspersing his angelic voice with Lehto’s rasps. But a few tracks later Lehto fully relinquishes control. On ballad-esque “Boiling Heart of the North”, the melody and melancholy grow so strong that that you think Mr. Joutsen had graciously given an unaltered Amorphis track to the release.

I’ve always loosely associated October Falls albums with different seasons, and the newest release sets itself firmly in the Spring. The sorrow and hardships of winter are still present, although fading, as a seed of hope is planted. Change is in the air like rain, damping spirits yet promising new life. On The Plague of a Coming Age, M. Lehto’s roots remain deep and strong but it’s clear his branches are reaching out to new heights.

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Label spotlight: Debemur Morti Productions

Debemur Morti Productions is a French label almost solely dedicated to black metal (or the black arts as they say), with very few detours into other genres. Like many other metal labels they have a Bandcamp page, where there's currently 50 albums available. Allow me to bullet point the reasons I think the Debemur Morti Bandcamp is awesome.

• New stuff! Debemur Morti adds new releases to their Bandcamp. Behexen, Monolithe, Archgoat, Wallachia, they're all there, and all fully streamable. The prices are fair, most albums are 5-6 euros (which is 7-8 dollars). And recently pre-orders for future releases have started to appear, like the one for October Fall's The Plague Of A Coming Age.
• Great stuff! Many great album from the Debemur Morti back catalog are available. Like the 777 trilogy by Blut aus Nord and Arckanums's fantastic ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ from 2009. The black metal masterpiece that had the mighty Autothrall enthusing: The drums and bass plod like thunder beneath the endless battery of grim, warlike chords. Upon listening to this I am instantly transplanted to black and white fields of carrion, the worship of faiths best left forgotten drilled into the psyche through the repetition of but a few notes.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

• Free stuff! There's Servants Of Chaos, a sampler with 13 songs from recent Debemur Morti releases. Some of the earlier releases are also available as name your price. Mostly albums by lesser known bands, but you can also get the Kontamination EP by Haemoth. Search through the name your price albums and you'll find some...
• Weird stuff! (V.E.G.A.)'s debut full-length Cocaine starts off in a whirlwind of furious drumming, frenetic shredding, and insane screaming. But soon things get weirder; more industrial influences are added, slower menacing passages start to appear, synths gets more psychedelic. This Metal Archives review tells that Cocaine is intended to represent the downward psychological and physical spiral of a drug addict; this may explain why (V.E.G.A.) finally eschews black metal entirely for a) a solemn instrumental driven by industrial drums b) 1 minute of silence c) 9 minutes of what can best be described as euro-house mixed with Kraftwerk. Weird. But very good.

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Monolithe - Monolithe III

Art by Robert Høyem

Monolithe - Monolithe III is available on the Debemur Morti Productions Bandcamp. One song, 52 minutes of funeral doom. But not the plodding, crushing kind, for a funeral doom album this is actually a pretty sprightly affair. Instead of slowly submerging you in a morass of epic and droning riffs (like Ea) Monolithe makes all 52 minutes count; bending and twisting riffs, as they lead us through musical movements each seamlessly appended to another.

Monolithe also tries things other funeral doom bands don't. As the always dependable Don't Count On It Reviews explains it:

it's what I think Blut Aus Nord might sound like if they went funeral doom. It has those really bizarre sounding guitars that are somewhat industrial tinged but harmonized in ways that make the entirety of what they're playing sound just a little off. It's like someone decided to slow down Godflesh to a crawl

Parts sound groovy, parts sound triumphant, parts sound progressive; thankfully all of this is held together by an extraordinary sense of flow, making Monolithe III also a very cohesive album. And one that comes highly recommended.

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Haemoth - In Nomine Odium

By Natalie Zina Walschots. It has been six years since French black metallers Haemoth released an album, and by the sound of things, they spent every second of that time nursing a simmering fury. From the opening moments of "Odium," crackling energy

By Natalie Zina Walschots. Originally published by Exclaim.


It has been six years since French black metallers Haemoth released an album, and by the sound of things, they spent every second of that time nursing a simmering fury. From the opening moments of "Odium," crackling energy pours off the album like a heat haze.

The production is ugly, as much black metal is, but deliberately so, full of buzz and blare that snarl in the listeners' ears and are as much a part of the instrumentation as the hissing vocals or ominous, blaring riffs. The treble is turned up incredibly high, giving everything a metal-on-metal harshness that sounds like red-hot filings burrowing into your eardrums.

In terms of mood, intensity and sound quality, In Nomine Odium is an unqualified success. The riff structures tend towards the repetitive side, without a lot of variation or surprise. "Spiritual Pestilence" shakes things up the most; it's an instrumental with a slower, looming rhythm and thoroughly unsettling composition. If you're looking to drink some nihilistic tincture, the indiscriminate hate of In Nomine Odium is exactly what you're waiting for.

Blut aus Nord - 777 - Cosmosophy

Cosmosophy, the conclusion to Blut aus Nord's 777 trilogy is available on the Debemur Morti Productions Bandcamp. The trilogy has seen the band move onward from their base of convulsing black metal. While Sect(s) was the harsh sounds of hellish machinery, brutal and blastbeat laden, The Desanctification removed a layer of metalness and added post-rock and more industrial influences.

[The Desanctification] is like a ritual, a sad ritual. Sect(s) was a brutal and desolate admission of failure, like the tragic sound of perdition.

Though less aggressive than Sect(s), The Desanctification is still quite a heavy album. But on Cosmosophy more layers of metal are peeled of and what emerges is a kind of blackened ambient music; the harshness is almost gone, but the darkness is still there, a grandiose and in places almost serene darkness.

Cosmosophy will be the most atmospheric album of the trilogy. I’m going to include more electronic sounds and new things in the sound of Blut Aus Nord, like a jazzy approach in a few parts.

The whole trilogy works as a extremely coherent, musical piece. Like the way the first two songs on Cosmosophy echoes the ending of The Desanctification, which itself is a twisted mirror image of Sect(s). Try listening to it all, it is one of the rare trilogies where the sum is better than the parts. The quotes are from this Invisible Oranges interview with Vindsval from Blut aus nord.

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[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]