Abhor - Sex Sex Sex (Ceremonia Daemonis Anticristi)

#FOR FANS OF: Occult Black Metal

The Italian veterans Abhor, a band founded in 1995 in Padua, have returned with its eighth opus entitled 'Sex Sex Sex (Ceremonia Daemonis Anticristi)', once again released by the always reliable label Iron Bonehead Productions. I have always enjoyed those black metal bands, whose lyrics are strongly focused on occultism and witchcraft, among other similar concepts, as this conceptual influence makes the music sound quite distinctive. From my personal point of view, those themes are sonically better represented when the band creates compositions with a strong atmospheric touch. Abhor is a fine example of it as these sorts of bands successfully mix the expected ferociousness and rawness of the black metal genre with a sinister and mysterious ambience, making the songs actually sound as a proper witches' sabbath.

Abhor’s latest opus 'Sex Sex Sex (Ceremonia Daemonis Anticristi)' is a fine exemplification of this aforementioned idea. The first proper track "Ceremonia Daemonia Anticristi" is a great album opener, where we can listen to the main characteristics of this album, the band achieves a nice mixture of slightly raw guitars, vicious raspy vocals, and a great atmospheric arrangement in the form an organ. This instrument is for sure, the most adequate one to create this dark and hypnotic atmosphere. Pace wise, the album is not especially fast as the compositions are more focused on mid-tempo sections where the riffs, which have a nice old-school touch, and the keys shine a lot. In any case, we can hear some punctual speed bursts in songs like "Ode to the Snake", for example, although they don’t last too much. This song in particular, is a highlight in terms of pace change as it is quite varied and enjoyable. I especially like how marked are the different sections in terms of intensity, and how naturally a quite aggressive part is followed by a much more atmospheric one, always keeping the composition a natural flow. "Ritual Mentor" is another great song, when we speak about making a clear contrast between the different intensities that we can find in a composition. But never leaving behind the fact, that the song and the whole work have a strong occult atmosphere which permeates every track. "October 31st, 2010" is the longest composition and probably one of my favorites as it summarizes all the strong points of this album. A long and mysterious introduction creates the appropriate mood for another fine display of occult black metal, once again with an appropriate balance between the most aggressive parts and keyboard driven spooky sections, where the band is especially inspired.

All in all, 'Sex Sex Sex (Ceremonia Daemonis Anticristi)' is a very solid effort where rawness and atmosphere are perfectly balanced, so any fan of black metal can enjoy this album. The vicious vocals and the solid riffing are perfectly complemented by the organs and keys, which enhance the occult and dark atmosphere that band wants to represent with its music. (Alain González Artola)

(Iron Bonehead Productions - 2022)
Score: 79

https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/album/abhor-sex-sex-sex-ceremonia-daemonis-anticristi

In Grief - An Eternity of Misery

#FOR FANS OF: Death/Doom

The Italian trio In Grief was founded just two years ago, but the newcomers have been able to present a promising demo and EP prior to the arrival of the always decisive debut, where a new project must show all the cards. This didn’t seem to be a problem as the three musicians are already involved in several other projects, and the experience is always a secure value.

 

'An Eternity of Misery' is the name of the baby and, as you may guess, the music behind this title suits the title perfectly well. What In Grief dues is a 100% classic death/doom metal, absolutely devoted to what the genre has offered since its inception. So, don’t expect any great surprise, although I am quite sure that In Grief doesn’t want to please with you with surprises, but with the quality of its stuff, what fortunately happens. The album begins with an awesome starter entitled "Beyond the Dark Veil", which includes all the elements you want to hear in this genre. Robust growls accompanied by a solid yet classic rhythmic base and quite heavy guitars, this time accompanied by a beautiful violin, an instrument that always shines every time is used in the death/doom genre. In the subsequent track "Ярна", the guitars make a step forward in terms of addictive and memorable melodies which stuck in your mind as the song advances. The composition itself is a bit more upbeat in its peace, which is always a good aspect as the band tries to add some variety in a genre, where the pace is not always so heterogeneous, to say at least. The violin has another nice yet small appearance in the also quite enjoyable track "Queen of Babylon", where it performs another delicate melody accompanied by the guitars, which is the best moment of this composition. The guitar performance is excellent through the whole album with a good dose of excellent heavy riffs, but also some great harmonies and very enjoyable solos. It seems pretty clear to me that there is a good amount of work behind to make sound the guitars enough varied in each song. "Demons" is the real outsider of this album with a different approach and pace. Initially the song is quite soft and has some clean vocals, but it slowly evolves to a heavier section, where the aggressive vocals have a higher pitch than usual. The violin makes another appearance, which unsurprisingly is exquisite once again. The album has a great ending thanks to a trio of excellent songs. Here,the band shows the most excellent aspects of its music with a mixture of great riffs and memorable melodies (those guitars in the middle of "Close to Insanity", accompanied by some fantastic atmospheric arrangements are top-notch), more breathtaking violin additions and a great craftsmanship. Realizing how good are the atmospheric keys, I only hope that they will use them more often in future releases, as they are hypnotizing and enrich In Grief’s compositions in a very appropriate way.

In conclusion, In Grief’s 'An Eternity of Misery' is an excellent debut of pure death/doom metal with a great work in the compositions. I do hope they will explore more their most atmospheric and melancholic side in their future releases, as the violin and the keys are a more than welcoming addition to the already excellence, we can find in the guitar work. (Alain González Artola)

(Iron Bonehead Productions - 2022)

Score: 82

https://www.facebook.com/ingrief/

Prometheus - Aornos

#FOR FANS OF: Atmospheric Black/Death

The Greek trio Prometheus returns two years after its crushing 'Resonant Echoes from Cosmos of Old' with a new opus, hopefully destinated to confirm the strengths found in the aforementioned album. The line-up has suffered only a change, although a quite important one, as the vocalist Aggelos was replaced in 2021 by Meleager, who is part of the also interesting project Archemoron.

Prometheus mixes black and death metal influences with certain atmospheric touches. If in the previous album, I noticed there was a great contrast between the first part, which was more brutal and sinister, and the second, where the atmospheric touch has a more prominent role, I can definitely say that Prometheus new opus continues to have this clear contrast between compositions. 'Aornos', the name of the new beast, begins with a short and nice intro, despite the real beginning is the second and brutal track "The Devouring Chasm", where Prometheus effortlessly mixes black and death metal influenced riffs. The mentioned contrast is clear as certain riffs are truly heavy, while the black metal ones have a classic tremolo style. Furthermore, the track also has some atmospheric keys, which enrich the composition and highlight the difference between the most melodic and smashing sides of Prometheus music. The new vocalist Meleager does sound a bit different, being his growls not as deep as the former singer’s ones, although they are quite competent. Apart from this, I appreciate his effort to add more nuances to his vocal performance, with black metal influenced shrieks and also some cleaner voices, which sound quite phantasmagorical. The subsequent tracks "Slithering Tongue and Lethe" and "Mnemosyne", leaving behind the fact that the later one has an atmospheric/folk intro and an ambient outro, sound closer to the most brutal side of Prometheus music. The death metal tendence is quite clear, as both the demolishing drums and the heavy riffage follow the patterns of this genre. In any case, the track also includes some typical black metal riffing which is adequately included in both compositions. As it happened in 'Resonant Echoes from Cosmos of Old', the second half of the album brings back some of the atmosphere we enjoyed in the album opener. The track "Vessel of Empiricism" is clearly the slowest track of the whole album, with a strong atmospheric flavour, a quite peculiar vocal approach, and an interesting guitar work, which includes some captivating melodies. The album comes to its end with an epic composition divided in two parts, "The Alpha and the Omega Revealed". The fast pace returns in the first part in a composition that breaks the usual balance between death and black metal, which a sound clearly tending to the later one. The guitar work is again quite interesting and enjoyable, as it adapts to the changing pace of the composition, even though it always sounds quite melodic. The second half still has a strong black metal approach, but also includes some riffs which sound closer to the death metal genre and they even have some dissonance at moments. Thanks to its remarkable length the song has many ups and downs in its pace and a quite varied vocal performance and structure. Moreover, it also includes some atmospheric keys again which makes me happy, as I have already mentioned in the previous album, that Prometheus always includes simple yet quality key sections.

'Aornos' is definitively a solid continuation to the excellent 'Resonant Echoes from Cosmos of Old' despite the fact that it doesn’t sound as inspired as the previous album. Stylistically it is perhaps a better-balanced effort, but I feel, and this is totally subjective, that the strongest moments of that album might be greater that the ones we find here. In any case, this is a very good album of black/death metal with excellent compositions and great work behind it. (Alain González Artola)

(I, Voidhanger Records - 2022)
Score: 80

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/aornos 

Trolldom - I Nattens Sken (Genom Hemligheternas Dunkel)

#FOR FANS OF: Atmospheric Black Metal

The devotion to the roots of a genre or its golden era is something we can definitively find in almost every single subgenre of the metal scene, and the black metal scene is not stranger to this phenomenon. Although I consider essential for a genre to evolve and find new niches to enrich its core sound, I have always had a soft room for the bands and projects that bring back to the classic sound of the mighty '90s, where black metal was certainly something special. From time to time I have the chance of checking out new projects that successfully create albums, which are a true and tasteful portrait of that time. But it’s less common to find a project, whose debut consists of not a single album, but two opuses released at the same time. This is something outstanding and particularly if the quality is top-notch as it has happened this time. The Swedish one-man project Trolldom has assaulted the scene with two magnificent albums entitled 'Av Gudars Ätt…' and the present one, 'I Nattens Sken (Genom Hemligheternas Dunkel)'.

As it is a herculean task to review two albums, today I will focus on the second album 'I Nattens Sken (Genom Hemligheternas Dunkel)', which is a tremendous album of pure '90s atmospheric black metal. Starting from the production, you will immediately feel yourself immersed in the raw, yet atmospheric essence that forged the sound of legendary projects of that era. Contrary to some lo-fi production, the sound here is obviously raw, but well balanced and enough clean to appreciate the different instruments. There is a tendence to place in the front the vocals and drums, but the guitars can be also appreciated, and the symphonic/atmospheric arrangements are also audible, creating the hypnotic atmosphere that we love in this genre. The vocals are excellent, with these trademark shrieks which sound powerful. The tone is obviously high, though it has some screams which are particularly powerful, as it happens in the track "Draparen av Livets Veke". Pace wise, the album is fast as hell, the drums are a continuous exercise of blast-beats, that are crushing, but still have some excellent tempo-changes that make the drumming performance something to appreciate. From the ferocious album opener "Under Vinternattens Dystra Fullmane" to the last and epic track "Till Ruinens Svarta Rike", the listener will realise how relentless the pace is through the entire album. In any case, you will never feel that the album is boring as the drumming has some changes and technical touches that make it memorable. Furthermore, the great riffs and the excellent atmospheric arrangements, which are really captivating will definitively catch you. "Ondskans Svarta Brodeskap" is maybe the slowest track, because it slowly introduces you into a truly dark and dense atmosphere until the composition reaches a point where it explodes full of fury. As mentioned, the hectic pace doesn't mention that the album is a monorhythmic beast, the aforementioned track and the equally excellent "Inom Nattens Eviga Rit" show that the compositions have also good tempo-changes. The well-done contrast between the fastest sections and the mid-tempo or even slow parts, manages to enrich the compositions. The atmospheric arrangements are indeed a highlight of this album, with an excellent use of the keys, which appropriately complement the rest of the instruments. The ambient synthesizers, the simple yet effective pianos and the slightly symphonic keys are tastefully placed in each song, maintaining the recognizable style, but never sounding boring and exactly the same. The worth of using the same formula, but never sounding predictable is something that deserves all our praise.

'I Nattens Sken (Genom Hemligheternas Dunkel)’ is definitely an awesome debut that every fan of atmospheric black, and in general who loves black metal, should listen. The eight pieces of this debut are equally excellent and a fine example of the immense talent of the musician behind Trolldom. (Alain González Artola)

(Iron Bonehead Productions - 2022)
Score: 88

https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/album/trolldom-i-nattens-sken

Esoctrilihum - Consecration of the Spiritüs Flesh

#PER CHI AMA: Experimental Black

France’s Esoctrilihum doesn´t seem to have any intention of slowing down its pace of releases. Since the project’s inception in 2016, its mastermind Asthâghul has been releasing albums every year since 2017. That fact would be something to praise when the quality is good, even if the stuff would be an easy one to digest. But every listener who has ever checked out this project’s music knows the level of complexity, experimentation, and uniqueness that Esoctrilihum always delivers. The bar was even higher with its two last masterpieces, that successfully mixed its most experimental side with some memorable melodies and a strong atmospheric touch. But Asthâghul is by no means a conformist artist, as he has tried to push the project’s boundaries once more with the new release.

'Consecration of the Spiritüs Flesh' is the name of the new beast, and by far the shortest of all albums that Esoctrilihum has released so far. This may give you an idea of one of the most essential characteristics of the new album. Yes, this album is undoubtedly its most brutal album to date. It’s a furious monster that crushes every bone from the beginning to end and makes me remember the most brutal songs of the previous album 'Dy'th Requiem for the Serpent Telepath'. The final part of that album showed some quite extreme tunes that have been an anticipation of the new opus. What It happens is that 'Consecration of the Spiritüs Flesh' goes even further in terms of ferociousness. Initially, I thought that this could be a problem as I am an absolutely fan of Esoctrilihum’s most atmospheric and hypnotic side. Fortunately, this album is not a unidimensional depiction of brutality, as it still has some room for atmosphere and the band’s trademark unique melodies. In any case, the traditional occult atmosphere remains in the background as this is essentially a suffocating and chaotic collection of songs that captures the listener and throws him into a dark abyss. The album opener "Spiritüs Flesh" is a perfect portrait of how the album sounds, with its super intense and crushing pace, full of incredibly fast drums, ferocious riffs, and grim vocals. The song, as the rest of the album, pushes you to the limit, but never beyond as there is always a little room for the beloved captivating melodies, which remind us Esoctrilihum’s core sound. The subsequent track, the amazing "Therth", continues on a similar path with another fine example of chaotic brutality enriched by some interesting arrangements which are a welcome addition to the track. The addition of an always inspired moment of melody in the middle of a devastating sonic storm is what makes this album still special. The vocals are as brutal as the rest of the musical elements contained in this album. From the generally used high-pitched agonic vocals to the not so prominent death metal influenced growls, or the slightly more melodic, yet ghostly, vocals, Asthâghul’s vocal performance is on par with the level of brutality and inspiration that this album requires. All the mentioned range of voices are contained in several tracks, being one of the most recommendable ones the song "Shohih", which perfectly sums up how this album sounds. "Tharseîdhon" is the shortest track and one of the most crushing ones, which is difficult to highlight in such a heavy album. This is probably the composition that mixes more clearly the death and black metal influences in an unsurprisingly chaotic, yet inspired, way. It must be mentioned how devastating the drums are in this song, and being sincere, in the whole album. Still, as a trademark of this album, this short song has some hypnotic and atmospheric arrangements and melodies that make it special. The album ends with that was probably my favourite track, "Aath". This long piece of music is maybe the most atmospheric one and also the one that reminds me more the previous albums. Still, the brutality is again a key element, and logically it won’t be seen as a outsider in this album.

In conclusion, Esoctrilihum has once again made it. 'Consecration of the Spiritüs Flesh' is another great release and yet another reason to pay some attention to this project. Honestly, I clearly prefer the two previous albums as they have a much stronger atmospheric and hypnotic touch, which is the perfect sound to represent Esoctrilihum’s musical concept. In any case, this album, although it shows a more virulent face of this project, still maintains the essential experimental and mesmerizing spirit and ambience of Esoctrilihum, which is obviously great. This loyalty gives sense to the new album and stablishes a bridge between this new opus and the previous ones. (Alain González Artola)

(I, Voidhanger Records - 2022)
Score: 82

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/consecration-of-the-spiritu-s-flesh

Nechochwen - Kanawha Black

#FOR FANS OF: Black/Dark/Death

West Virginia-based duo Nechochwen returns with the long-awaited album as its predecessor saw the light of the day seven years ago. It’s a lot of time, though the band remained active, releasing a couple of splits and some other stuff. But as you know, a long length is always the best indicator of how a project is evolving and I was curious to see what Nechochwen could offer with this new opus, titled 'Kanawha Black'. The new work has been released again by Bindrune Recording and Nordvis, which is always a sign of confidence in what a project has composed. Founded back in 2005 Nechochwen has fused black metal with some folk and neofolk influences, and lyrically they have been strongly influenced by the Appalachian lands. Their interest in the Native American traditions is always a plus for me, so it is undeniable that this project is trying to create something personal.

'Kanawha Black' is a quite different album, particularly in terms of pace and general tone that the band tried to give to each song, aiming at creating pieces with a distinctive touch. The album is opened by the vigorous and powerful song "Kanawha Black". It’s a straightforward song with an excellent work in the guitars and a fast pace, that in any case has its ups and downs that make it very entertaining. The main aggressive vocals are combined with some clean ones, which makes a strong contrast with the first ones, I personally prefer the aggressive ones in this case, but I guess it’s a matter of feeling as they clean vocals are well executed and have nothing particularly negative to mention. The aforementioned neofolk and folk influences appear more clearly in the next songs, for example "The Murky Deep" and "I Can Die but Once", with these characteristic acoustic guitars. As it is typical in this genre, its influence gives a much more melancholic touch to the songs. The pace is also slower, and the songs have in general a sombre tone. This dark touch and slower pace reach its momentum with the song "A Cure for the Winter Plagues". This is for sure, the most different song as it is particularly slow and dark. I even describe it as a doom/death song, especially due to the main vocals with their deeper tone and the trademark growls of the death metal genre. The background vocals and arrangements give a quite ethereal touch to this composition, even though it remains to be a quite dark song. From this point the album clearly speeds up with faster songs more similar to the album opener. "Visions, Dreams, and Sings" is maybe my favourite track of this second half and one of the highlights of the whole album. It is a punch in your face thanks to its aggressive vocals and faster pace. The guitar work is again excellent, and the riffing remains in your mind after the end of the track. Being a faster song doesn’t mean that it’s a monotonous one, none of that, mid-temp and slower sections can be found too, and the acoustic guitars make its appearance to enrich the track. The last two songs have similar patterns as they intelligently combine some of the heaviest sections with the acoustic and darker ones, making them a merry-go-round of intensity with their changes of pace and tone. Vocally, the effort to include some variety is also there. Not only with the combination of aggressive and clean vocals, but also mixing black metal and death metal influenced voices, which are appropriately placed in the different songs.

In general terms, 'Kanawha Black' is a quite good album. It seems clear to me that there is a decent amount of work behind these compositions. The duo really tries to make songs with a particular tone and sound, mixing different influences and introducing arrangements to enrich them. (Alain González Artola)

(Bindrune Recordings - 2022)
Score: 78

https://bindrunerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/kanawha-black

Varathron - The Lament of Gods

#FOR FANS OF: Hellenic Black

The Hellenic scene is one that I truly love to revisit when it's possible, especially if we are talking about one of the big ones of that scene. I reckon that every fan of black metal knows Varathron, as they are considered one of the most classic acts of the extreme metal scene of their country, alongside with Rotting Christ and Septic Flesh. Varathron was founded in Athens in 1989, and as you may expect several line-up changes has occurred since the band inception. Stefan Necroabyssious is the sole original member remained, nowadays accompanied by other four musicians who can also be considered long-time members, as the majority of changes were made in the '90s. The band carved its legendary status with its seminal albums 'His Majesty at the Swamp' and 'Walpurginacht', although they haven´t been particularly prolific releasing full lengths, as they have taken long periods of time between some of the albums. In any case, the wait between those albums were eased with the release of some splits, compilations, and for example an EP called 'The Laments of Gods', which is the effort I am to review today.

'Laments of Gods' was originally released in 1999, during the longer period of time without a new album from Varathron, that lasted nearly a decade. This EP consists of four new tracks and a Merciful Fate cover. What we can find here is the personal sound of this band quite well-represented, with a generous dose of keyboards. It doesn’t reach the level of excellence of the previous albums, but in terms of quality, it is a very enjoyable work. Varathron’s vision of black metal here is the one we can expect from the Hellenic scene, creating songs which combine the rawness of the genre with the trademark strong melodic sense of the Greek scene. With Varathron, the melodic tone is reinforced by the presence of a permanent keyboard player at that time, whose instrument is quite present through the whole EP, and gives a baroque touch to the band’s music. Just give a listen to the beautiful track "Beyond the Grave", where the synths and pianos play a major role with some excellent melodies, combined with Stefan’s raspy vocals and a solid rhythmic base. Even though, as mentioned, the keys are the leaders by far making this song a quite symphonic influenced one. In any case, I like how the guitars, with their rough tone, and the ripped vocals, make a great contrast with the most atmospheric tone of the song. In general terms, the rest of the songs also have a quite strong melodic touch. The keys are generally present, but the balance between the guitars and the keys is more equal. The riffing is more present as you can notice in the EP opener "Fire Spell-Forbidden Lust", where the pace is mainly focused on the mid-tempo rhythm, with even some slow passages at times. The idea is to focus on creating songs where the riffs and the keys have room to create good melodies without having to focus on speed and brutality. The second song "Warrior’s Nightmare" is a bit heavier and probably the hardest one of this EP. The song has a more impetuous touch with even slight moments of a speedier pace, but without quitting from the general tone of this work. The aforementioned rough toned guitars have this time the main role with a greater margin, being the keys in this case almost absent. The recent re-release of this EP, made by Vic Records, comes with three extra songs form the 1997's demo 'Sarmutius Pegoru', which is a great addition.

In conclusion, 'Laments of Gods' is not a masterpiece, but a quite good work with a bunch of songs that every fan of Hellenic black metal should enjoy. (Alain González Artola)

(Pagan Records - 2022)
Score: 75

https://paganrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-lament-of-gods

Furis Ignis - Decapitate the Aging World

#FOR FANS OF: Black Old School

A devotion to the seminal sound of each genre has been something quite common in the metal scene, and something perfectly understandable. They were those first bands that let us a profound impression and made us love a certain style of music. Black metal is not an exception as we see many projects that try to reflect the majesty of those mighty projects appeared in the '90s and even in the second half of the '80s. Personally, I enjoy those bands that push the boundaries, as every genre needs fresh sounds, because without them the process of stagnation and mediocrity would be unstoppable. On the other hands, I also appreciate and find exciting to discover new projects, capable of bringing back those old sounds with quality, and if possible, to bring their own personality. The German solo project Furis Ignis seems to be one of them. The project was born in 2019 and after three years of existence and no previous known stuff, Furis Ignis has signed a deal with the always reliable label Iron Bonehead Productions to present its first opus entitled ‘Decapitate the Aging World’.

'Decapitate the Aging World' is undoubtedly a remarkable debut, consisting of six tracks, having each one of them its own personally and specific characteristics. In any case, the whole album and its songs are strictly tied to black metal’s foundations and classical aspects as they make me remember all the classic bands of the '90s. Through its 39 minutes, you will taste some chaotic riffs, melodic tunes and captivating atmospheric touches that show why black metal is such an especial sub-genre. Production wise, the album has an expected raw production, with a clearly old school touch, especially in the guitars that have a rough and sharp sound. Apart from that, the balance is quite good, as vocals, guitars and drums are perfectly distinguishable and have an equal presence, which is a basic aspect to fully enjoy the band’s music. Another interesting fact of this album is the length of the songs, quite unbalanced, as two tracks last half of the album’s time, while the other four tracks are around two to  five minutes. As you can imagine, the longer tracks have a greater room to appreciate Furis Ignis different influences. Anyway, the guitars are excellent regardless of the song as they sound quite elaborated, taking into account that this music is not technical or so complex, because the riffing is excellent both when the riffs are ferocious or more melodic. "Witness the Nightsky Palpitating to the Beat of Premonition" is the excellent album opener that summarizes all the good aspects of this powerful debut. Rasping vocals combined with an impressive guitar work, whose pace and intensity fluctuates between pure rawness and speed to a slower tempo with some interesting atmospheric touches. The surprisingly audible bass increases the feeling of listening to something truly loyal to the old times. The ambient arrangements remind me Burzum’s most hypnotic moments, which is something truly especial. This song is like you would discover a bastard descendant of Burzum, Mayhem and Darkthrone, which I guess it’s the wet dream of any classic black metal fan. "Guarding the Gate" is the longest piece of this album and again the longer duration gives us the chance of enjoying every single aspect of Furis Ignis full potential. Again, the riffing is memorable and as the song progresses, we can appreciate the amount of work done to build a long, yet irremediably interesting, piece of music. The initial and powerful beginning combines the impressive riffs, fast paced drums and some tiny and great atmospheric touches that make this part equally hypnotic, yet apt for a nice headbanging. The middle part focuses on what is maybe the rawest section of this album. It combines pure furious parts with some really crushing and raw riffs, until a more melodic essence progressively appears and its shares the prominence with the rawer riffs in a very inspired way, showing that brutality and melody can successfully coexist. The album closer "Donner In Den Bergen" is another interesting track as it has its own personality. It’s the slowest song as it has a more depressive and “doomy” touch. Its sombre nature makes this track a good ending for this powerful album as it is a sonic portrait of a devastated scenery.

At the end 'Decapitate the Aging World' is arguably one of the most interesting debuts in a long time, when we speak about old school black metal. The album is a compendium of what we love from this genre as it has been composed and executed tastefully. Furis Ignis succeded in creatin an album that has its own personality thanks to the respectable amount of work done. The intensity and variety are something undeniable and make this album a must for every fan of the black metal genre. (Alain González Artola)

(Iron Bonehead Productions - 2022)
Score: 87

https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/album/furis-ignis-decapitate-the-aging-world

Ossuaire - Triumvirat

#FOR FANS OF: Black Metal

There are a few scenes richer in terms of quantity and quality than the “metal noir Québécois” (Quebec black metal) one. A tons of great bands regularly release impressive works, generally closely tied to this genre, sometimes with a more ferocious approach and other times, with a stronger atmospheric touch. However, they frequently combine both characteristics very appropriately. Today we are going to focus to Ossuaire. This project was founded in 2016 so it is still reasonably new, although they have already release two full-lengths and two EPs. As said, the projects coming from Quebec are usually quite active, which is obviously excellent for the several fans of such scene around the world.

The mentioned second EP is the newest one by Ossuaire and its entitled 'Triumvirat'. What Ossuaire offers in this work is a collection of five songs with an undoubtable high degree of fury, but without lacking completely this kind of haunting atmosphere that many bands from this region usually have. After a dark and captivating intro, the EP really begins full of strength with the second track, "La Sainte Purge". This one is a blasting track of pure black metal with an excellent work riff-wise. The composition is generally quite fast with a bunch of blast-beasts, although it fortunately doesn’t lack of some changes of tempo through the whole song, combining the aforementioned relentless fast drums with mid-tempo sections. These parts sound quite heavy thanks to the great riffs and the use of the double-bass. The usage of these elements and the type of pace is something I really enjoy as it makes you headbang like a beast. The subsequent tracks, "Triumvirat" and "Ignipotentis", follow similar patterns, being absolutely brutal songs, that are mainly focused on the fastest side of Ossuaire’s sound. Anyway, the mid-tempo sections are still there but a bit more scarcely used. On the other hand, "Cénotaphe" is a very interesting closing song, being the slowest and most atmospheric of all the tracks contained in this EP. I personally really like this one as per its beautiful main melody and its stronger atmospheric touch. Apart from that, the mainly mid-tempo of the track gives more room to appreciate the melodic essence behind the riffing of this song, which is really great. The song and the EP reach its end with an enthralling final melody, which makes me think that Ossuaire should consider to compose more songs like this one, as they do an unquestionable excellent job.

All in all, 'Triumvirat' is a quite enjoyable work by Ossuaire, as it contains the most recognizable essence of the Quebec black metal scene, especially focused on sounding smashing. In any case, the melody and atmosphere are there, like any black metal release should have. (Alain González Artola)

(Sepulchral Productions - 2021)
Score: 76

https://ossuaire.bandcamp.com/album/triumvirat

Mystras - Empires Vanquished and Dismantled

#FOR FANS OF: Medieval Black

During the last two years the Greek scene has given so many great albums that it is quite difficult to highlight which ones have been the best. In any case, one solo-project has caught my attention already after its excellent debut. This project is called as Mystras and it was founded in 2019 by Ayloss, an artist involved in many different bands, being the most well-known, at least for me, Spectral Lore. Mystras debut album 'Castles Conquered and Reclaimed' received quite good reviews as it was an excellent example of black metal with a raw yet melodic nature. It also had a quite particular concept, as the project could be defined as medieval black metal, but focused on the point of view of the working class people of that time and with an anti-imperialistic approach, due to its underlying left-wing ideas.

The debut album left the fans waiting for the next step as it seems that Ayloss has many ideas as he only needed one year to release it sophomore effort entitled 'Empires Vanquished and Dismantled'. Although it was difficult to improve the surprising debut, I can safely say that this new effort is, at least, on the same level with its predecessor. Again, what we can find here is a medieval black metal which musically can be defined as raw black metal, with a combination of straightforward fury, pure rawness, an unquestionable melodic touch, and some delicate and tasteful folk touches here and there which make us travel to ancient times. It is not easy at all to combine all these elements which, at first glance, would have difficulties to cohabit, but Mystras has the talent and ideas to merge them appropriately. The production seems to have made a step forward in terms of balance. The sound is still raw, particularly in the line of the guitars, but they sound a bit cleaner and not so distorted and fuzzy as they sounded in the debut album. I think this is an adequate change, though some may prefer the previous production, even though I am pretty sure that no one will accuse this album of sounding too polished, that’s for sure. As it happened in the debut, 'Empires...' has again a superb work in the guitars, being the shining instrument through the whole album. Just check out the impressive first single of this album, "The Fall Of The Kingdom of Jerusalem", where the listener can appreciate a torrent of riffs through this monumental piece of fourteen minutes, where there is room for brutality, speed, slower sections and lots of melody behind the crude production. The album, as this track, is full of ups and downs in terms of intensity, combining furious pieces as "On the Promises Of Angels" or "To The Builders!", where it is literally impossible not to break your neck headbanging in certain moments, with atmospheric folkish pieces like the delicate and beautiful "Ah Ya Zein", or the more tribal and mysterious "Cheragheh Zolmezalem". The remarkable point here, is that these pieces are excellent and keep the listener in the correct mood to stay interested in the music, something that doesn´t happen many times as I have personally considered the albums that contain many instrumentals, a bit unbalanced and unfocused. Thankfully, this is not the case. 'Empires Vanquished and Dismantled' has a top-class ending with two great tracks, which maintain the extraordinary equilibrium between the fury and the aforementioned melodic touch. I personally highlight the album closer "In The Company of Heretics" which summarizes all the characteristics of the Mystras sound. The initial impetus, with the relentless blast-beats accompanied by the sharp riffing, progresses to a more mid-tempo section which sounds truly epic, thanks to the inclusion of a clean vocal choir in the background and, again, a tasteful guitar work, whose melodies are, once again, superb. The song and the album beautifully end with some very nice acoustic chords, what a great way to close this second chapter in Mystras existence.

For the second time in only one year Mystras has created an impressive piece of black metal, full of interesting elements and great compositions. The combination of rawness and melody is again original and top-notch, making 'Empires Vanquished and Dismantled' an excellent record. (Alain González Artola)

(I, Voidhanger Records - 2021)
Score: 85

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/empires-vanquished-and-dismantled

Rift - To Quench the Thirst of Wolves

#FOR FANS OF: Atmospheric Black

The Australian band Rift is one of those obscure projects that remained in the shadows so much time since its inception, that some could think the debut album was never going to come. Founded indeed in 2004, Rift has been predominantly the solo-project of Balam, a tremendously active musician, who has been involved in several projects like Drowning the Light or Pestilential Shadows, among the others. Rift released a demo in 2006 but since that time, the project was apparently left at rest, maybe because of Balam’s many projects. Anyway, the musician seems to have spent part of his time composing music for a tentative release, which has finally seen the light. The addition of a permanent vocalist, known as A.S., has for sure played an important role in this final release.

With the support of the Australian label Seance Records, Rift, now as a duo, released its debut album entitled 'To Quench the Thirst of Wolves'. The evocative album artwork is quite representative of the music we will find inside, which I must admit, it has been a nice surprise. For some reason, I was expecting some straightforward and brutal stuff, but contrary to my expectations, Rift plays a black metal rich of atmosphere and with a certain melancholic touch, although it doesn´t lack some epic moments and a necessary degree of fury. In any case, the album escapes from the speedy monotony of some albums as it focuses its main attention on the mid-tempo sections. Production wise, the album has a good balance between vocals, guitars, and the rhythmic base. The raw touch is there, particularly in the guitars with this characteristic “fuzzy” sound, although the riffs are thankfully distinguishable. The atmospheric arrangements in the form of keys in the background are also audible and give an extra point of an evocative ambience. The vocals have the traditional echoing production with a very solid performance. The album begins with strength and speed with the song "Acolyte of Worms". The early perception could make us thing that this is going to be a monotonous album, pace wise. We couldn’t be more wrong. The song rapidly introduces some tempo-changes and a distinctively melodic touch in the guitars, which are composed and executed with a great taste. The tempo varies between the aforementioned fast sections and the increasingly present mid and slow tempo sections, including some nice interludes which make this song even more immersive. The contrast between fury and atmosphere is even greater in the following track, "Night Glare". This one is pure atmospheric black as its very best. Captivating keys embrace the rest of the instruments, giving profundity and atmosphere to the song as the galloping guitars and drums progressively slow down their initial impetuosity. Here, we can find one of those moments where Rift sounds even epic with a very nice guitar riff, an excellent track without any doubt. The longest tracks, like the self titled one and "Posthumous Rapture", focuses specially in the mid-tempo sections, although they introduce some variations which include interludes or slightly more vibrant parts. All this is made with the purpose of keeping the listener interested and, at the same time, creating a hypnotic piece of music. On the other hand, tracks like "Innards of Malevolence" and "Sermon of Blades" are the heaviest ones, with speedier sections, here more prevalent than in the rest of the album. Despite of this, the melodic and atmospheric essence of the whole album is still retained here, so these songs can be seen as the spiciest side of a dish with different flavours.

'To Quench the Thirst of Wolves' is definitively an excellent debut and a pleasant surprise. The combination of rawness, melody and atmosphere is excellently executed. The somber tone of the compositions is enriched by a beautiful atmosphere and some small touches of majesty. Highly recommended. (Alain González Artola)

(Seance Records - 2021)
Score: 83

https://seancerecords.bandcamp.com/album/to-quench-the-thirst-of-wolves

Ars Magna Umbrae - Throne Between Worlds

#FOR FANS OF: Dissonant Black Metal

Poland has undoubtedly an impressive extreme metal scene in terms of quantity and quality. There is no need to mention all the notorious bands that almost every fan knows, but yes to spend a few minutes to carve below the surface and discover more obscure projects which may be quite interesting. The solo-project Ars Magna Umbrae is one of those musical efforts which may require our attention. This project was founded in 2017 by Petros Xolaiathyos, who had a previous experience in the scene with a black/death metal band called Cultum Interitum. In Ars Magna Umbrae Petros (aka K.M.) focuses his interest on the black metal genre and more particularly in a form of a atmospheric black metal with a certain degree of dissonance. The project has been quite active, having released three albums in the last four years.

'Throne Between Worlds' is the third one and continues, in terms of music and lyric concept, a similar patterns of the previous ones, as this album still keeps strong ties with esoterism and occultism as it happened also in the previous efforts. The atmosphere of 'Throne Between Worlds' is particularly dark and melancholic, feelings which are maintained strong through the whole record. Pace-wise, it’s not a particularly fast album as it focuses more on developing mid-tempo structures. There are ups and downs in the pace with certain moments of relentless fury, but they never last a lot. A quite clear example of it is the opener "Into Waters of the Underworld", a mainly mid-tempo track where the faster section of the middle shows a particularly dissonant touch. As we can appreciate, the main role is shared by the rasped vocals of K.M. and the distinctive riffs that will be a trademark of this album. As said, the guitar work is quite relevant in this opus with a good dose of work behind it. The riffing is multi-layered and with an important dose of dissonance, but thankfully not as predominant as it can be found in certain experimental albums. There is also a room for more delicate chords, which try to create a mysterious ambience in the most quite sections, as it happens for example in "Consecrating the Shrine of Undoing". This attempt to always create a cryptic essence in the music is the logic consequence of the conceptual background behind the music and it is a key element to create an honest album. The contrast between the most dissonant parts and the calmest and most atmospheric sections is particularly well-done and prominent in the track "Treader on the Dreamless Path" which is actually one of my favourite songs, if not the favourite one, as the combination of elements is quite inspired and somehow works better for me than in any other song. "Metempsychosis (Transmigration of the Soul)", the longest track, closes the album and it servers as a summary of the whole record as it contains all the aforementioned characteristics. It contains mid-tempo sections, an elaborated guitar work and that touch of dissonance through the entire track. We can also hear abrupted tempo-changes with furious rages and captivating calmer sections, all mixed to create a hypnotic track that fades out in the form of a gloomy ambient outro. I believe this is the perfect example of what Ars Magna Umbra wants to offer.

All in all, this is a quite interesting album with many elements on which to put some attention and an interesting lyrical concept behind it. It’s not an outstanding piece of work, but a quite interesting and enjoyable one. (Alain González Artola)

(I, Voidhanger - 2021)
Score: 75

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/throne-between-worlds

Runespell - Verses in Regicide

#FOR FANS OF: Pagan Black Metal

Runespell is one of those solo projects with an obscure origin. It was founded in Australia some years ago, by a quite active musician known as Nightwolf, who has been an active part of the local black metal scene. He was a member of projects like Drowning the Light or Necrostrigis in the past, among others. Currently, he shares its time between Blood Stronghold and Runespell. The second one is his best-known project, thanks to a quite solid discography and the exposure given by the fact that he signed a early deal with Iron Bonehead Productions, which has released all his albums so far.

Runespell plays pagan black metal with a raw nature, but at the same time strongly melodic. Music’s rawness principally comes from the production as it is far from being over polished. The vocals sound distant and dark, but not buried in the mix, which is maybe one of the most classic characteristics of tradition black metal. The instruments sound well-balanced, and they have a quite natural, if not “warm”, feeling, like if the songs had been played live as they seem not to have excessive adornments in the production and mixing. I think this is a good point as this kind of music sounds more authentic when it doesn´t sound too packed and artificial. Contrary to some other pagan black metal bands, which have a quite more upbeat sound, like a heroic march towards the war, Runespell’s music has a slightly darker approach as it is perfectly depicted in the excellent album cover art. In any case, the melodic touch of the guitar gives to the compositions the expected epic touch for bands that are influenced by medieval times. So, what we can find in this album is a very well achieved balance between darkness and light, perfectly executed in the very interesting five tracks included in 'Verses in Regicide'. We can also listen to two short, beautiful instrumentals songs with a quite strong melancholic and interesting atmosphere, that serve, in the case of the piece "Windswept Burial", to close this quite enjoyable album. The album opener "Structures of Collapse" is one of my favourite tracks, as it creates the appropriate mood to enter the album with a great initial section, that gains in intensity until the rasped vocals and the excellent guitars make a furious appearance. The initial rapid pace is modulated by a quite variable pace with its ups and downs in terms of speed. Nevertheless, the main role is for the excellent riffs with its strongly melodic nature that leads the song all the way through. This melodic excellence is kept in the following song called "Vengeance Reign", which has an opposite evolution in its structure. The first part is a mid-tempo composition with a quite up-beat main melody, until a clear change comes in the second half with a clearly faster approach. Pace-wise, this album has its variations, although Runespell seems to be more comfortable in the mid-tempo sections, where the melodic nature of its compositions can shine in its full glory as we can appreciate, among other fine examples, in the longest composition "Tides of Slidhr". Fortunately, the pace changes are appropriately place here and there to avoid this feeling of be listening to the same song all the time. Apart from that, the energetic nature of the riffs makes the songs to have an extra point of interest regardless of the pace.

In conclusion, Runespell’s 'Verses in Regicide' is a very good album of pagan black metal. The raw production contracts with the strongly melodic nature of the compositions, even though the combination is excellently done and the final result sounds robust and credible. (Alain González Artola)

(Iron Bonehead Productions - 2021)
Score: 80

https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/album/runespell-verses-in-regicide

Noltem - Illusions in the Wake

#FOR FANS OF: Atmospheric Black

Noltem is a tree-piece band coming from Connecticut, US. It was founded in 2003 by Max Johnson and it seems that for some reason, the mastermind spent many years without being particularly active, with only one demo released in 2005. Fortunately, the inclusion of a drummer into the line-up, Johan Kerr, also as singer, reactivated the project with a release of a second EP in 2015. The return to a more active life of the band was finally fulfilled with the incorporation of a third member in 2018, Shalin Shah, who plays the bass. Noltem, at that point finally a trio, worked hard to present a debut album that would make possible to give some notoriety to this obscure project.

Twenty-twentyone is the year when Noctem’s full length has finally seen the light of the day, with the support of the always active label Trascending Obscurity Records. 'Illusions in the Wake' is the title of their debut, which contains seven songs, lasting around forty minutes. The colourful artwork, which depicts a misty mountainous landscape, rightfully represents the band’s musical vision as there is a quite clear strong connection with nature. This closeness is not only lyrically, which is easily demonstrable taking a look to the nature and mystical-themed lyrics, but also musically, as Noltem plays a very personal atmospheric black metal with some folky connections. This influence is not so obvious, although it can be felt in the way the melodies are build and played. The album begins with "Figment", where the guitars play a key role. The riffing is tasteful and mesmerizing displaying a variety of different melodies in terms of textures and richness. The strength of the guitars marks the intensity of the song with some nice up and downs, enriched by some acoustic sections which are simply beautiful. The drums are solidly played and establish the necessary ground for the songs, where the vocals have a deep tone, like being in a mid-point between the death metal vocals and the black metal ones. As said, the intensity varies very frequently, having this song a multitude of tempo-changes, which is always a good proof, when it is done in the right way, that the composition has a great amount of work behind it. The homonymous track offers another menu of excellent melodies, accompanied by slightly more rasped vocals and some clean voices in the background. One of the melodies even has a a bit of medieval touch reminding me the excellent Obsequiae. I don't know if this was made on purpose, but this is what I felt and I sincerely have no complaints about this influence. As the album goes on, the songs seem to take a more intimate tone in certain moments, having a greater contrast between the heaviest sections and the softest ones. This is something I notice in "Beneath the Dreaming Blue", mainly in the initial part which progressively carries to a final heavier section; the opposite is done in "Ruse". This song has a quite intense beginning which hits you, then the pace and the intensity progressively slow down, offering to the listener a clearly calmer and more, as said, intimate tone which is quite hypnotic. The album closer, entitled "On Shores of Glases", includes some hypnotic melodies and even a psychedelic section, making it the most different and experimental track of the whole album. It may not be my personal favourite, but it’s a good way to close thi work, as it keeps the general absorbing tone of this record and it doesn't lack the expected good dose of nice melodies.

To conclude, 'Illusions in the Wake' is definitively a very good platter with a quite personal sound thanks to the great amount of work put in the compositions. The guitars are excellent and always display a great palette of colours in terms of melodies. The compositions try to avoid sounding stereotyped and create a quite absorbing atmosphere. (Alain González Artola)

(Trascending Obscurity Records - 2021)
Score: 80

https://noltemband.bandcamp.com/album/illusions-in-the-wake-atmospheric-black-metal

Orgrel - Red Dragon’s Invocation

#FOR FANS OF: Black Old School

Let`s go with another interesting project, which literally comes from nowhere. The Italian project Orgrel has signed a deal with Iron Bonehead Productions to release its first opus entitled 'Red Dragon’s Invocation'. As this label usually releases quality stuff, it is clear that the band’s first effort must have something which should be worth of our time.

As I have no more info about this obscure project, I immediately decided to focus on the most important thing, the music itself. One needs only a couple of seconds to realize that Orgrel plays black metal in its purest and most iconic form. Every second of this powerful debut is a sincere and passionate tribute to the genre’s gold era, the never forgotten '90s. Production wise, 'Red Dragon’s Invocation' is an album with a good balance in terms of merging the current production standards and a devotion to that era. There is no crystal-clear sound here, but a quite good production, where the main instruments can be easily distinguished, while the overall sound is enough raw to fit the music. The vocals sound high and powerful, just in the front but without being over present, as they share the main role with the guitars and drums. As mentioned before, Orgrel plays black metal as quintessential as the genre can be, so there is no need to lose time trying to give a more refined definition of the band’s sound. 'Red Dragon’s Invocation' is an album where speed, ferocity and melody are fused together in a very natural way, like black metal has always been, as least when it has not been perverted. There is no black metal if we only find brutality without melody and this Italian project has perfectly understood this indispensable condition. For that reason, the seven songs of this debut album have a healthy balance of these elements, including a good dose of tempo changes, which is always a welcome aspect in this genre. The album opener "Burning Ruins", which is actually one of the top songs of this album, summarizes all the strong points of Orgrel’s music. It’s a fast track with ferocious vocals and an excellent work with the guitars, which sound equally strong and melodic and with a good degree of elaboration, as they guide all the tempo changes of this track. The composition has a handful of them, as it flows easily between fast, medium, and slow sections which make the song truly captivating. The tremolo riffing is the king in songs like "Amor Fati" or the album closer, the massive "Carved in Blood", especially in the fastest sections of these songs and in general in the whole album. On the other hand, we can find slightly more distorted guitars in the slowest parts, being maybe the clearest example the headbanging inducing "Gate of Eternal Life", which could be defined the slowest song of the album, although it doesn´t lack a pinch of power.

Orgrel’s debut 'Red Dragon’s Invocation' will please of the fans of classic black metal, as the album keeps a quite good level through the entire work. It won´t shake the genre as the classic gems did, because I can´t find a song which is outstandingly brilliant, but I can´t either find a mediocre song or even section. In conclusion, everything here sounds packed, focused and consistent, giving us over thirty minutes of undoubted enjoyment. (Alain González Artola)

(Iron Bonehead Productions - 2021)
Score: 74

https://www.facebook.com/orgrelofficial  

King of Asgard - Svartrviðr

#FOR FANS OF: Viking Black

The Swedish band King of Asgard has had a quite solid career since it was founded thirteen years ago in Mjölby. With four albums so far and a quite stable line-up, the band only suffered two changes in more than a decade, which is not as common as one could think and you know, the metal scene is full of changes in the band’s line-up due to several circumstances. As they play a mixture of Viking and death metal, the comparisons with quite famous bands like the very successful Amon Amarth or classic outfits like Thyrfing or Einherjer is quite usual. I would ignore the AA comparisons as this band is closer to the later projects. Still, the King of Asgard has forged its own sound and should be judged without losing too much highlighting the similarities.

Going back to the most important thing, it is time to take a listen to the band’s new effort entitled 'Svartrviðr' which is obviously firmly rooted in the always present Viking influences. Unlike other bands playing this genre, King of Asgard sounds much closer to the sombre tone than pagan black metal bands have. Even though the band’s compositions have certain epic moments, the songs sound darker to me and less like a victorious march to a battle as some Viking metal bands sound. The album opener "Frôðr" is a fine example of it with these austere riffs, that sound powerful and as heavy as could expect from a death metal band. The tone is darker transporting us to a desolate scenario, more similar to bleak grassland full of corpses after a bloody battle. "Rifna" follows a similar pattern with a more atmospheric touch thanks to the tastefully placed arrangements. Apart form the obvious already mentioned influences, King of Asgard sounds as a pure death metal band, with remarkably heavy riffs, which create a true wall of sound reinforced by a quite solid work in the rhythmic base. The drums sound dense with a generous use of the double-bass, mainly in the long mid-tempo sections where the band seems to be very comfortable. This doesn´t mean that the pace is always the same as the band knows to introduce certain faster sections to make the song more varied. I especially like how "Hæimr" ends with a combination of the aforementioned mid-tempo sections and a blasting part, which is accompanied by a background clean choir. This addition gives to the song, one of the previously mentioned slightly epic touches. The bleak tone is present in the rest of the songs, where the contrast between the slowest and fastest parts is remarked in certain songs like "Kvikr" for example, although the riffing and the pace is predominantly not very fast as the songs are composed to sound dense and heavy. One of the best points is that almost every song has an arrangement here and there, nothing very common or abundantly used, but something that enriches the songs in the form of clean vocals, a simple but effective piano or an acoustic guitar, like it happens in the instrumental track "Harmdauðr", among others.

'Svartrviðr' is definitively a quite solid album by the Swedish King of Asgard. I can´t find anything incredibly outstanding to rate this album as masterpiece or album of the year, but it certainly has not weaknesses. If you like this genre but with a darker touch, this album should appeal to you. (Alain González Artola)

(Trollmusic - 2021)
Score: 75

https://kingofasgard.bandcamp.com/album/svartrvi-r

Felled - The Intimated Earth

#FOR FANS OF: Atmospheric Black/Folk

Felled is an interesting project founded in Oregon in 2014. The band was born from the ashes of Moss of Moonlight, a project previously located in Washington, where Jenn Gruningen and Cavan Wagner sang about a hypothetic independent Cascadian land. Felled, now relocated to Oregon, has become a four-piece band, and continues similar conceptual paths, but with a broader connection to nature and paganism. Felled combines black metal with some neo-folk influences, which is not an unknown combination in that area of the country. These neofolk influences usually come in the form of melancholic melodies, making this sort of bands to have a certain somber atmosphere.

In its seven years of existence, Felled hasn´t been particularly prolific, releasing a demo in 2017 only, but the band has finally signed a deal with the respected underground label Transcending Obscurity Records, and releasing in these days the debut album 'The Intimate Earth'. As soon as the album begins with the first track "Ember Dream", we have a clear picture of how Felled sounds. Aggressive rasped vocals domain accompanied along the song by guitars with a raw tone, yet melodic when its needed. The pace varies constantly between fast and slower sections, creating an interesting piece of music. But what stands out is generous use of the violin, an instrument I personally love and that has a brilliant participation in this album. Tiffany’s mournful melodies add the expected neo-folk touch to Felled’s music, not sounding straightforwardly depressing, but with this melancholic tone that a genre like neo-folk usually has. The second track "Fire Season on the Outer Rim" follows similar patterns, even though it adds a greater contrast between the heaviest parts and the calmer ones, including some short atmospheric and folk interludes, which serve as a bridge between the different sections of the song. The addition of occasional clean female vocals, usually done by Jenn, with the help in the backing vocals by Tiffany, also enriches the compositions, which are tastefully composed and executed. As mentioned, the mixture between the raw guitars, which include also melodic riffs, and the violin, create a truly hypnotic atmosphere, which makes you feel the profound connection to nature, specially to the vast and beautiful landscapes that can be found in Oregon and Washington states. The album contains only five songs, but their length is quite long as they have an average of almost seven minutes. This length usually works well with this genre as the compositions need time to expand and create the wanted absorbing atmosphere. Its hard to pick a favourite song, but the album closer "The Salt Binding" is a wonderful way to close this excellent debut. The feeling is strong in this track as the melodies are truly outstanding. The mournful beauty of the riffs is captivating, the violin is as beautiful as you can expect, but the novelty here is related to a more presence of clean female vocals in the first half, which gives a truly unique touch to this song. They sound like a farewell song sung in the middle of distant forest. Moreover, when they are combined with the raspy vocals in the heavier second half of the song, they sound like a storm suddenly appearing in the horizon. This is indeed a classy song to leave the listener totally satisfied with this album.

In conclusion, 'The Intimate Earth' is the remarkable debut album by Felled, which has created a quite emotional release full of great melodies, where the violin has a predominant role, though the rest of instruments, and obviously the excellent vocals, help to create a very recommendable album. (Alain González Artola)

(Transcending Obscurity Records - 2021)
Score: 85

https://felledblackmetal.bandcamp.com/album/the-intimate-earth-folk-black-metal

Dordeduh - Har

#FOR FANS OF: Atmospheric Black

Romania’s extreme metal scene hasn´t been one of the most notorious ones, but it has always offered undoubtable quality every time I have had the chance of checking out something new. If someone thinks about this scene, there is a particular name which always comes to our mind, Negură Bunget. This project began as a pure atmospheric black metal project, which included absolutely hypnotic keys and excellently composed and executed compositions. Their first songs were, indeed, something closely related to the purest form of this genre. In any case, as time passed NB’s compositions became more and more original, which was something clear in its third opus ‘'N Crugu Bradului', a much more experimental album, which included progressive influences. But it was with the subsequent album, entitled 'Om', where the band perfected its sound with an outstanding mixture of black metal, atmospheric keyboards, progressive sound and a strong connection to the Romanian folklore and folk music. Thanks to this album, the band gained a great recognition in the scene, but as all good histories the end was near, as the disputes between original members Huppogramos and Negru, ended with the departure of Huppogramos and the long-time member Soul Faur. Negru decided to continue with the band and released the excellent 'Vîrstele Pămîntului', before NB lost almost every inspiration with the last and disappointing two works, prior to Negru’s unfortunate death. Meanwhile, the other two members created Dordeduh, whose debut album 'Dar De Duh' received great reviews. This album continued the path that was previously developed in 'Om', though I must admit that I didn´t fall in love with that album, at least completely. The good ideas where there, but it lacked something, including a more suitable production.

After this convulsive time and the well-received debut Dordeduh continued as an active band, though sadly we have waited a full decade to listen to something new from them. Was the long wait worth of our time? For sure. With 'Har', Dordeduh hasn´t changed a lot as the irremediable influences from the magna work 'Om' are still there. But the band’s members have put a lot of work on it and have made an undeniable step forward in terms of composition, musical evolution, and production. Now yes, the production seems to be perfectly balanced, leaving the room to these compositions to sound experimental, but at the same time with a strong feeling and ambience. 'Har' is an impressive album with no weaknesses, as every single song has an incredible quality, richness of details and its own personality. The album opener "Timpul Intilor" has the expected immersive introduction, as spiritual and hypnotic as you could expect from these guys. The change of tempo is also brutal, as the band sounds smashing with a powerful production, where guitars, drums and a solid and quite present bass guitar do their work perfectly well. The riffing is original, complex, but at the same time absolutely captivating. The vocals, courtesy of Huppogramos, are top-notch, with intimidating growls, wisely combined with the excellent cleans used for the most atmospheric sections. The pace is as rich as the rest of elements integrated in this composition, flowing from straightforward aggressivity to calmer sections, always with a flawless naturality. One of my favourite tracks of this album, and to choose one is a quite tricky track, is the second song "In Vielistea Uitarii", where the band’s trademark atmospheric keys are absolutely absorbing. Every element of this album is made to transport you to a distant place, not only the keys, but also the tasteful guitar lines and the primordial voices, which give the necessary rawness to the music. The balance between originally and ‘true’ atmosphere is something that Negură Bunget mastered back in time, and now Dordeduh unsurprisingly shows the same enormous talent. Even the clean vocals have something spellbinding, which make them special. And if this is not enough, the always excellent folk elements appear to perfect, which is already an astonishing piece of music. "Descent" is one of the softest pieces, though it still retains the expected originality and complexity. The particularity of this song is that the clean vocals almost sound catchy, which is always a surprising element in bands like Dordeduh. Anyway, this shows the level of inspiration that Dordeduh has reached with 'Har'. "Desferecat" is another impressive piece with a ritual touch in its pace, slow and hypnotic, where the always flawless combination of deep grows and fine clean vocals catch your attention from the very first moment. In this song the listener will find one of the most beautiful keyboard interludes which serves as a bridge to the final part of this extraordinary song. Huppogramos and Soul Faul has always shown an enormous talent with the keys, and this is another proof of their marvellous capacity. The album closer, if we don´t take into account the short, yet great outro "Vaznesit", "De Neam Vergur", is another long piece which includes most of the elements which make this album a quite special release. The ambient intro evolves and gains strength with a clear progressive evolution, showing again the experimental soul of this band, as the song become heavier and more intense. The combination of the most progressive elements and the extremer influences is made once again with taste and naturality, as the different sections are built up with sense and musical cohesion. The end is intense and majestic, a perfect ending without any doubt.

In conclusion, Dordeduh’s sophomore album 'Har' is nothing less than an immense album, that enriches the legacy of these incredibly talented musicians. If the debut was praised by many fans, this second album will convince all the fans who will find rich and complex details, always with an enthralling atmosphere, to digest and taste with time and all the listens that this album requires and deserves. A must for everyone who looks for originality and quality. (Alain González Artola)

(Prophecy Productions - 2021)
Score: 90

https://dordeduh.bandcamp.com/album/har

Mare Cognitum - Solar Paroxysm

#FOR FANS OF: Atmospheric Black

In few subgenres there are as many cases of solo projects as atmospheric black metal, and most of the times, these solo projects are better than actual bands. This can happen, maybe because the artistic vision of its creator is presented in its purest form, which is a key element to create music that touches our soul, even if technically it could be more complex or enriched by different points of view. The feeling is strong in these projects and black metal is a genre, where the feeling is particularly important. Ten years ago, it was created one of those projects in California, under the moniker Mare Cognitum. Its creator, Jacob Buczarski, has been quite active as he released splits and five full lengths, always with a solid level of performance which has given to this project a certain respect in the underground.

'Solar Paroxysm' is the newest offer by Mare Cognitum and it presents five long tracks, clocking each one of them around ten minutes. Stylistically, this album is a perfect example of black metal with an atmospheric touch, where the guitars play a key role. You won´t find here predominant keys as the guitars are responsible of creating both the most brutal and fastest sections of Mare Cognitum’s music, and also the most atmospheric sections. The album opener "Antaresian" shows a nice work with the guitars. They sound absolutely sharpy, yet with an intense emotional touch, creating a very addictive song, although the pace is quite intense in its eleven minutes of existence. The album gets more brutal with the subsequent track "Frozen Star Divinization", where the riffs lose the emotional touch in favour of extremer and biting touch. This initial part shows compositions with a relentless pace, predominantly furious and with a fast pace, that maybe would welcome a greater variety in terms of speed. A nice example of this expected diversity its exemplified in the third composition, entitled "Terra Requiem". This song has clearly a greater atmospheric touch with some excellent riffs, the tremolo guitars sound in this track beautiful as they create a hypnotic atmosphere. It also helps the fact that the song has in a great part of its structure, a much slower pace, where this type of riffs can shine more. It is also interesting to listen to how the song abruptly changes its pace as it has a very intense and fast final section, which I especially enjoy. The contrast between slow atmospheric parts and the furious black metal trademark, yet atmospheric, speed is always great ingredient when it is done right, like in this occasion. The final part of the album brings back the blast-beats and the furious guitars. In any case, the riffing is quite good and though the songs can lack some variety in terms of pace in certain moments, the guitars compensate this weaker aspect of the compositions, with an excellent performance. The riffing is very well elaborated and executed with plenty of intense melodies, which make the songs captivating. Just give a listen to the last song "Ataraxia Tunnels", which has excellent melodies and a very intense final part, where different layers of guitars create a brilliant ending.

'Solar Paroxysm' is, in conclusion, not a game-changer, but a quite solid album of black metal with an intense atmospheric touch, where the strongest aspect is the excellent guitar work which always leads the compositions, reining above any other instrument. (Alain González Artola)

(I, Voidhanger - 2021)
Score: 73

https://marecognitum.bandcamp.com/album/solar-paroxysm