Black Metal

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    Ulvik - Cascades (2021)

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    Hailing from Northern Canada, today we have Ulvik and their hypnotic Atmospheric Black Metal release “Cascades”. With elements from outfits like Wolves in the Throne Room, Saor, and similar bands, this release unleashes over 30 minutes of punishing BM filled with lush atmospheric elements and an eerie vibe. If you like meticulously constructed music that is both brutal and engages all your senses, this is the album for you.

    Opening with the expansive “Baaltis”, we are treated to an unsettling calm in the first few minutes that slowly escalates into blistering guitars, harsh screams, and very hypnotic drum patterns. As this track dramatically scales back and turns into a lush cinematic experience, “Nokhur” follows up with unapologetic rawness. We particularly enjoy how the ‘clam’ interlude allows for some respite just before more hellish vocals and dissonant guitars disrupt the flow of things.

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    Eisenkult - ...vom Himmel, hoch herab (2021)

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    Further settling into their own brand of Black Metal, Eisenkult delivers their excellent sophomore release “...vom Himmel, hoch herab”. With a mixture of old-school Black/Symphonic Black Metal with some Eisregen-like theatrics, this release unleashes 41 minutes of crafty music that is both fierce and playful enough to entice listeners that like the more bizarre side of the genres they cover.

    After the 8-bit/MIDI vibe from the instrumental opener “Einklang”, “Ein Leib, ein Feuer” delivers Eisregen-esque onslaughts of harsh screams, playful tempo changes and crafty drumming. The band’s sound is quite melodic in nature, but the bizarreness of the mixture of elements really works to separate them from the pack. The versatility of the band can quickly be noticed as “Ein Brunnen voller Aas” unleashes traditional old-school BM fury with piercing riffs and a great sense of melody.

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    Angstskríg - Skyggespil (2021)

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    Unleashing a very unique brand of Black’n’Roll with Groove Metal elements, Denmark’s Angstskríg manages to inject extra catchiness to an already catchy subgenre of Black Metal. Featuring six tracks and plenty of guests, “Skyggespil” is an engaging and highly unconventional killer release.

    From the start, the album title track takes on guitar-driven Black Metal reminiscent of older Immortal and Satyricon, but introducing additional grooviness, making their music quite catchy and yet incisive. The vocalist snarls are the perfect fit for the guest appearance of usually live-guitarist Attila Vörös. Showing more of the band’s own brand of chaos, “Uhygge” is an excellent old-school BM piece filled with a pulsating bass guitar line and some interesting surprises as the song progresses, touching some decadent Gothic influences.

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    Firienholt - By the Waters of Awakening (2021)

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    Delivering over 55 minutes of lush and epic Atmospheric Black Metal with some Dungeon Synth elements, today we have Firienholt and their debut full-length release “By the Waters of Awakening”. Highly recommended for fans of bands like Bal-Sagoth, Summoning, Enid, and Mortis, this release creates a very regal and epic atmosphere that immerses the listener into the band’s musical realm.

    Opening with the lush “A Forgotten Legacy”, which sets a very cinematic and dramatic atmosphere that is led by over-the-top synths and crafty drum programming. With nearly all songs being over 10 minutes each, tracks like “War of Wrath, War of Ruin” and “Ashes of the Golden Hall”, slowly develop via melodic passages into heavier territories with the use of harsh vocals and imposing guitars with some BM riffs thrown into the mix.

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    Marras - Endtime Sermon (2021)

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    Unleashing the most impressive Symphonic/Melodic Black Metal release of 2021 (to date), today we have Finland’s Marras and their sophomore release “Endtime Sermon”. Comparable to outfits like Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Graveworm (old), etc., this release delivers 44 minutes of lush and yet highly aggressive music. Being far from a copy-cat band, Marras makes the genre their own and creates their own signature style in this crushing release.

    Opening with a cinematic intro, “Shadows Upon the Sacred Land” quickly escalates into furious riffing and hellish vocals, first showcasing the aggressive side of the band. We particularly love that the band splits the release into ‘movements’ with a few instrumental/atmospheric interludes as tracks 2,6, 8 and 10. After the first interlude, “Endtime Sermon” returns with a killer mixture of dramatic atmospheric/keyboard arrangements alongside crafty tempo changes, piercing riffs and a mixture of growls and harsh screams.

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    Archaeopteris - Visions chaotiques d´un songe halluciné (2021)

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    Unleashing a very unique and disturbing combination of Black Metal, Death Metal, and some atmospheric elements, today we have France’s Archaeopteris and their debut EP “Visions chaotiques d´un songe halluciné”. With a short but chaotic duration, this release delivers both aggression and extreme weirdness. Definitely recommended for fans of the bizarre and unconventional.

    Opening with “Visions Chaotiques”, after a short atmospheric intro, the band instantly dives into the depths of hell with a fierce combination of punishing riffs and crafty drums. Far from traditional, this track changes tempos very oddly, creating a very cavernous and yet disturbing atmosphere. The second song, “Songe Halluciné” leads with lush acoustic guitars as it quickly transitions into piercing aggressive guitars and deep harsh screams.

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    White Ward - Debemur Morti (2021)

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    Marking the release number 200 from the forward thinking label Debemur Morti, Ukraine’s White Ward unleash two very unique pieces of music with their signature style. Featuring anything but traditional elements, this release delivers nearly 18 minutes of enigmatic and highly experimental Black Metal. For the uninitiated, White Ward is one of the most exciting bands of the last few years, with their expertly crafted experimental music featuring heavy atmospheres and an avant-garde mixture of elements and styles that puts them years ahead from their competition.

    Opening with the EP title track, the band first sets a very jazzy and sultry atmosphere that quickly escalates into full on blistering drums alongside a sexy saxophone. Things pick up as the aggressive BM onslaughts proceed alongside crafty tempo changes. If this wasn’t enough, guest vocalist Lars Nedland (Solefald, Borknagar) soaring clean vocals provides a brilliant complement to an already highly intricate backdrop.

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    CMPT - Mrtvaja (2021)

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    Hailing from Serbia, CMPT is an anonymous punishing Black Metal outfit with hints of atmospheric elements. In this two song EP, the band instantly makes a name for themselves with a very unique and highly engaging 20 minutes of music. For fans of piercing BM that is both melodic and highly aggressive, this release will leave you wanting more.

    Opening with an ominous atmospheric intro that suddenly transforms into all-out-war, this first track creates a lasting impression on the listener. The contrast of imposing atmospherics with the ravaging guitars and intense drumming perfectly set the backdrop from the harsh screams and crafty tempo changes. With a more hellish vibe, the second track in this release is filled with pummeling riffs and creepy transitions from raw aggression to eerie atmospherics.

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    Order of Nosferat - Arrival of the Plague Bearer (2021)

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    Being huge fans of Black Metal with additional elements other than raw power, we are quite enthralled by Order of Nosferat and their latest release “Arrival of the Plague Bearer”. Unleashing over 50 minutes of vampiric BM, we get a wide variety of haunting piano interludes, dreamy atmospherics, and savagely raw BM, with all elements blending in perfect harmony. If you are looking for creepy and cinematic BM releases, this one will satisfy your thirst.

    Starting with an atmospheric mood setting intro, the album title track transforms into a behemoth with blistering drums, inhuman screams and a turmoil of high powered distorted riffs. Alongside the violent core sound, the keyboards provide a nice melodic contrast in this piece. The album’s atmosphere is greatly enhanced by instrumental tracks like “Sleepless in Sorrow and Bloodthirst”, “The Castle of Haunting Silence”, “Lost in the Crypts of my Need for Affection”, “As She Fades in Lamenting Winds”, and “Dance of the Wallachian Winter Spirits” which create a very spooky and solemn backdrop to the aggressive pieces.

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    Vrexiza - Vrexiza (2021)

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    Unleashing a 21 minute blistering self-titled album, today we have Canada’s Vrexiza and their no-bullisht Black Metal. Picked up to be released in tape format by Signal Rex, this 4 track release delivers waves of crushing riffs, pummeling vocals, and crafty tempos. Nothing fancy or overproduced here, just straight up raw and demoralizing BM.

    The release opens with the crushing “Iron Spectres” and its intricate guitar work. Delivering a swift and brutal blow to the back of the head, this track is expertly crafted to be pummeling and highly demoralizing. After the intense opening, “Hürtgenwald” changes the pace to a more hypnotic, atmospheric, and incisive piece with piercing riffs, mid-tempo hellish vocals and blistering headbanging passages.

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