Moonkult - Profane Nightmare of Seers (Album Review)

Tracklist:

1. Destined to Wander            

2. The Great Purge      

3. Demigod Seer of Black Flames       

4. Curse and Blessing of Foresight      

5. Nether of Time and Space  

6. Storming Avalanche of Hate           

7. Behind Vortex of Lightnings          

8. Beyond to Infinities

This is the first full length from the Finnish black metal due Moonkult which is currently comprised of “Moonlord Akhkharu” and “Niflungr”.

Moonkult conjure an impressively raw, heavy sound that combined with strong vocal work from Moonlord Akhkharu that shifts from almost death growls at times, to more typical screams gives this album a bludgeoning and oppressive feel which is backed by its pounding drum programming.

The album also features some fairly complex and unusual riff work (also from Moonlord Akhkharu) that was surprising when compared to the albums darker more simplistic core.

The album becomes increasingly aggressive and raw as it progresses, so by the time the listener gets to the last two or three tracks they are practically being punched in the face repeatedly by the pounding drum programming and ever increasingly raw vocals, this is a feature of the album that I was impressed and pleased by.

Overall this is probably nothing new in wider terms of black metal as a genre but if you’re looking for some raw pounding black metal to attack yourself with, then I fully recommend checking this album out.                    

Azelisassath - Evil Manifestations Against Mankind (Album Review)

Tracklist:

1. Path of His Majesty

2. In Times of Heresy 

3. Profanities from the Void   

4. Thorns of Damnation                     

5. Chains of the Fearless         

6. A Fate so Destined to Come

7. The Fall of a God   

8. Blasphemys Throne

This is the second full length album from the Swedish black metal band Azelisassath, whose line up has fluctuated between a two man, and a one man project, this album however was a solo effort from “Azelisassath” otherwise known as “Swartadauþuz”.

The first point that that struck me about this album was the dark, croaky and often echoed vocals of Azelisassath, which I felt were a little underused and deserved a more prominent role within the album as they cast a cold melancholic shadow that darkened the feel of the whole album.  The second was the restrained use of synth, that again just like the vocal work was underused, but when it was used to its full potential as can be heard on the sixth track on the album A Fate so Destined to Come it added a great deal to both the complexity and melancholy of the sound.

My key problem with this album is that I felt as though I was listening to a drum track that just happened to have some good riff, vocal and synth work attached. The drums completely dominated the album, and forced everything else to the back and left them struggling to be heard for the most part.

Despite having some interesting elements, this album provides nothing new to either the band’s sound or black metal in general, and because of the obsession with drums the album has I would find it hard to listen to it again in its entirety.         

Verlassen - Self-Titled Demo (Demo Review)

Tracklist:

1. Sicht Auf Den Schmerz

2. Hoffnungslosigkeit

3. Weg In Die Freiheit

4. Freiheit

This is the first, and very recent release form the independent German ambient and depressive black metal solo project of Skinrur, who is also currently a guitarist for Agonie.

The range of different elements used within this demo provides it with an often ethereal sound, which is created through its use of delicate symphonic and hypnotic synth melodies that feature strongly in the last two tracks on the demo. These are perfectly blended with the more traditional ambient and depressive black metal riff, vocal and drum work that plays a substantial part in the first two tracks, and the transition between the two is perfectly executed.

The demo’s final track Freiheit (Freedom) is in my opinion it’s most interesting, and the most beautifully crafted track on the album, featuring gloomy yet uplifting synth work that took my breath away.

Overall this is a very interesting demo, and with a future full length album on the way from Skinrur, I find myself being very excited for what Verlassen has to offer, especially considering the high quality of this debut release.    

Clandestine Blaze - New Golgotha Rising (Album Review)

Tracklist:

1. Evocation Under Starlit Sky

2. Fractured Skull       

3. Consumed by Flames         

4. New Golgotha Rising          

5. Culling Species       

6. Passage to New Creed         

7. Final Hours of Sacrifice

This is the latest full length from the long running Finnish solo black metal project Clandestine Blaze, and see’s Mikko Aspa returning once again to provide his personal style of death metal influenced old school black metal.

Considering Clandestine Blaze is just one man, this album has an impressively broad sound that gives the impression of multiple musicians that is often hard to capture with solo projects.

However, despite the sound being well crafted and nicely mixed, and Aspa providing some interesting riff and vocal work the overall feel of the album was of vague disappointment that it provided nothing we haven’t already seen.

There was not any particular stand out tracks that sparked my interest, apart from perhaps Culling Species which has a dark raw hymn like quality that I did find fairly appealing. The final track on the album Final Hours of Sacrifice I found to be very monotonous and was only impart saved by Aspa’s raw vocals. 

Overall this is by no means a bad album, I just feel like I have heard it before a number of times and am personally becoming a little tired of this particular style.  

Ad Hominem - Antitheist (Album Review)

Tracklist:

1. No Hope (Intro)                  

2. Go Ebola!   

3. Antitheist    

4. Death & Cunt

5. Compulsive Extermination 

6. The One and Only              

7. Impaled Muhammad           

8. Glory Hole Jesus    

9. I Am the Heretic     

10. Anus of Yahweh  

11. Before You Turn Blue      

12. The Anger Syndrome        

13. Tomb of Holiness (outro)

This the fifth, and most recent full length from the controversial four man French black metal project Ad Hominem which was created by, and is currently helmed by Kaiser Wodhanaz.

It would be hard to describe this album, and the work of Ad Hominem in general, as pure black metal as it contains numerous influences upon its sound including thrash and death metal, which are put to great use in developing a brutal and unrelenting sound that continues to blow me away.

This album has a dense and aggressive feel, that gives off a palpable sense of hatred and anger which is perfectly encapsulated in the savage riffs and vocals of Wodhanaz.

Like most of Ad Hominem’s material this album deals with some controversial subjects, but continues to follow the lyrical themes that the band has always focused upon such as Anti-Monotheism and Genocide, and goes to show that the band still enjoy raising some hackles.

Overall I think this is one of the very best releases from Ad Hominem to date, and is for me easily on par with such albums of their’s as Climax of Hatred and Dictator - A Monument of Glory. If this particular style of black metal appeals to you I highly recommend checking out this album. 

Daemonarchia - Nocturnal Lust (EP Review)

Tracklist:

1. Prelude          

2. Nocturnal Lust             

3. My Inner Realm          

4. Lycanthropic Rites      

5. Nemesis                         

6. Path to Enslavement

7. Black Metal Sodomy (Horna cover)

This is the first release from the independent Finnish black metal band Daemonarchia which is comprised of “MA”, “MT”, “Termis”, “Necrophilus” and “Daoloth”.

This is a very recent release as it only came out less than a month ago, and I have to say as a first release it has completely blown me away.

The bands dark and complex sound is built from intricate riff and rhythm work that seems to draw inspiration from death metal at times, and folk at other times throughout the EP. 

The EP is also very strong on the vocal front, with the very talented Necrophilus providing raw, cold and hate filled snarls and screams that give this record a real sense of anger of the kind that is hard to find in most modern black metal records.

The drum work of MA nicely compliments the vocal and gituar work, and provides a good melodic backing to the more complex elements of the EP.

Overall this is one of the finest examples of pure black metal that has been released this year that I have heard, I cannot recommend this EP enough and cannot wait for what the band has to offer in the future.

            

Old Graves - This Ruin Beneath Snowfall (EP Review)

Tracklist:

1. Kestrel        

2. Dawn Treader         

3. Hang My Remains from the Crescent Moon           

4. This Ruin beneath Snowfall

This is the third release from the Canadian solo black metal project helmed by Colby Hink, and was only released a few days ago at the time of writing this review.

With some delicate acousticand and orchestral elements, and slow doom and gloom ridden riffs this EP casts a depressive and bleak picture of suicide and death that is filled with internal suffering and misery. The vocals are a collection of almost whispered screams that match the subline lyrics perfectly.

One aspect of this EP that did come as a surprise was the often very fast kick bass and snare beats that provided a surprisingly fitting backing to the other elements of the EP.

Overall this EP is a masterful piece of depressive black metal that will dampen the spirits of the listener, and leave them with a vivid picture of nature, loneliness, depression and ultimately death that will haunt you for some time afterwards. I strongly recommend this to fans of raw depressive black metal.       

       

Hellvetic Frost - Misanthropic Devotion (Album Review)

Tracklist:

1. Drowned by the Floods of Blood   

2. Zorn Der Seel'                     

3. Ravaged Through Sorrow               

4. Remembrance of Ancient Blood                

5. Cursed and Damned in the Mist of the Woods       

6. Scheinbare Erlösung

This is the first full length album after four demos and a split from the now defunct Swiss, hate fuelled black metal two man band Hellvetic Frost, which was comprised of “Pagan Warrior” and “Grim”.

This album starts off with some very strong tracks that immediately grabbed my attention because of their aggressive war and hate driven sound, fueled by impressively raw vocal work from Pagan Warrior and well placed blast beats.

However, as the album progressed the vigour of the first few tracks began to wear off and was quickly replace with repetitive riffs and monotonous blast beats. My patience with the albums fairly unoriginal sound also began to wear thin, considering this album was released in 2007 it provides nothing new to raw black metal, instead just recycles the long played out black metal formula that was created in the 1990’s.  

Overall, despite having a few interesting elements that hint at depressive and atmospheric black metal, this album isn’t worth checking out as a complete listen. Instead I would recommend the first two tracks from this one, as they were nicely crafted and created an interesting sound.