I like to consider myself a student of musical expression, constantly exposing myself to new forms and styles and thereby expanding my knowledge base for later...
From the very first rock-solid riffs of the title track of We Are The Dragon, Cvlt Ov The Svn’s value proposition becomes crystal clear: occult rock...
The global black metal collective, Sojourner, has built a very strong following over the course of three full-length releases, spanning six years. Tours with the likes of...
Raw black metal, with strong dungeon synth inspiration seeping through, may be a beautiful phenomenon, but it is not without its pitfalls. The most obvious among...
A few years ago, I had the distinct pleasure of reviewing the debut album from a solo black metal project named Ophiuchi, Bifurcaria Bifurcata. The depth...
Eisenwald records did Danish black metal outfit Solbrud no favours in releasing the album promo of Levende I Brønshøj Vandtårn as audio-only: the visuals accompanying the...
Poland has produced its share of excellent black metal over the years; while the spotlight is dominated by the blackened death (and social media savvy) of...
Atmospheric black metal really is my go-to happy place music: a paradox, I know, but it is what it is. Sprawling monuments of ruin and despair,...
When reviewing new music, it’s almost unavoidable to stop occasionally and go, “Hey, that sounds a bit like… (insert band name here).” This trap becomes even...
Black metal is packed with great examples of splits. From 1993’s Emperor / Enslaved classic, Emperor / Hordanes Land to the Finnish fury of the self-titled...
Let me preface this by saying I’m a long-time fan of Andy Marshall’s better-known creative outlet, the folk-driven project Saor. His Guardians (2016) record in particular...
This is not a well-named record. Ôfstân (the second full-length from Dutch outfit Kjeld) translates directly as ‘distance,’ but that’s one thing I’m having difficulty achieving....
The growing pressures of globalization, like any other massive force, often fall prey to the laws of physics and result in an equal force of localization...
Imagine the unstoppable momentum behind glacial growth. The inexorable, creeping advance of unfathomable tons of matter annihilating all in its path; the erratic detritus gathered in...
The rise of the American metal machine in the 1980s has been chronicled in numerous documentary films, but the majority of these tail off into either...