An album that satisfies the needs of black, death and progressive audiences, with a clear and intellectual concept that is somehow still a joy to listen to? Dark Fortress prove their worth to Century Media as they tick all these boxes on Spectres From The Old World.
The next big name in French extreme metal should be Svart Crown, given the dazzling display of blackened death songwriting they deliver on their fifth full-length, Wolves Among The Ashes, available from Century Media.
Wolves Among the Ashes (Century Media), the latest full-length from French extreme metal outfit Svart Crown is a nuanced exercise in balancing varied and often conflicting musical styles. We had a chat with founder JB le Bail about the album, the band’s influences and what to expect.
Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton has released the second single from his new solo EP and it’s a cover of the Pearl Jam hit “Black”.
The Thelema-inspired doom of Caronte, with Schammasch’s ritualistic blackened death, rounded off by the no-nonsense black metal assault of Enthroned: what more could any self-respecting Luciferian occultist ask for a pleasant night? Well done to District 19 for putting together a great show at Netherlands’ P60 Pop Podium.
L’héritage du monde, the debut album on Sepulchral Productions from Quebec’s Trépas, is an exhausting experience, but one that invokes sense memory beyond the aural making for a more memorable and honest one – and one that leaves a listener eager to repeat it.
Nattarvet, the second full-length from Sweden’s Wormwood, balances multiple styles and influences to deliver what is arguably the best balance of black and folk metal in recent years, available from Sound Pollution records.
At just over 30 minutes run time, it really is worth the effort to stop what you’re doing, plug in your earphones and let Basalt’s O Coração Negro da Terra remaster (Ritual Productions) wash over you in a tide of blackened post-sludge with a very progressive flavor.
Out now via Steamhammer, Partisan demonstrates that Sodom have got through what could have been a risky period, emerging in fine form and with fire in their hearts.
On Heir to Despair, Japan’s Sigh have, as usual, taken the road less travelled and released yet another fresh, genre-defying album of progressive, avant-garde black metal. This approach may not guarantee popularity, but they can definitely sleep the sleep of the artistically fulfilled.
Chthonic’s Battlefields of Asura is crushingly heavy, stirringly epic and attractively accessible all at once, tempered with exotic themes exploring Asian mythology and folklore. Check our review and exclusive track-by-track video.
Doom, crust, dark, black, death metal. We’ve got it all for you here, packed into one punch with the exclusive premiere of metal supergroup Heads For The Dead’s brand new track “Post Mortem Suffering.”
Skeletonwitch’s Devouring Radiant Light comfortably straddles multiple genres of extreme metal while still effectively retaining appeal to fans within each of those sub-genres; a mature expression overall, but lacking some of the grit of prior offerings.