Vampirism, pretentiousness and grim black metal. Vampirska’s Apparitions Frozen in Chimera Twilight is a glorious combination of all three.
Putting their own dark twist on this savage ’90s-inspired black metal onslaught, Abhoria drops their debut, self-titled album (Prosthetic Records). Read our review here…
On ‘The Humming Mountain’ Gaahls WYRD can be seen as a prime example of how black metal as a genre has grown up and no longer needs to be raw or kvlt – it can also be nuanced, exploratory and wholly original.
Manchester blackened death metal band Necronautical return with their epic fourth album ‘Slain In The Spirit’. Read our review here.
In 2016, Black Funeral’s Ankou and the Death Fire gave me renewed hope for the future of United States…
Telemark (Candlelight Records) is Ihsahn’s personal love letter to his roots, geographically and musically: five tracks that blend black metal, avant-garde experimentalism, Norwegian folk melodies, and surprising cover versions in a Valentines Day EP like no other.
Nergal’s blackened-blues project Me And That Man have teamed up with Emperor frontman Ihsahn on the release of new song “By The River”. Check it out here.
We sat down with the #dungeonsynth master, Håvard Ellefsen, also known as Mortiis, about all things Mortiis, including the new Omniprescence Productions/Dead Seed Productions album Spirit of Rebellion, touring mishaps, and getting back in the saddle of creating music.
The obsessive Mortiis fanbase will most probably find much to enjoy on Spirit Of Rebellion, and there are genuine fragments of inspired dungeon synth that could be reworked and moulded into a new and spirited beast given the time and attention.
The reissue of Stab Wounds by Germany’s Dark Fortress is not only a worthy addition to any black metal library, this remastered version is a great example of how black metal can supersede its clichéd, raw and unfinished roots and instead exist as a well-rounded, high-quality product that values melody and composition without sacrificing any of its implied nihilism in the process.
If UK black metal built around the sparing, yet tasteful application of keyboards over fairly complex guitar passages with occasional clean, operatic vocal passages is your thing, Necronautical offer exactly that – in spades – on Apotheosis, their latest release on Candlelight Records.
Despite the fun ‘80s horror thematic concept and some excellent songwriting, Night of Whispering Souls (Extreme Metal Music) by Croatian one-man black metal project Tryglav, the album leaves an impression of entertainment rather than long-term engagement.
While the mood of the do-it-yourself attitude of early second-wave black metal is all but absent on this tribute record, it is still a delight in terms of nostalgic charm – and while the holistic impression of the record is a little awkward and (obviously) not fresh, original creative output – but the admiration these bands hold for the halcyon days of black metal yore, and for Burzum, is undeniable.