RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/descendants-of-evil You can never really go wrong with an inhumanely brutal barrage of blackened death metal from Poland when it is released by the long-running Godz ov War Productions, and this eight-track juggernaut by Upon the Altar is a perfect example of a solid and perversely enjoyable listening experience. The pure,…
VENUE: StereoDATE: 30.07.2024 ORGANIZER: Dark Essence Records / Beyond the GatesPHOTOGRAPHER: J. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. The ever-reliable purveyors of quality music known as Dark Essence Records, one of the world’s premier metal-related labels, are not merely…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://sepulchrebythesea.bandcamp.com Sepulchre by the Sea is an atmospheric black metal band inspired by the works of Edgar Allen Poe. Springing from United Kingdom the multi-instrumentalist Ash has been working on this project since 2019. In November Sepulchre by the Sea released their first album Conqueror Worm, followed by the EP Ratiocinations.…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/close-to-complete-darkness I found the previous offering by these French sickos titled Lowest Depths of Misery (2022) an utterly amazing and well-crafted piece of work that appealed to all manner of morbid instincts, and the great news is that their latest album, which is fittingly called Close to Complete Darkness, is even…
BAND URL: https://housecorerecords.bandcamp.com/music The massive joy of seeing the legendary name that is Pantera pop up on various festival posters and tour itineraries and whatnot these past few years cannot be overstated. The two icons and legends that are Philip H. Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) teamed up with the inimitable Zakk Wylde (guitar)…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/extinction-protocol From across the pond comes the malevolent duo known as Primitive Warfare, and this relentlessly aggressive and inhumanly brutal American onslaught is very much the aural embodiment of all-out war, global death, human disaster, and even more death! Comprised of Pu239 (drums/vocals) and U235 (guitars/vocals), these guys essentially offer a…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/death-darkness-decay This is so frigging great and wicked! It is also grimy and loathsome as fuck, but yeah, this six-song output by the Swedish death metal mongers known as Putrified truly does the trick for me and ticks nearly all the right and nasty boxes. Although rooted in old-school death metal…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://koldbrann.bandcamp.com/album/ingen-sk-nsel Last year’s 2-track release titled Den 6. Massedød (Manna fra en Annen Himmel) was a caustic, face-melting delight that worked its nasty, bone-chilling magic on this scribe rather splendidly. Naturally, their upcoming full-length record appropriately named Ingen Skånsel had to be something to look forward to and worth getting excited…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://mana666.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2024 I accidentally stumbled on this wild and reckless demo output by the Finnish act named Mana, and it turns out that this potent three-track offering of theirs is a solid and well-written slab of raw and ugly black metal that works like a charm right now thanks to yours truly…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://harrowed.bandcamp.com/album/entropic I rarely bother reviewing singles but this 2-track jewel by the fierce UK act known as Harrowed blew me the fuck away, and I may in fact have become addicted to it. Intensely heavy and punishing yet surprisingly groovy in places also, these gentlemen have spawned a muscular-sounding mixture of…
The twisted Norwegian ensemble known as Koldbrann is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and morbidly engaging black metal acts out there today, and their impressive back catalogue as well as their intensely aggressive and perfectly maniacal live shows speak for themselves and have garnered them a reputation that many of their peers would die…
I found myself wandering the streets of Oslo one dismal afternoon before Easter this year as I had a bit of time on my hands before traveling abroad later that same day. This was literally hours before the renowned and long-running Inferno festival kicked off, and everywhere I went there were black metal adherents,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://innomineseth.bandcamp.com/album/la-france-des-maudits This scribe has always had a bit of a soft spot for the renowned French black metallers Seth, and it goes without saying that I could not pass up the opportunity to review their upcoming opus sporting the evocative title La France des Maudits. Their back catalog is impressive and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://christbane.bandcamp.com/album/psalm-i Bestial and relentlessly aggressive black metal madness is occasionally what the mood calls for and when that happens it is nice to know that the abhorrent musical entity known as Christbane is out there and ready to serve one’s needs, right? I got turned on to the band via Regimental…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://mistra.bandcamp.com/album/waltz-of-death-2 The talented duo consisting of Benedicte Adrian and Anders Odden is an inspired and musically eclectic one that merges something akin to grand-sounding gothic soundscapes with subtle black metal influences and also something along the lines of dark symphonic rock (and even hints of electro pop), and the great thing…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.cavaleraconspiracy.net/ Brothers Igor and Max Cavalera hardly need any introduction, so let us merely skip the formalities and briefly discuss the music instead, shall we? Having the two talented souls reunite and launch the Cavalera (or Cavalera Conspiracy, if you will) project some years back has resulted in us being treated…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/incineration-victory Incineration Victory by the maniacal Swedish bastards collectively known as Grave Heresy is a bone-pulverizing, face-melting delight that merges chaotic black metal and grimy death metal to stunning effect. All the usual quality death metal-related adjectives such as pummeling, aggressive, infinitely dark, oppressive, and utterly malevolent apply to the nine…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://edgedcircleproductions.bandcamp.com/album/seven-are-they Yes, this is exactly the kind of thing we all need and what the of the mood of this week calls for – a new output containing exclusive material by what is unarguably one of the very best and most sinister-sounding bands out there, namely Deathcult. With its evocative artwork…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://edgedcircleproductions.bandcamp.com/album/tronearvingens-doed It is fair to say that the incredibly talented Norwegian act known as Heimland made quite a dent in the black metal scene and turned quite a few heads when they unleashed their deeply passionate and perfectly morose Forfedrenes Taarer via the ever-reliable Edged Circle Productions roughly a year ago.…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://bismarck.bandcamp.com/music The opening few bars of the title track leaves no doubt as to who and what this is; a frightening audio onslaught by the Norwegian doom metal freaks known as Bismarck. Vourukasha takes me back to their debut offering (Oneiromancer from 2020) in terms of its thunderously heavy tone and…
