RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://borknagar.com/ For one of the three major Norwegian black metal institutions, next to Emperor and Enslaved, Borknagar have comparatively only briefly dealt pure genre, from their 1994 inception through the eponymous¹⁹⁹⁴ and, maybe even the now legendary The Olden Domain¹⁹⁹⁷, only to deviate into then unknown and uncharted territory with…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://invainband.bandcamp.com/ While Nocturnus’ The Key¹⁹⁹⁰ is widely regarded as the first progressive death metal album, it is arguably Death with its third album Spiritual Healing¹⁹⁹⁰ who had paved the way for Edge Of Sanity (whose debut record, Nothing But Death Remains¹⁹⁹¹ was still standard death metal fare) who then helped…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.shoresofnull.com/ In my review of the Italian melodic death/doom metallers Shores Of Null’s one track third full length Beyond The Shores (On Death And Dying)²⁰²⁰ (5/6) I necessarily compared it to both Edge Of Sanity’s Crimson¹⁹⁹⁴ and Insomnium’s Wintergate²⁰¹⁶ the former had inspired, but I concluded that it was inferior…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://bran-bohemia.bandcamp.com/ When is the last time you heard something as good as Emperor’s 2nd album “Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk”? True, Dimmu Borgir tried to get there on “Enthrone Darkness Triumphant” and Cradle Of Filth on “Cruelty And The Beast”, and those are just the ones I can think…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://codeblackmetal.bandcamp.com/album/lost-signal-remixes The unpredictable geniuses from the UK known as CODE are responsible for some of the most innovative, bone-chilling, and musically adventurous releases these past few decades, and given that 2022 marks their 20th anniversary, they have unearthed and uploaded some wicked gems from their archives for all the fans to…
