VALOR - The coming Of a New Era

From the States comes this one man black metal project VALOR second attack!

For you who has not heard the first release or so this band drags up a dreary corps of a black metal style, it is primitive in both production (not overly raw but enough raw to call it raw ahaha!) and execution (all little misstakes is left in not that there are many though). It plays more or less in mid pace with some exceptions but all is coated in a ugly morbid attitude with vocals that are darker the regular black metal style but not dark as in death metal growling. some guitar compositions reminds me abit of early Satanic Warmaster. (and/or some morbid NSBM band i cant remember the name of...) 

The "No mosh – No core – No trends – No fun" fits quite nice for VALOR but that does not mean you will not enjoy this release... if you have a part of your soul that hunger for zero tolerant retaliation this gritty songs will caress that part.

Lyrics centers around Political subjects, narcissism, nihilism, anti-pc, take for example these song titles: FuckAntifa & PCfuckoff...yeah not so subtle but it does the job hehe!

This tape consists of 8 tracks with one of them an outro, not so long release but i feel it is just as long as it needs to be.

i think i like tracks  MachtUndEhre, Hampelmann& FuckAntifa the best

Released by Hateworks

Label link:
http://hatework418.tictail.com/

The Projectionist - Exalted Solitude

From the depths of Canadas ancient forests a woefull wind is blowing & rotting the life force away from its frail shell....

Lörd Matzigkeitus (Idolatry, Thy Sepulchral Moon etc) is back with his gang that is now (including Das Lörd) 5 member strong! This is the second full album from them and even if i liked the previous efforts this is easily their best work so far.

If you are not too familiar with this band they play a mix of traditional second wave black metal... very European cold atmosphere but also is personal in a nice way....  Each song is high on darkness and diabolic cocktails and Lörd himself with his possessed varied vocals leads this nightmare through bundles of burned souls and flesh and up finally to the isolated and deranged high castle.

It has both plenty of introspective ponderings and extroverted retaliations that´s going back and forth from start to finish. It has much to be intrigued by here and it is both a chotic ride as well as a poetic one with a good variation of song material.

As you can see from the great cover art (by Sang Ho Moon) this release goes enough its own way and escapes looking cliche or tiresome....so yes the musical content reflects well to this.

My best tracks would be 1,7,8 (and i also liked the acoustic bleak track 5)

Go and get this if you like to get both some solid traditional black metal but at the same time get something new!

This 10 track album will be released by Appalachian Noise Records and The True Plague.

link:
http://www.appalachiannoiserecords.com/product/the-projectionist-exalted-solitude-cd-preorder

Morte Lune - The Endless Forest

Here we have a new project with two main members from Reffus, Svorg etc. (looke these up here also for reviews i done)

This first demo release is a pretty strong one! Well it is "only" a traditional mix of thin and sharp misanthropic black metal with looped riffs but it has enough hateful hooks and engaging bleak compositions that after only a 3-4 minutes in you are intertwined into this woven pattern of soul sucking music.
Yes the production is borderline sharp and raw (but clear not muddy fuzz) it wont be everybodys cup of black coffee but who cares?
 One other thing that is important here to mention is that the members sincere anti-emotions comes through good (and clinges unto your mood with rusty nails) and that is something you cant buy with a fancy production anyways...

 
...I must say that with every new project that Repktkor and Morths comes out with they have grown from strength to strength, they are very well worth following as you will be  properly rewarded!

Besides the raw black metal tracks you are served some nice dark dungeon/ambient synth songs that pushes this release even higher. Good negative shit in other words!

Well worth hunting down!

The Grey Britain has become Black Britain once again!

My track pics is: 2,5 & 6


Track list:
Side A
1.     The Martyrdom        
2.     The Deliverance of Suffering        
3.     Ritualistic Hatred        
4.     Chaotic Flame        
5.     The Endless Forest        
Side B
6.     Les Morts        
7.     Tristesses de la Lune        
8.     Possessed by the Night        
9.     La Foret Sans Fin
   Dont know the total play time but i guess around 35 minutes

Released by Carvetii Productions
link:
http://carvetii-productions.weebly.com/

Hexensabbat - Pestilence Crawls over Bloodstained Land

From Canada it came!

Every countries black metal world has their own common quirks and recurring taste of style and sounds and Canada is no different as their creations often has some odd(disturbed) inclusions and is not affraid to go down both the old school way at the same time the off-beat and bizarre way...a little like France black metal world. Hexensabbat is a special kind of brew but not soo bizarre or anything but they mix together a murky second wave mid to slow tempo black metal (cold/melancholic & hatefull) with a doomy sense of constuction (not super long droning parts but they spread out in a nice drowning way of length) and even some light heavy metal bits (like the nice guitar solos)...from start to finish they serve up a fine meal of blood and bones, all is very well structured and with a lot of  putrid raw atmosphere.

I had to listen to this tape a couple of times to digest it cuz first time i saw the cover of this release i fell in love with it (and the logo) and i guess back in my head i got the notion this band played a bit different music then what i heard when i popped it in the deck.... after that little hick-up i enjoyed it a great deal! Songs like Bleeding Pestilence and Cold Winds of Hate, Black Flames of Hellhas has some superb guitar melodies that i cant get enough of also hehe.


Production is damp and has a slight veil of cellar rawness to it and it fits just right, all three members play their part great and to sum this up --- this is a no brainer to get!--- Great release and Hexensabbat holds much promise for the future.

Track list:

1.     The Incubus Lurking     03:37    
2.     Bleeding Pestilence     07:39    
3.     Solve et Coagula     06:56    
4.     Abysmal Worship     01:46    
5.     Self-Enthroned Through Death     04:22    
6.     Cold Winds of Hate, Black Flames of Hell     06:54    
                                   Total:31:14  

I hope this will get a vinyl re release! It really deserves it!

Released by No Sanctuary Records
link:
http://nosanctuaryrecordsfoad.blogspot.se/

Unryht Interview!

Here is a little talk with Blodspan from the interesting and promising black metal band Unryht from Bavaria, Germany!

1. Hailz!
How are things in Bavaria these days?

   - Too little snow in my city!

2. As you are a pretty new band and little is known about it please
share the details of the first gathering and visions you and the members had
when it all began? What is important to achieve with your creations?

 - The idea has existed since 2007; to keep the bleak emotions that  sometimes surface within me.  But i was never satisfied, so it took me a long time to choose these 4 songs for the first demonstration. First i started alone with programmed drums.
There are about 10-15 songs that will never be released because they are not good enough.
Then i asked the, in my opinion , best compositional drummer to work with me after we were drunken and stoned in our halls of bones.Kadaver has a really good feeling for emotional riffs, so he always knows what beat to play. This is absolutely great!

3. After hearing the great debut release Niþ i felt it was about time to do an interview.  For those of you who read my review of it, (posted some months ago) you would know that i really enjoyed it, on more levels than one. Please shed some light around the writing process, what the songs are about and how you feel about it yourself.  Also, what is the meaning of the title?

 -First of all thank you very much for the great review, we were very surprised when we read it.
 niþ is a word for social stigma and it describes my personality and my thoughts in the society as an   ejected person.The songs are about dreams of nature, witches and personal death thoughts, which make me an outcast.

4. From here on how do you see Unryht evolve in the near future? Do you feel you have started
a long road with it or do you think it will be a low/slow activity?
Are there other band activities besides this band?

 - Unryht will have a slow but long way. I am working in many projects like Schrat, Drudensang, Oscult, Schyach and other upcoming stuff.  I have found my passion and this will not change until my death. I will live and die with black metal. It gives and drains me from energy.
    This is a repetitive process.

5. When did you personally realize that black metal was for you to put your energies into?
Which bands helped you to grow and besides music are you active in some Satanic path?
   
  -I started making classical music when i was 5 years old, with the violin and the piano and i never stopped doing music. At 14-15 years old I had my first exposure to black metal-bands like old Dimmu Borgir, Burzum, Gorgoroth, Satyricon and i realized that this is the feeling where I was at home. The combination of criticism of mankind, the black metal aesthetics, satanism, anti-religiousness, the atmospheric and broken sound imprinted my brain and i knew i would never get away from it! "Liber AL vel Legis" should be enough to reveal my path.

6. By the way who did the great band logo for you? I have seen this person's logos for some other bands now and i think much of them are connected to some specific label...
 - This was made by an Austrian, whom I have not seen for a long time. A great artist! His name was Cornelius C.

7. So what are the band's close plans now this year?

 - This year we will make the second demo and a split with niht, a friend's band from the surrounding area. A total of 6 songs, 4 for the second demo and 2 for the split.

8. What releases from 2016 would you recommend?

 -Vuohen siunaus - Korgonthurus, Forteresse - Thèmes pour la rébellion, Krater - Urere (a masterpiece of a befriended band of Nürnberg),  Ravencult - Force of Profanation, Nachtwelten, a german oldschool jewel of good buddies from Pestnebel, Vitsaus - Ajan ja ihmisen haudoilla (released in 2004 but not until 2016 discovered by a well-known buddy Skilnir,the second guitar player of Schrat and Drudensang)

9. Talking about other music, which bands were the first to start doing black metal in your city?

 - I think it was us with Schrat in 2003, but maybe i am wrong. In Augsburg there is no real black metal scene.

10. Thanks for all, looking forward to your next release!

  -  Thank you!

Sarkrista - Summoners of the Serpents Wrath

After around 4 years comes now the second grand Devil opus from Germanys Sarkrista!



This is how good i hoped it to be!

after hearing almost all of their previous material (except the split with Sad) it is safe to say they have grown steadily all the the time but without loosing their Sarkrista sound. This album is very well crafted and each song contains traditional but great thundering and sweaping melodies, the winds of old and proud warriors glimmers in the moonlight!
Besides the competent song writing and delivery the production is very nice and strong, a extra plus  for inserting the piano bit at the end of track 6(&7), things like that gives the dramatics an extra dimension to the whole experience. Great atmosphere! Often they go all out with their mix of blistering and melodic black rituals but they also throw in slower and more moody and bleak songs like the great track 7.
I enjoyed the album from start to finish. It is a black pearl not to be lost in the deep sea!
And after repeated listenings i can safely say the album grows well and it should last for a long time.

My personal favorite songs is track 2,7,9








Go and get this one! (and if its not out when you read this it will be soon so keep your eye ball out from the socket so you wont miss it)

Released by Purity Through Fire
link:
http://www.purity-through-fire.com/





For the new comers Sarkrista play a mix of bleak and nostalgic black metal wich has both a harsh and clean production and compositions and also one could say has inspirations  from it own country BM heritage as well as inspiration from the Finnish deep cold forests.


Track list:

1.     Intro        
2.     The Lurking Giant        
3.     The Gathering of Blackest Shadows        
4.     Summoners of the Serpents Wrath        
5.     Ascending from the Deep        
6.     He, Who Liveth and Reigneth Forevermore     
7.     The Sea pt. 2 (My Cold Grave)        
8.     Black Devouring Flames        
9.     Rituals of Flames and Skulls    

i guess regular version will exist but i only found a photo on the A5 version, great art and design!

Dom Dracul Double album review!

Time to swing by my home country Sweden this time and review the second (sort of) coming  of  the black metal artist Lord Therramons Dom Dracul!

But before we dwell into the new releases let us take a look on what came before.

From what i understand he started his activities with DD in 1998 and some early demo called Alkoholic Evil was released...probably self released but i am just guess as there is little to no info to find about it, then in 2004 the first official demo "Genocide in the Name of Satan" was out on tape (and perhaps on cd...) by  Satanic Propaganda Records.
In this demo he has found pretty much his sound which will run through all of his future music as a base, he plays a very traditional Skandinavian second wave black metal, mostly mid paced and grim compositions, lyrics is as you can assume from looking at the visuals..nothing more and nothing less. Vocals are raw and gurgly but also is quite easy to hear what he sings. Production here is a bit muddy and semi-raw. A promising start but nothing more...

The year after the demo the full album "Attack on the Crucified" was released but that one i have never really heard except some track here and there which sounded cool but i cant really say much about that and that goes also for the split "Satanic Butchery". ( with Necroplasma / Sarin / Capitis Damnare .)

Then it got quiet for around 10 years!

I have no clue why this was but i know these two "new" albums that is reviewed down under here was created in 2002 and 2005...and that means that the split is the newest recordings by Lord Therramons (if now that track was made in 2006 as the split was releases), dont know why they did not see the day of light back then but i am glad they are out from the grave now!

-Cold Grave-

This album that seems to be DD first real album plays out as much as the early demo but with cleaner production, as a whole this album is a solid release perhaps not so exiting to listen to as he creates a very familiar atmosphere and sound, some light European pagan melodies can be heard in some guitar parts which works nicely. Mid paced and cold as the other releases but also i found some songs like Mighty Winter has some first wave black metal a bit like Mordant whom flirts with some heavy metal compositions.
Lyrics is of standard satanic concepts and vocals is also raspy and slimy as before, works good all together and i think the album is well worth getting as serves up a well cooked demon stew, you have eaten it many times before but it still tastes good. Fifth track is one of my favorites...oh and it is a bit of a short album but it does not hurt to spin it again then.

By the way i must be dumb but i SO recognizes the base melodie on Sons of the North United! From what i understand this is not a cover song but i guess he put his own spin on this old compositions...wherever it is from.

Track list:
1.     Intro - The Birth of Evil     02:21    
2.     Mighty Winter     05:14    
3.     Heil the Apocalypse     03:22    
4.     Sons of the North Unired     03:42    
5.     Unleashed from the Abyss     03:38    
6.     Blackened Sight     04:38    
7.     Cold Grave     04:09    
                           Total:27:04    

- Devil Dedication -

For me this is where DD hit its head on the Jesus nail! This is a great album in other words!
All the compositions are more tighter and the riffs more intense and the overall atmosphere drips with hate and creativity, it feels like a more indepth developed construction and you enjoy every minute here, yes he has still his signature sounds as before but here he has pushed further into the waltz inferno with the devil himself and as a result this is the best stuff i have heard from Dom Dracul...grander & altogether an engaging attack!
...i wonder if the first released album that came out the same year as this was made if that one was also made in 2005? Probably not but i feel inclined now to really listen to that one if its holds a candle against Devils Dedication or not.

 The subtle pagan melodies that was on Cold Grave is nowere to be found here but that is no big issue when it is as enjoyable is this is.The lyrics even feels more inspired.

 All songs are good but my best three tracks is: 1,3,7

Track list:
1.     Devil Dedication     04:16    
2.     Hell Is Here     04:31    
3.     Beyond Order and Chains     04:41    
4.     Luciferian Light     04:52    
5.     True Spirit of Evil     05:50    
6.     All for Satan     04:47    
7.     Dead, Angry and Drunk     04:28    
                         Total: 33:25

These albums are released by Sun & Moon Records, nice print and paper quality for a great final touch.

 Label link:
http://www.sunandmoonrecords.com/