Stutthof - And Cosmos From Ashes To Dust

Stutthof is yet another Greek black metal band (Yes I'm kind of obsessed for Greek black metal) yet this album cannot be considered your typical black metal album, I know I have said this many times here, but the way the music progresses, the variations, the many tempos and everything else that happens is amazing and no possible to describe in just a few words and I'm not even gonna try to do it. The intro of the album is one of my favorites and it gives the listener absolutely no idea of how the music is gonna be, one thing is certain and that it will blow the listener away. When the music finally starts the listener will probably feel overwhelmed by it, yes it is that surprising and epic. The musicians really wanted to show the rest of the world how black metal should be done in the 21st century which in my opinion should be relentless, epic, and with a lot of passion. The vocalists (I believe there are two of them) are great at what they do, their voice stands high up with their flawless musicianship, what I found surprising is that although they are great there is not a lot of singing, it's mostly instrumental. There is a lot of variation in the guitars section, from clean and slow parts to really fast yet everything is done in a subtle way and the tempo changes are done in a very subtle way, the listener won't feel the transitions most of the time. The drumming is also extremely good, it keeps the beat up and also keeps the music rather organized. The bass like always is non-existent and again it doesn't bother me because of the of the music is very high and unique. One aspect of this album that really caught my attention and really keeps me focused on the music were the intros, the mid transitions, and the outros that have that celestial feeling of peace and holiness and then all the sudden the music kicks up again with great intensity leaving the listener perplexed. This album is also highly symphonic, this is one of the many constants of Greek black metal, with many hymns which gives an extra touch of evilness to the atmosphere. The production is also very good, this is another constant of Greek black metal, every instrument can be heard with no trouble what so ever, there is just a couple of parts where the quality of the music is not that great yet it's no surprising due to everything that is going on. Most listeners won't feel compelled of trying this album because of the lengthy songs, this lengthiness however is not felt, the music is so enjoyable that even the twenty minute song feels like five minutes, almost like time has stopped. I recommend this album for everyone that wants to know how black metal should be done in these times where good albums are few or none. I forgot to say that this is also a NSBM band, but again the album shouldn't be overlooked and if the listener has problems with this it shouldn't be listening to metal at all, because metal has never been a political correct genre. Enjoy another great release!
















Stutthof - And Cosmos from Ashes to dust

Legion of Doom - For those of the blood

This is my first review about a NSBM band and although I dislike NSBM bands most of the time, I've to admit that this Greek band is pretty much above the rest (specially the shitty Slavic scene, what a joke). One of the many reasons of why I like this band compared to the rest is because they are not trying to be German (Viking to be exact) or anything like that, even the symbols used by the bands (at least for what I've seen) has nothing to with vikings and so on, but with Sparta and other tribes of ancient Hellas. Now the album, the album is pretty much atmospheric black metal with a strong use of piano or harpsichord which gives the music a unique feeling and style. The vocalist is one of the best when it comes to long and raspy screeches, this however is not the case in the third and fourth album where his voice has clearly degraded. The guitarist are also extremely good and proficient with their instrument and keeps the music rather well (mid paced), mostly tremolo picking is used although this varies from time to time. The bass like in most black metal bands is non-existent which is okay and doesn't bother me at all. The production is pretty good (which is a constant in most Greek black metal), every instrument can be heard without trouble; the only trouble is the drumming which is barely heard it would have been nice if it was not so muffled. I can't say anything about the lyrics because they are not available, but pretty sure they mostly talk about mysticism and other kind of topics. One more thing, I'm not sure if this band is related to the golden dawn or Chrysi Avyi, the reason why is because of the name of the second song The Rise of the golden dawn, hard to tell whether they are connected or not.

In every way the listener looks at this album no matter if it hates this kind of topics in it's music or whatever is the reason, it is not an album to be overlooked specially for the ones into the Greek scene. This band is pretty much the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Hellenic NSBM and so far all the bands that I've tried are really good like Stutthof, but by far these guys are my favorites. The way the guitarists, the synthesizer, and piano/harpsichord player blend is just unbelievable and perfect, the atmosphere is godly and impossible to describe. The artwork is also neat and fits the idea of the album and for some reason it reminds me of the Nazgûl of the lord of the rings, this however looks more macabre and sinister.




















Legion of Doom - For those of the blood

Kilte - Absence

Kilte made a huge step forward when they signed with Goatowarex, but a mutual feeling of pride and respect is appropriate I think. Goatowarex has signed a talented bunch of young musicians who have the capacities and creative strength to go far and Kilte has found a label which will do much good for their evolution as a whole and help empower and improve said musical capacities and give them the recognition they deserve, even if it's just on a small scale consisting of devoted followers. Kilte have been around for about 6 years and have released in that time a demo, an EP and a split, of which the split was rather well received by the underground circles. The split features next to Kilte also Funeral Mourning. Before that however, came the EP, entitled Absence. I cannot compare the split with the EP, as I do not have it in my possession just yet (the split that is), but im pretty sure that quality wise this release will be around the same level as the one that followed; in other words extremely enjoyable repetitive black metal. The recognition that the split received was, no doubt, for a large part thanks to Funeral Mourning. Who, despite having only one release so far, have already quite a following and somewhat of a status, which I find quite surprising since I thought Drown In Solitude was rather plain and well...simply put boring. Absence has a playtime of nearly half an hour and brings something to the table which is not uncommon these days - minimalistic, reiterative black metal. The music is gloomy and generally quite disheartening; enhanced by the minimalistic nature of the music, you get thrown into a vicious circle of negativity that keeps repeating itself endlessly. Important to note is that it never becomes dull, despite being so monotonous, which is a testimony to the quality of execution performed by Kilte. I suggest that newcomers start with Emission Through Self Infliction, even if it's just for purely pratical reasons - the split will be much easier to track down - and then switch to their previous material.

Kilte - Absence

Paragon Impure - To Gaius (For The Delivery Of Agrippina)

"...I have existed from the morning of the world and I shall exist until the last star falls from the night. Although I have taken the form of Gaius Caligula, I am all man as I am no man and therefore I am… a God!"

Paragon Impure are part of the quality Goatowarex label - a respectable and well-known label in the underground circles and guarantees high quality music again and again. A label that has already released genre classics such as Verräterischer, Nichtswürdiger Geist, Vastiia Tenebrd Mortifera and In Zalvend Onmin and seemingly has taken a liking to harvesting Flemish talent such as Kilte and Ghremdrakk ; the short-lived Verloren who released something for the ages with In Zalvend Onmin, but the same can be said about To Gaius (For The Delivery Of Agrippina). As the title might suggest this deals with the none other than the Romans, a highly unsung subject in the extreme metal genre, but Paragon Impure have taken it upon themselves to forever change that. Fortunaly for us and them, it will not be remembered as a brave and ambitious effort that eventually failed to accomplish that which it had set out to do, but as a work that has its place alongside label classics such as the aforementioned ones. The backbone of To Gaius are the well-written conceptual lyrics and general song structures, which will put many bands to shame. The guitars are fuzzed-out chainsaws, who create magical riff upon magical riff and this for the entire duration, which admittedly is a bit short, but doesn't feel like it lacks in that department, it feels rather complete in spite of the short duration. To Gaius is a massive half an hour assault that will show no mercy, but is equally as relentless and brutal as the subject at hand. 

"...From Baldhead To Baldhead 
Bid Them To Be Led Away 
Humiliate Them In Public 
Serve Them To The Beasts 
When They Protest Their Innocence 
Cut Off Their Tongue 
And Put Them Back Again 

Remember That You Have The Right 
To Do Anything To Anyone 
All Must Pay For Any Act Of Disrespect 
There Is No Antidote Against Caesar 

All Hail Caesar 
All Hail Caesar 
All Hail Caesar"

Paragon Impure - To Gaius (For The Delivery Of Agrippina)

Nvlvs - Architects of Man

Nvlvs is a Danish band formed in the 21th century, although most bands formed nowadays are worthless this is not the case. These guys are years ahead of many of their peers, they play a black metal reminiscent of Sacramentum, Vinterland, Sorhin, and Dawn (The big four of Sweden). Although their style is similar to the mentioned bands, they are not a ripoff or anything like that, what they share is the fluidity (Sacramentum), epic (Dawn), and other aspects that made these Swedish bands far better than their compatriots. This is a 4 track demo yet it's unbelievably good, well played, and the music is written in an excellent way. The guitarists did an excellent job in making the music interesting without particularly sounding complex or awfully fast, the tempo is really nice, keeping everything in place yet with a subtle touch of chaos. The drumming is also good, there are just a couple of parts where blasbeats are found, the drummer keeps things simple to fit the music rather than to make a name for himself. The vocalist is above the average, he does a good job but there are better ones, his pitch is just too high for my taste. The bass work is nonexistent for the most part, there are just few parts here he actually makes appearance. Production wise it's good for the kind of black metal it helps a lot with the atmosphere; it would be better though if they work a bit more in the mids rather than in the high spectrum of sound, it will give a clearer production and also good for our ears. Enjoy this demo and hope that they release a full length soon.

Nvlvs - Architects of Man

Kawir - Sinn The Blazing Queen

Kawir was formed in the early 90’s by veterans of the Hellenic metal scene, this was a super star outfit that it actually worked, unlike many other bands that are not worthy of mention here, the guitarists that play in this song were/are part of bands like Varathron, Agatus, Zemial, amongst many others, the vocalist is no other than Stefan Necroabyssus, and also found here is an excellent drummer and a bassist. This is perhaps their most dark and evil song and it’s a marvelous journey through the Hellenic black metal scene, this band however will later change little by little and have an even stronger folk influence in their music in their late career.

As mentioned before, Kawir was formed by some of the most important members of the Hellenic scene, this means that the music is of the highest quality, and that’s what the listener gets. The intro at the beginning is a perfect example; the arabesque influence fits perfectly the idea and also help with the atmosphere of the song. As a personal opinion I enjoy more Egyptian, Hellenic, and Mesopotamian mythology over the Viking, the reason for this is that they seem to be more dark and gloomy. The riffs in this song are unbelievable, they are relentless, powerful, and very atmospheric, very thrashy(Sort of Varathronish), dark, and unique. The listener will find itself headbanging after the first riff (yes it is that catchy) and repeating the song time after time. The drumming here is quiet different too, this of course if it is compared to the Nordic scene, there are no blast beats whatsoever, the drumming is there doing it works which is keeping the beat of the music up and that’s how it should be. Stefan as always delivers like nobody else; his growls are even deeper than the ones found in Varathron, which makes the song sound even more sinister than anything else. The production in this promo is also excellent, it’s really bleak and filthy, no instrument is over the other so they can all be heard without trouble, the only exception being the bass which is there doing an exceptional job, but the listener can barely listen to it unless it has a really good pair of earphones .Last but not least we have the synthesizers, this is something extremely common in the Hellenic scene and it really does work, if it is not over used and only in certain parts of the music, it gives the music a sense of grandeur and superiority, after all the Greeks were the ones who defined Western Culture. HAIL SINN! HAIL THE BLAZING QUEEN!

Kawir - Sinn the Blazing Queen

The Wounded Kings - Embrace Of The Narrow House

Finally, some occult doom that is not rooted in '70 style, but instead continues the lovecraftian tradition of Witchcult Today but with an own unique, oppressive twist. Organs are prominently present, the singing is all about taking the gloomy ambiance to a disturbing level and creates a morbidness seldomly seen. This is Requiem of December done the traditional way and mandatory for early Cathedral or as previously stated new Electric Wizard admirers. These Brits have immediately released their debut full-length one year after their formation, no previous material was officially released before this one, and have managed to sneak into my TOP 5 records of 2008 and together with Ancestors released the strongest debuts of 2008.

The Wounded Kings - Embrace Of The Narrow House

Bloodaxe - Raping The Ancient

"Haunting the Runes

Destroying the Myths

Raping the Ancient Ones"

Bloodaxe is a Canadian band that was formed at the start of the millenium by Nordavinden Lien. Raping The Ancient is the follow-up to the debut Bloodthrone. Stylistically it's somewhat of an oddity, it offers a unique approach to Viking Metal, a genre which I normally don't like, except for the occasional exception; such as Doomsword or Ereb Altor. What those bands share in common with Bloodaxe is while they are labeled Viking Metal or at least partially put under that category, they carry influences from a multitude of genres. In this case Bloodaxe is playing a raw form of Black Metal consisting of blast heavy drum patterns and melodious riffs, which, together with the distorted vocals create an environment that really makes you think of some distant Norse mythology. There lies the genuine strength of Bloodaxe. They succeeded in generating this, while others so often try to do the same, but completely fail and they did it in their own way crossing the borders of a tired and lets be honest otherwise dull genre.

Bloodaxe - Raping The Ancient