Cruciamentum - Convocation of Crawling Chaos

This is a living proof that not everything that is old in metal rules! Cruciamentum is a band hailing from UK, and boy they deliver one of the best demos of black/death that I have listened to in recent years. This is not your typical modern black/death band that only talks about worshiping the devil and so on, these guys took a lot of time and effort to do this. This can be felt through their riffs, which deliver an atmosphere comparable of bands lie Dead Congregation's demo, it might not sound as evil as them, but sure as hell is good. Another interesting aspect of them is the use of synthesizer to create an even more haunting experience, the vocalist kicks ass, the growls are exactly the kind that I enjoy, long, deep, and "gassy." The music is pretty much mid paced, sometimes it gets very slow others extremely fast, this doesn't bother me, the tempo changes are always interesting, and it's always good to see how a band would sound and if the musicians can do it with no problem. The production is pretty flat, which is good for a demo, every instrument can be heard with no problem. I recommend to listen to this band with earphones, why? The reason for that is pretty simple, the atmosphere just gets better and better with them, with speakers there is too much space between the actual music and the listener. Enjoy and lets hope for a full length somewhere soon.











Cruciamentum - Convocation of Crawling Chaos

Marblebog - Forestheart

Marblebog are a relatively well-known and highly praised entity in the black metal underground scene. Active since 1998 and since then released 3 full lengths and a plentitude of splits and a lone demo in the beginning of their existence. Marblebog have achieved the creative peak during this album suitably titled Forestheart. The type of black metal they play is one that's rather repetitous (in a good way) and hypnotic, creating tremelo picked riffs that flow naturally into one another and will evoke images of lone forests and mountainous regions. Marblebog excel at using the repetitive nature of the music to their advantage and as a consequent of this Forestheart is very consistent, with little to no faults. What attracts many black metal fans to Forestheart are the excellent riffs that aren't out there to create a frostbitten, grim or cold atmosphere, but more one of solitude, nature and everything relating to introspective themes, almost sounding ambient-like at times especially during the longest track Closing where Marblebog make use of droning ambient backed up the gutwrenching vocals that reek of despair and hatred. Forestheart has an almost ritualistic feel to it, often making use of typical samples such as wind, birds, etc. that are tastefully added. To keep the entire hypnotic feel going, it's necessary for Marblebog to make frequent use of blast beats, therefore the drumming isn't technically much interesting, but sometimes it's better to sacrifice technical proficiency and to go for a certain element of your music that you feel like highlighting, in this case the entire feel of the record. Some slower moments are however present as well as for example during Flame Of Wisdom. I would recommend Marblebog to those who can appreciate a sound similar to Velvet Cacoon, but performed a lot more consistent and well...more interesting or to those who have enjoyed the shoegazing quality of one-man band Trancelike Void, who were also previously discussed here (july 2009).

Marblebog - Forestheart

Nehëmah - Light Of A Dead Star

Nehemah are part of the established french scene and have been around since the early nineties. In 1995 they released the demo Light Of A Dead Star, which featured roughly everything present on this full length. The official debut album was then released 7 years later. If anyone wants an idea of what the french scene is capable of then continue reading. I'm fortunate enough to have seen these guys live at UTBS fest and together with Urfaust they were without a doubt the best bands of the entire weekend.

Nehemah are typical french black metal. This mysterious touch surrounds their music and was also present during their performance. They incorporate keyboards very tastefully in their sound, without going to far. This entire atmosphere is even further enhanced by some sections where the bass guitar shines. The guitar tone they use is incredibly vile and certainly one of the most vicious I have had the pleasure of hearing. Production-wise everything is almost perfect, raw, but not to the extent where some instruments simply become inaudible. A good variation is provided with the difference in paste, some songs have a slower approach to them, while others just furiously and unrelentlessly blast away like the opener Light Of A Dead Star. Nehemah are at their best when they incorporate both the slower as well as the faster aspects of their music in one song; slowly building-up to a climax that usually ends up with devestating blast beats blowing your brains out. Nehemah mostly excel at producing some eerie riffs that linger somewhere in mid-air and keep repeating itself. For some it might be a little repetitive, but that's the strongest aspect about this album. The constant repetition of certain riffs allows the music to fully develop and obtain a rich texture. At times the distortion makes way for a cleanly played guitar riff, such as during the intro of Nehëmah In Vulva Infernum, after which an incredibly thunderous, chaotic riff is played which immediately reminded me of the same memorable passage at the beginning of the song Akyr Zaman by Darkestrah. Definitely an album highlight.

Nehemah have also added some clear vocal lines to Light Of A Dead Star, they only appear twice and rather briefly. For a lot of black metal bands clear vocals are "not done", because they are either totally misplaced and just there for the sake of them being there or the band in question is too ambitious and uses the vocals constantly turning an entire album into a complete travesty, but luckily here we won't find the type of homosexual excesses you would find on an Agalloch album. No, the cleanly sung lines here are epic and incredibly gloomy. Nehemah are a band that are firmly rooted in the french scene and with Light Of A Dead Star they continue to help establish France as one of the best black metal countries out there.

Nehëmah - Light Of A Dead Star

Gospel of the Horns - A Call to Arms

Hailing from Australia comes Gospel of the Horns, which is formed by veterans from the Aussie black/thrash scene like Kill for satan, Funerary Pit, Deströyer 666, amongst many others. As a rule for the Aussie black/thrash these guys are highly influenced by Punk music and to be honest it works great! I hate most punk, but here it works great. Why does it work great? Pretty simple its excellent for headbanging and the beat of the music is excellent. The music itself is pretty thrashy and midpaced and with a lot of hate and dislike for religion, this is very noticeable at the beginning of Absolute Power when Houwitser says in his raspy scream "We are the hatred Lucifer's fury combined." For the ones familiar with Deströyer 666's first album, this is not similar to that album, the music here is more 'mainstream' don't let that turn you down, this is not mainstream at all it is just more catchy. The riffs are incredible good a bit too much in the background for some reason, the vocalist seems to be more in the front than the guitarists and the drumming is also a bit higher in the production than the guitar. One interesting aspect of this album is the feeling that some of the songs have, especially Slaves which it's incredibly emotional for some reason, it feels like some one is telling you a story where something really really bad happened. The riffs in Slaves are also unbeliavable good, they are slow for thrash, but it works in phenomenal way. The leads are also good, they are not exactly brilliant or intricate, but they manage to give something very special to the music. Houwitser gives a lesson to a lot of vocalist from the black metal scene and of course of the black/thrash scene, his vocals are raspy yet they don't sound like many other vocalist that don't transmit anything, Houwitser on the other hand gives something more than hate, an unique feeling. Understanding what this band is about? Is about feeling, that's it, just feelings on the music, no it is not anything emo or melancholy it's just a different kind of feeling. The production here could have been better, but it's good enough for me, the maim problem is that the guitars sound in one speaker, the drumming in the other speaker, and houwitser in both, probably that was their idea who knows. Enjoy an amazing release from Australia and lets hope they keep improving.














Gospel of the Horns - A Call to Arms

Trancelike Void - Destroying Something Beautiful

Trancelike Void first saw the light in the year 2007 and quickly came up with a surprisingly good debut full-length. S. (the main character behind this project) didn't feel like wasting much time with demo's, EPs and such, but immediately went for the ambitious choice and created this album. A bold decision, that many similar bands choose nowadays, but unfortunaly it usually ends quite horrificly and in the end proved to be a way too ambitious effort. Luckily, this is not the case here. S. is a quite experienced musician (also the main driving force behind the promising Kilte, who have been discussed here during June 2009) and therefore took the right decision when he chose to immediately release Destroying Something Beautiful. On this album we find 3 parts, each divided by an additional interlude. Together it forms a cohesive ensemble and especially the different interludes give it a rich texture. Trancelike Void creates a kind of black metal that drones fairly heavily and puts the listener into a trancelike state. Drum patterns are simple and minimalistc, as is pretty much everything found here. The vocals are quite distorted and sound perfect alongside the shoegaze-y and again very simplistic riffs. Despite being fairly basic, this feels rather complete. The interaction between the different parts and interludes is reponsible for creating this effect. While the general execution is rather simplistic, the overall texture remains rich and that is an accomplishment that only the talented few can achieve. It's clear that this album was created with a specific sound and concept in mind. A lot of the time when a band tries this it usually ends up being way too ambitious and generally sounding rather disjointed. This is however not the case here. The fact that this album ends with a quote from fight club is a testimony as to how awesome Destroying Something Beautiful is. If you don't mind a repetitive and minimalistic take on black metal, then get this, but let it be clear that these elements make for a rather inaccessible listen and only a select few will be able to value this accordingly. Simplicity is the key here and it does wonders for this project. Whereas others have to incorporate a dozen different instruments and special symphonic effects to impress, this band merely relies on the basic instruments and creates music that easily surpasses all of that bullshit out there.

Trancelike Void - Destroying Something Beautiful

Verloren - In Zalvend Onmin

Verloren are a short-lived band part of the talented Goatowarex roster. After 5 years of existance they released their only full length titled In Zalvend Onmin. In Zalvend Onmin starts with a highlight after the intro called Doelloos Dwalen; rather catchy song with an almost rock 'n roll feel to it, a bit groovy even and riff-fucking-tastic. A contrast with the lyrical themes and vocals. Lyrically Verloren tap from the same pool as many contemporary colleagues. Subjects as misanthropy, solitude, etc. are all over the place, but instead of being an uninspired Burzum or Bethlehem rip-off, they opt for a slightly different approach. Doelloos Dwalen is a perfect example of this. Verminking starts with a cleanly played guitar riff, after which the devestating vocals and distortion kick in. The vocals are not that special, but are nonetheless perfect for this album. They aren't the ridiculous high shrieks that seem to be a common approach nowadays, but instead are a more traditional black metal scream filled with emotion and despair. With Verminking the album drops paste significantly and will hypnotize the listener into a state of complete apathy, until about 5 minutes in the song, when some fast-paced tremelo's make an introduction and the music again goes up a few notches and treads into mid-paced territory. This constant change in paste provides for a nice variety and constantly highlights different emotions. Vloek Der Negatiefheid starts in a similar fashion as the previous song, again clean guitar lines with in the background the excruciating screams. Paste again slow for about a minute or two, until a mid-paced part presents itself again backed up by the trancelike riffs that will keep repeating itself in your head, long after this album is over. They are pretty simple, but highly effective. Vloek Der Negatiefheid is a perfect example of this, at about 4 minutes into the song, a riff comes crawling up that's easily one of the best to be heard on In Zalvend Onmin and perfectly portrays all the negativity present in this song. It's a shame Verloren never continued what they had started. They are obviously a talented bunch and were a musical highlight of 2006. Like so many talented bands, Verloren quit the underground scene with just one album, but by now it's common knowledge that usually those albums (and bands) end up reaching a legendary status. Future will decide wether Verloren will continue this trend or not. Verloren are recommended to those individuals who enjoy mid-paced / slow riff-based black metal with highly effective screaming in the background and a general gloomy and despondent mood.

Verloren - In Zalvind Onmin

Elysian Blaze - Levitating The Carnal

The last couple of years I can count on one hand how many times i've played this album. I rarely listen to it, because it requires something extra. This is weird music, which can only be enjoyed if all aspects are in your advantage. You'll soon notice why this is such a monstrosity of an album and I mean that in a good way. Elysian Blaze play black metal, but a very unique type. Mutatiis - the man behind Elysian Blaze - experiments not only with the music itself, but especially with the production. He makes Levitating The Carnal sound really distant and the entire thing has this sort of echo effect to it. It almost seems like i'm listening to this album in a cathedral, like the one depicted on the album coverart. So this clearly was a move intentionally done by Mutatiis and he completely succeeds in creating this. The value of the production is very important to notice, as without this particular type of effect, it would lose a lot of it's unique strength. Levitating The Carnal progresses in a mostly mid-tempo and slow fashion, but has some faster sections as well (Macabre Be Thy Blood). The guitar tone sounds exactly like everything else, distant and echoing and creates long-winded, but moving and slightly melodious riffs that make up for a very solid basis for Mutatiis to work on. Extra depth is created by frequently using a piano. The hard part about Levitating The Carnal is that it's so goddamn inaccessible. Even listening to it is a nervous experience. Not one factor in your own surrounding can change as it might ruin the whole listening experience. Combine that with the fact that this album has a playtime of almost 70 minutes and you know chances of you listening to this a lot will be pretty slim. It demands your entire attention. When it eventually has your full attention it will allow you to sink in the entire atmosphere and experience the brilliance of Levitating The Carnal.

I should say that this should possible be experienced as you might experience some Lustmord or Northaunt or basically anything similar. Even though this is unmistakingly heavy metal, the complete package has a very ambient feel and should therefore also be considered as something along those lines. Don't expect to be headbanging 70 minutes to this, because that will not happen. If you prefer your black metal thrashy or of the scandinavian school, then think twice as to wether you really want to try Levitating The Carnal, as it might turn out to be a frustrating experience. If you like the french or perhaps to a lesser extent the greek scene and enjoy the typical mystical atmosphere those scenes are known for (I realise that this might be a stretch for some people, but i'm purely comparing moods generated by the music and not the music itself), then by all means, add Levitating The Carnal to your collection. Be prepared to be entranced by this repetitive, minimalistic and unique take on black metal!

Elysian Blaze - Levitating The Carnal

Grimfaug - Defloration Of Life's Essence

The Defloration Of Life's Essence kicks off in a very promising way. Thick, fuzzy guitars immediately begin with a nice riff, backed up by a doomy tolling bell and prominent bass action, which further develops this doomed atmosphere. After about a minute one of the best riffs on this album comes into play and prepares the listener for a complete onslaught of destructive blast beats and mystifying riffs. As many bands, Grimfaug follow the scandinavian school of black metal. Fairly heavy on the blasts, terribly fuzzy guitar tone and vocals that remind me of Skamfer of Heresi fame. Grimfaug have passed by fairly unnoticed, but are however a member of a respectable and well-known labal such as Eerie Art Records, which features bands such as Hypothermia, Nachtmystium, Lyrinx and enigmatic Icelandic act Vhernen. While Grimfaug play a style of black metal which has been done to dead, they do manage to bring a high-quality variant of it. Good solid riffs, nothing outstanding, but at least they are consistent all the way, drumming that is pretty vile and blasts away most of the time, with some occassional fills and some nice thrashy drum rythms here and there as well as some good double bass action. A production that is rather raw, but creates a real misty ambiance, where you really do get lost in. The 3-minute Despoiler Of Hope is an ambient piece that enriches the entire atmosphere this record is going for and contrary to a lot of bands who incorporate something such as this in their music, it's no filler material. The highlight of Defloration Of Life's Essence is definitely the last track (also the longest track) Apocalypse... which again continues in the same way as this album started, slower paste and moody. A perfect sinister way to end this solid effort. Kudos to these guys for realising the importance of a bass and how it can add something to even a genre such as black metal. The bass is not present all the time, but is audible when appropriate. The guitars have this over the top buzz saw tone, which I can greatly appreciate, it allows the listener to sink in the moody atmosphere. Grimfaug won't be breaking any new grounds, but remains faithful to the roots of the genre and creates with Defloration Of Life's Essence something that should be valued for what it is; a good, solid effort.

Grimfaug - Defloration Of Life's Essence

Grand Belial's Key - Judeobeast Assassination

Grand Belial's Key are undoubtedly the kings of American black metal. This album would be the climax of them and what a piece of art it is. This is nothing, but mockery. The whole album revolves in making fun on a real sinister, morbid, and funny way of Judeo-Christianity , and it works great just have a look at the cover art. This is not NSBM, this is just something else, whomever categorizes this band as NSBM should be shot! Also I'd like to consider GBK and Grom as the best examples of USBM, riffs, great lyrics, and highly proficient musicians. The riffs found on Grand Belial's Key are great for headbanging, the solos are also extremely good (also something extremely rare on the whole black metal scene). Like I said before the riffs are extremely good, they are not the typical bm riffs, they are very different, hard to describe, kind of punkish, but with a especial touch. The couples of solos are also extremely good, Gelal gets a bit loose on Doves of war and shows of how solos have to be in black metal, wild yet not technical at all. The drumming is also extremely good, the drummer did an excellent job fitting on the album, the pattern is very interesting especially in The Shitagogue. The keyboard is well played, it is only present for a couple of seconds though. The vocalist is perhaps the best thing after the guitarists, he does a great job throughout the whole album, especially the parts here he does solo vocals. The wide range of his vocals are the most interesting part, he goes from a screechy scream to an almost death metallish growl. The production could have been better, this is the only weak aspect of the album, production should not be a turn off for most metalheads, if someone can't listen to this it shouldn't be listening to metal. The lyrics of the album are also incredible funny, this is something not to take serious, they are only making fun of religion, have a problem with that? deal with it and fuck off! This is a mere example of a song:

"Satanic bullets destined to perforate
The chosen people of Z.O.G.
Hordes of true Black Metal arsonists
Roast the red fathers of the protocol"

And that's only a part of it. The music could be rated as complex, for the genre, but everything is kept simple. These guys however don't share any of the aspects that the Scandinavians, French, and others are so proud of. None of the 'kvlt' faggot look like corpse paint is found here. That said one can have an idea of the mentality of these guys, extremely arrogant and that is great! Another excellent release from the US, enjoy!




















GBK- Judeobeast Assassination

Forgotten Tomb - Love's Burial Ground

Whenever Forgotten Tomb becomes the subject of conversation a reference is made to the two early full lengths; the new Negative Megalomania is usually avoided and rightfully so, but for some reason the best one is left behind. Love's Burial Ground hardly gets any mention at all and is left to wither away. I do not know what caused this sudden change of mentality towards Forgotten Tomb as there is not that much difference with what came before this. Whereas early Forgotten Tomb had a clear depressive undertone, this one favors a slightly different approach, focussing on simply delivering a dark, but aggressive anti-human piece of italian black metal. There is a nice mixture of blasting, aggressive tunes such as 'Kill Life' and 'Forgotten Tomb MMIII' and the more familiar approach that we're used to hearing from Forgotten Tomb, which reaches an absolute climax during 'Alone', one of the highly praised Forgotten Tomb songs, but not the best on this record. Alone features a sickening sort of catchiness, a bit strange, seeing as lyrically this is just one slab of pure negativity. These two elements combined make for a surprisingly good song and proove that Forgotten Tomb don't hold on to a particular formula and aren't afraid to experiment a little. Unfortunaly they went a little too far with the whole experimentation on their following album. Nonetheless, this kind of approach will always receive my full support. Back to Love's Burial Ground; after Alone comes House of Nostalgia which again shows these guys at their best, Herr Morbid screaming out his lungs singing spreading anti-human propaganda. Lyrically Forgotten Tomb have never been the strongest competitors, a travesty which took extreme forms on Negative Megalomania. This small piece of criticsm doesn't harm the songwriting on Love's Burial Ground however, but it has to be said that some lyrics are pretty cringe-worthy, even though they deliver a message that perfectly matches the music. The best song found here is without a doubt 'Slave To Negativity'. The opening riff is again performed with a certain consistency that's found throughout the entire album. The general songwriting here is incredibly strong, slowly leading to a climax that will hold you by the throat and won't let go. Incredible! Production here is pretty much perfect. Not the afwul clean production that just sounds incredibly dull, but clean enough to hear every instrument. Let it be known that this album is not one that deserves to fade away in obscurity. This is superior to early Forgotten Tomb and should be recognised as one of the better black metal albums of the last decade. This is a band that is not afraid to experiment, but still manages to hold on to a solid basis (at least on this album). Even though Songs To Leave and Springtime Depression were in fact very memorable albums that deserve all the praise they got. I still feel that here lies their finest hour, it takes the strong elements of the early two albums, but mixes with a little more aggressive approach and a willingness to experiment. Do not ignore this outstanding piece of contemporary black metal, it will be your loss.

Forgotten Tomb - Love's Burial Ground

Necromantia - Scarlet Evil Witching Black

Ah yes another Greek black metal band, but this is just not any band this is Necromantia, one of the main pillars of the whole Greek scene. Necromantia together with Rotting Christ, and Varathron were the ones that made the Greek scene famous, well if I even can say famous due that the average metalhead would only know the recent albums of Rotting Christ, which is highly unlikely. If you are familiar with Rotting Christ then Varathron would sound very similar to some extent, but if you are a bit familiar with the fore mentioned bands, Necromantia would be the strangest one of them all. Why? The answer is pretty simple, Necromantia's style is a bit faster, just fast enough, and when it comes to the instruments that they use is a whole different story. Necromantia doesn't use electric guitars in their alignment, other than for the solos, those riffs that are you hearing come from two basses, an eight string hand made bass which is played by Makis and a normal four string played by Magus. As the album goes on Necromantia becomes even more weird, the use of many instrument is present such as saxophones, acoustic guitars, and so on. Something curious about all this is that none of these instruments ever take the spot light, they are just to make the listener experience something out of this world, and this works every time the album goes off, it never gets old. As mentioned before the music never gets old, the riffs are pretty unique, especially the ones in black mirror which is my all time favorite song of Necromantia, the drumming is pretty good although I'm still not sure if it's actually human or a drum machine, sometimes sounds machine, sometimes human perhaps is a combination of both. The solos that are found throughout the album are extremely good, especially the bass solos, it shows how proficient Makis is with the bass and how creative he is. The guitar solos are also extremely good, especially the one found in Spiritdance it gives the song a very Mediterranean touch. This album also has a lot of symphonic moments and none of them ever take the front, besides the one on the second part of Pretender to the throne where is used the Ride of the Valkyries as an intro, this is true art! Everything in this album blends so well that is not surprising that once somebody listens to it, it will get addicted to it and it will be something joyful to listen time after time. The production is also pretty neat, flat I would say, no instrument is played over the other, the riffs can be heard with no trouble at all. This album would sadly be the climax of Necromantia, after it they never recorded something as especial and no band has never got as close to release an album as different, surprising, and perfect as this one.

From every angle this album is seen it can't be seen just as a piece of music, but as a monument of art dedicated to the dark side. Everything here is played close to perfection, nothing is missed, not even the lyrics which are very entertaining and some of them talk about many of the myth and stories of Hellas and its ancient tribes.




















Necromantia - Scarlet Evil Witching Black

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