Author Andy Pountney
Over the past twenty years or so Sólstafir have garnered an enviable reputation within the metal community, with a fan base that crosses genres, matching their indomitable, hard to define style. Starting out as a black metal outfit, albeit with a… Continue Reading →
Portuguese enigma Gaerea have swiftly risen swiftly to the upper echelons of black metal over the past few years with their modern interpretation of the dark art. Their position was reinforced with the release of the critically acclaimed ‘Mirage’ back… Continue Reading →
Some bands look to push boundaries, blending genres and constantly evolving their sound, while some are content to stick with tried and tested blueprints. There is nothing wrong with this, but there is a risk that these bands can begin… Continue Reading →
Hell is Other People is a great band name and certainly sums up how I feel a lot of the time! Being intrigued, I went away to doing a little digging as to its origins, and was led to a… Continue Reading →
Many purveyors of the dark art of black metal have evolved their sound over the years, incorporating keyboards and symphonics for example, and are now unrecognisable from the bands that the second wave spawned in the nineties. While this is… Continue Reading →
As soon as opening track ‘Final Act of Aggression’ kicked in, I was taken back to the heady days of the eighties when thrash metal was new and bands such as Slayer, Metallica, Exodus and Hirax were all pushing boundaries,… Continue Reading →
Horna should need no introduction to any fan of extreme music, having been stalwarts of the Finnish, if not global, black metal scene for the last 30 years. During that time, they have unleashed ten studio albums and countless splits,… Continue Reading →
Kalandra are one of those bands that everyone seems to have heard of, not least through high profile support slots with the likes of Wardruna, Leprous and A.A.Williams, and of course the band’s cover of ‘Helvegen’. They have also played… Continue Reading →
As soon as this gig was announced, there were serious excited ripples in the extreme metal underground, with tickets disappearing quickly and people travelling a long way to catch Sigh on a rare outing in the UK, in the lead… Continue Reading →
While it may seem as though some Norwegian black metal bands have long hiatuses between releases and tours, the reality is that the scene is a perpetually thriving beast with members playing in several bands, allowing them to explore different… Continue Reading →
Let’s get straight to it, this is not for the faint hearted. This is complex, dissonant and claustrophobic. It is jarring, angular and raw. At its core it is post black metal, but it sits very much at the harsh… Continue Reading →
When Norwegian black metal is mentioned, most people think of the Oslo and Bergen scenes and all of the legendary bands to have been, and continue to be, spawned from these areas. However, the truth is there is a flourishing… Continue Reading →