Author Reverend Darkstanley
After various encounters with Himinbjorg in the past, most of them fleeting, the arrival of Wyrd was a good opportunity for me to get deep down into the French pagan black metal undergrowth, slap on the woad and ready my… Continue Reading →
Art of Propaganda is clearly looking to corner the market in a certain kind of emotionally-charged, angst-ridden post-black metal that Anomalie exemplifies so well. Harakiri For The Sky has been well positioned as the flagship of this windswept sound which… Continue Reading →
After last year’s complex and exhilarating ‘III’ the man behind this impressive black metal project has pressed on with a flurry of releases. Unlike many one man black metal bands, where the number of splits and EPs almost feels like… Continue Reading →
Zgard, with its resolutely Carpathian take on black metal, has always had obvious potential and has been quietly, in the background, constructing its legacy over the past three or four years. Totem again features former Nokturnal Mortum drummer Munruthel on… Continue Reading →
Atmospheric death metal crew Desolate Shrine have been busy this year with the release of their third album The Heart of the Netherworld in January and now the hard-to-find debut gets a re-issue on Hellthrasher after a little over four… Continue Reading →
Seeking high adventure on the internet last year I stepped into the aimless void that is the world wide web with an unusual clarity of purpose. Long had it been since my soul had been stirred… No, this is not… Continue Reading →
Hegemon have been around for a while now – two decades to be exact – shuffling around on the underground with a couple of half decent full-length releases before an album with Season of Mist in 2008. Contemptus Mundi also… Continue Reading →
I like everything about Nhor. I like the pagan-pastoral vision, the unhurried compositions that braid black metal together with gently sombre acoustic passages; I like the album covers and the increasingly elaborate products that accompany its releases (the latest comes… Continue Reading →
There is a place far in the North which carries the torch for a particularly ‘orrible, murderous and plain old Satanic brand of black metal. Finland is a place where the obsidian heart of 1990s black metal scene still… Continue Reading →
Our Survival Depends On Us – Scouts On The Borderline Between The Physical And Spiritual World (Ván)
I’m not sure what I was expecting from the grammatically ambiguous Our Survival Depends On Us but safe to say it wasn’t this. Clues to the band’s obscure title are there to be found within Scouts On The Borderline… but… Continue Reading →
Ævangelist have been at the forefront of a wave of chaotic and dismally seductive death metal since their first full release in 2012. Some of their other releases have been a little more variable but at its best the band… Continue Reading →
Greek war helmet-obsessed black metallers Archemoron fire up a melting pot that blends the finest of the grandiose Hellenic tradition with elements the far flung reaches of the extreme metal universe. Dropping in death, thrash and straight down the line… Continue Reading →