Author Reverend Darkstanley
Every student of Viking lore and heavy metal (and they are surely one and the same thing) should be by now be aware of the Einherjer – the myth and the band. The name for the legendary fallen warriors chosen… Continue Reading →
We are not here to be amused or entertained by mere whimsy. No sir. So wipe that smirk off your face and pay attention because this is Helrunar – brooding and heavy as a pile of scrap metal falling from… Continue Reading →
There’s something debauched and carefree about Gnosis new slab The Offering of Seven. This is tightly-delivered, doom-laden death metal with a charred, blackened edge but Gnosis is also undeniably, well, fun. Is it the Hellenic hues of the blackened sound,… Continue Reading →
Archemoron issued forth a cracking album in 2015 with Sulphur and Fire – both nuanced and powerful, like all the best Greek black metal. It turned a few heads and, even though I’d argue that it should have received more… Continue Reading →
The unholy union of Funeral Mist’s Arioch and Marduk unleashed sonic black metal hell of a variety rarely seen – and firing new life into the Swedish war machine as it did so. Those breathless words of demonic plague issued… Continue Reading →
Even deep within its granite wells of abject sorrow and glorious heaviness, it’s still difficult to find much to surprise in the depths of funeral doom these days. Perhaps that’s because many of its proponents regard deviating from the true… Continue Reading →
Acherontas still struggle to shake off a questionable legacy (not helped by calling your previous outfit after a concentration camp) but nonetheless have managed to position themselves at the centre of the occult black metal movement with an output that… Continue Reading →
Getting to grips with the wonders of Thy Catafalque is like wrestling with an agile, ever morphing, psychedelic serpent that wants to love you to death. In fact, as you can perhaps tell, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to convey the… Continue Reading →
What’s that racket? Oh yes, it must be the latest Autokrator release and boy have they turned things up a notch or two since last time round. When I say turned things up, of course, I don’t mean the bombastic… Continue Reading →
Riot became heavy metal legends in their own lifetimes when they produced a string of albums in the late 70s and early 80s – a time when it wasn’t unusual for bands to produce an album of shockingly good quality… Continue Reading →
Anyone who hasn’t been following events with the mighty Varathron – shame on you. For anyone that has welcome back to the unholy mass that can only be modern day Varathron in all its Hellenic black metal glory. These Greek… Continue Reading →
Ah yes: the windswept moors, endless days of rain, blue woad and blood sacrifice for cruel gods of the far reaches of the Western world. Unless you’ve been buried in a peat bog for the past decade, you won’t have… Continue Reading →