Tag Emperor
May 1993. Two young upstart Norwegian black metal bands share the limelight on a split release from Candlelight Records. Both subsequently follow very different musical ideologies and career paths, but grow to be equally influential and universally revered. Jumping forward… Continue Reading →
We last heard from this German / Australian duo as they disrupted space with their own hostile planet suite that was Solar Spectre. With ties to Todtgelichter and Ne Obliviscaris among others it’s no surprise that what we have here… Continue Reading →
I knew this had to be on Transcending Obscurity just because of the number of pictures included in the press pack, and the vibrant colours on the cover… As to the band despite being formed around 2006 and this being… Continue Reading →
“Maximum speed. Minimum fuss”. And a lot of blackened death if I remember their previous work rightly. Vahrzaw is a band with a 30-year pedigree so has had plenty of time to fine-tune its soundscapes. The title of this album… Continue Reading →
Long running Hellenic black metal band Thy Darkened Shade kick off my new year. I assume this is a companion piece to their 2014 album but as this is my first dance with the (I think) duo I have no… Continue Reading →
Some things really are just what they are supposed to be. Regardless of outside pressures they have a direction and an attitude that is so assured in its purpose that notions of trend or just the passage of time are… Continue Reading →
You wouldn’t want anyone throwing a Pestilent Hex at you, would you? Imagine what you could end up with, all manner of nastiness. Covid would be a prime example perhaps. It could even be booby-trapped within the music itself. We… Continue Reading →
I had the pleasure of reviewing the last WiT album Maledictus Dies Illa for Ave Noctum and due to that I must put my cards on the table and say that I have been given access to this album since… Continue Reading →
This album intrigued me on a number of levels. It’s epic black metal through “that dark forest of our minds”. Conceived during a blizzard in the band’s native Finland, the band’s line-up has links with Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum, Paradise Lost… Continue Reading →
Formed in Sweden in 2015, “The Sanctity Of Death” is the second full length release from Ultra Silvam. Their brand of black metal is altogether old school in delivery, with opening track “Dies Irae” introducing the listener to a quasi-melodic… Continue Reading →
Formed in 2013, Swedish duo Fornhem released their debut album “Ett Fjärran Kall” in 2017, with their Nordic laments receiving quiet acclaim in underground circles. Returning as a trio for their second full release, the band have evolved their take… Continue Reading →
What a phenomenal band this Finnish outfit is. I admit I was late to their party with the coniferous crown already having been worn for a couple of albums and a slew of other releases since their coronation. ‘Uinuos syömein… Continue Reading →