Taake : "En skog av nidstang"

 

This is the Norwegian project's 9th album. It finds Hoest continuing to perfect his take on the country bision of black metal with chilling riffing employed in a somewhat jarringly dissonant fashion on the opening track. I have not paid attention to the lyrics, which are normally screamed in a fairly incomprehensible manner. It seems to be nature based mytholgy draped in metaphor.  The second song has an equally intense static build of tremolo-picked guitars that plays it closer to the traditional expectations of the genre. The drums are largely buried in the mix. 

Drummer Rune has played with him for seven years, making him familar with the chaos this music tends to unfurl.  This one carries more drone than the opening track. The bu blurs into the background as the rabid picking falls into a wave of sound. More straightforward than what I expect from this project who has often thought out side the box to create more memorable black metal in the past. "Engler" finds more purpose in the drums slowing down and building a more epic nood. The drummer provides the space needed to do so. The scathing scowl of the vocals feels more uniform on this album. At the four-minute mark, I am surprised that I still have five minutes to go as I can not fathom how that is going to happen given what the song has become.The song deconstructs and builds back into some thing more tortured heading into the six minute mark.

The last song opens with a eeire guitar line before going into what I think of as the triumphant black metal gallop, though there is a darker slant this time around, This album feels like it carriesa rawer edge. production wise.With this comesa more traditional black metal feel.At two minutes in things break down for more melodic speculation to create more of the experimental feel.Certainly a better choice than more blast beats and adding more nuance to the album without backing down from it's confrontational nature. I will give this album a 9, it holds up against this porjects body of work and gives black metal fans what they want in a manner that's more than the status quo for the genre.

pst348

Taake : " Et hav av avstand"

 

The every controversial Norwegian black metal project , does not concede to anyone , and returns with their 8th full length. The title translates to " a sea of distance". The four songs songs are sprawling affairs, yet do not conform to the sonic confines of the black metal genre, while still delivering what it's fans want. The guitar buzz with tremolo picked tension, yet find a great deal of ebb and flow that keeps the clamor of the almost 12 minute opener moving with a fluid darkness. It is a rather bright and organic sounding album they have have just plugged in and nailbed everything in a one take jam.  Except for the fact master mind Hoest is a one man band. Which is surprising as I fully expect the live band to play this thanks to the very raw nature of things. 

The second song feels like they picked up where they left off on the first song. There are a few nuances in terms of how the guitar attacks the drone. The vocals have more of a hard core chant to them. Some interesting sonic chord voicings midway into this sprawling abyss of song , which to Hoest's credit this song has more compositional merit than the  entire new Blut Aus Nord album. There is an odd angular shift to the pulse of the riff, without the song being dependent on riffs. The blasting of "Gid Sprakk Vi" which translates roughly to we burst, maintains the savage status quo of black metal. It works for what it is , but I have higher expectations for Hoest who in the past has brought in banjos. 

The last song throb of perhaps the album's most memorable guitar melody. Though it still buzzes with the same tremolo picked feel there is just a darker quivering to it's cadence. I will give this album a 9, which says a lot because I do not like long songs that drone on, but it's a better score than their past few albums have gotten here, as they all clocked in around 8.5, I credit the improvement to generally not conforming to expectations but still caring about writing songs. 

Black Metal History Month -The Top 66 Black Metal Bands of All Time -26 to 17

 

We are going further into this darkness with this list of the Top 66 Black Metal Bands of All Time. Before you get your bullet belt twisted with what is about to go down here. I am not writing commentary with each entry, instead I will cryptically foreshadow the reasoning for where these bands fall. I typically defaulted to Last Fm so this is ranked by most listened to by me. Since it is my blog it only makes sense I can think I am a huge fan of one band but if I never listen to them how good can they really be? There are bands that are supposed classics , and well they did make the list and this is the top 66 black metal bands out of hundreds. If they did not rank as high as you liked well go make your own fucking list or start your own fucking blog. 

 There will not be much in the way of Raw or Beastial black metal, because they tend so sound like shit . There are many sub-genres represented here, Atmospheric, progressive , first wave , depressive, post ...so lots of ground is going to be covered. I have also included the country so we will have a clearer picture of who is exporting the best black metal. The tracks chosen are not the best , but the 6th track from my favorite album unless my favorite album does not have six songs and then I am picking the album before that one, if that one doesn't have six songs then I keep going back until I find one that does. So here ya go

26-Chrome Waves

  Country- America

 

25- Taake

Country- Norway

 

24-Deathspell Omega

Country- France

 

23- Blut Aus Nord   

Country - France 

 

 22-INQUISTION  

Country- Columbia

21 -An Autumn For Crippled Children

Country- Netherlands

   

 20-Deafheaven

 Country- America

 

19-Carpathian Forest

Country- Norway

   

 18- Lifelover

 Country- Sweden

 

17-Samael

Country- Switzerland  

What Did We Learn In Black Metal History Month?

What we learned this year's Black Metal History month is that Totalselfhatred still rules just in a different way. That Mercyful Fate have the mood and sincerity in their music that helped make black metal what is is today. That the old classic Darkthrone might have been a ground breaking sound, but far from perfect when it comes to song writing. Writing songs that hold up as well over the years as Maiden or Mercyful Fate. Yes, I know Iron Maiden is not black metal, but the genre you are in should not dictate how well you write a song. I won't accept that's good for black metal. Be good no matter what you play. You can vomit up grind core, but make something that is your own and makes people want to hear it again.

I learned while scouring the inner webs for new black metal to cover that death doom seems to be a big trend this year, as there is a ton of it coming out and you just haven't been hit with it yet. That there are still many black metal bands coming out doing something new and interesting and some shitty ones that are just making noise. This can be said for most genres but like punk when it's ok to put out lo-fi product, people think anything works. But there is hope for black metal...we think. That hope might be challenged as bands like Taake allow themselves to be bullied by social justice warriors. While no one wants a Nazi, America continues to be intolerant of accepting the rest of the world doesn't think like they do. The whole melting pot concept for a country is still new in the grand scheme of things and rushing to defend the world might not be a good idea as we are starting to see America heading in the direction of Rome. Of course America run by collective ego refuses to see this instead they continue to run their corporation into the ground. Older countries have learned being neutral and isolating might be the way to go. Dwarin's theory is at work in the world, so why bother saving those better purged of a planer under the plight of over population. In other words to bake a cake you gotta break some eggs. But in order for that to make sense you have to accept other perspectives or it's you who is intolerant.

What does this have to do with black metal? Why did you go off on a rant? If black metal not misanthropic? Is not isolating the key of misanthropy? Here is where we see who is a poseur and who holds to their beliefs. Do we want all the balls to be taken out of metal? If black metal bands are to sing out Satan, then what would Satan do? What would Satan think of Young and In the Way who were Taake's touring mates go accused of sexual misconduct. He if he was an entity might ask...How do you want a metal band to behave? What did Led Zeppelin get accused of ? This is more than likely a groupie who go buyers remorse and had some regrets about getting gang banged by a metal band. Black Metal is about spreading the darkness , which should never be a pretty picture. If you want the world to be a pretty picture, I think we have learned it's not for you.

Deathcult : " Cult of the Goat"

I reviewed the first album from this band features members of Taake and Gorgoroth and now they are back for more. Hoest is playing bass instead all the instruments. It has more of a raw punk rock like recklessness to it.Midway into the first song sung vocals are layered under the mid-range that normally dominates these songs. Their is more attention to the songs that I remember the first album having. It's hard to say if these guys sound like what you expect when someone says Norwegian  black metal as now that covers a much wider scope than it once did. They have more in common with Taake than they do Gorgoroth. They play with the formula and are not as mean spirited as Gorgoroth in the manner they attack the songs.In fact they hold off on the blast beats until the last minute of the song. There is a slight wink to Mercyful Fate in how the riff to "Bloodstained Ritual". Though it holds the velocity of Bathory's more punk rock side. As far as black metal goes these are not long songs, but in terms of what this band is doing there are moments where they could have been more efficient. The chant of "Hail Satan" on this one is pretty catchy. They do blast off again when launching into the chaotic guitar solo. The vocals drop into a lower death metal growl when coming out of this section.

"Ascension Rite" finds the band taking a more straightforward path into what you typically think of as black metal. They play this effectively , but I don't hear as much of identity when going this route. They do get out of the blasting and go with a more doom tinged classic metal riff. The layer of lower sung vocals haunts the bridge like breakdown going back into the song. "Man Vs Beast" kind of picks up where the previous song left off with a descending riff. They do slow down into more of a groove."The Oath" has a big majestic sound, with a more late 80's taste of metal to it, though able to thunder along the lines of Watain when the double bass kicks in. Some of the additional backing vocals are by Attila of Mayhem. Midway into the song it takes on more of a rock n roll feel.

"Devilgoat" has to have more of an evil pulse to it. How can you have a song called that and it not sound evil? There is a cool bridge in the verse that gets more melodic and things like sitars come in to get your goat. Women screaming in ecstasy is always something welcomed in black metal.  If any genre of metal needs to be more sexualized it's black metal. When the blast beats come in sung vocals are layered behind the screamed vocals. The last song is more of a outro than a real song. Overall this album way way better than expected, obviously the have a high caliber of Norway's finest on board, so you can't expect this to suck. I'll round this up to a 9.

Taake : "Kong Vinter"

It's fitting that I am reviewing the new Taake on Black Friday. From the first song I can tell things are more polished in some ways.The vocals are what you call expect from Hoest who once again is also taking on every thing else in a way that makes this one man band sound very organic like it's four guys jamming in a room, which is a feat in and of itself. Like the other albums released in the past ten years there is some rock n roll influence mixed in with the trappings you now expect of black metal. The vocals have a more hateful scowl on the darker "Inntrenger". It is more melodic than the opener, which helps to win me over. There is a more depressive feel to the pulse of the song.

Judging by the song titles the third and fourth songs are meant to be an inversion of each other. The first of these finds the bass taking a more prominent role in the angular riff that starts off the song and is the most least likely thing I would expect to hear on a black metal album. Two and a half minutes in t is a riff that would not be out of place on earlier Chelsea Wolfe. The vocals on this song the most layered so far. The fourth song proves to be an inversion in the sense that the third song is what you would not expect from black metal while the fourth song is what you would expect. Though if we are taking into consideration expectations , It is more along the lines of Enslaved than what I expect from Taake, minus the clean vocals . The drums do stray from the blast beat to give more of a disco swing on the high hat. The riff takes some twists and turns , making it more progressive than anything I have heard from this project before.

The album begins to get mired down in more conventional forms of black metal until hitting the more majestic gallop of "Maanebrent" which is clean and precise much like Enslaved, or at least the Enslaved albums of the past decade. As the song progresses the chord modulations become more interesting. Oddly the album ends with a ten minute instrumental, which is decent , but takes less risks than some of the songs we heard earlier in the album.I'' give this album an 8.5 , it starts off strong then the sense of adventure wanes. I think it sounds great and fans of this project should be open to the changes.

Black Hole Generator : "A Requiem For Terra"

From the brain child behind Vulture Industries comes this apocalyptic metal album that hits you with the same black thunder a band like Dimmu once steam rolled you with. The difference here is some of the more dramatic orchestral trappings are cast aside for something more straight forward and powerful. Now if you read that as me saying this is better than Dimmu, then I am setting the record straight. It is in a similar vein but the riffs are not as catchy. The throb with a different heart beat behind them than their fellow country men.

By the second song things get a little more dramatic vocally. I can hear shades of Arcturus in this, though there is less of that carnival feel and a darker mood. The vocals sound more like something in the gothic flavor of Michael Crawford's Phantom of the Opera. Things do get more intense. This is more mainstream metal than it is black metal. There are more growled vocals on "Moloch". This feels like more run of the mill death metal, with a somewhat spookier underbelly. Not as well composed as the first two songs. They do wind up in a nastier blasting section, but I would not refer to it as black metal. The vocals to the verses of "Beneath a Chemical Sky' are at first sung in more of a crazed caterwaul . This is more of a mid-paced song. It reminds me a little of the Ian Gillan Black Sabbath years.

They gather a mean storm that should be taken more seriously on "Emerging Pantheon". The vocals here are more like something Attila might do. The guitars go into a more spastic shredding mode , so if that is something you are into , know these guys can go there. Though the guitarists from Enslaved and Taake help with this endeavor. Black metal circles are not known for their shredding so it's cool to know more of them can they you might think, though Fredheim from Enslaved is one of the best guitarists out there now, so that might not be as big of a surprise. There is a more deliberate tone to the stomp of "Earth Eater".

Things slow down for the more Urfaust like doom of "Spiritual Blight" that closes the album. The vocals are almost operatic, but at times seem wavering in regards to pitch. Overall this is pretty solid despite the fact industrial was thrown around a lot in regards to these guys and there was nothing industrial at all about these guys.  I'll give this an 8.5.

Black Metal History Month - Urgehal : "Aeons in Sodom"

Many of you might only know this band from the sight of Enzifer's spiked face masks that makes him a Pinhead look a like, but you missed out on a classic black metal band if you dismissed them from there. This is their final album guitarist Tondr Nefas, whose solo's appear on this album died in 2012. The reports of his death are shadowy since he died from natural causes at the age of 34 out in his favorite place in the woods. So some undisclosed condition was obviously afflicting him. The album has a who's who of the Scandinavian black metal scene contributing to this swan song. With even Darkthrone vocalist Culto lending his voice to the song "Iron Children".  there is a very strong Venom influence. One thing I like about these guys is the fact they really care about writing actual songs and not just throwing a tone of blast beats at you. This is not to say they can not indulge in that vein as They is a little more of your typical Nordic black metal on "Blood of the Legion" with M. Shax lending his throat to this one.  They keep up the pace with "the Sulphur Black Haze". The vocals have a purpose and the lyrics make it through the rasped gasping of Taake's Hoest. The gang vocals add to this before they descend into something really creepy. Sure they used to go all out on the theatrical presentation, but they have enough hate and darkness to be taken seriously.

 They bring on the blasting with "Lord of Horns" shifting into double bass as needed when it's time to shift speeds something that's a blur to something still faster than most thrash. They don't numb you out with the sonics and keep a thicker almost more death metal like guitar tone. From a production stand point the drums are produced with a big death metal like sound as well. Koldbrann's Mannevond handles the vocals on this one.   There is more of an undulating groove to "Norwegian Blood and Crystal Lakes" . The anguished croak of Niklas from  Shining, is unmistakable.  For these guys the stomping accents of "Thy Daemon Incarnate" is more of a mid pace with Vulture Lord's Sorath contributing the vocals.  The bass doesn't disappear in the mix and for black metal retains a presence not unlike that which can be found on the first few Venom albums. They pick up into the more thrashed out tempo on "Endetid".  With Nattefrost throwing down vocals , the band starts off with a dense momentum and then litters the song melodic nuances, Showing that you can have the best of both worlds and capture raw intensity while having attention to detail.

They are full blast ahead at the onset of "Psychedelic Evil" . Nag from Tsjuder's  vocals are less intelligible and more like crazed snarls.This is one of the album's more straight forward songs. Oddly the last two songs on the albums are covers, respectively "Funeral Rites" by Sepultura and "Twisted Mass of Burnt Decay" by Autopsy. I think the fact these covers are by death metal bands, speaks to the fact that these guys came from a era when that was the heaviest thing going. Both songs are done justice with the Sepultura being the best two with the singer from Sadistic Intent handling the vocals on that one. I'll round this one up to a 9 as it's a fitting final chapter in the legacy of the band and the guest list along should make fans of Norwegian black metal want to check this one out. Seasons of Mist is releasing this one.

Black Metal History Month- Top 10 Punk Bands Who Influenced Black Metal

It goes back and forth like the chicken and the egg as to punk's influence on black metal, many bands like Amibex cite early first wave of black metal like Celtic Frost and Venom as an influence. But not black metal artists share this sentiment as Varg as said  he is not a fan of any kind of punk, but likes the Cure. More romantic and progressive sides of black metal like Emperor have no punk leaning and owe more to Iron Maiden,

10- Puke- Only Darkthrone claims this Swedish punk band as an influence, but say they are a big one.
9- Gism- Another band Darkthrone has mentioned
8-Poison Idea- has been referenced by Mutilation Rites
7-Dead Kennedys- Mayhem has covered them.

6-GBH- Bathory cites "Charged" as an album that influenced him.
5-Black Flag- Both Darkthrone and Horna have cited Black Flag.
4-The Cure- Well early Cure is certainly more punk and Burzum and Carpathian Forest have both either covered them or referenced Robert Smith and friends.


3-Discharge -in an interview with Erik of Watain he mentioned Discharge as an influence. So has Mutilation Rites


2- Misfits- Deathwolf  which features members of Marduk is very Misfits influenced, Horna hath said they were influenced by them.Behemoth has covered solo Danzig which pretty much counts.
1- GG Allin- G.G has come up in interviews with Erik before. Horna and Taake also claim him as an influence .

Black Metal History Month : Black Metal's Top 10 Influences

Some of these get mentioned all the time , so much until the point you begin to wonder if the bands are just citing them because that is what is expected of them. One of these "typical" answers to the "Who are your influences question rank lower than expected. One of the interesting side notes of this is how big of an influence death metal was on black metal, despite often hearing in interview that the second wave of black metal, you know the church burning kind, made the music they did in retaliation of death metal.  So I scoured the inner webs for the influences of ten second wave bands, so any band influenced by one of these bands I researched would be too new to count , after these second wave bands have gone on to influence black metal as we know it today .

The bands these influences are compiled from are Mayhem, Burzum, Marduk, Dark Throne, Emperor, Taake, Immortal, Ulver, Enslaved, Dissection

 and the results are...

10-Death-

Varg always said he hated the bands that wore cammo shorts, but these guys surprisingly got mentioned more than Sodom and Possessed.

9-Von-

Well Watain took their name from them, but they aren't the only one that cited this lo-fi blasting beat death metal band that is now almost black metal by association.
8 -Kreator

This is not surprising as you can here their influence vocally on the black metal rasp taken on by Taake and Enslaved.
7-Destruction

Liked them when I heard them but this german band is the one band this list whose albums I have never owned.
6-Morbid Angel

"Altars of Madness" got cited a lot. It's dark and awesome, so this makes sense.

5-Slayer

I got the idea to make this list this am , because I woke up thinking about the "Hell Awaits" album. Yes, I wake up thinking about "Hell Awaits " that's how metal I am. Enslaved also wakes up thinking abut Slayer.
4-Venom

This is the band I though more would cite, of course the obvious ones like Darkthrone did.
3-Mercyful Fate

Of Emperor can not hide this fact. Darkthrone also have them a few shout outs over the years.
2- Bathory

The first of the viking metal.  I think  it is interesting  Bathory also cites Mercyful Fate as an influence, but since more bands said Bathory than Fate, this is where it falls.
1- Celtic Frost-

This is interesting as they are one of the slower bands on this list, maybe second to Mercyful Fate. I suppose it might not be their most black metal moment below, though they are wearing make-up

The Top 15 Black Metal Albums of 2014

At this point half the bands in metal today are trying to be blackened something, so here are the top fifteen black metal bands, that aren't death metal bands trying to grim it up or post- rock bands with some anguished screams mixed in...these are all bands that are so pure...so cold.The cream of the crop this years is coming from not only Norway, but also France, Canada, Sweden, German, Greece, Chicago and the Deep South. If you want to take a listen and stream is not up music can be found on the link to the full review.  So here we go...

15- Alraune  - the Process of Self Immolation

The first band from the deep south. This one is from Nashville. Despite glimmers of hardcore this is USBM with enough snarl to be convincing and a sense of adventure that balances out any of their hipster leanings.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/12/catching-up-with-2014-alraune-process.html

14- Ruin Lust- s/t

This gem is encrusted in as much grit and grime as any death metal band this side of Disma while blasting out some pretty grim tunes. Having a drummer who also sits on the throne for bands like Ash Borer, Fell Voices and Vorde. New York is known for great black metal and here's one reason why.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/11/catching-up-with-2014ruin-lust-st.html


13- Spectral Lore-iii

This album is weird and wonderful. It's progressive and experimental with our forsaking black metal, a unique guitar tone haunts the album and makes this band stand out from the pack. Score one for Greece.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/12/spectral-lore-iii.html

12-Dead Wood - "Picturing a Sense of Loss"

Like old Deafheaven these guys are metal first and the post- rock elements just come. This Frankfurt band has a great guitar sound and a sense of dynamics.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/12/deadwood-picturing-sense-of-loss.html

11-Schammasch- "Contradiction"

This band hits that perfect spot mid-period Enslaved use to . Progressive, dynamic and melodic enough to be engaging and emotive, but still firmly rooted in black metal. These guys aren't dependent on blast beat and can sound just as dire and dark even playing at slower tempos.      

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/12/schammaschcontradiction.html

10-Taake -"Stridens Hus"

Hoest descended from the first wave of Norwegian black metal and has been going strong since the 90's. "Stridens Hus" doesn't break that trend.On the first few listens it seemed like he was relying on blast beats, but this album grows on you.  There is less experimentation this go around it's in your face all the way through. For a one man show every element holds its own. There is no question here as to if Hoest has earned his corpse paint.


9-Nocturnal Depression-"Near to the Stars"

Quality Depressive Suicidal Black Metal wasn't exactly flourishing this year, but this French project featuring  one of the members of Make a Change Kill Yourself, brought a healthy dose of despair. Despite the lo-fi production this album carries the drone of Burzum while wallowing in the futility of it's existence.

8-Wormreich-"Wormcult Revelations" This is the band's first release on Moribund Records and you would never guess from the dark depraved tornado of chaos invoked on this album,that these guys are from the Deep South.Beautifully dissonant and chillingly dynamic, my only regret is that I haven't been able to give this one more spins. I suppose it's cool they threw a Death Spell Omega cover on here, I really want to hear more of what these guys are capable of conjuring on their own.

7- Thantifaxath-"Sacred White Noise"

Seeping with angular weirdness this Canadian band might be the most unique band on this list. This album is more of an exorcism that explodes into your ears rather than a barrage of blast beats. However the ugliness and anguish secures it's place in the genre and even broadens the scope of what black metal can be while staying true to itself. It's experimental but without getting lost in lazy hipster formlessness.

5-Sado Sathanas-"Nomos Harmartia"
  Plenty of epic excursions litter this of folk tinged album, but it doesn't distract these German black metallers from staying the course.They get how to be an atmospheric black metal band and not sacrificing the balls that makes this black metal to begin with. This album covers a wide range of sonic landscapes. This album goes to show you don't have to stoop to "necro" production in order to make quality black metal. 4-Ellorsith-1959

There was a smattering of death metal about this Scottish band's concept album about the Dyatlov Pass Incident, but it's so raw, cold and oppressive there is no question this is black metal. The death metal aggression is blended perfectly,so you are never wondering if the blast beats are just an after thought. This was released on a very limited cassette run, so you know it has to be cvlt as fuck.

3-Nachtmystium -"The World We Left Behind"

O.k, we get it Blake Judd has drama. He may or may not be a scumbag. This is about music, so I don't care, in fact I prefer my rock stars to be strung out on drugs, black metal needs more junkies pouring there souls out if this is what it brings.This album has all the elements that made Nachtmystium great, the creepy melodies slinking in dark alleys, the lyrics written during self-destructive binges.If this is Nachtmystium's final album then it was a good note to end on.

2- Mayhem-"Esoteric Warfare"

If Mayhem had tried to make another "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" it would have bored the bullet belt right off me. Instead they release an album with pristine production, that takes chances and takes no prisoners. Attila has never sounded better and Hellhammer makes his case for being the best drummer in black metal. As Spinal Tap once asked "How much blacker can you get ? the answer was none then and it is none now.

1- Nasheim - "Solens Vemod"

The Swedish act is another one man show. The master mind behind this is Erik Grahn. Grahn  came out  of the gate on his first full length and killed it. This album sweeps you away. Combining the lush romanticism of Emperor, atmosphere and incredible arrangements, my only regret it not finding this masterpiece when it came out under the radar back in February.