VEILBURNER : "All That Glimmer is Gloam"

 Not what you would expect from American Black Metal unless you were factoring a band like Worm into the equation, as they are darker and more experimental, owing more to Mayhem, with their angular creep. They do throw blast beats into the first song, but it is already after it has been contrasted with more deliberate drumming. There is a cool unhinged element to what they do. "Oblivion is Yours to Labyrinth" finds the ghastly grumbling of the vocals sounding like their vocalist is losing his mind in the vocal booth. They pick up speed but without going into blast beats here. They flirt with prog a bit here. This can be heard in the chaos that unfolds here. This album is much more experimental than I remember them being. 

Is this album black metal? Well, it is dark so that steers them in that direction. The key here is that the songs are so interesting it does not really matter what direction they lean in genre-wise." Vitriolic  Hiss" has the dissonant riff grooving with syncopated accents. Two mintues in and they have already covered a great deal of ground. Guitar solos are more accents than showcased shredding. The vocals continue to shift through growls and moans. The vocals are really well produced, with effects making the most of the crazed sounds coming from him. It makes the album like a ride through a hsunted house.

You are four songs in before they hit you with blast beats. The vocals are so feral at this point it makes sense. But it's the weakest of the first four songs. In the last minute, things come together thanks to some cool riffs. Then they come at you from the other end of the spectrum with some dark melodic vibes that are more sung over, but the vocals sit back in reverb. Odd electronics also color things to make "Dis Obedient Woe" perhaps the album's best song.They take a more thrashing turn for "Goslave and Blood Mortar". It is ne of the more straight-up metal moments. "A Seance to Specter" works off a more atmospheric weirdness, creating it's throb. This transitions into a more furious burst of black metal and then ebbs back and forth between the two dynamics. 

They are less kind to your ears on"Golgothic Holocaust". They double down on the blast mcnasty here, midway in the drop, down to more of a half time groove that feels darker and heavier. The demonic declarations continue, forming an effective narrative for this album. The title track closes things out. It is more riff-oriented and deliberate, with vocals not sung but holding more purpose in the darker shadow the song casts. I will give this album a 9 and see how it grows on me; it is one of the more original metal albums I've heard in a minute. This drops October 16th on Transcending Obscurity Records. 

pst328

Black Metal History Month - LABYRINTHINE HEIRS : "s/t"

The vocals are what tip this band in the direction of Black Metal, though these Texans employ more tools of sonic torture than just the weapons of war associated with that genre. The tension of the opening track does hold a gritty feel of the Jesus Lizard, but there are plenty of black metal bands who have experimented well beyond the bounds of the genre, in fact, this track makes me also think of Samael. Dissoance casts a dark shadow over the grooves. The pace picks up in a subtle undercurrent on the second song. A great deal of what sets them apart are the more organic guitar tones, that do not live and breathe of the layers of distortion and reverb. This might paint their sound as being less metallic, but they get to the same place that black metal is striving toward. The renewed bursts of anguish in the rasp of their vocalist aid the cause. They do climax the song in a more sonic explosion. 

After two songs in I am ready for things to switch up dynamically. They get slower and more seething for "The Conceited Determination of Nimrod". Then some of their more deliberate palm muted grooves begin to work their way in. This begins to remind me of a more experimental version of Satyricon's "Deep Calleth Upon Deep" album. This song accelerates more chaotically. These guys do not play as close to the metal rules as Satyricon. There is talk of the dissection of a cow at one part of the song, but that is the extent to which the lyrics make themselves known to me. However later on they say that language is using you again and again before crazed laughter ensues. 

Less form and function move over the murky waters that "Satan's Domain is the Liver". To their credit, this also breaks them away from the palm-muted formula the first few songs were locked in. It is also very dark which I can appreciate. The album closes with "Yaldabaoth Gored to Blindness" which in the title alone makes me pleased as for all the occult imagery used in metal I do not understand why the Gnostic reference to the malevolent creator god is not employed more.  This is compromised a bit with the return to the palm-muted formula. I will give this album a 9, as I really enjoyed how different it is from mainstream black metal and wish more bands would take more chances, even though it leans heavily on a particular formula for songwriting.This drops on I , Void Hanger Records March 26th. 

pst72

Hail Spirit Noir : "Fossil Gardens"

 You can always count on these guys to not conform to your expectations of black metal, as they have even drifted off into progressive before. They start the album off with clean vocals, before blasting you with the more typical trappings of black metal. The second song finds the synths coming forward in the mix. The sung vocals also lead the way here creating a more Arcturus feel at times. There might be more double bass in this one than blast beats. By the time we get to "Curse you , Entropia" the sprawling prog jam is beginning to sprawl out and is less definable as a song, and becomes more of a jam. 

"The Blue Dot" finds the sung vocals creating more of a mainstream metal formula.  It swells to a more grandiose dynamic proportion. The spaceship really takes off on "the Road to Awe"  It seems like it just going to fly off into the great blue prog yonder, but it recoils back into a heavier dynamic, not going to say it's black metal, though they have solidified their status with that genre enough already. They are just not paying by the rules, more should they. How's that for gatekeeping? Just because you make music in one genre does not mean you can not be expansive. The problem with metal these days is you have straight-up pop bands trying to market themselves as metal. These guys have not forgotten where they came from. 

"Ludwig in Orbit' is just an odd interlude. It feels more like the intro to the title track that closes the album. Things erupt with a ringing sonic style of blast beats, that are brighter than stormy. It gives way to the buzzing tremolo guitar that is used in a more ambient fashion. The song eventually just fade out into buzzing and bleeps. I will give this album a 9, it's heavy enough and black metal enough to balance out the more ambitious foibles. 

 pst317

Black Metal History Month - Ihsahn : "s/t"

The Emperor frontman returns for his 8th solo album, taking his black metal past and running it through a wild, wandering filter of progressive rock. This is not to say there is not black metal in and of itself. The second song is a more venomous excursion in that. There are symphonic elements but also hefty syncopated punches, as his knack of labyrinth arrangements continues to create winding passages that twist and turn in odd time signatures. He is not just hitting you with blast beats, and he still uses plenty of clean vocals to contrast his impressive snarl that has not lost any of its power. This is a two-disc set that also offers a symphonic version of the album that I need to review here. There are enough symphonic elements in this version to get the point across. 

"Twice Born" is an example of how he blends the symphonic elements, without compromising the aggression. Things ebb down to a more melodic tone for "A Taste of the Ambrosia".  Midway into the song, things get more dramatic.  "Blood Trails to Love" finds him employing the kind of harsher cry that reminds me of King Diamond. One of his earlier influences. This bleeds over into the riff that opens "Hubris and the Blue Devils" which also sounds like something from a King Diamond album. Which coming from me is more of a compliment. The meat of the song is a mathy angular tenque sion. 

The is a more opaque prog sheen over the more melodic 'The Distance Between Us". It works as a song but is not as gripping as the previous songs. The last actual song and not the symphonic outro is a display of cinematic grandiosity.  I think he has proven he would be capable of scoring movies. I will give this album a 9.5, as he lived up to his ambitions. I do not think it is his best solo album, but when measured against metal music as a whole certainly more thought-provoking than most. 

 

pst79

Shade Empire : "Sunholy"

 

What impresses me the most about the opening track off Shape Empire's new album is how it covers a wide range of dynamics in five minutes, without taking you on a Mr Bungle like circus.  Mr. Bungle is one of my favorite bands, but not what I want when it comes to symphonic black metal. The singer's first album with the band finds him making a mark. The melodic vocals are more like Kamelot flavored power metal than what you would expect. It might make you question the black metal side of what they do, but the harsher growls are never too far behind. Henry is the only vocalist listed which makes it impressive that he handles all the vocal colors with ease.

 The second song is more straight forward, but they find a pretty interesting groove for "this Coffin is an Island", it feels more like a progressive metal band than black metal, but a good song is a good song, and not against them evolving away from black metal. By the time I make it to the title track , my expectations are more realistic, and I haver come to terms that this album is like if Kamelot used harsh vocals more often than the occasional guest spot per album and quit writing power ballads. I like how the clean vocals lean into "Torn Asunder" which bears more of a metal core stomp. "Maroon" finds the pace picking up in a more blackened direction, since blast beats alone do not make something black metal, though they make a pretty decent stab at it here. A minute into the song and ebbs into more of the hyper melodic power metal feel. Genres aside as songs go it works really well. 

"All Consuming Flame" feels like Opeth until they go into more of an electronic jam and the saxophone comes back in. Things roar back with more blackness going into "Profane Radiance" , but they are not going hit you with just a feral explosion. There is going to be hints of jazz woven into this tempest of sound. "Rite of Passage" compensates for the fact the previous song did not lapse into any melodic bouts of melodrama and instead save it for this ballad. I will give this album a 9, and see how it sits on me, as they defy formulas with the dynamic balance of vocals which might push the limits of what I want from black metal , to not being black metal at all, but it is all very well executed which earns this score. This album drops September 15th on Candlelight Records.  

Liturgy : " 93696"

"Aesthetica" would go down as one of my top 50 black metal albums, and I also enjoyed "Ark Work" . Hendrix has now taken experiment a step further, though still incorporating some of the screaming and gnashing of teeth acquired from the project's black metal past. The opening track is more of an intro to the glorious chaos that unfolds on "Djennaration" which is almost eight and a half minutes to summarize what this project is about sonically. If you have been a fan of this band, then you will enjoy this song, no matter the pretense that might surround this album as a whole. Song I will at least say is progressive black metal, with the intensity making up for the fact this is not really that dark. Darkness has never been this project's thing , as they are more about the gnostic shimmer. 

This is an ambitious undertaking at 15 songs some of which are over 14 minutes long. There is more metallic ear lashing than I hoped for going into this album, as "Caela" takes the catharsis of the previous song and focuses it's attack. After this is an ambient choral piece that is more of an interlude than a song. "Haelegen" has a more ominous undertone aside from sounding like it is colliding with Sigur Rios. The scathing howls are the more dominant vocal, though there are some sing song vocal chants that surface which are less  Bone Thugs N Harmony in their intentions on this album.  " Before I knew the Truth" feels more like what you expect from this band, even though this is not dialed in, it does thrash around what is conventional in terms of the angular glitched out sonics they deal in .  

The further you delve into the album the more time the ambient passages begin to take up. "Ananon" is the next foray into what they actually do as a band. It is a bright blur of blast beats and jerking riffs. The 14 minute title track kicks off with aggressive riffing that carries more of a crunch than what you think of with these guys. The screaming carries the same feral energy it has in the path, where you doubt actual lyrics are being uttered at all. When they decide to give things more of a punch it proves to be powerful thanks to former Kayo Dot drummer Leo Didkovsky. The song takes a shift in the final minutes that is an odd shift in dynamics , but it does bring the more jammy feel of the song together to form more of a purpose. 

Then it's back to more orchestral ambiance. Once again these feel like interludes until we get to "Antigone II". Odd time signatures abound in this sprawling 14 minute opus. Even more progressive in the angular acrobatics they embark upon, I hold to my belief that these guys are a band fans of progressive metal are sleeping on, even with the Brooklyn hipster trappings surrounding the actual music. Even with the atonal syncopations things get really heavy. Their trademark sound that chimes more than chugs is still intact and sets them apart; They closing piece sounds like something Danny Elfman might have done for a David Lynch movie. I will give this a 9, despite being bogged down by overly ambitious interludes there is an impressive progressive black metal album buried in it all, not their best, but a logical next step in the evolution of what they do.

Enslaved : "Heimdal"

The band finds ways to keep it fresh 16 years later. Only two original members, though guitarist Ice Dale has been in the band since before black metal became cool and anyone knew who Enslaved were ...well at least in America, where Opeth had just broken big at the time. This album finds them bringing new sounds to the table, while still sounding like themselves which is a testament to their songwriting skills and sense of adventure. Is it more prog than black metal? Yes, but we passed that fjord long ago, and is still more black metal than many bands claiming to be black metal. They can build something dynamic and epic in scope without going more than a few seconds past the 8-minute mark. 

"Forest Dweller" simmers down a bit into more of a proggy place with the sung vocals taking the spotlight. Midway into the song, it roars at you with its more familiar metallic fury. The keyboard solo over this goes above and beyond. "Kingdom" takes you on a wilder journey that I needed a few listens to really wrap my head around. It goes from wildly racing prog to end up at something closer to their earlier work.  "the Eternal Sea" broods a bit at first, but builds into a grooving gallop. It almost has a Tool-like vibe to it, if Tool was more into Iron Maiden than King Crimson. The nasty snarl does emerge to take things into a hard left turn towards heavier metals. 

The last two songs make me think the weed in Norway is getting stronger. They keep an aggressive core amid the atmosphere which "Canvas to the Outer Worlds"  in the periphery as the guitars bring many shades of mean to the table. It's not until over halfway into the song that the drugs kick in and space things out. There is still a strong chug running under things after the cosmic colors begin to drip around the song. The title track closes the album. Here is a song that shows they know how to integrate the weird in ways that keep who they are intact. There is a grooving angular lumber that flows through the pulse of the song. There is an almost Cathedral feel to where the vocals go to. Then midway into the song, there is a wild turn to a taunt palm muted groove that comes out of nowhere. I will give this album a 9.5, it is not perfect but pretty close, the elements you think would take a long time fan time to get used to clicking on the first listen with me, are the more straight-ahead metal parts that might require some time to stew in. That said it is remarkable they keep pumping out songs that are this inspired 16  albums later. 

Black Metal History Month - Cursebinder :" Drifting"

 Blackened Death Metal that leans in a more melodic death metal direction. That is not to say that just because these guys are from Poland that they are trying to be Behemoth. The vocals have a nastier snarl to them that help earned their place here this month. They write well balanced songs and do not just hit you with a bunch of blast beats. That is not to say they abandon b last beats all together as they show up on the title track, they are not limited to them , and when they do come up, are more effective since your ears have not been numbed out by them. There is a slight progressive edge to the way they allow their songs to wander. They do this really well on the title track. 

Production wise the album sounds great, every thing has room to breath while still mixed in a manner with enough reverb to feel dark and a big enough sound to feel crushing. The guitar tones are really dialed in and do not have to wrestle with the thick keyboard presence. "Shred By Shred" has a great deal of groove to it. The thrashing attack of the guitars carries some toothy hooks to them. The lyrics are snarled in a way that gets the point across and makes the message clear. "Becoming" is more deliberate, thus created almost a Sentenced like feel in places. The double bass is pretty much in line with most mainstream metal drumming, bands like At the Gates come to mind in this regard. The menace of the vocals keeping them from really going in this direction. 

Synths play a larger role going into "No Dreams' that finds the band going in a more black metal direction. The synths accent things nicely when the verse needs to groove. I like the palm muted tense and surprised to hear the sung vocals. Their press release like to think of them as psychedelic and I would say progressive is a better description. The vocals go lower for "Every Tree a Sanctuary" . The blasts begin to become more frequent if anyone was doubting their black metal cred. A slight uniformity begins to emerge in the similar shadows they lurk within. The last song takes it time to set the mood in a manner than reminds me of European death metal from the mid 90s. Not goth , but going in that direction. Though they are more middle of the road in terms of darkness on this even when the vocals come in. I will give this on an 8.5, excellent in terms of execution, and being mindful of serving the song, but I think they play it a little safe at times by letting themselves be defined by metal conventions and their strengths lie in getting weird. 

Enslaved : "Utgard"

The first song finds these guys going back to a place that is more blackened and less proggy. Not to say it doesn't have those elements like singing and synths, they are just done in a way that feels more like viking / folk metal. The second song starts off with even more drive almost having more of an Immortal feel. This is not done is a way with any blast beats . There is also some melodic breathing room. It moves into dynamic passages and a peasing throb. It is a good example of a band able to bring you the familiarity of a sound you expect while still being forward thinking. There is something for every one, as they even jam out in place with the dialed back prog thing.

"Sequence" finds them going into the most groove oriented and accessible song yet. I am fine with this as it's so well done. " Homebound" has more of a rock n roll feel to the chorus, but once again all of this is easy to swallow as it is so well done. The title track is more of an intro for the grooving drive of "Urjotun" . I still do not think I have heard a blast beat on this album yet. I do know I can just leave this album on and let it play which is a good sign. The vocals either have a renewed nastines to their snarl or I just have not listened to these guys since the last album came out and forgot how they normally sound. They do come closer to a more traditional black metal sound on "Flight of Thought and Memory" .  They back off on the cleanly sung chorus which is the standard formula for them. There are some interesting accents , but this song falls a little short when it comes to what they have been delivering. 

"Storms of Utgard" has more of a proggy swagger to it's groove. It is a song that is going to take a few listens to truly absorb, but I like what I have heard thus far of it. They back off the metal even further on the last song. By prog here we are getting into Emerson Lake and Palmer territory. I think overall this album finds the band getting heavier than some of their more recent releases while keeping their expansive sound. I will give this a 9.5 , it's more black metal than prog though not sure if it is a black as some of the black metal we cover here, regardless as great album. 

White Ward : "Love Exchange Failure"

This band returns with their sophomore album, I forget what they do so the smooth jazz like tones were not what I expected going into this and they prove only the calm before the storm . Then they hurtle into blast beats four minutes into things. I prefer the darker build they lean into at the six minute mark. They pound on it more like a hardcore band than black metal.  More of a modern take on black metal than you might think would come out of Ukraine. The compositional structure of the song is pretty ambitious.  They return to jazz at the beginning of "Poisonous Flowers Of Violence". This is more short lived than it was with the opener. There are more post- rock like sounds, which at this point are more common place in black metal so not a unique. Despite it not breaking any new ground for the genre they are good at what they do.  There are some cool riffs, but you know the rule around here is cool riffs alone does not a good song make, so they bend the rule by throwing a sax in.

There are some sonic atmospherics to "Dead Heart Confession" not enough to gain my attention until the song breaks down to a darker jazz section five minutes in. Jazz takes over the beginning of "Shelter" though there are weird noises in the background to fore shadow the inevitable return of the blast beats. This is really more of an interlude that leads into the more minimal free form jazz of "No Cure For Pain"  At four minutes in they return to the metal. This time it's more thrashy and free of blast beat. The vocals stay at a similar snarl.The drummer for this band is really on point , even more than what is expected of black metal. There are also guitar solos which at one time were not as frequent in black metal, but are becoming more common place. I do  like when they blend the jazz as another layer to the metal. There are even sung vocals in the final minutes before it returns to jazz.

Female vocals come into play on "Surfaces and Depths" .  The song slinks along flowing into the more dynamic builds. Then things get much more moody as male vocals croon in the distance. The harsher vocals return and they continue to blend jazz with their metallic side, though in a darker manner that I prefer. The vocals change into a throatier tone more like sludge. They also pulls out an  epic chugging riff that impresses me . I will give this album an 8.5 , it is a unique experience and finds the band improving in the blend of jazz and black metal, not sure if it is something I will lsiten to on a regular rotation , but enjoyed the listens I got out of this thus far. Comes out September 20th on Dembur Morti .


5.2

Black Metal History Month - Kaleikr : "Heart of Lead"

With the album's title it seems fitting more me to review this on Valentines. This band from Iceland comes from the ashes of Draugsol. So despite how heavily they might ride the line between death metal and black, they have a history with black metal so belong here this month. The vocals are often layered with more shouted vocals against the growls . Think everything I have read on this band so far focuses on the progressive element and two songs in I am hearing that as more nods to classic metal than anything close to Opeth. The drumming is spectacular though can comes across as on the busy side. There is more of a jazz inflection to the guitar solo that opens "Of Unbearable Longing". This is just well rounded playing. I would say there is more of a progressive influence on these guys and they are creative enough to push past boundaries in order to come up with riffs that don't sound like everything else.

Despite it not being that dark I like how the synths sit against the palm muted tension of  "Internal Contradiction" . We get more into Opeth's zip code on the maze of riffs that winds around "Neurodelirium" .  By this point in the album they are beginning to get set into their formula and I am beginning to know what to expect. Lots of syncopated punches and catchy chugging. They do speed up into blast beats normally once per song , though the second act does find them getting heavier with each song. The title track is more distinct due to the clean guitar tones at the beginning. Sung vocals that are more of a whisper also surface here. It takes a meaner turn and might be the most black metal song on the album.

The last song feels like an extension of the title track . It's many of the same tricks they have already visited earlier in the album. With that said they are very well done and there is little doubt these guys are talented musicians. My only complaints it this could be darker in order to have more of a black metal feel. Other than that it's an enjoyable listen, not sure if it is something I would listen to on a regular basis , but I will give these guys an 8 as they excel at what they do.

In the Woods : "Cease the Day"

These guys are not the only black metal band from the early 90s that have changed their sound over the years.At the onset one might assume these guys have gone more of a Ulver route as baritone clean vocals have a mournful sound to them almost like a doomy gothy version of Pink Floyd. I do like the dark melodic tone this song has almost like something Katatonia might do. By the end of the song things have swelled back into metal. I also like how the effects drape the harsher vocals toward the end of the song, and while it is done in a more Enslaved like manner I do not feel the call and response between the clean and harsh vocals is predictable.  The second song works off  a more black metalish formula with a gloomier transition into the guitar solo. Then by the third song the band shows a more epic traditional metal sound. It has a sweeping gallop and majestic synths in the background.

"Cloud Seeder" is more mid paced. It doesn't stand out as much as the songs before. The clean vocals don't hook me in. The harsher vocals are more interesting here, which says a lot considering I prefer singing. It just begins to feel a little like a formula here. "Still Yearning" is more deliberate . The melodic breakdown at the three minute mark is a little weird but it does help to make the build back in more explosive. The more groove oriented chug the song finds it's self in is pretty bad ass. I don't think speeding it up makes it more aggressive it just sounds a little rushed. "Strike Up With the Dawn" has some effective grooves. The use of clean vocals does begin to sound a lot like Enslaved here.  "Transcending Yesterdays" follows a similar formula.

The last song is more of a ballad like outro than an actual song so for the sake of this review I am not going to factor it in when scoring this album. Very much in the same zip code of Norway as Enslaved. I really like this album because of what sets it apart from Enslaved, this is the fact that it's darker and moodier. Not dark enough for me to slap this month's Gothtober label on it , but dark enough to keep me happy. I'll round it up to a 9.5 , which should show you how far darkness goes in my book.

Cultes Des Ghoules : "Sinister"

The fourth album from the Polish black metal band finds , an almost more Urfaust sound . The vocals are more sung in a resonate bellow on the first song , than howled or screamed manically. They continue to get darker , though perhaps no heavier. It all drones off of one central riff. There is more of a metallic chug to "Woods of Power". It does descend into more of a old Mayhem like take on black metal. It's pretty rough around the edges with a crazed honesty, yet sounds more like traditional black metal than I am used to hearing from these guys. The guitars utter out melodies that get a little buried in the din. "Day of Joy" has more determined and deliberate pound to the accents of it's attack. In some ways it comes across as a more musically fulfilling song. I  think it follows more traditional metal rules while the crazed vocals are the coat of chaos to distract you from this fact.

The production is a double edged sword here. While I might benefit the songs to have taken more time in the process, the roughness does give it more black metal cred. So they can't win either way on it. I think some of these songs that clock in at over the ten minute mark could stand to have some fat trimmed in the compositions. "the Serenity of Nothing" starts off more angry and smooths out for the chant that is layered over it in what could be the first verse if you were going to attempt to hold these guys to song structure. The song does ebb back into something that reminds me of Alice Cooper's "Black Juju".

They pick up the pace to close the album with "Where the Rainbow Ends" which is the least black metal song title ever. But that is fine with me. It starts off pretty run of the mill black metal, so much so that I hope I don't have to go thru a full 12 minutes of it. Then it slows into more of a gallop. It is still very Mayhem, more so when the vocals try to sing more than snarl. The guitar unexpectedly drops out and things get interesting. They go off into something angular and proggy, proving they can really play before blasting back. Things ebb back down, so they are making an attempt to justify the 12 minute mark. I will give this album a 9, though I doubt it's something I will get many spins from. It's a mature effort on their part and finds a balance between making fans of true black metal happy as their grim souls can be, without getting stale and embracing experimentation.

This album is released Sept 23rd on Hells Headbangers.

Black Metal History Month - Abigor : "Höllenzwang (Chronicles of Perdition)"

This is the 10th album from these Austrian black metal maniacs. The vocals are crazed. Sometimes they are sung and when this happens it sounds like Emperor on a whirl wind of drugs. The varied layers of vocals give them a personality of their own. The guitars are also layered sometimes two different parts that seem like they are working against one another, but given the chaotic nature of what they do this works out fine. "Sword of Silence" has more of a thrashing groove but the weird Mayhem like vocals keep things weird. By the end of the song it has taken more twists and turns than expected. This album stays focused on Satan and has many samples from horror movies to remind you of this fact. All of the songs are in the three to four minute range.

"the Cold Breath of Satan" starts off a little fast and then feels like it is more difficult for them to get focused enough to draw you back in. "None Before Him" is a much better song, it is more experimental with the bass driven groove , but it all works here. The big chorus of overdubbed vocals creates a more majestic feel. "Olden Days" has it's vocals a little more sung but angular chaos abounds. Some one left a comment on their Bandcamp page that says this album reminds them of everything they love about "Grand Declaration of War" and I think this album is more manic than that, really the only part that sounds like Mayhem is the vocals and if you are going to compare it to Mayhem its more like the early Attila days. "Hymn to the Flaming Void" is less though out than the previous song. The first minute and a half in their is a cool part, but it quickly shifts into something else like most of these songs.

By the time we get to "Christs Descents Into Hell" they have jerked you back and forth like a less proggy version of Sigh. "Ancient Fog of Evil" is a little darker. The vocals don't sit as well over the dissonance as they do on other songs.I'll give this album an 8.5 , they are goo at what they do and their playing got them that high so it was an enjoyable listen, I appreciate that they think beyond the blast beat, but it doesn't feel like an album I am going to return to a lot if at all. If you are a fan then go ahead and round it up to a 9.

Ihsahn : "Artktis"

Ihsahn has brought back the metal is back in a big way on his 6th solo album.  You won't forget Ihsahn was in Emperor. I suppose he felt he took the experimentation as far as he could without losing sight of where he came from. This makes for an album that is in line with his earlier solo work. Captures more of an Opeth like feel...that is when Opeth actually played metal.The electronic elements are still there just set back behind the guitars. The guys from Leprous are still around with  Einar Solberg, helping out with vocals . I really like the melody that closes in on the song's three minute mark. If you are going go from growls to clean vocals this is the way to do it. "Mass Darkness" finds Matt Heafy from Trivium stepping out of the where are they now files to lend a hand in the shredding department.  It's a darker more ominous song. He is back in full force with the harsher vocals.

There is a punchy almost Deep Purple like riff to "My Heart is of the North" . It really goes into an unexpected place, that almost made me think it was another song. If you think prog is about wanking then you need to learn something and give this album a listen. That's not to say Ihsahn doesn't flex his chops and he has them as one of metal most under rated guitarists. I'm not even going to tell you what happens at the three minute mark. The keyboards on this album are on point and production wise everything is dialed in perfectly. Things take a much darker turn into more Skinny Puppy direction on the incredible "South Winds" which still finds electronica in play but being used in context of what Ihsahn does best. The Opeth like clean vocals do show up, but somehow it all meshes. "In the Vaults" finds more of a tug of war between the influence of black metal and prog metal. The prog wins out.

"Until I Too Dissolve" finds him fighting off the Dream Theater temptation. The awesome chorus of "Pressure" is what really brings it all home and pulls the twisted verses together. "Frail" really takes the concept of being a musical oddity in the right direction.  The Nordic Shining's Jorgen Munkeby to chime in on" Crooked Red Line" . It's cook to hear him play something less spastic than his band, there is more straight up jazz to the melodies here, though it's worked smoothly into the type of dark thinking man's metal that makes up this album.  They balance is tipped into straight up balladry on "Celestial Violence". It kicks in right on time a minute and a half into it, which any longer would have wandered into power ballad territory. When the clean vocals come back in they prove you can really sing in 2016 and still have a sense of commanding power without coming across like you are in Primal Fear. For the sake of this review I am not going to count the bonus track which is the weird spoken word "Til Tor Ulven", it sounds like something from the Metallica & Lou Reed "Lulu" album. The rest of the album kicks ass and finds him back in fine form I'll give it a 10.

Black Metal History Month - Ecferus : "Pangaea"

Released by I Void Hanger Records for Black Metal History Month , this one-man band that will fool most people into thinking this has to be four separate musicians playing this . Alp who plays every instrument and did so in a very organic manner. It doesn't hurt that  The album was mixed by Colin Masterson. The guitars have a lot of clarity. The rasped vocals are mainly mid ranged, though there are some monstrous lower growls that take more of a background role. It might make you sick that this guy plays drums as well as he does and can still play guitar. There is a more Deathspell Omega like dissonance to "Fragmented Body". It is angular and less straight forward than the opener. It's not until at creepy riff midway into this one that it really grabs my attention and form more of an identity of it's own.The drumming and bass line latch onto a sinewy groove that is progressive for black metal. Some times the vocals seem like an after thought, but that is the only weakness aside from relying on blast beats.

"Pangea" is a concept album, the narrative doesn't make itself obvious until the krautrock horror movie soundtrack interlude. "Reciprocity of Disrepair" that follows is a blast fest.  The riff over this speeding beast, is textured and has a chilly dissonance to the melody it weaves. When the blast beat gives wave to double bass it seems to gain power and momentum while retaining it's black metal sensibilities. Some shredding solos sweep in over this one. It's the weird riff that comes at the five minute mark that stands out in this song.  A lesson in compositional chaos, the song moves well and has some power to its punches.  The acoustic intro to "Storms Continue On" helps break up the album and you on a darker ride. The layered growls take on a more Emperor like rasp. The more melodic edge this song has also furthers the Emperor comparisons.

 Overall this dude is talented, where this album will rank with you really depends upon how original you need your black metal to be. If you are looking for something that sounds nothing like any band you have ever heard before then this won't rank high with you, even though it is not directly derivative of any one band, it's more the gnawing sense this sound is familiar. I'll give it a 7.5 for the lack of new ground being broken here, This might still grow on me, but I generally get more play out of black metal bands with a more dynamic and melodic focus, where in many ways this is more straight ahead ,despite creating an effective atmosphere and being excellently executed. This will appeal to fans of black metal who want something more progressive than Darkthrone, but not ready to commit to Emperor. I'll keep an ear out for where this guy goes in the future.

Interview : Mirai Kawashima of Sigh

I recently got to catch up and pick the brain of Sigh's main man Mirai Kawashima to discuss the new album "Graveward" and the ghosts of metal past present and future.



With "Scenes From Hell" you took a sharper turn into a more progressive sound, "Graveward"retains that but steps back into a more metal direction as well what inspired this?


Mirai : The biggest inspiration on this album is 70s / 80s Italian zombie flicks. At first I was planning to make it filled with old keyboards like Minimoog, Mellotron, Hammond, Fender Rhodes etc. as a dedication to those movies. The final result was pretty much different from the initial plan, but I think you still sense the atmosphere of zombie movies.

I'm not sure what you meant by "metal direction", but "Graveward" is filled with mid-paced to up-tempo songs, I mean they're slower than those on "Hangman's Hymn" or "Scenes from Hell". In that sense, "Graveward" is a very metal album. Other than that, the change of guitarist affected a lot on the sound. I'll talk about it later.

There are quite a few guest performers on "Graveward. Of all these guest musicians who has been in the back of your minds the longest as someone you've been waiting to work with?

 Mirai :  It would be great if we could work with Mika Patton or John Zorn.

In most genres aside from metal the guitar solo has almost become a lost art. The guitar playing on this has really stepped up to the next level, Was this influenced by having guys like Matt Heafy around?

Mirai :The reason is very simple. We hired the new guitarist who can play the guitar way better than the old one. Unfortunately we had to fire the guitarist during the recording of "Graveward" because it became obvious that he was losing his passion on music. He started chasing a preadolescent underground idol who has only 10 fans or so and now he spends all his money and time on that crap. It was a tough decision for us to fire somebody we had worked together for more than 20 years, but we had no other way. We were lucky enough to have been able to find the new guitarist, You Oshima. He released two albums as Kadenzza on Holy Records from France. He definitely brought us the higher level in the guitar playing.

I really love the darker direction "The Forlorn" goes in how does this song represent the exploration of beyond the grave horror the album seems to be taking ? There also seems to be less or the more polka or klezmer movements to this album was this done to create a more somber tone?

 Mirai : Well, I didn't think about polka or klezmer music when I wrote the songs for "Graveward". If you hear Klezmer in it, probably it comes from John Zorn. Dr. Mikannibal and I are a huge admirer of John Zorn works including Masada stuff, so there might be some subconscious influence from his Klezmer works.

There are some weird electronic elements to "the Molesters of My Soul" it almost has an industrial feel to it, are you fans of  industrial or darkwave? 

 Mirai :Yes, I mainly love old industrial / Darkwave stuff such as Laibach, Foetus, Big Black, Goethe's Erben, Das Ich, Dead Relatives, CCC CNC NCN, Coil, Nurse with Wound, Throbbing Gristle etc. But influences of the electronic elements on "The Molesters" rather come from more experimental stuff like Karheinz Stockhausen, Pansonic, Mouse on Mars etc.

Thrash metal is one of the more predominate colors you paint the album with. What thrash albums from the 80s and 90s have been most inspiring to you over the years?

 Mirai :The most inspiring album on Sigh's music must be "Into the Pandemonium" by Celtic Frost.
If I have to pick up the best thrash album, I'd say "Power and Pain" by Whiplash.
Are there any plans to tour in support of "Graveward"? 

 Mirai : We will play at Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium and then headline for Metal Magic Festival in Denmark with Candlemass and Girlschool. And we will play a few shows here in Japan but that's all planned right now. Now Dr. Mikannibal has a baby so we need to slow down our activity a little bit

"A Messenger From Tomorrow" is a song that really stands out to me. Aside from the slower pace there places where vocals have some really lush textured layers with the more growled providing a counter point. What others roles do you see the harsher vocals taking in you music? 

 Mirai :Harsh vocals and singing ones are two totally different things. Harsh vocals can express something which singing ones cannot and vice versa. For example, if you want to express fear and pain, obviously you have to scream. Also I believe the harsh vocals are strictly connected to English, which is a very rhythmic language. I think music such as thrash metal or hip hop which does not have the clear melody line is a spawn of English.

Some people might not know You guys were at the forefront of the second wave of black metal that came out in the 90s along side bands like Darkthrone. At what point did you feel black metal was too confining for your growth as a musician? What are your thoughts on the current state of black metal? 

 Mirai :To be honest, we never thought like we started as a black metal and soon grew out of it. It's either we're always a black metal band or we never are. It's just a matter of definition of what black metal is. The Second Wave of Black Metal was born more or less as a resurrection of 80s evil thrash metal like Venom, Bathory and Hellhammer which was considered to be completely out of date in the beginning of 90s. In that sense, we had exactly the same intention. Also the word "black metal" does not its musical style any more. All the bands like Emperor, Beherit, Alcest, and Deafheaven are often labeled as black metal but probably people who know nothing about black metal will not be able to find the reason why they all are pigeonholed under the same category. So if we still need to pigeonhole our music style, I'd say it's black metal.
I must admit that I am not a black metal expert. I know EVERYTHING about 80s thrash metal, though. Honestly I have never kept up with black metal even from the early 90s, I'm not the right one to say something about it.

Thanks for allowing me to pick your brain.

Outre : " Ghost Chants"

The album is aptly titled in some sense as all the clean vocals are chanted. These guys are really into Death Spell Omega, so much so I had to start listening for all the ways they did not sound like them than looking for the influence that is worn on their sleeve. The dissonance might be borrowed from Deathspell Omega and there is also the way they let their chords ring out can also reek o that influence as well.Deathspell are great musicians so if you can cop their sound you can play, but what else can you do is the most important thing we are going to be asking here. On "Shadow" which is really the first real song on the album after the lead in it's the vocals that set them apart. They are layered really well. Sometimes its the hints of post- rock in the guitar melody and the way the drums back off a tad to accent it that let us hear who the real Outre is. The vocals are really fantastic as there is a wide range of sounds from low growls  to croaks to the more sung vocals . So King Diamond might also be an influence.

Its when they go for the more straight up black metal sound that they bore me a little because I know they can do more than this and it feels like it's obligatory. I find myself checked out midway into the song. Normally i can write and do other things and the music will still make me aware of it and hold me in they start to lose me on "the Fall".  I find myself back listening to "Lament". The blasts have a better effect here as all the emphasis is not placed on them.But I am not hooked in for the entire song, once they numb you out with obnoxious blasting I start checking out even though it is so abrasive you can not be aware of it. "Equilibrium" is darker and more melodic so that wins me over as well as the clean vocal chants all of which combine have a chilling effect, this is similar to what they do on the first "song", but this feels more like a song where the other I consider just an intro.

The pace picks up without resorting to blast beating off on"Vengeance". This song has a commanding drive. They can not resist the need to blast which they hold off on for the first minute. So the remaining hope for this album was laying on "Arrival" to sway me in a more positive direction. The song proved to be more sonic and they got out of habit of just beating you over the head with blast beats. Though they slip some in. I am still on the fence. I'll give it a 7.5 and make it earn an 8 if it grows on me I'm not rushing to get it off my iPod so we shall see. If you read elsewhere that these guys are re-inventing black metal, don't believe another word you read on that blog.

Sigh: "Graveward"

Once upon a time one of my favorite black metal bands put out an album called "Scenes From Hell" and they transformed from one of my favorite black metal bands into one of my favorite prog metal  bands. Their new album finds them getting some of the aggression back as they study the various aspects of death. One thing that is interesting about Sigh is even though they are based in Tokyo the band does not employ the Oriental dodecaphonic scale, but pulls from western music ranging from Deep Purple of klezmer. This album opens in a fairly straight forward metal manner for these guys, with slight leaning toward an Emperor like sound as the clean vocals sweep in amid the twists and turns normally narrated by the more scathing snarls. The clean vocals have a more typical progressive metal vibrato, like something Therion might thrown in. They continue to use a chaotic mix of varied elements which are sometimes stirred together more smoothly than others. There are some good metallic moments to the title track, which settled in with me quicker than the opening song that took a few listens to sink in.

 The keyboards coating "the Tombfiller" have a more folk metal majesty to them. The vocals retain the songs most savage sense. The clean vocals here are almost too bright her for me.The guitar playing continues to be one of the band's most impressive elements, with the drumming not too far behind. The songs are not long epics but rather concise considering all of the things being jammed into them. Layers of operatic chorus abound, making this a good album for someone that has outgrown Nightwish. The lavish experimentation and song writing reach their balance on " The Forlorn" which carries plenty of meat on its bones. The song also reaches down into a darker and heavier place that I like to hear coming from the band.

This album is much heavier than any thing they have done since "Hangman's Hymn". So fans of the bands older work will not feel like they are listening to a Mr. Bungle album despite the weird electronics attacking a song like " the Molestors of My Soul". Some of the riffs on here grind into you more like death metal. The polka metal the band has visited peeks out slightly in the frantic racing of "Out of the Grave". It seems Mikannibal's sax exploits are more toned down on this album. They hit a pretty powerful chug that collides with some over the top vocals on " the Trial By the Dead".  The thrashy riffs that hit a minute and a half into the song will compel you to head band. The heaviness continues it's rampage even when it collides into jazz on "The Casketburner". The piano work on this song is pretty spot on for the styles the are mocking. 

" A Messenger From Tomorrow" has a much different feel from all the other songs on this albums. The slower pacing is the most obvious, but the melodic sensibility takes a more dominate role than the aggression that runs rampant on the rest of the album. The clean vocals make more sense and feel better on this song as well. To be called "Dwellers in Dream" the song has more of a rock n roll feel to it. The vocal trade off in this song is one of the more effective uses of the harsher vocals. I am glad they are embracing the heavier side of what they do here, I think the song writing as a whole was better on a few of the previous albums. I'll see how this shred fest sits with me, for now I will give this album a 9.

Dodheimsgard: " A Umbra Omega"

The intro makes you think they have abandoned black metal altogether , but those are short lived when they blast into"Aphelion Void", which is like a more angular version of A Forest of Stars. The vocals even have that crazed narrative quality to them. These guys are more spacious and dissonant in their approach. They make the most of this fifteen minutes weaving through dark and chaotic passages of the aural labyrinth. There is a low bass filled synth sound at the 7:45 minute mark of the song that is pretty dope. If you like post-rock but haven't given black metal much of a chance this might be the album for you. The song even breaks into an acoustic jazz section, with mouth watering guitar playing. They are not playing around from the blazing onset of "God Protocol Axiom", at least until they allow the metal to give way to this disjointed groove. If Primus' guitarist covered the ground Les Claypool does  is the only way I can describe the section that follows. The vocals remain theatrical, but going through a wider array of embellishments closer to King Diamond. This song at thirteen minutes is another long winding journey, and normally I am not the biggest fan of long songs, as it has become too over done , having these guys justify every minute.

On "the Unlocking" the band begins to use more jarring tech elements, before plunging you into some very Current 93 like atmospherics.It's spacey and free-form, while retaining an ugly darkness to it. There is a creepy Psychic Tv inflection in the singer's voice. The growls are sparse and pretty much just occasional accents, that may be a deal breaker for some. I can take these vocals better than I could the A Forest of Stars vocals , and I didn't hate those they just seemed excessive at times. There is more going on vocally here. The blast beats occur more frequently than the growls. While the band has been around since 1995, this is only their fifth album, which when writing shit this crazy is easy to understand the delay. This is the bassist's only gig , but other members you might know from Thorns and Manes. Past members have including Galdar and Fenriz, so they can thrown in all the weird jazz rock they want and still be legit.There is quite a bit of the jazzier stuff on "Architect of Darkness". There is a weird Kenny G meets folk metal part at the eight minute mark of this one.

The most conventional metal moments come at the beginning of "Blue Moon Duel". This lasts longer than I expected , the shift through various modes of metal, most of which are progressive. It's not until the five minute mark that it breaks down into the Current 93 sorta thing. The vocals take on more of a spoken word sort of thing, until the song builds. I would say over all this song is not as adventurous as it's predecessors. I have to give this one a 10 because the whole time I kept thinking that these guys did a better job than A Forest of Stars did on their last album, and those guys got a 9.5 so there is only one place to go from there.
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