With this album, we have Shagrath is on the mic, so things are now falling into place. There is a big difference, a huge leap in the refinement of sound. Took two albums to get it all dialed in. By the time we get to "Spellbound By the Devil," it just feels like Dimmu. Not sure how much of a difference bassist Nagash really made joining the bandd it jsut sounds like everyone was focused doiung what they should have been doing, but needed time to figure it out.
While the album sounds great, they had not perfected writing riffs as hooky as those to come, as it is not until "The Night Masquerade" that things begin to stand out after "Spellbound By the Devil." Most of the album is dominated by the really tight-picked flurry of buzzing guitar. It's more technical than the first album, but I might prefer the more traditional metal approach of the first album. Shagrath's personality is the winning touch with his vocals and the lock-in on "Tormentor of Christian Souls."
They are more focused and deliberate with "Entrance."Howwever they give in to the need for spped on the rapid fire "Master of Disharmony," and it is not as memorable, even when they slow down and get their feet under them going into the solo section. But it's pretty impressive that they have a guitar solo at this juncture in their career; it was a growth that showed there was more melodic depth. "Prudence's Fall" has catchier riffing. "A Succubust in Rapture" finds them heading into new areas of melodic guitar playing. The last song has some memorable riffing and is also epic in the manner in which it executes them. This album finds them locking into the direction they will continue to perfect. I will give this album a 9.5
Germany's Antrisch finds the sonic balance that allows enough room to experiment with melody, keeping it from becoming another blast-fest, yet it is still wrathful enough in its aggressive intent to appeal to your standard black metal fan who wants the barrage of sound. The opening track alone offers a dynamic oscillation between the two. "Hidalgo Infernal" leans more on the side of racing guitars, pausing to bathe in the creepiness. The acoustic guitar surfaces in this song to provide one of these moments. They blast back into the gray with renewed fury.
"Nattern & Narren" has a more distinct riff with a thrashy hook. "Bittergruen" is the first song that falls the closest to what you might expect from the run-of-the-mill black metal of today. There is a dark, ominous melody that runs through it, making it memorable. The overall tone of the album is kept balanced dynamically, as the song that follows this is darker and creepy, when it kicks in, there is more of a deliberate stomp. The vocals are pretty chaotic, but have a distinct personality to them.
This mood carries over into "Verschanzt" before it builds into a more raging blur of blast beats. The last song locks into an almsot rock n roll riff that inspires the vocals to take a different cadance. It builds into a more driving tremolo-picked section after this and turns around to find its groove once more. i will give this album a 9, it's dynamic and has its own personality, sounds great, and is really well done, so all you could want from a new black metal band without re-inventing the wheel. Drops March 27th on AOP Records
In prepping for the album's release Maynard dropped a "gpth" plalist of songs that were supposedly the inspiration for this album, along with the promo shots showing the band in darker make-up, while I am not surprised that he knows who Tones on Tail is, this is not a goth album, though there are more reverb drenched guitars in the opening track, I would not all it goth. In fact, the title track reminds me more of Devo. But you can here slight Gary Numan influence lurking around if you are the kind of savant like I am who can detect these sorts of things to draw that connection.
"Bad Wolf" is the most recent single and finds a bass line as the anchoring holding the groove down. It holds a tension not unlike what A Perfect Circle does at times. Most of what I hear as Bauhaus influence comes from the guitar tones, then it is typically on effects, opening tracks like"Self Evident". It's one of the more driving songs so far. This album feels heavier than the last A Perfect Circle album. "Public Stoning" opens in a way that reminds me more of Fugazi.
"The Quiet Parts" is more like an A Perfect Circle, as Maynard is singing in his more ballad-ready, subdued voice. "Mantastic" is not sonically anything new, and really, neither is it lyrically just more heavy-handed. It grooves enough so it works from that angle. "Pendulum" feels more like old Depeche Mode without the vocal hooks. "ImpetuoUs" works better as the vocals flow with the music. "Seven One" feels like an interlude from David Bowie's "Outside" album. The last song is live, but it was released on the new "American Pyscho" soundtrack in 2024, so I will count it as new. It's about typical for what you expect from them. I will give this album a 9.5. It has some great grooves, and obviously, Maynard knows what he is doing, and if you like what he does, it delivers.
In a shift from the dark synth pop of "Kissing Death," Mothica is shifting into a more modern metal sound that is not unlike what artists like Poppy and Spiritbox are doing. Heavier guitars are just being pushed more to the forefront, so it's not a huge leap from her previous sound, and it does not feel like she is jumping on a bandwagon. The pop sound that she toyed with on her last album is being refined and brought to a larger-than-life cinematic magnitude. Lyrically, it is not as conceptual, but it deals with themes of inner struggle.
With the slicker production comes more epic layers of vocals as well as huge electronic sounds crashing down. She has played big rock fests like Welcome to Rockville before so this is not far removed from the nu-metal anthems bands there normally pump out. The chorus to "Save Your Roses" is more dramatic. They brought out a great vocal performance that finds her belting it out when the dynamics call for it. "Bullet" has more groove and more emotional dynamic. McKenzie tugs feelings from her guts on this performance.
The title track closes the album, the opening verse almsot presents it as more of a ballad until the chorus kicks in and the down-tuned chug of guitar churns it up into something of more epic sonic proportions. Even with the larger-than-life production value this time around, the message she carried on the last album is conveyed here as well, just without the romnacing a personifcation of death motif this time around. Some of the more hushed vocal refrains remind me a little of Taylor Swift. I will go ahead and round this up to a 9.5, so it did not grab me as much as the last album. Perhaps some of this is just getting used to the more radio-ready mixing choices and streamlined elements, but it does show growth.
Dimmu Borgir's second album finds the line-up shifting again, this time with Shagrath moving over to lead guitar and Tjodalv taking a seat behind the drums. I think I prefer Shagrath's drumming, or it could be the production of the drums that makes them hold less weight in the mix than on their first album. "The Circle of Brotherhood" has more purpose, and the drums sound better when slowed to a more deliberate pace. "When the Soul is Brought to Hell' finds them locking into a bigger, more epic sound that they would continue to build off on future releases, it's beginning to sound more like the band we know now. Even with the wonky lineup.
Lyrically, things are more overtly satanic, which I can appreciate. "When the Christian Lost His Life" might sound like your average black metal song in 2026, but this came out 30 years ago, when it was not as common. The Title track kind of spills out from the previous song. A low spoken vocals emerges from this song, which is something Shagrath would also carry forward. The main melodypoweringthis song feels like it is also a staple of their legacy. 'Antikrist" has some more folk metal-leaning melodies that remind me of Summoning, but is not their best song. "Journey of Death" also works from a similar vibe, but with more vocal weirdness and less folk in the background.
"Winds From a Lonely Grave" is a little more memorable; the riff is at least catchy, and the drums have toned it down a bit. The last song has more of a punk feel; there was a song like this on the first album; it is something I am glad they grew out of. I will give this a 9 as I prefer the previous line-up. Soon enough, they figured things out; this was just a step it took to get where they are today. Thus, Black Metal History.
London's Unmother play a dark and unrelenting style of black metal that warms up into something catchier in its opening track, which the feral snarl they initially smack you with lets on to. The blast beats are offset by dissonance that paints a murky fog-coated landscape of dark alleys and the depression of urban life. The second song does not find s them stepping off the gas. The pattern of blast beats continues to force things ahead.
The rasped croak of the vocal is not well articulated, making the lyrics a moot point. Some anguished punk cries break from this, and if you told me these guys were in a punk band before thi,s it would make sense to me. The darker, more melodic passages that this wanders in are sounds they need to expand upon. I like the more depressive howls the vocals descend into. Deeper into the song, a lower death metal growl emerges, which plays to their favor by adding more vocal colors.
I appreciate the increased level of creepiness they slow into for "Modern Dystopia" and the purposeful build, which proves to be the most powerful moment so far, and helps sell me on these guys. The vocals shift to more of a Gollum-like muttering. Though when the chords crash down, and they take the precious, he is clearly upset and objects in kind. It builds into more of a seething storm of chaos, but this works as we have already been grounded in the song's purpose. Their cover of a Greek synthwavers ΟΔΟΣ 55, is pretty typical black metal, and you would have never guessed it was a synthwave song to begin with.
The title track is moodier and finds the vocals in a lower croak before transitioning into the more commanding rasp that is typically the more dominant narrative for this album. This song is also driven by a more typical black metal buzz. Its drone is gradually layered with other sounds, making it a little more intersting than your average blast fest. The last track, "Magda," is more of a simmering outro; it feels like something Nachtmystium might have done. I enjoyed the dark vibes and sonic depth they offered here; it resonated as real with me, so I will give this album a 9.It drops Febuary 20th on Fiadh Productions.
In keeping with the tradition of reviewing the entire catalog of an influential band, I am going to review the entire catalog of one of my favorite black metal bands, the Norwegian legends Dimmu Borgir. This is a weird one for me since Silenoz is the vocalist and Shagrath is the drummer. I am listening to the 2000 re-release since it sounds better, but only reviewing the 9 songs that appeared on the original album. This album is certainly a reminder that they did not just become a symphonic band; it was always a major part of what they do. The first track is more of a dramatic intro, making "Under Korpens vinger". The marked difference is a more deliberate traditional metal pacing, as the choked croak of Silenoz feels more tortured and less commanding than Shagrath's approach to vocals. In some ways it brings early Samael to mind.
It's funny how black metal purists who are apt to always claim the band's earliest work is the best, insist this is more cvlt, when their newer material is heavier and in some ways more black metal. There are already sung vocals on this album. It could be the charm of the lower production value, even in this remixed, remastered version. There are a few more blast beats on the second song, as the more traditonal sweeping gallop feel that follows the flow of tremolo-picked guitars. Even in their more primitive state, these guys are way better songwriters than most black metal bands, and this is a trait they continued to refine.
"Stien" finds the keys playing a more folkish melody, while they begin to blast around it. This is a perfect picture of a band ahead of their time. I don't think this album could truly be appreciated by the audience who was not quite ready for them til ten years later. "Glittertind" finds the pace picking up thanks to Shagrath's drumming, which was on point. He might not be Hellhammer, but he is better than I remembered, as it's been years since I went back and listened to this one. The title track is darkly melodic with a very measured pace. The guitar tone is the only thing that is really lacking on this album; the bass is much more present in the mix, so that helps.
"Hunnerkongens" has more of a punk feel, not the album's strongest song. The album really regains its footing on the last song by setting a creepier mood than I can recall hearing them step into; the guitar playing is more melodic than the more in-your-face epic riffing they would grow into, once again proving my earlier point. I'll give this album a 9.5, it's more important to black metal than you might imagine but proves points you are not expecting it to.
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