Shopping : "All or Nothing"

Yes , some punk is covered here. Perhaps not as much as metal, but more often than not punk finds it's best years behind it.Most is not dark enough these days. This band is more post-puink than not, I found them on the Bandcamp page for the band Dark Thoughts, who were pretty decent punk, but their album came out in December so time passed them by. This band is on Fatcat Records which has traditionally been a punk label. Their singer's voice is a plaintive alto. Where the lines seem to be drawn on the opening track is this is dancey to some extent, where punk should not be dancey. There is a Devo like quirk to what they do though the second song is more pumped with attitude than the opener. All the songs are in the three minute range , which shows they have a punk approach to song writing. They are far too taunt to be just be indie rock. If this was not a girl singing then perhaps there might be more of a Joy Division comparison.

The vocals get more interesting on " Follow Me". The dancey vibe crank up harder. The bass playing is the most impressive element three songs in.  A male vocal joins in on "No Apologies" . He trades off with her on the chorus. His voice sounds very British and his spoken style is not very aggressive at all. "For Your Pleasure"  is more of the same perhaps the syncopation is a little tighter. "About You" might stay in a similar place as far as the guitar goes, but the song as a whole stands out. "Lies" has an almost reggae groove, much in the same way the Police or Elvis Costello toy with it. A great deal of the songs begin to sound the same, there is some Fugazi influence that seems to seep through which is the strong point of " Expert Advice". The guitar wanders a little more than it should .

The twangy guitar of " Body Clock" gives it a more rock n roll. The drums hold a tight Police like groove. The title track works off a very similar bounce and due to the fact the songs begin to sound the same to me  so I will round this down to an 8. The fact they are from London, makes them seem more punk to me than they probaly are. It's a fun album and if you want playful quirk post -punk it's worth a listen .

Wrekmeister Harmonies : "We Love to Look at the Carnage"

Now on their 5th album these guys have crossed over fully into Nick Cave's neighborhood. I guess that place is called folk. It's sort of dark, more moody. Minimal arrangement and the vocals dominate like folk. Unlike folk they are more spoken than sun. Jamie Stewart from Xiu Xiu lends his voice to the song "Still Life With Prick Cancer" .  Things get weirder here. There is noise floating around. Stewarts vocals are a hushed desperate plea. It works much in the same way as the first song, but with none of the Nick Cave sense to it. I think it's the most subtle use of dynamics I have heard this project encompass. It's very pretty , but not something I would keep in my iPod and put in rotation with Tom Waits or Joy Division. Those acts are more song focused. This paints with the sonics. I often complain about bands being ore focused on sound than songs. Well if you are going to do it and make it the exception to the rule this is one way.

Thor Harris of Swans also adds percussion to this album. That makes perfect sense when you consider the direction this is going in.  It is only heavy in the sense the abrasive turns it takes challenge you. It has been a weird day for music for me as I just finished reviewing the new Today is the Day. If you like this album, you will likely at least appreciate the Today is the Day album as it disregards most conventions of rock music. This is more like the looming dusk that commiting to the kind of darkness you feel.  "Coyotes of Central Park" gets back to the kind of morbid Americana they
simmer in on the first song .  "the Rat Catcher" is almost just like the new mournful post- "Push the Sky Away" Nick Cave. It's well done and there are pleasing sounds from the instrumentation , but it's Nick Cave worship for sure. For minutes in their are more intense electric sounds coming that give it more depth. It's doomy without owing anything to Black Sabbath.

"Immolation"is the last song and it goes into a more atmospheric post -rock sort of thing with the rock elements dialed back. It carries the same kind of narration as the bulk of these songs which fades into the background at this point. I will give this album an 8. It is pleasing to your ears, and well done for what it is , but what it is comes too close to Nick Cave and I already have all of his albums. If you are a fan of these guys you can round it up a half a point.

Today is the Day : " No Good to Anyone"

This one took time to digest then it clicked with me. It's both heavier and more melodic than previous releases though as expected these things meet at a weirds juncture. By heavier it's more an emotional heaviness than metallic heavy.  I jumped onboard with these guys in 1997 for "Temple of the Morning Star" , which is a weird beautiful album then after "In the Eyes of God" , I would listen to them when friends played them, but did not give another album a solid spin until "Animal Mother" . "Temple of the Morning Star is the bar with which I will measure this album since it's my favorite. The fact this album is as dark as it is , makes me want to dig back in a give the other ones that I missed more attention. The opener has more of a Melvins influence than I remember from Austin. "Attacked By An Angel" sets a different mood. It's like indie rock gone wrong. It's creepy with a backwoods despondence. I can imagine a serial killer listening to this album in his murder shack out in the middle of nowhere USA. Sonically the heavier moments fall some where between doom and sludge, though not all of the sounds stick to the heavy metal play book.

The deranged backwoods vibe continues on the syncopated . The bass tone on this one is pretty mean. Things begin to get back into his normal wheelhouse of spastic with "You're All Gonna Die".   There are a few interludes on this album that I am not factoring in for the purposes of this review. There is a nasty attitude to to the ebb and flow of "Cocobolo".  The psychedelic ballad "Callie" is pleasing to the ears , but not the album's most challenging song by far. "Oj Kush" is not the first song to use a very syncopated Helmet type stomp, this time around there is just a glaze of weirdness over it. He continues to sing in his less aggressive , almost timid Dinosaur Jr like voice on "Mercy". I am fine with this . Singing always makes a song more interesting than just screaming. I said just because sometimes a more aggressive vocal is needed and that unlike his past albums is not needed here. More of a lethargy coats "Born In Blood". It's like floating down a lazy river , but on bad acid that is depressing you.

The album continues to grow increasingly creepy . "Mexico" throbs with more of a stoner rock thing, if that is what we are calling say Kyuss. There is also kind of a Neil Young thing going on with the vocals here. It's been touched on throughout the album , but that feel is more pronounced here,. There is also kind of a grunge feel to what is pulsing here as well. Think Mudhoney not Pearl Jam there. The guitars kinda shimmer in the background.  The last song starts off with acoustic guitar and surreal sounds washing over it. I thought well this is his last chance to rock me like Amadeus . Instead he is getting high here. Which is fine, not what I expected. I have read review where they talk about neck straining screams, where are those, what album are those people listening to ? This is like some Ween shit hear, maybe if they were huffing fumes.He has mellowed with age. You get a great many people writing about what a rough go he has had of late, I think if that is the case it made him depressed not angry.   More of a lethargy coats "Born In Blood". It's like floating down a lazy river , but on bad acid that is depressing you. I will give this album a 9, I will grow on me, but if you came here expecting metal check else where.

Tombs : Monarchy of Shadows"

With an apocalyptic virus hopefully wiping out mankind with in the next few months, this album should provide a fitting soundtrack. These guys are neck and neck with Nachtmystium as my favorite  American black metal band. Pretty much everything you could want from these guys they hit you with in the first song. They have their balls out black metal blast, after a weird synth intro that went into a punishing riff. Hill even goes into the lower gothy voice when he is not snarling. The lyrics are discernible even in the blazing blasting. Going into the last minute and a half of the song there are a great deal more melodic moments. This dynamically puts the blast beats in better context. "Once Falls the Guillotine" is more straight forward and metallic than what I normally expect from these guys. It reminds me of 1349, who I have actually seen them play with so some influence must have rubbed off on that tour.

They rip into something with a similar velocity on "Necro Alchemy" . The bass and drums race along side one another very tightly on this song. In the songs final minutes when they drop into a more death metal riff that slows to something more deliberate in it's weighty chug the results are impressive. This is their fastest album yet. In part to the very manic drumming. They guitar on "Man Behind the Sun" is slower than what we got earlier , it's the drums under neath that keep racing. When they slow down into the punchier sections , it's sonically heavier. They bring a pano sound to add texture and shadow. There is a sludgey thrashing to the chugged riff of "the Dark Rift". Then it's back to blasting. It might be my head phones , but it seems like there is more mid range in this mix. This song displays a greater number of layers some of these are thanks to the synths , other are higher guitar harmonies.

This album is more in your face black metal. Speed replaces density more often than not , though they do dig in an d slow down for some really powerful moments. For right now I am going to give this one a 9 and see how it grows on me. I think more traditional fans of black metal will find this easier to sink there teeth into than perhaps their previous albums which might come across as to experimental or post-black metal for their liking. Fans of the band should also embrace this more metallic direction that places in band in the middle of the bed when it comes to black metal.

Grimes : " Miss Anthropocene"

After a month of black metal I need to cleanse the palate with some pop. Grimes has become more well know as Elon Musk's girlfriend in the past year. Lets see if she still has it. It is a darker and more straight forward version of streamlined pop with a 90s influence. There is a trip hop feel. Much like the 90s the songs feel good. "Darkseid" simmers but doesn't connect with melodies as solidly, but has pleasing sounds. She goes a more Miley Cyrus route with the acoustic strum of "Delete Forever" . It is different from and mockingly happy. She coasts along with the airy yet beat driven "Violence".  The album is not devoid of all experimentation. There are moments that do remind me of what I have heard from her in the past,.

With most pop, this album sounds great. The vocal production is top notch and true to who persona. This helps some of the more spacey ballads that are less focused and float off in their own atmosphere. "New Gods" is marginally more focused with a subtle hook. It reminds me of bands like Savage Garden or Everything But the Girl if they were depressed. I am not sure what this sugar baby is depressed about, but she has kept her artistic spark more than I expected. There is more to sink your teeth into with "My Name is Dark". A more tangible bass line to "You'll miss me when I am not around" gives the song a slinky back bone that I began to need from this album. The hints of actual instruments are blended with the other pro-tools smoke and mirrors . It is not also her voice that is flexed , but where she puts the notes she does sing. The hazy glaze of "Before the Fever" shows atmosphere serving the song. 

Some of this might need to grow on me. Like the bulk of my reviews these are my initial thoughts. I have left this album on all afternoon and absorbed it that way. "IDORU" is light hearted and reminds me of Cyndi Lauper. The last song is more guitar centered and brings to mind many 90s Electro hits ranging from Garbage to Elastica. A very sleepy pop . I guess if you are high as hell it is just what your self medication ordered. I will give this one a 9.

Black Metal History Month- Black Metal's Return to the Underground

With most sub-genre's of metal each has it's decade some do not get that much the 80s spawned hair metal, thrash and death metal, by the mid 90 as those gave way to grunge, industrial and nu-metal, the 00's saw the rise of Myspace where  metal core and  post rock flourished as sludge became more of a thing. The 10's were black metal. Yeah I know it has been around in different waves, but it was 2010 that really saw it begin to break big into the metal mainstream until now it's influence touches every genre, movies are made about it and corpse paint is a part of Poppy or um popular culture. Like all of the other sub-genres they are not going any where. As you have seen on this blog if you are a regular reader thrash and hair metal have not gone anywhere, there are new bands in both genres still coming out. Thrash do we not only see but is making a comeback, hair metal already saw it's comeback in the Myspace days, those bands are just more underground now. Ironic that grindcore is becoming more mainstream, but if you are a new hair metal band you're underground. 

The hipsters have moved onto to something else, country, folk, trap pop, whatever. They were only on the band wagon for a time. Judging from the more underground sites I pull music from sludge, thrash, grind core and crust are more dominate do to the flux of new music coming out as things move in that direction. I call grindcore a while back. Industrial is also seeing a comeback and might be where some hipsters are gravitating. When the Ministry / KMFDM tour was announced you would have thought Nirvana was making a return with Zombie Cobain from they way my Facebook news feed came to life. If there was a window for the American marketing machine to have tried to cash in and mass market black metal it would have been with the release of "Lords of Chaos". If was not a big of budget movie as "Rocket Man " or "Bohemian Rhapsody" . It got the justified snub from the actual black metal musicians involved and none of them ever packed arenas like the more radio centered likes of Queen and Elton . Elton's move was met with much less fanfar than Queen's. That moment passed and now the music is back where it belongs.

In Europe the genre will continue to thrive. The bulk of the bands I see in my in-box every morning are from there. I think this month we saw a great deal of black metal coming from Eastern Europe.  American press is shunning black metal since it is aligned with hate, as it should be. America has very thin skin when it comes to hate. All the hipsters are touting socialism and acting like a bunch of fucking hippies supporting Bernie Sanders, showing themselves for the poseurs they are. Not that the right in America is any better due to their Christian connection. I guess libertarian or anarchist is the most metal choice. So now we find America distracted and hopefully annihilated by the Coronavirus, the darkness will spread and chaos will consume the earth making black metal the best soundtrack for those who worship darkness. 

Black Metal History Month - White Nights : "Into the Lap of the Ancient Mother"

This is a weird one. When some one says this is a mic of black metal and death rock, my mind goes to Atriarch or Tombs. Two of my favorite bands. This sets keyboards high in the mix. It comes on hammering like Tombs then once it gets into the song throbs off the same verse riff with vocals that are spoken with a great deal of effected filters on them . If the vocals are like this the entire time It will be a deal breaker. I can take it for one song , but anything more than that will go beyond boring into annoying. The pressure is on for the second song. It is not as heavy as the first . The vocals are a little lower but doing the same thing, so it goes from enjoying to enduring this. If the best you can do is talk, then why waste your time pretending to be a singer?

To make matters worse the third song sounds just like the second. The guitar and the drumming wan the most in common with  Black metal. The vocals sound like they are trying to be sung more. The guy's voice is surely terrible without the effects or he would not have to hide behind them . I like effects on vocals. If the other instruments have them then it only makes sense to use in order to blend the tone. I like singers who use their voices more like instruments than verse chorus formulas. Have you ever heard the saying "I could listen to them read the phone book" ? Well it sounds like this guy is just reading out the phone book. He is not using his voice as an instrument nor is he doing a verse chorus thing.

It's a good thing there is only 3 songs as that was all I could take  the terrible vocals forced me to round this down to a 5.5, the terrible vocals forced me to round this down to a 5.5. The lowest score so far this year. Lowering the bar for the rest of the year, lol. I appreciate that Iron Bonehead, is branching out and trying to find a more sonically diverse array of acts, but this is not how to do it. You guys need a better A&R rep. You got my email since you sent me this. I can find better dark music for than this before my first cup of coffee. Kids if you want better black metal check out the new Regarde Les Hommes Tomber ...

here https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/02/black-metal-history-month-regarde-les.html

 

Black Metal History Month- Regarde Les Hommes Tomber : "Ascension"

I have had my eye on this album all month but just now giving it a spin. These guys are angry as fuck, but did not forget that black metal needs some atmosphere. They approach this equation with a great deal of experimentation, but all in  context of songwriting and not just pulling shit out from under their bullet belts for no reason. If we are going to compare them to another French band Death Spell Omega, is the best fit. These guys do not get into odd time signatures . They throw a great deal at you , but do not jerk you around in so doing. There is a dark dissonance to their sound.There is a lower Behemoth like growl to  "the Renegade Son". It  is more emotive than what Nergal does and delivered in such a way it helps me believe these guys mean what they are doing here.  It's even more impressive than the opener.

These guys are capable of cranking out blast beats, but do not let themselves become limited to that. "the Crowning" rumbles out of the previous song. This happens in a manner than makes it hard to tell the two songs apart until we get about 2 and a half minutes into this one and I notice the guitars changing . Past the midway mark the song shifts so the difference between the two songs is even more noticeable This album is really well recorded . It's dense, but you can hear all the notes the guitars are playing rather than it just becoming one blurring buzz. . "Stellar Cross" has a colder feel . The atmosphere going into it is more chilling. They melody rings out in the verse riff. This requires for them to dial back the attack slightly, but it pays off. There is a more sung vocals that comes across more as a moan.

There is a two and a half minute ambient interlude, before they come back racing into the last song. I heard these guys compared to Abigail Williams. This was by someone who does not either hear or understand the current of egregore when it comes to the places music is created. These guys sound French while Abigail Williams sounds more American. In layman's terms there is more of a rock n roll root to the energy of the latter's music. This is why black metal works best when it comes from Europe. It rides tension, butt the last song is pretty standard fare ion comparison to the more nuanced song writing found earlier in the album, I will give this one a 9 making it perhaps the second best black metal album in a month of listening to black metal albums, which certainly says something out the quality of what these guys are doing.

Black Metal History Month - Lychgate : "Also sprach Futura"

Since this is My blog, I make the rules.  For black metal history month, we do not have to just look at black metal past, but in doing so we might look at band's who have a black metal past, but evolved into other things. Such is the case with this band, though the album opens with a darker and more intense brooding than what I remember from the last album. Keyboards are playing a larger role. The vocals which are courtesy of Greg from Esoteric who also produced them album are more death metal. Things are still very angular and progressive. There is still enough black metal to what they do that would please fans of the gerne. There is an angular dissonance to the riffs allowing for atmosphere, Things speed up on the second song.

The opener was only three minutes and " Progeny of the Singularity" ia under six minutes which for black metal is like a pop song. There is not droning, they get to the point even with the weird ness. Sung chanted vocals surface on the second song as well. "Simulacrum" opens with eerie squealing sustained notes.Sung vocals follow this. It reminds me of a darker version of Cynic.The songs really simmers in it's moodiness rather than exploding though there are a few bursts that hit more like a storm front. There is a touch of free form jazz in the feeling the space these sounds create. The vocals are not as interesting as the music , but that can be part and parcel with more extreme genres at times , they do get more tormented in their screams as the song progresses.

There is a great deal to like about this album. The guitar playing is more progressive than the typically more tremolo picked than not black metal guitar sound.  There are great guitar tones on this album. The production is top notch. My only complaint is when I leave this album on and just let it play the songs begin to all sound the same. For this reason I am rounding it down to an 8.5, which still leaves this album as being among the best at least this month, This album is being released March 13th.

 

Demons & Wizards : "III"

I do not review a great deal of power metal here. If you know my tastes it's not hard to understand why. It's not dark enough for me. I grew up listening to the bands that influenced power metal. I have the album cover to "Number of the Beast" tattooed on my left arm so that tells you my allegiance to the metal yodel. I  love Iced Earth before they got that dude from Into Eternity, but I never gave Blind Guardian much of a chance after an old room mate played me something from their 1995 album "Imaginations From the Otherside". It froliced like dwarves drinking to victory. In 95 my tastes leaned more toward death metal. I liked the cover of "Victim of Changes" they did for a Judas Priest tribute album. Never explored them further. The power metal genre as a whole   I am going to assume this is current Blind Guardian drummer Frederik playing drums on this. I dig the way his voice has a natural tremble of vibrato that strikes me as more emotive than operatic.  The more belted upper register more often associated with power metal doesn't come in until "Wolves of Winter".  There is a more subdued melodic sense to "Final Warning". It builds into a more thrash minded affair.

There is an acoustic strum to "Timeless Spirit". His voice sounds great here. The harmonies work here, where in some places the multi tracked vocals are something I have to warm up to. You can hear the Iced Earth influence in how some of the choruses bust out with the heavier vibe.  The falsetto wails this builds into is impressive considering this guy is 53. There is a more traditional metal gallop on "Darkside of Her Dark Majesty" .  Hansi is more aggressive on this one. He sounds almost like Blackie Lawless going into "Midas Disease". There are plenty of big arena rock power chords on that one which are pretty fun. The continue on a melodic and 80's influenced road with "New Dawn". The chorus is not as strong as what we have heard up until this point in the album.  "Universal Truth" finds his voice back in it's sweet. There is this croon that reminds me of Jack Skellington that I like the best. The fist pumping chorus to this one doesn't turn me off. "Split" has more of a thrash feel.

I had to listen to the last song "Children of Cain" twice before it clicked with me and I paid more attention. I like his singing at the beginning song. The gradual build makes this one feel more like a power ballad. He gets more aggressive with his dramatic singing than the music he sings over until the three minute mark and then it kicks in more like an Iced Earth song. It's been 15 years for this album and I think fans of the band will be pleased I will round it up to a 10.

Black Metal History Month- Cult of Fire : "Moksha /Nirvana"

I am not sold on the whole Buddhist black metal thing, but simply calling it that is over simplifying things I am sure. They are typically good at what they do so I am for giving this a shot. The first song opens with weird ritualistic ambiance before they blast into things. When it comes to the metallic side of what they do , the truth is they are pretty straight forward a less thrash inspired version of Immortal with more snarl and less croak to the vocals. Dressing the songs up with the more ritualistic trappins is their schtick. Here is the crux many band's face, being true to the sounds of their chosen genre, while carving out a sound that is original. My first impression is that I like their 2013 these guys better. They open the second song  with a creeping tension that is darker thus helping them to if not for a moment step away from the perceived problem of their own sound I mentioned earlier. When we get to "(ne)cisty" the opening riff sounds like something from Death Angel's "the Ultraviolence" album. That is before the blast beats come in.

"Harhar MahaDev" is pretty much color by numbers black metal and the only color they are using is black. They sound angry enough to the whole Buddhist  thing must not be working. They keep at the same speed for the first two minutes. They meditate for a few minutes then are back at it again. The title track of the first disk almost sounds like the first track from the second disk, the only difference being the first song from the second disk has little flutes over it to create more of  folk metal atmosphere. They keep blasting away and the songs begin to sound the same.  All of the songs on the second disk are entitled "Buddha" so it's the second one of these that at first seems like it will buck some of the more atypical black metal stylings in favor of a perhaps more classic metal sound, but the need for speed is too great. Two minutes in however they break down into a more melodic direction.

When they slow down and gallop into a more deliberate victory the results are much better. This does not last long before the blast beats once again become their default. It's not until the third song on the second disk that we get something different and more melodic. But how long can it last? ABout as long as their other songs. The last song sounds pretty much like all the others. I will give this album a 7.5 as it all begins to sound the same,. They are good at churning out this sound, but this sound is a little too monochrome and previous releases have shown they have a capacity to do more. 

Black Metal History Month- Ruin Lust : "City of BabeL"

Their 2014 album was much more black metal. While they are blackened death metal now , the death metal parts  little overbearing so if you do not have a tolerance for death metal I will go ahead and just stop you hear. Not as nasty of an album as their debut. This album is another debut of sorts for 20 Buck Spin. The title track opens the album . The feed back this time around it swirls with effects. They are more polished in the studio, yet still mena spirited in their chaotic attack. The vocals are a low growl which tips the scales towards death metal. They are more aggressive than atmospheric which is another death metal quality. They do not shun blast beats and are still plenty dark.

I think fans of death metal who are looking for a marginal entry point into black metal will like these guys since they are possessed by a one dimensional aggression making them in your face and not engaging in the kind of atmosphere that normally gives black metal it's emotional depth. The second song is pretty mean and filthy death metal, making it good, but not good black metal. As a song, it's goal is to crush you rather than draw you in with something worth listening to time and time again like say the first Morbid Angel album. I have said this before and it bears repeating once more for the people in the back, that I often find myself stunned into being impressed by the sheer heaviness of a band so it's not until the second song that I recover and ask, "But can you write a song?"

 This question is still not answered when they plow into "Worm" The guitar is a little more blackened here. With black metal an evil sounding dissonance always helps to set the mood, where these guys are very dense and jagged. Two minutes into "Worm" and I am looking to see how much longer I have left as this is beginning to bore me. I guess in 2014 I was also more impressed with heaviness alone. Midway into the song their is a tinge of atmosphere as things break into a more spacious gloom, but stick to the caverns they rumble in. There is more noise framing the savage "Bestial Magnetism" which is about as fitting of a title as you could ask to describe what goes in in this song. The last song "Rite of Binding" does have a more sinister black metal feel to it. Due to the one dimensional nature of this , I am rounding it down do a 8, the 2014 album got an  8.5 , so put that in your pipe and smoke it. Comes out March  13th on 20 Buck Spin.


4.1

Black Metal History Month- Oblivion Gate : "Wisdom of the Grave"

How could I not be the first in line for a project that combines black metal, doom and dark wave. My three favorite genres! The first album from this project though Matron Thorn has a black metal history with  Benighted in Sodom and Aevangelist. Like those projects there is a great deal of murky darkness. I can also hear ample amounts of shoe gaze as the guitar has the boozy wobble of a band like My Bloody Valentine.The vocals are sung in a baritone croon. I guess the black metal comes from how dark and sonic this is with atmosphere that is hypnotic and abrasive at the same time . The drumming is slow and deliberate thus bringing more doom to the table. All these sounds are pleasing to my hears, they are thrown together with a great deal of chaos in motion so the song writing is not the kin that begs for multiple listens.

On paper those genre's might lead you to think this is going to sound like Atriarch. It sounds nothing like that because the guitar is more trippy and less dense. The weirdness captured here must be listened to with head phones , unless you are getting high and playing it really fucking loud. The vocals seem like they are focused and if given more of a goth backdrop would fit smoothly. Instead what they are given is a bizarre nightmare. Playing Type o Negative backwards while smoking opium might sound similar. Two songs in and i can hear how this is going to lose me without some tightening of the song writing.  Steady bursts of double bass create the pulse to " Give Me the Gun" which pretty much invokes the same vibe as the two previous songs.   "A Strange Thing to Say" is the first dynamic shift going into the song, then the warbling guitar brings it to where the other songs went.

It's like he took a doom metal song and deconstructed it on "Lesser Key of Solomon" . There is more drone than there has been on the previous songs. The last song drones even more .I will round this down to a 7.5, which is kind of a blow when you consider the elements of sound creating this . I would be the right audience if there was more song structure, but if you are a fan of Thorn's other projects then you know that is not always his thing.

Black Metal History Month - Leiru : "'Idő"

This band from Hungary throws  many of the black metal conventions out the window, then sews them back together with more  tangible roots in more classic metal. There are sung vocals on the first song rather than the more common place screams. The vocals are moaned in a baritone that makes this feel like a black metal version of the Screaming Trees.Blast beats arrive in the more conventional black metal manner on the title track that follows before smoothing into a more powerful chug. The vocals fall lowered in the mix. Sung but not as crooned . When the do come more to the forefront it's clearer they are being sung in their native tongue.  The riffing is much tighter than the opening track.After a few listens I began hearing how this album fits into black metal than the initial listens that found the more original elements fresher in my head.

 There is more of a that classic metal feel to it , though rough around the edges with a more Dissection like chug, but otherwise the more familiar sounds are blended with the band's sonic vision. This Swedish vibe continues on into the next song as well, but is not overbearing as they are bringing different elements into the proceedings. Midway into things they begin to use blast beats in a more conventional manner. Toward the end of the fourth song the align themselves wit ha more Mayhem like side of black metal both  vocally and musically. The vocals take on a tormented croak. There is the more nuanced approach to song writing of classic metal rather than just droning you into an atmospheric lull.

The last song ends with more of an upbeat gallop. The verse riff is really biting , though the vocals still sing over it rather than the rougher croak. They sing more often than not, it is done in such a way that doesn't detract from the mission of no mercy.  The guitar solos can be haphazardly placed in a manner not unlike what Slayer does. It's like added chaos. I will round this one up to a 9 as I can leave it on and just let it play, which says a great deal about the song writing and the riffs these guys are peddling. Cool riffs does not a good song make, but these guys make songs with cool riffs .  The label has not released any single and does not want anything posted until March so check out the link below to get a taste of what they are about

Black Metal History Month- Malokarpatan : "Krupinské ohne"

Slovokian Black metal is a thing and based off this album it mixes the gothic touches of low budget 70s British occult horror movies with black metal. It is raw and progressive at the same time, which should please a wider range of metal fans than if this was just another blast fest.  The chugged guitar is equal parts Mercyful Fate and Judas Priest. The vocals are a low reverb buried growl. The use of clean guitar thrown in amid what might be the verse is different and these guys are not slaves to any formula.  It ends wit ha more folk inflected mood. The second song has a more classic metal attack to it. The snarl of the vocals are the only thing really rooting it in what is black metal by today;'standard though this does sound like a long lost black metal album from the late 80s. Midway into the song there is a more melodic break to add atmosphere but it kind of feels like it comes from out of nowhere. 

The third song opens with spacey synths. When it kicks in there is more of a death metal aggression. This finds them more in your face than the first two songs with a galloping riff the only thing that maintains the continuity to their sound aside from the vocals .If there is any formula to what they do it can be found in the folk break in the middle of the song. The synth wave like retro synths that open the fourth song create a darker creepier atmosphere more in line with the horror movie like ,ood we heard on the first song. They have a more conventional black metal feel here. They still do not indulge in blast beats even when it speeds up there is more of a Sodom feel.  There are some single note guitar lines , but these guys are not big on blazing guitar solos either.

The album closes with it's most modern moment. The clean almost post rock like guitar line is very smooth. They do erupt back into the bigger metallic chug they seem to love. They also break away from the rasp into something a little more sung as the song progresses into the three and a half minute mark. Their native tongue doesn't not lend it's self to the hookiest of melodies. I give this one a 9, despite the fact it's not the strongest song writing we have heard from a black metal band this year, they are however doing something that stands out from the pack and gallops down their own dark parth.




 

Black Metal History Month Looks Back in Anger at Darkthrone's "Hate Them"

This album is 17 years old. How well does it stand up to the test of time ? We are about to find out  Darkthrone is a band who has evolved over the years. This finds them still as black metal band but perhaps not black metal in the way they had previously helped to define it.   Cold is the best way to describe the feeling of the opening riff.  They were way past blast beats at this point and into their raw punky Black n Roll feel. The vocals have more of a croak to them . This over all sound seems to have influenced Inquisition a great deal. They do build into more of a gallop. The pace to the second song picks up which is more typical of what can be expected of Darkthrones less blast beaten days. I did not say Darkthrone's post black metal days as this album still feels black metal as do all but maybe the past three.

"Fucked Up and Ready to Die" has more buzz to the tremlo of the riff and nastier scathing vocals. The song slows into a much more powerful riff.They return to the more Celtic Frost pacing and stomp along into the next song. This one kind of drones on. The guitars summon a more sludgey atmosphere while still in the ball park of black metal. The drums are a little low in the mix ghere as the guitar dominates. "Divided We Stand" is closer to black metal of today. It meets at more of a punk place , but the buzz saw guitar is totally black metal. The vocals have a more tortured rasp to their croak,.There is more of an uptempo punk feel to "Striving For A Piece of Lucifer".  The guitar is a little sloppier here, not that they have ever been about precision. If you are a punk looking for a starting point for black metal, this song is a good place to start. 

This faster punk attitude and sloppiness can als be felt on the last song "In Honour of thy Name". This is not my favorite moment from this band as it is very haphazard. I will give this album an 8.5 it's not the Darkthrone album even from this time period that I listen to the most. As I stated before if you are a punk looking to get into black metal this is a good place to start. 

Psychotic Waltz : "the God Shaped Void"

Aside from my obvious admiration for the likes of King Diamond and Iron Maiden, the bulk of the music covered here focuses on the darker more modern crop of bands .There are time to time reminders of the music I grew up listening to some of which falls closer to power metal like theses guys. What matters to me here is this is the same band that played on their "Into the Evenflow " album, which is all that really matters to me. My problem with most prog/power metal is that it is never dark enough. That has not been the case with this band which is why I have like them for some time. The melody on chorus to the second song "Stranded"  is the only time I hear any of that flowery Journey like pageantry that you typically associate with bands like Dream Theater. They do come back with some bite after this. Their guitar solos are not just mindless shredding but a well restrained return to melody.

 Lyrically there is s bit of sci fi with portals being opened. "Back to Black" took a few listens before it really clicked with me. The riffs are not as hooky as they have been in the past. There is more groove and hook to "All the Bad Men". It's groove is more deliberate and works well with the vocal melody.
There is more of a power ballad like feel to "the Fallen" that doesn't work as well as the previous song's stronger melody. For another band it would work just fine , for what these guys are capable of it feels a little dialed in. Acoustic guitar opens "While the Spiders Spin" . It builds up into something with more of a classic 80s metal feel to it. The groove and the melody are less arena rock .  The chorus to this song might be the album's strongest. It has a little touch of Queensryche to it. "Pull the String" finds them marrying alternative prog metal with more of a stomp. The song oddly shifts into a more Sabbath like section, which for most metal bands is not that odd, but these guys typically do not fall along those lines. Grave's flute playing surfaces on " Demystified". which has a more prog like flow.

"Sisters of the Dawn "  finds Devon adding more grit to his voice that I can recall hearing from him. It is also the first time I have herd his age seeping through when he goes into his upper register that doesn't hold the power it once did,. He is 53 so it's no unheard of . The last song has a blend of tension of tension and atmosphere that might not be the album's most compelling moment but works. I will give this album a 9 . It is not "Into the Even Flow" but pretty solid. Fans of this band will embrace this.

Black Metal History Month - Ritual Dictates : "Give in to Despair"

This is a new band featuring the former guitarist and drummer from 3 Inches of  Blood. There are several blackened styles this album traverses.Thrash and death metal were both two genres that heavily influenced black metal  so it is fitting these also weigh in on these songs.  Things start with a more Kvelertak strain of blackened metal then shift into something darker  as Shawn Hache from Auroch lends his voice to the opening song. Shane Clark from  3 Inches of Blood stops by to contribute clean guitar to the second song which finds itself in more of a Opeth place as it progresses. "Obsolete Instinct " is more of a death metal affair . It's also not as interesting as the first two songs. It's under two minutes long and it bears noting these guys to not waste your time with any wandering sprawls these songs are fairly compact.

"Last Phase of  Life' is more of a blackened thrash thing. The riffs are not overly fast giving them more allure of headbanging. The vocals however are more death metal so of the three genres these guys touch upon they are all fairly entangled into this chaos. The rule here is cool iffs alone do not a good songs make, these guys show how to turn cool riffs into good songs.  More blackness creeps into "Poisonous Proclamation " . This is one of the most interesting songs so far as after it breakdown into a bass line everything goes rock n roll. Danko Jones lends his voice to this one.  It comes back out of this with a more black metal feel. The bass can not only be heard in these song but at times is allowed to carry the song.  "Extinction" is pounding death metal with melodic vocals accenting it.

"Indivisible Mind" is an almost equal mix of black metal and death metal, though it lean a little more onto the death metal side. The album's third act finds the momentum taking the songs legs out from under them . It blazes through with some cool accents here and there, but works off aggression alone when they have show they are capable of bringing more to the table. The Death thrash of the closing song works but is not the best song. I will round this down to a 9 due to the album getting carried away by it's own speed, but it's still a really solid effort and better than most of the blackened stuff coming out while staying true to what these guys did in the past.

Ozzy Osbourne : "Ordinary Man"

Are you expecting Ozzy to put out his best album at 71 ? Considering the year he has this is his last album. It has more in common with "Bark at the Moon" than any of his other albums. The opener "Straight to Hell" came out a few months ago . It was pretty Sabbathy. I like it. Now here are where some of the bitter pills begin to surface. Before you rush to defend him.He is one of my favorites ever. That does not mean he gets a pass. It means the bar is high because lets face this guy was in Black Sabbath it needs to be.  "All My Life" is dialed in. It sounds like an 0zzy song, think more of a power ballad, but it has nothing really in it. He does a much better job with "Goodbye" which begins with an "Iron Man" like pulse. This one even builds up in fairly brisk metal. We have all heard his duet with Elton by now. Sonially it's next door neighbors to "Momma I'm Coming Home" .  It's ok, neither singer's best work by far.

The first single from this album that was not also on Post Malone album, "Under the Graveyard" is pretty solid for what I might want from Ozzy in  2020.  It is produced much like the Post Malone song, darker and with more feeling,. "Eat Me" starts off with harmonica before Duff McKagan's bass line comes thumping in. It's a pretty solid rock song, Lyrically I am not sure what he thinks he is singing about. I can not imagine he is getting it up these days. The bass remains a driving part , and you can hear how Duff's bass tone is produced in a way that gives it more of a Geezer sound. Duff normally has a more distinct tone of this own. Between this and "Goodbye" Ozzy is reflecting on his mortality a great deal as he should be. The melodies are strong on this one. His voice is also double tracked and soaked in effects so it's hard to say how his voice really is these days ,.

"Scary Little Green Men" starts off as a ballad on the verse and then kicks in for the chorus. Not the first time Ozzy has used this formula, it's a pretty solid song. I like the lyrics . "Holy For Tonight' is a fast forward classic, it's th kind of ballad I have already from him before and the perfect chance for me to go to the bathroom if I actually see him in May. "It's a Raid" is not what I expected from a song Post- Malone guests on/ It more of a Motrhead paced song. Malone sings it in more of a rock style than what we normally get from him. Which is what I think of as a more depressive version of Justin Bieber,.Yes "Take What You Want" is also on this one.  I will give this album a 9.5 , which is way better than I expected we were getting from him. Not better than "Diary" or even "Ultimate Sin" but for his age it's better than everyone who is not Alice Cooper. 

Black Metal History Month - To Conceal the Horns ; "Purist"

This project is better than expected. Even with the keyboards way up in the mix there is still a good balance of mean spirited spite spewing metal and atmosphere.The guitars are well layered and have an array of melodies to them. The rapid fire drumming is not just blast beats, it seems to have some thrash influence which is what you want for metal.  The vocals are somewhat the weak link typical for this kind of thing . They are more than just a scream used as texture s some of the lyrics cut through. Not the first sound I think of when I know a black metal band is from Finland. They are more polished than they are raw. The second song "Wanderer in Time " faces greater scrutiny as now I am listening for what else they can do .  The answer is uncertain. They change the keyboards and there are some lower death metal like growls thrown in, but it's nothing dynamically drastic from where they were in the first song, until midway in when they slow down for a more melodic section. The vocals stay at the same croak. Then they pick up where they left off with a flurry of blast beats.

Cool riffs alone might not a good song make , but "Rites of Purification' was better off when it started with the heavy chug. It goes into more of a gallop after this. The thrash feel is stronger on the verses. The song writing has certainly stepped up here. There is a weird break down at the six minute mark. "Musta Usva" is less inventive though the chilling guitar melody layered over it works really well and the vocals are more crazed . The more layers that are added the better, there is the sound of a distant chorus of voices that adds a needed dimension., The last song "Death Horizon" is pretty much straight forward blasting at first then they regain a semblance of composure and begin to add more layers of atmosphere, though this time they are less pronounced. This finds them descending into the more stereotypical black metal, which is a shame as they have so much potential and have demonstrated an ability to do more.

They are skilled at the more conventional form of black metal, but why limit yourself to that ?  They Referred to himself or allowed their label to refer to them as celestial and cosmic styles of black metal , which just seems to mean that they use keyboards. I will give this album an 8, as they are good at what they do and this album was a triumph in regards to what they set out to do. This duo cranks out a big sound that can easily fool you into thinking there is more of a full band dynamic going on. This is being released on "Purity Through Fire" March 1st.

Black Metal History Month -Serpent Noir :"Death Clan OD"

You can talk about being occult black metal or orthodox black metal , but when you have Thomas Karlson of Dragon Rouge writing your lyrics then I know you are for real. He also writes the lyrics for Therion. They are like a little less angry version of Gorgoroth. They are a Greek band with not much in the way of the traditional greek metal influences. thrash like venom, aligning this with the early German thrash bands who helped paved the way for black metal. The vocals dig down into there gut for more of a deal metal growl at times, though this manages to stay out of becoming just blackened death metal. The guitars have a great deal of both grit and clarity to them so this is very well done, the next question once the initial sting of heaviness fade from the first song is will the songs move me?  Or will they all begin to sound the same?

Spoiler alert I have already listened to this album once so I will go ahead and say the songs  do not take any drastic turns away from what they have already established by the time they get to tho second song "Hexcraft"  This does slow down and works off a darker throb which I appreciate here, but the wheel is by no means beings reinvented. They eventually speed up from the throb midway into the song as they prefer being uptempo. You can hear touches of Dissection in what they are doing with the guitars/ "Asmodeus" starts with more of a darkly majestic gallop and then kinda descends into atypical black metal with a little of a Bathory feel, the more refined Bathory not the more punk early days. They go full blast on "Astaroth".  I am not opposed to blast beats if you can keep it interesting. My spoiler alert was not wrong, this begins to feel more dialed in, the are not working off the same formula but dynamically it feels monochrome. This begins to make each song progressively less impactful.

The chugged gallop to "Necrobiological..." might be more catchy in the headbanging sort of way not in the pop hook sense of catchy. The rule here is cool riffs alone does not a good song make, so we will see how long this lasts. The last song does not do much different than the one before it except for the fact that the vocals are spoken word incantations and not growling,. I will give this album an  8 it might not be the most original album I review all month , but it is well done.

Black Metal History Month - Azoth : "Magnitude of Extinction"

When this band hits you with blast beats it is because they have already massaged your ears. You have something to contrast it with. They are from Portland they new hipster capital. Hipsters no longer listen to black metal. It's too 2012 for them. They are now into industrial. These guys do create a cascadian drone. What is in the water of the Pacific Northwest that makes them lean that way, or better yet what is in the weed might be a better question. They are able to step away from the blast beat to soothe you with post rock for a little bit before raging back into blackness. Fell Voice's earlier work is a good reference point for where they are at in their sonic escapades.

It is not until the third song t hat vocals come in. They are a very distant and almost whispered rasp. Like the ghost of an old dying man is crying out. It could be production choices but it doesn't sound like there is a great deal of power behind them. Perhaps this is why they waited three songs in for them. Most American post- black metal bands will be influenced by Deafheaven at this point. If they are it's not obvious aside from the fact they are in the same sub-genre. More intense that the more recent Deafheaven for sure. The vocals play less of a role. The ebb and flow between their two polarities is not predictable  Sometimes they are darker than others. Solemn and moody are two words better coloring them than dark. The clean guitar tones really shimmer. The title track is almost more of an interlude. It floats around in  pretty places.

"Seabringer" close out the album  This song finds the band back in a more dense and intense place. There are lots of blast beats here , but it is balanced out by the stirring atmosphere. There is dynamic range , but the frequency of defaulting to blast beats to convey the feeling of black metal does begin to give the songs a more uniform sound. All the same the sound might be stronger than the songs, but this was a listen I enjoyed over all I will give this an 8.5 as I think it was a success in what they set out to craft.

Black Metal History Month - Curse Upon a Prayer :"Infidel"

I was excited to find this one in my in-box. I loved their last ep. These guys are what black metal needs. Black metal needs more hatred. Last year I brought up how someone needs to make black metal hate again and these guys can do it. I also said last time I reviewed this band that while I did not find lyrics raging against Islam to resonate with me culturally, where I prefer satanic music that blasphemes Christianity, I have an ever deepening respect for how passionate these guys are about what they do especially in today's culture. Black Metal should not politically correct. Black metal band that try to play it safe or are social justice warriors are neutered. You get where I am going so let's talk about what matters the most, the music. There is a denser more complex and melodic sound this time around. The only problem as I hear it is the first three songs kind of run together. They are blazing fast so I had to give them a second listen before proceeding. The vocals are a nasty sneer that carries a bitter screech to it. They are layered with lowered growls that come in as accents.

The first song is vicious enough to stun you, so by the second song I have to ask the question I ask every band "You are Heavy but can you write songs?" The vocals are spewed in a similar manner,. This is what creates a somewhat uniform sound along with the temp they play at. Thankfully going into the solo section midway into the second song they slow down and give me the nuance I need without losing much momentum. "Haram" is even faster. At a minute and a half they begin to craft more of song than just anger alone. You can make black metal hate again , but it also needs to have dynamics and depth. They begin to bring that midway into the song with a darker more experimental ritualistic side. This makes the build back up more intense. The vocals begin to sound more demonic at this point. There is an acoustic interlude after this song that I think could have been better served worked into a song.

They really deliver what I want on "Al-masih ad Dajjal" which works with more of a pulsing throb. The verse slows down more like Incantation. Who is also a fair point of reference to who one of their influences might be as they are often in the same sonic zip code. They return to furious speed on "Prophetic Poison". It is not just a blur of blast beat and some thought was put into the song writing. That is not to say there are not blast beats, the song just doesn't rely on them alone. The slower more death metal touches to "Fitna" are welcome to break up the blitz that can wear you out over time. They close the album with an acoustic outro, which once again  I feel moments moments like these would be better invested in working into the actual songs to give them more range. If Tom Waits wrote a song for the demons in the Exorcist the result might be the same. I will give this album a 9, I think it shows they are to be taken seriously musically as it is not all just hate, but rather a good balance . This is coming out on Saturnal; Records in April.  

Black Metal History Month - Pure Wrath : "the Forlorn Soldier"

Giving a project not from Europe or America a chance. This one is from Indonesia. Speed is their thing. It is not the darkest thing I have heard and the symphonic elements do keep it from just being a blast fest. The vocals sound like the most blackened part of this. It kind of goes to show how black metal is more of a feeling the sound brings that just a sound the guitar buzz with tremolo so the notes are being played in a way a black metal band would execute them. The piano parts are cool and the chanted vocals work for me as well, despite feeling this just doesn't sit where I would put black metal. Lyrically this is about a genocide that occured in the 60s. So political matters take away from the darkness when it comes to the energy being places as it plants their consciousness in the physical world.

Symphonic blackened death metal might be a fair assessment. The sounds do cascade with the sweeping swathes of orchestrated synths. The drummer from White Ward , who are an actual black metal band, plays on this though the drums are fairly low in the mix. The vocals are a dry throaty rasp  higher pitched the majority of the time. Six minutes into the second song there is a melodic break of clean guitar before it explodes back into it's metallic venom. Here is one train of though about the album. I find ever your write about something you are not a personal part of there is a detachment. The fantasy lyrics of a great deal of power metal creates this detachment . None of these guys were alive in the 60s. They are just reflecting from a history book, which might as well be fantasy as history is written by the victors. Thus this detachment can be felt. How angry can you be about something that happened 60 years ago?

The songs begin to sound the same by the time we get to the last song. The chanted vocals return and there are no new elements introduced. It felt like a continuation of the previous song. Things are well played and sounds great from a production stand point, though the drums are a little lost in the mix and it could use more thunder to make it heavier.  I think they succeeded in what they set out to do here even if what they are doing is not making the greatest case for black metal not from europe. If they had committed more to the death metal side this could have been the strongest death metal album so far this year , but instead we are trying to occupy the sonic space of black metal. I will give it an 8 for all of those reasons.   This is being  released March 6th on Debemur Morti.

Black Metal History Month - the True Werewolf :"Devil Crisis"

This is the first album from this band, but their resume includes Satanic Warmaster and Horna, so you know what you are getting into going into this album. I respect both of thoe bands , but they typically tend to fall into the more raw than I like category of black metal, which is common with the Finnish scene they come from. This album might start off that way be is more textured nuance and better produced than what I expected from them going into this. The first song has synths going into it that softens the sound a little, but it is pretty much a very straight forward black beaten second wave black metal sound. The vocals are more forward in the mix and do not feel like an after thought. They are a mid range raspy snarl. :Thy Deviant" kind of bores me as it just drones on the same blasting riff. "Spellbound is marginally better. The ritualistic same intro sets a better stage. The vocal doubling also provides another needed texture. I think sometimes blast beat when this frantic can feel like they are rushing a song in a more punk manner.

"Chi No Namid" finds things changing in the best way possible for them,. Granted the keyboards play a bigger role, but the slow down and let the song breath. This trend continues on the song that follows which goes in an almost Dimmu like direction with the symphonic elements.  They are not as mean, but they are better songs and give me more of a desire to listen to them more than once. "In the Witch of my Heart " has a very Bathory sound to it . This is no surprise since Bathory and Venom are the two bands mowst influential to this brand of black metal though you can hear some Mercyful Fate in the theatrics of how the earlier songs are set up.

It's funny that I just mentioned Venom because that is exactly where this goes on the last song. It has that very rock n roll feel. This album is a great deal better than I though it would be going into it. It is not that dark, perhaps a litle darker than most metal since it is black metal, but more straight forward and less dark than my tastes . Though it 's pretty fun and well done I will round it down to an 8.5 whihc is likely as high as I have ever given a Horna album,. Thos comes out February 28th on Werewolf Records.

Black Metal History Month - Celestial Vault : " Solar Throne"

Unholy shit another one from France. They are dominating the future of black metal. I am just picking bands that sound interesting. The bulk of them will be European or American I am sure, as places like South America tend to just pump out raw black metal, which is really just feral thrash. The first song here is very nuanced  with no blast beats. It is also an instrumental. When the vocals come in a one the second song things go in a direction more like the status quo of black metal though this is offset by things like the odd productions choices in this mix and melancholy guitar passages. The vocals are a higher pitched snarl.  A lower death metal vocal does come in at a few places in the song. The throb of the title track puts more death metal vocals to use though the more black metal ones do come in, this really showcases some superb dynamics in their songwriting.

"Emerald Sphere" finds the atmosphere dialed up. One thing that makes these guys original is the sense of space these songs are given. Normally black metal keeps things so tight and dense you are almost claustrophobic. In some ways this recalls Immortal though when the riffs get to rocking there is less of a thrash sense to them and not going for such a big epic sound even when it all gets pulled back to together into a gallop.  A Third vocal color emerges here when the vocal are more shouted. i am a fan of the dark haunting melody that possesses the lingering first couple minutes of "Moonrise Lake". They set themselves apart from other French band's . It is atmospheric yet has nothing in common with Alcest. When they get heavier the owe nothing to Deathspell Omega. At the three and a half minute mark the actual song begins to kick in. A fourth vocal color brings life to this song. It is a throaty bellow that reminds me more of Alaric. Kind of give a slight crust tinge to the song. The riffs is more sludge than black metal but who cares it's so good.

I will round this album up to a 10. The strength of this band is breaking from convention to create a sound that is their own the closest comparison might be Samael  It will be hard to imagine ten more black metal album coming out this year that are better than than this one. I am not going to say this is going to be the best black metal album of the year , but I can only speculate this will be on the top 10 list. However we still have 10 more months , though history tells us at least a couple discoveries from this month make the list.

Black Metal History Month- Ihsahn : "Telemark"

This might not be blackest of the month's releases, but there is none more fitting or deserving to b here than my friend Ihsahn, who brings us a new ep that finds him returning to a more metallic place that is not far removed from his band Emperor. This is done with little nostalgia and keeps things in a progressive King Crimson like slant with horns providing jazzy accents. The guitar playing is very thoughtful and balances out the chugs. I will go ahead and say the only moment close to a misstep for me is his choice of covering the Lenny Kravtiz song " Rock N Roll is Dead" which he does give a more King Crimson like touch to . It's just not a song that I feel plays to his strengths. I would even say his cover of Iron Maiden's "Wrath Child" is an odd straightforward one for him, since I know his favorite Maiden album is actually "Seventh Son" . But he got that one and worked his way back.If memory serves me. If you read this blog then you know just because I am friends with someone it doesn't mean I am cutting them any slack. 

What is most metal about this album is the return to his harsher snarl. He has the best voice in black metal so it's cool hearing it put to use again rather than the more Opeth like trade off he has done on his solo stuff in the past. "Nord" straddle the line between prog and metal, with the vocals giving it the tipping point. The arrangements are amazing. He is a brilliant composers, this we know going back to Emperor. Lyrically it's an ode to his homeland. The solo this song is off the charts and he is one of the most under rated guitarists in metal. The title track finds him using some exotic scales that draw from Scandinavian folk music and employing more traditional instrumentation along with the rock set up. It is the album's most melodic moment so far even with the angular metter going on. I am glad to hear him singing in Norse again as well, which he does until the two cover songs. Since it's my native tongue I am always going to prefer this , I thik heavy music sounds better in it, but I am bias. I used to translate it more when I wrote here, ut it got to be as annoying as when an American says to me "say something in Norwegian"  to which I ma prone to reply, "Why don't you speak English properly first for me?"

    The Kravitz cover grows on me. It is however not as a good as the Maiden one because , let's face Lenny is not as good of a song writer as Iron Maiden in the first place. The Maiden is more uptempo and the horns give accents that are a little weird. His vocals fall between snarling and singing. I would prefer to hear him hit some of the notes a little more straight on. The chorus could have been growl and verse sung in place, but it is what is is. I am going to be picky when it comes to Maiden. I will give this a 9.5 , so only rounded down a point for Kravitz. It's a great reminder of one of the fore fathers of  black metal.

This comes out the 14th  on Candlelight Records.

Black Metal History Month - Mourir : "Animal Bouffe Animal"

Throatruiner Records is really bringing it this year. The second solid release from them so far. They are going to be the label to watch it seems. Another point of note is that France seems to be having a resurgence. Perhaps this is amid all the social turmoil there anger is a breeding ground for black metal. I am excited for both of the these things. I think 2020 is going to be a good year for music , but a sucky year for life. Anyways to what matter music. These guys blend a raving feral attack that balances the blast beaten speed with deliberate moments of sonic glory. Last year my main complaint with bands was they had good sounds but little in the way of songs. These guys do not neglect song writing. The first song I found my self lulled into the common spell of most extreme metal acts and was bespelled by how intense and heavy it was so going into the second song my question was "Ok, you are heavy but can you write a song". My answer was th sounds I liked on the first song , but it was not until the third song that things were give n a clearer distinction , in fact I did not notice I was three songs deep until I looked up at my computer screen.

With black metal they do hit two of the key points. They are dark and they are atmospheric. Perhaps almost most too much in certain moments where things are drowned in a swathe of white noise. This is the case on the fourth 'song", which is more of an atmospheric interlude than an actual song that goes some where.  When I say they I am being deceptive as this is a one man project. Think a French version of Burzum perhaps. Early last decade this was a more common thing with black metal. Consider it a compliment for me to make this mistake as a organic sounds which sounds like it could have come from a band is what hits your ears here. There is not a weak point , but If I was going to pinpoint it I would say this guy is more of a drummer than he is a guitarist. The guitar sonic is vast and sonic , but he works more of the sound than anything intricate riff wise, opting for tremolo picked  soundscapes of sonic dissonance , when it comes to black metal that is what you want/

The title track closes the album and it starts off with the wall of white noise hanging from the sound of the guitars. It finds a deliberate slower groove that is beautiful as it is dark and heavy. The vocals are nasty snarls through out sometimes diving down into more deathly growls , here they are more tormented than ever.This along with the opener are the album two strongest songs.  I will give this one a , If Yous like black metlat that is sonically in  Your face check this out for sure.

Black Metal History Month -Fliege : "the Invisible Seam"

This Brooklyn trio is weird. They supposedly blend industrial with black metal. Just because you have a drum machine does not make you industrial. It just means you need a drummer. They do however blend an interesting array of sounds while having very mature guitar parts. The more emo like sung vocals were suspect.  On the first song there is enough atmosphere to blend everything. I am more invested in "A Confession"  than the previous song "Four Suns". The trade off from screamed vocals to sung vocals begins to click better for me. Real drums supplementing the programmed one would give this some heft.  "March of Whips" is black metal for people who normally listen to the Black Dahlia Murder. There are some catchy parts but I am not sure I am convinced. The "Strange Things " like synths going into "Love Plague" offer a deceptive start. For the record I am now always calling synth wave "Stranger Things" . There is some feral gnashing of teeth to juxtapose some more melodic moments.   

There is more metal to the title track.; The vocals improve on this one at both ends of the spectrum. The guitars also make up for the lack of drums, If they were organic drums they would sound like Dissection. They do not work off tremolo picking or blast beats so it's a much more middle of the road and death metal infused brand of black metal. The drums that come in after the break down almost sound real until put next to the Stranger Things keyboards. The sung vocals work well though. The programmed drums could have worked better if the mix was more dialed in, instead when it falls flat is creates a great deal of sonic adversity for the rest of the song to overcome.  The vocals are trying really hard, The sung vocals are hit or miss, but the screamed one really mean it.

"the Censer" is more black metal, but it also really doesn't move me to want to listen to it more. The last song finds at least the components of their song writing working and gives m a better Idea what they are capable of. I will have to round this down to an 8 do to the issues with the lack of drumming effect their over all sound. They have a great deal of potential that might be fully realized on their next album, but as it is there is still a great deal of cools songs, sounds and riffs being brough to the table on this one.