Bythos : " the Womb of Zero"

This is not what I think of when it comes to Finnish black metal. It tends to be raw and very blast beaten. Almost punk in it's attitude. This band consists of  members hailing from some of the genre's number one offenders in this regard. These guys have played in Behexen, Sargeist and Horna. The result bears very little resemblance to any of those bands and sounds more Swedish, wit ha tangible Dissection influence present. This is a good thing as the first two songs are very melodic though still very committed to being black metal. It is not until "Sorath the Oppressor" that some of the more feral elements begin to peak out with blast beats bridging sections that are very death metal influenced. No matter what sounds of black metal you are pulling from I think this album makes a very strong argument that it doesn't matter as much as how you put them together and how much you care about writing songs.

With a song like 'Omega Dragon" the Dissection influence becomes even apparent lyrically. The vocals are more rasped. They do include a chanted choir of more sung vocals to haunt the chorus of the songs which add more dark color to the dynamic range of the album.  The production value of the album lends it self to this more melodic sound. The riffing is more nuanced on "Call of the Burning Blood" . Perhaps there has always been this quality of  musicianship and the production was always so lo-fi and raw that you could not make out what was going on . The other option is now they have matured and grown out of that more punk approach of not caring how things sound it has allowed them to realize they can play when they want to. I think the fact they are not playing in a blaze of blast beats also lends itself to having more breathing room to grow.,

More singing shows up on "Hymn to Lucifer" but it sits pretty far back into the mix. It is not until after this song that things begin to default into some of the same old same old. This is not saying it reverts to blast beats, it just feels like things you have already heard on this album and others. This is still well done it just begins to lose some of the freshness it held earlier in the album. The melodies all begin to work off of similar themes . . There is more of a eerie cold ringing to the chords of the last song. I will give this one a 9. I think fans of Finnish black metal whose tastes are maturing will enjoy this. I certainly enjoyed the listens to this I've given this one even if it doesn't make the trek to my iPod as I already have both Dissection and Watain who occupy a similar sonic space. This is being released on Terratur Possessions.

TERRATVR POSSESSIONS · BYTHOS - When Gold Turns into Lead

Mare : "Ebony Tower"

This is why I try to hold out on my end of the year lists as this album might have made the black metal one. They have always been slightly left of center from the other Norwegian black metal bands and this album takes some of the more traditional black metal trapping and merges it into more melodic form of metal without sacrificing any of the darkness.  Fast and aggressive without depending on blast beats to do all of their dirty work. The firs song stands out as they use sung vocals in a manner not unlike what Urfaust does.They have been around for almost 20 years and this is their first full length. With members of bands like Behexen and Vemod on board, they pursue his with clarity and class. The production serves the over all sound and they are not trying too hard to be cult.

The second song finds them getting more aggressive to the point of heading in a more death metal direction, due to the abundance of double bass and the low growls, they are good at this and walk a line with the darkness that keeps a black metal vibe to it even when racing in the death metal direction. "These Fountains of Darkness" finds them laying on a hammering speed that they smooth out into a more deliberate stomping melody. The vocals come closer to being sung then a croak or growl. The ten minute "Nightbound" opens with the rumble of bass. It lurches into a throb that is accented by double bass in spurts. The vocals fluctuate between sung and more guttural snarl that is more of a hint than a full commitment into being a Cookie Monster.  They are in a similar zip code as Rotting Christ on this one.

The album closes with the 12 minute "Labyrinth of Dying Stars" . They do some weird panning effects to create a thicker atmosphere while utilizing more of the stock and trade black metal sounds. The vocals are more of a narrative at first . The song ebbs into more of a throb with the vocals shifting into a chanted chorus and back down into a serpentine gurgle. By the midway point of the song it has taken on almost more of a doom feel. I'll give this album a 9, it was really satisfying and fans of black metal who are tired of the same old blast beats should certainly check it out.

Behexen : "the Poisonous Path"

These guys are the real deal when it comes to Finnish black metal or any black metal for that matter. The album hits you with a dark blast that blurred past me and it wasn't until the second song that I really began to tune into this. They have been around since 96 and have ties to most notably Sargeist, who almost all of the members have played in but also bands like Horna, Nightbringer and Kult ov Azazel. They seem to prefer playing at the more thrashing speed of "Cave of the Dark Dreams" which also finds them conforming more closely to the sound brandished by a hundred other black metal bands. They come across as being heavier on the more deliberate " A Sword of Promethean Fire". The vocals are a lower more death metal rasp. They tune lower than your average black metal band so this is fitting. Two minutes in they erupt into blasting and lose this groove. The gang like chant that chimes in add a cool snarl to the song. They keep up the pace for "Umbra Luciferi". Its dense and dark with the cavernous boom of death metal, but relies on sheer heaviness alone.

The album continues to race and ramble down the same left hand path it began on with monochrome shades of leather. There are some punches and accents that stand out more than others. The chorus on some songs are more defined than others. If you have ever complained about Watain being too melodic or not cvlt enough for you then this should not overwhelm you. That is not to say they do not develop any melodic tendencies as they do occur in an atmospheric context.They care more about speed, but are capable of chasing that dragon without resorting soley to blast beats. The beatings continue until morale is improved "Chalice of Abysmal Water" only flirting with the darker melodic black metal chord voicing. They continue to dig deeper into the more musical abyss on "Pentagram of the Black Earth".  They throw this to the hot winds of the underworld on "Gallows of Inversion" which is more of a blast fest. It is more along the blackened death metal side of black metal to me, but these guys came to be at a time when those lines were not fully drawn. By the time we get to the last song it's understood that these guys are good at what they do, but I'm lost as to who they are with their own original sound, however it's as good as color by numbers black metal gets so I'll give it a 6.5.