Showing posts with label black metal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label black metal. Show all posts

Guest List: Paul from Male Activity & wet nurse.

Friday, December 27, 2013

I became acquainted Paul from Male Activity earlier this year shortly after I featured his label's first three releases as a collective post. Since that time, Male Activity has released a rather generous amount of music, almost all of which has been featured on this site, with three albums even making my top noise list, including his own project wet nurse. With a label consistently releasing such quality music, I had to know what music really excited the man behind the label in 2013.

Honorable Mentions:
The Body- "Christs, Redeemers"
Carrion Sunflower- "The Romantic Youth of Jesus"
Pharmakon- "Abandon" (and just about every other Sacred Bones release)
RU-486- "Romanian Abattoirs"
The Vomit Arsonist- "An Occasion for Death"
+ those Lil Ugly Mane mixtapes




5. Altar of Plagues- "Teethed Glory and Injury" (Profound Lore)
Although I don't listen to black metal as often as I used to, this album really caught and held my attention. "Teethed Glory" sees Altar of Plagues embarking on a new direction from the band's previous work, which used to be fairly standard atmospheric black. We now see Altar of Plagues experimenting with electronic timbres and odd metres. The arrangements are still fairly minimal but now depend on subtle variations in repetitive clusters of notes, rather than drawn out post-rockish soundscapes. The vocals are also outstanding, particularly on "Burnt Year," and the production reminds me of Bjork for some reason. An ambitious and impressive album in a genre that is too often stagnant. It's unfortunate that this will be their last.



4. Steel Hook Prostheses- "The Empirics Guild" (Malignant)
So this has been a really great year for Malignant Records, and "The Empirics Guild" is certainly a highlight. SHP has always excelled at creating an utterly suffocating climate with their unique brand of dread inducing death industrial. Razor sharp vocals pierce the listener's ears like bone chisels, and churning noise drags you into a world of pure bodily horror. What's always impressed me about SHP, and especially "The Empirics Guild," is the surgical precision to which their work is executed. From the eerie Arvo Part sample it opens with to its brilliantly unsettling finale, the whole record is a relentless and almost cinematic masterpiece.



3. Juicy J- "Stay Trippy" (Kemosabe/Columbia)
While not as consistent or commendable as "Blue Dreams" & "Lean," "Stay Trippy" is a fantastic album in its own right. There's an interesting atmosphere that permeates the album, which floats like pot smoke between playful and disturbing. The trap beats sound absolutely criminal and the synth lines are effectively minimal. Unfortunately, "Stay Trippy" is marred by a couple of crappy pop songs and painfully stupid lyrics (which are at best hilarious, at worst cringe inducing), but you'd be hard-pressed to find a mainstream rap album that isn't these days. Choice cuts include "Smoke a Nigga" and "SoMuch Money."



2. Human Larvae- "Womb Worship" (L. White)
Another death industrial project which I'm absolutely enthusiastic about, and another album dealing with apparent themes of motherhood and birth. Been waiting years for a full length follow up to Human Larvae's magnificent debut album and boy, does "Womb Worship" ever deliver. This is an absolutely terrifying album on every fucking level. Each track will leave you petrified, spellbound, and in a state of total infantile helplessness. Soundtrack to your late miscarriage.



1.Theologian- "Some Things Have to Be Endured" (Crucial Blast)
The trajectory Lee has defined with his musical outlets is a very interesting one. His oeuvre manages to transverse a variety of industrial/electronic genres, as well as the darkest corridors of human consciousness. This album feels like a culmination of sorts. It's certainly bleak, but far less abrasive than previous releases, in part due to the warmly provided vocals from a number of female guests and an almost darkwave vibe at times. "Some Things Have to Be Endured" has to be heard to be believed. A truly remarkable piece of work.

New Music: Empty Suits, Arbre, & Horse Drawn Death Machine

Thursday, December 19, 2013


Empty Suits- "MMXIII" CS (Self-Released)
Holy hell this one came as a surprise. Lots of bands contact me referencing classics like Motorhead, Celtic Frost, Venom, and the like. Few bands deliver in such a filthy and delightful way. Empty Suits' self-titled demo release captures the rawness of classic first wave black metal and pairs it with the genuine fun of punk rock. Including phrases black metal and punk rock in the same sentence does not, however, make these guys fit in with the likes of Bone Awl. Instead, think of the morbidly catchy aggression from dudes like Abscess and you'll be somewhat on your way to picturing Empty Suits. With only one live performance to date, these guys are as fresh as it gets, so hop on it while the getting's good. Free download or cheap cassette--the choice is yours.



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Arbre- "II" CD-r (Distant Voices)
Described by its label as "a solitary journey amongst the labyrinths of mother nature," Arbre's "II" is an album I could hardly find better words to explain. These four tracks of blissfully hazy wintry black metal nearly occupy an entire hour, and the process from start to finish is indeed a journey. While my first listen yielded a dense world of fog, snow, and greyscale forests, the more I revisit this album, the more things pop out to me. Much like straining to see a distant shape in the midst of a snowstorm or heavy rainfall, Arbre's true direction only reveals itself when the listener becomes a part of the album rather than a distant observer. Murky field recordings, dense black metal, and occasional acoustic interludes all work together to create one of the most exciting proper black metal albums I've heard in a while. Only 76 copies of this limited CD-r have been created, so act quickly to obtain yours.


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Horse Drawn Death Machine- "No Light" (Self-Released)
This brief EP from Ohio-based Horse Drawn Death Machine is something of an experiment in loving metal of all sorts in the internet age. Psychedelic black metal swirls in and out of urgent mid-2000s melodic death metal with a ton of stoner rock influences. The end result is an album that works just as well for the "party metal" crowd as it does for the serious headbanger. While possibly not grim enough for some of my purist black metal readers, this is an incredibly good time from a group of musicians who know how to mix their influences well without creating a sloppy mess. This one is only up for streaming, but it looks like they've got a full-length coming in 2014, so keep your eyes on these guys.

Fallen Empire's New Release Bundle: Tukaaria, Lluvia, & Death Fortress

Tuesday, December 17, 2013


For your convenience, one of my favorite labels has released a discounted package of their three newest releases. Normally when labels package together releases like this, it's because one is a weak seller or because one is a higher profile release meant to carry along a smaller, newer act. This isn't the case here, with three of Fallen Empire's finest releases to date all packaged as one. One of these is a reissue of an album that is likely familiar to many of my readers, while the other two are new releases from familiar faces. As with every Fallen Empire release, these are available for streaming and download from the label's bandcamp page. NOTE: All images in this review courtesy of Fallen Empire's official photographer, astareth.


Tukaaria- "Raw to the Rapine" LP
This Rhinocervs cassette (and subsequent Profound Lore CD) gem is finally seeing the gorgeous vinyl edition it's always deserved. While I can safely assume that Tukaaria has earned a reputation as a household name for most folks who visit this blog, here's a brief introduction. As with many Rhinocervs groups, Tukaaria's debut full-length is a violent piece of raw black metal, complete with choppy drumming, alternately dense and sparse song structures, and slightly psychedelic guitar touches in all the right spots. The vocals are some of the most human sounding howls I've heard from a USBM group outside of the Colloquial Sound roster, which adds a degree of human misery here that many other Rhinocervs releases lack. As with Fallen Empire's vinyl reissues of other modern USBM classics, the fullness of sound on this release (quite possibly due to a remaster from the legendary Colin Marston) truly makes it worth revisiting, even if you've already got it on cassette or CD. Especially as part of the bundle, this is a must have due to its affordability and high quality presentation.



Lluvia- "Premonicion de Guerra" LP/CS
Lluvia is the newest incarnation of Lord Vast, formerly of The Rain in Endless Fall & Wylve. My experience with this album begins with the insert, which indicates that no matter where on earth Lord Vast may reside, he takes with him the spirit of true Mexican black metal. This seems appropriate, as with this album he has dropped his prior English language ties and, at least in both album and song titles, committed himself exclusively to the proper native tongue of Spanish with this declaration of black metal war. Consistently bleak in atmosphere without catering to silly tactics that many bands use to "set a mood" in black metal, this release sees Lluvia utilizing gorgeously textured tremolo-picking and well arranged clean passages to craft the direction each song will take, weaving blankets of sound rather than black metal's typically jagged song structures. As the project's name (which is Spanish for "rain") would indicate, sounds of storms and rainfall often lead into songs. While this could be easily seen as a gimmick, it feels like a respectable and appropriate sonic decision rather than a cash-in on a theme. Vast has truly channeled the raging force of an oncoming storm. His next assault is already planned for 2014, with a recently released promotional cassette of new demo tracks that managed to sell out in the blink of an eye. If this debut release is any indication, we can only expect greatness to come.



Death Fortress- "Mirror Into Eternity" CS
Expanding upon Death Fortress's excellent debut demo (and brilliant split with Axis of Light) is "Mirror Into Eternity," a clearer, more vicious cassette. For those who were introduced to this group via the SVN OKKLT compilation, the third track here, "Master-Deceiver" will be a familiar tune, and its companion tracks are all equally enjoyable. There's more of a black metal edge to this release than the debut demo's primitive blackened death assault, but the primal brutality does remain intact in the form of a very present, pummeling low end. From what I've come to understand, this is Death Fortress's last release as a one-man project. I can only imagine how heavy this project will become once recordings as a complete band commence, as it's already some of the densest, most evil one-man black metal I've ever heard. While this EP can absolutely stand on its own, I can't help but treat this as a sample of the magnificence to come. In no way does this detract from this brilliant tape, but I truly believe that an impending LP will escalate Death Fortress from "buzz band" to being a prominent artist. Keep an eye out.

New music: Ghost Bath, The Unchaining, Aetherium Mors

Wednesday, December 4, 2013


Ghost Bath- "Ghost Bath" (Self-Released)
Ghost Bath are a relatively mysterious black metal group from China who seem to have appeared out of nowhere. The four tracks contained on this debut offering are well-executed black metal with roots in the depressive genre, but without some of the negative connotation that the genre might hold. True, there are Lifelover-esque shrieks that take some getting used to, but the music here is instantly memorable and thoroughly enjoyable. Due to this release's relatively short length, I tend to play it a few times in a row, and it hasn't really lost its appeal to these jaded ears. It seems these guys are currently working on securing a label, which would be great. This kind of stuff really deserves to be on some kind of physical format, as these atmospheres would be quite haunting through the hiss of a tape deck. For now you can enjoy it as a free download from their bandcamp page. Hop on it before these guys get the attention they're likely to receive.




The Unchaining- "Ruins at Dusk" (Self-Released)
The Unchaining is a one man black metal project from Italy. While this album is relatively brief, with two of its seven tracks serving as interludes, the pensive and passionate nature of this mid-paced atmospheric black metal release are its trademarks. Every note presented here is clearly meant to be where it has been placed, and there are occasional choral keyboard touches that hover above the music without overwhelming the soundscape. While the production seems to be bedroom quality, the spirit of the music and its creator's intent is not diminished. Instead, The Unchaining seems to strive for clarity within the fuzz in which this album resides. This is truly the work of a dedicated fan of the genre and I'm eager to see what else this artist can turn out in the future. This is available as a free download, so there's no reason you should pass this up.




Aetherium Mors- "Entrails of the Soul" (Self-Released)
By far the most brutal release featured in today's much-delayed post, "Entrails of the Soul" is a palatable yet aggressive blackened death metal release from this UK duo. One member handles all the instrumentation while the other is responsible for the lyrical direction and vocal performance. This slick beast fits nicely alongside some of the genre's larger names with its clear production only allowing you to see the glisten of every single fang in the rabid mouth of this band. Drums fly by at a ridiculous pace while melodies wander from the dark twin harmonies that fueled Dissection's earliest releases to bludgeoning heaviness that might be more familiar to fans of technical death metal. This is a release that took almost no "getting used to" for me, it just simply makes sense. The twenty minutes or so of "Entrails of the Soul" pass far too quickly for my liking, but it hopefully leaves promise of a full-length to come. This is currently available for a very low price (about $2.50 USD) as a download, so stream the thing on bandcamp and decide if you're ready to commit.

New music: Judas Christ, Nostalgique, Craar

Thursday, November 7, 2013


Judas Christ- "American Gulag" CS (Male Activity)
This four song cassette marks South Carolina death industrial outfit Judas Christ's debut, and boy is it a handful. Waves of minimalist noise crash back and forth over sparse percussion and shredded howling in opener "Labourgrave." The constant restraint and bare approach are what make "American Gulag" more than just an experiment in horror from another young noise group. It's obvious that these creeps know exactly when and where they want to add the uneasiness and it's the expert control of atmosphere that ultimately makes this such a convincingly dark album. Lyrics seem to focus mostly on the inherently oppressive nature of capitalism, hence the smothering dread all around. This tape is limited to fifty copies and seems to have been selling rather well. Get it from Male Activity while supplies last.


Nostalgique- "Veil" (Self-Released)
Nostalgique is the solo project from a member of Baltimore black metal group Barbelith. This album is a forty minute testament to the potential of the "depressive" black metal subcategory. While groups aiming at sounding bleak usually just sound cheesy to me, there's a buzzsaw-like consistency to the fuzz here that really does it right. There's just enough pain and misery to feel urgent and honest without falling into cliches and the melodramatic suicidal claptrap that surround this otherwise promising community. At moments Nostalgique even delves into the subtle beauty of "Souvenirs" era Alcest, which really broadens things and prevents this release from turning into mindless repetition. This sounds like it was recorded in a small home studio setup, but the rawness is welcome in such a somber release. Isolation reigns supreme here and this makes for a great solo listen. Download it for the price you desire from Nostalgique's bandcamp page.


Craar- "In Solitary Minds" CD (Self-Released)
"In Solitary Minds" is the debut full-length album from Belgian atmospheric black metal group Craar. This album works well on many levels for me, with surprisingly crisp production for a black metal debut and instantly familiar yet original tunes. These guys are working on a slightly bigger feeling sound, with crunchy guitar tones and open chords that resonate endlessly to contrast with black metal that seems to take influence from progressive giants like Enslaved. The overall clarity and largeness of sound do not prevent Craar from buckling down and producing some fast and aggressive black metal, and in fact serve to further accent these chaotic passages. Craar's ambition seems to be to break into the larger black metal community and with an album this well honed and clever, they stand a good chance of receiving more widespread recognition with future releases. Order a CD from the band directly via bandcamp.

New music: Dodenkrocht, Cold Crypt, Sacramence/Golden Milk

Wednesday, October 30, 2013


Dodenkrocht- "Misery Chords" EP (Self-Released)
This EP is probably the most appropriate album I could be sharing in time for Halloween. Before you decide it's a collection of spooky sounds and cheap gimmicks, let me explain. The funereal vastness provided by Dodenkrocht on these three original compositions (and closing Manes cover) is majestic and so inherently visual that I can almost imagine an entire short scene for each tune. The pace of their second-wave inspired black metal is moderate at its fastest, which works nicely as this album is full of notes that ring out and howls that trail away into the darkness. If this wasn't recorded in a foggy forest clearing in the dead of night, I'd be none the wiser. The atmosphere is dense and the musicianship is solid. Even when the guitars are sped up, the drumming maintains a steady and hypnotic pace that really cements the ominous nature of Dodenkrocht's music. While this was my introduction to this project, I'm keeping an eye on these guys for future releases and you should do the same.


Cold Crypt- "Darkest Symphonies" CD (Self-Released)
These guys were kind enough to send me a copy of their CD all the way across the pond. Fortunately for me, it's good enough to feature even if I'd had to hunt it own myself. Working with roots in black metal, Cold Crypt frequently deconstructs the musical paradigms of the genre to bare bones only to craft new sounds with them. Hazy guitars and murky production create an almost electronic fuzz, with some tracks creeping into icy pulsing synth-heavy horror soundtracks. Some groups's names are quite telling, and Cold Crypt is absolutely one of them. Eerie without becoming campy, this album frequently treads into territory more often found on power electronics releases than traditional black metal albums, which is refreshing. Samples and sonic trickery fit in comfortably besides scathing metal assaults and cold minimal synth tracks. Absolutely worth a listen. Obtain a copy from the artist if you're located in Europe or from Badgod Music here in the USA.


Sacramence/Golden Milk- Split Cassette (Born Dead Records)
In a year when Raspberry Bulbs' newest album is making its way into massive mainstream success (well deserved, I might add), one might expect offerings falling into "noisy blackened punk" territory to suffer in quality, perhaps as trendhoppers.  I'm pleased to say this tape delivers the goods wholly and sincerely. Sacramence is the solo project of S. Jordan and submits two songs of blown out filth to start things off. Sacramence claims to deal with themes of nihilism and animal rights, which sounds awesome to me, but I can't pull a single word from the murk here. Opener "Revered Filth" starts off pretty slow and textured, with distortion building into an almost psychedelic bliss until chaotic drumming and distant howls break through at a frantic gallop. The second tune, "Decrepit Obedience" is much slower and more ominous, slowly shifting around and through itself in the most haunting way. Golden Milk follows with three compositions all thematically linked as separate parts of the same song, entitled "Through Force and Intolerance." These three songs are even more warped and fuzzy than Sacramence's portion of the split, yet are stripped of the hazy layering and are instead a focused and aggressive assault upon the listener. The pace varies but it's pretty straight-up, which I completely respect. This is currently available as a free download if you visit Sacramence on bandcamp and will be available from Born Dead Records' webstore as a cassette sometime soon.

Vlk- "Unknown Totems" CD-r (Self-Released)

Wednesday, October 23, 2013


Vlk is a new project from Chicago, committed to a pensive and textured brand of black metal. Their debut EP offering, "Unknown Totems," is a brief yet wholly engaging album which has managed to surprise and impress me from the very start. I really appreciate the intricate and human feeling of the live drums on this release, as it contributes to the swells and dips in the mood that Vlk creates in these short bursts of musical chaos. In fact, the humanity of this release is where it really excels. Everything feels like it was created with real instruments, by real people. While that should often be an expected standard in extreme music, the increasing ease with which one can access digital approximations of real sound has grown greatly. It's nice to see such a raw and impassioned release from a younger band. Vlk has indicated intentions of a cassette release in the near future, which I feel will perfectly capture the urgency of this music. While very little information is publicly available about Vlk, their facebook page lists an interest in agronomy, which tells me that they have either a scientific leaning or an interest in living in greater harmony with the earth. Also of interest is their decision to close this EP with a cover of "Echelons" by For Against. While I often feel it's ill advised to include covers on early releases while still developing a reputation, it's nice to see a black metal band exploring outside of the greater boundaries of heavy metal right from the start. If anything, this indicates that Vlk probably has some interesting expansion in mind for future releases.


"Unknown Totems" comes beautifully packaged in a handmade slipcase with a Vlk button and vinyl sticker. These are individually numbered out of thirty and only six remain, so I urge my readers to grab this as quickly as possible. If you're a spot late or not interested in CDs, it's also available for download at the price you see fit so there's no real reason not to give it a listen.

New Music: Smorg, Astral Rebirth, Being

Tuesday, October 8, 2013


Smorg- "A Morbid Chapter" CDr (Self-Released)
Have you, dear readers, ever wished for the maddened howls of LLN-inspired black metal to be fused with the punkier side of grindcore? Smorg sees an absence of this in the overall metal community and is filling this void. The rawness of this demo only adds to the fabulously murky sound these guys have crafted. While the songs are aggressive and the vocals are as inhuman as it gets, there are occasional melodic leads that are well integrated, allowing for even less adventurous listeners to become assimilated as Smorg grows to engulf the weak. The CD-r the band sent me is about as DIY and simple as it gets. My laptop even refuses to play it (although other devices of mine seem to have no issue--thanks computer), perhaps because it can't handle the intensity of Smorg's assault. With songs like "Spilling Imperial Blood" being both addictive and vicious, it's safe to say these guys deserve a listen. They just released a split with Cold Crypt on Depressive Illusions, so snag a copy of that if you enjoy what you hear.


Astral Rebirth- "Surrendered to the Black Immensity" CD (Winterglow Records)
Immensity is as apt a term as any to describe the majestic black atmospheres Astral Rebirth creates on this beast of an album. I've had the promo email sitting in my inbox for four months, and like the fool I am, I've listened many times and neglected to review it. This hazy brand of ambient black metal is perfect for rainy days, contemplation, and even winding down in the evening. That's not to say that Astral Rebirth makes mellow music, but it embodies heavy grey days and clear starry nights. On a deeper level, the name and the atmosphere here make it clear that this music comes from a place of deep focus and possibly self-reflection. I'm not able to speak to the themes on this release, but these songs capture a vastness and timelessness that I can't quite place. It appears that copies are sold out from the label, although I'd keep an eye out, as I'm sure more will emerge.


Being- "II: Nyx" (Super-Void)
If Astral Rebirth isn't cosmic enough for your liking, Being's most recent release will surely capture the right state for you. Easily the cleanest recording featured in this post, "II: Nyx" is a two-track affair of cosmic melancholy. Opener "Hypnos" has a purposefully repetitive vocal melody, driving a sense of great emptiness in over the course of many minutes while the music spirals from somber to chaotic. Closer "Ex Nihilo" is decidedly more planted in progressive metal territory, yet doesn't lean towards needless noodling. There are absolutely no harsh vocals on this album, which might not suit all fans of extreme music but works quite nicely here, with a clean presence that is firm yet almost ghostly in its wavering nature. The bleakness of the music and the solemn determination of the vocals work together to create an elegant and multifaceted album. While just under twenty minutes in length, "II: Nyx" feels fully realized and lacks little. Download it from the Super-Void/Being bandcamp.

Aosoth- "IV: An Arrow In Heart" (Agonia Records)

Friday, October 4, 2013


Greetings readers. Most of you are probably surprised to see such a high profile release here, but after owning it for the past couple of months, I realize it would be absolutely unjust if this album didn't receive some kind of coverage here on Black Metal & Brews. Given that this landmark album is still available in multiple formats, I feel it's my duty to urge you folks to give it a listen and purchase it if you see fit.


If you aren't already familiar with this absolute monster of an album or the band behind it, here's your opportunity. Aosoth is a French black metal group who puts out some of the most discordant, chaotic black metal I've heard in a while. After a performance at this year's Maryland Death Fest and some pretty decent promotion behind this album, it's likely you've at least heard the name. With multiple releases under their belt and hype that they can actually back, it's likely that we're only going to hear more from and about this band in the near future. "IV: An Arrow In Heart" is easily one of the most addictive albums I've heard this year, although I find describing it quite challenging. The entire album feels like it's a transmission from a distant and horrible land, wholly isolated in time and space. Elements both futuristic and archaic weave throughout each other in some kind of unholy symbiosis, with tribal pulses echoing across a severely irradiated wasteland. Pretty much everything I love about black metal is present to some degree here. The guitars are filthy and often chase themselves in circles. The vocals are throaty and depraved, just on the far side of intelligible. The production is jagged and dense but none of the crucial elements of Aosoth's sound are obscured in the process. The lyric insert in the record is written entirely in Braille, an interesting touch for an already challenging album. I'm sure somebody has gone through the effort to decode them, but I have yet to find the words. If anything, I enjoy the mystery the band has created. I feel like less observant listeners might look to similarly minded bands and just throw out names, but there's a frightening sincerity to this album that is often lacking in releases that inspire such dread and I can't find a true peer for this sound. With songs so beautifully overwhelming, repeated listens continually yield layer upon layer of filth and fury. In short, this album is both instantly enjoyable and still has room to grow after multiple experiences. It's rare that an album holds my interest to such a degree, but Aosoth has done just that with "IV: An Arrow In Heart" and I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome.

Visit the Agonia Records Webstore to grab this on CD, traditional black vinyl, or limited transparent royal blue vinyl. If you're in the United States, you can try to order copies of the standard gatefold vinyl from Fallen Empire while they're still in. Listen to an edited version of the album's title track below:

CAPA- "This is the Dead Land This is Cactus Land" (Self-Released)

Wednesday, September 25, 2013


CAPA is a group whose music defiantly stands on its own. While it's easy to call them a black metal group, it would be inaccurate to throw a genre at a band whose entire statement of purpose is to remove itself from the norm. That said, "This is the Dead Land, This is Cactus Land," CAPA's first full-length album, borrows many elements from the black metal genre, which it fuses with elements of post-hardcore, traditional ambient (think early 80's Brian Eno), and whatever else the band feels is important at any given moment. This isn't the "kitchen sink" approach that bands like to take when trying to do something new. Instead, CAPA has made a commitment to releasing intelligent, well crafted music that sets itself into a category of quality rather than leaning on any one stylistic concept.


"This is the Dead Land, This is Cactus Land" is the culmination of a trilogy, preceded by their EP "Shallow Towers" and their debut release, "The Road is a Grey Tape" (released on Ivory Antler).  This third chapter details the world's end from the perspective of an individual removed from society, perhaps the last human being alive. Appropriately, the journey through the wastes of the world that was before leads the story's protagonist deeper both into the desolation as well as into his or her own psyche. The pairing of introspection with reflection on humanity's indulgences and the damage caused is both painful and illuminating, and the music contorts itself to fit whatever mood needs to be created. The musical direction seems to be guided more by the lyrical content than any other needs, and works accordingly. The vocals are actually intelligible and hoarse in a way that is more commonly associated with groups in the "post-metal" category (whatever the hell post- anything means anymore) but works quite well for this album's purpose. As with previous releases, CAPA refuses to be limited and seems just as content to allow for three minutes of blissful ambiance as they are creating dizzying tension with entire songs spiraling upward to simply provide a mere moment's release. Whatever terms I could use to describe these songs in regards to actual musical content will inherently fall short.  Instead, this album is a complete piece of artwork, more of an emotional and mental process that the listener must undergo to fully comprehend than a piece of aggressive music meant to be enjoyed as simple ear candy.


The album is now out for digital purchase and streaming via CAPA's bandcamp page. The band is in the process of finding a label and format for physical release in the near future. This post will be update as details arrive.

Cara Neir- "Portals to a Better, Dead World" LP (Broken Limbs Recordings/Halo of Flies)

Tuesday, September 17, 2013


It's with great joy that I get to write this review. I started drafting this review in May and have been waiting to unveil it for you guys to enjoy. Cara Neir have long been favorites here at Black Metal & Brews, so having the opportunity to share this album with my readers after a bit of a wait is pretty exciting. In every way possible, this album is an expansion of their previous works. The most notable changes are more growth than an alteration of formula. This material feels bigger and more punishing than anything I've heard from Cara Neir before, with average song lengths continuing to increase and some of the heaviest riffs and vocals they've unleashed to date, but all of these descriptors are essentially meaningless to the uninitiated, so let's get a bit more serious here.


The first thing that needs to be touched on here is Cara Neir's genre, or perhaps the lack thereof. Citing bands as dissimilar as Ulver, Neurosis, and Ceremony is typically a surefire way to have a cluttered nightmare of an album on your hands. Instead, Cara Neir have always been able to send their songs out to the universe with a relentlessly focused vision. Listening to a Cara Neir song is like a musical game of Twister, with one hand on grindcore, another on black metal, and another somehow on the better elements of post-rock, all without lowering itself to terms like "blackgaze" or anything with the phrase "post-" in it. Knowing Cara Neir is a shapeshifting beast doesn't really help a listener know what to expect, but it does allow one to enter with an open mind. Multi-instrumentalist mastermind Garry Brents might be the single musician most frequently featured here on BM&B due to his role in mastering albums by so many other bands I love, so it's really no surprise that the production on this album lends a crushing intensity and edge to the music. The guitars dash around vocalist Chris Francis' straight-up demonic shouts, which have only grown hoarser and more painfully human with each release. To say that this album is a head first assault would be wrong though, as the band masterfully alter pace, shift gears, and pretty much manipulate sound and feeling in any way necessary to craft the most painstaking and tragic sounding songs possible. Longing, loss, and the urgency of our finite lives all come to mind, although I have not yet seen lyrics for these songs. Still, there's a pained beauty to everything here and the song names only add to the atmosphere. There are surprises aplenty throughout the album, but I'd rather encourage you to check it out for yourself than ruin the fun. With a year full of black metal inspired hybrids already featured on this blog, Cara Neir has just released an album that keeps them clearly at the head of the pack.


The album is available in two separate bundled packages from Broken Limbs Recordings (either with a shirt, or Cara Neir's split cassette with crusty madmen Ramlord) or simply by itself from either BLR or Halo of Flies. One hundred copies will be pressed on smoky green vinyl and four hundred will be pressed on traditional black vinyl. Pre-orders are already selling quickly and this album will ship out on October 31st. Order yours now, because I don't think these will last long enough to purchase after the shipping date. Listen to the preview below and then hop on this one.

Fragile Branch update: New music from Voidcrawler, Ancst, & Frater Ximenes is Dead

Monday, September 16, 2013


Some of you may notice that this post comes not long after a recent post about a batch of releases from Fragile Branch. Even without consistent quality, a label this prolific would have my full attention, but Fragile Branch's roster remains ambitious and challenging while still having a general focus on high quality black metal and its related subgenres. With three new tapes being released between now and the end of October, it's time to take a good look and prepare ourselves for some new music.


Voidcrawler- "Demo"
This release is one of the few demo albums I've heard recently that actually sounds like a demo. It's not quite a fully realized album, but it is a solid and enjoyable collection of songs that craft a dark fantasy atmosphere full of wolves, wind, and otherworldly beasts. If the totally awesome album cover doesn't instantly sell you, I don't know if I can help you much. The songs themselves are fully formed, and the themes do seem related, but there seems to be a slight change in overall sound quality and balance between a couple of the tracks. It's not an issue so much as something that caught my attention--perhaps the physical cassette is slightly more consistent. While not quite in the vein of many bands that pay homage to Lord of the Rings, the song titles create such vivid imagery that the music tends to play into. I can imagine much of this lo-fi black metal being listened to in a cabin lit only by candles, with demons and ghouls lurking just outside. Clean lead guitar tends to subtly guide the distorted backing tracks on through snowy woodlands and endless valleys. This is a promising debut for this act and the cassette can already be preordered, with tomorrow set as the shipping date.


Ancst- "In Turmoil"
People who keep up with Black Metal & Brews are most likely familiar with Ancst from my recent review of their two-song cassette "The Humane Condition," released earlier this year on Dark Omen Records. "In Turmoil" is the first official US-based release from Ancst and is a collection of their songs from multiple other releases, including "The Humane Condition." Despite the fact that these songs are from separate releases, the urgency and experimentation in Ancst's style allows pretty much any of their tracks to flow nicely with any other. Each of the tracks here stands alone while working with the others. If you're looking for more of the chaotic black metal influenced hardcore/sludge hybrid that Ancst is so good at, this tape is a perfect way to catch a bit of everything from them. This tape will be up for preorder soon with a release date of October 22nd, so keep an eye out. Additionally, Ancst has a pretty promising split with Hiveburner available directly from the band themselves. Ancst's tracks from that split are all on "In Turmoil," but if you're interested in the other half of the split you should check it out.


Frater Ximenes is Dead- "Demo II"
Following two slightly more aggressive and fast-paced releases is this offering of terrifying dark ambient and droning black metal. While this is Frater Ximenes is Dead's second demo, it's the first I've heard from them and it makes for a promising introduction. Warped keys, distant shrieks, and a heavy haze that never quite leaves all make for an unsettling and dark release from this Italian duo. Even by the album's end, the nature sounds that are left behind strike me as the earth reclaiming its territory after some sort of man-made chaos. There's little familiar here, even when drawing parallels to similarly minded artists of the general black noise genre, and I find that to be suitable. This is arguably the strangest release I've reviewed lately, yet my morbid fascination with it grows with each listen. This is going to be released on October 22nd in an edition of 66 copies with a patch. I seriously recommend getting on this. It may not make sense at first, but it grows on the listener with repeated plays.

Xothist- s/t LP (Fallen Empire Records)

Monday, September 9, 2013


Xothist's debut album has been out for a while now, but up until just recently it had only been available on a highly limited cassette from the now defunct Bleak Environment. Thanks to Fallen Empire Records, this album has now seen release on vinyl with a recent remaster and is finally getting the more widespread attention it deserves. As Xothist's sole member is a former member of the indescribable Tollund Men, it's no surprise that the suffocating brand of ambient black metal presented here is unique and highly unorthodox. This album has been a quick seller, so check out my review and then grab a copy quickly, before they vanish entirely.


Each side of this record contains a single track just under twenty-one minutes long, allowing Xothist to slowly craft a dense and precise atmosphere rather than rushing any musical ideas. The heavy electronic elements presented here add a rather uneasy feeling to the music, and the first number of minutes of either side of the record captures the feeling of being hunted down. I'm not sure if Xothist is the predator or if he's conveying his experience as the prey, but it's unsettling regardless. When the electronic tension finally breaks into a cathartic explosion of distorted guitars and vocals, it still feels like there is a smothering element to the music. Everything seems to be either hidden behind a veil of some sort, or perhaps it's even just pushing down heavily on the listener. The feeling of a struggle is apparent in every moment of this recording, whether nearly silent or bursting with energy. The music often pours over at a mid-paced gallop, with electronic chaos exploding in the distance from time to time. While the production allows me to hear most of what's happening, there is an intentional blurring of instruments that creates a more textured and oppressive feeling than many similarly paced black metal albums would attain. When the speed picks up, it still feels pained on an almost cosmic level rather than "evil" as many faster black metal releases seem to strive for. Indeed, Xothist emanates suffering, mechanical disconnection, and universal emptiness far more than evil, hatred, or aggression. While I am not privy to the lyrical content, I'd be quite interested to know what's going on here, as the music is far more compelling and intelligent than the average black metal release.


Copies of this album with patches (pictured immediately above) are in short supply, although regular copies still remain for the time being. If you don't want to be left behind, I recommend making a purchase immediately. It's only $16 and well worth it. As always, Fallen Empire has made this album available as a "pay what you like" download from their bandcamp if you aren't entirely ready for this on vinyl, although I have no idea why you wouldn't want this album in your grubby little hands.

Depravation- "II: MALEDICTVM" LP (Dark Omen Records/Life and Death Records/Sally Records)

Friday, September 6, 2013


Germany hasn't been a place that's often in my periphery for great new metal, yet Dark Omen Records seems to deliver more than a couple surprises. First Ancst, now this multifaceted beast of an album from Depravation, entitled "II: MALEDICTVM." If this is the sound of the German underground, I'm quite excited to delve deeper into this community, because these guys are putting a lot of current American bands to shame.

The album opens with a chant that builds to frenzied laughter, shouting, and general sounds of a wild crowd. In no way does this prepare me as a listener for the chaos that ensues. The opening riff on "Wrath" sounds like something out of the big book of Dissection riffs, which works nicely to contrast with the grinding headbang-ready verses. The hybridization of black metal and hardcore is done to an almost perfectly precise level here, retaining even my attention despite my ever-shrinking interest in hardcore. The vocals are raw, throaty, and painful in all the right ways, the music shakes the listener back and forth. It's almost impossible not to nod your head along or tap your foot while listening to Depravation's music, and this album moves rapidly onward in a way that keeps my attention so well. Anytime something has the potential to overstay its welcome, it disappears. If something is worth repeating a couple times, it shows up again. The structure of the songs is almost mathematically precise in terms of keeping things fresh without sacrificing the chance to enjoy a good riff for a minute. There are few things in this realm that impress me, but Depravation have done so in a way that makes me wish I could hop a plane to catch a crowded, sweaty gig. Fittingly enough, perhaps, this album ends with a certain familiar singing, chanting, and shouting, as if to signal the closure of the carnage, or perhaps inspire the more daring listener to begin again.


Snag a copy of this on vinyl from one of many places in one of many colors. You can get it from Dark Omen Records or Life and Death Records or download it for free from Depravation's bandcamp (or the mediafire link provided by the band, depending on how many free downloads are left). I can't find information on Sally Records, otherwise I'd link to them, so please feel free to help correct this lack of link.

Anagnorisis- "Beyond All Light" CS/CD (Self-Released/Like Young Records)

Wednesday, September 4, 2013


Anagnorisis initially contacted me a few months ago with a simple "hello" email and a note that they had their music up for free on bandcamp. I listened briefly and enjoyed what I heard and promptly slept on their music like I'm so good at doing. Today I decided to get with it and give them another listen. I'm already on my second play-through of their new album today and I'm disappointed in myself for sitting on such a monstrous album. With that in mind, these fellas get their own entire post so that we can really delve deep here.


Anagnorisis plays an urgent and almost cinematic form of black metal, with twists and turns aplenty but a primary focus on straight-up aggression. Unconventional instruments such as mandolin, violin, and saxophone all make appearances here, but Anagnorisis implements them organically rather than turning the music into a jazz/classical hybrid of black metal as many bands are tempted to do when incorporating such instruments. On tracks like "This Cursed Blood," you can feel the pain that Anagnorisis pours into the music, making the experience more personal and wholly fulfilling. The personality of the music really strengthens the whole atmosphere, removing the need for genre descriptions and instead making an experience that is evocative for the listener. While "symphonic" elements appear from time to time (often a big downer for my tastes personally), they serve to accent such glorious moments that their presence only emphasizes the beauty and melancholy crafted by this vicious machine. The two separate halves of this album (or sides of the tape) do feel like two distinct statements, yet both work together as one unified beast. The production here allows for sufficient clarity to hear the music but does nothing to mess with the raw ferocity these guys generate. I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy this album and wish I'd been on my feet to review it sooner.

Luckily for all of us, this album is available in many different ways through their bandcamp. Whether you're looking for an affordable download (only $5 for the whole album), a limited tape, CD, or shirt, you can grab it all. Tapes are available in red and black from the band, and yellow from Like Young Records. Hop on this now, as only 100 tapes exist and these guys are sure to sneak up on the overall metal underground with an album this intense. Previous albums are also still up for free download, so you can collect the whole back catalog pretty easily and catch up with this group.

New from Glorious North Productions: Nordland & Vesterian CDs

Saturday, August 31, 2013


Glorious North Productions is a UK-based label dedicated to releasing black metal from a select few artists, hand-picked for their commitment to high quality output. While a new label to me, their two newest releases have done their part to impress me and convince me that this label knows what it's doing. Visit Glorious North's website to snag each of these CDs after reading my review.


Vesterian- "Anthems for the Coming War Age"
Vesterian's galloping war-themed assault comes in with much more beauty than I would have expected from an album with such a title. While vocals are croaked out in the grimmest of fashions, the music is well balanced, with rapid-fire guitar leads balancing out the more aggressive black metal passages, making for a more melodic and listenable release than one might expect. On songs like the impressive and daunting "Unknown Spells Cast from Nibiru's Watch Towers" Vesterian delivers everything that made me curious about black metal in the first place: fantasy themed song titles with meandering song structures that are full of melody and intrigue but also defiantly keep a step or two ahead of the listener's expectations. While this release doesn't quite strike me as evil or vicious, the imagery and album title are perfect accompaniments to this maniacal music. If this is what war sounds like, I'm not quite ready to give up my own peaceful ways, but I'm intrigued and impressed by the great art it inspires.


Nordland- "The True Cult of the Earth"
While Vesterian seems intent on focusing on the subject and feeling of the battlefield, Nordland's similarly confrontational black metal focuses on reclaiming the earth for those who truly work with it in the traditional heathen fashion. The music plays a bit more with paces, working just as well at a crawl as at punky faster speeds. While albums with themes of reclamation of the land and regional identity tend to make me a bit anxious about tentative judgment of "outsiders" from a racial or social perspective, Nordland seems more focused on raising up those who would truly tend to the timeless lands they love so well, visiting mythical themes that evoke majestic imagery. If the Bathory influence isn't implied in the name of this project, it certainly is present in the music in the best way possible. I feel I could march along under Nordland's guidance for ages. This is truly uplifting and gorgeous music that makes me wish more folks working in the pagan/heathen-centric genres of black metal would hit the formula this well.

New from Temple of Torturous: Fyrnask and Vom Fetisch Der Unbeirrtheit

Wednesday, August 28, 2013


Temple of Torturous has graced Black Metal & Brews once this year already with a couple of the most pleasantly surprising releases I'd received, so when I heard there would be more, I knew I had to check these out. Once again, these groups are almost entirely new to me (although I'd heard the name Fyrnask thrown around a bit) so it's been enjoyable coming into this review with virgin ears, so to speak. Let's not waste any time here, as these albums are already up for pre-order. Time to read the reviews and decide if these are for you.


From the beginning of Fyrnask's newest offering, "Eldir Nott," there is an uncanny sense of coldness. Not necessarily in the grim, pure icy evil black metal sense. Instead, I feel the beauty and slight darkness of seeing my breath at night and watching snow slowly take over my surroundings. The production on this album gives the right amount of clarity to Fyrnask's elegantly layered atmospheric black metal while still allowing it to retain its edges. Nothing is cleaned up into oblivion, instead it's nicely presented so that I can hear what I'm trying to hear. As the intro fades into the first "proper" song, "Vigil," the coldness becomes something of a heavy blanket. Still, this music doesn't feel evil so much as it feels passionate, perhaps even deeply spiritual or personal to the artist. The songs flow as almost a seamless piece rather than as a collection of independent songs, allowing for me to fully immerse myself in the dark and fantastic landscape created by Fyrnask's music. It's sometimes suffocating, sometimes tranquil, but it's constantly captivating. If you've ever wanted to go into a snow-covered forest at night and meditate upon your darkest personal demons until the sunrise comes to thaw you from the chilling intensity of your own uneasiness, this might make the perfect soundtrack. This brilliant album is already one of my top releases of the year, and it's unlikely that something will come along to challenge it. Snag this on 2xLP (black or splatter) or CD formats while they last.



Removing oneself from the meditative personal journey of Fyrnask is quite easy when Vom Fetisch Der Unbeirrtheit's jagged and cerebral electronic-heavy black metal assault on "Vertilger" starts with things cranked to eleven. For an album obsessed with the concept of decomposition, it's appropriate that things feel like a series of synapses misfiring. I'm not musically inclined enough to comment on time signature, but VFdU clearly enjoys toying with stop-start dynamics and sporadic drumming that will keep even the most math-oriented listeners on their toes. The vocals are often throaty and painful on this album, and the music is maddening in a way that even makes me feel uncomfortable at times. Conventions such as genre and form are thrown aside to create something truly depraved and unsettling, perhaps this would be a dance party for the sickest of souls, but I find it hard to do much more than simply keep up with the music. I often indicate that an album is challenging, but this album will challenge even those in search of difficult music, which to me is a good thing, but I can easily see this being intimidating to folks who like their metal to be predictable or familiar. Frequently I find songs disintegrating into electronic mush with little regard for length or anything else that most artists use to create boundaries. The album's centerpiece is even a sparse and glitchy industrial piece that feels like it could be at home equally well on a power electronics album as in the midst of this black madness. Normally a release with such little restraint would feel like a forced experiment in excess, but it seems that VFdU is constantly in control of this psychotic acid trip of an album, and the brief moments of overwhelming sound are so well integrated that I can and do find it to be worth visiting. Even if you're not that brave with your musical choices, this is a great example of how to properly generate chaos in your music without allowing your songs to become bloated and masturbatory. Grab this CD (with or without a patch) and lose yourself for a while. Sometimes losing your mind is the sanest thing you can do.
 

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