The Frost - 2006 - Damned and Forgotten

This Croatian outfit is back with a second demo. We are presented with five tracks, four of which are mid-paced to fast, slightly melodic Black Metal in the vein of early Ancient and Isvind, and an intro that sets a clear Ancient tone from the get go, with a small part Blood Axis in there.

The vocals here also remind me of those by Aphazel from Ancient, as well as of Akhenaten of Judas Iscariot fame, with some traces of Erik of Watain.

The soundquality is very good, as with the first demo, this does not sound like a demo recording at all. A drum machine is still utilized on this recording, which at times sounds a bit too plastic, but overall sounds quite ok. Compared to the previous release there is some progression here, when it comes to the overall sound and the drum machine. The material presented here also feels a bit fuller, somehow. Both demos have been collected on a single CD by Kerzakraum/Nerbilous Productions. I suggest you check it out.

Standout tracks are "In the Name of Eternal Darkness" and "Lost in the Valley of Death".

Monday November 27 2006, by :Vragh:

Nightbringer - 2005 - Rex Ex Ordine Throni

Out of the United States comes this Black Metal act with a promo of their part of a split with Temple of Not, a band they share members with. This promo consists of 4 tracks of mid-paced to rather fast and slightly melodic, wellplayed Black Metal in the vein of Emperor and Carpathian Forest, with parts Watain and a less plastic sounding Limbonic Art at times, even. An interesting mix of Norwegian Black Metal with a slightly American sound.

The vocals remind me a bit of those in earlier Emperor, Ancient and Dark Funeral, but with a slight American sounding twist to them.

The production is a bit towards the thin, rather like the early days of the scene. The drums are what you hear most in the mix, with quite a De Mysteriis feel to the sound of the fills. There is also a keyboard present, which is more towards the front of the mix on the two last tracks. The use of the keyboard is the main similarity to Carpathian Forest. This has clear potential.

Standout tracks are "The Void" and "Mors Philosophorum".

Sunday January 14 2007, by :Vragh:

Cryfemal - 2007 - Apoteosis Oculta

Out of Spain comes this one man Black Metal band. We are presented with eight tracks of mid-paced
to fast Black Metal with a touch of the depressive.

The vocals really remind me a lot of those by Marco Kehren of Deinonychus, a rather desperate
sounding, screaming vocal style. All the lyrics are in Spanish, which is an approach I find interesting.

There is a seriously good groove to the music, which at times reminds me of early Ancient with
similarities in song structure with Burzum. The sound here also reminds me a bit of Isvind. Not a
bad bunch to be compared with. What makes it even more interesting is that this in fact has a quite
unique sound.

The soundquality is rather good here. There is of course that somewhat filthy and slightly murky sound I expect from most bands that are from southern Europe, but that just adds an edge to it. The drums and vocals are what are at the front of the mix here, closely followed by the guitar. The only instrument I can't really hear that clearly in the mix is the bass. The sound of the recording is quite sharp and clear.

The only thing I would complain about is the sound of the cymbals which I find to be a bit too tinny and unorganic at times.

Standout tracks are "El Tornado de Cesar el Ahorcado" and "Apocalipsis".

Sunday May 31 2009, by :Vragh:

Bleak Forest - 2005 - Fog Over the Highlands

Out of Australia comes this oneman band, presenting us with some serious Black Metal. The overall sound on this release is one reminding me of the early to mid '90ies. Not at all bad! Three tracks of mid-paced to fast, and at times slightly melodic Black Metal with some moody acoustic parts in it is what we are offered here. This reminds me slightly of Ildjarn at times, although not as primitive and repetitive, and here are some regular Metal influences present as well. Slight Thornium and early Ancient is also something I hear in this.

The vocals sound like growled snarls. Somehow I think of Dead's vocals on "Freezing Moon". Something in the way they are performed, perhaps, since they're not extremely similar.

The soundquality is a bit fuzzy and murky, which gives a nice extra touch to it all. The vocals are slightly in the back of the mix, but you can hear the drums and the guitar rather clear, at least. The guitar sounds really aggressive. Most excellent. The production on the last track, the added bonus to this re-release of the demo is slightly different, and the guitars on this recording are even fuzzier.

Standout tracks are "Fog Over the Highlands" and "Black Moon Rising". These are also the two tracks that appeared on the original demo. This is worth your time to locate. Limited to 200 copies.

Wednesday January 18 2006, by :Vragh:

Abruptum - 1995 - Evil Genius

This is one of the more accessible recordings by Swedish cultband Abruptum. It collects the two demotapes that were released in 1990, Abruptum and The Satanist Tunes, and the Evil 7" single released in 1991. What sets this collection apart from their other albums is the fact that here we have
more of a standard length of the tracks. Only one of the tracks on this album is longer than five minutes, as opposed to the later 25 and even 61 minute tracks.

The sound on this recording is a bit murky, despite the fact that the tracks were remastered for this release.

The music is more to the slow and heavy side, with some noisy parts. The album has a rather ritualistic feel to it, due to the murky sound mentioned earlier, and the fact that all the lyrics are in latin only adds to this feeling. There really isn't anything out there that sounds quite like Abruptum.

Mostly this sounds like Death / Doom Metal a la early 1990ies, but with it's own special edge to it.
In a way the cold feeling of this album reminds me of Ancient's first album Svartalvheim,
although musically these two albums are not at all alike.

Long ago, by :Vragh: