Matricide - 2004 - Blasphemic Fire

Swedish Black Metal act Matricide has offered us seven tracks on this cassette, which is a re-release of their 2002 demo with three bonustracks added, including a Von cover. The music is mid-paced to fast and the first four tracks remind me of a tighter version of early Emperor and Sorhin. The vocals on this part sound very much like the vocals of Sorhin.

The bonus material shows some progress toward the newer Swedish Black Metal sound similar to the likes of Watain, Ondskapt and Funeral Mist, with the vocals sounding reminiscent of those of
Ondskapt. The first four tracks have a considerably worse soundquality than the bonustracks, the music can be heard somewhere in the distance, but the feeling in these tracks is just amazing.

Be sure to check out their recently released debut album Black Mass Gathering.

Standout tracks are "Blasphemic Fire" and "Seven Daemons".

Friday October 29 2004, by :Vragh:

The Inferno Festival Live Pics 20050324-26

All images by H. Hallberg

Taakeferd

Nebular Mystic

Morbid Angel

Aura Noir

Aura Noir

Arcturus

Arcturus

Arcturus

Nattefrost

Nattefrost

Nattefrost

Nattefrost

Nattefrost

Tsjuder

Tsjuder

Tsjuder

Gehenna

Gehenna

Gehenna

Dissection

Dissection

Dissection

Dissection

Dissection

Tsjuder Live @ The Rock, Copenhagen 20050112

Wewelsburg - 2007 - Ultima Intolerance

Out of Russia comes this NS industrial Death/Black Metal band. Musically I find influences from a lot of different genres and groups. Mysticum and The Kovenant are apparent in the first track, Morbid Angel with a big dose rock n' roll in the second, the third track starts off with a classical piano piece, then moves on to more The Kovenant sounding elements. Track four is straight forward Death Metal. Over all this reminds me of early Stiny Plamenu.

The vocals are also reminiscent of The Kovenant, metallic and distorted but with more reverb, but as
with the music, the vocals change throughout the album. On the track "Gott Mit Uns", rather influenced by white power music, for instance, the vocals are deeper and much more catchy.

The sound is set very high on this album which tends to result in a chaotic effect, which indeed is the case here as well. They use a drum machine, with the cymbals set a bit too high which is annoyingly in the foreground at times. There is also a keyboard present. The vocals and the  drum machine are in the foreground, closely followed by the guitar. When there is a solo without any singing the guitar steps up to the foreground. There is also a keyboard present, fighting with the other instruments to be in the front. Despite all this this is a fascinating album, somehow, most likely because you do not know what to expect next. It is also a tiring album to listen to, since the recording level is so high and there is a lot of stuff going on. This is not bad, but it is not very focused. I think it would have been better if there were different bands for the different musical ideas.

Standout tracks are "Ultima Intolerance" and "There Where the Winds Sing Their Songs".

Sunday August 23 2009, by :Vragh:

Weltbrand - 2006 - The Cloud of Retaliation

Out of the Netherlands comes this Black Metal horde, with their second fullength. Presented here are eight tracks of mostly fast Black Metal with the odd slower track thrown in for variation plus one industrial sounding interlude and an outro. The sound actually has somewhat of a  eath Metal feel to it.

The vocals sound like a mix between Nimroth, formerly of Cirith Gorgor, Maniac, and early Emperor, with some Aldrahn and Quorthon showing up every now and then.

Musically this reminds me mostly of the Zyklon-B sideproject from the '90ies as well as earlier Frozen Shadows. Not at all a bad combination.

The soundquality is slightly murky and, as with the music presented here, also quite similar to Zyklon-B and Frozen Shadows, and as mentioned earlier with rather a Death Metal approach to it. The vocals are at the front with the guitars and the snare drum quite high in the mix as well. The rest of the drums and the bass unfortunately disappear to a certain extent in the murky production. This is quite good. Released as a limited A5 digi, as well as regular CD.

Standout tracks are "Channeling Black Energy", "Descending of the Black Ash Rain", "...And the Winds Brought Death".

Tuesday October 14 2008, by :Vragh:

Weakling - 2004 - Dead as Dreams

This American horde is one of the few exceptions to the rule "American Black Metal is not that good". This is a monster of an album, 5 tracks, 76 minutes long and it is an intense wall of sound all the way through. Weakling play a progressive kind of Black Metal, with screamed, angstridden vocals throughout the album. The vocals sound similar to earlier Burzum at times. There are metal and doom influences here as well as traces of both Shining and Black Sabbath, and  keyboards are also used in places. This is not, however, a Dimmu Borgir kind of keyboard, this is more of a mood setter in the background. Unfortunately this is the only album that they ever recorded before disbanding.

The music is midpaced to fast and these guys sure know how to handle their instruments. The massive parts of the songs are kept apart by very well executed calmer parts and nice tempo changes.
These guys sure knew how to do it. The production on this album is very harsh and it adds to the overall feel of this album. This is yet another one of the hidden gems of Black Metal.

Standout tracks are "This Entire Fucking Battlefield" and "No One May Be Called as a Man While He'll Die".

Friday May 28 2004, by :Vragh:

Watain - 2004 - Casus Luciferi

Another one of the Swedish bands that have emerged from the dark depths have released their second album, the follow up to Rabid Death's Curse, and they have made great progress. The opening of this album is as much De Mysteriis as is possible, almost to the point of plagiarism. This does not last, but there are many De Mysteriis moments throughout this album, the bass in "Opus Dei (The Morbid Angel)" is another example. Some Shining moments are present on this album too, and the intro to the title track is very much Black Sabbath.

The soundquality has been greatly improved since their last album, and the heavy Death Metal influence that was prevalent on their debut isn't as much in your face here. Greatly improved soundquality doesn't mean perfect, since it was rather bad on Rabid Death's Curse, but it is rather good here, more treble oriented, with the guitars slightly in the foreground.

Overall this album is a lot more listenable than their first, mainly because of the improved soundquality and also a lot better material. They have also rerecorded "Puzzlez ov Flesh" for the album.  Watain plays fast Black Metal, just the way I like it.

Standout tracks are "Black Salvation", "I Am the Earth" and "The Golden Horns of Darash".

On a sidenote I find it strange that both Watain and Abruptum release an album with the exact same title only a few months apart.

Thursday May 20 2004, by :Vragh:

Vultyr - 2001 - Monument of Misanthropy

This is Finnish Black Metal band Vultyr's debut album. Presented here are eight tracks of grim Black Metal including an intro. The soundquality is very necro and dirty, reminding me somewhat of that on Transilvanian Hunger. There's a nice '90ies feel to this release. The drums are a bit in the back of the mix here, apart from the snaredrum for some reason, with the guitars and vocals dominating.

Musically this is raw Black Metal, with a twist, sounding at times like a more necro version of Panzerfaust era Darkthrone, with some seriously groovy tracks. The vocals are reminiscent of Nocturno Culto and a bit of Satyr, but grimmer and with a very eerie and haunting twist to them. This is something that just has to be heard.

If you're into early Gorgoroth, Darkthrone and the likes you'll certainly enjoy this album. Vultyr features members of Azaghal and Wyrd.

Standout tracks are "Evil Coming Winter" and "The Spectre and I".

Monday November 1 2004, by :Vragh:

Vesania - 2005 - God the Lux

Out of Poland comes this Black Metal act with their second fullength. 12 tracks of slow to mid-paced, slightly melodic Death/Black Metal with keyboards is what we are presented with here. There is an industrial feel to the music as well. Musically this sounds like later Malignant Eternal and Dimmu Borgir as well as Emperor and Arcturus with a distinct Death Metal approach.

The vocals sound like those in Behemoth, which really comes as no surprise since it's the same person singing in both bands. More towards the darker, deeper spectrum, actually reminding me somewhat of the deeper vocals from earlier Cradle of Filth. They remind me of those in Malignant Eternal as well.

The production is full and quite industrial sounding. More towards a Death Metal production, really. The keyboards are present throughout the album. At times they play their own thing, and at times they are just laying down background ambience, but this is actually handled rather well. I am usually not a big fan of keyboards in the music I listen to.

Standouttracks are "Rest in Pain", "God the Lux", "The Mystory" and "Legions are Me".

Monday November 27 2006, by :Vragh:

Valkyrja - 2005 - Funeral Voices

Out of Sweden comes this Black Metal band with their first demo. Three tracks of mid-paced to fast Black Metal are presented to us on this release, plus an intro and an instrumental interlude. The material here is actually quite good. Slightly melodic Black Metal which reminds me a bit of Marduk, Satyricon and Borknagar, but mostly of a more varied Dark Funeral.

The vocals sound similar to those done by Legion when in Marduk, with a slight touch of those from early Borknagar.

This demo has a really good production. The instruments and the vocals can all be heard clearly. The material presented on this demo shows that there are still new bands out there worth checking out. This is a band to keep your eyes on. Limited to only 50 copies, so act fast!


Standout track is "Another Prophet to the Wolves".

Sunday July 10 2005, by :Vragh:

Valaskjalf/Hrodvitnir - 2005 - Under the Ban ner of Vinlandic Heathen Might

Presented on this split effort are two American NS Black Metal bands. Each band contributes with four tracks.

Valaskjalf presents us with Black Metal ranging from slow to mid-paced, slightly melodic Black Metal in the vein of the real early '90ies bands, but with a melancholic sound rarely found. I find both Kvist, Beherit and Root influences here. Also presented on this release is a cover of Hellhammer's classic track "Euronymous".

The vocals mostly sound like a more guttural version of those done by Legion of Marduk and also somewhat like those done by Akhenaten of Judas Iscariot and Quorthon.

The soundquality is quite good, with all the instruments being audible in the mix.

Standout tracks are "Grove of the Neoliths" and  "Black Forest".

Hrodvitnir play a mid-paced to fast, more Viking / Folk themed Black Metal, and is the band I liked best on this release. Musically this sounds like a mix of Falkenbach and amore Black Metal oriented version of Borknagar, with vocals that mostly remind me of those done by Garm on the first Borknagar album. Some traces of Wyrd are also present in the overall sound here.

The soundquality on these four tracks varies a bit, which I found to be slightly annoying. You can hear the instruments and all, but the two last tracks have a murky, slightly distant sound to them, and the volume is lower.

Standout tracks are "Dawn of a New Aryan Empire" and "Hrodvitnir (The Wolf Unleashed)".

Quite a good split album, actually, with both bands being quite able to handle their instruments. This release is limited to 500 copies.

Friday December 2 2005, by :Vragh:

Туман - 2006 - Freezing Moon

Here we have this Hungarian Black Metal horde's second demo rereleased with a bonus track and a rather nice video (for the track "Transylvanian Dreams"), to boot. This demo is a tribute to Dead of Morbid and Mayhem fame, which explains both the title and the fact that there are two Mayhem covers on this recording, both the classic De Mysteriis tracks that were released with Dead on vocals. What's really amazing is how close to the original these two covers sound. The music is fast and harsh Black Metal, and that's that. There's a nice aggression to it, that is so rare these days.

The vocals are are a bit deeper than on the fullength, but that might be due to the over all murkier sound of the recording. Slightly Burzum-esque growls. The vocals sound slightly more desperate here than on the album.

The soundquality is ok, but there is a distinct demo sound to it. Despite it being somewhat muffled, it is remarkably clear, somehow. You hear the instruments, and as with the fullenght, the vocals are most prominent in the mix. It is interesting to hear the differences between this demo and the album, the guitar sound is completely different. The bonus track was recorded more recently, and sounds like the material presented on the album. I would say that this is a recording you get if you enjoy the

album, not really something to start with. It's not bad, it's just that the album is better.

Standout tracks are "Transylvania", "Dark Forest of the Evil" and "A Gonosz Sötét Erdeje".

Saturday October 21 2006, by :Vragh:

Туман - 2005 - Transylvanian Dreams

Out of Hungary comes this Black Metal horde with their first fullength. Fast and harsh Black Metal is what we are presented with, and this is actually really good. Musically this reminds me of the good old days in general. There is a slight melodic feel at times, but this soon changes back to breakneck speed. This album reminds me of Ulver's Nattens Madrigal in its uncompromising sound and execution.

The vocals sound like possessed and hatefilled shrieks. A comparison to Burzum is not entierly wrong, although this is raspier and not as annoying. Apparently the vocalist is a woman, which makes these sounds even more remarkable. What's really interesting is how the vocals are used as an instrument more than is common.

The production is sharp as a knife. You hear all the instruments, with focus on the vocals and the guitars. The drums follow, slightly further back in the mix. There is actually a slight De Mysteriis dom Sathanas sound to the drums here. The snare is clear and in the front, but the toms are a bit muffled. What makes this album a winner is the aggression, speed and hatred that is present, something that I haven't heard in quite a few years. This is absolutely a band to check out further, and keep an eye out for in the future.


Standout tracks are "Átoklátomás", "Vihar" and "Holdlény".

Saturday October 21 2006, by :Vragh:

Trelldom - 1999 - Til Et Annet...

This is Norwegian band Trelldom's second album, and what an album it is! The production is greatly improved from their first album. The songs are better arranged, and everything about this album just feels right. Gaahl, founder and only fulltime member, has really outdone himself here. This is very well executed, rather fast, harsh Black Metal with some even faster parts at times, and good sound to boot. Some similarities can be drawn to Gorgoroth, but that might not be so strange since Gaahl does the vocals in Gorgoroth as well.

I don't think I have heard anything that is really similar to this album. Something about the drums and the repetitive songstructures that work extremely well makes this album stand out from the crowd.
A perfect example of this is the song "Slave Til en Kommende Natt". Mutt, currently in Taake, handles the drums on this album, and his playing reminds me in a way of the drumwork by Fenriz on Darkthrone's Soulside Journey, although not as technical, mainly because the drums are used as a full instrument.  Strangely enough this release hasn't been nearly as well circulated as it deserves. This is one of the hidden gems of Black Metal. Gaahl is also a member of Gaahlskagg, Gorgoroth and Sigfader.

Standout tracks are "Slave Til en Kommende Natt", "Min Död til Ende", "Höyt Opp i Dypet" and "Sonar Dreyri".

Friday February 6 2004, by :Vragh:

Strevlosh Zvezda - 2005 - Strevlosh Zvezda

Out of Serbia comes this band with their very own brand of Black Metal. Haven't really heard that many hordes using classical guitar as the most prominent instrument in Black Metal, I must say. This is quite good, mostly slow but with faster parts from time to time. On this promo we are presented with four tracks, and the last one is a rehearsal version of track three, but the finished demo will contain six tracks, without the rehearsal. For the most part there's just the classical guitar and the vocals, and here and there the songs explode into faster parts with blasting drums. Some parts of this album reminds me musically of Empyrium's Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays and Ulver's Theme's from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, with the vocals reminding me mostly of the harsh vocals by Garm on the first Borknagar album.


The soundquality here is very good, the guitar and the vocals can be heard clearly, and the drums are just slightly towards the back of the mix, keeping the focus on the guitar and the vocals in the parts with drums. The rehearsal track gives an interesting insight into how the band sounds outside the studio. A very interesting listen, this demo. It is not often you are taken by total surprise when you put a demo in the player to review it. The only bad thing about this disc is that it is far too short. I want more of this. Most highly recommended!

Standout tracks are "Nocturnus..." and "Leve Ruke Staza".

Wednesday January 18 2006, by :Vragh:

Spektr - 2004 - Et Fugit Interea Fugit Irreparabile Tempus

Out of France comes this horde consisting of members from Haemoth and Battlehorns. On this their first album we are presented with eight tracks of industrial tinged mostly fast Black Metal, intense and unlike most others. This is quite an impressive first release.

Musically this is a bit similar to ideas from 666 International era Dødheimsgard in structure, but taken many steps further, with some parts Thorns added. I am also reminded of Gaahlskagg's Erotic Funeral, but that is mainly due to the intensity and the sound on this recording. Samples are used extensively throughout the album, and here are also parts sounding like soundtrack music. It is quite a
varied album, composition wise, with crushing speed and aggression one minute, which then flows into calmer parts and then gets back to crushing your bones once again.

The vocals remind me quite a lot of Ildjarn, with a hint of Filosofem era Burzum, earlier Immortal and some early Gorgoroth as well, for good measure.

The soundquality on this album is very sharp and clear. Everything seems to be on the same level here, the guitars with their sharp, lethal sound, the crushing drums and the possessed vocals form a wall of sound where you can still hear the details. This is an album where you're not entirely sure what's coming next. Most excellent! This is an album that works best if you play it from start to finish. This is among the elite bands, along with such acts as Deathspell Omega, Funeral Mist
and Glorior Belli. Very highly recommended!

Standout tracks are "Reveal the Four Seals", "A Return to the Flesh", "Wizened Hand" and "Confusion/The Persistence (Ending Contakt)".

Wednesday October 15 2008, by :Vragh:

Skaur - 2005 - En Hymne til Dauden

Out of Norway comes this one man Black Metal band with a rerecording of a previous demo bearing the same name. This version has been rearranged to bring together the 4 tracks on the previous release into one long track, which works very well. The music is mid-paced to fast, slightly melodic,
rather epic and very aggressive Black Metal, with quite a few acoustic parts. Earlier Ulver comes to mind, as well as Kampfar and Gorgoroth, but with a big chunk of originality, which is not something you find every day in the Black Metal scene of today.

The vocals mostly remind me of the distorted snarls by Gaahl on the Destroyer album by Gorgoroth, though more raspy than guttural.

The soundquality of the recording is well above the regular demo sound, rather clear and yet comfortingly filthy. The different instruments can be heard in the mix, though the vocals and the guitar are slightly in the front of the mix. The production reminds me of Gorgoroth's earlier efforts, though this has a superior sound. This comes very highly recommended! The original demo is sold out, but this track is also available on the split with Riddle of Meander. I strongly urge you to check
 this out.

Thursday November 15 2007, by :Vragh:

Semper Mors - 2004 - In Endless Despondency

From Greece comes this one man Black Metal band, presenting us with a three track demo of slow to mid-paced Black Metal. Musically I find both Transilvanian Hunger and Panzerfaust era Darkthrone here, as well as some Shining and Armagedda. Some interesting progressive parts are present here, as well. The vocals are similar to those by Nocturno Culto, only sounding more desperate. Despite this being a one man project real drums are used.

The soundquality here could have been a bit better. Lots of treble, and a quite chaotic sound in general. It takes a few listens to get used to it.

Of the tracks on this demo only one is shorter than ten minutes, which makes for a total of 25 minutes playing time, which is quite good for a demo. If you like your Black Metal raw and harsh you should definitely check out this demo.

Standout track is "In Endless Despondency".

Saturday February 12 2005, by :Vragh:

Satanic Death - 2004 - Black Mass

From Argentina comes this Black Metal horde. Just recently they released their second demo containing four tracks. Presented here are three tracks of thrashing, mostly mid-paced Black Metal with blastbeats, and an outro.

Musically there are traces of Ophthalamia and early Marduk, with lots of Blodulv like riffing in it. Throw in a few guitar solos for good measure as well and you have Satanic Death. This sounds like very early '90ies Black Metal with a chaotic twist to it all.

The vocals are similar to early Marduk as well, being just a bit more guttural and with a bit more echo to them. The soundquality here is not at all bad. Something to get, I would say.

Standout tracks are "Demonic Chronicles" and "Sadistic Ritual".

Monday January 10 2005, by :Vragh:

Rimthurs - 2004 - Demo 2004

Swedish Black Metal act Rimthurs has released this, their first demo upon the world. Presented here are six tracks of mid-paced to fast, slightly melodic Black Metal with a touch of heathenism. Musically this mostly has similarities to Allegiance, with some Thrash here and there. The track "Vitekrist" even has some parts that remind me of early Ophthalamia. Very well executed, this. The instruments are handled very well, and the material is quite good.

The vocals are mostly more towards being growled, and at times screamed. They sound similar to those done on the Allegiance albums as well, but being a bit deeper.

The soundquality here is well above average demosound, but still slightly murky, which is just the way I like it. The production sounds very much early '90ies Black Metal. Can't go wrong with that.

Standout tracks are "Krigvind", "Vitekrist" and "Må Du Bli Till Is".

January 30 2005, by :Vragh: