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:

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:

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:

Pyre - 2005 - Behold a Pale Horse

American Black Metal band Pyre offers us their first official release. Chaotic mid-paced, but mostly fast, slightly thrashing Black Metal is what we are presented with on this album. Musically I find a few De Mysteriis era Mayhem in some of the tracks, and some Ildjarn moments, in others. Judas Iscariot is something I hear in this too, as well as some very Thorns sounding basslines. Very interesting. A cover of Darkthrone's "En Vind av Sorg" is presented here, which they do rather well
I must say, considering that they're doing it in Norwegian!

The vocals sound a bit like those by Akhenaten of Judas Iscariot, mixed with Nocturno Culto, Maniac and, at times, Attila of Mayhem. Quite an interesting mix to hear.

The production is slightly murky and the bass is a bit unclear, which leads to a somewhat chaotic sound, as stated earlier, but this is something you get used to quickly. The production reminds me somewhat of Gorgoroth for some reason. Over all I must say that this is an album that shows a band with great potential. Well worth checking out, and don't forget to keep an eye on this band in the future.

Standout tracks are "The Torrents of Thamuz", "Devil Pig" (No, actually not a Von cover), "Ten and Forty Centuries" and "Behold a Pale Horse".

Friday December 2 2005, by :Vragh:

Pest - 2005 - In Total Contempt

Swedish Black Metal horde Pest are back, and with a vengeance! Their slightly delayed third fullength album is out, and I have to say that this album is, next to their amazing Blasphemy is My Throne minialbum, their best material to date. They have progressed somewhat since their last
release, while still maintaining the essence of Pest, and they even have songs here with a serious
groove to them. Their music is still mid-paced to fast, with mostly fast tracks, but with a slightly new approach at times. Musically they have some slight similarities to latter day Darkthrone and Armagedda on this release mixed with their own sound, which has become a bit angrier.

The vocals are a bit clearer, somehow, but still keeping their hateful aggression and harshness.

The instruments and the vocals are at the same level in the mix, so the production has been improved
 since their last album. Very nice. Also they seem to have worked a bit more on the  material here. After a while I got a bit tired of their last effort, but this album just keeps spinning in my player. Be sure to check this album out!

Standout tracks are "Thrones Ablaze", "A Vengeance Rising", "Slaves of Celestial Bounds" and "Dreams of Life Seem Morbid".

Tuesday July 5 2005, by :Vragh:

Pest - 2002 - Blasphemy Is My Throne

This is the first official release from this promising Swedish Black Metal band, not to be confused with the Finnish or German bands with the same name. This is in-your-face Black Metal as it should be, cold and aggressive. Presented here are six tracks, of which the last two are taken from their last demo. Influences are mainly classic Darkthrone and Satyricon, but they also have a nice extra edge of their own in their sound. This is necro Black Metal and could very well have been released in the mid 1990ies.

The music is mid-paced to fast, and the production is harsh, as it should be. The vocals are slightly reminiscent of Nocturno Culto's on Under a Funeral Moon, but they sound distinctly as Pest, no better way to describe it. Yet another really good Swedish Black Metal album in the new wave of Black Metal.

The vinyl versions of most of Pest's albums differ from the CD versions, and this album is no exception; the vinyl recording of this album is actually even harsher than the CD version. Pure hatred! Both versions of this album are limited, 300 on vinyl and 500 on CD. Act fast before they are sold out. You have been warned!

Standout tracks are "Blasphemy is my Throne" and "Along the Path of the Fallen".

Monday May 31 2004, by :Vragh:

Perisynti - 2006 - Hiilenmusta Lammas

Out of Finland comes this interesting horde with their first fullength. Eight tracks of mid-paced to fast
Black Metal in the finnish tradition is what's presented on this disc. The music is very catchy for being so uncompromising, with really good riffs and varied drums and a Death Metal feel to it. This is very riff based Black Metal, with an extreme driving force in the guitars. This reminds me of Darkthrone's Panzerfaust album.

Handling the vocals is the man behind Muinainen Ruhtinas, Krimn V., which obviously is what the
vocals here remind me of, as well as Sin-Nanna of Striborg. Raspy and not your typical highpitched Black Metal vocals but definitely not less angry. There is no mistaking that this is from Finland, since there is that harsh edge only the finnish language can bring.

The soundquality is extremely good and just right to get the nuances of the music and the vocals through. The production is more bass oriented than most Black Metal releases. The focus is on the

vocals and the guitars, while the drums are not at all your typical Black Metal drums. Very refreshing.

Standout tracks are "Turmeltuneen Ihmisen Luonto", "Kuin Hetken Hurme Hangella Hohtaa", "Hekuman Sarvet" and "Hiilenmusta Lammas".

Sunday August 23 2009, by :Vragh:

Nex Perpetui Regis - 2007 - Void Worship

Out of southern Sweden comes this Black Metal horde with their third demo. Five tracks of mid-paced to fast Black Metal is what we get. Musically this reminds me of early Armagedda, earlier Darkthrone and somewhat of Craft and even a hint of Morbid in one track.

The vocals remind me mostly of Gallhammer, a less high pitched Dim of Туман as well as Mikael Nox' performance on Craft's demo.

The soundquality is as one would expect of a demo recording. The drums are in the foreground, followed by the guitars and vocals. The tracks have been recorded at different times, as the
soundquality gets clearer on the third track. The cymbals do annoy at times, though.

Stand out tracks are "Void Worship" and "Culling the Weak".

Saturday August 22 2009, by :Vragh:

Min Kniv - 2007 - Av Aske

Out of Norway and the Nidaros scene comes this Black Metal band with their first demo. Three rather long, mid-paced to fast, raw untitled tracks are presented on this tape. Musically this reminds me at times of Skaur, due to some folk inspired instrumental parts on the second track, with parts of the monotony of Burzum and a hint of Darkthrone and Isvind, but it all sounds fresh. This is classic Norwegian Black Metal performed now.

The vocals sound like tormented howls, a bit like a muffled version of Woods of Infinity and the
more insane parts of Famine from Peste Noire.

The soundquality is of good demo quality, slightly muffled, with the guitars in the foreground,
followed by the vocals and in the back the drums. The music is well composed and executed, the drums are simplistic but bring just the right energy to the music. The guitars are sharp and metallic. This is another release of Nidaros Black Metal that brings the listener back to the early days of the scene.

Standout tracks are "II" and "III".

Sunday August 23 2009, by :Vragh:

Kill - 2003 - Horned Holocaust

Swedish Black Metal act Kill have, after some delays, released their first fullength album, presenting 7 tracks and 30 minutes of necro Black Metal. Treble is the first thing you notice with this recording.
The second thing you notice is the killer melodies. The last track in particular stands out from the rest. The production on this album sounds somewhat like Von and Nifelheim, and also slightly like Ulver's Nattens Madrigal, if you will.

Musicwise they remind me a bit of Craft from their Total Soul Rape era and also some Under a Funeral Moon era Darkthrone at times (and some early Bathory thrown in for good measure),
with vocals sounding mostly like a mix of Legion formerly of Marduk, and Nocturno Culto of Darkthrone. This is necro Black Metal, just the way it should be - grim, yet catchy.

Standout tracks are "Virgin Sacrificed", "The Devil" and "Fields of Devastation".

Thursday February 5 2004, by :Vragh:

Isvind - 1994 - Isvind 7"

IThis is Norwegian Black Metal horde Isvind's first official release. Probably their strongest effort as well, with really great material. Presented on this 7" are three tracks, two of which are Black Metal
and one is a folk track. Isvind play harsh, mid-paced to fast and slightly melodic Black Metal in the vein of Darkthrone and Burzum, soundwise, also reminding me of Ulver at times, with vocals reminiscent of very early Emperor and Nattens Madrigal era Ulver. The music is actually very catchy, but without being silly.

The production is quite cold which gives a nice extra touch to the music. What's very refreshing is that Isvind actually has a very unique sound, a special atmosphere somehow, and all of the tracks here are really good. The folk track is the only one like it in their repertoire, but you do notice some folk music influences in the other tracks as well.

This is one of the classic releases in the scene, and not without reason, so be sure to try to get hold of this one. It is limited to 1000 copies, so it might be a bit hard to find, but it is well worth the effort.

Wednesday November 3 2004, by :Vragh:

Iconoclasm - 2005 - Iconoclastic Warfare

Out of Belgium comes this Black Metal outfit with their second full-length album. On this album are twelve tracks of fast, slightly thrashing Black Metal. I find quite a few influences in their music,
earlier Marduk, Dissection and Sargeist, with some slight Darkthrone riffing here and there. Quite interesting, especially with their own ideas thrown into the mix.

The vocals mostly remind me of the ones of earlier Marduk, with some Nattefrost and Dissection,  harsh and desperate sounding, slightly in the distant.

The production has a lot of bass in it and sounds slightly muffled. I would have prefered a slighlty clearer production, so you could hear a bit more of the drums, but that is just a minor detail. We get
good musicianship and strong material. A good album indeed.

Standout tracks are "Iconoclastic Warfare", "Welcome to Hell", "Daemonz" and "Screams of the Banshee".

Monday May 24 2005, by :Vragh:

Horn of Valere - 2004 - Blood of the Heathen Ancients

From the U.S comes this Black Metal horde with their first official release containing their two demos so far, the first one being recorded with the bandname Basiliskk. Their music is wellplayed, slightly melodic mid-paced to fast Black Metal with influences from Bathory, Enslaved, earlier Satyricon and Thornium. The overall feeling is of slightly progressive and epic mid '90ies Scandinavian Black Metal. Not at all bad for an American band.

The vocals mostly remind me of those by Grutle of Enslaved with some earlier Marduk and also some slight Nocturno Culto from back in the early days, at times.

The soundquality here is quite good. The instruments can all be heard clearly, and the vocals are slightly in the background of the mix, which is quite good here. The bassdrum is slightly unclear, perhaps, but this is nothing that I feel is a problem. There is a slight difference in the soundquality between the two recordings, and I must say I prefer the older, slightly rougher sound, if I were to choose between the two.

Almost all of the tracks on this CD are longer than 7 minutes, with half of them being 10 minutes or longer. The shortest track is a cover of Bathory's "Call from the Grave".

Standout tracks are "Ageless Winds of Infinite Wisdom", "...of Pure Blood", "Eternal Desolation of the Weak" and "A Prophecy of Ivory Skies".

Friday December 2 2005, by :Vragh:

Helsefyr - 2004 - The Land Of No Return

Swedish Black Metal act Helsefyr have just released a cassette containing five tracks, including two covers, "Outbreak of Evil" by Sodom and Mayhem's "Deathcrush". The soundquality on this tape is quite good, perhaps the drums are a bit in the back of the mix, but otherwise I have nothing to complain about.

The music is slow to mid-paced repetitive Black Metal in the vein of Dark Funeral and Von with some parts Darkthrone added. The vocals remind me mostly of Von and Long Voyage Back and somewhat of those on Darkthrone's A Blaze in the Northern Sky.

Standout tracks are "The Pestilence" and "The Land of No Return".

Friday October 29 2004, by :Vragh:

Helsefyr - 2004 - Deadly Black I Am

This Swedish Black Metal horde returns with their second assault this year. Though their last demo was released just a few months ago, the material on it was recorded back in the summer of 2003, but here we have entirely new material.

Musically this reminds me a bit more of latter days Darkthrone than their previous effort, with vocals sounding like a mix of Nocturno Culto's and those in Von. The demo contains five tracks, including an intro, an outro and a cover of Bathory's "The Return of the Darkness and Evil".

The soundquality has been improved a bit since the last time, giving this demo a somewhat more unified feel. I would have liked there to be one or two more tracks of their own material, but this is still well worth checking out.

Standout track is "A Frozen Soul".

Tuesday January 4 2005, by :Vragh:

Grond - 2005 - Grond

Out of Sweden comes this one man Black Metal band with a first demo. Presented on this demo are four tracks of mostly mid-paced Black Metal, including a cover of Darkthrone's "Unholy Black Metal". The material presented here mostly remind me of a mix of Blodulv and Darkthrone's Under a Funeral Moon, with guitar solos, whichgives it all a nice, dark mood. Very interesting. The vocals
sound a bit like Nocturno Cultos on the older Darkthrone albums, but more desperate.

The sound on this recording is slightly murky, but still clear,somehow. The drum machine is a bit too much in the foreground, which at times can be distracting, but otherwise there is nothing to complain about here. Good material, great feeling and a killer guitarsound.

Standout tracks are "Crucifucked" and "Helig Slakt".

Monday May 9 2005, by :Vragh:

Gast - 2004 - Gast

Swedish Black Metal horde Gast has presented us with a four track demo. Musically this is in the vein of Darkthrone and earlier Gorgoroth, crushing mid-paced to fast necro Black Metal, slightly towards the melodic, but with an added dose of Thrash in it. There is a great energy in the music, here.

The vocals consists mostly of hoarse, desperatesounding screams reminding me of Filosofem era
Burzum, for some reason (despite the fact that those are whispered rather than screamed), Arckanum and those on the earlier Gorgoroth releases.

The soundquality is raw and a bit chaotic, somewhat towards that of a rehearsal tape, although not quite as bad. The guitars are what you hear the most in the mix. The only thing to complain about are the effects at the beginning and the end of the two tracks in the middle. In fact, the demo would have been better, had they been left out.

Also, in the booklet they have the following text: "Mixed, rehearsed and recorded in 3 hours and 17 minutes. Up yours, Darkthrone!" in reference to Darkthrone's steatement on Hate Them - "Recorded and mixed at Pan lydstudio in 26 hours, December 2002." A little fun there.

Standout tracks are "Krig i Vinterland", "Jesuslakt Gastmakt" and "Förfall".

Saturday February 11 2006, by :Vragh:

Furze - 2003 - Necromanzee Cogent

Necromanzee Cogent is Norwegian one-man-band Furze's first fullength album. This is a very interesting album indeed, many an odd influence has found its way into the music of Furze. What strikes me as very surprising, and very interesting is the heavy Black Sabbath influence that shows up at times. In fact the entire second track, "For the Lust of Darkness", is built on Ozzy era Black Sabbath-esque guitarwork. The track following this, "Dødsrikets Fremtred", could very well have been recorded by Darkthrone during their Under a Funeral Moon era. Apart from these influences there are also some Abruptum and early Thorns in this album.

As you probably have guessed by now, this is not fast necro Black Metal, but rather slow, doomy avantgarde Black Metal with some faster and actually even some groovy parts. I must say this is one of the more interesting releases in quite a while. The vocals vary quite a bit, everything from screaming to traditional Black Metal vocals and also whispers, are utilized. Of the 7 tracks on this album, only one is under 6 minutes,and the last track clocks in at 23 minutes.

Sunday February 8 2004, by :Vragh:

Dawn of Division - 2005 - Awaiting the Dawn

Out of Greece comes this one man Black Metal band with a second demo. Slightly atmospheric and melancholic, mid-paced Black Metal with keyboards is what we get here. This demo seems to be rather well thought through with interludes linking the tracks and setting the mood for the next track. Of the five tracks on this demo there are only two "real" tracks, the others being intro, interlude and outro. These three very well played Metal / Classical compositions remind me a lot of the Neo-Classical / Soundtrack project L'Orchestre Noir.

The two remaining tracks are well rooted in Black Metal, having a slight touch of regular Metal to them, with parts somewhat reminiscent of Ulver's more acoustic explorations. There is quite a bit of Burzum and Transilvanian Hunger-era Darkthrone here, with the music being somewhat repetitive, and I even find some traces of latter day My Dying Bride.

The vocals sound like a mix of Nocturno Culto, Legion and the vocals of Frediablo and Condatis
Svarthjerte in Svartpest.

The production is really good on this release, it has a dark atmosphere to it, and the drum machine
is not at all annoying. Definitely a band to keep an eye on, I would say.

Standout track is "Bride of Winter".

Wednesday July 27 2005, by :Vragh:

Craft - 2002 - Terror Propaganda

Second assault from this Swedish Black Metal horde sounds slightly more Darkthrone than their first album, but still maintains the typical Craft sound. The music is mostly mid-paced, with some faster parts in it at times. The soundquality on this album is a bit harsher and colder than their first effort, but still the production is very good, and all the instruments can be heard clearly.

As mentioned earlier I find traces of Darkthrone in their music, mixed with some Metal parts and a strange Rock n' Roll feel. The good thing about Craft is that they use a lot of odd riffing and beats
in their music, just check out the break in "Reaktor 4". Simply amazing! Pure Black Metal Groove! The drums are almost played in backbeat which is extremely refreshing, and it works perfectly. The vocals can be described as guttural Black Metal screams.

One of the grooviest Black Metal albums in a long time. The ending of the entire album is also very haunting. A very nice touch. Get this album!

Standout tracks are "The Silence Thereafter" and "Reaktor 4".

Saturday November 6 2004, by :Vragh: