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:

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:

Niden Div. 187 - 1997 - Impergium

Out of Sweden comes this Black Metal project, featuring members from other well known acts in the scene (Dawn, Thy Primordial and A Canorous Quintet). Presented on this album are ten tracks of blasting Black Metal Art at a total running time of just above 26 minutes. The hatred on this disc can almost be compared to the feeling of extreme hatred which permeates all Ildjarn releases. There the similarities stop, however. Musically this reminds me slightly of early Immortal, due to the speed, and Antaeus, though they have a slight Death Metal vibe in their music as well. Some sort of groove that isn't quite typical for Black Metal. Some samples are used, but not in a conventional way.

The vocals are typical for Henke Forss, rather high pitched raspy shrieks, quite like his performance
on later Dawn albums. A mix of Abbath and early Varg Vikernes, perhaps would describe them best.

The soundquality is slightly muffled, however all instruments are heard in the mix. Main focus is

shared between the drums, vocals and guitars. My only complaint would be that this album, as with many albums from the later '90ies, has the volume set rather low, so you need to turn up the volume when you play this album. This is, however, one of my favourite Swedish Black Metal albums. Rereleased together with the bands first MCD in 2004. Well worth checking out!

Stand out tracks are "Genocide", "The Execution" and "Hate".

Saturday August 22 2009, by :Vragh:

Mord - 2004 - Morde

Out of Germany comes this Black Metal act, featuring members of Zorn in the ranks. Six scathing hymns of mid-paced to fast hatefilled Black Metal, mostly reminiscent of Blodulv, but also early Ulver, Ildjarn because of the often rather repetitive riffing, and Borknagar. The tracks are rather long, averaging 8 minutes.

The vocals are raw, somewhat in the vein of those by Grendel in Blodulv, those by Garm on the first Borknagar album, mainly because of the drawn out screams, and of Dead of Mayhem, sounding at times like those by Dead on the Live in Leipzig album. Sabnock also does the vocals in Zorn.

The soundquality on this recording is harsh, but not too unclear. This does remind me of Ildjarn as well, but the earlier days, when he had a bit clearer soundquality on his releases. The drums are a bit towards the back in the mix, along with the bass. This is filthy Black Metal, as it should be!

Standout tracks are "In the Forest of Dead Souls" and "Necrophage".

Monday November 27 2006, by :Vragh:

Ildjarn - 2002 - 1992-1995

Out of Norway comes Ildjarn, the essence of aggression put to tape. The music hardly has an equal, and can't really be compared to much else. Here we are presented with a mix between the simplicity of Punk and the aggression of Black Metal. The only band that Ildjarn himself was not involved with sounding anything similar would be Ødelegger on the End of Tides album, and to some extent Bone Awl, though there is more variation in their music. 28 tracks and 72 minutes is what we get here, all recorded, to everyones surprise, during the years 1992-1995. This is somewhat of a best of from this productive era, with a few previously unreleased tracks thrown in for good measure. The thing with this one man band is the genious simplicity and repetition that makes out the tracks. Two to three different riffs repeated for about as many minutes, with monotonous yet oh so effective minimalistic drums and hate filled vocals. The music is, more often than not, mid-paced to fast.

The production is filthy and raw, adding to the hate emanating from this album. Despite this you can hear all the instruments. The guitars and the drums are the driving force, with the vocals also being in the front. This is extreme in its aggression and simplicity, certainly not music for everyone, but if you understand it you will cherish it, and return to it again and again. If you haven't really heard any Ildjarn before this is a good album to start with, along with Det Frysende Nordariket, both being compilations of tracks from different recordings. Many of the compositions on this album are pure genious. As with all Ildjarn releases this is limited.

Standout tracks are "Dark December", "Kronet", "Whispering Breeze", "Inanimate", "Taakeheim",
"Skogssvinet", "Utsyn 3" and "Krigere", with "Skogssvinet" and "Krigere" being essential Ildjarn.

Wednesday January 18 2006, by :Vragh:

Bone Awl - 2003 - Bog Bodies

Out of the US comes this quite prolific Black Metal duo. This is their third release of so far 19 tapes and vinyls, presenting us with four tracks of Lo-Fi Black Metal, the last one being an instrumental outro. What really makes this band stand out from the crowd is the aggression that seems to boil just under the surface, becoming visible from time to time, a feeling of barely controlled rage.

The vocals are mostly raspy guttural shrieks, reminiscent of a more guttural version of Ildjarn and perhaps even of Varg Vikernes earlier vocals, though on the opposite side of the spectrum, being not shrieky but lower and darker, somewhat towards the vocal approach found in some of the depressive Black Metal acts or even in grindcore bands.

Musically the closest thing to Bone Awl would again be Ildjarn but with a bit more Punk in the mix and with a bit more variation. This takes the concept of minimalistic Black Metal a bit further, actually making good music and presenting it in a rougher and less polished way, rather than not being able to handle their instruments as many other bands today, that present their music very stripped down just because they can not play properly.

The soundquality on the different Bone Awl releases varies a lot, but this release actually has quite good sound. What you hear most in the mix are the drums, followed by the guitar and vocals. The bass can be heard as well, which is not the most common thing in this genre. This is above regular demoquality, but still quite rough. The original tape was limited to 300 copies, but there is a vinyl out that collects this and the first demo, which most likely is more readily available, simply called Bog Bodies/Magnetism of War. Highly recommended!

Standout tracks are "Lindow Man" and the outro "Virvatulet", a track I greatly appreciate. A slow, repetitive and crushing eleven minute beast.

Sunday October 12 2008, 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:

Ancestors - 2006 - Ancestors

Out of the US comes another very interesting horde with five intense tracks of aggression. Filthy, hateful and noisy, this band fills the gap left by Ildjarn. The simplicity is there, as is the hatred. The sound is also rather similar of Ildjarn's later releases, just slightly more chaotic. Many bands have tried to reach the sound that Vidar Vaaer had on his classic output before he declared Ildjarn dead, however the simplicity of Ildjarn seems to be rather hard to copy as there are few who succeed. Some have made their own interpretation to much greater success. Bone Awl for one, Ancestors and Vordr are other good examples.

As with Ildjarn, the vocals are high pitched shrieks, though the vocals presented here have a distinct sound of despair which I don't find in Ildjarn.

The sound is set very high on this release, which makes for a very chaotic experience. You mainly
hear the guitars in the mix, followed by the drums and the vocals. This is pure audial aggression!

Released as a tape twice and then as a 12", all released in very limited quantities. I would suggest you buy it if you find it!

Stand out tracks are "III" and "IV".

Saturday August 22 2009, by :Vragh:

Almighty Sathanas - 2004 - Demo 2004

Seems like the Greek Black Metal scene is growing fast. One of these new bands is the oneman band Almighty Sathanas. The three tracks on this first demo sound mostly like Ildjarn, with some Volkurah and Burzum parts here and there.

The vocals are highpitched growls, sounding like a more angry and more audible Varg Vikernes from the early Burzum albums.

The soundquality is harsh, just the way it should be with music like this. The guitars, vocals and the drum machine can all be heard here, the guitars being the driving force in the front of the mix followed by the vocals, with the drums being somewhat in the back. It is good to hear that Ildjarn has influenced others to carry on with this special brand of Black Metal. Minimalistic Black Metal with a
vengeance!

Standout tracks are "Jezabel" and "Wrath".

Monday March 7 2005, by :Vragh: