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:

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:

Mordgrim - 2004 - Pestens År

Swedish Black Metal outfit Mordgrim have unleashed their first four track demo upon the world.
The music presented on this demo is mostly midpaced, but here are also some faster parts. The music reminds me mostly of Thornium, but some Burzum and early Satyricon is also present in their music, mixed with some regular Metal parts here and there. The intro actually reminded me a bit of early Ulver.

The songs on this demo are rather repetitive, a good riff is used throughout the entire song, which I really like, not many bands of today does this with a good result. The vocals here sound similar to Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism era Immortal.

The soundquality on this demo is quite good, a clear sound with all the instruments audible.

They have since changed the name to Old Bones.

Standout tracks are "In i Det Dunkle Mørke" and "Blood of Satan"

Friday October 29 2004, by :Vragh:

Lucifugum - 2006 - Involtation

Out of the Ukraine comes this productive Black Metal horde with their ninth album. This album took me by surprise, I must say. I have heard a few bands from the Ukraine, and most of them have had heavy keyboards on their recordings, so when I got this CD I was expecting just that. What greeted me was something quite different. The music is aggressive and slightly towards the melodic side of Black Metal with a few faster parts here and there, but mostly leaning towards the mid-paced. The guitars are the driving force in the music, which  is rather complex sounding, with the odd sample showing up here and there.

The music reminds me to a certain extent of a slower version of Nattens Madrigal era Ulver with a lot of Eastern European influences. Similarities to some of the old classic Czech bands like Master's Hammer and Törr can also be heard here. This album is not at all as chaotic as Nattens Madrigal, but has rather a sound of structure. Some small parts remind me of Immortal. There is something quite different in their sound, which makes them a bit hard to place.

The vocals have a to me distinct Eastern European feel to them, most likely due to the structure
of the language, and are rather guttural but harsh at the same time. There is a hint of Hoest of
Taake in them.

The soundquality again brings Ulver's Nattens Madrigal to mind strangely enough, since they are not
that similar. The soundquality is a lot clearer on this album, with a distinct sound of its own. The
production is very good, and the sound is clear, icy and sharp as a knife, with a slightly odd metallic
sound to it. You hear the guitars, which are somewhat fuzzy but still with this sharp edge to them, at the front of the mix, with the drums clearly audible, but towards the back, with the vocals inbetween.
There is the occasional keyboard, I must say I like it. I haven't really heard a nything quite like this band before. This is quite refreshing! CD limited to 1500 copies.

Standout tracks are "Яма Твоего Сна", "Оноравливание" and "Пределы Непостижимого".

Sunday October 12 2008, by :Vragh:

Frozen Shadows - 2004 - Hantises

Here we have the second assault from this Canadian Black Metal horde. We had to wait for 5 years for this release, but it was well worth the wait. 8 tracks of blistering fast Black Metal with the occasional slower and heavier parts is what we are presented with here. As with their first album, this
sounds very Nordic and it is nice to hear that some bands can still get that special old sound. Musically I would say that this reminds me of the newer school of bands, like Watain and Ondskapt as well as older Immortal, Enslaved and the old side project Zyklon-B, with members of Emperor, Satyricon and Dødheimsgard.

The vocals remind me mostly of those by Grutle of Enslaved, mainly because they sound as insane as the ones he did on the Frost album. If you've heard that album you know what I'm talking about.

The soundquality is very good. The drums and the vocals are what you hear most in the mix, but the guitars are not far behind. I must say that I really do enjoy this album. A keyboard is utilized at times on this album as well, but as with their previous album they're used sparsely. Good musicianship and good production gets us a real good album. I would strongly urge you to get this album. If you're lucky you might even find the limited edition of this album with their demo as a bonus cd.

Standout tracks are "As Old as Time Itself", "Des Siecles d'Epitaphes", "Battered Souls" and "Towards the Chambers of Nihil".

Monday November 27 by :Vragh:

Blessmon - 2007 - Under the Storm of Hate

Out of Austria comes this Black Metal horde with their first album. Nine tracks of fast and aggressive Black Metal is what we are presented with. This is blasting almost from start to finish, similar to bands like Immortal, Marduk and Antaeus, with some interesting breaks and shifts.

The vocals mostly sound like Abbath of Immortal, though less strained and slightly less raspy. There are some similarities to Mannevond of Koldbrann, and Nocturno Culto of Darkthrone at times, as well. The vocals are quite audible, as opposed to quite a few other vocalists out there.

The soundquality is quite good and the instruments can be heard clearly. The vocals are slightly to the front of the mix, followed by the drums. There is a somewhat bass oriented production to this album, a fuller sound than is usually the case when it comes to Black Metal. Crushing guitar sound, I must say. Also released as a limited digipak with extra demo tracks as bonus. Highly recommended!

Standout tracks are "Dark Hordes", "Odessa", "Under the Storm of Hate", "Blood of the Fallen"

and "Irsgarh". 

Sunday August 23 2009, by :Vragh:

Bergraven - 2003 - Ty Döden Färdas Snabbt Demo

This Swedish band features only one member on this recording, so a drum machine is used. Fortunately the drum machine sounds better than most. Presented on this demo are three tracks of  depressive Black Metal in the vein of Shining and the likes, with some slight Taake influences at times - slower, moody Black Metal with faster parts.

I really like the guitar sound here, grim and dirty, but still with a good soundquality. The intro sounds a lot like earlier Mortiis, but this intro continues into the first track, and when the guitars kick in you have forgotten about the intro altogether. The vocals sound a bit guttural and really great, there's a slight Immortal feel to them.

Good material and well executed. Be sure to keep an eye out for the fullength that will be released during summer 2004.

The tracks that stand out are "Dagen Efter Döden" and "Offer (för Döden)".

Wednesday May 26 2004, by :Vragh:

Armagedda - 2003 - Only True Believers...

Sweden's Armagedda are back with their second album which finds the band with the same hatred and ability to write catchy Black Metal as before. The soundquality has been improved since their Final War Approaching album, and they have yet again succeeded in making a very evil sounding album. The crispness of the first album has been traded for a fuller sound on this release, but the mix can still be a bit unclear at times. Overall, the drums are tighter and the guitarwork is also improved.

They still play mid paced Black Metal with faster parts, and they have progressed somewhat in their own direction, while still maintaining the 1990ies influence. You can still hear Darkthrone in
their music, but some Immortal sounding parts have also found their way on to this album.

Among the tracks is a rerecording of the excellent "Emperor from the Eternal Dark", off of their split 7" with Woods of Infinity. Another great release from the band that gave us the aptly named Strength Through Torture 7". Get it now.

Standout tracks are "Only True Believers...", "For I Am His Slave" and "F.T.W.".

Thursday May 20 2004, by :Vragh:

Akerbeltz - 2001 - Tabellae Defixionum

This is the second album by Spanish one-man Black Metal band Akerbeltz. Musically this is a bit more matured than the first effort, and the soundquality has been improved as well, which strangely has given the music a much more chaotic feel. Both the drums and some of the guitarwork on this album sound quite chaotic, despite the improved soundquality. The drums tend to be a bit blurred somehow, in the mix, which basically is the only thing to complain about here.

Musically this reminds me mostly of Immortal with some classic Metal riffing in it, and the track "The Green Eyes" could actually have been taken from any one of the earlier Immortal albums. The
vocals are also similar to those of Abbath in the early Immortal days. Though it sounds like Immortal at times, the music is not a copy of said band, and Akerbeltz has more than enough of his own twists in the music to make it well worthwile to buy this.

There is a strong northern feel to this album, and listening to it makes me think of the mid '90ies and the days of the old Black Metal scene. Don't wait too long to buy this, the album is limited to 900 copies. Akerbeltz also plays in Argar.

Standout tracks are "The Guardian Tightly Rooted", "The Forest is My Haunt" and "The Green Eyes".

Tuesday November 2 2004, by :Vragh: