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:

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:

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:

Necrovomitör - 2005 - Vomit Porn Satan

Out of Finland comes this thrashing Black Metal band with their first five track demo. Mid-paced Black Metal, in the vein of Dødheimsgard's Monumental Possession is what we get here, which basically describes it all. Even slightly groovy, at times.

The vocals remind me of those done by Aldrahn on Monumental Possession and those by Grendel of
Blodulv with some slight Satyr of Satyricon at times.

The production is harsh and a bit chaotic, which fits the music perfectly. What you hear in the mix is mostly the filthy sounding guitar, the vocals and the drums. There's just such an amazing raw power and aggression to this demo. My only complaint is that the demo feels a bit short. Limited to 150 copies.

Standout tracks are "Genuine Crackwhore Mutilation" and "Rotten Corpses in Vogue".

Saturday June 4 2005, by :Vragh:

Nebular Mystic - 2003 - Serpent

This is Nebular Mystic's fifth release. This Norwegian outfit plays Black Metal in the slightly newer vein reminiscent of Koldbrann and later Satyricon with some slight 1349 references showing up at times.

Four well played tracks are presented on this demo which has really good soundquality, as well. I would say that these guys are something to keep an eye on, their material is really good, a great sound and they certainly can play their instruments well. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they get a record deal in the very near future. This was later rereleased on a split CD with Black Altar.

Standout tracks are "Suspended in Chains" and "Serpent".

Sunday February 8 2004, 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:

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:

Dom Dracul - 2004 - Genocide in the Name of Satan

Here we have the latest demo from this Swedish one man Black Metal horde. Presented on this tape are four tracks of midpaced Black Metal and an intro. The soundquality is a bit murky, but still not at all bad. You can clearly hear the instruments and the vocals.

The vocals remind me of a mix of Satyr of Satyricon, Quorthon's Black Metal vocals and early Marduk, the music is somewhat similar to a slower Armagedda but with a bit more melody. The material is quite good, and there are many memorable riffs here.

The tape looks very professional, and is adorned with a very oldschool cover. There's at least one more tape by Dom Dracul, and that one should also be worth checking out. If I have to complain about one thing here it is the drumsound, but still I have heard far worse.

Standout tracks are "Die", "Weak Soul" and "Hellfire".

Monday July 19 2004, by :Vragh:

Ansur - 2005 - Carved in Flesh

Norwegian Black Metal horde Ansur have just re-released their first demo through Nerbilous Productions. Wellplayed mid-paced and slightly melodic Black Metal is what we get here. Musically this reminds me of a more melodic version of Disiplin with parts Orcustus, Borknagar, Watain and later Satyricon. A nice mix. A drum machine is used on this recording, which sounds ok, apart from the sound of the ride.

The vocals remind me of a harsher version of those by Slavia, formerly of Disiplin, mixed with those by Satyr, Erik of Watain and Taipan of Orcustus.

The soundquality is quite good on this recording. The emphasis is more towards the treble, to get that special, cold feeling. The guitars and the vocals are what stands out in the mix a bit, but you hear all the instruments here. Definitely a band to keep an eye on. Limited to 200 copies.

Standout tracks are "Murder", "Carved in Flesh" and "Through Snowlands".

June 4 by :Vragh:

Ambiguitas - 2003 - Time of Goat

Out of Russia comes this Black Metal horde, delivering 9 tracks of Black Metal ranging from slow
to mid-paced to fast, plus an intro. The music here reminds me quite a lot of earlier Beherit and
Stiny Plamenu, with some Skaur and Ulver sounding acoustic parts and a good dose classic heavy
metal here and there, with that special eastern European sound to it. This sounds quite refreshing.

The vocals sound like a mix of Under a Funeral Moon era Nocturno Culto and Satyr around the
Megiddo MCD. They also remind me of the vocals by Lord Therramon of Dom Dracul.

As mentioned earlier, a drum machine is utilized, but not in a too annoying way. The production is actually quite good, and all the instruments can be heard clearly. The guitar sound is a bit different, quite metallic, with a sharp and icy edge to it. The production reminds me mostly of that found on later Striborg releases. This is a fullength released as a CD-r in limited quantities, so act fast.

Standout tracks are "Through the Decrepit Eaves", "Do Arise the Blood from the Ice", "Just Hate" and the eleven minute final track "Equinox Autumn".

Thursday November 15 2007, by :Vragh: