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:

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:

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: