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:

Excessum - 2005 - Death Redemption

Out of Sweden comes this Black Metal horde. On this release we are presented with eight tracks of wellplayed mid-paced to fast melodic Black Metal, including an intro. This does sound very Swedish, especially the guitar harmonies, but there is a heavyness to it that makes this stand out a bit more. The guitars remind me slightly of Dissection, and also of Thornium, Dark Funeral and early Necrophobic, among others. This reminds me of the '90ies wave of Death-/Black Metal.

The vocals are slightly in the back here, and sounding a bit like a Death Metal version of Varg Vikernes' vocals. Less shrieking, and more guttural.

The soundquality is slightly muffled, and somewhat chaotic, but you still hear the instruments quite clearly. The focus is on the guitars, with the drums being a bit in the back of the mix. This is well above average, and definitely worth checking out!

Standout tracks are "Ritual Through Holy Blood", "Death Redemption" and "Lies of the Deceiver".

Saturday October 21 2006, by :Vragh:

Eschaton - 2004 - Summon the Manifestation

Out of Greece comes this Black Metal horde with a demo of four tracks, including an intro. These are some serioulsy good Black Metal tracks, reminding me of the early days of the scene. There is a distinct Nordic, even Swedish feel to the music.

Musically they remind me a bit of Sorhin and Thornium, being mid-paced to fast and slightly towards the repetitive and melodic side of Black Metal, with the vocals reminiscent of those of Thornium.

The soundquality here is really sharp, and you can clearly make out the different instruments in the mix. I am definitely looking forward to hearing more from this band.

Standout tracks are "Scepticism of Blasphemy" and "Misty Fog Covers the Forest".

Monday May 9 2005, 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:

Armagedda - 2001 - The Final War Approaching

Yet another band in the new wave of Swedish Black Metal bands, this their debut is an amazing release that'll remind you of the golden days of the 1990ies. The sound on this album reminds me of the harsh soundquality of Darkthrone's Under a Funeral Moon, but a bit more murky, and The Final War Approaching sounds a lot just like this album, but with a Swedish twist to it. There are also parts of the album that remind me of Thornium's one and only album Dominions of the Eclipse.

The vocals are similar to Nocturno Culto's vocals on Under a Funeral Moon, but with more hatred.
The sound of the guitar is full and aggressive.

This is not an album of unrelenting speed, it is mid tempo with faster parts. If you enjoy classic Darkthrone, and want more in the similar vein go get yourself a copy of this piece of Antichristian Hatred. This is pure Black Metal Hatred!

Standout tracks are "In i Skogens Mörka Djup", "Unholy Sacrifice", and probably one of the best Black Metal tracks ever, "My Eternal Journey".

One of the members also has the Isengard sounding side project Lik.

Thursday May 20 2004, by :Vragh:

Armagedda - 2000 - Volkermord

This is the first and only demo by this Swedish Black Metal horde, originally released under the name Volkermord. The original demo was limited to only 30 copies, so it's rather impossible to find these days, and this rerelease was limited to 200 copies, with four bonus tracks.

On side A we find the original four track demo, and on the B side are four new tracks, including an intro, a cover of Burzum's "Ea, Lord of the Depths", the demoversion of "Only True Believers..." (with the title "Finding Strength Through Satan's Power") plus one more unreleased track, "Over
Endless Fields of Sorrow".

The material, the production and the vocals on this tape are very similar to their debut, which is no surprise, as the recordings are only a year apart. Harsh and aggressive Swedish Black Metal with a slight Norwegian feel to it. If you see this tape I strongly suggest you buy it.

Three of the original demo tracks and the Burzum cover are now available on the Armagedda
compilation Echoes in Eternity.

Standout tracks are "Mordinstinkt", "Over Endless Fields of Sorrow" and "Ea, Lord of the Depths".

February 12 2005, by :Vragh: