Despite what many people might believe, Black metal as a genre was always about experimentation, evolution and about finding an identity, even amongst peers. Right from its roots, Black Metal was an ever-changing force with its famous ‘second wave’ icons consciously taking vastly different directions and styles.
Does no-one care about End Of Year Lists anymore? [shakes fist angrily]
Releasing an album like Retrocausal (Web Of Mimicry) in mid-December almost seems designed to antagonise self-righteous reviewers who freak out about making their lists as accurate as they can – but speaking as one, it’s easy to forgive Cleric when their slap comes in the form of an album this good.
On his sixth full-length, The Darkness at the Edge of Dawn (Avantgarde), The Howling Void has crafted an album that makes the most effective use of its runtime and rarely featuring a note out of place. I think we can chalk that up to Howling Void being the singular doom vision of Ryan Wilson, hence the number of LPs within just a decade of existence.Continue reading
The Ghost Cult album round-up is back in town for your vulgar delectation, with our penultimate selection of 2017 taking you down amongst the silt, with a selection of Sludge, Doom and post-Metal antidotes to any festive cheeriness that may be unsettling your disgusted souls…Continue reading
On Thursday, September 17, 2015, Justin Broadrick and G.C. Green of the absolutely crushing, Godflesh, made their Boston stop on the current North American tour in support of the latest album, A World Lit by Fire, with tour support from experimental noise artist, Prurient (Dominick Fernow).
Seemingly few people knew about this show as evidenced by the poor attendance of maybe 150 people, which I can only attribute to the shamefully non-existent show promotion by whomever was saddled with that task in the area. For that reason, I really think there should be some pink slips issued. Godflesh has been in the area exactly one other time in the past 16 or so years. It’s not as if they are some unknown band or some guys from around the corner that sound like everyone else. Having influenced so many with their unique sound since their inception in 1988 Godflesh can’t be categorized as anything but terms like legends, game changers or innovators. Whatever, if you don’t know who they are then you have some serious homework to do ’Mr. and Ms. Metalhead.’ My point is that there should have been at least as many people as had attended their last show in Boston in 2014 and it is a sad comment on the area that there weren’t, whatever the lame excuse or cause.
Just before 9:45pm, Prurient pretty much exploded onto the stage and began his auditory assault. Smashing sound gizmos and gadgets(clearly technical terms) laid out on a table with a laptop and microphones then throwing himself around the stage while screaming inaudible sounds or words into the mic. I found the performance kind of mesmerizing and enjoyed every minute of it. If you don’t like noise artists then it may have been time to get a drink at the bar but if you do, then this was the set for you. Full of energy and interesting to watch with great sound to match.
Godflesh hit the stage and did not disappoint. Not only did they sound amazing, the projections that they are known for set the mood perfectly in the moderately sized venue. The majority of the set list obviously comprised tracks from the recent A World Lit by Fire, which I like a lot, but there were some “classics” as well. Ferocious songs like ‘Crush My Soul,’ ‘Streetcleaner,’ ‘Christbait Rising’ and of course ‘Like Rats’ to close out the night. Whether it was a new or old song, each one hit you square in the chest and left you wanting more. The sound for them was a bit quieter than I expected for the venue but was completely on point otherwise and the lighting for the set, although dark and moody, was the best I have seen there which in my experience has been stagnant an uninteresting.
Other than an extremely disinterested (to the point of ignoring customers), slow and very late merch guy and the lack of any real local show promotion, I have zero complaints. Go see this tour if and when it rolls through. It’s worth every second.
[slideshow_deploy id=’33186′]
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY HILLARIE JASON
With their last proclamation Carrion Skies (Code666), British band Fen let the Black Metal flood back into their sound, releasing their strongest album to date and ultimately featuring in the Ghost Cult Magazine Top 40 Albums of 2014. In celebration of opening the sluice gates, front man The Watcher revealed the depth of his Black Metal love by unveiling his Top 5 unsung oft overlooked underground treasures
Setherial – Nord (Napalm Records – 1996)
Cold. That’s the one overriding word to sum up this furious blast of mid-nineties Swedish black metal – cold. Freezing, even. Taking its cues fairly heavily from Emperor’s seminal In the Nightside Eclipse (Candlelight) album, Nord strips backs the keyboards whilst simultaneously cranking up the intensity levels considerably. Riff after riff of freezing melody pours forth across thundering percussion, lengthy songs (the opener alone is nearly 12 minutes long) buoyed by relentless twists and turns. An exhilarating, windswept listen and serious contender for black metal’s finest hour.
Diabolical Masquerade – Nightwork (Avantgarde Music – 1998)
Anders Nystrom may be much better known for his “day job” in Katatonia but back in the mid-90s, as the mysterious Blakkheim he released four records of haunting, horror-themed black metal under the banner of Diabolical Masquerade. The pick is undoubtedly the third full-length Nightwork, a peak-laden brace of songs replete with infections fretwork, searing melody and an underlying sense of humour. This isn’t at all to detract from the ‘abandoned mansion’ atmospherics of the album and Nightwork simply oozes a convincing crepuscular ambience in amongst the riffage.
Armagedda – Ond Spiritism (Agonia – 2004)
From pure early Darkthrone worship on their debut to ‘fist-in-the face’ muscular black metal on ‘Only True Believers’ to occult-themed dungeonesque roamings, Sweden’s Armagedda explored a gamut of expressions within their short, three-album career. Swansong ‘Ond Spiritism’ is the peak – a lengthy, sprawling opus with an undeniable cloak of darkness wafting across the whole thing. Graav’s guttural croak spits venom in his native Swedish whilst the guitars and bass swirl like a thick fog. Absorbing and unsettling work from the young Swedes.
Tenebrae in Perpetuum – Antico Misticismo (Debemur Morti – 2006)
Yet another band who are no longer with us, Tenebrae in Perpetuum specialised in a particularly brittle, shrill form of frozen melodic black metal – made particularly surprising by the fact that they were actually Italian! Mainman Atratus’ guitar sound is one of the most distinctive you’ll hear – a treble-heavy, reverb soaked saw that nonetheless manages to convey the band’s excellently-developed sense of melody and song structure. All three of their full-length releases are worth tracking down so consistent is their quality but Antico Misticismo probably edges it thanks to a couple of genuinely spine-tingling moments.
Obsidian Tongue – A Nest of Ravens in the Throat of Time (Hypnotic Dirge – 2013)
The most recent release on this list and hopefully a band who won’t remain ‘hidden’ for too much longer, this US-based duo ply their trade with a particularly punishing brand of “Post” black metal. Building on the template laid down by the so-called ‘Cascadian’ sound (Agalloch, Wolves in the Throne Room et al), Brendan Hayter and Greg Murphy lay down a serious challenge on their sophomore effort here. Winding passaged of considered guitar, inventive percussion and a darker atmosphere than many of their peers render them a real one to watch. That they can pull it off live is just the icing on the cake.
The Watcher was speaking to STEVE TOVEY