Consisting of Jake, Dany, and Déhà, Acathexis unites members of Mare Cognitum, Los Males del Mundo, and Downfall of Nur together as an intercontinental unit based in Argentina, USA, and Belgium, In collaboration with Extraconscious Records, Amor Fati Productions proudly releases Acathexis’ second full length that is highly anticipated; entitled Immerse which is available on both CD and vinyl formats.
Dodsrit began as a solo project for ex-Totem Skin multi-instrumentalist Christoffer Oster, who recorded and released two highly acclaimed records – Dodsrit (2017) and Spirit Crusher (2018).
Borknagar is one of Norway’s acclaimed heavy metal acts known for their striking Scandinavian sound and resolute resilience. Their beginnings sprouted thirty years ago and over that time they have proven their merit by cultivating complex concoctions full of genre-bending wonders. They are well seasoned in their affluent brewing of black, progressive, and folk elements making their work notable.
Their capabilities continue to shine bright on their next full-length record where they push boundaries and explore new depths of their skill sets on Fall (Century Media Records).
Ah yes, Black Metal, the undisputed industry leader in the one-person-performs-all-of-the-music subgenre.
Not sure why that is, but it seems like you can’t swing a dead cat in a burned down church without hitting seemingly dozens of these acts. One of the latest of these projects to hit my desk is Washington’s Hulder with Verses in Oath (20 Buck Spin).Continue reading
Every band has an origin story. Some are interesting, a few amusing, but most are just routine tales of auditions, acquaintances or simple geography. Continue reading
When a new review arrives in my inbox, I often listen to the music first before reading any release info from the band. I like to let the music do the talking before I check out any info from the PR agent. It wasn’t until I read the release info did I come to notice that The Amentia’s latest release Plague of Locus (Debemur Morti) contains a bunch of cover songs. Clearly, The Amentia were able to take a few tracks from bands that inspired them and to transform them into songs of their own.
The five-piece atmospheric black metal act Ershetu releases debut album entitled Xibalba (Debemur Morti Productions), a label focusing on Black, Death, Doom, Sludge amd avant-garde extreme metal, and which has worked with several renowned names such as Blut Aus Nord and Archgoat.
American Gothic (Profound Lore) opens with a great deal of fanfare – a Western-tinged throb of guitar before you are reminded Wayfarer are a Black Metal band: snarled vocals control the mic, the drummer leans into a deliberate double-bass attack rather than joining the blast-beaten status quo… the band displaying a dynamic progression as songwriters on their fifth album as they continue to get even better with each release.
There is something about the wine in France that brings out a unique progressive slant to the Black Metal that hails from its soil. Ardraos (Florian Denis) is a part of this legacy, and he is now forging his own path with Sühnopfer. From the opening track of fourth offering Nous sommes d’Hierument (Debemur Morti), a powerful, impactful musical statement, he lashes out with a dynamic blend of melodic atmosphere, expanding the mood beyond the screams of torment hurtling at you. Choirs ring out from the background of the blackened chaos, baroque themes woven in are taken from composers Charpentier and Cherubini.
I’ve been looking forward to wrapping my ears around Svalbard’s new material after catching snippets of what was to come when I caught them live supporting Russian Circles and Cult Of Luna over in Berlin earlier in 2023. And landing that European tour signified a fine start to a year which has also seen the Bristol based band sign for Nuclear Blast Records, with The Weight Of The Mask their first album for the prestigious new label and their first collection of new songs since the excellent When I Die, Will I Get Better? which was released on Church Road Records back in 2020.