Blood Of Kingu – Dark Star on the Right Horn of the Crescent Moon


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Ukrainian Black metallers Blood of Kingu are back with a new album, Dark Star on the Right Horn of the Crescent Moon (Season of Mist). It’s the third full length from the Babylonian-themed quintet, and continues in a similar vein to their previous efforts; black, bleak and unrelenting.

Led by Drudkh’s Roman Saenko, Blood of Kingu follow all the expectations of a proper black metal band; long song titles, blast beat, indecipherable lyrics and buzzsaw riffing. It’s pretty relentless stuff, full of dark atmosphere. And, unlike many records in the genre, Dark Star on the Right Horn of the Crescent Moon boasts some decent production values.

Opening with ‘Crowned Scarlet Moon Is Waiting for Eclipse,’ we’re given five minutes of pure blast beat fury, demonic vocals and endless abrasive riffing. It’s a good opening, managing to summon some really bleak and grim sounds. However, despite the promising opening, the album never really goes anywhere interesting. All the songs are samey and repetitive and there’s never any deviation from tried and tested formulas. The two ambient interludes really add to the eeriness of it all, before it returns to the standard blast beating fare.

For those who like their metal as Kvlt as possible, Blood of Kingu offer all the right genre tropes. For anyone who likes to see Black metal pushing the boundaries however, Dark Star on the Right Horn of the Crescent Moon offers little fresh or interesting.

5.5/10.0

Blood of Kingu on Facebook

DAN SWINHOE


Zgard – Contemplation


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So, there you were, thinking that Eastern European Black Metal is just a load of one-man bedroom acts who own too many Burzum and Summoning albums, love to stand in the snow in animal furs and think that it’s their national prerogative to play a flute, regardless of skill. Well, you’d be right to an extent. For while Drudkh and Negura Bunget have made a name for themselves by actually branching out from their microscopic scenes and making good use of traditional instrumentation, you will always get acts like Zgard who are content to sticking to what they know. Thankfully, they happen to know a fair old bit, which is why Contemplation (Svarga) may well surprise you.

This sixty-two minute odyssey into Ukrainian forests may be one that listeners have taken before accompanied by the two big name artists mentioned above, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of pretty sights to be seen along the way as the aptly named ‘Through the Forest’ proves with its rushing tremolo guitars, soaring melodies, mystical keyboards and subtle choral vocals. There’s echoes of revered artists such as Kroda reverberating through the trees and you soon get the impression that mainman Yaromisl has plenty more to show you, which he does with the crowd pleasing jig-along that pops up during ‘Highlands’ and the quirky polka mischief that opens ‘Incarnation Memory.’

It wouldn’t be an Eastern European BM album without an instrumental piece however and we get just that with the haunting and thoughtful ‘Silence’, which knocks the socks off the latest effort from Herr Vikernes. Not forgetting of course the frequent wind and rain sound effects to remind you just how cold it is behind the old iron curtain and you have everything you need and nothing you wouldn’t expect. Clichéd? Perhaps, but it’s a cliché with plenty of mileage left in it and while the forest is still this beautiful, it’s one that’s worth taking a stroll into.

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7.5/10.0

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JAMES CONWAY

 


Woods of Desolation – As The Stars


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This one-man metal project that we know as Woods of Desolation comes from the intriguing mind of D., the Australian musician that has been playing an undeniable important role on the Down Under’s underground scene not only with his current project Woods of Desolation, but also with Forest Mysticism and Grey Waters. The road that was started with depressive black metal (the highest point being the debut full-length released in 2008, Toward The Depths) suffered what we can call a big change with the injection of shoegaze and more ethereal environments and soundscapes with Woods of Desolation’s sophomore album, Torn Beyond Reason (released in 2011). Three years after we have the third album which mixes the sounds of Forest Mysticism with the sounds of Grey Waters. It sort of works as a full circle for D., the musician in charge of this new album, As The Stars (Northern Silence Productions). With the help of Vlad from the mighty Ukrainian band Drudkh and the countrymen Luke Mills on bass (Nazxul) and Old on vocal duties (Pestilential Shadows). Having the support and help of other musicians was probably what made this album be so damn rich in terms of guitar layers and tones. Every single track seems to take advantage of D.’s guitar work to levitate and finally rise in a spiral movement that is too fuckin’ strong to be stopped.

 

As Michael Gira (Swans) once told me, the main goal must be to achieve ecstasy. Well, As The Stars doesn’t have a problem achieving ecstasy, but rather a problem to let it go. Like a fuckin’ junkie never satisfied, Woods’ music on this new album is constantly trying to exceed itself. What once was depressive now it seems to be uplifting and hopeful towards positivity. But who really knows? It’s really hard to tell when you’re so fuckin’ high for almost thirty eight minutes and you’re not allowed to stop. Hopefully this album, and this band, will have the due credit and recognition. If you like stuff like Alcest, Lantlôs and Deafheaven… Why the hell would you not give a chance to Woods of Desolation? Don’t be afraid. Jump!

 

8/10

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TIAGO MOREIRA