Post-metal group Chrome Waves will release The Cold Light Of Despair, a collection of both new and previously released singles, covers, and more. The record drops November through guitarist Jeff Wilson’s independent label Disorder Recordings. Following nearly five years of silence, Chrome Waves was revamped and relaunched in 2018 with a new lineup containing former members of Wolvhammer, Nachtmystium, Abigail Williams, Amiensus, and more. The band issued their excellent and highly anticipated debut LP, A Grief Observed, on their own in early 2019, after which it was picked up by Avantgarde Music for vinyl and European release. The band has toured several times throughout the year with the likes of Tombs, Without Waves, Amiensus, and others, and several covers, singles, and more have seen digital release along the way. Continue reading →
Underground post-Black metal supergroup Chrome Waves (members of Wolvhammer, Nachtmystium, Abigail Williams, Amiensus) has signed a new deal with long-running label Avantgarde Music, for the European vinyl release of the band’s recently released debut LP, the acclaimed A Grief Observed. Chrome Waves’ has booked a Midwestern June US tour with Tombs approaches and West Coast dates with Suicide Forest in August.Continue reading →
Midwestern kvlt band Chrome Waves, consisting of former members of Wolvhammer, Nachtmystium, Abigail Williams, The Gates Of Slumber, Amiensus, and more booked further tour dates for North American tour dates supporting their impending debut full-length LP, A Grief Observed, due out March 1st through Disorder Recordings. The record was engineered by Niko Albanese with the band’s James Benson and Jeff Wilson and finished with artwork by Wilson. Chrome Waves will tour dates through the Midwest from February 27th through March 3rd, with shows in Minneapolis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Milwaukee, the five-city trek sees the band joined by Without Waves. The band also now confirms a subsequent run of tour dates in April, with shows in Toronto, Ottawa, Portland, and Providence April 4th through 7th. Former Skeletonwitch drummer Dustin Boltjes will fill in on drums for all confirmed live dates.Continue reading →
You know you’ve got a chuckle fest on your hands when an EP opens with samples from Darren Aronofsky’s movie, Requiem for a Dream (just save yourself some time and watch a few baby seals being clubbed to death: same effect.) And so it proves to be the case with Resilient (Prophecy), the four-track comeback release from Black Metal happy campers Nachtmystium. Continue reading →
Enigmatic, but genius band Nachtmystium, led by Blake Judd, who helped usher in the current generation of atmospheric black metal in the US has returned. The band have signed with respected Prophecy Productions and will release a new EP, dubbed Resilient in early 2018. Details below:Continue reading →
It’s not a bad time for the American Black Metal scene. Seems like every year we’re getting superb releases from upstarts and institutions like Leviathan, Krallice, Nachtmystium (RIP), Wolves In The Throne Room, Vattnet Viskar, and dare I say, Deafheaven. Woe, and their latest album, Hope Attrition (Vendetta) are no exception to this budding tradition. Continue reading →
Fortune favours the brave, and Carach Angren are forging something of a name for themselves by putting effort into the narratives of their albums, and looking to create something that at least pokes a toe outside the rigid walled box labelled “Black Metal”. A concept album that unfurls telling a story of two children caught up in a chilling horror (no spoilers here, if you want to find out the full extent of a tale that makes King Diamond’s tales seem like bedtime stories you will need to find out the hard – and heavy – way), This Is No Fairytale (Season of Mist) is the Dutch orators most compelling release to date.
Eschewing the usual black metal practice of ripping off thirty year old albums (praise be the dark lord!), Carach Angren are trying something different, with reference points of Abrahadabra (Nuclear Blast) and Grand Declaration of War (Necropolis), This Is No Fairytale takes the blood-curdling scream of black metal, and mixes it in the cauldron with a caustic steampunked Nachtmystium, darkened Imaginaerium (Nuclear Blast) symphonics and a liberal dose of Tim Burton.
While the resultant “whole” unfortunately doesn’t quite equal the sum of its parts, there are some very good parts here. The Dutch trio’s fourth album is an ambitious and enjoyable album, though at times it does allow certain tracks to outstay their welcome (‘Two Flies Flew Into A Black Sugar Cobweb’) and perhaps lacks a certain je ne sais quoi in the hook department.
This isn’t to put This Is No Fairytale down, because “when you reach for the stars, you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either” (Leo Burnett) and this stomping, frictional theatrical album conjures twisted Burton-esque images, especially during interlude ‘Dreaming of a Nightmare in Eden’. Carach Angren are at least looking to carve their own niche, and they aren’t too far from pulling the twisted nails of faith together to make their own maddened masterpiece.
Despite single-handedly dragging Nachtmystium from the benighted depths of the US black metal scene to their current position as one of its biggest names, it has not been an easy ride for mainman Blake Judd. Years spent battling drug addiction appeared to have paid their price with Judd announcing last year that The World We Left Behind (Century Media) would be Nachtmystium’s final recording. Howeve,r a recent change of heart means that the band is once again an active entity with Judd seemingly ready to lay his demons to rest and build on Nachtmystium’s successful merging of BM aesthetics with Pink Floyd-influenced prog and post-punk elements that has won them so many admirers. It’s a winning formula and one that Judd has further explored on this new album after the back to basics approach of 2012’s punishing Silencing Machine.
Despite the band’s status, first track ‘Intrusion’ seems to be more of a collection of rehearsal room riffs than anything resembling an actual song, more of a warm up exercise that somehow ended up on the finished product. Thankfully the Nachtmystium we know and love announces itself in style with ‘Fireheart’; a hip-shaking post-punk number chock full of jangling melodies that employs several downright catchy riffs that Joy Division might have written had they been around long enough to hear Deathcrush (Posercorpse). A few weird yet restrained keyboards nicely supplement the riffs and driving chorus before the mid-paced introspection of ‘Voyager’ takes things down to more downbeat levels with Judd doing plenty of soul searching in the morose lyrics.
The first appearance of the scalding black metal of the early days is in the eight minute plus assault of ‘Into the Endless Abyss’ which perfectly melds the aggression and iciness of the Norwegian second wave with the depressive elements that are the trademark of USBM. Keyboards nip like wasps rather than drowning the riffs in synth rendering the track a cathartic yet challenging experience, proving Judd still knows how to turn on the hate when required. However, modern Nachtmystium is more about atmosphere than pace these days as the churning riff and sheer gloom of ‘In the Absence of Existence’ lets you know when the band are at their most crushing.
The title track has a defiantly playful nature, merging epic synths with the most basic of drumbeats and another of those killer mid-paced riffs that seems to come so naturally to Judd. The melodies are as achingly sad as ever of course. However, it’s on the final track ‘Epitaph for a Dying Star’ that everything gels perfectly with the gorgeous, ethereal female vocals, soaring melodies and utterly crushing post-metal riff that drives the whole thing confirming just how lucky we are that Judd has postponed his retirement.
The World We Left Behind would have been a brilliant epitaph to a fantastic band but it now takes on a new perspective as something Judd can build on in the future, provided he keeps his demons in check. Or maybe he should let them off the leash entirely? Either way, Nachtmystium are back at the top of the pile and long may they glower down from there.
