Vancouver's Black Metal Art Exhibition 'BLACK' ft. Peter Beste, Christophe Szpajdel @ Evergreen Cannabis Society

“Black”, The Black Metal Exhibition
June 11 -19
Evergreen Cannabis Society, 
2868 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC
http://www.theinvisibleorange.com/black-2016/ 
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/216310068748350/ 
Hours: 
Opening Ceremony on Friday June 11 at 6pm. Gallery exhibition open June 12 to June 19 from 11am to 8pm. Except Sunday June 19, gallery closes at 5pm.

Internationally renowned photographer Peter Beste and graphic artist Christophe Szpajdel will be featured in the first installation of Vancouver’s “Black”, The Black Metal Exhibition being held from June 11 - 19 at the Evergreen Cannabis Society (2868 West 4th Avenue).

SXUPERION - Cosmic Void

Sxuperion – Cosmic Void (2016, Bloody Mountain Records)

After a very solid split album with Verräter released last year, one man band Sxuperion is now releasing Cosmic Void an offering of five songs of pure contempt for humanity and its immature presence in the whole universe.

[Throwback Reviews] MAYHEM - Esoteric Warfare

Note from the editor: this review was first published at my main blog and since I moved here I've decided to edit and repost those archived reviews once in a while just to get the database complete and give a second life to those earlier writings.

Mayhem - Esoteric Warfare (2014, Season of Mist)

Legendary Norwegian Black Metal band Mayhem is back with another game changing record for its fans. While spacing releases, their latest albums previous to Esoteric Warfare was Ordo Ad Chaos released in 2007. So, seven years have passed since they released one of the most avant-garde Black Metal records to date.

INVOCATION – Seance Part : I [EP]

Invocation – Seance Part : I EP (2016, Godz Ov War Productions)

Think of a Chilean tape that’s been hiding in some kind of a nostalgic room filled with old Bathory and Sarcofago tapes and you might come close to Invocation’s Seance Part : I EP.

MANTAR - Ode To The Flame

Mantar – Ode To The Flame (2016, Nuclear Blast)

If you are new to this blog you should know that I am a fan of Black, Doom, and Hardcore but not very much about the label Nuclear Blast. The main reason is that their productions sound too professional (or too clean if you prefer) for some Metal genres. But, Mantar’s Ode To The Flame is the example of a great album done incredibly right.

ASTRAL PATH - An Oath To The Void

Astral Path – An Oath To The Void (2016, Avantgarde Music)

The Canadian duo of Justin Bourdeau (vocals, guitar, drums) and Ana Dujakovic (bass, synth) of Astral Path recently released their debut album titled An Oath To The Void. Sometimes when a new band is formed and they release a new album we critics tend to say made up sentences like this is a promising first album and other banalities of the genre. 

DESTRÖYER 666 - Wildfire

Deströyer 666 – Wildfire (2016, Season of Mist)

Australian Black/Death/Thrash metal legends, Deströyer 666 are once again masters the act of speed metal in a cult to Motörhead. In the vein of this year’s also very efficient black/death release of Stillborn, Deströyer 666 is not reinventing the genre but they manage to do it with precision and cohesion that satisfies the author of those lines.

DARKEND - The Canticle Of Shadows

Darkend – The Canticle Of Shadows (2016, Non Serviam Records)

There seems to have a weirdly forced vibe going around the release of this album with the A-list Black Metal guest performers in the name of Attila Csihar (Mayhem), Niklas Kvarforth (Shining), Sakis Tolis (Rotting Christ), and Labes C (Abysmal Grief) for the release of the Italian Symphonic Black Metal act Darkend’s The Canticle of Shadows. As with any buzz surrounding a movie or a new record I tend to take a step back and wait for the confetti of fandom and trend followers to get down to make a more thoughtful opinion about the thing. With the new Darkend, I wanted to get my review out in time for the release date so I spaced my listens in time and I tried to distance myself from the many promotional emails and rainfall that I had over this new record.

THE HOWLING VOID - The Triumph of Ruin

The Howling Void – The Triumph of Ruin (2016, Avantgarde Music)

The highly prolific American one man band The Howling Void is back at releasing another funereal doom metal in full seriousness and epic ambition with The Triumph of Ruin.

ISOLERT – No Hope, No Light… Only Death

Isolert – No Hope, No Light… Only Death (2016, Ogmios Underground)

Greek Black Metal is always a go to and the debut album by Isolert is no exception to that rule. At 30 minutes, we have an atmospheric yet raw entry in the genre.

IHSAHN - Arktis.

Ihsahn – Arktis. (2016, Candlelight)

The name of the former Emperor front man Ihsahn should not be a mystery to any metal head.His solo career has taken his early black metal efforts into the prog rock universe with a virulent taste for complex compositions and a tight triptych. Now with his sixth album as Ihsahn we are closer to a mainstream sound that could relate to Spock’s Beard or Pain of Salvation.

DESASTER - The Oath of an Iron Ritual

Desaster – The Oath of an Iron Ritual (2016, Metal Blade Records)

German black/thrash/speed attack of Desaster are achieving with their eight studio album another tour-de-force that is to take old-school metal and turn it unpredictable, intense, and outstanding.

For Hire: Music Writers / Reviewers

BATUSHKA - Litourgiya [2015 Blindspot]

Batushka – Litourgiya (2015, Witching Hour Productions)

When December 2015 ended we were all listing our favorite albums of the year, revisiting the best moments of it and trying to be original and true to ourselves and our precedent reviews. However, the flow of releases kept coming and the debut album of Polish black metal band Batushka, Litourgiya, was one of the sadly overlooked albums of the end of the year.

THE CLEARING PATH – Abyss Constellation [EP] [2015 Blindspot]

The Clearing Path – Abyss Constellation EP (2015, Avantgarde Music)

A two songs EP of Italian progressive black metal gets us to think that black metal isn’t limited to the primitive boundaries of its second wave even with all the malignant sides it implies.

ROT – Old Dirty Grindcores 2007-1991

ROT – Old Dirty Grindcores 2007-1991 (2016, Give Praise Records)

A compilation album is never something that is year end list worthy. It is more or less an entry path to gain new fans with a best of or essentials from the band. In the case of Old Dirty Grindcores 2007-1991, this is a complete song countdown from the Brazilian total blast grind masters ROT.

GERYON – The Wound and the Bow

Geryon – The Wound and the Bow (2016, Profound Lore)

Death metal duo of bassist Nicholas McMaster and drummer Lev Weinstein and produced by fellow bandmate of Krallice Colin Marston, Geryon is a blend between old school Death metal and the new American metal school of wall of soundesque scopes and experimental metal.

WORSHIP OF KERES - Bloodhounds For Oblivion [EP]

Worship of Keres - Bloodhounds For Oblivion (2016, self-released)

The plethora of new Doom metal acts has been falling like misery on poor people. Coming from California, this trio shows a promising debut album that is as interesting as Windhand's debut material with a strong penchant for classic acts like Candlemass, Witchfinder General, Pagan Altar, and Coven.

VOÏVOD – Post Society [EP]

Voïvod – Post Society EP (2016, Century Media)

Québécois progressive metal legends and speed metal masters don’t need no introductions when it comes to music connoisseurs.

KRALLICE – Hyperion [EP]

Krallice – Hyperion (2016, Avantgarde Music)

Still hot from releasing Ygg Huur in 2015, Krallice strikes again with a powerful three songs EP of over 23 minutes of pure joy, in the metal fashion.

MICK BARR - Blespac (Spathages) / Worthnt (Rust Mine) [7"]

Mick Barr - Blespac (Spathages) / Worthnt (Rust Mine) [7"] (2016, Wharf Cat records)
Mick Barr unleashes two technically masterful and dynamic tracks that straddle the progressive metal and free jazz genres. Both feature only Barr’s maniacally fast guitar shredding and screamed vocals. This 7” is truly thrilling and sure to satisfy any fan of Mick Barr’s solo output, his work with bands like Krallice, Ocrilim,Octis, and Orthrelm, or any of his numerous collaborative efforts.

A.H.P. - Against Human Plague

A.H.P. – Against Human Plague (2016, Via Nocturna)

Coming out of Norway and presented as : « “Against Human Plague” is the debut album of the A.H.P. horde. A mixture of depressive suicidal black metal and dark ambient in truly venomous proportions. The almost 40 minutes album is full of self sacrifice, pain, suffering and bleakness. It’s a record that will make you beg to die… » are a mysterious horde of players that indeed makes suicidal black metal without the melancholic angle of Lifelover or Forgotten Tomb.

NECRONOMICON – Advent of the Human God

Necronomicon – Advent of the Human God (2016, Season of Mist)

Extreme metal masters from Montréal, QC Necronomicon have released thru the renowned label Season of Mist their most recent attack Advent of the Human God.

ORANSSI PAZUZU - Värähtelijä

Oranssi Pazuzu - Värähtelijä (2016, 20 Buck Spin)

This record of over 70 minutes of pushing the limits of black metal within the path of psychedelic rock and progressive metal from the Finnish masters of Oranssi Pazuzu is divisive yet obviously mandatory.

AL-NAMROOD – Diaji Al Joor [2015 Blindspot]

Al-Namrood – Diaji Al Joor (2015, Shaytan Productions)

Saudi Arabia and Black metal, two things that are not really suited to be together one would guess. But the link between those two worlds was made by Al-Namrood, formed in 2008 in Saudi Arabia and their music would be at first compared to Melechesh because of their geographical location. But, the comparison stops here for me. Al-Namrood contains more sonorities and grooves from their origins than the pretentious overrated Melechesch.

Record of the Month : March 2016

With a lot going around in my daily job and a recent trip in San Diego I did not had the time to get to writing as many reviews as I wanted nor to listen as much as new music as I would normally have and so the record of the month also suffered for that reason.

However, it is more than important for me to highlight the best new record of March 2016. The titles goes to :