[Throwback Reviews] BLACK SABBATH - 13

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.

Black Sabbath - 13 (2013, Vertigo & Universal)

When I first heard that Sabbath had a new release I was separated between despair and anger because I have a lot of respect about what this band did to Rock and how their sound still influences many bands and genres of music that I love. But I kinda always felt that Ozzy was much like a living dead and that a new release would just be like the extra beer you take when you already had too many but you still continue to drink until hangover.

THROES - This Viper Womb

ThrOes – This Viper Womb (2016, Aesthetic Death Records)

Tasmanian Metal, what to expect? Well, surpringly this is more than a good album from the duo ThrOes and their own kind of self proclaimed Dissident Metal. Usually, when a band comes out with a definition of its own sound I am more than suspect about it. In this case, we are navigating between the boundaries of Black Metal, Crust, and Punk. Yound And In the Way, Thränenkind, and Mantar are the first names that comes to mind.

SORCIER DES GLACES - North

Sorcier Des Glaces - North (2016, Obscure Abhorrence Productions)

Back in the early 2000s, I was still discovering Black Metal and its most obscure bands of the second wave especially out of Norway. There was a website called American Nihilistic Underground Society whose’s musical reviews were highly influential on me and helped me to discover lesser known bands like SDG. Back then, I ordered directly from ‘’Roby’’ Sébastien Robitaille his first CD that he burned himself and printed the jacket from his computer. It was Snowland that he recorded by himself and sold almost as in the vein of tape trading back in the days. Shortly, we met at the record store he used to work for and I was a regular customer for many years after and he began to make me discover many of his favorite albums and talked a lot about his SDG project, that was on a hiatus back then, and his current project Moonlyght as well as Passages, Doom metal entry. It’s been many years since I’ve talked to Roby but I kept following his musical path because I always felt that he was carrying the essence of Black Metal.

ACHERONTE - Ancient Furies

Acheronte - Ancient Furies (2016, Satanath Records)

The number 7 is the key element of this new album by the Italians of Acheronte and their Black Metal that reminds of Bathory and their Under the Sign of the Black Mark era and Marduk’s Heaven Shall Burn When We Are Gathered. Ancient Furies is composed of seven songs, about seven monarchs for seven furies. In the vein of the second wave of Black Metal and the spirit of De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas by Mayhem, Acheronte are giving many glimpses of well executed Black Metal.

HELLEBORUS - The Carnal Sabbath

Helleborus - The Carnal Sabbath (2016, Black Plague Records & Satanath Records)

Since its inception, the subgenre that is Black Metal has been reduced to many stereotypes and more often than not the creators behind the music were sole members or a few musicians. The brothers Houseman, Jerred and Wyatt have founded Helleborus in a goal to achieve something different with a masculine and romantic approach to the whole thing. I already see your eyebrows forming a strange W shape. Before you pass a judgement let’s see what it sounds like.

KOMMANDO - Distroyer / Iron Goat Triumph

Kommando – Distroyer / Iron Goat Triumph (2016, self-released)

Black Metal meets crust punk from Germany is the anthem of Kommando, a side-project of Dysangelium and Endstille members. And just as Crust goes they mock up with song titles with many puns like replacing the ‘’u’’ for ‘’v’’ and with titles like ‘’Old and In The Way’’ and ‘’Bitching Hour’’ someone with a little knowing of Metal in general will get it.

GJENDØD - Gjendød [EP]

Gjendød – Gjendød [EP] (2016, Hellthrasher Productions)

Norwegian Black Metal, I know, I know, only a few of us still think that its pentagrams and inverted crosses aren’t corny, that the movement died with Euronymous, and that everyone that is putting corpsepaint is a fad. Well, you might think we are nostalgics but with the recent EP of the duo of K and KK of Gjendød the spirit of the second wave of Black Metal is still strong and interesting.

NEIGE ET NOIRCEUR - Les Ténèbres Modernes

Neige et Noirceur - Les Ténèbres Modernes (2016, Sepulchral Productions)

This one man band from Québec with its sole member Zifond and in this release the vocals of Schimaera offers another Ambiant Black Metal record that is based on the Great War or for the non-Historians the First World War of 1914-18.

FORTERESSE - Thèmes pour la Rébellion

Forteresse - Thèmes pour la Rébellion (2016, Sepulchral Productions)

The legendary band of Québécois Black Metal, or as they described it in their mother tongue Métal Noir québécois, Forteresse has already a wide fanbase and is probably one of the most well known Black Metal acts from Québec. As a side note, it is also my home and place of birth but I must add that I am not in touch in any way with the band and I got this promo by the usual daily promo emails. Nonetheless, it was one of the releases I was most excited to receive since there was a long wait and high expectations for Thèmes pour la Rébellion.

PANYCHIDA - Haereticalia - The Night Battles

Panychida - Haereticalia – The Night Battles (2016, Cursed records)

When a record is released on the last day of the month it is difficult for us reviewers to actually listen and review the thing and in my case to add it to the Month’s best records. It might be a sad excuse because I received it a long ago and I just didn’t got to it until just now. Their Pagan Metal from Czech Republic was released on the 30th of May.

Prior to continuying, I must admit not being a huge fan of the Pagan Metal genre but with my great openess I’ve wanted to listen to this album to at least consider and demonstrate my good will as a music reviewer.

ASHBRINGER - Yûgen

Ashbringer - Yûgen (2016, Avantgarde Music)

Minnesota wunderkind Nick Stanger made some kind of an impact with the release of his first LP Vacant a year ago. Ashbringer was another Northern American one man band that could go under the radar like many others. Young Stanger was eighteen at the time he recorded Vacant  and his interpretation of the genre surprised with his compositions and deep understanding of Black Metal.

Interview: Johan of Stortregn

With their recent release of Singularity (review) in late May, Johan of Stortergn has taken the time to answer to the questions we asked him about the band and the release of their third full length album.  

NÉVOA - Re Un

Névoa - Re Un (2016, Avantgarde Music)

For anyone who has ever gone fishing, one knows that to grab a fish once it is hooked you must be wearing a glove or taking it on board with a net. The music of Névoa from Portugal, a young duo of multi-instrumentalists, might be like the fishing metaphor. Meaning they get from Black Metal to Doom with Sludge passages in the four songs of their new record titled Re Un.

ENDLOS - Im Fallen Verlaufen

Endlos - Im Fallen Verlaufen (2016, Symbol of Domination & Narbentage Produktionen)

The duo of Endlos out of Germany set itself into the Black/Doom Metal genre while getting in touch with Punkish elements that we could relate to their compatriots of Thränenkind. They are, however, not yet into the same league as the later band mentioned.

Song Stream: "Meeting on the Astral Plane" by VOW OF THORNS

The opening track from their upcoming album Farewell to the Sun:

KVELERTAK - Nattesferd

Kvelertak - Nattesferd (2016, Roadrunner Records)

The path that AC/DC paved for all the Airbourne and Kvelertak of today has always been what I often call drive in the middle of the road as an efficient blend of rock and roll and some angrier elements.

LIVE BURIAL - Forced Back to Life

Live Burial - Forced Back to Life (2016, Dunkelheit Produktionen)

Straight outta UK, the old-school Death Metal revivalists of Live Burial are throwing riffs and blasts like it was the best era of Death Metal, some purists would say. The promo people noted Death/Doom  Metal as the genre of this record but I would be more into the categorization of old-school Death Metal à la Horrendous, Sarpanitum, and even Vektor for the old-school touches.

[Throwback Reviews] OLD MAN GLOOM - The Ape of God

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.

Old Man Gloom – The Ape of God (2014, Profound Lore)

The super group that is Old Man Gloom consisting of Aaron Turner on guitar and vocals (Isis), Nate Newton also on guitar and vocals (Converge, Doomriders), Caleb Scofield on bass and vocals (Cave In, Zozobra), and drummer Santos Motano. With the release of two albums identically titled and leaking a fake edited version of a single album, Old Man Gloom angered and frustrated journalists and illegal downloads.