We've met one of these guys before. I. Ishtar has many band behind him, but we (ain't it funny how I speak on your behalf as well?) know him best from Dødsfall.
Partner, Jorge Vergara is probably less known, unless you've come across Isolated for instance, where one also found I. Ishtar.

With Sorrowful the two gentlemen wants to recreate some of the classic (British) death/doom from the early nineties. The genre was then often heavier, darker and more depressed than has been the case over the last 15-20 years. Many bands have both walked away from growling and headed towards a more gothic expression.
Sorrowful obviously wish to reintroduce the old fashioned way of doing this. Naked, raw, heavy, godforsaken, resigned, heartfelt...

They succeeded to some extent. Sorrowful have an expression that could have stemmed from around the demo/début era of Anathema, Paradise Lost and My Dying Brides. In The Rain Fall is not as melodic/epic landscaped as what the mentioned bands soon composed a lot of. Of these three, Anathema is the closest, especially soundwise.
Harmonically weeping twin-guitars creates a feeling of discouraged despair. The sound is unpolished but not muddy. The vocals are rough, as the growls come without excessive guttural gurgling, but rather with semi-clear diction. It's heavy and mournful, with good melodies. It all appears to be timely... in 1990.

The song material on this début is unfortunately not strong enough to emerge as timeless classics on par with The Crestfallen EP, Gothic or As the Flower Withers, but I think old fans of such will find lots of (un)pleasant stuff to enjoy on In The Rain Fall. We should also remember that Sorrowful is yet early in their career. A solid début!

Was the Cthulhu mythology your first or second choice? The Elder Ones appear so often in metal context that I will soon be at a level where I wont be surprised if I meet Yog-Sothoth, Nyarlathotep, Azathoth or Cthulhu on Wacken, Monsters of Rock, Tuska Open Air, Dynamo, Ozzfest, Bloodstock etc.

The band was started by Florent (vocals and guitar) and Fanny (bass and backing vocals) in September 2012. In 2013 the band was finally complete, when drummer Raúl entered the picture. The trio released an EP in October the same year, and this is their first full length album.

The varied death grunts is hard to decipher anyway, so let's just concentrating on the musical rather than the concept.
It's varied rhythms and tonality the French conjures up. There's a lot of traditional crushing death metal here, but also much more. Some guitar parts are going somewhat in the direction of the technical sub-genre, some passages smells of brutality, while still others nearly tangent the mighty and epic offspring. I see no point in pinpoint a cubicle for one-selves when one evidently got creativity and inspiration far beyond such limitations.

Quite contrary, I see the band's willingness to mix as a strength. Especially since they're also able to create a continuous flow. The band is a little bit undeveloped for the time being, but this is a strong beginning, and I'm already looking forward to the Chronicles of the Doomed Worlds – Part. II.

The eight tracks spread out over 42 minutes as alarming fever nightmares. Trapped aggression finally gets its outburst as suppressed anger is spewed out in intense cascades. Without crossing the border to cacophony, Thornesbreed still offers an intense affair.

This is the moderately chaotic variety of black metal, with its origins in Deathspell Omega and the likes. On the brink of the abyss of Hell – where dizzying heights and even worse maelstroms reveals itself, where torrents of lava stings the skin from afar and thick sulphur smoke adheres like asbestos dust on the sweat, burning skin – eclectic dystopia is served. You get the picture.

On the positive side, Thornesbreed presents a frantic work of art that ooze of dispirited discomfort. It alters adequately in pace and it offers good melodies and a hypnotic mood. The vocalist vary between deep growl and both sharp and Abbath-rasping black vocals.
This is solid stuff in both performances and heavy, sultry sound.
The negative aspect comes in the form of an indirect First World problem (or luxury problem as we so neutrally call it in Scandinavia).
With undisguised madness from bands like (e.g.) Katechon, Israthoum, Malthusian, Svartidauði, Misþyrming, Devouring Star and Desolate Shrine fresh in memory, Thornesbreed doesn't leave that strong an impact as it could and would alone. Isolated, it would be much more impressive, for it's still very good music. Large portions of killer metal has made me spoiled, superficial and demanding.
Regardless, GTRD (whatever it may stand for) is more than qualified for an approval!

The trio consists of current and former members of infamous constellations as Von, Krieg and Nachtmystium and equally well known (but less “notorious”) Abigail Williams, to name just a few. Despite some German-sounding names, most of you will probably perceive that we're of to the States. To Chicago, to be exact. Their first release consists of three tracks and 23 minutes of doom-laden black metal.

In accordance with the moniker, negative and oppressive moods is conjured. It's the heavy, sluggish and manic that reigns. With rumbling sound, screeching guitars and frenetic vocals, only like-minded will be able to find anything “positive” in this raw substance.
The faster parts shall not be forgotten. The stench of self-destructive hellishness can be smelled from afar.

The band's singer/guitarist/bassist has engined the sound at the rehearsal place himself, something that commands respect. It sounds very good, while the different instruments (including the often underrated bass) appears clearly. That the sound is so clear and distinct, yet dirty and unpolished, creates an authentic heinous and impious mood that suits the material considerably.

A Hymn to Disappointment is a rough taste of what the band has up both sleeves.
Something that certainly gives a taste for more.
It can even be downloaded as pay what thou wilt.

After a nice acoustic intro, it's time for ambivalent metal. Not ambient, but fragmented and indecisive metal.
On the one hand, quiet, wistful and pretty melodies with muted guitars and a whiff of forest tranquillity. On the other hand, pounding staccato drums, monotonous-intense tremolo-riffing and depressive black vocal apparently howling its resentment to the moon.

This is, to be honest, a form of music I'm getting terribly tired of. Any band sound pretty much like everyone else, and its kind of whiny and complaining style can be too much to tolerate in the long run.
Nevertheless... Colby Hink does a mighty fine job in switching between different forms of riffs and guitar playing, pace and stroke. The melodies are pleasingly mournful in all its despair. And the man can play. In Hang My Remains from the Crescent Moon we get some fairly allright guitar parts, to mention one thing.

If you like the genre better than me, I absolutely recommend a listen. Personally, I think it is all right, but unexciting.

Grimm I & II is is divided into two parts, but not as a double CD or in two distinct directions. There is no musical difference separating the two parts. Nor any other phonetic indication revealing exactly when you cross the invisible threshold in the transition between the two.
The first five songs are dedicated to the fairytale The Armless Maiden. The origin of the story is probably difficult to estimate. Different versions of the folk-tale is also collected in Russia and Italy.
The last four songs are sorted under the chapter Thoughts of the Sore. Hell knows what tale this section is based on.

The metal is melodic, but full of force and drift. It spreads its wings and covers wide landscapes. Melo-death, technical death, (symphonic) black and traditional metal with orchestral elements, proggy transitions and passages, as well as acoustic parts are among the ingredients. They incorporate lots of stuff without it ever appearing schizophrenic or unnatural. Grimm I & II occasionally got some Carach Angren in their expression, as grotesque fairy tales is set to music by a profound variety of instruments, including symphonic elements. Some gothic-sounding drama à la Cradle of Filth also lurk in the shades, but there's a lot of different details to be found here. With a moderately comprehensive amount of expressions intertwined, it's hard not to get a dozen very different associations. There's no innovative ingredients to be found, but the music is in no aspect generic either.
The album actually manages to stand out slightly from the crowd. The progress and the various landscapes alters naturally with good and nice melodies and yet with a descent chunk of fervour.

The vocals alternates between various extreme branches. Even if every form doesn't hit home run, it's in any case technical controlled and varied. The instrumentation is impeccable, and ensures that the band can bite off more than others can chew without even staining the shirt. I would particularly like to highlight certain passages of amazing guitar work, although there is much else that also should have been complimented. The sound is powerful, grand and wonderful, but with standard DR6 in dynamic range.

KadavriK has created an interesting album that should be able to appeal to a wide audience.
Even in the last seconds the band can't refrain from experimenting, as the album rounds off with jazz trumpet.

Se the video for Wither Away if you want.

I might as well address the albums draw-back in the first place. In addition to non-existent originality and too much shoegaze, the songs got long repetitive sequences and vast monotony.

Hadn't there been so many other bands with identical expressions around, I would regardless of subjective taste have felt that the album had a reason and right to exist since this is an expression that there must be room for in the metal landscape. However, as the crowding in the corner where everyone is gazing at their shoes has become packed like sardines, it's time to put the foot down. Post-black/shoegaze is a form of expression with a narrow essence where nuances are few.

I have now doubt Névoa is talented, and as mentioned they cram in a descent amount of diversity in the narrow corridors these sub-genres offers. The Absence of Void paints some nice moods, with fine melodies.
Unfortunately, they stop by an immense amount of worn-out and generic rhythms and tones as well. At its worst, the band rehashes the same exhausted riffs in monotone cascades, to a degree that makes sure I wont revisit this album.

Objectively this band is just as good as the next in this landscape, but the complete lack of innovation makes them not meet the requirements for a place on the podium. Purely subjectively, this is an X from this grumpy guy but since Névoa offers roughly the same quality as the bulk of bands can boast of in the genre, I'll rather be a bit generous.

Satanic Ripper consists of five men who all have some experience from other bands. The band was started in 2012 and only had one demo from 2013 on their conscience before releasing this album via Apocalyptic Productions about a year ago. Swedish Blood Harvest has now taken on the task of releasing this on (12") vinyl.

It's a violent and often speedy affair we get shoved down our throat, although Satanic Ripper has the sense to calm down their reckless attacks once in a while to open up for blasphemous moods.
The album starts with a track of as much as 8 minutes, but that's an exception. Also the two between 2 and 3, can be reckoned as deviates. The other eight songs never migrates far from the 4-minute mark.

If blasphemous South American extreme metal is a style that evokes your passion, I recommend a taste of Southern Black Spells. I suppress my enthusiasm as (I feel) the band's got a way to go. The music is tough and the sound is raw, but the songs are somewhat simple in structure, and some of the material feels more repetitive than varied. With a little more flare and thrust in the compositions, it's quite possible that I'll be sold the next time around, for at its best, this is a beast of aggressive discomfort.

It's a dirty, coarse-grained and rather raspy sound that meets the listener, but it fits in with their dim lightless style. Unlike Dolentia below, Nahtrunar's got a clearly defined direction. They have renounced the light and sought a journey into the dark maze of the netherworld. A good choice. Six long songs, four of which extends over eight minutes, leads into cryptic underground passages where smugglers, righteous witches, heretics and alchemists have hid from sheriff and priest in centuries.

In between there's glimpses of sunlight, and fresh air seeps into the stuffy odor of decay. Where porous rock wall has given inn and left holes and cracks in the cave, forest can be glimpsed behind trees and bushes. Interludes, four in number, bringing everything from leaves rustling in the whispering breeze and the echoes of the hill to chanting rituals and alarming rockslides. In most cases it's acoustical Empyrium-flirting we are witnessing.

The album has songs with icy, evil and gloomy moods, with hateful vocals and an occasional melody line Mörk Gryning worthy. The songs wanders through various passages, and the variety ensures that the songs never feels stalling despite solid duration.
The debutants rough feel and unpolished sound suits the music well, and I am more than satisfied with Symbolismus.

The CD version is limited to 500 copies and 50 digipacks (the promo leaflet admittedly states "gigipack", but...) with bonus tracks.

The music served is partly melodic, yet somewhat raw and intense black metal - where the sound, almost as much as the music, is causing the rough expression. The guitars have an abnormally timbre but sharp appearance. Characteristic, sure, but not particularly fortunate in my ears. The vocals are screaming black, striving with force, as done by those not able to produce natural-sounding controlled barbed vocals from their throats. Some inappropriate yelling vocals is integrated as well. The sound becomes too dirty and sharp to suit melodic black metal, and the expression is too light-hearted for pure black metal. Ergo the Portuguese stumbles a bit between the sitting furniture.

The songs are unfortunately not amongst the strongest either. The guys is caught somewhere between a rock and a hard place with its overly melodic touch, characterized by fairly weak melodies without memorable character or other hooks. Apart from the sound I would call it a hunch generic in both melody and structure.
If the guys had made stronger songs I could always have look the other way regarding these minor adverse conditions, and vice versa; had the guitar distortion, sound and vocal been more appropriate, I could have lived with tunes bearing low uniqueness. The combination doesn't manage to tickle my fancy very much, however.

Instrument-technically, the four seems able to deliver the goods. Even if there's not much frost and hatred in the melodic department I feel a potential for more memorable songs, something that is likely to be manifested when the band advances in direction and expression. Especially the last bonus track, Era Portucalensis, shows signs of melodic flair in a descent folk-metallic direction.

I'm not going to return to Iniciação Eversiva but I'm likely to get back to Dolentia, as I have faith that one day they will surprise positively. The album is audible, but futile enough for me to disapprove it.

There's a shitload of more or less known/unknown bands in the wake of the larger bands. The list of “second-rate”, or at least peripheral black metal groups is long. Inquisition is probably among the more notorious of these, but even though I have been aware of them for many years, I have never taken the trouble to get very acquainted with their discography. With the exception of the last album. The plan to run a discographic review with dice based grades went down the drain as time run out. Anyway, here comes a short revision.
New cover art (with zoom function) appears at the top, while images of the original cover (without zoom function) follow each article.

Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult (1998)

It seems to me that the début have stood the test of time good. I have no idea what reception it received 17 years ago, but it doesn't sound dated, and the sound is decent. Qualitative it could of course not compete with existing Norwegian and Swedish releases. They noted enough not probably didn't stand out it that way, and that was likely not a goal either. Inquisition has never appeared as the most evil musically, even if the lyrics contain enough blasphemy.
Still, the band seems a bit remarkable, and there is probably no wonder they've made a name for themselves in the underground.

For being black metal, Into the Infernal Regions... is relatively calm, gentle and melodic. The beat is too hard to be compared with what would eventually be defined as atmospheric black metal, but they nonetheless had some of the monotonous and hypnotic style from the three hugging nature-worshipping variety hanging over them.
Dagon is well known for his frog vocals. The vocals is in essence more of an excessive creaking than croaking voice. Especially on the early albums.

The album is needlessly long, and not all the material is strong enough to justify 55 minutes. The weak links are fortunately highly audible, but the highlights are few. Inquisition is a band that stands out the most when they offer strong melody lines, and there's not too many of them on the album.

Highlight: Solitary Death in the Nocturnal Woodlands.

Invoking the Majestic Throne of Satan (2002)

Invoking the Majestic Throne... continues in the same mid-tempo and slightly introverted style as its predecessor. The songs do not have much depth and intricate song-writing to show for, and if you've missed out on it, you haven't missed much. Nevertheless, the album is certainly okay to listen to. A charming melody is never far away, and Incubus varies his drum play well. The rhythm guitar seems to have been given better sound on this album. The sound at least has a more even and coherent feel, as it's less deviations from song to song.

It is easier said than done to decipher Dagon, but words like Satan og Lucifer kind of shines through with a little extra glow.
With ten tracks of varying lengths, on this as on its predecessor, the tradition is pretty much settled. The duration is reduced to about three quarters, which feels more apt.
An allright album, but not a must.

Highlight: Hail the King of All Heathens.

Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer (2004)

The duo opens raw and fast on this album. The guitar is both sharper and more intense. Where the two first albums were far airier in expression, guitar tones hangs in the air as a continuous raspy wall as Magnificent glorification... kicks off. Dagon still ain't one to riffs in classic tremolo-ways, something that together with the special vocals creates a bit idiosyncratic touch.

The band has some passages that is repeated in excess. It can make parts of the material feel slightly more painstaking than necessary, but it still isn't directly troublesome. The album feels more even than its predecessors, although several songs stands out positively.

The original CD outro consisted of 4-5 minutes of silence and 8 minutes of distorted feedback. This is cut down to the 1.5 minutes the original LP outro had. (This according to the promo. Metal-archives do not agree). Two bonus tracks from the same recording session, originally intended for an EP, was implemented as bonus tracks on a re-release in 2009. These two are still provided, making the total playing time clocking in at nearly 50 minutes.

Highlight: Eternal Loyalty to Our Lord Satan. Crush the Jewish Prophet and Of Blood and Darkness We Are Born also catches the ear.

Nefarious Dismal Orations (2007)

On Nefarius... the guys takes a step back concerning the technical playing style. The guitar is more intense than on the two first albums, but not as frenetic as Magnificent...
The vocal is located further upfront in the mix, and Dagon's toad-vocal squeaks more than earlier. His chanting style generally gives the band a somewhat blasphemous ritual touch.

Unfortunately, the music does not offer any innovative ideas on this album. Good ideas and moods frequently drowns in repetitive riffs and songs with no clear direction. That the album is even doesn't help much, as I feel that it's all too anonymous in an Inquisition context. No track stands out as particularly striking. The music is decent enough, but very little exciting.

Although none of the songs have any immediate appeal, Enter the Cult can be said to be a favourite on the album, as it's got a number of cool guitar parts that would have made the track absolutely superb if these had been continuous, persevering and enduring.

Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm (2011)

Ominous Doctrines... combines the rapid and intense from Magnificent... with calm parts where dark mood are summoned. A successful recipe. In tranquil parts, slow and marching strokes are often heard, and the guitar licks as Lucifer's red-hot tongue, leaving burns in my ears. (Okay, that sounded a bit pretentious).
The material on this album is greatly improved since Nefarius.... The songs often have gloomy, ominous or reckless melodies. Adequate rhythms again creates a sense of direction. Most songs have a more coherent and unified touch than the ones found on its predecessor. The songs structure is better balanced between heaviness, speed and melody. The album sounds more inspired and enthusiastic, resilient and vibrant than the duo's previous albums, and Ominous Doctrines... thus appears as the band's first pretty good release in my ears.

The album is by no means spotless. There are certainly enough fillers and unnecessarily protracted repetition time as well, but overall the album is fairly good. It provides a relatively interesting twist on a genre with many ramifications. The album lasts barely 42 minutes, which also feels like a more appropriate dose.

Favoritt: Desolate Funeral Chant.

Obscure Verses for the Multiverse 2013

I wrote about this one eighteen months ago. I don't feel I hit the nail on the head in every aspect back then, so I'll just briefly sum up the essence here.

The album still stands as Inquisition's strongest output to this date. As with Ominous Doctrines... the songs got a connected feel. The songs on Obscure Verses... however seems to have more and better internal variety, with several interesting and distinctive parts. Even in between tracks a higher divergence prevails. All in all the album has a diabolic and ceremonial mood created by a form of monotonous, yet sinisterly slithering locomotion

Darkness Flows Towards Unseen Horizons has got the strongest signature, that's probably why it remains my favourite, but Inversion of Ethereal White Stars shall also be mentioned because of solid character.

Konklusjon:

Inquisition plays descent devil worshipping metal without revolutionize anything. Few, if any, of their releases is directly mandatory in my book. To put it bluntly: Compared with more essential bands, the the duo's products qualitatively becomes a footnote in the black metal history. Just as with a few hundred other small and medium-sized bands in the aftermath of Scandinavian exploits in the early nineties.
Never the less, priceless or not, albums as Ominous Doctrines... and Obscure Verses... is pretty cool, and I will definitely follow the band onwards as they have an infamous charm that has been best expressed on recent works. I don't expect no innovative breakthrough in the future, but if the good level of the last albums are maintained, and perhaps even improve, I intend to be the one informing you about it! (Holy shit, I'm pretentious today).

But suppose it was a sunny day, then, with strawberries and cherries and all that jazz. You sit on the quayside and curse them gulls while empty bottles pile up around you. Listening to pitch black metal is somehow a bit out of place in such a setting. You get an unnatural impulse that something quiet and comfortable would fit the occasion. But what?
Dare I suggest the début by Sunset In The 12th House?

The band is a side project of Hupogrammos and Sol Faur (Dordeduh, ex-Negura Bunget). It consists otherwise of one full-time member and one live member of Dordeduh, but for this project they have mainly left their metallic elements at home. Here the guys are hovering in a lightly psychedelic post-rock landscape with occasional progressive twists. Like the recently reviewed album from Tempel, Mozaic is instrumental, almost anyway. Not that it's a problem. There are some vocals in the last two songs, but it's marginal.

The album begins with gentle finger picking in the spirit of post-rock. After a few minutes a little harder guitars, bass and rhythms initiates as well. A bit heavy, but not massively so, and it never really gets any harder on Mozaic either. The music is pleasant and easy to digest. It glides smoothly and softly, with nice flow, progression and variation. The sound is well suited to the expression. It is warm, soft and safe as a furry teddy bear, and pleasant and relaxing as a mild foehn wind that ruffles mildly through your hair while you're laying nonchalant, gazing at those lazy waves, until the police comes along to pick you up for public drunkenness.
Thanks to my musical advice you avoid being fined for public disorder.

Whether it's planned or not, I can't say, but the album starts off with the longest track at 14:43 and steps gradually down in duration before ending at 5:48. The song Desert's Eschaton offers items from the Middle East. The oriental elements easily provide associations to a band like Melechesh (who's new album I haven't been able to check out yet).

Mosaic is a great disc in its genre, but I prefer these quiet aspects mixed with extreme metal, or as short interludes. The plan was to reduce the grade to vx based on lack of metallic elements. However, I can't get myself to do so. The music is simply a bit too well done and comfortable. If you have an open mind and like “post-prog”, this is the album for those (hopefully) fine summer days and nights.

The band's music is filthy blackened doom with varying intensity. Sometimes it flows slow as funeral syrup, other times it speeds up to black scorched discomfort. At its best Örök merges depressive and creepy atmospheres with raw tonalities from Deathspell Omega's landscape. Unfortunately, the over 50 minutes long record has its flaws as well. The music can be somewhat monotonous, hectic and nagging, especially since the sound is dirty in a “shrilling” way and the dynamic spectrum is low ( DR5). The vocals can become tiresome in a screaming manner, and the Portuguese generally doesn't manage to vary the expression as well as the aforementioned Frenchmen.
All in all I have developed a rather ambivalent relation to Übermensch, and thus it ends up in the middle of the road.

The first thing I noticed compared to previous albums were the production. Deep and steady bass is like a thick layer of mist on the forest floor, drums and guitars thunder and rumbles as falling rocks and creaking and splintering trees. The vocal is like the echo of the mighty forest troll as he sits in his cave in the mountains just below the timberline, while bright guitar tones, delicate violins and evocative synth trickles pure as a mountain stream and shines as clearly as the moon reflecting on the quiet surface of the forest lakes.
Then the fair, vein, aerial and shimmering voice of the elf princess is heard. She is caught by the troll in the grotto, where she is forced to sing for food.
The deep, rumbling growl and light, choir-like fairy song, both (in spite of infinitely difference) remain inarticulate to the human ear. Approximately one-third into the album, these vocal forms are accompanied by clean vocals in a harmonic duet.
The dynamic range lays otherwise on an even DR6.

Anyone with knowledge of Shape of Despair can be safely assured that the Finns have not tampered with the recipe. Long songs, eight in numbers, moves slowly and hovering like mist on a grey and windless morning in woods and mountains.
For those uninitiated, the band plays a form of atmospheric funeral doom characterized by romantic and gothic undertones. Like melodic death/doom in very slow motion. So dark, meek and depressed that almost only Britons and Finns dare to embark.
The band also consists of prominent artists who are or have been involved in bands like Impaled Nazarene, Rapture, Finntroll, Thy Serpent, Clouds, Barathrum, Korpiklaani, Throes of Dawn and Norwegian Fallen, just to mention it.

In addition to its most supreme sound ever the band has written numerous pleasurable, melancholic and nice melodies. I guess I haven't really worn out some of the earlier CDs in the meantime, so I don't intend to compare the musical qualities. Still, I have absolutely no belief that followers of this musical branch will be disappointed. The album and the songs are lengthy, but relaxing and dreamy, with melodies that create progress and nice flow just as water lilies sailing on the lake.

Visit Eternal Terror to hear the songs Monotony Fields, Descending Inner Night and The Distant Dream of Life.

Based on this record I feel no greater appetite to increase my knowledge of Total Negation aside from this.
The man walks on the edge of the black landscape, but dares not take the plunge. I concider Zeitzeugen more as dark metal. The music is slow, and tried-and-true, even if mr. Wiedergaenger tries to spice things up sometimes. Among other things, we get some subdued portions of light jazzy rhythms and minimalistic guitars without this doing any wonders.
Total Negation also tries to bring nonconformity to the table with instruments such as melodica and vibraphone, but it creates little more than a somewhat clever/subtle expression.
The vocals are German, sharp, harsh and slightly mental. Slightly charming in a sardonic way.

Zeitzeugen is an alright release to listen to, but not very much more. It delivers some decent melodic and rhythmic ideas, and the unusual instruments provides an uncommon mood to some extent, but the overall doesn't feel very original. Thus it's more appropriate to regard the album as a poor man's version of bands like Nocte Obducta. In the bizarre world of metal, cooked wiener sausages costs the same as meaty barbecued bacon sausages, and so the choice is easy. Even so, I don't want to be too strict, for this is certainly audible, even bordering on pretty good.
Quite good, but not very good, you might say. Not bad for a one-man band.

PS: Total Negation's discography can be checked out here if you're interested.

The duo presents quite melodic black/death characterized by repetitive passages and certain distorted, disharmonious and atonal guitar sounds. The vocal is a jarring offspring of whispering black vocals that doesn't please this listener.

The sound is pretty much as “boisterous” as the music, and it literally crackles in the speakers.
After 16.5 minutes comes the outro Glomvgn. It slides better in the ears than of the tongue. In these last 1.5 minutes they calm down with piano and fiddle. Despite for the most synthetic midi-violin I've heard on this side of the millennium, it feels soothing for both ears and soul to know that the end is near... of Phösphorvs Paramovnt, that is.

For the record, guest contributions from Alexandre Ribeiro (Grog, Neoplasmah etc.) and Cristiana Silva (In Tha Umbra) should be mentioned, without that affecting the outcome.

Instrumentally and sound-wise I can't seem to find no faults. The guys are playing well, and the sound is dark and devastating. The expression is altogether brutal and churning. Even if the variation isn't very palpable, one hears that chords are fairly frequently replaced, and the drummer burns the candle in all directions with his energy.
There's a shortage, however, in the variation of the expression and also in recognizable and poignant melody lines.
There is little depth, substance or hooks to trace.

The vocal rasp-growls in a deep psychotic vain, the band works till the sweat runs in the dark cellar vault, and the overall atmosphere is malignant and oppressive. The music thus has high potential, but when the songs do not live up to the remaining parts it unfortunately doesn't help out on the overall impression.

It kinda goes on and one for more than 40 minutes, round after round, without Woes of Mortal Devotion fastening a secure grip. It basically just makes me feel like playing Triune Impurity Rites.
Unless the quality of the song-writing picks up, the band may just as well use an equal amount of time before releasing next album, for all I care.

The 7 songs they run through in this just over half an hour, ranges from 3 to 7 minutes. Overall it rips quite well, with rumbling riffs, throaty, gurgling vocals and frenetic anti-melodic solos. It's got blazing thrust and the songs got a swell flow. The drawback is that few songs stands out in particular. A few strong songs and some juicy portions ain't really enough to distinguish itself from the masses. The sound perhaps stick out the most. Despite moderate dynamics, the production itself is appetizingly deep and rumbling.

Horns in the Dark isn't at all bad, but I will have to downgrade the rating a bit for the somewhat sparse idea-base in the majority of songs. If the five tracks between the opener and the closure had been as strong as those two, this would have been an obvious approval. As the guys grow as songwriters, I am absolutely sure that they will become more proficient, and before you know it they will be serving us bloody steaks.

...but it ends with confrontation and spilt blood as Vardan must taste my slaughter knife...

The first thing that strikes me is the terrible sound. I wont call this "necro" as it would have been a compliment. I call it a contemptible, putrid heap! Musically it's generic depressive black metal. Partially melancholic and atmospheric, but at times more intense. Never directly frenetic. Hovering in the mix we find terrible, awful screaming vocals.
So is this good for absolutely nothing then?
Well, there are melody-related ideas here that could have worked in a more meticulous setting. As it is, these ingredients ain't more conciliatory than a strawberry in a turd.

Fortunately this nonsense don't last any longer than its predecessor. About 35 minutes amateurish black extreme metal is what we are favoured with.
My tip to Vardan: Increase your self-criticism, save the best ideas for maximum one annual release, hire a guest-vocalist and record it in a proper studio.
If Shining doesn't make you consider "creative" usages of razor blades there is a real danger that Vardan will!

I can't find no stream on my first attempt, and nor will I waste more time searching!

Luna blends funeral doom with symphonic elements. Not a revolutionary touch, but it certainly creates a distinctive character. Whilst the début consisted of one 57-minute track, On The Other Side Of Life has chosen to distribute its 55 minutes on two respectively (approx.) 22 and 33 minute long songs.

As the first tones of On The Other Side Of Life seep out of the speakers, I'm quickly convinced that this is something I can safely recommend for all fans of funeral doom. Unfortunately obstacles pops up and puts a damper on my enthusiasm.

Grey Heavens Fall opens with sorrowful tones. Gorgeous and sometimes a bit creepy melodies with close to heartbreaking melancholy is supported by a powerful orchestral background as well as some choir.
This form of metal is often quite repetitive by nature. The song still moves through heavy and light (as a feather) passages without feeling monotonous. The song is cleverly stitched together with ample variety and solid mood.
I do not even notice that it's all instrumental before the press release makes me aware of it.

With one song down and one to go, Luna is almost halfway home free, well - at least 40% so, and the group is well on their way to a place on the podium.
Then comes the 50% longer title track.
It begins a bit hesitating, but that's fine, it must be allowed to build up tension before approaching climax.
This track has got its share of great parts too. They come in a row as trains, but this freight train has got some immensely long wagons/railcars and its running in syrup. The title track can not really endure concentrated listening very good. What in your peripheral vision appears as scenic will at a closer look reveal flaws.
Although some sequences even in this song have very good melodies it's still more that turn out as simply passable. In addition, the repetition it a bit excessive. The use of piano works perfectly when the instrument is used for its intended purpose, playing melodies, but when as little as three tangents are used to emit scattered plunked tones in a repetitive pattern in well over three minutes, it feels more like Chinese water torture.

The album is a little closer to Monolithe than their previous album was, as the guitar creates more soaring and outstretched tones this time. Add a sense of Perfection or Vanity from Dimmu Borgir's Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia for good measure.
I considered for the longest time to turn a blind eye to these critical points, but unfortunately the title track doesn't really hold the necessary qualities, and considering that it occupies 60% of the album I end up restricting myself from approving this one. It is with a heavy heart, for On The Other Side Of Life is indeed a well above-average album, and fans of funeral doom or calm and relaxing instrumental metal in general, should check out the album, and the bands still manageable discography. If you've also got a penchant for symphonic fumes, than I order you to do so.

The band is basically a duo, but with a session vocalist the album is in practice recorded by a trio. The recording have otherwise been done in RecRecRec Studio in Paris, where the mixing also has taken place. Sound engineer Guillaume Pingard also contributes with “Draconian invocation” on Elegeìa (Confession au Cenotaph) without me being able to notice any extraordinary summoning in the song. The mastering chores has been handled by Tore Stjerna in Necromorbus Studio. The dynamic range is compressed down to impoverished DR4, but the sound is “uncomfortable” and intense in a highly adequate way.

The band's metal is a demented offspring of black metal. The band is said to be occult landscaped, but I don't really feel any typically occult-sounding moods on their début. With moderately absurd expression that never tread completely into avant-garde-ish landscapes, this is scum of archetypical French dissonant disgust. An underlying melancholy creates further dystopia and misanthropic atmosphere.
Drummer Anderswo pushes forward with frenetic drive and peculiar variety. Axeman Loxia is high and low with his schizophrenic guitar tones. The man's bass lines are not always as striking, however. Session vocalist Aliexagore could just as well have received permanent membership for his peculiarly guttural articulation suits the disfigured black metal like hand in guillotine.

It takes some time to get the pieces firmly into place, but once they have penetrated my mind I would rather stay, and never leave these fierce, foul and sombre crypts.

It takes nearly a quarter of dreamy esoteric tones with moderate ethnic and heavy astral vibes, before more metallic elements makes an entrance. Some of this is reminiscent of Bathory's later era.
I've heard Australian Midnight Odyssey's previous album, Funerals from the Astral Sphere (2011), also a double disc spanning more than two hours, but my knowledge of the band was virtually non-existent. The length of this new album gave me a strong suspicion that this had to be a one-man band. Few full bands makes soaring and atmospheric metal with such a long duration. It turned out to be correct. Dis Pater from Brisbane has got two other one-man bands behind him (Tempestuous Fall and The Crevices Below), and he has written, played and sung everything on this and the previous album. He has also drawn the cover art for Shards Of Silver Fade.

A(n) (equally) protracted explanation ain't really necessary. Press play on the player below and you'll quickly get an adequate impression.
On a bed of atmospheric, epic, soaring, ethereal and melodic black metal with minor ambient qualities, Midnight Odyssey serves fine melodies, pleasant clean vocals and a few features of extreme vocals.
Exaggerated time nonetheless, this is both mood-filled and fine. The sound is also good, and the dynamic range is very good (DR9).

There are plenty of apparently dyslexic thrash band that plays lethargic and insipid trash(y) metal. Fortunately these Canadians have understood what the word thrash means, even if they come from the French-speaking part of the country.

Reanimator delivers energetic thrash with good speed and agility. A small dose of playfulness à la Anthrax doesn't hurt either.
Their expression is fairly fast, rough and tough, without being either frantic or very raw and aggressive. Fans of more “evil” and blasphemous thrash will hardly find this very appealing. Reanimator's thrash moves more towards melodic party-thrash. It's almost tempting to call it groovy thrash-rock at times.

The songs are highly audible and quite enjoyable. It doesn't take long for the rhythm to take possession of my feet, and some of the solos are darned awesome.
Still the song material doesn't stick particularly firmly to me. Another aspect I'm not completely pleased with is the vocals. They sometimes feel a bit strained, and I associate it to a certain degree with bands in more “modern” genres.
Despite a few nitpicking faults, this metal rocks rather well and the bands got high self-esteem and ditto low self-importance, as well as a healthy dose of humor. Horns up to that.
Approved but not mandatory (stop me if you've heard that one before), but Horns Up is situated well above “mid-range” in today's thrash scene where inconstant qualities roam.

Check Thieves Of Society and The Abominautor.

1585-1646 hardly kicks off. After as much as thre minutes, monk-chants, church bells and heavy rainfall is interchanged with a solitary guitar in one audio channel, accompanied by occasional drumbeats. After a further few minutes we get guitar in both channels and more frequent drums, but it will take yet another minute and a half before recognizable music reveals itself.
When the metal commence properly one can safely say that it is along the lines of its predecessors. The pace exchanged between the extremes of the two releases, but the sound is noticeably improved.

Just as on the demo we find four tracks, albeit the first track can practically be regarded as two consecutive tracks. Also, the duration is increased by approximately 50% to almost 26 minutes.
Possession this time tells the story of a French “Witch” who was convicted and burned alive in 1646.

Anyone with fascination for obscure underground extremity, for example of the Hispanic type, can safely put this on their shopping list, or at least take note of the name. Those who do not care on about primitive savagery can write it down in the immense book of oblivion. The band has an authentic touch that undoubtedly would be highly delightful to witness live.
Some rough edges, but it's part of the charm.

It has no problems doing so. Vallendusk has taken a step up and forward. They are located in approximately the same landscape as Ethereal Shroud and Horn below but Vallendusk is as role model and a guiding light in comparison. We can call off the search-and-rescue, for we don't need not penetrate a thick layer of cloudy mud and murk to reveal the good stuff here. With great tunes wrapped in a good production we “arrive to an already set table” as the Norwegian idiom for getting off easy states
The band is a quartet hailing from Indonesia. The year before the début they released a self-financed EP, which in turn came out a year after the band's establishment.

Vallendusk offers moody, melodic and at times atmospheric metal, occasionally with a hint of prog, over a foundation of pagan/black metal.
The men pose no typical atmospheric (black) metal, i.e. evocative and rather monotonous moods, but their music is soaring and gliding by nature. Don't get hung up in the misleading use of the word prog either. This is not progressive metal, but some unconventional structural ideas and the use of Hammond organ can sometimes give tiny associations in those directions. The mind also wanders a bit towards Dark Fortress and Barren Earth (which has released a new album that I haven't been able to prioritize).

The splendour lasts for over an hour. Such lengthiness is often a bit too excessive, but Homeward Path offers such good melodies, nice, dreamy mood and good pace, thus the duration becomes not just passable, but even welcome. The vocals are rather tame in a black context, and can get a little tiring, but that's less important when surrounded by such mighty fine music.

Hear Windswept Plain, Ring Of Fire and Grains Of Horizon.

We are presented with three tracks on this album. The shortest song comes as number two. It “only” lasts for ten minutes. This is flanked by two tracks clocking in at 25 minutes each. Thus, an entire hour.
Funeral doom, you ask? No, but it snails just as slow on its trail. I guess you could call it atmospheric post-black/doom with esoteric vibes, or something.

Tedious music as this, is often an ordeal to get through the first time, and this is no exception. If this type of metal is instrumental in addition, it becomes even more insufferable. Fortunately there are vocals here, but the whispering, hissing and indistinct voice lies well behind in the mix. The cleanest elements have clear sound, but more intense components and parts becomes as woolly as the (lack of) visibility in thick smog.

Fortunately the situation turns a lot after hearing the album a few times. The contours appear and slightly delightful melodies and moods emerges. A somewhat Victorian idyll appears as the smog yield to gentle breeze, and the sun warms anew. As a gentle tipsy from a few glasses of wine, the album creates a mild, gentle and relaxing sphere.

A full hour is still somewhat drawn-out, the sound remains rather murky and one must use a microscope to find hints of innovation. Ergo, the final sum is fairly average and so this ends up in the middle-of-the-road.
This album is Ethereal Shroud's sophomore album, and was released independently towards the end of February.
Both this and its predecessor is out on Bandcamp as name your price.

Ah... that explains it. To some extent. This is the two first albums from Horn, a German one-man-band, re-released as a double CD in digipak with elaborate new artwork and booklet. But does that really explain anything?
What I have heard so far is the first four songs from the début Jahreszeiten (2005).
New questions arise. Who released this ten years ago, and why? And for what reason does Northern Silence want to revive this rotten carcass?
The first answer I quickly find an explanation for. Jahreszeiten was released independently by Horn.
The next question I can only guess at. Northern Silence has signed the band and the new albums have perhaps received a bit of attention and gained some recognition, which may have led to a demand for the old material. Let's call this a logical inference, or at best a qualified speculation.

Horna was started by Niklas in 2003.
The basis is nature-probing blackish metal. You know the type. Quite atmospheric and partly melancholic pseudo black metal, not far from post-black, with touches of folk and Viking. Add a little spice in the form of an acoustic guitar and some instruments from the pre-electric guitar era.
Jahreszeiten was released on home burned CD-Rs, probably in limited editions. The album doesn't just sound horrible. This was probably both idea-impaired and mediocre already in 2005, and as of today the material appears as so meaningless and generic that it hurts my soul.

Die Kraft der Szenarien was the project's first real CD release, released via Black Blood Records in 2006. Cheap production nonetheless, it sounds somewhat better. But where its predecessor lasted 40 minutes this one lasts for a whole hour, for crying out loud. One-man-bands in this (often) substance lacking sub-genre is usually a test of patience. So even this time.
The man has indeed tried to transfer some pretty good ideas from his head to the instruments. Unfortunately without complete success. He has also incorporates an occasional all-right sequence with acceptable success. The song Spätherbst ain't so bad as such. The music on this album isn't really bad to have in the background, I guess. Concentrated listening however is much worse as the material is still rather mediocre. In addition, the sound is well below par even this time around. Although Jahreszeiten really takes the cake what amateurish shit-sound concerns.
That the album's longest song consists of over ten minutes of ambient audio colleague speaks for itself.

Although Niklas hopefully have developed somewhat as a songwriter since this questionable material saw the abominable light of day, I have developed a great aversion towards Horna, and at the moment I never want to hear any of this man's drivel again. Completely useless it is!

PS: Having tried again a few days later after getting the album at arm's length, without much luck I might add, I would however like to point out that Die Kraft der Szenarien is bordering on vx. On average, the two discs still make themselves more than deserved of flunk.
Having taken a few deep breaths I also plunged into deep waters and checked out the three newer albums on Bandcamp. Naturkraft (2008) and Distanz (2010) might sound a tad better, but is nonetheless inferior. Konflikt (2013) however sounds much better in all aspects. Thus I will absolutely check out Horn's future outlets.

The Scots are inspired by the black metallic branch where one finds acts such as Deathspell Omega and Blut aus Nord. They also declare that “We need a new beginning, to not fear this feeling to become surrounded by energies and feelings we cannot fully control and dominate...” Based on this, it seems somewhat paradoxical that the band's music nonetheless feels very controlled. The band is both technically skilled and conscious towards creating diversity in the songs.

I did not find the song material very exciting and thrilling at the first.
Even after six rounds, I'm not 100% satisfied. The songs are somewhat soaring with vague identity, they don't create the most ruthless or frantic moods, the pace basically feels very calm and the songs have no particular melody lines, remarkable structures or other specific pegs or hooks.
When I nonetheless gives it the green light, it's because of several aspects.
The album seems slightly calculated, but not sterile or spiritless. It flows well and alternates constantly in a slithering fashion accompanied by varied percussion. Countless good segment are seamlessly joined together without unnecessary repetition. Thus The Wayward Ceremony proceed with natural progression. Speaking of progression; the album also features a light progressive touch. This makes the entire hour this record (almost) lasts feel comfortable.

The band still has some way to go before they will offer material as strong as for instance that of Outre. The songs appear to be partly strong, and especially the last two proper songs raise my impression. Still, It's the solid progress of the wholeness that impresses most. The Wayward Ceremony will never be truly spectacular, but for being a band in a sub-genre characterized by claustrophobic atmosphere, the album has a very comfortable feel and drift.
The album needs some time to fasten its grip, but ends up as as a likeable début from a band it's going to be interesting to follow in the future.

Both EPs can be checked out on Bandcamp.

I have encountered German My Sleeping Karma previously, without their works leaving an imprint. Thus I should have known better, but at least than I didn't have to hear as much at once. I have therefore escaped permanent damage. Until now.

Repeating gentle tones, drowsy light rhythms, touches of strings and keyboards softer than sofa cushions and moderate use of guitars kind as a lamb.
This is elevator music best suited for supernatural “spiritual” souls, usually fragile hippies and yoga housewives with a deep penchant for plastic crystals and other knick-knacks. Optionally for meditating Hindus and Buddhists in lotus position. This record can easily be placed between the CDs with whale song, dolphin sounds, waves gently lapping and other nonsense for gullible people with bad nerves and low confidence.
Just over an hour of muzak that is softer and moister than a mollusc does not give me peace of mind. Quite the contrary. I get restless, impatient and irritable.

Purely objectively this is presumably fine as sipping white whine and well played as well. I don't give a fuck. It's possible this has the potential to grow, but when I observe large amounts of repetitive tones and small amounts of variation at first listen, I am absolutely convinced that these properties do not disappear over time. I've also heard the entire 54 minutes long Dalai Lama -album three times now.

Are you're an omnivores, do what you please, but if you are a pure and true metal head, than you might as well steer clear.
This band is far more tedious than its reputation.
Amusing cover, though.

See the videos for Moksha and Prithvi.

In October 2013 the band released Pacificum, their first album since the very start in 2008. As the name suggests, it dealt with the Pacific Ocean.
I can enjoy a few jazz elements in my metal but Ebonillumini feels more often as Jazz with metal elements. The music consists of eclectic, a bit pompous jazz/metal with various metallic expressions, whimsical twists and sporadically strange vocal expressions. One can of course call this experimental avant-garde jazz-metal, but all the songs here have different expressions, and each one is equally hopeless to label.

That was the good news.
I hear some good ideas now and then, but I hear just as much peculiarities. I also hear a very unattractive dark female vocal with a slight vibrato that would fit better in a smoky jazz cellar. It is quite possible she is technically proficient, without that changing anything. Furthermore I hear variations stretched over long and fairly slow songs. Thus, the four tracks extending 7 minutes is almost intolerably long and what than isn't the entire album when it turns ut that it lasts for 65 minutes? It feels more like forever.

As a (possible) curiosity (at least for Norwegians) it may be mentioned that Thor Heyerdahl is (maybe) sampled in the song Vinland.
It may also be noted that four of the five members have experience from rather strange The Meads of Asphodel. I have indeed heard very little of them, but if Jihad (split with Mayhem) or Swine of Hades (split with Taake, Sigh etc.) are representative of the band's work, I'm not so sure I want to hear any more.

Some all right parts, but all in all bizarre, eccentric, theatrical and damn painstaking!

The hungriest death-mongers out there there may possibly argue that Skinless already belongs to the elite. After all, the band has more than 20 years of experience and has gained high recognition for some of their releases. Although the band can not be said to be unknown however, they're still not as big as they're genre-relatives in Tampa, Florida.

Song-wise there's not offered anything new here, but the guys still have high energy and quality. The guy's death metal is otherwise quite brutal, in the style of such acts as Benighted and Dying Fetus.
Those who have heard their Immolation, Aborted and Suffocation will certainly also appreciate Only The Ruthless Remain but the song-material is fairly generic in a larger context. Yet they land on their feet by showing just as much muscles as the next band.
Thick and good sound provide the impeccable instrumentation and the sometimes massive guitar playing a very flattering frame. If anything stands out is especially the penultimate song Funeral Curse, where creepy melodies really causes the skin to wrinkle comfortable.

Despite nothing new under the sun, the band delivers a solid piece, and if Morbid Angel doesn't take corrective measures after the poor reception of Illud Divinum Insanus, Skinless is ready to seize the throne.

Have a look at the video for the song Skinless.