2013. So black metal. Many doom. Such death metal. Wow.

December 30, 2013January 21, 2014 Cheryl3 Comments

2013 huh? It’s been……it’s not been great to tell the truth. It’s been tough. It’s been wonderful at times, that’s for sure but I’m pretty glad that it’s over and I’m hoping that 2014 brings something more than “fuck, what do I do now?” to the table.

I’ve done some really cool stuff this year. I covered my first big outdoor metal festival for Metal Hammer which was such fun and really great to experience. I’ve done a few smaller events and seen a lot of my favourite bands and made new connections with new faces and if you’d have told me even two years ago that this is what I’d be doing now, I would have punched you square in the jaw. I’ve come out of myself a lot these last few years and gained a lot of confidence in dealing with new and unfamiliar situations. It sounds silly, but I can walk into a pub alone and not be frightened that I don’t know anyone or I can’t find anyone and it’s because of dealing with so many new things that my brain can handle that.

Bleak Metal has gone on to new ventures and that’s incredible. I put on a rock show here and there and although it’s something I’ve always been interested in doing, I never thought that it’s something I could pull off. Huge thanks goes to Zac of Oblivionized for answering all my questions and letting me see how these things work and helping in more ways than I can put into words. The first show of 2014 is booked and I have plans for a lot of cool things in the coming twelve months, fingers crossed they can be organised.

I started to manage a band. What? We’re still not sure how it really works but Caïna is doing really well right now and for that reason I couldn’t include the incredible Litanies of Abjection.

The Infernal Sea

December 22, 2013December 22, 2013 Cheryl2 Comments

I’ve been sitting on these releases from The Infernal Sea for a little while now and again, I must apologise for my outrageous laxness in getting something written up about this UK band. I have almost no excuses. I’ve been busy. I’ve been sick. I’ve been at work – at night. Grand Theft Auto V etc etc etc…

The Crypt Sessions saw the cold light of day earlier this year while debut Call of the Augur was unleashed in 2012. The split with Disinterred that is hiding at the top there was released during the summer and features one track from The Infernal Sea which also features on The Crypt Sessions.

It has to be said that the physical product is an extremely important part of The Infernal Sea’s set up and each item has had a lot of care and attention put into its overall look and feel. Considering that the band do everything themselves, it’s very impressive indeed.

The Call of the Augur marked The Infernal Sea’s first foray into the full length and its pretty raw in nature. Vocals are blunt and coarse while the drums (James Burke) sit high in the mix and provide an interesting way into the backbone of the songs. Small samples of melody sneak into proceedings during opener “A Prayer of Cleansing” and a dual vocal on “Malevolence of our Lord” sets the band apart from other acts on the UK by giving the band a little more power and a much more interesting overall sound.

“Catastrophic Reprisals” throws a blackened death metal vibe into the mix allowing The Infernal Sea to showcase different techniques and this continues into the deeply atmospheric and dark instrumental piece “The Gathering.” The band save the best until last though, and “Ritual Incantation” traverses the black metal spectrum with gorgeous runs of melody, blasts and strikingly horrific vocal lines that are counterbalanced by an extended outro that takes in the rush of waves in the sea.

The Crypt Sessions was recorded live in the studio and the truly feral nature of the band is evident in its raw heart. The blacker side of the band seeps into this recording and so “Skinwalker” pushes along on a heady and claustrophobic beat and “The Circle Closes” continues to pulsate with a defiant and disgusting tone that is overlaid with a bile-laced vocal (Dean Lettice) that spits and convulses with a furious and filthy cadence. “Into The Unknown” pushes those two tracks to the side though with its fifteen minute long run-time and an interesting line in melody that suddenly shines through the darkness at times and takes the song past the standard black metal territory. Outrageously painful stabs of black noise permeate the heart of the song and lead it into ever more increasingly insane routes of sound and if you’re brave enough to endure a solid seven or eight minutes of intense feedback and cacophonous rage then your ears are in for a treat.

The Infernal Sea promise much with these two early works and with momentum gathering for their next full length, it won’t be long until this young UK band are a more common name on the scene.

Ancst+Hiveburner – Split

October 28, 2013October 29, 2013 Cheryl2 Comments

What do we have here then? Oh, just a really cool split by two really cool bands, that’s all.

Ancst hail from the Berlin DIY scene and their blend of furious black metal with a hint of melody and more than a touch of hardcore (check “Patterns & Dreamers” if you don’t believe) is deadly and wholly infectious – you’ll be throwing that old invisible oranges pose before you know it. Hiveburner come from the same scene but I know bugger all about them and they are evidently quite hard to track down on the world wide web. That’s cool though, I guess?

Northumbria – Black Sea of Trees

October 5, 2013 Cheryl2 Comments

You may remember that a few months ago I posted a review of a lovely record by a band named Northumbria. If you don’t, click here and you can see it and enjoy it perhaps.

Northumbria have a music video streaming and the title of the track is “Black Sea of Trees”. It’s really wonderful and you’d be doing yourself a favour by checking it out. I have included it below so all you need to do is press play. Minimal effort ist krieg. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Ashencult + Mephorash – Opus Serpens

September 17, 2013September 17, 2013 CherylLeave a comment

Bringing together two opposing sides of the current black metal trend, Opus Serpens pits Philadelphia’s Ashencult against Sweden’s Mephorash and while both bands revel in the darkness and the occult, their approaches differ in both scope and sound. Ashencult are a force of fast, thrashy moments and Mephorash dabble in more symphonic and powerful nuances.

They’re both pretty into Satan though. AVE.

Ashencult’s offering, “My Tenth Death” is a spry and atmospheric cut of towering USBM. Taking a subtle route into the beginnings of the song, Ashencult utilise unknown sounds to build dread before a huge guitar strike cuts through the shadows to lead the track into deeply melodic and possessive blackness. A furious pace abounds and the band writhe in a wonderful joy that’s almost ecstatic with the chaos they’ve created. Vocalist A (yeah, they’re one of those bands), strives for total annhiliation throughout his performance and the complete belief in the words flows from him in waves of utter respect. “My Tenth Death” ends how it began and Ashencult continue to prove that they are the future of the American sound.

Mephorash channel the spiritual essence of darkness with “Atramentous Ungod Suspect” and the inclusion of Acherontas V. Priest (of Acherontas, duh) on guest vocals lends the piece a feeling of next level unholiness. The initial steps of the track are terrifically overblown and the piece starts life as a homage to horror films of old, all organs and choral vocals, before the classic Swedish sound permeates the clouds and Mephorash command attention with slightly hidden bellows that soon become high rasps and roars. Synth-led sections add a new dimension of chanted vocal in order to lift Mephorash into new circles of hell and Acherontas V. Priest pushes his ritualistic vibrations into sight which allows the band to strike an all-knowing presence over proceedings. Mephorash invoke a dark and elemental reality and as such they should be watched closely.

Opus Serpens can be ordered from Unholy Anarchy or streamed on their bandcamp.

Imperial Triumphant – Crushing The Idol

August 27, 2013August 27, 2013 CherylLeave a comment

Hey. Remember when I reviewed a really cool album by a group of great dudes from New York called Imperial Triumphant? It’s called Abominamentvm and I super liked it. One of my personal favourites off the record is a track called “Crushing The Idol” and the band have just released a pretty cool video for it. It makes for quite uncomfortable viewing and it’s pretty cool. Give it a watch and check out Imperial Triumphant on bandcamp because you won’t regret it for a second.

Kvlt Albvm(s) Ov The Weak

August 22, 2013August 22, 2013 Cheryl1 Comment

It’s been a little while since I made a Kvlt Albvm post and so in honour of my outrageous laxness I bring two Albvms for your consideration this time around. Hailing from Forth Worth, Indiana, PTAHIL deal in some of the most disgustingly filthy black metal there is. It’s gross and weird and dirty and great and their last two releases – For His Satanic Majesty’s Glory and The Almighty Propagator of Doom and Despair – are enough to make you want to vomit everywhere. It’s cool though, that’s what we want from black metal, right?

The trio are due to enter the studio to record a new full length this summer, so let’s take a step back into their history and have a look at why you should be interested in this group.

PTAHIL – D. Luathca (Vocals, Guitar), J. Lokison (Bass – a new addition to the fold and therefore not present on the recordings discussed), J. Mhághnuís (Battery, Spells)

For His Satanic Majesty’s Glory

The Almighty Propagator of Doom and Despair

Gilead Media Takeover With Fell Voices And Lychgate

June 29, 2013June 29, 2013 Cheryl1 Comment

Gilead Media has long been a favourite label of mine (and not just because of that Dark Tower reference) as the one-man operation has always been at the forefront of the darker music scene and it’s clear that Adam gives a shit about everything that he does. The two latest releases from Gilead are as interesting as they are exciting, albeit for different reasons.

Firstly we have the third full length LP from the cult of Fell Voices who, along with Ash Borer, have created a scene unto themselves with hard to find splits and tour only CDr releases and a wonderfully raw approach to recording. Secondly we have Lychgate who are extremely enticing if only for who is involved in this project. Greg Chandler (Esoteric), Aran (ex-Lunar Aurora, ex-Trist), Vortigern (The One, ex-Orpheus, ex-Archaicus, ex-Spearhead) and T.J.F. Vallely (Omega Centauri, Sanctus Nex, ex-Orpheus) make up this new entity and it’s insane how incredible these musicians are and to hear them working together is – if you’ll forgive the hyperbole – mindblowing.

But enough rambling eh? Let’s get down to business.

Vestiges+Panopticon – Split LP

June 4, 2013June 4, 2013 CherylLeave a comment

It’s no secret that I have a personal love and appreciation for the one man project of A. Lunn – Panopticon – so please allow me to harp on about this band one more time. It’s unlikely it’ll be the last time I talk about Panopticon so you’ll just have to deal with it. After 2011s searing Social Disservices and 2012s more melodic affair, Kentucky, Panopticon is back – this time with a split from another favourite of mine, Vestiges.

Vestiges side of the split nicely follows their debut The Descent of Man and their split with Ghaust in 2011 by naming the tracks contained here in a continuation of the songs found on those releases. “VII” and “VIII” deftly progress the sound that Vestiges created on their debut whilst bringing a new sense of coherence and a world of agony into these new works. Pantopicon meanwhile, evokes the landscapes we heard on Kentucky with two new compositions – “A Letter” and “Eulogy” – as well as a furious cover of Suicide Nation’s “Collapse and Die.”

Vestiges: Top secret guys. Panopticon: A. Lunn

Nonsun – Good Old Evil

April 13, 2013April 15, 2013 CherylLeave a comment

Nonsun are a two-piece from Lviv in Ukraine and they deal in crushing tones of doomed out sludge and droned atmospheres of wondrous heaviness. Having emailed me way back in Janauary (sorry), Nonsun definitely piqued my interest and I’ve been meaning to get around to this for three months nearly. I am a terrible person and for that, I apologise.

Goatooth – Guitar, Bass, Vocals, Keys
Alpha – Drums

Bleak Metal

None more bleak.

Author: Cheryl