Tag: Black Metal

Airs – Rainclouds Over The Remains Of Hope

Cheryl2 Comments

I stumbled across Airs whilst having a bit of a trawl through bandcamp a month or so ago. Not really sure what I was looking for, I casually searched for “black metal” in the tags and this little gem popped up. I’m sure you’re looking at this cover and wondering how on earth it could be said to be black metal, “….but, the cover is all blue, and nice !” you cry. It certainly doesn’t strike you as a BM record on first glance, but delve into the sounds and you’ll soon be convinced.

Airs straddle that ever popular genre known as post-black metal; full of shoegazing, wistful long haired Frenchmen, and the occasional American counterpart. Somehow they manage to produce their music whilst the two members live at opposite ends of the country. A logistical nightmare I’m sure.

1.  Overcast -das ende der zeit-

2. Rainclouds Over The Remains Of Hope

3. Cast Into The Sea

4. Innocence

5. Everyone Has Died Post-Haste

6. Joyless

7. Never Without

8. We’re Still Drifting

9. Passing

10. Clear Skies -und zeit beginnt von neuem-

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Altar Of Plagues – Mammal

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To say this was one of my personally most anticipated albums of the year is quite the understatement. I’ve been waiting for this, it seems, for a long time. And today it’s finally released into the wild. And the wait was oh so worth it.

1. Neptune Is Dead

2. Feather And Bone

3. When The Sun Drowns In The Ocean

4. All Life Converges To Some Center.

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Oskoreien – Oskoreien

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I first heard about Oskoreien after acquiring a pretty sweet compilation album by the name of Der Wanderer über Dem Nebelmeer. The title is taken from a famous painting, The Wanderer Above The Sea Of Fog, translated obviously. And also a Wolves In The Throne Room track. And if you know anything about Wolves In The Throne Room, then you’ll have a rough idea about what kind of musical stylings to expect from Oskoreien.

1. Illusions Perish

2. Entropic Collapse

3. River Of Eternity

4. Transcendence

5. Ashen Remains

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Kvlt Albvm Ov The Weak

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I thought it might be interesting to do a regular “album of the week” update. No, that isn’t a typo up there. It’s a funny joke !

Considering most of the albums I’ll talk about are likely to be my album of the week anyway, these posts will mainly be about a classic album, or an album that’s been around for a little while too long to really count as new anymore. How fun !

I hope you realise that my use of the term “kvlt” is all in jest. Because, I’m sorry to say, this won’t be week upon week of chat about second wave black metal. Incidentally, this is the top voted definition of kvlt on urbandictionary.com:

Epitomising the musical ideals of sub-underground black metal – the kind of stuff that comes out in limited editions of 300 through vinyl-only labels based in a cave in Belarus. The exact requirements of kvltness vary depending on who you talk to, but usually involve icy, impenetrable production, black-and-white cover art, and concepts drawn from black magic, pagan myths or out-and-out nihilism.

Sounds about right. Although the term kvlt is now used in a kind of derogatory way. I’m sure you know what I mean.

This week then, it’s the turn of the almighty Darkthrone. I think, possibly, they’re my favourite black metal band and this particular album is the one that finally turned me onto the musical path I’ve taken. So I guess I can place the blame firmly at the feet of Ted and Gylve. I hope they don’t mind.

The album in question is Transilvanian Hunger. And is quite rightly considered a classic of the genre and is a prime example of the famous “necro” sound. Look at how grim this cover is.

1. Transilvanian Hunger

2. Over Fjell Og gjennom Torner

3. Skald Av Satans Sol

4. Slottet I Det Fjerne

5. Graven Takeheimens Saler

6. I En Hall Med Flesk Og Mjød

7. As Flittermice As Satans Spys

8. En As i Dype Skogen

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Verwüstung – Beyond The Watercolour Sunset, We Feel New Life

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Verwüstung is a solo project belonging to one half of a most excellent band called Airs (I’m going to be doing a piece on them very soon !), and this is his most recent release. So recent in fact, that it’s only been available for a day.

It’s a one track album, and whilst most people would probably call this an EP, the creator of the music is more inclined to call it a full length. And at twenty eight minutes long, I’m not going to argue with that.

1. Beyond The Watercolour Sunset, We Feel New Life

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Woods Of Desolation – Torn Beyond Reason

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Woods Of Desolation. The name pretty much explains all you need to know about what kind of music you’ll hear. The band formed featuring members of the quite glorious Australian band Austere, so look to them for an inkling as to how this band sounds. That’s not to say that they’re the same band at all. Woods of Desolation take what Austere built and take it to a new level of sorrow.

1. Torn Beyond Reason

2. Darker Days

3. An Unbroken Moment

4. The Inevitable End

5. November

6. Somehow…

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