Enthroned (Bel) - Pentagrammaton Review

ENTHRONED – "PENTAGRAMMATON" (2010)
Full-length, Regain Records, March 22nd, 2010

ENTHRONED (from Belgium) deliver a blasphemous, blackened storm of shredding guitars, scouring gravel throated screams and blasting beats that fire like a barrage of bullets on a battle field and are on target like a programmed and launched warhead.

Their sinister brand of Black Metal is powered by a diabolical aura that is truly their own as the group issues a scathing, hate-filled attack on it´s intended 'captive' target audience.

“Pentagrammaton” is a good example of exactly what a BM band should be, in every context of BM's original concept... once you open your ears to this pulverising album, you are guaranteed to re-discover TRUE Black Metal all over again ! Especially if your convictions have begun to wain over the seriousness of the genre in recent years with the rise in popularity of the Symphonic BM bands.

If you have never heard of ENTHRONED before and you are an avid, addicted BM listener and consider yourself an Extreme Metal afficiando, ENTHRONED are one of the first True Black Metal bands to ever come out of Belgium. Presenting their brand new album to this pathetic planet, what we have here is an absolute treat , a must have for ALL fans of the early Satanic Black Metal bands like Bathory, Blasphemy and early Sodom.

The CD comes in a special slipcase and features a terrific booklet with suitably eerie art work and photography that suits the albums sonic barrage perfectly! Live on Tour during 2010, ENTHRONED are set to wreak havoc across the planet like a scourge across a monks flagellated raw back. IF you don't buy the album, you shall do pennance... this is true Black Metal in it's purest form.

Raw to the bone, unrelenting, empassioned, uncompromising HELL fueled BM the way it is supposed to sound! Originally I thought ENTHRONED might have seen better days or begun to fade away, after Sabathan left the band, but it's actiually proven to be a huge plus. Gone are the squaking "Donald Duck" BM vox of previous albums, now replaced by the far more acerbic, raw and convincing screams of vocalist, Nornagest confidently at the helm!

This is the album I had always hoped ENTHRONED would release, I knew they had it in them and they have finally proven they could really strip things down and get ugly again, like a parking lot brawl in "Fight Club", the gloves are definitely off for this fight !!!

In many ways, this has to be the biggest surprise of the year out of all the new releases that have come out thus far for 2010! At just under 42mins, the album is the perfect length for repeat listens, in fact I am always surprised when the album suddenly seems to come to an end so soon... only to realize, I've been listening to it for the 6th time today without realizing when it ends because I've become so enraptured by ENTHRONED in their captivating, gripping and enthralling new incarnation! This is the REBIRTH OF ENTHRONED !!!

Reviewed by Damien Bentley  -  10/10

Exiled from Light - There Is No Beauty Left Here Review

Exiled from Light - There Is No Beauty Left Here
Full-length, self released, 2008

Depressive BM from New Zealand, sure to satisfy fans of DROWNING THE LIGHT (Australia), PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS (Australia), XASTHUR (USA), LEVIATHAN (USA), ANTI (Germany), MAKE A CHANGE... KILL YOURSELF (Denmark), NORTT (Denmark) and maybe even SHINING (Sweden) and SILENCER (Sweden), though this is much slower and filled with piano interludes etc.

Some KATATONIA and SWALLOW THE SUN fans might apprecciate this band/album as well for it's melancholic sadness and the darkness that pervades the entire piece. The album cover reminds me of BURZUM style album art, such as "HVIT LISSET TAR OSS".

The album is rather unique in it's own right specifically for the rather different style of drumming and the drum sound in the mix. All in all a rather quiet album, mid-paced in speed and filled wih melancholic sadness, lillting and beautiful in it's own way!

Reviewed by Damien Bentley - 8/10

The Sarcophagus - Towards the Eternal Chaos Review

The Sarcophagus - Towards the Eternal Chaos
Full-length, Osmose Productions, November 29th, 2009

THE SARCOPHAGUS are a Turkish Symphonic Extreme/Black Metal band who play in a unique style filled with it's own atmosphere that seperates them from any other band in the SBM field or sub-genre!

This is their Debut album and features some truly aggressive and affecting vocals by Niklas Kvarforth of the Suicidal/Depressive Black Metal [or Avante-Gard Extreme Metal band as they are now familiarly known] SHINING from Sweden!

Kvarforth brings a whole different aspect to their sonic attack and his vocals are sure to appeal to any fan of Attila's vox in MAYHEM or KEEP OF KALESSIN.

While the music is Symphonic Black Metal in essence it doesn't feel or sound anything like any other band which plays Symphonic BM, THE SARCOPHAGUS play in a more atmospheric style that doesn't place the keyboards too high in the mix and utilizes a synth sound as a background foundation that they have built their unique style of agressive Extreme BM upon! A great Turkish band who remain waiting in the aisles for their big break in the Extreme Metal scene... this could well pole-vault their status higher in the undergound scene.

Reviewed by Damien Bentley - 10/10

TRIPTYKON - "EPARISTERA DAIMONES" Review

TRIPTYKON - "EPARISTERA DAIMONES"
Full-length, Prowling Death Records, March 19th, 2010

Wow!!! I am once again struck completely speechless by Tom G. Fischer and his new monstrous release is sure to drop a few other jaws beside mine as well! IF you consider yourself a die-hard CELTIC FROST/HELLHAMMER fan, this is going to be thee album of the year for you... like treading on unholy ground in the darkness of H.R. Giger's terrific and terrifying album cover for the album, come to life! The artwork suits the album perfectly and indeed hearkens all the way back to 1985 Celtic Frost Debut, "TO MEGA THERION"... and the album art isn't the only connection, the thick density of the crushing sound within is another nod to that past classic! The crunch is so thick, that it could mulch bricks like a bulldozer running rough shod over an area designated for destruction.

There are a few rather CELTIC FROST style female vocals woven into the fabric of the album here and there, though not randomly or for the sake of having them in the mix. Everything has it's place on the album and nothing is left to chance, it feels well organized and nothing drags on for too long while supplying the ample atmosphere needed on each track. For a 72 minute album, it passes by so quickly that by the end you might actually feel it was too short for your liking! Thats a stroke of pure genius, because I don't know too many albums as dense as this, yet just as equally captivating and gripping from start to finish. The album leaves the listener wanting more so fortunately we have the option to push REPEAT and have the benefit of listening to it a million times over and over.

This is the sort of album that seeps deeper and deeper into you soul and spirit, as it's Black/Death/Doom sonic waves wash over you like you are floating through the Milky Way as Satan's guest in the majesty of the night sky! It isn't as violently wrenching as "MONOTHEIST" was, though it's quite obviously cut from the same cloth without any doubt whatsoever. This is definitely a powerful contender for ALBUM OF THE YEAR for 2010, what an incredible year it is already with the likes of the tremendous new IHSAHN and BURZUM albums. Including those 2 albums, I think TRIPTYKON has closed the triumvirate with raging success!!!

The album was Released on March 19th and this is an absolute must have album, not only for the awe inspiring tremendous music contained within but for the absolutely marvelous artwork and fascinating booklet that accompany the album.

Wow!!! The new album is awesome... Awe inspiring and a terrific continuation of Tom's work, further reaching into the darkness than before, yet a continuation of what fans have undoubtedly been hoping for and for quite a while now since he last emerged amidst the behemoth that was the mighty "MONOTHEIST" album! Behold a new beast has emerged from the blackened depths of HELL !!! Bow in reverence!

Reviewed by DAMIEN BENTLEY - 10/10

Nyseius - Militiae Review

Nyseius - Militiae
Full-length, ATMF, April 2010

Orthodox black metal is something that is admittedly loved or hated, depending on who you ask. One of the biggest failures with the genre is so many of the bands end up sounding alike. Loads of blasting, spiked with vile lyrical vomiting about Satan, mysticism, war, etc. There is a great deal of orthodox black metal bands sprouting up all over the world these days. I blame it on bands like Dark Funeral, Marduk, Funeral Mist and the like.

Here we have Nyseius, a four-piece orthodox black metal band from France. Their debut album 'Militiae', is a harsh lesson in brutal and unforgiving satanic black metal. Loaded with blast beats, grimly croaked mid-range vocals and icy cold guitar riffs, Nyseius are not exactly reinventing the black wheel. My first impression of this album was 'Oh look, a Dark Funeral worship band...', but the more I listened, the more I found an almost avant-garde approach to their orthodoxy. The bulk of this album is dissonant and writhing in black blood, but there are a few moments when the chaos dissipates, making room for frightening clean guitar breaks and choral-esque keyboard flourishes. But do not kid yourself, these breaks in momentum are short-lived before the blasting flame re-ignites and you are trampled under cloven hoof. There is no question the main focus of this album is to spew the blackest and most hateful energy possible. Leaving little to no alleviation for the listener.

A super clean production is found on this album; guitars are reduced to an icy tremolo picked blur, drums are clear/loud but do not sound overly-triggered, the vocals have a pinch of reverb to add atmosphere and the bass is mostly buried in the mix. This production reminds me of the kind used on the first Dark Funeral album mostly.

Looking for something groundbreaking and new? You will not find it here, but if you are looking for a smothering, hate filled, chaotic blast of orthodox black metal, this is your weapon to pick. Nyseius have created a 35-minute album of nuclear black energy, destined to rip your face off and drag you to the depths of hell.

Reviewed by E. - 7/10

Svarti Loghin - Drifting Through the Void Review

Svarti Loghin - Drifting Through the Void
Full-length, ATMF, April 16th, 2010

New school Swedish black metal is pretty much known for being super depressive and suicidal. Maybe above all, negative is the best word to describe their scene. Bands like Shining and Hypothermia have made quite a name for themselves in this niche genre. But one name that has really got a lot of attention over the past few years is Lifelover. A band of suicidal, drug-addicted, self-mutilating folk playing black metal influenced 'rock' music. I admittedly have found a deep fondness for what Lifelover does, but as the case with any kind of music, once one unique band gets heavy exposure, a million other bands, trying to sound like them, explode on to the scene. These bands pack promo bins and distro catalogs with their garbage releases, which make finding the real exceptional acts that much harder to find.

Svarti Loghin is not really a new band, they have been together since 2006, have one demo and one full-length already under their belts. With their sophomore album 'Drifting Through The Void', SL have found themselves treading the same waters as the above mentioned Lifelover. SL combine the aesthetic of black metal, but play it in the framework of a mix of shoe-gaze, indie rock, post-punk and alt-county (oh yes, there are country-like moments on this album). At first listen I was not completely sure of how to feel about Svarti Loghin. The deeper I analyzed the album, the more appreciation I found for it. While they do sound like Lifelover, they really do manage to put their own twist on the sound. I really love the alt-country elements and clean sung passages they have implemented, they are impeccably well-done. There is an almost narcotic styled haze around this record, since it is very laid back for the most part. I am not completely sure this album could be regarded as 'metal', the only real metal part is in the howled dsbm-style vocals scattered throughout the album.

The albums production is fantastic, not over-produced, but clean enough to hear all the instruments fully. The whole thing has a very organic and natural sound, which for this kind of music, really works quite well. The distorted guitar tone is mid-range-y and warm, the clean guitar is spacious, the drums are mixed well enough so they are not buried in the mix and the vocals, while not being completely in-your-face, are balanced to the point where they are not annoying/over-bearing. A very well balanced, clean and modern sounding production.

I found this album to be quite enjoyable the more I listened to it. I constantly found more and more hidden elements in the album, each time I went through it. I was pretty impressed with the overall presentation of this record. I only found myself having two complaints; the album cover is oddly very much like the cover for Caina's Some People Fall and the cover version of Planet Caravan (originally by Black Sabbath). While the cover is well-done, it just comes off as kind of pointless. I would have rather heard another original song.

Good album, definitely recommend to fans of Lifelover or just for people who enjoy a bit more 'rock' in their black metal. Looking forward to hearing more from this band in the future.

Reviewed by E. - 7.5/10

An Autumn for Crippled Children - Lost Review

An Autumn for Crippled Children - Lost
Full-length, ATMF, January 2010

The whole post-black metal thing has really had quite an explosion over the past few years. Not completely sure who is to blame for starting the trend, but there is no question that a huge amount of bands have taken to this style and pushed it all over the place. Enter An Autumn For Crippled Children; a post black metal band that combines elements of depressive black metal, doom and post-rock. While this is nothing new in the whole post black metal explosion, some bands manage to do it considerably well.

On their debut full-length 'Lost', AAfCC really wallow in the depths of depressive black metal, with an almost funeral doom framework amongst the whole thing. Extremely slow, (although there are a few blast sections incorporated here and there) melodic, fuzzed out guitars, humming atmospheric synths, pulsating drums and howled vocals. There is a very melancholy vibe throughout the whole album, especially during the slower parts, where the melodic guitar leads and synth take up a good portion of the sonic field. During the faster parts-well, in general-the drums are pushed way back into the mix, not sure if they use a drum machine or not, but it would have been nice to hear the drums a bit more in the production. There are also a few moments in the album where the band seep into Alcest-like territory, with the more upbeat and bouncy riffs/melodies performed in a very shoe-gaze like fashion.

The production is very cloudy and fuzzy, which is not abnormal for this kind of music. It also comes across very cold sounding, since a good deal of the of the tonal range is very treble-y and loaded with high-end. Once again, nothing new for any wave of black metal. The biggest comparison I keep coming back to listening to this is Xasthur, while not entirely like his work, its the reference that keeps coming back to my mind each time I listen.

Not a bad release, a bit too same-y throughout the entire album, but not bad. I think if they add more elements to what they are doing and maybe clean up the production a bit, they might have something really special to offer in the future. A decent debut album though, definitely recommended for fans of the whole post-black metal trend happening nowadays.

Reviewed by E. - 6/10