Profound sorrow is not something for which to be ashamed. That’s been something that’s changed slightly publicly, with the acknowledgement of depression as an actual illness and not a form of weakness, and when that element is present in music, it can blow down castle walls.

Seattle-based funeral doom band Bell Witch have had a stranglehold on the expression of sadness and sorrow over the course of an amazing, eye-opening 2011 demo, as well as their gargantuan triumph of a debut record “Longing” that landed three years ago. Now, the duo has returned with “Four Phantoms,” a concept record of sorts about souls trapped within the four elements of earth, fire, water, and air and how their encapsulation there has led to their torment. It might not be linear storytelling like most records of this ilk, but certainly the suffering endured in each spot ties together this whole thing. So does the soul-crushing heaviness and emotional smothering that’s present in the band’s music. Even if you knew nothing about these songs and their purpose before listening, you can’t help but be darkened by what you hear. It’s there, organically in the music, a dark shadow that hovers over and reminds that dark tidings always are here. They never go away.

Led by the two-headed beast of Dylan Desmond (bass/vocals) and Adrian Guerra (drums/vocals), Bell Witch have expanded upon what they created on “Longing” to make for a bigger, headier machine. They explore the damper spots of their sound, expand the range of singing further, and push these cuts to their very limits, never clocking in at under 10 minutes. In fact, two of the cuts go longer than 20 minutes each, and never is there a moment within them not draped in substance and power. It’s one hell of an undertaking, with “Four Phantoms” lasting a little over 66 minutes spread over four tracks, but it is gut wrenching and moving every step of the way. It’s the year’s first doom masterpiece.

Each song title is a mouthful, and we begin with 22:39-long “Suffocation, A Burial: I – Awoken (Breathing Teeth)” that opens in as grim a fashion as possible before erupting in an anguish of melody. The song proceeds to crush your soul over and over again, with clean vocals rising up and conveying the messages of being confined to the earth, and long, devastating sections of playing that make you feel the passage of the ages. Later on, a cool, gothic wind picks up, adding a chill to the surroundings, as well as dreary passageways. The song then hits a convulsion, with the power shaking you, growls reaching into your heart and squeezing it, and a slow, pounding finish that reminds you that you’ve been stretched to your limits. “Judgement, In Fire: I – Garden (Of Blooming Ash)” follows and is the shortest cut at 10:18. It also is weighty and heavy, with the music glimmering above the din in spots and the growls hanging in the air and haunting. Clean calls eventually replace those wails, with drone settling in and wafting like a ghost and the pace slowing down. The scene can mesmerize and cause you to stare for eons, but the echoing drums that are pounded bring you back to life and into this plane of existence.

“Suffocation, A Drowning: II – Somniloquy (The Distance of Forever)” is the longest journey at 22:55, and it features Erik Moggridge (Aerial Ruin) on guest vocals. The track has a deathrock feel at the start, as the music trickles and a damp vapor sets in. There also are moments when the song feels a bit folkish, which makes sense with Moggridge’s presence. The singing goes into higher register, with psychedelic elements blowing in, while the other corners of the song burn and soar. The playing then catapults into the stars, as guttural growling meets up with the clean singing, the band bashes you hard, and then things dissolve back into the lonely night, dripping away caustically. Closer “Judgement, In Air: II – Felled (In Howling Wind)” opens in a bed of noise, with slow-clubbing playing greeting you and deep growls carving a path toward your psyche. The melodies swell and keep growing larger, while each element swirls into a woefully mournful passage that could drive a stake into your heart. The vocals are ugly and obviously pained as they reach the final minutes, where a dark scene gets even blacker, strange sounds combine to create a wall-sized force, and the generous mashing finally loosens its grip, fading out but leaving massive emotional bruising in its wake. If you need a moment to understand what you’ve just endured, you’re likely not alone.

The gravity, weightiness, and sadness packed into this record are obvious and welcoming. To embrace darkness and the fact that we all feel it is a positive thing that, weirdly, could lead to healthier living. The four souls trapped in these songs known anguish, fear, and frustration brought on by their situations, and certainly there are things in our own journeys we can apply to these situations to get some clarity. Or just to sink to the bottom and feel awful for a while. Bell Witch’s grasp on darkness is at strangulation level, and what they accomplish on “Four Phantoms” has to place them high in the conversation of the world’s most important and emotive doom metal bands.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/BellWitchDoom

To buy the album, go here: https://www.profoundlorerecords.com/products-page/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.profoundlorerecords.com/

Photo by Gregory Neiser (www.gregoryneiser.com)

Madness, weirdness, and creativity usually make for a nice mix when it comes to metal. Not all the time, mind you. If everything was this way, what was strange and perplexing would be the norm, and no one would benefit from that. So, in the current state of things, when something comes along that has the aforementioned characteristics, it’s case for celebration. Or at least your attention.

I witnessed Pittsburgh’s Dendritic Arbor live before I heard their intense, challenging new record “Romantic Love.” No slow jams, by the way, so if that’s what you were hoping to get, prepare to be disappointed. Unfortunately, the one time I did see them, they were marred by technical issues (not of their doing), so it was hard to get a full grasp of this band’s might in that setting. But damn, if this record didn’t make that clear? This band mixes black metal with grind with elements of death, and it all comes out pretty strange. Yeah, sure, a lot of bands employ these elements into their sound, but not quite the way Dendritic Arbor do on “Romantic Love,” a record I highly recommend and the follow-up to their just-as-caustic “Sylvan Matriarch.” This new collection is one of those scene-splitting records, and this is one of those bands that will make you hear extreme metal differently and wonder why more artists can’t get on a creative level like this.

By the way, when I speak of Dendritic Arbor’s unconventional ways, it’s not like they’re doing off-the-wall things that could turn off listeners. They just have their own way of going about business, their own formula for making these things happen, and sometimes things shift and change so abruptly, you wonder in what direction to head. But that, to me, is a plus, as the record is such ferocious fun and has me excited to see the band live again under better circumstances. As for the members of this devastating unit, Maxwell Beehner, Christopher McCune, Tom Bittner, and Adam Henderson are the credited maulers. Providing the noise elements on this stunning, wrenching record is Topon Das of Fuck the Facts, Kyle Lambert, Jon Leone, Haultaine III, Elaine H, and Noel Mueller. They help color in the terrifying corners with noise interludes that make this thing ever scarier.

“Murmuration End” is the opening salvo, with tricky, mind-crushing guitar work splattering everywhere and the entire package hemorrhaging blood. The growls sound utterly harsh and raw. In fact, and maybe it’s just me, but the vocals sometimes have a Brian Johnson scrape to them, if he was fronting the most volatile band anywhere. The track is creative and fierce and eventually gives way to a slow-grinding finish. “Blooming Amygdala” starts with a noise squall that simmers before the track ignites into a wall of mathy death, along with tortured wails that sound painful. The band mashes you heavily before tossing you into a sea of mechanical chirps, with the sounds invoking madness. “Horizontal Key Vertical Gate” is insane, with the music burning with a rage and the vocals coming off like a creaky troll looking for flesh. The tempo is dizzying and spirals into madness, with chaotic savagery and manic, warped growls that pull you face-first into the last minutes of electronic storming. “Giallo” is a fast burst, an assault that rips out of the gates, shreds flesh in an instant, and finds the band unloading total punishment.

“Ewaste” runs 8:12 and stabs hard, with the vocals spat out with disgust, speed bursts that maim, and a delivery of unforgiving menace that comes at you from all directions. But just as it feels the entire scene is running out of control into a brick wall, the pace changes on a dime, and the soundscape floats into the scene. The sheet of black ambiance and eerie taps spreads and grows blacker, devouring the last half of the track and leaving you in the midst of an oppressive nightmare. “Ceremony of Dust” digs up some doomy graves, with mucky guitar work, vicious growls, and a thrashy assault, with the track’s title repeated over and over like a chant. Shrieks tear through the surface, and more hazy interference emerges and delivers you to closer “Pestiferous Disease Vectoring.” This cut is outright heavy and off balance psychologically, with a damaged pace cutting a curved path, the assault being delivered slowly but massively, and the track melting into a bed of spacey zaps and warped hisses.

Just know now, this thing is going to fuck up your brain. Dendritic Arbor’s agenda seems to be to twist various elements of the metallic spectrum to fit their mission, and “Romantic Love” certainly hints that they pay no mind to convention. That’s really refreshing to realize, and be it live or on their smothering albums, the band is going to change what you think about metal and how it’s formulated for the absolute best. Be prepared to adjust to them, because they’re not bending for you or anyone.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/DendriticArbor

To buy the album, go here: http://grimoirerecords.bandcamp.com/album/romantic-love

For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/GrimoireRecords

Photo by http://sfsludge.blogspot.com

Music, and metal in general, certainly is a form of escapism. It’s a place to go get lost in stories that can range anywhere from horror to the glory of the battlefield to psychological wonders and not be the person you had been the moment before hitting play. But to get involved and sink right in doesn’t accompany every album.

Bay Area black metal wonders Bosse-de-Nage are one of those bands who don’t just make records. They make films and vignettes in the form of songs and albums. They have their own subculture bleeding underneath their passages, and they’ve become one of the most mysterious, unique, and distinctive metal artists ever since their initial demos dropped nearly a decade ago. Starting in 2010, the band has unleashed four full-length efforts (the first two for the Flenser; the most recent pair for Profound Lore, tough the Flenser is handling the vinyl version) that act as mini worlds. From my standpoint as a writer, one does not just hear the songs, record thoughts, and spill them into an essay. Instead, you have to commit to the surroundings, let the roots stretch through your body, and live these songs along with the band. Sure, they’d sound pleasing enough on their own without emotional commitment. But to get absorbed is to see all of the various colors and horrors that turn to flesh and grab you for a full experience in their globe.

And now it is with “All Fours,” the band’s latest release and their most ambitious yet (which seems nearly impossible considering what preceded it), that the drama gets ramped up even further. The ideas are bigger, the approach is expanded and lets their metallic world grow, yet at the same time, it lets them convey some of their rawest emotions and thoughts to date. The members—they go my letters with the indescribable B on vocals, M on guitars, D on bass, and H on drums—spill all kinds of sounds into their concoction, from agitated indie rock to doom to strange noise and dissonance, and on top of it all are the utterly expressive vocals that aren’t just repeating verses and choruses. Read along while B’s rants, sounding like a mad poet in parts, apocalyptic observer in others, and unleashed monster for the bulk. Those who have been tuned into the band’s mystique from day one will slip right back into this dank scene (and yes, Marie is here again and even inspires the record’s title) of submission, humiliation, repression, obsession, and torture the band has weaved into a tapestry of woe.

“At Night” opens this terrifying scene, with Marie, on all fours as noted, offering up bizarre, violence physical contact, and the bruising mentally and physically coming to a head early. The band roars into a pool of milky black metal, with B’s growling grainier than usual, the guitars mesmerizing, warped melodies setting the stage, and the words coming out as dialog then fierce shouts. Once that blistering carnage comes to an end, it’s on to “The Industry of Distance” that smacks right into a feedback haze. A clean pocket of sound emerges, teasing calm, but then that’s torn apart by emotional melodies, blasts of power, and the mangled vocals that sound like a man crumbling. Maybe it’s just me, but I hear some classic At the Drive In during this cut, as the band hits a cataclysmic high and makes you wonder if the anguish and punishment you’re facing isn’t somewhat pleasing. “-” is a quick interlude of ghostly noise that hangs in the air and stings, leading to “A Subtle Change,” with its surging punishment that is like raw black metal merging with frenetic rock and wrenching vocals that keep pushing the capabilities of human lungs and throat. As the song nears its end, the main melody line loops back around, and the soundscape churns to the bitter finish.

“Washerwoman” is odd and disturbing, especially lyrically as this story unfolds, and the 9:21 opus really will darken your imagination. The song chugs cleanly at the start, with B’s disturbing imagery spoken over the waves. The playing gets atmospheric, with a noise hiss slicing its way in, and then it explodes in a rage. The vocals are delivered with menace, and at one point, a guitar solo slithers through, which is a rarity for this band. Chaos, abrupt changes, and murk lead this one to its chilling finish. The first part of “In a Yard Somewhere” has the most straightforward passage of any Bosse-de-Nage track I can think of. It busts open, drives heavily and honestly, and puts a serious burn on your flesh. Noises that sound like a broken-down propeller arise, as the emotion hits a crescendo, and each figure plays like it’s his final moment of expression. “To Fall Down” surges and storms, halting momentarily to let a steely bassline set up shop and for the melodies to start sounding like some ode to nature. The band keeps building layers on top as this one goes, with the vocals reaching a point of desperation and the sounds folding in on themselves and cascade into time. Closer “The Most Modern Staircase” is the longest cut at 9:48, bled into from the previous song. There is a long, introspective section that gets blown to bits when the tempo and fury erupt. The melodies are glorious and wildly burning, with B’s wails sounding pained, as if he’s on the verge of dying from a beating. Every element of the band pours on the intensity, unloading a smothering panic that could leave you gasping, allowing strings to slice through to add beauty to the morbidity, and the whole finally spinning out of control and taking each of your living cells with them.

As usual, a Bosse-de-Nage record is not for everyone, and “All Fours” might seem like an unapproachable document to those new to the band. This album is a continuation of the stories and terrors that have been a part of this band’s DNA from the start, and there’s no telling when these threads will end. Or if they’ll end. But know this: You will be tested, punished, and pushed into the mud by this band, and they will stretch you to your limits. You want an escape? You’ll get one every time. But be warned that this journey will return you changed and maybe not for the better.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/blackbossedenage?fref=ts

To buy the album (CD), go here: https://www.profoundlorerecords.com/products-page/

Or here (vinyl): http://store.theflenser.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.profoundlorerecords.com/

We generally don’t do a whole lot of demo releases around here, for myriad reasons. Primarily, there is so much new music to evaluate each week, and the process of picking 5 or so each seven-day period is a major, stressful task. Another reason is with so many demos circulating, it’s terribly difficult to hear even a fraction of them.

But now and again we do get something that piques our interest, and that exact thing happened with the four-track effort from Swiss band Antiversum, whose “Total Vacuum” is being spread across the metal underground by Invictus Productions. It’s difficult even telling you very much about this band, because the members involved operate in the shadows. Their Facebook page reveals no members’ names, and their Metal Archives entry also is devoid of ownership for this dark art. What we can tell you is this band’s music is a thunderous, storming amalgamation of black metal, doom, and death, shot directly into a vortex and aiming to leave you dizzy and on the floor. If this band’s profile isn’t much larger a year from now (from an overall group standpoint, of course), we’ve failed as a metal community or the band doesn’t exist anymore. Those are the only two sensible reasons if Antiversum isnt a household name for folks who read this site and others like it. They’re just too good and intriguing.

Opener “Finis Aeternitum” starts with a pocket of strange noise before it leads into a healthy serving of doom-laced darkness complete with harsh growls that prick the eardrums. The fury keeps building as the song goes on, with the drums being crushed, a new level of intensity uncovered, and guitars spiraling off and helping create a dizzying conclusion. “Vetus Angelis” erupts right away, with the guitars leading the assault and a sense of raw carnage permeating the whole thing. The band storms and trudges heavily, and even when the pace slows and things grow more methodical, it’s only a quick breath before they hit full onslaught mode again. The band keeps firing away, entering into a mud pit and eventually allowing the viciousness to dissipate.

The title cut is absolutely volcanic, thrashing, and mauling from the start and levying total punishment along the way. The growls again are relentless and monstrous, with the band achieving a level of infernal chaos but, at the same time, finding a way to be hypnotic and mesmerizing. While the band does let the storm subside here and there, it’s always back into the furnace, as the closing minutes re-engage their bloodthirst and send you on your bruised, woozy way. Closer “Adventus Finis” opens in a haze of dissonance, giving off a vibe that reminds of Portal with them soaring down the rabbit hole of oppressive death. There is a nice bit of atmosphere that settles into the middle of the cut, but when the bottom eventually drops out, it leads into the heaviest, chunkiest part of this release. The mashing is nightmarish, with the vocals turning up the intensity tenfold, as it all gets sucked into a black hole of noise that spins and shakes your organs and eventually turns into dust.

While just a demo, “Total Vacuum” does in fact live up to its name by sucking you right into the madness and holding you in its container forever. This is a promising first step for this band, and perhaps because their profile is non-existent from a personality standpoint, they can continue to operate in the darkness and produce more great transmissions such as these. This is a band whose name you’ll want to carve into the back of your mind for proper storage. Trust me, you’re going to need that information in the future.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/antiversum

To buy the album, go here: http://www.invictusproductions.net/shop/

For more on the label, go here: http://invictusproductions.net/

So I’m in the process of moving, and this thing has taken so much longer to get finished than I ever imagined. We’re talking a couple of years of working to renovate the inside of a house, get our moving schedule lined up, and getting in there. It’s insane, and it’s become to topic of jokes with my friends who tease that this move never is going to happen. I am starting to believe them.

But as long as this venture has taken, it pales in comparison to the amount of time Nocternity’s third full-length opus has been in the works. The band’s last record “Onyx” arrived in 2003, and since that time the band has worked on their follow-up effort “Harps of the Ancient Temples.” That’s 12 long years if you don’t feel like doing the math. In that time, two different incarnations of the band recorded two different versions of the album—a digital and analog take, the latter of which you get on this release—so it’s not like they haven’t been putting time, effort, hours, blood, sweat, and tears into this thing. But at long last this record is here, and it sounds like nothing else that the rest of the black community has put forth in the recent past. That’s a major positive, by the way.

Nocternity mastermind K.G. (or Khal Drogo …no seriously) remains at the helm of the ship, maintaining his position as the band’s driving creative force and also keeping his label Kyrck Productions alive and well. Joining him in the band is long-time vocalist W. (formerly of Luna Aurora) as well as new drummer N.S. (formerly of Sadistic Noise). For this album, KD promised a less complex record than what we got with “Onyx,” but don’t go thinking they dumbed this down or anything. Far from it. Instead, we get a fully realized, ancient-style black metal assault that would have sounded right at home in the Middle Ages, when swords were claiming lives and villages were put to the torch. It’s exhilarating and mystical, with Nocternity maintaining their unique edge.

The record opens with “The Black Gates” and its dark riffing, spoken vocals that barely register above the chaos, and hissed growls that later take the lead. As the song goes on, it gets grislier and more dangerous, finally washing out at the end. The title cut has a fierce guitar burn that starts it off, with slow drumming echoing and more hushed vocals rumbling in the basement. As the vocals pick up the intensity, so do the guitars as they deliver strong riffs and hypnotic melodies that will have your head spinning. Another bit of dialog slips in, and that’s met with a chugging, churning tempo and singing that sounds like chants. “Titans” begins heavily and mightily, with harsh, gurgly growls and the band absolutely pummeling you. The guitars swelter, while the cymbals are crushed, chants rise up, and the din fades into the night. “River of Woe” is slow burning, with a mesmerizing tempo, howled vocals, and a sense of hypnotics. The track stays at its non-rushed clip, dizzying and causing you to reach for something sturdy to maintain your balance.

“B.O.D.D” has a driving pace, with the vocals rumbling hard, strong riffs raining down with force, and once again, the band trying to get your head spinning. If they’re trying to make you see visions of the past in their mind-altering music, they do a damn fine job at it as this is another that will have the room rotating on you. “Blood Rite Tree” bubbles up quickly with the guitars spiraling and growls filtering in and out of the mix. The leads are ominous, as the vocals go from dusty storytelling to vicious growls. The drums are pounded heavily, while the guitar melodies whip in and take you for a ride. “Opaline Eye of Death” feels like a storm cloud ripping open, with the guitars washing over everything and the melodies riveting. The pace takes its time, though, as it knows it has you where it wants you and can mete out damage more thoroughly. Speaking returns, like you’re being told a tale of old, and the track ends in a deep pit of sludge. Closer “Andromeda” feels humid and thick from the start, with guitars slurring and slashing, the music burning and hanging in the air, and final bits of storytelling returning to infect you one last time. The music is smeary and damaged, with the final moments grinding hard and the track taking ghost form and slipping back into its resting place.

Nocternity certainly took their time and waited until they had “Harps of the Ancient Temples” just right, and their patience and tenacity paid off. This record is very different from many of the black metal albums we are served in bulk, and its ability to mystify you and take you on a trip back into time makes this rewarding and enthralling. Who knows how long it will take for Nocternity to complete the next chapter of their musical story, but this third stop should keep us all satisfied until that moment arrives.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/nocternityofficial

To buy the album, go here: http://ironbonehead.de/shop/

For more on the label, go here: http://ironbonehead.de/

There are those forces in metal that grate, divide us, force us to call each other no-nothing assholes on social media. And then there are uniters, the ones who have universal acclaim and appeal and seem to be on the list of everyone’s favorite artists. Today, we will discuss something that’s definitely the former.

Many opinions exists on Niklas Kvarforth, the man who has long helmed the Swedish black metal band Shining and who people other vehemently hate or wholeheartedly embrace. There seems to be no in-between, and a provoker like Kvarforth probably would not have it any other way. His project explores many dark territories of human personalities and psyches, and the word “suicidal” often has been labeled to his dark art. As for me, I’ve always been an ardent fan of Shining, even through the band’s many twisted and artistic turns, and each new record I’ve anticipated greatly to see just where he would go next and what new wounds he’d open. His latest “IX: Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends” is another scathing, challenging document that’s bound to be polarizing.

While Kvarforth is the driving force behind Shining (no one can deny his oceans of charisma and total recognizable vocal delivery) and has been ever since the band’s arrival nearly two decades ago, he’s not alone in this mission. Along with him on this ninth helping are guitarists Peter Huss and Euge Valovirta; bassist Christian Latrsson; and drummer Rainer Tuomikanto, and on “IX,” they turn in a record that shows the Shining borders still are expanding, even if raw, striking black metal remains the capitol city. Kvarforth keeps pushing his voice and hasn’t been merely a growler for a long time. The band’s sounds range from black metal to death to prog to folk in spots, and this six-track, nearly 40-minute mauler is one that’ll damage your senses and also leave you with a dank feeling when it’s over.

Opener “Den Påtvingade Tvåsamheten” is an interesting instrumental piece that starts with eerie noises and scraping static, before a doom-infested riff kicks and a prog-fueled path begins to get carved. Some calm sets in before the drama ramps up again, and then we’re right into “Vilja & Dröm” that rips right out of a corner. Kvarforth grunts and howls his way through this cut, with dark melodies washing over and enhancing his characteristically rolled R’s. The pace gets gritty and dirty as it goes on, with wild shrieks erupting, rustic acoustic passages adding texture to the horror, and guitars piercing and drawing blood. “Framtidsutsikter” changes the pace a bit and also sets the stage for the second half of the record. Acoustic riffs roll out, with Kvarforth crooning thornily instead of growling, and the overall mood can be described, quite simply, as stormy. The guitars hit a reflective high, letting you think the band is giving you a moment to stretch your mind, but the ugliness returns before all is said and done. The music gets cataclysmic, and the fierce vocals match the musical intensity.

“Människotankens Vägglösa Rum” has a crunchy, thrashy start, with the vocals throaty as hell and the tempo taking a straight-forward black metal direction. Kvarforth goes off the rails at one point, delivering hammering shrieks and droned warbling, often within the same minute, and all of that chaos settles down and lets folk waters take over. The band then lights back up, taking on a vibe that reminds of middle-era Opeth, with the final minute blistering before it fades. “Inga Broar Kvar Att Bränna” opens clean and dreary, like a foggy morning rain shower, and even when some of the edges get rough, the spine of this thing stays contemplative and dreamy for the most part. The band even sets up a portion that’s dashed with some European-style folk, with the singing sounding strange and on edge, almost like Kvarforth is having a meltdown. Closer “Besök Från I(ho)nom” has a trickling first few minutes, continuing the mesmerizing sections of the record that preceded it, but it’s not long until crushing growling, furious playing, and oddly jazzy bass playing take over. From this point until the end, things go up and down hills, blazing with a fury one moment, heading into pockets of warmth the next, and finally fading out into the night.

Shining always has been a favorite in these parts, and “IX: Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends” is bound to be another that topples some people’s worlds while irritating others. Kvarforth always has been a unique, uncompromising musician who isn’t afraid to push buttons and cause distaste in people’s mouths. It’s that and his blunt style that endear him to as many (if not more) as those who reject him, and as long as Shining remain this sharp and daring, their music always is going to be worth experiencing for all its dark glory.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/shiningofficial

To buy the album, go here: http://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/

Or here: http://shop.season-of-mist.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.season-of-mist.com/

I am always pleasantly surprised when I meet and talk to metal listeners who I’ve either know for a long time or who I met through the site and get a scope for just how wide-ranging people’s musical tastes are. It never fails that if I post something on Facebook or Instagram about music entirely not metal, more often than not, those I met specifically because of metal instantly chime in with praise for whatever artist it happens to be. We’re hardly closed-minded.

Because of that, it’s never surprising when noted metal artists break out of their customary zone, or at least the realm for which they’re best known, and create entirely different sounds. We’ve heard that from the members of Neurosis, YOB’s Mike Scheidt, and Windhand’s Dorthea Cottrell, and we’ve certainly experienced that with Wolvserpent’s Blake Green. Now, Green is known to offshoot from that project into other decidedly metal (or mostly) realms with his other ventures, one we talked about last week in Il’ithil, but what he’s created over the long haul under the Aelter banner is something entirely different.

Over the course of four full-length records now, Green has done quite a bit of exploring with Aelter. While not metallic at its core, it certainly can pull in your more adventurous listener who doesn’t mind taking cinematic whirlwinds through space and time. This project has allowed Green to go into folk, slowcore, Western noir, and psychedelic noise, with each record providing something varied. His latest “IV: Love Eternal” finds him traveling dusty roadways, trancing out heavily, and creating a world in which reaching out and exploring the dark corners of every room becomes recommended activity. It’s an album that grows more infectious with each listen and again proves just how versatile an artist Green really is. Not that the fact ever was in doubt.

An “Intro” cut washes into the picture and instantly gives the proceedings an otherworldly sensation, with a dusty Western breeze kicking up, and a weird, warbly transmission leading into “Death Eternal” that feels like it originates in a space opera staged in the middle of a desert planet. There is strange droning and whirring surrounding Blake’s devastated alien singing, and that grabs a hold and never lets go through the course of the album. “The regret and the longing,” Blake laments, as the song hits a haunting haze and steam rises along with the final remnants of the cut. The title track feels damaged and like it’s tossing tumbleweeds over the terrain, with Green noting in his smeary, ghostlike voice, “The desert is speaking.” The whole thing puts a feeling of chilled isolation into your veins, as dark, foggy playing stands at the forefront, while slurring melodies and slide guitars slip into the background and put a heavy blanket over the whole thing.

“Life Eternal” has a similar feel as the other two songs before it, in that it carries on the same spirit. The vocals are quivery and strike me as damaged, with louder guitars looming in the background and charges sparking up over the mire. The track becomes sootier and darker about midway through, with the guitar work leading the way, a steely and spacey state of mind settling, and a few more explosions before the song finally settles into its place. Closer “Hope Eternal” is the longest cut at 11:43, and despite its title, it also sounds the bleakest. The passage is bookended by airy chimes, synth that rises like a vapor, and a sense of traveling through the atmosphere. But in between, guitars begin to churn and burn, with the vocals sounding more forceful and edgier and strong lead melody lines stretching over top. The track is moody and dark as it grows, with the vocals taking on a phantom role, the synth rising back up with force, and the energy ready to dissipate back into the clouds from where it came.

No matter the project or where his head is at during any particular moment, Green is an artist who always has something substantive to say, both musically and philosophically. Aelter has been one of those living, breathing beings Green has created, and “Love Eternal” is another thought-provoking entry into that project’s collection. This is an album that doesn’t really have a right mood or environment when it best fits. You just have to be ready to give yourself up to these sounds, and you’ll be transported right into the dark no matter the season, time, or place.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aelter/1533437623600911

To buy the album, go here: http://pesanta.bigcartel.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.f-consortium.com/

Lush, beautiful imagery is not something totally foreign to metal landscapes anymore. To say that what we consider and embrace in this style of music’s multiple sub-genres is expansive might be a bit of an understatement. But I think it speaks to many listeners’ diversity and ability to absorb and enjoy many types of sounds.

With bands such as Les Discrets and Alcest adding more sensitive, atmospheric tones to metal’s landscapes, more color, air-flushed arrangements have become common. Another band that has changed the way we see and hear metal is Lustre, the one-man project that is the brainchild of Nachtzeit who has been making mind-expanding, fantasy-level music ever since the project’s formation in 2008. While skating along the outer edges of black metal, Lustre’s sound has grown more organically soothing and image-conjuring as time has gone on. This band’s music really isn’t here to light your heathen heart ablaze and have you seeing fire raging in your own eyes. Instead, it is designed to capture you and take you somewhere you never dreamed, where your imagination can take flight. Along the way, the music has it barbs and waves of power, but that’s more one element of a larger picture rather than the overall point.

Lustre is back in our stratosphere with “Blossom,” the project’s fifth record to date and one of its most adventurous yet. The four movements that stretch over 33 minutes are as calming and tranquil as anything Nachtzeit has created so far, but fret not if you think you’ve been abandoned. Far-off roars and displays of energy do color in some of the corners and satisfy any urge you have to feel something metallic. But again, that’s not the point to this record or any of Lustre’s efforts, and you’re far better off letting go of any expectations and floating off into the clouds with this music.

“Part 1” of the piece begins with some New Age-style trickling, setting you at a sense of mystical wonder before some power bursts in. The melody traipses over the length of the cut, tying it all together, and wild cries can be heard in the background, washed out by the surrounding sounds. The keys glimmer like the soundtrack to a fantasy film, with spacey voices swirling through that feel hypnotic, as well as a finish that concludes in the air. “Part 2” begins in that same expansive space, eventually gushing open and delivering lush melodies. Vocals coloring the background emerge, with the overall spine of the song enrapturing and a doom fury falling to the ground. But it’s not doom in a sooty sense; more of in a darkening thunderstorm feel. The track hits a trancey high, with all elements smooshing together and eventually bringing this giant vision to an end.

“Part 3” spill in with watery keyboards and gazey power that feels like sunbeams cutting through a thick morning fog. A similar melody that snakes through the rest of the album shows its face in a varied form, with the music glimmering and shining brightly amid the murk. The vocals feel more feral than they do elsewhere, giving this a call-of-the-wild aura, and later calm permeates, with steady drumming driving, the dramatic tension giving way, and the back end of the song releasing you slowly. The final section “Part 4” feels solemn and mildly stormy at the start, with an orchestral sense to it all, synth waves wafting overhead and covering the area like a thick blanket, and the song eventually letting go of its grip. You might find yourself staring at the sky as you watch this whole orb of sound float away and out of your dream world.

Nachtzeit’s dimensions continue to expand with every record, and “Blossom” is no exception. Lustre’s universe doesn’t look like many other metal artists’ nor does it intend to, and it’s great having this project alive and continually adding to our dreamscapes. Everyone needs an escape now and again, and Lustre provides the perfect pathway for that journey.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/lustresweden

To buy the album, go here: http://www.nordvis.com/store/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.nordvis.com/

Last year, a big deal was made when Unlocking the Truth, a young metal band, was signed to a multi-million dollar deal by a major record label. One read of the story howled “publicity stunt” to me, and now a year or so later, there’s hardly anything coming out of that camp other than carefully planned interviews and them wanting out of the deal.

I’m not knocking the band. Obviously they have talent, and they’re kids. Who doesn’t want to sign a huge record deal at that age and make money? It just felt all icky seeing these kids exposed, and it seemed the only real reason they were made a huge media deal is because they’re kids who can play instruments well. That brings me to Vermörd, a blackened death metal band out of Maryland whose members range in age from 16-19. And they fucking rip. Hard. For real. They play a brand of metal that harkens back to the early ’90s, when they weren’t even alive, and they play with such a passion and intensity, it’s stunning to hear them. And here’s the thing: It really doesn’t matter how young they are. Their debut “Dawn of the Black Harvest” would be good no matter how old they are because it’s intense as hell. It’s a great sounding, amazingly well-executed record, and the fact that they’re so young is more a side note. Young musicians made this, sure, but the important thing is they crush skulls!

The band itself is comprised of vocalist Zach Thomsen, whose ability to toggle between black scream and death grunt is astounding; guitarists Brad Weddle and Yianni Papaeracleous; bassist Alec Klimm; and drummer Zak Kempler. The guys dig deep into sounds made a part of metal’s DNA by bands such as Emperor, Dissection, Mayhem, Decapitated, and groups of that ilk, and they do it with incredible savagery. I recall Noel from Grimoire, who smartly signed up this band and is releasing “Black Harvest” digitally and on CD and cassette, sending me their Soundcloud files early in the year to get a taste of this record, and I instantly was blown away. Hearing the whole record, that promise I heard at the turn of 2015 is fully paid off on this great collection.

“Disciples of Shakhburz” opens this six-track, 21-minute scorcher as a sort of introduction piece, a synth-led instrumental that chills with its dark orchestration and whets your appetite for the carnage ahead. That starts to pay off heavily on “Plagued Eyes From the Scrolls of Xafmirtas” that is built on huge riffs, decimating drums, and an ultra-black atmosphere delivered steadily by the fierce shrieks that erupt from Thomsen’s throat. There are some great melodies among the absolute bloodshed, and at points, the band gallops heavily, as if they have no other mission but destruction. The song even has an uptick toward the end, as the guitars reach a boiling point, and the band drives this thing to delirium. “Ophite Cultus Satanas” rips open, with the guitars setting everything ablaze and the vocals switching from demonic to acid reflux coarse. The bass has a bigger presence here, cutting its steely way, and the final moments are dressed in grim fury. Killer cut.

“Encrimsoned Baptism” has guitars sprawling all over, leaning into classic death and thrash and making a gigantic explosion. In fact, some of the music here dips into prog, in the deadliest possible manner, and the cymbals take a particularly rough beating. The song later simmers in pure death metal hell, with sections going for the throat and the vocals dripping with ill intent and conviction. “Derodidymus” is a smasher and the song wisely chosen as the first one to be shared with the Internet at large. It is massive in scope and so violently played, with the lead guitars generating suffocating smoke and the pace sounding unforgiving. But just when you think the song couldn’t possibly have another gear, the band proves you wrong, unleashing a swaggering, Earth-decimating burst that might have you throwing furniture all over your living room. When that moment hits, and you’ll know it, it’s all rules tossed out the window. Closer “Dark Harvest” is the curveball of the group with moodier, cleaner tones worked into the mix, a feeling of sorrow permeating. Yet the vocals remaining as vile and animalistic as ever. It’s a nice change of pace, proof the band has more tricks up their sleeve that they’ll reveal when the time is right. It’s a really strong finisher, with the guitars sounding great once again, and as the thing reaches its final resting place, it rises up to deliver one more blast, just for good measure. What an awesome finish.

Yeah, it’s impressive Vermörd’s members are so young and already this good. But that’s not the reason “Dawn of the Black Harvest” is such a toppling effort. No, it’s because of the music and the band’s performance. If in a few years this band doesn’t have a higher profile and isn’t recording for a major metal indie label (no offense to Grimoire, who we love!), then someone isn’t paying attention. This very well could be metal’s future here bleeding all over the underground and creating music this powerful on their first damn recording. Pay attention to Vermörd, because soon they’ll be the real deal dominating what sprawls out of metal scribes mouths, your truly included.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Verm%C3%B6rd/135254779916681

To buy the album, go here: https://grimoirerecords.bandcamp.com/album/dawn-of-the-black-harvest

For more on the label go here: http://www.grimoirerecords.com/

Every year, we are greeted with a spate of metal releases that seem universally praised and are pre-ordained as one of the current 12 months’ best. You know the ones: Song premieres at every site you visit, millions of scribes chiming in to sing the band’s praises, the relentless press cycle reiterating said viewpoints. Hey, Meat Mead Metal often plays a part of those giant choruses.

Today, we have one of the year’s most anticipated new metal releases by a band that’s been seen as one of the up-and-coming leaders of the future. I was absolutely floored by Tribulation’s last record “The Formulas of Death,” that was unleashed in 2013. It was when that record arrived and was absorbed that the incredible promise this band holds became clear. Here was a record that took death and black metal into entirely different terrain (as like-minded groups such as Morbus Chron and Execration also did), and it had an imagination and creativity you just don’t get from every band. This record has stuck with me ever since and gets regular rotation in my ears, so quite obviously, the arrival of their new, third album “The Children of the Night” had me overly excited and counting down the days until the new music was in my possession.

I try to steer clear of album reviews of things I haven’t written about yet, but seeing preview stories isn’t something from which you really can’t shield yourself. The effusive praise for this Swedish band—bassist/vocalist Johannes Andersson, guitarists Adam Zaars and Jonathan Hulten, and drummer Jakob Ljungberg—and this new album is impossible to avoid. There have been more than a few calls for album of the year, and the response to the advance singles people have heard has been overly positive. I’m not purposely trying to go against the grain at all, but the record isn’t resonating with me like it is so many others. I like the music. It’s a very well-played, smartly written document, and it’s catchy as hell. I’m just not feeling it moving my mind and soul like their previous work did, and the direction they take here doesn’t make me excited. They have pulled away from the death and black terrain and are more of a retro-sounding outfit with gruff vocals. There are a lot of bands playing the same type of music as Tribulation now, so for me, they’ve left the stratosphere of special and have come back to Earth. Instead of this being a mind-blowing, year-altering release, it’s just a really good album. Not that that’s a bad thing.

The album does get off to an excellent start with “Strange Gateways Beckon,” packed with infectious guitar melodies you won’t soon shake, a fine vocal performance from Andersson, and a death rock feel that reeks of promise. “Melancholia” also has its strong points, veering down the Mercyful Fate/In Solitude path (to mix old and new examples), with a bit of a punk rock bend as well. The keys glimmer, the guitars drive, and this also is a pretty fine track. “In the Dreams of the Dead” has a blurry, clean open before the power kicks in, vocals are delivered as raspy growls, and a dreamy atmosphere sits behind the track, giving off a pretty cool fog. This also is one of the many examples where the band bites on old Maiden-style riffs, which they do pretty well. “Winds” is calculated and stormy, with proggy keys zapping and noises whirring in the dark. It’s not a bad song, but it also isn’t one of their standout cuts. “Sjalaflykt” is an instrumental number that trickles in ominously and eventually gains steam, with eerie, haunting melodies, and a nighttime psychedelic aura that sends chills.

The second half of the record begins with “The Motherhood of God” that has made it rounds on various sites and blogs, and it’s one of the strongest cuts on this album. The riffs sting, the vocals are catchy and a serious strong point, and it’s them putting their best classic metal foot forward, showing just how strong this band can be. But it’s a slow descent from that point, as the last four songs sound fine and aren’t bad at all, but they don’t elevate the album. “Strains of Horror” again has a vintage touch to it, which sounds good but doesn’t set the band apart. The vocals are whispery and creepy in spots, with nicely textured guitars and some cold piano notes filling in at the end. “Holy Libations” has a neat, jazzy open, with well-time guitar lines slipping in and dramatic melodies bursting. There’s actually a killer hook to this one on the chorus, but it kind of gets buried underneath everything so doesn’t really get to show its swagger. It’s a shame because, if that part was featured more prominently, it really raises this one. “Cauda Pavonis” is a brief, almost whimsically dark interlude that sets the stage for 7:04 closer “Music From the Other,” which takes a slow-driving, evil journey. This one hammers and pounds, with gurgly vocals, slurry lead guitars, and a cosmic feel coloring in the last minutes of the song, ending the record on a pretty positive note.

It probably sounds weird to say I’m disappointed with a record I actually enjoy, but to me, Tribulation doesn’t really pay off their enormous potential on this album. I really wish the band would have continued to explore the outer reaches of death and black metal instead of evening out their sound and treading similar paths other bands before them already have. Their work before “The Children of the Night” really set them apart from the pack, but this record pulls them back toward normality. Obviously I’m in the minority in that viewpoint, but I see this record as a chance the band could have taken to establish their greatness instead of falling short of the mark. I really wanted to walk away absolutely blown away by this album, but instead I hear a record that isn’t a slam dunk to make my Top 40 of 2015.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Tribulationofficial

To buy the album, go here: http://www.cmdistro.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://centurymedia.com/