Category: Depressive Black Metal

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KRIGSGRAV – Fires in the Fall _ REVIEW

 

Labor day is the unofficial last day of summer in the states. Many begin look forward to Fall with its longer and colder nights and onslaught of pumpkin spice products. Here a Trve Kvlt, nothing warms our little black hearts more than a fresh serving of Black Metal.

Krigsgrav is from Texas and with the current heat wave the states is experiencing, it might as well be Hell itself. Perhaps just the spark of inspiration that band needs to keep pumping out incredible material. Fires in the Fall, is the group’s 7th album in their 20 year existence.

One of the first things that hits you on your first listen is the outstanding production. Every note and sound is heard and has a larger than life feeling. This is especially felt in many of the Doom elements that are infused into the recording. While production value is often looked as the enemy of Black Metal, Krisgrav expertly use it their advantage.

Krisgrav creates melodic atmosphere throughout the album. Each song feels massive and takes on a life of its own. At one moment you are enjoying a nice slow Doom beat and the next Krisgrav hammers you over the head with some killer thrash riffs and hooks. The band perfectly fuses these elements together with great fluidity.

Closing track, “Alone with the Setting Sun,” is the band at their peak. Krisgrav adds just the perfect touches of Doom, Black and classic Death Metal here to make an absolute banger. There are too many great guitar moments here to count. Stop reading and start listening!

 

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TEITAN – In Oculus Abyss – REVIEW

 

Anyone else remember Oculus Orbus; the giant sickening bloodshot eyeball from the Madballs toyline? I can’t help but to be reminded by looking at this album cover. With nasty song titles like the soon to be a favorite scent at Yankee Candle, “Menstrual Blood and Pommegrenate, ” Teitan has a few more things in common with the gross out 80s property.

While the foundation of this album is rooted firmly in shocking Black Metal foundations there is plenty more to be heard at its core. At many points the sounds within feel experimental at first but develop for as you listen. It’s a moody listen with plenty of shifts and changes. There are plenty of shrieking vocals and savage guitar tones to keep the purists happy.

  Teitan does seem to like to experiment in how far and hard they can take the vocals. In times the vocals feel like they are made to be jarring just for the sake of jarring. While this is definitely isn’t for everyone, it’s this kind of experimentation that make Teitan interesting,

The instrumental  arrangements are were this album really shines. Unlike the vocals the synths seem to made for a different audience. Its weird, it’s strange but it is accessible.  Synth tones go from dronning to haunting to catchy.

Teitan is out there trying something different and for that reason alone it’s worth checking out.

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GYRDLEAH – Spellbinder – Review

Often I stream albums for review during my day job. It’s a great way to kill two birds with one stone and makes the work day much more enjoyable. However this album gave me pause. Spellbinder does not work well with the exciting world of Excel Spreadsheets.

That’s not a dig in the slightest. Gyrdleah’s long awaited debut album is meant to be savored and digested with minimal distractions. The band was formed in the UK back in 2005 and took until just this year to release what is considered their “debut” album. While the group did manage to release an EP back in 2011, this is their first full length.

Grydleah perfectly deliver plenty of Black Metal staples with their sound from the low-fi production, eerie treble and savage shrieks. Most of the album has a slow and somber feel as the songs lurch and lumber from track to track. The band includes a good amount of clean vocals in their attack. While many extreme metal fans balk at even the mention of clean vocals, Grydleah make great use of them. Often their tracks are darker even more bleak with them.

Another reason why it was difficult to work and review this album was that it took a few spins for the sound to sink in. There is a lot going on here as the music often easily goes from savage to somber and vice versa. There is a lot to unpack here. The more you listen, the more you pick up the next time.

Opening track, “Stab the Lamb,” starts with a crawl and soon sees the band at their fastest towards the middle of the song.It is also the perfect song to open to as it gives you an idea of what is in store. All in all, if you are looking for some depressive black doom that dosen’t get old after several spins, be sure to check this one out!

 

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DEADYELLOW – Self Titled – REVIEW

Deadyellow is a post Black Metal band from New Jersey who are just getting started and are already bringing the noise. Their debut self titled effort contains only 6 tracks but is meaty enough to satisfy any palate. The guitars are low and murky with some great riffs and solos amongst the tremolo picking. The vocals are a little less harsh than your typical Black Metal fare but blend in well with the rest of the band.  Most of the music on this release runs on the slower to mid tempo side. Don’t let that worry you, there are still plenty of blast beats included here and the overall sound is still heavily rooted in Black Metal. Deadyellow’s tracks are multifaceted and include the use of pianos and clean vocals for a truly epic journey.

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SNOGG – Dan, ko jer vrag salo – REVIEW

Snogg’s offering to March’s subscribers is an epic 20 minute single track. The song, titled “Dan, ko je vrag vzel šalo,” translates to, “The Day the Devil Took the Joke.” Throughout the song listeners will be treated to several tempo and vocal changes. There are elements of experimental Black Metal, noise and general strangeness on this track. Despite the different styles included in this piece, it connects and flows well into each style without any jarring changes.

If you are looking for something to different and far from the norm, “Dan, ko je vrag vzel šalo,” is unquestionably worthy of your attention. With so many musical changes and styles coming at you, this track just begs for multiple listens. So pour yourself a cup of your favorite Trve Kvlt coffee, kick off your shoes and take a journey with Snogg.

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CULTIC – High Command – Review

 

 

The production on Cultic’s, “High Command,” is as thick and murky as the material itself. The album starts out with “The Conqueror,” that plods along with raw riffs that perfectly blend in with the old school production on this album. This song sets the tone for the rest of your listen, so if you are looking for some sort of studio polished banger, you may want to skip this one. However, if you dig your doom raw and with all of the production values of an old school cassette recording from a friend’s basement, this one’s for you. The rawness of this recording, however works perfectly for the Doom and Sludge sound that Cultic are going for here. The primitive and early Celtic Frost vibe work both for and against what Cultic are trying to achieve here, as the album can tend to become a tad bit repetitive causing some of the songs to blend together. There still is plenty to enjoy here and is not a bad start for their first album.

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AUTOKRATOR – Persecution – REVIEW

Autokrator are  back and ready to rattle your eardrums with some intense dark, murky and plodding Doom Metal to get the new year started off on the right path. The vocals are low and inhuman matching perfectly with they muddled guitar tones present on this release. Tracks like “DCLXVI, ” and “The Great Persecution”pick up the pace and send the sound into more of Black/Death combo with punishing blast beats and haunting solos giving the album some more variety. “Caesar Nerva Traianus,” was the real stand out song for me. Starting out with an epically powerful march with some really cool battleground sound effects thrown in for good measure that sounds like it belongs on the score of a big budget movie. The droning guitar tones and eerie chanting vocals make a haunting and eerie listen. The album in full hits like a bulldozer thanks to how smooth the tracks blend into each other.  “Persecution,” is raw and punishing with enough mix of style to remain fresh and accessible to all fans of Extreme Metal.

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MYRDOD – The Mourning Hollow – REVIEW

The Pennsylvania duo unleash a portal into a dank a swampy void of Hell with their latest release, ” The Mourning Hollow.” Myrod provide plenty of thick Black Metal atmospheric chaos that warps the mind as they take you with them beyond this realm. The recording is just as thick and murky as any good ol’ classic Black Metal sound should be with echoing rasps and tortured screams oozing through each track. “Orb Weaver,” starts the album with a somber and eerie tone that gradually adds in blast beats drums and guitars like a rolling storm. “Drom,” is the standout song here with sick guitar riffs that make you want to put your fist through a wall, inhuman garbage disposal sounding lyrics  It’s a brutal assault on the senses that will leave you scrambling to pick your brains off of the floor. (Naturally, in a good way.)  “Diabolical Ancient Blessing,” closes things out with enough adrenaline and speed to leave you thirsty enough for another spin.

Myrod’s blending style of raw Black and touch of Death Metal is a brutal and spiritual assault that is as melancholy as it is savage. A must listen for this Holiday season.

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TRYANNUS – It Taketh -REVIEW

“It Taketh,” is a three song Demo from the Scottish duo Tryannus. Included within is just a taste of what is to come when they release their debut album next year. “The Flood,” starts out with a frenzied Black Metal style with a haunting and icy crawl in the mid section. Title track, “It Taketh,” is filled with plenty of blast beats, buzzsaw guitars and sickened vocals. The demo ends with the eerie instrumental, ” Lake of the Undying,” that utilizes some great synth work merged with a softer guitars that paint a dreamlike sequence.

Tyrannus definitely fit the mold of Lovecraftian style they are looking to achieve and it will be interesting to see what they come up with when they release their full debut album next year.

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VACIO – El Destituta Mortis – REVIEW

“El Destituta Mortis,” is the debut EP from a mysterious Spanish duo of Black Metallers known only as A.84 and L.77.  I am not sure what their names mean or even refer to but what I am certain of is, this is an EP of solid and effective Black Metal. With only 3 songs and a run time of roughly 15 minutes Vacio provide a brief and bleak stylistic interpretation of modern Black Metal. This recording is fast enough, raw enough and has plenty of blast beats and tremolo picking to keep even the Trvest Black Metal purists satisfied. The vocals on this recording are full of high pitched shrieks and the lyrical themes focus on occultism and general human misery. Perfect listening for a Monday morning.