Funeral Fire is a solo project coming out of Japan's melodic black metal scene and this is a review of the debut demo released in 2024.The first song Winter And Death starts off with mid paced guitars that are performed with really good patterns.The vocals are raw gruff black metal vocals.The final song is Funeral Fire is a little faster pace with guitars with raw,gruff screams and gruff vocals.This is a pretty good debut demo of raw atmospheric,melodic black metal so if you are a fan of this style give it a listen today. Funeral Fire https://funeralfire1.bandcamp.com/
Eternal Sword is a solo project that plays a very good style of Atmospheric and Epic black metal that is raw but well performed musicial passages.Starting off with a short intro that is instrumental the music starts off with some memorable melodic passages.The guitars are performed with some memorable mid paced guitars that are performed with intensity and well delievered.The guitars do speed to a faster pace throughout a couple of the songs for a nice mix of the two styles.The vocals are grim raw black metal screams that fit the music perfectly.I have not heard the debut release so i can not compare the two but if you are a fan of raw,epic atmospheric black metal then defintly pick this up today. Humanity's Plague Prod.
Here we have some forest-worshipping atmospheric black metal that seems to vacillate between metal and synth soundscapes, sometimes multiple times in the same song. It's pretty unique, I can't think of anything this band really sounds like, and that's a good thing. However, this just isn't black metal to me. It's so far away from the original intent of black metal as a vessel of rebellion in the face of the mainstream. The synths are overpowering, not just in the sonic sense, but in the sense that they dilute the metal and turn this into almost a classical music piece. There's no occult atmosphere, no lingering ghosts, no moldering corpses in the basement, just nature-worship and the saccharin sound of too many synths. Not for me, but your mileage may vary if you're more adventurous than I am.
Nazgash come to us from Spain and this is their second full length of melodic black metal with plenty of synths. Now, I lived in the 1990s, so I was subject to the waves of melodic black metal coming out of Europe back then. Most of those bands are now forgotten. This record reminds me of that style and time, and seems like it's right out of that era of so-called black metal bands. I say so-called because there is something missing in this style that all good black metal has, and that's a dangerous atmosphere. This music seems too kind, too nice, to be proper black metal. See, black metal is more than a musical style. It's an attack on the mainstream, both musically and ideologically. There isn't anything about this album that screams "be afraid" or "run away." In fact, this isn't much more than extreme heavy metal marketed as black metal with harsh vocals. There's nothing wrong with it otherwise, other than the songs are a bit boring. I just want more from black metal than this. Your mileage may vary of course, if you're a sucker for melodicism. That's up to you to find out. The album cover is absolutely killer, though.
This is haunting second-wave style black metal with excellent atmosphere, dark and foreboding, like a somber cross between Emperor and Satyricon, but with even more atmospherics. The vocals remind me a bit of early Emperor crossed with Inquisition, with perhaps a bit of the aforementioned Satyricon in them as well. The clean vocals especially remind me of Ihsahn's, even if they're not performed with his level of talent - they're good, but they're not on his level. This material is quite musically accomplished, especially where the drums are concerned, which are performed extraordinarily well for a one-man project. The synths add atmosphere by the ton, and they provide a grotesque backdrop for the buzzing guitars. There are some fast moments on the record, but this band relies mostly on mid-tempo arrangements to slaughter the weak instead of blazing speed. The riffs tend toward the cold and bombastic, and vary greatly from song to song, not often becoming same-sounding. There is a variety and a dynamism to the songwriting. I would recommend this to metalists looking for something a bit more introspective and less in-your-face.
This is completely unique epic, atmospheric black metal with soaring melodies and excellent (if long) songs. There's almost a folk aspect to some of the melodies, and it's perfect for this band. Flute-like synths appear in the second eponymous track and several other tracks throughout the record, which I thought was a most interesting choice. However, the synths are diverse and do a lot of the heavy lifting as far as the melodies. The image of the band is wild, a hooded cloaked figure in the woods at springtime with a face of moss. I'd run like a scared little bitch if I saw that while out hiking. The band perfectly captures the majesty of nature, and since that's what they write about, I'd classify that as a resounding success. The vocals almost remind me of a staticky wall of sound, which is a strange choice given the clarity of the production, but it helps keep an underground aesthetic in the music. The songs themselves are all longer - we get five total tracks, three songs between eight and ten minutes in length, and a pair of two minute instrumentals. There's almost a magical effect these songs have, though, in that they don't seem nearly that long when you're actually listening to them and taking the ride provided by the music. They're so epic, so majestic, that you fall into them and don't come up for air until the album is over. All I can say is this album is a triumph of skill, and I highly recommend it to any of you metalists that want epic black metal.
This is the self titled debut Mcd from Italy's Laspherus featuring five songs of dark atmospheric black metal.The music is a blend of mid paced music and some faster guitars and drums.The music done really well with both styles performed.The vocals are death metal growls and some gruff growls and screams.This is a good release but honestly i've heard better but if you like dark black metal with some death metal influence then defintly give this release a listen and order it today.
Kasm is a band that comes out of Canada's black metal scene.Gravitational Echoes is the debut full length featuring three tracks of cosmic black metal.Up first is Gravitational Echoes just over the eleven minute mark.Musically the song has a mix of fast paced black metal passages and some well delievered mid paced atmospheric elements.The vocals are raw black metal screams.Up next is The Point's Scourge starting off with a dark intro and music it doesn't take long before the music speeds up with fast paced guitars and harsh shrieks.Their are some well played keyboards that adds another layer to the bands sound and style.The final song is Spirals and this song starts off a little more mid paced with some guitars and keys that are done with excellent musicianship.Throughout the song their are a mix of faster paced and more controlled mid paced passages.This is my first encounter with Canada's Kasm but this is a really well performed release.Sure to please fans of atmospheric raw black metal. Kasm https://kasmblackmetal.bandcamp.com/merch Northern Shadow https://northernshadow.ca/https://www.facebook.com/northernshadowwebstore/https://www.instagram.com/northernshadow.ca/https://www.youtube.com/@Northernshadow-ca
Coming out of Argentina is Magna Corporea that performs a great raw and atmospheric black metal style.The music is written and performed by Occula who does a great job of performing and writing mid paced raw black metal.The guitars are played with mid paced guitars that are done with skill and really good melodies.The guitars do speed up in a few of the songs but are mostly done with slow to mid paced passages.The drums are played in the same vein with some extremely fast paced drums that do slow to a more controlled and well performed mid pace.Their are some keyboards used throughout the songs that add another layer to the bands sound and style.The vocals are harsh,raw black metal screams.If you are a fan of well written and performed raw,atmospheric black metal then defintly give Magna Corporea a listen to today. Magna Corporea https://magnacorporea.bandcamp.com/https://www.facebook.com/people/Magna-Corporea/100087471021240/https://www.instagram.com/magnacorporea/ Regimental Rec. https://regimentalrecords.bigcartel.com/https://www.facebook.com/RegimentalRecordshttps://www.instagram.com/regimental_records/#
