Isolert – Wounds of Desolation (Non Serviam)
You can always count on the Greek for contemporary black metal awash with forceful melodies and majestic atmospheres. Unlike many of their compatriots that deal in epic black metal indebted to Greek folk, as pioneered by Rotting Christ, Isolert appear interested in reviving more traditional, Scandinavian-sourced second-wave forms. Still, like their earlier releases, Wounds Of Desolation sparkles with a certain energy and melodic flow reminiscent of their brethren from the Hellenic metal scene, even as their rougher, often violent sound places them in the vicinity of groups like Dissection, Furia, or Vorga. – Antonio Poscic
Kanonenfieber – Die Urkatastrophe (Century Media)
Like US duo Minenwerfer, Bamberg, Bavaria-based Kanonfieber weave ferocious and remarkably melodic black metal around World War I narratives and semiotics. That’s also where the similarities end. While Minenwerfer approach the subject with an air of militant edginess, as if interpreting the script for some action-packed movie, Kanonfieber (“cannon fever”) dig into the inhuman aspects of war, highlighting its atrocities and channeling them into horrific concepts to be used as cautionary tales.
A one-person project helmed by Noise—the musician behind the bands Leiþa and Non Est Deus—Kanonfieber is often majestic and monumental sounding, the beauty of the music standing in contrast to its gnarly themes, alternating blasting insanity with flowing sections and stomping over atmospheric grooves with galloping barrages. Clocking in at a substantial 50 minutes, the project’s sophomore album, Die Urkatastrophe, nonetheless feels tight. It builds its world and Thespian sense of drama over 12 well-paced cuts, culminating in the excellent “Waffenbrüder”, on which Heaven Shall Burn’s Maik Weichert fittingly joins Noise in chronicling the stories of friends caught together amid a death spiral. – Antonio Poscic
Legions of Doom – The Skull 3 (Tee Pee)
The sad news of Eric Wagner’s passing left a big question mark on the future of The Skull. Having already contributed to about 80% of the Skull’s third record, the remaining members decided to continue under the Legions of Doom moniker. The result is a work that pays tribute to the tradition of The Skull, which in itself pays tribute to the early Trouble era. There is no trickery here; The Skull 3 is exactly what you would expect from veterans of the US doom metal scene, with all of its Sabbath-ian glory.
The Trouble component is front and center, balancing perfectly between the Iommi-ian weight and the 1970s sentimentality. The Cathedral-esque grit of “Beyond the Shadow of Doubt” and the sinister darkness of “Hollow By All Means” and “Lost Soul” reveal the horror. But, the high-octane spirit of “All Good Things” and “A Voice of Reason” provide the counterweight with their affirming energy. There is, of course, Wagner’s (only) performance in “Heaven”, providing the necessary psychedelic twist. It is the finishing touch to a record that feels like it was recorded back in the 1980s, somehow lost, and only released today. That is quite an achievement, and although there is not much novelty to be found here, it shows that Legions of Doom still possess the creative depth to carry on. – Spyros Stasis
Odious Spirit – The Treason of Consciousness (I, Voidhanger)
James Oskarbski has a wide range. From the death/grind of Execrable to the death industrial of 8 Hour Animal, Oskarbski now dives into the tech death/trash space with Odious Spirit and their debut, The Treason of Consciousness. While many modern concepts have been applied here, from Artificial Brain’s technical prowess to Ulcerate’s dissonant and abstract concepts, there are two main driving forces behind Odious Spirit. On the one hand, Immolation’s overarching philosophy and molding ability allow Odious Spirit to meld the angular and the slithering (“Long Stretch of Bleeding Light”). On the other, it is the Voivod-ian spirit of adventure. At times, this lets them tap into the tech thrash space and its labyrinthine structures (“The Hissing Pyre”), but it also opens up novel pathways.
The meticulous layering is one manifestation of these two pillars. Here, it is the addition of small parts, a slight lead work, some strange vocals there, and a few drum flourishes, and suddenly the result is monstrous. It is also mirrored in the sound design, where simple applications like panning (yes, seriously!) can elevate the experience to new heights. Additional atmospheric notions join in, sprouting from the vitriolic riffs (“Unbending Follicle, Unending Blight”), negative space applications (“Gnawing the Fabric of Time”), or minimalist interludes (“Illuminations”). At times, there is a slight tilt to choose style over substance, which is the main downside, but it is never overdone. So, this is an excellent start for Odious Spirit with The Treason of Consciousness. – Spyros Stasis
Officium Triste – Hortus Venenum (Transcending Obscurity)
Rotterdam’s Officium Triste create atmospheric doom-death metal of supreme beauty that emerges from a harmonious combination of elements. Curls of melodies are wrapped tightly around guitar leads and shimmering keyboard textures. Waltzing tempos switch from funeral doom plods to nimbler cadences. Velvety, voluminous growls emerge from the silky darkness between rumbling riffs and colossal drum hits and saturate the soundscape. Individually and together, these aspects tug at the heartstrings and transform Hortus Venenum into some of the most compelling, darkly romantic, yet desolate music released this year. A soundtrack for the letters of a nameless forlorn poet. The musical equivalent of Guillermo del Toro’s gothic flick Crimson Peak. – Antonio Poscic
Pyrrhon – Exhaust (Willowtip)
It feels strange to say this about a band as wildly adventurous and experimental as Pyrrhon, but the Brooklyn, New York (kind of) death metal quartet have reinvented themselves. Again. Still armed with their signature, hair-rising sense of impending chaos and music teetering on the brink of falling apart, Exhaust sees them shape their dissonance into a more pointed and concrete spear.
Simultaneously, they veer farther off the beaten path of death metal and into territories of noise rock, post-hardcore, and even free jazz—genres with which they have toyed for years but never so directly. In fact, although death metal growls, riffing, and blast beats are present across the ten tracks, their structures feel utterly alien, like Big Black trying to play death metal and grindcore. All at the same time.
Nervous syncopations, droning riffs, and mathcore tropes can be found scattered across the album. Idiosyncratic when observed by themselves, they become twice as uncanny when heard in sequence: slamming, brutal progressive death metal, and textured noise making way for spikes of emo and drone. All of it is accompanied by quirky lyrics that stay far away from any poetry typical for the genre and instead deal, often in a very pissed-off manner, with mundane things like traffic in New York. Recommended for those wanting to put their brains through a blender. – Antonio Poscic
Ripped to Shreds – 三屍 (Sanshi) (Relapse)
Hot on the heels of a new release with Houkago Grind Time, the hilariously named but seriously excellent goregrind scorcher, Koncertos of Kawaiiness: Stealing Jon Chang’s Ideas, a Book by Andrew Lee, San Jose, California-based guitarist and producer (and weeb) Andrew Lee returns to the old school death metal ways of Ripped to Shreds. At this point, this group’s output is so consistent and good that writing about it has become almost boring.
Namely, Lee and his minutemen (check out the chops of new guitarist Michael Chavez!) absolutely rip through the ten tracks on 三屍 (Sanshi). They switch gears from the tempo, rhythm, and melody-breaking death metal anthem “Into the Court of Yanluowang” and the aggressive, At the Gates-inspired and thrash-infused melodicism of “Force Fed” to the hilariously brutal “燒冥紙 (Sacrificial Fire)”, which strikes with the elegance of a ballerina on PCP performing a frantic pirouette at hazardous speeds. While Ripped to Shreds wear their influences on their sleeves—from Malevolent Creation to Entombed, including everything in between—their music is as energetic and fresh as anything you’ll find in death metal. – Antonio Poscic
Spite – The Third Temple (Invictus)
The hors d’oeuvre arrived last month with Horns & Hooves EP Spectral Voyeurism, and now it is time for the main course. Spite, the solo project of Horns & Hooves’ Salpsan returns with its sophomore record, following the exquisite Antimoshiach. The foundations remain the same; only the scope is enhanced. From the get-go, it is a descent to the blasphemous black metal days, caught between the first and second wave. It is an inverted heavy metal and thrash methodology, bringing in fragments of Negative Plane’s grandeur in “The Blackened Talmudist” and “Where Dust Cannot Fall”.
The sacrilegious trajectory carries on, Mortuary Drape-like heresy appearing through the atmospheric chants of “Unblessed” and reaching an epic peak with “The Spoils of Judea (Dvir, Part II)”. This clicks naturally with the Mercyful Fate derivations and the Sabbath-ian descents (“Hounds of Herod”). It further allows Spite to come down with blistering conviction when embracing thrash themes (“Under Wings of Cherubim, Dvir, Part I”). In that mode, their fervor channels the recent works of Spirit Possession, arriving with high-octane energy (“Desert Demons”), brutality and directness (“The Dark Art (Dvir, Part III)”), or just simple, spiteful (no pun intended) malice (“The Third Temple”).
It is an ambitious ride, and its 67-minute duration can be challenging. However, Spite can still make it enticing with their attitude or by simply adding the occasional hooks, appearing in both melodic forms (“The Black Moon (Yare’ach Shachor)”) or with a devilish flourish (“The Stone of the Sakrah”). – Spyros Stasis
Tour d’Ivoire – Tour d’Ivoire (Antiq)
In recent times, Antiq has amassed an excellent collection of underground black metal artists. Passéisme explore the melodic applications in modern black metal, Hanternoz dive into the folk applications, and Véhémence conjure a medieval essence with their epic approach. Tour d’Ivoire join the fold (featuring Véhémence members) and descend into the atmospheric.
Their self-titled debut record offers a minimal, textural ride through nebulous soundscapes. “La Tour” introduces the ambient scenery, soon becoming an elemental force with a dark yet soothing approach. The clean vocals profoundly complete the mystique before the melodic lines of “Brouillard” decimate all. The structures are circular, repeating endlessly through this amorphous maze leading into a mesmerizing center. Different emotions appear, the triumphant power of “Forteresse de Marbe” standing in opposition to the earlier melancholic tinges. The mystery is complete with the keyboard injections in “Givre”, which provides a magical essence.
It is a simple and effective recipe, and Tour d’Ivoire display a kin understanding of the mechanics of atmospheric black metal. As is the case with the rest of the Antiq roster, they can tap into these less traditional aspects of the genre (be it melodic, epic, or atmospheric) without losing sight of the genre’s core. – Spyros Stasis
Vafurlogi – Í vökulli áþján (NoEvDia/Oration)
Vafurlogi is a new entity but comes with a heavy legacy. Deeply embedded in the Icelandic scene, the band featuring Þórir Garðarsson (Sinmara, Svartidaudi) on guitar/bass/vocals and Ragnar Sverrisson (Hellfró, Ophidian I) on drums carries the flame of tradition. The balance between melody and harshness laid down by Revelations of the Red Sword shines in “Reikul Vofa”. Vafurlogi dive further in the past to harness this modus operandi, at times relishing Dissection’s potency (“Dreyrrauði”) and tapping into the Swedish scene’s orthodoxy (“Helgrindur”).
The foundations are further strengthened through the latent dissonant edge, calling the likes of Deathspell Omega, with its low-key devilish lead (“Viðjar Holdsins”). It complements the progression, be it fervent and unyielding (“Iðrun Og Ótti”), rocking (“Úr Iðramyrkri”), or retreating to martial manifestations (“Dreyrrauði”). Atmospheric tinges provide depth, either through simple means like the acoustic guitar in “Reikul Vofa”, or through an otherworldly verging on the psychedelic approach through “Hvíldarsálmur”. Í vökulli áþján contains all the elements that defined the latter days of the Icelandic black metal, and while it is great to see Vafurlogi masterfully follow this cookbook, it is interesting to see whether they can uncover something new. – Spyros Stasis