There are crazy bands and then there are bands that throw logic out the window with the fucking baby. They twist sounds out of their instruments that sound like screaming robots one minute and then erupt into mindgasms that show the limits of electronics shattered one note at a time. Enough hysterical talk aside, Furze […]

The last time I ran across German black metal act Chaos Invocation, I wasn’t particularly kind to them. I reviewed their 2009 Debut, In Bloodline with the Snake, and hailed it ‘predictable, generic’ and with an utterly forgettable first half. Oof. What a dick. So why did I grab the promo for the band’s 5th […]

I love fall. I’m a very fall, winter, and spring type of guy (I’m available, all you single Metal Girls) my love comes in the form of quality avant-garde, extraordinarily heavy in so many killer Eastern European extreme metal ways… Kroda, Depresy, Blaze of Perdition. The other day I added one of the most insane […]

Switzerland’s Aara return with their sixth full-length album and marks the end of their Triade trio of releases.  I reviewed the last one in the series, Triade III: Nyx, in 2023 and Eiger, continues forth with the same stable lineup, as their prior albums. Boasting a very cold and depressing album cover ( “Eiger” is […]

A Finnish supergroup of sorts (former and ex-members of …And Oceans, Black Beast, Rapture, Scorgrain), The Mist From the Mountains released a superb debut back in 2022, that made my year-end list with its excellent take on the classic, folky second wave black metal sound, culling heavily from the likes of Borknagar, the first Ulver […]

Back in the early 2000s as I was still learning about Eastern European extreme metal I discovered a number of bands that may or may not have sketchy politics. Dub Buk, Nokturnal Mortum (their early days), Graveland and this Arkona from Poland. I was already familiar with the Russian folk band Arkona and wanted to […]

It’s finally Fall. The best of the seasons in my humble opinion, especially here in the Southwest where temperatures have been in the triple fucking digits. Granted there have been albums that lowered my mental temperature, but none have done what Mork has done with Seventh album Syv. From the press release: Syv was performed, […]

I’m never sure what I’m going to get when I go into a Ghaal album, whether it’s his Wyrd project or God Seed or even Gorgoroth. I mean, he’s really known for Gorgoroth and his last album with them, Ad Majorem Sathanas Glorium remains one of my favorite releases, it was a bit experimental and […]

One day I’ll visit Finland. This crazy arctic land produces some of the finest Black and Death Metal that the Metal community feeds on daily. Impaled Nazarene, Behexen, Sargeist, and Satanic Warmaster are four of my favorite bands from there, but my top favorite is undoubtedly Horna; this strange, evolving demon that has existed since […]

Vafurlogi is an old/new Icelandic black metal band fronted by Þórir Garðarsson notably of Svartidauði and Sinmara. The project has percolated for over 20 years, with some of the songs being written over that period, songs that didn’t belong in Svartidauði’s more chaotic discography, as Vafurlogi is far more rooted in classic, early late 90s […]

1349 is the year that the Black Death swept through Norway. It’s only fitting that a Black Metal band would eventually take such a brutal portion of time and name their band after it. 1349 came out of the ashes of Alvheim in 1997 with Ravn (vocals, drums), Tjalve (guitars), Seidemann (bass), and Balfori (guitars). […]

Black Metal is a finicky genre. It goes through shifts and changes that keep it moving forward and there’s enough bands both established and brand new that it’s creative integrity and spiritual voice of the 90s continues to infect the new blood. El Jefe forwarded the new Hammerfilosofi EP SOLUS (Igne Natura Renovator Integra) to […]

When was the last time an album hit you with such emotion that you felt like it was casually going to rip your heart out and leave you with a gaping hole where your emotions used to live? I have a list of bands that have created music like that, and those are the ones […]

There’s been some watercooler conversation about Darkthrone lately at the home office; specifically the difference between new and old and the new bands that pay homage to the early 90s era. I got a couple of recommendations and this is the first review for the newer-than-new debut for Avmakt and it’s called Satanic Inversion Of… […]

OK, hear me out… 2024 has been a friggin’ WILD ride for the world of metal and extreme music. Like it or not, the spotlight has perhaps never shone brighter on our little deranged corner of the music world than it is right now. Ignore for a moment legendary stalwarts like Metallica, Iron Maiden or […]

Spain’s Totengott returns with their third album, Beyond the Veil, and first for Hammerheart Records.  I have enjoyed their prior two albums, Doppelgänger and The Abyss quite a lot.  The band originally started as a Celtic Frost cover band and their primary influence falls in line with the monstrous Monotheist reformation album as well as […]

Greece’s Hail Spirit Noir is one of the most experimental bands out there.  Their last album, Mannequins, from 2021 I reviewed on here and I still really enjoy it.  This was their most audacious piece of work because it was made up of more synth/wave, 80’s horror movie instrumentals and sounds.  Only a handful of […]

I love French Black Metal, and that goes back to the early 2000s when I first heard Mutiilation, Anorexia Nervosa, Deathspell Omega and Osculum Infame. From the press release: Gravenoire was formed in early 2022 by Maximilien Brigliadori (BÂ’A, Diablation, former Hyrgal), Emmanuel Zuccaro (BÂ’A, Verfallen, former Hyrgal), Vicomte Vampyr Arkames (Diablation (former Seth / […]

Some black metal bands just get it!!!  One such band, who were one of the best at this, but sadly no longer around, was Aosoth, from France.  When listening to Akhlys, one would not necessarily think this was an American band.  However, over the last number of years, the States have been experiencing a swell […]

I was going to make an intro joke about Forgotten Tomb being, you know, forgotten, but I realized I did that for their last album. So, there goes my opener. I’m going to move on and pretend for now that my wit has evolved. Hopefully Forgotten Tomb has as well. Nightfloating is the band’s 11th […]

I’ve been in a weird mood lately, things haven’t been catching my ear, which can be attested to the mountain of material that I could write about. But I got this promo the other day and I can’t stop listening to it, going on three days it’s been in rotation already. The ‘this’ that I’m […]

I’ve had a few moments where I look at the speakers and ask myself ‘what the fuck am I listening to?’ Of course I already know obviously but in terms of the sounds coming into my ears, it’s a process to process and then decide if I like it enough to stick around. Which brings […]

I am a Europhile, I’m not even going to lie. My ancestors came from there and I’ve always felt this connection to the continent; not in a stupid nationalist way but more in the spiritual realm of Slavic gods. Upon the Altar hails from Tarnów, Lesser Poland and has been honing its swords since 2020 […]

  The years between 1930 and 1947 are incredibly monumental years for a number of reasons. WWII was a pivotal time in world history, and the rise of fascism was the impetus for the United States to get involved (among other things.) Within Black Metal there lies a hole where politics turn blood red in […]

So A while ago, I was having a crazy day and gardening was the main task at hand, but it was made all the better because El Jefe had sent me this promo and I was pretty anxious because of the “Black Metal meets Hawkwind” description in the press blurb. The promo went straight to […]