10 albums to desecrate the holidays.

Some people don’t like the holidays. They prefer blasphemous black metal. Here are 10 ideas to “uncelebrate” X-mess.

Mortuary Drape – All The Witches Dance (1995) –

One of the most seriously blasphemous albums ever released. The air does get heavy when this one is spinning. If your aim is to make Jesus mad, you’ve got it.

Amen Corner – Fall, Ascension, Domination (1993) –

This is spiritually hateful, with the cover of Cain killing Abel and Satan in the skies receiving all the hate of Invidia, songs like Deusdemoteme and The Infinite Empire of Satanaz (sic) are dreadful to this day. Utterly recommended to desecrate.

Murder Rape – Celebration of Supreme Evil (1994) –

This one mean only hate against Christian religion, Satanism, hate, force, haughtiness., Pure recommended: Goat Worshippers, Trace of Omnipotence, and Goat Rules. Find the lyrics and it’ll make full sense.

Mystifier – Wicca (1992) –

This classic invocates and spills on the face of Nazarene. Nuff said.

Sarcófago – I.N.R.I. (1987) –

If you don’t get the meaning of this album you’re totally out for lunch. This is the one to make sacred entities that celebrate peace and love, declare war and bloodshed, because the content is so blasphemous it’s hilarious. Not to mention this album inspired generations of musicians. “Die Jesus Christ, I hate you”. ARRGHHH.

Bathory – Bathory (1984) –

Although the lyrics may sound a little childlike for today’s patterns this album causes evil sensations, and don’t ask me why. This is capable to invoke a storm after looking to starry happy skies. Satan inhabits this album.

Opera XI – Sacro Culto (1998) –

The song The Oak give me goosebumps, thrills, you name it. The riffs are pure strangeness to evoke the evilest entities from the forest. Cadaveria singing CRICIFIEEEED ON THE OOOOOAK is not good omen.

Impaled Nazarene – Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz… (1992) –

This is scourging against the happy spirit and the happy night. Pure parody of Christianity, this one will invert and irritate and casually expulse the goodness from near you.

Beherit – Drawing Down the Moon (1993) –

Sing the chorus of the song  The Gate of Nanna (AVE SATAN, AVE LUCIFER). Really, do I need to say something else?

Havohej – Dethrone the Son of God (1993) –

this album is exactly the Live album by Profanatica but in studio versions. No one will get into heavens for listening this one.

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Roderick Blutrache

Unctoris- Shout Demise (Iron Bonehead)

Strangest black metal transmissions.

Okay, this is THE strangest album of the year, and I’m not so sure that it means yay or nay, anyway, Unctoris is a crazy Italian band that makes a kind of black metal with death metal influences or blackened death metal or whatever.

A thing to keep in mind is that everything that is “new” in the sense of experimental, doesn’t have a measure, so it may sound wrong, but there is no wrong art, no, the only thing to judge here is that the kind of experimentalisms the band uses combines with the proposed black metal in question. So, in order to find out let’s analyze song by song.

1-Come Stabilire se ci Sei Ancora: a black death metal approach that is simple and brings nothing new, although is not bad at all, and it has some strange breaks, and the riffs sound like an alarm and the final of the song is very, very repetitive, a trace that will permeate the other tracks as we shall see.

2- Cercherò il Passaggio di Ritorno o Sarò Cancel: this one has unusual rhythm although is not anything near technical death metal, or normal black metal, it’s like an ordinary black metal band, but with a lot of phrases, I know it’s hard to understand. Over gain elements of death metal invades the black metal, and it’s nothing near Behemoth or Belphegor, forget them. Cries of despair in a fast unbalanced receipt of riffs.

3- Violet Velvet: what seems to be finally a normal track has lots of phrases in the beginning of it, different kinds of vocals, as if the guys are on drugs, but over again, the strange music sounds interesting, until the song suddenly stops, and an iteration that goes to doom comes out of the blue and the songs stays just like it, while the vocalist seems possessed by a demon, and a “melodic” bass permeates the whole thing for minutes. I told this was crazy.

4- Non Tornare: this one is the more interesting because it has a band to make a comparison and, in this case, it is Necromantia from Greece: what did they do here? They recorded the “metal” noises, mixed them in a looping, put them in the backdrop and in the forefront they made a saxophone solo! No, you haven’t heard it wrong.

5- Rites Of Grey Isolation: The insanity reaches its peak here, where everything leads to a confusion, going to and fro in an ocean of brutality, acid riffs, repetition through change, totally incongruent.

6- Sideral Sojourn: 10 minutes of good black metal suffering, the song is an eternal introduction, changes of tempo, nothing THAT strange as the minutes pass by. This one actually gets the listener attention, as the bass is unusually in the forefront.

7- Is an Anechoic Chamber: the final part comes back to atypical (or typical) lack of coherence that is somewhat fun to hear. While in the fist part the song goes to a confusion, next thing you know it goes to extreme BM musical intolerance and as the drums stop the ultra-fast punch, the tempo goes to a syncopated part that eventually stops and it continues in a sampler drumming while the vocalist utters a glossolalia for a time in a repetition of sorts. Then the song returns to its unusual tempo which is a very headbanger. And that’s the end.

This album has two possible readings while one of them leads to two possible outcomes: either one likes it or hates it. The other path leads to this: either this album will become a CLASSIC in the future or it will go strength to the garbage can of history. Take it as it comes. This is the conclusion to the inconclusiveness.

Shout Demise is out now on LP and CD on Iron Bonehead

Rating: 6/10

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Roderick Blutrache

Dauþuz – Vom schwarzen Schmied (Amor Fati)

The best atmospheric band in the world!

At the moment none can beat Dauþuz. Formed in not-so-distant 2016 in Thuringia/NWF, Germany, the band has launched 8 releases being 4 of these full lengths including this one Vom schwarzen Schmied.

Of course, the band has created a way to play that includes mainly acoustic guitars in some tracks but this was crudely made since their 2016 debut album In finstrer Teufe, and from there the band has absurdly progressed on each album being this new one the icing in the cake.

For example, the second song called Der Bergschmied II: Der Eid is an epic journey throughout crazy and true black metal parts and more intimist parts in its 10-minute time that the band uses wisely, making no note and no phrase and no change of tempo misused: everything from the beginning to end is just a trip (which is not psychedelic bullshit, but very medieval, mind you) to the unknown and the pleasure it provides are something impractical to explain.

Der Bergschmied III: Desperatio is an acoustic travel with a choir making it a praiseworthy sound that is IMPOSSIBLE to ignore: quality and journey all in the same song.

The Bathory-esque saga of the 7-minute track Der Bergschmied V: Sagenlieder evokes bands like Enslaved, Graveland and mainly Falkenbach, but that IS NOT to say they are ALIKE, it’s just to infer that those who like these bands will love them as well, for their sound almost completely better than some of those aforementioned. I mean, what a helluva tune, perfect to close one’s eyes and wander to a time and space unknown.

Der Bergschmied VIII: Sargdeckel is another notable work that deserves acclaiming and stand ovation: an European original approach and an odyssey that encapsulates the whole album in one track, the change of tempos, the choruses, the gusto for composing, the hard guitars, the fastness of the black metal drum kit, the sense of epicness that permeates the whole album into one song, what could a black metal fan want more?

Of course, there is more to it and it’s useless to try and use words to describe this real work of art.

Dauþuz is band that deserves respect for the masterpiece they forged like blacksmiths of the yore: a perfect approach that will be hard to be beaten this year. Or the years to come.

Vom schwarzen Schmied is out now on Amor Fati.

Rating: 10/10

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Roderick Blutrache

Predictor – …thus spoke death (Iron Bonehead / Knekelput Recordings)

Germanic black metal now has a mark.

Black Metal from Germany, although excellent, didn’t have an identity in the past, but this was changing, and Predictor is one of the bands that makes part of this change.

With an ultra-heavy sound, it can be easily confounded with Nuclear war Metal done by Blasphemy and the likes, and albeit I don’t know if they have some influence, for me it sounds like the traditional black metal and became more and more brutal!

First song Path to Megiddo part II is totally heavy and doomy in a way, only to gain velocity in the horror of the blackest metal later, a little epic, but is in the song Black Altar that things get more demented: the drummer castigates his kit.

Vanquished Decay is so brutal that is difficult to understand, the thing is: it resounds Immortal from the album Blizzard Beasts, but with a much, much heavier production: the fastness of the drumming and the heaviness of the guitars and vocals are ridiculously brutal, and it makes this one who speaks to you very happy!

Infernal Goat Squadron is not so fast, but is equally brutal and true and to end it all there is a cover of my fave Polish band which is Besatt and the number is Ave Master Lucifer.

Predictor is not an ancient band but they have member from Baxaxaxa and Ungodly and that speaks volume about the trueness of the band, and why this EP is so fuckin’ cool. The other have is their own creativity. Anyway, it’s useless to find a cause for why this is so excellent!

 …thus spoke death is out now on LP and CD on Iron Bonehead / Knekelput Recordings

Rating: 8,5/10

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Roderick Blutrache

Blodtår – Blodtår (Nordvis)

Sweden is definitely the land of atmospheric BM.

This is the debut EP of Blodtår with only four songs and 15 minutes and they cause quite an impression.

First and fast song Djävulskap doesn’t betray the Swedish fast black metal tradition at the same time that there are some keyboards by the middle to end of the song that resounds BRZM and other Norwegian bands of yore. The vocals bring nothing new, but by paying close attention in the middle of the noise one can note some folk vibe. But all of this is in the middle of maelstrom of Brutal Black Metal and as a lover of equilibrium, I do enjoy what they manage to do all these things in one song.

Following the logic of the first song, Svartsejd very black in riffage, but a little more “folkloric” (over again, don’t get me wrong, this is fast as the speed of light) this song shows some melody and this is very Swedish as in bands like Lord Belial, Setherial, Mörk Gryning or even Dark Funeral.

The track called Besatt is an interlude and it is lead by a melodic guitar.

Last song name Aldrig Mer is more assertive, with fastness oozing on the floor, very headbanger and the last part has an acoustic guitar that is simple beautiful, as an outro but indeed it completes the song and makes justice for the label atmospheric in their black metal!

Blodtår is a great surprise for fans of the style and this is a superb presentation, now that we know then, it is time to wait for the full length. FFO: Domgård, Dråpsnatt, Skogen, Panphage and the likes.

Blodtår is out now on Nordvis.

Rating: 9/10

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Roderick Blutrache

In Aphelion – Luciferian Age (Edged Circle)

Extreme cross reference black metal !

In Aphelion is almost a new band but there are two alumni of classic Swedish band Necrophobic: Sebastian Ramstedt and Johan Bergebäck plus Marco Prij from Cryptopsis (not to be confounded with the famous Canadian band) and this EP presents only 4 songs although a full length is promised by the very end of the year.

Draugr is an epic black metal track that goes to and fro in a sea of tranquility and has a lot of change of tempos, solos, fastness and all the jive. It remembers a Swedish version of Sarke (it’s not an imitation, but their thrash traces inside their black metal are the same). The song explodes in a complicated drum fill and the black metal vocal in a mid-tempo malediction takes everything by attack. After the first phase of anarchy there is a marvelous soloing that has more than one minute in a real metal fashion showing their melodic side (this is not symphonic anything) and back into the aggressivity over again only to have an epic final with another great solo in an intimist way. Yeah, it sounds crazy and indigest but it is made with extreme good taste.

Second track it seems a black metal version of Kreator and it is the title track which is well marked if you know what I mean, still mid-tempo but heavy as fuck and the lyrics are pure blasphemous attack, hence the comparison with Norwegian Sarke in the second place. Impossible to not grasp this one because it is an earworm.

Wrath of a False God is a bona fide black metal attack and although it is not an earworm like the other the song, it has its extreme energy by itself and doesn’t spoil the EP in any way, and it’s a hell of a headbanger!

The last track is a cover of… KREATOR: Pleasure to Kill, but in a “right” version, more inside the tempo, but hell, it’s so brutal as the original.

As aforementioned this EP is an appetizer for their upcoming album and as I long as I am concerned only the track Draugr will be there, the other tracks you’ll only find in this EP. So run for your life and get you copy that is going to become a rarity very soon.

Luciferian Age is out now on Edged Circle.

Rating: 8/10

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Roderick Blutrache

Fordom – Manic Howls (Night in Terrors)

Rawest Black Metal Mania.

Fordom is an über unknown band from Finland that practices unapologetic raw black metal in earnest, but the think to pay attention here is that the bad sound is deliberate and not something done by chance just to “have a band”.

For example, the opener, Inside the Temple of Bael, is a well-done song although it seems that it was recorded in the lowest budged equipment, but the composition is very cool and the intention to appear primitive is stabilized by a good mix. I know what you’re thinking and I’ll elaborate: it seems that they recorded “normally” and made things worse in a post-production. Of course, the detachment of the drums makes this being an impossible assertion (by detachment I mean they recorded it separately). Other than that, it seems a normal mid tempo band with the worse sound than the others.

Destroying the Temple of God is kinda fast and destructive and cool as fuck lemme say: organic and terrible, it seems that although they don’t aim for skies, at least they are trying to make a name for themselves for being true.

The homely title Fuck the Messiah brings a quasi-punk approach to the album and it’s simple to grasp, making maniacs to enjoy it in full.

Closer and mundane Lucifer Rises Again shows us a snail-paced approach in their musical “rehearsal” sound, but although it may sound simple, over again is not disjointed, it has some kind of diligence.

All in all, Manic Howls is not a bad release at all, the simple truth here is that it is not indicated for those who like better sounds. For those people, go listen to something else.

Manic Howls is out now on Night in Terrors.

Rating: 7/10

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Roderick Blutrache

MORGAL – Nightmare Lord – (Werewolf)

Brutal and Suomi.

Finish band Morgal comes with their debut after a demo and two EP’s to showcase ignorance and infernality in a disc that clocks in at 35 minutes.

Formed by brothers SS Exiler (drums) and Lord Warmoon (vocals and bass) the band is completed by Crusher on guitars and the line-up continues solid to this day.

The great thing here is the riffs, as shown in the first track that start kicking everything with satanic fury. Called Golden Sun Of Satan the song has its share of melody but wait, this is not some delicate bull: this is real deal brutality in doses never seen before, and it’d be easy to classify them as some kind of “blackened death metal” outfit but the fact here is that they play fast and heavy as they can just like in the song Death Vortex that comes as a bulldozer, just smashing everything in sight like a rabid demon eager for your soul. What crazy openers!

One of the great surprises of the album is the track Flaming Mouth Of Baphomet played with class and gusto. Nothing can surpass with a grandiloquent first part that explodes in the fastest black metal destruction as the band hanker after more and more infernal fun and (like) addict demons ready only for violence and their black metal are akin to the speed metal of the past although this is not “blackened thrash” bullshit.

Gateways of Flesh & Blood is more bombastic ferocity mainly in the rabid vocals and the implacable riffs and at the end of the day, despite the extreme velocity it sounds very metal in its core making them one of the bands that never forgot where black metal comes from in the first place: from heavy metal.

But again, don’t be fooled: the strong melody on the closer called Mortifer doesn’t quite live up for its tranquility (although it is beautiful) and the song soon distills angry in vicious clobbers, although at the end of the day, this type of playing between metal and sheer brutality and satanic black metal are what makes this album so special.

At the end of the day, Morgal is one of the great surprises in a style that goes more and more to tranquility: they decided to get a U-turn and make things more brutal than the others, more metal than the majority and more importantly, more satanic than anything else this year. An album that one will not easily forget.

Nightmare Lord is out now on CD, LP, TAPE on Werewolf

Rating: 9,0/10

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Roderick Blutrache

Häxkapell – Eldhymner – (Nordvis Produktion)

Melodic and atmospheric…

Häxkapell is a one-man band formed by a guy named Oraklet (real name Janne Posti) from Sweden and in this album, he has the helping hand of two session musicians.

The sound is bona fide atmospheric Black Metal in the vein of Stilla, Ehlder, Skogen and the likes of Nordic persuasion, so this is a delight for the people who like this kind of music.

After an intro named Kallet, enters the “real” track Tomhetens Lågor with the same melody, just like a segue and the song has several parts although it almost never goes to the very extreme black metal, using the casual velocity with melodic and nonmetal parts which makes the album very interesting as (also) in the song Eldskapt which is a real trip of ethereal Nordic black metal. The very worthwhile part of this kind of mix is the idiosyncrasy of the sound making Häxkapell sound like no other band in the planet but at the same time, very Swedish.

While a track like Askans Drottning is not the epitome of the real black metal, (although it has its moments), another one like Ur Malströmmens Famn shows a gusto for riffs and for the dark side with a considerable change of phrases that is becoming more common in black metal today: extremely interesting, and I daresay that this one is the best track of the album.

Häxkapellet (not exactly the namesake of the band) is another interesting one although more melodic BM in the traditional sense of the word.

The last track Sanningen serves as an outro.

The thing here to be “careful” is that even if this is an excellent Black Metal album, it will not appeal for the most radical fans of the style, but opposite is also true, aiming in the heart of those who seek a great atmospheric black metal album. This is almost a contradiction in terms but is interesting that the flaw can be their quality and vice versa.

Eldhymner is out now on Nordvis Produktion. Heads up, LP available only in January 14, 2022.

Rating: 8,0/10

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Roderick Blutrache