KRATTI – Matka Kohti Kosmista (Signal Rex)

Reading time: one minute and 20 seconds.

Victorious black metal from Finland.

Over again, (and I may have said that one million times) Finland presents its trademark of Black Metal so characteristic, true and cult.

This time around it is the debut album of Kratti, an entity from Espoo, called Matka Kohti Kosmista that brings about hateful black metal they it ALWAYS must be!

Revising and improving the classic black metal riffs from the second wave thirty years ago, the opener shows a somewhat melancholic yet raw aggressive music and guitar with the track Pyhä alttari which also serves as the opener and this kind of dramatic but very crude and organic riffage repeats itself, but in a greater manner in the subsequent track called Haudanvartija.

Following with iterations of fast drumming and Nordic feeling comes the title track in which, paradoxically, shows another number of grandiosity even if the riffs are hypnotic and the same can be said of the ensuing track Sota Viimeinen that sounds like bands such as Horna or Sargeist for example. Very raw and true (and warlike)

The penultimate song called Ääni Hiljaisuuteen Katoava is something more like a mid-tempo biz with an astonishing sound but somewhat less “hooking” than the others while the last song named Synkissä Muistoissa resounds like the most glorious days of Darkthrone (A Blaze In The Northern Sky phase) and needless to say it is the best song of the album.

This is another sample of the grandiosity of the Suomi scene that seems to have no end in sight providing more and more quality bands for the sake of the true black metal agenda.

 Matka Kohti Kosmista is out now on Signal Rex.

Rating: 8/10

MORE INFO:
kratti.bandcamp.com // signalrex.com // signalrex.bandcamp.com 

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Roderick Blutrache

Metalhead kills bar owner in Brazil.

Reading time: 1 minute.

Case happened in the city of São Paulo.

According to the G1, a metalhead called Diego Pereira killed a rock bar owner called Carlos Monteiro in the city of São Paulo last Saturday.

According to the report, Pereira , who wasn’t known for the clients of the Malta Rock Bar, sexually harassed a female worker of the bar, and she had given him a punch. After that, Monteiro, the bar owner, intervened in his worker favor, and expulsed Diego Pereira from the bar, when, already outside, he got a dagger he was wielding and aimed for the neck of the victim who died bleeding from his wounds.

Diego Pereira was sporting an Enthroned tee, and coincidentally the band is touring the country. According to people who entered in contact with DSU he is well known in Brazilian metal scene.

There is a video of the aftermath of the incident where the body of Carlos Monteiro lies on the floor covered and people is holding Diego Pereira while they call the police circulating but DSU opted to NOT show it due to its graphic content.

According to the police (and to G1), the murderer was drunk and probably drugged. He follows incarcerated.

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Roderick Blutrache

Sóltafir returns to its roots… Signs with Century Media

Reading time: 1 minute and 30 seconds.

The Icelandic band unveils new video single.

Sólstafir, the behemothic Icelandic band has just announced their signing with Century Media, plus unveils their new single called Hin Helga Kvöl, that it is a return to its metal roots and why not to say, black metal ones?

The band has been known as of late for their post-black metal rock approach, but it seems they just have went back in time.

Plus they announced they signed with Century Media and the announces says:

Legendary Icelanders SÓLSTAFIR have just unleashed “Hin Helga Kvöl”, after announcing their signing to Century Media Records!

 “It is a song about dying,” says Aðalbjörn Tryggvason (guitar, vocals) about “Hin Helga Kvöl”. “It is about the realization that you will die sooner than later and consciously witnessing the end of your own world. It is one’s own personal idea of Ragnarök – or Armageddon. What happens afterwards? Are we reborn or are we simply food for the worms…”

SÓLSTAFIR are no strangers to the music world with their 20+ years of performing across the globe, consistently amazing audiences with their hearts on their sleeves from the first note. With a full catalog of truly exceptional timeless hits (as well as some much-anticipated new music), the atmospheric Icelandic rock ‘n’ roll sound that is uniquely SÓLSTAFIR always delivers to those who bear witness to their epic sets that take you on a journey through the ice and snow, fire and lava and breathtaking soundscapes of their homeland.

After the release of their upcoming album, SÓLSTAFIR will embark on the “Nordic Descent Tour 2024” that features a very special line-up with Oranssi Pazuzu, while the opening slot will be split between Hamferð (13.11 – 24.11) and HELGA (26.11 – 9.12).

#solstafir #postmetal #blackmetal #icelandicmetal #centurymedia

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Roderick Blutrache

Ascalapha – Somber Vampyric Night (re-release) – (ATMF)

Reading time: 2 minutes

Atmospheric and melodic business.

Is melodic black metal still a thing? As Somber Vampyric Night by Ascalapha shows it seems it is. The album was originally released independently last year and now it is finally gaining a distribution.

The first sound for example, simply called Dark Moon, shows 3-minute unpretentious melodic song that doesn’t exactly function as an introduction as it is a proper song, but it sounds right as the opener, not too heavy and a little bit melancholic.

Caseless Drought goes to a faster and heavier territories without losing its atmosphere and one doesn’t need to be caught by the simplicity of the song, as it shows a lot, but, over again it is short in time.

The simply and repetitive Nameless Path is very cohesive with the whole album, but this time around returning to a middle-paced style with a familiar riff played before. Up to this point the album sound like the songs are just samples of themselves and the quality of this is that while one is get acquainted with the band, the assimilation can be very easy! The only fault here is the blatant machine drum while the drum fills are shown without other musical instruments as the song fades out.

The title track returns (to) true black metal biz, fast, with Darkthrone vocals from beyond, like an infernal curse, and the normies who like BM will sure admire this one. Although tokens of raw black metal, this song is in fact very melodic.

After the 2-minute Burzum-like interlude called Our Lives Intertwined, the band returns with more darkness in the beefy Noche Sombria that is the most complete of the album with changes of phrases and heaviness all along. This song summarizes the whole album.

For its turn, Una Vida Que No Es Mia, shows a very melancholic side of the band with sad keyboards and all the brouhaha, more like a gothic song than proper black metal.

Remorse is a track that is overflow with melody and the middle-paced to fast tempo gets the imagination of the listener. Kind of repetitive that’s what it is.

The album closes with a short postlude called Nightbringer very ambient a quiet.

This album is for those who are not radical. It won’t change the face of black metal either but is pretty decent and honest in its proposal and nobody will feel betrayed by the sound of Ascalapha.

 Somber Vampyric Night is out TODAY on ATMF.

Rating: 7/10

preorder link:
https://metalodyssey.8merch.us/product/ascalapha-somber-vampyric-night-cd-pre-order/

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Roderick Blutrache

Vredehammer – God Slayer (Indie Recordings)

Reading time: 2 minutes and 10 seconds.

One of the best offers of current Norwegian scene is back.

Call them black metal or extreme metal, the fact is that Vredehammer managed to record a classic and all totally done by the hands of Per Valla and nobody else. Normally albums like that has a bit of monotony not the case here. (PS: all drums are managed by Nils “Dominator” Fjellström)

For example, the killer From The Abyss sends flak all around and with black metal riffs that will send chills down your spine with the accuracy of a band that is getting bigger and better by the day.

Another example of that is the military beginning of The Joker that somewhat resounds like Enslaved (don’t ask me why) with hard bits of thrash metal and fastest black metal at the same time, making this piece very solid and aggressive.

The title track has bona fide thrash metal riffs with the black metal velocity (you may think it is the same of the aforementioned song but it is not. For example, fans of Immortal will love this one, and as almost always say I’m not trying to mean Vredehhamer are imitating his pals, just that is for the fans of… if you know what I mean.

Now The Dragons Burn is pure black metal even if Per Valla calls his sound otherwise. Impossible to not notice that! This song has the drive and force to attack in any direction with a forceful drumming that is very headbanging. The best song of the album. Maybe. Fans of Sarke will love this one.

Fastness, hate and desolation can be found in the track Blood of Wolves (one of the most interesting in the album due to some elements strange to black metal), over again showing that Per Valla is the lord of the riffs while in the track Death Becomes The New Day, the now-one-man-band, sounds a little bit spatial with castigating drumming and pure mystical riffs and a heaviness not encountered everyday in the extreme metal scene. A little classic.

Coming by the final of this magistral album enters the song Product Human Slave that definitely escapes the black metal formula without losing the cohesive factor of the disc, that is to say the band don’t deviate the path whilst Obliterator also follows almost the same path never losing the verve and making this one a great surprise of the year.

For those who were waiting, it was worth it. For those who not, even better, because a good surprise is something people aren’t getting nowadays. Listen until your ears bleed.

God Slayer is out on May 24^th on Indie Recordings.

Rating: 9/10

Follow Vredehammer:

Facebook – Instagram – Tik Tok – Spotify – Apple Music – Tidal – Deezer

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Roderick Blutrache

Prophecy Production, announce the coming back of Trelldom still in 2024.

Reading time: 1 minute and 5 seconds

The band will record their fourth album this year!

Prophecy Production just have announced they signed with Trelldom for their so waited fourth album, the successor of the Til minne… which was released 17 years ago (2007). Trelldom was formed by Gaahl back in 1992 and it has 3 albums (so far) and a demo under their belts.

Says Prophecy Records:

“Welcome to the Prophecy family, Trelldom! The Norwegian cult black metal act have inked their signatures under a multi-album contract with Prophecy Productions and will release their fourth full-length and long-awaited successor to “Til minne…” (2007) via the label this year.

“Working with an outstanding artist such as the Norwegian vocalist Gaahl and his legendary band Trelldom is both a privilege and an obligation to get everything exactly right”, the label’s founder Martin Koller declares. “We are all thrilled to welcome Trelldom to our roster, and it is no exaggeration when I mention that we have many die-hard fans in this company.”

“It is important to find the right collaboration partners as well as someone who respects and partly understands what we want to convey at all times, which Martin and the people in his company do – art must always come first!”, guitarist Stian Kårstad emphatically stresses. “Therefore, as Trelldom we are very much looking forward to continuing our journey with Prophecy Productions.”

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Roderick Blutrache

Temple of the Beast – Geminian Arcana MLP – (Iron Bonehead)

Reading time: one minute and 50 seconds.

The real sonic destruction of human race!

Hailing from El Paso, Texas and featuring DarkWvlf (aka Alexandre Macias or Blackthorn from the mighty Thornspawn) – Temple of the Beast presents an otherworldly form of blackened death metal, occult to the core, not indicated for neophytes in this infernal EP called Geminian Arcana.

Temple I: Through the Trees – this first treaty has a dark ambient sound, and one has to have patience to wait for the song to start as this very noise at the beginning is the part and parcel of the song that has a violent and ill-tempered attack leaving no stone unturned with the intense metal of hell played here.

Temple II: The Initiation – second treaty delivers repetitive riffs and heavier-than-life rhythm session with a drum pounding like a hammer of hell. All too insensitive all too disgraceful. Ritualistic black/death metal will destroy the ears of those who dare to listen to it “just for fun”.

Temple III: Reborn into Darkness – this one was released as a single and one can understand why this song was chosen: it was because the disgusting energy of evil that oozes from the speakers all along. The booming sound keeps the madness rolling.

Temple IV: The Key & the Gate (Sitra Achra) – fourth treaty is preposterous, vile, evil, odious, repulsive, infernal, and loathsome and it is impossible to stop listening to this opus if you are true. Because YOU KNOW… if you are false do not entry. And I’m not kidding. (By the end of the song the riding cymbals keeping on pestering the headbanger, and it’s really cool and great)

Temple V: Exalted Invocation of the Blood Moon – the fifth and final treaty closes the infernal pact the listener sign without even knowing it. It sounds like Sarcófago, Blasphemy and Beherit so you know this is heavy weight in the black death game. The song stops with Dark Ambient again.

This EP is seriously a contender for the heaviest release of the year. Noisy all along it is not indicated for fans of mainstream bands. This is underground business until the end of the time. Quite literally.

Geminian Arcana is out today on MLP on Iron Bonehead.

Rating: 8/10

MORE INFO:
www.templeofthebeast.bandcamp.com 
www.ironbonehead.de
www.ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/ironboneheadproductions

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Roderick Blutrache

Dauþuz – Uranium (Amor Fati)

Reading time: one minute and 30 seconds

Radioactive Germanic Black Metal

Dauþuz is a German band known for releasing killer black metal opuses and Uranium is here to keep the traditions of the mid-tempo black metal grandiosity.

First song Pechblende (Gedeih und Verderben) showcases a kind of folk black metal that appeals to the fans of utterly European Metal and Dauþuz won’t let them down on this one with their luxuriousness and the solo by the mid of the long song won’t disregard their fans’ expectations, with their melodies so Germanic and so European.

The resonances in Radonquell 1666 are tip-top and the shadows of DSBM will appeal to the more hardcore black metal fans for sure, here the song shows first rate music and I believe nobody will dislike this great track that has some laments by the middle to final of the music. A highlight.

Wüst die Heimat has a riff strangely reminiscent of Beethoven 9^th Symphony and I’m not even kidding. The song is fast and disgraceful. Well produced and kind of raw at the same time, only old-schoolers of black metal will admire that, maybe including new fans alike, who knows?

The grade-A black metal continues with another outstanding song of folk resemblance that is called Ein Werkzeug des Todes, over again variating in phrases as the song progresses with its anthemic pace that is mind-boggling as a cryptogram working its magic on black metal aficionados while Wismut »Justiz« start anew with more bellows and bullseye riffs.

Last track Uranfeuer 55 and its strange name deliver the goods and the song just as the vocals is excellently wrought and wondrously done, showcasing, they are already great and tailor-made for black metal.

Uranium is an album as good as its predecessor Vom schwarzen Schmied that won’t fail admirers of the fine art of European Black Metal.

Uranium is out today on Amor Fati.

Rating: 8/10

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/dauthuzBM 
www.amor-fati-productions.de 
www.amorfatiproductions.bandcamp.com 
www.facebook.com/amorfatiprod

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Roderick Blutrache

Darkthrone – It Beckons Us All (Peaceville)

Reading time: 3 minutes.

Majestic Norwegian Black Metal will never Die!

They are back, Nocturno Culto and Fenriz the most beloved duo in all black metal history with their brand-new album It Beckons Us All.

It would be useless to try and tell the humungous influence Darkhthrone has in all black metal journey, so let us get to the point: This album is about their last phase concerning more black doom approach that started circa The Old Star album and continues to this day and this is maybe the best of that lot with only 7 songs clocking in at 43 minutes.

Howling Primitive Colonies: starting with a black heavy metal that kind of resound the bands of old (and by that, I mean bands from the 1980’s) but with the unmistakable mark of DT all over it, this opener has a delicious riff, not fast at all, almost snail-paced all along, but played with hate and disdain, and for REAL fans (not fans from OVERGROUND) this one will sound appetizing with its progression (reads: various phrases put together). The influence of something older than 1980’s it is noticeable. I would say it’s all about riffs.

Eon 3 – if it’s all about riffs, this one has a great and unforgettable one, and if one finds it alike the first track and the riffs so repetitive it’s about it: easy to understand and easy to like music, that’s what the veterans offer in this one with lots of effects on Nocturno Culto voice… Nothing goes overproduced here, it’s all primitivism and aversion to modern sounds and production. Low fi is the name of the game.

Black Dawn Affiliation – Now I must say nothing is off path with this track, the difference being some dark ambient effects to deem their black doom approach of their own music something more mysterious. Of course, it’s noticeable this track is heavy as dense fog enveloping the landscape.

And In That Moment I Knew The Answer – the shortest song of the album is also an instrumental one with a festival of heavy bass, melancholic solos, lugubrious riffs and downcast drum fills. Perfection in being despondent. I truly dig it.

The Bird People Of Nordland – I can’t even fathom what the title means and one can say this track follows the enigmatic formula with very doom-laden energy that SURPRISINGLY transforms itself on a little bit faster metal and a more recognizable Darkthrone from the days of old. But strangely that doesn’t make more than a change of tempo because the song remains hermetic.

The Heavy Hand – The riffs and drums in this one are more consistent, never really changing, and its iteration shows the cohesive factor of the disc: if one wants to understand this album in one track, just skip to this one.

The Lone Pines Of The Lost Planet – really sounding something like Metal Church, this track is a 10-minute business without the thrash velocity. In fact, the more repetitive it sounds, it has some different phrases as the song progresses. To be more exact this song has 3 distinct parts and an outer space vibe that is really strange and cool as fuck! A bold epic approach for an album that maintains its identity all along.

This is the most anti-OVERGROUND Darkthrone manifesto in the last years. Doomy all along, it may be that this will not be deemed their best album, of course not… But NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE, can say that they sell out in this one. Darkthrone ALWAYS indicate the path to the unknown…

It Beckons Us All is out this Friday on Peaceville.

Rating: 8/10

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Roderick Blutrache

Sarke announces new album, art, track list and more!

Reading time: 40 seconds

The pioneering Norwegian band is back!

Featuring Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone) (over again) on vocals, one of the premiere Norwegian bands, Sarke is back with their 8^th (!) album called Endo Feight  to be released on June 21^st on CD, LP and Digital formats via Soulseller.

Recorded and mixed at H10 Productions by Lars-Erik Westby and mastered by Sofia von Hage and Thomas Eberger at Stockholm Mastering, Endo Feight promises to not leave Sarke fans down.

The line-up for this new album includes: Nocturno Culto -Vocals, Sarke – Bass, Drums, Steinar Gundersen – Guitars and Anders Hunstad – Keyboard.

The great cover illustration was created by Kjetil Nystuen.

Sarke last album was the magnificent Allsighr released in 2021 also by Souseller.

The track list for Endlos Feight is:

Phantom Recluse

Death Construction

Lost

Abyssal Echoes

Old Town Sinner

I Destroyed The Cosmos

In Total Allegiance

Macabre Embrace

Roderick Blutrache