Category: Album Reviews

Label: Clobber Records
Origin: Nottingham, England

In defiant dissidence of the old standard, Wolvencrown blackens the throne of traditional metal royalty. A Shadow Of What Once Was is a bimodal British Invasion of heresy, decreeing towering extreme metal in public, while executing ominous chain-rattling dungeon synth in private chambers.

Despite its relatively short runtime, clocking in under 20 minutes, A Shadow Of What Once Was conquers plenty of territory. Catapulting off of familiar grounds, the EP opens with a traditionally mid-tempo barrage of noble riffs. Abrasive shrieks dictate insidious commands just as sinister organs emerge to energize the melody. These gilded orchestral leaves signal the arrival of heavy symphonic bars of gold in subsequent tracks, and the track returns to cathedral-worthy power chords before seamlessly transitioning to “Part II.” Reigning with decadent distortion, menacing riffs and punitive growls inspire terror among the listening class. Occasional pace variations create sonic space for artful percussive fills, while leg-braced blast-beating keeps the song within the confines of law and order. Minor chord-driven passages spill anxiety-induced adrenaline into the epic track’s corridors until the halls burst with a flood of ethereal conclusions.

A Shadow Of What Once Was
Wolvencrown - A Shadow of What Once Was (Full EP) - YouTube

The final moments of “Part II” usher in dying-wish, celestial orchestral soundscapes. Flawlessly blended into final track “Coming to an End,” elegantly layered strings waft mournfully through the palace. Dull thumping drums impart a sense of medieval austerity into the track, marrying atmospheric emotions with pagan tradition. Angelic synths provide uplift for the dolorous fog, but the steady beating and low-end bass ground the track firmly within its dark ambient kingdom.

A Shadow Of What Once Was is a wintry citadel of black metal and dungeon synth, luring the inexperienced listener with traditional extreme riffs and vocals only to bewitch them with an elegant orchestral concluding track. Wolvencrown defy regal commands to orbit around the extreme realm, competing on a conventional battlefield before freeing their gilded gladiator from the bastille of the time-honored black metal pit.

FFO: Burzum (all eras), early Dimmu Borgir, Jesper Kyd (ACII soundtrack)

Label: Ground Media Group
Origin: Liski, Russia

Blackfog tosses dry, lackluster black metal compositions overboard, promoting progressive songwriting and melodic licks to first rank. One Touch Is Enough steers a warship loaded with innovative nuclear riffs while championing the quintessence of the old fleet’s icy vocals.

Spanning more than 20 minutes across 3 songs, including a brief introductory track, One Touch is Enough traverses an entire album’s worth of whitewater rapids in a buckskin canoe. Opening track “Жестокий Вкус Познания (Cruel Taste of Knowledge)” nods to the fleeting acoustic content of early black metal works like Dissection’s The Somberlain. Meandering acoustic notes waft a breeze of melody across the listener’s ears before a rippling of clean electric inflections signals entrance into the murky depths that the forefathers often portaged.

In heavy contrast, second track “Обетованное забвение (The Promised Oblivion)” charges down the chute with boiling riffs and terrifying shrieks. Lead vocalist Coyote sets anchor with iron-rich snarls, too late to avoid drowning in the track’s magnetic distortion. Above, blackened leads blaze in the northern sky on the tails of devastatingly slow power chords, executed with the finality of Davy Jones’ spade hitting the riverbed.

River That Leads To Nowhere (11:00 - 21:24)
Blackfog - One Touch Is Enough (Full EP Premiere) - YouTube

Standout track “River That Leads To Nowhere” sources blackened sands and tumultuous waters from the cascading riffs of its Scandanavian progenitors. Terse instrumental verses float over inverted slabs of bedrock before the track channelizes its stream of consciousness. Tightly coiled guitar solos avulse from the primary current, electrifying flowlines otherwise bogged down in slack water. Echoing notes wander through the tune before a crushing deluge of power chords tsunamis through the floodplain. Lead axeman Unlight steers masterfully throughout the epic track, breaking the levee of melodic monotony, and bursting through triumphantly into the ocean of prominence.

One Touch Is Enough is an unrivaled black metal odyssey, sure to wash tidal waves of enlightenment over even the most worm-holed fan of extreme metal. The two-crewed Russian warship Blackfog has commanded a mighty display of force into the open sea, leaving much of modern metal still treading choppy waters.

FFO: Dissection, Shape of Despair, Sargeist, Mgla, Unanimated

Label: Debemur Morti Productions
Origin: Colorado, USA

Pleasant dreams and peaceful slumber are ripped away like a scab in the world of Akhlys. Melinoë – the Greek Goddess known for bringing nightmares and madness – delivers night terrors with ominous prescience, mind-numbingly fast yet controlled musicianship, and viscerally brutal black metal shrieks. Led by vocalist/guitarist Naas Alcameth, Akhlys‘s latest wicked chimera strangles its unwitting dreamer night after night.

Melinoë establishes a suffocating atmosphere with eerily repeating melodies that scorch the blackened soundscape at full-tilt. Musical madness whips sheets of crushed guitars and taut double-bass drums before the sleep-shrieker unveils his presence in “Somniloquy.” Coherency quickly devolves into chaos, as swirling whispers implant neurotic paranoia into the paralyzed sleeper.

The juxtaposition of mystery and pandemonium is nefariously contorted throughout Melinoë. Frightening synths are often shoved aside by a violent wraith guarded by a platoon of dream invaders. Naas imposes unholy growls in various formats throughout the record, ranging from spoken snarls at the beginning of “Pnigalion” to prolonged, ravenous howls to abort the orchestral inception of “Incubatio.” Later, the deliberate, tempered pacing of the snare traps the listener in a trance. These slowed passages acquiesce to coma-inducing guttural vocals and hypnotic melancholy that induce hysteria in every (un)waking moment.

“Succubare” re-fertilizes the horror and a crescendo of restless voices spawns a panicked gasp for air, nodding unconsciously to Akhlys‘s earlier work, The Dreaming I. “Incubatio,” is an recurring nightmare of haunting melody and aggression. Balancing nearly two minutes of stifled ambient torture with another four of operatic black metal euphoria, it injects an full syringe of funeral doom before fading to black. The final section is rife with agonizingly measured percussive blasts dividing the orchestral chaos. Ruthless double-pitched shrieks pierce the soul, making it regret having entered a human life-form.

Ephialtes (27:39 - 36:07)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0aAMB26ZKU&t=659s

Standout track, “Ephialtes,” is the cold-blooded, spiteful embodiment of a perpetual nightmare. Named for an anxiety disorder leading one to believe a being literally “jumps on you” during dormancy, sanity-shredding vocals and brooding sirens of danger grow ever more alarming throughout the song. Midway through the track, a lone gong rings out warning chimes before choking growls relish in the final suffocating kill, not before a mocking “breathe in, breathe out.” Akhlys permeates the brain with tangible fumes of dread and meticulously developed mists of evil, exquisitely exemplifying the real terror and mystique that define the black metal scene.

Melinoë hovers voraciously over your bed. You, the listener, know you are unable to defend yourself against her, in your state of sleep paralysis. Akhlys exploits this opportunity, and demonically records the soundtrack to the horror movie looped in your dreams.

FFO: Deathspell Omega, Shape of Despair, Emperor, WITTR

Label: Independent
Origin: The Land of The Three Fires

With the same weaponized hatred as black metal’s progenitors facing the religious invasion of Scandinavia, Pan-Amerikan Native Front wields blood-soaked tomahawks against colonialist evil. On second full-length album Little Turtle’s War, one-man warrior Kurator of War recounts the triumphant victories of indigenous legend Michikiniqua in a meaningful extreme metal epic.

To set the stage for the “Assembly of the Western Confederacy,” a stream gently bubbles over acoustic river stones on a peaceful meander through a snowy forest, before falling as a cascade of roaring power chords. Surging atmospheric shrieks echo defiant declarations from the commanders of the great native nations in the confederacy, and jagged slabs of percussion form the bedrock over which the torrential force flows. Second track “The Power of the Calumet Dance” shares the pipe of hatred for the imperialistic invaders. A smoldering solo rides wisps of smoke escaping the ceremonial fire, and sharpened hatchets glisten with newfound reflection, ready to taste the blood of the enemy. Steeply down-tuned guitars test the blade’s edge preparing for the “Battle of the Wabash.”

With the native army invigorated by the calumet and united in spirited anger, third track “Battle of the Wabash” is a pivotal point in Little Turtle’s War. As the sun rose on the morning of November 4, 1791, a militia of 1000 natives led by Michikiniqua (Little Turtle), Weyapiersenwah (Blue Jacket), and Buckongahelas overwhelmed the advancing American army, decisively handing the newfound country its largest defeat at the hands of Native Americans, ever. The onslaught commences with a lone indignant riff, reverberating through the frosted grounds walked upon by the indigenous brothers-in-arms, until an isolated musket blast launches the opening death volley. Taking the enemy by force with formidable melodic riffs and piercing icy vocals, Pan-Amerikan Native Front crushes the colonial scepter with one swing of the warclub. Sinister metallic hammering midway through the track symbolizes the methodical execution of the unwelcome pillagers, eventually driving General St. Clair and what remained of his men back to Washington D.C. with their mangled tails tucked between their cowardly legs.

“The Whispering Oak” and “A Witness” depict instrumental works of philosophical doom, the former sketching the lifeless forest in the aftermath of the great victory, and the latter bearing arms against the perpetual enemy. “Michikiniqua’s Triumph” thrashes at mid-tempo with abrasive lead licks and resounding war drums, arousing memories of late-era Satyricon or Dissection, but sacred singing accompanied by ceremonial percussion at the close of the track anchors it on this side of the pond. “The Great White Beaver Lurks” gnaws away at Kurator of War’s vocals with dense, gritty riffs, and fells the forest with guitar-forward bashing.

nakaaniaki meehkweelimakinciki (32:35 - 42:15)
Pan-Amerikan Native Front - Little Turtle's War Album Premiere (NEW Full-Length 2021) - YouTube

Standout track “nakaaniaki meehkweelimakinciki” roughly translates to “we remember the old ones.” Serrated black metal leads shoot fire into the sky to honor those who have passed on, while grounded blast-beating drives a stake of freedom back into the ownerless lands for which they fought. A lengthy pause in the track gives way to ethereal acoustics, displaying a new sense of beauty and peace not found elsewhere in the record, metaphorically symbolizing Michikiniqua’s leadership role in the quest for unity and equality for future generations of his people, after generations of strife, hardship, and war. Demonic leads then return, igniting the incendiary atmosphere in a final battle cry for justice, and the remainder of the track gallops forward in defiance and resilience.

Little Turtle’s War is a fiery yet somber tribute to the brave warriors who fought alongside Michikiniqua against the nefarious invaders, and triumphed. Pan-Amerikan Native Front loads venom-laced gunpowder into extreme metal muskets, unleashes barrages of fire upon the scourges of the world, and leaves the liberated earth to quench itself on the blood of the vanquished.

FFO: Wolves in the Throne Room, Ifernach, Sargeist, Satyricon

Label: Unsigned/Independent
Origin: Minsk, Belarus

Belarussian newcomers Sacrilegious Profanity defiantly bury their extreme metal hatchet in the sacrificial chopping block of mundane genre mainstays. Loading ritualistic steel into cold-hearted chambers, Genocide Rituals is a bloodthirsty collection of Satanic supplications that shoots cartridges of blackened sludge into the hearts and minds of the masses.

Opening track “Life Abomination” marks the introduction of the wicked ceremony with an ominous omnibus of orchestral symphonics, which return in the conclusive track to bookend the unholy anthology. Battle-ridden tom-toms support the ceremonial altar, and wormholed guitars slowly cool into the calcified veins that ripple through the massive stone. The deliberate attention to mid-tempo heaviness sans blasting highlights the sheer metamorphic density Sacrilegious Profanity offers, and rips a batholith of much-needed heterogeneity through the rest of Genocidal Rituals.

Subsequent tracks evoke more advanced complexities in musical composition and tempo variations. “Necroritual of Immortality” draws the magic pentacle and the listener’s blood with a single shriek, before plodding power chords chant down-tuned invocations to Lucifer. Percussive choices and vocal deliveries are diverse: the former enticing elemental lightning with splash and stack cymbals, and the latter broadcasting angry sermons in a host of frequencies. Third track “Unholy Witchery (Devil Invocation)” repeatedly plunges the sorcerer’s staff deep into the listener’s chest in a series of chunky, coagulated iron riffs. Sanguine gore cascades down the granitic flanks of the sacrificial stone in a bubbling waterfall of salivating minor licks, as the listener loses consciousness from a final driven power chord. Entering the ethereal state, orchestral strings soundtrack the recesses of Hell, and wretched souls scream in agony whilst a steady voice utters evil invocations.

Zodiac Sign of Apocalypse (22:03 - 33:47)
Sacrilegious Profanity - Genocide Rituals (Full Demo) - YouTube

Standout track “Zodiac Sign of Apocalypse” bleats through the carnage in a slow and deliberate riff-fest in the style of Archgoat. Heavily distorted and infectiously catchy hooks are hung throughout the hateful forest, beckoning even the skin-shredded, chest-ruptured victim’s bony fingers towards the volume knob. Death-defying shrieks upshift the track, grinding the gears into soaring black metal acceleration, until the track stalls to reignite the burnt rubber misery. Instrumental passages gallop forward on the cusp of mounting thunderous power, and throat-shredding growls inject hoarse premonitions to the next listener stepping hoof into the pent-ultimate ceremonial circle.

Revered lead single “Worlds Devoured” enacts the final chapter of the infernal ritual. Opening as a fast-paced whirlwind of blackened thunder, the music resets to allow raspy, raw shrieks to ride on the backs of fading chords. Where “Zodiac Sign of the Apocalypse” is heavy, final track “Damned Void” is a molten-core fed, gravity-sucking river of volcanic ore. Crushing riffs pulse from the guitar’s neck into the waiting body of orchestral instruments, forming the symphonic closure of the Luciferian rite.

Genocidal Rituals gathers rapturous listeners for a sizzling sacrificial experiment of extreme metal branding. By ripping the starter chord of Satanic lust to awaken devious growls and down-tuned, pummeling riffage, Sacrilegious Profanity ruthlessly chainsaws through competition in this tremulous, tremendously magmatic demo.

FFO: Archgoat, Gorgoroth, Behexen, Satanic Warmaster

Label: MetalGate Records
Origin: Prague, Czech Republic

Popularized by Immortal‘s obsession with winter in the early 90’s, as demonstrated on Blizzard Beasts and At the Heart of Winter, many groups have traded epiphanies of evil with fears of frostbite. Czech group Voluptas is among this crowd in spirit, but packs their chilly debut full-length Towards the Great White Nothing with metaphysically abstract lyrics and genre-bending instrumental blitzkriegs.

Opening track, “Crystalline Key,” blasts torrential sleet into crash cymbals behind an onslaught of icy shrieks from lead vocalist Michal. Stylistically a blend of Pest (ex Gorgoroth), Burzum, and early-Emperor (ala “Lord of the Storms”), Michal’s roaring deluge is philosophically advanced in content and exquisite in execution. The tempest lets up momentarily to illuminate a creative bassline and waft across a melodic lead, before the calm eye gives way to the hurricane’s second dose. These intermittent stop-starts in distortion levels and tempo are common across the record, setting Voluptas apart from contemporary one-dimensional groups.

Third track, “Of Gnosis and Agony,” is perhaps most experimental in terms of pace variation. Glacial power chords in minor keys calve musical continuity “under the sway of the coiling sun,” and contrasting lyrics about the obscure Sekhmet (a solar deity and daughter of Ra) with symbols of the more well-known Athena (depicted as an owl in liner notes) mirrors the melding of progressive instrumentation and more traditional, frigid vocals.

Thargelia (3:58 - 8:23)
VOLUPTAS / TOWARDS THE GREAT WHITE NOTHING [full album stream] - YouTube

Standout track, “Thargelia,” is named for an ancient Athenian agricultural festival preceded by a purification ceremony wherein undesirable members of the community were chosen to die. True to subject, opening notes consist of nightmare-inducing minor chords and murderous down-tuned riffs driving the powerful verses. Extensive cymbal crashes and wintry shrieks elicit a blizzard of evil, while bone-chilling leads tear frost-bitten flesh away from the listener, layer by crystallized layer. A sudden pause allows the now-tempered wintry mix to fade into gentle acoustic flurries, before a throat-ripping abysmal growl introduces a succession of funeral doom chords, obliterating the listener in an unexpected avalanche of devastation. The instrumental squall and shrill vocal delivery return, wiping out the evidence of the murderous slide.

Penultimate track, “Between Terror and Erebus,” is a blinding assault on the senses, disorienting the intrepid listener, and cloaking the seething dangers of the looming volcanic presence. Largely unvaried and traditional in delivery, icicles of minor chords build progressions around lyrical themes of mysteriously coincident patterns between reverberating fractal veins and mortal desperation. Cosmic enigmas remain unsolved as the listener’s “occipital lobe burns away,” entrapped within the caldera, in preparation for the final phase: “Desert Twilight.” Slowly building and constantly layering, this 13+ minute epic begins as the black metal equivalent of Tool‘s “Eulogy,” until the masterful saxophone conjures paranoia and illusion. Overwhelming, doomed chords snap spinal cords, while brilliantly executed dual growls ricochet across the Antarctic continent, leading to a lengthy, obtuse saxophone solo that snake-charms extraterrestrial beams of light to the great white nothing.

Voluptas disguises their penchant for intellectual experimentation as a frost-covered black metal opus. Soundbites taken from different points of Towards the Great White Nothing could easily be confused with early-90’s Ulver bonus tracks, while others might elicit thoughts of more progressive-era Pink Floyd studio outtakes. When taken as a whole, Towards the Great White Nothing is a spectacular work of experimental black metal that will leave the listener trapped under the glossy ice of anticipation.

FFO: Ulver (early), Wolves in the Throne Room, Emperor (early), Immortal

BLACK METAL EXTRACT

Label: Unsigned/Independent
Origin: London/Bristol, England

Deliberate and architectural, English newcomers Thundering Hooves craft a massively dense and brutally heavy debut blueprint with Vestiges. Addictive riffs, guttural grunts, and creeping tempo materialize as a blackened temple of doom with brick after distorted brick of brooding evil.

Opening track, “The Doomway,” engineers the design for the entire record. Mellow notes waft through the halls of ancient ruins upon an ungodly wind until devastating power chords descend upon the barren landscape. Percussive notes bounce off of dilapidated cinder blocks, decaying the bygone black metal relics that time has cast aside. Suddenly, the winds change course and the tempo quickens: the Luciferian architects have arrived on the scene, set to restore diabolical greatness to a once majestic throne. Lead vocalist Michael B. heaves Satyricon-inspired grunts whilst fabricating mighty pillars of stony riffs. Hammering drums smash rusted bolts into resistant threads on “Goatswood,” as welded guitars spin twisted nuts into place, erecting the framework of the great fortress. Agonizing riffs echo through the spartan halls carrying the mystical soundtrack of Khemmis and the wicked resolve of Black Sabbath.

Standout track, “Rex Nemorensis (King of the Grove),” is named for the priest of the Roman Goddess Diana, who attained his position by slaying the prior incumbent, and held it by preemptively murdering any who attempted to unseat him. The track begins with a 1975 recording of renowned horror/mythical actor Sir Christopher Lee discussing Satanic ceremonies, and curtails his sermon with an infernal instrumental curtain-raiser. Thundering Hooves incorporate critical minor chords within their construct’s skeleton, and caulk the blackened masonry together with oozing riffs. The spoken discussion returns later in the track, overlaying despondent distortion much like an Inquisition track, before echoed growls reverberate into silence.

Rex Nemorensis (4:56 - 9:08)
Thundering Hooves - Vestiges (Full Album) - YouTube

The second half of Vestiges raises the more experimental rooms of the blackened castle. Fourth track “Mara” explores lofty chambers with ghostly notes before sculpting a soot-infested riff-dungeon with cursed chisels. This track showcases extreme cadence variations as well: some of the evil laborers work at breakneck speed, blast-beating new caverns with explosive charges, while others proceed slowly, as if preparing for a melancholic funeral dirge. “Pallid Gaze” opens with midtempo precision, progressing to choppier rhythm and split power chords, allowing thunderous bass to ripple beneath the surface – a bubbling mixture of molten metal reacting to the blacksmith’s fire. Unlike a lesser smith merely forging weapons into shape, Michael B. flexes and contorts strings of nickel-plated steel to create cataclysmically cosmic tones.

As the massive build nears completion, the architects gather around an epic bonfire smoldering in the great hall, ready to commence the final ritual of the ceremony: concluding track “Vestiges.” As the inferno rages on, nefariously voltaic riffs seal the development with the Sigil of the Baphomet. Unhinged chaos propagates through the build, culminating in a seismic solo registering off the scale, rupturing the very foundation of the wicked shrine to Satan. The mighty pillars crumble from the shockwave of Daniel B.’s tectonic percussion. The blackened ashes of the churlish blaze slowly levitate to the heavens and the forsaken temple collapses into the widening fissure, leaving only a trace of what once was.

Vestiges is an absolutely enthralling edifice of modern blackened heavy metal. Utilizing tools of death and doom metal, yet maintaining studied architectural loyalty to medieval gothic themes, Thundering Hooves delivers an unholy Satanic inner sanctum worthy of multiple pilgrimages.

FFO: Archgoat, Inquisition, Satyricon, Mgła

Label: Unsigned/Independent
Origin: Athens, Greece

Until We See the Light is a first-rate black metal debut that leaps across the marsh with unique, nefarious croaked vocals and glistening riffs exuding swampy distortion. Bounded by a shoreline of thoughtful soundscapes, including a passage from The Orthodox Choir of Russia, the record has a far-reaching appetite and the spring-loaded tongue of venom to satisfy it.

While most wretched sinners are dragged, kicking and screaming, into the tight confines of Hell, Animal Man Machine part the waters of the River Styx and march forth defiantly, salivating at the thought of a new domain. On Until We See the Light, the one-man Greco-Luciferian powerhouse launches flaming vocals coated in slimy riffs across murky waters in a commanding display of evil.

Raspy shrieks and lightning instrumentals have become deep-fried staples of modern black metal, staying true to the early 90’s Scandinavian platter. Various joints have modified the seasoning through the years, mixing symphonic spices with dark musical molasses to elicit a more downtrodden, tempered meal, yet monotone shrieks and growls largely still remained on the buffet table. Indeed, the first taste of Until We See the Light retains this classic mirepoix in opening track, “Transformation,” but only until the vocals are plated and served. Half growled, half croaked, these diabolical Inquisition-inspired grunts ensure that each dish is fresh and flavored, and easily carry the album above comparatively uninspired contemporaries offerings the genre.

The middle four tracks are undoubtedly the black stars of the record. The intergalactic title track embodies simplistic yet masterful guitarwork and eschews mundane blast-beats for terrestrial tom-toms and cosmic crash cymbals. Exuding unholy groans from Beelzebub, Animal Man Machine declares war in the cold, dark vacuum of space. Chilling howls circle the opening of fourth track, “Let the Wolves Lead the Way,” before the apex predator licks then kills rival bands with deadly distortion. Galloping percussion heightens fears while the lead snarler unleashes a terrifying net of lupine growls to close the track. Balancing raw aggression with touches of mysticism, “Forces of Evil” is preceded by nearly a minute of eerie synthesized notes reverberating against the untouched boundaries of the galaxy. As these synths fade into infinite obscurity, a brooding riff commands rapturous attention and returns the listener to the album’s merciless atmosphere. Orchestral elements ricochet against the guitar-forward musicianship, and vocals are used sparingly, to enhance the ominous, well-executed volley of riffs.

Soldiers of the Moon (17:47 - 21:45)
Animal Man Machine - Until We See the Light (Full Album) - YouTube

Standout track, “Soldiers of the Moon,” discharges an unyielding barrage, using derelict asteroids for target practice before focusing fire on unsuspecting planets. Ghastly growls chart a course for sizzling strings to ignite a chain reaction of death, strongly channeling the legendary debut of Darkthrone, Soulside Journey. This track floats the best vocal performance on the record, simultaneously delivering zero-gravity orations and otherworldly menace.

Animal Man Machine has drawn the perfect blueprint: riffs ratcheted out of control, a restrained yet focused pace, and more croaks than a bog in Louisiana. Until We See the Light is a timeless spacecraft ready for extraterrestrial domination.

FFO: Inquisition, Mayhem, Burzum, Archgoat

Label: Satanath Records
Origin: Donetsk, Ukraine

Teeming with acidic vocal fury and scathing melodic riffs, the essence of Kuhaghan Tyyn wafts through the labyrinthine halls of a derelict speakeasy to greet imbibers with scorn. Haissem, the wrought iron cauldron of Andrey Tollock, crafts a cryptic brew of evil incantations brimming with intoxicating ingredients, ranging from mellow cello outros and angelic vocals to masterful guitar pours.

Kuhaghan Tyyn forges contrast from its nascent moments: hollow guitar notes play solitaire on an empty wooden bar before crushing medieval lore and ungodly howls sit down at the table in a full-fledged saloon. Unyielding lead licks rifle through opening track “Black Tide Dominion” and check-raise Andrey’s vocals until the latter goes all in, decisively matching the guitar’s confidence and taking the bloated pot. Epic arena rock power chords palm mute a transition mid-song, trading black metal roulette for an ominous cello-ridden busted ballad. Only 11 minutes into the album, Haissem has already toured us around the ghost-town casino that is to be our confinement.

Standout track, “Aokigahara,” blasts ahead with tasting notes of Dark Funeral, yet quickly abandons the traditional black metal blackjack table. Experimental orchestral passages behind deviously shredded licks splash between Emperor and solo-Ihsahn, while pointed, entwining riffs balance vocal pitch with the precision of Death‘s more progressive, dexterous dealings. Confident, guitar-forward solos harken to melo-death made famous by the Göteburg scene while buzzed voodoo verses borrow from the many progenitors of American Heavy Metal (Burn the Priest‘s debut album or early Tool). Ungodly shrieks fold against a straight of heavenly orchestral strings, all while blast-beaten mayhem holds a full house in rapt attention.

Aokigahara (20:11 - 29:55)
Haissem - Kuhaghan Tyyn (2020) [Full Album] - YouTube

Returning to black metal roots, second track “Arcanum” crushes dreams with boozy power chords from the taps of hell. Meandering riffs soon follow, regulating the undulating growls just as the cooling copper coil of a still chills the Devil’s elixir. Throaty spoken-word tempers everclear palm-muted riffs, and infuses Ihsahn-inspired herbs and spices just as the batch is ready for bottling. Soon the inceptive pace returns to soak backing symphonic passages with besotted spite, and eerie synthetic notes sink the listener further into oblivion. The whiff of choral backing vocals foreshadows their enhanced presence on final track, “Кuhаҕан Тыын.” Female vocalist Alyona Malytsa climbs soaring ethereal scales in conjunction with harsh growls in the throes of melodic riffage. This magnum opus condenses an entire galaxy of hopped-up aggression and potent spirit into an epic black hole, with a prolonged silence that ages the panicked chanting, and with brass-knuckle closing chord bashing (ala Tool‘s Aenima). After the dust settles, a revitalized riff barrels ahead with a dazzling solo that enshrines Kuhaghan Tynn on the top shelf in the medieval cellar of blackened greatness.

Haissem, the one-man distiller of evil from Ukraine, has explored the entirety of heavy metal’s ancient compound, specifically catering to its caged, inebriated black metal beast. Blending dense, blast-beaten sections of blackened chaos with celestial solos and saturated riffs, Kuhaghan Tynn is a soot-infested cosmic cask waiting to be tapped.

FFO: Emperor, Dark Funeral, Dissection, Dimmu Borgir

BLACK METAL EXTRACT

Label: Unsigned/Independent
Origin: Dresden/Berlin, Germany

Wielding infernal command of the Earthly elements, Stiriah mercilessly scorches, drowns, and blinds the listener before tearing open their exhausted body to inject evil serum. Triple vocal styles exploring the full expanse of extreme metal deftly plait the 40+ minutes of Into the Depths together, and sly nods to various bands across the black metal spectrum keep the listener returning, battered and fried, for more.

The lead single, “The Water,” terrifies with a whispered “swept away by…” before a diabolically shrieked “flood!” signals a tsunami of chaos. Like the contaminated waters of death, riffs and percussion violently surge without respite behind a deluge of gutturals and growls. Blast-beating torrentially rains down on the scene, as the panicked listener double-kicks to shore for shelter. Near the end of the track, the floodwaters briefly subside, allowing ominous guitars to echo siren-like chords across the expansive sea. Throaty spoken word offers a variation in the piercing vocals, highlighting the skillful transition between styles that soaks through the entirety of Into the Depths.

The rain dissipates to allow glints of light to shine through second track, “The Sun.” The listener is greeted with warm guitars and minor chords overlaying the verses with burning precision. Seething growls overlap across the entire track, basking every blackened riff and charred blast in high-octane intensity. The overdriven vocal energy is accompanied by cosmic power chords, beaming interstellar rays through the molten, metallic core of the track.

Third track, “The Light Bearer,” initially hums along to a traditionally fast and austere black metal cadence. Supersonic blasting and otherworldly shrieking embody the mythical figure’s nascent impression, and a purposefully placed snare marches in rhythm alongside the lonesome ghoul. Suddenly the music stops cold, and a solitary riff ignites the Light Bearer’s torch in a single menacing gesture. With this newfound flame, the remainder of the track scalds the bewildered listener to a swelter, before quickly extinguishing in favor of fourth track, “The Darkness.” Atmospheric strings imprison taut percussion from all sides. Anguished cries brood malice interrupted only by a hissed growl of death. Instrumental mayhem unfolds before a higher-pitched cry prevails and lingers long into intermittent silence, while clean vocals in the background radiate elements of Ihsahn.

The Flesh (33:02 - 42:37)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZD-8jyWBPQ

Final (and standout) track, “The Flesh,” mulls malicious plasma from every demonic specter in the paralyzed patient’s open chest cavity. Ferocious chords erupt as gore spews from a fatal, infected wound. Violent shrieks spit acid on the laceration, while relentlessly consistent background riffs frantically pump blood to the lesion. Unholy howls bubble over the unfortunate soul, as toxic serum boils in a growing number of gashes. Decomposing riffs impede the mortal mending, and insatiably evil double growls continue to tear away decaying flesh. A brief, exquisite acoustic passage with spoken word and distorted strings echoes early Emperor, and provide a seamless transition into the final realm. After nearly ten minutes of lethal black metal dosage, angelic voices ethereally grasp the soul, whisking it away from its tormented carcass, and leaving the body to rot in perpetuity.

Into the Depths is a masterful exploratory distillation of black metal extract. The multitude of vocal deliveries combined with instrumentation spreading like a venereal disease commands an unrelenting listen. Before ruthlessly dissecting their victim in a nearly ten minute finale, Stiriah has cruelly force-fed a chocolate-box assortment of plagues to the listener and has tyrannically harnessed all the natural elements of evil.

FFO: Emperor, Wolves in the Throne Room, Inferi, Watain