Nordlicht - Nebelmeer (2002) Review

If you're a regular visitor of this blog or have somehow landed here of your own accord, there's a good chance you are already familiar with the Swiss artist Tobias Möckl (a.k.a. Wintherr) and his involvement in the prolific projects Paysage d'Hiver and Darkspace. 

I've spent some time reviewing a couple of releases from both projects, even though a deeper dive is borderline mandatory and would be the perfect counterweight to surviving this dreadful summer. Apart from the interest in the discography, a more observant listener should have already noticed that Paysage d'Hiver material is consistently being released on Wintherr's own label, Kunsthall Produktionen.

Ultha - A Light So Dim (2026) Review

With an overly potent series of full-length albums that peaked with 2022’s remarkable All That Has Never Been True, Ultha have slowly outpaced most of their contemporaries the last decade, in a way that one not even have noticed if one hasn’t been observant. As fine practitioners of misery-fueled atmospheric black metal, the band’s low-key confident, promotionless release of fifth record A Light So Dim stands at the crossroads of a well-settled sound and experimentation that feels quite natural, given their individuality.

We’re looking at a considerable expansion of the atmospheric black metal skeleton, which now houses, even more distinctly, some of the band’s impulses towards ambient, darkwave, post-rock or even dream-pop, without losing the thread of what makes them Ultha in the first place. I found several characteristics that I love from the band in A Light So Dim, especially in the soaring guitar riffs that made them so effective to me in the first place. At the same time, there’s an accustomed focus on a more widespread, anguished sound that hangs over you like a sky that refuses to clear.

Right off the bat, the band doubles down on what, in my opinion, they do best. Long-form black metal heavily into post-metal territory, with the guitar lines having an unmistakable potency on “Love As We’re Falling Down”, the first longer piece after the three-minute, nonconformist introduction “The Unseen World”. Bracketed sequencing rightfully earns Ultha’s conceptual ambitions, and there’s constantly new elements to discover in each track, or part of a part of a track. Most sections take minutes to fully reveal themselves, and no matter how long it takes, there’s always a tremolo that finally surges.

A Light So Dim has a less of a pugnacious viewpoint compared to previous records, one that can also be found on the ominous “Hex Upon Our Heads”, mostly fast-paced tension with death metal growls before a last minute of ambiance. At other times, Ultha defy the metal backbone completely, as for example on “The Quiet Current”, fully on clean vocals and guitars until right about the end, where a switch is flipped again. The record is wholly characterized by vocal diversity, and apart from the band’s known black metal howling or growls, there is frequent both male and female clean singing. 

A personal highlight is the avantgarde track “What's Yours Is Yours To Carry”, which relies on a beat-like opening tempo and then is embraced by angelic female vocals. In the middle of the track, the band introduces perilous slow-paced riffing that is essentially carved out of classic Black Sabbath, coupled with a female voice that makes you think it’s someone like Windhand instead of Ultha. Interchanging with lower growling and a distorted opera sample at the end, it’s one of the most interesting tracks of the album.

Listening to this could be a test of patience, as passages are conveyed with repetition that might be too much for some to put up with. This was more evident to me towards the latter part of A Light So Dim, particularly in the closer “To Part The Abelia Springs” (i.e. a handful of melodies across 11 minutes) as well as “Pink Lights Soiling To Copper” (monotonous but on the heavier side). If you have trained yourself in the likes of, e.g. Ash Borer or Fauna though, there’s nothing to be afraid of here. The production is polished but with a raw edge, melodies and textures are clean and always present, even at the album's most repeated moments.

"Cherry Knots (The Sun Shines Through You)" is track that dwells outside what's strictly metal, pressing with a sharp noise / dark ambient introduction and a powerfully emotional, and highly memorable echoing piano melody (strangely reminding of an older track, "Peccatum" by doom metal band Isole, from their 2009 album Silent Ruins) with dark clean vocals. The electronic / trip-hop twist in the track is one of the multiple instances Ultha shows their predilection for experimentalism on A Light So Dim. However, this must have already been clear from the eerie voices, synth handling and gnarled guitar riffs of "Her Still Singing Limbs" earlier in the album.

Taking a clear step towards unexplored soundscapes, the band doesn't seem to be out of ideas for new music, which now grows into its completely own form. With all its poignant melancholy, A Light So Dim manages to drift into something approaching devotional beauty, and it doesn't feel forced or overblown. I've struggled with similar mutations of atmospheric / post-black metal bands in the past, but here it seems to click perfectly, once you let it. It's not the instant eye-catcher, but real splendor lies within.

Release: April 2nd, 2026 | Vendetta Records
Rating: 4 out of 5

Olhava - Memorial (2026) Review

I never quite ventured into Olhava's earlier works, and my introduction to the Russian atmospheric black metal duo came through the arresting artwork of 2022's Reborn, which was the reason that led me to discover their horizon-reaching interpretation of the genre. By 2024, the band had signed with Avantgarde Music and released the conceptual album Sacrifice, an album whose thematic touch appears to be further elaborated on their latest record, Memorial. 

Tracing back to Ladoga (2020), the "Ageless River" series of interlude tracks have functioned as connective tissue across the three albums, incrementally numbered throughout with Memorial advancing from X to XIII. In between these pieces, are four monumental compositions of elevated atmospheric black metal, injected with generous quantities of post-black and blackgaze sensibility, as well as ambient passages that appear frequently on the surface. The prevailing intensity of the record is of a kind more attuned to post-rock or post-metal fans, rather than to the freaks that dwell in the dungeons of black metal. Main tracks span from seven to above 20 minutes in duration, a structural approach entirely aligned with Olhava's established modus operandi, and in many aspects, cleanly mirroring Sacrifice in its presence.

"After I'm Gone" emerges perfectly from the introductory "Ageless River X" unfurling atop a bedrock of ambient and post-rock texture that demonstrates the band's contemplative nature, and the album's incandescent energy. The track gets dreamier and dreamier as it progresses through fast-paced, cyclical motifs emblematic of Olhava's identity. The 20-minute colossus "When the Ashes Grow Old" sustains the post-black metal radiance before submerging into purer heavenly ambiance in its middle part. Memorial's riverine flow of sound exhibits fluctuation only when the "Ageless River" interludes appear - the same signature sound of blackgaze psyche is strongly maintained all across the album.

At nearly 80 minutes, Memorial's length fits both the genre's and the band's scale. Compared to Sacrifice, I noticed a tiny improvement on the more balanced sound of the drums, but other than that, the album delivers a form of post-black metal strikingly similar to its predecessor, perhaps a bit too much. For adherents of Olhava's state of expression, however, there is little to resist here.

Release: February 27th, 2026 | Avantgarde Music
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Spectral Lore - 11 Days (EP, 2023) Review

Spectral Lore’s mailman Ayloss has been quite vocal about societal topics and issues on various platforms online in the past, but it had never really entered the thematics of this specific project, apart from maybe the cover of “No Excuses for Fascist Sympathy” by Book of Sand in a single release back in 2019. With his latest work, which is 43 minutes long but can still be considered an EP for Spectral Lore release duration standards, he takes a stand on a receptive and critical problem, that of established regulations regarding refugees in Europe. 

This time, the subject also contributes to the formation of the music, hence a concept release, with allegories drawn from references to various religions and mythological points and a suggestive artwork to go along with it. Musically, the play style of Ayloss is vibrant throughout the whole duration, laying somewhere between the more intense Spectral Lore patterns and the ferocity of a project like Mystras. In 11 Days, the composer manages to convey his anger through the tracks, as the material actually sounds more enraged and more irritated than in recent, more dreamlike albums (e.g. the phenomenal Ετερόφωτος from 2021). 

It balances between two black metal pieces and two dark ambient pieces with one of each type placed consecutively, providing an engaging experience of excellent story telling that can convey the spectrum of struggles it refers to. Opening with animosity and “Moloch”, the synth lines and samples of “Fortitude/Sunrise” can really drag the listener through the angst of being lost at sea with the way forward uncertain and the way back in ruins. “Adro Onzi” features middle-paced ominous guitar melodies that differ from the usual, perplexed fast riff handling of Spectral Lore, and the closer “Tremor/Kalunga Line” features narrating vocals, interlude sections that slightly remind of the prog, non-singing side of current Enslaved, and an almost warmhearted, more epic ending that can leave an aftertaste of hope instead of despair. 

11 Days is a remarkable release by an already remarkable musician, it contains the feel of Spectral Lore at a great form and picks a side. Perfect flow allows for these 40 minutes to feel like a much shorter time, and its more concise dimensions do not allow of any waste of content. Ayloss, as always, is more than capable of creating a work that speaks for itself, and on substantial ground.

Out on March 21st, 2023 | Stellar Auditorium Productions

DAMAGE: 4/5 [Excellent]

Afsky - Om hundrede år (2023) Review

This project has taken significant traction already from its first steps with 2015's self-titled EP, and the first two -especially the second- full length albums, Sorg in 2018 and Ofte jeg drømmer mig død in 2020, have had considerable success with the audience. Afsky's atmospheric black metal is strongly emotional, wreaks of despair and elegantly expresses its melancholic beauty so much with its moving works, as well as the catered lyrical themes and artworks. 

The new record Om hundred år maintains the same path with a masterful front cover by Kris Verwimp, reminiscent of the project’s style, and it has the music to go along with it. With a semi-dusty, organic sound, Afsky do not lose track of the goal in this newest release, which still blisters with wonderful atmospheric / depressive black metal, filled with gripping, expressive guitar melodies and harrowing vocals. Mostly present are middle-paced pieces, with an addition of faster, more intensified moments and extra usage of wonderful acoustic guitar parts, especially as connection points between parts of compositions. 

A point where Om hundred år really flourishes is the memorability of the tracks, as most of them have quite clearly articulated riffs, but also the overall feelings remain after the listening session is through. At the same time, it doesn’t last forever, just at 43 minutes instead of a more unnecessarily elaborate release, which could be the case for atmospheric black metal. Opening track “Stormfulde has” contains all the aforementioned elements highlighted, and such notable points can be identified all over the album, which is well-written and flows smoothly. 

For me personally, Afsky’s performances are usually on point and stand out from the pack, up to a certain level of admiration which, however, doesn’t overshoot to extreme heights. During the record’s more repetitive moments, or the abrupt section changes from one to the next, there lies a little opportunity for improvement for this project, but such a flaw is minor and almost invisible when in the mood to fully let yourself embrace the experience. Om hundrede år is a fine atmospheric black metal release, by now characteristic of Afsky and will be cherished, which is in itself an accomplishment. 

Out on March 15th, 2023 / Vendetta Records

DAMAGE: 3.5/5 [Great]

Vosbúð - Heklugjá (2023) Review

Sometimes an album’s formed perception benefits from the surroundings of the listener, or the conditions of the listening experience. Being the first (at least, to my knowledge) band to introduce the term “volcanic black metal”, Vosbúð from Iceland deliver their / his first full length album Heklugjá after a vigorous but potentially glossed over EP in 2019, setting the mark in the project’s journey for good. 

Thematics are described perfectly by the band’s self-genre assertion, and don’t let your mind rush to conclusions when it comes to the music, especially when knowing their roots. Heklugjá takes a stand for atmospheric black metal with dusty production, partially originating from the United States but with a firm personal touch and plenty of creative material in its long compositions. That is also the only drawback of the record, as its lengthy duration sometimes feels unnecessary, especially in moments when the tracks get a bit repetitive, not confident enough to affix the next idea. 

Fortunately, this is mostly clear only through the third and fourth piece, where almost exhilarated melodies lay hints of modern / post-black metal bands from the US and despite that, the flow of the album is at least maintained through this rocky path. A couple of songs are really long and packed with material, especially the opener “Myndhöggvari lífsins og dauðans” at 17 minutes, and the closing piece “Heklugjá” at the same length. Vosbúð’s ingenuity is boastful in these pieces and the album has potent messages as a whole, depicting a rather ambitious atmospheric black metal release that only slightly shakes due to it’s own weight. 

One hour might be too much to not build the urge to fast forward a bit, however Vosbúð do now shy away from epicness or high quality guitar lines, wonderful bass sound and a production to go along with its subject. There is no one fitting more to speak of volcanoes than an Icelandic band, and Heklugjá is a fine debut, imperfect at some intricacies and yet melded with passion.

DAMAGE: [3.25/5]

Bandcamp

Drudkh - Всі належать ночі (All Belong to the Night) (2022) Review

Ukrainian atmospheric black metal legends solder another admirable record with potent messages for their place and time.

Panopticon - Kentucky (2012) Review

Kentucky, Panopticon's fifth full length album, is nothing short of magnificent. Throughout this project's evolution, main-man Austin Lunn has shown many hints of unique greatness, but all his strongpoints wonderfully align in this record, the perfect combination between atmospheric black metal and blue grass. A rather personal record, discussing the musician's home state and touching upon real struggles of land and people, it is a treat starting from the lyrics, which should be no means be skipped this time. Kentucky breathes through heavy emotions and expresses its worldview, while being capable of taking the listener by hand and along all the different scenes of the tracks, which are also musically perfect. Lunn is an extremely creative and efficient composer, and this is obvious with both the folk and the metal parts of this album. His guitar style endorses melody through riff and solo, on top of fast-paced atmospheric black metal foundations with added flutes for the more epic feels, yet his non-metal tracks are separate entities of well-delivered blue grass. At the same time, all content is connected and one, for conveying the message, which is a loud one. The vocals in Kentucky are also wonderful, when singing with a clean voice or the raspy, worn out screams of the black metal parts of the album. There's several interesting samples to be heard during the listen as well, just making the story even richer. In terms of black metal, Panopticon diverge significantly not only lyrically but also in terms of music, yet works like Kentucky stand as absolute sincere works of the artist that will put a lot of self-proclaimed devil worshippers out there to the test. I fully appreciate this album's lyrical content, its topics, the top-notch quality of the music and the truthful vision of the creator, who hit a smashed the mark with this work. Don't skip any track, enjoy all the nuances and absorb what it has to say. Releases like these are quite rare in extreme metal. [4.5/5 - Brilliant]

Mournful Moon - Rose Velvet Dynasty (2022) Review

Mournful Moon is a project by the mastermind behind Greek established dungeon synth name Arthuros, with which a first album was released in 2020, named ...As Shadows Fall Within Zenitheaen and had as positive feedback as Arthuros itself gets, yet less recognition. That record also treads on the same dreamy soundscapes, yet a turn towards more black metal groundwork has been performed this year with the project's second release, Rose Velvet Dynasty. While not losing its identity, and with a fair amount of keys and ambient parts, the album now shows clear inclination towards the same kind of dreamy black metal, with loads of middle-paced melodic structures that fit well to the second wave of Greek black metal sound, yet they're not identical. What elevates this record slightly higher than the average bar is the synth work itself, where it's clear that Constantine is most competent, and the combination between piano and guitar lines is in terms of compositional quality, fairly accomplished. Rose Velvet Dynasty is not violent at almost any point (except maybe at "The Sigil of Elites"), and demonstrates how dungeon synth and black metal can be combined for a non-trivial or predictable outcome. The tracks are engaging and well worked, with a handful of rather compelling moments that stem from some really good synth & guitar combinations, and you will get a proper fix of Arthuros / Mournful Moon's own dungeon synth palette, in various parts scattered all across. When coming across works like these, I understand the artist's honest intentions and substantial inspiration for creating new art, instead of simply a collection of tracks honorary to a certain sound, by a die hard fan. The aesthetics were already bordering with black metal from before, and now Mournful Moon dare to cross the line and put a piece together, that is worth a little more discussion among the circles of Greek black metal. [3.5/5 - Great]

Origin: Greece

Label: Self-released

Release date: 15.09.2022

Listen: Bandcamp

Lustre - A Thirst for Summer Rain (2022) Review

I have left Lustre at Wonder, which is a point in the project's discography that is almost a decade ago so there is some catching up to do. Nevertheless, it is one of the cases where the produced material has a pretty well defined structure and one can be positive of no gross diversions at any point or album, so essentially, it's like I haven't missed a day. A Thirst for Summer Rain, apart from a slightly more optimistic title and color palette, doesn't surprise in terms of music either, as it features characteristic Lustre material standing on dreamy, slow compositions, pale keyboard melodies and distant whispering / screaming vocals that generally wouldn't even come close to anything extreme related. The tracks have an almost nostalgic / romantic atmosphere that hints the album's concept, and they all keep the same tempo and the same attitude at all times, sometimes too much. The introduction of the first track "Quiescence" is basically the reversed melody of the introduction of the third track "Thirst", which for a moment, along the rest of the compositions which feel strikingly similar, had me wondering if Lustre actually has any inspiration left. Yet, A Thirst for Summer Rain is too innocent to be mad at, and an overall pleasing background album to go through, and I'm sure the fans won't ask for anything else than exactly this. The last piece "Alleviation" hardly has any distortion even, which makes this record very light to listen to, and almost completely departing from the realm of metal. Even like that, Lustre maintain and still present their own sound. [3/5 - Good]

Origin: Sweden

Label: Nordvis Produktion

Release date: August 26th, 2022

Listen: Bandcamp

Astrofaes - Heritage (2002) Review

Most people should know Drudkh by now but there's several notable side projects their members have been involved in, one of them being the now defunct Astrofaes, who put together several full length albums and a few mini releases throughout a decade and a bit more before disbanding. And while Drudkh were formed in 2002, Thurios was pretty active releasing albums in Ukrainian and English version with Astrofaes and still an abundance of musical ideas he had not yet put on records that would come along later on in the 00's. Many of these Astrofaes releases have similar characteristics, all driven by his fairly characteristic guitar playing, which is bursting with one amazing riff after the other in literally every track on Heritage, yet there are no distinct growls in the vocals as in Drudkh, so one would say that this is even closer to the black metal formula of the times. The album exerts an atmosphere of nostalgic epicness, with mostly fast paced repetitive patterns that let the guitar melodies emerge and practically act as they want, beautiful lyrics of nature / folklore and a semi-dirty production that doesn't bother a bit, in fact it constitutes to this well-thought black metal work. "Awakening" and "Through Time of Memory" walk on more middle paced rhythms and is the one strongly reminding of the direction followed later with Drudkh, and the rest of Heritage just has steady, fairly potent tracks with great guitar work by Thurios, one of the composers that seem to have endless inspiration and integrity all these years. Highlights include "Forgotten Name" and "Ancestors' Shadows". [3.5/5 - Great] 

Origin: Ukraine

Label: Nykta Records

Release date: November 28th, 2002

Listen: Youtube

Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium: Undreamable Abysses (2022) Review

I have this feeling that by now, Blut Aus Nord's music is driven by a pre-defined musical direction that serves the content itself, rather than an artistic cleansing of the mastermind behind it. Of course this project is massive, with a distinct presence in the black metal scene, and even when a disappointment comes along, you can't ignore the overflowing passion Vindsval has for his music. Yet, I realized recently that I haven't enjoyed Blut Aus Nord that much since 2014, and even before that, there is only sparse material through a maze of releases that are worth it.

Right of the bat, you will get what you want in Disharmonium: Undreamable Abysses. Thankfully, the bittersweet roaming that was ongoing in Hallucinogen has ended and this record is more focused this time. Fretless guitar torture has come back with a vengeance, and it's excessively used to create the haunting atmosphere Blut Aus Nord have been experts of for a couple of decades. Lyrics are almost not needed and rarely used, it's mostly these flowing, vivid riffs that continuously pummel their way through the ears, constituting a rather nightmarish listen in a good way. At least, that's what a new Blut Aus Nord listener will experience.

For me, the same everlasting issue is also carried along in Undreamable Abysses: once you listen to the first two tracks (which are the highlights, worthy of being in a Blut Aus Nord playlist and to be listened again), you have heard the best this record has to offer. It starts repeating itself, slowing down unnecessarily and too often, and what starts as a hellish storm fades out as a bland replica of itself, but just worse. Even the titles don't mean anything to me anymore, as it seems like these words together would sound cool for this kind of record, rather than Vindsval actually expressing something. I get this weird emptiness from the current face of the band, which I wouldn't feel in the past. I mean, listen to Dialogue with the Stars and tell me if it doesn't piledrives you to oblivion.

I expect a lot of praise for this record, and it has a few good elements. For example, one point that you can never take away from them, is the visuals. All art and designs are impeccable, I am going to buy this album just for the front cover. I don't know what Blut Aus Nord should do to become solid again as they seemingly continue strong, yet I can't recognize the greatness that once was and definitely can't feel an album such as Undreamable Abysses after the third track. Even a boring release from them is still something I might return to once in a while and it's hasn't ever been completely ineffectual (with a few exceptions), but my long standing opinion on Blut Aus Nord hasn't changed. They release something of greatness, only when Memoria Vetusta is used in the title.

DAMAGE: 2.5/5 [Average]

Sacred Son - The Foul Deth of Engelond (2022) Review

For the first time in their discography so far, Sacred Son make a significant stylistic change of heart when deciding for an album cover art, a topic that was on its own a topic of discussion up to now. We were used to seeing rather earthly, social media-like personal pictures so far, which not only didn't remind of a black metal band at all, they wouldn't fit (unlike the music) any category of the "extreme" scene or anything even remote to that. At the same time, that was the most eye-catching point of the band for me, as the music itself was, at the times when it wasn't just clear reproduction of already known atmospheric / black metal, just uninspiring.

To be fair, the cover of The Foul Deth of Engelond is now amazing. The story behind this conceptual album is also really intriguing, covering the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, an important event in the history of England, and with a clear social predilection that is still relevant today, and more and more vocal within extreme metal. In that sense, I am totally for the turn Sacred Son have taken with their latest album. However, the band's material is still carrying the same problematic ends I have found in their previous works, and while having a handful of potent moments, it is in general a rather mediocre effort.

All tracks (apart from an one minute introduction) are long in duration and have multiple segments stapled together. There is a sense of flow which isn't perfect, but not completely out of balance either, as there are dots connecting the different parts together. Sacred Son's formula is easy to follow, and one can listen to it in the album's first two tracks, which are basically identical: middle paced build up moments, intense fast tempos with pale keyboards in the back, and back to slow or too slow sections that sometimes overstay their welcome.

For example, the ending of the self-titled track is clearly too long and without any kind of change, filling up a couple of extra minutes for no apparent reason. At the same time, the earlier, faster part is decent, and the same goes for "La Blakheth", which has a really dull introduction but a bit more intriguing guitar activity towards the middle (yet, something you have definitely heard before), before going back to slow-tempos of too many repetitions. The vocals are generally weak, and these two tracks specifically, have a kind of whispering / breathing into the microphone technique that I thought was horrible.

The Foul Deth of Engelond continues with an equally turbulent track that is unsure in itself what atmosphere to evoke (a general problem of the album, it's clear and without a substantial atmosphere at any point despite the attempts). By "Vengeance I & II", the album's last track, Sacred Son have completely given up, that track is basically nine minutes of waiting for a main part that never comes. Apart from the rhythmic introduction with male / female clean vocals, which makes you want to listen to late Wolves in the Throne Room or Wardruna, this track is by far the weakest here.

From the record, I enjoyed the more violent moments. However, they are scrambled together with a lot of slow-paced monotony, too many smaller elements that don't add up (piano, samples, unfortunately don't work) and a clear weakness of understanding of how to take a certain approach. The Foul Deth of Engelond remains as another boring Sacred Son album that I'm not going to listen to again, yet I was satisfied that I saw such a nice design and tracks with interesting lyrics for once. That they know well.

DAMAGE: 2.5/5 [Average]

Nechochwen - Kanawha Black (2022) Review

Nechochwen definitely take their time creating new material and their discography might be short but very efficient, as they have had a rather splendid series of full length albums since their debut, Algonkian Mythos in 2008, especially their latest work, 2015’s Heart of Akamon. I was also impressed by their side on the split with Panopticon in 2020, which made me re-run the band’s earlier records while waiting for their next chapter. Kanawha Black now arrives seven years after its predecessor, and not only doesn’t disappoint, but has some of the most well-worked Nechochwen have put together in the project’s lifetime.

Once started as a pure neofolk / acoustic band, such elements still resonate very strongly in Nechochwen’s music. The record has plenty of melodic, almost purely acoustic chunks with enjoyable clean vocals, which are sometimes used exclusively (for example, in “The Murky Deep” and “I Can Die But Once”) but also as parts of longer compositions. The production glorifies the band’s earthy sound and emphasizes the variety of melodies Nechochwen employ, in a record that is by no means down lifting but rather epic and of great conceptual concept. Apart from the slightly more surprising short piece “A Cure for the Winter Plagues”, which has the pattern and deep growls of a funeral doom metal track, most tempos in Kanawha Black are middle / fast paced and its flow is impeccable. 

When the tracks get more direct and closer to clear black metal, there is always a set of dominating, blistering guitars that completely lay on folk / atmospheric black directions, yet don’t imagine the use of extra instruments to achieve an atmosphere. Shrieked vocals are awesome and the song structures are especially appealing, as it is demonstrated in “Visions, Dreams and Signs” or the opening, self-titled. The last part of Kanawha Black features another set of two amazing pieces, “Generations of War” and “Across the Divide”, which include all the fine tools of the band’s arsenal combined together in a quite successful way. I would personally prefer more screaming than singing especially in the distorted guitar parts, yet that is only personal, it doesn't really take any merit from the final work away.

It has been proven before that Nechochwen a really powerful band and their newest work is surely compelling at all levels. Not the average folk black project, full of interesting ideas and intense compositions with great riffs and some soloing only when needed, and not as a means of making an impression of skill. Kanawha Black is, as their previous works, strongly connected to nature and would make great company for a short hike out in the woods. 

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Label: Bindrune Recordings

Country: Canada

Release date: May 13th, 2022

Website: Facebook

DAMAGE: 4/5 [Excellent]

E-L-R - Vexier (2022) Review

Band: E-L-R

Country: Switzerland

Album: Vexier

Label: Prophecy Productions

Website: Facebook

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The second full length by Swiss doom / psychedelic rock / blackgaze / atmospheric-post metal band E-L-R sees the light of day three years after their promising debut Mænad, and proves that it is sometimes rather senseless to force a genre label to something, after this description surpasses two words. It is still a case of an artist that has, to me, quite clear musical leanings, yet I can't stick just one genre tag on them, and I was reminded of this through their latest installment, a brand new full length named Vexier. 

E-L-R is a concoction of a few but assertive elements: powerful middle-paced post-metal riffing (similar to which, you have heard from the giants of the genre), a few slow ritualistic passages, even fewer intense, black metal-ish moments and dominant atmosphere in reverb. They sure take their time with Vexier, as tracks repeat and repeat themselves and you catch yourself nodding without realizing it. This is a double edged sword though: the music works perfectly almost as a secondary presence, but might lose a more impatient listener, who doesn't focus on anything else at the time of listening, along the way. At the same time, Vexier has the complete skillset to absolutely captivate and let everything drawn in to its world, once the conditions are right.

For me, the record has enough variety to stay interesting even when they're pushing the boundaries of repetitiveness at times. Consider how quickly rhythms change in "Three Winds", which dances between a black metal introduction, post-rock clean guitars and atmospheric doom metal with impressive vocals (a point that I will come back to later). At the same time, the droning, funereal tracks "Fleurs of Decay" and "Seeds", barely change tone throughout their duration, bringing in mind the compositional approach of Indian to me, even though the music is of course not the same. "Fleurs of Decay" is great, as is the massive closer piece "Forêt". Its introduction, as if taken from a Wolves in The Throne Room record, builds up for almost six minutes before unraveling long one note melodies and a melancholic ending which goes hand in hand with how Vexier opens during the first seconds of "Opiate the Sun".

That track is also very characteristic of what E-L-R are doing, and the horsepower and weight of these riffs, really make them worthy of the name. In its 12 minutes of length, "Opiate the Sun" is a delight to listen to, exactly because of how heavy the melodies are, the organic production and even more, the ethereal female vocals. By far my favorite aspect of Vexier, which hardly has any lyrics (thank you), is the usage of chanting distant female vocals as layers of specific parts of the compositions, instead of having a leading role, and it works marvelously. I felt the message of the band being successfully conveyed through the tracks, and all the little additions like rain or flowing water samples just put even more force for the ink on the stamp to stay. 

I am all up for the nature oriented adaptation of the band and agree with most of their choices, musical and aesthetical. E-L-R left a good mark with their debut but didn't hook me back then, I think with Vexier I am seriously revisiting the band will be paying more close attention to their creations. As a person who can be easily alienated by uninspired post-metal, I think E-L-R let their ideas grow and construct their own realm in this genre, as a multi-faceted band with more to give than what you would perceive with just one quick listen. And to think I almost missed this!

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Release date: March 11th, 2022

Tracklist:

1. Opiate the Sun

2. Three Winds

3. Seeds

4. Fleurs of Decay

5. Forêt

Listen:

Bandcamp | Spotify

Ifernach - The Green Enchanted Forest of the Druid Wizard (2020) Review

Genre: Black Metal

Location: Quebec, Canada

Release date: 20.06.2020

Label: Tour de Garde

Listen: Bandcamp

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I started listening to this project's works in the reverse order, as The Green Enchanted Forest of the Druid Wizard was the first release I got my hands on, and there have been several interesting mini-releases as well as three full length albums before since, since their inception in 2015. Ifernach belongs to the cast of black metal artists exploring native American folklore but not just out of interest, as they are usually closely related on the topic even outside the borders of music.

The first thing to quickly notice in the record is the impressive riff work. When it goes deep into melodic / harsher guitar parts, I would say that all the riffs are just wonderful, and all of them memorable. The Green Enchanted Forest... opens with an introduction that honestly reminds too much of Burzum's "Dunkelheit" days, but it's more of a homage than a rip-off, much like Watain's touch on Mayhem on the opening "Devil's Blood" of Casus Luciferi in 2003. Nevertheless, following with "The Passage of Dithreabhach", the most bombastic track of the record and in my opinion, its highlight, shows clearly Ifernach's skill to compose great black metal, combined with an interesting clean guitar part towards the end.

More ominous playing is found in "In the Hollow of the Togharmach " and "Teimn Laid II", making me think that Ifernach must be really into Norwegian black metal and more specifically, the aforementioned legends. There's traces of punk in these tracks too, and above all I really enjoyed the thick and dusty production the record has. With an album cover painted by Megan Walsh, the record conceptually clicks with all its different aspects apart from the music itself and definitely offers a journey worth taking.

On the other hand, I found the interludes of The Green Enchanted Forest... just too long. While still above average, "A Cursed Spear" feels unnecessarily long, and I had the same impression of "Teimn Laid I". Building on that, "Hidden Palaces Under the Green Hills" is a nice ritual / dark ambient track, and all of these grant the record with another, more meditative side, which helps with its originality and the story that is told here, but just didn't keep me personally attached in the end. However, as a whole, The Green Enchanted Forest... has some seriously powerful black metal in it, and that's not only what you will find here.

As a whole, Ifernach have achieved something special. The album is really interesting once it sets in, and you could find yourself returning to it more than you expect, with awesome guitar lines and a great and unique atmosphere. I enjoyed most of it, and I have been listening a lot on repeat since the time I found it (which was even later than when it was released), but its beauty was revealed to me after a few listens and not right away. It is also a project that deserves listening time for their EPs, demos, and especially split albums, but still i consider  The Green Enchanted Forest... as a fairly high point at their discography.

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Tracklist:

1. The Green Enchanted Forest of the Druid Wizard

2. The Passage of Dithreabhach

3. A Cursed Spear

4. In the Hollow of the Togharmach

5. Teinm Laida I

6. Teinm Laida II

7. A Winter Tree Clad in Black Frost

8. Hidden Palaces Under the Green Hills

Damage: 4/5 [Excellent]

Spectral Lore - Sentinel (2012) Review

Release date: 2012
Genre: Ambient Black Metal
Origin: Greece
Label: Stellar Auditorium Productions
Listen: Bandcamp

And here is where Spectral Lore followed through. As if Ayloss was fully aware of the weaknesses of his previous works, a five year window is taken to fully fix and re-engineer the band’s sound into a new form that exposed the music for what it can truly be: perplexing, potent black metal with interesting lyrics and more distinct, spacey ambient oriented synths. One can tell how much inspiration must have been employed for Sentinel, which at the time was completely discernible from Spectral Lore’s previous albums, yet more of what we know them to be about today. Similarities to Mare Cognitum start to arise at this time as well, let alone the collaborations that followed, in the music as well as the stellar cover art.

The first two songs are everything you need. Well, and the last one. As some have described it as the milder side of the album, “Atlus (A World Within a World” in its thirty minutes of length, has impressively deep layered synths, a truly monster space ambient track that defined the project at the time and still is well ingrained in its name. While the staggering riffs in “All Devouring Earth”, and especially “The Dejection of Arjuna”, are always at the spotlight of Sentinel, it’s not just that which has been perfected in the album. The touching compositions bloom as the well-thought and structured guitar lines unravel, demonstrating how unique Spectral Lore is. One can find hints of French black metal, US atmospheric black metal, even – and very very slightly – traditional greek melodies, beautiful soloing, fine keyboard work and the production that a record as Sentinel would deserve.

In its own world, the conceptual follower would only come nine years later with Ετερόφωτος, as Sentinel has a very interesting story to tell with its lyrics. Comfortably between intensity and ambiance, it has a lot of characteristic and memorable sequences where Spectral Lore properly channel inspiration into the creative process. It’s almost impossible not to be amazed with the blistering tempos and riffs of “The Coming of Age”, or the melodies of “My Ascension into the Celestial Spheres” and how it gives way to the great outro. Most of Spectral Lore’s audience was obtained through this release, and how the band would soon get into the collective of atmospheric, space-related black metal bands with a clean, melodic sound (Mare Cognitum, Midnight Odyssey etc…). 

“Quest for the Supramental” is the only track I can’t seem to enjoy that much from Sentinel. While it has a few interesting guitar lines, it feels like its pending for too long and never arrives to a conclusion, at least not in the bombastic manner that it happens in other tracks. I would really appreciate the guitar work here in a different kind of release but just for me, this song doesn’t click that much with the flow of the rest of the album. A small price to pay for so many other great moments, Spectral Lore’s discography from then on reached the ears of the mainstream metal scene, and well deserved.

I wrote a little piece for the band's next album, and their most popular, III, back when it was released. This leaves us a with a few split releases, some singles and of course the latest full length, to have an overview of Spectral Lore. When the time comes.

Tracklist:

1. All Devouring Earth

2. The Dejection of Arjuna

3. The Coming of Age

4. Quest for the Supramental

5. My Ascension into the Celestial Spheres

6. Atlus (A World Within a World)

Damage: 3.5/5 [Great]

Spectral Lore - II (2007) Review

Release date: 2007
Genre: Black Metal / Dark Ambient
Origin: Greece
Label: Self-released
Listen: Bandcamp

A couple of points right off the bat, is that both the original and reissue covers look more beautiful than their respective predecessors of Spectral Lore’s debut album, I. A year later, II came out and it introduced itself (at all times, intrinsically rather close to the previous work) with a ducky acoustic guitar introduction and then a humongous, 24 minute long piece “The Thorns That Guide My Warpath”. At a first rapid listen, I didn’t know what kind of noisy sounds were jamming in its beginning aggressive part, which then turned out to be the drums, and that says a lot about the production of II, a record that sees Spectral Lore significantly putting their stuff together compared to the debut, yet aches from its burying sound. A lot of little gems to discover exist around in II, from emotional clean guitar melodies to more spacey ambient (a foreseeing of the chaos), but above all, more concentrated and adequate black metal.

There’s numerous intriguing lines in that first track alone, which could go for a separate little review on its own as it has the length of an average EP today, and even more than that. Vivid and playful acoustic in between more attacking grimness for the first nine minutes, post / atmospheric black metal drenched in soft pads for a while before the distortion returns, where Ayloss goes towards more epic guitar patterns of Spectral Lore’s own melodic repertoire. Harsh and serene intersect and swap with beautiful choreography, which makes this a piece that fully demonstrates Spectral Lore’s hunger for fully musical compositions with much more complexity and payload than the average metal track. Again, a proper production could do this much more justice than what it actually got, but by now the star had already started taking form and shining. A pattern starts to emerge: heavy melodies, taped with rich dark / space ambiance. Repetitive lines that go almost towards depressive black metal. Keyboard parts that a new listener would label today as “dungeon synth” inspired.

That’s what I am thinking while listening to “Towards the Great Crossroad”, “Recoiling Beneath the Waves” and “To Wither in Silence and Dismay”. Ayloss throws all his arrows at once with these pieces, in an album that sounds more confident and ambitious than its older sibling, but out of the same elements. Spectral Lore were never a typical black metal band, and II contains many more different branches than its raw sound suggests. There is less noise experimentation in II, and more layering, clearer ambient, clear even from the dreamy outro “Where Nature Won’t Ever Yield to Man”. The shortest track “Leaving the Stars Behind”, only three minutes long, could very easily be absorbed in a longer composition as part of it, but probably it has a separate meaning. The production baffles me the more I listen to it though, as guitars / guitar-like sounds, and different instruments, sound different at different points in the album, or at different volumes. 

Honestly, II is also another record I don’t go back to easily. It still seemed to me that with its abundance of ideas, it is not as concise as the circumstances demand, and the wall of sound is just another barrier. Nevertheless, noticeable steps forward were taken in just one year, the album – apart from my personal liking – has a bunch of neat moments for you to enjoy, if you like Spectral Lore and not under the umbrella of their later clearer sound. For me, from Sentinel and on is where the real magic happens, and where new levels are unlocked and achieved dominantly from Ayloss. Before 2012, what’s left for me is the history and its turns to acknowledge.

Tracklist:

1. Introitus 

2. The Thorns That Guide My Warpath

3. Towards the Great Crossroad 

4. Leaving the Stars Far Behind 

5. The Drone's Journey, Recoiling Beneath the Waves

6. Through an Infinite Dreamscape

7. To Wither in Silence and Dismay

8. Where Nature Will Not Ever Yield to Man

Damage: 3/5 [Good]

Spectral Lore - I (2006) Review

 Release date: 2006
Genre: Black Metal / Dark Ambient
Origin: Greece
Label: Saturnine Society (MC)
Listen: Bandcamp

Spectral Lore’s debut full length is very much not like material that followed later, and as this act has made itself famous with its massive and unique black metal sound today, back in 2006 things had not settled in terms of music or direction. I, was originally released in cassette, going along with poor production and primitive sound which, while already showing its compositional adventurous character, did not step that far away from the norm. Ayloss used hefty amounts of dark ambient, which also experimented more than just creating endless dusty pads, for example in the tracks “The Drowning” and “The Descent”. Unconventional noise-like compositions were also practiced not only in the introductory piece “Layers of Conception” (what a way to open an album”, but also in “Sigma Receptor”, having a sound equal to all the as-noisy-as-possible raw black metal bands of the underground today.

Unfortunately, the tracks in I are simply underwhelming in terms of ideas. While Spectral Lore presents lengthy tunes, for which it would later become famous, they are the weakest in this album, as it can be heard from the relatively boring guitar parts and transitions of the 13 minute long “Echoes of a Long Dead and Forgotten Place”. A lot of different ideas come into the game, indicating a clearly restless composer (no need to praise Ayloss even more), but the pieces have not be placed smoothly together in this puzzle. I feels more about him playing around until things click, and things clicked a bit later in Spectral Lore’s discography. The outro “Exodus” sounds completely out of place compared to the rest of the record, and “The Cleansing Rain/Morningrise in the Eternal Fields” overuses its natural samples, before an average middle to end part. Sounds come and go too quickly and nothing remains.

As a band that has achieved stellar levels of greatness since then, Spectral Lore’s early material are definitely worth a listen and should be part of the fans’ collections. This debut however comes off quite disoriented, with a noisy sound that is not helpful and very sparse good moments, if any. I appreciate the creativity that underwent this release, yet at this stage it wasn’t fruitful. I have returned several times to I, but the album has never managed to keep my attention except for only a handful of moments where it’s just interesting to hear the noise. Other than that, some more attention was brought to the record when it was re-released in 2015 on vinyl, with a beautiful cover art (the one shown above).

Tracklist:

1. Layers of Conception
2. The Drowning
3. Echoes of a Long Dead and Forgotten Place
4. The Descent
5. Sigma Receptor
6. The Cleansing Rain / Morningrise in the Eternal Fields
7. Exodus

Damage: 2/5 [Below Average]

Runespell - Verses in Regicide (2021) Review

Release date: September 10th, 2021
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Origin: Australia
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Listen: Bandcamp

On an already great trajectory, with three well-catered records before this, Runespell established themselves rather quickly in 2017 with their debut Unhallowed Blood Oath and just kept on going on the same pace. Having followed this project from the beginning, I found myself always enjoying their material, which was sometimes unfortunately buried under needlessly unclear production that didn't always serve the songs. One of the reasons I still go back to some of their older works is because the credibility of the music and the epic / atmospheric proportions it's able to reach.

Thankfully, this miscue was completely overcome with the new album Verses in Regicide, which seems to have taken its sound outcome rather seriously. It is finally possible to experience Runespell at its full magnitude, with an adequate production of clear enough instruments, space and a tremendous atmosphere that's offering higher levels of admiration that can be met by just a few black metal bands, who practice this kind of epicness in their music. Wondrous melodies are a pivotal part of Verses in Regicide, from melancholic to heavier and faster parts, behind echoing deep vocals and section changes in the tracks that are absolutely wonderful, as Runespell often take just the right amount of time to build the following lines in these compositions. The record also stands out textually and aesthetically, as one would expect judging from the quality found in track titles / artworks of their previous offerings.

A big leap forward has been achieved, which streams through the record's production but also from the songs themselves. Runespell don't stray from the path they have set, they just excel on it with every new release and Verses in Regicide is no different. It's a record that starts with a blast, the brilliant "Structures of Collapse", and is packed with memorable, emotional and powerful moments of epic proportions. I recognized several influences from the Greek black metal scene and especially the modern works of Macabre Omen, as common lines can be drawn between Verses in Regicide and the absolute masterpiece that is Gods of War, At War. The listeners aware of this release should already clear out their schedule and give this record its time, because at various moments of listening to it I was almost equally overwhelmed and satisfied.

There's two instrumental pieces in the record, "Into Dust" and the outro "Windswept Burial", and you should not skip them. The majestic sound is emphasized even more through the chords of the acoustic guitars and they work perfectly as the bridges between the rest of the album. Tracks "Vengeance Reign" and "Realm of Fire" feature top-notch and unique atmospheric black metal, with the latter including the few moments that Runespell increase the groove and the aggression. The longest track in Verses in Regicide, "Tides of Slidhr", clocks up to nine minutes, combines middle paced tempos with marvelous riffs and at times faster guitar lines just to demonstrate how naturally this flow is achieved from the band. It definitely grows more the more you listen to it.

Verses in Regicide could prove to be one of my favorite releases of the year and it comes from a band that had discreetly shown what it can do, but only now unleashes its full power. More attention on Runespell and this album will give it the justice it deserves, as a well-worked, well-thought and complete release that it is. With an improved sound and potent tracks, all that's needed for a monumental black metal creation is here and it's only waiting for the scene to discover it. I'm really glad I followed this band from the beginning just a few years ago and noticed this evolution first hand.

Track listing:

1. Structures of Collapse

2. Vengeance Reign

3. Realm of Fire

4. Into Dust

5. Tides of Slidhr 

6. Shadow's Dominion 

7. Windswept Burial

Damage: 4/5 [Excellent]