Gam - Alt Hans Væsen (2023) Review

 

Black metal from Denmark.

 

Album out in 2023 through Den Ottende Kunst.

 

From the Rites of Pestilence Y.T. channel:

Gam's fiery debut full-length, arriving oen year after their first demo, "Hvisken fra Skyggernes Vrå".

Despite the greatness of their demo, "Alt Hans Væsen" is truly a triumph and step up from their previous work, indeed and "escalation on all fronts", this album takes on the old school approach of their previous record, reminiscing to me with bands like Helwetti or early DsO, but adds more elements and is definitely heightened by songwriting prowess.

A tremendous hymn of pagan fury and proudful heritage, Gam honors their ancestry through a no-fringes delivery of pure old school BM sound, definitely with some of the more Punk-ish, galloping elements of their compatriots in Skinliv and the Korpsand circle however. The Black Metal majesty is only interrupted by beautiful Folk passages, but indeed its musicianship is uncanny on all fronts, with the guitarwork remaining ever engaging and powerful, the drums having an absolutely barbaric but spot-on performance, and the vocals especially delivering with full fury on moments of unabashed assault, as well as might and epicness in moments grandeur.

Definitely one of the best old school Black Metal records to come out this year, which should not come as a surprise, having been released on tape through the excellent Den Ottende Kunst.

The A.C. report:

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Music: 3.5
Production: 3
Vocals: 3.5
Text: 3
Cover art: 3.5
Originality: 3.5
Instrumentation: 3.5
Atmosphere: 3.5
Flow & cohesion: 3
Impact: 3
Replayability: 3.5
Innovation: 3

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Overall: 3.3 out of 5 [Good / Great]

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]

Hyperdontia - Deranged (EP, 2023) Review

For some bands, it is the case that you’re simply happy they’re around. Such is the situation with Danish / Turkish death metal powerhouse Hyperdontia, who have been consistently offering gruesome, top-notch material for the last five years and the debut Nexus of Teeth in 2018. Their second work Hideous Entity from 2021 was an evenly pleasing jewel of the genre, and finally there’s some more material with the new EP, titled Deranged. 

Four tracks and a little bit more than 20 minutes of music (apart from being the ideal duration for this physical format) can go a long way when they’re so well executed as Hyperdontia keep on grinding on the formulas they excel at. This mini-album is like a protein boosted power bar, it contains all the best qualities of death metal at the ideal dose and purest form, just enough to cleanse the thirst for the listener and smash the surroundings. 

Guitars hammer down colossal riffs and furious solos constantly, the tempos change as often as needed, bass lines are perfectly audible and the vocals are impressive, constituting to a fantastic EP release by Hyperdontia, who is a death metal tour de force currently. Deranged strongly reminds of 90’s classic US death metal and gives out some Deicide hints sometimes, it is void of filler moments and simply doesn’t slow down, except for the more middle-paced introduction of the last track “Degradations of the Flesh”.

“Nauseting Hallucinations” and “Deluded” are both flawless bangers and the band gets more adventurous with soloing in “Gagging in Convulsion” through different tempos, as Deranged has excellent song structure across all compositions. The EP is also highly repeatable and the excitement doesn’t wear out after a few listens, working wonderfully for Hyperdontia as a truly remarkable mini-release for the year. More amazing material added to an already amazing back catalogue.

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DAMAGE: 4/5 [Excellent]

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Release date: 15 Mar 2023

Release label: Dark Descent Records / Me Saco un Ojo Records

Website: Facebook

Listen: Bandcamp