Lamp of Murmuur - Saturnian Bloodstorm (2023) Review

Among the numerous underground, noisy raw black metal projects that make appearances and disappearances in the scene the last few years, one of the most talked about ones has definitely been Lamp of Murmuur. After a series of demos and a split with Revenant Marquis, this band captivated the audience with its grandiose debut Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism in 2020, a record that found its way even to more mainstream lists and ears despite its harsh nature. Undoubtedly, there was massive inspiration and merit in that release, which did not evaporate at the follow-up album Submission and Slavery in 2021, establishing the Lamp of Murmuur name for good as a newcomer to look out for in black metal. 

Up to now, everything has been bleached in black and white representation, which brought the first wave of shock in the form of the well-designed, colourful cover art of the new record Saturnian Bloodstorm (which is, as the title, actually delightful). I had been in waiting for the time Lamp of Murmuur will actually step outside of its shadow and aim bigger, this attempt coming now with this polished work that wants to take them closer to the spotlight. 

While I am all for band ambition, the discography on their shoulders is already quite heavy and for what it is, Saturnian Bloodstorm is surprisingly uninteresting and stale. It is clear that the band makes almost tribute albums to their music role models (Submission and Slavery was a love letter to Sisters of Mercy) and now this record looks Immortal straight in the eye. Taking a production even cleaner than At the Heart of Winter, a worrying chunk of this album feels and sounds like Immortal, their landmark guitar sound and riff structure. The guitar lines are too close to that (reeking examples in “Hymns of Death, Rays of Might”, “Seal of the Dominator” and “In Communion with the Wintermoon”, as in, wintermoon…) but the record lacks the energy, the pathos and the vitality of the previous Lamp of Murmuur works. 

It almost doesn’t feel like them, and what was unique and exciting to listen to before from this band, has now completely disappeared, them having turned into a Scandinavian norsecore clone with slim to none of their own identity. Saturnian Bloodstorm is fun to listen to, it is clean enough to not be annoying and has a couple of catchy moments. But this statement by itself, is a huge disappointment when talking about Lamp of Murmuur.

Out on March 26th, 2023 | Argento Records

DAMAGE: 2.5/5 [Average]

Mork - Dypet (2023) Review

Two years ago, it was with Katedralen that I got a bit more convinced that Mork can actually meet its reputation. It has been a band with professionalism that shines through the building, all the right imagery properly placed almost like cancelling the genre’s original spontaneity, which is the reason for their success but also the source of my slight hesitation especially with a set of moderate releases between 2013 and 2019. However, Katedralen’s gripping material indicated that the band looked slightly further than just being another Norwegian black metal band and explored, in their way, fresh directions. 

While this should not mislead the reader that Mork actually experiments towards something completely new, yet they have started to incorporate small sounds, little elements as well as a more personal compositional structure for that record, as well as the newest work Dypet. It is by no means the fiercest or coldest black metal album out of their territories, instead it mostly employs expressive, poignant melodies, it takes its time by setting basic layers and building upon them with beautiful guitar riffs, bass lines and distinctive shrieked vocals. 

The artwork, as the music, is still colourless, but Mork have grown to be a rather easy to listen black metal band. The tracks in Dypet are fairly accessible but at the same time not boring, and with such a smoothened production, this record can stand as an example of what black metal is, in a discussion with an audience that is not actually seasoned in the genre, and an entry level release before diving into bands of a more violent nature. 

Highlights include the moving riffs of “Bortgang”, the accompanying clean vocals in “Svik” and “Hoye Murer” that features Hjelvik of Kvelertak. Exquisite details form the introductions of “Forfort av kulden” and the closing track “Tillbake til opprinelsen”, but Mork are smart enough to use just a few seconds for them before going on.  Their heavier side can be found in the more ominous piece “Avskum” but that’s about it, I would generally like the band to have an overall more assertive presence with Dypet, as all instruments feel like holding back a bit, especially the drumming. Nevertheless, it is clear that it is what Mork intended and they have several assets to show that make the record worth listening to and owning, especially looking at this cover.

Out on March 24th, 2023 | Peaceville Records

DAMAGE: 3.5/5 [Great]

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]

Downfall of Gaia - Silhouettes of Disgust (2023) Review

I remember my surprise when this band signed up with Metal Blade Records right after their debut album Epos in 2010. They have polished and restructured their sound and performance since then, having had a relatively successful journey with a series of solid records of what can be discerned as a quite modern approach to underground metal. Fusing crust, post-metal and sludge, along with an attenuated conception of what black metal might be in this day and age, Downfall of Gaia’s latest work Silhouettes of Disgust is anxious and affecting, of assorted taste, with its merits but also its weaknesses.

The tracks of the album are well-worked and diverse enough, moving from heavy fast paced parts (which are executed wonderfully), clean guitar sections, female clean vocal narrations as well as the characteristic main shrieked screams of the band, tempo changes and and an overall charged atmosphere that manages not to diffuse away as things progress. The band gets its hands dirty in various moments, like in “Final Vows” or “The Whir of Flies”, both highlights of the record. D-beat playing arrises in several parts of Silhouettes of Disgust, in more impassioned than harsh guitar lines that show how Downfall of Gaia expresses neocrust, especially obvious in the last two pieces “Unredeemable” and “Optograms of Disgust”. 

Opening with a hefty, sizeable tune like “Existence of Awe”, the stage is set properly for the record. On the downside, it seems like after 10 years of activity and 5 albums since their debut, the music of Downfall of Gaia grows to be a little bit predictable even if it combines several elements, and it is not monotonous. The production has given a fairly loud sound to the snare drums as well, which might reach and annoy the ears of the more demanding audio listeners. 

During the middle-paced, stripped down interjection parts of the album, when the band slows down and builds up the next heated section with simple guitar riffs, it may feel like an almost filler moment for some, even though the overall flow of the record is there. Lastly, Silhouettes of Disgust is in a general manner, not as sharp as their last album Ethic of Radical Finitude, which already felt like a record they had written before. The band, while still sounding relevant, would make good use of a stream of new inspiration for future releases if they want to avoid stalling.

Out on March 17th, 2023 | Metal Blade Records

DAMAGE: 3/5 [Good]

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]