Kvaen - The Formless Fires

 

I had slept on this band. I saw Kvaen live last year and the performance blew me away, as I was not aware of the significantly above average musicianship and ideas contained in their previous record The Great Below. I got even more into them with their debut The Funeral Pyre, and became a fan basically right after that live show. 

 

Top-notch guitar lines, amazing solos and blasting melodic black metal patterns right out of Sweden's heart, The Formless Fires points fingers at legends like Necrophobic, Naglfar and Dark Funeral, but it has its own sound at the same time. I clearly prefer the fast paced moments of the album compared to the slower ones, but it's all in all very decent. 

 

The guitar work is once again a highlight for them, and it's a must for the fans. Hopefully the addition to a much bigger label like Metal Blade will give Kvaen the exposure they deserve. This album doesn't hold back at all.

Listen to  

The Formless Fires

Botanist - Paleobotany

 Avantgarde Black Metal / Experimental, United States

Spring 2024, Prophecy Productions

 

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On their twelfth full-length "Paleobotany", BOTANIST take us back more than 70 million years to a time when dinosaurs ruled the planet and early forests began to turn to coal. Before the age of giants ended in flames with the apocalyptic impact of the Chicxulub asteroid, many plants also grew much larger than their descendants that we know today. "Paleobotany" comes with all the trademark characteristics that set BOTANIST apart from all other metal acts on this planet. Lyrically, the band from San Francisco, CA revolves around species of plants – in a clean break from the usual genre stereotypes like Satan, dragons, and booze. 

 

Their music clearly has its foundation anchored in 'metal', but instead of 6-string guitars the Americans use 110-string hammered dulcimers. To the confused horror of traditionalists, BOTANIST fit these percussion-stringed folk instruments with magnetic pickups and distort them through various perverse means that range from amplifiers via analogue tape to digital manipulation. The resulting sound is as unique as spectacular. BOTANIST's continuing sonic evolution began at an audible Nordic black metal shaped point of entry. The band soon developed a more open, avant-garde style, leading towards a growing complexity. 

 

On "Paleobotany", the Californians have shed some of the more convoluted progressive elements in favour of more song-oriented arrangements that are still rich in details and surprises, which is enhanced through the album being mixed by renowned Swedish producer Fredrik Nordström (DIMMU BORGIR, OPETH, AT THE GATES) at Studio Fredman. BOTANIST are a unique band. "Paleobotany" expands their dark green sonic range of an avant-garde metal sound into a more accessible and dynamic sonic experience. When quadruped giants walked the earth, plants were already there and they will still be here when mankind has gone back to stardust. BOTANIST win their musical future by travelling millions of years into the past with "Paleobotany"!

Lidérc - Prof​á​n Myst​é​rium

Black Metal, Hungary

Spring 2024, Sun & Moon Records

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Lidérc was formed in 2020 in Veszprém, Hungary by old friends and musicians from bands like Niedergang, Infectus and Lepra. After a successful 2-song promo, the first full-length album of the band is finally ready to unleash. The album consists 6 songs of maniac medieval decadence with poetic Hungarian lyrics and detailed traditional hand drawn layout.

The name Lidérc is coming from the local folklore, where it appears as a malevolent house spirit, and a shapeshifting supernatural power. The music and the lyrics are evoking a rustic medieval-infused world of deranged alchemists, superstitious masses and rural witchcraft practitioners, with a vicious, grotesque and twisted sonic atmosphere. The themes of Lidérc are fast-paced, aggressive and sometimes uplifting, but they also emanate a strong melancholic decadence, which culminates in the symbolist-inspired lyrics as well.

The title of the album ‘Profán Mystérium’ refers to a mystery play, and the tracks can be perceived as stations on the path of damnation, the story of a glorious downfall revolving around the lyrical speaker. It can also be viewed as a kind of profane carnival, in which the participants symbolically destroy the existing moral structures by creating institutionalized confusion and chaos, turning the world upside down, spitting in its face and sell their souls to the Devil.

 

Martikor - Acedia

 

"Acedia" builds upon Martikor’s blend of atmospheric sludge, post-metal, black metal, and experimental textures. Conceptually, it delves into the intricate process of mourning, exploring both the anticipation and reflection associated with grief. Each track is aiming to confront and navigate the shadowy corners of the psyche, and the dark nature of the music serves as a reflection of the transformative power inherent in the exploration of complex human emotions.

Sun of Nothing - Maze

Ο όρος "Λαβύρινθος" χρησιμοποιείται πολλές φορές για να δηλώσει ένα οικοδόμημα με πολύπλοκους διαδρόμους που καθιστούν δύσκολη ή αδύνατη την έξοδο από αυτό, καθώς και κάθε παρόμοια διάταξη δρόμων ή στοών.

1. Liars in Wait

2. After the Fall
3. Ghost
4. Voidhanger
5. Buried Endeavors