It came as a bit of a surprise to find out that Romania’s pagan black metal band Negură Bunget (translating to dark, misty forest), would release a new album. The group, widely known to fans of pagan black metal through their highly praised record Om (2006), split up after the unexpected death of co-founder Negru […]
review
Thyrfing – Vanagandr
One of the most prominent bands in viking metal and most unique bands in the Swedish extreme metal scene has left us waiting for eight years before releasing Vanagandr. More than 20 years after their initial successes Thyrfing is back with a new album, which a lot of folk/viking metal fans have been waiting for.
Fluisteraars – Gegrepen door de Geest der Zielsontluiking
‘Gegrepen door de Geest der Zielsontluiking’ is not the album you would expect after ‘Bloem’, but certainly one you would expect from Fluisteraars.
Night Crowned – Hädanfärd
With ‘Hädanfärd’, Night Crowned have delivered another strong album on which they’ve found the perfect blend between melody, aggression, technical prowess and with a nod to the Scandinavian metal heritage.
Dödsrit – Mortail Coil
Originally starting out as a one man band, Dödsrit released its self titled debut in 2017, and only a short while after, Spirit Crusher in 2018. Multi instrumentalist Christoffer Öster was thereafter joined by three musicians from the Netherlands to transform Dödsrit into the band it is now in 2021. ‘Mortal Coil’ is the band’s […]
Enslaved – Utgard
Having long forsaken the path of raw black metal, it has almost turned into a sport to see what the Norwegian extreme progessive metal act Enslaved conjure up whenever they announce a new album. The Norwegians are some of the few that have both managed to maintain (a bit of) and musically evolve from their […]
Forgotten Tomb – Nihilistic Estrangement
Italy’s blackened sludge / doom band Forgotten Tomb are about to release their tenth full-length Nihilistic Estrangement via Agonia Records.
Ritual Dictates – Given To Despair Review
‘Given to Despair’ by Ritual Dictates is a strong debut that combines genres that seemingly do not fit well together in a very skillful manner, resulting in some of the best songs I’ve heard in a while.
Ihsahn – Telemark
Ihsahn‘s solo work has always had a divisive character to me. The roots in extreme metal, the progressive and complex music, combined with the influences and a brass ensemble, leaves me somewhere between being intruiged (‘Lend Me The Eyes Of Millennia‘) and not getting through the material. That said, there is no doubt that this […]
Necronautical – Apotheosis
It’s been nearly 10 years since an album of a (extreme / black) symphonic metal band has stuck with yours truly as much as Necronautical recently (Carach Angren’s ‘Death Came Through A Phantom Ship’ probably being the last). Not that there haven’t been decent releases in the genre. On the contrary: the above mentioned, Septicflesh […]