Failure Ritual "Secret Hoard"; "Total Weakness"; "Ineptitude".

If you're an avid follower of my blog, you'll probably remember when I posted about Failure Ritual back in 2012. Well, he's back. And it seems he has been busy, I mean... very busy, since he delivers not one, nor two but... three new whole releases, three! And what can you expect? More of that impenetrable noisy, entrancing blackened doom? Blackened drone? It's hard to classify Failure Ritual's sound. Whatever that may be, it just grabs you and sucks you down to the bottomless pits of Hell. Check it out.

 Failure Ritual

Monocube "Blue Dusk/Red Dawn"

Most of you know that I'm all about the atmosphere in music and the one that music can also create by taking us to the most surreal and dreamy landscapes within our mind and in our subconscious. This next release that I'm about to talk about is the perfect vehicle to transport me into another dimension, another world. Monocube "Blue Dusk/Red Dawn" does that perfectly. 

The title immediately suggests that the perfect time of the day for you to experience this is at dusk or dawn, although to me, the perfect scenario sets at night. I find myself working in front of my screen with just a dim light on and this album echoing on my headphones. The first track "Blue Dusk" gently invades my ears with these ethereal, hauntingly waves of sound that takes me into such scenarios as the deepest woods, filled with thick fog where thin ray lights pierce like swords throughout the mist. A fantastic and mysterious haze lies within "The Sun That Never Was" which follows the same path left by its predecessor. Ghostly notes wave around us in fragile layers of sound, that seem to circle between themselves and all around us. Soundwise speaking, there's no major evolution, just an eerie, calm and ethereal atmosphere that numbs our senses. 

We reach the other half of the record with "Red Dawn" that introduces another vibrant energy, more instruments are thrown into the mix, more layers of noise and samples as some what it seems guitar notes, tingling from very far. In the midst of it, suddenly it evolves to some kind of martial rhythm until before falling back into the same lingering and sinister atmosphere, very much à la Raison d'Étre kind of record. The album closes with "Sea Salt", the dark ambient takes over again wrapping us with its repetitive rhytms and carries us along its twelve minutes of length throughout layers of sound as if each note has a light, a glow of it's own. And i think this is the best way to describe Monocube's music. 

Imagine it as if every sound is a ghostly entity, that glows in a very dim light in the Dark. This is just the perfect soundtrack for those who seek a piece of solitude into their lives. Listen to this, you won't regret. There's a lot of drone, dark ambient acts out there, but one thing I can guarantee you: very few are as memorable as Monocube, the prodigal child of Andrzej Gladuszewski. "Blue Dusk/Red Dawn" comes in a very amazing special edition with some remarkable photos, that you can preview on the links below.

Buy it here. And follow the artist here.

Blue Dusk/Red Dawn

Sareth Den " Arcadian Wanderer Demo"

Sareth Den is a enigmatic act from Dahlonega, Georgia whose sound can be described as dark ambient drone as we can hear in the opening track "Wanderer Through Static Fields", an obscure track that leads us into the most abstract and hazy corners of our mind. But he doesn't simply closes its circle there and also branches to some black metal like in "Sunlight Burns My Eyes", where we are feasted with this thick harsh wall of black metal noise sound until we are thrown back to another complete different record in "Riverside Evening Suite", a more dreamy and atmospheric fifteen minute track that lifts up our soul by letting some rays of light into this dark colored pallet. One of the members plays in the ambient/drone band Outer Gods, whom I've talked about too here on Forever Cursed. Please check both bands out.

Sareth Den

Sonance "BLACKFLOWER"

If with their debut album these blokes from Bristol totally blew my mind, now with their new album "BLACKFLOWER", Sonance have totally devastated me, inside and out. Saying that this album is "Wooa... Fucking Beautiful!!" doesn't make it justice... "BLACKFLOWER" It's pure fucking amazing. Sonance have raised their bar and released, all by themselves, a fantastic album.

More words about this fantastic new album coming soon here on Forever Cursed.

Until then, do yourselves a huge favor and listen to this album immediately. Spread it out. Now!

BLACKFLOWER

Bands You Should Be Hearing Pt.I

I've realized that my inbox is flooded at this point with requests, and as much as I would like to, it's hard to filter most of the stuff there. I really would love to take some decent time to listen to all of the music people kindly send me, but I find that to be a very, almost, impossible task to do it in the very little spare time that I have. I know you guys would love a deep and full review of all your releases... but in the end it all comes down to use Forever Cursed as the messenger, the vehicle to your message out there, I just light the way and people will do the rest. So, without further bullshit, excuses, bla-bla-bla, here are some of releases/bands that caught my attention in the past few months.

I became aware of the Pennsylvania duo Capa since the "Shallow Towers"release, at this point many of you probably know them too. The band plays a more contemporary, avant-garde and technical style of black metal. I look at Capa's sound and I interpret it as "progressive metal with black metal influences" and not as simply "black metal" because it's not. Although I'm not the most avid fan of this style of over polished kind of production, "The Droves" turned out a very interesting listen and it's one of those releases that you will put on repeat for the next couple of hours or even days. The whole production behind it is very keen and the songs are pretty solid. Like I said, the percentage of black metal influence is strong on this one, although after lifting up Capa's cloak (Fact: "Capa" in portuguese means "cloak") and after dissecting their sound, it I also found some "djenty" and post-metal riffs that are thrown in the middle of the tracks. In the end the result is this very tragic, almost theatrical, if you look at it through this point of view, style of metal. What a nice surprise. Check them out below.

The Droves | Alternative DL Link

This next band crashed in a very mysterious and simple email with the just the Bandcamp link in it. The band is Home Is Gone (No, it's not a His Hero Is Gone covers band) from New York and they introduce us to "Triptych", that's right: a three song release that consist of this blasting, furious, industrial sounding black metal sound. Almost as a bastard child between Genghis Tron and Liturgy (wait..) and the result is, at least, interesting. Check them out below.

Home Is Gone

From Finland, Maze of Roots, a doom duo releasing their fifth Demo, well they've released two Demos last month, simply called "Chapter One" (or was it supposed to be Three?) and "Chapter Two", two chapters of what it seems a trilogy. Maze of Roots plays a very bleak, depressing, anguished and traditional style of doom metal, following the Finnish heritage of doom bands like Umbra Nihil and Majesty for example. I must confess I wasn't very impressed with their first Demos, I really didn't like the vocals at all but maybe it was just me back then. Here, Maze of Roots, successfully created some very nice tracks filled with a very gloomy and melancholic atmosphere. (Sorry I took so long Joel)

Chapter I | Chapter II

Next is Cepheide, a brand new band, formed this year, coming from France. The band describes their sound as raw cascadian black metal in the vein of bands like Ash Borer or Fell Voices. Indeed Cepheide's style of black metal drinks up in a insatiable way, the influence of the Cascadia style of bands. It's good to see bands like this coming out of Europe, the truth is that there aren't many bands playing this style here. So it's always good to witness the rise of bands Cepheide. In "De Silence et de Suie" (that was created under a very DIY spirit by the band itself) expect four great tracks of passionate, uncompromised, energetic and raw black metal. A great release by Cepheide. Bravo!

Cepheide

Idre, a trio from Oklahoma who quote names like Neurosis, Ennio Morricone, Swans, OM, and Khanate when describing their music. Interesting, no? It immediately makes me just go out and press "Play" as I forget what I was doing. This self titled album consists of 2 songs spanning over 40 minutes. The first track "Factorie" last almost half-hour and its melancholic tone reminds me a lot of the style of Across Tundras. The more we dig in, the more weird it gets, as more entangled we get in those slow and atmospheric layers. In the second track "Witch Trial" I really get the OM influence. The sound is Ok, I get their thing here but I'm not a big fan of the vocals. These guys are trying to do something different here but I believe that they still didn't reached it.. yet. I wasn't too excited with this released. Please Idre, prove me I was so wrong in a very near future. Take your own conclusions below. A CD and LP versions will be available later this summer.

Idre

Oh yes! Filthy, nasty, sickening sludge doom from Keeper. From what I've seen so far, these guys are escalating quickly with their "MMXIV" Demo. Formed by ex-Tiger Lily (whom I've talked about here on the blog some time ago) member, Keeper is the answer to every sludge/doom aficionado. You dig Thou? You dig Hell? You dig The Abominable Iron Sloth? You dig Old Witch? Then this band is for you. Just one word to describe this release: Crushing! Support these dudes. Tape out now on Grimoire Cassette Cvlture.

Keeper

The Last Three Winters "Dyatlov Pass Incident"

The Last Three Winters, are an unknown band coming from Russia and at this point, I'm not even sure if they're still active. Now, I've stumbled across this band and this specific EP some time ago, and still once in a while I once again stumble on them and it's almost impossible to press "Stop" as I revisit "Dyatlov Pass Incident". This EP, judging by the title and cover of it, inspired by the Dyatlov Pass Incident, a gruesome episode that took place in the Ural mountains back in 1959, until today it remains a mystery. You can google about it and you will find a lot of information about this, I strongly recommend you doing a little research, a little bit of knowledge won't do you any harm...

Now, speaking of The Last Three Winters, this band plays a fusion of black metal, ambient, I don't know exactly how can I describe it. This EP features only two tracks simply called "Dyatlov Pass Incident I" and "Dyatlov Pass Incident II". The first one is a more caustic, ravenous black metal track that, sound-wise, I find it to be very similar to the last Leucosis album. Basically it consists of repetitive riffs and shrieking, inhuman howling screams that leads us immediately to the place where all those gruesome murders happened. The second track consists of a very calm and strange instrumental track where the guitar notes soon give way to some kind of a Buddhist chants that on its hand, give way to an eerie and haunting chant that closes the track.

Was the Dyatlov Pass Incident real? Was it a hoax to cover up something that went wrong? I'll let you take your own conclusions.

As a bonus, I have also included the self titled EP (released back in 2012) that pulls off some more post-metal/atmospheric/post-rock landscapes, if you wish to hear more about this band. Really worth a listen.

Dyatlov Pass Incident I Last Three Winters EP

Prison of Mirrors "Until We Find The Hive"

Prison of Mirrors, a U.S one man black metal project by Nick Brandt, left some good impressions with the release of his self titled album back in 2011. This year he's back with "Until We Find The Hive", a remarkable work that reflects a huge evolution from what we've heard before in Prison of Mirrors. This new album shows us a more intense and consistent sound that we can hear on tracks like "Staring Into The Middle Distance" and "To Keep Away The Vultures" that have that black metal ferocity of bands like Ash Borer, while tracks like "Until We Find The Hive" and "Spilled By Savages" are way more atmospheric and seem to fit into a style pretty much à la Wolves in The Throne Room. A very cohesive, and at the same time, eclectic album that will definitely surprise the most skeptical of black metal aficionados. An album not to be missed by fans of the genre.

Until We Find The Hive

Woman Is The Earth "Depths"

In this year so far, we have been gifted with a great amount of awesome releases. Within the black metal spectrum, we were gifted with great offerings from bands like Woods Of Desolation, Thantifaxath, The Great Old Ones and Sun Worship, just to name a few of my favorites so far.

However, among this hall of releases coming from widely known bands, there's always room for one more gem coming from the underground to shine. And that gem is precisely the band that I'll talk about next: Woman Is The Earth. Presenting us, this year with their second full-length entitled "Depths".

Woman Is The Earth is a black metal band formed by brothers Jon (drums), Andy (vocals, guitar,bass ) and Jarrod (guitar). This project, based out of the Black Hills of South Dakota, started back in 2007 and since then, the band has put out three releases: "Of Dirt" demo in 2009, their first full-length "This Place That Contains My Spirit" in 2012 and this year’s "Depths". Woman Is The Earth has always kept a low profile, playing live occasionally in their hometown and in the surrounding areas. Another aspect of Woman Is The Earth is the solid DIY atittude they put out in everything they create. Whether by masterizing or producing their own music, these boys put all of their blood, sweat and tears on everything they do. “Depths” is no exception. It was entirely produced and mastererd by the band itself. Featuring three tracks only, it delivers roughly 24 minutes of great atmospheric and passionate black metal.

The band caught my attention through their first full-length "This Place That Contains My Spirit" that although, soundwise speaking, had some rough edges that needed to be trimmed, the quality presented back then already reflected great talent, both in song-writing as in the performance itself. But here, the major factor that stands out in "Depths" is really this new sound presented. We witness a huge leap from what the band has made before. I assume that “Depths” is the band’s shout-out from the underground, where they have been lurking all these years, proving that they deserve a spotlight within the actual USBM scene.

However beware all trve fans of black metal. Do not expect to find here and 666 inverted crosses drenched in goat’s blood and unlimited devotion to the Great Horned One... no. Woman Is the Earth is one of those black metal bands in a totally different strain which separates them from the rest of the black herd. The atmosphere felt here leads us to a complete devotion to Nature and all living elements surrounding it, fauna and flora framed in a more esoteric almost surreal scenario.



"Crown & Bone / Dreamer" begins with a short atmospheric intro and it doesn’t take long until we are blasted by the black metal barriage lead by the harsh vocals of Andy followed by his crew, completely ripping off the whole atmosphere in the most powerful way as the continuously progressive riffs give shape to this whole melancholic and bleak atmosphere.

Soundwise, I can’t help noticing this brutal evolution that, in conjunction with the production, result in a very professional sound quality, having in mind that this was all created under a very tight DIY ethic by the band. Not being picky (but I am) I just wished that the drums could be a little bit higher but at the same time, it appeals to me as it is , the guitars and bass are perfect and the vocal treatment is the icing on the top of this cake. If you seek some comparisons, after a first audition it immedeatly reminded me the last Woods Of Desolation, although it’s clear that Wolves In The Throne Room is a strong reference in WITE’s sound.

But back to the track.

Intentionally or not, I find this track to be divided in two acts (the title of the track ends up by suggesting that too). In the first part we have "Crown & Bone", that progresses to the 6:47 mark and from there the darkness strikes down upon us in "Dreamer", creating a daunting atmosphere filled with those beautiful mesmerizing details created by the guitar.

Right in the middle of "Depths" we are gifted with the beautiful instrumental "Lifted". It’s one of those kind of instrumental songs that leads in our head to the deepest and ancient woods where we take refuge in complete solitude. In search of an insight or simply admire nature and their children.

The album closes with "Child of Sky", another colossal track where it opens with a chorus of voices setting the tone for the voracious guitars and relentless drums. Once again , we are carried away by this wonderful melancholy soaked with atmospheric black metal, blasting furious blastbeats through layers of melodic and progressive riffs.

In overall, "Depths" it is an excellent record that marks a notable evolution from Woman Is The Earth. Specially when the entire album was created from scratch by the band and what they have achieved here is in fact a brilliant record to be taken into account within the albums released this year. Undoubtedly one of the best kept secrets within the current USBM, that are now seeking a place in the Sun. Great songs, impeccably played, excellent production. Negative aspects of this one? To me, I just have to point out the little amount of tracks presented. I just wanted more, more, more from these guys.

If you’d like to order the CD, just throw an email to the band directly at: womanistheearthband@gmail.com although you can also get it from Init Records.

A vinyl release of "Depths" is also planned to be released in a near future through Init Records, so if you're a vinyl lover, keep an eye open. In the meantime you can buy/stream "Depths" on the link below.

Depths

Northward "IJsgang" EP

"IJsgang", the final breath of the now defunct dutch black metal band Northward. It's sad because I really enjoyed the work of Northward. Their 2010's demo, "In Sturmes Wind" was a fine piece of cold and amazing horrid black metal blizzard, that played almost everyday since I got the tape. "IJsgang" EP is a great way of ending, in full glory with this remarkable piece. Soundwise, there's a huge step from what we've heard in "In Sturmes Wind" but still it can be easily identified as Northward's sound. I love all tracks on this EP but I specially love the tracks, "IJsgang" and "Stroming". So, so good.

The tape is available through Zeitgeist Publishing, a label that has the gift to always surprises us with their amazing packaging and impeccable good taste when it come to layout design for all of their releases. The tape for "IJsgang" EP is no exception. Limited to 88 copies only, this is truly a "must-have" for every black metal fan and tape collector. Get it here.

Let us hope that the future brings us new and exciting projects from the ex-members of Northward. Hail to them!

You can also download the 2010's "In Sturmes Wind" excellent Demo here, courtesy of the band as well for the link below.

Thank you.

IJsgang

Unru & Paramnesia "Split"

I must start this post by saying that I'm not a big collector when it comes to split releases, specially when it comes to two-track split releases. I'm willing to only spend money on it, as long as the two bands are fucking amazing. Well, in this new split release, we get two young and aspiring bands from Europe. German blackened crust act Unru and French atmospheric black metal band Paramnesia. We get one track from each one that together brings us almost half hour of music, ok. We get a remarkable artwork by the talented Business for Satan who also belongs to Paramnesia. Ok. You should know by now that these two bands are amazing and very talented. Both of them are bringing some freshness to the actual metal scene here in Europe, and this split release really proves that. 

Unru's side with "Die Welt in der wir sterben", really sets them apart from that blackened, harsh violent crust sound we heard in their (remarkable) Demo. This track has way more black metal in its core. The guitar starts by winding a few notes until the drums comes in thundering as the dismal vocals, in a very dramatic register, spew all of it's sadness. The guitar notes along this song really emphasize this somber mood even while behind the battery remains unstoppable in a row of furious blastbeats in the background. This amazing track ends with, what it seems to be, some kind of a spoken word, quote sample taken from a movie, layered with some loose guitar notes. 

Paramnesia's track, simply called "III" doesn't fall behind. It's a true black metal whirlwind. I would classify it as atmospheric black metal, although I feel in Paramnesia's sound clearly some classic influences coming from the Northern Europe but also some more contemporary influences coming maybe from the other side of the Ocean, some more "cascadian" type of influences. Nevertheless, Paramnesia's sound really stands out, making them one of the most interesting acts in the actual european black metal scene. The good thing on this track is that, it has 14 minutes length but it seems to last the double of time. The raging sections, filled with the most fierce black metal along with the most melancholic atmospheric parts, and the way the band bridges these two parts together, is just remarkable. Remarkable. And I specially love their sound and the vocals, those vocals... so cold and severe. 

This, ladies and gentlemen, is indeed a split release you must not let pass you by. Great performance by both bands. In my opinion, this unholy alliance works really, really well together. Great split release. No more words needed, just get it. 

Highly Recommended.   

Unru | Paramnesia

Fleshpress "Tearing Skyholes"

Now that we are at the edge of closing another great year for heavy music, I was caught by surprise by this new album from Fleshpress. Their previous "Acid Mouth Strangulation" didn't hit me the way I expected from Mikko Aspa and his crew. I found it really odd and after very listens it still didn't grew on me the way i wanted. But since everything they put out holds a surprise inside, I really don't know what to expect with "Tearing Skyholes" where they seem to explore even more, and deep down inside, the most experimental and psychedelic side of their sound. It's even more stripped down, reminding me acts like Switchblade or the slower, atmospheric parts of Terra Tenebrosa. Just listen for your self and take your own conclusions. Buy it here.

Tearing Skyholes

Afterwalker "Afterwalker"

While browsing my playlist, trying to organize it and stuff, I was face to face with this very nice release from Afterwalker, the solo project of D.P.Pearce of Kigo. To be honest with you guys, I've never heard of him or Kigo. But it doesn't matter. D.P.Pearce is the whole master-mind here and he basically does everything: the guitars, bass, synth, vocals, recording and mixing. The result is quite interesting. Very mesmerizing and mysterious atmospheric black metal, so don't be scared and run off when you first hear "Callus", the first track, entirely played acoustically even featuring some piano too. My favorite tracks here are "Left to Burn" and "The Dweller", i really dig the atmosphere of these tracks. The whole balance between that evil and more melodic side of black metal on "Left to Burn" is just perfect, very Drudkh-esque but played in a more raw and harsh way. While "The Dweller", reminds me a bit of Tardigrada, that i personally love. I just think that D.P. should bet more on this type of sound and tracks. Really good stuff. The Demo is available as "name your price" on the artist Bandcamp. Worth a listen for sure.

Moongazing

Old Witch "Come Mourning Come"

Bleak, depressing, anguished, tormented. All of these are adjectives that i could use to describe Old Witch's "Come Mourning Come". And this is exactly what i needed to hear right now. A blistering mix of doom, sludge with some beautiful atmospheric parts that blend perfectly in the cauldron of Old Witch. A very interesting release that has all the features that attract me and in which I fear I'll be immersed during the next hours. Do not let this release pass you.. quality material here.

Recommended for fans of Hell, Argentinum Astrum, Atavist, The Austrasian Goat, Thou, etc.

Bruxas

Ash Borer "Bloodlands" Review

At this point everyone knows already Ash Borer recognized as one of the foremost exponents of the Cascadian black metal scene. After a split with their fellow Fell Voices, a Demo and their latest  full-length", Cold Of Ages" released last year by the hand of Profound Lore Records, Ash Borer are at this point completely rooted in the USBM generating a large cult around them and on every release they put out. 

The first aspect i felt after hearing this new release was that, to me, "Bloodlands" feels almost like a sequel of "Cold Of Ages" due to the sound and song structure on it. Almost if the tracks featured here are, well.. leftovers isn't a very pretty word, but were built in the creative process of "Cold Of Ages". Many people i've talked to, said that they were a little bit disappointed with last year's "Cold Of Ages", I on the other hand must belong in that small minority that absolutely loved it. It's sounds precisely like... Ash Borer. Many people probably felt they sell-out because of that album being released by Profound Lore, i don't know. That chaotic whirlwind of cold and rough shaped riffs along with that blasting drum buried deep in the mix and those haunting blood-freezing screams all ensnared in the midst of this desolate and gelid scenario, was in fact, still there.

In all their releases, the band always had a tendency to evolve in order to create something more atmospheric, and that is not an exception here on "Bloodlands". The opening track "Oblivion's Spring", starts with some repetitive isolated guitar notes earlier accompanied by a keyboard in the background, as another layer of guitar notes is added into this mix, creating an atmosphere shrouded in mystery. This is just a short introduction that is immediately pulled under our feet as a storm of sharp riffs and savage blastbeats falls upon us as the shrieking screams circle through the middle of this vortex which plagues us, absorbing us in such a way, that we hardly realize the 15 minutes that this track lasts. Going from chaotically accelerated rhythms to mid-paced sections extinguishing slowly to the sound of the same notes that opened it now distorted by a twisted atmosphere like the howl of the cold Winter wind that carries the ashes of what once was beautiful.

To help you to understand the effect of this track imagine this: as the first notes echo, imagine yourself in the middle of a beautiful garden in the midst of Spring when suddenly, without warning, the sky turns black and a terrible storm falls upon us, with very strong and cold winds destroying everything. Leaving nothing but wrecks and smithereens on the floor. "Oblivion's Spring" is a obscure hymn to despair, loneliness and madness. As something dark and macabre that was hidden behind something as seemingly naive and beautiful... That's how i visually imagine "Oblivion's Spring" in my head.

Right after this turbulent start we enter "Dirge/Purgation", which I'm going to face as two tracks merged into one, being "Dirge" a beautiful instrumental interlude served as intro for "Purgation" that has kind of a doom-ish touch. It begins with very slow beats as the dragged sound of the guitars mourn along a path at least, painful. The voice barely cuts through as it's very caught up in the mix. As if the instruments were in a determined room and the voice is one or two room below.

Now under a much more dynamic rhythm, "Purgation" is a track that kind of hypnotizes us, leading us into a state of trance due to the those repetitive guitar notes that very rarely and occasionally, break into other territories ranging from increasingly fast to slow rhythms that seem to belong to a more doom-ish territory due to the decadent and gloomy sound that it emits. I definitely feel that Ash Borer were trying something different with this track here. Experiencing something new into a more atmospheric  territories, trying to create new dynamics to their tracks without losing the seal "Ash Borer" in it. Looking back to "Bloodlands" it's another great and unique milestone into Ash Borer's career, a record that makes me come back repeatedly never getting tired of hearing it.

In the meantime you can order it here at the Gilead Media store, it also will be available on Psychic Violence store but only after the european tour ends, along with some other goodies like the Ruin Lust LP for example. Stay tuned.

Enter the  Bloodlands

Flagellant "Illumination"

Little is known about Germany's Flagellant, a one man band that began back in 2004 and has released so far, two demos and this latest EP "Illumination". Flagellant's sound is hard to describe since it embodies a lot of different sounds from where we dissect genres like drone, ambient, black metal, shoegaze or even post punk... it's hard to tell. In this new EP, the sound is so harsh and noisy that we can only distinguish the rhythm of the blasbeat through the muffled sound of the pedal from the drumkit. Flagellant presents a very thick wall of atmospheric and corroded kind of black metal sound that ended up by pleasing me a lot. It reminds me a bit of the atmosphere from Echtra's "A War For Wonder". The atmosphere created with these two themes is great and inspiring, sounding like nothing you have ever heard when it comes to this genre. Between that harsh wall of sound, the guitar draws some solos that end up by giving the songs a fairly solemn facet. The fact is that Flagellant is not for everyone. Only few minds will get into this. But that's why we are all different, right? "Illumination" EP will have its physical form by the hands of Negation Records, so all of you interested in this, send them an email, or contact Flagellant directly through Bandcamp. Enjoy.

For the Illuminated only

Doth "Datura wrightii"

Another of those Tagobella releases that caught my eye was Doth's "Datura wrightii". Containing two tracks only, they were enough for me to fall into it. The initial moments of the self titled track "Datura wrightii" and the voice of Rachel Heath, almost remind me of the band False, but i think Rachel's voice is way more sick. Besides that black metal rampage and crispy vocals, Doth also bring some innovation into their sound by introducing a cello and a trumpet. The second track "Schist Crevic" is a weird atmospheric track as if someone forgot to stop the recording machine and it recorded the weird sounds in this old cabin in the woods where this Demo was recorded... at least that's what like to imagine it. Doth's sound really promising and i would love to hear more stuff from them. Keep an open mind and check them below. Great stuff.

the effects of datura | download mirror

Kr Grauwacke "Slag Heap"

"Slag Heap", is the very first full-length from the frosted Minnesota experimental black metal band Kr Grauwacke. Offering us four tracks of minimal raw black metal with some ambient interludes. Beginning with "(After) Caledonia", an ambient intro that draws some rough almost industrial atmosphere. As if something mechanical is pounding from the inside of an old and creepy abandoned factory or in this case, some old mine. "AVM I VIII IX VIII" kicks in with the sound of tremolo picking notes creating a whole haunting environment that surrounds us and increases even more due to the howling on the background, as if it's coming from a very deep and narrow mine shaft, echoing in all of its dark and cold tunnels. "Under the Knout", a 12 minute long track that exhales a claustrophobic atmosphere, where strange sounds come from these several places, all at the same time, making it a very harsh and noisy track. "Roots of Madness" takes us back to Kr Grauwacke raw and incisive black metal that reminds me a lot of Ash Borer's latest effort. Barriers of hypnotizing guitar riffs that draw rough melodies as the haunted howls cry in the background. If i could describe this release i guess the word that sums it up is: Haunting. If you enjoy raw and creepy atmospheric black metal, then i strongly recommend this one for you. Check it out on the link below.

Something down there

Cursed Altar "Movements of The Frozen Earth"

Now, i've talked about Cursed Altar here on Forever Cursed when the band released it's Demo back in 2011 and how I was really impressed by the quality presented back then, by delivering some great atmospheric black metal. Since that time, the band has evolved and released through their Bandcamp, a significant handful of releases, all for free. All of this is fruit of one man hard work, Joseph Oldaugh, the mind behind Cursed Altar, who takes care of all the music and artworks for its releases. Cursed Altar latest efforts (not counting with that new EP) really show that some sort of transformation happened... It became more... obscure. It features vocals, harsh, shrieking, vocals and the guitar has adopted that almost "Xasthurian" buzzing sound as heard on the opening and awesome track "The Darkest Place On Earth..." here on this compilation.

The voice really blends very well with the rest of the mix, and there's dimension on the music made here. Not some boring, poor, weak music. It really shows us a mature Cursed Altar. And i want to strongly believe that it will keep this way. It must! It may not sound trve kvlt black metal for some of you, but it's not meant to be. Cursed Altar's interpretation of black metal here is for something more tangible. Something that can create emotions in us, focused on the condition of human life and on the nature that surrounds us. It makes us travel in our mind, to the deepest of forests or to the top of the coldest mountains. 

One of the aspects on Cursed Altar's music is the fact that it has a real strong instrumental component, almost as if it's half atmospheric black metal, half atmospheric post rock. I really like the solution presented here and i wish all the best to Joseph in order for him to carry on this great music. And i suggest you too to travel to this Cursed Altar. Recommended for fans of Lantlôs, Lergrev, Nhor.

Cvrsed

Sorrows/Graad "Split"

Today I bring you a split release between U.S atmospheric black metal band Sorrows and Italy's Graad. Basically each band presents us with a unique theme that make up this beautiful split. Sorrows track "Bruja",  starts with some notes throbbing slowly until, without any warning, darkness falls upon us involving ourselves completely with a voice that lacerates through a very raw and aggressive record, interlaced by some melodic instrumental sections. In the end it turns out to be a pretty good track that will delight any fan of the cascadian or any other atmospheric genre.

"Mephestora", the track of the unknown Graad, shows us a brilliant instrumental track. The riffs, clearly belonging to the black metal circle, draws us contours to a atmospheric spiral that unfolds through dramatic doom riffs with a very atmospheric appendix attached to it. A track that I especially enjoyed, due to the epic and dramatic shapes around it. Each track serves as a excellent welcome-card for those who are not familiar with both bands featured on this split release.

I must say that the choice for that artwork was very good as well, almost if it was taken from a Méliès erotic dream. Amazing.

A very good split tape you can buy here. Thanks to both bands for this amazing offer.

under the spell of the moon

Necro Deathmort "The Colonial Script"

And now for something a little bit different.

Dingy, gritty sounds that creeps, lurks, builds, elongates, teases, and piledrives you in the face with switchblade beats and apocalyptic crescendos. No wonder that they have supported Ulver, Shining, and d.USK among others. Over the course of the nine tracks on "The Colonial Script", you can expect to hear grainy, doomy ambience, whirlpools of 23hz low-end scuzz, acidburn waspsynth buzz, thudding and juddering feedback-ridden roars, distorted nihilistic yelps, doomscaping visceral breaks, buzzsawing smackstrung loops, all seamlessly weaved together in a brutal but beautiful tapestry. This duo consists of AJ Cookson and Matthew Rozeik, that somehow managed to merge the disparate worlds of black and doom metal and hard-edged electronic/ambient music have put together another brilliant combination of the two, sounding like no one else in the process, in the best possible way. 

I must confess i'm not the biggest fan on the use of digital/electronic devices on metal, like digital drumming, keyboards, etc. I usually have a tendency to look away and escape from those kinda bands/albums. I just like things simple and fully live by the formula (G+B+D) = guitar(s), bass, drums. The use of electronics on metal?? The first thing that comes into my mind is nu (yuck) metal.

Except.. 

Except... if their aim is only to enhance and create the most darkened atmosphere you'll ever face. That's precisely what happened as i heard this album, Necro Deathmort's "The Colonial Script". I was almost preparing to skip this album as the first digital beats spread all over the opening track "Imperial", but something made me hold in order to hear more of it. The reward came immediately near the end of the track, and on the following track "Led to the Water". Heavy, crushing riffs opened their way through a winding path and draw some mysterious space forms that lurked in this spacial horror. While listening to this, as i look to the artwork of the cover, instead of skulls, demons or other esoteric/occult imagery i get an astronaut. And immediately my imagination goes beyond this earth and into the most obscure corners of the Galaxy. And as a game nerd, it clicked: "Dead Space... this is the fucking perfect Dead Space soundtrack!". Game nerds will feel me on this one here. 

The core of this album is somewhere between dark electronic ambient stretching it to a most aggressive metal territory, filled with pummeling digital drum beats, crushing guitar distortion and very neurotic screaming vocals as heard on "Led to the Water", "Arrows", "Theme From Escape" and "Insecto!". For me the best tracks are indeed the heavy ones where guitar prevails, but on the other hand i also dig that dark and sinister electronic atmospheric tracks. No matter the path, the result is the same: Darkness. So, if you're seeking something different, stretch out your mind and get into this dark horrific sci-fi soundtrack brought by this interesting duo. It has became my late addiction while working late at night, just with a very dim light on the desk. The CD is available here and it's meant to be played at maximum volume. 

And suddenly i'm feeling the urge to play Dead Space again...

spacial necro beats