Black Boned Angel "Verdun"

Ok, you asked for it. One of my favorite Black Boned Angel albums, 2009's "Verdun" featuring nothing else but a track called "Prayer Sodden Holes - Tears Strike the Mile High Gong - Creeping Barrage", and yes... it is as long as the title. These guys are the best doing what they do best, never-ending droning riffs. Expect nothing but riff. Heavy po)))unding merciless and punishing riff. God, i love this. Enjoy.

the po)))wer o)))f the riff

Fading Sun "Yawning Void"

Fading Sun is a one man band from Minsk, Belarus playing tortured funeral death/doom. "Yawning Void" features only one long track, kinda repetitive but i really dig the whole doomed atmosphere on this one, the voice is very deep and cavernous. Very appropriate to your insomnia nights. Check it out below. Available here.

listen | into the void

The Great Old Ones "Al Azif"

In 1927, Lovecraft wrote a brief pseudo-history of the Necronomicon that was published in 1938, after his death, as "History of the Necronomicon". According to some sources, the book was originally called Al Azif, an Arabic word that Lovecraft defined as "that nocturnal sound (made by insects) supposed to be the howling of demons". 

Influenced by Lovecraft's imaginary are The Great Old Ones, a post black metal band coming from Bordeaux, France. The Great Old Ones are all about dark ambiance, atmospheric sounds and most of all, extreme music. Musically speaking, the type of black metal that the band unfolds along "Al Azif" fits in the "post" genre, it's more atmospherical and it has, at some points, some hints of that sludgy post metal riffs which dwells in a more slower, almost doom-ish rhythm. The concept behind "Al Azif", this fantastic debut album from this french band, as you can automatically tell by their name and title, is related to the whole imagery of H.P. Lovecraft's short tales. So i guess i can reformulate and affirm that this is true Lovecraftian black metal.

I was really anxious to hear this whole album by TGOO ever since i found them on Bandcamp, it just took one listen to believe that i was before something really majestic. Throughout  the album, is clearly that each detail has been thought to exhaustion. From the epic first track "Al Azif" to "My Love For The Stars (Cthulhu Fhtagn)" every riff, every note is perfect and flawless. "Al Azif" is without shadow of doubt an album of epic proportions that lives up to name Lovecraft. Check out the band here, where you can also order this fantastic album. Highly recommended!

« That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die » 

H.P. LOVECRAFT

listen | Cthulhu awakens

Elm "Nemcatacoa"

This is what I'm in the mood for today, it's sunday night, it was a very windy day, the sky was all day filled with dark grey clouds. And this is just what i needed to clear up my mind from all of my worries. Elm is Jon Porras (from Barn Owl) solo creation. His music retains the megasonics of Barn Owl, but finds his tutelage deep in the heart of the desert. "Nemcatacoa" is a lonesome, epic journey. Named after one of the deities of his Colombian heritage, his latest full-length (and first large-scale solo release) feels huge and endless. Walls of guitars shatter beneath the weight of the booming percussion blasts that find their way from the caves into the light. An acoustic guitar is mournfully plucked, the beginning of a procession of the dead. "Nemcatacoa" is an album begging for somebody, anybody to find and embrace. Even though this album is dark and at times bleak, it never overpowers. Traversing similar aural planes as Sunn O))) and Earth, Porras is staking a claim all his own. As his voice wails over blankets of guitars, he never loses sight of the golden life ahead. It’s dark, it’s epic, it’s a full-fledged metallic drone masterpiece. Not sure if it's still available here, better email these guys before ordering.

listen | sopor somnus

Kehlvin "The Orchard of Forking Paths"

4 years of silence and finally the light... or the darkness : progressive-hardcore Swiss act Kehlvin are back with a brand new album, "The Orchard of Forking Paths". With this new album we find Kehlvin giving birth to its most solid and devastating record so far. Taking distance with their previous love for long instrumental parts and reveling a major propensity to let distortion talk, the band explores a whole bunch of new directions through a more extreme riffing and a sense of melody unseen so far, all of this brilliantly displayed in savage songs. Still focused on high quality writing, Kehlvin knows how to develop intriguing melodies without losing any dynamic. Powerful but sensible, "The Orchard of Forking Paths" is nothing less than a mind blowing new step in the band carrier, taking sludgin’prog-hardcore to the next level of beauty and intensity. Buy it here. Follow the band here.

listen | mere noise

Nisroch "Demo" & "Split"

Nisroch are a blackened hardcore band from Jacksonville, they have released so far a Demo and a Split and man... i really hope for a full-length soon. The music of Nisroch is solid and very cohesive, giving you really little few time to breathe, in fact, the only time you have is to engulf just a little bit of air before being sucked in again to the depths of these dark and murky waters. The quality of these tracks are in pair with other well-known acts like Heartless, Full Of Hell, Hexis, Brutality Will Prevail, Young And In The Way and many more. If you enjoyed these guys Demo wait until you hear the tracks from the split with the band Crooked Look. Nisroch definitely are in another league, they are on the right path, destroying and burning everything around them.. i just hope they make enough smoke for someone to spot it and give them some spotlight and recognition. Because with a quality like this, they really deserve it. Check them out below and see what i mean. Follow the band here.

Listen | Demo-lition

listen | split in half

Esoteric Youth "Demo"

Esoteric Youth are a relatively young band coming from the UK and this is their first Demo, delivering 5 tracks of misanthropy, depression, bleakness and the Armageddon, as they say on their blog. Although I'm getting a little bit, let's say, fed up of this blackened-crust-hardcore genre i pretty enjoyed the Demo from these lads. The Demo begins with "Waldensamkeit", a really good instrumental intro i just wished it was longer, only because i'm a sucker for long and epic tracks. The tracks "Canis Pullus" and "Illunga" simply dump all of that contained anger we all know in this genre, "Litost " is another interesting track, it has more variation of tempos and it sounds more obscure than the previous ones, it finishes of with "Hive Collapse", a real kick in the face that features this annoying droning noise layered beneath culminating into stormy sounds. I truly predict some really dark skies if this young band continues on. Of course there are some rough angles to polish but that vanishes off with practice and time. I truly enjoyed the more slow and experimental tempos explored by the band, i think if they dig in deeper then we will have a fucking awesome band. Keep it up! A big thanks to those music junkies from Music As Heroin for this find.

dread kennedys

Pseudogod "Deathwomb Catechesis"

"Deathwomb Catechesis" is a highly anticipated full-length debut for the Russians Pseudogod. Delivering an abrasive blend of old school death and some of the most ferocious black metal, this album bears the mark of the Beast all over it. This is pure, barbaric hate. Boundless morbidity, bestial churn, grinding disease, otherworldly dread: these are the hallmarks of Pseudogod, who've quickly decimated the extreme Satanic Black Death scene over the past few years to become one of the most-hailed bands around. Evoking its namesake as well as a host of other nameless horrors, this work of art drives deep into the mysteries of death, dragging the helpless listen along as their sepulchral black/death conjures its spell. Prepare, then, to enter Pseudogod's deathwomb! What a great fucking album this is, one serious candidate for the numerous Best Of 2012 Lists. Recommended for die hards of Archgoat, Teitanblood, early Belial, and Demoncy. Man , that booklet artwork sure looks fucking awesome. Worship it here. Highly Recommended!

listen | in the womb of thy beast

Woman Is The Earth "This Place That Contains My Spirit"

Woman is the Earth consists of 3 members, brothers Jon and Andy Martin, and Jarrod Hattervig. They come from Black Hills, South Dakota and have been playing music together since the summer of 2007. Their mutual interests in musical movements such as the recent flux of American Black Metal in the West, ancestral folk music and an appreciation of highly textured, atmospheric music led to the formation of Woman is the Earth. This triad also share similar ethics in regard to spirituality and nature, creating a solid framework for the content of our music and ethos as a group. "This Place That Contains My Spirit" is their second full-length album, written over the course of three years. Much time and effort was put into writing and recording the album to uphold our original conception of the music. In addition to guitars and drums, a variety of instruments were used, including a Roland Juno-60, bass guitar, classical guitar & ocarina. "This Place That Contains My Spirit" was written, recorded, and mixed/mastered/produced by themselves at home. The album reflects a yearning to reconnect with the spirit of the natural world in a time when that connection is quickly dissolving. 

Carrying a strong DIY ethic throughout, the final result here is really impressive. What these boys have managed, moved by their passion and effort, is quite outstanding. For a DIY recording, the sound is more than acceptable and to be honest, is quite amazing. The only negative aspect i find here is about the drums, the sound is not as accurate as the other instruments and it often ends by stealing my attention throughout the tracks. But after a few listens you'll get used to it. Besides that aspect, the tracks are quite solid and there's more positive aspects to it. Demonstrating a great guitar work, the songs are well written and constructed, resulting in a perfect blend between the most furious and melodic parts. While the voice screams and summons the ancient spirits of the Earth, the guitar unleashes all of its fury along this vortex of sound. The highlights of this release are indeed the title track, "This Place That Contains My Spirit" and "Sage Moon". Two beautiful and emotional atmospheric black metal tracks. Said this, this is quite a good release by this young band from whom i hope to hear even more in the future. You can check the band's website here.

listen | titans of the earth

Laster "Wijsgeer & Narreman" EP

This is one EP i've been hooked on lately. Featuring members of Northward (from whom i've talked about their awesome Demo here) and White Oak, Laster is a Dutch black metal formation founded and located in Utrecht, the Netherlands. "Wijsgeer & Narreman" is a conceptual work presenting us three tracks inspired by Goethe's tragic play, Faust. The first impression i got when i heard this EP for the first time, was about their sound, if these guys were north-american they would get the label "cascadian" written all over them. The sound of "Wijsgeer & Narreman" is quite good, it features an outstanding drum work and some creepy voice, almost like one harpy coming straight from the most dark and frozen mountain cave. Delivering three great and emotional tracks, Laster did a terrific job with this EP. It carries a lot of poetic emotions balanced with the right dose of grimness. It's going straight to my shelf of the best EPs of the year for sure. The band is looking for a label to manifest a physical release, so if by the way you run a label and if you are interested, contact them here. Check out the EP on their Bandcamp (where you can download the EP for free) and get your dose of black metal for today. Highly recommended!

listen | mephisto awaits