Oooh, a new Hoth record? Awesome. As a big Star Wars nerd, I picked up Oathbreaker just because of the awesome TIE fighter inspired logo and the gimmick, but I was impressed by how well it worked on its own merits. Excited to hear new stuff from them, thanks for the tip.
I'm very interested in that! Two new releases I heard today might appeal to you. Might! I'll post them first before my mini about my recent preference.
I've come to like most an all out sonic assault like a hurricane. I think this is not something that has existed for many years though I could easily be wrong and would be glad to know of early examples. Regarding early Black Metal of low-fi, if bass is lacking then it can't bend trees. I was scrolling back through the years of my collection and was surprised that there was not that much which qualified. Also that it isn't as ferocious as I had it made out to be in my mind. Fairly mid-paced. So there is room for some increased intensity I think. One distinguishing feature, to use horses again, is the band as vehicle is more of a four horse carriage than four individual horses riding together. Visual aids. As for the vocalist, Goya painted him in 1808-1812 as "The Colossus". Really it's seconds before 3:00 that it works for me.
Before getting home and reading this post I was thinking of the Norwegian band Kvist's lone album, one of the first CDs I bought when exploring this newfound genre for the first time. They came up in a thread on another forum and it reminded me of those early, wide-eyed days yet again. Kvist is one of the few bands that's as obscure today as they were in 1997. Some say they influenced that whole "orthodox" sound; frankly I don't hear that -- in fact their For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike debut and swan song doesn't really sound like anything else I've heard. There's a prominent bass, though it's probably less gale force winds and more creepy fog winding its way 'round the ankles while on a moonlit jaunt. This is also another case of "surely this band has come up in here before" but who knows. Whatever the case, it's required listening for anyone into Norwegian black metal. The above mention of the orthodox school reminded me of Borgia's Ecclesia, so maybe have at that one too. Borgia - Ecclesia [Full - HD] As for peeling the paint off the walls and flesh off the face while a tank commander bellows, well, there's always Forest of Impaled. Forest of Impaled - Forward The Spears (FULL ALBUM)
Really liking this EP. Just two songs as I'm not counting the outro song. And off to the airport to pick up wifey.
Wow, I stepped away for like 5 minutes (or 5 days???) and there's 10 pages of goodness for me to sort through! Will probably have to call in sick tomorrow just to catch up. Had a vinyl night with my Metal buddies this weekend and our "Black Circle" ritual has now morphed into the realm of cassettes as well...lot of cool Black Metal releases with some neat packaging coming out on tape and I'm very late to the game. Anyone else picking up cassettes? The one that really caught my eye was a "box set" from Leviathan's Scar Sighted. I believe they have popped up here before, but I don't think I was ready for them at the time. Apparently this one-man-band is pretty sweet. Really liking the artwork...not sure if it's done by the musician or another artist. My friend that had this also brought an interesting side project from the same guy: Lurker of Chalice. Perhaps a bit more atmospheric than Leviathan, but still quite crushing.
Perhaps my favorite find of the night, not on cassette, was the new Necros Christos. Not sure if we've pimped them out on here before, but holy crap...this, this makes me happy!!! This new release is quite a chore to get through, being almost 2 hours in length...3 LPs or 3 CDs, each with more interludes/instrumentals that I would really care for, but the songs themselves are quite righteous. Sort of Death Doom, sort of Rotting Christ-like (Triarchy), with killers riffs and solos, and a thick soul-crushing atmosphere. Not as Middle Eastern flavored as some of their older stuff, and honestly the short acoustic pieces remind me a bit of Opeth and for some odd reason...Danzig! All good stuff, I hope you guys enjoy it!
Ever wonder what Black Metal would sound like played on a Fender Strat? Well look no further! Volahn...not sure how to fully describe this stuff. All paeans to the ancient rituals of the Aztecs and Mayans. A swirling mix of reverb-drenched vocals with a twangy chime of single coil pickups throwing out some tasty melodic lines. Some acoustic, almost Flamenco-like, flourishes during the interludes...and a flute. Did I say flute? Yes, yes I did. Maybe Mars Volta wrapped in a jaguar pelt gripping an obsidian blade soaked in blood? Whatever the hell they're doing, I like it. A bit more chaotic than stuff I normally like, but I think the cleaner guitar tone cuts through the noise and is easier to enjoy. The YT upload here doesn't sound that great, but my friend's copy on vinyl certainly does.
Like the fanciest book of matches ever! Nice. Yeah, I've puzzled over cassettes lately. Who still have tape decks? I like it and you're right about the Mars Volta comparison. I also say that after wading through the seemingly endless waste lands of middling Black Metal. I definitely remember the cover of this and this might be my third precursory, sample listening over a year or more. I better give it a full and proper listen. From their "Acta Non Verba" album (2016) Of no importance is I become visually bored and I ditched Killing Machine man avatar. I'm without identify. That near black circle is a solar eclipse photographed from Spain in 1860. Pretty cool but temporary I guess though it does fit with "Painting It Black". I love old photography. Sarah Johnston Chinnery - Photograph of a print of lightning in clouds after volcanic eruption, Rabaul, New Guinea, 1937
I have Lurker on vinyl, solid album. As for cassettes I need a deck but I'm a cheap bugger and don't want to pay crazy $$ to get a decent one restored.
Yeah, Leviathan is almost always amazing. Most of his albums sound pretty different from one another. Scar Sighted has the sort of production that might even pass muster with most of the non-metal crowd here on the forums. I have the CD version, which also has all those cool postcards, and yes, to the best of my knowledge, Wrest himself does all the art. I think he's a tattoo artist when he's not baying at the moon. Tentacles of Whorror is probably his most twisted album, and if you like Scar Sighted I'd recommend that one as a next step. It has that murky, demented feeling that's still a little present on SS. My personal fave will always be The Tenth Sub-Level of Suicide, mostly because it's one of his more "traditional" black metal releases, even if it's a total psychological journey. The production is very much on the lower-fi end of things, though. Very cooooooold. Very daaaaaaark. Very freezing moon can obsess you. Much as I like Leviathan, I've somehow never gotten around to hearing Lurker. I really need to get on that, as I've heard nothing but the highest praise.
Anyone remember Artik, the fake black metal band from Alaska that was Terrorizer magazine’s album of the month one issue around 1999? I pre-ordered it.
A comic I did for those lamenting having a cassette player to listen to Black Metal. https://Pixton.com/ic:avzy37fj
Fatigued of beating the Black bushes for 48 hours and getting nothing (yes 48 hrs straight ) I cross the stream to the thorny bushes of Death. So far this not bad as a whole and there are some superlative moments. Preliminary. Doing that Funky Tut Egyptian thing.
Yeah, there are a lot of BM bands that sound A LOT alike to me (with my untrained BM ears), and I generally graze for few minutes and pass on by. This one had enough to hold my attention...and the artwork sure helped, too. After a little research, I found out that the singer/guitarist is in other Southern California bands called the "Black Twilight Circle" and they all seem to play a similar style with enough variation to make them somewhat different.
Yeah, I was hoping my friends wouldn't drag me down the cassette rabbit hole...but the forces against me were just too strong. My friends seem to have luck (so far) with their Goodwill finds, but I opted for a reasonably priced restored Nakamichi I found online and was quite shocked at how good well-recorded and cared for tapes could sound. It also allows me to pick up hard to find albums that are much more expensive on vinyl. I also don't have to dick around with with a lot of albums that were needlessly pressed on 2 LP just to add some demos or bonus tracks....flip once, and done!
