[2010] Antediluvian - Watcher's Reign

Sometimes it happens that a band in particular doesn't impress you at a first listen and you put it away, ignoring most of what it had to offer among the disagreeable parts. Lack of ear training, and even too much experience listening to music does that.
That's kind of what happened with me and this band at first, it disgusted me in a way that I had to put it off at the second song or something like that, which would seem rather strange considering I've listened to plenty of death and black metal in the past. But the thing is that this band is indeed disgusting, just not the way it seemed at a first listen; I gave it another try, focusing on the instrumentation and the way the vocals were delivered, and I heard something really interesting, the raw primal impetus, the living nightmare of the vocal delivery, and the merciless guitarwork, it was all there and I didn't notice it because of the way it all was presented, a single slab of furious prehistoric ramblings.
Direct nods could be made to a band like Portal, but the vocals are dirtier than The Curator's, and it's not hazy like in Outre, but rather disjointed, yet distinguishable enough to be told apart. Reminds me more of a local band from my country called Verminous, which had a similar delivery back in the 2000s, and it made the same impression on me, being completely clueless towards this genre back then.

Definitely a keeper, and worthy of several listens, when its real value gets truly unearthed.

Download it here: [V2][V0]


Buy it directly from Invictus Productions here.

[1995] Ved Buens Ende - Written In Waters...

Combining the aesthetics and driving force behind the 2nd Wave of Norwegian BM with the innovation and progressive touch of the canterbury scene/rock in opposition of the 70's/80's, Ved Buens Ende singlehandedly inspired countless of progressive metal bands with an experimental edge that came decades earlier, with a style that isn't even overtly technical, but rather full of nuances and expressive methods that became their trademark sound.

One of the most important albums for me, it changed the way I perceived music as a whole, and even until today I consider it unique as it is.

Download it here: [320][V0]

Buy it directly from Candlelight Records here.

[2007] Skultroll - Skultroll

Underground noise/krautrock band with ambient black metal leanings, this is as close as it gets to psychedelic kraut/black metal in the vein of Aluk Todolo (specially Descension). Amazing discovery that can't go unnoticed, this CDr material deserves more attention, even though its mastering quality is lacking a bit. Same members as Ice Bound Majesty, Skultroll is conformed solely of a bass player and a drummer.

Download it here: [224][V0]

Buy it directly from Rhesus Distribution here (contact info on the site).

[1997] Ved Buens Ende - Those Who Caress The Pale

Demo material of what I consider one of the most inspirational bands within metal, and pioneers of what was later known as avantgarde black metal (a blend of avant-prog/rock and black metal aesthetics). This first release, while still displaying some of the features that were later shown in Written in Waters, it also shows a different side of the band, focusing a lot in jazz melodies and avant-prog approach, with hints to Canterbury Scene prog bands like Henry Cow, even. It's also one of the first to feature long silence parts followed by noise, weird sound bits hidden in the tracklist.

Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from In and Out Records here.

[2010] Urfaust - Der Freiwillige Bettler

The perfect follow-up from Verräterischer, Nichtswürdiger Geist and with hints of Einslieder and the split with Joyless, Urfaust delivers after 5 years without releasing a full length. The duo conformed by IX (vocals, guitar) and VRDRBR (drums) proved that they didn't waste their time. Der Freiwillige Bettler (The Voluntary Beggar in german) is an excellent album, which makes me miss a bit of the orchestral sections in Verräterischer..., but it has some of the melodic side of Einslieder which made that EP so worthy of several listens.
Big favorite of the album: Der Mensch, die kleine Narrenwelt.

Download it here: [320]


Buy it directly from Ván Records here.

[2010] Saturnalia Temple/Nightbringer/Nihil Nocturne/Aluk Todolo - On The Powers of The Sphinx

My third favorite split of this year (first would be Lose / Lose / Lose, and second Dirtpill / Заводь / Zuboroth), this 4-way split delivers the best of occult-influenced bands I've heard so far. Saturnalia Temple's song (To Know) manages to sound even dirtier and obscure than their previous albums (specially UR), but enough to be a perfect mood-setter for this interesting release. Admittedly I'm not a fan of what they do, but at least I can say it might be of interest to those into the occult vibe of some recent doom metal bands (Moss and Dark Buddha Rising come to mind, for instance). Next we have Nightbringer (To Will), band already well-known in the orthodox black metal scene, with a song that I wouldn't really consider their best of their career, but at least goes along nicely with the concept. It does drag a bit, but this is normal with Nightbringer.
Next song would be To Dare by Nihil Nocturne, a german black metal band with a long career, with this song being one of the main highlights of this split. The prize goes, however, to Aluk Todolo with To Keep Silent, one of their longest songs, in which the mood set by Saturnalia Temple earlier in the album is improved by the syncopathed drumming and the heavy feedback that characterizes this band. It sounds as if it was recorded live, seeing as the production is not as good compared to their previous albums, although it doesn't affect at all their quality. Top quality release, as it's usual with Ajna Offensive.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from The Ajna Offensive here.

[2004] The Ruins of Beverast - Unlock The Shrine

Storytelling in music, in the best way german blackmetallers can achieve it, The Ruins of Beverast is just another gem within the vast BM genre, in which war, decayed citadels and cries of forgotten armies manifest themselves in this album as the sound of ghosts from centuries ago. Few bands of this nature manage to achieve this sort of feeling, and it's no surprise Alexander Von Meilenwald's solo project has gotten so much attention during the last decade, almost even more than the other bands he has been involved with. Percussion, naturally, receive an obvious emphasis in this album, grabbing the attention most of the time, going from slow-paced to furious, war-like blasting.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from Ván Records here.

[2010] Deathspell Omega - Paracletus

The chaotic riffing of Fas, the motif structure of both Kénôse and Chaining the Katechon and the interludes of Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice, that's how the final chapter of the trilogy, Paracletus, sounds like, with an added complexity result of the natural evolution of a band that has remained in almost complete secrecy since their inception. Words alone can't explain how good this album is.
The Holy Ghost, the explicit reference on the album's title, is evoked in the album cover as a deformed black beast with thousand of tentacles and born from the above fire, Deathspell Omega exposes this true nature in a lyrical and musical frenzy, taking aback the listener in this revealing journey through chaos. The summarizing of their enlightning message comes with the final words of this album:

You were seeking strength, justice, splendour! You were seeking love!
Here is the pit, here is your pit! Its name is SILENCE…

Download it here [320]

Buy it directly from Season of Mist here.
Buy it directly from Ván Records here.

[2009] Fides Inversa - Hanc Aciem Sola Retundit Virtus (The Algolagnia Divine)

The italian black metal underground, often unappreciated, has some hidden gems left undiscovered for a long time, and this is the case with Fides Inversa. Firmly rooted in the somewhat recent Orthodox Black Metal scene, this band composed a fast, warlike interpretation of that vision, which shouldn't come as a surprise seeing as a lot of the bands within the scene have a predisposition to cherish and tribute their Roman heritage through music. Four long tracks, and a single message: subversion of the name of God through the enlightenment of the Word. For fans of Deathspell Omega and Watain.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from Osmose Productions here.

[2010] Stargazer - A Great Work of Ages

Rawer than A Scream That Tore The Sky, after 5 years we get this fine release, in which this tech/avantgarde death metal band from Australia incorporates vocals and a faster, more structured sound than how it used to be. It was certainly a surprise to me how good it sounded from the very first song, at first I feared the bass wasn't going to be as prominent as their previous full length, but luckily I was wrong; the bass assaults you from the second and third song onwards and truly breaks through the compositions, turning into a main highlight.
You cannot miss this, only from time to time one gets excellent releases like this one. It makes up for the lack of Gorguts this year, I can assure you.

Download it here: [320][V0]

Buy it directly from Profound Lore Records here.