Espi Kvlt reviews
Gay, Nonbinary, Black Metal Vampyre
By: Espi Kvlt I was initially drawn to black metal for the same reason I was initially drawn to heavy metal, emo, and punk. It felt at first so wildly different from anything else I’d […]
Espi Kvlt reviews
2021
Album Review: Gråt Strigoi – “Communion of the Nameless” – 9.5/10 (Black Metal/RABM)
Written by: Espi Kvlt Gråt Strigoi – Communion of the NamelessRed & Anarchist Black Metal from Glasgow, UKReleased on June 12, 20219.5/10 Gråt Strigoi is a band I’ve been extremely into since they dropped their […]
2021
Album Review: Tumultuous Ruin – “Demo II” – 7.5/10 (RABM)
Tumultuous Ruin has been on my radar as one to watch for a bit now. After the powerful single that was “Trigger Resistance” and the first demo, I was looking forward to seeing what this one-man powerhouse would bring us next. Demo II went above and beyond my expectations, outshining the previous work (which was already fantastic) and showing what a force of nature this band is. I have no doubt that when they drop their first full-length, it will be an instant hit in the black metal community. […]
2021
Album Review: Awenden/Feminazgul – “Split” 8.5/10 (RABM)
I have been eagerly awaiting this split, so I immediately rushed to listen to it when the review copy appeared in my e-mail. Both Awenden and Feminazgul are two of my favorite black metal bands and having both of them collaborate on a single album is something I didn’t know I needed but now is the most obvious thing in the world. Awenden, an anarchist black metal band, joins forces with Feminazgul, another anarchist black metal band, join forces to create an album that is as elegant and beautiful as it is heavy and powerful. […]
2021
Album Review: Valravne – “Some Kind of Vampire – Remastered” 10/10 (RABM)
I was pleasantly surprised to see Valravne’s name pop up in my inbox beside the title of a new album that is actually a remaster of an album I recently covered in my column (Join the Kvlt: Trve Qveer Black Metal). Before sitting down with it, I listened to the original version of Some Kind of Vampire again, just to make sure it was fresh in my mind before going on to review this new album. I feel it bears repeating how much I love Some Kind of Vampire. It’s dark, it’s haunting, and it opens up with a monologue by famous anti-drag queen David Hoyle aka The Divine David. It also should be noted that this remaster features tracks from the second in the series, Some Kind of Vampire II, which, of course, follows the similar eerie and brutal sounds as its predecessor, though perhaps with even more ferocity. […]
Antifascist black metal
Join the Kvlt: Trve Qveer Black Metal
Continuing from where I left off in my previous column about leftist black metal bands, this time I wanted my focus to solely be on queer art. As a trans bisexual black metal musician myself, it’s always a breath of fresh air to find other queer folk making this kind of music. Even when leftist black metal bands get popular, they are often dominated by cishet men. Here’s a list of eight queer bands breaking the barriers of what it means to be a black metal band in 2021. […]
2021
Album Review: Grohot – “Creatio ex Nihilo” 7/10 (Black Metal)
This first effort from black metal band Grohot is certainly enough to get my attention. I listen to a lot of black metal day in and day out, but my interest was immediately piqued when I saw they’re from Romania. A band from the home of vampires? Surely this will be great! While it didn’t necessarily meet my high expectations, it is a solid record, and I believe with time Grohot has the potential to polish up their sound and become great. […]