Black Metal

2020 Albums

Album Review: Shaidar Logoth – Chapter III: The Void God 9 (Black Metal)

November 3, 2020 zaxrecordreviews 1

The fact that I wound up reviewing this album is serendipitous for two reasons. 1) Both myself and the band members live in Minneapolis, MN (no, I’ve never met them) 2) They are named after a city in the WHEEL OF TIME series by Robert Jordan (& Brandon Sanderson). While I’ve never read this particular book series, I’m a huge nerd for Adult Fantasy novels. I’ve listened to this album many times over the past few weeks, savoring all the different shades of black that this band has to offer. […]

2020 Albums

Album Review: Hastio – Self-Titled 8 (Black Metal)

November 3, 2020 zaxrecordreviews 0

I was first introduced to Hastio a few days ago by a close friend who runs an underground tape trading network, I know right? Sounds like some fight club style shit, but I digress, lets not lose focus here. Since my 1st listen to their self-titled album these guys have been stuck on repeat. Some of my favorite tracks on their self-titled album include “Yog Sothoth (El señor de la galaxia)” and “Isengard.” When I was considering how to start this review I thought to myself I need to point out the very obvious hardcore punk influences you can hear throughout the album. […]

2020 Albums

Album Review: Serpent Column – Kathodos 8.5 (Black Metal)

November 2, 2020 zaxrecordreviews 0

Upon first listen, I’m immediately reminded of the first time that I listened to some of the “catchier” tracks off of DeathSpell Omega’s Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice. There’s a lot of dissonance and discordance going on in this album and Theophonos – the sole member of Serpent Column – delivers it in full dose on this album. In fact, he goes perhaps even one step further by starting the opening track “Departure of Splinters” in what sounds like the middle of a song, like changing dials on a radio station and hearing the tail-end of a really cool Black Metal song. Then, in comes a funky head-bobbing rhythm with some off-kilter drums and a toe-tapping beat. […]

2020 Albums

Album Review: Enslaved – Utgard 6.7 (Black Metal)

October 10, 2020 hardalbumreview 0

Among all the albums I was looking forward to, Enslaved’s new release was one of the very top. I have profusely enjoyed their works, old and new alike, well mostly the older ones and maybe E excluded, but Utgard, in short, was far from satisfactory and way below my expectations bar. Don’t get me wrong. Utgard IS Enslaved, but it is not the Enslaved we, the old fans, want. They have kept an overall tinge of their true Norwegian Progressive Black Metal nature, but this new sound is so distorted and contorted that makes you question the band’s current trajectory. […]

2020 Albums

Album Review: Earth Rot – Black Tide of Obscurity 9.8 (Black/Death)

August 24, 2020 destroyerhands 0

I’m sort of angry that no one ever told me about this band before. It’s got everything I love and nothing I don’t. The album is tailor made to my music taste and I’ve been sitting around like a dumbass not even knowing this band existed. This record has easily made it up among my favorite extreme metal records this year and Earth Rot are finding a comfortable spot in my regular rotation. […]

Black Metal

Album Review: Ferus Din – The Great Dying 9 (Black Metal)

June 25, 2020 CarcassBOMB 0

Ferus Din embody the destructive force of nature among other things in their debut album The Great Dying. This album hits like a fist in the face from the very first second and leaves one with a feeling of prolonged eagerness, typically as the music unfolds. The band’s name comes from a combination of Latin and Germanic translations and refers to “Wild Noise”. Completely unawares of the genre clashes in this release, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the band’s musical talent, particularly composition arrangement and the combining of different instruments and sounds. […]