Hilning is the solo project of former Afgrund vocalist/guitarist, Aldriendir (aka Andreas Baier), and as if you could not tell from the cover art, it’s a radical departure from Afgrund’s savage, Nasum-styled grindcore. Unfortunately, where Afgrund kicked out some pretty goddamn solid material in their 3 album existence from 2007-2012, I’m not sure Aldriendir’s foray […]

The 2020 solo debut, Verisaarna, from Hex Inferi ( ex Horna), was a blistering, icy cold blast of classic black metal in the Marduk-ian realm of relentlessness, with some innate Finnish nastiness thrown in. And while Kataklysmi is not quite as palpably frosty, it delivers much of the same frozen swathes of black metal, maybe […]

Heading into 2022, I had no idea that this was going to wind up being my most heavily anticipated album of the year. Granted, I’d have to have been some kind of all-seeing mage or wizard or whatever, because, until the first day of this year, nobody knew Blackbraid even existed (ok, before someone writes […]

France has a dark history. Uprisings, wars, and more wars; have left the countryside pockmarked with craters, and flowers grow in the places where blood had been spilled. It makes sense that France has a solid Black Metal history steeped in that revolutionary blood. Deathspell Omega, Mutiilation, Aldaaron, and the infamous Black Legions; forged a […]

I grabbed this promo to review as I dug the 2020 debut from Germany’s Eisenkult, …gedenken wir der finsternis back in 2020 ( though I somehow completely missed last year’s Von Himmel, Hoch Herab) as it was a super melodic, medieval black metal release, and I love that shit. So it appears somewhere between the […]

I’m always on the lookout for heraldic, medieval black metal in the vein of Véhémence, Eisenkult, Sühnopfer, Abduction, Ungfell, Hanternoz, Passéisme, Heltekvad  and such. And here we have the debut EP from one-man band, Frenchman Alexis Chiambretto, and this 4 song 22-ish-minute debut is a must-have if you enjoy any of the above bands. You […]

What do you call Witchery at this point in their career? A super group? A collective, ever-evolving side project (aside from guitarists Patrick Jensen and Rickard Rimfalt, the last two remaining original members)? What was once basically a catch-all side gig for former members of Seance along with legendary bassist Sharlee D’Angelo (Mercyful Fate, Arch […]

One-man bands are sometimes a hit-or-miss affair. I often picture one dude frantically recording everything at the same time, which I know isn’t true (looking at Burzum). Turm is a singular affair conceived by Tyrst and I have got to say it’s not disappointing at all. This has a classic Black Metal feel, and from […]

When I saw that these two bands were doing this 2 song split, my ears perked up. The early nineties are considered the golden years of Black Metal with so many bands emerging from the pits of hell to either reign or fall. nd these 2 bands don’t need an introduction because they are titans […]

Not even a year after releasing the solid Verses of Regicide album, Aussie musician, ‘Nightwolf’ and his prolific project Runespell is back with a fine EP. Sentinels of Time is with a 4 song, half-hour or so of 90s second wave-inspired black metal that continues the influences that range from Abigor, Satyricon, Immortal, and such […]

For metal mastermind Andy Marshall, Saor has been a means of immersing listeners in his beloved Scottish history and heritage through a sprawling, intoxicating mix of incredibly atmospheric black and folk metal, dubbed colloquially by Marshall himself as “Caledonian Metal.” For all intents and purposes, while each of his previous albums certainly had some characteristics […]

As someone who has never been about taking any form of metal too seriously, Sacred Son’s Dane Cross has become somewhat of a folk hero of mine. As curmudgeonly as the elite Black Metal crowd can be, it’s still pretty dang impressive just how much hate Cross has stirred up for just living his life. […]

The whole idea behind bands releasing splits is, generally, a fairly straightforward business decision. Two or more bands come together to share production and distribution costs, and provide one-another with a platform to get more exposure through all involved parties’ established fanbases. The bands, the fans, everybody wins. That said, it feels like the potential […]

Very little is known about French Black Metal collective Deathspell Omega. Its members are unknown, there was a singer change due to a change in Satanic views; add to that absolutely no live performances… ever. France has had a solid output of Black Metal over the years with Anorexia Nervosa, Blut Aus Nord, Mutiilation, and […]

Every day it seems, the world further blurs the line between what’s considered crackpot conspiracy, and accepted reality. The notion that some secret, Satanic society of ultra-powerful lizard oligarchs are the true masters and gatekeepers of the Earth’s wealth and resources seems, to many, like an absolute truth. I don’t personally subscribe to this particular […]

After a particularly long day at work, I enjoy coming home to the only place where I can hang my void for the night. I, Voidhanger Records understand this well. They get me. That’s probably why I like most of what I hear from this label, despite it not getting a lot of coverage here. […]

Writing a review is a bit like dissecting a body. The initial sentences are like the first incisions, same with the opening tracks of an album. An album opener should plant the flag for the sonic terrain about to be navigated. This can be applied liberally over genres, but with a Black Metal album it […]

I reviewed Watains’s Trident Wolf Eclipse in 2018. Being new to their music back then, but knowing about them for years, I went into their music with fresh ears. I really enjoyed that album as well as their prior releases. They play a pretty high-octane style of black metal but mixed in with their melodies and metal influences […]

If you follow this site and my writings (you’re not the only one as I’m kind of a big deal), you might be asking yourself why a folk metal album is getting the review treatment from me. Instead, you should immediately be thinking the subject of this review is entirely worth your attention. It’s been […]

I snagged the debut from Denmark’s Heltekvad due to a trio of things; it features Ole Pedersen Luk of Afsky. Second, Eisenwald is pretty reliable when it comes to black metal with the likes of Fluisteraars and Alda on their roster. And third, the heraldic artwork reminded me of medieval black metal bands like France’s Véhémence […]

I have an ex-girlfriend who had a favorite phrase of “I can do it myself” when I would try to help her. She was half joking. Maybe. Cut to us in my kitchen at the time, this phrase came about when I offered to help her with grabbing her drink while cooking, it fell on […]

Oh hey – just in time for World War III, AKA “The ACTUAL War to End All Wars” because this time around we’re all packing that doomsday-level heat. Sick. Seriously, for what its worth, who better to ring in the potential end of days, right? We’ve all been looking over at Vladdy-boy saying “Hey. HEY! […]

This review is brought to you by Google Translate.  Par le sang versé, the 2019 sophomore album from these epic/medieval French black metallers, snuck into the back end of my 2019 year-end list, but I if were redoing that year’s list, it would have been a top ten, maybe a top 5 release, as I […]

In 2020 my then girlfriend and I planned a trip to London.  The timing was based on convenience of our schedules and not any particular event.  I’m a bit of an Anglophile and was excited to find music events going on whether it was electronic, metal, grime, indie etc in one of the most densely […]

2022, comin’ in HAWT. You know it’s true because of the way I spelled it. I already have 3-5 albums which are sure year end contenders and I’m writing this sentence on the last day of January. I’m not one to complain about an embarrassingly high amount of excellent metal, but it’s already been difficult […]