I love a good mystery. One of the most used introductions “it was a dark and stormy night” always set the mood for some sort of dark mischief. So, today is not dark and stormy, yet I have a mystery on my hands. It concerns this band that El Jefe sent me called Lvme and […]

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 […]

The side (now also virtually a solo) project from Marduk’s Arioch isn’t very prolific. But when he does release an album, the world listens as it usually commands your attention. A 6 year wait lingered between the debut full length Salvation, and its follow Maranantha, and now a 9 year wait for the sudden and […]

Back in 2009, Spain’s Teitanblood erupted onto the scene with their debut full length album, Seven Chalices, and gave everyone nightmares with a disturbingly filthy take on bestial black/death metal. Well now they have returned with the simply and aptly titled Death, and while it isn’t as nauseatingly ritualistic  as Seven Chalices, it is far […]

Brilliant and frustrating – two words that sum up Deathspell Omega. There’s no question that since Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice, the mysterious French duo has offered up some of the most staggeringly complex and challenging black metal the genre has ever seen. However, in their never-ending quest to batter, slash and violate the genre’s boundaries, […]

For reasons beyond my comprehension, the second full length album from Funeral Mist (now comprised solely of Arioch) has received a large amount of criticism and negative response. Whether it’s the fact the album was unleashed without warning 6 years after the highly regarded Salvation, that Necromorbus is no longer on drums, or that Arioch […]

It was recently discussed over at the teethofthedivine forums what “Evil Death Metal” is and examples to recommend. Seven Chalices, the debut full length album from Spain’s Teitanblood was one of the recommendations. And rightly fucking so, as Seven Chalices literally reeks of pure, ritulaistic evil and debased, chaotic misanthropy. For those of you sick of […]

Fully titled Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeternum : Chaining the Katechon , this Single/EP is one track 22 minutes of typically deviant and caustic yet artfully malignant black metal from one of black metal’s very elite acts. It’s hard to review one 22 minute song, but luckily Chaining the Katechon has various segments and sections […]

It is refreshing to find a band not only with strong convictions but also with a strong thirst for knowledge and a vast foundation of knowledge already learned from which to draw. Belfagor is a true devotee and a student of all religions, realizing all are connected in some fashion. He borrows imagery as he […]

While Kenose was only my first introduction to Deathspell Omega, it had me hooked instantly and solidified the band into blacks metal’s elite after Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice, the album that saw this French band progress and evolve from standard black metal to their current, labyrinthine, deformed, and twisted take on black metal. As Good […]

I devoutly maintain that France is a turd upon the face of Life, but damn if the Frogs aren’t croaking out some rad black metal lately. Maybe it’s simply the shame and horror of being born French, but something’s causing the weak circle-jerk of the Black Legions to become an outright beast. I was never […]