Funerary Descent – Winds Of Dissonance [US, Black / Doom] (2016)

Self Released | 2-3-16

Listen to the howls and grief which ripples in sheets of frigid wind. Funerary Descent is from Baltimore Maryland which has been somewhat of an interest for me as I live close and am always interested in ground level heavy metal which I could possibly go travel and see in a small club. The black / doom combination is also something of note as it is note a style which has been explored. Funerary Descent took a little bit to release their second demo with their first one in 2013. By how effective Winds of Dissonance sounds, I only hope for a speedy production for another release. Far be it from me to tell a band what to do but this sound could bum a lot more people out with the right timing and luck. I know I will be here crawling along this swamp floor awaiting slow cold death.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

Hairst – Bròn [Scotland, Black / Ambient] (2016)

Self Released | 2-6-16

Sometimes hitting an aesthetic is a wonderful thing. Hairst is a Scottish one man black metal act whose demos and EPs are being celebrated by the very few. All of the covers for this artist are black and white or lightly destaturated. The music is a shrilly approach to making bedroom black metal complete with atmospheric and battle effects wrapped around each of the songs. There is even an acoustic and ambient interlude/intro hiding in the very short EP. If that sort of thing does not interest you, then there are other things you can do with your time. If you enjoy everything I just said and wouldn’t mind the music to be interesting and exciting, then Hairst could be the coolest thing today.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

决裂 (Rupture) – Death to Peace [China, Death / Thrash] (2014) [Reissue]

PolyWater Productions | 7-19-14

The Compilation/Reissue section of this site is important to lesser known heavy to the point that I feel bad for not reviewing more off year releases. This goes especially true for albums that saw a very limited release in their initial year and are now seeing another limited release by a marginally larger label. If you know this sites visual aesthetic by now, this album with bright reds and a cartoonish looking cover is not something that is normally seen. there has to be something special abut a 2014 brightly covered album to break the continuing set.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

Nyciene – Nyciene [US, Black] (2015)

Defiled Light | 12-24-15

I am introducing a new tag call 2015/2016 which indicates a cusp period of time where music released in the late part of the previous year could be eligible for discussion in the current year and its relation to the year. December 24th is a hell of a time to release a record and while limiting discussions of an album because of a few days is sort of silly, the year end divide does negate a lot of records in most lists. Defiled Light even lists this release as apart of January as it is being re-released a few months later. Regardless, it is time to doscuss many things including a wonderful new black metal act as well as a formidable black metal label.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

Sacrocurse – Destroying Chapels [Mexicio, Black/Death] (2016)

Iron Bonehead Productions | 1-16-16

In my various years of reviewing heavy metal records, few times have I ever been unnerved like I was when hearing the opening recorded shrills of Sacrocurse’s Destroying Chapels. The shlocky prerecorded screams of victims quickly drops into a brief 13 minute EP of madness and despair. Sarcocurse is being sponsored by Iron Bonehead for this EP but seems to be supported by Hells Headbanger for others. With those two in their corner, there is nothing but profane blasphemy in their future.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

OLDBLACK – Spiritual Prison [US, Black / Death / Noise] (2016)

Self Released | 1-2-16

I have noticed that I do not cover a lot of stoner doom on this site mainly because that sort of aesthetic does not interest me. This does not mean there are not great stoner doom bands out there rather other things are more attractive. If I were to look at things which excited me most over the past few years it would be absolute grimness reaching obliteration. Spiritual Prison is not something which comes along very often and when it does, it redefines what extreme metal can be. What OLDBLACK intends to do is destroy by any means necessary.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

Sunsunmoon – Pagans in Medieval Times [UK, Black / Ambient] (2015)

Self Released | 10-31-15

Doing end of the year planning can be disheartening because I know quality releases do not care about months and schedules. Take Sunsunmoon, a British black metal band which oozes as much charm as it does synth. This demo came out in October and it just surfaced on a larger radar. We are entering into the cusp era where great 2015 releases are going to be buried until next year or even the year after. If bands could just stop releasing things now until January 1st, that would be wonderful.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

Slidhr – Spit of the Apostate [Ireland, Black / Death] (2015)

Self Released | 11-2-15

“In Norse mythology, Slid(h)r is a river in Hel, the land of the dead.” Amazing. Despite Slidhr having work which goes back a few years, 2015 saw thew name of this Irish band appear continuous with the lineup for the NYC festival Dissocative Visions. It was this show which saw the likes of Predatory Light, Sinmara, One Tail One Head, Lluvia, and this band which is a punch to the face in an otherwise foggy marsh. With friends like these, there is no need for monsters.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

Venefixion – Defixio [France, Death] (2015)

Iron Bonehead | 10-18-15

Oh my goodness. either I am slowly becoming an Iron Bonehead fanboy raving about multiple demos just this year or there is a palatable stream of good material being unearthed by this label. Both may be true. I also maybe a sucker for hilarious blasphemy in artwork and Defixio, the debut from Venefixion has an oddly comedic spin to their artwork. Come towards the skeleton bearing a crucifix.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.

葬尸湖 ( Zuriaake) – 孤雁 (Gu Yan) [China, Atmospheric Black] (2015)

Pest Productions | 10-15-15

I know with Zuriaake there are few certainties. Throughout my explorations of East Asian heavy metal, that strange and wonderful things can be found at a moments notice. Finding Pest Productions was a treasure trove of mostly Chinese depressive and atmospheric black metal. Pest Productions got some undue notice last year as being the label which hosted Ghost Bath’s 2014 record Funeral. The fallout regarding Ghost Bath’s regional identiy sort of took away the spotlight to some other great bands that were from China and making black metal. Zuriaake was one of them and at the time, this 3 piece had not made a full length since 2007. Things are different now.

Kaptain Carbon

Kaptain Carbon is the custodian of Tape Wyrm, a mod for Reddit’s r/metal, Creator of Vintage Obscura, and a Reckless Scholar for Dungeon Synth.