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Throat Breach -Humiliating Distortion [US, Death / Grind] (2020)

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Desert Wasteland | 4-3-20

Desert Wasteland is fast becoming one of my favorite labels this year and the number of releases is still pretty low. With only 3 releases thus far into Spring 2020, the quality and veracity of these releases has been something to behold. Fleshrot, Wombcage, and Throat Breach have all huddled together to offer a strain of death metal that is both ruinous, rusted, and visceral. Coming after the boom of basement style death metal, Throat Breach presents an album that is both schizophrenic in its mixture of death and grind but also post apocalyptic in its style which is perfect for rusted or burned out structures. This is music for tomorrow in ruins.

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Ukcheansalawit – Tekipuk [Canada, Atmospheric Black] (2020)

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Self Released | 1-20-20

From the cold gloomy lands of Canada comes a slightly atmospheric black metal release with…you guessed it….a black and white tree on the cover. Outside of this very obvious joke, Ukcheansalawit (ûkcheânsâlâwit) debut demo has everything going right to be a memorable exploration of black metal themed after indigenous cultures. While most of these summations could be wrong, the majority of Tekipuk is centered around words of the Mi’kmaq tribe which was one of the largest Native people centered around Canada’s Maritime Provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island). Outside of some vague references to Canadian native people and the use of the language, most of the work of Ukcheansalawit remains a mystery aside from a 17 minute demo of synth heavy lo – fi black metal. Perhaps 2020 will see more releases but for now, this release is enough to spark interest in a relatively unexplored area of pan American culture.

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Spirit Possession – 2020 Demo [US, Black / Punk] (2020)

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Self Released | 1-21-20

Sometimes there is a release which comes along that affirms your dedication to an aesthetic. Spirit Possession has everything I could possibly hope for in a release — raw black / punk, blistering attitude, near zero internet presence. All of these combine into an 11 minute release which feels like clenched teeth and an image which makes you the coolest ghoul in the graveyard. If one is in the mood for a party where everyone has limbs falling off then you are in the right line.

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Empyreal Forest – Divinations [US, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 1-4-20

I have had a long sordid history with dungeon synth which is both weird and amazing. I do not think I have covered any dungeon synth on this site since the first Erang record which sent me head first into the genre. At this moment I do not wish to cover the genre as extensively as I did but hearing Empyreal Forest ‘s 15 minute release not only dredges up foind memories but also aesthetically fits with some of the other records on this site also adorned in dismal black and white album covers. Dismal Ruin is a new label which specializes in dungeon synth, dark ambient, and second wave black metal which is varied across the label’s four releases. Empyreal Forest seems to be a new entity but is already entrenched in its worship of DS luminaries like Depressive Silence and Thangorodrim just cloaked in more atmospheric noise. The result is something that intimate but also cold in its wanderings through fog veiled forests. I do not think Ill ever get back into dungeon synth like I did but maybe perhaps there is room on this blog for more things like this.

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Hexerei – Oath [?, Black] (2019)

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Self Released | 4-19-19

I am going to be honest in saying finding this demo was happenstance as I was saw the German translation for Sorcery was Hexerei. Hexerei actually is more akin to witchery / witchcraft but Sorcery is one of the easiest connections. I may have been searching for it when seeing a German Magic the Gathering card and seeing the word “Hexerei” and finding it cool. Whatever the case, I stumbled upon a 2019 that is full of grief and grime that has an attitude from here to the dark woods it probably crawled out of. This drips with aesthetic and the fact I found it randomly makes me wonder what other hellish treats are scattered in those woods.

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Void Wraith – I [US, Black] (2019)

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Self Released | 9-28-19

Cool Name. Cool Art. Cool Sound. This is a good start to a one song demo preview for an album releasing in a month. Usually I do not care too much about singles but Void Wraith’s first impression is immense and potential for a full album of haunted ice makes my soul shiver. Whether or not it is the razor sharp vocals or the near chaotic collapse of the percussion, “I” is an explosion of spectral fury which is both icy and boiling hot with emotion.

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Dodenbezweerder – Zwarte Sluiers [Netherlands, Black] (2019)

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Self Released | 7-28-19

While I do not think this will go away, I am always hesitant about reviewing things that do not have a Metal Archives page since they could be lost to the wind and everything I loved just lives in memories. It has happened before so I will be specific about what I like regarding this Dodenbezweerder record. Here we go. Zwarte Sluiers is a haunted parlor room where the ancient furniture is occupied by spectral visitors who maybe familiar but can’t recall due to the catatonic horror which grips my very soul. This is what is is and what is sounds like condensed in two songs of absolute spiritual ruin. there. Hopefully that preserves my records.

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o.T.s – Untitled [Switzerland, Black] (2019)

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Self Released | 7-23-19

Another day, another band that does not seem to exist outside fo this one page. All information I have regarding o.T.s is from the Bandcamp page which could be pulled down at any moment. For record keeping purposes I will say this demo is noisy, raw, and full of deadly venom as it rips across the wall much like a hunting knife. o.T.s’ aesthetic resides much in its un produced quality as it feels that this shouldn’t even be approached for another few weeks as it is still feral and chained with a wall. Perhaps the possibility of this disappearing leaving only a memory is adding to the excitement but this Untitled demo hits with mythical force probably because it feels temporal in its existence.

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Trest – Ordalium [Germany, Black] (2019)

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Caligari Records | 7-4-19

I drafted this review to remind myself to listen to the whole album when it was released. Caligari Records has always been reliable in finding music that is demanding existentially. In fact, if there was some sort of blind subscription service when I received tapes in the mail, I am sure I would never be disappointed. Trest is another testament to the strength of Caligari as this German black metal project is centered around the persecution of witches and sounds like a riot of emotions. Ordalium is centered around “the last people sentenced for magic & witchcraft in Europe,” and while this subject matter could lend itself to be celebratory and superficial, Trest’s somber attitude regarding the subject in multiple stages of “ordeal” and “pyre” makes for a record which was not only anticipated but something that is one of the best black metal albums of the year. With a combination of hypnotic rhythms and occasional soundclips, Ordalium is an emotional journey that was by and far worth waiting for.

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Gwoid – Gwoid VI – Aurora Borealis [Germany, Atmospheric / Raw Black] (2019)

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Self Released | 7-16-19

I wrote about Gwoid earlier int he year with the January release of Gwoid V. This release was tagged under “Raw Black” as the demo was filled with a spectral cloud. v took me by surprise as it is still rooted in the camp of bedroom black metal but the newest release travels towards the stars. Gwoid VI – Aurora Borealis takes its inspiration from bands like Darkspace which throws the template of atmospheric black into the vacuum of space allowing the terror and uncertainty of the void to become the centerpiece of music. there certainly is still the raw edge present as the vocals are still shredded and the music is akin to a ripped drapery. I realize that every time I talk about this project, I am just presented with haunted imagery which is perhaps the best way to describe this type of music.

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