2020

Hexenfluch – Aradia [Germany?, Black] (2020)

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Narbentage Produktionen | 4-12-20

I know little about Hexenfluch other than the outfit maybe from Germany and the name may mean Heathen’s Curse. Other than those sparse scraps of knowledge, the only thing I have to hold on is a 10 minute preview track which is both boiling with supernatural energy and swirling with chaotic possession. This tape release is just one of many arcane offerings from Narbentage Produktionen which seems to deal music much in the same way a wood witch deals in poisonous plants and trinkets. Come for blistering black metal but know there is no giving it back.

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Fen Walker – The Totem Wilds Call Thy Name [US, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Dungeon Deep Records | 3-14-20

It is odd and wonderful to see a dungeon synth record, which came out a few weeks ago and still with a massive amount of Bandcamp support. Fen Walker is a Us based dungeon synth artist whose second record continues on the progressive path of the debut Hail! O’ Barrow Lands! . I have already lauded the progressive sound of dungeon synth with Hole Dweller and Fen Walker’s The Totem Wilds Call Thy Name adds to my hypothesis that basement fantasy synth mixed with a 70’s progressive structure is not only agreeable but also something that could define the sound if given the chance. With the grounds for experimentation which does not lapse into artsy experimentation, the wild journeys one travels is completely immersive and something that transports the listener to far away lands.

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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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Erreth-Akbe – If Not a Happy Ending, a True Joy [US, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released
1-8-20

I would like to thank Fableglade Records for breaking a streak of not purchasing dungeon synth tapes. Soemthing that always speaks to me is things released in series and the Spring Batch of fantasy synthscape tapes from this label was enough to get me back into the habit. It also helps that the first in the series is a remarkable dedication to Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea books which is both dramatic, personal, and immersive. If the quality of releases is even close to the first in the series, then Fableglade Records is going to be a delight for the rest of the year. Come forengaging soundscapes but stay for the mystery of story.

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Fratricide – Horrible Deformities [US, Death] (2020)

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Self Released | 3-19-20

This is perhaps one of the starkest examples of a demo whose music is the best thing about the presentation as the logo, band name, and album artwork fail to live up to the experience of the music. It is not that Fratricide has a terrible presentation rather the music goes beyond the confides presented by its cover. Where one would think you get mid shelf death metal that is sloppy but kind of fun, Fratricide presents winding journeys in rotting flesh. Heavy metal, like most music, is about musical and visual presentation and though I feel that one if severely lacking, I am glad for the other to be so strong.

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Forlorn Kingdom – Northern Spirits Call From Afar [Italy, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 3-15-120

Dungeon Synth has an air of mystery and sheltered presence. The act of uncovering recordings from the past seems to be part and parcel for a bedroom genre shrouded in cloaks and daggers. Northern Spirits Call From Afar is a rerelease of music made between 2013-2019 and limited to a handful of private cassettes. The music then made it to a compilation which was split, last year, between two releases Walking The Paths Of Old and Distant Apparitions. Now, Dungeons Deep Records presents almost the entire work of Forlorn Kingdom and the mysterious entity known as Grimroth on one record. All of this fanfare frames a wonderfully crafted array of icy castles, ghostly fog and lofi dungeon crawling which is both stately as well as haunted. As of writing this review, there are currently 24 of 150 copies of this tape left and I expect it not to last much longer.

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Altar of Rot – Altar of Rot [US, Black / Death] (2020)

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Self Released | 3-15-20

“Black Metal combining the first and second waves with some primitive thrash influence. Destroy your fucking mind.”

I love the description for this album since it is most certainly not what is advertised. Yes, the Altar of Rot debut has black, death, and thrash influences somewhere close to the second wave but it is nowhere near a primitive nature. This is okay however as what Altar of Rot really is is a party in a debut record which feels like a chair being smashed against your back. From solid riffs to decent production to an atmosphere which grants permission for costumes, Altar of Rot is less a basement band than it is a club show that would be fitting the scent of decaying meat. Ew gross.

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Ulk – This Divine Shelter [Netherlands, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 3-15-20

Note: This is perhaps going to be the start of me getting back into dungeon synth. I have written about this genre for many years on various sites and got really involved with the scene. For the past few years I have strayed away from the sound but with the current climate and the fact I will be home most days for the next few weeks, maybe this will be a good time to settle in with some new releases.

Ulk is relatively new with only a few albums released since last year. This was on the new and notable section of Bandcamp and was particulary striking even from the cover as its worn green saturation promised the viewer immersion into a fantasy world filled with regal horns and hazy landscapes of spires. This Divine Shelter fufilled this promise with a dreamscape of a record that is majestic in its undertaking and completely unassuming in its approach.

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Impetuous Burial [US, Death] (2020)

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Self Released | 3-16-20

Yes. Is really gross death metal still going on? Well, i guess that is the thing about rotting death, is that even if it is slightly hip with bands like Blood Incantation and Tomb Mold, that its presence is eternal regardless of what mortals think of it. Enter Impetuous Burial and a demo that sounds like the sounds of the last 5 years in death metal distilled down into a punchy record. We are all mature enough to realize that despite this demo not breaking any new ground from its name, cover, or sound, if the riffs are solid, which they are, then it is going to be a fantastic ride in the dark.

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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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