United Kingdom

Lord Rot / VHS – Split [Scotland / Canada, Death / Black] (2018)

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Self Released | 2-13-18

I do not know why this makes sense but it does. The split between Lord Rot and VHS allows one to experience two different types of horror. This is why I have constantly praised the ideas of split as you are allowed the opportunity to come into a release that is curated by more than one band. For the most part the aesthetic is aligned and in other cases, it is the synergy between two types of horrors which sets the tone.

Lord Rot is a Scottish based one man death metal band whose sound is bleeding into black / thrash metal with all of the flourishes indicative of a full pice outfit. The two songs belonging to this act are not only electrifying but sharp as a rusty knife that is being waved as a threat. This split acts as the first release in a few years following a successful EP all the way back in 2015. This is most likely due to the fact that James Mcbrain is also behind the more renown Hellripper whose 2017 release Coagulating Darkness was the toast of the underworld. The Lord Rot project is similar just with more pulp / slasher flair.

VHS stands for Violent Homicidal Slasher though I feel the band loves the nostalgic acronym as horror movies and Video tapes sort of go hand in severed hand. The VHS side of the split is dedicated to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre with 4 songs and about 5 minutes devoted to Leatherface and chainsaws. If one was looking for irreverence and the sound of tripping while watching horror movies then VHS just might be the insane time you need.

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Eofor – Demo 15 [UK, Raw Black] (2017)

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Legion Blotan | 12-22-17

Good lord, I do not even know if I should be listening to this. No Metal Archives. No Facebook. IU am actually just guessing at the country as the only information seems to be repsresnation from a local faction called Legion Blotan which represents a slew of raw black and death acts. The things about anonymity is that there is an aesthetic adopted by bands by psudonymns and intentional erasure of information, then there are bands like Eofor who walk the line of existence.

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Vessel Of Iniquity – Vessel Of Iniquity [UK, Black / Noise] (2017)

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Xenoglossy Productions | 12-29-17

Something I always enjoyed about this time of the year was the complete lack of caring by labels and bands for end of the year lists. December is usually a dead zone for larger labels and bands as most of the year lists are being generated. there are some who do not care about frivolous cycles of release and there are others who will wait until the last hours of the year unleash terror.

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Cold Fell – Irwell [UK, Atmospheric Black] (2017)

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Self Released | 03-02-17

This is the second “atmospheric black metal” record I have reviewed this week and it is only Tuesday. I would like to say I am not opposed to the style whatsoever rather I find that atmospheric black metal is very easy to imitate but very difficult to make interesting. Uk based band Cold Fell doesn’t really sound like your typical atmospheric black metal act with most of their drama coming from raw emotion. Still there are blurred crescendos, long songs, and a general lean towards the narrative. With that said, Irwell, the band’s debut is far beyond any tree laden album covers and comes with a heavy claw to the face.

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Tome Of The Unreplenished – Cosmoprism [Cyprus, Ritual Ambient / Noise] (2017)

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I, Voidhanger Records | 2-3-17

Back in 2015, Tome Of The Unreplenished sounded different. It isn’t that much of a change but the Cypriot born now British band’s debut was much more geared towards atmospheric black metal that frayed at the edges of concrete. Cosmoprism: The Theurgy – Act I shatters all bonds with the material world and travels towards the celestial nothingness with an EP that attempts to fathom the unknowable and reign in the horror of the indescribable. This, of course, will not be done in 4/4 time or with any sort of musical structure.

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Inculcator – Void Abecedary [UK, Black / Thrash] (2016)

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Caligari Records | 5-23-16

Caligari Records | 5-23-16

Ohhhh goodness, my head. It is swirling with madness and chaos. Inculcator is a black / thrash project which looks like it falls in line with the Voivod / Vektor mission of space based thrash. Once you learn that Inculcator is a one man side project for the one man band Abyssal, things become clearer. Oh wait, did I say clearer? I mean more disconnected and crumbling to shambles. That is what I meant. If you ever want to know what it felt like to be hit by an asteroid in zero gravity, please take a step towards Void Abecedary.

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

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Self Released | 10-31-15

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.

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Vacivus – Rite of Ascension [United Kingdom, Death] (2015)

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Goatprayer Records | 7-3-15

Goatprayer Records | 7-3-15

UKDM! UKDM! UKDM! Alright, United Kingdom Death Metal isn’t really a thing. In fact, I tried to get a tag going on this site but there were just not enough bands to warrant it. There is death metal from the United Kingdom and a lot of it is really good. In the second age of death metal, there are a few truths and one of them is that good music can be almost anywhere and most likely fucking dangerous.

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Crom Dubh – Heimweh [UK, Atmospheric Black] (2015)

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Ván Records | 3-29-15

Ván Records | 3-29-15

Crom Dubh is interesting for a variety of reasons. First of all this 4 piece is interesting for their addition into the UK extreme metal scene whose both black and death production has been fantastic in the last couple of years. Second of all, Crom Dubh’s debut Heimweh is worthy of note specifically for the band’s employment of the atmospheric style which is smooth and well oiled. Heimweh comes on the wings of a few other silent demos and EP releases and is even now shining bright on a lonely hill waiting for more people to show up. Though audience is relative, Crom Dubh’s relative obscurity is surprising given the sound which could be appealing to a wide spectrum of listeners. Perhaps Heimweh will be the time which the sky cracks open and pours ink black water over this land.

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A Forest Of Stars – Beware the Sword You Cannot See [UK, Psychedelic Black] (2015)

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Lupus Lounge | 2-27-15

Lupus Lounge | 2-27-15

Would you look at that cover? I literally have zero idea what is happening between the dragons, beasts, and goddamn robots. A Forest of Stars comes with a mountain of expectations with their name, album title, and general style of “psychedelic” black metal. It would be easier if this band was just disciples of post rock and made long black metal landscapes which had crescendos and piano interludes. The fact that this British band has so much more weird shit in their album is cause for pause, praise, and possibly alarm.

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