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.
Grimoire Records | 10-23-15
Ugh. This album is totally going to clash with the rest of this site and the grey/black album art aesthetic. Sure. Why not just pick the brightest colors for this release which sort of adds to the chaotic madness which lies at the very heart of this record? Fucking go for it. Genevieve is from Maryland and is supported by Grimoire Records, which if you were not aware, showcases some of the weirder and off kilter metal bands who are trying really hard to keep their shit together at parties but its hard with all the acid they took.
Dark Descent | 10-30-15
So in the the mid 90’s this band from Alabam was known as Metahole Infection and played a particulary splatteryly variety odf death metal. It should be noted that the music from MEtahole Infection and Grave Ritual is not that different aside from some new atmopshere, slower tempo and perhaps a new drummer. What is important to realize is that framing and presentation can make a world of difference as Grave Ritual’s dedication to less bloody and more forbodding themes puts their music on the right track for success.
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.
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.
Naturmacht Productions | 10-18-15
I will give you 10$ if you can spell both the name and album name without mixing up the letters. The band’s name translates or means coniferous crown which is an imagery which is fitting to a dense brand of nature conscious black metal. If you have ever been traveling through the wilderness of Finland you might have encountered a forest creature veiled in the regal outfits of the woodland which may or may not be last thing you see.
Self Released | 8-4-15
Horns of Domination is a three piece combo from Germany who seems to have bucked that silly trend of having a bassist in their band. With two guitarists and a drummer, the band has appeared as an unsigned entity now with one self titled demo to their name. I have seen this before. Additionally, with a name like Horns of Domination, I was expecting something I have heard before. It was certainly not this. Sometimes the short format of a demo works in the band’s favor if the music can be so violent that the listener is left with a feeling of horror and surprise.
Self Released | 9-1-15
This is the power of advertising to different audiences. Conceptarium was self released at the beginning of September with a polished sci fi cover and a shining font choice. The original cover certainly fit the atmosphere for this cosmic black death outfit. The cassette cover produced by MITHRA! Infrastructure / Infrasound however is flatter and with only a black/white balance, the astral themes appear more occult. It is funny how the same music can have two different covers and sound somewhat different. I prefer the cassette occult.
Iron Bonehead | 9-13-15
I am going to take you back to a time when a band called Gnosis of the Witch tore up the universe with their second EP Dauðr Burðr Þrysvar. This was back in the halcyon days of mid 2014. I only bring this up because Veiled is Gnosis up the Witch just…well…shrouded in a different name. I have no idea why this duo decided to jump ship on a name which did not have that many roots in terms of recognition but we can all assume that Veiled is just going to be as terrifying as the previous entity.
World Terror Committee | 9-22-15
That is it. I officially want to just slow down 2015 in terms of decent black metal releases until deal with everything that is on my desk. If you have kept up at all with Fallen Empire, Dark Descent, Iron Bonehead, and Hells Headbangers, the amount of good music that one has to get through just in the last couple of months is almost insurmountable. Then Shrine of Insanabilis comes along and without any demos or EPs to their name, they release a dense full length which is fully mature as well a vicious killer.