ALBUM REVIEW: Woe – Legacies of Frailty


 

It has been six years since we last saw new material from Chris Grigg’s Black Metal outfit Woe, and on a global scale it has certainly been an eventful and ultimately catastrophic time in which humanity seems consciously hell-bent on self-destruction and that of the world itself. It is pretty easy to see therefore just where Grigg’s inspiration comes from in the overarching narrative of Legacies of Frailty (Vendetta Records), an album that holds the anguish of such at its forefront alongside a sound of striking ferocity.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Shade Empire – Sunholy


 

The most impressive thing about Shade Empire’s new album Sunholy (Candlelight Records) is the range of dynamics it incorporates. However, if you need this to be a Black Metal album you might need to go hunt down the new Taake album or wait for Mayhem’s album to drop, but if you are open to metal that is melodic and offers a great deal of sonic colors then hear me out…

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ALBUM REVIEW: Hexvessel – Polar Veil


 

Having reviewed Grave PleasuresPlagueboys for Ghost Cult earlier this year, as a Mat McNerney fan I was excited to see he had another record out, this time via his folk-orientated project Hexvessel.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Mayhem – Demonic Rites


 

Mayhem have one of extreme metal’s most *ahem* colorful histories. With that notoriety along with their groundbreaking and phenomenal album, De Myseriis Dom Sathanas, Mayhem has always been the black metal band to check out when you first discover the genre.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Mizmor – Unreqvited – Funeral Leech Live at Saint Vitus Bar


 

To say I was ecstatic walking into St. Vitus Bar for the first time in four years would be a massive understatement. As I approached the familiar corner of Manhattan Avenue and Clay Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and the ominous black door with a bunch of metal heads already gathered outside, I could feel a rush of happiness through my entire body and brain. Not very grim or troo sounding, I know. Saint Vitus Bar is just not another place to me, it was like a second home to me for the second life that I had living in New York from 2016 to 2021. Nostalgia is a powerful drug, but the reality is that I deeply and truly love this venue and everybody associated with running it. The fact that it survived the worst of times in the music industry is a testament to the power that it built and the fans that continue to support this place. Unsurprisingly, the show was a sellout tonight.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Kvelertak – Endling


 

Kvelertak (Norwegian for ‘Stranglehold’) are one of the more unique offerings hailing from the land of mystical forests and flowing fjords, and are anything but your typical Black Metal band from the region. In fact any hints of the sound are very few and far between on their fifth album Endling (Rise Records), with the influence used sparingly.

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ALBUM REVIEW: UADA – Crepuscule Natura


 

Black metal, in and of itself, can be very polarizing due to the imagery, lyrical content, and if the band is “true” black metal or not (side note: what a stupid debate to have). One such polarizing band, UADA, has dropped their fourth full-length album, Crepuscule Natura (Eisenwald Records) and is some of their best work to date. Sticking to their signature melodic black metal sound with lyrics mostly about nature and the cosmos, the Portland, Oregon, four-piece put us on a spiritual journey for forty minutes.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Batushka – Swallow The Sun – Stormruler Live at the Brooklyn Monarch


 

Mid-August always carries a wistful air as the summer heat reaches full swing but so does our knowledge of its impermanence. What better way to quell our gloomy pondering than with a black metal show at The Brooklyn Monarch?

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ALBUM REVIEW: Outergods – A Kingdom Built Upon the Wreckage of Heaven


 

Many bands over the years have incorporated H.P. Lovecraft’s work into their projects. Newcomers from Nottingham, England, Outergods, not only named themselves after the big baddies from the Cthulhu mythos, but even their overall sound instills fear and madness. A little over a half hour in length, A Kingdom Built Upon the Wreckage of Heaven (Prosthetic Records), debuts the haunting blend of black metal and grindcore this UK outfit has unleashed into the void for gods and mortals alike.

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