No matter the time of year, it’s always winter for Norwegian black metal legends Immortal. Feeling nice and warm and looking forward to summer? Don’t be silly. Just one listen to the latest album War Against All (Nuclear Blast) will have you pining for the fjords and wishing the world was a dark, grim, and frostbitten kingdom of cryptic winter storms.
The Ashen Abhorrence (Debemur Morti Productions) is the debut album from Finnish duo Pestilence Hex, who delivers a full-on blast of heavily old-school Norwegian-influenced black metal. The project brings together vocalist M.Malignant (Corpsessed / Tyranny) and multi-instrumentalist L.Oathe (Desolate Shrine / Convocation) two musicians better known in death/doom circles, but who certainly appear to also know exactly what they’re doing when it comes to the black stuff.
Oh, what a surprise it was to get to do a piece on the re-release of Norwegian black metal legends Mortem’s Slow Death! A huge thank you to Peaceville for deciding to throw this one back out there in a two-disc set containing the original recordings along with some of the demos. Included in the release is the original 1989 booklet with an extended band history and some awesome rare images. I am actually finding it kind of hard to pick a place to begin!
Was Thrash a fad? With the indomitable rise of The Big 4 to the point of global phenomenon in the eighties, along with the likes of Exodus and Testament to name but a few, the sub-genre was a world-conquering behemoth with no signs of relinquishing its stranglehold on the zeitgeist. With Metallica’s turn to stadium Rock on their self-titled effort – better known as The Black Album (Elektra) – and the emergence of the Seattle Grunge movement, Thrash was dead in the water, being dropped into obscurity as rapidly as it had become a buzzword. Continue reading
Hype and all that comes with it is a curious mistress to any fandom. It can take an unknown band in a tiny European country and create a global music phenomenon. It also can help eat the subject of it from the inside out. This is not only a microcosm of the rise of first-wave Norwegian Black Metal, but also the movie Lords of Chaos directed by Jonas Åkerlund (Gunpowder Sky, Vice Media/Insurgent Media, 20th Century Fox, Scott Free Productions). We’ve heard about this movie for so long, that I’m sure that some have very high expectations for this film. The film also has its many detractors as protectors of their genre, and those who never wanted to see this film made. We’re not going to use this review to retell the story we’ve all seen and heard before, but rather rate the merits of this film. Continue reading
Lords of Chaos, the upcoming film based on the (un)popular book about the early history of the original Black Metal scene in Norway has made its debut at limited screenings worldwide and will be available On Demand on February 22nd. A special screening was held last night in Brooklyn at Alamo Draft House, with a Q and A following with director and one-time Bathory drummer Jonas Åkerlund, and co-stars Rory Culkin and Emory Cohen. Åkerlund is well known for stunning videos by Metallica, Lady Gaga, and Rammstein and his own short films, and commercials. He spearheaded the project along with Gunpowder and Sky and is co-produced by VICE Studios, 20th Century Fox, Scott Free Productions and Insurgent Media. The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and currently holds a 75% fresh rating over on Rotten Tomatoes, down from a high of 91% so far. Watch trailers below. Continue reading
Lords of Chaos, the upcoming film based on the popular book about the early history of the original Black Metal scene in Norway hits theaters and On Demand early next month. The film has its first full trailer and it’s, …uh interesting. As in it looks somewhat compelling if you know the story, but also sadly a little campy. Maybe that is the way to market black metal to a mass film going public, but we’re really hoping it’s not too tongue in cheek. Starring Rory Culkin (Castle Rock, Sneaky Pete, Metallica’s Man Unkind, The Zodiac), Lords of Chaos was directed by Swedish filmmaker and one-time Bathory drummer Jonas Åkerlund, also known for videos by Metallica and Rammstein spearheaded the project along with Gunpowder and Sky and is co-produced by VICE Studios, 20th Century Fox, Scott Free Productions and Insurgent Media. The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and currently holds a 92% fresh rating over on Rotten Tomatoes, so far. Watch the full trailer below. Continue reading
Long in the making film Lords of Chaos, based on the popular book about the early history of the original Black Metal scene in Norway will finally hit theaters and On Demand on February 8th 2019. Directed by Swedish filmmaker and one-time Bathory drummer Jonas Åkerlund, also known for videos by Metallica and Rammstein spearheaded the project along with Gunpowder and Sky, and is co-produced by VICE Studios, 20th Century Fox, Scott Free Productions and Insurgent Media. The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and currently holds a 91% fresh rating over on Rotten Tomatoes. Watch the trailer below. Continue reading
Long-running Norwegian black metal legends Carpathian Forest are releasing a new EP next week, Likeim, via their label Indie Recordings. It is the first new release since 2006’s Fuck You All!!!! Caput tuum in ano est (Season of Mist). The band just headlined at the 2018 Inferno Metal Festival and has more touring plans coming soon. Full details and pre-order links below. Continue reading
Long in the making, the film Lords Of Chaos, a movie based on the book Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground is a book by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind is getting a release this year. Director Jonas Åkerlund himself a former member of Bathory and Ghost has been the director on short films and music videos for Metallica, Madonna, Rammstein, and Paul McCartney. Most of the bands featured n the film, chronically the early days of Norwegian black metal in the early 1990s, have been outspoken against the film. Åkerlund shared the first poster for the film on Twitter. Yes, that is a church on fire! Continue reading