Stirring from a creeping lilt into a frictional sprawl, Symphonic Black Metal artisans Saille usher in their fourth album, Gnosis. Its predecessor, Eldritch (both Aural/code666) made great strides to establish this cerebral aggressor as an act of pedigree and violence; a burgeoning reputation that this darker, more ferocious offspring will serve only to further.Continue reading
The first thing that strikes you about Images At Twilight is how much they sound like fellow Norwegian Black Metallers Dimmu Borgir. But Dimmu when they were younger, hungrier and an altogether different, far scarier proposition than they are these days.
Formed in 2011 by vocalist Andre Aaslie, the band’s début Kings (Indie Recordings) is an ambitious album, full of speed, aggression, and orchestral atmospherics. When things move fast, they move really fast but there are usually moments of perfectly timed, much-needed respite just around the corner. While it might be all very well and good for some Black Metal acts to play unrelentingly fast, a band like Images At Twilight need those little interludes to let the music breathe, even if most of the time they merely serve as a platform from which to launch their next ferocious sonic attack.
There are times, however, when things don’t balance quite as evenly as they could. Some songs suffer from sounding a little too busy in parts, the keyboards becoming a little too intrusive during some of the quieter moments. This doesn’t happen too often though, and is a pretty minor quibble in an otherwise very well thought out and put together album. The orchestral sections give the record a very cinematic atmosphere, most notably on the instrumental ‘Created To Destroy’ which could very easily have been lifted from the soundtrack to one of the Lord of the Rings movies, and fifteen minute epic ‘Kaizanbar’ where the band manage to showcase every facet of their sound perfectly, without it ever feeling tiresome or cluttered.
The production sounds great, stark and bare when necessary, like it could have been produced in the early-mid nineties, but also rich and clear enough to enable the symphonic elements to sit alongside the vicious guitars and hyperspeed blastbeats without sounding cheap or hollow.
Although Images At Twilight may not be the most innovative band on the scene, they have still managed to create an album which will not only appeal to those who miss the halcyon days of early Dimmu Borgir and Bal Sagoth but to those more contemporary minded Black Metal fans who prefer a stronger production and slightly more progressive elements to their music.
8.0/10
GARY ALCOCK
“Uncanny Valley” is a phrase originally coined in the field of aesthetics to describe the feeling of revulsion caused by things which look and move almost but not exactly like natural beings, but has since been used to describe anything which familiar but different enough to be unsettling, creepy and… well… uncanny. The easiest way to describe Lychgate’s second album would be a combination of Symphonic Black Metal and Funeral Doom, but though that’s technically true fans of those two genres are likely to be a little creeped out by Lychgate’s approach to both.
One of the most audible ways in which Lychgate stand out is their use of keys, especially the near-omnipresent Church Organ. Nothing new itself, of course, but rather than simply garnishing riffs or creating “atmospheric” space-filler, Lychgate frequently use their organ (tee hee) as a lead instrument, creating a genuinely unsettling sense of otherness in those used to more conventional Metal songwriting. The production lends further weight to this impression, the guitars taking on a cold, clipped feeling that times calls to mind old Castlevania soundtracks.
Both of these things would be irrelevant, of course, without the song-writing to back them up, and Lychgate continue to buck both Black Metal and Doom orthodoxy with broken, nightmarish compositions that draw as much from Prog and psychedelia as from any Metal sub-genre. Greg Chandler (also of Esoteric) uses his distinctively damaged-sounding vocals to lend further emotional weight to an alternately bombastic and ghostly selection of songs.
This is Black Metal for people who like the idea of Black Metal more than the reality. Doom for people who want to go beyond stolen Sabbath riffs and feedback. Prog Metal for people who wish the term didn’t have anything to do with Opeth. Simultaneously familiar and genuinely unusual, An Antidote For The Glass Pill (Blood Music) is likely to be one of the most interesting and distinctive releases in three over-saturated genres this year.
8.0/10
RICHIE HR
With Ascending Hate (AFM) the Italian Symphonic Black Metal band Graveworm presents their ninth studio album – a beastie that has been three and a half years in the making, but well worth the wait!
One of my favourite elements on this album is the piano which is overlaid on the music, for instance in ‘Downfall of Heaven’ or ‘Rise Again’; the contradiction between the black metal and the more sensitive piano really adds depth to the compositions. Another contradiction that really made me happy was that between the music and the lyrics in songs like ‘Blood Torture Death’ as never before have lyrics like those been sung of such a cheerful melody.
The opening track, ‘The Death Heritage’, is one of the highlights on this album, and sets the bar really high. It has a nice acoustic intro on classical guitar, which is then penetrated by heavy, electric distorted guitar before the metal ensues, with blast-beats and grunts, and you can really appreciate the skills that went into the composition. The guitars add melodies that support the growls, and the synth-heavy breaks are also very tasteful and mysterious.
‘To The Empire of Madness’ has very good drumming, and a lovely acoustic break which is interspersed with more metal. The guitar riffs are once again excellent and the grunts, like the rest of the song, are very dynamic, meaning that it holds the attention from start to finish. The acoustic outro is one of the many points on the album where you really get to admire the skill and tastefulness of guitarists Eric Righi and Stefan Unterpertinger.
‘Stillborn’ features yet more incredible instrumentation from all musicians, with a slower pace but is very intense. ‘Liars to the Lions’, on the other hand, is very fast, but it also contains those intense melancholic sections that Graveworm excels at, while despite the clear and polished sound, ‘Sons of Lies’ has a lovely gritty atmosphere. The switch that Stefano Fiori makes between his low and high grunts is one of the reasons I really enjoyed this track.
The closing number of the album is ‘Nocturnal Hymns Part II’. The first Nocturnal Hymns featured on the 1999 As Angels Reach the Beauty album (Serenades), and this new version uses the old motifs to create a more modern and heavy song. It is once again very dynamic, and the guitar riffs halfway through really build a lot of tension. I think this is a very strong finish to what is a very strong album, and it is great to have older work reprised this way.
8.0/10
LORRAINE LYSEN
Fortune favours the brave, and Carach Angren are forging something of a name for themselves by putting effort into the narratives of their albums, and looking to create something that at least pokes a toe outside the rigid walled box labelled “Black Metal”. A concept album that unfurls telling a story of two children caught up in a chilling horror (no spoilers here, if you want to find out the full extent of a tale that makes King Diamond’s tales seem like bedtime stories you will need to find out the hard – and heavy – way), This Is No Fairytale (Season of Mist) is the Dutch orators most compelling release to date.
Eschewing the usual black metal practice of ripping off thirty year old albums (praise be the dark lord!), Carach Angren are trying something different, with reference points of Abrahadabra (Nuclear Blast) and Grand Declaration of War (Necropolis), This Is No Fairytale takes the blood-curdling scream of black metal, and mixes it in the cauldron with a caustic steampunked Nachtmystium, darkened Imaginaerium (Nuclear Blast) symphonics and a liberal dose of Tim Burton.
While the resultant “whole” unfortunately doesn’t quite equal the sum of its parts, there are some very good parts here. The Dutch trio’s fourth album is an ambitious and enjoyable album, though at times it does allow certain tracks to outstay their welcome (‘Two Flies Flew Into A Black Sugar Cobweb’) and perhaps lacks a certain je ne sais quoi in the hook department.
This isn’t to put This Is No Fairytale down, because “when you reach for the stars, you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either” (Leo Burnett) and this stomping, frictional theatrical album conjures twisted Burton-esque images, especially during interlude ‘Dreaming of a Nightmare in Eden’. Carach Angren are at least looking to carve their own niche, and they aren’t too far from pulling the twisted nails of faith together to make their own maddened masterpiece.
Patience be thy virtue, Carach Angren.
7.0/10
STEVE TOVEY
Dutch Symphonic Black Metallers Carach Angren are streaming their entire new album This Is No Fairytale (Season of Mist) at this location. Due for release next week on February 24th, the album was recorded by Patrick Damiani and the band last June and is was mixed by Peter Tägtgren and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren. The album is said to be a concept album the origins of which the band commented:
“(It is an) Utterly dark tale of two desperate children on a terrible quest to escape total darkness. As music and lyrics take you from chapter to chapter you will learn about the inevitable outcome… This Is No Fairytale”
Ghost Cult has partnered up with the legendary Victory Records to send you and a friend to one of 4 dates of the upcoming tour from Canadian Symphonic Black Metal band Erimha, as they pillage the mid-western USA with the masked psychopaths in Mushroomhead.
The dates of the contest are as follows:
12/11 – St. Louis, MO @ Mad Magician
12/17 – Joliet, IL @ Mojoes
12/18 – Ft. Wayne, IN @ Pierre’s
12/21 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
Winners will be chosen at random. Enter to Win by emailing Contest@GhostCultMag.com with your name, age, address, phone number and the specific show you want to go to. The prize includes one pair (2) of tickets to the shows listed above, and only covers entry into the concert. See below for disclaimer and other rules.
Erimha continues to gain attention from the metal masses, following an esteemed climb in the underground that led to their signing. They are hot on the heels of playing every date of last summer’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival and are still out on the road supporting Reign Through Immortality (Victory).
Official Press Release:
Black metal unit Erimha have teamed up with their metal colleagues Mushroomhead for a US tour starting December 11th in St. Louis. Joining the trek are UnSaid Fate and Thira, bringing metal to the masses before concluding in Columbus, OH on December 26th.
“We are more than eager to get back on the road, to us it's a war that we need to wage on ourselves and on the world. So join us, so we can channel our energies and fight together as one”, declares Erimha guitarist Kthien.Turning over new fans on the Rockstar Mayhem Festival this past summer, Erimha continue to support their current album Reign Through Immortality. Kthiem affirms the kinship, “One of the things you always seem to forget when you go on the road is the people you get to meet. We have been lucky to meet some amazing people, some become friends, others more than that and now we are lucky to go back out on tour with our brothers from Mushroomhead”.
Watch Erimha’s latest video “Verdict Of The Soul” here
Erimha ON TOUR WITH MUSHROOMHEAD
12/11 – St. Louis, MO @ The Mad Magician
12/12 – Waterloo, IA @ Spicoli’s
12/13 – Ringle, WI @ Q & Z Center
12/14 -Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom
12/15 – Springfield, MO @ Outland Ballroom
12/16 – Bloomington, IL @ Castle Theatre
12/17 – Joliet, IL @ Mojoes
12/18 – Ft. Wayne, IN @ Pierre’s
12/19 – Flint, MI @ Machine Shop
12/20 – Traverse City, MI @ Planet Rock
12/21 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
12/22 – Covington, KY @ Madison Theater
12/26 – Columbus, OH @ Alrosa Villa
www.victoryrecords.com/Erimha
Music video “Condemned To Isolation”
The line between “eclectic” and “messy” is a dangerous one. It’s a popular approach in Metal, and bands like Sigh have always made throwing a pile of disparate sounds and influences into a bag and shaking them up sound easy. On their debut album Rise Of The Empress (Peaceville), White Empress (featuring Cradle Of Filth guitarist Paul Allender), have unfortunately shown us how difficult it can be to get right.
On paper, at least, Rise Of The Empress is an epic-scale clash of symphonic keyboards, Goth-club dance elements, groovy riffs and accessibly vicious Black-ish Metal, topped with the alternatively rocking, commanding and shrieking vocals of the White Empress herself (also called Mary Zimmer). Not the most unique combination, perhaps, but nevertheless an ambitious one, and they’ve got the right ingredients for it. Allender’s playing is as sharp and hook-driven as people familiar with his work in Cradle would expect, and the album is studded with catchy riffs and grooves. The strongest single element, however, is Zimmer’s voice – embracing a range of tones and styles effectively, she comes the closest to giving the album the sense of consistency that it lacks.
If the individual elements are all handled effectively, the problem here (and I’m afraid that it’s a big one) is how they’re put together. Most songs lack individual character – loose assortments of riffs, grooves and keyboard swells held together by their placement on the album rather than any sense of meaningful composition. The album frequently aims for the dramatic, even the (forgive me) “epic”, but without a strong character it generally falls flat, a wall of flashy sound and gestures with no memorable depth behind it.
For all its promise, Rise Of The Empress is ultimately a weak album composed of strong parts, with plenty of individual moments to enjoy but little sense of depth to the record itself. By far the best thing about it is the potential for the future – with a tightening up of song-writing and a greater sense of drama their second album might be genuinely worth paying attention to.
5.5/10
RICHIE HR
Paving their path supported in their own effort since 2001, the Spanish blackened death metallers Noctem have released this year the third full-length Exilium, via Prosthetic Records/Art Gates Records.
This band is clearly an enthusiastic one regarding the grandeur of darkness and providing a touch of celestial taste to the songs in Exilium, the operatic choruses appear in tracks like ‘Apsu Dethroned’ or ‘Eidolon’ dancing above the black metal distorted guitar riffs that sometimes are alternated with solos or cleaner moments that exalts their death metal vein.
Noctem aren’t a band deprived of melody regarding the organic instruments – on the contrary however, the first melodic soundscapes are truly felt in the fourth track ‘Namtar’s Crown’ in which, from its beginning to the end, the guitar riffs go up and down harmoniously somehow recalling Dissection. And in a moment of diversity, the guitar picking technique is used in ‘Halo of Repugnance’ something that’s not so usual in this genre, but I admit it was put there in a perspicacious way.
‘The Adamantine Doors’ is without doubt the pinnacle of Exilium in which Noctem’s symphonic side emerges with great splendor through the orchestrations lined by wind instruments with some reminiscences of Dimmu Borgir in their less raw phase. In spite of these characteristics, the double pedals of the drums are brilliantly heard. The using of those symphonic tools is so evident that the record even ends with an elegant orchestral version of the song.
As a final observation I would point the overusing of the shredding technique as a downside, but all the other features are able to overcome that – like the acoustic song ‘Egregor’. Beleth, alongside Exo, is one of the two remaining founding members and his voice is still potent and quite raw in some passages employing to the album his huge experience.
7/10
DIOGO FERREIRA
With debut album Takasago Army Tawainese metal outfit Chthonic really found their stride and it raised their profile considerbly in both Europe and North America; gearing up for the release of Bu-Tik the band is poised for even greater things. Ghost Cult caught up with bassist Doris Yeh to see what’s going on in the Chthonic world.Continue reading