Black Metal

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Black Metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It often employs fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, double-kick drumming, and unconventional song structure.

During the 1980s, certain thrash metal bands established a prototype for black metal. This so-called "first wave" included bands such as Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer and Celtic Frost. A "second wave" emerged in the early 1990s, which consisted primarily of Norwegian bands such as Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Immortal and Emperor. This scene developed the black metal style into a distinct genre.

Black metal has been met with considerable hostility from mainstream culture, mainly due to the misanthropic and anti-Christian ideology of many artists. Additionally, some musicians have been associated with church burnings, murder or National Socialism. For these reasons and others, black metal is often viewed as an underground form of music.

Black Metal Sub-Genres

Atmospheric Black Metal

Depressive Black Metal

Melodic Black Metal

Pagan Black Metal

Symphonic Black Metal

War Metal

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_metal

Sub-genre collaborators:
  • adg211288 (leader)
  • 666sharon666
  • TheHeavyMetalCat

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4.71 | 11 ratings
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NAGELFAR
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black metal Music Reviews

KOSTNATĚNÍ ÚPAL

Album · 2023 · Black Metal
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siLLy puPPy
Brashly making his presence known on the black metal stage in 2023, the mysterious D.H. aka Hornet Murmuration delivers a new slice of his one-man band KOSTNATĚNÍ fueled with Deathspell Omega inspired black metal enshrined with Turkic folk music exoticism and technical wizardry workouts. Alternating between EPs and full-length releases, 2023 finds at the second album’s worth of diabolical dementia in the form of ÚPAL which in the Czech language means “Heatstroke” and given how scorchingly hot this release is, one must be cautious as not to descend into unintentional self-immolation.

Yes you read correctly. KOSTNATĚNÍ hails from Minnesota in the USA but adopts Turkic folk scales into his technical black metal furor and although black metal lyrics are rarely intelligible without the proper written accompaniments, in this case D.H. has found a unique gimmick by screaming, rasping and wheezing his blasphemous subject matter at full decibelage in the national tongue of what is today the Czech Republic leaving us only to speculate his true heritage and why anyone would even bother unless they were already well steeped in this tiny niche in the greater Slavic family of languages.

ÚPAL features seven tracks that see session drummer Andrew Lee of Azath, Disincarnation, Ghul, Ripped To Shreds, Serpent Rider and Skullsmasher at the percussionist’s throne and delivers some drum kit abuse par excellence giving the album more of a band effect than would otherwise be reflected by the mere backdrop of programmed drum machines or a lesser talent. As far as the rest of the instrumentation goes, D.H. proves to be a beast on guitar, bass and tortured vocals thrashing around like a hideous monstrosity from Hades itself where he found the portal into our world and is now engaging in aural atrocities.

While KOSTNATĚNÍ may at times evoke a deep sense of Deathspell Omega worship as heard on classic recordings such as 2010’s “Paracletus,” this act keeps itself relevant and out of the clone labeling department by distinguishing itself with the lush exotic musical arrangements as heard in Anatolian rock, folk and all things inherited from the former Ottoman Empire. The fusion is seamless with blistering jittery riffing frenzies doused in dissonance and utter evil commingling effortlessly with the pleasing Turkish sounds of the Orient. The blistering abuse and bantering bravado take up a traditional album’s length of nearly 39 minutes no weak spots warranting an early departure.

While the black metal churns on like the most frenetic of the lot, the moments of slower folk-fueled moments such as the opening parts of the track “Opál” allow a bit of a break from the boisterous bleakness of the sonic raping of the senses. While the Deathspell Omega influences can be a bit in your face with those infamous jangle guitar tones and jittery math rock unease, D.H. manages to walk a pretty decent tightrope act between the two opposing forces that make an unlikely truce in the sonic war at play. For my liking this is an excellent album that cuts through the din of the competition to stand out in one of the metal world’s most crowded nooks. Each release showcases an increase in competency and originality so it’s fair to say that KOSTNATĚNÍ is only getting started.

WINTERHORDE Neptunian

Album · 2023 · Melodic Black Metal
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adg211288
It's a rare album review where I can still remember certain comments I made about it years after the fact, but that's the case for me with the previous album of Israel's Winterhorde, Maestro (2016). I remember the spiel of excitement I formed my review's introduction around, talking about how getting certain albums in my inbox from labels or promoters would lead to that album being given absolute priority to. Maestro was one such album and naturally Neptunian (2023), generated the same excitement. Make no mistake about Winterhorde: these guys are damn good. I also remember how I ended that review though, lamenting how it had been six years since Underwatermoon (2010) and hoping that it wouldn't take another six years before we heard a follow-up. Turns out it's taken seven. I guess some bands just aren't going to be as productive as others and as they have been releasing albums of such a high standard, it was okay.

It was okay...until Neptunian.

As I listened to the album for the first time, I felt my excitement gradually fading, replaced by shock, confusion and horror. What had happened to the band that made those amazing earlier albums? What had made them deliver THIS as their long awaited fourth studio album?

(Sighs deeply, trying to regain composure)

Okay, so Neptunian isn't a bad sounding release per se. But it's an extremely underwhelming one that seems to contain none of the kind of special character I've come to expect from Winterhorde's compositions that made particularly the Underwatermoon and Maestro albums such a joy to listen to. The progressive flair that defined those albums seemed watered down to the point of being swallowed by the ocean's tides, leaving a melodic/symphonic black metal album behind that, while far from terrible, just isn't that exciting to listen to.

If this album were from a new band releasing their debut and I heard it they might pass me by with a few lukewarm comments about potential, but this is a new album from Winterhorde. They're a band which had previously figuratively put my jaw firmly on the floor with their progressive take on melodic black metal. Twice. The expectations for such a band are higher, as is the standard I hold them to, which also makes the disappointment in this case so much worse. Coupled with the waiting time factor of seven years, this makes Neptunian one of those things that does not seem worth it no matter what angle I try to look at it from.

And my word I hate saying that about this band, I really do. I bloody love these guys. I meant what I said in my opener to this review that they are damn good. I own all three of their prior albums and while I don't give as much playtime to their debut Nebula (2006), both Underwatermoon and Maestro get spun regularly. Unfortunately Neptunian just doesn't hold a candle to them, despite repeated spins in hope that it's one of those albums that may not wow at first but improves with familiarity.

Sadly it was not.

MARDUK Memento Mori

Album · 2023 · Black Metal
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Kev Rowland
In some ways Marduk have been incredibly stable in that founder guitarist Evil (Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson) has been at the helm for more than 20 years while singer Mortuus (Daniel Rostén) joined all the way back in 2004 but in other areas not so much. Drummer Bloodhammer (Simon Schilling) only joined in 2019, after the last album, while long-term bassist Devo (Magnus Andersson) left in 2019 to concentrate on session work (although he has guested on this album, while Mortuus and ex-bassist Joel Lindholm also contribute). One always knows what to expect with Marduk, and with their fifteenth studio album they have not disappointed.

When asked about ‘Memento Mori’ Daniel Rostén said, “Memento Mori is, all at once, a bold leap forward, a calculated sidestep, and a wistful backward glance. Meaning, we have broken new ground without forgetting our legacy or the journey that brought us to this point.” This actually makes sense as while there are obvious links back to the last album, ‘Viktoria’, and others going all the way back to the Nineties, the band are still attempting to progress within the black metal scene while never moving out of it. There are times, such as on “Charlatan”, where the drums, vocals and guitar are all moving in one direction while the bass is very much in another, which creates some space within the music and then when the bass aligns itself again it feels quite dramatic and more forceful. The use of micro breaks of space allows the music to reset and come back hard again while drummer Simon Schilling is a real find and it is no surprise that he is in so much demand (At the Grave, Eucharist, Hate Manifesto, Nervecell (live), ex-Belphegor, ex-Panzerchrist, ex-Paragon Belial, ex-Streams of Blood, ex-As Stormclouds Gather (live), ex-Der Weg einer Freiheit (live), ex-Fleshcrawl (live), ex-Infestus (live), ex-Kaoteon (live), ex-Monument of Misanthropy (live), ex-Nargaroth (live)) as he is a force to be reckoned with, providing an over the top dynamic attack yet he also knows when to pull back and provide more space.

More than 30 years since their inception, Marduk show no sign at all of slowing down yet.

IMMORTAL War Against All

Album · 2023 · Black Metal
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Kev Rowland
I don’t have the energy to try and encapsulate everything which has happened with Immortal over the years and the legal battles which have taken place, but since the departure of Abbath in 2015 Demonaz has again started playing guitar and also took on lead vocals. Drummer Horgh is no longer in the band, leaving Demonaz as the sole member (this was completed with producer/bassist/guitarist Arve Isdal (Enslaved) and guest drummer Kevin Kvåle (Gaahls Wyrd)). Immortal have long been thought of as one of the top black metal bands around, due to the importance of their first seven albums, with the last of these being 2002’s ‘Sons of Northern Darkness’. However, since then there has been a singular dearth of releases with just one album featuring Abbath, Demonaz and Horgh, and this is the second since Abbath departed and the first without Horgh since 1997’s ‘Blizzard Beasts’.

Okay, history lesson over, so what is this actually like? Well, it’s bloody good, that’s what. Demonaz stayed with the band as lyricist after he lost the ability to play guitar due to acute tendonitis back in the Nineties, but an operation in 2013 allowed him to play again, and he is obviously relishing the opportunity while he also shows he could have taken on a more leading role in the vocal department as he sounds as if he has always been doing this instead of just recently. This is a statement album if there ever was one, with Demonaz showing he is proud to be working under the name Immortal and is determined the music lives up to the legacy. This is not a cash-in, but rather a concerted powerful effort of someone who wants to restore what the band used to be about, driving the scene forward. Okay, so we could have done without the instrumental “Nordlandhir” as it is just too twee and nice when compared with the rest of the album, but Demonaz more than makes up for it with the likes of “Immortal” where he tells us he is a god of the North, “I am immortal, my spirit of ice, My blood is frozen, I dwell in the cold”. This has all the signs of a band reborn, with what is easily the best album from Immortal in many years. If you have wondered what has been happening with this once-great band then wonder no more, as they are back with a vengeance.

TORMENTOR Anno Domini

Album · 1995 · Black Metal
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UMUR
"Anno Domini" is a demo release by Hungarian black/thrash metal act Tormentor. The demo has been released in many versions, formats, and reissues through the years, but the original version was independently released in August 1988 as a demo cassette tape. It was recorded in a professional studio in 1988 and was originally meant to be released as the band´s debut full-length studio album, but because of label issues/living behind the iron curtain, that never materialized and the band were forced to release the album as a demo instead, just to get it out. It wasn´t until 1995 the album saw a prober label release. Tormentor was formed in 1985 and is mostly known for featuring later Mayhem vocalist Attila Csihar in the ranks, but "Anno Domini" is also widely regarded as an underground black/thrash metal "classic".

Stylistically the material on "Anno Domini" is blackened thrash metal, strongly influenced by the usual 1980s suspects in that style in Bathory, Hellhammer, Venom, and early Kreator/Sodom. Attila Csihar has a blackened croaky snarl, which works really well, and it´s not surprising that Euronymous would ask him just a few years down the line to join Mayhem after Dead´s suicide. He is definitely a great vocalist for the style.

The instrumental part of the music is predominantly fast-paced, raw, and aggressive blackened thrash metal, although the band take the pace down to a heavier mid-tempo at times. Tormentor are overall a very well playing band and both guitar, bass, and drums are well performed and actually a little more varied than what you might expect. It´s an entertaining album throughout. From the opening intro track where Tormentor play an interpretation of the main title theme for the horror movie "Phantasm (1979)" (a theme also used by Swedish death metal act Entombed on the iconic title track from their debut album "Left Hand Path (1990)"), to the closing eerie sounding "Anno Domini" title track, there´s not a single dull moment.

"Anno Domini" features a raw, loud, and powerful sounding production, which suits the rawness of the material perfectly. The drums and the bass may rumble in the low frequencies too much to call the sound production perfect, but on the other hand the unhinged nature and the murkiness of that part of the band´s sound provide the music with great darkness and organic authenticity. So upon conclusion "Anno Domini" is a strong release by Tormentor and it´s no surprise it has retrospectively become a sought after release for fans of 80s blackened thrash metal. It´s not the most seminal or unique sounding release in the genre, but it´s still a great release in its own right. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

black metal movie reviews

ENSLAVED Live Retaliation

Movie · 2003 · Black Metal
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FMOTP
No reviews yet & only 3 ratings for the great ENSLAVED's 1st video production? To quote Will Smith, "That...is unacceptable." Live Retaliation is a very worthy representation of ENSLAVED live. The concert itself is a bit short, but the band shows its skill in playing their varied and fairly complex music. They play a good mix of their oldest songs and more recent ones; Monumension was the band's most recent album at the time.

The audio tracks are a very nice addition, for folks who don't own a lot of their records. Grutle doesn't interact extensively with the audience in concert, beyond introducing the songs & band members. However, that's a problem I have with the great majority of live concerts. The audio quality could be clearer at times, but I'm quibbling. If you love some progressive rock along with your extreme metal, nobody does it better than ENSLAVED. This is well worth your time and money!

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