ANHEDONIST “Netherwards”

Release Date: May, 2012

Label: Dark Descent (CD) / Nuclear Winter (LP)

I remember those time when as a young person I was deeply attracted (like most metalheads) to the gothic (or “atmospheric” as we called them) metal scene led by bands like PARADISE LOST or ANATHEMA (I’m talking about their mid-to-late 90s era here). When seeking their roots in their earlier works that followed the (as defined by the older fans) doom/death current, I came across music that sounded so distant and otherworldly to my uneducated ears. Although hard to absorb, records like “Serenades” or “Turn Loose The Swans” had something of a secret aura that gave to those sounds an eternal, secluded place in my heart.

So, the resurrection of this kind of music during recent years, even at underground level, through over-taleneted bands like ANHEDONIST, I cannot but open the door of the time-vessel for a small trip to the early 90s. Four years after their magnificent “The Drear” demo, the Americans’ full-length debut “Netherwards” comes as a well stirred mixture of the death metal darkness as presented by INCANTATION with the british despair found in the early recording of aforementioned ANATHEMas well as MY DYING BRIDE and the rest of the “joyful” heroes. Sometimes heavy and rhythmic as fuck like the opener “Saturnine”, other times mournful and lyrical as in the full of bitter lead melodies “Estrangement”, the four men from Seattle deliver their own thesis in pain and (mainly) its irreversibility. They make it clear with the viciousness of their rhythm section (giving the drums such a fitting deep sound was a perfect choice) that paves the way in order for the minimal and old-school-to-the-bone guitars to build the listener personal prison cell.

If your one of those people, who sometimes feel an inexplicably unbearable solitude surrounding them, than you’ve just found an appropriate companion. ANHEDONIST’s doom/death legacy will either show you the way out or will become the stone attached securely to your legs, dragging you straight into the abyss…

INQUISITION, EMBRACE OF THORNS

Date: May 13, 2012

Location: 7Sins Club, Athens – Greece

INQUISITION’s extensive touring schedule during the last years, brought them to Greece once again 1½  year after their first show in the same club. Unfortunately, this time far fewer fans showed up to attend a show of almost guaranteed old-school black metal but then it’s a fact that people here are going through hard times lately.

In any case, EMBRACE OF THORNS were much more than just a suitable opening act. Their continuous evolution has brought them to a level where (I believe) they should feel equal to most of the bands they play with. This time, although performing in somewhat inconvenient circumstances (stage lighting was absolutely tragic and sound, although not bad at all, could be a bit clearer to enhance the diversity of their songs), they gave the best gig among those I have attended. Tracks from recent opus “Praying For Absolution” (with the self-titled being a tremendous highlight) were performed in all their glory along with hymns from their past. I can’t wait to see them again in Berlin later this year.

For veterans INQUISITION there was no problem to continue the gig in full evil-metal atmosphere. In fact I believe that they were even better than last time, now also having yet another very good record (“Ominous Doctrines…”) in their back catalogue. Again they produced massive sonic walls, although being only two people on stage, setting high standards whether playing epic hymns or their more aggressive, early BATHORY driven tracks. Old (“Imperial Hymn For Our Master Satan”) and new (“Astral Path To Supreme Majesties”) tunes were combined causing a certain enthusiasm to the fans and the night carried on almost flawlessly since the sound was very good also, with the only negative thing being the low attendance, a fact that many times discourages promoters from bringing such underground bands to our country. So be it though, for those of us there were fortunate enough to be a part of mystical macrocosm full of dismal orations. Until next time, amigos!

“Nefarious Dismal Orations” live footage ~~> HERE

NADIWRATH/HEXENMEISTER “Raze The Cosmic Inexistence (split CD)”

Release Date: April, 2012

Label: Moribund Records

Did you miss them? Well, I did. It’s been over a year after the release of “Nihilistic Stench”, one of the records that captivated so successfully nowadays decay of the human societies and NADIWRATH strike back, alongside Ukrainian act HEXENMEISTER, with a split release bound to cause some surprise to the fans.

That is, forget –at least temporarily– about all the punk elements that made the full-length a hate bomb ready to explode. Now concentrate on the closing opus “Memories Are Dead” with its definite depressive motives. Well, this is the case here, with NADIWRATH presenting a nearly 20-minute opus, an ode to eternal grey skies (ironically –or not– the sky actually turned from sunny to grey when I first inserted this record in my stereo). Almost steadily at mid-tempo rhythm, “The Last Days Of The Parasitical Results Of Humanity” is one of the best pieces of depressive or suicidal blackmetal I’ve ever heard, and considering that this kind of blackmetal isn’t exactly my favorite, I think here we have something exceptional. But be careful of the closing minutes. There is so much despair and hating of the inner self here, that I don’t know how easily this can be handled; I for once, had a hard time getting over it…

…Thankfully, HEXENMEISTER’s significantly lighter style was at this point more than welcome. And I’m stating this fully aware of the fact that I always had a certain dislike for the so-called atmospheric/post/blackmetal hybrid. On the other hand, I can’t ignore that Ukrainian guy Bran has some talent in song-writing at least based on the 3-part track he is presenting us in this split. “Elegy To The Echoes” starts with a mid-90s atmospheric metal tone, adding some progressive approach and of course the necessary desperate black vocal shrieks. After a brief acoustic post-rock passage, part 3 of the track comes as pure blackmetal catharsis or condemnation –you decide the case–, closing the split in style and making it all in all a more than worthwhile release for those with darkness in their souls to pay attention to.

DECADES #2: PRIMORDIAL “Storm Before Calm” – What Is Still Sleeping Within

I always held great respect for the spirit of a true Irishman. It was (and is) a symbol of never giving up no matter what tragedies you might encounter in life; the essence of the eternal fighter. If I were to transform the above words into music then I would not need more than the songs of PRIMORDIAL and the lyrics of Nemtheanga.

It must have been some cold evening sometime in the late winter of 2002 when I first met with their music. Enchanted by the eye on the cover art, staring right through me, I inserted “Storm Before Calm” into the stereo and Ciaran’s guitar chords instantly placed their claws around my heart. This was the dawn of “The Heretic’s Age” but what did it remind me? Surely it wasn’t anything like the Norwegian blackmetal I was mostly familiar with at the time. And then it hit me, “yes, this is the proud descendant of a record similar to what none would ever see the light of day again – I’m talking about “Hammerheart” of course”.

From that moment and onwards the seven tracks of this album would be my steady companion during any difficult time should I encounter. The bursting riffs after the acoustic intro of “Fallen To Ruin” would always provide unique chills to my spine, and then “Cast To The Pyre”, with its steady epic rhythm, called for me (and everyone) to stand before any unfinished business needed to be completed before moving forward. “It is not enough to kindle the fire, one must BE the fire” claims Alan trying to awaken “What Sleeps Within” and everything leads to most epic song ever written since “One Rode To Asa Bay”; nothing will ever transcend above the third verse of “Sons Of The Morrigan”.

There is not much meaning in writing about the musical direction of the album. It’s simply the blend of epic metal at its best, black metal of mostly Central European origin (early SAMAEL i.e.) and the Celtic roots of Eire that make PRIMORDIAL so unique. In the next few months after that first contact, I became familiar with their previous works too– that is the magnicifent folk/blackmetal “Imrama” masterpiece, the agony and nostalgia of “Journey’s End” and the call to arms from “Spirit The Earth Aflame”. Naturally, I embraced all the albums they released afterwards up to last year’s thrilling “Redemption At The Puritans Hand”, as I now am bound for life with this band’s music, but nothing will probably replace what “Storm Before Calm” stands for me.

During the last years I have wondered many times why a band with such quality records, praised by fans and critics, having appeared in magazine covers and top-tens, still after more than 15 years of existence hasn’t gain a status (in popularity terms) equal to bands like AMON AMARTH or whatever the hell is promoted these days as the new “metal kings”. Why in Greece for example, where they have a very strong fan base in terms of devotion, are they still playing in clubs of 400 people capacity at most? And then the answer is right in front of me. This is music for the non-compromising. And compromise is the modern worlds new religion…

MGŁA “With Hearts Toward None”

Release Date: February, 2012

Label: Northern Heritage

There are those certain times, when the first listening of some record makes me wanna get to the roof and howl at the moon; such is the excitement I feel. It might not be the most innovative musical piece, it might not even be the best of its genre, yet it’s the album that will seize the day and become the ideal bridge over which every occult aspect of the (hyper)human subsistence finds its way out of the body.

“With Hearts Toward None” is MGŁA’s most important roll of the dice to date and they win by bringing three sixes. By throwing away the heavy burden of having debuted with their part on the historical “Crushing The Holy Trinity” trilogy, as well as having released some fine EPs and the “Groza” full-length, the two men from Poland come forth to set their own –less harsh maybe, yet absolutely more concise– sound. Faithful to their vision, once again they avoid giving titles to their tracks, assuming their works as single concepts, simply divided into subsections. And somewhere amid the third part of “With Hearts…” comes the revelation; the belief that this music (and now I’m talking about METAL in general) still holds inside the flames that awaken memories and stand as guide in one’s everyday battles.

The new album from MGŁA is everything that WATAIN tried to do with “Lawless Darkness” (and failed), as well as what ASCENSION approached –with a lot of inspiration and devotion, indeed– with “Consolamentum”. It’s the as-epic-as-it-gets riffs, which don’t have to be countless (in fact some of them are present throughout the whole record, thus strengthening the sense of a true concept) nor always disharmonic or cacophonous. It’s the feeling of pure heavy sound of the old days flowing into the arteries of their blackmetal. It’s the pounding drums of a war to come and the bass guitar that makes speakers grind. It’s those vocals that sing their manifest with such faith, that come to give to the lyrics meanings between the lines so that once the loudspeaker is heard to preach “from the midst of cold ash, comes the voice of the living god…” one is ready to burst out in the streets and search for his (or her) own “Living God”.

“With Hearts Toward None” is the first truly great record of 2012. It succeeds at that because M. and Darkside (both also in KRIEGSMASCHINE –make sure to listen to “Altered States Of Divinity” at some point) redefine blackmetal without stepping one inch away from its pronciples and produce such faith and soul equal to an army of Mujahideen. If the Mayas are right and the world is about to end in the coming December, this is the record that will spin in my stereo when the time comes…

REVENGE “Scum.Collapse.Eradication”

Label: Nuclear War Now! / Osmose

Release Date: February, 2012

No surprises here. James Read’s REVENGE have established themselves as leaders of the black/death metal underground for the past decade with releases of magnificent power such as the “Attack.Blood.Revenge” EP and, above all, the “Triumph.Genocide.Antichrist” debut.

It was the crushing, yet intelligent riffing one could hear behind the wall of sound, the hysterical solos, the double vocal attacks, Helmkamp’s warm bass. The latter might be missing from “Scum.Collapse.Eradication” but everything else is here. As always, the assault is spread into eight tracks that manage to achieve unity between them as well as each of them maintaining a personality of its own with my favorites being “Parasite Gallows” where the barking vocals make way for a doomy chorus and “Banner Degradation” with its rhythmic crawling second part.

The good thing about REVENGE is that they don’t spend their creativity in countless releases such as splits, 7’’s, EPs; it’s the best eight tracks per four years what you get. The followers of Ross Bay Cult have already embraced “Scum.Collapse.Eradication”. For the rest of those who find inspiration in the most extreme manifestations of metal, this record is the ideal way to express their rejection of a pathetic society. But get a good set of speakers/headphones first…

APTORIAN DEMON “Libertus”

Release Date: February, 2011

Label: Kyrck Productions)

Not much time has passed since the talk about Norway’s return, in recent worth-mentioning blackmetal acts, the cause being THRONE OF KATARSIS’ last record. If the latter belong to a sect that devoutly, yet inspiringly, follows the footsteps of their “classic” compatriot groups, then bands like APTORIAN DEMON are those that aim to project a reflection of that kind of music to the present.

Of course, recommendations are far more than encouraging. Their debut EP had the honour of a vocal guest appearance by the mighty Vicotnik, while two members also participate to equally interesting MARE (their “Spheres Like Death” EP should find its way into your sound system at some point; if it hasn’t already). There might have been seven quiet years until we had the chance to listen to their new material (released by Hellenic label Kyrck Productions) but even from the first notes of “Libertus” the outcome proves to be worth the wait.

A.D. wisely avoid an intentionally “bad” sound production in the veins of the early 90s (something similar nowadays causes a smile at best, a yawn at worst) and fill their compositions with the highly embraced, crushing riffing once upon a time established by MAYHEM, THORNS, DHG and many more of their compatriots. But they don’t just complacent there. The Norwegians embed fitting acoustic passages to lead the listener into a state of calmness before entering chaos (hear the hypnotic middle part of the 13-minute self-titled track until the epic outburst). They use with mastery the ability of in-depth musical approach to metal, given by that (much forsaken) organ named bass guitar. And finally they colour their tracks in various shades of grey (behold the old-school artwork) by enhancing multi-level vocals to fit different kinds of dark mood.

In the end, APTORIAN DEMON achieve something simple yet uncommon. They distinguish themselves among tons of similar-sounding bands, without being pioneers of anything and for that, one should hold responsible their six (plus one hidden instrumental) solid compositions; one different from the other while simultaneously sharing strong bonds between them in some strange way. If you’re looking for a special blackmetal album that’s still faithful to the genre’s principles, then… bingo!