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Trident Wolf
Eclipse’ is an album that’s both diverse, but also does a better job of staying
within the band’s established wheelhouse.The album’s opening track is a perfect statement of intent: “Nuclear
Alchemy” is the sort of thrashy, high-energy hellstorm that sets the stage for
the rest of the album
‘Trident Wolf Eclipse’ CD//DD//LP track listing:
1). Nuclear
Alchemy
2. Sacred
Damnation
3. Teufelsreich
4. Furor
Diabolicus
5. A
Throne Below
6. Ultra
(Pandemoniac)
7. Towards
The Sanctuary
8. The Fire of Power
9.Antikrists
Mirakel
The Review:
There’s course correction, and then there’s course correction. 2013’s ‘Wild Hunt’ was regarded as something of
a misstep by a sizable portion of the band’s fan base. You could make an
argument that this was either a fan base’s knee-jerk reaction to any kind of
experimentation at all or reasonable reaction with the new direction being seen
as a real downgrade. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, ‘Trident Wolf Eclipse’ is an equal and opposite reaction;
returning to, and building from, the sound they were working with on ‘Lawless Darkness’.
In that sense, the album’s opening track is a
perfect statement of intent: “Nuclear
Alchemy” is the sort of thrashy, high-energy hellstorm that sets the stage
for the rest of the album, while also being an incredible addition to Watain’s
live arsenal. It’s three minutes that runs the entire Watain
gamut, from 90s Swedish black metal to black thrash and with a remarkable knack
for hooks and arrangement.
The rest of the album covers a number of other
bases as well. “Teufelsreich”
alternates between an homage to the middle section of Mayhem’s“Cursed in Eternity” and low-tempo Dissection.
“A Throne Below” focuses on a more
grim, atmospheric darkness. And album closer “Antikrists Mirakel” is an entrancing way to end the album, even
with its near-funeral doom tempo. All of this is to say that the album is—as
contradictory as this sounds—all over the place in a cohesive way.
‘Trident
Wolf Eclipse’ is an album that’s both diverse, but also does a better job
of staying within the band’s established wheelhouse. Those who were dreading
the possibility of further experimentation will be relieved by this return to
safer ground. Those who enjoyed the band exploring new musical terrain will
still find a lot of variety to enjoy, though you won’t find anything as
adventurous as what was found on ‘Wild
Hunt’. In a sense, this is Watain playing it safe, but the
songwriting more than compensates for any perceived lack of forward momentum.
There are times when a band wants to branch out and try something new and
discovers it just wasn’t what they’d hoped for, and that appears to be what Watain
has discovered over the last few years.
Rarely does a recording
embody the dynamism of heavy music, while being legitimately artful and
musically resplendent, "Mareridt," just happens to be one such album
and with it, all your expectations will be exceeded.
"Mareridt" CD//DD//LP track listing
1.
Mareridt
2.
Måneblôt
3.
The Serpent
4.
Crown
5.
Elleskudt
6.
De Tre Piker
7.
Funeral (featuring Chelsea Wolfe)
8.
Ulvinde
9.
Gladiatrix
10.
Kætteren
11.
Børnehjem
The Review:
What
metal fan hasn't had the talk with a friend, partner or acquaintance? You know the talk? It is that moment of judgment.
It is at once an inquiry of a sound as it is a question about you are as a
person. What attracts you to this howling? Implicitly, because it is less
polite, is the query: what in you is broken that prompts you to listen to this?
It
is a thematic inquiry too of course. Extreme music's foreboding images and
confrontational sound are disquieting for listeners of many other styles of
music. Like the ghosts in our stories, the specter of Tipper Gore and the ParentsMusicResourceCenter hangs heavy. For
every genuinely curious question, there are three value-laden ones, which probe
scarring of listeners to such noxious aural assaults.
Without
a doubt, plenty of metal is proudly noxious. The music is by its very
definition bellicose. So, when a recording appears that embodies the dynamism
of heavy music, while being legitimately artful and musically resplendent, it
is singular. Such is the case with the return of Myrkur's new release, "Mareridt."
The
one-woman project of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Amalie Bruun, Myrkur has specialized in the classic sound of
black metal with folkloric as well as orchestral flourishes. Bruum's 2014 debut drew much praise for
its virtuosity. "M," the
2015 follow-up, saw assists from members of Mayhem, Arch Enemy and Ndingr
and received international awards. Buoyed by a live record last year, interest
in Myrkur
has only grown since "M."
You
will have every high expectation exceeded with "Mareridt,"Myrkur's latest. Its title is Danish for "nightmare."
It is anything but.
With
the title track opening the new record, tinges of folk metal with its waves of
ceremony and menace wash over your mind. In addition to being a fantastic start
to the many moods you catch across 11 tracks; it is simply an impeccably
composed song. Outstanding vocals and exemplary instrumentation make it a great
beginning, lolling into crisp guitar work of the fast but understated second
wave of black metal. Like some other cuts on the recording, such as "Gladiatrix" and "De Tre Piker," the title
track sets a blueprint for a blend of metal snarling and otherworldly singing.
Many artists have employed this mode of attack over the years. Myrkur
just happens to do it exceedingly well.
Back
to the talk. To many people, this style of metal is unexpected. For a
mainstream that associates most metal with volume and corpse paint, the
variants like this will challenge opinions. Most labels and more observant fans
recognize the potential for music like this is break boundaries and attract new
audiences. Consider the regard for French act Alcest when it surged to
prominence in the mid-2000s with a black metal style that engulfed shoegaze and
pop strands at points. Having a sound that is at once bold yet divergent is a
blessing and a curse, certainly. By "The
Serpent," your internal conversation may be quite active, as you may
ponder if there is no limit, in truth. It and the following track, "Crown," are easily the most
accessible on the album. Both are appreciable for their artistry. They're also
unlikely to be considered metal by American hardcore fans or the mainstream.
Regardless these cuts, and several other moments, are sure to make you step
back, beyond extreme music, and appreciate their creativity and fearlessness.
Myrkur deserves much
praise for presenting a fully imagined release, one that goes from gauzy to
portent in the blink of an eye. From the efficaciously strong "Funeral," with
singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe, or the closer, "Børnehjem," a supernatural first-person
tale, Bruun is sure to prompt you,
and the friends wanting to have the talk, to think about extreme music in a
renewed way.
This is harsh,
in-your-face, old-school black metal. From the opener "Winter"
onward, Order stakes a claim to the thorny crown with its barbarous shrieks,
lumbering bass and unyielding guitars.
"Lex
Amentiae" CD//DD//LP track listing:
1.
Winter
2.
Prophet
3.
Torquemada
4.
Dugma
5.
Procreation (of the wicked)
6.
Victimized
7.
Folly Grandeur
8.
Order
The Review:
Order clearly cares
little about doing itself favors to the first-time listener. Before even
kicking into the first song, you'll already know its members claim a lineage
going back to the original wave of Norwegian black metal as well as the
region's important death metal scene. If that's not enough to make you take
note, its players have done time in a host of groups you know and love,
including Celtic
Frost, Mayhem, Gluecifer, Cadaver and Satyricon. And this is not just
some dude who joined the group in Lineup Version 245; we're talking drummer Kjetil Mannheim and Eirik Norheim, of the original 1980s' Mayhem
with the late Øystein
"Euronymous" Aarseth. It is the squad that literally defined the
Nordic black metal sound. Serious O.G. cred, for real.
The
question remains, how is a fresh Norwegian black metal act with a debut
recording gonna even come close to that sort of pedigree?
Fortunately
enough for the members of Order, they know what they do and do it well.
On
its 2017 release "Lex Amentiae"
(roughly translated to 'law of insanity'); Order jumps out with a classic
black metal boom. No subtle string arrangements. No imagery of trees, candles
and crows. This is harsh, in-your-face, old-school black metal. From the opener
"Winter" onward, Order
stakes a claim to the thorny crown with its barbarous shrieks, lumbering bass
and unyielding guitars. It's a refreshing sound, given how amazing the band
sounds together and the number of black metal variations we have right now. But
far from a throwback or novelty, Order feels original and invigorating in
metal.
Nearly
two generations have passed since these guys birthed what many a corpse painted
youngster have sought to do. In songs such as "Procreation (Of the Wicked),"Order make it clear they still
have more music in them, and lessons to teach the new kids. There is an
undeniably quintessential black metal ethos. Such a paradigmatic take may thus
make finding new influences harder. Yet, there is a maturity to the music many
new bands can learn from and be pushed by to test themselves as well.
In
recent interviews, Mannheim has
remarked the album itself is in concept intended to address humanity's
willingness to choose belief over facts, and to side with authoritarians and
monsters, through scourges such as religion. That sort of social commentary in
black metal has been hard to pull off, though the critique of religious faith
is quite familiar. Cuts like "Order"
draw an uncompromising parallel between religion and fascism, with the most
audible, spoken-word-style lyrics of all the songs. It is a somber close to one
of the subgenre's more provocative new releases.
Given the amount
of average extreme music that is available, Nidingr’s release is outstanding
for such depth alone.
"The High Heat Licks Against Heaven"
CD//DD//LP track listing:
1.
Hangaguð
2.
Surtr
3.
The Ballad of Hamther
4.
On DeadBodyShore
5.
Gleipnir
6.
Sol Taker
7.
Ash Yggdrasil
8.
Heimdalargaldr
9.
Valkyries Assemble
10.
Naglfar Is Loosed
The Review:
The
long shadow of Norwegian black metal’s most brutal off-stage moments are the
stuff of countless thinkpieces, documentaries and books. Such history is
deceptive, because the mainstream merely gets grist for tabloid headlines while
a scene that is vibrant as it is seminal to the global metal ecosystem goes
underappreciated.
Borre-based
outfit Nidingr
bear a claim to Norwegian black metal’s story. Formed as Audr in 1992, the project of Morten Iversen has been bruising heads
with its caustic edge to the music. Maybe such a sound for Nidingr is not completely
unexpected. Iversen counts Gorgoroth,
Orcustus,
Mayhem
and other acts on his resume. As you think about that experience, you might
wonder why Nidingr
is considered or classifies itself in the black metal camp. Herein lies a
curious departure in this tale.
What
makes Nidingr
such a unique part of metal in Europe is the
influences you hear in its sound over time. Go back and listen to the crew’s
past releases and you will most assuredly hear doom metal, crust punk and even
some non-extreme orchestration in its songs. Lyrically, the band fits well into
the subgenre, creating often horrific imagery. Iversen and company are not above pushing the musical boundaries,
however.
Your
first trip through "The High Heat
Licks Against Heaven" is a relentless experience. The hefty drum and
bass throughout the recording makes every track particularly foreboding and
intense. The bark of vocalist Cpt.
Estrella Grasa snatches you almost immediately. Grasa, the pseudonym of Alf
Almén, snarls outward with the essence of Norwegian black metal stylings,
but is wholly original. You might catch some inspiration from punk in parts of
the vocal in "The Ballad of
Hamther" and other moments. Mathcore elements dot "On DeadBodyShore"
as well. Credit Almén for his
creativity behind the microphone. He’s giving a performance that will please
the casual listener, while giving the metal music snob something to marvel at.
Given the amount of average extreme music that is available, Nidingr’s
release is outstanding for such depth alone.
One
of the standout selections fans will put on repeat is "Gleipnir" – even though the opening will possibly make
you turn your head and ask, ‘what the
fuck is this?’ It is sandwiched between the
previously mentioned "Shore"
and the similarly hard charging "Sol
Taker" yet sound like neither in the slightest. Instead, there’s a
strong hint of doom. Either way, it is exceptional, as is one of the other
doom/sludge tracks, "Ash
Yggdrasil." You, in fact, may find black metal on the full-length, but
there’s more here than meets the eye.
"The High Heat Licks
Against Heaven" is available here:
The artwork
depicting a mournful android grieving the loss of another android is absolutely
devastating as a visual, and that same feeling permeates the whole musical
experience. It’s bleak, sorrowful, and violent.
‘Artificial Brain’ CD//LP//DD track listing:
1.
Floating in Delirium
2.
Synthesized Instinct
3.
Static Shattering
4.
Estranged from Orbit
5.
Infrared Horizon
6.
Anchored to the Inlayed Arc
7.
Mist like Mercury
8.
Vacant Explorer
9.
Graveyard of Lightless Planets
10.
Ash Eclipse
The Review:
Death
metal isn’t normally seen as an emotional genre. It might thematically play
with fear, trauma, horror, mortality, religion, and related areas, but
emotional depth isn’t something anyone points out when explaining or even
defending death metal in a broader sense. It may be time to change that. Over
the last several years there have been some releases that have helped broaden
death metal’s range in this regard, but there may not be an album that has done
so as effectively (and affectingly) as Artificial Brain’s new
album ‘Infrared Horizon’
“So much deeper than programming” - from“Static Shattering”.
Anyone
who has been lucky enough to hear Artificial Brain’s
debut will be familiar with the general musical idea here: jangly, gnarled
death metal, constantly churning and changing abruptly. The name and theme of
the band has always been apropos; as both their debut and this new album
resemble the sounds metal crashing and crunching violently, even for a metal
band. It’s not just the harsh changes in course; it’s the force and feeling
with which these sharp turns are carried out. Artificial Brain
was a killing machine right out of the gate.
On
‘Infrared
Horizon’, the band gives its killing machine a soul. That process
starts with the absolutely stunning artwork for the album from Adam Burke, who
has also recently done artwork for Vektor, Gatecreeper, and the upcoming Sólstafir
album. The artwork depicting a mournful android grieving the loss of another
android may not read is absolutely devastating as a visual, and that same
feeling permeates the whole musical experience. It’s bleak, sorrowful, and
violent.
None
of this is to say that the band aren’t as sonically devastating as ever. In
fact, they may have topped themselves in the ferocity department thanks to some
well-timed, but absurdly fast palm muting in places. The technique was
something Mayhem made use of during Blasphemer’s time
with that band, but here it’s taken even further, even if it’s used more
sparingly. You could argue that there are other places where black metal makes
an appearance as well. The opening moments of “Static Shattering”
certainly bear some resemblance to it, the title track sees the band somehow channelling
90s Enslaved at about a minute into the title
track while still finding a way to blend that kind of sound into their own. If
anything, it shows that the band are so sure of themselves that they’re willing
to constantly throw in unique stylistic elements like these knowing exactly how
to make them work within their framework.
Artificial Brain arrived fully
formed in 2014, both musically and thematically. They weren’t a band in search
of their voice; they’ve had it from moment one. With ‘Infrared Horizon’, the
band shows us all just how rich and complex and wide ranging that voice can be.
If you thought the band was just a talented band with a cool theme, they’ve
made an emphatic statement about just how much more than that they are. Artificial Brain are much deeper than programming.
‘Infrared
Horizon’ is available digitally here and a CD/LP copy here
(EU) and here (US/NA).
Album Type: Full
Length (Reissue) Date
Released: 20/05/2016 Label: Napalm
Records
This album does to me what people describe psychedelic drugs as
doing for them. In my opinion this is mandatory listening. There are precious
few albums that matter this much to me, and I can only hope that if someone
hears this album for the first time this year, it has the same kind of impact
on them that it’s had on me.
“Nemesis
Divina” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1.The Dark of a New Age
2.Forhekset
3.Mother North
4.Du som hater Gud
5.Immortality Passion
6.Nemesis Divina
7.Tanscendental Requiem of Slaves
The Review:
I
know it’s supposed to be poor form to write about yourself when writing about
an album. “Nobody cares about you, they care about the album!” is a
recurring point made on Twitter. I get it, and when we’re talking about new
albums, I usually agree with it. Please know that if you’re strict about that
particular rule, this isn’t going to be for you. I don’t really have a
structure for this, nor do I have any direction. I’m just going to write about
an album that’s meant more to me than virtually any other. I’m writing about ‘Nemesis Divina’, an album in its 20th
year of existence, recently reissued via Napalm Records. I’m going to talk about why
this album matters so much to me, and why I regard it as being one of the best
black metal albums ever made. If that’s not interesting to you, close the tab
and no hard feelings. Fair enough? Ok, let’s get started.
As
was the case with a lot of the bigger second wave black metal albums of the
90s, I found out about ‘Nemesis Divina’
through a compilation CD. In this case it was the ‘Gods of Darkness’ compilation, which was issued by Nuclear Blast in 1997,
the same year the album got its release in the United States. Back then, the US often got black metal albums quite a bit
later than Europe. Many of these great albums
didn’t see broader distribution in the US until Century Black came to the rescue and became the North
American home of some of the greatest black metal albums of all time. Along
with ‘Nemesis Divina’, Century Black was the
American home for Mayhem’s ‘De
Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’,Emperor’s‘In The Nightside Eclipse’ and ‘Anthems to the Welkin At Dusk’, Ulver’s ‘Nattens Madrigal’, Gorgoroth’s first
three albums, and so many others. That black metal imprint for Century Media was so
vital to making prime Norwegian black metal available throughout the US
that it almost can’t be overstated.
The
song featured on ‘Gods of Darkness’
was, as you’d expect, “Mother North”.
In the 19 years or so that I’ve been listening to ‘Nemesis Divina’, the song went from being my favorite, to
over-playing it and getting burnt out on it, to then coming back around to
appreciating and understanding why people love it so much. “Mother North” is among the most popular
black metal songs of the nineties. When it comes down to it, the reasons for
its popularity are pretty simple. It’s loaded with hooks, and Satyr’s vocals
are comprehensible enough that people can learn—and follow along with—the
lyrics.
I’ll
admit that my 16 year old self might have found occasion once or twice to put
on my most dour black metal face and bellow “Sometimes in the dead of the
night, I mesmerize my soul…” in front of a mirror. In the previous
decade, high school kids were lip syncing and air guitaring to Maiden or Priest. But for
me, it was hours upon hand drumming on my knees to ‘Nemesis Divina’ or ‘De
Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’. It was easy to romanticize Norwegian black metal
as a teenager, even with all of the violence. But that was a non-factor with Satyricon. They
weren’t really a part of the drama that surrounded Mayhem, Burzum, and Emperor. They were just a band. The music on ‘Nemesis Divina’ created it’s own
mystique.
In
terms of knowing about the band itself, I really only had photos in the CD
booklet to go off of. The photo of Satyr, Frost, and Nocturno Culto (credited
as Kveldulv on this album) in front of what, in retrospect, a ridiculous blue family
photo/school picture backdrop. Satyr is seated upon an old wooden chair with
markings along the sides and thrusting a partially intact skull toward the
camera. Frost and Nocturno Culto stand beside him, wielding stylized axes, and
Frost is decked out in some of the most unwieldy spiked gauntlets ever worn by
arms. They were basically just giant nails in place of where the half inch
spikes had been. It was ludicrous. At 16, I imagined Satyricon were
just like that all the time. They didn’t have jobs or families or pets or
regular human lives. Instead, they just lived in a secluded Norwegian forest,
where they dedicated all their time to black metal and ancillary activities. 16
year old me didn’t want to think about Satyr ordering a coffee, or Nocturno Culto
punching a clock and working like I would do the following year. I was like a
young child who watches pro wrestling and doesn’t really understand that
wrestlers were often very different from the personas they played on
television.
But
all these years later, none of the image or package has anything more than a
passing nostalgic value. Today, the music is what matters. Sure, it’s the music
that conjures those fanciful memories, but more than anything it’s about the
constant realization while listening to it, that Satyr, Frost and Nocturno
Culto captured lightning in a bottle back in 1996. ‘Nemesis Divina’ is one of the few albums, of the thousands of
albums I’ve owned and thousands more that I’ve listened to, where there isn’t a
track I skip on purpose. From the opening downbeat of “The Dawn of A new Age” to the final droning keyboard and guitar of
“Transcendental Requiem of Slaves”
it all has resonance, and it’s all important to the album overall.
Everything
works together so well. There has never been a black metal album so well
arranged. Frost is especially important here, as he’s virtually perfect at
coming up with musical drum fills and accents that play into the riff and often
enhance it. It’s those random tom hits on the upbeats, or the intricate
patterns he uses all over the album that bring more to ‘Nemesis Divina’ than any drum performance has brought to any other
black metal album since the genre’s inception. The riffs themselves are burned
in my memory for as long as I live. I could write 20 hundred words about each
song and individual riff, but I doubt there are many of you left reading this
as it is.
There
are few albums that have brought me anything close to the same amount joy that
‘Nemesis Divina’ has. Put on your
headphones, let the world burn around you if it’s going to, and exist only in
the world Satyricon built
with this music back in 1996. When I listen to this album, I get fucking
existential. I’d rather live in the universe this guitar work compels me to
imagine. This album does to me what people describe psychedelic drugs as doing
for them. I’m well passed the point of being ridiculous now, but let’s just say
that my opinion of the album is that it’s mandatory listening. There are
precious few albums that matter this much to me, and I can only hope that if
someone hears this album for the first time this year, it has the same kind of
impact on them that it’s had on me.
I’ve spent a lot of my life listening to 90s black metal, and those
bands seeking to duplicate that sound in the present. There are bands that that
can do it well, even if they’re outright re-using another band's ideas. That’s
not Ifrinn. This isn’t a clone band. They’re a band entrenched in the past
creating music that would be revered alongside the classics of that era, were
it released at the same time. Instead, “Ifrinn”
is one of the great black metal albums of 2016, despite looking backward rather
than forward.
“Ifrinn”
MLP//DD track listing:
1.
Descent Into Shining Labyrinths
2.
Oracular Phantasms
3.
Dweller Within the Gulf
4.
Sulphurous Oscillations
5.
These Darkened Shrines
The
Review:
As
with just about any subgenre in metal, there are a ton of bands doing what’s
already been done. How you feel about that is up to you, but if you’re looking
for something that sounds like Iron Maiden
or Judas Priest, there are plenty
of bands doing an admirable job of taking that sound and making it their own.
The same can definitely be said for black metal, though not really any more
than any other genre. For every forward-thinking band, there are multiple
others trying to recapture old magic to varying degrees of success. When a band
genuinely succeeds at sounding like they’ve been dug out of some closet and
given first exposure to the world decades later, there’s a magic to that too.
Such is the case with Scotland’s
Ifrinn.
It’s
as if they recorded the album in 1991, locked it in a time capsule and someone
found it twenty five years down the road. It’s important to note a distinction
being made, though. It sounds like it came straight out of 1991, but it doesn’t
directly pilfer riffs or influence from the bands making their mark in that
era. “Ifrinn” conjures that old
atmosphere while creating a thunderous roar you can’t find anywhere else. They
don’t sound like Mayhem. They don’t
sound like Darkthrone.
Instead, they’re like a denser, more complex contemporary of those bands,
except that we’re just hearing the album in 2016.
Ifrinn is mature and
developed in a way that those early second wave black metal bands had no chance
of being, as those bands were primal trailblazers taking music in places it
hadn’t been before. So while Ifrinn has the
benefit of taking in decades of fantastic music in this style from a multitude
of great bands, they avoid the trap of trying to replicate any specific band’s
sound. It’s really difficult to pinpoint who they’re blending together, if
they’re even doing that at all.
Looking
at “Oracular Phantasms” as a
microcosm for the rest of the album; the song opens with a droning two-chord
riff atop a blast beat. The aura is immense. The recording is drenched in
reverb, though not enough to make this a black metal cousin to caverncore. The
sound is lively, in that the drums aren’t over compressed and the performances
are human, though never really sloppy. The riff, while seeming sort of plain,
effectively builds a whirling tension while slight variations and drumming
changes keep it from feeling monotonous. When the song finally makes that giant
shift into its second act (so to speak) at about 2:40 it feels like some great
explosion. It’s all crashing down beats driving deeper the notes a riff that
borders on doom/death. It’s the sort of songwriting payoff that exists in other
forms throughout “Ifrinn’s” thirty
minutes. A true indicator of the quality that permeates the rest of the album.
I’ve
spent a lot of my life listening to 90s black metal, and those bands seeking to
duplicate that sound in the present. There are bands that that can do it well,
even if they’re outright re-using another band's ideas. That’s not Ifrinn. This isn’t a clone band. They’re a
band entrenched in the past creating music that would be revered alongside the
classics of that era, were it released at the same time. Instead, “Ifrinn”
is one of the great black metal albums of 2016, despite looking backward rather
than forward.
