SLUDGECAMP #5: A deep dive into the newest black/death metal releases on Bandcamp w/c 17/08/2018

By: Daniel Jackson

Rebel Wizard

Welp, it didn’t take long, but life got in the way and I missed several weeks worth of “Sludgecamp”. I don’t believe this is going to be a recurring thing, so hopefully I’ll be a lot more consistent from here on in! This week is another largely black metal affair, with a bit of death thrown in for some balance. It’s also heavy on new pre-orders as opposed to albums released this week. As always, I hope you find something to love here!

Released this week:

1). Rebel Wizard, “Voluptuous worship of rapture and response”

This album is garnering plenty of praise and hype, and with good reason! The music is an infectious blend of NWOBHM and black metal, housed within the harsh, fuzzy production B. Nekrasov has favored from the project’s inception. With wild song titles (“Drunk on the wizdom of unicorn semen”, for example) and brilliantly crafted riffs, Rebel Wizard feels like something of a sure bet, with each new release improving over the last. When you combine this kind of excellent songwriting with flashy lead guitar work, and then wrap it in this kind of bat-shit crazy exterior, the appeal seems so obvious that greater success feels like an inevitably at this point.

2). Ladnah, “Within Dark Realms”

Coming to us from Greece is Ladnah, with the two tracks available offering two very different experiences. “The Awakening” has a very strong Emperor vibe, circa ‘Wrath of the Tyrant’ and the self-titled EP. The other song, “Belial Rises From The East” has much more of a current day Sargeist kind of feel to it, but both are well done. This is a total throwback, and would have fit in amazingly well as one of the super underground bands featured in one of those old Blackened compilations back in the 90s. This is well worth checking out if you have an affinity for that mid to late 90s symphonic black metal sound.

New Reissues on Bandcamp:

3). Mactätus, “Provenance Of Cruelty” (Napalm)

In something of a fun coincidence given the previous band’s similar stylistic choices, underrated symphonic black metallers Mactätus have made their way to bandcamp via their old label home Napalm Records, and they’re ready to rouse your late 90s symphonic black metal nostalgia as only they can. Released originally in 1998, this album strikes a nice balance between the early Emperor material and pre-Galder Dimmu Borgir. 

New Pre-Orders:

4). Dödsrit, ‘Spirit Crusher’ (28th of September)

Prosthetic Records has been on something of a tear this year with well-regarded albums from Skeletonwitch, Monotheist, and now this week’s Rebel Wizard all under their belts this year. They’re coming back very quickly with another can’t miss album. This time, they’re presenting us with a brand new Dödsrit album; less than a year following their remarkable debut, and the preview song plain old fucking kills. Their last album was on my year end list, and by the sound of this, they’re damn well likely to be there again this year. If you have any interest in atmospheric black metal, crust, or both: buy this. Immediately.

5). Mutilated by Zombies, ‘Scripts of Anguish’ (5th of October)

Awesome old school death metal, though of a different sort than you might be thinking. This one should appeal more to the Morrisound, Florida death metal devotees of the world, offering that early Deicide viciousness with the rhythmic chops of prime Dying Fetus and Deeds of Flesh.

6). All My Sins, ‘Pra Sila - Vukov Totem’ (23rd of September)

Raging melodic black metal out of Serbia, and self-described as “South Slavic Black Metal Mysticism”. The relentless blasting here is paired with icy tremolo riffs with a touch of folk sprinkled in throughout, with the end result approaches something like the current day Finnish black metal sound, only at hyperspeed and with a cleaner production. “Vetrovo Kolo”, the song available to preview, rarely stops long enough to let you catch your breath, but the ride is well worth the exhaustion.

Band info: Ladnah || Mactätus || DODSRIT || Mutilated By Zombies || All My Sins

SLUDGECAMP #4: A deep dive into the newest black metal releases on Bandcamp w/c 13/07/2018

By: Daniel Jackson

Stíny plamenů,

Welcome back to “Sludgecamp”! Summer is in full swing, so of course I’m about to recommend you a bunch dark, depressing, downright bleak music to ruin all the good energy the life-enriching sun is blessing us with on these long, hot days. Whereas last week was particularly death metal-heavy, this week is essentially an all black metal extravaganza! As always, I hope you find something to love here!

Released this week:

1). Stíny plamenů, ‘20 let kanalizačních zmetků’ (Czech Republic)

 
Stíny plamenů is a name I’ve heard over the years, and it’s one I’ve wondered about each time I see it, but I’ve never really pulled the trigger until now. I’m glad I did this week! Though weirdly obsessed with sewers (so much so that it’s the first theme listed in the band’s lyrical themes on Metal Archives), the music is an awesome throwback to that speed-crazed late 90s black metal sound. The riffs here have depth and personality, stabbing and twisting as the songs roll along, all with a touch of melody. The performances here are so precise and yet so natural, which makes this an absolute joy, especially if you’re a big fan of the more melodic side of 2nd wave black metal.

2). Svältvinter, ‘Att Öde Vara’ (Trollhättan, Sweden)

 
This is some pretty straightforward black metal, but with an obvious eye on whatever the greenest pastures of the genre might be. The songs are written specifically to stick in your head and make an immediate impression. It’s a brilliantly stipped-down, nearly punk rock approach that gives the band plausible deniability when it comes to selling out, while being immediately accessible in a way you might have expected from an early 2000s Moonfog Records band. The vocals are absolutely venomous here, and lead off track “Skogsbrand” even features something approximating gang vocals. The EP concludes with an uncharacteristically atmospheric song, swinging along in a way that almost gives it a folk metal feel. Great stuff all around, if you don’t mind an especially “basic” songwriting style.

3). Kryptamok, ‘Profaani’ (Finland)

Blood Harvest this week brings us a delicious gritty black metal EP, via Finland’s Kryptamok. Where reinventing the wheel clearly isn’t the goal here, the band succeeds in a big way by taking a classic, established sound and just doing it in way that feels raw, vital, and coursing with frenetic energy. You’ve likely heard something that sounds like this, but it’s rarely done this well.

4). Qafsiel, ‘The True Beast’ (London, UK)

 
The band have self-tagged themselves as blackgaze, and I get that this might appeal to fans of that genre somewhat, but truth be told there’s a lot more going on here, and none of it strikes me as Alcest or Deafheaven worship. So what is going on here? It’s dense and heavy for a black metal band, and the atmosphere here comes across as more powerful than the more delicate vibe you tend to get in a blackgaze band. Really, this is current day atmospheric black metal that should appeal to folks to like a band like Mgła as much or more that it does a fan of Lantlôs or the like.

5). Codex Daemonicum, ‘Doctrines of the Fallen’

    

Simplified in a similar manner to Svältvinter, though much more atmospherialc bent overall, is Codex Daemonicum. These riffs will often straddle the fence that resides between prime 90s Marduk and ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’. The songs immediately feel familiar, but with a character of its own. As with our last band, the name of the game here is immediacy. Codex Daemonicum seems content to let their classic 2nd wave guitar work take center stage, as the vocals are drowned in reverb and mixed quietly enough that they take a back seat to almost everything else going on. It’s a unique tactic for a band that favors this specific black metal sound, but it works well here. Bonus points to Blood Harvest for having two strong releases come up in one week like this.

6). Solitary Key, “Sulphosfurous”

Raw, lo-fi, punk-ish, and dripping with schlocky charm, Solitary Key are probably the most fun album on the list this week. The key (sorry) here is the purposefully cheap-sounding keyboards, which give the whole thing an almost cartoonishly spooky feel; the stuff of local horror hosts’ late night movie marathons, rather than something more stoic and grim.The riffs here are catchy as can be, with Solitary Key feeling like the kind of band that would fit in nicely on a bill with Carpathian Forest or Emperor in their demo years.

7). Mythic Dawn, ‘En Svunnen Tid’ (Sweden)

To get right to the point: this stuff is super by-the-book. It’s so basic that I’m having a hard time explaining why I’m so drawn to it. There’s something powerful in being this doggedly committed to a subgenre’s orthodoxy. Its black metal stripped down to only its essential core elements. Fans of Darkthrone, Judas Iscariot, etc. have a good shot at enjoying this. It’s cold, fuzzy, harsh, and unabashedly grim, and that’s more than good enough for me!

New Pre-Orders:

8). Dauþuz, “Des Zwerges Fluch’ (25th of August)

With so much to talk about from the albums released this week, I felt it necessary to focus on just one pre-order this time around, so I’m going with Dauþuz. Naturmacht Productions released the band’s excellent ‘Die Grubenmähre’ last year, and they’re already back with a new release next month. It’s the same sort of powerful, pitch black melancholy that made ‘Die Grubenmähre’ so great. In fact, if I’d heard it before the end of the year last year, it would have almost certainly made my year end list. The track we can stream now bodes well for ‘Des Zwerges Fluch’ in 2018!

Band info: Stiny Plamenu || Svaltvinter || Mythic Dawn || Dauthuz

SLUDGECAMP #3: A deep dive into the newest black/death metal releases on Bandcamp w/c 6/7/2018

By: Daniel Jackson

Insignium

We’re back for a briefer-than-usual edition of “Sludgecamp”! The ongoing upswing in death metal’s creativity and strength of output is here in full effect this week, with strong showings in a number of the subgenre’s various niches. One of the things I’ve loved most about this column so far is that there’s always someone who’s just put up something brilliant or interesting or exciting, and it can come from anywhere on the planet. There’s so much creativity in the world, and so much brilliant music just waiting to be found and appreciated. I hope you find something to appreciate here.

Released this week:

1). Svartkonst, ‘Devil’s Blood’

 
This is some damned nasty, filthy, blackened death n’ roll. I’m having a hard time thinking of anyone they’re directly similar too, but this album features some excellent song arrangements, a delightfully grimy-yet-razor-sharp production, and riffs for weeks. They’re listed as unsigned/independent currently, but there’s no way on earth that lasts very long unless sole member Rickard Törnqvist wants it that way. This is simply too good to stay hidden for long.

2). Xvarmart, ‘Xvarmart’

 
On the other end of the spectrum is this Iranian duo, drowning their grim and bitter black metal in layers of reverb creating a resonant, cavernous atmosphere. Sure there are bands out there doing something similar musically, but this is a great version of that minimalist, lo-fi black metal sound. This absolutely gut-wrenching if you’re in the right mood for it.

3). Nazrak, ‘Cantiques Funèbres’

    

A little under produced, but more in the sense that it has that thinner mid 90s production to it. The key here is that the riffs, while familiar in style are clever and memorable, and the keyboard work and clean vocals are done tastefully, and offer a very complete listening experience. Even if the recording itself is lacking a bit of heft, the music more than makes up for it if you’re into black metal with a bit of whimsy to it. (Note: The bandcamp page indicates that the album is still a pre-order, even though it says it was released on the 5th of July, so I’m not sure what’s happening there.)

New Reissues on Bandcamp:

4). Pyre,  ‘Human Hecatomb’ Released 3rd August 2018

 
This tasty slab of old school death metal was originally released by Chaos Records several years ago, but thankfully Redefining Darkness, is stepping up to bring the album back into circulation on CD with an eight page booklet and bonuses in the form of demo tracks and a strong cover of Slaughter’s “Nocturnal Hell”. The songwriting here sets the band apart from the pack, and with this being an edition limited to 300, you’ll probably want to get your hands on a copy sooner rather than later.

New Pre-Orders:

5). Heads For The Dead, “Serpent’s Curse” Released 24th September 2018

     

Members of Wombbath, Ursinne, and Revel In Flesh make up this new death metal band with a love of classic horror. The artwork rules, which always helps, but the riffs back it up big time. The pre-release single is the album’s title track, and it paints Heads For The Dead as providing some killer death metal with both a flair for drama and atmosphere, as well as a keen sense of melody when called upon. Transcending Obscurity has gone above and beyond for this album with special edition box sets in LP and CD format, if you’re looking for some extra goodies from a band that puts a lot of thought into visual presentation. Well worth your attention.

6). Insignium, ‘Infamie und Urgewalt - Wenn Altes sich erhebt’ Released 31st August 2018

Some very promising melodic black metal coming from Apostasy Records, with elements of thrash and classic heavy metal woven into the tapestry as well. People will point to that classic Dissection sound as a point of reference, but there’s plenty more variety beyond that, as the song available in advance makes abundantly clear.

Band info: Svartkonst || Nazrak || Heads for the Dead || Insignium

SLUDGECAMP #2: A deep dive into the newest black/death metal releases on Bandcamp w/c 22/6/2018 & 29/6/2018

By: Daniel Jackson

Necrophobic (2018)

Welcome back for another round of “Sludgecamp”! This batch is a mix of the raw and primitive, the sharp and precise, the tried-and-true and the fresh and new. Hope you find something you can sink your teeth into!

Released the w/c  22/6/2018 & 29/6/2018:

1). Eskhaton, ‘Omegalitheos’

   
Fucking hell! It’s hard not to get hyperbolic about something like this. ‘Omegalitheos’ is powerful, vicious, and chaotic in a way that your garden variety Blasphemy worshippers can’t really compete with. It’s a destructive force of nature in musical form. Call it death metal, call it war metal, but whatever your descriptor of choice: you need to hear this.

2). Arthedain, “Infernal Cadence of the Desolate”

   
Some really strong black metal here, alternately melodic and dark. This sound relies more on doing a tried and true sound really well rather than reinventing the wheel. Fans of that Dissection/Naglfar/Necrophobic style will so well to check this out!

3). Archemoron, ‘Year of the Harvester’

   
Highly technical and super-tight, Archemoron has riffs for ages, and should appeal immediately to anyone into ‘Armada’ era Keep Of Kalessin, although this is engaging and interesting in a way that KoK hasn’t been in years. Some truly fantastic guitar work here, but everybody is an absolute maniac on this album.

4). Ancestor, ‘Age of Overload’

     

Some super fun German-style thrash coming out of China! Nothing that reinvents the wheel, but this an excellent execution of a well-worn style. Anyone with a love for early Kreator or Sodom should be all over this!

Newly available through Bandcamp:

5). Necrophobic, “Remastered Classics!”

   
Hammerheart Records is putting out remastered version of Necrophobic’s  first 4 classics, ‘Nocturnal Silence’, ‘Darkside’, ‘The Third Antichrist’ and ‘Bloodhymns’ on vinyl and cassette! The “Darkside” remaster in particular sounds much beefier than before. Well worth a look if your physical collection is missing one or all of these albums!

Pre-orders:

6). Twilight Fauna, ‘Where Birds Sing My Name’

 
Harsh, atmospheric and deeply intertwined with his beloved Appalachian home region, Paul Ravenwood’s Twilight Fauna is always a fully immersive experience. Ravenwood’s own words on the album:

“This is an album about family, my home, and the things I love about this often painful existence. It’s about rebuilding your life after tragedy and finding a small piece of contentment in a chaotic world.”

7). Mortuary Drape, “Necromantic Doom Returns”

   
This new compilation combining the band’s “Necromancy” demo from 1987 and ‘Doom Return’ demo from 1989 are an excellent way to experience this legendary band’s formative stage. The sound is ugly and unforgiving, but absolutely capture the grim brutality of its time.

8). Hadal Maw, ‘Charlatan’

Some absolutely gargantuan progressive death metal here. The riffs coming out of the preview track, “Idolatry” come at you fast, with depth and complexity to spare. I have to imagine we’re going to be hearing A LOT about these Australians as we get closer to release date.

Band info: Lava Dome || Arthedain || Archemoron || Ancestor || Necrophobic || Twilight Fauna || Mortuary Drape || Hadal Maw

SLUDGECAMP: A deep dive into the newest black/death metal releases on Bandcamp w/c 15/06/2018

By: Daniel Jackson

Dryad

Welcome to the inaugural edition of THE SLUDGELORD’s “Sludgecamp”.  I’ve been doing my own weekly deep dives into the newest black and death metal releases on bandcamp for some time through the joy of the site’s “Discover” feature, so I thought “why not share what I’ve found with the rest of you”?

I’ll be covering new releases first, followed by classic albums that have been recently added to the site, and finally some notable pre-orders for albums coming out down the road. I hope you find something to enjoy!

Released the week of 15/6/2018:

Dryad, “The Silurian Age”

    

My favorite discovery of the week goes to Iowa’s Dryad. The band have crafted an absolutely brilliant style for themselves with a combination of raw, primitive black metal, hardcore punk, and moody keyboards. As of right now, it’s my favorite release of the year, with the only negative being that I’m selfishly disappointed that it isn’t a full length’s worth of material.

Forlorn Citadel, “Songs of Mourning”

 
The bandcamp page for this release indicates that this is a remastered demo release from May, but is seeing a new official release through Dark East Productions. With that out of the way, this is absolutely essential if you’re a fan of Summoning. People have understandably heaped praise upon Caladan Brood’s ‘Echoes Of Battle’ from 2013 for its brilliant recreation of that classic Summoning sound, but Forlorn Citadel is every bit as good at Caladan Brood, and maybe even a tad better. They absolutely NAIL that buzzing, reverb-drenched guitar tone, and the vocals are excellent as well.

Tired Lord, “Demo”

 
Tired Lord is apparently a one-and-done project out of San Francisco, and it’s a shame they’re only ever putting out this one demo. This is black metal with a strong emphasis on groove, which is all the more impressive when you consider that the drums here are programmed. If you’re a fan of Cobalt or Black Anvil, to cite a couple of loose comparisons, you’d do well to give this a shot. Tired Lord, for their ultra brief existence, were undoubtedly a riff factory. (Note: I’m cheating a little bit here as this was actually released June 8th, but From Corners Unknown Records uploaded it during the week of the 15th.)

Ashen Chalice, “Kroz život sa razbijenim očima”

    

Croatia’s Ashen Chalice are a bit of a mystery. No social media presence to speak of and the band seem intent on drowning their music in reverb and fuzzy distortion. The focus here is all on mood and atmosphere, as opposed to traditional songwriting and memorability. Typically that wouldn’t be my thing here, but the ambient world this album creates is so engrossing that I can’t help but recommend it. This is the sort of musical alchemy that gets me to throw my standard tastes out the window for the sake of getting lost in new sonic worlds.

Sanguinary Trance, “Wine, Song and Sacrifice”

 
I had a hard time finding much info on Austria’s Sanguinary Trance. The band seem to have a thing for Dionysian mysteries, as it relates to wine and ritual. This is a case where the aesthetic elements in the album cover and in the song titles set the table nicely for the music, which could be called black metal with a sense of drama, without crossing over into Cradle of Filth style shlock.

Newly available through Bandcamp:

Imperial Crystalline Entombment, “Apocalyptic End in White”

 
A nostalgic pick here, as Imperial Crystalline Entombment originally released this album back in 2004. The album’s a total blastfest, and acts as something of an American counterpart to Cadaver Inc’s black metal and grindcore hybrid from the prior year. For their part, the music mixes in some Immortal (naturally) and a bit of death metal into the mix as well, which makes sense for a project brought to us by members of Aurora Borealis.

Pre-orders:

Kosmogyr, “Eviternally: The Remixes” (Out 13/7/2018)

 
A unique idea here, as Kosmogyr have commissioned various artists to remix their excellent debut EP. The idea of a remix album isn’t unique on its own, but when the original album is this kind of muscular melodic black metal, that can change things quite a bit. I’m woefully underqualified to evaluate this sort of project, but the idea warrants attention and investigation.

Hellish, “The Spectre Of Lonely Souls” (Out 31/8/2018)

    

Unspeakable Axe is always coming up with the goods, counting Scorched, Voidspawn, Act of Impalement and more as some of the great previous and upcoming releases through their label. Add Hellish to that list too, as their particular brand of blackened thrash features riffs that are smarter and catchier than you’re likely to find from your average 1st wave diehards, as evidenced by the album’s advance track “The Walker of Shadows”.

Gravecoven, “Coughing Blood” (Out 11/7/2018)

Some strong sounding black metal infused doom coming to us care of Transylvanian Tapes in just a few weeks. This has the downtuned filth you love in your doom, coupled with the chilling atmosphere you want in your black metal and Gravecoven pull the combo off nicely.