TRIUMPH OV FIRE - IN THE NAME OF BLACK PRINCIPLE

Today I'm going to review a band that plays a genre that I don't like very much, I'm talking about Symphonic Black metal.  Triump ov Fire offer us a various Black metal album, but with many Symphonic Black metal influencies. The main thing of this band is the voice; to me the voice is adapt to this musical genre and listening I thought that was perfect and In the Name of the Black Principle is a good album also for the instrumental stuff. Unfortunately I could have enjoyed all this more if it had been composed in a better way, in my opinion there's just a few of originality and the recordings are not so good. It's not a bad album but it's neither a masterpiece. It could have been done a better work if it contained more guitar instrumental parts and riffs and if it was recorded better...


RATING: 6.5/10
-KOR3-

CREST OF DARKNESS - IN THE PRESENCE OF DEATH

After 17 years without releasing albums, the norwegian Black metal band Crest of Darkness finally releases a new album, In the Presence of Death. Probably most of Black metal lovers had already listened to this band, and whit this album also Progressive metal and Power metal listeners will know this band, because the singer in this album was also singer of the Power metal band Conception. It's a great leap to play Black metal after having singed in a Power metal band for many years, in facts the sound is much more clean than in other albums of this genre, and you can hear the bass better than in a normal Raw Black metal song. This is a traditional Black Metal album, but with Death metal and Doom metal influences. The powerfull riffs, the violent drums and the angry screams create a sort of incredible musical vortex, rich of strange atmospheres and showing also an excelent musical technique. In my opinion the best tracks of this CD are obviously the title track, "In the Presence of Death", "Demon Child" and "Welcome to my Funeral"; these song are able in a particular way to improve the technical level of the album. I think that this is absolutely a good album, but this band needs to do a quality leap that will improve again the level of the band, because to me they can't show totally their abilities.


RATING: 7/10
-SADIK- (-Dom-)

MUTILANOVA - NERA LUX

Today I'm gonna review Mutilanova, which is a french Symphonic Black metal band. If I speak about french Symphonic Black metal some of you might think at bands such as Anorexia Nervosa or Le Grand Guignol, but also Mutilanova may offer you some good stuff, if you like this musical scene. Their music is fast and violent, but at the same time are melodic and harmonious and the merit goes to the choruses and to the keyboards;  Nera Lux has very good and heavy rhythms, characterized by harsh riffs and heavy drums lines. The guitarist plays typical Symphonic Black metal riffs, violent and melodic at the same time, that may attract the listener in a particular way and that are the main characterization of Symphonic Black metal; the drums constantly executes fast rhythms, broken out by strange musical passages or rhythmical time changes. The singer has a particular scream and his way of singing is angry and suffered at the same time, and listening better you can hear that the singing part are a little less important in this work, probably because the players gave much more importance to the perfect instrumental execution of the songs, but it doesn't ruine the work. To me is a very good album also if it sounds a little incomplete. Anyway I recommend you to listen to this band!

RATING: 7/10
-SADIK- (-Dom-)

NOSTALGIA - NEGATIVO

We are facing a real musical evolution by Nostalgia. I remember them due to "512 Devil Music Vol 2", essentially a Punk disc slightly influenced by Depressive and Crust, and now I find them to perform a DBM with Black Metal and Blackgaze elements. The particular and varied sound is almost gone, giving room to more dark and hard sounds; the homemade and low-fi is greatly improved even if the quality of the voice (by choice) has been maintained. The clean vocal part has been replaced by a suffering scream/growl, the drums are extremized and the hardcore riffs are passed to a cross between Black and Blackgaze. Surely the band has matured and changed a lot, but you still have to improve a little bit.

RATING: 6.5 / 10
-SADIK- (-Mara)

IN THE FROST – IN THE FROST

The project In the Frost was born in 2011 in Poznań by two friends. Their music expresses a strong sense of melancholy and anger; strongly influenced by bands like Darkthrone or Katatonia, their black metal is able to budge from the classical hardness and coldness managing to touch more melodic parts and light atmospheres. The aid of a melancholic guitar as a backdrop to a more distorted guitar manages to give an interesting Blackgaze touch to the songs, although sometimes the second guitar may be slightly out of time; the drums often vary pace, from a classic Black succeeds to turn into Depressive parties, to finish off a rough scream singing on a base that fits perfectly to it. Good record, I'm looking forward a new one.

RATING: 7/10
-SADIK- (-Mara-)

APOLOKIA - KATHAARIAN VORTEX

I have loved this album since the first listening. A great disco. Last and recent release of the Italian band active since 1994. Advice: listen to it over and over again, so it will well penetrate in your ears. Heavy and violent, naughty riffs with a dirty sound, almost at the level of the famous Fallen Angel of Doom, or any of the first Darkthrone album; It is inspired by the Norwegian tradition and it is due to the "raw black" sounds of 90s that becomes even more interesting. In my opinion it could be a mainstay album of underground Black Metal. Great shot for My Kingdom Music, I confirm the judgment of others feedback found in other web sites: masterpiece.

RATING: 10/10
-Dom- (-Mara-)

Культура Курения - Рвота 2.0

Культура Курения is a Black Metal project with Post-Punk influences. It was born in Russia in 2011. During the listening of the album can be noticed some Doom influences in the instrumental base and there are Depressive Black interpretations by the vocalist. Guitars often start from a distorted and cold sound, ending with sad and melancholic parts; the same about drums that begin with more Black rhythmics and lead to classic rhythms of Post-Punk. One of the strengths of the band is definitely the vocal part due to a crude and often suffering scream. Great band; the ep lasts only twenty minutes, but they deserve a lot.

RATING: 7/10
-SADIK- [-Mara-]

TOMB - 鳳凰絕 (PHOENIX WILL BE DEAD)

Tomb is a Depressive Black Metal project entirely supported by the Chinese Pest Production.
There is a big difference between this EP and the previous full-length “Witches Sabbath”, in fact this new disc transmits pain and tormenting emotions. Due to distorted and melancholy guitars can be noticed Blackgaze influences and the atmosphere created are enriched by sad thunderstorms; often the style of the drums changes between Depressive and classic Black Metal, but well "hounded" from the bass. The strong point of the band is definitely the voice: due to a perfect intonation and expressivity is given off all the pain that the band wants to transmit, harrowing screams and a painful scream are the result of a great effort which continue throughout this time. Good disc.

RATING: 7/10
-SADIK- [-Mara-]


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SUL AD ASTRAL - SUL AD ASTRAL

Súl ad Astral are a Post-Rock/Post-Black metal band, which main influences of the band are Alcest, Explosions in the Sky, Desiderium and Isle of Skye. I didn't like this album so much, probably also because I'm not a Post-Black metal fan and I think that this genre is not interesting and there are just a few Black metal parts, and for me the result is disappointing. If Súl ad Astral had more Black metal sonorities and riffs I had appreciated the band and the result. 

RATING: 6/10
-Dom- [-Dom-]

VALLENDUSK – VALLENDUSK

Vallendusk quartet was born in 2011 with the intent to give birth to a good Atmospheric Black Metal band, but despite this, they have also added Blackgaze components in the composition. The backbone of the band are definitely guitars with very fast riffs and a melodic sound, that create the whole atmosphere of the tracks; the vocalist's scream is typical of Black Metal but not particularly innovative. Good the drummer holding a fast pace with the double bass and finding attached another created by a slow snare and cymbals, rarely also with a touch of Prog; The bass can rarely be heard and is often covered by the drums. Not bad, almost a good a start.

RATING: 7.5 / 10
-SADIK- [-Mara-]

DECOMBRES - DECOMBRES

Décombres, which in French means "ruins", is the unhealty solo project by the Canadian Philippe Boucher, who became quite famous in the metal underground for being the drummer of Beyond Creation. The debut album, with the same name "Décombres," was released last year and his musical offering is a Black Metal style like Burzum (especially the masterpiece "Filosofem"), with adjoining classical, creepy, dark atmosphere and low quality production and recording. Already since the initial “Consumation” you know right away that the album will be difficult to listen to, with few virtuosities by guitar and drums and a disturbed voice in scream; but perhaps this is also a strong point of the album: a real sense of bewilderment and lack of handholds. Despite the technique is not elevated, some riffs are pasted in the brain of the listener without peel off easily (such as that of the aforementioned "Consumation" or "Elevation" or "Aurore Boreale") and, after properly "grapped" it with 2-3 plays, the atmosphere of desolation and despair that we breathe is unique. But there is always something that should be wrong: what gave me enough annoyance was almost equal of all the tracks, except "Dernier Souffle" which is what symbolizes the whole album, at least for me. Recommended especially to those listen to Black and Depressive Black Metal; for everyone else, if you can not accept the disturbed sounds in Burzum-style, I can understand.

RATING: 7,5/10
-ULTHAR- [-Mara-]

SECRETPATH - WANDERER

Secretpath was born in 2008 due to the guitarist Pierluigi "Aries" Ammirata; since that moment, the band had line-up changes, but they do not get discouraged and continued to work on new material. At the end of 2011 they released their second demo "Wanderer", that compared to the previous work is much more mature and the quality of the sound is almost perfect. A band that (starting from melodic Black Metal) can mix other genres such as Technical Death and Progressive, until reaching the Gothic: it is something truly remarkable; rhythm changes, parts clean with an excellent interpretation and an elevated technique characterize for sure the band. The full and precise drumming supports the sound with the guitar and with a good capacity; the alternation of growl and scream is able to give a destructive touch to the whole. What is presented is a band with an high prestige, the elevated technical capacity and the great sound is one of the strengths of the band. Here is in Italy a band that wants to revolutionize the scene and is able to do it; even if keeping with these standards is really hard, the band has charisma and is able to transmit it.
Chills.

RATING: 8/10
-SADIK- [-Mara-]

KAUSALGIA – FAREWELL

Kausalgia is an Atmospheric Black Metal band from Finland. In this EP there are also Doom and Ambient influences due to the use of two guitars and a synthesizer. The first track "Reincarnated" presents purely black metal riffs, there are often references to the melancholy created by the melodic guitars and by background symphonies; "The Drug" is much faster than the other tracks, because the drums and the riffs create a tune nothing short of superb. "Lupaus" takes a more melodic and melancholy way than the other, we can say that the drums "lighten" the Black, slowing it down and making notes more homogeneous; the guitars have a sound much more melodic and catchy and the vocal interpretation makes the product more expressive than you can imagine.
The album ends with "Farewell", taking the same line as the previous track.
I recommend the EP, a good job.

RATING: 7.5 / 10
-SADIK- [-Mara-]