#blackeneddoommetal — Public Fediverse posts

Free download codes:

liminalanimal - Mùthadh II

"Atmospheric black metal from Scotland exploring themes from Celtic and Pictish history, myth and legend."

https://getmusic.fm/l/wJzGSd

#blackmetal #atmosphericblackmetal #blackgaze #blackeneddoom #blackeneddoommetal #music

Free download codes:

liminalanimal - Mùthadh II

"Atmospheric black metal from Scotland exploring themes from Celtic and Pictish history, myth and legend."

https://getmusic.fm/l/wJzGSd

#blackmetal #atmosphericblackmetal #blackgaze #blackeneddoom #blackeneddoommetal #music

Free download codes:

liminalanimal - Mùthadh II

"Atmospheric black metal from Scotland exploring themes from Celtic and Pictish history, myth and legend."

https://getmusic.fm/l/wJzGSd

#blackmetal #atmosphericblackmetal #blackgaze #blackeneddoom #blackeneddoommetal #music

Free download codes:

liminalanimal - Mùthadh II

"Atmospheric black metal from Scotland exploring themes from Celtic and Pictish history, myth and legend."

https://getmusic.fm/l/wJzGSd

#blackmetal #atmosphericblackmetal #blackgaze #blackeneddoom #blackeneddoommetal #music

Dwellnought – Monolith of Ephemerality Review

In my hitherto short stint of indefinite indentured servitude in the hall, I’ve frequently noted the importance of…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2.0 #2026 #BellWitch #blackeneddoommetal #BlutAusNord #CaligariRecords #Cough #Dwellnought #Entertainment #Feb26 #ItalianMetal #MonolithofEphemerality #Ossuary #review #Reviews #SufferingHour #Teitanblood #UK #UnitedKingdom
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/493429/

https://www.europesays.com/uk/848014/ Dwellnought – Monolith of Ephemerality Review #20 #2026 #BellWitch #BlackenedDoomMetal #BlutAusNord #CaligariRecords #Cough #Dwellnought #Entertainment #Feb26 #ItalianMetal #MonolithOfEphemerality #music #Ossuary #Review #Reviews #SufferingHour #Teitanblood #UK #UnitedKingdom

In my hitherto short stint of indefinite indentured servitude in the hall, I’ve frequently noted the importance of albums with narrative. In my younger days, I was a simp for albums with as many tracks as I could find. Deluxe editions? Yes please. Reissues, demos, covers, unreleased bonus cuts? Heck yeah, inject that right into my veins. It’s only as the responsibilities of adulthood overtook casual listening time that I began to appreciate albums with brevity, direction, and a distinct sense of a complete, full-bodied work. Well, everybody buckle in, because somewhere in the ether a big middle finger on a monkey’s paw has curled in my direction, by way of Italy’s Dwellnought, presenting their debut album Monolith of Ephemerality. Oh, we will go on a journey together, alright, but will there be anything left worth recounting of this Monolith on our return?

Despite an album title seemingly indebted to the more thesaurus-riddled branches of slam, Dwellnought actually traffic in a brand of feedback-drenched blackened doom. Atmospheric theatrics are the name of the game, with an album that seeks to deprive the listener of anything approaching light, optimism, or major keys. Rumbling feedback collapses into slow bpm plods with sustained trem-chords filling in the negative spaces in time for single cymbal/bass drum hits before eventually metamorphosing into an earthquake shattering riff while vocalist S bellows and wails from just beyond the mix. The doom takes the biggest prevalence as Monolith of Ephemerality rarely exceeds a brisk trot in pace, with any spurts of speed eventually devolving back into exhausted continuations.

Monolith of Ephemerality by DWELLNOUGHT

Such commitment to crippling atmosphere is admirable, but it comes at the expense of almost everything else. Dwellnought have attempted an unusual formula, channeling the claustrophobia of Teitanblood in production but channeled through an almost Bell Witch chord pacing with occasional flourishes of Ossuary crust-heaving. The formula finds its peak at the beginning, with long-form intro “Slumbering Through the Dream of Impermanence” flowing seamlessly into massive 17-minute barnburner “The Final Desire is Unbeing.” Here is the Dwellnought recipe at its most refined. The otherwise needlessly lengthy intro is atmospheric and mood-setting, with the oscillation of tempo and tone in its follow-up masterfully executed. Within this lengthy run comes segments heavily indebted to drum-machine era Blut Aus Nord gelling into a barbaric Cough waltz with effortlessness. This 20-minute kickoff shows real promise, evoking the abyss with texture as much as color, or lack thereof.

If only the rest of the album followed suit. The quality dip in the back three-fifths represents not a slope as much as a sudden drop-off where memorable songwriting is sacrificed utterly at the altar of mood. The dedication to the mood is palpable, as not one note approaches anything optimistic or upbeat, but in their avoidance of such things, Dwellnought also sidestep memorability or impact. “Crystalized Flesh Identities Condensed into Wombs of Matter” can’t make up its mind whether it wants to be fast or slow and has tempo changes marked more by indecision than deliberate arrangement. Both this and “Ill Whispers” frequently rely on chords ringing out via prolonged strum with minimalized drumbeats, but the notes are mixed so homogenously I struggle to tell if there are actual riffs or if Dwellnought are riding atonality into oblivion. The opening to both tracks borders on self-plagiarism in their similarity, and no single moment of menace comes close to matching the peak of the preceding songs. Additionally, Monolith of Ephemerality ends on a 6-minute assault of nothing but static and a grumbly voice speaking out of the void, which is wild since that’s exactly how “Crystalized Flesh…” ends as well. An attempt at a narrative is clear, and yet this climax is far from earned, given the drought of memorable set pieces to justify such a noise-rooted outro.

And yet, I keep coming back to those first twenty minutes. It takes balls the size of a bird of a plane of ClarkKent1 to open up your already longform album with your highest quality riffs. Had these two songs made up all of Monolith of Ephemerality as a single-track ep (not dissimilar to Suffering Hour’s Dwell, for example), this would make an excellent addition to the end-of-the-year EP roundups. There’s a genuine seed of promise in how Dwellnought have put their best foot forward, but the collapse in quality as the album continues cannot be denied. The mix is massive, the tone dark, the atmosphere oppressive, and the influences are a recipe for a good time. But somewhere along the way, Dwellnought stared so hard into the abyss that eventually even the abyss stopped staring back. All atmosphere and very little riffage, this album is an excellent reminder to be careful what we wish for.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Caligari Records
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: February 20th, 2026

In my hitherto short stint of indefinite indentured servitude in the hall, I’ve frequently noted the importance of albums with narrative. In my younger days, I was a simp for albums with as many tracks as I could find. Deluxe editions? Yes please. Reissues, demos, covers, unreleased bonus cuts? Heck yeah, inject that right into my veins. It’s only as the responsibilities of adulthood overtook casual listening time that I began to appreciate albums with brevity, direction, and a distinct sense of a complete, full-bodied work. Well, everybody buckle in, because somewhere in the ether a big middle finger on a monkey’s paw has curled in my direction, by way of Italy’s Dwellnought, presenting their debut album Monolith of Ephemerality. Oh, we will go on a journey together, alright, but will there be anything left worth recounting of this Monolith on our return?

Despite an album title seemingly indebted to the more thesaurus-riddled branches of slam, Dwellnought actually traffic in a brand of feedback-drenched blackened doom. Atmospheric theatrics are the name of the game, with an album that seeks to deprive the listener of anything approaching light, optimism, or major keys. Rumbling feedback collapses into slow bpm plods with sustained trem-chords filling in the negative spaces in time for single cymbal/bass drum hits before eventually metamorphosing into an earthquake shattering riff while vocalist S bellows and wails from just beyond the mix. The doom takes the biggest prevalence as Monolith of Ephemerality rarely exceeds a brisk trot in pace, with any spurts of speed eventually devolving back into exhausted continuations.

Monolith of Ephemerality by DWELLNOUGHT

Such commitment to crippling atmosphere is admirable, but it comes at the expense of almost everything else. Dwellnought have attempted an unusual formula, channeling the claustrophobia of Teitanblood in production but channeled through an almost Bell Witch chord pacing with occasional flourishes of Ossuary crust-heaving. The formula finds its peak at the beginning, with long-form intro “Slumbering Through the Dream of Impermanence” flowing seamlessly into massive 17-minute barnburner “The Final Desire is Unbeing.” Here is the Dwellnought recipe at its most refined. The otherwise needlessly lengthy intro is atmospheric and mood-setting, with the oscillation of tempo and tone in its follow-up masterfully executed. Within this lengthy run comes segments heavily indebted to drum-machine era Blut Aus Nord gelling into a barbaric Cough waltz with effortlessness. This 20-minute kickoff shows real promise, evoking the abyss with texture as much as color, or lack thereof.

If only the rest of the album followed suit. The quality dip in the back three-fifths represents not a slope as much as a sudden drop-off where memorable songwriting is sacrificed utterly at the altar of mood. The dedication to the mood is palpable, as not one note approaches anything optimistic or upbeat, but in their avoidance of such things, Dwellnought also sidestep memorability or impact. “Crystalized Flesh Identities Condensed into Wombs of Matter” can’t make up its mind whether it wants to be fast or slow and has tempo changes marked more by indecision than deliberate arrangement. Both this and “Ill Whispers” frequently rely on chords ringing out via prolonged strum with minimalized drumbeats, but the notes are mixed so homogenously I struggle to tell if there are actual riffs or if Dwellnought are riding atonality into oblivion. The opening to both tracks borders on self-plagiarism in their similarity, and no single moment of menace comes close to matching the peak of the preceding songs. Additionally, Monolith of Ephemerality ends on a 6-minute assault of nothing but static and a grumbly voice speaking out of the void, which is wild since that’s exactly how “Crystalized Flesh…” ends as well. An attempt at a narrative is clear, and yet this climax is far from earned, given the drought of memorable set pieces to justify such a noise-rooted outro.

And yet, I keep coming back to those first twenty minutes. It takes balls the size of a bird of a plane of ClarkKent1 to open up your already longform album with your highest quality riffs. Had these two songs made up all of Monolith of Ephemerality as a single-track ep (not dissimilar to Suffering Hour’s Dwell, for example), this would make an excellent addition to the end-of-the-year EP roundups. There’s a genuine seed of promise in how Dwellnought have put their best foot forward, but the collapse in quality as the album continues cannot be denied. The mix is massive, the tone dark, the atmosphere oppressive, and the influences are a recipe for a good time. But somewhere along the way, Dwellnought stared so hard into the abyss that eventually even the abyss stopped staring back. All atmosphere and very little riffage, this album is an excellent reminder to be careful what we wish for.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Caligari Records
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: February 20th, 2026

In my hitherto short stint of indefinite indentured servitude in the hall, I’ve frequently noted the importance of albums with narrative. In my younger days, I was a simp for albums with as many tracks as I could find. Deluxe editions? Yes please. Reissues, demos, covers, unreleased bonus cuts? Heck yeah, inject that right into my veins. It’s only as the responsibilities of adulthood overtook casual listening time that I began to appreciate albums with brevity, direction, and a distinct sense of a complete, full-bodied work. Well, everybody buckle in, because somewhere in the ether a big middle finger on a monkey’s paw has curled in my direction, by way of Italy’s Dwellnought, presenting their debut album Monolith of Ephemerality. Oh, we will go on a journey together, alright, but will there be anything left worth recounting of this Monolith on our return?

Despite an album title seemingly indebted to the more thesaurus-riddled branches of slam, Dwellnought actually traffic in a brand of feedback-drenched blackened doom. Atmospheric theatrics are the name of the game, with an album that seeks to deprive the listener of anything approaching light, optimism, or major keys. Rumbling feedback collapses into slow bpm plods with sustained trem-chords filling in the negative spaces in time for single cymbal/bass drum hits before eventually metamorphosing into an earthquake shattering riff while vocalist S bellows and wails from just beyond the mix. The doom takes the biggest prevalence as Monolith of Ephemerality rarely exceeds a brisk trot in pace, with any spurts of speed eventually devolving back into exhausted continuations.

Monolith of Ephemerality by DWELLNOUGHT

Such commitment to crippling atmosphere is admirable, but it comes at the expense of almost everything else. Dwellnought have attempted an unusual formula, channeling the claustrophobia of Teitanblood in production but channeled through an almost Bell Witch chord pacing with occasional flourishes of Ossuary crust-heaving. The formula finds its peak at the beginning, with long-form intro “Slumbering Through the Dream of Impermanence” flowing seamlessly into massive 17-minute barnburner “The Final Desire is Unbeing.” Here is the Dwellnought recipe at its most refined. The otherwise needlessly lengthy intro is atmospheric and mood-setting, with the oscillation of tempo and tone in its follow-up masterfully executed. Within this lengthy run comes segments heavily indebted to drum-machine era Blut Aus Nord gelling into a barbaric Cough waltz with effortlessness. This 20-minute kickoff shows real promise, evoking the abyss with texture as much as color, or lack thereof.

If only the rest of the album followed suit. The quality dip in the back three-fifths represents not a slope as much as a sudden drop-off where memorable songwriting is sacrificed utterly at the altar of mood. The dedication to the mood is palpable, as not one note approaches anything optimistic or upbeat, but in their avoidance of such things, Dwellnought also sidestep memorability or impact. “Crystalized Flesh Identities Condensed into Wombs of Matter” can’t make up its mind whether it wants to be fast or slow and has tempo changes marked more by indecision than deliberate arrangement. Both this and “Ill Whispers” frequently rely on chords ringing out via prolonged strum with minimalized drumbeats, but the notes are mixed so homogenously I struggle to tell if there are actual riffs or if Dwellnought are riding atonality into oblivion. The opening to both tracks borders on self-plagiarism in their similarity, and no single moment of menace comes close to matching the peak of the preceding songs. Additionally, Monolith of Ephemerality ends on a 6-minute assault of nothing but static and a grumbly voice speaking out of the void, which is wild since that’s exactly how “Crystalized Flesh…” ends as well. An attempt at a narrative is clear, and yet this climax is far from earned, given the drought of memorable set pieces to justify such a noise-rooted outro.

And yet, I keep coming back to those first twenty minutes. It takes balls the size of a bird of a plane of ClarkKent1 to open up your already longform album with your highest quality riffs. Had these two songs made up all of Monolith of Ephemerality as a single-track ep (not dissimilar to Suffering Hour’s Dwell, for example), this would make an excellent addition to the end-of-the-year EP roundups. There’s a genuine seed of promise in how Dwellnought have put their best foot forward, but the collapse in quality as the album continues cannot be denied. The mix is massive, the tone dark, the atmosphere oppressive, and the influences are a recipe for a good time. But somewhere along the way, Dwellnought stared so hard into the abyss that eventually even the abyss stopped staring back. All atmosphere and very little riffage, this album is an excellent reminder to be careful what we wish for.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Caligari Records
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: February 20th, 2026

In my hitherto short stint of indefinite indentured servitude in the hall, I’ve frequently noted the importance of albums with narrative. In my younger days, I was a simp for albums with as many tracks as I could find. Deluxe editions? Yes please. Reissues, demos, covers, unreleased bonus cuts? Heck yeah, inject that right into my veins. It’s only as the responsibilities of adulthood overtook casual listening time that I began to appreciate albums with brevity, direction, and a distinct sense of a complete, full-bodied work. Well, everybody buckle in, because somewhere in the ether a big middle finger on a monkey’s paw has curled in my direction, by way of Italy’s Dwellnought, presenting their debut album Monolith of Ephemerality. Oh, we will go on a journey together, alright, but will there be anything left worth recounting of this Monolith on our return?

Despite an album title seemingly indebted to the more thesaurus-riddled branches of slam, Dwellnought actually traffic in a brand of feedback-drenched blackened doom. Atmospheric theatrics are the name of the game, with an album that seeks to deprive the listener of anything approaching light, optimism, or major keys. Rumbling feedback collapses into slow bpm plods with sustained trem-chords filling in the negative spaces in time for single cymbal/bass drum hits before eventually metamorphosing into an earthquake shattering riff while vocalist S bellows and wails from just beyond the mix. The doom takes the biggest prevalence as Monolith of Ephemerality rarely exceeds a brisk trot in pace, with any spurts of speed eventually devolving back into exhausted continuations.

Monolith of Ephemerality by DWELLNOUGHT

Such commitment to crippling atmosphere is admirable, but it comes at the expense of almost everything else. Dwellnought have attempted an unusual formula, channeling the claustrophobia of Teitanblood in production but channeled through an almost Bell Witch chord pacing with occasional flourishes of Ossuary crust-heaving. The formula finds its peak at the beginning, with long-form intro “Slumbering Through the Dream of Impermanence” flowing seamlessly into massive 17-minute barnburner “The Final Desire is Unbeing.” Here is the Dwellnought recipe at its most refined. The otherwise needlessly lengthy intro is atmospheric and mood-setting, with the oscillation of tempo and tone in its follow-up masterfully executed. Within this lengthy run comes segments heavily indebted to drum-machine era Blut Aus Nord gelling into a barbaric Cough waltz with effortlessness. This 20-minute kickoff shows real promise, evoking the abyss with texture as much as color, or lack thereof.

If only the rest of the album followed suit. The quality dip in the back three-fifths represents not a slope as much as a sudden drop-off where memorable songwriting is sacrificed utterly at the altar of mood. The dedication to the mood is palpable, as not one note approaches anything optimistic or upbeat, but in their avoidance of such things, Dwellnought also sidestep memorability or impact. “Crystalized Flesh Identities Condensed into Wombs of Matter” can’t make up its mind whether it wants to be fast or slow and has tempo changes marked more by indecision than deliberate arrangement. Both this and “Ill Whispers” frequently rely on chords ringing out via prolonged strum with minimalized drumbeats, but the notes are mixed so homogenously I struggle to tell if there are actual riffs or if Dwellnought are riding atonality into oblivion. The opening to both tracks borders on self-plagiarism in their similarity, and no single moment of menace comes close to matching the peak of the preceding songs. Additionally, Monolith of Ephemerality ends on a 6-minute assault of nothing but static and a grumbly voice speaking out of the void, which is wild since that’s exactly how “Crystalized Flesh…” ends as well. An attempt at a narrative is clear, and yet this climax is far from earned, given the drought of memorable set pieces to justify such a noise-rooted outro.

And yet, I keep coming back to those first twenty minutes. It takes balls the size of a bird of a plane of ClarkKent1 to open up your already longform album with your highest quality riffs. Had these two songs made up all of Monolith of Ephemerality as a single-track ep (not dissimilar to Suffering Hour’s Dwell, for example), this would make an excellent addition to the end-of-the-year EP roundups. There’s a genuine seed of promise in how Dwellnought have put their best foot forward, but the collapse in quality as the album continues cannot be denied. The mix is massive, the tone dark, the atmosphere oppressive, and the influences are a recipe for a good time. But somewhere along the way, Dwellnought stared so hard into the abyss that eventually even the abyss stopped staring back. All atmosphere and very little riffage, this album is an excellent reminder to be careful what we wish for.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Caligari Records
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: February 20th, 2026

In my hitherto short stint of indefinite indentured servitude in the hall, I’ve frequently noted the importance of albums with narrative. In my younger days, I was a simp for albums with as many tracks as I could find. Deluxe editions? Yes please. Reissues, demos, covers, unreleased bonus cuts? Heck yeah, inject that right into my veins. It’s only as the responsibilities of adulthood overtook casual listening time that I began to appreciate albums with brevity, direction, and a distinct sense of a complete, full-bodied work. Well, everybody buckle in, because somewhere in the ether a big middle finger on a monkey’s paw has curled in my direction, by way of Italy’s Dwellnought, presenting their debut album Monolith of Ephemerality. Oh, we will go on a journey together, alright, but will there be anything left worth recounting of this Monolith on our return?

Despite an album title seemingly indebted to the more thesaurus-riddled branches of slam, Dwellnought actually traffic in a brand of feedback-drenched blackened doom. Atmospheric theatrics are the name of the game, with an album that seeks to deprive the listener of anything approaching light, optimism, or major keys. Rumbling feedback collapses into slow bpm plods with sustained trem-chords filling in the negative spaces in time for single cymbal/bass drum hits before eventually metamorphosing into an earthquake shattering riff while vocalist S bellows and wails from just beyond the mix. The doom takes the biggest prevalence as Monolith of Ephemerality rarely exceeds a brisk trot in pace, with any spurts of speed eventually devolving back into exhausted continuations.

Monolith of Ephemerality by DWELLNOUGHT

Such commitment to crippling atmosphere is admirable, but it comes at the expense of almost everything else. Dwellnought have attempted an unusual formula, channeling the claustrophobia of Teitanblood in production but channeled through an almost Bell Witch chord pacing with occasional flourishes of Ossuary crust-heaving. The formula finds its peak at the beginning, with long-form intro “Slumbering Through the Dream of Impermanence” flowing seamlessly into massive 17-minute barnburner “The Final Desire is Unbeing.” Here is the Dwellnought recipe at its most refined. The otherwise needlessly lengthy intro is atmospheric and mood-setting, with the oscillation of tempo and tone in its follow-up masterfully executed. Within this lengthy run comes segments heavily indebted to drum-machine era Blut Aus Nord gelling into a barbaric Cough waltz with effortlessness. This 20-minute kickoff shows real promise, evoking the abyss with texture as much as color, or lack thereof.

If only the rest of the album followed suit. The quality dip in the back three-fifths represents not a slope as much as a sudden drop-off where memorable songwriting is sacrificed utterly at the altar of mood. The dedication to the mood is palpable, as not one note approaches anything optimistic or upbeat, but in their avoidance of such things, Dwellnought also sidestep memorability or impact. “Crystalized Flesh Identities Condensed into Wombs of Matter” can’t make up its mind whether it wants to be fast or slow and has tempo changes marked more by indecision than deliberate arrangement. Both this and “Ill Whispers” frequently rely on chords ringing out via prolonged strum with minimalized drumbeats, but the notes are mixed so homogenously I struggle to tell if there are actual riffs or if Dwellnought are riding atonality into oblivion. The opening to both tracks borders on self-plagiarism in their similarity, and no single moment of menace comes close to matching the peak of the preceding songs. Additionally, Monolith of Ephemerality ends on a 6-minute assault of nothing but static and a grumbly voice speaking out of the void, which is wild since that’s exactly how “Crystalized Flesh…” ends as well. An attempt at a narrative is clear, and yet this climax is far from earned, given the drought of memorable set pieces to justify such a noise-rooted outro.

And yet, I keep coming back to those first twenty minutes. It takes balls the size of a bird of a plane of ClarkKent1 to open up your already longform album with your highest quality riffs. Had these two songs made up all of Monolith of Ephemerality as a single-track ep (not dissimilar to Suffering Hour’s Dwell, for example), this would make an excellent addition to the end-of-the-year EP roundups. There’s a genuine seed of promise in how Dwellnought have put their best foot forward, but the collapse in quality as the album continues cannot be denied. The mix is massive, the tone dark, the atmosphere oppressive, and the influences are a recipe for a good time. But somewhere along the way, Dwellnought stared so hard into the abyss that eventually even the abyss stopped staring back. All atmosphere and very little riffage, this album is an excellent reminder to be careful what we wish for.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Caligari Records
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: February 20th, 2026

Free download codes:

liminalanimal - Mùthadh I

"This hauntingly immersive 6-track album blends brooding black metal, blackgaze, and blackened doom to create a cinematic, emotionally charged soundscape that moves from crushing intensity to melancholic depth."

https://getmusic.fm/l/mjsbwa

#blackmetal #doommetal #atmosphericblackmetal #blackgaze #blackeneddoom #blackeneddoommetal #music

Review: Ponte del Diavolo – De Venom Natura

Published by Francesco on February 13, 2026February 13, 2026 Artwork by: Francesco Dossena Style: Doom metal, post-punk, black…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2026 #7.5 #AU #Australia #avant-gardemetal #BlackMetal #blackeneddoommetal #DoomMetal #Entertainment #february #Italianlyrics #ItalianMetal #italy #mixedvocals #post-punk #SeasonofMist
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/479174/

Review: Ponte del Diavolo – De Venom Natura

Published by Francesco on February 13, 2026February 13, 2026 Artwork by: Francesco Dossena Style: Doom metal, post-punk, black…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2026 #7.5 #Avant-gardeMetal #BlackMetal #blackeneddoommetal #DoomMetal #Entertainment #february #Italianlyrics #ItalianMetal #Italy #mixedvocals #post-punk #SeasonofMist #UK #UnitedKingdom
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/424867/

Review: Ponte del Diavolo – De Venom Natura

Published by Francesco on February 13, 2026February 13, 2026 Artwork by: Francesco Dossena Style: Doom metal, post-punk, black…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2026 #7.5 #avant-gardemetal #BlackMetal #blackeneddoommetal #CA #Canada #DoomMetal #Entertainment #february #Italianlyrics #ItalianMetal #Italy #mixedvocals #post-punk #SeasonofMist
https://www.newsbeep.com/ca/473579/

Free download codes:

Liminalanimal - Lamentations

"Blackened Doom Metal"

https://getmusic.fm/l/CNdz9q

#bandcampcodes #blackeneddoommetal #music

Free download codes:

Liminalanimal - Lamentations

"Blackened Doom Metal"

https://getmusic.fm/l/m5GOyN

#bandcampcodes #blackeneddoommetal #music

MENAGRAM (Itàlia) presenta nou àlbum: "Holy Hand of Doom" #Menagram #BlackenedDoomMetal #Juliol2025 #Itàlia #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

Free download codes:

Liminalanimal - Lamentations

"Blackened Doom Metal"

https://getmusic.fm/l/IheueF

#bandcampcodes #blackeneddoommetal #music

Nachtterror / Altars of Grief – Of Ash and Dying Light
#BlackMetal #Metal #atmosphericblackmetal #blackeneddoommetal #deathdoom #deathdoom #doommetal #postrock #saskatchewandoom #Amadora
CC BY-NC (#CreativeCommons Attribution Non Commercial) #ccmusic
https://hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/album/of-ash-and-dying-light

LOATHFINDER (Polònia) presenta nou àlbum: "Broken Branches and Torn Roots" #Loathfinder #BlackenedDoomMetal #Maig2025 #Polònia #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

KVR (Alemanya) presenta nou àlbum: "The Black Flame" #Kvr #BlackenedDoomMetal #Maig2025 #Alemanya #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

Claret Ash – Worldtorn: Anemoia
#BlackMetal #DSBM #Metal #atmosphericblackmetal #atmosphericdoommetal #blackeneddoommetal #deathdoom #doommetal #postrock #Amadora
CC BY-NC (#CreativeCommons Attribution Non Commercial) #ccmusic
https://hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/album/worldtorn-anemoia

EREMOS (Letònia) presenta nou EP: "Marquis of Snakes" #Eremos #BlackenedDoomMetal #Març2025 #Letònia #NouEp #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

DRUID STONE (Estats Units) presenta nova demo: "Stuffer 31 (demo EP)" #DruidStone #BlackenedDoomMetal #Març2025 #EstatsUnits #NovaDemo #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

STATE OF NEGLECT (Alemanya) presenta nou EP: "The Waves" #StateOfNeglect #BlackenedDoomMetal #Març2025 #Alemanya #NouEp #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

Free download codes:

Liminalanimal - Lamentations

"Blackened Doom Metal"

https://getmusic.fm/l/kF5fED

#bandcampcodes #blackeneddoommetal #music

Choir – Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Dear Hollow

Bring them tired ashes to the black waters and sing an anthem for the famine! Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence is blasphemy, a molten and silt-laden horror that saturates every negative space with noise, desolation, and punishment. It dirges and roars like the gods that you thought were benevolent and merciful – their faces lurid and nauseating when you looked upon them. Hallelujah, you will go mad. You will embrace your fate with arms outstretched and feet running until you sink. You will vomit and rejoice at the coming of ruin. You will praise your master. Choir preaches to this manic truth and gospel of filth, recalling the memory of a ritual buried deep in a book of death-bathed dark. As you are baptized in the muddy river, buried with Christ, and raised to walk in newness of life, open your eyes and look below and you’ll notice the abyss of the dead and rotting staring back.

Choir is a one-man act from Singapore consisting of musician/producer The Choir, offering extreme metal dredged in obscurity and violence. At once blending the pulverizing weight of death/doom, the raw hatred of black metal, and the cavernous echoes of death metal, crammed to the brim with misanthropic dissonance, dense atmospherics, and vicious noise, the act can be compared to the likes of Impetuous Ritual, Infernal Coil, Menace Ruine, and Primitive Man, but with an interpretation of pain all its own. While 2021’s first full-length Songs for a Tarnished World introduced this noise, its follow-up Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence hones it, Choir’s sound achieves relentless devastation and palpable purpose. And it’s a damn shame it was released so late in 2024.

Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence consists of two twenty-two-minute songs, but the tracklist breaks them into three and four movements respectively – one of the few mercies you will receive listening to Choir’s relentless onslaught. Like 2024’s boundary-pushing Ingurgitating Oblivion, Choir combines the outer limits of extreme metal. However, contrary to the elegance, technicality, and grace of Ontology of Nought, Choir molds the festering and rotten loams of lumbering weight, blackened chaos, and ruthless dissonance into a lethal clay, encased in the thick grime of murk. Emerging like many-eyed and many-limbed creatures emerging from the muddy river, movements will sear themselves into your ears from out of nowhere, such as the Mitochondrion-esque chugging riffs (“Bring Them… I,” “Bring Them… III,” “And Sing… IV”), dizzying brain-bleeds and complete disintegrations into noise and dissonance (“And Sing… III”), full-on blackened assaults buried beneath the garbling Portal-esque weight of mud (“And Sing… I”), and ambient sprawls with a rotten hum and bilious distortion trembling beneath (“Bring Them… II”). Gorgeous synth melodies are sparse and stand in stark contrast during capitalizations of crescendos (“And Sing… IV”). While nonetheless bathed in the blood of distortion, they add a distinctly human feel that somehow makes the album much more punishing by contrast while also providing a jagged light at the end of Choir’s pitch-black tunnel.

Choir has accomplished an insane feat, creating an experience that balances haunting hypnotism, primitive ritualism, and cutthroat punishment in its misanthropic blend of extreme styles. Simultaneously a thunderously colossal and lumbering beast and a hateful specter with teeth of lightning, Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence is a portrayal of divine smelt, god silt, and blasphemous murk. Molten and filthy, hypnotic and punishing, Choir is an easy triumph for year-end lists had it been released earlier.

Tracks to Check Out: “Bring Them Tired Ashes to the Black Waters,” “And Sing an Anthem for the Famine”

#2024 #AmbientBlackMetal #AmbientNoise #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #BlackenedDoomMetal #Choir #DeathMetal #DeathDoomMetal #DissonantBlackMetal #DissonantDeathMetal #ImpetuousRitual #InfernalCoil #IngurgitatingOblivion #MenaceRuine #Mitochondrion #Portal #PrimitiveMan #SingaporeanMetal #SmitheTheeSmolderingProvidence #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM

Choir – Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Dear Hollow

Bring them tired ashes to the black waters and sing an anthem for the famine! Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence is blasphemy, a molten and silt-laden horror that saturates every negative space with noise, desolation, and punishment. It dirges and roars like the gods that you thought were benevolent and merciful – their faces lurid and nauseating when you looked upon them. Hallelujah, you will go mad. You will embrace your fate with arms outstretched and feet running until you sink. You will vomit and rejoice at the coming of ruin. You will praise your master. Choir preaches to this manic truth and gospel of filth, recalling the memory of a ritual buried deep in a book of death-bathed dark. As you are baptized in the muddy river, buried with Christ, and raised to walk in newness of life, open your eyes and look below and you’ll notice the abyss of the dead and rotting staring back.

Choir is a one-man act from Singapore consisting of musician/producer The Choir, offering extreme metal dredged in obscurity and violence. At once blending the pulverizing weight of death/doom, the raw hatred of black metal, and the cavernous echoes of death metal, crammed to the brim with misanthropic dissonance, dense atmospherics, and vicious noise, the act can be compared to the likes of Impetuous Ritual, Infernal Coil, Menace Ruine, and Primitive Man, but with an interpretation of pain all its own. While 2021’s first full-length Songs for a Tarnished World introduced this noise, its follow-up Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence hones it, Choir’s sound achieves relentless devastation and palpable purpose. And it’s a damn shame it was released so late in 2024.

Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence consists of two twenty-two-minute songs, but the tracklist breaks them into three and four movements respectively – one of the few mercies you will receive listening to Choir’s relentless onslaught. Like 2024’s boundary-pushing Ingurgitating Oblivion, Choir combines the outer limits of extreme metal. However, contrary to the elegance, technicality, and grace of Ontology of Nought, Choir molds the festering and rotten loams of lumbering weight, blackened chaos, and ruthless dissonance into a lethal clay, encased in the thick grime of murk. Emerging like many-eyed and many-limbed creatures emerging from the muddy river, movements will sear themselves into your ears from out of nowhere, such as the Mitochondrion-esque chugging riffs (“Bring Them… I,” “Bring Them… III,” “And Sing… IV”), dizzying brain-bleeds and complete disintegrations into noise and dissonance (“And Sing… III”), full-on blackened assaults buried beneath the garbling Portal-esque weight of mud (“And Sing… I”), and ambient sprawls with a rotten hum and bilious distortion trembling beneath (“Bring Them… II”). Gorgeous synth melodies are sparse and stand in stark contrast during capitalizations of crescendos (“And Sing… IV”). While nonetheless bathed in the blood of distortion, they add a distinctly human feel that somehow makes the album much more punishing by contrast while also providing a jagged light at the end of Choir’s pitch-black tunnel.

Choir has accomplished an insane feat, creating an experience that balances haunting hypnotism, primitive ritualism, and cutthroat punishment in its misanthropic blend of extreme styles. Simultaneously a thunderously colossal and lumbering beast and a hateful specter with teeth of lightning, Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence is a portrayal of divine smelt, god silt, and blasphemous murk. Molten and filthy, hypnotic and punishing, Choir is an easy triumph for year-end lists had it been released earlier.

Tracks to Check Out: “Bring Them Tired Ashes to the Black Waters,” “And Sing an Anthem for the Famine”

#2024 #AmbientBlackMetal #AmbientNoise #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #BlackenedDoomMetal #Choir #DeathMetal #DeathDoomMetal #DissonantBlackMetal #DissonantDeathMetal #ImpetuousRitual #InfernalCoil #IngurgitatingOblivion #MenaceRuine #Mitochondrion #Portal #PrimitiveMan #SingaporeanMetal #SmitheTheeSmolderingProvidence #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM

Choir – Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Dear Hollow

Bring them tired ashes to the black waters and sing an anthem for the famine! Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence is blasphemy, a molten and silt-laden horror that saturates every negative space with noise, desolation, and punishment. It dirges and roars like the gods that you thought were benevolent and merciful – their faces lurid and nauseating when you looked upon them. Hallelujah, you will go mad. You will embrace your fate with arms outstretched and feet running until you sink. You will vomit and rejoice at the coming of ruin. You will praise your master. Choir preaches to this manic truth and gospel of filth, recalling the memory of a ritual buried deep in a book of death-bathed dark. As you are baptized in the muddy river, buried with Christ, and raised to walk in newness of life, open your eyes and look below and you’ll notice the abyss of the dead and rotting staring back.

Choir is a one-man act from Singapore consisting of musician/producer The Choir, offering extreme metal dredged in obscurity and violence. At once blending the pulverizing weight of death/doom, the raw hatred of black metal, and the cavernous echoes of death metal, crammed to the brim with misanthropic dissonance, dense atmospherics, and vicious noise, the act can be compared to the likes of Impetuous Ritual, Infernal Coil, Menace Ruine, and Primitive Man, but with an interpretation of pain all its own. While 2021’s first full-length Songs for a Tarnished World introduced this noise, its follow-up Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence hones it, Choir’s sound achieves relentless devastation and palpable purpose. And it’s a damn shame it was released so late in 2024.

Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence consists of two twenty-two-minute songs, but the tracklist breaks them into three and four movements respectively – one of the few mercies you will receive listening to Choir’s relentless onslaught. Like 2024’s boundary-pushing Ingurgitating Oblivion, Choir combines the outer limits of extreme metal. However, contrary to the elegance, technicality, and grace of Ontology of Nought, Choir molds the festering and rotten loams of lumbering weight, blackened chaos, and ruthless dissonance into a lethal clay, encased in the thick grime of murk. Emerging like many-eyed and many-limbed creatures emerging from the muddy river, movements will sear themselves into your ears from out of nowhere, such as the Mitochondrion-esque chugging riffs (“Bring Them… I,” “Bring Them… III,” “And Sing… IV”), dizzying brain-bleeds and complete disintegrations into noise and dissonance (“And Sing… III”), full-on blackened assaults buried beneath the garbling Portal-esque weight of mud (“And Sing… I”), and ambient sprawls with a rotten hum and bilious distortion trembling beneath (“Bring Them… II”). Gorgeous synth melodies are sparse and stand in stark contrast during capitalizations of crescendos (“And Sing… IV”). While nonetheless bathed in the blood of distortion, they add a distinctly human feel that somehow makes the album much more punishing by contrast while also providing a jagged light at the end of Choir’s pitch-black tunnel.

Choir has accomplished an insane feat, creating an experience that balances haunting hypnotism, primitive ritualism, and cutthroat punishment in its misanthropic blend of extreme styles. Simultaneously a thunderously colossal and lumbering beast and a hateful specter with teeth of lightning, Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence is a portrayal of divine smelt, god silt, and blasphemous murk. Molten and filthy, hypnotic and punishing, Choir is an easy triumph for year-end lists had it been released earlier.

Tracks to Check Out: “Bring Them Tired Ashes to the Black Waters,” “And Sing an Anthem for the Famine”

#2024 #AmbientBlackMetal #AmbientNoise #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #BlackenedDoomMetal #Choir #DeathMetal #DeathDoomMetal #DissonantBlackMetal #DissonantDeathMetal #ImpetuousRitual #InfernalCoil #IngurgitatingOblivion #MenaceRuine #Mitochondrion #Portal #PrimitiveMan #SingaporeanMetal #SmitheTheeSmolderingProvidence #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM

Free download codes:

Liminalanimal - Lamentations

"Blackened Doom Metal"

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Free download codes:

Liminalanimal - Lamentations

"Blackened Doom Metal"

https://getmusic.fm/l/atFiUw

#bandcampcodes #blackeneddoommetal #music

Amarok – Resilience Review

By Twelve

It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity to review funeral doom for this site. Mostly, this is Cherd‘s fault; funeral doom itself is something of a rarity in our Promo Pit, and the guy has some sort of sixth sense that specifically tells him when it shows up. So it’s nice to sit back, relax, and listen to some low, slow, doom. Amarok, hailing from the United States, aren’t just a band of funeral doom, however—on Resilience, their second full-length release, they blend a whole bunch of styles together to create a dark, gritty, and towering work of music designed to appeal to the most morose of metal’s mortals. But how does it stack up to the crushing weight of expectation?

In typical funeral doom style, Resilience is primarily made up of four songs that each span between twelve and eighteen minutes. Many hallmarks of the style are present—slow, dramatic, drawn-out riffs, growling vocals, and the aforementioned long songs. Opener “Charred (X)” is perhaps the most funereal of the bunch, opening with slow, bleak passages that build carefully to a quiet interlude midway through the song. From there, the song builds and builds, slowly incorporating variations, breakdowns, and finally elements of black metal into the mix. Mournful guitar leads inject melody throughout while agonized vocals rasp, growl, and scream their way into a mournful edge for the song.

But even this “most funereal of the bunch” has that blackened edge, and this is where Amarok look to set themselves apart. Throughout Resilience, the band incorporates elements of doom, sludge, and black metal into their music, a choice that’s evident in the songwriting, production, and mix of the album. The guitars are crunchy with distortion, and in fact, one of the more memorable choices on “Ascension (XI)” is the way it heavily amps up that distortion towards the end of the song. By the time “Penance (XII)” reaches its conclusion, it has fully transitioned to a black metal song, with blast beats and tremolos emerging from the slow build which starts out firmly in funeral doom territory. Throughout, Amarok is careful to keep a morose atmosphere, an edge of gloominess to each song that allows the album to feel, ultimately, like a unified work of doom, despite its many influences.

Resilience hits a lot of the right notes in its sludge/doom/black/funeral metal blend, but it feels like an album that’s playing it too safe. Most of it follows a familiar structure, in which Amarok finds a strong melody to act as the primary theme for the song, and then, in true funeral doom style, repeats it, often with small variations to keep it from becoming stale. On “Ascension (XI),” however, the pattern just doesn’t stop repeating. Most of the song (and it’s an eighteen-minute song, the longest on the album) is that same riff. Despite the variations and impressive vocal performance, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the band found a strong melody and never fully moved away from it. Unfortunately, “Penance (XII”) follows a similar pattern with a riff whose timing and feeling are extremely similar. This hurts the album’s pacing and places several lengthy passages in a sort of “background noise” category, where the record hits a comfortable stride and stops doing anything exciting with it.

Of course, there are far worse things than for a song to be comfortably fine, and the ideas that inform these songs are strong ones. On the whole, Resilience is a good album, one that finds a strong catharsis as it blends several styles together in a natural and effective way. I may have a few issues with the songwriting, but I can’t complain about the way the leads make me feel, the strength of the drumming and vocal performances, or the clever way it does blend those styles. I look forward to seeing what Amarok do next—Resilience is a strong foundation to build on.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Vulture Print & Vendetta Records
Websites: amarok.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/amarokdoom
Releases Worldwide: June 28th, 2024

#2024 #30 #Amarok #AmericanMetal #BlackenedDoomMetal #FuneralDoomMetal #Jun24 #Resilience #Review #Reviews #SludgeMetal #VendettaRecords #VulturePrint

Amarok – Resilience Review

By Twelve

It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity to review funeral doom for this site. Mostly, this is Cherd‘s fault; funeral doom itself is something of a rarity in our Promo Pit, and the guy has some sort of sixth sense that specifically tells him when it shows up. So it’s nice to sit back, relax, and listen to some low, slow, doom. Amarok, hailing from the United States, aren’t just a band of funeral doom, however—on Resilience, their second full-length release, they blend a whole bunch of styles together to create a dark, gritty, and towering work of music designed to appeal to the most morose of metal’s mortals. But how does it stack up to the crushing weight of expectation?

In typical funeral doom style, Resilience is primarily made up of four songs that each span between twelve and eighteen minutes. Many hallmarks of the style are present—slow, dramatic, drawn-out riffs, growling vocals, and the aforementioned long songs. Opener “Charred (X)” is perhaps the most funereal of the bunch, opening with slow, bleak passages that build carefully to a quiet interlude midway through the song. From there, the song builds and builds, slowly incorporating variations, breakdowns, and finally elements of black metal into the mix. Mournful guitar leads inject melody throughout while agonized vocals rasp, growl, and scream their way into a mournful edge for the song.

But even this “most funereal of the bunch” has that blackened edge, and this is where Amarok look to set themselves apart. Throughout Resilience, the band incorporates elements of doom, sludge, and black metal into their music, a choice that’s evident in the songwriting, production, and mix of the album. The guitars are crunchy with distortion, and in fact, one of the more memorable choices on “Ascension (XI)” is the way it heavily amps up that distortion towards the end of the song. By the time “Penance (XII)” reaches its conclusion, it has fully transitioned to a black metal song, with blast beats and tremolos emerging from the slow build which starts out firmly in funeral doom territory. Throughout, Amarok is careful to keep a morose atmosphere, an edge of gloominess to each song that allows the album to feel, ultimately, like a unified work of doom, despite its many influences.

Resilience hits a lot of the right notes in its sludge/doom/black/funeral metal blend, but it feels like an album that’s playing it too safe. Most of it follows a familiar structure, in which Amarok finds a strong melody to act as the primary theme for the song, and then, in true funeral doom style, repeats it, often with small variations to keep it from becoming stale. On “Ascension (XI),” however, the pattern just doesn’t stop repeating. Most of the song (and it’s an eighteen-minute song, the longest on the album) is that same riff. Despite the variations and impressive vocal performance, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the band found a strong melody and never fully moved away from it. Unfortunately, “Penance (XII”) follows a similar pattern with a riff whose timing and feeling are extremely similar. This hurts the album’s pacing and places several lengthy passages in a sort of “background noise” category, where the record hits a comfortable stride and stops doing anything exciting with it.

Of course, there are far worse things than for a song to be comfortably fine, and the ideas that inform these songs are strong ones. On the whole, Resilience is a good album, one that finds a strong catharsis as it blends several styles together in a natural and effective way. I may have a few issues with the songwriting, but I can’t complain about the way the leads make me feel, the strength of the drumming and vocal performances, or the clever way it does blend those styles. I look forward to seeing what Amarok do next—Resilience is a strong foundation to build on.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Vulture Print & Vendetta Records
Websites: amarok.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/amarokdoom
Releases Worldwide: June 28th, 2024

#2024 #30 #Amarok #AmericanMetal #BlackenedDoomMetal #FuneralDoomMetal #Jun24 #Resilience #Review #Reviews #SludgeMetal #VendettaRecords #VulturePrint

Útgarðar – Fire Smoked Upon the Wolf’s Back Review

By Dear Hollow

Norse mythology pervading black metal is nothing new. Due to the style’s Scandinavian origins, it would not surprise me to see Lucifer and Odin taking swigs of Christian blood together in a burning Waffle House in like Tromsø, for instance. Norse Paganism has always been the wingman for anti-Christianity under Metallum’s profile lyrical themes, so the slaughter of Ymir and the rise of Yggdrasil across the yawning void Ginnungagap, the rivalry of Loki and Thor, and the fierce matchups of Ragnarök have long captured the imaginations of the western world. In this way, Útgarðar offers little new, as you’ll find the nine worlds, the great frost-giant Ymir, the trolls, and the formidable ferocity of the wolves Fenrir, Sköll, and Hati all play a part. A tangible thread of storytelling courses through the thirty-two minutes of debut Fire Smoked Upon the Wolf’s Back.

You may recognize Útgarðar’s two members, as American instrumentalist Niðafjöll (Nathan Verschoor) is known for his work with recent Uada, Veiled, and Altars of the Moon, while Swedish vocalist/guitarist Seiðr (Andreas Westholm) features a storied discography with acts like Blackest, Seid, and Serpent Omega. Both members offer a distinctly down-tuned sound, heavier guitar tone, and more “deathened” snarls adding to the rotten sound, but Fire Smoked Upon the Wolf’s Back is black metal through and through: Útgarðar offers their caustic and vicious interpretation of unholy trinity of blastbeats, shrieks, and tremolo. Refusing to settle into monotony, the duo manages a ritualistic flare and doomed atmosphere that makes it hard to shake, as the frost of the Scandinavian pines and the solemnity of the setting sun are felt in every movement.

Útgarðar utilizes a powerful and simple approach, balancing memorable melody, caustic blackened attacks, and ritualistic doom – tied together into dynamic songwriting. While intro “The Pyres of Utgard” offer the former two in a vicious track whose only reprieve is the haunting clean vocals buried behind slower passages, “Ymir Awakens” and “Trolls of Muspel Trolls of Frost” are clear centerpieces, brimming with tension between its ambient lulls, vicious tremolo, and doom weight – even the ambient passages feature subtle percussion injecting a fire throughout. This continues into the more subdued closers, “Fire Smoked Upon the Wolf’s Back” and “Under Soil,” in which ritualistic atmosphere takes front and center, such as in the pulsing percussion and shamanistic chants of the title track or the rotten ambient sprawl of the album closer. While balance is a clear priority for Útgarðar, each cut features a distinct melodic motif that adds to the memorability of the album, as the cleans of the title track or the guitar/vocal melodies of “Under Soil” elevate an otherwise despondent set of tracks.

There are no directly negative tracks within Fire Smoked Upon the Wolf’s Back, and largely Útgarðar’s only sin is its inconsistent mood. The contrast between the fiery second-wave of “The Pyres of Utgard” and the shamanistic despair of “Under Soil” is stark. While the best-of-both-worlds “Ymir Awakens” and “Trolls of Muspel Trolls of Frost” smoothen this transition in what would be an album-long dynamic, they settle neatly into three separate approaches instead. The highlights are so because of their haunting blend of energy and atmosphere, while the closing tracks dispel with much of the energy while the opener foregoes atmosphere. In a way, the album then feels like a Viking Venn diagram, with the centerpieces constituting the near-perfect overlap.

That’s not to say that Útgarðar shoots themselves in the foot, because I haven’t quite experienced the haunting and evocative quality of Asatro-themed black metal that actually feels authentic and organic the way Fire Smoked Upon the Wolf’s Back does. It plays it relatively safe in terms of the second wave, but its infusion of doom filth and ritualistic primacy simply adds up to this: a damn good black metal album. While moods are disparate, you won’t care because every one of them is accomplished with rotten grit and otherworldly darkness undergirded by tense Norseman violence. Furious black metal, ritualistic menace, and mammoth weight have a weapon in this particular Ragnarök, and you’ll be glad to die by Odin’s side for Útgarðar.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: ATMF Records
Website: facebook.com/Útgarðar
Releases Worldwide: February 23rd, 2024

#2024 #35 #AltarsOfTheMoon #ATMFRecords #BlackMetal #BlackenedDoomMetal #Blackest #Feb24 #FireSmokedUponTheWolfSBack #InternationalMetal #Review #Reviews #Seid #SerpentOmega #Uada #Útgarðar #Veiled