#blackenedthrashmetal — Public Fediverse posts

#CurrentlyListeningTo Demiser - Through the Gate Eternal #HeavyMetal #BlackMetal #BlackenedThrashMetal 🇺🇲

TYTALUS (Espanya) presenta nou EP: "Wisdom through the Ages of Spiritism" #Tytalus #BlackenedThrashMetal #Octubre2026 #Espanya #NouEp #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

SARCATOR (Suècia) presenta nou single: "Ain't Fit to Live" #Sarcator #BlackenedThrashMetal #Setembre2026 #Suècia #NouSingle #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

TERRORBOUND (Sèrbia) presenta nou àlbum: "Chapter of Destruction" #Terrorbound #BlackenedThrashMetal #Setembre2026 #Sèrbia #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

VINGULMORK (Noruega) presenta nou àlbum: "Barmhjertighetens fallitt" #Vingulmork #BlackenedThrashMetal #Setembre2026 #Noruega #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

CÖDE RED (Estats Units) presenta nou single: "Valley of Ashes" #CödeRed #BlackenedThrashMetal #Agost2026 #EstatsUnits #NouSingle #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

I’ve been on a bit of a thrash bender in June, and Ruyned will conclude this month’s kick for ol’ Grin. The Romanian trio sends me deep into the heart of July with turbocharged, high-octane riffing and a moderate case of whiplash. Profanum Sacrificium, Ruyned’s sophomore LP, plays thrash the way the olde school intended—at furious speeds with the subtlety of an uppercut to the jawbone. My elevator pitch for Ruyned is, ‘Midnight but faster,’ yet the crew also channels Kill ‘Em All-era Metallica and a stripped-down Hellripper. With blistering paces in all the right places, does Profanum Sacrificium satisfy listeners’ need for speed?

Profanum Sacrificium is a tale of two halves, covering a pair of narrative arcs that relate accounts of violence and death. The front-end scorches with instantaneous shots of adrenaline and describes the heinous depravity of the Vampire of Düsseldorf. “Speedchain” and “Sex’n Speed” reek of OG Metallica, where “Hit the Lights” seems a major inspiration for both “Speedchain”‘s thunderous opening as well as the primary hook in “Sex’n Speed.” “Sex Commander 666” sprints into Motörhead territory, opening with a solo that Fast Eddie Clark would approve of before slinking into a funky swagger that reminds me of “Love Me Like a Reptile.” Where Ruyned plays a touch too close to influence on the first two, “Sex Commander 666” exudes a freshness that hints at touchstones without plaguing me with questions of where I’ve heard a riff before. Meanwhile, “Orgasm Through Death” slows proceedings down appreciably, with Bogdan Mateescu’s tortured, blackened rasps guiding listeners through a plodding march that amplifies the drama.

The second half of Profanum Sacrificium shifts to a separate narrative, describing centuries-long witch hunts from post-medieval Europe steeped in folklore and flames. Musically, this pulls Ruyned away from the straightforward ragers that define Profanum Sacrificium’s first half and into darker, more novel waters. The most immediate difference is that more time gets dedicated to instrumentation on the back half, with two instrumentals and less vocal focus towards the ends of tracks “Malleus Maleficarum” and “Witches Gallöw.” Originality flares here as well, where the instrumentation is reminiscent of bands like Bütcher and Toxic Holocaust, but the songs don’t blur with comparisons. “Profanum Sacrificium,” “Malleus Maleficarum,” and “Witches Gallöw” could pass for decade-old Kreator B-sides sung by Tapping the Vein-era Tom Angelripper, boasting snappy melodic riffing supported by Mihai Marinescu’s machine-gun blast drums and Tiberiu Olescher’s mid-range bass attack.

In all, Ruyned zips through half an hour of breakneck thrash with enough energy and grit that it’s unerringly easy to enjoy despite some bumps along the way. Even before I discovered Profanum Sacrificium’s two narrative arcs, the musical split between them stood out. While each half succeeds on its own, together they present a whole too disjointed to flourish without an interceding mixer. Ruyned’s instrumentals also undercut Profanum Sacrificium’s potential, where the three of them total four-and-a-half minutes of fluff. The remainder of Profanum Sacrificium barely contains enough meat to qualify for LP status, leaving the album longing for another well-developed song or two rather than three throwaway tracks.1 Still, the rest of the album supplies plenty of good thrashing, and with a little more consideration to songwriting cohesion, Ruyned possesses the pizzazz to set barns ablaze their next time out.

After several listens through Profanum Sacrificium, I’m convinced Ruyned can write first-class thrash. Rapidfire riffs and blackened edges give Ruyned a sense of familiarity, and if they can take care to push further away from genre greats and commit to more unified songwriting, they’ll menace listeners with an all-killer fusillade next time. Until then, Profanum Sacrificium serves as a fun diversion when time doesn’t allow for a longer dive, but it ultimately doesn’t threaten what other acts have done in the space this year.

Rating: Good
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Osmose Productions
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: June 26th, 2026

SPAKTRA (Indonèsia) presenta nou Split: "Medieval Annihilation" #Spaktra #BlackenedThrashMetal #Juliol2026 #Indonèsia #NouSplit #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

CÖDE RED (Estats Units) presenta nova demo: "Devour..." #CödeRed #BlackenedThrashMetal #Maig2026 #EstatsUnits #NovaDemo #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

The Great Observer – Loss of Transcendence Review

There are few concepts in the Western tradition as misunderstood as that of “the death…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Music #2.0 #2026 #Apr26 #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #BlackenedThrashMetal #BlackSeedProductions #DeathMetal #diSEMBOWELMENT #Entertainment #ItalianMetal #LossofTranscendence #MorbidAngel #Necrophobic #review #reviews #TheGreatObserver #ThrashMetal #TombMold
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/617223/

https://www.europesays.com/uk/930648/ The Great Observer – Loss of Transcendence Review #20 #2026 #Apr26 #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #BlackenedThrashMetal #BlackSeedProductions #DeathMetal #diSEMBOWELMENT #Entertainment #ItalianMetal #LossOfTranscendence #MorbidAngel #music #Necrophobic #Review #Reviews #TheGreatObserver #ThrashMetal #TombMold #UK #UnitedKingdom

There are few concepts in the Western tradition as misunderstood as that of “the death of God.” It is not a triumphant proclamation, nor a call for apathetic nihilism. What has been coined in recent online discourse as a ‘meaning crisis’ is only barely getting the point. The Loss of Transcendence—some universal, ultimate, mind-independent Truth and set of values—is a beginning, an event that should prompt critical thought and action and confrontation of a human condition that we sedate ourselves out of with belief in a higher power or sense and reason in the universe; hope; or the rescinding of responsibility to the idea that ‘nothing matters.12 The Great Observer seem to have done their homework for the most part, with their debut channeling their thrashy blackened death into a philosophical call to action that blends Existentialism with Stoicism and Epicureanism. Fresh on the scene and immediately going all-in in aggression and storytelling, what can The Great Observer give to us?

On the face of it, Loss of Transcendence is standard black/death/thrash, with a rotating emphasis on each of those three components. Sticking primarily to up-tempo, gritty riffing in a vein somewhere between Necrophobic, Tomb Mold, and Morbid Angel—though a less flashy iteration—The Great Observer do nonetheless find time to linger in some cavernousness that vaguely recalls Disembowelment. They further emphasise their mean streak with a pervasive vocal echo that adds to the grime of the throaty howls and is compounded during the many instances when such vocals are multi-tracked or delivered as a group. But not all of this energy is used in service of evil; there’s a strong anthemic side to these choruses and a jaunty bombast to many a beat. In many ways, it gives off the aura of classical extreme metal—back when Black Metal was an album title, and ugliness, speed, and aggression were the name of the game in a fundamentally different way to how they are now. And yet, under the layers of dirt and behind the malevolence lie small seeds of nuance, and it is to Loss of Transcendence’s great detriment that they remain scattered seeds alone.

Loss of Transcendence flirts with many things—intrigue, atmosphere, tenacity—but never quite wins any of them over. Riffs generally check boxes for pugnacity, but even at their most brutish and slick (“The Great Observer,” “Impervious Creation”), they have no edge, no force. At the worst end, guitar lines are entirely blunt thanks to nondescript, generic-sounding melodies and patterns (“Herald of Thorns,” “How Far the Faithless will Venture”). It’s unfortunate that all of the best guitar sits in the record’s back half, with “Impervious Creation” and “The Weight of Being Free” delivering shimmying, sliding shredding capable of winning over the harshest of critics, and the latter track featuring a genuinely beautiful, buttery smooth solo that combines everything great about grimy yet gorgeous extreme metal. The frequent use of group vocals, which sometimes creates an impressive miasma of harrowing calls (“Impervious Creation,” title track), falls awkwardly flat when delivered as rousing shouts (“Sentenced at High Noon,” “At The Summit of Consciousness,” “The Weight…”) thanks to the latter’s surprising corniness. The Great Observer also experiment in an exasperatingly random manner with distortion, with a liquid, Worm-adjacent effect appearing in random snatches never to develop (“Parénklisis (Fallen Into Existence),” “How Far…,” “The Weight…,” title track); and the worst part is that it’s good! The pace, generally high, is also stymied by not one but two synth-heavy instrumentals as “Parénklisis…” opens the album with a gravitas that never appears again, and “Ékstasis (The Lonesome Path)” needlessly presses pause for two minutes of ambience and whispering.

In reality, Loss of Transcendence feels frustratingly lukewarm. A mix that pushes guitars erratically between the far background and the very forefront, and a baffling decision3 to layer vocal tracks and reverb like lasagna over these riffs (“The Great Observer,” “Sentenced at High Noon,” “The Weight…,” title track) makes what could be decent blackened death sound almost poor. Almost the only time the guitars sound good is when they sound great, soloing in sudden clarity (“Sentenced…,” “Impervious Creation”) and with fluent expressiveness (“The Weight…,”), and these highlights appear exclusively in the second half. Given this, it becomes harder to forgive the swing of strangely upbeat gang shouts (“Sentenced…,” “Herald of Thorns”) and a brusque attitude to riff-writing that tends to shy away from character.

It’s always a shame when a concept I’m particularly interested in is delivered in mediocre form. Loss of Transcendence strikes as an album that would have had heads spinning and Bibles being reached for in the early 90s but now its grit cannot make up for its shortcomings. Failing to develop their best ideas and sidelining their assets far too often, The Great Observer still haven’t seen how to capitalise on their strengths, and Loss of Transcendence loses more than higher values as a result.

Rating: Disappointing
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: BlackSeed Productions
Website: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 30th, 2026

OMISSION (Espanya) presenta nou àlbum: "Doomed Ancient Rites" #Omission #BlackenedThrashMetal #Març2026 #Espanya #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

TYTALUS (Espanya) presenta nou single: "Wisdom of Doomers" #Tytalus #BlackenedThrashMetal #Març2026 #Espanya #NouSingle #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

New track by #Hellripper released! Another brilliant one! 🤘🐐🤘

#Coronach #blackenedthrashmetal #speedmetal #goatcvlt

https://youtu.be/mcdrP2Mjh24?si=HinBVcTks7y8LI2A

VAULDERIE (Estats Units) presenta nou àlbum: "Sanguinoctum" #Vaulderie #BlackenedThrashMetal #Gener2026 #EstatsUnits #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

If you need help getting going on a Monday morning, throw some fucking Hellripper on!

Their brand of blackened speed metal continues to evolve. New track "Hunderprest" is great, and I'm looking forward to the new album "Coronach", out in March.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQpB78zs138

#BlackenedSpeedMetal #BlackenedThrashMetal #ScottishMetal #Metal #Music #Albumsof2026

CÖDE RED (Estats Units) presenta nou àlbum: "State of Emergency" #CödeRed #BlackenedThrashMetal #Desembre2025 #EstatsUnits #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

VAULDERIE (Estats Units) presenta nou single: "From the Crypt" #Vaulderie #BlackenedThrashMetal #Desembre2025 #EstatsUnits #NouSingle #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

RANSAKKER (Suècia) presenta nou àlbum: "Expulsion of the Dying" #Ransakker #BlackenedThrashMetal #Novembre2025 #Suècia #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

DEMONIAC (Xile) presenta nou àlbum en directe: "Nube Negra En Vivo" #Demoniac #BlackenedThrashMetal #Octubre2025 #Xile #NouÀlbumEnDirecte #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

VELASTRIA (Bèlgica) presenta nou àlbum: "War Delusion" #Velastria #BlackenedThrashMetal #Octubre2025 #Bèlgica #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

Wreckage
from #ruse, #bulgaria

🌐 https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Wreckage/3540556316

live at 'modern theatre' in #burgas, bulgaria.

#blackeneddeathmetal #BlackenedThrashMetal #deathmetal #thrashmetal #metal #music #concert #бургас

MORTAL SCEPTER (França) presenta nou àlbum: "Ethereal Dominance" #MortalScepter #BlackenedThrashMetal #Setembre2025 #França #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

BASTARD CRÖSS (Estats Units) presenta nou single: "Behead the Priest" #BastardCröss #BlackenedThrashMetal #Agost2025 #EstatsUnits #NouSingle #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

TERROR CROSS (Finlàndia) presenta nou àlbum: "Hell Is Our Force and Power" #TerrorCross #BlackenedThrashMetal #Punk #Agost2025 #Finlàndia #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

Ultimate revalation vol 1

Cabaret Foufounes Electriques, Saturday, August 23 at 07:00 PM EDT

Anr Productions Presents:

Ultimate Revelation Vol.1

Performances:

Stregoneria

Sarkasm

Riotor

Braindown

Postluven

7pm doors/portes

7h30 show

25$ at the door/à la portes

20$ online/en ligne

ticket link:

https://thepointofsale.com/tickets/0qd250823001

https://montreal.askapunk.net/event/ultimate-revalation-vol-1

ENDSUMMER RITUAL @ Thrashcan - August 15th, 2025

Thrash Can, Friday, August 15 at 07:00 PM EDT

ENDSUMMER RITUAL

Coming up on Friday, August 15th, 2025 at Thrashcan!

Prepare for an ushering of darkness as Edmonton black metal wizards Sorguinazia and Kings Rot descend upon our fair city for a night of ultimate chaotic debauchery.

They’ll be joined by black n’ roll warriors Mistwalker, Quebec City noire miscreants Masse d'Armes, melodic Montreal shredders Shroud, and the darkened coldwave and post-punk tidings of Oiseau de Proie

This is an evening of misery and madness that you DON’T want to miss!

Sorguinazia:
https://sorguinazia.bandcamp.com/album/of-lust-and-leeches

Kings Rot:
https://kingsrot.bandcamp.com/album/at-the-gates-of-adversarial-darkness

Masse d'Armes:
https://massedarmesqc.bandcamp.com/album/masse-darmes

Mistwalker:
https://mistwalker.bandcamp.com/album/oceanic-heritage

Shroud:
https://shroudmtl.bandcamp.com/track/the-eternal-void

Oiseau de Proie:
https://oiseaudeproie.bandcamp.com/album/m-lop-es-dun-ciel-teint

Friday, August 15th, 2025
@ Thrashcan (Ask a Punk!)
Doors @ 7:00 PM
Show @ 8:00 PM
$15
18+

https://montreal.askapunk.net/event/endsummer-ritual-thrashcan-august-15th-2025

GRAVEWITCH (Estats Units) presenta nou àlbum: "Gravewitch" #Gravewitch #BlackenedThrashMetal #Juny2025 #EstatsUnits #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

WAR//PLAGUE (Estats Units) presenta nou àlbum: "The Rot Thickens" #War//plague #Crust #BlackenedThrashMetal #Juny2025 #EstatsUnits #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

Ashbringer, Mistwalker, Murtenscythe

La Sotterenea, Monday, June 2 at 07:00 PM EDT

Viridian Cult Productions presents:

Minnesota false black metal band Ashbringer will be trekking to Montreal, hot off the heels of their performance at Prepare the Ground this year, for a show at La Sotterenea on Monday, June 2nd!

They will be joined by blackened speed rippers Mistwalker, and progressive death wizards Murtenscythe!

Monday, June 2nd, 2025
@ La Sotterenea
Doors @ 7:00 PM
Show @ 8:00 PM
$15
18+

Ashbringer:
https://ashbringermusic.bandcamp.com/.../we-came-here-to...

Mistwalker:
https://mistwalker.bandcamp.com/album/oceanic-heritage

Murtenscythe:
https://murtenscythe.bandcamp.com/album/vodyanoy

https://montreal.askapunk.net/event/ashbringer-mistwalker-murtenscythe

MORITURI (Àustria) presenta nou single: "Scotty" #Morituri #BlackenedThrashMetal #Abril2025 #Àustria #NouSingle #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

BASTARD CRÖSS (Estats Units) presenta nou single: "Crossripper" #BastardCröss #BlackenedThrashMetal #Abril2025 #EstatsUnits #NouSingle #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

CÖDE RED (Estats Units) presenta nou EP: "Extreme Crossover Thrash" #CödeRed #BlackenedThrashMetal #Març2025 #EstatsUnits #NouEp #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

Shrine of Denial – I, Moloch Review

By Thus Spoke

I’m starting to think there might be something in the water over in Turkey. Not two full years after Serpent of Old and their phenomenal debut Ensemble Under the Dark Sun blew my tiny mind, Shrine of Denial threaten to do the same. Sharing a home country and a label and implying a similar sound to Serpent of Old in their one-sheet, it was easy to go in expecting a carbon-copy of the former. While certain quirks suggest the idea of a native style, Shrine of Denial have more than enough personality of their own, forming I, Moloch with blackened death metal channeled through a sound that feels as old and trve as it does fresh and unique.

I, Moloch is gritty, fast, and technical. Punchily-delivered vocals and fast, off-beat tempos that almost recall The Black Dahlia Murder, meet with menacing riffwork that mimics a faster Morbid Angel, and is most closely akin to last years’ Keres, and throaty growls barked or roared, often in unison. Lurking about the compositions are tones and some pretensions to atmospheric dissonance that sound—yes—a bit like Serpent of Old (“Climbing Through Nothingness,” “The Mesmer”). But Shrine of Denial eschew eerie ambiguity in favour of straightforward meanness, delivering their discordant harmonies through spidery fretwork and the occasional twisting, piercing line. The low-DR, new-school-old-school production that wraps guitar solos in delicious echo, pushes the percussion to the front and into the golden zone of satisfyingly crisp crashy-bangyness, and emphasises the roughness of the vocals is the perfect packaging. This sounds bloody fantastic.

Shrine of Denial excel at elevating the elements of their music in a way that injects new vitality and intrigue into old styles, but doesn’t denigrate their unvarnished heaviness. There is much that feels vaguely familiar on I, Moloch, but it is reinterpreted and reinvigorated through impressive performances and idiosyncratic habits that give Shrine of Denial instant individuality. Guitar lines threading through compositions are immediate and hooky (“Oneiros,” “Headless Idol”), but subtly they spin a more complex web that gives the songs depth, and take you almost by surprise as thematic reprise bursts into a thrilling solo (“I, Moloch,” “Pillars of Ice”). The drumwork is far more complex than it needed to be, but the effort pays off in spades, with the compositions becoming exhilaratingly energetic; my jaw was frequently on the floor in appreciation of the flicky precision and kicky fills (especially “A Sanctuary In The Depths Of The Realms,” “Pillars of Ice,” and “Oneiros”). Further, the way Shrine of Denial use syncopation between percussion, vocal delivery, and on-off riff patterns gives them that much more impact, where otherwise they might have shrunken under their technicality (“I, Moloch,” “Temple of the Corpse Misuser”). What few truly melodious passages there are shine when they do appear in the aforementioned solos, or in the hints of grace to certain quite OSDM-sounding refrains; the beauty of their high, cavernous resonance makes it that much more heartbreaking that they are so rare.

There is precious little wastage on I, Moloch. With a runtime this swift, but songs this compelling, it’s clear that Shrine of Denial are smart songwriters, knowing that to win over their listener, it’s better to leave them a little hungry. These 31 minutes are bursting with slick, thrilling, downright gnarly musicianship, and a presence that belies this brevity. Everything exudes a fresh and snappy approach to disso-death, and blackened death, and whatever subgenres they incorporate, that makes them more approachable, but keeps just enough conventionality, and more than enough brutality and technicality, to satisfy. The main problems, therefore, with I, Moloch are: a) I would like more, and b) I would like them to let their extreme tendencies play out a little further; that is to say—there aren’t any real problems. In seriousness, I, Moloch’s abbreviation and slight camouflage of seeming more straightforward than it is does let Shrine of Denial down a tad; but it’s early days, and I’m more than happy to wait for them to really let loose.

Really, I, Moloch does everything you could ask it to. It’s punchy and slick, with clear signs of powerful promise waiting to be capitalised upon once Shrine of Denial fully lock in. It’s a bite-sized helping of top-shelf blackened death that gets me very excited for the band’s future career, and it’s another impressive debut to come from a country with a growing reputation of fostering extreme metal talent.

Rating: Very Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Websites: shrineofdenial.bandcamp | facebook.com/shrineofdenial
Releases Worldwide: March 7th, 2025

#2025 #35 #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #BlackenedThrashMetal #DeathMetal #DissonantDeathMetal #IMoloch #Keres #Mar25 #MorbidAngel #Review #Reviews #SerpentOfOld #ShrineOfDenial #TheBlackDahliaMurder #TranscendingObscurityRecords #TurkishMetal

OBLIVIÖN (Austràlia) presenta nova demo: "The Blackened Ones" #Obliviön #BlackenedThrashMetal #Febrer2025 #Austràlia #NovaDemo #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

#CurrentlyListeningTo Corpsing - Viewing the Invisible #HeavyMetal #BlackMetal #BlackenedThrashMetal 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

#CurrentlyListeningTo Acid Cross - Under Dark #HeavyMetal #BlackMetal #BlackenedThrashMetal 🇨🇦

For @HailsandAles' #BlackMetalMonday:

#Hellbutcher: The Sword of Wrath

https://song.link/8pr3rhcd8gvqc

#BlackenedThrashMetal #ThrashenedBlackMetal

FFO #Avmakt #SpectralWound #TombMold

Wraithfyre – Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms Review

By Dear Hollow

Not that I’m the biggest symphonic black aficionado out there, but the UK-based Wraithfyre appealed to me because its name and inconsistent uses of i’s and y’s reflected my band in high school.1 Regardless, like some of atmoblack’s more ancient conjurations, I’ve always felt like symphonic black a la Limbonic Art, Vordven, and Cult of Fire embody more extreme versions of their trve and pvrist second-wave counterparts, a direct antithesis to the more mainstream antics of Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth. Wraithfyre professes likewise an icy blast of black metal.

A project from Tom O’Dell, mastermind behind the Tolkien-inspired black metal of Dwarrowdelf and instrumental deathgrind Gimli, Son of Glóin, as well as the power metalling Battle Born, Wraithfyre offers a different, decidedly second-wave attack. While too often symphonic black metal sees its cold and icy buried beneath the bombast of keys and choirs, debut Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms is no stranger to the riff. Instead utilizing macabre atmosphere as a flourish to its viciousness, O’Dell puts thorny riffs and scathing melodic lines upon the pedestal with its keys as the supporting cast. While it periodically struggles with memorability, Wraithfyre offers an obscenely entertaining debut.

You would be forgiven to believe that intro “A Lunar Descent” sets the tone for sprawling symphonic decadence. Wraithfyre kicks the gate open with icy blast with “Fallen Before Their Blazing Altar,” whose intensity is well-matched with its memorable central melody that straddles memorability and iciness in equal measure, keys supplementing the riffs. This trend continues into the juxtaposition of bouncy tremolo and aggressive plodding of “Queen of the Blighted Throne” and “Eternal Pyres from Beyond the Void,” the instrumental-focused exploration of “Infernal Heresy,” and the blastbeat-dominated intensity and chuggy riffs of “Echoes of a Forgotten Dream.” Moods of desperation, horror, and aggression are offered with seamless fluidity atop scathing tremolo, while edged riffs anchor the sound beyond mindless second-wave blasting. Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms is raw and intense, recalling a tasteful fusion of black metal’s lo-fi history and the more modern thrash-infused incarnations of The Infernal Sea or Toxic Holocaust.

While there is plenty killer aboard the summit Of Fell Peaks, Wraithfyre concocts unfortunate filler. While the instrumental explorations of “Infernal Heresy” and “Eternal Pyres from Beyond the Void” are mile markers along the spooky journey, tracks “Ablaze in Abyssal Frosts” blurs into the scenery while closer “Dark Souls Devoured” features a slightly wonky melody that questions its integrity, even if its plodding riffs feel emotive and powerful. That said, with very few blights, Of Fell Peaks feels safely constructed – while it never explicitly fails, its safety ensures its ambition is also kept in check. While featuring that signature vampiric sound, O’Dell has infused in it a thrashy riffage approach that won’t change your mind about either style. It also doesn’t mean to, with this debut being a fun romp but little else.

Everything about Wraithfyre feels fun. It wraps you in its logic and sweeps you to a place more reminiscent of Scooby-Doo than the depravity of men’s hearts, kicking you repeatedly in the nuts until you like it. It features a tasteful blend of keys and riffs, with the former the supporting cast rather than the decadent self-indulgence found too often in the style. Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms is also another installment of bulletproof songwriting offered by Tom O’Dell, although nearly everything about Wraithfyre feels like a side project in its frolicking intensity. However, featuring flashy musicianship, tasteful atmosphere, and powerful songwriting, it enhances second-wave iciness in bombastic fashion. I dare you to listen to Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms and not have a good time.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Naturemacht Productions
Website: wraithfyre.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024

#2024 #35 #BattleBorn #BlackMetal #BlackenedThrashMetal #BritishMetal #CradleOfFilth #CultOfFire #DimmuBorgir #Dwarrowdelf #GimliSonOfGlóin #Jul24 #LimbonicArt #OfFellPeaksAndHauntedChasms #Review #Reviews #SymphonicBlackMetal #TheInfernalSea #ToxicHolocaust #Vordven #Wraithfyre

#NowPlaying #TheMetalDogIsNowPlaying
#Venom
Welcome To Hell
Live Like An Angel

YouTube Search:
https://youtube.com/results?search_query=Venom+Welcome+To+Hell+Live+Like+An+Angel

Songwhip:
https://songwhip.com/Venom/Live-Like-An-Angel

Lyrics:
https://genius.com/Venom-live-like-an-angel-die-like-a-devil-lyrics

LastFM:
https://www.last.fm/music/Venom/_/Live+Like+An+Angel

#blackmetal #heavymetal #thrashmetal #NWOBHM #blackenedthrashmetal

Blacklist – With Murderous Intent Review

By Kenstrosity

Movement in music is key, as it is in so many other areas in life. Regular readers see countless articles published here that malign records hung up on a single tempo, one stagnant theme, or an unchanging mode of propulsion. That’s no accident. Regardless of style or content, music that doesn’t move—whether that movement refers to tangible momentum or intangible emotional connection—doesn’t land. UK thrash metal quartet Blacklist understand this principle and showcase their mastery of it on sophomore outing With Murderous Intent.

Blacklist may be newer to the scene, having established themselves a mere six years ago, but they harken back to the sounds of thrashteryear. That means references to legends like Exodus, Zoetrope, and Dark Angel abound on With Murderous Intent. However, Blacklist aren’t your stock standard, rehashed thrash worship. Modern death metal and melodic black metal threads weave deftly throughout this latest outing, in much the same manner as heard from Crypta. Informing the thematic content of the record, classic campy horror a la Exhumed takes center stage, injecting oodles of stupid fun into this deadly platter of hooky riffs and exuberant rhythms.

As implied in my introduction, Blacklist’s greatest strength on With Murderous Intent is their mastery of momentum and movement. Dynamic songwriting stuffed to the tonsils with killer riffs, righteous guitar wizardry, thunderous beats, and a delightful blackened-rasp-boozy-bark vocal combo relentlessly hacks and slashes through fifty minutes of thrash metal muderdeathkillery. Opening duo “Cannibal” and “Blood Baptism” set the stage with rapid-fire D-beats, pummeling double-bass runs, ripping solos, and shredding riffs. Meanwhile, gang shouts of “HUMAN CONSUMPTION” in the former and “BLOOD BAPTISM” in the latter remind us all of the lost joys of cannibalism and ritual sacrifices, respectively. In order to disabuse me of the impression that With Murderous Intent only has one speed, mid-paced romps “The Shape” and “Kill the Coroner” stomp skulls while telling tall tales of horrific monsters and mad scientists hell-bent on my ultimate demise. Thrilling stuff. Detouring slightly from ravenous thrashing, a heavier death metal influence finds purchase on bangers like the subtly neoclassical “Blood Baptism” and the rabid “The Dismemberment Blade.” Wielding the scythe of death with scalpel-like precision, these tracks bring a vital spice to the record, while more melodic proclivities and constantly evolving songwriting bolster the record’s storytelling in longer numbers like “The Shape” and album highlights “Naturom Demonto” and “With Murderous Intent.” In short, almost every fascia connected to With Murderous Intent’s ten hash-slinging slashers serves to elevate Blacklist’s music, and leaves no room for boredom to brew.

Impressive though With Murderous Intent undoubtedly is, there is a lot of material to unpack. Three songs clock in above six minutes (one of those right on the cusp of eight), and most others settle between four and six minutes. All of a sudden nearly an hour transpires in a single run. Thanks to Blacklist’s excellent pacing and track arrangement, this record’s runtime feels closer to forty minutes than the actual fifty. However, I often feel just a touch winded by the time the admittedly awesome title track closer wraps up. Unfortunately for me, that negatively impacts the record’s immediate replay value. Compounding this drawback, “Lethal Infection” and “Never Sleep Again” fall short of the high mark established by the overwhelming majority of With Murderous Intent’s material. Solid tracks on their own, passionately performed and enjoyable in the moment, they are regrettably less compelling and less memorable than all of their album mates—especially so positioned back-to-back between two of the album’s best.

There is a lot to love in With Murderous Intent. Blacklist’s particular application of a tried and true thrash blueprint, tempered with death metal and black metal touches and given definition by their 80s horror theme, makes for a wildly entertaining and deeply enjoyable experience. It may not be the easiest to get through if you are pressed for time, and a couple of its selections don’t live up to the standard of Blacklist’s elite. Fortunately, those are but minor faults. The truth is, I haven’t had this much fun with modern thrash in quite some time. You deserve to have some fun, too. Get Blacklisted today!

Rating: Very Good!
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: facebook.com/BlacklistMetal | blacklistthrashmetal.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: August 2nd, 2024

#2024 #35 #Au24 #BlackMetal #BlackenedThrashMetal #Blacklist #Crypta #DarkAngel #DeathMetal #DeathThrash #Exhumed #Exodus #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #ThrashMetal #UKMetal #WithMurderousIntent #Zoetrope

#NowPlaying #TheMetalDogIsNowPlaying
#Skeletonwitch
Serpents Unleashed
Born of the Light That Does Not Shine

YouTube Search:
https://youtube.com/results?search_query=Skeletonwitch+Serpents+Unleashed+Born+of+the+Light+That+Does+Not+Shine

Songwhip:
https://songwhip.com/Skeletonwitch/Born-of-the-Light-That-Does-Not-Shine

Lyrics:
https://genius.com/Skeletonwitch-born-of-the-light-that-does-not-shine-lyrics

LastFM:
https://www.last.fm/music/Skeletonwitch/_/Born+of+the+Light+That+Does+Not+Shine

#american #Ohio #mtv #blackenedthrashmetal #Megadeth

Svneatr – Never Return Review

By Dear Hollow

2021’s Chinook was an impressive feat. While Vancouver’s Svneatr is undeniably second-wave, the album showcased and established a formidable blend of melody and riffage in a package wrapped in the tightly wound razor-wire frigidity you expect from black metal – reminiscent of Master’s Hammer or Vredehammer. Tracks like “Lavender,” “The Wind Stirs,” and “The Veins of the Earth” were some of the best tracks in the style that year with this dueling style, benefited by a rougher DIY aesthetic, even if some movements were lost in the fold. After three years, we are graced with Chinook’s follow-up, Never Return.

Never Return finds Svneatr embracing its roots while also dabbling in more stark experimentation. The theme revolves around environmentalism and capitalism’s vicious consequences, that in a way, humanity can “never return” to its prior glory. Weaponizing trademark riffs to a predictably vicious degree, the act finds its sweet spot, while utilizing a more melodic dueling guitar attack reminiscent of Rotting Christ or Dissection. However, questionable is Svneatr’s newfound incorporation of industrial textures, classical instruments, choirs, and clean vocals. This makes Never Return feel a bit drawn and quartered in too many directions, that while its signature riffs and melodies remain second to none, the more experimental elements combined with glaring production issues and strange placement make their third full-length a letdown.

Some acoustic guitar plucking adds a nice melody to opening tracks “Mechanical Wolves” and “Never Return,” before hitting you with everything you love about Svneatr: thrashy riffs, ripping solos, and a beating heart of melody that adds a nice humanity to the proceedings. This is what makes “And When Comes the Storm” all the more confusing, as it sidewinds its riff-first structure in favor of sprawling bleakness in the form of fretboard noodling and blazing tremolo atop riffs. While not a bad song and featuring a pounding riff and unique melodies, it sets the tone for the likewise industrial “Omen,” featuring mumbled Alice Cooper-esque clean vocals and cold ambiance, while the suddenly synth-heavy Midnight Odyssey approach saturating “Blackout” adds a certain icy vibe. Closer “Reaper of the Universe” features the most straightforward second-wave track since Svneatr’s The Howl, The Whisper, The Hunt and offers one of the most technical riffs of the band’s catalog, and is a nice adrenaline rush amid the dueling guitar licks and heartfelt melody.

The highlights are short-lived. Never Return is a perplexing album for Svneatr to make, because while its predecessors were bulletproof, if not predictable, the tracks here are wildly inconsistent and jarring. The first clue would likely be the suddenly melodic portion of “Never Return,” but you’d be forgiven to dismiss it, only for “And When Comes the Storm” and “Omen” to make you feel silly. These tracks, and in part “Blackout” as well, forego nearly all trademark tricks for a starkly drawling and whimpering approach to black metal whose guitar melodies and warbling distorted clean vocals toe the line between avant-garde and “do they know how notes work?” These tracks aside, another tragic element is that “Reaper of the Universe” could easily be one the act’s best songs, but ultimately, Never Return features a dismal drum tone that loses the snare beneath nearly everything else, only making frail appearances in fills and moments of silence. Svneatr’s songwriting chops in the bookends is head-above-shoulders better than they have been, but considering glaringly absent percussion and painful industrial elements, it’s difficult to wade through the muck. Although the promo details inclusion of choirs, cello, and contrabass, for the life of me I cannot find where.

Never Return hurts me, because I love Svneatr and their catalog. However, much of Never Return feels like the boys hurriedly wanted to incorporate more Nine Inch Nails influences when the album was already halfway done, but even the frail drums derail the solidness of “Mechanical Wolves” or “Reaper of the Universe.” While the band has already established their prowess as songwriters, “And When Comes the Storm” and “Omen” make me question if they even know how to play in key – and I know they can. Never Return metaphorically attempts to portray a world bereft of beauty in the wake of mankind’s greed, but due to lousy production, jarring experimentation, poor melodies, and lack of cohesion, I only hope Svneatr can return to their former glory.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Prosthetic Records
Websites: svneatr.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/svneatr
Releases Worldwide: May 10th, 2024

#15 #2024 #AliceCooper #BlackMetal #BlackenedThrashMetal #CanadianMetal #Dissection #IndustrialMetal #May24 #MelodicBlackMetal #MidnightOdyssey #NeverReturn #NineInchNails #ProstheticRecords #Review #Reviews #RottingChrist #Svneatr

The Infernal Sea – Hellfenlic Review

By Dear Hollow

Black metal is a finnicky beast. While it’s cohesively devoted to the barbed-wire sonic abuse of the darkest variety, and themes range from the occult, misanthropy, and our old pal Satan, The Infernal Sea dwells in history’s halls. While prior full-lengths Negotium Crucis and The Great Mortality respectively deal with themes such as the medieval church’s exploitation and the Black Death, 2024 finds the Brits exploring a distinct figure: the “Witchfinder General” Matthew Hopkins. Son of a Puritan minister, Hopkins’ three-year crusade against witches and other perceived heresies, through brutal confession extraction and torture in the name of God, would live on in infamy. The Infernal Sea embraces the viciousness of this theme, never neglecting a tangible weight through a riff-first assault, tinged by meditation and tragedy.

The Infernal Sea would likely not raise heads with their style of second-wave. The quartet relies primarily on the unholy trinity of tremolo, blastbeats, and shrieks to carry their style, but attack it with a sour attitude and violent ruthlessness. Hellfenlic tells the tale of the Witchfinder General from zealotry to brutality to downfall through the dark lens of blackened barbarousness, a distinct album-long lyrical and sonic crescendo. With hints of thrash, black n’ roll, and atmosphere, The Infernal Sea composes their third full-length like a story, with tangible darkness and realized tragedy. Ultimately a wonky affair of intense proportions sidewinded by different genre influences and unhinged segments, while its reach exceeds its grasp periodically, Hellfenlic is an intriguing piece of storytelling whose vicious M.O. never questions the allegiance to “trve kvlt.”

If riffy black metal is your jam, The Infernal Sea has got you covered in the 1349 and Dark Funeral School of the Dark Arts. From the scathing Darkthrone tremolo of openers “Lord Abhorrent” and dancing raw melodies of “Shadow of the Beast,” to the head-bobbing heavy metal groove of “Witchfinder” and black ‘n roll riffs and punky rhythms of “Black Witchery,” Hellfenlic will not hesitate to beat you senseless with their uniquely scathingly raw yet hefty guitar tone. Tasty leads that behold a multitude of motifs are utilized throughout to convey the gravity of its source material. Bass is utilized beautifully, injecting a sinister contemplativeness into the abusive tracks “Witchfinder” and “Bastard of the East.” Proving they are not just a one-trick pony witchfinder, the closing tracks elevate Hellfenlic to a more evocative and human dimension. “Frozen Fen” incorporates sprawling and textured overlapping riffs that give a tangible meditation of Hopkins’ downfall, while closer “Messenger of God” utilizes mournful violin and emotive chord progressions alongside contemplative blastbeats to convey the tragedy and destruction wrought in the Witchfinder General’s wake, that indeed, his godly intentions led to the deepest cruelty.

The problems that plague The Infernal Sea are rooted in the adherence to the thrashing second-wave that can often derail creative compositions. Most notably, without several listens to dive into the first half in particular, the tracks can blur together: “Shadow of the Beast” and “The Hunter” have identical structure and lose memorability, starting with a frenetic tremolo/blastbeat assault, before succumbing to a punchy groove about two-thirds of the way in. “Bastard of the East” features a frail chord progression that derails the darker vibe that preceded, and its concluding kickass riff is its only saving grace; “Witchfinder” is likewise an album highlight but its kickass closing riff comes at the end of a tempo-wavering sloppy chug. Despite the nitpicks, the biggest qualm of Hellfenlic is that it is unabashed black metal. Schooled in both the cutthroat speed of Dark Funeral as well as the riff-centric blackened thrash of Absu or Toxic Holocaust, The Infernal Sea is loud and proud with little subtlety to spare.

At the end of the day, Hellfenlic is an album I can blast again and again in spite of its flaws. Tracks like “Black Witchery” and “Witchfinder” are vicious and venomous thrashers, while “Frozen Fen” and “Messenger of God” are thoughtful respites in the attack. The Infernal Sea neatly balances the riff, rooted in thrash and black ‘n roll, with its heavy-handed commentary on an infamous figure that somehow avoids the pitfalls of insensitivity or compositional neglect. While it’s unashamed black metal through and through, and that may not be for everyone, its intriguing theme and sonic blend of the thoughtful and vicious.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Candlelight Records
Websites: theinfernalsea.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/theinfernalsea
Releases Worldwide: January 26th, 2024

#1349 #2024 #30 #Absu #BlackMetal #BlackNRoll #BlackenedThrashMetal #BritishMetal #CandlelightRecords #DarkFuneral #Darkthrone #Hellfenlic #Jan24 #Review #Reviews #TheInfernalSea #ToxicHolocaust

Wandering Oak – Resilience Review

By Mystikus Hugebeard

Come, weary wanderer, join us around the fire here in the Folk Metal Corner of AMG. Look upon Resilience by Wandering Oak; does it not look at home here? Such indicators as the band’s name and logo, Resilience’s album art, and the big “folk metal” tag attached to the promo could only suggest the folksiest of metal. But wait, put down those lutes, I say, before you stumble into Wandering Oak’s trap! For you see, behind their aesthetic veil, Wandering Oak is actually a progressive blackened thrash band, incorporating elements from folk and classic heavy metal. Like a colossal, corpse-painted angler fish, Wandering Oak lured me in with the glow of folk metal before gnashing my huge beard in the jaws of furious riffs and anguished growls. If you’ve read this far, consider it too late for you as well.

Then again, Wandering Oak isn’t actually hiding anything. They wear their conglomeration of blackened thrash, folk, and traditional metal with pride, though as a whole, Wandering Oak’s bread and butter is black/thrash heaviness. These New Yorkers have been at it since 2015 with the release of Advent and then their 2019 follow-up Passage Elemental, and now Resilience sees Wandering Oak’s musical elements taken in a more progressive direction, with an emphasis on stream-of-consciousness songwriting. A song might open with blast beat insanity (“Snowbound”) or eerie jazz (“Vespertine”), before changing gears with a mournful flute melody (“To Lir They Fell”) or some buckwild thrash soloing (“Resilience”). The folky side isn’t pronounced enough for Eluveitie, the thrash isn’t progressive enough for Vektor, but the old-school riffs, full-spectrum vocal performance, and the dance between acoustic and heavy guitars give Resilience a thrash sound that borrows from both Skyclad and Wilderun.

Resilience is a lot of things, but is it good? Yes, but no. It has a vibrant, organic quality to its songwriting that wards off boredom, but it’s a double-edged sword that results in Resilience often coming across as messy. The breadth of different styles on display and the music’s boundless energy make the epic “To Lir They Fell” and “Snowbound” engaging to listen to in the moment, but their free-form structure subdues the overall impact. Every riff and melody bursts at the seams with creativity, but they need more restraint in their execution. The intensity gradually building in “A Florid Grain” and the spiraling-into-insanity theming of “Vespertine” demonstrate cohesion, whereas the music in “Resilience” evolves with such impulsiveness that you can hardly get a grip on what you’re hearing. The more time I spend with Resilience, the more I appreciate what method there is behind the madness, but the album’s overly chaotic nature alienates my enthusiasm for repeat listens, confining my enjoyment to the album’s duration and never beyond.

Wandering Oak’s musicians match the vibrancy of the music, to great effect. CW Dunbar’s drumming is on point throughout every musical idea that Resilience explores, and Deidre House’s bass is precise yet playful, the perfect kind of prog bass. Robert Pollard, the multi-instrumentalist front-man, exhibits both a solid range between many different growling styles and a deftness to his guitar playing, though some of his high-pitched wails in “Vespertine” sound strained, and there’s an imprecision to Resilience’s guitar solos with notes that are lost or flubbed. The mix gives the instruments some good depth, but it lets down Pollard’s clean vocals by giving them a baffling reverb and distance as if he’s yelling from across the room. Even with the imperfections, the warts-and-all expressiveness of the performances endears me to the potential of Wandering Oak. While the songwriting leans too hard on convoluted, high-energy complexity and ends up being too organic, the musicianship is at a sweet spot between raw passion and hard skill, and with more focus, Wandering Oak could truly soar.

Although there is good in Resilience, the unfortunate truth is that the album‘s simply too messy to keep bringing me back, and that breaks my heart. It’s rare to come across an album as earnestly weird as Resilience, and I think it should be celebrated despite its failures. I believe Wandering Oak has it in them to become an essential, unique voice in the scene; the musicians have the necessary talent, and now they have to tighten up their songwriting without losing that organic edge. Even if I won’t be returning to Resilience, I’ll be returning to see what Wandering Oak does next.

Rating: 2.0 / 5.0
DR: 11 | Format Reviewed: PCM
Label: Self Release
Websites: wanderingoak.bandcamp | facebook.com/wanderingoak
Releases Worldwide: February 2nd, 2024

#2024 #Advent #BlackenedThrashMetal #Eluveitie #Feb24 #FolkMetal #PassageElemental #ProgressiveMetal #Resilience #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #Skyclad #Vektor #WanderingOak #Wilderun

For #blackmetalmonday I'm listening to Embers Shall Swarm by #DesertHeretic, project of Joseph Quinlan, the live guitar player of #Hellripper

https://songwhip.com/desertheretic/embers-shall-swarm

https://metalpython.pythonanywhere.com/searchandtoot

#nowplaying #blackmetal #BlackenedThrashMetal #melodicblackmetal #epicblackmetal

#NowPlaying #TheMetalDogIsNowPlaying
#Skeletonwitch
Devouring Radiant Light
Fen of Shadows

YouTube Search:
https://youtube.com/results?search_query=Skeletonwitch+Devouring+Radiant+Light+Fen+of+Shadows

Songwhip:
https://songwhip.com/Skeletonwitch/Fen-of-Shadows

Lyrics:
https://genius.com/Skeletonwitch-fen-of-shadows-lyrics

LastFM:
https://www.last.fm/music/Skeletonwitch/_/Fen+of+Shadows

#thrashmetal #blackmetal #atmospheric #amazing #blackenedthrashmetal

#NowPlaying #TheMetalDogIsNowPlaying
#Skeletonwitch
Serpents Unleashed
Born of the Light That Does Not Shine

YouTube Search:
https://youtube.com/results?search_query=Skeletonwitch+Serpents+Unleashed+Born+of+the+Light+That+Does+Not+Shine

Songwhip:
https://songwhip.com/Skeletonwitch/Born-of-the-Light-That-Does-Not-Shine

Lyrics:
https://genius.com/Skeletonwitch-born-of-the-light-that-does-not-shine-lyrics

LastFM:
https://www.last.fm/music/Skeletonwitch/_/Born+of+the+Light+That+Does+Not+Shine

#american #Ohio #mtv #blackenedthrashmetal #Megadeth