#medieval-black-metal — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

BC BY-NC-SA @[email protected] · 2026-04-19 · 09:29 UTC

Kristailer – Triumphant Cult
#BlackMetal #MedievalBlackMetal #Metal #Belarus
CC BY-NC (#CreativeCommons Attribution Non Commercial) #ccmusic
https://kristailer.bandcamp.com/album/triumphant-cult

#blackmetal #medievalblackmetal #metal #belarus #ccmusic

Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-11-02 · 14:27 UTC

Heraldic Blaze – Monument of Will Review

By Alekhines Gun

Those of you who know the difference between a trebuchet vs a catapult, gather round as we return to the realm of castles, be they conquered and disposed, or not. If you had to Google the difference, that’s fine too, because we still have a pillaging to get to. International two-piece Heraldic Blaze have arrived onto the scene with their full-length Monument of Will, fresh on the heels of their sole demo Blazoned Heraldry last year. That demo was a tidy little slab of slightly raw melodic folky black metal, with a presentation that buried some of the brighter moments in the expected fog of underproduction. With such a quick turnaround from inception to full length, will these be the knights in shining armor you’ve been looking for? Or is this album more plow than battle axe?

Heraldic Blaze lead the charge with a sound which is clear and crystalline, with guitar tones as golden and polished as its artwork. Far from being overproduced, it sounds organic and clear while still allowing melodic leads and requisite trems to craft a full and spacious sound. Norwegian guitarist Peregrinus strings together chord progressions that shift from melancholic to borderline optimistic (“The Proffered Word”) in a heartbeat, seamlessly shifting from full chord riding to intricate, multi-layered leads to give the compositional touch of a full band. The overall tone of Monument of Will eschews sheer aggression or stereotypical EEEEVILLLLLLL trappings to create an atmosphere that stimulates the imagination without ever letting the mood overwhelm the power of the writing. The name of the game across the release is hooks, with earworms and catchy moments to be found throughout. From the moodier interpositions of “Steel Sun Bleeds Gold” to the triumphant major keys of “Locustial Wind”, Heraldic Blaze take the listener on a journey which is at once engaging and energetic.

The distinguishing flavor of Monument of Will is enhanced by American vocalist/bass player Argent Pale, who also adds flourishes across the album with his playing of a flute. Yes, a flute. The flute’s arrival is no mere MIDI patch, but genuinely performed, with his breath between scales audible, adding a touch of raw and authentic charm. Other than the mood-setting intro and one interlude before the album finale, it is only deployed at well-timed moments to add flavor to some of the riffs (“Monument of Will”, “The Slaying of Ophis”), without devolving into a gimmicky crutch. Peregrinus shows a Midas Touch with his riff craft, frequently scaling back his chord progressions into more open runs, which support and harmonize the flute leads rather than acting as a blast furnace of noise underneath, giving the instruments harmony and support and adding staying power to the melodies without sacrificing any of the musical might or power.

The net result is a riff-centric, vibrant album which manages to be both beautiful and forceful in equal measure. I would be remiss not to note the drummer’s performance, a session drummer named in the promo sheet as “Kave.” He puts on a virtuoso performance that drum aficionados should find much joy from. He possesses a real talent for mercurial cymbal fills (“An Ignoble End”) and constant beat evolutions where repeated motifs in chord progressions are treated with slightly modified rhythmic presentation, ensuring no sustained passages ever suffer from monotony or become overly familiar. This treatment of the drums as its own full instrument rather than a tool to abuse blast beats (as is common) gives Heraldic Blaze the last push forward to have a distinct and charming flavor in the medieval-tinged black metal world, Combined with well crafted leads and compositions which manage to evoke a full spectrum of human emotions, Monument of Will stands out like its bright artwork as a, dare I say, upbeat presentation of black metal in a scene of ever-competing darkness.

As a reviewer, Heraldic Blaze is the sort of discovery you dream of finding in the pit, and I can find little to fault with this release. The opening instrumental isn’t quite as strong as the more well-thought-out interlude near the back end, and the final track seems slightly anticlimactic in how it suddenly ends such a journey of an album. But these quibbles are minor. Will to Power has been a charming discovery and a delightful late-year release. Now grab your torch and pitchforks and let’s get to sieging!

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Purity Through Fire
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025

#2025 #35 #HeraldicBlaze #InternationalMetal #MedievalBlackMetal #MonumentOfWill #Oct25 #PurityThroughFire #Review #Reviews

#heraldicblaze #internationalmetal #medievalblackmetal #monumentofwill #oct25 #puritythroughfire

#montreal4riseup @[email protected] · 2024-12-22 · 19:57 UTC

From @antifascistbmnetwork (and we're sharing it because there aren't many antifascist black metal projects in so-called Quebec) :

« Masse D'Armes - Masse D'Armes (EP, 2024) | Black metal, dungeon synth

Masse D'Armes is a new project emerging from Quebec, and it is a pleasure to present their debut mini album today. The music contained in this release is atmospheric black metal/dungeon synth with medieval themes. So yes full escapism, castles, armour, swords... Only it is a dark fantasy story rather than a heroic one. The fields of the medieval land are not full of sun and grain but burned, the armour is not shining but is cracked, the swords do not swiftly defeat the enemies but are almost broken from defeating so many attacks... There are no cheerful villages, they are abandoned in a hurry from looters. There are no honorable epic duels, there are rampant and brutal skirmishes, there is no celebration of victory there is a grim celebration of another surviving day and hoping for another. Nothing but the merry life of a medieval warrior most of the time. The image that comes to mind is that of a resting knight, thrusting his sword into the ground and enjoying a moment's pause between skirmishes and adventures by the fire in a ruined tower.

Musically, we have here a very harmonious composition that makes up a satisfactory whole. Clearly blended into the synth landscapes are two larger stories with decent atmospheric black metal and one hymn-like chant at the end. Three different vocals also add to the atmosphere, once it's almost choral singing and melodic, and once it's damning vocals. The same is the case with the synth moments, as with the bass, guitar and drums -they are just so well played and composed and manage to surprise on such an altogether short material.

Masse D'Armes is definitely a project worth watching, even though as we mentioned the story to the music is complete escapism you can be sure that the 4 people responsible for this project agree with our message. We would like to remind you that Antifascist Black Metal Network is a vessel standing against racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism or any oppression. »

#ABMN #rabm #antifascistblackmetal #massedarmes #canada #atmosphericblackmetal #medievalblackmetal #dungeonsynth