Saor - Aura (2014)

Saor (formerly Arsaidh) may not be a household name in black metal, but this album might just change that. Featuring breathtaking atmospherics, soaring folk melodies, and unearthly roars from the vocalist, this is a epic album in every sense of the word. The band being from Scotland, it's easy to see why they chose to make an album like this since it evokes the incredible beauty of that land so well. One can easily imagine standing on a mountain in the Highlands peering over the fog and just being in awe of your surroundings. The album can demonstrate immense power one moment and emotional fragility the very next. It's those kinds of powerful emotions and imagery that are the album's appeal to me and doubtless many other fans. Every one of the five tracks flows extremely well and tells its own story making for a highly cohesive album. And what's truly unique about this album is that despite its beauty and grandeur, it's still sounds raw and intense with the with the frenetic, intense drumming being a particular highlight for me. Where this album suffers though is mainly on the production. Admittedly, I really don't know anything about production from a technical aspect but from an aesthetic aspect, it somehow feels awkward on this album. Perhaps if it were a bit more polished like on the last Summoning record it would have been even stronger. Another, more minor beef I have is that there are a few too many similarities between the songs. An acoustic interlude or two might have been nice too. Despite those issues, this is an amazing record that, like last year's new Summoning and the Caladan Brood debut album, will probably go down as one of black metal's most unique and awe-inspiring.
9/10

(Special thanks to Northern Silence Productions for a sending me a promo copy.)

 

Agalloch - The Serpent and the Sphere (2014)

When I heard Agalloch were trying out a space theme rather than their traditional nature/winter theme, I was very excited. "Marrow of the Spirit" was great but it showed signs of a band aging and starting to run out of ideas. A change was indeed in order. Unfortunately though, it seems Agalloch's musical abilities were not up to par for this change. Much of this album feels tedious, repetitive, and downright boring. Take the opener "Birth and Death of the Pillars of Creation" for example. It's probably the first time they've Agalloch have attempted a straight-up doom metal song and I have to applaud them for that but it could have been so much stronger by either cutting it in half or adding more variation. The song kinda plods along and I find it difficult to emotionally connect with it in any way. The same goes for "Plateau of the Ages." It's 12.5 minute long metal instrumental whose most interesting feature is perhaps the cool drum beat. Every time I listen to it I think about Agalloch's other metal instrumental, "The Hawthorne Passage,"and how much better it is. Then take "Dark Matter Gods." That song has so much potential but it far too repetitive and unnecessarily long to stand anywhere near Agalloch's best songs. On the plus side, you have "Vales Beyond Dimensions" which features an excellent dark, doomy lead melody that fits the space theme perfectly. Then there's the lead single "Celestial Effigy" which is the most dynamic, progressive track on the album. It's the kind of song that keeps your attention throughout. "Astral Dialogue" is not only one of the most aggressive songs Agalloch have penned, but it's also my favorite song on the album. It's a perfect blend of doom and black metal, and it features the unique songwriting the band are famous for, something sorely lacking elsewhere on "The Serpent and the Sphere." Another positive feature is the lyrics which are fantastic as ever. As for the acoustic interludes, they unfortunately all sound basically the same and are very stale and uninteresting. There is absolutely no comparison between them and the songs on "The White" EP or the glorious "Odal" on "The Mantle." Simply put, this is Agalloch's weakest album but it certainly does have a number of redeeming factors that make it worth listening to. You can hear the seeds of better songs throughout, but those better songs never materialize. If you're expecting something on the level of the first three albums then prepare to be disappointed. I suspect though that this one's a grower so my opinion might very well change later on.
7.5/10

Triptykon - Melana Chasmata (2014)

Coming on the heels of 2010's critically acclaimed "Eparistera Daimones," Triptykon, fronted by Tom G. Warrior of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost fame, have returned with another dark, brooding monster of an album in "Melana Chasmata." The oft-repeated phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" certainly doesn't apply to this album as the sick, twisted art of H.R. Giger perfectly matches the music. And the album doesn't waste any time revealing its sinister nature to the listener. Right from the opening of "Tree of Suffocating Souls" with its heavier-than-lead thrash attack and Warrior's trademark commanding grunts through the hauntingly beautiful "Waiting", "Melana Chasmata" is truly a beast of an album that hearkens back to the old days of Celtic Frost. The real genius of the album is its ability to seamlessly weave black, doom, thrash, death, heavy, and avant-garde metal into a singular, monolithic package that almost goes beyond genre classification. In that sense, Triptykon still hold firmly to the pattern established by Celtic Frost on such albums as "Morbid Tales" and "To Mega Therion" which influenced an incredibly wide range of bands and even spawned entire genres. The difference here is that Triptykon, especially on this album, have taken the classic Frost sound and expanded it into the territory of avant-garde with a heaping dose of dissonance and drawn-out, hypnotic tracks that make me think of such nightmarish things as Inferno by Dante. Indeed, the whole album is a trip through hell. "Altar of Deceit" is perhaps the heaviest track on the album, and perhaps the most violent part of the trip through hell, and features gargantuan riffs that sound like Black Sabbath on steroids. Another highlight for me is "In the Sleep of Death" which features some truly demented, almost psychopathic vocals that just plain creep me out (in a good way though). It is also worth mentioning bassist Vanja Slajh's beautiful, siren-esque singing which complements Warrior's fierce growls perfectly. And of course let's not forget Warrior's morbid lyrics which, as usual, fit the music like a glove. While I enjoy this album more than its predecessor, it's not perfect. "Black Snow" is probably my least favorite track here as it goes on for far too long than it should. Otherwise, "Melana Chasmata" is a fantastic achievement that shows not only shows Warrior/Triptykon's relevancy in the incredibly crowded world of modern metal, but also stands out as a uniquely dark and, in a very odd way, beautiful artistic statement.
9/10

(Special thanks to Century Media records for sending me a promo copy.)

Woods of Desolation - As the Stars (2014)

Following their masterful 2011 release "Torn Beyond Reason," Woods of Desolation's "As the Stars" is a more than worthy successor, even if they decided to go in a different direction this time around. Whereas the former exudes darkness and melancholy, this one is much like Deafheaven's "Sunbather" in that it's emotional, joyful, and utterly captivating. The riffs, melodies, and vocals are all out to make a bold, triumphant statement about life and they all do a fantastic job of it. Unlike Alcest's most recent album which did away with metal elements (not that that's a bad thing by any means), WoD decided to blend black metal with post-rock and shoegaze in about equal proportions. It may not have the intricacy or concept-album feel that "Sunbather" has, but it does have just as much passion, intensity, and beauty. It's an extraordinary journey that is both brutal and dark as well as uplifting and utterly gorgeous. As of now, I can only see this album being rivaled by the upcoming Agalloch release in terms of best black metal albums of 2014.
9/10

 

Gris - A L'ame Enflamee, L'ame Constelee (2013)

And speaking of innovative black metal releases, here we have one that truly sounds like no other I've heard. Mixing classical folk passages with emotive black metal, Quebecois band Gris have made an intriguing and highly mature record. There's no blast beats at all here; rather, there's a very doomy atmosphere with seamless transitions into some gorgeous clean passages. Indeed, Gris' approach to black metal is quite reminiscent of how Empyrium approached doom/death metal. "A L'ame..." is also quite different from Gris' previous album "Il Etait une Foret," particularly because the former has much cleaner production and balances black metal with classical folk in about equal proportions. This is clearly the sign of a band progressing their sound and making a mature statement. I can't say this album impressed me as much as, say, the new Summoning or Deafheaven records, but it is a very deep and complex album that probably wasn't meant to be as immediately accessible as those records anyways. In any case, it's one of the most unique black metal albums I've heard and I'm very interested to see what the band does next.
8.75/10

Germ - Grief (2013)

2013 was a banner year for black metal and this album alone provides ample proof of that. Not content to stick to the old cliches of darkness, blast beats, and intentionally bad production, "Grief" takes an experimental approach and incorporates some influences that normally thought of as completely alien to black metal. These include post-rock, shoegaze, electronica, and even indie rock. It makes for a wonderfully refreshing experience and leaves you emotionally drained, but in a very positive way. Add to that Tim Yatras' (ex-Austere, ex-Woods of Desolation) incredible shrieks and you have one hell of an album. My favorite track is probably "I Can See it in the Stars" as the melody is just so memorable and epic. Along with "Sunbather," this album is one of the most unique BM releases in recent memory. I urge you to check it out.
9.25/10

 

Inter Arma - Sky Burial (2013)

After hearing a lot about this album, I decided to check it out and I have to say I'm pretty impressed. It's a really diverse, interesting record that sways back and forth between feelings of utter bleakness and despair, and consolation and resignation. What I really love is how the record is so all-over-the-place in terms of influences (black metal, Neurosis, High on Fire, Earth, Mastodon etc.) yet it feels so coherent and flows so naturally. Another noteworthy talent this band possesses (and this kinda goes for all good post-metal bands) is the ability to forge a close connection between the lyrics and the music. The lyrics evoke a post-apocalyptic landscape and the music perfectly follows suit. The vocal style is one of the key elements here that not only helps bring to life this landscape in the listener's imagination, but also help give the band a unique identity. The lo-fi, black metal-esque vocals really help make the music all the more desolate and inhuman while simultaneously bringing the issues raised in the lyrics to the forefront and dealing with them in a direct, uncompromising fashion. If you still aren't convinced that 2013 is a renaissance year for post-metal then I highly suggest you check out this dark masterpiece.
9.25/10

 

Shade Empire - Omega Arcane (2013)

Finland is known in the metal world for its melodic metal sensibilities, producing such heavyweights as Insomnium, Swallow the Sun, and Amorphis. While each band has is amazing in its own right, none of them have the sheer ambition and audacity to produce something this epic. And I do mean epic. Shade Empire take all the best elements of their influences including Dimmu Borgir, Septic Flesh, Emperor, Behemoth, Opeth, and Fleshgod Apocalypse, and throw them in a blender with a dash of doom and a heap of steroids. What results is a dark masterpiece of extreme metal with some truly awe-inspiring classical orchestration, gargantuan riffs, jaw-dropping drumming, moving solos, and gorgeous acoustic parts. Some of the parts are absolutely mind-bending in their grandiosity and depth. How this band even wrote these insane songs, I haven't the foggiest idea. What I can say is that this is one of the best albums I've heard this year and that you should hold on to your jaw when you're listening to this.
10/10

Progenie Terrestre Pura - U.M.A. (2013)

Another unique black metal release, U.M.A. blends together the atmospheric harshness of something like Burzum with beautiful ambient synths. The end result is something like Summoning or Blut Aus Nord except not quite as dark. It's a really cool concept and the music's good, but at times it feels like there's a bit too much going on and not enough in the way of actual song development. That said, the wall-of-sound production on this album is just massive and rivals anything Devin Townsend or Wintersun have done. In terms of innovation, this sets a milestone in the history of black metal but it still has a lot of room for development.
8.25/10

Sleep White Winter - Dreamscapes (2013)

While blackgaze in 2013 may be dominated by Deafheaven's Sunbather, an excellent record entirely worthy of its praise, this obscure album comes awfully close to rivaling it. The music is at once haunting and ferocious; beautiful and cathartic. It's quite easy to imagine listening to it in the middle of a forest during winter or, alternatively, in a vast meadow during summer. As the title suggests, this is an album that takes you wherever your imagination wants to go with some of the dreamiest, most majestic black metal I've heard. With any luck, this album will become as least as popular as Sunbather; I certainly think it should be. If you're a fan of Alcest, Lantlos, Coldworld etc. then this phenomenal album should be right up your alley.
9.5/10

 

Aquilus - Griseus (2011)

Ladies and gents, this isn't your grandma's symphonic black metal. No, this is hands-down one of the most ambitious, creative black metal albums ever made. Unlike most other bands who approach symphonic BM from a metal mindset, Aquilus reverses the process and uses the BM parts to enhance the classical compositions. And speaking of the compositions, they're some of the most beautiful and well constructed I've heard in either metal or classical. Unlike the cheap synths some other bands rely on, there is nothing hackneyed, cheesy, or lazy on this album. This is the work of one man who's truly dedicated to his music and has made an absolutely spellbinding masterpiece of an album. "Griseus" should be the textbook standard when it comes to mixing metal with classical though I highly doubt any other band can make music of such a high caliber as this.
10/10

 

Deafheaven - Sunbather (2013)

Well, it looks like we have yet another contender for black metal album of the year. Besides Alcest, I don't think I've heard any other band that mixes black metal and post-rock with the incredible knack for balancing beauty with brutality as this band does. The metal parts on this album just ooze intensity and emotionality with vocalist George Clarke absolutely destroying his throat with atmospheric, semi-melodic riffs and manically fast drumming accompanying him. The clean parts are, for the most part, absolutely gorgeous and flow quite nicely into the metal mayhem. Some of the best post-rock moments on this record include the middle section of "The Pecan Tree" and the intro to the mammoth "Vertigo." I'm not sure  how this stacks up against the debut as I haven't listened to that one very much, but "Sunbather" is an incredible and unique album in its own right. Like most black metal, it's not an easy listen but it's thoroughly rewarding and at least worth giving a shot.

9.5/10

L'Ordre du Temple - In Hoc Signo Vinces (2007)

And while I'm at it, I might as well mention this great Summoning-esque album I found recently. As you might have guessed, this one-man Italian band is focused not on Lord of the Rings but on the Knights Templar in the Crusades. Whatever your opinions are about those individuals, this is an excellent piece of symphonic black metal that is both more folky and more aggressive than most of what Summoning have put out. Very solid album and definitely worthy of your time if you're a Summoning fan.
9/10

 

Summoning - Old Morning's Dawn (2013)

The legendary symphonic black metal legends are finally back again after a seven year break with yet another epic adventure through Middle Earth. There's a dearth of incredible, beautiful melodies that soar right through the heights of your imagination (excuse the hyperbole there). The choirs, synths and flute all fit so well with the churning guitar ambiance that you could hardly imagine them apart from each other. The vocals haven't lost their viciousness after all these years and the drums are as hypnotic as ever. In all, this is one more excellent album to add to this band's amazing discography. Yet another contender for black metal album of the year.
9.5/10

 

Lustre - A Glimpse of Glory (2010)

As part of the ambient black metal scene, Lustre really stands out from the one-dimensional BM bands who simply blast their way through songs and try to be as "brutal" as possible. Admittedly, I do enjoy that style every now and then, but when I hear something like this, I realize how shallow that kind of music is. "A Glimpse of Glory" is a gorgeous album with beautiful, haunting synths and nature sounds throughout along with light guitar work and eerie harsh vocals in the first two tracks. It's pretty much the perfect thing to show people who think black metal can't be beautiful. However, if there's a fault with this album, it's that some parts are overly repetitive but it isn't anything that'll significantly detract from the overall quality. All in all, this is an absolutely majestic album that shouldn't be passed up.
9/10

 

Moon - The Nine Gates (2013)

 

Along with the new Paysage d'Hiver album, this underground gem is a sure contender for black metal album of the year. Much like Xasthur, it's eerie, haunting and otherworldly with almost inhuman vocals, dark atmospherics and an overall doominess. The main difference between the two is in the lyrics. Whereas Xasthur focuses on depression, Moon is an occult project with such track titles as "Sabbat" and "Astral Blood." The music in this case matches up with the themes perfectly as it is not so hard to imagine this mysterious, arcane music as some kind of ritual meant to conjure up a demon. In any case though, this is a spellbinding, darkly beautiful album that will hopefully gain more recognition in the metal community.   

9.5/10 

Falls of Rauros - The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood (2011)

It's been a while since my last black metal review so I might as well do one for this beauty. Falls of Rauros are yet another atmospheric black metal band, but they seem to have a slightly more subdued approach than usual with gorgeous folk passages a la Agalloch and October Falls as well as solid, doomy riffs and excellent vocals. It's pretty much everything you could ask for from an atmospheric BM band so I highly recommend this one. I'll definitely be looking into the band's other two albums.

9/10 

Abyssal - Novit Enim Dominus Qui Sunt Eius (2012)

Here's an album I've been wanting to listen to and review for a while but only just go to it. If you like chopped and screwed extreme metal such as Portal and Deathspell Omega then this should be right up your alley. The atmosphere is brutal and suffocating, and the vocals sound like they come from the lowest level of Hell. The riffs and song structures are very unorthodox, and there's almost no melody at all. In fact, it does get quite monotonous at times so it's pretty difficult to listen through the entire album. But it still has plenty of good moments and I think the atmosphere is the main selling point so if you put in that context, the monotony is fairly manageable. I probably wouldn't listen to it again for quite a while, but it was decent enough.
8/10

Altar of Plagues - Teethed Glory & Injury (2013)

Post-black metal band Altar of Plagues' first two albums featured some of the most apocalyptic, gut-wrenching music I've ever heard so my expectations were pretty high for their new release. After being disappointed by the first song/video released, I am quite pleased to say that the album as a whole stands up to the quality of the first two albums. It's quite a different proposition for this Irish trio with electronic elements featuring prominently, sparse clean vocals, and a less focused or structured approach, but at the same time the core of the music and the emotions behind it have not really changed. As the album cover suggests, the band have taken an even more experimental and unorthodox route on this album - literally contorting and transforming their tried-and-true sound. It's a highly fascinating, unpredictable affair that demonstrates the incredible versatility and creativity of this underrated band. And let me add that Dave Condon's vocals sound absolutely vicious in parts which is one of the main strengths of this album in addition to the music itself. In all, this is a chaotic beast of an album that takes black metal in new directions and cements this band's legacy.
9/10

 

Blut aus Nord - Ultima Thulee (1995)

On first listen, one would hardly believe that this masterpiece of atmospheric/Viking black metal was made by the same band that made such albums as "The Work Which Transforms God" and the "777" trilogy. Indeed, there's no trace on "Ultima Thulee" of the industrial coldness the band would later incorporate and make their signature sound. Instead, this is something more in the vein of early Bathory with a bleak guitar tone, agonizing screams, haunting synth melodies, epic riffs, and tales of Viking heroism. Perhaps some of the most poignant moments on the album are the medieval Gregorian chanting of "My Prayer Beyond Ginnungagap" and the incredibly adventurous "The Last Journey of Ringhorn." Though I've only listened once, it is quite apparent that this is an underrated classic belonging in the same class as Bathory's "Blood Fire Death," Coldworld's "Melancholie" and Paysage d'Hiver's "Winterkalte." Black metal fans: this one's unmissable.
9.5/10