Tag symphonic black metal
Always a bit of a sucker for symphonic black metal, I was pleased to have the opportunity to sample this album from Finland’s Vargrav, the project of V-Khaoz, the former drummer of the atmospheric black metal band Kalmankantaja. This “act… Continue Reading →
I would never had said that Rise of Avernus were Australian from the titles of their previous album or EPs, however that fact certainly doesn’t detract the quality of the dark & broody musicianship coming from those sunny climes. The… Continue Reading →
With members linked to Dark Funeral, Devian, Diabolical and Facebreaker, this band cannot be ignored. Zornheym from Sweden add to their black metal roots a string orchestra and their own chorus, called “Chorus Tenebris”. The result is a powerful symphonic… Continue Reading →
This is the fourth album from symphonic black metal band Akroma, who I confess I didn’t know about before hearing this. A name on the list, which did strike me, was that of Dirk Verbeuren, drummer with Soilwork and the… Continue Reading →
French extreme metal is in a rude state of health at the moment, and one of the brightest stars comes in the form of black metal maestros Deathcode Society, who released debut “Eschatonizer” towards the end of 2015, causing a… Continue Reading →
Achieving a balance between aggression and orchestration in the form of symphonic black metal can be challenging, and even well established bands have struggled at times in their career. “Kings” may be Images at Twilight’s debut album, but it’s fair… Continue Reading →
After a 6 year gap between the two track demo “Ite Missa Est” and their first full length, no-one could accuse Deathcode Society of rushing things. So was it worth the wait? When I first pressed play I thought that… Continue Reading →
Blink and no doubt you would have missed the first couple of Ethereal EP’s, the first of which ‘Hell’s Divine Existence’ came out as early as 2005. It was only much more recently that the Liverpool based act caught proper… Continue Reading →
“Starkill Starkill shining bright, is this band a bag of shite?” Well, no, actually far from it, I was just wondering if the band’s Press Release would be more entertaining if that was all it said. But that aside, if… Continue Reading →
This EP from Devilish Impressions is special. Following their third album “Simulacra” (2012), they have released this 62 minute epic comprising two new tracks and their 2002 demo “Eritis Sicut Deus”. The re-release of ‘Eritis Sicut Deus” is not before… Continue Reading →
Symphonic Black Metal… And there you go, half of you reading this have just thought, “Oh, another load of Cradle Of Filth/Dimmu Borgir wannabes”. Fair point. It feels like in the last 10 years the term has been synonymous with… Continue Reading →
I’ve never been quite sure why companies and bands seem to hold such sway in rebranding. I mean, why would you spend a number of years building an identity, attracting fans and customers to that particular brand only to destroy… Continue Reading →