Metal playlists from the underground
Sticking to their roots, Greek black metal troupe Naer Mataron unfurl an expected mix of blast beat mayhem, evil vocal croaks and shrieks, and wrath-inducing tremolo-picked guitars on their most recent album PRAETORIANS. This 11-track release maintains the authentic black metal template to a fault, retaining the genre’s trademark rawness sans any progressive tendencies. Making […]
Featuring six tracks connecting a pulled-back brand of black metal with massive Pagan and symphonic overtones, Polish one-man band Hellveto lays down a multi-layered metallic strike with NEOHERESY. Able to switch from tremolo-picked rage to serenity-laden subdued with relative ease (and more importantly with the audience following along), this disc possesses both a savage grace […]
Norwegian metal merchants Enslaved have put out their most progressive album to date with their latest (and tenth!) offering, the eight-track VERTEBRAE. Far removed from their primitive origins, this squad’s psychedelic rock meets black metal approach takes Pink Floyd into the catacombs for a swirling sojourn into lands discovered by the likes of Opeth (“Ground”). […]
Singapore black metal troupe Impiety maintain a dastardly level of speed throughout the course of their latest five-song, 15-minute endeavor DOMINATOR, as this black-death hybrid troupe bludgeon the ears with a speed-driven assault exploding with bad intent. Tracks like “At War with Temujin” demonstrate this veteran squad’s penchant for whipping up a maelstrom of malevolent […]
Sothis breaks the barrier for being a black metal band from Los Angeles, not some far corner of Europe. This unit’s nine-track affair, produced by Andy LaRocque, captures the nefarious nuances of the genre without too much interference, allowing the malevolent interplay between atmospheric keyboards, thunderous drums, and rapid-fire riffs to reap full benefit on […]
Described as occult black metal, Anael stretches those boundaries on FROM ARCANE FIRES. Keeping the riffs raw and the death rasp/tremolo picking combo fully loaded (“All Souls’ Night”), this seven-track endeavor’s tedious and lengthy arrangements give ample opportunities for Anael to do what they do best, which is build colossal movements within its dastardly design […]
Norwegian black metal merchants Khold reappear with another scathing release sung in their native tongue in the form of the 11-track HUNDRE AR GAMMAL. Laden with nefarious grooves (“Trolos”) and bolstered by a demonically-charged vocal rasp, tracks such as the slow-crawling to mid-paced maul of “Sann Ditt Svik” resonates with a true sense of dread […]
Italian black metal trio Black Flame unleash an eight-track affair steeped in calamity with IMPERIVM. Without deviating from the genre’s basic elements , this foreboding troupe attack with the feral fury passed down through the left hand path. Tracks like “Ad Inferna” strike with a venomous bite, revealing a grim vocal rasp and a demonically-charged […]
Ukrainian symphonic black metal mavens Capitollium unleash a vehement display of hellfire and brimstone on their nine-track affair BLOODFALL OF FLESH. Incorporating everything from operatic female vocals and atmospheric keyboards to dastardly blast beats and demonic vocal deliveries, this quintet hurls volumes of venomous melodies with vitriolic shifts in velocity on cuts like “Mensis of […]
Veteran Norwegian black metal troupe Keep of Kalessin return with their fourth endeavor, the nine-track KOLOSSUS. Emanating from the depths of traditional black metal, this unit opts to expand its musical horizons by incorporating a slew of other styles into their dark riff heavy mix, adding textures from the spectrum of metal to their template […]