maudlin of the Well for idiots

Continuum of Xul is an Italian technical death metal band featuring guitarist Matteo Grasele of Ad Nauseam fame. His jagged and dissonant riffs are integrated into a more straightforward death metal formula, maintaining the harmonic intricacy and asymmetric quality of those compositions while packaging those qualities into a more accessible package. Structurally the music resembles old school technical death metal bands like Immolation with frequent and abrupt shifts in tempo and tone. It ... read more

Note: the track list on AOTY is the original 3xLP version but I'd highly recommend you listen to this release with the CD track list which is a much more cohesive experience. The CD track list is the one I will be referencing for the purposes of this review.

From the Entrails to the Dirt is one of black metal's greatest and most underrated splits. It's not simply because the music contained herein is amazing, although it is, but because it perfectly encapsulates a moment in time for one of my ... read more

I usually rate albums and then review them immediately so that my impression of them is fresh in my mind, but reviewing this was such a daunting task and listening to it left me so speechless that I put it off for two weeks. Myopia is a genuine masterpiece that delivers on all levels. Gloomy and melancholic riffs that still get stuck in your head, all of that despite their simplicity. Perfectly placed black metal influences that give the music a sense of pace when it most needs it. Drumming ... read more

Impending Insidious Indo-Asian Imperium is a collaborative split between two black metal circles - first is Naramedha and Vadhakarmadhikarin of the Kolkata Inner Circle. This India based group of artists specializes in warnoise and harsh noise, basically if an act is a member of this collective you can rest assured their music is extremely aggressive and nigh unlistenably abrasive. Next is Sewerhermit and Biological Warfare of the Circle of 4444 Reich, a Japanese/Korean collective that creates ... read more

God yes, I was so excited for this. Neptunian Maximalism is one of my all time favorite musical acts even though this is only the third release I've ever heard from them, their brand of apocalyptic drone metal mixed with elements of avant-garde jazz and ritual ambient seems tailor made for my tastes. Hearing what they could do in a live settings in their post Éons era is such a thrilling prospect, and they don't disappoint.

Set Chaos to the Heart of the Moon is a single freely flowing ... read more

I, Voidhanger's first metal release of the year comes to us courtesy of dissonant black metal outfit Feral Light. On Psychic Contortions they showcase a cleaner brand of disso, not focused on evoking hellish atmospheric moods but instead focused on the compositions. Asymmetric guitars playing intricate and technical melodies clash together to create dissonant and texturally nuanced soundscapes. The band makes much more extensive use of alternate guitar tones to expand their sonic palette to a ... read more

Japanese death doomers Anatomia and Danish death metal band Undergang are a match made in heaven. Their brands of putrid, brain liquifying death metal are similar yet play to different strengths, which makes for a cohesive split listening experience you don't find too often. Anatomia focuses on neck destroying low tempo riffage and oppressive cavernous soundscapes whereas Undergang plays mid tempo Scandinavian style death metal with a greater emphasis on leads. Both band's vocalists are pulling ... read more

Huh. I had always just assumed that Grand Belial's Key was one of those bands that disbanded before my time honestly. If it weren't for me offhandedly mentioning it to a friend of mine I would have just assumed this was an upload of an old album. Anyway, this is GBK just doing their thing - mid tempo black metal that takes the soup of early extreme metal subgenres that was first wave black metal, removes it's rough edges and refines them into a fine tuned riff machine. Their style of riffing ... read more

It might be hard to believe, but Onryō II is one of the best black metal albums I've heard in a long time. Saidan has achieved a level of mastery over the USBM riff that hasn't been seen since Arrows of a Dying age. Saidan justify their use of Japanese aesthetics through these riffs, their soaring and melodic flavor with a tinge of punk influence is reminiscent of burning spirits. Every element is perfectly produced too, this is the kind of black metal album where I don't mind some cleaner ... read more

For the first time on this account I can finally talk about my love for blackened noise. Sadly it's a microgenre that doesn't get new releases too frequently but it's always exciting to see new ones because there are very few stylistic through lines in blackened noise, most projects have a unique and insightful take. One of the few influential entities in the genre is the infamous and now defunct French black metal circle Les Legiones Noires, which included several early black ambient projects ... read more

XII - From Anthropophagic Waste Breeds a Writhing Mutagenesis is only the second full length from prolific raw black metallers Ärid, and it's a hell of an effort. It's filled with what I like to call motion sickness riffs - the guitar tone is a blanket of prickly distorted sound, shifts and lurches separating from the wall of noise like waves on an ocean, unified yet independent. The drum tone is punchy but not too up front in the mix, allowing the drummer to execute some highly technical ... read more

Someone finally uploaded a vinyl rip of this to slsk so I don't have to monetarily support the artist or label to listen to it. Cheers for that!

The Pestilence doesn't reinvent Vothana's tried and true formula. Atmospheric black metal with extremely dense and layered riffs laid out in long form songs that have a hypnotic feel to them and are easy to get lost in, aggressive yet filled with subtle intricacies. The compositions have a distinctly martial feel to them which is a typical feature of ... read more

Not much to report on here, a bog standard atmoblack album in all respects. I like the warmer tone of the instruments and there are some interesting elements of Selk'an indigenous music but it's only incorporated into the last track.

Verdict: Recommended for fans of the style

Dark jazz and metal fusions aren't exactly a novel concept. Combining two genres that heavily emphasize dark and moody atmospheres is a no brainer and has been attempted by bands such as White Ward and Five the Hierophant, just off the top of my head. Unlike those bands though, Meslamtaea does more teasing than providing. Most of the music is made up of typical black metal fare, albeit with a healthy dose of wonky proggy riffage and drumming. I wish the bassist was a bit more adventurous, the ... read more

I think every music listener has experienced the joy of discovering a great band and then finding out they drop a new album soon. I received Ascetic Eventide in an album exchange not too long ago and loved it, checked their RYM page and saw that they have a new album coming for 2022. With that album as my only reference point, Pure Wrath has sadly shifted towards a less distinctive style compared to their early work. The folk elements aren't as prominent or as well integrated into the music as ... read more

In which Dark Funeral discovers the secret to getting my ADHD having ass to enjoy a, by all measures, incredibly generic black metal record - just make it so it goes fast the whole time. What everyone else is saying about the mixing is completely correct, the drums and vocals are mixed too loudly. For the life of me though I just can't bring myself to care.

Verdict: Recommended for fans of the style

On Goddess, Slægt seamlessly blend black metal, heavy metal, and progressive metal into one neat package. Aggressive but infectious tremolo picked riffs give way to intricate dueling guitar leads and soaring NWOBHM styled solos, all in the form of sprawling and complex progressive compositions. Don't be scared away by the corniness or tedium conjured by the genre of progressive metal either, it doesn't go over the top. It does go over the top in some other ways, it is a heavy metal album ... read more

Deserted Fear broke out 10 years ago with a unique combination of Dutch death and Swedeath. Apparently. I've never actually heard of this band before. Any semblance of that era of their career is long gone though, now they just bang out generic mid tempo vaguely melodic death metal with a tinge of metalcore influence. Even if you're into music like that I can't imagine you getting anything out of this. Just go listen to Divine Heresy or something.

Verdict: Not recommended

Avant-prog-thrash legends Voivod return with their fifteenth studio album Synchro Anarchy. I'm ashamed to say this is my first full album experience with the band. My classic metal knowledge is a bit lacking. Anyway, Synchro Anarchy doesn't see the band taking any significant risks but they still execute solidly. Compositions are as technical and intricate as ever but not to too great an extent as to make the music inaccessible. Snake's strange nasally vocals are a bit off-putting but I think ... read more