Pensees Nocturnes - Grotesque

Solo black metal act out of France via gentleman going by Vaerohn, and he is one talented and possible insane man. This albums predecessor was basically depressive black metal with classical touches, and while it was received well and i can detect the quality, it wasnt my cup of tea. Frankly this album isnt either, but its different and i like it more. It still has all of the same elements this time around but with even more weirdness added to it such as operatic vocals, weird circus type sounds, more of an Arcturus influence so if you are a fan of aforementioned band you might wanna take a peek here.


depositfiles again...suck it

Unholy Ritual - Rex Mundi

Unholy Ritual from Greece have a pretty cool take on symphonic black metal. As to where most bands playing that style go for the epic, bombastic approach, Unholy Rituals approach has a progressive edge to it that definitely makes them stand out from the rest. While it is still epic and bombastic, it brings just a little more to the table and it does so successfully. Once again, if you stick strictly to minimalist black metal and such, this will no doubt turn you off, but black metallers with a more open mind will no doubt find something interesting here.


denial from heaven

Infernal - The Deepest Emptiness

Columbias Infernal have been active since 94, and quite active might i add, cranking out several full lengths, splits, EP's, you know the drill. This would be their most recent full length from 09, an album that i have tried so desperately to write off, yet continue to listen to. Thats what i do with my metal these days, assume everything is shit until i have given repeated listens and am convinced otherwise. This album falls under my category of "it has keyboards and you will probably just bitch about it" but i dunno, i cut my teeth on black metal of the symphonic vein and while i dont like ALL of it, i do like a lot of it. I also love Darkthrone, so I win.


pain, agony and death

Legion of Doom - For Those of the Blood

Today i decided i needed to pay homeage to Greeces oft overlooked Legion of Doom. One of the earlier Greek bands that dabbled in the NS ideology, although their lyrical themes were usually that of anti christianity and the like. The symphonic elements are a tad stronger and more noticeable then the debut although never quite becoming overblown to those who may not care for such, the strong songwriting and musicianship should be enough for you to enjoy. This is classic Greek black metal all in all.

For Those of the Blood

Epic - Of Tears and Blood...

For anyone that feels guilty downloading music (i actually used to), or simply wont do it, nab this motherfucker guilt free because theres nooooo way youll ever find a physical copy, try as you might, it wont happen. What you will find here however is some awesome melodic/symphonic black metal that is basically a "super group" of the french black metal scene, featuring dudes that have done time in Arkhon Infaustus, Hell Militia, Mayhem, Vorkreist, Corpus Christii, Secrets of the Moon, Merrimack, and Antaeus. Its an excellent albeit short release, clocking in at less then 30 minutes. More then well worth your time.

Epic...literally

Cryptic Wintermoon - The Age of Cataclysm

Excellent German melodic black metal. Epic and fast paced mostly with some light keys that only add to the epic atmosphere. Its also very catchy, and very easy on the ears. Fans of mid to late 90s symphonic black metal probably already know this, but if not, will be eating this up.

Cryptic Wintermoon

Kataxu VS Necator

Ah polish black metal, i will never get tired of you. Especially Kataxu, who are at the top of that list. If you havent heard them by now i feel sorry for you and am debating whethere or not you deserve to. If you have however, this split shouldnt let you down, lots of cool keyboard interludes by the god of keys himself, Jacek Milnicki. They cover 6 of the 8 songs, leaving the other 2 for the lesser known and very underground Necator. Only having 2 songs, they are long, the first one around fifteen minutes. Their side of the split is actually a rehearsal, so uh, holy shit id love to hear what they could do on a proper recording. This shit is straight ominous and evil, and not in the same way you hear every other day. This is different, it needs to be heard to fully understand. So who comes out victorious you ask? I call a tie. Kataxu is amazing, ALWAYS, and can go toe to toe with anyone, and what normally squash the shit out of 90 percent of black metal out there these days, but Necator is so good that they manage to keep them at bay.

Kataxu VS Necator

Sanhedrin - Salvation Through Sin

Sanhedrin are friends of mine, and they sent me their 2009 demo (last year i believe). And they are also worthy of this blog so i am going to help spread the word. Other then listening to the demo, i have not listened to this debut full length as of yet so i will keep this short. I can tell you that Sanhedrin play melodic black/death metal, with some symphonic tendencies and what comes to mind would be something along the lines of behemoth and dimmu borgir combined. So check this out and give some god damn feedback for once!!!

Salvation

Mephistopheles - Landscape Symphonies

Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir and Ancient were all decent bands when they started out. The first releases by Dimmu and Ancient were especially good. Germany's Mephistopheles are a symphonic/gothic black metal band that hearken back to the early styles of the aforementioned bands. They quietly released four full length albums without anyone really noticing. 1997's Landscape Symphonies, their first, is an album I found real cheap while browsing ebay aeons ago. Ok, it's nothing especially groundbreaking or original for that matter, but it's decent enough to give a spin. Landscape symphonies has enough gothic keyboard sounds, female backing vocals and competent musicianship to satisfy most fans of the genre.

Landscape

Morgul - All Dead Here...

Long time project from the dark mind of Jack D. Ripper (also of the fucking bad ass Meridian) that as far as i know never got a ton of recognition, although the band was snatched up at one point by century media. The dude basically makes black metal that could be a fitting soundtrack for a horror movie. Combining many styles such as melodic, symphonic, and even industrial, any of his albums make for an entertaining and never dull listen. I havent heard any news for a long time but apparently the band is still active, without a label, and consisting only of Mr. Ripper himself.

Jack is back

Sear Bliss - Forsaken Symphony

Ah, Sear Bliss. One of the true gems of any genre of black metal. Whether you call it symphonic, atmospheric, melodic, it doesnt matter, this band is truly underrated. Sure ill admit to not knowing more then a handful of people that listen to metal, but even from what i see online here and there i dont see them mentioned nearly as much as they deserve. The Hungarian masters have been around since 93 and while they may not have gotten your humble attention, they have gotten Red Stream and Candlelight records (their current label), so what do you know anyways? What they are known for however, is their inclusion of brass instruments (trombone and horn), which are not common at all in the black metal realm yet it makes for an amazing sound. Adding the brass with the keys, make for an amazing atmospheric and symphonic journey that your mind will thank you for. 

 take your mind for a walk