poniedziałek, 18 marca 2024

Recenzja Mirror of the Void “Ephemeral Mirage”

 Mirror of the Void

“Ephemeral Mirage”

Lower Silesian Stronghold 2024

Nieco ponad rok minęło od premiery debiutanckiego krążka Mirror of the Void, ale widać pomysł na wspólne granie chyba się chłopakom spodobał, bo Diabolizer, Bloodwhip i Necheshetrion wracają z nowym wydawnictwem. Tym razem jest to siedemnastominutowa EP-ka, co jest przyczyną mojego nieskrywanego niezadowolenia. Głównie dlatego, że te nagrania stanowią spory krok wprzód, mały skok można by powiedzieć. (Czytaj dalej...)

Recenzja RIVERS LIKE VEINS „Architektura Przemijania”

 RIVERS LIKE VEINS

„Architektura Przemijania”

Werewolf Promotion 2023

Jakby to napisać, aby się zbytnio nie powtarzać? Ciężko to zrobić w przypadku takich zespołów jak Rivers Like Veins, więc chuj z tym. Powtórzę więc to, co już ongiś pisałem. Horda z grodu Kraka to dla mnie jedna z bardziej oryginalnych grup na naszej przebogatej i przepotężnej scenie Black Metalowej, co udowadnia bardzo dobitnie trzeci ich album długogrający zatytułowany „Architektura Przemijania”, który ukazał się w ostatnich dniach zeszłego roku pod skrzydłami Werewolf Promotion. (Czytaj dalej...)

Nowy ROPE SECT w maju

 

Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces May 17th as the international release date for Rope Sect's highly anticipated second album, Estrangement, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Since their humble debut in 2017 with the Personae Ingratae EP, Germany's Rope Sect have quietly built a formidable canon of work ever since, punctuated by their massively hailed The Great Flood debut album in 2020 and further enhanced by the stop-gap mini-album Proskynesis in 2022. While an undoubtedly unique entry for Iron Bonehead, Rope Sect's eerily minimalist deathrock speaks to the darkness in everyone, whether they're full-on metal or far from that. Simply, power and poignancy come in many forms, and Rope Sect have secured theirs with an idiosyncratic sound that continues to find new listeners across a wide spectrum of experience.

Following from the more electronic textures found on Proskynesis, Rope Sect return to refine their sound further with Estrangement. A full-length work comprising eight songs in 43 minutes, Estrangement is suitably structured for maximum immersion: twilit in every respect, each song stretches out to generous lengths, revealing a staggering sense of space that's sensual and suffocating in equal measure. Indeed, Rope Sect return to those fertile fields of haunting introversion found on The Great Flood and plough them with just the subtlest hint of sparkle without losing their unapologetically lo-fi approach; credit those clarified-but-not-too-much sonics to the mastering by Mario Dahmen at Liquid Aether Audio. As such, Estrangement feels comforting for its familiarity, but its secrets likewise plunge deeper into the human experience, hushed yet portentous for their quiet magnitude.

As always, Rope Sect underpin that sonic portent with thematic lyrics. Estrangement vaguely is a kind of mental prequel to Personae Ingratae story-wise, exploring the thought why people (would) feel estranged and seclude themselves from society and form their own sect. "It can be seen as a reflection of all the ruins we are surrounded by," state the band, "the increasing reign of pessimism over optimism in a world that seems to have doomed itself as well as expressing a sense of not belonging and the connected urge to escape all this and live by your own rules in your own little world, passing all the warning signs of human kind going astray." The album fittingly / dramatically concludes with the pulsing resignation of "Rope of the Mundane Love," featuring guest vocals by King Dude.

As singular as ever and walking their own path with paradoxically ever-more-fervent steps, Rope Sect paint a poignant picture of Estrangement.

In the meantime, see & hear the brand-new video "Revel in Disguise" HERE at Iron Bonehead's official YouTube channel. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:


Tracklisting for Rope Sect's Estrangement
1. Revel in Disguise
2. Cesspool of Vice
3. Nefelibatas
4. L'Appel Du Vide
5. Mementote
6. Massenmensch
7. Hindsight Bias
8. Rope of the Mundane Love

UNPURE na Black Silesia

 


Kultowi szwedzcy black/speed/thrashowcy z Uppsali mający na koncie pięć albumów, ale i takie wyczyny jak split z Sabbat czy partycypacja w kultowym "Headbangers Against Disco" razem z Nifelheim, Gehennah i Bestial Warlust, dołączają do składu Black Silesia Open Air VII: Cirith Ungol (USA) / Whiplash (USA)! - Unpure, the legendary Swedish black/speed/thrashers will perform for the first time ever in Poland on the exclusive occasion of Black Silesia Open Air VII! Beware as The Witches Of Uppsala are coming for You!

niedziela, 17 marca 2024

Recenzja Wounds „Ruin”

 Wounds

„Ruin”

Everlasting Spew Records 2024 

Wounds pochodzą z Chicago i grają techniczny death metal, a nagranie tego debiutu zajęło im aż dwanaście lat, bo skład sformowali w 2012 roku. Mogłoby się wydawać, że tak długi proces twórczy zakończy się czymś niesamowicie spektakularnym. No nie tym razem. Po tym albumie nie należy się spodziewać wielce skomplikowanych tekstur, wirtuozerskich popisów, powykręcanych solówek czy plątaniny akordów. (Czytaj dalej...)

Recenzja SADISM „Obscurans”

 SADISM

„Obscurans”

Hammerheart Records 2023

Zgodnie z obietnicą, jaką złożyłem przy okazji recenzowania najnowszego albumu Internal Suffering, przedstawiam Wam kolejną, wyborną płytę, którą wypluła ze swych przepastnych trzewi Ameryka Południowa w roku 2023. Tym razem jest to dziesiąty album chilijskiego Sadism. „Obscurans”, bo o nim tu mowa, to prawie 48 minut doskonałego, intensywnego, bezwzględnie masakrującego, Death/Thrash Metalu starej szkoły gatunku. (Czytaj dalej...)

Nowy numer od HERESIARCH

 

Today, New Zealand dreadnought Heresiarch premiere the new track "Noose Above the Abyss" at heavily trafficked web-portal NoCleanSinging.com. The track is the second to be revealed from the band's highly anticipated second album, Edifice, set for international release on April 12th via Iron Bonehead Productions. Hear Heresiarch's "Noose Above the Abyss" in its entirety exclusively HERE.

The possibilities of life's destruction are endless for those who wander before Heresiarch's Edifice.

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track "Noose Above the Abyss" exclusively HERE, courtesy of NoCleanSinging.com. Also hear the previously revealed "Gloryless Execution" HERE at Iron Bonehead's Soundcloud. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:


Tracklisting for Heresiarch's Edifice
1. Forged Doctrine
2. Manifest Odium
3. Noose Above the Abyss
4. Gloryless Execution
5. Tides of Regression
6. A World Lit Only By Fire
7. Swarming Blight
8. Mystic and Chaos
9. Hubris and Decline
10. Militate Pyrrhic Collapse

ULCERATE zapowiadają nowy album

 

ULCERATE, the New Zealand trio who Decibel Magazine hailed as "one of the most forward-thinking Death Metal bands around," return with their highly-anticipated new album, "Cutting the Throat of God", via Debemur Morti Productions on June 14th.

A first offering from the seven-song album, 'The Dawn is Hollow', is now available, accompanied by a video from visionary artist Dehn Sora (AMENRA, BLUT AUS NORD, THROANE):


'The Dawn is Hollow' envelops its audience in a realm of stark, overwhelming ambiance. Demonstrating a next-level use of melody and a finesse for dynamic shifts, ULCERATE skillfully oscillates between ferocious, rapid-fire segments and serene, enigmatically somber passages. These contrasts not only exhibit the band's exceptional technical skill, but also their innate ability to craft unpredictable and singular compositions that resonate emotionally.

"Cutting the Throat of God" was recorded in the fall of 2023, under the watchful eye of drummer Jamie Saint Merat, who also oversaw production and provided artist direction for the collection. Renowned mastering engineer Magnus Lindberg (known for his work with CULT OF LUNA, RUSSIAN CIRCLES and TRIBULATION) put the finishing touches on the release. "Cutting the Throat of God" explores a cohesive lyrical theme centered around the rupture of morality, the delicate boundary between depravity and extremity, and the irreversible descent into darkness.


Tracklist:

01. To Flow Through Ashen Hearts
02. The Dawn is Hollow
03. Further Opening the Wounds
04. Transfiguration In and Out of Worlds
05. To See Death Just Once
06. Undying as an Apparition
07. Cutting the Throat of God

sobota, 16 marca 2024

Recenzja Hekatomb „Korosta”

 Hekatomb

„Korosta”

Independent 2023

Mówi się, że ciężko być prorokiem we własnym kraju. Chuja tam prawda. Dopiero co, recenzując debiut Porońca, wspomniałem, że to świetna płyta, ale nie zdziwię się, jeśli zaraz zaskoczy mnie kolejna wyjątkowa pozycja na polskim blackmetalowym podwórku. No i masz… Dwa dni później włączam sobie debiut Hekatomb, który co prawda ukazał się wcześniej, bo pod koniec zeszłego roku, ale znów muszę zbierać szczękę z podłogi. (Czytaj dalej...)

Recenzja Convocation „No Dawn For The Caliginous Night”

 Convocation

„No Dawn For The Caliginous Night”

Everlasting Spew Records 2023

Trochę to spóźniony temat, bo materiał ten ukazał się w listopadzie, ale nagle, niczym z grobu, wypełzł z mojej skrzynki odbiorczej. Nic to w sumie dziwnego, ponieważ Convocation są specjalistami od pogrzebowego doom metalu. Można lubić ten gatunek lub nie. Ja na przykład nie przepadam, lecz nie mogę, nie pochylić głowy przed ostatnim dziełem tego fińskiego projektu. (Czytaj dalej...)

Singiel od DEVOTION

 


Today, Spanish death metallers Devotion premiere the new track "Horror Beyond the Stars" at heavily trafficked web-portal NoCleanSinging.com. The track is the second to be revealed from the band's highly anticipated third album, Astral Catacombs, set for international release on April 22nd via Memento Mori. Hear Devotion's "Horror Beyond the Stars" in its entirety exclusively HERE.

Graced with suitably ethereal cover art courtesy of Naroa Etxebarria, Astral Catacombs crowns Devotion's trifecta of streamlined brilliance!

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track "Horror Beyond the Stars" exclusively HERE, courtesy of NoCleanSinging.com. Also hear the previously revealed "To Dementia" HERE at Memento Mori's official YouTube channel. Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:


Tracklisting for Devotion (Spain)'s Astral Catacombs

1. The Passing
2. Horror Beyond the Stars
3. In Ungraven Tombs
4. Execration
5. The Wake
6. The Cosmic Pilgrims
7. To Dementia
8. The Seething Universe
9. Astral Catacombs
10. The Evanescence

Debiut TORTURERS' LOBBY za dwa miesiące

 


Today, Caligari Records in conspiracy with Ixiol Productions announce May 17th as the international release date for Torturers' Lobby's highly anticipated debut album, Deadened Nerves. Caligari will release the CD and cassette tape versions while Ixiol will release the vinyl version.

Hailing from Tampa, Torturers' Lobby began as a three-piece band with Tim Anderson on drums, Ryan Conway on bass, and Evan Dawson, on guitar/vocals. After the Again debut demo in 2021, Adam Shaw joined as a dedicated vocalist. With this lineup, the band recorded the Crisis of Faith Rehearsal, which was released later in 2021. The following year, the 7" EP Man in Zwugzang was released, and Anderson left the band after the subsequent Kinetic Disapproval rehearsal, which featured some early versions of songs that would be on Torturers' Lobby's eventual debut album, Deadened Nerves. Dwane Nihiser replaced him, and that debut album is the first release with him playing drums.

Now at last here and their lineup firm, Deadened Nerves announces Torturers' Lobby's arrival with devastating punctuation. A metal record for metal people, the band's first full-length doesn't kowtow to genre conventions - death metal, black metal, thrash, and even juiced-up traditional metal all get diced and sliced into their cranky cauldron - nor does it get overly "clever" and pay lazy lip service to a please-everybody middle ground. No, Torturers' Lobby simply go for the throat quickly and without compunction, rushing forth with an urgency of approach and physicality that's tangible - truly, this is a whole band playing together instead of punched-in parts - but soon twist the knife in myriad ways. And that's perhaps the trump card of Deadened Nerves: violent and off the rails it might often be, but there's a diabolic logic to the angular shapes Torturers' Lobby throw, a strive to elevate songwriting to something at once palpitating and mind-bending, careening and in control. RIFFS are aplenty, and the production's thick and scuzzy yet fully pro, and Shaw's vocals keep apace with acerbic annunciation.

Nasty, authentically underground, but not bogged down by too-cool borders, Torturers' Lobby shitkick past, present, and future with Deadened Nerves.

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track "Reaper's Impunity" HERE at Caligari's Bandcamp, where the CD and tape versions can also be preordered. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:


Tracklisting for Torturers' Lobby's Deadened Nerves
1. Dawning
2. Barbaric Alchemy
3. Chromosomal Devastation
4. Captured Pieces
5. Reaper's Impunity
6. Hypnotic Seeds Sown
7. Humanity's Husk
8. Re-education
9. Enduring Spirit
10. Reptilian Hide

Nowy ITERUM NATA już dostępny

 


Drawing from a wellspring of sinister musings and an incessant drive for musical experimentation, Iterum Nata presents “From the Infinite Light”.

In the wake of his critically acclaimed 2023 album, “Trench of Loneliness”, Jesse Heikkinen (The Abbey, Henget, ex-Hexvessel) embarks on a bold foray across the boundaries between folk music, black and doom metal, neo-folk, and progressive rock, orchestrating a symphony where every note is a harbinger of both darkness and light.

As twelve-string and six-string acoustic guitars weave a cloak of folky serenity, tremolo-picked electric guitars inject black metal mysticism, forging a sound that's as distinctive as it is immersive. Fusing the brooding narratives of Nick Cave, the avant-garde creativity of Dødheimsgard, and the spectral chants of Dead Can Dance, “From the Infinite Light” is a beckoning path into a world where the melancholy of introspection meets the rage of existence.

Tracklist:

1 – Overture: Infinite Light
2 – This Gleaming Eternity
3 – A Manifested Nightmare
4 – Ambrosia
5 – The Drifter
6 – A Darkness Within
7 – Something Truly Almighty
8 – The Crown of All

Nowy numer PESTILENCE

 

Legendary Dutch death metallers PESTILENCE preview their upcoming, re-recorded best-of album, "Levels of Perception", set for release on April 26th via Agonia Records. The album features twelve tracks from across the band's 38-year career and will be preceded by a three-week long headlining tour of Europe, which starts on April the 3rd. Listen to "Horror Detox", here:


Patrick Mameli - whose signature vocal, guitar and songwriting skills constitute the hallmark of PESTILENCE - finds "Levels of Perception" to be a testament to the band's role in death metal's progression. "I've always wanted to do a best-of album, because it would mean that I've achieved something in the past; something that still has its value today," Mameli reflects. "To be able to choose from songs that I composed in the distant past, transporting them into the now, with the line-up of the recordings that consisted of Michiel van der Plicht (drums), Rutger van Noordenburg (guitar) and Joost van der Graaf (bass) - I found this to be of great value and sheer awesomeness."

Re-recording of the tracks has not only managed to breathe new life into them - half thanks to new line-up, and other half by implementing subtle changes which reflect Mameli's matured vision and refined with years of experience aesthetic - but also sets them apart from cheap, unimaginative compilations, by unifying the album's sound as befits a full-length release. "The album's title is Levels of Perception. Why? Because this is what has happened with the songs," Mameli explains. "Performed by different musicians, with their own views, musical abilities and interpretations, shining a new light on them. So here we are with new Levels of Perception."

The drums for "Levels of Perception" were recorded by Michiel van der Plicht in 2021, during a live stream held in T Paard (The Hague, NL). "These recorded drum tracks were so awesome that we just had to use them, fine-tuning the guitars and bass," Mameli comments. These and other re-recordings were done with Reaper behind the console at van der Plicht's own studio On Duty in Mijdrecht, NL. The latter engineered, mixed and mastered the album. "I've started to realize, after recording Exitivm, that when you can engineer, mix and master by yourself, the control over your own product is way bigger, through the honesty and passion for your own compositions; rather than hiring an engineer that has no feel for your music," PESTILENCE's frontman wraps up.


piątek, 15 marca 2024

Recenzja Coffin Curse „The Continuous Nothing”

 Coffin Curse

„The Continuous Nothing”

Memento Mori (2024)

W przypadku wydawnictw z Memento Mori przeważnie wiadomo czego się spodziewać. Płyty sygnowane logiem tej wytwórni w zdecydowanej większości nie przekraczają pewnego przyzwoitego poziomu oferując death metal mocno nawiązujący do korzeni, ale daleki od odkrywczości, niejednokrotnie niedoskonały warsztatowo. (Czytaj dalej...)