Utopia Platafórmica

Ravens Dawn – “Precursor to Bloodshed” (Independent, 2022)   It is with fascination that I see how Black Metal has grown and evolved since the day a guy in Sweden, along with his mates, decided to create a sound that would top the bands of his time. He made it, and the genre grew, and grew, becoming enormous. It took on dimensions and shapes that did not please everyone, which led many musicians to “seclude” themselves in search of the lost art of the Primordial Riff.  Black Metal is, in its core, a visceral, raw, primitive musical genre. Slightly like Punk, it lives off from emotions and feelings. There is this violence, this discomfort, that lures you in and keeps you there, warm, and alive. It will sound as a perfect cliché, but I still see the genre as more than just Music; there is something to it, you know? There is this, as said before, emotion and overwhelming feeling that make it such a powerful artistic genre.   Although I strongly support Artists evolving genres, adding more

Anonymous Skull – “Anonymous Skull” (Deathful Lust, 2022) The idea of fusing Black Metal with other sounds has been around since the inception of the genre, in a way. From the obvious mix with Punk and Thrash, with Death and Doom, Black Metal has been all over the place, for years. Quite recently – or maybe not that recently – we have been seeing musicians taking it up a notch or two. The mate behind Lamp of Murmur, loved or hated, has taken a step further into complete f@cked-up-fusion-with-what process. What?! Yes. The lad by the name M., has helped in making it perfectly normal to fuse Black Metal with Dark and Haunting genres; not that he was, in any way, the first one to do it, but sometimes it takes a bigger name to operate a change… But this has nothing to do with Lamp of Murmur, right?! We might be in the same continent, but we a are up North, where the cold lives, and where Black Metal is Lord (besides Satan, of course). Anonymous Skull, a new entity out from the cold land

2022 Hardcore Appreciation Post Mindless - "Cast Your Vote" (2022) (Hardcore / Punk, UK) Mindless Official Bandcamp Negative Selection - "Negative Selection" (2022) (Hardcore / Punk, Russia) Negative Selection Official Bandcamp Envision - "Sacred Heart / Advent" (From Within Records, 2022) (Hardcore / Punk, USA) Envision Official Bandcamp Pulse - "Demo" (Bonus Round, 2022) (Hardcore, Australia) Pulse Official Bandcamp Divebomb - "Life is Rhythm" (2022) (Hardcore, USA) Divebomb Official Bandcamp Xcelerate - "Bustin' Out" (KOTP Records, 2022) (Hardcore, USA) Xcelerate Official Bandcamp

Portugal... Death Dooming is the Law                                                                                This is not a Review, an Interview, or an Article on the Portuguese Death Doom scene of the 90s. We can call it an appreciation post, for example. I have been planning on doing it for a very long time, but never found the time.  Today, a few days before Invicta Reqviem Mass burns Metalpoint to the ground for the last time, this shows that Portugal was once an immense force to reckon with in terms of excellent Death Doom. Below, a few examples of bands that released albums that were, in my opinion, instrumental in designing a solid scene. Even if not valued back in the day, are seen today as classics by some, and should be treasured by all. From various parts of the country, I am hereby showing you some of my favorite releases from the genre, from Portugal. Pay close attention to the last one: Eerie Litanies, Bragança; probably one the best Dom releases I have heard.

Spectral Knight – Polish Menace Poland and Black Metal are well known for their close relationship. Forget about Behemoth, this is Black Metal, and dangerous as it should be. We are all well aware of how this sounds, and how the Poles create their sound. Enwrapped in controversy, the genre keeps on existing, and it still "stirs the boat", in a way… Spectral Knight, from Żory, Silesia, Poland. Welcome to this humble amateur publication. It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to talk to the mind behind Spectral Knight. Can you start by giving me a description of how you developed the idea that came to culminate in Spectral Knight? Hello, my first thought of starting a raw Black Metal project appeared when I was visiting an old graveyard in the winter of 2020. I wanted to recreate this very specific atmosphere on a Black Metal demo, so I took all the experience from my previous bands and projects and when the opportunity arose, I did it. What is the concept behind, not only Sp

Djevel - “Naa Skrider Natten Sort” (Aftermath Music, 2022) Have you ever been so stubborn that you totally missed out on the most amazing thing? I tend to be like that. In my case, music is the subject. Truth be told, the amount on Black Metal that pops up every single day is tremendous, and I do not have the ability to filter A from B, leaving me with very few releases that do fall on my radar; this means many more fall under, over, next to, whatever… However, if social media has one thing playing for them, is that it “warns” people of things that are going around, sharpening their appetite for them. I have been aware of the name Djevel for years, and recall enjoying one of their old releases (an EP, perhaps?), but losing interest for whatever reason. Yesterday, I saw a publication for their new release and seriously enjoyed their new logo (I am an aesthetic kind of music fan). Decided to give it a go today, while working. Djevel has one very important thing for them: Faust. we do not

Beyond Helvete - “Anthem of Decay” (Immortal Frost Productions, 2022). Immortal Frost Productions has given us 2 tremendous Black Metal works this year: Corpus Christii and Pyra. Both different, but both within the realm of Black Metal (and Death Metal). This work, by Beyond Helvete, is the 3 rd IFP work I have access to, and we again drop into the universe of Black Metal. Slightly different from the already mentioned ones, but still ferocious and full of power. Beyond Helvete has been around since 2007, and Natrgaard, the man behind it, has been delivering the goods. Imagine the strength of a band like Marduk, that endurance, that consistent show of power… Beyond Helvete lives in a similar bubble, although not reaching the quality the Swedes have gathered throughout these many years of presence in the Black Metal Global scene. Nonetheless, it sounds as a good example to describe one of the facets of the German musician without limiting it to A or B. The track that names the alb

The North-American scene is one that keeps on giving. After years, and years, of being seen as lesser than others, the number of projects coming out of this enormous country is growing, in number, and quality. Bereft Raven is one of those cases where Melody and the Rawer side of the genre collide, all gathered around a gothic atmosphere provided by the Raven. All class Black Metal. Come and read thy words. Thank you for your time, first. Shall we start from the beginning? When, where, how, who, why, did all of this come about? Hail to you for your consideration. For the protection of this project, I must not say too much, for that would tarnish the aura. I Am the Invoker of the soaring black deity, ANGELDESTRUCTION. I began experimenting around the summer of 2021, and began to grasp the courage and contempt to expel this hate around the fall of the same year. Make no mistake- this is not an experiment anymore … no fucking ounce of tourism is in  my body. Why I do this is because th

Darkthrone - “Astral Fortress” (Peaceville, 2022)                                                  It is hard to define what each new release means by those who are, in my opinion, the biggest Black Metal band of today (and many years ago). Possible that we will enter into debates about the legitimacy of this statement, but I could not care less, honestly. Their place in the history of Heavy Metal in general, and Black Metal in particular, the fact that they have always lived based on a very Punk motto, and that turns out to be quite Black Metal too, which is "my things, in my own way", have always given them this creative power, which in turn led to this very own aura and easily recognizable sound. Darkthrone is Darkthrone, yesterday, today, and forever. Whether when they decide to go for a more Punk line, or when they decide to pay homage to the Heavy Metal legends of the 80s, in any of these incarnations they proved to be masters. We can, in a way, put a new Darkthrone