Utopia Platafórmica

  Gouffre “Demo III” (Medieval Prophecy Productions, 2023) Belgium, the nation that is slowly starting to build a bloody excellent reputation in terms of Black Metal. As mentioned in previous reviews, we are all aware of massively well-known bands from Belgium, but I have to say that what M.P.R. has been building – or assisting in building – since their inception, is gold, a divergent thing. Divergent in the sense that it strays from the standard Black Metal sound and can be seen as a return to the Past, a return to the Roots of the genre, striping the genre of unnecessary gimmicks and accessories: a raw sound. Gouffre’s 3 rd Demo is a good example of something very special and delicate. Well, delicate not in the literal sense, of course, but as a special piece of Black Metal. Example: I have always taken Arckanum as one of a kind Artist, with a one-of-a-kind sound, and that is what I get from the Belgium scene of today: a one-of-a-kind expression of a genre that has come a long w

  Dolorosa “Summoning Ancient Bleakness” (Altare Productions, 2024) Deep and Heavy is the opening track, a preparation for what is to come. Was not expecting this, honestly… Dolorosa is a band from Spain that released its debut album – “Summoning Ancient Bleakness” – through the Portuguese label Altare. If there is one thing I know, is that Altare is synonym for quality, and this is a great example of such. Spanish Black Metal has never been my favourite scene, although exquisite albums have come from the country next to mine, and this one might be setting out to be one of the best I have ever heard from my next-door neighbours. Production wise, this is a tremendous record. The drums are almost in your face, setting the pace, slowly. At times I feel the music was built to be a sort of ritualistic mantra, d’you know what I mean? The whole album seems to be an emotional and spiritual experience, and I dare say I am not that far from the truth. Now that is a good question; might reach

  Andracca “To Bare the Weight of Death” (Vendetta Records, 2024) Strangely, last year was a year of change in terms of the sort of sound I usually aim at. Coming from old sounds, got hooked on the rawest side of the spectrum, and stayed there for a long time. 2023 was the year I rediscovered my love for a polished Black Metal sound, good production, and plenty of melody. A tad like the 90ies, I reckon. And the best thing about it was discovering many bands that I would have ignored if I did not get tired of the same sound, repeatedly… 2024 started like 2023 ended: cleaner, more melodic, and with that came Andracca (and many more). Andracca is a quartet from Lancashire, England, North Wales, who have a sound based on Tolkien mythology (geeked out). One thing the Raw Black Metal scene did was, unconsciously, label some of the Black Metal scene as weak and overly melodic. Only Raw Sound is Real! That lead to great bands, and immensely awful musicians making music that should have nev

  Cavemaster “Negros Des ​ í ​ gnios da Eternidade”  (Nekrogoat Heresy Productions, 2023) There are bands that go much of their life span living in obscurity and shadows, and not that their music lacks quality, but because life has never taken them on different paths. Is it correct to state that about Cavemaster? Crafted in 2016, Cavemaster was idealized by Paulo Bucho, Mário Rodrigues, and Lino Mateus. Filipe Correia was added in 2018, and Sofia Bouchinha came in as keyboard player. Allow me to start off stating that the keyboard make all the difference in the band’s overall sound, and how it adds stellar details to the music, although I am not a connoisseur of their music. I was sent the promo for the new record (thank you very NGH) and gave it a go. This has never been a band I gave much of my time to, but I truly feel this release might change my idea of them. Again: love the keyboards and how it treats the music, how it gently caresses the music, making it whole, if that makes

  Hollow Woods “Like Twisted Bones of Fallen Giants” (Signal Rex, 2024) Hollow Woods are at it again. These Finns are not your run of the mill Black Metal bands, nor do they fit completely with the Finn craft of the Black Arts. We might risk call them outsiders, perhaps. Interesting is seeing them juggle with their sound. Wait, they are not that outside the box, but neither do they fit the box in the sense that their sound has a different flare, d’you know what I mean? “Like Twisted…” is their 2 nd full length after the tremendous 2021 release, “Cold Winds Cleave the Earth”, and the overall atmosphere is quite present. Very bucolic at time, with splashes of melancholy, as well as a majestic presence. Nature is the main subject, and I agree that their sound fits with said subject. Take a long walk in the woods, during Winter, and let me know if this is not the perfect soundtrack. I mentioned previously how I feel they juggle with Black Metal and distinct hidden melodies, and I stil