Sanguine Relic
“Labyrinth of Nightmares” (Perverse Homage, 2023)

Newly released music from the most prominent musician in the Raw Black Metal scene in the USA. The USBM scene is enormous, obviously, but very few are able to achieve the level that the man behind Sanguine Relic provides with every single release. His sound is very well crafted; almost perfectly. The fusion of many layers of Darkness and Despair, Anger and Death. His Art is not Raw intrinsically; his Art is unearthly. I have always been a fan of his work, but after seeing him perform I felt his Music in distinct ways. His approach to Black Metal is very much rooted in melodies reminiscent of Old Days, very melodic yet haunting. Unlike many other acts, describing Sanguine Relic is not, at least to me, an easy task.

As mentioned before, his sound is within the spectrum of darken melodies and ghostly atmospheres; his vocals are like knives, slowly cutting the skin, piercing our ears, and grabbing our throat. It is all very visual. However, at the same time, there is a romanticized facet to it. All the vampire imaginary is well present in his Art, and it does not fail to present itself in his music. The usage of keyboards adds layers to the music, constructing a more frightening image, and beautifully absorbing melodies. His music is capable of putting you in a trance, and this is no lie nor fanboyish blabbering, but the actual truth. These 2 tracks are amazingly magnificent. The way the almost merge into each other, how they carry the listener… Sanguine Relic’s Black Metal always seemed different; not better or worse, simply different. He has this sort of sensitivity that is no transversal to many of the Vampyric Black Metal bands out there.

And to conclude, once again he gave us an amazing view of his world, and we welcomed it with open arms. This lad knows what he is doing, and I just adored how in terms of production he upped it up a notch, giving us a better window to his Art. Explendid, lad, explendid.

Sulphuric Night
“Black Metal Tyranny” (Black Gangrene, 2023)

I live in a world where we do not search for news in terms of Black Metal releases; news of new releases come to us via YouTube or Instagram. Modern day Black Metal fan, I assume. Or no time to do my “homework” and look for novelties. Either way, forget it and focus on what I have for you today. Osman is one of those Artists that, from day 1, started providing the genre with all he has to offer. His artistic being is immensely large and the number of projects he is in shows it perfectly well. In all honesty, I have never been lured in completely by the Bosnian scene. One or two projects, one or two records, but I have never had that opinion of the Bosnian scene that many mates of mine have. Maybe due to my age I tend to be more… picky. I like to assume that I simply do not have the time to go through all the releases and bands. Either way… Osman, the man that created Obskuritatem, one of the best Black Metal projects of the 21st century, in my opition. In other words, one of the best artists to ever replicate what the LLN created.

This might sound a bit overstated, but his first works with Obskuritatem always gave me that feeling of Despair, Melancholy, an idea of a concrete Hell, maybe due to the mental image one has of Bosnia. Sulphuric Night, on the other hand, always sounded more Black Metal at heart. How? Straighter forward, aggressive, classic sounding, Black Metal. The vocals sound immense, extremely powerful, and clearly distinct. Osman’s work here is amazing. The artist plays with melodies and atmospheres in a way one gets drawn in completely, it cradles you in this sort of devilish arms, you know? It is a majestic homage to Nordic Black Metal melodies, mostly Finnish, ferocious and warrior like melodies!

2 tunes, a little over 10 minutes, and I seem to have heard one of the best Black Metal releases of 2023. Again, it might sound like an exaggeration, but fear not! These tunes are exceptional, masterpieces of contemporary Black Metal. His first Full-length, and Split with Borda’s Rope, were incredible works, but this EP may possibly take 1st place. There is this oddly sweet melody rooted in the music that lives through the low-fi production and sharp guitar riffs. The Sound of Old and Classic. True Bosnian Black Metal, yes Sir.

Sulfurous Presence
“Demo I” & “Demo II” (Banner of Blood, 2021 / Death Manifestations, 2022)

Black Metal has always lived on the fringes of Heavy Metal. Although it did reach the big stages and a more mainstream reality, Black Metal is still the sub-genre of Heavy Metal that is “buried the deeper”. We are all aware of how it all started, and I see that as mandatory to understand why there are Artists that focus their artistical expression the way they do. Sulfurous Presence is an example of an act stripped of artifices and unnecessary gimmicks. I adore many acts that chose the raw production, the simplified way of addressing their music, where you must dig deep to extract the melody that was buried beneath all the soil.

Sulfurous Presence, as mentioned, lives beneath the ground, in a place of blood and dirt. Horrifying melodies that lure you in, hypnotize you, and distress your ideas. It is not the easiest form of the genre in any way, but there are very little things more satisfying within the genre than discovering that melody, that moment, where all is perfect. Do not be taken aback by how the Artist presents his Art, for he has given his all for these moments. Visceral, and raw; primeval, and horrific. The simplistic way to expel hatred. Well, simplistic is not the word, as there is nothing simple in this. As mentioned before, the Artist presents himself in a very stripped-down figure, allowing for the melodies to come out.

“Demo I” and “Demo II” are very much an extension - from what I can understand - of all the anger and hatred accumulated by the Artist, that needed to be banished. Both Demos are very much alike in the sense that they “obey” this posture and structure, where the listener is taken on a ride through the deep place of the mind. Strangely enough - or maybe not - I find his music very… soothing. “What is that” you might ask. Given the description made so far, how can his music be calming? Well, that is one the best characteristics of Black Metal as a whole, and the rawer side of it, specifically. Where most Black Metal artists that choose to present their music in this raw and primitive form end up with a wall of noise, here we have actual melodies and harmonious details.

Both Demos offer Darkness and Despair as adjectives to the music. A claustrophobic reality where the listener is buried beneath all the metaphorical remains of the torture soul that is the Artist. Vocals that cut through your soul and violate your mind, ravishing guitar riffs and thunderous drums. Overall, the approach is of Destruction and Desolation… notice that on the 2nd we can hear some details reminiscent of Punk, giving the music more dynamics. And remember, if you pay close attention to the music, you will hear amazing riffs. Go for it.