Winterburial
“White Tomb Pilgrimage” (Pile of Heads Productions, 2022) 

“White Tomb Pilgrimage” is Winterburial’s first release, and it dates to 2022… better late than never, I reckon. I did not find - it was not a exhaustive investigation, truth be told - any information on the band’s location and formation, but I dare say these lads - or lad - are from the USA. Not only are they associated to a North American label - Pile of Heads Production - but they (or he) have this “scent” of USBM, so active in today’s scene.

Sound-wise, this is very, very nice. The cover is a perfect visual description of the sound, as the sound is cold and full of despair and loneliness. A fantastic atmosphere, no doubt. The drums on “The Pathway to Eternal Frost” have, at times, this almost Joy Division structure… a repetitive, hypnotizing, side to it. No, it does not carry on for long, nor does it fall deep into the Post Black Metal bucket, but it is, nonetheless, an amazing moment.

All 6 tracks are quite long - all over 6-minutes - but the way they flow leaves the listener in awe, enjoying the ride and ignoring the length. “White Tomb Pilgrimage” is a breath of frozen air, a ferocious Black Metal attack. The melodies are frozen as ice, and the atmospheres are a warm embrace in a Winter’s night. Winterburial sounds old, sound classic, sounds majestic and powerful. Delicate melodies and aggressive melodies, this dichotomy is quite interesting, and provides dynamics to the band’s sound.

One hardly ever feels that there is a “dead” moment, as the tracks keep on rolling. “Frigid Winds of Ceaseless Woe” is an homage to 90ies Black Metal… mostly Norwegian (just like we like it)! The keyboard parts that give the music this enormous basis, the melody extracted from the guitars, all in all this is an amazing track, a tribute to what was done before! Magnificent and immensely powerful! “Under Black Wings Unkind” is another one of those tracks that you need to listen very closely, to spot all the nuances.

In the end, Black Metal at its best.

Gauntlet Ring
“Raped in the Blood of Angels” (Blood and Crescent Productions, 2023)

The USBM scene, once mostly ignored in detriment of several European scenes, is proving people wrong, and providing us with immense quality. Hopefully younger Black Metal fans are aware of names such as Judas Iscariot and Absu, for example, or VON and Profanatica. This shows that the US has always had excellent Black Metal musicians and bands, but Europe - quite understandably - always took “the prize”. Hello, Norway… still love you.

Arbor, Fellwinter, and Gauntlet Ring, have one name in common: Taurus. You have not had the chance to check these names, please go ahead, all three are amazingly perfect and all three were able to merge eras of Black Metal without sounding too old or too contemporary. I, honestly, see these bands as the top tier of USBM today. Many will disagree and spit names like Lamp of Murmur, Ebony Pendant, Megalith Grave, etc. However, the atmosphere is very singular in the sense that it is built around melodies that almost describe a siege of desolation and melancholy. Melancholy is, yes, a word I see fit for Gauntlet Ring’s music.

On the other hand, take a track like “Our Dark Kingdom”, close to its end, and how it sounds refreshing, yet close to the roots of the genre. Gauntlet Ring’s newest release carries the flame of their previous releases - and related musical endeavors - maintaining the harsh power of Black Metal, and mellower melodies and calmer moments.

Allow me to remind you that “Beyond the Veil of the Night” was the duo’s previous release, and that will always stand as a landmark for the band’s quality. Man, the guitar riffs on are tremendously powerful and I adore the way they command the mood and flow of the tracks. The vocals, as always, standout. Again, “Our Dark Kingdom” is a great example of how good Taurus’ vocal placement is. Well… it is easy to understand that whatever these lads craft, I will be on it. 

Volkskrieg
“Teutoburg” (Pile of Heads Productions, 2023)

Volkskrieg is a project of unknow origin, at least according to Metal-archives. Volkskrieg has just released its first Demo through Pile of Heads Productions (same label as Plainchant, Northern Solitude, and Winterburial, for example) and it is a very curious - and interesting - piece of Pagan Black Metal. Inspired by early Germanic-Pagan history, its music captures feelings of bravery and combat, majestic riffs, and melodies.

Although no data on origin was found - not that I went through a thorough search - but I dare say Volkskrieg is based in the USA. There is something about the sound that directs me on that path. “Immortal Pagan Steel”, for example, has this Rock n’ Oi feeling to it, which is quite cool and groovy. Well, “cool” and “groovy” are not the adjectives one thinks off when listening to Black Metal - most of the times - but this specific track is very much that: cool and groovy. Almost like a Heavy Thrash Metal song, with that pace, that energy. Well, something one would not expect - most times - from a Pagan Black Metal band.

 But not all is cool and groovy. This 5 track Demo is packed with Pagan riffs and melodies. Again: majestic, ferocious, harsh, melodic piece of Pagan Black Metal with a more modern twist.