Utopia Platafórmica

  Thromdaar “NorthStorm Arrives” (Solistitium Records, 2000) 24 years ago, a band from Riihimäki, Kanta-Häme, Finland, released their full-length, “NorthStar Arrives”, on Solistitium Records (a label that is making a comeback). In its time, it was not seen as a massive release, but more of a standard record. And that is not bad at all. I like standard albums! So why did I jump into it? Well, I was checking some of the label’s releases from the Past, and Finland hit. If you are looking for Black Metal played the old way, you got it. This is a melodic release, and not an ultra-fast one! It has bits of Black Metal, of Heavy Metal, and even of Death Metal, in a fusion of genres and sounds. It is a pleasant release, and that is great. One of those records you put on and the sound is great, the guitars are really cool, the vocals are au-point, the drums are straightforward… all in all, the record is a solid one. And at times, this is exactly what I look for: solid and simplistic Bl...

  Traum “Demo 2024” (Torture Palace Productions) Just like Spiritual Disease, Torture Palace is helping in making US Black Metal majestic! We should not forget about Blood and Crescent, of course, but today’s focus is in yet another marvellous release by this quite recent label. Onyxblade and Noctis Bellum were the first releases I got acquainted with, and I cannot tell you how good they are. Every now and then some musicians pop up, and gift us with amazing art, and Torture Palace has been able to capture some of that magic and gather it, making it accessible to everyone. Well, “accessible” might not be the best word, considering how fast their releases disappear. This is Impurus’ first release under the moniker Traum, and what a magnificent piece of Black Metal it is. I dare say that this is perfection, with an Old School sound and atmosphere always present. The riffs are Nordic, the vocals are perfect, and the little details are overwhelming, leaving the listener craving for...

  Hardcore Short Reviews for the Instagram… Power! Now this is a very non-hype shit, right?! Living for social media?! Well, not living for social media, just spreading the Lord’s word on social media, which is very different. Now, who is the Lord?! Starting praise in a few moments… Inner Peace – “Floorbreaker” (2024) Now, what is this?! I was just checking Body Count’s most recent track yesterday, and when I head on over to check these guys from Indianapolis, Indiana, I get the same vibe, the same rage and anger! Thrashy Core I dare say. Like the vocals. Not harsh, not weak, just the necessary power for the music. I like it. Sounds old, with a capital O. Does that make sense to you? It should. 90ies Hardcore is alive and well, in 2024. Go check these guys, for their music is more than just punching and kicking the atmosphere around you. You Should Be With Us – “In Plain Sight” (Delayed Gratification Records, 2024) This is just what I like. Again, it sounds Old, but in ...

  Dystopia “De Verboden Diepte I: Veldslag op de Rand van de Wereld” (Immortal Frost Productions, 2024) Dutch Black Metal never ceases to amaze me. The way they look at the genre, bend it, cut it, add X and Y to it, show they are always outside the box, and never stuck to old and established lines of thought. Well, I have no issue with that, honestly, as I am still a big fan of older bands, and newer bands playing the old sound, so… Nonetheless, it shows a group of musicians that have no issues with adding A to B, even if A and B make no sense together, and merge them into something that does make sense. Curious. I was not aware of Dystopia, which is not new, so I dwelled into their latest opus, released on Immortal Frost Productions. “De Verboden Diepte I: Veldslag op de Rand van de Wereld” is quite an interesting piece of music. It is definitely Black Metal, but something else at the same time. Their music has a very nice characteristic: dynamics. Tracks are not too short, no...

  Gurthang “Martyrium” (Immortal Frost Productions, 2024) Another release by Belgium label Immortal Frost Productions, a label mostly associated with Black Metal in its ancestral – although contemporary at times – form, that has the courage to risk outside the “defined” lines of what is, and what is not, Black Metal. This time we have the pleasure to listen to Gurthang, a band that is not new to the scene, but new to me. From Poland they come, and since 2010 they have been blasting their way through the Underground with their blend of Black Metal with Doom and almost Drony moments. A detail that I quite appreciate on the band’s work is their ability to balance melodic and delicate guitar parts with aggressive atmosphere, giving it this dynamic and enthusiastic sonic experience. It is quite interesting that they work the vocals as a very present instrument. Do not get me wrong, as I do know how this works, but I truly enjoyed their approach, and it does give the music a darker a...

  ThanatoSchizO “Turbulence” (Misdeed Records, 2004) I have always looked at this band as the flagbearers of Heavy Metal up North, in Trás-os-Montes, as the sign that our region was not dead! Well, a lot more band live up North: Insalubre, Eremites, Preeminência, are just 3 examples that are close to the genre I listen to, but a lot more have come and gone, giving the region a very solid background in terms of Heavy Metal. And of course… Eerie Litanies, from Bragança! Back to ThanatoSchizo. The band started out in 1997 as a Death Metal band, slowly evolving into a more complex and elaborate outfit, adding Doom and Progressive details to its previously well-structured machine! From this point on, the progressive side of the band grew… a lot… too much, in my opinion. Their previous album, “Insomnious NightLift”, already showed moments where you could see the band wanting to depart – a bit more – from their Death Metal persona, to a more Floydian one (risking it all by mentioning ...