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Vanagandr – “Lycanthropic Black Metal” (Kaos Regnum Prod, 2022)

Mid-paced haunting tunes. Short, but accurate description of how Vanagandr sounds. The project started in 2021, by the hands of the Masterminds behind projects like Funeral Fullmoon and Sendero Inexorable, among others. I have mentioned this before, many times, but the paradigm of Black Metal has changed, and it will never be the same, and South America is at it again, and again… 

Chile has, for some years now, gifted the World with outstanding Black Metal tunes; a very characteristic way of approaching the act of creation has developed into a specific sound, a known sound. Never a harsh sound, certainly not a wild aggressiveness. Controlled chaos, well-structured rage. A voice buried beneath the rubbles of human despair, of human envy and disgust. This is not DSBM… but its melodies resonate with filth and pain. Strange? Very much. I tend to enjoy those tunes where the artist slows down the tempo, a bit like what the Aldebaran Circle does in most cases: slowing down the tempo; increasing the weight of the melody (not a musician, not able to explain, apologize). It is almost Doom, without being Doom. Not in the line of Nathr, for example, not like what the Greeks gave us, back in the 90s; it is a different methodology, and I love it. 

This is the duo’s 2nd offering, after a Demo in 2021, and what a start! But wait, they have more to offer. “Hymn to the Black Wolf” is an homage to the 90s, in all its glory. Stripped down, in-your-face, Punkish, with a subtle melody in the background that carries the tune from start to finish… great. It also has this Finnish thing to it: melodic, yet fast at times. Not Thrashy, just fast, but not Marduk fast eheheh! In general, it lives off the creative ability these musicians have of crafting good Black Metal tunes. Not complex, hyper technical work that has no soul, no emotion. And there is where Magister’s Art resides: emotion. Very curious to see where these musicians are headed to, given these tracks, and knowing the musicians’ past work. In short: “Lycanthropic…” presents us with various sounds of Black Metal, various attitudes to the genre, and in the end the result is a very cohesive set of tunes. Aggressive, melodic, emotional (as Black Metal is allowed to be, of course), dark and haunting, deep, and depressive, Magister and Kalkutufe gift us with the genius of Art, and we welcome them.


Negrume – “Imutável Sufoco” (Signal Rex, 2022)

The Portuguese scene is growing as we speak. I have mentioned it more than enough times, and I truly believe that growth is not only in numbers, but in quality. Remember the Aldebaran Circle?! Well, it seems that that specific sound, so well crafted, is back. It is curious to see that a tune like “Negro Trilho” does emanate a bit of what Nocturnus Horrendus has been doing with Corpus Christii for the last years (especially in his last endeavor), which shows how amazing and powerful the Portuguese scene is, as a whole, almost consolidating a specific sound. Did I mention the Aldebaran Circle? Yes, I did. Do you remember that claustrophobic, apparently simple and “innocent” sound? Negrume has that. Maybe that is why I cherish it so much; it is reminiscent of a sound, of an age, of an artistic conviction, I dare say. It has a warm sound; it sounds as a whole; it is rotten and decrepit just enough to make you smile with pleasure. It also has this almost Punkish scent to it. It’s all about that drum, mate. 

And this act of stripping down the sound, to a minimal, is a direct heritage from Punk – although I have no idea if the lad in the cover has any connection to Punk – and that is probably what made me fall in love with this work. If I can be honest, his first act did not grab me by the… you know, but this one made me look at the artist from a different perspective. He creates moments of total awesomeness, atmospheres that are far away from what you would call Atmospheric – the one from the forest and stuff – but has this ability to drag you to emotional scenarios that no Atmospheric Black Metal tune can! However, it has amazing guitar licks that would make Euronymous cry. Happy tears, of course. Seriously speaking: Negrume has pulled out, so far into the year, a very cohesive, and on point, Black Metal release. Short review? It works as a way to lure you in, mate. Go, give it a try, just go…


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