Utopia Platafórmica

Invicta Reqviem Mass Seventh Gathering Well, hello there. Getting close to this year’s finest UG Black Metal gathering, are we? Oh yes, we are! I was quite curious about who would the lads in Signal Rex select for their 7 th Black Mass, and what a nice bill it say, I say. 15 bands will join forces in one of Portugal’s most beautiful, and Black Metal, cities. Porto, Cidade Invicta, will once again receive the label’s annual Black Metal gathering, and let us go through the bands that will be performing. While there is still not a daily line-up, let us almost alphabetically stroll down the corridor and look at newcomers and artists that will be repeating their attendance. So here we go! Starting off with an act composed of musicians from different geographic locations, Burial Moon . Austria, Estonia, and Switzerland, perhaps? If I may be honest, their location is what less interesses me. Musically speaking this is straightforward Signal Rex Black Metal. The hypnotic side of t...

  Out 4 Blood / Free 4 All "Blood 4 All" (Hive Minded Records, 2023) OKC Hardcore Tag Team is the shit! Out 4 Blood and Free 4 All join forces and blast through us with ease. This is a different definition of the genre, a bit more modern, with hints of… Downbeat and such (not as violent as, of course). Hard as fuck, punching us over and over again. Out 4 Blood starts off with 2 very solid tracks of Pain and Inflicted Hurt… you get it, right? The way they bash you down, over and over again, is tremendous. And melody, the melody! You can be violent and melodic, right? Of course, and O4B clearly shows it. A stripped down, and visceral, Hardcore beast in motion. In ”Heart Goes Cold” we have these Thrashy riffs that take it to a different level, and along with the double bass drum and all… hard. Well, to call them a modern Hardcore band might be a long stretch; they fuse sounds and that, and it ends up being a hellish beast. Free 4 All comes next and brings forth a slightl...

  Drowning the Light “Enslaved by the Cave” (Dark Adversary Productions, 2023) Azgorh has been, for many years, a force to be reckoned with. Master of his trait, the Australian has been “fighting his battle” with Drowning the Light, for 20 years. The evolution in his sound has been massive, and quality became a trademark for the project’s sound. You see, Drowning the Light is a massive entity when it comes to Black Metal, a Beast that structured a sound, an image, an atmosphere, crafted an almost perfect sonic world, a dome in which DTL is the soundtrack. And again, the evolution - or metamorphose if you prefer - in his sound has shown an Artist with immense skills and a long way ahead of him. I believe there is no need to go into his “backlog” as a musician, as his projects speak for themselves. He has always been a man of many surprises, and these 2 EPs were a pleasant one. “Enslaved by the Cave” and “Violet Mercury & Moonlit Sorcery” are a different perspective, a peculi...

Mork “Dypet” (Peaceville Records, 2023) I sometimes wonder what are the reasons that make us ignore something and later go back to it and give it our attention, only to find out we were missing out on amazing Art and blame ourselves for being pricks at first. The mysteries of the human mind. i believe we all do that, in a way… My trip for the day will take me up North, more precisely to Halden, where we meet up with Thomas Eriksen to talk about Mork’s latest endeavour, “Dypet”, out on Peaceville, way back in March… And what was I missing, mates! Mork is one of those bands that hold the TNBM motto, closely. People normally state that TNBM died around the turn of the century, which is preposterous if you ask me. I agree that some bands did have a change in sound - some went wild as Hell - but the core essence was never lost, and Mork is a show of that. TNBM is not just a replica of “Deathcrush” or “Transilvanian Hunger”, but a dark and haunting atmosphere that transports the listen...

  Taubra “Therizo” (Debemur Morti Productions, 2023) I have strayed away from a “cleaner” Black Metal sound awhile back and descended into the pits of the rawer and visceral facet of the genre, to only respond to haunting and terrifying melodies and sounds; the dirtier of the dirty, the uglier of the ugly. That was my Black Metal. Truth be told, I was not brought up on such a “disgusting” sound, but on that 90ies Black Metal sound. Some might argue that it was still dirty and raw, but I dare to differ… to some extent. However, 2023 has brought back up that appreciation I have for a more melodic Black Metal, one that is reminiscent of the 90ies (although never totally, of course) and of days of old. And the biggest difference tends to be in the sound, not that music itself. Imagine if Vetala decided to “clean up” their sound, how would that sound? Interesting… with that, I came across Taubra, a band I had never heard of, but that has in its formation musicians from acts like Mal...

  Baxaxaxa “De Vermis Mysteriis” (The Sinister Flame, 2023) The legendary German quintet is, in my modest opinion, a rare case in the Black Metal scene. Most bands feel the need to go into strange “publicity maneuvers”, shocking statements and whatnot, as a way to show themselves to the World. Other bands, the minority, simply exist and work their darken hearts out to craft the best devilish symphonies. The rest, fame, exposure, etc, will come to them… Baxaxaxa has been around since 1992, and only released 2 Full-lengths, 1 EP, 1 Split, and 2 Demos. Some bands release that much in 1 year. But… quantity over quality in many cases, unfortunately. These German lads work the other way around: less is more; and this less is perfect. In all honesty, their sound has not changed a single bit, and they still play that old, rotten, and moldy Black Metal so many of us love. Plenty of bands attempt to emulate an older sound, make it their own, but you need more than just musical knowledge,...

Mourning “Hive of Resentment” (Streets of Hate, 2023) Well, well, well. Glad to see these lads back in action, right? I remember how “Disenlightenment” hit hard when I first heard it! Was not expecting that from a Hardcore band, honestly, and lad, it is some great music. Less than a year after they are back. According to the band, this new EP features tunes that were written and semi-recorded at the same time as “Disenlightenment” and finished earlier this year. The moment I first heard them I felt something as a bit off - for the best - and there was a lot more than “just” Hardcore in their music. Some of those riffs were clearly Heavy Metal, some were more Thrashy, but it was clear that the band had something more than just Hardcore, and this new EP shows it clearly, in my opinion. Curiously, I started the morning listening to one of the more recent Cradle of Filth albums (still trying to recover that old love for the band), and it is not that I heard Cradle’s music in this EP, b...

Sonneillon “The Demon of Hate” (Masters of Kaos Productions, 2023) I dare say (some) people have no real notion of how good the Portuguese Black Metal scene actually is; it is a very dynamic and diversified scene, which is what gave it the dimension it has today. From the Raw and Visceral approach of a band like Vetala has, to the Epic and Majestic tunes of newcomer Spellsword, and all in between, the Portuguese Black Metal musicians are one of a kind. Sonneillon has been around for a while. The band established itself in 2008, and that same year released and EP (“Diabolic War”). Since then, the band has been consistently releasing new music, which has shown a band in constant growth and evolution. “The Demon of Hate” is the band’s 2nd Full-length after 2017’s “Daemoniacus…”, and it is a very nice leap in terms of the overall music. Sonneillon plays a Melodic, yet at times aggressive and harsh, Black Metal. Very well-structured and with excellent moments of diversity. Overall, th...