Utopia Platafórmica

  Ende “ L'Aube des Anathèmes ” (Immortal Frost Productions 2024) French Black Metal is a very interesting creature. We have the world famous LLN, and very deserved, of course; we have the groundbreaking musicians; we have the French melody that is as ferocious as it is delicate. Ende is no exception, ladies and gents! I was not aware of the duo’s existence, so forgive me if I am missing out on mandatory Black Metal excellency, but I will fix that instantly. “ L'Aube des Anathèmes ” is my introduction to the band, and this sound pretty cool. Well, cool is not a Black Metal term, but this is really cool. I am getting (for a long while now) tired of all the raw and noisy Black Metal we see swirling around, especially on social media – oh the contradiction – and I have always had a thing for melodic Black Metal, so Immortal Frost came in my aid and provides that great Melodic Black Metal doses we all need. Ende has that, as mentioned before, and it grows on you, it is definite...

  Tulus “Fandens Kall” (Soulseller Records, 2023) The Norwegian black metal scene is, even for those who don't have in Black Metal their best-known sub-genre of choice, the best known. Unfortunately, the reasons are not the best but, ignoring "small details", I venture say that the legacy of the genre still causes damage. After the well-known events, the growth of popularity of the genre reached levels hitherto never seen. Yes, Black Metal did not pop-up in Norway, and it was not entirely unknown before Varg stabbed the other "elitist kid" and played with matches, but it is undeniable that it was in Viking land that it developed into much of what it is today. Among a long series of bands came Tulus, one of the 895369 Norwegian bands that found themselves sent - perhaps by chance - to a supposed second line of Norwegian Black Metal. "Pure Black Energy", from 1996, is one of those works immensely ignored by the most generalist public (yes, generalist...

  Ancestral Blood “Forgotten Myths and Legends, Pt. I” (WormHoleDeath, 2023) I have always associated Black Metal with mythical and fantastic creatures, places, events, etc. This might be due to some of the bands and sounds I started listening to back in the day. Bands like Bal-Sagoth, for example, have always been one of the best examples of how Black Metal can be… fantastic. Horrifying creatures and powerful mages, all gathered around a sound that echoes through the frozen mountains. Imagine Lord of the Rings… and you get Summoning, yes. Well, Ancestral Blood is not related to Summoning, no Sir. Ancestral Blood is much more rooted in the aggressive side of Black Metal but holding tight to that fantastic side of it. No symphonic Black Metal, no. The USBM scene has always been very present in that segment of the genre, and today’s scene has some good examples of a sound indicative of such sights, of which Ancestral Blood is a very valid part. The band has been around since 1999...

  Black Metal Reviews YouTube Channel Edition When I started getting into Heavy Metal music, the radio, and a cousin of mine, were my internet. We used to absorb all Heavy Metal music we were able to clinch our claws in, and it shows, clearly, in the different tapes I used to own. From Power Metal to Death Metal and all in between… it scares me, today, to look at it. Nonetheless, fast forward to 2024, and I want to thank the internet for allowing me to discover, today, records that came out when I was unable to even know they existed. And thank you, YouTube for being that platform. And it is not that I am tired of today’s music or have this feeling that only old releases are worth my time, no! In any way that is the feeling. However, yeah, I still find old releases to be “my thing”. I follow a few YouTube channels related to Black Metal, but there is one in specific that seems to know what I like. Its name is Vlad Tepes , and this mate has a very good ear for Black Metal, espec...

  Torture Palace Productions I believe we were all taught that we could trust some specific labels to always provide good music, right? Peaceville and the 90ies was one example, Deathlike Silence Productions, of course, Osmose Productions is another example, Altare in Portugal, and Torture Palace Productions, from the USA. TPP was born in 2023, but its roster is, so far, top-notch. I did focus on 2 releases that really stood out, in my opinion, and should be more publicized, if this idea is aligned with Black Metal of course (laugh). Here we go: Noctis Bellum , with “The Grandiose Nightsky Requiem” , and Onyxblade ’s “Within the Wake of Ashes” . Remaining label bands are Belicose , Nightstorm , Bereft Raven (featured on this Blog in the past) and Sarrasine . I came across this label a few months ago, but left it on “must listen” mode, and only days ago came back to it, and it was by accident, if I can be honest. No shame in that, I guess… YouTube or Instagram, one of them, rec...

  Anonymous Skull “Anonymous Skull” (Deathful Lust, 2022) The idea of fusing Black Metal with other sounds has been around since the inception of the genre, in a way. From the obvious mix with Punk and Thrash, with Death and Doom, Black Metal has been all over the place, for years. Quite recently – or maybe not that recently – we have been seeing musicians taking it up a notch or two. The mate behind Lamp of Murmur, loved or hated, has taken a step further into complete f@cked-up-fusion-with-what process. What?! Yes. The lad by the name M., has helped in making it perfectly normal to fuse Black Metal with Dark and Haunting genres; not that he was, in any way, the first one to do it, but sometimes it takes a bigger name to operate a change… But this has nothing to do with Lamp of Murmur, right?! We might be in the same continent, but we a are up North, where the cold lives, and where Black Metal is Lord (besides Satan, of course). Anonymous Skull, a new entity out from the cold ...

  MPAKOBEC “З ​ а ​ к ​ л ​ и ​ н ​ а ​ н ​ и ​ я п ​ р ​ о ​ т ​ и ​ в р ​ а ​ с ​ к ​ о ​ л ​ д ​ о ​ в ​ а ​ н ​ н ​ о ​ г ​ о м ​ и ​ р ​ а” (Horrible Room, 2023) The project’s first EP is a tremendous blast of Punkish Black Metal in the vein of Ildjarn. No need to spread the influence area, as Ildjarn is all you need when it comes to this sort of Black Metal, and this mate knows it quite well. We are presented, once more, with a marvelous experience of what Black Metal, the more primitive and visceral side of the genre, should sound like: harsh, aggressive, bloody, cutting. But, unlike the preceding EP, this one sounds a lot cleaner - if the word can be used here. I mean, it is still that rusty blade to the throat… nevertheless, the instruments sound more perceptible, neater. Maybe I am totally distant from reality; truth be told, I have not listened to that EP for a while now. Overall, it sounds less direct that the EP, less Punk in attitude, like more time was spent g...

  My Dearest Wound “The Burial” (Tragedy Productions, 2023) Depressive Suicidal Black Metal is one of those “dangerous” sub-genres to meddle with. The idea of a slow, “heavy”, sad approach to Black Metal, is not easy to achieve in an acceptable manner. Black Metal calls out to harsh and aggressive melodies, and DSBM is not, at first, a sub-genre we associate with these characteristics, and so we observe it from a far, studying its movements and choices. Some musicians embark in a downward spiral of depression and utter sadness, dragging the listener into that vicious circle; others prefer a more melancholic approach to the sub-genre. Either way, DSBM is a special manifestation of Black Metal. My Dearest Wound is not, in my honest opinion, a proper DSBM in the sense that it carries plenty of melodies that fall more into the Atmospheric side of the spectrum - some even might be seen as Post Black Metal - and that is quite nice. Yes, MDW has some of those hooks we associate with D...

  Obscure Twilight   “Promo Tape 2022” (Signal Rex, 2022) Poland has a very long history of exquisite Black Metal; Poland has a very long history of controversial Black Metal. The truth is that the Polish scene of the 90ies - of which a comeback is being observed, and celebrated - was full of a kind Black Metal that no one was able to replicate. There is no need to name the bands, or the musicians, that started it all, but their legacy lives on in bands like Diabolical Fullmoon and Obscure Twilight, for example. Musically speaking, Obscure Twilight is all I love in the genre: raw, visceral, melodic, crafty, exquisite approach to the genre, old-sounding and, at the same time, a delicate type of dark and haunting atmospheric Black Metal. It is a short piece of music, but it is a very well-conceived piece of Black Metal. Isaiah, the man behind Obscure Twilight and Death by Mace, and previously Regnat Infernum and Moonglare, was born in 2002, which makes him around 23 years ol...

  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 ...

  Tsjuder “Helvegr” (Season of Mist, 2023) Tsjuder was one of those late discoveries. “Desert Northern Hell” was bought after reading a good review, and it did not disappoint. Their music is ferocious and cold, aggressive, and uncompromised, and uncompromised is the best way to describe the band and its whole existence. Tsjuder started out in 1995 and the above-mentioned record was probably the one that took them to the big stage of Black Metal. “Helvegr” is a massive record. It has all the ingredients that we all love in the Norwegian sound, and some soft nuances that add more dynamics to the album, breaking the cycle of raging violence and “in your face” aggressiveness. Moments of melody and calm, not very recurrent in their work, are brought forward for their 6th Full-length. The cold atmosphere is ever present, and one of the strongest things about Tsjuder is their ability to create these cold and killer atmospheres. An enormous discharge of Hate and Satan! The new album ...

  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 t...