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 landscapes of Canada. Canadian Black Metal is a must, in my book, so I dove right into the dark pit that goes by the name of… Anonymous Skull.

It is… special. No doubt about it. Special it is. And why? We did mention Lamp of Murmur before, but can we find a parallelism between these 2?! No, I can’t seem to find similarities, besides the obvious Black Metal ethos. Anonymous Skull does not drift away from the basic structure of the genre; however, it does invest in the melodies and overall song composition.

We have bits of Punk, Post-Punk, stomping beats, and overall hateful feeling. “Rhythmic Hand” showcases the experimental base in which the projects sit, going to all different places, pressing various keys, just being distinct and singular. What I love the most about this release is the emotions that clash within every single song. In the end, it does not sound like a vulgar patchwork; it sounds cohesive and fairly strong and solid. It differentiates itself from a vast majority, by going the extra mile, challenging the obvious and mundane.

“Challenges the mundane”. I am not informed about the other genres, but Black Metal is a genre that keeps on giving. One might find the next best thing, by accident, or simple crash into a project that sounds like everything else. Anonymous Skull surely will gift us with exciting new things, as I do not see them – or him – doing it “by the book”.

Ravens Dawn
“Precursor to Bloodshed” (Independent, 2022)

It is with fascination that I see how Black Metal has grown and evolved, since the day a guy in Sweden, along with his mates, decided to create a sound that would top the bands of his time. He made it, and the genre grew, and grew, becoming enormous. It took on dimensions and shapes that did not please everyone, which led many musicians to “seclude” themselves in search of the lost art of the Primordial Riff.

Black Metal is, in its core, a visceral, raw, primitive musical genre. Slightly like Punk, it lives off from emotions and feelings. There is this violence, this discomfort, that lures you in and keeps you there, warm, and alive. It will sound as a perfect cliché, but I still see the genre as more than just Music; there is something to it, you know? There is this, as said before, emotion and overwhelming feeling that make it such a powerful artistic genre.

Although I strongly support Artists evolving genres, adding more and more elements, developing the whole idea of what an artistic movement is, I see myself going back, time and time again, to those releases that have that 90s scent, that aroma of when things were much simpler and innocent. Ravens Dawn is a good example of Black Metal that resonates with me, quite easily, due to its melodies, its melodic constructions that have that Folkish element, that sounds old, even if they are not. This is a very recent artist, and this is a compilation of his first 2 releases: “Demo I” and “Carnal Desires” (single). More recently, the Artist behind Ravens Dawn released “War Upon the Sun” (single). The usage of keyboard, very well placed, makes this a very pleasant Demo.

No, it does nor reinvent the wheel, nor do I want it to. I am all for evolution, but said evolution does not need to apply to this fringe of Black Metal, does it? Look at Baxaxaxa, for example. These mates have been doing the same thing for years! They have mastered their vision, and sound, of Black Metal. Who dares ask them to change, to evolve… to get with the times? I seriously hope no one, please. Everything is simple about this release: from the Music to the Artwork. But bloody effective, right? Completely. Again, a bit like Punk: emotion, attitude, feeling… there you go: good Raw / Primitive Black Metal, or just good Music overall. I know I mentioned the fact that this release is a very simple one in turns of approach: no orchestrations, no over the top production, all quite simple and effective. And effective is the word, I reckon. It might a bit too simple to describe a Demo as “effective”, but it is effective.

Truth be told, Black Metal never left the Underground; bigger bands rose to the top, which sort of dimmed the light on those lesser-known acts. But that is good, in my opinion. Not wanting to sound like one of those old Black Metal fans, I believe that the genre should be left in the Underground; we can’t request, from every single Black Metal musician to pledge allegiance to an entity or whatever, nor is Black Metal exclusively about Satan and Eternal Evil; but I fear the genre will lose much of its identity if it spreads (and I know this sounds bad) especially when it already has…

Bastard Altar
“Struggling Beams of a Waning Moon” (Geistraum Records / Escafismo Records, 2021)

You probably heard of Bow Wielder, right? A Raw Black Punk Metal act from Virginia, USA. Well, the lad behind this insane entity created one more of these insane entities, by the name of Bastard Altar. Unlike its or brother, Bastard Altar lives on a slightly distinct universe. Wait, we still have powerful moments of rage and aggressiveness, but Ben added an element that I have loved since I first started with black metal: keyboards. Those small, very well-placed moments, where the keyboard is the most important element in the song… it is amazing. It is, indeed, a relatively short Demo, but a gigantic one at the same time.

2 songs, 2 instrumental moments (Intro and Interlude). These moments where no voice is heard, are particularly intense, in my opinion. Peaceful and slow, we get entangled in its webs, its melodies that lure us into this black, bottomless pit, claustrophobic abyss… this is Black Metal at its best. Call it Raw, call it Melodic, I have no interest in labeling it, if I may be honest. It still holds aa bit of that rage we get from Bow Wielder, yet it is much more controlled, directed if I may, instead of just exploding, and hitting everything and everyone around. Masterfully crafted, completely.

“A Glacial Tomb” ends the release, and what an ending. Majestically, without a doubt. In line with the title, it takes me to cold mountains and snowy days. The keyboards do help in giving it that winter vibe. Nonetheless, it is a remarkable release, a very cold and beautiful concept of Black Metal. Slow to mid-paced rhythm, melodic riff, hollowing vocals, charging drums, all is perfectly aligned.

Ben Kohler has done it again, mates.