Utopia Platafórmica

Mensagens

- setembro 27, 2023

Spellsword “Night of the Grail” (Nox Liberatio Records, 2023) The Portuguese Black Metal scene is mostly know - especially abroad - for the Raw Black Metal side of it. We were always, in my modest opinion, a country with immensely valid bands, being Decayed and Corpus Christii, probably, the ones that were better known before everyone went Raw… but really Raw. And let us not forget bands like Firstborn Evil (right before the shift to The Firstborn, which are also extremely impressive and underrated), Sirius, or Filii Nigrantium Infernalium, among others. But there is Black Metal beyond what we, Portugal, “export” today, and Spellsword is a great example of such. Spellsword is the result of Alex’s love for Black Metal and History. Alex is - or was - part of a band I recall causing some “disturbance” on a famous Heavy Metal forum in Portugal some years ago, Antichthon, a Black Metal band from Coimbra whose, at the time, members were very young. Their sound moved along the lines of a

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- setembro 20, 2023

Teufelsberg “Pakt Mit Dem Teufel“ (Signal Rex, 2023) Some might call me a prick for not looking at the Black Metal scene of today in complete awe. I do not see what many see, and I do not believe and the present scene as vigorously and many do. I honestly do not “feel” the same emotions I did when I first encountered the genre and educated myself on it. To each their own, and generations look at - and handle - things differently, with different eyes and ideas, and that is why the genre is not dead and it will never die, however, and there is always a “however” or a “nonetheless”, things feel differently… However, some bands have decided to go back to the roots of the genre and live by those rules. Examples? Forbidden Temple is a great one, but the band we are focusing on today is another great example: Teufelsberg. Very few bands, today, give me that sense of security and guarantee when it comes to their work, and these lads from Poland (Poland and Black Metal is that thing, that s

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- agosto 21, 2023

Mara - “Loka Maer” (2022) Let us go back in time, to 2022, Sweden, and focus on Mara’s 4th release, “Loka Maer”, released by Immortal Frost Productions. Vindsval has been carrying the torch since 2010, and progressively maturing his Art and his Vision. “Loka Maer” was released last year, in March, and it revealed itself to be a very consistent, and interesting work. Sweden is more than known for its contribution to Heavy Metal in general, and Black Metal in particular. The approach, the “formula” used by the Swedish is easily recognizable as being Swedish Black Metal, again showing how the two are connected: the location and the sound. Mara drinks from the Swedish sound, from the Swedish Folklore, and develops a sound that has elements of Old School Black Metal and elements of today’s Black Metal sound. You can expect melodies captured from ancient times, from ancient tribes and ritualistic events, and a clear production. The melodies, the powerful riffing. Mara has gathered the

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- agosto 16, 2023

Fallen Temple 2023 Releases Vonulfsreich “Miasmal Winds” (No Fun House, 2022; Fallen Temple, 2023) From Finland to the World. Vonulfsreich is a Finnish duo composed of the 2 multi-instrumentalists Yonulf and Fogg, and “Miasmal Winds” is their 3rd Full-length, second in 2022, and a peculiar one it is. These 7 tracks “touch” various locations of the Black Metal spectrum: harsher, slow-paced, groovier moments, Old School details… it is a diversified release. Besides the Black Metal elements, the duo venture into Dungeon Synth with “Frost” and it turns out to be a very nice moment, and a transition that works quite well. Overall, these tracks are quite simple and quickly “absorbed” by the listener. Nonetheless, the album has a very curious moment near the end of the 7th, and last, track, “Conqueror”, the song jumps into a very groovy riff, that carries the music until the end. Drums and Synths (correct me if wrong), start off a short, yet cool, 41 seconds jam (all the looks of a cool jam

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- agosto 10, 2023

Bad Blood “The Bad Kind Decides” (Flatspot Records, 2023) The idea of Terror and Violent Way, in the same place, made me smile a good smile. I would never imagine these two together, to be honest. I dig Terror. They are a cool band with a very solid sound. They have the sing along and the “I am going to stab you” thing to them. Violent Way is another one of those precious bands that makes this sound that makes me want to go out and murder a few Fascists! Punk Oi! at its best, full of power and that British melody. Now imagine these two together… Well, Warzone is calling. “No nonsense Hardcore with a punch and pulse”, by Scott Vogel (Terror), and I must agree. From the moment you press PLAY, to the moment it ends, it is a non-stop of power and destruction; thunderous drums and cutting guitar riffs. The formula is quite simple, but not all are able to make it happen, of course. “716 Bust / Bad Blood”, bass killer, pow! Beautiful opening riff, just beautiful. “Buuuuust”, Scott said

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- agosto 07, 2023

Decayed “From Hell” (Haloran Records, 2023) Well, well, well… Decayed. Decayed should always be looked at as one of the pillars of Portuguese Black Metal. Their long career, honesty, and commitment, make them what they are today, and their sound is a show of that connection with Black Metal. Raised in the 80ies, the band grew and grew, without ever leaving the Underground, but battling on! Where some went a different way, J.A. kept the band focused on their primeval sound: Black Metal. In all honesty, Decayed’s first LPs are, in my modest opinion, fundamental to understand how our scene, the Portuguese scene, grew; their latest ones derive a bit from that sound, from that rawness, although they are, undoubtedly, Black Metal at heart. Years went by and sound has softened a bit, perhaps, or maybe what is available today provides a bigger margin for maneuver… perhaps. But “From Hell” is not a new release. Well, it is, but it is not at the same time. Recorded in 2008, “From Hell” is

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