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  Brakel “Wranger Wanen” (Signal Rex, 2024) Belgium once again. The Belgian scene is a special one, and I have stated this more than once in the Past. Their approach to Black Metal is very “outside the box” most of the times. This time, Brakel, an unknown act to me, delivers a very trance like Black Metal… in a way. This lives within the realm of Raw Black Metal, very enrooted in the Clandestine Circle of Aldebaran – which is a win in my book – and adjacent sonic experiences. “Zonderling En Drang” might be one of the more special tunes I had the pleasure of listening to, this year. That melody, the dark atmosphere that surrounds it. It is special and delicate; it is a delicate tune, no doubt. But the overall atmosphere is amazing! This is not your standard Raw Black Metal act; this is not some basic, tasteless sonic experience, no! This is a very special release, that needs to be absorbed slowly, but steadily. It works as an experience if I may. One sees himself pulled into this bl
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  Kratti “Matka Kohti Kosmista” (Signal Rex, 2024) “Kratti are the ascending newcomers of the bleak fields of Finnish Black Metal!” That is one bold statement, right? You need to be good at something before you go out and say that. Well… let’s find out. Kratti is a 3 man Finnish straight to the throat Black Metal act. They do have a point when they state they are the “…ascending newcomers…”, for their sound is stone cold ripping Black Metal. It is Finnish, and you can almost feel it in your bones. The melodies merged with that Finnish violence – that is not violence, but a harsher approach – that we all love. Come on! It is hard not to enjoy what the Finns have been doing for decades, their mastered sound, their own vision of Black Metal… Kratti goes down that path, successfully, and oh man! I was never into complex music, maybe due to my Hardcore Punk background, so when a band goes straight to the point, I am in for the ride. To say that these lads are doing something that ne
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  Óðkraptr “Óðkraptr” (Signal Rex, 2024) The Danish Black Metal scene is becoming one of the most interesting scenes in Black Metal. A bit like the Dutch, their sound is not – only – straightforward Black Metal from the days of Past, but fusions of sounds, and forms, and perspectives. Well, we you reach a certain age you start to form a very specific image of what Black Metal is to you – and many more things in life, for that matter – and when something hits you differently, you take a step back and analyse it before giving an opinion. In a way, I am doing that with Óðkraptr, and learning how the beast lives and acts. Óðkraptr has been around for a while, and Signal Rex has been on top the game from the get-go, which does not surprise me anymore. “ÓÐKRAPTR is yet another creative vehicle for one Geistaz, who also numbers the esteemed likes of GEISTAZ'IKA among his endeavors. While that band tends toward a traditional expression of classic '90s black metal, ÓÐKRAPTR depart
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Pyra “Those Who Dwell in the Fire” (Immortal Frost Productions, 2024) Let start off by saying that “Summit of Existence” has one of the best openings I have heard in a while, and this says a lot, considering that Death Metal related releases are not my cup of tea, at all. And that is one of the things that surprised me the most when I first had contact with the band: they play a sound that has never appealed to me in a way that I wanted to reach out and learn more, research more, like it more… I am very, very picky when it comes to Death Metal, and “nothing is ever good to me” is the best way to put it, and this will always sound arrogant, but the thing is I cannot relate to most Death Metal bands, sounds, releases, etc. So where does the Italian trio make a real difference? No idea if I must be honest. Their sound is a very contemporary one. There is very little Old School fingerprint in here, their sound is monstrous in the sense that it overwhelms the listener; it surrounds yo
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Hardcore - What are you? E estamos de volta com mais uma entrevista. Na verdade, isto tem andado imensamente parado, mas é a vida. Tive algum tempo e resolvi postar esta entrevista com o Boss da Backwash Records sobre o Hardcore. Esta proposta "voou" para bastante pessoal, mas infelizmente não houve adesão... no stress, siga nisso! Go! O que é o Hardcore, e de que forma entrou na tua vida? Para mim o hardcore é não só um género musical, como existem mil, mas um género ao qual se reconhece uma comunidade dedicada, que extravasa para a vida valores e emoções como certamente poucos outros fazem. É difícil explicar sem experienciar. Como diz a marca de refrigerantes, you can’t beat the feeling. O hardcore entrou indiretamente através dos videojogos quando era puto, nomeadamente com o “Tony Hawk Pro Skater” e os seus filhos e primos: primeiro com o punk rock e depois com as horas/dias/meses/anos perdidos na Internet a descobrir mais bandas. Qual é, para ti, a core message do
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  Gouffre “Demo III” (Medieval Prophecy Productions, 2023) Belgium, the nation that is slowly starting to build a bloody excellent reputation in terms of Black Metal. As mentioned in previous reviews, we are all aware of massively well-known bands from Belgium, but I have to say that what M.P.R. has been building – or assisting in building – since their inception, is gold, a divergent thing. Divergent in the sense that it strays from the standard Black Metal sound and can be seen as a return to the Past, a return to the Roots of the genre, striping the genre of unnecessary gimmicks and accessories: a raw sound. Gouffre’s 3 rd Demo is a good example of something very special and delicate. Well, delicate not in the literal sense, of course, but as a special piece of Black Metal. Example: I have always taken Arckanum as one of a kind Artist, with a one-of-a-kind sound, and that is what I get from the Belgium scene of today: a one-of-a-kind expression of a genre that has come a long w
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  Dolorosa “Summoning Ancient Bleakness” (Altare Productions, 2024) Deep and Heavy is the opening track, a preparation for what is to come. Was not expecting this, honestly… Dolorosa is a band from Spain that released its debut album – “Summoning Ancient Bleakness” – through the Portuguese label Altare. If there is one thing I know, is that Altare is synonym for quality, and this is a great example of such. Spanish Black Metal has never been my favourite scene, although exquisite albums have come from the country next to mine, and this one might be setting out to be one of the best I have ever heard from my next-door neighbours. Production wise, this is a tremendous record. The drums are almost in your face, setting the pace, slowly. At times I feel the music was built to be a sort of ritualistic mantra, d’you know what I mean? The whole album seems to be an emotional and spiritual experience, and I dare say I am not that far from the truth. Now that is a good question; might reach
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