In the third part of September, six albums from the world of black, death and doom have gathered, all sharing a heavy atmosphere and an attention to detail. Wherever there’s a player, you can hear them in full.
Blodtår – Monark (Stockholm, melodic folk black metal)
The Swedes’ second album gradually leaves behind the style that recalled Windir and moves toward more dramatic and at the same time more personal moments, without losing the pagan feel. The vocals are full of intensity and the sound is massive, while on «Paradis» their epic side comes clearly to the fore. An album that shows a band coming out of its shell.
Ch’ahom – Anthropic Rites of Sublimation (Essen, black/death metal)
The Germans build their second album on themes from Mexica culture, within an atmospheric, warlike setting. Here their progressive death side comes out more clearly, something that will appeal to those who can handle the harsh production of the Into Coffin and Grave Upheaval era.
Runemagick – After Chaos: Nocturnal Vigil (Sweden, death/doom metal)
Their fifteenth album is a double LP of about 90 minutes that continues «Cycle of the Dying Sun». Rudolfsson and his crew go for a psychedelic, abstractive take on death/doom, with multiple layers of vocals, slow tempos and tracks built with patience. «Urðr’s Cosmic Weave» shows where the story is going, while the second disc is the more experimental of the two.
Windswept – A Sign of the Cloven Hoof (Ukraine, black metal)
Behind Windswept is the man from Drudkh and Hate Forest, and this fourth album moves between raw classic black metal and more atmospheric passages. The inspiration comes from Ukrainian demonology and the early works of Mykola Gogol, while «Buried Face Down» is the album’s most immediate track.
Hail Conjurer – Abyss & Ekstasis (Helsinki, black metal)
Tenth album in ten years for H.K.’s personal project (Hooded Menace, Ride For Revenge), and one of the most composed he’s put out: the noise experimentation steps back and is replaced by a primitive black metal with a dark romantic melody, close to the black/doom of the early 90s. «Ecstasy of Flesh», «Golden Pages of Contempt» and «Nocturnal Ardour» stand out.
Autumnfall – The Archaic Sins (Finland, melodic black/death metal)
Behind the project is Jussi Hänninen, a founding member of Fall of the Leafe, along with people from The Bleak Picture. The fourth album plays with the sound of Finnish melodic death metal of the late 90s, with guitars up front and tracks like «Pulse» and «Lightless Depths» running fast and clean.
See also: Krallice – Scour Order | Mittags-Abgrund – Mittags-Abgrund
