Thumos returns from the dark depths bringing ancient artifacts from the lost civilization of Atlantis. On this release, three epic tracks bring you through the story of Atlantis, providing epic instrumentation not too different from past releases, but sounding as strong as ever (previous reviews 1, 2). Like with previous releases, this album takes inspiration…
錦瑟(Brocade Zither)
Hailing from the mist shrouded lands of China comes an artist who presents us with his own personal take on traditional Chinese music. Their name roughly translates to ‘Brocade Zither’, a zither being a traditional string instrument commonly found across many different Eastern cultures, with the Chinese zither being the guqin, which you’ll be hearing…
Falgar – Ante el signo del águila
Hailing from the small island country of Puerto Rico comes Falgar an expression of a longing for a time that’s been long forgotten. Reaching back into his Spaniard European roots, the sole member behind Falgar started with humble raw black metal with a depressive stint to it, sporting a raw and harsh sound that slowly…
Harul – Bharari Ghat
From the ancient mountain tops of Shimla within the western Himalayas comes the musical sorcerer known as Harul. His music channels the powerful and secretive essence of his homeland, where the mountains live and breath and alongside her people. His latest offering titled in English, Bharari Ghat is a powerful album with esoteric qualities that…
Torbjörn Ömalm – Peiva
Hailing from the Arctic regions of Sweden, Torbjörn Ömalm gave us his sixth and final album released under his own name titled Peiva. This is a reflection of a day in the life within the circumpolar regions, from the ethereal in-between stages of awake and sleeping, to the cold realities a day can bring you…
Primaevus – An Eldritch Odyssey
Hailing from the mysteriously mystic mountain tops of the Western Himalayas in Northern India comes Primaevus, an Eldritch force formed by Ankit Sinha and Harul Vinay. By invoking ancient ancestoral spirits, the pair have conjured epic and somber ballads that invoke esoteric imagery of primalistic origins. With the help provided from the talented Alex Pfister…
Conifère – L’Impôt du Sang
Hailing from Montreal, Quebec comes the debut of Conifère, a raw and melodic black metal act with a triumphant debut titled L’Impôt du Sang, or The Blood Tax in English. This is an instant classic and a breath of fresh air that cuts through the sea of unimaginative raw black metal albums that seem to…
Ruohtta – Sváigas
The Sápmi bard, Ruohtta, returns with their third full length album titled, Sváigas. This is a pure meditation on death through the cultural lens of the native Sápmi of Northern Scandinavia. As described by Tervaaja himself, ‘It tells of the liminal spaces between stages and escalations of a disease, spiritually and culturally, towards the final…
Каландар – По ту сторону неба без звёзд
The Russian maniacs return again, bringing us their latest release roughly translated into English, “Beyond the Sky Without Stars”. The band picks up from where they left off on their previous release, continuing with their raw punk-like output that blends well with their black metal sound. They continue to keep things primal and simplistic, though…
山神廟-SrenHlinMrews
Hailing from Sichuan Province in China, comes a somber atmospheric black metal act known as 山神廟 in their native tongue (roughly translating to Temple of Mountain God). With conspirators 杨厄 (DoomYang) and J. they take the very essence of classical Chinese art and translate it into a ravishingly beautiful approach to black metal as a…