Tag Archives: avantgarde black metal

Album Review – Felgrave / Otherlike Darknesses (2025)

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This one-man project from Norway breaks the mould and offers three lengthy tracks that flow in an intuitive, undulating, almost whimsical manner, touching upon several styles and effortlessly shape shifting through them all.

After dropping its well-received debut album A Waning Light back in 2020, Viken, Norway-based entity Felgrave has crafted an ingenious album melding influences of Avantgarde Black, Death and Doom Metal in a way rarely done before, entitled Otherlike Darknesses, breaking the mould and offering three lengthy tracks that flow in an intuitive, undulating, almost whimsical manner, touching upon several styles and effortlessly shape shifting through them all. Mixed by the project’s mastermind, vocalist, guitarist, bassist and keyboardist M. L. Jupe, mastered by Brendan Sloan, featuring session drummer Robin Stone (Evilyn, Norse), and displaying another beautiful artwork by Adam Burke of Nightjar Illustration, Otherlike Darknesses is a multi-faceted opus and yet has a fairly cohesive sound with exceptional song writing, always engaging while also being unpredictable.

M. L. Jupe ignites his blackened machine armed with his scorching riffs and a menacing atmosphere in Winds Batter My Keep, sounding disturbing, avantgarde and addictive all at once, with the puissant drums by Robin adding an extra dosage of heaviness to the music, resulting in a sonic creature arising from the underworld ready to consume us all. After such a bludgeoning beast we face Pale Flowers Under an Empty Sky, the “shortest” song of the album (which still surpasses the 12-minute mark), beginning in a sinister manner until all morphs into an experimental, dissonant display of Black and Death Metal led by M. L. Jupe’s visceral growls and infernal riffage, also showcasing ethereal, soothing passages; building an instant bridge with the colossal title-track Otherlike Darknesses, offering us all mere mortals 18 minutes of grandiose Avantgarde Black and Death Metal. Futhermore, M. L. Jupe and Robin are on fire during the entire song, demolishing our senses and piercing our minds with their wicked vociferations, incendiary riffs and pulverizing drums, while also bringing forward so many breaks, variations and cryptic moments it feels like countless songs in one in the end.

“I’m super glad to have found a label so excited to release Otherlike Darknesses, an album of experimental, avantgarde extreme metal with many diverse influences, namely 20th century classical music, 70s symphonic prog rock, and the weirder side of 90s black and death metal. The music herein is a meticulously crafted dark yet colourful tapestry that goes far beyond anything I’ve done before, and will reward diligent and attentive enjoyers of unique extreme metal for countless repeats,” commented M. L. Jupe about his newborn spawn and his partnership with the always amazing Transcending Obscurity Records, and you can put your damned hands on such a unique album of extreme music by purchasing it from the label’s Bandcamp, main store, Europe store, or US store, keeping in mind it comes as a hand-numbered eight-panel digipak with full color printing and a metallic effect throughout, in addition to gloss raised UV lamination done on parts of the artwork, a download code and transparent logo stickers. Don’t forget to also see what M. L. Jupe and his Felgrave are up to on Facebook while listening to his new album, embarking on a multi-layered, classy and embracing journey across an array of music styles, all masterfully brought into being by a Norwegian lone wolf that definitely knowns how to turn music into a work of art.

Best moments of the album: Otherlike Darknesses.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Transcending Obscurity Records

Track listing
1. Winds Batter My Keep 18:09
2. Pale Flowers Under an Empty Sky 12:29
3. Otherlike Darknesses 18:00

Band members
M. L. Jupe – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, programming

Guest musicians
Robin Stone – drums (session)

Album Review – In The Woods… / Otra (2025)

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These Norwegian Avantgarde Metal veterans are ready to take us on a musical journey down the river that crosses their beautiful homeland in their seventh studio album.

Formed in late 1991 by members of the original lineup of Green Carnation, whom they are a continuation of, Kristiansand, Agder, Norway’s own Avantgarde/Progressive Black/Gothic Metal act In The Woods…, one of the first bands to use the name “Pagan Metal” as a description for their style, is ready to stun us all once again with their seventh studio album, titled Otra, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2022 opus Diversum. Recorded at In The Woods Homestudio (vocals, guitars, bass), and by John Ronny Bøe at Krutt Studio (drums), mixed and mastered by Frédéric Gervais at Studio Henosis, and with a stylish artwork and layout by Seiya Ogino of Ogino Design, the new album by Bernt Fjellestad on vocals, Kåre André Sletteberg on the guitars and keyboards, Bernt Horne Sørensen also on the guitars, Nils Olav Drivdal on bass, and Anders Kobro on drums is a must-listen for fans of Ulver, Shores of Null, Saturnus, and Dødheimsgard, among others, with all songs revolving around stories connected to the eponymous river that winds for 245 kilometers through the South of Norway and spills into the Skagerrak, the strait that separates the country from Denmark and Sweden, at the band’s home in Kristiansand.

Melancholy and doom flow from the vocals by Bernt Fjellestad in The Things You Shouldn’t Know before the whole band begins their darkened attack led by the pounding drums by Anders. In addition, Kåre also sounds sharp on keyboards, resulting in over eight minutes of majestic avantgarde music. The classic Scandinavian riffs by Kåre and Bernt Horne Sørensen will inspire you to bang your head nonstop in A Misrepresentation of I, again boosted by the deep vociferations by Bernt Fjellestad; whereas the next song, titled The Crimson Crown, also brings forward a pensive, grim start that evolves into a melodic and progressive fusion of Doom and Gothic Metal, with Nils making our heads tremble with his metallic bass lines. The album continues on a serene yet Stygian mode in The Kiss and the Lie, where Nils and Anders once again generate a dense atmosphere perfect for Bernt Fjellestad’s deep clean vocals, followed by Let Me Sing, another solid fusion of Avantgarde and Doom Metal, sounding heavy on bass thanks to the energy Nils puts into his playing. Come Ye Sinners is by far the heaviest and therefore the most exciting of all songs, with their riffs and beats transpiring doom while also living up to the legacy of Avantgarde and Progressive Death Metal; and lastly, it’s sheer melancholy in The Wandering Deity, with Anders dictating the song’s pace supported by the whimsical riffage by Kåre and Bernt Horne Sørensen, ending the album on a climatic and dark vibe.

Demonstrating the strength and artistic maturity of the Norwegians’ third incarnation, Otra is indeed an enticing and highly pleasurable album to listen to, respecting the band’s past while at the same time also breaking new ground. Hence, if you want to be part of this new musical journey by In The Woods… down the river that crosses their beautiful homeland, you can follow them on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and other nice to know details about the band, stream their classic creations on Spotify, and of course purchase Otra from BandCamp or by clicking HERE. In The Woods… are always evolving, always expanding their horizons, and Otra is the ultimate depiction of their creativity, leaving us eager for more from those Norwegian trailblazers in the coming years without a shadow of a doubt.

Best moments of the album: The Things You Shouldn’t Know, A Misrepresentation of I and Come Ye Sinners.

Worst moments of the album: Let Me Sing.

Released in 2025 Prophecy Productions

Track listing
1. The Things You Shouldn’t Know 8:32
2. A Misrepresentation of I 6:11
3. The Crimson Crown 6:21
4. The Kiss and the Lie 5:31
5. Let Me Sing 7:01
6. Come Ye Sinners 7:16
7. The Wandering Deity 5:57

Band members
Bernt Fjellestad – vocals
Kåre André Sletteberg – guitars, keyboards
Bernt Horne Sørensen – guitars
Nils Olav Drivdal – bass
Anders Kobro – drums

Guest musicians
Alf Erik Sørensen – addditional keyboards
Hector Montero – additional synths

Album Review – Lord Agheros / Anhedonia (2025)

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One of the leading Atmospheric and Avantgarde Black Metal names in Italy returns with its cinematic, emotional and dramatic seventh studio album.

One of the leading Atmospheric and Avantgarde Black Metal names in Italy, Catania, Sicily-based entity Lord Agheros takes us into a musically extreme world that mixes Nordic-style Black Metal with ancient and melancholic atmospheres linked to symphonic and ambient elements in its newborn spawn Anhedonia, the seventh studio album in its brilliant career. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Lord Agheros at Molon Labe Studio, with graphic project and layout by Federico De Luca, the new album by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Gerassimos Evangelou offers a beautiful slab of what he likes to call “Atmospheric Emotional Black Metal”, bringing forward the cinematic essence of Ulver, the Avantgardism of Ihshan, the strength of Wolves In The Throne Room, the Mediterranean touch of Moonspell, and the dramatic elements of Empyrium.

A melancholic, soothing start evolves into a deep feast of harsh and ethereal vocalizations that lasts for over six minutes in Lament of the Lost, flowing into Harmony of Despair, which also starts in a serene manner before Gerassimos delivers devilish riffs and beats boosted by a grandiose backdrop, also presenting delicate piano notes and endless fire. Eclipse of Hope offers another enfolding dosage of his emotional version of Atmospheric Black Metal, alternating harsh, visceral moments and delicate passages, whereas a reverberating sound will enfold you in darkness in Lost Dreams Ritual, taking too long to take off despite its interesting tribalistic vibe.

Sorrow’s Shroud is a lot heavier, more introspective and somber than its predecessors, with Gerassimos kicking some ass with both his harsh vociferations and serene, soothing instrumental passages; flowing into the beyond atmospheric Soul’s Descent into the Void, with its piano notes matching beautifully with the female vocals by a mysterious guest vocalist, also connecting with the melodic track Tears in the Silence, where Gerassimos focuses on the ethereal sound of his acoustic guitar alongside the gentle sound of the piano, and ending with the Avantgarde Metal feast named Ancient Echoes, with all vocalizations and ambient elements putting a pensive conclusion to the album.

In a nutshell, Anhedonia is a sort of musical journey between esoteric and oriental sounds, Ambient-wave elements and references to Nordic musical traditions, but without losing the identity of the project made by the beauty of the atmospheres that blend inextricably with the sonic extremism of Black Metal. Hence, don’t forget to follow Gerassimos and his Lord Agheros on Facebook and on Instagram, to stream his music on Spotify, and of course to buy a copy of his striking new album from BandCamp or from My Kingdom Music’s BandCamp or webstore. As it is for years now, always expect the unexpected. Because this was, is, and will always be the main path of Lord Agheros.

Best moments of the album: Harmony of Despair, Sorrow’s Shroud and Soul’s Descent into the Void.

Worst moments of the album: Lost Dreams Ritual.

Released in 2025 My Kingdom Music

Track listing
1. Lament of the Lost 6:30
2. Harmony of Despair 3:46
3. Eclipse of Hope 4:34
4. Lost Dreams Ritual 5:02
5. Sorrow’s Shroud 5:50
6. Soul’s Descent into the Void 4:44
7. Tears in the Silence 5:12
8. Ancient Echoes 4:13

Band members
Gerassimos Evangelou – vocals, all instruments

Metal Chick of the Month – Laura Nardelli

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From lucidity into darkness…

Another year begins, another badass bassist arrives at The Headbanging Moose to kick your goddamn ass mercilessly! A true she-demon who masters the dark arts of Black, Death and Doom Metal, she’s not only a beast armed with her bass, but she’s also a guitarist, a tattoo artist, a body artist and an illustrator with a massive portfolio. Her name is Laura Nardelli, also known as Aura Negativa or Daphoene, the bassist for Italian Black/Death Metal horde Askesis, who’s also part of the bands Bottomless, and who was also involved in a very interesting project named Ponte del Diavolo under the moniker Laurus. Oh Yeah, Laura is an unstoppable force of extreme music, and you’re certainly going to be mesmerized by her undeniable talent both as a musician and as an artist, darkening our hearts in the best way imaginable.

Born on January 25, 1993 in Italy, which means our humble tribute to her contributions to the world of heavy music will also be our birthday gift to her, Laura seems to be quite reserved in terms of her personal life, letting her music and her art speak on her behalf. There aren’t any interviews with her available anywhere, which makes it difficult to talk about her origins, her idols and influences, and even her opinion in non-music or arts subjects, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve to be feature on The Headbanging Moose; quite the contrary, it will be a true pleasure reviewing her amazing career so far, starting with her main band, the sulfurous Askesis.

Forged in the fires of Venice in 2013, the ruthless entity Askesis, or ἄσκησις, meaning “ascetism” or “self-discipline” in Ancient Greek, has been blasting a beyond caustic mix of Black and Death Metal in their sound, delivering a listening experience that is raw and violent while simultaneously captivating and hypnotic. Since the band’s genesis, the core lineup has featured Laura Nardelli on bass (as well as on the guitars from 2018 to 2022) and Samuele Scalise on drums, who have been joined by vocalist Nico Fabbri and guitarists Gregorio Di Angilla and Juri Vatova in 2022. Their songs are linked by an existentialist theme that takes up concepts from Ancient Greek myths, projecting them into today’s world. The band invites the listeners to confront their own fears, contradictions, and desires, encouraging introspection and contemplation on the complexities of existence.

Under the moniker of Aura Negativa, Laura has released with Askesis the EP The Path to Absence, in 2016, followed by a 2018 demo titled Black Ontology, and more recently their 2023 debut full-length opus Beyond the Fate of Death, this one in particular drawing inspiration from The Myth Of Sisyphys by Albert Camus to express their personal visions of our “non-existence”, plus a split with Italian Black Metal band Nox Interitus titled Wrecks from Cosmos (which you can listen in full HERE and HERE), released in 2016.

As aforementioned, the band’s name, meaning “asceticism” from Ancient Greek, is “man’s horror of the being of which his own phenomenon is an expression, of the will to live, of the core and essence of a world recognized as full of pain,” and you can experience all that in their music by streaming or purchasing their albums on BandCamp and on Spotify, plus you can also enjoy some live footage of the band like this full show at Summer Metal Festival in Codroipo, Italy, in 2019, or simply click HERE for all things Askesis, letting their blackened sounds penetrate deep inside your psyche.

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Laura is also the bassist for two other amazing bands, Bottomless and Restos Humanos. Bottomless are an Italian Doom Metal band hailing from Treviso, Veneto and Bologna, Emilia-Romagna formed in 2016 by drummer David Lucido, vocalist and guitarist Giorgio Trombino, and bassist Sara Bianchin, with Sara being replaced by Laura in 2023. The band already had two albums released when Laura joined them, but in 2024 they released a split named Graveyard Thunder together with Brazilian Doom Metal band Witching Altar, with each band recording three songs for the split, and you can enjoy all six songs on BandCamp and on Spotify, with the songs by Bottomless being titled Burning of the Vampire, Lightning in the Realms of Death, and Shadows Call. If the music by Bottomless is dark and sluggish, Italian/Colombian act Restos Humanos play a visceral fusion of Death Metal and Grindcore, and while Laura was part of the band in the mid-2010’s (replacing Sara Bianchin as their bass player on stage in a few concerts) they recorded the live album Grindin’ the Garage, in 2016, available in full on BandCamp.

Apart from those, you can also find her contributions to a phenomenal Italian Blackened Doom Metal band named Ponte del Diavolo, which means means “devil’s bridge” in Italian, formed in the winter of 2020 in a jam involving members of Feralia, Inchiuvatu, Abjura and Askesis. Laura, who went by the monicker of Laurus during her period with the band from 2020 until 2024, played bass in three of their EPs, those being Mystery of Mystery (2020), Sancta Menstruis (2022), and Ave Scintilla! (2022), and in their 2024 full-length album Fire Blades from the Tomb. You can enjoy all of those albums on Spotify or any other streaming service, as well as the official videos for the songs Demone, Covenant and Nocturnal Veil.

As aforementioned, Laura is also an accomplished dark and esoteric tattoo and body artist, specializing in black work, dotwork, linework, medievale, sketchy, and hatching, working at Iguana Tattoo, while she’s also responsible for several artworks for different metal bands out there, always under her darkly beautiful nickname Aura Negativa. For instance, she took care of the artwork for the 2016 EP The Path to Absence, by her band Askesis; of the artwork for the 2024 single Moth to a Flame, by Italian Symphonic/Melodic Death Metal band Bloody Unicorn; of the artworks and logos of all her releases with Ponte del Diavolo, those being Mystery of Mystery, Sancta Menstruis, Ave Scintilla! and Fire Blades from the Tomb; or the artwork for the 2020 album Necrofagia, by Italian Avantgarde Black Metal band Prometeus; of the artwork for the 2020 single The Hanged Ballad and the 2021 EP Dark Italian Art, by Italian Progressive Black/Heavy Metal horde Selvans; and last but certainly not least, of the design for the 2023 album Helvegr, by Norwegian Black Metal masters Tsjuder. She’s indeed a determined, inexorable she-wolf of heavy music as you can see, and I honestly can’t wait to witness the next steps in her already solid and vibrant career both as a musician and as an artist.

Laura Nardelli’s Official Facebook page
Laura Nardelli (Tattoo & Graphic Artist)’s Official Facebook page
Laura Nardelli (Tattoo & Body Artist)’s Official Instagram
Laura Nardelli (Artworks)’s Official Instagram
Askesis’ Official Facebook page
Askesis’ Official Instagram

Album Review – Odious Spirit / The Treason Of Consciousness (2024)

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Terrifying and exhilarating at the same time, the debut opus by this Avantgarde Black and Death Metal entity describes an infinite cycle of creation, transformation and destruction of which we are unaware prisoners.

The brainchild of James Oskarbski, a musician from Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States, already active in Execrable and 8 Hour Animal, the ruthless Avantgarde Black/Death Metal entity Odious Spirit plays dark, experimental heavy music with hypnotic and minimal guitars, succeeding in the miraculous aim of fusing together Voivod, Immolation and Mick Barr’s Ocrilim in long and trance-inducing songs, exactly like what can be found in the project’s debut effort The Treason of Consciousness. Written, recorded and mixed by James himself, mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music, wrapped in a majestic cover painting by Martín Riveros Baxter (with visual design by Francesco Gemelli), and featuring guest musicians Cullen Gallagher on bass and Daniel Torgal on drums, the album is characterized by James’ dense intertwining of guitars, capable of creating cosmic psychedelic vortices that engulf everything and which are often pushed towards heights of paroxysmal violence, terrifying and exhilarating at the same time, while the philosophical themes of the lyrics are refracted in its fractal folds, centered on concepts of space and time, repetition and decadence, thus describing an infinite cycle of creation, transformation and destruction of which we are unaware prisoners.

Like a creature oozing sheer doom and darkness, the trio begins their infernal feast of Black and Death Metal in Long Stretch of Bleeding Light, with James’ cadaverous roars walking hand in hand with the experimental, intricate kitchen by Cullen and Daniel; whereas 11 minutes of wicked experimentations, caustic riffs and venomous beats and fills are offered by such an amazing entity hailing form the United States in The Hissing Pyre, presenting a sick guitar work by James who delivers nonstop scorching riffs that will burn your soul mercilessly. In other words, it can’t get any more intricate and demented than this, flowing into the one hundred percent experimental tune Illuminations, a phantasmagorical creation by Odious Spirit that will drag you to the netherworld before Gnawing the Fabric of Time offers an overdose of cryptic, poetic lyrics gnarled by James (“Placed him there / To fight the strand / Bleeding man / Bleeding man / To fight the strand / Denied”) while the music is a hurricane of unrelenting, visceral Black and Death Metal.  Lastly, we’re treated to over eight minutes of the hammering drums by Daniel and the rumbling bass lines by Cullen in Unbending Follicle, Unending Blight, while James continues to extract darkness and rage from his axe, therefore piercing our damned minds ruthlessly.

James and his untamed beast named Odious Spirit are waiting for you on Instagram with more details about such an interesting project of the underworld, and if you’re brave enough to put your hands on one of the most caustic albums of the current scene (available in full on YouTube and on Spotify), you can grab your copy of it from the I, Voidhanger Records’ BandCamp page, as well as from Metal Odissey in both the United States and Europe in CD format. The violence and heaviness found in The Treason Of Consciousness, plus of course its unique psychedelic and experimental vibe, make it a must-listen for anyone looking for a breathe of fresh air in heavy music, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Odious Spirit as the years go by and the project continues to explore new lands and sounds exactly like what was done in its debut effort.

Best moments of the album: The Hissing Pyre and Gnawing the Fabric of Time.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2024 I, Voidhanger Records

Track listing
1. Long Stretch of Bleeding Light 6:46
2. The Hissing Pyre 11:02
3. Illuminations 5:18
4. Gnawing the Fabric of Time 4:02
5. Unbending Follicle, Unending Blight 8:31

Band members
James Oskarbski – vocals, guitars

Guest musicians
Cullen Gallagher – bass
Daniel Torgal – drums

Album Review – DSKNT / Vacuum γ-Noise Transition (2021)

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One of the most unique projects of the Swiss metal scene returns in full force with a reality-destroying album that takes shape as a dark and multidimensional hallucination deep into reality’s most cryptic and terrifying truths.

Fully conceived, recorded, produced and mastered by the band itself within the confines of their own studio, the brand new album by Swiss Black Metal monstrosity DSKNT, the horrific Vacuum γ​-​Noise Transition, can be seen as a devouring nightmare of omnipotent sonic annihilation conceived at the most liminal edges of sanity, pushing the boundaries of Experimental Metal further and further. Formed in 2013 in Sion, a city in the southwestern Swiss canton of Valais, DSKNT first emerged in 2017 out of total obscurity in their native homeland with an unexpected and insanely crushing self-recorded debut album titled PhSPHR Entropy, but it’s now in 2021 that vocalist Quasar and multi-instrumentalist Asknt are ready to pulverize our senses with Vacuum γ​-​Noise Transition, a reality-destroying album that takes shape as a dark and multidimensional hallucination deep into reality’s most cryptic and terrifying truths, embraced by a primeval yet darkly futuristic artwork by AntïGraphic.

Eerie and cryptic from the very first second, the disruptive and atmospheric noises from the intro Spin set the stage for DSKNT to crush our minds in Deconvolution J/ψ [Part I], with Asknt smashing his guitars and drums mercilessly in great Black Metal fashion while Quasar vociferates the song’s otherworldly words manically, sending an austere message to mankind (“Bend the Origins. Destructurate. / Behind the sporadic affliction of Negated, the utter halogenic radiance. / Crawling mechanics of void disturbance. / Degenerating. Ravenous partial reconfiguration of abscond deity.”). After such infernal and experimental start, it’s time for the duo to keep hammering our souls in Transition K0 [Part I], showcasing infernal blast beats and fills, countless breaks and variations and an endless sense of dementia, all spearheaded by the inhumane roars by Quasar in order to make things even more hellish and dissident.

There’s no time to breathe as DSKNT’s thunderous sounds keep permeating the air in the Death and Black Metal extravaganza Θ-Noise – Phase Shift, presenting elements from Avantgarde Black Metal in the piercing riffage blasted by Asknt; whereas an absolute feel of despair impregnates each and every instrument in the also noise-fueled aria Transition Ω- [Part II], where the duo continues to mix the past, present and future of extreme music, resulting in a wicked and fulminating sound that could be labeled as “Apocalyptic Black Metal”. Then get ready for a 9-minute dissonant Black Metal voyage together with DSKNT entitled Deconvolution Ξ*0 [Part II], sounding and feeling noisy and distorted from the very first second, with Quasar’s demonic gnarls walking hand in hand with the hurricane of riffs, bass jabs and beats brought forth by Asknt. Put differently, it couldn’t have sounded more tormenting nor more austere than what it already does, darkly morphing into the vile outro Spore, as dissonant as the album’s intro, putting the perfect “full circle” conclusion to such entertaining album of extreme music.

The music by DSKNT is all around us, and you can experience such distinct metal voyage by purchasing Vacuum γ​-​Noise Transition from a vast array of locations including the band’s own BandCamp page, the Sentient Ruin Laboratories’ BandCamp page or webstore, Apple Music, Season of Mist (CD and cassette), Midheaven Mailorder, Cargo Records, and ebullition.com, or simply stream it as many times as you want on Spotify. Needless to say, you should also start following DSKNT on Facebook and on Instagram to stay up-to-date with all things surrounding this insane project, including new music, new videos and tour dates. And after knowing more about DKSNT and their disturbing creations, you’ll then realize metal music can go much further than the boundaries and limits you’re accustomed to.

Best moments of the album: Θ-Noise – Phase Shift and Deconvolution Ξ*0 [Part II].

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2021 Sentient Ruin Laboratories

Track listing
1. Spin 3:03
2. Deconvolution J/ψ [Part I] 7:38
3. Transition K0 [Part I] 6:39
4. Θ-Noise – Phase Shift 5:59
5. Transition Ω- [Part II] 7:20
6. Deconvolution Ξ*0 [Part II] 9:17
7. Spore 3:23

Band members
Quasar – vocals
Asknt – all instruments

Album Review – Dreams of the Drowned / Dreams of the Drowned I (2019)

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Take a deep dive into the first full-length album by an Avantgarde Black Metal one-man band from France, representing years of wandering in a necromantic attempt to keep the fire of some long-time missing aesthetics burning.

Created in 2007 in Évreux, a commune in and the capital of the department of Eure, in the French region of Normandy, by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Camille (from Smohalla and Stagnant Waters), Avantgarde Black Metal one-man band Dreams of the Drowned is finally releasing its debut full-length album, entitled Dreams of the Drowned I, a decade after the band’s 2018 debut demo and the 2019 EP Thanatotropic Principle. A mixture of Experimental Black Metal and anarchist European witchcraft, the music by Dreams of the Drowned is highly inspired by bands such as Ved Buens Ende, Killing Joke, Emperor, Blind Idiot God and Amebix, with Dreams of the Drowned I representing years of wandering in a necromantic attempt to keep the fire of some long-time missing aesthetics burning, dealing with obscure topics such as atypical mental states, the feeling of loss, the forest, and the will to reclaim long-gone connections and power from within.

Ominous, atmospheric sounds emerge from the crypts of Hades in the instrumental piece Dream I, setting the tone for the hypnotizing Conciliabules, where Camille beings extracting Stygian notes from his guitar and bass while his vocal lines couldn’t sound more avantgarde and grim, resulting in a sonic onrush of modern and thrilling sounds and tones that will certainly disturb your peace of mind. The Revolutionary Dead is even more atmospheric and eccentric than its predecessor, with Camille going full Black Metal on vocals, roaring and gnarling deeply and rabidly, accompanied by the nonstop rumbling sounds coming from all instruments.

In Real and Sound, the main riff feels like a modern and obscure version of Judas Priest’s classic “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”, sounding very experimental and not as Black Metal as the other songs, all boosted by its wicked lyrics (“Longtime buried, my inner worlds without ends / Real enough, as long as I feed them / Reconstruct through invisible, through immanence / Where seems there’s none, I’ll grow as many senses as I can / Swarms of wounders? Crutches of faith / I’ll wash my time of those void-filled taints which prevents it to be / Let the wanderers see what they chose to see / The wounded put the S back to their realities”), whereas in Vieilles Pierres our talented multi-instrumentalist Camille slows things down a bit and sounds as mournful and eerie as possible, delivering another solid fusion of Atmospheric Black Metal with more avantgarde nuances and ending in an ethereal way before he comes crushing with the pulverizing Avantgarde Black Metal hymn Crawl of Concretes,  with the poetic words flowing from his vocals exhaling madness, despair and rage (“Oh precious trees and smells, priceless paths / Sceneries of inner legends… / I knew it alive, I knew it lived in these green brown darknesses / Felt it swarming with earth magick, felt it thrive in harmonies”).

In the somber Danced there isn’t a single second of peace or hope for our minds, it’s just an avalanche of darkened sounds blasted by Camille in the form of Avantgarde Black Metal infused with hints of progressiveness, with a classic Black Metal aura generated by the song’s unstoppable blast beats. Furthermore, madness just keeps growing in intensity until the song’s slashing finale, setting the stage for Dreams of the Drowned’s cover version for the song Midnattskogens Sorte Kjerne, originally released by Norwegian Avantgarde Black Metal entity Dodheimsgard in their 1995 album Kronet Til Konge (take a listen at the original version HERE). Featuring Norwegian musician Aldrahn (from The Deathtrip, Thorns and Urarv) on vocals, who’s by the way the song’s original inceptor, this is indeed a sensational version by Dreams of the Drowned, maintaining the song’s primeval core essence intact while at the same time adding his own devilish twist, with the guitars sounding truly mesmerizing. And in order to give a proper conclusion to the album and beautifully close the circle, Camille offers the phantasmagorical instrumental outro Dream III, showcasing strident guitars and low-tuned bass that will pierce your skull ruthlessly.

In summary, although Avantgarde Black Metal might not be considered an easy listen to the average fan of rock and metal music, Dreams of the Drowned I ends up being a recommended album for newcomers to the cryptic and eccentric sounds of the genre, partially thanks to the above average production of the album, making its overall sound a lot clearer and sharp than several similar bands and albums, but mainly due to the undisputed creativity and dexterity presented by Camille in each and every song. Hence, don’t forget to pay Camille a visit on Facebook, subscribe to his YouTube channel, and if the music found in Dreams of the Drowned I truly soothes your soul and captivates your thoughts, you can purchase the album from the band’s own BandCamp page or from the Duplicate Records’ BandCamp page. Because, in the end, by showing your utmost support now to Camille and his Dreams of the Drowned, I’m pretty sure he won’t take another ten years to provide our avid ears more of his dark and enthralling music.

Best moments of the album: The Revolutionary Dead and Crawl of Concretes.

Worst moments of the album: Vieilles Pierres.

Released in 2019 Drowned Anthems Records/Cult Of Nine Records

Track listing
1. Dream I (Instrumental) 3:05
2. Conciliabules 6:32
3. The Revolutionary Dead 5:47
4. Real and Sound 6:28
5. Vieilles Pierres 6:48
6. Crawl of Concretes 6:57
7. Danced 9:22
8. Midnattskogens Sorte Kjerne (Dodheimsgard cover) 8:43
9. Dream III (Instrumental) 3:08

Band members
Camille – vocals, guitars, bass, drums, synths

Guest musician
Aldrahn – vocals on “Midnattskogens Sorte Kjerne”

Album Review – Bergraven / Det Framlidna Minnet (2019)

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Never shy of venturing to the very edge of the extreme music terrain, this cult Experimental Black Metal unity from Sweden is back after 10 years with a brand new album dealing with memories, regret and despair.

Swedish Experimental Black Metal unity Bergraven is never shy of venturing to the very edge of the extreme music terrain and staring into the maddening abyss, delivering an always interesting and unique fusion of a wide range of styles such as Progressive Metal, Avantgarde/Atmospheric Black Metal and Post-Black Metal that penetrates deep inside our ears and minds. Now in 2019 the band formed in 2002 in the city of Hässleholm, but currently located in Malmö, is ready to take us on another vibrant journey beyond the boundaries of Black Metal with their brand new opus, entitled Det Framlidna Minnet, or “the lost memory” in English, ten years after the release of the excellent Till Makabert Väsen.

Carefully mastered by T. Stjerna at the renowned Necromorbus Studio (Watain, Armagedda, Mayhem, Shining) in Stockholm, Det Framlidna Minnet deals with memories, their fluid nature and how the healthy human spirit builds a wall around itself with adjusted memories, and yet sometimes the system corrupts and memories become ghosts that haunt their hosts with regret and despair. If these words are not enough to show you the true uniqueness and potency of the music by Bergraven, which by the way means “mountain black” in English, then let the triumvirate comprised of Pär Stille  on vocals and guitar (also known for his work as guitarist and songwriter for Swedish Black Metal band Stilla), Andreas Johansson on bass and Johan Marklund on drums guide you on a one-way journey into the realms of experimental heavy music made in Scandinavia.

The intro Minnesgåva (“memory gift”) provides the listener a very good idea of how wicked and bizarre Bergraven’s music is, with all its eerie noises and beats permeating the air until Allt (“all”) comes to haunt our souls with its creepy atmosphere and piercing guitar lines, while Pär begins his growling attack barking like a demon, with the music flowing demonically and obscurely into an abrupt and vile ending. Den Följsamma Plågan (“the painful plague”) is even more eccentric and experimental, with Pär and Andreas making sure even the acoustic moments do not sound calm at all, always adding a touch of dementia to their musicality in seven minutes of Post-Black Metal not recommended for the lighthearted (not to mention how its ending reeks sheer melancholy and insanity). And the metallic bass punches by Andreas and the Doom Metal-inspired beats by Johan provide Pär all he needs to roar in Minnets Melankoli (“memory of melancholy”), a Mastodon-meets-Gojira-meets-Dream Theater-meets pitch black darkness tune where the music alternates between serene, somber passages and a disturbing havoc for our total delectation.

Swedish words flow disturbingly from Pär’s deranged vocals throughout the over eight minutes of modern, progressive and doom-ish Post-Metal in Leendet Av Hans Verk (“the smile of his work”), where Johan’s beats get more and more obscure as the music progresses, adding even more thunder to the song’s visceral riffs and menacing ambience, followed by Den Dödes Stigar (“the paths of death”), bringing elements from Folk Metal to Bergraven’s already distinguished musicality. Furthermore, Pär doesn’t stop vociferating deeply and with a lot of anguish while Johan smashes his drums beautifully, resulting in a very detailed song that’s full of breaks, variations and creepy passages, remaining dense and enfolding from start to finish. Then get ready to be dragged into the pits of hell with over ten minutes of disturbing Experimental Black Metal in Till Priset Av Vårt Liv (“for the price of our lives”), led by Pär’s sulfurous gnarls and slashing riffs. In addition, it’s interesting to see how the trio gradually reduces the song’s pace and speed, slowly attracting us to their sonic realm, capturing our souls and keeping us in darkness forever. And there’s still time for a beyond dissident outro similar to the album’s intro, this time entitled Eftermäle (“posthumous reputation”), as if the band wanted to close the circle offering us a feast of whimsical sounds and tones.

You can actually savor all of Bergraven’s eccentricity by listening to Det Framlidna Minnet in full on Spotify, but if you’re already convinced of the band’s undeniable talent and insanity, you can also follow them on Facebook and purchase your copy of the album from the Nordvis Produktion’s BandCamp or webstore (in Digipak or LP format), as well as from iTunes, Amazon or Discogs. It’s not everyday that we, mere mortals, have the pleasure of facing such peculiar, nonconformist music like the one blasted by Bergraven, so don’t waste your time and succumb to the most unconventional side of Swedish heavy music together with Mr. Pär Stille and his horde. It’s surely worth the ride.

Best moments of the album: Allt, Minnets Melankoli and Den Dödes Stigar.

Worst moments of the album: Den Följsamma Plågan.

Released in 2019 Nordvis Produktion

Track listing
1. Minnesgåva 2:25
2. Allt 5:56
3. Den Följsamma Plågan 7:20
4. Minnets Melankoli 8:03
5. Leendet Av Hans Verk 8:20
6. Den Dödes Stigar 8:34
7. Till Priset Av Vårt Liv 10:41
8. Eftermäle 2:58

Band members
Pär Stille – vocals, guitar
Andreas Johansson – bass
Johan Marklund – drums

Album Review – Ophe / Litteras Ad Tristia Maestrum Solitude (2018)

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An avantgarde and experimental album of Black Metal infused with dark atmospheres and nuances, meticulously put together by a one-man army hailing from France.

Litteras Ad Tristia Maestrum Solitude, or “letter to the sad comfort of solitude” from Latin, is not only the brand new album by French Avantgarde Black Metal one-man army Ophe, but also a very avantgardish and experimental piece of Black Metal fixing without any doubt a new limit to the borders of a sound that is a personal mix of Extreme Metal, avantgarde music and dark atmospheres. Recorded and mixed by Edgard Chevallier at Lower Tones Place Studio, and featuring a glamorous artwork painted by the talented French artist Jeff Grimal, Litteras Ad Tristia Maestrum Solitude will bring an obscure joy to the hearts of fans of the music by bands such as Fleurety, Blut Aus Nord, Manes, Anorexia Nervosa and Aevangelist.

Formed in 2015 in Châtillon, a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, by multi-instrumentalist Bargnatt XIX, better known for being the voice and guitar for French Avantgarde project Område, Ophe will certainly crush your senses throughout the 36 minutes of distorted passages, wicked noises and eerie gnarls in Litteras Ad Tristia Maestrum Solitude, with the sonic extravaganza crafted by Bargnatt XIX being beautifully complemented by the saxophone schizophrenia delivered by guest musician Val Dorr (of Aevangelist). In other words, open your mind, let the music by Ophe penetrate deep inside your soul, and the way you view extreme music will never be the same again.

In the opening track, titled Somnum Sempiternum (which means “everlasting sleep” or ‘eternal sleep” from Latin), Bargnatt XIX begins firing Stygian riffs and blast beats together with his hellish gnarls in a vibrant and classy display of Atmospheric Black Metal, with the music getting darker, more fiendish and more demented as time goes by. Furthermore, the wicked saxophone sounds by Val Dorr add a touch of lunacy to the overall result, making the whole song even more delightful. Then we have Decem Vicibus (or “ten times” from Latin), a very obscure composition with the spoken words by Bargnatt XIX sounding smooth but perturbing at the same time, not evolving to any regular type of music you might be accustomed to. Well, that’s the beauty of Ambient Black Metal, as the creepiest sounds can become high-quality music just like that. And medieval, somber background noises set fire to an uncanny creation by Ophe named in XVIIII, with the sax by Val Dorr sounding even more disturbing than before, while Bargnatt XIX’s deep, enraged roars match perfectly with the hypnotizing heavy sounds emanating from all other instruments, in special the delicate and electrified guitar riffs and solos.

Missive Amphibologique D’Une Adynamie A La Solitude, a long and stylish song name that means “amphibological missive of an adynamy to loneliness” from French, is an 11-minute phantasmagoric aria that can easily be used as the soundtrack to your darkest nights, with its blast beats and ferocious growls bringing total chaos to our souls. And the song’s intense insanity goes on and on, with no sign of happiness or joy, courtesy of Bargnatt XIX and Val Dorr who generate a wall of strained, striking and grim sounds and tones in what can be considered a “controlled chaos”. Lastly, after such grandiose havoc it’s time to slow things down in Cadent, where Bargnatt XIX soothes our souls with his semi-acoustic lines embraced by an apocalyptic background to give it a beyond atmospheric vibe, closing the experimental journey by our skillful one-man army in a beautiful way.

In case you want to join the eccentric world of Bargnatt XIX and his Ophe, you can visit the project’s Facebook page for more details about such distinct endeavor, listen to Litteras Ad Tristia Maestrum Solitude on Spotify, and purchase the album from Ophe’s own BandCamp page, from My Kingdom Music’s Big Cartel page, from the Season of Mist webstore, and from the JPC webstore, as well as from your regular retailers iTunes, Amazon and Discogs. And if this enticing album is Bargnatt XIX’s personal letter to the sad comfort of solitude, I can’t wait to see who or what he’s going to write a letter to next.

Best moments of the album: Somnum Sempiternum and XVIIII.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2018 My Kingdom Music

Track listing
1. Somnum Sempiternum 8:38
2. Decem Vicibus 4:33
3. XVIIII 5:45
4. Missive Amphibologique D’Une Adynamie A La Solitude 10:40
5. Cadent 5:16

Band members
Bargnatt XIX – vocals, all instruments, programming

Guest musician
Val Dorr – saxophone