This Bulgarian doom trio will darken your senses with their fifth full-length album, a monumental work of sadness and despair taking the listener on a soul reaping journey through afterlife and purgatory.
Formed in the already distant year of 2000 in the city of Varna, Bulgaria, crafting a hybrid of Blackened Doom with fantasy-influenced lyrics, the unyielding Atmospheric Black/Doom Metal entity Darkflight has just unelashed upon mankind their fifth full-length opus, titled Entropy, following up on their 2017 album The Hereafter. Stronger than ever, and showcasing a melodic brilliance, the album proves that the band has matured and created a monumental work of sadness and despair, taking the listener on a soul reaping journey through afterlife and purgatory, all carefully brought into being by Milen Todorov on vocals and bass, Ivo Iliev on the guitars and synths, and Valentin Deskov on drums, being therefore perfect for admirers of the music by My Dying Bride, Anathema, and Katatonia.
The band’s obscure, old school Doom Metal feast begins with the lugubrious A Sad Place to Call Home, with Valentin delivering those traditional sluggish beats, darkening the skies while Milen declaims the song’s deep lyrics with tons of passion. Second Genesis is even more melodic, whimsical and atmospheric, blending the finesse of Atmospheric Black Metal with nuances of Progressive Rock while Ivo sounds fantastic on the guitars, delivering an amazing solo halfway through it; and a mysterious female guest vocalist bring an extra touch of finesse to So Much to Tell, a beautiful ballad by Darkflight that brings melancholy and hope to our blackened hearts, whereas more of their fusion of rock and metal sounds is offered to us all in Vague Echoes, with the soothing guitars and synths by Ivo sounding very comforting and enfolding.
Then a pensive, deep start to the passionate vocals by Milen kick off the also embracing tune Buried Together, a beautiful ballad led by the intense vocals by Milen, while Rebirth follows a similar pattern, being at the same time dark, atmospheric and mesmerizing, with Ivo having an amazing performance with his piano and synths, or in other words, it’s definitely a song to listen to together with your loved ones. Your Time Has Passed is a more straightforward tune by Darkflight, bringing forward their trademark dark sounds infused with Gothic Rock and Metal elements, also offering another blast of Milen’s ethereal vocal lines while Valentin dictate’s the song’s gorgeous pace behind his drums. They keep embellishing the airwaves with their Atmospheric Black, Doom and Gothic Metal in Towards the Ruins, where once again Ivo and Valentin generate the perfect ambience for Milen to shine on vocals; and closing the album the trio offers more of their soothing, penetrating sounds in the form of Be Well, not as amazing as the rest of the album but still a solid ballad by those Bulgarian rockers.
In a nutshell, Entropy is a very well-crafted and detailed journey through the realms of Atmospheric Black and Doom Metal that truly deserves a full listen by any fan of good heavy music, and if you also want to know more about Darkflight, their tour dates and plans for the future, you can start following the band on Facebook, stream their music on Spotify or any other streaming service, and above all that, grab a copy of their striking new album from Symbol of Domination’s BandCamp page. The dark, pensive and mournful musical journey crafted by Darkflight in their new album will simply crush your hearts and souls, positioning them as one of the must-see names of the Bulgarian scene, and adding an extra layer of doom to the metal community worldwide.
Best moments of the album:Second Genesis, Vague Echoes and Your Time Has Passed.
Worst moments of the album:Be Well.
Released in 2024 Symbol Of Domination/Australis Records
Track listing 1. A Sad Place to Call Home 6:02
2. Second Genesis 6:40
3. So Much to Tell 4:40
4. Vague Echoes 5:40
5. Buried Together 4:45
6. Rebirth 4:52
7. Your Time Has Passed 3:38
8. Towards the Ruins 5:36
9. Be Well 5:00
Band members Milen Todorov – vocals, bass
Ivo Iliev – guitars, synths
Valentin Deskov – drums
Offering grim, martial and epic tales of the Enkari, the first human civilization, this Canadian Black Metal horde steps out of the shadows of the past to spread the word of their long meditation.
GLORY TO THE SUN!
We humans are and have always been driven by our own imagination. Someone stumbles across an old book as a child and from then on lives a life believing in the resurrection of a man who died in a cruel way, giving rise to white metal as a movement. Born in the fires of the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta in 2022, the infernal Black Metal entity known as Necht is stepping out of the shadows of the past to spread the word of their long meditation, entitled The Prophecy of Karnifor. Offering grim, martial and epic tales of the Enkari, the first human civilization, inspired by the discoveries of the German explorer and philosopher Karl von Mecklenburg, as unveiled in the controversial research of Dr. Birgitta Olsson, The Prophecy Of Karnifor is a bold, multi-layered feast of Black Metal in the name of B’ahn, Our Father, The Ceaseless Warrior, masterfully brought into being by Zenith Maharg (vocals) and his Ascendants Zhargor (guitars), Aemoh (bass) and Vlasfimos (drums).
As if the band was preparing us for their Stygian cult, we face the imposing intro The Vision of the Qa’ar, exploding into the ferocious Within Her Jaws Dwells The Dark Promise Of Our Death, where Ascendant Vlasfimos sounds utterly infernal behind his drums while Zenith Maharg begins his visceral, demented vocal attack by screaming and roaring manically nonstop. Then continuing their ritualistic feast of darkened sounds, it’s time for Stirred By Shadow, I Did Wake, where the riffs by Ascendant Zhargor will haunt your damned souls accompanied by the classic bass by Ascendant демон in another heavy, grim and venomous creation by the quartet. To Me, The Obelisk Calls blends their core Black Metal with elements from Atmospheric Black Metal, and the final result is a phantasmagorical voyage by Necht, with the drums by Ascendant Vlasfimos once again sounding demolishing; and you better prepare your senses for an overdose of towering, visceral sounds by Necht in the eight-minute beast titled Into Bondage Born, a Melodic Black Metal aria where Zenith Maharg leads his horde with his devilish gnarls while the guitar by Ascendant Zhargor will pierce your minds mercilessly.
And they keep decimating our damned souls in By The Fires Of Ascension Shall I Reach The Sky, with the band’s stringed duo delivering sheer Black Metal madness supported by the always hellish beats by Ascendant Vlasfimos, whereas By Blood And Bone Do We Bind lives up the the legacy of modern-day Melodic Black Metal, blasting our ears with the band’s trademark ferocity and passion for the occult, all of course spearheaded by the demonic growls by Zenith Maharg. There’s time for a cinematic interlude titled Blackened Loom The Walls Of Ishpan, setting the stage for the band to crush our souls one last time in For Violence Was Wrought Upon Me, a Behemoth-inspired extravaganza tailored for fans of Blackened Death Metal, putting a beyond infernal ending to the band’s black mass.
“BRETHREN! Do not fear the shadow. Within the shadow there may be found despair. Within the shadow there may be found death, and dissolution. But within the shadow, there may also be found awakening and enlightenment. For it was in the shadow that our Father, B’ahn, was born. GLORY TO THE SUN!” Those were the words by Zenith Maharg, from the Temple of Necht in the Cult of B’Ahn, citing the Enkari-B’Ahn writings, and if you’re eager to join them in the occult you can start following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, listen to their eerie creations on YouTube and on Spotify, and above all that, grab a copy of The Prophecy Of Karnifor from the band’s own BandCamp page or by clicking HERE. Glory to the Sun, glory to Black Metal, and glory to Necht for bringing into being such an amazing album.
Best moments of the album:Stirred By Shadow, I Did Wake, Into Bondage Born and By Blood And Bone Do We Bind.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2024 Independent
Track listing 1. The Vision of the Qa’ar
2. Within Her Jaws Dwells The Dark Promise Of Our Death
3. Stirred By Shadow, I Did Wake 5:40
4. To Me, The Obelisk Calls
5. Into Bondage Born 8:37
6. By The Fires Of Ascension Shall I Reach The Sky
7. By Blood And Bone Do We Bind
8. Blackened Loom The Walls Of Ishpan
9. For Violence Was Wrought Upon Me 5:32
Band members Zenith Maharg – vocals
Ascendant Zhargor – guitars, choir
Ascendant демон – bass, choir
Ascendant Vlasfimos – drums
Despite a ridiculously small crowd, the iconic Abbath and his horde didn’t care at all about that and put on a fantastic performance in a celebration of pure Black Metal in Toronto.
It was a very weird night at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on Sunday, when FINAL GASP, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT, BLACK ANVIL and ABBATH presented their Dread Reaver North America 2024 to maybe less than 200 people (at a venue that supports close to 1,500 people), and I knew something was odd when I got to the venue and, to my total surprise, the parking lot in front of it was absolutely empty, when it’s usually full hours before any concert there. Based on what other people told me, the reasons for that very small crowd were of course Mother’s Day, the show being on a Sunday, and above all that, the fact that Abbath played the night before in Kitchener, which is only one hour from Toronto, so no one from any of the neighboring cities decided to come to Toronto as they could enjoy the same show on a much more pleasant Saturday night. It’s known that Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment tried to move the show to Lee’s Palace, but that was already booked for something else. There wasn’t even a barrier for the photographers, so Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and the others like Kim and Miles simply had to share the floor section with the crowd. It was very weird, but it is what it is, and in the end all four bands kicked ass on stage which is what really matters.
From when the doors opened at 6pm until Boston, Massachusetts-based Gothic Metal/Deathrock band FINAL GASP hit the stage, I don’t think there were even 30 people at the venue, but the band didn’t care about the low attendance and put on a great show, blasting sheer heaviness from their instruments nonstop. I have zero idea of which songs they played, but I know that their 2023 album Mourning Moon is really good, and that everyone should take a nice listen at it on BandCamp or on Spotify. It’s a real bummer that the whole night was a flop in terms of attendance because bands like Final Gasp are very entertaining live, so hopefully they’ll come back to Toronto supporting another metal giant in the coming months, and this time with a decent crowd to bang their heads together with the band.
Band members
Jake Murphy – vocals
James Forsythe – guitars
Peter Micanovic – guitars
Sean Rose – bass
Eric Lester – drums
After a short and very quiet break, New York’s own Black/Thrash Metal beast BLACK ANVILkicked off their infernal set to a bigger but still ridiculously small crowd, and just like Final Gasp the guys from Black Anvil were extremely professional and put their hearts and souls into their performance without caring at all if there were 10 or 2,000 people in the audience. There were zero mosh pits again, which was very odd, but the show must go on, right? Anyway, their drummer R.G. is a demented beast and it’s worth every penny of the ticket price alone, and hopefully one day he’ll get the recognition he deserves for being so great behind his drums. P.D. was also infernal on vocals and bass, leading his demonic horde in great fashion and getting a very warm feedback form the crowd. Go check their music on BandCamp and on Spotify, like their 2022 album Regenesis, because their music is amazing and perfect for some vigorous headbanging.
Band members P.D. – vocals, bass
Sos – guitars
Alex Volonino – guitars
R.G. – drums
Another short and silent break, and it was then time for the most unique attraction of the night, New York-based Avant-garde/Technical Black/Death Metal entity IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT, to blast our faces with an extremely heavy, cryptic and chaotic performance, again sounding very energetic and professional even in front of the night’s tiny crowd. Still promoting their 2022 album Spirit of Ecstasy, the trio formed of Zachary Ezrin on vocals and guitars, Steven Blanco on bass and backing vocals, and Kenny Grohowski on drums showed no mercy for our souls with a dissonant, mesmerizing and way too foggy show, stunning us all and getting us really pumped for Abbath. Steven even hit the floor section with his bass, playing in the middle of the 100 something fans at the venue, making their whole concert more intimate and gripping. Hence, if you know nothing about those mysterious creatures, don’t forget to check their music on BandCamp and on Spotify, as I’m sure you’ll have a good time listening to their eerie creations.
Band members Zachary Ezrin – vocals, guitars
Steven Blanco – bass, backing vocals
Kenny Grohowski – drums
As already mentioned, due to the Saturday gig in Kitchener, most fans who were supposed to be in Toronto on Sunday to see Bergen, Norway’s own Black Metal institution ABBATH didn’t come to Sunday’s show, but the brave ones who managed to be at the venue were treated to a very special and intimate concert by Abbath and his horde, and let me tell you that it was infernal, heavy and bold from start to finish. The whole band played all songs from their setlist to perfection, and the mix of songs from Abbath’s three solo albums, those being his self-titled debut, Outstrider, and Dread Reaver, such as To War!, Hecate, Ashes of the Damned, and my favorite of the night, Winterbane, with some Immortal and I songs like In My Kingdom Cold, Warriors, and One by One, turned the night into a true celebration of classic Black Metal. No mosh pits either, which was even more ridiculous, but there wasn’t much we could do about that.
My only complaint about their show was the excessive smoke during all songs, to the point we couldn’t see anything from Abbath’s attire or makeup. Why does he wear all that if the fans can’t see shit due to the smoke? Well, at least the music as phenomenal, which is what truly matters in the end. Speaking of Abbath, the guy was a beast onstage, showing that his rehab was more than successful and that he still has a lot of fuel to burn in the coming years or even decades for our absolute delight. It was a beyond memorable show, even for a ridiculous crowd, but I’m sure Abbath will return to Toronto soon, and next time the scheduling and logistics will be better managed so he can see what the fans in Toronto can do when he’s playing his visceral Black Metal onstage.
Setlist
To War!
Acid Haze
Dream Cull
Hecate
Ashes of the Damned
Dread Reaver
In My Kingdom Cold (Immortal cover)
Beyond the North Waves (Immortal cover)
Nebular Ravens Winter (Immortal cover)
Warriors (I cover)
Battalions (I cover)
The Artifex
One by One (Immortal cover)
Winterbane
All Shall Fall (Immortal cover)
Band members Abbath – vocals, guitars
Ole André Farstad – lead and acoustic guitars
Andreas Salbu – bass
Ukri Suvilehto – drums
Ruling the night of women’s rites with their dark lullabies!
I think the month of May needs an extra kick, and there’s nothing better than some first-class Mexican spices to turn up the heat considerably, right? That’s exactly why we’re not going to have only one metal lady this month, nor even two. We’re going to feast your eyes and ears with nothing more, nothing less that THREE metal ladies hailing from Mexico, a country known for the passion their metalheads nurture for all types of heavy music. Our three breathtaking metal divas are vocalist Marlene Muñoz, bassist Elizabeth Castillo, and guitarist Caro Saturni, who together with drummer Nicolás Garza form the ruthless Death Metal squad known as Spit On Your Grave, and I’m sure you’ll have a very good time knowing a bit about this triumvirate of absolute female power in Heavy Metal.
Before talking about each one of our chosen metal ladies, let’s do a quick introduction on their amazing band Spit On Your Grave. Formed in 2012 in Monterrey, the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, Spit on Your Grave are a no shenanigans, visceral Death Metal entity with three full-length albums and one EP released to date, always dealing with topics such as madness, serial killers, death and isolation, among others, having already shared the stage with metal titans the likes of Carcass, Sepultura, Nervosa, Cattle Decapitation, Cannibal Corpse, Brujeria and Dark Tranquility, just to name a few. All the information you need about the band is available HERE, and don’t forget to also stream their creations on Spotify, on YouTube, and other streaming services.
Furthermore, although we’re paying our humble tribute to the three girls that are currently part of the band (there are other women who are former members of Spit On Your Grave, but those might be our metal ladies in the future as part of their current bands), only Elizabeth is featured in all of their albums. As a matter of fact, she’s the only remaining member of the original formation of the band, and therefore she deserves to be the first one we’re going to talk about here on The Headbanging Moose. It’s all about seniority, right? But before that, how about a short and sweet overview of each of the albums released by Spit On Your Grave?
Released in 2014, their debut full-length album Existential Murderer consists of ten tracks that refer to raw old school Death Metal, basing its lyrics on situations of revenge, perversions, death, and only Elizabeth from our three metal ladies played in that album as aforementioned, while vocals and guitars were done by two other great female musicians, Zitlalic Gómez and Cecilia Cárdenas, respectively. Then in 2015 the band introduced a more melodic sound to their core essence with the EP Unblessed, the watershed that led the band to a variety of events and concerts making their way to the big stages with international bands, showcasing the same lineup from their 2014 album.
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In 2018, after a few lineup changes, those being newcomers Kharen Guardiola on vocals, Aldo Guerra on drums, and one of our metal ladies Caro Saturni (aka Carolina Ampersand) on the guitar, the band released their sophomore opus The Night Of The Women’s Rites, incorporating a more melodic sound where guitar solos stand out, while the album’s lyrics talk about goddesses and female deities from different cultures that somehow changed the course of history, including for example The Whore Queen (Cleopatra), Aphrodite and Cihuacóatl (these three song also released in 2018 as a single named Cihuacóatl), showing the courage, personality, attitude and the leadership of those women.
In between The Night Of The Women’s Rites and their newest opus Arkanum, the band released the single Ixik Uh in June 2022, which actually serves as a connection link between The Night Of The Women’s Rites and Arkanum, talking about an ancient Mayan ritual to Ixchel, a Mayan deity known as the Goddess of the Moon, in addition to fertility, childbirth, pregnancy, medicine, rain, womanly crafts, and war. The single was already recorded by the current lineup, including not only Elizabeth but also Marlene and Caro, making it the first ever song to feature all of our three metal ladies of the month.
And lastly, on the second week of April, Spit On Your Grave returned with their third studio album, the pulverizing Arkanum, a conceptual album that tells the process of a mental detox, which draws thematically on mystical elements, and with each track inspired by a different tarot card.“It talks about an internal struggle to restore your inner self,” the band said, “where your demons surface, and everything you believed in is questioned. That moment when you realize that for years you have followed someone else’s lead. You’ve had enough and decide to leave everything behind. It’s about losing yourself by being influenced by someone else and the struggle to wake up from that reality. Centering the lyrics in this inner fight with yourself, involving depression, anxiety, mistrust, feeling unfairly judged by everyone and having no help around.” Moreover, there’s a nice interview (in Spanish) to a YouTube channel called The Chill Dude On A Couch, where they talk about the album.
Elizabeth Castillo
Having said all that about the band’s discography, it’s time to focus on each of their amazing women, starting with the remaining founding member of the band, Elizabeth Castillo. Born and raised in Mexico, she’s not only the bassist for Spit On Your Grave, having recorded all of their albums, EP and singles, as already mentioned, but she’s also responsible for the bass duties with Mexican Black/Doom Metal band Hagel since their reactivation in 2014, having recorded with them the album Veneration of the Black Light back in 2021, featuring some insane songs such as Decalogue of Misery. Not only that, you can also find Elizabeth in a distinct folk band named Sandunga, playing traditional Mexican and Latin American music while also dealing with the Mexican folklore; however, Elizabeth is not the bassist for Sandunga, but their guitarist, and she also plays an instrument called “requinto jarocho” or “guitarra de son”, a four- or five-stringed instrument that has originated from Veracruz, Mexico, played usually with a special pick. If you want to know more about the band, simply click HERE, and don’t forget to also enjoy their official video for the song Maclovia, as it’s an amazing song outside of the metal realm. and how about watching her blast her bass in great fashion in the official YouTube channel for Spit On Your Grave, playing the classic Hammer Smashed Face, by the almighty Cannibal Corpse? That’s a really cool video, my friends!
Caro Saturni
The next metal lady of this month of May is the band’s guitarist Caro Saturni. Born on January 18, 1996 in Mexico, she joined Spit On Your Grave back in 2016 and released with the band so far their 2018 album The Night of Women’s Rites (as Caro Ampersand) and their 2024 album Arkanum (already as Caro Saturni), becoming the lead guitarist of the band, and you can check all her dexterity in a video from the band’s official YouTube channel where she plays the song Adjusting the Sun, by Hypocrisy. She’s also the guitarist for an all-female rock and metal band from Monterrey named Sister Sinyster, and although there isn’t much online about the band (as they just started in November 2023), you can enjoy this recent interview to Metalhead Inter Radio, and keep an eye on their Instagram for news as I’m sure we’ll hear a lot about those girls soon.
Marlene Muñoz
And last but definitely not least, we get to the she-wolf Marlene Muñoz, who joined Spit On Your Grave back in 2020 and has recorded with them so far their breathtaking new album Arkanum. Her harsh screams and guttural gnarls are fantastic, adding an insane dosage of brutality to the band’s core Death Metal, therefore elevating the band’s status in the local Mexican scene as well as worldwide. Apart from Spit On Your Grave, you can find Marlene as the vocalist for a Monterrey-based Melodic/Progressive Thrash Metal band called Judgment since 2019, having released with them a self-titled three-track single back in 2019, plus a standalone song named All I Have, in 2022, and let me tell you that all four songs released so far are amazing, leaving us eager for a full-length album by those Mexican metallers in the near future.
In summary, fi you’re looking for some fresh metal music with a powerful feminine touch, you must check the creations by all bands featuring Marlene Muñoz, Elizabeth Castillo and Caro Saturni, because those three multi-talented women definitely put their hearts and souls into making high quality music for us fans, and if you’re near them in Monterrey keep an eye on their social media because you don’t want to miss the metal attack provided by their bands live, in special the fulminating Spit On Your Grave. Hopefully the band will keep growing and reaching new horizons, playing all across the US and Canada, participating in multiple European festivals, bringing their music to places like Brazil, Japan, Australia and so on, because they play ass-kicking Death Metal, and we always need ass-kicking Death Metal with a feminine touch to make our lives way better, right?
Raise your horns high to the first full-length opus by this talented American Blackened Death Metal band, sounding technical yet brutal, melodic yet malevolent.
Formed in 2021 originally as a studio project amongst three friends to create fun, heavy Death Metal that eventually became a more serious endeavor to create more unique Black and Death Metal, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States-based Blackened Death Metal entity Nogothulahas just released their first full-length opus, titled Telluric Sepsis, the follow-up to their 2022 debut EP Gore Vortex Ascension. Recorded by the band itself (vocals, guitars, bass and synths) and by Eric Tuffendsam at Moonlight Studios (drums), mixed and mastered by Noah Buchanan at Mercinary Studios, and displaying a sick artwork by Niklas Webjorn (plus a beyond deadly logo by Crepuscular Gloom), the new album by Eric Payne on vocals and bass, Colton Deem on vocals and guitar, John “Nick” Moeller also on the guitar, and Alex Hooper on drums will please fans of both Black and Death Metal, always sounding technical yet brutal, melodic yet malevolent.
The intro Awakening offers us all the band’s heavy-as-hell, menacing welcome card, with their deep guttural and harsh screeches piercing our minds before Chaospore arrives like a hurricane of blackened sounds, with Colton and John hammering their axes nonstop supported by the massive beats by Alex. Then in Catacomb Cauldron the band invests in a more brutal, visceral Death Metal sound led by the unstoppable drums by Alex, while Eric and Colton keep vociferating rabidly, therefore resulting in a perfect song for igniting some insane mosh pits; followed by Lacerating Vibrations, another infernal explosion of Brutal Death Metal, inviting us all to slam into the pit while Eric and Colton continue to deliver their gruesome double vocal attack. And their avalanche of Blackened Death Metal gets even more sulfurous in Observers of Perpetual Rot, again presenting the wicked riffage by Colin and John accompanied by the always menacing bass by Eric.
They still have a lot more fuel to burn, starting with Labyrinthian Sunken Spires, where their raspy, unfriendly roars match perfectly with all the instrumental devastation crafted with tons of hatred, sounding and feeling absolutely infernal until the very end; whereas Morbid Seas of Stygian Blood carries a beautiful name for a lecture in Blackened Death Metal, sounding very detailed, obscure and caustic thanks to the band’s usual demonic vocal lines and crushing drums. Then the title-track Telluric Sepsis brings forward the band’s trademark animosity and rage without forgetting to sound melodic and vibrant, with Alex stealing the spotlight once again with his massive beats and fills; and lastly, let’s enjoy eight minutes of cryptic sounds, vile passages and the band’s hammering Death Metal in Meandering Comatose Twilight… The Carrion Viaduct, where their guttural vocals sound utterly deep, sending shivers down our spines and obviously closing the album on a sulfurous note.
The guys from Nogothula are waiting for you on Facebook and on Instagram with news, tour dates, more of their music, and other nice-to-know details about the band, letting their caustic sounds penetrate deep inside your psyche. Needless to say, above all that, don’t forget to grab a copy of Telluric Sepsis, which is by the way available for streaming in full on YouTube and on Spotify, from their own BandCamp page, keeping your horns high in the name of Black and Death Metal to the sound of the visceral new album by one of the most promising bands of the current American scene.
Best moments of the album:Catacomb Cauldron, Lacerating Vibrations and Morbid Seas of Stygian Blood.
This talented Black Metal duo hailing form Greece will take you on a stunning and grim journey to the sound of their first full-length album.
Formed in 2021 Chalcis, also called Chalkida or Halkida, the chief city of the island of Euboea or Evia in Greece, the talented Black Metal duo Waves Idle Symmetry is ready to unleash upon humanity their first full-length opus, titled Ametron, following up on their 2022 debut EP Thalassa. Recorded, mixed and mastered by David Prudent at Made in Hell Studio, and displaying a classy artwork by Alexandra Kyritsi, the album presents a much stronger and focused duo comprised of G.K. on vocals, guitars and bass, and C.D. on drums, expanding their music to further horizons by including progressive and technical elements to their sound while always remaining loyal to their core Black Metal essence, turning the journey through the nine tracks of the album into a truly engaging one for all admirers of the genre.
The Middle-Eastern acoustic guitar by G.K. kicks off the Black Metal feast Adrift In Aegean, quickly morphing into an overdose of sharp riffs and blast beats while G.K.’s both clean vocals and demonic roars exhale madness, followed by Waves Aligned, again presenting the duo’s pensive lyrics (“Deserted eyes / Sparking hate and sorrow / Reflecting the uncertainty / That grows inside me / A monster becoming / Fed in a nest of apathy / Egoism reacts in order / To defeat the misery”) amidst a bold, piercing and extreme onrush of old school Black Metal magic. C.D. then delivers intricate yet visceral beats in the headbanging tune Resilient, accompanied by the always incendiary riffage by G.K., whereas the title-track Ametron offers our putrid ears another overdose of hatred, obscurity and fire led by the crushing beats by C.D., flowing into a melancholic, grim sound in All These That Ends, where the gnarls by G.K. exhale endless evil, therefore offering us all pure Black Metal until the very last second.
Then leaning towards contemporary Melodic Black Metal the duo crushes our souls in Mindweaver, bringing forward more of their harsh gnarling, blast beats and incendiary riffs, as well as interesting switches between their more old school sound and their more melodic passages; and it’s time to break our necks headbanging in the name of evil in The Sun Of Despair, with G.K. and C.D. generating a beautiful Black Metal atmosphere with their guitars and drums while G.K. keeps vociferating manically nonstop. The Pillars Of Dignity presents more of their poetic words (“The innocence ends / As reality of failure strikes / Taste how it feels / To reach rock bottom / And trying to stand on your feet / Saviors drift apart / Numbness buried deep inside”) while the music remains imposing and cryptic during the song’s four minutes; whereas lastly the duo offers a climatic, epic tune titled Άπνοια, which is Greek for “apnea” or “shortness of breath”, alternating between demonic, harsh moments and more serene passages, with G.K. sounding evil with his roars and riffs.
While Waves Idle Symmetry are a Black Metal band, after listening to Ametron you’ll realize they’re not your regular Black Metal band, offering an array of styles in their sound to make things bolder and more interesting in the end. Hence, don’t forget to give them a shout on Facebook and stay updated with all things Waves Idle Symmetry, to subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their music, and of course to grab a copy of their newborn beast Ametron from their own BandCamp page. I think I don’t need to say how awesome the Greek Black Metal scene has always been, and we must thank bands like Waves Idle Symmetry for keeping the spirit alive and for embellishing the airwaves with their fusion of darkness and melody like what they have to offer in their new album, while us fans will have another reason to keep praising the Hellenic gods of metal for always offering us such amazing bands.
Best moments of the album:Waves Aligned, Ametron and The Sun Of Despair.
Worst moments of the album:Resilient.
Released in 2024 Independent
Track listing 1. Adrift In Aegean 5:26
2. Waves Aligned 5:02
3. Resilient 4:52
4. Ametron 4:46
5. All These That Ends 6:03
6. Mindweaver 4:48
7. The Sun Of Despair 4:15
8. The Pillars Of Dignity 3:46
9. Άπνοια 5:46
Band members
G.K. – vocals, guitars, bass
C.D. – drums
As darkness falls upon mankind, this devilish horde from Germany attacks with their sophomore album, exhaling their obsession for mid-90’s Scandinavian and German Black Metal.
Spreading the dark arts all over the world since their inception in 2007 in Kassel, a city in central Germany, the heavy-as-hell Melodic Black Metal horde Dark Horizon has finally unleashed upon us their sophomore black mass, entitled Darkness Falls Upon Mankind, the follow-up to their 2012 debut Diabolic Agreement and their 2017 EP Odyssey. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Andy Classen at Stage One Studio, the new album by Mike on vocals, Adrian on the guitars, Colin on bass, and Daniel on drums exhales their obsession for mid-90’s Scandinavian and German Black Metal, uniting melancholy and disharmony with their passion for absolute darkness, being therefore recommended for admirers of the music by Dark Funeral, Naglfar, Dissection, and Watain, just to name a few.
Secrets Of The Nightmare Prophecies already sounds utterly sharp and melodic, with Mike leading his horde with his demonic screams and gnarls, resulting in a beyond solid start to the album and morphing into the bestial title-track Darkness Falls Upon Mankind, where the song’s blast beats and razor-edged riffs turn it into a must-listen for admirers of 90’s Black Metal. Adrian continues to deliver fire and evil from his axe in The Awakening, a song perfect for some devilish headbanging while Daniel’s drums will decimate your cranial skull. Old Gods offers more of the band’s undisputed Melodic Black Metal, again showcasing the hellish roars by Mike while Colin adds his share of heaviness to the sound with his menacing bass, whereas Tempest Of Ancient Screams is an imposing, heavy-as-hell and absolutely dark composition that lives up to the legacy of the genre, with Adrian doing a superb job with his old school Black Metal riffs.
And Adrian’s strident, visceral riffs continue to darken the skies in In The Hall Of Bloodstreams, where Mike takes his demonic gnarls to a whole new level of obscurity; then get ready for a seven-minute onrush of sulfur and evil titled Am Tag Meines Todes (which is German for “on the day of my death”), bringing to our ears an overdose of caustic riffs and blast beats while Colin hammers his bass mercilessly, with all breaks and variations making it feel like two amazing songs in one. After that we have Funeral, offering us all three minutes of straight-to-the-point Black Metal with no shenanigans nor any artificial elements, followed by Ekpyrosis, another seven-minute song but this time sounding a bit confusing compared to the rest of the album, albeit still showcasing the band’s passion for darkness and evil. And closing the album we’re treated to two very special covers showcasing their influences in music, starting with Naglfar’s The Brimstone Gate (check the original version HERE, from their 1998 cult album Diabolical), and followed by Mithotyn’s King Of The Distant Forest (check the original version HERE, from their 1998 opus King of the Distant Forest), both exhaling the same Black Metal essence from the original versions but of course with Dark Horizon’s own twist.
The guys from Dark Horizon are waiting for you on Facebook, on Instagram and on YouTube with news, tour dates, and more of their caustic Black Metal, and you can obviously add the excellent Darkness Falls Upon Mankind to your devilish collection by purchasing it from their own BandCamp page, as well as from Apple Music or Amazon Music. As darkness falls upon mankind, Dark Horizon will strike us hard with their furious new album, adding another solid stone to the impenetrable Black Metal castle that exists in their homeland, therefore fueling them for more in the coming years for the delight of fans of 90’s Black Metal.
Best moments of the album:Darkness Falls Upon Mankind, Tempest Of Ancient Screams and Am Tag Meines Todes.
Worst moments of the album:Ekpyrosis.
Released in 2024 Independent
Track listing 1. Secrets Of The Nightmare Prophecies 4:25
2. Darkness Falls Upon Mankind 5:23
3. The Awakening 3:21
4. Old Gods 4:53
5. Tempest Of Ancient Screams 3:45
6. In The Hall Of Bloodstreams 3:17
7. Am Tag Meines Todes 7:13
8. Funeral 3:15
9. Ekpyrosis 7:40
10. The Brimstone Gate (Naglfar cover) 4:54
11. King Of The Distant Forest (Mithotyn cover) 5:26
Band members Mike – vocals
Adrian – guitars
Colin – bass
Daniel – drums
Deliver your soul to this nine-track immersive Black Metal experience that will guide you through the inherent utter darkness of human condition and the cathartic search for enlightenment.
“SIC ITUR AD ASTRA”
On the shores of Portugal, deep in the north of the country, a creature lurks in the shadow. Forged in the fires of Barroselas, Viana do Castelo in 2019, Vøidwomb are a Black Metal quintet who’s back to the light after three years in the shades with their first full-length opus, titled Spiritual Apotheosis. Mixed and mastered by Diogo Santana at Noise Portrait Studios, with a cover painting by prolific painter Daniel Hermosilla of Nox Fragor Art, the follow-up to their debut EP Altars of Cosmic Devotion is a record about understanding darkness and sacrificing self to reach transcendence, a nine-track immersive Black Metal experience that will guide you through the inherent utter darkness of human condition and the cathartic search for enlightenment, all carefully brought into being by vocalist M.S.Vøid, guitarists Lord and Fractal, bassist F.S.Void, and drummer Noctvs.
Ominous and grim from the very first second, the extended intro Exordium will darken the skies before the band begins their vile black mass in Metempsychosis, featuring guest vocals by Diogo Santana (Fustilarian, Necrobode, Raw Decimating Brutality), offering us all five minutes of absolute darkness and hatred spearheaded by the Black Metal beats by Noctvs, while M.S.Vøid distills his venomous gnarls nonstop together with Diogo. Black Putrescence feels even more primeval and demonic than the opening track, with the guitars by Lord and Fractal piercing our damned souls mercilessly; whereas Liberation keeps the sulfur flowing majestically in the album, with the vociferations by M.S.Vøid matching perfectly with the massive, Stygian sounds blasted by his infernal bandmates, flowing like an uncontrolled, vile beast from the underworld until the very end.
The band then offers a cryptic (and way too long) interlude simply titled Interludium, once again blackening our minds and souls before those Portuguese metallers attack our senses with Vesselvoid, bringing forward seven minutes of sheer despair and void, with M.S.Vøid roaring from the depths of the underworld while F.S.Void and Noctvs sound thunderous with their respective bass and drums, resulting in a lecture in Black and Death Metal by the band. Then the atmosphere switches from the epicness of longer tunes to the violence of a short and devastating one titled Azoth, where the entire band sounds evil and tight during its less than three minutes of savagery, with of course Noctvs sounding beyond brutal on drums. Lastly, they blast our ears with another six-minute feast of Black and Death Metal entitled Coagulation, with their strident riffs and rumbling bass generating a menacing atmosphere perfect for M.S.Vøid’s eerie growls and gnarls, morphing into the outro Epilogus, presenting three minutes of desolate passages, grim sounds and tones, and an absolute sense of nothingness.
As mentioned, Vøidwomb will guide you through pitch black darkness in their excellent new album, and you can get to know more about such promising name of the current Portuguese scene by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, by streaming more of their eerie creations on Spotify or on any other streaming service, and above all that, by purchasing Spiritual Apotheosis from the Avantgarde Music’s BandCamp page, from Sound Cave, or by clicking HERE. In other words, let the Black Metal darkly crafted by Vøidwomb in Spiritual Apotheosis reach deep inside your rotten soul, joining them in darkness for all eternity. And so we go to the stars.
Best moments of the album:Metempsychosis, Vesselvoid and Azoth.
There’s one online article that says that spring is “the season during which the natural world revives and reinvigorates after the colder winter months,” and after reading that I thought the whimsical sound of the harp would be ideal to represent the beauty of the spring bloom and the warmth of the sun. Having said that, our metal lady of the month of April obviously had to master the art of harp playing, but beware of her incendiary moves, as she’s also a very talented dancer who loves to play with fire. Hailing from the stunning Bavaria (or Bayern if you prefer), in Germany, she’s the harpist for The Dark Side Of The Moon, a performer and dancer with Feuerschwanz, an art director and filmmaker with Dream Film Factory, and a photo designer with Aurora Photography. I’m talking about the multi-talented Jenny Diehl, a woman who will hypnotize you with the soothing sound of her harp before burning you in flames with her moves and charisma.
Having just released their debut album called Metamorphosis in 2023, The Dark Side Of The Moon is a fantastic metal quartet formed back in 2021 by members of Feuerschwanz, Amaranthe and Ad Infinitum (as a matter of fact, the band was formed after a bet between two of the band’s members), who together love to explore unseen lands and dive into the adventures of worldwide heroic characters. Currently comprised of Hans Platz (of Feuerschwanz), Morten Løwe Sørensen (of Amaranthe), our metal lady Jenny Diehl (also of Feuerschwanz), and one of our previous metal ladies Melissa Bonny (of Ad Infinitum), the quartet aims at revisiting and transforming the greatest themes of cinematography, TV shows and video games in addition to a few songs of their own, taking the listener on a musical quest, from the depths of Moria up to the Iron Throne.
Blending the powerful and gripping sound of Symphonic Metal with classical and orchestral elements, the band offers to fans of the genre a mix of original and cover songs, always dedicated to their favorite warriors, books and movies including the likes of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Here is where things get really interesting for Jenny, as the unique sound of her harp adds a fragile layer to the heaviness of the overall sound of the band, something really hard to find in the heavy music scene worldwide. All songs from Metamorphosis will darkly embrace you thanks to the charming sound of Jenny’s harp, as well as the sounds crafted by the other band members, of course, plus guest musicians Charlotte Wessels (Delain), Fabienne Erni (Eluveitie, Illumishade), Rusanda Panfili (Hanz Zimmer Live) and Tom S. Englund (Evergrey).
Furthermore, you can enjoy all of the band’s beautiful official videos on YouTube, including the songs The Gates Of Time, Legends Never Die, New Horizons, First Light, Double Trouble/Lumos!, and their cover version for the Game of Thrones song Jenny Of Oldstones (as well as a very cool making of for it), among others. Perhaps the best song to depict the talent by our beloved Jenny armed with her harp is Legends Never Die, where her harp intro sets the tone for the rest of the song, embellishing the airwaves in a majestic way and, therefore, making the song stand out as one of the most amazing ones of the past few years in the Symphonic Metal universe.
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However, as aforementioned, if you think Jenny is just a delicate flower in a sea of heaviness, you must see what she has been doing since 2012 alongside Erlangen, Bavaria, Germany-based Medieval Folk Metal/Rock project Feuerschwanz. Of course, there are a few of their albums which include contributions from Jenny as a harpist, those being their 2016 album Sex is Muss on the songs Ein Schelm, wer Böses dabei denkt, Taugenix, and Nachtlied; their 2018 album Methämmer; and their 2020 album Das elfte Gebot, all of them absolutely worth a full and detailed listen, by the way, but Jenny offers even more as a member of such distinct Teutonic group. Jenny also performs as a dancer during Feuerschwanz’s live performances under the alias Myu Mieze, with countless online videos offering you a chance to witness her contribution to the band’s live shows, including their performance at Wacken Open Air 2022. Furthermore, you can also enjoy this very relaxed and fun video of Jenny taking us all on a journey through the homes of all members of Feuerschwanz, showing what the band is doing while they’re not on tour or in the studio, as well as a little bit of backstory about the band.
Jenny also holds a Bachelor of Arts, which led her to found Dream Film Factory alongside Russian cameraman and photographer Artem Selennov, and Alexander Dannhauser a few years ago. The trio offers a full-scale production service, from concept to finished film, creating an original film with its own distinctive look from any idea using modern, unique and tried-and-tested film techniques. They also offer individual services which include camera and image design, set design and prop construction, editing and color grading, conception and marketing, and stop-motion puppet construction, and you can check more of their work by visiting their website, Facebook, Instagram, and Linktree; for instance, simply visit their project page on their official website and you’ll see their work with several bands the likes of Burning Witches, Subway to Sally, J.O.E., Feuerschwanz, The Dark Side Of The Moon, Destruction, Goath, Nothgard, and more, with all videos being stunning, detailed and truly unique, like Was Ihr Wollt, by German Folk Metal band Subway to Sally, and Dissolving Flesh Redemption, by German Black/Death Metal horde Goath.
Lastly, Jenny also started to work as a freelance photographer under the name/brand Aurora Photography back in 2018, but as the project’s official Facebook page hasn’t been updated since mid-May 2021 I wonder if she has gotten way too busy with her bands and her film company to the point she can’t find enough time to focus on photography. Anyway, all photos available on Facebook are beautiful and deserve our attention, and maybe one day she’ll reignite her work as a photographer and keep delivering more awesomeness to our eyes. For now, I think there’s enough Jenny for us to enjoy with The Dark Side Of The Moon and with Feuerschwanz, with the sound of her harp and her fiery dance moves making the world of heavy music a much better place for all of us metalheads who love a good combination of music and images with a great storyline.
One of the new names of the Métal Noir Québécois scene returns with their sophomore opus, a 35-minute assault of aggressive, up-tempo Black Metal infused with melodic, doomy passages.
Forged in the fires of the stunning Quebec City back in 2016, the devilish five-piece horde Beholder, another amazing exponent of the current Métal Noir Québécois scene, is set to release their sophomore album, entitled Dualisme, the follow-up to their 2022 debut Arcane Subreptice and a huge improvement on their already solid foundations. Mastered by Patrick McDowall and displaying a sinister artwork by Khaos Diktator Design, Dualisme is a 35-minute assault of aggressive, up-tempo Black Metal with melodic, doomy passages which deeply contribute to its overall atmosphere, all masterfully crafted by Dan Mécréant on vocals, Pier-Luc Lavoie and Alex Bouchard on the guitars, Kéven Tremblay on bass, and Michel Murray on drums. “Both music and lyrics are influenced by orthodox black metal from the 90’s, with topics mainly dealing with luciferianism, history and occult philosophy. It has been a contemplative process from the writing to the recording. We feel like we reached a mature piece of art and feel extremely confident about it,” commented the band about their newborn beast.
The caustic guitars by Pier-Luc and Alex darken the skies before their bandmates come ripping in Le vassal de la profanation, a visceral Black Metal attack where the vocals by Dan will haunt your putrid soul for all eternity, followed by the title-track Dualisme, living up to the legacy of Métal Noir Québécois, sounding caustic from start to finish while Michel’s beats alternate between sheer savagery and more cadenced, somber moments; and Michel hammers his drums in a nice Motörhead-style in Vers le pandæmonium while the music evolves into a sinister form of Black Metal led by the once again sick riffage by Pier-Luc and Alex. After such disturbing sonority, it’s then time for Kéven to smash his bass and kick off the even darker Géomancie, where their blast beats walk hand in hand with their wicked, malignant riffs, resulting in a full-bodied aria of extreme music
The second half of the album begins with two and a half minutes of modern-day Black Metal titled Hexenaat, again showcasing the demonic gnarls by Dan while his bandmates keep delivering endless evil through their sonic weapons, and get ready for a hurricane of blackened sounds titled Despotisme ecclésiastique, where all band members are on absolute fire, blasting their trademark Black Metal magic for our total delight. The band then offers our putrid ears the venomous Résurgence de l’obscurantisme, the second to last explosion of infernal Black Metal made in Quebec from the album, with once again their guitar duo sounding evil armed with their axes, always supported by the classic, rumbling bass by Kéven, flowing into Credo fractal, a phantasmagorical outro by Montreal-based artist Thisquietarmy that sounds and feels truly haunting, even cinematic at times, but that goes on for way too long reducing the level of energy and evil crafted by all previous songs.
Beholder are definitely a force to reckon hailing from the Quebec scene, and if you want to join their horde of the occult you can start following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, stream more of their music on Spotify, and of course purchase a copy of Dualisme from their own BandCamp page, from the Avantgarde Music’s BandCamp page, or from Sound Cave as a digipak CD or as a crystal clear vinyl. Raw and visceral, Dualisme showcases an excellent fusion of Métal Noir Québécois with 90’s Black Metal, and I bet you’re also going to have a great time listening to this sulfurous album.
Best moments of the album:Le vassal de la profanation, Géomancie and Despotisme ecclésiastique.
Worst moments of the album:Credo fractal.
Released in 2024 Avantgarde Music
Track listing 1. Le vassal de la profanation 4:22
2. Dualisme 5:51
3. Vers le pandæmonium 4:45
4. Géomancie 3:34
5. Hexenaat 2:34
6. Despotisme ecclésiastique 5:26
7. Résurgence de l’obscurantisme 3:49
8. Credo fractal 5:00
Band members Dan Mécréant – vocals
Pier-Luc Lavoie – guitars
Alex Bouchard – guitars
Kéven Tremblay – bass
Michel Murray – drums
Guest musician Thisquietarmy – everything on “Credo fractal”
Formed in the already distant year of 2000 in the city of Varna, Bulgaria, crafting a hybrid of Blackened Doom with fantasy-influenced lyrics, the unyielding Atmospheric Black/Doom Metal entity Darkflight has just unelashed upon mankind their fifth full-length opus, titled Entropy, following up on their 2017 album The Hereafter. Stronger than ever, and showcasing a melodic brilliance, the album proves that the band has matured and created a monumental work of sadness and despair, taking the listener on a soul reaping journey through afterlife and purgatory, all carefully brought into being by Milen Todorov on vocals and bass, Ivo Iliev on the guitars and synths, and Valentin Deskov on drums, being therefore perfect for admirers of the music by My Dying Bride, Anathema, and Katatonia.
In a nutshell, Entropy is a very well-crafted and detailed journey through the realms of Atmospheric Black and Doom Metal that truly deserves a full listen by any fan of good heavy music, and if you also want to know more about Darkflight, their tour dates and plans for the future, you can start following the band on Facebook, stream their music on Spotify or any other streaming service, and above all that, grab a copy of their striking new album from Symbol of Domination’s BandCamp page. The dark, pensive and mournful musical journey crafted by Darkflight in their new album will simply crush your hearts and souls, positioning them as one of the must-see names of the Bulgarian scene, and adding an extra layer of doom to the metal community worldwide.
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 