Tag Archives: fiadh productions

Album Review – Völva / Desires Profane (2024)

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Behold the new album by these three ruthless Swedish Black Metal ladies, a howling, hate-filled voice of rage, fueled by the fire and the fists that have subjugated womankind.

“Like the screams from a thousand vengeful souls from the witch’s bonfire.” – Vittra describes the sound of Völva

Forged in 2018 in in the simmering underground cauldrons of Punk and Black Metal of Malmö, Sweden, Black Metal/Crust outfit Völva will crush your damned soul to pieces in their new album, titled Desires Profane, a howling, hate-filled voice of rage, fueled by the fire and the fists that have subjugated womankind since the old ways were undone by the insidious Christian contamination of the world. Recorded by Oliver Dah in Studio Quaalude, mixed and mastered by Ulf Blomberg at Hoborec, and with a cryptic artwork by The Black Bird Sings, the first full-length album by vocalist and bassist Hedonosticia, guitarist Vittra and drummer Skuld seeks to explore Satanic Feminism, breaking away from conformity and exploring a higher purpose through free will, body and lust, all while being recommended for admirers of the caustic creations by Darkthrone, Urgehal, Wolfbastard and Taake, among many others.

Their evil, dirty and cryptic feast of Black Metal kicks off in full force with The Tower (check their performance playing this amazing song at Quaalude Sessions #15), with Hedonosticia already crushing our minds with her she-wolf gnarls, and it’s time to walk through the fires of hell together with those talented Sweds in Walk With Me, with Vittra showing no mercy for our souls, blasting infernal riffs nonstop. They then go full Black Metal in Expulsion of the Flesh, delivering endless animosity and darkness, with Hedonosticia’s harsh vocals sounding utterly piercing; followed by Inverted Cross, displaying a beautiful name for another explosion of Black Metal magic by the trio, again melting our faces with their unrelenting savagery, blast beats and hellish growls, before we face five minutes of sluggish, grim and visceral passages in Never Forgive, showcasing elements of Doom Metal added to their devilish core essence.

And they keep hammering our putrid souls with their blend of Black Metal and Crust in The Serpent, also delivering elements of Death Metal and Blackened Death Metal, led by the infernal roars by Hedonosticia and the massive beats by Skuld, whereas Perpetual Putrefaction sounds a bit generic compared to the rest of the album, albeit still presenting the band’s characteristic blasphemous, demonic sounds. Asmodeus is one of the most infuriated of all songs in Desires Profane where Vittra’s riffs are the epitome of evil, sounding devilishly metallic, while Hedonosticia continues to summon the creatures of the underworld with her she-demon gnarls; followed by Salvation, another evil onrush of Black Metal masterfully brought into being by the band, living up to the legacy of Swedish Black Metal, with Skuld once again kicking ass on drums. And last but not least, they offer us all a ruthless Black Metal extravaganza titled Vagabond, reminding me of some of the most wicked creations by the mighty Skeletonwitch.

In summary, those three Swedish ladies sound absolutely insane and on fire throughout their entire newborn beast, proving once again that women not only have their place in heavy music, but that they can also sound heavier, darker and more caustic than any man. Hence, you can check what they’re up to on Instagram, including their tour dates, stream their creations on any streaming service like Spotify, and grab a copy of their scathing new album from their own BandCamp, from the Grind To Death Records’ BandCamp, or from the Fiadh Productions’ BandCamp, helping them spread their infernal howl in the name of feminism and Black Metal to all four corners of our sexist and decaying world.

Best moments of the album: Expulsion of the Flesh, The Serpent and Asmodeus.

Worst moments of the album: Perpetual Putrefaction.

Released in 2024 Grind To Death Records/Fiadh Productions

Track listing
1. The Tower 4:10
2. Walk With Me 2:59
3. Expulsion of the Flesh 3:45
4. Inverted Cross 3:12
5. Never Forgive 5:19
6. The Serpent 3:42
7. Perpetual Putrefaction 2:30
8. Asmodeus 2:31
9. Salvation 4:38
10. Vagabond 2:28

Band members
Hedonosticia – vocals, bass
Vittra – guitars, backing vocals
Skuld – drums, backing vocals

Album Review – Bull of Apis Bull of Bronze / The Fractal Ouroboros (2023)

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A rising force in the American Black Metal scene returns with their stunning, antifascist sophomore album, a brief on occult liberation in seven parts.

Playing what they like to label as “Antifascist Black Metal Liberation Rituals”, the cryptic Colorado, United States-based Black Metal entity Bull of Apis Bull of Bronze stands as a knife pointed to the throat of any who seek to maintain the oppressive systems of white supremacy and fascism that continue to fester in our societies. Formed of Achaierai (aka Cooper Stapleton) on vocals and synths, Athshean (aka Dylan Rupe) on the guitars, bass, harmonium and synths, and Yaeth (aka Jon Lervold) on drums, the band is unleashing upon our rotten society their sophomore opus, titled The Fractal Ouroboros, the follow-up to their 2019 effort Offerings of Flesh and Gold. Mixed and mastered by Jon Lervold at Big Name Recording Studio, and displaying a stunning artwork by Alex CF, The Fractal Ouroboros is as grim and dark as it’s delicate and touching, being a must-listen for admirers of classic Black Metal with a strong atmospheric and epic vein.

As if a ritual was about to begin, tribalistic drums and eerie sounds permeate the air in the opening aria Trophy, growing in intensity until exploding in a dissonant, visceral Black Metal extravaganza led by the harsh roars by Achaierai and the piercing riffs by Athshean, while also morphing into an atmospheric creature during its last part before all erupts once again as majestic Black Metal. Their mysterious, uncanny Black Metal feast goes on in A History of Cages and Broken Bones, with the sinister riffs by Athshean making a beautiful paradox with the Blackened Doom drums by Yaeth; and the guitars by Athshean will darken your thoughts in Suffocate O Earthen Lungs; They Now Lungs of Ash, also showcasing flammable words majestically growled by Achaierai (“A fire to burn our beginning away / A fire to erase the roots / A fire to destroy indigene / A fire to keep us gasping”), whereas the Atmospheric Black Metal tune Annihilation starts in an ethereal, enigmatic vibe and moves on in a smooth and compelling manner, with Achaierai delivering his deepest, most delicate clean vocals while declaiming the song’s poetic lyrics (“The sunset fires catch / The dust, hanged throughout the air / Screaming glints against a bruising sky”).

More of the trio’s tribal sounds are offered to the listener in Liberation Ritual, an extended interlude that will drag your soul to their Stygian realm, sounding absolutely hypnotizing and working perfectly as the predecessor to Our Overt Apocalypse, bringing forward 13 minutes of dark passages, somber nuances and pensive tones,  with Yaeth sounding bestial behind his drums and, therefore, adding an extra touch of heaviness and insanity to the music while Achaierai continues to bark and roar nonstop. Not only that, the song also offers several different layers, breaks, variations and everything else we love in Atmospheric Black Metal, not to mention how devilish the riffage by Athshean feels. Lastly, Bull of Apis Bull of Bronze will attack our senses one final time with 15 minutes of first-class Black Metal titled Ekstasis, Enstasis, and The Fractal Ouroboros, with Achaierai leading his bandmates with his desperate screams while Athshean and Yaeth sound absolutely demolishing and ruthless with their riffs, bass lines and pounding drums, resulting in a fantastic and climatic conclusion to the album that leaves us eager for more of their music in a not-so-distant future.

“Over three years in the making, The Fractal Ouroboros is the embodiment of grief, catharsis, and empowerment”, commented the band about their imposing new album, and if you want to know more about this multi-talented American trio you can find them on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their music on Spotify, and of course grab your copy of the demolishing The Fractal Ouroboros from their own BandCamp page, as well as from the Vita Detestabilis Records’ BandCamp page, from the Fiadh Productions’ BandCamp page, or from Apple Music. Dismantle the police, dismantle all prisons, protect trans kids, black lives matter, indigineous voices matter. This is Bull of Apis Bull of Bronze, and they’re among us to open our eyes against all that’s wrong in our world with The Fractal Ouroboros, a brief on occult liberation in seven parts that will help them easily cement their names in the Black Metal scene worldwide.

Best moments of the album: Trophy, Suffocate O Earthen Lungs; They Now Lungs of Ash and Ekstasis, Enstasis, and The Fractal Ouroboros.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Vita Detestabilis Records/Fiadh Productions

Track listing
1. Trophy 11:52
2. A History of Cages and Broken Bones 6:49
3. Suffocate O Earthen Lungs; They Now Lungs of Ash 10:51
4. Annihilation 9:41
5. Liberation Ritual 5:49
6. Our Overt Apocalypse 13:31
7. Ekstasis, Enstasis, and The Fractal Ouroboros 15:57

Band members
Achaierai – vocals, synths
Athshean – guitars, bass, harmonium, synths
Yaeth – drums