Tag Archives: orthodox black metal

Album Review – Ofermod / Drakosophia (2025)

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This uncanny Swedish Blackened Death Metal creature returns with its fifth studio offering, a vessel for Theistic Satanism and left-hand-path esotericism in sonic form.

Lepaca Nox Draconis! Ho Drakon Ho Megas!

Steered by guitarist Belfagor (aka Mika Hakola) since 1996, having sewn influence and infamy in equal measure, the uncanny Swedish Blackened Death Metal creature Ofermod, whose name was taken from a 1953 Tolkien essay, used to describe a state of mind characterized by excessive pride, is unleashing upon humanity its highly anticipated new opus, titled Drakosophia. Recorded and produced by Swedish bassist Devo Andersson (Overflash, Marduk) at Endarker Studio, and displaying a sinister artwork by John Albin Hampus Ekberg of Mark of Cain Tattoo, the follow-up to their 2021 album Mysterium Iniquitatis offers an overdose of “Qliphotic Black Metal Magick”, a genuine Orthodox Black Metal album representing a vessel for Theistic Satanism and left-hand-path esotericism in sonic form, all carefully brought into being by Belfagor on the guitars alongside North American vocalist Adeptus, Austrian session drummer Florian Musil (Agrypnie, The Negative Bias, Theotoxin), and the aforementioned Devo Andersson on bass.

It’s a pulverizing feast of scathing Black Metal in the opening tune Aicha Kandisha, with the gnarling vocals by Adeptus transpiring evil accompanied by the ruthless drumming by Florian, whereas Devo and Florian deliver a beyond demonic kitchen in Vineyards of Gomorrah while the Stygian riffage by Belfagor summons all creatures of darkness. Then the title-track Drakosophia brings to our devilish ears a cryptic atmosphere boosted by the song’s background choirs while Adeptus continues to gnarl like a true demon, and Florian hammers his drums mercilessly while Belfagor delivers pure Black Metal from his axe in Malat Atat. After that we face the unique Zazas Zazas Nasatanada Zazas, where the music is as insane and complex as its name, and that’s simply majestic, resulting in one of their best creations to date led by the venomous gnarls by Adeptus.

Belialistic Gra’al Codex is another song with a very distinct name, where once again we see Belfagor and his horde crushing our damned souls with their infernal wall of sounds, with Florian kicking some serious ass behind his drums, followed by Nox Draconis, the most straightforward, in-your-face Black Metal song of all, with Belfagor extracting sheer malignancy from his guitar and, therefore, living up to the legacy of the style while also sounding fresh. Sinister Acolyte is just an average Black Metal tune by Ofermod, still very enjoyable but not as much as the other songs, while the last song of the album, titled The Painful Movers, is a demolishing beast blasted by the band, with the riffs and bass by Belfagor and Devo complementing each other in great fashion.

Invoked right from the beginning, Drakosophia is both classic Ofermod and a continual unfolding of their unique characteristic sound, dynamically sinister and vigorously menacing. You can find more information about Ofermod and their new opus on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their sulfurous creations on Spotify, and of course grab a copy of the album from the Regain Records’ BandCamp or from the Shadow Records’ webstore. Open your third eye and let Lucifer crush all cosmic illusions of time and space, and become born anew in the LVX of Phosphorus to the sound of Drakosophia; embrace this sonic Left Hand Path sorcery and mysticism, or stay far away from the sinister audial art of Ofermod.

Best moments of the album: Vineyards of Gomorrah, Zazas Zazas Nasatanada Zazas and Nox Draconis.

Worst moments of the album: Sinister Acolyte.

Released in 2025 Shadow Records/Regain Records

Track listing
1. Aicha Kandisha 4:03
2. Vineyards of Gomorrah 6:53
3. Drakosophia 3:56
4. Malat Atat 5:54
5. Zazas Zazas Nasatanada Zazas 4:30
6. Belialistic Gra’al Codex 5:14
7. Nox Draconis 5:04
8. Sinister Acolyte 4:51
9. The Painful Movers 4:26

Band members
Adeptus – lead vocals
Belfagor – guitars

Guest musicians
Devo Andersson – bass (session)
Florian Musil – drums (session)
Thomas Eriksson & Lars Broddesson – choir vocals

Album Review – Goatchrist / Odes to the Radiant One (2021)

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One of UK’s most talented underground entities is ready to mesmerize us all once again with his brand new Kabbalistic Progressive Black Metal album.

One year after the release of the excellent Apotheosis, Leeds, UK-based Experimental/Progressive Black Metal entity Goatchrist returns to action once again with a Kabbalistic Progressive Black Metal album entitled Odes to the Radiant One, a unique listening experience that will keep you hooked until the last minute. The brainchild of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist J. Guilherme (or Jacob Guilherme, if you prefer), Goatchrist nailed it once again with Odes to the Radiant One, containing both the experimental tendencies of Pythagoras and an Orthodox Black Metal basis for composition and, therefore, turning the album into a must-listen for fans of the most experimental side of extreme music.

The short and sweet intro Baruch Atta Adonai… warms up our souls for I, the Lawgiver, with Jacob already delivering crisp, piercing riffs and his trademark devilish gnarls, supported by the clean vocals by D. Tann to give the song’s poetic lyrics an extra punch (“I shall be, / Felled before the promised land art reached, / For of my needs and dreams: / I did not them feed.”). In other words, it’s all we want in Progressive Black Metal, whereas in The Emergence of Tiferet from that Qlipa which Envelopes Binah we’re treated to another round of Jacob’s unique words (“Each oneness can be divided into onenesses. / Each single ‘One’ is dependent on other ‘Ones’: / Whether a thought, or whether some force, / Or whether a glare or a stench or a roar, / All possess multiple ‘Ones’!”) amidst a fusion of Melodic Black Metal and progressive and symphonic elements. Guest D. Tann returns with his clean vocals in Proclamations of the Baal Shem Tov, while Jacob smashes his drums and slashes his axe in a very melodic and enfolding display of Black Metal, with its vocal paradox adding tons of feeling to the overall result.

Then ominous organ sounds are the main ingredient in Interlude, generating a whimsical ambience before we face Of the Sephirot (Which Art the Qlippoth), another solid Black Metal creation by Jacob showcasing his trademark growls intertwined with eccentric background sounds in a hybrid of extreme music and metaphysical theories. After such intense composition, eerie keys are quickly joined by blast beats and visceral guitars in Transcending the Boundaries of Ayin, with Jacob growling and gnarling like a demonic entity until the very last second; followed by A People Embattled (or, A Song for Those Who Wrestle with El), a classic Goatchrist song with a modern twist bringing to our ears Jacob’s unique fusion of heavy and melodic sounds, all of course spiced up by his wicked roars in a lesson in Progressive black Metal. In the second to last aria from the album, titled Jacob’s Ladder, Jacob offers more obscure and sluggish sounds by adding elements of Doom Metal such as damned beats to Goatchrist’s core sonority, sounding grim and dark until the very end. Lastly, Jacob brings to our ears Im HaShem Lo Yivneh Bayis, his own metallic rendition to a traditional Jewish song that means “unless the Lord builds the house”, also known as “Shomer Yisrael” or “Guardian Of Israel”, putting an upbeat and vibrant ending to the album.

In summary, in the very detailed and exciting Odes to the Radiant One, which is available for a full listen on YouTube, Jacob and his Goatchrist continue to explore the Kabbalah and its importance in Jewish mysticism in a very entertaining way without losing the project’s darkened core sound, proving once again how talented Jacob is and how easily he can incorporate non-metal elements to his Experimental and Progressive Black Metal. Hence, don’t forget to pay him a visit on Facebook to keep up to date with all things Goatchrist, and more important than that, to purchase Odes to the Radiant One from his own BandCamp page, showing all your admiration and support to the underground. And may Jacob release more albums like his latest ones in the near future in honor of his own cultural heritage and, of course, in the name of good extreme music.

Best moments of the album: I, the Lawgiver, Proclamations of the Baal Shem Tov and A People Embattled (or, A Song for Those Who Wrestle with El).

Worst moments of the album: Transcending the Boundaries of Ayin.

Released in 2021 Independent

Track listing
1. Baruch Atta Adonai… 0:22
2. I, the Lawgiver 6:32
3. The Emergence of Tiferet from that Qlipa which Envelopes Binah 4:48
4. Proclamations of the Baal Shem Tov 6:56
5. Interlude 1:22
6. Of the Sephirot (Which Art the Qlippoth) 6:22
7. Transcending the Boundaries of Ayin 4:03
8. A People Embattled (or, A Song for Those Who Wrestle with El) 5:14
9. Jacob’s Ladder 4:52
10. Im HaShem Lo Yivneh Bayis 3:48

Band members
J. Guilherme – vocals, all instruments

Guest musician
D. Tann – clean vocals on “I, the Lawgiver” and “Proclamations of the Baal Shem Tov”

Album Review – Svartulven / Ruins of Desolation, Transcendence for the Other Side (2021)

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Immerse yourself into the 40 minutes of Orthodox Black Metal split into seven obscure arias carefully crafted by an up-and-coming horde from the Hellenic Republic.

3.5rating

If you’re an admirer of the darkest side of extreme music it’s time for you to enjoy some Orthodox Black Metal made in Greece in the vein of Misotheist and Ascension, courtesy of an occult and mystic entity known as Svartulven armed with their debut opus entitled Ruins of Desolation, Transcendence for the Other Side. Mixed by Nikos Trialonis at Goblin’s Lair Studios in Greece, mastered by V.Santura at Woodshed Studio in Germany, and displaying a cryptic cover artwork by Adrian Baxter, the album brings forward 40 minutes of ass-kicking Black Metal split into seven obscure arias carefully crafted by this up-and-coming horde from the Hellenic Republic.

Arising from the depths of the underworld, this uncanny band comes ripping with their phantasmagorical sounds in Witness of Fire Beyond, with its venomous roars and strident riffs penetrating deep inside your psyche in a great display of sulfurous Black Metal, whereas Svartulven in Twilight begins in full force with its pounding drums hammering our cranial skulls mercilessly, also displaying an amazing fusion of visceral screams with some background vocalizations and, therefore, being highly recommended for fans of a more progressive and diverse style of Black Metal. And continuing their path of devastation, obscurity and evil, Svartulven deliver the straightforward extravaganza Therianthropic Metamorphosis, again presenting classic blast beats, Stygian guitars, low-tuned bass lines, and a crushing sense of despair that permeates the air until the very last second.

The Parable of Abel offers us all five minutes of sheer darkness in the form of old school Black Metal, or in other words, it’s another amazing example of what the band is capable of doing, with the song’s razor-edged riffs generating a pulverizing paradox with its groovy bass jabs. Back to a more classic sound, Herald of Eternal Damnation presents a mid-tempo start spearheaded by their always harsh vociferations that explodes into an avalanche of brutality and violence, resulting in a lecture in Black Metal by such talented Hellenic outfit. Their second to last onrush of extreme music comes in the form of Feast for the Black Earth, again showcasing a heavier-than-hell kitchen, a sinister atmosphere and sharp riffs for our total delight, before the band crushes us one last time with The Crystal Scythe of the Old, a beyond caustic composition where its wicked vocals and a disturbing ambience will haunt our damned souls until all fades into the unknown.

The gates to the Hellenic underworld are open thanks to Svartulven and their Ruins of Desolation, Transcendence for the Other Side, and in order to join them in their quest for extreme music you can start following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, and soon purchase a copy of their austere new album from Dark Terror Temple’s BandCamp page or webstore, proving you’re a true servant of darkness. Although the names of the musicians that are part of such distinguished horde are unknown, in the end that’s just a minor detail taking into account the high quality of the music found in their debut effort, and they can keep their identities as secret as they want as long as they keep delivering more of their incendiary Black Metal for many years to come.

Best moments of the album: Svartulven in Twilight and Herald of Eternal Damnation.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2021 Dark Terror Temple/The Chalice Prod

Track listing
1. Witness of Fire Beyond 7:01
2. Svartulven in Twilight 4:59
3. Therianthropic Metamorphosis 6:30
4. The Parable of Abel 5:15
5. Herald of Eternal Damnation 4:19
6. Feast for the Black Earth 4:35
7. The Crystal Scythe of the Old 6:01

Band members
*Information not available*