Tag Archives: black metal

Malthusian – Across Deaths

by Matt Matheson

The Music

The Words

Five years after tantalizing the death metal world with their MMXIII demo and three years removed from another promising EP, Below the Hengiform, Ireland’s quasi-supergroup Malthusian has finally delivered a full-length that lives up to their monstrous potential. Members of the quartet have roots in Altar of Plagues, Mourning Beloveth, and Wreck of the Hesperus, among other acts. Malthusian’s musical mission, as their moniker suggests, is to spread a prophetic warning of overpopulation: the idea that human growth is unsustainable and will lead to a global catastrophe as our resource usage exceeds … Read more

Laudare – d.é.o.m.é.

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Life is a neverending game of catchup, recently demonstrated with Ryorchestra‘s overdue review, and today is Laudare‘s turn. d.é.o.m.é. was released in July and completely flew under my radar. The reason being that the band’s main music genre on bandcamp is “alternative”, a category I seldom if ever survey. I think it would do the band a great favour to change this to “metal”, and then complete with appropriate genre tags. But, in the end, the album has found its way to my ears, and I’m glad it did, because it’s phantastic.

The German … Read more

The Key to Nchuandzel –
N’gasta! Kvata! Kvakis!

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music?

The Words

The tentacled brain behind The Key to Nchuandzel has long teased me about the existence of the N’gasta! Kvata! Kvakis! album, withholding me the privilege of being able to listen to it, peer into its essence, become shattered by its gaze… Fortunately, the time of reckoning is here and the Key is unleashed, for all to be enraptured.

In twenty minutes and five tracks, The Key to Nchuandzel bewilders and astonishes incessantly with its improbable but characteristic black metal. Black metal? That’s the idea I had at first, but I’m far from being certain anymore. Grindcore, … Read more

Délétère – De hōrae leprae

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Of leper hours–De hōrae leprae–; of Terēdinis the leper–”Terēdinis lepra”–, prophet of the Centipèdes. Dejection of society, leprous and miasmatic, offering sacrifices to Locusta; eat the rich! eat the rich! and offer sigils your rotting canvas. Forty days and countless plagued souls for thirteen Chthonians to rid the world of the light. The heir of boreworms, Terēdinis, ventures into the nine Circles to cast pestilence upon the world.

That’s the concept behind the album, in a nutshell. Délétère, from Québec, offers us the newest release in the exclusive “métal noir québécois” genre. This … Read more

Inhumankind – Self-Extinction

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

The Spanish duo of Pablo Selnik and Àlex Reviriego, Inhumankind, was one of the surprises of the Spring. It would seem indeed rather bare to have a flute and double bass duo alone play songs inspired by black metal! Fortunately, the two musicians are joined by three competent singers: the harmonized vocals of Celeste Alías and Marta Valero, and the growls of Eric Baule. At first, I didn’t expect much — many projects claiming to bridge classical music and metal have come and gone without any memorable release —, but Inhumankind are able to keep … Read more