Μηλινόη
despair, dementia, dissent
black, death, funeral, dungeon, dark ambient, sadgaze, harsh electronics, intense (neo-)classical
Aesthetics of a loss - l’Égoisme (2018)
A decent slice of despondent melodic death metal from this Swedish one-man project. Particularly nice doomy feels on the final track, “Tomhetens lyrik”.
An unlikely partnering, but not altogether without merit: black metal and country meet on Deschain’s Grit Part II: Drift. Quite distinct from possible comparisons like Panopticon, the sound and concept here drift more towards the mythical West.
Evoken have released their most relevant album in years… check out my full review from last week.
Oh no, all of my angsty teen feels!!! Kyrkogård manage to tap into that late 90s era depressed metal mood really well with their recent Empathie Fatale demo. A doomy, blackened mini-trip that synthesises some of the best sounds from that era with a more recent sensibility. Reminds me quite a bit of Sleep White Winter’s lovely 2017 album, Degeneracy of Nostalgia, which I reviewed last winter: http://www.eveningoflight.nl/2017/11/29/degeneracy-of-nostalgia/.
Proper good moody autumnal black metal on this Mavradoxa / Deafest split from 2017 (Hypnotic Dirge). Getting definite Agalloch vibes on the Mavra half, incl. great neofolky stuff, while Deafest goes straight down the atmospheric black route.
You can get Neraterræ’s nice set of demos (The NHART Demo[n]s) for free from their Bandcamp. Some solid noisy dark ambient and death industrial material in here.
Obsequiae’s Aria of Vernal Tombs is one of the best metal albums of the decade, and it ended up on my turntable again this morning. Yes, it’s melodic death/black, but it doesn’t sound like any other melodic death/black, or any other metal band, period. Heavily steeped in early music, and not just in its gorgeous harp interludes, but throughout.
Raw and dissonant, Sanguinary Trance’s debut EP Wine, Song and Sacrifice is a solid piece of black metal with a ritual touch and a ‘classic’ feel. The long title track is an impressively unfolding beast, backed by two shorter and furious finishers.
Sarcófago’s The Laws of Scourge (1991, Relativity) inhabits that perfect point where thrash metal turns into black and death. In addition to that diverse blend, this album has a few unorthodox elements, too. A true classic.
Equal parts furious and pensive, Death Is Peace by Void Ritual (2018, Ipos Music) is the kind of atmospheric black metal album you keep returning to.
All revenue donated to the Coalition To Stop Violence Against Native Women. ???