BANDCAMP MISANTHROPY: Volume 31

The bottomless wellspring of Bandcamp is overflowing with great shit just waiting to be discovered. This series, grimly reborn from the earliest years of BMD, aims to shine light on the freshest emanations and foulest incantations from its darkest corners, a few artists at a time (and always at NYP/minimum price). Here’s the thirty-first installment for your vulgar delectation; now in new mini-review format with ratings bestowed upon each release. Hails.

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Dratna – Fomóraigh

Kicking off this round of releases we have a recommendation from our erudite Nathan Hassall, who alerts us to one from back in March:

“Northern Irish black metal band DRATNA releases another excellent album. Mixing up the softer/more atmospheric side of folkish black metal with acoustic licks, then dropping into straight-up old-school fire with smatterings of heavy metal-like riffs, to some synth-driven passages, there’s something here for all.

They manage to keep it cohesive, and emotionally engaging, much like their fantastic 2022 release. A mythological fanfare–even a Vargrav-styled track appears mid-way thru. Check it out, it’s great.”

Tapes sold out via Fiadh Productions, still available at Name Your Price download. Grab it.

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Gennembore – Demo

Next on the chopping block: I know some of you out there are slack bastards, so just in case you missed this one from back in April, get on it now. The shadowed USBM (but if you told me it was by a French or Québécois artist instead of American I’d probably believe you) quartet of GENNEMBORE explode in a clash of iron and steel with their very first demo, raising both the spirit and the hackles on your neck with four frantic, insistent yet haunted compositions penned right on the battlefield. Triumphant riffage is firmly embedded within a snarling, raw ferocity that even touches on punkiness, particularly within tracks like ‘War’ (huh, wow) – overall, a very impressive debut with few missteps, although anyone not particularly fond of higher-pitched shriek vocals may struggle. Anyway, Name Your Price download from the Death Prayer Records Bandcamp ($4 from the artist, for some reason). Good.

RATING: 4 / 5 unsheathed swords.

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Mystical Forces – Occultus Wolven

If this is your first encounter with the UK black metal/dungeon duo of Gate Master and Count Vornok‘s MYSTICAL FORCES, just read this and you’ll get an idea what it’s all about: “The initial guitar and drums were recorded live by the shadows cast from six black scented candles – crafted at England’s last surviving witchcraft apothecary – at specific points in the lunar cycle, deep in the Suffolk countryside, to assist in our evocation and enlightenment. These sessions brought forth visions and signs; a recurring motif was one of a wolf – eyes burning with lust and intent – slowly circling mankind, ever watchful and waiting to strike. Our experiences were chronicled over many nights in grimoires, now sealed and buried in an undisclosed location.”

Witchcraft and wolven mythological black metal. What’s not to like? Well, the drum sound, mix and production could do with further tweaking – I say further because it’s inexplicably less obfuscated than their debut, when I would have preferred them to head further down the raw and distorted route – but it’s a solid release and I do like these English styled, synth-draped shenanigans (although there’s less of their excellent DS/ambient tracks on this one, which is a shame). I just prefer their debut a bit more. Nab this for one pound on Bandcamp.

RATING: 2.4 / 5 howls at the moon.

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Sovnya – Crawling Above From Below

More solid black punk, released in April, from the USA. It’s fairly good, with a bit of teeth to it (and that cover art is great), but the best thing about it is when halfway through the ultimate composition ‘Black Earth Opened’ it sounds like the Earth actually is opening and a fuckin’ UFO is powering up and taking off from within or some shit. It’s fucking awesome. Listen to it and buy it at Name Your Price for that reason alone, then head back to enjoy the rest of it. Hails.

RATING: 3 / 5 …the truth is out there.

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Perdition Winds – Burning Spiritual Crypts

Next on the chopping block is a glistening slab of Finnish Black Metal glory (with a touch of Sweden a-la Funeral Mist or Watain, perhaps) from the well-known obsidian knights of PERDITION WINDS, who’ve been marching towards the savage darkness for thirteen years now. No surprise that this does everything you would hope for, with excellent vocals and strong songwriting – and it’s also one dollar from Hellthrasher Productions, so you can’t really go wrong, can you? That’s right, you can’t.

RATING: 4 / 5, as you’d expect from these gents.

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Orthodox Impaler – Pilgrimage of Hate and Mutilation

Odd fact: I’ve seen three different cover arts floating around for this and it’s only a digital release from April. Weird. Anyway, this cacophonic collection of raw, rotting and diabolical shred (yes, this shreds) is quite compelling in the same way that looking at a dead body is quite compelling. Great vocals that sound genuinely disturbed, sick riffs and punkish tempos – the duo of Impaler Grim and Repulsive Impaler (if you’re a genius you might sense a theme here) have exhumed a strong debut and foundation with which to build their hateful kingdom upon; let’s see where they go from here. $1 to snap this up.

RATING: 3.5 / 5 gnawed skulls.

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Bellum Mortis – The Woeful Steel

The Ordo Vampyr Orientis rides again! This dropped back in March but I’m horrendously slack in sharing it – which I’ll completely own as a criminal mistake because this two track EP is fucking excellent. Glorious, careening black metal fury that flies equally as close to utter pandemonium as it does the most epic shit you’ve ever heard, I fucking dare you to not push replay on this immediately after it stops playing (pro tip: you’ll lose that dare). Castle keep and battlefields deep black metal… mighty is the hand that wields the sword indeed. Name Your Price.

RATING: 4.2 / 5 … better be an album coming soon.

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Trhhht – Incantation of the Esoteric Light

AS THE VESSEL OF THE FLESH
AS THE PILLAR OF THE SOUL
AXIS MUNDI CONNECTING
TO THE PLACE BEYOND THE DARK SKY

Indonesian death mysticism, radiating divine angles of the fractalling esoteric impure upon us all – yes, the debut album of bestial black death priests Trhhht (try saying that out loud) is surely barbarity from another plane of existence. Their savage assault might not provide much depth or deviation, but if this type of brutality is your thing you’ll be purchasing before the first track finishes – oh, and they close things off with an Archgoat cover, just in case the point hadn’t been hammered home yet. Name Your Price, killer stuff.

RATING: 4 / 5 red-eyed goats.

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_

Aaaaaand to end on the customary unusual note… you want true cult? This project doesn’t have a name. Or an album title. Shit, not even a track title. Bandcamp says it’s from Antarctica. The URL calls it anonvoid… and the music itself is total, improvisational sounding raw hell, replete with transcendent flames licking at your soul. This lone 16-minute track of lo-fi abrasion is not for the faint hearted, but what it does build over the course of its runtime and evolutions is something epic that you may want to experience again and again… if you can ever find it in a Google search. Just bookmark the below link; or pick it up now at Name Your Price download. For fans of Chemin de Croix/CDC.

RATING: _ / 5 …the void is infinite.

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Follow Black Metal Daily on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify and Bandcamp HERE for more cult sounds and tonal blasphemy.

BANDCAMP MISANTHROPY: Volume 30

The bottomless wellspring of Bandcamp is overflowing with great shit just waiting to be discovered. This series, grimly reborn from the earliest years of BMD, aims to shine light on the freshest emanations and foulest incantations from its darkest corners, a few artists at a time (and always at NYP/minimum price). Here’s the thirtieth installment for your vulgar delectation; now in new mini-review format with ratings bestowed upon each release. Hails.

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Misanthropæ – MMXXIII EP

What better way to kick things off than with the aptly named MISANTHROPÆ, the New York dissoblack/death/grind unit which I totally fucked up on regarding mentioning it in my best of April post the other day. Nevermind – MMXXIII EP still hits just as hard a few days later, with a knack for chewing you up and spitting you out that many bands of similar ilk fail to master. Punishing stuff, fantastic drums, great Misanthropic Art cover (misanthropy all around!). Released April 28th, physical copies coming soon. FFO: Ad Nauseum, Mico, Ulcerate.

RATING: 7/10

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Avowd – Vol.1

A one-two punch of dissonant obliteration to ring in the new and improved Bandcamp Misanthropy? Why not. Another that should have made mention in the best of its respective month if I wasn’t such a forgetful cunt, Chicago’s AVOWD play spectacularly constructed chaos with tempered steel hiding at the core of its blazing flame. Released 31st March, their debut EP is of course a bit short, but this is a genuinely dazzling first strike that’ll knock you on your ass if you missed it the first time – like me. Don’t be like me, I’m a cunt. Listen now. FFO: DsO, Thantifaxanth, Suffering Hour.

RATING: 7.5/10

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Black Lycanthropy – For Satan’s Eternal Glory

Back with another killer demo is Detroit (why the fuck are all these bands American so far?) apex Satanist BLACK LYCANTHROPY, whose sole practitioner Infernal Werewolf (also of Genocidal Rites) once again tears us back through the rent veil of time to bask in the sheer power and dark ferocity of the ’90s; and all For Satan’s Eternal Glory. Two stirring, memorable tracks that do absolutely nothing new yet just about nail everything you’d want, I’m hoping he lays down a full-length soon because this brand of raw satanic hatred is damn close to what I’ve been fiending for since 1994. Plus I’d like to hear what he can do with a few tweaks and more space to let the timeless blood flow. Released April 8th. FFO: Sargeist, Satanic Warmaster.

RATING: 7.5/10

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Wierde – Thiusa hem

Do you like early ’90s Norsk folk black? So do Netherlands duo WIERDE. And I mean… they like it a LOT. Based upon “local history, townfolk and workers as inspiration”, their lyrics might be an interpretation of Old Low Franconian but the compositions are pure Scandinavian heathenism. Whilst some of the “homages” come on a bit strong – second track ‘Thorp onsaro, I’ is so blatantly intended to be ‘Neslepaks’ Part Two they almost owe Fenriz royalties, whilst other moments may as well have been co-written by Valfar or Varg – it manages to mostly escape any “larping” feel and instead is a rather great folk-black album with many flashes of brilliance (if a touch disjointed). Released May 1st, tapes coming soon. FFO: Early Enslaved, Isengard, Windir, Burzum, Vintersorg, Kampfar… you get the idea.

RATING: 8/10

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Pénombre – Lueur Noire

I’ve been a long time appreciator of the many works of prolific Québécois master Comte Bergaby, so a new PÉNOMBRE full length is very, very welcome. Lueur Noire snarls and howls with pure nocturnal might and fury, a relentless blizzard of frozen riffs and cruel, unforgiving black bitterness – by its stark and simplistic nature it begins to wear a little thin here and there, but is still a great listen and always manages to bring you back (the production is on point, too). Old school as fuck, hail the old ways and ancient magics. Released April 22nd. FFO: Darkthrone, Judas Iscariot, Skuggeheim (who just released a discography compilation via Terratur, by the way).

RATING: 6.5/10

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Petrale – Salvation Precipitates

“Not everything that comes from the heavens brings salvation. Especially when the abyss is emtpy.” That above Bandcamp quote more-or-less sums up the relationship I have with Salvation Precipitates, the seventh full length record from Croatian infernalists PETRALE: the “abyssal” or menacing dissoblack elements are fine and meaty enough, if a little standard and not really too demanding of a return trip… but it’s when sole practitioner Petrale (who does an admiral job of reinventing himself with every album) lets his freak flag fly with those wild funk/swing/progressive rock elements raining down from the heavens that the album REALLY comes alive. The last three tracks and album opener are the winners here; with a little more of that, Salvation Precipitates might have been a 10/10 album. As it is, it’s still great. Released May 2nd, tapes available via Necroeucharist Productions. FFO: Fun bass playing in black metal, groovin’.

RATING: 7/10

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In Seance – Deathverse

US/Italian duo IN SEANCE aren’t fucking about on their third full length, Deathverse; this beast comes belting out of the gate and rarely eases up for the duration, unless it’s to sprinkle some atonal leads around or take us on a brief atmospheric trip. They’ve got the right idea and their brutal approach isn’t lacking in enthusiasm, it’s simply the execution that falls a little short; with further refinement and honing of weapons they might become a force to be reckoned with. Released April 7th, chuck it on if you feel like a blast assault on the rawer side. I’ll be watching where they go from here. FFO: Merzuul, Marduk.

RATING: 5/10

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Chemin de Croix – MMXXIII

More raw, old school Québécois goodness in this debut demo from the mysterious CHEMIN DE CROIX, but this time theological themed and following a far more French style of riffing, whilst also taking the production as lo-fi as it can go. The wafer-thin sound is delicious as it creates a dusted, crumbling atmosphere, only let down by the slightly gnarled timbre of the vocals – beautiful yet flawed, or beautifully flawed? That’s up to you, but overall it conjures faded images of faith and despair (much like the cover art), which is a very good thing. Released April 25th. FFO: Sacrilegious Crown, Givre, French riffs.

RATING: 6.5/10

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Devil Dick – Sodomizer of the Goat’s Virgin Cunt

Aaaaaaand in keeping with the age-old Bandcamp Misanthropy tradition of finishing on a fucking weird note, we have DEVIL DICK. If the nonsensical title and ridiculous album art don’t clue you up as to what you’re in for, try reading the track titles – and then listen and be further disappointed, as this is borderline sonic garbage. The humour potential isn’t capitalised on at all, as each track is merely a short, sharp blast of minimum-effort raw industrial black noisegrind that vomit one after another in 20 second convulsions until it all becomes a blur less than two minutes in. There are a couple of passable moments throughout and the final track improves on all the rest due to having an extra two and a half minutes to assault the ears (fans of HNW may appreciate), but overall I’d rather be forced to slob Satan’s 3-foot knob for all eternity than listen to it again. Which is the whole point of it all, really. Released April 30th, grab it if you like one trick ponies and shitposting. FFO: dick jokes.

RATING: 1/10

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Follow Black Metal Daily on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify and Bandcamp HERE for more cult sounds and tonal blasphemy.

BANDCAMP MISANTHROPY – Volume 29

The bottomless wellspring of Bandcamp is overflowing with great shit just waiting to be discovered. This series aims to shine light on the freshest emanations and foulest incantations from its darkest corners, a few artists at a time. Here’s the twenty-ninth installment for your vulgar delectation – with more music and less words than ever before so we can fit in even more fetid recommendations. Plus, we’ve started giving a quick rating out of 5 to every release covered. Enjoy.

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Artist: EBONY PENDANT

Year: 2021

Kicking off with one that’s not actually name-your-price, but their releases are available for a single measly dollar each so it fucking counts, alright? Released January 1st, US entity Ebony Pendant‘s latest release The Garden Of Strangling Roots is an EP that sees sole practitioner S.C. perfect his formula even further, with better production, colder riffs and songs that keep you coming back for more – and I’m living proof of that, this has been one of my most played releases so far this year. From the abject misery of the foreboding title track to the frenetic savagery and magnificent yearning thirst of ‘Vampyric Bloodlust’, this garden is filled with death… and this record is overflowing with superb tunes. Vinyl on the way via GoatowaRex, Cassettes already sold out from Forbidden Sonority, CD by Grime Stone Records. Do not miss.

RATING: 4.1 / 5 swinging corpses

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Artist: CRUEL MASTER

Year: 2021

In case you somehow can’t tell by the cover art – this is NASTY shit. Sadistic. The kind of thing you didn’t want to tell your mother you’re listening to when you were a kid. Repeat Offender is Cruel Master‘s tenth slice of filth and this US black/deathpunk entity just wants to hurt you, again and again. Four short songs, filled with hatred and perversion, that will have you begging for the taste of the blade… name-your-price, alongside the rest of the discography. On your knees, scum.

RATING: 3.7 / 5 twisted knives

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Artist: LIONOKA

Year: 2021

“A melodic and folk-infused take on raw black metal, LIONOKA (meaning prayer or the speech of god) is an exploration of spirituality through the lens of a modern day Native American, with lineage tracing back to the Yaqui tribe of Mexico and Arizona.”

What that above quote doesn’t tell you is that US solo project Lionoka‘s debut album Tides Of Triumph is absolutely fantastic. The product of one Daniel Cornejo (who takes care of everything here bar the mastering, handled by Alex Poole), the album opens with 15 minutes of sweeping, traditional folk infused, melodic and occasionally post-punkish raw black that will engulf your soul and elicit spiritual rebirth in a blazing pyre to the starry skies… and that’s just the first track ‘Many Faces Of The Great Spirit’, just wait until you hear the rest of it.

Name-your-price with tapes also available via Old Mill Artifacts, I suggest you hunt one down even after you grab a digital as it’s one of the sleeper hits of the year thus far. Magnificently tribal and touching stuff.

RATING: 4.4 / 5 divine destinies

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Artist: EKDIKĒSIS

Year: 2021

One word: horrifying. More words? Brand new experimental solo project Ekdikēsis is roaring, churning, meat-grinder dissonance rising like magma from the depths of Iceland to envelop and destroy every last cell in your body. Radio samples and field recordings scatter throughout the compositions, ambient sections chill to the bone – I’ve no idea who’s behind it all (although their first album was dedicated to Hjalti H. Indriðason, a member of their family who sadly passed last November) but Canvas Of A New Dawn is their second album in as many months and both are remarkably compelling. So, whoever they are, I hope they keep vomiting forth albums like a crazed madman for the foreseeable future.

Name-your-price, and be sure to check out the SLIGHTLY more “black metal” debut Schizomenous as well.

RATING: 3.6 / 5 mental breakdowns

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Artist: Μνήμα

Year: 2021

“Respect to the grind bands out there” says a simple note at the bottom of the Bandcamp page for the mysterious and malignant Μνήμα‘s latest EP Spectres Of Oblivion, which is an indication of the hideous sounds on offer this time around – none of the tracks here are over three minutes long, with most being somewhere in the vicinity of one to two minutes. However, if you’re at all familiar with the violent death rattle produced by this project you’ll know that’s all the time it needs to shove black claws up your nose and scrape them down the inside of your skull, signing its cursed name on bone and damning you forevermore. Sick riffs (bass riffs!), carnage drums, torture vomit vocals… download this and destroy yourself. Name-your-price, as always, with tape on the way via Phantom Lure. One of the best raw black projects out there.

RATING: 4.2 / 5 howled curses

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Artist: SJÄRNFÄLT

Year: 2020

I completely missed the debut album of Swedish solo astronaut Sjärnfält when it dropped late last year and came out on CD via Beverina Productions; it’s only been drawn to my attention now because there’s a tape coming out via BMD favourites Fólkvangr Records. Do I once again have the mighty Fólkvangr to thank for unearthing a dazzling hidden gem? You bet I do, as Ascension takes the electronic wiring of astral Australians Mesarthim and somehow reconfigures it into an altogether more authentic and emotional exploration of the macrocosmos. Once again, I’ve no idea who main man M is but he sure as hell pens some epic tracks – from the awe inspiring intro to ‘Procession’ to the ultimate climax of ‘Ascension’, these four lengthy compositions grip you tight and hold fast, mesmerizing you mind and putting your body in an extended cryosleep so that you can safely partake in their interstellar endeavour across the breathtaking infinite expanse. Don’t miss this tape when it drops on March 5th, but in the meantime – grab a digital for just $1.

RATING: 4 / 5 space odysseys

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Artist: VØLUS

Year: 2021

Keen for some loose, gnarly blackened death that grinds along like a fucked up tank across a battlefield covered in dead bodies? Vølus has what you need, you wretched bastard. This surprise EP Deadstar Illumination is deliciously raw, lurching and clattering with war-metal sensibilities and some guttural croaked vocals. At three tracks that are each less than three minutes long there’s not much too it, but for what it is it hits the spot – plus, I’m a personal fan of the drum sound. And I like the parts that sound like machine guns. Which is a lot.

Released a couple days ago via Vargheist Records. Name-your-price.

RATING: 3 / 5 crushed skulls

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Artist: DAI-ICHI / LAMP OF MURMUUR

Year: 2021

Two shadow masters combined – oh, how I have been waiting for this. If you’re unaware of anonymous duo Dai-ichi, you need to step your shit up and check out their eponymous self-titled debut from 2019 (and for chrissake buy an LP, I’ve absolutely no fucking idea how these are still in stock at Fólkvangr Records). On the flip of that, if you’re aware of Lamp Of Murmuur and don’t get the hype, I highly recommend sit your ass down and listen to the entire discography again with a clear mind.

Anyway, Virgin Womb Of Eternal Black Terror is the aptly evil title of this split and you best believe both sides bring their a-game. Born to die but with a lust for all the negativity in life seemingly imbuing them with pure fire in their veins, Dai-ichi backs up that exemplary debut album with a deceptively nuanced three tracks of primal rage and emotional ultraviolence, turning the flesh-scouring abrasiveness down juuuust a touch yet somehow ending up even more gloriously occluded than before (although the vocals are clearer now, incidentally). Lamp then backs that up with a demonically illuminating, multi-textured and dynamic riff-fest as only he/she/them/they(?) can invoke – any doubters, check the last half of the final track and be consumed.

It’s all set at name-your-price download but the vinyl is already sold out via Nebular Carcoma, so you’ve been warned – if you miss these tapes on the way via Fólkvangr and Bile Noire you’ve only got yourself to blame.

RATING: 4.6 / 5 sigils for the dead

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Artist: BAUME

Year: 2021

And in the traditional manner of leaving the strangest until last we part with Mon Être, tu ne le vis pas, the latest EP of French experimentalist Baume. I’m doing something we’ve never done before here as this EP isn’t out yet, and I’m basing this entirely on the only streaming track – but the oddly smooth electronic hell emitted by Juif Gaetan (whom you likely already know from Cepheide, Rance and Scaphandre) is just too compelling, it has to be shared. Strands of gossamer thin black metal tremolo waft behind glitching, poppy trip-hop/IDM beats, haunted synth and French spoken word vocals adding a detached, ethereal quality that leaves you wanting more… or, you’ll absolutely hate it because you’re probably a coward and it isn’t “black metal” enough. One way to find out, right? Pre-order this intriguing proposition for a few dollars below. Releases March 3rd. See you next time.

RATING: unable to be quantified

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Email: blackmetaldaily@outlook.com

Submissions for possible inclusion in future volumes are welcomed.

BANDCAMP MISANTHROPY – Volume 28

The bottomless wellspring of Bandcamp is overflowing with great shit just waiting to be discovered. This series aims to shine light on the freshest emanations and foulest incantations from its darkest corners, a few artists at a time. Here’s the twenty-sixth installment for your vulgar delectation – with more music and less words than ever before so we can fit in even more fetid recommendations. Plus, we’ve started giving a quick rating out of 5 to every release covered. Enjoy.

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Artist: HÄXENZIJRKELL

Year: 2020

Kicking off Volume 28 in particularly spectacular fashion, we have this absolute fucking MONSTROSITY of a record. German duo Häxenzijrkell have been around for a few years now and released a handful of EPs and splits, but Die Nachtseite is their debut full-length… and it’s one of my favourites of the year simply based on sound alone. There’s not too much going on in their doomy black onslaught (and that’s exactly what it is, an onslaught – this thing is relentless) but they absolutely NAIL the atmosphere, hitting on a nice dire black metal sound that will drain the colour from your face and chill you to your core. Mean as fuck. Name-your-price, do NOT miss. 4.2/5

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Artist: SKÁPHE

Year: 2020

What could we possibly follow that already exemplary Häxenzijrkell album with? Why, the lysergic hell-trip of Skáphe, of course. Third album Skáphe³ sees the now-trio of Alex Poole, DG and Jack Blackburn less overwhelming than previous efforts, but no less horrifying – instead of dosing you with LSD and violently suffocating you with a pillow over your face they now sit opposite you, staring you right in the eyes as they calmly peel strips of flesh from your body with a razor-sharp knife – and the clarity this affords will shatter your mind (they’ve still dosed you with LSD, of course). Dive in at name-your-price, physicals available via Mystískaos, Iron Bonehead Productions and Vánagandr. 4.6/5

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Artist: MÄLEFICENTT

Year: 2020

…aaand backing up that auspicious first entry we have another of the best releases this year: Night Of Eternal Darkness by indigenous and always flawless US entity Mäleficentt (Night Of The Palemoon). Raw melancholic sorceries swirl and bewitch as these mid-paced crepuscular hymns do everything right; this is the kind of black metal you can lose yourself in on a moonlit night. Grab yourself an LP via ASRAR HERE, or a name-your-price download from Bandcamp. 4.2/5

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Artist: DOLDRUM

Year: 2020

Huzzah! As of a few days ago the man behind the superlative Erraunt is FINALLY back with a new thing – and Doldrum‘s The Knocking is everything I’d hoped for and more. A mere two songs, I’ve seen it described as having “serious Virus vibes”, whilst a review on Bandcamp states it is “truly bizarre avant-black metal for the folklorically inclined”… and I really can’t put it better than those two statements. Just buy it at name-your-price and listen, alright? Oh, and guess what: new Erraunt IS coming. 2021. Hails. 3.8/5

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Artist: DEEFORMIS

Year: 2020

This Ukranian/Iranian one woman atmo/doom black project took me by surprise one sleepless night at 3am, shortly after its release in August – its debut album Stranger kept me up for the rest of the night listening to it. What’s it got that captivated me so? Haunting clean singing, punishing abrasiveness, heavy emotion, solid songwriting and catchy riffs… a quite compelling work overall that’s surely worth a moment of your time, whether you’re supposed to be asleep or not. Name-your-price, nicely done. 3/5

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Artist: IESCHURE

Year: 2020

And next up, believe it or not we have another solo female black metal project from Ukraine. If you haven’t heard the work of this one woman occult black metal force yet… well, I guess this is only her second release so you could be forgiven, but I suggest you get on it right now because what she has released is all very good. The two compositions on her second release Cold Stars Of Eternity are hard proof of that; the unsettling atmospheres she conjures are simply exquisite and will send shivers of breathless awe down your spine. And the good news? She just announced another new EP too. Name-your-price download or grab these tracks packaged with the first album on CD from BLACKMETALSTORE. Grim. 3.2/5

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Artist: ARDENTE

Year: 2020

A wonderful medieval black metal / dungeon synth hybrid by Ardente; side project of Vöghräth, the entity behind The IXth Key and many more. Melodic, galloping nostalgia is the order of the day on demo Le Château sous les Étoiles as these two tracks (plus intro/outro) do everything right, and as further proof of quality – it was recommended to me by the good people behind Fólkvangr Records. Does that hint at a possible tape in future? Who knows. Check it at name-your-price either way, great stuff. 3.6/5

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Artist: TRHÄ

Year: 2020

Following on from the excellent debut nvenlanëg, Mysterious entity Trhä‘s latest release novej kalhnjënno is only a couple of weeks old but has already cemented this anonymous force of darkness into one of the most striking new raw black metal propositions of the year. A whirling winter storm of blizzard-like proportions with gnarled riffs out the wazoo and some creative flourishes that’d make Kommodus nod in approval. Name-your-price. 4.1/5

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Artist: EMPYREAN GRACE

Year: 2020

One single, long track of intricately layered, droning black transcendence from a fresh Haeresis Noviomagi project. Empyrean Grace‘s debut demo Bestowment of the Seraphic Key has definite Solar Temple vibes going on and allows further glimpses into its glimmering depths with every listen; something you’ll definitely want to keep doing again and again. A beautiful, dreadful, coruscating dream. Name-your-price, limited tapes (80 copies only) available from the Haeresis Noviomagi webstore. 3.6/5

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Artist: BLATTARIA

Year: 2020

If Skáphe up there didn’t break your brain, the third album from Oklahoma’s Blattaria will drill a hole in your skull and fill it with a scrabbling herd of frantic black cockroaches. Relentlessly queasy, psychotic dissonance that only exists to make you very sick – and as a result, it’s beautiful. Name-your-price. Be afraid. 3.8/5

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Artist: SKORBVSTR

Year: 2020

Don’t let the hand-scrawled college desk graffiti looking logo fool you, this is some seriously bleak shit from Kentucky USA. Wave after abrasive wave of destructive rawness relentlessly breaks and crashes on Skorbvstr‘s Sakte Fort Veldig Kraftig, but with a tense cruelty and anxiety behind it too – the crimes this record has committed are nothing compared to the ones it wants to commit. Self released on tape and CD with an LP on the way via Snow Wolf Records, also available at name-your-price. Check it. 2.8/5

~

Artist: FROZEN MOON

Year: 2020

And finally, to take us out we have Legend of East Dan II, the absolutely fucking batshit crazy/good second EP of Chinese pagan black folk entity Frozen Moon. What’s it like? Well… uhh… almost can’t describe it, but damned if I don’t absolutely love it. The whole thing teeters so close to the edge of “this shouldn’t fucking work at all” that it becomes genius. With clean vocals unlike anything you’ll likely have heard (well, you might have – vocalist Fan Bo is also active in the wicked Vengeful Spectre), hints of warped symphonic elements among the Chinese folk madness and some borderline insane grooves from near unidentifiable instruments, it’s seriously wild shit and presents something completely original. Oh, and atop all that there’s some killer Emperor-esque black metal in the mix, of course. Not name-your-price (infact it’s $5) but I simply had to break my own rule and throw it in here to catch your eye. You’re welcome. 3.9/5

~

Artist: LADY EHEPR

Year: 2020

…okay I lied, here’s one last effort you’ll either love or hate (I’m in that kind of antagonistic mood) – a Memphis Horrorcore rap tribute to / hybrid with Les Legions Noire. Yes, you read that right. On debut album Gloatre the duo of DJ Zuerkl (who I have an inkling is secretly a quite recognizable name in USBM) and MC Lady Ehepr sample various LLN deep cuts and spit the “twisted tales of murder, ana, stangs, tones, the drug trade, robbery, glocks, crime, zuflebre tzavarya, murder…” that you never knew you needed in your life. That, or it will be the absolute worst thing you’ve ever heard. Out now on Nocturnal Hustle. Hails? Unquantifiable/5

~

Submissions for possible inclusion in future volumes welcomed.

Email: blackmetaldaily@outlook.com

Bandcamp Misanthropy: Volume 27 (AUSTRALIAN EDITION – Part 2)

The bottomless wellspring of Bandcamp is overflowing with great shit just waiting to be discovered. This series aims to shine light on the freshest emanations and foulest incantations from its darkest corners… and this twenty-seventh installment is a special one. I’ve still been receiving a heap of submissions from purely Australian artists, with even more of my own discoveries being banked from earlier Volumes that I juuuust couldn’t squeeze in at the time. So here’s Part Two of our all-Australian Bandcamp Misanthropy – with more music and less words than ever before, so we can fit in even more fetid name-your-price recommendations of the best / most underground releases exhumed from the broiling subterranean caverns down under. You ready for some antipodean filth? Dive in.

~

Artist: ANUNG UN RA

Year: 2020

Kicking off with a name that might be familiar to fans of Dark Horse comics. The half-demon Hellboy‘s true name is Anung Un Rama, which means “upon his brow is set a crown of flame” and is a fitting association for the onslaught dished out by the debut album of this solo blackened death project from Adelaide, the city of churches. Phillip Jarrett of In The Burial is behind everything and on Ad Mortem summons an apocalyptic rumble to shake the very core of the earth, switching between deliciously malevolent mid-paced menace and a barrage of cruel artillery fire with ease. Good stuff, melodic and dread-inducing when it wants to be, tears your face off when it doesn’t. Hope he does more. Released back in January at name-your-price download.

~

Artist: ERGERLIG

Year: 2019

Next up we have one that dropped last year in August but that I really wanted to squeeze in here, because the project’s debut EP Ritual was in one of the very first Bandcamp Misanthropy articles back in 2017. Ah, memories. Anyway, Ergerlig is another solo project from Adelaide but this time we’re dealing with pure, distilled black metal straight from the heart of the second wave – Virulent Hag is six tracks of blasphemic, abyss-scraping wretchedness, rasping and blasting its way from Scandinavian origins all the way to Australia.

Whoever is behind it has come a long way in the songwriting and general performance areas too because this is a big improvement over an already neat debut EP. Tracks like ‘No God Awaits’ are killer, then it seamlessly slips into the filthy black & roll-esque swagger that opens ‘Heathen Lust’ and you totally believe it – very nicely done.

I’ll put it simply: you like Darkthrone‘s discography? De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas too? Of course you do, so check this shit out. There’s even a ripper cover of the Celtic Frost classic ‘Into The Crypt Of Rays’ as an added bonus. Name-your-price.

~

Artist: IMPERFECTIONIST

Year: 2019

“Capitalist alienation – reverence for nature”

Newcastle duo Imperfectionist play post-black that isn’t always yearning melodies and melancholy memories. Sure, they do that sort of thing too (and they do it as well as anyone) but their sound isn’t afraid to head to some very dark places, constricting and tightening around your chest and throat until you can barely breathe through the pain. This also dropped late last year but fuck it, Nausea is their debut album and honestly deserves your full (if belated) attention – it does more in even half an album than others can manage in their entire discography. Plus Forge of Norse, Somnium Nox, Convulsing, The Amenta and a dozen others is on the drum throne here too, if that helps convince you to check it out. Name-your-price.

~

Artist: MÅNEN SKYGGE

Year: 2020

Another Adelaideian solo project, Månen Skygge released a fucking great demo towards the end of last year that I intended to squeeze into one of these pieces and never did – happily (or unhappily, this is DSBM after all) he dropped his second demo To Rot In A Shallow Grave a few months back, so I can’t neglect this one. Eschewing the stereotypical shrieks usually associated with the sub-genre the vocals here are misanthropic loathing incarnate whilst the music itself almost plays a secondary role, inducing heavy catatonia through glacial-paced atmosphere and ponderous melodies. It’s produced almost perfectly for what it needs, too – these two tracks sound fantastic.

Name-your-price, so dive headlong into the misery and fuel your hate.

~

Artist: BURIER

Year: 2020

THE GRAVE RECEIVES YOU. Born somewhere in “the eastern swamplands of Australia”, mysterious solo deathworshipper Burier had released two excellent demos before this, a debut album entitled In Communion With Death… and this blows even those two previous works clean out of the water. Experimenting with and expanding his corrosive sound to further harrowing depths of mesmerizing malady and malignancy, the final product ends up somewhere in the void between a rawer Burzum and the pure nightmare of incomprehensible terrors from beyond, and is my personal favourite release in this entire batch of antipodean greatness.

In Communion With Death symbolizes an ultimate realizing of potential and vision. Name-your-price, also on physical formats via GoatowaRex. Bury yourself deeply… for you are already rotting.

~

Artist: MOONKRAFFT

Year: 2020

From Townsville, northern Queensland where it’s hot as fuck comes the boiling, war-driven madness of Moonkrafft. After an introduction of combat sounds that goes for far too long (seriously, it’s the second longest track on the EP) the melodic depression/aggression on display for the following three tracks might be fairly rudimentary at times, but has a great atmosphere that feels like diggers slowly going insane in battle trenches and makes On A Barbed Wire Fence definitely worth the price of admission. What is that price? Free download. Hails.

~

Artist: Mortem In Aeternum

Year: 2020

“Music made while reflecting. It isn’t perfect, it isn’t meant to be.”

So says sole member Joel about Solitary Remedies, the debut EP of his depressive (but not DSBM, this thing has more fire to it) outlet Mortem In Aeternum. Released just over a week ago, three compelling original tracks and a neat Woods Of Ypres cover comprise this journey of imperfect art; the variety between each weaving an enjoyably textured, atmospheric tapestry to lose yourself in for a few moments. Honest and unassuming, created somewhere in Victoria, available at name-your-price.

~

Artist: DYING KINGS

Year: 2020

The throat-shredding vox from frontwoman Alora are just one of the highlights as Perth hellions Dying Kings rip out their second full-length in as many years. Melodic, rockin’ and grim in all the right measures, the material on Salted Earth, Ashen Air sounds like the kind of thing that would sit just right listening to it with a few beers/mates in a pub, so I hope they make it over for an east coast show or two soon. I quite like the organic-sounding mix here too; everything has its own space, nothing is too distorted or obscure. Solid stuff, grab a self-released CD or name-your-price download.

~

Artist: LEGE SI ORDENE

Year: 2020

Black/death/punk/grind/war/kill/fukk/die from Brisbane. Grooves like a bastard, will also chew your face. Two tracks only. Just over three minutes long in total. First demo. Name-your-price, also out on tape via Miseria Records. What more do you wanna know?

~

Artists: CARCINOID / CHARNEL ALTAR

Year: 2020

Yeah, yeah… Melbourne’s Carcinoid are more firmly entrenched in the old-school rotting metal of DEATH on this split that released a few months back, but Adelaide denizens Charnel Altar‘s absolutely obliterating blackened death-doom onslaught more than guarantees this superb split a spot on the pages of Black Metal Daily. Carcinoid crunch your bones, Charnel Altar slither inside your empty skull and lay eggs… that probably spawn those things on the cover art. One of the top splits this year, suss it at name-your-price because the tape from Headsplit Records and 10″ by Seed Of Doom are probably long sold out by now (edit: couple of 10″ left on the Charnel Altar Bandcamp).

~

Artist: SOLIPSISM

Year: 2020

Solipsism: The view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist. Does that dictionary definition explain a little about misanthropic Sydney spectre Solipsism? Possibly, as the introspective raw miasma emanating from every cursed note of Whispering To The Strange… is certainly a solitary one. With a sound both deep and haunted the ghostly synthwork and rasping vocals reach spindly, twisted fingers to the fore; the hollowed space between them and the drums/guitar imbuing this midnight ritual with a disembodied and deliriously detached quality akin to retreating deep within your own mind. Having dropped on Atrocity Altar a few months back, you already know it’s going to be excellent…. but you know what else is excellent? The split he also just put out with Kudlaakh a few days ago. Check out both at that name-your-price goodness, or get your hands on a tape when the next Atrocity Altar batch goes live.

~

Artist: VILE CRONE

Year: 2020

Now we’re getting a bit weird. Vile Crone is the project of Adelaidian warrior Tom G, Apostle is its debut that dropped back in January… and it’s a genuinely surprising melting pot of whatever the fuck Tom wanted to throw in on top of the solid black/death backbone of the project. Falsetto shrieks? Check. Eurobeat-esque electronic bits? Why not. Oddball cleans? Chuck ’em in. Fucking awesome doom numbers (‘Writhe In Decay’ particularly slaps)… do you even have to ask? Underneath all these inventive elements is a neat album however, so you should check it out at name-your-price and inspire the bloke to make more – I want to hear him get even stranger. Oh, and there’s one single tape left too. Snap it up.

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Artist: ORBYSSMAL

Year: 2020

…and now we’re getting really fucking weird. Brisbane avant-garde black death maniac Orbyssmal has been absolutely churning out the releases this year – Gloatthe released last month and it’s his fourth offering since January. Good thing they’re all great, right? Eleven portions of pure sonic abuse borne of schizophrenic, dissonant black death abrasiveness and noise then delicately adorned with vocals halfway between a roar and a strangulated bat shriek, this is not an easy listen by any means and is definitely not for the faint hearted – but fuck if it isn’t fantastic. Dig in at name-your-price, it’ll give you anxiety or a headache. Or both.

~

Artist: CELESTIAL CONJURATION

Year: 2020

The first demo from this obscure Australian revenant was nothing short of fantastic, so of course the follow up had a fair chance of being great – but I couldn’t foresee that it would be this good. Demo II sees a more melancholic, somber side arise, one that seems to come from the cosmic expanse that the project name implies rather than scrabbling up from the grave… although there’s a fair amount of that as well, of course. Superlative raw black/DS. Name-your-price.

~

Artist: THE PEREGRINE

Year: 2020

Up for some beautifully arranged, progressive post-black? Self-released a few months back (and also available on 2LP), I’m a little surprised Rust And Dun by Melbourne’s The Peregrine didn’t get more attention – I guess people looking for this sort of thing prefer it to be more polished and pretty. Expansive and epic yet maintaining a slight ruggedness and relatable realness that’s probably about what you’d imagine from an Australian project, everything about this is subtly superb; from the intermittent clean vocals to the guitar tone to the songs themselves, the more time you spend with this album the more it will settle within and remain with you for quite some time. NYP for this undiscovered gem.

~

Artist: Opium Grave

Year: 2020

And to take us out, the latest EP from an artist I follow fairly regularly but don’t seem to post about often enough – Melbourne blackwave maestro Opium Grave. One of THE premier blackwave artists in the world right now, sole practitioner Siliniez gets better with every release and The Omega Era sees his bleak, misanthropic, blackened retro stylings near perfected into hypnotic waves of synth hell – plus he utilizes my favourite The Matrix quote in the closer ‘Titans Of Malignancy’, so I’m all in. Check it out for a dollar… it’s worth the money.

“We are all living in an age of decline, of spiritual degradation and of rampant materialism. Humanity has happily chosen its current path and it is one that leads to eventual oblivion.
However, it also leads to eventual reawakening and rebirth of the Earth. May our ugliness forever fade.“

~

Submissions for inclusion in future volumes are welcomed.

Email: blackmetaldaily@outlook.com

BANDCAMP MISANTHROPY: VOLUME 26

The bottomless wellspring of Bandcamp is overflowing with great shit just waiting to be discovered. This series aims to shine light on the freshest emanations and foulest incantations from its darkest corners, a few artists at a time. Here’s the twenty-sixth installment for your vulgar delectation – and it’s a doozy, with more music and less words than ever before so we can fit in even more fetid recommendations. Enjoy.

~

Artist: SPIRIT POSSESSION

Year: 2020

Kicking off in serious fucking STYLE: impassioned, frenzied, and just plain ROCKIN’ black magic fury that sounds like Funereal Presence and was even given a shout out by Wrest of Leviathan when it dropped earlier in the year. Turns out Demo 2020 is, without a doubt, one of the best demos of 2020 so far. Delicious madness at name-your-price.

~

Artist: DESPONDENT MOON

Year: 2020

Next up, some UK abrasion from back in January that deserves a second look… and a third, and a fourth. The synth-laden raw black metal persona of dungeon synth entity DEORC WEG, Despondent Moon sounds like pure caliginous evil in glorious, coruscating swathes, and third album The Infernal Shadows Of Winter only hones all that to an unbelievably cold and addictive point. Sold out on tape, up at name-your-price download… but in other great news, when the plague abates it’ll be released on LP through His Wounds, so keep a bleeding ear to the ground for that one.

~

Artist: LEECHES

Year: 2020

Raw black metal from members of Sørgelig, Isolert AND the mighty Dødsferd? Count me the fuck IN. Rabid riffage over percussive pulverisation from ND and throbbing bass madness from Reactive provides the perfect storm to swarm around the menacing throat of Wrath – if A Plague In The Heart Of Light is their first demo, bring me on a fucking full-length stat. Oh, and there’s also a gloriously austere piano interlude by Azrael of UK blasphemers Heathen Deity as the icing on the cake. Name-your-price.

(EDIT: Tape coming soon through F Y C Records & Distro!)

~

Artist: BROTTHOGG

Year: 2019 / 2020

If you haven’t heard melodic blackthrashing Norwegian horde Brotthogg‘s debut EP The Last Traveler, you fucked up. If you haven’t heard their 2019 follow up album Echoes of the Past then you’ve fucked up even harder, but you can fix that right now because Echoes… copped a CD issue (with The Last Traveler included as a bonus!) AND got put up for name-your-price download by Redefining Darkness Records back in January. So, no excuse. What does it sound like? Dissection and Old Man’s Child chilling with Vektor… in other words, amazing. Pick this up now.

~

Artist: FIRIENHOLT

Year: 2020

this is TRASH i AM sO AngRY WHY DO PEOPLE COPY CALADQN BRood ARGH

…nah, just kidding – this debut two track EP of Caladan Brood-meets-Dwarrowdelf (or something like that) is simply beautiful. No idea who’s behind it, but on the strength of the one epic black metal battle and following synth rumination, I’m keen as mustard to hear more of this. Ironically, The Crownless might be the first hint of Firienholt rising up to take the epic black metal crown. Name-your-price.

~

Artist: WALDHEXEN

Year: 2020

By George Van Doorn: Woo hoo! A new Waldhexen EP. I loved their old stuff. What? They’re a new band and this is their debut EP. Fuck! Moving right along. The first thing you’re going to notice is that the singer is an escaped mental patient. He transitions from guttural DM vocals to blood-curdling screams, sometimes within a single line. Waldhexen play Black/Death Metal with a sprinkle of Doom for good measure. The BM riffs are really good, with each guitar doing something different. Waldhexen have produced a great debut that blends styles in a really interesting way. I hope we see a full-length of this quality in the near future.

Ego Canus Lunam Cano is name-your-price.

~

Artist: VAMPYRIC BVRIAL / SLAVES TO THE ENCHANTED FOG

Year: 2020

This was already shared to the BMD Facebook page when it was released, but some of you are sleeping on it so listen the fuck up. Ordo Lux Sepulchrum is the recent blood pact between US ultra-raw entities Vampyric Bvrial and Slaves to the Enchanted Fog, and these crumbling, dungeon synth infused emanations hissing from deepest subterranean chambers are not for the faint at heart – Vampyric Burial‘s broken tape recorder wretchedness is the very embodiment of the harshness and haunting beauty of night, whilst Slaves to the Enchanted Fog waft down similar pathways and induce hypnosis through waves of scouring black horror, howling and scratching. A stunning release for those initiated into this sort of thing, it’s released in a limitation of just thirty copies via Apo Kosmos Khaos Productions (still a few left!) or on digital at name-your-price. Support true rawness.

~

Artist: WYNTER MYST

Year: 2020

“Cold, melodic and furious black metal from the UK” is the bio of solo project Wynter Myst, and that more than aptly describes its debut release End Of An Era too. The product of a moment’s inspiration by Steve Blackwood of Old Corpse Road, the minute you hear opener ‘Seasonal Depression’ burst from your speakers with surprising power (and some really neat tone) you’ll know this is gonna be a good one – then when you get to the incredible ‘The Stars Aligned’, fucking hell. The fact that this was all basically improvised and made up on the spot is remarkable. Chilling interludes only add to the glorious Finnish/Swedish-styled atmosphere of this fantastic debut… nothing more to say, buy this now. Digipack CD still available from Cavernous Records HERE or download it at name-your-price.

~

Artist: ISKALDE MORKET

Year: 2020

In the mood to have your soul torn apart by dissonance? Good, because UK necromancer Iskalde Morket‘s long-awaited second full-length Metaphysics Of Mass Murder is a labyrinthine horror trip that tumbles down every wretched corridor in your hideously fucked-up mind, then drags any grotesque abominations it can find screaming and clawing back into the light. I hope you’re not hiding anything… this record WILL find it. Dazzling stuff, constantly shifting and changing into new nightmares. Name-your-price.

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Artist: SIRHK

Year: 2016 / 2020

I actually discovered this heaving slab of alchemically progressive black metal via Iskalde Morket, who shared it via their Facebook page – and it is very, very good. PERPETVVM MERAM SVMMAM EXTERIORA MEA was originally released by this UK solo project back in 2016, but has been: “remastered & re-jigged by Meatlocker Records for the ‘best’ listening experience. This is the DEFINITIVE version with full lyrics, titles and art included.” Heavily textured yet tastefully austere, these dynamic and disconcerting compositions are all underpinned by some truly inventive riffage. This remaster is name-your-price, but you can listen to and purchase the original for £4 from the Sirhk Bandcamp HERE too, if you’re so inclined. Oh and they’ve just released a new EP this year too, so check that out while you’re at it.

~

Artist: NOCTURNAL PRAYER

Year: 2019

I can’t quiiiite remember but Nocturnal Prayer‘s debut demo Grim Sermons Of The Nocturnal Prayer might have been recommended by one of the Vampyric Bvrial guys; either way, this raw Canadian rite of lupercalian abandon is some extremely stellar shit. Unhinged crepuscular howling meets lunar insanity, abrasive and enflamed – those vocals are downright delightful, this is really the sort of thing we need more of (yeah, I know there’s shitloads of it, genius; but not done THIS well). They have newer demos available at their own Bandcamp HERE but it’s at name-your-price download from the Extinctionist Records Bandcamp linked below and the 2020 DIY tape editions are still available too, so jump on that or die screaming on the toilet.

~

Artist: LED BY DELUSIONS

Year: 2020

Another UK project, this time of the solo “bedroom” DSBM variety. But wait! Before you either skip over this one or tear your ears off, for an amateur home recording Led By Delusions‘ debut full-length Natural Decay thankfully escapes many of the frequent pitfalls of its kin and through pure strength of will is fairly successful at capturing the bleakness of life and the torture the artist must be feeling. Tracks like ‘Catatonic State’ induce exactly that, hypnotic waves of desolation washing over the listener… whoever this shadowed entity is, they have a bright and miserable future ahead of them as they refine their processes across further releases. There’s a neat doom influence that rears its head on occasion, too. Name-your-price download, support the end of this dream called life.

~

Artist: LIPHOBIA

Year: 2019

Moving on and diving further into bleakness, we have Deadspring: some ambient-infused atmospheric black that slowly settles over the earth like a dense haze of impenetrable raw noise and only gets darker and more abrasive the longer it lingers. Liphobia are from China, and what they do is certainly deserving of more attention – imagine if the cover art was even more occluded and grey; that’s pretty much what would happen to the earth if this sound became reality.

Name-your-price download, tape available from Depressive Illusions Records HERE. Beware, when you listen it takes a while to fully warm up, but when it does… you’ll see.

ƃuᴉɹds ǝʇɐl ǝɥʇ uᴉ ǝᴉp
ǝɔɐǝd ʇǝƃ oʇ ʎɐʍ ou

~

Artist: THERMOHALINE

Year: 2020

And finally, probably the most unique thing in this Volume – the eponymous debut EP of “thermodynamic oceanic black metal”, from multinational collective Thermohaline. Discard all preconceived notions of what you’re about to hear and let the relentless, inexorable tides of electronica, black and doom metal envelop you and carry you away on the currents… as the band say themselves:

“Let yourself be drowned in sonic waves, gasping for air and imploding in crushing compression. Breathe in the salty atmosphere of the vast oceans. Descend and face your blackened doom in the ultimate depths of not just our planet, but ultimately our own minds.”

Indeed. Even unmastered, this gem from back in January is superb and I hope it’s not the last we hear from them. Name-your-price download. Hails.

~

Like Black Metal Daily on Facebook for more kvlt sounds and tonal blasphemy.

Submissions for possible inclusion in future volumes welcomed.

Email: blackmetaldaily@outlook.com

Bandcamp Misanthropy: Volume 25 (AUSTRALIAN EDITION – Part 1)

The bottomless wellspring of Bandcamp is overflowing with great shit just waiting to be discovered. This series aims to shine light on the freshest emanations and foulest incantations from its darkest corners… and this twenty-fifth installment is a special one. I’ve been receiving a heap of submissions from purely Australian artists lately, with even more of my own discoveries being banked from earlier Volumes that I juuuust couldn’t squeeze in at the time. Might as well compile them all together for a New Years Eve special, hey? It ended up being too large for one piece so enjoy Part One of the first ever all-Australian Bandcamp Misanthropy – with more music and less words than ever before, so we can fit in even more fetid name-your-price recommendations of the best / most underground releases exhumed from the broiling subterranean caverns down under. You ready for some antipodean filth? Dive in. See you filthy fucks next year. Hails.

~

Artist: Altar Defectation

Year: 2019

Who could kick off this celebration of Aussie blasphemy in perfect impious form? None other than Adelaidians Altar Defecation, of course. As filthy as their name sounds, debut EP Anno Domini Luciferum is exactly the type of black metal you’d expect to be excreted from the “city of churches” – a savage, anti-religious tirade of blasting, thrashing carnage with an impressive dual vocal assault (courtesy of Demoness Blackheart and guitarist Vile) with a bit of Cradle-esque over-the-topness thrown in for good measure (“smoke crack and hail satan”, anyone?). Great debut, great Aussie black metal. Name-your-price.

~

Artist: Förfalla

Year: 2019

Next up, a black/doom/drone/ambient mire from Melbourne’s Förfalla, the solo project of Tom Void from Thrall. Only three singles have been released to date, of which June’s Plaguethereal is the latest – another one that sounds like the title suggests as its ethereal yet pestilent soundscapes crash and expand through turgid chords and an excellent use of negative space. All three tracks are at name-your-price, check this one out below and then grab the rest while you’re there. Very good stuff – give us a full-length album soon, hey Tom?

~

Artist: Lament In Winter’s Night

Year: 2019

I’ve long said there’s some incredible raw black metal coming from these shores, and the first demo from mysterious Australian entity Lament In Winter’s Night is yet another that proves my statement correct. Their eponymous debut was released on cassette through Atrocity Altar in October and is a total throwback to the second wave demo tape days, with fantastic sound, howling reverberating vocals and riffs dripping in cold melancholia. Exquisite dungeon-synth and folkish elements, too. Four tracks that are over far too soon… but in great news, he’s just released another demo. Claws to the sky and go grab both of ’em at name-your-price.

~

Artist: Úkryt

Year: 2019

Úkryt is what happens when two longtime friends from various established, top quality acts finally take some time to lose themselves in nature with the sole purpose of creating something together. Debut EP Ŕeka is Sam Dishington of Départe and Mares Refalæða of Rise Of Avernus carefully crafting remarkable, instrumental post-black metal that holds true beauty and will resonate to the deepest core of your being. Written in Lower Portland NSW, released at the death of May, available to you for free – I really hope they find the time to do more of this soon, but in other good news there’s apparently new Départe baking in the oven and Mares has some amazing stuff on the way with her solo project Erresire, so keep an ear out for that.

~

Artist: Vacant Body

Year: 2019

The inclusion of this little three track demo is kinda cheating – it was recorded during a period of the Australian artist living in the UK. But hey, in the great Australian tradition of claiming any related stuff as our own, here’s the eponymous debut of Vacant Body.

After a brief intro track, ‘Spiralling Altar’ kicks in and takes us on a compelling trip through a blend of black metal, dissonance and groove elements (some of the bendy riffs and grooves are only a few steps removed from some early-2000’s metalcore like A Life Once Lost or some shit, but it works). ‘Light That Never Prevails’ continues this with more venom, and then… it’s over. You’re left wanting more. Which is lucky because there’s a full-length on the way in 2020. Great, huh? Notably mastered by Magnus of Marduk, released on physical formats through Total Därkness Propaganda, name-your-price download.

~

Artist: Kommodus

Year: 2019

I forgot to put this in my Top EPs and Demos of 2019 list, so here it is – if you follow this site/blog/zine/abomination at all and haven’t yet checked out Kommodus, what the fuck are you even doing? One of my favourite raw acts of recent times released its excellent fourth demo An Imperial Sun Rises back in June and this time main man Lepidus Plague finds inspiration in the life of Yukio Mishima, the Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, film director, nationalist, and founder of the Tatenokai (civilian militia). He lived a remarkable life before his death-by-seppuku in the Mishima Incident, and this is a remarkable recording in his honour – just go listen, alright? Name-your-price.

~

Artist: Serpentum

Year: 2019

Probably the earliest one from this article to rear its hideous head in 2019, this one-man Queensland DSBM act released its second album Harmony Of The Paradox on the 3rd of January. Despite a simple-yet-serviceable production his thing has great negative atmosphere and a thoroughly misanthropic venom at its core, plus some cool spoken word/dialogue samples dropped in too – worth your time to check out at name-your-price download if you think your day is going too well.

~

Artist: Drugoth

Year: 2019

This Tolkien-inspired black crust project keeps knocking EPs out in the deep reeking underground, and every one of ’em is great. I’ve linked September’s offering Lutaum here but they’ve also done recent splits with fellow Aussie carnage artists Snorlax and Odinsgoat and both of them also rule, so go bust a suss at all of them for name-your-price.

~

Artist: Calacorm

Year: 2019

Right off the bat this gets major points from me for being named after a Fighting Fantasy creature (I used to fucking love those books as a kid) and lifting the image straight from the book as cover art. Excuse me while I drown in a nostalgia trip. Anyway, this Melbourne blackened death demo is as brawny as the two-headed lizard dude it’s named after, but with surprising tweaks in the sound like some inspiring dungeon-crawling symphonic elements that pop up every now and again. For the most part however, this just wants to rip off your head and shit down your neck. Check it out at name-your-price or grab a tape here.

~

Artist: Obed Marsh

Year: 2019

Lovecraftian blackened funeral doom from Perth. Released their debut Innsmouth through Breathe Plastic Records back in ’17; second album Dunwich is self released but no less skin-crawling. Lumbers and mutates, riff-heavy with seriously harrowing vocals… a third album is on the way too, so grab this for a dollar and get to know before the next unspeakable abomination arrives.

~

Artist: Internal Purgatory

Year: 2019

A “more personal recording” regarding the artist’s “experience with mental illness”, on second effort A Decade of Psychiatric Deterioration Melbourne solitary soul Internal Purgatory hints at the self-loathing excreted by old Xasthur, just more delicate and undeveloped. Second track Psychiatric Deterioration – Part II is excellent for what it is and shows where it could all go if he keeps at it; there’s a lot of promise here that will crumble into a glorious, inescapable vortex of death and devastation one day. Check it at name-your-price, worth it.

~

Artist: Ceremonial Crypt Desecration

Year: 2019

Incredible subterranean raw black project that you can almost literally hear crumbling away as you listen. I could spout superlatives to tempt you to listen but if you want the best feedback, Vardlokker from Witchbones has written on the Bandcamp: “I listen to this when I jerk off all over gravestones. Cryptastic”. Now if that don’t make you wanna check this out, I don’t know what to say to you, son.

Available on CD here, tapes or name-your-price download.

~

Artist: Vrörsaath

Year: 2019

Recorded on a 4-track, the magniloquent darkness emitted by demon Vrörsaath is something to behold – if you’ve ever wished your raw black had even MORE dungeon synth in it than ever before, this is what you need. He’s done a couple of great splits with Lipitoare and Kaznaxtheth but start here with Moonlights Wrath for the deepest immersion and drift away… Cold, crystalline transcendence. Name-your-price, tapes long sold out from Atrocity Altar.

~

Artist: Burier

Year: 2019

More raw black… but with a surprising amount of nuance. Over the course of its five expulsions Burier‘s eponymous demo travels through a variety of wretched moods; from the expansive three-part malodorous malady of ‘Beneath The World’ to the crescendoing cacophony of ‘Disease _ Deluge’ (the kind of wall-of-sound onslaught where the drums almost become negative space) this thing is riveting, with many a trick up its moldering sleeve. Sold out via Goatowarex, still available for you to ruin your day with at name-your-price.

~

Artist: Convulsing

Year: 2016 / 2019

Hah, you thought this was gonna be new Convulsing? I wish, but I can’t miss an opportunity to push this outstanding album again – especially seeing as it’s had an updated remaster and put back up at name-your-price. If you haven’t heard this dissonant slab of blackened death emotional devastation (or its equally ace follow up Grievous) yet you are SEVERELY fucking up. Download Errata now, or grab one of the very few remaining LP’s from Impure Sounds here… New record 2020, perhaps?

~

Artist: Dispossessed

Year: 2019

“We are not here to heal your white guilt. We are here to destroy all those who stand in our path. We are vessels carrying our ancestor’s wrath, sorrow and vengeance.”

The grinding, crusted black death contained in this remarkable record is not just a statement- it’s a war. It’s an unfortunate fact that Australia was colonized on the slaughter of indigenous people, and Dispossessed are the deadly weapon firing right back at it. Strong themes, furious and powerful album. Sovereignty was never ceded.

~

Artist: Irreparable

Year: 2019

Darkwave industrial black metal containing a member of Greytomb and Adamus Exul. For those wondering what darkwave industrial black metal might sound like, influences from a multitude of eras and genres make their way into this delicious concoction that is their debut EP Transfixion, but there’s one act readers of this site will surely know and understand – varying hints of Ulver‘s wide-ranging pallette waft through these songs, not least of all in Nick’s clean vocals, who sounds not a million miles from the dulcet yet insistent intonations of a younger Garm. There’s plenty more to it than that though, and it’s all great stuff. Check it and support at name-your-price.

~

Artist: Mornedhel

Year: 2019

Aaaaaaand to take us out, some weird-ass synthetic/symphonic/psychedelic black metal curiosness from Mornedhel, a side project of synthwave metal oddity Hyper Lightning Hydra. Equal parts dazzling, confusing and terrifying, it has no lyrics or vocals yet is thematically based upon Tolkien‘s elves, is utterly frenzied, and… yeah, I don’t even really know what else to say about it other than this guy is some kind of turbocharged maniac. Check it out the projects second EP Immonehtar yourself at name-your-price download below… if your head doesn’t explode. We do some batshit things down under.

Stay tuned for part two… coming soon. Hails.

~

Submissions for possible inclusion in future Volumes are welcome.

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Bandcamp Misanthropy – Volume 24

The bottomless wellspring of Bandcamp is overflowing with great shit just waiting to be discovered. This series aims to shine light on the freshest emanations and foulest incantations from its darkest corners, a few artists at a time. Here’s the twenty-fourth installment for your vulgar delectation – and it’s a doozy, with more music and less words than ever before so we can fit in even more fetid recommendations. Enjoy.

~

Artist: Revenant Marquis

Year: 2019

Kicking off this Volume in the most correct of forms we have Polterngeyst, the sophomore collection of wretched ritualism from mysterious Welsh solo practitioner Revenant Marquis. Blown out raw madness that’s as psychologically disturbing as it is suffocating, this will drain your very essence and leave you a hollow shell. Unfortunately, this originally dropped at the end of March so the vinyl that was issued through Death Kvlt Productions is loooooong sold out – but you can still pick up a digital at name-your-price from their Bandcamp and a tape has just dropped through Les Fleurs Du Mal too, so snap that up here. Harrowing shit.

~

Artist: Light Dweller

Year: 2019

Monstrous, technical, world-eating black death from a member of Nullingroots. The solo project of Cameron Boesch is a formidable beast of great muscle, but surprisingly nuanced textures, too – there are many layers to its dissonant madness and you can lose yourself in it for hours. Incandescent Crucifix dropped back in January but I’m throwing it in here in case you missed it – name-your-price download. Get it. And then…

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Artist: Nullingroots

Year: 2019

…then you should also grab Malady’s Black Maw, the just released fifth album from Cameron‘s long-running main post-atmoblack project, Nullingroots. While it certainly sports similarly dazzling and dynamic compositional textures as Light Dweller, instead of aiming to almost solely destroy this is more of a fantastic journey through myriad atmospheres and musical landscapes – this isn’t the sort of thing I find myself reaching for often I was captivated for the duration, Cameron is a seriously talented individual. Name-your-price download… but also available on CD via Casus Belli Musica, which you can pick up here.

~

Artist: Ashen Chalice

Year: 2019

Moving on, we have even more nightmare fuel from Croatian raw black entity Ashen Chalice. Everything this project emits is excellent, and Ljubiš li i dalje istinski? is no different as its waves of hypnotic corrosion wash over your brain, leaving indelible scars. Interspersed with wretched ambient/noise pieces and with guest vocals from Marcos of Ühtceare, Offenbarung and Huszar, this dropped at the death of April and copped a limited release through The Throat. Pretty damn sure it’s sold out, but you can still grab the thing at name-your-price download.

~

Artist: Satanic Abortion

Year: 2019

“If you do look into the, ahh, really dark areas of the occult, the ‘magical world’… it’s just a bunch of losers“.

So begins probably the most fucked-up release in this article, the latest EP from primitive black/death/noise/punk weirdos Satanic Abortion. Attacking their sound with total abandon, the percussion will blow out your eardrums while everything else will amuse, disgust and terrify in equal measure. This one dropped back in Feb at name-your-price and also reared it’s ugly head on tape via Moonworshipper Records, but is now sold out, of course. Oh and it also features a cover of country outlaw Johnny Paycheck‘s ‘It Won’t Be Long And I’ll Be Hating You’. Nice.

~

Artist: Toadeater

Year: 2019

Okay, so I didn’t expect much from a band called Toadeater, maybe some doom or something. Boy, was I fucking wrong. This German triumvirate originate from the hardcore scene, and as a result debut album Codex has the fingerprints of crust and hardcore all over it as it propels itself with force through seven ferocious modern-tinged atmospheric black metal tracks and a haunting interlude. I like everything about this; so I’m very pleased it’s been picked up on wax through Fucking Kill Records and tape via Kellerassel Records. Both are still available, or at the very least cop it at name-your-price digital and be pleasantly surprised.

~

Artist: Ecatonia

Year: 2019

Here’s something different than our usual fare; old-school Italian black doom. The duo of Ecatonia released their first demo back in the heady days of 1996 (!!!) and now all these years later have returned with a follow up EP, Tales From The Old Graveyard. Despite initial appearances (and I don’t mean because they’re a shitload older than they were in 1996) this is a solid listen, these gentlemen know what they’re doing with some great riffs/playing and good songs – you can tell they’re doing it out of passion. I hope they keep at it and possibly get a human drummer for their next record. Support them with a name-your-price download.

~

Artist: Erythrite Throne

Year: 2019

Denizen of Canadian darkness Wyrm has only been summoning his compelling blend of dungeon synth and vampyric black metal in Erythrite Throne for just over a year now, but Mortuary Sword is his eleventh full-length album. I shit you not. And that’s not counting EPs and splits, either. Anyway it’s lucky that the sanguine spell conjured by this madness suffers not from a lack of quality; this is a great album to have burbling away in the background as you wander lost in forgotten austere tombs and crumbling graveyards. Name-your-price, and check the rest of his discography too – he’s also just released a special Halloween dungeon synth EP entitled Ghost Stories, if that’s your jam.

~

Artist: Abkehr

Year: 2019

In Asche, the debut of German force of nature Abkehr, still gets regular plays at my house. I fucking love that record and like many others had been waiting with bated breath for the follow up… well now shit your pants, all hail the dark lord and throw some claws at the sky in grim celebration, for the highly worthy In Feuer has arrived.

Four tracks of their crushing brand of pitch-black wizardry that’s equal parts irrepressible Scandinavian melody and suffocating depressive negativity, this surpassed any expectations I might have had and the fact that it (like their debut) is up for name-your-price download is amazing. Also available on LP from Acid Tears Records, which you can pick up here. In a word: stunning.

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Artist: Peasant

Year: 2019

Next, a devilish demo of UK misanthropy from a duo forged of members from Old Corpse Road, White Medal and a billion more. Peasant‘s Demo MMXIX is pure misanthropic black metal straight from times of old; these three tracks will leave you salivating and howling for more. My personal favourite is the centrepiece ‘Impoverished And Broken’, however be sure to check the whole grim triptych out at name-your-price download or on CDR and cassette through Blackwood Productions… but there’s only a handful left, so don’t fuck around.

~

Artist: Vessel of Iniquity

Year: 2019

In a surprise move that took place on 3rd November 2019, UK blackdeathnoise annihilator A. White launched a sonic missile that destroyed the Earth as we know it. That missile was the project’s second full-length album Star of the Morning. We are now merely the remains of our collective consciousness living in a simulation created by this master of terror; playthings for his amusement, experiencing only the reality that he allows us to see. Which is why you can download the record of this cataclysmic moment at name-your-price download from the Vessel Of Iniquity Bandcamp – this cruel master wants us to be able to relive our agonized demise again… and again… and again… ad infinitum.

Which you definitely should do. Superb as always.

~

Artist: Moon And Azure Shadow

Year: 2019

“Formed in 2012, the solo project Moon and Azure Shadow seeks to combine influences from Japanese Sountracks and Atmospheric Black Metal to create an immersive, dark and ethereal sound.”

…when I read that description on the Bandcamp it definitely activated my curiosity glands. Anime black metal, perhaps? Well, what results from this interesting intention is not nearly as cheesy as that sounds and instead sole practitioner Sean Yokiosha manages to knock out a pretty damned rich, Summoning-esque experience that has more in common with the grandeur and emotion of Japanese RPG video game sountracks than Anime. There’s a bit of epic black (with cool riffs, check about seven minutes in to ‘Abyssic Lunar Tower’ for proof), a touch of dungeon synth, a solid helping of lush, cinematic ambience… overall this is a decent listen with some very nice compositions and is definitely worth it at name-your-price download. Or, snap up a CD while he still has a few left.

~

Artist: Vampyric Bvrial

Year: 2019

More vampires – and these ones are here to fuck you up. Released back in May, Rites Ov Gloriovs Heretical Exhvmation was recorded in parts, on a broken tape recorder, in a desolate cabin in the woods, far from civilisation, at midnight. If I remember correctly, that is. Either way; this is raw as raw gets (they’re clearly inspired by obscure second wave demo tapes) and absolutely reeks of blood and death – most people these days will probably hate it but this is not for most people, or for these days. Name-your-price, tape also available through Apo Kosmos Khaos Productions. Real black metal.

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Artist: Fallen Forest

Year: 2019

Speaking of real black metal – here’s some real, nature-inspired atmospheric raw black, slow and mesmerizing. The Finnish duo of Fallen Forest are a real hidden gem with deep, droning melody and fantastic dungeon synth interludes courtesy of one of the members being none other than analogue DS artist Coniferous Myst, who records all his work outside in nature during the winter months. Demo II is their second resonation but their first from earlier this year is just as good – check both out at name your price. Superb.

~

Artist: Blattaria

Year: 2019

If there’s an artist in this Volume (his second appearance on these pages) that seriously loathes humanity, it’s Manuel García of startling US solo project Blattaria. With track names like ‘Disgusting Planet’, ‘Life Is A Disease’, ‘Visions Of My Corpse’ and ‘Swarm’ you can tell that his fresh sophomore album Life Is A Disease comes from a place of love… just kidding, he wants you dead. Feel free to panic as discombobulating and dissonant swirls invade your brain and revert you to a de-evolved state of being; feel free to be totally confused and a little queasy as the record regresses into some totally bizarre shit with zero regard for anything resembling a genre norm. This guy is one of the most inventive going around in the deep underground, plus it was all mixed and mastered by Jacob Buczarski of Mare Cognitum too so you know it’s going to destroy/spit/step on you in vivid clarity. And let’s be honest – we deserve the hatred.

We are all cockroaches. Name-your-price.

~

Artist: Disfavor

Year: 2019

And to aaaaaaalmost take us out, some black, noisy carnage from mysterious gang Disfavor. If you want an approximation of their sound, the Bandcamp helpfully nails it with these three short words – “FFO LLN & Godflesh“. The four piece apparently only release an EP every seven years, but it’s worth the wait – their sound is akin to a clattering, droning and cacophonic raw black vacuum, inhaling all and spitting out the bones. Released on tape through DIY lo-fi black/HNW label Shrouded Recordings (check out their whole roster too, there’s some gems in there) and digitally at name-your-price. Bleak and violent.

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Artist: Pierre Noir

Year: 2019

And finally, an artist that’s no stranger to the scrawlings of Bandcamp Misanthropy – the mysterious techno/black metal hybrid of Pierre Noir is back with another pounding two track EP of danceable blackness entitled The Wolf Is At Home. Bleak beats and tremolo riffs are the order of the day as he blends the grim with the gaudy, and this might just be my favorite of his works yet; the negative feeling that pours from the title track like blood from a slit vein is tasty as hell, while ‘Walking Between Black Sands’ then becomes a demonic, frenzied and almost Dionysian celebration. I dunno who this guy is, but I hope he doesn’t stop and keeps developing this sound further, descending into total blackness. Name-your-price download with tapes available from his label Grabaciones Autobombo. Hails.

~

Submissions for possible inclusion in future Volumes are welcome.

Like Black Metal Daily on Facebook for more kvlt sounds and tonal blasphemy.

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Bandcamp Misanthropy – Volume 23

The bottomless wellspring of Bandcamp is overflowing with great shit just waiting to be discovered. This series aims to shine light on the freshest emanations and foulest incantations from its darkest corners, a few artists at a time. Here’s the twenty-third installment for your vulgar delectation. Enjoy.

~

Artist: Undoer

Year: 2018/2019

Kicking off this impious journey in superb fashion, Turkey’s Undoer released an astonishingly accomplished debut EP back in the heady days of October 2018. Violent, vicious and streamlined to the point of being able to cut you to ribbons before you knew what had hit you, it’s now absolutely no surprise that Survival Is A Myth has been picked up for a worldwide CD release via Sun & Moon Records (which will be available to purchase via their web store when it drops on 25th June). The Karl Bryullov cover art and title itself are a perfect display of what is happening here – total destruction, grandiose and cataclysmic, on an almost biblical scale. If you haven’t heard it yet it’s up for name-your-price download… miss this again and regret your very existence. Oh and track two, ‘A New Anthem’? Exactly that. Massive.

~

Artist: Himelvaruwe

Year: 2019

Dutch raw black maestro and longtime Black Metal Daily favourite T (Kaffaljidhma, Olxane etc) returns almost a year after his project Himelvaruwe‘s stunning debut album Hemelpoort with a single track, 19 minute EP Het Ondenkbare. Apparently “written and recorded in a fever dream” and translating to “The Unthinkable”, it’s a typically immersive journey through a cornucopia of emotions, unbearable horrors and overwhelming ecclesiastical transcendence. If you aren’t already down with this project by now, then I don’t know what to tell you – fantastic, as always. Name-your-price download.

~

Artist: Nokturnal Ritual

Year: 2019

Next up – on third album Out From The Old Earth this pair from Sheffield, England peddle aggressive wares that hearken back to the old days of UKBM. Masters of the neck-wrecking riff (check tracks like ‘Whispers of Shunned Gods’ for proof) their assault is quite textured too, with flute accompaniments proving the perfect medieval/folk foil to the abrasive carnage they conjure. This surprisingly hit the spot very nicely, shall be watching this diabolical duo with interest. Name-your-price download.

~

Artist: Falaise

Year: 2019

Emotive Italian duo Falaise dropped their third full-length A Place I Don’t Belong To back in March and have recently been generous enough to put it at name-your-price download on their Bandcamp; not sure how long that will last however so snap it up while you can. Post-black of the highest order, the album speaks of “the sense of loss and perdition that human beings suffer for by living in modern megalopolis, so devoid of personality and soul” which is something that most of us can relate to, really. Soul wrenching stuff filled with a sense of displacement and longing, it’s also available here on CD via ATMF (Aeternitas Tenebrarum). This really is very good and will sink its claws into that tender spot deep within to leave you affected for days. Check it.

~

Artist: Abyssal Rites

Year: 2019

Released back in February: an auspicious debut of raw yet melodiously-tinted carnage from Oklahoma USA. On debut album Synesthesia Ritual four piece Abyssal Rites summon exactly what their name suggests as filthy, wretched and often post-punk influenced tunes boil within an interesting mix that, despite a couple of minor flaws, works well with the material. The guitars sit further back yet simmer away with malicious intent, providing a sinister vibe as the other elements conjure clattering chaos and turgid miasmic hell… featuring additional vocals by the mysterious S of now-defunct black/noise project Dead And Grey plus a neat cover of Young And In The Way‘s ‘They Should Greet Me With Howls Of Execration’ thrown in there for good measure, it’s a solid listen. Daresay if they keep at it you’ll be hearing their name a lot more in future, so grab this at name-your-price download.

~

Artist: Odinsgoat

Year: 2019

One from the inbox – this was hurled at me as blackened grind but Gråtende Ulv, the debut EP from US solo filthmonger Odinsgoat, is ever-so-slightly more atmospheric than that suggests. Grinding, sure; but each of the six tracks on offer here (of which only two are more than a minute long) are submerged in a murk which gives this gnarled beast a character all its own. Plus I’m fairly sure this is the first release I’ve ever covered on BMD that contains a dialogue sample of Bender from Futurama, so there’s a few more points scored if you’re a nerd at heart. His demo from earlier in the year was released on tape through Corpse Torture Records (grab that here if you dig this, it’s also good) but if you want a copy of this you’ll have to snap up a digital at name-your-price download. Promising.

–

Artist: Endless Disease

Year: 2019

Crusty, grinding blackmetalpunk from Texas USA that’ll make you just want to DESTROY – Endless Disease are the nihilistic a-bomb of violent misanthropy you never knew you needed. Active since 2009, The End Of All Life is their first full-length and will bludgeon you with riffs while charging you up to ignition point. Ten tracks and every single one rips; this thing is a middle finger in the face of everything, and all at name-your-price download. “Your life will never amount to shit”. Hails.

~

Artist: Oppress.

Year: 2019

When your album art is a giant horn dick protruding from an open zipper, your music better back that up – thankfully, fucked-up UK solo miscreant Oppress. brings the wretchedness with intensity. Discordant, warped and viciously depraved raw black fed through a barely-operational meat grinder, this sounds like every bad thought you’ve ever had mashed up and splattered all over the wall behind as you blow your own brains out. Not name-your-price, but it’s only a pound so get in there and revel in the filth. “Oppress. is not a band name, it is an imperative”. Indeed.

~

Artist: Sorry…

Year: 2019

Time to get miserable with Sorry… DSBM from Greece. The cover art and titles might have already clued you up as to what to expect from their debut album Failure Years Of Neglect Apathy and you wouldn’t be wrong; harsh guitars bring sounds of torment whilst some (pretty great) throat-shredding shrieks wail the song of your black heart being rent in twain. Music to be the last thing you hear as you bleed out, alone and forgotten by the world… this shit will bring you down, and for what it is, it does it quite well. Name-your-price download, CDs available through Share Your Pain Records.

~

Artist: Qualm

Year: 2019

Now THIS little gem is nothing short of magnificent. German project Qualm (“Smoke”, in their native tongue) have conjured suffocating waves of exquisite darkness with their debut album, Tiefe. Calling to mind the hypnotic, psyche-destroying deranged harshness of Xasthur at his best, this is one of those howling maelstroms you can drown in repeat spins of for weeks on end. Fantastic production, incredible atmosphere – I’ve returned to this regularly since its release back in April and am beyond excited that it was picked up for a tape/CD release via Egregor Records, but if you don’t want to splash out on a physical (from here), it’s also available at name your price below. Fans of soul-draining bleakness and devastating agonies: Do. Not. Miss.

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Artist: Aubzagl

Year: 2019

And to almost take us out, another from the depths of the inbox in the form of UKBM four-piece Aubzagl‘s debut, Eilífa Kuldinn. With a heart firmly set in the old-school yet dripping with intriguing modern sensibilities, they’ve a lot of variety in their sound as scattered hints of hardcore and post-isms shine through the black – there’s even a couple of noise pieces for good measure. The whole thing sits at a pleasurable level for the half hour duration and at name-your-price download, you really don’t have a good reason to not check this out. Very nicely done, lads.

~

Artist: Enbilulugugal

Year: 2019

And finally, the end of everything. The last time I checked out US filthmongers Enbilulugugal was back in Bandcamp Misanthropy Volume 10 where we took a brief look at a now-deleted complete discography of 200+ tracks entitled Nunfucking Nuklear Diskography. Well, good news: I got given the heads up by Andee of Common Eider King Eider to check out their latest slab of rotting meats, and the rather gloriously titled sixth full-length We Hope You Fvkken Hate It lives up to all expectations and more.

Still just as fucked up, gross, hateful and harsh as ever their sound now has an entirely new dimension of weirdness tacked on – and some seriously great music this time around. They’ve gone less pure “raw black metal” and more… everything, really; just all still chewed up and spat out by the most feral beast you could ever imagine. Great influences abound and I find it oddly their most coherent release to date; whilst effortlessly pushing the boundaries of good taste further than ever, of course.

The aural equivalent of a whole heap of naked dead bodies stacked up in a pile, wide-eyed and furiously convulsing until every now and again one of them gets up, ambles off howling and steps on a landmine or something. Check it out for name-your-price download. Listen and die.

~

Submissions for possible inclusion in future Volumes are welcome.

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Email: blackmetaldaily@outlook.com

Bandcamp Misanthropy – Volume 22

The bottomless wellspring of Bandcamp is overflowing with great shit just waiting to be discovered. This series aims to shine light on the freshest emanations and foulest incantations from its darkest corners, a few artists at a time. Here’s the twenty-second installment for your vulgar delectation. Enjoy.

~

Artist: Crépuscule d’Hiver

Year: 2018

Cast your mind’s eye back to the 20th December last year. What were you doing? Yeah, I can’t remember either, but it was probably shit. What I do know happened that day and can safely say is not shit, however, is that Songes Hérétiques – the debut album of French outfit Crépuscule d’Hiver – was set loose upon the earth.

Songes Hérétiques consists of three lengthy tracks of great dark-ages inspired black metal by a man who goes by the name of Stuurm (and usually produces dungeon synth in his day job, Gargoylium). Crépuscule d’Hiver is his first attempt at black metal and the raw and melodic ’90s worship that sounds pretty much exactly how the cover art suggests it should – you really can’t tell this is his first effort, either. Equal parts grandiose and suffocating, his sound is exactly the right degree of raw as everything comes together into an ancient blend of intoxicating, crumbling evil and the nobility of a bygone era; it’s one of those nicely transportative projects that will have you totally immersed in the darkness of medieval times. The tracks are also bookended by a pair of very nice atmospheric synth pieces that clearly show his experience on the ivories, and might even have you questing to discover his work in Gargolylium.

A noteworthy debut that definitely calls to mind the days of yore. Not name-your-price but it is only .50c, with a second run of tapes (the first lot sold out in pre-order) on the way.

~

Artist: Azator

Year: 2019

Next up, some Argentinian black thrash with a faint Lovecraftian slant to it. This one dropped early January and was submitted to me months ago, but I’m a billion years behind as usual… so was it worth the wait? In short: fuck yes.

Horrors From Ancients Past may be billed as black thrash but a surprisingly satisfying old-school black metal heart pumps the blood of the elders through its veins. Even better, it’s a vibe that only gets stronger as the album progresses – by the time you arrive at final EP track Ritual of Blood this thing is almost straight up ’90s homage glory, right down to some great symphonic flourishes. There is, of course, also a healthy helping of thrash in the mix and tracks like Gods of Nagash show a masterful use of the energy this provides. The band consistently show great compositional nous throughout the work; every song is a gripping journey and evidences the fact that these men have been summoning the darkness for quite some time (the project formed in 2006, but was on hiatus from 2008-2015).

All good so far but I also mentioned a Lovecraftian feel, which manifests as a vague sense of creeping terror – imagine the thing on the cover just ouside your field of vision, omnipresent and adding an extra layer to an already compelling EP that you’d do well to check out. Plus, as a nice black cherry on top there are two bonus tracks too – demos from 2008 that both hold their own and also show how far the songwriting skills of this demonic horde have come. What are you waiting for? Name-your-price download, but there’s also a tape available through UK label Corpse Torture Records if you wanna get a little more physical with it.

~

Artist: Miserist

Year: 2019

A single, short track to serve as a taster of Miserist‘s upcoming full-length of crushing experimental blackened death, featuring guest throatwork by a certain Brendan Sloan of a little project called Convulsing. This track by Australian Ryan H may lean more towards the death-ier side of carnage but the bleakness in its heart is sure to captivate any self-respecting fan of the miserable and violent. Oh and Forge of The Amenta / Norse / Somnium Nox is beating the skins here too. Name-your-price, just like the also-excellent previous self titled demo, so check ’em both out. Quality.

~

Artist: Staurophagia

Year: 2019

Do you cowards even re-amp? Pfft – the entire works of this project are transmitted through a short wave radio and re-recorded to tape in order to make them sound more raw. But that’s ultimately inconsequential as what really matters is the music itself, and Staurophagia‘s Sacrifice Of The Wind also knocks it well out of the park in that department.

The Italian one-man project’s debut album Abysses Above Us was released in November 2018 (and if you haven’t heard it, please do), but the material on Sacrifice Of The Wind is much older than that. Forged of main man Staurophagus‘ lost demo tracks going as far back as 2015, this collection is coherent enough to be considered an album in its own right. Scathing raw black meets cosmic ambience; droning synth and static gloom to wash over your lifeless form as it drifts away into the endless void… the thing that really sells Staurophagia to me however, is the melodicism of it all. Oozing through the viscid dread is a deep sense of sonorous, almost alien melody, aided by the use of microtonal guitarwork on a couple of the tracks (played by Katsunosuke Tanaka).

This is one of those great new projects that deserves more attention, so grab a copy of this bleakness at name-your-price download on Bandcamp or on cassette from great underground US tape label Realm and Ritual – pick that up here.

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Artist: Raat

Year: 2019

Calming ambient sounds and bird calls, acoustic guitar melodies that reach in and soothe your heart… yep, it’s the opening moments of Once And True, the latest release from Indian post-black alchemist Raat.

I say alchemist because the man behind it is Sushant Rawat, known for creating a wonderful blend of kaleidoscopic influences with his other projects Nightgrave, Kouros and probably another one or two that is slipping my mind right now. Released in January there’s a yearning beauty to these songs, offset by the faint tortured howls and gruff rasps of his vocals. The EP gets darker as it moves down its weathered paths and runs a gamut of emotions, sorrow, hope, painful reminiscence… it touches you like a lover’s caress, and then leaves you with only the dull ache of memory.

Many of you will probably listen to this and whinge that it isn’t black metal, but wipe the corpse paint off your balls for a minute and listen: this is simply gorgeous. Available for one measly dollar from Bandcamp, something else that makes me especially chuffed is that this is also out on cassette – a label has finally noticed this guy. Grab one from the already mentioned Realm and Ritual, both label and artist deserve your patronage. Ace.

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Artist: In Autumnus

Year: 2019

Care for a little atmospheric one man black/gaze from Scotland? Please, try a little In Autumnus.

I don’t know anything about the man behind this but I do know that Madison County is his second full-length album; and for a developing project it does quite an admirable job. Throughout the eight tracks on offer the genre-staple airy, ephemeral guitars that echo throughout are the highlight, spectral tremolo lines pulsing in and out as the music ebbs and flows. The vocals are the sound of someone tearing their insides out in desperation and there’s enough variety to hold your attention with ease – when he turns to flat out depressive-mode such as the first half of the gorgeous Ruralvida, the results are crushing.

It’s unpolished, but it has great heart; if you’re in the mood for some introspection and soul-searching this will hit the spot nicely – just like a warm cup of tea on a cold and lonely evening. Name-your-price. Check it out.

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Artist: Hastio

Year: 2019

A quick few words about a quick release: here to fuck you up is some nasty Argentinian black with a thrilling punk fire to it. The tracks on Hastio‘s eponymous third release are all short (the longest is the comparatively “epic” two-minute closer Los Ojos Eternos) and will spit in your face and freeze you to death in equal measure; this gets in and out with a flurry of quick (albeit very, very nicely melodic) punches to the face and leaves you with black eyes that won’t fade for weeks. Talk about a lasting impression.

Name-your-price download, go get you some. There was also an ultra-limited sold out tape version but I’m sworn to secrecy about any further information on that, if you know, you know… or you may have Forgotten over the Centuries. Anyone still super keen for one, keep an eye on the Hastio Facebook page and you might be able to score an artist copy in the near future.

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Artist: Mäleficentt

Year: 2019

Another gem from Y.E, the mysterious entity behind Yohualli, Winterreise and all the Night Of The Palemoon bands. This man has ancient blood in his veins and it shines through in his work – Mäleficentt‘s Night Of The Crimson Stars is a glorious ode to times of old and the core of darkness at the heart of all black metal. Relentless in its crepuscular melancholia, bewitching in every sense… and it all culmanates in a great cover of Transylvania by French legends Mütiilation. Top stuff. Name-your-price.

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Artist: A Vintage Death

Year: 2018

This little inbox submission was actually released late last year, but I missed it and you might have too – so here’s Acrid Death Fragrance, the debut demo EP from Italy’s solo blackened death/doom entity A Vintage Death. A gentleman named Carmine is at the helm here and what he creates is surprisingly quite good, a solid blend of the aforementioned genres as seen through the veil of the afterlife. Death (as in the end of life, not death metal) reigns supreme here and casts a pallor over everything, melodies indeed toll like a death knell as tracks roll inexorably forward through moroseness and misery, a crushing emotional weight and great classic doom-influenced guitar tone pressing on your chest and burying you beneath the dirt.

It’s apparently inspired by and dedicated to a dear friend of the artist who sadly committed suicide; in my opinion it’s a fitting tribute. Grab this at name-your-price.

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Artist: Burden of Ymir

Year: 2019

Canadian blackened folk metal project Burden of Ymir is a prolific one; this little mini-review was sent in by reader Steve Glover a while back and since then there have been not one, but two further Burden of Ymir releases. All three are inspired by old Norse cosmology and folklore, and Steve says about the one man project’s debut album Wanderer Borne on a Northern Wind: Seed of Yggdrasil –

“Wanderer Borne on a Northern Wind by Burden of Ymir is an album with a bit of an identity crisis. It has the blastbeats of black metal. It has elements of folk metal. Nothing is done badly, but it’s just a mish-mash. If they can work out what they’re trying to do on their next album they could be a force to be reckoned with in the scene.”

Did he work out what to do on the next album? Well, they all sound pretty good to me: wonderfully melodic, often rockin’ as hell and with an authentic feel many projects would envy, but Wanderer Borne… is definitely the blackest of the bunch. Check them all out at name-your-price download.

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Artist: Wyrmwoods

Year: 2019

And to finish us off on the traditional strange note: dazzling one man project Wyrmwoods.

The debut album of the Finnish project Earth Made Flesh was lowkey one of my favourites of last year, so I’m quietly pleased as all shit to see the follow up has already arrived; Spirit & Teeth dropped a couple of months ago and has also been picked up by the good people at Inverse Records for a proper CD release. Anyway, the music: as with the debut, Spirit & Teeth is a truly inventive beast and arguably swerves fairly close to the very definition of avant-garde; just listen to opener ‘The Sun Will Radiate Its Light Through The Scenes Of Horror’, two minutes of black/lounge/jazz that immediately lets you know this is not a normal album. It then proceeds to travel through a progressive myriad of alternately transcendent/mind-altering scenarios and expansive textures, before landing at the titular final track – ‘Spirit & Teeth’, a monolithic 31+ minute cosmic assault that frequently dissolves into outright chaos.

I should give this a bigger write up, but all I can say in this short allocation of space is: listen to it. Name-your-price download, so you can’t go wrong… more people need to be getting around this project, it really is something else. Hails.

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Submissions for possible inclusion in future Volumes are welcome.

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