BLACK METAL DAILY’S LISTCRUSH 2021: The DEX Edition – Full-Length Albums

Not with a whimper, but with a fucking BANG – okay fine, a dull thud at this point, we’re already at least one knuckle deep into 2022 – our long drawn out 2021 LISTCRUSH series finally comes to an end.

Pretty sure I’m the last person anywhere on the planet to publish their albums list each year, but anyway – there were over ten thousand black metal releases vomited forth into the void of rampant consumerism and discogs flipping (or unnoticed and abandoned Bandcamp limbo) throughout 2021. Here I present my 40 favourite full length albums of the thousand-plus I listened to and the couple hundred I shortlisted, a final curation that’s a damn sight slimmer than last year’s overblown top 100 but hey, I’m trying to reign myself in and practice a little restraint. New year, new me and all that (again). Also included are a handful of near misses that I really wanted to make the cut but couldn’t cram in – be sure to hunt them down as well, all of them deserved a spot on the final list.

If you somehow need even more from my curation of superb stygian artistry, seek help, but also feel free to check out my already published TOP 30 DEMOS/EPs and TOP 25 SPLITS lists as well (and scope Tom and Gos‘s lists while you’re at it, they both have impeccable taste). As always, eternal thanks and respect to all artists, labels, reviewers and promoters for keeping the black flame alive. You are all excellent. Support the artists, buy physical copies… aside from that, onwards, ever onwards, forging into the sunset.

Hails.

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NEAR MISSES

• Black Kruud – Delusions Of Gangrene
• Weathered Crest – Blossoming Of The Paths
• Labyrinthine Haze – Descending Into The Deep
• Archgoat – Worship The Eternal Darkness
• Concilium – Desecration
• Ofermod – Mysterium Iniquitatis
• Burden Of Ymir – From Élivágar
• Solipsism – Cruelty & Necrospection
• Nächtlich – Satanas Solum Initium
• Starer – 18° Below The Horizon
• Henbane Chariot – Allpine Séance
• Arazubak – The Haunted Spawn Of Torment
• DSKNT – Vacuum γ-Noise Transition
• Ungfell – Es Grauet
• Yoth Iria – As The Flame Withers
• Ifernach – Capitulation Of All Life
• Norse – Ascetic
• Korpituli – The Ancient Spells Of The Past
• Inferno – Paradeigma
• Lamp Of Murmuur – Submission And Slavery
• Abstracter – Abominium
• Miasmata – Unlight: Songs of Earth and Atrophy

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TOP 40 ALBUMS OF 2021

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40. Bræ – A Thousand Ways To End It All (Amor Fati)

Sounds like: a completely anonymous album released with no fanfare at all that zero people paid attention to. Seriously, I saw nobody talking about it, perhaps because at first glance/listen it’s quite nondescript. However, settle in and let this noisy, hypnotic and abrasive monolith of longform depression obliterate your soul and I’m sure you’ll agree: more people should have paid attention to this shit.

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39. Pan-Amerikan Native Front – Little Turtle’s War (Les Fleurs Du Mal / Stygian Black Hand / Nuclear War Now! Productions)

Sounds like: triumph, tragedy and pure grit, passed down through tales and shamanic rituals for eternity. Kurator of War‘s second full-length was the perfect prelude to his astonishing split with Kommodus; this man is never short of a riff.

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38. Firienholt – By The Waters Of Awakening (Fólkvangr Records / Naturmacht Productions)

Sounds like: Caladan Brood, but somehow even more enjoyable. This mysterious horde of UK Tolkien fanatics knocked it out of the park on their first full-length effort. More please.

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37. Nansarunai – Ultimul Rege (Banner Of Blood / Ancient Horror Records / Black Gangrene)

Sounds like: that moment when you’re deep in a tomb filled with the corpses of ancient warriors and kings… and they all suddenly come to life and want to kill you, so you’re torn apart by undead royalty from a bygone era. Something like that. Cold, vicious and powerful raw black metal filled with yearning, this is about to cop an LP release via Black Gangrene. Grab it if you’ve missed every other version, you chump.

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36. Lionoka – Tides Of Triumph (Old Mill Productions)

Sounds like: stunning traditional acoustic instrumentation woven around furious black metal. The naturalistic sound alone of this US First Nations black folk solo project is incredible and will hit you deeper than you could ever have expected.

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35. Nazxul – Irkalla (Seance Records)

Sounds like: vibes. No, seriously – the third album of an almost thirty year expression of darkness from these legendary Australians is less of a “pay attention to the intricacies” type of deal (not that those intricate details aren’t fucking fantastic) and more a just let it wash over you and sear your soul kind of record. Irkalla is an album you FEEL, and it grew on me every time I heard it. The perfect album to have playing in the background as you go about your day – it’ll infect everything you do.

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34. Blurr Thrower – Les Voutes (Les Acteurs de l’ombre)

Sounds like: being lifted out of your corporeal form and dragging your spirit downward; sinking below in a burst of pale light like some kind of transcendent reversed rapture. As I said in my REVIEW, anyway. The kind of album that makes you enjoy it – the choice is not up to you.

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33. Burier – Cremation Of Lingering Hope (GoatowaRex)

Sounds like: MAGGOTS UNDER YOUR SKIN CONSUMING YOUR FLESH but you’re still conscious and can feel every tiny bite but it feels soothing and right and you realise you are one with the earth and this is forever now. This Australian project loves death, dying and being dead, and I love this Australian project.

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32. Lunar Spells – Where Silence Whispers (Northern Silence Productions)

Sounds like new Greek black metal that sounds like old Finnish black metal. Everyone knows I’m a huge fan of albums that make me feel like the last twenty years never happened (shut up, I have a great life) – Where Silence Whispers falls firmly into that category.

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31. Fosso – Solo Amargo (Galafoice / Death Manifestations)

Solo Amargo sounds like witnessing some strange, strange magic at work in the dizzying heat of the deepest, most clandestine forests of Brazil. The synth? Spot on. Bass? Perfection. A remarkable debut that deserves both more attention and a follow up. Stat.

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30. Gorgon – Traditio Satanae (Osmose Productions)

Sounds like: the French pioneers once again showing everyone how it’s done. I rated this 4/5 in my REVIEW and I’d rate it even higher now. If you don’t like this you’re a coward, I don’t make the rules.

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29. Crucifixion Bell – Eternal Grip Of The Nocturnal Empire (Crown & Throne / Dybbuk Productions / Inferna Profundis Records / Black Gangrene Productions / Banner Of Blood)

Sounds like: staring into a mirror as you slice your face open, peeling and tearing back the skin until you’re standing there screaming at yourself with your own bare skull. I said in my Splits Listcrush that Crucifixion Bell is one of the premier raw black projects around today – if you’ve heard his other works and STILL need more proof than this album, there’s no hope for you.

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28. Dødsferd – Suicide And The Rest Of Your Kind Will Follow Part II (Fucking Your Creation Records)

Sounds like PURE FUCKING HATRED OF ALL HUMAN LIFE from the Greek underground legends. The title alone of this album will get you banned on social media, which ironically is just another example of how shit things are and how much we all suck. This record doesn’t suck, though. Read my REVIEW of it if you don’t believe me.

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27. Morte Incandescente – Vala Comum (Signal Rex)

Sounds like: black metal that absolutely does not give a single fuck about you, any current genre trends, or anything else at all. Portuguese legends Vulturius and Nocturnus Horrendus have been in the game since before you stopped shitting in diapers, and it shows. Killer. Bang your fucking head.

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26. Funeral Winds – Gruzelementen (New Era Productions)

This tasty slab of demoncy goes HARD. The word Gruzelementen translates to “smithereens”, and that’s exactly what will be left of your head after it’s been shattered by the sheer orthodox fury of this record – the way it maintains its horrifying hunger throughout is beyond impressive. Whilst other bands try to sound “Satanic”, Funeral Winds, the product of one Dutchman Hellchrist Xul, honour the ancients and achieve it effortlessly. Sounds like: being swallowed by the gaping maw of the dark lord.

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25. Stygian Ruin – The Blackened Temple (Independent)

I discovered this one thanks to Aesop of Agalloch, to whom I owe my gratitude – this Norwegian blend of dungeon synth and black metal surpasses all the usual results of that all-too-common marriage and becomes almost cinematic in scope and execution. Sounds like the soundtrack to the coolest movie you’ve never seen.

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24. Nigrum Pluviam – Eternal Fall Into The Abyss (Signal Rex / Asylum Tenebris)

Sounds like: the abyss staring back into YOU, as I wrote in our PREMIERE of this raw French insanity. This is probably the kind of thing that many of you would skip over in a second, but it’s exactly the type of thing that many of you SHOULD be listening to in order to plumb the wretched depths of the darkness within. You’ll feel better for it, trust me. An all-consuming vortex of primitive negative energy, older than time itself.

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23. Tyrannic – Mortuus Decadence (Seance Records / Iron Bonehead Productions)

This Australian oddity sounds like throwing your head back, howling in rabid, slavering fervour at the moon and diving headfirst in to a reeking open grave. I returned to this far more often than I originally thought I would. A criminally underappreciated band – Tyrannic operates in a space far and away from others of their ilk.

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22. Vahrzaw – The Trembling Voices Of Conquered Men (Transcending Obscurity Records)

Sounds like: me putting this in here because George said he’d break my legs if I didn’t. I kid – album kills. This is the best record these surly Australian black-death bastards have done since the last best record they did, so you should probably buy it. Word is their next one will be a complete change of direction as well… get keen for that.

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21. Крюкокрест – Домовина (Cold Sword Productions)

Sounds like: withering Ildjarn-esque black punk with enough wrath and spite to fuck anyone up. The debut album of these Russian Pleskau Brethren members annihilates their already great first demo and split with Леший from 2020. Here’s hoping they bring the ruckus again in 2022.

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20. Ahulabrum – Daimonic Reality (Atrocity Altar)

Most people will probably hate this, but it sounds like if cryptids made tape montages of themselves terrorizing people and the resulting recorded testimonies of the victims, mashed up like audio scrapbooks. Returning (with old unreleased material, the project is laid to rest) extraterrestrial US raw black/noise/ambient project Ahulabrum quietly released one of the most fascinating and weird tapes of the year. The truth is out there.

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19. Baxaxaxa – Catacomb Cult (The Sinister Flame)

Sounds like: the continuation of a MIGHTY return. The legendary Baxaxaxa keep the flame burning strong with an album of old school purity that does everything right; I hope we get many, many more records from them now that they’re rolling again.

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18. Mork – Katedralen (Peaceville Records)

Sounds like… TRVE NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL. I said it best in the introduction to my INTERVIEW with Thomas: “Katedralen represents a more confident and honed collection of songs than Mork has ever had, at once immediately recognizable as Mork and becoming the natural evolution of the sound Thomas has been building since the inception of the project. These tracks marry a chilling aura of rising nocturnal demoncy with the storming caliginous fire of quintessential TNBM, rocking like a bastard whilst soaring with unmistakeable grandeur and grimness – the perfectly executed juxtaposition of epic, longing elements against primal neck-wrecking riffage ensure tracks ‘Arv’ or my personal favourite ‘Det Siste Gode I Meg’ (and any others really, they’re all fucking fantastic) will remain seared in your memory for an age.”

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17. Sarkrista – Sworn To Profound Heresy (Purity Through Fire / Worship Tapes)

Sounds like even more Finnish black metal perfected (by German transplants). Can you tell I’m partial to classic Finnish melody? Sarkrista are one of my favourites, and for very good reason – their third full-length uses those melodies to immediately plunge into a feeling that does not waver or fail for the entire record. A marvellous achievement from a band that hasn’t fucked up yet, and seemingly never will.

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16. Black Spirit – El Sueño de la Razón Produce Monstruos (His Wounds / Infinite Night Records)

Spanish raw black solo entity Black Spirit has been a regular showing on my Listcrushes of late, but this evocative full-length based on an aquatint by the late Spanish artist Francisco Goya is the sound of main man Javi hitting next level. Just released on vinyl via His Wounds a few days ago, too – order it or hate yourself. The sleep of reason produces monsters indeed.

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15. Misotheist – For The Glory Of Your Redeemer (Terratur Possessions)

Speaking of hitting next level, these Norwegians jumped up another three or four levels with For The Glory Of Your Redeemer. Immense, sprawling, intricate, multi-latered and multi-textured – no matter how many descriptors I spew out, the fact remains that this is purely and simply one of the finest examples of mystically and spiritually resonant black metal to emanate from Scandinavian shores in some time. Oh, and the LP packaging is probably the most luscious I received all year as well. Impressive all around.

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14. Kæck – Het Zwaarte Dictat (Folter Records / Hessian Firm)

Sounds like: a fucking tank (or something equally as heavy) crushing every bone in your body to dust. I REVIEWED this beast from the Dutch destroyers and gave it 4.5/5; in hindsight it probably should have broken the rating system and stood on its own because nothing else released this year was as infused with such ULTIMATE NEGATIVITY. So overwhelmingly bleak and brutal it becomes almost beautiful to witness.

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13. Los Males Del Mundo – Descent Towards Death (Northern Silence Productions)

I first heard this album when I was in intense physical agony whilst walking at night in the rain, and it hit me in such a way that it left an indelible mark on my soul. In fact, I think it ruined every other album of similar style that was released last year – nothing else matched up and all just sounded rather boring. Ergo, I have returned to this many times since and will likely continue to for many years to come. Sounds like: the very essence of trial and tribulation.

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12. Aquilus – Bellum I (Blood Music)

Sounds like: listening to someone far too talented to be creating music within the sphere of extreme metal. Speaking in a compositional sense Australian Horace Rosenqvist is streets ahead of everyone else on this list and Bellum I, unveiled ten years after his last release, is spellbinding as he trips the light fandango through a maze of gorgeous neoclassical or progressive soundscapes and technical blackened brutality with startling ease. I even get more out of tracks like the purely piano ‘Moon Isabelline’ than anything, which is saying a lot.

“What did the music mean to you?”

“I don’t know. It is full of emotion… but it’s not happy.”

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11. Pestilential Shadows – Revenant (Seance Records)

Australian black metal project Pestilential Shadows has been around for quite some time now. The masterful Balam created the project in 2003, and I can say with hand on heart – out of five previous full-length albums and a handful of splits and demos, 2021’s Revenant is, in my humblest opinion, his finest hour with this project. The type of record that needs to be sat and listened to in order to appreciate the depth and spiritual resonance within, this took me completely by surprise – and I already expected it to be good. Just sit and listen. You’ll see.

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10. Koldovstvo – Ni Tsarya, Ni Boga (Fólkvangr Records / Babylon Doom Cult Records / Extraconscious Records)

If you want to understand the magic of this mysterious (possibly Russian?) entity, listen to the second track ‘II’ from their quietly affecting debut album Ni Tsarya, Ni Boga – if the combination of catchy eastern European melodies emanating from ancient aeons past, haunting clean vocals (that somehow remind me of Garm‘s opening cleans on ‘Wintry Grey’ every time I hear them even though they sound absolutely nothing alike) and harrowing shrieks all wrapped up in a delicately crumbling production doesn’t leave your jaw on the floor, you’re either one cold motherfucker or probably dead. The rest of the album is also neat. Will we see more from this enigmatic entity? Here’s hoping.

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9. Reverorum ib Malacht – Not Here (Rubeus Obex)

Sounds like: a biblical depiction of total and complete destruction, obliterating all, from the very mouth and voice of God Himself. I’m going to take a bit of liberty here and say you NEED to also listen to the pseudo-companion piece Svag I döden that was released alongside this record as well, because in my opinion, they are best consumed as a complementary pair. Both albums are impossible to fully explain or quantify in this short paragraph… just read my REVIEW to get an idea, then listen and be blown away.

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8. MOON – Pandimensional Gnosis (Moribund Records)

Sounds like: early Xasthur being sucked into a black hole. Or a k-hole. Or both at the same time. Australian wretch Miasmyr‘s first full-length album in over five years did not disappoint in the slightest and only becomes more and more dysphoric and dissonant the deeper you fall in; I dare you to listen to this and not completely detach from reality. Supreme atmosphere.

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7. Grey Aura – Zwart Vierkant (Onism Productions / Kunstlicht)

Sounds like: ART. Six and a half years in the making, Zwart Vierkant not only is a work of art but deals with it in its subject matter as well. It’s based upon a novel written by founding member Ruben Wijlacker which “tells the story of an early 20th century painter who becomes obsessed with the Russian art movement, Suprematism, which idealises the abstract and rejects traditional artistic concepts” and this synergistic approach seems to inspire great creativity – which includes the disregarding of any elitist-imposed boundaries to carefully construct a dazzling stream of post-modern, almost surreal wonders and ruinous black metal to tell that tale. They take that black metal and wind it around their fingers like a cat’s cradle game, seamlessly incorporating different colored threads from any genre they see fit to create startling patterns; truly genre-bending and unique in the best spirit of the form and proving once again that the Dutch scene is one of the most forward-thinking in the world. An astonishing album that I had the pleasure of PREMIERING and speaking about with its creators, this is a modern classic that made an impact.

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6. Warloghe – Three Angled Void (Northern Heritage)

Sounds like: an album recorded in the ’90s, buried in a box under six feet of soil and only unearthed last year. No matter how eclectic my tastes can be these days as an old fuck, I’ll always remain that teenage elitist deep in my heart – you know, the guy saying black metal should be disgusting. It should be dark as pitch. It should attempt to summon forces beyond our reckoning. It should be the rotting, cancerous tumour destroying the world via sheer force of hatred… it should sound something like Warloghe‘s Three Angled Void.

I didn’t know this legendary Finnish project was busting out another album, but it certainly hit an unexpected and very welcome sweet spot for me. Building on their 2017 comeback EP Lucifer Ascends whilst ironically descending to more horrifying depths than they ever have previously, it might be nothing that people who’ve been around since before the Y2K bug fizzled out haven’t heard before – but it’s probably exactly what those people wanted to hear in 2021 without even realizing it. If Kæck up above was pure negativity, then Three Angled Void is the audio manifestation of loathing personified. Magnificent, and absolutely vile.

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5. Negură Bunget – Zău (Lupus Lounge)

Stright up – I did NOT expect Zău, the final swansong of Negură Bunget and tribute to Negru, to be this damn good. The previous few Negură Bunget records didn’t particularly land with me as they should have, but as soon as I pushed play on Zău I was breathlessly captivated from beginning to end and lost within the realm created by it. I’m listening to it again right now as I type, and still cannot believe how incredible it is. Sounds like: wandering the magical caves, mountaintops and glades of an icy world so pure, crystalline and beautiful you’ll feel your very spirit reinvigorate just by breathing the air of an album so immersive you can almost feel it in your lungs. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect parting note.

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4. Antichrist Siege Machine – Purifying Blade (Profound Lore Records / Stygian Black Hand)

“But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.” – Jude 1:10

You checked out the latest offering from blasphemic US annihilators Antichrist Siege Machine yet? If not, you’re fucking up in a big way because whilst 2019’s debut full-length ‘Schism Perpetration’ was an insane achievement, they’ve outdone themselves here – against massive odds, ‘Purifying Blade’ is a step forward in every aspect. A more razor sharp production means these riffs utterly lacerate your flesh as your bones are pummeled to dust, whilst their relentless savagery is given more dynamism (meaning they can now kill you in 36 different ways before your body hits the floor). Not one track is a dud, the interludes of bible verses are spot on – is it the best war metal release of the year? Yes. Have the piss beaten out of you and witness heaven being torn asunder by the entire thing below, if you don’t believe me. Vicious shit that sounds like… a knife in the very heart of God.

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3. CODE – Flyblown Prince (Karisma Records / Dark Essence Records)

And thus, the mighty and malignant < c o d e > did return. The UK progressive/avant-garde black metallers finally unleashed their wonderfully wretched and weird fifth full-length Flyblown Prince last year, and all I can say is… FUCKING HELL. Coming home to the experimental black venom of their early days yet also utilising some of the same softer-textured approach of their later work when necessary, the record is quite literally astonishing from the very first listen. This dark and dissonant nightmare fantasy was a hair’s breadth from taking out my album of the year slot, and is probably on equal footing with Resplendent Grotesque as my favourite of their works. Stunning.

“We hope you enjoy the album, and that the pain and toil was worth it. You eternally indebted wayside pastors…”

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2. Plebeian Grandstand – Rien Ne Suffit (Debemur Morti Productions)

If Flyblown Prince was a “FUCKING HELL”, Rien Ne Suffit by eschatonic French maniacs Plebeian Grandstand is a “HOLY FUUUUCK”. Idiosyncratic, intense, insane, barely music at times – Rien Ne Suffit cruelly smashes avant-garde black metal, jazz, hardcore, abrasive noise and mangled electronics together into something that sounds like total, ravaging mental torture. This record alternately makes you what to tear your hair out and smash through a fucking wall. You want the most messed up album of the year? This may just be it. And after two of the most mental albums you’ll hear in your life taking up the number three and two positions, we come to…

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1. Djevel – Tanker som rir natten (Aftermath Music / Tour De Garde / Mindscrape Music / Impure Wedding Productions)

…my album of the year. I fell in love with the seventh album from these Norwegian legends from the very first notes; by the time I’d finished my first spin I knew it would be an album that would become part of my musical DNA from that moment forwards. Why? Because this is absolutely quintessential, classic TNBM executed to perfection. The type you can feel. Moonlit magic whirls from these songs and embraces your soul with yearning, the riffs are incredible, hell even the acoustic break of the title track is mesmerizing – I’m not sure if it was the addition of Kvitrim of Mare on vocals/bass that’s made a difference (I certainly enjoy his vocals more, for what it’s worth) but whilst every Djevel album to this point has been great, Tanker som rir natten sounds like a band hitting upon their ultimate, true form. I never reviewed this, but I’d be hard pressed to not give it 5 / 5 and have almost worn the tape out already… if you haven’t listened yet, or you did and it didn’t click at the time, my sincerest advice to you is to give it another try. Majestic in every possible way, and I very, very rarely say this with any degree of seriousness… a modern masterpiece. Hail Djevel.

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BLACK METAL DAILY’S LISTCRUSH 2021: The Dex Edition, Part Two – Demos & EPs

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Greetings and infernal salutations warbrothers and assorted kvltlords. Dex again, this time sharing the list of my favourite EPs and demos (worth more than your life. Is that joke old yet?) from the past twelve months.

Somewhere in the vicinity of three and a half thousand black metal demos/EPs alone were released last year. Of course I didn’t check them ALL out – I do possess at least some vestiges of a life – but this list represents the cream of the crop of what I did spend time with and kept returning to over and over again. Yes, there are an excessive amount of Near Misses. But even they were culled from a towering stack of hundreds more and all of them are worth your time (hell, even I’m surprised some of them didn’t make the cut for the main list). So without further ado… my 30 favourite EPs and demos of 2021. Apologies in advance, I’ll be back before you know it with my full-length albums list. Hails.

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Near Misses:

• Gaahls Wyrd – The Humming Mountain
• Cathedrals In The Night – Demo I
• Selvans – Dark Italian Art
• Grinning Death’s Head – Cataclysm
• Katabasilisk – Sunset Of Solemn Silhouettes
• Sapientia Diaboli – Black Is the Messenger. Black Is the Destiny.
• Stikkersvin – Kælderens Barn
• Vaal – Het Vagevuur
• Lamp Of Murmuur – Punishment and Devotion
• Shades of Vrsaj’kett – What Lies Beneath Gravel & Soot
• Irae – Dangerovz Magick Zpells from the Mesziah of Death
• Sojourner – Perennial
• Mooncitadel – Onyx Castles and Silver Keys
• Merzuul – Gallipoli
• Förgjord – Ruumissaarna Pt. 2
• A Mournful Path – Upon Mounds Of Flesh And Ash
• Ifrinn – Caledonian Black Magic
• Kudlaakh – Beyond A World Of Illusion
• Ŭkcheănsălâwit – Alaskan Escape
• Kampfeswut – Kampfeswut
• Tumultuous Ruin – Demo I
• Sentiero dei Principi – Romantic Black Metal Manifesto
• Sightblinder – Relinquishing Light
• VzörbrëzV – Ébloui De Ténèbres
• Wampyric Rites – The Eternal Melancholy Of The Wampyre / Demo III
• Kamra – Conversing With Ghosts
• Sumerian Tombs – As Sumer Thrones At Night

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30. Dødsferd – Skotos (Transcending Obscurity Records) Greece

Sounds like: “A burning fire both immediate and resonating from times of old. A feeling of being totally lost, yet coming home. Destruction and rebirth. Writhing in eternal torment and bursting with limitless power. A burning, overpowering and obliterating rage… and soaring triumph.” Well, that’s what we said when we premiered a track from this one-two punch from the kings of the Greek underground. It still sounds like that to me now.

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29. Dwarrowdelf – Cold Lie The Ashes (Independent) UK

Sounds like: Nepotism. Nah, I genuinely love what our man Tom does, and here he pushes the Delf sound further than ever. He also completely owns that B-side cover – if you didn’t know, you’d swear it was a Dwarrowdelf track. Really looking forward to the new album he may or may not be recording (and I’m not being obtuse – I really have no idea what he’s doing).

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28. Kerasfóra – Denn Die Todten Reiten Schnell (Templo del Sol Muerto) Chile

Sounds like: Evil red eyes looking at you from the darkness behind that gate on the cover. This sinister blend of DS infused, hypnotically paced, medieval raw black is captivating – the kind of thing everyone should be paying attention to but barely anyone does.

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27. Xirgan – Prolonging The Archaic Slumber (Independent) USA

Sounds like: What you love to stumble across when you’ve been scouring the backwoods of the internet for great new shit but only discovering steaming hot garbage. At least, that was my situation when I discovered Xirgan anyway, and it’s stuck with me ever since. A great collaboration between several raw USBM names that does everything absolutely correct for me, this was released on cassette alongside the also quite nice first demo The Alchemist’s Curse so I could have cheated and thrown them both on here. Start with this one anyway. Side note: it also has a Harry Potter logo on the artwork… do with that information what you will.

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26. Tharagavverug – Vile and Loathsome Discord / Thin Is the Veil Betwixt Man and the Godless Deep (Rat Covenant) Romania

Okay fuck it, I AM going to cheat here, because this tape released by Rat Covenant combines both demos from this Romanian newcomer. Tharagavverug could sound like just another one of the million projects that do this sort of thing and I might have skipped over – if it wasn’t for the way it incorporates ’80s horror movie soundtrack vibes on occasion, and also just plain rips.

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25. Trhä – Inagape (Independent) Unknown

Sounds like: Trhä‘s stunning earlier 2021 demo Ihum Jolhduc parking its ass on my list for basically the entire year… until Inagape dropped right at the death, somehow managing to top even that and leaving my jaw in a gape. I’m not sorry for that joke. Get fucked.

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24. Nächtlich – Bewitched Under Hollow Nightskies (Vinland Corpse) Canada

Sounds like: Well. If you’re not attuned to the wretched delights of these Canadians after how many times I’ve shitted on about them and how often they’ve made my Listcrush in previous years, just listen to this tape and be forever converted. One of the rawest and also best things they’ve done lately, which is saying more than you could imagine.

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23. Hope Drone – Husk (Independent) Australia

Sounds like: An already excellent post-black band experimenting with what they do and coming up with something alternately shattering and breathtaking. I’m sure I said this last time, but come and tour down Melbourne way again soon, lads. Husk is the most accomplished and evolved record you’ve ever done and I need to see this stuff live.

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22. Krvna – Sempinfernus (Seance Records) Australia

Sounds like: “…lush, sanguine grandeur that pays respect to the ancients like Emperor but forges a path all its own. Showcasing top-notch writing and attention to detail, the melodies are sublime, every note dripping in midnight majesty and malice … a perfect paean to the eternal torment and savage will of the immortal beasts of the millennia.” Taken from our interview with main man Krvna Vatra Smrt, that description sums up this utterly sumptuous smorgasbord of vampyric black metal delights quite well. Superlative stuff, salivating for the upcoming debut album.

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21. Carathis – The Amethyst Fortress (Labyrinth Tower) Austria

Sounds like: That glorious album cover given sonic form, with a twist that only preternaturally gifted composer Erech Leleth could provide. He appears in this list twice and genuinely writes some of the most thrilling shit around. Just hook it to my veins.

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20. Sørgelig – Slaves Of Tomorrow (Repose Records) Greece

Sounds like: You know those guys who stand on street corners holding signs saying “the end is nigh” and proselytizing to anyone within earshot? This sounds like that. But the dude is also on fire. And trying to bash your head in with whatever he can get his hands on. Even when they get punkier than usual, Sørgelig remain underrated as fuck and completely incredible.

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19. Jernved – Stormvarsel (Independent) Denmark

Sounds like: The ’90s never left and all those bands you discovered and tapes you traded back then are magically new again. Absolutely top notch stuff; the type of quintessential black metal you can put on at any time and it always hits the spot.

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18. Black Kruud – The Staircase of Interdimensionality (Moonworshipper Records) Canada

Sounds like: fervent nocturnal worship from the otherrealms, by way of throwing a drum kit down twelve flights of stairs. Kidding – but I do absolutely adore the clattering cacophony this side project of Gamzhurm from Nächtlich creates. I could listen to it all day. You should too.

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17. Weathered Crest – Broken Column (Into Endless Chaos Records) Austria

Sounds like: Wandering centuries-old crumbling ruins and feeling the lingering vibrations of those ancient civilizations resonating deep within your soul. The type of raw black metal to leave an indelible mark, you’ll hear from this side project of Vritra from Brånd and Kringa again on my next list.

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16. Inferno Requiem – Vultures (Death Prayer Records) Taiwan

Sounds like: The ineffable Fog doing what he does best whilst bringing his superb Golden Horde saga to a close. Or, “wielding his mastery of classic black metal and bending it to his will to crush the listener underneath and leave us breathless”, as we said in our glowing review.

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15. Hekseblad – The Fall Of Cintra (Fólkvangr Records) USA

Sounds like: The rich and immersive world of The Witcher perfectly translated into black metal form. I rated this 4.5 / 5 when it dropped and it more-or-less managed to hold that score down since. Killer shit. They also just released a follow-up EP that expands on their sound; be sure to bust a nice big suss all over that as well.

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14. Apparition Of Sunlight – Wilt of Rose’s Crimson (Demo MMXXI) (Tour De Garde) USA/Canada

Sounds like: FUN. Which is weird for a demo with such melancholic tendencies, but I’ll state right here and now that it is categorically impossible to listen to this new raw melodic project from members of Fin (RIP), Délétère and Aleynmord and not thoroughly enjoy oneself. Can’t wait for more.

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13. Spiral Staircase – Cellar Dream (Lampshade Tapes) USA

There isn’t a single release since 2017 that Justin (aka Dread of Drekavac, Triangulum and more) hasn’t put out in his latest creative incarnation as Spiral Staircase that I don’t adore, and Cellar Dream keeps that streak going strong. At ten minutes long, the insistent rotting melodies within sounds like the kind of thing I’d leave on repeat for hours on end. Because I did, many times. Absolutely vital raw black metal.

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12. Леший – Поганые сны (Horrible Room) Russia

Sounds like: filthy, filthy dreams. That’s what the cyrillic title of this fucking stupendous demo by Russians Leshiy translates to anyway; one listen to its gnarled and ravenous spiritual rawness and you’ll certainly decide these are the type of dreams you love to have. And I don’t mean it’ll make your night shorts all sticky. Although it probably will.

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11. Somme – Prussian Blood (Death Kvlt Productions, Death Prayer Records) Finland

Sounds like: Being dropped smack-bang into the middle of WWI alongside members of Fallen Forest / Coniferous Myst, who then proceed to provide the perfect soundtrack for the misery, death and agonizingly hard-fought triumphs around you. Pretty much the same as their first EP, only even better.

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10. Etxegiña – Herederos del silencio (AbArt Corruption, Vertebrae) Spain/France

Sounds like: One of the most honest and powerful EPs to see the light of day in 2021, and a remarkably versatile one too. These four tracks each have their own singular mission yet fit together like a hand in a glove; plus, no matter what they do, they’ll stir your blood and get you up out of your seat. Check our previous interviews with main man Waldo for the incredibly affecting story and context behind it all.

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9. Ancient Mastery – The Chosen One (Death Prayer Records, Northern Silence Productions) Austria

Sounds like: Magnificent, hammering epic black metal with more ideas crammed into three tracks than that entire stylistic sub-genre can usually come up with in several years (and our Tom seems to come up with half of those anyway). Erech Leleth‘s other entry on this list. The man is truly unstoppable and this EP is dazzling.

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8. Crucifixion Bell – Astral Famine Chambers (Nithstang, Forgotten Sorcery Productions) USA

Sounds like: Being buried six feet deep in a coffin filled with tiny bloodsucking bats / swirling psychic vampire spirits and frantically trying to dig your way out whilst being fed upon before you’re sucked dry. The black metal tracks on this EP are two of the finest and most creative to appear all year, prolific sole practitioner The Astral Serpent (check out Fåvnesbane and all his other projects if you haven’t) just does not fucking miss.

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7. Krigstjørn – Liv, Død og Mellemvejen (Tour De Garde) Denmark

I can’t remember who shared this when I first saw it, but I owe them a debt – I wasn’t aware of this fresh Korpsånd Circle entity at the time and it ended up being one of my most played demos for the rest of the year. They also dropped another great demo (Skikkelser) later on in November which for whatever reason I haven’t been able to spend that much time with yet, so you should probably check that one out as well.

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6. Ärid – XIII – The Putrefying Rest (Death Hymns) USA

Sounds like: Being dead but your consciousness remains trapped in an eternal nightmare, bound to your decaying body so you’re forced to slowly experience yourself decomposing over endless time. Maybe I’ve just been unlucky in recent years but I haven’t come across much of this sort of thing lately (“thank fuck” I hear most of you say) but the weird magic created by thin, hornet’s nest guitars, absolutely disgusting vocals and tin-can yet creative drumming still hits the spot just as well as it did when I used to hear it done on the regular, and thankfully I still have Ärid to deliver it to me. Everything this project does is fucking great.

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5. Tirgûl – The Victorious Star (Independent) Netherlands

I actually discovered this super late in the year via one of Neill Jameson‘s lists for No Clean Singing (which are also fantastic, check them out if you haven’t) but I’ve listened to it daily since and can’t believe how good it is. I was intrigued when he described it as sounding like something that would have been on Hot Records back in the day; for those of you who don’t know what that means I guess just think of this EP as a spiritual sequel to the original recording of Stormblåst and you’re in the ballpark.

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4. Μνήμα – Spectres Of Oblivion / Gathering Sorcery to the Eternal Portals of the Past PT II / Flesh Prison (Escafismo, Phantom Lure, Crown and Throne Ltd, Hexenkult, AbArt Corruption) Greece

Sounds like: The most messed up, harrowing shit you’ve ever heard in your life. Yeah I’m cheating throwing every EP/demo the mysterious Greek tomb-dweller released this year on here, but no two releases are alike and all of them should be on this list, so deal with it. And listen to them all. Now. The forthcoming full-length Disciples Of Excremental Liturgies will blow your fucking mind, by the way.

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3. Bat Magic – Feast Of Blood (Sore Ear Collective) Unknown

Sounds like: SCREAMING, FLAPPING, FEASTING BLACK SORCERY. The first track I heard from this mysterious new Ordo Vampyr Orientis coven shot through me like a bolt of electricity; the rest of it surpassed all my expectations a zillion times over. Even in the more sedate, mystical, or just plain fun as hell moments it feels like everything about it is redlining to 11 (not least of all the vocals), and it contains probably one of the best riffs of the year to boot (I’ll let you figure out which one) as well as the best conclusion of just about any release anyone put out. The hardest hitting demo / EP to slap me in the face this cycle, by far… I need more. MORE. MORE!!! HAIL THE BAT!!!

“Just remember… you’ll dig two graves instead of one.”

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2. Immortal Forest – Howls From The Primordial Ones (Elderblood Productions) Unknown

You know when you find something that does absolutely nothing new at all, yet seems to do it perfectly? Elderblood Productions‘ 20th release Immortal Forest – Howls From The Primordial Ones is exactly that. As we said in our review: “Attitude, sound and aesthetic all align in a perfect storm encapsulating the quintessence of underground black metal. Even within the boundaries of their sound all elements are near flawlessly balanced. The visceral rawness, vocals like wind roaring bitter and cold through the trees, the melodies ablaze with zealous sorceries atop brittle percussion – despite the razor-sharp abrasion and searing obfuscation of the production these four compositions radiate an ancient and fervorous majesty, largely due to the fact that no amount of distortion can hide the beautiful melodies at play. Each track is a stunning expression of darkness and creates the type of swirling, heady delirium that regular patrons of the label and raw black cult acolytes will no doubt drink up like spilled claret from a jugular vein.”

The title track from this might just be my favourite demo song of the year, but the entire thing is impeccable. If the description above sounds at all within your wheelhouse I highly suggest you immerse yourself in it post-haste. Thou shalt be consumed.

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1. Kêres – Flaming Ash (Terratur Possessions) Finland

It takes no more than sixty seconds once you’ve pressed play on Flaming Ash, the latest EP from Circle Of Ouroboros composer Atvar‘s long running project Kêres, to realise the sheer quality that lies within this release. One minute maximum is all you need to feel that riff sink in; one minute until the vocals begin so soothe your soul. A few people said the last album Ice, Vapour, and Crooked Arrows had somehow lost a little of the Kêres magic – if you were one of those people, put those thoughts right out of your mind because from beginning to end Atvar is firmly back on top of his songwriting game (as if he ever wasn’t, really) and the flow from early Katatonia-esque melancholia to turbulent black storms and back again is nothing short of exquisite.

In this piece I’ve mentioned the best demo riff of the year, demo song of the year. Flaming Ash is without a shadow of doubt the best overall EP of the year. Get yourself a copy now. Hails.

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Listcrush returns with the Tom O’Dell Edition, Gos Edition and Dex full-length album Edition soon.

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

BLACK METAL DAILY’S LISTCRUSH 2021: The Dex Edition, Part One – Splits

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Here we are again: LISTCRUSH 2021 HAS ARRIVED. Another year done, which for many was about as enjoyable and welcome as a wet fart, but as usual at least the music was killer. Wasting no time in getting this shit underway (because it usually takes us weeks to get through it anyway) here’s my list of the splits that resonated the most with me throughout the year. My tastes seemed less eclectic than usual, or maybe they weren’t – I don’t even know anymore. Many of the near misses could have made the list on a different day, and probably should have given that I’m listening to that Valac / Crucifixion Bell again as I type and it’s blowing me away, but fuck it. Read on and check ALL of these out, every single one is highly recommended. Infinite thanks and massive respect to every artist on the list for giving creating your art and spreading a little more darkness across this wretched earth. Stay tuned for Part 2 (demos and EPs) coming soon. Hails.

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Near Misses:

• Spider God / Μνήμα
• Valac / Crucifixion Bell
• Vampirska / Wampyric Rites
• Glemt / Vampirska
• Entropy Created Consciousness / Silent Remission
• Black Kruud / Drelnoch
• Vide / Bloodnun
• Goatpenis / Demonic Apparition
• Xavarthan / Vampyric Winter
• Order Of The Iron Fist / Necroprofanator / Intolerant / Blood Artillery

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25. Dusk Lurker / Archierophant – The Third Flame (Blackwood Productions)

Sounds like: sitting in a small boat, drifting alone down a river, watching your life go up in flames behind you. And you were the one who set it all on fire. Just a wonderfully well put together UK split of stirring black metal with hefty emotional weight.

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24. Blutschwur / Mäleficentt – Ancestral Might (AbArt Corruption, Nithstang Productions, Mordstreich)

Sounds like: Screaming at the sky as swords flash and blood flies in the heat of medieval battle. Will you die this day? Nay, thou shall not die this day. A short, sharp shock of pure kinetic energy from two US beasts.

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23. Celestial Sword / Trhä – edënohhdlha hálgra tu majtranlh’ha / ga nëcëcta mon idlhi (Independent)

Sounds like: Celestial Sword being pretty darned good but Trhä being fucking GREAT and spiriting you away to another world, as usual. This would be higher up the list if the two sides were of equal value; modern raw black metal is being torn apart by Trhä and the resulting carnage is beautiful.

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22. Black Imperial Blood / Grundhyrde – Wallachian Windspirit / Odious Chasm of Scorn (ASRAR)

Sounds like: Australians Black Imperial Blood having a MASSIVE hard-on for Satanic Warmaster whilst US cultist Grundhyrde gets lost on an epic, forest-covered mountain, saying fuck it, and living there howling with the wolves forever. Sounds a touch furry, but it works – even if Lauri could probably sue for those BIB riffs.

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21. Forbidden Tomb / Nansarunai – Forbidden Tomb / Nansuranai (Ancient Horror Records, Banner Of Blood)

Sounds like: Scraping centuries-old scum off the inside of mildewed tombs and eating it. Both of these Indonesian projects are great, but Nansarunai… holy fucking shit. Ultimate creeping death, straight from the spirit realm. 

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20. Vessel Of Iniquity / Thecodontion – The Permian-Triassic Extinction Event (I, Voidhanger Records, Bad Moon Rising 惡月上昇, Dead Red Queen Records)

Sounds like: The cream of UK and Italy destructiveness combining for the sonic depiction of an extinction level event wiping out 90% of all life on the planet. Which we said in our review, HERE. Obliterating.

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19. Glemt / Unholy Vampyric Slaughter Sect / Crucifixion Bell / Celestial Sword – What Sin Hath Twisted (Crown and Throne Ltd.)

Sounds like: Midnight madness, mania and raw fucking majesty from a who’s who of raw UK/USBM. Is Crucifixion Bell one of the greatest raw black artists currently active? You know all signs point firmly to yes. 

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18. Spear Of Teuta / Opium Grave – Fallen / Pests (Independent)

Sounds like: Two of the most interesting subterranean black conjurers around teaming up and sounding like nothing else on this list. Croatian Krik‘s post-punk raw black of Spear Of Teuta is given an extra dimension by Australian Siliniez pulling double duty here; and of course, the Opium Grave side is stellar goth weirdness. Both projects are far too slept on, and more eyes should have landed on this split.

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17. Feminazgûl / Awenden –  Feminazgûl / Awenden Split (Tridroid Records)

Speaking of interesting splits, this little conjuration is fascinating. Sounds like losing and then finding yourself again in a primal woodland glade. Remarkably touching, I’ve returned to this split far more often than I expected to yet still not as often as it deserves.

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16. Kirkebrann / Visegard – Kirkegard (Odium Records, Screaming Skull Records)

Sounds like: My TRUE NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL heart beating in double time. Kirkebrann landed on my splits list last year; I’ve absolutely no fucking clue how more heads who jam Mork or Darkthrone-esque goodness aren’t all over them like flippers on a GoatowaRex drop. This split is so long it’s like getting a mini-album from each band – no complaints here.

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15. Μνήμα / Upir / Koreltsak / Calling Of Phasmic Presence – Conspiring in Blood-drenched Moonlight (His Wounds, Crown and Throne Ltd.)

Sounds like: your life and sanity slowly being sucked out of you by spectral leeches who then reanimate your corpse to wander as a slowly decomposing lost soul, hungering for the taste of life until the weight of your own fate causes you to tear yourself limb from limb. In blood drenched moonlight, of course.

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14. Thorns Of Malice / Moraš – Quivering Silhouettes Beneath the Corrupting Gleam (Atrocity Altar)

Sounds like: Me being extremely pissed off I didn’t snag the tape of this – but hey, Atrocity Altar is back in Australia so things are looking up for the future. Speaking of, fellow Aussies Thorns of Malice keep up remarkably well with the always untouchable Finn Moraš. Pain, melancholia and the exquisitely vicious gnashing of teeth all in one.

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13. Kommodus / Burier – Poison & Perseverance (GoatowaRex)

Sounds like: Nobody on the planet being surprised that this split from two of Australia’s premier subterranean artists was fucking amazing. Nobody at all. Backing vocals on Lepidus’ side were performed by Kūwāha’ilo of Kūka’ilimoku, which is the cherry on top of a deliciously vital yet decomposing cake. Killer Vberkvlt cover art, too – may he get well soon. 

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12. Sightblinder / Shapeless – Shapeless / Sightblinder (Poisonous Sorcery)

Sounds like: ANOTHER double Australian assault. I’ve been telling people for as long as I can remember that Australian raw black metal kills and deserves far more attention than it gets; listen to both sides of this on repeat for more proof.

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11. Délétère / Sarkrista – Opus Blasphematum (Sepulchral Productions)

Sounds like: Glorious, spiralling melodies of shimmering black effulgence rising tall and proud in satanic majesty. Two of my favourite bands together on one disc was never NOT going to fucking rip.

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10. Petrine Cross / Tower of Filargyria – Split (Panurus Productions)

Sounds like: tarot cards, suffering, and capitalism being torn down – via beautiful, tortured raw black metal. I’d almost bet everything I own that this slipped under your radar, so check it out below (or at our premiere where we had a chat with the lovely Esmé and Cicatrix HERE) and get to know.

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9. Gnipahålan / Evilfeast – Storm av rå Nordisk Dödskonst del. II / Black Witchcraft over Carpathia (Amor Fati Productions)

Sounds like: Swirling ice-wind sorceries searing through the timeless black of eternal night. Swedish mystics Gnipahålan never put a foot wrong, and although I’m sometimes take-or-leave regarding Evilfeast (for a variety of reasons) even Grimspirit knocks it out of the park. Two absolute masters doing what they do best.

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8. Tenebrae In Perpetuum / Gorrch – Suicidio Spirituale (Dolomia Nera)

Sounds like: Half of those who (rightfully) jerked off over last year’s Introvertere probably not even realizing that this low-key split was out. Two of the most interesting names in Italian black metal; one of the most fascinating splits of the year. Sadly, the human blood spattered version is now sold out.

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7. Nächtlich / Grundhyrde – Nächtlich / Grundhyrde (Death Hymns, New Era Productions)

Sounds like: Riffs upon riffs upon riffs upon… yep, you guessed it – RIFFS. Interesting pairing the punkish and prolific Canadians Nächtlich with the raw classicism of Grundhyrde, but fuck me with a rusty knife if it doesn’t work a treat.

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6. Eishalle / Ancient Necromancy – Forbidden Sorcery in the Frostbitten Night (Drakkar Productions, Cultus Caliginous)

Sounds like: frozen hypnotic waves, relentless and battering even as they crumble to pieces around you. I didn’t expect this one to stick quite as hard as it did but every time I listened it just became more and more satisfying from both sides, every element perfectly placed. Grab a jacket, because this shit is fucking cold. Gloriously grim.

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5. Brånd / Calvary – Brånd / Calvary Split (Tour De Garde, Fallow Field, Födweg)

Sounds like: “the soundtrack for long and lonesome walks in utmost recluse trails of your surrounding wastelands or your own mind”, according to the Bandcamp – and this quietly stunning lo-fi split indeed fits exactly that sentiment. The combination of Austrian Brånd‘s post-punk infused riffage with US duo Cavalry‘s even more haunting and introspective approach is simply magical.

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4. Fanebærer / Carved Cross – Fanebærer / Carved Cross (Nattetale)

Sounds like: If you need me to tell you about either of these bands, just click play on the link below and all will be explained. Danish Korpsånd Circle alumni Fanebærer are exquisite as always, whilst Australian (Tasmanian, to be precise) Carved Cross‘ side is their warmest yet but still conjures a miasma like no other. Remember when I said Australian raw black kills? Yeah. Also dedicated to the memory of Lasse of the mighty Skjold. Rest In Power.

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3. Dai-ichi / Lamp Of Murmuur – Virgin Womb Of Eternal Black Terror (Fólkvangr Records, Nebular Carcoma Records, Bile Noire, Lunar Apparitions)

Sounds like: HYPE. Yeah, everyone rides Lamp but (if you’re not a sour cunt who hates riffs) it’s well deserved – and Dai-ichi is deserving of equal attention. I mean, just listen to this thing. Contemporary raw black doesn’t get much better…

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2. Kommodus / Pan Amerikan Native Front – Immortal Ceremonies (GoatowaRex)

…except for THIS, which sounds like contemporary raw black metal perfected. In an era where it seems more obvious by the day that bands are just throwing any old guitar-based musical style into the mix, playing it on a reverb drenched or ear-splittingly distorted potato and dubbing it raw black metal, Australian Lepidus Plague is out here doing whatever the fuck he wants and making it seem 1. completely authentic, and 2. totally ravenous at all times. Oh, and Pan Amerkan Native Front‘s side is even better. This would easily, by far and away, have been my split of the year. If not for…

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1. Amestigon / Shaarimoth / Inconcessus Lux Lucis / Thy Darkened Shade – SamaeLilith: A Conjunction of the Fireborn (World Terror Committee)

…THIS. Sounds like: the best collaborative effort this year could possibly have produced. Thirteen years in the making (!), these four singular artists unite under one theme and focus their will to set the world ablaze. Every time I listen to the fifteen (!!) passages of this split I’m totally blown away – the diabolical power seething within each composition ensures it’s an almost reverential experience. No other split on the list gives me this feeling; very few other releases I heard this year do eeither. Considered together, SamaeLilith: A Conjunction of the Fireborn is a towering monolith raised on four pillars of unwavering, indestructible strength to tear the firmament asunder. An immense, sprawling monument that should not – CAN not – be ignored. Split of the year. Hails.

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