A Decade In Fog – A Review of ‘Ten Years of Devotion’ by ALTARE PRODUCTIONS

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By Daniel Pinheiro (Utopia Platafórmica)

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Ten years have passed since one of the most honest black metal labels was born from the ashes of Bubonic Productions, another example of how black metal should be taken care of. And for, this is the core issue with most black metal labels around: the way they monetize on a genre that is much more than just music. Well, if you start a label you of course want to make a profit, and I am all in with that. But, at what cost? Are you willing to fall into the deep abyss that is the “Black Metal Business”? I am not a musician, nor a label owner, but I am entitled to an opinion, especially considering for how long I have been employed in the task of Black Metal Acolyte (that is a joke).

I remember Bubonic Productions very well, and I remember the amount of money Daniel “made” me spend on tapes. The quality of his roster and the way he dealt with everything made him one of the best people I have ever seen doing this. Then it all turned into fog… and Altare was born. Altare has this aura, this special atmosphere that reflects unto the music he chooses to support. From the raw side of black metal to nature like atmospheres, Altare is a class act, and the music that composes this compilation proves it.

Allow me to list the bands/projects present: Sulphuric Night, Sanguine Relic, Via Sinistra, Nahtrunar, Mahvan Amp, Burning Apparition of the Master, Black Cilice, Wagner Ödegård, and Vrorsaath. Can you see the diversity? Assuming it is all raw is falling into a mistake, but assuming they are all top-notch, is not. The sphere I call black metal has a plentitude of layers and colors; harsher, melodic, visceral, delicate. The four adjectives that better describe what I look for in black metal, and all have various tonalities and such, which makes it amazing! Should we dwell into each of the tracks? The first four are magnificent. Each one of these tracks shows the majestic approach all these musicians take towards a genre that some believe to be linear and so elitist that it should never have evolved into what we have now.  

Sulphuric Night is taking it back to the Old Days of Black Metal, with class. This recent phase might be my favorite from him. The North American beast that is Sanguine Relic is always an act from who I expect the unexpected, and not that he drifts away from the genre, but the nuances/layers he puts in his music are always… unexpected. Via Sinistra is yet another distinct act from the Portuguese scene. We tend to know what to expect whenever a new entity pops up on our scene, but not all are clear Bathory clones, d’you know what I mean? Via Sinistra is different, and his body of works demonstrates that he will not just stick to the rules, to the basics, to the (presumable) guidelines; ‘Heresia’ is addictive and very well-conceived. ‘Wolfsstunde’, the 2022 release by Nahtrunar, was a harsh and cold black metal battle-axe, deeply rooted in ’90s black metal, but with a modern imprint. Wait! Modern? Well, not modern, modern; modern as in contemporary. Yes, that is it. Nahtrunar brings forth the ideas laid downby the ones that crafted the genre (not jumping into a pointless argument), with ideas that only make the sound bigger and broader.

Well, well, well. Mahvan Amp is, using someone else’s words, “a must for anyone who believes Black Metal is an evolving tableau rather than a set of conservative rules”. Perfection. They truly are, and jumping right after Nahtrunar makes it even more perfect. Melody, distinct rhythms and paces, experimentation; what do we have next? Burning Apparition of the Master is the product of today’s USBM. Gone are the days of Akhenaten and Wrest, probably my two favorite black metal musicians from back in the day. Can I say that? “Back in the day”? Well… neither of them are young, and one is not even playing black metal anymore. As I was saying, Burning Apparition of the Master is a harsh, violent act that emits this dark and strange energy, uncomfortable energy, and these 4 minutes and 50 seconds are just that. Then, Black Cilice is, most likely, the most beloved Portuguese black metal act abroad. His work has been spot-on since day one, and the way he handles all the related to the project is worthy of all of our respect. Black Cilice reflects the way Altare is run, with honesty and secrecy.

Black metal was, once, an honest genre; the Swedish scene is different from the remaining Nordic scenes. A band like Arckanum is proof of that, right? But if you add Wulkanaz and Wagner Ödegård, you get this triad that simply blows your mind with the over-the-top quality, and bravery in risking, black metal sound. What more to say? Magnus Eriksson is a maniac, and his music is a portrait of a demented World. I get lost in his tunes, and… and yes, he is a bloody madman. The closure? Head on over to Sydney, New South Wales, and admire the work of The Seer (too many projects to list – use Google). Vrorsaath is a dungeon synth/black metal creation that lives in a land of desolation and fantastic creatures, whose melodies are the perfect soundtrack for a masterpiece like LOTR. Glad to see him keep on assembling strong melodies and haunting moments.

Well, well, well… this was a long one, but hopefully not uninteresting. In short, Altare is class, Altare is genuine, Altare is Black Metal.

Ten Years of Devotion is available now via Altare Productions.

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Purchase Ten Years of Devotion on digital and LP from the Altare Productions Bandcamp HERE or webstore HERE.

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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 2022: The Alaskan Bergwanderer Edition

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All black metal, all day! Everyday! Say it with your chest!

A couple quick things:

1) Anything that has been released in the later part of December is going on a “Best of December” list. I got tired of having something released at the very end of the year tearing up my year end, and giving me that feeling of having to shoehorn something into a list based on name and hype. Hate Forest did it to me two years ago, and now threatened to do it again this year, among other bands. I’m sticking to my guns on this from here on out!

2) I have a lot of favorite EPs for the year, but my list focuses on FULL LENGTH ALBUMS. Why showcase appetizers when I can showcase the full meals? 

3) I had to dig deep on this one this year. As easy as it could have been to thrown the “name bands” on this list, I had to really sit and think about what albums I actually listened to fairly often this year. Not all the name bands got a lot of spins from me. I no longer feel the need to throw all of the “name” bands out there on my list just to echo popular opinion. I hope my list gets people wondering, and hopely you’ll find some new gems for your ears and your collection. 

With that out of the way, here are my personal picks for the top black metal albums of 2022:

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20) TYRANT – Tales of Realms Forgotten

UK purveyors of raw, melodic nastiness.

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19) YMIR – Aeons of Sorrow

A fine sophomore effort by the Finnish Pagan horde, now with Corvus on vocals!

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18) WĘDRUJĄCY WIATR – Zorzysta Staje Oćma

The newest effort from the Polish atmospheric BM gods; a concept album based on Eastern European folktales, and their best work TO. DATE. 

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17) BLOOD COUNTESS – Occulta Tenebris

Something in the water right now in the UK. Absolutely crushing, aggressive Vampyric black metal with riffs for days, and the still not common occurrence of a woman leading the charge and crushing black metal vocal patriarchy with a stellar performance. 

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16) VITAL SPIRIT – Still As The Night, Cold As The Wind

From Vancouver BC we have face melting melodic black metal with tales of anguish of the Native American tribes, with awesome musical moments straight from a Spaghetti Western movie. 

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15) STANGARIGEL – Na Severe Srdca

Let these Slovakians take you on a journey deep into the forests, to mingle with the spirits, and said journey delivered in a musical package that reminds one of The Shadowthrone, For All Tid, Bergtatt, and the like. 

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14) VÉHÉMENCE – Ordalies

The French do Medieval Black Metal juuuust right. This is hyper melodic and blast beat heavy odes to everything mighty and heroic. 

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13) NAHTRUNAR – Wolfsstunde

This Austrian project returns to deliver six new hymns of cold, rather melodic, and dare say uplifting atmospheric black metal. IMO, the best album since Existenz. 

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12) SVELSURDUS – Heathen Chronicles

Don’t let the weird, almost electronica intro fool you, this is by far some of the most well executed Pagan black metal you’ll hear this year, bar none. Musicianship to production is stellar. 

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11) MORIBUND DAWN – Dark Mysteries of Time & Eternity

From the frosty realms of Arizona comes an ode to all things grand about the Swedish melodic black metal scene circa 1994 thru the early 2000’s. They pay homage to Vinterland, Sacramentum, and Unanimated as much as they do Dissection. 

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10) KVAEN – The Great Below

You want riffs? A lot of riffs? A lot of *catchy* riffs? In everything that can be whitewashed in black metal fury? Look no further. Every instrument shreds to pieces on this. 

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09) EOSPHOROS – II

USBM from Portland, Oregon that is severely overlooked. It’s melodic, it’s raw, it’s catchy, it’s some of the best Pagan-themed stuff coming from the US. 

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08) MARRASMIELI – Martaiden mailta

Another great Finnish band, delivering the type of epic as all hell blackened metal that hasn’t hit me this hard since the first few Moonsorrow albums. Nods to Bathory and other greats as well. Music to hike mountains with (speaking from experience). 

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07) LUNAR SPELLS – Demise of Heaven

Savagely melodic and riff forward Greek black metal that pays far deeper homage to the Finnish greats than their classic country mates. If you missed out on this one, I am sorry. 

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06) NUBIVAGANT – The Wheel and The Universe

Black metal this repetitive shouldn’t be THIS DAMN GOOD. And add exclusively clean vocals to the mix, and you have something truly unique and hypnotic. I cannot get enough of this. I expect no less from Italian great Gionata “Omega” Potenti. Dude doesn’t know how to make bad music. 

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05) IKU-TURSO – Into Dawnless Realms

These Finns are here to remind you that aggressive and atmospheric 1990’s Scandinavian black metal is here to stay. Top notch performance all the way around. The perfect companion piece with sister band Korpituli. 

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04) NEBRAN – …Of Long Forgotten Times

This is German black metal on a truly large scale. The pace never goes beyond mid-tempo, but the riffs are furious, and the tone somber. It pulls you in deep and does not want to let go.

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03) FIRN – Frostwärts

This is a relatively new melodic and folk tinged German Pagan black metal project, created by the man behind Heathen folk project Waldtraene, and also involved in Folk rock/metal greats Odroerir. This flew far too far under most radars this year. ‘Epic’ is an overused word in this genre, but sometimes it’s the only one that fits. 

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02) NOCTURNAL TRIUMPH – S/T

This mysterious Swedish project reared its ugly head all the way back in January to bless everyone with a 3rd album of serpentine riffs, blast beats and deep, dark atmosphere to get lost in. These four tracks flow into one another and by no means feels like a 40 min experience. The holding power it had over the year cannot be denied. If not for my #1 coming out a month later, this could have easily taken the crown. 

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01) ELDRITCH – I Shall Raise My Burning Sword

Once again, the UK comes through. I probably have listened to this album the most of any this year, and I still can’t grow tired of it. Raw black metal that draws inspiration from both the Finnish and French black metal scenes, and has an underlying punk aesthetic that sometimes comes fully to light on tracks such as ‘Netherstorm Of Purple-Velvet Khaos’. Absolute perfection. Ask anyone who knows me, they’ll probably tell you I have been incessantly pimping the HELL out of this one, and should surprise absolutely noone to see this on top of the heap. 

BLACK METAL DAILY’S LISTCRUSH 2022 will continue.

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