Tag: Svart

Diamonds & Rust: Blood Money – Red, Raw And Bleeding! + Battlescarred
It is nigh-impossible to discuss the early days of heavy metal–especially in the U.K.–without at least mentioning the socio-economic conditions that allowed it to multiply like bacteria in a warm, damp Petri dish. From the …

Altari – Kröflueldar Review
[Cover art by Altari guitarist K.R.Guðmundsson] In the press materials for Kröflueldar, the full length debut from Iceland’s Altari, the band jokes that because the record took nine years to make, they named it after …

No Spill Blood – Eye Of Night Review
Perhaps you would agree that there are many ways for a band to be good. (If you do not agree, that is okay. But why start off on such a disagreeable footing?) There are two …

Serpentent – Mother Of Light Review
[Cover artwork by Anne K. O’Neill] —The sounds of a heaving ocean joined by the familiar creak of a gnarled ship // An ol’ sea dog barely lit by a weary lantern flame recounts a …

Kaleidobolt – This One Simple Trick Review
As Monty Python would say, and now for something completely different. Metal is a wonderfully massive umbrella term that covers an astounding variety of musical styles to suit nearly any mood. We use it to …

I Am the Night ‒ While the Gods Are Sleeping Review
[Cover art by Kristian “Necrolord” Wåhlin] The Grand World of Heavy Metal Music is no stranger to works of tribute, typically to an era or sound or Days of Yore, but sometimes bands zero in …

Messa – Close Review
If I were forced to pick a single word to describe Messa’s third album, Close – just one word – it would be patient. Don’t mistake me: Messa’s doom is not slow or directionless or …

Deathbell – A Nocturnal Crossing Review
[Cover artwork by Adam Burke at Nightjar Illustration] France’s Deathbell broke convention and tossed the idea of a sophomore slump right on its ass. Where 2018’s debut, With the Beyond, was a fine reiteration of …