Hierophant Nox

TERATISM : VIA NEGATIVA Negativity Records It seems to me that there are varied flavours of evil available to your average black metal ensemble these days, and the majority of it is theatrical. Not that I have an inherent beef with taking a Satanic aesthetic to its logical conclusion; I’m all for stage dressing, all [...]

LAST FUNERAL : INCIPIENT GRIM Mortis Humanae Productions I’ve been listening to Belgrade’s The Stone quite a lot over recent months, and had a very intriguing time crossing Serbia in August; an old, mysterious, beautiful place with history and soul, it was, I couldn’t help thinking, a likely location for some cracking black metal. I [...]

STORM OF DARKNESS/LUCIFERIAN : FROM UNDERGROUND TO THE BLACK MASS Mortis Humanae Productions Storm of Darkness and Luciferian both hail from Colombia – Bogotá and Armenia, respectively – and “From Underground to the Black Mass” seems like a solid representation of what both are about. Storm of Darkness, who open proceedings, have been active for [...]

VARIOUS ARTISTS : PHILOSOPHY OF A KNIFE Peripheral Records Ah, labels. For every roster that’s lovingly selected for its perfect unity of style, philosophy and aesthetic, there’s another that reflects a boss’s eclectic taste, and yet another aimed at reaping maximum market advantage (bleh). The label compilation, therefore, can be a particularly odd beast: ungainly, [...]

The song “concrete ocean” from the upcoming netra album to be entitled “Sørbyen” has now been made available for streaming and free download (see soundcloud/bandcamp links below). This is the second track to made available from the upcoming album “Sørbyen” following the release of the track “wish she could vanish” a few weeks ago. This [...]

Norway’s TrollfesT has released a video teaser for the band’s upcoming fifth full-length album. With artwork by the Swedish cartoonist Jonas Darnell, who originally created the iconic metal duck from TrollfesT’s “Villanden” album, and design by Terje Johnsen, the 13-track “Brumlebassen” is set for release on NoiseArt Records in August of this year in both [...]

The final line-up poster for Obscene Extreme Festival reached us… and it looks like a ridiculous amount of fun: This year’s line-up includes Vomitory, Asphyx, Krisiun, Nasum, Exhumed and Suffocation – not to mention many others –  over three days, 11th – 14th July. The festival takes place at Trutnov, in northern Czech Republic. For [...]

DONN THE PHILOSOPHY : HORNS CURVE INTO BROKEN CIRCLES Peregrination Records Your reaction to Donn the Philosophy will largely be dictated by what you want and expect from your black metal overlords. If the very idea that the soul could need and the brain could desire when it comes to the grimmest of art forms [...]

STAALKRACHT I like noise. I like to subject my ears and brain to it. I like to let it do nasty, unfriendly things to my imagination. Additionally, I like the collaborative nature of the ‘scene’, the way in which its artists will share and guide, the fact that its labels are often so dedicated and [...]

Your Chance To Die, a death metal outfit from South Carolina, has been gathering momentum over the past couple of years with demo releases and a furious work ethic when it comes to life performances. Their dedication paid off last year with a signing to Red Cord Records and the release of their first official [...]