Hierophant Nox

VARIOUS ARTISTS : TLA DE-PUR’ ANATA Astrum Argentum/Negra Nit Distribution Relatively hot on the tail of its first compilation, “Invocatio Valde Diaboli Ex Profundus”, the promotion agency Astrum Argentum has released a second assault, in the form of “Tla De-Pur`Anata”. While the organisation specialises in bands with a strong Satanic outlook, a great deal of [...]

BEHEMOTH : LIVE ESCHATON – THE ART OF REBELLION (RE-ISSUE) Metal Mind Productions Capturing what is, to my mind at least, a very interesting period in the history of the unstoppable and awesome Behemoth, the “Live Escaton” release offers a window to the band’s ridiculously successful metamorphosis into a modern, complex yet gut-rippingly savage death [...]

WINDRIDER : MUSPELHEIM Unsigned One may wonder how long the rise to prominence of the folk metal movement can continue. As a sub-genre continues on a commercial ascent, and the magazines start to proclaim it the ‘Next Big Thing’, one starts to question how much longer it can continue to come up with the goods [...]

VARIOUS ARTISTS : SWEDISH DEATH METAL Index Verlag My-oh-my! Aaaaarrrggh… Drools…. I think I just had multiple organisms! (Grins exhaustedly). Whosever idea this was (that would be Daniel Ekeroth btw) ought to be awarded with a medal for services to Metal! This is just “the business”! I know its not totally complete (you try and [...]

BLOODDAWN : FUNERAL FOR A DESPISED ICON Unsigned Formed in 2005, Blooddawn, which has largely been the solo project of one Paul, is representative of all that’s good in the UK black metal scene right now; a determined work ethic, a real and inspiring disregard for trend, a proactive approach to creating and producing new [...]

PESTILENT GRAVE Pestilent Grave’s Vith has attracted a lot of attention to his raw and seriously nasty black metal project on the back of two repulsive yet hypnotic tapes. The balance between evil primitivism and a plain racket is a difficult one to strike, with improvisation capable of lending both genius and incoherence, so it’s [...]

1349 : REVELATIONS OF THE BLACK FLAME Candlelight Records The Norwegian black metallers 1349 have returned once again. Well-renowned for a fiery, aggressive and brutalitarian craftwork, Ravn, Archaon, Seidemann and Frost unleash another chapter, “Revelations Of The Black Flame”. Back in 2005, the world was exposed to “Hellfire”, possibly their most intense album featuring Archaon’s [...]

AZARATH : PRAISE THE BEAST Agonia Records With the commercialisation of extreme metal showing no sign of faltering on its synapse-deadening march, it’s reassuring to know that in the shadowy, grimy, misanthropic corners of the globe, excitingly relentless underground acolytes such as Poland’s Azarath continue to flourish against the market’s grain. My anticipation for their [...]

DAWN OF TEARS : DARK CHAMBER LITANIES Unsigned Dawn of Tears are a Spanish melodic death metal band; formed a decade ago, it has taken them a while to hit their stride, but with current EP “Dark Chamber Litanies” following up debut album “Descent” fairly rapidly, it would seem that they have now found a [...]

IMPIETY : TERROREIGN – APOCALYPTIC ARMAGEDDON COMMAND Agonia Records A band considered “forgotten in time”, by all but the most hardened Metalheads, Impiety were formed way back in 1990. Since then, these Singapore-based, seminal blackened thrashers have been ripping and tearing their way through the metal world with pure blunt force ferocity, and 19 years [...]