Astonishing - A Masterpiece

 Hypothermia - Rakbladsvalsen (2007, Total Holocaust Records)



Tracklist

1. Del I     34:25
2. Del II    09:50
3. Del III   06:09
4. Del IV   11:00

Total Running Time: 01:01:24

This, i now firmly believe, after quite a substantial number of repeated listens, is and i can't stress this enough, one of the best (and dare i say even greatest Black Metal) albums i have ever heard, and also an essential for any fan of Black Metal music, and of the sub-genre that is sometimes labelled Depressive/Suicidal Black Metal which this record possibly belongs to. Now i will admit i've only just discovered this band, (through a release by Kyla, the singers Kim Carlsson's previous band) and it's actually an album that was released five years ago, (but since it's for me a new discovery i'll consider that it's new Black Metal, which was the original idea behind starting this blog page), but anyways i'm totally fucking amazed by its sound, melodic, depressive but yet simply beautiful, and its atmosphere, which is cold, full of darkness, claustrophobic and yet very very bleak. I can't help thinking also that this band really know what they are doing and so have achieved something unique musically (but without losing the Black Metal feeling that every such release should have). The opening thirty plus minute track is truly masterful, it might be considered long and maybe a tad repetitive but it holds on to me (as does every track) without never ever been boring, it is simply an astonishing piece of music. The album only consists of four tracks but is in all an hour of awesome, glorious and possibly unique underground Black Metal that will most certainly remain seared in the back of my brain for a long long time.

Examples of the possibilities of modernizing and evolving Black Metal



Hellsaw -"Trist": Wild's Reprisal - "Cascadia Rising": Ahnengrab - "Omen"

Hellsaw, Wild's Reprisal & Ahnengrab are most certainly my favourites from the list posted below, and as for Ahnengrab i've had it on repeat since Saturday gone and it just gets better with every listen, its definitely an original and powerful record, pagan/power metal for sure but the vocals are Black Metal in style and flavour and delivery which seem out of place at first but with each listen less so. Now i will admit that i took a chance on Wild's Reprisal, but as soon as i heard the howling wolves and the solid rolling intro of beating drums on the opening track "A Fierce Green Fire Dying In Her Eyes" i was hooked, to me this is how modern/new black metal should sound, atmospheric and slightly meanacing, even a touch venemous. This is again perfectly accomplished on the track "Tragedy Of The Commons". The sound is also not a million miles from either Wolves In The Throne Room, Chasma, or Ordo Obsidium for it certainly seems something has be said of the Black Metal scene from the United States, (especially the the northern regions) as it is definitely in a good state of affairs and this certainly is a debut of the highest order. While, finally, Hellsaw simply play proper storming Black Metal that is intense and powerful, with the vocal rasps, riffing and blasting that any fan of Black Metal music would appreciate.

Black Metal Band Logos [Part II]

Here is, as promised in my original post on Black Metal band logos, six more pictures i put together using MS Paint, with another six to follow soon, would just love to get these on a couple of T-shirts.