Foreseen - Untamed Force (2022)

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Finland's Foreseen have been around for a better part of a decade, throwing their weight around in the arena of thrash and crossover, and they have never before faltered in their approach of agitated dirge. They continue the destruction on Untamed Force upping the ante with riff after riff under a production that is right on the money here—Mirky and heavy to the point of crumbling but not brittle under its own weight.

This is what crossover sounds like when you listen to English Dogs, Crumbsuckers, Whiplash, Razor, Verbal Abuse, etc.—Drawing upon the well but never sucking it dry without throwing your own thoughts and ideas into the pot. I'm into everything about this record!

Foreseen - Untamed Force (bandcamp)

Desolate Shrine - Fires of The Dying World (2022)

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Three-piece Finnish firing-squad via pummelling death metal as we've come to expect from Desolate Shrine's decade long crusade against the status-quo of recycled riffs and puny atmospherics. All we have to go by is the one song teaser via Dark Descent Records, but it's really all you need to deduce the crushing ferocity Fires of The Dying World is looking to discharge upon our feeble minds. Happy to hear some tempo changes on a death metal record again… LOOK OUT

Desolate Shrine - Fires of The Dying World (bandcamp)

Warloghe - Three Angled Void (2021)

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Warloghe's newest album Three Angled Void came out of the fucking abyssal ether, without mention or promotion. A spectre out of nowhere carrying a barrage of frozen riffs and a landscape built around pillars of jagged guitars and drums that don't feel any compliance to the constant blast-beat quota which might seem ubiquitous in the genre. Not to say you won't find any of that on here, you will, but it's not heavily leaned on—In fact, the drums are mixed in perfectly to my liking. Pure abominable class!

It's not unlike me to say this, but it's exceptionally rare for me to listen to an album and know right off the opening track that it will be a favourite of mine… There's always massive disappointments and pitfalls, but Warloghe is Warloghe, and every so often there are sure things. Three Angled Void is that. One of the best black metal albums released this year, in my opinion, and will be overplayed into oblivion for the rest of the year and well into the next. Cold chaotic energy.

As of right now, no streams or bandcamp downloads are available. But I will link a download to the album courtesy of the esteemed Finnish Black Metal blog.

Warloghe - Three Angled Void (DOWNLOAD)
Warloghe - Three Angled Void (YouTube)

Odious Devotion - Ilmestys (2021)

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Here's a recent release from Finland. The album cover might confirm a few deductions right off the bat for you if you're the type of person who likes to read into things—Ilmestys is a well articulated barrage of cold, atmospheric black metal with a penchant for the raw, albeit not crude, soundscapes typical to its ilk. 

I am glad the Fins still know how to take a promo shot, too. 

The bulk of this album is constructed off the traditionally black metal sound typical to the Finnish exploration of the genre but splintered throughout this album are some excellent explorations that either bolster its heft and contribution to the black metal sound in a multitude of ways and I'm fully on board. Get on board and let me know what you think on your way out!

Odious Devotion - Ilmestys (bandcamp)

Convocation - Ashes Coalesce (2020)

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Convocation's debut record 'Scars Across' was one of 2018's best in the arena of metal, without question, and a lot of people got that wrong last year but what can you expect a from a flock of dorks that put Sleep before Thou in the same year… Has everyone lost their goddamn skull? "But Chris" you tell me "opinions are meant to be subjective, that's what's so beautiful about them, kumbaya and Hakuna Matata, my man." and I'll simply look at you and say "No."

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Finland's Convocation released Ashes Coalesce a few days ago through Everlasting Spew Records and it stands firmly as another staunch example of how to craft a song that feels heavier than a dead dog and how to adeptly maneuver around lengthy tracks without becoming frivolous and tedious through use of some impressive range. I'm purposely trying not to delve too deep into this as far as praise (or critiques) go as I have only listened fully through the one time, but through the merit of how good 'Scars Across' I am putting this one out into the ether. I will say this: In comparison to 'Scarss Across", the way in which 'Ashes Coalesce' was produced, in particular the prominence of the vocals in the mix and the omission of weight behind the kick drum in favour of clarity is something that might be too lofty for its own good, with an album cover matching in grandiosity. OF course this is more a matter of personal preference but…Gut instinct, I prefer the more primitive aspects of the former. See, I can be critical too.

How about Drown though? Holy shit.

Ashes Coalesce (bandcamp) 

Hooded Menace - Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed (2018)

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Hooded Menace huh… let's do it. And by "it" I mean "it", thee it. Let's chew some fat about this monolithic, obese slab of doom/death metal. Let's get down to the bone. Hooded Menace have always  remained a distant blip on my musical radar, and it's weird, because I have liked what I have heard from them, the gamut of their full-lengths, ep's and splits (especially with filthy titans Ilsa), so I'm not sure why I have never really continually gnashed my teeth into their releases, until now, until Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed was released at the beginning of the year, and even though I was (still do) playing Amenra's 'VI' (which was so obviously the best album released in 2017 - I'm currently taking counter-arguments you dinks) I still managed to find time to overplay this new release. Here's a brief and trite incite as to why;

reason 1) It's heavier than a dead dog, reason 2) It's filthier than a pigeon stoop in East Hastings, reason 3) It's produced very well, reason 4) revert back to reasons 1, 2 and 3.

Give this one a few spin cycles, and repent for all your cynicism's.

Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed (bandcamp)

Sielunvihollinen - Ruttokieli (2013) [demo]

 

I know what you're thinking, "Man, I really should have went to illustration school so I could draw infanticide and other various phallic imagery for black metal bands…" and you're right, you should have because the world sure as fuck doesn't need anymore nubby fingered, grease-ball accountants.

Raw black metal from Finland that showcases some evil riffing and cold, stripped to the bone sound.

Ruttokieli

Bandcamp