Ljå - Til Avsky For Livet (2006)

Black metal and primordial death metal have been on heavy rotation as of late for me. This is some Norwegian black metal that will not disappoint. The riff is king. I'll let this song do the talking:

Grab if you like: Taake, Algor, Blodsrit

Til Satan

Obolus - Demo (2011)

This is a discovery I feel really good about, dark and swirling atmospheric black metal with that grainy lo-fi production we all know and love, accompanied by harrowing distant howls that cut through the shrieking guitars like a sacrificial dagger through butter. I expect nothing but good things from these blokes. The Demo is 2 songs spanning 7 minutes, I suggest you download it and keep them on your radar!

Obolus Demo
Obolus Bandcamp

Morbid Insulter - Antichrist Blasphemies (2010)

Just ordered this beauty of an EP by Morbid Insulter! Considering it cost me about 20$ CND for 15 minutes of blackened thrash beauty, you can gather it is at least worth your 'free' click. Awaiting the debut LP from these Swedes, I need Swedish friends, Swedish friends that will go to Hönö and bring me back news of their release.

Grab if you like: Nifelheim, Volcanic Slut, Hellhammer

Antichrist Blasphemies

Midnight - Satanic Royalty (2011)

This has to be the one record that I definitely feel I slipped up on most when not incorporating into my best of 2011 list. I really never gave it a fair fight, but that's to be expected when making those year end lists, so enough of that.  

Satanic Royalty is the real deal, black n' roll from Ohio with a tasteful nod to the oldies, especially Venom. Light the candles in 13.

Grab if you like: Motörhead, Cruel Force, Venom

Satanic Royalty

Blood Ceremony - Blood Ceremony (2008)

(Thank you Dana for letting me thieve your picture)

I saw Ghost and Blood Ceremony a couple nights ago at a local venue in Toronto. I got to see some chick overdose on some drugs, as well as 'Papa Emeritus I' pour wine down the gullet of some dude with head tattoos. Musically and atmospherically the show was good albeit with a strong showing of some cunty fucks. Moving on…

Blood Ceremony had a good set, no special antics or gimmicks, they just sounded really good. The flute was executed impressively as well as the organ by vocalist Alia, and everything else was spot on with that ancient druid forest floor vibe, so ups to them! Here is their self titled, which I enjoy more so than the bands later efforts Living With The Ancients in 2011 (still enjoyable however).

Grab if you like: Witchcraft, Subrosa, The Devils Blood

Blood Ceremony

Alcest - Les Voyages De L'Âme (2012)

One full spin later of Alcest's Les Voyages De L'Âme and I must say, I dig what I hear. For me, Alcest is something I can only enjoy if I am in a certain mood, which ebbs and flows often enough. The weather today has been dreary, grey with a mix of snow/rain, which helped nudge me to this first listen.

Long drawn out layers of guitar build on top of dark, melancholic, esoteric and or dreamy atmospheres accompanied by either clean or shrieked vocals for a total of 50 minutes. My fuck is that album cover ever intriguing.

Grab if you like: Les Discrets, Old Silver Key, Amesouerus

Beings of Light (link removed)

Random CD grab: Moonsorrow - Tulimyrsky EP (2008)

Ah ha, pulled by random from my album collection we have Moonsorrow's Tulimyrsky EP! Which is a good thing, because I have been on a death/black metal kick lately and I don't want to succumb to posting only limited genres on this here blog.

•  •  •

Moonsorrow shouldn't be a new name to any of you, masters of the genre, we'll call it "epic heathen metal" since that is the bands claimed banners they ride under. This is an EP, well over the 1-hour mark? I'll focus on the title track Tulimyrsky, since it encompasses the entire genre perfectly and is reason enough to download this EP. 30 minutes of heathenish glory with no cheese or fucking around, raw black metal with battlefield atmosphere, jaunty folk interludes, and Finnish dialogue. There we have it, 30 minutes described in a single sentence. I bought this new for 5$, you can have it for free as long as you pledge to purchase it if you ever see it for the same price. (Honestly though, kudos to Moonsorrow. The extensive and alluring 5-page artwork by Kris Verwimp is worth the 5$ alone.)

Tulimyrsky

Teitanblood - Purging Tongues EP (2011)

  
Purging Tongues is a 15 minute one-song blend of murky death/black metal executed beautifully. Paranoid sermons of the impending end of our world spewed in Spanish throughout the bestial track are a deal sealer for me, that old-school horror vibe lives on! I really need to get my hands on a record player, for I do so badly want this on vinyl.

Teitanblood's sound: “The point where Death Metal and Black Metal were not differenced.”

I suggest reading through the apocalyptic sermon whilst listening to enjoy the whole affect/effect. I found a translation over at Anvil of Doom.

Grab if you like: Blasphemy, Diocletian, Tribulation


Purging Tongues

Logn - Í fráhvarfi ljóss, myrkrið lifnar við (2011)

My Icelandic friend tells me that "logn describes the weather when it is calm", which I suppose is a bit ironic, because it's the opposite of how these guys sound. Icelandic grind that is chaotic and frantic, yet at times slowing down to churning doom.

Grab if you like: Initial State, Low Places, Dredd

Logn

Two kids ripping through Darkthrone - Under a Funeral Moon