Thoughts on Myrkur's "Mareridt"

As a dedicated Myrkur apologist, the last few years have been a strange journey for me. Unlike Ghost Bath, I can't actually remember a time when I didn't know the woman behind Myrkur was Amalie Bruun, dismissed by some as a "Danish model and pop singer," but better known to fans of underground rap as the creepy falsetto on the hook of Vinnie Paz's "Nosebleed," released with R.A. the Rugged Man back in 2010. But ever since Myrkur was "outed" for the crime of having a life and job outside of black metal, she's been the most controversial figure in the entire genre. If you ask some of the regulars on r/blackmetal, she's a infiltrator and a hack, putting on black metal like a fake patch jacket at a photo shoot. If you ask the true believers, she's one of the most interesting and original musicians in the scene, integrating folk and post-rock in new and interesting ways. Her first album, M, wasn't very different from her excellent debut EP, and tended simply to reinforce already-existing perceptions: she was either a brilliant new artist or a corporate fake making derivative bubblegum black metal for the masses, depending on who you asked.

Then came Mareridt. Based on the singles, "Maneblot" and "Ulvinde," expectations were that Myrkur's second album would be a continuation of the ideas from her first: more folky and melodic, perhaps, but with roots in the black metal tradition nonetheless. That's not what we got.

If Myrkur's first two releases had a weakness, it was their lack of internal cohesion (a sense that the songs on the album could make just as much sense in any order) and related tendency towards musical non-sequiturs (folky songs that violently switched gears into aggressive black metal riffs, etc.) In Mareridt, Myrkur resolved these issues, but created another one in the process: by crafting songs within the songwriting and musical conventions of a single genre, Myrkur released what often feels like a compilation album. There are post-doom songs ("The Serpent," "Funeral"), dark folk songs ("Kaetteren," "Loven"), black metal songs ("Maneblot," "Elleskudt," "Ulvinde") gothic metal songs ("Gladiatrix"), and even a few alt-pop numbers ("Crown," "Death of Days," "Kvendilil"), but no sense of a concrete musical identity. Songs like "Elleskudt" and "Crown" simply don't belong on the same album; the former is a ripping folk metal track with blackened riffs, the latter is strangely evocative of the music of Lana Del Rey with a hint of Evanescence.

In fact, even on some of  the heavier numbers, I found myself comparing Myrkur's vocal performance with Amy Lee of Evanescence and Chibi of The Birthday Massacre, mainly because Myrkur made the very poor decision to perform many of the songs on Mareridt partially or wholly in English. Like it or not, manufactured mystique is part of black metal: one of the reasons people reacted so negatively to the revelation of Myrkur's identity was that a figure who is already famous outside of black metal can never cultivate the sense of mystery that swirls around figures like Wrest, Niklas Kvarforth, or Otrebor. Myrkur's use of her native Danish on her earlier albums gave listeners a sense of distance from the music that they couldn't get from her person. When she sings in English, that distance evaporates, leaving nothing but Amalie Bruun, a thirty-something from Copenhagen who really likes black metal and nordic folk.

It sounds like I'm criticizing Myrkur for being too much of a real person on Mareridt. I guess I am.

But I would be lying if I didn't also say that I was disappointed by the overall direction of Mareridt as well. Too many of the songs don't have anything in common with the beautiful union of nordic folk melodies and black metal frost that I loved in Myrkur's first extended play. "The Serpent" and "Funeral," for instance, are great Jex Thoth songs, but not really what I wanted or expected to hear from a new Myrkur album. "Kvindelil" and "Death of Days" are outtakes from a really cool Lana Del Rey album, but I'm not stitching a Lana Del Rey patch onto my jacket anytime soon.

I freely acknowledge that none of these complaints are faults with the music itself. All of the scooby-doom and alt-pop songs on Mareridt are well-written and have great atmosphere. The same is true of all the folk songs. In fact, there's only one track on the entire record I don't begrudgingly enjoy: Bornehjem, an interlude which features Myrkur giving a bizarre monologue about demons in a little girl's voice. Like much of the record, it feels like it got lost on its way to being on another album; unlike the rest of the record, that other album was probably trash.

Recommended, I guess.

The Thurible Reviews: Ghost - "Popestar"

Ghost aren't so much a band anymore as an unstoppable, unquestionable cultural force—a sort of bizarro Roman Catholic Church in musical form. I think they'd like that comparison. Ghost have been flirting with blasphemy from the very beginning; heck, they even tried to host a concert the same day Pope Francis visited Boston, only shutting it down after they found that the masses of devoted Catholics longing for a glimpse of Frank would so thoroughly clog the city's public transport that Papa's faithful wouldn't make it to his planned anti-Mass. These Nameless Ghouls are showmen (and trolls) through and through. So when Ghost puts out new material, even a short collection of covers, the whole metal world pauses to take a glance.

Ghost may be a larger-than-life musical carnival, but they're still human as well—human enough for a few missteps on the way to their present superstardom. Their last covers EP, If You Have Ghost, was a mixed bag, to say the least. Produced by Dave Grohl (of Dave Grohl fame), it lacked cohesion and often didn't play to the band's strengths, although opener "If You Have Ghosts" was an exceptionally good cover song in every respect and remains a fan favorite. Popestar is a much stronger work overall, but not without a few of the same mistakes and missteps from Ghost's last mostly-covers effort.

"Squared Hammer," Popestar's only original cut, is sugary even by Ghost's standards. With a tight standard song structure and a sing-along chorus, it's a definite step away from the progressive tendencies Ghost displayed on Meliora. It's a not a bad song, but it's solidly B-side or bonus track material. If "Squared Hammer" is, as many suspect, a leftover track from Meliora that didn't make the cut, Papa and the Ghouls make the right call in saving it for what is, let's be honest, a throwaway EP to tide fans over until Ghost's next full-length.

The next three tracks are much stronger. Ghost thrives on the ominous melodies and triple meter of Echo & The Bunnymen's "Nocturnal Me," transforming the original's gothy waltz into a doomy showcase of Papa's sinister charisma. "I Believe" delivers a stripped-down re-imagining of the 2007 minor house music hit, changing the thumping club song into a haunting hymn that's undeniably Ghost. Once again, Papa's vocals take center stage. "Missionary Man" cleaves closest to the style and feel of the original Eurythmics track, down to the country twang and harmonica solo. It's certainly an odd song for Ghost to put a spin on (and put a spin on it they do), but I guess self-proclaimed sex symbol Papa Emeritus III couldn't pass up on the chance to channel actual sex symbol Annie Lennox.

Closer "Bible" is the weakest number of the bunch. Although Ghost's decision to cover the work of fellow Swedes Imperiet isn't at all surprising, their choice to cover the American version of Imperiet's "Bible" is perplexing to say the least. The original Swedish version of the song is lush alternative anthem—a bit heavy on 80s Europeanisms, but a fine song nonetheless. The American version is an utterly forgettable glam rock power ballad, indistinguishable from hundreds of tracks just like it that vied for radio play in the late 80s and early 90s. Even worse, Ghost's interpretation brings nothing to the track aside from modern studio tricks and a fuller sound. Heck, it's barely recognizable as a Ghost song, apart from Papa's slight accent on the verses. It's a disappointing close to an EP that will probably please both casual listeners and fanatical Ghost fans like me, even with its flaws.

Recommended.

Back To Bandcamp: August 6, 2016

Here's your weekly breakdown of the free Bandcamp releases that caught my attention:


Demon's Bell - Demon's Bell EP
(https://demonsbell.bandcamp.com/album/demons-bell-ep-2016)

Heavy metal is a tradition, and for every band that's pushing at the edges of what's accepted, there's another celebrating and reliving metal golden days of the 1980s. Demon's Bell is such a band. Armed with classic riffs, old-fashioned speed, and a vocalist with a King Diamond-esque croon (and wail), Demon's Bell hearken back to the days when songs called "Hell's Eternal Wheels" still made parents recoil in terror, devil horns weren't a sick joke at a Creed concert, and heavy metal was still deeply rooted in rock n roll. Their riffs are crisp and quick, recapturing the head-bobbing quality that nearly every variety of metal has lost since NWOBHM faded away. The songwriting techniques perfectly emulate the glory years of bands like Mercyful Fate and Iron Maiden, delivering that delightful mix of nostalgia and high-quality metal music you can't help enjoying, even if you (like me) were born too late to have lived them.

Recommended.


Grimirg - Night Be My Grave
(https://grimirg.bandcamp.com/album/night-be-my-grave)

Night Be My Grave is slow, elegant, and sorrowful. Making careful use of baleful guitars, atmospheric synths, sparse drums, and the contrast between Aki Klemm's low, throaty growl and M. Vänskä's operatic soprano, Grimirg craft an exceptional work of haunting funeral doom metal. The tight, minimal compositions demonstrate Grimirg's musical mastery and ability to create a forlorn atmosphere without relying on theatricality or gimmickry. These are lengthy, sedate songs, but they hold your attention, like the slow steps of pallbearers carrying an ornate coffin to its final resting place. They're also heavy as a stone crypt and desolate as the dry bones it contains.

Highly Recommended.


Leviathan Cross - Demo
(https://leviathancross.bandcamp.com/album/demo)

"This town will be ours!" bellows Leviathan Cross's James Herrholz on "Delusions." It's an apt summation of the brashness and boldness of this Florida band's debut demo, a record that takes the sludgy hard rock aggression of bands like Mastodon or Baroness and injects it with occult spookiness. Not that esoteric doom or stoner metal is some sort of novelty; Leviathan Cross simply take what bands have been writing about since the dawn of doom and add a healthy helping of stoner rock's crossover appeal and sense of fun. These tracks are anthemic, energetic, and full of groovy chugs and rolls. They're an invitation to headbang. Honestly, for a band with a professed interest in the macabre, they might be too fun.

Recommended.

The Thurible Presents: Halfway There, 2016 Edition

I've been gone for a while.

I just emerged from several intensive weeks of my master's program, and I've got a week or so of respite before I plunge back in. That makes this the perfect time for a rundown of the best music of this half of 2016; both the free releases I've reviewed and the mainstream stuff I haven't.

8 Best Metal Albums of 2016 (Halfway There Edition)


1. Vektor - Terminal Redux

These aren't in order, by the way, but if they were this progressive sci-fi thrashterpiece would be right at the top, as I imagine it will be still at the end of the year list. Terminal Redux does everything right: the riffs are heavy and complex, the production is crisp and clear, the drumming is fast and relentless, the solos are insane, and David DiSanto's Dani Filth-esque snarl perfectly compliments the band's high-speed aggression. Though not a single song dips under a five-minute runtime (and most go much longer), Vektor pack so much into every track that you're never left waiting for them to end. If you want to hear the best single piece of guitar music of this year, here it is. Hold on to your spacesuits.


2. ColdWorld - Autumn

ColdWorld's Autumn captures the transcendence of sorrow—the way death brings us closer not only to mortality but also to eternity. The superficial simplicity of ColdWorld's songwriting conceals a mastery of atmosphere and melody and an emotional weight that most depressive black metal albums can only aspire to. The artful and subtle use of clean vocals, acoustic instruments, and ambient synths only underscores Georg Börner's incredible skill as a musician, but the soaring, bittersweet melodies at the heart of every track on Autumn are what really make the album so exceptional.


3. Cobalt - Slow Forever

"Nothing sounds like this" is high praise from me. It's even higher praise when I'm talking about a black metal album. Drawing melodic inspiration from Southern rock, Cobalt crafted a black metal record that drips like molasses and rolls like the Mississippi. It's also as angry as drunk ex-marine and hits like a shotgun. Basically, it's the most American black metal album since Roads to the North and I love it.


4. Blood Ceremony - Lord of Misrule

Call it retro metal, occult rock, or scooby-doom: Blood Ceremony are some of the best in metal's newest niche. Lord of Misrule tones down the heaviness a notch or two, but all the other elements that make a great Blood Ceremony album are still around, including the organ and flute work, folk influences, chunky riffs, earworm hooks, and occult-inspired lyrics. Alia O'Brien vocals are, as usual, the standout attraction in this spooky sideshow.


5. Spellcaster - Night Hides The World

Big hooks, big riffs—Night Hides The World isn't short on the things that made classic metal fun and fantastical. Not that Spellcaster are some sort of nostalgia act—there's plenty of modern polish on Night Hides The World and Tyler Loney's clean, full vocals owe more to modern hard rock than to the raspy metal grandmasters of old. Rather, Spellcaster put a fresh spin on classic metal elements, bringing pop sensibilities and 21st century production to the catchy riffs and soaring hooks of speed metal. Good luck getting these songs out of your head.


6. Lycus - Chasms

Lycus are masters of cavernous, menacing funeral doom. Chasms, like 2013's Tempest, is the Oakland band doing what they do best. The songs are long, atmospheric, and strike the perfect balance between beautiful and terrible (as in Ivan the Terrible, not "The Room is a terrible film"). It's an album that demands patience, but full immersion in this slow doom metal procession will take you to mysterious and unexpected places.


7. Castle - Welcome to the Graveyard

Castle aren't the most original band on this list. They borrow the best bits from classic bands like Black Sabbath and Mercyful Fate, but Castle have a knack for making songs that are simultaneously incredibly familiar and completely new. Welcome to the Graveyard probably won't make the top of any end-year lists, but I bet it will get a fair few more spins than plenty of highly-acclaimed albums will.


8. Eight Bells - Landless

Probably the ultimate band to watch from this year. Near-impossible to categorize—Landless incorporates elements of doom, black metal, prog, and the same layered, ethereal vocals used to great effect by Myrkur—Eight Bells push a lot of boundaries. But like Dead to a Dying World, the eclecticism of Eight Bells' style belies the band's unity of  tone and atmosphere. The bleak seascape on Landless cover isn't just stylistic—it perfectly conveys the isolated melancholy that inhabits every song on this fascinating album.

8 Best "Back To Bandcamp" Releases of 2016 (Halfway There Edition)

These are in order, and you'll notice (who am I kidding, no you won't) that some albums I gave a "highly recommended" to aren't on this list, whereas some that were just "recommended" are. Hindsight is a funny thing. Some albums stick with you more than others.


1. Heretic Rites - In Satan's Claws
(https://hereticrites.bandcamp.com/album/in-satans-claws)

These guys are going to be huge if there is any justice in the world. With such a unique sound already nailed down by their second demo, Heretic Rites have everything going for them. The hour of occult garage rock is nearly at hand. Let the unbelievers tremble.


2. Ghost Witch - Demo
(https://ghostwitchdoom.bandcamp.com/album/demo)

The Thurible ran one of the first (if not the first) reviews of Ghost Witch's debut demo. In that review, I compared them to Windhand—a fair and common enough comparison, but one that doesn't really get to the heart of what makes Ghost Witch so exceptional. Sure, their brand of doom is slow and melodic, but there's also an ethereal, mysterious quality... no, I can't place it. Whatever it is, Ghost Witch have something special, and they're sure to have one hell of a proper debut.


3. Black Mantra - From The Grave of Madness
(https://black-mantra.bandcamp.com/album/from-the-graves-of-madness-ep)

This Brazillian band's blend of doomy heaviness, stoner psychedelia, and gothic theatrics still gets me. It's a really distinct sound done pretty damn well, which is really all I ask of a band. That Black Mantra chose to blend several different elements I already fancied just sweetens the deal. This is one of the rare albums that I went back to discover that, yes, it was just as good as I remembered. Maybe even a little better.


4. Blackend Horizon - Monotonous Solitude Within Cold Forests
(https://blackendhorizon.bandcamp.com/album/monotonous-solitude-within-cold-forests)

Monotonous Solitude Within Cold Forests makes 8-bit black metal seem incredibly obvious. "How," it demands, "has no one thought of this before?" I don't know. We came up with harmonica black metal first, so we're clearly doing something wrong.


5. Necrolytic Goat Converter - Demo MMXVI
(https://necrogoatconverter.bandcamp.com/releases)

Behind Necrolytic Goat Converter, the Childish Gambino of black metal band names, is Chris Voss, a man that somehow took up recording black metal as personal therapy and ended up writing some of the best black metal tunes of 2016. Combining his love of classic black metal riffs with his more than decent songwriting chops, Voss whipped up some of the best, most straightforward bedroom black metal I've ever heard. And if we're lucky, Chris Voss may find that he's an even better songwriter when he's not conjuring up frosty riffs for therapy.


6. Louisiana Sadness - Swale

Also known as Swamp People: The Doom Metal Album, Swale feels murky, mucky and hazy—exactly the way a band called Louisiana Sadness ought to feel. Part Southern gothic, part bayou sludge, this instrumental record may not be perfect, but when it hits that atmosphere just right on tracks like "Southern Hatred," all is forgiven.


7. Pyre of Ash - Scattered Toward The Glens

This single impressed me with its incredible polish, emotional intensity, and Panopticon-esque atmospheric black metal sound. Pyre of Ash has since released a full EP, which I missed (fancy that). If it's anything like this stellar single, it just might make the overall end-year list.


8. Behold Darkness - Unholy Filth
(https://psalm88.bandcamp.com/album/unholy-filth)

There's nothing particularly original about Unholy Filth as a black metal record, except the production. The mix's emphasis on lower tones gives the album an extremely unique feel, transforming what would be a pretty good, slavishly traditional project into a fascinating lofi listen. It helps that I'm a sucker for anything that this devoted to the Norwegian black metal masters. 

Back to Bandcamp: May 1, 2016

Louisiana Sadness - Swale
(https://louisianasadness.bandcamp.com/album/swale)

Louisiana Sadness (guess where they're from) play some of the fuzziest, murkiest doom around. It's droning, repetitive, and dark; the kind of music that requires full headphone immersion to even hear properly. Basically, it's Electric Wizard sinking slowing into the Louisiana bayou. "Southern Hatred" plods along like the soundtrack to an airboat zombie hunt, drowning the listener in waves of muddy riffs. Opener "Answer," on the other hand, feels stiff and mechanical, and the lack of vocals throughout the record emphasizes the music's repetitive quality—sometimes to the individual songs' detriment. But the interesting production and unique Louisiana feel make up for Swale's repetitive song structures (most of the time), and the riffs are thicker and heavier than swamp muck.

Recommended.


BRÆKKE - Indulgence
(https://braekke.bandcamp.com/album/indulgence)

If experimental or progressive metal has a fault, it's that it rarely feels like a sledgehammer to the face the way good death metal or thrash does. It's more likely to make you look bemused than bang your head, and that's fine, but it's always a pleasure to listen to a band that makes you do both.

Minnesota's BRÆKKE certainly induce both bemusement and whiplash: their hardcore roots come through as chugs and screams on aggressive tracks like "Iscariot" and "Indulgence," but never without progressive melodies and unexpected song structures. The album's extensive line-up of vocalists and guest musicians shines throughout: "The Dead Don't Speak" lumbers along forlornly like one of Giant Squid's doomier numbers, complete with female vocals and appropriately harrowing lyrics, while "Skin On Skin" ventures boldly into indie rock territory before morphing into a symphonic post-rock anthem. If Indulgence has a weakness, it's a lack of focus, but the band explores so many interesting sounds and ideas it's hard to fault them for it.

Highly Recommended.


Sunspell - Memento Mori
(https://sunspell.bandcamp.com/album/memento-mori)

Despite the Sunspell's anything-but-average origins (the project is one of Greenland's four active metal bands, according to the Metal Archives), its brand of atmospheric, post-Leviathan black metal doesn't score high on originality. Memento Mori hits all the usual notes for bedroom black metal: fuzzy guitar riffs, throaty and distorted screams, minimalist production, etc. It does work well occasionally. "Pale Angels" adds an ethereal pad and occasional breaks from the wall of guitar fuzz, and "Upon The Altar of Sacrifice" includes clean vocals and chanting—a welcome change from the otherwise forgettable screams. But in all other regards this project is painfully average.

Not Recommended.

Back To Bandcamp: March 19, 2016

Sanguine Relic - III - The Vampyre Weeps In Secrecy Of The Night
(https://defiledlight.bandcamp.com/album/iii-the-vampyre-weeps-in-secrecy-of-the-night)

Despite a few definite misses (see my review of Atel/Bastard of Majesty Sin's split), Defiled Light have a solid record of mysterious, atmospheric lofi black metal releases with indistinguishable cover art. Sanguine Relic, an anonymous black metal project from some unknown location with a vampire obsession (all good signs), are behind the label's latest release, III - The Vampyre Weeps In Secrecy Of The Night, a collection of simple, lofi, chaotic black metal tunes. The material point: if you like the rest of Defiled Light's catalog, you'll probably like Sanguine Relic's latest release as well. The noted standout of III's otherwise numeral tracklisting is a cover of "The Anchor Song," the closer of Bjork's Debut. The barely-recognizable re-imagining transforms the warm saxophone melodies of the original into chilling black metal tremolo riffs. It's a highly unintuitive cover that nonetheless incorporates Sanguine Relic's strongest elements: jagged howls, traditional black metal minimalism, and a touch of the experimental.

Recommended.

Heretic Rites - In Satan's Claws
(https://hereticrites.bandcamp.com/album/in-satans-claws)

Considering "Ratkovo" is about the most metal-sounding name for a city I've ever heard, it's no surprise these Serbian doom-rockers know what they're about. Heretic Rites, perhaps best described as Uncle Acid's pentagram-obsessed brother-in-law, have great riffs, creepy vocal melodies, and a raw production aesthetic—the perfect formula for occult metal. There's also plenty of variety in the band's songwriting: "Boot Knife Sacrifice" and "Return to the Castle" break up their plodding doom with passages of old-school heavy metal speed, while "Holy Place" combines the band's creepy aesthetic with up-tempo hard rock. In a market increasingly overcrowded with indifferent Ghost and Uncle Acid knockoffs, don't miss this trio of Serbians that do occult rock right.

Highly Recommended.

Black Mantra - From The Grave of Madness
(https://black-mantra.bandcamp.com/album/from-the-graves-of-madness-ep)

Typical stoner-doom bands build their songs around enormous, filthy riffs and leave the other instruments to unobtrusively fill up the remaining space. It's pure guitar music through and through—the unabashed worship of the distorted riffs to which all other instrumentation, including the vocals, must submit. Brazil's Black Mantra, by contrast, presents a fascinating inversion of stoner/doom minimalism, with the band's guitars merely undergirding a cacophony of organs and electric keyboards. Not that Black Mantra can't do a big, tasty riff—"Stillborn" and "The Left-Handed" certainly prove that they can—but the spooky doom act focuses instead on gothic atmospheres, a kitschy B-movie aesthetic, and the slow, creepy melodies that some metal fans call "processional." Imagine if the hippie cultists of Menace Ruine exhumed and reanimated Peter Steele as their new frontman and you'll get an idea of what Black Mantra are doing here—deep, vampiric vocals and all.

Highly Recommended.

Back to Bandcamp: February 28, 2016

Appalachian Mudd - Demo
(https://appalachianmudd.bandcamp.com/album/demo)

I wish more American black metal sounded American. Not in a "them dern fereners" sort of way; I just wish more bands made black metal their own in the way that Panopticon or Batushka or Deep Mountains have, adopting and adapting black metal to local themes and influences. You can imagine, therefore, how pleased I was to see a black metal duo from North Carolina calling themselves "Appalachian Mudd"—a name so American it sounds like an awful craft beer.

Appalachian Mudd sound as earthy as their name. Playing a stripped, minimalist version of Cascadian-style atmospheric black metal with depressive-style vocals, Appalachian Mudd evoke the loneliness of the Blue Ridge Mountains' foggy peaks and dense pine woods throughout the 15 minutes of "Cradle Of Forestry///Forks Of Ivy." This is a truly rough demo, with a few noticeable production problems (including a fair bit of clipping and poor mixing), but the riffs and songwriting are solid and the gloomy mood holds well throughout the recording. A promising demo brimming with American wilderness spirit.

Recommended.

Schema - Miasto Nierzeczywiste
(https://schemamuzykakresu.bandcamp.com/album/miasto-nierzeczywiste)

Poland has more than pulled its weight in the black metal scene for the past few years, but you don't come across Polish doom metal all that often. Though this Warsaw band is certainly doom, Schema's take on the genre is far from typical, borrowing from everything from depressive black metal to thrash on "Industria," while crafting a slow, chilling metal ballad on "Bezsenność." Vocalist Filip has a deep, menacing, and raspy bellow that reminded me forcefully of Rammstein's Till Lindemann—perhaps because like Lindemann, Filip snarls in his native tongue instead of English (something I'd love to see more of in metal as a whole, but especially in doom). Schema are a new band, and clearly still nailing down their sound, but Miasto Nierzeczywiste is full of interesting songwriting and a few great ideas.

Recommended.

Just two mini-reviews for this week. I'll be continuing the "How To Metal" series in the next week or so with symphonic and power metal.

Back to Bandcamp: February 20, 2016

Atel / Bastard of Majesty Sin - Atel / Bastard of Majesty Sin
(https://atelblackmetal.bandcamp.com/album/atel-bastard-of-majesty-sin)

Well, at least the minimalist cover art doesn't hurt to look at.

Atel's half of this "primitive/lo-fi black metal" split is almost high school talent-show material, clumsy and repetitive to a fault. It's hard to tell whether the drumming is the work of an extreme amateur or the result of abusing the "humanize" function in a MIDI arranger; it's painfully bad either way, and only distracts from the band's already extremely forgettable riffs. I couldn't even get through Bastard of Majesty Sin's first song, a formless mass of reverberation and distortion. The possibility that this whole split is a stealth parody of the worst excesses of bedroom black metal—from unlistenable "lo-fi" production used to cover up shoddy musicianship to the plainly absurd song titles ("Desekrating The Servants To Jezuz Krist In The Ninth Circle Ov Hell And The Infinite Destruktion Ov The Trinity")—crossed my mind more than once. But in the absence of a knowing wink, I'll have to assume otherwise.

Not Recommended/Possible Poe's Law Violation

Megatherium - Megatherium
(https://hywelpayne.bandcamp.com/album/megatherium)

As an absolute sucker for anything Pleistocene, Megatherium's name and premise drew me in immediately. This short stoner/doom project has a bit of everything, from sludgy aggression on "Haft & Heft" to primordial post-rock soundscapes on "Megatherium" to vocoders and heavy, gloomy blues on "Black Mountain" and "(in search of the) Elephant Bird." The opening and closing tracks are the strongest, but it's a good listen all the way through. It also has a giant ground sloth looking majestic on the cover, so bonus points for that.

Recommended.

Urðarmáni - Njorun
(https://urdarmani.bandcamp.com/album/njorun)

Imagine if Burzum occasionally threw in a brief passage of bittersweet post-black and you've got a pretty good idea of what Urðarmáni (a name that can probably be pronounced by humans) sounds like. Although nominally a depressive black metal band, this Swedish band's spin on Scandinavia's grimmest export is actually much closer to latter-day Varg Vikernes, complete with strong folk influences, medieval melodies, and riffs that sound like they're lifted straight from Fallen. I don't mean that comparison disparagingly, mind you—believably channeling a black metal great through solid musicianship doesn't need an apology, and "originality is definitely overrated" would make a good slogan for the entire black metal scene. Njorun's three tracks are conservative, but they're good black metal all the same. Just know that if you can't stand Burzum's melody-heavy take on the classic Norwegian sound, I promise you won't like Njorun.

Recommended.

Back to Bandcamp: February 6, 2016

Behold Darkness - Unholy Filth
(https://psalm88.bandcamp.com/album/unholy-filth)

All too often, the "raw" in "raw black metal" means shrill, disembodied and tinny. And Behold Darkness are having none of it. This little release packs meaty black metal fuzz and riffs frostier than icicles hanging from Gaahl's beard. With piercing shrieks, lo-fi production done perfectly, first-rate musicianship and haunting riffs even Varg Vikernes would give an approving nod before going back to rambling about Odalism, it's hard to believe Unholy Filth isn't the work of a Scandinavian hermit (it's a Californian band, oddly enough). Easily the best traditional black metal release of this year (so far).

Highly Recommended.

Constellation - Constellation
(https://constellation-project.bandcamp.com/album/constellation)

No instruments were harmed in the making of this record, which is surprising considering how much visceral power and manic wildness Constellation packs into barely 10 minutes. Imagine death metal hammered out on an MPC AraabMuzik-style and you'll get a sense of how this experimental project unites the artificial and the energetic using only synths and samples. Short and sweet is usually a good road to take on a debut, but Constellation's six brief tracks of futuristic grind could have definitely been longer without anyone complaining.

Recommended.

Witchcryer - The Preying Kind - Demo MMXVI
(https://witchcryer.bandcamp.com/album/the-preying-kind-demo-mmxvi)

Slow and spooky, Witchcryer deliver more of a doom formula we're familiar with from bands like Mount Salem and Blood Ceremony. So what sets this Austin occult rock/doom trio apart? Not much, at this point. Not that they necessarily need it. Witchcryer craft a gloomy hook and vocalist Suzy Bravo's croon fits the band's retro aesthetic perfectly. Likewise, guitarist and doom metal veteran Jason Muxlow's riffs convey the sense of maturity and mastery necessary in a genre niche built on nostalgia. Certainly a worthwhile listen, especially if you're already into doom bands with "Witch" in their names.

Recommended.

Back to Bandcamp: January 22, 2016

Blackend Horizon - Monotonous Solitude Within Cold Forests

(http://blackendhorizon.bandcamp.com/album/monotonous-solitude-within-cold-forests)

I like a novelty EP. They bring out the fun, creative side of a band in the way few other projects do. On this little absurdity, Germany's Blackend Horizon renders a few of his own black metal creations in a different kind of lo-fi: what he calls "8-bit blasphemie." This soundtrack to a grim and kvlt 1980s video game that never was is surprisingly listenable and the reinterpretations hold up even without knowing the originals. Monotonous Solitude Within Cold Forests is the best kind of musical joke: the kind worth listening to on its own merits.

Recommended.

Serpethslayer - I
(http://sslayer666.bandcamp.com/album/i)

The epithet "earth-shaking" gets plastered on plenty of doom metal acts that don't deserve it. Russia's Serpethslayer are not one of those acts. This band's brand of doom is deep and throaty. It rumbles like the approaching footsteps of a titanic monstrosity on "Intro/Satan." It hums like a circle of black hooded figures conjuring up some unknown horror on "Coven." And its raw and fleshy growls sound like the band lowered a microphone into their singer's gaping maw.

I've probably gotten your hopes up too high. Serpethslayer are just ominous as bottomless pit and bring just the right touch of Lovecraftian psychedelic kitsch. Try not to bob your head and frown appreciatively to this record. Go on, try it.

Recommended.

WitchHunt - Void Hymns
(http://witchhuntom.bandcamp.com/album/void-hymns)

Hold on to your faces.

These Canadian blackened crust punkers deliver a tight and aggressive 10 minutes of musical savagery on Void Hymns. With excellent, crisp production and some solid songwriting, WitchHunt's second EP cleans up the weaknesses of the band's self-titled debut and improves on its strengths. From the vicious guitar chugs on "Vile" and "Decay" to the bleak, heavy riffs of "Misery," WitchHunt find ways to keep things interesting and blisteringly brutal. Winters in Toronto must be cold indeed.

Recommended.

Back to Bandcamp: January 15, 2016

Ghost Witch - demo
(http://ghostwitchdoom.bandcamp.com/album/demo)

Beginning your first demo with an ominous rumble is pretty ballsy, but for Ghost Witch it works brilliantly. By the time the heavy riffs kick in on "Lunar Hymn," the anticipation is at the breaking point, and the soaring, distant vocals make it clear exactly what Ghost Witch are up to. This is beautiful doom, the kind made famous in recent years by Windhand or Pallbearer. The wonderful tension between the ethereal vocals and the stomping, booming guitar riffs makes this style of doom work, and Ghost Witch maintain that tension masterfully throughout this frustratingly short demo. Somebody sign this California doom foursome. We need more of this stuff.

Highly Recommended.

Witte Wieven - Silhouettes of an Imprisoned Mind
(http://wittewieven.bandcamp.com/album/silhouettes-of-an-imprisoned-mind)

Female-fronted North Sea black metal is apparently a thing now. Blame Myrkur. Actually, thank her. The more bands that jump on the Myrkur-pastiche bandwagon (as Witte Wieven clearly have), the better. Ethereal female choral vocals and atmospheric black metal was a union long overdue, and the more bands that flesh out that idea the better.

Witte Wieven take a grimmer and darker approach to Myrkur's musical writing prompt. There's more traditional black metal riffing and less beautiful melodies on tracks like "Faces of Unreality" and "Silhouettes of an Imprisoned Mind." Those who felt Myrkur's debut wasn't grim enough will probably like Witte Wieven better, but those of us who felt that M worked best when the folk and black metal elements were equal partners will probably find Silhouettes of an Imprisoned Mind a little uninspiring at times. Average black metal combined with a good gimmick can make a great black metal record, but Witte Wieven don't use their gimmick to its full potential. However, it's a interesting enough debut, and scratches at a musical itch it's usually hard to remedy.

Recommended.

Elagabalus - _
(http://elagabalus.bandcamp.com/album/-)

To call Elagabalus even experimental black metal doesn't do this Baltimore duo justice. On this unpronounceable EP, Elagabalus play a confused jumble of black metal, progressive metal, hardcore, sludge, and experimental metal, complete with the requisite tempo shuffles, style shifts, and dissonant riffs. Oh, and no guitars. "They Know Nothing Else" alternates doomy plodding and manic blast beats, while "Recede in Light" and "Pure Light Society" throw synth solos into an already cacophonous mix of riffs and shouts. _ is punkier than I like my metal, but the band's aggressive tone fits their frantic, transgressive style, and its rare that an EP feels this raw and lively.

Recommended.

The Thurible Reviews: Batushka - "Litourgiya"

There's a "doth protest too much" quality to much of traditional black metal's attitude towards religion. The fascination is, after all, very one-sided; Christianity cares about as much about black metal as black metal cares about Katy Perry, and yet anti-religious angst remains a prominent lyrical theme in the genre. Even more suggestive, though black metal may pay lip service to Satan, the monk robes, incense, and general obsession with religious iconography and ritual tells another story. Black metal may loathe traditional religion, but it also envies its antiquity and mysticism; qualities most black metal bands are eager to embrace and that the faux-spirituality of Satanism and neopaganism don't deliver.

Poland's Batushka embrace the tension between traditional black metal and traditional religion on Litourgiya. Combining black and doom metal aggression with the haunting chants of the Russian orthodox church, the band actually captures the ritualism and esotericism many black metal bands lust after. The rich, sonorous vocals give a depth and texture to Litourgiya's ominous atmospheres on tracks like "Yekteniya 1" and "Yekteniya 6." The impressive lower range of Batushka's vocalist shines throughout the album, delivering more than a few moments of startling resonant depth.

Yet the band's unique style isn't perfect. At times, the chants and riffs battle each other for dominance in the mix. This is black/doom with choral vocals, not a harmonious union between black metal hatred and orthodox liturgy. Litourgiya is an album carried by a gimmick; when the band embraces that gimmick, they produce primeval, mystical atmospheres of deepest dread. When they don't, it's little more than standard black/doom with chanting sprinkled on top for flavor. While Batushka prove they are proficient black metal musicians on tracks like "Yekteniya 2," that's not what the audience is here for. The shrieked vocals on the album usually feel unnecessary, and the strongest tracks give the resonant, solemn vocals center stage.

Recommended.

Back to Bandcamp: December 5, 2015

Here's your weekly roundup of indie releases:

Blackhand - Death Takes Root
(http://blackhand.bandcamp.com/album/death-takes-root)

If you can't stand the recent fetish for meandering, lumbering, 12-minutes-a-song doom/stoner metal but you're down for unapologetic, occult-infused fantasy and huge hooks, Blackhand should be right up your alley. This Delaware band cranks out earth-shaking riffs and howled choruses on every track on Death Takes Root, combining stoner songwriting sensibilities with old-school doom imagery. From the aggressive sacrilege of "Bound by the Coven" to the supernatural warfare of "Army From the Void," Blackhand unite old-school heavy metal motifs with modern stoner rock head-bobbing for a listen that's both fearsome and fun.

Recommended.

Dead on Both Shoulders - Juggler
(http://deadonbothshoulders.bandcamp.com/album/juggler).

Juggler is a fascinating listen. Progressive metal sensibilities unite this experimental little collection, but little else does. "Neither, Both" and "Without (Everything Will Be Okay)" are hypnotic, jazzy instrumentals with melancholy guitar leads. The short "Juggler" evokes Tool with just a touch of Kid A-era Radiohead. And "ABCADEBCA," perhaps the closest thing to a traditional song, briefly throws in a dash of autotune on the bridge, presumably just to keep the listener guessing. It's quite a trip, and while Juggler never reaches the level of odd that sends headphones flying across the room, it's quirky enough to keep the listener's attention and entertaining enough to make up for its lack of cohesion.

Recommended.

Secrets of the Moon - SUN
(http://secrets-of-the-moon.bandcamp.com/album/sun)

To call Germany's Secrets of the Moon "black metal" frankly borders of the disingenuous. No self-respecting worshiper of Burzum, Mayhem and Darkthrone would write something that sounds as much like an outtake from Mechanical Animals-era Manson as "Dirty Black," or anything as hum-along as "Hole." Secrets of the Moon can brand themselves however they want, but they're about as grim and kvlt as Ghost at this point. Probably a little less, actually.

And that's not a problem: as highly-accessible, listen-with-your-girlfriend goth metal, SUN holds up. Secrets of the Moon still have an edge to them–vocalist Philipp Jonas' shouts are too rough to be radio friendly, and SUN has enough doomy riffs and aggression to interest fans of heavier stuff–but fundamentally, this record has more in common with recent releases from Katatonia or In Flames, and occasionally ventures into post-punk territory on tracks like "Here Lies the Sun." If even the name "In Flames" makes your blood boil, SUN probably isn't your thing. Otherwise, it just might hit the spot if you're craving a lighter heavy listen with a few doom and black metal touches.

Recommended.

Back to Bandcamp: November 13, 2015

Back to BandCamp is The Great Thurible of Darkness' weekly spotlight on indie releases.

Hallowed Hands - Hallowed Hands
(http://bluebedroomrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hallowed-hands)

Anyone up for video game-themed black metal?

Hallowed Hands debut is charmingly atypical. A weirdly listenable mix of solid depressive black metal with touches of classic video game music held together by an ominous gaming theme, Hallowed Hands are one of those bands that keep you wondering if their whole shtick is just a sick joke or if they're really into this bizarre concoction they're serving you. If the whole thing is a joke, it's a good one. If not, it's still enjoyable DSBM with great riffs and a fun gimmick to keep you interested.

Recommended.

BARUS - EP
(http://ladlo.bandcamp.com/album/ep)

French death metallers BARUS deliver crunchy riffs and wonky time signatures on their debut EP, along with a few surprises. This is progressive death metal you can bob your head to, but it also has a mystical quality: the EP is littered with chanted invocations and biblical references, as well as acoustic interludes soaked in dread. There are even a few near sing-along moments evocative of Opeth, and vocalist Keithan plays crooner and growler with equal mastery. May the French ever curse us with such delightful death.

Recommended.

Battle Path - Ambedo
(https://battlepath.bandcamp.com/album/ambedo)

Tennessee's Battle Path play woodlands doom metal with atmospheric black metal frills. On Ambedo, they wander through synth-infused post-metal soundscapes with lumbering chugs, only occasionally interrupted by black metal ferocity. This is doom metal of the melancholy variety: more dedicated to building morose atmospheres than memorable riffs. And that's fine. Battle Path inject just enough aggression to keep Ambedo interesting, while still giving keyboardist Christopher Davis space and time to build haunting melodies and ominous echoes. The band also avoids the cardinal vice of atmospheric metal: lack of variety. Every track brings a new twist on the band's atmospheric doom/black formula.

Highly Recommended.

The Thurible Reviews: Dead to a Dying World - "Litany"

It's clear from the credits alone that Litany is a special album. You don't come across many blackish doom bands with violins, three different kinds of acoustic guitar, orchestra bells, brass and a hammered dulcimer; not to mention guest appearances from members of Sabbath Assembly and Pallbearer. Dead to a Dying World's sophomore effort is, therefore, unsurprisingly difficult to classify. There's plodding, doomy guitars, ominous chanting, gorgeously interwoven violin and guitar melodies, and extended instrumental movements—yet Litany never feels incongruous the way that, say, Kayo Dot's incorporation of jazz and chamber music into black metal does. This isn't experimental music in the Deathspell Omega or even Menace Ruine sense, but it's nevertheless groundbreaking and highly original.

Considering "atmospheric" has been essentially reduced to another genre tag, it doesn't capture what Dead to a Dying World have achieved here. Litany feels carefully crafted in a way extreme metal rarely does, and perfect balance every song strikes between doom and classical elements captures the mournful spirit that bands that label themselves "atmospheric" wish they could emulate. Dead to a Dying World call their music "apocalyptic," and the musical nihilism that implies perhaps comes closest to conveying the terrible beauty of Litany's six movements.

It's difficult to evaluate the songs on Litany individually, as the album flows seamlessly from track to track. That's not say each song doesn't have a unique character—"Beneath the Loam" is a very different song from "Cicatrix"—but rather that Litany is such a holistic enterprise that to divorce any part from the musical narrative of the whole would be disservice to the band and the listener. It's an album to get lost in. Music this masterfully composed and passionately performed deserves an unbroken hour of your time.

Highly recommended.