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.

The Thurible Reviews: UltraSuicide/Mire of Despondency - "Loch of the Degenerate Realm"

God knows what the point of the digital split is, but UltraSuicide and Mire of Despodency, two relative newcomers to the depressive black metal scene, decided the world needs another.

Loch of the Degenerate Realm begins with "Abyssal Depravity," the only collaborative track in the split. Thane of UltraSuicide, who produced the entire effort, captures the traditional black metal rawness effectively on this track with his frenetic drumming and heavily distorted riffs. Thane's screams are harsh and throaty, contrasting with Nokturnus of Mire of Despondency's plaintive shrieks. The mix on "Abyssal Depravity" tends to the cacophonous, and the song's meandering structure starts a trend that continues with the next five tracks. On "Axis of Mind," Thane's clumsy, frantic drumming augments the rawness he's trying to convey, but just as often its first-take quality proves merely distracting. "Seeing Misery" presents a slower and more accessible version of UltraSuicide's sound while still embodying Thane's loosely structured and aggressive style of depressive black metal. The final track on UltraSuicide's half of the split, "Dying Mental Dream," includes an unexpected atmospheric passage before returning abruptly to screeching raw black metal riffs and Thane's discordant howls.

Mire of Despondency's debut album, Sorrow Is A Void, hit all the worst bedroom black metal notes with its shoddy production, synthesized guitars, ambient meandering, and general amateurism. Nokturnus' second stab at black metal benefits from Thane's more competent mixing and a more straightforward songwriting approach, but it still feels green and still suffers from repetitive, manifestly artificial guitar riffs. Nokturnus' shrieks, which have improved significantly, compete with the music on "Apnea," and the problem continues throughout her half of the split. The drums, which often consist of a single kick or snare looped for the entire song, never fit well into the mix, especially on tracks like "Reaping Moon." Nearly every transition includes a jarring shift in production style and quality.

The final three songs of the split measure up much better. Nokturnus can write haunting, beautiful black metal melodies when she doesn't ruin them with artificial guitars and excessive reverb. The keys that drive "Lorn Path" and "Tenebrous Void" communicate Mire of Despondency's potential more effectively than the guitars of "Apnea" or "Pennsylvanian Winter," but there are glimmers of genuinely poignant black metal music on every track. Closer "Celestia" thankfully dispenses with the most aggravating elements of Mire of Despondency's sound in favor of a lone echoing strum to complement Nokturnus' mournful shrieks.

Genre fans of raw depressive black metal might find UltraSuicide's contribution to the split a worthwhile listen. Mire of Despondency's half is more frustrating. Nokturnus has talent as a songwriter, a pretty good shriek, and she composes what could be excellent atmospheric black metal if she could only dispense with the irritating midi guitar riffs, balance the mix, and make better use of synths and keys. As it is, Loch of the Degenerate Realm is a deeply imperfect record, a baffling mix good to average songwriting and very poor production and mixing decisions.

Not Recommended.