Norse, hailing from New South Wales (Australia), will celebrate their tenth anniversary this year, but before this party, there’s another reason to celebrate: their newest epos, called Pest, and released this time via India-based Transcending Obscurity, one of the most professional and devoted labels I came in touch with lately.
With a lyrical concept based on the cycle of seasons, Galar return with De Gjenlevende, their third album, which was recorded mainly at the (underestimated) Conclave & Earshot Studio with Bjørnar E. Nilsen (think: Taake, Vulture Industries, Dead To This World, Helheim, Byfrost and many more). Still based on the duo M. Kristiansen (harsh vocals, guitars and bass) and A.B.
Fortid originally hail from Iceland. They were formed as one-man outfit in 2002 by Einar Thorberg Guðmundsson ‘Eldur’ (think: Potentiam, Curse, Thule, and recently also in Den Saakaldte or Midnattsvrede).
It is (almost) always nice to receive unexpected material by a band of a label with the question if undersigned is interested in doing a review for their stuff. Sometimes it’s rather a task, a heavy weight to accept, then again there are hidden treasures that suddenly appear and that do deserve my full attention. And sometimes it is somewhere in between a blessing and a curse.
Chaos Altar are a one-man project by a guy called Executor, formed after the demise of Nir’um’Tuk. Since I never heard the sole EP by Nir’um’Tuk, I can’t compare both projects, but I am pretty sure Chaos Altar can be called the logical successor. As a matter of fact, the lyrics have been written once again by Asphodel, who did the very same for the Nir’um’Tuk-EP.
We all know that Nuclear War Now! Productions’ commitment is ‘to unearth the ugliest, gnarliest metal the underground has to offer’, and that’s why this mighty label did release Unholy Union, the first demo of Chilean act Athanatos, on vinyl. Unholy Union stands for fourteen minutes of technically high-leveled, ultimately obscure and extremely harsh, pounding Morbid Death Metal from the Old School.
Italian act A Monumental Black Statue was formed as a more Pagan / NS-oriented outlet for some Criptum-members, but soon they became more active than Criptum. A Monumental Black Statue released three recordings before, and actually this one was originally supposed to be the second Criptum-full length. Yet since the latter did split up…
The scene from New Zealand might not be as big as the Australian one, but there are quite some promising acts dwelling out there lately.
Venue: Rockcafe Sodom Tongeren
Date : Friday, June 5th 2015
Three totally different bands gathered in order to translate a Black Metal night into a demonic party…
Belgian one-man outfit Monnik (Dutch for ‘monk’) debuts with Vondeling (which means ‘foundling’) on the magic / magisterial label ConSouling Sounds. That choice isn’t an accidental coincidence at all, for this solo-outlet by Charnia’s vocalist Thibaud perfectly fits to this label’s roster.
