EPs From Hell - Including Monstraat, Nightmare City, The 135

We start with Monstraat's latest EP named the Eternal One. Monstraat is a Swedish based primitive black metal band with all the essential criterias for a meaningful release. Filled with Devil-worshiping lyrics, blasphemy and the whole old school aesthetics witch I really like in a band.
This EP contains 4 tracks, The One Eternal, Unchained, Voidlike Sky and Dead Eyes See.
Nothing new to the genre, they stick to the basics, and hell, they are good at it.
Melodies come and go between the wicked riffs and raspy vocals in the veins of Malign, Morbid Insulter and more.
Plus, really good work on the cover too.

8
Listen Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QggmYuIJ-Lk


Second band, is Nightmare City, a heavy metal/punk band from Sweden also. They released this year their first EP called Nightmare City through Electric Assault Records. It contains 6 tracks, not that long but catchy and hellish. It has an old school vibe that I love, reminds me a bit of Venom, but more clean in a way. Moving on, there are a lot of melodies coming straight from their NWOBHM influences, their style also can be a hint to that. The vocals are not that clean, they have more of a first wave of Black Metal approach, that's why the Venom reffrence above.
A very artistic and punk-ish I must add selection on the cover, and I'm looking forward for their debut LP, which I hope it won't take too long.

7
Listen Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0_uAwzMHX0

Last band is The 135, a really interesting release from France, playing a form of Avant-Garde Black Metal in a French way, kinda like Deathspell Omega and maybe Aosoth, and since I'm a fan and have huge respect for those bands I couldn't help myself from reviewing this quite good piece of Art.
The EP is titled Lumen Per Lumen, raughly translated as The Light From The Light I think, contains only 3 tracks, with the first one Drakon Manifesto - The Death Of The I, having a 2-minute intro workng as an introduction to the band.
As you may have realised the lyrical concept is about Occultism in a serious way, the musicianship in here is absolutely stunning. Chaotic melodies, influenced by Deathspell Omega, sometimes really nostalgic ones, acoustic passages, but also some are like a wall of nails closing in, causing the listener to go through a lot of emotional changes until the song absorbs him/her in the great vasts of darkness.
The vocals also are a bit of a suprise, mainly because there are a lot of clean singing parts before it goes into the typical yet beautiful growl-ish black metal vocals much like Mgla sounds.
I highly recomend it, to anyone who is interested in the French Black Metal scene, and to everyone who wants their black metal Satanic and Philosophical.

8,5
Listen Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl6PR8OMWck

Hypothermia - Svartkonst Review

Hypothermia is a black metal band hailing from Sweden and it's the child, so to speak, of Kim Carlsson mostly known as the vocalist in Lifelover and other musical expressions such as Horns Emerging and Kall.
Now this album, Svartkonst, meaning black art or sorcery, correct me if I'm wrong, came out earlier this year following the well praised Skogens Hjarta.
One of the things that I enjoyed mostly in this release is the production. Very clean, etherial and you can hear every instrument at the same time without the guitars for example swallowing each other or the drums, something that in their earlier albums was a problem to me.
To those that don't know about the musical past of Hypothermia, their previous albums had more of a depressing or negative feeling, drowning a lot of elements from depressive black metal and post rock/metal.
In this one though, there are no vocals, the post rock influences are more present, which I find very possitive, and the albums as a whole can work perfectly with meditation or a walk through the forest.
It's a form of magick in my opinion, repeatitive riffs, thus creating a trance like feeling to the listener, the compositions are very tight, not anything too technical but instead everything is simple, and so easy to absorb that anyone I believe can find something worth in this record about himself.
It's a soundtrack of retrospection.
I won't talk about the highlights of the record because I think you have to listen to the whole damn thing to realise what it's all about.

9/10

Nadiwrath - Circle Of Pest Review

Nadiwrath is a great black metal band from Athens, Greece with members from other well known bands in the Greek black metal scene such as, Thy Darkned Shade, Dodsferd and more.
Circle Of Pest is their second full length album which came out this June following their praised debut album Nihilistic Stench.
In this release it sounds like they put aside most of their punk influences, although you can still hear some fragments of it. One of the reasons might be their signing to a label and honestly I'm not really bothered. I enjoyed their first album a lot, and with this one, the black metal elements and vibe is more solid and asphyxiating than ever. It's obvious they put a lot of effort in the making of this record, the production is cleaner, which is not a bad thing in this context, the riffs are tight creating a very thick wall of sound but leaving room for depressive feelings as well.
Also the artwork from Khaos Diktator Design is fucking amazing.
Lyrically is all about nihilism and misanthropy, something any black metal fan can appreciate and most important the lyrical theme really go side to side with the music. Highlights of the album, Inner Commitment, Heading Towards Absolute Darkness, No Pity For Your Kind
Great release and it's going for sure in the best albums of the year list.
8/10
Support the honest art.
Listen or Download from the band here: https://drakkar-productions-official.bandcamp.com/album/nadiwrath-circle-of-pest

Human Serpent's Inhumane Minimalism Review

This time, I'm going to talk about one album at a time.
Here we have the second full lenght album of a Greek Black metal band from Lamia, Human Serpent titled Inhumane Minimalism. I must say I didn't expect the hellstorm that came out of this chaotic piece of music. The band really made progress in their songwritting skills from the first LP which was really cool too, titled The Gradual Immersion in Nihilism. In this album, everything I want in black metal is here. It's misanthropic as fuck, relentless vocals, really, it feels like the vocalist is screaming to stay alive at some parts, it's full of energy but at the same time is draining the listener and drags him in the abyss. The songs are not that long, but still it feels like when they are about to finish hell will break loose.Also, the riffs are as good as they can get. Even at the opening track when you think the album is gonna start really smooth while going towards an escalation, the riff grabs your guts and rips them off. Every track is just a powerfull, full of hate and grief, mix of extreme musical reflection and expression. I suggest you better listen to those fuckers cus that's a top class black metal record. Hail misanthropy.
Highlights of the album, in my opinion, are the songs The World in Coffins, Starving Void upon Earth and Mother of Depression.
10/10
Listen or download from the band here: https://humanserpent.bandcamp.com/

Music Vibes For The Brain Dead Masses vol.1

Λίστα με δίσκους που άκουσα πρόσφατα και μου πρόσφεραν αρκετή ευχαρίστηση.
Όχι απαραίτητα φετινοί δίσκοι.

Αρχικά ο φετινός δίσκος των Σουηδών Shining,  IX - Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends.
O τίτλος ήδη λέει πολλά. Πολύ καλύτερο λυρικά και συνθετικά από τον προκάτοχο του, Redefining Darkness, εδώ ο παρανοϊκός τροβαδούρος Νίκλας δεν κάνει πολλούς πειραματισμούς με την μουσική, πέρα από κάποια ακουστικά περάσματα.
Τα κομμάτια είναι πέρα από ικανοποιητικά, προσφέρουν μια γλυκιά αίσθηση μελαγχολίας, αγωνίας και θλίψης όπως ακούμε στο κομμάτι Inga Broar Kvar Att Bränna, το οποίο δεν έχει την αίσθηση ενός ξυλοδαρμού, στοιχείο πολύ συνηθισμένο στους Shining, υπάρχει όμως στο κομμάτι  Vilja & Dröm. Με ένα εξαιρετικά γραφικό και επιθετικό βίντεο κλιπ να το συνοδεύει, ίσως είναι απ΄τα highlights του δίσκου. Επιθετική ατμόσφαιρα, η φωνή του Νίκλας δίνει ρέστα καθώς μοιάζει με γροθιές στο στομάχι σε κάθε στίχο που φτύνει στα μούτρα των ακροατών.
Στο δίσκο επίσης δεν λείπει το instrumental κομμάτι, χαρακτηριστικό των κυκλοφοριών τους, εδώ όμως βρίσκεται στο opening track. Σίγουρα ένα πολύ όμορφο μουσικό δείγμα, κάτι σαν την ηρεμία πριν την αστραπή καθώς μετά ο δίσκος σε πιάνει απ'τα αρχίδια για περίπου 35 λεπτά.
Πολύ καλή κυκλοφορία για μένα, περίμενα καιρό κάτι αξιόλογο μετά το φιάσκο του Redefining Darkness.
 8/10
Ακούστε τον εδώ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOvgSW_Glpw


Στη συνέχεια έχουμε τον δίσκο των Ισλανδών post rockers Solstafir με την ονομασία Ótta.
Να πω πώς ήταν ο πρώτος δίσκος που άκουσα απο την μπάντα, μεγάλο λάθος, όποτε δεν έχω πλήρης εικόνα της τέχνης τους και θα είμαι κάπως σύντομος.
Ο δίσκος είναι ένα γαμημένο αριστούργημα. Πραγματικά, από το πρώτο κιόλας κομμάτι, το Lagnaetti, έχεις καταλάβει ότι πρόκειται για δίσκο διαμάντι.
Αιθέριες ατμόσφαιρες, φοβερές μελωδίες, τα φωνητικά για μένα είναι εξαίσια, όλα μου ακούγονται όπως πρέπει να είναι.
Γνωρίζοντας παράλληλα την στροφή που έκαναν στον ήχο τους, πηγαίνοντας από black metal σε post ηχοτοπία, έχω να πω, πώς καλά έκαναν.
Αξίζει σίγουρα την ακρόαση σας, αλλά και την αγορά του δίσκου σε cd/βινύλιο καθώς έχει και εκπληκτικό artwork.
10/10
Ακούστε το εδώ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_noCeiuGFQk&list=PLArAJlC1y559WpK1f9Hr08XGkn_GH0vXJ


Τρίτος δίσκος, είναι ίσως ο πιο διαφορετικός στη λίστα. Είναι ο δίσκος των Phuture Doom με τον ίδιο τίτλο, μία μπάντα που συνδυάζει ηλεκτρονική μουσική του στυλ dubstep, breakcore με black metal ριφ.
Δεν είναι για όλους φυσικά, ακραία προσέγγιση, δίνουν αρκετή έμφαση στα βίντεο κλιπ τα όποια, όπως και οι στίχοι, έχουν σαν θέμα την θεωρία περι singularity και transhumanism, κάνοντας έτσι μια προπαγάνδα, κάτι που βρίσκω αρκετά ενδιαφέρον ξέροντας ότι δεν βλέπουν τη μουσική απλά σαν μία μορφή διασκέδασης της μάζας.
Σίγουρα οπαδοί των Goretech/Αnaal Nathrakh θα τους βρείτε μουσικά πολύ ελκυστικούς.
Τα κομμάτια που ξεχωρίζουν στον δίσκο κατά την άποψη μου είναι τα, Burn The Knowledge (εξαιρετικό βίντεο επίσης), Doom Terror Cops, Han Breaks
7/10
Ακούστε το εδώ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giwihqnVzbY&list=PLfdkz2eiSC3aTRmHHeTLwhtaJKUcSVVVv