Weekly album: True Black Dawn - Come the Colorless Dawn

True Black Dawn - Come the Colorless Dawn

2016 / Black metal

1. Intro

2. Come the Colorless Dawn

3. The Light Goes Out

4. Cinereous

5. The Ring-Pass-Not

6. Downwards the Serpent Spiral

7. Strange Shaded Sky

8. The Sectile Shadow

9. Eyes of the Cadaver

10. Into the Tomb of Her Mirror

11. Outro

tp5170: I think Wrath has always been one of the more interesting personalities in the Finnish black metal scene and his past band, Enochian Crescent, was actually rather good and also somewhat different from the other major BM bands around. So after realizing that he was involved in the True Black Dawn I got pretty excited to see what kind of material the band would be producing. I actually haven’t yet listened to the band’s debut album of 2001 for some reason, but now that band’s second album is here, I thought it couldn’t hurt to start with the new one. And it turns out that the new album is in fact pretty darn good. 

The sound of “Come the Colorless Dawn” might be slightly more traditional than Enochian Crescent’s in general, but it’s very, very well put together and Wrath’s characteristic vocal style is fortunately still there, adding a lot to album’s atmosphere. I thought that there were no weak tracks on the whole album, and with the healthy amount of variation between the tracks and some well composed build-ups this has to be one of my favorite releases this year.

Favourite track: ‘The Light Goes Out’, ‘The Ring-Pass-Not’

Orostider: After Wrath left Enochian Crescent and told about his plans to focus on True Black Dawn, my anxious wait begun. Some folks shared this feeling, but some wished for a release similar to Enochian Crecent's albums. Even though I think highly of Enochian Crescent's albums, I anticipated something that would reflect Wrath's fascinating visions.

True Black Dawn occasionally reminds me of Enochian Crescent, possibly due to Wrath's unique sound, but the album mainly consists of more traditional black metal than Enochian Crescent were. Some of the riffs are actually rather high quality black metal riffs and prove that the wait wasn't in vain. There aren't really any low quality songs or riffs, only somewhat generic ones, but black metal albums without any generic attributes are almost impossible to produce. 'Come the Colorless Dawn' is a mighty slab of fine black metal. The production is as modern and high quality as I predicted. If the approach would be rawer, the album could possibly lose some of its punch, so modern production is a pro here.

'Come the Colorless Dawn' is a worthy album and proves that there's still room for great black metal albums. Even though the album is purely black metal, there's plenty of variation. The wait to witness True Black Dawn's live ritual begins. 

Favourite song: 'The Light Goes Out', 'Cinereous', 'The Sectile Shadow'

btcarey: With releases from both True Black Dawn AND Behexen, 2016 is starting to look like a pretty good year for Finnish Black Metal. I’m not all that familiar with True Black Dawn’s other material or it’s band member’s other projects, so I went into “Come the Colorless Dawn” with almost no expectations.

The record carries a deeply dark and haunting atmosphere, as if a raving asylum patient gave birth to it. An eerie dark-noise aspect is prevalent throughout the album giving it an even more dismal sound. The vocals might be the most distinguishable trait of the music and are delivered by the somewhat symbol of the band, Wrath. His distinctive style ranges from a slow distorted drone to an almost power metal shrieking style allowing the album to rise above the black metal masses and be something special.

Favorite Songs: “The Light Goes Out”, “The Ring-Pass-Not”, “Eyes Of The Cadaver”

Weekly album: Behexen - The Poisonous Path

Behexen -The Poisonous Path

2016 / Black metal

1. The Poisonous Path

2. The Wand of Shadows

3. Cave of the Dark Dreams

4. A Sword of Promethean Fire

5. Umbra Luciferi

6. Tyrant of Luminous Darkness

7. Chalice of the Abyssal Water

8. Pentagram of the Black Earth

9. Gallows of Inversion

10. Rakkaudesta Saatanaan

btcarey: Finland is an extremely fortuitous country. It’s not for their top-notch education, impressive healthcare system, or indestructible cellphones, but the country’s unwavering ability to produce some of the best metal bands in the world. Charging in the front lines of Finland’s Black Metal Battalion is the almighty Behexen. The phrase “black metal” can scarcely be brought up without reference to the legendary band or their classic album “By the Blessing of Satan”. For this reason when Behexen’s most recent album, “The Poisonous Path”, was released I had to check it out.

The album is more “clean-cut” or professionally mixed, than previous releases, giving the songs a less chaotic yet tight sound. As far as songwriting, the album’s pace is much faster than Behexen’s previous record with better, more memorable songs. The vocals are about the same as on “Nightside Emanations”, but the guitar tone is the best of any of their releases. It has an incredibly powerful, crushing tone with a sweet fuzz that really pulls the mix together.

This is an solid album and could even have the balls to be one of the top black metal albums of 2016. I recommend it to any fan of Finnish Black Metal.

Favorite Songs: “The Poisonous Path”, “A Sword of Protean Fire”, “Chalice of the Abyssal Water”

tp5170: Behexen has always kept the quality of their work rather high despite the numerous changes to the band’s musical style and it’s nice to see that they managed to keep the flag high also with the band’s fresh, fifth full-length release. ‘The Poisonous Path’ represents a return to a slightly more traditional black metal and the album sounds far more conventional than its predecessor ‘Nightside Emanations’ did. Now whether this can be considered a positive or a negative thing is highly subjective. Though I have to say that for me the biggest problem with the album is indeed the return to the traditional style as otherwise the album is of superb quality. The fact that apart from the excellent execution there is basically nothing, at least in my eyes that would separate this album from the rest of the bunch is frankly unfortunate. 

But like I said, I think Behexen has yet to release a bad album. ‘The Poisonous Path’ is far above the average conventional BM releases in almost every respect, but it lacks the innovation to be a true gem.

The thing is that today there exists simply so much black metal in the world that one needs to mix up the formulae at slightly to make it actually interesting again. Behexen didn’t really set out to do this with their new album, which is a shame in my opinion because even though the album is solid it doesn’t really stand out all that well.

Orostider: Behexen have been preaching their black mass since 1996 and have done it in several different styles. Their early material, the material I discovered Behexen from, was fierce and raw black metal. Just what I sought at the time being and won't be forgotten. Especially 'By the Blessing of Satan' which could quite possibly be my all time Behexen favourite. As the time passed by, Behexen's sound transformed into less lofi and raw form of black metal, but the core was still the same. For me the evolution reached it's glory on the split with Satanic Warmaster and 'Nightside Emanations.' 'The Poisonous Path' seems to follow the same path as 'Nightside Emanations'.

'Nightside Emanations' offered semi-modern sounding black metal with catchy grooves and powerful riffs. The high shrieks that were present on the first two albums were gone and were almost completely replaced with lower chanting vocals. The same pattern is repeated on 'The Poisonous Path.' These new Behexen releases are definitely more approachable than their previous material, but that doesn't mean quality loss. I enjoyed 'Nightside Emanations' and 'The Poisonous Path' offers the continuum I've waited for this ritual.

'The Poisonous Path' is a worthy successor by all means, but it would probably be more powerful it it wasn't as lengthy as it is. I wouldn't call the album repetitive, but the overall sound stays pretty much the same throughout the almost an hour long album. Apart for lengthiness and the somewhat dull snare sound, I have no complaints. This is what modern production black metal should be. I can always go back to the early years if I long Behexen's raw black metal days, so complaining about their new sound is pointless. 

Weekly album: Skyforger - Latviešu strēlnieki

Skyforger - Latviešu strēlnieki

2000 / Pagan black metal

1. Latviešu strēlnieki

2.  Kauja pie Plakaniem, kauja pie Veisiem 

3. 1916. Gada marts 

4. Nāves sala

5.  Sešas ārprāta dienas

6. Pulkvedis Briedis

7. Tīreļa purvā

8. Esat kā vīri 

9. Dzīves vismelnākā stundā 

10. Uz kariņu bāliņš jāja

Orostider: Pagan black metal bands from Eastern Europe tend to offer the finest of the genre. Skyforger is not an exception. 'Latviešu strēlnieki' was the first Skyforger album I heard and even after familiarizing myself with their other albums, 'Latviešu strēlnieki' has kept it's place on the top. 

One of the major differences between for example, Nokturnal Mortum and Skyforger, is the scarcer use of 'overly' melodic and folky parts. Even though I love Nokturnal Mortum's way of doing pagan black metal, Skyforger's way allows the music to feel like a solid package of intensity. The scarcity of the folk influences mean that the album only has them in few song intros and lead passages. 

'Latviešu strēlnieki', which translates to 'Latvian Riflemen', is indeed an intense album and capable of creating massively heavy atmosphere. The intensity is done quite well and won't tire the listener, because the album is structured to vary from high tempo to slower chanting passages. The album endures repeated listens and the finest details of the album require several spins.

All in all, 'Latviešu strēlnieki' should be considered one of the cornerstones of its genre. It represents the more straightforward school of pagan black metal and shouldn't be forgotten due to its lack of folk melodies. 

Favourite songs: 'Latviešu strēlnieki', 'Sešas ārprāta dienas'

btcarey: At first glance, an average metal fan might overlook an album such as Skyforger’s  “Latviešu Strēlnieki”. The record isn’t especially technical, the vocals are a bit unorthodox, and the music leans towards a more light-hearted atmosphere than most folk/black metal acts. Even with these unusual approaches, “Latviešu Strēlnieki” still shines as a fun, approachable album with exceptional replay value.

The most unfortunate aspect of the record is the amount of spins it takes to truly appreciate it. The first two times I heard “Latviešu Strēlnieki” I was really not impressed, and if I wasn’t obligated, I probably would have tossed the album rite then. Lucky, I continued listening and the album grew stronger and stronger. “Latviešu Strēlnieki” really doesn’t start for me until the firework explodes in “1916 Gada Marts” (one of the strongest black metal pieces on the album), after which an onslaught of bone crushing riffs and folky goodness ensues.

One thing that really sets “Latviešu Strēlnieki” apart from other bands is there incorporation of thrash/heavy metal themes in an otherwise folk/black metal environment. Song’s like “Pulkvedis Briedis” and “Tīreļa Purvā” are remarkably heavy and had me head banging by the end.

Overall this is a great album and I would recommend it to any fan of folk/black metal.

Favorite Songs: “1916 Gada Marts”, “Pulkvedis Briedis”

tp5170: Skyforger is again one of those bands that didn’t really get me too excited when I heard their music for the first time, but after recently seeing the band playing live it kind of became clear to me what the band is actually all about. After the gig, I have been giving their album, ‘Latvian Riflemen / Latviešu strēlnieki’, some time and thought and I have to say that I like it a lot and it reflects nicely the things I liked about their live performance. It’s certainly a bit different from what I have come to expect from bands of the folk/pagan black metal genre in the past, but that actually works in its favor.

The songs are quite straightforward and tempo is relative high even in the slower songs. This gives the music a nice and energetic touch that lasts the entire album. The musical tone on the album can be quite aggressive and serious at times, but overall experience is still pretty light, despite the black metal influences. The music is highly entertaining and surprisingly approachable, which is probably why the band seems to be such a big deal in their home country, it winning rock/heavy awards and all.

But all in all, I think I have taken a liking to this album and I would suggest anyone interested in faster, not so serious black metal or folk/pagan black metal.  

Favorite song: Six Days of Madness / Sešas ārprāta dienas

Weekly album: Corpo-Mente - Corpo-Mente

Corpo-Mente - Corpo-Mente

2015  / Trip-hop, Experimental, Baroque

1. Scylla

2. Arsalein 

3. Fia

4. Velandi

5. Dorma

6. Dulcin

7. Equus

8. Ort

9. Saelli

10. Encell

Orostider: If an album would be presented to me by telling its core members are Gautier Serer, best known as his breakcore name Igorrr, and Laure Le Prunenec, known for doing appearances in Igorr songs and her solo project Rïcïnn, I would expect something rather complex and experimental material in the vein of Igorrr. Corpo-Mente is experimental and complex for sure, but it's almost as if it's the calm counterpart of Igorrr. 

Corpo-Mente uses trip-hop, baroque, opera, industrial and post-metal elements and much more and actually succeeds in creating a magnificently powerful and beautiful album with this recipe. The music itself does resemble Igorrr's material in a way, but as I said, Corpo-Mente is 'post-rock' in comparison to Igorrr. Instead of breakcore's noise-ish elements and speed, Corpo-Mente trusts emotional power, unexpected experimenting and a variety of sounds.

The balance between acoustic instruments and electronic instruments is excellent. One could believe that the mix Corpo-Mente is using would sound chaotic and out of place, but the result is actually the exact opposite. There's only minimal amount of chaos and the elements are in order. The way the songs are structured enables the listener to experience massive sensation of power and emotion. 'Arsalein' is probably the song where the massiveness is the clearest. The transition from tranquil parts to the distorted synth walls is just glorious. 

Laure's vocals are one of the main reasons why this album feels so powerfully emotional and wonderful. I tend to worship albums' instrumentations, but this time I'm forced to raise the vocals to the top. The songwriting and the instrumentation are perfect, that's not the point, but Laure's vocals are most likely the best female vocals I've heard. 'Corpo-Mente' is an album where the combination of top notch vocals and music results in an experience that can be revisited several times. 

Favourite songs: 'Arsalein', 'Velandi', 'Dorma'.

btcarey: If you’re looking for something a bit different, or “off the beaten path”, as far as music goes, Corpo-Mente might be right up your ally.  I’m not entirely sure how to define their genre, but the name is probably something artsy, hard to pronounce, and gives the listener no insight as to what they’re about to hear. That being said, I will call the genre “Electroperacoustigasam”….? I know I’m probably going to get shit on by people who really dig this stuff, but as an outsider the music this is as descriptive as I can get.

The music overall is pretty good. It is obviously well crafted and a lot of thought has been put into it. The beats/instruments are dark yet peaceful and the singer’s operatic voice could be described as heavenly; unfortunately, it’s just not my style. After several listening attempts I kept getting distracted. The music just wasn’t able to keep my attention, so I ended up letting it play in the background. This actually turned out to be the best move for me and kind of saved the album. Corpo-Mente makes some pretty kick-ass background music.

If you’re more into traditional musical styles or aren’t feeling very adventurous I would skip Corpo-Mente.  But if Electroperacoustigasam is your kind of music, definitely check this album out.

Favorite Songs: "Fia", "Velandi"

tp5170: I don’t really know what to call the style of Corpo-Mente or how to really describe the thing they are doing.  All I know is that there are these classical female vocals that keep adapting to the highly progressive thing going on at the same time. I can’t say that I have ever heard anything quite like it.

It surprised me was how relaxed I was after listening to the album, despite it not representing the style of music I usually go for. The odd atmosphere of the album and the way all the songs blend together are in my opinion its strong suits. The songs are quite strange, unpredictable and have a really dramatic touch to them, and despite being quite different from each other, they still keep the atmosphere intact almost flawlessly.

Though, I didn’t necessarily like every element or part of album, it didn’t really matter, because it’s the big picture that matters – and as a whole, Corpo-Mente is indeed a rather solid album.

Favourite songs: ‘Ort’, ‘Equus’ and ‘Arsalein’

Weekly album: Goatmoon - Voitto Tai Valhalla

Goatmoon -Voitto tai Valhalla

2014  / Folk Black Metal

1. Intro

2. Voitto tai Valhalla Part I 

3. Voitto tai Valhalla Part II: Valkoinen maa

4. Desecration

5. Way of the Holocaust Winds

6. And the Tears of Our Fatherland Fell

7. October's Blood

8. Vääräoppisen tuhovärssy 

9. Descent, Ascent and Conquer

10. Race of Heroes

tp5170: I was pretty sure that ‘Varjot’ was going to remain as the pinnacle of Goatmoon releases for a longer time as it was overall pretty decent album and also a step into a slightly different direction for the band. But despite being an improvement and having its moments, ‘Varjot’ still contained a number of flaws, and like every other Goatmoon release, I thought it was lacking something. 

So, I wasn’t originally too excited about ‘Voitto Tai Valhalla’ and it was only after I realized that they had shifted the band’s sound from pretty standard black metal to folk BM when it caught my eyes.

Now that I have listened to the album a couple of times I have to say up front that in my opinion Goatmoon has never sounded better than on ‘Voitto Tai Valhalla’. At some points during the album the folk elements might be a bit overwhelming for my taste, but generally the folkish style fits really well into the mix. 

As far as I can tell, the songwriting has also taken a huge leap forward and there was not a single song that wouldn’t have entertained me at least on some level. Unfortunately the lyrics have not improved, but on the other hand I knew to expect as much. Vocals themselves are great. BlackGoat has stuck to his personal way of doing the BM vocals and the occasional clean vocals fit the style of the album.

I also have to give credit for the album being so versatile. All the songs are rather distinguishable; for example ‘Way of the Holocaust Winds’ is clearly more of an atmospheric track, where as ‘Voitto tai Valhalla Part I’ plays the role of a cheesy opening track to get the listener’s blood running.

All in all, like I said, I have been having way more fun with this album than I expected. 

Favourite tracks: ‘Way of the Holocaust Winds’ and ‘Voitto Tai Valhalla Part II: Valkoinen Maa’

Orostider: The synth intro reminds me of Beherit's electronic era and won't give away that I'm spinning a Goatmoon album. Goatmoon is both loved and hated quite widely. The lover group consists of both the people who agree with their political views and the people who don't. The haters on the other hand usually do so due to the political disagreement. In my opinion, a band shouldn't be bashed solely due to their lyrical content, but people are free to have different opinions.

Musically the album struck me as a surprise. The album mainly consists of folk black metal, rather jolly sounding if I may, but leaves room for other elements too. The usage of folk instruments, like Jew's harp, fits the album's overall mood and the sound sometimes reminds me of Korpiklaani gone black metal or Moonsorrow, in a way. The variation is mainly between folky and cheery black metal and more atmospheric black metal. 'Way of the Holocaust Winds' is a good example of a more atmospheric song and musically it reminds me of Dråpsnatt.

People are free to think what they think of Blackgoat, but his vocals shouldn't be ignored purely based on disliking the character behind them. The vocals are wicked and harsh, representing the top partition of black metal vocals.

Lyrical content is what is expected from Goatmoon. It's a good thing that the lyrics aren't audible, as they are edgy as hell and aren't even well written. Being critical is always allowed, but the ideology shouldn't be used as an excuse to write low quality lyrics. But bashing the whole album just because of political correctness is wrong. Black metal has never been about asking forgiveness or being appropriate. You are allowed to dislike the band due to the lyrical content of course, but judging the listeners is just plain stupidity. This doesn't only apply to black metal, but to other genres too and also applies to both left and right wing ideologists. 

Aside from the lyrics, the album is a really solid one. The sound is occasionally too cheery and folky for me, but the album is well constructed and everything sounds intact.

btcarey: “Voitto Tai Valhalla” is a folk infused black metal album that solidifies Goatmoon’s role as a leader in Finland’s underground black metal scene. The band’s impressive career is built off consistent releases from the past 15 years, with several albums widely considered black metal classics. Their previous full-length album, “Varjot”, is one of my personal favorites, and stands as one of my top folk/black metal releases today.

“Voitto Tai Valhalla” is a much more folk oriented black metal album than Goatmoon’s other previous releases. The utilization of folk instruments like flute, jaw harp, and keyboards play a major role in the song writing, contrary to the past, where folk instruments were purely for support purposes. The new focus on the folk aspects really revitalizes Goatmoon’s sound, providing a depth to the music that was nonexistent in previous releases. This can best be heard on my favorite folk-driven track “Voitto Tai Valhalla Part II: Valkoinen Maa”.

Even though the album is “good” it’s not perfect. I usually don’t care about production quality but in this case, I really feel like Goatmoon should have mixed the record differently. Don’t get me wrong; the production is good… it’s just a bit too good. The album is so clean and crisp it takes away from Goatmoon’s rawness and aggression, which is a very important aspect for me. This being said, I recently heard Goatmoon’s latest song “Kansojen hävittäjä”, from their split “Kansojen hävittäjä / Crushing the Maccabees”, and it was perfect. Not only did it have the folk focus of “Voitto Tai Valhalla”, but it had the raw, dirty mix of their classics.

While “Voitto Tai Valhalla” isn’t a perfect album, and not Goatmoon’s greatest, it sets the stage for their future and has me yearning for their next releases.

Favorite Songs: “Voitto Tai Valhalla Part II: Valkoinen Maa”, “Way of the Holocaust Winds”