Lathspell; Malum

Lathspell; Malum

Luciferian Nights Split

Two Finnish Black Metal powerhouses have just released this split. The Lathspell side has me exceptionally excited, as they are a fiery, aggressive, and crushing black metal band. If raging traditional black metal is your thing, be sure to give this a listen. Finland continues to be one of my current favorite black metal scenes, and bands like this are why.

Haunter/Crawl East Coast Tour 2018

Two of central Texas' finest extreme metal outfits will be touring the East Coast in December.

Haunter are ritualistic black metal with hints of death metal, plowing through the soul and bellowing through the hells. The bassist is also a member of newer supergroup Entheogen.

Crawl is abyssal sludgy blackened noise of hate and despair, a sonic ritual in honor of the failings of mankind. He remains one of the best live acts I've witnessed, offering a transcendental auditory experience for lovers of all things extreme.

Absolutely a tour worth seeing if its coming to a city near you. More information will be made available as the time draws closer.

Stranger Fruit

Zeal and Ardor

The second album from Swiss-American Manuel Gagneux's extremely Avant-garde black metal project was released earlier this year.

What starts as bluesy Occult rock mixed with Deep South folk and African Spiritualism morphs into a blizzard of frigid Norwegian-styled rage, a maelstrom of voodoo, Satanism, and pure hatred. Chanting, crooning, and howling are blended into a beautiful mix of heavy rock and roll and the wailing guitar sounds of classic black metal, in an album that never ceases morphing into something more.

If you're looking for something vicious in an unexpected way, this album is brilliant. A sonic ritual statement of independence and rage, it encapsulates the violent free spirit of Black Metal while being a beautifully crafted work of musicianship.

My only caveat is I feel some of the songs could be longer, allowing Gagneux to fully capitalize on the sound he is perfecting and the catchy choruses peppered throughout. Nevertheless, this has become one of my favorite albums this year, and I eagerly await the band's future endeavors.

You can pick it up via the band's Bandcamp page, or from their website for physical copies.

Personal Favorite Track: Don't You Dare

Album Artwork: Manuel Gagneux

Blood Worship

Death's Omnipotence

Released: June 15, 2018

This debut from Stockholm, Sweden based black metallers Blood Worship is one of my top albums this year. Blazing black metal in the traditional Swedish style, this album is precisely on-point, from the riffs to the vocals to the drumming.

If you're a fan of Dark Funeral, Dissection, or Watain, you really need to hear this album. It worships its stylistic forefathers while pummeling you with one fantastic riff after another, sucking you in from beginning to end. Also featured on drums is David Folchitto, newest addition to the mighty death metal band Fleshgod Apocalypse's lineup.

My favorite track is probably Rites of the Inner Shrine, but honestly all four tracks are absolutely killer.

You can pick it up via their bandcamp page.

Solar Temple

Fertile Descent

Preview of new album from Dutch Atmospheric Black Metallers. Superb fuzzy blackened trance.

Reblogged from @reptileshrine

Nocturnus Santurnus

Hailing from Dubuque, Iowa, this traditional black metal band is perfect for fans of Immortal and riffs. So far a very overlooked release this year, which is a shame, because its lovely second-wave worship.