Hey, My Blog's A Year Old!

Hey, my blog's a year old!

They grow up so fast....

-Black Vice- Austin, Texas based black metal.

Photo by blogger. 2017

Black Vice

Black Vice / Haunter, by Black Vice

3 track album

I don't see this UK black metal band shared around as much as they should be. Traditional black metal full of venomous rage, if you enjoy the classic black metal sound these fellows are worth checking out. They're raw and unapologetic, rabid and fiery.

Agents of Satan is a 7in you can pick up via Apocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings, and I believe the label might have their full-length available as well, The Great Mortality. A new album should also be on the way soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

"Extermination Front"

Black Jackal

The next single from my favorite Texas band has been released. Half as long as the first single (Hunter-Killer), this is a ripping piece of blackened thrash that is all forward momentum. It evokes classic thrash with the guitar tone, a frantic wild ride with sharp edges. And the guitar solo in the middle is pure old-school heavy metal glory: violent, fast, wailing. To my knowledge there's no established release date yet, but the new album will be titled "Forever War".

You can pick up the single on the band's Bandcamp page, as well as the rest of their material.

Germany's In Strict Confidence happen to be one of my favorite Dark Electro/ Synth- Pop bands, and I really love the Utopia album.

I've been listening to this one a lot while writing my Thesis, as it tends to have a calming effect on me. It's beautiful, ethereal, upbeat, and even a touch angsty. The dual vocals are always on point, and mix seamlessly. It has a softer approach than genres like industrial, but elicits a great deal of emotion instead.

As it seems rather hard to find the whole thing on Youtube, I'll leave you with some of the music videos from it. However, I do strongly suggest checking out the full album sometime, especially if you like darker electronic music.

Oomph!

Ritual

I finally sat down with the entirety of Neue-Deutsche-Härte founders Oomph!'s latest album, and I consider this to be one of their greatest albums. This is absolutely fantastic from start to finish, and I really don't think it slows down at all. It's got the hefty weight and crunch of metal but the catchy melody of rock, and the industrial elements are both harsh and majestic.

Dero's vocal work is on point, nailing nasty vicious bits and then morphing into powerful cleans with gusto. The guitar riffs are pummeling, almost reminiscent of Rammstein's level of heaviness. Not to mention chorus vocals are well mixed, aligning perfectly while still being discernable. The rythym doesn't let up, and enforces the heavy crush of the riffwork. It's aggressively melodic, and will lift you up before smashing you like a train repeatedly. It's wild, weighty, and moving.

Again, definitely one of their best albums to me. The singles such as Tausend Mann und ein Befehl and TRRR-FCKN-HTLR are intensely catchy, and songs like Europa (ft. Chris Harms of Lord of the Lost, who released an excellent album last year) and Lazarus are majestically powerful.

You can get it everywhere from Bandcamp to Amazon, so do yourself a favor and check it out.

Instant Exorcism

Curse Mackey

Austin, Texas based industrial mastermind Curse Mackey released his debut solo album in 2019, and its an infectious gothic masterpiece of apocalyptic darkwave. Like a mix between the finest Tim Skold output and the catchiest songwriting of Depeche Mode, this album pulls you into a grimy industrial gloom haunted by the ghosts of an apathetic cityscape. My favorite track is "O' Blasphemy", but everything on here is incredibly catchy, and the flow from one song to the next makes the whole album experience a treat. I spent a good portion of the year spinning it repeatedly and adding quite a few songs to some of my regular playlists.

Curse Mackey has spent years working with bands such as My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, playing live keyboards for Killing Joke, and even filling in for Peter Murphy at a stop on Murphy's recent tour with fellow ex-Bauhaus member David J. His credentials are exemplary, so it is exciting to see his solo material released, and he delivers on all expectations. Furthermore, if you have the opportunity to see him live, I strongly encourage going, his performance is fantastic, and really brings the tracks to life in a primal, energetic manner.

The album can be purchased from Curse Mackey's Bandcamp page, or from the musician himself when you go see him live because you definitely should.