Listening To This Again And It's Safe To Say, Still One Of The Best Black Metal Releases Of 2020.

Listening to this again and it's safe to say, still one of the best black metal releases of 2020.

Tundra-Demo

Boreal Hymn

Just released on US label Sacrificial Sounds, this little demo is stunningly beautiful. The duo contains a member of Wormwitch, whose album Heaven That Dwells Within was one of my favorite black metal albums in 2019. It's the raw, aggressively beautiful pagan black metal I've come to expect from Sacrificial Sounds releases, and it is done exceptionally well. This reminds me of a mix of the stellar Gaahl's WYRD album released last year and the aforementioned Wormwitch album. It's haunting, ritualistic, animalistic, and powerfully evocative of it's namesake.

You can pre-order the cassette, or just pick up the digital version, from the Sacrificial Sounds Bandcamp.

Oakland, California grimey black metal band Dispirit released this album last year, and played a superb Red River Family Fest III set.

Black metal with the slime of death metal, their sound sucks you in like a bog. But that riff in Besotted by Feral Whims, right after the soft intro, it's utterly fantastic, rythmic and mesmerizing. These fellows are quite skilled, and absolutely worth seeing live if you have the opportunity.

Tundra-Demo

Boreal Hymn

Just released on US label Sacrificial Sounds, this little demo is stunningly beautiful. The duo contains a member of Wormwitch, whose album Heaven That Dwells Within was one of my favorite black metal albums in 2019. It's the raw, aggressively beautiful pagan black metal I've come to expect from Sacrificial Sounds releases, and it is done exceptionally well. This reminds me of a mix of the stellar Gaahl's WYRD album released last year and the aforementioned Wormwitch album. It's haunting, ritualistic, animalistic, and powerfully evocative of it's namesake.

You can pre-order the cassette, or just pick up the digital version, from the Sacrificial Sounds Bandcamp.

Curse Mackey

Merch from Curse Mackey

Merch from Curse Mackey

Curse Mackey is currently offering free shipping on all of his merch if you're within the United States!

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.

Bandcamp Daily

Artists and Labels Offering Donations, Special Merch, and More Today

Including those donating to organizations fighting for racial justice and change.

Bandcamp are returning all revenue directly to bands and labels for today's sales (June 5th 2020), and numerous musicians and labels are using the opportunity to offer discounts, specials, and raise donations for various causes.

Naturally there's several punk labels and bands, but also several heavy metal labels, from Apocalyptic Witchcraft to Dark Descent. I've put all the heavy metal labels and bands I recognize from the list in the tags, but you might recognize a band name I don't.

Invictus Productions in particular are donating to a wildlife preserve in Ireland, and the aforementioned Dark Descent to a homeless youth outreach program. For several of the labels you will need to check what their discount code is and make sure you apply it! Some are automatically slashing digital prices, but will also discount physical merch as well if you use a code.

Please note though, due to the revenue return, even if a band isn't offering a discount, today your money is fully supporting them! Meanwhile several labels are also using this as reason to give more revenue than usual to bands for sales. Plenty of reason to support the musicians you like, all of whom have taken a financial blow this year.

I also know this list is not comprehensive, so you might do some more digging and see if your favorite band or label are doing any discounts. I've included some in the tags that I received messages from announcing discounts/ specials/ donations that I didn't see on here. Note that Non Serviam have an ongoing 1€ digital album sale.

Ghaal's Wyrd

"GastiR- Ghosts Invited"

So I started writing this review before even finishing the album, because quite frankly, it's that good and I had to say so. And then the album finished and I immediately started playing it again. Don't expect a long review, because really just do yourself the favor and go listen to the album.

Musically it's superb. The guitar work runs the gamut of classic burning black metal riffage to haunting atmospherics, and works in tandem with Gaahl's voice wonderfully. The two blend perfectly to emphasize the intended feel and atmosphere of each song, from howling rage to melancholic contemplation. The drumming is precise, never too much or too little. It's organic and paced, fast when it needs to be and spread out when called for. Blazing speed to haunting slow tribal doom. And the bass is not only noticeable, but superbly done. Rumbling underneath the vocal melody and gluing the guitar and drums together, all while maintaining its own presence.

The vocal work, bluntly, is some of the absolute best I've heard. Gaahl has always been one of my favorite vocalists, but he takes it to the next level here. From his classic burning roars to hauntingly beautiful tones that are on par with the Peaceville gothic metal staples, he does it all. Dark chanting, ethereal howls, melodic singing, and high pitched wailing. And he does so at the perfect moments, delivering nuanced performances that suit each song and truly push the album above and beyond.

Its aggressive, contemplative, melancholic, celebratory, ancient, primal, beautiful, spiritual, and altogether powerful. I cannot recommend giving it a spin enough, even if black metal is not normally your thing. Even at its most aggressive it never loses its melody, never sacrifices its nuance.

You can pick up copies via Bandcamp and Season of Mist!