Pagan Black Metal - Tumblr Posts
Elegiac
Pagan Storm
The newest release from this Portland, Oregon based solo black metal project follows last year's superb release Black Clouds of War, and continues the merging of classic black metal and hints of folk and pagan metal elements. Raw and unapologetic, but still well-produced and fantastically mixed, this album never sacrifices melody or enjoyment while being a raging assault on the senses in the vein of Satanic Warmaster or Darkthrone.
While the title itself indicates the pagan black metal stylistic leanings, it is not overdone, and the album remains firmly rooted in the traditional black metal sound. Rather, the pagan stylings are used to grow the songs, turning typical roaring riffs into hypnotic passages that allow the pagan longings to flourish. This generates a mixture of somber, mournful, yet celebratory emotions, an apt devotional to old ways, expressed with beautiful melody and stout heart. The songs tend towards a longer run time, permitting the soundscape to expand organically and meld the various little parts into a mesmerizing whole. As with the rest of this project's discography, it is worth listening, keeping the ancient spirit of black metal alive and kicking.
CDs can be obtained from ATMF Recordings.
Released September 28, 2018
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.
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.
Hrukjan/Elegiac
Two book releases from the man behind Sacrificial Sounds Records/Elegiac.
One contains lyrics, essays, and artwork regarding his Elegiac solo project.
The other is a guidebook to runes- their meanings, how to use them, etc.
Both are available via Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R53WMD5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_rh3cGbVW0X41B?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088B4MFFM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_vo3cGbBQ8HW5V?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1