Portland Black Metal - Tumblr Posts
-UADA- Portland, Oregon based black metal.
Photo by blogger. July 13, 2018.
-Panzergod- Portland, Oregon ripping traditional black metal.
New EP coming soon!
Blitzgeist
Ritual Magic
Portland Oregon based black metal, from Zane, the man behind the stellar Elegiac black metal project. Whereas Elegiac has a rawer, more traditionally agressive tone to it, Blitzgeist is a bit slower with the tempo. A grimier, almost more melodic sound pervades this project, and the vocal work reminds me of Inquisition. As the apt title suggests, there is a ritualistic aspect to the compositions and style.
Pick it up from the musician's personal label, Sacrificial Sounds.
Uada
Oregon black metallers played a fantastic live show yet again at Red River Family Fest III
Photo by blogger. Barracuda, Austin, TX. Red River Family Fest III, September 28, 2018.
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
The Top 20
20)Alkymist - Canada- Spellcraft Ceremony
- This is just good, intricate black metal that is both melodic yet fiery, with great structure and delivery.
19)Trenchant- Martial Chaos
-This is some great new Texas death metal that is simultaneously bludgeoning and melodic, with a smooth delivery to the roar of the music. I need more death metal bands like this.
18)Elegiac- Pagan Storm
- A beautifully melancholic black metal album, raw but slower, with an expansive sound that pulls you in and worships times past. This project keeps growing, incorporating new elements, yet does so well enough that the growth remains organic and delightful.
17)Thy Dying Light- Cold in Death
- This is pure traditional black metal worship from Britain that sounds like it crawled right out of Norway in the 90s, yet instead of sounding cliche it just sounds amazing and fresh. It is awesome.
16) Churchacide- Bilesoaked Blades
- Roaring Texas death metal that will crush you with riffs. Its fast, its fun, it'll blast you off your feet. This was a good year for Texas death metal, and this was my favorite release for it.
15)IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT- Vile Luxury
- Another one of those perfectly titled albums, this thing is amazing. A mixture of the perfect slimey death metal undercurrent, with soaring brass interspersed and stellar musicianship, this album is a pinnacle of art. They're a great live show too.
14)Arketh- 12 Winter Moons Comes the Witches Brew
- This psychedelic, avant-garde black metal release is just so much fun. It's weirdly wonderful in all the right ways, and I listened to it a lot this year.
13)Gary Numan Official- Savage: Songs from a Broken World
- This is an amazing electronic album, and the song "My Name is Ruin" is one of my favorite songs this year. This album should not be overlooked. Another older musician showing the young ones he's still got it.
12)Lord Of The Lost- Thornstar
- This is an excellent album from this band, possibly my favorite of theirs yet. They've solidified their sound and delivered something exceptional.
11)Kvalvaag- Seid
- If I put you on par with Emperor, it means I really like your music. This is one of the few modern black metal bands that for me achieves that chaos made melody sound Emperor specialized in. I love it.
10)Lucifer's Child- The Order
- Its a really good take on the Rotting Christ black metal sound, roaring like a beast from the pits and just not stopping. Plus, riffs.
9)Crawl/Leviathan - Split
-So the Leviathan side of this split is good, but the Crawl side? Holy crap. It's stunning. He remains one of my favorite local musicians for precisely this bone-crushing, soul shattering sound, and this track is immense. And I find that it makes the Leviathan side better, like it feeds off the sound of the Crawl side.
8 )Morok (MOPOK)- Carpathian Fullmoon Ritual
- This is awesome traditional black metal with some of my favorite synth work this year. This is just too awesome for words. If you like black metal, check this project out.
7)Urfaust- The Constellatory Practice
- These guys are another band that get better and better, and they were already amazing. This atmospheric, beautiful black metal swallows you whole for a transcendental experience.
6) Ghost- Prequelle
- Much like Mastodon's Emperor of Sand from last year, here's another album about death that tends towards an upbeat sound. This album is all plague and fire and Eighties. An ode to music heroes now gone, it expertly blends the band's recognizable style with flourishes from said music heroes, and its a ton of fun too. Learn to let loose, but don't forget that you will die.
5) Powerwolf- Sacrament of Sin
- I love these guys, and this album exemplifies how well they've come into their own sound. They're fun, catchy, and just a wonderful music experience, and this album fully displays their range of style perfectly, from goofy good fun to beautiful ballads to even hints of Medieval metal.
4)Uruk- Nihilistic Warfare in Inhuman Realms
- This Austin black metal band took their already awesome black metal and made it even better. A pure inferno at the start, it transforms into something great with the incorporation of folkish passages a-la early Satyricon, and blends itself into a maelstrom of rage and beauty.
3) Zeal & Ardor- Stranger Fruit
- I cannot say enough good things about this album. A fantastic blend of Spiritualism, Americana, Folk, Occult Rock, and Black Metal, this is far and away one of my favorite releases this year. Do yourself a favor, and don't sleep on them like I was.
2) Orga- Demo
- So I spent a good portion of this year not shutting up about this demo, because it slays. Raw blackened punk that decimates everything in its path, while remaining an almost groovey thing. Riffs upon riffs upon riffs, and a fantastic barking vocal delivery that ties the whole thing together. It was a stiff competition.
----------------------------------------------
1)Black Jackal- Rock N Roll Nightmare
- I consider myself very lucky, having grown up on a farm in bumfuck nowhere South Texas, to now have the opportunity to witness so much amazing music on a regular basis. The reason I've come to constantly hype so many local bands is because THESE BANDS ARE GENUINELY AWESOME, and I am so happy to get to see and hear them. And this year, Black Jackal took the cake. For the first time in a year and a half, I had to work 7 am morning shifts, after growing accustomed to being at work until 12am. This album is how I survived. Its an injection of burning black n roll that is full of energy, spirit, and an indomitable soul. The vocal work is perfect, the bass lines roar, the drumming keeps you headbanging, and the guitarwork, from BOTH guitarists, is fantastic. Its catchy, fun, powerful, and just pure fucking rock n roll. It chewed the competition up and spit it out. I will miss Jesse's godlike guitar playing in the future, but a certain Nerd is doing just fine, and just continues to get better. Overall this band rules, this album rules, and for the billionth time, check them out!
** Hey, you survived this ridiculously long list. Happy New Year, here's to more awesome music in 2019! **
Airengrav
Storms of Agony
This release from one of Zane Young's (Elegiac, Gormanudr, Blitzgeist, Sacrificial Sounds Label, etc.) numerous black metal projects is one of the best black metal releases I've listened to this year. It's a concise, powerful, ferocious album that blends black metal with noticeable heavy metal melodies.
The vocals are superb agonized howls and vengeful roars, and accompany the pummel of the music perfectly. The opening vocal work on Anchor for My Burning Soul is exceptionally vicious, and one of many reasons it's my favorite track. The guitarwork is a great mix of rapid, headbanging tremolo riffs and pleasant Iron Maiden-esque passages, usually as openings and interludes. Songs such as Dualities of Dominance and Amphimixis tap this classic metal sound to create memorable melodies before throttling you. I also enjoyed the riffwork in Like Wind Against Flames, a mournful, desolate tone that reminds me of Elegiac's Pagan Storm album from last year. And Barbarian Hammer is a full tilt flaming roller coaster of a track.
The rythym is also fantastic, an all out battery attack that weaves around the riffs just right. The latter half of Anchor for My Burning Soul hits especially hard, a raging, riffing, pounding track that howls into the abyss. Again, probably my favorite, though that's a tough call when all of the tracks are this good.
Particularly enjoyable is the build from Faint Glowing Embers into the pure black metal majesty of Black Magic and Metaphysics. An apt title, because the track is classic second wave black metal through and through. Frankly, the entire album is raw, unapologetic black metal that deserves your full attention.
Tapes can be picked up from the Sacrificial Sounds Bandcamp page if still available, and is also always available digitally.