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Black Jackal

Halloween Night Show

Photo by Blogger. The Mix, San Antonio, Texas, October 31, 2018.

Uruk

Nihilistic Warfare in Inhuman Realms

Another amazing release from a Texas band this year. These Austin, Texas traditional black metallers have followed up their stellar 2016 debut, Battle Hymns, with an even better album. Nihilistic Warfare in Inhuman Realms is blistering, storming, battle-hardened black metal that sweeps you along for the ride, marching over everything in its path. The drum and bass guitar gallop like wargs, the guitars herald frigid dark doom, and the vocals rage and roar. It sucks you into the fray, sinks its teeth in, and never lets go, from start to finish.

But there's a twist: just when you get comfortable in the saddle, a beautiful folkish passage transpires, a-la Satyricon of old. And the album morphs, continuing its gallop of death, but pulling in an epic and emotional current, melding battle-rage and dark melancholy into a poignant musical blend, successfully evoking the album's title. And that epic whirling battle continues until the last note, tumultuous and powerful, glorious and grim.

The album can be obtained digitally from either the band or Flesh Vessel Records on Bandcamp.

CDs can be obtained from Flesh Vessel Records.

Tapes can be obtained from Red River Family Records.

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

My 2018 Album Of the Year List, pt. 1

This is a ridiculously long list, so its split up. Its still long. It might be overdoing it. I don't care. Believe it or not, I even left several releases off. I cannot emphasize it enough, there was a ton of superb music to be heard this year, and my goal is that maybe you'll find something new to enjoy. Read it or don't, just keep loving music.

75)IDLE HANDS - PDX- Don't Waste Your Time

- Heavy metal with a sort of goth rock bend to it that's just an enjoyable listen

74)IAMX- Alive In New Light

- electro goth rock of a sort. Still his own thing. The main single, Stardust, is fantastic.

73) Sniper 66- Annihilator

- Austin punk rock that gives no quarter. They just get better and better.

72)Lunaform- Lunaform

- absolutely beautiful debut prog/djent EP from the Dallas area.

71)Convulsing- Grievous

- Punishing, melancholic black/death metal hailing from the Land Down Under

70)YOB- Our Raw Heart

- I'm actually not generally a fan of loooong, plodding doom metal, but personal taste aside, this is probably one of the best metal albums this year. It is aptly titled, and emotionally rewarding.

69)Pious Levus- Beast of the Foulest Depths

-Grimey Death metal from some of Texas' finest, here to rip you open.

68) Marid-VVVVVVV

-Beautiful Saharan atmospheric black metal that makes me feel calm, so always a good thing.

67)Craft- White Noise and Black Metal

-Black metal to napalm your ears with. Just napalm. Burn.

66)Carn Dûm- Shadow and Fire

- Tolkien black metal that roars like a Balrog and hits like one too.

65)Whoredom Rife- NID-Hymner av Hat

- Yeah, Norway still makes excellent black metal. Enough said.

64)Cultor Noctis- Demiurg

- A great little black metal EP that jumped out at me on Bandcamp, looking forward to more.

63)Krigsgrav- Leave No Path to Follow

- These Texas fellows are back with a somber, weighty black metal outing that'll trap you like a quagmire.

62)Lifted Traces- Akira

- Seeing this performed live with the film might have resulted in bias on my part, but tackling one of my favorite film soundtracks with a superb interpretation is just amazing, so full kudos to the fellows at Switched On.

61)Morgengrau- Blood Oracle

- Roaring Texas death metal titans return to crush your ears. And ribs. And face. And soul.

60)Tamerlan Empire- Age of Ascendancy

- Symphonic black metal mixed with Middle-Eastern musical elements, without the overdone death metal aspects so many bands insist on having when doing this kind of sound. In other words- Heck yes!

59)Erebos- Peste Kommer

- While I ultimately enjoyed Faded Into the Shadows from last year more, this is still a mighty good black metal release that perfectly achieves Burzum synth worship.

58)Tvaer- Old Gods Whom Chaos Knew

- Raw melancholic black metal that I'm really hoping there will be more of.

57) Anders Manga- Perfectly Stranger

- Just stumbled on this darkwave project this year, very glad I did. Absolutely top-notch.

56)Dispirit- Enantiodromian Birth

-I really hope I spelled that right. The album is great and so was their performance at Red River Family Fest.

55)Therion- Beloved Antichrist

- Because why not just make a massive rock opera? Their skill never ceases to amaze me.

54)Elderfrost- The Beautiful Voice of Shadow

-If more dungeon synth sounded like this I'd listen to more dungeon synth. I wish more dungeon synth sounded like this.

53)Nocturnus Santurnus- Nocturnus Santurnus

- Immortal worship of the highest caliber, with so many riffs.

52)Magoth- Zeitgeist: Dystopia

- This didn't quite catch me the way last year's album did, however it's still a very solid album with more sweet riffs.

51) Immortal- Northern Chaos Gods

- A return that did not disappoint in the least, this album could freeze Hell its so frigidly raw.

50)Mare- Ebony Tower

- This is dark and beautiful and sucks you in so well.

49)Iskandr-Euprosopon

- Its mellow, odd, cold, and wonderful black metal, and should be given a listen.

48)Sargeist- Unbound

-Unbound is a good title for this, like a raging black metal beast set loose.

47)Spite- Antimoshiach

-Speaking of raging black metal beasts, yeah, this one too.

46)Cultum Interitum-Temple of Triumphant Death

-Dark, roaring black metal that I was quite pleased with, and definitely want more of.

45)Judas Priest- Firepower

- Bow to the metal gods, because they definitely still rule.

Part 2 & 3 incoming.

Part 2

44)Infernarium- Kadotuksen Harmonia

-Ah, sweet, wonderful, nuclear Finnish black metal. Finnish black metal is on fire these days, and bands like this are why.

43)Sargeras- Satan's Terror

- "Welcome to Life, Cunt!" How can you not love these guys? Raw, unapologetic, borderline ridiculous, so awesome black metal.

42) Vargrav- Netherstorm

-Awesome symphonic black metal that worships the sound of old while still charting new territory.

41)Wiegedood- De Doden Hebben Het Goed III

- These guys have yet to release a bad album, and it was so exciting to get to see them. They're good, and I hope they get more recognition for it.

40)Keegan Ostrowski- Ilusen's Fallacy

- Some of the finest progressive death metal you will find, with stellar musicianship all around, and the precision and cohesion is glorious to witness. Let yourself drown in it.

39) The Damned- Evil Spirits

-Much like Judas Priest, here's another band still showing the youngsters how it's done. This album is just pure punk rock fun, and that's how it should be.

38) Hinayana- Order Divine

- These Texas melodic death metallers are definitely going to get bigger. A superb album, and they put on a superb live show too.

37)Solar Temple- Fertile Descent

- Fuzzy ambient black metal isn't always my thing, but this band is great, and they will absolutely bring the riffs.

36)VOID- Jettatura

- This French black n roll band will pummel you with riffs and rage and rythym.

35)Morgal- Morgal

- Even more rifftastic black metal, these fellows are a blast.

34)Kommandant- Blood Eel

- This is already awesome black metal, but the drumming, like all their releases, just pushes it to the next level for me.

33)UADA- Cult of a Dying Sun

-Their sound makes me calm, and tends to make me feel happy. Perhaps its having seen them three times in the span of a year, and each show was an enjoyable time, so maybe I'm just invoking nostalgia when I listen to them. In any case, they're a great band, this is a great album, and you should see them live three times in one year too.

32)Funeral Winds- Sinister Creed

- Raw, almost grimey, awesome black metal that grinds away your soul.

31)Blitzgeist- Ritual Magic

- I chose just one of the three releases from this year, this one is probably my favorite. The title suites the ritualistic, dirge-esque black metal wonderfully.

30)Deth Crux- Mutant Flesh

- This is fantastic Deathrock that evokes everything from Christian Death to more traditional goth rock like Bauhaus, and it pleases me so much.

29)OVÁTE- Ováte

- Again, Norway's still churning out awesome black metal, and this new project is promising.

28) Horror Vacui- New Wave of Fear

- More Deathrock- I really, really enjoy these guys. For me, they have just the perfect blend of goth and punk, and it's so catchy.

27)Panegyrist- Hierurgy

- I keep calling them a black metal Therion, and that's a big deal for me. This year I learned I really like my black metal avant-garde, and this band delivers.

26)BEHEMOTH!- I Loved You at Your Darkest

- While not on par with The Satanist for me, this follow up is still quite good. They've really mastered the creation of atmosphere, and I love it. Songs like "Bartzabel" really appeal to that taste for the avant-garde I mentioned.

25)Funker Vogt- Wasteland

- This is awesome. An absolute testament to why they're one of my favorite industrial bands. Perfect blend of rythym, harshness, and an ability to mellow out at just the right times.

24)Norrhem- Vaienneet Voittajat

- Its the riffs. I don't know what else to say, really. Just, RIFFS.

23)Plaguestorm- Eternal Throne

- High speed, zero fucks raw black metal with excellent guitar solos. Honestly I'm really happy to have such soaring solos in such fantastic black metal. It just makes it that much better.

22)Slavehouse- Taste in Pain

- Speaking of high speed, zero fucks raw black metal, but this one comes with some lovely punk tinges that pushes it just a little higher for me.

21)Blood Worship- Death's Omnipotence

-Do you like Swedish black metal? Yes? Then this band is for you. They specialize in melodic, catchy riffing in the vein of Watain, and they do it well.

Part 2. Almost there!

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.

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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! **

Ulthar and Scorched are going on tour through North America this year.

Ulthar killed it at Red River Family Fest III, so it'll be awesome to see them again.

Support for the Austin, Texas date are Crawl and Haunter, so if you're in that area it is a show that shouldn't be missed.

The Ulthar and Scorched tour will be stopping in San Antonio, TX, and support will be the amazing bands Black Jackal, Uruk, and Haunter. If you're in the area this will be a show to see.

March 28th 2019

Limelight, San Antonio TX

$10 cover

Black metal from Wisconsin.

One of the first black metal releases of 2019 I'm really digging is this little 3 track EP. The riffs are quite enjoyable, well done vocal work, groovey rythym. Good stuff.

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.

Chicago, Illinois band FIN released this roaring black metal album a few years ago, and if you slept on it, well, you missed out. This band is intense, all wailing riffs and warlike battery.

If raw black metal is your thing, give this album a spin.

The first track, Manias, is probably my favorite, based mostly on the riff. It's a high pitched whine that's almost too much, yet is definitely just enough, and it will get stuck in my head for days.

I was lucky enough to see them perform live at Red River Family Fest III, and they had the whole crowd moving.

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.

New Elegiac just dropped! He continues to be one of my favorite American Black Metal projects.

You can pick it up from the band, Sacrificial Sounds Records, or Red River Family Records.

Adversarial Light

Lothric

There's not much I can say about this album just yet, except that I bought it after just one song. So far it has been a fantastic modern homage to second wave black metal, and I found the riffs to be exemplary. The vocal work is really well done as well, it has a sort of lilting quality to the harsh bellows before transforming into fiery damned roars. And the drumming remains consistent even while galloping at full pace with the guitar, making nice complex transitions to underline vocal and riff changes. As I explore more of it I'm also finding some superb Viking/Folk metal forays with the guitar riffs and overall song pacing that pleases me greatly. Overall, I strongly recommend checking out this project.

The album can be picked up digitally from the artist on their Bandcamp page, unfortunately it looks like physical copies are currently all out of stock, not that I can blame people for snatching them up.

"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.

Vampyric Odinism

Elegiac

My review of this exemplary album is long overdue, considering its November 2019 release date. Such is life...

This is far and away the best Elegiac album yet, in my opinion. Sole member Hrukjan (Zane of Sacrificial Sounds Records, Blitzgeist, Airengrav, Gormanudr, Wormskull, etc.) has really hit his stride, bringing the various elements of his previous Elegiac releases and even his other projects together beautifully. The album is raw and lo-fi without sacrificing quality or melody, with an excellent mix. Much like previous releases there's a definite Darkthrone influence, but the riffs and rhythmic momentum also reminds me heavily of Bathory tracks like "A Fine Day to Die". Put simply- it rocks, exceptionally.

The title track is my favorite, and definitely invokes the sweeping march of Bathory, and even Falkenbach, with the tempo and riffs. I love every minute of it, being pulled along in the galloping horde of the guitar and drums. It's furious and full tilt, but remains staunchly melodic throughout. There's a sort of rock and roll tempo to the whole album without it ever quite becoming black 'n' roll.

The vocals are stellar, with several styles being showcased on this album. Tracks like "Draugadrottinn" "Blood Religion", and "Lord of the Undead" use the Inquisition-style vocals displayed on Zane's Blitzgeist material, eerie ritual chants to the void. "Lord of the Undead" also reminds me of Enslaved's track "Yggdrasil", with drums and deep chants as the focus. "Sacrifice" also feels very Enslaved-ish, and portrays some excellent melodic vocal work in addition to the raging howls.

"The Dagger" and "Fade to Dust" are placed perfectly on the album, as the latter track slows down the tempo and riffs of the former, maintaining the feeling but executing it differently. The tracks feel both connected and yet individual.

The album as a whole mixes raw, unapologetic black metal in the vein of the second wave, yet also displays folk and rock influences throughout. It feels both like an old friend and a new one, hailing the tradition of the genre but placing itself as a stalwart of a new age.

You can pick up the album digitally from Elegiac's Bandcamp, and physical copies are available from the page as well. Or you can get it from Sacrificial Sounds Records via Bandcamp as well!

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

Damned

Crawl

Four tracks showcasing the agonized depths of traumatic perseverance. Eerie ambience intermixed with drudging, pounding despondency and venomous retaliation. The album is loneliness, despair, disgust, and hatred sculpted by tormented screams, steadily crashing drums, macabre samples and haunting bass. Simultaneously desolate and claustrophobic, it's an abyss that glares back at the listener.

It can be purchased via Bandcamp, Profound Lore Records, and the band's website.

Uada 2/17/23

Come and Take It Live

Photos by me.

Zorn

Zorn

A blistering mixture of black metal and punk into an orgy of sorcery and shenanigans. Absolute mischief and mayhem delivered at breakneck speeds.

It can be purchased digitally via Bandcamp and vinyl can be ordered from Sorry State Records.