31. Spectral Haze - I.E.V.: Transmutated Nebula Remains

| LABEL |

Soulseller Records

| AVDIO |

iTunes

| Psychedelic Doom Metal | Transport your mind far beyond the galaxies known to humans, through cosmic voids and the chaos that is the universe with the latest release from the maniacs of Spectral Haze.

You are in for a grand psychedelic ride that bends reality with its mindboggling riffs, its bombastic astral atmosphere and pure madness. The whole album has a strong seventies vibe to it, and all that it implies (weed?!?). The guitars has that cozy retro distortion (shitloads of it) with fuzzy riffs that flies wild like an comet tail. The bass are rumbles pleasant in the background and contributes a lot to the spacey atmosphere. And the we have the drums that beats down like heavy asteroids as they countdown the days of our existence.  The band also uses a theremin to enhance the feeling of space yet another notch.

The album rides on its occult astral atmosphere. It is both enthralling and a trip for the unconscious part of your mind.  I see a spectrum of colors, endless darkness and bight shining lights when I close my eyes and listen to the album.  It is an opus that must be experienced!!!

| EXECVTION	| 90	| COMPOSITION	| 86 |
| INNOVATION	| 92	| PRODVCTION	| 84 |

| GRADE | 88 |

13 - 15. Sentience - Beyond The Curse Of Death, Desert Lord - To the Unknown, Kripl - De Profundis

LABEL
Independent
AVDIO
Bandcamp
GRADE
89%

Sentience - Beyond The Curse Of Death

This is one of the best authentic old school death metal releases that I have heard in modern times. The production and songs are all so fucking true to the sound of the early Swedish death metal scene and remands more of bands like Entombed and Dismember then the bands themselves do today. A must for any fan of pure heavy real fucking death metal

LABEL
Under a Serpent Sun
AVDIO
Bandcamp
GRADE
86%

Desert Lord - To the Unknown

Welcome to an drug induced void of madness and other worldly experience.

Its all like another world, a trip through ecstasy and Alice in wonderland, and its an awesome trip to take. There are so much pleasant things to explore and take in.

LABEL
Independent
AVDIO
Bandcamp
GRADE
90%

Kripl - De Profundis

You like your BM catchy as an zombie virus, and more rotten than a old carcass in a swamp, then you got to listen to Kripls latest offering.

It sounds much like Carpathian Forest, but with a more darker and sinister tone to it. Catchy music that are served best with carnage, torture and massive amounts of alcohol.

7 - 9. Vallenfyre - Splinters, Caligo - Bloodlust and Retribution, Ifing - Against This Weald

LABEL
Century Media
AVDIO
Youtube
GRADE
84%

Vallenfyre - Splinters

Vallenfyre probably don't need any introduction as this release has been hyped up its ass, but is it that great? Probably not that inhuman excellent, but its absolutely an album you must listen to at least once if your into pitch black and led heavy music that totally crushes your brains into smithereens.  Give it a shot!!!

LABEL
Depressive Illusions
AVDIO
Youtube
GRADE
88%

Caligo - Bloodlust and Retribution

Harsh, atmospheric, devil worshiping BM from eastern Europe, can it be any better?!?

They may not do anything particular new, but its how its down and the atmosphere is done to perfection. Its horrifying, death fearing and apocalyptic. It penetrates every cavity and carnal sense of your body.

LABEL
Blood Music
AVDIO
Bandcamp
GRADE
82%

Ifing - Against This Weald

Epic albums comes in simple unextravaganzas productions, yeah that's true about this viking/black metal album at least.

Its an epic tale that is told with the three tracks that has both the classic old analog synthesizers that I can tolerate and that soundscape it produces. Its primitive and grand at the same time and brings back memories from albums of the early nineties when bands started to copy Bathorys viking albums.

1 - 3. Hyperborean - Mythos of the Great Pestilence, Infecting the Swarm - Pathogenesis, Castle - Under Siege

LABEL
Independent
AVDIO
Youtube
GRADE
89%

Hyperborean - Mythos of the Great Pestilence

A release that builds on old solid ruins but incorporates new elements in an excellent way without making it an symphonic gothfeist of fist fucking.

It has both great melodies, structure and makes the wild experimental lusts speak. An album for people that like their BM on the more progressive side but don't want a headache.

LABEL
Lacerated Enemy
AVDIO
Bandcamp
GRADE
87%

Infecting the Swarm - Pathogenesis

Gory, cosmic and sick death metal, yes you have it all here. Both all the slaughtering and down tuned guitars with guttural vocals you ever could have dreamed of together with the brilliant concept of aliens.

A must for everyone how shires pure quality DM and are tired of all gorefucking and shit

LABEL
Ván Records
AVDIO
Terrorizer
GRADE
88%

Castle - Under Siege

A pitch dark release with a lot of occult undertones that cripes under your feeble skin. The inevitable end has never felt so close as I listen to the record with the warmth from the black flame burning strong inside.

Its an release for all those out there how appreciate all occult female fronted metal bands out there, and this is absolutely one of the better once.

29. Season of Arrows - Season of Arrows

LABEL
The Path Less Traveled
AVDIO
Bandcamp
GRADE
83%

An ice cold album with female vocals with an occult doom metal atmosphere? Yes that whats the first opus from the american band Season of Arrows delivers. Its a quite dark and dreamy album that mixes from a lot of metal sub-genres with an emphasis on weight and magic.

Its a great album for those how like their music quite slow, mystic and melodic in a weird beyond the other side way. A excellent choice for those how are searching for more female fronted doom bands like Castle and Jex Thoth.

26. Pilgrim - II: Void Worship

LABEL
Metal Blade
AVDIO
Metal Blade
GRADE
82%

Today's release offers up some magical powers inform of the occult fantasy doom metal band Pilgrim from the states. It is a massively heavy record that delivers both in spellbinding atmosphere and riffs that are the work of an evil wizard.

It is a record that takes your places, beyond foggy mountain tops, down to a sorceress dungeon where wicked alchemy goes on. It delivers in all the departments, and the song "The Paladin" is an instant classic. A must for fans of doom, heavy music or magical themes. 

24. Serpent Warning - Serpent Warning

LABEL
I Hate
AVDIO
Bandcamp
GRADE
87%

Here we have some classic old doom in the vain of masters like Candlemass and Cathedral. There are no unnecessary bullshit and fuss here, just the essentials and the massive heavy end-of-the-world atmosphere that characterize the genre.

The album are a blueprint how a true doom metal record should sound with its chanting clean vocals and foggy occult atmosphere. Its a release that must be heard by any fans of the genres or just listeners that like atmospheric occult music in general

11. Wort - Not Your Cup of Tea

LABEL
When Planets Collide
AVDIO
Bandcamp
GRADE
84%

With the somewhat silly name "Not your cup of tea" delivers the UK band Wort an quite tasty EP that's defiantly my blood cup of tea!!! The EP offers up some great slamming sludge/doom hybrid that is both catchy and heavy as a led pipe (Fire Flute).

Its ass-kickin and loads a massive weight to its sound. Its short, intense and makes me wanting more, just like a great EP should. 

5. Satyress - Dark Fortunes

LABEL
Self-released
AVDIO
Bandcamp
GRADE
85%

Todays release are yet another one of those female fronted occult metal bands that have been popping up the latest years. Don't get me wrong, I fucking love most of those bands, and Satyress ain't any exception.

The band are heavy on the doom metal side with massive dark doom riffs that echos and brings an thick heaviness to the album. Together with the beautiful possessed like vocals from Jamie LaRose which creates an pitch dark album for a wicked night. 

19. The Graviators - Motherload

LABEL
Napalm Records
AVDIO
SoundCloud
GRADE
81%

With heavy psychedelic clouds are we entering the occult realms of the swedish stoner band The Graviators.  Its heavy, slow and groovy, all with an enclosing mystic fog, all called from a witches coven.

Its all pleasing to the ears and the pulsating blood in my body. Its brings a warmth, calling from deep in to listen just more and more. Both great background music and definitely good for just listening and digging for hours on. 

12. The Oath - The Oath

LABEL
Rise Above Records
AVDIO
Bandcamp
GRADE
95%

Ohh this makes me think of  like Angel Witch and Mercyful Fate with its kind of eighties occult heavy metal sound. Top that with the excellent vocals from Johanna and I have some chilling fucking goosebumps on my back.

The whole album are so indescribable fucking good!!! I find new favorite tracks everytime I listen to it. It just grows and grows for every fantastic riff and divinely written and performed vocal line. Occult heavy metal with female vocals doesn't get much better than this. As a matter of fact, heavy metal at all doesn't get better than this!!!

9. Dread Sovereign - All Hell's Martyrs

LABEL
Ván Records
AVDIO
The Obelisk
GRADE
87%

We find Dread Sovereign music beneath thick opium mists, rituals and witch burnings. This Irish occult Doom Metal band delivers 10 excellent nightsky dark tales of the devil, magic and sorcery.

Its an lead heavy bass ridden opus with an thick winsome  atmosphere and interesting song structure that captivates through the whole listening. It may be a little bit quietly and sneaky, but oh so fucking dreadfully beautiful it is!!! A must for all doom metal listeners!!!

Sol Negro - Dawn of a New Sun

LABEL
Headsplit Records
AVDIO
MySpace
SCORE
8,5/11

Here we have a re-release that originally came out a couple of years ago, but here we are now with a blood red cover instead of the black and gray one on this doom influenced dirty jewel. I can't help thinking of Celtic Frost when I'm listening to it, I hear its presence in the songs structure and the production as well. It leaves me with an authentic old school feeling deep in the eardrums, that could as well have come from Switzerland in the late eighties instead of present US.

Its an painfully pleasant experience to find a release with that sound nowadays. Its simple and midwinter dark with an real heaviness to it, with that great end of the world sound to it that I can't get enough off. Its slow and rumbling like an old volcano waiting to have its fatal eruption. Don't miss this smoldering old school feist!!!

Coma Void - Coma Void

I'll try to keep it short on this one, even if this particular release are extremely hard to put on simple earth words. The american one-man project serves up a thick porridge of ridiculous slow and dark doomy guitars together with electronic from-another-galaxy sounds and atmosphere. I have some mixed feelings about it to be honest. It has some great interesting parts and isolated atmosphere with all right vocals. But on the other hand do I find myself thinking its boring as a shit on a sunday. There are definitely some great potential here, with clever idés and all the space building atmosphere. But its in the execution and song writing it fails. I do however look forward for the next release and hope that they will sort all this out by then. Still worth a listen if you're into space themed BM with a heavier and more modern touch. 

6,5/11

Listen and buy it here

Larvae - Grave Descent

Tonights release are for those that are into slow paced old school death metal dipped in black tar. This is the first full-length release from the americans in Larvae, and what a pitch black near death experience it is!!! Its extremely dark and mellow with the guitars tuned down lower than the floor plates. Its all played in an old school zombie pace with vocals of the more darker kind, which all brings to the doomy feeling of the record. Combine that with guitar riffs that could as well be fetched from the early nineties death metal. Top it all of by injecting some BM atmosphere, and there you have "Grave Descent". But is it any good?!? Hell yeah!!! It packs a lot of interesting riffs and thoughts (and I can't help hearing an american sound to the music, if its a bad thing however is up to you!!!). If you on a shitty day are in the mood for something slower with an end of the world feeling to it, then you can't go wrong with this!!!

8/11

Listen and buy it here