Blood Stronghold

Blood Stronghold - Triumph of Wolfish Destiny
Witches Sabbath Records, 2017
Genre: Black Metal

1. Ancient Forest Gates (Wandering I)
2. Born of Steel Obscurity
3. Envenom the Viscera of Revenge
4. Blood Moon Empire
5. Untrodden Fullmoon Paths (Wandering II)
6. The Triumph of Wolfish Destiny
7. The Honoured Liege
8. The Rise of the Wolven Sun
9. Winter Ruins and Memory (Wandering III)





I guess Blood Stronghold isn't signing with Dark Than Black after all? Well, now they're back with Witches Sabbath and their second full-length release. This is simultaneously one of the best and most disappointing releases for me. The whole package and layout are great on this release and Blood Stronghold was certainly taken in a different and forward thinking direction musically.

"Triumph of Wolfish Destiny" has some of the more interesting music I was able to hear this year. It feels very different when compared with a lot of other material that is typically produced. The major difference here is the incredibly different lead guitar work thrown into the mix. They maintain that sort of Graveland inspired rhythm section, but Nightwolf throws in these really interesting lead guitar lines over the sections to really expand the overall impact and sound of the songs. It gives them this really amazing quality that goes beyond just the "epic" feeling qualities in prior albums. Just listen to the way the lead work plays out with "Envenom the Viscera of Revenge", which really brings the music to a whole other level, but my absolute favorite track on here is "Blood Moon Empire"

Now, usually Blood Stronghold doesn't bother with printing lyrics, but this time they decided to print lyrics for one of their songs, "The Honoured Liege". Now, given this is out in 2017, I can't help but think the political climate of the world helped motivate this and it appears they're going to double down, which I'm not surprised by. I was always somewhat suspicious of the more NS leanings of this band given the labels they work with. Witches Sabbath has pressed L.S.S.A.H. material, for example and anyone into Black Metal knows Darker Than Black. Now, I don't care if you sing about heritage or your peoples or whatever, hell bands like Rudra do that. But with lines like:

"14 stars illuminate the true heritage
Sons of Arya, we must secure our existence"

I'm sorry, the 14, I'm sure, probably alludes to the well known 14 words and please, Sons of Arya... I get it. First off, you're existence isn't threatened. I know people that believe this garbage like to carry around this narrative that our "racial" existence is in danger... it's not. I'm just going to think your ideas on this topic are stupid. The fact that this is the only song with lyrics printed makes me think they really felt the need to make this statement to show their "allegiance". A lot of bands seem to be doubling down in this regard with Famine from Peste Noire going, basically, full NS despite in the past trying to explain how he he's not a Nazi...

It's a real shame, great music, great album, terrible ideology. Grimspirit of Evilfeast returns to do their intro on this album, but since he put out tapes by Revenge, I'm not entirely surprised to see him running on this side of things. Ah well, readers can do what they want with this info.

Blood Stronghold - Vengeance in Sacrificial Blood
Darker Than Black, 2016
Genre: Black Metal

1. Intro
2 Frozen Memory of the Dark Sky
3. In the Mists of the Immortal Past
4. Legacy (Of Wolves, War and Thunder)
5. Blood Split in the Earth's Viscera
6. Dying Flame of a Pale Sun
7. Transgressing the Forest Depths






If you've missed out on the early stages of Blood Stronghold you now have a chance to hear this material. This compilation features the demo, their first 7" EP and the recently released demo song now on CD. On top of that the material has been re-mastered, probably to create a level of cohesiveness on the tracks. However, we all benefit from that with having better quality mastering on the older material.

The major feature of this compilation is being able to get the more rare material on CD for the first time ever. While the track from the split tape sounds a little better, it still feels quite raw compared to the other material on this, but at least people that missed out on the split can finally hear it. The only major complaint I have about this compilation is that the artwork concept did not translate to the high gloss digi-pak format very well. It's extremely hard to read anything on this. It was pretty difficult before, but now it's nearly impossible.

Blood Stronghold & Duch Czerni - The Fragments of Wandering Souls
Darker Than Black, 2015
Genre: Black Metal

Blood Stronghold:
1. Transgressing the Forest Depths
Duch Czerni:
2. Opętujące szepty zagłady











Side Duch Czerni: ...probably never...not into DSBM
Side Blood Stronghold:

I was kind of surprised to see a split tape come out from this project in the same year that the EP was released, but this is more of a demo quality tape. Perhaps it's to signify the switch to working with a new label. This tape is limited to 111 copies and there doesn't appear to be any individual numbering. The cassette and booklet are pro-printed.

When I say the tape is more of a demo quality I'm referring to the production. The Blood Stronghold song feels very under-produced compared to their prior efforts. However, the song itself feels like it's pushing in a bit of a different direction from their previous material. It feels heavier and more epic to a certain degree, so I wonder if this is also signalling a new direction for Blood Stronghold. They are still trying to maintain that general atmosphere of before, but this song sort of ups the intensity levels a little bit more. I'm definitely interested in seeing where the project is going to go after this.

Blood Stronghold - The March of Apparitions
Witches Sabbath Productions, 2015
Genre: Black Metal

1. In the Arms of a Fullmoon Night
2. The March of Apparitions
3. Beneath Twilight Wings
4. The Abyssal Call...











For Blood Stronghold 2015 starts off with a new EP from the project. It spans four songs and only twenty-five minutes. Which is certainly almost a full-length Death Metal album... but this is Black Metal so for us it's an EP. Only two of the songs are truly lengthy and the other two are a more normal song length. The booklet for this EP actually features the lyrics for the songs on the album, so that's a bit of a change from the debut.

Musically, given how soon after it's coming after the debut, feels like a continuation of the "From Sepulchral Remains" album. The artwork and general layout are nearly exactly the same. Since this material is all self recorded the production value certainly hasn't changed much in such a short amount of time. So, if you really like that blend described in the debut then you'll certainly enjoy this EP as well. It's so similar that it makes me wonder if these were just songs that didn't make it to the debut. The title track feels even more Graveland inspired than anything else Blood Stronghold has ever done, it almost feels like a "Creed of Iron" track at some points. Meanwhile the closing track feels very similar to an Evilfeast song!

All in all, it's certainly a good EP. It's really not much different than the debut, so if you wanted more of that sound they've certainly delivered. Personally, I'm not a big fan of EP's I tend to listen to them a lot less frequently than full-lengths, so I can't say I'll pull this out more often than the debut.

Blood Stronghold - From Sepulchral Remains...
Witches Sabbath Productions, 2014
Genre: Black Metal

1. Eternal Wrath of Dark Gods
2. Ancient Mystery of the Moon
3. Stronghold of Forgotten Blood
4. From Sepulchral Remains...
5. Lost Upon the Nameless Wind (Sign of the Forgotten Dawn)
6. To Distant Shores Aflame
7. Fortress of Nightly Desolation
8. The Spirit, Devoured by the Cold Soil of the Earth





This is the third release from Blood Stronghold in 2014 and we finally get a glimpse into a full-length production from the project. It's shocking to see an EP hit so fast after a demo, but to have the full-length in our hands by the end of that same year is even more ridiculous. Personally, I would have waited and sat on the material instead of cranking out the releases. I remember when these all came out and it seemed like the project was hard to keep up with and I was worried we had another Hellveto on our hands. Luckily that ended up not being the case and this project was easier to keep up with release wise.

"From Sepulchral Remains" immerses us into the world of Blood Stronghold for a solid forty-five minutes. In this regard I find it to be a much better experience than the overall briefness of the prior two releases, since Blood Stronghold sit in that realm of Atmospheric Black Metal that has a more expansive and epic quality to it. With that being the case I prefer a much longer experience to enjoy the songs. The album has an ambient intro created by Grim Spirit of Evilfeast and it's got that Evilfeast feel to it to a certain degree with the way he plays around with ambiance. Another break from Black Metal on this release is with the song "To Distant Shores Aflame" and this heavily reminded me of some old Arcana material.

As the full-length unfolds I feel like Blood Stronghold is musically a blend of middle-era Graveland with Nightwolf's other project Eternum. It has that slow plodding feel albums like "Creed of Iron" have, but it's cast in a far more atmospheric light. I will say Krew is certainly a far more solid drummer than Rob. The overall production of the album feels really dense with fairly quiet mastering, so be prepared to turn that volume up! The dense production adds to the cavern like feel of the atmosphere, so it really works for the overall Blood Stronghold experience.

I really quite enjoy Atmospheric Black Metal and I really enjoyed the debut full-length from this project, but as the years have gone on I'm not sure how much it holds up in the test of time. It's a good CD, but it's not something I've been returning to over and over again because I simply must sit in this musical space one more time. As this project grows that might change, but I haven't listened to this album in quite a while since I first got it a few years ago.

Blood Stronghold - Blood Spilt in the Earth's Viscera
Witches Sabbath Productions, 2014
Genre: Black Metal

1. Blood Spilt in the Earth's Viscera
2. Dying Flame of a Pale Sun












A few months after their first demo tape Blood Stronghold returned with two more songs on this 7" vinyl. This EP is limited to 300 hand-numbered copies and I own #292.

Cranking out an EP this soon after your demo is kind of strange and made me wonder why they just didn't wait and include this material, but when you listen to this material you realize it wouldn't really fit. It's strange to say, but the music on here sounds thematically quite different, so I can understand why a separate release was warranted. If you enjoyed "The Immortal Past" this EP advances that style quite a bit. The first song is very beautiful and has more of a melancholic atmosphere compared to the demo. The second song is really different. "Dying Flame of a Pale Sun" starts off with what we'd expect from this project, but then they really up the tempo at some point. This is by far the fastest from this project so far. The vocals also trend more to the usual screaming kind that is normal in Black Metal and I enjoyed this shift quite a bit. The song still maintains a heavy and dense atmosphere like all the others. The only major issue is that with the production this raw with so much reverb, the fast sections feel more chaotic than anything else. There's almost too much going on too fast to really make out all the elements. However, the entire song isn't fast, so for most of the song we have that majestic atmosphere we're looking for.

In the end we have two new excellent tracks and I just hope this projects productivity doesn't run away with them. Naturally, I want more songs and I would love to see a full-length from the project at this point soon, so hopefully they can keep up the quality this high.

Blood Stronghold - The Immortal Past
Hammerbolt Productions, 2014
Genre: Black Metal

1. Frozen Memory of the Dark Past
2. In the Mists of the Immortal Past
3. Legacy (Of Wolves, War & Thunder)










Blood Stronghold is a bit of a super group considering it's two members have played in quite a lot of projects. The main composer behind the material is from Australia and has done great projects like Eternum and the drummer Krew, has been in so many bands I can't keep track. One of the more well known is Gontyna Kry. In any event when Blood Stronghold released a debut album later in 2014 it went around the web really fast and I wound up back tracking and getting everything else they had put out and I've been a loyal fan ever since. This release was original put out on cassette by Witches Sabbath Records a few months before the CD edition. Since I usually prefer CD's I picked up this version and it comes in a beautiful digipak. The only complaint I have about the design is the font color is so dark you can't really read any of it.

"The Immortal Past" reminds me a lot of Graveland for some reason. It has a very similar feel and pacing to the music, even the vocals are reminiscent of the Rob Darken style. I've heard some great bands inspired by Gravelend, but a lot of times they mostly clone what Rob does and they don't advance it as much. Blood Stronghold is an entirely different approach to the Graveland foundation, in my opinion. Instead of driving down the path of Paganism and keyboard driven atmosphere, Blood Stronghold just sounds so much darker. They draw more on the creations of Atmospheric Black Metal to build their particular musical space. The result is something that just feels entirely different and really advances that core foundation. Quite a few of the old Black Metal bands had this sort of core approach with their mid-paced compositions, and Blood Stronghold bring back a lot of those ideas, but they also push them forward for the modern era. Which might not be their intention... but that's ultimately what they did. One of the things you'll find most interesting is how this project handles the lead guitars, because the lead material feels really different from what we're used to with these rhythm backdrops. It creates a really dense and beautiful atmosphere. The production is extremely raw, so the production snobs of the modern era need not apply. For example, the lead guitars are blended into the rhythms so seamlessly it's hard to tell they're there, but when a rhythm sections stops you can hear it. They don't cut through, they're more subtle in the mix and creating this really interesting texture.

As far as debuts go, this is an excellent first effort, but I would expect that from such experienced musicians that have already been well established. The one and only complaint I can level at this is I'm not big on this vocal approach. The low raspy, mostly talked, Black Metal vocal is fairly uninteresting to me. Whenever someone takes this approach I always wonder what it would be like with a better vocalist. These types of vocals are good for certain parts, but a whole release of them can get boring for me vocally. Luckily the music is so strong the vocals just kind of fade to the background for me. So, if you're a fan of mid-paced atmospheric Black Metal or interested in seeing a new take on that old Polish Pagan style of Black Metal, this is a must hear.

Pestilential Shadows

Pestilential Shadows - Ephemeral
Seance Records, 2014
Genre: Black Metal

1. Throes
2. Mill of Discord
3. Fragments
4. Sorrow of Tongues
5. Hymn of Isolation & Suicide
6. Ephemeral
7. Expire








The new Pestilential Shadows is finally upon us and what an incredible experience it is. "Ephemeral" is such an immense journey, even though it is really shorter in length than the other albums. The songwriting is so on point that it just hits all the right emotions and feels so much more immense as a result. Once again under the Seance Records banner we have some extremely well designed album art that persists through the booklet. Unlike "Depths", though, the lyrics are easily read in a fairly standard font, but again, this does not impinge on the actual design of the album art.

For the album "Ephemeral", Pestilential Shadows has really upped the Atmospheric content in their music. They are keeping that Nazxul core as the back drop of their main sound, but here they inject a solid dose of Woods of Desolation and similar bands, but I feel Woods of Desolation is the main similarity, whether it's true or not for the authors of this album. However, rather than be primarily a somber experience, Pestilential Shadows has a serious edge to their sound and this is where I hear a bit of Erebus Enthroned in their writing, which should come as no surprise with Decay being the guitarist of that project too. Pestilential Shadows, to me, weaves the sound of these three major Australian bands into one absolutely engaging experience. They even manage to throw in some catchier moments like on the song "Sorrow of Tongues". Then there's the title track, which has one of the most emotional and engaging lead guitar moments around. This album really is on another level in terms of overall composition and design. I'm certain "Ephemeral" will really stand the test of time as a great album that I'll continue to return to again and again for years to come.

In my opinion, "Ephemeral" is a must have album. If you're a fan of this project already you, absolutely, will not be disappointed, but if you're new to listening to this band, then "Ephemeral" is probably the pinnacle of their efforts. It's not that back tracking into their catalog is a bad journey, but, for me, a lot of the other efforts tend to pale in comparison.

Pestilential Shadows & Corvus - Broken Spheres
Seance Records, 2012
Genre: Black Metal

Pestilential Shadows:
1. Dynasty of the Bones
Corvus:
2. Crowned in Fire











Corvus: ...coming eventually...
Pestilential Shadows:

After releasing the excellent album "Depths" they wasted no time in getting a split out there with fellow Australian band Corvus. This is released on 7" vinyl and limited to 250 copies. There's no hand-numbering, but there is a lyric sheet insert with the vinyl.

I love the title of the Pestilential Shadows song on here and made me wish it was part of a bigger concept. "Dynasty of the Bones" is, basically, a continuation of "Depths", but it feels a bit more raw. There's even some riffing that is far catchier and somewhat breaks from the atmospheric approach of their overall sound. I found this a pleasant addition musically, but the moment feels all too brief and wish they had used that a bit more. I always appreciate it when a band can throw some catchier riffs into a really atmospheric piece, because that is really hard to pull off. Either way "Dynasty of Bones" is another excellent song from Pestilential Shadows and I doubt those who enjoyed "Depths" will be disappointed by this track.

Pestilential Shadows - Depths
Seance Records, 2011
Genre: Black Metal

1. Lost Geists of the Sunlight Sphere
2. Tribulations of Man
3. Choirs Beyond the Blackened Stars
4. Architects of the Spear
5. Shrine
6. Poisoner
7. Putrid Earth
8. Depths







Just looking at this cover and layout immediately speaks of a change in the quality of product Pestilential Shadows is trying to convey. This began with "In Memorium, Ill Omen" where the musical process took on far more care and quality, seeking out more organic tones, which always sound more appealing to me. I think this approach has culminated with the release of "Depths", which is where the Pestilential Shadows discography really starts to take off for me. They really did an amazing job on this layout and really fits the overall feel of the music quite a bit. The booklet is really engaging to look through, unfortunately the font is difficult to read for the lyrics, but at the same time it really fits in terms of design. It gives this ghost like ethereal quality to the overall presentation, which works great.

Musically the best reference I can make is Nazxul's album "Iconoclast", which should come as no surprise since Balam played guitar on that and their session drummer Basilysk performed drums on that album as well, so naturally there will be some similarities. However, Pestilential Shadows isn't really a rip-off or anything that extreme, the atmosphere and feel of the music is actually quite different. At times it feels even darker and more primal to me. The project experiments with minimalism in tracks like "Choirs Beyond the Blackened Stars" which is over seven minutes of the same riff and drum beat, similar to what Horna has done at times and like Horna it manages to feel engaging the entire time. Naturally, not all songs are like this and most are far more varied in terms of Black Metal, but everything is extremely well arranged and feels like a cohesive album. They even throw in some lead guitar parts in some songs like "Poisoner" that just elevate the overall listening experience so much more.

"Depths" is an extremely well done album and it really matures the sound Pestilential Shadows has been trying to achieve since they began. I'm really glad Balam has stuck with real drums for this recording, because it really made a huge difference on the last album. It gives a much deeper experience to their music in my opinion. If you were a big fan of Nazxul's album "Iconoclast" then I would recommend this project quite a bit. "Depths" delves into darker territory at times and really builds off that core Nazxul sound while not being a complete re-listening of "Iconoclast". So, it's a highly recommended album from me and, frankly, rather unexpected given the work Pestilential Shadows has done up until now.

Pestilential Shadows - In Memorium, Ill Omen
Pulverised Records, 2009
Genre: Black Metal

1. Weapon Against the Sun
2. Beautiful Demise
3. With Serpents I Lay
4. Of Loss and Suffering Inherit
5. For Man and Heaven's Ruin
6. Sundered
7. Ecclesia Moriendi
8. Bathed in Ashes







It's been quite a few years since we've heard from Pestilential Shadows and in looking through the booklet it's rather apparent why that probably is... there have been some major line-up changes going on here. It seems Meririm left the band shortly after "Cursed" and Balam has taken over his vocal duties as well as playing guitar. Desolate and Wraith are still involved, but the biggest addition is an actual drummer! Here we enjoy the actual drum performance from Sorrow. This is a shift in their sound that really show cases how much better it is to have a live drummer behind the drums.

One of the other instantly noticeable aspects of this is how raw and stripped down everything seems to be on this album. The foreboding ambience that we enjoyed on prior albums is all but gone and this album is far more focused on a traditional approach to their Black Metal. They present some really solid riffs and a very good Black Metal atmosphere heavily rooted in the Scandinavian sound. This time they feel more akin to the likes of Ondskapt, with the odd moments of melodic riffing thrown in for good measure, something the likes of Ondskapt never does. This creates an interesting feel to their music, because most of it is really dark and sinister, but then these melodic passages hit and it creates this really soaring aspect to their music. This is, basically, what Balam brought to Nazxul, so you'll find a lot of similarities to "Iconoclast" when you listen to this.

While I miss some of the atmosphere of the earlier works, I do really like the way this album turned out. The production, strangely, feels more raw than the others, but that's how it goes with drums being added in a lot of times. The guitar tone is a lot better this time and feels a lot more organic in the mix, which is a really nice change. Balam proves to be a very capable vocalist, and frankly, a better vocalist for this style overall anyway.

In the end I hope Pestilential Shadows continues to perform with a real drummer. I'm also extremely curious to see where they go from here. Will they stick with this style in the more traditional approach? Forsaking atmosphere for more solid riffs? Or will they bring back the atmosphere and try to blend in more ear-catching riffs? Either way, I'm curious for what will be next.

Pestilential Shadows - Cursed
GoatoWarex, 2006
Genre: Black Metal

1. To Ruin
2. At One with the Void
3. Impaled by the Moon
4. Cursed
5. The Black Eucharist
6. Blood for the Master
7. My Scorn
8. And May Empyrion Fall
9. The Last Herald of God
10. Life Turned to Dust






After hearing "Impaled by the Moon" I was given a little bit more hope for this project and seeing one of the songs from that tape appear on this album gave me more hope for this release. Another factor contributing to this is the fact that Pestilential Shadows move beyond the two man band dynamic and have now added two more members. A second guitarist and dedicated bassist have joined the ranks and it has really served to flesh out their sound.

"Cursed" is a far more cohesive album compared to "Embrace After Death". It feels like every aspect of this album fits together much better. The songwriting also feels meaner and darker than before, which is a very welcome shift in their sound. The first half of the album is pretty consistently intense and feels like a darker Mysticum sort of blended with Naglfar-ish riffing, with some Diabolicum thrown in for good measure. However, after after the first instrumental piece "The Black Eucharist" the album takes a much slower and brooding term. Sure, there are still faster moments, but songs like "The Last Herald of God" generate a slow and ominous atmosphere. The way the album breaks up into sort of two chapters works pretty well and feels like a far more interesting journey into the world of Pestilential Shadows than their prior efforts.

This is, certainly, not a perfect album, but it really showcases that they are finally getting into a sound that really works for them. The guitars are still extremely thinned out, but I do like that this makes pretty decent room for the bass to be heard. The programmed drums sound kind of ridiculous, sometimes taking on the feel of the early 90's programmed drums like Mysticum used. They did a way better job with the vocal production this time around. "Embrace After Death" was horrific in the vocal department, but "Cursed" sits the vocals very nicely in the mix. They feel far more ominous and dark this time around, which really fits the general atmosphere of the album so much more.

In the end I think Pestilential Shadows is starting to find a good workflow for their music. You can't expect a band to do no wrong as they try to find their niche, but it looks like things are back on track for Pestilential Shadows if they can keep building on these ideas I think they'll eventually create something really excellent. I do enjoy the far more atmospheric feel of their riffing and I hope they continue to develop along these lines in the future.

Pestilential Shadows - Impaled by the Moon
Asphyxiate Recordings, 2005
Genre: Black Metal

1. Impaled by the Moon
2. Decay
3. Sombre Winter Death
4. Shell Rot












After their first debut on CD Pestilential Shadows promptly went back to the tape EP format. If this was my first experience with the project I would say maybe the tape EP works best for them, because as soon as we hit that first song it's a lot better than the music on the full-length. This tape has a pro-printed booklet and other sites list it is limited to 200 copies, but there is no limitation listed on the tape itself.

"Impaled by the Moon" opens with the title track and we are immediately treated to a faster more aggressive Pestilential Shadows than we've ever heard before. However, the songs do go back to that moodier and darker atmosphere that they are more known for. On this recording they managed to do a good job with the raw production value, in this case it is adding to the overall atmosphere of the recording instead of detracting from it. The recording doesn't feel overly thin, it's still thin, just not so much that it feels like nothing is there. The guitar tone is a bit more cleaned up as well, which I appreciate quite a bit. The music also feels a lot more up front in the mix this time around. They've also put enough reverb and saturation or distortion on the vocals so that the vocals sound pretty good in this mix. They really fit the feel of the music a lot more this time around.

The song writing for this EP is far more similar to "Putrify", but with an injection of faster moments to up the intensity level a little bit. Songs like "Sombre Winter Death", pretty much exemplify their title and it's more of that mid-paced style of Black Metal that has a more melancholic atmosphere. This time, even though it is over ten minutes, it manages to keep my attention. Unlike "Embrace After Death" I feel like the song writing, overall, has been markedly improved and so this EP is a far more enjoyable listen. We'll see how things go by the time the next full-length rolls around. I really hope the project sorts out some of these inconsistency issues and makes something solid.

Pestilential Shadows - Embrace After Death
Asphyxiate Recordings, 2005
Genre: Black Metal

Part I: The Fate
1. The Pestilential Shadow
2. Plague Eclipse
3. Church Incinerate MMIII
4. The Fate of All that Lives Pt. II
5. Eternal Decomposition
Part II:
6. Haunting Gallows
7. Of Earth & Eerie
8. Forever Dark
Putrify:
9. Sentinel of the Epidemic
10. Amongst Famine
11. Putrify
12. The Delusion Trail

After an intriguing EP with "Putrify", Pestilential Shadows wasted no time in getting to their debut full-length. This was originally released as a CDr by Dark Icon Productions in 2004, but the most readily available edition seems to be the Asphyxiate Recordings version which features "Putrify" as bonus material. So, it's really worth getting the Asphyxiate Recordings version for sure.

The album is actually subtitled "The Fate of All that Lives II", which references their first demo from 2003. They don't re-record any material from this original demo or anything, so this recording is entirely new and different. One thing that strikes you immediately is how thin and lo-fi the overall production quality is. "Putrify" wasn't all that different, but for a full-length it was somewhat surprising. For the most part they manage to make it work, but I'm sure these drums are programmed now that they're a little more balanced in the mix. Even then, it's weird all of the music feels pretty far away, which has its plus and minuses. Now the vocals sit far more in the front of the mix and we realize that the vocals are not particularly great. They seem similar to Rob Darken of Graveland, who doesn't have impressive vocals, but it works in his project... they don't work so much here.

Musically this album feels a bit over-long... frankly the experience tends to drag on and you stop paying attention to it after a while. The riffs don't really grab your attention, at least not like some of them did on "Putrify". Musically everything is just pretty good, it doesn't stand out, but it's not awful either. Sometimes the production can really get in the way, such as when the acoustic styled track "Eternal Decomposition", the guitar is heavily marred by the production. It's almost like the mastering compressor was way too loud and so you get this annoying hiss. That hiss actually persists through the entire recording and becomes obvious when things get quieter. I felt like the first two songs on "Putrify" were far darker than the songs on here and things felt deeper in the overall production, not thinner.

This is only first full-length from Pestilential Shadows so they'll eventually sort their sound out. For now this debut kind of falls flat and doesn't garner the interest I expected after hearing "Putrify". It's a real shame, because I had rather high hopes for this album, but if you're more familiar with Pestilential Shadows later discography, then you might want to stick with that unless you're a completionist like me.

Pestilential Shadows - Putrify
GoatoWarex, 2003
Genre: Black Metal

1. Sentinel of the Epidemic
2. Amongst Famine
3. Putrify
4. The Delusion Trail












I missed out on the very first demo from Pestilential Shadows, so my collection really begins here with "Putrify". I missed out on this demo and had to track it down way after it came out, which surprises me because I was keeping up with the GoatoWarex label in the early 2000's as they always put out fairly good Black Metal. I didn't get into this project into quite a few years after it started and I think I found them when I was looking up who was currently involved in Nazxul when they put out the "Iconoclast" album. When I first heard Pestilential's third album, I was hooked and back tracked from there. So here we have "Putrify" their first EP of only four songs published on tape with a pro-printed booklet. I'm sure it's been limited in some capacity, but that's not listed anywhere.

Even if I hadn't heard this projects later material first "Putrify" would have gotten me fairly interested in what they were doing. Even going back this far you can plainly hear what Balam brought to Nazxul in terms of guitar work. "Putrify" is a very mid-paced style of Black Metal, but it generates such a soaring yet bleak atmosphere to the point where the music is actually extremely engaging. There's this underlying darkness in the writing, but then sometimes these lead sections flow in and are actually really wonderful in the mix. There are only two members listed on this tape, so they either programmed drums or had someone do session drums. The drums are pretty buried in the mix so it's tough to tell, they sound real enough I think.

In the end, I'm definitely interested in seeing where the band goes from here. The first two tracks are the best tracks, in my opinion. The title track is just a guitar instrumental and "The Delusional Trail" is a pretty epic length 10 minute plus track, but it just doesn't have the same impact as the first two songs for some reason. So, "Putrify" is a pretty good first venture into this project and I think its worth checking out.

Erebus Enthroned

Erebus Enthroned - Temple Under Hell
Seance Records, 2014
Genre: Black Metal

1. Sorathick Pentecost
2. Trisagion
3. Crucible of Vitriol
4. Black Sword
5. Void Wind
6. The Temple Under Hell
7. Return








Beautiful. That's the first thing that comes to mind when I put this album on. It doesn't matter that my notion of beauty is a twisted and destructive variation on what people typically think of. Needless to say, after hearing the split with Blaze of Perdition, I was highly anticipating this release. The artwork alone is eye catching enough to draw a listener in. When I saw the pre-orders hit on Seance Records, I immediately place my order. Based on the cover, I sort of expected a well made booklet and Erebus Enthroned do not disappoint. The layout is quite wonderful and gives the listener all the lyrics with some additional art as well.

Erebus Enthroned have always had a sound rooted in the Watain methods, and I'm just going to say this now. "Temple Under Hell" is the album people wish Watain would have released someday. Erebus Enthroned take that core sound and advance it even further, casting it into even darker tones and far more vicious passages than you would even expect. The tracks on the songs are actually quite long for the most part, but strangely I never felt like anything really dragged too long. I actually walked away feeling that each riff was played an appropriate amount of time. I think if things went any longer then they would have pushed their luck with the solid riffs. It's quite refreshing to hear Erebus Enthroned push themselves further, rather than just sticking with one approach. They would still have solid riffs, but it wouldn't feel like anything different. While "Temple Under Hell" is heavily rooted in Black Metal that has come before, I feel that Erebus Enthroned are writing in their own fashion and really just being influenced by prior bands, rather than just assimilating a collection of riffs that have basically already existed.

One of the real stand out aspect of this album is N's vocal performance. This really launches the album into higher realms for me. To marry such exquisite riffing with a wonderfully dynamic vocal performance really ups the ante on an album for me. This is usually why I really like the material Arioch produces in his projects. N's vocals, while not on the same level, he does have a great range and he really knows how to lay the lyrics out in a song. There are many bands that just have the vocalist, basically, "talk" over the guitar lines, but Erebus Enthroned really think about where the vocals will appear in a riff and try to present them to the maximum effect.

While I can see many reviewers sort of casting this as extremely well made, but "nothing new to Black Metal", I say that given how well this is written makes up for that. If I listen to an album and I can easily see myself listening to it again in a few years, then I think it's more than just a meaningless addition to the genre. I think Erebus Enthroned has more to offer than that assessment and I think many Black Metal fans out there would highly appreciate the effort and care Erebus Enthroned have put into their craft.

Erebus Enthroned & Blaze of Perdition - Accession of Fire
Pagan Records, 2013
Genre: Black Metal

Erebus Enthroned:
1. Deathless Sin
Blaze of Perdition:
2. The Night of Nights











Side Blaze of Perdition: ...coming eventually...
Side Erebus Enthroned:

When I saw this 10" hit the Pagan Records "upcoming release" list, I immediately put in an order for it. As any of my friends know, I am quite a fan of Blaze of Perdition and I was hoping they would do a split with a solid band. What I got was totally unexpected. This was my first experience with the mighty Erebus Enthroned and shortly after hearing this one song, I was ordering the rest of their discography! Unfortunately, I was only getting one song here... I really needed more.

As I have been discussing with the prior Erebus Enthroned albums, I figured it was a matter of time before they broke with the more blatant Watain-ish worship and here we see their first deviations from that style. "Deathless Sin" is a very welcome change and progression of the Erebus Enthroned sound. I think they're really starting to blend some Ondskapt influence into the sound, because it has a far more haunting feel during many sections. Just opening with that haunting guitar line and chanted section is enough to send chills down your spine. In the end, this is an incredible new direction for Erebus Enthroned. It's been a couple years since they've released anything new, so hopefully a new full-length will be imminent. If it's anything like "Deathless Sin" it will truly be a monster of an album. This is a highly recommended split!

Erebus Enthroned - Night's Black Angel
Seance Records, 2011
Genre: Black Metal

1. Enthroning the Harbinger of Death
2. Pillar of Fallen Flesh
3. Nil (Solve Non Coagula)
4. Horns of Severity
5. Blackwinged
6. Virus
7. Zealotry in Death
8. Temple of Dispersion
9. Night's Black Angel






After the strength of the material found on the split I am not surprised a full-length was next in line for Erebus Enthroned's future. Freshly signed to Seance Records, I was excited to hear this album in full, beyond the samples I heard online. Well Erebus Enthroned didn't really disappoint and perhaps I am biased, because I really do quite enjoy this style of Black Metal a lot, so perhaps I am a little less critical than I should be.

Erebus Enthroned continue to travel down the path of Swedish Black Metal and conjuring similarities to bands like Dissection with a slight infusion of Death Metal in their sound from time to time. I can hear peoples complaints of a Watain rip-off on this album a lot more, and albums like "Casus Luciferi" seem to have a stronger presence this time around for Erebus Enthroned, however, I think they fall more towards a Dissection feel. Some of the chord structuring is distinctly reminiscent of Immortal though, so I think there is a decent dose of variation on this album to give it a strange place in the realms of Black Metal. I do tend to agree with other critics that this material lacks any kind of real originality or voice of it's own. Instead Erebus Enthroned is falling back on their ability to write good riffs, but arranged and molded from material we've all heard before. Sometimes a unique blend in styles is enough to give a band its own presence, but Erebus Enthroned seem so trapped in Sweden that there's no way out of the style for them at times.

Even though a lot of that sounds very harsh, I say all this because I hear a lot of potential in this project. They write great riffs, have solid arrangements, and have art and lyrics I quite enjoy... I just think "wow, this band would be a top tier group if they could somehow distill their influences down to something a little more unique." Now, I'm not looking for Black Metal to be redefined or anything that crazy, but they can draw from so many sources I think they could produce something truly stunning in the future.

I really do think it's a question of "when" and not "if" for Erebus Enthroned to produce a seminal work that makes the world turn to them.  I just hope they can survive the "fame" and not go the way of "Watain", which has lead to a lot of their original fanbase being entirely disinterested in their later works. I genuinely love the atmosphere "Night's Black Angel" is establishing amidst the cold and hateful style... now let's harness that style even more. I think this is a solid debut release, overall, and I think I will enjoy listening to this more than once.

Erebus Enthroned & Nekros Manteia - Spiritual Deconstruction
Self-Released, 2008
Genre: Black Metal

Erebus Enthroned:
1. Worldly Wounds
2. Rebirth of the Plague
3. Angelus Pestilentia
4. Spirit Arason
Nekros Manteia:
5. Slowly it Stains, the Foul Dye of Madness and Illumination
6. Spiritual Deconstruction
7. Skin Temples Inked in Obscurity (Rehearsal)
8. The Shining Pearl of Sadism (Rehearsal)

Nekros Manteia: ...coming eventually...
Erebus Enthroned:

After a year Erebus Enthroned return with some new material and a re-recording of a song from "Divine Legions of Satan". I think this is in recognition that the demo was a weak recording for the type of art they are truly able to bring to the world. What a difference a year makes though, the writing is easily much stronger than anything from the demo and the new studio quality really lets the material shine through so much better.

I think Erebus Enthroned's song writing has basically matured over night. For the most part they've really managed to harness the core of their sound. It's not terribly original work, but it still sounds very solid and the riffs are well written at least. The groovier riff in "Wordly Wounds" sounds like something I've definitely heard before... but I can't place where I've heard it. If I figure it out I'll come back and update this section. I actually see a lot of complaints about this band and how they are just a blend of Watain and Marduk, but I'm not sure that's entirely an accurate description of their sound. Their sound is heavily rooted in the Swedish vein, for sure, but I think they draw more from bands like Ondskapt, Malign, Funeral Mist and so on. The popular Swedish groups are, no doubt, an influence in some regards, but I do not thing Erebus Enthroned is trying to be them. Furthermore, I think their music can come across as more disturbing than usual as in "Angelus Pestilentia", which makes me think of a distinctly French approach to Black Metal. I also think "Angelus Pestilentia" is basically a re-thinking of the song "Nocturne Pestilentia" from the demo. "Angelus Pestilentia" is absolutely brilliant and probably one of the best songs on this split.

In the end I am much more interested in seeing what Erebus Enthroned has for us in the future. I think they have a lot of solid ideas brewing and I'd love to see the band grow into their own sound in the future. They clearly have the songwriting skillset, now they just need to harness the blend of bands they like into a more unique style. This could take a while, but that's part of being a new band when you've got over fifteen years of background music and influence to account for!

Erebus Enthroned - Divine Legions of Satan
Self-Released, 2007
Genre: Black Metal

1. Thus Spake Chaos
2. Tyrants, in His Glory
3. Divine Legions of Satan
4. Ascent from Everlasting Flames
5. Nocturne Pestilentia
6. Rebirth of the Plague









I consider myself lucky enough to have actually gotten a physical copy of this. A user on discogs saw my praises for Erebus Enthroned and upon noticing that I didn't have the demo offered to send me a CDr copy. This is one of the major reasons the underground scene can be truly wonderful. Since I love doing discography reviews, he felt this band absolutely needed to have their catalog done justice and I will do my best to make that happen.

I often wondered where Erebus Enthroned got their start and I wasn't sure how primitive "Divine Legions of Satan" would turn out to be. Sometimes modern bands start off on a really strong note, because all the early evolution bands go through is just never released. Instead they immediately start off with truly strong piece of art. I wouldn't say that's the case for "Divine Legions of Satan". The recording quality isn't the best, as one would expect with self-recorded demos. However, the riffing quality is fairly good for a debut effort, albeit it is material we have all heard before. I would definitely be interested in seeing where the group goes on future releases because it sounds like they have a strong foundation in the writing section.

In the end I feel that "Divine Legions of Satan" is rooted fairly heavily in the Swedish sound of Black Metal blending the more occult and haunting styles with the vicious and fast paced styles. Erebus Enthroned seems to offer a lot across the spectrum, so we'll see where they trend towards in the future.

Nazxul

Nazxul - Totem
Vampire Records, 1995
Genre: Black Metal

1. Totem
2. Watching and Withering
3. I Awaken (Amongst Them)
4. Unearthed
5. Vermis Mysteriis
6. Hatred
7. Endless Reign of Power
8. Distance Begins
9. Amidst the Flames
10 .End
11. Eternum

I remember hearing this album a long time ago, about ten years now, shortly after it was initially released.  I must’ve been around thirteen or fourteen then and I don’t know why I never took that extra step to actually purchase the album because even then I thought it was quite amazing.  Anyway, everything that is great about this album is still great to this very day.  Nazxul managed to put together a timeless work in my opinion and you can hear the influences filter down into other bands now.  For the time this was released this was probably one of the more fearsome recordings to truly behold, when I listen to it all these years later it still holds a lot of that same atmosphere it did years ago.

The first stand out point that anyone will notice on this Nazxul release is the vocal performance, for this time frame it is just so unorthodox for a Black Metal performance and truly adds to the overall mystical atmosphere from song to song.  Backovic used a lot of processing and layering, which usually I’m not very into, but he approached it from a completely different point of view in my opinion and made it work to his advantage very well.  For example if he had approached “Totem” with a more conventional vocal performance it probably wouldn’t be viewed as anything very different by Black Metal standards, except that musically it contains some sort of intangible mystical essence on most of the tracks.  Even without the layering Backovic is an interesting vocalist and that is very apparent on their demo from 1994, which had a vocal performance based mostly around whispering techniques and “Totem” is simply an extension of that approach.  Musically Nazxul isn’t overly generic or anything that drastic, but the elements in the composition are all influenced by varying aspects of metal.  However, they successfully created the necessary atmosphere to let the vocal performance thrive and really bring Nazxul into more of their own sound rather than just mimicking every other Black Metal band to grace the planet.  Nazxul also doesn’t blast through the entire album, like they sort of did on the demo, they slow it down on tracks like “Vermis Mysteriis,” at least for the first half, which even had some Death Metal overtones guitar wise on it, but only in certain sections of the song.  If you listen to “Distance Begins” Nazxul break into a sequence around the two minute mark that has some Obituary guitar overtones blended with some early Sepultura guitar elements, which can be found on “Beneath the Remains,” maybe.  However, primarily everything is Black Metal oriented, so I would hardly classify this as a cross breed by Death and Black Metal, but there are certain points where their influences tend to show through.  Furthermore, on some tracks they even have some keyboard elements here and there to really amp up the atmosphere in some sections, but it wasn’t overbearing or even used throughout the entire album.  Which I find to be great because sometimes a band will rely too heavily on a keyboard to create the atmosphere they are looking for, but Nazxul manage to create that special mystical essence seemingly out of thin air.

Now inevitably I will need to discuss the production of this album.  As most debut albums of this era go, the production isn’t exactly top notch, but it’s befitting of the atmosphere for this release.  It may take some people a few listens to make out every aspect of the songs, but I promise it is definitely worth the effort.  Some tracks sound as if they were recorded at a separate time because the production doesn’t match up with other tracks like the first three.  “Totem,” “Watching and Withering,” and “I Awaken (Amongst Them)” probably have the best sound against the rest of the album, but that doesn’t mean the other songs do not live up to their greatness, they do, it’s just production wise there is a slight difference.  However, I love the vocal production throughout the entire release, to be honest.  “Watching and Withering” especially, in my opinion, had one of the most impressive sequences on this album and not to mention most sinister sounding.

Nazxul’s concept is essentially based around the ancient occult and with the use of the word “Xul” in their name I assume it is Sumerian based.  However, unlike most bands that know nothing of the real occult, Nazxul don’t appear to make any references to the farcical occult work the “Necronomicon.”  So this, at least for me, gives them a certain degree of legitimacy.  If you look through the booklet in the “Totem” album they are no doubt highly interested in occult practices because it is laden with what appear to be ritualistic seals.  Some seals even bear cuneiform writing, furthering my assumption that this is based on the Sumerian occult.  Regardless, this denotes for me that they are not fools about the subject.  Unfortunately they only printed the lyrics for one song on here and that was for the track “Totem.”  For some reason I get the concept that it is dealing with idolatry, a heavily practiced form of worship used in ancient times and one of the major breaking points for the Judaic faith, since it is one of the Ten Commandments to not worship idols.  However, the overtones of mysticism stayed with the Jews to this very day, but only certain sectors acknowledge it.  The mystical works Nazxul, no doubt, focus on are the aspects of Demonology that are evil in nature, what Black Metal band could resist such a topic?  I think musically Nazxul present this concept very well and dare I say the best, when compared to other bands in the genre, especially at this early time.

I realize that Azaghal have tried to term their music as being Black Terror Metal, but Nazxul really went the extra mile and made their music truly terrifying.  Which, really, coupled with the impressive Black Metal atmosphere and this more unorthodox vocal approach, Nazxul truly put together something different and really incredible.  I think “Totem” even paved the way for future artists like Funeral Mist and Triumphator, albeit Arioch is the main man behind both, but he approached his work with a similar vocal attempt.  He really harnessed the method and power in Funeral Mist that Nazxul set precedence for.  Furthermore on the more recent Behemoth releases Nergal seems to be unopposed to approaching his vocal performance in a similar way of layering.  Unfortunately the only band that has ever come close to rivaling the vocal performance on “Totem” is Funeral Mist’s “Salvation,” I await the day when someone can truly recapture the essence “Totem” brought forth in an even more revolutionary way and I will be impressed if Nazxul could even recapture such a moment.  All hail the sacred Nazxul.