Following on from the article โDeath metal for the general listenerโ โ an attempt to recast death metal as an inherently experimental form of music โ I wanted to write up a similar list for black metal. This proved more challenging than expected however, because - despite their closely knit histories - black metal is... Continue Reading →
I like the beats and I like the yelling: Benthik Zone, The Mist from the Mountains, AngelBlast
Benthik Zone: ฮตแผดฮดฯฮปฮฟฮฝOut 28th January on Onism Productions Any Star Wars fan worth their salt will have seen the footage of George Lucas discussing the jarring transitions at the finale of โThe Phantom Menaceโ with editor Ben Burtt and producer Rick McCallum. The cloaked panic on their faces as Lucas responds to the observation that... Continue Reading →
I like the beats and I like the yelling: Krolok, Ravenous Death, Fiat Nox
Krolok: Funeral Winds & Crimson SkyOut 21st December on Osmose Productions The second LP from this Slovakian outfit takes the trappings of black metal rendered on the murkier side and combines this with old school punk, a meeting of mysticism and aggression that demonstrates the lengthy shelf life one can garner from a unique atmosphere... Continue Reading →
Necropolis Podcast #38 – Daniel Lake (USBM Book)
#38 - Daniel Lake (USBM Book): Daniel Lake, author of 'USBM: A Revolution of Identity in American Black Metal', joins Necropolis for the formal episode about his book. USBM has always been a point of confusion in terms of its placement within the black metal lexicon. It is often reviled by its European counterpart but... Continue Reading →
Review – USBM: A Revolution of Identity in American Black Metal
By Daniel Lake, out on Decibel Books The BBC is often accused of bias from both the left and the right. Many claim that this is a good thing, an indication that its reporting is honouring its core tenet of impartiality. So it would seem with Daniel Lakeโs recent book โUSBM: A Revolution of Identity... Continue Reading →
A volatile stability: Disfear and Poison Idea
Metalheads โ including this one โ can sometimes have a weird relationship with teleology. We log certain incidental styles and artists only with a view to how they influenced where we are today. Our need to go back time and again and plot the evolution of metal and its subgenres, logging the significant releases and... Continue Reading →
I like the beats and I like the yelling: Cmpt, Mental Devastation, Atomic Aggressor
Cmpt: ย Krv i pepeoOut 21st December on Osmose Productions Following on from โMrtvajaโ, a debut EP that rivalled many of the lofty full lengths to be released in 2021, comes Cmptโs debut album โKrv i pepeoโ (Blood and Ash). This mysterious Serbian outfit retains its anonymity, and beyond some exposition around this projectโs dedication to... Continue Reading →
Necropolis Podcast #37 โ Bryin Dall
#37 โ Byrin Dall: Prolific musician Bryin Dall (Thee Majesty, Hirsute Pursuit, Throbbing Gristle, etc) joins to discuss his innumerable projects, background, personal experiences, insights, gay culture, etc. Special guest co-host A.j. Martinez (owner of Propaganda Palace in San Antonio) joins to lend his expertise on Bryinโs exploits and industrial music.
Review: The Green Sea, 2021 (guest entry)
Article by Jason, aka Lonegoat from the Necroclassical project Goatcraft and the host of the Necropolis podcast Symbolism can be very powerful. It hints at ideas greater than the world as it is presented in front of our eyes. The Green Sea bases its premise on symbolism; that of returning to the ocean, of a... Continue Reading →
I like the beats and I like the yelling: Winterstorm, Slimelord, Funeral Mist
Winterstorm: VinterstormenerOut 3rd December on Signal Rex If I were to indulge in a gross oversimplification for a moment, Iโd say that the history of black metal from a sonic perspective has been a continuous process of overcoming. The motivation of its original innovators was about reclaiming metal as a primitive and dangerous form of... Continue Reading →