PolemicistOut 27th September, self-released The paradox of well known phrases is that, by virtue of wide usage, their meaning becomes unknown. The commonplace phrase goes unexamined. Melodic black metal is one such example. Prima facie an obvious, self-explanatory subgenre. But one that has thus far avoided re-appraisal or revision since the subgenre's solidification in the... Continue Reading →

Father Befouled: Immaculate PainOut 13th September on Everlasting Spew Father Befouled’s by now lengthy career of Incantation mirroring has evolved from the uncanny to the surpassing, as their material has ascending in tandem with Incantation’s descent into a dull autopilot. This latest EP does little to shift the formula. Although one can hear other influences... Continue Reading →

Flames of Sam​ū​mOut 8th September on Dark Adversary Productions Black Funeral are perhaps the unlikeliest latter day acolyte for such staunchly conservative, by-the-numbers black metal. One of the US’s earliest adopters of the form, pillars of the third wave along with Judas Iscariot, Krieg, and Demoncy, their run of albums from 1995 to 2010 delights... Continue Reading →

B-tier black metal and the break of autumn Your tastes are not your own. Your moods are orchestrated by nefarious digital platforms. Everyone knows this now. ‘Inception’ may have been right that the mind can always spot an idea implanted by a foreign agent. That we would somehow care, or not act on this idea... Continue Reading →