• SHRT REVWS • This condensed version of short(er) reviews focuses on releases arriving in the first half of April covering progressive black metal, post-black metal, atmospheric black metal, blackened death metal, black metal, death metal, thrash metal and more. // In an attempt to be more conversational these are more easygoing and casual than longform reviews, so relax and think for yourself. — If you find something you dig go tell the band on social media and support them with a purchase! If you’d like your music reviewed, read the FAQ and send promos to: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

---

For their seventh full-length album Kristiansand, Norway-borne melodic metal band IN THE WOODS… craft an ode to and stories about a river, ‘Otra‘, which flows through their southern region. Within each of these seven lengthier mid-paced progressive rock/metal inspired pieces they’ve managed folkish chanson, laid back and altogether contemplative songs with a few spikes of extreme metal interest. If you’re looking for their earliest auld ways from the 90’s this is several lives beyond that point, two total reworked line-ups beyond their reformation in 2014. Overall expect more of a dramatic poetically stated melodic progressive metal album, moderately eclectic but focused on one specific feeling that runs through the majority of this glum, moodier narrative. New vocalist Bernt Fjellestad (ex-Guardians of Time, ex-Suspiria) surely has a sort of power metal vibrato under his control but his presence is understated, there to carry a tune and lead the bands roll through its highs and lows. For my own taste they don’t necessarily top the Amorphis-esque ride through “A Misrepresentation of I” here though I’d enjoyed the pagan/black edge given to “Come Ye Sinners”. Not fully my kind of thing but also not a bad record at all.

---

North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany based duo THE INFERNAL DECEIT return for a second full-length album with pure iteration upon their vision of melodic black/death metal which crosses the (early) Swedish style with a modern German touch. They’ve once again gone with a fine Robert Toderico illustration for their cover art and Jörg Uken (Temple of Dread, Soundlodge Studios) on session drums making for a familiar but perhaps more patiently developed return to their realm. Despite the opener having some ancient feeling to some of its melodic death inspired movement most of these songs carry the popular modern stomping/anthemic style we find many German bands exploring these last five or so years, less of the circa 1993 intensity of advent and closer to the atmospheric/post-black side of things. You’ll get what I mean when the second song hits, a hint of the old ways atop a modern melodic metal groove. The passion and inventive/abrupt spiritus of melodic black/death isn’t fully there for my own taste, and to be fair the bar is set very high, though I did enjoy parts of “The Divinity of Forsaken Idols” and “The Fathomless Dominion” as examples of harder struck songs that take the ear somewhere worthwhile in their trip. This one didn’t stick with me though I did find their work meticulous, well curated and generally high quality.

---

Progressive rock inspired “anarchic occult” traditional doom metal trio HERÁLDICA DE MANDRAKE hail from La Serena, Chile and this much anticipated second LP comes as a brilliant addition to their mystic yet defiant personae, lamenting the dissolution of mankind via ‘Nunca bastó con rezar‘ (“Praying was never enough“). Carrying some not-at-all obvious inspiration from Reverend Bizarre as well as the taste of old 80’s classics (Saint Vitus, Black Hole, esp.) you’ll find a bold personality delivering sombre, often hymnal doom metal in longform psychedelia spiced pieces here. Two equal sides of ~24 minutes contain these sombre hymns to freedom (both English and Spanish lyrics are included) which’re not only immersive but thoughtful, honest and fantastical in their lyrics just as doom metal should be. From my point of view this album is a complete jam, a great record to chill out with which has its own curious personality. A big part of that personage is of course the bass guitar work, an important grounding for the rhythms, and so it was a bummer to learn bassist Vicente Zamorano (ex-Arteaga, Golden Dawn Recordings) passed as he’d been an integral part of this recording and its final render. For my own taste this album has everything doom metal needs today, a true feeling of sorrow conveyed with an inventive hand which crosses over into the sound design and artwork. Awesome record, I hop that they continue down this heavy, principled, and idiosyncratic path.

---

This ninth full-length album from Salzburg, Austria-based atmospheric black metal/post-black metal act KARG is the first written in collaboration with vocalist and founder Michael “J.J.” Kogler involving the full quintet and a host of guests in the process. While the previous album had benefitted from a large collective of folks and their performances there is something different in the air for ‘Marodeur‘, something like a modern ideation of dark metal (see: “Yūgen”) and even some melodic death type major key upturns (“Annapurna”) as all three guitarists from ‘Resignation‘ (2022) bring their own touch where possible. Of course as is the case with Kogler‘s presence in Harakiri for the Sky his narrative shouted diction is not for everyone, I find it distinct and impassioned even after so many records in this style. That said a lot of the most interesting parts of this album takes cues from alt-metal, popular rock music, and such which is great for the sake of variety but also slightly beyond the pale here and there. “Reminiszenzen einer Jugend” features what is probably the best out of character moment in this regard. Of course the old complaints still persist from my point of view, the album is overlong and the rhythmic bones of each song is yet fairly similar to suit the narrative device/diction.

---

Silver Knife is an atmospheric/post-black metal collective featuring folks best known for their work in Laster, Paramnesia, Häxenzijrkell and such. Though each fellowe involved carries a unique signature their work here has its own rhythmic edge, just enough to differentiate themselves on this self-titled sophomore full-length album. ‘Silver Knife‘ brings a desperation akin to DSBM (see: “Restless Blight”, “Reticent Paroxysm”) via a more unhinged vocal treatment this time around. Think along the lines of maybe early Austere inspired stuff, a level of breathy and over the top performance which I’d enjoyed quite a bit despite some of the quieter hissed and hummed ideas being less impressive along the way. There is an uncanny, kinda throwback feeling to this record which reminds me of the late 2000’s atmoblack explosion but also some of the sweeping melodicism of their debut, a sound which is fitting for the cold and distant shared voice within. Enjoyment of this type of black metal doesn’t have to be all that deep, my interest revolves around a few vocal outbursts, a stronger presence for the rhythm section, and plenty of dramatic riffs. Before you pass judgement on this one in preview make sure you give due attention to “Restless Blight” and the ~13 minute closer “Triumph in Tragedy”.

---

Prague, Czechia-based quintet VOLUPTAS‘d been pretty clear what they were going to be all about back in 2016 when they’d released an EP titled ‘Ved Rums Ende‘, their sound’d always taken from the avant-garde and/or experimental cleft of Norwegian black metal though not in any certain hyper-active mode. As we find here on their second full-length album they’ve a sort of slowed, ‘epic’ black pacing (see: “Sol Idiges”) built within that ouevre just as well, ensuring not all of their movement and voice is erratic and confrontational. Movement is particularly important herein, subtle or otherwise, as the rhythmic waltz between forms and moods is brilliantly fluid in Voluptas‘ guitarists hands. I’m not sure if I’d go as far as to suggest any interest in doom directs the dreaming loose palette covered on a song like “Moon Obscured” but rather there is a curious atmosphere glue holding those most eclectic pieces together, be it psychedelia or obscure rock. Definitely check this out out if you’re a fan of Fleurety, Enslaved, and maybe even Lugubrum.

---

For their third full-length album Płock, Poland-based quartet VARNHEIM have fully gravitated toward longform pieces (~10 minutes each) in their divination of ‘Void‘ a modestly eclectic record which makes good use of harsh/dark ambient features, varietally drifting epics, and guitar techniques common to modern Polish black metal crews. Many of these songs appear perhaps more creatively struck for the sake of their dressings, accoutrement and extended post-metallic intros which explore outside of the black metal mainframe but the actual bulk of the riffing and looser structured movements don’t always matchup to that profundity. This is especially true for the somewhat bland innards of “Inwards” yet it works brilliantly for opener “Vengeance”. The whole of the listening experience is immersive per its structure, four pieces which are easy to fall into and roll with, though it definitely felt like the first half of the record had a lot more to say than the second half.

---

Short, hard as nails and tightly wound this brutal debut full-length album from Sydney, Australia-based death metal quartet ANOXIA is a cold (and kinda thrashing) class act as they chip off a solid set of ~4.5 minute songs that’re generally all about the riff. Taking some inspiration from 80’s and 90’s death metal as their primary resource but landing all hits with extreme precision makes for a hard-edged, at times mosh-ready spin which still retains some ‘old school’ drift despite a clean modern sound deployed. To put it in down-under death metal terms… If you’re big on the ultra-straight forward tip of Writhing or the skull-busting cut of Gutless ‘Revel in Sin‘ might catch your ear in a similar way for how hard it crushes but with some extra thrashing edge a la Pustilence. While I’d gone in expecting something more directly hardcore inspired this one is above-average on every count, familiar in shape and ouevre but delivered with menacing intent and a killing stroke to the point of conviction. For my own taste a brilliant first shot and a ‘complete’ feeling debut LP which cues the ear into what they’re all about quick and clean.

---

Bonn, Germany-based thrash metal quartet FABULOUS DESASTER are a pretty tight knit crew considering they’ve been around since 2010 and have only had one small adjustment to their lineup, kinda rare for the neothrash generation beyond the 2000’s in general. Their sound on this third LP, ‘Crucify This!‘ they’ve still got that bopping earlier Havok energy in mind but this album leans into a later 80’s Kreator (anthemic side of ‘Extreme Aggression‘ or nearby) kinda crawl and rant to start with opener “Misanthropolis”. Just when it kinda sounds like we’re getting a serious faced and straight forward record from these folks they kinda wild out, the vocalist goes off on “Trenchmouth” taking that extreme combination of snarl via Mille Petrozza and Steve Souza to an obnoxious degree which carries on through most of the full listen. This doesn’t necessarily kill the album, if anything it adds some character to a record that kinda struggles through its more ripping tracks and excels within its more mid-paced songs (“Crucify This!”). I don’t know that there is anything all that special about what these folks do, they’ve got a sharp sound and competent handle on the riff but I definitely don’t think pure thrash metal has to be this dry and by-numbers when it avoids extreme metal tones and tact entirely. After three LPs I’d figure there would be more of a signature here. With that said I’d still definitely show up for these songs as a pure if not plain thrash metal experience in a post-1999 sense.

---