Happy Days from USA released their first full length in last five years. Why, maybe you wonder? Why so long? Well, this opus will give you an answer. There is an eerie intro plus ten songs of explanation on this opus. For those who don’t know, Happy Days play depressive black metal, raw and atmospheric with all the conviction of an occupant of psychiatric institution and between four walls different ideas occur, maybe only to me, but I am sure that also to A.Morbid who wrote his most deep and personal opus with this one. My metal brother in my hometown once told me that depressive black metal is non existent because it destroys the meaning of bm, being aggressive and yet atmospheric music and that all dsbm bands are in fact Burzum clones turning one or two riffs all along. This band and album is something I will play to my brother to prove that his statement is not true. Just listen to slow, doomy rolls of ‘J’y étais’ with almost post black metal guitar work, fantastic anguished screaming and female spoken vocals topped with choirs, making it a fantastic opus. ‘Hollow’ is another absolute highlight, I am amazed how Happy Days manage to connect black metal with gentle piano and synth melodies, almost ethereal clean vocals turning into anguished tortured screams, superb female vocals and great songwriting like a whirlwind of emotions. Songs like ‘Mors Vincit Omnia’ and ironic ‘Life Goes On…’ show all the heartbreak, emptiness, bare blooded flesh of emotions without skin or mask. This is a tour de force of emotional black metal.
Bavarian black metal one man entity Skognatt released new opus, this time in form of an e.p. There are three songs on this one, each representing ‘Mountains’, ‘The River’ and ‘Moon’ at night. The music is fast, raw yet atmospheric and melodic black metal, creating and holding a melancholic sad guitar melody in ‘Mountains’ with screaming anguished vocals, sometimes turning into atmospheric clean singing and fast drums, courtesy of Gerileme who was involved in making this opus with main man DZ. ‘The River’ is maybe a bit mid tempo and less blasting than the previous song, creating an atmosphere of eternal life and river which flows no matter who we are, how we fought or how we died, river will not remember us. I used to walk and watch the river at night and it is something special, the force and power of nature, almost healing and respectful power. This one is a pure instrumental, but it really doesn’t matter, strong music creates picture. ‘Moon’ is longest song on this record and haunting guitar main melody keeps coming back to your along with fast drums and screaming vocals, this is a perfect mixture of raw black metal with melody and atmosphere. Great e.p.
Ach Germany! Bringing so much great bands and projects every day and week and month to our black hearts. Leipa is a one man band/project from Bavaria active since 2021 and this is the second full length opus. This one contains 7 songs with lyrics in German. Music of Leipa is melodic black metal, with lots of emotion and atmosphere reminding me why I love this music so much. Guitar melodies are melancholic, sad, even when aggressive blast beats prevail in song parts of almost every song on this opus. Vocals are screamed but not too extreme so you can understand if you happen to speak German as I do. Now, some would call this depressive black metal. Maybe it is, but only in lyrics which deal with personal thoughts, demons and really, why try different roads when all roads lead to nothing in the end. Besides aggression there are also some calmer more atmospheric parts with some spoken word and listening to this record I can not really help myself but if I must compare Leipa to some band that reminds me of it would be Nocte Obducta. This is melodic atmospheric black metal par excellence, so check this one out.
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