Purveyors and legends of Norwegian Viking black metal are back with new full length opus consisting of seven songs. As you might have listened on last two EP-s, they continue with their path where they left off with last full length ‘Utgard’ but I can say that for me this new one is better than the last full length opus. More epic, more melodic, with more interplay between screaming black metal vocals and clean vocal lines which touch your heart and yourself to your bones. There is brutality on this album like harsh and strong ‘Congelia’, but also there are gentle melodic atmospheric song parts like excellent ‘Forest Dweller’ which is in my personal favorite along with ‘Kingdom’. Of course, Enslaved continue in their prog part besides Viking black metal, so I can also hear some seventies style influenced keyboards in some parts. Speaking of keyboards, they are essential to this opus, because I think that they are even more high in the mix and represent a lion’s share of melodies and main themes involved in song structures. Now, for more than three decades, Enslaved are better than ever, you know what they say, wine is old but is also the best when it is old! Long live Enslaved, long live prog spacy Viking black metal.
Tryglav is back with new full length opus, first in four years, second in all. This project is named after a mountain in Slovenia, also after three headed Slavic deity, but the mountain is a bit differently pronounced. This is an entity from my home country, Croatia, brain spawn of one Boris Behara and it is fantastic. This opus offers seven songs of melodic yet aggressive black metal. When I listen to this opus, it feels like I am in some ruins fort on a dark night at the mountain, with wind blowing in my faces and bones, at the same time being alone, yet not alone. Guitar melodies and work are awesome, creating such melancholy and emotionally filled soundscape combining it with blast beat drums, but also with some more calmer and mid tempo atmospheric parts, though thrash influenced drumming rears its head too. Vocals are screaming, but you can understand most of what is being sung, with lyrics in English language. This opus can easily concur for one of the best melodic black metal releases of the year. My personal favorites: ‘The Plague’, ‘The Vengeance’.
New Omega Infinity opus is upon us! This is their second one, out through Season of Mist. What to expect? I must admit I haven’t listened to this international two men band/project before, so I did not know how they sound like. This is basically black metal with lots of blackened death metal influences, but also sounding very raw and aggressive. Vocals are mixture of death metal growling, black metal screaming, eerie chanting voices, some whispering and almost spoken words. Music ranges from blast beat fast oriented aggression pure to more slower and atmospheric stuff like excellent ‘Iron Age’ featuring guest performance by Adrienne Cowan(Seven Spires) who provides clean vocals and screams on this one sounding just awesome. Omega Infinity cleverly mixes industrial and electronica into their song structures thus creating something cold and sinister, but also there are subtle melodies underneath all of brutality. There are also guest performances, like Lindsay Schoolcraft(ex Cradle of Filth, Antiqva) delivering her speech and screams of fantastic ‘Death Rays’ and Andras Nagy of Hungarian Sear Bliss singing on ‘Voices From The End Of Time’ and ‘Night Journey’ and Marta J. Braun (TODTGELICHTER, VYRE) delivering clean vocals of Emperor cover ‘Ye Entranceempirium’. Yes, there are two covers on this one as bonus, one being aforementioned Emperor song, on whom this band reminds me in their progressive black metal elements and variety of songwriting. Other is a Sear Bliss cover. Songs are long but they do not get boring for one second because this is various and aggressive, but also smart and progressive black metal opus.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 