Adversvm - Aion Sitra Ahra

Band: Adversvm
Title: Aion Sitra Ahra
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Release Date: 4 May 2018
Country: Germany
Format reviewed: Digital CD quality

The triangle. The geometric figure of three sides and three angles, which encloses, from time immemorial, powerful meanings. The perfect number. Symbol, in many cultures, of the triad "Mind, body and spirit”.

I believe that the logo of Adversvm, the solo project of a mysterious musician, of which the identity is not known, is really powerful, something formal, if you will, but owner of a powerful and undeniable symbolism, and I believe that the music contained in this work has similar characteristics.

"Aion Sitra Ahra" is an album that arrives at a just moment. Currently, the genre of doom is very popular in many parts of the world, although, being very much embraced in more mainstream environments, there are still certain aspects of this that correspond to the most absolute underground, and I mean the Funeral Doom sub-genre, of course. With the exception of bands like Ahab or Bell Witch, there are still projects that, fused with the most desperate characters of the genre, they continue navigating through more experimental waters, adding a quota of madness and mysticism to their slow-burning alchemy.

Adversvm could be considered within this very particular category. The kind of band that takes more elements from the darkest and belligerent part of this respectable style. The influences of Thergothon are quite obvious, and welcome since there are not many Funeral Doom bands that can replicate the atmospheres of those huge pioneers, but there is a touch of atmospheres bordering on the psychedelic terrain, very typical of bands like Esoteric or Urna (from Italy). These passages unfold between thick layers of guitars and incredibly successful recording effects.

Being a one-man project, it shows the dedication and time used to make the songs. The study tools are used as one more instrument, achieving an enormous, enveloping sound, with a careful detail and detainment for each texture, specifically of the guitars, and their careful work of a selection of chords. That is another feature that caught my attention. The chord structures used are simple, but perfect for the style. We really appreciate the dynamism and diversity of tones for a genre that tends to delve into extremely simple and repetitive structures. I mean that "Aion Sitra ..." is also repetitive, like a good album of Funeral Doom should be, but it stands out in its willingness to want to take the genre one step further, by dint of remarkable theoretical knowledge and good taste.

“Aion Sitra Ahra” is an excellent album of Funeral Doom that moves away from the clichés of the sub-genre (excessive durations, dramatism, and redundant ideas) and offers a fresh mix of experimentation, finally achieved, in tune with the most psychedelic titans. Adversvm makes his debut, very aware of his qualities and praising the possibilities of his purely underground environment. Very recommendable. 8.5/10 Sergio




Band:
Facebook
Soundcloud

Label
Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Shop
Instagram

8.5/10 To Greatness and Glory
**Please support the underground! It’s vital to the future of our genre.

#supporttheunderground

Byyrth - Echoes from the Seven Caves of Blood

Band: Byyrth
Title: Echoes from the Seven Caves of Blood
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Release Date: 9 March 2018
Country: United States
Format reviewed: Digital Promo

A scream emerges, among the ruins of a tomb lost in time, dying between echoes and the sudden loss of temporal notion soaked in reverb of the most underground and abysmal raw black metal. The sharp fangs come out again at night, every time the sun of California is hidden, by the hand of Byyrth, a duo who began his nocturnal walks just two years ago. His discography barely has a demo, the album "Saviors of Armageddon", released last year and this brand new "Echoes from the Seven Caves of Blood".

The first thing that hits us hard, when listening to "Echoes ...", are the cavernous chords and the reverb submerged vocals characteristic of the most reverential raw black metal towards the French scene. Drums almost inaudible in the mix, creepy shrieks and the constant putrefactive aura of the production, which gives that feeling of listening to something recorded in a humid crypt at midnight. The influences are quite clear, tending towards the classical occult excursions of Les Légions Noires (there are reminiscences of Vlad Tepes, Belkètre or Mütiilation, for example, although also to the Raw BM of more recent projects, such as Obskuritatem, of Bosnia and Herzegovina).

It is not by chance that the work has a very special guest: Meyhna'ch, better known as Mütiilation, who lends his voice to two of the album's tracks. Particularly those where the band reaches its most insane and cacophonous level. The other songs are developed between structures of straight black metal, and some interesting incursions into rhythms more linked to black'n'roll, with many bad vibes and punk attitude. It seems to me that it is in these moments where the band manages to stand out and offer something away from the most trite places of the genre.

"Echoes from the Seven Caves of Blood" is a work that meets expectations within the canons of raw black metal, which has a certain personality and has a legend of extreme music as a guest, but also shows a band trying to develop stylistically, that executes several ideas with remarkable fruition, but without achieving a total cohesion in its proposal. Undoubtedly, an album that will satisfy the most hardcore fans of the genre, and recommended for the nostalgic fans of Les Légions Noires and the good old Meyhna'ch. 6.5/10 Sergio





Band
Bandcamp
Facebook

Label
Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Shop
Instagram

6/10 – We may survive

**Please support the underground! It’s vital to the future of our genre.
#supporttheunderground

Veiled - Black Celestial Orbs

Band: Veiled
Title: Black Celestial Orbs
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Release Date: 16 March 2018
Country: USA

For some years the USBM has positioned itself as one of the most interesting black metal world scenes, if we take into account the proliferation of underground bands that have been battling and even setting trends since the mid 90's. Veiled debuts, with its first full length, from the hosts of the incredible Iron Bonehead catalog, recorded at The Gray Studios in Stockholm, Sweden by Heljarmadr, (known for his work with Dark Funeral or Grá), with an album of Atmospheric Black Metal, dreamy and incredibly absorbing.
The first thing that catches us from "Black Celestial Orbs" are the open chords and the blast beats of "Luminous", like a cold nocturnal breeze. The sound is giant and enveloping, although very polished and calculated. If your preference is the Lo-Fi Atmo Black of projects like Paysage d'Hiver or Bekëth Nexëhmü, you will not find it here.
Veiled seems to be more in tune with modern sound trends (there are some characteristics of the Cascadian Black Metal, referring to the big wall of sound, for example), but adding a minimalist touch of its own.
The duo's recipe is simple, and works smoothly for the largest portion of the record. Hypnotic structures fed on the basis of two or three chords on blasts, occasional tremolo technique, to end in ethereal sections that function as small balms lost in the conglomerate of the sonorous universe of these celestial orbs. It is in those instrumental crescendos where the band achieves a quite particular identity quota, achieving climates that can function as trance inducers in the most patient listeners.
Only in the last two songs can the band be seen trying to stylistically approach less orthodox ideas. They even dare to introduce some jazzy patterns. The last track is entirely ambient, including haunted soundscapes of nocturnal nature and Niðafjöll reciting a poetry. Strangely, it works and, sincerely, it is in these moments where the band manages to stand out. They are probably ideas that can be perfected in future releases.
"Black Celestial Orbs" is a solid album, very well executed, with a correct sound and quite accessible. A promising work, from a band that could get to give much more in forthcoming releases. Recommended for those who are beginning to venture into the genre. 7/10. Sergio


Band
Facebook
Bandcamp

Label
Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Shop
Instagram

7/10 Victory is possible

Antichrist – Pax Moriendi

Band: Antichrist
Title: Pax Moriendi
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Release Date: 9 March 2018
Country: Peru

Coming from the depths of Peru, Antichrist band was formed in 2004 but it is really active since 2012. After releasing four demos between 2014 and 2016, finally their full length debut album is here. Slow, ethereal, reverberating through the soul. Weeping. Heavy. This is Pax Moriendi. It is an excellent doom/death metal example, touching the borders of the mournful funeral kingdoms, and reminding of some of the very classics in the style. Even only by looking at the cover artwork, I instantly felt the stillness of the cold eternal marble, the grief and the past forgotten times. A reminicence of a huge tomb overgrown in oblivion, carrying the pains of one whole disappered era. Coming from eternity and continuing into eternity when we are all gone. With 5 long gloomy tracks and total running time of almost 45 minutes, Pax Moriendi reveals the sorrowful, cutting-through pain, bleeding through the heavy slow chords, melodies, atmospheric synths and really very deep guttural vocals. Predominantly it is slow melancholic late-autumn album, with few dynamic parts within the songs. With titles like Forgotten in Nameless Suffuring, In th Dark and Mournful Corner, You Will Never See Sun Light, it is most natural that Pax Moriendi is a torturous experience, a deep wound, a spiritual journey for the one to contemplate how transitional is everything, what Nothing we are in our present form of meaningless existence in this world, and how immense is the eternity. Can you feel the pain whispering in your ear? Can you feel it overtaking your heart? Pax Moriendi is an experience, an atmosphere to drown in. A contemplation. A painful funeral of a close one. …And the tears are running down your face along with the cold autumn rain.
7/10 Count Vlad

Band
Facebook

Label
Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Shop
Instagram

7/10 – Victory is possible

Goatkraft - Angel Slaughter

Band: Goatkraft
Title: Angel Slaughter
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Release date: 9 March 2018
Country: Norway

Forming in 2017 and hailing from Norway, Goatkraft has one demo and a new EP titled Angel Slaughter. This contains six tracks of raw, unrelenting rage that pounds all into the ground. Featuring, an eerie intro of cryptic voices surrounded by wind, feedback and other sporadic instrumentations happening, also included as one of the tracks on this EP, is a Black Witchery cover. For the most part, other than song beginnings or endings, this whirlwind of black/death continues its blasting inferno from start to finish. With simplistic riffing, that is straightforward and to the point, this is not about complexity or melody but more like a full out attack! Along with the fast pummeling of the drums, there is a heavy undertone here which is enforced by the low growl of the bass, followed by fast power chord riffing of the guitars, slicing their path. Vocal assaults lash out, in a fusion of gruff and guttural combined with mid growls and screams too. Covering all areas of extremity and infused in a darkened rage, the Angel Slaughter EP takes you into a blasphemous world where annihilation and war reign supreme. 9/10 By Wolven Deadsoul

Band
Bandcamp
Site

Label
Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Shop
Instagram

Vhorthax "Nether Darkness"

Band: Vhorthax
Title: Nether Darkness
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Release Date: January 5, 2018
Country: Russia

Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod region, Russia’s Vhorthax was formed in 2016 by members of the band Abyssfire - Morkh (voices & psalms - also Sickrites and Serpentrance), Nicholas-N.A.-I.I. (drums), and M.P. (guitars & bass). The band evokes the primitive darkness worship, with cavernous chants and morbid compositions. Stylistically I would describe their music being in the black end of the death metal, in the death end of the black metal, and all this with just a tiny touch of doom death feeling here and there. 2017 offered some excellent releases into that direction and Vhorthax EP definitely deserves attention.
“Nether Darkness” is only 22.32 min. long, with torturous intro and outro tracks. This means there are just four tracks really to enjoy. I wished it was longer and to include couple of more songs to experience. The overall feeling is abyssal; the music drowns the listener into the nine circles of hell from the very first tune. The sound is morbid, low and intensive. The Levitating Tomb begins slowly, ritually before explode into devilish whiplashing fury. Stabat Matter is dark, psychic, slower compared to the rest, with choirs and grimness of the blackest nightmares.  Thy Foul Graal and Crushing The Vessels of Trinity are intensive sinister ritualistic chants, in worship of primeval black forces. Nether Darkness is really a painful journey down the nine level spiral to the darkest corners of the abyss where the Evil reigns and the souls deserve to suffer eternally. Will anyone dare? 8.5/10 By Count Vlad

Band
Facebook

Label
Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Shop
Instagram

Kawir "Exilasmos"

Band: Kawir
Album: Exilasmos
Release date: Nov. 3rd, 2017
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Country: Greece

When considering black metal inspired by mythology, it is easy to conjure thoughts of Norse gods and Viking legends, yet Greece has a history of drawing such inspiration almost as frequently as their Scandinavian counterparts. Kawir is no exception, using their brand of  Hellenic black metal to tell tales, in the case of Exilasmos, of the houses of Lavdakides and Atreus. The music itself fits the epic scale of the legends, utilizing a grandiose scale that the Greek black metal scene has become known for. Despite being based around tragedies, the songs’ moods vary between ferocious and triumphant, the second track, “Oedipus”, being a stand out in regards to such features. The riffs are well-written, flowing from one to the next, showcasing the band’s experienced songwriting abilities. The choral samples sprinkled throughout add a nice touch, and while Kawir don’t rely on them for their grand sound, they do a good job of adding to the music. Overall, Exilasmos is a better-than-average Greek black metal release that warrants several listens to fully appreciate the storytelling as well as the songwriting, and for me one of heir best to date. 7/10 By d00mfr00g

Band
Facebook
Youtube

Label
Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Shop

Vesicant "Shadows of Cleansing Iron"

Band: Vesicant
Title: Shadows of Cleansing Iron
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Release Date: July 14, 2017
Country: New Zealand

“Vesicant” is defined as a blistering agent, in this case referring to mustard gas used during the first World War, a war notorious for its technological advances on the battlefield. It was these advances that made for arguably the bloodiest and most viscous wars in the history of man, as battlefield tactics had not yet adapted to these new methods of destruction. Vesicant have chosen their name well, as their debut, The Shadows of Cleansing Iron, is a consistent barrage of battlefield chaos that just drops to a trudge blanketed in the fog of war. Their sonic assault feels like the hellish battlefields from which they draw inspiration: for example, the first track (“Blood Miller”) starts slow, as though the next wave of troops are advancing over the fallen before meeting the enemy before all out warfare ensues. The snare drum sounds like a Vickers Machine gun blasting through the haze of battle. The guitars, heavy and coated in fuzz and reverb blanket the sonic landscape with an air of fear. This maintains throughout the album, unexpected twists and turns before dropping back to the slow crawl as the next wave works its way towards an uncertain fate in the meat grinder of the front line. For a two-piece, I can’t get over how unbelievably FULL this record sounds. The cover art does the album justice: a massive, intimidating building looming out of the shadows pairs perfectly with the crushing, massive atmosphere Profanum and Mordance (Impetuous Ritual, Temple Nightside) present. In a genre that has a tendency to produce many clone bands, Vesicant feel fresh and inspired. To call The Shadows of Cleansing Iron a "breath of fresh air", however, would do it a disservice; the air here feels full of carbon, diesel exhaust, and possibly mustard gas creeping in the trenches: exactly what I want in a war metal release. 9/10 By d00mfr00g


Band
Bandcamp
Facebook

Label
Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Shop

Sacrocurse "Gnostic Holocaust"

Band: Sacrocurse
Title: Gnostic Holocaust
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Release Date: October 19, 2017
Country: Mexico

The greatest issue with black/death bands is the very limiting restrictions of the genre. There is not much room to expand, and thus stand out from the waves of Blasphemy clones that seem to pop up all over the globe. A few have managed to really stand out this year, with Goatpenis and Weregoat taking a more melodic, accessible approach or Vesicant dropping their tempos into doom territory. Enter Sacrocurse and their sophmore full-length, Gnostic Holocaust. There is not much new here, but what they bring to the table is a solid slice of black/death nonetheless. Their are hooks to be found here, especially on the surprisingly catchy "Endless Khaoz", which stands as an anthemic highlight and I would assume a future live staple for the band. The production is good, not lo-fi but not squeaky clean either. The guitar solos serve the purpose of taking the tracks to the next level without overstaying their welcome, and the pick scrapes ZK (of Nodens, Obeisance, ex-Morbosidad) flavors the tracks with are loud and full. The band's solid rhythm section has no trouble locking into a groove on the breakdowns between the chaotic fast attacks or on the slower "Vengence Consumed". The vocals are well delivered, but rarely deviate from the same delivery, though there are bits of higher-pitched screams to be found sprinkled in. Overall, despite my complaints of not bringing much new to the war metal table, the release is enjoyable enough to stand out a bit amongst the other Blasphmeny clones releasing albums this year. 6.5/10 By d00mfr0gg

Band
Facebook

Iron Bonehead Productions
Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Shop

Vassafor "Malediction"

Band: Vassafor

Title: Malediction

Label: Iron Bonehead Productions (Lp, Tape) / Debemur Morti Productions (CD)

Release Date: October 13, 2017

Country: New Zealand

When I received this promo I was thrilled to be able to listen this band again, something that I did not do for a long time ... Hmmmmmm ... Now there's a mix of Black Death Metal?!?!? At least that sounds in my ears. It's different ... Ok I agree and I admit that it has been a long time since I listened to this band and unfortunately I have not followed their discography but ... In the demos were much more Black Metal, or rather I say, they were Black Metal and very good by the way. I will not say that it is worse because I find very good riffs that fill my ears, but I was expecting something I was used to. There are some very good riffs as I said, a very well done atmosphere, a cavernous sound that went very well into my ears, but I continue with that feeling that they were "more" Black Metal than the "idea / entity" I always I associate this band is "lost" and is sounding like many and many bands that in this vague (fashion), of Trves Black Death Metal. It's not bad, no, it's not, but ... Very honestly, I do not have and I do not know what to write about in this review because I've been waiting for one thing and heard another that I even feel a bit "lost" in my vocabulary / writing. I leave to you the hearing and draw your conclusions and I will not give any rating ...? / 10 By Me, Myself & I

Band
Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud

Debemur Morti Productions
Facebook
Twitter
Soundcloud
Bandcamp
Shop

Iron Bonehead Productions
Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Shop

Runespell (Aus) "Unhallowed Blood Oath"

After a demo, released in May of this year, will be released in September (29th to be more correct) the album. Again to be released by the German label Iron Bonehead Productions. For the label to bet on the band again, it's because the band has quality. And yes it is true. Very good. Or I'll say even better. A very good Black Metal. A very good voice, the sound distilled by the guitars, the raw drums, etc. Very good. Seven musics and a 38 minutes of audition make this album (at least in my opinion) be a candidate for one of the best Black Metal albums of 2017 (I'm talking about my audition and not of your elections and votes in forums and blogs , mainstream arghhh). In the seven songs of this album, there are some very powerful riffs that made me move my head and foot to mark the tempo of the song. Music like "Oblivion Minds" or the excellent beginning (and the rest of the music too) of "Bllodlust & Vengeance", fuck. Excellent. Of all the songs on this album, the one that even managed to be only a little superior to the other songs was "Heaven In Blood". Excellent riff, great music. The music is elaborated in a simple way but that takes us to a state of purity, which is required in Black Metal. I do not know how to say more, how good this album is. Even the two instrumental songs present, are good and sincerely do not even feel the lack of voice in them, attention I am not saying bad things of the singer, I even say well, if you do not remember back to the text above and read again. ahahahahah. To finish this review ... If you do not know, this band, or rather this one man band, has the excellent musician Nightwolf behind everything. Search yourself, who is this musician... 8.5 / 10 By Me, Myself & I

You can listen
Soundcloud
Bandcamp