Top 25 Albums Of 2013

Better late than never, right?

I disappeared for the latter half of 2013. It was an awfully busy year and I couldn't find the time or the willpower to keep writing. Unfortunately I'm not sure when I'll be back to write more since I only seem to be getting busier, so treat this as an indefinite hiatus. Part of me wants to continue writing by keeping reviews short and to the point, so maybe I'll do that. We will see. I really have no motivation anymore.

This year was strong for music, and unlike my writing obligations I wasn't able to shirk my undying will to listen to new releases. Here are my top full-lengths from this past year with the usual post-list dubious honors. Enjoy!

25. Beyond - Fatal Power Of Death

I hadn't heard this one until just recently, but Beyond play one of my favorite styles of OSDM - fast, riffy, and frenzied akin to Tribulation's 2009 release The Horror (yet not quite on that level of goodness). Fatal Power Of Death has a more classic '80s sound to it with low-mixed bass and loads of thrash undercurrent. It's endearing, aggressive fun without being all heady like some of the other releases on this list.


24. All Will Gather To The Shores - Deity Of Ruin

My questionably written review for Deity Of Ruin is right below this post. That's how long it's been since I've written anything. This is Bandcamp drone/ambient/doom from Russia with a predictable emphasis on atmosphere. It's how they wield that atmosphere, and how it evokes scenic soundscapes that makes Deity Of Ruin so special. There's something sinister lying under the world they create and it's just hinted at throughout the album.


23. Njiqahdda - Serpents In The Sky

Urrrgh this is a polarizing release. On one side you have hyper-prolific Njiqahdda, who have successfully streamlined their sound from the chaotic black metal noodling of The Path Of Liberation From Birth And Death, and on the other you have...exactly the opposite. I like both styles but the common complaints that Njiqahdda always get are still there: weak, distorted vocalwork and DIY production plague Serpents In The Sky. I don't mind that though, and the more relaxed nature of this album lends it a completely different feel from what I'm used to. Then again I don't listen to each of their umpteen releases each year.


22. Run The Jewels - Self-Titled

Well this is a surprise. I didn't expect to like this at all coming from Killer Mike and El-P since I usually avoid anything with El-P's voice attached to it, but here I found him to be palatable. The best beats on Run The Jewels ("Banana Clipper", "DDFH", "Sea Legs") are the ones he solo-produced. Filled with chromatic melodies and intentionally noise-laden waveforms, there's something subtly aggressive about Run The Jewels too. Frenetic delivery from Killer Mike and fun hooks make it entertaining, yet I've always had a fondness for more topical, disdainful stuff like the lyrics on "DDFH." Definitely excited for the sequel coming later this year.


21. Mark Kozelek & Desertshore - Self-Titled

Singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek has a pretty traditional, very personal folk style on his solo recordings. I enjoy his ruminations, and his collaboration with indie rock band Desertshore was my introduction to his music as well as random west-coast slowcore acts. It's full of memorable little hooks, quotes, and has some varied instrumentation thanks to Desertshore. Riffs reminiscent of lighter math rock and different drum tones make this more than simple lyrical entertainment, although that is a good thing in and of itself.

20. A Million Dead Birds Laughing - Bloom

I could make a case for Bloom being the most disappointing release of 2013. With the departure of vocalist Adam Stewart I was pretty worried for these Australian technical deathgrinders. After all Xen was my album of the year for 2012. The fluid nature of their albums was defined largely in part by his absolutely insane range and catchy phrasing. He made the albums feel like one long track filled with multitudes of ideas. Their new vocalist Darren Leslie isn't bad at all but his vocals aren't as enunciated or as varied as Stewart's were, and I never catch myself singing along despite the rhythmic qualities still being present. Anyway enough talk about the vocalwork. Bloom is still an audial treat from every other perspective, and that's what matters most.

19. The Ruins Of Beverast - Blood Vaults - The Blazing Gospel of Heinrich Kramer

I've always had immense respect for one man bands and Alexander Von Meilenwald seems to be at the pinnacle of his game right now with his incredibly atmospheric, black doom monster Blood Vaults. I kind of wish I had checked him out earlier. I find his use of subtle electronics really fascinating and I wish more artists in the subgenres would experiment with those sounds. I've heard the doom elements on this release are toned down a bit so I should probably get to hearing his previous work. This one has it's slow moments and unfortunately that (and the stupid intro track) is where Blood Vaults is at its worst.


18. Katechon - Man, God, Giant

When your promotional influences "include old death metal, black metal, modern classical music, avantgarde and the darker side of thrash metal," it tells me virtually nothing about the sound of the band. What the hell do they mean by modern classical? Are we talking contemporary, Stravinsky, or Schoenberg-esque? Whatever. Katechon's Man, God, Giant has plenty of ripping, creative riffs. They are more or less the sum of their (apparently enormous) amount of influences, and there's nothing on Man, God, Giant that turns metal on its head, but this album is about the nuances: little snare breaks here and there, bass slides, and the occasional layered black metal riff to compliment the thrashier moments in their overarching macrocosm of death metal. Basically it has a personality a lot of similar acts lack, even if that description probably still tells you nothing about them.


17. Ævangelist - Omen Ex Simulacra

Ævangelist have beaten Portal at their own abysmill (ahem) game. Unfortunately there are a few weak points on Omen Ex Simulacra, such as the long and dull album opener and some of the muddled production values, but there is an underlying brilliance to this release which makes looking forward to Ævangelist's next exciting.

16. Hookworms - Pearl Mystic

I really enjoyed Hookworms' debut Pearl Mystic. The sound is so textured and the whole thing is absolutely saccharine. If peyote came in lollipops and you had synesthesia, this is what those candies would sound like. I particularly like the droning, desert tunes on "Since We Have Changed" and "Form & Function," both reminiscent of tracks on Headdress' Lunes even if the bands have no connection whatsoever.


15. Wormed - Exodromos

The "brutal cyber space-slam" thing is still Wormed's gig alone. Initially I was disappointed with Exodromos but over time it grew on me. More flat production aside, Exodromos is still every bit as well-written as the classic Planisphaerium.  It was pointed out to me that the last track is an amalgamation of riffs from all over the album, which is a neat little fact. It's worth relistening to pick out where each one occurs.


14. Grouper - The Man Who Died In His Boat

Aesthetically dark and charmingly nostalgic, Liz Harris' newest effort is hypnotic and dreamy electro-folk that doesn't get bogged down with an overabundance of instrumentation. There's a lot of subtlety to The Man Who Died In His Boat, and the mood of the album really clicked with me halfway through this year. This is a release that is more "felt" than some of the others on my list -- it's definitely one you have to hear for yourself if you're into this kind of stuff, or if you're all about that branch of the Subpop scene.

13. Obliteration - Black Death Horizon

Obliteration are one of the coolest bands to come out of the old school death metal movement. Their bouncy style might be heavily influenced by Autopsy but I find them to be a different (and at this point in Autopsy's career, more interesting) beast. They have the doom elements and that organic, earthy tone that one associates with Mental Funeral, but there is something distinctly Norwegian about this. Maybe it's the cover art, but I'm reminded ever so slightly of Molested's Blod-Draum. That's probably just my mind playing tricks on me. Whatever. Black Death Horizon is sweet.

12. Antediluvian - Logos

Nuclear War Now! has had a damn fine year. Logos sounds like deranged cavemen hitting drums made of extinct animals' skin. There's also that same odd technicality to Antediluvian's music that isn't readily apparent on first listen. Murkier than their previous full-length, Logos is drenched in the same dark primal atmosphere yet still manages to avoid being one-dimensional Nuclear War Now! fodder like Morbosidad. Riffier tracks like closer "Death Meta" make it hard for me to pick a favorite between this one and Through The Cervix Of Hawaah which I featured back in 2011.


11. Katalepsy - Autopsychosis

Very few bands combine plain ol' death metal and brutal death metal as well as Katalepsy have on this album. With one of the strongest production values on this list and surprisingly traditional vocalwork (mixed with sporadic lapses into rhythmic gurgling brutality), this is not just a catchy, entertaining listen but a well-crafted and rewarding one as well.


10. Cerekloth - In The Midst Of Life We Are Death

As I'm writing this, I'm incredibly disappointed to hear that Cerekloth have decided to go on hold. This is some absolutely killer death metal that filters mid-paced riffing, strong almost-doom grooves, and light progressive elements to create an unholy sonic beast (ex: "Halo Of Syringes"). The songs on In The Midst Of Life We Are Death are well-written and refined to the point that each second feels like it was necessary to convey what the album is all about. That's absolutely commendable in a genre oversaturated with bands and labels who churn out releases that are far, far more than 50% schlock.


9. Abyssal - Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius

More refined and "mature" than their debut. Novit is Abyssal shedding the riffage of Denouement in favor of a thick, black atmosphere. This release is far more dark and dynamic than the debut. One of my favorite things about Abyssal is their inclusion of chromatic semi-slam riffs. They always pop up at the best times, almost akin to the "build-up" formula of some of the better brutal death metal acts. Encase that in bleak atmosphere with whirring guitars and you have a winner.


8. Cultes Des Ghoules - Henbane

The best purely black metal release of the year, and no this isn't tweedly-needly Norwegian-style stuff. Bass and low-end are present on Henbane and the result is a full, captivating sound. The whole thing is just astonishingly well-written, and the inclusion of acoustic instruments adds far more to it than I thought they would. There's almost a tribal, shamanistic vibe to Henbane (see: "Idylls Of The Chosen Damned" and "Vintage Black Magic") which makes it a unique listen.


7. Sacriphyx - The Western Front

I was half-expecting generic "war metal" from NWN! when I heard The Western Front for the first time. Incredibly melodic, I was really surprised by the range of dynamics Sacriphyx bring to the traditional death metal sound. The Western Front almost has more in common with traditional heavy metal than it does extreme metal. This release is also oddly emotive, with plenty of tracks sounding solemn and distant, despite the overarching (and obviously violent) WWI thematic. I could totally picture Hemingway loving this.

6. Gigan - Multidimensional Fractal-Sorcery And Super Science

By far the stupidest looking album cover on this list, Gigan's psychedelic world-destroying onslaught continues. I definitely prefer Eston Browne to the vocalist on Quasi-Hallucinogenic Sonic Landscapes, and this album is much better constructed. While not as strong as the EP or their debut, Multidimensional Fractal-Sorcery is still a very potent dose of technical deathgrind and has some of Gigan's most catchy material. They're one of the most unique bands in the entire extreme metal genre so you owe it to yourself to hear them at least once if you're not one of those "everything after 1993 is bad" idiots.

5. Tribulation - The Formulas Of Death

While not quite as progressive as people like to make out, The Formulas Of Death is a very welcome change of sound for Tribulation. The Horror was nigh perfect for the style. It's unrelenting speed and razor-edged riffing made for one of 2009's best. Tribulation had big shoes to fill and opted to try on a new pair instead. The Formulas Of Death is a bit long-winded, but its chock-full of late '70s-early '80s atmosphere, memorable riffs, and great chord progressions. It's an album I keep wanting to revisit.

4. Gorguts - Colored Sands

Out of all the (literal) revival acts of this year, Gorguts are the one I cared about the most. Luc Lemay is a brilliant songwriter and musician. Each track on Colored Sands is memorable, almost like an album within itself. "The Battle Of Chamdo" is an interesting outing in that it is performed by an orchestra and leads into the second half of the album, spearheaded by the incredibly awesome "Enemies Of Compassion." It has one of the best solos I've heard in years as well as Luc Lemay's infamous rolling rhythms. The whole of Colored Sands conveys the Tibetan thematic (pre-and-post invasion) perfectly, but just as important is that this is a great return for one of (technical) death metal's best.


3. Primitive Man - Scorn

Humorless and noisy, Scorn is absolute disgust with a hopeless race in a meaningless universe. One listen to the title track is all it took for me to order the LP from the band prior to their signing to Relapse (which hopefully means good things in the future!). This is the most wonderfully hateful thing I've listened to in years: "From cardigans to leather vests, you're all shit. And I'm fucking buried in it." Like black arms reaching out from a bloodstained mire, Scorn drags the listener into a hellish, lightless world from which there is no escape.

2. Rorcal - Világvége

Világvége is unrelentingly vicious. Well-written, raw, and combining the best elements of sludge, doom, and black metal, Rorcal assault the listener with frenzied riffs and some of the best drumming (outside of #1 below) around. The album flows and takes the listener along with it, like a caustic stream of frozen acid. "IV-VII-VI" is one of my favorite subsequences in recent memory. I absolutely love how Világvége builds and releases into a dissonant catastrophe before rescinding like the tide.

1. Ulcerate - Vermis

I realize how predictable this is coming from me. I don't care.

Vermis was everything I was hoping for from Ulcerate. This is incredibly layered, dense, churning death metal filled with Ulcerate's signature technicality and angularity. A far cry from the ebb-and-flow of The Destroyers Of All, this is Ulcerate in a more abrasive state, although there are slower moments akin to their previous release. Vermis is most concerned with ripping you apart and scattering your pieces to the wind. At times even the frantic, riff-heavy insanity of Everything Is Fire and Of Fracture And Failure shines through the chaotic layering, yet Vermis remains a completely fresh listening experience despite giving nods to all of Ulcerate's previous work. I'm so glad they don't want to repeat themselves. Keep on making brilliant music guys.

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Honorable Mentions:

Darkside - Psychic (quality electronic - questionable vocals)
Crypt Lurker - Baneful Magic, Death Worship and Necromancy Rites Archaic (heavy as all hell)
The Flight Of Sleipnir - Saga (more of the same but that's always welcome)
Àrsaidh - Roots (I usually don't like this kind of viking metal stuff but this one had more to it than just a flat theme)
True Widow - Circumambulation (might as well be called doom rock)
Zealotry - The Charnel Expanse (DEFINITELY a band to watch in the future - solid, slightly technical death metal from Massachusetts)
Ruined Families - Black Language (Greek hardcore with plenty of feel)
Stomach Earth - self-titled (brooding death/doom with good tone)

Best EPs/Splits:

3. Orbweaver - Strange Transmissions From The Neuralnomicon

You like Gigan? Good. This is for you (love, ex-Gigan vocalist Randy Piro from their debut). Sounds more akin to The Footsteps Of Gigan than anything.

2. Mitochondrion - Antinumerology

PLEASE MAKE A NEW ALBUM ALREADY. My biggest issue with this release was that it was too short. That's not even a legitimate complaint!

1. Bolzer - Aura

This one topped a lot of lists this year. Great underground death/black metal with memorable riffs. Bolzer show enormous promise. Also what's with all these bands and this sites color scheme?

Dubious Honors:

Guilty Pleasure: Reciprocal - New Order Of The Ages. I generally don't enjoy this stuff, but the silly conspiracy theory samples and solid-if-over-extended pacing make it entertaining.

Biggest Disappointment: I guess for most people it was the mediocrity of My Bloody Valentine's return. There were a lot of minor disappointments: Tormented was weak. New Revocation was alright but a step down. Convulse, Carcass, and Autopsy released forgettable albums. I'd probably have to go with Light Bearer's Silver Tongue. Unlike the first with its well-written yet typical crescendo stuff, this one was pretty heavy-handed. I didn't expect it to be amazing since I knew the context of the concept beforehand, but it came out worse than expected. I rarely listened to it and when I did I just wanted to listen to Lapsus instead. Altar Of Plagues' Teethed Glory And Injury might be my second place. It retreads itself far too often.

Most Disgusting Release: Deafheaven - Sunbather. The most polarizing release of 2013. They poorly hybridized a bunch of genres (screamo, hardcore, shoegaze, post-rock, black metal) into a sonically incohesive, boring slop and served it up on a silver platter to ignorant journalists and music fans unexposed to those genres. Personally I'd rather hear one genre done well than a hundred executed poorly.

All Will Gather To The Shores - Deity Of Ruin

And now for the new release.

All Will Gather To The Shores have crafted something far more abrasive and far more interesting with Deity Of Ruin. Sounds and effects blare and fade, intermixed with distinct and heavily distorted harsh vocals on this release much like they did on the previous. Everything feels more refined, and from beginning to end, Deity Of Ruin feels like a grand escapade towards an abstract land or cosmic goal. Ironically the track titled "Journey" happens to be one of the best on here.

The rattling, jarring opener "Captivity" sets things in motion as Deity Of Ruin begins sculpting its sonic landscape from whale bones and the ashes of modernity. "Machine" is interesting in that it features subtle drumwork and even a few fills along with All Will Gather To The Shores' fuzzy, low guitars. The blaring high register notes are the sounds I would imagine the earth would make as humanity scars its landscape with mines and refineries. Some tracks, like these two, are less subtle than those on Their Bodies Clutter The Sea. The distant roaring of "Journey," and the electric guitar-driven "Ashore" are both similar to the openers in this regard.

As the more subtle, dark ambient track "Mist" gives way to the comparatively lighthearted "Relief," the sonic landscape appears to be reaching completion. The general picture of Deity Of Ruin has already been established by the end of "Relief," whose guitar keeps building in decibels as it goes. "Journey" follows up and sets the action in motion aboard the decrepit world stage. Soft, clean guitarwork dotted with a very light post rock sound guides the listener over crevasses, empty valleys, vast oceans, and tortured cities. The vocals on this track are fantastic, subdued and distant in the mix, and a subtle reminder of all that is wrong with the planet Deity Of Ruin has built. They trail off, fade in, and eventually the distorted, gated guitar brings the world to its knees in a calamitous finale.

"Island" is far more quiet and introspective, guided almost entirely by acoustic guitars. It makes for a nice follow up to "Journey" before the catchy drone riffing of "Ashore." The vocals on "Ashore" are raspy and almost black metallish, contrasting from the primal, world-roar of "Journey." Granted they're all heavily distorted so it makes little difference, but just something I noticed. "Beyond" closes the album out with distant sounds of gulls and waves, returning the world to the water in which it was born.

There are numerous instances on Deity Of Ruin which grant it the added tag of doom along with ambient, drone, and psychedelic noise. The riffing is distorted, fuzzy, heavy, and some of it is constant enough to put it in the drone doom realm. The use of strings is honestly what makes this such an interesting release for me, and the atmosphere that All Will Gather To The Shores create on Deity Of Ruin is stark on multiple levels.

Deity Of Ruin makes me think again about Herakleitos, impermanence, and post modernity. Any album that makes me contemplate...things is good in my books.

8.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Captivity
2. Machine
3. Mist
4. Relief
5. Journey
6. lsland
7. Ashore
8. Beyond

Bandcamp

All Will Gather To The Shores - Their Bodies Clutter The Sea

I'm going to cover both of Russian act All Will Gather To The Shores' releases. This is their first release, Their Bodies Clutter The Sea.

Drone and ambient work well with psychedelic. The visual aspect of psychedelic has always been the main draw, and as I'm finding out now, the main draw for drone, ambient, and noise. Unlike most purely electronic or synthetic ambient or drone, All Will Gather To The Shores utilize subtle and limited strings and extremely distorted, low-mixed vocals. The latter pop up infrequently, and on this release only on "Gale" and "Calm." "Gale" is appropriately the least soothing with its noisy, distorted looping and dissonant chord transitions. As a concept it serves quite nicely, although it isn't the most compelling track.

Follow up tracks "Hope" and "Despair" are two sides of the same coin with "Hope" being guided by relatively peaceful string sounds. It's nice coming from "Gale" but since the track is barely over a minute "Despair" slowly kicks in, which is surprisingly less melancholy than the name. It's a lackadaisical track, like basking on the sun-baked deck of a ship left adrift after a monstrous storm. "Calm," the longest and most acutely developed track on the album is much more solemn in its development. The soft strings kick in before the vocals do - as harsh and distorted as ever - until they fade to light guitars and a droning outro.

The guitar tone is of note on Their Bodies Clutter The Sea. It's doomy, heavy, and distorted, and the higher register notes sound like the audio interpretation of sun rays beating down onto sunburnt backs. In a way, Their Bodies Clutter The Sea almost evokes a desert image in that regard.

A solid, but slightly underdeveloped taster of the sound that would await on Deity Of Ruin.

6.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Gale
2. Hope
3. Despair
4. Calm

Bandcamp

Host - Null Pointer

One from the inbox! Felt like doing a bunch of drone/ambient stuff today.

Host are a noisy, dark, ritual ambient group from Australia. Host is the product of Nathan Jenkins, ex-The Amenta, who I have tremendous respect for after he played bass on one of my favorite albums, Occasus. Host have also toured with a bunch of metal artists including The Amenta, Ruins, and others. I have to say I definitely like the name of the album and the whole computing connotations that go along with it. Nothing is more abrasive to the psyche than segfaults, null pointer exceptions, and other programming frustrations. In fact the whole field of computer science is more or less a droning, ritual effort in its incessant but necessary tedium.

Like all good noise and ambient, the tracks on Null Pointer don't just persist in monotony for their entirety. "Know That I Am" opens with a calamitous roar and a pervasive, metallic echo like air being funneled into a bunch of PVC piping. The dull roaring pops up intermittently before the track becomes much more subdued, but following that a repetitious ascending whir takes over in the void of melody. It all sounds like crawling through an air duct and coming upon a vast network of industrial size fans. Very claustrophobic and very picturesque.

The same can be said of the other tracks. "Four Crooked Arms" has a very oceanic vibe with a tidal sound and a droning whistle. The imagery this music evokes for me is astounding, like walking through a glass canyon leading to a frigid coastline. Some of the higher pitched noises sound like rockfalls scratching the glass of the canyon, etching their impermanence into its sides. While I would describe the first two tracks as noisy dark ambient, the title track on Null Pointer is certainly ritualistic with its subtle bass thrums and even - dare I say - a melody. It has a pretty distinct sound compared to the other two tracks before it fades out with a noise reminiscent from the beginning of "Know That I Am."

There's plenty of static and graininess to Null Pointer, so if that's your thing you'll definitely enjoy this. It isn't harsh noise by any means, and it's pretty relaxing and visually appealing to listen to. This is a genre that I'm not wholly experienced with, and writing about it is still new to me, but I've been getting more into it with time. Host definitely have something going here though, and quite frankly I wasn't thinking as highly before I sat down and listened to it while writing. Null Pointer is definitely filled with great concentration sounds and plenty of mental imagery. I'll definitely be keeping tabs on Jenkins' future work.

7.75 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Know That I Am
2. Four Crooked Arms
3. Null Pointer

Bandcamp

Also I really recommend trying out Host's cool little experiment titled Evolution. It takes various metadata from local financial, social, and meteorological services, converts them to soundwaves, and plays them over Host's music. Use only in Chrome. When I checked it out I got a churning low-end with some wooden sounding clicks and clacks.

The Flight Of Sleipnir - Saga

The Flight Of Sleipnir are still out near the Rockies releasing sublime stoner folkdoom. Essence Of Nine and Lore were both great releases that merged catchy, dense riffing, folk beauty, and a Scandinavian aesthetic to create fun and immersive listens. Saga is a direct continuation of their now well-established sound.

One thing that I definitely respect about this duo is their use of keyboards. They're not explosive, over the top, or anything like that. They usually play a single chord buried in the mix before fading and repeating in drone fashion (see: "Heavy Rest The Chains Of The Damned"). It's subtle enough to keep them from being intrusive and it adds another layer of texture to The Flight Of Sleipnir's music. Like the keyboards though, the vocals are low in the mix as well and personally I think it works quite well. Clean vocals are quiet yet coherent enough to add poetic beauty, and the throaty blackened rasping echoes like calls to mother nature in a vast fjord.

Saga fits pretty well in The Flight Of Sleipnir's. Unlike some bands who try to repetitively release the same album however, these guys' add a bit of unique flavor. Lore felt a little unpolished with its denser mix, and Essence Of Nine took that sound and added more complex riffs and rhythms as well as more acoustic passages. Saga feels more subdued than both of them, at least in terms of their mainstay in the fuzzy guitar tone. David Csicsely's snare still sounds as great as ever. "Harrowing Desperation" is a good example of that and the mellowed guitar-plus-effects add a lot to the track. I always liked the long, drone-like outro lead of "Reverence" as well. Not that they haven't had these qualities on their previous releases, but it took me until now to really put my finger on them.

The Flight Of Sleipnir's albums are something you have to listen to in their entirety to appreciate despite having a few standout, hook-based tracks on each (looking at you, "Of Words and Ravens"). They're solid active listening experiences and great passive listening ones. If the interlacing of acoustic guitars with electrified doom and a light folk atmosphere appeals to you, then there's no doubt that you'll enjoy all of their releases. Saga is no different, and I guess that's why I'm having trouble writing about it since I've covered their other output already - but that's definitely not a bad thing.

7.75 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Prologue
2. Reaffirmation
3. Reverence
4. Harrowing Desperation
5. Heavy Rest The Chains Of The Damned
6. Judgment
7. Dmise Carries With It a Song
8. The Mountain
9. Hour Of Cessation
!0. Remission
11. Beneath Red Skies
12. Epilogue

Bandcamp

Paganizer - World Lobotomy

The world can't go for more than a few months between releases featuring everyone's favorite guitarist Rogga Johansson. Paganizer's newest release World Lobotomy only continues his reign as one of the most prolific names in death metal. Paganizer never leaves much to the imagination. They've always sounded like a less abrasive Putrevore mixed with a less catchy Revolting or Bone Gnawer. It's very standard death metal even if none of it is really bad.

World Lobotomy is no different. Like Into The Catacombs before it, there are groovy moments of catchiness hidden between the recycled riffs. The closing melody on "Mass Of Parasites," the main riff of "You Call It Deviance," closer "Hunt Eat Repeat," and the d-beat sections in the second half of the album tend to stick around a bit longer than the occasionally shoddy verse riffing. It's a shame since Paganizer has always been a second-rate project in Johansson's catalog at least for me, and this album doesn't really do much to change that. Some tracks just feel like they were throwaway ideas that end before going anywhere - "As The Maggots Gather," the pointless intro track, and "As Blood Grows Cold" all fit this description.

The production and mixing is fine and archetypal. There's a little bit separating this one and last year's Macabre Kingdom by Putrevore but it's nothing worth even discussing. In a year starred with great death metal releases, Paganizer have to try a little harder to impress me.

5.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Prelude To The Lobotomy
2. World Lobotomy
3. The Sky On Fire
4. Mass Of Parasites
5. As Blood Grows Cold
6. Ödeläggaren
7. You Call It Deviance
8. As The Maggots Gather
9. Trail Of Human Decay
10. The Drowners
11. The Last Chapter
12. Hunt Eat Repeat

Listen // Buy

Gorguts - Colored Sands

Twelve years is a long time.

After the release of From Wisdom To Hate, Gorguts went silent. We saw new bands rise up and push the boundaries of the extreme metal umbrella. Gigan with The Order Of The False Eye, Ulcerate with Everything Is Fire, Deathspell Omega with Fas, Flourishing, Crowpath, Mitochondrion, and more have all experimented and taken extreme metal beyond the archetype much like Obscura did back in 1998. The forward-thinking metal movement doesn't have an end goal in mind. To quote Ulcerate, "the axiom of being is infinite."

Gorguts have returned with one of the most exhaustive, powerful listens of 2013: Colored Sands, a thematically singular slab of death metal that oozes Himalayan beauty.

Merging melody and dissonance is hardly an easy task yet Luc Lemay and co. have done it seamlessly here. Riffs roar into life, meander, and rediscover their original purpose but with no detriments. Many of these riffs are vibrant, colorful in texture and with plenty of compositional decoration. Like an ode to the convoluted nature of life, Colored Sands is wonderfully complex. Time signatures blur together, effects trail off the end of tracks ("Forgotten Arrows"), and some of the most mindbending solo guitarwork I've heard in recent years ("Enemies Of Compassion") all culminate in this release being one of the best this year has to offer.

Everything on Colored Sands has a purpose; everything is intentionally composed in such a way to give meaning to the individual tracks. Like all great albums, it's the little things that make Colored Sands so special and separate it from the rest of Gorguts' discography. As preview track "Forgotten Arrows" begins blasting itself into oblivion, it pulls itself from the brink stronger and more massive than ever with a bunch of bass hits to the face. "The Battle Of Chamdo" is an exercise in Luc's classical training with a real orchestra and unlike most 'orchestral' sounds, it fits the theme and feel of the album. The soft orchestral moments blur over into the explosive intro of "Enemies Of Compassion," my favorite track on the album. The main riff bursts and bubbles like superheated magma, and the track explores the sonic scenery a little before returning for an incredibly chaotic solo. The sustained notes that pop up towards its end are magnificent and send chills down my spine every time.

I can't say I wasn't a tiny bit skeptical with Colored Sands, as I tend to be with most things. I liked the crew Luc assembled for this album, although each members' individual acts are a bit removed from the Gorguts sound. The preview track from 2011 was alright but left me wondering if the new members' influences would overshadow the Gorguts' feel and luckily I was wrong. Colin Marston, Kevin Hufnagel, and John Longstreth have all proven their versatility before but on Colored Sands you can hear them adapting perfectly to a different sound. Speaking of outside influence, the angular "Absconders" is an interesting track in that it distinctly sounds like something Deathspell Omega would write with Ulcerate-esque effects and linearity. Even the name sounds very Deathspell Omega-ish. I like it, and to me it's like Gorguts' giving the nod to all the bands which are similar in musical ideology.

Now comes that obligatory time in which I mention the production and mixing - it's borderline perfect perhaps minus the bass drums' sound which sounds a bit too tinny but at the higher speeds it keeps the mix from being muddy. I'm sure a select few will undoubtedly complain how Colored Sands is heavy and complex without the "darkness" they associate with death metal, as most of the composition is very odd or melodious.

They've missed the point completely.

9.25 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Le Toit du Monde
2. An Ocean Of Wisdom
3. Forgotten Arrows
4. Colored Sands
5. The Battle Of Chamdo
6. Enemies Of Compassion
7. Ember's Voice
8. Absconders
9. Reduced To Silence

Bandcamp (I assume it'll be available on release - it's currently streaming on Spotify)

Here's a cool interview about the concept of the album.

Thou Art Lord - The Regal Pulse Of Lucifer

Sakis Tolis is an interesting figure. Rotting Christ started out as a pretty sweet grindcore outfit before moving towards black metal and eventually a dark, ambiguous extreme metal sound. As a side project he founded Thou Art Lord with George Zacharopoulos (of underground Necromantia fame) under the pseudonym Necromayhem in 1993 and since then they've served as Sakis' vehicle for a more abrasive, guttural sound. I've only heard Thou Art Lord's material post-2002 in which Sakis became the primary vocalist.

Now on NWN! Prod, Thou Art Lord continue their satanic Greek terror campaign.

The more conventional Rotting Christ and subtle Necromantia influence has always been present in Thou Art Lord's music from the occasional subtle synthesizers to the Sakis' signature abuse of tremolo harmonics. The Regal Pulse Of Lucifer is no different with opener "Nine Steps To Hell" being littered with those signature riffs. Thou Art Lord differs in quite a few ways from both Rotting Christ and Necromantia in that the project has plenty more thrash and death metal influence. "ΠΟΛΙΤΕΙΑ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΩΝ" being the obvious pick out of the tracks on The Regal Pulse. The stereotypically descending chromatic riffs, d-beats merged with blasting and tremolo riffing, as well as the occasional guttural vocals really describes their overall feel best. There's just something so distinctly Greek in style about it that makes it special. The Hellenic metal scene is hardly dead, but The Regal Pulse Of Lucifer is almost like an ode to the scene.

Sakis' guitar leads are fantastic when they pop up. All of his material tends to lean on the simple side but they're damn catchy and that's what makes them so good. They never sound like needless fretboard exercises, always fitting the flow and feel of the track. "Justicia Profana" is a great example, where the lead and minor solo bit becomes entwined with the main riff for the final third of the track. That's not to discount other cool guitar moments like the subtle lead on "Artificial Malevolence."

The production and mixing is solid and grainy. The catchy guitar leads shine through the high-gain rhythm support and The Magus' (George) bass has plenty of low-end to it although naturally it doesn't come up in the mix on its own much. One thing I found kind of silly though was the use of samples and short intros to tracks. The humorously pitch-shifted vocals at the beginning of "L'Evangelium de Diable" heralding the start of the track were a bit out of place. The synthesizers on "Infernarium" were a bit over the top for my taste too.

The Regal Pulse Of Lucifer is a solid album and the only Thou Art Lord release that really stuck with me after a single listen. I should really get around to hearing Rotting Christ's newest but I have to say AEALO left a bad taste in my mouth.

7.25 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Nine Steps To Hell
2. ΠΟΛΙΤΕΙΑ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΩΝ
3. Das Messer
4. The Regal Pulse Of Lucifer
5. Artificial Malevolence
6. Justicia Profana
7. L'Evangelium de Diable
8. Infernarium
9. Fire And Blood

Bandcamp

Fleshgod Apocalypse - Labyrinth

Life takes unexpected and often frustrating turns that require you to mull and contemplate over issues that end up being trivial in the end anyway. That's why I haven't posted much of anything in over a month, and quite frankly I needed the time off.

In better news I've been listening to a boatload of new music. Some of it awful, some of it fantastic. Since I've been feeling pretty down lately I'll start with one that you really don't want to listen to: The sequel to 2011's Agony: Fleshgod Apocalypse's Labyrinth.

Let me clarify: it is stupid to expect anything akin to Oracles from these guys at this point. I certainly wasn't, and part of me only listened to this album to see what overblown monstrosity these Italians would churn out next. Agony was one of my most reviled releases of 2011 for its disgusting use of an orchestra and bombastic, plastic sounding instruments. That's not to mention the awful, incoherent mash-up that sounded, as one internet-dwelling metalnerd stated, like a "Disney soundtrack thrown into a blender." The emphasis of Agony was solely on the 'orchestral' elements and the guitarwork took a backseat to everything.

I don't even think there was a bass.

Anyway Fleshgod apparently noticed some fans' reactions to the lack of intricate guitarwork and claimed that with Labyrinth they would merge more technical guitars with the 'orchestral' elements of Agony. I have to give them credit there. They did make good on their promise. There are a bunch of solos ("Minotaur," Pathfinder," "The Fall Of Asterion," etc.) and significantly more riffage compared to Agony's monotonous chugging.

Songwriting remains an enormous issue on Labyrinth, and the orchestral elements are still left on their own more often than not. There is no real merging of metal and a symphony here, just two completely separate entities playing at the same time. It's like playing Bach in one ear and Suffocation in the other and calling it symphonic death metal. The female supporting vocals are atrocious when they're not negligible. Opener "Kingborn" is unbearable for this reason and "Towards The Sun" is an absolute abomination of a track even with them being used sparingly. We will not even speak of "Under Black Sails." Seven-and-a-half minutes of nauseating ear-pain...

The mix is just as depressing as it was on Agony. Everything is muddled and compressed and it makes listening to the album a more frustrating experience than it's worth. The most straightforward and metal track on the album, "Pathfinder" (and by far the best), sounds like it would've fit at home on Mercenary's B-sides, or maybe as an extreme extension of what Fleshgod Apocalypse tried to do on Mafia. The absolutely shitty production is largely to blame for that.

Now I wasn't expecting much from Labyrinth and I can't even say I'm disappointed. What I still don't really understand is how Fleshgod Apocalypse still have fans after they went to Nuclear Blast. Even the album art screams "recycled lukewarm bullshit." However they clearly have gained quite a following as you can glean from all the internet buzz surrounding them, so good for them. Maybe someday if Fleshgod Apocalypse continue down this path they'll be able to fill the shoes Septicflesh filled nearly a decade ago.

2.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Kingborn
2. Minotaur
3. Elegy
4. Towards The Sun
5. Warpledge
6. Pathfinder
7. The Fall of Asterion
8. Prologue
9. Epilogue
10. Under Black Sails
11. Labyrinth

Listen // Buy

Wormed - Exodromos

I've been meaning to complete all these half-finished reviews I've had sitting around since...forever. The problem is I never get around to it, and then I get sidetracked with life's many nuisances. Having a smidgen of free time over the next few days should allow me to finish a few of these drafts and hopefully cover newer material as well.

But we'll see.

Wormed's Planisphærium remains a powerhouse of brutal slam; its technicality nearly unmatched and its uniqueness equally as elusive in the subgenre. The production value of Planisphærium was apt for the style. The scooped mids and loose, loud snare tone all contributed to making the album memorable, even if it was the brilliantly executed guitarwork that really delivered the 'technical cyber space slam' vibe that Wormed became known for. Exodromos' mix differs in that the mids aren't scooped, and the low-end is completely brought up. The bass range is limited to higher frequencies and there's really not much variation on the bottom end. It's a disappointing release on that front, and as soon as I got over that I was able to enjoy the album for what it was, kind of.

Still not as good as Planisphærium.

Pulsating and occasionally brilliant riffs radiate from Exodromos' sub-supermassive core. Wormed like to play with their listeners; they shift and blur riffs as to make predicting their next move impossible. Highlight track "Tautochrone" is a good example of this. About a minute in and the heavier, chugging riff shifts into a blastbeat segment before the main melody of the track breaks through right into another thick, chunky riff. I can appreciate the songwriting decision, and it makes the more direct tracks stand out like pulsars amidst the cosmic void. "Stellar Depopulation" is one of the more straightforward tracks and features a short-lived slam that decays into stop-start blasting and a chromatic melody that eventually evolves into something more beautiful.

Much of the previous standout riffing comes together during the album closer "Xenoverse Discharger." This track brings the best elements that you heard earlier into a singular(ity) fold. It makes for an atmospheric end, and is easily one of the best tracks on Exodromos. Speaking of atmosphere, the random spoken word ambient tracks are boring as all hell. "Solar Neutrinos" totally kills the momentum of the album for me.

Maybe I miss the standout slams of Planisphærium a bit too much or maybe it's just the production, but either way I find Exodromos to be a second-tier release. It's certainly not bad by any means, but after listening to "Xenoverse Discharger" you realize that the majority of the albums' best moments can be summed up in just six minutes.

7.75 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Nucleon
2. The Nonlocality Trilemma
3. Tautochrone
4. Solar Neutrinos
5. Multivectorial Reionization
6. Spacetime Ekleipsis Vorticity
7. Darkflow Quadrivium
8. Stellar Depopulation
9. Techkinox Wormhole
10. Xenoverse Discharger

Bandcamp

Tribulation - The Formulas Of Death

For anyone who heard Tribulation's The Horror back in 2009 I'm sure The Formulas Of Death was a hype piece. The Horror was brutally refreshing coming from the revival scene. It was crammed with stunning, nigh-perfect riff progressions at a breakneck pace, all backed with plenty of hooks and a solid production.

The Formulas Of Death is a different beast, and I can only commend Tribulation's willingness to experiment with such a successful formula (intended puns are the best puns). Perhaps Tribulation realized that the revival movement was full of enough knuckle-dragging apes and that there was nothing new they could add without becoming redundant and falling prey to fans' fleeting memories. Whatever the case, they made the right decision with their newest release.

Progressive music is a mixed bag of brilliant ideas and haphazard, fruity garbage that I wouldn't deign to listen to. Progressive elements are generally a good thing as they can add variety and enhance the dynamic of many songs. They can be overbearing and obnoxiously obvious in the case with popular progressive acts like Opeth on their later material, or far more subtle and nuanced in the case of a band like Anata. The Formulas Of Death falls under the latter category, and progressive is the last thing anyone would associate with the revival movement. There's loads of atmospheric interludes, guitar effects, eastern scale progressions, dissonant arpeggiated chords, and free-range breaks to the typical Swedish sound. For example the middle of "Suspiria" is slow, backed by a two-beat and flanged harmonics before falling into a bass groove sprinkled with dissonant muted notes. Eventually the track phases (quite literally) back into reality before phasing out again to explore a few more areas of the aural plane.

Each track on The Formulas Of Death has elements which set it firmly apart from whatever The Horror was doing. While this might be a disappointment to some, the music is equally compelling and in many aspects better. I love the subtle displays of musicianship throughout the album. Solos are (obviously) technical and almost feel improvised, and other times the effects dominate the sound of them to the point that the notes are almost unrecognizable. In the end they always fall back into a traditional sounding mold which keeps them entertaining. "Through The Velvet Black "is a solid example of this. Jakob Ljungberg's rhythm work is highly varied and in the middle of a riff progression he'll switch beats, either increasing the speed of the kicks or adding cymbal embellishments where necessary. Every member of the band does their part to create a refreshingly experimental-lite, death metal album.

There aren't any truly standout tracks on this album either. There are no headbangable crusty death metal d-beaters or anything like that. I guess "Wanderer In The Outer Darkness" might be the most approachable from that mindset, but even with how direct it is, the track is anything but stereotypical. With an underlying atmosphere evoking imagery of a wandering trek through the desert, swampy marshlands, or foggy moors, The Formulas Of Death is a very visual album. The production and heavy use of effects add to this feel, giving each track its own personality like the listener is traversing different aspects of a deranged psyche. Their use also keeps the album's variation and my attention at a high. This makes The Formulas Of Death memorable even after quite a few listens.

It might be a bit of a risky move, but I think Tribulation have really caught onto something with The Formulas Of Death. The seamless merging of progressive elements, dynamic songwriting, and Swedish-tinged death metal is something that isn't all that common. They execute it damn well.

8.75 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Vagina Dentata
2. Wanderer In The Outer Darkness

3. Spectres

4. לילה
5. Suspiria
6. Through The Velvet Black
7. Rånda
8. When The Sky Is Black With Devils
9. Spell
10. Ultra Silvam
11. Apparitions

Listen // Buy

Tormented - Death Awaits

I'm not really sure which new release is worse. Death Awaits is frustrating in the same way Entrails' Raging Death is. Much like their boring titles, the music contained in both is predictable and forgettable. The only difference here seems to be that I was expecting more from Tormented since Rotten Death was great thrashy fun. I can still jam out "Death owns the Night" and get stoked for the section where vocalist Dread is like "With deadly force it'll take control and bring you to your death!" Damn these guys love to use 'death' in literally every lyric and song title...

This is an an album that would've satisfied me had it been more of the same. The massive production, focus on d-beats, and simple but entertaining riffs were all highlights of Rotten Death. Opener "Death Awaits" lets on that same feel but quickly devolves into slow double bass and mid-pace riffing. "Blood Orgy" luckily cuts to the chase but doesn't really do much when it reaches its destination in d-beat town. The same can be said of "I.O.T.D." and nearly every track on Death Awaits. It's like one giant cocktease that blueballs you and instead of leaving decides to take a knife to your jugular. In other words this release is painfully disappointing.

The slower, even mid-paced tracks are pretty much unbearable. "To Spill Her Blood" is inane even when it gets faster. Luckily it's followed by "Funeral Fire," one of the few solid tracks on the album along with "Black Sky." What's weird is that the rhythm element seems even more underdeveloped this time around, and it was already pretty rudimentary on Rotten Death. I guess Jocke Ölund's drumwork has gotten a bit faster, but the band doesn't utilize that slight increase in speed to their advantage. There's not much in the way of memorable riffing here either, and much to my dismay there's no infectious tremolo melodies or obnoxiously loud scale fondling.

As I briefly mentioned, the production is significantly more subdued and compressed compared to Tormented's previous output. Rotten Death was awesome for it's bombastic guitar tone and loud, crashing cymbals. This album has none of that. The production and mixing isn't awful, but the music on Death Awaits can't really stand on its own like it could have on Rotten Death. A disappointing but not inherently bad release, I'll wait for Tormented's next.

5.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Death Awaits
2. Blood Orgy
3. I.O.T.D.
4. Insane With Dread
5. To Spill Her Blood
6. Funeral Fire
7. Into The Crypts Of Death
8. Black Sky
9. In The Presence Of Death

Listen // Buy

Wreck And Reference - No Content

This one will be quick - there's only two (short) tracks to cover.

Wreck And Reference released a brilliant LP, No Youth, last year. Now they've released a companion piece, No Content, for it.

Both tracks are noisome, hypnotically engaging pieces of work. "Absurdities & Echoes" is a potent piece of buzzing guitarwork and sustained notes. The vocalwork is engrossingly anguished but very dreamlike, sounding more like traveling through some sort of nightmare realm as a voyeur than as a subject of the horror. The second track "Abhorrence" takes the frightening aspects of that realm and submerses you in them. "Abhorrence" features the same sustained notes with an ascending progression that eerily stops while belted vocals scar the reverberating air. The vocals are harsher on the second track and it takes you into the nightmare realm again as the victim of some sort of self-inflicted mishap.

Cool stuff, although the ending of the second track leaves me wanting more from both that track and from Wreck And Reference, who have proven their worth, in general.

7.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Absurdities & Echoes
2. Abhorrence

Bandcamp

Entrails - Raging Death

Entrails are a death metal band with a history in the scene but no real material prior to their reformation in 2008. Their album covers look like other big name releases, and their music sounds like other bands. They reformed just in time for the revivalism fad and are proving to be prolific.

Raging Death is their newest album, and their first release on Metal Blade. I can't be the only one who gets an uneasy feeling in their stomach when I hear that a band is signed to that record label. Every artist who paid in blood to be signed to Metal Blade might not be terrible, but damn do they try their best to castrate great artists. Some manage to avoid falling victim to their obvious marketing ploys, and others are great at self-marketing (ie: The Black Dahlia Murder) so they can get away with personal influence on the sound of their material. I don't even know if it's solely Metal Blade's fault but there's certainly a strong correlation between dull music and getting signed to one of the big labels.

Entrails obviously couldn't. Metal Blade de-clawed and neutered this Swedish death act. Gone is the thicker production of The Tomb Awaits, replaced with a soulless cadaver of the Swedish death metal aesthetic. One listen to "Headless Dawn" or "Cadaverous Stench" will have you shaking your head in shame and disappointment. There's really no excuse for this frustratingly lifeless sound on such a plainly constructed record. Raging Death fits the Swedish death metal stereotypes otherwise: melodic choruses interspersed amongst d-beat and blastbeat verses, barked vocals, and the occasional clean interlude or attempt at building a sort of visual atmosphere.

At its best the formula is lighthearted fun, fueled by energy, and is rampagingly aggressive. At its worst, the formula is throwaway tripe that goes in one ear and out the other. Sometimes the difference is separated by a thin line and unfortunately Raging Death falls on the latter's side. The few standout moments the album does have (the solo on "Death League" and the d-beats on "The Cemetery Horrors" count, I guess) are thrown to the wind for the generic dynamic of the album. There's nothing really wrong about the musical element of the album though.

I don't ask for much, but I would like my Swedish death metal to at least not annoy the hell out of me when I have it playing as the soundtrack to whatever mundane task I'm currently involved with. While musically Raging Death might be alright, that damn production is too frustrating to satisfy even this small request.

3.75 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. In Pieces
2. Carved to the Bone
3. Bloodhammer
4. Headless Dawn
5. Cadaverous Stench
6. Descend to the Beyond
7. Death League
8. Chained and Dragged
9. Defleshed
10. The Cemetery Horrors

Listen // Buy

Cultes Des Ghoules - Henbane

I haven't heard Polish act Cultes des Ghoules' previous LP Häxan but the hype surrounding Henbane prior to and post-release has been substantial. I decided to give it a spin because my interests have fallen far from black metal, and for about a year I haven't really given a damn about the stagnant subgenre.

Henbane does not reinvent the torpid wheel of blasphemy. I can't say I'm surprised or really disappointed by this. Henbane is far from boring though, and it provides a fulfilling take on a popular thematic in the general metal microcosm. Metal has always been obsessed with linking human nature to the natural elements. Occult ritualism, retro-themed witchery, and shamanistic endeavors have all been popular themes in metal throughout it's beleaguered existence. Recently occult rock acts Jess and the Ancient Ones and ilk have been paying homage to this in a sort of B-grade '70s horror film way. Cults, witches, and natural rituals are all prevalent lyric and songwriting themes with the occasional folk interlude or rhythm being used to justify the aesthetic. 

I can't tell if the majority of these groups are just milking the the visual aspect or not. I guess that's what a majority of music marketing boils down to anyway.

Luckily Cultes Des Ghoules aren't doing any milking. The aforementioned paragraph only applies to the latter half of the Henbane where the lyrics and music take a stylistic change. "Festival Of Devotion" and "Vintage Black Magic" (appropriately titled) are full of prototypical nature-magick lyricism. "Bat's blood and tongue of dog / sting of snake and eyes of frog / juice of hemlock and silverweed / opium, mandrake and henbane's seed / foreskin of birth-killed babe / hell-broth tastes like Satan's grape / black cat's wool and lizard scales, how sweetly the cauldron exhales" Unlike many of the recent occult rock acts Cultes Des Ghoules' music is sinister enough to pull the silly theme off.  By comparison the first two tracks on the album, "Idylls of the Chosen Damned" and "The Passion of a Sorceress" are far more direct in their approach. This isn't a bad thing and while each track is pretty long, they do a good job of keeping you engaged. I definitely approve of the slower riffing on "The Passion" after the more predictable opener.

Henbane is surprisingly heavy for what is essentially a black metal release. The bass is audible in the mix and the kick drums sound nice. The vocalwork by Mark of the Devil is fantastic and varied throughout the entirety of Henbane. He cycles through high-pitched black metal rasping, harsh but intelligible mid-range growls, occasional screaming, and on "Vintage Black Magic," laughter. While the musicianship is pretty much archetypal during the more black metal moments ("Idylls"), Mark of the Devil's vocalwork keeps it compelling and interesting.

Now that I'm listening to Henbane while writing this, I realize that there really aren't too many high-tempo moments on the album other than the opener. After the brief blasting section at the beginning of "The Devil Intimate," it only ramps up to a mid-paced blast section towards the end. I definitely like Cultes Des Ghoules slower style of playing - it sets them apart from similar acts even if their slower sections are essentially leisurely black metal riffs.

8.25 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Idylls of the Chosen Damned
2. The Passion of a Sorceress
3. Vintage Black Magic
4. Festival of Devotion
5. The Devil Intimate

Bandcamp