Album Review: Marrow of Man - "Ancient Hymns of Apocalypse ..read more

Second Circle: Bloody Valkyria and Eldamar ..read more

If there’s one album from 2023 that I was sorry about not making my best of 2023 list it was The Impending Fall of the Stars, the sophomore album by French one-man black metal act Inherits the Void; that album placed a modern veil of spacey atmospherics over a more traditional melodic black metal backbone with the result being a very solid release that had me eager to hear more. Now multi-instrumentalist A. is back just a year and a half later with Scars of Yesteryears, a release that dials back the spaciness of its predecessor in favor of more intense melodic death metal-inspired riffs and ..read more

In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle begins the proper punishment of Hell, a place where “no thing gleams.” It is reserved for those overcome with Lust, where carnal appetites hold sway over reason. In Nine Circles, it’s where we do shorter reviews of new (ish) albums that share a common theme. For today’s edition we’ll dive in with two albums advertised as black metal influenced by the likes of Emperor, Dark Funeral, and more, but ultimately present prominent death metal influences; one in the form of chunky, crushing riffs and the other in a more melodic, flashier way. Some interesting sy ..read more

Black metal often finds itself more suited for experimentation and pushing boundaries than other genres of extreme metal; just look at how much it has grown and transmuted in the 40 years since its arguable inception with Bathory’s debut. These countless iterations of the genre are all fine and good, but I’m always a sucker for bands that manage to recapture some of the magic of the second wave with enough modern flair to keep it fresh and interesting. After a series of demos and EPs dating back to 2021 Hekseblad have emerged with their debut full-length Kaer Morhen; this melodic black metal ..read more

Dödsrit first appeared on my radar back in 2018 with Spirit Crusher, a very solid offering that combined long, drawn-out buildups characteristic of atmospheric black metal with the d-beat-driven aggression of crust punk. In the time since they graduated from solo band to four piece and in 2021 released Mortal Coil, which began to look towards a more melodic future. With Nocturnal Will the band have fully committed to the melodicism that was merely hinted at previously — easing back on many of the crust elements in exchange — with the end result being a triumphant slab of bombastic black meta ..read more

In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle begins the proper punishment of Hell, a place where “no thing gleams.” It is reserved for those overcome with Lust, where carnal appetites hold sway over reason. In Nine Circles, it’s where we do shorter reviews of new (ish) albums that share a common theme. We’re closing in on the end of 2023 and it’s starting to get chillier here in the northern hemisphere, so there’s no better time to highlight a couple more new black metal albums before years’ end. Also, despite the stress of the holiday season and needing to go through all of the music I’ve already ..read more

We’ve said it before on the podcast (specifically on the most recent episode), but I will echo the sentiments here: the most interesting thing that can be done with black metal is to mix it thoroughly with things that are not black metal.  I could not possibly care less about what wave is the best or any trve kvlt nonsense.  Black metal is never more exciting or interesting than when it is a color on the palette as opposed to the entire painting.  Enter, then, Eard and their unique take on the nature-inspired black metal formula De Rerum Natura.    Eard (from the Old ..read more

In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle begins the proper punishment of Hell, a place where “no thing gleams.” It is reserved for those overcome with Lust, where carnal appetites hold sway over reason. In Nine Circles, it’s where we do shorter reviews of new (ish) albums that share a common theme. One of the great things about writing for Nine Circles is getting access and giving exposure to newer acts trying to make their mark on the extreme metal underground. This edition of Second Circle features Crystal Coffin and The Mosaic Window, two up-and-coming acts that generally fall within the do ..read more

What are a few of the foundational aspects of heavy metal that caused us to fall in love with the genre? Lightning fast riffs, forceful rhythms, powerful vocals and of course, blistering shred guitar solos. Black metal traditionally eschews the last trait, opting instead for blast beats, walls of sound, and overall atmosphere as some of the driving factors of the music. If there’s one metal subgenre that isn’t always prone to virtuosic soloing, black metal would probably be it; since their first release early last year Finland’s Moonlight Sorcery have looked to change that. The band’s debut ..read more