Kommodus - An Imperial Sun Rises (2019)

Artist: Kommodus

Album: An Imperial Sun Rises (demo)

Genre: Black Metal

Country: Australia

Label: Unsigned

Preview Track:

At the end of the day, I think I just like Kommodus because they're weird. I mean, they're not necessarily the weirdest band I've come across and all four of main-man Lepidus Plague's demos under the Kommodus name have amounted to similarly raw and inscrutable black metal. There's definitely kookier musicians in extreme metal today, but Kommodus have my kind of kooky in them, the kind of kooky that amounts to an Aussie black metaller that normally writes about ancient Rome due to his Italian ancestry suddenly dropping a demo centered around Japanese author Yukio Mishima. I'm going to ignore for now that Mishima was an outspoken anti-Marxist activist in a nation that is to this day extremely nationalistic and racist (frankly there's a couple of lines in the Bandcamp description for this album that imply a bit about Lepidus Plague's politics) since it's all very vague and ambiguous. While I'm not a fan of all that, I am a fan of the visceral, vicious black metal on An Imperial Sun Rises. The difficulty is that it really is a very inscrutable style that makes it difficult to talk about. It's cavernous, warm yet with a bit of harsh treble in the mix to keep it old school, and the riffs trend a bit towards first wave classics more so than the second wave. There's a fair helping of melody in there too so it's not all angry blasting. That's about it. Part of what draws me to this demo and its predecessors is that vagueness you can't quite grasp, that quality that pushes you away as much as it draws you in. Maybe Kommodus aren't really the weird ones. Maybe it's just me.

K O M M O D U S

Neckbeard Deathcamp - So Much For The Tolerant Left (2019)

Artist: Neckbeard Deathcamp

Album: So Much For The Tolerant Left

Genre: Harsh Noise/War Metal

Country: 

Label: Prosthetic Records

Preview Track:

With So Much For The Tolerant Left, Neckbeard Deathcamp return with a second full length helping of what they do best; piss off Nazis and play some loud, proud, and unapologetic black metal. Surprisingly, deep analysis of their music does little good for anyone. By their own admission via the description on their bandcamp page, the album was "RECORDED WITH THE SAME CONTEMPT FOR CLEAN PRODUCTION AND MUSIC THEORY" as their previous record. Yes, it really was in all caps. That's just kind of their thing. 

What can be said of the actual music is short and sweet. Neckbeard Deathcamp play a vicious, frenzied variant of war metal pissed on by harsh noise and guitar feedback. Aside from "HORSESHOE THEORY" which is a ten minute exercise in droning noise, every song here is a 3-4 minute banger or an interlude with some dumbass quote from an alt-right dude. The songs are graced with satirical takes on the alt-right for titles, such as "POZERFAUST DIVISION" or "CONSERVATIVE CRYBULLYING". That's all that really needs said. They make it clear which side of the fence they're on and people that don't like it tend to fall on the other side. The message is clear; make no apologies and have no mercy.

T O L E R A N C E

Enon Chapel - Enon Chapel (2019)

Artist: Enon Chapel

Album: Enon Chapel

Genre: Black Metal / Thrash Metal

Country: United States

Label: Acephale Winter Productions

Preview Track: 

Despite most of black metal's practitioners desire to remain independent and enigmatic, Enon Chapel shy away from such pretension, and as a result prove to be one of the more interesting collaborations I've seen during my time as a fan of the genre. Consisting of Meghan Wood (Crown of Asteria, Great Cold Emptiness, etc) and Balan (Botanist, Palace of Worms, etc...) Enon Chapel is a band that delivers a fierce brand of black metal while somewhat subverting expectations of the genre. Influenced by a plethora of different sources - everything from Victorian-era England, to the insidious French Les Legions Noires, to more modern entities like The Black Twilight Circle- Enon Chapel feels like culmination of the genre's long and worn history. Though it may usurp bits of character from the annals of black metal history, their conglomeration of  influences feels fresh and untapped; like their main projects Balan and Meghan continue to compose black metal on their own terms, and unsurprising of two visionaries, the result is of a class of its own. 

S E A N C E  

Imperialist - Cipher (2018)

Artist: Imperialist

Album: Cipher

Genre: Melodic Black Metal

Country: United States

Label: Transcending Obscurity Records

Preview Track:

Imperialist is a relatively new melodic black metal band from the frosted wastelands of....Monrovia, California? Who would’ve thought that some of the coldest black metal could come from such a warm and happy place like California? Bands like Ash Borer, Fell Voices and now Imperialist have come from Cali and have put out some cold and miserable sounding black metal music.

I’m not comparing this band to Ash Borer or Fell Voices in any way to be clear. Imperialist is way more melodic, riff heavy and upbeat than said bands. Their lyrical themes focus on time and space similar to a band like Mare Cognitum or Midnight Odyssey. Their debut album Cipher focuses mainly on fast and ferocious melodic riffs and blast beats from the black abyss that is outer space. The vocals here are pretty much the norm for black metal ala shrieks from a demon.

Cipher won’t blow you away with originality by any means. If you’re a black metal fan then chances are you’ve heard this album dozens and dozens of times before. But if you like your black metal fast, with melody and full of riffs then you will find something you can enjoy in Imperialist’s debut album. The best is yet to come from these Californians and I’m all ears.

T H E S I N G U L A R I T Y

Laetitia in Holocaust - Fauci Tra Fauci (2019)

Artist: Laetitia in Holocaust

Album: Fauci Tra Fauci

Genre: Black Metal

Country: Italy

Label: Third I Rex

Preview Track

At first glance, Laetitia in Holocaust are a pretty conventional black metal band. In truth, they're not that unconventional on the third or fourth listen either, but they do find a way to stand out from the pack via the haze of mysticism that audibly hangs over the mix. The framework is normal, blast beats and scything tremolo picked guitars galore, but the harmonic balance between melody and just a bit of dissonance keeps things interesting. Fauci Tra Fauci opts out of raw production and jagged, extreme motifs in favor of smooth, slightly foggy production and sweeping instrumental movements. It may not be a direct classical influence, but there's a feeling of classical flare in the grandiose shifts within these songs. As a result it goes down very easily despite the coarse nature of the genre and the wonky bass fills that seem to appear in every track. Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, Laetitia in Holocaust have definitely taken a few classes on their instruments and it shows, making Fauci Tra Fauci a memorable record without necessarily stepping headlong away from the pack.

F A U C I T R A F A U C I

Illyria - The Carpathian Summit (2019)

Artist: Illyria

Album: The Carpathian Summit

Genre: Post-Black Metal/Screamo

Country: Australia

Label: U N S I G N E D 

Preview Track:

Post-black metal is a genre that has been absolutely on fire in 2019. Bands like Remete, Together to the Stars, Numenorean and numerous others have released instant classics in a genre that is normally hit or miss. But one band has stood out among the pack so far this year and that band is Australia’s Illyria.

Prior to about a month ago I’ve never heard of this particular band but they hit me like a ton of bricks. The dreamy atmosphere of The Carpathian Summit is absolutely magical to say the least. Illyria mixes in traces of post-hardcore and 90’s style screamo with their punishing brand of black metal and it works to perfection. Cries of pain mixed with clean vocals over the reverb of the trems makes for such an engaging atmosphere that makes this album is almost impossible to put down.

When you think of black metal you think of Satan and destruction but Illyria makes the genre sound almost happy at times and they execute at such a high level. The Carpathain Summit is about an hour in length but is never grating on the listener or boring at any point. If you like a hazy, almost dream pop like atmosphere then Illyria is just what you need.

T H E C A R P A T H I A N S U M M I T

Måneskygge - Untitled (2018)

Artist: Måneskygge 

Album: Untitled [Demo]

Genre: Raw/Atmospheric Black Metal 

Country: United States
Label: U N S I G N E D

Preview Track:

Even for a black metal, a genre that thrives when cloaked in an air of mystery, it is usually possible to unearth the details behind obscure artists/bands when you buckle down and commit yourself to hours of mining the internet, even if it is just for mere pebbles. Besides discovering the entity behind Måneskygge is also responsible for the ambient/dungeon synth endeavor Bergtatt and that they reside in "The Beaver State" aka Oregon, there is N O T H I N G more to be found about this enigmatic black metal project; N O T  O N E  I O T A. And honestly? It kind of makes their music all the more irresistible.

Måneskygge's introductory demo feels like the work of a lonesome and wizened winter apparition. For those who can read between lines of this untitled effort's grainy production, they are rewarded with exquisite shards of frostbitten black metal, an aural conjuring of glacial beauty that can only be achieved through reflective isolation. I will repeat this line ad nauseam - winter black metal, for the most part, is BORING - however, there are  few acts that manage to buck the trend, which Måneskygge skillfully does. Worth listen for fans of raw and uncompromising black metal. 

                                               U N T I T L E D

Enbilulugugal - PRAISE THE FUKKEN LARD (2015)

Artist: Enbilulugugal

Album: PRAISE THE FUKKEN LARD

Genre: Black Metal/Noise/Parody

Country: United States

Label: U N S I G N E D

Preview Track:

Enbilulugugal is the perfect anti-thesis for the seriousness of most black metal. In the least humorous and most try-hard of genres (I say this as a fan), we have a group dedicated to only a few things - lard, obesity, and their lord above all else, Curlyton. They can barely play their instruments, they write with the crudeness of Nunslaughter and the coherency of Captain Beefheart, they sample episodes of Futurama and corny stand-up bits, and they do it all with the cacophony and exuberance of groups like Ahulabrum and Havohej. Songs like "Bovine Sized Sloppy Jose Value Meal Track as Requested by Our Lard Curlyton" show that they've found their stride in being a particularly explosive novelty group. To call Enbilulugugal genius would be an exaggeration, but to call them mindless would rob them of their unique brand of artery-clogging wit. Enbilulugugal is a remarkably refreshing project in a sea of noisy black metal that refuses to have any fun. Because of this, these overweight clowns are exactly what a scene this deathly serious needs - a reminder that a lard-caked sense of humor never killed anybody. 

H A I L C U R L Y T O N !

L'Acéphale - L'Acéphale (2019)

Artist: L'Acéphale

Album: L'Acéphale

Genre: Atmsopheric/"Cascadian" Black Metal

Country: United States
Label: Eisenwald

L'Acephale predated the Cascadian black metal boom by a few years, but was undoubtedly one of that movement's greatest inspirations. Now, about a ten years after Cascadia's nature-inspired black metal influence had started to decay, these innovators have returned with their most ambitious album yet. Though their "Cascadian" essence remains, L'Acephale, like always, has proven to be so much more; elements of dark folk run rampant throughout the band's self-titled effort, restraining a portion of the blackened fury present. This in of itself isn't **too** peculiar, but when supplemented by an eerie almost-martial atmosphere, L'Acephale feels more imposing than most other albums of its ilk. Cascadia may be dead, but its ghost remains.

W I N T E R N A C H T

Remete - Into Endless Night (2019)

Artist: Remete

Album: Into Endless Night

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal

Country: Australia

Label: Cold Ways

Remete continues to be one of the only worthwhile cold and blizzardous black metal band worth investing in. This album rages with the tempest of only the fiercest winter storm yet the underlying ambience remains surprisingly soothing. It's a beautiful album and at this point D has cemented himself as a one-man wunderkind on par with Austin Lunn, M. Rekevics, and any other black metal visionary that's debuted in the last decade.

I N T O E N D L E S S N I G H T