Mortuus Sum/ Funeral Storm split 2012

Mortuus Sum and Funeral Storm are greek bm bands. It's difficult to talk about originality today, but both bands prove they have a great potential. The constant melody underneath the brutality is a commendable feat. Any bm purist who seeks out melody in chaos should give them a listen.

http://mortuussum.bandcamp.com/album/inverted-god
http://www.myspace.com/mortuussum/
http://www.facebook.com/MortuusSum

http://www.facebook.com/funeralstorm666
http://www.myspace.com/666funeralstorm

An Old Feeling

Some atmospheric/ ambient bm by the greek band, Arthar. 'An old feeling' was released in 2012, and it was a year ago that 'Encarved', their past record, came out. In the latest album, the overshadowing ambiance definitely provides us with a mystical and very spiritual listening experience.The vocals are often omitted for long periods and as with the guitars, they normally fade into the background, becoming a part of the furniture. Very interesting.

http://www.myspace.com/artharmusic
http://www.facebook.com/ArtharOfficial

Lost Inside My Solitude

Life Unfair is an italian atmospheric/ dbm band. Their recent album, 'Lost inside my solitude' keeps being uploaded in the net and I understand why. Characterised by its sorrowful elegance, this is a journey of contemplative reflection.

http://www.last.fm/music/Life+Unfair
http://www.myspace.com/lifeunfair

November Loveless

 Griefrain reminds me a lot of White Ward. They are both one-man dbm/ post-black bands and share a similar sound. But the russian Griefrain have some more experience in their back. 'Follow the dusk' was a nice album, and 'November Loveless' continues where we left off. It's a beautiful music adventure that everyone should try.

www.facebook.com/pages/Griefrain/423464104370195
www.myspace.com/griefrain
vk.com/griefrain

When Gift Becomes Damnation & Inhale My Despair

White Ward is a ukraine dbm/ post-black band formed in 2012. Unortunately, it seems that most of the members left the same year, too. Quite good effort!

whiteward.bandcamp.com
vk.com/whiteward
www.facebook.com/pages/White-Ward/494469297247606
www.myspace.com/whiteward.dp

Like ghosts

Sonance is an ambient/sludge/doom/drone metal band from UK. I had no idea about them, but i will sure have them in mind from now on. 'Like ghosts' is an AMAZING album. It's heavy, it's noisy, it's violent. The vocals seem to blend so well with the (transcending) genres that the listener immerses himself into the breathtaking riffs and loud atmosphere. I still don't know how they do it. Although such a band could lose the game due to 'pushing' and re-re-re-editing music, they do sound really natural. Definitely check them out.

http://sonance.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/sonancenoise

Deafheaven/ Bosse-De-nage split 2012

Both bands are GREAT. We all remember the promising works  'Roads to Judah' and 'III'.On the one hand, we have atmospheric blackgaze. On the other, bm with an affinity for shoegaze, post-hardcore, screamo. And now they meet...can we ignore such a result?

 http://dfhvn.tumblr.com/
 http://deafheavens.bandcamp.com/
 http://www.last.fm/music/Deafheaven
 http://www.facebook.com/deafheaven

 http://bosse-de-nage.bandcamp.com/
 http://www.facebook.com/blackbossedenage
 http://www.last.fm/music/Bosse-de-Nage
 

Ascencion

This is italian doom metal by Caronte. 'Ascencion' includes tracks of the band's previous record, 'Ghost Owl'. Using forgotten themes as occultism, the band engages again in litanies to myths and pagan deities, without any continuity of space and time. The sound production is deliberately confused and remains in low frequences, bewildering the listener, as the doom melodies go on...

http://www.facebook.com/ferociailluminata
http://www.myspace.com/caronteferociailluminata

Digressions

Ilydaen is an istrumental post-rock Belgian band formed in 2008. I'll tell this once more, the post-rock scene is chaotic and one band is usually repeating the other... Fortunately Ilydaen avoid the usual post-rock scheme 'serenity-explosion-calm again', and do let the listener be carried away by the strong, powerful emotion and passion.

http://www.ilydaen.be/
http://www.facebook.com/Ilydaen

RIITIIR

Enslaved again works the prog rock melodies and clean vocals, without losing the abrasive black metal aspects at all. RIITIIR is more experimental than their previous release, though. There are several different styles (prog, bm, doom, psychedelic) mixed together on any given song. Far away from the immediacy of 'Axioma Ethica Odini' or the sheer class of 'Ruun' ,RIITIIR will appeal for sure to all the prog fans.

 http://www.enslaved.no/
 http://www.facebook.com/enslaved
 http://www.myspace.com/enslaved
 http://www.last.fm/music/Enslaved

Beyond The Skyline

Drowned in November is a one man post bm/blackgaze band from Argentina. It was founded a year ago by Antonio Sanna, and 'Beyond The Skyline' proves that the band is here to stay. Yet the real challenge is if it will finally stand out...

 http://www.myspace.com/hopeless_black
 https://www.facebook.com/DrownedinnovembrerDSBM
 http://www.reverbnation.com/drownedinnovember

Nightside Emanations

This is orthodox bm, this is Finland, this is Behexen. The sound in 'Nightside Emanations' is not new. However, it doesn't get monotonous at all due to the slower, mid-tempo parts amid the high tensious blastbeats. In overall, their new record is well-rendered and pointed for the good song-writing and production.

 http://www.myspace.com/behexen666
 http://www.facebook.com/behexen.official
 http://www.last.fm/music/Behexen

Only The Ocean Knows

Well this is experimental/atmospheric bm with a strong shoegaze influence. I really liked this band's past album, but here they go a bit further down the post-rock path than I would like. That's why the harsh vocals often seem to be out of place. The result isn't so bad, but I'm afraid that Autumn For Crippled Children chose a path that doesn't suit them.

http://www.myspace.com/crippledchildren2009
http://www.facebook.com/pages/An-Autumn-For-Crippled-Children/108017119243983

777- Cosmosophy

The trilogy has just been completed. Blut Aus Nord must be more than proud of the result. Twisted black metal. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

http://www.myspace.com/thehowlingofgod
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Blut+Aus+Nord
http://www.last.fm/music/Blut+aus+Nord

Anxiety Despair Languish

Lento are here to impress us even more with a very tight album. The Italian instrumental sludge band don't play with clichéd sounds. Thus Anxiety Despair Languish is full with innovative riffs, which build a certain atmosphere and stir up music 'anxiety' simultaneously. A must have.

http://www.myspace.com/lento
http://www.last.fm/music/Lento
http://www.facebook.com/lento.icon
http://www.lento-icon.blogspot.gr/
http://lento.bigcartel.com/
http://denovali.com/lento/

Photophobia-The Seven States Of Mourning

Photophobia is a dbm project with members from both Finland and Italy. This album deals with the sadness of the soul in seven chapters. Quite good.

http://www.myspace.com/photophobiaofficial

The Main As Well That Is Not Very

Side Of Despondency did chose a bizarre title for their new post-black album, 'The Main As Well That Is Not Very'... In general, you won't see any change in their music style. The whole album is dressed in melancholy. It actually invites the listener to make his own journey into melody.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Side-Of-Despondency/
http://www.myspace.com/sideofdespondency/

Lacob's Ladder

 Jacob's Ladder is Hell Militia's latest record. Listening to it, I felt trapped between the high speed, rough guitars and the worn, almost doomy parts. French seem to know the bm recipe...

http://evilness.com/hellmilitia/index2.htm
http://www.myspace.com/hell_militia
http://www.last.fm/music/Hell+Militia

Wetterkreuz

Wetterkreuz is the new album of the bm band Eis (ex Gast) . All tracks have some things in common, like wind blowing, snowstorm sounds and characteristic growls. That's why the listener feels freezing at times... Yet these anxious seconds easily turn to hypnotic ones, when the keyboards appear. Like it raw? Like Wetterkreuz!

http://www.myspace.com/geistmetal
http://www.facebook.com/eis.official

Razorsunday

Depressive Black Metal by the finnish band Fornicatus. It's actually an older unreleased compilation. Raw sound, noisy background, muffled drumms and voice shrieks. In other words, classic Fornicatus at their best. Keep in mind, this isn't music for everyone.

http://www.myspace.com/fornicatus
http://www.last.fm/music/Fornicatus

Razorsunday (Part II)