As metal subgenre hybrids go, mixing up black and death metal is one of the most natural and challenging pairings out there. It’s natural in that musicians gravitate towards taking the more extreme genres and blurring the boundaries between them to try and push things further, but therein lies the challenge too. If you do too little, you don’t stand out in a crowded field; do too much and it just becomes over-dense and loses its edge. Anti-Peat might just be telling you to edge into the kraken’s butthole with Skaphos though. Dive in!
Read moreBelnejoum – Dark Tales of Zarathustra Review
What happens when a bear tries to widen his palate with some symphonic black metal? Will it be perfectly charred or will it make him wish for death?
Read moreSvnth – Pink Noise Youth Review
Have you ever longed for a cold stream on a hot day? Fresh air after rain? Perhaps the fourth album from Italian blackgaze shapeshifters, Svnth, will be what you seek. Lady Inksterium certainly thinks that flower fields everywhere should be in danger. But frolicking is not a crime!
Read moreThe Infernal Deceit – The True Harmful Black Review
If there is one period and sound in metal history that gets Anti-Peat going like a small kid in a sweet shop, it’s 1990s Sweden. But can you get too much of a good thing? Join Anti-Peat as he tries to eat some German cuisine consisting of salty Swedish fish with a side of meatballs.
Read moreIstapp – Sól Tér Sortna Review
When Anti-Peat saw a slew of people recommending melodic black metal of a cold and wintry nature, he had to stapp and take a look. Yes, that’s how he ended up pressing anti-stapp on Sól Tér Sortna by Istapp. That translates to pressing play. If you’d like us to stapp with the stapping, please read on.
Read moreCradle of Filth – The Screaming of the Valkyries Review
The Screaming of the Valkyries is a well-executed blast of catchy, escapist bombast that stands up to multiple listens. In particular, Anti-Peat can’t help but think how after many reviews complaining about overambitious writing and poor structure, Cradle of Filth’s songwriting drags his attention back time after time. The thing is while he’s a sucker for catchy, escapist bombast. Have you figured out what escapist bombast means to you yet, dear reader? You might just need to to get down with the CoF.
Read moreDélirant – Thoughteater Review
Enigmatic black metal entity D.B (Negativa, Hässlig) has returned with Thoughteater, his second album under the Délirant moniker. Mixing nightmare atmosphere with blackened dissonance, Délirant sounds like a fever-dream combination of Andavald and Deathspell Omega with a few dashes of unsettling ambience. Has Cosmo found yet another reason to sleep with his lights on?
Read moreEreb Altor – Hälsingemörker Review
One of the best trends in metal right now is the recent spate of black-trad hybrids. It’s a welcome revival of a combination with a long history that makes a ton of sense as their shared love of drama goes together like blood and ice. Ereb Altor know what I’m talking about — they take their sanguine cocktails on the rocks just like Anti-Peat.
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