For the uninitiated, this band’s original name was Batushka, or at least vocalist Bartłomiej Krysiuk tried to claim it was. But after a legal battle for the rights to the name Batushka, Krysiuk lost and was forced to rename his incarnation of Batushka. But he didn’t name it Bartushka. You might just like Prorok Ilja anyway!
Read moreThy Catafalque – XII: A gyönyörü álmok ezután jönnek Review
With a long and spicy Hungarian title, XII: A gyönyörü álmok ezután jönnek is by all counts a folk album. It uses folk music as a basis for its rhythms in bright and airy compositions, filled with a large variety of vocals. It’s also a metal album, which is what it presents as at first with the heaviest compositions landing in the first third of the album.
Read moreThis Week In Metal, 2024 Week 20
Another week, another round of metal reviews in the bag. Words are tough, so we assembled the highlights. And if you want to read the latest reviews for the new offerings from Inter Arma, Folterkammer, Infestus, and Moisson Livide, you can do that too!
Read moreMoisson Livide – Sent Empèri Gascon Review
Folk metal is typically one of the more repellent genres of metal according to Cosmo’s tastes. But will Moisson Livide, with their more extreme edge to what is normally very power metal-forward folk metal be able to melt his blackened bat heart?
Read moreWayfarer – American Gothic Review
Atmosphere in Wayfarer’s world is a consequence of understanding the history of the genres they decided to meld, rather than relying on samples or insisting on flavor where there is none, like so many Black Metal artists tend to do. Take a sip of American Gothic.
Read moreThis Week in Metal, 2023 Week 35
Another week, another round of metal reviews in the bag. Words are tough, so we assembled the highlights. And if you want to read the latest reviews for the new offerings from Nuclear Power Trio, Grand Cadaver, Massen, Soen, Blut aus Nord, and Exmortus, you can do that too!
Read moreMassen – Gentle Brutality Review
A hazard of venturing into deeper waters of dissonance and the more extreme ends of Metal is that these genres have a hard time impressing on that end as they have to balance melody and heaviness. Despite this I still enjoy melody, groove and selectively catchy material but drift away from things that mix in overt aspects of Pop melody. Bands like Massen are instantly fighting an uphill battle for my interest, then. But impressively, this Belarus duo bring some serious skill to the format. Massenive skill.
Read moreArkona – Kob’ Review
Arkona’s 2018 album Khram really impressed Cosmo. Now, five years later, they return with Kob’. Can they impress the easily impressed Cosmo again?
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