SLUDGECAMP #5: A deep dive into the newest black/death metal releases on Bandcamp w/c 17/08/2018

By: Daniel Jackson

Rebel Wizard

Welp, it didn’t take long, but life got in the way and I missed several weeks worth of “Sludgecamp”. I don’t believe this is going to be a recurring thing, so hopefully I’ll be a lot more consistent from here on in! This week is another largely black metal affair, with a bit of death thrown in for some balance. It’s also heavy on new pre-orders as opposed to albums released this week. As always, I hope you find something to love here!

Released this week:

1). Rebel Wizard, “Voluptuous worship of rapture and response”

This album is garnering plenty of praise and hype, and with good reason! The music is an infectious blend of NWOBHM and black metal, housed within the harsh, fuzzy production B. Nekrasov has favored from the project’s inception. With wild song titles (“Drunk on the wizdom of unicorn semen”, for example) and brilliantly crafted riffs, Rebel Wizardfeels like something of a sure bet, with each new release improving over the last. When you combine this kind of excellent songwriting with flashy lead guitar work, and then wrap it in this kind of bat-shit crazy exterior, the appeal seems so obvious that greater success feels like an inevitably at this point.

2). Ladnah,“Within Dark Realms”

Coming to us from Greece is Ladnah, with the two tracks available offering two very different experiences. “The Awakening”has a very strong Emperor vibe, circa ‘Wrath of the Tyrant’ and the self-titled EP. The other song, “Belial Rises From The East” has much more of a current day Sargeistkind of feel to it, but both are well done. This is a total throwback, and would have fit in amazingly well as one of the super underground bands featured in one of those old Blackened compilations back in the 90s. This is well worth checking out if you have an affinity for that mid to late 90s symphonic black metal sound.

New Reissues on Bandcamp:

3). Mactätus, “Provenance Of Cruelty” (Napalm)

In something of a fun coincidence given the previous band’s similar stylistic choices, underrated symphonic black metallers Mactätus have made their way to bandcamp via their old label home Napalm Records, and they’re ready to rouse your late 90s symphonic black metal nostalgia as only they can. Released originally in 1998, this album strikes a nice balance between the early Emperor material and pre-Galder Dimmu Borgir. 

New Pre-Orders:

4). Dödsrit, ‘Spirit Crusher’(28th of September)

Prosthetic Recordshas been on something of a tear this year with well-regarded albums from Skeletonwitch, Monotheist, and now this week’s Rebel Wizard all under their belts this year. They’re coming back very quickly with another can’t miss album. This time, they’re presenting us with a brand new Dödsrit album; less than a year following their remarkable debut, and the preview song plain old fucking kills. Their last album was on my year end list, and by the sound of this, they’re damn well likely to be there again this year. If you have any interest in atmospheric black metal, crust, or both: buy this. Immediately.

5). Mutilated by Zombies, ‘Scripts of Anguish’(5th of October)

Awesome old school death metal, though of a different sort than you might be thinking. This one should appeal more to the Morrisound, Florida death metal devotees of the world, offering that early Deicide viciousness with the rhythmic chops of prime Dying Fetus and Deeds of Flesh.

6). All My Sins, ‘Pra Sila - Vukov Totem’(23rd of September)

Raging melodic black metal out of Serbia, and self-described as “South Slavic Black Metal Mysticism”. The relentless blasting here is paired with icy tremolo riffs with a touch of folk sprinkled in throughout, with the end result approaches something like the current day Finnish black metal sound, only at hyperspeed and with a cleaner production. “Vetrovo Kolo”, the song available to preview, rarely stops long enough to let you catch your breath, but the ride is well worth the exhaustion.

Band info: Ladnah || Mactätus || DODSRIT || Mutilated By Zombies|| All My Sins