ALBUM REVIEW: Septicflesh - "Codex Omega"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 01/09/2017

Label: Season of Mist

Septicflesh mostly sticks to what it is strongest at, and where its legend has been built: in beautifully composed, wicked death metal.

“Codex Omega” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Dante's Inferno

2. 3rd Testament               

3. Portrait of a Headless Man

4. Martyr              

5. Enemy of Truth

6. Dark Art           

7. Our Church below the Sea

8. Faceless Queen

9. The Gospels of Fear

10. Trinity

The Review:

Hailing from Athens, Greece, Septicflesh has carved one of the most distinctive paths in extreme metal. Ten albums into its career, the quartet creates a brand of symphonic death metal that is rare for its style as it is in terms of longevity. "Codex Omega" marks the first album for the group since 2014, when "Titan" beguiled audiences. However, Septicflesh has a catalog of many triumphs, including 2011's "The Great Mass" and 2008's "Communion" as well as many more.

While symphonic death metal is admittedly not as populous as its cousin, symphonic black metal, Septicflesh is, virtually without question, regarded as the best group in the subgenre. Since its formation in 1990, the Greek ensemble has created some of the best music in the scene. Even with a four-year layoff following a breakup and reunion in the early 2000s, Septicflesh has managed not to lose its stride and instead put out some of the most respected music available. "Communion" is still today regarded as a touchstone moment for symphonic death metal. So, when "Codex Omega" was announced, hopes for the group could not have been higher.

Septicflesh begins with "Dante's Inferno." The strings and woodwind create the space here, only to make way for Christos Antoniou's explosive guitar. If you have heard the band before, its ascent on this song will feel familiar. Kerim Lechner's epic drumming surges through the opener, then into "Third Testament." There is nearly a scientific preciseness to it; chords unleash Hell as the orchestra meets them like an infernal chorus all their own. Later, songs like "Dark Art" and "Our Church" hew a similar path. Its signifiers -- lumbering riffs, diabolical vocals and a mammoth sound made larger by the overall arrangement – are not unique for the veteran band. Its members have the reputation they have for outstanding musical performances, and the opening of "Codex Omega" seems poised to do that legacy justice.

"Martyr" begins with a folkloric touch, until the more substantial guitar attack snakes in. With lyrics that convey themes of faith and intolerance ("A strife has grown between faith and wisdom/You choose to stand for the exalted ego/Your creation, a creation maimed/Blame the vultures for their vile way"), Septicflesh is also dedicated to powerful songwriting. The beauty of such a consistent and consummately great band like Septicflesh is you know what you're getting with their albums. The interchange between Christos Antoniou's guttural vocal and Sotiris Vayenas' clean vocals is one of those better features. On a song such as " Portrait of a Headless Man," the duo alternate with aesthetics that share a story ("I am a man with strong regrets/I followed great deceivers/Believe in headless leaders/They played their game, true sons of Cain/But I was a hopeless dreamer/With my head deep in the clouds") and also create an air of menace, even remorse. Their chemistry reminds you why Septicflesh is so loved among death metal devotees.

Septicfleshhas, at different points, mixed gothic and black metal influences into its symphonic death metal formula. Those elements are evident in cuts like "The Gospels of Fear." However, Septicflesh mostly sticks to what it is strongest at, and where its legend has been built: in beautifully composed, wicked death metal.

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Carach Angren, "Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten"

By: Ernesto Aguilar


Album Type: Full length
Date Released: 16/06/2017
Label: Season of Mist

If you had hopes Carach Angren could dig that hole back in your heart that their previous full-length could not, you will certainly not walk away disappointed.  The overall composition is simply superlative.

 

"Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten" CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Opening

2. Charlie

3. Blood Queen

4. Charles Francis Coghlan

5. Song For the Dead

6. In De Naam Van De Duivel

7. Pitch Black Box

8. The Possession Process

9. Three Times Thunder Strikes

The Review:

Black metal has many signifiers. The harsh thunder of the music itself. Lyrical themes oriented around the darkest corners of our imaginations. A vocal style that is unmistakable. Lost in this cacophony – and to history for some – is a cornerstone of what we regard as black metal, a flair for the presentation.

Consider the classic black metal image in your mind’s eye. Performers like Venom, Bathoryand, of course, Mercyful Fate surely spring out first. Their fidelity to the visual even before the ascendance of music visuals made them infamous. Today, with all manner of indie and international horror films engulfing what would otherwise be our wildest mental pictures, not as much black metal is as adept at setting the blackened altar as back in the days of the founders. That assertion could be heresy to some devotees. Still, many black metal bands are gifted at carrying on the story just inside the fearless, and feared, basement of a house that metal music built.

Dutch black metal trio Carach Angren offer their fifth release, "Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten,"amid much anticipation, not to mention high expectations. The multilingual act is lauded worldwide for its symphonic brand of black metal musicianship. Although its 2015 recording, "This is No Fairytale," was regarded by critics as a disappointment, the band’s body of work is enthralling. Blistering guitars, an ominous build, delicate violins and a dash of piano have long been part of the canon. It was nevertheless unclear if this nine-song release would return Carach Angrento form.

In addition its music, Carach Angren has cultivated a rabid following through their incredible music video presence, which combine crisp, quality visuals with crushing and often sublime music. No sleeveless t-shirts in an empty warehouse here. The group carries forward textured storytelling in the vein of some of the many greats. You can find online many terrifyingly dazzling visuals already for songs from "Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten," and they’ll be worth your search, if you do not mind a sleepless night or two.

Many of Carach Angren’s best music has been rooted in folklore and other tales. Such is the case with "Blood Queen," a sonic departure for the group though its themes of death, despair and infernal dealings appear in other cuts here. The specter of a Ouija board floats through the many stories here too, mostly as an usher to that aforementioned despair. It is the vehicle for a malevolent spirit in "Charlie" and reaches its zenith in the album’s closer, "Three Times Thunder Strikes." "Scrambling for matches/Determined to burn it to ashes/She threw the Ouija board to the flames and kneeled to pray/’I wish I never ever, ever listened to my friends’/’Who had said it would be fun to play’/’Now the one that follows me’/’A predator, and me its new prey.’

There’s so much than can be said about the performances, completely separate from the group’s imagery or lyricism. The overall composition is simply superlative. Guitar and drums are fierce as they are jarring on "In de Naam Van de Duivel" (“In the Name of the Devil" in Dutch, though the song is in English). The orchestral crests in "Song for the Dead" are haunting. If you had hopes Carach Angren could dig that hole back in your heart that its previous full-length could not, you will certainly not walk away disappointed.

"Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten" is available here:

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook

Nokturnal Mortum – Істина (Verity) (2017)

Genre: Folk Symphonic Black Metal
Origin: Ukraine
Size/Quality: 174 mb | Mp3, CBR 320 kbps
Info

Tracklist:
01. Зустріну тебе в імлі старій 02:39
02. Мольфа 08:33
03. З чортом за пазухою 06:04
04. Смерековий дід 04:49
05. Пісня хуги 08:23
06. Вовчі ягоди 09:02
07. У човні з дурнями 06:26
08. Дика вира 06:43
09. Ліра (Кому Вниз cover) 05:08
10. Чорний мед 03:42
11. Ніч богів 09:14
12. Куди пливуть вінки рікою? 03:43

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Carach Angren – Where the Corpses Sink Forever (2012)

Carach Angren – Where the Corpses Sink Forever (2012)

Genre: Symphonic Black Metal

Origin: Netherlands

102 mb | mp3, CBR 320 kbps [CD-Rip]

Tracklist:

1. An Ominous Recording 01:58

2. Lingering In an Imprint Haunting 05:17

3. Bitte Tötet Mich 05:03

4. The Funerary Dirge of a Violinist 08:04

5. Sir John 04:27

6. Spectral Infantry Battalions 02:04

7. General Nightmare 04:19

8. Little Hector What Have You Done? 04:55

9. These Fields are Lurking (Seven Pairs of Demon Eyes) 07:15

____

43:22 min

Carach Angren

In 2003, Carach Angren (“Irons Jaws” in Sindarin, an Elvish language from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth) is formed in the southern regions of Limburg, The Netherlands, by Seregor, Namtar and Ardek.

The band choses a classical, storytelling approach in the broad genre. Symphonic arrangements on keys characterize the bands sound as it is the perfect underscore to the storytelling element. No separate songs, but a complete concept is worked out on “The Chase Vault Tragedy”. On their first demo, Carach Angren pick up on the story behind paranormal causes in a 17th century Barbados and, in their unique way, bring it to life through lyrics and music.

The fascination for the paranormal resurfaces on the following release “Ethereal Veiled Existence”. A remarkable story told in 5 songs. The strange occurrences around one of the most spectacular photographs of a ghost ever taken are the basis for this mini CD.

With the two self-released EPs on their résumé it is time to bring the legends to life on stage … not merely by the theatrical atmosphere, but for an important part by some old-fashioned thrash metal. Yes, there’s the dark clothing and characteristic make-up, but Carach Angren does not omit the incredibly tight metal for some good old headbanging.

In early 2007, Carach Angren haunts the halls of Maddening Media who hereby decide to grant abode to the dutch wraiths in order to be enchanted instead of being cursed.

The recording for “Lammendam”, a concept album around the ghost of a lady in white, is done in July/August and November 2007. The finishing touch is added in January 2008. 

As of the release date in April 2008, Carach Angren instantly impose themselves as the premier dutch black-metal act, with an exploding number of fans and concerts across Europe.

In August 2009, Carach Angren re-entered the TidalWave studio to record their sophomore shocker named “Death Came Through A Phantom Ship”, an album of naval terror and elemental fright which was released on February 26th, 2010. The album got rave reviews through the metal world. Right after that the band went on an successful European tour with Dark Funeral.

2004: “The Chase-Vault Tragedy” (mini-CD)

2005: “Ethereal Veiled Existence” (mini-CD)

2008: “Lammendam”

2010: “Death Came Through A Phantom Ship”

www.carach-angren.nl

www.maddening-media.de