Black Metal

ABSOLUTE KEY is another, magickal work of Antti Klemi, vocalist/lyricist for the ever-singular Circle of Ouroborus and editor of the esteemed Kaleidoscope zine. While one could make faint comparisons here to Circle of Ouroborus, ABSOLUTE KEY is very much its own entity, and has proven as much over their feverish discography the last three years.

Black Metal

AVRÆ LVNÆ are a power-trio hailing from the still-rising Ecuadorian black metal scene. Fronted by Wampyric Strigoi – mainman of WAMPYRIC RITES, who’ve had a huge hand in shaping that scene, as well as GRYMMSTALT, WINTERSTORM, and DUNGEON STEEL among many others – AVRÆ LVNÆ also feature erstwhile WAMPYRIC RITES / DUNGEON STEEL drummer Eblis Destructor and one Geist der Natur on guitar and bass. Uniquely, the band brand their black metal “neon metal,” which isn’t as garish as it sounds; rather, they draw to the fore the shimmering, stained-glass textures of mystical black metal, making for a mesmerizing (and MELODIC) display of psychedelic obsidian.

Black Metal

Comprising four tracks in an epic 40 minutes, Return of Primordial Stillness indeed sounds primordial and indeed invokes a crypt-like stillness, but there’s so much more going on here. The record is bookended by two mostly instrumental tracks, with the two central compositions – “Celestial Syntropy” and “Celestial Entropy,” which are 14 minutes and 16 minutes, respectively – canvassing a wide sonic landscape, howling and desperate and yet strangely triumphant and even perversely soothing, such is their catharsis sought

Black Metal

Burial Moon are a mysterious international entity which may or may not include members as distant as Northern Europe as well as the southernmost climes of Europe. Grim and ethereal is their black metal, as the four lengthy tracks across their 22-minute Burial Moon mini-album cast a spell of raw mysticism immediately felt. The guitar tone alone, despite being hypnotically melodic, sounds like decay in realtime; the vocals suitably hover above the ever-surging miasma like a malignant spectre, and often take on a disembodied choral effect. And, for as lengthy as those four component tracks are, their song titles go to great lengths – literally – to convey the psychic headspace Burial Moon are occupying on their public debut.

Black Metal

Hailing from the currently-hot Portuguese raw black metal scene, Cripta Oculta have been dwelling in that darkest underground from the very start, forming in the pivotal year of 2004. For years, the collective honored the ancient traditions of demos and splits, lurking in the deepest and most shadowy recesses, which eventually culminated in the band’s debut album, Sangue do Novo Amanhecer, in 2009. More ancient traditions continued before two full-lengths arrived in 2010, Ecos dos Dólmens Esquecidos and Rios que Correram… Rios que Secaram. Then, as fervently as they began, Cripta Oculta receded into obscurity…

Black Metal

“This minimal black metal tracks are orchestrated under a majestic and instrumental vibrations, “Evighetens” relive the southern lanterns, ethereal and eternal enchantment from invernal tombs, later this and the band was buried and forgotten.

Black Metal

A pan-international quartet featuring members from Norway and Italy, FUNERAL HARVEST formed in 2016 and unleashed their first public recording the very next year. Tellingly titled Bunker Ritual Rehearsal, this first strike was auspicious to say the very least, and quickly built a name for FUNERAL HARVEST in the underground. Their raw ‘n’ robust black metal sound was rooted in the ancient ways but never regressive – in fact, its ghoulish hostility was perversely refreshing. An epic digital single followed in 2019, but it was 2020’s self-titled EP, released to widespread acclaim by SIGNAL REX, where FUNERAL HARVEST indeed began to reap: a grim ‘n’ graven culmination of all that’s come before and all that lies ahead.

Gatefold LP, 20 pages booklet, A2 poster