Suffering so you don't have to!
Metalcatto
It’s been a while without Black Metal from the basement. So here we have Taufpatin with an album named Les Malfaisances de la Taufpatin. Ridiculously long title, I know. This should be good, right? It has, in principle, what I’m looking for. However, even I can get a bit fed up with French Metal, but let’s see.
Metalcatto
Usually, I wouldn’t even bother to check a remake or remaster, but Saor is a band I’ve long wondered about: what could they sound like if they had more budget? Not many projects get enough cash to do it all over again, which is why I wanted to check if Caledonia revived the classics or just butchered them harder than Disney. I’m careful today, but a man can dream.
Metalcatto
It was about time before I made a Gaerea top. It’s probably the most massive Black Metal band of this decade so far. Love them or hate them, these guys have put Portuguese Metal on the map as much as Moonspell. Even if their music is totally different. Anyway, let’s get to what you came for: disagreeing with me.
Metalcatto
Despite not being a Sigh expert, the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the band is innovation. There’s nobody else out there who mixes Folk, Prog, and Black Metal with so much skill. On top of all that, Sigh has had an epic run over the last few albums. It’s hard to imagine Goh-Ka surpassing In Somniphobia, but let’s see.
Metalcatto
There are promos I don’t know how to label. Some would say those are the most interesting ones. I say those are the ones that imply more risk with the crowd. Anyway, Vingulmork sent us Barmhjertighetens Fallitt, an album that first seems to fit the Black Metal mold, but in practice, things get more complicated. Still, fear not, because I’m here to help you figure out if this is worth your time.
Metalcatto
Usually, when I hear Finland and Black Metal, I tremble. Not because the music is bad, but because the scene is a PR nightmare. I don’t have the time or staff to stalk every band on social media. However, Flame is a band I’ve never heard of, and I was a bit puzzled by the promo. Needless to say, a title like Ignis Draconis Daemonicus is over the top enough to catch my attention. Anyway, we’re ready.
Ixone
I am suspecting just a tiny little bit that upon being sent the promotional materials for this album, the choice for this one specifically might just have been a bit personal (opening track “Eigengrau”, I am looking at you). But here I am barely having started the article and already going off on pointless tangents. Flowers of Rust is a project that I have come to know through this album, so I was diving into it with nothing to go off except its description from the previously mentioned material, which, considering my taste lately has been venturing into different corners of black metal, I was a little.. concerned about my capacity of being objective.
Metalcatto
Today I felt like committing traffic suicide, because nothing new is coming out of this band as far as I know. However, some of us still long for Agalloch to return, but let’s be real—we’ll get world peace before that happens. Having said that, never has a top been so competitive and yet so easy for me. You almost know how this is going to go, but you want to be sure, right?
Metalcatto
I don’t meet too many Black Metal bands with a name like Black Door, because that sounds more like a grandpa Rock band than evil Norwegian shrieking. But Shadows of a Funerary Gleam goes more like bathing in a ton of goat blood. That’s more like it, right? So, can these guys impress us in any way? I’ve never heard of them, so it’s not going to be easy. And lately, I don’t feel like giving high scores unless the band really earns it. Yes, I’ve turned cynical. It’s part of the business. Deal with it.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 