Black Metal – Page 14 – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Urfeind – Dauþalaikaz

Here we go again! It’s one of my reviewer’s favorite niches—German Black Metal—which, according to them, has become synonymous with quality. (Honestly, I think that applies more to German Post/Black, but I’m being a snob.) Anyway, Urfeind is a band that attempts to represent this harrowing and deranged Black Metal school of thought with pride. Dauþalaikaz is an album with that kind of attitude and art. It takes itself seriously, and the real question is if we, the plebs, can take it seriously too.

True kvlt: Misanthropic Planet, Orgone & Shiver Down

Pegah & Metalcatto

Hi there, people! We’re back to our usual Sunday schedule. Your submissions have been piling up, and it was about time I got to them. However, I’m not alone this time; Pegah is also joining us to take a look at some stuff you, our followers and readers, sent. Let’s go!

True kvlt special: Krafthur – Acenando aos Pesadelos do Passado

Ixone

For every Black Metal listener with a preference for ferocity over coldness, this album might just be right up your alley. Judging by the album cover alone, it might not seem that way, but the second the second track (the first one is, of course, an intro) kicks in, you’re in for a wild ride. Having been in production for over four years before finally seeing the light of day, it’s easy to (rightfully) assume that this is a carefully written and well-executed record.

Patriarkh – ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ

I’ll spare you all the now-old drama surrounding the creation of Patriarkh (such a feminist name!). My job is to focus on the music; it’s yours to eat up the gossip. Anyway, in ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ, Patriarkh continues its quest to craft the most blasphemous mockery of Slavic Orthodox traditions. Full disclosure: yours truly might speak many tongues but has no clue what’s being said in this album from start to finish. Still, I assume it’s something evil and unholy, but, you’re not reading this for the lyrics. Let’s go!

Top Metal Albums That Perfectly Blend Subgenres in 2024

Metalcatto

This is my weirdest top to date. Some albums can’t be easily pinned to a single label—not because they’re musically bizarre (though that happens, too), but because they combine subgenres so effortlessly that they feel like their own category. This list celebrates that creativity, highlighting some of the most inventive albums of the year. Let’s dive in!

Best Black Metal Albums of 2024

Metalcatto

It’s time for children’s favorite sub-genre. The one that needs no introduction. The one with the dank memes. The one your grandparents think about when it comes to Metal representation. The most beloved and hated at the same time: Black Metal. Reducing this list to a handful of albums was an odyssey. With great releases from Necrowretch, or Hulder to Misotheist, or Vredehammer narrowing it down wasn’t easy. But enough with honorable mentions—let’s get to it!

Stargazer Scholar’s top 10 albums of 2024

Stargazer Scholar

While I would insist that some aspects of music are quantifiable and (oh! the horror) objective, art is not a competition, and the massive undertaking of compiling a year-end list should be all about fun and discovering new bands together. Right?

Right…

The Gothic Metalhead Top 10 of 2024

The Gothic Metalhead

My corpse-painted children! We have a special guest today—it’s The Gothic Metalhead, who will share their top 10 for 2024. So, in the spirit of this countdown, I won’t prolong this any longer. Let’s go!

Morbus Dei – The Wold We Left Behind

Ixione

There are very few things on this planet that go together as well as Black Metal and Germany. As much as this may reflect my personal bias, I have yet to find a German Black Metal band that isn’t good—Morbus Dei is no exception. Its latest effort, The World We Left Behind, undoubtedly succeeds in delivering a freezing cold, razor-sharp sound that feels like a misanthrope’s greatest fantasy. At first glance, it may not seem like anything overly ambitious, but that is precisely where its strength lies.

SonikGoat’s Top Albums of 2024

SonikGoat

There are a couple of observations I can make about the albums I’ve chosen for my end-of-year lists. One relates to that most nebulous realm of terminology: the “progressive”. What this term means seems to vary from person to person and album to album, but the differences manifest in interesting ways. Take everyone else’s album of the year, Blood Incantation’s Absolute Elsewhere. The progressive element here lies largely in its bold combination of two distinct styles, blending Death Metal with what I’ll broadly call “vintage-flavored synth-driven Prog Rock”. Another album that adopts a progressive approach is Ontology of Nought by Ingurgitating Oblivion, but the results are markedly different. More on that below.

The other theme in my list this year is that several of the bands are well-established acts with multiple albums under their belts, yet I was either unaware of them or only barely familiar. I’m forever humbled by the sheer number of great musicians and bands I have yet to discover! Finding a band partway through their discography often feels like stumbling upon a treasure trove of musical riches.

Enough! On to the list. Eternal hails to the artists!