Norway – Metal Eclipse Reviews

An Introduction to Black Metal

Metalcatto

I felt like doing something different. Something that wasn’t judging the work of young, hungry bands that have next to no hope of making it to your playlist, even less to your wallet. Some of you have told me, “I can’t get into Black Metal”—whether it’s the edginess, the awful production, or the shrieking. Well, here are a few albums that could ease your journey into that dark and cold world. Just remember: this isn’t a historical trip. It’s one about digestible listens. See yourself as a frog in a pot, and I’m slowly raising the heat. The idea is that you don’t notice how cooked you are.

Dimmu Borgir – Grand Serpent Rising

Metalcatto

Not many bands have disappointed me like Dimmu Borgir. It’s been decades since I truly enjoyed one of their albums. In fact, I was thinking of ignoring Grand Serpent Rising, but then I recalled this is a big band, and we love chasing clout around here. Anyway, let’s see if this thing is worth our time or if it’s going to be another Eonian.

Green Carnation – A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis

Metalcatto

We’re back with Green Carnation. It feels like yesterday when Part I came out, and now we’re ready for A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis. I’d like to say this is the longest part of the album, but no. The music, the promo, the emotions—everything is going to be long. But fear not, because I’m going to review this in the same heretical length you’ve grown used to.

Mayhem – Liturgy of Death

Metalcatto

There might be no other band in extreme Metal that has inspired more dank, enduring memes than your dark majesty, Mayhem. I even conducted a retro-review of the seminal album back in the day. However, I approached its latest release, Liturgy of Death (wow, how surprising that title is…), with next to no expectations. The central question looms: how can a band with such a famously chaotic and tragic trajectory possibly offer something genuinely compelling and interesting decades after its infamous peak?

Retro-review: Theatre of Tragedy – Velvet Darkness They Fear

Vicky

To start things on a more depressing note, this album is close to three decades of existence, being released in 1996. The year itself was absolutely remarkable for the Metal industry, with new material from My Dying Bride (Like Gods of the Sun), Opeth (Morningrise), Sepultura (Roots), Cradle of Filth (Dusk… and Her Embrace), Hypocrisy (Abducted), Type O Negative (October Rust), Rage (Lingua Mortis and then End of All Days), Therion (Theli), The 3^rdand the Mortal (Painting on Glass), Napalm Death (Diatribes), Pantera (The Great Southern Trendkill), and other albums that are less praised but also important for the Metal world, by Moonspell, Stratovarius, Tool, Warrant, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson, Slayer, Slipknot, Staind, Stone Temple Pilots, and the band of Sakis and Themis Tolis. So, as you may notice, this was one of the best years to be alive.

Gloombound – Dreaming Delusion

Vicky

Errata before even starting this article: I got lost somewhere around the presence of bonus tracks and regular songs, so there might be a few errors in my review. The band we’re talking about today is Gloombound, from Norway. But, lucky for you, I’m not in the mood to discuss the endless stream of “trve”-ness that comes from their homeland again. Let’s keep things short, simple, and lovely.

Monograf – Occultation

Elyna Kahn

A strange yet charming combination of sinister sounds that evoke a creepy soundtrack, with encounters between 90s depressive Rock, Candlemass-style epic Doom, and depressive ambient, with hints of Celtic folk and an atmosphere reminiscent of a sunset walk through icy Nordic forests. All this unfolds on a tapestry that conveys innocence, tenderness, and a cosy feeling of peaceful pain, a kind of catharsis where loneliness and sadness become endearing companions who understand the shadows carried by the human soul. It is precisely what the Scandinavian band Monograph brings us with its new album, Occultation.

Green Carnation – A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia

Metalcatto

Enough of helping the little bands! Time to get some clout by reviewing one of my most anticipated releases of the year: Green Carnation. If you need to know what the band is capable of, check our article here. After an epic comeback in 2020, the band is ready to start a full album trilogy with A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia. Long title, right? But not as long as the music itself! So get ready, because we’re about to dive into a poetic and intense journey straight into your childhood traumas.

Connect The Circle – Wolf in the Sky

Metalcatto

If you’ve been following us for a bit, you might think I’m just a Death/Black type of Metalhead. However, my beginnings in the Metalsphere are closer to Prog than anything else—and I mean the joyful type, 90s Prog! Which is why Connect the Circle caught my attention right away. Wolf in the Sky not only promised to be conceptual (it’s about a volcanic eruption!), but also to deliver that lost sound with a fresher touch. Am I being nostalgic for once? Maybe, but it’s my blog and I’ll do what I want!

In The Woods…-Otra

It’s nothing new to say that In the Woods… is a band that has not only defied genre conventions but also done its own thing regardless of the times. Whether that worked or not is a subject for great discussion. However, I’m going to take the safe (chicken!) route and say that the band’s first three albums are classics—and then things changed (see, nobody’s hurt yet!). So, Otra is trying to get every Black/Prog/Avant-Garde Metalhead on board for once, and that’s a Herculean task. Is it even possible?