review – Page 39 – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Ulvehunger – Retaliation

We’re back to our bread and butter—Black Metal from the pits of (oh surprise!) Norway. We also have something of a super band, because Ulvehunger is made up of members from Satyricon, Disgusting, and Cadaver, just to name a few. However, I must say it’s been decades since I’ve fully enjoyed an album from any of these bands. Don’t throw hate at me; taste is like a butt: split. Despite this, I had no negative preconceptions about Retaliation. If anything, I want all bands to do well and be successful (see? It’s not so bad). Let’s find out if we can jump into this.

Totengott – Beyond The Veil

There are moments as a reviewer when you wonder if you’ve heard it all. Le temps détruit tout (time destroys everything), so I do wonder if there’s anything left before I become a cranky reviewer who doesn’t see the sunlight and can’t get off the floor without using my hands for support (oh, you feel addressed? Maybe you should!). Despite this, I welcomed Totengott‘s Beyond the Veil with no prejudices. Little did I know, I was about to embark on a strange and uncertain journey. Tag along!

Seth – La France des Maudits

I think it would be an understatement to say that right now, or whenever you’re reading this article, France is going through turbulent times. It’s a nation always in crisis, just like Argentina. Why am I talking about non-Metal matters? Well, because Seth’s new album La France des Maudits is thematically the most French album I’ve reviewed in the short history of this site. Also, it’s nice to talk about a French Black Metal band that won’t get me in trouble with half of the internet (you all know what I’m talking about). Great, so is this fresh work, or is it cursed? Stay with me!

Liminal Shroud – Visions of Collapse

I’d like to tell you one of my romantic stories about how I ran into Liminal Shroud, but that’d be lying more than usual. I was looking for discounts on Bandcamp and saw that Through the False Narrows was cheap, so I bought it after listening to one track. It was solid Black Metal with Prog touches. The same could be said about All Virtues Ablaze. Hence, Visions of Collapse has a difficult task ahead: overcoming solid albums that, without much drama, have solidified the band’s reputation as a respectable act. Hopefully, this won’t ruin it. Let’s go!

Akhlys – House of the Black Geminus

Here we go! I know that Akhlys has been involved in controversy in the past and has even been banned from some media outlets. Since I’m a cat, human affairs don’t affect me, and despite my ideological disagreements with, well, a lot of Black Metal bands, I’ll focus on the art this time. Now that that’s out of the way, I’ll admit that I loved The Dreaming I and that it’s one of the best albums of its kind! Though I enjoyed Melinoë, it just wasn’t the same. Hence, I approached House of the Black Geminus with mixed expectations. Let’s just fall into this endless pit, ok?

Rendezvous Point – Dream Chaser

If you’ve been living under a rock, you might not know that Norway is a low-key powerhouse for Prog bands, not just Black Metal from the basement. I ran into Rendezvous Point aeons ago when they opened for Leprous at a local concert. It was exciting! We had a fire emergency, the power went off, and we were thrown out into the winter cold, but it was all a false alarm (ha ha ha…). Either way, they gave us a memorable performance. Needless to say, I want to like Dream Chaser, but do we ever get what we want? Who knows… read on!

Alcest – Les Chants De L’Aurore

It’s one of those days! The rare ones when you wake up feeling victorious, refreshed, and ready to take on the world! This unique occasion calls for a fitting soundtrack, and no other band defines the feeling of flying on a cloud towards freedom quite like Alcest. Their last two albums have been certified winners in my feline opinion, but now we’ve got Les Chants De L’Aurore in our claws, and it’s our duty to see if it stacks up in Alcest‘s illustrious catalogue. It’s emotion time!

Ulcerate – Cutting the Throat of God

I’ve been delaying this more than you delay your work emails, but the time has come. If there’s one band that can consistently compete for album of the year awards on any platform, it’s Ulcerate. They’ve done it with every single album since Everything is Fire and kept it going until Stare Into Death and Be Still. Ulcerate never holds back and can only compete with itself. So, you’d be right to think that my expectations for Cutting the Throat of God are so out of proportion that I should call my therapist soon, but before I get sent back to rehab, just read this.

Hyppotraktor – Stasis

A few months back, I was minding my own business, which means critiquing papers others wrote because they weren’t up to par… right, you don’t need to know that. Either way, in the middle of that bloodbath, a friend sent me Meridian and I thought nothing of it after listening to the first track. But then I listened to the second and the third. Something had clicked. Hippotraktor (that name…) was different; it was as if The Ocean and Meshuggah had a hipster child. Hence, my expectations for Stasis were high, and that’s always a problem, or is it?

True Kvlt – EP madness 1

Today we get out the first round of EPs that were submitted a few weeks back. If your material isn’t out yet, don’t panic. The cue is slowly moving. Bureaucracy takes times, but it works, right?