Suffering so you don't have to!
Today, we have a special issue. We’ve received a ridiculous amount of underground submissions. This makes my black heart almost beat. However, some of the work we got is too short to demand a whole article. Hence, we’ve combined them in a format similar to this one. Anyway, have fun digging deep into the evil underground. The rapid-fire session starts now!
Don’t you ever feel that Black Metal is sometimes kind of stale? As if you’ve heard it all before? I don’t mean combined styles like Black/Folk, Black/Post, Blackened Death—those seem to be doing well. However, pure Black Metal can be more predictable than your morning routine. It’s almost as if there’s some edge lacking on the blade. Nifelheim was a project that understood this and added real excitement to this old formula. From its ashes rises Hellbutcher, a bit of a super band by Swedish standards (even if it’s technically a solo project). I know that “solo” and “super” at the same time might make you nervous, but should we give Hellbutcher the benefit of the doubt?
Crawl has been busy lately. Following a lively split with Feral, it’s clear that they’re riding the wave of the new generation of old-school Swedish Death Metal bands emerging from (surprise!) Sweden. So yes, this is an extended version of the retro Metal that many have been enjoying lately. However, instead of more Immolation, you get more Entombed in your mix. But we’re not here to talk about Crawl; we’re here to discuss Altar of Disgust and determine if it has something new to offer or if it ends up being a derivative endeavor.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 