Skip to main content

Listening Notes: This is Black Metal


Black metal holds the throne as the demon king of music, with millions of followers and an ability to adapt to various genres across every layer. No matter how small the band, there’s always an audience. At times, I even find myself weary of just how famous this genre has become.

So, there’s no need for a long-winded introduction. Here are six black metal releases, dominated by atmospheric and post-black metal styles.

Abigail Williams - Walk Beyond the Dark (2019)

75%

The name Abigail Williams crossed my path 11 years ago, but I didn't care for it then. If I hadn’t snagged this album as a "name your price" release, I doubt I would have tried it now.

The late Mariusz Lewandowski appears once again as the creator of the iconic artwork: a giant cloaked figure with light emanating from within its center.

And then what? Is the music bombastic? Not exactly. It sounds more melodic as it enters "Ever So Bold," and the sound of the violin finally brings the atmosphere of "Black Waves" to full fruition. The climax is the scream of failure on "The Final Failure." Yes, a colossal failure.

Will it make the playlist? I’m still undecided.

Highlights: Except "I Will Depart" and "Sun and Moon"

Garden of Sadness - I Failed... Again (2023)

50%

Identified as depressive black metal (DSBM), Garden of Sadness doesn't just fail in context, but literally. There are no moans or cries. It moves at a standard mid-tempo, and it can't even be described as "cold." It’s just a spill of negative emotions recorded rather dryly by the songwriter. Clearly, this is not for me.

Highlight: -

Hell is Other People - Moirae (2024)

65%

Ah, post-black metal. Hell is Other People still doesn't quite sit right with me.

I can’t tell the difference between the "emptiness" and the "blandness" I found here. I was only briefly taken aback when I saw the title "Loss," but even then, it evoked the essence of doom/death metal rather than black metal itself. Perhaps because there are no melodies that truly pierce through, it feels like listening to the rumble of a winter storm from a shelter or a basement—while I couldn't care less about the weather outside.

Highlights: Moirae, Fates

Negative or Nothing - Void (2024)

70%

Much like Garden of Sadness and its DSBM tag, Negative or Nothing fails to provide a depressive aura in this EP. It's merely a whirlpool of dark humming within a void—better than the aforementioned band, certainly, but still not something I can enjoy.

Highlight: -

Sleep White Winter - Sleep White Winter (2011)

70%

This is the debut EP from Sleep White Winter, featuring a catchy hook on the intro of "Last Dying Dreams," but like the others, it ends up in a similar place. It might be colder and more emotional than Hell is Other People—especially since it still utilizes clean vocals in the vein of Alcest—but it fails to reach the heart. I can only truly appreciate the Alcest cover included, "Souvenirs d'un autre Monde."

Highlight: Souvenirs d'un autre Monde

The Troll - Misantrollpia (2020)

70%

The final performance from The Troll feels closer to post-punk, highlighting booming drum beats. The layering of guitars creates a cosmic atmosphere that blows with a grit that is dark yet remains within the threshold of tolerance. Well, that’s essentially it: raw black metal fused with post-punk.

Highlight: -

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Terima kasih telah berkomentar. Usahakan untuk menjaga sopan santun.

Popular posts from this blog

Breakcore: Subheroine - End. (2025)

77 / 100 End. is Subheroine ’s most immersive and emotionally textured work yet ... Is being a week late enough to make a new release feel cold and stale? Maybe it’s the effect of our fast-paced modern world and the FOMO trend. Who knows. Whatever. Alright then, let’s welcome a new breakcore/drum & bass album (though it runs under 30 minutes) from Subheroine : End. ! End. by SUBHEROINE Released just on November 7 via Japan’s veteran breakcore label, Lost Frog Productions , End . delivers a noticeably more atmospheric vibe this time. So, tagging it as atmospheric drum & bass makes perfect sense, while the “depressive” tag seems to apply only to the cover art. But is that really the case? As always, there are surprises when reviewing music—those unexpected moments that make certain tracks sound more intriguing than expected. The most prominent depressive elements appear in the sampled voice of an anime girl sounding shocked or weakened in...
Post a Comment
Read more

Electronica/IDM: 4T Thieves - Humanoid (2018)

70 / 100 Humanoid is a compact and tastefully crafted slice of IDM-leaning electronica that blends futuristic elements without overwhelming the listener. I opened my December with an electronica release by 4T Thieves , an EP titled Humanoid , which came out back in February 2018. A brief profile and the project’s track record can be found on RYM or Last.fm , and it’s clear that this act has been active since the 90s, although only arriving on Bandcamp around 2018. Humanoid by 4T Thieves As the name suggests, Humanoid presents a modern environment tinged with a futuristic sci-fi atmosphere, supported by drum work leaning toward IDM and prominent synth/bass that paints the image of a future city gate on “ Elemental .” This is followed by “ Codex ,” which is given a special dose of classic IDM-style glitch effects , and the rest continues into “ The Looking Glass ,” which gives off a nighttime-shadow feel through its slightly dark synth melodies. “Band...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listening Notes: Playlist Clearance Vol. 1

If a store has a term called clearance sale, then I have a new agenda called playlist clearance . This agenda is meant to clean up releases sitting on my playlist shelves—sometimes for months—without any written listening notes. This matters a lot to me personally, since I prefer listening to music offline rather than streaming, even though platforms like Spotify also offer offline features. I’m already too used to downloading music, even if it means I’ll probably never really get into mainstream artists, which automatically reduces public attention. Hahaha… As for that issue, I do have my own alternative—but for now, I don’t yet have a map to avoid being overwhelmed and confused when diving into streaming platforms just to consume popular releases. Alright, back to cleaning up the playlist. What’s in here this time? Let’s take a look! Abraham – Débris de mondes perdus (2022) 73% Sometimes music can feel like a stab—or a cause of headache—like this fourth album from Sw...
Post a Comment
Read more