Artwork by: Benjamin König

Style: Atmospheric Black Metal, Doom Metal, Psychedelic Folk (Mixed vocals, mostly clean)
Recommended for fans of: Alcest, Myrkur, Opeth, Panopticon, Primordial, Ulver
Country: Finland
Release date: 13 June 2025

A fun fact about me: I love a fun ghost / skeleton / creepy homie on some cover art. The crimson bone-buddy getting his bask on fronting The Last Ten Seconds of Life’s Soulless Hymns, Revocation’s spoopy tomb gracing Deathless, The Tritonus SkeleBell dominating Hooded Menace’s sixth LP; each one factored heavily into my listening interest. For as much as the music has the final say, never, ever underestimate the power of an attention-grabbing album cover. Maybe it matters less these days with the popularity of auto-shuffles and (probably AI-generated) playlists, but for me, careening towards middle-age and still fond of making record store hauls, artwork is the first thing I experience before ever considering “play.” And the best artwork often tells us something about what we’re getting into, a sort of visual preview of the aural secrets about to be uncovered.

So, when Nocturne—the seventh release by Finnish atmoblack doomsters Hexvessel—was recommended to me, I took one look at the ghosty fellow casting the ol’ “spectral sprinkle” over that sleepy, snow-capped hamlet isolated amidst a moody charcoal expanse and knew I had to give the album my time. Unfamiliar with Hexvessel and their oeuvre but with all my folk / black metal radars going off, I was eager to see if Nocturne’s musical offerings proved as winsome as the endearingly dreary (endrearing?) artwork. Or would this zesty spectre leave me dusted with disappointment? Grab your soul salt shakers, and let’s have a taste, shall we?

What struck me almost immediately upon firing up Nocturne (aside from the frustratingly ubiquitous practice of pointless openers in metal—titled “Opening,” no less) was how interrelated the music and artwork feel. Songs roll over the horizon like ghostly clouds, sketched in rainy-day hazes of fuzzed guitars, sprinkling in delicately-plucked folk acoustics amidst the ebb and flow of roiling black metal tremolos and hail-storm blast beats. Glimmers of death-and-roll cut through the gray on tracks like “Inward Landscapes,” adding spurts of energy to the haunting, often funereal backdrop of wailing guitars, doleful bells, and ritual-esque timbre of vocalists Mat Kvohst McNerney and Saara Nevalainen. Baleful synths carve out images of forlorn worship houses from the formless charcoal landscape (“A Dark and Graceful Wilderness”), wherein one could imagine frightened villagers huddling, seeking some measure of safety as this leering spectre drifts, steadfast and resolute, across their homes—I’m reminded of Count Orlok’s shadow falling upon Wisborg in Robert Eggers’ Gothic masterwork, Nosferatu (2024). Supplying terror not through red-teethed violence, but rather via sheer enveloping presence.

There is a mournful, otherworldly quality to Nocturne’s atmospheric blackened folk, especially in softer cuts like “Concealed Descent,” where morose acoustic guitar and violin take center stage alongside McNerney’s wistful cleans. The paganic dirge of “Unworld,” with its lurching, Brave Murder Day-era Katatonia opening riff, chanted vocalizations, and smoky heft, constructs notions of grandeur in decay; this small storied town, perhaps built upon the bones of ancient edifices, sundered by slicing winds of black metal aggression amidst the deliberate marching of funeral doom aesthetics. By the time closer “Phoebus” blows through, there’s nothing left, our spectral harbinger having folded man’s scaffolding back into the architecture of the (other)natural world. In many ways, I’m brought to the doorstep of Panopticon’s folk / black metal crossroads, except replace twangy americana with the dreamy plucking that seems to signify Finnish folk,¹ then toss in some slow and dolorous doom vibes for added flavor. Hexvessel have set out with a particular sonic palette and aesthetic in mind, and they do nothing to disturb it across Nocturne’s near-hour of play.

Which brings us to perhaps my only true gripe about Nocturne: like Spectral Bae closing in to sprinkle the town with his damnedruff, Hexvessel’s assemblage of fuzzy, doomed-out atmoblack tunes have a tendency to drift across the consciousness. Multiple times, I lost track of where I was in the album, lulled by a particular folky moment or vibed-out bridge before being shocked back into awareness by one of McNerney’s intermittent harsh cries or an equally intermittent energetic drum run. Sometimes, I found myself halfway across the album; other times, still wrapped in the ashen folds of a longer thread (“Sapphire Zephyrs,” “Inward Landscapes,” “Mother Destroyer”). This makes the album something of an “easy” listen, a record to throw on and just chill out to, despite the large swaths of razoring guitars and blasting snares. Lacking measures of more “conventional” structures, this is hardly an album to inspire sing-alongs, or even headbanging. There are no real central riffs, no sense of verse-chorus-verse dynamics for a listener to grab on to. This lends Nocturne an organic quality, affording a pleasantness to the experience—a dream-like effect—even if I’m often left struggling to remember where I was in the aftermath. More mood-setting than neck-snapping.

Fans of groups like Enisum, or fellow Prophecy partners Ceresian Valot will certainly find much to enjoy about Nocturne. Hexvessel thrum with the kind of naturalism that tends to lurk, perhaps overlooked, in black metal; everyone remembers the church burnings, the edginess, but this genre has been more than religion-bashing, murder, and hate crimes across its many storied decades. Nocturne, with its gloomy moods and pagan, almost druidic nature vibes, represents one of my favorite breeds of black metal. More about the journey than any singular sonic destination, Hexvessel’s latest may struggle to maintain my full attention at times, but there’s something to be said for the kind of album you can just… float away on. A fine dusting, indeed.

Recommended tracks: Unworld, Phoebus, A Dark and Graceful Wilderness
You may also like: Blood Ceremony, Ceresian Valot, Enisum, Nechochwen, Wolvennest
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives

Label: Prophecy Productions – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Hexvessel is:
– Mat Kvohst McNerney (vocals, guitars, songwriting)
– Kimmo Helén (piano, keyboards, strings, guitars)
– Jukka Rämänen (drums, percussion)
– Ville Hakonen (bass)
With guests:
– Aleksi Kiiskilä (lead guitars)
– Saara Nevalainen (female vocals)
– Yusaf Vicotnik Parvez (lead vocals, “Unworld”)
– Juho Vanhanen (backing vocals, “Phoebus”)

1.  Assuming Finnish folk sounds like the kind Finnish metal bands employ. ︎

The post Review: Hexvessel – Nocturne appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Painting by: Asthâghul; Visual design by: Francesco Gemelli

Style: Experimental black/death metal, folk (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: The Ruins of Beverast, Oranssi Pazuzu, Blut Aus Nord, Leviathan (the Wrest one)
Country: France
Release date: 20 September 2024

Asthâghul is one of metal’s most mystifying presences. Solo project Esoctrilihum is written entirely in a self-made up language and its lyrics (allegedly) speak of the occult. The person/entity/musical force with a shadowy lore is extremely prolific, too, releasing up to two albums a year chock full of dense arrangements across the experimental black/death metal spectrum. Four years ago, the hype for Eternity of Shaog also reached my corner of the internet, and I was enthralled by its suffocating, yet mystifying atmosphere and emotionally potent use of violin. I cannot say I’ve kept up with all their releases, but I was happy to tackle the newest release, Döth-Dernyàlh.

To get the biggest hurdle out of the way first, let’s talk about length. Asthâghul has seldom been one to keep their records short, and at a chunky eighty minutes, Döth-Dernyàlh is no exception. Compared to earlier releases, however, Döth-Dernyàlh is far less oppressive as melodic elements are pushed to the forefront of the mix and its extreme metal aspects largely reside in the background. Its cavernous, reverb-laden mix is light on the ear, as if you heard the band playing from a distant chamber instead of witnessing it from up close. For those reasons, Döth-Dernyàlh is not at all fatiguing to listen to despite its length—from a sonic perspective at least.

None of this means that Döth-Dernyàlh is in any way gentle. Asthâghul’s tortured screams echo through layers of reverb while spooky 90s black metal synths fill the air as faint tremolo riffs, pulsating blast beats, and double pedal work remind us that this is indeed a metal record. What makes Döth-Dernyàlh so captivating, though, is how Asthâghul develops the atmosphere around a consistent rhythmic motive, creating immersive sections in which a variety of instruments play around a pulsating rhythm that last for minutes before moving onto the next idea. Traditional songcraft is largely eschewed for stream of consciousness compositions that take the listener on a trip through the astral plane where emotions flow in and out of existence at seemingly random levels of intensity. 

The most interesting addition to Esoctrilihum’s sound this time around lies in the exploration of psychedelia and folk music. Acoustic guitar frequently takes the lead, providing melody and color to balance out the abrasive aspects in a manner ranging from straightforward campfire folk a la Falkenbach to Kaatayra-esque sections where acoustics dance over otherwise extreme metal instrumentation. A general pagan aesthetic is also achieved through a constant pulse of dreamy, somewhat ominous synths interwoven by melancholic melodies from the nyckelharpa, and frequent chants from Asthâghul. Even in the album’s most cavernous, abrasive moments, the resulting soundscape is enthrallingly magical. 

Normally, this is where I’d enter my criticism paragraph, but there’s nothing I can really point to that goes wrong on Döth-Dernyàlh. It’s the kind of record that you put on while working and then lose track of time as you enter a flow state until eventually it peters out of existence but it still lingers on in your mind for a few minutes after it’s done as you come to realize that you barely remember anything that happened except for the vague sensation that it was a pleasant experience. I guess if anything, I’m missing standout moments. The album isn’t completely formless—the tracks do all come with their own identity—but there is a homogeneity to the sound that prevents individual moments from shining through, and I’m lacking some of the emotional catharsis that Asthaghul did manage to achieve on earlier albums.

Overall though, I enjoyed Döth-Dernyalh. While it lacks stand-out moments, the atmosphere is thoroughly compelling, and the fact that its eighty minute runtime flew by like it did is a testament to that. Do not look here for a conventional experience; this is a journey through the dreams of a mad musical entity that is as fascinating as it is strange, and a fitting addition to Asthaghul’s mystifying catalog.

Recommended tracks: Atüs Liberüs, Murzaithas
You may also like: Kaatayra, Bekor Qilish, Vauruvã
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Metal-Archives page

Label: I, Voidhanger – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Esoctrilihum is:
– Asthâghul (everything)

The post Review: Esoctrilihum – Döth-Dernyàlh appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: pagan black metal, epic doom metal, melodic death metal (mostly harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Insomnium, Moonsorrow, Atlantean Kodex, Bathory, Panopticon, Shylmagoghnar
Country: United Kingdom
Release date: 14 June 2024

For millennia, music has captured the collective consciousness of humankind, a receptacle for tradition, worship of various deities, and, most importantly for our review here today, storytelling. One man black metal band Fellwarden (made up of The Watcher, guitarist of Fen) embark on a musical quest, chronicling the story of David Gemmell’s Legend, which while I haven’t read it personally, our resident fantasy expert Zach assures me has a powerful concept. On the album Legend, each track represents a wall of Legend’s (the book) fortress, guaranteeing a storytelling and musical treat of fantastical proportions. 

Legend (the album, from here on out) flows with the grace of its greatest peers—Insomnium’s Winter’s Gate and Moonsorrow’s V: Hävitetty are good touchstones—though contained in briefer 8–10 minute packages with little sacrifice to grandeur. The moment-to-moment isn’t the focus but rather the track structuring and stream of pristine pagan black metal; for example, from the onset with opener “Exultance,” Fellwarden carries the listener away with resplendent epic doom metal guitar tones, Viking choirs, and glorious blast beats which burst the track open into full black metal majesty. But it’s the sweeping songwriting gestures which captivate me; amazing moments aplenty there are in “Exultance”—the “shoulder to shoulder” chant in the middle chief among them—but I more so remember the lengthy buildup and release in the back half of the track or the effortlessly varied transitions of the front.

To provide a backdrop for the songwriting to excel, Fellwarden employ a spacious production similar to modern Moonsorrow, especially in the thundering drums. The production forms an air of vastness, a glimpse into the sublime. However, the audio engineering is also imperfect with the choirs being too quiet in the mix: if you’re gonna have a badass men’s choir, let them belt it out rather than be pushed down! Along the same lines, Fellwarden are never as orchestrally bombastic as Finsterforst nor as shreddy as Havukruunu or Sig:Ar:Tyr, and I think the inclusion of either (or even better, both) would increase the power of Legend, creating more iconic highlights in the stream of consistently great black metal parts. My only other complaint is the spoken word, the narration feeling flat and lifeless. 

One track has no issues and is among the unarguable best songs of 2024: “Desperation.” With bardish guitar strums, the intro earns its length by setting the atmosphere so exquisitely, just like Panopticon did last year. The chord progression and riffs throughout this song are simply beautiful and remind me all over again why I love pagan black metal so much. Although unfortunately quiet, the near constant backing choirs are epic; the drumming reminds me of the Cascadian scene’s reflective love of nature; and the reintroduction of the main melody from a clean section is a classic Insomnium move pulled off fantastically. Unstoppable in its melodicism and magnificent peaks, “Desperation” makes Legend worth listening to on its own. 

Black metal can be many different things: bland second-wave worship, scorching hot riff fests like Kvaen, disturbing dissonances like Dodecahedron… I argue it has the fewest limitations of any metal genre except for the umbrella term of prog. Listening to Fellwarden convinces me that this style of epic pagan black metal is absolutely one of the best and purest ways to realize the style. Fellwarden simply wrote a legendary fifty-six minutes of fantasy black metal.

Recommended tracks: Desperation
You may also like: Finsterforst, Fen, Havukruunu, Sig:Ar:Tyr, Árstíðir Lífsins
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page

Label: Eisenwald – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Fellwarden is:
Frank Allain (The Watcher) – Lead vocals; lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars; choirs
Alasdair Dunn – Drums
Mark Harrington – Bass Guitar
Adam Allain – Choirs
Sean Darling – Narration

The post Review: Fellwarden – Legend appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Genres: pagan black metal (mixed vocals, Icelandic lyrics)
Recommended for fans of: Moonsorrow, Kampfar, Winterfylleth, Panopticon
Country: international (Iceland, Germany)
Release date: 21 December 2023

In the midst of black metal’s violence, there is beauty. For every pummeling blast beat, gnarled guitar, and eviscerating shriek, an inkling of magnificent power overwhelms the senses. Cathartic and sublime, the best black metal mimics nature—standing atop a large mountain, being punished by a stormy sea, hearing the colossal groans of a glacier, growing delirious in the desert’s scorching heat. Hailing from Iceland and Germany, Árstíðir Lífsins use longform song structures and beautiful Norse poetry in order to invoke the power of nature.

Only two tracks long, Hermalausaz seems like a short EP until you notice that both tracks are over twenty minutes… only nominally an EP, though perhaps it makes sense considering the band’s LPs typically run well over sixty-five minutes. On this new EP, both tracks are pleasantly adventurous, venturing between archaic folkloric passages and icier second wave black metal influences, taking me from place to place on epic Scandinavian adventures. Altogether, Hermalausaz is closest in sound to pagan black metal acts like Moonsorrow, and just like Moonsorrow, the epic form of Árstíðir Lífsins’s songs amplifies their quality, allowing for the tracks to tell complete tales at once rather than less expressive, sprawling traditional songs.

The first track, “Ýrr,” has everything I want from pagan black metal: gentle acoustic passages, pummeling black metal, varied mixed vocals, and surprisingly good production. Most unique to Árstíðir Lífsins’s sound is the sonorous clean vocals of Marsél whose rich bass voice wonderfully contrasts with his shrieks, especially when harmonized with others chorally. The production is certainly impactful for Marsél’s voice, emphasizing the low end of the band’s sound unlike most black metal which feels particularly treble heavy. On Hermalausaz, we can hear the bass strings, the blasting of the bass drum, and the booming deep cleans just as clearly as the higher registers—the production is rich and appropriate. 

Between the stellar clean vocal and acoustic sections, however, is a relentless black metal that focused listening deems fairly uninspired. Árstíðir Lífsins write music for daydreaming of Viking raids or sledding down glaciers, and while zoning out you only notice the overall swells of the song, a rich, adventurous storytelling arc; yet when trying to focus on each moment, Árstíðir Lífsins devolves into sounding quite standard, the same as any other atmospheric black metal band in a hail of tremeloes, shrieks, and blast beats. These extended sections of black metal are technically quite proficient, especially the drumming, but they sound less inspired than the folkier—dare I say proggy—bits. With that step backwards to view the whole thing, Hermalausaz is a cathartic adventure across fields, fjords, and seas, but in most of the individual moments it’s just your everyday atmoblack. 

The other track, “Þistill,” adds in some more prominent viola as a timbral change that works quite well to stave off some of the black metal’s textural monotony, but shortly after, the black metal returns to increasingly uninteresting modern atmoblack. However, the nonlinearity of the songwriting is a storytelling strength, and the difficulty of predicting when a folk section will appear staves off some of the predictability of the black metal sections, allowing me to continue to dream of what inspired the Icelandic band.

Indeed, for once I wish I could understand the lyrics. As the Bandcamp blurb describes, “The lyrics are written in Old Norse poetic form and are highly inspired by the cryptic runic inscription of the western Norwegian Eggja rune stone, as well as selected Skaldic poetry.” I’m sure knowing more about Norse poetry would dramatically increase my enjoyment, but alas, they’re just a fitting musical background sound. I thought I’d love this EP more than I did, but it’s still wonderful to get lost in, especially as the snow starts coming in these winter months.

Recommended tracks: Þistill
You may also like: Finsterforst, Auðn, Helrunar
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page

Label: Ván Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Árstíðir Lífsins is:
– Árni (drums, guitars, bass, string instruments, effects, vocals)
– Stefán (guitars, bass, vocals)
– Marsél (vocals, narration)

The post Review: Árstíðir Lífsins – Hermalausaz appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Progressive Metal, Folk Metal, Symphonic Metal, Black Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Enslaved, Moonsorrow, Borknagar, Wilderun
Review by: Christopher
Country: Germany
Release date: 8 September, 2023

Early in life I was exposed to classical pieces like Rossini’s “William Tell Overture”, Dvořák’s Symphony No.9 (“From the New World”), and Holst’s The Planets, and ever since I entered the world of progressive metal, I’ve gravitated towards the bands that capture a similar sense of the symphonic sublime. Hailing from Germany and singing in their native tongue, Finsterforst have been a force in symphonic blackened folk metal since 2004. Jenseits is one enormous track divided into a four part suite running to forty minutes (Finsterforst are classing this as an EP despite its length, but when you consider their albums usually exceed seventy minutes you can see the logic). 

Finsterforst’s sound is mountainous; when Oliver Berlin opens “Kapitel I – Freiheit” a cappella with his resonant, gravelly baritone, his bandmates joining in for that enormous choir work, you soon realise that this is a level of grandeur beyond. When the full band kicks in and the rapturous brass accompaniment hits your ears, one can’t help but imagine a viking longboat amid turbid seas, the spume bubbling away as it sprays the determined crew rowing stoically to some distant Valhalla. When the glistening accordion rips through with its lyrical melody and the enormous chorus extolling the virtues of a mythic Utopia resounds, you start to understand that the now overused term “epic” was created entirely to describe Finsterforst.

Jenseits sees Finsterforst perfect the balance of the various elements that define their sound—their particular take on folky black metal clearly influenced by Moonsorrow—the high production quality and care of the mix recall groups like Enslaved, of course, as well as Slavic groups like Negură Bunget whose more naturalistic style of folk metal can also be heard throughout Finsterforst’s work; particularly in the opening of “Kapitel III – Reflexionen” where flute and acoustic guitar cavort with subtle strings in the background, to accompany a more restrained Berlin who sings with a certain sombreness. With each release, the core black metal influence has become more fully integrated into the symphonic and folk sensibilities to create a unique sound. 

Each member is vital, from the varied stomp and pulsation of Cornelius Heck’s drumming to Simon Schillinger and David Schuldis’ enormous guitar tone which should be the envy of axemen and plank spankers everywhere, frequently putting me in mind of David Gilmour’s juggernaut sound on “Sorrow” (which Gilmour achieved by recording on a sound system in a sports arena for that truly massive natural echo). Tobias Weinreich’s bass is clearer than ever here, laying down some very groovy bass, particularly on “Kapitel II – Dualität” where he really gets to shine. Sebastian Sherrer’s keyboard work is a vital source of nuance and intricacy, contributing gorgeous atmospheres and subtle synth additions.

Meanwhile Finsterforst’s compositional skies are occasionally flown by flute and duduk (you know those flutes that are, like, double flutes?), as well as the aforementioned accordion solos. I’ve already rhapsodised about Berlin’s cleans once but I’d remiss not to mention some of his best moments such as the elegiac belting at 4:42 in “Kapitel II – Dualität”, and the enormous vocal climax on “Kapitel IV – Katharsis” from 10:51 to the song’s close. His harshes are extraordinarily versatile, too, from gnashing blackened screams, to gruffer growls, and the consistent contribution of his bandmates, their frequent harmonising and defiant “HEY’s” never seeming tacky, rather conferring a sense of a united collective. 

There are few issues, but I think “Kapitel I – Freiheit” is the clear standout within the suite, the other parts a little paler by comparison particularly “Kapitel IV – Katharsis” which, despite closing with a gorgeous reprise of the suite’s a cappella intro (this time with band accompaniment), feels somewhat unwieldy otherwise; sixteen minutes is long for any song—ironic when it’s the final segment of a forty minute suite—and the track climaxes a few times, to the point that the band seem a little lost by the midsection. Finsterforst are no strangers to mammoth runtimes—their previous album Zerfall ended with the thirty-six minute epic “Ecce Homo” while “Flammenrausch” from Rastlos ran for a relatively brisk twenty-two minutes—but I do think their best work is to be found in the shorter self-contained tracks, such as “Wut”, “Fluch des Seins” or, as mentioned, “Kapitel I – Freiheit” if taken as a lone track. 

There aren’t many bands who can sound as evocatively enormous, as imbued with the awe and inherent drama of nature, as Finsterforst and they sound as good as ever on Jenseits. While they can be victims of their own epicness and the record teeters a little precariously in its latter stretches, the portent and Homeric hugeness nevertheless add up to one of the best and most grandiose things you’ll hear in 2023. 

Recommended tracks: It’s technically one enormous track, but I guess you could just do Kapitel I – Freiheit by itself (but you should really do the whole “EP”) 
You may also like: Dordeduh, Negură Bunget, Vanaheim
Final verdict: 8.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Metal-Archives page

Label: AOP Records – Bandcamp | Facebook

Finsterforst is:
– Oliver Berlin (lead vocals)
– Cornelius Heck (drums, backing vocals)
– Sebastian Scherrer (keyboards, backing vocals)
– Simon Schillinger (guitars, keyboards, orchestrations, programming, backing vocals)
– David Schuldis (guitars, backing vocals)
– Tobias Weinreich (bass)

The post Missed Album Review: Finsterforst – Jenseits appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: prog black metal, melodic black metal, atmospheric black metal, folk black metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Wolves in the Throne Room, Mare Cognitum
Review by: Andy
Country: Brazil
Release date: 17 November 2023

Just when I thought Caio Lemos was moving uncomfortably far away from metal, he releases Vestígios, possibly his most effective foray into (mostly) pure black metal yet. What haven’t I said about Lemos and his various projects (Kaatayra, Bríi, Vauruvã, Bakt, Rasha, and now Vestígio)? For four years straight, he has, like clockwork, released an experimental black metal album that shot to the top of my yearly list without any hype-building or announcements. He works at his own frightening pace and is clearly just one of the most inspired artists ever to exist with his quality to quantity ratio. Needless to say, I was expectant when I saw a three piece album with a different vocalist on each track.

Immediately, opener “Ausência” is fraught with horned orchestration, equally menacing and organic as it amorphously floats divorced from time. After about a minute of this ominous ambience, Lemos’s guitar screams to life in a triumphant riff not far afield from Kostnateni: In a short career built on a multitude of things, stunning riffs among them, Vestígios has a disproportionate amount of Lemos’s greatest yet. Across Vestígios, Lemos utilizes bass to create groove (5:20 in “Ausência”), long-form buildups to squeeze every ounce of creativity out of a riff (5:17 in “Segredo”), and clear climaxing with synth and guitar in harmony (7:30 in “Resquício”). I could call out dozens of stunning moments on this album, and for the first time on a Lemos album, they’re nearly unilaterally metal and not ingenious folk or electronica flourishes; in fact, those hardly even break through despite their influence tying the whole project together from its foundation. 

Despite the polyphonic guitar parts, like all of Lemos’s projects that have come before, rhythm—not melody—drives the album, allowing Vestígios to thrive on a fundamental, vitalistic pulse. Moreover, the underlying rhythmic principles are still inclusive of folk and electronica. Brilliant flourishes of Brazilian rhythm are injected into all but the most blast-beat heavy moments, and subtle moments of jungle trance rhythms occasionally propel the tracks without detracting from the metal—the changes are felt deep in the body. Moreover, his blast beats are simply unparalleled. Relentless yet always including sensible variations, Lemos’s drumming is beautiful and overwhelming (and also sounds perfect in the mix).

That eerie ambience I mentioned at the start of “Ausência” pops up again and also permeates the very pores of the album’s being. A strange tension between the linearity of riff-craft and the floating ambience begins the album and persists throughout. Listening to Vestígio is like sitting in a sensory deprivation tank; I’m filled with a lucid calm despite the violence of the black metal. Even the most blazing, Mare Cognitum-esque riffs Lemos can muster (such as the start of “Resquício”) are atmospheric and sublime, hearkening to the violence of the natural world more than human violence. I think that’s why Caio Lemos feels separate from metal even when composing something which cannot be called anything other than black metal with the limitation of genre.

Vestígio is a more immediately satisfying project than some of Lemos’s other opera, but I miss some of the experimentation of the other projects. I don’t turn on a Kaatayra or Bríi album to listen to straight black metal; as such, I think this album can be a tad underwhelming (only in relation to some of the best black metal of all time). Despite that, Vestígios holds a certain primitive truth and beauty that other metal simply lacks and is certainly a welcome addition to the collection of a Caio Lemos fanboy like me (and is much more exciting than Bríi’s album this year).

Recommended tracks: Ausência, Segredo, Resquício (yeah all three)
You may also like: Kaatayra, Vauruvã, Bríi, Kostnateni, Oksät, Pessimista, IER
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Instagram | Metal-Archives page

Label: independent

Vestígio is:
– Caio Lemos (all instruments)
– Pedrito Hildebrando (vocals track 1)
– Bruno Augusto Ribeiro (vocals track 2)
– Yuri Sabaoth (vocals track 3)

The post Review: Vestígio – Vestígios appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Symphonic Black Metal, Avant-Garde Metal (mixed vocals, German lyrics)
Recommended for fans of: Arcturus, Borknagar, Emperor, Enslaved Ne Obliviscaris
Review by: Sam
Country: Germany
Release date: 2 June, 2023

The German black metal scene is a strange one. It is extremely prolific, yet few bands seem to market towards an international audience. The majority of them sing and/or growl in German, and their touring seems limited to mostly the German-speaking countries (and maybe a few surrounding ones like The Netherlands or Poland). Fjoergyn is a band in this scene I’ve known for quite a while. A couple of my friends are into the scene, and they all swear by this band, so it was a bit of a whiplash to find out that Fjoergyn barely exists outside of my Discord bubble and the German internet. But now that they have a new album out, it’s time to amend that problem.

Fjoergyn is not an easy band to get into. They started as an eclectic pagan/folk black metal band, but over time transitioned into a bombastic brand of symphonic black metal with increasingly progressive and avant-garde tendencies. Their compositions typically involve sprawling song structures built on a foundation of second wave black metal and crunchy industrial riffs with drastic mood switches and unconventional instruments that build up to a huge (sometimes multiple) bombastic climax. Paired with a language barrier from the German lyrics, it’s safe to say that hooks are hard to come by. While not particularly progressive in the sense of very technical playing and odd-time signature wizardry, their modern compositional style puts their appeal closer to that of Ne Obliviscaris and Enslaved than, say, Emperor. They are an ever-evolving band, and Judasmesse is another unique addition to their catalog.

What’s interesting about Judasmesse is that it actually takes a step back compared to their previous outing Lvcifer Es. The bombast of their core symphonic black metal sound remains as a driving force, but they reincorporated a lot of their pagan/folk metal beginnings. There seems to be a major influence from Negura Bunget in particular as eerie atmospheric riffs, ominous synths, and even cow bell (not the instrument!) samples can be heard on multiple songs. We also see a frequent inclusion of emotive, laid back sections amidst the bombast. Opener “Sturz” – while otherwise the most straightforward song on the album – breaks tension with ethereal orchestration before the crescendo, and during the “Prometheus” suite we find Pink Floyd-esque crying guitar solos, ethereal parts, and full on krautrock. And of course there is the instrumental track “Komm Abel” with more Floydian guitar galore and a heartfelt saxophone solo. Almost every song has something interesting going on in that regard.

But of course, what really matters in the end is whether the band delivers on the songwriting. I would say it’s mixed, but mostly they do. They’re masters at building and releasing tension, and they know how to make a climax sound huge (see: “Sturz”, “Prometheus III”). I never would have guessed all orchestration is synthesized because it’s so well done. The technical performance is stellar in general, with the drummer especially standing out for his varied playing. Where the record can fall short is that the direction can be a little wanting at times. The “Prometheus” suite is exemplary in that regard, housing both the album’s best moments, but also feeling a little disjointed. The closer “Warfarin” suffered similarly from a lack of a clear direction, ebbing and flowing a little too much. What also irked me was how the ethereal avant-garde parts of the middle section of the album didn’t permeate nearly as much throughout the rest of it, making the album feel uneven. 

I’m feeling similar as I did for The Anchoret a month ago. At its best, Judasmesse is world class, but it often ends up too dense for its own good, although maybe that’s just my current Adele-infested brain being unable to comprehend more complicated structures. I hope this review can help a little bit with bringing the band’s music to the English web. They’re a unique band that deserves to be heard.

Recommended tracks: Prometheus, Non Serviam
You may also like: Maladie, Dordeduh, Agrypnie (bandcamp) / Nocte Obducta (bandcamp)
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page

Label: Trollzorn Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Fjoergyn is:
– Stephan L. (vocals, guitars, keyboards, songwriting, lyrics)
– Marcelus W. (lead guitar, vocals)
– Philipp T. (guitars)
– Sven G. (bass)
– Martin L. (drums)

The post Review: Fjoergyn – Judasmesse appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: progressive atmospheric black/folk metal (mixed vocals, Romanian lyrics)
Review by: Sam
Recommended for fans of: Enslaved, Agalloch, (late) Nokturnal Mortum
Country: Romania
Release date: 14 May, 2021

One of the most unique albums I’ve ever come across to is OM by the Romanian band Negura Bunget. It’s a haunting, atmospheric black metal record with lots of Romanian folk and progressive song structures that really transported you into another dimension of a Transylvanian vampire thriller, best served at candlelight. It somewhat lacked in the emotional catharsis department for me, but the atmosphere was so well done I didn’t care. The album has become a cult (or should I say, kvlt) classic at this point, and rightly so. Unfortunately, the band disbanded in 2017. Fortunately though two ex-members went on to form a new band which is the subject of this review.

Dordeduh is a band that very much continues the spirit of NB. This record is filled with similarly sprawling song structures, an emphasis on folky atmosphere, and a very hypnotic guitar tone that sounds like it could have come straight out of OM. However unlike NB, Dordeduh actually make an effort to please the listener instead of just being abrasive all the time, introducing many soothing elements as clean vocals and melodic synth patches. In fact, I’d hardly call the band abrasive at all. The polished production really smooths out the unsettling vibe that NB had. Har sounds very warm and spacious. The record is an excellent example of how black metal can sound great with higher production values without sacrificing its core identity.

Something I also find Dordeduh to be much more successful in than Negura Bunget is the general songwriting. They don’t settle just for compelling atmosphere, but also add in more visceral, immediate elements to connect with the listener. There are some colossal riffs on this album that just grab you by the gutter, with a matching intensity in the vocal performance that wouldn’t be out of place on a death metal album. The atmosphere is also a bit more epic and cinematic in nature, mostly thanks to the background synths. Not in a cheesy way. It’s more dreamy and inviting than in your face. All in all it’s an added sense of drama that really elevates the music for me beyond what NB accomplished. The singing is also very soothing and heartfelt, evoking romantic images of nature and pagan traditions, and also giving an extra emotional dimension to the music. This album is more so a campfire ritual with psychedelics than a sense of vampires lurking around every corner to kill you and drink your blood out of fancy wine glasses, if that makes sense.

But Negura Bunget comparisons aside, this album is just stunning in its own right. Something I always really appreciate is when a band can make an album feel like more than a sum of its songs, and Har does that in spades. Not that these tracks are lacking in their own right (far from it!), but the overall sense of narrative in the music is stunning. Har really feels like you’re watching a movie with how the songwriting ebbs and flows in intensity. Be it the atmosphere, the riffs, or the proggy parts, it’s all super captivating. It has the journey and the big payoffs. Time flies by whenever I listen to this record, both for background and for active listening.

I feel like this review is a bit short, but there’s nothing more for me to say really. Har is just a stunning work of art. It starts out already great, and gets even better with every subsequent listen. Due to its lighter nature and smooth production, it’s accessible for black metal and non black metal listeners alike. It’s a wonderful cinematic, atmospheric journey, and honestly would also be a very solid black metal introduction for those put off by the genre’s more abrasive aspects. This album does everything I ever wanted from Negura Bunget, and more. It remains to be seen where it’ll end up on my personal list, but as far as musical objectivity is a thing, this is the best album I’ve reviewed all year. Well done fellas.

Recommended tracks: Timpul Întâilor, Desferecat, De Neam Vergur
You may also like: Negura Bunget, Sur Austru, Maladie
Final verdict: 9.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page

Label: Lupus Lounge – Website

Dordeduh is:
– Hupogrammos (vocals, guitars, keyboards, mandola, tulnic)
– Sol Faur (guitars, keyboards, hammered dulcimer)
– Flavius Misarăș (bass, backing vocals)
– Putrid (drums, percussion, toacă)

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