A couple of weeks ago we had a feature on The Hill, debut full-length from New England based Black Metallers Autolatry. In a comment thread to that post the guys from the band enlightened us to the fact they had a new EP coming and it’s since become available. Of the Land is the title of this four song offering of what I’m going to call Progressive Black Metal and it is an improvement on their already excellent craft.

So, you say you can’t get into Black Metal because of the typically lo-fi production? What’s that? You say you’ve heard Black Metal with good production values but still don’t like the high end shrieks and rasps of the vocal stylings? Well, have I got a treat for you! Blood of Kingu are a Ukrainian Black Metal band who have good production and a low-end-death-roar over their black savagery.

There are times, when reading about a band, that the more you read, the weirder it sounds, and then hearing the music only confirms this suspicion of insanity. This, by way of introduction, describes Hail Spirit Noir’s début Pneuma, a Greek ‘psychedelic Prog Black Metal’ project featuring members of avant-garde act Transcending Bizarre?, blending 70s-style occult Rock with a little Black Metal, and other surprises along the way.

Opener Mountain of Horror gives an indication of what’s to come: starting off with violins over an occult bluesy Rock basis not unlike The Devil’s Blood, and Theoharis’ blackened rasp on top, before a sudden transition into what can only be described as bass-high 8-bit Black Metal with glockenspiel and a synth line straight from Hawkwind, provided by Haris. The drumming (guest Ioannis Giahoudis) is also incredible to witness, even if the toms are reduced to a pitter-patter in the mix, and the bass (guest Dim Douvras, also mixing) certainly has moments of genius.

Some genres are just asking for a review, especially self-proclaimed “epic blackened Stoner Thrash” Metallers Hazzard’s Cure with their eponymous début album. It’s a fairly grand claim from the quartet, and one I felt I had to explore, especially given the interesting album cover. Those in the scene should recognize some familiar previous bands (Owl and Walken, for example), but the music itself sounds completely fresh and original from the deserts of… San Francisco?!

Psilocybin starts off with no fuss, some fuzzy groove kicks in with Hardcore screams possessing just a tinge of Old-school Black Metal, even if the music at this point is devoid of that influence. Hazzard’s Cure have clearly cut their teeth on the live circuit; the drums from Baechle are varied, yet tight and controlled, with twin guitarists Buckley and Corona bringing out riffs and leads all over the place. The band also excel at shifting tempo and section with ease, moving into a crusty-Punk-esque part before slowing down for a surreal soundscape of bottles smashing and vomiting, a sign of a true ‘bar-Metal’ band. Bassist Bergman gets his own limelight on the follow-up instrumental track, Meet Me at the Mountain, complete with harshly sung “whoas” which sound like they’re on one serious trip, finishing off with a relaxed late-Mastodonian guitar solo to segue into the next grooving track.

It’s a Black Metallic week it seems, as we’ve now got material by Haemic, one of the projects in which our young Taiwanese Metal talent Ray Heberer, a.k.a. Halfbreed Ray, is active. We reported on the band’s earlier demo early in 2011 and now hearing a fresh preview for their upcoming album, I can’t help but notice they have made huge strides since!

Hot news! Our Slovenian Death Metallers have posted a new song on their Youtube channel and I must say, this gets better with the second. The song is called Demise and keeps going the same direction as the other two songs we saw before, and which I will post, just in case you haven’t heard them.

The music remains thick, with deep double bass blasts and warm low growls. However, this post however makes me quite impatient now. These three songs give no reason, not to be pumped about this record. I couldn’t find any release date, but it has to be soon guys, we’re waiting!

Hot shit, fresh from the press! US Symphonic Black / Death outfit I Am the Trireme, named after the ancient Greek / Roman type of battleship that was capable of ramming other ships and snapping them in two like matches – it’s a bit what the band’s music does to your head: skull-splitting – is about to release a new, five-song EP, to be titled Pray for Damnation.

The Baboon has got a real premiere this time, as IATT, a five-piece residing in Philadelphia PA, selected us to do the first review of the bleeder, ahead of all the rest of Metal Blogdom. Our fuckin’ honor!

To stay with the current trend of Dutch Black Metal, set yesterday by Niek with Mondvolland, I present you the new video by Duister Maanlicht. It’s the first single from their upcoming album “Hoerenzonen & Heksendochters”, a name, which neatly stays in tune with the other albums put out, bearing titles like “Over Ketters, Heksen en Ander Gespuis” and “Als Zwarte Engelen Sterven”. Although in the past people concluded that Duister Maanlicht was a Christian band, regarding their pseudo-religious lyrical context. However, with the release of this video, they seemed to have put this fable to death:

Duister Maanlicht is not a christian band, even though past lyrics might have misled people. Our goal is the war against female vocals in ‘black’ metal, keyboardblack and folk-influences in black metal.

Clear words, but according to our colleagues at Mauce.nl, I’ve found a more plausible explanation for this change of heart. They mention:

Now they’re back with a whole new line-up: a new singer, a new guitarist, a new drummer and a new bass-player. They have been recording new songs for their upcoming record “Hoerenzonen & Heksendochters” . Which will be released via SneeuwStorm Produkties / Nokternal Hemizphear.

So I think the fact that they have a totally new line-up, without Heidendoder who started the band, more than makes up for this change of direction.

Mond vol land or ’Mouth full of earth’. That’s what that means in Dutch and it’s the name of a Black Metal formation from the hilly forest area called Montferland near Arnhem that, according to legend, was created by a bunch of giants. And indeed, the Dutch are tall people, so who knows, perhaps some early species did munch away on a load of sand and then shat it out somewhere on a big pile and forests started growing. It’s not impossible.

Anyfuck, back to the band, we find that it was formed in 2006 by Martijn and Mickeal, the latter also active as a session member in the Folk Metal group Heidevolk. Currently a four-piece, the band works in Dutch or Dutch dialects and its lyrical content is about the region in which it has its origins. My own roots aren’t far away and it’s an awesome fuckin’ place to sing about! Very recently the band released a three-song EP for promotional purposes that is absolutely delicious. And free too. Kudos to Islander of NCS for pointing me at this.

About half a year ago we posted something about Welicoruss, a bunch of Russian Symphonic Black Metallers that many of you will have heard about throughout your Metal-loving careers. Today we’re back. Not with new songs, but with an awesome new music video as well as an interview with the band’s frontman / vocalist / guitarist, Alexey Boganov.