NOTHING BUT BLACK METAL NOVEMBER is not a literal declaration, but rather a short review feature I’ve been doing since 2015 in various venues, initially inspired by friends of mine who’d often spend November only listening to black metal and generally catching up on the releases they’d missed throughout the year. At some point most of my compatriots decided to avoid new releases and instead explore the past but I’ve a wealth of of 2022 releases to give some due attention. // I’ve done my best to showcase the most interesting works that I come across while still presenting some decent variety but choices boil down to what sticks, what inspires or what is worth writing about. These reviews are more easygoing than longform reviews, so relax and think for yourself. — If you find something you dig, go tell the band you like ’em on social media and support them with a purchase! If you’d like your music reviewed send promos to: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

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ARTIST:	LICHT DES URTEILS
TITLE:	Uhraamo
LABEL(S):	Purity Through Fire
RELEASE DATE:	November 4th, 2022

Tampere, Finland-based black metal quintet Licht Des Urteils are simultaneously steeped in the reckless, amorphous reality of Finnish black metal and defiant of its sentimental history, denying any too-normative gestures a chance to stick in mind while they grind away at their own take on black metal rhythms. ‘Uhraamo‘ features a physical bass guitar tone which growls atop a distant reverb-stoked drumkit, this presents a somewhat confrontational yet wide array of space with a storming-in-place presence. The rhythms are the major spectacle to start, finding the pulse of Satan within hunkered down riffing away and ranting loud about Death and its glorious virtues. “Kuollot” was the martial eclipse of the record in this sense, a staggering hammer with a melodic voice tucked under its arm that’d punctuated the first half in a succinct yet maniac way. “Baptised in Unholy Waters” isn’t the first point of experimentation but probably the first to give pause to the listener with its early-on tape scrambling interruption and a hint of later Inquisition in some of their guitar work as the song develops. “Pagan Altars” is the major highlight and the most representative track here, a bestial yet grand arc which I’d found myself revisiting often.

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ARTIST:	ARALLU
TITLE:	Death Covenant
LABEL(S):	Hammerheart Records
RELEASE DATE:	November 11th, 2022

Israeli quartet Arallu have been one of the more consistent groups to link black/death metal with Middle Eastern folk music influences since the late 90’s, they’d hit their stride around 2015 with ‘Geniewar‘, having worked with the same engineer to render their sound since. Their eighth full-length album deals in bigger picture harmonization, a clashing storm of ideas which resound in ways which defy the typical comparisons they’ve long received (Melechesh being most common, but superficial). The essence of the band is still rooted in the original thrashing black metal idea but now relishes in their more off-color hits of brutality and atmosphere, most of its profundity resolving within traditional instrumentation and percussion. The sense of space achieved almost allows the heavy metal aspect of it in as accompaniment, a welcome guest to intensify the flow of ideas. I’d been very impressed by their sixth record, ‘Six‘, back in 2017 for similar reasons yet ‘Death Covenant‘ has a bit more of a steady set of rooting in its drumming and, again, the unique harmonization which occurs as their maximal approach resounds at peak moments. The listening experience feels like a set of plateaus descended upon more than it does a harried black metal record (see also: Rudra), though we get plenty of riffs on songs like “Humanity Death Embrace”, “Ruler of the Seven Worlds”, and my favorite piece here “Satanic Spirit”. Love the album art, too, probably their best to date.

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ARTIST:	YMIR
TITLE:	Aeons of Sorrow
LABEL(S):	Werewolf Records
RELEASE DATE:	November 11th, 2022

Vrasjarn‘s (Profetus) reprisal of Ymir impressed a couple of years ago but I’d not been entirely struck by the essence of that self-titled debut based on what I’d written about it for this same column back then. With two full-lengths in hand we can consider this further evolution of the band on ‘Aeons of Sorrow‘ a more definitive, detailed envisioning beyond the first which’d been a culmination with a lot to wrestle off its shoulders. Having made good on their formative material with the debut it seems they’re more interested in seeing who far they can build the idea without losing its cold spirit. I wouldn’t be impressing anyone were I to name-drop all of the associated acts of the new line-up for this record (…And Oceans, Phlegein, Tyranny, Horna, Korgonthurus) but I was definitely impressed that this record reflects their talents without losing the iced-over voice of ‘Ymir‘. While the deep-set throngs of melodic guitar work still dominates the shaping of each scene set it is the keyboard work which most often amplifies the melodic voicing of the best songs here and with a subtle hand in most cases. Where the record goes over the top and finally strikes me in the temples is Corvus‘ vocals, specifically how he interacts with the brilliant dramatism of “Witches” and (my favorite piece here) “Storm of Shadows”. Everything comes together beyond those pieces sinking in. Only a handful of truly transcendent moments overall but an album that’d nonetheless called back for many more listens over time.

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ARTIST:	NEXWOMB
TITLE:	Nexwomb
LABEL(S):	Godz ov War Productions
RELEASE DATE:	November 11th, 2022

Nexwomb is a bestial black/death metal project from Portland, Oregon-area musician V.X.R. (Omnikinetic, Witchbones) and V.C.T. who I believe provides the (likely) programmed or electronic drums on both full-lengths. ‘Nexwomb‘ impresses for its furor, the occasionally over the top growls of the vocalist, and some generally dizzying riffcraft yet most of the rhythms have a stifled or anxious feeling to their flow which doesn’t always read as commanding or heavy so much as it does indecisive or indeterminate. The grinding chaos of it all trudges along at a considerable clip with an appreciably cavernous sound but a lot of the songs on this record felt unfinished or improvised, the jarring end to “Inverse Biogenesis Permutations Scripted from Cosmogonal Singularities (Worm Matrix of Sabaoth)” flatly dropping the song after a bit of meandering being the first notable offender. This type of record basically just hits the bar of sounding like an extreme metal album and making some cool noise, but none of it’d really stuck beyond an alright first impression.

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ARTIST:	SORGETID
TITLE:	Natt av Tusen Dödsfall
LABEL(S):	Werewolf Records
RELEASE DATE:	November 11th, 2022

As Finnish musician V-Khaoz continues to regale us with various works of great inspiration (Druadan Forest, Grieve, etc.) in the black metal realm I’m sure many are clawing at their ears waiting for Vargrav to return, myself included based on what I’ve heard of/about the third record, but that’ll sit on the horizon for a bit longer. In the meantime the fellowe has put together a work which is probably more to my taste than some of his more celebrated works, a guitar driven early 90’s styled black metal album. Great bursts of inspired melodic introspection pair with menacing, animalistic vocalization herein generating a surreal and steadily-wafting sense of movement which is enhanced, but not necessarily driven, by his keyboard work. The first half of the album busies itself with the dual rhythm guitar obsession, pushing intuitive arcs of grandeur and introspection out of mind first (“Svärdstorm” is masterfully done) and then the second half of the album is quite a bit more wounded and scornful as we step into the wretchedness of “Ett Ord, Tusen Orm”. The rhythms are the exact right balance of primitive motion and stoic expression for my own taste, sounding ancient but enlightened all the same with plenty of unholy guitar noise and mind-scalding vocal bleed to enrich the softening mind with. The closest references that’d come to mind were somewhere in between the first records of Isvind and Veles.

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ARTIST:	EPECTASE
TITLE:	Nécroses
LABEL(S):	Frozen Records
RELEASE DATE:	November 18th, 2022

Epectase is a Parisian progressive black metal duo who you might recognize from their debut, which’d landed within a flurry of releases from I, Voidhanger Records back in 2019. These folks present a somewhat challenging blend of avant-garde black metal with influences from classic psychedelic rock dramatism and electro ambiance. On this second album they’ve taken a slightly more bold leap into the electro-atmospheric aspect of their sound while still fully embracing the harsh and bustling black metal character at the root of their sound. The general dichotomy but not the full breadth of their gig is expressed within the first two pieces as “V.I.T.R.I.O.L.” has a goth/post-metal wrench to swing around ’til “Confusion” unleashes the skronking, confrontational side of the band with its steadily pooling points of rest, soaring prog-rock solos, and theatrical structure. Though many are justified in balking at the idea of progressive black metal reflecting the harsh, primal aspect of the sub-genre there is something to be said for a group like Epectase who seem to understand this requirement and use harsh and noisome treatments as vital part of their sentimental yet destructive mannerisms, the cold raining lilt of the first half of “Désillusion” being a fine example. The only issue I’ve taken with the album is the somewhat artificial drum sound on certain pieces, which may be fitting for some songs but interrupts the droning qualities of others. This adds up within 10-12 minute songs but doesn’t detract from the full listen if you’re able to immerse in the overall effect of these painterly, whipped-at dirges.

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ARTIST:	ARKÆON
TITLE:	Parasit
LABEL(S):	I, Voidhanger Records
RELEASE DATE:	November 18th, 2022

Formed in 2019 as Eye of Tethys this Danish abstract and technical black metal quartet have been going by Arkæon since 2021, a prolific year for the group with a couple of demos and an EP that’d likely built up interest for this debut LP. ‘Parasit‘ is what I’d consider arthouse black metal, demanding a level of physical intensity in the attack of seemingly stochastic motions as they tear the limbs away from traditional black metal forms. The result is deceptively chaotic but easy to settle into, especially if skronk and noise rock appreciate are in your wheelhouse since there is some madness and whimsey in most all of their “bigger picture” rhythmic outlines. What I’d felt lacking in the experience was an anchoring voice, a spine which held it all together beyond the slap of the drums, and though this’d been built within certain consistent vocal arrangements and some regular refrains into recognizable verses ‘Parasit‘ would rather exploit the disarray created rather than step into anything too sentimental in most all cases. Still, there is rigorous personae generated here which is notable if not still formative from my point of view. Though I do by best to avoid the “promising stuff” reaction in general, that is just about where I’ve landed after 4-5 listens.

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ARTIST:	LYKOTONON
TITLE:	Promethean Pathology
LABEL(S):	Profound Lore Records
RELEASE DATE:	November 25th, 2022

Lykotonon is a Denver, Colorado based avant-garde black metal group from former members of Centimani, most of whom now also play in Stormkeep. Though many folks will head into this record expecting a sort of late 90’s industrial black metal influence these folks haven’t necessarily delivered the next ‘Thorns‘ album, or a gabber-kicked Aborym tip. You won’t find drum machine blast beats here but instead synthesizers used as one might use keyboards in framing certain martial beats, it is an electro-black fusion though I’m not sure pure industrial fans will find the sort of depth of reference they’d like. In this sense certain N.K.V.D. records and I suppose Dødheimsgard‘s ‘666 International‘ are loose but relevant points of reference since each presents sometimes blitzed but mostly mid-paced aggression sidled next to easier, sleepier nodes of electro interest. As we push deeper into the tracklist “The Primal Principle” highlights the 90’s EDM/industrial metal conundrum as the spectacle wears a bit thing on a pretty average instrumental piece. This is more pronounced set next to much stronger, far more inventive pieces such as the brutal “That Which Stares in Kind”, though the second half of the album is markedly less interesting than the first. Everything up through “Psychosocratic” convinces in terms of spectacle and plenty of detailed ideas flowing into each piece but after that I guess I’d felt like the album lost its steam.

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ARTIST:	KËKHT ARÄKH
TITLE:	Night & Love [Reissue]
LABEL(S):	Sacred Bones
RELEASE DATE:	November 18th, 2022

I’d seen this Ukrainian fellowe’s records recommended ceaselessly on Bandcamp over the last year or so and never taken the bait, these recent mail-order only reissues from Sacred Bones have allowed me the chance to catch up all at once. My first reaction isn’t too far from the usual nowadays raw black metal scenery: “Ah, baby’s first Darkthrone riff…” and of course I’m partially kidding, Dmitry Marchenko may very well not be a particularly accomplished or original musician but the sentimental thread presented within ‘Night & Love‘ effectively captures the dark gothic atmosphere he’s aimed for. Let’s just not call it Romanticism for the sake of confusing art majors trying to get into black metal, this is sentimental and gothic without much nihil in mind. The best parts of this album borrow a bit from the nowadays obsession with gothic rock and raw black metal in combination, the only feasible success on this particular album being the reptilian slinking of the basslines on “Down to the Depths of Inner Cold” and some of the incidental guitar harmonies throughout which have a very slight touch of early Killing Joke-esque frustration in them. The worst parts of this album come when spoken word poetic dreck meet forest synth on “Night” and “Love” before the awkward dorm room ballad “Night Castle of Dread” completely deflates any interest invested in this record. A firm “No.” on my end for this first album, formative demo quality work.

Night & Love

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ARTIST:	KËKHT ARÄKH
TITLE:	Pale Swordsman [Reissue]
LABEL(S):	Sacred Bones
RELEASE DATE:	November 18th, 2022

The 2021 released second full-length from this Ukrainian solo raw black/gothic metal band essentially updates the guitar sound and better fixes the artist’s guitar playing in time with the still purposely obscured (probably electronic) drum performances. Under these restrictions the sloppiness that’d given character to ‘Night & Love‘ depends upon emulation of lo-fi production values to retain the original character of the project, in this sense the updates found on ‘Pale Swordsman‘ strip away smoke & mirrors and force the issue of the compositions, most of which are reasonably whittled beyond the usual early 90’s primitive black metal shapes and incorporate generic gothic rock/post-black metal influences. Vinyl surface noise appears to have been added artificially to the album, as it noticeable dips out during certain sections of the full listen and this seems like an artfully superficial point of desperation, feigned authenticity as a feature of sound design. All of the practical aspects of ‘Pale Swordsman‘ appear forced, plastic in a way which does not reflect my personal ideal when it comes to black metal music, especially raw black metal. That said, I can at least catch the emotional drift the artist is intending to convey and alongside some notable advances made in slightly more refined (well, succinct) songwriting I’d found there were three or four pieces here that’d been somewhat memorable. “Night Descends” swoons a bit, “Amid the Stars” has a bit of classic goth rock congestion in its cadence, and “Crystal” finally lets a bit more of the early post-black influence show through in the guitar playing.

Pale Swordsman

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ARTIST:	DIGIR GIDIM
TITLE:	The Celestial Macrocosmic Scale and the Shimmering Path of the Supreme Regulator
LABEL(S):	ATMF
RELEASE DATE:	November 18th, 2022

Diĝir Gidim is an Italian black metal duo who appear in the tradition of groups like Blut Aus Nord and Abigor in development of what I’d consider ‘epic’ presentation of Mesopotamian mythos. Heroic keyboards, semi-dissonant clashes between guitars, and an otherwise classic occult black metal directed style of spacious yet vigorously achieved atmosphere make for exciting bouts of grandeur and tumult. This work in particular reaches for a “progressive”, or, at least varied approach to achieving the ideal empyrean aspect within each of these four ~11 minute pieces, my favorite being the somewhat revived feeling of “II”. The heaviest piece here “IV” outshines some of the less active parts of the record, which often drone on a bit longer than I’d personally like, but I appreciate the impact of their overstatement to some degree. While not every aspect of ‘The Celestial Macrocosmic Scale and the Shimmering Path of the Supreme Regulator‘ lands perfectly for my own taste, certain aspects of the drum sound were intrusive to some degree, I’d still found myself immersed and enjoying the spectacle of this record on repeat.

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ARTIST:	SIRRUSH
TITLE:	Molon Labe
LABEL(S):	Non Serviam Records
RELEASE DATE:	November 25th, 2022

Sirrush is an Italian blackened death metal band with a moderate symphonic element to their highly dramatic and otherwise brutal approach. It’d make sense to see some influence from early 2000’s Behemoth, Vesania, and perhaps 2010’s Hour of Penance in their sound and perhaps lyrical themes but also the occasional hint of thrashing black metal bands with Sumerian/Mesopotamian themes which were more common in the mid-to-late 2000’s. This sound is fitting for the era when they’d first honed their style between 2007 and 2011, vanishing for about eleven years between releases. The lyrical themes, spirited use of chorales and keyboards alongside satisfyingly brutal drumming all generally hit upon a style of black/death metal which is refreshing to return to but all to familiar at the same time. The full listen was nonetheless effective by way of the propulsive nature of Sirrush‘s presentation and how well this fit with references to Spartan lore. Though I’d ripped through the full listen 3-4 times and been impressed with the standards for performance met there was little that’d really stuck with me beyond an enthusiastic introduction. Still, an entertaining listen.

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ARTIST:	KARG
TITLE:	Resignation
LABEL(S):	AOP Records
RELEASE DATE:	November 25th, 2022

You won’t often find me recommending modern post-black metal records these days, post-music in general seems to have been in diminishing returns for the last half-decade per my own taste. Austrian musician J.J.‘s post-black venture as Karg (alongside his work in Harakiri For The Sky) had no trouble winning me over with each iteration beyond 2012’s ‘Apathie‘, due to the immersive nature of their longer pieces and tendency towards repetitive hooks but, sure, it’d always been a guilty pleasure. ‘Resignation‘ finds the artist pivoting off the decidedly more tortured, passionate stretches of ‘Traktat‘ (2020) and aiming for a shoegazing/dream pop affected sound which sometimes reads cloyingly sentimental, twinkling chimes dotted along guitar progressions and such. I was up for seeing where the experience might take me and spent a fair amount of time sitting with ‘Resignation‘ but it’d ultimately left me missing the conviction their heavier side typically brought to the dream pop lushness of it all. “Generation ohne Abschied” is the peak of the moment I suppose, the best arrangement overall, and the cover of Nothing‘s “Fever Queen” is ok but this record fell flat for me overall.

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