PopMatters

Symphonic black metal is nowadays associated with the more mainstream expression of the genre.

However, some understand its original, raw potential, represented by the early works of Limbonic Art, Obtained Enslavement, and Odium. That was further contorted by names long buried in the underground, such as Maldoror, Midgard, and Winter Funeral. Deogen align themselves with this later expression, producing an excellent first specimen in their 2023 debut, The Endless Black Shadows of Abyss.

Deogen understand that two pillars are required for a successful traditionalist expression of symphonic black metal. That was true of their debut and remains the defining trait of The Graves and Ghosts of Yore. On one hand, they produce a work that is filled with atmosphere, sorrow, and drama. Symphonic black metal demands a storytelling quality, and they grip you from the mysterious entrance of the “Pernicious Prayer” intro.

Once the main course arrives, the piano and synths remain central, their icy touch taking an active part in the proceedings. “Desolation Bestowed” unleashes beautiful melodies that define the progression. At the same time, they evoke a romantic quality, each line conjuring scenes of an ancient castle and its endless, dark passageways.

On the other hand, Deogen require their black metal to be raw, not succumbing to the melodic pull of the symphonic side. That is precisely what they deliver, with the start of “By Torchlight” establishing this unyielding approach. The traditional grim riffing is found throughout, its purest and most staggering expression in “Clawing Into Sphere and Sun”, where it overpowers the tasteful piano.

What makes these two pillars come together is the production. At first glance, this might appear to be a standard, lo-fi, and minimalist 1990s throwback. While on the surface that is true, Deogen have made sure that it complements the diverging elements of their work. The harshness is thus increased, but at the same time, the symphonic backbone shines. It is the final catalyst that ensures their bitter brew does not lose any of its edge to the naturally sweet quality of their symphonic side. – Spyros Stasis

Old Year – No Dissent (Apocalyptic Witchcraft)

It is generally rare for a debut record to present itself with a sense of maturity. Yet, Old Year’s No Dissent possesses both compositional vigour and an extensive genre knowledge that moves it past your standard doom/death release. Following in the footsteps of their 2023 self-titled single, the Boise act now return with a more ambitious offering.

Old Year unearth much of the off-kilter doom spirit of the late 1990s and early 2000s. “Death Frequency” echoes with the early Khanate’s feedback technology, an enveloping technique where the amorphous guitars dominate the frequency spectrum. It is an asphyxiating affair, one that also channels the Burning Witch spirit in their more extravagant moments, but this is where Old Year exploit their breadth.

The combining factor here is a death metal undercurrent. That informs much of the composition, as it moves toward dissonant guitar ideas, even when these are presented through the slow doom lens. Still, when combined with the slow and determined pace, its ceremonial quality begins to echo with touches of Evoken and Esoteric, minus the melancholic inclinations. In its most devastating moments, it even conjures the tortured spirit of Wormphlegm, with all the grimness of existence echoing through “Lock Step”. From this vantage point, the psychedelic fumes are expected, making “Mechanical Birth” manifest like a trip gone very bad. It also unveils the post-metallic inclinations, with moments of “Rotting Illusion” embracing a Neurosis-like progression.

Constructing such a multi-faceted record can lead to the different parts feeling disjointed, but No Dissent oozes with a sense of fluidity and cohesion. That is the most striking part: Old Year’s ability to not only coalesce these attributes but also use them to add flourishes and variety to their work. It is a core point that many artists on the slower side of extreme metal often overlook. Playing just slow and heavy is not enough. The greats understood this, and so do Old Year. – Spyros Stasis

Qrixkuor – The Womb of the World (Invictus/Dark Descent)

Within the occult death metal revival and the black/death rejuvenation, many acts lose their identity. Amid chaotic structures and cavernous spaces, it’s all too common to forget the starting goal. That has never been a problem for the UK’s Qrixkuor. Since their early days, they have pursued a grand vision, one rooted in heavy layering and dissonance, yet guided by a quasi-classical sense of order. It resulted in the creative culmination of Poison Palinopsia, a work whose spectral ambition finds new expression in The Womb of the World.

Their death metal, like Mitochondrion’s, is informed by the dissonant revelations of Deathspell Omega, but where those acts tend toward the cerebral, Qrixkuor balance with the carnal, channeling the same fire into Teitanblood’s kind of ritual violence. The result is a vast expression of devilish forms, from the ritualistic descent of “Slithering Serendipity” and the murmuring echoes of “And You Shall Know Perdition As Your Shrine”, to blasphemous black/death assaults.

Across the record’s four long-form tracks, the stylistic shifts are impressive yet all orbit a hidden core—a classical perspective that dictates the progression. At times, this will rise to the surface, the instrumentation changing from the metal form to something alien. The sudden drops of Stravinsky-ian madness into the metallic form further expose this foundation. It is the defining aspect for Qrixkuor, and what imbues ambition into their work.

In many cases, the application of classical music to metal is either sloppily added or feels pompous and bloated. Fortunately, that is not the case here. Qrixkuor have distilled the grand perspective from that genre, understanding how it can provide the guiding light through the cavernous depths. That alone would be an achievement, but what elevates The Womb of the World is how, amid its maze-like structures, Qrixkuor still summon moments of unmistakable power and immediacy. It is a record that requires patience, but will return the effort tenfold. – Spyros Stasis

Tatterdemalion – Ultraterrestrial (Wergild)

Wergild is one of the more interesting underground black metal labels and collectives to watch. With most bands hailing from Washington, Wergild’s sound bridges the early Cascadian scene and the raw origins of black metal. One of their latest releases is Tatterdemalion’s sophomore record, Ultraterrestrial, an uncanny combination of ambient music and lo-fi black metal.

The project of Krieger, who is also involved in other Wergild bands, such as Iron Firmament, Lander, Runeblade, and Astral Gauze, Tatterdemalion prioritize mood and atmosphere. “End Carrier” opens in kosmische musik fashion, a dreamy essence that rises from the deep, unexplored edges of space. These stripped-down moments possess an inherent ceremonial quality (“Teak”), and they can also open gateways to similar hallucinatory dimensions. So, “Tharsis – Phobos” leans toward the progressive side, the smooth solos and leads adding depth. On the other hand, “Tharsis – Olympus Mons” retreats to a harsher, psychedelic reality, the noise piercing through and channelling otherworldly fumes.

Still, beneath these excursions lies a foundation of raw black metal energy, its lo-fi tremolo picking grounding the record’s cosmic wanderings. Even in these moments, Tatterdemalion can morph and change. At times, they arrive with an exhilarating force, an unhinged drive that causes devastation. In other moments, they become heavier, their monstrous form complete when the deeper growls combine with the cutthroat vocals.

Yet, as is the case with Iron Firmament, more pleasing elements pierce through. Melodic additions are one of Ultraterrestrial‘s pillars, radiating with a sense of melancholy and sorrow. Similarly, their explosiveness radiates a post-black metal quality, likely inherited from their Cascadian lineage, but it is executed tastefully, one that retains the necessary rough edges.

Like other Wergild acts, Tatterdemalion excel at walking that fine line of channeling more approachable textures without ever compromising the raw, devout ethos at the heart of their black metal. – Spyros Stasis

The Ominous Circle – Cloven Tongues of Fire (Osmose)

The Ominous Circle is a prime example of a band that deeply understands genre heritage. Formed in 2014, the Portuguese act are likely to have grown up listening to the underground death metal revival hailed by bands such as Dead Congregation, Necros Christos, and Cruciamentum. Yet, their 2017 debut record, Appalling Ascension, found them unearthing the earlier malice that gave rise to the 2000s scene. With Incantation’s defining groove and Immolation’s devastating discordance, the record is an absolute gut punch. It is an experience that they now look to repeat with Cloven Tongues of Fire.

Attempting to match the impact of Appalling Ascension after eight years of silence is daunting, but The Ominous Circle hit the ground running. Incantation’s doom bedrock establishes a torturous progression, with the latter half of “Lowest Immanations” producing a psychotropic nightmare through the blackened inclusions. At the same time, their dissonant phrasing unleashes contortions that echo through the dark space of “Through Tunnels Ablaze”. That is where the early Immolation quality shines, with a sense of malice oozing through the death metal structure.

With their foundation established, the Ominous Circle offer some fitting deviations from the norm. Proto-death metal madness seeps in through the schizoid lead work, a feature that naturally clicks with their 2000s underground death metal aspirations, uniting the two strands. Similarly, they lash out from their doom-laden form to produce some brutal moments of war metallic inclination, with “Black Flesh, Sulfur and All In Between” channeling the intense brutality of Diocletian.

Yet, these are fleeting moments, and the return to the slow, brutal centre is inevitable. However, that is precisely the allure of Cloven Tongues of Fire, a record that revels in its traditionalism, more interested in perfecting craftsmanship than offering innovation. – Spyros Stasis

Uranium – Corrosion of Existence (Sentient Ruin)

There has always been a method to Uranium’s madness. The one-person project thrives in the intersection of industrial, power electronics, and extreme metal, a combination that has produced a series of exquisite works in An Exacting Punishment, Pure Nuclear Death, and their Wormboiler compilation. Throughout these endeavours, Uranium’s releases displayed a tightness, a sense of utter and inhuman control over the compositions. Despite the chaos, it is the rigid sense of order that makes the music so punishing.

Corrosion of Existence carries this trajectory to a certain point. The early Godflesh-ian DNA provides weight and precision, a bulldozer energy that runs through the dystopian corridors of “Bliss and Void”. The electronic applications further evoke this past, with “Descent Into Entropic Death” providing a futuristic groove, while simultaneously delivering an utterly barbaric beatdown. Both expressions carry that same unyielding architecture, excruciating yet logical.

That is where the coming divergence hits hardest. The precision of “Traffic Warden” begins to fade, the rhythmic pattern letting go of its familiar repetition. It is the sound of a machine spiralling out of control, malfunctioning in ways that seem impossible. Losing themselves in this strange trance comes in various forms. The black/death explosion near the end of the opening track is such an expression, but the most terrifying moments come in the loss of self.

The power electronics allure is augmented in Corrosion of Existence, and now not only unleashes a barrage of noise, but also descends to newfound depths. “Concrete Tombs” sees all structure dissipate, melting into a state of dark nothingness. It is a deformed ritual, unrecognisable and unknowable, and something that Uranium revisit with their darkest moment in the 12-minute-long opus that is the title track.

It is here that Uranium’s vision is complete, where industrial mechanics meet the deafening void, and the blackened primitivism stands side by side with the futuristic electronic grooves. In this moment Uranium have understood that they no longer need to depend mainly on order and structure, but that they can also embrace chaos and its endless possibilities. That is the moment when mechanical precision gives way to transcendental entropy. – Spyros Stasis

Following 2023’s Master’s Murmur, a descent into industrial folk territory, it has been six years since Yellow Eyes last released a black metal record. The seasoned, New York-based act are a trusted force in the scene, boasting a substantial discography, and yet their new record, Confusion Gate, is a revelation. Not in the sense that Yellow Eyes deviate from the path, but in that they are doing everything better.

Their black metal is dense, heavily layered, resulting in a thick sonic wall. The unified front of riffs overwhelms from the outset through “Brush the Frozen Horse”, yet never at the expense of definition or melody. It is a technique inherited from a lineage of acts, such as Ash Borer and Fell Voice. Still, Yellow Eyes further unravel these abstracted forms, adding an erratic sense of unpredictability and vigor that echoes the early Krallice days. 

From there, they can gaze into a darker abyss, with the textural quality of the guitar work taking inspiration from their sister band Ustalost. In moments like “I Fear the Master’s Murmur”, they explode with triumphant rage, while in “The Scent of Black Mud”, they radiate cold grimness. And yet, they can still turn this around into a deep, hallucinatory sense of unease. Their dissonant inclinations greatly help here, with the cacophonous quality of “The Thought of Death”, the mysterious sorrow of “Suspension Moon”, and the chilling effect of “A Forgotten Corridor” depicting a reality as dead as dreams.

Their overarching tendencies do not cease. On one hand, they traverse into the folkloric, more confidently in the record’s interludes, but also in their main structures. In doing so, they invoke a latent, primordial Cascadian spirit alongside an early Ulverian form. The beautiful guitar lines in the final moments of the title track fully expose this deep communion with nature. Similarly, they channel the teachings from Master’s Murmur to further establish a deep, ambient sense, highlighted through detailed field recordings, as well as the impressive synthesizers and choirs tastefully placed in key moments.

In a robust discography, Confusion Gate stands apart. It feels like this is the record that Yellow Eyes were working towards all along. The album that required 15 years of practice and experience to reach. It is also part of the final releases from Gilead Media, and although there is still one more record to come, if this were the label’s final chapter, it would be a great way to go. – Spyros Stasis