Hello. It’s been a while. Kvlt Kolvmn has been in hibernation as work has taken me to a world of no time. But the team emerges . Hail to our infernal underlords.
Below is a tasty assortment of some of our favorite releases over the past few months. Black metal has been on a bit of a heater over the past few months, so we hope you find these releases as delicious as we did.
Feast. Enjoy. Stay frosty.
-Jonathan Adams
Winter’s Crown
Deafheaven - At Work in the Fields of the Bomb
What else can be written about Deafheaven that hasn’t already been put to print? Luminaries of the post-black/blackgaze movement that have produced some of the most legendary full-length records of all time in the space, they’re one of the most talked to death acts in the extreme metal world. That said, if there were one element of their catalog that has not received the level of shine typical of their general popular exposure it would be their singles and EPs. “From the Kettle Onto the Coil” and “Black Brick” are both incredibly important tracks in the band’s development, and represent some of their most dynamic and sonically intense work to date. At Work in the Fields of the Bomb feels like an extended version of what made those standalone singles so great, and is by far one of their heaviest and most sinister releases to date.
Many of us didn’t see such a feral and unhinged release coming from the band, but there were signs. After the almost completely metal-less Infinite Granite, Lonely People With Power felt like a return to Deafheaven’s roots, replete with harsh bangers like “Doberman” and “Revelator” showcasing their capabilities in creating heavy music. Bomb takes that vibe even further, unleashing some of the band’s most fundamentally blackened work to date. “Hunter” is an absolute masterpiece of songwriting and intensity, crawling and retching through riff after bludgeoning riff. Dan Tracy’s drum work is, as expected, utterly superb, adding a rhythmic undercurrent that further accentuates the sonic nastiness on display. “Sorry Laid the Hearth” follows suit in even grander fashion, blending Deafheaven’s penchant for melodic hooks with a metallic undercurrent that rivals the band’s best and harshest work, and in many ways surpasses it.
As a big fan of Deafheaven’s obvious skill in crafting trve black metal intensity when they so choose, At Work in the Fields of the Bomb feels like the focused revelation many of their fans were waiting for. It’s a spellbinding, unrelentingly harsh in metallic superiority that feels like a “fuck you” to their critics in the scene without compromising their penchant for nuance and craft. It’s one of my favorite releases from the band, and further highlights their ability to unleash hell when they give themselves more truncated parameters. One of the best EPs of the year, hands down.
-JA
Best of the Rest
Astral Spectre - Cosmic Mirage
As the ur-genre of metal, there are of course many overlaps between heavy metal and all of the genre metals. But it really does seem like black metal is the genre closest to it (beyond power metal, which is practically heavy metal but faster). There are multiple ways to exemplify this link: riff structure, aesthetic, themes of personal overcoming, and so on. But, if we’re being honest with ourselves, the main link is cheese. Black metal is the genre which most inherited the unapologetic emotional, flamboyant flourish from heavy metal. Both genres, albeit in different ways, are all about a celebration of excess and personal expression.
Astral Spectre understands this deeply as the one man project weaves galloping riffs, twin guitar leads in the style of Wishbone Ash, and black metal vocals and instrumentation. The end result is Cosmic Mirage, an incredibly indulgent and unapologetic album. Beware: if you are at all allergic to purple cloaks, ziggurats, and over the top, lick heavy guitar solos, this album is not for you. But if you love the intersection of progressive rock and heavy metal that ruled the late 60’s and early 70’s on one hand and black metal on the other, there really is nothing like this release. Oh, and there’s also a clarinet. That’s right, thrown into the mix are a clarinet and a hammond organ, channeling even earlier influences like Yes and Camel.
None of this would work without the earnestness I cited earlier. There is only way this album would ever be good and that is through. Any sign of hesitation or apology would have caused the whole thing to unravel, like a magician’s cheap trick. Instead, the glamor works and makes the album great, a love note to why heavy metal and black metal work. Just throw on “Chronomancer”, leave your pretensions at the door, and be transported into a realm of swords, spells, and hella sick riffs.
-Eden Kupermintz
Forlorn Citadel - An Oath Undone
There are many “movements” in metal that I don’t take interest in at all. As a firm adherent of Sturgeon’s Law, I believe that every sound and genre out there has some noteworthy contributions. However, some styles are just so far out of what I look for in music that I give them very little time. Dungeon synth is one of those. I don’t know exactly what it is but I just get almost nothing out of dungeon synth. It might be the sound palette, the tendency for repetition or just the whole nostalgic aesthetic that doesn’t appeal to me. And yet, I know good dungeon synth is out there so it’s not like I turn off my headphones the second it starts playing. I give it a chance and, once in a while, I am rewarded.
One such reward is Forlorn Citadel’s recent release, An Oath Undone. It probably works for me because the dungeon synth is “bolted” right on to the black metal of the release. This black metal core mostly manifests as the haggard vocals which form the centerpiece of the release but it also augments the dungeon synth compositions. Prone to melancholy and grand atmosphere, peppered with doomy guitars, these focus on getting across the atmosphere of black metal more so than dungeon synth. By which I mean there is less wonderment, warmth, and nostalgia and more grand expression, attack, and melancholic coldness.
If, like me, you are not dungeon synth’s greatest fan but like it when black metal utilizes the genre for its own needs, this release is for you. I’ll admit that some of it plays in the background for me, my mind wandering, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. An Oath Undone does a wonderful job at rising up and grabbing you with snippets of sound and vivid imagery, driven by a dedication to black metal’s aesthetic and channeled via dungeon synth. Give it a try; it’s a perfect soundtrack for Fall.
-Eden Kupermintz