The semantic field which lies between the Gothic, the future, metal, and the avant-garde is fertile with meaning. First, the Gothic, which we define here as the literary or “artistic” Gothic. It’s a sub-genre or modifier which deals with death, anxiety, and the body. Frankenstein is of course the prime…
Sometimes, as a lover and critic of music, one has to admit that they’re wrong. Egregiously so, even. Thus is the case with my relationship with, and belief in, the music of Ken Sorceron’s Abigail Williams. I first heard their debut record almost a decade ago, and was in all…
Back in April, symphonic black metal gods Belzebubs release Pantheon of the Nightside Gods. I wrote our review for this record and absolutely loved it. It might be one of my favorites of the year (though there’s still a lot of 2019 left to go!). At that time, I mistakenly…
Much like any version of media, metal is subject to its fair share of gimmicks. There are a lot of parody acts and one trick ponies throughout the various genres, subgenres, and mash ups. That doesn’t necessarily mean they should all be ignored out of hand, nor does it mean…
September was a damn good month for all things frostbitten and evil. Showcasing the genre’s insane breadth of style and influence more than in any month in recent memory, black metal showed up in a big way as the multi-faceted beast we’ve always known it was. The releases featured here are in majority some of our favorite of the year, and we hope you will share that sentiment. So feast your eyes and ears on the ridiculous bounty that was the month in black metal.
By now, Dimmu Borgir are no strangers to the extravagant and grandiose accompaniment of Gaute Storaas. After the departure of Mustis and ICS Vortex post In Sorte Diaboli, the band has reached for Snowy Shaw to supplement this loss but have since found themselves void of some of the worlds…
Each month, we always seem to come to the same conclusion when it comes to our Editors’ Picks column: Friday release days open the floodgates and unleash a seemingly endless stream of quality new music. But while some of our Editors and Contributors sit down gleefully each week to dive into this newly stocked treasure…
It’s pretty incredible to reflect on how much Kvlt Kolvmn has grown over the last couple years, especially when it comes to how consequential it’s been for Heavy Blog’s coverage of the vast web of metal subgenres. What began as an outlet for me (Scott) to occasionally ramble about my…
I’ve always been someone with a soft spot for symphonic black metal, ever since first discovering Emperor and their classic album In the Nightside Eclipse, and have had an on-again, off-again infatuation with the genre and it’s eccentricities ever since. One of my biggest complaints about the genre, however, was that…
Cradle of Filth have become one of the most recognisable and quickly dismissed names in extreme metal. Yet, although the band are widely regarded as populist, entry level rendition of the black metal formula, a closer look at their extensive catalogue reveals a far more innovative and surprisingly consistent act than their reputation suggests. Since their discography is so extensive—the band have released eleven full-length studio efforts to date, with one in the pipeline as we speak, and numerous and often notable tidbits here and there—this survey has been broken up into two sections. This first offering examines what many would consider to be the band’s classic period: moving through their early, formative years, up until their commercial breakthrough and (only) major label release in 2003; while part two will pick up from 2004’s Nymphetamine and carry through to the present day.
