WINTERFYLLETH – “The Dark Hereafter”

CoverFollowing on from 2104’s excellent and career defining release, “The Divination Of Antiquity”, England’s heritage black metal heroes Winterfylleth are back.  With their label sold and becoming part of the Spinefarm family these songs have been in the can for a while, so its good to see them finally see the light of day.

The title track kicks things off with familiar blast beats and whirling guitars and those who bathed in TDOA will know the track “Pariahs Path”. “Ensigns Of Victory” is my favourite track from the opening three, which have a different feel to the last two tracks with the familiar folk tinged black metal assault.  Continue reading

ANGMAER – “Towards Darkness’ Paradise”

Angmaer - Towards Darkness' Paradise_Cover

One-man, black metal band: a phrase that can strike pre-emptive disappointment into the heart of even the most stalwart extreme music aficionado. It can frequently be the case that these projects lack any kind of individuality or panache, aspects which are thankfully becoming more mandatory in the genre. UKEM’s recent signing, Angmaer, is luckily not guilty of this particular sin.

As the bio states, this is very true to the 1990s’ golden age of BM. The character must be incredibly hard for one person to capture this successfully on their own, and in that Towards Darkness’ Paradise is most assuredly a great success. Although it embraces a touch of the clarity brought to later BM releases, it retains an undeniably classic quality. Continue reading

WINTERFYLLETH – “The Divination Of Antiquity”

WF14So here we are; 4 Winterfylleth albums in… yet it only seems like yesterday that these boys were playing in front of a few staunch separatists like myself in sweaty underground clubs. The band as a group, since all but the very earliest live outings, has been consistent and since the second album, “The Mercian Sphere”, the same lads have written and recorded the music.  The thing is, the band themselves have been on a bit of a journey in the last 12 months, and I believe that this has resulted in the album of their careers thus far. A tour with Enslaved, festival appearances around Europe and then time to reflect and write have resulted in something very special indeed. Continue reading

FYRDSMAN – “Omen In The Sky”

FyrdsOmenIn 2010 a very special EP was released by a gentle man called Tim Shaw under the moniker Fyrdsman (the name given to the local men who fought alongside the trained warriors in Anglo Saxon England during the ‘dark’ ages). So good was this release (available again here) the pressure to hear more from this melodic black metal musician was tangible. Whilst most of the songs were pretty much written,  a combination of funds or lack of and a re-location has made those smitten by the EP endure a long wait for the album to see the light of day. Continue reading