March 2023 – Thy Kingdom Scvm

In the blink of an eye, we’re three goddamn months into 2023. Even with what seems like a goddamn timelapse in this stupid fucking simulation we live in, it’s been a pretty fucking productive year here on Thy Kingdom Scvm! Already four reviews and a What Remains into this year already, due to being struck by a writing itch of feverish proportions all throughout January and into early February, things have been moving smoothly and steadily here on this dumb little blog that only the schmo who runs it thinks is important in any way, shape or form.

Nonetheless, if you’re one of the few who do care about the mental diarrhea that I spew from my maw for whatever reason, you know it’s time to be graced with my unsolicited thoughts on the rest of quarter 1’s output that I was able to get around to. (Insert recycled gravedigging metaphor here).

So, let’s cut through the bullshit and get to the bangers that started the year off with a fucking BANG, which I’m delighted to say, there’s been quite a few! Q1 has been absolutely STACKED and I’m reveling in every last bit of it.

What Remains for Q1 2023:

Melissa: II (Urge Records)

Starting off with EP #2 from Brooklyn NY’s band of Blackened Punk misfits, Melissa, who bursted onto the scene with a gut punch of a self-titled debut, that cut through the monotony of artsy fartsy drek that New York usually produces, and offered a much needed breath of fresh, smog-filled city air. It only gets uglier, as Melissa II kicks it up a notch and targets the rest of your body, frothing at the mouth for some violent catharsis, formulated through scratching guitars, head-stomping grooves and belligerent, but deliciously catchy riffs, yanked straight from frostbitten roots of early Darkthrone, and bandaged together with the snide disposition of Poison Idea, Discharge and the likes. Filthy, deplorable, crustified Blackened Punk, straight from the gutter.

Profane Order: One Nightmare Unto Another (Nuclear War Now! Productions)

Canadian War Metal death machine, Profane Order came rolling in on a warthog and bursted through the gates of 2023 and set the bar as high as a nuclear mushroom cloud for any of its genre peers to ascend to! An unrelenting masterclass in slack-jawed, barbarian savagery, executed at high caliber, breakneck speed and the crushing weight of a rogue Panzer IV. Belligerent, savage and surprisingly well-rounded, with a seasoning of old school Death Metal for extra spice on this bloody piece of red meat. As high octane as it gets.

Malleus: The Fires of Heaven (Armageddon Label)

There’s no shortage of Blackened Speed Metal degenerates running around this day and age, but very few capture the essence of Black Metal’s prototypical roots and serving a nice, steaming hot platter of head-stomping riffs, served ice-cold and raw. Malleus is bewitching Black Metal, cut straight from Tom G’s pioneering clOÜGHth (sorry…) and crafted with prudent finesse, all the way down to the production. Nasty, raw and catchy in the nastiest way possible. Same can be said for the next entry…

The Gauntlet: Dark Steel and Fire (Nihil Verum Nisi Mors)

If Blood Fire Death-era Bathory is more your speed, hop on this motorcycle and grab on for dear life, because you’re in for the ride of your life across the NJ Turnpike! New Jersey’s The Gauntlet rides the line of Bathory worship with the highest level of grace and fluency as sonically possible, and execute it as if Quorthon came down with a sword and anointed him the chosen one to carry on his flame into the modern era on said spiked, shiny motorcycle, wielding the flaming sword of triumph across the horizon. Don’t just dismiss this one on the account of hearing the words “Bathory worship” alone. The “worship” part is merely a wistful homage to the warriors of Black & Speed Metal’s past, crafted with pure zest, which shines through every tantalizing riff that this old soul-bearing beast belts out with every track. All killer, no filler. As the gods (and Quorthon, but what’s the difference?) intended.

Høstsol: Länge Leve Döden (The Sinister Initiative)

The latest project of the infamous Black Metal boogeyman, Niklas Kvarforth, featuring members from what I personally consider the unholy trinity of Black Metal regions, in Sweden, Finland and Norway. Pretty much exactly what you’d expect from the camp of Kvarforth and anything he gets his hands on (for better or worse), and his brand of spiraling, manic Black Metal, pulling from the melodic well of Shining and the barren bleakness of Mgla (at least to my ear) and drowning it in a bottomless pit of the black tar of nihilistic contempt and societal indifference. Unmistakenly a Kvarforth project and primarily a product of his vision, not too far off the beaten path of his usual style. but with enough wet grit to get by just on that merit alone. Enjoyable enough for my taste.

Funeral Winds: Stigmata Mali (Osmose Productions)

Funeral Winds never disappoints. One of the most underrated Black Metal acts on this wretched planet, as far as I’m concerned. If you like your occult Black Metal with the wet grit of a group of satanic bikers hanging around a rundown dive bar in a sketchy part of town, who will fuck your shit up and stab you with a coke residue-encrusted switchblade without a second thought? Funeral Winds got you covered. Filthy, deplorable, and straight from the necromantic void! Plain and fucking simple. A SOLID follow up to their last one, which I reviewed in full.

Tribe of Pazuzu: Blasphemous Prophecies (VIC Records)

Murderous Blackened Death Metal featuring members of Cryptopsy and Incantation. Need I say more? The long-awaited debut full-length of Canada’s Tribe of Pazuzu is a high caliber fist in the face of all the mediocre trite that clogs up the pipeline on a near-daily basis, curated by noted, seasoned veterans of the scene. Drummer, Flo Mounier lends his otherworldly abilities to this beast, serving as its backbone, as John McEntee of Incantation lends smoldering Death Metal riffage to the mix. An ungodly union of styles and philosophies, culminating in this unforgiving, confrontational beast of blasphemous and politically incorrect aversion to the current status quo, both musically and otherwise. An upheaval of sonic wrath from start to finish, and well worth the wait!

Minenwerfer: Feuerwalz (Osmose Productions)

Sulfuric annihilation with catastrophic consequences. Sacramento’s Minenwerfer further solidifies their standing as something special in the USBM scene, with the fourth chapter in their storied chronicling of World War I, treading DEEP into the sonic trenches of extremity, with no shortage of heavy artillery to unload at all costs. Setting off like a gas bomb directly to the face and hailing an array of melodic, but serrated riffs, drenched in the nihilistic haze of chemical warfare, poisoning the atmosphere surrounding the disarray. Wartorn Black Metal, with the ferocity of Panzer Division Marduk and sick with the radiation leftover from the latest Kommandant outing. Proceed with caution and get checked for Agent Orange if you make it through to the other side.

Vosbúð: Heklugjá (Independent)

Another one that I’m fairly new to, but wasn’t going to miss out on, due to its regional origins. Vosbúð is Icelandic Black Metal at its most… well, Icelandic! Sharp, intricate riffs and layered compositions, engrossed in overcast desolation, that pierces through the haze with crystalline melodicism and voracious triumph, with each element complimenting the others, with a healthy amount of breathing room, to shine through as liberally as sonically possible. Atmospheric, but not overbearingly cavernous. Not to mention some strikingly memorable moments, that jump out when you least expect it and stick with you for a good while. Another superb product of Iceland’s ever-expansive scene.

Azaghal: Alttarimme on Luista Tehty (Immortal Frost Productions)

Finnish Black Metal veterans Azaghal with their 12th full-length, still going strong and hitting hard on all counts, sticking within the framework of their signature melodic, but triumphant Black Metal sound, but without tethering it to the point of one-trick pony monotony. The riffs are strong and catchy, tone is icy and sharp and filled with radiant leads, one of which kind of reminds me of Blue Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear the Reaper (you’ll know it when you hear it). Relatively tame compared to their earlier works, but still fierce and rich with melodic textures that lubricate the blade.

Genocidal Rites: Exsanguination of the Gods (Hells Headbangers)

Bestial War Metal is as common as the cold in 2023, but still has its boot firmly on the jugular of the corner of the underground that it inhabits, as illustrated by Abysmal Lord blowing up an abundance of year-end lists in December 2022. Ringing in 2023, comes a new perverted beast of primitive barbarity, with a swift, but proper bludgeoning of feral, knuckle-dragging, snarling, sonic goat perversion of ungogly proportions, pulling no punches and getting the point across and rubs its blood and entrails-covered hands as it rides off on its tank into the sunset shadowing the bodies of nuns, priests and sheep decomposing into oblivion. Bestial Blackened savagery in the most straightforward form. If Abysmal Lord, Weregoat and Blasphemy are your bag, then give this a spin and worship the goat!

Häxanu: Totenpass (Amor Fati Productions)

One of the many, MANY projects of USBM mastermind, Alex Poole, proving once again that he has the Black Metal Midas touch, fiercely in tune with his eye for detail and ear for tone and feel, whether it be for the oppressively atmospheric, the chilling, cold symphonies of keyboard-laden moodscapes, or searing melodicism. Häxanu falls in the last category and their debut full-length was an instant hit in my book, but Totenpass builds further on the groundwork laid by its predecessor, adjusting the sails and riding the treacherous waves into even harsher tides, culminating in texturally rich and hauntingly melodic meat n’ potatoes Black Metal, blended with chilling, lurid keyboards, humming along with the chaos in perfect harmony. Occult USBM with a message and motive.

Verminous Serpent: The Malign Covenant (Amor Fati Productions)

Finding Blackened Doom that I can really sink my teeth into is a rare occurrence these days, but this outing formed like a mysterious black cloud, breaking through a bright, Spring day and rendering all of the blossoming flowers to ash, and pleasantly surprised me, as it immersed me into its sunless chill, woven into a ghastly shroud of crushing Blackened Doom, cloaked in a mantle of chilling atmospherics and voracious gloom, mired in unfathomable oppression. A hideous incantation of ancient spirits, channeled through every detail, that reaches out with its skeletal, putrified hands. Bleak, crushing and mesmerizing all the way through.

Hail the Void: Memento Mori (Ripple Music)

Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m at my absolute pickiest when it comes to Stoner Doom. It’s a genre that I dip my toes into every now and again, but finding new stuff that I can actually chew on like I got a bad case of the munchies, is few and far between. When it does happen, however, it’s glorious. Victoria, British Columbia’s Hail the Void is a rough and tumble, smoked out slab of Doom, rich with catchy. and earth shatteringly chunky riffs, belted out with haste, but balanced with raw power, high energy, cathartic emotion and blistering sincerity; reaching beyond the threshold of any typical Sabbath-worshiping, shroom-laden trip down the yellow brick road. A small, but noticeable semblance of Dax Riggs/Agents of Oblivion shining through some parts was also part of its allure, that roped me in, especially in the vocals. Pure, head-rattling DOOM, built from parts borrowed from every sector of the genre’s vast and fathomless galaxy!

Billy Odal: …and the Search for Agartha Part II (Hidden Hand Records)

Album number two from the psyched out Post-Punk enigma that only I seemingly seem to talk about, but know will catch on eventually. Billy Odal continues to blur the lines between Post-Punk, Psyche Rock and Gothic Rock, with a lurid convergence of groovy melodies and icy symphonics, chromatically dancing among each other like a melting pot of LSD and sex potion. Lot of Sisters of Mercy’s darkest moments, mixed with some dirty, funky Rock n’ Roll grooves, to dance drunk beneath the moonlight over a campfire to. Luscious and golden, just like its predecessor.

Other Mentions:

Calderum: Lord Cramridor (Death Prayer Records)

Ieschure: The Mystic Fields (Ars Funebris Records)

Bong Coffin: The End Beyond Doubt (Syrup Moose Records)

Aivvass: Occult Rites I (Independent)

Menace: Open Fire (Razorbleed Productions)

Available through Razorbleed Productions.

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And on that note, we pack up the shovels and head to the next burial site. I’ll be sure to have more gravedigging metaphors next time around… I’m tired, okay?

But anyway, I’m looking forward to what’s in store for us as we head into Spring time (except the weather) and seeing if I can top myself for Q2! Hopefully I don’t hit any valleys along the way. Until then, stay hydrated, stay hateful and fuck the sun!

I’ve covered quite a few projects either helmed by, or involving Matron Thorn here on this blog. His name has been uttered over the years, whether it be regarding Benighted in Sodom, Ævangelist, Hex Arcana/Devil Worshipper, Death Fetishist or one of his many, MANY other projects and collaborations. There’s no shortage of esoteric hellscapes to delve into, when it comes to his harrowingly illustrious catalog. It was only natural that I answered the deafening call of his latest project, Skrying Mirror; a meeting of minds within the modern Blackened Death Metal pool of creative workhorses, responsible for some of the most destructive Black and Black Metal-adjacent acts that have made something of a buzz among a worthy few over the last several years, including vocalist, Varklokker (Nexwomb, Witchbones, Omnikenetik, Kaltesblut) and drummer, M. Garcia (Blattaria, Hex Arcana, Carrie White Burns in Hell). Their 2021 debut EP, Garden of Ecstatic Violence wasn’t the first time Thorn’s signature melodramatic melodic wailing over stomach-churning, dissonant atmospherics was run through the lens of Blackened Death Metal, but the involvement of Vardlokker and Garcia, unlocked a whole new dimension to the sonic labyrinth, resulting in a brief, but jarring piece of Blackened Death, rich with dreadful apprehension, though it did leave quite a bit to be desired. But, as it would turn out, that EP was just a mere dipping of the toes, into the true abyss that was looming beneath.

Omnimalevolence, Skrying Mirror’s debut full-length, fully immerses you into the deep end and pushes that dread and consternation to its absolute threshold, like standing at the edge of a mountain to witness the last gasp of everything you once loved and believed in, as it crumbles into the Earth, never to see the light again, just as my interpretation of the cover art (done by visual artist, Naya Kotko) depicts. It’s the suffocating of all sense and familiarity, devoured by new esoteric truths, manifested as a deafening vortex, that encompasses all light and sound. The dread sets in immediately, when Naught opens things up and swells with anxiety and explodes with dissonant rage. Thorn’s signature melodic wailing can be heard droning on in a claustrophobic haze, beaming across discordant drums, that rumble with urgency, representing the crumbling of the elements around you, that can only be heard through the acoustics of a tight, inescapable space. Once fully immersed into the disharmonic wall of sound this album creates, along with the inexorable scorn that serves as the screws and bolts holding it all together, coupled with the oppressive, blood-red fog of atmosphere, and Vardlokkers’ ultra-dismal, baneful growls, a trance of hallucinogenic proportions is imminent.

Spilling right into Fractals, upping the pace with a swarming maelstrom of hideous grandeur, with a piercing blaze, akin to Gustave Doré’s interpretation of Dante’s Inferno come to life. Some of the repeating riffs and droning melodies heard deep within the molten smog, are actually quite catchy and stuck with me for a time after the fact. Same can also be said for tracks like Yearn and Temptress, which stand out among the pack, shifting between tempos with violent abandon, and ringing out like war trumpets. The ability to blend piercing dissonance with carefully crafted song structures, that can appear like a cacophonous wall of noise to the naked ear, but reveal themselves little by little, with every listen, is very reminiscent of the likes of Akhlys and Sunset; taking sensory overload to the highest extreme and testing one’s endurance to find the hidden enigmas within the discordant surface and make sense of it for themselves… sort of like a beginner delving into the occult for the first time. Only those willing to dig will get past the perceived “wall of noise”. Comparisons to some heavy hitters of the Icelandic Black Metal scene, like Misþyrming and Endalok also come to mind.

As stated earlier, Temptress is a stand-out track, because it treads like a volatile wave in the ocean, as rumbling kick drums ream under melodic picking sections, that plant themselves into your psyche for a time after even the first listen. The entire track reeks with dread and foreboding, as is par for the course with the slower side of the album, Inteavenous being another glaring example; a sinister monstrosity of a track, that will undoubtedly pull you back to this album for another immersion, possibly for the rest of your existence. Vardlokker’s best vocal performance also graces this track. A lot of sonic similarities can also be drawn to some notable cavernous Death Metal acts, like Altarage, which I hear a lot of in Abjurer. The grand finale of this hallucinatory ordeal comes with Failure, which makes one final effort to make goddamn sure you don’t come out unscathed and will return. A spiraling ritual of abject horror, conjuring up one’s most negative emotions and ripping them to the surface, by way of jarring sensory overload, dancing hand-in-hand with apocalyptic bleakness, as the haze finally erodes into the air and you’re given a chance to breathe once more.

This isn’t the type of sound that belts out a platter of sick riffs for neanderthals to headbang too (as much as I love a good riff buffet). It’s not meant to be catchy or uplifting, or to get your blood pumping with adrenaline. It’s a sonic scripture of esoterica to revel in and face the true discordance and uncertainty of existence. An erotica of violence and truth, proclaimed from the tongue of contempt. While not quite as disturbing as Ævangelist, or as straightforward as Death Fetishist, Skrying Mirror finds a solid middle ground and maintains enough inaccessibility the make the full immersion and what you get out of it, all the more rewarding. The addition of Garcia and Vardlokker clearly came about with a vision, and it paid off splendidly, only that vision was an eclectic nightmare of the upmost lucidity.

Omnimalevolence is available through I, Voidhanger Records.