Hooded Menace - new EP

Hooded Menace announced that "Labyrinth of Carrion Breeze" 12" EP drops in early January on Doomentia Records.
Until then, keep doom dancing to the sample:
https://soundcloud.com/user376189116

 

 

Nhor - "Within the Darkness Between the Starlight" (2013)

Nhor

"Within the Darkness Between the Starlight"

Prophecy Prods.

2013

This is the 3rd album of the english one-man project Nhor. I've never heard about it before, but that's why Metal Archives exists, huh? So, before the listening I've learnt that the band is playing black/doom metal, with additional adjectives such as "atmospheric" and "ambient". And what it means in reality? 

If you will listen to this album for the first time, you will initially get the impression that the base here is quite raw, fast black metal, mixed with many doom metal parts. That's because of the first two tracks (even if in the second track there are some female laments mixed with screeching guitar sounds). The vocals are howling like some lost forgotten sad spirit (hehe), the riffs are being played fast (but not unduly) and drums are raging in the background. Yet thanks to a specific production it doesn't sound excessively powerfull, so don't expect blasphemously strong power similar to Marduk.

Since the third track starts, "Patient Hunter, Patient Night" the music strongly slows down. Nhor starts to create more tranquil atmosphere, full of once again screeching guitar riffs and piano-like synths played on keyboard. From time to time he is breaking up again with fast blast beats and tremolo pics, only to return later again to quiter forms of expression. He often uses clean guitars, but in that kind of playing it's really nothing new; yet he's doing it with fineness, so it doesn't sounds like some cheap weeping for depressed teenagers. 

Most of the tracks are really long (something about 10 minutes) and they deliberately flow, creating a nostalgic, sometimes a bit melancholic atmosphere. It sounds interesting when leisurely, blurred riffs mingle with mentioned piano-like synths and croon of a singer (in for example the track called "Rohmet Etarnu"). And to be honest I discern the main potency of this album in such tranquiled parts. The music is not very complicated (yet with relishes here and there), though it sounds very mysterious. It simply draws a listener into its own dark world, and doesn't want to release him for almost an hour.

To sum it up: the fans of minimalist, gloomy music should be interested in getting this album.So if you like that kind of playing - this is something for you.

Rate: 7/10

Vladyka

Tracklist:

1. A Forest Draped in Moonlight

2. Within the Darkness Between the Starlight

3. Patient Hunter, Patient Night

4. The Fall of Orion

5. An Awakening Earth

6. Rohmet Etarnu

7. The Temple of Growth & Glimmer Ascends

8. Alnilam

The Flight of Sleipnir - "Saga" (2013)

The Flight of Sleipnir

"Saga"

Eyes Like Snow 

2013

This is the 4th longplay of American stoner/doom/viking metal duo The Flight of Sleipnir. 

Their new opus is a bit different than a very calm "Essence of Nine". They are still exploring spacious, slow musical landscapes. Yet they again decided to put more harshness into it. Thanks to that a new material is a bit more diverse. The best example of this diversity can be a track called "Demise Carries with It a Song"; it  starts with a bit faster riffing and harsh screaming to turn into slower, calmer stuff, full of solo passages in a more classical rock vain. Most of the music bases on such slow, atmospheric playing full of melancholic singing and acoustic themes (to summon e.g. beautiful song "The Mountain"). Fans of stoner/doom will also find something good for themselves, since it is a part of TFoF's world (like e.g. a great riffs in "Harrowing Desperation"). The whole album is a great mix of all of those elements. A dose of sadness fills every track in it's own way, sometimes even in a bit epic style like in "Hour of Cessation". 

However I don't understand why many people label them as a "folk metal" band. Maybe I have other imagination of what folk metal is, but for me using acoustic guitars is not enough to be labelad as that. But generally speaking the music of Slepnir bears a lot of marks of originality, so it's not very surprising that people have proplems with describing their music. 

A few words about production: it simply well suits the music. It's from one hand enough spacious when band goes into more touching, atmospheric playing, yet very sultry when they starts to play slow, doom parts with harsh vocals. Just listen to "Beneath Red Skies", and you will understand that I am right.

The Flight... recorded again a more than just listenable album. I am sure that their newborn child will visit my music player very often. "Saga" is truly a wonderful piece of art! 

Rate: 9/10

Vladyka

Tracklist:

1. Prologue

2. Reaffirmation

3. Reverence

4. Harrowing Desperation

5. Heavy Rest the Chains of the Dead

6. Judgment

7. Demise Carries with It a Song

8. The Mountain

9. Hour of Cessation

10. Remission

11. Beneath Red Skies

12. Epilogue