Doom will never ever die when great bands, like Black Pyramid, still worship at the fount of Sabbath and the green holy mountain of Sleep. This Massachusetts doom band's debut album conjures up enough megalithic and traditional doom sounds that it should be held up to standards set by the latter day doom luminaries like Reverend Bizarre, Orodruin and of course, Sleep. The plethora of memorable thick, crushing, fuzzy riffs lay all about this album. The same can be said of their doom influences, which are totally Black Sabbath, "Vol 4," worship along with Sleep's catalog and vocalized chanting. Sleep seem to be a huge influence, along with High On Fire's first album. At times, Black Pyramid sounds like a slower more rocking version of High On Fire or even a heavier version of Lord of Weird Slough. The production on a doom album is vital, and Black Pyramid have the perfect blend of the deep throbbing low end heaviness with just a touch of dryness over the mid tones. Stand out tracks on the album are definitely "Visions of Gehenna, "The Worm Ouroboros," and the "Cauldron Born." The song, "Visons of Gehenna," kicks off the album with a rolling, crushing, catchy doom riff that sucks the listener into the void while the chanted vocals spin yarns of mythology to the listener. The song "The Worm Ouroboros," is pristine, virgin doom from the 1970's that is a simulacra of Sabbathy greatness without sounding like a rehash. Black Pyramid do dabble in the psychedelia but usually it's countered by the overpowering breathtaking oozing riffage. On the song, "Cauldron Born," the band begins with touches of psychedelia, before hitting the mid section of the song where an onslaught of absolute crushing, pummeling riffs close out the song. Somehow, a doom bands' fate usually ends too prematurely. Hopefully, the greatness of Black Pyramid can overcome the genre's occupational hazard and continue releasing copious amounts of great doom albums. Smoke some if you got some.

Good old Katatonia, you never fail to dazzle and amaze me with your consistency and slow growth. Long gone are the days of yore, when your melodic anguished doom helped expand the new black metal genre. Now, Katatonia seems to be striving for the perfection of their flowing, lush, melancholy metal pop songs. The band is definitely delving into other sonic territories with the inclusion of more peripheral synth flourishes and progressive elements into their songs. The friendship and side projects between Katatonia and Opeth members seem to be having some osmosis side effect on the bands' sound. Opeth's latest albums with proggy keyboard/synth structures have seeped into the Katatonia style. The album opens with, "Forsaker," which really doesn't foreshadow anything about this album. It's actually quite misleading with a chunky pummeling riff interspersed within the usual lush, mournful song. Wow, Katatonia is going back to being a doom band. Well, the first song is just a great false start, because the rest of the album is more progressive and has their usual upbeat despondency. My favorite song on the album is, "The Promise of Deceit," with its underlying gestating synth and chiming, thinly distorted guitar which drives the song forward before the languid, fragile pop metal takes over. It's actually a very typical sounding Katatonia song but the added nuances with the synths help create a stellar Katatonia song. I still can't believe they don't get any radio play. Wait a minute. Isn't "Idle Blood," an Opeth cover song? Jonas sounds nearly identical to Mikael from Opeth, along with the song having a total Porcupine Tree vibe. Weird. I wonder if Opeth get any royalties for that song. The lush, hypnotic melodic soundscapes of this album are crafted by some of the most beautiful downcast melodies that eventually seep into your mind. Jonas has finally come into his own and has perfected his fragile, plaintive, haunting vocal stylings. These are perfect pop metal songs that are just heavy enough to be metal and yet have similar brooding qualities like Radiohead, or The Cure. In retrospect, "Night is the New Day," isn't one of the greatest albums from Katatonia, yet its the best of the modern era for them. It shall be interesting to see where the band takes their new progressive elements and tonal textures. I still can't comprehend why this band doesn't get any radio exposure.

"Nostaglia," is more than an appropriate name for this gem of an album. Gwynbleidd conjures up fond memories of the early albums by the legendary Opeth. Nowadays, it seems almost trite and convenient to label every progressive death metal band as being influenced by Opeth, or god forbid the next Opeth. Well, I bid farewell all you soothsayers and prognosticators, because Gwynbleidd resurrects the ancient spirit that inhabited Opeth during the "Orchid" days. If this is a giant homage or plagiarizing of Opeth, either way they have succeeded by creating an elegant and mature album that bleeds atmospheric grandeur. "Nostalgia," works more as a whole album and not just individual songs. All the songs organically flow into one another with the perfect juxtaposition of forlorn melodies and melodic death metal riffing. The core sonic elements of Gwynbleidd are the flowing, entrancing melodic twin guitars that play off each other with the occasional mystic folkish or acoustic interludes interspersed between the massive death metal enchanted melodies. The vocals are mostly bitter growls with a few clean verses interwoven in the softer passages of the songs. There is a certain charm to the growled vocals that resemble, Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt, before he really learned his monstrous bellows. Thematically, the band delves into the exploration of childhood memories, states of loss, and confusion. But who cares what the band sings about when it's all about the glorious, lilting melodies and continuous, flowing, crushing progressive deathy songs. Oh, how I have missed you Opeth, wait err... wrong band. However, maybe that is the reason I love this album so much. The spirit and soul of what Opeth used to be is now in the Gwynbleidd's songs while today's Opeth has moved onto different sonic playgrounds. It hurts my heart and soul to say that I look forward to the next Gwynbleidd more than another Opeth release. I'll await the next morning rise and hope the ancient spirit lives on in Gwynbleidd.

This was one of the first albums of 2009 that I heard and knew instantly it would be on my top 15 list. Fen comes from the United Kingdom and are named after the mysterious marsh lands where the band grew up. The inspiration for their music and the atmosphere comes from the geography of the fens. Musically, the band is easily comparable to other melodic black metal bands like Agalloch, The Morningside and Wolves In The Throne Room. On their "Ancient Sorrows," mini album, Fen displayed a potential for greatness with an odd mixture of black metal and post rock sounds. They were actually one of the first black metal bands incorporating post rock aspects into their sound. On the album, "The Malediction Fields," the band move away from the post rock stylings and is more of a total atmospheric black metal band. The album opens with "Exile's Journey," which is very reminiscent of Agalloch at their greatest. Huge clean, enchanted melodies are interwoven with tremolo riffs that counter the layered atmospheric synthesizers that bring out the feeling of mysterious misty moors. This haze of atmosphere is continued on the next song, "A Witness to the Passing of Aeons," which is overflowing with mid paced raging and sorrowful melodies. The new incorporation of clean vocals on songs like, "Colossal Voids," isn't advisable. The vocals are quaint but need some help and don't do the song any justice. It only takes away from the amazing lilting, serene, dreamy black metal sound they capture. My favorite song on the album is "The Warren," which is formed from a delicate tranquil vibe that hints at a Green Carnation melody usage before the band envelops the listener in a wall of careening grey distorted black metal melodies. Looking back after nearly a year, "The Malediction Fields," is a wondrous album that unfortunately was released during a year of bounty for incredible black metal releases of this ilk. I can't wait to see where Fen's musical journey will take them next.

It is mind blowing how much Wolves In The Throne Room have influenced the world of black metal. Oh sure, there were many other pagan black metal bands before them. Yet no other band has been such a catalyst like Wolves, on rejuvenating a sound and style that was getting pretty mundane and dull. Who would have thought a little band out of Cascadia would help create a scene and style that others would follow, even when the band limited their own touring and promotion. Somehow, luckily I was able to own their first demo and see some of their first shows in San Francisco. It's been nice to watch the slow, cascading tsunami of pagan black metal rise across the world. Even the Wolves belief system, that veers to left wing politics and radical environmentalism, has seemed to spawn at least two black metal genres: Cascadian black metal and Green black metal. For being such a supposed reclusive band and not liking to tour and do promotion, they seem to be continuously touring the world and releasing one new album every year. Maybe that is why I'm torn in my emotions about this release. I miss the mysterious, kvlt quality of the band. I miss the lush and acoustic interludes, female vocals and ambient buildups that used to seem like they emanated from a primordial entity in the wilds of Cascadia. I miss the little personal black metal band from the northwest who would seem to perform for only a handful of musical zealots. That being said, "Black Cascade," is closer in sound and style to their incredible live performances. The furious, blistering, "Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog," opens the album after the briefest of introductions of blowing breezes and falling rain. All pretensions seem to have been tempered on "Black Cascade," and the band wanted to showcase their pure, unadulterated, aggressive hypnotic velocity. The production also seems to favor the live concert feel, because the earthy atmosphere is missing even in parts where the band is trying for the moldy forest sound. Another blazing, fast song, "Ahrimanic Trance," seems to have an ever changing riffing, with subtle ambient keyboards mixed under the maelstrom. I do love the middle section of the song, where the drumming and guitars lock into this Darkthrone polka boogie. It almost seems there is now a Wolves In The Throne Room template for song creation. Since Wolves have reinvigorated a genre and other bands like Skagos, Altar of Plagues, and Fauna have taken these rocks and roots and built their own profane wickerman. I'm hoping the Wolves sound will never turn mundane and commonplace and their pagan brothers can help push each others' sound onwards. Even with my minor disappointment, "Black Cascade" holds enough exceptional, stellar music which still shows their ability to shimmer in the radiance of the godhead.

In my personal musical voyage, the whole 1980's deathrock, gothic, coldwave genres have been of minimal interest to me, because of the faux campy dramatics, simple songs and pretentious elvis impersonators. I might have to reconcile my previous feelings and thoughts, because Soror Dolorosa is such a fun and infectious listen that encompasses all the elements that would normally irritate and stop me from listening. The main man behind the band is a French black metal mainstay who has played in Peste Noire, Mutiilation, Celestia and is currently the drummer in the fairy driven black metal band, Nuit Noire. Honestly, if this album was only the first song, "Beau Suicide," repeated ad infinitum it would still make my top 15 list. The song is just one big 1980's shimmer and throb with Soror Dolorosa utilizing a perfect driving, chiming riff that counter balances the overwrought, gloomy vocals. Yet the band isn't a one hit wonder. All of their songs are perfect encapsulations of a time period, or maybe a perfect reincarnation of those bygone feelings all old goths had when they were teenagers in the eighties. Like, the song "43," that starts out with the detached swagger of classic Joy Division before turning into a sound like the haunting Sisters of Mercy catchiness that entwines itself throughout the song. It's hard for me to listen to this album without hearing bands from the eighties that I hated and now somehow love and want to hear over and over again. Everything on this album screams the love of the 1980's, from the production values that have an almost warped quality, the gloomish, dark hooded nun on the cover, to the bands actual sound. The guitars shimmer and accent with chorus riddled effects while the bass usually just undulates in place. And the singer is probably the perfect element in Soror Dolorosa, his dramatically crooning vocals are like a cross between Peter Murphy and every other gothic rock singer I hated during the 1980's. However, this isn't just another retro masturbation band, Soror Dolorosa backs up their passion and love for the time period with songs full of massive hooks and melodies that stick in your head. All the songs have this wondrous, timeless, infectious quality, even though there is a somber, spartan aspect to most of them. Maybe I'm having a midlife crisis and want to re-live the 1980's as a goth new waver. Who knows, and who cares if the music is this impassioned, fun and vital. So bring on the "Frankie Says" t-shirts and give me a bad pompadour because its time to become new wave death rocker.

Oh my frigid stars and raventhrones, Blashyrkh has frozen over. Well, it's always frozen, but that is another story for another time. The elite gods of Norwegian black metal return after seven years of silence with an album that further proclaims them as the true kings of the northern darkness. Immortal have never wavered in their twenty year existence from the frostbitten path of black metal. They survived the early days of the media hype about black metal and never played, "murder a band member" or "burn a church" reindeer games like most of the early black metal pioneers. Immortal just keep creating albums that get more memorable, epic and grandiose. The album starts off with eponymous "All Shall Fall" with it's amazing wintry, prototypical Immortal riff it could have easily been on the "At the Heart of Winter" album. Immortal literally own their sound, like how Slayer and Motorhead own their sound. Nobody sounds like Immortal with their bombastic, scintillating, catchy riffs and unique vocals that transport the listeners to the stormy terrains of Blashyrkh. The self imposed hibernation hasn't resulted in any rusty scythes either, the band members all put in stellar performances, especially Abbath with his chugging Immortalish riffs interlaced with subtle melodies that triumphantly bleed from the conquering of grim beasts. The first half of the song, "Rise of Darkness," has to be Immortal's most infectious, with its upbeat stadium rock rhythm. However the frivolity doesn't last long before the haunting, sinister onslaught. As usual, Abbath still croaks out the vocals, sounding like a rampaging pissed off troll wanting his dinner. All the lyrics are still penned by former guitarist Demonaz, whose fascination with the make believe winter world of Blashyrkh and its vivid lyrical images paint the backdrop for the songs. The spirit of Immortal's past and present musical victories is vibrant on this album without any songs sounding dated or stale. Like the song, "Norden on Fire" which harkens back to prior albums for its epic qualities, with an acoustical guitar introduction before a gigantic riff kicks in that could easily lead any norseman into battle. The song explores many various tempo changes and the usual Immortal buildup into majestic guitar soloing. My favorite song besides, "All Shall Fall," is the album closer, "Unearthly Kingdom," which seems to transition through all the musical elements that consist of a great Immortal song: icy snowstorms of malefic guitar whirlwinds, moody overblown dramatics, pounding triumphant drums of doom, trollish bellows, acoustic interlude, and a story of a forbidden realm. Hopefully, before the winter of ages and the cursed realms or the winterdemons are unleashed upon the earth, Immortal will grace us mere mortals with more tales from the otherworlds.

Since England birthed the foundation of black metal with the hellacious seed of Venom, the country hasn't been leaders on the blackened battlefield of malevolence. Oh sure, the country spewed out Cradle of Filth, who were great for a couple of albums before turning into a Twilight cover band. Well finally, after many years of waiting, it is good to see a minor British black metal renaissance with bands like Fen, Wodensthrone, Caina, Forefather, Hateful Abandon and Skaldic Curse each coming into their own and propelling the blackened genre. Skaldic's first album‚ "Pathogen," was vastly overlooked three years ago. Their new album, "World Suicide Machine" turns up the ferocity and riffing viciousness to a new level. The album is a perfect blending of mayhemic black metal intensity and Skaldic's unique reinterpretation of progressive thrash riffing. The album opens with the song, "Pest against Pest," which sets the tone with its Scandinavian blackened thrash ferocity that gradually transforms into a wild voivoidian progressive workout. It's not all charred, grizzled thrash fun, as the band does use contrasting heavy and mellow sections that play off the relentless unconventional riffing, like on the song, "Genocide Storm." At times, there are sonic hints of the underground thrash legends, Holy Terror, which is high praise I have never given any other band before. However, Skaldic Curse are much more caustic, with furious galloping riffs that seemingly spiral out of control before they coalesce into a heinous thrash groove. Plus the vocalist, called Woundz, totally lacerates his throat for the listeners benefit with vocal pronouncements of hatred, war, negativity, and obviously some kind of world downfall. Even with these topics of world hatred and despair, there is an up beat, almost playful feeling to the album. One interesting British black metal note, two members of Fen are associated with the album. The sounds of the black metal palette that Fen and Skaldic Curse use are polar opposites, yet they both write epic sounding songs. Nearly every song is seven minutes of convoluted, labyrinthine structures that never let the listener breathe from the glorious onslaught. Hopefully, Skaldic Curse will get more exposure for the blistering, "World Suicide Machine," album, and their evolution will propel the English black metal scene to heights it really should have achieved eons ago.

Cobalt are such an odd, veiled, dichotomous band wrapped in layers of banality and sophistication. A casual listen to their new album "Gin," will reveal a working man album that could be almost be labeled "blue collar black metal." Yet, on more in depth listens, the Colorado band reveals an avant garde quality that underlines all the songs both musically and lyrically. On their previous album, "Eater of Birds," the band seemed to be an odd mix of Motorhead and black metal with tinges of post rock creeping along the edges of the songs. Now, every song on "Gin," is a multilayered affair of monstrous, groovy, caustic riffs that build into grand structures of bile and pain. Lyrically, the band is also a dichotomy of perplexity. With the initial listens of "Gin," the catchy lyrical passages leap out of songs, however on inspection of the lyric sheet these guys write about some twisted, messed up stories about pregnant insects, individualism, liquor, and symbolic archetypes. Its more than appropriate that the album is dedicated to Ernest Hemingway and Hunter S. Thompson. Also the cover is a subdued orange hue with a young, stern Hemingway in his WWI Army uniform that somehow fits this album in an anachronistic way. The album opens up with the song "Gin," with clean guitars that lead into some incredible ebb and flowing filthy riffage that veers at times into a Helmet groove. On all the songs, Cobalt evolve the songs so effortlessly that as a listener. I get captured in the moment of sonic, tonal bliss that a loss of perspective of what preceded the moment happens. A perfect example of this phenomena occurs on "Dry Body," which subtly builds from a languid swagger to a epic, seething crusty post rock throw down. There seems to be constant comparisons in the music press between Cobalt and Tool, which is odd because if anything Cobalt are more of a bastard child of Neurosis' "Pain of Mind" period and latter day Converge. Even that comparison is weak, because really Cobalt has such a unique, primal sound all their own. My favorite song on the album, has to be "Stomach," which oozes primitive malice that builds itself up from an acrid black metal sounding start to a progressive doom sludge song climax. In "Gin," Cobalt has created such a dynamic, stellar and powerful album that even after owning it over a year. Yes, I had a early leaked copy last year. I find new vehement subtleties and cohesive grandeur on every repeated listen.

Jandek goes black metal? Media hyped outsider black metal? Have the bands Low and Earth decided to forge a new black metal mafia? Has black metal finally connected with the pretentious, art house sword wielding crowd? Americana black metal? Mount Eerie's music on "Wind's Poem" embodies all these sardonic questions with a powerful, compelling, beautiful, contemplative album. Before finding this album, I never heard of Phil Elverum or his previous band, "The Microphones." Prior to this album, Mount Eerie and The Microphones played a sound veiled in hushed, bedroom psychedelic folk. The alternative music press hype had Elverum delving into a murky black metal Xasthur and Burzum lovefest and grim, face painted panda bear folkies running around burning down coffee shops. The music on "Wind's Poem" in no way lives up to that kind of media hype. However, it is Elverum's compelling interpretation of the black metal aesthetic mixed with a pastoral soulfulness that instills a foreboding, sad tranquility which is an extremely compelling listen. The album starts out with the song, "Winds Dark Poem," which is aesthetically the closest sounding to a black metal song with a panorama of crumbling blackness and swirling tendrils of distortion that envelope the listener, while plaintive vocals croon softly under the layers of sonic blackness. This song is just drenched in overblown, crumbling distortion. If the first song is the descent into the black, chaotic maelstrom the eleven minute second song, "Through The Trees," is the delivering of beatitudes. With its placid, organic, warm drones from an organ or synthesizer, and the hushed, haunting Low-like vocals, the song lulls away the cares of the world, and literally feels like a enchanted gathering in the forest. A more solemn and forlorn song is "My Heart Is Not At Peace," where Elverum seems to reach within himself for a dusty soul searching. The music is very pastoral and Earth-like with big, warm fluid passages . This is all countered by the next song, "The Hidden Stone," which is distorted, blackened doom meets Neil Young's Crazy Horse. Yearning, whispered vocal lamentations vie to be heard over the huge crashing, shimmering guitars and cymbals. However strange the combination of black metal and modern folk music seems in theory, there actually is a natural confluence between folk and black metal, and that is the appreciation of nature. All the songs thematically deal with humanities' relationship to nature and with the lost wisdom that each generation seems to suffer. One song on the album does seem out of context in a way. The song "Between Two Mysterious," has this whole Angels of Light vibe with odd its odd rhythmic drumming and Michael Gira vocalizations. Granted, it's a great song, but the whole quirky, wood block rhythm doesn't fit the rest of the album. The production truly fits the album though. It provides a warm and organic feel with hiss and grey distortion that gives all the songs a used record player listening experience. This is such a timeless album that encapsulates such solemn, sad tranquillity. I'm happy I fell for the media hype about "Wind's Poem," and hope my further investigations of Mount Eerie will yield more glorious beauty, even if its not influenced by the black metal aesthetic.

The sheer devastating disappointment and dismay of hearing this album the first time nearly stopped me from giving the band a fair chance. The greatness of the Faunts previous album, "High Expectations/Low Results," totally corrupted and jaded me against any other sound from them. By everything Eno and holy, I wanted that ethereal ambient sound with its gentle vocals and lush, gauzy, post-rock dreamscapes. It wasn't until fellow a musical zealot, which interestingly enough, I introduced to the band's unique sound, told me to give the album a chance to grow on me. Without this advice, this musical pop gem would have been shuffled to the back of the closet and the Faunts in my mind would be marked as one album wonders who let me down. The Faunts now create wondrous ethereal pop music. Sure, their old sonic soundscapes of soft, swirling balls of fuzz dwell within some songs, however it's just not as prominent. Now most songs are vocal, beat and electro orientated. The astounding aspect of the Faunts song writing skills is their ability to squeeze a myriad of tempo and atmospheric changes into such a small form factor as most songs are four minutes or less. Yet this doesn't take away from any of the songs' catchiness in any way. The first song, "Feel.Love.Thinking.Of," exemplifies this new sound with Axel F keyboards and electro drums driving the song forwords, while earnest pop vocal melodies draw the listener into the chorus of the song. Eventually, some super fuzzed out guitars kick in and then dissipate back into the catchy electro drum funkiness. All of this happens within three minutes of pure blissful pop. There are two songs on the album that give me total deja vu for other bands, even though the Faunts aren't copying the sound out right. The first is the song "Input," that just exudes Radiohead melancholy and dreary pop, before turning into a funky Minus the Bear mid section. The other deja vu song is "Das Malfitz," which sounds like a bizarre funky version of Pink Floyd's "Another Brink in the Wall." My favorite song "Lights Are Always On," could easily fit on "High Expectations" with its vast, serene, gauzy pop drone. There were definitely hints of pop song greatness on their past albums like the song, "Memories of Places We've Never Been," yet I wasn't expecting a whole album of catchy, pop songs. I just wanted more of the dreary slowcore, shoegazing, gauzy soundscapes that was the Faunts to me. Oh well, I have learned my lesson with the Faunts, and on any future albums I will now compel myself to give them many listens, because obviously the band exudes greatness with any type of sound. This album will be ingrained forever in my psyche, as it was my house painting music for the summer.

It took me a long time to come to terms with this album. My love of, "I Am a Bird Now," Antony's second album released in 2005, overwhelmed all chances of being impartial. I finally came to terms that nothing from Antony will ever top that sorrowful, fragile masterpiece, which is easily in my top ten albums of all time. Antony's voice and persona is larger than life. Nobody in music today has such a recognizable and touchingly emotional voice. After four years his vocals are more powerful, with seemingly endless vibrato and lilt. Antony's voice and lyrics are symbiotic extensions of his being that draw in the listener to all of his raw, naked insecurities and defiance at the world. Compared to other albums by Antony, "The Crying Light," is more minimalistic, but no less Broadway show tunes cinematic. Before seeing Antony this year, I didn't know that he was close friends and loved William Basinski's music. Basinski ethos of subtle symphonic minimalism can be heard on many songs like, "One Dove," "Dust and Water," and "Another World." "Another World," is just Antony playing the piano and purging his soulful lament about losing the world, while barely audible vague symphonic undertones flesh out the edges of the song. Even more to the point of total minimalism is the song "Dust and Water," where it's nearly completely a capella with only a weak drone or hum underlying his vocals. Gone on "The Crying Light" album are the songs dealing with the unbearable loneliness and the sexual misidentity of being a man or woman, or both. Antony has now turned to stories about his relationship with his parents and being connected to the world, and the cycles of death and rebirth. The song "Daylight And The Sun," is a rousing Broadway show tune closer with huge crescendos of piano, Antony's vocalization and his little orchestra before Antony brings down the house with his defiant, soulful crooning. It's not all swoon and gloom, there are some fun songs, like the R&B stylings of "Kiss My Name," which looks back to earlier albums and feels light and playful. Also, the joyful and triumphant "Aeon," which seems to be a prayer to the emanation of the universal god but ends in the typical Antony fashion with double innuendo lyrics of "Hold that man, In your tender clutch, Hold that man I love so much." Antony can still literally tear your heart out with such touching, tender vocals and lyrics. Yet on the "The Crying Light" album, Antony seems to be a happier person, searching for answers rather journaling his insecurities and tragedies. It's weird for music that sounds so melancholy and sad, there is such a timeless romantic element which Antony instills in every nuance and fiber. This is music for contemplation and nourishment of the soul.

A glorious celebration of life and the old ways of worshipping the natural cycles of the seasons, Skagos is fueled by humanity's failures and the misanthropic need to abandon society and reconnect with transcendental spirit of nature. The band, a couple of eighteen year old kids, come from the rainy forests of Cascadia where amazing pagan black metal bands grow from the trees. Somehow, Skagos have channeled the sublime elementals and birthed music that transcends genres and drips with sophistication and passion. The album opens with "Colossal Spell," which is an eerie, misty drone filled introduction that builds up the atmosphere of moldy, archaic forests before turning into the epic song, "The Drums Pound Every Night in a Glorious Celebration of Life." This song starts with a triumphant, regal riff before a blackened miasma of pagan melodic torrents envelope the listener. The regal riff that started the song makes its appearance throughout the song and merges with the black melodies for some mediative trance qualities. Skagos has a brilliant ability to craft smooth transitions seamlessly that ebb and flow from blast beat Cascadian black metal ecstasy, where the melodies are sorrowful and rooted in the ancient soil, to long haunting acoustic passages that soar majestically. The band also has an excellent sense of blending songs together, like with the instrumental song, "...With a Warm Recollection," which combines the campfire drum circle with a folk dirge that gently soothes and enchants before segueing smoothly into the melodically, colossal song, "Caliginosity," The album ends with, "A Night That Ends, As All Nights End, When the Sun Rises," that wields all the amazing qualities of Skagos. From the introductory acoustic folk jam that builds into guitar tremolo overtures before eventually descending into a spiraling, galloping mania of melodic black metal bliss. Kvlt as a term, is used far too often to describe underground pureness or integrity. Skagos reeks of kvlt with currently only 300 copies of "Ast," being released on cassette and the ancient spirit of pagan black metal that embodies their ethos. After this album, the band have taken an extended hiatus with members either: off to live in a cave on Saltspring Island, or be sustainable farmers, or to await the collapse of civilization. I'm just hoping they will someday release the companion album to "Ast," which is titled "An-Archic." Skagos captures the spirit of times lost with ebb and flowing blackened metal that transcends both time and space. The drums pound every night in a glorious celebration of life!

After countless hours of debating how to attempt to review the music on "Monoliths & Dimensions," I have come to the conclusion it is impossible to describe the sound Sunn))) creates in any coherent manner. How can one describe a sound or better yet a distorted hum that can be so personal or impersonal to many people. There seems to be only two types of Sunn))) listeners. The first type, is the Sunn)))-newbie who has never experienced the foreboding, aural sensation of the band. The second type, is the Sunn))) worshipper who holds everything released by the band as a religious experience. There is usually no semi, or fair weather fans because the devotion and hatred is intrinsic to the essence of Sunn))).

The album starts with a seventeen minute grimoire called, "Agartha," which is a four note drone dirge movement. The singer, Attila, delivers a spoken word performance that is an unsettling, menacing oration about searching for the lost city in the center of the world.

Sunn))) worshipper read:
This is a ritual of distorted bliss, a cleansing of vibrational art that breathes and dies with the caressing of many timbre flavors of feedback. Attila stumbling, graveyard throat speaking performance fits perfectly with all the distortion and resonating orchestra ruinations.

Sunn))) newbie read: How can this be a song. Its one guitar strum and then a sustaining distorted buzz that goes on forever. What the hell is this guy chanting. Shouldn't there be some rhythm. Why does it last for so long? Five minutes or so pass ... "Wait I heard a second note."

The second song is "Big Church (Megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért)," which lasts over nine minutes long and is a dynamic change for Sunn))). Brass instruments and a church choir sing above the din. And yes that is the name of the song.

Sunn))) worshipper read:
Angelic choral church singing teamed up with pummeling distorted blackness. Sunn))) has really expanded their sonic dimensions. Attila seems to be singing in tongues and it sounds like somebody is sacrificing a goat. However, when the pummeling blackness, angels singing, glossolalia, and goat slaying combine at the same time, it is pure magickal transference of energy,

Sunn))) newbie read:
Wait a minute, who put in the church music? Oh god no! Not more guitars buzzing. Somebody, please stop the guy singing, I think he is having a seizure.

The third song, "Hunting & Gathering (Cydonia)," is an ode to the thrash pioneers Celtic Frost with massive slabs of guitars.

Sunn))) worshipper read:
This is pure Celtic Frost primitivism at its finest. I could listen to that one slow motion, monolithic, menacing riff over and over again. Drown me in its sublime dirge.

Sunn))) newbie read:
Wait a minute, I have heard this before while traveling through Taos, New Mexico.

The final song, "Alice," seems to pay tribute to Earth with Dylon Carlson from Earth guesting on guitars. It's also and ode to Alice Coltrane.

Sunn))) worshipper read:
Ominous start, with near Earth-like qualities. Definitely Sunn)))'s most adventurous and complex song ever. Long drawn out pastoral section before a slow build up of gorgeous brass and orchestra arrangements. This is a canticle to the power of sound.

Sunn))) newbie read:
Ok, this sounds like pretentious spaghetti western music with horns and some low bass rumblings. I'm scared the distorted guitars will start soon. Wow, it sounds an like orchestra warming up. Is it over?

Altar of Plagues crafts a prophetic vision of nature consuming humanities' frailties. These Irish lads have produced a monolithic epic tale of dystopian urban decay as a result of our lost connection to earth. The atmospheric scope and stellar quality of the black metal, post rock and sludged doom defies all contenders, because of Altar Of Plagues' ability to craft experimental songs, which are so absorbing and immense. This album is genre defining like Isis' "Oceanic" or Weakling's "Dead As Dreams" albums. This is the overwhelming experience of the slow fall of humanity with a spectrum of moods and emotions filtered through incredible, cinematic, passionate music. "White Tomb," is constructed in two movements, "Earth" and "Through The Collapse," which each can be divided into two parts that are roughly ten to fifteen minutes long. The song "Earth: As a Womb‚" starts the album with a warm meandering, droning ambience that slowly builds into a barrage of dense textual black metal that bombards the listener and simulates the fall out of gaia's grace. The vocalist wails, "Everything is collapsing, can you see it? Awareness will come slow" while epic, blistering riffs punish the listener, yet it is still sorrowful and melancholic. The vocals on both songs are the perfect blend of distinct black metal shrieking and a lower style snarling. Midway through the song, the listener is given a respite from the blackened maelstrom and the song breathes with swelling acoustic guitars before it returns to chaos induced riffing and destruction. Gradually, the song slows and the listener enters into the second part of the movement, "Earth: As a Furnace." This second part of the moment follows a similar path as the first, but is more grandiose with huge mournful passages starting out the song. Mid tempo black metal reveals itself for most of the first half of the song before transitioning into a slow smoldering post rock soundscape that lingers and wanders into the resolution of bleakness. The second movement of the album, "Through The Collapse," begins with the first part "Watchers Restrained." The tremolo black metal pace is slowed down in the beginning, which creates a less urgent but more apocalyptic atmosphere, which then dissolves into sonic madness. The cinematic sounds of the raw power and the dissolution of anguished life is awe inspiring. Waves upon waves of slow crashing sludge doom wash over the listener as a vocalist that sounds like a old crone wails and laments "Silence - Desolation" in horror. The feeling of dread is hair raising and shiver inducing. Eventually, the wretched doom crumbles into white nothingness and a lulling mellowness flows over the listener which transitions into the final part and chapter. A sheer gut wrenching, passionate guitar melody begins, "Gentian Truth." The feeling of joy at the harmonious beauty comes quickly after the harrowing hell of the previous movement. This feeling of joy and exhilaration continues over the course of the thirteen minute song. The song has a plethora of slow building melodic Agallochian riffing that reaches monumental levels of ecstasy that flow and wash over the listener and thus conclude the final chapter in glorious proclamation of a rebirth and transformation. Altar Of Plagues have pushed the constraints of black metal aside with one of the most sonically monumental and visionary albums. And like the soil, we too are made of grain.