Feeding Frenzy 06||01||21

Auðn –  Vökudraumsins Fangi(album)

If you prefer your black metal closer to its 90s origins, Auðn may be more your cup of dark brew.

While doomily emotional, and with more than a little of an atmospheric bent, Vökudraumsins Fangi is bubbling over with tight tremolo picking and revenant screams. I personally enjoy the diversification of BM, but here we have something which feels more of a natural progression of the sound. Minus the old, tinny, tape production, of course. These things don’t always translate well to the stage, but this promises to deliver an unforgettable live experience.

Grade: B+

Slow Dragon

Black Soul Horde – Land Of Demise (album)

Stripped back to almost pure old school, Black Soul Horde remind us why heavy metal rules.

There’s not going to be a lot new on offer with proper trad metal, in this case tapping into the early 80s. However, when it’s done right, as it is here, it can be glorious. land Of Demise heaps Maiden gallops on Dio chug, proto-thrash ‘Ozzy’ nwobhm vocals onto speed metal tempos. This is exactly the sort of album which spawned everything heavy. A refreshingly authentic moment in a somewhat overplayed genre.

Grade: A-

Slow Dragon

Empyreal Sorrow – Praey (album)

Fairly fresh to the game, Empyreal Sorrow reassemble the smashed pieces of death metal into their own machine.

Only forming in 2019, this is a band with surprising writing confidence and class. Adding a well developed sense of melody to structurally considered, black/death metal helps Empyeal Sorrow to shine on Praey. It blends the emotional sombreness which is sometimes only accessible via bm, and solid, rhythmic hooks to get your teeth into. Melodic and atmospheric may be words which make you think of softer music, but in this case that is far off the mark. 

Grade: B+

Slow Dragon

Foul Body Autopsy – Consumed By Black Thoughts (EP)

One man metal project, Foul Body Autopsy, got emotional for World Mental Health Day, with a new, focused EP.

Tom Reynolds doesn’t really mess about with full-lengths. He seems to prefer more frequent, shorter blasts, with 13 releases out, and only 2 of them stand alone albums. This approach seems to opens up the gates for progression in style and sound. On Consumed By Black Thoughts, everything takes on more of the melodic hooks of The Unquiet Dead, in favour of his earlier thundering brutality. Still full of wild voice samples, and an impressive feat for one individual, this feels a more relaxed and refined FBA than before.

Grade: B

Slow Dragon

Tombs – Under Sullen Skies (album)

While Europe is better know for ground breaking black metal, the US has its moments, too.

Under Sullen Skies is absolutely one of those moments. Tombs have unearthed a magic formula of black, death, doom, and just extreme metal for this one. Just as with all their past releases, they have built on their own expanding foundations. While they do lay claim to an impressive back catalogue, USS takes them into the top tier of their genre, if such a division exists. It lodges itself in the mind instantly, and shows no sign of going anywhere. It was one of our Albums Of The Months 2020, but it needed to be heralded once more.

Grade: A

Slow Dragon

Ward XVI – Metamorphosis (album)

Metamorphosis, the second album from heavy metal circus freaks, Ward XVI, continues their strange tale.

Most of you reading likely love a bit of metal. Some people love musicals. One has to suspect the cross-over may be slim, but if you’re going to go for it, you might as well go all the way. Such full commitment is part of the joy of Queen, Alice Cooper, or even, to a degree, Marilyn Manson. Or The Circus Of Horrors, if you prefer. This is certainly more like a recording based on a stage show, than a set of songs designed to comprise a metal/rock album. Step into the big top and take the ride. 

Grade: B+

Slow Dragon