The Rock Blogger

Paysage D’Hiver . Schattengang . 1999. 5 stars .

While I have already written at length about black metal bands here, including a Top 10 list for the genre, I felt compelled to return to Paysage D’Hiver, the one man project of Switzerland’s reclusive Tobias “Wintherr” Möckl. A prolific but incredibly obscure artist, PDH has released numerous albums over the past decade, usually labeled as demos and released sparingly as limited edition vinyls and CDs. The rarity of these works only adds to the mysterious and isolated nature of their sound, so thick and dense with atmosphere that the mainstream would choke if they listened to it. While metal circles on the Internet may be familiar with PDH’s acclaimed self titled record (which was featured on my list), I personally feel that Schattengang is the darkest gem of the collection, with its powerful and sinister riffs complementing the rustic and weathered aesthetics.

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A strange and innovative video for “It is Not Sound” from The Blood Inside (2005). Featuring bizarre human animation, the video follows the plight of the band members through a twisting sea of limbs. Crazy stuff.

Some late night music to trip out to. Drudkh is an intense black metal band from the Ukraine. These songs are from their Autumn Aurora album.

I would like to apologize for the lack of substantial activity here over the last few days. A wicked St. Patrick’s day combined with a 5:30 am start the next morning makes for a groggy blogger. Don’t worry, there are several new releases ready to be reviewed for your reading pleasure, so stay tuned. In the meantime, watch Wolves in the Throne Room rock out. This song is from “Diadem of 12 Stars”.

Agalloch. Of Stone, Wind and Pillor. 2001. 3.5 stars.

Seeing that my review of Agalloch’s sublime White EP is the most read post on my blog so far, I thought it would be worthwhile to visit some of the band’s previous, and hard to find, EPs. Starting things off with Of Stone Wind and Pillor, which is mostly a scatter shot collection of tracks left off their debut album Pale Folklore, we find Agalloch’s more experimental and neo-folk tendencies begin to shine through.

As the great cover art demonstrates, this EP is a testament to untouched landscapes, expressing hard felt desires to abandon the calls of civilization and escape to the dark confines of the forest. While the opening title track is familiar fare from Agalloch, sounding like an unpolished outtake from their more fuller sounding LPs, the two following instrumental tracks “Foliorum Viridium” and “Haunitng Birds” are atmospheric gems, full of ringing acoustic guitars, graceful piano and the cinematic use of choir samples, adding an another layer of complexity to Agalloch’s epic sound.

The EP’s highlight however is the stirring cover of Sol Invictus’ “Kneel to the Cross” which begins with the spine chilling chant of “Summer is a’ coming, arise, arise”, before the band fully immerses themselves in a folksy tale of violent Christian conquest over ancient lands. This song brilliantly captures the essence of Agalloch: organic sounding, ambitious and full of cultural allusions and Gothic imagery. In short, despite its overall unevenness, the standouts on Of Stone are among Agalloch’s most impassioned efforts.

Well this is it, my 100th post… It’s been a fun ride so far, and things are just starting to heat up on The Rock Blogger, with more readers joining us everyday. And with guest posts on other blogs coming up (more details on that later), we’re bound to be getting even more attention.

While it has been a harsh winter, it has also been a fine season for discovering and appreciating new music from all around the world. Below is a list of some of my favorite Black Metal albums I’ve come across in the last few months, some of which I’ve reviewed already on this site, others which I have yet to write about.

So I hope you take the time to explore some of these works and maybe come to a different understanding of what metal can be about. Rather than just being harsh noise and screaming, albums such as these are steeped in atmosphere and emotive intensity, some drawing on ancient myths and folklore to offer new insight into the respective cultures these bands derive from.

#10. Ulver. Nattens Madrigal. 1996. 4 stars.

The final installment in Ulver’s black metal trilogy, Nattens Madrigal is one of the rawest metal records ever recorded. Rumored to have been recorded deep in some Norwegian forest, this record features impossibly fast, tremolo fueled ‘hymns’ dedicated to lycanthropic urges, using the lo-fi production as another element to its bestial atmosphere.

#9. Paysage d’Hiver. S/T 2000. 4 stars.

Incredible use of the violin, keyboards and classical arrangements matched with despairing, existential roars and primal drumming. Sweeping in its atmosphere and unflinching, depressive drama.

#8. Drudkh. Estrangement. 2007 4 stars.

Ukranian forest metal that celebrates the trails set by nomadic ancestors with its folkish elements and stunning guitar and bass solos. This is mid-tempo black metal full of somber riffs and hypnotic drumming.

#7. Windir. 1184. 2001. 4 stars.

Crazy, symphonic black metal that employs complex keyboard compositions and searing layers of guitar noise to convey the conquest of vast landscapes .

#6. Negura Bunget. OM 2006. 4 stars.

Fascinating and incredibly dark black metal from Romania, Negura Bunget takes folklore from his country’s Wiccan and Pagan ancestries and crafts an album of incredible scope and musical virtuosity.

#5. Ulver. Kveldssanger. 1995. 4.5 stars.

The second and most melodic entry in Ulver’s black metal trilogy. This is a haunting and gorgeous collection of Norwegian folk songs tinged by sinister tones and acoustic chanting. Their incorporation (and focus) on acoustic and neo-folk elements would influence many American bands in their wake.

#4. Emperor. Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk. 1997. 4.5 stars

Symphonic black metal from Norway. These guys were pioneers in the genre and played their black opuses with brutality and searing complexity. The musicianship, especially the drumming, is impenetrably fast.

#3. Wolves in the Throne Room. Diadem of 12 Stars. 2006. 4.5 stars.

Dense, experimental and downright insane music coming one of America’s premier black metal bands. Their sound is like a tornado, terrifying in its speed and blurry, destruction that that comes from unstoppable forces of nature. The musical equivalent to a hail storm - unusual, painful and beautiful to listen to.

#2. Agalloch. Ashes Against the Grain. 2006. 5 stars.

Oregon’s Agalloch is a band that likes taking journeys with their music, moving from haunting acoustic passages, to hair raising riffs, to peaceful melodies, all the course of a single song. Ashes Against the Grain is a meditative listen, providing stark yet beautiful moments that remind you of nature and isolation.

#1. Ulver. Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr i 5 Capitler. 1994. 5 stars.

Easily one of the most melodic black metal albums to ever be recorded, Ulver’s majestic debut is an amalgamation of folk guitar, savage drumming and wicked tremolo riffs. There is an almost mythic quality to these songs, especially the album opener “Troldskog faren vild” that draws you straight into strange, ancient forests, with its Gregorian style chanting and epic guitar rhythms that carry the same urgency as some ancient battle.

As regular readers of this blog already know, I’ve spent a good deal of this winter listening to atmospheric black metal, tracking down the most celebrated works within this often misunderstood genre. What attracted me to most of this music was its natural and frigid imagery, evoking vast mental landscapes like the ones in this video: snow covered pines, isolated hilltops, frozen streams and dark passageways. As Toronto has been hit repeatedly by massive snow storms, the bleak sounds of bands like Switzerland’s Paysage d’Hiver seem more than appropriate when trudging through the cold.

Since my one hundredth post is coming up, I’d thought I would do a post dedicated to the genre that has captivated my interests and captured my mood over this blog’s first three months. Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of the best black metal albums I’ve come across as well as some winter images I’ve taken myself (if I can find my damned USB chord).
In the meantime, enjoy the video.

Intense video of footage from King Arthur set to Wolven Ancestry, a Black Metal band from Sudbury. I have to find the album this is on. Its about time we had some black metal blaring out of the Algonquin forests. Has anyone else heard of this band?

Emperor. Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk. 1997. 4.5 stars.

While I was searching through the stacks at Sonic Temple Music in North York, I came across Emperor, which has been cited by many critics as being one of the leading forces in the Black Metal genre, influencing many like-minded bands around the world. I was initially surprised by the brutality of this album, with its impossibly fast drumming, walls of guitar noise and guttural vocals. There are also dramatic symphonic elements accompanying the savagery as well, with complex keyboard arrangements adding to the layered density of the songs, giving them an epic and overpowering atmosphere.

The maddening complexity of Emperor’s onslaughts is what makes Anthems a landmark record, with its powerful riffs, dynamic keyboard progressions and the painstaking level of detail within the compositions. Amid the insanity of the band’s dark lyrical themes and chaotic dynamics, there is a certain beauty to it all, as Emperor’s meticulous attention to atmosphere and melody is at a level rarely seen within modern metal. For its orchestral underpinnings and unforgiving intensity, Emperor’s opus has certainly earned its fair share of acclaim, raising the bar for which atmospheric metal bands have been judged. While Emperor’s symphonic elements may deter the lo-fi purists within some critical circles, they will be missing out on the sheer artfulness of this record.

Agalloch. The White EP. 2008. 4 stars.

Hailing from the misty forests of Portland Oregon, Agalloch has earned themselves a substantial cult following with their blend of atmospheric black metal that incorporates folk and ambient elements, producing several critically acclaimed albums and EPs over the last decade. The White EP continues on with the band’s distinguished tradition with a renewed emphasis on the neo-folk aspect of their sound, mostly relying on acoustic guitars, hushed vocals and atmospheric effects to get to black heart of this dark genre.

Taking a step away from the growls and punishing instrumentals often associated with metal, Agalloch’s ambient exercises mark a significant departure from convention. The shift is dramatic without betraying the quality of their past (heavier) work, as the acoustic compositions express Agalloch’s organic approach toward crafting evocative sonic landscapes, focusing on an aesthetic that sets the group apart from their many contemporaries.

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