Darkthrone – It Beckons Us All 8/10
The ever-surprising and prolific Darkthrone have surprised everyone with another new release. It Beckons Us All has arrived unannounced in its purely unique fashion and continues its progression /regression to the true beginnings of extreme metal.
Unreliant on the iconic status of Norwegian black metal royalty, your liking for this album will truly depend on which era of Darkthrone you enjoy, and honestly there are a lot, whether it be the death metal years, the famous black metal era, the punk-infused 2000s or their journey through the annuals of the history of metal. After more than twenty full-lengths, the duo of Fenriz and Nocturno Culto, continue to create music that they like with disregard for the adulation and expectations that surround them.
What is ‘’It beckons Us all…”” then? It is more than a homage to Hellhammer and Celtic Frost, it is a hail to the beginnings of true extreme metal that vocally carries more than just the annotations of the godfather of extreme Tom G warrior. Album highlights “Black Dawn Affiliation” and “The Lone Pines of the Lost Planet,” shine when Darkthrone merge their riffs with history. Some of the riffs are so damn good and epic especially when they venture into doom territory, “Eon 3,” shines with a Mercyful Fate infused style that reflects the duos evolving vocal efforts. It is an album that is as warm and inviting as a sweaty leather vest at the end of gig. But it does also have some moments where you think is this too much nostalgia when the originators did it better? And whilst the “The Heavy Hand” starts out epic it becomes a meandering slog.
Epic yet lifeless and almost workmanlike in places as it is inspired and interesting. Are three new albums and four releases in three years too much? Darkthrone has become a band that is almost possible to critique objectively, they have a rabid fanbase that will consume their every sonic moment and a reputation that cannot be criticized. It Beckons Us All… is probably the greatest moment of their traditional metal era. But greatest overall? that’s a discussion over a turntable and raised horns…
The Incantus – The Incantus 8/10
Australian doomed death Metal outfit The Incantus make an offering to the fae and the metal realms with their debut self-titled release that merges Gaelic folklore with the epitome of modern metal.
From the ominous incantation that is album opener Horror through to highlights By The Light of Burning Bridges, Wintersmith, and the subtleties that lie within The Fray, The Incantus are a band in complete mastery of their instruments offering vitality and complexity that is inherent within their music. Multiple challenging time changes and excellent progressive sections carry utter conviction as realised in the vocal delivery of Kris Corvus that is not only extreme but measured in its aggression and the ever-evolving technicality of their music. The production is crisp and clear allowing their aggression to shine in equal measure with their subtleties as heard on the swirling energy and doom-inspired power that is From Where I Hold the Sky.
Goddess Ablaze burns with apt fury and technicality before it delves into a melodious shift and time change complete with an epic unhinged solo whilst ‘’They Wait for Me’’ is a pure metal assault on the senses with a fantastic demanding riff. The Incantus is a memorable melodious debut that combines sonic fury and death metal with perfectly timed doom moments and a love for the power of the riff and its twin guitar excellence. It is a debut worthy of any true extreme metal head’s attention!
Miruthan – Cult Of the Dead 8/10
Eight survivors from a dystopian future overrun by the undead have somehow arrived in our time to provide us with a glimpse of the holocaust and its bleakness, terror, and horror. The outfit that is called Miruthan and they have released their debut account, the aptly titled Cult of the Dead.
Currently displaced in the region of Newcastle NSW, Miruthan are intense, their tales are cautionary, angry delivered in a multivocal attack that reek of vitriol and anger.’’ Survived the Blast’’ begins in an almost symphonic matter before it delves into their blackened death metal savagery that is suitably intense and unrelenting. The slower pace of some sections allows the atmosphere to become a cloying inescapable force of nature. ‘’ Into the Abyss’’ continues the gang-like vocal attack that is delivered with such energy and ferocity that is matched in equal measure by some razor-sharp riffing that has some excellent tremolo-ridden passages. The keyboards supply that extra texture and are allowed to shine briefly amongst the cacophony of horror and aggression.’’ Land of the Damned’’ is the denouement. From a time where hope is lost, and horror remains.
Miruthan embodies the definition of part animal part man and Cult of the Dead is a debut EP that shines with their unique approach and a concept that is all-consuming and intense. Coherent it combines the best of both death and black metal styles its rawness is integral to the compositions within. Bold, majestic and inherently violent Cult of the Dead is an introduction to the folklore and mythology.