HAISSEM – A SLEEP OF PRIMEVAL IGNORANCE (Review by Varg The Mighty)

 

Today’s review is of Ukrainian Melodic Blackened Death Metal band Haissem’s new album.

This release offers dark atmospheres bathed in high amounts of melodies that remind of early Emperor, especially when the synths appear. It is one of the rare exceptions where notable amounts of virtuosity coalesce with Black Metal and produce an authentic result which may also appeal to the purists.

You may also identify at times some Dissection influences, but everything here has been composed with a clearly unique personality that adds an element of freshness. There are some catchy bits, frigid tremolo pickings and organ-backed passages of pure gloom that all come together in 4 long yet cohesive tracks that will surely catch the listener’s attention. Given their length and the album’s nature, I personally recommend listening to the whole release without apparent highlights.

I recommend this album to fans of Melodic Blackened Death Metal, Melodic Black Metal and Symphonic Black Metal. My rating is of 9/10.

VARG THE MIGHTY 

 

THE SCUM – THE HUNGER ( Review by Varg The Mighty )

 

Today’s review is of Colombian Death Metal band The Scum’s new album.

This release offers a brutal carnage of classic Death Metal with no space for rest. It is a straightforward display of aggressive music at its peak which brings to mind other acts of the South American Death Metal scene, in which it may confidently place itself as one of the most gruesome bands.

There’s no hint of Brutal Death Metal or other subgenres here, perhaps with the exception of some Deathgrind influences (most notably Carcass), and the band have created here a pure and old-school kind of carnage that may be enjoyed by fans of anything extreme and gory. This album is certainly pure and uncompromising Death Metal. My personal highlights are “Burial” and “Withering Faith”.

I recommend this album to fans of Death Metal. My rating is of 9/10.

VARG THE MIGHTY 

 

GRIMORIUM VERUM – REALL (Review by Varg The Mighty )

 

Today’s review is of Russian Symphonic Black Metal band Grimorium Verum’s new album.

This release offers a fairly classic approach to the subgenre that implements an amount of synths that is higher than usual and takes a direction that is completely different to the expected Dungeon Synth hints, adding thus some drama to the release. As for the main body of the songs, it includes epic solos and furious riffs that sometimes create intense auras although in other tracks the result is more generic and not as memorable.

There’s also a notable use of soft female vocals in some passages, though their inclusion doesn’t always perfectly fit the rest of the songs in my opinion. If you enjoy grandiose Symphonic Black Metal albums, you should check this one out. Even though it isn’t the greatest release, it isn’t that bad either, and some synth melodies in it are pretty mesmerizing. My personal highlights are “Through The Labyrinth Of Times” and “The Lamp Of Destiny”.

I recommend this album to fans of Symphonic Black Metal. My rating is of 8/10.

VARG THE MIGHTY