Check 'Em All: Lorn, Nidingr, Wiegedood, and Insanity Cult

Check 'Em All: Lorn, Nidingr, Wiegedood, and Insanity Cult

Selection of new black metal releases which came out in February 2017. Below, listen to the LP by the Italians Lorn, the fourth album by Nidingr, the band featuring the members of God Seed and Mayhem, the second full-length album by Wiegedood, formed by Amenra and Oathbreaker musicians, as well as the fresh album from the Athens-based group Insanity Cult.

Lorn — "Arrayed Claws"

Released on February 3 via I, Voidhanger Records

"Arrayed Claws" is a new LP by the Italian band Lorn which currently features two members, Radok (guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals) and Chimsicrin (drummer). The band’s new release has a solid noise sound, striking a balance between raw black metal and harsh minimalism. At the forefront of the "Arrayed Claws" are fast repetitive rhythms and speedy guitars, against which is muffled growling vocals. In addition to the dominant noise, on the album you can hear darkwave and ambient music elements in enveloping end of the first two tracks, "Disharmonic Feticism" and "Abstract Trap", as well as the instrumental composition "Aus Nebel Turm" which slow rhythm and dark sound synthesizer caused references to soundtracks of the cult horror games.

Nidingr — "The High Heat Licks Against Heaven"

Released on February 10 via Indie Recordings and Season of Mist

"The High Heat Licks Against Heaven" is a new release from the members of God Seed and Mayhem. In addition to the Nidingr’s musicians, the recording also features Myrkur, who performed the vocal part for "Naglfar Is Loosed", Kristoffer Rygg (Ulver), whose vocals can be heard in "Ash Yggdrasil", as well as Destructhor (ex-Morbid Angel, Myrkskog) acting as a backing vocalist. Like on the previous albums, the sound of the new record is still very raw and heavy, musically standing between black and death metal. For the album’s melody is once again responsible Teloch’s 7-string guitar, which, according to the musician, is an important part of the band’s music since their debut 2005’s LP "Sorrow Infinite and Darkness". He also said, that "The High Heat Licks Against Heaven" "as always the best Nidingr album to date".

Wiegedood — "De Doden Hebben Het Goed II"

Released on February 10 via ConSouling Sounds

The black metal trio Wiegedood features the guitarist/vocalist Levy Seynaeve (Amenra), as well as the drummer Wim Sreppoc and the guitarist Gilles Demolder — the members of Oathbreaker which released in 2016 a great album "Rheia".

Having presented critically acclaimed debut album "De Doden Hebben Het Goed" in 2015, Wiegedood haven’t forced the music lovers to wait too long, and two years later released "De Doden Hebben Het Goed II". The new release already by its name demonstrates the continuity of the debut album, inheriting the main features of its predecessor: the hoarse growling vocals, hypnotic tremolo with supporting blast beats which alternate with slow rhythms and melodic guitar solos.

The album was mixed by Christophe Dexters, Wim Coppers, and Jack Shirley who has worked on Oathbreaker’s "Rheia".

Insanity Cult — "Of Despair And Self-Destruction"

Released on February 11 via Ogmios Underground

"Of Despair And Self-Destruction" opens with very monotonous and lengthy prologue "The Light That Drowned Itself", followed by "Seeds Of Lesser Gods" which covers the listener with a wall of blast bit, distortion, and hysterical screaming, featuring cries in Greek. The rapid rhythms caught up by songs "All Now Are Wounds" and "IX", stop on the interlude "The Bitter Wind Of Remembrance", and then the re-gaining speed with the following "In My Abysmal Dreams", "Birth of Eos", and "Sinister Lights and Manic-Depression". The strengths of the Athens quintet’s new release certainly should include vocal parts in Greek as a fraction of national flavor, and aggressive true black metal pressure, typical for the majority of the album tracks, which however sags markedly during monotone instrumental prologue and interlude.

By Anastezia

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