Cemetery Lament

  As some of you know I've been talking about doing a podcast for at least two years now. And for two years I just haven't gotten off my ass to do it. Now before you just assume I'm a lazy shit bag (okay maybe a little), in my defense I have had a lot of other bullshit going on in my life. A lot of times it has effected how often I was able to post to this blog let alone try to maintain a show scheduled for a podcast.  Another big issue was having the resources to create a decent product. I didn't want the show to sound like complete and total garbage so I had to be in a position where I could get the right equipment and learn the programs involved with all this craziness.  So... after much ado, I'm happy to announce that I have started recording the first episode of the soon to be released... Cemetery Lament Podcast. My goal is to have the first show recorded and out on the black market by the second week of October 2020. So if you aren't busy or whatever maybe...

Words like mood and atmosphere get thrown around a lot these days especially when you are talking about black metal albums. In the early years of the genre it was pretty easy... evil and Satan ... But eventually, (unless you happen to be Dark Funeral) that subject is going to run it's course. Obviously over time bands have tried to explore other subjects, sometimes they succeed and sometimes they fail miserably. Creating an atmosphere or having a theme for an album means more than just writing different lyrics set to the same old black metal tropes that have been done a billion times before. Just because you are screaming about 16th century baked goods doesn't mean you have successfully conveyed the "mood" or "atmosphere" of your concept album about medieval pastry. Fortunately for all of us Geisterfels clearly understands that it takes more than just lyrics about medieval castles and ancient forests to convey a message... especially, (if you are...

Sometimes it's hard to find a band in the prog/deathcore scene that is doing something unique. Eventually things start to all sound the same and honestly it gets a little dull. Then there are groups like Vultures Above Us. Head over to SoundCloud and give these guys a like/share. Definitely worth your time if you are looking for some quality metal.  https://soundcloud.com/vulturesaboveus

H.P. Lovecraft stories in heavy metal music aren't anything new. In fact next to Satan I would be willing to bet that Cthulhu probably is a close second in getting the most play in the occult/death/black metal music world. Not that I have any problem with that since I'm a lifelong fan of Lovecraft and his various works. So when I was contacted by Cthuluminati I was pumped as hell to check out their music. It was definitely worth it! Of course one of the first questions I had for the guys in Cthuluminati was how the hell they came up with a name like this in the first place.  Hiss Squidniss (Devi) - Vocals, Guitar and Percussion provided me with the following answer... "We wanted to tell stories Based on Lovecraft's mythos as well as conspiracy theories. At first Calarami (guitar) came up with it as a joke, but we all were very enthusiastic about it, so we decided to go on with it." You can't argue with that kind of logic. Cthuluminati has been...

The most awesome thing about Belzebut (aside from the kick ass music) is the fact that many of the tracks feature other underground artists from around the world. You don't just discover one amazing artist but you get to explore the creative minds of several at the same time. Belzebut....Black, dark, atmospheric music from Romania featuring Tahazu  from the United States. Be sure to check out both of these guys. You wont regret it.

I'm going to be completely honest... Whenever someone describes their music as "experimental" I can't help but cringe a little. Experimental usually only ends up one of two ways... It's something completely new and different taking the genre deeper into uncharted waters... or... it ends up more like a Human Centipede experiment and you feel like somebody just shit in your mouth. As luck would have it AnKou, a one man project from France is definitely the better of your two option and is offering a unique take on ambient black metal. I'm a big fan of artists who make use of instruments, sounds or styles that aren't generally found in traditional black metal. I'm an even bigger fan of artists who do it with as much skill AnKou. The following track from his SoundCloud account interested me right away and after listening to a few of his other offerings I had to give him a quick shout out. Check it out, give him a follow on SoundCloud and support ...

Press Release from Shadow Kingdom Records/Hells Headbangers SHADOW KINGDOM RECORDS is proud to present TEMPLE OF VOID's highly anticipated second album, Lords of Death. Ever aptly titled, Lords of Death is an insanely, irrevocably MASSIVE slab of doom-DEATH, and the album by which TEMPLE OF VOID will rightfully take their seat at the throne. Nearly three years in the making, Lords of Death is an experience like no other, and will surely go down as one of the top metal albums of 2017. TEMPLE OF VOID is an uncompromising collaboration from the depths of Detroit, Michigan. Comprising five musicians who have put in decades of time in the Detroit underground, TEMPLE OF VOID entered this world with singular focus and methodical execution from the start. TEMPLE OF VOID harkens back to the somber sound of early European doom, while channeling the energy and devastation of old-school American death metal. But TEMPLE OF VOID is far more than the sum of its parts: TEMPLE OF VOID...

Hailing from the great white north... of Utica, New York... It's my honor to present Vile Tyrant and their 2016 EP, Consummation of the Black Arts . A full force black metal release that quite honestly impressed the unholy hell out of me. Here in the U.S. it's a bit of a rarity to find a band that really understands the alchemy involved in making black metal so when you come across a band like Vile Tyrant you better pay attention because these guys have fucking nailed it.  Formed in 2012 Vile Tyrant has gone through a number of lineup changes over the years before the release of Consummation of the Black Arts . Their current lineup [per the EP release] consists of Aphotis (vocals and bass) Khandrak (lead guitar), Bezual (guitar and synth) and Kimaris (drums).  I asked the band about their music style and the general themes they are trying to convey. After listening to Consummation of the Black Arts I wasn't surprised at all by the answer I received... F...

O ne of the best things about the underground music scene, especially when it comes to genres like black metal and it's related sub genres is the diversity and creativity of the artists making music. There will always be the purists who go out of their way to make sure that every aspect of their sound stays firmly on that raw, dark, gloomy path laid down by the founding fathers of black metal. Then there are those who are a bit more adventurous blending a couple of safe themes together to create the nu-metal, 2nd or 3rd wave, ( insert trendy label here ) style of hybrid metal that somebody is sure to bitch about on the internet... and then there are the rare few who go above and beyond the archetypal tropes of a genre and create something truly unique unto itself. They blend themes and atmosphere that aren't typically found within the genre and somehow using a special brand of demonic sorcery make a one of a kind experience that is true to the genre yet stepping outside ...

How about a little late night blackened death metal to wake you up? Spell of Torment a great underground find from Oulu, Finland. Nothing to fancy going on here but some blazing fast guitar and drum riffs. Pretty tight sound and plenty of full blown metal goodness. 

Cemetery Urn Cemetery Urn Hells Headbangers Release Date: June 9th 2017 Pre-Order HERE!!! "Australian Barbaric Death Metal" at least that is what Cemetery Urn has dubbed themselves. It must be an Australian thing because last year I saw Disentombed in concert and they call their particular style Australian Brutal Death... Apparently every death metal band from down under feels the need to create their own sub-genre for their specific music. I suppose when you come from a place with bugs the size of small dogs and Crocodile Dundee you can do whatever the fuck you want... But I digress...  Over the years it seems like most of the death metal acts have gone out of their way to  make the vocals as completely and totally guttural and as possible. Call me old fashion but listening to an entire album of monotone growl/puking into a microphone that sounds like it's lodged in your throat eventually gets a little boring. I don't care how fucking awesome your ...

Lets get a few things out of the way...  First, why would anyone make yet another blog dedicated to black metal and what the hell makes this blog any more interesting than the hundreds upon thousands of others out there? The answer is easy... absolutely fucking nothing. Cemetery Lament is just my little slice of hell on the web. I have created this blog as a way to explore and promote one of my favorite genres of music and nothing more.  Why should anyone care about this blog? Again this is easy... You probably don't care and that's just fine with me. This blog is explore, discover and gain a deeper appreciation of black metal. I'm not personally involved in the black metal scene beyond being a long time fan. I don't work in the music industry nor am I making any money for my reviews or opinions.  So who am I? Absolutely nobody... Just a longtime fan of black metal. I discovered black metal during my teenage years in the 90's and have been hooke...