Pyromancer – Absolute Dominion by Fire Review

By Mark Z.

When you get down to it, hell doesn’t seem like such a bad place. It’s warm. The decor is probably pretty metal. And presumably, you get to witness some of the worst people you’ve met in your life getting tortured. As for music that makes you feel like you’re in hell, let me introduce you to Absolute Dominion by Fire. This is the debut album of Pyromancer, a new-ish band out of Kentucky whose two members bring experience from numerous other groups, including Tombstalker and Apocryphal Revelation. With nothing previous to their name other than a 2015 demo and a split last year with the fukkin fantastic Perversion from Detroit,1 I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from this record, but I figured it would probably be war metal.

Lo and behold, I wasn’t quite correct. While there are certainly bestial war whiffs present here, Absolute Dominion by Fire feels more like a trve black metal album that forgoes Nordic frost in favor of the sweltering air of the Bluegrass State. The overall sound here is hot and tortured, with a raggedy guitar tone serving as the foil for short, simple riffs that feel suffocating in their bluntness and yet entrancing nonetheless. Adding to the hellish feel is the dual vocal approach, with drummer “Master of Graveyard Torment” and guitarist “Conqueror Horus” trading off garbled rasps and monstrous roars. Other than the “hot” sound, perhaps the biggest difference between this and more traditional black metal are the varied tempos. While blast beats do appear on songs like “Hellish Visions,” Pyromancer more often choose to lurch forward on mid-paced beats that feel both commanding and inexorable. Combined with the occasional ominous synthesizers, the overall approach is like the bastard child of Profanatica, Fornicus, and Mystifier.

Absolute Dominion by Fire works because it stays within its comfort zone while exploring every nook and cranny of it. In other words, the album offers plenty of variety while maintaining thematic unity and avoiding misguided experimentation. While the first proper track, “Ancient Hatred,” is probably the most typical example of Pyromancer’s sound, “Unholy Cremation” soon mixes things up with its lurching groove and hammering half-time stomp that sounds a lot like the Australian black metal band Hunters Moon.2 The aforementioned “Hellish Visions” and the closer, “Volcanic Rapture,” use bouts of battering fury that evoke the war metal of Proclamation, while “Alchemical Red Death” employs a slow, anguished guitar line to drag your stupid fucking ass straight to hell. Later, the title track unleashes staccato, breakneck riffing that could pass for thrash in a different context, while “Perverse Immolation” serves as an early highlight with its searing tremolos and staggering, stompy midsection.

Though primitive black metal is rarely considered a nuanced style, Pyromancer have a keen sense of how to make it work. The largely instrumental opener “Igniting the Sacrificial Fire” sets the stage well with its brooding synths, blunt mid-tempo riffs, and wailing leads, while the interlude “Fireborn Witchery” serves as a nice respite with its crackling hellfire and looming ambiance. While the riffs may occasionally feel a little too rudimentary, the album’s 39-minute runtime keeps it from overstaying its welcome, and the fact that you get 12 tracks in that time means that no one idea lingers around too long. The raw and trebly production job is also commendable, as it helps conjure an infernal and cavernous atmosphere while keeping the riffs wholly discernible.

While Absolute Dominion by Fire may not be for everyone, this is an impressive debut for those who dabble in this kind of music. Pyromancer are clearly veterans of the scene and know how to take a style that could easily be a repetitive snorefest and turn it into one of the strongest black metal albums I’ve heard this year. The band’s use of different vocal approaches, tempos, and riffing styles keeps things engaging, and the dense atmosphere makes everything all the more captivating. If this is what hell sounds like, sign me the fukk up.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Adirondack Black Mass | Bandcamp
Website: facebook.com/pyromancerblackdeath
Releases Worldwide: May 9th, 2025

#2025 #35 #AbsoluteDominionByFire #AdirondackBlackMass #AmericanMetal #ApocryphalRevelation #Bathory #BlackMetal #DeathMetal #Fornicus #HuntersMoon #May25 #Mystifier #Perversion #Proclamation #Profanatica #Pyromancer #Review #Reviews #Tombstalker #Vomitor

Aran Angmar – Ordo Diabolicum Review

By Alekhines Gun

The first time I gave Ordo Diabolicum, the third album from international outfit Aran Angmar, a full listen, I was in the car, ruing an upcoming 12-hour day at work. The sun beat down with mockery, telling me I should be at the beach. The skyline shimmered in radiant beauty, while the birds sang songs about how every day was a day off when you’re unemployed. Suddenly, the absolute bejeebus was scared out of me as an ambulance went screaming by, sirens blasting and throttle abused to such a melodic cacophony that I watched in atypical enthrallment as it careened between the traffic ahead and disappeared behind the second star to the right. Glancing down, I noticed the name of the song escorting the ambulance towards its destination: “Chariots of Death.” I can’t say how much that experience colored my perception of the album, but I can say is this: Aran Angmar delivered an absolute tooth-and-claw-covered beast of a record that is not to be missed.

The Ordo of Diabolicum is immediacy. Across eight tracks, Aran Angmar unleash more hooks than a fisherman’s erotica, with melodic runs, choruses, and catchiness to flay eardrums and boil blood. Eschewing the more tinny, underproduced sound of second wave in favor of a much more immediate, thicccboi Hellenic sound, every cut hits with fist-pumping flair. Using the riff game of older Uada with the vocal stylings of a much more death-inclined band, Aran Angmar offers up an album that, serious artwork aside, sounds far less inclined to the darkness and more bent towards sacrifice and courage. Moments ranging from the vaguely pirate metal crowd calling bop in “Hêlēl ben-Šaḥar”1 to the enticingly heavy carrion splattering chug fest of the title track “Ordo Diabolicum” usher listeners from one slab of glory to another, each delivered with flair and flourish.

Enhancing Ordo Diabolicum is a heavy bent towards Mediterranean and Nordic instrumentation and texture. Surprisingly, this doesn’t come off as a cheap gimmick, but instead lends the choruses and hooks their own flavor. Kickoff track “Dungeons of the Damned” rocks a clean vocal wail of a line2 which has no right to be as infectious as it is, lifting an already mighty chorus to new heights. “Aeon Ablaze” tinkers with Nile-style interludes by way of modern Mystifier ritualistic chants. “Primordial Fire” boasts a host of guest instruments3 which transitions into a bounce reminiscent of Labyrinthus Stellarum doing a folk metal cover. This commitment to diverse instrumentation beyond a mere contrivance for an easy tune pays massive dividends and keeps track after track refreshing and engaging.

All of this would be for naught if the album sounded wack. Mercifully, Aran Angmar avoid such a pitfall, with each performance on Ordo Diabolicum sounding crisp and sharp. The vocals of Lord Abagor are nasty, opting for an unusually guttural approach with a double-tracked higher shriek, channeling the swagger of Amon Amarth (particularly in closing song “Vae Victis”) with the menace of Immolation. Guitar lines from Mahees are piercing and rapturous, with clean tones erupting from hazy blasted trems. Leads are gorgeous and triumphant, with harmonized melodies in “Chariots of Fire” and a beautiful solo in “Hêlēl ben-Šaḥar” standing tall among a litany of sing-along worthy licks and highlights. Alessandro Cupi’s drums are well placed; while never doing anything out of the ordinary, they come with thunder and thunk, adding heft and weight without ever overpowering the music on display.

We’ve arrived at the concluding paragraph, and I suddenly realize I’ve yet to heap scorn on much of anything. I suppose if I squint a bit, some of the atmospheric interludes don’t need to be as long as they are. The intro to “Crown of the Gods” sounds like a bit of an anticlimax compared to the rest of the album’s attention-gathering intros. And yet, I’m not sure I truly believe such ideas. Every time I’ve spun this album I’ve been left with a big dorky grin on my face, invisible oranges clutched firmly in bent palms, utterly and inarguably smitten. Aran Angmar have unleashed an album that has been an absolute joy to listen to, and a first contender for my end-of-year list. Get in on the Ordo while you can.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Soulseller Records
Websites: facebook.com/aranangmar | Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 21st, 2025

#2025 #40 #AmonAmarth #AranAngmar #BlackMetal #Immolation #InternationalMetal #LabrinthusStellarum #Mar25 #Mystifier #Nile #OrdoDiabolicum #Review #Reviews #SoulsellerRecords #Uada

Invocation – The Archaic Sanctuary (Ritual Body Postures) Review

By Mark Z.

Chile has given us some great records in recent years, with Mayhemic’s Toba and Inanna’s Void of Unending Depths being two notable examples of fantastic albums that have earned a spot in my collection. Thus, when I saw a new Chilean black-death metal band were releasing their debut album via Iron Bonehead Productions—the ever-reliable purveyors of all that is raw and trve—my interest was piqued. With their previous demo and two EPs, Invocation showcased a dark and atmospheric style that earned them comparisons to the musty music of Grave Miasma. Now nine years since their formation, this trio are truly coming into their own with their first proper album, The Archaic Sanctuary (Ritual Body Postures).

When I first listened to Invocation, they sounded quite a bit different than I expected. Whereas Grave Miasma conjure an archaic atmosphere with extended groaning tremolos, Invocation maintain a similar vibe with a more immediate approach. Upon hitting play on opener “Ecstatic Trance,” the onslaught of riffs begins and—for the next 34 minutes—never truly ceases. These riffs gyrate and jab, moving deftly and sometimes violently, at times escalating into layered chords or suggestions of emotive melody, but never acting without purpose. The album has a restlessness about it, and that feeling is only furthered by the drumming. Contrary to what one might expect, the tempos never approach anything remotely doomy, instead shifting fluidly between blast beats and confident mid-paced rhythms. Sometimes these rhythms are even the highlights themselves, as with the snappy beat that helps make “Metamorphosis” one of the catchiest tracks on the record.

Given that these eight tracks average four minutes, the sheer quantity of riffs here could have easily made this album a mess. Instead, the band’s compositional maturity helps these songs stay focused and captivating. Each track progresses naturally and fluidly from one great moment to the next, giving each riff its time in the light yet rarely lingering on one idea for too long. Invocation have a brevity not often embraced by their peers, with many of these songs feeling like eight-minute epics that were trimmed tighter and tighter without ever losing their inherent sense of mystery. Yet while the band love crafting nooks and crannies within these songs, the tracks often return to a core idea, keeping them anchored and helping them stand on their own. Penultimate track “Venus of Laussel,” for instance, stands out with a big and terrific main riff that sounds like temple walls being forcefully rearranged by some immense subterranean creature.

Other aspects of the band’s sound are equally notable. Guitarist “Sense of Premonition” also serves as the band’s vocalist, and he delivers a manic and guttural holler that sounds like he’s striving as hard as possible to keep his inner madman under control. The approach is a perfect fit for the band’s lyrical themes, which center on “ancestral techniques of self-hypnosis and possession.” Yet ultimately, the guitars and drumming are the real standouts here. From the wailing grandeur of “Opium Tebiacum (Somniferum)” to the ascending tremolos of closer “Hypnosis” to the more measured approach of “The Serpent of Faardal,” Sense of Premonition consistently delivers one great idea after another, skillfully navigating his fretboard as the guitars contort in ever-interesting ways. Drummer “Sense of Clairaudience” likewise feels both tight and utterly natural with his smooth and dynamic performance. The production is also fantastic. Everything has plenty of space to breathe, and yet the riffs still hit hard enough to leave a mark.

Simply put, The Archaic Sanctuary is a triumph. From the compositions to the performances to the atmosphere, this is the rare album that excels in almost every way. The band’s knack for combining a musty ambiance with restless riffing reminds me of Throneum or Mystifier, yet Invocation just feel a notch above both them and almost everything else in the style. Here, the riffs are stronger, the songs are more focused, and the overall effect is simply captivating. As a result, The Archaic Sanctuary is a record I’d heartily recommend to any fan of extreme metal, regardless of how often you tread the types of shadowy underworlds that this record creates. For me, Invocation is a band to watch, and this is an album I’ll be revisiting for a long time to come.

Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Websites: invocationtemple.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/invocationchile
Releases Worldwide: September 20th, 2024

#2024 #45 #BlackMetal #ChileanMetal #DeathMetal #GraveMiasma #Invocation #IronBoneheadProductions #Mystifier #Review #Reviews #Sep24 #TheArchaicSanctuaryRitualBodyPostures_ #Throneum

Wishing you a unholy #BlackMetalMonday in the company of one of my favorite bands, #Mystifier from #Brazil !! Vamos lá! I'm a proud owner of their discography that came out not too long ago re-released in three beautiful digipacks. Their use of keyboards is masterful, and the unique way they build an oppressive atmosphere is what makes them stand out until the end of time. #metalmusic
https://youtu.be/9vRqQ8Gd49Y?si=jH4vgbl2Xo6WDO2P