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Solfatare – Asservis par l’espoir Review

By Kenstrosity

Belgian trio Solfatare prime the release of their debut record, Asservis par l’espoir, at a challenging time to compete in the black metal arena. With heavyweight acts dropping records right and left in this space in 2025, Asservis par l’espoir has its work cut out for it to make a big splash and a lasting impression. With only a demo to their name so far, Solfatare launch with a blank slate, adopting the traditional methods of offering as little identifying information as possible before unleashing its hellish shadow upon the land. We can only hope that that shadow obscures in totality all that stand before it, leaving only Solfatare in the hearts and minds of those who witness.

Asservis par l’espoir is nothing if not familiar. Black metal of this ilk gushes profusely out of the metalsphere, especially from regions of France, Germany, and Iceland. Belgium isn’t too far removed from those places, so influences ranging from Silhouette to Sun Worship to Svartidauði fit the prompt when taking in Solfatare’s material. Inject a bit of Vimur‘s sparkling brand of riff-craft, and Asservis par l’espoir becomes a compelling entry on paper. Boasting a rich and full mix that balances the razor’s edge of black metal with modern clarity and sharp detail, Solfatare’s debut record is a pleasure to hear. In short, we’re off to a great start with all of the surface-level check boxes ticked.

On the songwriting front, many of Asservis par l’espoir’s best tracks showcase the genre at its finest, writhing with curled tremolo bends, serrated riff patterns, and immense momentum. Of those best tracks, “Du deuil affairé” rises as the cream of the crop. In this example—and in penultimate epic “Sous des cieux absents” at its midpoint—the particular progression of oscillating trem-picked phrases and slithering arpeggiated embellishments that Solfatare implement make a stunning sequence, memorable for its musicality and striking in its gnarled form. More melodious—though still corrupted by a twist of discordant harmony—offerings such as “D’hommes et d’isoptères” and “Ozymandias” take advantage of their position, setting up (in the former) and resolving (in the latter) those vicious riff-centered outbursts. In fulfilling those roles, they create a dynamic experience unified by a common sound and structure. A predictable result of these dynamics is that Asservis par l’espoir races through its 42-minute span so quickly that I feel obligated to spin it again, if for no other reason than to make sure I didn’t miss out on any other notable moments.

As strongly as I maintain that albums like these are easy to love, and even easier to spin both casually and with focused intent, the challenge remains to distinguish oneself from the greater pool of artists creating similar works. It is here that I am not convinced Solfatare fully matured yet. To call Asservis par l’espoir a competent record in the style would be a mild understatement. It’s a compelling record in its own right for a significant chunk of its runtime, and an enjoyable one for the rest. However, its back half entries don’t shine as brightly as the first half’s, and even those don’t stand out well against the wider set of the style. Closing duo “Sous des cieux absents” and “Quand ton cerveau te surine le crâne” don’t lag behind in overall songwriting consistency, but they lack flavor. All of the elements are there—layered tremolos, vomitous wretches, thunderous percussion, transformative transitions, the works—but the intangibles remain on the table, unable to help Solfatare establish a distinct identity in their chosen field at the most important juncture for them to do so. If at the end of the record I am this unconfident that I could pull the band out of a lineup, it’s clear something that was needed didn’t make it to the final product.

Still, listeners could do worse than Asservis par l’espoir. Boasting a ton of high-octane, easily enjoyable material, Solfatare’s debut does justice to its genre. However, it lacks a unique voice to help it stand above the crowd. It just so happens that that crowd is very good at what they do, and it’s become overpopulated. While that means Solfatare have to work to find that special thing that gives them a voice and a point of view, I look forward to hearing the result of that inevitable discovery.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Signal Rex
Websites: solfatare.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/Solfatare
Releases Worldwide: May 2nd, 2025

#25 #2025 #AsservisParLEspoir #BelgianMetal #BlackMetal #May25 #Review #Reviews #SignalRex #Silhouette #Sofatare #SunWorship #Svartidauði #Vimur

Deathrite – Flames Licking Fever Review

By Alekhines Gun

Written By: Nameless_N00b_85

Sometimes it’s not about the brutality or the speed, it’s about the pizzazz. German band Deathrite began life as OSDM worship in 2010, before attempting to make their own mark by incorporating more punk riff simplicity and black metal atmospheres into one vile brew. Now, they stand poised to deliver their fifth outing, the oddly titled Flames Licking Fever, and the idea of such a trifecta of sounds certainly tickles the earballs. Do the ingredients come together in a potable stew, or should these flavors remain separated from each other for good?

Flames Licking Fever is drowning in atmosphere which lends it a clear auditory identity, and any one song, chosen at random, would convince you that you’d stumbled on something special. The slightly reverbed vocals and spaced instruments give it a flavor adjacent to the Icelandic black metal scene, particularly Svartidauði. This gives the more punk-flavored riffs an engaging auditory palate, particularly in the stuttering echoes and classic rock-tinged twang of “Gallows Trail.” Solos, when present, are engaging and enjoyably shreddy and vocalist Tony Heinrich howls with a more clean, thrash-oriented tone, which is well-suited to the echoing nature of the production. The whole package makes for excellent background music while cleaning or spending time with friends with its accessible tones, mid-paced chugs and gentle echoes, and if that sounds like a good time for you, this might be up your alley.

If you, however, think “excellent background music” is damning with faint praise, you are right on the money, as Flames Licking Fever is catastrophically boring. The entire compositional backbone of Deathrite consists of taking the more mid-paced heft of Mammoth Grinder or Genocide Pact and riding simplistic grooves well past their expiration point. Every song here except “Misanthropic Rush” is played at the same “brisk walk with a loved one” tempo, with minimal variations of bpm or rhythmic progression to keep things interesting. Opener “Crippled Ego” briefly deceives with its almost industrial-like intro of blast beats and cold, computer-like guitar tones, but this, alas, turns out to be one of the very few moments of energy in an otherwise morose presentation. From time to time a tired, trem-lead rears its head, but is invariably swallowed up in the atmosphere of the album due to its exhausted-sounding, bleary pace.

It doesn’t help that compositionally, Flames Licking Fever has precisely two tricks to keep the listener engaged: the occasional time signature shift, and an almost Beethoven-esque affection for trills. Making the strange track sequencing/compositional choice to end a song with a slow, boring chug or riff, only to open the very next song with an equally boring chug or riff, Deathrite compensate by attempting to trick the listener into thinking something interesting is about to happen by deftly switching from a 2/4 to a 3/4 time (“Flames Licking Fever,” “Bottomless Graves”), and crescendoing just a bit. Alas, each of these builds invariably return to more boring riffs. The riffs themselves are often punctuated by trills, most egregiously in “A Slave to a Poisoned Soul”, which neatly divide measures without adding anything to the overall composition. Eventually, the listener realizes this is the only musical flourish waiting for his ears, and the trills wear as thin as the riffs themselves. There’s certainly nothing wrong with time signature changes or trills, and many bands use them to great effect. However, the abominable simplicity of Deathrite’s toolkit only exacerbates the equally abominable simplicity of their riffcraft.

Like a water balloon being tossed at a brick wall, Flames Licking Fever comes and goes into our lives without leaving any real impact. There is no standout moment here; no particularly great riff, no song worth rewinding over, no air guitar-inducing enthusiasm or grunt-along-in-the-shower vocal phrasing, and beyond the excellent artwork, certainly no pizzazz. There is instead a collection of mid-paced, okay-caliber death adjacent punk riffs. Other than their efforts at a “grand finale” of a closing track, you could even consume the album on shuffle and not dramatically change the listening experience. If you need something peaceful to enjoy while doing your dishes or unwinding after a hard day at work, you might have found a winner here—otherwise there isn’t anything recommending this album over the rest of this year’s releases.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Into Endless Chaos Records
Websites: deathrite.bandcamp.com | de-de.facebook.com/deathrite666
Releases Worldwide: October 18th, 2024

#15 #2024 #Beethoven #BlackMetal #DeathMetal #Deathrite #FlamesLickingFever #GenocidePact #GermanMetal #IntoEndlessChaosRecords #MammothGrinder #Oct24 #OSDM #Punk #Review #Reviews #Svartidauði

Naxen – Descending Into a Deeper Darkness Review

By Dear Hollow

Last we met Germany’s Naxen, we were deep in the swills of the pandemic lockdown here in the States. Released in June of 2020, debut full-length Towards the Tomb of Times was a solid black metal affair that I gleefully awarded a 3.5 but just never listened to again. Not that it was bad by any means, but it did not have the staying power I expected. The trio exists in the cross-section of black metal, adhering to hints of melodic black and death metal, but is pure unadulterated black metal. As such, aside from the act’s adoration of alliteration, we’ve got ourselves a neat lil’ blackened number.

Naxen has been around the blackened block, having released alliterative albums since 2018, including EPs To Abide in Ancient Abysses, Of Fainting Faith in Futile Flesh, and The Perilous Path of Pain as well as 2020’s debut. If you know black metal, there’s really nothing terribly unique about Descending Into a Deeper Darkness, but that’s okay. Semi-raw, semi-dense tremolo and heavy guitar grooves dance about the ears with harsh rasps, while percussion varies between funereal plods and blazing blastbeats. United by a feeling of melancholy founded in more depressive interpretations, Naxen offers us a rock-solid black metal album that ascends its alliterative antecedent by an awful amount.

Comprising four tracks with lengthier compositions dominated by diminished chord progressions, songs are smartly composed and neatly executed. Naxen attacks with a blend of scathing and riffy, balanced by sustained melodic plucking that adds a beating heart to the mid-tempo attack. The melodic layers of guitar plucking in the closing portion of “Our Souls Shall Fall Forever” or the heart-wrenching melodic template of “Triumphant Tongue of a Thousand Swords,” for instance, make their respective attacks extremely memorable in the balance of melody and shredding punishment – seriously, the latter really provided the scratch to the brain I needed. These two are most solid, while the fluid movements of “To Writhe in the Womb of Night” revel in a Trist-esque tremolo buzz while shapes of vocals and melody emerge and submerge around it, including an immense percussive presence that feels nimble and pummeling in its necessary measures. The most traditionally punishing track is “A Shadow in the Fire – Pt. III (A Life Led by Loss),” more punky upbeat drumming colliding with barbed-wire tones of drawling guitar, stinging melodies, and rabid percussion fills.

There is little to complain about in terms of the album at large or Naxen’s performance, but it likely should go without saying that four tracks with massive track lengths require a fair amount of patience. As fluid and smartly composed as “To Writhe in the Womb of Night” is, for instance, its melodic approach does not hold up as well as “Triumphant Tongue of a Thousand Swords,” and it grows old quicker over nine minutes than the latter’s fourteen, while the melodies in “A Shadow in the Fire…” can feel directionless in comparison to its more crushing moments as well as its successor in the closing opus. As with its debut, Naxen exists in the shadow of the early 2010s black metal releases of the likes of Altar of Plagues, Svartidauði, or Wolves in the Throne Room, whose more protracted lengths added up to greater breathing room and dynamic growth for both contemplative and punishment, but it still requires a fair amount of patience to sit through.

Naxen will not change your mind about black metal, but they also don’t make any pretense about doing so. It’s black metal with a melodic sensibility and an ear for dynamic songwriting, nothing more and nothing less. The bookends are the undisputed highlights in expert balance of melody, crunch, and shred, although the relatively weaker middle portions feature neat punishment and fluid songwriting themselves. In the end, Descending Into a Deeper Darkness is far from mediocre, but its alliterative bad self doesn’t do its duty in decreasing black metal dread. If you are a black metal fan, dive deep into Descending Into a Deeper Darkness, never neglecting Naxen.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Vendetta Records
Websites: naxen.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/naxenbm
Releases Worldwide: May 3rd, 2024

#2024 #30 #AltarOfPlagues #BlackMetal #DescendingIntoADeeperDarkness #DSBM #GermanMetal #May24 #MelodicBlackMetal #Naxen #Review #Reviews #Svartidauði #Trist #VendettaRecords #WolvesInTheThroneRoom

Misotheist – Vessels by Which the Devil is Made Flesh Review

By Doom_et_Al

In the overcrowded field of black metal, it’s difficult to stand out. This is even more true when you commit to working within the confines of the genre, rather than, say, employing some gimmick like “black metal meets Barbie meets hardcore.” Yet within two albums, quietly standing out is exactly what mysterious Norwegian outfit Misotheist managed to do. Forging a path that threaded the needle between “accessible” and “dissonant as fuck,” their two previous efforts, 2019’s Misotheist (dreadfully underrated by some hack at this site) and 2021’s For the Glory of Your Redeemer (appropriately rated by some hack at this site), were standouts for fans of twisty, complex, dark black metal. Which means that a new release is suddenly a big event in metal circles. Or at least, it should be. Yet Vessels by Which the Devil is Made Flesh has weirdly flown under the radar. I’m here to tell you why it deserves time in your ear holes.

In keeping with its two predecessors, Vessels features three songs of varying lengths and differing styles. Thematically and sonically, it feels like an extension of For the Glory of Your Redeemer. This means the furious black metal tracks are built around the twin pillars of dissonance and repetition, with a tone that oscillates between fury and despair. If that sounds boring, it’s not. Think how awesome bands like Sinmara and Svartidauði, who employ a similar aesthetic and sound. Those elements are the building blocks of great metal, and Misotheist manage to add their own spin to it. Through wretchedly compelling vocals, a gritty production, and unsettling signature shifts, the band conjures up something deeply primal and choking. The claustrophobia is relentless, but Vessels is relentlessly listenable because the songs are some of the best Misotheist have ever created.

Whereas previous albums featured an almost post-metal dedication to shifting sections and movements, which sometimes felt disconnected, with Vessels, Misotheist’s sound has tightened up considerably. There’s still the feeling of intense claustrophobia, but it’s more disciplined now. The melodies are more melodic, the bass is more prominent, the slower sections are more unsettling. You can feel the band growing more confident. This is highlighted by the two album standouts, “Stigma” and “Whitewashed Tombs.” Both are well over 10 minutes, and they’re both masterpieces of mood and pacing. Misotheist can switch effortlessly between jaunty chugs, twisty, mid-paced dissonance, and furious riffage, all within one song. They make it all seem so easy that it’s only after multiple listens that the complexity is revealed. The climax of “Stigma,” with its crashing drums and subtle harmonics, is so seamlessly executed, you may miss how brilliantly everything has been woven together from patches of what came before. It’s this leap in songwriting that separates this album from their debut.

The production, while not shiny by any means (which wouldn’t work for music this dark), is also an improvement. I was hard on Misotheist for totally burying the bass, making the sound a bit tinny. Vessels corrects this and the texture that is added is immediately noticeable. The sound is richer and deeper, improving every facet of the songs. Nitpicks would be that middle song, “Vessels by Which the Devil is Made Flesh” isn’t quite as strong as the ones that bulwark it, although it does feature some interesting female vocals that complement the sound very well.

Misotheist continue to quietly impress. Every 2 or 3 years, these guys drop a dark, no-nonsense banger and then disappear. Their music is neither flashy nor cool, which is why it never winds up on any major lists, but underground fans have been paying attention. Vessels is yet another hit, honing their potent sound while providing fans of dark, dissonant black metal with everything they could want. Complex, interesting, furious… if you’re a fan of black metal, you don’t want to miss out on this one.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Terratur Possessions
Websites: terraturpossessions.bandcamp.com/album/vessels-by-which-the-devil-is-made-flesh
Released Worldwide: March 1st, 2024

#2024 #40 #BlackMetal #Mar24 #Misotheist #NorwegianMetal #Review #Reviews #Sinmara #Svartidauði #TerraturPossessions