Like a band of Uruk-Hai roaring their way out of Isengard, Sweden’s Katharos is here with a new symphonic black metal LP that is pure ruthlessness. Of Lineages Long Forgotten fittingly begins with the sound of marching and, like a self-possessed army sweeping over the landscape, leaves no blade of grass unbent. The record is a maximalist study in black metal without mercy. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m seldom a fan of any symphonic metal. If it’s going to have strings, let it be Schönberg or Stravinsky; spare me the Wagnerian synthscapes and Kiss-like corpse paint of acts like Dimmu … Continue reading Album Premiere: Katharos – Of Lineages Long Forgotten