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Take out a pen and paper! This is an introdction!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Are you\u00a0stuffed to\u00a0your gills\u00a0with all of that noodly nonsense known as tech death? Do you sometimes\u00a0wake up\u00a0in the middle of the night fearing that you are a poser that actually hates metal and loves life, and you want to remedy these feelings? Want some demos recorded on a 4-track?\u00a0Are you looking for something a little colder to accompany you on your descent into winter\/hell? Are you ready to throw aside that thrash with a side of\u00a0pepperoni pizza for a little blasphemous respite? Need some shrieks?\u00a0Are you taking a break from your favorite beatdown\/brocore\u00a0because you need to\u00a0wash those X’s off your hands for that job interview at Staples?\u00a0Are you awesome? Do you like your metal the way I like my coffee?<\/p>\n

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Then you are in the right place, my\u00a0corpsepainted friend!\u00a0Lay down your battle-axe, take a seat on a\u00a0stump, strip off your gauntlets, and\u00a0ready yourself for the grimness.\u00a0Welcome to the first edition of None More Black<\/strong>, a Toilet ov Hell column dedicated to all things black metal.<\/p>\n

None More Black<\/strong> will feature a variety of topics related to black metal–everyone’s favorite subgenre and cultural phenomenon.\u00a0These topics will be presented in as comprehensive and clear a manner as I am capable of conjuring (and I think I’m pretty capable–I was almost elected president!\u00a0Byah!), and will\u00a0include but not be\u00a0limited to: new releases, revisited\/overlooked music, a look back at the classics, opinions (both popular and unpopular), silly memes, extrapolations and conjecture, contests, and an extra delicious Black Metal Track of the Week<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So what kind of content can you expect? Incredible, awesome, and glorious content. One week, I might discuss\u00a0or review a new album. Another week, I might\u00a0compare and contrast the Swedish and Finnish scenes, or parse out the differences between\u00a0the many\u00a0forms of\u00a0“atmospheric” black metal.\u00a0One week I might focus on Canadian\u00a0bestial\/war metal, or on bands that gave us stone-cold classics but have since\u00a0faded into Ginnugagap. Some weeks, I may poll the commenters, asking something like this: Which wave\u00a0do you prefer, First Wave or Second Wave? Aside: If you were not aware that early\u00a0black metal manifested in two distinct waves (i.e. that\u00a0fans and journalists have\u00a0retrospectively classified certain black metal scenes\/sounds as having occurred in separate “waves,” and have therefore\u00a0attached added meaning to these terms), then you really need this column. Read, take notes, and study. There will be exams. After a few months, you should start looking like this:<\/p>\n

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Ok, enough with all this lifeloving introduction. Onward to Golgotha!\u00a0This week, I’d like to focus on an album I consider the best black metal album of 2013<\/strong>. As we head\u00a0toward year end, everyone begins thinking about their “best of” or “top 10.” In turn, this got me thinking about last year.\u00a02013 was a\u00a0great year for black metal, and many solid albums were released. However, there was one black metal record that\u00a0was ahead of\u00a0the pack\u00a0according to\u00a0Uncle Howard: Aosoth<\/strong>‘s IV: An Arrow in Heart.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Emblazoned\u00a0with what was perhaps the year’s best artwork, and\u00a0alive with an imperviously\u00a0deep, heavy, and fiery tone, IV: An Arrow in Heart <\/em>is a masterful black metal record, and the best album\u00a0released thus far by this French trio. Seven tracks of pure blackness, filled to the brim with stifling atmosphere straight from hell.<\/p>\n

People often talk about the “coldness” or “iciness” of black metal, and indeed, the roots of the second wave are securely\u00a0buried in rime ice. However, coinciding with the\u00a0rise of the orthodox scene (I will cover the orthodox movement in more depth in a future NMB), and the embracing of cleaner, clearer productions, black metal\u00a0is now rife with “heat.” Like their brethren Funeral Mist, Ondskapt, and Deathspell Omega,<\/strong>\u00a0Aosoth bring the heat. This is an album that feels\u00a0legitimately “hot.” Thick, monstrous guitar leads saddled with an impenetrable rhythm section make IV: An Arrow in Heart<\/em> feel as though it were vomited\u00a0straight from Beelzebub’s scorched gullet. Listen to the album’s opening track for a tasty warmup:<\/p>\n