{"id":97646,"date":"2019-11-26T13:26:35","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T19:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/?p=97646"},"modified":"2019-11-26T13:26:35","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T19:26:35","slug":"the-return-of-ben-black-metal-roundup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/the-return-of-ben-black-metal-roundup\/","title":{"rendered":"The Return of Ben: Black Metal Roundup"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\n<p>Just like Gandalf the Grey disappeared for a while after sacrificing himself to save his companions and came back as Gandalf the White, I return after many months, just as heroically, as Beany Boy the Short-Haired and I bring you a roundup of some cool black metal records. I\u2019m gonna start with a heavy hitter, and then go through some more indie and underground offerings so there should be something for all you fine folks here in the bowl.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Dawn Ray\u2019d \u2013 Behold Sedition Plainsong<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>I don\u2019t fuck with black metal as much as I used to anymore, due in a big part to being burned too many times about how much white nationalism has infested the scene. Luckily, there\u2019s a burgeoning, though not exactly new, anti-fascist counterpart in black metal and Dawn Ray\u2019d are one of the bands at the forefront of the groups pushing against the elephant in metal\u2019s living room.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 420px; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=1340658945\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/dawnrayd.bandcamp.com\/album\/behold-sedition-plainsong\">Behold Sedition Plainsong by Dawn Ray&#8217;d<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I liked a lot of parts of their previous album, especially the single \u201cEmptiness Beneath the Great Emptiness,\u201d but it didn\u2019t end up sticking with me that much overall. Partly a slight lack of cohesion, partly personal taste, partly early burnout on the album. <em>Behold Sedition Plainsong<\/em> marks a huge improvement in songwriting and cohesiveness, and the violin sections are also greatly improved, with an almost lite-Ives-like layering of different and intertwining tunes. Earworms also run rampant in this new album, especially the single \u201cLike Smoke Into Fog,\u201d featuring rolling and aggressive black metal tremolo lines that briefly give way to the Ivesian layering and folky acoustic strains. Another favorite for me is the somber \u201cA Time for Courage at the Borderlands.\u201d Stay and watch your children die \/ Or run and they might survive \/ Evade the pigs at the border \/ Unflinchingly ruining people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_49159\"  width=\"320\" height=\"240\"  data-origwidth=\"320\" data-origheight=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sQCoLmxgorE?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=1&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m very pleased with this improvement and refining of Dawn Ray\u2019d\u2019s sound, and the poignant lyrics only add a cherry on top for me.<\/p>\n<p>4.5\/5<\/p>\n<p><em>Behold Sedition Plainsong <\/em>is out now through Prosthetic Records.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Seas of Winter &#8211;\u00a0 Dead Forest<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>If you dig that real old school black metal sound this one is for you. This is a new project started in 2019 with writer, sex worker, and all around cool person Espi Kvlt handling vocals and lyrics and Mike Snow taking care of instrumental duties.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 420px; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=2891527681\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/seasofwinter.bandcamp.com\/album\/dead-forest\">Dead Forest by Seas Of Winter<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The EP is dedicated to Pelle \u201cDead\u201d Ohlin if you want an idea of what kind of more overt influences you\u2019ll be able to hear, and also centers a lot of lyrical themes on the climate change crisis. There\u2019s not much more to say, honestly. It\u2019s got fantastic old school flare, doesn\u2019t overstay its welcome, and it\u2019s NYP on Bandcamp. If you\u2019re interested in a physical copy, there&#8217;re a few tapes still available through Akashic Envoy, with some super handsome packaging, and two dollars from each sale gets donated toward Amazon rain forest conservation.<\/p>\n<p>4\/5<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Bliss-Illusion \u2013 Shinrabansho<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>I will fully admit to sitting on this promo for way too long, considering I got the email for it way back in July. Bliss-Illusion is a Chinese post-black metal band featuring Buddhist themes and some traditional Chinese instrumentation. It\u2019s very much the Alcest brand of sunnier, brighter, ethereal shoegaze-tinged post-black, but a little heavier and with some really lovely folk parts.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 420px; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=1989447615\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/anesthetize.bandcamp.com\/album\/shinrabansho\">Shinrabansho by Bliss-Illusion<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a refreshing album in a lot of ways, not just because of the thematic content, but because it isn\u2019t retreading or reinventing the trappings and tropes we usually see with folk-influenced black metal. The track that really made this start to click with me was \u201cSunyata,\u201d featuring a throat-sung chant and flutes.<\/p>\n<p>My one and only big complaint is that things began to grow stale for me before the end of the album, but this is still a very interesting album and band with a fresher, more unique sound than I\u2019ve heard in a while, it just feels like they&#8217;re still growing into their own style.\u00a0 Definitely worth checking out and a band to keep an eye on for future releases.<\/p>\n<p>3.5\/5<\/p>\n<p><em>Shinrabansho <\/em>is out now through Anesthetize records<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>LUCIA \u2013 Monuments Adrift<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>LUCIA is a band from Vancouver, BC, featuring the very familiar flavor that tends to come with Pacific Northwest black metal with moody ambience, building ostinati, a ton of fuzz and reverb. This deceptively long little 3-track EP is very well done and lays it on heavy with the mood-building and ambiance. Like a lot of the music from the PNW scene, the focus on building textures, mood, and ambiance might lead some listeners to check out early, but those who stick around will be rewarded. I especially like \u201cFollow me to the Plains\u201d with its buildup and layering of ambient noise, drumming, and slight dissonance to a melancholic wave supporting the entrance of harshly wailed vocals. Fantastic use of mood-building throughout the entire EP and I really like the harshly barked and wailed vocal work here.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 420px; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=3891456185\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/lucia-band.bandcamp.com\/album\/monuments-adrift\">Monuments Adrift by LUCIA<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Our own good owl <a href=\"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/the-vanguard-of-vancouver-an-interview-with-matt-roach-of-rain-city-recorders\/?fbclid=IwAR36fHv000uoZfBx1495miMUP5bcgvKVzRLJ7hchuYukYKPu-MOnPpUEuGg\">did an interview with Matt Roach,<\/a> who produced and mixed the album, if checking that out would strike your fancy.<\/p>\n<p>3.5\/5<\/p>\n<p>There we are! I hope you gave these a listen and enjoyed at least some of them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just like Gandalf the Grey disappeared for a while after sacrificing himself to save his companions and came back as Gandalf the White, I return after many months, just as heroically, as Beany Boy the Short-Haired and I bring you a roundup of some cool black metal records. I\u2019m gonna start with a heavy hitter, and then go through some more indie and underground offerings so there should be something for all you fine folks here in the bowl.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":97647,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"The Return of Bendalf the Serna-Grey (and some black merol reviews).","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[12,70],"tags":[15278,6607,15279,15277],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Black-Metal-roundup-2019-banner.png?fit=750%2C310&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97646"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97646"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97673,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97646\/revisions\/97673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}