Jul 252023
 

On Friday of this week, the 28th of July, two New York based black metal bands whose music we’ve covered here before — Teloch Vovin and Viserion — will release a new split entitled The Iron Age of Kali Yuga, available on CD and digital formats from both bands and featuring artwork by Elena Vasilaki. On Friday night they’ll also participate in a listening party for the songs at Duff’s Brooklyn.

A pair of songs from the split, one from each band, have already surfaced, but what we bring you today is a full stream of the entire split — essentially one new EP from each group. They will serve as a fine introduction to these bands for people who haven’t encountered their music before, and for existing fans it provides a portrait of where their music has arrived in the current day (though it will undoubtedly continue to evolve).

As usual, we’ll share our own thoughts about the split as a preview of the listening experience, along with some insights from the bands themselves, and we’ll take them in alphabetical order. Continue reading »

Aug 232022
 

For their first new music since the 2021 album Natural Selection, the New York band Viserion (who took their name from Game of Thrones‘ resurrected ice dragon) chose to tell a narrative inspired by the the video game Destiny. They explain the choice in these words:

Reborn in Darkness” is a story about rebirth, inspired by the character Oryx from Destiny. Oryx goes through transformations and becomes more powerful with each. This motif stood out to us particularly due to our own lineup changes. The instrumentation of the song was very raw and brutal as well, mirroring Oryx‘s campaign of destruction against the light.

With the influence of new members in the fold, this new song which we’re premiering today portrays the malice and heinous ferocity of its protagonist through a fusion of death metal, black metal, and hints of grindcore, and the combination yields an immersive and nightmarish experience that stays with you. Continue reading »