Perhaps more than any other genre of music, metal continually intersects with science fiction and fantasy. We can leave to another day a discussion of why that is, and why so many metal fans are themselves also fans of sci-fi and fantasy in literature and cinema. The intersections have proven to be varied both in the style of the musical narratives and in their degrees of success. But when they work, they can be tremendously satisfying.

Which brings us to Voraath, an experimental death metal band whose line-up hails from the Carolina’s and includes members from Nile (Brad Parris), Xael (Joshua Ward), Rapheumets Well, Implosive Disgorgence, and Sweet Blood. They have conceived harrowing unearthly tales and narrated them through genre-bending music that is, in a word, spectacular. Moreover, they’ve wrapped the story lines and music in gripping cinematic videos, and we have one of those for you today which accompanies the Voraath song “The Barrens“. Continue reading »