The first 30 seconds of "Revenge by Fire" convinced me to get the whole album! It is a face-melting blend of speed and black metal, reminiscent of Hellripper! KVAEN is a Swedish solo project much like Hellripper but many known guest musicians helped J. Björnfot in his endeavor. Altogether it is really a solid debut album, I loved the melodies and the pace changes in the second half too, ending with a "calm" instrumental one. Well-done!! sachavonkarl74
Another top-class release from Naturmacht. Dark and moody, catchy yet technical. Not quite avant-garde. Tough to describe, but check it out for sure if you like Agalloch, Anathema, Arcturus, Maudlin of the Well, Winds... Looking forward to their new album! Some guy
One minute into “The Window” you’re thinking this has gotta be one of those one-great-single-plus-a-bunch-of-filler albums, cuz this can’t possibly get any better. And then comes “Arise” and all bets are off. This is just magnificent melo death/doom done right, no cheese, no fluff. Doesn’t sound like Eternal Storm, but of similar quality and integrity. Highly recommended!!
PS — It’s nice to read how real and humble these guys are. No wonder their music is so damn beautiful! MJ
The Indonesian act Kekal leaves no genre unturned, colliding black metal with industrial music with melodic post-rock on this stunning LP. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 25, 2023