Chuck Schuldiner Project

Monday, March 18, 2024

Lvme - Of Sinful Nature

 


This is a crusher. The ferocious new album from Lvme, Of Sinful Nature is a release that understands the blazing magic of black metal and forces devotees of the underground to come to terms with the vast evil that Lvme wield. This is black metal done right, with a taste for despair, larger than life compositions and an overarching sense that Lvme are emerging from the depths of hell in order to punish us with their devilishly inspired music. Of Sinful Nature is a crusher and it's a delight to let yourself get lost in the morass. 

Of Sinful Nature impresses with its larger than life compositions and grandiose aesthetic. There is something to be said for the potent vision that they are bringing here, but for me its really the immersive nature of the music that gets me excited and curious for more. With this album Lvme are consistently vying towards something transcendent and powerful, belayed by a deep understanding of the aesthetics and visions behind the best black metal. With endless tremolo picking and some surprisingly dreamy melodies, Of Sinful Nature finds a way to balance dark and light. A track like "Into Ashen Stone" is a great example of this with its poetic sonic explorations and counterbalanced black metal fury. 

There is something wonderfully mesmerizing about Lvme's work on this album. As the chants gently kick off "Obenaus und Nirgends an!" the album closer, you get a sense of having come full circle, of having been fully ensconced in a very particular black metal vision. Of Sinful Nature is larger than life, twisted and curiosity inducing. Lvme understand exactly what it takes to bring listeners into the abyss and it's hard to pull yourself away once they have sunk their icy claws into you. Take a journey between dark and light, explore your sinful side. 

Pre-order the album! 

https://www.noevdia.com/shop/

Monday, March 11, 2024

Apparition - Disgraced Emanations From A Tranquil State


 

This is a fucking crusher. Disgraced Emanations From A Tranquil State is doom death metal done brutally and unapologetically right. There's been few albums I've come across in recent years that manage to be quite as dark, twisted and generally demented as this release. It's death metal done in a way that drags at the soul, that forces listeners to choke on the bitter pill of their own reality and which seems to only get more potent with each repeated listen. Apparition understand exactly what needs to be done to create enduring and thrilling death metal, and the deeper I delve the more in awe I become. 

There is a truly potent atmosphere to what Apparition are doing on this album. Disgraced Emanations From A Tranquil State resonates because of the creeping power of this album and the brutarian stomp of the bottom end. The kvlter than thou magic of the reverbed out vocals and colossal guitar production can't help but to charm those of us who have given our lives to the underground. As you try to come to terms with this record it can feel a bit like trying to clamber up a mountain. It's larger than life and completely impossible to wrap your head around in the first few minutes. As you immerse yourself though you start to realize you are experiencing something truly great. 

Disgraced Emanations From A Tranquil State has the sort of vibe and magic you would sense when you discovered forgotten classics as a teenager. There is something inherently exciting about finding a record like this with song titles like "Excruciating Refuge In Reoccuring Torment" and wondering what the hell you've just stumbled upon. Apparition understand the power and glory of the genre, the terror of the sound and the monster that is death metal. It's on us to immerse ourselves in the crushing atmospheres they've created to make us suffer. 

Pre-order the album! 

https://apparitiondeath.bandcamp.com/

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Coffin Storm - Arcana Rising


Arcana Rising is the debut album from Coffin Storm, a classic metal project featuring a few familiar faces. I mean it's not every day you get a band with Apollyon (Aura Noir/Lamented Souls) and Bestial Tormentor (Infernö/Lamented Souls) plus Darkthrone’s very own Fenriz on vocals. The end result is a record that speaks not just to Fenriz's weirdly vast skill as a musician, but also the power of classic metal. This is a fun album and you can tell the guys involved had a blast creating it. But that's not all that makes this record so special.

For those who loved Darkthrone's classic The Underground Resistance there is a lot reminiscent of that particular era of the band. Replete with flashy solos, high flying performances and shredding guitars, The Underground Resistance consistently pulls listeners ever deeper into the abyss. There is a very meaningful twisted magic to the album and Fenriz's gorgeously bombastic voice is a potent guide through the storm of NWOBHM inspired riffs. There is something decidedly underground feeling about the production too, the murky old school vibes of the record seep through every facet of the music and it makes for ever more compelling listening. 

Coffin Storm have definitely made a mark with this debut. For those of us who love the depths of NWOBHM and the years that came after, represented by bands like Angel Witch and Agent Steel, will find a lot to love with this album. Arcana Rising belies a deep understanding of the genre and it's going to be hard to deny the power of this offering when it finally hits shelves on March 29th. Get ready for a ripper because Coffin Storm have definitely proved this trio isn't just limited to crafting black metal albums for kvltists.

Pre-order the album! 

https://peaceville.bandcamp.com/album/arcana-rising

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Punching Moses - Live Short And Suffer


 

Punching Moses are a delectable midwest punk band who have been grinding it out since 2013. Now with their second full length, the appropriately titled Live Short And Suffer the band has continued to evolve their sound into twisted new directions. There is something wonderfully gnarled about the Punching Moses sound and even though it is often stripped down to the bare bones, it's this very rawness that makes for such compelling listening. Live Short And Suffer is metallized punk rock done right, executed with a snarl and charming with its relentless riffing. 

While some of these songs definitely could be shorter, the overarching vibe that Punching Moses create is intense and unforgiving. It's punk rock done in a way that brings in a whole slew of other influences creatively and excitingly. It's hard not to be charmed by the slow burn of a track like "The Kill" or the rock and roll magic of "Gore Bazaar". Live Short And Suffer shines because of the commitment to the bands overarching vision of speed rock ferocity and introspective twists and turns to give you room to breathe. Fun, surprising and reflective of the scene from which they emerge, Punching Moses have always delivered on their core vision and this is just another compelling step in that journey.

Pre-order the album!

https://punchingmoses.bandcamp.com/album/live-short-and-suffer

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Diabolic Oath - Oracular Hexations

 

 

Now this is a vicious one. The war metal masters Diabolic Oath have returned with a second album, a release that builds on so much of what made their debut great and which leans into the twisted vision that makes this music so compelling in the first place. It's hard not to be thrilled by the hard hitting, devilish magic of Diabolic Oath and what they've conjured up on Oracular Hexations. This is war metal like little you have heard elsewhere, with squirrely solos, colossal riffs, and an apocalyptic sensibility that is sure to resonate with the listener.

There is a twisted vision behind Diabolic Oath that helps to make this such a compelling releas.e The firestorm of riffs that they unveil upon the listener is dleectable and the production manages to ride a fine line between paying tribute to the bands basement roots and sounding appropriately modern. The vicious approach that helps to shape tracks like "Serpent Coils Suffocating The Mortal Wound" (Brevity in naming convention is clearly not their strong suit.) speaks to the bands capacity as songwriters. One of the real highlights of this record though is the usage of three separate vocalists. It allows for individual vocal performances to interlock to create something far more bestial than usual for the genre. When enhanced with some wonderfully sludgy riffs you find yourself in for a devilishly good time. 

Oracular Hexations is a mesmerizing album to say the least. It's like watching a car crash. You find yourself exposed to so many unapologetic sonic bricks to the face and it seems to keep getting better. Despite their general balls to the wall approach, the band also finds time to expand on their sonic pallet, especially with the final two tracks on the album. There is a lot to love here and when this drops next month war metal fans the world over are going to take note. 

Pre-order the album!

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/oracular-hexations