Thus far, 2014 has been an outstanding year for fans of black metal. Starting back in January with Murmur’s stellar self-titled record, this year has seen excellent releases from both more established bands (Cormorant, Agalloch, Lantlos, Woods of Desolation, Krieg) and relative newcomers (Bastard Sapling, Barghest, Mutilation Rites, Barbeleth, Myopic, Torrid Husk, The Great Old Ones, Emptiness, Thantifaxath). Add to that list a pair of releases from September: Panopticon’s Roads to the North and the self-titled debut EP from Myrkur.
progressive black metal
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Upstart Baltimore-based Grimoire Records first came to my attention a few months ago when Highpriest’s excellent Shift EP landed in my inbox (which I reviewed here). Now they’re on my radar again with Crawling Mountain Apogee, the forthcoming split from Myopic and Torrid Husk, which I’ve been listening to almost non-stop for the last week. If you’ve slept on Grimoire Records thus far, it’s time to for that to change, because they are quickly becoming a label worth paying very close attention to. |
There was, quite understandably, a fair amount of concern among fans of San Francisco’s progressive black metallers Cormorant when the band announced that they intended to continue on after vocalist/fretless bassist/lyricist Arthur von Nagel left the band in 2012 to work on the Walking Dead video game adaptation for Telltale Games. |
