Maveth- Coils of the Black Earth Review

Maveth - Coils of the Black Earth

Band- Maveth
Album- Coils of the Black Earth
Origin- Helsinki, Finland
Mark- 4/5
Label- Dark Descent Records









I sure hope this gets posted after my Sorcery “Arrival At 6” review because this can be the ying to it’s yang. The good to it’s bad. The old Metallica to it’s new. Well, but where are my manners? First let me speak of what we’re dealing with here. Remember the time Finland was crucial to Death Metal? Me neither, but Finland was one of those countries that when Death Metal came out of it, it kicked your ass back to second grade, wherein your priest molested your ass back into your mom’s womb. From Demigod, to Demilich to Abhorrence, while not as popular as their Swedish counterpart , they always offered a unique and innovative listening experience. But now fast forward 20 years, and what’s new and brewing within Finland? Well, much, but it certainly has not become the Death Metal mainstay that is Sweden. While a Metal capital for all things such as Folk Metal (ala Korpiklaani, Turisas, Finntroll, Moonsorrow, Ensiferum, and every other band that can hold a myriad of acoustic instruments) , Black Metal (ala Behexen, Impaled Nazarene, Horna, Sargeist, Archgoat and any other band who can’t afford proper amps/guitars/heating system) and of course, probably their biggest export, Melodic Death/Power Metal ( Children of Bodom, Norther, Wintersun and any other bands who’s guitarist can shred and wail at the same time.)

But oddly enough, this gem of a Blackened Death Metal band comes from Finland. Who are our brave troubadours? None other than the Hebrew named Maveth! (because fuck yeah adding an H to Hebrew words makes perfect sense! Just ask Katatonia…Elohim Crystal Meth) While I disagree with the odd Scandinavian way of adding h’s to Hebrew words (ala Meshuggah, Elohim Meth, ETC ETC,) this band takes rough, ugly, dirty (no, I’m not listing adjectives regarding Devon Townsend’s visage) and uncompromising BDM and does it right. If Arrival At 6 brought nothing new to the table, Coils of the Black Earth does everything to both be oldschool and refreshing at the same time. Right off from the samples of rain on “The Devourer Within The Gulf” (Saddam Hussein-Ben) one can see the beginning of the V’s on his Metal checklist . Dark? Yes, moody? Fuck yes, Evil? To quote Nergal, “blacker than the devil’s ass” and we’re only on the first song. What I like about this band is that their versatile. The band manages to install their grim, vicious brand of DM both on the slower mammoth like tracks, or the fast blastbeaty ones such as the aforementioned opener.

Hymn To Azazel is a mix of both. Mostly sticking to the super fast core of this album, by this track you can somewhat feel the line the band draws between Black and Death Metal. How so? Secret, nananana, you can’t make me tell. No but, you can notice the DM styling via the distortion and drumming which is very reminiscent of oldschool Euro Death with some very Taake/Marduk esque riffs and screechy guitars , with the Slayer a-melodic solos throw in. Sounds familiar? Of course, but Maveth again, gives it there own twist. In the modern world of oldschool DM where pretty much everything has been tried (or declared poser ;) ) it’s refreshing to see band with a taste. This is why, at least I think, bands like Maveth and Necrowretch, who are on their first release, garner so much success.

Remember how I mentioned slower hulking tracks? The first of these is Hymn To The Black Matron (black matron…Oprah Winfrey?) it’s a slow track, with those churning blastbeats and guitars that smell of evil. It gets faster at times, but it really somewhat reminds me of a more evil, a bit more Swedish, lower tone Asphyx slow track. And hey ho we’re in the last 4 tracks!

Stating Eritcho is of the more melodic tracks on the album, while nothing to gawk at and yell Metalcore, the guitar line is memorable and the vocal patterns are reminiscent of Nile/Behemoth to me. It is also one of my favorite tracks on the album, so you know it’s quality (I am the say all and end all, the alpha and the omega.) Before the last two parter track of the album, there’s a quote that goes “dream, dream so the day may come” (major Barack Obama points to you there) that then kicks into the Blackened Death Doomy goodness of this track. Definitely the slowest track on this album, the power of the bands American vocalist “Christbutcher” (couldn’t find his real name anywhere.) While he supplies good vocals all along the album, his Ross Dolan (Immolation) esque vocals really shine on this one. The album ends on a two parter named Terminus( no, not Where Death is Most Alive.) So they basically took my “oh my fucking god burn it with fire” hatred for “throwing all our tricks at one song and making it super long” and took it to a wholeeee new level. But by doing this, it feels like two more normal tracks. Which are a fitting close to this album. Grim, uncompromising , and gritty as the rest of it.

Burn the cats and draw the pentagrams, it’s one of those kind of nights.  

Wrong- Pessimistic Outcomes Review

Wrong - Pessimistic Outcomes 

Band- Wrong
Album- Pessimistic Outcomes
Score- 8/10
Origin- Madrid, Spain
Label- Xtreem Music


Anyone in my close circle of friends in the last few months has probably heard of the Black Metal band named Wrong. Ever since i've heard the bands debut album, Memories of Sorrow a few weeks ago on Terrorizer's website, i've been absolutely hooked. Ever since I got my mittens on it, i've been craving to write a piece about it for Metalist. Their brand of depressive Black Metal which is not so much DSBM, as a depressing glimpse onto Black Metal is unique not only on its own merit, but on the merit of its make.

You see, the two bands members, J.L “Phlegeton” Rey and David “DP” (yes, make the porno jokes) Perez are both very far removed from the world of traditional Black Metal. First and foremost, they come from the very small and under-appreciated Black Metal scene in Madrid, Spain. But that's not even it, they are actually both more famous for their main projects which are far removed from the world of Black Metal. Phlegeton for example, is much more well known as the vocalist of Brutal DM band Wormed (fun fact, who played alongside Viscera Trail) and DP was involved with a few important Thrash bands of the Madrid scene , namely Neverdie and The YTriple Corporation.

So, as luck would have it, on the eve of my discovery they were edging on the release of their new album, Pessimistic Outcomes. Now, to write a review of this is both a fan's dread and a reviewers greatest joy. From a fan's prospective, i'd be honestly pissed if they were to muck up the second album. I mean how many bands do you know which had a great debut and then everything went to shits? (The Gathering comes to mind) It's not called the second album block for nothing. Meanwhile as a reviewer it gives me an intersection which is nothing if not interesting to write about. It's the band making their intermediary steps into establishing their band's personality, or, burning the bridge to their first creation to take a turn.

With Pessimistic Outcomes, Wrong took further steps into darkness rather than change direction all together, and I believed it paid off quite well. For those who have made their haj complete by hearing Memories of Sorrow as well, could tell that Wrong´s style is not exactly oldschool Black Metal, nor is it DSBM though. It kind of walks the middle, with a strong leaning towards an organic mix but with very strong depressive elements that kind of remind one of early Shining. Also lyrically, they resemble Shining quite a lot. Though a note I appreciate about Wrong is, that while far from spotless, the lyrics describe depression and darkness in a way that is not overly saturated, but rather relateable. Although the occasional grammar mistake, (and there are some spicy ones mind you,) the lyrics themselves pass a feeling of murky, fogged darkness that is unique to the band.

Anyway, the product itself. How does Pessimistic Outcomes fair against Memories of Sorrow? Or hell, in general in a year where it's hard to be a Black Metaller ( I know I wouldn't like to drop my album the same year Mayhem, Kampfar, and Nocturnal Breed do theirs?) After small sounds of a man grasping for air, you get treated to one of , in my opinion, cool aspets of Wrong's music- the piano. While never intrusive, the piano parts are almost always done to rather annotate and accentuate movements in the music rather than move it forwards. Thru The Grey Path To Nowhere then begins with riffs that kind of show the typicality of Wrong's music. Somewhere between melancholic beauty and absolute suicidal fog to choke on. The tortured cries that suprisingly stem from Phlegeton (if you've ever heard Wormed, you'd honestly not believe it was the same guy. Hell I talked to him and I still don't) befit the music greatly. They're not the most varied of growls, but his vocal style that is somewhere between Abbath, Attila Csihar and Nocturno Culto actually sounds great with the music. I much rather this than most DSBM's supremely high pitched shrieks ala Lifelover and others.

I guess a part of what I love about Wrong is that oldschool mentality of having many influences and kind of putting it in a cooking pot together. There are parts that wouldn't shame a much more by the book Black Metal band, especially in the drumming, but the style of the guitar work and the piano inlays recall to mind a Shining spin on Lifelover (second time mentioning both, yeah sue me.) The second track “His Hatred Breathes” to me encapsulates the beauty the depressive side of Black Metal. The nitty, depressing gritty of digging your nails through life, music to those depressing hours you lay in your bed and pass thought by thought in agony.

Meanwhile, the rest of the album continues largely along the same lines. I guess that this would be a negative for some people. Like, the songs, although not musically, tend to reflect the same types of emotions going through. Yet, what did strike me is that it didn't get boring at all. All through the title track, I was thinking about the music I was listening to, and it hit me that the emotional part speaks to you so well that you don't notice the limited color palette. Between the music and the lyrics, the shades of black are so diverse that you never really find a reason to look for other colors. This is especially clear (the opposite of black, ba dum tishhh) on my favorite track, Dragging My Soul Until The Sunset. While usually I tend to discourage bands from doing a ten plus minutes track unless they really have strong material to fill it all up, Wrong clearly did. They made a piece that really transfers the feeling of a lethargic soul, passing onto the afterlife. The many different parts of the song kind of come together as a journey to the end. 11 minutes of a slow goodbye.

Overall, the opinion thickens around the last track. This album, while not perfect, is an absolute joy for a fan of Black Metal. Is it an instant classic? No, is it a 5/5 top of the year's list release? Also no, but it's definitely a glimmering new release from a wonderful band, that seems to have their feet and nose in the right direction. I for one, would definitely keep an eye on these ruffians, with 2 great albums in 2 years, they show no signs of stopping.

Arkona- Yav Review

Band- Arkona
Album- Yav
Label- Napalm Records (Austria)
Origin- Moscow, Russia
Score- 2.5/5

Excessive is a word you seldom hear thrown around in Metal a lot. In a type of music where the right kind of excessive attributes is basically the foundation of the whole sub-genre, it is very hard to have things be seen as too much. Metal is basically the “too heavy,” “too loud,” and “too technical,” version of Hard Rock, so in a way, “excessive” runs in our blood. But, the beauty of very well done Metal releases is that the excessive doesn't feel excessive. That the music is actually very utilitarian, it just utilizes a lot more than other conventional types of music. Takes for example a band such as Enslaved. Two vocal types, 6 different instruments, and not even discussing the different sound effects, yet you wouldn't ever think that certain things could be done away with. Albums that could last 70 minutes and more yet not a minute of those are wasted. But sometimes, such is not the result. The albums look to amaze, look to be bombastic, and it all comes through as “meh, almost.” It sucks to see someone being really excited, and totally into what they're doing, when you just don't feel drawn in at all. That's my gripe with Arkona's Yav (which is named after the material world in Slavonic mythology.)

Being one of my favorite groups of the whole Folk Metal trend, the Masha Scream led group seem to have hit a rut. While Yav is by no means a horrible album, and actually has moments where it seems to take Arkona in new directions, it just doesn't have the elegance and finesse that earlier works such as Слово (Slovo, word) and Гой, Роде, Гой! (Goi, Rode, Goi!, Hail Rod Hail!, Rod is the god of childbirth and life) had. While the album is all the more bombastic, and tries its hardest to be orchestral, it simply isn't. The many flirtations with progressive Metal riffing evident through the earlier tracks in particular just take you out of the epic feeling all together. While the opening track, Зарождение (Zarozhdenie, generation) is one of the strongest tracks on the album, both it and following track На страже новых леt (na strazhe novih let) throw a few what-the-fuck curve balls that really don't add anything to the music.While they both host some of Masha's best vocal preformences on the album (and some of the best in her career,) and parts which are genuinely touching, they are followed by riffs and meaningless parts which take you out of it. Like you have these very powerful classic Pagan Metal riffs that Sergei Lazarov is known for, followed by Opeth style prog beep boop bullshit that does nothing but subtract. Which touches again on my main issue with the album. If you could dissect the riffs and take out the ones that add nothing, and just keep the others, this album would be fucking great. It really had the potential to be one of the best Arkona albums.


The first two tracks are followed by” tear jerker,” Сербиа (Serbia.) I write “tear jerker” in parenthesis as it just sounds so forced and pathetic, that it reminds me of Eurovision songs. It's just a boring, slow track, that doesn't do the place the respect it deserves. I guess what they tried to do is pull out a track like Славься, Русь! (Slavsia, Rus!, Hail Rus!) From the От Сердца к Небу (Ot Cerduchak Nebu, From the heart to the sky) but it doesn't sound nearly as epic (or frankly, as devilishly catchy.) Luckly, the album picks up pace with the fourth track Зов пустых деревень (zov pustih derevn, call of empty villages) which is one of the tightest tracks on the album. Here, Masha's new and improved vocals finally play nice with the music and combine together to show the mighty which Arkona fans have been banking on. Great Black Metal riffery followed by those grandiose parts which the band does so well. See? When they can do it organically, I don't get why they have to try and manufacture it industrially.
Yet from the ascension, the band dives into a bit of mediocrity again with Город снов (gorod slov, city of dreams.) While the song doesn't have you full on what the fucking, and does have the parts of shining through, it feels a bit unrealized. It doesn't have parts where you're really like “fuck yeah!' such as the first two songs or the previous track, but it doesn't have parts where you're full on “seriously?!” like those tracks as well. It feels a bit safe, and a bit redundant. Though, it seems they haven't dived too far, as they rise right back, for the two songs following are my two favorite tracks on the album. Thomas Väänänen (ex Thyrfing) guests on the 7^th track Ведьма (vedma, witch) and it comes out as a bomb. Masha and Thomas compliment each other very nicely, and like on the other good tracks on this album, the band comes together very nicely. No samples, no exaggerations,no extras just plain ol' Slavonic Paganism seems to do the job much better than all the tricks and whistles. Чадо индиго (chado indigo, indigo child) , the following track, also keeps on that minimalist track that serviced the last song so well. For good reason, as a complete song, it is probably the best track on the album. Easy to listen to, no boredom, and musical parts that range from the gut wrenchingly awesome heavy to a wonderful and very well done piano part compliments of Ukrainian pianist, Vika “ Vkgoeswild” Yermolyeva. Followed the smooth opening by the aforementioned Vika, the band kicks into a riff that really reminds me more of Death Metal than it does of the Melodic Black/Pagan their known for, but it actually fits in nicely.
Yet, the ugly beast rears it's head again on the title track, Явь (Yav.) A 13 minute track that, to put it nicely, is less than the sum of its parts. Rather than write a 4 minute song that conveys the idea nicely, Arkona seemed to look more on the clock here than listen to their music. Just, ugh. Listening to this song from beginning to end is hard. I love Arkona, I really do, but the amount of times I found myself pausing, looking away, or simply moving to different music at this part before I could go through this album in one listening is abysmal. I'm all for the band trying new stuff, and they do have a place in my heart, but this “Arkona Gone Prog” doesn't work for them. Sadly, the last track doesn't really leave you with a nice taste in the mouth either. Closer В обьятьях крамолы (V Obyatyah kramol, in the open arms of sedition) is just boring. Flat out fucking boring. While the title track was bad just for how long it was, and could've still been salvaged for a mediocre track, this song is just below par and uninteresting in anyway. Masha's vocals don't come into any major play, and the rest of the ensemble just sounds tired. I honestly would've had more respect for this piece if they just closed the album with Yav and declared it a bonus track. It doesn't deserve a spot on the new album, clear cut.

Overall? The album is just overtly mediocre. It has great parts, it has horrible parts, but all together the package is not worth your top dollar. It has parts which are wonderful, that I’d honestly recommend spending the money on iTunes (or if we're being honest, pirating it)on, and ignore the rest. Because honestly, a lot of this album is filler.