ALBUM REVIEW: Psalmtanic - Psalmtanic Verses

PSALMTANIC (Norway)
"Psalmtanic Verses"
(Daarlig Selskap)
Release date: March 31st 2020
Genre: Black metal, death metal, progressive metal, post metal

Links:
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Spotify

Bergen is located on the south-western coast of Norway, and is the country's second largest city. Most Norwegians think of rain and lousy weather whenever they hear the name, but any dedicated metalhead that walks this globe knows that Bergen has spawned numerous bands that evolved into greats within the genre. Immortal, Borknagar and Enslaved all had their beginnings here, as well as Audrey Horne, Taake and Wardruna, just to mention a few.

In addition to their musical endeavours in the progressive metal quintet Nautilus, Eirik Ramsøy and Matt Weigand have formed their own nucleus of a band, with the intention to further ideas that most likely would not fit into Nautilus' way of artistry. Under the name PSALMTANIC, they have solidified their collective musical visions on four tracks that make up their debut album "Psalmtanic Verses", due for release on March 31st.

According to the band themselves, the album's concept is "to take the most grim and dreary bits from The Book of Psalms and dress them up as metal". Fittingly enough for a bible oriented theme, these four compositions are all rooted within the blacker realms of heavy metal, but also branch out into diverse other subgenres such as progressive and death metal.

To begin with, "Stille! Stille! Jesus Lider" ("Silence! Silence! Jesus Suffers!") starts off as a traditional black metal affair with fast chords and blastbeats. That is, until the harsh vocals mark their presence, and the guitars and drums turn this pitch black picture into a progressive sonic landscape filled with clear, sparkling details. The drum sound is perfect, and the guitars are never excessively distorted, which allows every note to be heard.

Contrasts are many on "Psalmtanic Verses" and appear quickly. Just a minute into the opening track a collage of delayed clean guitars create an atmosphere that would seem unthinkable during the blasting intro, and it already becomes evident that despite the blackened nature of the music, this is going to be a varied and colorful album with a lot of things happening.

"In the Bleak Midwinter" continues the atmospheric element in a way that Coldplay and U2 find favorable, and mixed with cold, genuine Norwegian grimness it becomes the world's blackest pop song.

The atmospheric element becomes a recurring feature on PSALMTANIC's debut. The ten minute long "Jeg Går i Fare Hvor jeg Går" ("I Go in Danger Wheverer I Go") is no exception, with more delayed clean guitars and a slightly chaotic (structurally, of course) drum pattern in a wet, roomy ambience. The verse section is more traditional and yet again a glorious contrast to the almost hypnotizing middle section that also showcases the duo's progressive abilities with a slightly more technical approach.

"Naglet til et Kors på Jorden" ("Nailed to a Cross on Earth") was released as a single already in April last year, and it is another ten minute journey that serves as conclusion to PSALMTANIC's debut album.

What is most impressive about PSALMTANIC is their ability to create little musical journeys that cause at least this listener to find himself lost in dreamlike soundscapes, and at the same time retain presence enough to notice every little detail.

Good music is the kind that gets the listener emotionally involved. I could go on and on, but what's the point?

★★★★★★★★★★

Tracklist:
1. Stille! Stille! Jesus Lider!
2. In the Bleak Midwinter
3. Jeg Går i Fare Hvor Jeg Går
4. Naglet til et Kors på Jorden*

*Added to the Subterranean Noise - 2020 playlist on Spotify.

LINE UP:
Eirik Ramsøy - guitars, bass and vocals
Matt Weigand - guitars, drums, keyboards and backing vocals

ALBUM REVIEW: Black Coven - Everlost

BLACK COVEN (Austria)
"Everlost"
(Independent)
Release date: September 27th 2018
Genre: Melodic death metal, epic heavy metal
Links:
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Website

BLACK COVEN is an Austrian duo that appears as a bit of a curiosity. Originally founded as a three piece band in early 2016, they have released the three track EP that we will be reviewing today, and they have been quite busy doing concerts as well. The duo format would in many cases be a factor that forces a band to refrain from playing live, but in BLACK COVEN's case it's quite the contrary, and they have appeared on festival stages alongside In The Woods... and Benediction, just to mention a few.

The duo consists of guitarist and vocalist Morgane Rake and drummer Andreas Gray, and they have both been in the band since the formation three and a half years ago.

"Everlost" was recorded on analog equipment in the Finnish Astia-studio in March 2018, and was released digitally in September. BLACK COVEN claim to be inspired by the 90's melodic death metal scene, which becomes apparent when the thundering intro on "Across the 1000 Lakes" starts to roll. There are a lot of parallells to be drawn towards Edge of Sanity, Dark Tranquillity, Carcass, early 90's In Flames and even Death, especially on the vocal side. Singer Morgane Rake must be the reincarnation of Chuck Schuldiner himself, and I suspect she has been inspired by his guitar work as well.

The three tracks on "Everlost" are all very varied with both power chord based riffs as well as ones that are a bit more intricate, all put together and arranged within a framework that with excellence and flair captures the 90's melodic metal essence and authenticity.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Tracklist:
1. Across the 1000 Lakes
2. Ablazing Dawn
3. Ovation of the Wolves

BLACK COVEN:
- Morgane Rake, guitars, bass, vocals
- Andreas Gray, drums

ALBUM REVIEW: Haiduk - Exomancer

HAIDUK (Canada)
"Exomancer"
(Independent)
Release date: October 17th 2018
Genre: Blackened death metal, thrash metal
Links:
Bandcamp
Facebook
Youtube
Webpage

HAIDUK is a one man project from Calgary, Canada, and it is the brainchild of Luka Milojica, who founded the project in 2010. He released the "Plagueswept" demo the same year, and 2018 saw the release of HAIDUK's third full length album.

"Exomancer" has been out for about ten months, and has harvested a vast amount of praise from various zines, sites and blogs such as this one, has sold albums worldwide and appeared on diverse compilations and radio stations.

The album is ten tracks strong, but only clocks in at half an hour in length. The album is very intense all the way through, from the opening riffs of "Death Portent" throughout "Crypternity, which concludes the album half an hour later, there is nothing but fast, piercing riffs and technical guitar work that sum up to a total of black, shattering, infernal brutality. There are hints of Slayer and Cryptopsy, Deicide, Crest of Darkness and Mayhem, and it's all done with a devastating intensity that leaves listeners such as yours truly a little stunned.

Milojica is a technically skilled musician, and creates complex imageries with his arrangements. Somehow I am reminded by the guitar work that Rune Eriksen on Mayhem's "Grand Declaration of War" twenty years back. Fast, intense, and colorful in all its blackness, which also is a suitable description for HAIDUK's third full length.

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Tracklist
1. Death Portent                                 
2. Unsummon                                       
3. Evil Art                                               
4. Subverse                                           
5. Icevoid Nemesis                               
6. Doom Seer                                       
7. Pulsar                                               
8. Blood Ripple                                     
9. Once Flesh                                       
10. Crypternity         

HAIDUK:
Luka Milojica - vocals, guitars, drum programming, mix/mastering