I was previously unfamiliar with Crimson Moon - though the band were pioneers of USBM, they've since relocated to
Germany, issuing almost a dozen releases along the way. It's clear that even
if the Nineties let them slip by unnoticed, the feeling wasn't mutual - Mors Vincit Omnia holds fast to the principles of second wave black metal, combining a raw guitar tone, choral vocals, and icy keyboards to create
songs that could have been featured on any of the Blackened compilations. Bonus points for that cheeky nod to The Shining score. [€7.77]
Don't expect much in the way of melody or groove from Sweden's Mylingar. On its third album Döda Själar, the secretive one-man project turns in a disorienting maelstrom of atonal riffs and inhuman growls, hearkening back to the early Mitochondrion albums. One of the most unrelenting and brutal takes on dissonant death metal that I've heard, showing the way forward for the style isn't necessarily slower or more ambient. [Name your price.]
Russian trio Horror God are another commendable addition to the discordant death metal canon. Cursed Seeds evokes Ulcerate with dissonant guitarwork and atmospheric interludes, but holds its own with its frenetic riffing and stellar drumming. And as a sign of their progressive mindset, the band got Gorguts/Dysrhythmia guitarist Kevin Hufnagel to contribute a curiously Azagthoth-ish solo to the song "They Were Behind the Barbed Wire ". [€7]
Say this about California's Murk Rider: They are not lacking in ambition. Their debut full-length Exile Of Shadows showcases the dynamic potential of black metal by utilizing a female vocalist, spoken word segments, a brass section, and actual bass-lines to create an album that warrants repeated listens. Broken into three parts and running almost 80 minutes in total, this is as much a Campbellian journey in execution as it is in concept. [$9]
