Coming from the Canadian city of Ottawa, newcomers Eclipser must be well-acquainted with the cold and the dark. Pathos is their remarkably self-assured debut, and it culls elements both modern and primordial from black and death metal - resulting in an album that's simultaneously grandiose, brutal, and completely evil. [$7 CAD]
There's no ignoring Sleeping Ancient's post-rock roots. The Houston band's origins are prominently displayed on There Is No Truth But Death, which lets their atmospheric black metal build ominously to its blasting sections, favouring simple chord progressions over finger cramping riffs. [$5]
The cold and dark is home for Tulsa's space-fixated Aludra. On their second album Mass Stellar Graves, the duo pay tribute to black holes with the equally bleak (and inescapable) early albums of Burzum, Darkthrone and Mayhem. From its basement-level production to Imber's echoing screams, this is as faithful and engaging a reproduction of True Norwegian Black Metal as you'll get from Oklahoma. [$5]
Formed by members of the Spanish band Délirant, Negativa takes a similar approach to atmospheric black metal. With Wormlust's H.V. Lyngdal providing vocals, their third album 03 could just be as easily have been released by the Mystískaos label alongside Délirant - though Negativa sticks closer to second wave black metal paradigms than its farther-reaching sister act. [Name your price.]
