Review: Sguaguarahchristis's latest album "Der Nacht"

Black Metal band Sguaguarahchristis released earlier this year an album called Der Nacht through This Winter Will Last Forever.
The band has formed only a few years ago, but they seem to know very well where they are heading to. They have a very personal style, very heavy.
There is not much melody, but much rawness in all of it. The voice is very aggressive, and sometimes the whole thing reminds a bit of Anaal Nathrakh for the noise and confusion. Good confusion.
When you listen to Der Nacht, you quickly realize that in fact the band has found a path and they are doing it well. Very loyal to their thing, all the album follows the same line. Dirty, raw, fast, heavy, full, powerful, great.
Give it a listen, you won't regret. Be ready for a good dose of adrenaline and a lot of "I want to see these guys live!" feeling.

Review: Morar's EP "Chants of Ossian"

Black Metal band Morar released last year a EP called Chants of Ossian through Nebular Winter Promotions. What to expect from this release? Expect a good dose of proper traditional Black Metal. As fast as it can be, as aggressive as it can be. The voice is high pitched as it should be, the beats are quite fast and furious. There are some very melodic almost acoustic parts that will leave you very surprised, as you are not really expecting it from the beginning. Production is good but raw enough. Chants of Ossian has five tracks. First one is like an introduction, a prologue. Is quite epic, really very good and powerful.
The other tracks follow the line but are more heavy and less "made in forest". 4th track Thy Fame is really great. It is amazing how this band can do both melodic and sad and melancholic things and also very aggressive and tortuous traditional Black Metal.
If it was an album, it would be in the top ten albums on 2014. Still, will be in the playlist for the week. Really really good stuff.

Review: Eternal Storm's EP "From the Ashes"

Last year, spanish band Eternal Storm released their EP called From the Ashes.
The band is not entirely Black Metal, so why review it? Could point a few reasons out, but let's keep to the obvious ones: they have hints of Black Metal on their music, and they are really good, so when the e-mail got in, Lachryma Christi couldn't say "no".
The band has been active since 2006, so it is actually quite strange that only recently they released something, since they sound so professional.
Lachryma Christi must warn you though, that they are more Death Metal. You can listen to many influences of popular bands such as At The Gates or In Flames. It is good, very professional, very commercial. The production is excellent.
From the Ashes has 8 tracks, two of them instrumental. It was indeed a good surprise. Really good stuff, very pleasant, very interesting and inspiring. Good vibes, very united, impressive.

Review: Enthroning Silence's album "Throned upon Ashes of Dusk"

Another Italian Black Metal band showing us their amazing stuff. Throned upon Ashes of Dusk was released last year through Dusktone last year. It is a very strong and sad work. The music is quite aggressive but in a sad way, touching the depression. It is good though, introspective, full of emotions, but dark ones. This album brings the remotest dark bits of your soul up. It is not easy to like it if you are not into this kind of thing. It is not the usual Black Metal music with all the blast beats and stuff. On the opposite it carries a lot of doom in it.
So if you like dragged repetitive guitars, where it is impossible to not get the point or the message, you will like it. Get ready for some anxiety and sense of despair. Throned upon Ashes of Dusk is definitely very very strong, impossible to stay indifferent to it.
It has six tracks, but all of them very complete, very majestic and full of emotions.

Review: Phobonoid's EP "Orbita"

Black Metal band from Italy Phobonoid released last year their first EP through Dusktone, and it is called Orbita.
This is one of the releases that has been in stand by since Lachryma Christi was forced to a break.
This EP is actually quite interesting. It is very doomish and melancholic, but also with it's strange Black Metal bits and influences.
So basically it has as much of Mysticum as it has of My Dying Bride. It has 8 tracks, all of them very heavy, very full of not only music but sounds. If you pay attention, there are loads of details that are worth to check. Don't expect much melody here though as there is not a lot. There are some more melodic riffs and bits, but in general there's more a lot of a experimentation and a very noisy environment. Someone said one day that noise is not necessarily a bad sound. This applies to here in perfection. There is good noise in Orbita. It is really strong, fills you up.
Honestly, if you haven't heard it yet, go for it. Another example of how great the Italian bands can be.

Back to the future II: Interview with Abigor (AUT)

Another interview that people have been reading recently:

Interview with Abigor (AUT)

Back to the future: Interview with Endstille (GER)

Interview with Endstille has been number one on the top ten of most viewed articles at Lachryma Christi. In the last few days it has been read many times again, so here it is, for some to remember, and for some to have the chance to have a look for first time.

Interview with Endstille (GER)

Lachryma Christi's playlist for the week

Saille - Eldritch
Aesta - From Darkness to Light
Fen - Carrion Skies
Vreid - V
Marduk - Serpent Sermon
Bathory - Nordland II
Teasanna Satanna - Incertezas
Falkenbach - Asa
Windir - 1184
1349 - Hellfire

Back to the Future II: Interview with Mysticum (NOR)

And because this interview was also so popular today, here it is again. Enjoy!


Interview with Mysticum

Back to the future: Interview with Blacklodge (FR)

Since for some reason this interview has been so popular today, maybe it is a good idea to share it again, Maybe many more of you will find it interesting:


Interview with Blacklodge

Mysticum - LSD (Planet Satan 2014 | Peaceville Records | HQ)

Review: Aesta's upcoming album "From Darkness To Light"

Austrian band Aesta are soon releasing a new album called From Darkness To Light. They call their style some sort of post Black Metal. Well, Lachryma Christi has to say that it is more Black Metal than anything else. And it is very good indeed!
So the album has 10 tracks which will provide you with loads of good things. Good vibes, good emotions, everything so powerful, melodic and catchy that it is just impossible to stop listening over and over again.
The voice is less Black Metal but matches it perfectly anyway. Quite strong and full.
Aesta were founded only three years ago and From Darkness To Light is only their first album, but these four men seem to be quite professional and as if they have been playing together since always.
The album has equilibrium, touch, musicality, entertaining and melodic bits, everything very tuned, very together, instrospective, melancholic even. It is difficult to name the best track as they are all so perfect.
So good to find so good kinda new bands (or to be found by them!), so good to see that there is in fact a future.
Very good stuff, they definitely know what they are doing and where they are going. 
Lachryma Christi is hoping they go far, as they are already one of the top ten albums of 2014.

Seth premiere new video for the song "One Ear to the Earth, One Eye on Heaven"

French Black Metal band Seth are now premiering in exclusive their new video for the song One Ear to the Earth, One Eye on Heaven.

You can watch it on one of the following media partners:

VS-Webzine (FR)
Rock Overdose (GR)
Metal Wani (IN)
Andfari (IS)
Metalitalia (IT)
Terrorizer (UK)


One Ear to the Earth, One Eye on Heaven was taken from the band's fifth full-length The Howling Spirit.
You can find it at Season of Mist shop here:

http://shop.season-of-mist.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=the+howling+spirit

Or stream here:

http://innomineseth.bandcamp.com/album/the-howling-spirit

Lachryma Christi is back on the radio!

So now that Lachryma Christi is back in full, there will be playlist for the week again, as well as radio show.
Feel free to inbox Lachryma Christi with suggestions for the days and times for the radio show. For now it will be every now and then (in the evening on some week days, until a fixed time is confirmed - London UK time, remember), but you will be informed a few hours before it happens, so keep an eye out!

For now, let's start right now:

Lachryma Christi radio

Remember, it is not a previously saved playlist playing, it is actually someone playing the songs as they come to mind, so you can as well suggest songs.

Aurora Borealis - video

As you know, American Black Metal band Aurora Borealis, relased a new album this year, called World Shapers. If you haven't seen this video yet, here is a good chance. It is about the gear used on the recording of the album, and more.

Marduk - Australian Tour 2015

Slegest supporting Einherjer in Norway

Review: Dementia Senex's EP "Heartworm"

Dementia Senex are not entirely Lachryma Christi's thing, just so you know. They are from Italy and they released the EP Heartworm last year. Recently the band contacted Lachryma Christi and yeah, even though they are not properly Black Metal, Heartworm is worth a review. Why? Because they have some post Black Metal influences and because they are actually good. The voice is more death metal, hardcorish at times. But musically you can find the doomy bits that are so characteristic of the Post Rock and Post Black Metal stuff. Even though the "post this", "post that" are still strange definitions for any music.
Anyway, other highlights of this release: The music sounds professional. The music has quality. The production is very good. It has enough heaviness, enough brutality, enough melody,enough variety, enough a bit of everything to make it really good. Another band from Italy that is worth to check. No space for disappointment here.

Review: Dawn of Ruin's demo "Poço da Infâmia"

For those who don't know, Dawn of Ruin were not always Dawn of Ruin. They had two different names (Ekhidna and later on Tetraplegic God) and on 2007 they finally became Dawn of Ruin. And this is their first demo since then. It is called Poço da Infâmia and came out in June 2014.
It was a good surprise when Lachryma Christi heard the demo. It is quite a long one, with 8 tracks (five studio, three live). What to say about Poço da Infâmia? The band is Portuguese, and you can actually hear them singing in Portuguese which is a good thing. It may seem to be silly since Portuguese is not one of the languages people speak the most, but it is always good for any band to have at least some tracks in their own language. That is a valuable thing and doesn't happen all the time.
Well, Poço da Infâmia brings back some memories from the Black Metal that was being played in the late 90's, and which seems to have disappeared almost completely from the face of the earth, sadly. There are still some bands doing it but not as many. It was a good era. It actually reminds other Portuguese bands of that time.
Every track is quite heavy and has a bit of a raw sound. It is also very bassy, You can find fast bits, doomish bits, thrashy bits, it is quite good. Not mixed as if they don't know what there doing, but on the opposite, it is a good variety that manages to blend and become great music in the end.
You can understand they are experienced musicians, very together, loads of complicity going on. Very entertaining in a good way, very good indeed.
The only negative bit: Since the production is not at its best, the voice could be a tiny bit lower as in volume. Apart from that, it is great.

Review: Saille's upcoming album "Eldritch"

As you know, the last album of Saille, Ritu, was the number one of the top 10 Black Metal albums for Lachryma Christi in 2013. So obviously Lachryma Christi has been waiting for the new album with antecipation.
Once again, Saille will figure on the top 10, this time for 2014, with Eldritch which is coming out on the 10th of November 2014 through Code666.
Eldritch has a very impressive artwork cover, really majestic image as you have the opportunity to check below.
It has 9 tracks, all of them very powerful and full of good stuff.
It is important to mention though, that this time the factor surprise wasn't as present as before. With Ritu every song was like "oh wow!". Listening to Eldritch is still a great experiment, but not as fantastic and a bit confusing. Doesn't flow as naturally. And it is with great sadness that Lachryma Christi shares this point. But it is maybe more brutal, stronger, with more details that were not in Ritu. If you pay attention, even in the fastest drum bits you can hear very subtle "noises" and blip sounds behind everything, that make each track only more special and different.
You can hear some similarities to some things that have been being used in bands such as Vreid, or even Dimmu Borgir (yeah, two very different bands, but once you listen to the album you will understand this, as it is made of very different melodies and sounds and stuff).
But in general Eldritch is still a very original release, full of greatness. You won't regret waiting another two months to hear this. It is very compensating once you actually manage to listen the whole thing through.

Review: Nightbringer's upcoming album "Ego Dominus Tuus"

Black Metal band from USA, Nightbringer, are releasing a new album in only a few days time. Ego Dominus Tuus will see the light of the day on the 26th of September (30th in North America) through Season of Mist.
Nightbringer have been around for a long time, since 1999, and you will find the proof of their experience with this album. This album is truly amazing. There you can find 10 tracks of pure awesomeness.
If you are a fan of fast, aggressive, high pitched, emotional and powerful Black Metal, you will definitely love Ego Dominus Tuus. It is a masterpiece, really a very very good pack of songs. If you don't know the band, you won't regret to start listening to them through Ego Dominus Tuus, because it is really interesting at every level. All instruments tuned, all voices making sense, all riffs and rhythms completely together, it is actually difficult to get closer to perfection than these guys. Absolutely genius.

Lantlôs' first European Tour

In a week time, German band Lantlôs will be touring for the first time in Europe. You may find below the flyer for the dates.

Black Christmass

Damnation Festival

Review: Twilight Fauna's LP "Hymns of a Forgotten Homeland"

For those who don't know, Twilight Fauna is a one man band from USA. This man is Ravenwood and he has been around making music for Twilight  Fauna since 2011 and already released a few works before.
Earlier this year Twilight Fauna released a LP in vinyl format called Hymns of a Forgotten Homeland, in a limited edition of 250 copies, through Fragile Branch Records.
The release has a very good artwork cover as you can see below and all the atmosphere is very intense and matches the cover perfectly.
You have to be in the mood for this kind of thing, is not easy to take in, but is possible once you get into it. Hymns of a Forgotten Homeland has three tracks per side and is very atmospheric and also very hypnotizing. The drums are rare, making it already different. The lyrics are great, very nature inspired but the music sounds more (much more!) aggressive than what the lyrics are about. It is strange, very strange. It has many acoustic parts with no voice, or with whispers, and when you think it will be only that, there comes the enraged bit, which gets a bit noisy at parts. The guitars sometimes remind a lot of the distortion bits on Nattens Madrigal by Ulver. Only the last song of side B Of River Willows is a bit more melodic.
Hymns of a Forgotten Homeland is one of those things that you have to experience, it is very difficult to put into words, so strange and genius it is.

Filii Nigrantium Infernalium - Cadafalso