Top 10 releases of 2022

Greetings!

It's that time of the year again, when we all look back and think about what releases marked us the most.

This list contains only ten, there would be a lot more to include, so I tried my best. Difficult task, every bloody year.

As on previous years, there is no order. It is a list, of very special releases, but none is the first or the last. 

Also, not all of them are albums, one of them is even a split, and not all are Black Metal. But they're all great.

Here we go:

Thy Black Blood & Grievance - Unspeakable Acts & Occult Encryptions

Gospellheim - Ritual & Repetition

Corpus Christii - The Bitter End of Old

Lord Belial - Rapture

ANZV - Gallas

Kampfar - Til Klovers Takt

Drudkh - Всі належать ночі (All Belong to the Night)

My Enchantment - Malebolge

Sisters Menon - I The Witch

Order of Nosferat - Vampiric Wrath Unleashed 

Review: O Cerco da Noite Fest II, 18/12, RCA (LX, PT)

 

Yesterday, Lachryma Christi went to see a very special Black Metal show, with only Portuguese bands: Corpus Christii, IRAE, Law of Contagion and Ventr.

I only knew Corpus Christii and IRAE, but I am very happy that I had the chance to see and hear Law of Contagion and Ventr too.

Usually, when I don't know a band, I try and listen to it at home before the show, but this time I didn't, so didn't know quite what to expect, apart from the hints from their logos, which are suggestive per se.

As for Ventr, it is difficult to find information about them online. However, it was a fantastic show. They had candles on stage, black candles. Some on the floor, others in candelabra. They had the traditional corpse paint and the vocalist also had spikes. The music is a very raw proper old school, fast and aggressive Black Metal. With a less high pitched voice than most bands of the kind. They were all very committed and the public was very enthusiastic about them. The room was already very composed from the beginning, which was joyful to see. 

As I arrived home, I went to check on more info about them, and they have an EP from 2020, called Numinous Negativity, which I already heard as well, and it is really good. I am curious to hear more of their work, and maybe see them live again, in the future.

Moving on to Law of Contagion. A bit different, more like a Blackened Death Metal, or a Deathened Black Metal, if such a thing exists. 

From what I could check afterwards, it is a one man band (the vocalist/guitarist) as in studio, but with session musicians for live performances. 

It was a less raw show, but as impressive. Their music is a lot more technical. Lots of skulls on stage, no spikes. It was a big surprise for me. Very professional and experienced musicians. And although their music is a bit out of my personal taste, I really appreciated the show and would see them live again without hesitation.

As for IRAE, it is also a one man project, with session musicians to play live. Vulturius makes a very interesting Black Metal, and has already released a ton of work. IRAE'S style is unmistakeable. With those Black 'n' Roll influences and unique screams here and there. Live is exactly like that too. It is obscure, with lyrics in English and Portuguese. Some more fun, some more imaginative, some more traditional. Their looks also add a lot to the whole thing. 

I have seen IRAE before and in the end I always have this feeling of being sorry that the show wasn't a tad longer. It is very good. Last night was just as good.

If you are interested, you may find my interview with IRAE, in the posts of 2012, August. 

And last but not least, Corpus Christii. Sadly, I haven't seen Corpus Christii live in many years, so I was waiting in antecipation as they always deliver an amazing show. You can't get disappointed with Corpus Christii, that simply just doesn't happen.

At the moment, Corpus Christii is a two member band, with more members to play live. All musicians you would have seen in other bands and projects along the years.

Corpus Christii is one of those bands I listen to frequently, although it took me a bit to get into their music when they first came out, almost or around 25 years ago, as I liked more melodic and symphonic stuff at that moment. But eventually I got into their music, and since then I appreciate their music very much, and also appreciate their evolution, being Nocturnus Horrendus one of the most resilient Black Metal musicians of our times. 

Still about the gig. There were two pig heads on stage (until one of them was knocked down by someone), as a cliché prop, but the whole atmosphere was the most important thing. It really was very atmospheric and I would risk saying emotional too. A Corpus Christii show always has a theatrical/dramatic side to it. It isn't only just about the music. Their shows are very intense and this one wasn't different on those regards.

There was space and time for old and recent songs. It just felt like the show could have been longer. I would have liked that. 

However, there was a sense of dedication and accomplishment from everyone (or I think I can speak from everyone on this), both band and public.

It was a great evening, no doubt. I am very grateful for such great performances from all the bands, and for all the effort from everyone involved, in putting up such a great show.

Thank you!

P.s. once again, I apologise for the low quality of the photos. The ones of IRAE aren't mine, but by S.W., as I lost mine somehow. 

Interview with Gospelheim (UK)

Greetings!

Today, Lachryma Christi brings you an interview with Gospelheim, from Manchester, UK.

Gospelheim are not a Black Metal band. However, they have quite a lot of Black Metal influences on their music (or so it sounds like), as well as musicians from a Black Metal background.

They have been a band since around 2019, and have released their debut full-length Ritual & Repetition only a couple of months ago. And it is really good, I must add.

Lachryma Christi asked some questions, and got some answers, from Ricardo and Coco. So, let's see what they have to tell us.

So, about Gospelheim, what exactly does this name mean to you? How did you get to choose it?

Ricardo - Two words that crossed my mind one day, at that point, Praise Be and Voyeuristic Schism had been written and a lot of heavy religious topics were circling around my head. The word “Gospel” seemed poignant in terms of how the concept of truth is so ambiguous in the internet age with this wide array of misinformation. The idea of “Heim’ came from Norse mythology which translates to something like home or realm. So these two words together represent for me a utopian concept, an all knowing place where all the answers are. There is no such thing, which is fine. How boring life would be if we had all the answers?

Being a band formed during the worst times of the last few years, with isolation due to COVID and all, how has your journey been?

Coco - I joined the band in February 2020, we started working on the songs in terms of performance - this excitement was suffocated very quickly due to the lockdown that followed in the next two weeks since my audition. At first we were uncertain how we could make any substantial progress being in isolation, so we kept in touch and used that time to get familiar with the material that was written prior to the pandemic. Thankfully, Ricardo is fairly well organized, so we had all the demos for Ritual and Repetition available to us, and we could utilize that time to make decisions on which songs to include on the album, and in what order of and other technicalities. By the time we could rehearse again, we were familiar with the material, and we were prepared to record. Due to further Covid restrictions, we had to postpone the recording twice, and that was probably the most uncertain time for us. But we managed to complete the recording at No Studio with the help of Joe Clayton in November 2020.

How did Gospelheim start? Would you like to tell your and our readers about the members and a bit of the history of the band? Was Gospelheim projected to be a thing to spend the time during the isolation period, or did you actually have plans and hopes of getting where you are today?

Ricardo - Gospelheim started as a project in my head and in my demos. I was away from playing in bands for about 8 years, but through my close friend Chris French, I went back to the rehearsal room to work on a project called Agvirre. This allowed me to meet musicians again and when Coco's name was thrown my way, I sent her a few demos and invited her for a jam. Gospelheim was designed to form a live experience, a marriage between sound and vision, in our case, black and white films. However, very early we found that most venues are not equipped to accommodate this type of show, so we’ve only been able to use the projector in very few shows unfortunately. We also had a hard time finding a steady and reliable guitarist so we played a number of shows a 3 piece which wasn’t ideal since the songs and the album were designed for 2 guitars. But earlier this year we managed to finally become a four piece with Jordan Sheffield on guitar, and Rob Kendrick on drums, who played for Hecate Enthroned.  

How do you think pandemic changed the music industry, now that things are calmer?

Coco - I think the situation after the restrictions were removed was rather chaotic - many people didn’t engage in attending live shows immediately because of the uncertainty surrounding their health and safety. More so, many shows were frequently cancelled or postponed because of Covid infections amongst crew members and performers. This can be quite frustrating and disheartening for concert goers, especially after such a long time of being deprived of the live music experience. This still persists to this day, and many tours are being cancelled or postponed, partially because of Covid, and some political changes like Brexit and the rising cost of living. It might take a while for the music industry to fully recover from that damage.

Ricardo -  My biggest concern is touring. First the pandemic, now there’s the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and the effects of Brexit. In the metal world, the majority of bands and artists don’t sell records like they used to 20 odd years ago, and touring is the main source of income for most artists. With cancellations, everyone's affected including road crew members and the venues themselves. We have been asked a lot if we are going on tour at some point, we will see what opportunities arise next year and hopefully play outside the UK too.  

There are a lot of influences in your music. How would you describe the music you play?

Coco - I think we purposefully avoid being tied to any existing genres, because the sound of Gospelheim came out with a good degree of variety, mixing elements of black metal, blues and goth. With clean vocals on top, it may have created some elements of confusion and surprise in some people, but we were quite eager to take our chances and see what happens. The incorporation of various influences opens a lot more possibilities, than following or representing a particular genre. The overall sound, just as much as the lyrical themes are meant to encourage people to embrace new perspectives and become more open-minded. 

Ricardo - For me Gospelheim is essentially a rock band. Nothing was preconceived, it just happened by accident. Of course for marketing purposes we’ve had to come up with some definitions but they’re still very limiting and don’t represent our sound accurately. We’d like to allow people to make up their own minds. 

What are your lyrics usually about? Where do you get the inspiration to write them?

Coco - The lyrics on Ritual and Repetition mostly touch on subjects such as morality and its origins, which is often orchestrated by religious values. Developing one’s own moral compass can be challenging, and relying on readily available solutions professed by religion is much easier - this, combined with social influences of tradition and upbringing offers a seemingly reliable foundation that guides human behaviou. In some cases, the religious values can be so thoroughly absorbed by people that even the most absurd rules and ideas are justified and perpetuated by the followers. This is where the necessity of critical thinking is most prominent. The lyrical themes in Gospelheim aim to show different perspectives for approaching the role of religion in society, and hopefully encourage the listeners to look critically at the world around them, and their personal value systems. In a way, being able to dissect one’s own morality and look at the outside influences that directed it could be an important step for self-development. It opens more possibilities for reaching new horizons in connecting and interacting with others. 

Ricardo - When I look back now at the lyrics, I feel as if they’re a proposal for swapping places and attempting to walk in somebody’s else’s shoes and vice-versa. The attempt of trying to see things, understand certain outcomes and circumstances from someone else’s perspective. Like an exchange of reactions and opinions, which can be quite challenging and uncomfortable at first. 

Gospelheim just released the debut album "Ritual & Repetition". How do you feel about it and how do you see the reception of the public?"

Ricardo - I think the coolest thing is to hear your own band on vinyl. It has been a long process, from recording to mixing and for the label to get hold of a pressing plant that would deliver the album in 2022. As far as reception goes, the reviews so far have been very positive. The thing I am most happy with is that people are listening to the whole album and notice the importance of its sequencing, how songs were carefully placed in a particular order. It was a balance very hard to find, but so far, it looks like it is paying off.

You have been quite active with shows and everything. From this side, it gives the impression that Gospelheim is like a phenomena where everything has been happening quite fast. Do you feel this way or is it an impression from who has been on the outside?

Ricardo - It’s been crazy indeed. There is always a next show to prepare for, new merch to look into. But our main focus is the live show. We feel we are nowhere near to delivering the live show we dream about, in terms of visuals, lightshow, props etc. So in that sense, things feel like they are moving a bit slow. But we are trying to be patient and do the best we can with what tools are available to us at the moment. The spacing between shows allows us more time to rehearse, so we might throw a surprise or two in the setlist next year.

Coco - The preparation for the album release was a very lengthy process, so it feels like we’ve been waiting to see the results of the work we’ve put into it for a long time. After all, the album was recorded in 2020, and it took a lot of patience from us to see this through. So, generally it feels like things have been progressing quite slowly, and only now we can see the effects of the work we did years ago. Nonetheless, the reception of the album was great so far, and all the reviews are quite flattering! We hope that we’ll get to play a bigger variety of shows and perform to new audiences next year.

  

Earlier this year, Gospelheim signed a deal with Prophecy Productions. How did this happen, and how do you feel about it?

Ricardo - We have a friend that works in PR and he helped us contact Prophecy. They liked what they heard and wrote back to us. We feel blessed to be in this position with just one album. When we contacted Prophecy we only had done one show, But we believed in our sound and figured that more people might enjoy it if exposed to it, and that is where we need a label like Prophecy and their distribution channels. They’ve done a fantastic job so far. 

What else is new? What can we expect from Gospelheim in the near future?

 

Coco - Right now we’re mostly focusing on perfecting our live performance and adjusting the technical aspects of it to fit different settings and venues we might perform at. We also have a few shows coming up early next year, and we might have a little surprise or two.

Ricardo - We will tour if possible, and we might start playing some new material live, to expand and extend our live show,

Is there any last message you'd like to leave to your followers?

Ricardo & Coco - Thank you for the incredible support so far, come to our shows, you won’t be disappointed.

Gospelheim are:

Ricardo Calhau - Vocals, Guitars

Coco Mengele - Bass, Vocals

Jordan Sheffield - Guitars

Robert Kendrick - Drums

Read more about Gospelheim here:

https://www.facebook.com/gospelheim

Review Grievance + ANZV @ RCA (Lx, PT), 02/12/2022

Greetings!

So, since all the isolation happened, only recently Lachryma Christi started going to gigs again. But not exactly Black Metal gigs, so no reviews so far. 

A few days ago, there was supposed to be a show of Belphegor plus guests in RCA in Lisbon (PT). However, due to the financial crisis due to inflation and so on, like other bands, Belphegor had to cancel their show, but the guest bands Grievance and ANZV, together with promoters and so, decided to keep their show up. And it really was a very good decision indeed.

This isn't much of a review as it is only a few lines, but the show was very good, so it has to be shared!

So, Lachryma Christi had seen Grievance once before. BTW, there is a review for a show they played with Hecate Enthroned and Invoke, and also an interview,  here on the webzine, from years ago, in case you're interested.

Since that time, Grievance became a band I regularly listen to. So the expectations for this show were high. And they exceeded them all completely.  

For those who don't know, Grievance are Portuguese, from Caldas da Rainha. And they play a melodic but raw (if possible to mix and match those two words) Black Metal music. 

This time, Grievance did an impeccable old school Black Metal show with all that it deserves. Knowing their songs more well than not, I can tell they were perfectly played. I don't mind bands singing in other language, but Grievance keep their lyrics mostly in Portuguese, which is rare nowadays, and awesome. 

There was a freezing cold outside, and the show started quite punctually (I even missed one song and had to rush in), so their traditional kind of 90s Black Metal music, accompanied by the also traditional corpse paint, and all their posture and dedication, brought just the perfect atmosphere. It was great, maybe the best show of this year (at least up to this day).

As for ANZV, I haven't heard their music before this show was announced. So a few days before the show, I decided to give it a listen, and I liked it very much. Not exactly what I usually go for, but I liked it very much either way.

They are from Porto (PT) and they play a Black Metal more like Blackened Death Metal. It's different, it's more recent as well (although their musicians have been around for years with other bands), it's also very ritualistic. If while listening to them at home, you get the idea of how ritualistic they are, live there is no mistake. 

Starting with incense on the stage which brought a different ambience to the venue, in a very theatrical way they performed their music with no flaw and the public seemed pleased such as was I.

(I apologise for the low quality of the photos, and for the members of the bands missing in them.)

There was merchandise at the entry of the venue. So after it all endend I purchased some stuff, and had the chance to finally meet Koraxid, since we have only communicated online before. 

It was a very pleasant night, a very special way of going back to gigs, Black Metal gigs. And these two bands proved that, although they are very different (although both write about ancient deities and not only), they can work very well together, as in playing in the same stage in the same night. 

As usual, the venue was impeccable as in great conditions, and the staff was very nice as always, as well. 

Important to point these things out too, in my opinion. 

Black Lava released album "Soul Furnace" today, and you can stream it

Australian Blackened Death Metal band Black Lava released their new album Soul Furnace today. However, they had made it available for streaming a few days ago, and you can listen to it in full, here:

You can purchase it here:
https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/black-lava-soul-furnace

The cover artwork for Soul Furnace, was created by Paolo Giradi.

Recording Studio: Bushido Studios, Melbourne
Producer / sound engineer: Troy Mccosker
Mixing studio and engineer: Kurt Ballou
Mastering studio and engineer: Alan Douches

Tracklist: 

1. Origins (02:50)

2. Aurora (03:35)

3. Black Blizzard (03:32)

4. Baptised in Ice (03:27)

5. Eye of the Moon (04:10) 

6. Northern Dawn (04:30)

7. Necrocatacomb (03:23)

8. Nightshade (04:06)
9. Soul Furnace (04:31) 
Total duration: 34:02

Line-up:
Dan Presland: Drums
Ben Boyle: Guitar
Rob Watkins: Vocals
Tim Anderson: Bass

Read more in:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blacklava.aus/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BLACKLAVA00

Bandcamp: www.blacklava-aus.bandcamp.com

Vėlių Namai release new video for single "Saulės Kalvis"

Greetings!

Long time no see! Well, sometimes life gets in the way. But, moving on!

Just got sent this masterpiece, and although it is not Black Metal, it is very dark and mystical, so you might enjoy it too.

Saulės Kalvis (The Sun's Blacksmith), is the first single from Alkai, the fourth album of Vėlių Namai, ritualistic dark-folk project from Lithuania.

Alkai should be released on the 20th of January 2023, but you can watch the video for Saulės Kalvis here:

Band leader Julius Mitė commented: 
 
"“Saulės Kalvis” is about Teliavelis, a Baltic mythological god who - according to Baltic mythology - was the blacksmith who forged the sun. Afterwards, he put it in the sky to illuminate the earth and make the land fertile. 
 
The video clip was shot at Kilkim Žaibu, a Baltic culture and extreme music festival which takes place during the summer solstice – the longest day of the year. In the Baltic tradition, the summer solstice (Rasos, Kupolės) marks a very important celebration. 
 
The live performance features a symbolic blood sacrifice, as well as lighting of a symbol of the sun. The symbol then ignites the great bonfire, honouring the sun and the warmth it provides. It’s a celebration of the sun before the period when days become shorter and darkness starts to return. "

Tracklist: 

 

1 - Aftensinn (‘Evening Mood’) 

2 - Væringjar – (‘The Varangians’) 

3 - Bardo 

4 - Vilkobelė – (‘The Hawthorn’) 

5 - Miklagarðr – (‘The Great City’) 

6 - Alkai 

7 - Saulės Kalvis – (‘The Sun's Blacksmith’) 

8 - Paskandos – (‘The World Beyond the Water/Hell/Drowning’) 

9 - Invocation of the Nine-Horned God 

10 - The Plateau 

11 - Nótt ('The Night´)

­

Pre-sale: 

https://nordvis.com/ve-liu-namai-a-46 

https://orcd.co/alkai 

Scheduled single titles and release dates:   
Single 1 – “Saulės Kalvis”, November 25, 2022 
Single 2 - “Alkai”, December 16, 2022 
Single 3 - “Invocation of the Nine-Horned God” January 6, 2023 

Read more in: 

Web: https://nordvis.com/ve-liu-namai-a-46 
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/veliunamai 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veliu_namai/ 
Bandcamp: https://veliunamai.bandcamp.com 

Nordvis Produktion 

www.nordvis.com 

Info@nordvis.com