Osmose Productions

Hate Forest, Innermost (Osmose Productions 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , ,

Prolific Ukrainian black metal band Hate Forest release their sixth album, Innermost.

Formed in 1995, Hate Forest spent a few years on the stage before issuing a triplet of EPs in 2000-2001. They solidified their place in black metal history by releasing four strong long-players in the first half of the same decade, and then they drifted apart for a while. Fast forward to 2020 and the full force return with the resounding record Hour of the Centaur. And now we have Innermost. On the record label’s page for the new release, there is the note that “Hate Forest is R.” Presumably, that is a reference to Roman Saenko, suggesting this music is his solo creation.

There are six tracks on the new record, starting off with “Those Who Howl Inside the Snowstorm.” The song begins like the opening of a window on a dark winter day. The storm from the title is outside, but now it is coming in, and its speed and intensity is growing with each passing moment. The usual black metal approach is turned askance, tuned in a somewhat different direction. Likewise, the vocals, which preserve at times the black metal expectation but otherwise introduce amalgamation and crossover sorcery. “By Full Moon’s Light Alone the Steppe Throne Can Be Seen” equals the intensity and presses it even further. Two minutes in, we hit an acoustic cliff that resets the tempo then marches off at a charging gate that is less of a frenzy but still most menacing. All of this and the music is only really beginning.

Throughout the album, the compositions stir emotions that are primitive and enduring, ones often buried deep. The guitars seem to bite into your flesh and the music could very well be an agent of change. The final track, “Solitude In Starry December,” is among my favorites. It has a patient set-up – the vocals enter only after about three minutes – and the endgame is not fully revealed until it is reached. The album is concise and memorable because it is so excellently constructed. Recommended.

Innermost is out now through Osmose Productions in many formats. Press the link below for all the details.

Links.

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/people/Hate-Forest/100050494209434/

Osmose Productions, https://osmoseproductions-label.com/hate-forest-innermost/

© Wayne Edwards

Hate Forest, Innermost (Osmose Productions 2022)

Mournful Congregation, The Exuviae Of Gods – Part I (20 Buck Spin 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

On the cusp of thirty years in, Mournful Congregation begin their two-part EP series with The Exuviae Of Gods – Part I.

Australian doom band Mournful Congregation is a pillar of the funeral doom mausoleum. From the very beginning with the Weeping demo in 1994, they have set their own boundaries. A second demo appeared the very next year then, a few years on, Tears From A Grieving Heart, their first full-length album. Since then, there has been a steady, well-paced flow of much-needed doom. The band is peopled by Damon Good (vocals and guitar), Justin Hartwig (guitar), Ben Newsome (bass), Ben Petch (guitar), and Tim Call (drums).

Exuviae Of Gods will be released in two parts, the second appearing later this year. Part I contains three long tracks starting with “Mountainous Shadows, Cast Through Time.” An organ fades in playing sinister tones leading in short order to a confrontation with a massive wall of guitar riffs. The vocals that ensue have a sound of distance in them, gruff and croaking. Slow and deliberate. The guitar solo enters in its own time and, when it does, it is genuinely enthralling.

“The Exuviae Of Gods” is a deeply moving instrumental piece soaked in sorrow. At merely seven minutes long, it is sandwiched between two behemoths. The vocalizations in “An Epic Dream Of Desire” are spoken word, offering unmuddled direction in the narrative. Halfway through, a lead guitar embarks on a deeply emotive dirge of mystical wonder. Beyond is the eventuality of existence and nonexistence. The space that Mournful Congregation inhabits in the land of funeral doom music is most compelling. Recommended.

The Exuviae Of Gods – Part I is out on Friday, May 27th through 20 Buck Spin digitally and on CD, with vinyl to follow a bit later on. Osmose Productions is handling the album outside of North America.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://mournfulcongregation.bandcamp.com/album/the-exuviae-of-gods-part-i

Website, https://www.mournfulcongregation.com

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/mournfulcongregation

20 Buck Spin, https://www.20buckspin.com/

© Wayne Edwards

Mournful Congregation, The Exuviae Of Gods – Part I (20 Buck Spin 2022)

Aegrus, The Carnal Temples (Osmose Productions 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , ,

Finland’s black metal veterans Aegrus unleash a new EP onto the world: The Carnal Temples.

Aegrus has three full-length albums in their catalogue, and a host of EPs and demos dating back to 2006. Originating in southern Finland, Aegrus is part of the storied landscape of black metal history. According to the Metal Archives, the band is Praestigiator (guitar), Lux Tenebris (guitar, bass), Inculta (vocals), and Serpentifer (drums).

There are four tracks on the new EP, each running in the six minute range. First up, “The Carnal Temples.” A solitary guitar strums a direct riff and is soon joined by the rhythm section and the hissing, strained vocals we were waiting for. An episode of chaos follows, and then the rampaging riff returns. “In Death Rapture” opens slower, but you know the kick is coming … and it does, fierce and excoriating.

“Moonlit Coffinspirit” dooms up front with a heavy trod and a melancholy melody. The pace does grow throughout and the song ends on a vocal duet and a hammering groove. It is a very different song from the other three on the record and stands out as my favorite of the set. The final flourish is “Flesh And Blood,” a traditionally savage black metal beast. The song does have divergent groovy hooks in a couple of spots that mark it for notoriety.

If you have been following Aegrus all these years then you are in line already for this new one. It is a good place to start for newcomers to their music, too, because it shows a nice array of the variety of music the band produces. Recommended.

The Carnal Temples is out through Osmose Productions on Friday, January 28th. In the US, Bandcamp is the place to go.

Links.

Website, https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/the-carnal-temples

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Aegrusofficial

Osmose Productions, https://www.osmoseproductions.com/

Aegrus, The Carnal Temples (Osmose Productions 2022)