Black Metal History Month

Looking Back At BLACK METAL HISTORY MONTH

Lincoln BMHM

Today is the last day of February and thus concludes another awesome round of Black Metal History Month. If you missed any of our frostbitten and grim coverage, here is a look back at what we posted:

The Fix, our music video show, went ALL BLACK METAL with videos from Gorgoroth, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Satyricon and Ancient. Watch it here.

We also posted two other black metal related videos, The King of Metal, Dave Hill reviewed some black metal videos and only really liked the Immortal one we showed him, and we took a peek into a day in the life of the Necrosexual.

We reviewed both new and classic black metal albums including:

We explored the stage name origins of 10 black metal artists, caught the commercial prog-rock band Muse getting down with Black Metal History Month, found our favorite new Tumblr blog, Bargain Bin Blasphemy and had some fun with a few silly black metal caption contests.

We were also incredibly stoked to announce the release of our very own Black Metal History Month T-Shirt designed by our good friend Mike Wohlberg, which is still available for purchase.

Don't forget just because February is over doesn't mean you can't wear your new Black Metal History Month T-Shirt proudly as we continue our Black Metal coverage year-round. For even more coverage, check out our 2012 Black Metal History.

Black Metal History Month Reviews

Album Review: LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH – Baphometic Chaosium

Lightning-Swords-of-Death_Baphometic-Chaosium

Overtly sinister sonic imagery requires some suspension of disbelief on my part. Either I’ll buy into a band’s bombast and bluster, or their attempts to evoke evil will fall hilariously flat, obscuring the music below. On their third full-length, Lightning Swords of Death deftly thread the needle of depravity, creating an immersive and convincingly blasphemous atmosphere. Baphometic Chaosium rides the raging black on the edge of death, pleading its case with massive riffs and songwriting prowess; I’ll buy in.

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LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH Baphometic Chaosium video [NSFW]

LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH Baphometic Chaosium video [NSFW] Play this video

Directed by Farron Loathing off the album Baphometic Chaosium

Black Metal History Month

Top 10 New Black Metal Bands You Should Know

By Atanamar Sunyata

Black metal means many things to many people.  The longevity of the genre is due in no small part to the malleability of its musical tenets.  Misanthropy forms the dark heart of black metal's ethos, while a predilection for speed, tremolo picked guitars, screeching vocals and bleak blastbeats serve as common aural denominators.  Over the years, bands have added all manner of embellishment to the mix, including orchestration, industrial precision, psychedelia and folk ephemera.  A new generation of bands continue to push black metal forward or, in some cases, merely to push it back towards its purer form.  Either way, the genre continues to evolve, and we can all sit back and enjoy its continued prosperity.  The following are ten new* black metal bands you should know: (more…)