Puppies' Black Metal Album of the Week (Featuring Voidsphere)

[TAC]

Being on America's backside means you're running behind.

[The Walrus]

Being on America's backside means you're running behind.

You're both jokers. Midbest represent

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Week 8

Empyrium - Songs of Moors and Misty Fields | Bandcamp

(Folky Doomy Symphonic Atmospheric Black Metal?)

1. When Shadows Grow Longer
2. The Blue Mists of Night
3. Mourners
4. Ode to Melancholy
5. Lover’s Grief
6. The Ensemble of Silence

This one is quite different and quite varied. Despite everyone involved with this band has a background in Black Metal and the music being grounded in Black Metal, this takes on so many different forms and sounds. There's bits of folk here, touches of symphonic metal there, a little bit of a Gothic undertone, with Doom and Gloom surrounding it all. And yet there is a definite quality of beauty to it all. You could call this the precursor to everything Agalloch would eventually become a few years later.

[ariich]

Ok I'm catching up now.

Tardigrada was good. I still don't think I loved it, but it feels like you're inching closer towards finding something that's squarely within atmospheric black metal that I do love. The melodic side is really good and on my second listen I found that, as well as all the interlude tracks which are lovely, each of the five main songs also had some really great moments. There's still something about the production - the high reverb, the distant vocals, that doesn't seem to work for me, and particularly in the heavier/darker sections it just lacks a bit of punch.

I'm on my first listen of this week's album, and it's very good so far. I'll obviously give a fuller impression once I've given it a couple of good listens. Also, between your comments and having seen them mentioned a lot recently, I'm going to have to return to Agalloch and see if I like them more than I did before.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

That high reverb/distant vocals thing seems to be something only me and Cyril really enjoy around these parts. I guess you could call it an acquired taste. At the same time, there are bands that I've listened to that do that style that I absolutely don't like, so it's definitely a case by case basis. You just have to find your niche.

[TAC]

Week 8

Empyrium - Songs of Moors and Misty Fields | Bandcamp

(Folky Doomy Symphonic Atmospheric Black Metal?)

1. When Shadows Grow Longer
2. The Blue Mists of Night
3. Mourners
4. Ode to Melancholy
5. Lover’s Grief
6. The Ensemble of Silence

This one is quite different and quite varied. Despite everyone involved with this band has a background in Black Metal and the music being grounded in Black Metal, this takes on so many different forms and sounds. There's bits of folk here, touches of symphonic metal there, a little bit of a Gothic undertone, with Doom and Gloom surrounding it all. And yet there is a definite quality of beauty to it all. You could call this the precursor to everything Agalloch would eventually become a few years later.

Pup, this album is all kinds of awesome!

Damn, it's amazing and probably my favorite so far. This is really easy on the ears.

The Ensemble Of Silence might be the coolest song title ever. The piano part in the middle of Lover's Grief is incredible (as in Incredible Hulk...)

I like the Gothic influence. Two of my favorite albums from this year and last lean heavily towards it.

[ariich]

Yeah I agree Tim, this Empyrium album is really great. I might even like it slightly more than the Arkona, but definitely around on a par with that. Just a really rich, vibrant style - very moody and evocative.

[Evermind]

This was definitely the best album in the thread for me so far. Lover's Grief is great.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I'm glad you guys are liking this album so much. It's one that's been in my collection for many years that I come back to about once a year and am blown away every time.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Week 9

Mare Cognitum - An Extraconscious Lucidity | Bandcamp

(Atmospheric Black Metal)

1. Collapse Into Essence
2. Pyre of Ascendance
3. Degeneracy Pressure
4. Nascency
5. Ergosphere
6. Pulses in Extraconscious Lucidity

[Crow]

btw i listened to like half of last week's album and felt pretty much the same towards it as that arkona album, both seem to be cut from the same folk metal-y cloth that does nothing for me

i'm pretty sure i listened to every mare cognitum album by this point but i don't remember the first two being nearly as compelling as phobos or luminiferous so i'm interested to hear why you chose this one

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

btw i listened to like half of last week's album and felt pretty much the same towards it as that arkona album, both seem to be cut from the same folk metal-y cloth that does nothing for me

i'm pretty sure i listened to every mare cognitum album by this point but i don't remember the first two being nearly as compelling as phobos or luminiferous so i'm interested to hear why you chose this one

I'll be writing down my thoughts on this later today. I posted this just before I went to bed last night, so was too tired to collect my thoughts. And now I must go to work...

[Evermind]

btw i listened to like half of last week's album and felt pretty much the same towards it as that arkona album, both seem to be cut from the same folk metal-y cloth that does nothing for me

I find this not surprising at all, because these were the only two albums I liked so far.

[ariich]

Tardigrada was good. I still don't think I loved it, but it feels like you're inching closer towards finding something that's squarely within atmospheric black metal that I do love.

Well, that didn't take you long.

Assuming this week's album is still atmospheric black metal then you've finally found something in the genre that I find pretty fantastic. The production is much stronger than a lot of the genre - it's still kind of... spacey, but much more clear and punchy and engaging that a lot of what I've heard. And it's strong musically too - some of it isn't super interesting, but most of the tracks build to some really exciting stuff and a lot of it is really melodic too.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Tardigrada was good. I still don't think I loved it, but it feels like you're inching closer towards finding something that's squarely within atmospheric black metal that I do love.

Well, that didn't take you long.

Assuming this week's album is still atmospheric black metal then you've finally found something in the genre that I find pretty fantastic. The production is much stronger than a lot of the genre - it's still kind of... spacey, but much more clear and punchy and engaging that a lot of what I've heard. And it's strong musically too - some of it isn't super interesting, but most of the tracks build to some really exciting stuff and a lot of it is really melodic too.

So, Cyril asked about why I chose this particular album from Mare Cognitum, when the more recent ones are better. He is right. However, I feel this is a good place to start with this band. It's a very strong album in it's own right, but as you go forward chronologically they get even better. I didn't want to throw the very best this band (really it's just one guy, Jacob Buczarski) has to offer and then have you all be disappointed with the rest of the output if you chose to explore this band further.

Going to the next Full-Length Mare Cognitum album, Phobos Monolith, the song writing feels much more focused and just tighter overall and, at least to me, is a huge step up. Then on his most recent Full-Length, Luminiferous Aether, I feel like he pretty much nails the balance between Atmosphere and Melody. Plus the buildups are much more epic.

Now, the most interesting things he has done, in my opinion, are the splits he has with Spectral Lore. There are two, Sol and then Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine. Wanderers being the best, again in my opinion. Wanderers is going to end up being my favorite album of 2020, most likely.

He has another split with a band called Aureole, but it's not quite as good as his other stuff. The guy behind Aureole, Markov Soroka, doesn't have the same song writing skills as Jacob Buczarski.

[TAC]

Just listened to the Mare Cognitum album.

Musically, it's really cool. Tons of great grooves, many almost gothic.

Those vocals though. I mean, they're dissonant enough where they don't hurt my ears, but, I don't know..

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Just listened to the Mare Cognitum album.

Musically, it's really cool. Tons of great grooves, many almost gothic.

Those vocals though. I mean, they're dissonant enough where they don't hurt my ears, but, I don't know..

Try the Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine album. It's by far my favorite album that Mare Cognitum has worked on. And the fact that he is working with Spectral Lore is just icing on the cake. It is a long album, to be fair, but it sure doesn't feel long.

Also, apologies everyone, I didn't have time to update this thread last weekend. I will be updating it this Saturday, so you just get an extra week to listen to the Mare Cognitum album or catch up if you were behind.

[TAC]

So Mare is a guy, and not a band?

[TAC]

Just listened to the Mare Cognitum album.

Musically, it's really cool. Tons of great grooves, many almost gothic.

Those vocals though. I mean, they're dissonant enough where they don't hurt my ears, but, I don't know..

Try the Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine album. It's by far my favorite album that Mare Cognitum has worked on. And the fact that he is working with Spectral Lore is just icing on the cake. It is a long album, to be fair, but it sure doesn't feel long.

I checked into that album earlier this year after seeing the amazing album cover. i think it's cool, actually, but not likely something I'd listen to on my own.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

So Mare is a guy, and not a band?

It's a one man project by a guy named Jakub Buczarski. Same with Spectral Lore, just another one man project.

[nattmorker]

I just listened to the Empyrium album... wow! It's awesome, right up my alley! I'm behind on this thread, I will listen to the next album in the next days.

Great recommendations so far 

[TAC]

I'm behind on this thread,

Puppies, is that you?

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I'm behind on this thread,

Puppies, is that you?

I know I know. I'm very far behind at this point. Work has been killer the last few weeks.

[TAC]

Just joshing. No worries!

[TAC]

 

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Oh yeah.....

[Crow]

black metal is over

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I could turn it in to "Puppies Post Hardcore Album of the Week", but then TAC would hate it 


I just need to get back into the groove of this.

[Crow]

i'd dig the hell out of that too tbh  even tho our post-hardcore tastes don't tend to align as much

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Yeah, I've noticed that. Although we do have some crossover from time to time.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Hey look a new album in this thread.........finally.....

Week 10

Wolves in the Throne Room - Black Cascade | Bandcamp

(Atmospheric Black Metal)

1. Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog
2. Ahrimanic Trance
3. Ex Cathedra
4. Crystal Ammunition

I actually think this album gets a bad rap from WitTR fans. The overwhelming majority think the previous album, Two Hunters, is better. And while it is another fantastic album, I enjoy this one much more. This definitely falls well into the Atmospheric Black Metal category, with hints of dark folk and post-rock. It is a dense album, without much variation, but that gives it a very trance-like quality to it. The music ebbs and flows and just kind of pulls you along with it. That isn't to say there aren't some good melodies and headbanging moments sprinkled throughout.

[nattmorker]

I had heard about this album many many years ago and always been meaning to listen to it. Thanks for the reminder! I had forgotten about it, I didn't it was on spotify.

BTW our profile pictures are really similar!

[Evermind]

I've received a song from this band in my roulette. I did not like it.

Looking forward to the next week! In the meantime, let me spin Empyrium again.

[Elite]

Wow, I actually know this one.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I'm a little surprised that last album didn't get much traction. Oh well. This week's album goes in a slightly different direction.

Week 11

Dordeduh - Dar De Duh | Bandcamp

(Atmospheric Black Metal with touches of Romanian Folk Music)

1. Jind de tronuri
2. Flăcărarii
3. E-an-na
4. Calea roţilor de foc
5. Pândarul
6. Zuh
7. Cumpăt
8. Dojană

Negură Bunget is one of my favorite Black Metal bands of all time, but after 2 of the main band members left in 2009, they just weren't the same anymore. They continued on until 2017 when the final founding member of the band died of a heart attack. The 2 members that left the band immediately formed this band and quickly put out an EP consisting of 2 songs that would later show up on this album. This album, though, is what I consider the true successor to Negură Bunget's Om, which was released in 2006. That was a 5* album and so is this, in my opinion. However, I think this album is slightly more accessible and the production is better, so it could be considered a better album than Om.

What truly makes this album stand out to me is the flawless weaving of Black Metal, Traditional Folk Music, and Progressive Metal. It's not afraid to go into softer quieter sections for decent lengths of time and that makes the heavier sections that much more potent and meaningful. There is also an underlying beauty to it all. Then there is their use of many different traditional folk instruments; like the Toacă, Hammered Dulcimer, Bucium, Kaval Flute, Wood Flute, and Pan Flute. They give the music true authenticity. To me it's the peak of what Black Metal should be with Folk influence.