The Changing Face Of Black Metal?

     Over the years much has been written about the evolution of Black Metal since it's "rebirth" almost 25 years ago. While I am not some super grumpy elitist that will pine about all of the change and diversity that the genre now hosts, what I do miss is the "early" diversity. Euronymous himself was the one who stated that Black Metal is not a sound, it's an aesthetic, if a band plays extreme metal, and has Satanic lyrics, then it's Black Metal. In those early days bands as diverse as Mercyful Fate, Venom, Gorgoroth, Master's Hammer, Root, Mayhem, and Emperor were all branded as Black Metal. If you are a well listened fan, you know among those bands listed there, the diversity is amazingly broad! I am not of agreement that the music has to be Satanic in order to be Black Metal(it really does help, though), but that is the diversity in the genre that I miss.
     These days there is still a lot of diversity, you have bands as broad as The Meads Of Asphodel, Yellow Eyes, Twilight Fauna, Iter Pactum, Vassafor, Hermodr, and still there is Darkthrone. BUT, where are the Mercyful Fate's, the Root's(no not the hip-hop band), and the Master's Hammers'? I do agree that the main ingredient of Black Metal is atmosphere, and ALL of those former bands have it heaps. But if Mercyful Fate dropped a new "Satanic Magnum Opus" on us today, would anyone call it Black Metal? Are today's bands more atmosphere and no substance?
      I also lament the loss of the original aesthetic, the wearing of corpsepaint, the woodland photos, the whole aura of mystery behind it. I find myself facing the same dilemma that the Norwegians had back in the late 80's/early 90's. I go to Black Metal gig, and yes, the band might be amazing, but who wants to stand there and see 4 dudes in T-shirts and jeans stand motionless and staring back at you? I miss the element of danger at a Black Metal show! That feeling of not knowing what the band themselves were capable of, let alone the audience. Even those bands who have proven confrontational in the past, with "true" Black Metal stage shows; Mayhem, Gorgoroth, Watain. We already know exactly what they are going to do, and at what point in the show it's going to be done.
       So, at 25 years in, will there be a renaissance? Will bands by the hundreds start embracing those original philosophies? Will there be churches burnt all across America this time? I seriously doubt it, but I do feel there has to be some sort of "revival" or this genre that I(and you) love so much, will burn itself out, hell it's real close now. In my opinion, it's becoming a clone of the whole "post rock/shoegaze" scene of the 90's( I remember it well), and that scene imploded in less than 5 years. Will anything change? Who will be the heroes? Will Black Metal finally become a thing of the past, something that becomes an urban-legend of sorts that fratboys talk about at keggers? I would love to hear what YOU think?

Schrei Aus Stein/ Starless Night/ Deafest: "Above All Summits" Split Review

       First things first, I am still kicking myself in the ass for sleeping on this, as SSA was supposed to release this. However, life and monetary problems prevailed, and Red River Family ended up with the release, and good for them, as it's too good not be released physically.
       Schrei Aus Stein are a Colorado Black Metal band that I was not familiar with, before Chase(Deafest) brought this split to me. If you are unacquainted as I was, you NEED to check out SAS now! They bring forth one long song for this split, called "The Inverted Abyss". It starts out with a low hum/drone, and you just might think you are in for a Sunn0)) kind of band, but just then the BM kicks in, and kicks your ass HARD! Sounding like a less muddled version of Darkspace, they blast forth their brand of BM for a few mins, and then another keyboardish drone takes over. Sounding like a single-note held out on a Mellotron, it ends the song on a spacey note. I would love to hear more balls-out BM from these guys, great stuff!
       I am embarrassed to say that Starless Night hail from my home state of Florida, and I also had never heard these guys. They have quite the discography, so I don't how I missed them? The first thing you notice is how much LOUDER this track is from the SAS track, not a problem, but very noticeable. They are more straight-forward sounding BM, reminding me of several bands(Wolves In The Throne Room, Borknagar,  Leviathan, and Drudkh), but never coming off as a rip-off of any. They also contribute one LONG song in the form of "Lost In Life's Endless Maze", and although it holds no major surprises, except some very well done clean vocals, it still makes me want to investigate their past discography some more. Nothing wrong with some more well done Black Metal, is there?
         Of course the real treat for me on this split is Deafest! It's no secret that I am a MAJOR fan of this band, as SSA has released one of their tapes, and have plans to do more in the future. Chase also knows that I wish that he would add vocals back into the mix, but he did say the new Deafest material would be in a more straightforward Black Metal vein, so I will be happy with that. Not that there is anything wrong with Deafest the way they are, but I know how many people(I even used to be) are turned off by Instrumental Black Metal, and Deafest deserves to be heard more!! They contribute 2 "longish" songs on this split, the first called "Almagre", and then followed by "Summit In The Clouds". The former begins with a solitary drum beat until Chase's guitar cuts through with a psychedelic swagger not unlike prime-era Xasthur. Blasting begins and once more Deafest do what they do best, heavy as hell Black Metal in which the guitars carry the melody along in a longing and melancholy way. This is one of my favorite tracks that they have ever done, and was my main motivation in wanting to put this split out. It changes quite a bit, but never becomes tech-y or proggy, which is why they are so good at what they do. They always seem to come up with new melodic ideas, but always stay in that Deafest "comfort zone", which I find comforting. Mid-way through the song, there is such a lovely(can I say that about BM) tremolo picked part, that makes me happy every time I hear it! "Summit" seems to have a touch of that "Swedish" BM sound that Chase loves so much. It's much more bouncy and agile than the former song. If there was ever a "Black Metal Marathon" this would be the theme song! I can picture tons of corpse-painted runners sprinting along to this as if it were their "Chariots Of Fire". IMO Deafest can do no wrong, unless they go all Deafheaven or Post-Rock™ on us, which I can't see happening. If you are new to Deafest, this is a perfect introduction, as this is 2 of their best songs, see what you've been missing.
         So this split fires on all 3 cylinders, not a "dud" in the bunch. For a short EP/split, you can't do much better for your money. You 3 distinctly different styles of modern Black Metal, and none of them tread on each other, actually complementing each other, which is a rare feat these days. Order one now, SUPPORT the bands, and RRF Records!!

Format: Cassette
Label: Red River Family Records
Length: 36:23
Rating:  9/10

Ayr: "Circling" Review

     First off, let me say that the town I live in, Charlotte, NC is not a hotbed for any music, let alone Black Metal. There a few good bands out there namely Samghata, Umbra, and the much maligned Young And In The Way. I think YAITW are a decent band, nothing special, but I don't think they deserve the amounts of hate they get. I can understand some of it, first, they started out as a more traditional Hardcore band, with some crust and Black elements. Then all of a sudden they are on Deathwish™, and they have a stage show than is more than a little bit like Watain's! I've seen them live(they even opened for Mayhem), and they are a decent time waster. The REAL secret behind YAITW is their side projects. Bot Votknut and Ayr(now on hold) are pretty fucking good, and have the potential to eclipse their main act.
     Ayr is YAITW's guitarist Rick Cortes' baby, and it shows. He does all of the music here except Drums(provided by YAITW's  Randy Baucom) and synths. This tape is an EP, their debut, and only 3 songs. But it satisfies like an album, because it covers a lot of ground on it's 3 tracks. The tape begins with "I Had A Dream Which Was Not All A Dream" which is sort of an intro track. It begins with a very Doomy Crusty riff, which might be influenced by early My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost? It really has that early "Peaceville 3" vibe, with some beautiful picked melodic passages shining through the murk. It leads right into the "star" song of the tape, which is the title track, "Circling". At just under 9 minutes, this song is quite Epic. It starts barreling on all 4's! The main detriment to this tape is the recording quality. It's very analog, which renders that really warm sound, but it only let's the drums/cymbals and vocals shine through. I wish that I could hear a little more of the guitar and bass, but that's a minor complaint. "Circling" settles into a mid-pace trod that sounds a bit like prime-era Shining. Rick's vocals are the true triumph of this recording. Sure, they are standard BM vocals, but he has that REAL larynx shredding vocals, that sounds like he might have never recovered after the recording. From that mid-paced section the songs then turns to a really beautiful slow and desolate passage that lulls you into thinking it's ending, but quickly pulls a switch on you, and turns to seriously fucking diabolic blast section. It never sounds derivative of YAITW or any other band in general, but I am sure fans of Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, old Satyricon, and all of the aforementioned bands will be very happy with it. The second side of the tape, and last song is "And Some Did Rest Their Chins Upon Their Clinched Hands", is not just and epic song title, at 8 and a half minutes, it's another beast of a song! It begins as a chugging mid-paced clobberer, that is so fucking headbangable that it's ridiculous! This song is where that "warmth" of the analog plays in it's favor(except for those loud cymbals), it creates a perfect atmospheric wave, that all of us Black Metal freaks know and listen for. A bit of Doom plays into this track but not overtly. About 4 mins in, it goes to quiet, ambient mode, but this time you are ready for that sucker punch! BAM!! It kicks in, and they synths make an epic appearance and reminds me of the Emperor Demo's and Self-titled era. This also marks the first appearance of vocals in this track, but they are much more buried this time, and it all forms that atmospheric "blanket" that we love.
       Ayr really has a winner here, and I really think the EP format plays in it's favor here. I prefer EP's, because if the band does it correctly for 15-30 mins, they leave you wanting more. If they do it 45-70 mins, even the most patient listener might get bored? It's really too bad this project is on hold, because I feel they have a real chance of being a bigger name in the Black Metal stratosphere. Definitely don't be put off by the YAITW affiliation, if you are not a fan of that band. Ayr is totally it's own beast, and one of the few that actually captures that magical, atmospheric feeling of the 90's BM scene that we all long for.

Format: Cassette
Label: Nervous Light Tapes
Length: 21:31
Rating: 8.5/10

Tjolgtjar: "I Am A Wolf" Review

       In case you weren't aware, there is some scary shit happening in Illinois. Since 1998, the mysterious figure going under the alias of the Rev. JR Preston, has been cranking out the BEST Black Metal the US has to offer. But to call Tjolgtjar strictly Black Metal, is surely being unfair, when this music has so much more going on. This is OCCULT Black Metal!! Imagine an ungodly stew of the Euro-centric BM bands like Master's Hammer, Mortuary Drape, and Root, then throw in a heaping dose of American guitar driven Rock N' Roll, like Ted Nugent and Blue Oyster Cult and you are getting close. The Rev's vocals rotate between a high-pitched caterwaul that sounds like a cross between King Diamond, and that weird female sounding voice that Fenriz does on Goatlord. But his grim vocals are also some of the highest caliber, sounding like Abbath's possessed cousin and Linda Blair on a double date. But the REAL meat of Tjolgtjar's sound is the fucking guitar!! As I have told the Rev personally, I consider him the best guitar player in the entire US Black Metal scene! None of the European sounding "atmospheric, play all of the strings, and let it ring out" style of guitar......the Rev plays RIFFS! I mentioned Blue Oyster Cult earlier, and if Buck Dharma had an evil twin, guitar playing maniac of a son, then it's surely Mr. Preston. He infuses even the fastest songs with a sense of melody not usually associated with Black Metal, and more NWOBHM sounding than anything.

      "I Am A Wolf" is not an "official" album, it's a collection of songs from splits and singles. But compiled together, you would never be able to tell it wasn't intended to play as a whole. Starting the record with "Rhinoceros" and ending with "Elephant", two of my favorite songs from Tjolgtjar was a stroke of genius. The title track is also a complete headbanger, and "The Halls of Pororium" is about as close to "traditional" BM as he comes. The Rev has well over 20 releases to his credit, but unfortunately a REAL label has not stepped up and signed this man, which is a true tragedy. He has been ripped off by countless labels, so I know that has affected his view of "the business", SSA plans to re-release some of his past works on Cassette. But, Tjolgtjar deserves to be on a label with a HUGE reach, and push, so he will continue to bless us with his blasphemous tunes. 

      This is a prefect place for the novice to start with Tjolgtjar, or if you want a "real" album, I suggest "Ikarikitomidun, Lord of the Forest" or "Kjal Tjormejn". I will post the link to his Facebook page, PLEASE contact him if you want to see what he has in stock, or if you just want to tell him how fucking awesome he is, he won't mind! 

Format: Cassette

Label: Winter Solace 

Length: 1:11:54

Rating 9/10

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Introitus

     I suppose if you are reading this you are already familiar with my Label, Sylvan Screams Analog? If not, I am glad that you have found this site. SSA was started in July of 2013 as way for me to involve myself further in the Metal scene, while not playing music. I had dreamed my whole life of having a label, yet thought I never could, due to financial aspects of it. Since I grew primarily in the 70's and 80's, I have always been in love with the Cassette format, and decided that would be the medium I could afford to work with. In the time since SSA was created, I have now released 27 tapes, and all but three of those are now Sold Out. The Facebook page now has well over 600 fans, so the label has already exceeded my expectations. Fans of the label often comment on how much passion I have about the music, and that's the primary reason for this blog existing. I LOVE doing reviews, and the Facebook formats are terrible for doing such, so this will be the home for reviews(even films), discussions, and shameless label promotions. Thank you so much for reading and supporting.
  -Mitch/SSA