Carved from the frozen Norwegian landscapes, black metal titans 1349 return with their cataclysmic new album The Wolf And The King.
The album wastes no time to erupt into a frenzy with the blackened laced The God Devourer which then spirals into Ash Of Ages with a menacing groove. An ominous mist then forms around Shadow Point which is easily one of the album most intense track which is complimented with some great guitar solos on follow up track Inferior Pathways.
The album is based around a classic alchemical allegory: A wolf devours a king. Then the wolf is devoured by flames, and a new king rises from the ashes which is delivered well through Inner Portal and structures the narrative into it also. This is bands eighth album, and the artwork and lyrics are filled with references to this number of infinity,” Ravn explains. “You can basically go on a quest finding references to the number in the artwork.”
Moving to The Vessel And The Storm there is a real injection of influences alongside dominant basslines and relentless drum patterns, alongside this is the cold, bleak construction of Obscura before final track Fatalist creates a hypnotic outpouring. There has most definitely been a shift with this album which at times has had a real doomsday aesthetic but at the same time 1349 have stuck to their original ethos. 7/10
Dark Divine - Deadly Fun (Thriller Records) [James Jackson]
Orlando, Florida is the home of Disney and Universal Studios, theme park attractions known the world over for their fun filled family entertainment; nestled in the sunshine state of Florida.. out of which has come Dark Divine; a metalcore band very much in the vein of Motionless In White and they release the Deluxe Edition of their second album this October. Deadly Fun opens the album and within the first track that comparison to MIW is hugely evident from the use of a horror film intro, the balance between harsh and clean vocals, the guitar tones feel similar as does the use of samples/synths.
The rest of the album follows a similar approach, it’s Metalcore, offering a hint of something more Pop like at times, there are catchy riffs, singalong choruses and the emphasis on the vocals when needed, utilising the harsher style in contrast to the cleaner more melodic notes. Cold, offers a slightly different tone, it’s a bit more personal and the sound and pace of the track reflect that emotion and stands out from the rest of the album because of it.
The addition of Fame On Fire’s Brian Kuznitz as guest vocalist on Paper Crown has the grey cells firing and a quick search shows me where I recognise the name from - they’ve done a few covers I’ve heard of. For a first time listen, this isn’t a bad album at all, as a on/off listener of MIW there’s a familiarity to the songs as much as there is with any other band of a similar ilk; for those that already know of the band the big draw for the release of this Deluxe Edition would be the bonus tracks.
Starting with the recently released single Digital Numb and it’s as much as anything that was previously released but it’s the following tracks that are the most diverse and offer a different take upon a few songs already released. There’s a Synthwave (a genre I’ve recently got more into) version of Drown, which offers a cleaner vocal line throughout alongside an obviously more Synth led sound and dance beats which allows a more accessible and upbeat version of the song. The aforementioned Cold gets a Cinematic version, it was already an exercise in emotion but the piano led score offers a deeper hit.
Where I probably won’t pick the album up again, that final track, Cold (Cinematic) will get a few more listens before the week is out. 6/10
Infern - Turn Of The Tide (Dolorem Records) [Mike Pickett]
Turn Of The Tide by Infern delivers a punishing blend of old-school death metal with a modern edge. Formed in 2019 by Sylvain Collas (Stonebirds), Julien Tanguy (Gengis), and Pierre-Loup Corvez (ex-The Dying Seed), the band aimed to revive music inspired by an old vinyl they discovered during a harpoon fishing trip. Joined by Jean-Marie Grövel (Gengis) and Simon Beux (Gengis, ex-Taliandörögd), Infern pays tribute to death metal legends like Obituary and Bolt Thrower.
From the opening riff of Undertow, this album is relentless. The mix of chunky, low-end riffs and clean mids by Corvez and Grövel creates a deliberate, intense atmosphere. Collas' bass stands strong throughout, especially during key moments where the low end shines. Beux's drumming is sharp, driving each track forward, while Tanguy's raw vocals complement the album’s heaviness perfectly.
Produced by Charles Elliott (Abysmal Dawn, Go Ahead and Die), the sound is massive and immersive, with each instrument balanced perfectly. The album’s production captures that classic 90s death metal feel but with a polished, modern edge. I never felt the need to skip a track—each song flows seamlessly into the next. Rather than revisiting just a few songs, the entire album presents well-crafted tracks that form a cohesive, immersive experience. By the time you reach Buried Alive, you’ve witnessed some of the best death metal of 2024.
This is one of my favourite thrash albums of the year and will stay in my regular rotation. 9/10
Devenial Verdict – Blessing Of Despair (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Zak Skane]
The Helsinki four piece avant-garde death metal act shows no sign of taming it down with their second release Blessing Of Despair. For example, As soon as the opening track I Have Become The Sun begins we are greeted with walls of dissonant black metal inspired guitar riffs curtsey of Sebastian Frigan, along with blast beats from Okko Tolvanen that are lashed with reverb which just give it this huge wall of sound. Riku Saressalos low demonic vocals come in crystal clear whilst still cutting the listener like broken glass. The instrumental sections consist of chimed baritone notes whilst odd meter grooves provide the thunder in the background. Through out the song we also get chorus heavy affected solos that soar through the mix.
Devenial Verdict – Blessing Of Despair (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Zak Skane]
The Helsinki four piece avant-garde death metal act shows no sign of taming it down with their second release Blessing Of Despair. For example, As soon as the opening track I Have Become The Sun begins we are greeted with walls of dissonant black metal inspired guitar riffs curtsey of Sebastian Frigan, along with blast beats from Okko Tolvanen that are lashed with reverb which just give it this huge wall of sound. Riku Saressalos low demonic vocals come in crystal clear whilst still cutting the listener like broken glass. The instrumental sections consist of chimed baritone notes whilst odd meter grooves provide the thunder in the background. Through out the song we also get chorus heavy affected solos that soar through the mix.
The following track Garden Of Eyes opens up with heavy room sounding drums grooves before we get chunky chugging riffs that would give Gojira a run for their money. The lead guitars on this track come with rise and fall whammy bar trickery, whilst creating a cocktail of John Petrucci exotic licks which harnesses Kerry kings violent aggression. Blessing Of Despair brings in death metal riffs that are laced in gothic metal elegance with the guitar tone being mixed in with chorus effects, even the clean guitars are spiked with The Cure inspired chiming and detuned tones.
The blast beats through out the whole song come with this more natural production, which brings in more dynamics in comparison to other death metal productions in the scene. Whilst the album has it’s other riffy highlights such as Solus which brings in some Devin Townsend technical bombastic energy whilst Counting Silence has huge droning stoner riffs and spacey over dubs, but the album has quite a few slow burning moments.
For example, Blessing Of Despair brings in dominant scale produced reverbed guitars that swell from the edge of breakup tone to distorted tremolo picking, whilst the drum transition from gentle jazzy rim shot beats to intense blast beats. Cold Lantern still continues the ambient spacey wall of sounds whilst the vocalist brings an avant-garde approach to his performance by adding…what I can describe as wheezing sounds, which sounds weird on paper but when listening it in the mix it makes sense before his chilling approach is seeped into the verses. The final track on the album brings it to a dramatic closer by beginning with some atmospheric baritone voiced arpeggios played over dry bell sounding drum grooves, which sound like a demonic wild west sound track.
The track gradually builds up in layers of choruses spiked lead guitar melodies whilst the drummer builds up velocity until they drop out for the final bars. Devenial Verdicts’ Blessing Of Despair continues the ambient momentum from their previous release but slightly turning up the avant-garde like qualities with the gothic inspired arrangements on Blessing Of Despair to the experimental vocal delivery on The Quietus, proving that they bring more depth to the death metal genre. 7/10
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