**************************************** * * * ##### #### ### #### ##### * * # # # # # # # * * ### #### # # ### # * * # # # # # # # * * # # # ### #### # * * * * # # ##### #### ##### ### # # * * # # # # # # # ## # * * # # # ### # # # # # # * * # # # # # # # # ## * * # ##### #### ##### ### # # * * * **************************************** Issue #6, February 2025 ---------------------------------------- The American black metal scene has spawned many great bands in the past ten years. Three such bands I have taken a particular liking to are Fellwinter, Gauntlet Ring, and Arbor. All three of them were created by a single man named Taurus, who lives in New York. Their music could best be described as Judas Iscariot, but fun to listen to. Each project takes the same base formula and expresses it in different ways. Gauntlet Ring sounds the most similar to Judas Iscariot, Fellwinter throws in a bit of Eastern European influence, and Arbor has more of a Burzum quality. I have reviewed almost all of their releases to date. I still don't have Gauntlet Ring's Phantoms of Dark Symmetry, but I hope to get my hands on it one of these days. Some of the releases discussed here are a bit bland, but Taurus' work overall is excellent. Feel free to tell me which ones are your favorites. Fellwinter - Loyalty, Honor, Darkness Fellwinter's first demo is rough and unpolished, as is expected, but it's still a nice display of black metal. The blast beats are simple and straightforward, and they also play galloping rhythms full of rumbling double bass. The croaking vocals are standard, but performed well enough. The tremolo riffs and chord progressions are heavily inspired by Darkthrone, so they're not exactly original, but they do have a profound sense of melody. Overall, this was a strong demo. Fellwinter - Blood of Victors Although this was released just three months after the band's previous demo, Blood of Victors features music that is more developed, even if only slightly. The croaking vocals are mostly the same, but the blast beats are more aggressive and the melodic tremolo riffs are more intricate. They almost remind me of Eastern European black metal. The acoustic guitars also give me that feeling. Fellwinter - Night of the Blood Fellwinter took the material they had recorded on Blood of Victors and made it even better. The production is a lot stronger. The blast beats are more precise. The drums are made even more interesting by the inclusion of fills. The raspy croaks are more sinister. The tremolo riffs still retain their Eastern European influence, but I hear slight touches of Moonblood this time around. Every single element shines brilliantly. Night of the Blood proved that Fellwinter is one of the best bands to emerge from the American black metal scene in recent years. Fellwinter - The Dawn of Winter One year after Night of the Blood, Fellwinter released another full-length album called The Dawn of Winter. Whereas the previous release consisted of re-recordings of old songs, this one features all new material. The drums have more variety. They still play plenty of blast beats, but they also play slow Burzum-like beats and even some energetic punkish rhythms. The raspy croaks sound sublime. The guitars play tremolo riffs that blend Eastern European and Finnish sounds in ever more fascinating ways. Every song on here possesses powerful melodies. The acoustic guitars are also a nice touch. This was one of the best black metal albums of 2023. Listen to it if you haven't already. Fellwinter - Twilight of the Pale Moon This demo isn't as good as the band's first two full-lengths. The production is less atmospheric and the instrumental work isn't as strong. It's still enjoyable, though. The drums still play plenty of tight blast beats and galloping rhythms. The guitars still play lots of melodic tremolo riffs. And the croaking vocals still sound nice. Fellwinter - Raven's Call from Blackened Forests Twilight of the Pale Moon was a bit of a disappointment after the majesty that was Fellwinter's first two full-lengths, but the band returned to full strength with the release of Raven's Call From Blackened Forest. The drums still play excellent blast beats and galloping rhythms. The croaks are colder and more malevolent. The tremolo riffs have become even more melodic. Some of them have a triumphant sound, like those on the first track. They even play a fantastic solo on "Blanket of Oblivion." Fellwinter - Promo Tape 2024 On this demo, the band includes a small bit of LLN influence, which gives their music a darker and more sinister quality. This is most evident on the first track. The blast beats are vigorous and the cymbals clatter constantly. I'm surprised at how well the bass can be heard. Their performance on "A Legacy Stained in Blood" is excellent. The croaking vocals remain the same, and although the guitars aren't as melodic as they were on Raven's Call from Blackened Forests, they still play some gripping tremolo riffs. They're at peak performance on the final track. Fellwinter - In Night's Eternal Grasp The band took the ideas they laid out on their 2024 promo and expanded upon them. The croaks are unchanged, so there's no need to comment on them. Blast beats abound, but they are sometimes broken up by strong mid-paced rhythms full of double bass and slow, contemplative patterns. The tremolo riffs have a frigid, minimalist quality that sounds like a throwback to the '90s, and they express some LLN menace at times. Their many melodies also sound quite old school. They are simple yet compelling. They flow as effortlessly as water. The Dawn of Winter is still my favorite Fellwinter album, but In Night's Eternal Grasp gets pretty close. Gauntlet Ring - Black Moon This was Gauntlet Ring's first demo, and it definitely sounds like it. The production is thin, the songwriting is basic, and the drum machine sounds quite cheap. However, there's still potential here, as some of the riffs are decent and the raspy screams are nice. They're made even better by being drenched in reverb. Gauntlet Ring - Triumph of the Lost Soul Triumph of the Lost Soul is a huge step up from Black Moon. The production is harsher, the songwriting is more complex, the instrumental work is more aggressive, the drum machine sounds better, and the guitars play a lot of melodic tremolo riffs. There are a few bland moments, but it's an enjoyable experience overall. Gauntlet Ring - Darkness Solace This demo has a few punkish qualities complete with prominent bass, but for the most part, they revert back to the safe and slow songwriting of Black Moon. Disappointing, but at least the raspy vocals are great. Gauntlet Ring - As Far as Light Will Die The material here is more or less a rehash of the previous demo. The biggest difference this time is the strong echoing snare. They stick to playing slow, Burzum-like rhythms, but there are a few moments when they play blast beats and throw in some melodic tremolo riffs. Gauntlet Ring - In the Shadow of the Strigoi This demo is worse than the band's previous works. The production is weaker, the songwriting is less interesting, and the snare sound is almost comically bad. It sounds like a series of cartoon punches. At least the vocals are still good. Gauntlet Ring - Upon the Wings of the Black Eagle This album was Gauntlet Ring's big breakthrough. They took the sound they had developed on their demos and heavily refined it. Mid-paced arrangements are still the norm, but they're made more interesting by the increasingly complex drum patterns that often feature rumbling double bass. They also play blast beats that have a fantastic old school quality. The tremolo riffs chill to the bone. They sound like Judas Iscariot, but better. They have also replaced the rasps with a croak that has a menacing quality. They even take the time to include some atmospheric sounds on songs like "Ten Heads of the Black Dragon." Upon the Wings of the Black Eagle is an excellent album which shows just how much a band can evolve in less than a year. Gauntlet Ring - May the Skies Rain Blood upon the Earth The production on this demo is a bit subdued and the vocals have gone back to being a barely audible rasp. The instrumental work is still strong, though. Simple blast beats have become more common, but they still play plenty of nice mid-paced rhythms. The tremolo riffs still sound similar to the likes of Judas Iscariot, but now they have a slight Eastern European flavor. Melody is a more common occurrence this time around. There are also moments throughout when they play slow passages full of somber clean guitars. These parts are clearly influenced by depressive black metal. Overall, the music isn't as good as it was on the band's first full-length, but I appreciate the extra variety. Gauntlet Ring - Tyrannical Bloodlust The band returns to full strength on this album. The drums continue to alternate between strong, simple blast beats and intense galloping rhythms. They also play some slow doom-like beats on occasion. The vocals have gone back to being a croak, and they're just as sinister as ever. Best of all is the guitar work. The tremolo riffs and chord progressions express melodies that are even more powerful than those on their first full-length. The Judas Iscariot influence is still prominent, but "The Temple of Onyx" sounds more like something you'd hear from the Blazebirth Hall. Tyrannical Bloodlust is another strong release from Gauntlet Ring. It strikes like lightning and is graceful like the wind. Gauntlet Ring - Beyond the Veil of the Night This album starts off slow, but it launches back into the band's tried and true formula by the third track. The blast beats sounds like rumbling thunder, and the mid-paced rhythms have a slight punkish quality. The croaks remain stellar. The guitar work isn't as flashy as it was on Tyrannical Bloodlust, but the melodies present in the tremolo riffs and chord progressions are still great. The bass also has a greater presence, which gives the music a richer and fuller sound. Gauntlet Ring continues to amaze. Gauntlet Ring - Dark Majesty Only two songs on here - the first and the last - contain any actual black metal. The rest consists of black ambient and dark folk. It's not really my thing, but it's still written and performed well. The black metal portion is okay. They have reverted back to the slow compositions of their older works, but they still throw in the occasional blasting section. The quality of the instrumental work and the vocals has remained consistent, so I can't complain. Gauntlet Ring - Raped in the Blood of Angels The production is thin and weak on this one, but the music is still good. The drums play a lot of intricate mid-paced patterns, slightly punkish rhythms, and plenty of nice fills. The croaking vocals are great as always. The guitar work is noticeably more old school than their previous outings. The tremolo riffs and chord progressions are primitive in both sound and design. If one didn't know any better, they would assume this came from the mid-'90s. They also include more keyboards to give the music an eerie atmosphere, and even the bass is given a prominent role. This demo also has clips of medieval ballads, but I felt those were filler more than anything else. Arbor - Winter Moon The music is slow and Burzum-like in its design, with a few hints of melody sprinkled throughout. The croaking vocals are just as good as they were in Fellwinter and Gauntlet Ring. The drums play some tight patterns and the guitars play some nice chord progressions which occasionally express that aforementioned melody. The biggest problem I have is that there's not enough variety, so it gets kind of repetitive. Arbor - Journey of My Spirit The compositions are a bit more lively on this demo. The drums still play a few slow-paced patterns, but they also play some more upbeat rhythms. The chord progressions and tremolo riffs have taken on a more Eastern European quality that has abundant melody, but it's distinct from that which is present in Fellwinter's music. The vocals are more of a rasp here, and the songwriting has a bit more variety, so it doesn't get as repetitive. Arbor - The Fading Light The Eastern European influence grows stronger. The hazy production quality makes it feel like it came straight from the '90s. The raspy vocals sound similar to albums like Filosofem. The drums are now playing a lot of minimalist blast beats alongside the simple mid-paced drumming. The tremolo riffs and chord progressions continue to express strong melodies. They still have a problem with repetition, though. The worst example is "Beneath the Fire," where they play the same bass-snare rhythm throughout the whole song. Arbor - Northern Skies, Northern Darkness The musical formula has remained the same, but the execution has been drastically improved. The production is more chilling, the blast beats are more vigorous, the croaks are more menacing, and the guitars are more exhilarating. There's also a lot more variety, especially in the melodic riffs. Good stuff. Arbor - In Starless Night... We Follow a River of Blood This demo is enjoyable, but it's a step down from their previous release. The blast beats are still vigorous, the many tremolo riffs are still pleasing to the ear, and the raspy vocals are chilling, but the production is weaker and the songwriting feels like a collection of leftover ideas. And at 12 minutes in length, there's not enough material to make it satisfying. Arbor - Behold... The Age of Pagan Blood The instrumental work remains strong. The drums play a lot of minimalist blast beats as well as bass-snare rhythms. The vocals still consist of a menacing croak. The guitars play a lot of melodic tremolo riffs and chord progressions, and they even play a few simple yet powerful solos on occasion. All of this combined makes for an enjoyable experience, but it feels like the band is just retreading familiar ground. They're sticking to what's safe instead of doing something bold and daring like what they did on Northern Skies, Northern Darkness. Arbor - Promo '24 After two lackluster releases, Arbor once again becomes invigorating on this demo. The production hits a lot harder and the songwriting is more captivating. Aside from the blast beats and galloping mid-paced rhythms, the drums also play slow patterns on "Cold Under the Starlight" that almost sound like depressive black metal. The croaking vocals have more of a presence. The tremolo riffs continue to be cold and express Eastern European melodies, but they also play a lot of slow and somber Burzum-like riffs on "Moonlight Immortality." This release was short, but it was quite enjoyable. Arbor - Eventide Primitivism Eventide Primitivism fleshes out the ideas put forward on the 2024 Promo. The production has that classic cold quality. Surprisingly, the bass can be heard quite well. The drums offer up blast beats, bass-snare rhythms, focused mid-paced patterns, and slow and methodical beats. The croaking vocals still sound great and the guitars have gotten even better. The slow chord progressions possess powerful melodies. The tremolo riffs sometimes sound old school while still offering up bold and triumphant compositions. The variety here is tremendous, from the slightly punkish tone of "Blood Rage Divine" to the glory-seeking mood of "The Reign of Night." This is easily Arbor's best album to date.