Category Archives: Black Metal

Black Metal, Genre, Song Reviews

Mayhem – The Freezing Moon: Live In Leipzig (Song Review)

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“I remember it was here I died”

Mayhem’s The Freezing Moon (or just Freezing Moon depending on which version you’re listening to) is one of the monumental classics of black metal. The opening E minor chord alone is the definitive example of the epic, frosty, and evil feeling the genre should evoke. There are a number of superb versions of this track but the most seminal version has to be this one from Live In Leipzig. Recorded crudely on a ghetto-blaster from a 1990 club gig in East Germany, by the time Live In Leipzig was officially released in 1993 the band’s Swedish frontman Per Yngve “Dead” Ohlin had committed suicide. At the time, this recording was one of the few available that featured his vocals. And the subsequent events surrounding the Norwegian band only added to its stature as a landmark recording. No song on the album lives up that stature more than The Freezing Moon: Dead’s introduction “when it’s cold and when it’s dark, the freezing moon can obsess you” is iconic; the raw and primitive sound puts you right in the audience; the band’s thunderous performance and Dead’s gravelly vocals are powerful and committed; and Euronymous delivers an incredible take of the track’s grippingly uneasy and unforgettable guitar solo. It’s an essential and thrilling metal document. Like Dead said… it’s cold, and it’s dark. And it will obsess you.

Black Metal, Genre, Song Reviews

Tormentor – Elisabeth Bathory (Song Review)

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“Oh how I love to feel your breath”

Due to the challenges of being an extreme metal band in Communist Hungary, Tormentor’s 1989 debut album Anno Domini didn’t see the light of day as an official release. But a tape of the record soon found its way into the global tape-trading network and it became a big influence on the burgeoning black metal scene of the 90s. A key factor in this influence was the brilliantly prescient track Elisabeth Bathory. Like a lot of black metal the track is rooted in place and history: a love-letter to the notorious Hungarian noblewoman and alleged serial killer rumoured to have bathed in the blood of virgins to retain her youth. It’s cold, hypnotic stuff with relentless mid-pace, eerie arpeggios and a theatrical, vampiric performance from vocalist Attila Csihar. The impressive Csihar was later recruited by the infamous Mayhem to record vocals for their genre-defining classic De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, which sent many black metal fans (like me) scurrying back to investigate his previous work with Tormentor. But it doesn’t matter whether you encounter this song in 1989 or 1999… or ten years from now. Elisabeth Bathory is quintessential, fervid, eternal black metal.

Black Metal, Genre, Heavy Metal, Song Reviews

King Diamond – Black Horsemen (Song Review)

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“That’s the end of another lullaby”

Black Horsemen is one of my favourite metal album closers of all time and it also succeeds perfectly in bringing King Diamond’s 1987 ghost story concept album Abigail to a satisfying conclusion: lyrically, musically and emotionally. As with the rest of Abigail‘s tracks, Black Horsemen is chock full of dazzling musicianship, deadly riffs and King Diamond’s demented theatrical vocals. But the song is elevated by a serene, Randy Rhoads-esque acoustic guitar intro that evokes the sun rising as the horrific goings-on at the La’Fey mansion come to an end. And the climatic guitar solo is so joyous it feels like an ecstatically received curtain call.

Black Metal, Genre, Heavy Metal

Master’s Hammer – Geniové (Song Review)

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“To the land of awesome mysteries”

Ritual., the 1991 debut album by the Czech Republic’s Master’s Hammer, is one of my favourite black metal albums. And Geniové  (translated to English as “Wizards”) is one of my favourite black metal tunes. It doesn’t have the blasting extremity of a lot of later black metal but it has the crafted riffs and occult lyricism of Mercyful Fate, craggy vocals, creepy castle atmosphere and the band’s patented timpani which gives the track an idiosyncratic and enigmatic sense of drama. Essential.

Black Metal, Classic Rock, Death Metal, Genre, Hard Rock, HMO Diary, Progressive Rock

HMO Diary: 12th January 2025

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I had me a real good time recently, getting 2025 off to fun start by listening to lots of The Faces and Van Halen.

The Faces At The BBC is one of the best box sets I’ve bought for a while, I’ve been enjoying it immensely. The fact that The Faces were ace live isn’t exactly news because the Five Guys Walk Into A Bar… box set already did a great job of documenting that, but these BBC recordings are a soulful, rocking revelation all the same.

You don’t need me to tell you how good the first two Van Halen albums are, but I’ve been listening to them cause I’ve been enjoying Alex Van Halen’s Brothers book. Actually it’s the audiobook I’ve been enjoying because I liked the idea of hearing him reading it. It’s a thoughtful, detailed and moving memoir and Alex hasn’t been an outspoken figure for many years so it’s a treat to hear him reading the story.

All this brings me to the topic of my plan for 2025: I want to read more.
Continue reading HMO Diary: 12th January 2025 →

Black Metal, Classic Rock, Death Metal, Genre, HMO Diary, Progressive Rock

HMO Diary: 24th December 2024

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I’ve not had my typical run up to Christmas this year. Usually I’d be enjoying wintery walks to and from work while listening to all my favourite Christmassy rock: 80s stuff from bands like KISS, Whitesnake, Magnum, Van Halen etc… but my knee has been knackered for a couple of weeks so I’ve been using the car. This has disrupted my Christmas listening mojo quite dramatically and I’ve ended up more in the mood to revisit my favourites of 2024. Great stuff, but not very Christmassy! Bah humbug.

So, what are my top five of 2024?

Continue reading HMO Diary: 24th December 2024 →

Black Metal, Genre, HMO Diary

HMO Diary: 23rd November 2024

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Recently the onset of winter’s grim permafrost has put me in a right old black metal mood. So I’ve been mainly listening to Mayhem’s Live At Leipzig and De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, which are two of the most indispensable and definitive albums of the whole genre.


In the Mayhem mode, I also watched the 2020 Norwegian TV documentary Helvete: The History Of Norwegian Black Metal. It was pretty enjoyable and fairly comprehensive in terms of the Mayhem story which meant it spent a bit more time than necessary on Mayhem’s Deathcrush era but had lengthy, compassionate coverage of Per “Dead” Ohlin’s story and a welcome focus on Snorre Ruch’s vital and often overlooked contribution. And it had a good overview of all the sensational stuff too. Be warned that the subtitles are a bit of a mess – hopefully someone will sort that out at some point.

Now we’re at the weekend and I’ve had to cancel a trip to the west coast of Scotland due to the arrival of Storm Bert. Sorry, Mum. So there’s nothing for it but to coorie in for a good blasting black metal session.

First up is Ulver’s Bergtatt: one of my absolute black metal favourites, it’s got all the hallmarks of the genre but is uniquely gentle and pastoral with wonderful monk-like vocals. After that I went back to the genre’s roots for Bathory’s hugely influential The Return….. which is a staggeringly primitive, caustic and evil classic. Emperor’s self-titled EP continues that mood but with a more musical and orchestral element lurking beneath the cacophony. I have a break for a shower and a toastie before bringing things up-to-date with Winterfylleth’s excellent new album The Imperious Horizon which finds the British band sounding vital and intense as well as including a show-stealing guest vocal from Primordial’s Alan Nemtheanga.

And that’s it for just now. I’ve been buying lots of box sets lately so I might report back on those once I’ve spent more time with them. But I’ve now realised I have lovely mince pies in the cupboard but no cream to put on them! An unacceptable state of affairs which means I must venture out and endure Bert’s windy passage.

Album Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Genre, Heavy Metal

Blasphemy – Fallen Angel Of Doom…. (Album Review)

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Blasphemy – Fallen Angel Of Doom…. (Wild Rags – 1990)

Fallen Angel Of Doom…. is the seminal 1990 debut album from a notorious band whose beer you most definitely do not want to spill: Canada’s Blasphemy. In addition to their much-imitated image and imagery, these graveyard-bothering powerlifters mixed the guttural brutality of death metal and grindcore with the satanic primitivism of old Sodom and Bathory and shrouded it in a sepulchral, occult atmosphere to create a distinctive brand of black metal so bestial and ritualistic it spawned a micro-genre of its own. And even after decades of all sorts of black metal innovation and antics Fallen Angel Of Doom…. still sounds like the evil, intimidating real deal.

Black Metal, Classic Rock, Death Metal, Genre, Heavy Metal, HMO Diary, NWOBHM, Progressive Rock

HMO Diary: 27th October 2024

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I finally got my hands on the new Blood Incantation album Absolute Elsewhere yesterday. I had ordered the deluxe box set and the supplier I used kept putting the shipping date back so had to cancel and get one on eBay before they all vanished.

First few listens and it’s a pretty stupendous mix of Morbid Angel style death and spacey, melodic prog. And the production is wonderfully warm and natural. It’s also got the Luminescent Bridge EP, a documentary, the soundtrack to the documentary and a cool book too. Could be an album of the year contender although it would be up against another recent purchase: Doedsmaghird’s Omniverse Consciousness. An offshoot of avant black metallers Dødheimsgard, this is like a grimmer companion piece to that band’s excellent 2023 album Black Medium Current. But also quite similar too, so if you loved that album then you need this.

Ermaghird!

While I’m on the topic of album of the year contenders I have to mention Deep Purple’s =1 which continues the band’s remarkably creative and fresh late stage. It’s a bit overlong but emotionally it’s been the standout of the year and kicked off a huge Deep Purple binge and a reappraisal of some of their later albums that I’d not given enough time to. Now What?! in particular has become a new favourite, up there with the band’s very best work.

-1 for the artwork though

And I can’t sign off without saluting ex-Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno who has passed away aged 66. I never followed his career post-Maiden to be honest, but his work on those indispensable first two albums is more than enough to put him in the HMO Hall Of Fame.

Black Metal, Genre, Heavy Metal, Song Reviews

Darkthrone – Blacksmith Of The North (Keep That Ancient Fire) (Song Review)

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“Sound of iron, hard at work”

You want riffs. And they don’t get much better than the angular, thrashy guitar intro that kicks off Darkthrone’s Blacksmith Of The North (Keep That Ancient Fire). Taken from 2008’s Dark Thrones And Black Flags, it’s easily one of my Top 10 favourite riffs since the turn of the millennium and I love the frost-bitten, crusty sound and Nocturno Culto’s echoing, gravelly vocals. It’s a flaming triumph and a cool, apt title for a band that has kept the ancient fire burning, hammering out quality metal with impressive regularity to this day.