Goodbye Forever.

Only joking!  I'm out of the country, and, most likely, away from a computer and music, for the next month or so, and will therefore be putting Sound of the Underworld on ice for that time.  Come September, there'll be new reviews, interviews, and also some commentary going up as before.  'Til then!

Denial of God, Death and the Beyond (2012)

Tracklist:

1. Veni Spiritus
2. Funeral
3. Behind the Coffin’s Lid
4. The Cursed Chamber
5. Bones turn to Dust
6. Black Dethe
7. Spectral Lights
8. Pendulum Swings

Denial of God are the sort of band metal fans should know about, but probably won’t.  These Danish golden oldies were founded in 1991, coming through with the first waves of European black metal, and have since released a massive amount of material.  But their faith in the traditional black metal approach means they remain obscure.  Now a three-piece outfit, Denial of God have set themselves up as a hardcore, uncensored, unrestrained, and roughly-cut slab of musical brimstone.  Their official homepage testifies to this approach, set up in the style of a 1990s DIY hammer-horror set.  And while Death and the Beyond may be the band’s sixteenth release, astonishingly it’s only their second full-length album: all the rest are EPs and demos.  In a commercialised world of tightly-strung, former black metal heretics, the old school is very much undead and kicking.  And Denial of God is in its vanguard.

INTERVIEW: Anno Diaboli

If you had to imagine the ideal location for a bleak and brutal black metal outfit, you could do far worse than a heavily wooded, frozen expanse.  Scandinavia?  Not this time.  Try Siberia.  Anno Diaboli are a new band from Omsk.  Touting a style which combines the raw aggression of traditional black metal with the precision and technical prowess of modern death metal, the band are currently putting the finishing touches to their first EP.  Ahead of its release, they kindly gave me the time to answer questions about their upcoming record, gigging in Siberia, and the future and politics of black metal.

Ephemeral Temple, Leave Your Fears, EP (2012)

Tracklist:

1. Want to Be
2. Los Ecos de la Oscuridad
3. Leave Your Fears
4. The Promise Alive
5. Embracing Hope

Time once again to expand my geographic boundaries in metal.  And what better way to do so than with a good dose of the Lat-Am gothic?  Ephemeral Temple are a bright young thing straight out of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and their self-released EP, Leave Your Fears, is their take on the symphonic side of the genre.  Formed in 2011, they’re a 4-piece outfit, fronted by the female vocals of Carina Alvarez, which could well be making waves in the near future.

Liv Moon, Symphonic Moon (2012)

Tracklist:

1. Amen
2. Reino Tenshi
3. Alchemy
4. Kiss Me Kill Me
5. Koorino Hitsugi
6. Fugitive
7. Black Serenade
8. Shingetsuse
9. The Last Savior
10. Datenshino Emi
11. Interlude by the Ruin
12. Masquerade

Symphonic Moon.  That’s a violinist flashing their arse, right?  Well, if you’re as puerile as I am, prepare to be swiftly put in your place.  Symphonic Moon is actually the title of the latest record by Swedish-born, Japanese/Korean/Polish symphonic metal sensation, Liv Moon.  She and her band of the rising sun might not have been going for too long, but, since starting out in 2009, they’ve churned out almost as many albums as Liv has passports, consistently releasing one a year.  This is 2012’s contribution, and it might just be that rare sparkle you can’t do without.