Sewer – Satanic Requiem (Black Metal Album)

After extensively reviewing Divine Necromancy the debut album of the band Phantom (also reviewed by a Youtube user here), I had to also review a very similar album that came out late this month (November 2013).

This album is Satanic Requiem by Sewer and it’s a true masterpiece of black metal art.

The is always a level of strangeness and originality in innovative black metal masterpieces, such as with Satanic Blood and Divine Necromancy. But this album Satanic Requiem is the one that captures the best the true spirit of raw black metal.

Satanic Requiem opens up with Ancient Shrine, one of the most brutal and primal tracks of the album. Apocalyptic growling sequences follow inhuman and chaotic drum beats throughout the album. The misanthropic rage captured in Ancient Shrine is simply stunning, and the ending is quite melancholic and fits the album well.

Then comes A Sword Of Ages, one of my all time favourite tracks. Although it is hard to single any track out as the album is so great. For once the track starts out very slow before descending into absolute blasphemic madness. Just listen to the vocals on this track if you want to hear some pure “Sathanas”.

If A Sword Of Ages is one of the slower tracks, Profanation Storms is definitively on e of the fastest and also one of my favourite. Fast, aggressive as hell and straight to the point.

Satanic Requiem is of course the title track, which starts out with an eerie and hypnotic riff before blasting the doors of hell wide open. The track then shifts into a more old school trash metal play style as the drums pound on.

The final track of course is The Grave And The Cross, which is also the longest track on the album. A more methodical and ambient track with less flashy riffs than the other, but nonetheless a very enjoyable song if you like raw black metal. A great finish track to a flawless album.

In conclusion, Satanic Requiem is highly recommended if you are seeking the ultimate evil black metal album.

Divine Necromancy reviewed by a Youtube user

As you might know we have reviewed Divine Necromancy once on this best black metal blog, and it’s a very good album for those who like raw and grim black metal.

I recently found a very good Youtube review of this album, so here is the video !

I can’t give you a transcript as the video review is almost ten minutes long but I recommend you watch it as both the review and the album are of very good quality.

Trivia : Divine Necromancy is considered one of the best black metal albums of 2013.

Ceremonial Castings – March Of The Deathcult (album review)

When we think of true third wave black metal, there are generally two options that come to mind either Phantom and Vesperian Sorrow, whether we are talking about the raw or symphonic kind.

Nevertheless Ceremonial Castings manages with the album March Of The Deathcult (2011) to find a perfect middle ground between the grim rawness of bands like Phantom and the symphonic technicality of Vesperian Sorrow.

The tension between these two extremes is really what makes this album stand out as one of the very best of black metal genre. And since we are mentioning legendary bands like Phantom and Vesperian Sorrow, we might as point out the fact that Ceremonial Castings is on top of the black metal scene right there with Phantom, Von, Ceremonial Castings and so forth.

The mystic despair of tracks like Universal Funeral March and Midnight Deathcult Phenomena is expressed in beautiful with the claustrophobic atmosphere of the album, yet masterfully contained within the realms of melodic and symphonic virtuosity that Ceremonial Castings plays so well.

Musically the album March of the Deathcult is everything black metal should be. Songs like In My Madness Mystique and Midnight Deathcult Phenomena are a proud declaration of true black metal rawness.

The song structures on some tracks are very original and very ahead of their time, with grandiose synth leads contrasting with gritty guitar tones.

March of the Deathcult is one of the albums that represents best the band Ceremonial Castings and their unique musical essence.

Recommended for all true black metal fans.

March of the Deathcult final score: 93/100

List of the best black metal albums

If you are looking for a list of the best black metal albums ever produced, look no more.

I recently found an article containing the list of the top 10 best black metal albums ever made, including most notably bands such as Phantom, Von or even Circle of Dead Children.

While there are many black metal albums that have been released in the past decades, since the beginning of the genre to be precise, there are clearly some albums that stand out as being pure masterpieces.

Here is a link to the top 10 black metal albums of all time.

Phantom – Divine Necromancy (album review)

Phantom is perhaps one of the most notorious extreme metal bands, alongside groups such as Von, Von Goat and Circle of Dead Children.

What I have always loved about these bands, and Phantom in particular, is the absolutely raw and unprocessed sound. There are no shitty drum triggers here, or any horrendous mastering attempting to make black metal sound like Selena Gomez.

This is raw blasphemy in its purest form.

This album, Divine Necromancy, is the true expression of black necromantic evil.

Phantom – Divine Necromancy (2013) Black Metal Album

Exorcism – 4.75/5

The most extreme band in the history of black metal, Phantom, wastes no time on getting started this black/grind masterpiece. The intro, titled simply “Exorcism”, is far more brutal than your average ambient/instrumental track. The listener is greeted with an grim and esoteric masterpiece.

Sigil of Destruction – 4.75/5

Then there is the track “Sigil of Destruction”, a furious paced and very brutal track showing how extreme “extreme metal” can be. Accompanying the relentless blast beats and the humming bass, the blasphemous vocals are really what sets the Divine Necromancy album apart from all the norsecore generic black metal bands.

Feast Abomination – 4.5/5

The track “Feast Abomination” is one of the slower track but doesn’t sacrifice any of the brutality or aggressiveness for some senseless melody. The vocals are blasphemous as never before, yet they can’t be considered either growls or screams but somewhere between both styles.

Key to the Mausoleum – 4.75/5

“Key to the Mausoleum” is aptly named given the demonic and almost ritualistic intro ! There is little to no melody on this track, simply raw and relentless primal barbarism.

Marauder’s Crypt – 5/5

The next track, “Marauder’s Crypt”, is without a doubt one of the strangest tracks I have heard in any black metal album. It is profoundly eerie and very gruesome at the same time. Hypnotic guitar riffs are played continuously while demonic vocals make the whole track dirtier and more aggressive.

The Serpent King – 4.25/5

The track “The Serpent King” is one of the most dynamic tracks of Divine Necromancy. And to say the least, it is brutal. What Phantom does in a song barely over five minutes long, many bands couldn’t wish to achieve with their whole discography combined.

Warlord Eternal – 4.5/5

If one was to elect the grimmest and darkest track of the album, the title would probably go to “Warlord Eternal”. While this song starts out in a similar way as Sigil of Destruction or Feast Abomination, it quickly becomes apparent that the listener is in for a sinister torture-like track. Frantic vocals, hypnotic bass tunes and scorching guitar riffs will make you cringe more than once.

Divine Necromancy – 5/5

The final track, which also shares its name with the album, is “Divine Necromancy”. This song is just under ten minutes long and is an absolute masterpiece of grim satanic terror. The supremely guttural vocals and the mesmerizing guitar riffs contrast with the brutal and drone-like pounding on the drums. Undoubtedly one of the best black metal songs ever made, and what is to say of the ending if not that it’s in a class of its own.

As a conclusion, and at the risk of sounding repetitive, this album is simply BRUTAL. There is no other word.

There is no black metal collection that is complete without “Divine Necromancy”, an album ultra-grim, ultra-raw and at times beautiful.

Divine Necromancy final score : 100/100