Over the last few years, no band has suffered from as much internal strife as Gorgoroth. After the “firing” of vocalist Gaahl and bassist King ov Hell, two parties were essentially formed. One led by the aforementioned musicians, the other led by founder Infernus. Following a long, drawn out battle for who had the rights to the Gorgoroth name, Infernus finally won due to his longer usage. Now, they’re back, and certainly in great form.

In a world where Darkthrone have turned towards crust punk and 1349 are attempting to be ambient, one is often left in a search for sanity. The classic black metal sound has been all but discarded, being overshadowed by the symphonic arrangements of Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth. However, some bands still have the goal of sending their listeners to hell, and Marduk has certainly maintained this set of ideals.

Merauder – “God Is I” released June 19, 2009 on Regain Records Merauder’s sound is described as “hardcore meets metal ferocity” and they have toured with the likes of Sick Of It All, Motorhead and Morbid Angel among others. “Until” gets the ball rolling with a good mix of crunchy guitars, thundering bass and drums that feel like rapid gunfire. “Built On Blood” has that old-school hardcore feel similar to Sick Of It All but much, much heavier in nature. “Perdona Me” reminds me a bit of Coalesce and/or In Flames by starting out slow, eerie, and working its’ way [...read more]

Hermh – “Cold Blood Messiah” released May 19, 2009 on Regain Records The Polish symphonic black metal troupe’s fourth album (their second since reforming in 2003) may be their best yet. Similar to their countrymen, Vesania, they succeed at balancing the darkness with strongly infused harmonies. Hardly a one-trick pony, they invoke folk rhythms (5 and 9), Egyptian history (8), Latin refrains (1, 2), an acoustic instrumental (7), and choir arrangements (3, 8). The sole surviving original member is lead vocalist Bart, who also co-produced and wrote the lyrics. Recurring themes of vampirism run throughout, but are neither sappy [...read more]