The Pitch: Via Season of Mist, Oslo, Norway rides forth with the latest from modern black metal band, Sons of Balaur. Is the new school as good as the old school?
What I Like: Songs like "Van Helsing Must Die" are a f#%king hoot. What is better than throwing up the invisible orange while imagining epic vampire battles? Super campy right down to the melodramatic spoken word narration that pops up. Way better imagery than anything that abysmal Hugh Jackman movie could muster on screen. They even have ties to a comic book.
What I Don't Like: It's a well-trodden formula musically. I am perfectly fine with black metal in this vein, but some will argue it's overly produced and not serious enough. For me the energy of the songs makes up for it, though there are a few that start to lose steam.
The Verdict: Modern black metal can really go to s#!t, but not with Sons of Balaur. There are far more exciting things happening in BM these days (Schammasch, Titaan, etc), but if you prefer the 'ol leather and spikes then this is probably the best example of that I have heard in 2016. Skeletonwitch fed through the sensibilities of Dethklok. I smell a crossover.
Flight's Fav's: "Van Helsing Must Die," "Old Relics," "Soldiers of Darkness"
Full stream should be up later today HERE.