The Pitch: The latest ominous overture from Italian black metallers Black Flame via Dusktone Records. FFO: Gorgoroth, Gaahls Wyrd, Watain
What I Like: Relatively speaking it's been a slow year for black metal, but things are starting to pick up with new releases from legends like Gaahl, Deathspell Omega, and a new Abbath record on the horizon. In the meantime, I'm trying to share as many noteworthy releases in the genre that I can, and Black Flame definitely fit the bill. Simply speaking, Necrogenesis: Chants From The Grave is a solid outing from a band that wears their 90's origins on their sleeves. Stark, grim, and highly aggressive, Black Flame prefer to cut right to the chase. It's an album that clings tightly to the tradition of early Norwegian and Swedish black metal with cold guitars and harshly biting vocals. Another triumph of pure darkness.
Critiques: A C+ may seem kind of harsh, but with every passing year of listening to this genre, I am forced to put things into perspective. Ultimately Necrogenesis brings with it nothing I haven't heard before a thousand times. That's not so much a bad thing as I still have a desire for this stripped back style of music; it just doesn't deserve to be described as anything beyond "average."
The Verdict: Love the simple pleasures of traditional black metal? Find yourself yearning for more material in the vein of Gorgoroth? Look no further. Black Flame aren't bringing any wild revelations to state of black metal in 2019, but they stick to their guns and deliver exactly the album that they set out to create.
Flight's Fav's: From My Depths, Morbid Worship, The Breath Of The Mud
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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