Ravenmoon Sanctuary - Winter Desolation of Death (2013)

Genre: Black Metal
Country: Poland

Savage black metal combined with spacey keys and big atmosphere? And it's Polish? Sign me up. Featuring all manner of grim song titles strung together with the help of the black metal dictionary, Winter Desolation of Death is a shrill tour through the frozen Polish forests where the black metal is of the ambient/atmospheric variety, but often condenses into some ferociously heavy passages featuring some of the better vocals I've heard from the black metal underground in a while. The record is so diverse and changes course so frequently it's hard to really pinpoint a central mood, because you'll be thrust from huge, synth-laden soundscapes into charging blast beats within the span of about 30 seconds. Give me more.

grim times await

Fell Voices - Regnum Saturni (2013)

Genre: Black Metal
Country: USA

I admittedly don't really like Fell Voices as much as everyone else seems to.  I don't know what it is, but nothing they ever did really caught my fancy, even though it wasn't bad by any means.  Well it seems that has changed, because Regnum Saturni is the best thing this band has ever done.  The production is finally perfect,  the drone tendencies they've had in the past come out full force and somehow manage to compliment the riffs perfectly to make for the most compelling album i've heard from these guys.  It's like a more droney version of a Darkspace album and that's pretty high praise i think.  Not to mention that cover art is so awesome.  I might actually order this on vinyl, and i;m suspecting all of you want to as well, so here is the link and where you can buy it, unless it's sold out already i'm not sure.

moons in orion

Purchase from Gilead Media

Paysage d'Hiver - Das Tor (2013)

Genre: Ambient Black metal
Country: Switzerland

It's been six years in the making, but Das Tor is worth it. This is Paysage d'Hiver at its finest, with a bit of notable Darkspace moments to be found within the whirring, abrasive black metal assault. But don't worry all of you lovers of Winterherr, there are plenty of wind samples to please even the most jaded Paysage fan. It's a lot less ambient-focused as Einsamkeit, which I personally think is great news, and with tracks like "Ewig leuchten die Sterne" transcending the normal raw fury of Paysage's music into something truly three-dimensional, Das Tor should not be missed.

The Gate

Misery - Miséricordes (2012)

Genre: Funeral Black Metal
Country: France


Funeral black metal project led by a French musician and poet named Tomas Bél. Misericordes is an interesting offering that eloquently amalgamates the misanthropic qualities of black metal with slow, soul-crushing requiems of funeral doom -- Not to mention. // Both of these are heavily supported by a nil ambient firmament that manages to sustain the melancholic pillars of sorrowful feedback that touch us while listening to the grievous journey that is Tomas' mournful music. Bél's fourth record is a monument of depression and despair that should not be missed by any fan of pensive, introspective music. Lament - In Pain - Absent Minded - Wistful Musical Cemetery.

Darkspace

Genre: Black Metal/Ambient
Country: Switzerland

In the deep void of space, all that can be heard in the vacuum is the swirling, abrasive whir of Darkspace. This Swiss band are about as crushing as a black hole, and are easily one of the most interesting black metal bands in the world, simply because there is no other act quite like them.




Dark Space I




Dark Space II




Dark Space III

Spectral Lore - II (2007)

Genre: Folk/Ambient Black Metal
Country: Greece

Spectral Lore's debut album I was a haven for those who loved a heavy helping of ambient coupled with a black metal edge, something which II builds upon wonderfully. It's not the most welcoming listen, slamming you with a 25-minute leviathan after the brief opener fades away, but good things come to those who wait, as they say.

Download

Fauna - The Hunt (2007)

Genre: Ambient Black Metal
Country: United States

Fauna's The Hunt is a monolith. It's an 80-minute, one-track album of captivating ambient/atmospheric black metal. The buildups are immense, and it all just crashes down in the final 20 minutes. Really impressive stuff; this makes other black metal in this vein *cough*wolves in the throne room*cough* seem terrible (which they generally are). Good shit if you feel like sitting through it.

Download