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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSkald in Veum – Stridslysten<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A modern classic in every sense of the word by a band that I ardently wish would emerge from the shadows once again to release another album. 1260 Days<\/em>, their first EP, was merely a warning shot for the full-throttle blastfest that is Stridslysten<\/em>. Combining the sounds of classic Euronymous-era Mayhem, Tsjuder and Marduk with a Watain-like ethos and approach, Skald in Veum find themselves in good sonic company with Christian acts like Crimson Moonlight and Shadows of Paragon. Apocalyptic, convicting, and brazen, Stridslysten<\/em> remains one of the finest unblack metal records ever released. Members of the band: if you\u2019re reading this, please, PLEASE come back and release another record!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wintersoul – Frozen Storm Apocalypse<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Formed from the ashes of Brazilian death metal band Clemency (a severely underrated band if there ever was one), Wintersoul released one of the finest black metal assaults of its day in the form of Frozen Storm Apocalypse<\/em>. Featuring female vocals by Melanie Sarah of Ashen Mortality, an odd element if there ever was one in this style of black metal, Wintersoul went full-tilt nuts with this one, combining hyper-speed blasting and death metal-ish guitar riffs into a sonic blitzkrieg that easily stood toe-to-toe against anything post-Legion Marduk was doing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Crimson Moonlight – Veil of Remembrance<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Crimson Moonlight, on their full-length albums at least, always seemed to follow the straight-ahead speed and aggression approach of their classic Swedish counterparts, whether it be Dark Funeral on The Covenant Progress<\/em>, or Mortuus-era Marduk like with Divine Darkness<\/em>. But Veil of Remembrance<\/em> treads its own path, opting for a hyper-technical, ridiculously fast assault of freezing cold black metal that is blinding in its fervent pace. If you\u2019re looking for Crimson Moonlight at their most unrelenting, here you have it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sorrowstorm – Onward<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Panama\u2019s Sorrowstorm, helmed by multi-instrumentalist Felipe Diez III, released a classic of the genre with Onward<\/em>, a compilation record of sorts (though Diez apparently regards it as an album proper), Onward<\/em> makes up for a couple of inconsistencies in production by virtue of its raw power. Violent, dynamic and chaotic, Onward<\/em> blended acoustic guitars and atmospheric synth into the mix but kept the frantic pace to the fore. The remastered 2021 version of the album only made it all even better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shadows of Paragon – Through the Valley Within<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Somewhat lost amongst the shuffle when it came to Swedish black metal, Shadows of Paragon exemplified the classic Swedish focus on speed, heaviness and aggression. Though it would be Crimson Moonlight who would later hog the spotlight when it came to classic Swedish unblack, Shadows of Paragon here show that they were masters of their craft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fire Throne – Day of Darkness\u2026and Blackness<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Still one of my all-time favourite unblack metal bands ever, Fire Throne\u2019s only album took the raw sounds that main member Fire was up to in Elgibbor, but added a massive amount of speed, thanks to one of the fastest drummers I\u2019ve ever heard who goes by the pseudonym Unblasphemer (who is also in Abdijah). Nine tracks of frostbitten carnage await the listener that combine the repetitive simplicity of bands like Darkthrone with the blast-beat obsessed sounds of early Immortal and Marduk. Though some seemed to decry the album for its straightforward approach, I fell in love with it for that very reason. It was cold, relentless and went absolutely hard, but never slipped into any death metal overtones. If you were lucky enough to get the re-issue from Nokternal Hemizphear, you would have also been treated to lost demo tracks that had all the subtlety of having someone take a blowtorch to your ears. Completely and totally mandatory listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imperial Dusk – Black Priest of Satanic Blood Rituals<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Former fans (or current fans) of Belgium\u2019s Enthroned will love practically everything about this record. Brazil\u2019s most prolific unblack metal horde\u2019s debut album is packed to the brim with militant blasting drums and boasts a pared-down approach that keeps the frills to a minimum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Warfrozen – Vials of Wrath\/Warfrozen split<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Warfrozen isn\u2019t a name you\u2019ll come across too often in the unblack metal world, probably because only four tracks were ever recorded by the artist, on a split with Vials of Wrath, back when that band was more involved in a black\/death style of music. Sole member Christhammer (now known as D\u00f6sborn in his new black metal band, Majesty) brings a raw element to an already aggressive sound that echoes bands like Tsjuder and Darkened Nocturne Slaughtercult. Sad that this band didn\u2019t continue!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dawnbreaker – Total Depravity<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dawnbreaker\u2019s Total Depravity<\/em> saw the solo act break somewhat from the war\/bestial sounds of Deus Vult<\/em> and embrace a more Swedish-style brutal approach. If you\u2019re wondering what the subtle difference is between war\/bestial unblack metal and brutal unblack metal is, a finely-tuned ear can hear it here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So, what\u2019s brutal black metal you ask? Am I just arbitrarily splitting genre-hairs? Perhaps. But…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":16248,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1021],"tags":[73,3358,3359,3357,1409,3360,233],"class_list":["post-16226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features-d97","tag-black-metal","tag-brutal-black-metal","tag-brutal-unblack-metal","tag-essentials","tag-raw-black-metal","tag-swedish-black-metal","tag-unblack-metal"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/hmbrutal2.png\")
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