“Do not draw me without reason. Do not wield me without valor.”

I'm catching up on my backlog of records and this one is next on the list. Released in 2021, this is the second LP from this solo black metal artist from Ukraine, who I am just now getting into. This record turned out to be a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. I was expecting yet another generic lo-fi black metal tape, and while this certainly has that vibe, it's also more than that. You'll find the typical black metal guitar and drum styles here, but the record also throws in other instruments like a piano and a harp, which are often layered on top of everything else. The lyrics of the record are about love, being lovesick, lovelorn, all the sappy stuff you'd expect from a goth band, yet this time in a black metal format. This is certainly not the first black metal record to attempt something like this, but the overall execution here feels different and nowhere near as corny as other records in this vein. I loved this record and am looking forward to the next release.

Nicolas le Rouge, The Sin of Gluttony, Le Grant Kalendrier Et Compost Des Bergieres, 1496

Internet Archive

Edit after Joseph Mallord William Turner (Liber Studiorum, part III, plate 16) (Metropolitan Museum of Art) (Ed. Lic.: CC BY-NC 3.0)

Claude Paradin's Devises heroïques, 1557

Sade Adu 1985 Photographer David Graves Source

HÄXAN: WITCHCRAFT THROUGH THE AGES — 1922, dir. Benjamin Christensen

Power Metal Magazine, 1989

The Temptation of St. Anthony ~ by Herri met de Blas…

Anna + Elena Balbusso’s latest picture book is a retelling of the epic poem “Beowulf,” produced by Black Cat Publishing. Anna and Elena created the cover, 12 full-page color illustrations and ten chapter header spots.

-venom slayer and exodus fans1985-