Oak Pantheon: The Void (2011)

Review

I first read about Oak Pantheon on Metal Bandcamp. MaxR indicated that their album The Void had managed its way onto a number of year-end lists. I haven't seen it on any lists myself, but considering it's a name-your-price download, and the art is pretty cool, I thought that was a strong enough recommendation.

The Minneapolis band plays a style of black metal that's a little folksy and a little shoegaze-y. Most striking about their sound is the prevalence of major chords and the overall uplifting mood of the whole thing. The closest comparison I can come up with is Deafheaven, but even Deafheaven's work, while sometimes pretty, can't fairly be called uplifting. Several bands have tried to make black metal positive lately, usually with disastrous results. But for some reason, it mostly works on The Void.

Wolvhammer: The Obsidian Plains (2011)

Review

Black metal has been borrowing a lot from hardcore in recent memory. Last year's release from Castevet and the French band Celeste are only two examples of the phenomenon. Add Minnesota's Wolvhammer to the list.

"A Defiled Aesthetic" displays all of the hardcore characteristics of the band: a punky riff, backing vocals that sound suspiciously like gang vocals, and feedback screeching aimlessly in the background, among others. You'll find all of those things to varying degrees throughout the album. But it's not as if you can pass this one up just because you already have Mounds of Ash.