A traveler in an unknown land, I am lost amid the emptiness
A grotesque unease cuts through me like a dredge as I face my latest despair
Seas churn beneath,
The sea is all I can breathe
Drowning in a void barren beyond compare I gasp eternally,
A sickening dread grips me as I sink deeper into nothingness.
Feel the end of sanity
An eternal plane that redefines endless,
I long for light, or dark, an end to this silence,
Neither physical, nor anything by metaphor,
I float amid despair.
Though I know I’m alone, in solidarity eternally,
I can’t help but fear that I am being watched,
It grows closer, this nameless horror,
But there’s nowhere safe in this realm of desolation
My life, my fate, my nightmare, my end, my death
A torment for eternity, but no words to describe it,
A vision of Hell instead would be a blessing,
This void of terror and desolation is all that awaits,
And all rivers lead to the same ocean
I’m crushed beneath waves, left gasping and flailing,
Lungs shredded by the abyss,
The deeper I sink the closer I become
To losing the sense of my very being
Even now that I’ve escaped,
Through nothing short of miracle,
I still live in fear,
That I will only return again when I die
I just can’t seem to feel,
Anything but this fear,
A misery that’s gripping me,
Dismal dreams that draped the abyss.
If this is all that lies beyond the pale of death,
Then nothing of value lies before it
Eternal fear, despair, and emptiness,
An unavoidable fate lurking beyond the void.
Can’t feel,
Can’t see,
Can’t hear,
Can’t breathe,
Can’t reach,
An end,
Just end,
This dream.
I just can’t seem to feel,
Anything but this fear,
A misery that’s gripping me,
Dismal dreams that draped the abyss.
A torment for eternity, but no words to describe it,
A vision of Hell instead would be a blessing,
This void of terror and desolation is all that awaits,
And all rivers lead to the same ocean
I’m crushed beneath waves, left gasping and flailing,
Lungs shredded by the abyss,
The deeper I sink the closer I become
To losing the sense of my very being
What an impressive piece of black metal. This one-man hurricane is pure art. Sgah‘gahsowáh creates an haunting atmosphere. He puts so much soul in his music. Sælzer Bub
Blackbraid quickly followed up their 2022 debut in 2023 with more native folk infused furious black metal. This is by no means a sophomore slump as it is equally excellent, methodical, melodical, and approachable as the first record. 9/10 RJ
La traversée du désert n'aura pas duré quarante jours mais quatre longues années...
Avec Панихида, Батюшка renaît enfin de ses cendres et, bien que désormais seul (ou plus exactement entouré de deux chanteurs), Христофор accomplit un miracle. Il s'inscrit dans la continuité de Литоургиiа avec un black metal orthodoxe qui nous convie ici à une cérémonie dédiée aux morts. Sa vision est englobante : les mélodies, la gravité et le silence font toucher le paradis ; l'agressivité est luciférienne. Jordan Vauvert
Crushing blackened doom from this German band that counterbalances blinding fury with moments of surprising, melancholy melody. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 8, 2023
An outstanding slab of atmospheric black metal, “Sisyphus” cannily blends texture and terror for a gripping final product. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 7, 2021
Tokyo band contrast black metal's brutal complexity with shoegaze's abyssal grandeur, resulting in an LP that feels crushing, yet infinite. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 24, 2022
The atmosphere of this album is fantastic. Makes you feel like you're knee-deep in the trenches drenched in mud, filth, sweat, and blood. Truly encapsulates the horrors of World War I, and the fact that the lyrics of some of the songs are taken from old war letters really adds to the authenticity.
Favorite Track(s): Die Feuertaufe, Grabenlieder edoerfler