Monument

Vorkuta are faithful to their previous work and produce a clear,
resonant piece of distant old-school Black Metal draped in 2 longish
ambient pieces. I highly recommend this band and all their output to
fans of the mid-90's Dark Metal with Bethlehem at the helm. Their
sound and composition is stubbornly individualistic and darkly
pleasing to the ear trained for the bizarre and idiosyncratic. This
band has a sense of style and it is immediately obvious. There is
nothing particularly amazing about this song. It is just bleak and
sad, intertwining evocative melody with hoarse, fucked up vocals,
drawing one into a dark world.

Heldentod present a much rawer recording, but with clear enough sound
to be representative of the participating instruments. The raven
vocals are a standout. The first song is typically atonal, angry
second-wave Black Metal. I don't hate it, but it is not profound.
There is a weird chuggy moment in the middle of "Iron Eagle" narrated
in heavily accented English, that is reminiscent of Korrozia Metalla.
"Visions of a Higher Existence" is a bit different with the cawing
vocals making a resounding comeback over a mournful strummed riff. The
song develops a galloping tempo with more of those vocals screaming
painfully over the top. The tape concludes with an ultra-raw rendition
of "Hans Siste Vinter." Overall – not bad, but I would think it would
be more enjoyable to see them live.