Ecferus - Pangaea

There is a very real magic to one man black metal projects, the intensely personal power they can have allows the soul of the artist to rub off on yours in a very profound way and speak to the listener in a fashion that no one else could. This only gets magnified with an artist like Ecferus who, while he does definitely acknowledge traditional black metal tropes has a fairly distinctive approach, giving him a unique slot in the scene and helping listeners to get lost in the twisted majesty and bleak imaginings of his sound.

The transition on this record, from traditional frostbitten black metal to sludgier moments or even vaguely electronic passages is really interesting. The quasi orchestral implementations seen periodically in this record help to allow Pangaea to display a broader swathe of sound than I think that many of Ecferus's peers could. The quality of the musicianship is solid but it is in songwriting that Ecferus really makes his mark. The topsy turvy nature of the pieces and the way that they leave you unstable, confused and begging for more is magical. With vivid soundscapes Pangaea is something you can get fully lost in.

I'd be temped to call Pangaea refreshingly bleak if the darkness wasn't so sublime that it left you questioning your very reality. With eerie melodies and a sense of orchestration that at times is almost Classical in scale Ecferus is one of the most fascinating one man black metal projects out there. WIth vivid soundworlds painted over blazing riffs and an obsession with times forgot Ecferus gets right to the heart of one man black metal projects and as riffs burn and solos dazzle its hard for the true black metal fan not to fall in love with Pangaea.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/ecferus/?fref=ts

Krayl

Grim, bleak, pure, undiluted, vicious, dark. These are all words that could describe the otherworldly phenomenon that is black metal. Yet rarely do bands get it right the raw and destructive black metal of yore is hard to find these days. That is part of what makes Krayl so good, this is a band who understand the true spirit of black metal and reinvoke the sheer evil of the early 90s with a sound that is 'necro' and filled with the most unforgiving sounds, reminiscent of Burzum, Darkthrone and early Emperor. One of the coolest aspects of this project is that it is Indian in origin, this gives Svartblod, the man behind the project, a bit of a unique sounding approach to his music. In other words, if you are looking for evil black metal at its finest, filled with dark riffs, and unapologetic speed then look no further than Krayl, the sort of project that will melt your face off with a dedication to the genre that is hard to find these days. Though the production may be lacking the spirit behind the music is not and I can not wait to hear more from Krayl!

Find out more on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/kraylofficial/app_2405167945

Prayer of the Dying

One man black metal is one of the best kinds of black metal, any purist can tell you that without a moments hesitation. The fact of the matter is that the harsh and deeply personal soundscapes found on these types of recordings are simply exceptional. Prayer of the Dying is no exception to that and the mastermind behind the band Martin Ciappara, a talented songwriter with a gift for black metal madness. His music is often melancholic, but almost always beautiful, ripe with the potent magic that trve black metal has. Sure it's not for everybody, yet the select few who enjoy this kind of music love it deeply. In other words, Prayer of the Dying is the kind of metal band that the pvrist loves, grim and evil and filled with the magic that only one man working on his own in the studio can produce. A veritable masterpiece Martin Ciappara's latest release Gods Failed Creation is a powerful and poignant record that leaves me begging for more. I for one sincerely hope that this metal master can continue to deliver in the future!

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Prayer-of-the-Dying/206096002734228?id=206096002734228&sk=app_2405167945

A God From the Machine

A God From the Machine is what happens when you take occult black metal and mix in hefty doses of The Ocean infused prog. Add in the mystique of the one man black metal project and you have something that is truly grim. Even though the project is only just starting out A God From the Machine's debut demo EP is filled with potential and raw evil. Songs like A Question of Faith show the potent might of this solo musician in the field of progressive black metal. Kvlt to the extreme and frostbitten to say the least the future seems bright for A God From the Machine, despite having only 12 Facebook fans right now (and being all the more grim because of it). I hope to see more from Connor Hoffman in the future, he is clearly very talented and his prodigious skills should not be ignored. If you're looking for some trve progressive black metal to start your week with then A God From the Machine is the band for you!

Listen to this madness on Bandcamp!
http://agodfromthemachine.bandcamp.com/

Filsufatia

Filsufatia is an extremely introverted depressive one man black metal act. All the songs on these demos are bizarre and definitely not for the common man. Mostly done on a synthesizer this is a band that uses some of the most epic and powerful music that I have heard in a long while. The majority of the songs on this record use the poor production to their advantage, to give the music a more down to earth quality. The musicianship present on this record is phenomenal. It shows a compositional and technical brilliance that is rarely matched in metal music. Their is a very repetitive style to a lot of these songs. This often seems to manifest itself in a form of serialism. There is definitely a strong influence from early 20th century experimental composers. In conclusion, Filsufatia is a very interesting act with some refreshingly dark music that any fan of introverted and very kvlt projects should enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/Filsufatia/app_2405167945