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Nightwish Announce 10-Date North American 2022 Tour With Beast in Black

Symphonic metal masters Nightwish are plotting their return to North America with a 10-date tour booked for May of next year as the veteran Finnish band continues to support their latest album,  Human :||: Nature .

The run, which also features special guest Beast in Black , marks Nightwish's long-awaited return to the United States and Canada after what will be a four-year absence by the time the first show is underway on May 4 in Toronto, Ontario. Despite a prolonged period of time between North American tours, this upcoming jaunt will only be hitting select cities with three of the 10 shows taking place in California, including back-to-back nights in Los Angeles to cap it off.

While Nightwish will be touting their ambitious 2020 full length, power metal mavens Beast in Black, also from Finland, will be out in support of this year's  Dark Connection , their third album.

See the complete list of dates below. For tickets, head to Nightwish's website .

Nightwish 2022 North American Tour Dates

May 04 — Toronto, Ontario @ History May 06 — Montreal, Quebec @ Mtelus May 07 — Lowell, Mass. @ Tsongas Arena May 08 — New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5 May 10 — Silver Spring, Md. @ The Fillmore May 12 — Chicago, Ill. @ Radius May 13 — St. Paul, Minn. @ The Fillmore May 15 — Denver, Colo. @ Mission Ballroom May 18 — San Francisco, Calif. @ The Warfield May 20 — Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Wiltern May 21 — Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Wiltern

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M72 World Tour

We told you about our new album 72 Seasons , so what’s next now that we’ve escaped the studio? Hit the road, of course! You want a tour, we’ve got a tour... how about two full years worth of shows?!?!

Over the past few years, we have been so inspired by the dedication and family/community vibe of the fans who traveled to San Francisco for our recent weekend celebrations, first in 2019 with the two S&M2 shows, followed by last year’s 40th Anniversary shows. On top of that, we had a blast being a part of the 2021 Wimmer Festivals when we played two nights in one city, each with a totally different setlist. With all of that in mind, the M72 tour was born!

Starting in April of 2023, we’ll be visiting 22 different cities around the world and playing two nights in each city, with each “No Repeat Weekend” show a completely unique experience: Two totally different set lists with two different bands opening the show each night! Purchase a two-day ticket, and you won’t see the same song twice for a total of over 30 songs spanning our 40+ years of being lucky enough to make music. Most of the shows (sorry, not all - we tried!) will be on Fridays and Sundays, so we’ll be sure to have lots of extracurricular events for you to hang with fellow Metallica fans at before the shows kick-off and on the Saturday night in between.

Presented worldwide by Liquid Death and Blackened American Whiskey (in North America only), and brought to you by our friends at Live Nation, the M72 tour also launches a completely different look for us in stadiums – we’ll be in the round in the middle of the field. On top of that, the Snake Pit has been relocated to the center of the stage so that fans there will have a complete 360 view of the show. Each weekend offers a variety of Enhanced Experiences , ranging from access to a meet and greet, production and stage tour, food and beverage in the “Black Box” lounge to early entry into the venue and the aforementioned Snake Pit. The very popular “Black Laminate” is back, now known as the “I Disappear Ticket,” and is the ultimate pass for the fan who wants to run away with us for multiple weekends. Grab one of these and attend every show on your continent or in the world! For more information about Enhanced Experiences and I Disappear Tickets, visit wearesuper.co/metallica .

In keeping with the theme of two completely unique shows each weekend, we’re excited to share the stage with different bands each night, including some we have traveled with before and new friends who are joining us for the first time. Signing up for the entire adventure with us are Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Nine Kills, and MammothWVH, and some of you will see Pantera, Architects, Greta Van Fleet, or Volbeat, depending on the shows you attend. All the details are in the listing of dates below and on the individual show pages.

Two-day discounted tickets will be on sale Friday, December 2, for all shows. Fan Club presales start early on Wednesday, November 30, with various other presales beginning later that day and throughout the week. To request your Fan Club presale code, visit metallica.com/presale-code . If you cannot join us for the entire weekend, single-day tickets will be available starting January 20, 2023.

A portion of proceeds from every ticket sold will go to the band’s All Within My Hands foundation. Founded in 2017, AWMH’s efforts to assist and enrich the lives of members of the communities who have supported the band have raised nearly $13 million – providing $5.9 million in grants to career and technical education programs in the US, over $2.5 million to combat food insecurity, and more than $3.2 million to disaster relief efforts worldwide.

We cannot wait to embark on this new adventure, play some new music, and spend our weekends in ’23 and ’24 with YOU!

Show 1 Support Europe: Architects & Mammoth WVH ** Show 2 Support Europe: Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills * Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills play Show 1 in Paris, Architects & Mammoth WVH play Show 2 in Paris ** Volbeat replaces Architects on Show 1 in Gothenburg

Show 1 Support North America: Pantera & Mammoth WVH *** Show 2 Support North America: Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills *** Greta Van Fleet replaces Pantera on show 1 both weekends in Mexico City

Got a question about the M72 World Tour? Look for the answer in our FAQ.

Citi is the official card of the M72 Tour. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets in the U.S. beginning Wednesday, November 30 at 2:00 pm local time until Thursday, December 1 at 10:00 pm local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit citientertainment.com .

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The five-week tour of duty begins on Tuesday, July 26 at the Van Buren in Phoenix, Arizona.

Published on

This summer, Anthrax and Black Label Society will bring some of the finest thrash and heavy metal to 24 North American cities when they kick off a five-week tour on Tuesday, July 26 at Van Buren in Phoenix, Arizona, wrapping in Philadelphia at the Fillmore on Sunday, August 28. Both bands will play headline sets. Hatebreed, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Perseverance album, will special guest.

Black Label Society and Anthrax have shared festival stages and one-off shows numerous times, but this marks the very first time these two bands will tour together.

A special Blabbermouth presale will begin on Wednesday, April 20 at 10:00 a.m. EDT and end on Thursday, April 21 at 10:00 p.m. local time. General on-sale will be Friday, April 22 at 10 a.m. local time. Citi is the official card of the Anthrax and Black Label Society tour. Citi card members will have access to presale tickets beginning Monday, April 18, at 12 p.m. ET until Thursday, April 21 at 10 p.m. local time through the Citi Entertainment program.

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“Zakk [Wylde, Black Label Society leader] has been a friend and an inspiration to me as a guitar player, songwriter, and beard grower since we met in 1988,” said Anthrax’s Scott Ian.

“We’ve had the privilege to share festival stages with Zakk and BLS around the world, and it’s always been a head-banging mutual admiration society between the two bands. Now we get to share the stage every night on what is easily going to be the heaviest tour of 2022 — the ultimate pounding one-two combination of bands. Oh, and did I mention we’ve got f_king Hatebreed with us as our special guests? Holy crap, it’s going to be the night of 1000 crushing riffs. I can’t wait to see you all on the road.”

Anthrax and Black Label Society play the following US dates:

Jul. 26 – The Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ Jul. 28 – Brooklyn Bowl, Las Vegas, NV Jul. 29 – The Palladium, Los Angeles, CA Jul. 30 – Heart Health Park, Sacramento, CA Aug. 01 – Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO Aug. 02 – Midland Theater, Kansas City, MO Aug. 04 – Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana, Gary, IN Aug. 05 – Oshkosh Arena, Oshkosh, WI Aug. 06 – The Fillmore, Minneapolis, MN Aug. 08 – Southside Ballroom, Dallas, TX Aug. 09 – Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater, Austin, TX Aug. 11 – The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA Aug. 12 – House of Blues, Orlando, FL Aug. 13 – The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC Aug. 15 – The Andrew J Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, OH Aug. 16 – Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN Aug. 18 – The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD Aug. 19 – Main Street Armory, Rochester, NY Aug. 20 – The Fillmore, Detroit, MI Aug. 22 – StageAE Outside, Pittsburgh, PA Aug. 23 – History, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Aug. 24 – Amphitheatre Cogeco, Trois Riviere/Montreal, Quebec, Canada Aug. 26 – Coney Island Amphitheater, Brooklyn, NY Aug. 28 – The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA.

Listen to the best of Anthrax on Apple Music and Spotify .

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• Jun 8, 2022

News: Black Metal Solo Artist Hulder Announces U.S. Tour With Skeleton

VIA NEW NOISE MAGAZINE:

Black metal solo artist Hulder is getting back on the road this summer on a U.S. tour. On this occasion, they will be accompanied by labelmate Skeleton. The tour is titled Awakening Of Lithan Divinity and will begin on June 25 in Englewood, Colorado and go on through August 5 in Portland, Oregon. Devil Master will provide additional support on selected shows. Tour Dates for Hulder: 6/25/2022 Trve Brewing – Englewood, CO w/ Vastum, Khemmis, Panopticon, Dreadnought w/ Skeleton: 7/09/2022 Aces High Saloon – Salt Lake City, UT 7/12/2022 1867 Bar – Lincoln, NE 7/13/2022 Raccoon Motel – Davenport, IA 7/14/2022 First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN 7/15/2022 Cobra Lounge – Chicago, IL w/ Devil Master 7/16/2022 Black Circle Brewing – Indianapolis, IN w/ Devil Master 7/17/2022 The Ready Room – Louis, MO w/ Devil Master 7/18/2022 Boggs Social – Atlanta, GA 7/19/2022 Will’s Pub – Orlando, FL 7/20/2022 The Brass Mug – Tampa, FL # 7/22/2022 The Goat – New Orleans, LA 7/23/2022 White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX # 7/24/2022 The Lost Well – Austin, TX # 7/27/2022 Nile Theater – Mesa, AZ 7/29/2022 20 Buck Spin Label Showcase @ First Street Pool Billiards – Los Angeles, LA 7/30/2022 Golden Bull – Oakland, CA # 8/05/2022 Dante’s – Portland, OR # # Hulder Only Follow Hulder on Facebook . Photo courtesy of Liana Rakijian

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The Metal Tour of The Year 2022

BY BRANDON SCHULZ

This year has been such a promising one when it comes to live music events. All our favorite bands are awakening from their covid induced slumbers and hitting the road to wreak havoc upon the masses. There have been record breaking shows, massive turnouts, and wave after wave of tour and festival announcements that have had a lot of us on the edge of our seats wondering how it could possibly get any better than this. Some of the largest names in music history have been making appearances all over the globe, and the metal scene is no exception. Due to the success of their 2021 co-headlined tour, metal-titans Megadeth and Lamb of God have decided to give the people what they want and team up once again to bring us the Metal Tour of The Year which boasted a phenomenal lineup including supporting acts from In Flames and Trivium .

The Metal Tour of The Year kicked off on April 9 th , 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada, and I was lucky enough to have been there to photograph the event. The concert was being held at the Michelob Ultra arena in the Mandalay Bay resort. There was a merch table set up outside the venue which had a line of at least 200 people, and it was still at least 2 hours till showtime. I waited through the line which went surprisingly quick, bought my tour shirt, and went on the hunt for the rep that I was supposed to be meeting with to pick up my ticket and credentials. I hadn’t attended an event this size for years, so I was excited to say the least. This was a true collection of metalheads. There was studded leather, battle jackets plastered with patches, bondage belts, doc martins, black lipstick, long hair, and lots of tattoos. What else would you expect from the fans of some of the biggest and most widely known and respected metal bands on the planet? The energy was palpable. The anticipation tangible. You could sense the buzz of excitement in the air from the opening of the front gate all the way to the final cymbal hit of the encore. That’s enough teasing though, lets get on with the show!

The venue itself holds 15,000 people and it was well on its way to being filled when In Flames took the stage. They kicked off the night with the song “Cloud Connected” off their 2002 album Reroute to Remain. This was a great choice to get the crowds blood pumping and ready for the intense ride of a show that would follow. In Flames has been in this game for quite a while, it is always a little bit of a shock to realize just how long they have been players in the metal game. Starting in 1990 in Gothenburg, Sweden, this heavy metal band has had an upward trajectory ever since. Their first LP, titled Lunar Strain , was released in 1994 and that is exactly where they took us next with the brutal yet melodic track “Beyond Space”.  After reminding the crowd where this band had come from, they spent the rest of their set absolutely shredding faces with hits from their 5 post 2011 albums. They played thrash songs, they played melodic metal ballads, they played downright dirty guitar riffs and sent it home with the unbelievable drum stylings Andrew Wayne, who has previously played bands for bands like Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Underoath, and Chiodos. The energy this band exuded was so perfect for the opener. In Flames is heavy but have always had some slower songs that edge on hard rock. With a metal show like this you really need to pace yourself or you’ll end up burning out far too quickly and you won’t have nearly enough energy to carry you thorough to the end. They closed out their set with one of the heaviest bangers in their repertoire…the 2006 hit song “Take This Life” off the album Come Clarity .

We went into intermission and the crowd dispersed to recoup, smoke, grab another beer, and do what they needed to prepare themselves for the Orlando Based veterans of prog metal, Trivium . These guys really knew how to get everyone up and on their feet. Even though vocalist Matt Heafy also plays the guitar he was somehow all over that stage. The entire band swapped mic stands numerous times throughout their set which I found refreshing considering most bands take their positions on stage and then hold that position throughout the entire set. They opened with two songs, “In The Court of The Dragon” and “Like a Sword Over Damocles”, off their 2021 album In The Court of The Dragon . Trivium was engaged with the crowd and egged them on from beginning to end. They stuck to mostly newer tracks and played only 7 songs, but if you know this band then you know that their songs are usually between 3 and 6 minutes long, which means you still get a damn good piece of Trivium to store in the memory banks. They closed out with the 2006 djent-fest, “In Waves”, off their album bearing the same name. As they thanked the crowd, I couldn’t help but marvel at how flawless these bands had been so far, the last time I had seen either of them had been almost 20 years ago and they still packed the same amount of energy and ferocity into their set as they did back then.

At this point I really assumed that I knew what I was in for. I expected more of the same face melting guitar riffs, power poses, and just overall more metal greatness. I was so wrong…I was far from prepared for the whirling torrent of dreadlocked energy that was about to take the stage. During the intermission they had raised a massive black curtain in front of the stage and used a projector to cast the “ Lamb of God ’ logo onto it. As the lights went dark a slow melody played accompanied by deep, slow, vocals. Then a large BANG rang out as the intro ended, the curtain was released, and the song “Momento Mori” kicked into overdrive. This set was un-fucking-believable. Every member was not only on point but all over the place. The energy that these guys had, especially vocalist Randy Blythe, was off the charts. Randy was running back and forth, jumping off the drum platform, standing on the speakers in front of the stage, he was an absolute livewire! During their 3 rd song, “Walk with Me in Hell” off their 2006 album Sacrament , things really got intense with some awesome pyrotechnics. After slaying the crowd with 9 phenomenal songs, they came back out for a 3-song encore that included the songs “Vigil” off As the Palaces Burn , “Laid to Rest” from Ashes of the Wake , and finally closed with their most popular song “Redneck” off if the 2006 album Sacrament . I was completely blown away by their performance and still get chills when I think about that opening scene. Before I knew it, they had left the stage and we were at intermission yet again.

Our next performance both needs no introduction and deserves a proper introduction all at once. Megadeth was formed in Los Angeles in 1983 after vocalist and lead guitarist, Dave Mustaine, was kicked out of Metallica over allegations of alcoholism, drug abuse, and aggressive behavior. Mustaine went on to form Megadeth and ended up creating a heavy metal band that would go on to rival his former band in both size and influence within the metal world. Megadeth has become an absolute titan over the last 4 decades. They have sold over 50 million records worldwide, earned themselves 6 platinum records, 12 Grammy nominations (winning one for Best Metal Performance of the Year for the song “Dystopia” in 2017), and have been dubbed one of the most successful American heavy metal bands of all time. Now, back to our scheduled programming…

While we were having a nice little break, they had set up another curtain and completely changed the stage set up. The curtain was dropped before the band made their way onto the stage. There was a wall of mock Marshall cabinets stacked 4 high which was dropped to 2 in the center to accommodate the drum platform. In between each column of Marshall cabs there was an LED screen, 4 in total, that played computer animated graphics depicting scenes of fire and destruction along with Vic Rattlehead, Megadeth’s undead mascot. With a flash of light, the band made their way on stage while playing the intro to “Hangar 18” off their 1990 album Rust in Peace . Watching Dave Mustaine and Kiko Louriero shred only a couple feet away from me was one of the coolest fucking moments of my life. I couldn’t help but pause and stare in amazement as these legends performed with face melting perfection, I almost forgot why I was there in the first place. After Hangar, they dove right into another brain rattler by the name of “Dread and the Fugitive State of Mind” from 2001’s The World Needs a Hero . I personally think it is fair to say that this song, like many other Megadeth songs really popularized the chugging, djenting, guitar riffs that we have all come to love in today’s metal. Megadeth plowed on with one of my personal favorites “Sweating Bullets”, a song about the dark alter ego that lives within us all. Followed by “She-Wolf” and “Trust” off the 1997 banger of an album Cryptic Writings .

The best part of the set for me was during the song “Conquer or Die” from 2016’s Dystopia . This song, as you may or may not know, is an instrumental for the most part that begins with a lilting Spanish sounding classical guitar. Kiko was on stage with a stool and his acoustic as a futuristic peace officer began to walk the dark stage with a flashlight behind him. Occasionally the officer would shine his flashlight into the crowd almost as if he was searching the masses for dissidents to apprehend. Out of nowhere appears the Dystopia album version of Vic Rattlehead. Vic is portrayed in this version as a hulking juggernaut of about 7-feet clad in body armor, part undead human, part cyborg. Vic wonders the stage before confronting the peace officer, here they meet center stage with Louriero as he wails out a defiant and epic guitar solo. After the song Vic and his counterpart exit the stage and the rest of the band rejoins Kiko for the rest of the set. I think showmanship is something that has been greatly lacking in today’s music performances. Most bands these days come out and perform their songs and leave. There is no story line, no special effects, nothing.

Megadeth finished off their set with three of their most well-known songs, “Symphony of Dstruction”, “Peace Sells…But Whos Buying?”, and their encore, “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due”. The band bid the crowd farewell and the lights came on. I sat there for a few moments contemplating all that I had witnessed that evening. It seemed like such a journey. I was transported through time and space on the back of a fire breathing dragon. We experienced so much together. After a show like this you almost feel like those sitting or standing near you have become some odd little family. it never ceases to amaze me what the power of live-music is capable of. For a few hours all different walks of life came together; republican and democrat, Christian and satanist, grunge and clean-cut, rich and poor, it didn’t matter. For those few hours we were one. We were one big heavy metal family. we helped those who fell in the pit, we patted each other on the back, we sang arm in arm…its these moments that always have me wishing that it would never end. Why should we return to the hate and division? Why should we go back to being at one another’s throats when we are looking for the same things? These shows aren’t just about the music. They’re about the energy, the camaraderie, the way this music touches us each individually and as a collective, THAT is what it’s about. You can’t get much more immersive and intimate than that. This tour has quite a few more stops across the nation and I highly recommend making the trek to your nearest date and letting go of everything for just a few hours. Let yourself heal. Drown in the melody, lose yourself in the beat, become one with your fellow show goers, remind yourself what it is to be part of something greater than yourself and your superfluous nuances. Most importantly…Rock. The. Fuck. Out.

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Emperor tour dates 2025

Emperor is currently touring across 4 countries and has 4 upcoming concerts.

Their next tour date is at 70000 tons of metal in Miami, after that they'll be at Unknown venue in Râșnov.

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man what can I say .truly an honour and a privilege to meet and great the band .then watch them musically inspire, intimidate,annihilate all those who were there to witness the pure brilliance and genius that is EMPEROR. 1 week on and still on a high to have been in the prescence of black metal royalty

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I was extremely fortunate to see them in Los Angeles back in 2006 at the Key Club and in Chicago 2007. I met the band both occasions and they were so polite! The show was AMAZING!! I was made fun of extensively growing up for listening to metal and I'm still listening :)

Emperor are black metal behemoths, hugely influential in developing the genre into what it is today. their performance at Hellfest this year was brutal, visceral and dominating, going full throttle right from the start. The audience was subjected to blast beats right from the start, displaying their intention to unleash their brutish intensity upon the crowd. Emperor have enjoyed a long career, although after a break, they have reformed in recent years and proved that they still have tonnes of vitality and energy that is inherent in their music. Ihsahn's vocals are scratching growls that are skin-curlingly good, backed by intense guitar riffs and pummelling drums that drive their songs along at a rapid pace. "The Burning Shadows of Silence" was a highlight of the performance, a wild, frenzied track that created a whirlwind of noise, proving to be an exhilarating listen. The band sounded tight as ever, showing they have not grown sloppy over the years and the moments of absence from the world of music. Emperor are heroes of black metal and it is clear that they intend to continue to dominate and terrorise the scene. Being in the audience for an Emperor show is a true experience and is sure to blow away any cobwebs and leave you wanting to retreat into a small ball to recollect your energies after your aural receptors have been treated to such a punishment. A fantastic act that deserve the credit they have garnered.

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The 10 best black metal albums of 2022

From Abbath and Blackbraid to Gaerea and Zeal & Ardor - these are the 10 best black metal albums of 2022

It's 2022 and black metal 's evolutionary leaps show no signs of slowing down. From bands incorporating Native American folklore into their songwriting to those who fuse black metal with shoegaze, prog metal, delta blues or beyond, the parameters for what black metal can look - and sound - like in 2022 are boundless. 

2022 has been a great year for black metal, a wealth of releases from the likes of Midnight, Wiegedood, Belphegor, Mantar, Panzerfaust and beyond ensuring that honestly, we could have stacked our official critics poll with nothing but black metal and still not cover every base. Even so, we've boiled it all down and these are the 10 best black metal albums you need to hear from 2022.  

10. Celeste - Assassine(s)

Celeste remain an important part of France’s avant-metal firmament. On this seventh record, the band embrace the staccato chunk of their hardcore roots while experimenting with style and structure. Their melding of black/post/ sludge with an increasing melodic sensibility makes for a multi-faceted approach. 

Compelling by virtue of its unpredictability, Assassine(s) has allowed each musician to explore individual freedom of expression in their pandemic isolation. The result exceeds the sum of its parts. CC

9. Sigh - Shiki

Thirty years since Sigh’s debut EP attracted the enthusiastic attention of Norwegian black metal scene lynchpin Euronymous, the prolific Tokyo stalwarts maintain a hard-won reputation for impassioned creative flair, atmospheric versatility and playful imagination. 

Seldom have Sigh achieved this more resoundingly than on this 12th LP, Shiki is gleefully defined more by imperial, crunching riffs, dazzling twin-axe melodies and Mirai’s tasteful cosmic synth runs. CC

8. Kaoteon - Neither God Nor Master

Neither God Nor Master is the third album since Kaoteon emigrated halfway around the world from their home in Beirut. Musically, Neither God… stays in the mould built by Kaoteon’s last two outings: traditional black metal brutality scrapping with dissonant and death metal flairs. 

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The virtuosity and sliding riffs are comparable to Ihsahn, such as when Nimrod’s Demise explodes from a thumping bass lick to cascading chords. The title track is just as quick to nab attention, except it pairs tumbling drums with melodeath guitar taps. Be thankful that this outfit escaped their oppressive backdrop and are finding their groove – and long may they continue. MM

7. Blackbraid - Blackbraid I

"Indigenous black metal from the solitude of the Adirondack wilderness", so goes the description of newcomers Blackbraid , but it does little to capture the magic at the heart of the one-man-project's debut. 

Drawing upon stories of Native American history in a parallel to Alien Weaponry's exploration of Maori culture, Blackbraid I evokes the majesty and ferocity of classic Scandinavian black metal whilst infusing folk twists that create a sense of scope and ambition befitting an act that catapulted to the top of the Bandcamp charts. RH

6. Ibaraki - Rashomon

Matt Heafy’s expedition into the world of black(ened) metal is drenched in the imagery and mythological themes of Heafy’s ancient Japanese heritage. At its best, Rashomon is revelatory. Trivium have long exhibited a solid understanding of heavy metal’s dynamic potential, and those sensibilities have enabled Heafy to let his imagination run riot here. 

It’s all sufficiently immersive and elegantly conceived that cameos from Ihsahn ( Susanoo No Mikoto ), Nergal ( Akumu ) and, erm, Gerard Way ( Ro¯nin ) pass by without fuss, each one neatly assimilated into the bigger picture. Too progressive for black metal purists and arguably too extreme for a good chunk of Trivium’s audience, Rashomon is a brave, heartfelt and pointedly progressive move from a sincere student of the dark, metallic arts. DL

5. Gaerea - Mirage

Gaerea have categorised themselves as “cathartic black metal” and that hits the nail on the head. Their aggressive yet progressive suites are always invigorating, pulling from the most primal parts of death and sludge metal to keep the violence fresh. Third album Mirage is by far the most eclectic of Gaerea’s trilogy of beatings. 

Gaerea already have a reach well beyond the borders of black metal, and this album will only spread that popularity even further. Accessible and eclectic without compromising on the essence of extreme music, it’s hard to think of a metalhead who won’t be won over by Mirage. MM

4. Abbath - Dread Reaver

Three albums into his nominal solo career, it now seems a wonder that Abbath spent so long grimacing under the constraints of Immortal; he’s since found a multitude of new voices to inhabit. Dread Reaver edges the much-loved/much-mocked frontman ever closer to the sweet spot between Bathory, Motörhead, Manowar and Kiss (his stated aim for this album’s ear-ringing production). 

The careers of Lemmy and Quorthon are most evident musically, exemplified perfectly by the opening one-two of Acid Haze – taking a classic black metal route through Arctic riffs flurried over propulsive drums – and Scarred Core, a Philthy-beaten biker rumble making good use of Abbath’s experience fronting Motörhead tribute band Bömbers. CC

3. Watain - The Agony & Ecstasy Of Watain

On their latest, Watain resume their impious evolution, though the growth is subtle. Ecstasies In Night Infinite announces the album’s murderous intent with a firestorm of blastbeats and buzzsaw riffs, building to a dizzying, Slayer-esque solo. The Howling and Before The Cataclysm tap into wavelengths of such unrelenting malice that they seem to channel the very fires of Hell, serenaded by Erik Danielsson’s raw, blistering vocals. 

Though happy to swing sledgehammers at the skull all day long, Watain pull back the BPM on Serimosa , with its stabbing melody and grinding, mid-tempo malevolence. It’s a great example of how Watain are inspired by, rather than imitators of, the old-school Norwegian style. Though you’d never use the word ‘accessible’ with Watain, The Agony & Ecstasy Of… is their catchiest outing yet, and jaws will surely drop at the level of both savagery and precision on display. JD

2. Imha Tarikat - Hearts Unchained: At War With A Passionless World

Sonically superior and even more explosive than its predecessors, Hearts Unchained – At War With A Passionless World may prove to be too dark, too intense, for mainstream consumption, but Satan will surely find a way. Band mastermind Ruhsuz Cellât’s formidably individual approach and razor-sharp songwriting demand it. 

Superficially, Imha Tarikat adhere loosely to the brutal and austere German black metal template, but there is momentum and mystique driving the likes of Radical Righteousness and Brute Majesty . Coupled with Ruhsuz’s incensed fairground barker vocals, that air of malevolent mystery lifts everything here to a higher plane of terror.  

Most startling of all, Streams Of Power – Canavar is a sublime, four-to-the-floor post-punk anthem that makes perfect sense as a precursor to the wild and wicked miasma of Stardust Wisdom (Manifest Of The Deity To The Unkeen) : a solid contender for black metal song of the year. Even the horror flick organ drones of interlude Birth Of Grandeur feel strangely momentous and bereft of cliché. Whatever curious source of infernal power Imha Tarikat are tapping into here, the end result is undeniable. This is black metal art of the highest quality. DL

1. Zeal & Ardor - Zeal & Ardor

‘Black metal meets black spiritual music.’ Bottle it, flog it for all it’s worth. When Zeal & Ardor’s debut, Devil Is Fine , slithered into 2017’s end-of-year lists, we’d heard nothing like it: centuries-old slave chants blasphemed by black metal tremolo, bubbling electronica, dusty blues, Gothenburg melodies, and baroque Nick Cave-iness. Coining the idea of African American slaves praising Satan rather than God, Zeal & Ardor’s Manuel Gagneux established his ‘thing’. 

Stranger Fruit stretched that concept further in 2018, while 2020’s more immediate Wake Of A Nation EP tackled current affairs, galvanised by George Floyd’s murder. Does album number three have anything left to do? Course it does. It has more ideas than will.i.am drunk-texting Elon Musk. More twists than M. Night Shyamalan shagging a rollercoaster. But the difference is, Manuel knows what he’s doing. 

Zeal & Ardor is as cohesive as it is contrary, the title track’s industrial Godflesh drone set against silken, Satanic litanies. Album closer, A-H-I-L , is nearer to a Jim Williams horror score than it is to anything written by churchburning Norwegians. Between those extremes, Manuel goes toe-to-toe with everyone. Emersion visits that sunshiny postblack metal Møl have cornered the market on, Götterdämmerung injects soul and ghoulish choirs into mid-2000s Dimmu Borgir stomp, while J-M-B buzzes like a necro Ministry backed by… honky tonk piano? 

It’s all so propulsive, but it’s ridiculously accessible and nothing’s a footnote. Manuel’s gorgeous vocal timbre is never compromised, lending the record an aged quality – not least on Golden Liar’s Spaghetti Western by-way-of John Legend acoustica. We’re told everything’s been done before. Digital cartoon monkeys are the pinnacle of creativity. The Simpsons is still going. Originality is a scant currency, and Manuel’s pockets are full. Devil Is Fine dreamt a new world, Stranger Fruit started the journey, but Zeal & Ardor cast its anchor and bought a house there. We’re just lucky to be invited. AC

Staff writer for Metal Hammer, Rich has never met a feature he didn't fancy, which is just as well when it comes to covering everything rock, punk and metal for both print and online, be it legendary events like Rock In Rio or Clash Of The Titans or seeking out exciting new bands like Nine Treasures, Jinjer and Sleep Token. 

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CVLT Nation’s Top 10 BLACK METAL Albums of 2022

#10 NECROPOLISSEBEHT TTCCCLXXX

WTF WTF NECROPOLISSEBEHT  TTCCCLXXX is a whirlwind of PURE HATE! Imagine your brain is plugged into a vortex of chaotic audio filth. That’s what comes to mind after listening to this record. Hold on as I pick up my whole being off of the floor! NECROPOLISSEBEHT just blew my mind, will it blow ours?

Released September 22, 2022, via Nuclear War Now! Productions.

#9 CARRION BLOOM SACRAMENTS OF PESTILENCE

Damn this  CARRION BLOOM  record SACRAMENTS OF PESTILENCE is so so so fucking AWESOME!!! As a POC it’s beyond RAD to know that this band stands with me and not against ME! As I dive into the feral sonic RAGE that is SACRAMENTS OF PESTILENCE I can’t help but think I’m so glad that this band exists! The Black Metal that they create is the kind of music that is rooted in real life and not some fantasy BS! I would not be lying if I told y’all that CARRION BLOOM has created one of my favorite releases of 2022. When I hear anthems like “Further Down The Hall” I know why I love this art form. If the band reads this I want y’all to know that we appreciate y’all and your creative spirit!

Released May 6, 2022, via Transylvanian Recordings.

#8 THERMOKARST S/T

Super stoked to write about THERMOKARST and their S/T tape. WTF this Black Metal Beast never lets up and I FUCKING LOVE IT!!! Blast their song “ORGANIC LEAN GROUND” and tell me it’s not all that! This band knows how to write some Unreal Morbid Hymns that fucking hit the RAGE SPOT. THERMOKARST are wizards at creating sonic KAOS while still being able to manifest these audio pits of unhinged melody that are delicious to your eardrums. There is not one wack tune on this tape and that’s REAL. I love how they weave in these killer passages of DIRGE into their songs which are super captivating! Press play on their tune “Jesus Pills” and y’all can experience the beautiful tortured madness that is THERMOKARST. Oh yeah, y’all should know that this band is highly addictive, so beware!

Released February 17, 2022.

#7 DRESSED IN STREAMS Vande Mataram

DRESSED IN STREAMS is a Black Metal band that has never let me down! They bring something special to the genre and for that I respect them! Their latest offering Vande Mataram is FUCKING FIRE!!! I’m amazed at how much-blackened empathy and passion are infused into every second of this release! DRESSED IN STREAMS creates Black Metal that makes me happy to be alive!

Released September 27, 2022, via Colloquial Sound Recordings.

#6 PRAYER POSITION S/T

If you have been an avid reader of CVLT Nation for the last 11 years, then you know the kind of Black Metal that we love has its roots firmly planted in the fucked up sonic soil of PUNK. Prayer Position’s new self-titled release is a perfect example of the kind of Black Metal we love! Over the course of 10 tracks, this band lays down the fucking law and I can’t get enough. Their songs are full of the kind of Mayhem that makes me want to punch a nazi in the mouth, leaving them all bloody and fucked up! Respect due Prayer Position for manifesting one of my favorite BM releases of 2023!

Released November 30, 2022, via Primitive Propaganda.

#5 WIEGEDOOD There’s Always Blood At The End Of The Road

No band should be more hostile and unforgiving on their fourth release, yet  Wiegedood  accomplishes just this, despite having so much vitriol on their first three records. Most bands would scale back some, add flourishes, and expand their sound to the point that the fans would start to question their loyalty. Most, but not these dudes from Belgium. Yeah, they do add some bits here and there, and instead of narrowing down, they open it up and allow some exploration. Part of it has to do with being freed from a concept format, as they followed on their first three albums, but part of it also has to do with a band gaining strength from its core sound, reveling in it, and not being afraid of who they are. Written By Kelly Hudson — read the full review HERE .

Released January 14th, 2022, via Century Media Records.

#4 HEXEREI Ancient Evil Spirits

If madness could be caused by listening to an album, then HEXEREI’s Ancient Evil Spirits would do just that! WTF, not only does this fucking rock but it’s demented as well!

Released February 25, 2022, via Sentient Ruin.

#3 TRHÄ endlh​ë​d​ë​haj q​á​shm​ë​na ëlh vim innivte

Some bands are magical and you realize that when you first hear them! Case in point is Trhä and their most recent release endlh​ë​d​ë​haj q​á​shm​ë​na ëlh vim innivte is just that magickal! I can’t even begin how this record makes me feel because it’s that good! If you have never heard them before now is the time! All hail, Trhä — thank you for the magick!

Released November 25, 2022.

#2 ꙂꙨѮŮӜŮѮꙨꙂ Ŷ​ᾦ​Ϛ​Ӿ​Ѻ​ᾦ​Ѻ​Ӿ​Ϛ​ᾦ​Ŷ

ꙂꙨѮŮӜŮѮꙨꙂ has created a record that sounds full of sonic horror. The songs you will encounter on ŶᾦϚӾѺᾦѺӾϚᾦŶ will lurch their way into your reality and exist amongst your night terrors. Real talk, this offering defies genres, but I will say it’s fucking horrific. What I love about it is that deep down in the audio filth, the band manifests these portals of melodic dirge that are almost ritualistic. I’m tired of talking, it’s time for y’all to listen to ꙂꙨѮŮӜŮѮꙨꙂ for yourself!

Released October 8, 2021.

#1 BLACK FUCKING CANCER Procreate Inverse

After just one listen, you realize why BLACK FUCKING CANCER’s Procreate Inverse is our Number One Black Metal Record of 2022. I swear this band has never released anything I did not like! Their music has this otherworldy aggressive energy vibe about it that I can’t get enough of. What has always got me hyped about them is that out of all of their sonic chaos, they find a way to rock hard AF! Procreate Inverse is one of those records that each time you hear it you will feel and hear something new! Respect due to Sentient Ruin for putting out this Blackened gem of torment!

Released March 18, 2022, Sentient Ruin.

CVLT Nation is an online magazine dedicated to all things dark, punk and metal. cvltnation.com

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Okay By Me in America

Vladimir Ivanoff (Robin Williams), the Soviet musician who defects to America in Paul Mazursky's sentimentally satisfying new comedy, Moscow on the Hudson , walks around his new home in wonder, a man who hasn't yet learned what he should be afraid of. To be precise, Vlad doesn't defect to America, he defects to New York, that many-towered Babel where, as this movie has it, virtually no one speaks more than a few words of English. Understanding only fragments of what he sees and hears, Vlad isn't wary the way a native New Yorker would be, so he doesn't think it unusual that his best friend is a black from Alabama, a sort of internal émigré; his girlfriend an Italian; and his lawyer a Cuban who floated to Miami some years ago. In this democratic polyglot community, where foreigners confront ex-foreigners, and accents bounce off one another like bumper cars, even the Immigration Service is run by immigrants. ("Who's your boss?" demands an irate Hispanic gentleman who has been kept waiting. "His name is Ronald Ray -gone," says the lady official, in thickest Jamaican. "Now sit de f--k down!") Vlad fits right in.

In Moscow on the Hudson , all these people surprise us with their kindheartedness. They not only like Vlad, who is easy to like -- a solitary saxophone player in love with American jazz -- they also like one another. Moscow on the Hudson is Paul Mazursky's benevolent neo-melting-pot myth; it's about how Babel's towers reach to heaven. Though some of the movie may strike us as naïve or false, we're pulled along by the sweet dreams of a director with so broad and instinctive a sense of human solidarity.

Halfway through The World According to Garp , I began to think Robin Williams might need weights in his shoes to keep from floating in the air -- he was that insubstantial. But this time Williams is securely grounded; he has a real character to play, and he's extraordinarily touching. Bearded, and hairy as a Russian bear, he's a small, nearly innocuous figure in the Moscow scenes, clutching himself against the cold, grimacing at the sight of a three-hour waiting line for toilet paper. Like many citizens of Eastern Europe, Vlad has developed certain defensive strategies. When Jewish protestors are hauled off in black cars, he looks the other way; at the one-ring circus where he plays in the orchestra, he ritually bribes the K.G.B. agent assigned to keep an eye on the performers. His best friend, Anatoly (Elya Baskin), the circus's star clown, is a maudlin fellow with a woebegone rubber face and flapping arms, a noisy complainer whose indiscreet miseries could get them both in trouble. Vlad hates the Soviet Union, too, but he keeps quiet about it. Williams gives him a small, enigmatic smile -- almost a memory of a smile; he makes him a man in a deep freeze, passively accepting despair.

Using Soviet-émigré actors here and in Munich (which doubled for Moscow), Mazursky creates an intensely Russian atmosphere of silent paranoia and strangled exuberance. Vlad's family, with whom he lives in a standard, cramped Moscow high rise, are all professional entertainers, including Vlad's grandfather (Alexander Beniaminov), an enraged, disappointed old man whose half-cracked tirades against the state are always causing a scandal. Williams speaks Russian along with the others, and he's convincing enough, though the native Russians have a guttural sound he can't match. In a great moment, Vlad sings a forbidden Duke Ellington song he calls "Take A Train," and the whole family joins in with shouts and cries but completely off the beat. I don't know if Paul Mazursky could dramatize a scientist's or writer's hunger for intellectual liberty, but his understanding of an entertainer's need for freedom is instinctive -- the need is inseparable from the expressivity.

Mazursky's touch in these Russian scenes is astringent and rueful; the American stuff is much broader. The circus troupe, in New York on a tour, stops at Bloomingdale's, and the Russians become hysterical at the sight of the ground-floor glitz -- designer jeans, lingerie, and sunglasses -- a joke that turns a little sour, I think, on reflection. Anatoly chickens out, but Vlad, taking advantage of the pandemonium, swallows down his nausea and fear, and defects. It turns out he's abandoned a one-ring circus for a three-ring circus. Capitalism offers Vlad a riot of superfluity. In a hotel, he sniffs at the scented toilet paper like an ecstatic bloodhound; later, faced with innumerable brands of coffee to choose from in a supermarket, he faints from indecision.

Mazursky and his collaborator on the screenplay, Leon Capetanos, prepared for the movie by interviewing émigrés, and long sections of the screenplay have the feeling of strung-together anecdotes. Many of the jokey anecdotes are very good, but I wish the filmmakers had sent Vlad reeling through American society in the course of a story and had then folded their satirical observations into it. The way it is now, the movie feels randomly inclusive and jerry-rigged. Vlad is made to race from one job to another; the black security guard (Cleavant Derricks) who protected him from the K.G.B. when he defected at Bloomingdale's becomes his best friend, a friendship that's made the occasion for some liberalizing (pleasant to hear, but not really to the point) about the condition of blacks in America; he falls in love with Lucia (Maria Conchita Alonso), a Bloomingdale's salesgirl, and though Miss Alonso, a pop-singing star in Venezuela, is a lovely performer, her role is conceived as something of an object lesson. Along with dozens of weeping émigrés of every color and nationality, Lucia takes the oath of citizenship; the sequence raised a lump in my throat, but it also smacks of American self-congratulation.

In a word, Moscow on the Hudson should have been tougher. Scenes of affection and reconciliation come almost too easily to Mazursky, who is so eager to find the humanity in everyone that he sometimes flattens people out. (Evil and malice, after all, are human qualities too.) I find it hard to believe, for instance, that Vlad and his friends, each from a different immigrant group, would go dancing and hang out together. Isn't it more likely that each of the new arrivals would stick with his own tribe? Alas, the movie's family-of-man spirit feels like a crock. To achieve it, Mazursky willfully ignores some of the obvious divisions, such as the tribalization of commerce. It might have been funny, for instance, if Vlad had tried to open a produce stand or a coffee shop and had run into some indignant Koreans or Greeks. If Mazursky had confronted some of this, the movie's "I love America" sentiments would have earned our respect as well as our affection.

Yet Robin Williams's performance holds up. His Vlad comes alive in New York; the city's buzzing disorder makes him gregarious, hopeful, and ready to connect. And though Williams gives a performance of immense sweetness, he's not pulled down by the movie's sentimental tone. When Vlad gets the chance to play the sax with one of his favorite black jazz players, he doesn't make out too well. He's not good enough, and maybe he'll never be good enough. America the bountiful can't solve all his problems. What it can do is give him the opportunity to enjoy life. For a man who has always embraced misery, it's an immeasurable gift.

Related pages

• Moscow on the Hudson Main Page
• Review ::: Okay By Me in America