ALBUM REVIEW: Angmaer – Victoria Aut Mors

With the UK Black Metal scene at its finest point in many years, if not ever, Angmaer is back with a second full length of Melodic Black Metal craftsmanship, set for release on October 11th via UKEM Records.

Thundering drums and classic Black Metal riffs torn straight from the Scandinavian style storm into a mesmerising blast of evil and macabre soundscapes, Angmaer is back in ferocious style. With vocals joining the mix immediately reminiscent of Gaahl, the nostalgia is hitting hard, but not quite as hard as the devastating blows of vicious drums, tremolo picked melodic riffing and snarling vocals which is delivered with nothing held back. Compared to the first album, there is definitely more aggression present which takes over from some of the more folky melodics but without compromising the atmospherics of the project which have taken a disturbingly hateful twist, something I for one am grateful for. With plentiful melodic approach still shining through, there is a melancholy within this bombastic opus of destructive filth, everything being done so tastefully, which really makes the huge wait for this album worthwhile. Not only are we given monolithic Black Metal but there is plenty of influence from Death and Thrash Metal creeping in to up the anti in terms of brutality, really delivering something that kicks your teeth in with all the haste of Marduk (which with Fredrik Widigs on drums makes perfect sense). Angmaer has stepped away from feeling like a blackened Wintersun and is delivering the crushing blows one comes to expect from Belphegor or 1349 to use less niche names, and it is done marvellously. If you seek Black Metal that will truly keep you on the edge of your seat with its ferocity and tight musicianship, also with a much more high end production value, then this is where you need to be. Angmaer have outdone themselves (or himself) and definitely made a huge step up from the first album, which was also a really solid record. -8/10