Old Man’s Child
Last release: Slaves of the World (released May 19, 2009)
6 years, 7 months and 12 days ago (and counting…)
I may have a love-hate relationship with Dimmu Borgir, but I’ve always been partial to Galder’s work in Old Man’s Child. Having been quite consistent across all seven full-lengths, it is tricky to point out a ‘definitive’ Old Man’s Child album – but Galder’s work on the last (and possibly final) Old Man’s Child album, 2009’s Slaves of the World, is perhaps some of his very best. Freed from the oft overly symphonic constraints of Dimmu Borgir, Galder lets loose on here with airtight riffs that carry just the right balance between melody and malice, and the drumming of Peter Wildoer is as superb as is to be expected. You can’t keep a good man down, which is why I have no doubts that Galder will resurrect this band again in the hopefully not-too-distant future.
Rimfrost
Last release: Veraldar Nagli (released November 16, 2009)
6 years, 1 month and 15 days ago (and counting…)
Many have tried (and failed) to capture the essence of prime Immortal, with Sweden’s perennially underrated Rimfrost arguably ranking as one of the very best pretenders to the frostbitten throne. Having delivered a mighty punch with 2009’s Veraldar Nagli — an album that would slot in comfortably next to At the Heart of Winter and Damned in Black — the band fell into a rather long period of silence, with only the odd reminder or two via their Facebook page that they are indeed still active. It’s been more than six years since these upstarts last graced us with a slice of sub-zero black metal but things seem to be picking up momentum with the band recently having signed with Non Serviam Records, that will release their new album somewhere around Spring 2016. More people need to know about this band (and they themselves need to be more active in future… damn).
Setherial
Last release: Ekpyrosis (released June 14, 2010)
5 years, 6 months and 17 days ago (and counting…)
Seen by some of the more fickle among us as the poor man’s Marduk, Setherial made great strides towards finally establishing themselves as a major player in the infernal field of black metal with 2010’s Ekpyrosis. An inhumanly tight slab of controlled chaos, the album saw the band deftly meshing their blast-ridden style of black metal with a newfound sense of dissonance and an even more sinister atmosphere than before. I have fond memories of playing this album on repeat during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and even though they have released two stop-gap EPs after this album, they really need to get back in the studio and release a new full-length soon before the long break really takes the hellish wind out of their sails.
Unanimated
Last release: In the Light of Darkness (released April 27, 2009)
6 years, 8 months and 4 days ago (and counting…)
Sweden’s Unanimated reported back in fine style with 2009’s In the Light of Darkness (their first full-length since 1995’s much heralded Ancient God of Evil) by incorporating more straight-faced brutality into their trademark slightly blackened old school Swedish death metal sound. A stellar mic of the old and the new, the album was well received and former Dissection guitarist Set Teitan joined the band as full-time member not long afterwards. All the pieces seemed to be falling into place, only for the band to once again slip into a protracted silence. Judging by the band’s Facebook page, nothing much seems to be happening in the Unanimated camp – aside from the obligatory Lemmy tribute post the last time they actually bothered to post anything on there was way back in 2012. What a shame…
Vital Remains
Last release: Icons of Evil (released April 24, 2007)
8 years, 8 months and 7 days ago (and counting…)
Always a go-to band when one is in need of a savage death metal beating, Vital Remains have seen a couple of major line-up changes since 2007’s Icons of Evil, with both Glen Benton and Dave Suzuki leaving the fold. Mainman Tony Lazaro has soldiered on with a new cast of members but apart from playing live gigs there doesn’t seem to be much activity on the Vital Remains front. Their Facebook page features a near constant stream of gig announcements but zero in the way of useful information regarding a possible follow-up to their 2007 effort. Here’s hoping Lazaro and co. rectify this situation ASAP because Vital Remains was always a trusted name.
