Black Twilight Circle (Various Artists): Tliltic Tlapoyauak

Here's an interesting idea: a bunch of bands that, for over ten years, work together to foster individual sounds, not in the spirit of competition, but to develop more and more possibilities of what black metal can do when pursued for its own sake. In other words, this is not a typical compilation album. Like the word "circle" suggests, this is a group of artists, all of whom are honing and refining their individual voices as well as helping to develop the voice of the whole. It's a cool idea, one that certainly goes a long way to promote underground metal and to make sure that musicians have support.

The music on this release—nearly two hours' worth—is quite varied. Nevertheless, the Black Twilight Circle has a strong reputation, one that will certainly foster interest in this release. The attempt, as I noted above, is about fostering individual artists while keeping an eye on the broader possibilities of black metal in general. There is, therefore, no one sound that ties all this together.

Given the length of this album—and the number of bands represented—this album could be enjoyed in a couple of different ways. I suppose that one could listen to it from beginning to end. When I listened to it, though, I shuffled things around, hoping that the variety of sounds on display here would stand out when I didn't know what was coming next.

Give this one a spin if you want to hear the latest offerings from the underground. I thought it made for an interesting listen. In some ways, I like the idea of this release more than the release itself. Listening to was, as I said, was interesting, but I wasn't as drawn to it as I might have been. I liked some of the riffs and some of the melodies but getting through it was a bit of a slog. Every band is a little different and some songs are significantly better than others. Rather than guide readers through all two hours of this release, I'll just say this: if you like underground black metal, this may interest you. It is, however, a bit like a music festival—sometimes you just need to walk out and take a break.

Track Listing:
Disc 1
1. Kuxan Suum—Tzolk'in
2. Cempopoloah—En el Obligo de la Luna
3. Blue Hummingbird on the Left—Storm
4. The Haunting Presence—Dead Souls Scream
5. In LakechAlaKin—Ometeotl
6. Muknal—Bringers of Filth
7. Dolorvotre—Upward Spiraling
8. Tukaaria—Nekaroa
Disc 2
1. Kampilan—Battle of Mactan
2. Volahn—Yaxche
3. Kallathon—Universe of Constant Ages and in the Mist of Eternity
4. Shataan—Born to the Earth, Return Through the Body
5. Blood Play—Screams Transcends
6. Acualli—Rites of Mockery
7. Arizmenda—Rites of Deconsecration
8. Axeman—Ride into the Night

Added: October 13th 2014
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
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Language: english

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