Review by Chris Pratl on March 6, 2017.

I’m still on the fence as to what exactly this ‘post-black metal’ trend is, but I have a feeling it’s sort of a moodier, properly-diluted form of blackened art mixed harmoniously with some gothic overtones and depressive metal. If that’s the overall gist then I’ve got Poland’s Mord’A’Stigmata down to a narrowed pathway.

Okay, when I think of black metal in the 21st century I immediately get the picture of the jokes that have become Dimmu Borgir and Cradle Of Filth, but from the mire of selling out and pure thievery comes the occasional ‘dark’ spot that’s wholly credible and worth following. Mord’A’Stigmata does just that with its sophomore piece, Antimatter. An often sadistic venture into hells unknown, the album refuses to base itself solely in one realm of predictable black metal. In forcing the issue of diversity in one style, this album offers credulity so often reduced to random vapidity and shtick that it’s hard to recall the glory days of blackened metal music without rolling one’s eyes. While the torch is certainly on a low and borrowed flame, bands like this come around and disrupt the calming tides with music that lies somewhere between sheer brilliance and an established legend’s playbook. That said, what Mord’A’Stigmata accomplishes is nothing short of a complete picture into what should be modern black metal (or post black if you’re so inclined to find new labels).

Vocally the style rests in brief, veiled glimpses of Atilla Cshiar in the less ‘gruff’ areas, but other than that it’s very ‘typically’ black metal, sans the familiar over-the-top shrieking. In fact, this is one of the more accessible styles I’ve heard and I quite like it. Maybe, just maybe Behemoth might have to give away the Eastern European mantle since they’ve become a little too predictable these days; if that’s the case, a band like Mord’A’Stigmata is certainly deserving of such a chance. The tracks on Antimatter read like a how-to for this black metal art form that seems to rely less on the hateful volatility of its predecessors and more on the sorrowed enhancing of atmosphere and self-dwelling. In this facet, the album is a true must-hear for this reason alone. There are far too many bands labeled ‘post’ now; it’s beginning to sound like metal cereal, the Breakfast of Sapiens. All funnies aside, this record encompasses all that is vacant in today’s run of black sounding bands. “Metatron and the Waters” is something that could easily have been Dissection-related in between Storm of the Light’s Bane and Reinkaos, but it’s all Mord’A’Stigmata and delightfully so.

True black metal fans might dig this for its aesthetic charms, but even as I go through it a second time the vocals are really a highlight for me. There is a sincere dim essence afforded the listener who is able to attune to such a high point of his or her psyche. Without sounding too melodramatic, the music on here can certainly be enjoyed much more at a higher level of consciousness; in layman’s terms, if you’re a mall-metal fan with only Dimmu Borgir, Cradle or Eyes of Noctum on the brain you’ll find this album “too chaotic” or “all over the place, confusing”, both terms I’ve heard used for some epic black bands who still get it.

Sun & Moon might have a good jump start on some killer bands with releases like this. I look forward to delving deeper into the labyrinth and meandering around for a while. This is just the score to compliment that journey.

Rating: 8 out of 10

(Originally written for www.MetalPsalter.com)

Review by Chris Pratl on March 6, 2017.

I’m still on the fence as to what exactly this ‘post-black metal’ trend is, but I have a feeling it’s sort of a moodier, properly-diluted form of blackened art mixed harmoniously with some gothic overtones and depressive metal. If that’s the overall gist then I’ve got Poland’s Mord’A’Stigmata down to a narrowed pathway.

Okay, when I think of black metal in the 21st century I immediately get the picture of the jokes that have become Dimmu Borgir and Cradle Of Filth, but from the mire of selling out and pure thievery comes the occasional ‘dark’ spot that’s wholly credible and worth following. Mord’A’Stigmata does just that with its sophomore piece, Antimatter. An often sadistic venture into hells unknown, the album refuses to base itself solely in one realm of predictable black metal. In forcing the issue of diversity in one style, this album offers credulity so often reduced to random vapidity and shtick that it’s hard to recall the glory days of blackened metal music without rolling one’s eyes. While the torch is certainly on a low and borrowed flame, bands like this come around and disrupt the calming tides with music that lies somewhere between sheer brilliance and an established legend’s playbook. That said, what Mord’A’Stigmata accomplishes is nothing short of a complete picture into what should be modern black metal (or post black if you’re so inclined to find new labels).

Vocally the style rests in brief, veiled glimpses of Atilla Cshiar in the less ‘gruff’ areas, but other than that it’s very ‘typically’ black metal, sans the familiar over-the-top shrieking. In fact, this is one of the more accessible styles I’ve heard and I quite like it. Maybe, just maybe Behemoth might have to give away the Eastern European mantle since they’ve become a little too predictable these days; if that’s the case, a band like Mord’A’Stigmata is certainly deserving of such a chance. The tracks on Antimatter read like a how-to for this black metal art form that seems to rely less on the hateful volatility of its predecessors and more on the sorrowed enhancing of atmosphere and self-dwelling. In this facet, the album is a true must-hear for this reason alone. There are far too many bands labeled ‘post’ now; it’s beginning to sound like metal cereal, the Breakfast of Sapiens. All funnies aside, this record encompasses all that is vacant in today’s run of black sounding bands. “Metatron and the Waters” is something that could easily have been Dissection-related in between Storm of the Light’s Bane and Reinkaos, but it’s all Mord’A’Stigmata and delightfully so.

True black metal fans might dig this for its aesthetic charms, but even as I go through it a second time the vocals are really a highlight for me. There is a sincere dim essence afforded the listener who is able to attune to such a high point of his or her psyche. Without sounding too melodramatic, the music on here can certainly be enjoyed much more at a higher level of consciousness; in layman’s terms, if you’re a mall-metal fan with only Dimmu Borgir, Cradle or Eyes of Noctum on the brain you’ll find this album “too chaotic” or “all over the place, confusing”, both terms I’ve heard used for some epic black bands who still get it.

Sun & Moon might have a good jump start on some killer bands with releases like this. I look forward to delving deeper into the labyrinth and meandering around for a while. This is just the score to compliment that journey.

Rating: 8 out of 10

(Originally written for www.MetalPsalter.com)

Review by Vanass on April 11, 2020.

Elgibbor is a Polish (located in the US nowadays I believe) one-man project. Fire is a talented guy I have to admit, yet the raw production quality was always hard to swallow.

This album features some of the best tracks that I've encountered in recent times in the unblack scene. Unlike many artists in this genre who are just unable to write a decent riff and record their demos with the help of their mobile phones, Fire makes good use of the raw sound, which took me a while to understand.

Without a doubt, this is my favorite Elgibbor release. It features some pretty unique melodic elements combined with the atmospheric elements that result from the low production quality. If this were any other genre than black metal, I'd have dismissed it already as trash. Elgibbor, on the other hand, knows exactly what he is doing by applying this sound.

The riffs are not repetitive as I had expected, therefore it's is a little bit hard to characterize the exact sound of this album; there are tracks like 'The Sound of Your Voice' with the guitars having a mostly buzzing sound overlaid with melodic notes and tracks like 'Anchor' which can even be described as raw black 'n' roll. Fire tries to evoke a state mind, an atmosphere that is supposed to make you think about repenting, the Armageddon, forgiveness, spiritual war, etc. Fire, as an experienced musician and declared believer, managed to achieve exactly what he attempted to. His riffs are definitely not sloppy, technically well-performed and each had its purpose on this record.

Unusually, the drumming was quite enjoyable for a one-man project (in my personal opinion). A variety of tempos and beats can be found here and as expected he applied a faster tempo for the atmospheric parts and a quite groovy style of drumming here and there. I am positively surprised how good the mixing was and how well the drumming matched the guitars; definitely, something Fire can be proud of.

I am quite certain that this was Fire's best vocal performance and fits the whole atmosphere perfectly, almost drifting into depressive/suicidal black metal. He mastered the characteristic black metal vocals a long time ago but still remains at a lower range than vocalists like Hoest or Gaahl. Noticeably, the lyrics are Christian and therefore I would say that it is reasonable to distance this band from the depressive subgenre, although the atmosphere is at some points quite hypnotic and sorrowful. The lyrics are entirely Christian, but more enjoyable than most of unblack lyrics since they are not so militant and a bit more mature.

Not to waste any more words, buy Elgibbor's stuff if you are one of the few people on this planet that can actually digest pure rawness.

Rating: 9 out of 10