Old Castles – ‘Die Wampyriskra Symphonie’ [Album Review]

Say what you like about Facebook-enemy-number-one Varg Vikernes, before he completely went off the rails he defined not one but two musical genres: Burzum’s early recordings perfected the raw, DIY style of second wave black metal but also introduced the pensive atmospheric treatments that would one day become dungeon synth, paving the way for any number of other genre-crossing one-man-metal luminaries, from Striborg to Xasthur. Fast forward to 2011/2012, and enter Old Castles, a member of the intriguingly-named “Old True Dungeon Synth Committee and Temple of Paroketh Death Current Alliance,” who has recorded several solo outings in the primarily analog style of raw black metal as well as dungeon synth. This mysterious entity now brings an alarmingly Burzum-esque record, Die Wampyriskra Sym...

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