Too late to quote and weave a few humble words about April’s best BM albums? No, not at all, what is truly excellent is timeless.

Ultha – All That Has Never Been True

Release Date: 1st April
Label: Vendetta Records

Ultha is an amazing German black metal band, I think everyone knows that. All That Has Never Been True, the band’s fourth album is another one of the albums contained here in this list that present themselves in a versatile way. It has everything here, and the way this “everything” interconnects in a cohesive and pleasant way is worthy of Ultha. From DSBM, atmospheric black metal, post-black metal, ambient metal, All That Has Never Been True has everything that makes style immortal.

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BHLEG – Fäghring

Release Date: 1st April
Label: Nordvis Produktion

Completing the trilogy that started in 2014 with Draumr Ast, Bhleg presented an exquisite album full of magic. Fäghring explores guttural and demonic vocals, dark guitar chords and explosive beats. Some short tracks and interludes set the tone for this work, exploring in a balanced way acoustic instruments, chants and sounds of nature. Really a beautiful album and one of the best of Bhleg. Highly recommended.

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NEGATIVE PLANE – The Pact…

Release Date: 30th April
Label: Invictus Productions

New Yorkers Negative Plane brought an intriguing and well-constructed album. A new coat for the glorious early years of the first and second wave of black metal, seamlessly fused with thrash and heavy metal. The band not only rebuilds the classic but does so in a peculiar and acutely welcome way. The Pact is chock-full of stratospheric and parallel riffs. It delivers tons of murky melodies and a macabre atmosphere.

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SAIDAN – Onryō II: Her Spirit Eternal

Release Date: 15th April
Label: Jems Label

This is an interesting album. Despite the relentless, raw vocals and frantic drumming, the riffs are melodic, progressive and almost poetic, just like the synth. A mix of styles that almost escapes from black metal itself because without more, however, without abrupt and strange interruptions, it incorporates instrumental interludes, soaked in punk rock, pop, post-black metal and ambient. The theme of the lyrics is also unusual, but you know what? I really liked this album, Saidan undoubtedly rewrites the style or maybe even creates something totally different and new. Like a flamboyant punk/black metal? Who knows. Perfect and very nice to hear. Hailz Hell! \m/ I’ll include them in the best ones of 2022.

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VANUM – Legend

Release Date: 22nd April
Label: Profound Lore Records

Legend is an excellent contemporary album provided by Vanum. Raucous and very specific vocals and a beautifully epic guitar. The solos provided by the guitar are exciting, and the synths are presented in their entirety and are explored in an epic way too. Haven’t heard yet? You should … in capital letters.

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THIS WHITE MOUNTAIN – The Final Sorrow

Release Date: 8th April
Label: Halcyon Recordings

The six-track album offers nearly fifty minutes of atmospheric and progressive black metal that explores elements of thrash and death. Here, we have a beautiful album. It’s enveloping, and the cold atmosphere is filled with quality riffs, clean drums and thundering vocals. The tracks develop with a balanced continuity with a good measure of loud sonic and instrumental leaps and deep chasms. A good insight was the insertion of interludes here and there. Do you like dark, raw, sinister, fast and dramatic atmosphere permeated with powerful melodies? If so, The Final Sorrow is for you.

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SKOGNATT/WEHMUT – The Swarm/November

Release Date: 1st April 2022
Label: Self-released

Fellow Bavarians Skognatt and Wehmut’s released a split called, The Swarm/November. In its entirety, this split takes 38 minutes to be travelled. Composed of 6 tracks, the first three are by Skognatt and the last three by Wehmut. Skognatt, this time, transmutes the style in a darker and more penetrating way. Using sound layers that explore acoustic guitars and more organic drums, alternating raw and fast doses accompanied by Danijel’s hissing and disturbing vocals and opening melancholic and subtle sonic landscapes, makes these three tracks diverse and deep. After being tossed around by the Skognatt-created Tornado, you fall straight into a never-ending dream, lulled by the beauty of Wehmut’s songs. As painful as the themes of his lyrics are, they are filled with true feelings that are reinforced by the impeccable sound created by Johannes. Wehmut is dedicated to sweeping riffs and melodies that overlap poetically and, in my conception, passionate, safeguarded by solid drums, anguished vocals and well-chosen post-metal elements.

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MARRASMIELI – Martaiden mailta

Release Date: 8th April
Label: Naturmacht Produtcions

Martaiden mailta, the second album of these pagan/black metal warriors, brings an emotionally involving atmosphere where the keyboards and additional instruments are the flagships of this magnificent work. It’s 46 minutes of pure interconnected beauty.

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TE RUKI – Marako Te Ruki

Release Date: 21st April 2022
Label: Vama Marga Productions

If there is something that is really interesting, it is the use of unusual instruments and different languages from the usual ones, as well as not so common cultural approaches. Te Ruki with the album Marako Te Ruki brought just that. A black metal album without a doubt, but with Polynesian drums, peculiar instruments of their land, and use of the native language on vocals. The impact caused by this album is not only positive but singularly very attractive.

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Teufelsberg – Ordre du Diable

Release Date: 30th April 2022
Label: Signal Rex

Closing with emphasis and all the rawness, the list of the best BM albums of April, I could not leave out the great Ordre du Diable of Teufelsberg. A nostalgic album. Solid, but brutal and frenetic. I look forward to the second album and that this one will come soon!