New Member Presentation : Hakim – Black Metal, Fish, Best Releases of 2020 So Far and More

Hello everyone!

Call me Hakim. I like taking stupid pictures, I hope this one may help you remember me.
I’m one of the new writers here on Skull News. I thought I’d write something to tell more about me and why I’m here.
To start off, I’m 25. I got into metal music when I was 12, listening by chance to power metal bands without knowing what metal music actually was.
Quickly, I got into extreme metal, and found my favourite genre when I was around 16: black metal. I’m also a sucker for doom, sludge, grindcore, post-metal and tech/prog death. I generally listen to every genre of metal and hardcore, but those aforementioned tend tbo be my favorites. I’ve also been into classical music from birth, and I’ve enjoyed video game soundtracks most of my life. I’m also into hip-hop and some styles of electronic music. But I’ll keep it to metal and hardcore around here.
Some favorite bands include Sigh, The Ocean, Belenos, Emperor, Death, Hypno5e, Ne Obliviscaris, or Obscura, to name a few. And I’m usually interested in anything that would use boats, fish and the sea as its main narrative themes.

Have a listen :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LYNIVtJKes

Another cool information: I’m French. I currently live in Dijon, France, where I have studied English literature, arts and pursued other passions, namely Historical European Martial Arts, fish biology, creative writing and rock-climbing, among others. I’m also the host of the local metal radio show, Black Roots Metallistic, on the Campus‘ Radio channel.
I’ve always been interested in the relationship between different types of art, and have been fond of the link between Romanticism and metal music among other things. I’ve just completed a Master’s thesis on nautical literature (such as Moby-Dick) and metal music. If anyone’s interested to read that, hit me up (it’s in French, though). I’ve written about bands like The Ocean, Mastodon, Ahab, to name a few. By the way, have you checked the new The Ocean single ? It’s the most amazing song playing in my head since it’s been released.

Their new album is my most anticipated release for 2020, obviously. Talking about 2020, I like to make lists. I listen every year to several hundreds of new albums, and I keep track of all my listening sessions on paper. So, I prepared a chart with a lot (about 60) albumsreleased this year that I’ve listened to and that I enjoyed and may find interesting for several reasons that are not important, as they may be in a great deal subjective and corresponding to my personal taste.
On the other hand, since this list does reflect my musical taste, it can give you, in my opinion, a rather clear idea of what I like to listen to. Also, it may help set aflame your curiosity, as there’s much on there that’s actually good. So you may want to check any album that piques your interest! I’ve done this before the end of June, so don’t be frustrated if you don’t see an album that has been released after that!

In order of appearance, from left to right, top to bottom:

Drown – Subaqueous (Funeral Doom Metal – USA)
Ulcerate – Stare Into Death and Be Still (Technical Death Metal for Deathspell Omega fans – New Zealand)
Violet Cold – Noir Kid (Post-Black Metal – Azerbaijan)
Igorrr – Spirituality and Distortion (Avant-Garde Everything – France)
Mare Cognitum & Spectral Lore – Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine (Atmospheric Black Metal – USA/Greece)
Omega Infinity – Solar Spectre (Black Metal – Germany/Australia)
Telepathy – Burn Embrace (Sludge/Post-Metal – UK)
Bâ’a – Deus Qui Non Mentitur (Black Metal – France)

Triptykon – Requiem (Live at Roadburn 2019) (Doom/Classical – Switzerland)
End – Splinters from an Ever-Changing Face (Hardcore/Grindcore – USA)
Al-Namrood – Wala’at (Folk/Black Metal – Saudi Arabia)
Hail Spirit Noir – Eden in Reverse (Psychedelic/Progressive Metal – Greece)
Neck of the Woods – The Annex of Ire (Progressive Sludge Metal – Canada)
Boisson Divine – La Halha (Folk/Power Metal – France)
Dark Fortress – Spectres from the Old World (Melodic Black Metal – Germany)
…And Oceans – Cosmic World Mother (Black Metal – Finland)

Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin Kynsi (Psychedelic Black Metal – Finland)
Glaciation – Ultime Eclat (Black Metal – France)
Odraza – Rzeczom (Black Metal – Poland)
Golden Ashes – Into the Lugubrious Silence of Eternal Night (Atmospheric Black Metal/Drone – Netherlands)
Haapoja – Mullan Keskeltä (Dissonant Black Metal – Finland)
Forgotten Tomb – Nihilistic Estrangement (Black/Doom Metal – Italy)
Aversio Humanitatis – Behold the Silent Dwellers (Black Metal – Spain)

Dearth – To Crown All Befoulment (Death/Black Metal – USA)
Cosmic Putrefaction – The Horizons Towards Which Splendour Withers (Death Metal – Italy)
Umbra Vitae – Shadow of Life (Death Metal/Grindcore – USA)
Lychgate – Also Sprach Futura (Avant-Garde Black/Doom Metal – UK)
Cirith Ungol – Forever Black (Heavy/Doom Metal – USA)
Katatonia – City Burials (Gothic/Progressive Rock/Metal – Sweden)
Symbolik – Emergence (Technical Death Metal – USA)
Wake – Devouring Ruin (Grindcore/Black Metal – Canada)

Fairyland – Osyrhianta (Symphonic Power Metal – France)
Aeternam – Al Qassam (Oriental Death Metal – Canada)
Beneath the Massacre – Fearmonger (Technical Deathcore – Canada)
Midnight – Rebirth by Blasphemy (Black/Speed Metal – USA)
Thy Catafalque – Naiv (Avant-Garde Metal – Hungary)
The True Werwolf – Devil Crisis (Black Metal – Finland)
Earth Rot – Black Tides of Obscurity (Death/Black Metal – Australia)
Medico Peste – ב: The Black Bile (Black Metal – Poland)

Sightless Pit – Grave of a Dog (Harsh Noise/Industrial Music – USA)
Kvelertak – Splid (Black’n’Roll – Norway)
Stallion – Slaves of Time (Speed Metal – Germany)
Dzö-Nga – Thunder in the Mountains (Atmospheric Folk/Black Metal – USA)
Black Curse – Endless Wound (Black Metal – USA)
August Burns Red – Guardians (Progressive Metalcore – USA)
Abduction – Jehanne (Medieval Black Metal – France)
Candlemass – The Pendulum (Epic Doom Metal – Sweden)

Lesser Glow – Nullity (Sludge Metal – USA)
Unreqvited – Empathica (Atmospheric Black Metal/Post-Rock – Canada
Fallakr – Mezv – Marv – Milliget (Black Metal – France)
Body Count – Carnivore (Hip-Hop/Crossover Thrash – USA)
Revenge – Strike.Smother.Dehumanize (War Black Metal – Canada)
Esoctrilihum – Eternity of Shaog (Black Metal – France)
Protest the Hero – Palimpsest (Progressive Metal – Canada)
Cryptic Shift – Visitations from Enceladus (Technical Thrash/Death Metal – UK)

The Committee – Utopian Deception (Black Metal – International)
Green Carnation – Leaves of Yesteryear (Progressive Metal – Norway)
Slift – Ummon (Stoner Metal/Rock – France)
Benighted – Obscene Repressed (Brutal Death Metal/Grindcore – France)
Sorcerer – Lamenting of the Innocent (Epic Doom Metal – Sweden)
Barrens – PENUMBRA (Post-Rock/Post-Metal – Sweden)
Tombs – Monarchy of Shadows (Black Metal – USA)
Winterfylleth – The Reckoning Dawn (Black Metal – UK)

My apologies for this huge name-dropping, but I hope it can at least stir up your curiosity! I promise I won’t do that often. I’d like to say everything is a must-listen, but do as you wish, and look up any title you’re interested in. If you’re into extreme metal, we may get along well! If you love the sea, we might even become friends!
I’m regularly updating a playlist of new songs on YouTube for my radio show during summer. The campus being closed down, I can’t access the studio, and that’s how I can still reach out to people with music. Feel free to check it when you have time!

Black Roots Metallistic Playlist Summer 2020
My Radio Show on Facebook

In any case, that’s it for today. If you have any questions about me, I’d be happy to answer them, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

In the near future, I’ll be providing new reviews about recent releases, and as soon as concerts start again anywhere, you might find me in a local basement banging my head to furious blast beats. If all goes well, expect also some interviews and live reports. I love writing, so don’t be afraid if sometimes I publish rather long texts, I will try to keep them entertaining! By the way, I hope that through Skull News I can also help you discover nice bands from the French underground.
See you soon on Skull News!

-Hakim

Hakim

I love black metal, and I love fish. That may seem unrelated to music, but you may sooner or later understand that there's a link between the two. I will write on Skull News review articles and other stuff, I hope you'll enjoy them. And by the way, I'm French !