Artist:Witchlike Star Cones / Eternal Ice
Country: Israel / Japan
Label:Menschenfeind Propaganda
Formats: Split Tape
Year: 2025
In the what seems to be endless stream of Eternal Ice releases, being either short players or split tapes, this is the next chapter: a split tape with Witchlike Star Cones from Israel. Although Witchlike Star Cones didn’t make it to these pages before, I am keeping an eye on the one-man project for quite a while now, so reason enough to spend a couple of thoughts and words on ‘Inhaling The Burnt Blood’.
The Israeli opens and offers one tracks, ‘My Mean Saday’ that feels pretty much in line with the previously released material. In case you haven’t stumbled upon this project before, ‘My Mean Saday’ is a crash course in Witchlike Star Cones’ quirky world of raw and unorthodox Black Metal. There’s plenty of acoustic passages, awkward twists and turns as well as eerie shrieks that remind mostly of Silencer’s anguished screams. I particularly love the drum sound in this recording, especially the toms sound like they are taken directly from some 80’s pop music – Phil Collins fans: eat your heart out, no more ‘In The Air Tonight’. Witchlike Star Cones will not be for everyone, but it is definitely an interesting listen, especially in such small portions like this.
Eternal Ice serves us two songs that both fit seamlessly with how we have come to know them over the past year. Cold and, in a certain way, both raw and abrasive, with the loud and prominent vocals demanding attention. As usual the simplicity and straight-forwardness of the songs remind of underground Black Metal from some 25 years ago, not in the least because of the rather dry and unbalanced production. Eternal Ice is fodder for those who like their Raw Black Metal boisterous and based on the traditions of a generation ago, but with a dash of (simple) tunefulness.
