Artist: Alliberant
Country: Spain
Label: Altare Productions
Formats: Cassette Tape
Year: 2026
Although Alliberant officially operates under the Spanish flag, the two gentlemen behind this relatively new band will not appreciate this geographical classification. Like many Black Metal bands from and around Barcelona, Alliberant builds its existence and identity around Catalan nationalism. In fact, just as quite a few smaller Spanish regions cannot identify with the regime in Madrid, Alliberant proudly prefers the Catalan flag to the Spanish one. That defiant spirit is also clearly evident in their music, as can be heard on ‘Fins A La Victòria’, their debut album.
The album was originally self-released in early September 2025 on a small number of cassette tapes, but soon secured a deal with the Portuguese label Altare Productions for an additional run of cassettes. Although I’ve no idea why it took nearly a year to do so, I’m pleased to see that Altare Productions still releases cassette tapes from time to time and hasn’t completely switched to the inferior CD-R format. ‘Fins A La Victòria’ certainly deserves a proper release, because although it may not offer anything new, the quality is of such a standard that a CDR release could well have been seen as an insult to the music.
Musically, Alliberant draws inspiration from the aesthetics of late ’90s/early 2000s black metal, stripping away all unnecessary frills. In a running time of just under half an hour, we are treated to Raw Black Metal brimming with great riffs and a defiant spirit. It’s hardly surprising that your thoughts might drift to old demo tapes by German and Polish bands whilst listening to ‘Fins A La Victòria’, but the Canadian scene from just before the more widely established term ‘Métal Noir Québécois’ became common is also a fitting comparison. Much of that Black Metal was also rooted in a certain form of national pride, patriotism or unadulterated nationalism. Or, at the very least, in a nostalgic longing for simpler times of yesteryear, when there was more room for a sense of community and traditional values. So, in that sense, Alliberant feels familiar both musically and aesthetically.
The sharp and somewhat shrill sound, combined with the basic drumming, which in turn reminded me of Akitsa’s earlier work, gives it a slightly punk-like character. As such, Alliberant fits well within the current Black Metal scene where, within underground circles, Black Metal and Punk find common ground remarkably often. Both gentlemen, M.W. and S.M., have impressive track records, featuring, amongst others, the excellent Amargor and the unrivalled Eclipsed Moon Apparitions, and their talent is more than evident on this debut release in this particular setting. Hopefully more to come soon…
