Vanum
SPB: Is there a particular record you’ve heard this year that surprised you? In a good or a bad way?
Vanum: The Vanum group text thread is a real treasure trove for sharing exciting records that we find (generally older stuff), but I don't think any contemporary record has elicited as much collective excitement as The Higher Power by BAAZLVAAT from Flint, MI. A few of us had seen the record posted here and there online previously, but unfairly dismissed it as likely another nowadays IGBM raw black metal project that could be ignored. As it turns out it's evil genius heavy metal/hard rock-tinged black metal of the highest order with some of the coolest guitar playing I've heard on a black metal album recently. The best way I can describe this is something along the lines of Master’s Hammer covering Wishbone Ash.
