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Weekly rundown April 11 – 2025
A week where the melodic sneaks into every crack and recess it can find, coloring even the most extreme in shades of epic and emotion both light and dark.
Benthos – From Nothing
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5You know that point where prog gets so extremely… prog… that it invites the “experimental” label. The point where it’s barely coherent, and you can’t really decide when it’s going on tangents and when it’s on course. Yep, this album certainly falls into this category. It’s a mix of mathcore, prog rock and heavier, melodic chugging in the vein of Haken. The vocals are quite soft most of the time, which puts me off, but the playing can get quite intense and hectic.
Blood Abscission – I I
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5With a name like Blood Abscission you’d probably expect more vivid album and track naming, but no. Maybe it’s on purpose then, as a way of subverting expectations, that the tracks are simply roman numerals, with the album title/numeral as a prefix. In any case, this is a synthetic-melodic, highly atmospheric black metal project. Very importantly, it doesn’t get lost in its distant wanderings, staying on course and getting both exultant and in an uproar at times. The hoarse-roar vocals are pushed way back in the mix, as is the bass, so they’re definitely contributing but feel quite blunt and soft. The lead guitar, cymbals and synth are much more distinct, and effectively chart the course. It’s cold, dark and cynical, but not overly hostile or sharp. The melodies carry faint elements of western tunes at times, as well as a bit of epic folk and doom, but it’s all suitably delicate, and doesn’t color the whole as going in any particular of those directions. It’s very well composed, not too long at just over 41 minutes, and surprisingly engaging for something this fluid.
Highlights: “I I – I I” and “I I – V”
Cytotoxin – Biographyte
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Cytotoxin is a German, brutal-styled tech death project that themes their music around nuclear disaster, more specifically the Chernobyl catastrophe. You might think you’re in for a near-unlistenable mass of incessant bass drum pounding, sink drain vocals and spasmic-city-sized-steam-roller riffs. But while you get most of those things (the vocals are actually borderline understandable), they are served out with an insane level of control and actual bit of restraint, cramming in huge amounts of groove instead, as well as a good deal of guitar solo melody. It’s busy, yes, but manageable, and with the added dynamism, it actually hits quite hard.
Highlight: “Condemnesia”
Elvenking – Reader Of The Runes – Luna
Genre: Power/folk metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Okay, what am I not getting here? Sure, there are some magical instrumental details going on in the interplay between electronic and acoustic, and the tiny bit of old melodeath that’s dropped in is pleasing. But it’s poorly produced, the rhythm work feels tired, and the vocals are very often off key.
Epica – Aspiral
Genre: Symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Any fan of Epica can be very relieved that they’re getting more of exactly what made the band great in the first place: Divine vocals, effective melodies and a good mix of symphonic and catchy, committed aggression. Production wise, it’s excellent, and it manages to be both moving and a bit of good fun, throwing in a few prog elements to keep it interesting. There’s a bit of a gap between when they really deliver in terms of songwriting and when I feel like they’re a bit stuck in second gear, falling back on tropes to fill out the experience. There’s nothing bad though, and decidedly more stuff that’s really gripping than is mediocre, so no one should be disappointed. It’s an album that kept growing on me the more I listened to it, impressing at every significant turn.
Highlights: “Fight to Survive – The Overview Effect -” and “Metanoia – A New Age Dawns Part VIII”
Ghörnt – Bluetgraf
Genre: Melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This Swiss band mixes the aggression and bleakness of the more ferocious side of the black metal spectrum with epic melodic leads and pounding drum work that’s sometimes straight out of brutal death metal. The vocals are appropriately husky, but would have benefited from greater range to match the lively and contrasting instrumentals. Still, an exciting, hard-hitting listen.
Idle Heirs – Life Is Violence
Genre: Atmospheric sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5I hope you’re into long, gentle buildups and big contrasts, cause that’s what this album is all about. It’s a mix of sludge, atmospheric doom and folk-like rock, with a heavy, driving low end and vocals that go all the way from soft, melodic shoegaze to rusty, roaring gutturals. It’s mildly melancholic in tone throughout, which is counteracted by snappy drum work and turns into both melodic beauty and ugly, dissonant crashes of heaviness. All in all, they do take their sweet time a tad too often, prolonging the experience beyond the strictly necessary. But it’s also very well composed, so not something you at any point really want to stop coming out of your speakers.
Highlight: “Rare Bird”
Imperishable – Swallowing The World
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5If I say “old school melodic death metal”, the well versed listener will form certain, fairly rigid expectations. A return to the “Gothenburg sound”. This is that, AND a bit more, which makes a significant difference. It’s heavily infused with Death era old school tech death as well, which means that, compared to the old Swedish classics, it’s really rather restless. It’s busy, but not overly so, and not in the modern, slightly artificial way. It’s more like taking the basic, raw, evil formula and shaking it up a bit. It feels almost hyperactive in nature, like it keeps changing its mind about which path to take, but retaining the same tone and attitude throughout. I’m not saying it’s the most meticulously planned out thing ever, and I am missing a bit of crunchy heaviness, but it’s a refreshing change and something that might open a whole new avenue for OSDM.
Highlights: “Blood to Bleed” and “Cenotaph of Dreams”
The Infernal Deceit – The True Harmful Black
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is direct, riff-centered black metal with both black ‘n’ roll playfulness and groove, a bit of speed metal energy and some death metal heft. The quality of the performances is excellent, and it’s plenty engaging. The main thing is just that it feels very familiar, like it’s walking in well established tracks.
In The Woods… – Otra
Genre: Progressive black/doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Take the gothic, melancholic doom of My Dying Bride, give it a boost of epic scope like that of Amorphis and some scorched, rhythmic black metal heaviness to top it off, and you’re most of the way there to the sound of this album. It’s a blend that takes some talent to pull off, which, thankfully, this band has no shortage of. It sounds bleak and mature, but never one-dimensional, and it never gets stuck in neither misery, misanthropy or contemplation for very long at a time. It feels confidently relaxed, flexing beauty, catchiness and depth like it’s second nature.
Highlights: “The Things You Shouldn’t Know” and “The Kiss And The Lie”
The Man-Eating Tree – Night Verses
Genre: Atmospheric metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Back after a 10-year gap, Finnish band The Man-Eating Tree serves up epic, atmospheric metal with a touch of symphonic grandeur. It’s melodically pleasing, smooth and easy to get lost in. But as you get closer to the end, unless you’re completely sold, you might start to feel like there’s nothing new on offer.
Putrid Offal – Obliterated Life
Genre: Death metal/grindcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Evil, evil, evil! These guys whip gory death metal into unnaturally upbeat life, like a cave-dwelling behemoth pumped full of stimulants. You get plenty of riffs and brutality with the expected impatience of grindcore. The tone is right, and it hits well most of the time, you just get the impression that it’s not all that well thought out.
Valhalore – Beyond The Stars
Genre: Folk metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5An Australian twist on the classic, semi-symphonic, highly melodic folk metal sound most often associated with the Finns. Distinctiveness is not its strong suit though. While technically it’s a well performed album, the melodies are unimaginative, and the dips into melodeath-like heaviness rather tame. It has a few highlights, and gets the job done.
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly rundown April 04 – 2025
This is a week for instrumental achievements, where astounding technicality and modern production come together to stunning effect.
Allegaeon – The Ossuary Lens
Genre: Technical/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5It must be daunting, going about crafting a tech death album in this day and age. Being technical virtuosos isn’t nearly enough, as there are such an overwhelming number of dizzyingly competent musicians out there that fans get exposed to. How do you find the space to sneak in some personality in between the ant hive-worth mass of notes? The answer for Allegaeon seems to be mainly one overarching strategy: Be purposeful. On every level. As extravagant, melodic tech death goes, this is a lean record, and with every song being immediately identifiable as chasing a slightly different goal along a different path, the result is mind-blowingly effective. It’s always moving forward, in leaps and bounds, scurrying along complex tunnel networks, prowling the shadows and taking jet-fueled flight. Melodically, it’s as vibrant as it is focused, which is a hard thing to pull off. A true highlight of their discography.
Highlights: “The Swarm” and “Dark Matter Dynamics”
Benediction – Ravage Of Empires
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Back again after a mere 5 years, proving they still got it, death metal veterans Benediction serve up more old school, thrash-riffed goodness. This is all about tone and bad-ass delivery – more of a style that’s very well established and doesn’t need to be reinvented. And the band’s dedication to this style is evident. There’s nothing fancy about this album, nothing surprising, just riffs, growls and lively drums. That being said, it’s unnecessarily long at over 47 minutes, as there are no “chapters” or detours in the experience, just the same, fairly narrow approach for song after song. The energy doesn’t run out though, so if you’re ready to eat it all up, you’ll be plenty full.
Highlight: “Crawling Over Corpses”
Bleed From Within – Zenith
Genre: Metalcore/groove metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5I jumped on the Bleed From Within fan train back when I discovered them with 2020’s “Fracture, which was evidently a good place to join in. I’m generally not the biggest fan of contemporary metalcore, but what got me about this band is that, while they’re not afraid to sound “modern”, as opposed to mimicking the old school early 2000s style, they employ healthy doses of groove- and melodic death metal, and that’s their way of “going heavy”. Which just feels so much more organic – borrowing elements of objectively heavier subgenres – than downtuning and adding strings to your guitars for a chunkier, over-distorted guitar tone with extremely on/off rhythms for maximum contrast. Even so, melody and catchiness is still a key part of their style, but even as they are clearly growing in popularity, they don’t surrender to their more accessible side. Instead, it sounds to me like they’re only getting heavier and more aggressive. I’ll definitely not be the only reviewer to say this, but “Zenith” has the band sounding more mature than ever. And even though there are a few tracks on here that are more miss than hit, the ones that pierce the bullseye are all radiant, vital examples of how to make youthful, melodic extreme metal that bridges the gap between light and dark.
Highlights: “Chained to Hate” and “In Place of Your Halo”
Buried Realm – The Dormant Darkness
Genre: Technical/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5The melodic death metal equivalent of a shred album, this is the product of a one-man, technical melodeath project that involves quite a few notable guest appearances, like Björn Strid, Gus G. and Christopher Amott. It’s plenty fast, heavy and adventurous, and successfully bridges the gap between tech death and modern melodeath. But for people (like me) who are looking for more than impressive musicianship, it can feel fairly hollow, even boring at times. If you care less about character and conceptual depth though, this should prove plenty entertaining.
Fractal Universe – The Great Filters
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5While their style is still easily recognizable, it seems like these French proggers are making a genuine attempt at diversifying their sound on this, their fourth full-length. They’ve been melodic and able to switch effectively between gentle and harsh before, but their technical, aggressive core has for the most part held the upper hand. This time around, the death metal elements are more scaled back, in favor of really exploring and expanding on the atmosphere. It’s a move that heavily relies on the band’s ability to write strong, memorable melodies and engaging mid-to-low tempo rhythms, and while certainly not bad, it’s still not their strongest suit. The heavy progressive work that remains has its ups and downs – both bold, attention-stealing innovation as well as fairly recognizable, odd-timed rhythms that feel like prog for prog’s sake. Still, the saxophone is well integrated, and it’s a step in a much more well-rounded direction.
Highlights: “Casualty’s Grip” and “Dissecting the Real”
Frantic Amber – Death Becomes Her
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5I first discovered all-female melodeath band Frantic Amber with their sophomore release “Bellatrix” back in 2019, and found their aggressive-epic approach to slot satisfyingly in between melodic heavyweights like Arch Enemy and Amon Amarth and more savage, sharp-edged bands like Goatwhore and Crypta. This is still true six years later, and “Death Becomes Her” is a more even, focused effort that’s technically a significant step up. But it’s also more revealingly on a tipping point between straight-up catchiness and cut-throat viciousness, not quite always getting the balance right. Still, it’s got some distinct highlights that are evenly spread throughout, making for an engaging listen that should further elevate the band.
Highlight: “Hell’s Belle”
Kiritsis – Kiritsis
Genre: Death ‘n’ roll/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is dirty, sludge-like death ‘n’ roll with a distinctly doom-like tone. It’s all about jumping from punishing, mid-tempo riffs into bounding hardcore-like rhythms, and then back. It’s uniformly dark, sounding like they’ve got their style nailed down. They need to utilize their time a little better, as some of the slower parts can drag along a bit, but the attitude is right and the punch is nice and heavy.
Luna Kills – Deathmatch
Genre: Alternative metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Been a little while since I’ve heard a young band manage the alternative metal sound as well as this bunch. It’s a balance between moody pop, nu-metal and techno-goth, with just a bit of rhythmic metalcore riffs on top. The album has its ups and downs, but the best of the melodic work is outstanding, and there’s a whiff of greatness over the mix of dark synth and haunting vocals.
Messiah Paratroops – Legions of Tomorrow
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5The debut full-length death metal album from a band that formed all the way back in 1989. The style also hails from that early era, being slightly muddled and riff-happy, with rusty vocals. It’s fun stuff, although a little uneven in execution.
Midnight Vice – Midnight Vice
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A young band throwing themselves head first into the classic metal revival game, scoring well on both familiarity and character. The effort is all there, with the vocals ranging from falsetto to light grunting, and the guitars chasing eagerly along. Melodically, it’s not always a bullseye, or particularly distinct, but they pack onto it with cool, darkly fantastical atmosphere, that suits the style perfectly.
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Death Hilarious
Genre: Stoner metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Sure, knowing the tastes of the stoner metal fanbase, the seven pigs serve up fuzzy riffs aplenty on their latest release, and with a bit of doom rumbling to back it up, but they are also clearly not interested in making a straightforward album. You get a bit of psychedelia, some classic metal and a surprising bit of indie, but more significantly there’s an experimental tendency to mess about with the rhythms and genre-feel. A bit of punk anti-harmony here, some atmosphere-backed hypnotic repetition there, a dash if rap, and gliding fluidly in between light and dark, makes this an experience a little out of the usual. It’s not all immediately pleasing, as the album’s variation isn’t really felt on an individual song basis. But when taking the whole thing in, you can appreciate how confidently different it is to your typical stoner jam.
Highlights: “Blockage” and “Stitches”
Tómarúm – Beyond Obsidian Euphoria
Genre: Progressive black/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5If you like your extreme prog metal busy, then this is absolutely for you. At 1 hour 8 minutes, this is a mammoth of an album. In true aggressive, technical prog fashion, it goes for the throat in a myriad of different ways, and loves to delve into adventurous, melodic tangents both energetic and dreamy. It’s with these vivid melodic sections that they really win me over, although by contrast, some of the more aggressive, frantic rushes feel overdone and jumbled to me, often employing disharmony to boost the feeling of alienating hostility. There is a lot to take in over the course of the album, almost like you’re getting two albums worth of material. It’s complex and technically brilliant, certainly a bit nerdy and show-off-y and not quite going the direction I would have liked following 2022’s more measured “Ash in Realms of Stone Icons”. But it’s a massive, content-rich effort that manages to blend in both darkness and brutality in an impactful way.
Highlights: “Shed This Erroneous Skin” and “The Final Pursuit of Light”
Warfield – With The Old Breed
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5German band Warfield serves up impressively consistent, mean-tempered, battlefield-thrash that’s both bitingly ferocious and heavy on the shreddy groove. Immediately establishing a malicious tone and a headstrong, impatient approach to song progression, the guys deliver on this promise on track after track. Sure, not every single one is as memorable, but the reckless attitude, fronted by the snarling vocals, is infectious, and never lets up, ensuring a visceral feel even when they slow down to a mid-tempo trot. Tight drum work and a nice, punchy bass make for an excellent counterpart to the slicing guitars, filling out the sound and adding to the impact. At times perhaps feeling a tad too controlled, the utter devotion to the riff, the dark tone, gang-vocals and bared-teeth aggression make this thrash to the bone.
Highlights: “Appetitive Aggression” and “Inhibition Atrophy”
Wrath Of Logarius – Crown Of Mortis
Genre: Black metal/deathcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5An attempt at combining the bitter hostility of black metal with the distinctly modern, technical and visceral brutality of deathcore. On a surface level it absolutely succeeds, although much of the ominous “ugliness” – that chilling core of black metal – is buried under the massive onslaught of thundering drums and rumbling riffs. And as a blackened deathcore project it’s perhaps a tad too stark. Still, if you just want to be flattened by darkness, it does that job quite well.
Zeolite – L’Appel Du Vide
Genre: Technical/brutal death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Eschewing most of the symphonic elements of their debut, 2021’s “Proselytism”, Zeolite still deliver big on over-the-top heaviness and precision. It’s also still a dark, menacing sound, in the typically unsubtle kind of way that usually goes with modern, brutal death metal, but it’s a bit more raw and sharpened this time around. The utter abandon of no-holds-barred, brain-shaking aural devastation of its predecessor has been reigned in somewhat, which is a bit of a shame. “L’appel Du Vide” is more mature, more focused in purpose, and sounds more genuinely ominous. The apocalyptic, slamming delivery certainly hasn’t been abandoned though, and while a bit of the fun is lost, the contrasts are greater, making for a more dynamic listening experience.
Highlight: “Impetus”
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly rundown March 28 – 2025
The underground rises up and overshadows the big frontrunners of this week, offering both simple pleasures and acquired tastes.
Alien Weaponry – Te Rā
Genre: Groove metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5The riff-happy trio from under down under are back. Their third full-length has them sounding like a big, matured and experienced band, both in good ways and not. Those hoping for a return to the simple thrash/groove riff worship and shouted Māori lyrics of the early days will be pleased with this one. Those hoping for something more conceptual and story-driven that builds on the uniqueness of the band’s sound might be a bit disappointed. I find myself avoiding the big single tracks, as they feel consciously crafted for wider appeal, closing in on metalcore-like territory. BUT, that being said, there are a good few heavy and aggressive tracks on here, and a couple of careful forays into prog as well. It’s a well rounded album that pleases in a lot of ways, not taking any risks, but also showing promising growth.
Highlights: “Tama-Nui-Te-Rā” and “Te Riri o Tāwhirimātea”
Arch Enemy – Blood Dynasty
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5As a longtime fan of this band, I hold them to a fairly high standard, as is only appropriate for a band this size anyway. I have certain expectations for what an Arch Enemy album should sound like, with an open mind for shifts in style, as long as they’re honestly committed to it. In this regard, “Blood Dynasty” exists in a kind of void, offering morsels of actually ferocious, actually inspired, melodic death metal in the style that they honed and championed for at least a couple of decades, and a few attempts at incorporating other styles, like heavy metal and punk. But they are overshadowed by the obvious prioritization of anthems and big, accessible riffs. As a whole, the album is still quite entertaining and pleasantly varied, but I call it neither bold nor faithful.
Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power
Genre: Avant-garde black metal/blackgaze
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5As a complete outsider to this band’s history, I cannot compare their latest effort to former work and styles, but the short story of this album is that it offers both some of the most gripping black metal/blackgaze I’ve heard in a while, and also some of the more unengaging dips into dreamy ambience in comparison. What I will say though, is that the contrast leaves a real impact, and offers an intriguing depth. You have to be prepared for both the harshest that the blackened metal world has to offer, as well as some of the more sedate stuff out of the realm of shoegaze and art rock. I’ve definitely heard way weirder and more experimental stuff before though, and a consistent tone ties it all together. It will shake you and it will soothe you, and it will not leave you indifferent.
Highlights: “Magnolia” and “Revelator”
Decrepisy – Deific Mourning
Genre: Death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Whatever creature of the gloom this music personifies, it’s not something you want to run into during a late night river stroll. This is dark, monstrous, murky death doom that seeks to envelop and crush you under impenetrable, obsidian misery taken physical form.
Desert Smoke – Desert Smoke
Genre: Psychedelic/stoner metal/rock
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A warm, alluring vibe is what this band go for on their second, self titled full-length. It’s instrumental psychedelic rock with the heaviness and groove of stoner metal, and for the absolute most part they do perfectly fine without the usually leading and heavily character-influencing element of vocals. The progression forms an elegant dance that, for the most part, keeps moving forward at a moderate pace. The rhythms are engrossing and the lead guitar work seductive.
Doomsday – Never Known Peace
Genre: Thrash metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Straight-to-business crossover thrash, with an emphasis on the thrash part. I was a big fan of their 2022 release “Depictions of Chaos”, which technically only qualified as an EP, making “Never Known Peace” their debut full-length. You probably wouldn’t guess listening to it though. It sounds mature, despite its rowdy energy, knows when to play it fast, when to go heavy and when to give it the beans and charge off. Apart from some technically excellent playing, it’s not particularly complicated, and some of the riff sections might be a bit too predictable for some. But they successfully add an epic dimension to the sound with the guitar-led melodies and solos, and the fuck-it-all attitude shining through every seam makes it difficult not to like.
Highlights: “Never Known Peace” and “Remnants of Spite”
Gallower – Vengeance & Wrath
Genre: Black/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5An endearingly rough-edged dive into chaotic, fantastical medieval war and witchery, courtesy of the Polish blackened thrashers of Gallower. While it’s undeniably dark and fairly aggressive throughout, there’s a sense of adventure and “just go for it” attitude that has command of the reigns, throwing you into one spirited charge after another. It’s just janky enough that you quickly understand the level of fun you’re supposed to have with it. The riffs have real personality, and are served up in tight, rhythm-driven sections that bring to mind Anthrax. Not all of it screams “unique”, but any fan of playful thrash, speed and black metal should get a real kick out of it.
Highlight: “Relentless Retaliation”
Hexecutor – Where Spirit Withers in Its Flesh Constraint
Genre: Black/thrash/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5What an oddball album! These French speed-thrash cultists know how to make blackened metal with a flavor of its own. Utterly restless, it morphs between bitter blast beats, unhinged speed riffing and morosely epic classic metal melodies. The tempo can shift suddenly from mid- to frantic, and a lot of the time disharmony is used to maximize the touch of madness that colors proceedings. On top come unrefined, barking, snarling and shrieking vocals, further adding to the eccentric nature of the sound. Sometimes you might find yourself asking if this music has any direction at all, until the next soaring lead guitar part comes sailing in, and everything makes a bit more sense for a few brief moments.
Highlight: “Les Lavandières de la Nuit”
Industrial Puke – Alive To No Avail
Genre: Crust punk/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Take the buzzsaw guitar riff tone of classic Swedish death metal and add it to pretty much any genre – it’s going to get real heavy, real fast. Combining it with crust punk is hardly a new invention, but it’s a proven formula that, when done right, is an effective shortcut to getting your blood boiling and head bobbing. Industrial Puke do it right, and while there’s nothing on “Alive to no Avail” that should surprise a regular metallic hardcore or death metal listener, they keep serving up track after track of short-lived, fierce sonic beatings that keep you engrossed by way of chokehold.
Highlight: “Biblical Corpse”
Lucifer’s Child – The Illuminant
Genre: Melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A Greek, epic-sounding black metal project led by sharp vocals and precise drumming, with a thrumming riff-tremolo wall propping it up and a rumbling low end forcing it all forward. Perconally I can’t find quite enough that feels new and piques my interest, but it’s undeniably solid work that will appeal to the more “serious” end of the melodic black metal fan base.
Paths to Deliverance – Ten
Genre: Progressive black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A technically progressive, traditionally toned black metal project that clearly has a concept, or at least a strong theme, in mind. There’s a hint of dark dementia attached to the sound, although it never blossoms into anything profound. In the end, it’s a bit too long and unfocused, failing to hone in on that core trait that will separate it from the herd, but there’s a lot of great musicianship, and promise, on here.
Savage Master – Dark & Dangerous
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A back-to-basics female-led heavy metal project with thrash-leaning riffs and a doom-leaning tone. It’s peppy and prioritizing effective, memorable hooks and melodies. The hilariously silly album cover should tell you most of what you need to know about the band’s style, although don’t be fooled into thinking that they’re doing it unironically. For me, it’s a bit too rhythmically rigid and decidedly mid-tempo, but it offers plenty of tantalizing guitar work, great atmosphere and cool vocals.
Teitanblood – From the Visceral Abyss
Genre: Black/death/war metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5This is the sound of abyssal hatred and horrifying, monstrous evil. If you go in expecting “traditional”, Behemoth-style blackened death metal, you’ll probably be taken aback by the level of violent noise and unrelenting dedication to unsettling, hostile darkness that leaps out at you. This is a sound you have to surrender to. Let it in and allow it to corrupt your senses until you accept it as the only reality, with no hope of light at the end of the tunnel. You simply cannot take this album in on a superficial level, because it will only sound like an untamed, unrefined cacophony. But listen attentively, and you will find that it breathes, builds, rises and hunches, like a terrible beast, the appearance of which you can only gleam as a black contour. If you think that the vast majority of dark extreme metal is too safe, then this is for you.
Highlights: “Strangling Visions” and “From the Visceral Abyss”
Telepathy – Transmissions
Genre: Avant-garde/progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This instrumental album immerses you in expansive electronic ambience and mid-strength progressive sludge. Each song is a different little tale, taking you on journeys of different duration. It’s a sincere kind of sound that goes from gentle to dramatic, managing an impressive, cinematic scope. The rhythm work doesn’t always flow as smoothly as it should, and certain sections are less gripping than others, but if you first get into it, you will very likely want to stay with it for the duration.
Wretched Path – Sea of Death
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This one took me by surprise, because there seems to be very little attention paid to this band. It’s a clearly old-school inspired, crunchy-riffed, groove-heavy death metal album treading the border into classic melodeath, without ever crossing over fully. What separates it from the expected is just how goddamn catchy it is. Completely stuffed to the brim with skull crushing riffs, served out on easy-to-follow rhythms that sometimes take on a hardcore-like flavor. If it wasn’t for the awesome riff tone, roaring vocals and delicious solo work, I’d be tempted to call it one-dimensional, but it has all the right elements to make me a pure addict. A bit of added complexity and distinct atmosphere would probably elevate it beyond the highly enjoyable into something truly outstanding, but for now I’ll be happy that it exists in its current form.
Highlights: “Wretched Path” and “Sea of Death”
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly rundown March 21 – 2025
Nearly everything seems to have been touched by darkness this week, with some embracing it, some toning it down, and some twisting it in unexpected ways.
As The World Dies – Nebula
Genre: Progressive death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A melodic, yet classically brutal variant of progressive death metal that alternates between doom tempo and lurches into groove-heavy, crushing riffs. An uneven production and slightly unclear concept let them down.
Aversed – Erasure Of Color
Genre: Progressive gothic metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A hardcore-harsh, progressive foray into extreme gothic metal and metalcore, with a few groove metal tendencies to go with it. It’s not, as you might expect, an overly dramatic thing, prioritizing direct riffs and aggressive rhythms. Some of the melodies work well, and some a lot less.
Bloodywood – Nu Delhi
Genre: Nu/industrial metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5While successfully infusing a hip-hop heavy nu metal project with traditional Indian folk elements is a grand ideas, and a laudable effort to bring fresh and local flavor into the metal mainstream, the key execution of the music on this album is nothing special. Over-accessible, simple rhythms with radio-pop leanings, and heaviness lifted directly from the modern metal/metalcore formula book.
Cradle Of Filth – The Screaming Of The Valkyries
Genre: Symphonic black/gothic metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Get into a mindset for some over-the-top evil theater, cause it’s time for more blasphemous, catchy, vampiric Filth. Although I’m by no means an expert on the band, this time around they seem to have picked up a bit on the current classic metal revival, cause there’s a bunch of speed- and heavy metal leaning riffs and solos in here, neatly nestled in between the expected drama and symphonic blackness. Dani still does his “gale howling around the house corner” screech, which I absolutely cannot stand, but that’s a personal taste thing. This thing feels alive and eager, a clear indication that the band members still enjoy what they’re doing, and it’s an infectious saying. That’s not to say that they aren’t playing it fairly safe though, cause there are certainly songs and sections that feel more by-the-numbers. But it’s a healthy and solid release that manages to surprise every now and then.
Highlight: “To Live Deliciously”
Dissocia – To Lift The Veil
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is the kind of prog metal where you just have to dive in head first and hope for the best. It’s all consuming, in that it’s intricate, at times ferociously aggressive, and also dream-inducingly atmospheric. The vocals and instrumentation both manage several different iterations of, and in between, clean and harsh, and does so very proficiently. It’s a mildly blackened affair, with a lot of the melodic elements performed with a synthwave approach, making for a sound that exists in a twilight area between deeper darkness and a realm of swirling, vibrant impressions. It’s suitably wild and unpredictable, but not chaotic. There’s a current pulling you through, pausing and accelerating at carefully considered moments. At times you might find your mind wandering as the music is more methodical or aloof than it is captivating. But as a “serious” dark, modern and spacey prog effort, it manages to stand out, courtesy of great songwriting.
Highlight: “Samsara”
Drudkh – Shadow Play
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5We’re exploring a tapestry made up of a hundred different shades of sorrow on Drudkh’s latest full-length. It’s not a drab thing, or one-dimensional, even, but the sonic landscape we’re roaming seems to have sprung from a place where this feeling of sadness dominates all others. Technically, this is rock solid, traditional black metal with raspy, raw vocals and lots and lots of blast beats. It’s pleasing in its faithfulness to the classic expression, but in this instance more a tool for delivering the dark vision behind the album. I get my fill of solemnness a little bit before the conclusion, but for black metal connoisseurs it should present as a coherent, refined and complete statement.
Highlights: “The Exile” and “April”
Embrional – Inherited Tendencies For Self-Destruction
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A rhythmically rigid, riff-centric death metal album with growled vocals and a Slayer-ish tendency for evil grooves. It never really becomes anything more than the sum of its parts, and isn’t performed flawlessly, but is a pleasingly energetic and forceful outpouring of slightly blackened brutality.
Euphrosyne – Morus
Genre: Black/doom/alternative metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A modern reimagining of black- and doom metal guided by dark emotion and a sense of effective drama. The tone doesn’t change much but it transitions quickly from long stretches of ambience or calm, clean melody, to flourishes of bleak aggression. The production is rich, making for a dynamic sound, but might be a bit polished for some. Perhaps a bit too self-indulgent at times, it shows great promise for walking its own direction in the world of dark metal.
Gates To Hell – Death Comes To All
Genre: Metalcore/death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Part of me just wants to call this deathcore, because it’s made up of all the elements that should constitute that subgenre, namely hardcore, metalcore and death metal. And yet, it combines in a way that simply brings to mind all these elements as separate influences all at once. It’s harsh and stompy, chunchy and brutally heavy, and extremely rigid and methodical in terms of rhythms. It does all this exceptionally well on a detail level, but at least for me, when melding it all together, it sounds recipe-bound and a bit joyless. Doesn’t mean you can’t seriously bang your head to it though.
Hidden Intent – Terrorform
Genre: Thrash/groove metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5These Australian thrashers build on their brand of aggressive, mid-tempo metal with heavy grooves and a tendency for melodic tangents. It makes for more variation than normally expected from a thrash record, but in this case it’s also pretty unfocused and uneven. When it hits though, it hits hard.
Imperial Triumphant – Goldstar
Genre: Experimental/avant-garde black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Will this be the release where I finally “get” Imperial Triumphant? Well, I think I can at least finally grasp the contours of what makes their concept work so well for so many. It’s the sound of a particular brand of madness, or at least a very interesting interpretation of this madness made sonic manifest. But do I “get” it, as in I’m completely sold and now count myself as a fan? No. It’s still too much on the side of “clash of sounds”, as an offshoot from the sphere of what most consider to be music. It is art, and it is inspired, well-crafted and on-brand art at that. And for the most part, I understand what they’re getting at, and admire the insane level of commitment and clarity of vision it takes to achieve this kind of an expression, which, for all I know might be completely effortless for them. Everything works on this album, from the tasteful album art through the instrumental precision to all the little ambient details that play in the background. I’m generally not very good with experimental metal, but this band is certainly providing the incentive to try and get better acquainted.
Highlights: “Lexington Delirium” and “Industry of Misery”
Katla – Scandinavian Pain
Genre: Sludge/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is a coarse, sludge-heavy, and slightly odd doom metal project from Denmark. Most of the time it’s completely zoned in on being a colossal, snarling beast of heavy riffs and light-culling tone. And then they go “Hey! Here’s a six and a half minute spoken-word story accompanied by some gently acoustic tunes.” And then it’s back to the punishment. If this sounds like your kind of weirdness, then rest assured you’re in for quality all the way through. It’s got the directness of hardcore, with black metal bitterness and an understanding for how to expand the sound with a bit of subtle atmosphere.
Highlight: “Taurus”
Nattverd – Tidloes Naadesloes
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Aggressive-yet-traditional Norwegian black metal, from a band that got started quite late. They don’t try to “revive” the classic 90s sound in all the gimmicky ways that a lot of contemporary bands do. Even though many of the expected elements are in place, they have a sense for rhythmic variation, and a taste for tremolo-led melody that breathes a bit of life into the old formula, and shows that they’re in it to make it their own thing.
SpiritWorld – Helldorado
Genre: Hardcore/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5As you listen to Spirit World’s brand of metallic hardcore, you might think to yourself, how hard can it be to make direct, catchy riffs like this? But then the saying goes – if it was easy, everyone would do it. On “Helldorado”, the guys lean even further into the western vibes that, to a certain degree, also guided their efforts on the last two releases. I’m pretty sure that on reviewing 2022’s “DEATHWESTERN”, I requested that the wild west theme be more prevalent, and generally speaking I’ve had my wish fulfilled. There are several tracks on here that divert completely from the metal path and serve up what I can only describe as country punk. What I was actually hoping for was for this musical flavor to be a bit more elegantly woven into their heavy tracks, which are still mostly gong-ho Slayer-riffed bangers. I feel kind of stupid for complaining, cause I really dig it, but I still think there’s a ways to go before the concept is fully realized. Still, awesome stuff.
Highlights: “Western Stars & The Apocalypse” and “Waiting on the Reaper”
Throne – That Who Sat Upon Him, Was Death
Genre: Death/black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Blackened death metal usually works best in a crushing, mid-tempo iteration with lots of unpleasant atmosphere, but this gang is successfully putting a more contemporary, technical spin on it. Based on modern brutal death metal, it delivers a precise, hammering assault of drums and riffs like weaponized hellfire. The tone is in large part what saves it from becoming too clinical. The guitars are ripping, and there is actual, evil energy at play. Also, the song structures don’t just take you down the expected path of ping-snares and slamming breakdowns, While I wouldn’t describe them as super dynamic, the songs usually explore a few different rhythmic avenues on their way, and for the most part there’s a drive like a predatory hunger that mercilessly pulls you along.
Highlight: “Blasphemous Perversion”
Tower – Let There Be Dark
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Keep feeding me doom-flavored heavy metal, and I’ll generally be happy, although sometimes the bands tend to lean a bit too heavily on the superficial elements of the two styles. This is not an issue on the latest release by Tower. The powerful vocals perfectly balance extravagance with a tasteful solemnness, and even though the instruments are plenty playful, there’s a hint of melancholy attached to the melodies that prevent it all from sounding flippant. What might be the most impressive part of the album is that the band manages to craft slow, ballad-like tunes that are, if anything, even more captivating than the high-energy, galloping, solo-tastic tracks. As a result, while I could have wished for a bit more umph from the production, this is a super dynamic, engaging listen that delivers a great balance between classic, guitar-driven fun and straight-faced, on-theme commitment.
Highlights: “Book of the Hidden” and “Let There Be Dark”
Wythersake – At War With Their Divinity
Genre: Symphonic black/death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A grandiose-yet-aggressive blackened death metal project that delivers a precise and direct, if not a bit heavy-handed variation on the typical solemn-evil sound. The production robs it of some detail and force, although it amplifies the slight leaning towards classic black metal. It’s got groove and melody, but dishes it out with restraint, preventing it from sounding too tame.
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly rundown March 14 – 2025
No telling what you’ll pick as your favorite this week. There’s ratings, and then there’s personal preference, and there’s a bit for everyone this time around.
Ade – Supplicium
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Ade is an Italian band making death metal with an epic, distinctly Eastern melodic style. It’s fierce and modern, bordering on technical, but prioritizes groove and the occasional shift to traditional-instrument atmosphere. It’s a bit of a disconnect, hearing the roars and riffs coupled with what you normally associate as zen-style instrumentation, and I wouldn’t say there have been made great efforts to properly meld the two. But it’s an unique flavor, for sure.
Alzhagoth – Grievous Diorama
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Describing this as folk-leaning melodic death metal will tell you most everything you need to know about it. It’s got that Finnish knack for deft-handed heaviness, although the band is Italian. The melodic work is fairly heavy-handed on this one though, so it’s more about the vibes than any one outstanding quality.
Athiel – Maw Of The Curse
Genre: Melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A playful, back-to-basics black metal project that utilizes a bit of thrash and heavy metal to stay spritely. Yes, it’s suitably low-fi, bitter and stabby to qualify as classic black metal, but it also can’t hide its love for solos and cool riffs. Deserves a fuller production and a bit more thought put into exactly what it wants to be.
Dessiderium – Keys To The Palace
Genre: Progressive/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Take a quick listen to “Keys to the Palace” and ask yourself: Was this what you expected as a follow-up to 2021’s widely acclaimed “Aria”? And if the answer is no, then isn’t everything really as it should be? This is prog, after all. And if the answer is yes, then that probably just means you had high expectations, which also means that all is well. Dessiderium still play melodic, effortlessly complex extreme/death prog that explores its soundscape, sometimes like a curious little critter and sometimes like a frenzied predator. You get “part” tracks that stretch concepts over several songs, meaning that some will be more decidedly mild and some more decidedly harsh. It’s a delight to listen to from beginning to end, and while perhaps not as concisely hard-hitting and mind-blowingly inspired as its predecessor, it offers a different flavor and a different story.
Highlights: “In The Midst Of May” and “Keys To The Palace – Pt.3”
Manntra – Titans
Genre: Folk/industrial metal
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5I guess there’s a bit of fun to be had with this one… if you choose to turn your brain off. The most generic riffs, melodies and lyrics you can imagine – all of it fine tuned for (drunken) chanting audience interaction.
Nite – Cult Of The Serpent Sun
Genre: Heavy/black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5At what point does a blackened metal project become too much fun? I guess it depends on your definition of fun, but you’re probably in the danger zone when the word “happy” comes to mind. Compared to its 2022 predecessor “Voices of the Kronian Moon”, this album is almost, ALMOST happy in nature. It’s still whisper-snarling, gothic-toned and darkly themed, but some of the mysticism has gone missing. That aside, it’s still devilishly catchy in as tasteful a way as can be managed, and seems to absolutely revel in that spine-tingingly cool lead guitar work, reminiscent of the very best you get from Tribulation and Ghost. You get some pretty decent variation in intensity, with both entirely slow and entirely galloping tracks, and a generous handful of them are ones that will easily stick in your mind, and be very welcome to, at that. Nite should at this point be on anyone’s list of top blackened heavy metal bands, and they further cement their spot with “Cult of the Serpent Moon”.
Highlights: “Crow (Fear the Night)” and “Cult of the Serpent Sun”
Nomadic Rituals – Fust
Genre: Doom/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A thoroughly rancorous and unpleasant doom sludge project that get into half-hypnotic, half-ritualistic rhythm patterns, interspersed with outbursts of raw, gargling roars and screams. It can get ever so slightly clunky in the slow sections, and overall I don’t think they utilize their time to the utmost effect, but the expression is solid and effective.
Purified in Blood – Primal Pulse Thunder
Genre: Death/black metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5It’s been a good long while since these gentlemen dropped an album – nearly thirteen years, in fact. They deal in hardcore-styled death- and black metal that’s raw, evil and punishing, but not completely stripped of finesse or melody. With this release you get the impression that they have a strong, uncomplicated vision for each song from the start, and then throw themselves at it with little intention of playing around with the formula. It doesn’t make for a lot of variation within each track, but for the most part they hit really quite hard indeed, and are born of more than enough unique intent to easily stand out. The slightly uneven production steals a little bit of force and fullness, but the band makes up for it with the visceral quality of their performances.
Highlights: “Primal Pulse Thunder” and “Portal”
Rwake – The Return Of Magik
Genre: Progressive sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Another album this week that arrives after a 13-year gap is the latest by Rwake. It’s a mix of sludge and hardcore, with a blackened tone and a kind of dehumanizingly progressive approach. Not that it sounds industrial or rigid – quite the opposite in fact – but it’s as if there’s an otherworldly will behind the progressions, which rarely go anywhere that feels familiar. It doesn’t feel complicated, overwhelming or whimsical, just free-spirited and slightly detached. The mix between contemplative atmosphere and jagged aggression is very well considered, and never strikes me as jarring in an unintentional way. The last half of the album goes a bit heavy on the doom-like, unhurried approach, and so the impression of the energy fizzling out might be a letdown for some. But thematically it’s on point all the way through.
Highlight: “The Return of Magik”
Sanhedrin – Heat Lightning
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5If you can’t get enough of the classic heavy metal revival and don’t mind it when they take on a slight doomy edge, you are definitely in the target audience for Sanhedrin. What sets them apart from a good few others of their ilk are certainly not elements like the female vocals or retro riff style, but the lack of oddness. They have gone for a fairly clean production, and while certainly not slick or polished, there aren’t really any rough edges. For me, it’s a bit lacking in personality, but there’s also no doubt they’ve got a solid grip on the style.
Som – Let The Light In
Genre: Doom/progressive metal/shoegaze
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5It’s not often I hear a mix of progressive heaviness and silky smooth vocal style that works for me even a little bit, but the guys in SOM seem to have cracked the code. What you get is what sounds like the softest, balmiest parts of the Mike-Chester Linkin Park dual vocal approach at the helm of gentle, daydreamy melodies, on top of heavy, doom-laden riffs, that still carry a warm, embracing tone. Yes, this is certainly a sound you go to when you’ve had your fill of viciousness and brutality, and as a revitalizing wellspring of rich, uplifting-but-not-too-poppy, extremely well-produced, doomy shoegaze-prog, it works on a lot of levels.
Highlights: “Give Blood” and “The Light”
Tiktaalika – Gods Of Pangaea
Genre: Progressive thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Okay, this is a bit confusing. Haken’s Charlie Griffiths has a solo project, with which he released the prog metal gem “Tiktaalika” in 2022. Now he’s back, and the project has been renamed to exactly that, Tiktaalika. Or is it supposed to be a new project? Because the music is now thrash all of a sudden. Proggy thrash, but still. On Spotify both the Charlie Griffiths project and Tiktaalika are registered as contributors to the album, so maybe it’s just a temporary, concept-minded thing that… you know what, fuck it, let’s just review the darn thing. Technically this is a highly pleasing effort, with awesome solos and sneaky-complex, yet groove-laden riffs. But I can’t shake the feeling that for a thrash record, there’s too much thinking going on. The tone is right, the vocal style is right, but it feels reigned in and overly controlled. Which leaves it as a thrash sounding prog album, and when you accept it as such, you can start to appreciate all the fun things going on in it. In the end, it’s very cool that this thing exists, but it comes up a bit short of being the best of both worlds.
Highlight: “Lost Continent”
Trold – I Skovens Rige
Genre: Folk metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5What happens if you take Finntroll, strip away the slight blackened veneer, change the language to Danish and up the party factor? No, it’s not, in fact, a great mystery. You get this. That’s what happens. This gang of merry trolls understand perfectly how to play around and have fun within the style, while both keeping it simple enough to not have to philosophize over, and also keeping it alive and varied with some actual great musicianship. There’s just enough melodic death metal in there to please people like me who drop out the minute it gets too silly, and a bunch of nods to classic folk tunes that they just irreverently throw in there to let you know that they’re not trying too hard. Yes, there’s a lot of crown-pleasing material, but it’s balanced out by wit, skill and actual humor.
Highlights: “Tusind År I Dvale” and “Med Høtyv Og Fakkel”
Warbringer – Wrath And Ruin
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Whoa. A part of me wants to take a moment to reflect on how strong the metal genre truly stands when a thrash album can hit this hard in 2025. But that would mean diverting my focus from the music, which I really don’t want to do. This might be the most focused, best produced thrash metal release that I have ever heard. Pause for effect. And that isn’t even nearly the best part of it. Every performance is sharply on point. The vocals carve a jagged path of interjoined precision scythe cuts, and the instruments play a deadly, highly coordinated game of cat and mouse, like a squadron of elite fighter pilots systematically picking apart a flock of birds. There’s a hardcore directness to the style, as well as a melodic heaviness reminiscent of old school melodeath. While not quite as memorable on an individual song level as some of the titans of the subgenre, as a complete package this is very close to perfect.
Highlights: “Neuromancer” and “Through A Glass, Darkly”
Wombbath – Beyond The Abyss
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Swedish old school death metallers Wombbath serve up another slab of dark-toned, murky morbidity on this one, malevolent as can be, and stylistically on point. To me, it feels a bit heavy handed, almost forced at times, and the production kind of makes it sound like it’s being performed inside a barrel. It’s one you need to be in the right mind space for, as it doesn’t prioritize groove, but mood. It’s a trek across a shadowy graveyard with every crypt, mausoleum and tombstone crumbling from the pressure of unnatural, malignant force.
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly rundown March 07 – 2025
Extreme prog metal is having a strong week, maneuvering deftly in between a handful of heavyweights and outshining most of them.
Avulsed – Phoenix Cryptobiosis
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Spanish death metal veterans Avulsed are back with more grimy, morbid stuff after a nine year gap. There are still absolutely elements of the old school in their style, although it’s mostly isolated to the non-technical side of the music. It sounds like the kind of stuff delivered to the audience with a face-downwards glare, and the slightly muted vocals are earthy and dry-gurgly. But it’s not a slow, creeping thing. The drums especially take hungry charges at you, and it’s all fairly precise and well-produced. I get my fill about two thirds in, as there’s little new under the sun, but if this is you thing, then it shouldn’t disappoint.
Balance Breach – Save Our Souls
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Some Finnish modern Metalcore for you. They strike a good balance between aggression, angst and mild sadness, even though you get portions of the album that are more dedicated to one than the other. It’s not overly technical and rigid, which is a big plus as far as I’m concerned, although I’ll definitely not go so far as calling it playful. The clean vocal parts aren’t the strongest, but they are also in the minority, and a good few of the melodies are genuinely memorable.
Christian Mistress – Children Of The Earth
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Ten years have passed since their last album, and Christian Mistress returns sounding hungry and vital. And retro, let’s not forget retro. The style for each song sounds very determined from the start, like they’re gonna run the course as if on train tracks, but they break it up with playful instrumental flourishes. The guitar solos in particular are downright delicious. The vocals add a light layer of doom and gloom upon an otherwise fairly straightforward rock ‘n’ roll-based classic metal core, and greatly help making the overall sound distinct. They go intentionally off-key at certain points, which really isn’t for me, but it fits, and becomes less noticeable the longer you listen to it. A strong, if not superbly outstanding release on the thriving classic metal revival scene.
Highlight: “City of Gold”
Cryptosis – Celestial Death
Genre: Progressive thrash/extreme metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Among several other bands returning from a bit of a full-length drought this week, Cryptosis’ four year gap is on the trivial side. And with this kind of a result, I’d say the wait is more than worth it. The band’s style is vaguely technical, progressive thrash metal with a lot of attention spent on atmosphere, but also drawing heavily from an extreme wellspring somewhere between death- and black metal. The latter of the two is particularly well-represented on “Celestial Death”, with plenty of tremolo, and an overall chilly tone to the melodies. It’s the kind of progressive approach that isn’t exhausting in its complexity, rather being preoccupied with moving the style in different directions away from the core, precisely so that you can’t accurately label it, and instead accept it as something genuinely unique. The album strikes me as exceptionally well-considered, where the overall feel leaves a stronger mark than any individual highlights, of which I’d say there are only a few. But they’re there, and the rest is still very high quality.
Highlights: “Reign of Infinite” and “In Between Realities”
Dawn Of Ouroboros – Bioluminescence
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Trying to nail down a concise label for this, outside simply “progressive”, is a bit of a fool’s errand, as it doesn’t lean steadily enough in any one direction for that to be defining. There is black harshness, death heaviness, metalcore versatility and melodic styles from everything from doom to dream pop. It’s also got a very jazz-like approach to certain structures. As you can probably gather, this is an album of big contrasts and a restless, near-experimental progression. It never feels random, but it’s definitely unpredictable, and if you are not a fan of any one of the stylistic influences, chances are you simply won’t like the album in total. It’s markedly technical, but doesn’t get hung up on its own cleverness. It’s simply too impatient for that. The vocals range from mild whispers to raspy roars, and deliver solidly in every style. All in all it’s a rich and daring release that demands quite a bit of its listener, and rewards in equal measure.
Highlights: “Nebulae” and “Poseidon’s Hymn”
Deathless Legacy – Damnatio Aeterna
Genre: Heavy/symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A theatrical band from Italy? Whaaat? Joking aside, this is catchy, fairly inventive heavy metal with am “unholy” symphonic edge. The production is big, and the rhythms easy to get into, meant for massive crowd engagement. They avoid the biggest clichés, and sound like they actually care about their songwriting.
Destruction – Birth Of Malice
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Let’s just say it outright, if you have certain expectations of what to get from a new Destruction record, you’re getting just that on here – no more, no less. Solo-happy, evil-classic-metal with tons, and tons, and tons of badass thrash riffs. But, if you’re expecting a band pushing the envelope, you will most likely end up disappointed. The last half of the album in particular is overloaded with mid-tempo trotters that go nowhere in particular, and you end up of just waiting for the guitar solo. That being said, there are a couple of real bangers on here that make the whole thing worth it by themselves, and overall it’s by no means a drag to get through.
Highlight: “Scumbag Human Race”
Frogg – Eclipse
Genre: Progressive/technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Who doesn’t want to like a frog-fronted progressive death metal project? Just look at that album cover! Unfortunately, at least for my sensibilities, this is far too random and hung up on complex rhythms, and an utterly frantic, disharmonic note delivery to make any sort of coherent sense. What is left, then, is the admiration for the wild abandon behind this thing’s creation, and for fans of dissonant extreme metal this delivers big on technicality, sci-fi vibes and all out weirdness.
The Gift Is A Curse – Heir
Genre: Black/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Insidious-sounding stuff from these Swedish shadow dwellers. Like being caught in some forbidden, hooded proceedings and screamed at from the dark void beyond sight. Some of it is aggressive and violent, while several passages take on a far more sedate, doomy tempo, stretching out the agony. The feel of the thing is just as dark and bitter as you would hope, but for me it’s a bit lacking in overall detail and pure force.
Highlights: “No Sun, Nor Moon”
Impurity – The Eternal Sleep
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A Swedish bunch diving head first into the country’s old school death metal traditions and nailing the sound right out of the gate. Once they get going, it’s an all guns blazing kind of affair, with racing drums and ripping riffs almost stumbling over each other in their eagerness. There’s a bit of jankiness, with the performances feeling fairly raw, but if you, like me, absolutely dig this kind of stuff, then you’ll forgive them for it in a heartbeat and probably find that it actually suits the style rather well. It sounds like it comes from a place of being perfectly in tune with the subgenre. It’s not terribly inventive, but makes up for it with good tempo variation, some tasteful horror atmosphere and restrained folk-derived melody, and a couple of instrumental tracks that don’t overstay their welcome.
Highlight: “Ancient Remains” and “Life of Horrors”
K L P S – K L P S
Genre: Sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5K L P S (previously Kollaps\e) delivers harsh, heavy sludge on their self-titled release, going dark places but not letting the gloom and bitterness sink in and poison the very core of the music. There’s a contemplative, cautiously constructive quality to the restrained melodies that play in the more mellow sections of the album. It’s still fairly doomy and a tad melancholy, but it feels like a vital piece to let you know that the thing hasn’t fully surrendered to bleakness. The tempo varies, but seems most comfortable at mid- to low speed, where it’s all about the message, and the outbursts of aggression are more like a way to vent negativity. It’s an album you need to take your time with, and not one that will give you energy, but it can surely be quite cathartic.
Highlight: “UNDERTOW”
Pyres – Yun
Genre: Progressive sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A melodic, progressive sludge outfit that does a couple of things really well. When they’re in the mood to speed up, they really deliver – serving up heavy riffs galore and topping it with spot-on rusty vocals. And the mellow melodic work is nothing short of serene, and easy to get lost in. However, the stretched out doomy parts, of which there are several, get a bit too complacent, and so I find myself getting impatient more than once.
Sadist – Something To Pierce
Genre: Progressive death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5This is one to jump on if you want your death metal to challenge you, but are tired of the surgical technicality of the modern stuff. Sadist plays it murky and whacky, and doesn’t go overboard with the complexity. It’s not exactly melodic, but there’s groove, and there’s spacey atmosphere. You won’t find any harsh dissonance on here, but that doesn’t mean it’s not aggressive. It’s an easily distracted kind of sound that constantly goes on tangents, be it alternating rhythms or portions of ambience, as if it can’t really settle on what it deems the most interesting approach for that given moment. The good thing is that it all somehow fits really well together, and doesn’t feel like simply a way to show off their instrumental skills. It’s coherent, fun and old-school heavy.
Highlights: “The Best Part is the Brain” and “Deprived”
Scalpture – Landkrieg
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5German death metal that leans towards the old school, but doesn’t quite let go of the present. It has a doomy tendency to slow thing down and dwell, and a hardcore/metalcore like preference for beat-heavy rhythms and laying lead guitar melodies over riff sections. It’s heavy for sure, but there’s potential for more groove, and going more all-out.
Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea
Genre: Metalcore/djent/alternative metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Let it be said – I was a big fan of Spiritbox’s debut album. For me it balanced the mix of melodic altenative- and industrial metal with metalcore perfectly, giving near every song a distinct feel. To me, most of that is lost on the follow-up, in favor of waves upon waves of aggressive djent, and clean melody that for the most part bypasses alt-vibes and goes straight to pop. Yes, it’s heavier than the predecessor, and yes, it might be more refined and focused, but to me it has lost too much of what made the band’s sound unique.
Whitechapel – Hymns In Dissonance
Genre: Deathcore
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5On their ninth full-length, deathcore greats Whitechapel lets go of of the ambitious concept approach that largely defined their last two releases and returns to utter devotion at the altar of pure fucking heaviness. And what excellent devotees they are. This stuff will shake your brain into a paste of submissive appreciation that they’ll knead into a ball and throw repeatedly into the wall. They manage, at least for parts of the album, to maintain a pretty decent connection to death metal, and not just the slamming, brutal variant. It feels like a genuine nod to the bloodthirsty core of the subgenre, while not letting off on the relentless energy output. Yes, there are stomps and breakdowns, but it’s just one of many tools, and not at all overused. There’s tons of groove, and an impressive range of tempos, vocal styles and riff tones. Did I mention it’s unbelievably goddamn heavy?
Highlights: “Hymns in Dissonance” and “Hate Cult Ritual”
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly rundown February 28 – 2025
February has finished, and light is returning to the northern hemisphere, but even an influx of power metal can’t dispel the shadow dwelling beasts that cling on to the remaining darkness of winter.
Arion – The Light That Burns the Sky
Genre: Power/symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Finnish majestic power metallers Arion sure aren’t holding back on their newest release. It’s bold, melodic, technical, and of course very, very catchy. To me, the more interesting tracks are bunched up towards the end, and overall the rhythms and melodic feel a bit too similar to ignore, so I wouldn’t go so far as calling it particularly creative. But it’s vibrant and fun, guitar based symphonic epicness.
Avantasia – Here Be Dragons
Genre: Power/symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Claiming that Avantasia has made a highly formulaic album will probably go down as one of my least controversial statements this year, but there it is. If nothing else, it’s honest. Just look at that album cover. Yes, the rhythms are supremely uninspired, and the tone is as predictable as you get. But are there moments of pure power metal fun and silliness? Absolutely.
Brainstorm – Plague Of Rats
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5This is power metal with classic “heavy” metal riffs as predictable as it gets. Slightly forced and highly cliched lyrics, simple rhythms and dime a dozen melodies. Technically, it’s pretty decent, so if you just want “that” sound, it should do the job.
Cannibal Accident – Disgust
Genre: Death metal/grindcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This Finnish bunch know how to have fun with deathgrind. Twenty tracks give you a 35 minute playtime, and the majority are bangers. It feels very hardcore in spirit, with tongue-in-cheek political statements and letting the heavy riffs and rhythms drive the songs from start to finish. Not a lot of new is going on, but if you just want a rough, brutal mosh starter, then look no further.
Caustic Phlegm – Purulent Apocalypse
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5With that band name, it should be pretty obvious what kind of death metal you’re getting on here. Yep, it’s a fungus-riddled guts-bath. This one goes low-fi big time, sounding like a cheap copy of a cassette recording made with a toy microphone. There are some peak 80s horror synth effects on here, which fits it perfectly, but they’re all pretty similar, and so start to feel repetitive towards the end. Great riffs though.
Chemicide – Violence Prevails
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Attitude-loaded thrash with shouted lyrics and a penchant for speed-riffing. They master the subgenre perfectly, and if you’re in the right mood it will fire you right up. I do miss something original though, a bit like they’ve built the thing from a recipe.
Christ Dismembered – Ov Vampiricy
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Bile-spitting aggro-black metal all the way, with a full, blackened death metal-like production. This will serve you very well if you’re in that “fuck all that’s holy” kind of mood, but if you pay any sort of attention you will find that you’ve heard most of it before. Great energy though.
Crown Of Madness – Memories Fragmented
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is tech death of the sad and dissonant variety. Right from the get-go, you lose me at this level of dissonance and over-busy rhythm experimentation. But I can admire the density, the complexity, the well-considered tone and anguished aggression that shines through all over. Perhaps a bit too busy for its own good, considering the gloomy feel, is still manages to stand out as a particular flavor in a formula-prone subgenre.
Dead Undying – For Life For Death
Genre: Industrial/nu metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Sure, there’s a certain portion of the metal fanbase that will dive out the window at the mere mention of something like an industrial and nu metal combo, even if I’d have tacked on the “death metal” in the description. Their loss. This album takes its tone from dark nu- and alternative metal, then adds on industrial, repetitive rhythms, ups the brutality to near-death metal heights (depths?) and sprinkles a few, dry groove metal riff sections in here and there. This is not a conceptually deep or particularly advanced album, but it hits a nerve, and seems an excellent foundation on which to build. It’s confident, dark and just different enough that it should be allowed the momentum to steamroll on doing its own thing.
Highlights: “Flow of Death”
Grave Infestation – Carnage Gathers
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5If I said “old school death metal” and left it at that, you have (too) much of the information you need about this album. The tone, the guitar squeals, the musty vocals, the trodding riffs – it’s all there. To me, it’s too much same-same, but to a diehard fan of OSDM it might be just as ordered.
Havukruunu – Tavastland
Genre: Black/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5This being a Finnish project, it’s always tempting to tack the “folk”-label on there, but the primary direction of Havukruunu is definitely black metal with an epic heavy metal alter ego. It’s never serious, but also never really silly, instead leaning into the trotting, head-held-high, shield-beating rhythms whenever the feel has been bleak and cold for long enough. But don’t get the idea that this is something along the lines of Ensiferum’s bold, melodic, extreme-metal-for-the masses. It seems to come from a place of genuine musical inspiration and appreciation, and the mood goes where it’s needed in order to tell the story. Whether that be a hailstorm of sharp aggression or solo-happy, ride-across-the-hills, high-spirit stuff. It’s a varied experience that never breaks cohesion and keeps you immersed until the last second.
Highlights: “Tavastland” and “De miseriis Fennorum”
Metaphobic – Deranged Excruciations
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5An American death metal group that will take you to a dark and oppressive place. It’s not quite blackened, but gives off the same kind of hostile, no-hope feel. It leans into disharmony and demonstrates moderate amount of technicality in order to transition fluidly from dragging to rushing rhythms. The thing it’s mostly lacking is standout moments.
Muskeg Charnel – Decomposition Part 4: Livor Mortis
Genre: Black/death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A blackened death project that will take your to a contemplative place, once you get past the barrages of bitter croaking and crushing riffs. The production lets the more visceral parts of this album down, as it’s a bit too muted and mellow. It does fit the more death-doom-leaning parts though, which are further expanded by longing, abyssal melody.
Obrij – Joseph
Genre: Death metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Initially, this Ukrainian project presents as pure, crunchy Scandinavian death metal, and then quickly reveals a more agile, stomping, coarse hardcore side. The riffs always remain the same tone and heaviness, and there are certainly sections of pure death metal brutality. But it’s not interested in going to a macabre, beyond-reality sort of gore-obsessed place, instead taking on a stark bitterness, which charts a more nihilistic and spiteful direction. The rhythms are easy to get into, and will definitely deliver the expected dose of savagery, but can get a bit similar on a few tracks. It sure gets my blood boiling, though.
Highlights: “The Garden of Gethsemane” and “Black Echelons”
Sepulchral Curse – Crimson Moon Evocations
Genre: Death/melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Whenever the Finns decide to involve melody in whatever form of metal they’re undertaking, it’s easy to assume something extravagant, heavily folk-inspired and probably synth-based that takes the overall mood in a distinctly playful and larger-than life direction. Sepulchral Curse succeed in traveling from their earth-shaking, no-nonsense death metal core to a place where melodic guitar solos and soaring riffs can exist, without making it feel like a deviation. It’s chilly and unfriendly, but also elevates the music out of the murky depths and into the misty night sky. Not too far removed from old school melodeath, but certainly whipped into more modern day shape. It probably won’t surprise you, but it also won’t let you down.
Highlight: “The Locust Scar”
Ter Ziele – Embodiment of Death
Genre: Black/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5There is no sun on the horizon for this blackened doom band. What shred of melody is present has been skewed in a dissonant and bleak direction, serving to construct a soundscape of misery and destructive thoughts. A bit one-dimensional, perhaps, especially with the hoarse-screaming vocals steering everything onto a harsh-anguished path, but with a talent for scope.
Vacuous – In His Blood
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5There’s a place you can go musically, that potentially works quite well for the dirtier and more fiendish spectrum of metal, where everything doesn’t have to fit together perfectly well, and this becomes part of the point. Vacuous exists in this slightly demented, slightly listener-hostile place, where the energy of the music seems to go in whatever direction it pleases. Which is more often than not some avenue of attack, bounding along underground corridors like some hungry, sewer-dwelling predator. But it does stop to pause every now and then, reflecting on the harshness of life and taking a peak above the surface. These alternating approaches take the form of doom, punk and grind/hardcore influences. They are never allowed in the driving seat for long, but add flavor, and break up the flow in an expansive way.
Highlights: “Stress Positions” and “Flesh Parade”
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
albums, Arion, Avantasia, black metal, Cannibal Accident, Caustic Phlegm, Crown of madness, Dead undying, death metal, grindcore, groove metal, Havukruunu, metal, metal albums out this week, new metal releases, new releases, Obrij, overview, progressive metal, review, Sepulchral Curse, thrash metal, Vacuous -
Weekly rundown February 21 – 2025
Extreme- and traditional metal show off some of their very best attributes this week, making it hard to determine which side has the greenest grass.
The 7th Guild – Triumviro
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Happy-glorious, anthemic power metal with operatic qualities is what you’re in store for here. Nothing is held back in terms of performances, but it sounds like they’re trying to achieve almost the exact same thing on every song.
Abduction – Existentialismus
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Thank the powers below there are black metal bands out there that are still trying to intimidate its audience. Abduction play with Behemoth-level conviction, and do also border on blackened death metal heaviness at times. The vocals are those of a heretic zealot who’s been screaming till his vocal cords are raw. There is also deep chanting and croaking to go with the rumbling low end. They keep you on your toes with the same, semi-chaotic, hateful approach for just the right amount of time before releasing into either visceral riff sections or abyssal-melodic atmosphere. The range of the total experience is perhaps not massive, but each track hits in a different way and earns its memorable status by never slacking – always trying to make the most of any given moment.
Highlights: “Blau ist die Farbe der Ewigkeit” and “A Legacy of Sores”
Fractured Insanity – Age Of Manipulation
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is “modern” death metal with a half-foot in both technical and brutal territory. It’s groove-oriented more than anything else, although the tracks rarely build into any steady, memorable highlight moments. The playing is great though, and it sounds like they’re on the verge on some pretty good ideas.
Gràb – Kremess
Genre: Melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Yes, the Germans also know how to make icy cold, traditional black metal, and evidently also give it a melodic dimension without completely copying Scandinavian folk vibes. That being said, when it’s at its least inventive there is little but the sheer quality of the performances that differentiates this from a hundred others of its ilk. But, thankfully, it doesn’t sound like the band is interested in being locked into conventions, and so they add moments of gentle, traditional instrumentation, a touch of the epic here and there, and, generally, despite the “dark and “blizzard in the night” soundscape, it sounds like they’ve really enjoyed making this album. Which makes it enjoyable to listen to.
Highlight: “Vom Gråb im Moos (A Weihraz-Gschicht, Kapitel Zwoa)
Killswitch Engage – This Consequence
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5If you’ve listened to Killswitch Engage a fair bit before, it doesn’t take many seconds into the first song of “This Consequence” before you get the vibe of the whole album. It’s going to be generally aggressive, precise, extremely groove-oriented, and anthemic-melodic in the way that KSE manages without it turning cheesy or utterly deflating the heavy drive. It’s not really a “heavy” album though. The production is too skinny – there’s lots of hits, but nothing that lands with any real force. There are lots of great moments, and some really cool tracks, but the difference between those songs that really work and those that are just okay is quite noticeable. As a fan though, I’m not disappointed, as it’s a really satisfying listen overall.
Highlight: “Discordant Nation”.
Mean Mistreater – Do Or Die
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5This is classic metal revival done right, at least if you’re partial to the “heavy”, riff-oriented, no-nonsense, tough guy (gal) stuff. Not the kind where the singer shrieks the lyrics in falsetto and the guitar solos last for 2 minutes (although there certainly are guitar solos). Much closer to Motörhead than Saxon, just with galloping riffs. It’s got some melody, but the tone is close to Candlemass-style doom, which serves to further the badass quality to the thing. All that being said, you need to be a fan of this particular style in order to fully enjoy it, as a lot of the lyrics and structures will seem a bit trite on a casual listen. Still, it’s consistent, confident, and stylistically it’s a bullseye, fierce female vocals included.
Highlight: “Do or Die”
Morax – The Amulet
Genre: Heavy/doom metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5“Occult” heavy metal, when done tastefully, can embody pretty much everything of what metal is about outside the “extreme” sphere. The Norwegian one-man project that is Morax does exactly this. It’s mildly blackened, with elements of doom and speed, aside from the traditional, epic heavy metal core. The rhythm varies from slow and morose to upbeat and eager, always accompanied by a very fitting melody line, the tonality of which ranges from tongue-in-cheek evil to outright tragic. The instrumental performances are darkly vivid, never complacent – playful but always serving the theme. The vocals are dirty-clean and semi-melodic, not demonstrating the greatest range, perhaps with some room to improve, or maybe it’s just a matter of taste. For me, it’s got so many engaging elements I feel like every song is a treat, and at a little over 40 minutes it certainly doesn’t run too long.
Highlights: “The Descent” and “A Thousand Names”
Nachtblut – Todschick
Genre: Gothic/industrial metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5This is probably one of the more inconsistent albums from a big band you’ll hear this year. The question is whether the fans will care. You get ultra-catchy heavy rock riffs, dirt-simple rhythms and a mix between anthems, dark ballads and bangers. The middle of the album is a near-complete dud, so by extracting the worthwhile stuff they might have had a pretty cool EP.
Pissgrave – Malignant Worthlessness
Genre: Death/black/war metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5The sonic equivalent to being hit in the face by a fire hose connected to a tank of offal – maggots included. To a faithful old school death metal fan, it’s not completely inaccessible, as it’s got some pretty steady rhythms and decently discernible, stupidly heavy riff sections behind the hissing vocals and noisy production. In fact, compared to a straight-up grindcore or war metal album, it’s actually pretty varied, although you gotta be willing to take in the nuances. Which is a filthy, soul-crushing undertaking, but also highly rewarding. Because once you accept that you’re probably not gonna look at your dinner the same for a while, it’s a rewarding kind of punishment that knows how to push the right buttons and ride the line between utterly extreme and fucking awesome.
Highlights: “Dissident Amputator” and “Ignomity of Putrefaction”
Retromorphosis – Psalmus Mortis
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Rising from the remains of Spawn of Possession, this Swedish veteran-comprised project plays dark, brutal tech death. Even with an ex-Obscura member in the mix, it never really treads the melodic path, even though there’s plenty of intricate lead guitar work. For me, the rhythms are needlessly complicated, killing the flow and simply serving to demonstrate the instrumental talent of the players. But as a concept, it will definitely find its audience, and can absolutely be built on.
Sacrifice – Volume Six
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5As comeback albums go, this is pretty high up there. Not just on a this-year basis, but on an all-time basis. It’s the first by these Canadian thrash metal greats in 16 years, but there’s certainly no cobwebs to be found on here. It’s got an aggressive, blackened edge, and radiates confident, energetic malice, in a “let’s show ’em how it’s done” kind of way. The speed is there, the galloping riffs are there, the solos are there and the snarly Obituary-like vocals are certainly there. Sure, there are blackened thrash bands that go even faster and fiercer, and there are straight thrash bands that are even more fun, but Sacrifice strikes a great balance between the two. Welcome back!
Highlights: “Missile” and “Explode”
Scour – Gold
Genre: Black metal/grindcore
Subjective rating: 5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5The achievement of this album can be compared to the effort of mounting a chainsaw as a bayonet to a rotary cannon and somehow employing it as a precision weapon. The combination of frigid-toned, razor-edge ferocity and raw brutality on here might be the best I’ve ever heard. To me, this is everything that extreme metal is about and more. The harsh vocals do the whole range from high-pitched snarls to deep roars, and does it so well it should be studied. And somehow, in between the relentless assaults of saw-toothed, ice pick-tipped riffs, there’s unsettling atmosphere, wild solos and spine-tingling melody lines. The rhythms are fast-paced and highly precise, but not in a way that actively brings to attention the technicality behind them. And yet you’re still left in awe over the effort of expelling this amount of chaotic energy in such a controlled fashion, without losing the inherent savagery. Sure, there are more “underground” sounds out there, but if that’s the thing that’s going to turn you off this album, you need to seriously broaden your horizon.
Highlights: “Infusorium” and “Coin” (and many more)
Scumripper – For A Few Fixes More
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Murky, grindy thrash from this fairly fresh Finnish gang. There’s not actually a ton of good dirty thrash out there these days, so if that’s your oddly specific jam, then you should be all over this thing. The tone is that of half-serious, morbid old school death metal mixed with punky abandon and a grindcore-like disdain for absolute control. It’s not super consistent, but it feels more like the band experimenting than some misguided attempt at forced variation or a conceptual album structure. It’s wild, it’s rough and it’s pretty damn cool.
Highlight: “Early Embittered Twilight”
Sin of God – Blood Bound
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5Aggressive, modern death metal out of Hungary. It’s on the technical side, but certainly not interested in any overly nerdy instrumental escapades. Minus points for an ugly, very likely AI-generated album cover.
Traitors – Phobias
Genre: Deathcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Slamming deathcore that’s all about that “DUNNNNNNNN” bass drop, hip hop beats, staccato rhythms and breakdowns.
Twins Crew – Chapter IV
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Power metal that’s like a mix of Accept and Dragonforce, which works only moderately well. The guitar work is great, but some of the rhythm transitions are messy, and overall it’s highly unoriginal.
Vultures Vengeance – Dust Age
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5An all-out retro heavy metal band that seems utterly-style obsessed. The plus side is a wave of nostalgia. My subjective take is that it sounds ridiculously clenched and fairly forced.
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly rundown February 14 – 2025
It is certainly possible to have fun with this week, but you must be willing to look for it beyond the reach of the light.
Apocalypse Orchestra – A Plague Upon Thee
Genre: Folk/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5While this presents as a straight-up folk metal project, I would strongly recommend going into it expecting epic, medieval doom, because, certainly on this latest release, that’s the prevailing flavor. Yes, it is loaded with traditional instruments (hurdy-gurdy included) and the vocals are of the “calling out to the forest from a solitary hilltop” kind, but the tempo is slow, the riffs low and fairly ponderous, and the tone on the darker side. It does, at certain times build into triumphant, near-symphonic surges, but it never gets flippant or silly. Not all the songs accomplish a great deal, but the ones that do will stick with you.
Highlight: “Saint Yersinia”
Bleeding Through – Nine
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Dark, aggressive, yet melodic and catchy. The core recipe of Bleeding Through has not changed, although it would be inaccurate to say that they sound like they did in the early 2000s. It’s tighter, more industrial, more bombastically alternative/gothic, and the production is rich and well-defined. A good amount of these tracks do little to expand on a narrow basis, but for listeners who are less interested in the nuances and just want some driving, shadowy metalcore without an overload of sappiness or a wall of djent, this will hit the good spot.
Cantu Ignis – The Fathomless Dominion
Genre: Technical/symphonic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A “yes to all” kind of modern melodeath album, pulling from symphonic, tech and ever so slightly from spacey progressive. There’s nothing wrong with it in a superficial sense. It’s well executed, well produced, both decently heavy and vibrantly melodic, and tonally fairly consistent. The problem lies with it not taking any distinct path. It’s precise and aggressive, AND anthem-prone AND nerdy AND a bit dark AND a bit playful.
Dawn Of Solace – Affliction Vortex
Genre: Doom/gothic metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5For those not familiar with Dawn of Solace, it’s gothic doom and it’s Finnish, so you know it’s going to be melodic and you know it’s going to be epic, no matter how deep it wants to bury its head in the graveyard earth. Sure, it’s about as much fun as that album cover, but the guys understand their niche extremely well, and deliver sublimely. The album is super dynamic – both gentle and brutally heavy, with fantastic performances and melody lines that keep moving and changing, showcasing expert storytelling capability. You thing that a doom album should not be this varied – should not be this to-the-point and efficient (only one 5+ minute track on here), but it it, and it really, really works.
Highlights: “Fortress” and “Invitation”
Decline Of The I – Wilhelm
Genre: Avant-garde black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5The most consistent thing on this album must be the mood, which is solemn more or less all the way through. The rest is far more mercurial, although the prevailing expression is certainly black metal. At its core-centered peak it strikes with demonic, near-symphonic force, closing in on the brutality of blackened death metal. At other times it almost completely shuts down into unnerving chanting, hip hop beat samples, classic instrumental bits or scary atmosphere. If you’re not paying attention, you might be left thinking you’ve covered about 15 different songs, when there are in fact only 5 on the album. This exploratory approach certainly makes for an unpredictable and mentally stimulating listen, and the songwriting really is top notch. But you might be left feeling that the overall impact has been somewhat lessened from lack of focus.
Highlights: “L’Alliance Des Rats” and “Entwined Conundrum”
Klastos — Born to Ruin
Genre: Sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Garage rock sludge from Sweden that goes hard on the riffage. Brings to mind Horndal for sure, just as an even rougher, punkier, and a bit simpler iteration. This guys also know how to make it work melodically, and overall it goes about 50/50 on the harsh/groove balance.
Kosuke Hashida – Outrage
Genre: Grindcore/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Do you love grindcore’s unchecked aggression, roughness and short structure, but wish it could be a bit more generous with the groove-centric riffs? Japan’s Kosuke Hashida has you covered. This stuff is ultra direct, savagely relentless and absolutely furious, but just enough thrash instrumental control shines through to get a feeling that someone’s actually holding the reins to the mayhem. It’s not what you would call varied, but in the fast-paced grindcore world of sub-3 minute tracks it also certainly doesn’t feel repetitive. In line with the theme, it feels like an outright slaughter by means of merciless tactics and overwhelming firepower.
Highlights: “Strangulation” and “Corruption of Faith”
Lacuna Coil – Sleepless Empire
Genre: Gothic/alternative metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Time for a gothic boom. Lacuna Coil continue in their current iteration of balancing big, catchy, near-symphonic melody with powerful, industrial-like heaviness topped by harsh vocals. Christina Scabbia’s voice is still gorgeous, and they are clearly still well able to write engaging melodic structures, even if not all of it sounds equally original. It goes a bit too slow at times, not managing to match the downed tempo with a matching dip in mood, but certainly delivers on the stylized, alt-gothic soundscape that makes the band what it is, despite its evolution. It’s a rich, generous album that feels familiar in the right way.
Highlight: “The Siege”
Mantar – Post Apocalyptic Depression
Genre: Blackened punk/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5If you’re not in a riotous mood, don’t worry. You will be after listening to this. First up though, concerning this stage of Mantar’s stylistic journey: Some of the danger of earlier releases is missing on this album, so if you’re looking for something that still sounds underground and a bit like certain people wouldn’t want you to listen to it, you might be disappointed. “Post Apocalyptic Depression” is much more in line with the circle-pit fun of bands like Kvelertak, and for this purpose it’s crafted to near perfection. The energy on here is bottomless and highly infectious. The blackened edge is still there, but steered more in the direction of black ‘n’ roll, which is absolutely the correct choice for this sound. The vocal rasp and guitar crunch scour away the rust and grime that’s built up around your brain from from being exposed to the nonsense of the world, and the beat will get your blood pumping.
Highlights: “Halsgericht” and “Axe Death Scenario”
Mantric Momentum – Alienized
Genre: Melodic heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Here’s some anthemic heavy metal that goes BIG. With powerful vocals, pounding riffs and power metal-like melody lines, it’s designed for maximum impact. It’s solid, certainly not original, but well produced, and not phoned in in terms of performances, at least.
Savage Lands – Army Of Trees
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Half metal band, half non-profit conservationist organization, Savage Lands has made this album in opposition to deforestation. It’s got a ton of guests on it, who are allowed to influence the style of the respective track they’re involved on. As for the root style of the band? Who can say. The songwriting on this album is, unfortunately, a mishmash, leaving several of the tracks indistinct and able to accomplish very little. There are some cool flavors scattered throughout though.
Volatile Ways – Perfect Dark
Genre: Deathcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Dark, percussive deathcore from Australia. The harsh female vocals and and rigid, stompy rhythms take it in a Venom Prison-like death-hardcore direction, but given the beatdown bass effects, guitar tone and general riff style, it’s core style is not in question. It’s certainly not lacking bite, but apart from a couple of tracks, it’s hard to really get any nuance from this, making it kind of just a single, chugging mass.
Warlung – The Poison Touch
Genre: Stoner/doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Texas band Warlung successfully combines a whole bunch of related flavors on their latest release, showcasing the band’s proficiency with moderate genre fluidity, without for a moment breaking off from, or losing track of, the stoner/doom core. You are introduced to elements of classic heavy metal, psychedelic rock, blues and old school hard rock, implemented as suits the overall feel of any given track, and so amplifying groove, dreamy immersion, chillout-factor, melancholy, urgency and fun as necessary to give each song individual character. Now, I won’t say that they succeed in sounding different from any other band in the subgenre, but if you feel like too much of current heavy stoner lacks variation and true melodic affinity, then this might be just what you’re looking for.
Highlight: “Spell Speaker” and “White Light Seeker”
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly rundown February 07 – 2025
Here come the heavy hitters! The underground takes a bit of a rest this week, although not completely, to allow space for a good handful of well-established names.
-(16)- – Guides For The Misguided
Genre: Sludge metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5It’s the return of the heavy riff machine that is -(16)-, and on this one I feel like they’re stretching sludge as far towards stoner as can be achieved without actually starting to cross over. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a coarse, roaring, bone-rattling sound with a threatening tone, but damn are you getting your fill of groove on this one. Many of the riffs are Metallica-level catchy and the lead guitar gets into some seriously tantalizing escapades. The choruses are strong and at best easily memorable, sending the replay value skyrocketing. The production seems cleaner and bigger than on 2022’s “Into Dust”, which gives the album a stronger hard rock alibi, but, decisively, it never really descends/ascends into what most people would call “fun”. I would say that the overall melodic feel is much closer to doom than stoner, and the raspy harsh vocals radiate spite. Overall I don’t think it’s the most creative thing they’ve ever done, but still delivers beyond expectations.
Highlights: “After All” and “Blood Atonement Blues”
Berlial – Nourishing The Disaster To Come
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Here’s some French black metal that, perhaps unsurprisingly, seems intent on carving out a path of its own. There are (dungeon) synth elements heavily embedded in the melody and ambience, and outside its wall-of-sound assaults of harshness, you get sections of spacey, even dreamy prog-ish rock. The overall tone is one of unease, but it’s not so permeating that it overshadows the band’s eagerness for Enslaved-like deviations into different rhythmic- and melodic territories. A few of the songs are, strictly speaking, a bit longer than I think they needed to be, but is it really a conceptual black metal record without at least one 10+ minute track? Some moments, though, are nothing short of gripping, so it’s well worth your time.
Highlight: “Ivresse de la finitude”
Dream Theater – Parasomnia
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Ah yes, in a time when we get sceptic-defying reunions such as that of Guns ‘n Roses, Rage Against the Machine, Oasis and, although briefly, Black Sabbath, Mike Portnoy rejoining Dream Theater was perhaps not the most unbelievable, but definitely one of the most welcome. A bit like Mikael Åkerfeldt reuniting with his harsh vocal technique. Anyway, about the album. Perhaps as a biproduct of the reunion, (at least that’s what I’m guessing fans will agree on), this is a very consistent album, particularly in regards to tone. As a relative outsider to Dream Theater’s discography, I’m tempted to compare the album’s spooky feel to that of a much, much smaller band, namely Doctor Smoke, particularly on their 2021 release “Dreamers And The Dead”, which I highly recommend. What “Parasomnia” is though, is heavy. Not all the way through, but certainly in moments. Aside from that however, I find myself mildly underwhelmed in terms of how “progressive” the album is. Yes, it’s definitely well-composed, melodic, brilliantly technical prog metal, but is it challenging? Exploratory? Inventive. Not really. It does sound fantastic though.
Highlights: “The Shadow Man Incident” and “Dead Asleep”
Ereb Altor – Hälsingemörker
Genre: Folk/melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Epic, yet moderately restrained blackened folk metal from Sweden. Of course, in their circles of appreciation, Ereb Altor will hardly be an unknown. This is a sound that easily pokes out of the deepest underground and unites black- and folk metal fans in front of the stage at summer festivals. A few of the songs on here are fairly run-of-the-mill, and the vocals don’t always work for me, but there is force, will, and genuine darkness hiding in the recesses.
Jinjer – Duél
Genre: Progressive/groove metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5The type of progressive approach that relies almost entirely on staccato djent-rhythms will always interest me less than those built around clever melody lines, mercurial grooves and temperamental mood swings. Both sides are strongly represented on Jinjer’s newest offering, so I guess everyone should be happy? Of course, you can’t please everyone, and if you’re already decided that this band isn’t for you, I highly doubt that “Duél” will win you over. But for me, the balance between the harshly mechanical, startlingly aggressive, jaw-droppingly dexterous and brilliantly melodic is so pleasingly struck on here that I find my enthusiasm steadily growing as well as regularly peaking throughout the duration. Sure, there is a bit of filler, and sure, it’s not a huge stylistic leap, but it delivers on so many levels.
Highlights: “Fast Draw” and “Duél”.
Noctambulist – Noctambulist II: De Droom
Genre: Avant-garde black metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5Usually I’m a big fan of contrasts in music, particularly when it comes to the progressive and melodic spheres of the metal realm. Juxtaposing the ugliness of black metal with the beautiful and serene is not a new idea, and is sometimes executed to great effect, but this one is a miss in my book. Some of the melodies are simply too naïve, too good-natured, too whimsically dreamy, breaking the illusion of the black metal side being genuinely bleak. The craftmanship is still laudable though,
Obscura – A Sonication
Genre: Technical/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Setting aside the controversy surrounding this release (although it should be mentioned that two former band members have brought forth allegations of plagiarism), Obscura strikes their well-established balance between hustle-technicality, vivid melody and catchy riffs once again. Everything is in place to please fans of the band, but standing on the outside I find myself gradually losing interest as it progresses, the lingering impression being that of a recipe repeating itself again and again.
Open Kasket – Trials Of Failure
Genre: Hardcore/death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Chug, CHUG, chug, CHUG, CHUG, on goes the chug train. This is a snapping bear-crocodile hybrid on steroids that attacks you in erratic bursts, then chomps down breakdown-style when it gets a hold of you. Which is often. Very, very often.
Pathogenic – Crowned In Corpses
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is aggressive, riff-centric tech death with a thrash streak. Razor-sharp and precise, but with a healthy dose of that Revocation-style scorching ferocity. It has a melodic side as well, closer related to melodeath than the typical tech death note assault. You get a bit of breakdown-prone deathcore as well, but nothing that leaves a defining impression. There are lots of elements throughout that bring to mind signature traits of other bands, and as a total package, the album doesn’t significantly stand out among its peers. But this could change dramatically with a more coherent sense of direction and identity. The playing is solid, enthusiastic and entertaining, with several clear highlights and lots of potential. If you care less about uniqueness, there is much to enjoy on here.
Highlight: “The New Rot”
Phrenelith – Ashen Womb
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Imagine being trapped in a gloomy cave system and this unholy cacophony of rumbling drums and monstrous growls emerges from the deep, hinting at a terrible subterranean vastness caked in filth and littered with dusty remains. The rest of the sound sort of perfectly expresses the utter dread you would feel as, no matter which direction you take, the noises keep coming closer and sounding hungrier. For those not already familiar with the band, yes, you guessed it, this is cavernous, evil old school death metal all the way. It’s so unified in style and tone that it feels like a manifest entity, hurling at you your own fear, revulsion and hate. If you’re looking for crisp, groove-laden riffs, you won’t find that here. If you’re looking for utter malice and oppressive atmosphere, look no further.
Highlights: “Lithopaedion” and “Stagnated Blood”
Saber – Lost In Flames
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Sleaze-backed heavy metal with some vigorous solo work and melodies that bring to mind 80s cult adventure films. Unfortunately, the vocals don’t harmonize too well with the instruments, and several of the choruses fall flat.
Saor – Amidst The Ruins
Genre: Atmospheric folk/black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Moving away from the grandiose, vital and more urgent sound of 2022’s “Origins”, Saor returns to a more melancholic, atmospheric black metal-leaning approach. Sweeping, sorrowful, bagpipe-led melodies carry the songs across the visions of Scottish highlands that will undoubtedly form in your mind. It’s beautiful, at times purely blissful, evocative and immersive, if not a tad monotonous. That’s not to say that it doesn’t reach peaks of epic heaviness or offer rushes of snarling aggression, but comparatively these moments take a back seat. Having been exposed to the far more dynamic “Origins” I can’t help but be a bit disappointed, but that is, at least partially, a question of taste.
Highlight: “Amidst the Ruins” and “Glen of Sorrow”
Unreqvited – A Pathway To The Moon
Genre: Symphonic/ambient black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Unreqvited will immerse you in serene melody and cosmic ambience that elevates into richly produced surges of symphonic black metal force. There is a lot of emotion at play on here, and when it goes clean, it really is squeaky, silky clean. To me it’s borderline sappy, although I recognize the purpose behind it, and how it ties into the blissfully sad nature of the atmosphere. It really is gorgeous to listen to, but you do have to accept long interludes of non-progression and songs that either build very slowly, or seemingly don’t build at all.
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
The Metal Dispatch 