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Beyond Terror Beyond Grace - Nadir

Beyond Terror Beyond Grace - Nadir (2012)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Falling Leaves - The Silence That Binds Us

Falling Leaves - The Silence That Binds Us (2025)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Falling Leaves - Mournful Cry of a Dying Sun

Falling Leaves - Mournful Cry of a Dying Sun (2012)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Galadriel - The 7th Queen Enthroned

Galadriel - The 7th Queen Enthroned (2012)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Galadriel - Renascence of Ancient Spirit

Galadriel - Renascence of Ancient Spirit (2007)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Knives Out! - Left in the Lurch

Knives Out! - Left in the Lurch (2016)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Knives Out! - Black Mass Hysteria

Knives Out! - Black Mass Hysteria (2012)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Syqem - Artificial Irrelephants

Syqem - Artificial Irrelephants (2023)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Syqem - Dzien

Syqem - Dzien (2005)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Syqem - A Closer Look at Yourself

Syqem - A Closer Look at Yourself (2007)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Terra Atlantica - Oceans

Terra Atlantica - Oceans (2025)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Reverence (USA) - Gods of War

Reverence (USA) - Gods of War (2015)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Reverence (USA) - When Darkness Calls

Reverence (USA) - When Darkness Calls (2012)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Reverence (USA) - Foreverence

Reverence (USA) - Foreverence (2017)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Reverence (USA) - Vengeance Is… Live

Reverence (USA) - Vengeance Is… Live (2018)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Disfigurement of Flesh - Deity of Hideous Fertility

Disfigurement of Flesh - Deity of Hideous Fertility (2016)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Disfigurement of Flesh - Psychotonic Abnormal Dismemberment - Re-Recorded

Disfigurement of Flesh - Psychotonic Abnormal Dismemberment - Re-Recorded (2014)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Disfigurement of Flesh - Herbarium With Grotesque Necrotic Malformations

Disfigurement of Flesh - Herbarium With Grotesque Necrotic Malformations (2014)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Disfigurement of Flesh - Psychotonic Abnormal Dismemberment

Disfigurement of Flesh - Psychotonic Abnormal Dismemberment (2012)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Disfigurement of Flesh - Shrine of Immortals

Disfigurement of Flesh - Shrine of Immortals (2019)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Bend the Sky - Expanse

Bend the Sky - Expanse (2018)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Bend the Sky - Origins

Bend the Sky - Origins (2012)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Bend the Sky - Observatory

Bend the Sky - Observatory (2013)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Pigeon Toe - The First Perception

Pigeon Toe - The First Perception (2012)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Cthulhu Rise - The Second One

Cthulhu Rise - The Second One (2016)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Collier d'Ombre - Autumnal Fortress

Collier d'Ombre - Autumnal Fortress (2025)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Collier d'Ombre - Winter's Grip & Silent Stars

Collier d'Ombre - Winter's Grip & Silent Stars (2024)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Desolate Winds - In Times of Cold

Desolate Winds - In Times of Cold (2012)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Sorcier des glaces / Monarque - Sorcier des glaces / Monarque

Sorcier des glaces / Monarque - Sorcier des glaces / Monarque (2012)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Kaeck - Gruwelijk onthaal

Kaeck - Gruwelijk onthaal (2025)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Testament - Para bellum

Testament - Para bellum (2025)

Added: October 15, 2025
Ratings: 1
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5.0
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5.0
Skull Hammer - Destroyers of the Faith

Skull Hammer - Destroyers of the Faith (2012)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Satanika - Total Inferno

Satanika - Total Inferno (2015)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Satanika - Nightmare

Satanika - Nightmare (2014)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Satanika - Infection

Satanika - Infection (2012)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Face Yourself - Fury

Face Yourself - Fury (2025)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Bloodred Hourglass - We Should Be Buried Like This

Bloodred Hourglass - We Should Be Buried Like This (2025)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Missing Link - Miracle Smile

Missing Link - Miracle Smile (2025)

Added: October 15, 2025
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xHellrazorx - xDemoniacx

xHellrazorx - xDemoniacx (2025)

Added: October 15, 2025
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Shai Hulud / Another Victim - A Whole New Level of Sickness

Shai Hulud / Another Victim - A Whole New Level of Sickness (2000)

Added: October 15, 2025
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4.0
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4.0
Drumcorps - For Everything

Drumcorps - For Everything (2025)

Added: October 14, 2025
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Syqem - Artificial Irrelephants

Syqem - Artificial Irrelephants (2023)

Added: October 13, 2025
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Author & Punisher - Nocturnal Birding

Author & Punisher - Nocturnal Birding (2025)

Added: October 09, 2025
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Vampires Everywhere - Ritual

Vampires Everywhere - Ritual (2016)

Added: October 07, 2025
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Vampires Everywhere - Hellbound and Heartless

Vampires Everywhere - Hellbound and Heartless (2012)

Added: October 07, 2025
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Clans

The Fallen
The Fallen

Members: 205

Releases: 8202

The Gateway
The Gateway

Members: 78

Releases: 3251

The Guardians
The Guardians

Members: 210

Releases: 9912

The Horde
The Horde

Members: 264

Releases: 13597

The Infinite
The Infinite

Members: 157

Releases: 6605

The North
The North

Members: 217

Releases: 15056

The Pit
The Pit

Members: 227

Releases: 5903

The Revolution
The Revolution

Members: 51

Releases: 5160

The Sphere
The Sphere

Members: 39

Releases: 1211

Dreaming Delusion

Just as it looked like 2025 was going to be more than a little light on funeral doom, along come Norwegian five-piece, Gloombound with their debut record Dreaming Delusion to ensure the levels of desperation are suitably smothering enough. As I sit here, drenched in misery, with wave after wave of it hitting me in tandem with the stab of the organ on album opener ‘At the Precipice to Longinquity’, Gloombound have clearly done their homework. Now, whilst I may not be grading everything as an A+, there’s enough references here for me to think of the likes of Disembowelment or Skepticism as the track lumbers towards its conclusion after nine minutes. This is a strong opening track that balances the instrumentation well. Crushingly heavy riffs and crystal clear, sorrowful keyboard passages combine well. 

There are unexpected moments of clarity in here also. The sheer twang of the guitar strings on the build up during ‘An Eternity of Complete Acquiescence’ borders on middle eastern almost. Fast forward 90 seconds though and we are in riff mode, rumbling away with some good old-fashioned repetition to underline the point. At this point I would like to call out the excellent work of the vocalists, Emma and Mina. Again, they are both obviously well-schooled in the sub-genre and do a fantastic job of delivering guttural yet abrasive vocals. Handling bass and drum duties also, the duo are a real focal point for the band, carrying a real presence which is to be expected from the percussion and vocal section I suppose.

Similarly, lead and rhythm guitarists Nate and Hakon do a great job, and I quickly got the impression that Gloombound are serious about their artform. As funeral doom records go, Dreaming Delusion is a largely professional job. Things do go a little astray timing wise on ‘Luminary Dissolution’ but it is a debut record so I will cut them some slack. I could do without the mid-point instrumental palate cleanser if I am being totally honesty as it does disrupt the flow of the record a little for me. The record does bounce back nicely, immediately afterwards but even with a fifteen-minute closing track, the two minute track ‘Salvation’ does little to differentiate itself from the opening of the album closer.

The final track does help the album live up to its title. It feels disorientating in its build, yet the organ and light mix to the drums does feed the dreaming aspect of things. The clean singing is by far the most challenging aspect of this track, if not the whole album. That awkwardness may very well be an intentional factor, that was added in with some desire to create alienation for the listener given that funeral doom is not supposed to be a comfortable listen exactly. It is still a bold move to include a fifteen-minute track anywhere on your album, let alone do it on your debut, right at the very end. Nate flexes his fingers nicely on the solo on this track, his notes crisp and clear, piercing through the murk of the record in general. Impressive debut.


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Vinny Vinny / October 15, 2025 07:18 PM
Darkness Invisible

I was not expecting much out of a new Mors Principium Est record in 2025. Hailing from Finland, they came out late in the 1990s as one of the premiere 2nd wave Melodic Death metal bands after the success of the Swedish neighbours. Now running on for over two decades, much like their 1st wave contemporaries, I did not know how much a band like this would be able to provide. Well colour me shocked that Darkness Invisible is one of the best melodic death metal records I've heard in 2025 so far. This band has a way to write some immensely catchy choruses alongside groovy and unique riffs. The album is heavy with its percussive blast beats and strong foundation, and while the record does feel a little padded with the symphonic inclusions, I would say most of this record's poorest sounds come by the way of messy synths that double and harmonize with the lead guitar, but their presence is muted throughout so it isn't that big of a deterrent. The individual songs all sound great, but the length of tracks like "Summoning the Dark" and "The Rivers of Avernus" feel bloated. The penultimate track, "All Life is Evil" has this doom tinged pivot, almost as if a progressive style album closer, which I'm not opposed to, but the inclusion of clean symphonic singing just felt out of place; nowhere on Darkness Invisible is the idea of death doom or clean symphonic singing even been hinted at. And so when they make their first appearance on the final moments of the record, it feels like wasted opportunity. Still, I had no idea that Mors Principium Est were still making high quality melodic death metal two decades later.

Best Songs: Venator, Monuments, Beyond The Horizon, In Sleep There is Peace

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Saxy S Saxy S / October 14, 2025 03:34 PM
Covenant

For me, Covenant is by far the best Morbid Angel record. It not only perfectly reflects the band's evolution in 1993, but also combines the identities of the previous two albums. Take the speed and brutality of Altars of Madness, and add the sophisticated songwriting of Blessed Are the Sick. Finally, give this result to Flemming Rasmussen, the legendary producer of the three great Metallica albums, and then release it. You will have Covenant. Period.

While musically more ferocious, Covenant is also more satanic, thematically. Yes, the issue with Morbid Angel was being satanic as much as possible around that time, but the songs like "Lions Den", "World of Shit (The Promised Land)", and especially "God of Emptiness" increase the anti-religious and satanic tone dramatically, and make you understand why they call the band MORBID ANGEL. Lovecraftian themes are still present, but less visible compared to the previous albums. Cthullu Mythos would dominate Morbid Angel again, after Vincent left the band and Steve Tucker joined.

The best aspect of the album is that when it is slower, it becomes more horrific. As I said, this is one of the fastest and brutal records the band has ever released, but after the closer duo of the album, "Nar Mattaru/God of Emptiness", Morbid Angel leaves the scene in quite an unorthodox way. You would rightly expect that the ending of an album like this might have been a massacre. But, no. Morbid Angel had a different attitude this time. the way David Vincent sings the lines below ultimately became the essence of death metal: bold, imposing, and fear-inducing in its overconfidence:

"Bow to me faithfully,

Bow to me splendidly."



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Emir Emir / October 13, 2025 11:29 PM
"Them"

The first impression I have regarding this album is that it lacks the musical integrity Abigail has. In other words, the album doesn't sound as monolithic as its predecessor. But don't get me wrong, Them isn't bad at all. Indeed, it's one of the best albums King Diamond has ever produced. The major drawback is that in Abigail, the story and the music were so in tune and integrated that the whole album flowed like a stream, while in Them, the technical proficiency of the band and the level of progressiveness in song structures seem to level up, but this also makes the album less fluent, less memorable, and naturally, more ambitious. Even the album cover, showing a house in the night, seems to evoke "A Mansion in Darkness" in Abigail, as if pointing out an idea that the major story was told previously. Nevertheless, you still have a very good record and one of the finest moments in King Diamond's career.

Recommended songs for the first listeners:

- "Welcome Home": the legendary opener of the album - if you don't count the intro "Out from the Asylum" - and one of the most popular King Diamond songs.

- "The Invisible Guest": a song that is quite "power metal" in essence, but delights in horror!  Also, many good solos.

- "Bye, Bye Missy": I think the best riff in the album opens this song.

- "Twilight Symphony": the last show in the album is there.

If you loved King Diamond at first sight, it is almost impossible to neglect Them.



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Emir Emir / October 13, 2025 10:02 PM
Confessions of the Fallen

As alternative metal goes, Confessions of the Fallen has been a neat find over the past week for me. Triggered by some algorithm somewhere, the 2024 deluxe edition fell into my recommendations and here I am, five days on, writing a review. As I read back my review of 2001’s Break the Cycle it is interesting that my thoughts are largely still the same when it comes to a record that has come out circa twenty-two years after that album. Clearly a trademark of the band, that depressive, self-loathing, over-thinking, underachieving and sullen take on life is once again at the forefront of the twelve tracks that make up the record. Such an expression of feelings is not wrong by any means. Indeed, when they hone it appropriately, it works well to produce memorable, catchy and emotionally taut songs. However, just like it was in 2001, here in 2025 (accepting the album came out in 2023) it becomes a bit of a slog after four or five tracks.

Thankfully, the better tracks are interspersed amongst the filler well enough in terms of arrangement to make the album more than palatable. After a strong opening three tracks, the power ballad ‘Here and Now’ presents the first of the infectious, written for the big screen moment. Sarcasm aside, it is a great track, and I can’t stop playing it, so fair play Aaron and co. Similarly, ‘Better Days’ follows a simple format with a memorable dictation of the chorus line to ensure hooks are firmly embedded in the brain. Confessions of the Fallen is not just about bleating ballads and overly expressive vocals though, when Staind riff on this thing they truly drop the weight on the listener, and for me it has more impact than any of the lyrics or arrangements. The album opens with ‘Lowest in Me’ which shows the teeth of the band early on deploying some core mentality towards the final third of the track. The title track is probably the heaviest of these moments, it’s implied darkness from the lyrics borne out in the crushing riffs that are present on the track also.

The filler does bring the score down, however. ‘Cycle of Hurting’ with its electro pulses and more nu-metal ethos just stands out as an obvious dud to me. Likewise, ‘Full of Emptiness’ has an almost laughable level of clunkiness to it and should have been left for a B-side compilation at some point in the future. Ending on a positive note though, there is a grit to Aaron’s vocals nowadays that does provide some mature edge to proceedings (much needed at times) and for all my gripes, the album has grown on me since I first picked it up. This is rare for this sub-genre as it represents one of the smaller percentages of my collection overall, so fair play once again guys.


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Vinny Vinny / October 12, 2025 10:36 AM

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