At some point around the turn of the decade, I came to the unfortunate realization that old school black metal wasn't for me. The Scandinavian giants that pushed the genre to new heights during the 1990s (Darkthrone, Mayhem, etc.) had a flare for the cold and atmospheric, but lacked any of that cool songwriting stuff that made their material memorable beyond initial contact. The genre has grown throughout the years sure, but I've found that the type of black metal that I enjoy is not considered black metal by the consensus of its audience. And so, I've been forced into solitary confinement with atmo-black and progressive black giants until something a little less demanding comes along to sink my teeth into.

Enter Warmoon Lord, a modern Scandinavian black metal band whose influence is worn on the cover of the debut album, Burning Banners of the Funeral War. Now, four records in, I was hoping to see some growth through the music, or more specifically, if any of these songs had any staying power. After all, if bands are just going to release fluff pieces to their influences, why wouldn't I just listen to those bands instead?

Sacrosanct Demonopathy is a tough listen. I can tell that their is some effort going into it based on how its written. The songs themselves have direction and the flow of the album is quite well done. I like how the album bookends with deliberately slow and controlled instrumentals, before filling the remaining tracks with relentless original black metal. The record is concise and hooks are given some level of appreciation on each song, allowing them to stand out on their own. It's too bad it was all wasted on a black metal album.

I'm sorry, but the production on Sacrosanct Demonopathy is ass. I hate how the most authentic sounding portions of this record are the intros on "Warpoems & Tragedies" and "His Enigmatic Ways". The clean guitar intro sound full and driving, and then the electric guitar and percussion enters and it gets completely neutered. The guitar is compressed to all hell and the bass is practically non-existent. The vocals, which should be front and center, are viewed as an afterthought in how low they are in the hierarchy of sound. And the synth elements? While sparse in their delivery, the few times they do show up they get completely drowned out by the multi-tracked guitars and percussion.

I understand that a lot of my criticism of Sacrosanct Demonopathy and its production is what a lot of black metal like in this style of music. And I have, on occasion, enjoyed a compressed, muted black metal album in the past. What makes this one stand out among the rest is that Warmoon Lord were trying to make something that was more epic, with its power metal and thrash riffs on tracks like "Invoking the Retribution Eidolon" and the poor production does not do any favours. In the end, it's an album that tries to be more progressive and melodic, but the roots of the genre that Warmoon Lord try to keep severely kneecap whatever growth this record might have had.

Best Songs: Invoking the Retribution Eidolon, Tartaros Offering, Daemonic Supremacy Enthroned 

Dying Wish are a Portland based metalcore band who really surprised a couple of years ago with Symptoms of Survival with its balanced intensity. Two years later, the band is back with their third studio album and I can't help but feel like we've downgraded here. 

And for starters, I think we have to look at the individual song structures found within Flesh Stays Together. This album appears to be broken up into three distinct types of songs. The first is the full frontal assault of hardcore punk fun on "A Curse Upon Iron" and " Surrender Everything". The second is the buildup song; it starts with a clean guitar tone and Emma's softer singing timbre, while evolving over time into something that feels like a real payoff like on "Nothing Like You" or the title track. And then everything else falls into some kind of Spiritbox sounding status quo 2020s metalcore album. Taking influence from Spiritbox might not be a deterrent in theory, but the execution feels lacking in any sense of growth from it.

Production is also taking a minor downgrade from Symptoms of Survival. For starters, Emma's harsh screams sound a lot less focused than the previous record; a lot of her syllables start to blend together and it causes the rest of album to lose its punch. The opening track "I Don't Belong Anywhere" sets the album off on the wrong foot by having Emma scream with spotty execution. The instrumentals are mostly good; the bass does have a strong presence throughout the record especially during the albums choruses and buildup tracks like "Heaven Departs". But on others, Dying Wish like to implement the tritone dissonant chord in the chugging guitars during the breakdown and for some reason, the bass just kind of disappears? The only other egregious production error was on the heavy track "Revenge In Carnage" where the instrumentals re-enter after a full stop and the mix cannot handle all of the additional noise all at once.

I do not dislike Flesh Stays Together by Dying Wish, however something about it just feels off to me. It feels like the band needed to cave into some arbitrary heaviness code in their contract and as a result, lost some of their identity as a metalcore band in the process. Groups with female vocalists will inevitably be compared to the likes of Spiritbox in the current metalcore climate, but Dying Wish were never trying to be Spiritbox. But with Flesh Stays Together, they might just be.

Best Songs: A Curse Upon Iron, Nothing Like You, Empty the Chamber, Flesh Stays Together

If there is one modern black metal act that I am guilty of neglecting, it is Lamp of Murmuur. Barring a brief flirtation with his debut and a cursory listen to Saturnian Bloodstorm, I have never really invested much time in one of black metal’s most talked about acts of recent times. Buoyed by the two singles that came out ahead of the new album, I made a note to ensure that I listen through the latest offering with a consciously critical ear. Amidst the dashing keys and chimes that accompany the riffs and grim (if not somehow watery sounding) rasps there is clearly more going on than any simple black metal album and so a critical ear is very much needed for this one. Background music this is not.

The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy bases its core sound in the rudimentary elements of black metal. Embellished with the symphonic flourishes of Emperor it still retains the attack of Immortal whilst maintaining an often-simplistic approach to riffs. Where things do get interesting is when the post-punk elements come into play. Now, I personally enjoy post-punk and do have a few albums in my collection. The connection to black metal is not hard to make from a thematic perspective with angst, repression and societal decay (to mention but a few) being common across both sub-genres. That is not to say that LoM get the inclusion of this style correct in my view. As much as I accept that clean vocals can have their place in black metal, there placement on this album does feel off at times. Adopting that familiar Attila crooning style that I picked up on in the debut album, LoM again deploy this style here alongside some more cleaner singing. The cleaner parts work well on the more post-punk obvious tracks (‘The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy Part I – Moondance’ & ‘The Dreaming Prince in Ectasy Part II - Twilight Orgasm’), yet there is a couple of occasions when they feel invasive and detract from the enjoyment of the track.

Overall though this fusion of styles is refreshing and is well balanced enough to still make this feel like a cohesive opus. Would the three tracks that make up the component parts of the title work as a standalone offering (as an EP, for example)? Hell yes. However, by being included on the album they show the variety available in the LoM arsenal. The lead work on Part III is sublime in a post-metal styling, yet the vocal element is classic Emperor to my ears. The more ambient parts are the only part of the album that is lost on me really, but even this may grow on me with repeated listens. It is just a shame for me that the album ends on a sour note since it is an acoustic number that stands out as being of different character to everything else present on the record.

Another miracle is coming, and it's this album Another Miracle! Of Mice & Men themselves are practically miracle workers, able to make two albums per year without having to break the cycle, something very few alt-metalcore bands have been able to do nowadays. They're practically like an unstoppable force, and honestly, we need more of that. Of course, if they need a break, then they can have one.

The long-running lineup of bassist/vocalist Aaron Pauley, guitarists Alan Ashby and Phil Manansala, and drummer Valentino Arteaga continue the talent and strength they've had for nearly a decade. And one more thing to note is, Another Miracle is their first album with Century Media Records.

We have a kick-A start in "A Waltz". There's majestic energy in the riff wrath and the shout-along chorus. The highlight "Troubled Water" has some killer heaviness, and starting the last minute of the track is perhaps the longest, most intense scream by Aaron. That and the industrial vibes make this song a big banger. Next up, "Safe and Sound" has softer verses while maintaining the heavy pace. The pace is cranked up in "Hourglass" with some of the heaviest energy and screams here, especially at the end.

"Wake Up" is more emotional and melodic, with the clean singing being more dominant. "Flowers" has some melancholy within the instrumentation and vocals, while leveling up the intensity at times. The rifftastic title track is an explosive monster worth moshing to. "Contact" blends groove-ish riffing with clean singalong vocals.

The next track "Parable" practically erases the line between screaming violence and dreamy melody. "Somewhere in Between" is quite motivational, and fitting in the name too. They can stand between the riff mayhem and the soft chorus at ease. Maintaining that balance is "Swallow" while adding a fair amount of heavy darkness, most prominent as it ends. The epic finale "Infinite" has their usual modern sound leading up to the final chorus' grand climax.

Of Mice & Men continue to show that the alt-metalcore scene is far from dead, with their new album Another Miracle showing top-notch quality. I suspect more fans of the genre will be moving towards them then away. With amazing riffs and vocals, I look forward to their next miracle, and hope it comes within the next two years!

Favorites: "A Waltz", "Troubled Water", "Hourglass", "Another Miracle", "Somewhere in Between", "Infinite"

Featuring Brouillard from many other projects in the black and doom world (Alukta, Les Légions du Déclin, Transcending Rites...the list goes on), French duo 1928 give us all a respectful nod to the old school with this their debut full length album.  Following on from their 2024 EP, Les meutes sé​ditieuses this album is advertised as raw French black metal.  In reality, I have heard rawer, but that's not to say that the conventional black metal that is coupled on occasion with some black 'n roll isn't thoroughly entertaining.  There is a lot of heart behind what 1928 put together here and it is clear where Déclin and Brouillard's passion lies.  Whilst this release does not quite keep up with the likes of Altar of Woe from this year, the intent to do harm is clear and present at all times.

With an album cover not dissimilar to the 2021 album by Spectral Wound, A Diabolic Thirst 1928 possess a similar potency in their attack without quite straying into the more melodic teritory inhabited by Canada's black metal terrors.  With Brouillard on vocals, she rasps and howls her way through nine resplendent tracks of black metal.  The album detail I have does not specify who plays what on the record in fact.  Whomever it is who is howling their very soul out, props to them.  The punky/black 'n roll riff that opens ' Le royaume incondé' catches you off-guard at first but then the track soon settles down into a mid-paced mauling before increasing the tempo later in the track.  In short, 1928 keep things interesting.

Opening the album with a short burst of the French national anthem is another unexpected moment, and one that threatened some concern from me in that this was going to be a theme for the album.  It isn't.  This is perhaps one of the more immediate and direct balck metal albums of 2025 if I am honest.  These two aren't here to fuck around after all.  If I am being picky, I think it could benefit from a more raw sound than it has, and I acknowledge there is a decent level of rawness here already.  I think the direction here is clearly supposed to be a dark and scathing one and the production job does not necessarily do justice to that ethos.  Still, I cannot shy away from what is still agreat record though, and on which has been on rotation for a solid couple of weeks already.