Thundering out of Berkshire, England to truly throw a spanner in my ‘EoY Fallen Album List’ come atmo-sludge quintet, Dimscûa. I would say that 2025 has been the year that I started to explore atmospheric-sludge metal for the first time, its calmer post-metal tendencies offset nicely by the harsher vocal attacks and smothering heaviness of the riffs that are my usual (and still preferred) listening fodder. Listening to Dust Eater sort of feels like I am in familiar territory nowadays which has most certainly helped me warm to it quickly. Hidden behind the straight delivery and more subtle sections, there is a sense of the epic going on also though which adds extra interest into proceedings.

This may just be clever use of guitar tone in all honesty, with some well-placed chiming effect adding some positive volume to the already doughty performance. Dust Eater is delivered with an attack that brings to my mind that each of the band members are grinning with each blow they make in their flannel shirts and jeans – another image I have in my head for some reason. Whilst I cannot describe the EP as uplifting, it does possess a pragmatic approach that gives the music a sense of being constructive without being restrictive. There’s no question that the band have gears they can get through, but they are always in full control, not just when ticking over in first or second gear.

The poignancy in the strings that open the final track, ‘On Being and Nothingness’, set against that haunting ambience that drifts through the background of the track, shows a band who can play with real emotion in their performances. Whilst the subject matter may explore darker tropes, the five-piece are unafraid to display the inherent beauty that can still be found in the themes of grief or loss. Of the content of this sub-genre that I have heard this year, Dimscûa chart pretty highly to my ears.

When bassist Alessandro Venturella and drummer Jay Weinberg replaced the late Paul Gray and Joey Jordison (RIP), it was uncertain how .5: The Gray Chapter would turn out before its release. Of course, the critical acclaim for that album was enough for them to stick around for another headbanging album, We Are Not Your Kind. However, a lawsuit between percussionist Chris Fehn and the rest of the band would lead to his dismissal, only appearing in a bonus track that we'll talk about when we get there...

Slipknot is another band that can master their heavy/catchy blend. They're an easy band for metal newcomers to get into downtuned riffing and growled vocals. I think this was my first full-album experience when it first came out and my brother recommended it to me, though I haven't gotten to reviewing it until now.

Kicking things off with the intro "Insert Coin", an eerie electronic atmosphere sets the stage. The segue to "Unsainted" seems a bit abrupt. Nonetheless, it's a fantastic start to the action, also being the first single. After an epic rising choir intro, heavy verses rush in with all their might, and the melodic catchy chorus with the same melody and lyrics as the song's intro helps keep things accessible. OK, the choir is a little cheesy, but it's still epic, reaching its height in the final chorus. Next up, "Birth of the Cruel" is another cool highlight. The chorus is quite devastating in the riffing and vocals. Brilliant! "Death Because of Death" is a nice interlude, though a little too early in the tracklisting.

I also have mixed feelings for "Nero Forte". The verses and bridge are greatly intense in the riffing and vocals, but the chorus ruins things. Vocalist Corey Taylor's clean singing sounds unfitting, and makes it all sound like a butchered take on Demon Hunter/Mercenary. The same issue occurs in "Critical Darling", which I'm somewhat a critic of. Great verses, iffy chorus. But then we have another favorite of mine in "A Liar's Funeral", which brings it all back to the atmospheric side of Iowa. The haunting screams of "LIAR!!!!" and "BURN THE LIAR!!!", the latter in the intense chorus, all make this one of the best here. It's like Godflesh's Hymns all over again! Next song "Red Flag" cranks up the rhythmic heaviness and speed, while making room for a bit of melody. "What's Next" is another eerie interlude to get you ready for what's next.

"Spiders" is kind of an odd one for me. That keyboard melody and cheesy chorus makes it sound more suitable for the Halloween soundtrack, even sounding like John Carpenter's theme for that movie. There's not much buildup there, so it never goes anywhere. "Orphan" is another deep-cutting thrashy highlight. But the next track "My Pain" is a better one. Everything's filled with intense darkness. It probably would've been better trimmed by a minute or two, though I still approve. "Not Long for this World" is another overlong track, and this time it's too long for its own good. Fortunately, things really pick up in the second half. "Solway Firth" ends the album in a heavy bang. After the intro that reprises the album's intro, the heaviness of Iowa and The Gray Chapter bursts in with anger and destruction, all the way up to the final lyric, "I haven't smiled in years." Well I have! The aforementioned Japanese edition bonus track "All My Life", well...it continues that thrashy sound but isn't as well-executed as the actual finale.

All in all, We Are Not Your Kind is a great follow-up to The Gray Chapter. I can't deny the strength of those songs, though the experimentation in a few odd tracks could've been improved. Still it's definitely worth listening to and recommending to rock/metal fans. Be one with our kind....

Favorites: "Unsainted", "Birth of the Cruel", "A Liar's Funeral", "Red Flag", "Orphan", "My Pain", "Solway Firth"

This ‘atmospheric sludge’ tag that has grown legs in recent years is one that adorns the chests of Chicago’s The Atlas Moth from as far back as their 2007 inception. Granted, I can hear sludge in their sound as well as also being able to hear atmospheric textures, but at the same time there is the intimation of so much more over the course of An Ache for the Distance. Pure doom and stoner metal make an appearance alongside an obvious 70’s rock influence making the album something of a devious demon to contend with. It renders the genre tagging somewhat irrelevant, not that I am even sure how seriously the band themselves pay much attention to whether their sound is ‘atmospheric sludge’ or not.

What is clear on this record is that the performance is unforced, cohesive and very relaxed. It is an album that sounds like a band working free of any boundaries in all honesty which leads to this sense of flow as elements manage to compliment each other nicely. Even with three guitars in play, there is a constant coherence to proceedings. This trio of axes is thoughtfully layered, proving many moving parts can work. Whether it is the post-metal pickings alongside psychedelic loops that ooze through, or the elements of the harsher riffs, there is order to them.

I do struggle with this album though. For as much as I can recognise the quality on display, it does move styles a little too often for me, killing a lot of memorability in the process and leaving sections of the album feeling like they are wandering as opposed to progressing. After a few listens to the album, I could not fight the feeling of it getting stuck in a no-man’s land; unable to shape the obvious promise into a consistent theme. Take the brilliant final third of ‘Your Calm Waters’, a section that shows clear direction but the effort of listening to get there is taxing for me.

It is only the final track, ‘Horse Thieves’ that resonates in its Yob-like glory to the point of finally giving the album some real grounding. That big, slow and doomy riff, alongside the melancholic melody sees both elements played to a tortuously drawn-out pace. The trumpet here, although unexpected, fits well. It gives a soothing drone during the growing chaos of the track. It is a positive note to end on at least, and whilst I cannot reach for my higher scores on this one, The Atlas Moth do enough in terms of their clear quality of playing to manage to also keep the album well away from the lower end of my scores also.

I'm a bit surprised that I'll be the first one to review this album, considering that it was one of the creators who got me into this band.  Sear Bliss is known for changing things up about every album, and it typically pans out, even if the end results aren't always perfect.  In fact, some Sear Bliss albums are a bit samey when they focus on a singular sound.  Their debut album, Phantoms, was just like that, and there aren't many variations in Letters from the Edge or Glory and Perdition.  This album is completely different.  After the soaring Elysian vibes ruled their debut album, they took a completely different direction, one that's inches away from not being black metal, being dirty and traditional, and even featuring doom riffs.  Every song takes a different turn, but still bears the essentials needed for black metal.  However, songs like Soulless would rather be made up of part dungeon synth and part traditional doom metal.  The point is made as soon as the album's turned on, leaving an earthy texture in your brain.  The instrumentation is constantly impressive, boasting some of the band's healthiest melodies.  But there is one drawback in all of this: the voice doesn't always fit the melodies, and sometimes (though not most of the time), he feels like he's just there.  Hell, even the opener will probably tell you that, unfortunately.  Otherwise, this is one of Sear Bliss's most unique, least atmospheric and hardest hitting albums they've done.

97

Here it is, the final album I need to review before I finally earn my fourth clan symbol on Metal Academy, the last of the Black Metal Challenge: Nemesis Divina.  I've heard absolutely nothing but revery for this album.  When I heard their debut, Dark Medieval Times, I was quite impressed with the playfulness, but the second seemed to do away with that playfulness, so I was a bit worried.

The mixing is practically infernal.  It sounds like fire coming from the ground just to grab you in the face and yell at you.  And these guys have a lot to yell about.  The maelstrom of flame will drown out all sound even at low volumes, but nothing suffers in the mixing.  It's incredible.  Nothing lo-fi about it like in the first two albums.  Frost is at his most aggressive and challenging with his drumkit, making for a good deal of the blackened noise that adds to the maelstrom, and the new bassist, Kveldulv, adds an extra layer that they didn't have before.  and the new And it looks like some of their playfulness is back as well.  I honestly wasn't expecting that jazzy piano outro Forhekset.  And it's nice to see them getting more heavily invested in the symphonic sound with Mother North, as well as getting into some proggier territory, especially with their opener, The Dawn of a New Age (could that be any more poetic?)  And for their grand finale, they don't go for some standard dungeon synth track like they did last time, they went for a weird piece of softer blackened rock, tribal drums and some ambient on the side.  I'd have liked to see more of that throughout the album.

Easily their most challenging and brutal, it's easy to see why the world fell in love with this album.  This is basically fire, both in the sense that it's really good and the sense that it burns you up from the inside out.  Unfortunately, this is supposed to be where the great stuff ends for the rest of their career, but if this is to be considered a sendoff to that age, then it's a hell of a good one.

95