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Zaraza is a Canadian band that combines the industrial metal of Godflesh with death-doom. In theory, that would've been acceptable for my taste. Unfortunately, many parts drone on for so long, there's too much f***ing fuzz, and the overuse of samples are too much sh*t to handle. The two tracks I like and don't find disturbing are "Every Day is a Funeral" and "Necessary", the latter having great potential for doom fans. Everything else is just unnecessary sh*t, and that's enough deathly industrial metal for me today....

Favorites (only two tracks I like): "Every Day is a Funeral", "Necessary"

Now this is the death metal I prefer, when its blend has more emphasis on industrial instead of the blackened crust of Deathrite. See, I'm the kind of person who would like to explore at least one thing from different metal genres while I'm still alive and can hear well and even see well. Oh yeah, sight is also important so you know the name of the band and album you're listening to along with the cover art. But you can also close your eyes and focus on the music your ears would witness. The music can range from soothing white noise to thunderous heaviness, the way industrial death metal should.

I think I like Worldly Separation more than their other album Perspectives! Remember, Inner Thought was formed by guitarist Bobby Sadzak, formerly of thrash band Slaughter. At that time, Slaughter went under a name, Strappado. For Inner Thought, Sadzak was in charge of all the instruments, including guitars, keyboards, drum programming, and most of the bass. The only other member was vocalist Kelly Montico. The album was also dedicated to war victims around the world. Worldly Separation has more deathly might than Perspectives while still having that industrial atmosphere. I've mentioned that Perspectives is like a continuation of Fear Factory's Soul of a New Machine. Worldly Separation is like a continuation of Fear Factory's demo album Concrete, more deathly while still industrial, and at times reminding some of Morbid Angel.

The haunting intro "Madness" consists of church organ and prophetic spoken vocals. That may be more suitable for a black metal album or something. The title track reigns supreme with its mid-paced march, soon interrupted by a quick blast-beat/keyboard storm. Female singing by guest Andrea Skewes in "Drowning in Sorrow" alternates with the usual growls by Montico, making things sound more cryptic.

Although there's nothing totally bad about this album, "In Ourselves We Trust" has keys that pop up too quickly. Adding different aspects helps get lyrical messages across in "War", in which war sirens and spoken samples float behind the industrial rhythm. Bobby's wife Susan Sadzak provides a spoken narrative in the perspective of a person who lost her family at war, "My husband and two children have been killed in this war, now I am all alone." The band has done well in detailing the tragic consequences of war in that bleak track. Then there's the straight-up deathly "Diseased Infected Earth" with the only industrial thing being the beat.

"Forever Distant" continues that sound, giving their death metal side more atmosphere. It's slightly annoying but still cool. But if you really want the heaviest this album has to offer, "Disorder of Battles" has it all. The riffing speed goes on and off, and when it goes on, it's WAY on. The serene background keys never reduce the rampage. A different track from the rest is the closing track "Ethnic Cleansing", just drone death-doom until it speeds up a bit, sounding like My Dying Bride's debut from the previous year.

I would say Worldly Separation is a deathly work of art with splashes of industrial that almost cover the canvas. It stands slightly above Perspectives, and throughout these 35 minutes, you can really hear their talent and dedication!

Favorites: "Worldly Separation", "Drowning in Sorrow", "War", "Disorder of Battles"

Sometimes albums just slip by you, don’t they? Whilst I would not class myself as an avid fan of Testament exactly, I do have a few of their albums and made a purchase of Formation of Damnation on vinyl in the last twelve months. Yet somehow Titans of Creation slipped by me unnoticed. I could say “more or less” unnoticed because now I have gone back to my catalogue Excel spreadsheet I can see that I rated this record at three out of five, which could suggest an average album, or (given that I never transferred that rating onto Metal Academy) more likely that it was a holding score until I could find time to give the record a critical listen. News today that a new album is in the offing, in a year that has little in the way of quality releases stacking up in The Pit clan, brought this album from five years ago back onto my radar.

The fact is, Titans of Creation is a great thrash metal record. I would go as far as to say Testament’s best since 2008’s Formation… album that I enjoyed so much I made a physical purchase of it. Following the mediocre Dark Roots of Earth and the flat sounding Brotherhood of the Snake, Titans… is a much more dynamic sounding record. Opening strongly with the racing ‘Children of the Next Level’ I immediately sensed that the band indeed had upped their game to the next level in a literal sense. The guitars and vocals especially sound like they have a burning hunger to them, the lead work is nothing short of exceptional at times which is something that has been missing for too long on Testament records. ‘Dreamer Deceiver’ is brilliant in this regard and it is a toss up between this track and ‘False Prophet’ for which is my standout moment on the record.

Inevitably almost, with twelve tracks in play, there are some blunted moments where the razor-sharp nature of what we have heard overall gets the edge taken off it. After a solid first half of the record, things do get a little patchy thereafter, but they never go into full on filler mode thankfully. Whilst it may not always translate into fluid thrashing music, the energy levels behind it rarely abate and that is so refreshing to hear from a band at this stage of their career. The outro to the record seems particularly pointless in the grand scheme of things but I still find it forgivable if a few less-than-ideal moments slip through due to clear overexuberance on the bands part. If they can carry this enthusiasm through into Para Bellum later this week then I personally be a very happy chappy.

As the Burzum chimes grow heavier on 'Der Spalt zwischen den Welten' ('the gap between worlds') there is a sense that Rauhnåcht's fifth full length has arrived. I am very much a fan of that particular trait from the Filosofem album, so any use of that sound can only be a good thing in my book. For a band/artist that is advertised as pagan black metal, it was a bit of a surprise to hear ambient chimes, yet it fits the track aesthetic perfectly. There are other influences on show as well, such as the illusions of grandeur of Summoning or the earthy fortitude of Drudkh.

Zwischenwelten (‘between worlds’) is music for times of adversity. Acting as a balm with its soothing atmospheres yet also providing strength and hope in the chants and resonating tremolo riffs. As an album it has a succinctness in how it plays for just under forty-minutes, as if the artist is taking brief respite from some daily labour to share tales of mysticism and dark fantasy. As the album artwork alludes to, there is a darkness to the album that dress its contents as a warning, a collection of tales of what exactly it is that lurks in that gap between worlds; without ever stating which worlds are being spoken about.

Although less direct in approach than Drudkh, the timbre of the guitar matches on track such as ‘Naturgewalten’ (‘forces of nature’) as it builds up to full speed. Cleverly applying atmospherics in the vacant space around the instruments is well done. As with the album overall, the pagan/folk elements are obvious but never intrusive and as such Zwischenwelten feels like a more conventional black metal album than at first expected. I think the release is only let down by the fact that it lacks any genuine standout moments though. There is no raging intensity that takes the breath away at any point, nor any passages of true ethereal beauty to reflect upon either. Closing track ‘Alleinsamkeit’ comes close with its choral vocals and melancholic leanings but still comes up short in the long run.

The melodeath stuff on Heimat is not too bad for a band that has been doing it for almost twenty-five years, but the metalcore elements are overly forced and take away whatever momentum those songs may have. I was expecting a bit more of a progressive pivot after the first track "War Is the Father of All", but instead, Heimat just kind of treads its feet along the dirt road and becomes quite predictable. Luckily, Heaven Shall Burn know how to properly mix a bass on this album, so even though the grooving is forgettable, at least it drives. The crustiness in the percussion gives the record some old school death metal appeal, but that's about it. "A Silent Guard" is the only saving grace near the albums conclusion.

Best Songs: A Silent Guard, My Revocation of Compliance, A Whisper from Above

I've been in quite the heavy/power/melodic progressive metal zone lately ever since I fully restored my interest in those genres. But every once in a while, I feel the need to balance things out with something dark, something violent, something brutal. I don't wanna go too bright and I don't wanna go too dark either. I just feel like making sure I have diversity in my metal palate. This may not be the best release at that, but it's worth a try...

Deathrite is a German band that's all about darkness and violence. They've taken a lot of punk and metal sounds and made them more bludgeoning. The end result is a full-on blast of hardcore/blackened death 'n' roll in the face. Delirium is a short yet savage release that can cut more than a razorblade.

The metallic title opener is filled with underground deathly heaviness. "Repulsive Obsession" continues that sound from the depths, with more of a hardcore death 'n' roll sound similar to Entombed's Wolverine Blues. Amidst the rough raw production are the vocals, guitars, and drums cutting through your eardrums. This is only for the experienced who have already gotten used to such a style, and I'm in that category.

"From the Edge to the Abyss" is the first of two dark synth-laden spoken-word interludes. It segues to the haunting "Someone to Bleed". It's the longest track at only nearly 5 minutes. What makes it a highlight is the tempting noise-filled atmospheric black metal sound while still having some guitar aggression.

"Vortex" continues the usual blackened death 'n' roll, although it's a little too scattered for good listening. "Vicious Nights" is another short track, having just pure industrial there. We get to a solid ending for the EP with "Sepulchral Rapture" having the last of the deathly chaos. Once it's all over, you would feel all refreshed and ready for more of those band. At least the more deathly metalheads and punk rockers would be...

Delirium is a decent EP of hardcore/blackened death 'n' roll. But with that said, I feel like there should've been more cohesion and variation. I would recommend this EP for punk/metal fans wanting some apocalyptic fury....

Favorites: "Repulsive Obsession", "Someone to Bleed", "Sepulchral Rapture"

It has take me a while to catch onto LoM. This one-man black metal project sees high praise regardless of where I look and last night, whilst revelling in the glorious fury of Storm Amy to remind us all of our place on this planet, I watched a couple of USBM documentaries with this guy being called out on both. Whilst I have high hopes for the new album, based on the single that is out currently at least, I have found this debut to be inferior to Saturnian Bloodstorm from 2023, yet not without its merits.

I like how the majority of the similarities come from other contemporary bm acts as opposed to just endless second wave worship (Immortal and Mayhem aside - those yodellingvocal moments are pure Attila, "De Mysteriis..." worshp to my ears). This makes for an interesting album that sounds modern whilst still firmly nodding to the old ways. It has an enduring, ever-forging direction to it. The atmospherics seem to grow as the album presses on, culminating with the Dead Can Dance cover at the end of the record.

Embracing rawness alongside melodicism to much success, Heir of Eclipital Romance is a strong debut album that sets out the stall of LoM well enough I feel. It is a tad too long in hindsight, which could be put down to over-exuberance on the artists part. Credit where it is due though, I enjoy the record enough as the start of my (chronological) LoM journey.

Arkhaaik are a Zurich-based three-piece who, as their name, a stylised version of "archaic" suggests, are interested in exploring pre-history, in particular the culture and practices of Bronze Age Europe. Their debut album, 2019's "*dʰg̑ʰm̥tós", was an exploration of the religion and deities of this culture, with the somewhat questionable claim to being sung in the long dead Indo-European language of the time. This 2025 follow-up takes as its theme The Hunt in both a literal and an analagous religious context.

Musically, this takes the form of blackened, old-school, cavernous death metal with death-doom tendencies, which often utilises pounding rhythms and horn-like effects to give the album a paganistic and sometimes ritualistic vibe. The tracks are fairly lengthy affairs, with the almost fifty minutes of "Uihtis" containg only four, varying from ten to fifteen minutes in duration. This affords the band plenty of leisure to build the atmospheres and vibe of arcane hunting ritual that they are striving for. Whilst metal is rightly most often judged on the quality of its riffs, and the album contains some very nice death metal riffs to be sure, I think the strength of "Uihtis" lies in its percussion and the tribalistic patterns and atmospherics that it conjures up. To this end I think drummer Vâlant deserves huge praise as his work is crucial to the album's success. The vocals also contribute massively with the bellowing roars and growls being supplemented by the whoops and howls of the (presumably successful) hunters alongside some nice native-like chants.

Despite all this aesthetical window-dressing and conceptual exposition, I guess what most metalheads want to know is, "Does it fucking slay"? I would reply with a resounding, "Oh yes, you fucking bet". I don't think it leans as heavily into the death doom side of the equation as the debut did, this being more in the vein of blackened Autopsy-style OSDM than true death doom, but with some pretty fucking brutal blasting sections and those hulking, tribalistic throbs this could indeed slay a woolly mammoth by sheer bludgeoning weight alone.

In conclusion I would say that if you are someone who loves old-school, cavernous death metal and would like to hear it used in a slightly different context then this is definitely a release you should wrap your ears around.

Derby's Abduction are one of those black metal bands who seemingly beaver away with no fanfare or support from the music industry at large, making me wonder how they keep at it. It isn't like the UK has exactly ever been overflowing with good black metal acts now is it? Anyway, Abduction is the brainchild of guitarist and vocalist Phil Illsley, aka A|V, with guest musicians providing drums, bass and additional guitars. I was well behind the band around the time of the 2018 album, "A Crown of Curses" which I have on cassette from the now defunct Death Kvlt Productions label, but I have lost touch with their progress over the last few years.

So here we are in 2025 and album number five. This is a well-produced and written slab of vicious and savage-sounding black metal that makes no pretence to the folky or celtic atmospherics which are often a staple of UK black metal, but which goes for the jugular in full-on attack mode. That doesn't mean the thin and tremolo-heavy sound of true raw black metal, the production is too thick and muscular for that, but it takes a more bludgeoning approach, in the vein of death metal. Even though this is still unambiguously black metal with pummelling blast beats and tremolo riffing, there is a fullness of sound that puts more meat on the genre's usually skeletal bones. The band sound very tight and the playing is excellent throughout.

A|V has an excellent vocal delivery with a howling savagery and angst-ridden desperation borne of emotional frustration that screams in the face of an uncaring universe. His lyrics are poetic and dense and I haven't had much time to sit down with them so far, but I am sure they are much deeper in meaning than I have as yet been able to ascertain. The killer riffs are powerful and are driven by a phenomenal powerhouse of a rhythm section as drummer Ed Gorrod and bassist Gavin Archer blast a path with the force of a high explosive drone strike. The tracks all flow nicely with decent variation of pacing, despite the overarching aggressive feel of the album. and the songwriting seems of as high a standard as the musicianship.

All told, this is a very good slab of UKBM and with, in my opinion, the recent decline of previous UK heavyweights such as Winterfylleth and Saor there is no reason why Abduction should not sweep in and claim the mantle of the premier UK black metal act.

When I was revisiting the music of Fates Warning, I've realized that I enjoy the earlier heavy/progressive metal era of their first 3 albums more than their subsequent melodic progressive metal era. John Arch is one of the best vocalists of the genre. He may sound annoying at first but then you realize how amazing he is with his unique voice. The vocals aren't the only great thing about this album though.

The Spectre Within is a true progressive/US power metal gem! It even has a slight edge over their next album Awaken the Guardian that other fans prefer. Their second album with they really start to add progressiveness to their US power metal sound. My first full experience with this band's material was 5 years ago. I was more focused on heavier modern metal than the more melodic old-school metal of yore. I enjoyed the music a lot but eventually got tired of it, especially the vocals. Some things need some time away from me to restore the glory, and when I came back just a few days before this review, I can hear it again as the masterpiece I first thought it was. So worth the wait!

The progressive changes begin to shine in the 7-minute opening track "Traveler in Time", one of the best tracks here and the perfect way to start. Then we have the more mid-paced while still sometimes upbeat track, "Orphan Gypsy". One track that has really gotten me excited is "Without a Trace". It sounds like a song Iron Maiden could've written, only made better and more progressive.

"Pirates of the Underground" is another long track, and it levels up the progressiveness with the structure not having a set chorus. "The Apparition" still remains as my favorite track of the album on the US power metal side, with the best vocals from Arch.

There's more of that heavy speed in "Kyrie Eleison" while having some doomy sections. The perfect grand finale is the 12-minute epic "Epitaph". It's Fates Warning's first ever 10+ minute epic that would hint at the ones they would make in later albums. It starts off all atmospheric and doomy, almost like what Katatonia would make a decade later. Then it impresses me with everything from the guitars, bass, drums, and of course, the vocals, all heard loud and clear. Absolutely memorable!

This has to be said: The Spectre Within may just be the true start to the progressive metal genre. Every metalhead should get that offering and listen to this incredible talent, especially from the vocals. It's honestly quite underrated compared to the popular Dream Theater. All praise Fates Warning!

Favorites: "Traveler in Time", "Without a Trace", "The Apparition", "Epitaph"

In 2010, Amorphis decided that they were ready for a live DVD, and there was no better time than on their 20th anniversary. It's a monstrous packed release that should appeal to many fans of the band. Originally a two-disc DVD, it was re-released with an additional two-CD version not released separately until 2017. The DVD is a f***ing impressive journey through a lot of the music the band had made so far. I don't even have to be picky about what I like, I love pretty much all of it in this form!

The main course of this entire meal is a one-and-a-half-long concert at Oulu, Finland in November 2009. While it's good to appreciate the visuals, the meat is in the music. And after the intro, it is time to start the show...

The beautiful blazing "Silver Bride" begins the set, although it is actually the second track of the band's latest album at the time, Skyforger. The album's actual opening track, "Sampo" comes next, filled with enchanting melody. Then "Towards and Against" has nice keyboard atmosphere without any of that Children of Bodom-esque soloing. "The Castaway" is a more unique earlier song with an Egyptian folk vibe.

I think the best tracks here are the medleys, the first of which being "Smithereens / The Smoke". They only play the outro of "Smithereens", but then it leads straight into "The Smoke" which truly represents the Tomi Joutsen era. Both of his cleans and growls really shine alongside the guitar melodies. He really alternates between both styles in the chorus, coming out so wonderful. I love the solo that then leads to a soft break before the climax. That climax being a final passionate chorus that would make you up to giving that anthem another spin. "Majestic Beast" is heavier and throws back to their earlier deathly roots despite being from their at the time new album. The more melancholic "Alone" is pretty much the only song from Am Universum they perform live these days, which is a shame because there are a few other solid songs from that album. Then we have a serene progressive highlight in "Silent Waters".

"Divinity" is the one track from Tuonela that marks a live staple, and the addictive chorus makes it the right choice. Then comes the second medley, the "Elegy Medley". It's perhaps the centerpiece of the entire show and DVD, throwing back to an amazing album with all its diversity, as proven in the "Against Widows" part. It transitions to the second part based on "Cares" which includes some synth experimentation that may seem odd out of context, but when heard with the rest of the medley, it's yet another beautiful thing. The 3rd part, "On Rich and Poor", has cool melodies and occasional key changes, before ending the medley with an epic reprise of the first part. "From the Heaven of my Heart" has nice clean emotion. "Sky is Mine" is another serene track, in which the music and lyrics greatly resonate.

And here's one more medley, "Magic and Mayhem / Black Winter Day". It starts with the enchanting keys and heavy riffing of "Magic and Mayhem" that are then displayed the best in "Black Winter Day", as the heaviness lightens up a bit. "Sign from the North Side" is more mid-paced and the riffing doesn't hook you enough, but it still has a great sense of deathly action. "House of Sleep" has more of a classic heavy metal direction in the rhythm and keys. They really took some old-school metal aspects and blended them with the metal we know today. Then it all ends with the grand finale "My Kantele". The sorrowful lyrics really detail the emotional magic from the Finnish instrument in question ("Its strings gathered from torments, and its pegs from other ills. Truly they lie, they talk utter nonsense... So it will not play, will not rejoice at all. Music will not play to please.") The vocals work well with the guitars and keyboards. The track is basically extended into an epic as the heavy version is combined with the acoustic reprise for a memorable climax of harmonic leads. Beautiful!

Now the second DVD consists of a different shorter show also from 2009, as well as all the band's music videos so far, a couple more separate live tracks, an interview, and a documentary. All I'm going to cover here are the two tracks that weren't in the first disc. The second show, at Summer Breeze Open Air, starts with "Leaves Scar". I just can't put to words how melodic and beautiful it is. Tomi's growls were pack a punch, while the clean chorus is sung with the might of a warrior. Both vocal styles work so greatly together. "Evil Inside" is a highlight from Far From the Sun. I just wish they would've performed that song in one of those shows instead of just adding in its music video.

So yeah, Forging the Land of Thousand Lakes is the ultimate live album for 90s/2000s Amorphis fans. The songs' live forms may just be the best yet. Even though it is a live DVD, it's a fantastic start for any new Amorphis fans, a best representation of their first 9 albums. It is also perfect for longtime fans for the band's most glorious journey of songs. Let's hope for another milestone-celebrating live DVD in 2030, 5 years after the review. In the meantime, let this one bless the heaven of your heart!

Favorites (one track per album, plus the two highlights in disc 2): "Sampo", "Smithereens / The Smoke", "Alone", "Silent Waters", "Divinity", "Elegy Medley", "Magic and Mayhem / Black Winter Day", "Sign from the North Side", "Leaves Scar", "Evil Inside"

You know what, I don't think we have to wait until 2030 for another perfect live album to follow up from Forging the Land of Thousand Lakes. We already have it in 2017's An Evening with Friends at Huvila! It's a shorter live show while still including some of their greatest tracks throughout the two decades prior. If we put all the live tracks from this live album and the other one together, the only album at the time without a song performed live is The Beginning of Times. I should review that album again sometime.

The show took place in the Helsinki Summer Festival the previous year. Guests include jouhikko player Pekko Käppi, flute/saxophone player Sakari Kukko, and a special vocal appearance by Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering). The band really let those non-metal instruments shine in the songs, making them calmer while more diverse.

We already hear these more acoustic tendencies in "Enigma", replacing a lot of the heaviness while still sounding beautiful. "Far from the Sun" is an epic yet relazing highlight with a poetic chorus, "I walk away now from you, and your sun, it goes down from you, as I walk, away now from you, far, from your sun." Then we have another serene progressive highlight in "Silent Waters".

Up next is the grand "My Kantele". The sorrowful lyrics really detail the emotional magic from the Finnish instrument in question ("Its strings gathered from torments, and its pegs from other ills. Truly they lie, they talk utter nonsense... So it will not play, will not rejoice at all. Music will not play to please.") The vocals work well with the guitars and keyboards. The beautiful blazing "Silver Bride" begins the heavier part of set, although it is actually the second track of Skyforger. That album's actual opening track, "Sampo" comes next, filled with enchanting melody.

The more melancholic "Alone" is pretty much the only song from Am Universum they perform live these days, which is a shame because there are a few other solid songs from that album. There's more accessible speed in "The Wanderer", which is one of the best singles from their new era. "Her Alone" ends the set as the most progressive standout here, with the gorgeous singing of the aforementioned Anneke van Giersbergen.

You can either get this glorious live CD on its own or as part of the tour edition of Under the Red Cloud. Apparently, there was an entire performance of that album later that night that didn't make it in. Still this solidifies Amorphis as one of the best live bands. Acoustic folk never sounded this majestic when added to melodic progressive metal!

Favorites (one track per album): "Far From the Sun", "My Kantele", "Sampo", "Alone", "The Wanderer", "Her Alone"

After that massive live DVD and that re-recording album comes their 10th offering, The Beginning of Times, continuing the Tomi Joutsen era. Ever since he joined the band for their 2006 album Eclipse, the lineup has stayed steady with one lineup change later on. While The Beginning of Times isn't as much of a classic as their first 4 albums, they just go with their stylistic evolution, all for some authentic diversity...

The album is longer than their other albums, having 12 tracks instead of the usual 10. It might take some time to digest, but in the end, it will really grow on you. I think now that I've just given the album more actual time to grow, I can really get most of the complexity I've once experienced.

Starting this album is the f***ing kick-A "Battle for Light", one of my favorites from the Tomi Joutsen era. It's the best track to introduce to Amorphis newcomers. A peaceful piano intro paves the way for the rest of the instruments to shine. What makes the song a standout is Joutsen's vocals ranging from cleans to growls, best heard is the mighty chorus. It throws back to Elegy in both the music and the lyrics continuing the Kalevala theme, "The sun no longer shines on us, no silver moon reflects." I honestly think "Mermaid" should've been a single because it's so beauiful with the right amount of catchy accessible melody. One song that continues the melody they've had since Eclipse while having growled verses is "My Enemy". After that is "You I Need", which has a great chorus but everything else is just OK.

Revisiting Elegy's sound further is "Song of the Sage". Even a ballad-ish track like "Three Words" can have heavy variation including more of those harsh vocals. Some choral vocals appear in the background of "Reformation". Then "Soothsayer" has some of my favorite lyrics based on Finnish mythology.

"On a Stranded Shore" tells the story of a man and his wife who's a mermaid, "My maiden's hair, grass on the waters’ edge, now willows on the shore." Throwing back to some of the riffing from Eclipse is "Escape". Then "Crack in a Stone" is more dominant in the growls. The grand title epic has some of the best lyrical imagery. You should definitely get the version of the album with the bonus track, "Heart's Song", which sounds like a Tuonela B-side. It's so memorable in the riffing, soloing, chorus, and lyrics.

So yeah, Amorphis can still go strong at the time of their career when they were 20 years in. And they would continue to sound fresh in more of the releases that would follow. The Beginning of Times is an underrated album for both new and longtime Amorphis fans, and nothing shall disappoint....

Favorites: "Battle for Light", "Mermaid", "Three Words", "Soothsayer", "Crack in a Stone", "Beginning of Time", "Heart's Song"

Apocalypse Orchestra are a five-piece from Gävle in Sweden and they have a penchant for doom metal heavily coloured by european folk music. They seamlessly integrate medieval folk instruments such as hurdy-gurdy, mandola, cittern and pipes with the modern electrified instruments of doom metal in a way that feels perfectly natural and unforced. The slow, plodding riffs of doom metal are used as a foundation upon which the band interprete medieval folk melodies for a modern metal-loving audience.

I do love folk music, but I am often disappointed by its unsubtle use when utilised as a trope in metal, with a lot of folk metal sounding trite and just downright cheesy. I never felt that way once though whilst listening to "A Plague Upon Thee" because it is just so tastefully done, with an apparently equal reverence for both folk and metal. You would be forgiven for suspecting AO of playing a doom metal version of viking metal, given their swedish origins, but there is a distinct lack of the whiff of longship and battleaxe within "A Plague Upon Thee", with it often being more celtic-sounding à la Saor than the Norse influences of a Bathory or Wardruna. The doom metal side of the equation is quite functional and, in truth, it doesn't vary hugely from track to track, with most of the eight tracks following the same tempo. It is perfectly well executed, but is utilised more as a foundation or rhythm section if you like, providing the staging upon which the folk melodies and instruments perform their magic.

The lyrical themes revolve around the harshness of medieval life, plague and the ever-pervasive presence and domination of religion over the lives of the peasantry. The lyrics are beautifully delivered by voclist Erik Larsson who has a great line in clean vocals, supported by almost symphonic backing vocals provided by the rest of the band. Despite the inate heaviness and mournfulness of doom metal and the generally bleak tone of the lyrics, the music still often feels almost hopeful, as if, despite the harshness of life, there is still a ray of light or shred of comfort to be gleaned amidst all the darkness and hardship.

I really enjoyed "A Plague Upon Thee" and found its folk-centric take on doom metal to be a refreshing twist on what can often be a conservative and predictable genre. That it also avoids the trap of cringy cheesiness that plagues so much folk metal is testament to the band's skillful songwriting and reverence for their sources of inspiration. If you are looking for a different take on doom metal then I would heartily recommend this.

They are back again. Halifax’s finest are here with album number seventeen. Again, I am stood scratching my head wondering why I have neglected to listen to probably fourteen of those records from that back catalogue, having made a vow to dip back further into the discography after being interested enough in 2020’s Obsidian to write a review on here for it. Like Obsidian, it is the riffs and leads on Ascension that steal the limelight for me. Aedy and Mackintosh’s resilience on guitar to keep their instruments at the center of proceedings keeps me interested in most of the record as I find my attention on Holmes’ vocals waning every now and again (just like on Obsidian).

Tracks like ‘Diluvium’ are unfortunate examples of where the credibility of the song writing gets called into question. Vocals sound like they are striving rather than driving here on this track and it is Mackintosh’s antics on the fretboard that save the track for me. This consistency to the potency of the riffs is what keeps me away from the skip button on more than one occasion on Ascension. As the album goes on, and it is another long-arsed Paradise Lost album we must contend with, the filler starts to get increasingly obvious though. The bite to proceedings never quite blunts altogether but I find the vocals sound increasingly sterile and flat.

This is a shame, not in the least because I do think PL are genuinely trying to be entertaining. As it turns out though, they do end up building more of a sense of running through the motions and at this stage I am not sure if I have another PL record in me. Seven or eight tracks maximum would suffice I feel, as although I can resist the skip button, I am still checking that track listing to see how long there is left. With Guido Montanarini now stepping away from drumming duties (leaving the seat for the returning Jeff Singer) PL are losing a solid drummer based on what is on show here. Maybe a (re)refresh of the line-up could help reinvigorate things enough to see us avoid repeating what has plagued the last two albums. Complacency is culpable for Ascension’s downfall sadly and something will need to change to see me increasing my scores on any future release.

Forming in Ventura, California in 2004, Warbringer are a five-piece thrash band centred around vocalist John Kevill and guitarist Adam Carroll alongside a revolving door of drummers, bassists and second guitarists. However, they have managed to maintain a stable lineup since 2018, so "Wrath and Ruin" features the same five as previous album, 2020's "Weapons of Tomorrow". Now this may not necessarily be a good thing because I wasn't that impressed by "Weapons of Tomorrow". It was a bit too Exodus / Testament for my preference. Now there is nothing particularly wrong with either of those bands, but I like thrash that has a bit more bite, hence my love of recent chilean thrash alongside old favourites like Slayer and Kreator.

So here comes the good news, because it sounds like Warbringer have been bingeing Kreator albums in the last five years and that has given them a harder edge than previously, making me much more amenable to "Wrath and Ruin" than I may have been otherwise. A big contributor to this is that John Kevill sounds to be taking his vocal cues from Mille Petrozza this time around, with a ragged and howling bark that sounds significantly more aggressive than he has previously. The production has been a big help and its clarity has lent the riffs a more jagged, savage feel. The emphasis in the songwriting seems to have moved away from hooky melodicism towards upping the ante on aggressive riff writing and just letting rip. This doesn't manifest as an all out blitz, though, with the pacing of the tracks varying throughout from ripping high velocity salvos like "Strike From the Sky" and "The Jackhammer", through medium-paced chuggers like opener "The Sword and the Cross" and "Neuromancer" to the markedly slower menace and portentiousness of "Through a Glass, Darkly", which is possibly my favourite. The two guitarists, Carroll and Chase Becker, unleash some impressive solos, complementing each other really nicely with high-velocity stringwork that brings to mind some of Dave Mustaine's better work. The rhythm section is also damned impressive with drummer Carlos Cruz laying waste to whole city blocks with his relentlessly busy battery, ably supported by Chase Bryant's throbbing bass lines.

All in all, in 2025, Warbringer have managed to turn in a thrash album worth listening to that isn't from South America and once more giving the US a seat at the thrash metal table. I have to admit that I didn't think these Californians had an album this good in them, which just goes to show, never count anyone out and definitely not thrash metal which, despite its limitations, can still turn up diamonds occasionally.

Yet another new addition to the symphonic deathcore scene, Immortal Disfigurement is a band formed by ex-vocalist of Signs of the Swarm and Lorna Shore, CJ McCreery. And this is more than just a band, but pretty much an epic deathcore supergroup! Members of Lorna Shore, A Wake in Providence, Winds of Plague, and Worm Shepherd have gotten together to make this project. While not a lot of people enjoy this, I certainly do, with more of 96% percentage rating. Their debut King can very much be a sequel to CJ's sole album with Lorna Shore, Immortal, and it's not just the fact that the band's name comes that album title and Signs of the Swarm's The Disfigurement of Existence. The similar aspects can be found in the music, such as the symphonics being used whenever necessary, like in the intros, choruses, and climaxes. The lyrics are filled with the dark rage you would expect from CJ's writing, maybe even more so! As for the guitarwork, it is the kind of guitarwork that should attract both deathcore fans and full-on metalheads, with technical riffs and solos. Also, I'm not kidding about the dark rage from CJ. His vocals sound absolutely devastating, especially his growling in the more slamming breakdowns. People may think this man is a monster is an insulting way, but I say he's monstrous in terms of the vocals.

Yeah, I need to address the few elephants in the room: 1. Yes, this is similar to Lorna Shore's Immortal, but it's not a rip-off. He co-wrote that album, and there are several other epic deathcore bands that sound the same but are still enjoyable. 2. This is another case of me separating the art from artist, as I still find a lot for me to like about this band and album, despite CJ's abuse allegations that got him booted from Lorna Shore. Kinda like how I still love As I Lay Dying and Worm Shepherd's new albums despite certain circumstances. 3. I'm going to give the production a benefit of a doubt. The band has released King independently, and not every band sounds the best in their debut or demo. The low-quality-ish debut albums by Shadow of Intent and Mechina are not something people would sh*t on because those bands were new. So why is this a big deal? Well, compare it to the crystalline sound of their non-album single "Dragged Through the Inferno". In this album, the breakdowns and heavier sections sound muddy and unclear. For me, this is why a few percentage points are knocked off from perfection. A remastering should be done at some point, though it's already awesome despite that.

The opening title track has that blend of heaviness and melody I love, including cinematic symphonics. The breakdowns have some of the sickest growls by CJ, maybe any other deathcore vocalist. I think that's proof that they're not a Lorna Shore rip-off. "Force-Fed" has more brutal lyrics, with scathing callouts not too far off from Winds of Plague, "If you think you're safe, you're f***ing wrong!" The breakdown that has that lyric is brutal as f*** and fits with CJ's "take no sh*t from enemies" attitude. "Crimson Vision" really shows the band's Worm Shepherd tendencies.

Next track "Showcase ov Phlegm" really stands out, as the symphonics stay audible yet behind the heavy energy. The breakdowns may be brief but really come out big. The guitar riffing and soloing absolutely rule, and we have a perfect mind-f***ing breakdown. That may be the best highlight here! Striking more with the strings is "Sacrificial Submission" without ever sounding generic. "Home Out of Hell" is another epic yet brutal track, not too far off from both Winds of Plague and early Bleed from Within.

"Painless Execution" combines the deathcore of early Job for a Cowboy with some guitar/keyboard melody borrowed from 3 Inches of Blood and Mercenary. "Into the Fog (Isolation)" has continues the dark heaviness and symphonics of Carnifex and Bleeding Through. "There is No Light" has more of those symphonic keys from Bleeding Through, bleeding into the deathcore of All Shall Perish, Impending Doom, and to a lesser extent, Burnt by the Sun. The final track has the same title as the finale of Lorna Shore's new album, "Forevermore". I prefer Lorna Shore's song though. While Immortal Disfigurement's song is a great way out, I seem to struggle with the ending breakdown that starts with CJ shouting, "Immortal Disfigurement, don't you f***ing forget it, motherf***er!" That section would've been better as a hidden track.

I have nothing to complain about here except for the production and the very end that cost 4 percentage points away from perfection. The uniqueness of this album is overlooked by how similar some things sound. Lorna Shore may have all the fame in symphonic deathcore, but Immortal Disfigurement have grand potential for what's next!

Favorites: "King", "Showcase ov Phlegm", "Home Out of Hell", "Painless Execution", "There is No Light"

Another new band has joined the epic blackened deathcore league, Ov Sulfur with their debut The Burden of Faith. Unlike their peers such as Shadow of Intent and Lorna Shore, they cranked up the black metal-ish evil irreligious lyrics which I'm not really fond of in other bands, but here, I still love it!

I must point out how strong vocalist Ricky Hoover is. He's quite experienced from his former band Suffokate before he left that band and became a barber until COVID. He's got great vocal variation in his high screams and low growls, and even some cleans in the choruses that sound natural and never too cheesy. I also enjoy the guest vocalists in their respective songs, and I look forward to talking about them all here.

For the opening track, "Stained in Rot", it's filled with blackened slam-deathcore that occasional cools down for melodic moments. However, it seems quite rushed for an album's beginning track. Still it's enjoyable, and the album's perfection isn't affected. The strong "Befouler" is more interesting, charging with its riffs and symphonics. The crushing growls by Alex Terrible of Slaughter to Prevail are actually quite good and brutal. "Unraveling" is more mid-paced, sounding similar to The Breathing Process. Some chaotic vocals can be heard from Left to Suffer vocalist Taylor Barber (not a barber like Ricky Hoover was).

"Death ov Circumstance" is more technical, almost coming into Born of Osiris territory. "Earthen" has more ominous symphonics that sound so beautiful and melancholic. Hoover wrote that song in memory of his nephew who passed away from cancer when he was only 16. Within the darkness, there's some hope in "A Path to Salvation?", the album's midway interlude. Then you fall back into the depths as "I, Apostate" begins. Now this may have a bit of cheese, particularly in the chant of "We are darkness, the forsaken". Well I'm quite used to it considering how much I enjoy "In Darkness" and "Unbreakable" from the new Lorna Shore album, although those tracks work out better. Still the symphonics and heavy breakdown adds to the more serious side.

"Wide Open" is another epic highlight. Still having the epic deathcore of early Betraying the Martyrs, it touches in on the metalcore of While She Sleeps, Burst, and The Ghost Inside, especially in the melodic chorus sung by Howard Jones (Light the Torch, ex-Killswitch Engage). "The Inglorious Archetype" is indeed like a more brutal Becoming the Archetype. The grand title finale is incredible in the guitarwork, as well as guest vocals by Bodysnatcher's Kyle Medina and ex-Cradle of Filth member Lindsay Schoolcraft.

I feel there's one track that could've had slight improvement, but that doesn't stop Ov Sulfur's debut from becoming another glorious experience. My love of epic blackened deathcore has made me enjoy albums like this a lot more than I would have when I was younger. Another true standout in this growing trend!

Favorites: "Befouler", "Unraveling", "Earthen", "Wide Open", "The Burden of Faith"

I've been a big fan of Apostle of Solitude for some years now, but I must admit to being a bit disappointed with previous release From Gold to Ash as I thought it sounded a bit flat. Happily, Until the Darkness Goes sees the band get back into form with some tremendous, thunderous doom metal, particularly during the opening half of the album with the first three tracks being some of their best work since Sincerest Misery. The guitar sound has that requisite solid "crunch" to it that the best doom metal possesses, the riffs are fairly memorable, often possessing enough power to topple small buildings (When the Darkness Comes, Relive the Day), and the tracks have plenty of melodic hooks. Chuck Brown's vocals are adequate, but I really think a top-knotch vocalist would elevate Apostle of Solitude into the upper echelons of the doom metal universe. Still, that minor criticism aside, this is an album that puts the Indianapolis doomsters back on track and is well worth the time of anyone into conventional doom metal such as Pallbearer, Lord Vicar and Reverend Bizarre.

Prepared for a fun album rather than a great one, I think I ended up getting both.  This has plenty of thrashing, but above anything else, it's multiple kinds of fun, the spirited kind that defines the album like a Zappa one, rather than the general kind that tries to justify the existence of an otherwise undercooked movie, like Kung Pow.  Now one thing that disappointed me about Agent Orange was the glaring inferiority of the band's attempts at straightforward heavy metal in comparison to their thrash works.  But here on Better Off Dead, songs like their cover of Thin Lizzy's Cold Sweat prove that they finally got a grip on this.  They're making fun, catchy songs of various kinds, leaving room for some raw thrash material such as Shellfire Defense and Bloodtrails.  Thing is, in place of the occasional blackened influence of previous efforts, they included some more obvious attempts at melody, and this helps differentiate the album from previous efforts while still managing the Sodom spirit.  I mean, hell, Shellfire Defense is Agent Orange material, and if you're a classic fan then you'll definitely get a big kick out of the title track.  I even went back and listened to Shellfish again.  Might be my favorite Sodom track up to this point; it left me wide-eyed, something that even the best Sodom albums haven't achieved yet.  It also takes time to be a little weird more often than not.  Gotta say I'm kinda lovin' that two-part intro to Bloodtrails.  Though I WOULD say Healing Wounds is basically speed metal filler.

Bro, treading some reviews in an effort to grasp an inkling of why this album gets any kind of slack, I found that Sodom fans consider this a disjointed work in comparison to the classics.  And to that, I say, "Check out Thembi and call me in the morning."  If you ask me, this whole albums feels the way I've been asking it to feel, a largely consistent vibe that shows the band trying to expand.  I came into this expecting anything from 60-80 / 100, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm in the rare came again, the Prometheus / Tauhid / Fulfillingness' First Finale / no better EDM than FSoL camp: this is better than Agent Orange.  They're doing what they can to put out another real Sodom album while trying to expand their horizons, and they largely succeed.  This album has tricks up its sleeve that I wished Agent Orange would even simply try to attempt.

At the time of writing this, I've given this album its highest rating on Metal Academy: 92/100 = 4.5 stars.

My reach into the underworld of raw black metal stretches further than ever before in 2025. Tornekrans from Norway are proof of this with their rampant charge of black metal that whirrs violently at the listener across ten tracks that rarely let up for breath. I stumbled my way to this one-man project after discovering Khaos Aura earlier this year and being the naturally inquisitive type that I am, my research soon directed me to other projects band members are involved with. Torkus, who does everything in Tornekrans, unleashes his debut full length following his demo from last year. Clearly worshipping at the altar of 90s second wave, he crashes and bashes his way through the album with the fury of Gorgoroth on crack.

This is a record steeped in the stench of that dank scene. Attacking each track with a seemingly inexhaustible level of enthusiasm, Torkus leaves me in no doubt of his intentions on Silent Whispers Echo from Forbidden Realms. There are no whispers or silence for that matter on the record, just echoes from forbidden realms. They come in waves, constantly. Like a hideous undead army of evil spirits, they just keep coming. Attack after attack makes for an unrelenting experience. Zombified warriors, drunk on their hatred and vitriol for the living just hack and slash away at all in their path. A record that is not for the faint of heart, Silent Whispers Echo from Forbidden Realms is a furious expulsion of black metal played against a pagan/folky backdrop.

The croaking harshness of the vocals slices through the wall of tremolos and percussive chaos, and they do elevate what are otherwise simple song structures. Nobody is coming to raw black metal for its complexity of arrangement and so this format works well enough. Whilst I am sure some will find this too frantic an experience, I cannot help but admire the approach. Unwavering and perhaps unnerving it may well be, but at the same time it stays true to the aesthetic it sits in. The folk instrumental that opens the album is the only respite you get folks, it is hell for leather from track two onwards.

Having got through the EP's and albums before this one, including their first live album, I'm happy I'm finally checking this out.  Their second album and second extended play showed a major upgrade in musical quality, both on a songwriting and heaviness factor, so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect except for a good time.  The titular opener showcases a new ability to go from careful melodies to proper thrashing instantly while keeping the essence strong.  Some may miss the fuzz factor that defined their blacker albums, but the clearer production gives them a chance to really show off their thrashing abilities, especially in regards to their guitarists.  We also get some more excellent drumming from the always wonderful drummer, Chris Witchhunter, who's consistently been my favorite member.  Hell, even Tired and Red is able to showcase just how far they're willing to take thrash by going from the blackened riffs to a softer ballad solo to some easier, chiller thrashing akin to Jump in the Fire.  This is the most any Sodom song had done so far.  If you're a fan of the really early Sodom stuff, then you might get a huge kick out of Incest (I want you to pay very close attention to the capital I).  Its first half is entirely made up of the extra-strength muscle rub that slathered the earlier blackened stuff, heavier than anything on Agent Orange thus far.  The second half is slower and a little more "epic" in that vein, before ending with a return to the first verse's form, as expected.  This first side ends with Remember the Fallen, which starts as more of a heavy metal song than thrash.  I'll be honest, they obviously didn't learn how to make a great heavy metal track yet.  It was alright, palatable, but had nothing really amazing about it.  At least they gave heavy metal a shot.

Side B kicks off with Magic Dragon (no relation to Gloryhammer or Puff).  The heavy metal intro and first verse carry on the heavy metal sound of the last track with a slight improvement in quality, but it only made me want the thrash to come back because there's a difference between "pretty good" and "great."  Thankfully, the second act kicked off just like that.  Nothing new but it had much more personality and ability.  But I certainly don't want the album RELYING on the thrash.  I'm an "expand your horizons" guy, so I was a bit disappointed that Exhibition Bout started out the same thrashy way we've been getting for the previous few releases.  Thankully the song took a softer thrash route after the first minute, and it really wasn't that bad.  It was catchy and operable, but it only lasted for the middle section.  The saving grace upon returning to typical form was one of their best solos overtaking the third act, a grand one that makes this one of the best songs on the album.  Track 7, Ausgebombt, is practically a crossover thrash song that retools the Sodom sound, and adds a little something to the album that honestly should've been done ages ago (Slayer were doing it pretty often), so it's nice to hear that.  And finally, yet another grand thrash, Baptism of Fire, shoves the black metal influence and the Teutonic majesty in your face as it should.

So this wasn't the most diversified album, as expected being a Sodom album, but it was another upgrade in quality, albiet a small one from their sophomore release.  This is one of the harder thrashers in the Teutonic scene based on what I've heard so far, and I can get behind it being a thrash classic.  Still, give me Metallica any day.

90

My knowledge of these Illinois alternative metallers is solely restricted to their 2021 album "Niratias", an album that I quite enjoyed at the time, even if it was not the sort of fare I normally tuck into. So here we are again and they are back with a new album, their tenth in just over 25 years and I have to say I really enjoyed it. With loads of nu-metally bounce and some wicked melodies, despite some of the lyrical themes, I found this to be a fairly upbeat and uplifting experience. The brothers sound exceedingly tight and well-drilled as befits a band well into their third decade of existence. I must confess I never really look forward to the Gateway features very much as I find an awful lot of them to be a bit bland, but the melodic sensibilities and hook-laden quality of the songwriting on "Bright as Blasphemy", coupled with the guys' evident technical competence and a production job that is almost perfectly suited to the material made this a bit of a minor revelation for me. The first three tracks and especially the two-parter "Cowards", are a great beginning to the album and whilst the rest doesn't quite hit as hard as these, as a whole this sounds as good as anything I have heard from the Gateway over the last few years.

Dust off those hand-painted lead figures, dig out the D20s and fill your personalised, engraved pewter tankard with foaming ale, because Blazon Rites are here with their Battleaxe of +4 Damage to deal righteous retribution to the evildoers and ne'er-do-wells that plague the lives of mere simple folk. Yes, Blazon Rites leave no uncertainty as to their love of fantasy with both their cover art and their, frankly, exceedingly cheesy lyrics. But, you know what, as a one-time table-top role player myself, back in my youth, I thoroughly enjoyed this romp through the wilds and taverns of fantasy stereotype.

Musically and, to a degree, aesthetically, they remind me somewhat of Solstice, or, to be more accurate, Rich Walker's short-lived side project, Isen Torr, whose Mighty & Superior EP may have been a touchstone for BR. Vocalist Johnny Halladay very much reminds me of Sami Hynninen, to the point where I had to check that they weren't yet another project of the Reverend Bizarre frontman himself (they aren't, they are from Philadelphia). Anyone thus familiar with old Witchfinder will also realise that, in a Maiden-esque, heavy metal set-up this means there are limitations in the vocal department. For me this isn't a problem, but anyone looking for power metal hystrionics (which you may well be justified in doing considering the album's optics) you are going to be severely disappointed. In truth, Blazon Rite aren't particularly sophisticated song writers, with the opener "Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom" probably being the pick songwriting-wise and this is an area where they leave scope for improvement. That said, they do kick out decent, fist pumping heavy metal riffs and lead guitarist Pierson Roe delivers Adrian Smith-like leads with aplomb. What they do exude by the barrel-full, though, is enthusiasm and a seemingly genuine love of heavy metal and its fantasy trappings and that is not to be underestimated in a world where musical experimentalism and po-faced seriousness threaten to crush all sense of fun out of the genre. I think us internet metal nerds sometimes forget that metal can just be entertaining and fun without us feeling guilty about not pushing ourselves with every release we listen to, or not contemplating the depths of our psyche with every lyrical musing. So crack open a beer, kick back and feel a smile crawl across your face thanks to the simple metal fare that Blazon Rite have served up here.

As I indicated in my forum post summarising the feature release this month, if I look at Sinmara’s discography, they have never quite topped their debut album. For me the capture of dissonance and atmosphere is rarely exemplified as well as it is across Aphotic Womb. What really stands out is that in creating such a vibrant sound, the band never once let much in the way of light into their songs. As the album title suggests, this is a creation grown in the darkest of wombs, utterly devoid of light. Taking all the best parts of Deathspell Omega, Carpe Noctem and Svartidauði the band make a real European mix of black metal sounds, incorporating elements that also remind me of Irish bm crew Slidhr and even Mgla in the album’s mellower transitions. For an album with so many moving parts it could easily sound like instruments are falling over one another as the layers overlap, yet there’s none of that cumbersome nature present on the album, in fact it is one of the most deftly played dissonant bm records of the 2010’s.

The band clearly take great pride in their attack on Aphotic Womb and there is a real sense of them owning the songs in the fullest sense of the term. Without creating any sense of restraint, they manage each of the tracks so diligently that it is hard not to see their pride in the delivery of their art. Album highlight for me is ‘Shattered Pillars’ with its riffs jittering across the track in glorious shimmering dissonance. In fact, some of the lyrics on here sum up the experience of the album perfectly:

“A cluster of storms

Breathing through wormhole mazes

Feeding gaping jaws the bitter waters of nausea

To harvest the foul seed and rape the crops of life

The demented ancestry of nebulae afar”

The album feels like that cluster of storms, with each track creating that maze as they are performed. There is something foul underlying in the music of Sinmara here, something wicked that barely makes the effort to stay hidden. That strong Ulcerate sound to the guitars on ‘Shattered Pillars’ is one of the reasons why I love this track. The New Zealand dissonant death metallers had only just released the might Vermis the year before Sinmara dropped their debut. Whilst percussively speaking there is a clear difference, the similarity in the guitar sound is undeniable.

Two instrumental tracks on your debut are a bold move, especially with one opening the record, yet Sinmara pull it off for me on both occasions. Working well on the two-disc vinyl version (I am guessing as I only have a digital version of the release) these tracks herald the arrival of each disc to the turntable with a sense of drama that never quite strays into the realm of epic. The harshness of Iceland’s landscape certainly comes through on Aphotic Womb, that unrelenting, heaving nature to the guitars sounds particularly symbolic in comparison. The album sounds like a vast and desolate landscape; possibly invoking images of a mass larger than its country of origin itself at times.

This one was a bit lost on me I am afraid.  Now, I (sort of) get the reason why it is so revered.  The album is as true a revelation of genuine pain and emotional darkness as I have probably ever heard, that cannot be denied.  If you are a seasoned funeral doomster then there is a lot to be drawn towards here.  The underground aesthetic to both the sound and the title of the album also carries some appeal to the anti-establishmentarian in me.  As awful an event as it was, the tragic suicide of the drummer/singer, Fucked Up Max has probably garnered this record a little more attention that it actually deserves in my book.  Whilst I can acknowledge all of the points above, the fact is that the means with which Worship deliver their art form is just too disconnected for me.

To me this does just sound like two blokes in their bedroom, playing the first thing that comes into their heads.  It might be crushing, it might be agonisingly slow and literally bleeding melancholy everywhere but it just isn't good either.  As a fan of extreme metal, I do not type the above words easily, but to me this has two distinct halves it could fall into.  On one hand it is absolute brilliance, landing in that spot due to simple organic connection between each other and the music fan listening to it.  If your life is genuinely so consumed by depression and misery and you happen to have some instruments and recording gear, then this is exactly what I would expect any such recording to sound like.  However, the other half this could land in is where it can also just seem lazily constructed, and that is fully accepting it is a demo.  My issue here is not just necessarily the content itself, more how appreciated it is in general when the actual merits are so scarce.

Maybe I am finally finding my limits in metal music after nearly four decades, who knows?  I almost want to like this more than I actually do, however I must always write my honest reflections on what I hear and this one simply just does not land well with me.  There's barely any percussion, which is a big thing for me in driving music forwards and I guess I just miss that vehicle too much here, never quite getting invested in what is playing as a result.

Psychopath's Making The Transition (1991 C&C/Major Records International), is quite the wonderful, strange, uncut gem. Apparently, like some others, I feel they're deserving of a review, but an even more extensive one. From St. Louis, Missouri, USA, this prog/death/thrash trio somehow managed to create their own individual sound way back in 1990 when recording this LP, only months after their demo, The Soul Personification (1990). I do agree it's ahead of its time by incorporating jazz/fusion (mainly drums) and avant-garde elements (vocals, guitar, synthesisers) into their mostly brutal soundscape. To truly grasp this though, and this must be stressed, this is an album that should be heard through headphones with the volume up! Without this, you'll miss the subtle, tiny details and atmospheric intricacies, not only in the stringed instruments, but in the drums too. When I first started to listen to Transition, I wasn't all the way yet hearing what I had been reading about. I was thinking maybe it's one of those Voivod-like "um, I don't get what everyone else is getting" things, but then starting having moments of realisation. As each song was passing it started to sink in.

The chief strength of Making The Transition is its audacious and unconventional songwriting, driven home by the still-raw (on this recording) talents of its three musicians. After reading many reviews on the band, album, and other recordings, I made the deepest dive possible on all of Psychopath's available music and lyrics as well. I come away clear that vocalist and guitarist William Lynn is a creative force of nature, similar to Chuck Schuldiner of Death in terms of his commitment to his art. But instead, Lynn's walking his own path by completely rejecting mandatory shredder-focused solos and mathematical song structures, instead taking what sounds like an almost improvisational route on his solos, which are on only 4 of the 12 songs. It's with headphones that his unique approach becomes more apparent. Certain rhythmic riffs will appear that are unlike anything you would've heard then, filled with a wonderfully weird sensibility that's easy to miss on your normal audio setups. Headphones also expose several odd (and sometimes ugly) guitar volume cut-outs, suggesting either faulty equipment or who knows what. Gear breaking down? Who cares - keep playing! If that's the case, this is the most punk rock prog/death/thrash recording ever made as it happens several times throughout the recording! Vocally, his menacing death metal growl possesses a unique ability to drop into his normal speaking voice. This adds more expression (with a touch of an unstable mind) to his lyrics, some of which seem so simple on the surface, but are just a ruse if you pay very close attention. More about this below when discussing the album's ending.

Benjamin Trost's bass does its job by laying in pieces of technical and very simple foundational parts for Psychopath's song structures. His bass lines also provided counter-melodies during the quieter, more atmospheric passages. This shows on the album's greatest and most dynamic track, "Metro-Shock," where Trost potentially used a fretless bass to produce some cello-like moments. I do detect he has moments of disappearing in the mix, but not sure of the reason.

Drummer Douglas McIntosh was a standout in the early '90s extreme metal scene. On the surface his playing sounds like fast-charging, siege-like death/thrash, but he also applies an incredibly complex and nuanced approach, incorporating jazz-fusion elements and intricate cymbal work. Yet listening closely does reveal a confounding duality to his performance. At times he displays an advanced technique reminiscent of legends like Mahavishnu Orchestra (Cobham era) or Return to Forever (Lenny White era), while at others he seems to erratically push the tempo in ways that has to make things incredibly difficult for his mates in the band. Whether this tempo fluctuation was intentional or not remains a puzzling part of the album's charm, alongside his absolutely bizarre and unique bass drum style that demands a listen to be believed. Anyway, the performance from McIntosh is a bit wild and crazy to say the least, but in its own way, brilliant indeed. It's vitally important for you to hear the follow up recording I mention later. You will hear not only McIntosh remedy this, but the entire band does in a triumphant way that is actually pretty shocking.

The journey into Making The Transition was not without its rough patches. Indeed, I've absolutely never heard a metal album like this that is so raw in its approach, openly displaying all of its shortcomings and mistakes for the whole world to see, while also managing to reach such complex levels of musicianship and songwriting. And this isn't even to mention that it's clearly a concept album of some kind that I don't wish to ruin my mind trying to figure out, as I have enough to worry about already. It may need an additional review at another time. The production (August 1990), which predates its October 1991 release on Germany's C&C, is cursed by a tragically flat, lo-fi production that gives the album a quality so unworthy of Psychopath's performance. Some instrumental nuances are lost in the murk, and the occasional volume dip adds to the raw, unpolished feel. The drums are mixed so loudly and with so much reverb at times that it momentarily drowns out the rest of the band. Such a no-no, as the say! Guitar = metal! The one metal rule that absolutely shan't be broken!

Though as ambitious as it gets, Making the Transition was just a taste of the band's true potential. For a real dive into the artistic mind of creative architect William Lynn, and to hear the stunning execution laid out by he and his mates, the recently discovered songs from the Worst Case Scenario (5-Song Advance) recording are mandatory. Seek, you'll find. Those tracks completely mow down Transition, showcasing a massive improvement in all areas. The improved production quality also allows the listener to fully appreciate the intricacies of the band's playing, and the songwriting demonstrates a further, and more accomplished, plunge into their unique creative vision. Wish I could review it here, but folks, that ain't happening until Worst Case Scenario is brought from the dead and gets a proper release as an official EP.

Now, to conclude my review of Transition with the final track, "Crystal Clear". Vocally, it's as if there is a personality change taking place, which accelerates that view during the coda and its slightly unnerving fadeout. When the 50 minute runtime is over, it really started to hit me that the whole Making The Transition experience was intended to be one big "transitional" mind freak.

Sadistic Intent were spawned in the big bang that saw the explosion of death metal in the late eighties and early nineties. Despite clearly having the ability to punch with the heavyweights, the stars never really aligned for the Cortez brothers, whether by bad luck, poor decisions or a mixture of both. An early dispute with the record label and continuing lineup issues that saw the band unable to perform live until 1993 all took their toll. They even changed their name to Possessed in 2007 when Jeff Becerra joined full-time, reverting back to Sadistic Intent when Becerra left in 2010. As of 2025 the band have never released a full-length album either, their discography comprising only EPs, splits and seven-inchers. All this points to a band with crazy underground kudos, with the Cortez brothers also owning Dark Realm Records, a record store in Downey, California that has been cited as a death metal equivalent of Euronymous' Helvete record store in Oslo.

So how do they sound? Exactly how I like death metal to sound is the answer. That old-school, still a little bit thrashy, style that packs a hell of a wallop is what SI deliver on this short and deadly EP. It is bookended by a couple of brief instrumentals that are lent a slightly sinister atmosphere by the thin-sounding synths so beloved of early 90's extreme metal acts. However when opener proper "Asphyxiation" kicks the door in we are left in no doubt as to the band's intentions. This is brutal and suffocating death metal that swarms around your head like flies around a ripe corpse with the primal, slightly echoing, production lending it a mouldy and purulent atmosphere. The riff-writing is excellent and they are exceedingly well delivered with the band sounding very tight and well-drilled. Drummer Joel Marquez is a bit of a monster behind his kit, with interesting fills and pummelling intensity. He and bassist / vocalist Bay Cortez drive the tracks with an energetic and dynamic velocity. Meanwhile Bay's vocals are deep growls that resemble subterranean sounding Balrog roars that threaten to immolate the listener. There is perhaps not as much emphasis on guitar solos as I would have liked to have heard, but this is really a minor niggle when the riffs are so damn good and are obviously where Sadistic Intent's strength lies.

I have to admit that I am genuinely flummoxed that an early 90's death metal band that sounded this good didn't manage to attain the heights of many of their peers because riff-wise this is as good a 90's death metal release as I have heard. "Resurrection" is a must for any fan of fiilthy and demonic early death metal and if you love Morbid Angel, Possessed et al and haven't heard this yet, then you really should.

Something that I have realised over recent months is that I am not necessarily averse to dissonance in black and death metal per se, only that I have an issue with it when it is used as an implement of torture rather than as a musical device. Recent dalliances with the likes of Imperial Triumphant most definitely sit in the former category whilst the likes of Deathspell Omega's entire discography or Ulcerate's "Cutting the Throat of God" show how dissonance can be used as an atmospheric device like any other musical instrument. Of course I am aware that the really dissonant stuff is only an issue for me because of my own mental set-up and I do understand on an intellectual level why some bands deploy it as an artistic device to illustrate a point, I just am unable to enjoy it is all.

I was under the impression that I hadn't encountered these Icelanders before, but it appears that I had, awarding 2019's "Hvísl stjarnanna" a four-star rating despite not being able to recall it now. Luckily for me this month's feature from Sinmara and its disonnant approach very much belongs alongside the likes of Ulcerate and DsO and has been a wholly positive listening experience for me over the past week or so. One of the main reasons for this is that at its heart "Aphotic Womb" is a blistering and brooding black metal album. The dissonance of the tremolo riffing effectively lends the tracks a frosty iciness that elevates the savagery on display to a new level, in a way that a less atonal approach would struggle to replicate. This results in a bitter and venomous-sounding album that channels all the best that the icelandic black metal scene has to offer. We are not talking thin and raw black metal here, it has a full sound with the rhythm section playing an important part in providing both impetus and foundation whilst the guitarists unleash their six-stringed, dissonant sorcery. Vocalist Ólafur Guðjónsson has a harsh growling bark very much in the vein of DsO's Mikko Aspa, providing more proof of the french pioneers' significant influence on Sinmara. The overlying effect of the album is of a suffocating busyness that threatens to bury the listener under layers of ever-shifting sound, like being caught up in a blizzard, whipped into fury by bitingly cold, gale-force winds.

So, in conclusion, I want to heap bountiful praise upon "Aphotic Womb" for providing more fuel for the fire on which I must burn my preconceptions and for helping me to grow into enjoying a musical style I would once upon a time have really struggled with. 

Until now, the only band to have 4 releases with 5-star ratings from me in a row was Kamelot. And now, another band has joined in from the extreme side of the symphonic metal spectrum, Lorna Shore! 3 years after their previous album Pain Remains, the masters of symphonic deathcore are back with their new album I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me, continuing the sound that made them popular while adding in some surprises to keep things exciting.

The new album really is similar to Pain Remains. Elitists can put their hand down though, because as I've said just now, there are some fantastic surprises that not even Pain Remains has, which we'll get to as the review goes on. The album doesn't have a multi-track suite like that of Pain Remains, let alone have it released alongside 3 singles. Less singles, more anticipation, am I right? And guess what, there are more songs that have no breakdowns! As much as I like breakdowns, it's nice to not hear them in nearly every song. Those songs without breakdowns end up sounding closer to straight-up extreme symphonic metal, so I don't mind this album sitting in The Guardians.

For the songs with breakdowns, the track with the best one is the opening "Prison of Flesh", which is a grand rollercoaster ride through stampeding deathcore. A killer way to start this offering! With their next track and first single "Oblivion", I enjoy the music that throws back to 5 years ago in the Immortal era, along with the lyrics growled by Will Ramos. Another epic highlight! The first of the 3 tracks without breakdowns is "In Darkness", which is almost like their attempt at combining the title track of And I Return to Nothingness and one of my favorite Mechina songs "Anagenesis", including the double key-change final chorus of the former but excluding the clean singing and cyber synths of the latter. It still can't beat those two tracks though.

Speaking of the title track of And I Return to Nothingness, "Unbreakable" has the potential to surpass that as my new ultimate favorite Lorna Shore track (a couple other songs later on would take that throne, keep reading). Lots of Parkway Drive-like melody, and the lyrics are so motivational, "And after it all, our hearts are invincible, like diamonds we glow, WE ARE UNBREAKABLE!!!!" However, its throne is stolen by the next track "Glenwood" (again there's another track lurking in the shadows to take that throne). Absolutely epic and emotional, and with the lack of breakdowns, this is really extreme power-ish symphonic metal, enough to make a genuine Guardians track. More of those heartful melodies appear in "Lionheart". The melody and occasional choir adds to its uniqueness, and the breakdown is never out of place. The anthemic "Death Can Take Me" has the blackened vibe of Mental Cruelty's new album Zwielicht, while ending with another one of the most crushing breakdowns in Lorna Shore's career.

"War Machine" is another standout and a different one at that. The tempo is slowed slightly for just full-on deathly groove-thrash that can fit well in a video game like DOOM Eternal and Metal Hellsinger, especially with its "f*** enemies up" attitude. So different yet so wild! Increasing the synth orchestration is "A Nameless Hymn". It's generally Lorna Shore's take on the symphonic black metal of Dimmu Borgir and later Behemoth, though a little too pompous. At least the skillful soloing and breakdown compels me. And now comes the true ultimate best track of this album and possibly by the band, the glorious finale "Forevermore", their longest track at nearly 10 minutes, a tear-jerking atmospheric epic of triumph and emotion. Probably the best symphonic deathcore closing track EVER!!! I'm not gonna put it into words, just listen to it to believe me.

And now this masterpiece album is over, so what can we take away from it? Well, they don't make a complete turn back into their earlier sound, nor did they make an all-out Pain Remains clone. They've just taken the best of those eras and added a few new things like that one different heavier track. In their perfect 2020s melodic symphonic blackened deathcore era, I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me might just be the best of the best. Extreme vocals, drumming machinery, blazing guitars, booming bass, and cinematic orchestration make a recipe of unbreakable epicness. And I'm grateful that something like this can be heard all over the world!

Favorites: "Prison of Flesh", "Oblivion", "Unbreakable", "Glenwood", "Death Can Take Me", "War Machine", "Forevermore"

It was shaping up to be a poor Saturday afternoon all round really. It was pissing it down with rain and blowing a gale too, making any hope of gardening or a walk out in the woods completely out of the question. I had sat through (or at least started to listen to) around eight bm albums already and was slowly losing faith in the current slew of releases I had been pencilling onto my to do list over the last fortnight. Even Hermóðr and his two EPs from this year couldn’t impress me, and after there being far too much experimental musings from various other artists, I was close to turning the PC off and going for a read. Thankfully, Medieval Demon were on hand to save me.

Featuring Jim Mutilator of once upon a time Varathron and Rotting Christ and current Yoth Iria fame on bass, Medieval Demon have been around since 1993 and are now on to their fifth full length with All Powers of Darkness. With Lord Apollyon providing drums and keys, Sirokous handling vocals and Chthonius on guitar (which sounds mighty in the mix, btw), this four piece play a richly melodic and obviously Hellenic sounding brand of bm. I would say they do use a fair old amount of symphony to good effect as well as just keys. Check out the majestic Emperor-esque ‘Raging Lord of the Deeps’ as a great example of this. It is the sense of drama and theatre that is present on All Powers of Darkness that really have helped it to standout on this rainy Saturday afternoon. There is also a mightiness to the overall sound. This record has been produced to sound BIG! It fills the room as it plays, swarming its darkness over the walls, floor and ceiling too.

This record is a real lights off, candles on whilst you drink blood from the skulls of your enemies’ type of affair. Featuring leads that blaze across the tracks like some unholy hellfire, a solid percussion section that underpins the dashing keys and symphonic moments perfectly, the album sounds like a complete package. Riffs fire out like a heavy metal record from days of yore and Sirokous’ vocals possess a marauding potency about them. For a band on their second wind (they were on hiatus 1998 to 2018), this is a record that oozes an epic appetite for darkness. The “demonic orchestral” style the band have become renowned for (check out ‘Abbadon’ and closing track ‘All Powers of Darkness) is rampant and this album also sees the return of the saxophone on the title track, which is another regular inclusion on MD albums, apparently. It should not work on so many levels, but it blends so well with the dynamic nature of the closing track that I love it. Everything is superbly played too, especially those leads. Showing a real knack for arrangement, Medieval Demon are an excellent revival of that classic Greek black metal sound.

It is not a perfect score, as you can see, and that is because the album does take a little while to get going. Opening track, ‘Mystic Path Towards the Abyss’ is a bit too lacklustre in its approach to herald the approach of the rest of the album and overall, I would argue that the record only gets going from track three onwards. Still I must give credit where it is due and All Powers of Darkness holds nothing back in the main, beyond these minor gripes above.

I never want to hear another complaint about my harsh criticism of modern Dream Theater ever again!

BTBAM (Between the Buried and Me) showed us three years ago that they may have been running out of collective ideas with Colors II. I can thank the first Colors record for being one of the key contributors for allowing me to enjoy new extreme metal genres like death metal and metalcore. Colors II felt like a return to that style following a couple of releases where the band decided to take a more accessible route on The Great Misdirect. Colors II while a good album as well as a hybrid of styles, it just did not resonate with me that much. So much of my discourse surrounding The Blue Nowhere came from figuring out how the formula would adapt.

The Blue Nowhere is not your typical BTBAM record. This album is much more avant-garde and less metalcore than ever before. I was taken aback by how much intentional dissonance was given to the record, but the record flew by despite its over seventy-minute runtime. The bands ability to write theses long, complex song structures, while still making them feel connected is just as good as it was during the late 2000s. "Absent Thereafter" and "Slow Paranoia" immediately stand out among the rest. The first promotional single and leadoff track, "Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark" has a remarkable sense of pacing as to not overwhelm the listener with too much of the avant-garde obtuseness right out of the gate. Then "God Terror" hits you like a ton of bricks and reminds you that BTBAM used to play a rare progressive metalcore. The pacing of The Blue Nowhere with interludes like "Pause" and "Mirador Uncoil" serve their purpose so well, and the final run of four tracks is incredible. Two eleven minutes epics with "Psychomanteum" and "Slow Paranoia", which are both heavy, avant-garde and surprisingly concise, before dropping everything down for "The Blue Nowhere" and "Beautifully Human" to a cool, calm and reflective pace as the album circles back on itself. BTBAM sense of pacing is as good, if not better, than it has been since The Great Misdirect.

This is what progressive music should be; these acts should not be sitting idly by and rereleasing the same album ad nauseum for a quarter of a century because "that's what got us popular in the first place". Meanwhile, bands like Sleep Token, who are not progressive, are spinning circles around the so called "giants" of the genre. BTBAM are not going to settle making cookie cutter progressive metal and The Blue Nowhere proves that. This is BTBAM for a new era. Even if this turns out to be a one off project and they return to sounds closer to The Great Misdirect after this, at least they will have this one late era gem.

Best Songs: Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark, Absent Thereafter, Slow Paranoia, Beautifully Human, Door #3

Nightfall's eleventh studio album comes as a bit of a surprise. While serving as longtime Athenian giants in the Hellenic Black Metal scene, their contributions to the overall genre have been severely lacking in comparison to contemporaries like Rotting Christ and The Elysian Fields. They are a group that leans much closer to the Gothic textures and a rougher version of melodic death metal. You can hear blast beats, tremolo guitars on songs like "I Hate" and "The Traders of Anathema" sure, but the textures that engulf "With Outlandish Desire to Disobey" tell a different tale. These drastic changes in style can be overwhelming at times, but for the most part, I feel like Nightfall have done an adequate job of making the transitions between these sections feel less obtuse and jarring than perhaps their contemporaries.

The production of Children of Eve is pretty good. The album has a lot of low end and is carried heavily by its thunderous guitars. As the sound shifts from tremolo guitar counterpoint, to death metal chugging as well as big open chordal progressions during the gothic segments, the timbre of the guitar is always kept at the front of mind for the band and the mixing. The record even sneaks in a couple of death metal style guitar solos as well. The percussion, while janky at times, is very solid as well. The biggest issue I have with records like this is when they shift from blazing blast beats at a million miles a minute, to slow, brooding segments, it can feel like something is missing in the very foundation of the songs themselves. As for the vocals, I can see the appeal; again death metal style vocals with low gutturals most of the time, but the words being used are fragmented at best, and cringy at worst.

This was an okay album. It's major strengths are its intensity while still maintaining a strong melodic base. It's major downsides are that these transitions between melodic and technical passages are usually quite janky, and the album does not waver too much outside of a well established comfort zone early on. Even then, Children of Eve is yanked down for having a eerily similar theme to Rotting Christ's The Heretics. 

Best Songs: The Cannibal, Seeking Revenge, For The Expelled Ones, With Outlandish Desire To Disobey

Messa's previous album, 2022's "Close" was my AOTY for that year and is one of my favourite albums of the current decade. So expectations were high for their new full-length and while it would be going too far to say I was disappointed with it, initially it fell a little bit short of my undoubtedly unrealistic expectations. Now that I have had some time to really get to grips with it my early lukewarm reaction feels a bit reactionary because "The Spin" has grown on me massively and, whilst not yet quite up there with "Close", it has still proven itself to be a damn fine record.

Leaning more into gothic territory than previously, "The Spin" is not as heavy or doomy as "Close" and is more hook-driven than the earlier album, but the interweaving of various non-metal influences is still present. Whilst undoubtedly an entire band effort, I felt that vocalist Sara Bianchin was the star of "Close", but here I think the big draw is Alberto Piccolo's fantastic guitar work. He unleashes several scintillating solos with "Immolation" and "Void Meridian" being particularly sterling examples, his riffing is spot on and his jangling guitar work is so reminiscent of the 1980's UK gothic rock scene that you would swear that Billy Duffy or Wayne Hussey had guested on the album. Piccolo also plays blues rock under the name "Little Albert" and his slide work on penultimate track "Reveal" suggests he is also proficient in that scene too.

There does seem to be a specific direction of travel to "The Spin". It begins with the emphasis very much on the gothic, specifically the opening brace of "Void Meridian" and "At Races" and the album feels as much about gothic rock as metal, with "Void Meridian" coming on like Siouxsie and the Banshees - tell me the opening bass line doesn't sound like the beginning of "Spellbound"! As the album progresses, though, it starts to move in a heavier direction, culminating with the one-two combo of the album's out and out heaviest track, "The Reveal" and the doomy "Thicker Blood". Along the way though we are treated to tracks that include the band's trademark dalliances with other diverse elements such as blues and jazz, meaning we are never going to get bored or complacent about where the band are going. They even reference Rush and in particular "La Villa Strangiato" from 1978's "Hemispheres" during the album's epic centrepiece, "The Dress" whilst the first half of "Immolation" is a piano ballad that Tori Amos would be proud of.

I sometimes get the feeling with some primarily metal artists who often look to incorporate a lot of non-metal elements that they are almost embarrassed to be tagged as metal, but I never feel that with Messa and despite their eclecticism they feel like a band who revel in their metal roots, even whilst it isn't the totality of their playbook. Sure, I am generally a bit of a caveman when it comes to metal. I love cavernous, old-school death metal, frigid and raw blasting black metal, crawling and monolithic doom, chugging thrash riffs and anthemic, singalong-at-the-top-of-your-voice classic metal choruses, but I am not a complete philistine and I am perfectly capable of enjoying bands who want to bring more to the table. I just prefer when they do it in a listenable way rather than making their albums into a test of the listener's endurance for discomfort. Thankfully, listenability is still an important quality to Messa and their eclecticism is not at the expense of accessibility. "The Spin" may not be an album that initially grabs the average metalhead by the throat, but it does reward those who spend time with it and ultimately reveals itself to be the product of a band who are eminently skillful musicians and songwriters that, despite weaving their metal with influences from bygone days, still produce exceedingly modern-sounding metal.

OK, this is a kind of an odd release. I guess the rather short length for this split EP is one thing, with an average two and a half minute length per song. But when two different sounding bands come together to make this release, it can cause some confusion within the clans.

Cream Abdul Babar is more of an experimental noisecore band, edging in on sludge and add in some keys and horns, as evident in "Mahogany-Walled Executive Officer". The amount of experimentation and discordant rhythm makes them sound like a mix of Dog Fashion Disco and Today is the Day. It's not super bad though, unlike the next track... "Intruder Alert" is a 4-minute waste of time, with nothing but looped synth distortion. That band is certainly not a winner for me with that ear-f***ing sh*t.

Teen Cthulthu is a much better deal here, combining metalcore with symphonic black metal, before early Abigail Williams and Dance Club Massacre made it cool, exemplified greatly in "Astral Black". The following track "Crystal Castles" has more black metal than the previous track, with a melodic ending. "Xcalibr8" is another sh*tter though. It seems way too short at just one minute, and the hard-to-decipher-without-reading lyrics make a cheesy poem that a popstar could write. But I still enjoy those other two kick-A tracks on this side of the EP.

The cover art makes good usage of outer colors despite the image being distorted which brings its quality down to as much as that release itself. I'm really not sure how they made art much lower quality than those low-effort blackgaze album covers these days. And it doesn't change my opinion on this EP. It's an OK try with two great tracks by Teen Cthulhu. But the rest, particularly the Cream Abdul Babar side of the EP, thumbs down....

Favorites (only two tracks I like by Teen Cthulhu): "Astral Black", "Crystal Castles"

Nowadays, what many people have in mind when the phrase "Demon Hunter" is mentioned is that movie KPop Demon Hunters. They can have fun watching a KPop girl group battle demons, but I prefer to listen to this modern metal band...

Demon Hunter were at their best in the first 7 albums, especially The Triptych, Storm the Gates of Hell, and The World is a Thorn. Outlive and War were the transitional albums before the quality was lowered in subsequent albums, reaching its lowest point in Songs of Death and Resurrection and Exile. But now, There Was a Light Here has started their slow climb back up in consistency. And if one or two fillers were taken out, I think it would be the missing link between Extremist and Outlive.

The opening march of "My Place in the Dirt" gets you ready for the action, blasting off into what may be the closest to the band's melodic metalcore roots (one of the only tracks here to qualify for The Revolution) complete with rapid blasts and vocalist Ryan Clark's growls of yester-decade. And that's only my second-favorite track here, with my ultimate favorite being "Sorrow Light the Way". While the heavy aggression of the first track continues, it greatly blends with the catchy melody in the music and vocals. The best part of all is perhaps the most brutal breakdown they've ever done towards the end. Probably the best Demon Hunter track since the grand triptych of albums' highlights! Another amazing highlight to follow that up is "Light Bends". I'm not even Christian and yet I end up getting strong faith, thanks to that solid banger. Sadly, after that tremendous trio of tracks, "The Pain in Me is Gone" loses that direction. The bland music and lyrics really bug me, trying to sound like recent Katatonia but failing at that. However, it's not as much of a failure as the next track...

I'll put down "By a Thread" as one of the worst tracks they've done. The band tries so hard to sound like fellow Christian alt-rock band Skillet, but there isn't enough ambition and it comes out as an incohesive mess. Luckily, we have another perfect standout in "I'm Done". I'm never done with this band! I enjoy the lyrics, and I can add this to my potential funeral song list. Continuing on into the album's second half, "Ouroboros" has more of the band's earlier heavy energy. Then we have another filler track, "Breaking Through Me", which isn't as bad as those two earlier stinkers, but still not up to par.

"Overwhelming Closure" has slower melancholy that I love. There's some more of that heavy-melodic blend in "Hang the Fire". Then "Reflected" has some great moments though not totally the best. And finally, it all comes down to the 6-minute title epic. It's one of my favorite tracks in the "ballad" category of Demon Hunter, and a far better closing track than in Exile. The fact that this was written in memory of Ryan Clark's late mother has made me need to appreciate my own mother more while she's still alive.

All in all, There Was a Light Here is a good work by Demon Hunter. Not the best but still good. It may just be the best of the more alternative era that started with Peace. And let's hope that their next album finally goes back to the higher standards of Outlive and War, maybe even the albums before those. There is a light of hope....

Favorites: "My Place in the Dirt", "Sorrow Light the Way", "Light Bends", "I'm Done", "Overwhelming Closure", "There Was a Light Here"

If you look in my Spotify playlists, you’ll find one titled “Workouts”. Fittingly I use this for my kettlebell and free weight exercise sessions, and I would say approx. 80% of the content is deathcore or metalcore. This is something of a revelation for someone who up until around three years ago had heard virtually zero of such music, in fact I had intentionally looked to avoid it for most of the two sub-genre’s existence. Whilst this by no means makes me an expert on such styles of metal, I figure that I am at a reasonable enough level of maturity with this music to pass the occasional comment on The Revolution clan feature release.

As Blood Runs Back have a sound that I instantly find jarring as they deploy that djenty style of riffing that reverberates throughout the track and then there’s the big bloopy and mathy leads that run riot over proceedings. ‘Hesper Prynne’ has the makings of great Meshuggah worship but blows it by just piling more things on top of one another. This track is then followed by instrumental track ‘Pouring Reign’ which just feels like pointless musings really. By this point I am missing some of the big, rhythmic riffs that I use to fuel my workouts. What constitutes as breakdowns here (and I genuinely like a good breakdown) feels just more like a fake slowing of the pace where something else happens. There are moments like on ‘The Brighter Side of Suffering’ when the album sounds a little more on point than on other occasions, but this is still a bit too tame for me.

For me, As Blood Runs Black lack cohesion, bobbing around a little too much on the waves of their own farts in the bath water. I am aware as I type this that I am commenting on a scene that I do not entirely understand and so I am trying not to sound disingenuous to what I am listening to. To put it in grown up terms, the record is too melodic and lacks consistent punch. Tracks such as ‘Beneath the Surface’ start off with such promise but soon end up sounding more or less like every other track on the record and after a while (a short while), this just grates on me.

Well, Sadistic Intent like their splits and EPs, don’t they? I count no fewer than four EPs and three splits in their discography that goes all the way back to 1988 (if you include the demos). Spurious in their output, these Californians play a death thrash style of death metal that recalls Possessed (whom both Cortez brothers played with 2007-2010, alongside guitarist Ernesto) at times but equally they are just at home playing Morbid Angel-esque out and out death metal. With such a healthy background of putrid death thrash in their veins, Sadistic Intent are clearly well-versed in their satanic and occult tendencies.

Their EP from 1994, Resurrection finds them in fine form. The opening riff on ‘Dark Predictions’ has an almost Swedish death metal crunch to it. That marauding lead only adds to the tension the track invokes. Taking a big old run up to get to the vocals, this track is the standout on the release for me. Full of dark energy and blistering intensity and really brings out the Morbid Angel comparison with all the swirling lead chaos.

This sophomore EP was their first major release in four years, but Sadistic Intent do not sound like a band who had been stood around leaning on their instruments since 1990. Although the production leaves a lot to be desired, the instrumentation possesses a primitive yet still cultivated edge to it. It is not that anyone is trying to be showy, but the band can play well and with a lot of heart. They sounded like a determined death metal band on this record, and I personally hear that fortitude in droves on the release and top marks to them for the effort alone. It might only be twenty-four minutes long but Resurrection is entertaining from start to finish and a really exciting feature releases for this month.

I am coming straight off the back of reviewing the new Sodom record and having referenced Destruction in that write up I thought it prudent to look at the other major Teutonic thrash release this year from Schmier and company. Could we have two decent releases in one year from two of the longest serving thrashers around nowadays? If there is one immediate similarity to highlight it is the album artwork on both records is great, and I would go as far as to say that Destruction pip Sodom to the post in that department overall. I feel it only fair to also say that the effort is also just as high from Destruction on Birth of Malice as it is from Tom and company on The Arsonist. Whilst the intensity levels might not quite be comparable, the work ethic is most certainly still there.

After only a couple of tracks though, it is clear to me that I prefer Destruction less overall. That’s not just a comment on this record; it is also a general statement about the bands over the many years I have under my belt from listening to thrash metal. It is not necessarily that Destruction are doing anything wrong. The current line-up is strong enough to carry off some blistering leads, furious drumming and cutting riffs. If anything, I have always had a problem with Schmier’s vocal style, and he retains those high-end shrieks here. Simply put I prefer my thrash metal vocals to be gruffer. Musically speaking though there are things to get on with here. The riffing on ‘No Kings - No Masters’ carries an otherwise clunky sounding track well, especially when the furious leads attack the track also.

Randy Black certainly puts a shift in on the drum kit without dominating the record and a healthy production job keeps the instruments all sounding coherent. The bass even makes a rare appearance in the middle section of ‘God of Gore’ but the track itself is one of the more muddled sounding ones on the album. What Birth of Malice needs is more direct an approach to proceedings, despite there being lots of leads flying around the place, we need more of the chopping thrash riffing intensity that underpins tracks like ‘AN.G.S.T.’ or ‘No Kings – No Masters’ instead of pseudo heavy metal numbers like ‘Dealer of Death’ or ‘Evil Never Sleeps’. The sad fact is that the second half of the record is utterly skippable with the cover of Accept’s ‘Fast as a Shark’ being the only pick from the final five tracks on offer. Here lies the final comparison with The Arsonist. Just like its Teutonic cousin, Birth of Malice is too long and could do a lot better coming in at the thirty-five-minute mark, culling most of the second half of the record in the process.

These Teutonic thrashers just don’t want to quit, do they? As we push into the middle of the 2020’s Sodom, Tankard, Kreator and Destruction continue to work on new material long into their careers, all of which now span beyond forty years. Whilst I am sure we could very easily dig out many turkeys from the backlog of records over the past four decades, it is hard not to admire the tenacity and resilience of any band that still sounds as committed to their artform as Sodom still do. Look, it would be remiss of me to suggest that The Arsonist is another Agent Orange. It is not of the same calibre and peak albums in a bands career are usually moments in time, specific to circumstance, influences and a good old lavishing of fate too.

The Arsonist is however probably the best Sodom record I have heard since Decision Day in 2016. It possesses a vigour that most other releases in the thrash world have lacked, based on my limited and often quickly tired listening experiences in 2025 anyways. There is a sense of great fortitude to this record, sounding like a record made by a band from their sheer dogged determination to just keep pushing on regardless of what the clock or calendar may say. Whilst it may lack any truly remarkable moments, The Arsonist burns with an intensity that belies the age of the participants. Scathing thrash attacks like ‘Trigger Discipline’ are what Sodom have based their career on, and it is good to see that fire in their bellies still. Tom sounds as pissed off as ever and the rest of the band miss no beat whatsoever.

At nearly fifty-minutes, it is a bit on the long side. When I am sat listening to some of the less well-arranged tracks like ‘Gun Without Groom’ this lengthiness seems to grate a little more during those minutes that so easily could have been left in the studio for a future compilation of B-sides and rarities. As I said earlier on in the review, my interest in thrash metal has been limited to but a few records this year and so The Arsonist is hardly jostling for position in a packed field of quality participants. However, it stands out for just being true to the style we know and love from Sodom and it further cements an already solid legacy. Whilst it may not be flawless, the same roots are showing in 2025 that were visible in 1982.

I never really know how to approach an album like Sodom's latest. A band that are into their fifth decade and with a lengthy string of releases put out an album of familiar-sounding material that, nevertheless, I still find hugely entertaining. This leaves me wondering exactly what I can say about it that may be of any interest or value to anyone other than "here is another Sodom album where they do their thing". Whether you love it or hate it depends entirely on your already probably long-established opinion on the band because this is so typical of them that it won't budge your prevailing opinion one way or the other. In fact, Sodom are so established a name that most people had probably made up their mind about The Arsonist long before actually hearing it. I don't think the Germans always get the praise I feel is their due and when they do it almost feels grudgingly given compared to the plaudits for their countrymen like Kreator or Destruction. In that respect I kind of look on them as the german version of Anthrax. Personally I look on Sodom as a bit of a poseur-filter, by which I mean that I see them as a band beloved only by dyed-in-the-wool thrashers and not really being one for the casual genre tourist.

Anyway, on to the Arsonist. I have to say I have had a pretty good time with this over the last two or three days. Their aggression seems undiminished by time with Angelripper often sounding like he is about to burst a blood vessel such is the viciousness of his vocal delivery, they still dish out some titanic thrash riffs and unleash several pretty tasty solos. There are two or three real belters on here with "Trigger Discipline", "Sane Insanity" and "Twilight Void" being the tracks that particularly tickle my fancy. I don't feel the need to say that this is a great album considering the band has been in existence for so long, because that would be condescending, but I have to say that is a good album by a band who have been around the block many times and who know exactly what they are about and who their target audience is.

If there is one caveat to all this positivity then it is the album's production. The Arsonist is undoubtedly the latest casualty in the Loudness Wars, with massive compression that sees everything cranked up well beyond 11. The drums also feel pushed too far forward in the mix and even run the risk of occasionally drowning out the riffs. That aside though, this is a decent album that shows that Sodom can still deliver the thrash metal fix that some of us stubborn thrash-heads crave and for that I am extremely thankful.

If there was a specific pigeonhole that I had to put Die Close in, there’s no doubt it would be labelled something like, ‘Not My Usual Bag, But I Actually Like It’. Taken at face value with its red and grey artwork, you could be forgiven that you are about to enjoy a death or death/doom record or perhaps a blackened death metal record. Die Close is some of and none of those things, all at the same time. If you are looking at the artwork thinking you will get your fix of chugga, chugga, chugga then you are not going to be disappointed. When it riffs, this record riffs hard. However, there is a lot more to the album than that. For a concept album about a vampire, it is in fact a very contagious record all round.

Displaying a groove element to their big doomy riffs, Blood Vulture heads up a charge of doom metal riffs combined with gothic rock and grunge, with the very occasional spray of death metal for good measure. A solo project in the main, Jordan Olds recruits Kristin Hayter (Lingua Ignota, Sightless Pit and Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter), Jade Puget (AFI, Blaqk Audio and XTRMST) as well as Shadows Fall and Overcast vocalist Brian Fair to assist him on some tracks, whilst Gina Gleeson of Baroness also appears on a couple of tracks. So not only do we have a plethora of styles/genres being moulded together, but we also have a cacophony of artists from different backgrounds collaborating to deliver the album. As such, any listener who just tries to focus on one element of the record will be disappointed. One of the main successes of the album is how well it all combines into a coherent and powerful single entity. The production job certainly helps this, but the song writing in the main is solid, achieving infectious levels of catchiness almost at times.

As I listen to this I am constantly reminded of Alice in Chains (albeit the more modern version of the group) but the album is a real treat of influences and styles, with Pallbearer being in the sound also to my ears. My favourite track on the album is ‘Entwined’ which features Kristin Hayter. Full of dark opera and drama yet still catchy as well, this track combines allure with reward perfectly. The rolling riff on ‘Burn for It’ featuring Brian Fair stays with you long after the record has finished. In a little over a fortnight, many tracks are traced into my brain so deep that I can recite them end-to-end. Where it does come unstuck to rob it of full marks, the album is only guilty of missed edit opportunities. I don’t need the interlude halfway through the record, although I get its relevance in the story being played, it does rob us of some momentum I feel. ‘Silence of God’ is the only real proper track that I find falls over itself a bit, Whilst I did have some reservations over ‘A Dream About Starving to Death’ with its repetitive structure, I soon calmed my fears by relating the concept of a nightmare being something that happens relentlessly and so perhaps that repetition is actually a genius way of representing the horror of the vampire’s dream.

Good hooks out manoeuvre the need for complexity and excessive grandiosity here. Die Close will chart highly somewhere on one of my year end lists I am sure, just which one it fits under is going to be the only quandary.

I'm honestly a little surprised I haven't heard a lot of this band. Lord of the Lost has worked up a catalog of their gothic/industrial metal sound, and somehow that didn't peak my interest. However, things have turned out promising when I checked out their previous two albums Blood & Glitter and Weapons of Mass Seduction. And now I might get even closer with the new adventurous Opvs Noir Vol. 1!

Frontman Chris "The Lord" Harms, guitarists Pi "π" Stoffers and Benjamin "Benji" Mundigler, bassist Klaas "Class Grenayde" Helmecke, keyboardist Gerrit "Gared Dirge" Heinemann, and drummer Niklas Kahl are back at it again. Opvs Noir Vol. 1 is the band 10th album, as well as the start of an exciting new trilogy.

Starting off hard is "Bazaar Bizarre", a majestic opener with Chris' haunting verses. The softness of those verses are in contrast with the chorus of aggression and beauty. Then it switches to "My Sanctuary", which is half the first song's length and has a dancey beat and simplistic riffing. After that is the lovely "Light Can Only Shine in the Darkness". Lord of the Lost and Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation are practically a match made in metal heaven! Her vocals shining in the band's symphonic/industrial metal sound adds a new dimension of dark yet bright serenity. "I Will Die in It" is another well-done piece of gothic/industrial metal. It's quite catchy while staying massive, as the keyboard orchestration adds in all that grandeur.

Breaking boundaries further is "Moonstruck". Chris sings and screams alongside the Stimmgewalt choir, sounding similar to Moonspell's more symphonic works. Next up, "Damage" is all about industrial metal aggression. The guest vocals by Deathstars' Whiplasher Bernadotte makes things sound more extreme. And even without that, it still sounds a lot like Deathstars. "Ghosts" is an amazing piece of beauty and intensity! I love the cello by Tina Guo here. "Lords of Fyre" is up next. Wow, 5th collaboration track and the 4th in a row! This one has good medieval industrial/rock metal, but it sounds cheesy, and bringing in Feuerschwanz is unnecessary. The only slight misstep here.

We then get into the melancholic "The Things We Do For Love". The first verse might make you think it's a calm ballad, but once in a while, it becomes destructive especially at the bridge. "The Sadness in Everything" features Anna Maria Rose, vocalist of symphonic metal newcomers Tales of Time, with her soft singing contradicting the heavy intensity. Finally, "Dreams are Never Alone" is a haunting closing track with the last of their melodic majesty.

Lord of the Lost continue their journey with a new phase starting with Opvs Noir Vol. 1. It's a promising start to this trilogy, and I especially enjoy most of the collaborations. Let's hope for more of that greatness in Vol. 2 coming out at year's end and Vol. 3 appearing next year. Bring it the f*** on!

Favorites: "Bazaar Bizarre", "Light Can Only Shine in the Darkness", "I Will Die in It", "Moonstruck", "Ghosts", "Dreams are Never Alone"

Weapons of Mass Seduction is a massive two-disc cover album by Lord of the Lost, following the previous year's Blood & Glitter. Similarly to that album, different highlights are scattered throughout this one for a dark yet fun experience...

There are 22 cover tracks, 11 per disc, with the second one being part of a deluxe edition. Apparently, there's also super-deluxe edition with a 3rd disc with 10 cover songs, but the original artists for those songs in that disc are long before my time, so let's ignore that for now. For the two main discs, they spread through many different eras and genres, centered around the band's favorite tracks. And many of these songs are great choices!

"Shock to the System", originally by Billy Idol, is a solid start but not totally necessary. Then heading into some of the new songs, Sia's "Unstoppable" is given a total rock makeover. That makes me feel more unstoppable than the original! Next track "Smalltown Boy" by Bronski Beat has been covered by many rock/metal bands, most notably Paradise Lost. This is closer to the original style, which I usually don't like when the original song isn't metal. However, the melancholy sounds absolutely right in the music. The Judas Priest hit "Turbo Lover" has also been covered, again showing the diversity of this release. It can match the energy of those British metal legends, even though vocalist Chris Harms can never reach the highs of Rob Halford. Ultravox's "Hymn" works well as a Lord of the Lost cover with its catchy chorus. The screaming bridge is a nice surprise. I might just like this more than Edguy's cover of that song! The cover of Michael Jackson's "Give in to Me" once again enhances the original by the King of Pop. They even have the guitar solo originally performed by Slash, unlike in Three Days Grace's cover.

The Bishop Briggs cover "River" is quite impressive, when everything including the catchy chorus is metalized. "Somewhere Only We Know" greatly improves the Keane original by making it more than just a piano ballad. I often get confused when I find out a band has covered "(I Just) Died In Your Arms". My Trivium-filled mind makes me think it's that song "Dying in Your Arms". But of course not, it's that Cutting Crew single. Still it's a perfect 80s throwback, with Chris Harms in a duet with Anica Russo, the band's Eurovision competitor. It's like Romeo and Juliet in more ways that one! "High" is a cover of a song by Zella Day, which I've never even heard before. It's a cool cover, and I don't wanna alter my opinion by checking out the original. Now, "House on a Hill"... Is that a Kamelot cover? I would love to hear that! Oh wait, it's a song by The Pretty Reckless. It's an OK track, though a little soft and having too much of the piano.

Disc 2 begins with the last track of Blood & Glitter, a cover of Roxette's "The Look", featuring Jasmin Wagner, also known as German popstar Blümchen. A perfect cover, and arguably this album's true standout! RIP Marie Fredriksson... "Ordinary Town" is another track in which I don't know the original song, performed by Celebrate the Nun. Not so good, but it's fine. "Cha Cha Cha" is a cover of a song by Kaarija that was originally for the Finnish Eurovision. I quite love that one! Lady Gaga's "Judas" is given a cover, and this may confuse some earlier fans who are familiar with the band's double album Judas. "Children of the Damned" is a special Iron Maiden cover, again turning a NWOBHM song into a more gothic track. "Wig in a Box" was originally from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The piano and vocals aren't that great, but it gets better when it's heavy.

And then we get another Lady Gaga cover, "Bad Romance", which I love more than that other one. "The Most Radical Thing to Do" by The Ark has good lyrics, although I never even heard of the original band before. "This Is the Life" takes an Amy Macdonald song and turns it into another catchy track. Pet Shop Boys' "It's a Sin" may be an overused pop song, but Lord of the Lost made it more epic, even more than Gamma Ray's cover! And finally we end with a beautiful cover of Duran Duran's "Ordinary World". Although they've really done that song justice, even with Chris Harms' bass-baritone vocal range (similar to my own), I still prefer Mechina's cover, which sadly isn't on Spotify.

All in all, Weapons of Mass Seduction is a versatile display of Lord of the Lost's influences, staying true to the sound of both worlds. This should be listened to by anyone who either likes or dislikes the originals. It shall really please any music fan....

Favorites: "Unstoppable", "Smalltown Boy", "Hymn", "River", "(I Just) Died In Your Arms", "The Look", "Cha Cha Cha", "Children of the Damned", "Bad Romance", "It's a Sin", "Ordinary World"

The one thing that will always be Green Carnation's calling card is their songwriting. The Nordic giants of Gothic Progressive Metal blew me away with Light of Day, Day of Darkness over twenty years ago and I was pleasantly surprised when they returned in 2020 with Leaves of Yesteryear. Progressive songwriting has always struggled when it came to towing the line of being overtly technical for its own sake, and writing tighter, more concise tunes to be more easily digestible. Green Carnation are the band that prove to me that you don't have to pick one or the other.

When I saw that The Shore of Melancholia was a multi-part release from the band, I became very excited. I was even more excited when I saw the track listing to part 1 or A Dark Poem and saw shorter runtimes. And that excitement came to a climax when the final notes of "Too Close to the Flame" reverberated out as that final reminder that my expectations had been met and then some! I love how this album starts with "As Silence Took You" and "In Your Paradise"; clearly harkening back to a gothic doom style of My Dying Bride, with the vocals from Kjetil Nordhus feeling like an absolute gut punch. I really enjoyed the pacing for the first half of the record, feeling progressive at times, but not overwhelming to the listener with endless solo breaks and uncommon time signature technicality.

"The Slave That You Are" will take some getting used to. Starting off with blast beat percussion, open guitar chords and Enslaved's Grutle Kjellso providing guest vocals, the stylistic flip is jarring to put it lightly. However, the first three tracks on the record are not just status quo gothic doom metal; there is something brewing underneath the surface and when it explodes on "The Slave That You Are" it feels so good! The title track, "The Shores of Melancholia" comes up next and even though the intensity has been pulled back, it still does not sound like the first handful of songs. The final track, "Too Close to the Flame" is the closest thing to a modern progressive power metal song. The instrumental sounds phenomenal even if the mixing does feel a little too overwhelming in the final minutes. Even then, the buildup to that finale is sweet and leaves the record feeling like a near perfect story with a buildup, climax and resolution. 

The way in which Green Carnation continues to impress this many years after their magnum opus is remarkable and the way they continue to develop their sound throughout the years remains one of progressive music's most surprising mysteries, in a genre where the main faces would rather repeat the same mistakes of their contemporaries.

Best Songs: As Silence Took You, Me, My Enemy, The Slave That You Are, The Shore of Melancholia

I've mentioned on a handful of occasions that I struggled with Sumerian Records back in the day. Djentcore was in its early stages of development and this record label was destined to pump out as many metalcore and djent bands as they possibly could through the early 2010s. Born of Osiris were just another one of the fairly unoriginal bands of the time, but as the years pass they modulate closer to the Veil of Maya sound. I've personally never cared for them, but as an inoffensive modern metalcore/deathcore/djent band, I cannot admit to ever switching the channel when they come on. A large reason for that was the songwriting, which was short and direct to the listener.

Short projects like The New Reign and The Simulation play into the groups strengths as being fat-free, straight-to-the-point metalcore/deathcore. Albums like Angel or Alien and more recently, Through Shadows on the other hand, are too long and drawn out for the band. Promotional singles like "Elevate" and "In Desolation" have decent ideas, but both feel cut short; "Elevate" and the opener "Seppuku" in particular feel like their final chorus is missing.

If this was a normal, formative Born of Osiris album, I probably would not mind as much. But in 2025, Through Shadows is a hair under fifty minutes in length. Combining that with shorter than average songs makes for a major issue in the structure of this release. When the band experiments with longer song structures like "A Mind Short Circuiting" and "Transcendence" it feels like two separate song ideas stitched together. The record is just not that well meshed and a large portion of that might come from the bands continued pivot towards electronica.

At the least the sound is nice. Since Born of Osiris are from that formative djent era, Through Shadows is super groovy. The percussion is precise and compliments the vocals very well as well as the occasional guitar lead. I did not find the guitar/bass work to be very impressive; this definitely still has that Sumerian blockiness to it. And vocals are mostly okay; Ronnie continues to move away from harsh screaming as frequently and they can be hit-or-miss, but I do appreciate how not every track on this record has a sung chorus.

Overall I found Through Shadows to be a fairly inoffensive album, just like the rest of Born of Osiris' discography. They are certainly talented when it comes to writing killer grooves and the occasional catchy hook, but given the albums length and continued push towards the progressive leaves this band in an odd predicament. Singles bands can be fine in small doses, but as far as I can tell, Born of Osiris are still chasing the shadows of Veil of Maya.

Best Songs: Inverno, Activated, Blackwater

Poland continues their knack of producing quality black metal albums then. I mean Mgla, Furia, Blaze of Perdition and Kriegsmaschine all have managed to make a niche for themselves, and now Kraków residents Medico Peste (which means Doctor Plague/Doctor Pestilence) offer up more than just blastbeats and tremolos on their third record. Landing somewhere between the production values of their fellow countrymen, Mgla and the skittish musings of Deathspell Omega, there is most certainly lots to explore on Aesthetic of Hunger. Full of twists and turns to keep the listener on their toes, it possesses a level of musicianship that few other acts can boast. The combination of the dissonance in the riffs performed within progressive structures give some of the tracks a real sense of expansion. Meanwhile the vocals carry a cruelty that seems to infect the very lyrics as they are spat into the air around them.

One must take note also of drummer Adrian Stempak’s performance. It is his assured and skilful playing that holds the fabric of the album sound together. Just as at home with blastbeats as he is with slower-paced or progressive patterns, he really manages to stand out for all the right reasons here. His good work starts immediately on the album opener, ‘St. Anthony’s Fire’ a track that shows the real gamut of his abilities. As well as having a strong line up to begin with, Medico Peste invited a range of guests onto the recording of the album. Instrumental number ‘Antrakt’ has a different drummer (Janusz Gałyga – who also covers electronics over the record), and a Bartłomiej Bardon adds some guitar work on ‘Ecclessiogenic Psychosis’. Most obvious in terms of their contribution though is female vocalist Hekte Zaren who contributes some dark alchemy to three tracks on the record.

Mostly, I find admiration for the bravery in the song writing on Aesthetic of Hunger. Tracks such as ‘The Black Lotus’ use melody in an almost non-linear way, maintaining an ominous presence as it guides the track along. These thrusts of melodic dissonance carve ever-growing arteries and veins into the harsher elements of the record. They feed the Medico Peste monster with a seemingly unending supply of pestilential blood for its rotten appetite. Balancing, the urgency of the tremolo alongside these more expansive elements is a task that is handled well. ‘Ecclessiogenic Psychosis’ clearly shows how well they manage this, being able to have the progressive structures teetering on the brink of destruction from the swarming guitars. Descending into an almost jazzy section around halfway through the track, the progressive elements really take over with the bass getting a lot of space in the mix. Hekte’s dark operatic vocals add yet further opulence to this lusciously nefarious little number. This is probably my album highlight in all honesty as the track ends up very much in a different place to where it starts.

The palate cleansing instrumental is unfortunately where things come a little unstuck for me. Although it is well placed in terms of still carrying some of the experimental structure from the previous track, ‘Antrakt’ is a slowing down of pace that I doubt the need for in all honesty. As interesting as it is, it just feels like it is obstructive when considering the album track listing. The more experimental elements do bring Furia to mind and ‘Folie de Dieu’ has a great riff structure to it that continues this theme. With some of the most scathing use of tremolos on the album to this point, this is a real welcome return to form after the instrumental let down. Yet, the album does still feel like it has lost some of the earlier form in terms of structure, over the second half at least. There is not any filler present on the album, but ‘Viaticum’ seems to meander a tad, dragging its heels a bit with a slower pace that if nothing else, does further emphasises the menace the album carries. As the very Mgla-esque closer ‘Act of Faith’ plays out the album, it is hard to ignore the earlier quality that covered the first four tracks in such glory. Whilst the album does go off the boil from the midway point onwards, Medico Peste are clearly still swinging punches the whole way through even if not all of them land correctly.

With my recent return to The Guardians, I've become more determined to discover more heavy/power metal that's either brand-new or I haven't heard before but wish I had 10 years ago when those two genres were my main focus. This month's Guardians feature release is worth continuing my journey. It's time to check out this band Blazon Rite and listen to them sing their Wild Rites and Ancient Songs!

It's quite a promising album with tough instrumentation and melodic writing. I also love the song titles, even though they all look like those AI-generated song titles with at least 5 words each. Considering the amount of bands who get put down for any alleged usage of AI, I just hope this band doesn't get wrongfully accused.

We already get to a great start that isn't so weird and cheesy with the opening track "Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom", which made me remember a band I haven't heard of in a few years, Slough Feg. Then "Salvage What You Can of the Night" cranks up the tempo. The chorus is worth singing along to in determination. Next song "The Fall of a Once Great House" slows things down for a bard-sung waltz before speeding up again in the second half.

"Mark of the Stormborn Riders" is more midpaced while driving the riff melodies forward. The title track has an acoustic intro then carries on in a marching pace and ends up in wild speed for a power-ish heavy metal song.

We have blazing speed in "Troubadours of the Final Quarrel". In the modern age of metal, not many people expect epic melodies within the way of classic heavy/power metal, but bands like Blazon Rite still have their exciting glory. And finally, there's the epic wonder of "The Coming Tide of Yule". It's probably the most Christmas-like melodic metal song since some songs by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Majestica's Christmas Carol. That should be worth listening to in the holiday season!

I enjoy what Blazon Rite has had to offer Wild Rites and Ancient Songs. It's great hearing this band bring more life to a style of metal that has withered decades after its highest peak. This offering shall appeal to listeners wanting more epicness and melody in metal without any cheese or orchestra. It's a Blazon Rite of passage!

Favorites: "Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom", "Mark of the Stormborn Riders", "Troubadours of the Final Quarrel", "The Coming Tide of Yule"

I have been trying to do this write up for a while, frustrated by the fact that whilst I freely admit that this is a good album, after it has finished, I get little in the way of memorability. Mossblood seethes with all the urgent intensity you would expect from a black metal record. Yet at the same time it possesses intricacy in how tracks are put together. Whilst the tremolo is very “trilly” in the main and plays a big part in their sound, Lichen are not afraid to use chords either. Add to this a morose sounding melody and an ability to change pace and tempos, and you can hear how things quickly become interesting.

The audible bass sound most certainly helps Mossblood carry a complete and full sound. It is not a heavy or particularly “twangy” bass presence by any means, however it does retain its shadowy subtlety as it drives tracks like ‘Chthonian Mysteries’. Equally, a solid, if not perhaps a little muffled sounding performance on the drums is also a consistent part of the instrumentation on the album. The production job is lo-fi enough in terms of values yet there is also some polish to the sound that helps with the clarity in the mix. This balance should keep the kvlt hordes happy as well as bringing a sense of the dynamic to the sound of the record.

Album highlight, ‘From Life to Loam’ bristles with a sharp melodicism that could give Spectral Wound a run for their money. There’s a section about halfway through where the bass picks up some real resonance and the tremolo slugs it out with some open chords. It is moments like these that help Lichen standout from most of the releases I have heard in black metal so far this year. When you consider that there are no synths/keys on the record, the amount of tension that Lichen can build is impressive. The tremolo has a foreboding about it and the hopelessness in some of the melodies helps in building this thick atmosphere. Silly “fungal” black metal tag aside, Mossblood offers as strong a representation of the second wave you are likely to hear in 2025.