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Even though I believe in God, I've made a point of forgiving people for sins that don't really affect me. Now matter how much I bitch and whine, there will be people who disagree with me on philosophy, so might as well accept it as a part of the natural world while acknowledging the difference in philosophy. So I've heard all the Slayer albums, a good deal of Bathory, and am of the opinion that the best death metal band is Septicflesh.  But Behemoth really made their point of hatred towards religion a million times over, so do we really need it again?

Considering how familiar this album is, I'm going to have to say "not this time." Behemoth's "The Shit ov God" is obviously built specifically to get anti-religious people to buy the album, as if they're relying on edge factor. Newsflash: that's how people LOSE interest. Hell, Wes Craven used to think being edgy was what mattered most, and his early career was pretty downhill once he hated and disowned his own porn flick, and switched right to THEMES, which made his movies much better overtime. But Behemoth took the opposite route.

Now the two good things that can be said about this album are that the production is absolutely perfect. The crystal clarity is some of the finest in metal, but that's to be expected from veterans. As well, half the riffs are quite catchy, which really does help. I found myself really enjoying the bits that got quite proggy, like the midtro of O Venvs, Come. So there's a strong metal energy here that can help everything be at least fairly enjoyable to some, but this is also an extremely typical album for them. I said half the riffs were catchy, but the other half are so standard that you can pull them off of any obscure crap lost in the RYM charts. So only half the time does the production justify these performances. As well, taking a look at the lyrics, they feel thrown together and basic. The overabundance of old-timey / medieval phrasing seems to distract from that aggressive, angry nature that they're trying to promote so brutally, so the ancient vibes and the religious anger kind of contradict each other like matter and antimatter.

So this most recent entry in the Behemoth catalogue was an attempt at bringing back the vibes of their most beloved work, The Satanist, but the quality steers a bit closer to their middling debut, Sventevith. Fun moments and boring moments are heald together with a strong metallic presence and pure diamond production, so while it's perfectly listenable, it has its problems.

Now then, here’s an unexpected find in 2025. An album that reminds me of Enslaved, circa the noughties. Still with some of that Viking earthiness about them, but with an obvious smarter edge to their sound, Helheim’s latest offering takes me back to probably the last time I enjoyed an Enslaved record. With the pagan traits of Kampfar added into this mix that also has a rich melodic vein to it also (Windir, springs to mind) and the near clunky transitions of Borknagar, HrabnaR / Ad vesa soon starts to offer a lot in the way of charm to the experienced metal fan. Helheim themselves have been around as long as Enslaved (well, barring a year) and longer than Kampfar or Borknagar, so are hardly new to these sounds of course.

Album number twelve is described by the band as a “groundbreaking release” in the sense that the album was written in two equal halves. One half by V'gandr and the other half by H'grimnir, giving a “bold evolution” to the bands established sound. I will have to take their word for it as I have never listened to any other album by the band, so I can only comment on what I find on here. Whichever half of the record it is that I listen to, Helheim are unafraid to experiment with their established sound. With Hammond organ and grand piano both listed as instruments used on the record, we should not expect endless blastbeats and howls of icy fury throughout.

In this regard, there is an air of predictability to the experimental elements of the sound. Knowing they are traveling an expansive path does not necessarily result in the view being all that unfamiliar in the long run. That’s because they can stay true to their own roots whilst treading in the footsteps of the other mentioned bands already listed in this review. I do not say this as a criticism of the band or indeed the album, as I enjoy the record very much still. It feels accomplished without being cocksure, yet at the same time to call it a “groundbreaking” album seems a stretch in my opinion.

It is well played and produced to a high standard also, doing justice to the various ingredients of the music in terms of letting them all have their moment in the limelight. At forty-four minutes it does not feel too long and still manages to leave the impression of being a well-though out set of compositions that aren’t hurried along at any point. Whilst I cannot pretend to get lost in it, and I do struggle to retain a lot of what I hear (maybe it is a little too much like Enslaved on the backend of the album in particular to stimulate my brain cells much), it is a record that has seen me come back to it out of pure entertainment value. Whilst I may not remember it all, I do still recall it is a good record at least.

So, here is yet another example of the fact that I have no idea what I am talking about, or even what I like half the time. My only other exposure to Krallice was their 2015 album, Ygg Hur, to which I awarded a measly 2.5 stars. I remember said album as being a bit technical and a bit dissonant in the way that I didn't especially enjoy around that time. As such, I wasn't particularly enthused going in to this, but it is actually pretty good and I enjoyed it a helluva lot. It is made up of fairly lengthy and repetitive tracks of muscular black metal that seem to have a beefiness derived from employing death metal production techniques. With the repetitious nature of the riffs and lengthy runtimes you would be forgiven for filing this away as atmospheric black metal but it isn't really as I don't think the repetition is deployed in a way as to create atmospheric layers, but rather to bludgeon the listener and make them feel like they have taken a metaphorical punch on the nose. There is some dissonance involved, but nothing too egregious and certainly not enough to put even my sensitivity to it on alert, just enough to add a bit of bite and edge to the tracks to prevent them becoming too warm and fuzzy.

I don't want to give the impression that this is a boring slog of repetition, though, because the songwriting and composition of a track like "Telluric Rings" is much more accomplished and nuanced than that and is a fine of example of a band who want to make interesting black metal whilst still delivering on the darker side of the genre. The band employ two vocalists, the main one, I think, is guitarist Mick Barr whose vocals are a harsh bark in a more death metal style than the more familiarly thin shrieks of second vocalist, bassist Nicholas McMaster. Speaking of which, I must also make mention of McMaster's bass playing which is busily at work doing some serious heavy lifting for a fair bit of the runtime, not content to just follow the riffing, the bass weaves some quite complex patterns, adding some nice flavour to the musical mix.

I have got to say, I am quite impressed by Diotima and feel that maybe I have been unjustified in giving Krallice short shrift in the past. Every track is strong, but the aforementioned "Telluric Rings" sounds like something special to me and is possibly heading towards becoming a firm black metal favourite of mine.

Somehow flying under my radar to date, Finland’s Havukruunu have been causing waves in metal for a few years. It has taken me about ten listens to Tavastland before I could order my thoughts into some semblance of coherence, such was my surprise at just how much I enjoyed their unique brand of imperious blackened heavy metal. I mean, I have heard pagan black metal before, Moonsorrow and Kampfar immediately spring to mind, but nothing quite feels as invested as Tavastland does and certainly nothing sounds as passionate as it does. Telling the story of the Tavastian people’s rebellion against the Catholic church in 1237, the album carries the angst and unrest of the story well on its broad shoulders. The storytelling as a result carries an authenticity a sincerity even, to it. Far from relying on furious blastbeats and raging tremolos, Havukruunu construct the narrative with well-thought through structures. Unafraid to lean on melody and catchy, chant-driven chorus lines to captivate the listener, the Finns show a versatile and pleasing array of variety across the eight songs here.

I am captivated by the time the chants start on opening track ‘Kuolematon laulunhenki’, only to be further hauled into the baying mob by the mining riffs of ‘Havukruunu ja talvenvarjo’. The choral elements of the latter track disperse into the song unexpectedly, without dispelling the more aggressive and driving rhythm that constitutes the main part of the track. I think this is one of the key areas of success for Tavastland. Despite showing a clear penchant for the more extreme parts of metal, the band always keep that apron string back to that very traditional metal sound that their art is built on, very much in reach still. The pagan influence does not get lost either, the title track being heavy with that content across both instrumentation and vocal context also.

There is a cello, and numerous sections of keys deployed on Tavastland, meaning the interest levels are easy to maintain throughout for me. I cannot pretend to be pagan metals biggest fan but when an album is put together this well, it is hard not to be onboard. The lead work is sublime. Richly melodic and still completely unintrusive, in fact it is most welcome when it does make an appearance on tracks. The notes all sound crisp and clear against the more urgent backdrops of the music they are so often layered over. With such a heady sounding review thus far, it is perhaps unsurprising that I have not hinted at any negatives. The truth is, I don’t have any criticisms, no duff tracks and no moments where I reach for the skip button. This may be down to it being an excellent album that moves at such a relentless pace that you cannot help but be taken along by it. Is the last track a stretch too far at nearly eleven minutes? Well, maybe for some. However, to me it sounds like a final glorification of the great content that precedes it and so I love it just as much as I do the rest of the record.

This year’s exploration of new releases has seen me approaching the early signs of burnout as we reach the halfway point of 2025. With some two hundred and fifty albums already listened to, many of which soon got dismissed before ever being considered worthy of a second listen, it was starting to get a little tiresome. I am grateful though of the releases that still transcend this creeping sense of tedium. The ones that manage to still leave more than a mere dent in the plethora of releases in the year so far. These albums and EPs have something about them, an essence of some strength beyond their grim content and corpse-painted faces. Whilst they don’t always have to be soaked in progressive tendencies, albums such as Incendiary Sanctum are what have kept me largely going this year.

These Canadians come from a strong pedigree of black metal bands, with the country already being responsible for giving me Spectral Wound, Nordicwinter and Panzerfaust, to mention but a few. They are different to pretty much most of what I have heard come out of Canada to date though, deploying a strong death metal element as well as having a post-metal vein running through their sound. It is easy to look at an album with track lengths that extend to nearly nineteen minutes and be discouraged. Indeed, I would go as far as to say parts of Incendiary Sanctum look daunting. However, my experience of these lengthy tracks has thankfully not been one of progressive wankery or grandiose showmanship. Even without that imposing nature to performances it is clear beyond any doubt that everything is remarkably well played here. Equally the album is arranged very intelligently, and yet even with this order to proceedings, especially with that post-metal element being so strong, the dynamics of the sound do not suffer. Arguably the most obtuse thing about the band for me is their ridiculous name.  A Flock Named Murder?  Really?

The four tracks that run over the hour and three-minute duration are all delivered with a maturity and a sense of patience being applied to the song development. This is not just four tracks of post-metal that grow into raging black metal crescendos at the halfway point, to be then taken into some death metal section before fading away into more minimalist pastures to end. The structures here are varied and are kept interesting throughout the longer than usual runtimes. Think the clever songwriting of Cult of Luna coupled with the innovation of Enslaved and then throw some Agalloch in there to temper everything and you are absolutely on the right track. I would argue that this is more entertaining than anyone of those bands in isolation (notwithstanding that I am not Agalloch’s biggest fan by any means) and being able to take the better elements from just three such well established artists show a talent in itself of course.

Incendiary Sanctum is one of the better-balanced releases that I have heard in 2025. Where it does lean into prog it does so without managing to lose me. The death metal element is strong throughout and whilst there is little room for black metal, what is here is still of excellent quality. It does start to lose some traction with me if I listen in one sitting and I do find that splitting the album in two does tend to reap the better rewards for me. I cannot think of anything else I have heard this year to compare this with and as such it stands out from the pack well in what has already been a very busy year.

Featuring a cover, every bit as horrific as the content held within, Veneraxiom’s debut full-length is a somewhat aphotic affair in the sense that there is zero sign of light, hope or positivity throughout its nine hellish soundscapes. This is an album made for people who accept that there is no unspoken rule to the universe around fairness. Life is cruel and so is Veneraxiom’s music, so fuck you all. Leaning towards death metal more than being simply conventional black metal, Apocryphilia is ironically far from being questionable or inauthentic. The band achieve exactly what they set out to from where I am sat listening. Torturing the listener with crude black ‘n roll elements and then terrifying us the next with screams of unfathomable human suffering the next, this is an album that has no hidden depths and is stronger for it.

The trio hail from LA and have released a couple of EPs and a compilation to date (along with a split with Grand Bewitchment in 2023) before committing to a full album release some six years into their existence. Tracks lurch around, shrouded in morose melodies and mining riffs. Spoken word excerpts from films make appearances here and there to emphasise the direction of the music a little more clearly. There is a mocking undertone to this album, the sense that Veneraxiom are laughing at the order of society, its cultural norms and the comforts of modernity. Apocryphalia is not as uncomfortable a listen and it is supposed to be though. It has a punky catchiness to it in places, which although smothered by relentless blastbeats at times, is most definitely always around the mix of things.

The album’s Achilles heel is its longevity factor for me. By the time I get to track five, I get it, after which point I am zoning out more than a little bit. Whilst I do understand why a bit of variety here and there would kill the aesthetic they are trying to create; the spoken word sections don’t inject enough extra for me to focus on. Whilst ‘Et Demonio Ad Aternum’ does try to dial up the intensity immediately after the midway point, throwing some chaotic lead work into the music to jolt the concentration back on point, it is only a momentary reprise. For the final three tracks of the album, there is a sense that the band are just coasting to the end. In their stronger moments, I am reminded of Grave Miasma which is no mean comparison to be able to make, right? If we could stray into that brand of ordered chaos, then I feel I could stretch the rating on Apocryphilia somewhat. As it stands though, I will simply make note of them ready for if they get to a sophomore release.

I purchased The Triumph of Malignant Narcissism after just one full listen through being completed. This happens rarely with me, but with my renewed use of Bandcamp, the ease of purchase was just too hard to resist when faced with this fantastic slab of frantic black metal. Simply put, the record ticks all my bm boxes, tingles all my necro nerve endings and scratches those riff craving itches nicely. All the work of Илья Львов (or Elias as he is known), this one-man project has one other record to his name, which I am yet to experience but it most certainly be going on the to do list soon enough based on my experience of this record at least.

When I go looking for a black metal record, as in a real black metal record, The Triumph… is the exact type of record I want to find. Full of vicious riffing and strained keys, with ghastly vocals too boot. The percussion is just awash with that shimmering hue of hi-hats over the rest of the music, but they never invade the other elements. The rampant riffs of ‘Necromancer’s Night’ shows this perfectly, the riffs get front and centre at a couple of points and it is glorious in underlining the beastly nature of the track. Despite the raw approach here, I sense some calculation in the arrangement of tracks as the album does only appear to grow in stature as it blazes its way along to completion.

Those dungeon synth elements are well executed also. Unafraid at times to let them take centre stage, they create a distorted and near dizzying atmosphere. They play almost sub-consciously across the record to my ears, plaguing the rest of the instrumentation in the background like nefariously evil children causing mischief in the corner of the studio with a synthesiser that is not plugged into the mains and is low on battery power, but they play the shit out of it all the same. Lovers of the second wave can park their cars along the roadside if the car park is full as you most certainly would not want to miss out on this record.

Variety is here still; it is just kept to a minimum. Occasional strings (‘The Darkest Path’, ‘The Ballad of the Scorn’s Guardian’) add further atmospheres alongside the much-discussed synths, but the record is still at its best when in full flow. ‘Sadistic Grin of Evil’ is the standout track for me. This is straight up, no fucks left to give black metal, delivered in a riotous and offense manner. I can almost see the sadistic grin in question, stretched across the face of Elias as he sneers his way through the track. You could easily find more necro/lo-fi sounding bm I am sure, but production values on the record are suitably low enough, intimating that ‘recorded in my bedroom’ vibe perfectly.

Altar of Woe just challenged my current top bm release of the year (even though Gràb is very much a different style of bm) and it is a strong contender to remain there ahead of the likes of Drape even. All hail!

The enjoyment I found in Nattestid ser porten vid... from Taake, released all the way back in 1999, has never been topped by anything that I have heard by them since.  Considering my praise for it (a generous 4.5 stars, no less) with its excellent songwriting, I could have been forgiven for wondering how good things would get on subsequent releases.  Admittedly my coverage of the rest of the discography is patchy at best, but even on the more casual listens to the likes of ...Bjoergvin... or ...Doedskvad those albums have not lived up to being anywhere near the debut release's standard.  My main criticism of Stridens hus was that the rock elements had gotten just too brazen and there was a regurgitation of ideas that had already had more than enough airtime over the years.

Noregs vaapen appears to be an earlier version of the same issue.  Whilst I can acknowledge that it sounds nowhere near as sterile and dull as Stridens hus, it most certainly has the same underlying issues.  Gone are the clever arrangements of the debut, replaced instead by ad-hoc instrumentation and random sections.  It seems unrealistic to say that such a shadowy and controversial figure puts out music for clickbait purposes, yet Noregs vaapen just does not sit well with me in terms of being a black metal album with kvlt credentials galore.  That probaby sounds more elitist than it is supposed to, and as someone who listens to a variety of music, I can honestly say that incorporating your influences into your sound is an absolute given.  That is not to say it always works though, and there are always some boundaries I am uncomfortable with being pushed too far.

What is here is well played, and this is by no means a terrible record.  The longevity factor is stunted for me though and the appeal wears of far too quickly.  There is not any shock value to it, yet bizarrely there is no sense of familiarity from it either, as a black metal record it feels quite alien to me.

My enjoyment of Hexvessel’s last offering, Polar Veil was based on the clever combinations that weaved through each song. This tapestry of mysterious atmospheres, doomy aesthetics and blackened leanings has not only been retained on Nocturne, but the intensity of these elements has been increased. Hexvessel pick up on album number six right from where they left off last time. It is a stronger sounding record from the off, exhibiting a boldness about the brevity of the songwriting as we immediately roll into two eight-minute plus length tracks following a succinct intro track. It is also obvious from the beginning of the record that the blackened edges are more present than I recall them being on Polar Veil. This creeping iciness tempers the more brazen elements of the record. Where we get a little too folk-laden (‘A Dark & Graceful Wilderness’) or dreamy even (‘Phoebus’), the are some black metal droplets that drop into the stillness of the water and immediately disperse with a subtle yet audible disruption.

The band achieve atmospheric black metal heights during ‘A Dark & Graceful Wilderness’, those chiming keys overlayed atop the grim riffs hit with maximum effect. Their ability to combine seemingly opposing elements is borne out by the plethora of instruments utilised that are arranged to work so well together. The piano that opens Nocturne has no place once the raging tide of ‘Sapphire Zephyrs’ kicks in. Yet the slow of pace the track takes for the chorus sees the scathing riffage no less offensive in delivery, just well-tempered by the delicate vocals and background piano keys. Acoustically serene strings give us a further chapter to this song. Creating such a triumphant track so early in the record whets the appetite for what comes next on the record.

Bristling with spiritual transcendence and possessing a soothing and calming capacity to act as a balm to the more aggressive sections, Nocturne is a real exploratory record that all feels well anchored to the central theme that runs through the record of a connection to nature and our surroundings in general. Lavished with choral elements like on ‘Inward Landscapes’ there is a sense of a near-constant evolving to the record as these new parameters are set, and ethereal elements are introduced. The songwriting seems to suggest that although it is a nebulous concept, the world around us, our immediate earthly surroundings, offer opportunity to connect to a more mystical and basic form of existence.

Hexvessel sound committed to this record and the themes it explores. There is obvious passion behind the music which is well played throughout. Without being able to describe the guitars as luscious exactly, there is a moreish quality to them still. I never want the beauty of ‘Spirit Masked Wolf’ to end as it rises to seemingly unfathomable heights of serenity. The doomier elements of the album are delivered thoughtfully, applying a cloak of subtle atmosphere and more sluggish pacing when deployed. I am struggling to find fault overall with Nocturne and my reticence to give it a full five star rating is more due to the feeling to need to spend more time with it, as opposed to any individual fault I can place my finger on.

Kadath is a prime example of how perception can change over time. Having never heard of Ultar before this, my only expectation was that they were a blackgaze group from the Krasnoyarsk region. Initial thoughts were mixed, but I cannot say that I didn't enjoy parts of how Kadath sounded. The biggest issues I had with the album had to do with production sounding very treble heavy and not emphasizing its low end enough to make these songs really pop off.

Repeated listens is when the issues hit. Blackgaze is, by definition, not a very innovative genre. And with very few exceptions (i.e. Svalbard, White Ward, etc.), growth in the genre has become remarkably stale since Deafheaven's Sunbather. If I were to listen to Kadath when it came out nearly ten years ago, I probably would have enjoyed it more; I like Sunbather and Kadath just seems to be more of that. But now, having been oversaturated with blackgaze and a fair bit of it stemming from the Russian Federation, Kadath doesn't do anything for me personally. More so, the albums faults are further emphasized. Lacking a prominent bass to propel these tracks forward is a grave misfire in the worst of times, and here is no exception. Including two such interlude tracks ("Shore of the Sleeping Seas" and "The Ancient Ones") are comfortable breaks, but I'm not sure that "Xasthur" and "Azathoth" really needed them. The closing track "Kadath" does sound really nice and has this excellent sounding crescendo leading towards a conclusion, but not only does this crescendo feel excessive, but it also leaves the listener on a cliffhanger; it's literally the Dragonball meme where Goku charges his finishing move for an entire half-an-hour episode, only to miss in the last thirty seconds.

Best Songs: Xasthur, Azathoth

Consisting of three members, Kveldstimer contains Alex Poole (Krieg amongst a million others) on guitar, bass and synths, Rory Flay (former Ash Borer) doing vocals, guitar and synths and Seguigo just doing drums and keeping it simple. The first two list a multitude of other bands as active projects currently and clearly bring a wealth of experience to the set-up, as The Cursed Oak nods firmly back to the early days of Norwegian black metal. With Ildjarn and Sort Vokter influences clearly on display, the nine tracks on offer here possess a chilling vibrancy and an ambient allure for fans of atmospheric black metal. But fear not, ye blastbeat loving masses, for The Cursed Oak has a hefty old share of higher tempo stuff to please all of you.

What is immediately obvious upon starting to listen to the album is that the music is written by well established and highly skilled musicians. The instrumentation all fits together seamlessly for the main part. Tremolos are well picked and those insanely screech guitar melodies sit just the correct side of not grating territory. This component reminds me of Akhlys on opening track ‘Withering Storm’. Beyond mesmerising at this early point in the record, the guitars possess a real potency to them. The whole album seems to command an offensive position without ditching the ethereal and haunting atmospherics in the process. The drums are solid and consistent, unafraid to blast yet also I hear a couple of runs and fills here and there that fit the aesthetic of tracks well. Rory’s vocals are a vicious rasp for the most part, with there being one occasion on ‘Broken Limbs in the Frost’ where they take on a bellicose, folk element which if I am honest is an uncomfortable moment for me, even after hearing it multiple times.

The synths are deployed effectively on all the tracks here and the album would be at a loss without them for me. Providing a real supporting role as opposed to dominating proceedings, they swell tracks with a richness, and within the swirling chaos that they help develop, I sense them growing, filling all available space behind those prominent guitars. The soundtrack to my late summer evening listening playlist will have instrumental track ‘Solitude’s Garden’ in the mix. The cold resonance of the synths creates a cooling ambience in the harshest of temperatures for me. The track also provides a well-placed palate cleanser, positioned towards the middle of the record.

As with all atmospheric black metal releases, there are comparisons with BAN almost inevitably made and The Cursed Oak does not escape this either. There seems a little more of an acute intensity to Kveldstimer’s sound (just a touch mind). If you pay close enough attention though you will hear the great build that tracks possess. The early third of ‘Their Eyes I the Shadow of the Moon’ being a fine example of this, as the guitar makes a sound like a war horse about to charge into battle before unleashing the tremolo upon the track. Again, that Akhlys sound is on full display during the melodic riffing of this track, something which please me no end. It may have taken me a few listens to get there, but I have discovered a real gem in this one. Addiction levels are high currently.

Waidelotte... That's a name I haven't heard before, but then again, aren't there many other bands with unusual names? Apparently, this band is named after a Prussian priestess with duties of prayers, blessings and fortune. Anyone with historical knowledge would know that Prussia was a German state with a Baltic tribe until it was abolished as a result of World War II. It is not to be confused with Russia, the country currently at war with Ukraine.

Waidelotte was formed in Ukraine in 2023, when the war was (and still is) raging. Members of the band have come from more notable bands, with vocalist Andrii Pechatkin from White Ward and bassist Oleksii "Zlatoyar" Kobel from Soen. The only other member is guitarist Mykhailo Bogaichuk, so I'm guessing the drums are programmed. Conceptually, Celestial Shrine takes you through death and despair in inner struggles to battle. This album is described as melodic/pagan black metal, though I can also witness the melodeath/progressive metal of Obscura, maybe even Ne Obliviscaris. The vocals and bass give that away in the extreme instrumentation blended with folklore.

"Descending" is a soft folk-ish intro not too far off from Opeth's interludes. As for the first actual song, "The Era of Stagnant Gods", it's not often you hear flute after extreme fury, but it works out well. The slow ending sounds so atmospheric. Hurdy-gurdy comes up in "Todestrieb", which itself is a melodic pounder. The usage of folk instruments and occasional female singing give it a bit of an Eluveitie vibe.

"Opulent Mirage" is a more progressive highlight, mixing the mid-2000s eras of Enslaved, Leprous, and Opeth. "The Mortality Archway" basically takes the extreme side of Kayo Dot and adds in the thrashy complexity of Believer and some Eastern European instrumentation. "Ascending" is one more folk interlude with Neurosis-like ambience.

Things get more fun in "Lightkeeper". Then the title track tones down the fun for some melancholic sorrow. It makes great use of their native instruments like the bandura, performed by Vlad Vakolyuk. That aspect is in superb balance with heavy riffing. This should've been the end of this offering, but the band felt like adding a little something to make a full album... "Dissolving" is an 8-minute dark ambient track featuring Solar Kollapse. It's so odd and boring, and the album would've been perfect without it.

The half-hour of power that makes up the rest of Celestial Shrine is an effective album of Slavic-infused progressive melodic black/death. It's a unique combo that really hits it right. The horrors of this ongoing war didn't stop this Ukranian band from unleashing their creative talents. They should really be commended for their perseverance....

Favorites: "The Era of Stagnant Gods", "Opulent Mirage", "The Mortality Archway", "Celestial Shrine"

The internet is losing its shit over the cover of a black metal record featuring an armour-clad male in corpse paint lay on a bed of red roses, gazing wistfully into the camera lens whilst his sword is casually placed front of shot. It is an unexpected cover shot in many ways, yet it is also in keeping with the contents of the record itself. Cruel World of Dreams and Fears possesses an innate poignancy within its sound of strained melodies and catchy percussion patterns. It is very much on the south side of gaze (which is a massive positive in my book) yet at the same time is not entirely conventional in the black metal sound. Just as the album photo suggests, there are some depths to the record. “Is it AI?”, cry the internet purists. Well, I don’t possess any such detection means, so I will have to go with my own instinct instead.

The artist himself has many other projects ranging from trap metal to shoegaze. In a recent interview he said "I don't believe in rigid identities or linear artistic paths. I see every project as a vector—a path of escape,”. As the die-hards don their 1,001 nail arm bands and grab pitchforks and torches before they off marching en masse to Warsaw to demand Draugveil bathe in a vat of make up remover to banish any vestige of black metal from their being, I prefer to take a listen and understand what I can find on the album of any interest.

Amidst the clatter and batter of the percussion and the jangle of the tremolo, there sits a droning, whining and at times outright wonky guitar or keyboard melody. It invokes gothic tropes, nearing an almost new romantic appearance at times. It is an album that is unafraid of ambience also. ‘Beneath the Armor I Rot’ bristles with ethereal sorrow, the piano keys pinpointing moments of sheer beauty in what at times can be a frantic paced record to absorb otherwise. Dungeon synth influences seep into the record as well, not overdone yet not hiding at the same time either. The various elements that get deployed all do have a sense of balance about them. Yes, there are constants in the performance, but they maintain a connection for me as a listener, no individual element manages to alienate at any stage.

90’s generic black metal? Well, yes, it is guilty of that to some degree. That most certainly does not qualify it as AI generated though. Cruel World of Dreams and Fears is a good description of the reaction to this record I feel. We live in age when familiarity genuinely does breed contempt as an auto-response. A not too distant second place goes to the poking of fun and aiming humour at something that in one breath is accused of being generic yet in the other ridiculed for straying down a path of being too camp for black metal. Draugveil finds himself in an isolationist position, whether he planned it or not. Which again, is another huge irony that for all the criticism of it, the record ends up in a very black metal place still.

Not content with just seven active projects, USBM misanthrope Drape (or E.X. to had slightly less mystery to him) first ventured into our ear space with three demos, a split, a single and an EP in what turned out to be a busy 2024 for him. This year sees the full length arrive, promising “six hymns filled with torment and regret”, and that we have “TRUE FUNERAL BLACK METAL” (the capitals are as the words are typed on their Bandcamp page). I am unsure if this is the announcement of a new sub-genre or not, but Beautiful Glorious Death Throes has a slower pace than most black metal releases for sure. It is suitably morose as well, with rasping vocals striking out from behind the din of guitars that swarm in front of them.

This duo (E.X. on guitars and vocals, Drugoth on drums) cast the grimmest of shadows over what is in fact just twenty-five minutes of low-fi black metal chaos. Whilst never straying into the frantic blastbeats of say Gorogorth, Drape still vary the pace from their funereal core nicely whilst never quite losing that lurching backdrop to the overall aesthetic. Clearly equipped with an understanding of the second wave, this is a pairing that soon convinced me of their kvlt credentials. That almost monotone, edge to the drumming made me think there was a drum machine deployed at first. With minimal bass presence, the sterile nature of the sound echoes in the vast cavern that it seems the album was recorded in.

Tracks such as ‘Lifeless and Corpsed’ are tormenting little numbers to contend with. The drums labour just enough to make you wonder if they are going to bother or not at times, whilst the guitar just continues to grind out that tremolo riff, occasionally allowing it to soar a shade higher to truly herald the growth of the track. But in the main, Beautiful Glorious Death Throes is a success largely because of its steadfastness. The album does exactly what it says on the tin. You can predict how the record is going to sound, just be looking at the necro cover, and if you love bm then you will not be disappointed in the no frills approach. This is a true celebration of darkness that is as consistent as the other EP and split that came out this year from these guys also.

My symphonic deathcore expedition has led me to what might just be the earliest band of that sound besides Winds of Plague, The Breathing Process. This American band from Connecticut has practically invented the idea of a symphonic deathcore/melodeath blend while also throwing in some Scandivanian-style melodic black metal. It's a mix of epic and extreme that barely any other band had attempted before...

Having just come across their debut In Waking Divinity, I have to admit, it's not as glorious as the later more popular bands of the league. However, it's slightly better than other humble beginning attempts at a niche subgenre. I also admit that the band name is a little goofy, but not bad enough to qualify for the "sh*ttiest band name" thread.

The album's intro "The Hunter" is an ambient yet heavy start with some samples. A bit pointless, yet I approve. The title track impresses me with heavy guitars, skilled drums, and killer vocals. While the symphonics are more oddly placed compared to the later bands of the league, I enjoy the more metallic headbanging sections. Great start, though keep that in mind before the remaining full songs of the album follow the same formula. "Lament Configuration" is a melancholic piano lament. "Blessed, Be Thine Martyr" basically continues the melodic deathcore sound of Bring Me the Horizon's debut Count Your Blessings and blends it with the symphonic black metal of Abigail Williams around that time. "Pandora's Rebirth" has more unique identity. I love the chorus in which the vocals appear over background synths, reminding me of Bleeding Through.

Not much happens in the 24 seconds that make up "Oceans". However, "The Harvesting" attacks like a symphonic Despised Icon. Melodic and technical riffing are more balanced in "Prey" which isn't amazing but I approve of this stylistic blend.

"Legion's Prayer" is one more piano interlude. The winning highlight has to be "Dear Antigone" with lots of vicious headbanging moments. "Somnium" has more interesting progressiveness. It starts doomy with spoken vocals, slowly building up before a final climax. A bonus track in some editions, "Inferno" is an earlier track from the I Am Legion demo, and I love the clean chorus here. If they had more of that in the actual album, I would rate it higher.

I think the title track and those 3 full songs at the end are what you need if you're checking out this band and album for the first time. While a couple tracks in the middle and the interludes are average, In Waking Divinity is still a good start to the then-unpopular symphonic deathcore trend. Not to be missed out, but it's fine if it is....

Favorites: "In Waking Divinity", "Pandora's Rebirth", "The Harvesting", "Dear Antigone", "Somnium", "Inferno"

Norrhem’s fourth full length release has been bobbing around near the surface of my fathomless pool of new releases this year for months now. As soon as I get into it again, something else distracts me and then I go back see it marked as a “contender” on my list of new releases I am working through, and I remember to give it some more plays before I fallback into the whirlpool of new music that I cycle in nowadays. Nominating it for feature release in The North clan this month had a hidden purpose of giving its review an added dependency.

Now, I am not overly familiar with pagan black metal, however I do know a hint of Moonsorrow when I hear one and after multiple listens, I think that the reference is the nearest I can make to how I can define the sound here. The tracks for the most part have solid, driving rhythms, offset with acoustic, atmospheric passages that give time for reflection. Clearly Norrhem have a deep sense of pride in their Finnish heritage and this nationalism is strong in the sound of the music. Embracing the melodic aspects as they do on Aurinko ja teräs alongside the more choral/chanting effects makes for a good mix of foot stomping black metal that carries an almost hidden catchiness (in the sense that it takes a few listens to pick up on it – well at least I did). Unexpectedly, I find some of the tracks quite warming, despite the colder atmospheres associated in general with the music.

I did baulk at the symphonic comparisons I saw with other bands but, again, upon repeated listens I did start to increasingly notice this in the sound. Even when the band drifts a bit too far on the eerie ballad ‘Mullan marttyyrit’, they still manage to make it work well in the grander scheme of things as a (albeit slightly grandiose) intro to the title track. Despite this symphonic and pagan meleé the band can add a great selection of riffs into play also, ranging from the squally efforts on ‘Hävitetty maa’ through to the relentless chop of ‘Teräsmyrskyssä’ which is my album highlight here. Some of the keys remind me of 80’s pop whilst on other occasions they sound like chimes straight from a Burzum record.

Aurinko ja teräs has worked its way onto my rotation with an almost dogged determination. It is not my usual bag really but is hardly celebrating sub-genres that I go out of my way to avoid either. My overarching sense from multiple connections with it is that the record grows stronger as it goes on without quite reaching the imperious levels of pagan black metal that Havukruunu have achieved in recent years. It is unlikely to walk away with any massive accolades this year but it certainly deserves recognition.

Belgium is at it again. That often-forgotten corner of the global black metal community that likes to give it large with the synths to really add some atmosphere whilst still retaining the requisite amounts of rawness to remind us that production values still don’t mean diddly-squat. Forbidden Temple has seven years of marauding, atmospheric bm under their bullet belts. Espousing witchcraft and good old-fashioned paganism as some of their key topics of lyrical discussion, this trio (don’t really know how fulltime the keyboard guy is) now have two albums to their name. You will have to scour YouTube to find them, as they are released on suitably obscure and shadowy labels only (no Spotify or Apple Music quick search items here thank you very much).

In the Rotting Grave certainly sounds like it has been recorded south of ground level. It is full of dank riffs and lumbering synths. Creating doom-like atmospheres seems to be an organic output to what Forbidden Temple do. The opening to ‘Mephistopheles Nightmare’ with its choral accompaniment sounds perfect before it gives way to some solid riffs and haunting keys, the drums all the while are bashing away like some dementor with two bits of wood and a stool and some pedals. The Norwegian influence is still very clear throughout the record, with early Darkthrone being a clear similarity from the off. However, there’s some Mortuary Drape and Samael kicking around on here too. FT are all about the late 80’s and early 90’s bm scene baby.

Not much is known about the members of the band, yet it is clear where their hearts lie in terms of influence. Whilst the aesthetic is very DIY in terms of production the performances themselves have layers and textures. The result of this is that whilst In the Rotting Grave retains a distinctly murky and cold charm to it, utterly devoid of any grandiosity, at the same time it has a deep-rooted warmth to it that reminds me of Varathron also. This dynamic tends to hide in plain sight, adds to the constant sense of mystery and necrotic wonder of the album for me. I feel like I know exactly where I am going each time I listen to it, yet I hear something new each time I listen. Not that repeated listens uncovers new instrumentation or extrovert direction, more that subtle melody lurks in corners not fully explored the last time around.

So where does it sit in the year list? Well, it breaks into the top 20 without managing to challenge the higher scores, relying as it does on purely old school qualities to separate it from the pack to any degree. There is a lot to enjoy here however and I would suggest it will continue to be revisited for some months to come.

Eiger is in reference to a specific mountain found in the Bernese Alps. Aara are using this mountain as the basis for their album since it is one of the most treacherous inclines on the planet. At least 64 climbers have attempted to climb to its peak, and have been unable to return to tell the tale; the perfect backdrop for a Nordic atmospheric black metal project!

Aara have been producing records on an annual basis since 2019 (which is very impressive) and Eiger is kind of a change of pace for them. Aara's previous releases have told recollections of gothic literature, so this move towards real life events might be strange. And that can be heard in the vocal presentation. I do know a little German from my second language course in University, however I haven't used that language in quite some time, so the finer details in the words were a little hard to dissect. But in general, the vocals of this album are pretty barebones. Not that I expect a life changing storytelling experience out of a black metal album, but they do feel rather dry.

But when the vocals are so inconsequential to the performance, it allows for those gorgeous instrumentals to take center stage. When those blast beats and thundering guitars enter the mix you can feel the weight of two avalanches suppressing you. While the guitar leads lead you on an almost ethereal journey. The key to making Eiger so good is the songwriting. When the album is ferocious, it's as pulverizing as any modern black metal record. But when then album brings in those acoustic guitars for outros, intros and bridges, they bring another layer to this already cold tale. Something about their unaccompanied texture is just so isolating and awesome and give the listener a moment of respite before the inevitable return of the black metal textures of before. They almost remind me a little bit of Saor's Forgotten Paths from 2019 and that's high praise.

Unfortunately for Aara, they don't really seem to be doing much else with the atmospheric black metal sound on Eiger. Yeah it's a fantastic albums filled with highs and lows, some of the prettiest sounding melodies in black metal since Sunbather, and a solid backdrop for a concept album. But they don't reinvent the wheel. Perhaps Aara does not need to reinvent the wheel, since they are too busy releasing a new album on an annual basis. And when you release an album that is as top quality as this, why would they need to? 

Best Songs: Die das wilde Wetter fängt, Senkrechte Welten, Todesbiwak, Zurück zur roten Fluh, Alptraum

Fimbulwinter were a very short-lived early norwegian black metal band who split-up after releasing this, their sole official release. They were a trio that included bassist Skoll and drummer/guitarist Shagrath who went on to become long-term members of Arcturus and Dimmu Borgir respectively. This is some pretty raw early norwegian shit, with demo-level, lo-fi production values and some pretty basic songwriting. Yet, as is often the case with early black metal, it is also exhilharating and exciting as hell with a completely necro feel that just serves to increase the iciness of the material. Vocalist Necronos has a great line in demented screams and screeches that make it strange that he never showed up anywhere else when Fimbulwinter split. If you have a love for lo-fi early second wave black metal then this is a must hear.

For an album released in 2004 this has some serious early second wave credibility, which is not so surprising when you discover that despite only releasing their debut album Light of a Dead Star in 2002, they had originally formed in '92 (although they had split in '95 after releasing a demo which would later become that debut, ultimately reforming in 2000). There's a Lovecraftian aesthetic theme running through the album with it's songs of unknown threats and elder gods and in keeping with the creeping terrors of HPL's work, this isn't a monotonous blastathon, but rather, the band isn't afraid to slow it down and allow the music to reflect that crawling feeling of dread. For proof check out the superb The Elder Gods Awakening, the claustrophobic feeling of being stalked by an unnamed terror is excellently realised as you feel the darkness closing in. Don't misunderstand however, when it blasts it really kicks ass too, believe me. The first half of In the Mists of Orion's Sword is as taut as a piano wire and may well tear your fuckin' head off (fans of Darkthrone's classic trilogy prepare to salivate!)

Although black metal is viewed as foremost a Scandinavian phenomenon, the French have certainly carved out an impressive niche for themselves within it's boundaries and Requiem Tenebrae is a great example of Gallic BM. This is the very definition of an underground classic and I'm gonna give it an unapologetic 5/5.

With the arrival of a new Sargeist record in any given year, you can usually bank on this being a sign that the scene just stepped up a notch at that point in the year. In short, it is something I always consider to be a treat. It has been seven years since Unbound mauled our eardrums and if I am honest, I completely missed the following year’s EP, Death Veneration, so I do have some catching up to do. Flame Within Flame arrives in a year of strong releases so far and so quite how it fits into the year will be interesting to watch unfold in the coming months. There have been some lineup changes since the last record also, with Shatraug taking over vocal duties on a studio album for the first time since 2003 (‘frowning, Existing’ from Satanic Black Devotion). With Marko Hirvonen no longer on bass, it is up to Spellgoth (Horna) to fill this role, and the sticks are now in the hands of Decapitated Christ drummer, Alewar. Therefore, only VJS (Nightbringer) joins Shatraug from the previous album.

Has this shake up changed how Sargeist sound? Well not fundamentally no. this is still easily identifiable as the rich tremolo wielding, melodic black metal that we have all come to expect from Sargeist over the years. At the same time though, I do sense some loss of intensity in some moments. Shatraug’s disinterested sounding vocals take some getting used to in the main, but I still feel overall that proceedings are dialled down when compared with previous releases. This tame element could be down to a refreshed (rebuilt?) lineup of course but on the plus side there are many genuinely glorious moments to digest as well.

Tracks such as ‘Incandescence of the Funeral’ open with such a strong driving, melodic bm beginning that sees the band at their urgent and racing best. With a pace akin to racing horses, Sargeist do still have gas in the tank, that much is clear. It is increasingly questionable as the album goes on as to whether Shatraug has the vocal style to be able to compete with the rest of the group though. Whilst I cannot say that they make for a terrible listening experience, they certainly do go some way in acting as a distraction from some of the better executed elements of the record.

Still, listeners should take time to revel in the chiming majesty of the guitar on ‘To the Mistress of Blackened Magic’ as it dances like the darkest of incantations imaginable. Likewise, ‘Juravit Sanguine’ is another fine example of the rich melodic vein that runs through the band’s sound. This track is almost catchy; such is the level of accessibility here. So, all in all, a mixed affair if I am honest. Not their best, but then again instability is a cruel mistress it seems.

The chaos of Deathspell Omega lies at the very heart of what Portuguese black metallers, Serpentes ply as their trade. Whilst a lot less extreme in terms of the Avant Garde aspects of the sound, Desert Psalms still blusters with that dissonant majesty and imperious arrogance that seethes from the vocals. Reminiscent of Aosoth also about the vocals, there is a deep French connection running through what this (largely) one-man outfit does. Utilising Misþyrming’s drummer on the album is a definite boost to the professionalism on display, Magnús Skúlason puts in quite the shift here, even if you do have to listen intently to pick out his patterns in the frantic noise that smothers you from the off. All that having been said, I find Desert Psalms to be a very memorable experience and can easily recite sections of songs in my head. That’s the sign of a good album.

Fact is, this record has been kicking around my rotation list for a good few weeks now and there is a healthy number of listens under my belt on this one, given it has enjoyed at least one spin per week over the last two months. It is certainly an album that has benefited from repeat visits, with each trip into its darkest depths leaving me curious to come back for more each time. It is a record that I would say I hear more of each time I listen to it. At the same time, it now possesses a strong degree of familiarity also. Those mocking vocals are sublime to my ears each time they spit their derisory lyrics my way. The layers of riffs that dash at me like flicked knives bring welcome wounds as they breach my skin. All the while, the constant threat of something really unhinged getting ready to be unleashed keeps my nerves just on the edge of turmoil every time.

This promised menace never really surfaces, and that is okay, because it is part of the allure that I absolutely crave. If this album swung off into any aspect of total Armageddon inducing audible warfare, then it would lose all its mystery. Thankfully, Ainvar Ara plays his cards close to his chest for the main part, drawing out the tension with the piano key picked opening to the final track, teasing the listener until the very end. Overall, Desert Psalms does feel like a collection of sacred songs. A selection of anthems for followers of the darkest of art forms. A series of canticles for all that is unholy in the glorious world of black metal in which fans of the music inhabit.

One of the appeals of black metal music (beyond some of the rawer aesthetic stuff at least) is the sense of discovering some depth to the sound of a band, beyond mere tremolo riffs and blastbeats. This sense of the revealing of the arcane is what drives me in a lot of my listening nowadays. I should caveat that is not always a successful venture, for example this year alone I have been privy to a salsa infused black metal band (yes, really) which was absolutely every bit as awful as the description sounds, as well as another group who used a 10 string lyre as a centre-piece of their sound – equally as terrible as the other record, for the benefit of doubt. There is a point clearly then, where the understanding of something being better left to a select few is absolutely the best idea. The problem lies in releases where there are no jarring abnormalities to the sound, no obscure instrumentation or extreme Avant Garde tendencies. The ones that have a clear sound and direction, yet, despite the obvious quality of the musicians involved, still leave you with a sense of some barrier between you as the listener and the band as a message bearer.

Silver Knife’s self-titled album, their sophomore release, is one such release. Hailing from Belgium, France and the Netherlands, this supergroup of black metal ‘stars’ (Olmo Lipani of Déhà, Nicky from Laster, Hans Cools from Hypothermia are amongst the artists involved) play an atmospheric/post-black metal combination that constantly seems to be creating space as they play. Songs soon become soundscapes here, with the vocals of whichever one of the secretive five members overall is performing them giving the truer aspect of the black metal sound alongside the resonating tremolo riffs. Occupying an almost squally, alternative sounding edge at times, the guitars do an excellent job at driving the sound of Silver Knife along. The drumming is urgent, if not somewhat lost at times in the squall of the mix in general. As I am listening through to the album for the third time today, I think I have happened upon what holds me back from feeling like I have truly connected with the offering. I think the production job permits the guitar a little too much space at the expense of the drums and other parts of the sound in general.

There is almost a protective cover most of the instrumentation on this record that stops the real value of what I am hearing from quite landing. The vocal style reminds me of Fluisteraars, with that distance from them and the rest of everything else being very reminiscent of the style I experienced on many of the excellent releases from the Belgians. However, here the vocals do not quite attain the same sense of connection as a result, whereas with the former band the audible link feels much more solid. In fact, there’s a slight muffled edge to the sound here and that is a real shame because I absolutely can hear that Silver Knife have something important to say, it is just denied from being given its full voice.

Encyclopaedia Metallum lists the themes for French black metallers, Abyssal Vacuum as being ‘Occultism’ (promising) and ‘Caves’ (oh, right). With a slew of EP releases that are all titled with Roman numerals, their debut album has taken eight years to arrive – or VIII years to be exact. The opening track ‘Echo 43N-40E’ is a distinct enough start to the record. Male choral vocals haunt the mid-paced black metal which is punctuated by shouts and death/doom vocals to boot. This song naming convention holds a degree of mystery. All are coordinates ‘pinpointing a particular locale doubtlessly portending considerable occult energy…’ Or perhaps just a cave or two of course.

The guttural aspects of the vocals reverberate in your eardrums and those choral sections and shouts have a primitive edge about them, with the latter invoking some sense of occultists gathered in caves (of course). In all seriousness, aspects of the record do genuinely have a sense of deep underground or certainly hidden spaces where dark things are practised. The tremolos echo back from what sound like vast, almost fathomless spaces; sheer cliffs almost whose walls allow the sound to build constantly.

There’s an abundance of melodic yet mining leads alongside the riffs that cascade over solid percussive performances. These spurts of melody give a sense of light in an otherwise densely murky sounding album. Within all this atmosphere, there is still a well-structured drumming element that holds a welcome focus in the mix throughout the album. Abyssal Vacuum are a band playing music with atmosphere added as an additional layer, as opposed to a group of individuals starting with atmospheres as the dominant force in their sound and then playing some music as an afterthought. The album has an intense focus on form and composition, a fixation on sensible arrangement even. It is a mature and very enriching experience to listen to. The lavish layers that are present manage to compliment rather than smother the darker aspects of the sound. Clearly accomplished musicians over an extended format as well as over Eps, I hope the confidence of Abyssal Vacuum grows from this outing onwards.

I really loved Cryptosis debut, Bionic Swarm, it being one of my top albums of 2021. Since then, however, they seem to have dropped off my radar and I am behind on both 2023's The Silent Call EP and this, their full-length follow-up to Bionic Swarm. First impressions are that this is a much less fevered and more progressive album. The debut, despite the science fiction premise, turned in some pretty brutal riffs and blistering tempos for the most part, where this feels to be a more sophisticated affair in the main. Don't get me wrong, this still delivers some great riffing and has some breakneck pacing too, which is obvious as early as the first track proper, "Faceless Matter", but the increasing emphasis on atmospherics such as synths and jangling tremolo embellishments lends it a more expansive aura, rather than the tight, jet-fuelled blowtorch attack of the debut. With vocalist Laurens Houvast favouring a more black metal style of delivery this time around, alongside the atmospherics, it leads me to ponder whether the band were aiming for a kind of thrash metal Emperor sound, a question worthy of consideration I think.

Subsequent listens, when the atmospherics had had time to sit with me and so not stand out so much, it was more than evident that the tightly focussed core of the band's sound is still present and correct, delivering supercharged riffs and blistering drumming that drives the tracks forward at a hyperkinetic tempo. This time round, though, Cryptosis are unafraid to slow down and allow the listener time to catch up, take stock and appreciate exactly what is going on around them. Static Horizon, for example, kicks off at a fair old lick, with absolutely loads going on: a melodic and memorable main riff, a prominent bassline doing all sorts of interesting things and jangling leads, keyboards and choral effects providing a thick atmosphere. Then for the last minute the pacing slows and the keys provide a serene calm eye in which the listener can process the previous four minutes.

Assuredly this is still a technical / progressive thrash metal release, but the vocals and jangling tremolo leads give it a decidedly frosty atmosphere that more than dips its toes into black metal waters. I am undecided at the moment whether this difference in atmospherics makes this a better album than Bionic Swarm or not. Or it could be that they are equally great, just... different. Everything I loved about the debut is still here, but it has been refined by an increase in atmospherics and a slight shift in songwriting aspirations. I haven't yet decided if that has blunted its effect or enhanced it, so for now I must sit on the fence with this one, although it is still pretty good, no matter what - I'm just not sure how good.

Where does black metal stop? I mean just how much more black metal needs to be reproduced in the old school means and sound before the world eventually loses interest and we of the black kvlt retire to our holes and listen to A Blaze in the Northern Sky, In the Nightside Eclipse or De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas for the rest of our days? I jest of course. I have no desire to see the culmination of one of the most important metal movements of my lifetime at any point soon. However, even the most devoted corpse paint wearer must concede that there is a lot of black metal out there, and that a lot of it sounds the same. What is refreshing, even if only now and again is when we get to hear some slight deviance into a new angle, or a new direction. A combination of styles that does not sully the conventional grimoire of black metal yet does offer some enticement or enrichment of the style beyond tremolo riffs and ghastly vocals.

Enter Warmoon Lord. Now do not get me wrong, you can instantly draw any number of influences on Warmoon Lord’s sound with just a few listens to Sacrosanct Demonopathy. Whether it is the symphonia of Emperor, the scathing attack of Behexen or the melodic trappings of Sargeist, it is all pretty much worn on the sleeves of Janne and Juuso. But what is also obvious, even from the opening instrumental ‘Warpoems & Tragedies’, is that there are nods to the wider heavy metal world. That opening track for example reminds me a lot of Iron Maiden. Seemingly adept in equal amounts with both riffs and keys, the album chimes and chops at the listener. Those galloping riffs again recall the NWOBHM/trad metal plod of years gone by whilst the keys add the own lavishing of majesty and grandeur, breeding a sense of arrogance across the very confident pacing of the tracks.

The ghastly rasps of Juuso firmly keeps the mindset in the black metal camp though. The vocals have a delirious tone to them, bordering on howls at times which work well in contrast with the slower, more atmospheric moments also. Tracks such as ‘A Hungering Yoke’ explore the full gamut of Warmoon Lord’s armory, deploying atmospheric keys, frantic riffing, rhythmic riffing and icy cold vocals across its mere five-minute run time. Taken as a whole experience, Sacrosanct Demonopathy is quite a positive sounding black metal record. Not blue skies and rolling green fields by any means. No, I look at the artwork for the previous release from the duo (Battlespells) and I get the sense of the smug pleasure that army of evil knights as they march away from the burning buildings, past a river turned red with blood. In short Sacrosanct Demonopathy feels good in the sense that you have just fucked shit up in an epic way, defeated an enemy or conquered a long-standing civilisation. As a record, it carries a crude sense of achievement.

I normally do not like too much symphonic elements to my metal, but the balance struck here between the instrumentation (except for the drums which do get a bit lost at times) makes for a rewarding experience. Tracks such ‘Uncreation’s Dragon’ are simply too well put together to argue with, the keyboards only grow the epic nature of the music from my standpoint. This is going to be high on my year end list I sense. The drums are the only let down for me in what is an otherwise great listening experience.

The derision that meets most Behemoth releases always amuses me. I grant you that The Satanist was the pinnacle of the bands output and that all albums since have been a pale reflection of what the band are truly capable of achieving. The “celebrity” status of Nergal seems to be a bone of contention in the main though. How much of this is him genuinely seeking the attention or just the knee-jerk reactions of a pious set of groups picking easy targets are not subjects I am well enough read up on to be able to comment on (I also don’t care that much in all honesty). The thing that annoys me the most about Behemoth is their one-dimensional, steadfast refusal to write songs about anything other than their hatred of God, or rather their inability to do so with any degree of maturity. Calling their latest record “The Shit Ov God” pissed me off before I heard even one note of it. I am sure that I can safely speak for much of the metal loving community when I say that we fucking get it now. You don’t go to church on Sundays and the chances of you making positive use of any bibles in your hotel rooms when on tour is absolutely zero.

The title track is every bit as grating as I thought it would be. It is like listening to Deicide repeatedly in the 90’s but you can understand all the lyrics, (Deicide were great in the 90’s but death metal’s incoherent vocals made them even more tolerable to me). Where Behemoth fails to register with me is in their insistence that this is their one true path, and that we all want to hear it. They can still write monstrous, blackened death metal as it happens and there are some moments on here that do remind me of why I became so enamored with The Satanist. However, it is all so juvenile in terms of the vocals and lyrical content that I cannot enjoy most of the album.

I guess fans of the band will be thrilled that they have released an album that is not a live album, let alone be excited by the blatant blasphemous provocation that again takes hold of the record from the start. But here’s a thought Behemoth, focus less on the blasphemous rhetoric and overly theatrical performances and concentrate more on delivering the music for a change. There are still good ideas here, but they are too hard to find if one of my ears is already threatening industrial action and the other is in a corridor conversation with the union rep. Sporadic moments of quality are not enough to save a thirty-seven-minute record that is just spewing little more than immaturity in gallons.

Within the plethora of albums I missed in 2024, across all sub-genres, sits Le Bannissement, the third album by Canadian black metal outfit, Cantique Lépreux. I found them via Eisenwald’s Spotify playlist, and from what little I have heard from that label, these guys seem a traditional fit for the kind of black metal one would expect to hear. Here we have shrill tremolos and urgent rhythms and racing percussion. The tremolos set aside a more ethereal hue to the sound which tempers well with those more forward driving sections of the instrumentation. When combined, the component parts create a sense of power that sits behind the desolation inherent in the overall sound. At times it does sound like there is some random passage being played in the background, which can be distracting to a degree. However, Le Bannissement is no passive listening experience for me and that additional focus on all the elements; taking the time to understand the relevance of the placement of these parts is key to unlocking all the joys that the album beholds.

Featuring a couple of members from fellow Canadian black metal stalwarts, Forteresse, (guitarist Matrak and live-only drummer Cadavre), it is easy to spot the similarities in sound as well as the accomplishment in the playing. There are many other band members who have other bands in the Canadian bm scene, but my limited knowledge of that scene soon shows when I look at the band names mentioned. As a standalone outfit, Cantique Lépreux creates a mature and impactful sound of their own. This delicate balance of the sublime tremolo penetrating the dense atmosphere is done very well. Nothing is ever allowed to overshadow another part of the instrumentation. The vocals are kept gruff and yet subtle in the mix. The percussion is present but not overpowering. The use of keyboards is done more as a backdrop than opposed to anything that happens at the front end of the mix. Le Bannissement simply lets the guitars take center stage, leaving the other elements to support their work tremendously.

The times where you must almost home in on two seemingly different passages playing simultaneously are as infrequent as they are disorienting (certainly upon first listen). What at first appears to be slightly confusing, soon remedies to be heard as being key in the overall entertainment value of the tracks concerned. It did take some getting used to, but it only seemed to get easier with repeated listening. I can now add Cantique Lépreux to my list of regularly played Canadian bm bands, sitting alongside Spectral Wound, Nordicwinter and Panzerfaust. They feel a different prospect to the likes of the harsh melodicism of SP or the dense depressive nature of Gris or Nordicwinter even, and so this makes them all the more interesting.

Having spent most of my year so far keeping up with bm releases from 2025, I took it upon myself this afternoon to have a dig around for some Norwegian bands from the 90’s that I had never heard of. Soon enough, I landed with the debut album from Forgotten Woods, a Burzum inspired affair that certainly promised lots, even if the delivery was not always there. Reading up on the band, they underwent a distinct change of direction shortly after the band splintered into Joyless. This new group soon left behind the metal elements of Forgotten Woods and eventually some of the members who played here on As the Wolves Gather now play exclusively post-punk (“with various influences”) in Joyless. I guess that the debut album heralds the most interesting point of the band for me, as it certainly holds true to that 2nd wave vibe for most of its fifty-minutes plus run time. There are hints of a more melodic and less grim aesthetic that poke through here on a couple of the instrumental tracks which are neat little passages that break up the album well.

Without expecting them to be masters of their instruments (this is black metal after all) there were clearly some holes in the ability of the group at the time and the album itself is produced with suitably low values for the sub-genre. Some of the lead work does sound a bit amateurish in places and drawn out to the point of pain in one instance. Late guitarist Olev Berland was only eighteen years old at the time of recording this and I would suggest he makes all the mistakes of someone that age in the 90’s. There’s no need for the flurry of lead work in the album closer, ‘Through Dark and Forgotten Valleys’, it is a strong enough track to keep to the solid structure it presents with. No flourish needed folks. That having been said there is a consistent yet unintrusive bass presence that seemingly lurks in the background alongside the relatively tame-sounding drums.

The star of the show for me though is vocalist Thomas Torkelsen. He is the perfect style of vocalist for the band; his demented and depressive howls really do bring the album up a notch or two all by themselves. They appear to be center stage for most of the tracks, however, again, they are not done to the point of being intrusive and all the tracks come off as well balanced in the main. For an undiscovered bm record from the 90’s hub of the 2nd wave, this is not half bad. It is far from outstanding in terms of challenging any of the more well-known classics of the time, yet it is still good enough to have made more of a dent than it had to date with me.

Dutch project Shylmagoghnar (a made-up word with a secret meaning) has their own atmospheric black/melodic death metal sound with some progressive elements, like a more extreme In Vain. Ambient guitar melodies echo through the heavy winds. The sound is so emotional and beautiful, making a big impact from a distant underground for metalheads to hear and appreciate!

What makes this album stand out in melodic black/death realms is how clear the production, unlike those muddy older albums of the genre. I probably would've considered this perfect, if not for a couple songs being a little too draggy.

Interestingly, the opening 9-minute instrumental "I am the Abyss" is not one of those songs. Everything shines in beautiful melancholy! And while the rest of the album isn't progressive enough for The Infinite, that highlight alone certainly is. Flipping into the extreme side is the title track with glorious atmosphere from the guitar riffing. The unique creativity of then-vocalist Skirge covers "Edin in Ashes" (are you sure they spelled the first word with an "I" instead of the second "E"?).

The album lessens the speed a bit for the slower "This World Shall Fall". Same thing with "Squandered Paradise" which is about nature being broken down by "the glorious mankind". I enjoy the vocals that give the song its Dark Tranquillity/In Vain vibe. "Eternal Forest" is pretty cool, but feels kinda hollow without any vocals.

"The Cosmic Tide" is another long instrumental that takes on the epic melodeath sound later used by bands like Allegaeon and Shadow of Intent. "A New Dawn" has some of the best vocal-work by Skirge. His emotion in his growls and screams help out the song's modern epicness. A true atmospheric black/melodeath highlight! I don't have much to say about "The Sun No Longer" which is just an ambient synth outro.

Folk-ish atmospheric black metal can go so well with prog-ish melodeath, as Emergence has proven. It takes a full listen without breaks to give it total appreciation. It's quite a beautiful and brutal dream!

Favorites: "I am the Abyss", "Emergence", "Squandered Paradise", "The Cosmic Tide", "A New Dawn"

In Resonance with the Carnalized Manifestations has been on my review list for what feels like months now. I mean, yes it was released way back in January and we are now well into May, but it feels like I have been toying with it for longer than the last nearly half a year. As I just start to remember why I usually find keeping up with the slew of new releases each year such a challenge, here I am finally committing my thoughts to review. With Austria not being my usual go to country for black metal, to find such a raw and intense experience that instantly recalls the jarring horror of Leviathan is a real treat. Indeed, first track proper, ‘Bound and Condemmed in the Chamber of Your Insignificance’ is as harsh and unforgiving as the track title suggests. It is clear from the off that if you are looking for some catchy, black ‘n roll style bm, you are in the wrong hole.

The crude melodicism of the dashing tremolos, which are generated by the guitarist just dashing their hand up and down the fretboard it seems, does bring an unexpected sense of underlying depth when you take time to listen critically. In fact, the more I listen to this EP the more it has grown. The EP format does not make this a smash ‘n grab bm release either, Homvnkvlvs does everything on Mysterivm Xarxes releases and his marauding style of black metal more than hints at thought and structure beneath the ghastlier aesthetic that he presents in his music. The melody is primitive to an almost pagan extent at times, but the fact is that the tracks are in a continued state of flux. The pacing and tempos change with a degree of regularity, keeping you guessing as to where tracks might be going next. By the time we get to the middle of third track ‘At the Threshold of Purification’ we are almost straying into a progressive build for a few bars before we descend back into raging black metal fury again.

Therefore, despite being only a little over thirty-one-minutes in duration, the EP feels very fulfilling. It is like everything that is wanting to be said is expelled in an enormously entertaining manner. The ambient sections work just as well as the more aggressive parts when they are given the floor. Keying up the final act of the release, instrumental number ‘Dawn of Inner Renewal’ does just enough with its gentle ambience to settle our nerves for one last foray into the rampant black metal of ‘Shards of Lasting Rememberance’. This last track comes charging out of the blocks like a possessed animal. That fearsomely strummed tremolo drives the track forward with unrelenting fury, all making for a satisfying end to fine release overall.

Another mysterious black metal outfit of whom nothing is known about the band members, Blood Abscission have landed their sophomore release (the aptly named II) via my favourite label, Debemur Morti Productions. Fact is, I am not always that interested in the people behind the music, in fact sometimes that information is very much best left unsought. What you can tell from II is that whoever is involved, they know who to write excellent atmospheric black metal. More than this though, there is a clever blend of old school metal melodic leads mixed in alongside some near gazey-like passages. As such, Blood Abscission seem to make a very contemporary take on black metal, yet at the same time manage to keep lots of nods to past glories as well.

I am very much reminded of 777-era Blut Aus Nord when listening to II. That blend of the coherent and luscious instrumentation, coupled with unintelligible vocals (and spoken word at times) is delivered perfectly here, putting all the attention on the music. The more modern take I get from the record though is Mare Cognitum inspired melodic urgency and scurrying tempos. The tremolos get quite shrill in places, suggesting some stringed folk instrumentation alongside the electric elements here and there too. If ever there was a band befitting of residing on DMP’s roster, Blood Abscission are it. The focus is absolutely bang on here, capturing all the right elements I want to hear in my atmo-black. At times when I listen through to the record, I am reminded of Grima’s triumphant record from this year also.

I read criticism that II was too lengthy for one reviewer and I normally am one of the first to call out if a record outstays its welcome. However, Blood Abscission, as well as having great content, have track lengths nailed down also for me. I do not feel the album works as a casual listening experience though by any means. If you are just looking for background music, then this album fundamentally does not apply. The final three tracks all grow into each other, passing on the baton to each other as they flow superbly together (for this reason, the album is superb bedtime listening on headphones I have found – to truly appreciate this great piece of compositional aptitude). Even the twelve-minute plus opening track does not ever become a chore and sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the album. Who fucking cares who the band are? With music this studiously put together, you have more than enough to concentrate on already.

The two main comparison points that I had going into this third studio album from the German black metal project, Groza, were Mgla and Gaerea. I was a little skeptical at first since Mgla are just one of those bands that I could never get into. But Gaerea have impressed me with their recent output in recent years. I've seen Nadir in my recommended folder for quite some time now and finally found some time to give it a couple of spins. And the result was nothing short of fantastic!

Let's get one thing out of the way quickly: if you're expecting Nadir to be like the first two Groza albums, you might be letdown. The Mgla influence of the past has been mostly left behind in favour of more progressive/atmospheric black metal tendencies. What I really like about Nadir over Gaerea's Coma, also from 2024, is how it does not modulate into more death metal trends. That may seem hypocritical on my part since I generally praised Coma for its crossover appeal, but I would also argue that not every album needs to be a musical grab bag (i.e. Spirtibox's Eternal Blue, anything by Sleep Token) to be successful; sometimes it just takes a solid refinement of one sound and Groza nail it here. 

And that comes through in the production. Nadir does not beat around the bush with its soundscape. It features guitars, blast beat percussion and black metal screams that are performed with precision and diction. The timbre of the vocals actually reminded me a lot of Svalbard's Serena Cherry so that is a plus for P.G. right out of the gate. The guitar is performed beautifully and the tremolo guitar leads are gorgeous; the mix uses just the right amount of reverb to make it sound cold and isolating, but not so much as if you're drowning in the ocean. The percussion can be relentless at times and only adds to the oppressive atmosphere of this record. The bass on this album is rather inconsistent though. Sometimes it can be really powerful, but others it just kind of disappears underneath a wall-of-sound. I have a pretty good feeling (although my understanding of mixing is quite limited) that devaluing the kick drum during the fast, double kick passages would have rectified this.

Nadir is exactly the kind of album that I wish for. Once a band who were just looking to get recognized, they mimicked a very popular black metal sound and received some praise. Once they reached a certain level of notoriety, they take that influences sound and mutate it into something that is still very much recognizable, but quite a way off the beaten path. Definitely a band I will return to in the future, as well as a band that I think even the staunchest of black metal traditionalists will enjoy.

Best Songs: Asbest, Dysthymian Dreams, Equal. Silent. Cold, Deluge

The final EP (to date) in this series ‘…:Grunsfoort’ harks back to the jangly tremolo and melodic gallop of Drudkh to kick things off this time.  Opening track ‘Sediment der Impressies’ again picks up where the previous EP left off some 18 months ago, trailing an air of accessibility and directness to its presence.  For the most part, this is a well-balanced track in terms of pace.  It measures the urgency of the tremolo with passages of thoughtful refrain and folky strings that really sound like they are grounding the track.  There is also a strong bass presence here as well which really does add depth to the slower parts.  The track does seem to lose its way about two-thirds of the way through, disappearing into an unexpected dark ambient section before racing back for the final meeting.  This feels disruptive, like they thought about ending the track there but changed their mind.

The strong, yet never intrusive bass, is retained on ‘Grunsfoort in de mist’.  Opting for a slower pace to start this time around the track also deploys acoustic strings to good effect, using them to herald the arrival of additional layers on proceedings.  This is the standout track on the release for me.  It is thoughtfully composed and builds up well.  The rich melodic aspects are never at the expense of the directness and despite the more softer approach, the band avoids ‘gaze’ territory in the main and still delivers a haunting and ethereal experience to draw the track to a close.

Whether this is the totality of the series or not, these three EPs are strong as a collective.  My criticisms are never items that necessarily diminish from my overall enjoyment of the series and they do showcase the talent, ability and influences of the duo involved here.  I would recommend playing them back to back to truly appreciate them but they do also work in isolation.

Landing just three months after the first EP in this series, Fluisteraars picked up on ‘…:Nergena’ pretty much where they left off on ‘…:Harslo’ back in March.  The dashing tremolos on opening track ‘De man, Zon van de Doden’ coupled with the erratic folk sounding instrumentation alongside more calming, clean and choral vocal sections make for an interesting start to proceedings.  Instrumentally, this EP feels a little more complex than its predecessor but it still manages to retain a rhythm that sticks in the brain making the opening track easy enough to follow.

When we get to the second offering here, ‘De Mystiek Rondom de Steen des Hamers’, we see a more direct approach.  This folky, chiming and pagan sounding track retains a catchiness that leaves me very much reminded of Havukruunu.  It is a very earthy sounding track that use melody intelligently to accentuate the softer nature to the bands sound.  It feels very relaxed in pace also and the jangly tremolo is less fuzzy here than on the opening track on the first EP.  It is kind of a chilled experience overall on this second track.

For me, I prefer the first EP over this one.  Whilst I respect the direct nature and earthiness that gets introduced here, I was kind of enjoying the more chaotic and eclectic elements that got called out in my review of the first release in the series.  Still there’s nothing bad here, just not as enjoyable as the first.

This two track EP from Dutch post-black metal outfit Fluisteraars, is the first of a trio of releases in the series (I am not sure how many there will be in the end, however the third instalment just got released in 2025).  Using the Dutch word for “Whisperers” as their band name is actually a good indication of how I find their sound.  Refusing to be drawn on exactly what type of a band they are in interviews, I find them to be a modern take on the the sub-genre of black metal in the sense that they infer a black metal aesthetic but seem to only whisper this.  There’s a definite Oranssi Pazuzu vibe to opening track ‘Dromen van de zon’ for instance.  The chaos of the guitar is underlined by a shrill tremolo that rides atop of crashing and dashing percussion and wild, shouted vocals.

The jangly edge to the tremolo does remind me of Drudkh somewhat, yet it retains a fuzzy, almost psychedelic and warm tone also.  There is also an intensity to the track that brings Wiegedood to mind.  That deranged edge to proceedings in particular draws this comparison.  Track number two on the release ‘ De konig de werd ontedkt tidens de blootlegging van de nieuwe dimensie’ has the vastness of ‘Blaze…’ or ‘Transylvanian…’ era Darkthrone to my ears.  It has a heavy atmospheric element to it also and touches on the horror of perhaps Leviathan or Xasthur too.

Whispered or not, there’s no denying the influence of black metal on the sound of Fluisteraars. The post elements fit well also, arguably being an extension of atmospheric black metal as opposed to outright post-metal.  There are chimes and and keys here that would not be out of place on a dungeon synth record and so I would say the influences here are far reaching, beyond what you may initially hear upon putting this on.

If I had my time again, I would start listening to black metal a lot sooner than I did. The peak of the scene was around the time when I was just turning into a teenager and there was no mention whatsoever of black metal amongst my metalhead mates at the time. We were all about death metal, thrash metal and heavy metal and I cannot recall the likes of Burzum, Mayhem, Emperor or Satyricon ever entering conversation even, across five years of high school. As such, I have always felt like I have missed out on the true essence of black metal, my initial, stronger, affiliation with death metal being largely because I was watching it grow in front of my very eyes. Whilst I have many memorable experiences listening to black metal in my adult years, some of the same emotions that I feel when listening to say De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, can never be the same as when I listen to Slowly We Rot. I guess then, that when I am looking for the ultimate experience of black metal when I get to a new release or one that I have not heard despite it being available for years, is that sense of true passion and excitement for the art that I feel I missed out on back in the day. Albums like the latest by Svartsyn.

It is all here for the taking for me. Themes of Satanism, death, ritualistic offerings and dark mythology are what help pique my interest on most metal records. When they are as well integrated into a wall of crawling, lumbering, threatening and menacing black metal music such as Vortex of the Destroyer, then this is the icing on the cake. Ornias sounds genuinely deranged on here, his vocals are as pestilent as the vilest of diseases, his riffs are relentless sorties of marauding layers of darkness hammered home by guest drummer Ignace Verstrate’s (the aptly nicknamed Hammerman) unabating pounding on the skins. It is the dead body the kids find out by the lake one day. Bloated with filth, hissing noxious gases from its orifices, its flesh infested with all manner of crawling things. If you need a quick teaser of VotD at its best, throw on the amazing ‘Utter Northern Darkness’ and you will soon be met with the type of barrage of fury you can expect from pretty much all ten tracks on offer here.

Whilst I will accept that sometimes the mix does lose elements of the instruments, it is a black metal record after all, so production values are not always the order of the day, let’s be honest. Not even this though can hinder the majestic grimness of the album. Clearly written from a place of passion for the darkest of arts, VotD has enough black metal heart to keep me freezing cold for the whole of 2025 alone. It is not polished, it does not rely on atmospherics, and it yet has a sense of balance to its chaos. It has borders to its disorder. With hints of black ‘n roll here and there, the pacing of tracks always feels measured, despite the often-raging intensity. This will be a go to record for me for some time to come.

I will confess to have been on the fence with The Great Old Ones for some time. I do not recall ever sitting down and giving anything of theirs to date a critical listen before spending a few hours with Kadath though, so I am unsure where this standoffishness came from. Picking up on some of the references to latter day, more progressive Enslaved did have something to do with it, I think. I am not progressive metal’s biggest fan, and so the prospect of having to follow such a trail (or trial as I often find progressive metal to be) did not bode well. However, on reflection, having listened through to the record multiple times, the progressive elements are a lot more subtle than I first feared. They represent a well balanced and unintrusive character in proceedings. Even at its most obvious the progression is not complex or jarring and so I find it more than palatable.

The fact is that I enjoy Kadath a lot more than I was expecting to. I have gotten into the habit of getting in bed at a reasonable hour and taking some bedtime listening with me. Kadath was my bedtime listen last night, and I completed a further run through this morning before work. These two more critical listens, done without the distractions of screens or work, proved to be key in my development of understanding the record better. For a start, it struck me that the three guitars are used intelligently and are not allowed to overwhelm tracks. In fact, they fill up space that would otherwise go unused, in the sense that if two of them are maintain the often-powerful rhythm of many tracks then melodies and atmospherics are done by the third guitar in the background, on the periphery of the main drivers of tracks or in the upper stratosphere of some of the more expansive moments on songs. Cleverly, they do this without creating any distractions. All three instruments fit together so well.

I hear little, if not any, synths or keys on the album either. Considering the nature of the music, this is surprising. The fact that I can be entertained by a fifteen-minute instrumental track, that I would normally hate, is testimony to how good the band are at creating atmosphere and tension using just strings and percussion. The only disappointment around the instrumental is the track prior to it. ‘The Gathering’ must hold some purpose from a narrative perspective as it does little else other than act as an intro for the instrumental. I just find this an odd arrangement choice.

Going back to that earlier Enslaved comparison. If I benchmark Heimdal against Kadath, then it is the latter that I hold in much higher regard. The comparison is most definitely relevant and justified but the French outfit here are far more entertaining and stronger sounding (which I grant is largely down to the third guitar). ‘In the Mouth of Madness’ has an almost epic heavy metal feel to the opening of the song and chaotic riffs of ‘Those from Ulthar’ are backed by wonderful percussion and those grim vocals superbly. This is top three material in the black metal release of the year so far and may supplant Grima for second spot with further listens. I should have perhaps taken more notice of TGOO before now.

Swedes Scitalis are new to my black metal radar with this, their sophomore album surfacing in January of this year. Since then, it has enjoyed a degree of frequency on my rotation list. It is an album that is based on the witch trials of North Sweden in the late 1600’s, and so it flows heavily on the themes of suffering and persecution. What we get therefore is a bm record that retains a real rawness to proceedings (especially the vocals, which I will come to later) yet the band are also unafraid to wheel out some melodicism at the same time and use it in an atmospheric way. The album feels very powerful at all times, and it leans on more than one medium to assert its strength.

Maledictum, is well written and equally as adeptly performed. The storytelling is logical and meaningful without being overly dramatic. The musical representation of the witch trials plays as a very honest and earthy representation of what went on at the time. The playing sounds tight and direct, maintaining consistency throughout the album duration. Whilst this does cause the album to stray into dangerous levels of repetition there are a couple of elements for me that still make it standout. Number one is the vocals. An internet acquaintance of mine pointed out to me that the vocals put them off this release, which was a real shame because they found everything else here to be ‘top notch’. For me the vocals are a real draw. Reminiscent of Nas Alcameth in Akhlys, they are a raspy, throaty whisper style that is not common, not in my bm catalogue at least.

Then we have the drums. Well-paced and kept simple for the most part, they endure the darkness on the fringes of the limelight here on this album to some degree. It is hard to hear past those vocals and the driving riffs but listen closely and the solid bash of the drums is hard to ignore. The blastbeats have a refrain to them almost that is giving the other instruments the space to stamp their authority on the story. They are almost gentle at times on ‘The Suffering’, even at the height of their blasting intensity. Whoever ‘W’ is, their drumming credentials are clear for all to hear.

Scitalis write good records, based on this release at least, and I cannot understand how they have escaped my radar until now. The melodic tremolos on ‘Seven Years ov Blood’ would give Drudkh a run for their money. The charge of the rhythm section is none too shabby either. As solid as it all is though, it does have something missing. There is almost an absence of some synths to add some real weight to proceedings, like the guitars try but can only go so far. For such a serious subject matter, the need for some cold atmospherics seems obvious to these ears. That having been said, Scitalis are deadly serious about their art, that much is clear from these seven tracks. This is a record written by knowledgeable guys and one that sets a high bar for Swedish bm so far in 2025.

Void of Hope have managed to churn out one of my favourite bm releases so far in 2025. As I walk through the dirge of releases this year there is a pattern emerging of me finding releases or artists that take me by surprise to the extent that I end up with whole discographies to check out. Void of Hope are a bit easy in that regard as they only have one album to date, and a mighty fine slab of depressive black metal it is. Howling vocals, tortured shrieks, menacing atmospherics, drawn out melodies and monotony to boot, all make for a challenging yet thoroughly entertaining experience.

Whilst researching the album it alarmed me how most blog reviews are basically a copy and paste job from the bio on the group’s Bandcamp page. Come on internet critics, up your fucking game and write some words about your actual experience of the record instead of just plagiarising the cool work of someone else. I don’t really care what temperature it was outside when they recorded this, there was clearly more than enough chill in the air in the studio when this trio laid down these six tracks. The title track is a black ‘n roll blast of iciness across the listener’s bows. Those vocals howl into the very void from which the band take their name. Whoever does the vocals here (guessing one of the guys from Ondfødt as two of them are in the line up) has the requisite amount of derangement in their kit bag to give an authentic level of credibility to them. That is, they have experienced the mental anguish that forms the subject matter of most of Void of Hope’s lyrical content.

There’s variety on this record to. Without ever once giving up on the levels of misery in their music to support their lyrical themes, Void of Hope pull in an eleven-minute plus track ('The Hollow Hymn') alongside a just under two-minute piano led palate cleanser immediately after it. The longer track goes through the whole gamut of black metal, from slower sections to blasting fury, atmospherics to blastbeats, melodic passages to driving, near epic sections. As I understand it, one of the guys from Moonlight Sorcery is involved and so I guess this explains the flavour of the epic and some of the expansiveness. There’s variety in the instrumentation too. Synths and keys permeate the space just behind the strings, vocals and percussion, giving a sense of density to the sound of tracks. These are well balanced, and they feel like they are in a true supporting role, breathing in some elements of atmo-black as they create this fog in the background.

Proof of Existence is not just depressive bm for the sake of it. Like a (good) Shining record, there has clearly been some thought put into this record both in terms of the content it wants to share and how it goes about sharing it. The piano and spoken word of ‘Inner Peace’ is possibly one of the most effective pieces of depressive bm I have heard in many years, and this is what makes PoE standout, I think. The band can be genuinely creative with their mental pain and create something that whilst is innately a negative experience, still comes out positive in the sense of the way it speaks to the listener and all the great things I have referenced in this review already. More please.

As I write this, I have a list of random albums I go through, and this year I'm trying to get through 52 albums from 2025. I also occasionally have trouble with earwax blocking my hearing. When I first fired up this album, it sounded like I was having that trouble. I could feel it in my ears. I turned the CD off, then listened to something else to confirm that I was not in fact, going deaf or something.
While this is a one man black metal act, this does not necessarily register as the kind of crap you'd expect to hear from one such act. No awful music recorded through a Fisher-Price microphone. There's pleasant riffing going on here, and the sound feels like it should work, but the album just puts a layer of earwax over itself that ruins it.
I say pleasant, but it's not exactly an earth-shattering experience. It's mostly just...average, expected, mundane. It has a few cool moments, but it doesn't make up for an experience that messes up with your hearing so much that other sounds in the room you're in are affected.
Borderline unlistenable owing to bizarre production choices.

As I waded waist deep into new black metal releases this year, a new album from Cryptosis raised an eyebrow when I spotted it in my search list. I double checked to ensure I had not tagged technical/progressive thrash metal into the criteria by mistake, but as it turns out the black metal aspects of Celestial Death are not even all that subtle. Vocalist Laurens Houvast has gone a few degrees colder with his grim voice on this album. This when put in the mix with some cloying atmospherics, Burzum style chimes (check out ‘Absent Presence’ for a dose of Filosofem), jangling tremolos and melodies all makes for a harsh and abrasive experience.

The mellotron is back again and this and the synthesisers do an excellent job of scoring the air around them with a futuristic, dystopian sorrow. That’s not to say that Celestial Death is an entirely slow and atmospheric outing, far from it in fact. The Dutch trio manage to add lots of bite to proceedings and fans of their debut album will welcome this; I am sure. That rabid pacing is still present and tracks like ‘The Silent Call’ manage to balance that scathing attack with the depth of the synths well. In short, Cryptosis’ sophomore is a cracker.

It did take a couple of listens for me to settle down with the action here. My first listen was whilst working and I had thrown this on to get some thrash going in the background and quickly found myself focusing more on the cold and melodic aspect of the record instead. Once I got a couple of more critical listens under my belt, things started to right-size for me a lot quicker. Celestial Death is a very mature sounding record, one that builds on the promise of the debut from some four years ago superbly. The guitar notes on the opening of ‘Reign of Infinite’ positively dance with excitement and the balance between the riffs and the synths and then the percussion is excellent.

I could do with a little more weight in the drums on the mix, but I still feel Marco Prij does a great job, pacing his patterns as the soundscape that continues to unfold requires him to. Houvast’s guitar work is great throughout. It is vibrant one minute, then cold and jarring the next. I have no major criticisms here in all honesty. I am still a little confused by the black thrash combo that relies more on atmospherics above all other things to emphasise that cold influence and it does still feel a little strange adding this into my The North list for 2025. However, it is absolutely a valid entry and is one of the best releases of the year so far regardless of which sub-genre sits as its driving force.

I gave the new Mental Cruelty album some listening and a review shortly after it first came out. I enjoyed the Lorna Shore-esque brand of epic deathcore, but I thought the symphonic black metal side was a little too much. Fast forward a couple years and my tolerance has grown immensely. I now find Zwielicht an awesome offering that's like Lorna Shore but more depressive, melodic, and blackened. The lyrics have a lot depth and death in them, and that's something modern extreme metal fans shall love!

Stepping in on vocals is Lukas Nicolai, replacing Lucca Schmerler after Lucca's firing due to sexual abuse allegations. As brutally good as Lucca is (despite the allegations), Lukas is a total powerhouse when it comes to growls and screams. He has even added an uncommon aspect in deathcore, clean singing.

"Midtvinter" is a dark ominous intro to get you ready for an epic journey. "Obsessis a Daemonio" is a total blaster which you might think it's Dimmu Borgir on steroids. At over the 3 and a half minute mark, Lukas attempts some clean power metal-like singing like some of the male guest vocalists of Avantasia. The earlier neoclassical soloing has its comeback in "Forgotten Kings" in clear prominence.

One of the most Lorna Shore-like songs here is "Pest" which is a brilliant highlight. Lukas is quite talented, though he can't surpass Will Ramos. No one can beat the epic deathcore vocal king! Then we have the slow-ish "Nordlys" which is kind of a brutal deathcore take on the more dramatic Scandinavian melodeath bands out there. "Mortal Shells" combines many elements of the band's previous albums to make one of the most diverse highlights in the album. Sinister guitar and vocals drifting through along with the crushing drumming for a powerful experience.

The title interlude is a German-sung Nordic folk piece than can easily fit well in an Elder Scrolls game. "Symphony of a Dying Star" has riffing and soloing sounding much closer to the epic melodeath of Insomnium and Wintersun. Greatly exemplifying the black/death metal drumming and guitarwork is "The Arrogance of Agony". The epic finale "A Tale of Salt and Light" has the symphonic death metal/core of Ex Deo and early Betraying the Martyrs to make one of the most glorious deathcore tracks ever!

How would I consider Zwielicht? F***ing awesome, that's what! This is symphonic melodic blackened deathcore with sharp riffing and mystical atmosphere freezing away the earlier brutal hellfire. Not to mention those fast blasting drums and Lukas' wide-ranged vocals. Their best work besides Purgatorium, maybe slightly more!

Favorites: "Obsessis a Daemonio", "Pest", "Mortal Shells", "Symphony of a Dying Star", "A Tale of Salt and Light"

Drudkh tailed off for me not long after Microcosmos. A Handful of Stars was a poor follow up to 2009’s triumph of a release and I progressively lost interest in the band. In writing this review, I looked back at some of my ratings for what has come after 2010 and found that on the few I had rated, I had little if any memory of what they sounded like (ratings on relevant releases have therefore been deleted from MA). Whereas I would have once looked forward to a Drudkh album, I found news of Shadow Play arriving landing with a less than muted applause. For me it almost feels like Drudkh have said everything I wanted to hear on their first few records. Those first four albums were the band’s golden run in my book and although they most certainly do have albums outside of that window of releases that I enjoy, I sensed that Shadow Play was not going to see me reaching for the higher end of the scoring range.

My fears were confounded by the frankly boring album opener ‘Scattering the Ashes’, a seven-minute plus track that is frankly one of the dullest pieces of music the Ukranians have ever written. I get the sound of the footfalls in the snow are of someone carrying an urn, however the track itself goes nowhere in between the footfalls that bookend the instrumental. Not a positive start then. Hold on though, both ‘April’ and ‘The Exile’ immediately get me interested in the album again with their driving rhythms and charging pace. The riffs seem to wrap effortlessly around one another, seemingly at home regardless of the tempo being deployed at the time. The rich melody that Drudkh are famous for is certainly still at the forefront of their music. The sound of the guitar alongside Roman’s grim vocals are familiar and welcome sounds. There’s a jangle to a Drudkh tremolo that sometimes sounds like a 60’s psychedelic rock jam. As we get onto the halfway point of the album, things are looking up.

I would go as far as to say that the previous two tracks are a couple of the best songs Drudkh have pulled together in a long time. Solid and memorable, urgent and pressing, as well as sounding like they are performed with passion and guile. ‘Fallen Blossom’ introduces a more aggressive sound, not dissimilar to the overall sound of album The Swan Road. Whilst the melody is still obvious, there is a harsher, colder edge to it on here. Even when the track seems to settle down into a rhythm, it still feels oppositional. The keys do little to soothe this abrasive edge, seeming to support its threat and intent with menacing atmospheres. The track builds into a tumultuous mass of tremolos and percussion, never taking its foot off the gas for the final third of the song. A more melodic opening greets us on ‘The Eve’, even if we are still seeing no signs of the pace letting up in the first instance. At this point I did start to wonder if some variety was missing here, but just as the demons started to have me doubting Drudkh, there’s a swell of accessible, more leniently paced melodies that is cleverly given space to breath and develop before becoming consumed again in the more raging torrents of the track. There is great use of pacing here, even though I missed this on my first few listens, it seems so obvious as I listen through on my review write-up.

Album closer, ‘The Thirst’ sounds like there may be some folk instruments at play in the raging mix that starts the track. I cannot see anything listed other than guitars and keyboards, so it may just be clever use of the keys, but I hear some light droning warbling in the background that seems to be a different pitch to the tremolo that I would normally attribute such sound too. In the end though, Shadow Play is not an album that needs much in the way of expansion. It says what it needs to say very well without much in the way of thrills being needed. It is one of the most consistent Drudkh albums that I have heard in a while and it really is only let down by that lifeless opening track which thankfully soon becomes a distant memory as the real quality of the album soon starts to take over.

Well I got this one wrong didn't I?

Returning to their atmospheric black metal form on records like Sunbather and Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, Deafheaven make their harrowing return in 2025. I heavily criticized the bands previous album, Infinite Granite, for axing its heavier sounds for its more post-rock style. Not because they were bad, instead because Deafheaven's principal feature was the uplifting nature of their black metal; a genre that is well known for being the antithesis of uplifting. I also said that I figured that this would be the direction that Deafheaven would continue down the foreseeable future. 

Well that didn't happen. Lonely People With Power is a monstrous album in both its length as well as intensity. Like previous albums, Deafheaven are not going to overwhelm the listener with a typical black metal display of relentless tremolo picking, blast beats, and vocal screeching for just over an hour. The album is filled with atmospheric breaks and interludes, the metal portions are diversified with half-time style changes and more melodic guitar leads, as well as clean vocals. And as someone who cares very much about padding on an album, this record does not falter. There may be sections that could have been trimmed down (such as the intro on "Winona"), but overall, Lonely People With Power has enough diversity to keep it interesting, but without a lot of the self indulgence that plagues modern progressive metal. 

The sound of this record is well done also. This is the first Deafheaven album published through Roadrunner Records. Now I've always viewed this record label as the "Gentlemen's Club" of metal record labels given their reputation. And even though Roadrunner is not particularly well known for its publication of black metal albums, Deafheaven fit right in. The albums have always sounded more mature and it continues here with the mixing. George Clarke's shrieking is still heavily condensed behind a wall-of-sound and acts more as a secondary instrument on songs like "Heathen" and it does work a little better than expected. Some albums like this put heavy emphasis on their vocals to make a statement, but here the vocals are more metaphoric in presentation and you don't really need them to get the full experience of this record.

All of that being said however, it's hard for me to enjoy Lonely People With Power more because it feels like Deafheaven are sinking into the status quo of modern atmospheric black metal. As I mentioned off the top of this review, Deafheaven are known for their uplifting textures and sharper tone quality. What I noticed here is that the tone quality has been quietly flattened; way more minor key signatures and chordal progressions, and more walloping foundational grooves. And even though the songwriting on this album is very good, it doesn't take long to realize that Deafheaven are seceding themselves to Alcest in that regard, when it was only a few short years ago their positions were reversed.

This is probably a nitpicky criticism of Lonely People With Power from me, but I think it is very important. The reason I constantly return to tracks like "Dream House" and "Canary Yellow" all of these years later is because of how unique they are within the black metal framework, and Deafheaven did this without incorporating a folk gimmick like Panopticon or Saor. Now, without that bottom line of "this is Deafheaven" for most of this album (only really saved by the final two tracks), it becomes harder to find songs here that are truly timeless. We shall see what the future brings but for now, Lonely People With Power  is a good record and deserving of its early praise, but it should be a lot better.

Best Songs: Magnolia, The Garden Route, Body Behavior, Winona

Orkalet (the main man behind Häxkapell) is a talented fella with a fascinating background in choral singing – working with Erik Westberg one of the greatest choir conductors in the world - who also uses a process of meditation-induced psychography, or automatic writing to write his lyrics. Basically, the guy writes his lyrics and doesn’t even recognise he’s written them. He can switch these states on at will which makes me think that the lyrical content of Om jordens blod och urgravens grepp could well be written by spirits from another realm. As well as the above, Häxkapell also utilises the services of Oraklet’s wife, Ida for violin, viola and her voice.

As you would expect then, this record is a transcendental affair. With progressive elements sat alongside conventional black metal fare, there is real depth to what Oraklet delivers here. The more pagan/folk elements compliment his baritone vocals perfectly, creating a wholesome and earthy sounding experience. The violin and viola create a classical style of atmosphere to the familiarly grim and gnarly black metal music also. Add in acoustic sections, choral passages and near epic, sweeping elements also and you soon know that you are in for a treat with Häxkapell’s sophomore release. The downside for some maybe that there is a loss of the traditional coldness to the sound that diehard fans of bm would harken for. The sound is hardly warm like say Hellenic bm would fashion in the traditional understanding of such a description, it’s more comforting even though the genuinely desolate and morbid elements are still plainly on show.

The baritone vocals do not always land as well every time they are used and for me there are a couple of occasions where compositionally things are off in general but there are never any moments that make me reach for the skip button. At worst, some tracks seem to suffer from minor issues in terms of a lack of balance. In short, there are occasions where I want a little more black metal in all honesty. These moments are infrequent enough to stop me dropping the rating into the lower part of the range, at the same time however they hold it back from an outstanding score.

My high hopes for Kryptan’s debut full length are certainly met by the horrific edge to album opener ‘The Unheard Plea from Thousands of Broken Hands (Intro)’. The pleading voice in the background of the track sets off the old nerve-endings into a jarring frenzy immediately. The intro track then drops into the first proper track on the record and those guitars certainly make their presence felt early on. However, it does not take long for things to start to unravel. The drums remain audible but unintrusive throughout and as a result come across as lacking in power. By comparison the bass is virtually non-existent in the mix, which instead sees the synths, guitars and vocals get centre stage.

The main issue I have with Violence, Our Power though is the vocals. Whilst not horrendous by any means, I do question their suitability on more than one occasion. There are obvious Behemoth comparators in terms of the vocals, especially when the vocalist here deploys a kind of strained shouting style (‘The Miracle Inside’) which is not a bad thing, but I just do not feel that Alexander Högbom has the pipes for it to be honest. On the more grim, black metal style vocals he is fine, but this attempt at variation sounds a tad amateur to my ears.

This strained description is applicable to the whole record in all honesty. It strikes me that the music is being forced through something to get to the unappealing outcome we are presented with. The mix just sounds off to me, like it is stopping me getting at the true content that the band intended to share. My experience somehow feels muted and like I have constantly missed something. I do not sense that they are any artist capability issues here, just a not too kind mix job. That withstanding I still do not believe that the vocals fit the direction of the band overall. Stick to bm croaks guys, you sound much better.

2025 has seen me take the unusual step of tracking new releases for at least two of my clans. The Fallen and The North between them are keeping me highly entertained as it happens, and it seems that my usual reluctance to seek out new music had little grounds for the burnout I feared would occur. The real bonus though is the discoveries I am making. In the past three weeks or so, I have picked up on some real gems, with Norway’s Nachash being one such discovery. It is not unusual to find a black metal band from Norway that I like of course, however this trio blend a crude mix of thrash, speed and black metal that reminds me of both modern and classic reference points. There is just as much Bathory in here as there is Mortuary Drape for example. There is a warmth to the sound that reminds me of Varathron at times though. Equally, I could see these boys slugging it out with Nekromantheon or Condor in terms of the more recent examples of the sound explored here.

Eschaton Magicks manages to pummel the old ears consistently well for over forty-minutes. Showing a punk bounciness to some of the percussion at times, this is an album for any thrash/speed metal fan who likes a darker take on things. It unapologetically sticks to a quickly established blueprint, using guitar melodies to maraud the listener. Despite those Varathron vibes and the melodies described above, Eschaton Magicks still possesses a coldness all of its own. Whilst there most certainly is not any icy atmospheric black metal here, the coldness comes from the oppositional stance that the band postures with here. It feels like a punk album as well as occasionally sounding like one.

I enjoy the immediacy of this record, as well as its honesty to be able to stick to what it does best. Everything is clear in the mix without loss of the murk that you would expect from such a record in this sub-genre. You can hear the bass just as well as the drums, guitar and vocals. Each component part contributes to the urgent tempos and the overall threat of the record. Do not be fooled into thinking that this is a collection of three-and-a-half-minute blackened speed metal tracks though. We have some tracks here that go over the six and eight-minute mark. The band know how to write solid songs and can maintain their energy for as long as required. Listen to the high-speed rumble of the bass on ‘Death’s Mordant Blaze’ as it dances over the top of the drums and guitar, showing there is some real rattle and hum behind the sound (not a U2 reference though). Nachash have produced a real treat here on their second album. No sophomore slump here folks.

I have been spinning this one for a few weeks now.  Each time i feel like I have the meaure of it, I chnage my mind.  The enchanting blend of black metal and death metal keeps me coming back regardless.  Not that this combination is anything new by any means, but for all its flurries of keys and gang chants, Lost Legacy never comes across as pompous or grandiose.  It still feels earthy and unafraid to its sinew and bone.  Whilst it retains a lot of melody, this is not a record that you could easily pigeonhole as being simply melodic black metal.  Arguably a black metal record with a hefty dose of melodic death metal for good measure, the album uses the death metal elements to hone the intensity of the black metal experience.

It is riffier tracks such as 'Amanita Muscaria' that take on a blackened speed metal vibe. The melodicism here sounds almost an organic by-product of the speed influence as opposed to any notes released by the black metal element.  The croaky vocals leave the listener in no doubt where the band's heart truly lies though.  I liken the band's sound to Necrophobic, with the threat that they could tear off into Aura Noir territory at any moment (they don't btw). Tracks such as 'Samhain' are nasty slabs of riffing black metal, spliced with dazzling leads to add to the entertainment.

Sometimes though, I do find myself wanting the album to pick up on the intensity stakes.  'Inside The Wickerman' needs a little more than the skant tremolo against the drums treatment.  Often, I feel what is missing is some Spectral Wound style blasts to really hammer home the impact of the album.  That having been said, Lost Legacy still stacks up as a good black metal record.  Although it misses the quality of the Gràb or Grima releases this year (it is a different style of bm in fairness to Regnum Noricum) it packs enough punch to get four stars from me.

Truly atmospheric black metal all too often strays dangerously close to 'gaze' territory for my liking.  It is as if the true art of some serene and icy cold black metal, cloaked in dense atmosphere has been lost at times.  I can't pretend that some of the notes on Sacred Sound of Solitude would be out of place on an Alcest record (nobody is perfect) but the thought process overall here by Bloodbark appears to be very much orientated around black metal still.  If, like me, you schooled yourself on atmo-black via any of the Memoria Vetusta records by BAN, then Bloodbark is most definitely for you.  The snow here is pristine white, the air is clear and the atmosphere holds a density behind these endearing images.  The music still has a charge to it, a vibrancy to the tremolo that reminds me of some of Grima's album from this year also.  You would be hard-pushed to call this one a classic by any means and it certainly lacks the variation of Nightside by Grima, yet this record still possesses a charm all of its own.

Very little is known about Bloodbark.  The band chooses not to disclose details of the members - even shying away from confirming the geography that they are native to.  None of that really matters though as there is enough of an air of mystery to Sacred Sound of Solitude to keep me interested without having to speculate about how is responsible for the music.  It is clearly performed by capable musicians who know their way around the atmospheric and post-black metal scene.  As such they are able to create haunting music that fills the space you are listening to it in.  The BAN reference is most certainly valid but there's also nods to Summoning in the mix here to boot.

Where SSoS falls short is that it never truly gets beautiful.  It hints at the surreal appeal that winter landscapes can offer but those swan-like qualities never feel like they have become fully formed.  The clean singing and spoken word aspects to the vocals are a bit dull in all honesty and I think this is because they are not shrouded in enough mystery like the rest of the instrumentation around them.  In a way they are almost too obvious for their own good.  As I am listening through on my seventh or eighth visit to the record, I am now starting to sense that 'gaze' element more.  However, this is by no means of a threatening level to the more bm elements by any stretch and although the rating is not in the higher end of the spectrum, it is still a record that stands out from the pack in 2025 so far.