Vinny's Forum Replies

Kaikkivaltias - "Routaa ja Rautaa" (2025)

EP cover looks like a Finnish Tourist booklet inspired by a Windir record (which is ironic given Windir are Norwegian). Anyway, this fella likes the trilly aspects of the tremolo and uses acoustic, medieval sounding instruments to flavor his melodic bm/heavy metal. Wears a big, silly and frilly white shirt and black waiscoat too and likes a dungeon synth interlude. Can make a significant din as well fortunately so I will forgive him dressing like Meatloaf to some degree. I set out to listen to something a little obscure to kick my evening off with and so I found what I sought.

The last track is mindless wankery though.

2.5/5

-16- - Guides for the Misguided (2025)

I haven't listened to a whole lot from L.A.'s 16, but what I have, I have always found to be angry and confrontational, from a band railing at the world, their relationships and even themselves. Guides for the Misguided starts off in much the same vein with a couple of quick-tempo efforts, Bobby Ferry's anguished and angsty shouting almost making me suspect that they are trying to grab the attention of the metalcore crowd and the band coming off as the result of a cross-pollination of Crowbar and Converge.

However, things soon take a turn down a different alley with third track, "Blood Atonement Blues". Starting with a piano intro that is rapidly swamped by a really nice bluesy, howling lead. The track then turns down an unexpected gothic metal sidestreet, complete with a catchy chorus which isn't as good as the rest of the track, although that howling guitar lead does make a very welcome return. At this point I must admit I was now a bit thrown off track, thinking I knew what I was getting here, but subsequently having those expectations trashed. "Fortress of Hate" is a groovier slab of sludge metal that I would, once more, associate more with Crowbar than I would -16-. This groovier approach and the deployment of generally more catchy choruses continues with "Proudly Damned" and especially "Fire and Brimstone Inc" which has one of those choruses that you just can't shift from your head.

I am then even more confounded by "Desperation Angel" which sounds like a sludge metal track that has been written by Dave Grohl and, even though it is more aggressive-sounding than most of the preceeding tracks with the harsh vocals coming back to the fore at last, it just doesn't quite hit hard enough for my liking. In fact it isn't until "Resurrection Day" that I get the anger and visciousness that I turn to a -16- album for, although the track is a little bit patchy in truth. This is followed, though, by the quite short "Give Thanks and Praises" which has much more of a hardcore feel and so is a better representation of what I personally look for from the band and which, despite it's brevity, is probably my favourite track. Admittedly the album does finish more strongly with "Give Thanks" being followed by the hulking "Kick Out the Chair".

In conclusion, "Guides for the Misguided" probably threw more curve balls at me than I was expecting. This may not be entirely out of character as this is only the third album I have heard from the band, but it does seem at odds with what I have heard previously, not with a massive departure exactly, but it feels like an album from a band toning down their aggressive tendencies in order to garner wider acceptance. Look, this is not a bad album and has some fine moments, it may turn out that this is one hell of a grower and I may look back in future days perplexed at my intital reactions, but at this moment in time I am a little disappointed that -16- have seemingly watered-down their venom.

3/5

I couldn't agree more on this one.  I never took time to write a review but basically got to the same rating for the same reasons.

Blackbraid - "Blackbraid III" (2025)

It feels like Blackbraid has been around forever, when in fact it is just a mere three years of existence for the indigenous black metal solo artist from the Adirondack Mountains. Despite my confusion over how long Blackbraid has been around, this is the first time that I have gotten around to listening to one of his albums. I was interested in the beginning but then (bizarrely) I got pissed off with the constant flood of marketing emails I was getting from him and so I senselessly punished him and myself by not listening to his albums. What a twat I am sometimes.

Nowadays, Vinny comes with some degree of in-built maturity about him and so can understand that for a fearsomely independent artist such as Blackbraid, who must have a queue of labels after him by now, promotion is key to his success. The other element that is central to being successful of course is the quality of your music and album number three certainly delivers on that front. Unafraid to fire some leads into the equation, Sgah'gahsowáh can work beyond just tremolos and blastbeats. His racing and urgently paced tracks carry some real attack behind them. Channelling as much Uada as he does Immortal on tracks such as ‘The Dying Breath of a Sacred Stag’, there’s a fair old bit of power behind those punches that he throws.

As we would expect from a largely atmospheric-black metal act, there are fleeting acoustic passages and flurries of natural sounds akin to Panopticon, alongside the more direct and aggressive black metal sounds. From looking at the eye-catching artwork on the cover (a combination of border work by Adrian Baxter and imagery form Adam Burke) it is hard not to expect some of the more spiritual aspects we get here. There’s no surprises on the album. From a brand perspective, the listener should find exactly what was advertised is delivered.

My first impression of Blackbraid is that this is an incredibly well-written and skilfully performed record. Drummer Neil Schneider puts in a shift behind the skins that supports the rest of the sounds well enough. The guitar in the main is the element that shines however, alongside those harsh vocals they make quite a combo with the melodic leads and harsh riffs to boot. I guess I could criticise the three instrumentals as starting to get a little old by the time we get to track eight. However, they do all serve a purpose and aren’t directionless sounds of motion like whatever it is that is going on with the opening of the latest Drudkh album. There is a much richer melodic bm vein to the record than I was expecting based on previous reviews I have heard of his work. Whilst I won’t go over the top with praise for Blackbraid III, it is a good album. Its use of interludes aside, it is structurally sound and although I will probably not rush out to buy a physical copy I will try to make up for some lost time with Blackbraid by enjoying this record many more times in the coming weeks, months and years.

4/5

Fer de Lance - "Fires on the Mountainside" (2025)

Fer de Lance present a problem for me in that they play a with very traditional heavy metal sound when approaching their music. Of course, I publicly left that sound behind a long time ago when exiting The Guardians clan. There are times when listening to Fires on the Mountainside when I begin to doubt its doom metal credentials altogether if I am honest. Yet at the same time, there is such quality to this record that I cannot help but put aside my dissatisfaction and be drawn into the joys of the record. I have seen their sound described as folk-prog in some reviews as well as mention of blackened tinges in others. I can see both most definitely, based on this record at least. Influences aside, it is easy for me to appreciate the epic metal authenticity of Fer de Lance’s sound as it is a stalwart of the tracks collected here on this record. Wherever the album does tread over the seven songs presented, the listener can be left in little doubt as to where the heart of the band truly lies.

It is good to hear the Viking metal elements of Bathory protruding through in places, and with some spurts of Candlemass alongside the more modern similarities of Atlantean Kodex we are soon finding ourselves transported around the world of metal with Fires on the Mountainside. The keyboards really drive tracks like ‘Ravens Fly (Dreams of Daidalos)’ whilst soaring leads and epic yodelling vocals continue to embellish the grandeur of the sound. Vocally, I am most reminded of King Diamond. Which, given he is one of the most overrated vocalists in my metal in my book, could be considered a slur somewhat. I find the sound of the higher pitched vocals on this record to be far more endearing though and the songs to be better structured than most Mercyful Fate/King Diamond tunes I have tolerated over the years. I sense there is more than one singer on this record though (or just one with amazing range and heavy use of overlays). ‘Death Thrives (Where Walls Divide)’ is probably the best example of this great vocal display.

As tracks like ‘The Feast of Echoes’ prove, simple structures can still make epic metal. Here is a big Bathory, stomping track if ever there was one. Straight and to the point, this is one of the most memorable tracks on display here and has great longevity as a result. Should there ever be cause for me to consider revisiting some trad heavy metal then there is a good chance that this record could be the trigger for it. Yet doubt does still creep in. There is a very well-established format to Fires on the Mountainside and to some degree it does become repetitive at times. Maybe isolated to my own battles I accept, but I am kind of “epic exhausted” by the time we are getting to the final couple of tracks on the record. There’s nothing wrong with them at all, but perhaps they are a stretch too far for me still at this point of my listening habits. However, Fires on the Mountainside has still surprised me and has been kicking around my rotation list for a good few weeks as a result.

4/5

Spiine - 'Tetraptych' (2025)

Former Ne Obliviscaris vocalist, Marc Campbell has joined forces with Virgin Black’s, Sesca Scaarba to create funeral doom outfit Spiine. Boasting none other than Lena Abé (My Dying Bride) on bass and current Opeth drummer, Waltteri Väyrynen on their debut record, Tetraptych has a lot of class involved in it. As if this star line-up was not enough, the album also features the work of late Norwegian photographer Lene Marie Fossen on the cover. The emancipated figure in the bed is Fossen herself, a lifelong anorexic who was a master of self-portraits and used her art to reflect human suffering. Fossen died in 2019.

Tetraptych then has it all it seems. Some well renowned artists in metal, a sense of grandeur in its use of orchestration, an incredibly harrowing and personal image adorning its cover and a run time of over an hour. The stage is set nicely for some funeral doom folks. And funeral doom we do indeed get. Agonisingly slow riffs and melancholic leads fester in the fetid air of album opener ‘Myroblysiia’ (yes, every song title has a double ‘I’), whilst the drums remain present but unintrusive in the background. All is shaping up nicely until around eight-and-a-half minutes into the track when some crude clicking rhythm takes hold and completely derails all the excellent work done to that point. I am unsure if this was intentional or not, but it is disorientating to say the least.

Taking the track title at its meaning (at least the correctly spelt version anyways), myroblysia is the scent that emanates from the bodies of saints. The odour of sanctity is said to come from the wounds of stigmata according to the Catholic Church. Despite the ugly interruption, this track carries that air of sanctimonious grandeur about it. Clocking in at over fifteen minutes long, it takes a couple of turns along the way, holding the interest still throughout. That orchestration is obvious throughout the album and is sprawling in the tapestries it weaves. Building tracks subtly alongside Campbell’s varied guttural and raspy vocals, the arrangement of the instruments feels very well thought through. There is plenty of space to be used and the urge perhaps to fill all of it is thankfully resisted. At the heart of Tetraptych is a fathomless void that mere mortals cannot fulfil. Whilst its four panels are very clearly framed (four tracks), there are expanses around each of them that can only resonate with the echoes of curses. Lost in all this sadly is Abé, which seems a waste.

The performance of Väyrynen needs noting though. He plays a clever and important part on the record. I doubt anyone else could have made such a measured performance without losing overall presence. His accomplished, patient and thoughtful style is what allows the atmospheres to really shine without being overshadowed by them at the same time. Tracks like ‘Glaciial’ just simply would not work without him. At the very core of the Spiine sound though are the cavernous vocals of Marc Campbell. The attack of the opening of ‘Oubliiete’ is led by his explosive gurns and the thick atmosphere that ensues sees his deathly rasp ride atop of it. When combined with the crushing riffs of Sesca the results are phenomenal, if not always sustained for long enough for my liking. As you would expect from a funeral doom release, Tetraptych is a punishing and challenging listen. It rewards in abundance also, especially once tracks have built into their full flow. It is a lot still for me to take in across one sitting, and I do find that splitting the record in half as two separate listens does increase my enjoyment of the album more. Fans of Evoken and Loss, should find lots to enjoy here.

4.5/5

September playlist is built and is approx. 60% tracks from 2025 which has been an advantage of stretching the release schedule to quarterly I have discovered.  Eyes open for 01st Sept everyone.

I can't comment on why artists use such images, only on what the images say to me. In terms of the power lines thing, I get a sense of connection as what I am seeing (even though I actively avoid gaze, where this appears to predominantly be the home of the trend).  Equally though, the pagan in me could also interpret them as mans intrusion on the landscape, in some of the more open landscape photos at least. I find this concept of being able to trace trends of album work via the Academy an interesting one that I hadn't thought of before.

Some of the lamp post ones remind me of the Exorcist as well.

Blood Abscission went with this power node/aerial theme for their latest atmo-black release:

The other one that immediately came to mind was Altarage with their droney effort, Sol Corrupto:

I guess these images invoke some sense of minimalism, but like Ben they would not be images to raw me towards the music necessarily.  Yet I do enjoy some of the Kowloon Walled City album covers that deploy both minimalism and also this sense of bursts of light:

Thanks Sonny

Here you go:

Throne - "Tortura" (from "Ossarium", 2025)

Mantar - "Church of Suck" (from "Post Apocalyptic Depression", 2025)

Marble Orchard - "A Life Not Worth Living" (from "Ruminations of Ruin", 2025)

Hell - "Mortem" (from "Submersus", 2025)

Bloodhorse - "Illumination" (from "A Malign Star", 2025)

Pentagram - "Lady Heroin" (from "Lightning in a Bottle", 2025)

There is no logical reason why I have not listened to Aeternus before this month’s feature release. Indeed, there is so much I enjoy on ...and So the Night Became by way of death metal influences as well as black metal as well, that it is almost criminal that I have never made effort to connect with them before this month. It has taken me the best of four decades of listening to metal to get around to Aeternus, but as they say, “better late than never”. What the sophomore album from Aeternus possesses is a density to the songwriting which evolves into the sound. I could see a danger of the album easily straying into overtly introspective passages. Opening track ‘There's No Wine like the Blood's Crimson’ is over thirteen minutes long and has such an epic and orchestral intro that you do start to wonder if this is going to be a little too grandiose for the palate. Thankfully, just as this fear hits the fringes of becoming palpable, the driving black metal kicks in.

This is pretty much the story of the album for me. This is a well-balanced album that uses pace well, introduces tracks appropriately and balances all these ideas nicely. It promises the epic, but for me never really stretches quite that far into proceedings with that ethos. Instead, it treads a thoughtful path that seems to have been given much consideration. As such, even the longer tracks hold value for their duration. ‘Warrior of the Crescent Moon’ carries every bit of poise that the tile suggests but is never over the top in its delivery. It charges consistently forwards, keeping check of the pace and allowing the track to level in the mind of the listener, so that when those soothing keys come in around the final minute or so of the track they feel absolutely at home, like they are simply guiding the track to its logical conclusion. That’s clever songwriting.

The Immortal style opening (and indeed continuation) on ‘When the Crows Shadow Falls’ is a joy to behold. This track for the most part is a raging beast in terms of the pace of the attack, but there remains that sense of restraint and control that somehow lets the glory of the music take precedent but never lets it runaway with itself. This is a wonderfully crafted track and probably my album highlight. With acoustic flourishes and rich melodic elements, this album is possibly one of my greatest hidden gem discoveries in recent years. Exuding Dissection levels of melody as it goes along, lavishing with layers of some Satyricon, Nemesis Divina displays of grandeur alongside the promise of progressive overtures from the likes of Borknagar to boot, there is a lot for me to like here.

5/5

Impetuous Ritual and Portal on the same night, Kevin and Brad will be busy.

In choosing Portal’s Vexovoid for the feature release this month I have challenged myself to try and put into words exactly what it is that appeals to me about this frenzied, chaotic and utterly aphotic style of music. In terms of what it wants to be seen as, Portal is androgynus to me. It is of indeterminate form. An almost alien being that inhabits a permanently chthonic state, and whether it is necessarily esoteric or arcane in who it connects with or not, ultimately, I take comfort in the maelstrom that is the sound of Portal, with Vexovoid being probably the pinnacle of the Australians own brand of bedlam.

It is not that I like chaos. I have a very chaotic and stressful job (though the people that I work for term it as a ‘dynamic environment’, of course). Whilst precisely zero of my nerves are stretched into that taught and fractious state by Vexovoid, there is a sense, from a love extreme music perspective certainly, that when the record is playing, I am somewhat at home in that churning mass. I have said elsewhere on MA about how my love of metal has created the notion for me that the music is mine, purely for me. Therefore, when I find an album like Vexovoid, I cannot help but form a smug grin on my face. The sheer sense of identity it gives me is so pleasing that I am happy to watch form, structure and even the general architecture of music in its basest form, burn around me.

The promethean values of Portal, therefore, hold great appeal for me. Tracks play like a series of paroxysms, scathing and monstrous outbursts of wonderfully transgressive noise. The sound carries an infection. Not in a catchy or hooky nature of course. A genuinely verminous level of virulent horror, and I fucking love that bravery. This is not just admiration for artists going out and committing their true form to record though, there is appeal also in them being able to do it memorably. I can hear parts of Vexovoid in my head when I concentrate. It doesn’t drift into my head like other music does randomly most mornings, I must seek it out. Seemingly it lies there dormant, like a slumbering beast, exhausted from its years of torment and so only able to give me short bursts of its fury unless left to recharge itself for prolonged periods.

I can easily see how overwhelming this album can appear, indeed that sense of foreboding is very much part of the appeal for me. Yet even I can find fault with Vexovoid. The familiarity of the tracks, in terms of sticking to a very consistent sound does start to feel overbearing as the album crawls on. Attempts to control and vary the pace are clearly made, and for the most part, they do deliver. Yet for all my love of the album it is guilty of a lack of variety. The subtle changes to vocal style and tempo are noted, yet they do little to steer the rating to a perfect mark. Then again, as I have already stated, I do not come to Vexovoid for anything more than its glorious chaos. No frills are needed really, I guess.

4/5

One more please Ben:

Skuggor (Sweden)

I didn't think this would be your bag Sonny.  Thanks for still checking it out though.  I have a brain that can (sometimes) find great solace and comfort in chaos and the arcane music of Portal hits that sweet spot for me.  Review to follow.

Never listened to an Aeternus record at all.  Second run through today just beginning.

It's time for the September playlist for The Pit to come together.

Any suggestions from clan members in by 15th Aug please (40 mins max).

1 suggestion for any non-clan members please.

Some of my disenchantment with the record is more to do with my exhaustion with the thrash scene as a whole as opposed to this being a terrible album though.  

I feel the same way. Is this a problem that many people, particularly long-standing metalheads, are having with thrash metal? Do you think it is because of the quite restrictive nature of the genre because there are not actually that many variations on the thrash metal theme are there? Unlike death, black and doom metal that can span whole different spectra of sounds, thrash generally has to conform to a tight set of criteria which can make many records sound the same. Don't get me wrong, the classics are still great, but it is very hard to find much thrash after 1990 that is genuinely awesome. Are we dealing with a dead end street here?

As the guy doing the thrash clan playlist on a quarterly basis, I can absolutely attest to the restrictive nature of the genre.  Yes, you have groove metal, speed metal, tech thrash, progressive thrash, death/thrash and blackened thrash as sub-genres but at the end of the day we are still never dropping fruit that's too far from the tree.  I guess there's an argument to say it was the first real offshoot into extreme metal that took off and so logically it would be the first to get stale.  This year has seen me focus purely on black and doom/sludge in the main, so I am not ideally placed to be in the correct mindset in terms of listening to a variety of metal right now, but I have been struggling with thrash for a while now.

I am not too familiar with Craig Horval's work but I was aware of the band Surgikill who Ash Thomas drums for (in fact quite enjoyed their debut back in 2016).  I am not a fan of Horval's vocals in all honesty and there's little else here to distract me.  With a sound reminiscent of Deceased, Rigor Mortis and Possessed there is a sense that this is just reguritation of old ideas, done much better many moons ago by others.  Some of my disenchantment with the record is more to do with my exhaustion with the thrash scene as a whole as opposed to this being a terrible album though.  That rip off of the Halloween theme tune that starts the album is ridiculous though. The Desultory cover (track 6) is clumsy but that may be the same with the original for all I know.  Anyways, not for me this one. 

3/5

Hi Ben, can you please add Marble Orchard?

Here you go Sonny:

Nattverd - "Hvisk Deg Vekk" (from "Tidloes Naadesloes", 2025)

Wode - "Celestial Dagger" (from "Servants of the Countercosmos", 2017)

Sinmara - "Shattered Pillars" (from "Aphotic Womb", 2014)

The Great Sea - "The Maze" (from "Noble Art of Desolation", 2025)

Fitting tribute Sonny

My review from earlier this year:

Themed around the Kubler-Ross model (the five stages of grief), Mares of Thrace fourth album is an uncomfortable listen for anyone who has endured any kind of loss. Be that the death of a loved one, the breakdown of a relationship or the end of a friendship, The Loss feels multi-faceted in its possible applications for its listeners. Playing as a multitude of elements, ranging from noise rock through to sludge and on into acoustic passages, MoT keep the attention with this array of seemingly transparent yet emotionally heavy collection of tracks.

Previously unknown to me until this past week, the duo of Thérèse Lanz and Casey Rogers have made an impact immediately in my world. Whilst the tracks are charges with a jarring and lumbering intensity, the riffs do not rely on simple heaviness for impact. They have an almost loose quality to them, played as if in organic creation in some jam session, their blend of dark rock ‘n roll adding an interesting edge to proceedings. Similarly, the drums follow an uncomplicated path. Sat just right in the mix, they undertake the perfect supporting role. Operating just under the fuzzy haze of the strings they are a solid foundation for the bashing bleakness of The Loss.

The star of the show though is most definitely the vocals. As you would expect from my description of the album thus far, the vocals of Thérèse are not pretty. They are incredibly versatile in the reactions they can invoke in the listener, however. For me they mirror frustration, desperation, unfathomable sorrow, scathing fury and stinging vitriol across the nine songs that make up the record. At times they do bring tears to my eyes, such is the level of pleading futility that is on display on some songs. It feels like they are on occasion, seeking refrain from the relentless cycle of grief that I so brilliantly exemplified by the music. I am no expert of the Kubler-Ross model, but it feels like the songs are well researched and as a result are performed in a legitimate and convincing way.

The album highlight for me is penultimate track, ‘The Fifth Stage: Depression’. Anyone with any experience I would imagine would find this track a valid exploration of the horrible affliction. Here, the desperation borders on being demented. The utter, all-consuming sense of being completely overwhelmed and rendered dysfunctional by the illness is exhibited in HD on this track. You can hear the vulnerability, the rawness of losing someone and the agonising disintegration of your reality at the same time.

MoT have the uncanny ability to make their songs sound as the track titles suggest they should. ‘Complicated Grief’ has an air of challenge to it, for example. Meanwhile, shock, anger, denial and even acceptance all get personified in the corresponding track performances. The Loss is (ironically) an album that gives me so much. Possibly an early contender for album of the year, it has connected with me so instantly and so effortlessly. It is one of those albums that I am beyond being merely entertained by, I am genuinely grateful to have heard it.

5/5

Hi Ben,

A couple more additions if I may please:

Dark Blasphemer (Argentina)

Khaos Aura (Norway) 

Echoes of Gloom (Australia)

We've both been forced to give up red meat & to give blood regularly in order to control it. 

As a carnivore, doing my very best to adhere to the ketogenic diet, the thought of not eating red meat sounds terrifying (although I absolutely get why it needs to happen for you).  I hope your health improves.

I have spent the last two years or so trying to remove carbs and other sugars from my diet after lots of reading into how damaging they can be to health overall.  As someone who used to suffer badly with digestion (bloating), eczema and even niggling things like fatigue in the middle of the day (which I now know to be due to the massive insulin spikes due to consumption of high amounts of carbohydrate for breakfast and lunch at the time).  My bloating was gone within weeks of starting to eat just meat and dairy and my ezcema cleared up too.  Kicking the booze was the real game changer though from a dietary aspect.

Reading some of the history of the fodo industry is genuinely terrifying when you see all the chemicals they used back in the late 1800's and through into the 1900's to make bread look fresh when it was in fact mouldy, they even used to put bone charcoal in milk that was off to make it look fresh still.  Thankfully we live in more sensible times but the link to your gut and your physical and mental wellbeing can't be denied.  We literally are what we eat.

I have recently had a bit of a health scare. After feeling unwell for a few days I went to see the doctor and they found my blood pressure was at dangerously high levels. In order to avoid going onto long-term medication I have had to undertake some radical lifestyle changes, including a strict diet and exercise. I also need to reduce my stress levels, so I have pretty much stopped consuming news and curent affairs which have been a massive source of stress (and anger) recently.

This does, however, mean I have needed to stop writing reviews for the time being as I actually find it incredibly stressful trying to write several paragraphs of thoughts on music as I am not a natural writer like some of you guys. I would like to continue participating though, so I will probably only contribute shorter, more concise comments for the time being.

The good news is that the steps I have introduced seem to be paying off and my BP is steadily coming down to more normal levels, so hopefully I will still be around for a little while longer!!

Be well big man.  Look after yourself.

I was on an unplanned hiatus from death metal in 2025. The draw of death metal was starting to wear a bit thin unfortunately for me after some thirty-six years of listening to it. I mean I had heard all the classics already. Altars of Madness, Cause of Death, None So Vile, Dawn of Possession had all been on my turntable or in my CD player many times over the years. Cementing their place a little later than most of the above came Suffocation, with their brand of brutal and technical death metal hitting their peak on Pierced From Within. And so, in 2025, I soon found that my appetite for death metal had somewhat abated from what it was in its prime. Convinced that there was little out there to match anything I still bothered with, I took my attention to black metal and sludge/doom. Then Karl nominated this record for the feature in The Horde.

Copenhagen’s Iniquity were completely unknown to me going into this record. In fact, I don’t recall listening to much in the way of Danish death metal in my time. If it all sounds as good as Serenadium does, then I am 100% back from my death metal hiatus. This album is so much more than Suffocation worship as I have read some reviews suggest. Serenadium lacks the outright chaos of a Suffocation record and as a result has the better level of clarity around the riffs which do at times possess underlying promise of Swedish crunch, albeit never quite getting there. What does draw valid comparison with the New York masters of brutality is the technical aptitude of the artists performing as Iniquity.

This record barely puts a foot wrong in my opinion. Unafraid to vary the pace and the levels of brutality on display, Iniquity tread an exciting path, one which does make me wonder why this record is not spoken about more often. I guess that 1996 was simply too late for this record, with most of the established artists either off experimenting with their traditional death metal sound or just giving up due to the oversaturation in the sub-genre by this point. The fact is though; you will struggle find a better record than this from the mid to late nineties. It is so rhythmical and choppy at times that you cannot help but be totally enamoured with both the process and the outcome here. I have been sat here each time I played this record with a big shit-eating grin on my face, whilst struggling to type as I am headbanging along.

It is like listening to a more adept Cannibal Corpse at times, but I could honestly sit here and churn out comparators all day long. So just play it folks. For those of us around in the 90’s to enjoy the growth of death metal in realtime, take some time to discover a hidden gem. If you missed the action back in the day and are wondering what all the fuss was about at the time, put this on, and question answered, I am sure.

5/5

Fans of Austin Lunn will be happy to know that he will release Laurentian Blues on 15th August.  This is his eleventh full length and is released via Bindrune Recordings.  

New Drain record due out 07th November, ...Is Your Friend.  First couple of promo tracks are very aggressive and vocally remind me of Anselmo this time around.

Sodom have a new record out and I am hearing positive things, but I am yet to venture myself.

New Paradise Lost album, Ascension is due 19th September.  I have heard the first couple of tracks and been a bit underwhelmed to be honest.

Hi Ben, can you add The Great Sea from Germany please?  They have just one album "Noble Art of Desolation".

Latest update:

1. Altar of Woe - The Triumph of Malignant Narcissism

2. Gràb - Kremess

3. Grima - Nightside

4. The Great Old Ones - Kadath

5. Warmoon Lord - Sacrosanct Demonopathy

6. Kveldstimer - The Cursed Oak

7. Void of Hope - Proof of Existence

8. Cryptosis - Celestial Death (increasingly an outlier)

9. Drudkh - Shadowplay

10. Norrhem - Aurinko ja teräs

Ken Pomeroy - "Cruel Joke" (2025)

Fallen in love with this 12 track record from an artist I picked up randomly on a Bandcamp recommendation.  That voice just resonates in my very soul.  Could be a purchase on vinyl once finances permit.

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.

3/5

Got some unexpected respite from work this afternoon so threw this on.  It's fucking amazing.  Imagine a just as brutal, but less chaotic Suffocation.  These dudes can play.

Here we go Sonny:

Coltsblood - "Until the Eidolon Falls" (from "Obscured Into Nebulous Dusk", 2025)

Ossuary - "Forsaken Offerings (to the Doomed Spirit)" (from "Abhorrent Worship", 2025)

King Witch - "Sea of Lies" (from "III", 2025)

Fer de Lance - "The Feast of Echoes" (from "Fires on the Mountainside", 2025)

That Fer de Lance record walks a line dedicated to mostly epic heavy metal for the most part and so if you feel that track is not for The Fallen then feel free to exclude.

Nightfall  - "The Traders of Anathema"  (from "Children of Eve", 2025)

Chestcrush - "Existence is Punishment" (from "ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ", 2025)

Gorguts - "Absconders" (from "Colored Sands", 2013)

Portal - "The Back Wards" (from "Vexovoid", 2013)

Disma - "Lost in the Burial Fog" (from "Towards the Megalith", 2011)

Tomb Mold - "Two Worlds Become One" (from "Manor of Infinite Forms", 2018)

Amenra - De toorn EP (2025)

De toorn is a two-track EP running for 25 minutes and is the first of two EPs already released this year by the belgian atmospheric sludge band. Both tracks follow a very similar path, starting off in a very gentle, minimalist manner. The opener "Heden" begins with soft, heartbeat-like drumbeats and a murmuring bassline interjected with gentle guitar strumming and vocalist Colin Van Eeckhout quietly intoning the lyrics with a spoken word delivery. We all know this quiet calm cannot last and that it is just a matter of time until the wave comes crashing in. That it takes until the final quarter of the track for it to happen, just as you start to wonder if this is not the track you thought it was, it almost takes you by surprise. Van Eeckhout goes into full desperate, Burzum-like shrieking mode as the heaving tsunami riff hits and the shuddering climax is brought to fruition. Heden is definitely a case of the payoff being worthy of the build-up and is a decent, if not exactly unpredictable piece of atmo-sludge songwriting.

The problem for me is that they then try to pull off exactly the same trick with the second track, the EPs title track. This time the quiet calm, post-rock led extended intro is provided by a jangling guitar and snare beat with the vocals again pretty much being spoken word. The climax this time around hits at the two-thirds in mark and takes a very similar form to the opener. Whilst the atmospherics on both tracks are exceedingly well delivered and they are obviously very comfortable with both their instruments and songwriting technique, the similarity of the two tracks feels almost a little lazy and too comfortable for a band who have delivered much more variety in the past. Look, these guys are good, and both these tracks are too, but I expected a bit more from such a talented bunch.

3.5/5

Couldn't agree more, both the releases this year did nothing for me.

Lo-Pan "Get Well Soon" (2025)

In all honesty, I have never really gotten along with stoner. The concept of stoner rock vs stoner metal still confuses me as I never find the (limited) stoner that I have listened to venture far enough into metal to justify the tag. Accepting that I am formulating this opinion on a minority listening experience, I chose to look at stoner releases in my 2025 summary of The Fallen just as I would sludge, trad doom or death doom (drone can fuck off). Still, I approached Get Well Soon with a “get this over with” mentality. What began as a mere exercise to trim down the to do list of ever-growing releases this year, soon became a much cooler undertaking than I first imagined.

Clearly, there is a very virulent strain of hard rock running through the hazy, stoner vibes of Lo-Pan’s sound. It is not delivered in a mainstream manner though, which makes it an interesting style of rock to listen to. Whilst the stoner elements assist in that, the driving rhythms don’t follow a particularly linear or predictable narrative. This is on occasion detrimental to my enjoyment of the record. ‘Rogue Wave’ seems disjointed as opposed to oddly entertaining and the following track ‘Harpers Ferry’ develops a laboured edge to the music as it appears to slow to allow the vocals to catch up; it is almost as if they wrote too many words on the lyric sheet at times.

I have little in the way of genuine stoner influences to be able to call them out here, but I do hear elements of Chevelle in the rolling riffs. At the same time, the structure of the tracks, with their bounding yet still balanced nature gives me Helmet vibes. The tuneful yet edgy vocals belie perhaps the fact that they are singing about topical and confrontational themes. Lo-Pan sings about real world issues, talking about them against a backdrop of seemingly benign hard rock tunes. This tempering process works well; it negates the sense that the messaging is overtly preachy but still lets the grown up have the necessary focus. You can nod along and tap your foot in time to the music whilst contemplating the message behind the lyrics, all done without the need for rampant or juvenile incitement of violence as a response to the ills of the world. In short, Lo-Pan lets the music do the talking.

Percussively powerful without ever becoming overbearing, the solid drums complement the rest of the instrumentation well. Perhaps except for the bass, the repertoire of instruments all gets good representation in the mix. Whilst I cannot go as far as to call the album catchy, it lingers on the brain after the event. I find bits of it playing distantly in my head in the hours or days after the last listen and this makes me understand that there is perhaps still some growth to happen with Get Well Soon. For now, the record sits in my solid score range. A side note has been made for a review of the review in the coming weeks and months though.

3.5/5

Kveldstimer "The Cursed Oak" (2025)

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.

4.5/5

Hi Ben can you please add Ruinous (US) and their one release to date "Graves of Ceaseless Death"?

Hi Ben, please can you add:

Altar of Woe - Russia

Draugveil - "Cruel World of Dreams and Fears" (2025)

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.

3.5/5

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.

4/5

I had a quick look to see if I had encountered Structure's main man, Bram Bijlhout, before and the only time our paths have crossed was Officium Triste's 2013 album, Mors Viri, which I honestly can't remember listening to and which I rated a measly two-and-a-half stars, so not an auspicious start then. However, whether my long forgotten score is an accurate reflection of Mors Viri's quality or not, one of us has changed because I honestly cannot express how utterly affecting and emotional I found Heritage to be. This may sound a bit odd considering Pim Blankenstein uses the guttural growls of extreme metal and the ponderous riffs are huge, crushing affairs, but there is also a melancholy yearning oozing out from under that crushing weight which is often accentuated by lighter instrumental moments.

Heritage actually straddles the line between death doom and funeral doom, allowing for well-executed tempo variations that ensures the generally medium-length tracks don't succumb to saminess. The riffs are melodic and memorable in the main, and really do strike an impressive balance between musical and emotional weight, providing the discerning metalhead with more than enough heaviness to satisfy their craving whilst simultaneously tugging at their heartstrings. The lead work often soars above the miasma created by the riffs, rhythm section and guttural growling like a released spirit taking its leave of the soul-crushing grind of earthbound existence, shrieving itself of its earthly cares and reaching towards its personal nirvana.

I haven't sat down with a lyric sheet, so I don't know what the philosophy behind Heritage is, but for some reason I can't help but feel uplifted and hopeful both whilst and after listening to it, as if it is saying, no matter how hard and heavy things may be, ultimately everything will be OK. This may be fanciful on my part, and yes, it is steeped in melancholy and a gruelling weight, but there is a ray of something more at the heart of the album that genuinely makes me feel good and that is something that I have found in very short supply in recent times. I am exceedingly impressed and it will take a fucking great record to beat this to my AOTY for 2025.

5/5 (and then some!!)

Do you know if there is a vinyl version available, Vinny? I have ordered the CD from Bandcamp but would love this on vinyl.

Just looked on the label website and only has CD option.  Metal Archives lists digital as only other option.

I have found myself really missing messing around with The Fallen playlist on a regular basis, so I am going back to compiling it monthly, starting with July. As main co-contributor, Vinny, if you want to post any suggestions before the end of the weekend then that is cool. Any non-clan members may make one suggestion each, again before the end of the weekend. David, if you want to contribute with any suggestions as a clan member let me know and I will spell out the deal.

So, going forward I will be compiling two playlists a month with the Fallen playlist being issued every month and the Horde and North playlists alternating. July is the turn of the North, so The Horde will be August, the North September and so on. 

Thanks folks...

Thanks Sonny, I can offer:

Rothadás - "Vértükör" (from "Töviskert... a kísértés örök érzete... Lidércharang", 2025)

Daevar - "Mirrors" (from "Sub Rosa", 2025)

Secret Cutter - "Spleen" (from "III ", 2025)

Mares of Thrace - "The Fifth Stage: Depression" (from "The Loss", 2025)

Ex-Officium Triste guitarist, Bram Bijlhout raids his old band for assistance as he drafts in Pim Blankenstein to deliver vocals on his debut full length under his solo outfit, Structure. Not being familiar with Officium Triste at all, I cannot say how much similarity there is here between the two acts. Plus, I do not think it would be best use of the review either, especially given the obvious quality of Heritage. As a standalone, atmospheric doom/death metal act, Structure is a strong offering. How we got here is not necessarily as important as enjoying what we have got here. Heritage is a fine debut album, one that sounds like it has been put together by established artists with a strong ear for immersive compositions that the listener can absorb as opposed to just listen to.

In attempting to put some of the above into coherent reference to parts of the album, one’s attention is immediately drawn to the rich melodies of the guitar that soar alongside the intense weight of the riffs that you would expect to hear on any doom death release. Adopting an almost funeral doom depth at times, the guitars go for the very depths of the sound at times, yet they also create big sounding, almost rock-esque riffs on other occasions. ‘What We Have Lost’ showcases this perfectly. Unafraid to take off into more mid-paced territory, this track develops into much more than standard doom death fare would normally permit. This early, promising trend continues across all of Heritage I am pleased to report, resulting in a very fulfilling experience. Whilst it most certainly is doom death at its core, this is a record that holds no trepidation for expansive compositions.

Clearly well-produced, the sound on the album is big, surrounding the listener in all the glorious tropes of the instrumentation present here. Those keyboards are elevating and elegant, adding distinct majesty to the darkness, uniting with the melancholy of the guitar perfectly. Both elements do really work well in tandem with one another, the guitar comes out with the upper hand still though, maintaining prevalence throughout much of the album. As a reference point, I am reminded often of Shape of Despair when listening to Heritage, such are the acute levels of melancholy and the sense of the sheer distance that is created in the atmospherics. At times I would go further and say there’s a bit of Bell Witch present here also. The dramatic opening to album closer ‘Until the Last gasp’ lives up to this comparison for sure.

If I were being super-critical, I would be asking for a little more from the drums, which do sound a little timid at times. Just the slightest of an increase in space in the mix would have afforded them a greater presence. Whilst this measure of component parts does allow for the focus on the guitars and vocals, it does diminish some of the power behind tracks such as ‘The Sadness of Everyday Life’. There is almost too much of a distance between them and the rest of proceedings. It is a minor compliant however on an album that is a consistent, intriguing and above all else immersive experience end-to-end.

4.5/5

Welcome David

Hvile I Kaos - Lower Order Manifestations (2025)

The cello is my favourite classical instrument.  Capable of creating such slow, haunitng and melancholic sounds as well urgent and oppressive timbres as well, I find a versatile and always pleasing instrument.  Hvile I Kaos deploy the cello alongside guitar, frame drum and bass to create 'dark chamber music'. This has been on a few nights as I have laid in bed with the lights out ready to get into a peaceful slumber.  Full of mystique and dark terrors, the descripton from the Bandcamp page sums it up perfectly:

"This collection of recorded workings is a series of invocations to eight Lower Order Spirits, as steps leading to the sacrificial altar of Moloch, the King of Fire. This is done in accordance with the practice of Sinister Magick known as Vedantic Nihilism, as outlined in the grimoire "Codex Aversum" by Caine Del Sol.

The forces presented by these workings are those of collapse, madness, death, and decay. They have served and will continue to serve those ends to devastating effect, in real life, in real time.

You have been warned."

4/5

Still maintaing my list of releases for The North this year.  Top Ten looks like:

1. Gràb - Kremess

2. Grima - Nightside

3. The Great Old Ones - Kadath

4. Warmoon Lord - Sacrosanct Demonopathy

5. Void of Hope - Proof of Existence

6. Cryptosis - Celestial Death (increasingly an outlier)

7. Drudkh - Shadowplay

8. Serpentes - Desert Psalms

9. Blood Abscission - I I

10. Svartsyn - Vortex of the Destroyer

Full Top 20 here https://metal.academy/lists/single/310

Quite the milestone.  Metal Academy continues to a great resource, especially in my discovery of new music this year.  Thanks Ben.