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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.

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.

Marianas Rest come across my review desk this week with their third studio album from 2021 and you would be forgiven if you expected it to be more the same death doom metal. The tempos are slow and brooding, but they never feel like they are wasting the listeners time, production is very impressive and the vocals are quite diverse in their range. The songwriting can feel a bit lacking at times since doom metal at the best of times is about atmosphere rather than driving melodies, but that can be excused for the albums post-metal textures that peak their head in from time-to-time. The Agalloch/Rosetta style of atmospheric doom/sludge metal is usually a big sell for me and here it is no exception, I just wish that Marianas Rest could have included a few more memorable riffs or vocal lines into these songs instead of relying on atmosphere to carry them home.

Best Songs: Glow from the Edge, Sacrificial, Fata Morgana, Advent of Nihilism

One of the best things about metal is its diversity and the ability to combine different genres both metal and non-metal. Born of Osiris are the masters of combining metalcore with elements of djent and deathcore, and in their new album Through Shadows, they've added an alt-metal cherry on top! And writing for the album started around the same time as their previous album Angel or Alien that was rewritten after failing to be a companion for their incomplete album The Simulation.

As with many of their albums, Through Shadows is an excellent one with many twists and turns. The djent-ish alt-metalcore sound is so diverse and interesting. All you can expect here is the unexpected.

A robotic female voice that starts "Seppuku" leads to an explosion of sharp riffing and digital electronics. Everything's so simple yet futuristic. "Elevate" has an accessible rave-ish groove, and the chorus mixes together electronics and riffs quite well. The 5-minute title track is another journey for Born of Osiris. Impressive vocals here, both the screams and cleans! "The War That You Are" has both heaviness and melody cranked up. And holy sh*t, the riffing and vocals are as deathcore as their earlier material.

We also have some Middle Eastern vibes in "Inverno" along with some pleasant melody. On the flip side, "A Mind Short Circuiting" is a dissonant riff frenzy only for those experienced with the band and sci-fi action video games. "Burning Light" is a melancholic synth interlude to act as the album's intermission. It segues to "In Desolation" which has a similar vibe to some melodic metalcore bands, and that I really enjoy. "Torchbearer" is the first single for the album, released nearly two years before the rest of the album. They never cease to amaze me, and I might try exercising with this song on play.

Then we have the perfect "Activated", in which everything experienced so far is put together in a trancey metalcore fiesta. I love the guest vocals by Underoath's Spencer Chamberlain and the saxophone solo that can surpass "Careless Whisper". Then "Dark Fable" has more of the electronic synths and metal beats, and the clean vocals in the chorus sound so tranquil. "Transcendence" borrows some electronic experimentation for early 2010s Linkin Park. "Blackwater" ends the album with epic crushing sorrow.

I'm glad that the new Born of Osiris album has come out and I got listen to it and review it once it got added to this site. Through Shadows is another amazing work of art from this unique band to appreciate. It's something diverse music listeners need in their lives, and let's hope they have another album in the writing works as we speak!

Favorites: "Seppuku", "Through Shadows", "The War That You Are", "In Desolation", "Torchbearer", "Activated", "Blackwater"

Apoptosis is the fifth studio album from Denver based technical/melodic/progressive death metal band Allegaeon, and the first that I listened to upon release. Previous albums were solid, but I missed them during my metal purge of the 2010s. Then suddenly, after graduation, a random recommendation of the bands cover of "Subdivisions" shows up and I was hooked. The rest of the album, Proponent for Sentience was a major wake up call for me in multiple ways. Not only was it one of the main contributors in reviving my love for the genre, but one of the catalysts to push me forward in exploring the extreme sides of the field. 

So going into Apoptosis for the first time, my expectations were sky high. And while I do feel a little let down by what was given here, it's hard for me to find all that much to criticize about it. My biggest issue with it was, now that the band had played their opus card on the last album, it would be hard to stay on the cutting edge without being predictable. And Apoptosis does become a little bit predictable, especially around "Metaphobia". Without the aspirations of being conceptual, the record instead becomes a wank fest. And in this case, I mean "wank fest" in the best way possible.

Someone once compared Allegaeon's songwriting to that of Dream Theater. And if you look at it from a pure, surface level perspective you might be right. But if you take that comparison anywhere beyond the guitar playing, you will quickly realize that their is no weight in that comparison. Allegaeon write well formed, balanced tunes that have a great blend and counterpoint of guitars, vocals and even bass from time to time. The percussion does a lot of great work here laying foundational ground for the melodic instruments above it. The mixing in the drums is very well done and when it's at the busiest it still does not bother me or interfere with the other parts of the mixing. 

This album might not be as connected as their last record, but Apoptosis does have a sliver of a concept running through it; that being the concept of controlled death. I think that "controlled death" is an appropriate description of Apoptosis as a whole. The album is vicious, fast and loud. Compared to other technical death metal bands like Cryptopsy, Gorguts and Suffocation, Allegaeon's songwriting is much more connected. These brutal sounds are not included for their own sake; they all contribute to telling the story of the record and I greatly appreciate that in a genre that is blissfully ignorant of that. Overall it is a strong, if a little same-y, record with lots of positives when taken on its own. In the greater discography I can see audiences getting fatigued by many of the same sounds. But how many other tech-death bands are making music as melodic as this? At that point, you might wonder if Allegaeon needs to change their sound at all.

Best Songs: Interphase // Meiosis, Extremophiles (B), Exothermic Chemical Combustion, Tsunami and Submergence

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'm quite used to this epic blackened deathcore sound now and can enjoy bands like The Breathing Process. The band made a new EP in 2023, their first since the demos, entitled Todeskrone (Death's Crown). Here the sometimes-fast sometimes-slow extreme sound of Labyrinthian continues and shows that the band are back in their earlier quick pace of making new material. OK, it's not a lot since their previous release two years prior, with this one being just a 4-track EP. Still it's another straight-on example of their symphonic blackened deathcore sound that would later be credited to the new more popular bands of that style. And it's also where it's just that, symphonic blackened deathcore! Barely any of their earlier melodeath has remained in this release.

The 4 tracks in this EP are all nicely-refined bangers that again continue what they had in Labyrinthian. However, it has more of the deathly direction they're usually known for with barely any of the melody in the more experimental tracks. That's where the lack of melodeath can be heard compared to earlier albums. I love this because it gives them more in common with the more popular bands of the epic blackened deathcore scene such as Lorna Shore, Mental Cruelty, Worm Shepherd, and later Carnifex. On the other hand, the reduction of experimentation makes the release have slightly less of the perfect glory of those previous 3 albums.

Striking with vicious vocal layers is the first song "Empty, Not Alone". Their current vocalist Chris Rabideau sounds so monstrous, and I mean that in a good way. "Hell is Almost Heaven" really lets it rip with vocals and instrumentation of total hellfire. "Clawed" is filled with noise and chaos, and includes guest vocals by the talented Devin Duarte of Worm Shepherd. The closing title track is an epic throwback to the blackened side of their past and it's packed with sounds of deathly destruction.

Though not as perfect as most of the band's discography, Todeskrone displays a promising direction of where The Breathing Process will go next. I hope to hear more of their strength and talent in their upcoming album later this year or the next!

Favorites: "Empty, Not Alone", "Todeskrone"

You know how much I love epic blackened deathcore, from the likes of Lorna Shore, Mental Cruelty, Worm Shepherd, etc., with songs containing a cauldron of epic melodies, downtuned riffs, and brutal breakdowns. Two genres that I once thought were too much for my taste have come together for something so intriguing. But does anyone know the band that really started it all?

The Breathing Process is the unsung pioneer of this style of deathcore, back in 2008 with their debut In Waking Divinity, alongside Winds of Plague. It was a somewhat rough start, though Odyssey (Un)Dead and Samsara are glorious examples of the sound. And maintaining that perfect streak is one of the best albums of 2021, Labyrinthian!

After the eerie first half-minute of the opening "Terminal", blast beats soar through the darkened skies. The speed has gotten me hooked, and it's not until the breakdown when everything slows down for an intense increase in tension. "Shadow Self" greatly blends the symphonic melodeath of Skyfire and early Starkill with the deathly metalcore of Bleeding Through. Another standout is "Wilt" with its heavy blackened riffing and guest vocals by David Simonich of Signs of the Swarm.

"A Savage Plea" has a beautiful intro and then rises into one of the more savage tracks here. The synth-filled blackened title track would certainly work well for a video game boss battle, and that boss is guest vocalist Jamie Graham (Viscera, ex-Sylosis). Even more blackened is "I Sleep, I Wake", their longest track at over 7 minutes, with the final two being one of the most blackened moments in the entire album. "Heir to None" is more atmospheric, but what's with the samples in the intro? They sound oddly placed and knock a few percentage points off what would've been a 100% rating. Still this song shows the band in divine form.

"Shroud" shrouds the blackened deathcore sound with some melodies borrowed from Still Remains. "Atlas" is also more melodic, almost in Parkway Drive territory, while staying in their usual sound. "We the Drowned" marks yet another epic deathcore album ending with the best climax. The melancholic finale where all the symphonics and heavy chords and melodies rise up once more before collapsing into just sorrowful piano is just beautiful.

All in all, Labyrinthian continues to seal The Breathing Process as the ultimate founder of the melodic symphonic blackened deathcore scene. Everything is mindful and perfect (except for the intro of "Heir to None"). Anyone still listening to those more popular bands of this style, take a break from them and check this band out. For real!

Favorites: "Shadow Self", "Wilt", "Labyrinthian", "I Sleep, I Wake", "We the Drowned"

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!

I'm on several metal communities, sometimes more active on others that some, and I never really see anybody talking about Indukti.  I was honestly under the assumption that they were just thrown in the Metal Academy Prog Metal List Challenge to fill up the 25 entries.  I didn't really have the highest hopes getting into this, but I had quite a bit of fun.  The seven minute opener, Freder, has a loosely industrial repetition about that maintains some originality and catchiness with a good, heavy attitude, so it was a good opener.  But then an acoustic ballad takes over on Cold Inside, and it's just gorgeous.  This one progressed perfectly, rivaling some of the folksier or symphonic stuff I heard when I was going through classic prog on Progarchives.  The acoustics transcend into track 3, titled No. 11812, which goes back into the metal weirdness and maintains a keen unpredictability, balancing out acoustic melodies with layers of electric monotony that exude futurism.  Track 4, Shade, begins with a heavily tribal ambiance, emerging into a meaningful combo of violin and heavy metal energy overtime.  Then comes Uluru, which is just freakin' maniacal.  It has everything from violin to Paranoid Android sound effects to robotic growls that sound like burps to a didgeridoo opening and doesn't spare a second without going into mindwarp overload.  Now track 6, titled No. 11811, is where some similar ideas get tossed around, potentially meaning they used up the majority of their ideas and decided to finish up with clever instrumentation to fill up the album.  It's still quite good, but for such a creative album, a little more spark would be appreciated.  The nine minute closer does this as well, but it manages to keep things cool and refreshing.  This album is a lot like a Devin Townsend album, and I really do recommend it.

95

The debut album of Green Carnation, Journey to the End of Night, was a conceptual beauty but a rhythmic near-disaster, recycling simple riffs and surreal concepts between overdrawn epics while maintaining a strong sense of atmosphere and mystique.  So these guys had their work cut out for them on the second album, especially considering that it's entirely composes of a single hour-long song.  This was either going to be a monolith or a botched work.  It ended up being the former.  We finally have that total harmony between the instruments that allows them to flow from one genre to the other seamlessly, matching the intrigue and mystique of the debut with much better production, just as clear as before but balanced in volume and impact between each player.  Its grandiose behavior isn't quite so overtly melodic and epic in the way that a Mozart piece would be.  It's a slow walk in the woods during a blood orange sunset, covering all your emotions on the journey, much like the cover appears as.  Now rhythmically, it's easily an improvement over the first.  Throughout, good rhythms evolve into each other, once again, seamlessly.  However, I would still go as far as the say that melody is the worst aspect about the album, as it rarely ever reaches out to astound.  Otherwise, the album does everything it can to maintain this Autumn evening atmos, even when the technical Pt. II takes over right into a dive of new age vocals, acoustic guitar and smoot sax.  Because you need to know: this isn't a "metal" album... this is an ALBUM.

Green Carnation, a prog band formed by ex-Emperor bassist Tchort, is a band I've put off for a long time so I can focus on other kinds of metal and other genres in general, but I finally have the freedom to check out one of the three bands I need left for one of the Metal Academy prog metal list challenges.  Even though I only need to review one of their albums, I wanted to go back to the beginning, as I believe a real student should expand further than just one album per band as the lists are exclusively formed.

So starting with the debut, I was quickly introduced to a psychedelic atmosphere that I had never heard before.  The thirteen minute opener, In the Realm of the Midnight Sun, was an obvious effort in putting together various styles in a way that fit and could justify the length of 13 minutes.  Now I'd say as far as progressing the various genres in one song goes, there wasn't any problem with that.  But there's something that really needs to be addressed: some of the rhythms outshine other parts of the song by country miles, so the song still feels inconsistent in that way.  I thought to myself, "I supposed that's where the leading criticism comes from?"  I had other epics to check out before I could be certain of that.  Another product of the inconsistency is how some metal moments are much heavier than others.  I suppose the drums were improperly mixed, feeling a little faint for what they were striving to achieve.  But by the third epic, which totals tracks 2-4 into 45 minutes, it kind of becomes a cycle of reused tricks in different epics, creating a sense of overlength.  Even the fact that several shorter songs take up the end doesn't really detract from this.

For a first attempt, there's some good genre balance and ambition here, but the lack of original rhythmic ideas tells me that this was merely the band tackling too much at once and only fairly succeeding more at the intrigue rather than the music.  It's a fine first attempt in that way, but more or less decent in other ways.

I can always get behind the idea of changing your sound a bit.  Fates Warning have slowly done that over the course of several albums, but typically, they will remain a metal band.  It's not so apparent in A Pleasant Shade of Grey, in fact I'd go as far as to say it's not a full-on metal album, but rather rock with a couple metal influences.  And I'm totally cool with that.  I was hoping this album would be one of the absolute berst of its type, but Fates Warning has only impressed me once in that vein out of several albums, so my expectations were closer to the 9/10 vein.

From what I've studied, Fates Warning are basically a top 10 in prog metal as far as popularity and influence goes.  Of course, when you're going to tackle prog, you have to be careful that your technical melodies and the harmony of the instruments don't come off as wonky.  Part II was fairly guilty of that during the verses, so the first two parts didn't really do much for me musically, despite setting a good preconceived standard for the rest of the album.  But it took way too long for me to get to a spot to where I could feel like absorbing an atmosphere, bobbing my head, getting intrigued, etc.  Part 5 had a good level of psychedelic intrigue to it, but it simply wasn't strong enough to stand out amongst the masses of prog rock or metal IMO and it didn't justify the wonkiness in the other parts of the song.  Things started to feel more fleshed out and make more sense in the second half, featuring better examples of prog that took a few key directions that cemented the second half as superior to the first.  But when the band was trying out some metal in the fix, the softer focus of the album got in the way of heaviness, making it feel more like general rock, so while they have every right to make a rockier album, any metal should actually be metal.

it shows this vintage group of prog metal pioneers somehow struggling to maintain proper atmosphere, being more focused on maintaining a softer presence that they only occasionally succeed at.  This is also to say that when it was trying to be metal, it wasn't heavy enough.  They have every right to change their sound, and this was a pretty good attempt with a few good songs, some interesting technical ideas and a little bit of experimentation that never broke the flow.  But sometimes it feels a little empty, and sometimes the rythms are a bit wonky, so the album feels incomplete.

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.

Act of Defiance is the side project of Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick after leaving Megadeth. They were around during the Endgame to Super Collider era of the band. Perhaps beginning with Megadeth as the point of reference was a bad place to start because I already have a storied history of disliking that band. So when the downtuned guitars and harsh vocals of Henry Derek open up Old Scars, New Wounds I was certainly intrigued. For starters, it didn't sound like Megadeth, which is already a big green flag in my book! That optimism quickly faded as Act of Defiance reveal all that they learned in songwriting from Dave Mustaine as Old Scars, New Wounds becomes a bore to listen to. This record loses momentum in record time as they begin copying riffs as early as "Lullaby of Vengeance"; not to mention that many of the albums slower tunes like "The Talisman" sound like they borrowed a riff straight out of the In Flames songbook.  

This album has awkward aspirations of being something more than just a bog standard mid 2010s thrash metal album. The vocals are varied between clean and harsh, the riffing goes through a variety of styles, there is guitar soloing galore and a basic understanding of key center fatigue. The issue is that most of it is performed with the most careless attitude. Henry Derek's vocals are so monotonous and most of the time, the cleans sound atrocious over the soundscape. Every riff sounds borrowed from another more popular trend, and the low end of the album is utterly neutered by Broderick's guitar playing. The riffing, soloing and drum work is pretty good so if you're just looking for some good old fashioned shredding to indulge in, you'll likely have a solid enough time with Old Scars, New Wounds. But even for a project that is so linked to Megadeth, I expected a lot more. 

Best Songs: Molten Core, Reborn, Broken Dialect

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.

Being the contrarian that I am, I must admit that Ascendancy was never my favourite Trivium record of the 2000s. Personally, it was The Crusade and Shogun that always topped my list. Those records always had slightly more edge than their most successful and breakout album from 2005. That is not meant to serve as an insult to Ascendancy because while the album does sound patchy at points and also takes forever to end, this is the kind of melodic metalcore that does more than your standard hardcore album of the era.

When I think of this time frame of melodic metalcore, names like Killswitch Engage, Bullet for my Valentine and Parkway Drive inevitably come up. Trivium fall into the category with bands like Shadows Fall; following the trends of mainstream success, but with a nostalgic flare. My major criticism of this new wave of hardcore music is that songs are not constructed well, as they alternate back and forth between a quasi heavy metal section and a slow, brooding chugging breakdown. It transforms the album from Iron Maiden worship into an almost fully realized modernization. Trivium will exploit that detail here on Ascendancy almost to the point of being insufferable. Songs like "Pull Harder on the String of Your Martyr" and "Ascendancy" have some excellent grooves for about two-thirds of their length. Then during the bridge, the tempo and style drastically change so that the guitar players can wail for a while, before concluding with a return to the original form. Ironically, these deviations don't bother me as much as they would if they were on a modern metalcore record. "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation" starts off nostalgia farming with two riffs back-to-back that are just "One" and "Fear of the Dark" before becoming something else entirely about halfway through. The initial whiplash is perplexing, but Trivium allows that groove to simmer and burn instead of hanging it out to dry when the guitar solos conclude.

I must say that this riffing is fantastic. During a time when melodic metalcore was at a peak in the collective mainstream, there were few acts that could devise riffs like Trivium. Not only could they crank up the intensity on a whim, but they also knew that slowing down giving a reprieve would allow those solos to bit even more impactful. In a genre where tempo has gotten progressively slower over time, Ascendancy is a nostalgic trip back to the genre's thrash roots. Bands like Killswitch Engage and All That Remains could write better hooks, but Trivium are no slouch in this department either. I mean, one listen to "Dying in Your Arms" affirms that. And the album doesn't overindulge in its production. All of the records key aspects are pristine and precise; you won't find any symphonic or synthetic elements to bog down the mixing and overwhelm the listener during its thrashier segments.

This is just a really good album. Ascendancy represents a side of melocore during the mid 2000s that wanted to crossover, instead of being relegated to the kiddie pool. Many metalcore bands of the time were completely fine with playing Warped Tour, while Trivium were playing on MTV2 with Chimaira, Arch Enemy, In Flames and Lamb of God. Trivium got their recognition and ballooned into more progressive sounds later on Shogun and beyond. As its name suggests, Trivium really ascended to the top of the metal world around this time, and for good reason.

Best Songs: A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation, Drowned and Torn Asunder, The Deceived, Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr

The timing for me to review another Slipknot album couldn't have been better. A few days before this review, backstage at the final concert for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, Slipknot turntablist Sid Wilson became engaged with Ozzy's daughter Kelly. Congrats to them! Although this engagement might confuse some people, since they've already been dating since 2022 and have a son together.

I think just found my new favorite nu metal album. There are so amazing songs that sound as fresh as they did 24 years prior. These 9 members perform in great synergy, especially in the rhythm section, not just from Wilson but also two percussionists, as well as drummer Joey Jordison and bassist Paul Gray. RIP the latter two...

Intro "(515)" is confusing, just shouting the word "death" over and over. Then "People = Sh*t" blasts off in brutal heaviness. "Disasterpiece" is also good, sounding more thrashy. Though not as extreme as "My Plague" which would end up in the soundtrack of the Resident Evil film. Then everything continues to get heavier in "Everything Ends", which again speeds up at thrash-esque levels.

"The Heretic Anthem" is also good, sounding quite deathly for a nu metal song. However, the lyrics take a dip in quality. The refrain where Corey Taylor yells "If you're 555, then I'm 666" is just silly and doesn't make much of a lyrical impact. "Gently" is another track that's good but isn't really a highlight. It was re-recorded from their 1996 demo album Mate Feed Kill Repeat. "Left Behind" is one of my favorites here. It's a prime example of nu metal with a more rock-ish tone while unleashing their usual rage in everything. "The Shape" is in good shape. So is "I Am Hated" which I would never hate.

"Skin Ticket" is another track that I can probably do without. However, "New Abortion" is another solid standout. "Metabolic" isn't bad but doesn't offer anything special. Unlike one of the longest and most experimental tracks in alt-/nu metal, the 15-minute closing title epic. It is the band's longest track to not have a title track, and an incredible journey for those who are patient and never restless. The Japanese edition bonus track is a live rendition of the 1999 debut's "Liberate" which is OK but doesn't add much.

All in all, Iowa is an excellent nu metal offering that shows Slipknot at their best. If you're one of those people who hate nu metal to the bone, a lot of what this album has to offer would convince you that there's still goodness in the genre. Just pure in-your-face extreme nu metal!

Favorites: "People = Sh*t", "My Plague", "Everything Ends", "Left Behind", "I Am Hated", "New Abortion", "Iowa"

The most popular era of KMFDM began with their album Nihil and would carry on to their next album Xtort. At this point, they were really rising as the industrial rock pioneers they've been known to be. They also introduced some aspects to industrial music that were barely used in industrial back then such as fast punk-ish tempos. They would pave the way for other popular German industrial rock/metal bands such as Rammstein.

The songs in Xtort are as great as the ones in Nihil. It's a nice variety with some songs I find superb and others I find OK. And that's interesting because I usually prefer my industrial metal to have more of the metal...

"Power" begins with what sounds like a phone call before the instrumentation slowly builds up. It's an excellent start to this album and would make a great show starter. I enjoy the chorus that sounds like if they collaborated with the Muses from Disney's Hercules. "Apathy" has too much mud in the sound, though it gets clearer when they slow down. "Rules" has enjoyable vocals. Male/female vocal combos are not common in industrial metal, and that's something I enjoy in one of The Sphere's later bands, Mechina.

"Craze" has good vocals, but the instrumentation falls into the same muddy trap. "Dogma" starts off with strange alien synths before Nicole Blackman provides spoken vocals. In all honesty, that song might remind some more of Devo. "Inane" is INSANE!!! Sascha Konietzko performs his usual vocal distortion alongside rising chords, singing about the band themselves and their greatness. The country-ish guitars are also quite fun. Fantastic highlight! Next up, "Blame" has a nice midtempo intro of hardcore guitar melodies. The instrumentation stands out as well, even going far as to using brass horns!

"Son of a Gun" has more of that male vocal distortion. It's also used in the chorus while harmonized by the female singing. They really explore a lot in the synth department. "Ikons" continues the vocal distortion with some machine FX. "Wrath" is a strong way out. Everything's in great balance including the vocals and production. I enjoy the lyrics and synth breaks. Then it all ends with the last bit of strange synth noises. Finally, "Fairy" is an unusual hidden track with just piano and an eerie voice reading a fairytale.

For any KMFDM listeners out there, you don't wanna miss out on this great example of this sound. You can listen to the album while taking a night drive in your car. Beats and heaviness can sound quite good together....

Favorites: "Power", "Rules", "Inane", "Blame", "Wrath"

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

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.

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.

The best ever thrash album to come out of Italy is probably not that well-known, but it is a super-intense blast through riffs and thrashbeats that is both wild and exhilharating. Vocalist, Ingo, has a really evil-sounding bark that gives the album even more of a dark edge. If you have listened to much South American thrash then you will feel perfectly at home here. Driving right up to the border between death and thrash metal, whilst definitely remaining on the thrash side, this takes the intensity of the Big 3 teutonic thrashers and injects it with the evil darkness of atmosphere found on Possessed's Seven Churches. In common with most people I suspet, this passed me by in the Eighties, but I am glad I stumbled upon it years later and it still carries an effective and vital intensity even nowadays. A much overlooked 80's thrash metal gem.

Well, guess I listen to deathcore now.

This is not surprising given the sudden rise in popularity of genre over the past four years. When the legacy media showered Lorna Shore with praise in 2022 and named Pain Remains their album of the year, it brought in a bunch of new ears into a genre that had been stuck in 2012 for too long. And a budding scene spearheaded it back into the forefront as bands like Signs of the Swarm, Mental Cruelty and AngelMaker enter the publics field of vision, while other, older bands like Fit for an Autopsy and Whitechapel's Hymns in Dissonance revive their older sounds.

Since Lorna Shore are releasing their new album later this year, and I will undoubtedly be asked to talk about that, we’ll save the more in-depth discussions for another day. But Shadow of Intent were a band that I always liked from a distance. Chris Wiseman has proven to be a solid composer of melodic deathcore in the past. The question now becomes “how long can they keep this up without changing their personality?”

Well with the way things are going in the new deathcore scene, it’s hard to imagine SoI (Shadow of Intent) needing to change their sound. While all these new bands are trying to chase the Lorna Shore plateau, SoI are essentially making melodic death metal with a punk twist. The first track, “Prepare to Die” begins the record with some very strong foundations before the vocals enter and bring all the pieces together. On the flipside, “Feeding the Meatgrinder” sounds like SoI trying to make an old school death metal classic. “Flying the Black Flag” shows those deathcore roots a little too plainly; whether it be the rapid-fire vocal delivery from Ben Duerr, or the out-of-place breakdown that closes the song.

Imperium Delirium does have its fair share of obtuse moments, but most of the time those shifts in pace are very well executed. The percussion lays a lot of groundwork here, where a guitar can play the same riff over two very different percussion grooves and can produce two very different reactions from the listener. “Infinity of Horrors” and “They Murdered Sleep” are both early album standouts for that reason. As the album progresses, “Beholding the Sickness of Civilization” continues this trend in the best way on the album. I’ve always enjoyed when the band tries to be a bit more progressive; whether on “The Dreaded Mystic Abyss” or here on “Imperium Delirium”. Meanwhile, the instrumental track “Apocalypse Canvas” doesn’t really do much for me; its inclusion on the record may bring fond memories of “The Dreaded Mystic Abyss”, but it’s played over a very pedestrian melodic deathcore groove and feels like a wasted opportunity.

One thing that I can give Imperium Delirium a ton of credit for is how it does not follow the status quo; either within the modern deathcore trends, or Shadow of Intent’s typical texture. Melodic deathcore might seem like a counterintuitive concept, and even then, SoI are not satisfied. This album has more variety than previous releases and somehow more technical. The Dream Theater progressive techniques have been put on the backburner and replaced with more variety in songwriting, and they are also unashamed to have a little fun, paying homage to their influences.

In the end, I really enjoyed Imperium Delirium. As a melodic death metal album, it is heavy as hell but never feeling like its simply going through the motions of that genre, as it draws inspiration from the old school. As a deathcore album, Imperium Delirium’s breakdowns are filthy without feeling like whiplash. For a genre that I once admitted to “not getting” and treating with bad faith, Shadow of Intent are (for now) the lone deathcore band that I really enjoy and keep coming back to. When it is pedestrian, it’s still pretty good, if a little derivative. But when SoI tries something new, they hit the mark with flying colours.

Best Songs: They Murdered Sleep, Prepare to Die, Beholding the Sickness of Civilization, Imperium Delirium, Feeding the Meatgrinder

If you've read Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Overlode, you would know that (SPOILER ALERT) a heavy metal band named Metallichihuahua started out popular in the 90s before splitting up, and then reunited 25 years later for a special surprise show. In the timeline that we're in, Deadguy had a similar history at around the same time. They formed in 1994 in New Jersey and released several EPs and an album. Their noise-fueled metallic hardcore sound was praised by many fans and would then spawn a different genre, mathcore. However, their time was short-lived, disbanding in 1997. Members of that band and Rorschach would form another short-lived band, Kiss It Goodbye.

In 2021, an authorized documentary of the band was released, titled Deadguy: Killing Music. They were then invited to reform and perform a special show at Underground Arts, a day after the documentary was released. And then more live shows occured, all the way up to 2023. Finally, a couple years after that, their first album in 30 years has arrived! Near-Death Travel Services picks up where Fixation on a Co-Worker with its killer heavy songs that show the band still standing in the present as much as in the past.

Right when opener "Kill Fee" blasts off, you know the band is back to make some f***ing noise. It's an explosion of metal/mathcore fury and rage to give their fans a lot of joy. "Barn Burner" continues that fire. "New Best Friend" is another single that can provide you a what to expect in the album. "Cheap Trick" is another intense blast from the past.

Then comes another standout, "The Forever People". Anyone who thought it would be a My Dying Bride cover has been proven wrong. If it was though, that would've been the most direct connection between that band and metalcore/mathcore since that fiddling riff in Converge's "Conduit" similar to that in "Vast Choirs". Next, "War With Strangers" has a slower pace that then speeds up in the usual riffing/shouting fury. That reminds me, vocalist Tim Singer still has his p*ssed vocal rage after all those years away from the band, and he's around my dad's age (his early 50s). You can hear more of all that in "Knife Sharpener".

"The Alarmist" keeps up the chaos to bring us joy. "The Long Search for Perfect Timing" is aptly titled, ending the earlier fans' 30-year search for the perfect song to surpass the debut. I'm also guessing the band was listening to 7 Angels 7 Plagues in the first few years of inactivity. "All Stick & No Carrot" packs some punches with the usual Deadguy energy. The members work together in great synergy. "Wax Princess" wraps it all up, having some more of the similar aspects to 7 Angels 7 Plagues.

Not often does a 30-year comeback turn out so well, but Deadguy is far from dead, and their new album Near-Death Travel Services proves it. They might just start a new path, and chances are, we won't have to wait until 2055 for their 3rd album. This is the chaos we need, to make up for the actual chaos in this world!

Favorites: "Kill Fee", "Cheap Trick", "The Forever People", "War With Strangers", "The Long Search for Perfect Timing", "All Stick & No Carrot"

Do I even have to write a review of this?  Now this album is listed as a metalcore and sludge release on various websites, and I'm a bit into both, not enough to join the clans, though.  I really liked the idea of sludge metalcore, and even use the tag "sludgecore" in my charts to describe the combo.  You'd think Xibalba would be a shoe-in for a favorite band, but I wouldn't know it from this debut.  The same overused guitar tone, the same decent level of heaviness, the same shouty vocals and the same type of songwriting take up the majority of this fairly boring self-released debut.  I found myself wondering why any of these songs even bothered to go into the five minute range.  I'm really not sure how this band got such good reviews with this debut, but I really believe that so much more could've been done with this album.  I would even go as far as to say I prefer the End So Far by Slipknot.

Another Dying Fetus record, another decent (if middling) score from me. I inevitably feel very much the same about all of the Maryland brutal death metal establishment's releases in that they all offer some level of appeal for me with their relentless brutality but lose points for their style-over-substance approach to song-writing. "Stop at Nothing" (Dying Fetus' fourth full-length album) isn't their one of their strongest records but it is another very consistent one with the quality levels tending to stay very stable throughout with only disappointing close "Vengeance Unleashed" seeing my enjoyment factor dipping a little. The production isn't amazing with the drum sound being noticeably clicky which doesn't do drummer Erik Sayenga any favours. The dual vocal attack is in full effect though & I'm glad that John Gallagher & co. don't allow the practice session-style technicalities to get out of hand as I've never thought that they added a lot to Dying Fetus' sound to be honest. As always with a Dying Fetus record, their signature mid-tempo, hardcore-inspired slam riffs are a highlight &, despite its flaws, I don't think "Stop at Nothing" will lose too many of the band's pre-existing audience even if it's certainly nothing particularly special.

For fans of Suffocation, Misery Index & Skinless.

For nearly a year, I've been a big fan of Shadow of Intent. I first heard of this band working on the Revolution playlists and coming across some of their tracks. Then I listened to their album Elegy, and while I didn't enjoy it back then as I do now, I still approve of their blend of epic deathcore and lyrics of historical wars (not the same approach as Sabaton). And once I made my way through their other albums, I was all in. Melancholy remains one of my favorite epic deathcore albums. And what can surpass that?

That's right, their new album Imperium Delirium! The music and lyrics cut sharper than a knife. The conceptual themes range from personal to somewhat political. The riffing and structures are in clear production, making this hour-long offering a dark exhilarating experience.

The lyrical poetry of lead vocalist Ben Duerr reaches its very height right at the beginning of the album with "Prepare to Die". He can be heard growling and screaming about the fate of humanity, and no matter how fast he spits out those lyrics, they're so clear and you can hear them directly. The next track, early single "Flying the Black Flag" is so f***ing bada**, and it was co-produced by Blake Mullens from fellow symphonic deathcore band Disembodied Tyrant. "Infinity of Horrors" follows it up with some of the most melodic guitarwork in the album. That and guitarist Chris Wiseman's soaring clean vocals give the chorus a near-power metal vibe. He has certainly improved vocally since his misstep in their debut Primordial. Ben still has his monstrous growls. "Mechanical Chaos" continues the brutal chaos while having a bit of progressiveness from Voivod.

Taking on a few twists to keep the album interesting and fresh, the great "They Murdered Sleep", has more of a slow groove at times which, when blended with the string orchestration, comes out so monstrous and destructive. In "The Facets of Propaganda", the keys and background female chanting balance out with the heaviness and blackened screams/growls. Another single, "Feeding the Meatgrinder" is so f***ing brutal and doubling the brutality is the one and only Corpsegrinder from Cannibal Corpse. The vengeful "Vehement Draconian Vengeance" is like the melodeath of Dethklok and Neaera blended with the metalcore of later Living Sacrifice.

"Beholding the Sickness of Civilization" has more vocal distortion, making Ben sound more sinister. "Apocalypse Canvas" continues the aspect of having a long instrumental track. It's literally Dream Theater gone deathcore, filled with technical rhythms and shredding. "No Matter the Cost" has the deathcore of As Blood Runs Black and early Job for a Cowboy gone as progressive as Watchtower. The closing title track is another one of the darkest deathcore epics, all the way up to the "YOU ARE NOW F***ED" ending.

It's crazy how long Shadow of Intent can maintain their perfect streak. They haven't lost much steam in their heaviness, blasting away any sign of lameness. Imperium Delirium is fun intriguing symphonic deathcore recommended for any fan of the genre. Can't wait for more of this band, along with Lorna Shore's new album later this year!

Favorites: "Prepare to Die", "Flying the Black Flag", "They Murdered Sleep", "Feeding the Meatgrinder", "Apocalypse Canvas", "Imperium Delirium"

Believe it or not, during my original Septicflesh marathon, I didn't get through this.  I was more interested in the directly symphonic stuff.  And even though Iv'e been trying to cut back on metal, this is one of those times where I just got impatient with putting this off and decided that one metal album wouldn't hurt my charts much.  Plus, if I'm a Septicflesh fan, I should've already heard this.

This is true to form Septicflesh in every possible way, and may be the single MOST Septicflesh album of the catalogue.  They were always a wild act, merging various styles together in a weird whole, until they focues almost strictly on symphonic death metal.  This album is a careful mesh of the symphonic stuff, the straightforward stuff, the gothic metal of the classic era and the melodic death.  The results are generally, if I may, "mystic."  There's a careful cinematic presence in their beautifully produced music that only Septicflesh can truly provide.  Some of these songs are just legendary, like the title track, Viruses of the Beast, etc.  It almost sounds like it came out of a Therion album sometimes, and at other times it reaches FSoL levels of surreality, especially in the closer.  But none of these aspects ever get in the way of each other.

A few songs, however, lose some of the melodic prowess that this experimentation demands.  Now songs like Magic Loves Infinity are just gorgeously put together, carefully treading a fine line between atmosphere and melody.  But a song like Dark River relies mostly on the backing effects to handle the magic of the album.  That's my only complaint.  Otherwise, this is absolutely georgeous death metal, four words that probably shouldn't go together.

It's about time I went back on those Morbid Angel albums and saw if my current rankings hold up.  For a very short period of time, Morbid Angel was my choice for best death metal band, right before my venture into Septicflesh.  Now this review is for the original audio rather than the Full Dynamic Range master.  Now it goes without saying that I prefer albums that bring out many noticeable variations between songs, and this is the kind of album that pulls out so many different time signatures every twenty seconds or so that it's no surprise that many of the songs have a few too many similarities.  But this remains an incredible album for two reasons: 1. some of the best production values of the 1980's, clear and crystalline without going into arena reverb, and 2. many of the best riffs you may ever hear in death metal.  Similarities aside, the compositions can oftentimes be absolutely stunning.  The intense power of the album's combination of production and composition can even shine through a set of bad headphones.  Morbid Angel made an instant name for themselves with this album.

97

The only experience I had with this female-fronted Arkansas alternative metal outfit was through their latest album "The Bitter Pill" which I reviewed when it was our feature releases back in 2021. Not only did I find that record to be seriously underrated but I also quite enjoyed the experience so I always intended on checking out some of their more popular work at some point, if only to satisfy the unrelenting completist in me. Well, 2003's "Fallen" sophomore album is clearly the Evanescence record of choice for most fans of the band & includes a number of big hits that most metal & rock fans would know very well, even if they've never actively gone out of their way to investigate the album they're taken from. After giving it a few spins this week I've come to the realisation that it's a hit & miss record in my opinion with a good 45% of the tracklisting offering me very little appeal. Thankfully though, the other 55% is very solid indeed which gives "Fallen" enough value to see me coming out of the experience feeling quite positive, if not quite as positive as I did with "The Bitter Pill".

Evanescence's signature sound was forged with this record which champions an alternative metal sound that also draws influence from nu metal, symphonic metal & gothic metal at times. The vocals of Amy Lee are obviously the main focal point as the instrumentation isn't anything terribly interesting or creative & I was happy to find that she's well up to the task too with her tone being both powerful & pure. The incredible adult contemporary number "My Immortal" is the clear highlight of the album but nu metal super-hit "Bring Me to Life", the ultra-catchy "Tourniquet" & the stripped-back piano ballad "Hello" are all very solid & professional inclusions too. The weaker moments are generally aligned with the weaker vocal hooks though which makes it even more apparent that Evanescence lives & dies by the skills of their front woman to control the narrative.

I'm not gonna say that "Fallen" is essential listening because its creative statement is not significant enough for that but it's certainly a bit of fun that most rock/metal fans with do well not to find some enjoyment in. It's interesting that "The Bitter Pill" has been so heavily slandered in comparison because I don't think that's warranted given that I actually prefer that record over this one. I think the fact that "Fallen" is a little more obvious & immediate is what gives it the edge for most listeners but I slightly prefer the added maturity & depth of Evanescence's latest work. Regardless, it's easy to simply allow both to pass you by under the premise that they're none of your business but if that's your position then you might just find yourself missing out on an attractive hook-laden three-quarters of an hour of alternative metal.

For fans of Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil & We Are the Fallen.

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"

I have never been the biggest consumer of funeral doom metal. In the few ventures into this troubling subgenre, I’ve discovered that “creating good music” becomes a secondary feature and rather focuses on oppressive atmosphere. Sometimes that atmosphere can be enough to make serviceable, if not great, records. But often, they border on the line of stale drone that carries on far too long for their own sake.

I have made an attempt this year to become more cultured in subgenres (clans) of metal I normally would ignore or approach in bad faith. One such clan is The Fallen. And even though the music I’ve heard may be unremarkable (Deathwhite, Frayle, Decembre Noir and Hanging Garden), it still left me wanting more. I grow tired of the same death-doom/gothic sound and am desperate for a band to make me feel hopeless and abandoned like classic Ahab releases. (while still being pleasant to listen to of course!)

Well allow me to introduce Red Moon Architect. This band has been active for quite a while but never getting much in the way of recognition. Hailing from Finland, the instrumental backdrop of October Decay is heavily reminiscent of Swallow the Sun; heck, the album cover had me immediately thinking of The Morning Never Came. That presumption came crashing down in record time as the first isolating guitar riff began “Frozen Tomb” and the introduction of harsh death growls that are so distorted it starts to sound less like words and syllables and just becomes cries of agony. Now, if the whole album used these vocals, it’d probably be a hard sell, but complimenting it with wonderful female cleans was a breath of fresh air.

What October Decay does well is in the variety. The album starts off very melodic with lots of female vocals, occasional male harsh interjections, and (relatively speaking) busier guitar leads. That seems to change after “Decay of Emotions” and the run of “In Silence” until the album concludes with “First of October” is much heavier in the male vocals, guitar solos become sparser and use space to painstaking effect, and a heavier emphasis on string orchestration. Like an album such as The Call of the Wretched Sea, the change of pace, structure and instrumentation leave October Decay feeling like a sinking ship as the isolation of the guitar notes and percussion hits compresses you further and further towards the bottom.

Now I must admit that that Funeral Doom is not my thing, if that isn’t obvious by now. October Decay does not sound like an Esoteric or Bell Witch album. This is much closer to bands like Saturnus or Shape of Despair; still very much in the Death Doom category, but slower tempos, longer songs and dreary atmosphere bring it closer to the grave. Sinking to the bottom of the ocean have never felt so beautiful.

Best Songs: Frozen Tomb, Decay of Emotions, In Silence, First of October

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.

I find it difficult to believe that Ufomammut isn't a much more well known sludge band, especially considering that they're absolutely perfect for the popular Fallen clan on Metal Academy.  Idolum was the first Ufomammut album I ever heard, if I recall correctly, and it's one of those few albums that sent my mental and metal spirits through a surprisingly comforting black hole of soul-destroying euphoria.  Everything is in total harmony, even the lenghty drone track at the end, which IMO succeeds in its attempts at bringing out atmosphere with length where the final track of Filosofem failed.  The best example of its incredible mind-warping powers is the gorgeous Ammonia, which reaches spiritual hieights of doom and psychedelia.  This Now the group was already as force to be reckoned with as early as the incredible Snailking, but this album ripped Snailking in half.  I'm glad this album at least made it to a Clan Challenge List.

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.

I was recommended this by a friend on RYM earlier in the year and finally got round to giving it a spin. It appears that Destiny's End were a fairly short-lived USPM outfit that featured Helstar vocalist James Rivera. Forming in '97, they released a couple of albums before splitting in 2001, "Breath Deep the Dark" being the debut. If I do dip my toes into power metal, which I do like to do every now and then - I am nothing if not persistent - then it is to the US version that I turn. In truth this ain't sctually half bad and is a reasonable example of USPM, to my inexperienced ears at least. There is a whole heap of energy and enthusiasm on display here, along with reasonably impressive technical ability. There are a shed full of riffs and the soloing is energetic and frenetic without ever becoming too self-indulgent, with twin guitarists Dan DeLucie and Perry Grayson (who actually featured on the Isen Torr EP "Mighty and Superior" that I love) playing off each other to great effect. James Rivera's vocals are up front and in your face, which I guess is the norm for power metal and while he likes to exercise his range, he isn't much given to the vocal histrionics that ruin many a PM album for me.

All-in-all I would have to say that this was quite a nice surprise and I am a little flummoxed as to why Destiny's End are so obscure - their two albums are on here but have zero ratings so far. I have certainly heard worse USPM and I would definitely recommend this to anyone for who enjoys the genre. I am undecided whether it deserves a 4/5 just yet, so I have gone with a 3.5+!

It's tough when a promising band is marred with its founder's horrid allegations. But you know me as the kind of person who separate art from artist most of the time. If you enjoy something that's good or even awesome despite a problematic member, don't be shamed into not liking it. With that said, it's as good as The Breathing Process's debut but not as awesome as that band's next two albums. The symphonic blackened deathcore sound is combined with the tech-djent polyrhythms of Meshuggah.

Ovid's Withering also seems to have cranked up the keyboards in an attempt to sound epic. It's fine but a little too pompous, like slightly too reliant of the orchestration of Septicflesh. Still it's in good flow with the guitar harmonies, riffs, melodies, crushing breakdowns, and drumming machinery...

The dark djenty wonders commence in "Panikon Deima", in which the soloing appears to takes some hints from Periphery. Adding to the symphonic extreme-core is the guitar technicality and growled vocals, even power metal-esque fantasy lyrics. Next track "Oedipus Complex" has more of the symphonic black metal influences to remind some of Dimmu Borgir including some orchestration and higher shrieks. Final track "The Omen of Lycaon" is the most deathcore-fueled of all, particularly in the vocals.

I wouldn't say there's much originality in The Cloud Gatherer, but Ovid's Withering have made a well-produced EP. The aggression is never lowered by the keyboard atmosphere, though the latter could've been less overpowering. This, and those allegations, makes me hesitant to explore further. Nonetheless, enjoy these symphonies of aggression...

Favorites: All 3, but my true favorite is "Panikon Deima"

Ripper are yet another of the superb thrash acts hailing from the Santiago / Valpairiso area of Chile, forming in 2007 and still going strong. That said, the lineup that recorded 2016's Experiment of Existence is very different to today's with only band founder, guitarist and vocalist, Patricio Spalinger, remaining. The entire album was written by bassist Pablo Cortés who departed in 2019 and is now to be found in death metal acts, Suppression and Ancient Crypts. As is fairly typical for the chilean thrash scene, Experiment of Existence is very tightly performed and especially aggressive deaththrash that captures the essence of something like Seven Churches, but with more ambitious songwriting and a greater emphasis on technical skill.

One thing you may have come to expect when you spin a chilean thrash album is that you are gonna get some killer thrash riffs along with electrifying soloing thrills and Experiment of Existence certainly doesn't disappoint with Ripper delivering in spades. One particular area where the chileans excel though is in the rhythm department and, again, Ripper tick that box too. Drummer Nicolás Villanueva, who was also sticksman for another favourite of mine, Parkcrest, is an excellent thrash drummer with a powerful and busy style that never misses a beat and his timekeeping drives the tracks at considerable velocity throughout. As I mentioned earlier, bassist Pablo Cortés wrote the album and this may be one of the reasons for the prominence of his driving and fairly complex basslines although, in truth, a prominent bass presence in the mix is yet another telltale sign of the modern chilean thrash scene. Patricio Spalinger's vocals are are of a vemomously ascerbic style that sounds like it takes a lot from Chuck Schuldiner's influence.

So, basically, Ripper have reached back to one of the most interesting times in metal's development as thrash was inexorably metamorphosing into death metal and given it a modern makeover with generally better production values and technical competence whilst never losing sight of what made those times so exciting in the first place. The tightness of the performance is a testament to the four guys' ability and you will be hard-pressed to find a metaphorical musical hair out of place here. Experiment of Existence is a triumph of high velocity, aggressive and muscular thrash metal that proves that thrash didn't die in the 90's - it just moved south!

This ongoing symphonic deathcore journey of mine has led me to many epic has led me to several masterpieces of epicness and brutality. The more I discover, the more I understand the style's greatness. The Breathing Process has a couple awesome releases that I wish I had discovered earlier instead of recently. They've gone through many changes in lineup and location since forming in the early 2000s. At the time of Samsara's release, they had 7 members including 3 guitarists. As with their previous album Odyssey (un)Dead, Samsara has their usual blend of symphonic deathcore and blackened melodeath. Two glorious releases separated long apart, like Romeo and Juliet!

After being signed by some record labels for their first couple albums, Samsara was released independently in 2018, on my country's independence day, August 31. Lots of independence! The album includes a limited edition digipak for digital purchase. For this album, the band didn't just record themselves performing, they've also done all the mixing and engineering. The end result is an epic organic experience.

Just like how their first two albums opened, "Et Hoc Est Infernum" is an ambient intro with sorrowful orchestration and piano. The actual opening song "The Traveler" is a long heavy start to this dark adventure. Blackened tremolos, deathly riffs, and rapid blasts assimilate into an extreme combo. You can also hear some smooth guitar melodies and keyboard atmosphere. More of those symphonics appear in "Into the Night", one of my favorite tracks here. The guitar melodies and breakdown brutality are so delightful. "Supervoid" is more brutal than anything they've done before, delivering the breakdowns and growls of deathcore faster than light or a black hole.

In contrast, another highlight "The Conscious Observer" starts off melodic. However, the guitars and growls are still around, perfectly balanced with the melody. I also love the midsection guitar soloing that's a nice pleasant break from the blackened chaos. "Servile" opens up a heavier dimension of deathcore, more in the brutal side as opposed to the symphonic blackened side. The latter sound continues to strike in "Dethroned".

"The Nothing" has more of the band's earlier symphonic black metal insanity, keeping you engaged all the way up to its outro. Next is the more mellow "Sungrazer", and even then, it still has merciless heaviness and speed. The blackened blasts sounds so kick-A, and if anyone has barely heard that in earlier albums beforehand, they would think the drummer is more machine than man. The bass grooves flow well with the riffing by the talented guitar trio. The astonishing heaviness and synergy is what any metalhead can wish for. "Absolute Truth" has more memorable progressive structure. If Make Them Suffer continued their earlier epic blackened deathcore phase, this is that!

With all this epic brutal fury at hand, Samsara is a 10-track beast that I'm glad to discover and add to my symphonic deathcore recommendations list. There are many melodic moments, as much as the brutal ones, creating something crushing and emotional. The Breathing Process have proven themselves to be a brilliant band that should be for anyone into both symphonic deathcore and melodeath. Don't sleep on it, spread the word!

Favorites: "The Traveler", "Into the Night", "The Conscious Observer", "Sungrazer", "Absolute Truth"

With their second album Odyssey (un)Dead, The Breathing Process add more complex talent to their anthems, with different tempo variations. And HOLY F***, what a memorable leap compared to their debut! There's more emotion without losing any brutality, the thing I once feared but enjoy a lot now.

No matter how beautiful Odyssey (un)Dead can be sometimes, The Breathing Process seems lost and almost unheard of in the metal world. It's sad because their technical madness is quite underrated. No metalhead should miss out on this symphonic deathcore/melodeath chaos of machine gun blast beats, ravaging rhythms, and even background symphonic keys to give the intensity some atmosphere. This album has all that and then some!

"Hours" is a prophetic intro, and I say that because of the spoken sample, "Me, I service the machinery of death so that people can eat. If that makes me evil, then so be it." Then the instrumentation rises into dark pounding fire. The band's original sound already reaches its height in the speedy "Grimoire". They unleash their complex skills in not just the guitars and vocals, but also the keys, bass, and drums, in a prime example of their sound. And there's more of this wild ride in the next track... "Leveler" has some of the best keys here, sounding epic and spacey. That kind of makes the monkey jungle outro a bit unfitting, though I digress. "Vultures" introduces a new aspect to their sound, female singing. Beauty within the heavy beast! Still there are different twists and turns as the song goes on, until the sweet chords and grooves fade into melancholic piano and bass. Epicness supreme! The intergalactic blaze of "Pantheon Unraveling" really burns up. Smooth bass grooves hit alongside raging blasts, guitars, and synths. This shows that something graceful can come out deadly as well.

One interlude to tone down the intense chaos is "Starless Eternal". This short track can have a bit of progressiveness and allow you to imagine a starless darkness conjured by the keys and drums, building things up before the next song... The title track has some d*mn brutal talent. The progressiveness shines within the blend of heaviness and emotion. Already sounding original in the brief mechanical intro, "Metamorphosis" is also filled with absolule g****mn fire. Anthemic rage pours from the chords, vocals, and icy keys, making perhaps the most powerful highlight of the album! "Hordes" has more complex brutality, especially in the chaotic final third.

"The Living Forest (Part I)" has searing blasts and haunting keys, closer to the earlier symphonic black metal darkness, though there's also a technical breakdown. "Wind Ritual" is the intermission before the second part, basically female clean-led blackened death-doom. "The Opaque Forest (Part II)" rips things apart while whispers, growls, and singing fills the vocal air. "Decaying (Form)" caps it all by summarizing everything in its first half, alternating between soft and blasting sections. And what a tearful outro!

The 6 members of The Breathing Process came together to work on this epic underrated creation. Odyssey (un)Dead might just be my favorite album for these earliest days of symphonic deathcore, and I would certainly be up for more of this band. If you wanna hear epic deathcore's true beginning besides Winds of Plague, let's f***ing go!

Favorites: "Grimoire", "Vultures", "Odyssey (un)Dead", "Metamorphosis", "The Living Forest (Part I)", "The Opaque Forest (Part II)", "Decaying (Form)"

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"

If there's one thing that most of our regulars would know about me by now, it's that I call 'em purely as I see 'em & I don't give a fuck what the general consensus is. I like to make up my own mind about things & won't be swayed by what the cool crowd thinks. With that in mind, this week I decided that I really should have an informed opinion on one of the most successful yet heavily divisive metal acts on the global scene in Florida's Limp Bizkit. I'd never heard a full record by them before as I'd always assumed that they'd be none of my business up until now but, you know what, this shit ain't half bad. These dudes certainly know how to write a catchy hook, how to play their instruments & how to create a throbbing mosh pit anthem.

I was surprised at how many of the fifteen tracks I knew as there was clearly a whole slew of hits taken from this record but it wasn't always the well-known stuff that I found the most appeal in. Another thing that I perhaps wasn't prepared for was just how good a rhythm section Limp Bizkit had at the time, particularly the bass guitar which really drives a lot of this material. I don't think there's any doubt that front man Fred Durst's personality is what turns off most metalheads & I can see why as his message can often be summarized as meathead fodder but his macho posturizing can't disguise the obvious Eminem influence in his whiny rapping which I would suggest comes across as nothing more than tolerable. In fact, the rap component in Limp Bizkit's sound is really significant (perhaps more so than most nu metal bands) & that's usually the element of the subgenre that I struggle with the most but I've somehow managed to overlook it here, despite Durst being one of the more overt exponents of the craft. And once I managed to look past his immature personality to the groove-laden music behind him, I discovered that Limp Bizkit had more creativity in their kit bag than I'd ever given them credit for.

All of the hits are pretty enjoyable to tell you the truth with "My Way" being my pick of the bunch but it's the strength of some of the album tracks that surprised me the most with "The One", "Getcha Groove On", "Boiler" & particularly the outstanding album highlight "Hold On" really getting under my skin. Unfortunately, the album is book-ended by some much weaker material though with opener "Hot Dog" falling victim to Durst's idiocy, the Urban Assault Vehicle version of "Rollin'" being a total mess & the almost ten minute "Outro" track being absolutely pointless & a complete waste of your time. The remainder of "Chocolate Starfish & the Hot Dog Flavored Water" is well worth hearing though & provides further proof that you shouldn't believe everything you read. Perhaps I won't go running out to indulge in the remainder of Limp Bizkit's back catalogue any time soon but I can honestly say that this record isn't any worse than the majority of the subgenre, even if it doesn't compete with Linkin Park or Korn's best work.

For fans of Korn, System of a Down & P.O.D.

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.

Take the heavy guitar leads from modern Arch Enemy, combine it with some Arch Enemy style vocals, a percussion work that feels eerily similar to Arch Enemy and....wait.

It's hard to dunk on a band who are just trying to get their feet wet, but when that band in question has nothing unique to add to the table, it makes me lose focus in record time. Hiraes are a German melodic death metal band with Dormant as their second full length studio album. And as I alluded to from the start, Dormant doesn't really do anything to separate itself from its clear primary influence. What does one do to stand out in a landscape of second wave melodic death metal? You could go the Aephanemer approach and bring the symphonic embellishment to the forefront. Or you could try the progressive/folk approach like Eluveitie or Aeternam. Hiraes do have some symphonic development here, but it is all very conservative in its usage; no song on this record is either benefited or detracted by having a orchestra. It simply adds to the density of the recording, but without providing something of its own value.

Dormant is one of those albums that promises to be a heavier Arch Enemy...which it is. The guitars alternates back and forth between very standard melo-death leads, chugging riffs and the occasional tremolo picking sections. The percussion is a lot more engaged on Dormant than it has been on recent Arch Enemy projects like Deceivers and Blood Dynasty. But the whole project is brought down by the generic vocals. Britta Görtz has a strong presence behind the microphone and performs with great diction. But the delivery itself is monotonous. Britta's vocal range feels very limited on Dormant and the ramped up intensity that was promised at the start feels underutilized, since the rest of the music doesn't play into her strengths. Ironically, some of this albums better songs are the ones that stay at one intensity for their entire duration. Songs like "We Owe No One" and "Nightflight" benefit the underwhelming vocals, while the more "progressive" leaning tracks like "Red Soil" do absolutely nothing for me.

When I listen to Dormant by Hiraes, I hear a band that just wanted to make music together, but without any sense of direction as to what to do with it. This band is listed as having in formed in 2020 when the world was engulfed in an economic lockdown so finding something to do with friends was undoubtedly important so as to not go stir crazy. They are clearly in love with Arch Enemy, which is not a bad place to start if you are creating melodic death metal. But now, after the bands second studio album, they need to walk their own path and not lay Dormant to the changing tide of modern melodic death metal.

Best Songs: Chance to Fail, Nightflight

I am not super familiar with a lot of metalcore, outside of a few big names like Converge and Trivium and I have only very recently tried to explore it further. I find a lot of it to be very samey, with little to differentiate a lot of the bands, but Earth Crisis certainly are not one of them. Destroy the Machines sounds very much to me like a straight edge band that has discovered Sepultura's Chaos AD and thought "We'll have some of that". I like quite a few straight edge bands, even though they can be annoyingly preachy, and Chaos AD is a great record, so that combination works really well for me.

Vocals can often be a personal bugbear with metalcore acts, but Karl Buechner has a raggedness to his voice that makes it sound less shouty and forced than most and that is definitely a plus. A lot of more modern metalcore feels like it has moved away from the punk side of the equation, but Earth Crisis are most definitely authentic when it comes to their punk credentials, which gives the album a looseness that allows it to breathe rather than the constipated tightness of more recent metalcore orthodoxy. The riffs are great, even pretty groovy at times, yet still contain a lethal agressiveness that lets everyone know exactly just how pissed off these guys are. If more metalcore sounded like this then I would most definitely be a bigger fan.