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I wasn’t a massive fan of Down’s first album, so the way this one leaves me feeling lukewarm is unsurprising. Down lean towards the sludgier, fuzzier side of Southern Metal, yet maintain the lighthearted Stoner-oriented songwriting, meaning the songs are thick with dense guitars. Groovy rhythms and Stoner riffs are the backbone of the album, of course fronted by Phil Anselmo’s signature tough guy grunt.

Musically, the songs are really groovy and a lot of the riffs are happy-sounding. This clashes with Phil’s pessimistic, self-destructive lyrics and his aggressive delivery. Most of the lyrics here would sound appropriate leading a more dismal Sludge album about drug addiction, but instead they’re placed over some chill drugged out Stoner riffs that just take all seriousness away from the subject matter.

Thanks to this dichotomy, there’s very little in the way of emotion or passion that comes through on these songs, as the music just sounds very fun and unserious. I mean, hand claps on track 4? Ugh.

This is fun, emotionless, unserious Metal for people who wanna chill with some fuzzy grooves. That ain’t me. “Learn From This Mistake” and “New Orleans Is a Dying Whore” are the best songs here because they manage to be more serious, dark and somber. Although the former song is not a Metal track at all but more of a Blues number.

Like I said with my Nailed to Obscurity album review last year, undercard death doom bands have a mountain to climb if they want to retain any sort of relevancy anymore. Ethereal Darkness' debut album, Smoke and Shadows is a mostly pleasant, if a little boring, project that provides no inspiration to a genre that has been fruitful in the last couple of years. Granted, some of my criticisms can be thrown away when you consider when this album was released, but even by those standards, I cannot see this as a good thing. The death doom on display here is predictable and does not do much to separate itself from contemporaries. The standard for this genre has been raised by Fires in the Distance, Red Moon Architect and Aeonian Sorrow of late and I see no attempts to stand out and carve their own path here. Smoke and Shadows feels like the kind of death doom album that you throw on as background noise or as playlist filler. It sounds okay in the moment, but give it anymore of your time and you'll start to regret it.

Best Songs: Forgotten Shadows, The Light That Fades, Time

I like to see death metal grow into different places because it is a genre I sometimes find a bit monotonous and lacking in variety, and I can commend the effort in this record as there are passages I do like and find beautiful and it has a overall melancholic, dare I say gothic vibe that I enjoy. That being said, there is way too much here I don't like at all, so I can pretty much say it is not for me. I find the vocals pretty annoying and the neoclassical influences coupled with the power-metalish composition style give me a very pretentious impression, and a feeling that this is somewhat disconnected from what I feel metal should be. Also, what is up with this clean ass bass? This is the first time a death metal record has a very audible bass and I don't like it. It's also a pretty long endeavor, but fortunately I didn't get tired of it as there is enough variety in interludes and intros and what not.

Well, to summarize, I see this is a classic, but it's a classic in a style I dislike. Can't really see me coming back to this in the near future.

Here's another one that's pretty hard to write something new about. This is nothing short of a perfect old school death metal record: every track has something to say, be it a badass riff, a creative and memorable lead, a stink-face drum groove or some perverse vocal delivery. Production wise, I couldn't ask for anything more. Crystal clear strings with a brutal tone and great vocal mixing. The drum mixing is not really my cup of tea, as I prefer something louder and more impactful, but that doesn't take away any points. Atmosphere is absolutely on point, with a very gorey and dark vibe all around. Actually, I'd say this is one of the most cohesive and conceptually sound death metal records yet for it's release year.

Technicalities apart, what really shines in this release is the composition and the ideas. This has a sort of catchiness to it that I've only seen in Death records, but it sounds way more sinister and brutal in every way. After some few spins, I can recall at least something from every track, even hum along solos, which is something very, very rare for a death metal record. This is what sets it apart to me, the same way Death's Leprosy and At The Gates' Slaughter are set apart: records that are memorable as they are relentless. Not a single drop of brutality traded for poppiness, but still incredibly catchy music nonetheless.

As I said, pretty much every track here is awesome, but I particularly like the first and last tracks, with the last track around 5:00 part being a serious contender for heaviest shit ever, Incarnated Solvent Abuse with some of the best mid tempo death metal I've ever listened to and Carneous Cacoffiny for that groovy stink-face main riff. Awesome stuff I'm pretty sure I'll return to for many years.

This is just Wheel-lite

I did not want to go into this album with dampened expectations. Soen began their musical journey in the mid 2000s out of Stockholm and had a very Opeth-ian sound through their first three albums. After Lykaia however, this band took a more traditional approach and did away with their progressive songwriting, to the point that this album, Reliance, has almost no distinct features that make it sound like early Soen. I think that in some regard, that can be a good thing, because it shows a band not willing to sit still and release the same release endlessly for the rest of time (i.e. Dream Theater). On the contrary, starting off as progressive and leaning into a radio friendly alternative metal is quite the disappointment in relation to musical growth.

And trust me, Reliance is quite lacking in musical growth. I described it as Wheel-lite because all of these sounds and techniques used here are dumbed-down versions of what Wheel was doing on their debut album, Moving Backwards, seven years ago! The album has flow, but it's very monotone; it lacks a truly driving song to balance out all of the piano ballads and medium tempo alternative metal. As a result, the vocals of Joel Ekelöf are painfully lacking as well.

 The instrumentals as a whole are well produced at least. It does make for a mostly enjoyable listen for the forty-three minutes one has to endure. I just wish that there was more done with those instrumental backdrops, since the vocals were so underwhelming. The album lacks a lot of instrumental leads or even solos, which is why "Unbound" is the highlight of the album; it's one of the only tracks that features a technical (but still melodic) guitar solo and even throws in a keyboard solo during the outro. Besides that, nothing inside Reliance ever asks me to come back to it.

And that's why Reliance feels like a homogenous blob. Sure it sounds decent, but how much of it can you point out and truly identify once its finished? The reason my rating isn't any lower is because I see this album/band not as a progressive project anymore. Approaching this album in bad faith as a progressive album will lead you to massive disappointment. And that's okay! It's a lot for audiences to ask these bands to continue being boundary shifters after so many years. But for the love of god, please make something that stands out from the crowd instead of generic radio rock/metal that leaves me feeling more hollow than ever.

Best Songs: Unbound, Primal, Axis

I came to Gojira a little late given that I was well & truly in my electronic dance music hey day when their 2001 debut album "Terra incognita" was released so I didn't end up discovering them until around 2009 when Ben introduced me to the masterful "From Mars To Sirius" which I immediately fell in love with & still regard as a genuine death metal classic today. That awakening would very quickly see me making the effort to explore all of Gojira's other work & there was plenty of quality to get my teeth into too, if not any additional classics to compete with their 2005 pièce de résistance.

"Terra incognita" sees Gojira at their most deathly with their sound being built around a death metal core but still being progressive enough for a progressive death metal tag. There's also a clear groove metal component that ensures that the Frenchmen are kept slightly apart from their peers &, interestingly, I feel that it's this element that sees me being unable to ever really consider a record like this one for my most elite scores, despite the clear talent in the execution. The fairly technical staccato riffs are deadly tight with extreme competence on display in the precision performances & drummer Mario proving himself to already be very competent. I tend to like Joe's vocals more when they veer further towards your classic death grunt rather than a less intimidating groove metal one which is hardly surprising as the extreme metal scene is obviously my comfort zone.

It may not receive the praise that later albums like "The Way Of All Flesh" or "L'enfant sauvage" do but I think "Terra incognita" actually competes very well with them if I'm being honest & it can certainly be mentioned in the same breath as the underrated "Magma" too, although I think I'd probably have it slightly behind all three due to its inability to see me reaching for the classic card with any of the fourteen tracks on offer. Still, it's an underrated & generally overlooked part of the Gojira back catalogue that's well deserving of the attention of our The Horde & The Infinite members.

For fans of Hacride, Trepalium & Decapitated.

The death metal world practically worships this album, and it's so easy to see why that a child could do it.  In stark contrast to the wild and wacky nature of their debut, Slaughter of the Soul is much more simplistic.  This is not to say, however, that the album isn't good.  The reliance on layout and melody is the tradeoff from the unpredictable riffage from the debut, as well as an acidic and pyrrhic production style.  With extra accessibility, their songs are easier to get behind, but there is almost none of the poppiness you'd expect from your average Dark Tranquillity album.  Everything here is brutal in its own way, slamming like hammers on drums, and the band made sure every song was a total jam.  There's nothing too long or too short here, even when the songs are only two minutes.  Everything is packed to the atomic level with death metal extremity untamable anger and an extraordinary sense of melody.  Although the band once again writes an album with very little variation between the songs, they perfected the majority of everything else than a great album needs.  In fact, this is one of the most well-produced albums of any genre than I've ever heard.  It's a little difficult to believe that this was their swansong, considering they've grown in so many more ways than they've digressed.

93

To end my melo-death exploration for the time being, I'm going to tackle At the Gates.  I'm aware that they're a death metal staple that's known for the legendary Slaughter of the Soul, which has largely been revered as a polished piece of pure putrid power.  I also know that their debut has some die-hard defenders, claiming that the writing alone makes this a better album than overly polished works.  Believe it or not, while many online metal communities consider Slaughter of the Soul the band's defining album, some places like Metal Archives and Metal Academy consider this album the better.

The first thing I'm gathering here is SCOPE.  This album shoves a large number of riffs in your face, which largely maintain a high level of accessibility.  Through the Gardens of Grief is just everywhere their debut's style will allow.  I was worried at first that the album would largely sound like that throughout, and that it would be an exercise in style over substance, but Within made a point of bragging about sluggish doom and extreme speeds rather than solos, thankfully.  It changes emotional direction into something quite somber.  The album has very little to say in terms of genre-exploration, but justifies their level of creativity with these numerous skillful riffs and rhythms.

The production here is actually known for being less polished than many albums before, but that doesn't completely bother me as this is a more traditional and early brand of melo-death.  Not exactly fair to expect diamond production on a debut, right?  This production style has a very authentic feel to it.  But this doesn't mean it's perfect.  The album is in serious need of heavier drumming.  It's certainly not bad by any means; in fact, it can be quite impressive.  Claws of Laughter Dead (maybe I'm wrong, but that's kind of a shitty name) will prove this effortlessly.  I'd rather drum like this guy does than Neil Peart.

Overall, this debut was a display of the band's extraordinary powers of riffage, being a single-genre marathon of how to keep an album going on that concept and actually remain consistently intriguing and accessible despite the lack of necessity for consistent layout and proper variety.  It's extra rare to find albums like this that can do such a thing.

95

Spiritbox is one of the most popular bands in modern metal. They made it big with their string of singles throughout the era of the pandemic and the album those songs would appear in, Eternal Blue. I remember listening to that album when it first came out, and I enjoyed the heavy technicality and spacey melody. For some reason though, the appeal didn't last long for me. Must be due to the more mainstream alt-ish sound, but at least it's enough for my brother to enjoy a couple of those songs.

In between that album and their new one Tsunami Sea, the band released two EPs. The one I've chosen to check out is this one, The Fear of Fear. It has definitely sparked up some memories of when I listened to Eternal Blue, being a solid continuation of that album's alt-metalcore sound with a few industrial/cyber/nu metal vibes thrown in...

To open this offering, "Cellar Door" has some of the heaviest I've heard from the band. Glitchy electronics and nu-infused guitar guide you through this violent chaos complete with crushing breakdowns. The second track and fellow single "Jaded" has the technicality and emotion of Architects while blending it with the softer side of Eternal Blue. "Too Close / Too Late" has a gentle drift of beauty, especially in the chorus.

"Angel Eyes" brings back the monstrous destruction. The textured bass by Josh Gilbert (ex-As I Lay Dying) are adjacent to djenty guitar intensity along with the harsh vocal fury of vocalist Courtney LaPlante. In "The Void", the band knows just how to hit with all their power! The beautiful emotion carries on in the closing "Ultraviolet".

To summarize the sound of this band and EP, well...it's all about experimenting with what they are without setting a strict sound. This allows them to break boundaries at ease, and make the band more than just simply alt-metalcore. It's not a direct sequel to Eternal Blue, more like an expansion of that album's sound in a way that makes this EP stand out with its own. So let's ride on for a glimpse of what to hear from this rising band....

Favorites: "Cellar Door", "Angel Eyes", "The Void"

Despite a seemingly bottomless pit of a discography, I haven’t listened to all that many Thou releases in my time.  It is possibly the case that Summit is my first listen through a full length release from them in fact.  Subconsciously at least, I do tend to be wary of bands who constantly release material, acknowledging that whilst the tipping point may vary from band to band, eventually quality eventually is lost at the expense of quantity.  I would not say there is any issue with the quality of the material on Summit however, despite it taking me a few listens to grasp some of what is going on within the five tracks on offer.

I find that this is a release that has successful moments or key elements for me that I enjoy more than others.  For example, the fuzzy droning guitar on ‘By Endurance We Conquer’ is a real treat.  There are also instruments on Summit that I was not expecting the inclusion of.  ‘Grissecon’ starts of like a KEN Mode track with a slow picked intro, but there’s definitely a piano introduced once the track starts proper (which if my memory serves me correctly, was a feature on the last KEN Mode album I heard).  Credit is due to Thou for being able to combine the harsher elements of sludge with a keen ear for melody.  Whilst comparisons can be made to some of my sludge metal favourites such as Primitive Man or Coffinworm, these droning elements, the off-kilter instrument choices and the melodic plod that sits behind the music sets Thou apart from the crowd.

Considering the shortest track is over eight minutes long, disregarding the instrumental that closes the album, there is no sense of Thou kicking their heels during these lengthy offerings.  The band show a high level of patience in their builds to tracks and are unafraid to stick with a level once they find the ceiling of where they want a track to operate from in the main.  The enduring misery of ‘Prometheus’ needs no pace beyond a lurching stagger to make its point for the most part (again, there’s a violin or cello somewhere in the background here too).  A special mention goes to the drummer on this track for making interesting patterns, runs and fills without becoming a distraction from the crushing nature of the song.  The depths of despair that are explored on this track are underlined by tortured guitar melodies that drone across the track brilliantly.

It will no doubt take further listens before I can say that I connect totally with Summit.  There are lingering doubts in my mind that the mixed instrumentation adds a little too much of an “artsy” element to the sound that is necessary for the messaging but at the same time a little off-putting to a sludge fan like myself.  As a starter for ten though, Summit has been a good introduction to Thou and marks a good foundational point for me to explore the discography further in the coming months.  Notwithstanding that I will be selective in my future choices with such a vast quantity of releases to choose from.  The guard it still up in that sense, protecting the chin.

Have I mentioned that Lord of the Lost's current project is a trilogy? Opvs Noir is a series of albums released in just months-long intervals, all that continue their blend of gothic/industrial/symphonic metal. I mean, we won't Vol. 3 until this April, but at least we have the first two volumes. I've already checked out Vol. 1, and now we're gonna explore Vol. 2. Not as varied as their previous album, yet still great...

Frontman Chris "The Lord" Harms, guitarists Pi "π" Stoffers and Benjamin "Benji" Mundigler, bassist Klaas "Class Grenayde" Helmecke, keyboardist Gerrit "Gared Dirge" Heinemann, and drummer Niklas Kahl keep up their talents here. Opvs Noir Vol. 2 is the band's 11th album, and the second part of this ongoing trilogy.

Starting the album is "The Fall From Grace". Unlike the first volume's opener, it starts off gentle in the keys as the rest of the metal instrumentation drifts in smoothly. Chris Harms' vocal sorrow shines especially in the chorus. And in between the second and final choruses is some of the most intense screaming I've heard from him, in perfect contrast with the gothic bliss. "Would You Walk With Me Through Hell?" has the first of several guest vocalists here, Infected Rain vocalist Lena Scissorhands. It's one of the more industrial songs in the album, and the heavier parts are worth moshing to, particularly when there's harsh aggression from both vocalists. After all that massive power, "One Of Us Will Be Next" is a soft ballad with angelic choruses. Then "Walls of Eden" can really get people moving in concerts.

"Raveyard" is an impressive highlight of pure dance-metal fire. I especially enjoy the rapping by Kaarija. Turning up the heaviness is "The Last Star", the verses are soft so that all the energy is used in the chorus. Sadly, some of the vocals don't hit as hard as in other songs. More of the dark fury is covered in "What Have We Become", which includes more experimentation including vocals by IAMX founder Chris Corner. The baritone/growls of Harms and the falsetto of corner make another perfect duet in the sea of industrial darkness. Then we reach the cold melancholy of "Winter's Dying Heart", an epic ballad with the instrumentation and vocals in excellent balance.

"Scarlight" starts off calm in the intro and first verse then explodes into a speedy chorus. Now, "Please Break the Silence"... Is that a more polite take on Beyond the Black's new album Break the Silence? I mean, Chris Harms has guest appeared in a song from that album and the female vocalist sounds like Jennifer Haben. Oh wait, that's Anna Brunner from League of Distortion. Still a beautiful energetic highlight! Finally, "Sharp Edges" is a soft and sweet ending track with some background noise in the climax.

So the second volume of Opvs Noir has a more experimental direction than the first. However, I feel like there should've been more of the variation Vol. 1 had. Maybe more guest vocalists? Well, Vol. 3 apparently has a little more of them, so that's promising. But until then, enjoy Vol. 2....

Favorites: "The Fall of Grace", "Walls of Eden", "Raveyard", "What Have We Become", "Winter's Dying Heart", "Please Break the Silence"

I have a real soft spot for the often-ridiculous fantasy artwork of heavy metal albums from the eighties. Asgard’s one and only album release from 1986 has enough levels of grandiosity on its artwork to make up for a whole career of albums that never where made. A muscular warrior, barely clothed in a loin cloth stands, bow drawn back ready to take down another mountain crocodile that is somehow completely out of its natural habitat and is attacking him and his cleavage proud princess fawns at his feet. Yeah, the eighties weren’t the best for gender equality, were they? That is not to knock the quality of the artwork by any means. Personally, I think it looks fantastic, and I was sad to read of the passing of the artist responsible for this amazing piece, Ken Kelly in 2022. He is of course better known for his excellent work on Manowar covers as well as The Gates of Slumber and even Satanic Warmaster. If this was a review of the album artwork, then it would be a solid four out of five-star rating.

Sadly, despite their best efforts, Asgard’s musical prowess doesn’t quite match the exploits of the cover artist. In short, In the Ancient Days is all over the place. As with most speed metal albums, there is a fine line being walked between traditional heavy metal and speed metal. In the Ancient Days tends to follow this same pattern accordingly. A mixture of Venom sneer creeps into the vocals of Rene Tholen, teetering on the brink of the over-theatrical on tracks such as ‘Witches Brew’ and ‘Hounds of Hell’ (the version on YouTube has either a skip from a vinyl rip or there’s a terrible edit job on the actual record just before the twenty-minute mark). Yet at the same time, the riffs on this record are superb examples of the heyday of thrash/speed metal. Remembering that this record is now forty-years old, there is a heavy element of nostalgia in my feature selection this month in The Pit.

Being more at the extreme end of metal in terms of my listening habits, the more thrashy/speed metal elements are where I find highlights on In the Ancient Days. The drama could easily be left at the door for me, along with the acoustic (flamenco?) guitar of the interlude ‘Granadinas’ which is crudely placed as the penultimate track on the record. Whether this should be considered as some intro to the anthemic sounding album closer ‘Metal Tonight’ I am unsure but the combination of these two tracks at the end of the album does leave a sour taste in my mouth to finish the album on. I am unaware as to why Asgard lasted for only one album. The ability was there on the debut, albeit not terribly well showcased overall and I sense if the talent could have been grown over subsequent albums then we might have heard the name Asgard more over the years.

It's not often for a band to last two decades with most of the members intact since the beginning. 4 of the 7 members of Fear of Domination have stayed together for all of their albums; male vocalist Saku Solin, bassist Lauri Ojanen, and guitarists Jan-Erik Kari and Johannes Niemi. One other longtime member, keyboardist Lasse Raelahti joined the band in 2012. And now there are two new members for a new album in a new era...

Katharsis is their brand-new 7th album released in the beginning of this year 2026. It marks the debut of female vocalist Jessica Salmi and drummer Anton Nisonen. It also continues the trance-filled melodic metalcore sound from their previous album VI: Revolution, while bringing back their earlier industrial/cyber metal side.

"Alone" is a h*ll of a strong energetic start. The verses screamed by both vocalists are in a great contrast with the catchy sung choruses for a well-balanced composition. Then there's the more simplistic "Dead Anyway", having a slow intro before the dancey keyboards enter alongside the metal instrumentation and vocal power. "Monsters" is the first single for the album, released nearly two years prior. Although the intro sounds a bit dull, the riff attacks with headbanging rhythm, encouraging you all to sing and shout along. The soloing between the second and final choruses is filled with shredding fury. Up next is "Imposter" which is more grandiose, thanks to the synthesized orchestrations and choir. It's both dramatic and dynamic!

The groovy "Last Words" is heavy in both the metal and the electronics. I can predict that song being a live staple! There's nothing silly about "Primum Noce Apte" when their earlier cutthroat melodeath riffing makes a comeback. I feel they could've let out their rage longer though. "Rabbit Hole" starts off brutal before resting calm while still catchy.

We're heading into the final third of the album now, starting with another perfect track "All as One". They can do the whole "disco-metal" thing as well as Battle Beast, probably better! The final chorus has the most of their energy. "Endgame" is an epic single from the album seems to emphasize their earlier industrial/trance metal roots further. A hard-hitting masterpiece of a song! The finale "Feel" has similar gentle melancholy to Metanoia's closing track. I probably would've loved it more if not for the abrupt ending.

Fear of Domination still have their strong talent in Katharsis, with energetic songs worth both dancing and headbanging to. Despite a couple slight struggles somewhere, there's hope for their music to make a strong global impact....

Favorites: "Alone", "Imposter", "Last Words", "All as One", "Endgame"

Note: I've decided to try a new thing where for any of the favorites I've listed for a reviewed releases, the ones in bold are the ones I deem not just great, but true perfection.

In an earlier review for Carcass's second album, Symphony of Sickness, I mentioned that there was less of the melodic strength that made the third and fourth albums so beloved.  In this early goregrind release, as well as their debut, there's even less of that.  This is one of those somewhat common examples of early 80's metal albums compensating for lack of creativity with absolute brutality, the way earlier movies by Wes Craven were.  "Mature" content over substance.  Now the funny thing is, like Wes Craven, the band grew as their career progressed, so by the mid-90's this was basically nothing more than a historical example of how much they grew.  Despite a few cute tricks here and there, I predicted how the whole album would go after listening to Symphony of Sickness.  Now there may be some charm to have in the lo-fi production.  It's certainly a heavy piece.  But the production also muddles things that shouldn't be muddled, which cements yet another weak point in comparison to future works.  Basically, this overly "adult" album amounts to little more than an imitation album made by a bunch of children who think all it takes to be the best is to be different and "true to yourself" by "not giving into radio capitalism" or some shit like that.  Fortunately, this was the last time they ever sounded like this.  With 22 short tracks, they found a way to make a 37-minute album way too damn long.

52

I'm not one for goregrind really.  In the long run, then I'd rather not educate myself in an entire genre dedicated to piercing the veil of acceptable gore by turning the most disgusting lyrics of all time into that much of a joke.  I mean, it's one thing to have obviously fake pain splashing when you're cutting down b-movie zombies in an intentional cheese-fest like Braindead, but to keep bragging about it as if getting your fingers in between the very atoms that make up gore is how you get your kicks just isn't the kind of thing I think people should be spending months writing for albums.  I rarely explore these kinds of bands, with a notable exception being the slam band Devourment.

Nevertheless, I occasionally go to classic acts like Carcass because of their melodic prowess and heavy say in the modern development of death metal structures, which isn't so much about the gore factor as it is about the melodies, production, brutality, etc.  But before they were a melodic death metal band, they played around with goregrind, which I find interesting considering that the album before the melodic days would be their second and last album to showcase them partaking in their original genre.

Somehow bordering both death metal and goregrind without steering too far into Napalm Death signature deathgrind genre, this sophomore album is largely about having fun with the metallic sound and setting up a basic structure, so there's not a lot of variety going on.  There's a very dirty, gross sound about the production that makes the album sound like it came directly from the underground, ready for vengeance or some shit.  And in comparison to many a grindcore album, this one makes a point of consistent and enjoyable riffs rather than being random-ass and overly technical like a lot of modern grind does, allowing their sound to be both fun and grounded for the metal fans AND the punk fans.  As well, the production never gets in the way of the band's playing.  No, it expands upon the heaviness, which is exactly what an album like this needs.  Speeds even fluctuate at an even pace, giving us enough time to enjoy what we have rather than just going off into 50 different universes in a single minute the way Doctor Strange does.  Still, this DOES mean that this is a developmental album rather than an attempt at real art, which is still a good thing considering that the practice easily paid off.

Now the internet says that this is slightly worse than the two Carcass albums everyone knows and loves: Heartwork and Necroticism.  However, I'd say this is about on par with Torn Arteries.  It's a good album that proved that the band knew what they wanted at the time, but it's also a reminder that Carcass made the smart move on the next album and expanded their sound away from goregrind.  The thing is, while this is a fun album with a successful vibe, all the riffage is flatout OWNED by Carcass's later work, so I wouldn't put this on the same pedestal others put it on.

75

Unexpectedly coming out on top of the current crop of feature releases is this three track EP from Trivium.  For no reason other than rampant elitism, I have avoided Trivium for most of their career.  Based on this EP, that could have been an even dumber decision than it first appears.  Notwithstanding that this is a very short format to base any long term opinions from, there is still plenty here to have kept me entertained over the six or seven listens I found myself giving Struck Dead in just one day!

It is clear that my view that Trivium are just another annoying metalcore band are incorrect.  Yes, there are elements of that style here, I cannot dispute that.  However, there are some serious grooves going on during the riffing on ‘Bury Me With My Screams’.  The cold, blunt and almost industrial chops of the title track are a bruising experience also.  Add into the mix the fiery leads and anthemic vocals and there is a lot to be pleased with.  Whilst I expected high energy levels to be on show, the EP goes much further, possessing an almost hardcore ferocity at times.

It is not an annoying overactive energy that I feared might haunt the release, there is a lot of maturity in these three tracks.  ‘Six Walls’ might be the weaker of the tracks on offer but it is by no means terrible.  After the intensity of the two first tracks I guess some balance was needed, even if those acoustic strings on the final track do mislead the listener into believing we will be needing on a power ballad.  Suffering a little in the arrangement stakes, ‘Six Walls’ feels like a b-side at best but still keeps those energy levels well primed for the whole EP duration.

Despite not being a fan of melodic death metal or progressive metal, here I am writing a review for an album that is tagged as Progressive Melodic Death Metal.  My interest in (trying to) check out all the feature releases each month has certainly paid dividends with The Infinite feature release having enjoyed a fair old amount of plays this past week.  If I was pressed to sum up why I have enjoyed The Immortal so much, I would call out the rich and full sound that is on display.  The album is by no means a perfect, or even complete package, yet it carries enough positive markers as it plays for me to continue to come back to it.

One of the unexpected positives for me are the clean vocals.  A fan of the more aggressive style of vocals that occupy the more extreme ends of the metal spectrum, on this occasion the clean vocals work better than the more traditional growls.  I have to agree with Saxy in that the harsh vocals are lacking somewhat.  The opening track manages to hit this vocal sweet spot early on in the album and as it continues to play it almost becomes a contest between the two styles, with the cleaner elements a clear victor.  If I then factor in other moments such as the groovy riff of ‘The Sojourner’ and the post-metal palate-cleanser that follows on ‘Moonless Sky’ as well as the excellent strutting of ‘The Hounding’, I soon have multiple positives to talk to.

I would however like the lead work to have more direction.  What often starts off as luscious sounding injections of melody, never quite seem to expand into any established endpoints.  This sense of going nowhere is frustrating, notwithstanding that there is plenty of melody still over the album as a whole.  I do feel however that the standout moments as a result are limited and that more interesting lead work, as well as perhaps less harsh vocals would have helped here.

Initially, I dismissed this album when pulling together my list of bm releases for last year. In hindsight, I think I was having a bad black metal day and was far too dismissive of this album, basing my distaste solely on the clean vocals that are at best occasional across the track listing. Having spent much more time with Existenialismus over the past week, there have been times when I have considered whether I missed a hidden gem in my haste to expunge the album from my listing. That is not to say that I don’t still have challenges with the cleaner elements that can appear quite amateurish (‘Truth is as Sharp a Sword as Vengeance’ being the main bug bear I have), however whilst they do peg the rating back somewhat, it is more than a little dramatic of me to dismiss the album outright on the basis of their existence alone.

The fact remains that Abduction are a fantastic modern sounding black metal band. The record strays well into territory already occupied by the likes of Mgla, Gaerea and even the chaotic black/death of Grave Miasma. With all these acts being brought to mind whilst listening to Existentialismus. The Derby outfit (appears to be one main member and some guest/session musicians on this album) put in an accomplished performance, sounding like a band who have been at it for a decade or so who have used that time to hone the listeners experience of them. I could not go as far as to call Existentialismus perfect, but it is still a treat of black metal extremity.

Able to apply melody and at times subtle groove (‘Blau ist di Farbe der Ewigkeit’) to the riffs on the album alongside wonderfully squally tremolos shows versatility in the kit bag. Whilst the cleaner sounding aspects do still alienate me, their appeal to fans of the lighter sounds of the genre is not lost on me either. With tracks like ‘Razors of Occam’ leaning into BAN territory, Abduction keep stretching their legs right until the album’s final, and best track, ‘Vomiting at Baalbek’. If more of the tracks sounded like this one the rating here would be even higher.

How do you follow an album like At the Heart of Winter? Widely praised as Immortal’s best album as well as being considered a pinnacle black metal album, AtHoW was always going to be a tough record to follow up. Whilst it is widely acknowledged that Damned in Black does not live up to the standard of AtHoW by any means, I would challenge the notion that this is a bad Immortal album. Its placement in the discography almost gave it a 50/50 shot by proxy. Either this was going to be the best Immortal album ever or it was just going to be another Immortal album.

We most certainly got the latter option. Like Battles in the North, Blizzard Beasts and even Pure Holocaust, Immortal’s 2000 album suffers from the common affliction of lacking much in the way of standout tracks. Memorability of all those albums is low for me and Damned in Black falls into the same category. It has had around seven or eight plays this past week alone and I still feel no closer to being able to run through a track in my head, in its entirety. The familiar smash ‘n bash sound of Immortal is sort of why I love them though, so it is hard to be too disgruntled with DiB.

Whilst individuality of tracks is nowhere near anything on AtHoW, Immortal still were trying on DiB. The razor edge riffage, battering ram drums, grim vocals and even audible bass are all on display. In terms of the energy being applied here, you’d be pushed to call any of the tracks as being half-arsed in terms of effort of delivery. It is obvious however that the bar was just set too high coming into this record. Tracks such as ‘My Dimension’ are completely guilty of exhibiting the blatant hallmarks of filler here and that is a shame given the noted effort behind even the less influential tracks.

There is a flip side to this though that can be found in the structures of tracks like ‘Wrath from Above’ as well as the title track. Still, the promise of ‘The Darkness That Embraces Me’ is ruined by some cringey lyrics that manage to make the evil croak of Abbath seem silly sadly. Whether by proxy or not, the riffs here are the closest to those on AtHoW and as such you are never too far away from a brief memory of that huge record. If there was more of this nostalgia for the previous record then maybe that would have helped the rating here.

Omnium Gatherum are one of those Scandinavian melodic death metal bands that formed out of the second wave during the early 2000s and I've always found them to be one of the standout groups of that time. The music was slightly more progressive than its mainstream contemporaries like Arch Enemy, but still very accessible to that same crowd. Well in 2025, May the Bridge We Burn Light the Way sees this band fully embracing the cheesy side of the genre to its full potential. To me, I don't view this as much of a deterrent because Omnium Gatherum have been able to make solid music for just over two decades and now, not having to worry about being ostracized by the old guard, the synth leads and the strings and choir are more pronounced than ever before. Make no mistake, this record sounds cheesy as hell!

That being said, I can also see May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way as having a very solid base with strong choruses and excellent flow. The songwriting has become more streamlined and far less wasteful than on earlier albums. However, this can also be viewed as a downgrade since as a whole, the record feels quite safe; this album does not have a "White Palace" or "Deep Cold" on it. Now I can give Omnium Gatherum some leeway here; they are entering their third decade and innovation becomes less of a requirement after that much time. This feels like the "let it ride" album where Omnium Gatherum are contempt to stay from now until they eventually call it quits. I hope that isn't the case because I know that this band are capable of so much more, but as a single record, it's very good. 

To me, May the Bridge We Burn Light the Way is AOR metal...and that is as much of a compliment as it can be.

Best Songs: The Last Hero, The Darkest City, Ignite the Flame, Road Closed Ahead

Fuath was originally conceived as a one-off project by Saor's Andy Marshall when he released "I" back in 2016 as an outlet for an album of atmospheric black metal compositions that were more traditionally frostbitten and aggressive than the sweeping, celtic-themed, cinematic paeons to his Scottish homeland that was the usual output of Saor. He obviously felt he had more to say within that sub-sub-genre though because here at the dawning of 2026 the project is onto its third album, predictably entitled "III".

The first Fuath album was a raw-sounding sort of affair compared to his Saor material, with a fairly sparse and frosty production job, but the second had a much fuller sound and some symphonic touched which gave it a more epic feel, but at the cost of the icy edge feeling somewhat blunted. "III" sits nicely somewhere between the two with a frostier feel than the previous album, but with a sweeping, wintry majesty that reaches beyond the scope of "I", like an icier version of Saor.

With only four lengthy tracks featuring in its 43 minutes runtime, it is an album that is inevitably built on a certain degree of repetition. Marshall is such a great writer of black metal riffs and expansive, atmospheric flourishes, though, that the tracks never become boring, but fill the mind's eye with epic wintry scenes that leave the listener feeling awed and inspired, like a musical David Lean. For me, this has always been Marshall's strength, his ability to successfully convey his own obvious love of, and respect for, the natural world through his music to even the most jaded listener. That the man is also an eminently gifted musician as well as songwriter is proved by the fact that he plays all the instruments himself, including real, rather than programmed, drums.

This is probably my favourite of the three Fuath albums as it is a perfect blend of raw and frosty black metal and cinematic imagery, making deft use of synths to round out the sound with a little more subtlety than was employed on "II", yet when at its rawest it is a match even for the likes of Paysage d'Hiver (try "The Sluagh" for proof). Andy Marshall has, over the course of six Saor and three Fuath albums, earned the right to similar acclaim afforded to US atmo-black giants like Panopticon and Wolves in the Throne Room. Whilst Fuath has yet to provide an album quite as breathtaking as Saor's "Aura" or "Forgotten Paths", "III" has left me with the certainty that this is merely a matter of time.

I came into this record with only a very vague outline knowledge of Astarte having rated their Demonized album from 2007. As far as I am aware, tragedy struck the band when founding member Tristessa passed away in 2014 following complications from leukaemia. The band changed their name because of this back to Lloth which was their original name back in 1995. This once all-female band is now all male but dedicated to the memory of Tristessa. A decidedly much colder of black metal awaited me here than I was perhaps expecting from a Greek black metal band. Devoid of the Hellenic ‘warmth’ normally associated with that country, I soon found myself in the colder climes of Scandinavia instead.

Herein lies one of the problems with Rise from Within, it does very little to stand out from the crowd in its sound. It is all well played, if not that well-arranged at times, perfectly listenable black metal with a symphonic edge. However, it does lack memorability because of its chosen niche being already well-populated with other bands doing very similar things. My second issue is opening the album with an instrumental track that is so damn long! Those four-and-a-half-minutes need some vocals to keep me interested. The random switch to synth driven passages just adds to my confusion really.

The rest of the album has a couple of instrumentals littered throughout the track listing, but they are much shorter in duration and much more strategically placed in the middle and end of the record. What occurs in between shines much brighter, albeit in that coldest of lights, by way of comparison. It is almost as if there was a different band altogether recording tracks two through nine. Limited though the scope of the music may be, it is still well enough performed to give the rating a respectable mark overall. Kinthia’s vocals are suitably deranged for the style of music and the riffs and synths work well together, only the programmed drums get lost a bit in the mix but oddly I don’t notice this as much as I feared. I should probably go back to Demonized given I cannot believe they became so bad over seven years that they ended up at 2.5 rating after five albums.

Reading various reviews of Mercenary online, I soon found myself looking at two factions of opinion. Group one, believe that this is a perfectly respectable Bolt Thrower record. Group two, believe the production job killed this one entirely. Although I would also add that most of either camp seem to acknowledge that this is the weakest album in the discography. As I have listened through over the weekend, I can see both camps arguments as being valid. The production on Mercenary is muffled, although I have heard much worse, and it is unclear even after multiple listens whether the album lacks power in the performance or whether it is robbed by the production job. I am finding myself in the production camp at this stage of my experience of the record, based on the belief that there is enough classic Bolt Thrower in the sound still, all with some prowess and heft behind it too, but there is an obvious dulling of the absolutely unstoppable force that came across on the previous two albums.

Therein lies another topic of contention of course. After two absolute bangers in The IVth Crusade and …For Victory, could anything match the standard set by those two records? I suspect not, certainly given that of the three albums that followed …For Victory, only the final Bolt Thrower album, Those Once Loyal stands out as being a highlight. When all is said and done, 1994 was very much the band’s peak. Much is also made of the fact that Karl Willets left the band after Mercenary, citing a lack of commitment and financial pressures. I cannot say that there’s anything about Willet’s performance on Mercenary that makes me think his heart was not in it though. My belief is in fact that he was just as potent as ever, the production job for me is the guilty party in any perceived shortfall in this aspect of Mercenary.

If I had to pick the weakest album from the Bolt Thrower back catalogue, it would not be Mercenary. Yes, there are better albums in the band’s kitbag, but it is my fundamental belief that Mercenary suffers from poor (not terrible) production. I prefer it to Realm of Chaos which if I recall correctly suffers from the same affliction. My choice for the worst Bolt Thrower album would be Honour Valour Pride, notwithstanding that Bolt Thrower on a bad day could still produce death metal that most other bands still could never hold a candle too. I have increased my rating of Mercenary based on this revisit by a whole half a mark, albeit the performance I suspect is at least a further half a mark on top that gets robbed back by the production.

My interest in progressive melodeath has boosted up ever since encountering the perfect discography of An Abstract Illusion. It was a sign for me to revisit some earlier progressive melodeath bands that I enjoyed yet abandoned a few years ago. In Mourning might just be the place for me to start in my journey of redemption, since that was probably the band An Abstract Illusion reminded me the most of. And I'm glad that the first Infinite feature release of 2026 is their splendid new album, The Immortal!

The album was recorded throughout the late months of 2024 and the early months of 2025, following up from The Bleeding Veil released 4 years prior. The Immortal may just have the best sound from the band in many years, sounding so sonic and organic. I can already tell how well-written the album is, in big levels. Slight touches of black metal are added to enhance the cold darkness. It finally saw the light of day at that year's Summer end, released via Supreme Chaos Records. As emotional as their earlier material was, the emotion has reached its greatest height in their quarter-century tenure in this offering.

Of the 9 tracks in this album, the title opener is a moody one-minute intro. "Silver Crescent" blasts off with crushing progressive riffing. Then the vocals enter, as aggressive power is blended with melodic harmonies. "Song of the Cranes" is more progressive while keeping the structure in control. The heavy verses with harsh vocals and melodic chorus with clean singing are a mix that has been used by many bands before yet still sounding unique.

"As Long as the Twilight Stays" is more emotional. Clean sorrow comes in first before more of the intense distortion and vocals. "The Sojourner" is the album's first single. It's the perfect song for anyone up for a lot of aggression with some melody here and there. "Moonless Sky" is an ethereal ballad/interlude, a gentle calm in between storms.

"Staghorn" bites down with pure heaviness, all in the guitars and vocals. "North Star" is an aptly titled song for a somber night trek in the northern lands. The melody and heaviness appear where they need to be. I also like the catchy clean chorus. The 8-minute closing epic "The Hounding" starts slow and doomy then speeds up with all its emotional power. The growls and screams touch my metal heart, and the different riffs and twists keep me up for more. Fantastic!

Emotion reigns supreme in the brand-new In Mourning album. The Immortal hits hard with its aggression and lightening this up with its melody. It's likely the most powerful the band has sounded in years, and with that, let's hope their music stays immortal!

Favorites: "Silver Crescent", "Song of the Cranes", "The Sojourner", "Staghorn", "The Hounding"

Having established a more pagan and then viking metal sound since their 1997 album, Following the Voice of Blood, Graveland had fully established this style as their signature sound by the turn of the century and their fifth full length album, Creed of Iron. With Capricornus no longer on drums, Rob Darken truly was the sole creator of this record. Originally a five-track album, there exists a remastered version from 2009 that added two tracks to the end of the album making it over an hour long and it is this version that seems to be widely available on streaming services. Whichever version you find in front of yourself, it is not just the length of the record that makes it an epic experience. The tracks themselves are grandiose testimonies to the toils of war and the legendary battles of old, expansive and aggressive in equal parts.

The balance of the instrumentation is well maintained over the course of the album. It feels like each instrument gets a fair crack at the limelight with none being allowed to steal the show outright. As such there is a real sense of depth to Creed of Iron. It is not just about medieval sounding keys and the flourishes they are allowed to make; the riffs get just as much presence against the swell of these Middle Age atmospheres. Care sounds like it has been given in mixing these elements together to create an experience never feels artificial, simply put it is a very complementary record in terms of its composition.

Now, the artwork leaves a lot to be desired I will grant you. It certainly fits the battlefield billing of the record, but I would encourage anyone to not be too put off by the artwork in thinking that this represents a primitive album as this is clearly not the case within a few minutes of clicking/pressing play. Having listened to the extended version of the album also now, I do not think that the two additional tracks add anything remarkable to the album. In its original format, Creed of Iron is a perfectly solid viking/pagan bm record.

Like its predecessor, Lead and Aether has proven a great accompaniment on winter walks this weekend as the northwest of England sees its first snow of the season. That is not to say that this is a cold sounding record by any means, in fact I find the exact opposite experience to the record. To me this is the sickening warmth of a hug from the arms of death itself. It is comforting to witness, how I imagine the release of all worry, stress and adversity of life would feel at the very moment of conscious expiry of one’s existence. Far from finding the funereal keys and monolithic melodies oppressive, I take a great solace from this album, therefore.

This record plays as an instrumental in my head, the vocals are so low in the mix, consciously so I would guess, that I am almost ignorant them for much of the album. Normally I would find this as a negative point, a key missing feature almost, but here I think it works perfectly. Good funeral doom to me is about letting the music build the aesthetic and atmospheres, the vocals are just a complementary element in comparison. Equally, I think Skepticism got the placement of the drums correct here. Whilst not as absent from my mind as the vocals are, the drums provide the very definition of a subtle supporting role here. How many bands can say that they have successfully used drums o create space and atmosphere on a record?

There is always a danger that with such a minimalist approach to music, particularly extreme genres like this, that the recording can end up sounding amateur. I would argue that the opposite is in fact true here. This sounds like a thoroughly professional album, composed with care and thought for overall arrangement. Maintaining that gloomy warmth for me over the entire album duration is a real win here, but there are a couple of moments where tracks seem to end up a little disjointed (album closer, ‘Aether’ stands out for this) which just takes the perfect score aware from an otherwise brilliant release.

I'd say this is one of my favorite releases from the Florida death metal scene. It has pretty intricate, interesting sound, a somewhat cosmic vibe and a technical tinge that makes it standout from your Morbid Angels and Deaths. The album also has some creative decisions like duet vocals and non-metal interludes which makes the record as a whole distinguishable. The production is pretty much top tier for it's time and the composition/riffage is great, but a bit lacking in memorability. This is one of those releases that I remember liking a lot, but can't really recall any song in particular, and that is what really keeps me from giving an extra half-star.

Andrew Jay Harris cuts a lonely figure in the already isolative world of black metal. In 2002 when he confirmed that Judas Iscariot was no more, he had already given the band’s albums back to the labels who released them and took no money in return, asking that any money be put back into the underground. When he played his last show with the band in 2000, he dedicated "The Black Clouds Roll Under the Parapet of the Sky" (from the “Distant in Solitary Night” album from 1999) to "the destruction of the capitalist scum who tried to destroy black metal." This EP from the same year as that final performance (released just 3 months later) is once again largely performed by Akhenaten himself, except for the drums that Cryptic Winter (Duane Timlin) is credited with delivering.

Anyone familiar with Judas Iscariot will find similar fare over these five tracks when compared with the rest of the discography. Judas Iscariot’s sound is cold, ice cold, with cymbals that sound like discs of frozen water being shattered each time they are struck. The drums on their own are a vicious assault to contend with, even before we get to the scathing attack of the guitar and harsh, abrasive and gloriously grim vocals. However, take time dear listener to marvel at the slowly decaying pace of the instrumental track, ‘March Upon a Mighty Throne’ that revels in drab and dank majesty before the chaos of a “Special Blitzkrieg” version of ‘Spill the Blood of the Lamb’ from the “Heaven in Flames” album (1999) rounds off what feels like a really short twenty-one-minutes.

Legendary death doom outfit, Cianide are one of my criminally underrated bands with them rarely getting anywhere near as much spin time as they deserve. This EP coming up in the feature release section this month has been a timely kick up the arse to remedy that for a few hours at least. Unhumanized is only a shade under twenty-six-minutes long and perhaps is not the Chicago trio at their absolute best, yet it is still a bruising and entertaining affair to listen to.

Coming out thirty-one-years after the band first got together, Unhumanized has the hallmarks of an established and mature band. The riffing sounds perfectly crafted and richly performed to accentuate the crunch and groove of the guitar of Scott Carroll. For a band with only one guitarist, he is clearly more than enough, and the mix lets him sit front and centre in proceedings alongside the barking of vocalist Mike Perun. The percussion is less prominent than the guitar and vocals but still does a fantastic job in the background. Check out the punky vibes on the title track for an example of how this is not just a standard death metal release.

Offering some of the best in extreme metal that the underground has to offer, Cianide give a decent enough acquittal of themselves on this release to pique the interest of any fan wanting to go and look at their earlier work. With a discography going all the way back to 1992 when their debut record dropped, this taster of the modern Cianide has enough of their familiar sound to tie it back to their earlier releases. Love me a short EP every now and again to whet the appetite for some further death metal listening afterwards.

Italian speed metallers Bulldozer have never featured very highly in my listening within the realms of The Pit clan. Whilst I would not put their limited airplay down to any problem they present to me, at the same time, I cannot pretend to have ever been overwhelmingly entertained by any of the stuff I have listened to from them. The Final Separation doesn’t put a foot wrong as such, yet nor does it tread anywhere particularly new or even influential either. At times reminiscent of Venom (‘The Cave’) whilst on other occasion being just as close to Motörhead, the album lacks any of the rhythmic riffs that would steer it in the direction of thrash metal and as a result I would suggest the thrash metal tag is irrelevant for this album.

If you a connoisseur of eighties speed metal, then The Final Separation probably holds more sway for you than it does with me after over three decades of listening to metal; I left this sound behind a long while ago I feel. Whilst I am not alien to humour in my metal music, tracks like ‘Don Andras’ are just juvenile to my ears these days. Serving only to break up the otherwise very similar tempos of tracks to this point, this song has little value and stinks of filler.

With, ‘Never Relax’ at least offering some hope of variety for the second half of the album, I could have been forgiven for thinking I was being a little too harsh on the first few tracks. It is cumbersome though and feels pieced together as opposed to a free-flowing track. ‘Don’t Trust the Saint’ is the nearest to thrash metal we get to on the album, but it bounces more than it chops and my interest soon wanes. Final track ‘The Death of Gods’ grumbles some promise of an epic closure to the album, however this is soon lost in an overly grandiose soundscape that pushes my interest onto other things in the room.

The new Lychgate album is likely the last new release in metal that we'll ever get before the new year dawns. And with only over 24 hours before it becomes 2026 in my country, I thought this would be the right album to check out as the clock is ticking down. It's probably the most experimental album of the year, and one that further shows how well I can keep up in The North despite that clan being the least likely for me to ever join.

You want extreme progressive metal more twisting than a supermassive black hole? It's all in this album Precipice! What we have here is the deathly progressive metal of Opeth blended with the avant-garde black metal of Dodheimsgard. Rhythm and melody are covered within heavy riffing, clean leads, and classical keys. The vocals are pretty much what to expect in extreme metal, including chaotic growls and screams. It is also lyrically based on the philosophical works of Forster, Wells, and Eliot, specifically the dark bleakness of humanity's dependence on machines.

The intro of this 9-track album, "The Sleeper Awaits" sets everything up in a haunting fashion, as heard in the piano and orchestration. "Mausoleum of Steel" crashes in with dark aggression balanced out with progressiveness. The devilish harsh vocals in front of the orchestration and metal is so strange yet tempting. "Renunciation" is even darker, further into the center of the world. Leads and vocals unite for a dissonant sound alongside the bass and drums. It's truly a beast lurking in the shadows!

"The Meeting of Orion and Scorpio" turns into clean light tainted by eeriness. Seems like the beast is having its rest. "Hive of Parasites" is a spooky progressive 10-minute epic. It may take some time for listeners to get used to what's going on, but when you do, you can fully embrace it as it embraces you. The vocals stay harsh throughout this cavernous quest. "Death's Twilight Kingdom" has some piano and bass in the intro before the metal beast moves again. Everything keeps changing before you can get a sense of what's happening, like something appears, disappears, and reappears.

"Terror Silence" has a more straight structure that's easy to understandable. Still they have the Opeth-like aspect of shapeshifting riffing. "Anagnorisis" adds to the album's lyrical focus of discovering the true existence of someone else rather than your own. Everything's so dark and deadly, and for me, it's my sweet dessert. Doom is impending... And it comes in "Pangaea". For just 3 short minutes, you feel the black hole engulf you in darkness and death. Then before long, your journey ends on a satisfying note.

Like the edge of a cliff that the album title means, Precipice will give you the feeling of hanging on to your life. It's an experience so unsettling yet pleasant. And in the end, it's all worth leveling up your metal soul!

Favorites: "Mausoleum of Steel", "Renunciation", "Hive of Parasites", "Death's Twilight Kingdom", "Anagnorisis"

Another feature whose subject is an act I have no previous knowledge of is this latest album from Icelandic black metallers Nexion. This is only their second full-length despite their decade of existence so, hopefully, they are a band who favour quality over quantity. Now I am a big fan of Icelandic black metal bands who deliver sweeping epics that conjure up images of the mountains, hot springs and ice-fields of their native land, such as Auðn and Árstíðir lífsins, but the initial impression I got from "Sundrung" was of a less epic and more violent record that incorporates significant influence from death metal, especially production-wise. This isn't necessarily the case though, as I think the band still deliver an album of epic black metal, although it is delivered in a different way to the aforementioned acts.

The death metal influence is evident and does beef up the bands sound significantly, yet the twin guitar tremolo riffing and frequent use of harmonised, viking metal-like backing vocals does imbue it with a sense of the epic. This saga-like feeling to the tracks is futher accentuated by the use of a significant layer of atmospheric dissonance, similar in tone to that utilised by the superb Ulcerate, which makes the album feel like an Árstíðir lífsins album recorded by Deathspell Omega (this is a good thing, by the way). So, despite the violence on display, in no small part due to the savagery deployed by vocalist Jósúa Rood, there is still a sense of a striking and epic scope to the instrumentation.

For me at least, this was an album that didn't instantly grab my attention and whose inherent viciousness just sort of washed over me at first, but it is a multi-layered beast and ultimately rewards the listener the more they are willing to invest in it as it is a fairly complex entity hiding in the skin of a visceral and savage beast. While I am a metal fan of fairly simple tastes, it is great to sometimes be presented with an album that challenges initial perceptions and which makes me want to keep returning to it to dig deeper into its labyrinthine depths and "Sundrung" is definitely one such album. The only real downside for me was the drums which felt quite one-dimensional and dulled in delivery, but that is a minor issue in the scheme of things here.

One of the things I love about metal is the diversity. When different genres come together, they bring some uniqueness to the table, creating a sweet feast. And one band that kinda do that is Ithilien. In their second album Shaping the Soul, these Belgians decide to do something unusual at the time, blending together folk metal and metalcore to make... folk-core! And this album came out 4 years after their more melodeath-oriented debut.

Throughout this thunderous 10-song 50-minute offering, expect some Eluveitie-esque epic folk metal with more hardcore riffing, bass, and vocals. There's still some of their earlier melodeath here and there, only in smaller chunks, leaving most of the heaviness to their modern metalcore side.

"Blindfolded" starts the album with a slow march of guitars and Celtic instruments, then when the screaming vocals enter the picture, the drumming tempo really speeds up. This is basically the kind of soundtrack Game of Thrones needs for their enemy-slashing battles. And when the mid-paced folk sections come back on, they're for getting hammered, partying, and simply headbanging to the loud heaviness. "Lies After Lies" continues that pace with added flute. It's more emotional while still having that heavy energy. The title track may be the closest we have to their melodeath roots. Everything's so frantic with bursts of melody and the usual background Celtic instrumentation. This killer opening group of tracks reaches its peak in the next track...

My favorite track here, "Walk Away", is the band's longest song at nearly 8 minutes. Slow folky melancholy is its main purpose, sounding epic without having to resort to much metal. The emotion is sadly lost in "If Only", which has nothing but hollow filler. The interlude "Emma" is nice and relaxing but doesn't do much either.

"Edelweiss" is named after a flower in Switzerland, though the song's relation to Switzerland has more in common with Eluveitie, complete with heavy raging fire. Another exceptional track is "Hopeless". There's more variation in the vocals and atmosphere, and maybe they can have more of that in their possible next album. "The Dive" explodes in melodic rage, though I feel like there could've been slightly more to ignite. "The Bear Dance" is a fun instrumental worth a LOTR-style victory dance party.

All in all, Shaping the Soul is a sold Ithilien album. This folk-core sound with small melodeath doses is quite fun and unique. And there's barely any reptition, other than that small mid-album slump. This should get metalheads interested and on the edge of their seats for their next album to come. Very soon, I hope....

Favorites: "Blindfolded", "Shaping the Soul", "Walk Away", "Edelweiss", "Hopeless"

Getting back into the epic folk metal zone that I was in 10 years before this review when I was into the more melodic metal genres, while still taking on the heavier modern metalcore, has made me quite curious about what those two genres would be like mixed together. We already have Equilibrium doing that with their later material, but before that was the modernized folk stylings of Ithilien...

Named after a region in Gondor from The Lord of the Rings, this Belgian band released their debut From Ashes to the Frozen Land in 2013. Celtic-infused folk metal is blended with modern melodeath similarly to Eluveitie, albeit with some Scandinavian viking/black metal elements.

The intro "Battle Cry" is a nice gentle start. When Celtic bagpipes come in, it sounds like something out of the Braveheart soundtrack, at the same time fooling some listeners into thinking is the beginning of a new Dragonland album. Punching through is "Unleashed", unleashing some Nordic melodeath power, sounding blackened in the vocals and blast-beats. Getting a little calmer while staying heavy, "Rebirth" is more mid-paced with beautiful leads.

A long-ish interlude "Sealed Destiny" comes in. I feel like it shouldn't be placed so early, but it's fine where it is. The first of two 6+ minute epics, "Through Wind and Snow", is a grand example of folk-fueled melodeath alternating between fast and slow, with similar vibes to bands like Kalmah, Swallow the Sun, Mercenary, and Hope for the Dying. Also will those crickets stop chirping at the end?! It's not boring at all! Again shining with speed is the other epic, "Reckless Child". No problems there! "Drinkin' Song" I also enjoy for its upbeat fun. I'm glad to not let seriousness get the best of me.

"Mother of the Night" is another fast standout. But then comes the more repetitive "Stare Into the Deep", though it's not too bad. "Everlasting Dawn" is the most blackened gem here. Love that one! "A World Undone" ends up being a slight letdown, but it doesn't affect the album's perfect score. "Northern Light" ends the album as another bagpipe instrumental, this one as long as that second interlude.

With their debut From Ashes to the Frozen Land, Ithilien has the potential to expand the boundaries of epic folk/melodeath. It's for anyone up for this kind of blend, and there's more of that in their next album, when they add some metalcore to their cauldron. Enjoy some modernized folk metal!

Favorites: "Unleashed", "Through Wind and Snow", "Reckless Child", "Drinkin' Song", "Mother of the Night", "Everlasting Dawn"

OK, so I'm sure there will be a few people who will question my having awarded the universally-panned eighth full-length from Swedish black/Viking metal godfathers Bathory a decent score & I would have sat in that camp when I first heard it at the time of release too but it's honestly nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. Sure, the production has intentionally been kept as raw as fuck & Quorthon's vocals aren't gonna win any awards but surely we were all used to his vocal deficiencies by that stage & the song-writing isn't half bad most of the time, if never threatening to deviate from the classic underground thrash metal sound.

Quorthon said at the time that Bathory had backed themselves into a creative corner after 1991's "Twilight of the Gods" by releasing ever more epic albums so he was looking for the next step in terms of style. He ended up releasing a grunge solo album in 1994 so as to tick off a bucket-list goal he'd always had & it felt great to be able to simply create something he'd wanted to for a long time without worrying about what his fan base thought. Some of his fans had been telling him that they missed his older, rawer Bathory material so he decided to make a raw, DIY-style thrash record for fun with 1994's "Requiem" being the result. He enjoyed the process so much that he followed it up with "Octagon" around six months later & both were brutally criticized by fans & critics. I agree that "Requiem" was subpar but "Octagon" is a little better in my opinion, if being noticeably simple in its construction. Sure, there are a few duds to be found here (see "Century", "War Supply" & "Judgement of Posterity") but there are also some very solid inclusions like "Sociopath" & "Schizianity" & the wins comfortably outweigh the losses. I even quite like the fairly faithful rendition of KISS's "Deuce" so I guess it's fair to say that "Octagon" is a guilty pleasure for me these days. It's strange how time can sometimes change your perceptions so much, isn't it? I can do without the sections that look to tackle the classic Anthrax sound though as they fail dismally.

For fans of Kreator, Slayer & Celtic Frost.

I'm not planning on starting a Metal Academy hall on this, but there's just enough scattered throughout this album for me to call it a death metal album.  But much of it builds itself on softer vocals, much like Ulver did with black metal, but lacking reverb.  While many of the same elements are shared across the ten songs, including the random shifting between prog and melo-death, and occasional folsky elements, there are certain elements that make it hard to pick favorites among the batch, such as the occasional Arabic touches in Enemy at the Gates and Death of a King (and milder levels of it in White Night), as well as the Celtic metal sound of Tree of Ages.  As well, there's a level of melody hear that I have to say utterly astounded me as a prog metal fan.  While it maintains strong accessibility, it carefully molds all of the essential Amorphis elements together into, as one reviewer here put it, alchemically (I'm using this fake word and no one's stopping me).  As an FMA fan, I have to say that the melody here reaches Philosopher's Stone levels of purity.  Still, it's impossible not to notice a formula here that makes things a little predictable at the end, but they certainly nailed rocking the formula.  I may have to re-evaluate Elegy, but this is currently my favorite Amorphis album (and maybe my favorite Amorphis album cover).

98

Of all the genres I enjoy in my metal journey, there's one I somehow seem to neglect in favor of everything else, post-sludge. I don't think I've discovered much from that genre beyond its Big 4 (Neurosis, Isis, Cult of Luna, The Ocean) and Rosetta. Many of its songs guide you through transcending realms, showing that metal doesn't always have to be about chaos and speed. So when this Dimscua EP was brought into discussion, I thought it was a good time to catch up with what I was missing out on.

And wow, what an EP! Dust Eater is the start of a promising career for this UK post-sludge band. We haven't heard anything new from Cult of Luna for a while, but this offering feels like a solid continuation to that band's sound. Dimscua has only just formed this year, and they already have a lot of emotion and grief in their music.

"Elder Bairn" already sets up the atmosphere with its bleak guitar tone and screamed vocals. The riffing rhythm rises before reaches its height in an apocalyptic explosion. The riff storm strikes down as the screams haunt you like tortured souls. An absolutely devastating start to the adventure! The title track seems a bit stretchy in the rhythm, but that's my one and only complaint. The music still sounds huge and emotional.

Raw emotion continues to shine in "Existence/Futility", with different melodies built to last then built to fall. It's like a strong fight that you end up winning and losing multiple times. And is it all worth it? For sure! "On Being and Nothingness" is the 10-minute final epic and a true example of the post-sludge sound developed by the earlier masters of the genre, proving that it's far from dead. The chords and vocals drift through a dimension of catatonia. By the time it all ends, you become one with the astral plane. A dark satisfying end to this atmospheric journey!

As cheesy as this may seem in theory, tragedy has turned into art that can easily resonate. The tragedy that is guitarist/bassist Adam Campbell-Train losing his daughter (RIP). The end result is the amazing return of the post-sludge sound we know. Here's to a possible full album from the genre's new chosen ones!

Favorites: "Elder Bairn", "On Being and Nothingness"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

97

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

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

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

95

What I greatly appreciated about the Satyricon debut was the boldness and the exploration of Norwegian influences in black metal.  There was a lot going on that added a good deal of personality to the album without ever feeling like too much.  This second album, however, trades some of that inventiveness for a more straightforward black metal sound and improved production.  This is not to say that it's a bad album, just that a more straightforward direction isn't the kind of direction I would want to take after only one album.  Inferior, but still worth checking out.

Now the structures here are very good.  There's a lot of clever riffage and some good progressiveness that drives the whole album, even when the songs last ten minutes.  It never gets tiring no matter how long any song gets, already helping it to stand out from a bunch of other early black releases that were mostly worried about the sound, the heaviness and saying something rude against Christians.  On that latter note, the lyrical poetry remains full of imagery and class.  While the typical themes such as anti-religion and Norse wartime are present, they're certainly more full of life than the standard black metal band of the early days.  And there's none of that obnoxious gore and vulgarity that Bathory was so proud of when he wrote The Golden Walls of Heaven.  I also feel that Satyr, the lead vocalist, improved his range a little on some of these songs, allowing his unique (at the time) voice to go even farther when the back's style took a step backwards.  There's more professionalism in his voice this time around.  Of course, it finally produces a dungeon synth song at the end, but that doesn't really say "variety" as much as it says "slow and mysterious ending."

This second Satyricon piece was a fun album with a lot of creativity invested in the melodies, but there was an identity shift here that I didn't care for.  Still, considering how much effort they put into the melodies and lyrics, I would still say this manages to be a great album.

90

I think I may have made the right choice in choosing Satyricon to end my Metal Academy black metal challenge.  Their third album, Nemesis Divina, is the one I need to hear, and is considered their best album.  On top of which, there's the coincidence that the previous album I heard for this, Thorns, features the lead singer as a vocalist.  Now I say that they were the right choice because right from the getgo, they dive into the artistry, genre-bending and unpredictability I generally look for.

The lo-fi production in this instance helps the tremolos a lot, which is a bit of a breath of fresh air considering how many lo-fi debuts don't manage anything with the production.  These guys knew how to utilize it.  But softer and flute-driven areas, such as the ones in the title track, have no background noise whatsoever, so the abrupt switches are much more sudden and surprising.  The first couple tracks on the album are built on these kinds of shifts, but this is not to say that the band is simply showing off.  These songs are just as intriguing and melodic as they are poetic, so this works out for the better on a consistent basis.  Some exclusions, such as the folk interlude Min hyllest til vinterland, are a welcome break from it simply because the album already made a point of exploring the world of the North through various musical styles with black at the front.  As well, the next track is pure black metal, adding a faint amount of synths in the early days, but not enough to really count towards the extreme development of the symphonic black genre that Emperor pioneered.  And while the last two tracks largely go for the black metal aspects already previously established, the songwriting remains intriguing in their own ways.  I still prefer the first two tracks, however.

Satyricon's debut album proved that they already knew what they were doing on day one.  These guys were built for black metal, and if they're only gonna keep getting better from there for a while, I expect brilliant things from them.

94

Bolt Thrower has something very interesting going on with it's songwriting and themes. They have a very characteristic minimal composition style: just a couple of simple, mid-paced riffs arranged in a logical way with enough beat variations to back it all up. Throw some badass growls over it and you have Bolt Thrower. Now, that is not to say that they are overly simplistic or boring! This is very heavy hitting death metal that in some way says something important about the genre itself. It's like boiling down the style to it's bare fundamentals and applying them with precision, and because of this the whole thing is a masterclass in efficient songwriting. But above this, I'm very interested in how this couples very, very well with their themes and aesthetics. Bolt Thrower doesn't care much about occultist fascinations or hyper-violent, gore-ridden fantasy. It's theme is the very real and brutal violence of war, an unquestionable and immutable truth. Coupled with their mid-paced, martial sound and minimalist precision, the outcome has a monolithic, eternal quality to it. That is something I can very much admire and look up to, because it is in fact very artistic, aside being awesome heavy metal.

Well, why the mid rating then? Unfortunately I do have some problems with this, which I guess is their most revered release. While there are some very good songs here, particularly Where Next to Conquer, As The World Burns and Spearhead, I do find the album too long and somewhat samey, making me lose interest a bit towards the end. Also, I don't like this production at all. The strings sound very bassy and glued, which I do like, but there's a critical lack of high end in the mix, and the drums sound muffled and don't have enough impact. That's all very unfortunate, because I actually want to like this album, the songs I enjoy are badass and awesome, and the cover art and title are incredible. Such a cool looking album, but unfortunately a let down to me. I'll be searching for a Bolt Thrower album that I can get behind and praise, because the band is pretty interesting.

Not sure why I didn't get to this album before.  Taake exploration has typically been really on and off for me.  I've always liked his albums well enough, but never really loved them.  But since I heard a few, I guess that obligates me to hear Nattestid ser porten vid.  It's conisder his best by many of his fans, after all, and it IS an influential debut album.

I have to say I have mixed feeling about... the mixing.  It's nice that the Paysage sound that is known for drowning things out creates a noisy, despondent atmosphere, but the issue is that the drumming is way too drowned out, and flows to closely to the sound of a poorly recorded demo in the guise of a studio album, when Paysage's demo was handled LIKE a studio album.  Even when I was on Taake's topic page listening to the official playlist, I thought I landed on a video with bad mixing and that video somehow landed in the topic page by mistake.  But I'm not gonna complain about the compositions.  They were a lot of fun.  There was an ass-ton of energy that was just begging to be released, like a battery is about to explode.  I would even go as far as to say some of these songs are absolutely genius, and thankfully, a couple of them have better mixing for the percussions than others.  The problem is mostly fixed on III, which is flat-out one of the best black metal songs I've ever heard.  The raw ferocity and the incurable rage are on STRIPPER display.  There isn't a lot of variation between tracks, but it remains fun throughout, and ends with an incredible nine-minute bang that almost matches III.

So despite its mixing problem, I would agree with those who say this is his best album.  The mania of the album is enough to drive you insane from metalhead zealousness.  For the most part, Furia certainly knew what he was doing.

92

Now you don't have to look too closely to notice some stylistic similarities to Dissection, Necrophobic and Dawn, but they developed their own identity by focusing more on the atmosphere than the riffs.  Their have the tremolos of one a careful mix of evil and serenity.  Hell, it doesn't even have to be black metal.  That 3.5 minute piano interlude called So Far Beyond is truly appreciated, considering that most black metal artists will just include a weird sound effect at the start for a few seconds before blasting right into the black metal.  And Vinterskogen is basically a slow instrumental ballad praising everything that's supposed to make the more beautiful side of black metal what it is.  That's easily one of my favorite melodic black metal songs ever, and melody only comes second to the artistry.  But even though they're not as riff-based as Dissection, whatever solos and riffs they do carry are generally very impressive.  But one negative I need to point out is the drums.  It kinda of beats in the back of my head in an awkward way, like a woodpecker doing its natural duty.  That can be a big distraction, and should've been replaced with another drum.  Still, it's very nice to hear a black metal band focus more on delivery and variation than on trying to set up a formula to follow.

Now there are only two things getting in the way of a five-star release: a little familiarity and the bass drums.  Otherwise, this is totally solid.  It's evil, it's melancholy, it's serene and it's gorgeous.  Yet another iconic one-album-wonder from the black metal scene gets my stamp of approval.

93

Yet another unfortunate tale of a clever and skillful metal band having only released one album, just like Weakling released Dead As Dreams and we never heard from them again.  Apparently, the people behind this album, Kvist, only managed to release one single 25 years after this album.  And the worst part?  We don't know a damn thing about the reasoning behind it all!  The band said nothing.  There is nothing.  It's blank.  There is no secret ingredient.  Thus, considering the shorter length and the melodic tag, I had a feeling I would like this even more, and be even more disappointed by the one-album-wonder status.

With just a noticeable amount of the fantasy synths and abnormal guitar tricks that make up dark metal albums like this, the band is able to play up the melodic side quite easily, no matter what mood they set up for their songs.  The vast majority of their rhythms are just as enchanting as they are intriguing, like I'm listening to an alternative soundtrack to The Dark Crystal.  Honestly should've listened to this when I was writing the first Nialoca book.  One of my favorite things about the album is how hard-hitting the percussions are.  There's a real force to them that's clear and not too loud but effective.  As well, there are just enough ventures into the symphonic side to occasionally spruce it up without feeling generic (although it DOES tend to recall Summoning occasionally).  And even though many of the songs are quite similar, nothing ever overstays its welcome.  So this ended up being a cool gem to add to the black metal catalog, one that will keep people begging for a second album, even if they have to beg God for time travel.

91

Having fully differentiated themselves from blackened thrash acts of the past while improving on the strengths of their own debut as well as the strengths of the albums that influenced them, Destroyer 666 continued to prove themselves with another album that took the metal world by an apocalyptic storm.  The improved blackened production adds yet another layer of depth to an already pretty deep band.  You can hardly find any black or thrash metal that sounds this harsh.  I Am the War God will tell you everything you need to know about how far their blackened production has gone.  The first half might really impress you, and the second half is even better.  The extra ferocity in the production and riffs goes hand in hand with the more creative solos.

But I do have this to say.  In their efforts to cement themselves as great artists, there were a couple things they forgot.  For example: The Last Revelation is only 2.5 minutes long when it could've had so much more potential on its own, what with how easy these guys make complex and weird guitar solos look.  Just look at the title track.  That one needs a few people to lasso it in.  I guess they really wanted to make sure the title track specifically stood out, and they did.  As well, the diversity factor was a little bit weakened to make room for the new sound.  Otherwise, this album is five kinds of insane.

90

If there's one thing I want to see in an album, it's a strong sense of art.  On their debut album, Destroyer 666 seemed to utilize that a lot more than a lot of other thrash bands did with their debuts.  After having finished a Metal Academy Thrash Albums Challenge, comparing them to Unchain the Wolves was pretty easy.  The band is really trying to exceed their artistic limits here.  Slow-paced melodies and tempos like the ones present on Genesis to Genocide and Tyranny are so carefully handled for their long runtimes due to a strong sense of epic atmospheres.  And then you have rocket-speed hitters like Australian and Anti-Christ which makes a point of emulating the blackened thrash sound of early Bathory but with the band's own presence, and then moments that can go pure black and assault your ears and brain like Six Curses from a Spiritual Wasteland.  Now the melodies aren't always the best, but they're operable and they're varied enough in each song to ensure than nothing gets tiring.  Even a shorter song can go to three different places before it reaches the halfway point and still feel like its own song.  However, with the sharing of standard thrash and black tempos, there's also an are of familiarity present through the album.  These are most present in Side B, and they get a little tiring by that time.  Otherwise, the album is pretty well done.  These guys seem to have an authantic hatred for organized religion, and that anger drives both their creative side and the ferocious mood of the album.

87