Vinny's Forum Replies

Rauhnåcht - "Zwischenwelten" (2025)

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

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

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

3.5/5

Got through the list his afternoon in between work calls and created a new tab in my master catalogue Excel document for recs from the monthly playlists by clan.  This month I will be taking away the following records to check out:

High on Fire  - Blessed Black Wings

Ophis  - Spew Forth odium

My Dying Bride  - A Line of Deathless Kings

Familiar with pretty much all of the rest of the list, and have no time for Within Temptation.  Nice to hear Messiah Marcolin in a different band though and they impressed me enough to stick with the whole track but trying to keep my recs list to three albums given the large quantitiy of music I get through each month already.

I am not into my TV nowadays.  You’re more likely to find me watching restoration projects on YouTube (Rexstorer being a personal favourite right now) or reading a book.  Sort of did the Netflix/Prime/Disney+ thing to death for a few years.  Mobland with Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan was the last thing I watched and it was superb.  More of that and The Gentlemen and I would watch those.

Lamp of Murmuur - "Heir of Eclipital Romance" (2020)

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

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

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

3.5/5

I have been spinning this a few times this week and I am yet to make it through a full sitting in one go as I keep putting it on when I climb into bed and then fall asleep (more of a reflection on how quickly I drift off when I hit the hay as opposed to any scourge on the entertainment value of the record).  What I do like about it is how it captures the violence of black metal and yet still is able to shroud it in that atmospheric hue that we have all come to know and expect of Wintherr (which differs from how Sonny hears it - which is what makes the reviews here so interesting for me, how different people perceive records and hear different things is fascinating to me).

Update due to me having to nominate a last-minute Infinite feature release in Saxy's place:

THE FALLEN: SONNY, Vinny

THE GATEWAY: ANDI, Saxy

THE GUARDIANS: SONNY, Karl, Andi

THE HORDE: VINNY, Sonny, Karl

THE INFINITE: SAXY, Andi

THE NORTH: KARL, Vinny, Sonny

THE PIT: VINNY, Sonny

THE REVOLUTION: ANDI

THE SPHERE: ANDI

REMINDER: Please submit your feature releases to Ben before the end of the month and have your feature releases' threads ready to be posted in the first one or two days of next month. I can't always do these last-minute nominations, so if you miss the deadline, you'll lose your slot.

Andi, my understanding is that we only need to submit to Ben if the release needs adding to the site.  Ben has told me there’s no need to give him submission details.

I recently got back in the BC thang after a hiatus.  Daniel has covered most of what I was going to say, however I like it stillas a platform for all music and have made some good idscoveries over the years by browsing other users collections.  My collection can be located below.

https://bandcamp.com/stiffncold

Recent purchases:

Drape - Beautiful Glorious Death Throes

Khaos Aura - Thornbringer

Axis of Light - To the Great Unbearing North

Kveldstimer - The Cursed Oak

Altar of Woe - The triumph of malignant narcissism

Hi Sonny for Nov please:

Blood Vulture - "Entwined" (from "Die Close", 2025)

Faetooth - "Hole" 9from "Labyrinthine", 2025)

Goya - "In the Dawn of November" (from "In the Dawn of November", 2025)

Paradise Lost - "Salvation" (from "Ascension", 2025)

Cosmic Reaper - "Parasite" (from "Bleed the Wicked, Drown the Damned", 2025)

I started off with the intention of owning all Paysage d' Hiver releases on vinyl.  I got to Schattengang then got completely sidetracked.  I did not enjoy Im Wald at all, just could not get my head around it's appeal and just switched it off each time I tried and so I never got onto Die Berge.  Now I look I missed his other 2020 release also Im Traum.  I may try and get back on track with Geister.  Got a night in a hotel tomorrow with work and need a good excuse to not linger at dinner with my colleagues.  Headphones packed.

Hi Sonny, mine for November please:

Der Weg Einer Freiheit - "Eos" (from "Innern", 2025)

Destruction Ritual - "Washed Away Sins" (from "Providence", 2025)

Medieval Demon - "Raging Lord of the Deeps" (from "All Powers of Darkness", 2025)

Autrest - "Ruins of the Lost" (from "Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves", 2025)

The Jesus Lizard - "GOAT" (1981)

I've been dipping into some noise rock related albums and artists this past week as I am getting a little worn out by new releases and metal in general.  Don't feel confident enough yet to be able to write a full review but this has been a standout release from the few I have sampled.  Got onto Big Black "Songs About Fucking" last night and also flirted with The Jesus and Mary Chain "Psychocandy" the night before but that one was not my bag.

Tornekrans - "Silent Whispers Echo from Forbidden Realms" (2025)

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

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

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

4/5

I am quite into my history nowadays and this 525 page monster of a book is my current read.  McLynn likes his detail and spends most of chapter 1 talking about the harshness of the climate of Mongolia and how the nomadic peoples had to basically live in two different places depending on whether it was summer or winter in order to survive (due to farming requirements), so I am expecting this book will need a lot of my attention to get through.

Hi Ben, could you please add the latest album from Cosmic Reaper, "Bleed the Wicked, Drown the Damned"?

Abmut - "Sempiternal Realm of Solitary Spirits" - 2025

Some Chilean black metal (should pique Sonny's interest).  Big Darkthrone influence which is by no means a criticism.  Can only find it on YouTube (and I can still never embed a YouTube video on the site).

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

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

“A cluster of storms

Breathing through wormhole mazes

Feeding gaping jaws the bitter waters of nausea

To harvest the foul seed and rape the crops of life

The demented ancestry of nebulae afar”

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

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

4.5/5

Man, fuck cancer.

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

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

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

2/5

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

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

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

4/5

I have never listened through an Imperial Triumphant record but I always imagined it would sound exactly like Sonny described it.

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

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

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

3.5/5

Here you go Sonny:

Mörtual - "Divine Monstrosity" (from "Altar of Brutality", 2025)

In Flames - "December Flower" (from "The Jester Race", 1996)

Kanonenfieber - "Z-Vor!" (from "Z-Vor!", 2025)

Baest - "Colossus" (from " Colossal", 2025)

Nile - "The Burning Pits of the Duat" (from "Annihilation of the Wicked", 2005)

Demigod - "Tears of God" (from "Slumber of Sullen Eyes", 1992)

Phrenelith - "Conquering Divinity" (from "Desolate Landscape", 2017)

Brodequin - "Diabolical Edict" (from "Harbringer of Woe", 2024)

Hi Ben, a couple more please:

Golgata (Sweden)

Latest from Hermóðr "The Beholder"

Tornekrans (Norway)

Making the most of my day working from home, as well as getting through The Fallen playlist, I also ploughed on through The North one as well.

A bit more of a challenging listen for me this one once Sühnopfer kicked in and then Waidelotte too.  I actually sat through the Deafhaven track without skipping it, but it was not my most comfortable moment.

Thankfully the likes of Gorgoroth, Primordial, Krallice, Emperor and Satyricon kept me focused.

I got through this today whilst working from home.  Strong list this month, one of my favourite ones of recent months.

Highlights were, Thou, Yob, Alunah, Black Sheep Wall, Monolord and Worm.

I am still on the fence with the new Paradise Lost tracks and could not get my head around the vocals on Mourning Dawn.  But otherwise had a good ole time listening through this month.

Hi Sonny, for October please:

Monolord - "The Bastard Son" (from "No Comfort", 2019)

Windhand - "Tanngrisnir" (from "Grief's Internal Flower", 2015)

KVLL - "Blood to the Altar" (from "Death//Sacrifice", 2020)

Conan - "Dying Giant" (from "Horseback Battle Hammer", 2014)

Horn of the Rhino - "Weight of Coronation" (from "Weight of Coronation", 2010)

September 2025

1. Onslaught – “Power from Hell (2025 re-recording)” (from “Origins of Aggression”, 2025)

2. Sodom – “Trigger Discipline” (from “The Arsonist”, 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

3. Kreator – “Coma of Souls” (from “Coma of Souls”, 1990) [Submitted by Sonny]

4. Death Angel – “Truce” (from “Relentless Retribution”, 2010) [Submitted by Sonny]

5. Heathen – “Undone” (from “The Evolution of Chaos”, 2010) [Submitted by Sonny]

6. Sacrifice – “Underneath Millennia” (from “Volume Six”, 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

7. Coroner – “Renewal” (from “Dissonance Theory”, 2025)

8. Sacrilege – “Lifeline” (from “Behind the Realms of Madness”, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny]

9. Necrodeath – “Graveyard of the Innocents” (from “Into the Macabre”, 1987) [Submitted by Sonny]

10. The Haunted – “Warhead” (from “Songs of Last Resort”, 2025) [Submitted by Shadowdoom]

11. Invicta – “The Morning’s Light” (from “Triumph and Torment, 2023) [Submitted by Saxy]

12. Sijjin – “Horrific Distortions” (from “Helijjin Combat”, 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. Parkcrest – “Impossible to Hide” (from “And That Blue Will Turn to Red”, 2019) [Submitted by Sonny]

14. Drain – “Stealing Happiness from Tomorrow” (from “…Is Your Friend”,2025)

15. Necromaniac – “Daemonomantia” (from “Sciomancy, Malediction & Rites Abominable”, 2025)

16. Aggressive Perfector – “Devil’s Bastard” (from “Havoc at the Midnight Hour”, 2019) [Submitted by Sonny]

17. Hellcrash – “Inferno Crematörio” (from “Inferno Crematörio”, 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

18. Gallower – “Bubonic Breath” (from “Vengeance and Wrath”, 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

19. Byzantine – “The Clockmaker's Intention” (from “Harbringers”, 2025)

20. Alien Weaponry – “Mau Moko” (from “Te Rā”, 2025)

21. Inhuman Nature – “Possessed to Die” (from “Greater Than Death”, 2025)

22. Heaven’s Gate – “Hail Mary” (from “Tales from a Blistering Paradise”, 2025)

23. Warfield – “Appetitive Aggression” (from “With the Old Breed”, 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

24. Sexmag – “Smród palonych dusz” (from “Sexorcyzm”, 2025)

25. Phantom G.D.L. – “Dark Wings of Death” (from “Tyrants of Wrath”, 2025)

26. Tyrannosatan – “Astronomicon” (from “Babylons Skräck”, 2025)

27. Torturer – “Intro (Arachnophobia)” (from “Oppressed by the Force”, 1992) [Submitted by Sonny]

New Hooded Menace due 03rd October.  Two tracks up for streaming are okay. Heavy PL vibe of course but digging the 90's death metal album cover more than the tracks if I am honest.

Hi Ben, could you please add Australian doom/sludge outfit, KVLL to the site?  They have one album from 2020, Death//Sacrifice (and it's a fucking banger).

Aldaaron - "Par-delà les cimes" (2025)

I have a project list in my office for sub-genres I need to conduct a deep dive on. Pagan black metal is one item listed there as I have very little, formal knowledge of the sub-genre. When I come to a release that is tagged as “pagan” on the Metal Academy site I instantly think of folk metal, then I quickly remember that is a different thing. At least I think it is? Anyway, I won’t let the study of the tag take over the whole review, but if pagan black metal has more of what Aldaaron offer on Par-delà les cimes then I will be taking that deep dive sooner rather than later. The title of the album translates as “how pagan black metal differs to folk metal”. No, wait that’s wrong. “Beyond the Peaks” is the correct translation and the album is dedicated to their fallen comrade Thöl who covered bass duties in the band 2010-2012. Sadly, he passed away in 2022.

The album caught me off guard in two aspects if I am honest. Firstly, its potent aggression is vivid and striking from the off. The harrowing scream that starts album opener ‘Antediluvian Prophecies’ is an early taste of the venom of Aldaaron have coursing through their veins. The second item that was unexpected is how atmospheric and expansive the sound is here. Beyond those earthy tones there are soaring tremolos and majestic melodies that loop up into the air around them. Although the release has a thirty-six-minute duration, there are only four tracks here and with a couple of them stretching over the ten-minute mark it is important that the main duo of Ioldar and Voldr create some enchantment to these tracks. Thankfully they achieve this in bundles.

The choral passages are unobtrusive and befitting to the aesthetic of the album. Spaced well apart from the blackened material that drive the tracks in the main, these more ethereal sections are a clever contrast option. The charging tremolo of tracks such as ‘Chants d’hiver et de solitude’ are a joy to behold. Add into this mix, the thoughtful production job that allows each instrument some space to be heard. The vocals are superb throughout, with their ghastly edge creating atmospheres all of their own. The way you can pick out the bass on the final track, ‘Under the Icy Sky, Memories Fade Away’ is pleasing on the ear and the soaring lead work only adds to the allure of the track. A superb discovery, if not a little too short overall.

4/5

Kaikkivaltias - "Routaa ja Rautaa" (2025)

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

The last track is mindless wankery though.

2.5/5

-16- - Guides for the Misguided (2025)

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

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

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

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

3/5

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

Blackbraid - "Blackbraid III" (2025)

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

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

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

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

4/5

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

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

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

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

4/5

Spiine - 'Tetraptych' (2025)

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

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

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

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

4.5/5

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks Sonny

Here you go:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5/5

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

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

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

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

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

4/5

One more please Ben:

Skuggor (Sweden)

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

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

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

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

1 suggestion for any non-clan members please.

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

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

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

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

3/5

Hi Ben, can you please add Marble Orchard?

Here you go Sonny:

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

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

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

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