Vinny's Forum Replies

Kirk Windstein - "Ethereal Waves" (2025)

Having completely missed his debut solo outing from five years ago, I can thank the algorithm gods for placing Kirk Windstein’s sophomore effort into my feed suggestions. With 2025 being the year that I finally got to grips with doom as a sub-genre, and with Crowbar being something of an unsung sludge favourite of mine, I soon found myself approaching Ethereal Waves with a heightened sense of excitement. Whilst I cannot profess to being massively in love with Kirk’s vocal style, his riff mentality more than floats my boat.

As expected therefore, Ethereal Waves is stocked full of riffs. Soon enough I was nodding along respectfully, appreciating the Iommi-inspired chugs as they landed consistently in front of me. Not that this is solely what the record I about by any means. Windstein has some straight up heavy metal on display here also which makes for a positive slant on the aesthetic of the album overall. For all the misery that exudes from tracks such as ‘Eulogy’ there is enough mid-paced activity, including an unexpectedly upbeat cover of The Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’, to keep things interesting. Whilst the doom credentials are hard to ignore on the album, it does contain some depth for the bullet belt and denim cut trad metallers out there.

Having former Exhorder guitarist, Vinnie LaBella provide leads, as well as producing the record, certainly adds character to proceedings along the way. Whilst not exceptional, the solos are able to paint some further emotion into songs, that makes up for the singular style approach that Kirk has around his vocals. Lyrically, the album isn’t all that strong and they do come across as half-baked, if not borderline amateur on a couple of occasions. However, I am not here for the lyrics, more the huge riffs and those enriching leads. During the past few days of listening through this album, I have at the same time been visiting Dream in Motion and I have concluded that Ethereal Waves is a step up from the debut.

Possessing more memorability than its predecessor, Ethereal Waves avoids the need for catchiness still, coming off as a more succinct listening experience as a result. The instrumentation is well balanced across guitars, percussion and keys. The Hammond Organ sound on ‘Rise from the Wreckage’ is an absolute joy to my ears. For all the positives, I still only like the album, I am not madly in love with it. Whilst it most certainly is accessible enough without being mainstream, it lacks any true bite to make it outstanding at any point. We still have a perfectly respectable album from one of sludge metals legends, albeit him showing a softer side than usual in some places.

3.5/5

I have already reviewed this one:

Iceland. The country of volcanoes, hot springs, the Northern Lights and black sand. Add to this list black metal of course, more specifically black/death in the form of Reykjavík’s Nexion. With their sophomore album, Sundrung (disharmony, discord or sundering), this five-piece are showing clear signs of hitting their stride early on in their recorded output. Simply put, this record is monstrous. Monstrous in the sense that it has nothing but wicked intent. Monstrous as in it sounds like some crawling beast that is literally dragging all the tortured souls of hell and Hades’ underneath every one of its groundings. If ever a benchmark for true black/death metal is needed then there is a perfect, modern reference sat right here.

You can easily find comparisons to a whole host of other Icelandic metal bands present in Nexion’s sound. Svartidauði, Misþyrming, Sinmara, etc we all know the key players out there. Yet you will also find a host of other influences on Sundrung. Vocally, on more than one occasion, I hear spurts of Tom G Warrior as Josh Rood goes through his range of scathing, blackened styles against a backdrop of dissonance that would not be out of place on an Ulcerate record (‘When Raven Steals the Sun’, being a great example of the dissonance effect). There is variety to in the track arrangement, with atmospheric interlude ‘:Þþþ:’ acting as a fetid palate cleanser in the middle of the album before the horror resumes with the distinctly black/death n’ roll opening of ‘Hymn of the Valkyrjur’.

Chanted or layered vocals seek to only add more mystery and intrigue into the ritual that it is this album. The frenzied attack of ‘Rending the Black Earth’ does not lose any sense of solemn ceremony during its glorious assault. Mining tremolos resonate throughout the track creating enchanting dissonance as they blare like victory horns across a shattered landscape. The sense of foreboding never leaves Sundrung over the eight tracks that make up its forty-eight-minute run time. The tension is masterfully poised by the band throughout which is an achievement in itslf given that its nefarious intentions are always firmly on display also, leaving the listener in no doubt of what they are dealing with here.

The only criticism I can level at Sundrung is the lack of strength in the drums, which is not something that necessarily wounds the album beyond repair, yet it still is a weakness that is obvious in what is otherwise an incredibly strong album. Arguably, with a twin guitar attack set against those vocals, you should expect something to get lost, but when it is an important component such as the drums then it does have an obvious impact.

4.5/5

I have paid so little attention to death metal in 2025 that it was a struggle to find a release to feature when my turn came around for November. If I recall correctly, I only found Mortual from a previous The Horde playlist as I made some semblance of effort to try and create a “to do” list of anything that I heard on the monthly playlist that piqued my interest. I had already rated the release as 3.5 stars and to be honest, further visits have not altered that score.

For pretty much all the reasons stated in the other review by Sonny, Altar of Brutality is to some extent an album that celebrates the death metal artform, doing so incredibly well I might add. However, it is hard to get too excited over meat ‘n potatoes death metal nowadays, especially after over thirty-years of me listening to this music. Props to Mortual for doing such a fine reflection of such an established style, but the longevity and memorability factors for this one are not all that high.

3.5/5

For Jan please Sonny:

Nexion - "Gandra" (from "Sundrung", 2025)

Martwa Aura - "Lament Drugi" (from "Lament", 2025)

Malakhim - "Solar Crucifixion" (from "And in Our Hearts the Devil Sings", 2025)

Stworz - "U Śmierci na komornem" (from "U Śmierci na komornem", 2025)

Watain - "Ecstasies in Night Infinite" (from "The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain", 2022)

Hi Sonny nominations for Jan:

Heteropsy - "Memento Mori" (from "Embalming", 2025)

Sleep - "Marijuanaut's" (from "The Sciences", 2018)

The Answer Lies in the Black Void - "Sine Morbo" (from "Transcendental", 2025)

Primitve Man - "Devotion" (from "Observance", 2025)

Wren - "Scorched Hinds" (from "Black Rain Falls", 2025)

December 2025

1. Palantyr – “Graveyard” (from “The Ascent & The Hunger”, 2025)

2. Vulture – “Oathbreaker” (from “Sentinels”, 2024) [Submitted by Vinny]

3. Coroner – “Son of Lilith” (from “Mental Vortex”,1991)

4. Testament – “False Prophet” (from “Titans of Creation”, 2020) [Submitted by Vinny]

5. Orbit Culture – “Saw” (from “Redfog”, 2018) [Submitted by Shadowdoom9 Andi]

6. Satanika – “The Black Death” (from “Total Inferno”, 2015) [Submitted by Vinny]

7. Rigor Mortis – “Shroud of Gloom” (from “Rigor Mortis”, 1988) [Submitted by Karl]

8. Decadence – “Killing Perseverance” (from “The Creature”, 2005) [Submitted by Vinny]

9. Sylosis – “No Saviours” (from “The Path”, 2024) [Submitted by Vinny]

10. Massacrator – “Sadistic Reality” (from “Everlasting Nightmare”, 2016)

11. Strident – “Today is on Display” (from “Paranoia of the Tyrant”, 2023)

12. Shrapnel – “No Saviours” (from “Decade of Decimation”, 2019)

13. World Decay – “Blackened Soil” (from “Blackened Soil”, 2022)

14. Hatriot – “Delete” (from “From Days unto Darkness”, 2019)

15. Morphetik – “No Justice” (from “Omens of War”, 2020)

16. Anerwoxia – “World Killers” (from “World Killers”, 2025)

17. Thrasherwolf – “Shameless Loser” (from “Inside the Sickened Mind”, 2024)

18. Cruvior – “Unit 731” (from “Unit 731”, 2025)

19. Biowarfare – “Screaming in Silence” (from “Wiping Out Human Race”, 2020)

20. Blacklist – “Cannibal” (from “With Murderous Intent”, 2024)

21. DRAIN – “Loudest in the Room” (from “…IS YOUR FRIEND”, 2025)

22. Dead Heat – “Perpetual Punishment” (from “Process of Elimination”, 2025)

23. Poison the Preacher – “Dying Every Day (feat Sanguisugabogg)” (from “Vs the World”, 2025)

24. Corporal Shred – “Status Quo” (from “Dressed in Blood”, 2016)

25. Forgiveness C.T. – “Pandemic Infection” (from “Revelation 20”, 2021)

26. Struck A Nerve – “Nocturnal Terror” (from “Struck A Nerve”, 2025)

27. Belligerator – “Blood Soaked Tomahawk” (from “Death by Fire and Ice”, 2025)

28. Duskwalker- “Posing Corpses” (from “Underground Forever”, 2024)

A brand new Blut Aus Nord album is always a cause for rejoicing. Only a single listen as yet, but it contains all the the usual psych-tinged hynotism we have come to expect from the french black metallers in recent times. It may be fanciful on my part as I haven't studied the lyrics as yet, but atmospherically it seems to tap into the feeling of the environmental zeitgeist for me, in a similar way to Caio Lemos' Kaatayra project. I'm enjoying it.

I got alerted last minute to the Bandcamp listening party for this and managed to join to hear most of the album last week.  Definitely a strong album but I need to get a few more listens in before deciding if I will add to my BAN vinyl collection.

Also, just seen the new Nordicwinter album has landed (one of my favourite Canadian artists), sat in bed with my headphones on letting it soothe my soul with it’s icy and desolate fingers.

Veilburner - "Longing for Triumph, Reeking of Tragedy" 2025

Veilburner seem to occupy the same rarified atmosphere within which I would normally encounter Blut Aus Nord, Dødheimsgard, Deathspell Omega or even Oranssi Pazuzu. They are distantly rooted in black metal yet at the same time are multiple football fields away from the genre. On the death metal side of things there are comparisons I could draw with Akercocke and Portal, which are fine benchmarks to be scored against. With this being my first ever listen to the band, my early impression was that this was not a duo that was with or indeed without their own sound or style. The mish mash of influences that had leapt out at me from what at the time of typing this had been just four tracks was intriguing to say the least. Yet, whereas on other, more avant garde releases I would have either hit the skip button multiple times or simply switched off altogether, there was something that kept me in the room with Longing for Triumph, Reeking of Tragedy.

Now, it could have been that after consecutive days of listening to conventional black metal, I was just more open to something different. Those dissonant tremolos certainly made short work of the seconds as they danced chillingly along my nerve-endings, whilst those squally riffs seemed to rapidly grow a horrifying backdrop of noise for the more extrovert elements to sit atop of. Yet for all the individual elements that are in play at any given time, I have found it very easy to plot my way through the tracks as they pounce on me. There is also enough memorability to them to permit me to understand them as isolated pieces as opposed to the album becoming just one chaotic glut of noise. A more critical listen leads to me to think the reason for this is that the tracks themselves have very clear points of progression. This is perhaps too hard for me to explain in words for some readers, but riffs have a clear start and end to them. Sounds odd I know, yet this element of closure gives me traceability across what could otherwise soon become a disorientating affair.

This succinctness that sits behind the dissonant and transcendental apparitions that are conjured by the rest of the music acts as an anchor almost. I feel that because of it, I can truly pay attention to all the album much better. As a fan of BAN, Deathspell Omega and Oranssi Pazuzu already, there are elements here, such as the vocals, that are not offering anything new most certainly. The admiration comes for the crafting involved in putting all eight of these tracks together. Thematically exploring trauma, death, infinite reincarnation and the desperate futility of lives that make the same mistakes and meet the same end, this is not the most cheerful of subject matters to be committing to tape. Such ideas remind me very much of Akhlys, who are one of my favourite artists over several releases now.

Yet, the more I listen to the album the more I find it veering away from pretty much all the territory I have called it out for inhabiting already. The rich lead work of ‘Ouroboreal Whorl’ and ‘Matter o’ the Most Awful of Martyrs’ have an almost post-metal level of clarity to them, for example. There is a seemingly purpose-built level of tameness to the record that only reaches the surface with repeated listens, and I find that remarkable for such a challenging piece of music, yet I have already called out the concise nature of part of the album already. Longing for Triumph, Reeking of Tragedy is the perfect album title for the work on display here. The record is a triumph yet achieves this with no loss of that sense of stinking human tragedy.

5/5

Whoever the hell Rick Beato is, he clearly is short on content.  I don’t really care how popular metal (or indeed any other music genre) is.  I just listen to what I want and still fundamentally believe that there is far too much metal music out there already.

Fuck Coldplay though,  Plastic wankers.

This month's suggestions have made me realise how little I have dug beneath the surface of the Horde as I have only heard of about three of the bands amongst Vinny and Karl's suggestions. Makes me wonder if I am really the man for this job!!

Rest easy Sonny, I would say about 90% of my suggestions are from bands I haven’t listened to before.  

Allright!

Night in Gales — "Towards a Twilight Kiss" (from "Towards the Twilight", 1997)

I can't find a track called "Towards a Twilight Kiss" Karl. Are you sure you have the correct title?

Looks like Spotify has changed the title Sonny.

December playlist is built, with the above suggestions from Andi and Karl included.

Shit, sorry Vinny. Things have been a bit hectic recently and I forgot all about it, so didn't post any noms. I will redouble my efforts for the next one.

Not a problem. March 26 will be the next one, submissions by 15th Feb please all, this includes one submission per non-clan member.

December playlist is built, with the above suggestions from Andi and Karl included.

Kold - "Det falmede håb" (2025)

I have been slowly building focus on the black metal scene in Denmark. Having soon come across the likes of Afsky, Sunken and Solbrud, my attention was quickly alerted to Kold. A little-known duo who to date have released two full lengths, Kold have proven to be quite the discovery. With nods to WITTR in their sound, Kold also have a very modern take on their black metal, venturing into post and gaze territory (although thankfully not too much of the latter). Whilst similarities could also be drawn with Afsky, this pairing have a more restrained approach overall by comparison. The melancholy in their music really resonates through the notes on the guitar, yet they can also keep pace with the faster elements of black metal (check out ‘Forvitet Fortid’).

It was obvious from my first listen to Det falmede håb that there was something special about this record. My early alarm at the clean and gazey section on ‘Alt vi havde kært’ was unnecessary as this style is isolated to that fifteen-minute track and there is much, much more to savour in this lengthy performance alone. Kold are masters at shifting effortlessly from these cleaner, more melodic passages into the frenzied aggression of conventional, atmospheric black metal. Wielding melody with much the same threat as they do with their more intense movements, Kold deploy climbing riffs, soaring tremolos and icy crystal cut atmospheres to great effect. Even though most of the tracks are well over six-minutes, the total fifty-minute run time does not ever feel bloated or overdone.

Fans of Paysage d’hiver will recognise some of the tricks borrowed from the Swiss maestro here. The Kold sound is full of winter with more than an element of astral projection swirling around in the darkness also. The consistency levels across Det falmede håb are remarkable. As such, this is perhaps only the second album I have ever listened to that I can truly say I never want to end. I get utterly lost in its enduring majesty and can never stop marvelling at the attention to detail involved here. Driven by a clear passion for their artform, Kold have a real fire about what they do and this translates to an almost resplendent level of entertainment for me.

4.5/5

Easy for me, none.  I follow no sports and therefore no teams.

Hi Ben, could you please add French raw bm duo, 1928 please?  Also, Robust from Norway.

Primitive Man - "Observance" (2025)

Primitive Man vocalist and guitarist, Ethan Lee McCarthy recently described the figure in the artwork for the bands fourth full length album as being indicative of him holding onto a snake that represents his struggle with depression and how for some days, he must hold onto that snake to stop it from getting out of control. If you needed any introduction to OBSERVANCE, then that’s about the best summary for what awaits us all on the seven tracks the Denver trio have committed to tape. Anyone who has caught sight of the disturbing video to lead track ‘Social Contract’ will have had a sneak peek into the truly horrendous view of the world that Primitive Man have. Their latest album does nothing to enlighten that outlook, despite it being billed in some quarters as their most positive album to date. Make no mistake folks, artistic flourishes aside, this is ugly music for equally ugly times.

The seemingly unfathomable depths of the cavernous vocals of ELM echo around the empty abyss of ignorance, division and hatred present in many of our societies today. Once again deploying noise alongside the sludge and doom elements, OBSERVANCE sounds like a modern record. It emits a sense of being written against a backdrop of real-world problems, and of that real world being oppressive and lacking any visible semblance of goodwill. The jangling guitar for the first three-and-a-half-minutes of ‘Devotion’ sounds like an extended noise rock intro that runs for a torturous period. For some listeners this might go on for too long, but it’s almost inescapable presence is representative perhaps of the things may of us cannot hide from. Broken relationships in broken neighbourhoods in a broken society.

Embracing OBSERVANCE is perhaps the only way to truly be able to pass any judgement on it. It is genuinely like the snake that ELM describes, except for the listener this is not something for us to hold any sense of control over. I can connect with the imagery, just as I can the music and as such, OBSERVANCE is already on a solid footing within a matter of just a couple of tracks. Like the Mares of Thrace album, LOSS from earlier this year, even though I cannot in all honesty allude to experiencing on a personal level much of what makes up the content of these tracks, despite these cultural, social, political and emotional differences, I attain the human sense of their importance to Primitive Man and their wider audience.

Credit must go to the performance of drummer Joseph D. Linden. His patterns follow their own free will for most of the record. If anything, it is the riffing consistency that provides traceable rhythm on the album. Often when listening to the album, I have found myself playing some kind of cat and mouse game with the drums. Expectant of a hit, only to be caught out by another less than predictable expanse of percussion. For a band who base a lot of their impact on repetition, this is truly an unexpected twist. I cannot neglect to pass comment on the importance of bassist Jonathan P. Campos either. His rumbling and brooding bass is the real underlay to the hellish textures on which OBSERVANCE treads. The “new” elements of melody and lighter tones are not as obvious to me, having never listened to a full-length from PM before this. I would be lying if I said that they standout for me, even after multiple listens, as being noteworthy. That is not levelled as a criticism either, more as a reflection of how well everything does fit together on the album.

A lengthy album justifies a lengthy review it seems. There is a sense that OBSERVANCE has lots more to it that I could describe but, in the end, there is no getting away from how gloriously bleak it is. Although I would hazard a guess that for some this barrage of hopelessness would be too much, I doubt anyone familiar with PM is coming to this record expecting spade after spade of positivity.

From ‘Natural Law’:

With the holiest gasoline in the sea

I will burn their ships down

A prayer of hatred, a spell of revenge

4.5/5

Heteropsy - "Embalming" (2025)

Japanese doom death merchants, Heteropsy (interestingly meaning relying on the observations of others who have previously examined something) have only released EPs to date. Embalming is their first full length after five years of existence. Based on the four listens I have now completed with the record, those five years have been well spent, honing and developing a potent sounding death metal sound that embraces a multitude of influences. Often, they will switch up styles mid-track, exhibiting a degree of skill in doing so very cleanly. They aren’t many modern death metal bands kicking about that can deliver what Heteropsy do, let me tell you.

Upon first listen, I was unsure of there being much in the way of doom death credentials. I located very quickly the Swedish death metal crunch in the riffs, obviously. What I did find myself wondering was if they were cloning fellow countrymen, Coffins. If I am honest, I have very little experience of Coffins and so I am spinning a few of their tracks whilst I write up this review. Similarities exist, yes. However, there is no cloning happening here to my ears at least. I am impressed by the variation on show during Embalming more than anything. It is much more than just a doom death record with some nods to Swedish death metal. There is a distinct heavy metal vibe to some of the leads (as early on as the intro track in fact) and the quartet’s palette stretches to incorporate frantic death metal on the likes of ‘The Sodomizer’, a true doom death trudge on ‘Asphyxia’ before sharing some exquisite Autopsy squall on the same track also.

The band describe their sound as “mourning death metal”, a mix of their favourite death metal sounds. Whatever the moniker is that is being adopted to describe their sound, Heteropsy know how to blend their influences superbly. Whilst overall I sense their pacing is less laboured than Coffins, they can still conjure up transcendental guitars on my album highlight, ‘Memento Mori’ as well as creating a superb atmosphere during the build-up on ‘Methadone’, combining slow picked strings and white noise to great effect. The album artwork is the only real area of concern of me but that shaves nothing of the rating here. The scores are kept away from perfection by a couple of tracks that seem to meander a bit. ‘Seventh Damnation’ takes its sweet time to get going and even when in full flow, still seems to flounder somewhat. Album closer, ‘Old Friends’ heralds equal, unrealised promise too unfortunately. Still, for a debut record, there is plenty to marvel at.

4/5

 https://metal.academy/forum/13/thread/483?page=9#topic_24578 a whole thread dedicated to this very topic.

The easy answer is to check out the monthly Metal Academy clan playlists which is where our members already nominate the tracks they're enjoying from each clan.

This obviously, it's one of the main features of the site after all.

Hi Ben, please could you add the latest release from Stworz, U Śmierci na Komornem.

If I were to give anyone an album that personified the very definition of funeral doom in my opinion, I would point them to this record. Quite unexpectedly it has become one of my favourite funeral doom albums that I have heard during my still relatively short tenure in The Fallen clan. What Tides of Awakening captures superbly is atmosphere. When I play the opening track, ‘Coalescent of the Inhumane Awareness’ it creates pictures of a dense fog or mist, seeping into all the parts of my life I am uncomfortable or unhappy with, shrouding them in a dense shroud of calming, almost sensual melancholy that acknowledges their prowess but refuses to let them have prominence at this time. That haunting guitar melody seeps through in the background, adding threat and menace to proceedings.

This therapeutic effect was entirely unexpected going into the album and I do not doubt that this is probably an experience that is isolated to myself only. It is great though when an album connects with you, especially when you least expect it to and it causes you to reflect on your wider existence as well as being able to enjoy the quality of the performance as well. Now, it matters not to me that the drums have only a minor presence on the album. I would go as far as to say the album would not work anywhere near as well if they were more prominent in the mix. They act somehow as an additional atmospheric effect, which is not something that I thought I would ever say to describe the sound of drums. It is the vocals that have the largest impact for me though. They are well balanced in the mix, retaining presence without spilling over into dominating proceedings. Whilst they may be the focus of my attention, they are still very much a component part of a much bigger machine.

Whilst it would normally be a problem for me, the fact that I cannot distinguish between tracks works for me here as I am utterly enthralled from the off. It plays best, in my head at least as a singular track experience with only the final track having that more ambient style that separates it from the pack. You can all just leave me here having my own private therapy session with this month’s The Fallen feature release. See you all in December. Maybe.

4.5/5

I had surgery today to repair a hernia and I will never underestimate how lucky I am to have private medical insurance.  The care I received today was outstanding.  Predicting a rough day tomorrow but at least I am back in my own bed tonight.

I must say Sonny, this is a sterling funeral doom metal album.  I was completely speechless once the opening track started and I am on my third listen in 24 hours right now as I type this.  I will definitely be adding a review for this one in the coming days.

Just as an example of how many fuckers will try to rip you off nowadays, I have been trying to get a reasonably-priced copy of this for ages now and saw one on Discogs for 23 Euros, so dipped in for a look and the guy selling it wants to charge 100 Euros for shipping - from Norway to the UK. Alongside tales of scalpers buying up tickets for the forthcoming Iron Maiden tour (and many others), so they can sell them back to real fans at extortionate prices it makes my damn blood boil.

That's fucking ludicrous.

Got through this yesterday over the course of the day and picked up a few takeaways in Krux, Dvvel, Virgin Black and (a reminder to spend more time with) Indian.

Had my interest piqued by that Amenra track, which was unexpected as I usually skip them, but there was something desperate about the vocals on it that kept me onboard.

Even though I picked it, I am still caught out by that Blood Vulture track every time I listen to it by how catchy and infectious it is.  Having Kristin Hayter on it is a bonus too.

Not for me, Dawn of Winter (just sounds like the vocalist is taking the piss) and The Fall of Every Season was a little too melodic for my tastes.

Already reviewed this in my bm round up this year:

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

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

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

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

4.5/5

December will be the last playlist of the year for The Pit, so suggestions from clan members by 15th Nov please (40 mins max).  One submission is accepted from non-clan members also.

Here you go, Sonny:

Sadistic Intent - "Dark Predictions" (from "Resurrection", 1994)

Proscription - "Behold a Phosphorescent Dawn" (from "Desolate Divine", 2025)

Carcinoid - "Morbid Curse" (from "Encomium to Extinction", 2025)

Ataudes - "La Desgracia" (from "Tempus edax rerum", 2025)

Revocation - "Confines of Infinity" (from "New Gods, New Masters", 2025)

Abraded - "Menticide" (from "Ethereal Emanations From Chthonic Caries", 2025)

Décryptal - "Flétrissement" (from "Simulacre", 2025)

Kontusion - "Endless Horror" (from "Insatiable Lust for Death", 2025)

Meth Leppard - "Idiocracy" (from "Gatekeepers", 2025)

For December please, Sonny:

Tombs - "Granite Sky" (from "Feral Darkness", 2025)

Wolvennest - "Burial" (from "Procession", 2025)

Gloombound - "An Eternity of Complete Acquiescence" (from "Dreaming Delusion", 2025)

Hexvessel - "Nights Tender Reckoning" (from "Nocturne", 2025)

Lo-Pan - "God's Favourite Victim" (from "Get Well Soon", 2025)

Here's my review:

I think it was possibly Knife’s debut album from 2021 which would mark the last time a speed/thrash metal record showed enough vigour and intensity to make me stop and take notice. For all the talk of regurgitation of old ideas, themes, styles and genres in modern metal, it is the likes of Vulture who give me the assurance that, if done well enough, the old-school can be worshipped and not come off as simple plagiarism. Whereas their fellow countrymen in Knife deploy a blackened edge to proceedings, Vulture are all about the shrieking, banshee wailing style of speed metal that you would associate with the likes of Razor or Exciter. Perhaps bordering on the power metal elements of Agent Steel also along the way, these Dortmund residents certainly know how to wear their influences on their sleeves.

Above all else, Sentinels is fun. It’s 80’s horror flick style album cover perhaps denotes a band with serious intent and I am not intimating for one minute that Vulture are a goofy band, more that they approach their art with a genuine enthusiasm, a passion that bleeds into their music. Leads soar over galloping riffs, vocals pierce the ears of anyone within a mile radius, yelled from lungs that swell with pride as they sing each lyric, and all the while the drums “thunk” along in the background. Never coming across as having much in the way of venom or bite, the drums are the most understated instrument on the record, to my ears at least. However, this is not necessarily a criticism as I think the production job does the sound real justice overall. Clean without being overproduced, the album has an atmosphere of a band playing live almost.

This is not my first venture into Vulture. I gave their 2019 album, Ghastly Waves & Battered Graves a four-star rating back in August of that same year, and I find Sentinels to be in the same ballpark of the ratings, albeit that I sense a step up in quality of musicianship, certainly in the leads department at least. I am not a massive fan of the hi-pitched vocals that are used here, although my tolerance of them during my listen through of this record was surprisingly good. It is the fiery riffs and blinding leads that reign supreme over the record for me though. The inclusion of an instrumental at track seven seems a bit of an odd choice if I am honest, and I struggle to fight the feeling that it is little more than filler, despite its best efforts.

Leave me with tracks such as the rampant ‘Death Row’ and I am much happier though. In fact, the section of the album that follows ‘Der Tod trägt schwarzes Leder’ is probably the stronger part for me. There certainly feels like an uptick in the quality for me over this backend of the record at least. Keep flying the flag for the old school fellas, it is appreciated.

3.5/5

Hi Ben, please could you add the latest release from Afsky, the excellent Fællesskab.

Hi Ben,

A few additions if you could please on your next available round up:

Bands

Kaeck (Netherlands)

Releases

Kold (Denmark) "Det falmede håb" 2025

LVTHN (Belgium) "The Devil's Bridge" 2025

Morild (Denmark) "Disse fugle får ingen at se" 2025

I don't know who programmes this list, or if they accept submissions from non-clan members but I would like to propose the below track for the next list if possible, please:

Staind - "Confessions of the Fallen" (from Confessions of the Fallen, 2023)

Hi Ben, could you add US deathcore / prog metallers Ænimus please. In truth I only ask because I want to rate the cover of their 2019 Dreamcatcher album!

Hi Sonny. The band and album are already on the site.

https://metal.academy/releases/42235

In fact, you already rated the album cover 4.5 stars.

Cheers,

Ben.

You know what Ben, I really made an effort to look for it on the site, but couldn't see it anywhere. Must be because of the way the name is written.

Yep, a copy and paste job for the difficult ones is what I do as I too get caught out.

Got on to this tonight and there's some good stuff on here again  Great tribute to Tomas, I had no idea he was in Lock Up until tonight.  Fuck the Facts and Ecchymosis were a real treat and I will be checking out both albums off the back of this list.  Glad to see my favourite Brujeria release represented as well.

Never been a fan of Fallujah really but that track was okay actully, but that Warmen track got skipped more or less as soon as those keys started (sorry Andi).  Highlight of the list was without question that Replicant track, I am already familiar wih that album, and think it is a bonafide banger.  Good to see Abhorrence in there as well as something obscure in Byatis. Not so much a fan of Vale of Pnath it should be said.

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"?