RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://koldbrann.bandcamp.com/album/den-klandestine-kjerne-eons-in-oblivion I hardly ever review singles as life is just too short for that kind of thing, but once in a while one has to make an exception to the rule – a case in point being this split 7-inch vinyl featuring two brand-new and deeply unnverving tracks by two of my…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://antinoe.bandcamp.com/ Far removed from the world of metal music yet infinitely darker, more haunting, and relentlessly bleaker is this mesmerizing output titled The Fold by the Spanish artist known as Antinoë, which is the solo vehicle of the immensely talented neo-classical pianist and vocalist Teresa Marraco. Although she does have black metal…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://helheim.bandcamp.com/album/hrabnar-ad-vesa It is a thrillingly peculiar thing when one receives a promotional disc for a new album by Viking metal legends Helheim in the sense that you never quite know to expect from them except for all-out quality, which is a great thing, because these veterans never fail to amaze this scribe…
VENUE: StereoDATE: 30.07.2024 ORGANIZER: Dark Essence Records / Beyond the GatesPHOTOGRAPHER: J. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. The ever-reliable purveyors of quality music known as Dark Essence Records, one of the world’s premier metal-related labels, are not merely…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://koldbrann.bandcamp.com/album/ingen-sk-nsel Last year’s 2-track release titled Den 6. Massedød (Manna fra en Annen Himmel) was a caustic, face-melting delight that worked its nasty, bone-chilling magic on this scribe rather splendidly. Naturally, their upcoming full-length record appropriately named Ingen Skånsel had to be something to look forward to and worth getting excited…
The twisted Norwegian ensemble known as Koldbrann is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and morbidly engaging black metal acts out there today, and their impressive back catalogue as well as their intensely aggressive and perfectly maniacal live shows speak for themselves and have garnered them a reputation that many of their peers would die…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://bismarck.bandcamp.com/music The opening few bars of the title track leaves no doubt as to who and what this is; a frightening audio onslaught by the Norwegian doom metal freaks known as Bismarck. Vourukasha takes me back to their debut offering (Oneiromancer from 2020) in terms of its thunderously heavy tone and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://lethemetal.bandcamp.com/album/alienation This is my first encounter with the splendid experimental outfit known as Lethe and judging by the quality and infinite depth of this, their third full-length album, I feel utterly compelled to check their previous two offerings out. Alienation is anything but predictable or mundane, and the very act of…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://vestindien.bandcamp.com/album/verdande In all honesty, I did not think it possible for the uniquely gifted masterminds behind Vestindien to top or better their flawless debut offering entitled NULL, but by some perverted and wonderful miracle these six twisted souls have conjured up a new work of radiant brilliance that transcends barriers and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://koldbrann.bandcamp.com/album/den-6-massed-d-manna-fra-en-annen-himmel I rarely bother covering singles but this vicious 2-track slab of harsh and unnerving black metal by the fearsome Koldbrann simply needs to be featured on this hallowed webpage of ours and so here we are. Containing two exclusive non-album tracks that that will melt your face and turn your…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://nyrst.bandcamp.com/album/v-ld The Icelandic black metal force known as Nyrst blew me away by means of their tightly executed debut offering from 2020 titled Orsök, which was also released by the consistently brilliant people at Dark Essence Records. It goes without saying that I had high expectations for Völd and I was…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://maddermortem.bandcamp.com/album/old-eyes-new-heart Is there even any point in trying to categorize or label the unique sound conjured up by one of Norway’s most enticing musical outfits, namely Madder Mortem? Thirty years into their career and they still manage to amaze and excite me – how awesome is that?! Incorporating traits from doom…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://dwaaldoom.bandcamp.com/album/never-enough Ever since the outstanding Gospel of the Vile opus saw the light of day in 2020, I have been eagerly awaiting a follow-up to that crushing piece of work. The arrival of Never Enough is imminent and you might as well start preparing for it now, because this is one…
Photo by J. Nepper On a bright and sunny Thursday morning in mid-April, this scribe was granted an exclusive peak at the upcoming full-length assault by Norwegian black metal stalwart Taake, or rather an intimate listen, as it were. Being as enamored as I am with the disquieting outputs that the intriguing musical entity has…
A few months ago, I had the great pleasure of receiving and reviewing an utterly exciting and seductive debut offering entitled In Death I Shall Arise by the experimental black metal outfit Tilintetgjort, which turned into one of those revelatory and deeply meaningful listening experiences that are addictive and ceaselessly rewarding. Their brand of filthy,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://nocturnalbreedofficial.bandcamp.com/album/carry-the-beast I have had a soft spot for these ugly and noisy thrash metal bastards from Norway ever since I saw them lay waste to the John Dee venue in Oslo in March 2005, and Nocturnal Breed rarely disappoint when it comes to unleashing malevolent and sinister tunes that deliver a…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://lumsk.bandcamp.com/ I will be the first to admit that I have never been a huge fan or admirer of Norwegian folk metal outfit Lumsk. Full disclosure here, people. Then something strange and magical happened the other day when I received the promo copy of their upcoming full-length entitled Fremmede Toner, which…
VENUE: KvarteretDATE: 15.04.2023 ORGANIZER: Det Akademiske Kvarter PHOTOGRAPHER: C. Nepper The uniquely gifted purveyors of dark and captivating avantgarde rock known as Vulture Industries never cease to amaze me regardless of whether we are talking about their recorded outputs or live performances. What this scribe is about to concisely sum up in the next few…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://vultureindustries.bandcamp.com/album/ghosts-from-the-past The delightfully unpredictable purveyors of dramatic avantgarde metal/rock never cease to amaze me, and their upcoming fifth LP, which is entitled Ghosts from the Past, is the stuff that strangely unsettling and highly dystopian dreams are made of. Yes, this is exactly the kind of record that we all need…
A wicked 6-track EP entitled “Solstice” by the Norwegian doom metallers/psychedelic stoner rockers Superlynx landed on my desk in early December last year, and I was pretty much hooked the very minute I started listening to it. The talented trio have released some utterly impressive and original-sounding works in the past – all of which…
