RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://lnk.to/kletva The Serbian purveyors of brooding black metal collectively known as The Stone quite literally blew this scribe away back in 2021 when they unearthed the near-flawless and deeply atmospheric gem titled Kosturnice, and so naturally, this latest opus of theirs released in late November this year was a most welcome addition…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://gerseydeoful.bandcamp.com/album/november-ending-fire Immensely raw and unfiltered yet soaked in an autumnal atmosphere and possessing a strangely appealing sense of twisted grandeur, this wicked little 5-track EP by the US black metal force known as Gersey Deoful, which contains a handful of covers of Glenn Danzig-penned songs from the Samhain days, sees the band…
US black metal heavyweights, Gersey Deoful, recently released their new EP, November Ending Fire. The title is a deliberate nod to Samhain’s seminal album, November Coming Fire, reflecting the EP’s core content: a powerful set of five classic Samhain covers. November Ending Fire sees Gersey Deoful bringing their unique intensity to some of Samhain’s most…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://orcd.co/enthronedashspawn The Belgian black metal trailblazers known as Enthroned have been rather prolific since the band’s inception back in 1993, and the remarkable thing about this most unholy and impenetrably dark outfit is that they are getting better and better with time. With that in mind, let us take a closer look…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://1349som.bandcamp.com/album/winter-mass Captured for posterity four years ago at the Parkteatret in Oslo, this ungodly conjuring of Norwegian black metal by long-running ensemble 1349 is an exciting live document that shows how well their compositions translate to the stage, and the fact that they performed on home turf in front of an appreciative…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://doublemute.bandcamp.com/album/corporate-culture-final-v2 One of the most unique entities out there today is undoubtedly the deeply intriguing Double Mute and their highly eclectic and delightfully twisted on all things progressive. Also, for the sake of clarity, let there be no doubt that main man Jake Rosenberg is a musical genius whose ideas and visions…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/ This is my first encounter with the Polish black metal entity known as Königreichssaal, and I must say that I am impressed with (and rather intrigued by) this splendid little 4-track EP of theirs, which is frontloaded with stellar ideas and thick, impenetrable atmospheres of the moody and contemplative variety. …
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://lnk.to/theaphoticvortex Spawned in Austria nearly twenty years ago and having undergone quite the interesting musical evolution since then, Asphagor recently unleashed their fifth full-length onslaught via Immortal Frost Productions, and it just so happens that The Aphotic Vortex ticks pretty much all the right black/death metal boxes and delivers plenty of chills…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://zakaz.bandcamp.com/album/merki-s-lar-2 The Icelandic entity known as Zakaz recorded this bleak, blood-chilling opus a few years ago, and thanks to the good people over at Gymnocal Industries, the utterly compelling and frighteningly dark gem is now available on physical media and will hopefully reach a wide audience. Rooted in icy and windswept black…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/czarne-obrazy Godz ov War Productions have an uncanny talent for unearthing some of the best and most musically interesting extreme metal bands hailing from the underground, and the Polish quintet known as Pogarda is a prime example of just that. This 5-track EP of theirs was released just a couple of days…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://ffm.to/vagrantheimland Fresh off a successful tour with Taake and Asagraum, the purveyors of melancholy Norwegian black metal known as Heimland unleash yet another impressive, emotionally charged torrent of well-composed material that reeks of longing and desolation. Edged Circle Productions undoubtedly have a keen ear for quality metal with soul, passion, and longevity…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://lnk.to/astimeretreats Long-running Italian black metal stalwarts Frostmoon Eclipse embarked on something that felt like a new chapter (or even a new era of sorts, if you will) back in 2019 when they released the near-flawless and brilliantly evocative Worse Weather to Come via Immortal Frost Productions. Its follow-up, namely the thoroughly solid…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://asira.bandcamp.com/ What we have here is a highly interesting and uniquely crafted release that displays passion and ambition in equal measure. Somewhere between post-black metal, modern progressive rock, and experimental shoegaze lies this epic and emotionally intense opus titled As Ink in Water by the Reading-based outfit intriguingly named Asira. Sweeping melodies,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/vintersorganic/ The first time I came across Vintersorg main man Andreas Hedlund’s fabulous singing was when I saw Borknagar perform live in Aalborg, Denmark, on the back of their splendidly melodic Quintessence album in what seems like another lifetime. But that was then, this is now, and the first new material by…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://lnk.to/nihilist Following a rather obnoxious and pointless intro piece, the French underground black metal constellation known as Myrkvid launches into a full-frontal attack on the senses and delivers its potently bleak and destructive old-school madness in a convincing manner. What we have here is called Nihilist and harkens back to the mid-90s in terms…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://lnk.to/swordofvengeance The Swedish horde known as Mara impressed this scribe greatly with their Loka Mær offering from 2022 (also released by the ever-reliable Immortal Frost Productions), and Sword of Vengeance, which is their fifth full-length assault overall, sounds like the natural successor to what came before, which is a good thing as you…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://linktr.ee/allmenuntome Once in a while one encounters and experiences an album that transcends genres and conventions while also being transcendental. All Men Unto Me, which is a swirling mass of pitch-black musical brilliance spawned by the man known as Rylan Gleave, is unarguably one of the most unique and moving outputs we…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://www.isiliel.com/ Isiliel is the solo project of Himari Tsukishiro – known from her work with Necronomidol. With Isiliel, she’s built a sound that blends black metal, power metal, gothic atmosphere, and synth-heavy idol pop. Her debut set the foundation – Moonbow Rebellion builds on it with sharper production, more dynamic arrangements, and…
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…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://afargang.bandcamp.com/album/andvake Afargang, which is a relatively new and exciting addition to the Norwegian progressive scene, offers plenty of atmosphere and evocative qualities on this unique-sounding debut album of theirs. Spearheaded and masterminded by fiddle player and harpist Olav L. Mjelva, this talented ensemble merges folk music, forward-thinking black metal, and prog metal…
