Returning – Severance (Review)

Returning - SeveranceThis is the debut album from US black metal band Returning.

Containing 48 minutes of music, Severance is a journey into the horrors of ecocide and a hymn to the natural world. Blending black metal with the ambient and atmospheric styles to create immersive soundscapes that exude emotional power, Severance is a shock to the system and a call for better times. Continue reading “Returning – Severance (Review)”

Sanguisugabogg – Homicidal Ecstasy (Review)

Sanguisugabogg - Homicidal EcstasySanguisugabogg are a death metal band from the US and this is their second album.

Homicidal Ecstasy contains 45 minutes of brutal malevolence and filth-covered aggression. Continue reading “Sanguisugabogg – Homicidal Ecstasy (Review)”

Mithridatum – Harrowing (Review)

Mithridatum - HarrowingThis is the debut album from US death metal band Mithridatum.

Harrowing is a 35-minute slab of blackened dissonant death metal that contains ex-members of Abhorrent and The Faceless. Continue reading “Mithridatum – Harrowing (Review)”

Carathis – Amethyst & Moonstone (Review)

Carathis - Amethyst & MoonstoneThis is the latest release from Austrian black metal band Carathis.

Carathis is essentially a solo act that is augmented by a drummer. This is an interesting release in that it consists of two EPs. The Amethyst Fortress, (the first five tracks), came out in 2021, and The Moonstone Temple, (the final four tracks), which is not officially released on digital until this compilation is on CD in February 2023. Continue reading “Carathis – Amethyst & Moonstone (Review)”

The Enigma Division – The Enigma Division (Review)

The Enigma Division - The Enigma DivisionThe Enigma Division are a progressive metal band from Ireland and this is their debut album.

Brought to us by ex-members of Xerath, The Enigma Division is a 65-minute epic of progressive metal. Continue reading “The Enigma Division – The Enigma Division (Review)”

Stygian Love – Flowers Fade (Review)

Stygian Love - Flowers FadeStygian Love is a one-man black metal band from Belgium and this is his second album.

Containing 44 minutes of material, Flowers Fade mixes together atmospheric, depressive, and post-black metal into a compelling vision of blackgaze darkness. Continue reading “Stygian Love – Flowers Fade (Review)”

Bizarrekult – Den Tapte Krigen (Review)

Bizarrekult - Den Tapte KrigenBizarrekult are a Norwegian post-black metal band and this is their second album.

Formed around a central artist who is Bizarrekult’s driving creative force, he’s joined by a range of other musicians, (including a member of the mighty Adliga), who round out the band nicely. The end result of their efforts is Den Tapte Krigen, a 42-minute slice of expressive modern black metal. Continue reading “Bizarrekult – Den Tapte Krigen (Review)”

Ominous Scriptures – Rituals of Mass Self-Ignition (Review)

Ominous Scriptures - Rituals of Mass Self-IgnitionOminous Scriptures are a death metal band from Belarus and this is their third album.

Featuring current and ex-members of Relics of Humanity, Rituals of Mass Self-Ignition is a 30-minute brutal death metal album that’s unforgiving and merciless. Continue reading “Ominous Scriptures – Rituals of Mass Self-Ignition (Review)”

Obelyskkh – The Ultimate Grace of God (Review)

Obelyskkh - The Ultimate Grace of GodThis is the fifth album from German doom metallers Obelyskkh.

Ahh, finally Obelyskkh have returned to dispense mammoth-sized doom to the masses. The Providence came out in 2017, which was an age ago, and 2013’s Hymn to Pan was even further back in the mists of time. So, what do Obelyskkh have to offer in 2023? Continue reading “Obelyskkh – The Ultimate Grace of God (Review)”

Lumen ad Mortem – Upon the Edge of Darkness (Review)

Lumen ad Mortem - Upon the Edge of DarknessLumen ad Mortem are a black metal band from Australia and this is their debut album.

Upon the Edge of Darkness is a 42-minute second wave symphonic black metal journey, played with grim determination and blackened intensity. This is an interesting release. Lumen ad Mortem’s style is influenced by the 90s black metal era, especially the symphonic side. However, taken by itself that statement is misleading. Continue reading “Lumen ad Mortem – Upon the Edge of Darkness (Review)”