This is the sixth album from French black metallers Darkenhöld.
Following on from 2020’s Arcanes & Sortilèges, Le Fléau du Rocher gives us 48 minutes of new material from Darkenhöld. The band’s medieval black metal hits the spot, conjuring landscapes of blackened texture for the listener to explore. Continue reading “Darkenhöld – Le Fléau du Rocher (Review)”
Cryfemal are a Spanish black metal band and this is their latest release.
Despite it being their ninth album, I only got into Cryfemal last year, on 2023’s La Gran Victoria del Mal, and I’ve still got much catching up to do. Apparently there’s no rest for the wicked though, as the band are already back and raring to go, with their 23-minute new release Puro Carbon. Continue reading “Cryfemal – Puro Carbon (Review)”
Gràb are a German black metal band and this is their second album.
Containing ex-members of Dark Fortress and Winterfylleth, Gràb play classic black metal with a heart that belongs to the 90s. They do this it exceedingly well too. Continue reading “Gràb – Kremess (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal gets sent a lot of new music, (which is great), but there’s no way that everything can get covered unfortunately, (which is not so great). This column hopes to redress this balance, if only slightly, by taking a look at a handful of releases that a record label has recently sent out that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks.
Surprisingly, I haven’t done one of these columns since 2022! I was genuinely shocked when I realised this recently. So, it seemed like the perfect time to revisit it, and to get caught up on some of Avantgarde Music‘s releases. This is a label I rate highly, and never seem to get enough time to adequately cover, so here’s three new albums all seeing the light of day on January 31st 2025. Continue reading “Label Roundup: Avantgarde Music – Selvans, Skaldr, and Void of Hope (Reviews)”
Vyre are a German progressive black metal band and this is their fourth album.
I’ve enjoyed watching Vyre develop their sound, from the post-black metal of 2014’s The Initial Frontier Pt. 2, to the increasingly avant-garde stylings of 2018’s Weltformel. Which brings us to Voidserpent, a new album that offers us 42 minutes of new material from this expressive and interesting act. What have they done this time around? Continue reading “Vyre – Voidserpent (Review)”
Bergthron are a German black metal band and this is their seventh album.
After a 15-year absence, Bergthron have unexpectedly appeared out of nowhere with 32 minutes of new material in the form of Neu Asen Land. If you know any of Bergthron’s first few albums or so, this almost sounds like a completely different band, so don’t go expecting the sprawling atmospheric black metal epics of their early work. If you’re unfamiliar with them though, or aren’t bothered by a change in direction, then there’s much to enjoy here if you are of a certain taste. Continue reading “Bergthron – Neu Asen Land (Review)”
This is the sixth album from international, (Germany/Finland), black metal band Order of Nosferat.
I’ve had a soft spot for Order of Nosferat since discovering their vampiric brand of black metal on their 2023 split with Lunar Spells, which this year’s The Absence of Grace just reinforced. Yes, this is the band’s second full length of 2024, and across these 45 minutes Order of Nosferat have produced another corker of an album. Get ready for the second wave furious majesty of Towards the Nightrealm of Orlok! Continue reading “Order of Nosferat – Towards the Nightrealm of Orlok (Review)”
This is the second album from UK black metallers Heathen Deity.
Brought to us by current and ex-members of Hecate Enthroned, Helvellyn, Nefarious Dusk, and Skiddaw, Satan’s Kingdom contains 59 minutes of old-school Satanic black metal, although of a more expressive and higher quality than you typically find in the wild. Continue reading “Heathen Deity – Satan’s Kingdom (Review)”
Pestilent Hex are a black metal band from Finland and this is their second album.
After 2022’s enjoyable The Ashen Abhorrence, Pestilent Hex have now returned with the 46-minute Sorceries of Sanguine & Shadow. Continue reading “Pestilent Hex – Sorceries of Sanguine & Shadow (Review)”
From the Vastland are an Iranian/Norwegian black metal band and this is their eighth album.
I enjoy catching up with From the Vastland’s brand of black metal. I’ve liked all of their albums I’ve heard so far, (2016’s Chamrosh, 2018’s Daevayasna, and 2020’s The Haft Khan, (I managed to miss their 2022 record Taurvi, which I’ve only just found out even existed), so I didn’t expect Tenebrous Shadow to break this trend. Continue reading “From the Vastland – Tenebrous Shadow (Review)”
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