Inherits the Void – Scars of Yesteryears (Review)

Inherits the Void - Scars of YesteryearsThis is the third album from French one-man black metal band Inherits the Void.

Hot on the heels of last year’s The Impending Fall of the Stars, the artist behind Inherits the Void has returned with 44 minutes of new material with Scars of Yesteryears. Are you concerned about the lack of time between releases? Don’t be, as Scars of Yesteryears is a cracking album. Continue reading “Inherits the Void – Scars of Yesteryears (Review)”

Kvaen – The Formless Fires (Review)

Kvaen - The Formless FiresThis is the third album from Swedish black metal solo act Kvaen.

The name Kvaen hit the black metal underground hard with 2020’s The Funeral Pyre, and then followed this up in 2022 with The Great Below, which showed that the quality of the debut was no fluke. Another two years have passed, and now we have The Formless Fires. Do the 39 minutes of new music here still demonstrate a continuation of these quality levels? Continue reading “Kvaen – The Formless Fires (Review)”

Houle – Ciel Cendre et Misère Noire (Review)

Houle - Ciel Cendre et Misère NoireThis is the debut album from French black metallers Houle.

After thoroughly enjoying Houle’s 2022 debut self titled EP, I was pleased to see Ciel Cendre et Misère Noire appear. Houle deliver 45 minutes minutes of melodic black metal across this album, and the record is a scorcher. Continue reading “Houle – Ciel Cendre et Misère Noire (Review)”

Oubliette – Eternity Whispers (Review)

Oubliette - Eternity WhispersThis is the third album from US black metal band Oubliette.

I really liked 2018’s The Passage, and I can’t quite believe it’s been six years since that record. Now the band are back, with a refreshed lineup, (which includes the drummer of Inferi), and 39 minutes of new material in the shape of Eternity Whispers. Continue reading “Oubliette – Eternity Whispers (Review)”

Ad Patres – Unbreathable (Review)

Ad Patres - UnbreathableThis is the third album from French death metallers Ad Patres.

I loved 2012’s Scorn Aesthetics, and 2019’s A Brief Introduction to Human Experiments was an enjoyable slab of death metal too. Which brings us to Unbreathable, and the 38 minutes of carnage that it unleashes. Continue reading “Ad Patres – Unbreathable (Review)”

Gatecreeper – Dark Superstition (Review)

Gatecreeper - Dark SuperstitionThis is the third album from US death metallers Gatecreeper.

Gatecreeper are always a reliable source of crushing old-school death metal carnage. Both 2016’s Sonoran Depravation and 2019’s Deserted were solid slabs of heaviness, (I also really enjoyed their 2018 split with Iron Reagan), so checking out the 37-minute Dark Superstition was mandatory. Continue reading “Gatecreeper – Dark Superstition (Review)”

Ancst – Culture of Brutality (Review)

Ancst - Culture of BrutalityThis is the fourth album from Ancst, a shapeshifting German metal band.

You’re never quite sure what you’re going to get from Ancst. Black metal, crust, hardcore, death metal, dark ambient – these are just genres to play with for the band, using and discarding styles and influences at will, depending on the needs of any given release or song. Which brings us to Culture of Brutality, a 35-minute, 20-track album that fuses deathgrind, metalcore, and hardcore into a monster of brutal heaviness. Continue reading “Ancst – Culture of Brutality (Review)”

In Vain – Solemn (Review)

In Vain - SolemnThis is the fifth album from Norwegian progressive metal band In Vain.

I really, really liked 2018’s Currents, so to my mind it has been far too long since we’ve heard from In Vain. Featuring 61 minutes of new music, Solemn is a grand affair, mixing together the band’s progressive/melodic death metal ingredients into a feast of tasty extreme metal. Continue reading “In Vain – Solemn (Review)”

Veriteras – The Dark Horizon (Review)

Veriteras - The Dark HorizonThis is the second album from US death metal band Veriteras.

Veriteras play melodic black/death metal inspired by the old-school Scandinavian scene of the 90s. The Dark Horizon is a 31-minute homage to this era, and boy does it get a lot right. Continue reading “Veriteras – The Dark Horizon (Review)”

Spit on Your Grave – Arkanum (Review)

Spit on Your Grave - ArkanumThis is the third album from Mexican death metallers Spit on Your Grave.

Arkanum provides us with 32 minutes of melodic death metal that showcases Spit on Your Grave’s considerable skills. This is my first encounter with the band, but they are clearly more than capable of competing in the death metal big leagues. Continue reading “Spit on Your Grave – Arkanum (Review)”