Argus Megere – Cerburea Apusului (Review)

Argus Megere - Cerburea ApusuluiArgus Megere are a Romanian black metal band and this is their fifth album.

Cerburea Apusului is the long awaited follow up to 2017’s VEII. It may have been a while since their last record, but Argus Megere have certainly not aged poorly. There’s a lot to absorb across Cerburea Apulsului. This is an album that’s easy to enjoy upon first experience, but it really settles into its own natural rhythms after repeated spins. Continue reading “Argus Megere – Cerburea Apusului (Review)”

Lamp of Murmuur – The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy (Review)

Lamp of Murmuur - The Dreaming Prince in EcstasyThis is the fourth album from US solo black metal band Lamp of Murmuur.

The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy is the follow up to 2023’s well-received Saturnian Bloodstorm. The latter was a record that only improved over time, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing songs from it, (and other releases), performed live when I saw Lamp of Murmuur at 2024’s Fortress Festival. All of this is to say, I’ve been looking forward to this new record. Continue reading “Lamp of Murmuur – The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy (Review)”

Wode – Uncrossing the Keys (Review)

Wode - Uncrossing the KeysThis is the fourth album from UK black/doom/heavy metal band Wode.

This is the follow up to 2021’s Burn in Many Mirrors, and a record I’m pleased to see appear. Uncrossing the Keys is not more of the same from Wode though. This should be expected, as each Wode album so far has found the band adding to their musical framework. Continue reading “Wode – Uncrossing the Keys (Review)”

Paradise Lost – Ascension (Review)

Paradise Lost - AscensionThis is the seventeenth album from UK metal band Paradise Lost.

I’ve been listening to Paradise Lost since 1992, so any new Paradise Lost release is A Big Deal. Ascension is the 51-minute, (61 minutes with the bonus tracks), follow up to 2020’s Obsidian, and promises Big Things by virtue of simply being a new Paradise Lost album. Continue reading “Paradise Lost – Ascension (Review)”

Nailed to Obscurity – Generation of the Void (Review)

Nailed to Obscurity - Generation of the VoidThis is the fifth album from Nailed to Obscurity, a melodic metal metal band from Germany.

Following on from 2019’s Black Frost, Generation of the Void brings us 58 minutes of new material from Nailed to Obscurity. The band have been busy since their last record, refining their sound, delivering a comprehensive musical package that sees them stepping up their game to the next level. Continue reading “Nailed to Obscurity – Generation of the Void (Review)”

Structure – Heritage (Review)

Structure - HeritageThis is the debut album from Structure, a solo death/doom metal band from the Netherlands.

Heritage contains 50 minutes of atmospheric death/doom. The artist behind Structure knows this style well, and Heritage is certainly an above average slab of deathly, doomy misery, and that’s putting it mildly. Continue reading “Structure – Heritage (Review)”

Mother of Graves – The Periapt of Absence (Review)

Mother of Graves - The Periapt of AbsenceThis is the second album from US death/doom metal band Mother of Graves.

2021’s In Sombre Dreams marked Mother of Graves as ones to watch, a band playing affecting doom/death that showed great promise. The following year they delivered on this promise with the impressive Where the Shadows Adorn. Now, two years later, The Periapt of Absence appears, providing us with 45 minutes of new material to explore. Let’s dig in and see what Mother of Graves have for us this time around. Continue reading “Mother of Graves – The Periapt of Absence (Review)”

Endonomos – Endonomos II – Enlightenment (Review)

Endonomos - Endonomos II - EnlightenmentThis is the second album from Austrian death/doom metal band Endonomos.

Endonomos II – Enlightenment contains 49 minutes of death/doom, although this tag is a bit misleading. Endonomos’ music is far richer and more emotive than many playing that style, and benefits from a base of traditional doom that’s unexpected. This makes Endonomos II – Enlightenment a much rarer gem than you’d normally find within the death/doom arena. Continue reading “Endonomos – Endonomos II – Enlightenment (Review)”

Cemetery Skyline – Nordic Gothic (Review)

Cemetery Skyline - Nordic GothicThis is the debut album from dark rock band Cemetery Skyline.

Boasting current/ex-members of bands such as Amorphis, Grand Cadaver, Dark Tranquillity, Entombed A.D., The Halo Effect, Insomnium, Malpractice, Sentenced, and Witchery, a lot of experience and skill has gone into the making of Nordic Gothic. Cemetery Skyline use their experience well, forging a 49-minute album the combines dark and melodic rock with Gothic flair. Continue reading “Cemetery Skyline – Nordic Gothic (Review)”

Ashtar – The Return of the Frozen Souls (Review)

Ashtar - The Return of the Frozen SoulsThis is the fourth album from Swiss black metal solo act Ashtar.

I enjoyed both 2015’s Ilmasaari and 2020’s Kaikuja, so wanted to check out Ashtar’s latest. Since those albums the band have become a solo endeavour, and I missed the artist’s 2023 album Wandering Through Time somehow. A little over a year since that record though and we have The Return of the Frozen Souls, which features 45 minutes of black/doom metal, (including a Samhain cover). Continue reading “Ashtar – The Return of the Frozen Souls (Review)”