Grave Heresy - Incineration Victory (2024)

It began as a quiet rebellion, a slow erosion of faith, but soon the whispers gained momentum, reverberating through the lands like the rumble of distant thunder. Mortal flesh weakened, unable to withstand the strain of resisting the unholy power brewing in the depths. The people, driven by desperation and rage, sought answers that transcended the flesh – an escape from the limits of mortality.

Then, as if heralding the final days, came the incineration victory, an unholy triumph that left towns and villages in cinders. It was not the fire itself, but the twisted ritual that accompanied it, a sacrilegious rite, and an act of utter defiance against divinity. Here, the hammer of anti-creation itself was swung, erasing belief and reducing the concept of sanctity to ashes. In the charred remains, the faithful found only emptiness.

But the worst was yet to come. A crimson dawn signaled the onset of conquest, a campaign driven by an insatiable lust for dominion over the remnants of the faithful. Sulphurist hordes were summoned from the nether, legions of beings crafted from the essence of suffering and malice, their arrival a mass death proclamation that echoed across the desolate landscape.

Warhead worship became the new gospel, a twisted reverence for annihilation and destruction. This was no ordinary conflict, but an ageless onslaught, a battle that seemed timeless, relentless. The skies grew dark as great plumes of smoke and the stench of sulfur rose, signs of the summoning of the sulphurist hordes. They poured forth like an unstoppable torrent, sweeping over the land in a wave of malice and destruction, leaving behind a scarred and desolate wasteland.

In the end, there was nothing but silence, a land stripped of life and hope. The so-called "victory" was hollow, an incineration victory that left only ashes and despair, as the prophecy of mass death came full circle. A somber, eternal reminder of the perils of unchecked ambition and heresy.

Incineration Victory

Scarlet Empyrean - Nattlyd (2024)

In a realm where mountains rose into the sky like the bones of forgotten titans, and rivers carved silver veins through an emerald tapestry of wild lands, there existed an ancient kingdom known as Veridyn. It was a land untouched by time, where the trees whispered the stories of creation, and the stars themselves seemed to hum with the deep rhythms of life. In this place of mysticism and spiritual power, the forces of nature ruled as sovereigns, until the Obsidian Monarch rose from the depths of the Scarlet Empyrean.

The Obsidian Monarch was not born of earth or sky, but of something far older—an entity born in the Depths of Uncompacted Light, where time and space wove together in an eternal flux. A being of pure shadow and flame, his ascent was heralded by a sky stained crimson. The birds no longer soared above, and the winds became still, as if the world itself held its breath in anticipation of the coming storm.

War followed in the Monarch’s wake, casting a pall of devastation across Veridyn. His armies, creatures of twisted metal and dark magic, marched with relentless precision. Under the burning sky, they scorched the earth, turning the once-green fields into barren wastelands. The heart of battle raged across the land, and the once serene groves and tranquil rivers were now stained with blood. But within this chaos, a quiet strength grew.

The people of Veridyn had always revered the natural world, and in their darkest hour, they turned to it for guidance. Among them was a young warrior-priestess named Aeliora, who had long studied the sacred art of Serenity Within Devastation. It was a philosophy passed down by the druids, one that taught the balance between destruction and creation, war and peace, life and death. She understood that to fight the Obsidian Monarch was not merely a matter of steel and spells; it was a battle of the soul.

Aeliora journeyed into the heart of Veridyn’s oldest forest, a place where even the trees bore scars from the primordial wars of creation. There, in a hidden glade, she sought the counsel of the Eldertree, an ancient sentinel that had stood since the beginning of time. Its voice, deep and resonant, spoke within her mind, guiding her to an understanding that would turn the tide of battle.

“To soar above the Scarlet Empyrean is to embrace the light and the shadow within,” the Eldertree whispered. “Only through both can you find the strength to confront the Monarch.”

Aeliora spent days in meditation beneath the branches of the Eldertree, seeking the serenity that lay hidden in the heart of devastation. She tapped into the primal forces of nature, the wind, water, and earth flowing through her veins like rivers of power. It was here that she realized the Obsidian Monarch’s fatal flaw—his being was of uncompacted light, the very essence of the universe before form. But he had rejected balance, consuming himself in the shadows. Aeliora would have to channel both creation and destruction to defeat him.

When the time came for the final confrontation, Aeliora stood before the gates of Veridyn, her people behind her, their hearts heavy with the weight of war. The sky above was an ocean of scarlet fire, and from it descended the Obsidian Monarch, a being of twisted majesty, his form wreathed in flames darker than night. The heart of battle thrummed in the air as their eyes met, and in that moment, Aeliora saw the full depth of his despair—an endless hunger for power and immortality.

The battle was swift and fierce. The Monarch wielded dark magic that shattered stone and scorched earth, while Aeliora moved like a leaf on the wind, channeling the elements. For every strike of devastation, she responded with serenity, and for every onslaught of shadow, she unleashed a torrent of light.

In the end, it was not Aeliora’s strength that defeated the Monarch, but her understanding. As their battle raged in the depths of the Scarlet Empyrean, she offered him what he could not comprehend—balance. Aeliora opened her soul to both the light and the darkness, embracing the chaos of war and the peace of nature, creating harmony where there had only been division.

The Obsidian Monarch, faced with this revelation, faltered. His form, once so powerful, began to unravel, the uncompacted light within him dissipating into the ether. He was a being of imbalance, and Aeliora’s serenity shattered him.

As the Monarch dissolved into the air, the scarlet sky above began to fade, the once-devastated lands now bathed in the golden light of a new dawn. The people of Veridyn stood in awe as the winds began to stir again, birds took flight, and the rivers once more flowed clear and strong.

Aeliora stood before the Eldertree, her spirit forever changed. She had not only won the war but had become one with the forces of nature itself—a living embodiment of Serenity Within Devastation. The scars of battle would remain on the land, but within them, life would flourish anew. She had soared above the Scarlet Empyrean and had found the peace that lay in balance.

And in the depths of her soul, she knew that the war had been not just for her people but for the very essence of the world—an eternal dance of creation and destruction, light and shadow, all bound together in the endless cycle of life.

Nattlyd

Necrosorcery - Necrosorcery (2024)

In the forgotten age of the Mystical Kingdom, nestled beyond the reach of time, a serene land flourished under the protection of The Gleam. This ethereal force bathed the world in golden light, its brilliance illuminating even the darkest corners of human hearts. People lived in harmony, unaware of the shadows stirring beneath their feet.

Yet deep in the bowels of the earth, beneath the pastoral hills, a dark art festered—necrosorcery, the forbidden magic of death. It whispered among the roots of the trees, coiling around the bones of forgotten beasts. Its practitioners were few, driven mad by the craving for immortality. They sought to harness life’s final breath, to twist it into a power greater than any The Gleam could offer.

One such sorcerer, Malreth, descended into the catacombs with a purpose. He clutched a relic of power, A Golden Bough, which once belonged to the ancient kings who could speak with the dead. Legends spoke of its ability to open the door between life and death, and Malreth was determined to wield it for his own dark purpose.

But as Malreth stepped into the cold embrace of the underworld, he did not find merely restless souls awaiting his call. Instead, an ancient, forgotten force greeted him—one born of the very first slaughter. It was a Seraphic Slaughter, the massacre of angels during the kingdom's creation. Their divine blood soaked into the earth, giving rise to unspeakable horrors. Malreth now stood face to face with them, the shadows of their wings casting long silhouettes across the cavern walls.

With a twisted incantation, he raised the Golden Bough, but the angels, corrupted by their fall, tore through his defenses. Their once-pure essence had become dark and terrible. The gleam in their hollow eyes promised a fate worse than death—eternal servitude to their wrath.

As Malreth fell, pastoral impalement began. From the very earth, roots and vines, innocent and thriving above, pierced through his body in a grotesque display of nature reclaiming its own. It was not just his life that was taken but his soul, forever tethered to the undead angels he sought to control.

And so, The Gleam flickered above, casting one last spark of light on a peaceful land, unaware that beneath their feet, the dark tides of necrosorcery and Seraphic Slaughter were rising. The Mystical Kingdom stood, but its golden era was slipping away, inch by inch, into the grasp of the shadows.

Spellbound (Red Death)

Silvaplana - Limbs of Dionysus (2024)

 

Alex DeMaria from Yellow Eyes (who also plays in Anicon and Morbid Sphere, having the side project Urushiol all by himself) has released new music under the moniker Silvaplana, an very intriguing two-track album named Limbs of Dionysus. 

In reverb and unrest, abrasive, experimental, semi-raw black metal with enough obscurity to be fully underground, and benign towards the avant-garde at the same time. 

 Overall, a spectacle to listen to. I can't say I like every single thing he is involved in, but the creativity is undeniable. Limbs of Dionysus is an amazing roller coaster. 

Listen to Limbs

Impetuous Ritual - Relentless Execution of Ceremonial Excrescence (2009)

For long-time listeners of alternative music that pushes towards the extreme, there might be a few instances when an artist comes around, chops up your confidence and shuts you down for a bit. Meaning that, as much death metal as you can ever listen, you'll never be ready for the monstrous entity that is Impetuous Ritual. And that's just one example.

The band originates from Australia and shares members with Portal (not sure which was first), and if you aren't already frightened, you should be. In a way, Portal is actually easier to decipher than this, even though that's not a metric for anything. 

Their debut Relentless Execution of Ceremonial Excrescence is so primitive and mad, with a dissonant, hypnotic atmosphere and exerting so much hatred, that going into a regular death metal album afterwards feels like trying cider after having ten shots of whiskey in a row.

The production is murky as hell, and the whole album is plain hell. Awesome riffs rise from the swamp every now and then, and bear-like vocals makes you question if these are humans or not, but not in the cute manner that it just sounds brutal. It is legitimately unsettling.

While it's a given you won't understand shit, the lyrics of the record are perfect. After you bury your head in the dirt, the music is too, and after climbing the learning curve that's required for Impetuous Ritual to make sense, this is one of the realest reasons why death metal is worth it as an art.

If you scratch it down to its singular foundational point, that's what all this probably sounds and feels like. Bestial, in slow or fast pace, as cold and desperate as an eternity in isolation. 

I admit I haven't listened to their later stuff as much as I should, but I have done so with this, and maybe I gotta take one album per five years not to turn into Di Caprio in Shutter Island. If you like this, probably no one likes you. In Flames and Soilwork come with better social stamps, but hey, the path you choose.

Yet deliverance is decay