Bongripper - Empty (2024) Review

Doom-sludge titans Bongripper from Chicago have always dwelt in the low end. With their eighth full length album Empty, the band keeps ripping boundaries of repetition to shreds, expressing themselves through immense instrumental doom metal weight at levels of meditative heaviness that almost no one can replicate. Four tracks (two of them above 20 minutes in duration) and a total of more than an hour of crushing doom in the purest form, at which you'll either surrender to or wholly pass by. 

From the outset, Empty reeks of riff-devotion: detuned guitars, distortion thick as molasses and drums slow-rolling like glaciers in motion. The album has a constant, overwhelmingly dominating hypnotic nature, standing out due to the band's everlasting patience for the long haul. Melodies ruminated upon and stretched to uneasy forms, twisted into murky drone / sludge before returning to clearer doom metal stomps, all delivered with lumbering brute force. 

Opener piece "Nothing" features the slowest build-up and features some interested, distorted Sleep worship towards its last five minutes. Mid-tempo dirges that flirt with crunchy tremolos and ghostly leads appear both at the very end of that track and in the one that follows, "Remains". On "Forever", the band takes a more atmospheric approach that hints at post-doom grandeur rather than blacksmith hammering, reminding of YOB but still quite distinctly played as a Bongripper jam.

The final, self-titled track consolidates Empty's themes of doomy repetition with subtle yet substantial variations, but includes a cathartic release of a blast-beat induced black metal section, that breaks free from the drag of the rest of the rest of the record. At that moment, it brought 2010's Satan Worshipping Doom to mind, as they did something similar on a track on that album, yet I have to admit that I am not sure if it's a more frequent stratagem by the band or if it just appears these two times.

No sound is reinvented on Empty, but that's not what Bongripper are about. The band takes its time on how long to hold notes, when to pull the rug out, and how to compose the most direct, low-tuned and heavy doom metal possible, with neat influences from sludge, drone and stoner. It takes time, and it needs time. The formula might be a bit too comfortable by now, the terrain too familiar, but in this genre, this mastering of atmosphere is what counts. If it's your first time, welcome to the underbelly of doom. [4 out of 5]

Nothing remains forever empty 

Pendaison - Haut & Court (2025) Review

Grief moves like smoke. Shapeless, endlessly circling, always clutching at what little warmth remains. Somewhere between the cracks of screaming and the silence, beauty still dares to shape. Montreal-based duo of Kevin Barrier and Cymon Lamarre (former bassist of Plebeian Grandstand..?) whispers the decay of the living with a new and obscure outlet named Pendaison, and their first work Haut & Court that makes the edges between black, death, doom and post-metal indiscernible. Carving deeply into experimentalism along the way, the project manipulates sound and ambiance with layers of electronics, guitars and a variety of vocals that make for an outcome that's both vividly avant-garde, but also surprisingly listenable from the get go.

The fuzzy wall of riffs and painful shrieked vocals on the opener "LRDTVBI" immediately bring the listener into a hostile territory of modern black metal, reminiscent Debemur Morti-inspired French artists active in recent years, yet Pendaison springs around its influences totally unexpectedly. Soon enough, fiery post-metal streams of energy pour into the track, which dissolve into an ethereal outro that links perfectly to the second and highlight piece, "Mausoleum". The longest in duration and in funereal pace, abdicating any sense of commitment to technically impress, it's cathartic doom metal anointed in beautiful clean female vocals, that will also dare to slap you in the face when you're laying comfortably five / six minutes into the composition (once you're there, you'll know).

A one-minute dark ambient / noise interlude, "Ci-gît la Dignité Humaine" (=here lies human dignity, such an Anaal Nathrakh-inspired line, right) gives way to one of the most menacing moments on Haut & Court, "Exil du Néant". Its discordant, lethal doom / death metal opening melodies, along with the lowest growling vocals found on the album, very distantly reminded me of bands like Krypts, especially in conjunction with the open notes of the closer "F.A.L.L.". Apart from the scattered noise-based fillings in these two tracks, Pendaison dances on harsher and more anguished black / post-metal toward the end of the album, before the absolute destruction of chord monotony and tormented screams in the final seconds of "F.A.L.L." that ends it all.

I (almost) don't know what Pendaison is about textually with Haut & Court, but maybe it's better to not even look under that rock. The record is raw and immersive, from a band seemingly adept in taking steps either toward visceral fury, or ambient sorrow. The cello / piano / viola additions in "Mausoleum" are still my favorite here, but the whole album makes a good case for attentive listening. Through well-conceived tonal shifting, atmosphere and context, Pendaison calls for an engaging journey through human grief, cursed but with its glimmers of transcendence. Clearly, lots of artists' toil has been put into this sublimely disorienting effort, and fans of more atypical underground metal may resonate. [3.5 out of 5]

Each kiss a veil of shadowed stars

Gorod - A Maze of Recycled Creeds (2015) Review

While missing input on Gorod’s debut full-length album Neurotripsicks (and while the title sounds promising) from 2005, I hold both Leading Vision (2006) and A Process of a New Decline (2009) in quite high regard, as prime examples of top-notch technical death metal fueled by great musicianship and not lacking in heaviness. In 2012, the band released the exquisite A Perfect Absolution, which got them even more traction in the scene, but it still didn’t live up to their previous two works for me, despite its excessive bombast. The first thing that caught my eye with A Maze of Recycled Creeds (2015) was the fantastic cover art, almost to a point that I hoped for the album to become my favorite from them, even before listening to it. While it may not be the case, eventually, it remains a high point in the band’s discography, highlighting all the elements they excel at. And in some of these elements, they excel ridiculously much.

The virtuosity and musicality that overflows A Maze... is immediately noticeable, but it comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with this band. It is not a case of a record that is characterized by clear-cut brutality, as the progressive and jazz intersections throughout the death metal corpus are frequent, expertly executed, and highly effective. Through tempos constantly chopped and re-wired in new frequencies, unfurling fierce riffing in between fretwork aerobatics and thrilling soloing, Gorod communicates their story from their own, particular perspective. A Maze... is a clear tech-death album, yet it separates itself and makes the band’s sound, completely recognizable. Despite the complexity of the compositions, the record succeeds in being accessible and pleasant to go through, as it also isn’t shy of uplifting moments, when things dare to get more fun. 

By flashing a short, hopeful piano introduction in “Air de L'Ordre”, it’s almost as if it’s unsuspected of what’s about to follow. Both “Temple of the Art God” and “Celestial Nature” burst with tense and airtight, prog-driven death metal played on time signatures impossible to count, and the first listen serves purely to sit back and appreciate the mind-bending capabilities of all the members and their instrument worship. Harmonies are used and abused in the entirety of the record, but it’s also the spectacular bass lines and drumming that lives up to the needs of such material. There’s not a lot of space for pure headbanging here, as the brain will constantly be trying to catch up with the number of exciting ideas constantly appearing and dissolving. 

Gorod’s jazz adeptness sometimes takes over (check “The Mystic Triad of Artistry” or “An Order to Reclaim”), and the heavier moments are more distinct when they unfold, than constantly being in the forefront. For example, potent grooving is what opens “From Passion to Holiness”, which transforms into an almost funk metal crescendo later, and the intro of the last track, “Syncretic Delirium”, is possibly the album’s most aggressive instance (nearly reminding me of Spawn of Possession). I must admit, I am not the biggest fan of the shouty vocals sometimes employed in the tracks, like in “Rejoice Your Soul”, which was the weakest for me in the record. Pieces like “Inner Alchemy” (despite the vocal elasticity) are among the strongest points in A Maze..., while e.g. “Dig Into Yourself” were for me, significantly less memorable. 

I still haven’t heard The Orb (2023) properly but remember Æthra (2018) positively, which shows that there’s still homework to go through when it comes to Gorod. In A Maze..., I found the framework in which this band operates quite exciting, despite not enjoying all parts of the album at the same extent. There are so many hooks and twists in the tracks, so much energy out of the band, and so much creativity, that it’s hard not to recognize the musical level of the record, even if such a demanding genre isn’t your cup of tea (as it might not be mine). Naturally, the band has moved on from what they had been trying to do up to that point, but it’s not a matter of abandoning previous approaches, just reinventing them. [3.5 out of 5]

Out of reach of idle hands

Ofermod - Drakosophia (2025) Review

SHADOW RECORDS (Distributed & marketed by REGAIN RECORDS) is proud to present OFERMOD's highly anticipated 5th full-length album “DRAKOSOPHIA” on CD and LP formats.

By now OFERMOD requires no introduction. Steered by Belfagor aka Mika Hakola since 1996, the Swedish horde have sewn influence and infamy in equal measure.

Now marks the long awaited arrival of “DRAKOSOPHIA”, the bands 5th full-length album in which Belfagor is joined by North American vocalist “Adeptus”, Austrian session drummer “Florian Musil”, and bass by the one and only “Devo” ex-Marduk. (from Bandcamp)

 READ ABOUT IT

Gulch - Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress (2020) Review

Half comic, half nightmare. At first glance, the pastel palette almost softens the scene: a fleshy figure pours a torrent of crimson liquid into a pit of spikes, where a distorted head waits to be submerged. But linger for more than a moment, and the playful tones turn sinister. Skulls grin mutely from below, architectural shapes rise like fragile monuments, and faceless bodies stand frozen in ritual. 

Several references can be observed: These bizarre juxtapositions (a faceless head in a fountain, skeletal masks at the bottom, distorted anatomy) strongly echo surrealism’s embrace of subconscious imagery. Its primitiveness, topped on bold colors and disproportionate figures, is reminiscent of outsider art, while its crude intensity touches upon neo-expressionism.

Wth its flattened perspective, bold color blocking and exaggerated anatomy, the style is deceptive naïve, yet the the depicted brutality undercuts any innocence. This tension puts the artwork at the crossroads of surrealism and brut art, where raw draftsmanship is the vehicle for psychological violence. The horror is not polished, instead it’s closer to George Condo’s or Jean Dubuffet’s grotesques rather than conventional metal aesthetics.

The ambiguity is what makes the piece striking. Is the liquid blood (or something more symbolic) rage, memory, spirit? The setup feels both ceremonial and absurd, a Boschian hell rewritten through a child’s hand.

Oh, and the album itself is great too.

Purposeless matter merge into a form that's true

Rating | 3.5 out of 5 [Great]

Fauna - Ochre & Ash (2025) Review

Some years ago, I went on to put a few words together about Fauna's then latest and final album Avifauna, but was so oversatisfied with their own description, that I quoted them in full instead. This time, to urge you to visit their Bandcamp page and support this once in a lifetime kind of artistic entity, I won't take the whole text as is, but instead I'll define some important terms:

• Animism: The belief that natural objects, places, and beings possess a spiritual essence.
• Shamanism: A spiritual practice in which a healer or mediator communicates with the spirit world to guide or heal a community.
• Atavism: The reappearance of traits or behaviors from distant ancestral origins, often seen as a throwback.
• Ochre: A natural earth pigment, usually reddish or yellowish, used by humans since prehistory for art and ritual.
• Ash: The powdery residue left after something is burned, often symbolizing both destruction and the possibility of renewal.

The rest of my review, would actually be the Bandcamp description itself, and a 5/5 rating. That's all there is when it comes to this band's presence in black metal.

Extending much further than the conventional atmospheric or ambient black metal template, unfurling in long, organic movements that breathe 9000 year old air and with an overwhelming focus on the element of atmosphere, Ochre & Ash is a ritual for both performer and observer. You may have seen the words atmosphere and ritual being passed around with a light heart elsewhere, but this here is the epitome of their essence.

The album art itself nods: Cueva de las Manos, old hands stencilled into rock inside Argentina, some older even than agriculture. In that image lies the soul of Ochre & Ash, symbolizing the human animal as more than craft or survival, but belonging to earth, to spirit, to what endures beyond the blood-letting of time.

I often mention how the interludes are the first to skip in these albums, yet here they are stunning in their own right. Weaving field-like sounds, drones, and subtle textures that conjure the presence of forests, caverns, and the ghost of ancient ritual fires, they're as effective as the three main (and seriously long) compositions. 

Each one of these three, requires a separate post. Until then, I'll just say that there's no band in this sub style, that feels more real than this. And to think, we haven't even recovered from the return of Volahn last week, and now this...

Nature and madness

Rating | 4.5 out of 5 [Brilliant]

Condemned - Desecrate the Vile (2007) Review

Right from the wretched womb that gave birth to Disgorge (one of the tightest brutal death metal bands of all time), released just a couple of weeks before the debut of Cephalotripsy (one of the filthiest brutal death metal records of all time), and sharing members from both aforementioned monstrosities, Condemned's debut Desecrate the Vile was released in 2007 through Lacerated Enemy Records with a clear goal to be the most accessible album you'll come across.

If you've been around the blocks of this blog, I shall not continue. I have mixed feelings for both Realms of the Ungodly (2011) and Desecrate the Vile when the maniac side of my brain takes over, but when in the mood for thick, brutal as hell extremity, then riffs of a band like this stomp on the heart like the proverbial ton of bricks. 

The album embodies everything the genre’s devotees demand. From subterranean gutturals to slam-laden riffing, it keeps the sense of suffocation constant and has a production so dense, you'll feel like swimming in honey is easier. It's their right to paraphrase legends:

"You merely adopted the slam, I was born in it, molded by it".

- Angel Ochoa

I'm sort of missing a bass sound in this mayhem, yet it's definitely there, as one can notice from the first seconds of the album's highlight "Chapter of Defilement". 

Most of the tracks are fairly short (1 - 3 minutes), monotonous, borderline underdeveloped but with primal purpose, and then you have an 11 minute composition, "Amputated Repugnance" as closure. Worry not, as it's largely distorted, post-apocalyptic noise / dark ambient creepiness from the third minute onward, as if you're playing a video game and navigate through a barren wasteland with creatures of unknown origins hunting down on you.

Otherwise, Desecrate the Vile would be 20 minutes long instead of half an hour, and that would then make it a masterpiece!

No epitaph to be found

---

 

Recorded in July 2006 at RedCrosby Studios Fallbrook, CA.
Mastered at Imperial Mastering, Pacheco, California, USA.
Produced by Jeremy Craw and Condemned.

Lorna Shore - I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me (2025)

Symphonic Deathcore
New Jersey, United States 

1. Prison of Flesh
2. Oblivion
3. In Darkness
4. Unbreakable
5. Glenwood
6. Lionheart
7. Death Can Take Me
8. War Machine
9. A Nameless Hymn
10. Forevermore 

Read about it 

Malthusian - The Summoning Bell (2025)

 

Black / Death Metal

Dublin, Ireland

 

 1. Isolation

2. Red, Waiting

3. Between Dens and Ruins

4. The Summoning Bell

5. The Onset of the Death of Man

6. Eroded Into Superstition

7. Amongst the Swarms of Vermin

8. In Chaos, Exult

 

Read about it

Scalp - Not Worthy of Human Compassion (2025)

 

Death Metal / Grindcore / Harcore

Orange County, California / United States

 

1. LTARMLAC
2. EgoDeath
3. Pit
4. 80AcresofHell
5. ShackleRot
6. Crowsfoot
7. Loather
8. SurrogateVictim
9. Untitled
10. Conspiracy
11. RigorVivus
12. Drag
13. Bottomless
 

Read about it

Hell - Submersus (2025)

Sludge / Drone / Doom Metal
Salem, Oregon, United States

 

1. Hevy
2. Gravis
3. Factum
4. Mortem
5. Bog

 

Read about it  

On Substack

Moving to Substack alongside several very cool people, sub and keep an eye out here: 

gatekeepmusic!

First review is already up:

Cryptopsy - An Insatiable Violence

Beleth's Trumpet - Chapel of Bones (2025)

New and fast-working black metal band from Finland Beleth's Trumpet released a short demo last year and already put their debut full length forth, Chapel of Bones through Dominance of Darkness Records. And just from that sentence, the hints already given basically describe the music on the album almost perfectly, as it is just that: a black metal band from Finland. Semi-clean production, mostly middle-paced with enough melody and melancholy on the guitars as you've heard from a lot, lot, lot of other bands from the same region. I couldn't find any moment that made Chapel of Bones a bit special (maybe the album cover) or memorable, except the track "Clandestine Ritual" which does have a couple of more ominous riffs, even though nothing's new there either. Fans of Finnish black metal are built to like this blindly, as the band takes no risks and sits well within the expected boundaries of their sound, and lyrical concepts. 

Listen 

Lichen - Mossblood (2025)

1. Symbiogenesis
2. Chthonian Mysteries
3. Usnea
4. From Life to Loam
5. Hyphae
6. Where the Sky and Ground Become One
7. Mossblood Sigil
8. When Carrion Winds Shall Blow 

Lo-fi lowlife - May '25

Parasitic Infestation - Killzone

 

 

 

Brutal Death Metal / Slam | New Zealand | EP, 2025

 

1. Buckshot
2. Violence Ensued
3. G.D.F.T
4. Blunts
5. Bobcat Defense Tactics
6. Hammer Time
7. Hollowpoints

 

Listen

 

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Nuclear Hammer - Black Mass Invocation

 

 

War Metal | Russia | EP, 2025

 

1. Intro
2. Black Mass Invocation
3. Nuclear Blast from Hell    
4. Goat Vomit Command
5. Molested Corpse
6. Chainsaw Christfuck
7. Ritual (Blasphemy live cover)

 

Listen

 

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Spekter - Upon the Stronghold of Crimson Flesh

 

Raw Black Metal / Dungeon Synth | Brazil | Demo, 2025

 

1. I

2. II

3. III

4. IV

5. V

 

Listen

 

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Enthrallment - Enthrallment

 

Death Metal | United States | EP, 2025

 

1. Enthrallment

2. Those Who Crawl

 

Listen

 

---

Alienated Inhumanity - Irrevocable Doom

 

 

Dark Ambient / Deathstep / Industrial | 2025

 

1. Insensitive

2. Transfiguration

3. Disappearance

 

Listen

 

Nachtheem - Dromende goden (2025)

Originally appearing on the "Woudmeditatie / Dromende goden" split LP with Moft. 

This split contains two tracks of atmospheric, unpolished black metal. Both acts have contributed in one way or another to each other’s tracks, making this a truly collaborative effort.

1.  Dromende goden (17:08)

Listen

Wodensthrone - Loss (2009) Review

For years, the British black metal scene seemed to exist in the shadows of its European neighbors. While countries like France and Germany built influential scenes with a distinct identity, the UK struggled to maintain the same momentum. However, over the last decade, a wave of new and reinvigorated bands has redefined the region’s output. Winterfylleth, Fen, and Altar of Plagues have pushed the envelope, but beneath them, a new class of underground contenders has emerged, including the likes of Askival, Skaldic Curse, and the subject of this text - Wodensthrone.

With their debut album Loss, Wodensthrone make a striking entrance into this growing movement, crafting a sound that is both epic and deeply rooted in themes of nature, mythology, and Anglo-Saxon heritage. Unlike bands that use history as a platform for nationalism, Wodensthrone’s lyrical themes are less about territorial pride and more about a longing for a lost world—one where untouched landscapes stretched endlessly, unmarred by industrialization. This atmosphere permeates every aspect of the album, from its sweeping compositions to the evocative use of synths and acoustics.

The band’s musical approach finds itself at a fascinating crossroads. Loss is as much indebted to the ethereal, nature-infused stylings of Drudkh as it is to the stormy, unrelenting aggression of Wolves in the Throne Room. This duality is immediately apparent in tracks like “Black Moss,” which erupts with frantic double bass and sharp tremolo riffs before melting into haunting, melodic passages. “Upon These Stones” takes this even further, its lush synth work and clean instrumentation elevating the album’s immersive, almost cinematic scope. Then there’s the standout “Heófungtid,” a track that perfectly captures Wodensthrone’s ability to balance raw energy with moments of quiet introspection.

Despite wearing its influences on its sleeve, Loss never feels derivative. Instead, it refines and reshapes familiar black metal elements into something uniquely its own. The production strikes a delicate balance between grit and clarity, allowing the album’s layers to breathe without stripping away its primal edge. While some might draw comparisons to the atmospheric American black metal movement, Wodensthrone ultimately carves out its own space within the broader landscape of the genre.

With Loss, Wodensthrone contribute to the ongoing resurgence of British black metal, proving that the scene is no longer just a regional force but a global contender. It’s an album that not only delivers powerful, immersive compositions but also reaffirms the idea that black metal can be as much about beauty and history as it is about darkness and aggression.

Bullet Ratings - Jan '25 [II]

Anhedonist - Netherwards (2012): In the cave, Cyclops just blocked the entrance. [3.5]

Anvil - Juggernaut of Justice (2011): Old geezer rock that I will never care about whether it’s good or not. [2]

Black Cilice - Transfixion of Spirits (2019): A lot of freaks meditate on this, but not me. [2.5]

Blood Feast - Kill for Pleasure (1987): Not Pleasure to Kill, but still O.G. and the realest. [4]

Cognizant - Cognizant (2016): Snapped necks, pretty crazy overall. [3.5]

Cytotoxin - Gammageddon (2017): Hacksaws the kvlt out of you. [4]

Eyehategod - Dopesick (1996): If you weren’t in a bad mood, well you are now. [3.5]

Rot - A Cold Dead Stare (2002): Legendary grindcore band from Brazil, with a handful of full lengths and infinite splits / mini-albums since starting in 1990. [3.5]

Vacuous - Dreams of Dysphoria (2022): Murky but standard. [3]

While Heavent Wept - Sorrow of the Angels (1998): Thus with a kiss I die, into the well of sorrow, the death of love. [2.5]

Bullet Ratings - Jan '25

Barshasketh - Antinomian Asceticism (New Zealand, World Terror Committee): The album starts very potently but starts losing its direction towards the middle / ending part. Still quite enjoyable, well-written stuff. [3.25 / 5]

Harvst - Mahlstrom (Germany, Onism Productions): I would prefer not to. [2.25 / 5]

Infernal Cross - Blood Red Triumph (Sweden, Self-released): Devilish black / thrash metal with everything at the right place. [3.25 / 5]

Luring - Malevolent Lycanthropic Heresy (Ohio / US, Iron Bonehead Productions): Nice melodies, lo-fi approach and comes off as punchy and as evil as needed. Fine, but I might not come back to it. [3 / 5]

Mooondark - The Abysmal Womb (Sweden, Pulverised Records): Released on demo in the early nineties and then disappeared, this is their debut full length after getting back together two decades later. Like the aesthetics, but sadly nothing special. [2.5 / 5]

Necromaniac - Sciomancy, Malediction & Rites Abominable (England, Invictus Productions): The most literal and accurate definition of “morbid metal” I have ever seen. [4 / 5]

Revolting - Night of the Horrid (Sweden, Xtreem Music): Has been heard thousands and thousands of times, yet another one. [2 / 5]

Rudra - Antithesis (Indonesia, Awakening Records): Legendary Indonesian band, with many releases since 1992 and I haven’t talked about them that much here. A bit of black and a bit of death metal, but totally their own sound, and quite decent. [3.5 / 5]

Skagos - Chariot Sun Blazing (Canada, Self-released): Look who’s back. I have really enjoyed their previous two in the past, and the new one is no exception. Hope for more activity from one of the best Cascadian black metal bands out there. [3.5 / 5].

Uulliata Digir - Uulliata Digir (Poland, Self-released): What did I just listen. Amazing. [3.75 / 5]