Guyođ - Death Throes of a Drowning God (EP, 2026) Review

I came in contact with Guyođ from Austria quite abnormally a few years ago, around the time of their first split release with Lehm and before their debut album, Heart of Thy Abyss, was even on the horizon. The band hit the mark with that album of abyssal doom / death metal and left overall positive impressions to anyone who came across it, especially when convincingly communicating it live during their concerts. Latest effort, Death Throes of a Drowning God, extends the foundations of the debut and pushes its vision to darker, more introspective territories.

The EP consists of four main tracks, interspersed with short dark ambient / drone interludes, all titled “Signal” followed by specific numbers. While the structure may seem unconventional at first, for people who dwell within the discographies of bands like Teitanblood or Necros Christos, this is no mysterious domain. From the start, the record establishes a dense, claustrophobic sonic field nurtured by the drone waves of “Signal 00347”, and then the deathlike pressure exerted by the oppressive first full track “A Thousand Invisible Eyes”. 

Despite Guyođ’s dim lit setting and gritty sound, guitar melodies are discernible all along as riffs undulate between a variety of tempos from speedy considerably slow. Along them, the remarkable vocal performance often takes the lead and faithfully serves the needs the composition, be it growls, shrieks or hushed whispers. The band steps on the aggression in the following tracks, "Behind Walls of Ice" and "Vortex of Infinite Despair", which feature furious blast beats surfacing from the murk before tempos drop to depths, structurally providing distinct moments when the EP embraces its doom side, and when it moves in frenzy. 

For me, the last piece “Hestia Drowning” is to me the most complete compositional statement on Death Throes of a Drowning God and the most successful in suffocation. A church organ introduction (which can also be heard earlier, on “A Thousand Invisible Eyes”) and a series of inescapable guitar lines and agonizing vocals, continued by the last short distorted ambient outro, “Signal 79357”, finish the EP off in panegyric terms. A few efficient tracks connected with brief intrusions of oceanic static and drone to reset the atmosphere, Guyođ’s authentic presence on Death Throes of a Drowning God has enough to compel you. 

Release: January 23rd, 2026 | Grazil Records
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Catapult the Sun - Martyrdom (2026) Review

In Western art and Christian tradition, there’s a recurring theme centered on a 3rd - 4th century Egyptian hermit named Anthony the Great, considered one of the founders of monasticism. According to early hagiographies, and especially the source of Athanasius of Alexandria, Anthony retreated to the desert to pursue an ascetic life, where he was subjected to intense psychological trials. These “trials” were not merely restricted to the realm of morality (e.g resisting pleasure), but often described as demonic assaults, illusions of wealth, and hallucinations. In a broader interpretation, the Temptation of Saint Anthony represents the battle between spiritual discipline and the natural chaos of the human mind.

Such a depiction is on the front cover of the Catapult the Sun debut record, Martyrdom (as it was engraved in the 15th century by Martin Schongauer), giving feels of raw black metal / dungeon synth or a Brodequin album art, but this record sounds nothing like either. After a series of EPs between 2020 - 2024, Athens-based project finally puts together a full-length album of a particularly grounded strain of instrumental sludge / doom metal, defiantly unadorned and courteous in execution. By eschewing vocals entirely, the guitars carry all the responsibility for sensation and narrative, and the band refuses to decorate the compositions with anything more than the essentials.

Standing firmly against exhibitionism, Martyrdom breathes and complies to simple but substantial principles: produce a natural sound, serve the song, trust the riffs and their effect. The guitar work carries a concrete density and never stagnates, offering a smooth flow that subtly shifts emphasis as the tracks progress to carry on forward momentum even within the slowest passages. I’d say doom stands at the core of the album, but the band speaks the tongues of drone and sludge with its own abstraction. Fans of flashy hooks may be disappointed, as time passes slower and less chaotic than normal within these particular walls.

"A Pale Stine" moves at its own pace to set the atmosphere properly, and is one of the record's more permissive tracks. Moments of clean guitar lines is where Martyrdom approaches post-metal directly, with a highlight the thrilling main melody of "Powerful Dark Objects (Mind Bender)", as well as the more dismal, sludgy "Insanity Has Thin Walls". Evenly ugly is the shortest track "Noon Creeper" (sounds like something from the self-titled debut by Union of Sleep, but with no vocals). A beautiful post-metal mattress allows for a significantly faster section on "The Word Made Flesh", which reminded me of the few occasions across their discography when Bongripper played black metal - also the highest tempo Catapult the Sun pick up on Martyrdom by far.

Final track "Black Sails On Wine-Dark Seas" features beefy guitars strongly reminiscent of current Electric Wizard, but still the album deservingly fits in any playlist that would also include names like Omega Masiff, Eyehategod or Year of No Light, with Bongripper remaining the strongest parallel I could think of when listening to these Athenian raiders. Martyrdom borrows from a handful of subgenres which are anyway bordering each other, yet it still has its own sound and manages well in terms of delivery, a feat that is sometimes more difficult for instrumental bands. A fine propulsion of potential evident from their EPs, and a decent first record all around.

Release: March 12th, 2026 | Independent
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Highgate - Prophecies of Eternal Horror (2026) Review

Despite having been around for a little more than two decades, Kentucky’s sludge / doom metal trio Highgate have never entered my radar and their fourth full-length album, Prophecies of Eternal Horror, is the introduction work of the band for me. With a self-titled debut released as early as 2008, and 13 years since the previous record, Survival, these guys are no newcomers to the ominous sound of sludge nihilism. Latest work endorses the ugliness of urban reality over any kind of elegance, it has the grit of the street and a confrontational attitude that bears the scars of bands like Noothgrush and Grief, topped with criticism on systemic decay, control and decadence.

On Prophecies of Eternal Horror, there are five, riff-driven tracks mostly moving at snail pace, following a recipe rather simple but tested. Slow-burn repetition is used as a weapon and constantly exerts pressure on top of explicitly painful, high-pitched screams a la Eyehategod, aiming for an experience as uncomfortable as dragging yourself through day to day in the modern city life. The record deliberately lacks any sense of atmosphere often found in other forms of doom metal, and trades it for a stripped-down, corrosive texture that crawls and scratches the skin as it progresses. Highgate are friends of monotony, sticking to simplistic riff structures that lay on the genre’s basics. 

Paradoxically, it’s quite a listenable record despite the raw production, as each and every note gets enough exposure and there’s discernible separation between instruments that allows for the space necessary to avoid drowning the compositions. The background presence of the bass is essential, and the mixing gives emphasis on the raspy vocal work, which is one of the sharper elements to get through on the album. Lyrically, themes of immediate, tangible horrors of reality like war, class conflict and religious fundamentalism, are brought forth without much metaphorical cushioning. Prophecies of Eternal Horror is blunt music-wise and text-wise, as Highgate lack the subtlety and are proud of it.

After a gloomy acoustic guitar intro, the nine-minute opening track “Terraforming Hell” fuels riffing that advances languidly like a tired horse on an endless path, as the vocals maneuver at the same rhythm as the slow guitars. It’s one of the few moments that Highgate play a little bit faster in the middle part of the piece, which makes up for an initial slight diversity before diving back to the album’s overall inevitability of doom. Both “Death Comes” and “Deceiver” maintain cyclical moodiness, while the band turns sinister on “At Paranoia’s Poison Door”, which is more evidently charged in terms of lyrics, and looks into the neighborhood of blackened doom trouble.

Narration that channels anxieties of authoritarian control open the last track “The Writhing Dawn”, which doesn’t get any faster or brighter across its nine minutes of length. Rhetoric flows naturally with Highgate’s music, even if it never over performs, keeping the pace low and the theatrics even lower. Prophecies of Eternal Horror resonates well with bleakness and depletion, keeping a clear identity that you can recognize quickly when pressing play. It doesn’t really escalate at any point except maybe for a couple of instances, but that’s also the justified mentality of the band. Fans of barren doom / sludge of helplessness will appreciate this.

Release: March 27th, 2026 | HPGD Productions
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Belzebong - The End Is High (2026) Review

A long time ago, I shared how back in 2009 my accidental initiation into the smoke-drenched corridors of stoner metal came courtesy of Belzebong’s first demo, soon followed by the debut full-length Sonic Scapes & Weedy Grooves (2011). That record, alongside the equally effective follow-up, Greenferno (2015), remains one of my favorite releases of the genre, even while only instrumental. For me, the absence of vocals amplified the narcotic density of the riffs, allowing groove and atmosphere to rule over everything else.

I somehow lost interest in subsequent releases by the band, never delved into Light the Dankness (2018) or the tongue-in-cheek live recording in Norway, De Mysteriis Dope Sathanas - Live in Oslo (2021), it was enough to laugh a bit though. Early material has retained a certain replay value for me, even though the overall aesthetic doesn’t stick today. With The End Is High, reconnecting with Belzebong feels seamless, not a single day has passed, and all the hallmarks are intact: vivid weedy artwork, track title wordplays a la Cannabis Corpse (and others), a wordless approach, but above all, pudgy groove-laden stoner doom.

The characteristic slow-burn build unfurls with opening track “Bong & Chain”, while “420 Horsemen” is faster in tempo and introduces buzz and abstraction into the haze. “Hempnotized” remains obsessed with hulking, middle-paced riffs, but for me the closer “Reefer Mortis” is what truly lingers, and especially the mid-section guitar lines that evoke the morbid swagger of Church of Misery, just without the serial killers. At the end of the track, you get to hear again an epic voice sample quoting the cult classic horror comedy The 'Burbs from 1989. If you know the movie, you know what scene they’ve mashed up.

Production remains polished as always, at least in the same way as it has been since Greenferno and onward. While surpassing the highs (pun intended) of their debut proves to be a tall order, The End Is High finds Belzebong committing no missteps. An enjoyable return to the studio, but leaves me wanting… Well, to listen to the first one again.

These are eyes of young girl, barely out of high school. Her name is Alice Trenton and she's been on a long, long trip……

Release: February 20th, 2026 | Heavy Psych Sounds Records
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 

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

Martikor - Acedia

 

"Acedia" builds upon Martikor’s blend of atmospheric sludge, post-metal, black metal, and experimental textures. Conceptually, it delves into the intricate process of mourning, exploring both the anticipation and reflection associated with grief. Each track is aiming to confront and navigate the shadowy corners of the psyche, and the dark nature of the music serves as a reflection of the transformative power inherent in the exploration of complex human emotions.

Sun of Nothing - Maze

Ο όρος "Λαβύρινθος" χρησιμοποιείται πολλές φορές για να δηλώσει ένα οικοδόμημα με πολύπλοκους διαδρόμους που καθιστούν δύσκολη ή αδύνατη την έξοδο από αυτό, καθώς και κάθε παρόμοια διάταξη δρόμων ή στοών.

1. Liars in Wait

2. After the Fall
3. Ghost
4. Voidhanger
5. Buried Endeavors

Thorn - Evergloom

Doom / death metal from the Unites States. 

 

Album out on September 15th, 2023 through Transcending Obscurity Records. 

 

From the label's Bandcamp page:

 

Underground death metal heroes Thorn conjure up their third full length which is easily their most mature and immersive one yet. They've elevated their unique style of barbaric old school death metal blended with emotionally-charged atmospheric parts which very few bands are able to pull off convincingly. As if reminiscing about bittersweet memories, the music instinctively oscillates between angry, bludgeoning parts and poignant, wistful tunes. This contrast works beautifully for their kind of doomy death metal music, and even better so on this album which has more pronounced death metal influences along with comparatively more fleshed out structures. Interestingly, the songs on the album start getting more violent after the initial comforting lull, drawing in unsuspecting new listeners and preparing them for the ritualistic slaughter, after which they go back to their dreamlike state, closing with the triumphant title track which perfectly encapsulates their sound. Thorn have come up with a refreshing and fulfilling album that's just as powerful as it's evocative, and one that will be talked about for aeons to come.

FFO: Desecresy, Intestine Baalism, Edge of Sanity, Desultory, Fumes

The A.C. report:

---

  Music: 3.5

Production: 3

Vocals: 3

Text: 3
Cover art: 3.5

Originality: 3.5

Instrumentation: 3
Atmosphere: 3.5
Flow & cohesion: 3
Impact: 3
Replayability: 3 

Innovation: 3

---

 

Overall: 3.2 out of  5 [Good]

 

Full of Hell & Primitive Man - Suffocating Hallucination (2023) Review

Through different practices of establishing oppressive darkness, it is not unreasonable to consider Primitive Man and Full of Hell were actually churned out of the same furnace. The main distinction is of course the speed of each band's material, the former stomps an overwhelmingly heavy and slow doom metal palette, while the latter skins sound to its extreme with fast paced grindcore. Common ground is found - which is also what distinguishes both from the larger part of the aforementioned genre families - in the excessive use of noise and power electronics. 

Once noticing a collaboration album between these two artists, it feels like such an act was just bound to happen eventually, especially among such like-minded individuals. Suffocating Hallucination is characterised by a thick, impenetrable, ugly and intimidating atmosphere, as it is met in the works of both bands. 

It is a record that features both their capabilities under the same blanket, yet each respective identity somehow stays intact, and you can be pretty sure of what material was written by which of the two. The vocals also swap between Primitive Man’s growls and Full of Hell’s screaming, but in terms of tempo compromises, most of the record is middle to slow paced with a few distinct faster moments. 

The listener gets what was promised with Suffocating Hallucination, as it ticks boxes for: an ultra speedy, 25 second track “Bludgeon” as the stamp of Full of Hell, a dark ambient / noise texture interlude “Dwindling Will”, a painfully decelerated Primitive Man anthem “Trepanation of Future Joys” and the clearest amalgam of the two projects, “Rubble Home”. At the longest piece, the closing “Tunnels to God”, it is the first time we witness these otherwise gruesome bands adopts more melancholic nuances through the fog and the noise, as the song slowly progresses and deconstructs itself. 

Such attempts substantiate the inspirational drive behind the creation of Suffocating Hallucination and save the record from being obsolete, as all the pieces are here, hideously refreshed and promptly served on a plate. As a follower of Primitive Man and Full of Hell by now, I see merit in both sides and acknowledge this work, as one of the better collaboration examples lately.

DAMAGE: 3.75/5 [Great]

Release date: 03 Mar 2023

Release label: Closed Casket Activities

Listen: Bandcamp

Arvalastra - Meditation on the Lunar Steppes (2023) Review

A fairly unique underground entity from Bilbao, Spain, the project of Arvalastra has been active for the last six years with numerous releases and now counting five full length albums. Its meditative, occult presence is accompanied by a particular but not completely novel (Necromantia, Barathrum) compositional approach: no guitars, only bass. Such is the groundwork for Meditation on the Lunar Steppes, which has been developed only through electric and acoustic bass, drums and vocals, a rather simplistic but in this case, quite efficient setup. 

Arvalastra manages not only to construct the monotonous, think drone / doom metal atmosphere it goes for, but it also serves its purpose conceptually, as Meditation on the Lunar Steppes has fully compatible music for the journey it wants the listener to take. The tracks are slow, introspective and drained out of unnecessary energy, boasting quite a full sound even without the use of guitars, often reminiscent of depressive black metal templates, but one should not get the wrong impression when reading this. A couple of interludes (“Celestial Orbs” and “Crepuscular Dusk”) are short, minimal and haunting, fixing the different pieces of the album together nicely. 

Convoluted existential topics of deep philosophical concern are discussed in the album, which ultimately makes itself not a walk in the park to go through in case one decides to dig a bit deeper. Meditation on the Lunar Steppes lasts 50 minutes, and 21 of those are occupied by the massive closing piece “Towards Aurora”, which contains the more black metal side of the record, followed by a quiet instrumental and funeral doom ending. 

“Saturn’s Scythe” and “Æthēr Primigenium” are fitting gloomy doom metal pieces and only “Salarmoniack” is a more middle-paced track in its entirety, compared to the overall slowness of this meditation. As a whole, Arvalastra have not changed much since their last or any release, and this new record has exactly what it goes for, not less or more. Not for the average doom metal or black metal fan, it will be appreciated by people that prefer more “lethargic” material, be it DSBM, funeral doom or dark ambient. And it definitely comes with topics to think about.

DAMAGE: 3.75/5

Listen:
Bandcamp

Release date: 03 Feb 2023 (His Wounds) 

Ahab - The Coral Tombs (2023) Review

Eight years after The Boats of Glenn Carrig, oceanic mammoths Ahab return with an album that finally takes inspiration from one of the first and favourite books I read as a kid: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. All the virtues of the band are as lustrous as ever in The Coral Tombs, which communicates their experience and comfort at top-notch, unique doom metal that is barely limited in strict genres.

It kicks off with the most unusual Ahab introduction that has even been heard, the heavily ominous “Prof. Arronax’ Descent into the Vast Oceans” which features guest vocals by Chris Noir of Ultha. The song quickly finds port in more orderly, slow paced woeful melodies on clean vocals, and there is no more turbulence in the record. Classic gloomy atmosphere set in through the short tracks of The Coral Tombs, as the imposing riffs of “Colossus of the Liquid Graves” and “Mobilis in Mobili” comprise the more distinct, memorable moments of the album. On its latter part is where Ahab takes on prolonged compositions, where more space is created for the full growth of this band’s music and ideas grow as it progresses. 

“The Sea as a Desert” is one of the highlight, but also the closing number “The Mælstrom” (featuring the singer of Esoteric) also stands out for the great guitar lines of its darker side and the less linear drumming of its first half. The self-titled track and “Ægri Somnia”, as the rest of the album, hold close the imprint of the band and their recipe: heavier doses of almost funeral doom metal (not anymore) with melodic, slow paced cleaner passages, deep growls and cleans in all tracks. 

Yet, Ahab’s successful presence stems from other factors too apart from the great music: excellent storytelling and characteristic, personal sound. The Coral Tombs has the distinct highlights: great flow, powerful musicianship, engaging atmosphere,  and amazing addition of guest vocals by Ultha and Esoteric. Ahab was away for too long!

DAMAGE: 4/5

Links:

Facebook || Instagram || Homepage

Autophagy - Bacteriophage (2022) Review

Experienced members in the modern sludge / doom / death metal scene comprise Portland's Autophagy, who caught the attention back in 2018 with an initial, quite solid first demo release. In the form of Bacteriophage, the band presents a concise debut full length album with a simplistic but effective formula: Swedish death'n'roll and old school death metal, with some doom metal touches, all drenched in down-tuned, grisly sound directly from the swamps only meant to disgust you. The magnificent cover art was catered by Brazilian designer Marcio Blasphemator, it immediately catches the eye and thankfully the material inside doesn't disappoint. Again, Bacteriophage doesn't overstep its own boundaries, so after a couple of tracks, you know what you're in for. Wonderful hidden guitar solos arise here and there (for example in "Beneath the Moss, Between the Roots") but for the most part, the whole record is one giant groove with a handful of faster and even less slower parts, but at least executed quite adequately. Doom / death metal glory resides in the self-titled track and the latter part of "Sacrificial Spawn, which also includes speedier tempos as in "Eviscerated Remains", "Abhorrent Abomination" and "Dawn of the Endless Plague". Tunes like "Return to the Charnal Hall" sit comfortably sit in what basically is pure death'n'roll, and "Becoming" has a little bit of everything, which actually is the case for all the tracks in Bacteriophage, and points out their tolerance in combining these few elements that make up the record. I was never overwhelmed by massive musical insight when listening to this, but all the tracks maintain a certain level of ugliness that is always admirable in death metal and its own kind of beauty, which I think shines with Autophagy and their neat debut. Hats off to the deep growls of the singer as well, who never dared to exit the cave when recording these vocals, and why would he. [3.5/5 - Great] 

Darkthrone - Astral Fortress (2022) Review

A fairly quick continuation to last year's Eternal Hails..., Darkthrone's new record Astral Fortress is a piece of the same bread. Loaded with an organic sound, traditional heavy / doom metal is wholly embraced once again through the characteristic lens of the band, which is their own but still stubbornly bowing to the ways of the primordial metal. There is no colourful, plagiarised artwork this time, yet it is now something much closer to the real life of the band members and reminiscent of the choice made in Arctic Thunder when it comes to a cover piece. While often advertising a return to black metal practices for several of their recent albums, I fail to hear it and the records don't exert such a vibe at all anymore, but it did put a smirk in my face listening to the middle paced, cold riffs of the closing track "Eon", which give a hint in that direction a bit. Other than that, "Kolbotn, West of the Vast Forests" stands as an unusual interlude for some of its non-symmetric melodies and further from these points, the rest of Astral Fortress is business as usual for Darkthrone. They can still produce a lot of flavourful, old school heavy riffing sequences, the acoustic guitar / synth usage is slight but detectable and the album comes forth as what it is, a nice snapshot of the current state of the band. The structure of the tracks is wonderful, moving from fast to slow and to really slow melodic parts, Nocturno Culto's raspy vocals fit like cherries on cake and the overall production feels natural, as is the band itself. It's great to see that the two share basically all positions in creating the album, from songwriting to execution, and for someone with such longevity, Darkthrone still have some inspiration left. The material is not ground breaking, but the fans will love it, and there might be something for everyone. At the core though, are the 80's. I found the album more consistent than Eternal Hails... to some extent, but these two are siblings. [3/5 - Good]

Guyođ & Lehm - Alluvial Soil (Split, 2022) Review

There is a certain quite interesting nature in both newborn bands featured in Alluvial Soil, a split release directly from the Austrian underground, between obscure death metallers Guyođ and sludge / post-metal project Lehm. And while the latter has already released a full length three years ago, Guyođ's side stands as the very first material of the act and Alluvial Soil, practically being their debut release, stands as a bold and daring statement that reeks of potential. Each band contributes two tracks, and the duration and the split opens with Guyođ's murky, thick guitar sound, drawing inspiration from aquatic concepts with several references to the ocean and the depths, their music is mostly built on slow / middle paced patterns with some far-flung Ulcerate hints, an ounce of doom metal and wonderful and varied vocals. It is an extremely well articulated band in terms of lyrics as well, and both their tracks, clocking above seven minutes each, present enough compositional proficiency that makes the listener take notes to not forget this strangely named band and be alerted for when they put out a full length album. Lehm don't dare to play any faster, yet they move in more distinct sludgy / post-metal melodies and a fuzzy, painful guitar sound with subtle echo that makes you feel like you're listening to them live in a basement somewhere. Nice guitar work, with really solid riffing / soloing especially in "Weeping Willow", they deliver their part of the split constitute to a mini-album that has bands of different genres, but with very well clicking music that provides a seamless experience. I mostly went into Alluvial Soil by quite quickly being hooked to Guyođ's work, yet there is essence and quality scattered all over this little gem of a split. I bet these guys will make a louder impact when full releases are put out to the world, judging from this first, short taste. [3.5/5 - Great]

Origin: Austria / Austria

Label: Self-released

Release date: January 23rd, 2022

Listen: Bandcamp

Primitive Man - Insurmountable (EP, 2022) Review

It has happened that I have turned off a Primitive Man record, especially their early material, just because of how empty and long the compositions were. At the same time, when they aim more accurately, their absolutely crushing side becomes more prevalent. 

While I enjoyed their last couple of albums, I still think a major issue of this band is the length and the monotony of their work, which is always too much for too little. Funnily enough, this EP is longer than their last full length Immersion, and it includes a Smashing Pumpkins cover of the song "Quiet", but you will not recognize it.

Insurmountable that the equally scourging production of their recent works, and the same musical approach, so not much have changed: the second track "Boiled" is a solid noise / dark ambient piece, "Cage Intimacy" is borderline boring but a certain fan pleaser, the opener "This Life" is the actually legit and enjoyable piece and "Quiet" surpasses the notion of a cover, it's vastly different, it didn't fully fit to my ears and just makes you want to listen to the actual Smashing Pumpkins. 

Therefore, this EP is a hit and miss for me, I'm taking away the first track and probably nothing more. But still, just for the average amount of heaviness they manage, it's a pass.

---

Label: Closed Casket Activities

Country: USA

Release date: May 13th, 2022

Website: Facebook

DAMAGE: 3/5 [Good]

E-L-R - Vexier (2022) Review

Band: E-L-R

Country: Switzerland

Album: Vexier

Label: Prophecy Productions

Website: Facebook

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The second full length by Swiss doom / psychedelic rock / blackgaze / atmospheric-post metal band E-L-R sees the light of day three years after their promising debut Mænad, and proves that it is sometimes rather senseless to force a genre label to something, after this description surpasses two words. It is still a case of an artist that has, to me, quite clear musical leanings, yet I can't stick just one genre tag on them, and I was reminded of this through their latest installment, a brand new full length named Vexier. 

E-L-R is a concoction of a few but assertive elements: powerful middle-paced post-metal riffing (similar to which, you have heard from the giants of the genre), a few slow ritualistic passages, even fewer intense, black metal-ish moments and dominant atmosphere in reverb. They sure take their time with Vexier, as tracks repeat and repeat themselves and you catch yourself nodding without realizing it. This is a double edged sword though: the music works perfectly almost as a secondary presence, but might lose a more impatient listener, who doesn't focus on anything else at the time of listening, along the way. At the same time, Vexier has the complete skillset to absolutely captivate and let everything drawn in to its world, once the conditions are right.

For me, the record has enough variety to stay interesting even when they're pushing the boundaries of repetitiveness at times. Consider how quickly rhythms change in "Three Winds", which dances between a black metal introduction, post-rock clean guitars and atmospheric doom metal with impressive vocals (a point that I will come back to later). At the same time, the droning, funereal tracks "Fleurs of Decay" and "Seeds", barely change tone throughout their duration, bringing in mind the compositional approach of Indian to me, even though the music is of course not the same. "Fleurs of Decay" is great, as is the massive closer piece "Forêt". Its introduction, as if taken from a Wolves in The Throne Room record, builds up for almost six minutes before unraveling long one note melodies and a melancholic ending which goes hand in hand with how Vexier opens during the first seconds of "Opiate the Sun".

That track is also very characteristic of what E-L-R are doing, and the horsepower and weight of these riffs, really make them worthy of the name. In its 12 minutes of length, "Opiate the Sun" is a delight to listen to, exactly because of how heavy the melodies are, the organic production and even more, the ethereal female vocals. By far my favorite aspect of Vexier, which hardly has any lyrics (thank you), is the usage of chanting distant female vocals as layers of specific parts of the compositions, instead of having a leading role, and it works marvelously. I felt the message of the band being successfully conveyed through the tracks, and all the little additions like rain or flowing water samples just put even more force for the ink on the stamp to stay. 

I am all up for the nature oriented adaptation of the band and agree with most of their choices, musical and aesthetical. E-L-R left a good mark with their debut but didn't hook me back then, I think with Vexier I am seriously revisiting the band will be paying more close attention to their creations. As a person who can be easily alienated by uninspired post-metal, I think E-L-R let their ideas grow and construct their own realm in this genre, as a multi-faceted band with more to give than what you would perceive with just one quick listen. And to think I almost missed this!

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Release date: March 11th, 2022

Tracklist:

1. Opiate the Sun

2. Three Winds

3. Seeds

4. Fleurs of Decay

5. Forêt

Listen:

Bandcamp | Spotify

Labor Intvs - Sunken Crucible (2021) Review

Genre: Black / Doom Metal

Location: Finland

Label: Self-released

Listen: Bandcamp

Website: Instagram

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This is an eminently unusual release. Not a lot of information about the project have seen the light of day either, as there is no input who the members are, or their past experience. Finnish project Labor Intvs release their debut full length Sunken Crucible quietly in terms of promotion, but fairly vehemently in terms of musical payload. Self-labeled as introspective blackened death / doom metal, it is an accurate enough description even if this record can still catch you off guard quite easily, as it’s overpacked with ideas and often in ways you might have not heard before.

While that’s a big statement in the day and age when everything has been played in the past, and at the same time Labor Intvs don’t introduce new basic elements, Sunken Crucible showcases a rather remarkable combination of different sub styles of black metal, with a few ounces of doom, slight drone, and a fair chunk of forward thinking composition structure. It isn’t perfect by any means, but its fair amount of brilliant moments. It’s not a short record either, with its 51 minutes of duration seeming to be a knife that cuts from both sides, yet Labor Intvs – while at times skating on thin ice – manage to maintain interest throughout the whole listening experience. For a debut album, the production is remarkably balanced, which suggests a professionally made album. On the other hand, the few tapes that are released are DIY created, and they are not of high quality or “may contain glitches here and there”. In my book, that’s a win on both fronts, but it might not add up.

If you’re looking for some dissonant black metal, you will find some immensely forceful parts of that in Sunken Crucible. Sections in “Vitriol”, “In Dread Tartarus”, or “Divine Silence”, feature top-notch, attacking orthodox black metal of the best kind. At the same time, these tracks as well as others, include segments that are highly experimental, creating a distorted atmosphere, such that’s not really common to come across. The potency of the melodies in the record is huge, with absolutely thrilling moments in the slow-paced riffing of “Tantalust” or the haunting samples in the introduction of the longest track “Labvrinth”. This track also hosts heavy experimentation, especially towards the end, similar to the eerie aesthetics that are exerted from the last moments of the record in “Divine Silence”. It might be too long for some, as is the almost one-dimensional, drone-ish introduction track “Abject Spirit”. While I love the recording of it’s first seconds, its layer of thick noise following would have been a skippable track in a different release. Here, I’m sitting waiting, what’s coming next? Captivating.

I would say Sunken Crucible has much more black than doom metal, but not in the traditional way of any of the two. What happens frequently with records that aim to be more avant-garde, or full force dissonant, is that the technicality and compositional absurdity overrides their repeatability, and they are completely off more casual listening. The argument is always that these records are that complex by nature, but now appears a release, equally intriguing, equally complex, that’s also addictive enough for repetitive listens for a longer period of time. I would say Labor Intvs is something like the bastard spawn of The Ruins of Beverast and Deathspell Omega, with some extra instrumental piecework of unknown origins, but yes, it’s also definitely introspective. 

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, maybe the best artwork I’ve seen this year.

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Tracklist:

1. Abject Spirit

2. Vitriol

3. Tantalust

4. In Dread Tartarus

5. Labvrinth

6. The Final Threshold

7. Divine Silence

Damage: 4.5/5 [Brilliant]

Skepticism - Companion (2021) Review

Release date: September 24th, 2021

Genre: Funeral Doom Metal

Origin: Finland

Label: Svart Records

Listen: Bandcamp

We got a tiny bit of Eero Pöyry action earlier this year with his keyboard contribution to the introduction and outro of Mork's latest album Katedralen, a great work of modern Norwegian black metal that features some of the band's most well-written material to date. As for me, I enjoyed Katedralen but was more anxiously waiting for the next Skepticism full length, especially after the slight letdown of 2015's Ordeal, where the band didn't manage to keep my attention almost at all. Prior to that, they have massive albums on their backs, each one a big chapter in their story dating back to the early days of establishing this subgenre.

If you want some quick insight to stop reading this text faster, you should already know then that Companion is startling. Its massive atmosphere, through multilayered synths and the beloved church organs, the snail-paced guitar lines -even though, this time Skepticism dare to play a bit faster too- all live up to their names. With instances that reminded me a bit of the Farmakon era, it's packed with epic moments and almost no dull moment, it naturally flows and you won't even know when the 48 minutes of duration have passed when listening to this magical journey. Companion changes mood from time to time, based always on interesting ideas and fine musicianship, so don't expect pointless, endless songs that attempt to mimic funeral doom metal. I really liked some of the directions this record took, and it's after all, made by veterans.

The album openers "Calla" and "The Interwined" are wonderful examples of Skepticism class, and they stand on the slightly more uplifting side of the album. The band picks up some speed here and might catch some listeners off guard (just compare this to the standard speeds of e.g., Alloy), offering an abundance of beautiful melodies and some especially nice piano + drums part in "The Interwined". Slower, church organ driven lines follow in "The March of the Four", where one can find some of the more typical funeral doom elements being clearer. However, Companion takes a wondrous turn from then on, as it shows its angry face with "Passage". Apart from the intimidating introduction, which feels like a more furious, fast paced black metal track might kick in, its used of background synths, along the mellower, more common Skepticism style, provides a heavier, more punishing result that made it possibly my favorite track in the record.

It's pointless to mention how good the keyboards and the church organ is every time it deserves a mention in Companion, but for the people who are familiar with Skepticism, the quality of Eero Pöyry's execution is well known. That's what I enjoyed the most in the dolent "The Inevitable", and the rest of the instrumentation in the ominous introduction of the final track "The Swan and the Raven", as well as how it built up and closed the album in the same manner. Yet, not to totally praise this release, what I did not completely enjoy at several times was the growling of the vocals, as to me it didn't sound as hefty, as deep or as strong as it could have been, which had me thinking that if Companion featured a more monstrous lower vocal work, it would have been among my top funeral doom metal albums. Still, I doubt this will alienate the fans out there, as Skepticism have made another really solid effort.

Ok, this was really nice, now back to Stormcrowfleet again.

Tracklist:

1. Calla
2. The Intertwined
3. The March of the Four
4. Passage 
5. The Inevitable 
6. The Swan and the Raven

Damage: 3.5/5 [Great]

King Woman - Celestial Blues (2021) Review

Release: July 30th, 2021
Genre: Doom / Post-Metal / Shoegaze
Origin: California, US
Label: Relapse Records
Listen: Bandcamp

I have to admit I completely missed King Woman's debut album Created in the Image of Suffering four years ago, at least at the time it was released, since I got around to listen to it some time later, and the reason could have been how much I thought this name is close to King Dude, which made me almost already know what I will listen from this band. By listening to the debut, the case was well like that as one can point out musical similarities between the two, but King Woman surely is a separate entity that doesn't call for unnecessary overshadowing.

Introducing itself with a slightly unsettling front cover, Celestial Blues is not as innocent as the title would suggest but no fan of this project / style would be fooled like that about the content. With the new record, King Woman stretches more on spiritual religious aspects of the frontwoman's Kristina Esfandiari life, mulling over despair and mourning as a textually rather dark record that uses theistic figures and elements to describe much more personal experiences. Of course, the crawling, gloomy, slow-paced (for the most part) music goes along with the ongoing elegies, this time putting more emphasis to clearer doom metal passages, while the post-metal temperament always manages to stand out. At the same time, the absolute highlight in Celestial Blues and any King Woman work, is actually Kristina's thrilling voice.

The focus on more variety compared to the first album as well as the emphasis on some heavier guitar parts gives the band the boost it needed, especially in the first part of the record lie the best moments of Celestial Blues. The heavier, stoner / doom metal distorted guitar lines distantly bring Pallbearer to mind, while the common grounds with Chelsea Wolfe are quite strong throughout the release in its entirety. The self-title opening tracks efficiently demonstrates the above and starts Celestial Blues with a blast, which continues with the second track "Morning Star" (a reference to Satan), one of my favorites as a whole. However, the two most compelling tracks of the album for me were by far "Boghz" and "Golgotha", with intense heavier moments, slow paced, painful passages, and the latter featuring a stunning cello part by Jackie Perez Gratz (who you may know from Giant Squid or Grayceon).

For the second half of Celestial Blues, the album unfortunately doesn't maintain the same level of competence musically, as I found the compositions aching at various points. "Coil" and "Psychic Wound" are mere average songs (Imagine the same ones without such a unique voice), but more specifically the use of harsher vocals here didn't come out as that convincing to me. With the exception of "Entwined", which does have some worthy moments, and the sorrowful, emotive ending piece "Paradise Lost", Celestial Blues suffers from a few filler moments but thankfully not too many, and it's not what's left in the mind of the listener after it's done. The more potent works in the album stand out and contain possibly some of King Woman's best creations to date.

Recognizing a certain evolution in this project's music, this album is one I would return easier than Created in the Image of Suffering, however only for specific chunks of it. As much as I adored a few tracks, others left me almost indifferent but in total Celestial Blues is a work that deserves its appreciation. It's hurting, it's distressed, darkly poetic and probably fulfils the artist's vision as it was meant to be. If King Woman has evaded you so far, and you like the approach of other musicians like King Dude and Chelsea Wolfe, it's almost a crime not to listen to this as well.

Damage: 3/5 [Good]