Saidan - Fangdriller: Scars Beneath Memory's Wrist (2026) Review

This act has caused significant turbulence within the scene since its formation only a few years ago, yet in that short span it has already assembled a quite formidable catalogue of full-length albums. Saidan's frenetic brand of black metal, amplified by overwhelming melodicism and blended with the dismal aura of Japanese horror, has grown a large audience through the effectiveness of its riffing and mercurial style of songwriting. Evolution has been evident throughout their entire discography, with each release surpassing the last.

Grabunhold - Frostheim (2026) Review

I remember anticipating Heldentod eagerly in 2021, due to the great impression I had of German outlet Grabunhold from their 2019 EP, Unter dem Banner der Toten. The debut album proved remarkable, and the band continued on a positive note with 2023's split release with Circle of Shadows, slowly drafting their own continuous landscape of Tolkien-inspired, triumphant and vigorous black metal. Half a decade after the first album, Frostheim is still characterized by mystique of the old world, winter imagery, and a higher than average aptitude for guitar-fronted melancholy in darkness buried deep, beyond all towers strong and high, beyond all mountains steep.

Geheimnisvoll - Pale Triumph of the Hidden Flame (2026) Review

Now growing with the quiet assurance of a project settling into its own mythology, Geheimnisvoll's second full-length album moves with the confidence of a craftsman well into adherence to habit. 

Pale Triumph of the Hidden Flame is just over half an hour long, and offers Finnish-inspired melodicism that permeates across all its seven tracks, yet for better or for worse, rarely mutates. The production leans decisively toward clarity, especially compared to previous releases, and vocals remain steadfast in tone - melodic black metal on instinct, or rather, autopilot.

Weaknesses are difficult to pinpoint, but so are moments of ascension. Each track advances on familiar paths, always guided by an underground ethos, but there's a constant resistance to revelation, while at least also avoiding failure. Geheimnisvoll does not invest on an abrasive edge, as the album's guitar lines glide with a surprising warmth beneath the intended chill.

Aesthetically coherent, but possibly too recognizable, Pale Triumph of the Hidden Flame is pleasant enough for a melodic black metal album, but also only modestly effective. I wouldn't find a highlight moment or track even if I wanted to, but it's all enjoyable enough to leave a positive aftertaste. For fans only.

Rating: 3/5

Kvaen - The Formless Fires

 

I had slept on this band. I saw Kvaen live last year and the performance blew me away, as I was not aware of the significantly above average musicianship and ideas contained in their previous record The Great Below. I got even more into them with their debut The Funeral Pyre, and became a fan basically right after that live show. 

 

Top-notch guitar lines, amazing solos and blasting melodic black metal patterns right out of Sweden's heart, The Formless Fires points fingers at legends like Necrophobic, Naglfar and Dark Funeral, but it has its own sound at the same time. I clearly prefer the fast paced moments of the album compared to the slower ones, but it's all in all very decent. 

 

The guitar work is once again a highlight for them, and it's a must for the fans. Hopefully the addition to a much bigger label like Metal Blade will give Kvaen the exposure they deserve. This album doesn't hold back at all.

Listen to  

The Formless Fires

Lamp of Murmuur - Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism (2020) Review

One of the problems with the modern scene is how saturated it is across all genres, but the fact that someone points it out again is in itself saturation. Stop making new bands.

Looking at a bleached black and white cover, with stapled titles in thorny fonts and a dude in corpse paint, makes me sigh instantly nowadays. Romanticism? There goes another mellow project that's into gothic rock, post-punk and no energy trying to put me to sleep. Lamp of Murmuur is none of all things. 

Their demos leading to this full length were all amazing. The music here is catchy, memorable and harsh. The Dead Can Dance cover is great. Finally, here is a project that managed to pull of the melodic / raw black metal trick properly, and this result is quite an achievement. 

Pretty epic album, with long tracks full of fantastic material for your ears and your friends. It will also help you not think of their latest release. Recommended. [4 out of 5 - Excellent]

Los Angeles, California, US | Self-released

Website | Listen

Track listing:

1. Of Infernal Passion and Aberrations

2. Bathing in Cascades of Caustic Hypnotism

3. Gazing Towards the Hallways of a Peaceless Mind

4. The Scent of Torture, Conquering All

5. Chalice of Oniric Perversions

6. Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism

7. The Stars Caress Me as My Flesh Becomes One With the Eternal Night

8. In The Wake Of Adversity (Dead Can Dance cover)

Total runtime | 00:47:29

Drakon - П​р​о​б​у​ж​д​е​н​и​е (2022) Review

Hailing from Russia, Drakon released their debut full length album П​р​о​б​у​ж​д​е​н​и​е (= awakening) last year after a five year gap between their first two EPs in 2017 and as a first complete introduction to the sound of the band. The record contains seven tracks and is delivered completely in Russian, with a total of 35 minutes of new music that didn't get the traction it should have since its release.

Drakon are well rooted in black metal, with traditional influences but fairly more modern approach in terms of art and sound. The production of П​р​о​б​у​ж​д​е​н​и​е is clean and feels full, giving wide space to the guitar lines to form the identity of the band. It's also frequently paced in middle speed tempos and only sometimes a bit faster, with numerous epic riffs constructing the main body of the record in a characteristic way: classic BM riffs from the 90's, coated with a more recent playstyle and undulating between grim intensity and drawn atmospherics of melodic black metal. 

Lyrically, П​р​о​б​у​ж​д​е​н​и​е discusses the elements, darkness and the divine, with a handful of moments where the tracks become quite thrilling, for example in the middle sections of "Во Мраке Ночи" or the more aggressive closing piece "В Объятьях Смерти". Really pale, current state Rotting Christ riff structures can be discerned sparsely here and there, and a potential a essence in some moments like during the lines of "Ода Северу". You will pick up several parts that feel familiar while listening to П​р​о​б​у​ж​д​е​н​и​е, but Drakon manages to present their own cocktail in the end.

With this promising start, the band offers a record that proves quite appropriate for re-listening and without significant weaknesses. Influences on their sleeves, interesting tracks and nice lyrics (if you are a native Russian speaker, probably even nicer) makes the record worth it, especially under this wonderful cover art. Looking forward to the follow-up steps of this group.

DAMAGE: 4/5

Listen:

Bandcamp

Release date: 28 Oct 22 (Independent)

Daemonian - The Frost Specter's Wrath (2023) Review

Hailing from Japan, Daemonian follow a similar tactic like modern Japanese breweries do with their local beer: borrowing a recipe from the US or Europe, and following it to the last milligram. This overly analytical analogy, when thought of in a musical framework, can reveal how the project is strongly reminiscent to melodic black metal from Scandinavia, and specifically Sweden. Some melo-death elements also exist, but you already get the gist. 

For this endeavour, a designer has been hired to also create artwork similar to that scene of the 90’s like the legendary works of Necrolord, and what solely stands as a unique addition is the sketch of this specific logo. Going into The Frost Specter’s Wrath, one will realise quickly that Daemonian are fans of the Swedish sound and the frosty song titles / lyrics of Immortal, as this record is constructed basically on these two elements and what you have already heard, but in a quite decent fashion. 

I kept thinking of bands like Setherial, The Legion and especially Naglfar throughout the whole of this release, as melodic riffs came swinging constantly with non-stop fast paced melodies, screams and beautiful solos that you might also hear in heavy / power metal. The aftertaste of The Frost Specter’s Wrath is also the same, making you wonder if you actually listened to a hidden Naglfar record all this time. I particularly liked the frenzy fast and short track “Blizzard Blast” that would make all the aforementioned bands proud and the closing, self-titled piece. 

As a whole, the album is executed perfectly and that’s what slightly saves its case. All of it is really enjoyable and the tracks pass by easily, I would still hope that Daemonian sort of discover their own sound, but as a shameless tribute to the Scandinavian melodic black / death metal scene, the fans will love it and the rest won’t be surprised. It only has a slightly less aggressive sound than its geographically distant relatives, and maybe a sense of viking metal in “King of the Daemons”. Apart from that, you simply know what you get.

DAMAGE: 3/5

Listen:
Bandcamp

Release date: 31 Jan 2023 (Zero Dimensional Records)

Gaerea - Mirage (2022) Review

This name will appear in many outlets and probably many lists this year. Gaerea have all it needs to be a part of the widely discussed leading names of the modern black metal scene, right along the biggest names of the scene. They have been on an upward spiral since their debut, they are as photogenic as needed and now come around with an extremely attractive record to prove themselves. But do they? Mirage is by all means grandiose, really expressive and acutely crafted. The sound is powerful and the tracks compelling, cracking the formula of how to make properly heavy material with loads of melodies, borrowing some elements from post-black metal, evocative clean guitar passages and an intense live presence to go along with it. You can feel the vocalist’s agony through these painful screams, and the album explosively starts with highlights “Memoir” and “Salve”.  “Deluge” is also entertaining, “Arson” somehow manages (even though I hear some melodies that are the same as in Mgła), and that reveals a negative aspect of Mirage, its slightly underwhelming evolution until the end. There’s serious blasting in the beginning but it feels to me as ideas become more and more sparse as it progresses. “Ebb” has pretty standard, one-dimensional riffing, the filler clean guitar part of the self-titled track removes a lot of the album’s potential up to that point, and both “Mantle” and the closing “Laude” contain nothing more than average atmospheric / post-black metal lines. Thankfully, the delivery on the vocals often saves the day in the record, which is as a whole a quite satisfactory listening experience, despite the compositional weaknesses in some points. Despite that, this point will not alienate the fans who will worship this, or it will go unnoticed as Mirage is a generally powerful release. Therefore, the enormous praising that Gaerea receive, is not completely unjustified, yet I wouldn’t completely agree on how groundbreaking or genre pushing this work actually is. [3.25/5 - Good]

Spider God - Fly in the Trap (2022) Review

My first interaction with Spider God was a split with Μνήμα from 2021, where both bands expressed similar kind of filth in a few tracks and had me excited about another uprising quality raw black metal band. You can imagine my reaction coming across Black Renditions a year later, however I quickly moved on with a big question mark on how it was the same band that produced the two. Spider God proved hard working and release their actual debut full length album Fly in the Trap, which still remains unconventional if not polarizing for a black metal record. With a strangely eerie artwork, the record deals with the famous story of the death of Elisa Lam and includes quite interesting, ghost musicians like Rope Sect, Revenant Marquis and A Forest of Stars. Employing heavy doses of melody, most of the tracks abuse tremolo picking in a meaningful way and often manage guitar lines under a lot of brightness, contradicting the usually soul crushing atmospheres found in black metal. On the contrary, Fly in the Trap is borderline uplifting to listen to (check out the chorus of "Labyrinth of Hallways" for example) and doesn't really have the nuances of the genre Spider God are actually playing, yet the musicianship is skilled enough to construct wonderful compositions with nice riff transitions all throughout the album. I found the vocals a little bit repetitive at times, a few titles questionable (e.g. "Hiroshima Mon Amour" or "A Thousand Lonely Spiders") but tracks like the opening "The Fifty Second Murderer" or "Flies in the Trap" have their moments. The unclear direction of "The Hermit" places is clearly as the album's weakest point, and the closing track "Invisible Light" features an introduction straight out of a Running Wild record, and that's how much far away from black metal Fly in the Trap really is. Spider God have the potential to provoke and impress, yet this doesn't translate to the work's essence actually being groundbreaking. By no means a dull listen though. [3/5 - Good]

Notes on: Thy Serpent

As stars have come old

Finland has always had a certain affection towards raw, blasphemous black metal, from its early days until today. Bands like Archgoat, Barathrum, Beherit and Impaled Nazarene were central protagonists during the second wave in the 90's, and a generation of new bands of the same origins has surfaced the last couple of decades, making their branch of the genre an equivalent of the drunkard uncle that crushes and ruins the Christmas family dinner. Of course, artists from there are also capable of delicate, beautiful music (all the symphonic black metal, melodic death metal, symphonic metal and rock, with bands of global caliber) and is one of the areas with the richest heavy metal culture on the planet.

Dödsrit - Mortal Coil (2021) Review

Forlorn but marching forward

It is not very often that you see crust bands have overly long compositions. On the contrary, hardcore crust albums often have a purposefully noisy sound and many, short and hard hitting tracks. Of course, it’s not always the case, especially when it comes to Dödsrit, an already established band who made its name through their valiant ideological stances and high level musicianship. With their first two records in 2017 and 2018, they put forth a menacing blend of crust and black metal, which is combination  often exercised by underground acts but rarely with such efficiency. After a break of three years, the world is introduced Dödsrit’s next tour de force, Mortal Coil, a worthy successor of their previous work Spirit Crusher.

This band’s releases have common traits in terms of structure, and this new record goes along the same pattern not only in the number of tracks but also in the length as it was done in the previous one. Four pieces full of vibrant, melodic black metal, something that is now more defined with a personal touch as a driving factor. The crust elements are always present, with parts of classic d-beat and punkish guitar lines coming and going, yet Dödsrit now devote significant chunks of their compositions to employing melodic sequences that could be found in melodic or even atmospheric / post-black metal. The production in Mortal Coil is knowingly clear, and what stands out in the music is the abundance of wonderful ideas and how they are puzzled together into coherent tunes. The vocals vary from high pitched screaming to shouting and the overall atmosphere of the album is emotionally burdened and ecstatic, it would not be labeled as dark but instead, lively, angry and straightforward. Once again, I was amazed by the beautiful written lyrics in Mortal Coil, which -as the title would suggest- describe a nature of gloom and frailty in human life from a personal perspective.

Different aspects of the album work very well together and create a result that was for me, more memorable than the band’s previous works. There’s several moments that Dödsrit truly hit gold, be it the frivolous solos at various parts (for example in the self-titled track, which also has a pretty powerful opening), the aching vocals or the build-up sessions. Each song is musically rich and a complete journey on its own, full of epicness and intensity. Starting from “The Third Door”, a wicked eleven minute piece that contains fast paced lines, a lot of melody, distinct crust passages, the listener is filled with satisfaction and enjoyment after it’s concluded, and that’s only the beginning. Dödsrit are great at building climactic moments in their material and Mortal Coil is a fine example of that as well, where the content is balanced and well written through and through. And while it isn’t constantly crust, it’s not that close to the traditional way of black metal, which puts the band in its own spot within this large Venn diagram, by having having an overall character that doesn’t totally reminisce bands of the same genre even. Take a track like “Shallow Graves”, which makes it hard to miss just how marvelous all the guitar lines are, a truly shining melodic black / crust course.

Previous records were enjoyable for me but I never stuck around too long with Dödsrit. I found myself digging Mortal Coil a lot more than I expected, as it is unmistakable how well it provokes and delivers the atmosphere and the feelings, from the sincere musicians to the listener / receiver. It is a great record  which could appeal to more ears out there than just the extreme metal scene, and it comes from a band that has its head straight not only musically but also outside that. In case they were working on this for the last three years, the efforts were totally fruitful and they have been elevated to my eyes through this notable work of art.

Damage: 4/5 [Excellent]

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Frozen Dawn - Those of the Cursed Light (2014) Review

Album | Those of the Frozen Light
Country | Spain
Genre | Melodic Black Metal
Label | Xtreem Music

Before you start guessing the origins of this band, which seem to be rooted somewhere in the north, Frozen Dawn hail from Spain despite the obvious signs that indicate otherwise. These guys have adapted a couple of characteristics of the genre almost in a lookalike sense and I would dare to say it was just a copycat band, even before listening to the music. Indeed, this album's title reminds of Those of the Unlight, the band's name aches of Immortal and the likes, and the music? About that, too.

With such a polished production, the overall aggressiveness of the record is boosted up a lot, making it somewhat catchy and enjoyable during the first seconds of the first listen. Frozen Dawn display a  regular variety of riffs from the Swedish melodic black metal scene in it's dynamics and vibe. The solos and the guitar lines are more technical than the average, with a steady sound and a well worked cover art, apparently missing nothing as a whole. Those of the Frozen Light misses the "raw" part completely, aiming for a typical The Legion / Dark Fortress record, after poorly replaying the style of such bands.

As much as I enjoy crystal clean sound from time to time, I give a lot of credit to a band's personal advent to it's sound, especially in a constantly growing genre like that. I mean, bands that rip the material of the classic bands off are nice to listen to, but not to critique, and I think Frozen Dawn is such a band. What you need to expect from this album is melodic riffs, clean production, fancy titles, all born and raised in Sweden. I'm certain you have heard such records before and the issue of band similarities comes to the point where one does not overuse their influences for it's own good.

Musically, no one can claim that the record is bad, or that the band members are poor musicians. Yet, it's not something extraordinary either and I would choose a band like Naglfar anyday, to please my needs on hammering black metal like that. Listening to Those of the Frozen Light, you hear a replica of the original epicness and it's like a weak movie remake of a classic you love, you just can't get into it. In fact, the vocals here are very Necrophobic-ish and easily a person into the band recently, might confuse this to Necrophobic material.

All my objections to this album is that it's not Frozen Dawn's album, but any Swedish band's album, possessing half it's power too. I don't whine on such bands if their music is at least interesting, but with this I felt I knew what was coming and I was correct too, so it ruins the feeling right there. New fans will enjoy it because of it's intimidating sound and artwork, but it's relatively superficial beyond that, other bands have done it before and they have done it better. I would suggest you proceed with caution, since if you're an old school purist, this might as well hurt your ears.

DAMAGE: 5/10

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Profundi - The Omega Rising (2006)

Profundi "The Omega Rising"

Autumn 2006, Profound Lore Records

Listening Needs

The only release by this one-man project from Sweden. The fact is, that one man is Jens Ryden, more likely to be known for his contribution in Naglfar as a frontman. If you are into black metal you have definitely heard the cut-throat musical services of Naglfar, with melodic and heavy riffs, synths, keyboards and caterwauling vocals.

This album by Profundi is very close to the Naglfar sound, even though there is a personal touch to it at the same time. With an excellent production and compositional work, Jens claims the role of a blacksmith and creates a sharp blade made of fast and agressive swedish black metal. As in Naglfar, the result is overwhelming, whilst the listener stands in awe with a feeling of indulgence, since the music is over the top compared to the average level of other bands in the genre.

He has done a great job handling all the instruments and vocals as well. His voice varies at parts, as it did in the early Naglfar releases and his effort on the guitars and bass is remarkable, melodic riffs and bass leads/solos. An intriguing addition compared to Naglfar is a church/pipe organ added at various moments, certainly adds a dose of darkness.

In the middle of this 48 minute album lies an interlude, composed with a piano and some bizarre samples behind it. Im really into the silent components of such albums and this is truly amazing, very beautiful and atmospheric.

Jens did the songwritting, recording, mixing of all instruments by himself, plus he took care of the artwork by himself (designing and putting together). So, this is his creation alone, from scratch. What he has made is intense, furious and memorable.

Website

DAMAGE: [7.5/10]

The Elysian Fields - Suffering G.O.D. Almighty (2005)

Country: Greece
Genre: Melodic Black Metal
Label: Black Lotus Records
Website: Myspace

This is a relatively unknown and unheard greek black metal band, not many talk about them even in the underground circles, despite the fact that the guys released their first album in 1995, and back then the bands were on fire (Varathron, Kawir, Septic Flesh, Naer Mataron, Rotting Christ, Necromantia, Nergal, Deviser etc...). Pretty awesome sounds, not the typical black metal feeling, they have lots of weird samples, synths, melodic riffs and a bit breathing deathier vocals than usual black metal. It might appeal to fans outside of black metal.

Nebular Moon - ...Of Dreams And Magic (1999)

Country: Germany
Genre: Melodic Black Metal
Label: Last Episode
Website: Myspace

Got this from a festival in my home town, mainly because it was really cheap and i liked the front cover. It turned out that the booklet and CD case have naked women on them, so yeah, it is ok in general. Lots of synths and melodic parts, if you like bands like Cryptic Wintermoon or Night Conquers Day, you probably will like this one too. I enjoy the music, since it has plenty of good elements in it if you're into this style, and the songs are not boring like other symphonic bands. Glad that the piano parts and riffs sound like a real piano playing, which is the truth probably, still im stating it because most bands spend time editing the sounds a lot nowadays.