Gadget - Coerced (EP, 2026) Review

First of all, The Funeral March is one of the best grindcore albums of its time. Secondly, I hope Gadget doesn't make it a habit to put out a major release once per decade, as The Great Destroyer came out 10 years later, and now this new EP, ten years after that. There hadn't been complete silence all this time if you think about the split release with Retaliation in 2021, but I don't mind being patient if it's to witness evolution and artists refusing to rest on their laurels. A comeback after a not so linear timeline (departure of original vocalist, pandemic struggles) sees Gadget in their most audacious form, with a mini-album of eight tracks and a duration as long as Unsilent Death - a golden standard.

The band pre-released "Gnistan" for the EP's promotion, the shortest track and a true grindcore speed stalwart, but Coerced isn't merely a collection of such bursts of aggression. Opener "Nonsense" instantly explodes into blast beat fury, which is maintained at maximum capacity across the remarkable guitar lines of "No Sense of Self" and the massive middle-paced groove on "Who Doesn't Serve You". New vocalist Emilia Henriksson (who has previously screamed her lungs out in Radium Grrrls) does a remarkable job on all tracks, and along the presence of new guitarist Kristofer Jankarls (Livet Som Insats, Axis of Despair) brings a fresh ferocity to Gadget, still testing the levels of intensity the band can reach with this new lineup.

An older track, "Funerary Rites", finally found its appropriate release space, and slaps the face as much as the fast-paced "Flatline", which has a wonderful open chord introduction and a slightly noisy ending that connects perfectly with the most experimental piece on Coerced, the five-minute "False Pulse". Here, Gadget expand upon a fully noisy / dark ambient texture that gets more and more uncomfortable as it moves on and reaches the second longest track of the EP, "Violenty Silent". The doomy sludge inclinations of this piece would surely make Eyehategod giggle in happiness, and concludes a rather bombastic and interesting work by these grindcore legends.

If you've tripped with the bizarre album covers of Pyrrhon, know that the stunning artwork of Coerced was done by the same artist, Caroline Harrison, who apparently mixes repulsive imagery with unexpected beauty as if it's sugar with coffee. The EP is short enough to leave you wanting more, but it's also notably diverse for its kind and hints how Gadget's new configuration is a work in progress, and at a period of renewed, and even darker inspiration. Let's hope for the next full-length to not be a product of distant futures and distant galaxies.

Release: May 8th, 2026 | De:Nihil Records
Rating: 4 out of 5

Mylingar - Út (2026) Review

Following the malignant trilogy of dead roads, dead dreams, and dead souls released by anonymous Swedish (?) project Mylingar between 2016 - 2019,  we were left stunned and aghast but also almost forgot about them thereafter. Nearly seven years is a long time to wait, as the band’s return to action with their third full-length album, Út, and first chapter of another trilogy, begins something new without a single edge softened, picking up where it was buried in 2019 with Döda själar. The long break has only allowed the darkness to insistently seep into Mylingar’s domineering black / death metal anticosmos, crying out in phrases of ritual and dissonance from a wound once opened, and now re-torn. 

The new record consists of seven tracks, whose titles form a sentence in old Norse that translates to the grim following: “May my blood cultivate the soil from below” [1]. Út’s production provides a distinct sense of a cold enclosure, a chamber sealed and echoing riffs sometimes distinct, sometimes under impenetrable layers of buzz. Mylingar’s ever-present pressure concedes to some unsought blurriness, however there’s an appreciable level of compositional intermixture and rhythm fracturing that not only destabilizes the listener’s footing, it also adds to the album the intrigue and substance necessary for such works to float. Both sound and music are disturbing, a cohesive descent to places of unlight with disharmony woven into every formal decision the record makes.

A strange tension between motion and stasis is established under the overarching wall-to-wall carnage, where it’s not directly clear when the band slides from one track section to the next. Closest relatives to this kind of relentless, compressed savagery would be bands like Altarage or Abyssal, with moments distantly reminding me of Serpent Column / Impetuous Ritual at times, however Mylignar also use restraint as a weapon, unlike their tempestuous contemporaries. Opener “Megi”, alongside following tracks “blóð” and “mitt” are overtaken by this trance and keep pummeling to a point of meditative disconnect. Slower passages are dragged along for extended torment, and the first side is not even the most unsettling of the album.

Alongside the surplus of primitive force encountered on the vehement lines of “raekta”, lies the complete surrender of the band to its bestial self, as Út slowly introduces elements of harsh noise electronics in the beginning and end of “jarðveginn”, one of the most punishing pieces of the album. Inside the turbulence, one can also notice the verminous, Cruciamentum-esque death metal riffing on “af”, as well as the truly monstrous middle part. The closing "neðan", the longest track on Út, opens with what could be a seriously malformed, late ‘00s - early ‘10s era Krallice guitar notion, and then indulges in distorted electronics that completely liquefy the album into abstruse harsh noise. 

Mylingar always proceed with a playing style that defies segmentation, and the overall musicianship nails it: uncanny and foundational bass work, drumming that articulates the record’s processional rhythm, and the highlight of these absolutely agonizing vocals moaning against sizzling magma (most notably, for me, on “raekta” and the high-pitched screams of “jarðveginn”, but really, everywhere). By the time it ends, and due to the album’s otherworldly denouement, it feels like Út has taken the listener somewhere fairly far from the point of departure, despite an apparent homogeneity.  Considering the period in which the band released their previous trilogy, it’s only safe to assume there’s more from Mylingar in the works, and maybe closer than you think.

Release: April 17th, 2026 | Amor Fati Productions
Rating: 4 out of 5

    [1] AN NCS PREMIERE: MYLINGAR — “ÚT”. No Clean Singing. (2026).

Grave Heresy - Incineration Victory (2024)

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

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

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

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

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

Incineration Victory

Necrosorcery - Necrosorcery (2024)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spellbound (Red Death)

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

Marduk - Nightwing (1998) Review

Marduk’s first part of the Blood Fire Death trilogy, a three album tribute to Bathory’s monumental album with the same name released in 1988, had the theme of vampirism and “blood” in general.

While already having fairly amazing albums in their catalog, the band added yet another really solid work to the mix, which I get the feeling is a bit overshadowed by other works. Still, it is essential when thinking of the first era of the band, and has all the characteristic thunderous riffing and landmark vocals from Legion, the harsh atmosphere and the overall fast paced, norsecore body of work. 

Marduk always put one or two slower tracks in every album since and these exist in Nightwing too, for the case of this album they are also highlights (unlike in others). The lyrics are great and the concept fits them a lot, maybe even more than the obsession with warlike topics and machinery. 

Nonetheless, “Bloodtide”, “Slay the Nazarene”, the self-titled and “Kaziklu Bey (The Lord Impaler)” are bangers. On the other side, “Dreams of Blood and Iron” and “Deme Quaden Thyrane” are more atmospheric and add the needed flavor. [3.5 out of 5 - Great]

Norrköping, Sweden | Osmose Productions

Website | Listen

Track listing:

1. Preludium

2. Bloodtide (XXX)

3. Of Hell's Fire

4. Slay the Nazarene

5. Nightwing

6. Dreams of Blood and Iron

7. Dracole Wayda

8. Kaziklu Bay (The Lord Impaler)

9. Deme Quaden Thyrane

10. Anno Domini 1476

Total runtime | 00:47:30

Unpure - Prophecies Ablaze (2023) Review

Having already started its activities in the early 90’s with a couple of albums in 1995 and 1996,  Unpure eventually didn’t get far especially when comparing to other, bigger names of the Swedish black metal scene. However, hailing from Uppsala, they have been a brother band to a now well established and household name in the scene from the same city, and that is of course Watain. Apart from sharing members for the release of the latest record Prophecies Ablaze, musicians involved in  death metal neighbours Degial, are also involved in the release. 

Unpure are the oldest of all these bands though, even though they haven’t reached similar levels of popularity. Previous albums were more driven by passion than musical efficiency, and when listening to their early material, one could conclude a skilled toolset was lacking, but that is not the case in 2023, when by now seasoned individuals get down to the juice of the meat when it comes to song construction. The artwork of Prophecies Ablaze is finally at the level of elegance it should be, as well as the record’s production which provides a pleasingly audible sound for an album that was clearly made more professionally than before. 

Music-wise, Unpure’s dedication to the traditional, old school black metal traditions remain (e.g. in “Beyond the Nightmares”, “Northern Sea Madness”), yet the band also includes black / thrash metal elements (in “Small Crooked Bones”),  as well as faster paced, more uplifting tempos through a bit of black’n’roll here and there (more clearly in “His Wrath and the Red Soil”). Highlights of the record are the long, dismal, middle paced section in “The Witch of Upsala” and the wonderful closing track “Endtime Dictator”, while on the other side of the scale actually lies the opener “Megalithic Gateways”, which I found to be the least interesting. 

However, in general, Prophecies Ablaze proves to be highly repeatable and easily listenable. Unpure doesn’t contain the compositional ambition and grandeur of Watain, or the scourging ferocity of Degial, but instead holds its own flame with similar kind of material in a slightly watered down (but not in a negative way) version with a multitude of fine melodies throughout the tracks and enough inspiration to keep the album afloat. Looking at their back catalog, this is the band’s most well-rounded and catered work to date.

Out on March 31st, 2023 | Invictus Productions

DAMAGE: 3.5/5 [Great]

Lustre - A Thirst for Summer Rain (2022) Review

I have left Lustre at Wonder, which is a point in the project's discography that is almost a decade ago so there is some catching up to do. Nevertheless, it is one of the cases where the produced material has a pretty well defined structure and one can be positive of no gross diversions at any point or album, so essentially, it's like I haven't missed a day. A Thirst for Summer Rain, apart from a slightly more optimistic title and color palette, doesn't surprise in terms of music either, as it features characteristic Lustre material standing on dreamy, slow compositions, pale keyboard melodies and distant whispering / screaming vocals that generally wouldn't even come close to anything extreme related. The tracks have an almost nostalgic / romantic atmosphere that hints the album's concept, and they all keep the same tempo and the same attitude at all times, sometimes too much. The introduction of the first track "Quiescence" is basically the reversed melody of the introduction of the third track "Thirst", which for a moment, along the rest of the compositions which feel strikingly similar, had me wondering if Lustre actually has any inspiration left. Yet, A Thirst for Summer Rain is too innocent to be mad at, and an overall pleasing background album to go through, and I'm sure the fans won't ask for anything else than exactly this. The last piece "Alleviation" hardly has any distortion even, which makes this record very light to listen to, and almost completely departing from the realm of metal. Even like that, Lustre maintain and still present their own sound. [3/5 - Good]

Origin: Sweden

Label: Nordvis Produktion

Release date: August 26th, 2022

Listen: Bandcamp

Watain - The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain (2022) Review

Four years and some turbulence since Trident Wolf Eclipse, the most commercially successful black metal band of our time returns with a new installment to their discography, transparently called The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain just as a characterization of their lifestyle and music career up to this day. Once again recorded at Necromorbus Studio at their hometown, Watain's body of work has always been catered from start to finish by its own people and similar-minded disciples, and at the end of the day, even if you can have any studio you want on the planet, why change a winning team...

For starters, I prefer this artwork to the previous album. While The Wild Hunt had to me the best visuals Watain have ever done, there are times that I have not understood their choices in that district. A rework of their mid 00's logo, infused with an Impetigo / Merciless kind of chaotic font filling, in vivid red color above a chock-full design makes a good case of presenting the record along with the way the title is written on it. At the same time, I'm not sure how I feel about the title itself, and this extends to some track titles in the record. For a band that is quite capable of writing great lyrics, I imagine they spent too much time touring with Profanatica before coming up with "Black Cunt", and also, what is a funeral winter? Strictly speaking, that means nothing.

Sound wise, The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain has a crystal clear production and a bombastic sound that won't let down fans of the band. The record is full of the quintessential, melodic structures Watain are known for, and shows a more distinct experimentation with different tempos within compositions, while at times being totally chaotic in high speed moments. I found Trident Wolf Eclipse to be a more direct album, as The Agony... shows a stronger propensity towards clearer melodies without missing thunderous turns of pumped energy that as a fan, you should be really eager to see live. For example, "Leper's Grace" is one of the most straightforward and heaviest tracks I have heard from Watain the last few years, it doesn't hold back for a second, and the same goes for the blasting opener "Ecstasies In Night Infinite" which serves as a great introduction to the album.

One of the singles put out prior to the full release, is a track that I feel can be the next big hit of the band and played around as frequently as a piece like "Malfeitor" or "Reaping Death". Built as the clearest example of what this band is, "The Howling" is what you should suggest to someone new to Watain if you want to show them the most typical sample of what they are about, and it's a pretty enjoyable banger as a whole, even though I don't like the very first two seconds, where that tiny opening riff should have been skipped completely. In some of its longer pieces, The Agony... showcases Watain's competency with creating impassioned guitar lines when they're not too busy playing fast and destructive, and "Before the Cataclysm" depicts exactly that.

Two guest appearances are featured in the record's 8th track "We Remain" (another title at the same level like "They Rode On"), specifically In Solitude's bassist Gottfrid Åhman and the frontman of The Devil's Blood, Farida Lemouchi. Watain have been in very good relations with both these bands and have paid their respect to The Devil's Blood in the past, which makes this collaboration totally reasonable, and it's the time when the band leaves the space open for these amazing female vocals to define this epic slow paced track, which has much stronger and better substance than the previous time when they tried clean vocals in The Wild Hunt. It is not a track I will be listening to that much, but I can tell its evocative nature and finally doesn't feel forced, and it fits well with the rest of the album.

With that being said, there is no point for the short piano piece "Nor sun nor man nor god" to be here, as it's overly simplistic and even includes some guitar playing. Why not make this the introduction of the next track for example? These choices of metal bands always baffle me. Weak moments also lie in the tracks "Serimosa" and the aforementioned "Black Cunt", with the latter being the most boring piece in the album, especially for this compositional pattern of abrupt starting and stopping of the guitars that is frequently used in it, which made it skippable for me. Luckily, it is just one track, and while "Serimosa" seemingly has nice melodies, I would have liked less repetition there too, and its timidness made it a bit unimpressive to me.

The Agony... concludes its piece well, with two really well written black metal pieces, "Funeral Winter" (... ok) and "Serpentrion". The glorious days of the past, when a whole Watain album was a hellish masterpiece, are gone. Nevertheless, it's pretty clear that the flame is still burning for this band and they have not strayed that much from their path, they are extremely skilled and capable of creating their own sound in black metal despite being so honorary towards their influences, and they have not been afraid to experiment. This album represents a fine next step to what they have been doing, and it has several really acute and potent moments, as well as some clear missteps for me. However, even the more fragile moments of the band are still very high in my preferences list, so...

"A cross has been carved in the place where we go to die

There they await, to draw every secret from you

And the blood of thy heart"

---

Label: Nuclear Blast

Country: Sweden

Release date: April 29th, 2022

Website: Instagram

DAMAGE: 4/5 [Excellent]

Ultra Silvam - The Sanctity of Death (2022) Review

Band: Ultra Silvam

Country: Sweden

Album: The Sanctity of Death

Label: Regain Records

Website: Facebook

---

The way I found out about this new band, since I had completely missed their debut album The Spearwound Salvation when it was released in 2019, was through an interview with Misþyrming frontman D.G., where he highly praised them. At the same time, they are touring together now and also at that time, which was when I realised that I should be checking more closely all the bands the Icelandic giants tour with, as they are probably aligned with my tastes perfectly. The same way, I discovered the exceptional Ardens Fvror by Vortex of End, another gem of 2019.

When listening to The Spearwound Salvation, one can conclude a thing or two. First of all, fresh blood is definitely needed in the scene, as the energy and thirst of these youngsters is undeniable. Secondly, once you dismantle the genre and especially the frenetic Swedish style, you can reconstruct it with your vision and create something unique from the same, pure elements. Ultra Silvam were highly successful with a well-weighted debut that stands tall and proud on straightforwardness and ruthless black metal pragmatism, achieving a sound I will call unique, within its non-interest in experimentation. As the band got busy touring, we finally have their second instalment The Sanctity of Death, which is cleaner on the one hand, but even clearer and more direct on the other. Which basically means, win on both fronts.

One immediately notices the cover aesthetics, the album title and the fonts, reminiscent of infamous anti-religious bands from the country that we all know and love. The equally profane track titles show Ultra Silvam's intentions, at the same time very quickly separating them from basic bands that use ugly words just to sound insulting. The stench comes across the headphones when listening to this, in a way that a lot of their compatriots would wish to accomplish. The Sanctity of Death balances the furious metal madness with discrete elements of heavier focus on melodicism here and there, hints of groove in some spots, wonderful vocals and the most characteristic element of the band: these endless, thunderous, scourging guitar lines. 

It's only reasonable to draw comparisons with like-minded bands in black metal, but it's only because they fit well with each other conceptually. Above all, I enjoy Ultra Silvam's own sound and explosive tracks like "Incarnation Reverse" or "Dies Irae", with the latter also featuring some epic cleaner vocals in its ominous choruses. Commanding guitars also lead the blistering self-titled track that is a clear highlight for me, in an album full of enjoyable moments and unfiltered passion for the music. The Sanctity of Death (direct anti-placement for the so called sanctity of life, a very common topic of discussion within religions) also features a rather complicated track in the band's native language, with the longest name of "Förintelsens andeväsen del II: Den deicidala transsubstantiationens mysterium", which shows a slight turn towards more purely English material, as The Spearwound Salvation was almost half and half between Swedish and English.

Another success. It's often frustrating to go through a lot of bands that don't even try and don't deserve our times, it happens to me more often that I would like to admit, that I turn of an album after one and a half song. Ultra Silvam come around with a record you can enjoy full, packed with melody and heaviness, interesting turns and once again, no shenanigans. The Sanctity of Death deliver's the band's characteristic approach and shows several signs of evolution, while still remaining very close to the core of their material as it was defined in their debut, and has been pre-defined by other Swedish black metal bands of the same mindset. With Ultra Silvam, we have another child to add to this family.

---

Release date: February 25th, 2022

Tracklist:

1. Dies Irae 

2. Sodom vises himlafärd

3. The Sanctity of Death 

4. Tintinnabuli Diaboli

5. Förintelsens andeväsen del II: Den deicidala transsubstantiationens mysterium 

6. Black Soil Fornication 

7. Incarnation Reverse

8. Of Molded Bread and Rotten Wine

Listen:

Youtube | Bandcamp

Múspellsheimr - Ave Mund​-​Spilli (2021) Review

Release: August 12th, 2021

Genre: Black Metal

Origin: Sweden

Label: Self-released

Listen: Bandcamp

A couple of months ago, I listened to the first demo by a new Swedish project named Forbidden Worship, a fairly promising forty minute work full of strong and well-recorded black metal that as a whole, could stand very well as a full length album as well. Now, the mastermind behind them comes around with another personal project, Múspellsheimr, and its debut full length release Ave Mund​-​Spilli, which is actually shorter in duration than the Forbidden Worship demo, and also slightly different musically. 

Things are much rawer  than what we were briefly used to from this musician, yet the Scandinavian vein is quite strong in Ave Mund​-​Spilli, which maintains an ice-cold, masterfully made lo-fi sound that will not drown out the plethora of memorable riffs of the record. The tracks are unnamed, but I found myself hooked from the first two the last and each was more surprising than the last, since the intensity doesn't wear out as long as it progresses. I have often thought that it's too easy for a band to be pretentiously raw sounding with today's available home software, but Múspellsheimr don't fake it, there is a lot of energy and unique potential in Ave Mund​-​Spilli that makes it stand out.

It would be more difficult to keep your attention to the music if more moments were like the introduction of "III", a very typical kind of build up filler found in many bands, but you can be rewarded by the thunderous chaos that takes place after that particular song unfolds, which is also a highlight of Ave Mund​-​Spilli. That's how Múspellsheimr manages to save the day when it comes to a few instances of the music almost getting into filler territory, as the main parts of it are all of quite high quality black metal. I also loved the first and the fourth track, both having the type of guitar playing that reigns the Scandinavian territories and characterizes the genre, here executed neatly by Múspellsheimr.

While the demo of his other project was also notable, only now I am convinced that it was not a coincidence but the person behind these projects has a good grip on how to compose this music. Ave Mund​-​Spilli is an example of a fine album on the opposite side of clear productions, and it has something to say musically, which is in the end the most important aspect we are looking for. In a desert of bedroom sounding raw black metal bands with saturated black and white imagery, sitting under tons of dust, here is an oasis.

Damage: 4/5 [Excellent]

Prygla - Prygla (2021) Review

Release: July 30th, 2021

Genre: Black Metal

Origin: Sweden

Label: Self-released

Listen: Bandcamp

There's no information about this Swedish band apart of the fact that they suddenly dropped a bombastic, half-hour long album without any previous promotion or revealing anything else but the music. Listening to Prygla evokes a feeling as mysterious as the project itself, as it ultimately doesn't reflect the country's sound, when at the same time it has something that modern black metal bands often forget: substantial darkness. 

It doesn't have to be lo-fi bedroom cacophonies, extreme imagery or heavily mixed, just through a basic set of instruments Prygla succeed in capturing the essence of the genre. That's what makes it fairly powerful, along with the thick, filthy production and the never ending stream of great guitar lines that often slightly change moods from melodic parts (think of "Ögat"), to borrowing riffing patterns from their Norwegian brothers (Urgehal vibes in "Rit"), to heavier, more particular compositions like "Serafernas Sorg" or "Utanmärle". 

An instrumental piece with echoing clean guitars paves the way for the epic ending of "Absurd", proving that Prygla has more sides than you would think and is one of the more intriguing efforts from Sweden I've heard this year, regarding newcomer bands. There were still little things to discover after several listens in the album, and it doesn't lose touch even after series of repetitions, something that is made even easier simply by the fact that Prygla don't overdo their stay. 28 minutes of intensely dim and slightly diverse music are all that it takes. 

Damage: 3.5/5 [Great]

Ondskapt - Arisen from the Ashes (2010) Review

Since the autumn of last year, Ondskapt were supposedly recording new material that is by now highly anticipated, as the band's next step after a whole decade since 2010's Arisen from the Ashes. While waiting for anything to appear at all, it is a good opportunity to revisit their back catalog, which consists of three brilliant albums and a fine debut EP, even though the first thing that always comes to mind when thinking of them is this release only. I still remember talking about it when it came out then with a good friend, who was also impressed and is still an admirer of passionate and well crafted Swedish blackness. Arisen from the Ashes puts forth a hefty amount of melody through its finely composed tracks, features some of Ondskapt's most memorable moments, especially in the venomous guitar lines of "Astute Spectre" or "Ominous Worship of the Divine". I slightly preferred the more agonizing sound of Dödens evangelium but Arisen from the Ashes too is well produced, with entertaining lyrics and hardly any weak points. Only "Killing the Human Mind" has grown a bit dull to me after all these years of listening, yet you are immediately rewarded with the epic self-titled track at the end. 

Listen to Arisen from the Ashes:

Armagedda - Svindeldjup Ättestup (2020) Review

A quick glance at Svindeldjup Ättestup could almost fool someone that this is not actually a new album by Armagedda but a remake of older material. Produced by Mgła's M.Z. at No Solace, an artwork done by Erik from Watain, at the same colors and aesthetics as where they left off in 2004, along with the first track after the introduction even named "Ond Spiritism", this record at first serves as a joyous flashback into their discography. As I have always been fond of this part of the Swedish black metal underworld, and the fact that Armagedda are masters of this craft, had me excited as a young child in a carousel and the music doesn't disappoint. The band proves they're always on point, they are so effortlessly dominating and mark a return of the project the best possible way, with some of the best musicians of the genre being involved in its release. Svindeldjup Ättestup is very well balanced, at times calm but strong spirited at the same time, definitely a highlight of the year so far not only for the captivating music but also for the fact that Armagedda showed such signs of activity again. Doesn't the beginning of "Ond Spiritism" sound like the intro part of Shining's "Du, mitt konstverk"?

Listen to Svindeldjup Ättestup:

Morbus Chron - Sweven (2014) Review

Album | Sweven
Country | Sweden
Genre | Death Metal
Label | Century Media Records

| Aurora In the offing |

Up and rising from Sweden, Morbus Chron come with their second full length Sweven, this time under the banner of Century Media, two years after their previous EP release in 2012. For the people that are not familiar with the band, confusion and curiosity should be common feelings, as these guys don't follow any rules at all with what they do, in a way that even the label "death metal" is somehow misleading. The first positive shock came with the colorful Sleepers in the Rift in 2011 and now it's time again to praise them for another glorious release. If you think you have listened it all when it comes to death metal from Sweden, Morbus Chron are always ready for a punch to the standards.

One can smell the peculiarity of the record from it's very album cover. Where are the skeletons, the graves and the well placed gore drawings? There aren't any because the band isn't of that kind, at least musically, which makes them even more interesting at first listen. The enigmatic painting of the growing face figure and the haze of blue / purple / white / black colors have an obvious artistic touch that only modern metal nerds would enjoy, it could fit to various non-metal albums and that's why die hard fans might already build hating momentum. Since I enjoy both sides of the river, I entered Sweven (which means something like a dream, adding to the album's looks) with a good mood.

The album is quite longer than their previous full length, climbing up to fifty two minutes in length (when Sleepers in the Rift was around thirty five) which makes it quite a tome of music. It's not easy to break it into parts either as the tracks are connected, a characteristic that helps a lot the flow of the album, if one wants to listen to it all together and not track by track. While Sleepers in the Rift had it's calm parts, they appear more than often here and the heavy moments have gone to a more melodic and technical path, saying that in the most positive way as possible, even getting a bit psychedelic from time to time. The compositions are both droning and dissonant, pretty innovative and well written as a whole, throwing in surprises whenever possible.

I don't know there is a thing such as "post-death metal" (the ending of the album in "Terminus" sounds like the outro of any minimalistic post-rock band) but it is the closest I can think of about Morbus Chron and Sweven. They maintain a pretty dark atmosphere from the first minutes with introduction "Berceuse", also presenting their unusual playing style which evolves into magnificent tracks such as "Ripening Life", "Chains" and "The Perennial Link". The acoustic parts are haunting and burdensome and have a significant part to the album's outcome. When it get's more intense, it's equally mesmerizing. The production of the album is excellent, the instruments sound amazing as if you can actually hear them breathing, keeping the dynamic range as high as DR9, which is acceptable by all means.

Sweven goes through visionary melodies and sounds, it's entertaining and unique. The band members did a hell of a job with creating the layers of the album, while the vocalist Edvin Aftonfalk has a quite personal voice, somewhere between the shouting of Obliteration and some more shrieked screaming. There was not any traditional growling, the way the rest of the Swedish bands do, ensuring how Morbus Chron wishes to differ from that scene. In overall, this record has lot's of good moments to give to the listener. It's appropriate for brave supporters of weirder and "avant-garde" sounds, as I'm not sure if the old school maniacs will approve. It still kicks ass though.

DAMAGE: 8.75/10

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Beastiality - Ancient Ball Chimes (Demo, 2013) Review

Country | Sweden
Genre | Death Metal
Label | Self-released
Dynamic range | DR6

| Witches' Funeral |

I almost check Swedish death metal bands blindfolded, in case we're talking about old school fanatics instead of the Gothenburg scene, which is cool but not as cool, let's be honest. Constantly searching for new bands, one is pleased when one finds a legit Entombed copycat, always having the desire for originality as a secret wish on the back of their mind. Now, you can't tell Beastiality from Stockholm completely innovative, but they do sound like themselves in their first ever demo, Ancient Ball Chimes.

The production is really dirty. The instruments sound dusty, the drums are hidden behind the buzz and the vocals are a mix of growls / screams / whispers, something from the depths of hell, worn out and rough. However, everything is pleasingly audible and the noise is deliberately channeled towards building a thick layer of a stenching rabble, totally raw and haunting in it's entirety. The demo grows in you the more you listen to it, provided that the necessary time is given to it.

The concept of the band revolves around witchcraft, Satan and morbid subjects, which gives them a more occult label compared to the classics of the scene. Ancient Ball Chimes is generally more malefic than the average death metal record, with a furious pace that doesn't really go into the doom department at all. The three songs included in here offer a total of thirteen minutes of music, containing a bunch of melodies and a few samples for you to grasp on while trying to choose your favorite track off them. For me, the standout track is the last "Funeral of A Virgin Sinner", since it has an awesome bell intro (I have a thing for church bells, I'm sorry), really interesting and dark riffs, but most of all, a peculiar clean vocal scream towards the end, that sounds a bit distorted even for  the underground heavy metal standards.

The demo is very close to black metal aesthetically as well as musically. In fact, I was thinking of early Bathory throughout the whole recording, especially in the first song "Curse of the Devil". Given that these guys come from the same country, it's more than logical for one think that they are influenced by the first Quorthon era. That's probably the reason why it's not pure death metal like other Swedish bands, drawing influences from two different genres. Generally, I would place this as a combination of early 80s black / thrash, combined with the first wave of black as well as Swedish death, with equal doses of the first two and a larger one of the third.

Ancient Ball Chimes is for the lovers of extreme metal demo recordings. The band has produced it in a way that it's personality does not drift away while it unfolds and it has a respectable degree of quality, touching various underground genres in various moments. I'm going to look out for these guys, hoping that they will record and release a full length album anytime soon. Until then, I guarantee that they deserve your attention.

DAMAGE: 8.0/10

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Lustre - Wonder (2013) Review

Lustre "Wonder"
Autumn 2013, Nordvis Produktion

Lustre's fourth full length "Wonder" arrives with nothing new again, continuing with recycled ideas in terms of composition and atmosphere. The new album is very close to its predecessors and there are hardly any changes in the feeling, the structure, the lyrics, the length, everything... Of course, with previous records like these, one would not expect a different pattern since that's what Nachzeit is able to write (not that difficult anyway) and he is not going after daring experiments with his music. I saw the artistic and warm cover of the album and I was positive that I would like it, but I have to say that this was the least interesting album of his to date.

It is proper as a companion to daydreaming, stargazing, walking around, but it it isn't memorable. Instead, it is the same textures, repeated many times. If you have already listened to Lustre, it is like you have heard this album as well. In the previous albums, I always found something new, a previously missing element that he added, like extra samples, or varied synths, even though the main line was identical. With "Wonder", I just feel it's CD2 of "They Awoke to the Scent of Spring", something like rehearsals or unreleased b-sides.

The album consists of four tracks, among them two instrumentals (again). The songs vary from eight to nine minutes, they are slow, droning, isolated. These words will come to mind if someone listens to this for the first time and the first contact with the band, but if anyone has comes across the earlier releases, a view might alter. I can't find a standout track, as they are mediocre even for Lustre's calibre, from the synth melodies to the indistinguishable guitar riffs. Maybe I'm growing bored of this stuff, or it's just that Nachtzeit is releasing the same album again and again until he grows bored of his stuff. The lyrics are very few again, and to "Moonlit Meadow" there is an ounce of poetry.

If this project continues like this, it's possible that everyone will just abandon it, since by now the listeners know what they'll listen exactly. Missing the element of suprise or innovation, the already monotonous music will become more and more frustrating, especially when it's the same on every new album. My advice to the band is, add something in there, anything.

Track listing:
1. Moonlit Meadow
2. Green Worlds
3. A Summer Night
4. Petrichor

DAMAGE: 4.25/10

Lustre - They Awoke to the Scent of Spring (2012) Review

Lustre "The Awoke to the Scent of Spring"
Autumn 2012, De Tenebrarum Principio

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This Swedish outfit is a project of Nachtzeit (ex-member of Hypothermia) and it specializes in slow-paced, woeful music, embodied with a natural aura and influenced from the elements themselves. "They Awoke to the Scent of Spring" is the third full length by the band and as I suspected, the music again is tenuous, lacking any extraordinary instruments or tools, and most of all relaxing.

The only characteristic that reminds of anything that has to do with metal here is the vocals. The voice of Nachtzeit sounds like a desperate echo in a vast forest, moves between screaming and whispering and definitely adds to the atmosphere, instead of displaying a kind of difference in any way. Compared to their older records, the vocals have not changed in various ways. Apart from the sound, which is identical, their spot in the album is as it was, distinctively recounting the very few lyrics and mainly standing back from the guitars and the synths to chisel the album's familiar sound. The album is split in four parts and only the first two have lyrics, leaving the last two completely instrumental. The length of the album is also close to what Lustre usually produce, counting 40 minutes of solitude.

One needs to be on a certain state of mind to follow the album without getting frustrated or falling asleep, since it is monotonous and minimalistic in a way that nothing resounding happens while it's playing. The slow tempo and the sparse variations might work for some to sink into the dreary musical journey that Lustre is, while at the same time, might as well disappoint and bother others, who prefer more activity and energy in their music.

Part 1 and Part 2 can be described as the solite hypnotic black metal that Nachtzeit composes and they are similar to their earlier albums, especially in "A Glimpse of Glory". Consisting of distant vocals and very few drums, synths and pianos, they do create an atmosphere of nostalgia and awe to the magnificence of nature, but still they do not surpass what the band has already released. There are fewer samples and a bit more key usage in this side of the album. Part 3 and Part 4 are quite different, as in Part 3 one can hear the sad melodies of a non-distorted and non-fuzzy guitar, along with the synth in the background. The whole track has a repetitive guitar and synth line, with simple drumming added towards the end of the song. Part 4 is the most organic song of the album and has sounds of rain and laid back ambiance for almost eight minutes.

I did not hear anything new from the band when I checked this album, they are at a certain level without degrading, but not improving either. The eerie music of Lustre needs to be dealt with at night, only then will it be admired more, even though this one is not as enticing as other pieces of his.

Track listing:
01. Part 1
02. Part 2
03. Part 3
04. Part 4

DAMAGE: 6.5/10

Lustre - A Glimpse of Glory (2010) Review

Lustre "A Glimpse of Glory"
Autumn 2010, De Tenebrarum Principio

Nachtzeit is not fooling around, instead he is focused on his project and keeps the releases coming every now and then. Lustre's second full length album "A Glimpse of Glory" was released a year after the first and an EP was out in the meantime, so the ground was still soft from the earlier releases. The record lies heavily on the atmosphere and the slow-paced tempo, but has undergone some alterations compared to "Night Spirit" and "Welcome Winter" EP.

The music is seperated to three pieces instead of two, without changing the overall length, which still clocks at 40 minutes. The ambiance of the tracks is not limited to some warm keyboard melodies, it has grown more spherical and contains all kinds of wild nature samples, like wind blowing, waves, wolf howls, ravens, birds... There is a second synth line that accompanies the guitars for a background basis, and on top of it are the various keys and the vocals, which sound distorted and afflictive. The music has grown into something deep and organic as well as atmospheric.

The first song "This Mighty Sight" (and by the way, i do prefer song titles instead of Part 1, Part 2 etc...) starts of with the sound of the wind, and shortly after there is a thrilling synth line which basically describes the first 10 minutes of the song. Towards the ending, there is a part that will be familiar to any fans of their first stuff, since it has these droning guitars with the scarce drumming and the soft keyboards, certainly provokes emotions. It is also the longest composition of the album, lasting 16 minutes. The second song "Lunar Light" has a 3 minute quiet intro and then kicks in with the same eerie ambiance as in the first song and closes with the sound of an outcrying wolf pack. The title of the album resembles a positive meaning and that is instrumentated in the last song "Amongst the Trees" which is a track of calmness and ebullience, consisting of synths and singing birds. I'm left with a feeling of euphoria as the album ends. The whole record contains only 4 lines of lyrics in the first song, the rest is fully instrumental.

I was expecting not to like this that much it really has a great touch on ambient black metal in a gentle way, that it completely erases the aggression of black metal itself. One has to be in the mood to appreciate this kind of music and if you do, i think this will come in handy during the late night hours.

Track listing:
1. This Mighty Sight
2. Lunar Light
3. Amongst the Trees

DAMAGE: 7.25/10

Lustre - Welcome Winter (EP, 2009) Review

Lustre "Welcome Winter"
Late winter 2009, De Tenebrarum Principio
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"Welcome Winter" was the first material i ever listened by Lustre, right before their debut full length "Night Spirit". The EP and the album were both released in 2009 with a difference of 7 months, and not much had changed in their music after all. This release seems like a shorter, about half the size, record which keeps the same aesthetic as "Night Spirit" and could easily be contained in it.

The structure of the album is familiar, since there are two tracks named Part 1 and part 2, exactly like in the full length. The only difference this time, is that the total length climbs not higher than 20 minutes, granting the two compositions with 10 minutes each, making the EP significantly shorter and less boring. The music itself is keyboard driven and builds a quiescent atmosphere with the buzzy guitars and the synth melodies, with incomprehensible screaming vocals that sound like strong wind during a freezing night. As the title states, the record is a manifestation of winter, the coldest and most inhospital season of the year.

The first part of the release is one of my favourite Lustre songs, just because i always sink into the introduction melody, which is to me, one of the best Nachtzeit has composed. With slightly more ambient parts and a couple of added changes throughout the song, he has created music exactly as his earlier full album, but just a little richer. The fact that both tracks are shorter avoids the tremendous monotony that was present before, and makes, just a little more pleasant. The role of the drums has been neglected, they are low in volume, more like background beats, similar to the ones of the heart, with seldom any tempo changes.

The second part is of the same weight as the first, with a very nice part during the last two minutes. As thought tangling as the music is, it has a tiny share of hope, driven out from nostalgia and melancholy. If it could depict winter, the listener would be in a warm, wooden house in a forest, nice a stone fireplace, protected from the wrath of nature, instead of being out exposed to it. This EP is the sibling of the first full length "Night Spirit", at the same pace and feeling, challenging the elements with its patience to unfold.

Track listing:
1. Part 1
2. Part 2

DAMAGE: 7.25/10