“Himsa” is a beautiful instrumental lead by Klara Bachmair’s haunting violin. This goes into “Kilakas Tongue”, as the music gets louder and louder in the mix. Oliver König (bass), Phillip Thienger (keyboards/guitar), David Kempf (drums), and Chris S (guitars), all join in on the fray, with the violin being played as well as keys. The pagan influence, with the various vocal tones and musical arrangements, is all played with much emotion. There is beauty in brutality with Firtan. And with lyrics: Breathing to commit sin, Loving to betray, Prevailing to give in, All hail isine and decay, the band is committed to make the listener think a little when reading the lyrics. Hence, the band has a greater punch to their lyrics, for more of the masses in the extreme metal scene.

“Ambrosia” is beautifully arranged, and with an early pinch harmonic scorching its way into our ears, I immediately smile. An intense gallop with the violin being prominent in the mix and adding that extra layer of black metal goth inspired heaviness. The harsh vocals give way to chanting, then the song gets into faster territory. The harsh vocals do have elements of death metal to them, which, goth-inspired, hit brutally perfect. The song has a variety of tempo shifts, ranging from brutality to atmospherics. The ending part of the track has a killer groove, and then the chanting returns, with the squealing violin entering in even more. Whew….I gotta catch my breath….give me a second… There is a lot going on with Firtan, on this album, with it being more expansive…a lot to take in. Ok ready..

“Ascension” is a seven minute number, beginning with more violins and then a plodding, doomy heaviness with that violin torching your soul. Brooding, depressive, and haunting. This is a seven-minute opening song, before the black metal vocals cut into the mix. The guitar riffing, I must point out, is pretty damn good and creative. The song slows down into ethereal atmospherics before the fast section erupts. It’s a bit jarring. It’s fast-paced, but not blasting. It’s pretty chaotic, as well as hypnotic, and the pagan vocals, at the five-minute mark, are most excellent.

“The Hierophant Way” at close to twelve minutes has so much going on, with the mid-paced section, than faster passages equipped with keys and violin. It’s breathtaking and moody. The song settles into a groove passage that hops about with the pagan vocals. Quite emotional, I must add. The song slows to an acoustic moment which is close to classical music, and guest vocalist, James Dorton (Black Crown Initiate/The Faceless/Ne Obliviscaris), lays down some deep guttural vocals, and this moment is terrific. The song ends beautifully and takes us into the “Shadows of a Dawn Unborn”, closing out the album. A song designed to please classical music fans with saxophones, beautiful female vocals, and an all around beautifully constructed pagan piece to bring this album to a close. Please make note there are various editions, one of which has a cover of Bathory’s “Man of Iron” from the Blood on Ice album. What a perfect ending, as the cover is an amazing rendition of that song.

Helios is one helluva an album by Firtan. Their most expansive one thus far and pushing their creative boundaries beyond what I though possible. At times it can be exhausting with the barrage of sounds and noises. There is so much quality going on pushesd this is in fact a most excellent album,thought requires repeated listens to fully absorb the material. Forward-thinking and most excellent.

There’s a certain type of magic that a perfect Black Metal album has; it comes after years of being scene leaders since 2004 and on their 8th full-length (that’s not including the vast catalog of Eps and singles; etc.) They’ve gained a fan in me;I have never really listened to them before except for maybe the odd song, so this is the first real time for me.

Six songs in 48:25 minutes, and each cut draws oceans of blood, starting with the title track. “Estuary” rises out of the darkness slowly at first, then come the blast beats; commanding and strident. A brief Thrash bit and it’s off to the races. As far as comparisons go, I get a huge Norwegian influence right away. But these guys are from beautiful Olympia, Washington; far from Norway.

Next up is “Knights of Tiamat” and it’s a brutal tempest right out of the gate of Babylon… Huge sound, and when the stomping turns to blasting, it’s fucking awesome. Shit gets nasty mid-track when they dial up the atmosphere to eleven; this will be the part of the show where the first half of the smoke machine budget will go. There might be fire columns as well.

This album looks and sounds amazing. Wolves in the Throne Room knows what they’re doing at this point in their career. USB , especially that made in the Pacific Northwest, has this otherworldly feeling to it. Estuary has a sense of foreboding to it, like at any second a Wendigo is going to materialize in your room. The blast is when the beast attacks and you know you’re fucked.

“Foretold in Reflections” has a cryptic, miasmatic, slow-burn method to its conqueror worm aspect. It’s also 9:54 minutes long and, to be honest, these aren’t short songs. But, good news! They don’t overstay their welcome. Yes, it’s almost 10 minutes long, but it doesn’t feel like that when you’re listening to it. “The Orca Cliffs” is next up and it’s a ripper right from the start, but then it becomes something otherworldly. Thrashing drums beat out a psychotic rhythm before it slows down at the 2:30 mark. Wolves in the Throne Room is a master of atmosphere, and this track displays that perfectly.

The last two tracks, “Ghosts Among the Obelisks” and “Wretched Spirits, Land of the Light”, are blistering attacks. The former starts out with some crazy effects-ladenguitar riding this ridiculous groove and some hellish vocals from Nathan Weaver. When the blast kicks in and the whirlwind picks you up and throws you around like garbage over a fence, this is such a vicious song, and it doesn’t relent for one second. The latter is the most Emperor-sounding song on Estuary. Especially Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk era. There are huge, stab-the-sky moments where you can feel the elements gather around your soul. It’s a huge “With Strength I Burn” section that burns with ethereal wrath and keeps the track going at the 4:22 minute point it slows down to a more Covenant,  In Times Before the Light (1997) vibe to it.

At the end of the day, Wolves in the Throne Room has created a gorgeous yet brutal album. I cannot recommend Estuary enough. The combination of lush, beautiful keys against utter brutal darkness is magnificent to hear. In a year that’s already seen a slew of stellar releases, Wolves in the Throne Room has unleashed a monster, and it would do you well to go get Estuary now.

The intro is a short ditty of an acoustic guitar piece that is pleasant to these ears, which “Turned into Dust” then brings the death metal to the pedal. The opening riffing and sound remind me of Morbid Angel from their Covenant album, and it sounds excellent. Jay brings his strong vocal influence of Dutch death metal back into the fold with nods to Pestilence/Aspyhx. Amazing. Right before the two-minute marker, the blast takes center stage and will remind you of the blasting Mike Smith was doing on the Suffocation Breeding the Spawn album. I actually mentioned this to Mick not too long ago, and he said that’s his favorite Suffocation album; so, there ya go, folks. Around the 3.30 marker a plethora of guitar solos scorch our pants right off us and then Boom, right into the vintage Suffo blast beats. This is a super strong song with terrific guitar riffing as well as that bass guitar rearing its ugly head too.

The title track has an atmospheric blend to open things up. Alan strumming away on the bass guitar and having it isolated is just excellent. Light guitars in the background do not overpower the bass; they allow the bass to shine in the mix. Once that 1.38 marker hits, though, be prepared. Right into a monstrous blast beat, and it’s absolutely terrific as Mr. Malone shows off his drumming skills. This really takes me back to 1993, with the sound and the Suffocation influence is peak at this point, with Zealot Cult putting their own stamp of brutality on it as well. I do enjoy the band tossing in guitar solos as well, and there are plenty of those on here. You don’t hear as many guitar solos in brutal death metal anymore. I attribute this to the band being rooted in the old-school approach, and I respect that. For instance, if you have the talent to pull off a guitar solo, why not toss it in on an album?! I appreciate that sort of thing.

“Usurper” begins with this double pounding beat that is captivating in its heaviness and catchiness. The song soon goes into the full-velocity blasting hemisphere and does a good job of rearranging your jaw for ya. This is one catchy song!! Excellent guitar harmonies and vocals help this song reach top-shelf status. “Nothing But Hate” is the longest song at close to six and a half minutes. Starting with a blast and then slows down with some spoken-word moments, while the drum rolls are going on in the background. Pretty cool. The mid-paced moments are super heavy, and I caught a pinch harmonic or two. The song ends fairly brutally, and then a soft acoustic piece ends the album, just as it began.

Psalms of Filth is one of the purest death metal albums to be released in 2026. It takes the old and mixes it in with the new. After being away for so long, this is the album Zealot Cult needed to release to remain relevant in the scene. This is brutal, catchy, classic, and all-rounded out in a nice warm production. You can tell a lot of effort went into writing and recording this album. Killer release!

I looked for all sorts of quotes about change when preparing to write this review. From Benjamin Disraeli to Heraclitus, but eventually settled on tech guru Robert Scoble, as the addition of inconvenience and opportunity seemed pretty apt for the 5th album from Germany’s Mental Cruelty.

The inconvenience? The band is no longer deathcore.

The opportunity? There is a whole new fanbase available.

If you heard the band’s 4th album, 2023’s Zwielicht, you already knew this was a very different-sounding band from the band’s debut, Purgaturium, as the band leaned hard into the ‘blackened’ element of blackened deathcore, but songs like “Symphony of a Dying Star” teased something more, something even more black metal-based and epic.

And now on Echoes of a Forlorn Land, the transformation into a full-on symphonic black metal band is complete.

Of course, if you follow the band and have heard the first three singles, “Helheim”, “Raise the Raven Banner”, and “Frost”, you were already clued in to the style shift, and of course the Viking/Nordic themes the album and songs were taking on.

But what you might not be ready for is how fucking good the band is at this new style and how fucking great the rest of the album is. Basically, it’s a whole album of songs like “Symphony of a Dying Star” (minus the breakdowns).

Whereas Zweilicht has about a 50/50 split between black metal and Lorna Shore -ish deathcore, with massive breakdowns and super deep guttural squeals, growls, and snorts, Echoes is a solid 95-99% melodic/symphonic black metal melodic death metal affair. Vocalist Lukas Nikolia has a 100% black metal/ melodic death metal rasp, and the riffs here are riffs you would hear on a Dark Funeral, Necrophobic, modern Hypocrisy, or even Anaal Nathrakh album. Then throw in the Viking gloss (in the riffs and the lyrics), including traditional Viking instruments like the Tagelharpa /Kravik lyre (which the band learned how to play); you can also get some Mithotyn and Thryfing moments to top it off the affair.

After the intro, “Fenrir” comes blasting out of the gates, with searing black metal riffs that would fit on any recent Dark Funeral album, then “Blood For Blood” ups the ante even more with utterly furious riffs that could have come from Anaal Nathrakh’s Eschaton.

The back third of the album might be even better. There’s the biblical/angelic detour of “Cry of Batariel” (one of the original 22 angels cast out of heaven), an absolute scorcher of a track that sees the symphonic elements cranked up to 11. Then there is the stunning end cap, “Flight of the Valkyries”, where, as you’d expect based on the song title, choral arrangements and orchestral arrangements come together over a simply stunning array of riffs, and even a stomping chorus/riff that would make Johan Hegg of Amon Amarth proud. It’s easily as good as “Symphony of a Dying Star”, still one of my favorite songs of the last few years.

I admit initially the first singles didn’t do much for me, until I got the promo and just embraced the album as a whole and fully realized there would be no deathcore here, and took the album for what it is; fucking fantastic. And when countless bands are leaning into the Lorna Shore sound (including Mental Cruelty themselves for 2 albums), I’m impressed by the fact that Mental Cruelty leaned away, and decided to forge a different path for this album. Now I’m just curious if they stick with the sound and Viking motifs for the next one.

So it’s no surprise that this 6-song, 22-minute EP has some expected God Dethroned influence in its melodic but gritty death/black metal. But Sattler’s production makes it a little different, as here the guitar tone has a much more Stockholm/Swedish buzz. So basically imagine God Dethroned songs and vocals with a beefy, buzzsaw production. So then yeah, it’s pretty good.

Starting with the classic Stockholm center of “Unholy Return”, through the unmistakably God Dethroned-sounding title track and ending with the outro, “Trapped in a Dark Forest”, the EP delivers a solid mix of blistering black/death metal and chunky Swedish grooves. I can also hear some Bolt Thrower and Hail of Bullets in tracks like “Ghost Warriors” and “We Drink the Blood”, where the trundling riffs let the killer guitar tone really shine and deliver war-mongering, blood-pumping goodness.

After hearing this EP, I will be going back to check out the 2022 self-titled debut album, as well as looking forward to the next full-length album, as this hits all of the death metal sweet spots for me, and will for you too.

Hardiesse (‘boldness, bravery’) is a duo consisting of Wynter on bass and vocals (Wÿntër Ärvn, Woest, ex-Aorlhac), and Hyver on guitar and vocals (Grylle, Véhémence, Hanternoz, Hyver, Tour d’Ivoire, Paydretz), so I had to check it out, and it was everything you’d expect it to be and what I hoped it would be.

Tristesse Vespérale is 5 songs in 22 minutes of regal, medieval French black metal that you would think would come from this duo. It’s triumphantly melodic and littered with tremolo-picked, heradic riffs, along with howls and chants. It skips the more atmospheric medieval instrumentation and interludes that some of their other projects deliver, and just focuses on rousing, shrill, jangly, shimmering riffs.

In particular, the rousing march of opener “Audace” and the ending trio of “Remparts”, “Soupirs” and “Sentinelles” really get your medieval black metal on and ready to charge the English at Agincourt. The vocals vary between an expected black metal rasp and a gruffer bellow, all adding to the overall mood. That said, this is less shimmery armor and armies of waving banners, but more like the battles in movies like Henry V or The Last Duel; more grimy, battered, and close-quarters combat, but it still has a heroic aura.

I’ll definitely be looking forward to an upcoming full-length, as this is an excellent teaser of the epic battles to come.

“Death Toll Horror” starts with a synth opening sequence that soon gets into the doomy heaviness that is Wharflurch. Myk Colby is the main man on guitars/vocals and synths, with John Mamo on drums and also vocals, and Cary Smith on bass. But the band now consists of Myk and an entirely new line-up: Stef Wetzel on bass, Jonathan Griffin on drums, and Jerrod Miller on vox. Regardless, this opening song has the monster heaviness we are used to from the band. The hoppy moment at the 90-second mark is especially fun. We get pinch harmonics to boot before the doom hits around the 2.40 section. Sludgy, cavernous, and heavy, just like the Florida swamps, from which the band rises. This doomy moment continues until the end of the song and is depressive and immersive in its heaviness.

“Headless God” is such a great song title. The brooding synths get louder until the music bashes and smashes you in the face, and it hits like dISEMBOWELMENT with the guitar tones and abruptly shifts to the faster moments. The pained and anguished growls are exceptional, as are the bendy guitar riffs. Pinch harmonics are sharp and will slice your body right in half. Galloping death metal madness incites circle pits nationwide. The song slows down and really hones in on that dISEMBOWELMENT influence. A guitar solo, drenched in funeral doom, enters the picture as this song then gets into a slow, grinding heaviness, then back into the speed. One of the very best songs the band has written.

“Revelations ov the Spore Lords” is so damn heavy it moves like a lumbering Lovecraftian entity that is hundreds of feet tall. The song gets into faster territory with squealing guitars and lots of killer cavernous vocal elements. There are some spoken-word vocal moments over the faster parts that are pretty cool. The song slows down and gets slower, heavier, and brooding. This song is drenched in early 90s doom/death metal and another winner of a song.

“Mycodeath and Rebirth / Awakening the Emissary” ends the album at eight and a half minutes and is more instrumental than anything else. There are spoken-word moments, and a very spacey new age feel with the synths. It’s actually a very interesting way to end the album but also coincides nicely with the Wharflurch Presents… Swamp Synth, release I mentioned above.

Mycodeath and Rebirth in the Outer Clusters is a great album by Wharflurch, who has carved out a nice little niche in the metal community. They are pretty original, and the synths add a spacey/horror infused atmosphere to their sound. It’s more expansive than one would imagine. The band is always on pace with creating super colorful designs on all their releases, as they have a bunch EPs and singles too. Plaster that stuff on merch and they will sell like hotcakes. Get this album; it’s original, heavy, and fun to listen to.

For the new album, original guitarist Jakob Nyholm has rejoined the fray, joining Scott Jensen (vocals), Martin K. Sørensen (guitar), Bastian Thusgaard (drums), and Bjørn Jensen (bass), all members since the band’s formation in 2003 (except Thusgaard, who joined in 2013).

I don’t know if the band broke up, went on hiatus, or just didn’t feel like releasing anything for 7 years, but regardless, they are back, and the sound is the same: beefy, mostly mid-paced Danish death metal.

Famed producer Tue Madsen (The Haunted, Aborted, Baest, Meshuggah, etc.) was brought in to produce, as he did on The Suffering and Rejoice in Vengeance, so the album sounds massive and …..Danish? That is to say, they still sound like a pulverizing mix of Illdisposed and, say, NYDM like Internal Bleeding, etc. And the band appears to have returned to their earlier sound, with the melody from Into the Depths of Veracity largely gone.

The formula hasn’t changed otherwise. Don’t expect anything different from the band’s prior 5 albums: big, beefy death metal that’s generally rooted in lumbering grooves, with a few blasts scattered around. And it’s still these grooves where Dawn of Demise hits the hardest and gets your neck snapping: “Revive Your Demise,” the absolutely head-bobbing duo of “Ominous” and  “The Essence of Expirtation,” as well as the damn catchy “The Immoral”, “Downcast” (that opening groove is *chefs kiss*), slower, trundling “Dissociation”, “Onset of Iniquities”, “Sense Of Superiority”—heck, let’s just say all of ’em; just simple, meaty, enjoyable grooving death metal goodness, just like their last 5 albums.

I’ve been holding my breath for this album, and rather than turn blue for my obsession, I purposely avoided any social media surrounding the release. That way I didn’t spoil it for myself. It worked out too.

Mother of Graves goes deep on The Light that Keeps Us. I thought The Periapt of Absence was a depressing album… Jesus Christ on a bicycle, I could actually feel a palpable sorrow overtake my body during my time with The Light that Keeps Us.

Going full-blown Doom wasn’t too difficult for these guys. There’s a thick miasma of My Dying Bride, Candlemass, and Cathedral that oozes from the speakers right away with “Wingless Soul”, an eight-minute deep dive into the depths of sorrow. The music is heavy as fuck, and the weight of the subject matter is palpable. The perfect opener for this album.

“Through the Pale Shade” is next, and the My Dying Bride influences keep coming out. I’m really getting AOTY vibes, but I don’t want to be premature. There are no fast-paced songs on The Light that Keeps Us. The Periapt of Absence had at least a few fast bits, but here there are none. Mother of Graves has fully embraced the Doom, and I’m all in on that shit.

The Light that Keeps Us looks and sounds phenomenal. A gargantuan amount of love was poured into this monster, and it shows in every note. The title track starts out with an isolated drum before the guitars start making themselves known. It picks up a little speed, sort of a Death Rock ‘ n’ Roll thing, and that main riff is a thing of beauty. I literally felt like my heart was going to break while listening to this album. It has this sense of emotion I haven’t heard since The Angel and the Dark River or even “The Sexuality of Bereavement”.

As the album soldiers on, “Eventide Angel” is such a good song; it’s got power in the riffs that other Doom artists should take note of. This is how it’s fucking done. “The Silent Weight of the Stars” has an infectious main riff that wraps itself around your eardrums and massages them. The pinch harmonic at the end of the riff is PERFECT.

Is there anything wrong with The Light that Keeps Us? Not in the slightest. “A Moonlit Tryst” and “The Beggar’s Allegory” are straightforward Doooom. The former mixes acoustic and electric guitars for maximum effect, and the latter has this fucking killer moment right in the middle of the song where you think they’re going to blast, but no — the speedy guitar leads into this huge double-bass pattern that is absolutely crushing. It works so much better than the easy route of discharge/blast.

“The Endless Climb” is the grand finale, the doomiest doom that has ever doomed before. It’s the perfect closer for this powerhouse album. Encapsulating a two-year process of recording and getting things ready.

If you’ve been feeling like your Doom meter is on the low end, then The Light that Keeps Us is the album for you, constant reader. Go forth and obtain.

“Twas Always a Plan” opens the album with squealing guitars before the classic Master sound comes bludgeoning forward with Paul’s signature raspy, throaty vocals. He still sounds great after all these decades. He does a nice job with his enunciation so you can make out the lyrics. The monstrous speedy double bass, which has been a band trademark, is ever present here. The song has some nods to the first two classic Whiplash albums and that is most welcomed by these ears. This opener is only here to thrash the listener from side to side, with a plentiful helping of death metal. Great and catchy son. And Paul yelling “Fuck off you assholes, and Fuck You” at the start of the song is just plain fun!

The title track has a nice death/thrash opening gallop, which slows down with a weird guitar part around the 1.25 section, that I really dig. There are some cool guitar harmonies and then some speedier drums taking over. The song returns to a slower mid-paced moment, Ite a rather cool mid 80’s gallop enters into the picture, having a bit of a NWOBHM bite to it. Very classic and supremely catchy. A scorcher of a title track.

“Injustice and Lack of Remorse” has some nice isolated bass guitar, showing how he has honed his craft over the years. The death/thrash metal joins in and Paul’s vocals berating us as if we double dipped a chip at some party. The classic gallop is one of the reasons why I love the band still to this day. This gallop screams 1990 and never sounds dated, but it reaches all the way back to simpler times. So, these classic nostalgic moments Paul throws in are nods to the earlier renditions of Master and shows he has not forgotten his roots. And as an old codger, like myself, I respect these moments greatly.

“Within My Grasp” has a classic gallop to it that is worthy of you headbanging your head off that pathetic body of yours, you piece of filth! The song slows back down with Paul’s anguished vocals coming in and the gallop returning. You have to headbang and throw up your horns, in unison while you headbang, to get the true effect. Hell, if I can do it you can as well. “Let’s Revoke” ends the album with some strong Autopsy like moments rhythmically speaking, which takes me back to Severed Survival. So classic, especially with that heavy undercurrent bass sound. The slow down moments are incredibly heavy and that main riff is crucial AF! This is how you end an album folks, strong!

Among the Seeds of Death bests the last Master album and I find this album to be a bit catchier and overall better production. Super fun and Paul has the band firing on all cylinders as usual. With shows lined up and an upcoming overseas tour with Napalm Death, it’s always great to see classic bands touring together. Paul, ya bastid, you did it again. Excellent album!!

“Peasant metal”? “Medieval Avant-Metal”? “Hovel-core”?

I’m not sure what to call this: the brainchild of David Monks from the 2000s Canadian indie rock band Tokyo Police Club, here under the guise and fully in character at all times as ‘Worm Chewer’, a lowly peasant with big dreams and a bigger destiny. All started from a viral TikTok character Monks started…Ii think.

Told as a 22-part tale, with about half of them being small vignettes and skits pushing the story of Worm Chewer’s uprising against the evil kingdom, wicker siege engines, and a stolen ungulate. Musically, this is a hard one to pin down. It’s a little Jaldaboath (and at times The Meads of Asphodel) but not as humorous (though clearly the troupe does not take themselves seriously), or full of TV/movie references. It’s got some System of a Down skronky nu-metal weirdness, 90s grunge and alternative, Dethklok’s worldbuilding and character commitment, some Pillaging Villager‘s anthemic motifs of rebellion and uprising, some punk, and some legitimately heavy Crossover/ thrash/hardcore moments.

And as I mentioned, it’s all fully costumed and medieval instrument-laden (this is the first breakdown I’ve heard with a lute/lyre ever) and even has some Gregorian chants.  These guys commit to the bit for sure, with a Monty Python and the Holy Grail and A Knight’s Tale vibe.

As I said, the many vignettes (or ‘scrolls’) push the story along with the tale of Worm Chewer’s rise to power and the nefarious forces he battles. But the actual songs are what’s surprising here — there are some damn solid metal riffs and moments here. I don’t know Monk’s history with metal, and I’ve never heard Tokyo Police Club, but he delivers some super fun moments here, both metal and, as expected, folky/medieval.

After the epic choral intro of “Peasant Rising” and its chuggy build and jig, we get the jumpdafuckup-meets-medieval nu-metal chug of “Peasant Pit” and the punky power chords of “Helm Yeah”, which also has so much going on, you sort of need to hear it; Sludge, doom, techno, choirs—it’s bonkers.

“The Ballad of Sir Gregory” could be a 90s alternative song you’d hear from Taproot or Alice in Chains, while the proto-medieval thrash of “Siege Proof Hovel” has some really nice chunky riffs and even some more extreme black-ish metal vocals.

Speaking of black metal, the album’s longest track, “Dungeon Song” (where our hero is, you guessed it, thrown in a dungeon), actually has a pretty impressive black metal/crust blast beat to start the song, which then takes so many stylistic shifts and turns that it’s hard to keep track of.

One of the album’s standouts is “The Fall”, which starts with an additively delicate choral refrain and acoustics before the catchy little opening moments devolve into a fairly extreme angular number, and then the Helmet-ish “Farmers Armory” starts the album’s back end and narrative and conclusion, with the moody “Blight!”, choral”Heretic” and, as I mentioned, wicker siege engines, with “Wickermech”, a lumbering, doomy sludgy number.

The album ends on a cliffhanger as Worm Chewer’s beloved goat is stolen (“Return the Goat”), and more blackish metal moments and lumbering nu metal (including a rap break) collide to continue bringing some surprisingly real metal credibility to the whole effort, and I kinda want the sequel to get here to see the further adventures of Worm Chewer, and if he gets his goat back.

“The first fruit of this union shall be the band’s long-awaited second album, “Exitum Profundus”, which will be released in the first half of next year.

Formed in 2005, Disma have long stood as a pillar of primitive, ugly DEATH METAL – uncompromising, unhallowed, undaunted. That the band features Craig Pillard on vocals (and now guitar), massively influential for his work on Incantation’s classic first two albums, is almost incidental given how CRUSHING their ominous churn is, like early Celtic Frost and Winter dragged through radioactive sewage. Disma releases have been sparse yet patient over the years, but always superlative in quality; their debut album, 2011’s “Towards the Megalith”, is held in the highest regard, while their two EPs in the past decade have only made that churn all the more punishing.

“Exitum Profundus” is slated to feature nine new tracks for over an hour of music, with returning artist Ola Larsson handling the cover. Plans are also afoot for Hells Headbangers to reissue Disma’s back catalog on all formats. A statement from the band reads: “Prepare for immense ruin and annihilation. The war has begun!”

She knows my reviews dip into a variety of genres, and this band does hit the mark with industrial/rock/metal/electronica and goth.  I view this band as pretty experimental.  While the members have a past rooted in black metal, this is anything but black metal.  If you dig bands like Marilyn Manson (his more experimental albums), Type O Negative, NIN, and The Sisters of Mercy, you will be able to sink your teeth into at least some of this, but it is a tough listen during certain segments.  Read on to see why.

I am a fan of horror movies.  Pointing out that international horror is kinda my jam.  International horror pulls no punches when it comes to taboo subjects, and anyone, regardless of age, race, creed, or sex, is on the chopping block when it’s time to meet your demise.  Following that framework, we have heavy, and I mean heavy, topics the band covers.  There’s some weird narration that goes on at certain moments, and the ages vary, and it’s either the antagonist or protagonist doing the narration.  Topics such as religion, domestic violence, and a variety of different abuses are all on display throughout these songs; this is a short album, at thirty minutes.

“Fucking the Mirror” opens the album, and I advise against trying to do this, or you will get the ouchies.  Starting with some electronica beats and sounds from the early ’80s, this song is rooted in The Sisters of Mercy.  Goth-type vocals with an 80s new wave sound, also pulling from Depeche Mode.  The song is moody, and I feel all the band members lend their vocals at various times throughout the song and album.  Vocals go from harsh, melancholic, and shoegazy.  All very cool, and I must say I really like this opening song, quite a lot.  The pained vocals, especially towards the end, are pure suffering.

“W*oman’s Eyes” begins with a hellacious opening scream by a woman.  It’s terrifying.  The main goth type of vocals come in with the higher rasp and screaming in the background.  It’s a cacophony of chaos during certain moments.  Due to the vocals being piped in higher in the mix, it can be a lot.  The song picks up the speed a bit, with some industrial metal moments with a squealing guitar backdrop. Midway through the song, we are treated to atmospherics before some more pained and anguished screams and moans take center stage.  “The Orgasming” starts with harsh vocals, coming across as Marilyn Manson in their aggressive tone, then getting into more of the goth type of vocals that he uses, or for that matter, some Type O Negative influence.  This song is melancholic, depressive and a bit on the hypnotic drone side of things.  The song gets progressively heavier towards its end.

“Your Repulsive Husband” has heavier themes dealing with adultery and child abuse.  The opening lyrics of “I chain you in your room mirror child As I need a moment of peace from your screams, But then I fear you might die”, create dread, and frightening imagery.  This song is very new-wave-ish in its music, with a variety of vocal tones telling this story.  There are some varied sounds in the background, as well as a dinging bell, which coincide with some of the lyrics.  This is a depressive and moody number, sure to conjure up some emotions from within.  “Godspeed” gets into more abuse themes, and some thrashy industrial metal, making this the most extreme song on the album.  Definitely some headbanging moments and a very weird, moody guitar tone on this one.  Bendy riffage, which is original.  This and the first song are my faves.  The rest of the songs all follow these mentioned formulas.

Mousecunt is sure to raise some eyebrows with this Orgasmic Mouse debut album.  It’s experimental, boisterous at times, moody, and thematically, maybe one of the heaviest albums I’ve heard in the last decade or maybe more.  I do like this album, but in smaller doses.  I feel a bit dirty listening to it and need to shower now.  Art, in all its forms, is supposed to push boundaries, which I want, therefore, I applaud the band for going in that direction, especially with the album art.  If you enjoy weird, thought-provoking industrial/electronica metal/rock, give this band a chance.  It will also help support the label, in turn.  For me, honestly, I am unsure how many more times I will go back to listen to this one.  Doom/funeral doom can be a tough listen because of its depressive musical and lyrical themes; this band is a whole ‘nother off-the-wall depressive experience.  Nonetheless, it’s pretty cool, though.

Once again we get the total package. The cover art and inlay are magnificent, and they convey the theme of the music contained within perfectly. The production is stellar, and every note rings out with equal parts sorrow and anger.

“Gakidô” gets things started and right away I can tell this is going to be something special. A different experience than 悪罪 (Akuzaï); certainly a different approach than that album. The band plays with tempos like a cat with a dead mouse; one second they’re wrapped up in a whirlwind of blasting and the next they’re doing emotion-laden Atmospheric Black Metal.

“Ningendô” is a slow, menacing track; it wraps itself around you in a bloody embrace. It’s got a nice Dimmu Borgir vibe to it, circa Spiritual Black Dimensions and Enthrone Darkness Triumphant. It’s an unbelievably heavy song (as they all are) and I can’t stop loving the fuck out of Kurogoku.

There’s a little bit of Cradle of Filth in “Tendô” especially in the keyboard-heavy beginning, where Enterré Vivant goes full-on epic Atmospheric Black Metal. The second half of the song is a full assault, not in the sense that there is a crushing wall of blast beats… more of a wall of brutal malice.

“Chikushôdô” starts out subtly; about thirty seconds into the song, it bursts out of the speakers to devastating effect. This song is over nine minutes long and doesn’t feel like it at all. That’s the magic of how Enterré Vivant compose their songs. “Jidokugô” is next, and it’s got one of those classic Black Metal riffs that make you nod along with the beat until the blast kicks your head in at the two-forty-seven point. Only to switch to a gorgeous, yet brutal as fuck track that literally takes your breath away.

This part of Kurogoku is a bit more European than the first half; there are Japanese flourishes and moments where it sounds like Sigh and Dimmu Borgir had a bastard offspring. I can pick out some Ukrainian Black Metal influences, definitely Norwegian but firmly rooted in the French Black Metal spirit. “Shuradô” is my favorite song from Kurogoku. It’s so goddamn heavy and emotional, the riffs that weave through the song and the flute(?) I think it is a flute… anyway, it adds this whole other level of gravitas to the album, that’s what I’m trying to say.

Is Kurogoku better than 悪罪 (Akuzaï)? Fuuuuck, that’s a toughie. 悪罪 (Akuzaï) used radio transmissions to great effect, adding a huge amount of emotional impact through the story of Hiroshima. Enterré Vivant don’t do that on Kurogoku, but it doesn’t need to be done. On their fourth full-length, they’re firmly rooted in the realm of Atmospheric Black Metal with nothing to prove.

The bottom line is quality, and that’s exactly what you will get with this release. If you like Dimmu Borgir or Cradle of Filth and all things Atmospheric Black Metal, you’re in the right place. Go get this one now!

Here, Gurkkhas (with an extra K?) is a recently reunited French death metal band that was active from 1999 to 2001, releasing 2 albums on Massacre and Morbid Records, respectively. However, I never crossed paths with them back then, despite writing for multiple webzines and publications.

To celebrate their recent reunion, Gurkkhas and Underground Syndicate have remastered and released those two albums: 2000’s Engraved in Blood, Flesh and Souls and 2001’s A Life of Suffering.

Both albums are, of course, war- and heavily Gurkha-themed, with song titles like “Gurkkhas at War”, “The 12 Gurkkhas Commandments”, “Kukri” ( the famed dagger the Gurkhas used), and “Born on a Day of War”, etc., and I can only assume the songs extol the regiments’ many victories.

Musically, this is pretty standard 2000 brutalish death metal. I hear some of fellow Frenchman Loudblast or Hypokras, who were around at the time (go check out 2002s Dead and Hungry). Despite the warring themes, it’s not a Bolt Thrower knockoff, being a more thrashy European-meets-American death metal sound of the day. It’s not great, but it’s not terrible, especially considering it’s 25 years old. It’s the sort of death metal Deathgasm, Rottrevore, The LSP Company, and Sevared Records were churning out at the time.

The Engraved in Blood, Flesh and Souls tracks, despite being remastered, are still pretty rough and bog-standard 00s death metal that was saturating the scene, but tracks like “The Voice of the Terrible One” and lurching”The 12 Gurkkhas Commandments” are solid. My sort of gripe is the more thrash-hardcore vocals of Jean-François Rey.

A Life of Suffering is more of the same but a little better sounding, with a tad more low end, and slightly deeper, more death metal-ish vocals.  A much more technical, American, Floridian influence is here, with Malevolent Creation, Diabolic, Monstrosity, or Internecine coming to mind, which, considering the timeline and scene at the time, makes sense.

The likes of “Kukri, “The Day of Battle,” and “Legacy” all deliver that primal early 00s American Death metal.  That said, I’m not exactly clamoring for what the reunited project delivers next, as I’m sure it will be more of the same. Which is fine, but much like the scene in the early 00s, it wasn’t spectacular and was a bit saturated.

Certainly, The Great Heathen Army felt less like a genuine effort to write a complete album, and more an exercise in writing big arena-rockers for fans to pretend to row along with, while holding imaginary drinking horns aloft.

In other words, Amon Amarth got a little… hokey.

Listen, I’m all for having a good time, even more so for not taking oneself too seriously – and sure, you can argue that the whole Viking thing has always been a little bit on the side of cheesy, I guess. But what Amon Amarth has always excelled at (particularly since their breakthrough With Oden On Our Side), is finding that real sweet spot between genuinely great songwriting and album-building, and leaning in just enough to the Viking aura to make the whole thing all the more engaging and fun (particularly in a live setting).

Alas, recent efforts like The Great Heathen Army and Berserker (and many would argue Jomsviking – I personally disagree), though boasting a few bangers on each respectively, overall felt like a band going for style over substance.

Which is why it brings me IMMENSE joy to tell you, Amon Amarth has rediscovered that critical balance. I think The Allfather Awakens is the best Amon Amarth has sounded in a LONG time. I’m talking, like, 15 years here, when they dropped my personal-favorite AA album, Surtur Rising (I realize this in and of itself might be a controversial opinion, but that album fucking rips and you can’t convince me otherwise).

Now look, I’m not saying this is a complete return to With Oden On Our Side or Twilight of the Thunder God era AA. The band that has slowly but surely embraced more melodic, anthem-heavy elements of the last few releases – that’s just part of the reality of who this band is in 2026. And that’s great! Who doesn’t love a great friggin’ anthem?! And we sure as hell get a couple here – particularly the immensely catchy and bouncy “We Rule the Waves” with its sing-along chorus and simple, super-effective riffing. But it also carries a bit of a sense of self-assuredness that was lacking in recent efforts.

Ditto for the titular “The Allfather Awakens”, which, sure, the riffs are certainly lifted and slightly rearranged from past AA work, but god damn if they don’t sound tight as hell with drummer Jocke Wallgren, who, to these ears, sounds the most in sync with the band as he ever has. And hell yeah, we get a banger of a drinking track with “Kvasir’s Blood,” a nice and heavy down-tuned headbanger featuring some of Johan’s lowest, most menacing vocals to date (more on this shortly) and a rollicking chorus about drinking mead made from the blood of the gods which, how is that not going to bring a smile to your face? It’s fun as hell.

But it’s not all just arena-friendly anthems this time around. Album opener “Gjallarhorn” (the best opener the band has had in a minute) strikes a perfect balance – featuring some awesome sing-along “woah”-ing that will sound amazing in a crowd of thousands of metalheads, but also puts some of the band’s signature tremolo-picking riffs on full display with absolute glory. I honestly haven’t felt my blood pump and heart race like this from an AA track in a long time, and it’s a welcome return – and it only continues with the follow-up “Eight Legs of Thunder” coming hot on its tail –  a fitting ode to Odin’s eight-legged horse Sleipnir (not their first, but maybe their best), boasting appropriately galloping riffs, and genuinely one of Olavi Mikkonen’s most epic, inspired solos of his career. It’s such a fun track that, again, sees the band leaning into the Viking fun without crossing over into being too cheesy.

And then there’s the punishing “Die with a War Cry” that may genuinely be one of Amon Amarth‘s heaviest tracks to date (certainly of their modern era) – showcasing more of Johan’s apparent new mastery of deep, growling lows that sound straight out of Helheim itself. Say whatever you will about any of AA‘s more recent work, John Hegg continues to get better and better with every release and deserves his flowers.

I also really like the addition of the band’s first acoustic track in “Upphaf.” It’s a perfectly placed break in the middle of this record that brings an unusual sense of reflection and serenity to the otherwise furious affair. If anything, I see no reason this couldn’t be integrated more into even more traditionally heavy or epic Amon Amarth tracks (not that it needs to be a focal point; it’s just another nice wrinkle). I think it also let the band feel confident on closing out the album on two absolute friggin’ scorchers – first with the blazing “Oden’s Hunt,” which sends the band on a full-throttle attack of tremolo-picking and relentless double-kicked drumming. Again, Johan sounds absolutely monstrous on this track, particularly on the crushing bridge leading up to the final chorus.

Closer “Ascending Like An Eagle” features some riffing that could easily have found its way on some of the band’s earlier albums, before switching into some more modern soaring leads in the chorus, a nice nod to the old while embracing who they are as a band now, and a super strong end to what was such a well-balanced and crafted album.

I can’t tell you how nice it is to be this excited about one of my favorite bands’ new albums, and to see them, this late into their career, settle into a groove they’ve struggled to find, to deliver such an immense album. I want to stress that this album isn’t just good because of how much better it sounds than their recent output (not just from a songwriting perspective, but from a production standpoint, this album just sounds so much more full and robust as well), this album stands tall just fine all on its own. Amon Amarth got serious again without sacrificing the fun that has always made them such a compelling act, and we can all only hope that they can continue to strike this epic balance.

Odin, The Allfather has awoken, and so has Amon Amarth.

Amalgamated States is Mucosal’s debut EP, and it’s a bit rough around the edges, but you can tell that a lot of heart and soul went into the creation of this debut and honestly, it’s not bad at all… It’s good at what it’s wanting to get across.

Starting things off with “Denied, Defiled, Disposed” pretty well sums up the ideological direction that Mucosal is going for the jugular on; this is a fucking dragged-across-concrete type of track. It is Neanderthal slow at first before it goes all Grinding Punk near the track’s end.

There’s a sense of Extreme Noise Terror and Terrorizer in the next track, “Egregore”; it’s a pissed off mother fucker of a song. With an opening sample that is too good not to mention, this is solid to the bone, yo. Then there’s “Programmer Crashed Race,” which is about as insane as you can imagine a song with a title like that should be. Just balls to the bloodstained wall intensity and violence.

These songs don’t overstay their welcome, either. Short and to the goddamn point with no pussyfooting or anything lame like that. Guess what “The Old Hate” is about; I’ll give you a minute in case the intro doesn’t give it away. This is a Punky Grind bastard, Napalm Death-ish with a bit of Broken Bones and Raw Noise extremity. The message is clear as day.

Next and final track is “Amalgamated States” and it struts around like the guy trying to get the fucking pit going. It’s got skronk, some crazy as fuck drumming, and some reverb-laden Slayer-ish soloing. It has a very peaceful outro, however, and I’m assuming it’s because you want to play it again, so it leads into the beginning of the album.

Sporting sick as all hell cover art and a suitably grimy production, Amalgamated States is a promising EP from a brand new and hungry band. They’re not reinventing anything, but then they don’t need to.

If you think Napalm Death, Terrorizer and Extreme Noise Terror are the absolute bees knees then I urge you to pick up Amalgamated States. Thank me later.

And on album number 4, the quartet (Farago – vocals,/guitars, Samael – guitars, Apophis – drums, Thanatos – bass) has done what most bands do this far into a discography: remained consistent in their sound so as not to lose fans, but developed enough for the fans to also be happy with the band’s growth. (We fans are a fickle lot)

One of the very minor changes is that the vocals of Farago have changed just a smidge; they are a little more shouty than raspy, reminding me a little of Nergal’s more recent Behemoth output (listen to the 4th track “Thanatos, Embrace of the Night”), and I think musically that’s also a pretty fair comparison, maybe mixed with a little Watain. It’s black metal, but it’s polished and a little burlier, with some grandiose, ritualistic vibes and a few keyboards and atmospheric segues (i.e., “Lux Fulget”, “Of Stones Sleep and Death” and “The Accuser”- both of which have some excellent piano work).

And while the opener “In Noctem” had me a little concerned – it has one of those ‘drop’ teases, but for black metal)- still, it’s mainly about solid, frosty, 6/8 melodic tremolo-picked riffs. For example, the true opener “Tabula Rasa”, the excellently melodic “Glorification”, and “De Profundis” (where Lethian of Nornír) also adds her traditional raspier black metal shrieks).

Closer “Hypnos, I See you” wraps up the fine affair with a mix of everything on the album’s longest track, and definitely leans into the newer Behemoth sound, and a sound I think Servant does very well.

The band stays intact with this album, with Anatoly on bass, Efim on drums, Vyacheslav on guitars, and Ivan behind the vox. In the promo, bassist Anatoly (Katalepsy) singled me out to review their newest offering, so I had to jump at the chance to review the album. The new album cover is pretty neat and I think it is a better album design than their debut album. With this album, we get eight songs in 45 minutes.

“Beneath Unhallowed Ground” opens with a bunch of growly and berating vocals, with the music slowly coming together to start building up. This opening goes on for a while with those shouted vocals, and it’s a bit much, since the vocals are way too loud in the mix, although they are very good. The music still retains the old-school Morbid Angel/Brutality flair as a blast beat enters into the picture. Anatoly’s bass still retains the bite and pluckiness that was present on the Katalepsy albums. He has a great bass guitar sound. The blast is ferocious, with some dual-layered vocals, at times. The stomp groove at the 3.25 section features prominent bass work and I do love the sound of the snare drum. Vocals are angry and vicious, just a bit too loud in the mix.

“Condemned to Eden Below” has an excellent rhythm section early on, and it shoots right into the blast beat, then slows down to a mid-paced crunch fest. If you’re not swigging back pints of vodka and slamming, during this part, you need to go back to bed. There are some bendy guitar riffs and then a nice groove section which is sure to get a pit going. The pinch harmonics are tight and it’s always good to hear them well-placed in a song. The tempo shifts are tremendous and there is a guitar solo, that fits in well. Some of the bendy riffage has an Immolation flair. Yet another good song.

“Forever Unsaved”, with some of the spoken-word moments early on, takes on a rap approach. Hearing Ivan, with his thick Russian accent, is an interesting style. Maybe on the third album we will get this style fully realized on a song. For now, it is inserted to have a tough-guy sound to it. So watch out! This song is surprisingly melodic with some progressive and off-kilter time changes. The song sounds rather complicated to play, and there is a squealing guitar in the middle of the song. There are moments where I do not know if I should headbang, throw up my horns or just relax, like I am reading a book near the fire. This song is all over the place. It’s pretty cool, especially the bass solos towards the end of the song; damn, he is fast.

“None Shall Be” ends the album with more of a brooding and heavy buildup. This beginning is slower and quite excellent. There are more atmospherics, taking us on a dreamscape path, before that mid-paced stomp drives home the message. The blasts and progressive/serene moments all tie together with Ivan’s excellent and varied vocals. What a great song to end the album.

Sermon Under Mound is a damn fine death metal album from Gravegod. It beats their debut with song structure, and I quite enjoy the variety of tempos the band tosses in. The musicianship is spot on, with Anatoly’s bass work having the best bass guitar sound on a death metal album for 2026. The band knows when to blast and to utilize it to their advantage and not overdo it. Sure, the vocals are a bit too loud in the mix, but outside of that, everything sounds good. Crank this sucker up, Nostrovia!

Some parts Pain, some parts Aborym and a Blackened version of Skinny Puppy. This is a mechanized assault on the senses. Like the best Sci-fi horror game you’ve ever played (you know, if you’re into that sort of thing). The way the song titles are done is called Transmissions. I think that’s cool as fuck, and each one has its own identity that makes it an incredibly enjoyable sequence.

“First Transmission” gets the ball rolling with some huge Pain vibes; the vocals are otherworldly and unsettling. I love the autonomous nature of the effects on the display. The guitars are compressed to the point of being squashed under the cyber hellscape.

“Second Transmission” is like hearing the demise of a planet. It implodes, reconstructing itself with the noxious vocals supplied by members 040118180514 and 102119200914. No, I don’t know who is doing what because the male vocal is distorted to the point where it’s nothing but crackles and pops, and it’s countered by the harsh, female vocals that seem to howl from the outer world.

The “Third Transmission” and the “Fourth Transmission” are like bursts of kinetic energy, contained to a small, private place. The “Third Transmission” is a slow, crawling miasmatic space slug, while “Fourth Transmission” is a striding nightmare with some insane vocal antics.

“Fifth Transmission “ goes heavy duty on the Darkwave tip. It goes almost full-blown Hard Techno in the midsection of the song, sounding like a computer locked in its death throes. But it’s “Sixth Transmission” that is my favorite song on First Contact. It has a swirling, Dead Space video game tone to it, like right before the Necromorphs attack and rip you apart. The second half of the song is furious blasting, and I wish the drums were more pronounced; it is what it is, though.

“Seventh Transmission” is more of a classic Black Metal with some grinding electronic elements added for good measure. Endspace plays with tempos like a cat with a dead mouse. Therefore, “Seventh Transmission” has some lunatic vocals that sound like a robot on acid.

“Eighth Transmission” starts with some slow, plodding drums with the haunting keys in the background. It erupts into a supernova of violence with this cool as fuck riff that propels the track forward with galactic menace. This is unlike anything I’ve heard recently, and I fucking love that! Totally original take on the genre, unapologetically fantastical. Finally, the “Ninth Transmission” comes crackling through the speakers. Soaring vocals match the blasting drums hit for hit, and then it shifts tone completely and does some Space Jazz before the relentless blasts kick in. This is such a powerful album that I want to exist in the world it creates.

So yeah, I love First Contact. Endspace has created a Black Metal experience that isn’t afraid to experiment with mind-crushing brutality and subliminal Darkwave with Hardcore Techno sensibilities. If you like Thorns, Skinny Puppy, Suicide Commando and Aborym… you need to get this motherfucker now.

The Hollowing of Godflesh picks up right where last year’s aptly named Punishment EP left off: blasphemous, punishing, bludgeoning deathcore that’s a relentless beatdown. No atmospherics, no epic keyboards or synths (though there are some teeny tiny bits buried here and there, ie “Dead Crown”, end of “Godkiller”), just a sub-30-minute pummeling.

And with Dan Tucker’s massive presence (vocally and physically), the whole thing is just disgustingly heavy. Starting with the slow and low menacing rumble of “Gun Eater”, an intro of sorts, then kicking off properly with “Desecrate Infinite”, then ending with “Dead Crown”, the album is a jackhammer to the face of blistering blast beats and teeth-shattering breakdowns from start to finish, in short, 2-3 minute-ish bursts.

Highlights are hard to find as the bludgeonings all run together, but certainly “Godkiller” and “Torture Engine”, with early Decapitated “Day 69”-ish razor-sharp riffage and massive breakdowns, are worth revisiting. But like being punched in the face repeatedly, all the punches feel the same; they hurt and leave you beaten and bruised afterwards.

But unlike being punched in the face, I’m ready for more once the album ends, and hit ‘play’ or ‘please start punching me again and again.

Boy, I sure do. My first exposure was 2002’s Fermina, a transitional album that saw the band move away from the melodic death/black metal of their first two efforts (Evanescent, Everfading in 1998, and August Wernicke in 1999) into more progressive, gothic pastures. 

Fermina introduced the world to the clean vocals of Tuomas Tuominen, who up to that point had used some standard rasps and growls, but to this day his svelte tones remain some of the best clean singing in metal I’ve ever heard. However, the band split up in 2007 after Aerolithe. You can still hear Tuominen on his darkwave rock project, Wait, Stone & Sure (which also features Hänninen).

But around 2019-2021, Fall of the Leafe guitarist Jussi Hänninen formed two new projects: the death/doom band The Bleak Picture, with vocalist Tero Ruohonen, and Autumfall, also with Ruohonen and drummer Olli Pirkkanen. Hänninen has released three self released  albums under the Autumnfall name, but until now I was completely unaware of the project’s existence. That has been rectified immediately, as all of Autumnfall‘s albums are now in my possession.

Astute readers and Fall of the Leafe fans will recognize Autumnfall from the name of the first Fall of the Leafe demo, and while unfortunately Tuominen is not here, Hänninen and his immediately recognizable dancing, shimmering layered riffs are back, as Autumnfall returns to the early, more raw days of Fall of the Leafe, (most of these songs were written in 1998-2001) and adds more polished and elegant melodic and symphonic black metal.

Phew, sorry for that long-winded intro, but Christ, this brings back memories. While in The Bleak Picture the sound is more traditional Rapture-ish Finnish death/doom, here, Hänninen’s sumptuous, unique riffs instantly bring you back to the band’s early Evanescent… and August Wernicke days, and even Fermina. Just with black and death metal vocals from Ruohonen.

Listen, every note here is just exquisite, and no one creates and plays riffs quite like Hänninen (early Dark Tranquility’s Skydancer, and Of Chaos and Eternal Night are the nearest comparisons), even when delivered in a slightly more aggressive style.

From the opening piano tinkling of “The Halo in Utopia”, with its uniquely Hänninen-styled flourishes, the haughty layers and leads of “Lightless Depths”, the elegant blast beats of “Dark Goddess”, the death/doom stomp of “Mists of Eternity”, and shimmering “Crystal Skies” to the surprisingly fierce “Pulse”,  and gorgeous closer ‘The Timeless Kin”, the whole album could be August Wernicke meets Fermina, just sped up, more keyboards and with harsh vocals instead of clean singing (I mean listen to “The Blind Brother”).

How I never came across this project until their third album is staggering, but I’m glad I did and will definitely keep tabs on this band as well as The Bleak Picture.

Straight away I’m over here thinking these guys are European… they’re not. They hail from the hub of all things American Power Metal: Nashville, TN. Be that as it may, these guys have a very firm grasp of what top-notch Power Metal should sound like, and they pound that knowledge home with a large hammer.

There’s the intro; here it’s called “In Spirit, in Shadow”, and it’s a lush, keyboard-laden affair. It sets the tone of the album perfectly before “Evermore” comes galloping out of the speakers. It’s got a bit of a Demons and Wizards vibe to it that isn’t unwelcome. But then they do tracks like the Within Temptation -y “Valkyrie’s Fire” and “Cascade”, here and now I’m going to shout this out loud… Bettie Floyd can fucking sing! But then, she already knows that, and now you do.

I’ve never mentioned Within Temptation in a review, so that is a first for me. However, “Burning Sky” has more in common with Disembodied Tyrant or the Zenith Passage. There’s slamming and guttural vocals, and it really has nothing to do with the rest of the album at all.

Which brings me to album length. 01:11:06 is a bit longer than my attention span allows for, and while Out of Darkness is a fun Power Metal album… it’s fucking long. There’s enough material for a good-sized EP, plus a full-length to boot. Sometimes less is more. This goes for any genre of music, so I’m not just picking on these guys.

“Shattered”, “I See the Angels Fly” and “Skylark” sort of blow by pretty quickly. They’re all good songs, bordering on ballad status for a couple of tracks, as well. There are so many killer riffs on Out of Darkness that it’s hard to keep track.

The production is spot on, and the artwork is killer. I want to get that out there for a debut album; this ticks all the boxes.

Now back to the songs because there are still five more songs to talk about… yeah, that’s right… five more. As I said, this is a long album and, usually, this many songs can be found on a Grindcore record; but then those songs are usually running around the two-to four-minute mark. These are some hefty tracks, clocking in at around five to seven minutes long.

“Labyrinth” has a bit of a Kamelot vibe to it, as does “Bone and Thorn” and even “Dark Moon”.There are galloping riffs and even some competent thrash-style drumming that keeps things interesting. “Nocturne” and “I Will Rise Again” finish the album off with a suitably grandiose flourish.

Valkyrie’s Fire has unleashed a monster of an album. Overly ambitious, perhaps, but it’s a solid Power Metal record that deserves your time and attention. If you’re a fan of Kamelot, Within Temptation, or something along those lines, then you’ll be in the right place. Go get Out of Darkness.

Also, riff-wise and structure-wise, I get some early Mastodon and Baroness, but with a thicker, earthier, sludgier, and doomier (so…..Chicagoan?) backbone; case in point: “Spectral Cataclysm”, which starts the album proper after a short instrumental “Void of Guilt”. After its black/crust-basting opening few bars, it settles into a Mastodon-ish lurch and stagger. The vocals, though, are pure sludge/doom with a gritty, earthy bellow from guitarist Peter Norman (the trio is rounded out by drummer Edward Hamel and CJ Johnson on bass).

There are a few damn fine moments scattered around the 6-song, 45-minute affair. Whether it’s the aforementioned blackened blasts in “Spectral Cataclysm”, the hefty opening riffs of “Bodies Dragged to Sunlight”, the crusty sway towards the end of “Slow Death Chant”, or the stank-face-inducing bass run and heaving, subsequent riff late in the album’s sprawling, 13-minute centerpiece, “An Ocean of Broken Hope. It’s all rendered with a solid production and master that I’m sure has way more impact in a live environment, as this is pretty clean on record and the low end isn’t quite as devastating as some of their peers.

The album ends with more Mastodon-imbuing riffs of the title track, and while I feel the band is more effective when slowing it down a bit and leaning a little more into the sludge/doom, it’s still an enjoyable stammering, staggering track, and does end with a nice sludgy sway, finishing the album on a high note.

In a word: absolutely.

When this trilogy first commenced back in 2025, and I covered A Dark Poem Part I: the Shores of Melancholia, I had no idea of the direction that these guys would go (and why would I? I’m just along for the journey). The follow-up to that album was an even more brooding dip into the psychological depths of grief and loss. A Dark Poem Part II: Sanguis had a much doomier and more solemn tone to its six tracks. “Loneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold” being my favorite track off that, while it was “The Slave that you Are” from Part I that captured my attention the most.

But now I sit here with the brand-spanking-new stuff. The coup de grace if I may be so bold. The whole thing is magnificent, from the artwork to the stellar production; I feel almost sad that it’s ending.

So how is A Dark Poem Part III: the Messiah Complex compared to its predecessors? It builds up on subtle keys; the drums come in, and the bass walks right on up and starts rolling along. “Unconditional Artificial Chemistry” gets under your skin with that catchy, Arcturus-ish-sounding title, and the song itself lives somewhere between Opeth’s Black Water Park and Arcturus’ Sham Mirrors. It moves with its own powerful currents, ripping at your heartstrings as it goes on its way.

“The Messiah Complex” is next, the crushing title track with the epic lyric “It’s a sign”, King Herod replied “A massacre’s needed in order to withhold the throne. Oh, my Bethlehem, I will reign in blood until my enemies are slain”. This is the heaviest song on A Dark Poem Part III: The Messiah Complex, fitting the overall resonating theme of overcoming the depths of human suffering and the resolution to continue after all is said and done.

This is a Prog album, first and foremost. Yes, it has it’s heaviness that compliment a Metal aspect, but for as much as there is a hint of say, Opeth. There’s also a King Crimson-esque quality that is unmistakable; “Common Enemies” is quite possibly the best song in the whole trilogy. It is dynamic and breathtaking; the way Green Carnation put the song together is masterful in it’s scope. The solo will give you chills down to your soul.

But there is a trick up the sleeve of A Dark Poem Part III: Theitssiah Complex, and that is the final track “A Dark Poem – Orchestral Suite”. This is sixteen minutes of command performance. It moves like currents within it’s own tide. A spellbinding movement that captivates and caresses your mind.

The band brought in guest performer Ingrid Oitsn flute for “Broken Souls, Common Enemies” and the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and Opera Choir on “A Dark Poem – Orchestral Suite”. If I were to rank the trilogy in order of best to least, then it would run Part III, Part I, and then Part II. This is the most fun I have had reviewing a trilogy. Maybe Green Carnation could be talked into a box set of the whole thing. Maybe?

At any rate, this album needs to be in your collection. Listen to it on its own or as part of the overall architecture of the three combined albums. For fans of Opeth, King Crimson and Mozart. Submit yourself to the sorrow, get it now.