But the new project has a very clear, very obvious new influence and fan base they are going after, and it’s immediately apparent from the opening strains of “Wiccan Wyrd”: SepticFlesh and Rotting Christ.

I mean, there are, of course, some other influences at play, such as modern Dimmu Borgir, but the big bombastic, cinematic/dramatic style of symphonic black metal here is beefier, burlier, and has a little more death metal in it. And the deeper vocals, grandious orchestration, and general pacing just scream SepticChrist‘s bigger, brasher take on the genre.

And a good take as well, as The Silver Key is a pretty damn solid debut. The 9 songs (and 1 intro) have a pretty good sense of dynamics, orchestration, and choirs coming together for a very listenable album with some notable highlights.

Tracks like “The Abysswalker”, “Mistletoe’s Secret”, personal favorite, the more vicious “Fangs of Fate”, really do hit the spot as far as that sound goes. Throw in some confident songwriting that is catchy and epic, and occasionally pretty furious (“Through the Gates of the Silver Key”).

“The Falcon of Darkness” breaks the album up a bit with a somber 3-minute instrumental before “With Souls Reborn” brings some massive choral bridges to one of the album’s more stirring tracks, and “Pain Remains the Core of This World” brings a more controlled, big, militant march.

“Silent Scream” ends the album with a more traditional, purely 90s styled symphonic black metal track, and cements the album as one of my favorite symphonic black metal albums of 2025.

Things get kicked off with an eighty-second intro before the first song, “The Dream Chaser” kicks in. Off the bat I hear a combination of bands like Psycroptic, Decapitated and Suffocation. Axel Doussad’s vocals are insanely sick and the guitar work of Oliver Bousquet and Sylvestre Alexandre is groovy as hell. The drum work of Alsvid is on fire throughout the entire album. “Versus” reminds me of Decapitated Winds of Creation mixed with Cryptopsy Whisper Supremacy.

“Deserter” is my favorite tune on Unbreathable and it reminds me a bit of Necrophagist with extra groove. Having been around since 2008 these guys have all the polish of a band that has been around for a while. The album continues to flow well from start to finish. Most of the tracks are between three to five minutes in length.

“Exodus” continues like most of Unbreathable. This is one of the first tracks on the album with guitar solos. After this one, there is another instrumental break called “Interlude.”   I would describe it as like Deeds of Flesh with science fiction type sounds for around a minute.

“Chapter X” continues to demonstrate their mix of catchy riffs, melody, and harmony. Some of the best lead work on the album is on this one. “The Medium” opens with some harmonized octaves a bit like Morbid Angel or Hate Eternal. I love the outro of this. “Rebellion Grief” continues like most of the album. You can hear the growth in song writing from the last album.

“Deus Deceptor” finishes what is one of the best death metal albums of the year. There are no bad tracks on here. The album is going to wind up towards the top of my 2024 list. I cannot stop headbanging to this.

Allow me to address the talent that is on display here: Jonas Blom-(drums; Runemagick, ex- Sacramentum, ex- Trident, ex- Grief of Emerald, ex- One Man Army and the Undead Quartet,…), Johnny Lehto (vocals; Grief of Emerald, ex- Decameron), Christer Bergqvist (guitar; Grief of Emerald, ex- Sadistic Grimness, ex-Auberon), Robert Babic (guitar; ex- Brutal Division, ex- Vulcanic) and Robert Axelsson (bass; Grief of Emerald, ex- Sacramentum, ex- One Man Army and the Undead Quartet). Excellent job!

There’s irony in mentioning Morbid Angel above, because opener (and title track) “Disharmony” sounds like it could have been on Kingdoms Disdained without a blink of an eye. The production is stellar, every instrument is clear as a fucking bell. The drums are a battering ram, full organic blasting is mixed with slower passages on, “In Serpent’s Skin”, “Dissimulation” and especially on the rumbling, massive track “Suffocation “.  “Fall of Kings” is a violent track, one minute thrashing and the next switching to furious blast beats. “Vermin” and “Atrocity” beat you senseless before the closing calmness of “The Death of the Peace of Westphalian”.

The common denominator with all the members is Grief of Emerald, formed in 1995 and then put out seven slabs of tasty Blackened Death Metal before breaking up in 2012. I urge you, constant reader, to check them out as well as Death Reich. Disharmony is an absolute beast that won’t let you down. I’ve revised the for those who enjoy the following: Morbid Angel, Grief of Emerald, Suffocation, Angel Corpse, especially on blaster “Hysteria”.

At the end of the day, Death Reich aren’t reinventing the Death Metal wheel, they are bringing the spirit of that time and place with them, which is good enough for me. Disharmony is well worth a listen; you won’t be disappointed!

No matter your view on the often questioned actual events of 480BC (or Spartan culture) and its cinematic representation in the movie 300, (one of my favorite movies ever, so I’m a bit biased), there is no denying that an epic battle took place where a few (300 Spartans or otherwise ) dudes took on a much larger number of Persians, and while they technically lost, the history and even fate of western Europe was forever changed.

Molon Labe, (meaning “Come and get them”- allegedly said by Spartan King Leonidas after the Persians asked them to lay down their weapons), covers the life of Spartan warriors, then the battle from start to finish, and features plenty of blistering death and black metal riffs and Hellenic atmospherics (three instrumentals and plenty of epic/moody keyboards)  to convey the era and bloody, heroic events of Thermopylae.

If you are a fan of ADE‘s Romanic themes and style of death metal or Ex Deo, England’s Imperivm, this is a release for you. But it’s the ADE comparison where I keep landing with Sirrush. They are black/death metal, with the needle firmly on the death metal side of things, with gruff vocals from Otagron and a burlier guitar tone.

After “The Path of Heroes” sets the mood, “Deimos” delivers 6 + minutes of thunderous, moody death metal lurching and loping, but then “A Son Set His Father Free” unleashes a blistering, more blackened furor. The next track, ” With Your Shield ..or on It” is my favorite on the album, with a stirring main riff that reminds me of “Mars’ Unpredictable Favor” from ADE’s Spartacus album. “Molon Labe” is another excellent track that conveys the battle and Hellenic era with brutal death metal precision.

“The Vision of Megistias” and “The Last Glorious Echo” continues the album’s excellent back end as the event’s inevitable treachery and conclusion draw to an end, which is also reflected as the songs shift to a more solemn atmospheres finishing with “Remember Who We Were”, which ends the album with a perfect, somber end note similar to the 300 or Gladiator movies (I’m not crying, you’re crying….).

“‘O Stranger, send the news home to the people of Sparta that here we Are laid to rest: the commands they gave us have been obeyed.” – (Inscription on the Leonidas Statue and the Battle of Thermopylae monument)

Enter Norway’s Nexorum, and their debut album, Death Unchained, a damned fine entry into the blackened death metal genre, plying the style with confidence and some solid song writing to make it a pretty much perfect example of the style.

Death Unchained isn’t doing anything particularly new or special, but with members of Keep of Kalessin, Khonsu Chton and  Vercodious, (but somehow the band still isn’t listed at Metal Archives), you get a veteran lineup staying in their lane and delivering some killer blistering riffs, backed by a thick, robust production and commanding, authoritative vocals.

Head straight for standout tracks like “Great Horned King”, with its killer riff at about 2:55 in,  hammering “Antediluvian Purification” and blistering “The Luciferian Descent”. And as a genre staple you some of those slower, blood pumping, war mongering, marching riffs heard on the likes of “Retribution”,  “Cataclysmic Rebirth”, “Diaboli Stragis”, closer “Murderer” and the excellent, pummeling title track which does both with outstanding results.

Death Unchained was a pleasant surprise after blindly checking it out amid the 100s of promos we get a month, and they certainly will get my money for this fine release, and  definitely I look forward to the next effort.

Originally released on CD by Great Dane Records in 2013, this blue marble vinyl, gate fold, limited edition (200 copies) LP has sightly different artwork adds no additional music. And that’s fine, as the music itself is of high quality, and certainly I can see the band has a consistency in their chosen sound from this album to the most recent one ( I have yet to hear the album that came out in between, 2016s Singularity).

Blisteringly melodic, razor sharp, polished black metal (sans keyboards) is the order of the day for the 9 song , 40 minute run time, with maybe a subtle hint of 90s melodic death metal. It’s superbly produced (Swiss producer Vladimir Cochet of Mirrorthrone produced all 4 of the bands albums) and crystal clear in it delivery and influences, first wave or ‘kult’ black metal this is not.

Picking standouts is hard with so much consistency among the 9 tracks, but attention grabbing opener “Inner Flame” gets you hooked right away with an awesome, classic, 90s blast, leads and riffage, as does second track “Epitaph – An Evocation of Light”, with a nice early In Flames/ Dark Tranquillity little acoustic bridge (of which there are a couple scattered around the album) amid the scorching melodies.  And the album closing duo of “Thoroughfares”, with its nice little mid song melo-death canter, and 7 minute “The Call” with its epic lead melody line is are sheer joys and letter perfect examples of the genre, given a shiny new gloss.

Other than the band’s current label wanting to get the bands early material under one roof, this probably is not a truly needed LP reissue fans were clamoring for, but certainly still a very good record, whatever format it is in. And I’m glad I checked it out, and it has driven me to seek out and complete my Stortregn CD collection.

Playing a form of very melodic, black/death metal that has  a very 90s,  Scandinavian influence  (Dissection, Dawn, Unanimated, Vinterland, Sacramentum, Naglfar, Catamenia) but also some more modern, polished  sometimes technical, shredding influence such as Inferi .  No keys or synths, just riffs and leads. The heart of the sound is driven by lead guitarist Johan Smith who absolutely shreds here and adds some simply killer melodic licks. Check out the little flourishes in standout opener “Through the Dark Gates” or the opening chops and leads of “Lawless”. That’s good stuff right there.

But it’s not just those 2 songs, each of the 9 songs delivers confident, well written and polished affairs that make for a very enjoyable album from start to its 11 minute finish in “Children of the Obsidian Light”, where Smith just goes bonkers with solos. Only than some acoustic spurts in a few of the tracks  , a short acoustic interlude ‘The Chasm of Eternity” and some acoustic expanded moments on the ambitious, aforementioned closer take the foot of the shreddage pedal.

Tracks like “The Forge” , “The Eclipsist” and thrashy, intense “Shattered Universe” are just good, solid, well composed and played songs that show how to highlight a player’s skill as part of a whole,  well oiled band.  The Conatus Studio production by Vladimir Cochet (Mirrorthrone, Conjunctive , Dysrider) – a producer who I have enjoyed everything I have heard from him, is tight and clean with a modern edge, completing the overall, compact very enjoyable package and an album I will revisited numerous times beyond reviewing purposes.

On the first few listens, the sound seemed to be a bit more folk inspired, “The Darkness of Eternity”, being a prime example. This song has that guitar melody that is catchy as hell, with vocalist Nekhrid, shouting in a dark roar in a sort of anti melodic contrast to the guitar. Those melodic guitar riffs permeate the album at different times and it’s these, that  gave me that initial thought. The song, “Deathless Serpent”, is where the Watain light shines the brightest, maybe a bit too much tho, you could be forgiven to think it was a hidden track off Lawless Darkness.

As I listened further, delving more and more into the songs, I began to get a sense of the darkness and the overall black energy that is also part of the band, together with their more melodic epicness that is very much part of them also. “Decretion At Eschaton” has that Ragnarok vibe I mentioned with the more pummeling drums and some air raids sirens thrown in the mix but at about the final ¾ of the song this background chanting gives back that epic feel again. The song “Rite of Repugnant Fury”, really has a cool quasi epic Bathory aura, with the chants and the general dynamic of the song.

The band is definitely not shy about their music, with this being the sixth release since their formation in 2013 and with the running time being a hour a long it could be a bit daunting to some. They really pack in the riffs and maybe a bit of tightening of the song structure to be more concise and thus give more of a razor cut, than the overall bludgeon of the hammer that is their current sound. The songs are not boring by any means and each song offers different moods and tempos, mini epics in their own rights. Although some songs convey this better than others.

Great Production, good musicianship from all members, a nod to the drummer Cosmarul for giving a interesting performance and although vocalist Nekhrid is a bit one dimensional, his style does fit the songs, also like the interplay between the guitars. Non Serviam Records always have some quality and a tad different releases and this is no different.

Produced and engineered by Sverker Widgren (October Tide, Demonical, Diabolical, Centinex), everything here sounds clean and top notch, and luckily the music largely matches the ambition and scope of the overall presentation (the album comes in a A5 digipack with graphics/comics relating to all the songs). The music itself has obvious comparisons to the likes of Dimmu Borgir/ Cradle of Filth /Carach Angren and such, and it’s valid, but the riffs has roots in Gothenburg melodic death and melodic black metal like Dissection at its core.

It’s not quite as extreme or chaotic as the likes of Maladie or Ne Obliviscaris, as it’s much more restrained and composed with verse chorus structures. Opener and first single “The Opposed”, is a pretty good indicator of whats to come but a fairly safe mid paced track. “A Silent God”, is where things pick up a little bit with a really nice opening bombastic salvo and some cool lead work from Zornheym himself and some well done clean vocals. “Trifecta of Horrors” has a more urgent black metal delivery and pace with a dramatic mid song orchestral break. There is bit of a misstep for “Whom The Nights Brings…” due to slight over use of clean vocals and some more commercialized riffage.

The album ends with 2 long tracks in the 6 + minute “Decessit Vita Patris” and the 8 minute “Hestia”, and they are the album’s best cuts with more varied delivery and dynamics, the prior could indeed  be a Carach Angren track with a definite narrative, including some haunting female vocals. the latter closes out with an appropriate atmospheric monkish chants and instrumentation, completing the album’s theme of a mental institution.

A solid album from a  group of old pros and it shows, and i look forward to seeing how Nilsson takes and elevates this interesting project in the future.

One issue I have with folk influenced metal bands is the tendency to veer into overly jaunty or cheesy territory. Thankfully, Wormwood keep things tasteful with the general vibe brooding and melancholic, mixed with some enchanting moments of restraint, while the bouncier melodic tendencies are well balanced by the band’s overriding aggression and more forceful riffage. Although different in style and overall execution, the seamless nature in which Wormwood integrate folksy elements into an energetic metallic attack, spiced with blasts beats, tremolo melodies and groovier headbangable riffs, reminds me of Wilderun’s excellent Sleep at the Edge of the Earth album. The playful and diverse aspect of the band’s songwriting stands out, adding a groovy spark and modern sensibility to go with their prominent influences. Equal parts enchanting and foreboding, intro “Gjallarhornet” sets the scene nicely before segueing into the lively gallop of “The Universe is Dying,” a fine example of Wormwood’s vibrant riffing, infectious drumming and potent folksy melo-black combo.

Smooth and cohesive songwriting variations keeps the momentum riding high throughout the album’s hefty duration. Moments like the more joyous, fiddle-driven folk metal bounce of “Tidh ok Ödhe” are pleasingly fleshed out with the dominant raspy vocals and urgent aggression of its second half. The chorus is simply irresistible as well. Boasting evocative guitar melodies and excellent vocal variations to accompany its consistently groovy gallop, “The Windmill” is another fine example of Wormwood’s supremely well executed balance of beauty and darkness. While the abundance of top notch riffs prove to be a pivotal strength to the album, the lively drumming consistently stands out and is a driving rhythmic force propelling each well constructed song.

The gorgeous female vocals and enchanting folk instrumentation adorning the serene “Silverdimmans återsken” enlivens the album’s mystical atmosphere, contrasting delightfully against the heavier songs, such as the exuberant chunkiness of “Oceans” or the stunning atmospheric black metal of the hugely emotive and scathing “Beneath Ravens and Bones.” Elsewhere, the storming blasts and mournful melodies of later album highlight “What We Lost in the Mist” finds the band flexing their black metal muscles. If I do have a bone to pick with Ghostlands, it mainly boils down to an issue of album length. Although suitably epic and sound in composition, at nearly an hour long, parts of the album could have been trimmed to tighten the end package, though in reality there aren’t any real duds or misfires to speak of.

Wormwood’s accomplished songwriting and musicianship is strongly backed by an excellent production job. The instruments are punchy and balanced within an uncluttered mix, while the dynamic mastering lends plenty of breathing room and allows the listener leeway to pick out the detail and subtle nuances contained within. Wormwood crafted an excellent album with Ghostlands, injecting fresh and inspired songwriting and boundless energy into a tried and true sound. They largely avoid the pitfalls of folk influenced metal, by keeping the blackened elements and heavier moments at the forefront, while the slick songwriting speaks volumes of Wormwood’s impressive compositional talents and ear for melody. Overall, Ghostlands is one of 2017’s surprise packets, an accomplished debut dripping with class and a whiff of innovation that comes highly recommended.

I can compare these guys to country mates Svart Crown and their Profane release from earlier in 2013 as it mingles big, burly militant riffs and deeper death metal vocals with a slightly frosty touch and a tangible black undercurrent. And while not quite as intense or punishing, and with a few more tangents (clean croons, a few gothic-y/doom elements)  it has plenty, and I mean plenty of killer riffs to make it a very entertaining album.

Opening duo of “Black Procession”  and “Amen” pretty much sum up the band’s sound before an early, familiar Emperor-ish chord progression of “Disciple” brings more of a direct black metal pacing, even with the beefier guitar tone. Then things go a bit pear shaped. “On the Path of Expiation” is a mid album stumble that features some of the gothic/doom stylings splashed in with the black/death I mentioned earlier including an out of place cello section and some female vocals, which is a shame as it derails some otherwise rousing riffage. The you get “Forgotten Epitaphs”, an eight minute number that starts with violins before exploding into some promising black metal blasting, but that tease is short lived as it morphs into a weird vampyric wails (think Moonspell) and off kilter cello segue that quite disconcerting. Luckily spurts of black/death majesty don’t make the track a total loss as its saved by a furious climax, but it’s close.

“Rosary of Shame” delivers stern rumbling death metal menace before actually doing an atmospheric/vocal shift correctly and more impressively, that bridges into a nice black metal blast. “Possessed” and closer “Pariah” up the intensity again with similar black/death melding, particularity “Pariah” which has a very solid melodic blast  and melancholic come down to end the album on a pretty high note.

Beati Pauperes Spiritu is certainly no world beater or year end candidate, but it has enough fine riffs and black/death crossover to make the band a respectable entry into France’s metallic exports.

One aspect of metal I have really enjoyed, and one that’s none too common in the death/grind camp, is keyboards.  The ones used here are phenomenal, and add an excellent back element to the music; that probably helps to explain why I have enjoyed Dimmu Borgir so much.   When employed as they are here, their interplay between the guitars and drums is something to behold, and the album as a whole would have been much weaker without them.  Vocalist Johnny Lehto, who also handles the guitar work, has a solid black metal rasp, but thankfully one that’s none too grating.  The other half of the guitars is handled by Christer Bergqvist, and there’s a good amount of icy solos on display to please fans of the genre.  The album is not dominated by them, as the enjoyment here is the overall blending of the various elements as opposed to a shred fest.

The title track starts out in a manner that I’ve always been a sucker for: a solid guitar groove and sixteenth-notes pounding the kick drums.  It’s one of the best tracks on the album.  The music does get a little overly-blasty at times (“Stormlegion”), which can add a sense of sameness, but overall this album really hits on all cylinders.  The production is fantastic, so fans of back alley production black metal might want to look elsewhere.  The album clocks in at just over 40 minutes with most tracks around the 4 minute mark, which allows for the songs to evolve with overstaying their welcome.  As winter descends on much of the country, this is a fitting soundtrack for this time of year.

Monastery starts off with three impressive numbers that really showcase this new approach. “Blessed in Lava” is all slicing riffs, double-bass thunder and snarled vocals before transitioning into back-to-back Slayer riffs, which could have come straight off South of Heaven or Hell Awaits. Awesome. The next few minutes churn past with even more riff and tempo change-ups, climaxing in a slow and majestic burn underscored by chiming acoustic guitars. It’s an epic and ambitious track, and a great contrast with the pounding thrash gallop of “Monastery,” which is just flat-out speed and murder, and its follow-up, “Relentless Infamy,” which blazes past with a series of sharp, evolving riffs and tempos that shift on a razor’s edge.

After that, Monastery lags for a couple of songs. Not a cardinal sin, but as each is around 7-8 minutes, it does drag the album down a bit. “The Demented God” starts as a mid-tempo lope, which is a good change-up from the previous two tracks. However, when it speeds up, it sounds more like typical melodic black metal from the late ’90s, with no thrash elements at all. Solidly crafted and performed, but way too deja vu. “My Wolf Legacy” fares a little better, in that it’s punctuated by machine-gun bursts of chug and double-bass, and features a brief moment of grand and crawling melody with some neoclassical soloing. It seems as if this track was meant to be another multi-part stunner like “Blessed in Lava,” but it too feels overly familiar without the added thrash elements to break things up.

Luckily, things perk up after that. “Tale of the Navigator” is fast and relentless, and although it too starts on a familiar note, the chuggy thrash riffs that come in halfway wake me up again. After a short, pleasant interlude (“Diabolical Kingdoms”; shades of early Old Man’s Child), the two closers bring back the epic, dynamic attack I was so impressed by in the first few tracks. “Rebirth” doesn’t really feature much thrash, but it’s quite varied compared to some of the mid-album tracks. “Last World” strikes with another thrash/black gallop followed by a classic ’80s headbanging rhythm that will make you instinctively throw your horns in the air. Both songs also feature a memorable mix of medieval acoustics and neoclassical soloing, which are also a nice change-up from some of the Oriental melodies at the start of the album.

Griffar’s got a case of the Rip Van Winkles, in that they went dormant just when the melodic black metal sound was peaking, and now, more than a decade later, they’ve woken up and mostly resumed that same sound. Mostly, I say, because it’s that hybrid thrash element that really makes this album stand out. And sure, combining black metal and thrash is far, far from new, but it’s usually blackened thrash, and not thrashy black metal. (Did you get peanut butter on your chocolate or chocolate in your peanut butter?) I much prefer this approach, and hope they further refine it on the next album. When Griffar really gets going, their Sacramentum-meets-Slayer sound will make you forget you’ve ever heard of Skeletonwitch.